JP2012089910A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To maximize the radio wave propagation performance of an antenna even if the antenna is installed simply in the free space within an air conditioner.SOLUTION: While paying attention to the fact that an air conditioner 100 is installed so that no shielding object, e.g. a furniture or a lighting fixture, blocking ventilation exist in the duct of cool air or warm air supplied from an air supply opening 101, a wireless antenna 108 is installed on a display substrate 104 and a wireless substrate 105 so that a wireless signal emanating from the wireless antenna 108 has a directivity in the front direction of the air conditioner 100.

Description

  The present invention determines the optimum antenna installation location for each device based on the structure unique to the home appliance when the radio is incorporated in the home appliance.

  In recent years, energy consumption has progressed as the living environment has improved, and deterioration of the global environment due to large-scale C02 emissions has become a social problem along with global warming and large-scale energy consumption. Therefore, the home appliance meter is a great point of differentiation for improving the convenience of home appliances and at the same time reducing energy consumption and appealing products to users.

  In addition, the performance improvement of home appliances alone has progressed to a certain extent, and in order to promote further energy saving, attempts are being made to save energy without sacrificing convenience by controlling home appliances in cooperation. .

  This is because home appliances scattered in the home are connected by wire or wirelessly, and the operation information of the device is monitored at the center, and the operation of the device is optimally controlled from the center. It is intended to make it easier.

  Naturally, because home appliances are scattered throughout the home, considering the convenience of not only new construction but also when purchasing additional products, wireless connection to the center is more convenient. Needless to say.

  Until now, most home appliances are interconnected wirelessly to monitor the operation status of the equipment, and attempts to control the equipment from the center are mostly supported by a retrofit adapter type. There were few systems that built-in radios to let the center know the operating status of home appliances or actively controlled home appliances from the center.

  This is a system policy in which all devices have built-in radio and are not system products that are monitored and controlled from the center, but only necessary devices. This is due to the fact that when installed, the product price will rise and the price competition with other companies will not be won.

  In addition, depending on the device incorporating the wireless device, there are device-specific mounting restrictions. As an example, there is a thing related to installation of an antenna when the wireless device is incorporated in a microwave oven (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

JP 2002-317942 A

  By the way, in patent document 1, although the installation frequency of the antenna is specified in consideration of the operation frequency of the cooking product and magnetron peculiar to the microwave oven, and the communication frequency of the built-in wireless device, it is necessary to set a radio frequency other than 2.45 GHz. It cannot be applied to the equipment with built-in wireless communication device used.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and provides an optimal placement location of an antenna when a radio is built in an air conditioner.

  In determining the optimum antenna arrangement with the air conditioner as the target for home appliances with built-in radio, the optimum position of the radio antenna arrangement is examined and the optimum position is determined in consideration of electrical mechanical components.

  According to the present invention, the radio wave propagation performance of the antenna can be utilized to the maximum along the mechanism configuration unique to the air conditioner device, and communication between the wireless device in the entire house and the wireless device in the air conditioner device can be realized in a good state. Is something that can be done.

(A) Front view of air conditioner apparatus according to embodiment (b) Horizontal view of air conditioner apparatus according to embodiment (A) Front direction internal configuration diagram of air conditioner apparatus according to embodiment (b) Horizontal direction internal configuration diagram of air conditioner apparatus according to embodiment

  1st invention is related with the air-conditioner apparatus provided with the radio | wireless communication apparatus, The antenna for communication was arrange | positioned between the heat exchanger of the said air-conditioner, and the exterior case front surface, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  The air conditioner has a basic configuration in which the refrigerant compressed by the outdoor unit (during cooling) is expanded indoors, and the heat exchanger of the indoor unit is cooled by the heat of evaporation during the expansion. Constructed from a structure that has good thermoelectricity and consideration of refrigerant circulation from the viewpoint of transmission performance, and usually consists of a copper pipe that circulates the refrigerant and aluminum fins and stainless steel fins that fit the copper pipe Is done.

  The heat exchanger having the above-described configuration has a very large volume for the air conditioner device, and 70% to 80% of the air conditioner device is the volume of the heat exchanger. Only a very limited place is left for placing the wireless device and the wireless antenna in the air conditioner.

  According to a second aspect of the invention, in particular, in the first aspect of the invention, the wireless communication board on which the communication antenna is mounted is between the housing and the metal structure that supports the air conditioner from the back, and is separated from the metal structure. A wireless antenna is placed on an electronic board that has functions other than communication, and is placed close to the chassis. Power is supplied to the wireless antenna from the board for wireless communication.

  In a third aspect of the invention, particularly in the second aspect of the invention, the longitudinal direction of the printed circuit board constituting the communication antenna or the wireless antenna is arranged in accordance with the longitudinal direction of the air conditioner.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an overview of the air conditioner 100, FIG. 1 (a) is a front overview of the air conditioner 100, and FIG. 1 (b) is a lateral overview of the air conditioner 100. When the air conditioner apparatus 100 is viewed from the front, the air outlet 101 and the display unit 102 can be confirmed. In addition, the air conditioner 100 is installed by being attached to a mounting bracket 200 provided in advance on the wall surface. The mounting bracket 200 is designed to have a size substantially equal to the lateral width of the air conditioner 100 in order to firmly fix the air conditioner 100 in terms of strength.

2A and 2B illustrate the internal configuration of the air conditioner apparatus 100. FIG. 2A is a front-side internal configuration diagram of the air-conditioner apparatus 100, and FIG. .

  The air conditioner 100 includes a heat exchanger 103, a display substrate 104 on which a module for controlling display contents on the display unit 102, a wireless substrate 105 on which a wireless device is mounted, and a blower fan for blowing air to the blower port 101. A motor 106, a main control board 107 on which a control device for controlling the blowing temperature, strength and the like, and a radio antenna 108 installed on the display board 104 and the radio board 105 are provided.

  The mounting bracket 200 on the back surface of the heat exchanger 103 or the air conditioner 100 is usually a metal. Therefore, the signal emitted from the radio antenna 108 is greatly attenuated, and sufficient communication characteristics cannot be obtained. Therefore, in the present embodiment, focusing on the fact that the air conditioner 100 is installed so that there is no obstruction such as furniture or illumination that blocks ventilation in the ventilation path of cold air or hot air blown from the air outlet 101, The radio antenna 108 is installed on the display substrate 104 and the radio substrate 105 so that radio signals emitted from the radio antenna 108 have directivity in the front direction of the air conditioner device 100.

  By installing the wireless antenna 108 in this manner, directivity is generated on the front surface of the air conditioner apparatus 100, and radio wave propagation performance can be maximized, so that wireless performance can be ensured.

  Furthermore, the radio antenna 108 can be further maximized in radio wave propagation performance by being installed immediately below the resin casing of the heat exchanger 103 and on the front side of the air conditioner 100.

  In addition, since the wiring from the main control board 107 is connected to the display board 104 and the radio board 105, even when the radio antenna 108 is installed on the display board 104 or the radio board 105. The induction of the wire harness is facilitated, the wireless substrate and the antenna can be wired together with the wire harness, and the wiring process can be simplified even in the manufacturing process.

  In addition, the air conditioner 100 is connected to the outdoor unit by a high-pressure and low-pressure hose, and in order to connect the piping from a part of the wall surface such as a window frame to the outdoor, a window frame that can be connected to the hose is considered. Once the installation position is determined, it will be attached to the right or left side, not the center of the room. Therefore, it is desirable to attach the wireless antenna 108 to the front center portion of the air conditioner 100 as much as possible.

  In addition, although depending on the frequency used for wireless communication, if the communication frequency is low and the physical size of the antenna is small, the structure must be devised in order to ensure the performance of the antenna. The cost may be high, and it is easier to design a certain physical size. Therefore, the antenna directivity is formed in the front and back directions of the air conditioner device 100 by arranging the antenna or the printed circuit board constituting the antenna so that the long side direction of the antenna is parallel to the long direction of the air conditioner device 100. However, since the reflection direction is limited by the heat exchanger 103 and the mounting bracket 200 in the back direction, the main directivity is distributed on the front surface of the air conditioner apparatus 100, and the desired reception sensitivity and transmission output in the front direction can be obtained. it can.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the radio wave propagation performance of the antenna can be utilized to the maximum along the mechanism configuration unique to the air conditioner, and communication between the wireless device in the entire house and the radio in the air conditioner can be performed. It can be realized in a good state.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Air-conditioner apparatus 101 Air outlet 102 Display part 103 Heat exchanger 104 Display board 105 Radio | wireless board 106 Blower fan motor 107 Main control board 108 Radio antenna 200 Mounting bracket

Claims (3)

An air conditioner provided with a wireless communication device, wherein a communication antenna is disposed between a heat exchanger of the air conditioner and a front surface of an outer case. The wireless communication substrate on which the communication antenna is mounted is disposed between the housing and the metal structure that supports the air conditioner from the back, and is disposed at a position close to the housing that is separated from the metal structure,
The air conditioner apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a radio antenna is disposed on an electronic board having a function other than communication for main use, and power is supplied to the radio antenna from the board for radio communication. The air conditioner apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a longitudinal direction of a printed circuit board constituting the communication antenna or the wireless antenna is arranged in accordance with the longitudinal direction of the air conditioner.

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