JP2012097999A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent blast sound in a ventilating operation, from being unpleasant to the ear in starting an air conditioning operation by on-timer function, in an air conditioner capable of being set to transfer to the air conditioning operation after implementing the ventilating operation for a prescribed time in starting the air conditioning operation.SOLUTION: This air conditioner 1 includes an indoor section 2 and an outdoor section 4 integrated with each other, includes a ventilating function for sucking the indoor air and exhausting the air outdoors, and can be set to transfer to the air conditioning operation after implementing the ventilating operation for the prescribed time in starting the operation. A control section 50 of the air conditioner 1 executes control to weaken air distribution in the ventilating operation in comparison with a case when an operation is started not by the on-timer, or not to implement the ventilating operation, when the operation is started by the on-timer. The on-timer functions so that a room temperature of an air-conditioned room reaches a set temperature at a set time.

Description

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

  The air conditioner has not only an air conditioning function such as cooling, heating and dehumidification (the abbreviation “air conditioning” may be used in this specification), but also a ventilation function that exhausts indoor contaminated air to the outside. There is. Examples of such air conditioners can be found in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

  Patent Document 1 includes a pollution degree sensor in which an electrical signal changes in accordance with a contamination state of indoor air. When the contamination state of indoor air is detected by the contamination degree sensor, indoor air is contaminated. An air conditioner with an automatic ventilation function that performs ventilation operation is described.

  In Patent Document 2, the indoor unit includes an indoor heat exchanger, an indoor blower, a ventilation blower, a suction port for sucking indoor air, and a blowout port for blowing the air heat-exchanged by the indoor heat exchanger into the room. In addition to having a ventilation port that exhausts the air sucked into the unit to the outside and a flap that allows the air outlet to be opened and closed, when the inside air operation starts, the ventilation operation means is activated preferentially and the indoor blower An air conditioner having a first control unit that operates in the operation mode, exhausts the air in the indoor unit to the outside, and switches the internal air operation unit to start after a certain period of ventilation operation is described.

  Some air conditioners have a function of automatically cleaning a filter of an indoor unit. In such an air conditioner, dust adhering to the filter of the indoor unit is removed with a brush or blade, and the removed dust is discharged to the outside by an exhaust fan. The exhaust fan also functions as a ventilation fan. The air conditioner described in Patent Document 3 is also of this type.

  In the air conditioner described in Patent Document 3, halved dust removal boxes in which air flow paths are formed are arranged so that their opening surfaces face each other, and a filter is provided in the gap between the boxes. After being arranged, air is circulated in the box to remove dust attached to the filter. When the suction fan sucks air from the box, an air flow having a large flow velocity is generated in the box, and dust adhering to the filter is blown away and removed. The air sucked by the suction fan is exhausted outdoors.

JP 58-99630 A Japanese Patent No. 3794997 JP 2007-93147 A

  A normal air conditioner has a timer function that starts an air-conditioning operation at a set time. Such a timer function is referred to herein as an “on timer function”. Some air conditioners do not have a simple timer function that simply starts air conditioning when the set time arrives, but the rooms that are to be air-conditioned with the air conditioners (hereinafter referred to as “air conditioning target rooms”) Some have an entering timer function that functions so that the room temperature becomes the set temperature at the set time. In such an air conditioner, when the on-timer is set, if the temperature difference between the room temperature and the set temperature is large, the air-conditioning operation is started from a time much earlier than the set time.

  The entering timer function that functions so that the room temperature becomes the set temperature at the set time is often used for the purpose of ensuring that the room temperature when waking up is a comfortable temperature. In this case, the user is sleeping at the start of the air conditioning operation. When ventilation is performed prior to air-conditioning operation (this may be referred to as “pre-cleaning” in this specification), if blowing is performed at “strong”, the blowing sound is sleeping. May interfere with the user's sleep.

  It is desirable that the air-conditioning operation be quietly started before the user is conscious when entering the start of the air-conditioning operation and using the timer function. If pre-cleaning is performed with a loud sound, the comfort of the bag obtained by air conditioning is diminished.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and in an air conditioner that can be set to perform a ventilation operation for a predetermined time and then shift to an air conditioning operation at the start of the air conditioning operation, the air conditioning operation is started with an on timer function. The purpose is to prevent the ventilation sound of ventilation operation from becoming annoying.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an air conditioner having a ventilation function for sucking indoor air and exhausting it outside the room, and capable of setting to shift to an air conditioning operation after performing a ventilation operation for a predetermined time at the start of operation, The control unit of the air conditioner, when the operation is started by the on timer, the ventilation of the ventilation operation is weakened or the ventilation operation is performed compared to when the operation is started without using the on timer. Control that is not broken.

  In the air conditioner configured as described above, it is preferable that the on-timer functions so that the room temperature of the air-conditioning target room becomes a set temperature at a set time.

  In the air conditioner configured as described above, it is preferable that the ventilation operation is not performed when the operation is resumed within a predetermined time after the air-conditioning operation is stopped.

  Further, in the air conditioner having the above configuration, when the power is shut off during the operation stop, it is preferable that the ventilation operation is performed even when the operation is resumed within the predetermined time.

  According to the present invention, when setting to shift to air-conditioning operation after performing ventilation operation for a predetermined time at the start of operation, when operation is started by the on timer, when operation is started without depending on the on timer In contrast, since the ventilation of the ventilation operation is weakened or the ventilation operation is not performed, the sleep is not disturbed by the sound of the pre-cleaning, or the comfort of the kite obtained by the air conditioning is not diminished.

It is a perspective view which shows the air conditioner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic horizontal sectional view of the air conditioner of FIG. It is a schematic vertical sectional view of the air conditioner of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic horizontal sectional view similar to FIG. 2, showing a state during ventilation. FIG. 5 is a schematic horizontal sectional view similar to FIG. 4 showing different ventilation states. It is a block block diagram of the air conditioner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the air conditioner which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is another flowchart explaining operation | movement of the air conditioner which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  In the air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the indoor part 2 arranged inside the air conditioning target room and the outdoor part 4 arranged outside the air conditioning target room are provided on a common bottom plate 3. It has an integrated structure. The interior 2 and the exterior 4 are separated by a central wall 5. In addition, let the indoor part 2 side be the front part of the air conditioner 1, and let the outdoor part 4 side be the rear part of the air conditioner 1. In FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the right side of the figure is the right side of the air conditioner 1, and the left side of the figure is the left side of the air conditioner 1.

  A compressor 41 that forms part of the refrigeration cycle is disposed at the right end of the outdoor unit 4. An outdoor heat exchanger 42 connected to the compressor 41 via the refrigerant pipe 47 is disposed at the rear of the outdoor exterior 4. An outdoor fan 43 composed of a propeller fan is disposed on the front surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 42.

  The outdoor heat exchanger 42 is covered with a housing 44, and an outdoor fan 43 is disposed in an opening 44a (see FIG. 3) provided in the housing 44. The housing 44 forms a duct that guides the airflow from the outdoor fan 43 to the outdoor heat exchanger 42. The housing 44 is supported on the central wall 5 via a bracket 45. In addition, an outside air inflow path 48 for allowing outside air to flow into the outdoor portion 4 is formed on the side of the housing 44.

  A suction port 21 (see FIG. 3) is formed in an exterior cover (not shown) that covers the front surface of the indoor portion 2. An air outlet 22 is also formed in the exterior cover above the air inlet 21. An air passage 23 that connects the suction port 21 and the air outlet 22 is formed inside the indoor portion 2. A blower fan 25 made of a sirocco fan is provided in the blower passage 23.

  The blowout port 22 is provided with an electric louver 49 (not shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 but its presence is shown in FIG. 6). The louver 49 has a function of closing the air outlet 22 as well as simply changing the blowing direction of the wind.

  An indoor heat exchanger 27 connected to the compressor 41 via the refrigerant pipe 47 is disposed between the blower fan 25 and the suction port 21. On the right side of the air passage 23, an electrical component 20 in which electrical components are arranged is provided.

  Ventilation dampers 31 and 32 are provided at the right end portion and the left end portion of the central wall 5 so as to allow the indoor portion 2 and the outdoor portion 4 to communicate with each other. The ventilation damper 31 opens and closes the opening 31 a that faces the electrical component 20, and the ventilation damper 32 opens and closes the opening 32 a that faces the air passage 23. The opening 32 a is provided on the downstream side of the blower fan 25.

  The dew condensation water from the indoor heat exchanger 27 is drained onto the bottom plate 3, and the blades of the outdoor fan 43 are partially immersed in the dew condensation water accumulated on the bottom plate 3. Condensed water is diffused toward the outdoor heat exchanger 42 by the rotation of the outdoor fan 43, so that the outdoor heat exchanger 42 can be cooled more than mere air cooling. At this time, if the ventilation dampers 31 and 32 are disposed in the vicinity of the outdoor fan 43, when the ventilation dampers 31 and 32 are in an open state, the condensed water enters the indoor portion 2 through the openings 31a and 32a. If the ventilation dampers 31 and 32 are arranged at the left and right ends away from the outdoor fan 43 as in the present embodiment, the intrusion of condensed water into the indoor portion 2 can be prevented.

  In the air conditioner 1 having the above-described configuration, when the cooling operation or the heating operation is started, the refrigeration cycle is activated by the drive of the compressor 41. Thereby, one of the indoor heat exchanger 27 and the outdoor heat exchanger 42 becomes an evaporator on the low temperature side of the refrigeration cycle, and the other becomes a condenser on the high temperature side of the refrigeration cycle. As the outdoor fan 43 is driven, outside air flows into the outdoor portion 4 via the outside air inflow path 48 as indicated by an arrow A20 in FIG. The outside air that has flowed into the outdoor part 4 flows into the housing 44, and the outdoor heat exchanger 42 is cooled or heated, and is exhausted as indicated by an arrow A21.

  As the blower fan 25 is driven, indoor air flows into the blower passage 23 from the suction port 21 as indicated by an arrow A10. The air flowing into the blower passage 23 exchanges heat with the indoor heat exchanger 27 and is sent out indoors from the outlet 22 as indicated by an arrow A11 in FIG. Thereby, indoor air conditioning is performed.

  When the room is ventilated, the right ventilation damper 31 is opened and the opening 31a is opened as shown in FIG. Thereby, the electrical equipment part 20 outside the blower passage 23 communicates with the inside of the housing 44 in which the outdoor heat exchanger 42 is arranged. At this time, the ventilation damper 31 shields the right outside air inflow path 48 and forms a wall surface of a flow path that guides air from the electrical component 20 to the outdoor fan 43.

  As the outdoor fan 43 is driven, the indoor air passes through the electrical equipment section 20 as indicated by an arrow A12 and flows into the outdoor exterior 4 through the opening 31a. The air that has flowed into the exterior 4 passes through the housing 44 and is exhausted to the outside. Thereby, indoor ventilation can be performed. Since the outdoor fan 43 is composed of a propeller fan having a larger air volume than the blower fan 25, the ventilation amount can be increased.

  The open / close state of the ventilation damper 31 and the ventilation damper 32 may be reversed, that is, the ventilation damper 31 may be closed and the ventilation damper 32 may be opened, and the outdoor fan 43 may be driven to exhaust indoor air to the outside.

  When increasing the ventilation amount, both the ventilation damper 31 and the ventilation damper 32 are opened as shown in FIG. The ventilation dampers 31 and 32 respectively shield the right and left outside air inflow passages 48 to form wall surfaces of channels that guide air from the electrical component 20 or the air passage 23 to the outdoor fan 43. The louver 49 is closed at the air outlet 22 so that air does not exit from the air outlet 22 into the room. By driving the blower fan 25 and the outdoor fan 43, the indoor air flows into the outdoor part 4 through the opening 31a as shown by an arrow A12 in the same manner as described above. Further, the air that has passed through the indoor heat exchanger 27 flows into the outdoor portion 4 through the opening 32a as shown by an arrow A13 (see FIG. 5). The air that has flowed into the exterior 4 passes through the housing 44 and is exhausted to the outside.

  The control system of the air conditioner 1 has a configuration shown in FIG. The control unit 50 that controls the entire air conditioner 1 is configured with a microcomputer as a core, receives output signals from various components, and outputs control signals to various components.

  The components that operate in response to a control signal from the control unit 50 include the compressor 41, the blower fan 25, the ventilation damper 31, the ventilation damper 32, the outdoor fan 43, the louver 49, and a part of the exterior cover or illustrated. A display unit 52 provided in a part of the remote controller is included.

  Constituent elements for outputting signals to the control unit 50 include an operation unit 51 formed by an operation panel or a remote controller (not shown) formed on a part of the exterior cover, and a room temperature sensor disposed at an appropriate position inside the housing 44. 53 is included.

  The control functions provided in the control unit 50 include a pre-cleaning function and a entering timer function. When pre-cleaning is selected by operating the operation unit 51, the ventilation operation is performed for a predetermined time at the start of the air-conditioning operation, and then the operation proceeds to the air-conditioning operation. The purpose of the pre-cleaning is to drive out the odor that has been trapped inside the indoor section 2 to the outside. In the ventilation operation at this time, not only the ventilation damper 31 but also the ventilation damper 32 is opened as shown in FIG. 5, the louver 49 of the outlet 22 is closed, the blower fan 25 is not driven, and only the outdoor fan 43 is driven. The reason why the ventilation fan 25 is not driven is that this ventilation operation is mainly intended to remove the odor inside the indoor portion 2 outside the room, and is not intended to replace the air inside and outside the room. This is due to two reasons: it is not necessary, and it is desired to minimize the noise leaking into the room.

  By performing the pre-cleaning ventilation operation, conditioned air (air cooled or warmed from the room temperature or air whose humidity has been reduced) is generated from the air outlet 22 by air-conditioning operation such as cooling, heating, or dehumidification. Before being blown into the room, the odor inside the room 2 can be discharged to the outside. For example, even if mold is generated inside the indoor heat exchanger 27 and it generates odor while the air conditioner 1 is stopped, the air containing such odor is exhausted outside the room, It does not blow out indoors.

  The on-timer functions so that the room temperature of the air-conditioned room becomes the set temperature at the set time. When the on-timer is set, if the temperature difference between the room temperature and the set temperature is large, the air-conditioning operation is started from a time much earlier than the set time.

  The control unit 50 makes the behavior of the air conditioner 1 different when the pre-cleaning is selected, when the operation is started by the entering timer, and when the operation is started without using the entering timer. This will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step # 101, the control unit 50 checks whether or not the operation of the air conditioner 1 has been started. When the operation is started, the process proceeds to step # 102.

  In step # 102, the control unit 50 checks whether pre-cleaning is set. If pre-cleaning is set, the process proceeds to step # 103. If pre-cleaning is not set, the process proceeds to step # 109 to start the air conditioning operation. The pre-cleaning setting can be performed by the user operating the operation unit 51.

  In step # 103, the control unit 50 checks whether or not it is the first operation after energization. “First time after energization” means that the air conditioner 1 that was in the power-off state (the state in which the power plug was removed from the outlet) during the operation stop is in the energized state (the state in which the power plug is inserted into the outlet). It means that.

  When it is the first operation after energization, the process proceeds from step 103 to step # 104. In the power shut-off state, the control unit 50 does not perform a normal timekeeping function, and it is unclear how long the power shut-off state has continued, and it is also unclear how much the room 2 is filled. Therefore, in step # 104, the ventilation operation is forcibly executed prior to the start of the air conditioning operation. At this time, both the ventilation dampers 31 and 32 are opened, the louver 49 is closed, and the outdoor fan 43 is operated for a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) at “strong”. Thereby, the air inside the indoor part 2 is exhausted strongly. Thereafter, the process proceeds from step # 104 to step # 109 to start the air conditioning operation.

  The outdoor fan 43 can be operated with “strong” and “weak”, and naturally “strong” has a higher rotational speed than “weak”. For example, “strong” is set to 400 rpm, “weak” is set to 200 rpm, and so on.

  If it is not the first operation after energization, that is, if the stop state continues with the power plug inserted into the outlet, the process proceeds from step # 103 to step # 105. In Step # 105, the control unit 50 checks whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 24 hours) has elapsed after the operation is stopped until the current operation is resumed.

  If the predetermined time has not elapsed before restarting the operation, it is unlikely that the room 2 is smelling, so the process proceeds from step # 105 to step # 109. Thereby, the air-conditioning operation is started immediately.

  Since the air conditioning operation is not performed during the pre-cleaning, if the pre-cleaning is frequently performed every time the air conditioner 1 is turned ON / OFF, the usability is deteriorated. Usability can be improved by not performing the pre-cleaning at a time when it is difficult to think that the smell is odorous.

  If a predetermined time has elapsed before the operation is resumed, there is a possibility that the room 2 is smelling. In this case, the process proceeds from step # 105 to step # 106. In step # 106, the control unit 50 checks whether or not the operation is started by the entry timer.

  When the operation is started by the entering timer, the process proceeds from step # 106 to step # 107. In Step # 107, both the ventilation dampers 31 and 32 are opened, the louver 49 is closed, and the outdoor fan 43 is operated for a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) at “weak”. The exhaust of the air inside the indoor portion 2 starts gently and continues for a predetermined time. For this reason, even if the user is sleeping, the sleep is not disturbed. After step # 107, the process proceeds to step # 109, where the air conditioning operation is started.

  If the operation is not started by the entering timer, the process proceeds from step # 106 to step # 108. In step # 108, both the ventilation dampers 31 and 32 are opened, the louver 49 is closed, and the outdoor fan 43 is operated at “strong” for a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds). Thereby, the air inside the indoor part 2 is exhausted strongly. After step # 108, the process proceeds to step # 109 to start the air conditioning operation.

  When the operation is started by the on-timer, it can be set so that the pre-cleaning itself is not performed. That is, step # 107 is abolished, and if the operation is started by the entry timer in step # 106, the process proceeds directly to step # 109. Thereby, time until an air-conditioning driving | operation is started can also be advanced.

  FIG. 8 shows a modification of the flowchart. The flowchart of FIG. 8 differs from the flowchart of FIG. 7 in that step # 104 is abolished, and if the check result in step # 103 is “first operation after energization”, the process proceeds to step # 106. It is a point. As a result, even if it is the first operation after energization, it is checked whether it is the start of operation by the entering timer instead of forcibly performing the ventilation operation with `` strong ''. It is determined whether to perform the ventilation operation or “strong” to perform the ventilation operation.

  Even in the flowchart of FIG. 8, it is possible to set so that the pre-cleaning itself is not performed when the operation is started by the entering timer. That is, step # 107 is abolished, and if the operation is started by the entry timer in step # 106, the process directly proceeds to step # 109, and the time until the air conditioning operation is started can be shortened.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, although the air conditioner of the said embodiment was what integrated the indoor part and the outdoor part, as described in patent document 2, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit separated type, ie, a separate type. An air conditioner can also be used as an embodiment. Alternatively, an air conditioner of a type that has a function of automatically cleaning a filter of an indoor unit as described in Patent Document 3 and discharges dust removed from the filter to the outside with an exhaust fan is used as an embodiment. You can also. This is because it is possible to provide a ventilation function by using an exhaust fan instead of a ventilation fan. In short, as long as the air conditioner has a ventilation function and can also suck out air in the air conditioner (indoor unit or indoor portion), the present invention can be applied.

  The present invention can be used for an air conditioner having a ventilation function.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioner 2 Indoor part 4 Outdoor exterior 21 Suction inlet 22 Outlet 23 Blower passage 25 Blower fan 27 Indoor heat exchanger 31, 32 Ventilation damper 41 Compressor 42 Outdoor heat exchanger 43 Outdoor fan 48 Outside air inflow path 49 Louver 50 Control unit

Claims (4)

In an air conditioner that has a ventilation function that sucks indoor air and exhausts it outside the room, and can be set to shift to air conditioning operation after performing ventilation operation for a predetermined time at the start of operation,
When the operation of the air conditioner is started by the entering timer, the ventilation of the ventilation operation is weakened or the ventilation operation is not performed compared to when the operation is started without using the entering timer. An air conditioner characterized by performing control that is not performed.   The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the on-timer functions so that the room temperature of the air-conditioning target room becomes a set temperature at a set time.   The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ventilation operation is not performed when the operation is resumed within a predetermined time after the operation is stopped.   4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein when the power is cut off during the operation stop, the ventilation operation is performed even when the operation is resumed within the predetermined time. 5.

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