JP2010185590A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of avoiding the deterioration of the recognition performance of an air conditioning space recognition device affected by dust and tobacco smoke etc. and securing a wide range of a sensing visual field by using one sensor. <P>SOLUTION: An indoor unit includes: suction ports 2a, 2b for sucking air; a heat exchanger 6 for performing the heat exchange of air sucked from the suction ports 2a, 2b; a blowout port 10 for blowing out air which is heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 6; a wind direction change blade 12 provided at the blowout port 10 and changing the direction of the blown-out air; and the air conditioning space recognition device 30 for recognizing the state of the inside of an air conditioning space. In accordance with the state of the air conditioning space recognized by the air conditioning space recognition device 30, the wind direction change blade 12 is controlled to perform air conditioning operation. The air conditioning space recognition device 30 is arranged at the back face side of the wind direction change blade 12 or the back face side of a movable front panel 4 and the wind direction change blade 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides an indoor unit with an air-conditioned space recognition device for recognizing the state in the air-conditioned space, and performs the air-conditioning operation by controlling the wind direction changing blade according to the state of the air-conditioned space recognized by the air-conditioned space recognition device. Relates to the air conditioner.

  A conventional air conditioner recognizes the distance to the walls and floor of a room by a distance sensor provided on the air conditioner body, automatically detects the installation position of the body, and adjusts the wind direction and wind speed according to the body position. A comfortable air-conditioned space is realized by controlling (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, the distance measuring unit provided on the main unit can be used to grasp the distance between the air conditioner main unit and the walls and obstacles of the room, or by photographing and recognizing the state of the room using an image sensor. In some cases, the wind direction change vane is controlled to perform optimum air blowing (for example, see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 2723470 Japanese Patent No. 4106857

  In the case of the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, the left and right distance detection sensors including the ultrasonic sensors, the front and lower distance detection sensors are provided at the lower part of the indoor unit. There is no description as to how the unit is installed.

  In addition, the installation position of the main body is detected by recognizing the distance to the left and right sides of the room and the front wall and floor with a plurality of distance detection sensors that do not rotate, but there are various types of desks, chairs, shelves, etc. in the room. When there are various obstacles and the distance detection sensor detects them, there is a problem that it is difficult to determine whether the obstacle is a wall, a floor, or an obstacle, and an accurate distance to the wall or floor cannot be recognized.

  On the other hand, in the air conditioner described in Patent Document 2, a distance measuring unit for measuring the distance to an obstacle and a sensor for photographing the state of a room or a person are attached in an exposed state on the upper part of the indoor unit body. In addition, there is a problem in that the distance measuring unit and the sensor are affected by dust, cigarette smoke, and the like, and the detection performance is deteriorated.

  In addition, the distance measurement unit is rotated up, down, left, and right to grasp the distance to the wall and obstacles, but since the distance measurement unit is provided at the top of the indoor unit, There is also a problem that it is difficult to secure a field of view.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and is capable of avoiding a decrease in the recognition performance of the air-conditioned space recognition device due to the influence of dust, cigarette smoke, and the like. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can secure a wide detection field of view.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention blows out into an indoor unit a suction port for sucking air, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat from the air sucked from the suction port, and air that has been heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger. The air-conditioning space recognition device recognizes the air-conditioning space recognition device for recognizing the state in the air-conditioned space. An air conditioner that performs air-conditioning operation by controlling the wind direction change blade according to the state of the air-conditioned space, and the air-conditioning space recognition device is arranged on the back side of the wind direction change blade or the movable front panel and the back side of the wind direction change blade It is a thing.

  According to the present invention, when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped, the air-conditioning space recognition device is covered with the wind direction changing blades or the movable front panel and the wind direction changing blades, so that it is not easily affected by dust or cigarette smoke. , The degradation of recognition performance can be suppressed.

  In the first aspect of the invention, at least a part of the air-conditioned space recognition device is disposed on the back side of the wind direction changing blade. Therefore, it becomes difficult to be affected by dust, cigarette smoke, and the like, and the degradation of recognition performance can be suppressed.

  2nd invention can suppress the fall of recognition performance by arrange | positioning all the air-conditioning space recognition apparatuses to the back side of a wind direction change blade | wing.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the same effect can be obtained by disposing a portion other than the part of the air-conditioned space recognition device on the back side of the movable front panel.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a field of view near the interior of the indoor unit main body can be secured by arranging the sensor unit of the air-conditioned space recognition device so as to face obliquely downward, and a wide range using a single sensor. Can ensure a wide field of view.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air-conditioned space recognition device comprising: a sensor unit; a vertical drive motor that rotates the sensor unit in the vertical direction; a sensor casing that houses the sensor unit and the vertical drive motor arranged in the longitudinal direction; The sensor casing is composed of a left / right drive motor that rotates the sensor casing in the left / right direction. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a small recognition device having a wide rotation range in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
An air conditioner used in a general home is composed of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit that are usually connected to each other by refrigerant piping, and FIGS. 1 to 3 show the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention. ing.

  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 a front suction port 2a of the main body 2. When the air conditioner is stopped, the front panel 4 is the main body 2. The front suction port 2a is closed in close contact with the front panel 4 while the front panel 4 moves away from the main body 2 to open the front suction port 2a during operation of the air conditioner. 1 and 2 show a state where the front panel 4 closes the front suction port 2a, and FIG. 3 shows a state where the front panel 4 opens the front suction port 2a.

  As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, inside the main body 2, indoor air taken in from the heat exchanger 6 and the front inlet 2 a and the upper inlet 2 b provided on the downstream side of the heat exchanger 6 is received. An indoor fan 8 for exchanging heat in the heat exchanger 6 and blowing it out into the room, an up-and-down air direction changing blade 12 that opens and closes the blow-out port 10 that blows out the heat-exchanged air into the room and changes the air blowing direction up and down, Left and right wind direction changing blades 14 that change the air blowing direction to the left and right are provided, and between the front suction port 2a and the upper suction port 2b and the heat exchanger 6 from the front suction port 2a and the upper suction port 2b. A filter 16 is provided for removing dust contained in the taken-in room air.

  Further, a blowout grill 18 is provided on the downstream side of the indoor fan 8, and the blowout grill 18 forms a blower passage 20 and a blowout port 10 on the downstream side of the indoor fan 8.

  The upper portion of the front panel 4 is connected to the upper portion of the main body 2 via two arms 22 and 24 provided at both ends thereof, and drive control of a drive motor (not shown) connected to the arms 22 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 suction port 2a).

  The up-and-down wind direction changing blade 12 is swingably attached to the lower portion of the main body 2, connected to a drive motor (for example, a stepping motor), and angle-controlled by a control device (not shown) built in the indoor unit.

  On the other hand, the left / right wind direction changing blade 14 is composed of a plurality of blades swingably attached to the lower portion of the main body 2 and is connected to a drive motor (for example, a stepping motor) to be incorporated in the indoor unit. The angle is controlled by.

  Further, on the back side of the front panel 4 and the up / down airflow direction changing blade 12 on the lower side of one side (left side when viewed from the front) of the main body 2, the distance to the walls and floors of the air-conditioned room or the presence or absence of obstacles is detected. An air-conditioned space recognition device 30 that recognizes the state in the air-conditioned space is provided, and the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. As used herein, the term “obstacle” refers to all objects that are blown out from the air outlet 10 of the indoor unit and impede the flow of air to provide a comfortable space for residents. It is a collective term for non-residents such as furniture such as sofas, televisions, and audio.

  In FIG. 1, the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is provided on the left side of the main body 2, but may be provided on the right side of the main body 2.

  The air-conditioned space recognition device 30 includes a sensor unit 32, a vertical drive motor 34 that rotates the sensor unit 32 in the vertical direction, and a vertically long cylindrical shape that stores the sensor unit 32 and the vertical drive motor 34 arranged in the longitudinal direction. The sensor casing 36 and a left / right drive motor 38 that rotates the sensor casing 36 in the left-right direction are configured as a sensor unit. The sensor unit 32 is integrally formed with the ultrasonic sensor 40, a spherical support 42 that rotatably supports the ultrasonic sensor 40, and a support 42 that is positioned in the direction of the sound wave exit of the ultrasonic sensor 40. And a horn 44. The horn 44 is for improving the sensitivity of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 40 and enhancing the directivity and improving the air-conditioning space recognition accuracy.

  The support 42 has a vertical rotation shaft 46, and the sensor casing 36 has a horizontal rotation shaft 48 extending in a direction orthogonal to the vertical rotation shaft 46. 46 is rotatably attached to the sensor casing 36, and the left / right rotation shaft 48 is rotatably attached to a housing 50 to which the left / right drive motor 38 is attached. Further, the support 42 is connected to the vertical drive motor 34 via a driving force transmission means 52 such as a gear and is driven to rotate in the vertical direction, and the sensor casing 36 is connected to the left and right drive motor 38. It is driven to rotate in the left-right direction.

  The air-conditioned space recognition device 30 includes a metal plate, a ceramic vibration element attached to one side of the metal plate, and a cone for ultrasonic transmission / reception fixed to the opposite side of the metal plate. Since the air-conditioning space recognition device 30 is exposed to the outside during the operation of the conditioner, if a human finger or the like enters the horn 44, the cone or the like may be destroyed. Accordingly, the horn 44 is provided with a plurality of ribs for preventing intruders from the outside in order to prevent destruction of the cone or the like or to secure an insulation distance between the metal plate and the fingertip.

  6 and 7, the horn 44 has a small-diameter throat portion 54 to which the ultrasonic sensor 40 is attached, and an opening 56 having a diameter larger than that of the throat portion 54. It has a substantially conical shape that gradually expands from 54 to the opening 56. Further, in the vicinity of the throat portion 54, a plurality of thin plate-like ribs 58 projecting toward the axial center line of the horn 44 and extending in the axial direction are integrally formed at equal intervals, and the inner edge of each rib 58 is The horn 44 extends substantially parallel to the axial center line.

  As described above, the horn 44 is to improve the sensitivity of the ultrasonic wave and enhance the directivity, but the direction in which the rib 58 is present tends to be less directional. In the case of the air conditioner according to the present invention, the lower end portion of the front panel 4 is disposed near the upper part of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30, and the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 40 are transmitted to the rib 58 and the front panel 4. There is a possibility that a virtual image is erroneously detected as an obstacle due to irregular reflection at the lower end of the lens.

  Therefore, it is preferable to provide the ribs 58 at positions other than directly above. In the configuration in which the two ribs 58 are provided, the ribs 58 are arranged horizontally. In the configuration in which the three ribs 58 are provided, the two ribs 58 are provided. In the configuration in which the other rib is disposed obliquely above and the other one is disposed directly below, and the four ribs 58 are provided, they are disposed as shown in FIG.

  The number of ribs 58 is not limited to 2 to 4, and five or more ribs 58 can be provided.

  Further, it is more preferable to dispose a net-like member (not shown) in front of the ultrasonic sensor 40 because it is possible to prevent an object that is thinner than a human finger from entering. However, the net-like member needs to be arranged at the node position of the particle velocity. If the net-like member is not arranged at the node position, attenuation of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 40 becomes large. The node position of the particle velocity is a position corresponding to the vicinity of a distance of (2n−1) / 4 × λ from the cone, where λ is the wavelength of the ultrasonic wave.

  The air-conditioned space recognition device 30 can be miniaturized by adopting the above-described configuration, and has a wide rotation range in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is fixed to the main body 2 such that the left / right rotation shaft 48 is inclined upward and the sensor unit 32 is inclined. It arrange | positions so that it may face downward. By adopting such an arrangement, it is possible to secure a visual field in the vicinity immediately below the air conditioner, and in a vertical direction, it is possible to secure a detection visual field covering a wide range from a substantially horizontal direction to the vicinity immediately below.

  Drive motor for driving the arm 22 of the front panel 4, vertical drive motor 34 for driving the vertical wind direction changing blade 12, left and right drive motor 38 for driving the horizontal wind direction changing blade 14, the vertical drive motor 34 of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30, and the left and right The drive motor 38 and the like are electrically connected to a control unit (not shown) provided in the indoor unit, and when these drive means are controlled by the control unit, the front panel 4 and the up / down air direction changing blades 12, operations of the right and left wind direction changing blades 14, the air-conditioned space recognition device 30, and the like are controlled.

  In addition, the signal detected by the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is also processed by the control unit to control the operation of the air conditioner.

Next, the operation of the air conditioner according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 2 shows a stopped state of the air conditioner, and the front suction port 2a and the air outlet 10 are respectively closed by the front panel 4 and the up / down air direction changing blades 12.

  When the operation of the air conditioner is started using a remote controller (remote control device, not shown), as shown in FIG. 3, the arm 22 is driven by the drive motor, and the front panel 4 is moved from the front suction port 2a. Moves forward and stops at an arbitrary position. At the same time, the up / down airflow direction changing blade 12 is driven by another drive motor, rotates and stops at an arbitrary position, and the sensor unit 32 of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is exposed from the main body 2. In this state, the conditioned space recognition device 30 recognizes the conditioned space by detecting the distance to the walls and floors of the room, which is the conditioned space, and the presence or absence of an obstacle.

  The detection of the distance to the object is performed by reflecting the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 40 and receiving the reflected wave by the ultrasonic sensor 40 when the ultrasonic wave hits the object. Assuming that the time from transmission to reception is t and the sound speed is C, the distance D from the ultrasonic sensor 40 to the object is represented by D = Ct / 2.

  4 and 5 show the ultrasonic sensor 40 in which the ultrasonic transmission unit and the reception unit are integrated. However, even in the case where the ultrasonic transmission unit and the reception unit are separate, in principle or functionally. Can be adopted in the present embodiment.

  In addition, the air-conditioned space is recognized by rotating the sensor unit 32 in the vertical direction by a vertical drive motor 34 at a predetermined angular interval, and by moving the sensor casing 36 housing the sensor unit 32 by a horizontal drive motor 38 in a horizontal direction at a predetermined angle. While rotating at intervals, ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received at each angle, and the signals are recorded and processed.

  For example, the address determined by the vertical and horizontal angles of the sensor unit 32 is set in the air-conditioned space, and the ultrasonic sensor 40 measures each address and scans the living space. Thus, the air-conditioned space is recognized. The angle range in the vertical direction is set to, for example, 5 degrees to 80 degrees, and the angle in the horizontal direction is set to, for example, 10 degrees to 170 degrees.

  After recognizing the air-conditioned space in this way, the air-conditioning operation is performed with the capacity corresponding to the size of the air-conditioned space. When an obstacle is recognized, the direction of the wind blown from the outlet 10 is controlled by the left / right wind direction changing blade 14 or the upper / lower wind direction changing blade 12, or the wind speed is controlled by the indoor fan 8 to avoid the obstacle. By performing the air conditioning operation, efficient operation can be performed and energy saving is achieved.

  In addition, the recognition operation | movement of the air-conditioning space by the air-conditioning space recognition apparatus 30 can be performed at the time of the driving | operation start of an air conditioner. Alternatively, since the state of the air-conditioned space does not change greatly with the passage of time, the recognition operation of the air-conditioned space may be performed after completion of the air-conditioning operation or at regular intervals.

  In the above-described embodiment, the air-conditioning space recognition device 30 is disposed on the back side of the front panel 4 and the up / down air direction changing blades 12, and the sensor unit 32 is changed from the front panel 4 to the up / down air direction when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped. It is made to cover with the wing 12. With this configuration, the ultrasonic sensor 40 is less susceptible to dust, cigarette smoke, and the like when the air conditioner is shut down, and can suppress degradation in recognition performance.

  However, as shown in FIG. 8, while the length of the front panel 4 in the vertical direction is shortened, the length of the vertical wind direction changing blade 12 is lengthened in the vertical direction so that all of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is in the vertical wind direction. It can also be arranged on the back side of the change blade 12.

  That is, in the configuration of FIG. 2, a part of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is arranged on the back side of the up / down airflow direction changing blade 12 and the remaining part is arranged on the back side of the front panel 4. All of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is arranged on the back side of the up-and-down air direction changing blade 12 and is fixed to the main body 2. When the operation of the air conditioner is stopped, the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 can be operated only by the up-and-down air direction changing blade 12. I try to cover it up. This configuration is particularly effective in an air conditioner in which the front panel 4 is fixed. By disposing the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 on the back side of the up-and-down airflow direction changing blade 12, the recognition performance of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is reduced. Can be suppressed.

  Also in the configuration of FIG. 8, as in the configuration of FIG. 2, the conditioned space recognition device 30 is fixed to the main body 2 such that the left and right rotation shaft 48 is inclined upward toward the front, 32 is arranged to face obliquely downward. Therefore, a visual field in the vicinity immediately below the air conditioner can be secured, and a single field sensor can be used to secure a wide-range detection visual field from the substantially horizontal direction to the vicinity immediately below the air conditioner.

  In the present embodiment, an ultrasonic sensor that detects the distance to a wall, floor, or obstacle in the air-conditioned space is used as the air-conditioned space recognition device 30, but the human state such as the position and body temperature of the person is used. Optimum air conditioning can also be performed using a sensor that detects this. Further, the wind direction changing blade may be only one of the upper and lower sides and the left and right sides.

  In the air conditioner according to the present invention, the air-conditioning space recognizing device is disposed on the back side of the up / down air direction changing blade or on the back side of the movable front panel and the up / down air direction changing blade, so that the sensor is affected by dust or cigarette smoke. Since it is possible to avoid a decrease in detection performance and to secure a wide detection field of view using one sensor, it is useful as various air conditioners including a general home air conditioner.

The front view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on this invention Sectional view along line AA in FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 in a state where the movable front panel opens the front suction port and the up / down airflow direction changing blades open the air outlet. The front view of the air-conditioning space recognition apparatus provided in the indoor unit of FIG. Sectional view along line BB in FIG. Front view of a horn provided in the air-conditioned space recognition device of FIG. Sectional view along line CC in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the modification of the indoor unit of FIG.

2 indoor unit body, 2a front suction port, 2b top suction port, 4 movable front panel,
6 heat exchangers, 8 indoor fans, 10 air outlets, 12 up / down wind direction change blades,
14 left and right wind direction change vanes, 16 filter, 18 blowout grill, 20 air passage,
22, 24 Front panel arm, 30 Air-conditioned space recognition device, 32 Sensor unit,
34 vertical drive motor, 36 sensor casing, 38 left and right drive motor,
40 ultrasonic sensor, 42 support, 44 horn, 46 rotating shaft for vertical rotation,
48 Rotating shaft for right and left rotation, 50 Housing, 52 Driving force transmission means,
54 throat, 56 openings, 58 ribs.

  The present invention provides an indoor unit with an air-conditioned space recognition device for recognizing the state in the air-conditioned space, and performs the air-conditioning operation by controlling the wind direction changing blade according to the state of the air-conditioned space recognized by the air-conditioned space recognition device. Relates to the air conditioner.

  A conventional air conditioner recognizes the distance to the walls and floor of a room by a distance sensor provided on the air conditioner body, automatically detects the installation position of the body, and adjusts the wind direction and wind speed according to the body position. A comfortable air-conditioned space is realized by controlling (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, the distance measuring unit provided on the main unit can be used to grasp the distance between the air conditioner main unit and the walls and obstacles of the room, or by photographing and recognizing the state of the room using an image sensor. In some cases, the airflow is changed by controlling the airflow direction changing vanes (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 2723470 Japanese Patent No. 4106857

  In the case of the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, the left and right distance detection sensors including the ultrasonic sensors, the front and lower distance detection sensors are provided at the lower part of the indoor unit. There is no description as to how the unit is installed.

  In addition, the installation position of the main body is detected by recognizing the distance to the left and right sides of the room and the front wall and floor with a plurality of distance detection sensors that do not rotate, but there are various types of desks, chairs, shelves, etc. in the room. When there are various obstacles and the distance detection sensor detects them, there is a problem that it is difficult to determine whether the obstacle is a wall, a floor, or an obstacle, and an accurate distance to the wall or floor cannot be recognized.

  On the other hand, in the air conditioner described in Patent Document 2, a distance measuring unit for measuring the distance to an obstacle and a sensor for photographing the state of a room or a person are attached in an exposed state on the upper part of the indoor unit body. In addition, there is a problem in that the distance measuring unit and the sensor are affected by dust, cigarette smoke, and the like, and the detection performance is deteriorated.

  In addition, the distance measurement unit is rotated up, down, left, and right to grasp the distance to the wall and obstacles, but since the distance measurement unit is provided at the top of the indoor unit, There is also a problem that it is difficult to secure a field of view.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and is capable of avoiding a decrease in the recognition performance of the air-conditioned space recognition device due to the influence of dust, cigarette smoke, and the like. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can secure a wide detection field of view.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an indoor unit with an intake port for sucking air, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat from the air sucked from the intake port, and air that has been heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger. A blower outlet for blowing air, a wind direction changing blade provided in the blower outlet for changing the direction of the blown air, a distance to walls and floors, the presence or absence of an obstacle, or a conditioned space for detecting the state of a person A recognizing device, and an air conditioner that performs air-conditioning operation by controlling the wind direction changing blade according to the state of the air-conditioned space recognized by the air-conditioned space recognizing device, wherein at least a part of the air-conditioned space recognizing device The air conditioner is disposed on the back side of the wind direction changing blade at the lower part of the air conditioner so as to be covered with the wind direction changing blade while the operation of the conditioner is stopped .

  According to the present invention, when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped, the air-conditioning space recognition device is covered with the wind direction changing blades or the movable front panel and the wind direction changing blades, so that it is not easily affected by dust or cigarette smoke. , The degradation of recognition performance can be suppressed.

The first invention is a suction port for sucking air into an indoor unit, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat from the air sucked from the suction port, and a blower outlet for blowing out the air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger. And a wind direction changing blade provided at the outlet for changing the direction of the air to be blown out, a distance to the wall and the floor, the presence or absence of an obstacle, or a conditioned space recognition device for detecting the state of a person, In an air conditioner that performs air-conditioning operation by controlling the airflow direction change blade according to the state of the air-conditioned space recognized by the air-conditioned space recognition device, at least part of the air-conditioning space recognition device is Since it is arranged on the back side of the wind direction change blade at the lower part of the air conditioner so as to be covered with the wind direction change blade, at least a part of the air-conditioning space recognition device is covered with the wind direction change blade while the operation of the air conditioner is stopped. Dust and cigarette smoke What influence it difficult to receive, the reduction in recognition performance can be suppressed.

2nd invention suppresses the fall of recognition performance by arrange | positioning all the air-conditioning space recognition apparatuses to the back side of a wind direction change blade so that it may cover with an air direction change blade during the operation stop of an air conditioner. be able to.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the indoor unit includes a movable front panel, and a portion other than a part of the air-conditioned space recognition device is covered with the movable front panel while the air conditioner is stopped. The same effect can be obtained by disposing the movable front panel on the back side.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a field of view near the interior of the indoor unit main body can be secured by arranging the sensor unit of the air-conditioned space recognition device so as to face obliquely downward, and a wide range using a single sensor. It is possible to secure a simple detection field of view.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air-conditioned space recognition device comprising: a sensor unit; a vertical drive motor that rotates the sensor unit in the vertical direction; a sensor casing that houses the sensor unit and the vertical drive motor arranged in the longitudinal direction; This is composed of a left and right drive motor that rotates the sensor casing in the left and right direction. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a small recognition device having a wide rotation range in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.
The sixth invention is characterized in that the air-conditioned space recognition device is provided on the side of the air outlet.
A seventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that at least a part of the air-conditioned space recognition device is exposed from the main body of the air conditioner by rotating the wind direction changing blade during the operation of the air conditioner.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
An air conditioner used in a general home is composed of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit that are usually connected to each other by refrigerant piping, and FIGS. 1 to 3 show the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention. ing.

  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 a front suction port 2a of the main body 2. When the air conditioner is stopped, the front panel 4 is the main body 2. The front suction port 2a is closed in close contact with the front panel 4 while the front panel 4 moves away from the main body 2 to open the front suction port 2a during operation of the air conditioner. 1 and 2 show a state where the front panel 4 closes the front suction port 2a, and FIG. 3 shows a state where the front panel 4 opens the front suction port 2a.

  As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, inside the main body 2, indoor air taken in from the heat exchanger 6 and the front inlet 2 a and the upper inlet 2 b provided on the downstream side of the heat exchanger 6 is received. An indoor fan 8 for exchanging heat in the heat exchanger 6 and blowing it out into the room, an up-and-down air direction changing blade 12 that opens and closes the blow-out port 10 that blows out the heat-exchanged air into the room and changes the air blowing direction up and down, Left and right wind direction changing blades 14 that change the air blowing direction to the left and right are provided, and between the front suction port 2a and the upper suction port 2b and the heat exchanger 6 from the front suction port 2a and the upper suction port 2b. A filter 16 is provided for removing dust contained in the taken-in room air.

  Further, a blowout grill 18 is provided on the downstream side of the indoor fan 8, and the blowout grill 18 forms a blower passage 20 and a blowout port 10 on the downstream side of the indoor fan 8.

  The upper portion of the front panel 4 is connected to the upper portion of the main body 2 via two arms 22 and 24 provided at both ends thereof, and drive control of a drive motor (not shown) connected to the arms 22 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 suction port 2a).

  The up-and-down wind direction changing blade 12 is swingably attached to the lower portion of the main body 2, connected to a drive motor (for example, a stepping motor), and angle-controlled by a control device (not shown) built in the indoor unit.

  On the other hand, the left / right wind direction changing blade 14 is composed of a plurality of blades swingably attached to the lower portion of the main body 2 and is connected to a drive motor (for example, a stepping motor) to be incorporated in the indoor unit. The angle is controlled by.

  Further, on the back side of the front panel 4 and the up / down airflow direction changing blade 12 on the lower side of one side (left side when viewed from the front) of the main body 2, the distance to the walls and floors of the air-conditioned room or the presence or absence of obstacles is detected. An air-conditioned space recognition device 30 that recognizes the state in the air-conditioned space is provided, and the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. As used herein, the term “obstacle” refers to all objects that are blown out from the air outlet 10 of the indoor unit and impede the flow of air to provide a comfortable space for residents. It is a collective term for non-residents such as furniture such as sofas, televisions, and audio.

  In FIG. 1, the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is provided on the left side of the main body 2, but may be provided on the right side of the main body 2.

  The air-conditioned space recognition device 30 includes a sensor unit 32, a vertical drive motor 34 that rotates the sensor unit 32 in the vertical direction, and a vertically long cylindrical shape that stores the sensor unit 32 and the vertical drive motor 34 arranged in the longitudinal direction. The sensor casing 36 and a left / right drive motor 38 that rotates the sensor casing 36 in the left-right direction are configured as a sensor unit. The sensor unit 32 is integrally formed with the ultrasonic sensor 40, a spherical support 42 that rotatably supports the ultrasonic sensor 40, and a support 42 that is positioned in the direction of the sound wave exit of the ultrasonic sensor 40. And a horn 44. The horn 44 is for improving the sensitivity of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 40 and enhancing the directivity and improving the air-conditioning space recognition accuracy.

  The support 42 has a vertical rotation shaft 46, and the sensor casing 36 has a horizontal rotation shaft 48 extending in a direction orthogonal to the vertical rotation shaft 46. 46 is rotatably attached to the sensor casing 36, and the left / right rotation shaft 48 is rotatably attached to a housing 50 to which the left / right drive motor 38 is attached. Further, the support 42 is connected to the vertical drive motor 34 via a driving force transmission means 52 such as a gear and is driven to rotate in the vertical direction, and the sensor casing 36 is connected to the left and right drive motor 38. It is driven to rotate in the left-right direction.

The air-conditioned space recognition device 30 includes a metal plate, a ceramic vibration element attached to one side of the metal plate, and a cone for ultrasonic transmission / reception fixed to the opposite side of the metal plate. when the conditioner operation, the air-conditioned space recognition apparatus 30 to expose to the outside, when a finger or the like of a person in the horn 44 is oN invasion, there is a fear that the cone or the like is destroyed. Accordingly, the horn 44 is provided with a plurality of ribs for preventing intruders from the outside in order to prevent destruction of the cone or the like or to secure an insulation distance between the metal plate and the fingertip.

  6 and 7, the horn 44 has a small-diameter throat portion 54 to which the ultrasonic sensor 40 is attached, and an opening 56 having a diameter larger than that of the throat portion 54. It has a substantially conical shape that gradually expands from 54 to the opening 56. Further, in the vicinity of the throat portion 54, a plurality of thin plate-like ribs 58 projecting toward the axial center line of the horn 44 and extending in the axial direction are integrally formed at equal intervals, and the inner edge of each rib 58 is The horn 44 extends substantially parallel to the axial center line.

  As described above, the horn 44 is to improve the sensitivity of the ultrasonic wave and enhance the directivity, but the direction in which the rib 58 is present tends to be less directional. In the case of the air conditioner according to the present invention, the lower end portion of the front panel 4 is disposed near the upper part of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30, and the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 40 are transmitted to the rib 58 and the front panel 4. There is a possibility that a virtual image is erroneously detected as an obstacle due to irregular reflection at the lower end of the lens.

  Therefore, it is preferable to provide the ribs 58 at positions other than directly above. In the configuration in which the two ribs 58 are provided, the ribs 58 are arranged horizontally. In the configuration in which the three ribs 58 are provided, the two ribs 58 are provided. In the configuration in which the other rib is disposed obliquely above and the other one is disposed directly below, and the four ribs 58 are provided, they are disposed as shown in FIG.

  The number of ribs 58 is not limited to 2 to 4, and five or more ribs 58 can be provided.

Also, placing the net-like member in front of the ultrasonic sensor 40 (not shown), it is possible to prevent the intrusion of those thinner than a human finger, further preferred. However, the net-like member needs to be arranged at the node position of the particle velocity. If the net-like member is not arranged at the node position, attenuation of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 40 becomes large. The node position of the particle velocity is a position corresponding to the vicinity of a distance of (2n−1) / 4 × λ from the cone, where λ is the wavelength of the ultrasonic wave.

  The air-conditioned space recognition device 30 can be miniaturized by adopting the above-described configuration, and has a wide rotation range in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is fixed to the main body 2 such that the left / right rotation shaft 48 is inclined upward and the sensor unit 32 is inclined. It arrange | positions so that it may face downward. By adopting such an arrangement, it is possible to secure a visual field in the vicinity immediately below the air conditioner, and in a vertical direction, it is possible to secure a detection visual field covering a wide range from a substantially horizontal direction to the vicinity immediately below.

  Drive motor for driving the arm 22 of the front panel 4, vertical drive motor 34 for driving the vertical wind direction changing blade 12, left and right drive motor 38 for driving the horizontal wind direction changing blade 14, the vertical drive motor 34 of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30, and the left and right The drive motor 38 and the like are electrically connected to a control unit (not shown) provided in the indoor unit, and when these drive means are controlled by the control unit, the front panel 4 and the up / down air direction changing blades 12, operations of the right and left wind direction changing blades 14, the air-conditioned space recognition device 30, and the like are controlled.

  In addition, the signal detected by the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is also processed by the control unit to control the operation of the air conditioner.

Next, the operation of the air conditioner according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 2 shows a stopped state of the air conditioner, and the front suction port 2a and the air outlet 10 are respectively closed by the front panel 4 and the up / down air direction changing blades 12.

  When the operation of the air conditioner is started using a remote controller (remote control device, not shown), as shown in FIG. 3, the arm 22 is driven by the drive motor, and the front panel 4 is moved from the front suction port 2a. Moves forward and stops at an arbitrary position. At the same time, the up / down airflow direction changing blade 12 is driven by another drive motor, rotates and stops at an arbitrary position, and the sensor unit 32 of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is exposed from the main body 2. In this state, the conditioned space recognition device 30 recognizes the conditioned space by detecting the distance to the walls and floors of the room, which is the conditioned space, and the presence or absence of an obstacle.

  The detection of the distance to the object is performed by reflecting the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 40 and receiving the reflected wave by the ultrasonic sensor 40 when the ultrasonic wave hits the object. Assuming that the time from transmission to reception is t and the sound speed is C, the distance D from the ultrasonic sensor 40 to the object is represented by D = Ct / 2.

  4 and 5 show the ultrasonic sensor 40 in which the ultrasonic transmission unit and the reception unit are integrated. However, even in the case where the ultrasonic transmission unit and the reception unit are separate, in principle or functionally. Can be adopted in the present embodiment.

  In addition, the air-conditioned space is recognized by rotating the sensor unit 32 in the vertical direction by a vertical drive motor 34 at a predetermined angular interval, and by moving the sensor casing 36 housing the sensor unit 32 by a horizontal drive motor 38 in a horizontal direction at a predetermined angle. While rotating at intervals, ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received at each angle, and the signals are recorded and processed.

  For example, the address determined by the vertical and horizontal angles of the sensor unit 32 is set in the air-conditioned space, and the ultrasonic sensor 40 measures each address and scans the living space. Thus, the air-conditioned space is recognized. The angle range in the vertical direction is set to, for example, 5 degrees to 80 degrees, and the angle in the horizontal direction is set to, for example, 10 degrees to 170 degrees.

  After recognizing the air-conditioned space in this way, the air-conditioning operation is performed with the capacity corresponding to the size of the air-conditioned space. When an obstacle is recognized, the direction of the wind blown from the outlet 10 is controlled by the left / right wind direction changing blade 14 or the upper / lower wind direction changing blade 12, or the wind speed is controlled by the indoor fan 8 to avoid the obstacle. By performing the air conditioning operation, efficient operation can be performed and energy saving is achieved.

  In addition, the recognition operation | movement of the air-conditioning space by the air-conditioning space recognition apparatus 30 can be performed at the time of the driving | operation start of an air conditioner. Alternatively, since the state of the air-conditioned space does not change greatly with the passage of time, the recognition operation of the air-conditioned space may be performed after completion of the air-conditioning operation or at regular intervals.

  In the above-described embodiment, the air-conditioning space recognition device 30 is disposed on the back side of the front panel 4 and the up / down air direction changing blades 12, and the sensor unit 32 is changed from the front panel 4 to the up / down air direction when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped. It is made to cover with the wing 12. With this configuration, the ultrasonic sensor 40 is less susceptible to dust, cigarette smoke, and the like when the air conditioner is shut down, and can suppress degradation in recognition performance.

  However, as shown in FIG. 8, while the length of the front panel 4 in the vertical direction is shortened, the length of the vertical wind direction changing blade 12 is lengthened in the vertical direction so that all of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is in the vertical wind direction. It can also be arranged on the back side of the change blade 12.

  That is, in the configuration of FIG. 2, a part of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is arranged on the back side of the up / down airflow direction changing blade 12 and the remaining part is arranged on the back side of the front panel 4. All of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is arranged on the back side of the up-and-down air direction changing blade 12 and is fixed to the main body 2. When the operation of the air conditioner is stopped, the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 can be operated only by the up-and-down air direction changing blade 12. I try to cover it up. This configuration is particularly effective in an air conditioner in which the front panel 4 is fixed. By disposing the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 on the back side of the up-and-down airflow direction changing blade 12, the recognition performance of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is reduced. Can be suppressed.

  Also in the configuration of FIG. 8, as in the configuration of FIG. 2, the conditioned space recognition device 30 is fixed to the main body 2 such that the left and right rotation shaft 48 is inclined upward toward the front, 32 is arranged to face obliquely downward. Therefore, a visual field in the vicinity immediately below the air conditioner can be secured, and a single field sensor can be used to secure a wide-range detection visual field from the substantially horizontal direction to the vicinity immediately below the air conditioner.

  In the present embodiment, an ultrasonic sensor that detects the distance to a wall, floor, or obstacle in the air-conditioned space is used as the air-conditioned space recognition device 30, but the human state such as the position and body temperature of the person is used. Optimum air conditioning can also be performed using a sensor that detects this. Further, the wind direction changing blade may be only one of the upper and lower sides and the left and right sides.

  In the air conditioner according to the present invention, the air-conditioning space recognizing device is disposed on the back side of the up / down air direction changing blade or on the back side of the movable front panel and the up / down air direction changing blade, so that the sensor is affected by dust or cigarette smoke. Since it is possible to avoid a decrease in detection performance and to secure a wide detection field of view using one sensor, it is useful as various air conditioners including a general home air conditioner.

The front view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on this invention Sectional view along line AA in FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 in a state where the movable front panel opens the front suction port and the up / down airflow direction changing blades open the air outlet. The front view of the air-conditioning space recognition apparatus provided in the indoor unit of FIG. Sectional view along line BB in FIG. Front view of a horn provided in the air-conditioned space recognition device of FIG. Sectional view along line CC in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the modification of the indoor unit of FIG.

2 indoor unit body, 2a front suction port, 2b top suction port, 4 movable front panel,
6 heat exchangers, 8 indoor fans, 10 air outlets, 12 up / down wind direction change blades,
14 left and right wind direction change blades, 16 filter, 18 blow grill, 20 air passage, 22, 24 front panel arm, 30 air-conditioning space recognition device, 32 sensor unit,
34 vertical drive motor, 36 sensor casing, 38 left and right drive motor,
40 ultrasonic sensor, 42 support, 44 horn, 46 rotating shaft for vertical rotation,
48 Rotating shaft for right and left rotation, 50 Housing, 52 Driving force transmission means,
54 throat, 56 openings, 58 ribs.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an indoor unit with an intake port for sucking air, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat from the air sucked from the intake port, and air that has been heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger. A blower outlet for blowing air, a wind direction changing blade provided in the blower outlet for changing the direction of the blown air, a distance to walls and floors, the presence or absence of an obstacle, or a conditioned space for detecting the state of a person A recognizing device, and an air conditioner that performs air-conditioning operation by controlling the wind direction changing blade according to the state of the air-conditioned space recognized by the air-conditioned space recognizing device, wherein at least a part of the air-conditioned space recognizing device When the operation of the conditioner is stopped, the air conditioner is provided on the back side of the air direction change blade at the bottom of the air conditioner so as to be covered with the air direction change blade. When the air conditioner is stopped To cover by the movable front panel, in which is disposed on the back side of the movable front panel at the bottom of the air conditioner.

The first invention is a suction port for sucking air into an indoor unit, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat from the air sucked from the suction port, and a blower outlet for blowing out the air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger. And a wind direction changing blade provided at the outlet for changing the direction of the air to be blown out, a distance to the wall and the floor, the presence or absence of an obstacle, or a conditioned space recognition device for detecting the state of a person, In an air conditioner that performs air-conditioning operation by controlling the airflow direction change blade according to the state of the air-conditioned space recognized by the air-conditioned space recognition device, at least part of the air-conditioning space recognition device is so as to cover at air direction changing blade, disposed on the rear side of the air direction changing blade at the bottom of the air conditioner, the indoor unit equipped with a movable front panel, a portion other than said portion of the conditioned space recognition apparatus, an air conditioner Cover with movable front panel while Sea urchin, since disposed on the back side of the movable front panel at the bottom of the air conditioner, during the operation stop of the air conditioner, will be at least a portion of the conditioned space recognition device is covered by the air direction changing blade, dust Ya It becomes difficult to be affected by cigarette smoke and the like, and the deterioration of recognition performance can be suppressed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by arranging the sensor unit of the air-conditioned space recognition device so as to face obliquely downward, it is possible to secure a field of view near the interior of the indoor unit main body, and to use a single sensor for a wide range It is possible to secure a simple detection field of view.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air-conditioned space recognition device comprising: a sensor unit; a vertical drive motor that rotates the sensor unit in the vertical direction; and a sensor casing that houses the sensor unit and the vertical drive motor arranged in the longitudinal direction; This is composed of a left and right drive motor that rotates the sensor casing in the left and right direction. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a small recognition device having a wide rotation range in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.
4th invention is characterized by the air-conditioning space recognition apparatus being provided in the side of the blower outlet.
The fifth invention is characterized in that at least a part of the air-conditioned space recognition device is exposed from the main body of the air conditioner by rotating the wind direction changing blade during the operation of the air conditioner.

Claims (5)

In the indoor unit, an air inlet for sucking air, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat from the air sucked from the air inlet, an air outlet for blowing out the air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger, and an air outlet Provided with a wind direction changing blade for changing the direction of the air to be blown out and an air-conditioned space recognition device for recognizing the state in the air-conditioned space, and depending on the state of the air-conditioned space recognized by the air-conditioned space recognition device An air conditioner that performs air-conditioning operation by controlling a wind direction change blade,
An air conditioner characterized in that at least a part of the air-conditioned space recognizing device is disposed on the back side of the wind direction changing blade. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein all of the air-conditioned space recognizing devices are disposed on a back side of the wind direction changing blade. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the indoor unit includes a movable front panel, and a portion other than the part of the conditioned space recognition device is disposed on a back side of the movable front panel. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the air-conditioned space recognition device includes a sensor unit, and the sensor unit is disposed so as to face obliquely downward. The air-conditioned space recognition device includes a sensor unit, a vertical drive motor that rotates the sensor unit in the vertical direction, a sensor casing that stores the sensor unit and the vertical drive motor arranged in the longitudinal direction, and the sensor The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air conditioner includes a left and right drive motor that rotates the casing in the left and right direction.

Images