JP2013137129A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner provided with a dust removing means for removing dust deposited on a filter in which a recovery ratio of the dust is improved.SOLUTION: An air conditioner is provided with a filter 21, a filter driving means moving the filter 21, a brush 41 for removing dust deposited on the filter and a brush driving means for rotating and driving the brush 41. When the filter 21 is moved, the dust is removed by the brush 41. The filter driving means and the brush driving means are controlled so that a rotation amount of the brush 41 when the filter 21 is moved by a predetermined distance in humidity equal to or above a predetermined value is made larger than that in humidity lower than the predetermined value.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner including dust removing means for removing dust attached to a filter.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an air conditioner that includes a filter that captures dust contained in the air and dust removing means that removes dust attached to the filter is known. For example, in the indoor unit of Patent Document 1, the dust removing means has a rotatable brush that contacts the filter and a comb member that contacts the brush. Further, the filter is configured to be movable. During the filter cleaning operation, the dust attached to the filter is scraped off by the brush by moving the filter. Moreover, the dust adhering to a brush is removed by a comb member by rotating a brush.

JP 2008-145078 A

  However, when the humidity in the room is low, the dust has a low water content and is light, and therefore dust tends to scatter when the dust adhering to the brush is removed. Therefore, there has been a problem that the dust recovery rate is reduced.

  Then, the objective of this invention is providing the air conditioner which can improve the collection | recovery rate of dust.

  In order to solve the above problems, an air conditioner according to a first aspect of the present invention is a filter, filter driving means for moving the filter, a brush for removing dust adhering to the filter, and rotationally driving the brush. A brush driving means, and when the filter moves by a predetermined distance, dust is removed by the brush, and when the amount of rotation of the brush when the filter moves by a predetermined distance is less than a predetermined humidity, The filter driving means and the brush driving means are controlled so as to be less than when the humidity is higher than a predetermined humidity.

  In this air conditioner, when the humidity is low, the amount of rotation of the brush when the filter moves by a predetermined distance is reduced. Therefore, the amount of dust attached to the brush is increased, and the dust is easily collected. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the scattering of dust when removing the dust attached to the brush. Therefore, the dust collection rate can be improved.

  The air conditioner according to a second aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to the first aspect, wherein when the humidity is equal to or higher than the predetermined humidity, the filter is moved in a state where the brush is rotated. The filter driving means and the brush driving means are controlled so as to move the filter without rotating.

  In this air conditioner, when the humidity is high, the filter is moved while rotating the brush. When the humidity is low, the filter is moved when the brush is stopped. The amount of rotation of the brush can be increased when the humidity is high than when the humidity is low.

  The air conditioner according to a third aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to the first aspect, wherein the filter moves intermittently for each of a plurality of areas, and the brush rotates when the filter is stopped to remove dust for each of the areas. The filter driving means and the brush driving means are controlled so that the moving direction length of the region is shorter when the humidity is equal to or higher than the predetermined humidity than when the humidity is lower than the predetermined humidity. .

  In this air conditioner, the length of the area from which dust is removed by a single movement of the filter is made shorter when the humidity is high than when the humidity is low, so that the brush moves when the filter moves by a predetermined distance. Can be increased when the humidity is high than when the humidity is low.

  An air conditioner according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising humidity detecting means for detecting humidity, wherein the filter driving means and the brush driving means are detected by the humidity detecting means. It is controlled based on the controlled humidity.

  In this air conditioner, since control is performed based on the humidity detected by the humidity detecting means, the rotation amount of the brush when the filter moves by a predetermined distance when the humidity is high is more reliably set than when the humidity is low. I can do more.

  An air conditioner according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising temperature detecting means for detecting temperature, wherein the filter driving means and the brush driving means are detected by the temperature detecting means. It is controlled based on the measured temperature.

  In this air conditioner, even if the humidity detecting means is not provided, the humidity corresponds to the temperature. Therefore, by controlling the filter driving means and the brush driving means based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means, the humidity is adjusted. Responsive control is possible.

  An air conditioner according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to any one of the first to third aspects, further comprising storage means for storing the current date, wherein the filter driving means and the brush driving means are stored in the storage means. It is controlled based on the date which was made.

  In this air conditioner, even if the humidity detection means is not provided, the humidity corresponds to the date. Therefore, by controlling the filter drive means and the brush drive means based on the date stored in the storage means, Control.

  An air conditioner according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprising dust amount detection means for detecting the amount of dust attached to the filter, wherein the filter driving means and the brush driving means are The control is based on the amount of dust detected by the dust amount detecting means.

In this air conditioner, the humidity corresponds to the amount of dust adhering to the filter even if the humidity detecting means is not provided. Therefore, by controlling the filter driving means and the brush driving means based on the amount of dust adhering to the filter. Control according to humidity.
In addition, when the humidity detection means is provided, the amount of dust adhering to the brush is increased by controlling the amount of rotation of the brush when the filter moves by a predetermined distance based on the detected humidity and the amount of dust. It is possible to suppress the scattering of dust while preventing it from becoming too much.

  An air conditioner according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, further comprising humidifying means for blowing humidified air to the filter before the movement of the filter is started. And features.

  In this air conditioner, humidified air is blown against the filter before the filter starts moving, making it easier for the dust adhering to the filter to be collected, removing dust from the filter, and removing dust from the brush. In doing so, it is possible to suppress the scattering of dust.

  An air conditioner according to a ninth invention is the air conditioner according to any one of the first to eighth inventions, wherein the casing has a suction port in the upper part and has a blower outlet in the lower part, and humidified air blown from the blower outlet. Humidifying means for generating, and the air outlet is provided with a wind direction changing flap for changing a wind direction of the blown air up and down, and before the movement of the filter is started, the wind direction changing flap is provided. However, it is arranged near the upper end of the movable range during the air conditioning operation, and the humidified air generated by the humidifying means is blown out from the outlet.

  In this air conditioner, the humidified air discharged from the humidifying means into the casing is blown upward from the blower outlet at the lower part of the casing by the wind direction changing flap, and is then sucked into the casing from the suction port at the upper part of the casing. Therefore, since the humidified air sucked from the suction port can be blown against the filter before the movement of the filter is started, dust attached to the filter is easily collected, and when removing dust from the filter, and When removing dust from the brush, it is possible to suppress the scattering of dust.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  In the first invention, when the humidity is low, the amount of rotation of the brush when the filter moves by a predetermined distance is reduced. Therefore, the amount of dust attached to the brush is increased, and the dust is easily collected. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the scattering of dust when removing the dust attached to the brush. Therefore, the dust collection rate can be improved.

  In the second invention, when the humidity is high, the filter is moved while rotating the brush. When the humidity is low, the filter is moved when the brush is stopped. The amount of rotation of the brush can be increased when the humidity is high than when the humidity is low.

  In the third aspect of the invention, the length of the region where dust is removed by one movement of the filter is made shorter when the humidity is high than when the humidity is low, so that the brush moves when the filter moves by a predetermined distance. Can be increased when the humidity is high than when the humidity is low.

  In the fourth invention, since the control is performed based on the humidity detected by the humidity detecting means, the rotation amount of the brush when the filter moves by a predetermined distance when the humidity is high is more reliably set than when the humidity is low. I can do more.

  In the fifth invention, even if the humidity detection means is not provided, the humidity corresponds to the temperature. Therefore, by controlling the filter drive means and the brush drive means based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection means, the humidity is adjusted. Responsive control is possible.

  In the sixth invention, even if the humidity detection means is not provided, the humidity corresponds to the date. Therefore, by controlling the filter driving means and the brush driving means based on the date stored in the storage means, the humidity can be controlled. Control.

In the seventh invention, even if no humidity detecting means is provided, the humidity corresponds to the amount of dust adhering to the filter, so that the filter driving means and the brush driving means are controlled based on the amount of dust adhering to the filter. Control according to humidity.
In addition, when the humidity detection means is provided, the amount of dust adhering to the brush is increased by controlling the amount of rotation of the brush when the filter moves by a predetermined distance based on the detected humidity and the amount of dust. It is possible to suppress the scattering of dust while preventing it from becoming too much.

  In the eighth invention, since the humidified air is blown against the filter before the movement of the filter is started, the dust adhering to the filter is easily collected, and when removing the dust from the filter and removing the dust from the brush. In doing so, it is possible to suppress the scattering of dust.

  In 9th invention, the humidified air discharge | released in the casing from the humidification means is blown upward from the blower outlet of the lower part of a casing by the wind direction change flap, Then, it is sucked in in a casing from the suction inlet of the upper part of a casing. Therefore, since the humidified air sucked from the suction port can be blown against the filter before the movement of the filter is started, dust attached to the filter is easily collected, and when removing dust from the filter, and When removing dust from the brush, it is possible to suppress the scattering of dust.

It is a perspective view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the indoor unit shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of a filter unit and a cleaning unit. It is a perspective view which shows a part of filter unit. It is a control block diagram of the control part of the air conditioner of 1st Embodiment. It is the elements on larger scale of Drawing 2, (a) shows the state where dust adhering to a filter is removed, (b) shows the state where dust adhering to a brush is removed, and (c) The state which has returned the filter to the original position is shown. It is the elements on larger scale of Drawing 2, and (a) shows the state where dust adhering to a filter is removed and dust adhering to a brush is removed, and (b) has returned a filter to an original position. Indicates the state. It is a schematic block diagram of the air conditioner which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the indoor unit of 3rd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the indoor unit shown in FIG. It is a control block diagram of the control part of the air conditioner of 3rd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the filter unit of the air conditioner of other embodiment of this invention.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The air conditioner of this embodiment is comprised with the indoor unit 1 shown in FIG. 1, and the outdoor unit which is not shown in figure, and performs indoor air conditioning. The indoor unit 1 has an elongated shape in one direction as a whole, and is installed on a wall surface in the room so that its longitudinal direction is horizontal.
In the following description, the direction protruding from the wall to which the indoor unit 1 is attached is referred to as “front”, and the opposite direction is referred to as “rear”. Further, the left-right direction shown in FIG. 1 is simply referred to as “left-right direction”.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the indoor unit 1 includes a casing 10, a heat exchanger 2 accommodated in the casing 10, a blower 3, a filter unit 20, a filter drive motor (filter drive means) 30, and a cleaning unit. And internal devices such as a brush drive motor (brush drive means) 50 and the like. Moreover, the indoor unit 1 of this embodiment is provided with the humidity sensor (humidity detection means) 4 (refer FIG. 5) which detects indoor humidity.

  During the air conditioning operation (heating operation or cooling operation), the blower 3 is driven and room air is sucked from the suction port 11a formed on the upper surface of the casing 10. Then, after the sucked air is heated or cooled in the heat exchanger 2, it is blown out from the air outlet 11 b formed on the lower surface of the casing 10.

  Moreover, the indoor unit 1 can perform a filter cleaning operation. In the filter cleaning operation, the filter drive motor 30 and the brush drive motor 50 are driven, and dust attached to the filter 21 of the filter unit 20 is removed by the cleaning unit 40. The filter cleaning operation is automatically performed when the accumulated operation time of the air conditioning operation reaches a predetermined time. Moreover, the air conditioner of this embodiment does not perform the filter cleaning operation during the air conditioning operation, but stops the air conditioning operation and performs the filter cleaning operation.

  The casing 10 includes a grill 11 made of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing having an opening at the rear, and a front panel 12 that covers an opening provided on the front surface of the grill 11. A suction port 11a, which is a grid-like opening that is long in the left-right direction, is formed on the upper surface of the grill 11, and an air outlet 11b, which is a rectangular opening that is elongated in the left-right direction, is formed on the lower surface of the grill 11. Yes. Further, a horizontal flap (wind direction changing flap) 13 is provided in the vicinity of the air outlet 11b. The horizontal flap 13 changes the wind direction in the vertical direction of the airflow blown from the blower outlet 11b and opens and closes the blower outlet 11b.

  The blower 3 is composed of a cross flow fan, and is arranged such that its axial direction is along the left-right direction. The blower 3 sucks air from the upper front and blows out the lower rear. The heat exchanger 2 is arrange | positioned so that the front and upper direction of the air blower 3 may be surrounded.

  The filter unit 20 is disposed at a position close to the suction port 11a. As shown in FIG. 3, the filter unit 20 includes two filters 21 arranged side by side and a frame unit 22 that holds the two filters 21.

  The filter 21 is made of a synthetic resin net formed in an annular shape, and captures dust contained in the air passing through the filter 21. Of the filter 21, a portion disposed on the upstream side in the air flow direction during air conditioning operation is referred to as an upstream portion 21 a, and a portion disposed on the downstream side in the air flow direction is referred to as a downstream portion 21 b. Dust contained in the air passing through the filter 21 adheres mainly to the outer peripheral surface of the upstream portion 21a.

  The frame unit 22 holds the annular filter 21 so as to be movable in the circumferential direction. The filter 21 held by the frame unit 22 is disposed along the upper surface and the front surface of the casing 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the frame unit 22 includes a roller 23 disposed at the inner front end of each filter 21, an inner support 24 that supports each filter 21 from the inside, and an outer side that supports each filter 21 from the outside. And a support portion 25. As shown in FIG. 3, on the right side surface of the frame unit 22, two filter drive motors 30 for rotating the two rollers 23, and a brush drive for rotating a brush 41 and a compression rod 42, which will be described later, are provided. A motor 50 is attached.

  Both ends of the roller 23 are rotatably supported. As shown in FIG. 4, a gear 23 a that is rotationally driven by a filter drive motor 30 is attached to the right end portion of the roller 23. The gear 23a of the left roller 23 is adapted to transmit the driving force of the filter drive motor 30 via an intermediate gear member (not shown).

  A pile fabric is affixed to the outer peripheral surface of the roller 23. A pile fabric is a fabric in which short fibers (pile yarn) are raised on the surface. The pile yarn of the roller 23 enters the mesh of the filter 21, so that the filter 21 is difficult to slip with respect to the roller 23. Therefore, the filter 21 is moved in the circumferential direction along the inner support portion 24 and the outer support portion 25 by rotating the roller 23 by the filter drive motor 30.

  The cleaning unit 40 is for removing dust adhering to the filter 21, and is disposed below the front end of the filter 21 as shown in FIG. 2. The cleaning unit 40 includes a brush 41, a compression rod 42, a comb member 43, and a dust box 44.

  The brush 41 is disposed below the roller 23, and both ends thereof are rotatably supported. The brush 41 has brush hairs at portions corresponding to the two filters 21. The brush bristles are in contact with the front end portion of the filter 21. By moving the filter 21, dust adhering to the filter 21 can be scraped off by the brush hair.

  A gear 41 a that is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 2 by a brush drive motor 50 is attached to the right end portion of the brush 41. In addition, a gear 41 b for transmitting a rotational force to the compression rod 42 is attached to a central portion of the brush 41 (a portion corresponding to between the two filters 21). As the brush 41 rotates, the dust adhering to the brush hair is conveyed to the vicinity of the compression rod 42.

  The compression rod 42 is disposed below the brush 41. Both ends of the compression rod 42 are rotatably supported, and a driven gear 42a that meshes with the gear 41b of the brush 41 is attached to the center thereof. The compression rod 42 rotates in the direction opposite to the brush 41 (clockwise in FIG. 2). As the compression rod 42 and the brush 41 rotate, dust attached to the brush 41 is caught between the comb member 43 and the compression rod 42 and compressed.

  The comb member 43 is disposed behind the compression rod 42, and the tip thereof is in contact with the brush 41. The dust that is compressed between the brush 41 and the compression rod 42 and remains attached to the brush 41 is separated from the brush 41 by the comb member 43. The dust box 44 accommodates dust that has detached from the brush 41.

Next, the controller 60 of the air conditioner will be described with reference to FIG.
The control unit 60 controls the air conditioning operation and the filter cleaning operation. As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 60 includes a count unit 61, a cleaning mode determination unit 62 that determines an operation mode of the filter cleaning operation, and a control main body unit 63. The air conditioner of this embodiment has a low humidity mode and a high humidity mode as operation modes of the filter cleaning operation.

  The count unit 61 counts the operation time of the air conditioning operation after the previous filter cleaning operation is completed. When the cumulative operation time of the air conditioning operation reaches a predetermined time (for example, 6 hours), the count unit 61 resets the count to 0 (initializes), and transmits a cleaning start signal to the cleaning mode determination unit 62.

  The cleaning mode determination unit 62 determines the operation mode of the filter cleaning operation based on the indoor humidity detected by the humidity sensor 4 (hereinafter simply referred to as indoor humidity). The cleaning mode determining unit 62 determines the high humidity mode when the room humidity when receiving the cleaning start signal from the counting unit 61 is equal to or higher than a predetermined humidity A (for example, 60%), and when the humidity is lower than the predetermined humidity A Determine the low humidity mode.

  The control main body 63 controls the blower 3 and the horizontal flap 13 during the air-conditioning operation, and at the time of the filter cleaning operation, according to the operation mode determined by the cleaning mode determination unit 62, the filter drive motor 30 and the brush drive. The motor 50 is controlled.

  When the filter cleaning operation is in the low humidity mode, the control main body 63 first drives the filter drive motor 30 with the brush drive motor 50 stopped, as shown in FIG. The roller 23 is rotated to move the filter 21 by approximately ¼ of the circumference. Thereby, the dust adhered to the front end half of the upstream portion 21 a of the filter 21 is scraped off by the brush 41.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, in a state where the filter drive motor 30 is stopped, the brush drive motor 50 is driven to rotate the brush 41 and the compression rod 42. Thereby, the dust adhering to the brush 41 is compressed and accommodated in the dust box 44.

  Thereafter, only the filter drive motor 30 is driven again as shown in FIG. 6 (a), and the filter 21 is moved approximately ¼ of the circumference, and then, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the brush drive motor. Drive only 50. Thereby, the dust adhering to the rear end half of the upstream portion 21a is removed and accommodated in the dust box 44.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, the filter drive motor 30 is driven in the reverse direction and the brush drive motor 50 is driven to move the filter 21 to the original position (position before starting the filter cleaning operation). Return to). At this time, the filter 21 can be smoothly moved by rotating the brush 41.

  When the filter cleaning operation is in the high humidity mode, the control main body 63 drives the filter drive motor 30 to move the filter 21 and drives the brush drive motor 50 as shown in FIG. Then, the brush 41 and the compression rod 42 are rotated. Thereby, the dust attached to the filter 21 is removed by the brush 41, and the dust attached to the brush 41 is compressed and accommodated in the dust box 44.

  After moving approximately 1/2 of the circumference of the filter 21 and bringing the upstream portion 21a of the filter 21 into contact with the brush 41, the filter drive motor 30 is driven in the reverse direction as shown in FIG. 7B. Then, the brush drive motor 50 is driven to return the filter 21 to the original position.

  As described above, the control main body 63 of the present embodiment moves the filter 21 while the brush 41 is stopped in the low humidity mode, and rotates the brush 41 in the high humidity mode. The filter 21 is moved. Accordingly, the amount of rotation of the brush 41 when the filter 21 moves by a predetermined distance is larger in the high humidity mode than in the low humidity mode.

(Characteristics of the air conditioner of the first embodiment)
The air conditioner of this embodiment has the following characteristics.

In this air conditioner, when the indoor humidity is low, the rotation amount of the brush 41 when the filter 21 moves by a predetermined distance is reduced. Therefore, the amount of dust adhering to the brush 41 is increased, and dust is easily collected. Become. Therefore, when removing the dust adhering to the brush 41, it is possible to suppress the scattering of the dust. Therefore, the dust collection rate can be improved.
In addition, when the room humidity is high, dust easily adheres to the filter 21, and thus the amount of dust attached to the filter 21 may increase. However, in the present embodiment, when the room humidity is high, the filter 21 has a predetermined distance. Since the amount of rotation of the brush 41 when moving only is increased, the amount of dust attached to the brush 41 can be reduced even if the amount of dust attached to the filter 21 is large. Therefore, it can be prevented that the amount of dust adhering to the brush 41 is excessive and the dust on the filter 21 cannot be removed. In addition, when the room humidity is high, the moisture content of the dust is large, so even if the amount of dust attached to the brush 41 is small, the dust is not easily scattered when the dust is removed from the brush 41.

  Further, in this air conditioner, when the room humidity is high, the filter 21 is moved while rotating the brush 41, so that the amount of dust adhering to the brush 41 is too large to remove the dust from the filter 21. Can be reliably prevented.

  Further, in this air conditioner, since control is performed based on the indoor humidity detected by the humidity sensor 4, the rotation amount of the brush 41 when the filter 21 moves by a predetermined distance when the indoor humidity is high is set to the indoor humidity. It can certainly be more than when it is low.

Second Embodiment
Next, an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, about the thing which has the structure similar to the said 1st Embodiment, the description is abbreviate | omitted suitably using the same code | symbol.
The air conditioner of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the control of the filter cleaning operation by the control main body, and the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  When the filter cleaning operation is in the low humidity mode, the control main body controls the filter drive motor 30 and the brush drive motor 50 as in the first embodiment.

  When the filter cleaning operation is in the high humidity mode, the control main body drives the filter drive motor 30 with the brush drive motor 50 stopped, and moves the filter 21 by approximately 1/8 of the circumference ( (See FIG. 6 (a)). Next, with the filter drive motor 30 stopped, the brush drive motor 50 is driven to rotate the brush 41 and the compression rod 42 (see FIG. 6B). Thereafter, the same movement of the filter 21 and the rotation of the brush 41 are repeated three times alternately to bring the upstream portion 21a of the filter 21 into contact with the brush 41, and then the filter drive while driving the brush drive motor 50. The motor 30 is moved in the reverse direction to return the filter 21 to the original position (see FIG. 6C).

  Thus, in the air conditioner of the present embodiment, the filter 21 moves intermittently for each of a plurality of regions, and the brush 41 rotates when the filter 21 is stopped, so that dust is removed for each region. The moving direction length of this region is shorter in the high humidity mode than in the low humidity mode. Therefore, the amount of rotation of the brush 41 when the filter 21 moves by a predetermined distance is greater in the high humidity mode than in the low humidity mode.

(Characteristics of the air conditioner of the second embodiment)
The air conditioner of the present embodiment has the following features as features different from the first embodiment.

  In this air conditioner, since the brush 41 is rotated when the filter 21 is stopped, dust scattering due to contact between the filter 21 and the brush 41 can be suppressed as compared with the case where the rotation of the brush 41 and the movement of the filter 21 are performed simultaneously. .

<Third Embodiment>
Next, an air conditioner according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, about the thing which has the structure similar to the said 1st Embodiment, the description is abbreviate | omitted suitably using the same code | symbol.
The air conditioner of the present embodiment can perform not only a cooling operation and a heating operation but also a humidifying operation. As shown in FIG. 8, the outdoor unit 100 of the air conditioner includes a heat pump unit (not shown) and a humidifying unit 103 for generating humid air supplied to the indoor unit 101. The humidification unit 103 is connected to the indoor unit 101 by a humidification hose 102. The humidification unit 103 includes a humidification rotor 131 that is rotationally driven by a humidification motor 132, a moisture absorption fan 133, a heater 134, and a humidification fan 135.

  The humidification rotor 131 is made of, for example, an adsorbent such as zeolite, and has a property of adsorbing moisture in the contacted air and releasing the adsorbed moisture in the air when heated. The moisture absorption fan 133 sends the air taken from outside to the humidification rotor 131. When the air sent from the moisture absorption fan 133 passes through the humidification rotor 131, the moisture in the air is adsorbed by the humidification rotor 131. The heater 134 heats the air taken from outside the room. The humidification fan 135 sends the air heated by the heater 134 to the humidification rotor 131. When the heated air passes through the humidification fan 135, the moisture retained in the humidification rotor 131 is released, so that the air that has passed through the humidification rotor 131 is humidified. The humidified air is sent to the indoor unit 101 through the humidifying hose 102.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the indoor unit 101 includes a humidifying duct 104 and a diffusion housed in the casing 10 in addition to the same components (for example, the blower 3 and the cleaning unit 40) as in the first embodiment. A duct 105 is provided. The humidification duct 104, the diffusion duct 105, the humidification unit 103, and the humidification hose 102 constitute the humidification means of the present invention.

  The humidification duct 104 is disposed at the left end portion of the indoor unit 101. The humidification duct 104 is connected to the humidification hose 102, and humidified air generated by the humidification unit 103 of the outdoor unit 100 is supplied via the humidification hose 102.

  The diffusion duct 105 is connected to the humidification duct 104 and extends in the left-right direction. The diffusion duct 105 is disposed in substantially the same range as the filter unit 20 in the left-right direction. The diffusion duct 105 is disposed between the front panel 12 and the filter unit 20. On the rear wall of the diffusion duct 105, a plurality of humidification outlets 105a are formed side by side in the left-right direction. The humidified air that has flowed into the diffusion duct 105 from the humidifying duct 104 is blown out from the humidifying outlet 105a, passes through the filter 21 and the blower 3, and then blown out into the room from the outlet 11b.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 160 of the air conditioner has a count unit 61, a cleaning mode determination unit 62, and a control main body unit 163. The control main body 163 includes the blower 3 of the indoor unit 101, the horizontal flap 13, the filter drive motor 30, the brush drive motor 50, the humidification motor 132 of the humidification unit 103, the moisture absorption fan 133, the humidification fan 135, and a heat pump unit (not shown). Control the compressor and so on.

  When the filter cleaning operation is in the low humidity mode, the control main body 163 drives the humidification motor 132, the humidification fan 135, the moisture absorption fan 133, and the blower 3 before starting the filter cleaning operation. Thereby, the humid air supplied from the humidification unit 103 is blown out from the humidification outlet 105 a of the diffusion duct 105 and blown to the filter 21. At this time, the control main body 163 arranges the horizontal flap 13 near the upper end of the movable range during the air conditioning operation. That is, the horizontal flap 13 is arranged so that the blowing direction of the airflow blown from the blower outlet 11b is upward. Therefore, the humidified air that has passed through the filter 21 is blown upward from the blower outlet 11b after passing through the blower 3. The humidified air that has been blown out rises along the front panel 12, and is then sucked into the casing 10 from the suction port 11 a and blown onto the filter 21.

  The control main body 163 controls the filter drive motor 30 and the brush drive motor 50 to perform filter cleaning after the humidified air is blown to the filter 21 for a predetermined time, as in the first embodiment or the second embodiment. Do the driving.

  When the filter cleaning operation is in the high humidity mode, the control main body 163 does not spray the humidified air onto the filter 21 and, similarly to the first embodiment or the second embodiment, The brush drive motor 50 is controlled to perform the filter cleaning operation.

(Characteristics of the air conditioner of the third embodiment)
The air conditioner of the present embodiment has the following features as features different from the first embodiment.

  In this air conditioner, since the humidified air blown from the diffusion duct 105 is blown against the filter 21 before the movement of the filter 21 is started in the low humidity mode, dust attached to the filter 21 is easily collected. When dust is removed from the filter 21 and when dust is removed from the brush 41, the scattering of dust can be suppressed.

  Further, in this air conditioner, the humidified air blown out from the diffusion duct 105 is blown upward from the blower outlet 11b at the lower part of the casing 10 by the horizontal flap 13 and then from the suction port 11a at the upper part of the casing 10 to the casing 10. It is sucked in. Therefore, since the humidified air sucked into the suction port 11a can be blown against the filter 21 before the movement of the filter 21 is started, the dust adhering to the filter 21 is more easily collected and the dust is scattered. It can be suppressed more.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, it should be thought that the specific structure of this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. The scope of the present invention is shown not only by the description of the above-described embodiment but also by the scope of claims for patent, and further includes meanings equivalent to the scope of claims for patent and all modifications within the scope. Note that the modifications described below can be implemented in appropriate combination.

  In the third embodiment, humidified air is blown to the filter 21 before starting the filter cleaning operation only in the low humidity mode. However, before the filter cleaning operation is started in the high humidity mode, too. Humidified air may be blown onto the filter 21.

  In the third embodiment, humidified air is blown onto the filter 21 only before the filter cleaning operation is started. However, humidified air may be blown onto the filter 21 during the filter cleaning operation.

  In the third embodiment, the diffusion duct 105 is arranged in substantially the same range as the filter 21 in the left-right direction, and the humidified air supplied from the humidifying unit 103 to the indoor unit 101 is blown out from the diffusion duct 105 into the casing 10. However, humid air may be blown out directly from the humidification duct 104 into the casing 10 without providing the diffusion duct 105. Even in this case, as in the first embodiment, the humidified air blown into the room from the air outlet 11b is sucked into the casing 10 from the air inlet 11a and blown to the filter 21, so that dust is scattered. Can be suppressed.

  In the third embodiment, the diffusion duct 105 for blowing out the humidified air supplied from the humidifying unit 103 is arranged on the upstream side of the filter 21, but for blowing out the humidified air supplied from the humidifying unit 103. The device may be arranged on the downstream side of the filter 21. Even in this case, as in the first embodiment, the humidified air blown into the room from the air outlet 11b is sucked into the casing 10 from the air inlet 11a and blown to the filter 21, so that dust is scattered. Can be suppressed.

  In the third embodiment, when the humidified air is blown out from the diffusion duct 105, the blower 3 is driven in order to suck the humidified air blown into the room from the blowout port 11b through the suction port 11a and blow it onto the filter 21. The blower 3 may not be driven. In this case, you may arrange | position the horizontal flap 13 so that the blower outlet 11b may be closed. Even in this case, since the humidified air blown from the diffusion duct 105 is blown to the filter 21 as in the first embodiment, scattering of dust can be suppressed. Moreover, according to this structure, power consumption can be reduced.

  In the low humidity mode of the first and second embodiments, the filter 21 is moved twice by 1/4 of the circumferential length, and in the high humidity mode of the second embodiment, the filter 21 is moved by 2 of 1/8 of the circumferential length. However, the movement length and the number of movements are not limited to those described above as long as the entire area of the upstream portion 21a of the filter 21 can be cleaned. However, when the second embodiment is changed, the length of one movement in the low humidity mode is longer than the length of one movement in the high humidity mode.

  In the said 1st-3rd embodiment, although the operation mode of filter cleaning operation is two types, a low-humidity mode and a high-humidity mode, three or more types based on indoor humidity may be sufficient. The lower the humidity, the smaller the amount of rotation of the brush 41 when the filter 21 moves by a predetermined distance.

  In the first to third embodiments, the operation mode of the filter cleaning operation is determined based only on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 4, but the dust that the indoor unit detects the amount of dust attached to the filter 21. An amount detection unit is provided, and the operation mode may be determined based on the detected dust amount of the filter 21 and the indoor humidity. The rotation amount of the brush 41 when the filter 21 moves by a predetermined distance is increased as the mode with the higher dust amount is set so as to decrease as the mode with the lower humidity. According to this configuration, scattering of dust can be suppressed while preventing an excessive amount of dust from adhering to the brush 41.

In the first to third embodiments, when the amount of rotation of the brush 41 when the filter 21 moves by a predetermined distance is greater than or equal to the predetermined humidity A (high humidity mode) and less than the predetermined humidity A (low humidity mode). However, the humidity sensor 4 is not necessarily provided as long as the above-described control can be performed.
For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a temperature sensor that detects the outside air temperature is provided and the operation mode is determined based on the detected outside air temperature. Even if the humidity sensor 4 is not provided, since the humidity corresponds to the temperature, the control according to the humidity can be performed by controlling based on the humidity corresponding to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.
Further, for example, a storage unit that stores the current date may be provided, and the operation mode may be determined based on the stored date. Even if the humidity sensor 4 is not provided, the humidity corresponds to the date. Therefore, the control according to the humidity can be performed by controlling based on the date stored in the storage unit.
In addition, for example, a configuration may be provided in which a dust amount detection unit that detects the amount of dust attached to the filter 21 is provided and the operation mode is determined based on the detected dust amount. Even if the humidity sensor 4 is not provided, the humidity corresponds to the amount of dust adhering to the filter 21, so that control according to the humidity can be performed by controlling based on the amount of dust adhering to the filter 21.

In the above embodiment, the cleaning cycle of the filter cleaning operation is constant regardless of the room humidity, but may be changed based on the room humidity.
For example, the cleaning cycle when the indoor humidity is equal to or higher than a predetermined humidity may be shorter than the cleaning cycle when the indoor humidity is lower than the predetermined humidity. When the humidity is high, the dust tends to adhere to the filter 21. Therefore, by shortening the cleaning cycle, it is possible to prevent the dust from accumulating on the filter 21 and increasing the pressure loss. Further, when the humidity is low, it is possible to accumulate a certain amount of dust on the filter 21 by lengthening the cleaning cycle, so that it is possible to suppress the dust from passing through the filter 21 even if the dust is small. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a decrease in dust collection efficiency.

  In the above embodiment, the filter cleaning operation is not performed during the air conditioning operation, and the filter cleaning operation is performed by stopping the air conditioning operation. However, the filter cleaning operation may be performed simultaneously with the air conditioning operation.

  In the above embodiment, the filter 21 is annular, but may be a plate-like filter 221 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 12, a pinion 223 is arranged instead of the roller 23, and the filter 221 is held by a rectangular frame (not shown) provided with teeth (not shown) that mesh with the pinion 223. During the air conditioning operation, the filter 221 is disposed in the normal guide path 240a of the frame unit 240. During the filter cleaning operation, the filter 221 moves to the retraction guide path 240b by the rotation of the pinion 223, and dust attached to the filter 221 is removed by the brush 41.

  The configuration of the cleaning unit 40 is not limited to the above embodiment as long as it has a means for moving the filter 21, a brush 41 for removing dust attached to the filter 21, and a means for rotating the brush 41.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a wall-mounted indoor unit has been described. However, the present invention may be applied to a floor-standing indoor unit.

  By utilizing the present invention, the dust collection rate can be improved.

1, 101 Indoor unit of air conditioner 3 Blower 4 Humidity sensor (humidity detection means)
13 Horizontal flap (wind direction change flap)
20 Filter unit 21 Filter 23 Roller 30 Filter drive motor (filter drive means)
40 Cleaning unit 41 Brush 50 Brush drive motor (brush drive means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Air conditioner outdoor unit 103 Humidification unit 104 Humidification duct 105 Diffusion duct

Claims (9)

Filters,
Filter driving means for moving the filter;
A brush for removing dust adhering to the filter;
Brush drive means for rotationally driving the brush,
When the filter moves by a predetermined distance, dust is removed by the brush, and the amount of rotation of the brush when the filter moves by a predetermined distance is less than a predetermined humidity when the filter is less than a predetermined humidity. The air conditioner is characterized in that the filter driving means and the brush driving means are controlled. In the case of a predetermined humidity or higher, the filter is moved while the brush is rotated,
2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein when the humidity is lower than a predetermined humidity, the filter driving unit and the brush driving unit are controlled to move the filter without rotating the brush. . The filter moves intermittently for each of a plurality of regions, and the brush rotates when the filter is stopped to remove dust for each region,
The filter driving means and the brush driving means are controlled so that the moving direction length of the region is shorter when the humidity is equal to or higher than a predetermined humidity than when the humidity is lower than the predetermined humidity. Air conditioner. Humidity detection means for detecting humidity is provided,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the filter driving unit and the brush driving unit are controlled based on humidity detected by the humidity detecting unit. Temperature detecting means for detecting temperature,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the filter driving unit and the brush driving unit are controlled based on a temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit. A storage means for storing the current date;
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the filter driving unit and the brush driving unit are controlled based on a date stored in the storage unit. Dust amount detection means for detecting the amount of dust attached to the filter,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the filter driving unit and the brush driving unit are controlled based on a dust amount detected by the dust amount detecting unit.   The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a humidifying unit that blows humidified air on the filter before the movement of the filter is started. A casing having a suction port in the upper part and a blower outlet in the lower part;
Humidifying means for generating humidified air blown from the outlet,
The air outlet is provided with a wind direction changing flap for changing the air direction of the air to be blown up and down,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the wind direction changing flap is disposed near an upper end of a movable range during air-conditioning operation before the movement of the filter is started.

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