JP2012154558A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner that accurately detects operation stop time of the air conditioner, even if there is a case where the air conditioner has not been energized, and enables automatic operation of a filter based on the operation stop time.SOLUTION: The air conditioner has a filter arranged in an air intake side of a heat exchanger, a filter cleaning mechanism for cleaning the filter, a previous operation stop time recording means for recording previous operation stop time, and an operation stop time calculation means for calculating operation stop time. The air conditioner calculates the operation stop time based on present time information transmitted from a remote controller and the previous operation stop time recorded in the previous operation stop time recording means, and adds up the operation stop time to thereby calculate totaled operation stop time, and cleans the filter by the filter cleaning mechanism if the calculated totalized operation stop time exceeds predetermined time.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner including a filter cleaning mechanism for cleaning a filter.

  The air conditioner circulates room air through a heat exchanger and blows out air conditioned by heating, cooling, dehumidification, and the like into the room, thereby air-conditioning the room. The dust in the air circulating in the air conditioner is removed by a filter disposed at the indoor air intake port of the air conditioner. However, if dust removed by the filter accumulates, ventilation resistance increases and heat exchange performance decreases.

  In contrast, as a conventional technique, there is an air conditioner including a filter cleaning mechanism that automatically cleans a filter at an appropriate time. For example, in Patent Document 1, when the integrated operation time detection means for detecting the integrated operation time of the air conditioner is provided and the integrated operation time of the air conditioner detected by the integrated operation time detection means exceeds a predetermined time Discloses an air conditioner that automatically cleans a filter. In addition, an integrated stop time detecting means for detecting the integrated stop time of the air conditioner is provided, and the filter is automatically activated when the integrated stop time of the air conditioner detected by the integrated stop time detecting means exceeds a predetermined time. An air conditioner for cleaning is disclosed.

  When cleaning the filter based on the integrated stop time of the air conditioner as in the air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1, the stop time of the air conditioner measured by the count of a timer provided in the indoor unit control unit It is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed. If this determination is YES, it is determined that dust has accumulated on the filter. Therefore, the indoor unit control unit needs to be energized even when the air conditioner is stopped.

  However, the use time of the air conditioner differs depending on the user. For example, in an environment where the air conditioner is used only for cooling operation in summer, the air conditioner may not be used for several months from autumn to the next spring. In such a case, when the air conditioner is turned off for the purpose of reducing the energy consumption of the air conditioner, the timer provided in the control unit of the air conditioner accurately detects the stop time of the air conditioner. Difficult to do.

International Publication No. 2006/049244

  Even if the air conditioner is not used for a long time (even if the air conditioner is not energized), the present invention accurately detects the operation stop time of the air conditioner, and this operation stop time. It is an object to provide an air conditioner that enables automatic operation of a filter based on the above.

  The air conditioner of the present invention includes a housing having an air suction port and an air outlet, a heat exchanger disposed in the housing, a filter disposed on the air suction side of the heat exchanger, and indoor air from the air suction port. A blower fan that blows out from the air outlet after passing through the suction filter and the heat exchanger, a filter cleaning mechanism for cleaning the filter, a previous operation stop time recording means for recording the previous operation stop time, and an operation stop time for calculating the operation stop time An operation stop time calculating means in an air conditioner comprising: an indoor unit having a calculating means; and a remote controller that has a current time information managing means for managing current time information and that transmits a driving operation signal to the indoor unit. Is based on the current time information transmitted from the remote controller and the previous operation stop time recorded in the previous operation stop time recording means. The operation stop time is calculated, and the operation stop time is calculated by integrating the operation stop time. When the operation stop time exceeds the predetermined time, the filter is cleaned by the filter cleaning mechanism. .

  According to the present invention, even when the air conditioner is not energized, the air conditioner that accurately detects the operation stop time of the air conditioner and enables automatic operation of the filter based on the operation stop time. Machine can be provided.

The whole block diagram of an air conditioner. The sectional side view of an indoor unit. The inside top view of an indoor unit. The perspective view of a filter cleaning mechanism. The schematic block diagram which shows the indoor unit of an air conditioner, and the control apparatus of a remote control.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the air conditioner of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the whole structure of an air conditioner is demonstrated using FIG.1 and FIG.2.

  FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an air conditioner. The air conditioner 21 includes an indoor unit 22, an outdoor unit 23, and a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as “remote controller”) 1 that transmits an operation signal such as operation start to the indoor unit 22. The indoor unit 22 and the outdoor unit 23 are connected by a connection pipe 24. The indoor unit 22 includes an internal structure such as a heat exchanger 26 described later in a housing 25. The air conditioner 21 air-conditions the room by sucking room air from the air suction port 27 and blowing out room air heated, cooled, or dehumidified by the heat exchanger 26 from the air outlet 29.

  FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the indoor unit. The indoor unit 22 includes an air suction port 27 for sucking room air at the top of the indoor unit 22. On the downstream side of the air inlet 27, a filter 28 that removes dust in the room air is disposed so as to cover the air inlet 27. Downstream of the filter 28 and in the central portion of the housing 25, a heat exchanger 26 is disposed in a substantially inverted V shape. A cross-flow fan type blower fan 30 having a length substantially equal to the width of the heat exchanger 26 is disposed downstream of the heat exchanger 26. A dew receiving tray 50 is disposed at the lower end of the heat exchanger. The dew receiving tray 50 receives condensed water generated in the heat exchanger 26 during cooling operation or dehumidifying operation. The condensed water collected in the dew tray 50 is discharged outside through the drain pipe 37. An air outlet 29 is provided downstream of the heat exchanger 26 and below the indoor unit 22 to blow out indoor air heated, cooled, or dehumidified by the heat exchanger 26 into the room. The air outlet 29 includes a left and right wind direction plate 31 that deflects the blown air in the left and right direction, and a vertical wind direction plate 32 that deflects the air in the vertical direction.

  In the air conditioner 21, first, indoor air is sucked into the indoor unit 22 from the air suction port 27 by operating the blower fan 30. At that time, dust in the air is removed by the filter 28. Thereafter, the indoor air sucked into the indoor unit 22 is heated, cooled, dehumidified, and the like by the heat exchanger 26 and blown out into the room from the air outlet 29 via the blower fan 30. The conditioned air blown into the room from the air outlet 29 is deflected in the left-right direction and the up-down direction by the left-right wind direction plate 31 and the up-down wind direction plate 32. In this way, the room air is sucked from the air inlet 27, and the room air heated, cooled, dehumidified, etc. by the heat exchanger 26 is blown into the room from the air outlet 29, thereby air conditioning the room.

  Next, an outline of the filter cleaning mechanism 33 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is an internal top view of the indoor unit. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the filter cleaning mechanism.

  The filter cleaning mechanism 33 is provided with a cleaning brush 34 positioned between the filter 28 and the moving mechanism 35, and in the left-right direction in FIG. 3 and FIG. A moving mechanism 35 for moving the cleaning brush 34 in the longitudinal direction) and a dust collecting mechanism 36 for collecting the dust swept away by the cleaning brush 34 are provided.

  When the moving mechanism 35 moves the cleaning brush 34 in the longitudinal direction of the indoor unit 22, the cleaning brush 34 sweeps out the dust collected by the filter 28. Further, by moving the cleaning brush 34 onto the dust collecting mechanism 36, the dust collected on the cleaning brush 34 is collected by the dust collecting mechanism 36 by the comb teeth 37 positioned at the upper end of the dust collecting mechanism 36. Specifically, the cleaning brush 34 that holds the dust swept from the filter 28 reciprocates on the dust collecting mechanism 36, so that the cleaning brush 34 is combed by the comb teeth 37 and attached by the cleaning brush 34. The dust is collected by the dust collection mechanism 36 as the dust falls on the dust collection mechanism 36.

  Here, dust in the air circulating in the air conditioner 21 is removed by the filter 28 disposed in the indoor air suction port 27 of the air conditioner 21 as described above. However, if the dust removed by the filter 28 accumulates, the ventilation resistance increases and the heat exchange performance decreases.

  In contrast, the air conditioner of the present embodiment includes the above-described filter cleaning mechanism 33 that automatically cleans the filter 28, and automatically cleans the filter 28 at an appropriate time. In particular, the air conditioner 21 of the present embodiment includes an operation stop time calculation unit that calculates the operation stop time, calculates the operation stop time based on the current time information transmitted from the remote controller 1, and this operation stop time. When the time exceeds a predetermined time, the filter 28 is cleaned by the filter cleaning mechanism 33. According to such an air conditioner, even when the air conditioner 21 is not used for a long time (even when the air conditioner 21 is not energized), the operation stop time of the air conditioner 21 is reduced. The filter 28 can be detected automatically and automatically operated based on the operation stop time. Since the current time information is obtained from the remote controller 1 that is continuously energized with a battery or the like, even if the main power of the indoor unit may be turned off due to long-term non-use, There is no need for the indoor unit to have a timer or the like that keeps counting even if it is cut off, and it can be accurately calculated with a simple structure. Hereinafter, the filter cleaning mechanism of the air conditioner 21 of the present embodiment will be described in detail.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing a control device for the indoor unit 22 of the air conditioner 21 and the remote controller 1 of the present embodiment. The remote controller 1 includes a CPU 2, a transmission unit 3, a power supply unit 4, a key 5, and a display unit 6. The indoor unit control unit 8 of the indoor unit 22 includes a CPU 9, a light receiving unit 10, an EEPROM 11, and a timer unit 12.

  The CPU 2 of the remote controller 1 is driven in the low power consumption standby mode while the user is not operating. When a driving operation signal such as a driving start request is input by operating the key 5 from the user, the CPU 2 of the remote controller 1 is switched to the normal operation mode by a key input interrupt, and this driving operation signal is transmitted to the indoor unit 22. . Transmission of the driving operation signal from the remote controller 1 to the indoor unit 22 is transmitted from the light emitting unit 7 of the remote controller 1 to the light receiving unit 10 of the indoor unit control unit 8 including the CPU 9 by wireless communication as a signal such as infrared rays. Done.

  The remote controller 1 is always energized by a power supply unit 4 using a battery (dry battery or solar battery) or the like. The remote controller 1 also includes current time information management means for obtaining and recording current time information (for example, year / month / day / hour / minute / second), and adds the current time information to the driving operation signal and transmits it to the indoor unit 22. To do.

  The indoor unit control unit 8 of the indoor unit 22 includes an EEPROM 11 that is a non-volatile memory. The content of each operation (operation start time transmitted from the remote controller 1 for each operation and the timer unit 12 in the indoor unit control unit 8 is used. Record the operation information such as the detected operation time).

  Such an air conditioner 21 including the remote controller 1 and the indoor unit 22 can be used even if the indoor unit 22 does not have a calendar function or the indoor unit 22 is not energized. The stop time of the air conditioner can be accurately calculated from the current time information management means and the operation information recorded in the EEPROM 11 of the indoor unit controller 8. Specifically, the indoor unit control unit 8 calculates the operation stop time based on the current time information transmitted from the remote controller 1 and the previous operation stop time recorded in the EEPROM 11, and accumulates the operation stop time. The integrated operation stop time is calculated, and the filter 28 is cleaned by the filter cleaning mechanism 33 when the calculated integrated operation stop time exceeds a predetermined time.

  Table 1 shows the operation information of the air conditioner recorded in the EEPROM 11 of the indoor unit control unit 8. Item 1 is the previous air conditioner operation start time T1 (year / month / day / minute) and is obtained from the current time information management means of the remote controller 1. Item 2 is the previous operation time T2 (time) of the air conditioner. Item 3 is the previous filter cleaning execution time T3 (year / month / day / hour). Item 4 is the accumulated operation time T4 (time) of the air conditioner after filter cleaning.

  The previous operation stop time T5 (T1 + T2) is calculated from the previous operation start time T1 and the previous operation time T2. By calculating the difference between the previous operation stop time T5 and the current operation start time T6 included in the driving operation signal transmitted from the remote controller 1, the stop time T7 (T6-T5) before the current operation can be calculated. The stop time T7 before operation this time is integrated for each operation of the air conditioner 21, and the integrated operation stop time T12 of the air conditioner 21 is calculated. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the operation stop time of the air conditioner 21 before the previous operation start time T1 will be described as 0 hour (T7 = T12).

  In the example of Table 1, the accumulated operation time T4 after the previous automatic filter cleaning is 2 hours. On the other hand, the stop time T7 (T12) before the current operation is one year and the operation integration time T4 is two hours, but dust and the like are accumulated in the filter 28 disposed on the upper surface of the air conditioner 21. It is assumed. The stop time T7 (T12) before the current operation is compared with a preset filter automatic cleaning determination reference time T8 during stoppage to determine whether filter cleaning is necessary.

  In consideration of dust scattering from the filter 28 into the room air, the cleaning of the filter 28 by the filter cleaning mechanism 33 is preferably started after the operation of the air conditioner 21 is stopped. However, when the air conditioner 21 is not used for a long time as shown in Table 1, the heat exchange performance is significantly lowered due to dust adhering to the filter 28. Therefore, even when the air conditioner 21 is in operation, it is set. The filter cleaning mechanism 33 may be operated in a state where the temperature and the room temperature are close to each other.

  Further, it is not determined whether or not the automatic operation of the filter cleaning mechanism 33 is necessary based only on the integrated operation stop time of the air conditioner, but the filter cleaning mechanism 33 of the filter cleaning mechanism 33 is also considered in consideration of the integrated operation time of the air conditioner. You may make it judge the necessity of an automatic driving | operation. Specifically, when the time based on the accumulated operation stop time T12 and the accumulated operation time T4 exceeds a predetermined time, the filter 28 is cleaned by the filter cleaning mechanism 33. Here, the integrated operation stop time is multiplied by a coefficient A (0 <A <1). This coefficient A can be determined in consideration of the amount of dust adhering to the filter 28 when the air conditioner is in operation and when it is stopped. In general, the amount of dust adhering to the filter 28 when the air conditioner is stopped is smaller than the amount of dust adhering to the filter 28 during operation of the air conditioner, so the coefficient A is 0 <A <1. . That is, T9 = operation stop time T12 × A (formula 1) as the influence time T9 due to dust or the like while the air conditioner is stopped.

  By adding this T9 (operation stop time T12 × A) and the operation integration time T4 to obtain a total dust adhesion elapsed time T0, it is compared with a predetermined dust adhesion determination time T11 that is set in advance. The filter 28 can be automatically cleaned efficiently in consideration of the amount of dust attached during operation and when stopped.

1 Remote control 2, 9 CPU
3 Transmitter 4 Power supply 5 Key 6 Display 7 Light emitter 8 Indoor unit controller 10 Light receiver 11 EEPROM
12 Timer section

Claims (4)

A housing having an air suction port and an air outlet, a heat exchanger disposed in the housing, a filter disposed on the air suction side of the heat exchanger, the indoor air sucked from the air suction port and the heat A blower fan that blows out from the air outlet after passing through the exchanger, a filter cleaning mechanism that cleans the filter, a previous operation stop time recording unit that records the previous operation stop time, and an operation stop time calculation unit that calculates the operation stop time And an indoor unit having
A remote controller that has current time information management means for managing current time information and transmits a driving operation signal to the indoor unit;
In an air conditioner comprising:
The operation stop time calculating means calculates the operation stop time based on the current time information transmitted from the remote controller and the previous operation stop time recorded in the previous operation stop time recording means, and the operation stop time Accumulate the time to calculate the total operation stop time,
An air conditioner that cleans the filter by the filter cleaning mechanism when the accumulated operation stop time calculated by the operation stop time calculation means exceeds a predetermined time. In Claim 1, the said indoor unit has an integrated operation time recording means which records an integrated operation time,
When the time based on the integrated operation stop time calculated by the operation stop time calculating means and the integrated operation time recorded in the integrated operation time recording means exceeds a predetermined time, the filter cleaning mechanism An air conditioner for cleaning the filter.   3. The integrated operation time recorded in the integrated operation time recording means according to claim 2, wherein the integrated operation stop time calculated by the operation stop time calculating means is multiplied by a coefficient A (0 <A <1). An air conditioner that cleans the filter by the filter cleaning mechanism when the time of adding exceeds a predetermined time.   4. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the remote controller is continuously energized by a battery.

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