JP2014137178A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of exerting an optimum air flow control corresponding to an operation mode by controlling a combination of flows of air at different temperatures blown from a plurality of diffusers.SOLUTION: An air conditioner including: a main fan 265 blowing air passed through an indoor heat exchanger 264; and left or/and right fan unit 261 or/and 262 provided on at least one of both sides of the main fan 265, and blowing the air that is not permitted to be passed through the indoor heat exchanger 264, comprises: main air-direction changing means for changing a direction of the air from the main fan 265 vertically and horizontally; side air-direction changing means for changing the direction of the air from the left or/and right fan unit 261 or/and 262 vertically and horizontally; and air flow control means for exerting an air flow control by combining the direction of the air from the main fan 265 and that from the left or/and right fan unit 261 or/and 262. The air conditioner has a convergent air flow mode and a diffused air flow mode by a combination of the main air-direction changing means and the side air-direction changing means so as to correspond to a heating operation mode or a cooling operation mode.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner that controls airflows blown from a plurality of air outlets.

  In a conventional air conditioner, air that has passed through a heat exchanger that is long in the left-right direction is blown by a cross flow fan, and the wind direction plate and the left-right wind direction plate are provided at the outlet in order to change the wind direction up, down, left and right. Is provided.

  Some recent air conditioners have a plurality of air outlets. For example, the main exhaust port portion for blowing air to the outside of the air conditioning equipment housing portion and the sub exhaust port portion are provided, and the main air flow control means for creating an air-conditioned air flow suitable for air conditioning is provided in the main exhaust port portion, and the sub exhaust port portion A secondary airflow control means that generates a dust collection airflow for collecting dust in the air is provided, and an air-conditioning airflow and a dust collection airflow are generated at the same time to adjust the room temperature and clean the air at the same time. It is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-164271 A

  However, in the air conditioner of Patent Document 1, the main airflow control means at the main exhaust port generates an air-conditioning airflow suitable for air conditioning, and the subairflow control means at the sub exhaust port collects dust in the air. The air-collecting airflow and the dust-collecting airflow are formed in areas that do not affect each other. Thus, in the air conditioner of Patent Document 1, the dust collection airflow generated from the sub exhaust port is used only for the purpose of collecting dust in the air, and the air flow generated from the sub exhaust port is generated from the main exhaust port. It has not been considered to perform optimal airflow control corresponding to cooling operation or heating operation by controlling the airflow generated.

  In particular, in the heating operation mode of the air conditioner, warm air having a lighter specific gravity than indoor air is blown out, and in the cooling operation mode, cold air having a higher specific gravity than indoor air is blown out. When the temperature of the dust collection airflow is different, it is difficult to properly determine which airflow control is suitable.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is possible to perform optimal airflow control corresponding to each operation mode by combining and controlling airflows having different temperatures blown from a plurality of air outlets. An object is to provide an air conditioner.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, an air conditioner of the present invention includes a main fan that blows indoor air that has passed through a heat exchanger, and indoor air that does not allow the heat exchanger to pass through at least one of both sides of the main fan. An air conditioner having a side fan for blowing air, a main wind direction changing means for changing the wind direction from the main fan in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a side wind direction changing means for changing the wind direction from the side fans in the vertical and horizontal directions. Airflow control means for performing airflow control by combining the wind direction of the main fan by the main wind direction changing means and the wind direction of the side fan by the side wind direction changing means, and the airflow control means includes the air conditioning The side fan against the air flow blown from the main fan in correspondence with the heating operation mode or the cooling operation mode of the machine A converging airflow mode that blows out the airflow blown in the direction that interferes with the airflow blown out from the main fan, and a diffusion airflow mode that blows out the airflow blown out from the side fan in a direction that does not interfere with the airflow blown out from the main fan It is characterized by.

  Moreover, the operation mode of the air conditioner of the present invention includes a heating operation mode and a cooling operation mode, and the user of the air conditioner is in the heating operation mode with respect to the airflow control means, A convergent airflow mode can be designated, and in the cooling operation mode, the convergent airflow mode and the diffused airflow mode can be selected and designated.

  In the air conditioner of the present invention, in the airflow mode, the airflow mode swings the airflow blown at least in the left-right direction with respect to the airflow blown from the main fan to spread the wind over a wide range. The air conditioner user can select and specify the convergent airflow mode and the swing airflow mode in the heating operation mode, and the air conditioner user can select and specify the airflow control unit in the cooling operation mode. The convergence airflow mode, the swing airflow mode, and the diffusion airflow mode can be selected and specified.

  According to the air conditioner of the present invention, there is a main fan that blows indoor air that has passed through the heat exchanger, and a side fan that blows indoor air that does not pass through the heat exchanger on at least one of both sides of the main fan. The main wind direction changing means for changing the wind direction from the main fan in the up / down / left / right direction, the side wind direction changing means for changing the wind direction from the side fan in the up / down / left / right direction, and the air flow of the main fan and the side fan in combination Airflow control means for performing control, and the airflow control means has a previously prepared airflow mode for controlling in combination with the main wind direction changing means and the side wind direction changing means in correspondence with the operation mode of the air conditioner. ing. For this reason, the air conditioner has an effect that optimum airflow control can be performed by using an airflow mode that is a combination of the airflow direction of the main fan and the airflow direction of the side fan that the airflow control means corresponds to the operation mode.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the air conditioner. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the indoor unit showing the control system and sensor arrangement positions of the air conditioner of FIG. 3. FIG. 5-1 is a perspective view schematically showing an airflow state in the first convergent airflow mode of the air conditioner. FIG. 5-2 is a view of the left and right side fan airflow angles when the main fan airflow of FIG. FIG. 5C is a top view of the left and right side fan airflow angles when the main fan airflow of FIG. FIG. 5-4 is a top view of the left and right side fan airflow angles when the main fan airflow of FIG. FIG. 6A is a perspective view schematically showing an air flow state in the first diffusion air flow mode of the air conditioner. FIG. 6B is a top view of the left and right side fan airflow blowing angles when the main fan airflow of FIG. FIG. 6C is a top view of the left and right side fan airflow angles when the left side of the indoor unit of the air conditioner of FIG. 6B is installed close to the wall surface. FIG. 7-1 is a perspective view schematically showing an airflow state in the first swing airflow mode of the air conditioner. FIG. 7-2 is a view of the blowing angle at which the main fan airflow of FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing an airflow state in the second convergent airflow mode of the air conditioner. FIG. 9-1 is a perspective view schematically showing an airflow state in a second swing airflow mode of the air conditioner. FIG. 9-2 is a view of the blowing angle for swinging the main fan airflow and the left and right side fan airflows in FIG. FIG. 10 is a correspondence diagram between the operation mode of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment and the new airflow mode corresponding to the conventional operation mode. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of the first convergent airflow mode of FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of the first diffusion airflow mode of FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of the first swing airflow mode of FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining a subroutine of the second convergent airflow mode of FIG. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine of the second swing airflow mode of FIG.

  Embodiments of an air conditioner according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and FIG. 3 is an air conditioner. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the indoor unit showing the control system of the air conditioner and the arrangement positions of the sensors in FIG. 3.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 20 of the air conditioner used in the present embodiment includes a main unit 263 and a left fan unit 261 and a right fan unit 262 on both sides thereof. The main unit 263 of the indoor unit 20 includes a main housing 27. In the main housing 27, the exterior panel 29 covers the housing body 28. A central outlet 30 is formed in the housing body 28. A suction port (not shown) is formed in the upper part of the exterior panel 29. The central outlet 30 opens downward. Such a housing body 28 can be fixed to, for example, an indoor wall surface. In that case, the front end 30a of the center blower outlet 30 is arrange | positioned in the upper position compared with the rear end 30b. As a result, the central outlet 30 is formed in a front-up posture at a predetermined inclination angle α. With such an action of the inclination angle α, the airflow can be blown not only downward from the central blower outlet 30 toward the floor surface but also in parallel (horizontal direction) to the floor surface.

  The central air outlet 30 is provided with a pair of front and rear wind direction plates 31a and 31b as main wind direction changing means. The up-and-down wind direction plates 31a and 31b can rotate around the horizontal axes 32a and 32b, respectively. Depending on the rotation, the vertical airflow direction plates 31a and 31b can open and close the central outlet 30.

  In addition, a left fan unit 261 and a right fan unit 262 are individually disposed on both side surfaces of the housing body 28. That is, the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262 are disposed outside the side wall of the housing body 28. The left fan unit 261 includes a left side fan housing 331, a left outlet 341 is formed, and a left and right airflow direction plate 341a that changes the airflow direction of the side fan to the left and right is disposed as a side airflow direction changing unit. The right fan unit 262 includes a right side fan housing 332, a right outlet 342 is formed, and a left and right wind direction plate 342a as a side wind direction changing unit is disposed. The left blower outlet 341 and the right blower outlet 342 are rotated around the horizontal axis 35 by a driving mechanism (not shown), so that the wind direction of the side fan can be changed up and down as side wind direction changing means. The horizontal axis lines 32a and 32b and the horizontal axis line 35 extend in parallel with each other as shown in FIG. The side panel 36 covers the side surfaces of the housing 331 and the housing 332. A side suction port 37 is formed in the side panel 36. As shown in FIG. 1, the side surface suction port 37 is formed by collecting, for example, small mesh openings.

  The air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes a remote controller 10 that can perform a driving operation from a remote location by two-way wireless communication with the indoor unit 20 described above.

  The indoor unit and outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment are configured as shown in FIG. An indoor heat exchanger 264 and a main fan 265 are incorporated in the main body unit 263 of the indoor unit 20 described above. The main fan 265 is a cross flow fan, and generates an air flow by rotation. Room air is sucked into the main unit 263 by the action of the main fan 265. The sucked room air passes through the indoor heat exchanger 264 and exchanges heat with the refrigerant, thereby generating cold air or warm air. The cold or warm airflow after passing through the indoor heat exchanger 264 is blown out from the central outlet 30 of the main unit 263 to become a main fan airflow 301. Further, the flow rate of the airflow passing through the indoor heat exchanger 264 is adjusted according to the rotational speed of the cross flow fan.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigeration circuit 41 of the outdoor unit 40 includes a four-way valve 42, a compressor 43, an outdoor heat exchanger 44, an expansion valve 45, an outdoor fan 46, a refrigerant pipe 50, and the like. For example, when the cooling operation is set in the refrigeration circuit 41, the four-way valve 42 connects the second port 42b and the third port 42c to each other, and connects the first port 42a and the fourth port 42d to each other. Thereby, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 44 from the discharge pipe 43 b of the compressor 43. The refrigerant flows through the outdoor heat exchanger 44, the expansion valve 45, and the indoor heat exchanger 264 in order. In the outdoor heat exchanger 44, the heat energy of the refrigerant is released to the outside air. The refrigerant is decompressed to a low pressure by the expansion valve 45 and absorbs heat from the surrounding air in the indoor heat exchanger 264. The cold air thus generated is caused to flow into the indoor space by the function of the main fan 265. The refrigerant that has absorbed heat by the indoor heat exchanger 264 is returned to the compressor 43 via the four-way valve 42.

  When the heating operation is set in the refrigeration circuit 41, the four-way valve 42 connects the second port 42b and the fourth port 42d to each other, and connects the first port 42a and the third port 42c to each other. Thereby, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is supplied from the discharge pipe 43 a of the compressor 43 to the indoor heat exchanger 264. The refrigerant flows through the indoor heat exchanger 264, the expansion valve 45, and the outdoor heat exchanger 44 in order. In the indoor heat exchanger 264, the heat energy of the refrigerant is released to the surrounding air, and warm air is generated. Warm air is blown into the indoor space by the action of the main fan 265. The refrigerant is decompressed to a low pressure by the expansion valve 45 and absorbs heat from the surrounding air in the outdoor heat exchanger 44. Thereafter, the refrigerant is returned to the compressor 43.

  Further, the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262 of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment are provided independently of the main unit 263. The left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262 include a side fan 266 made of a centrifugal blower and a left outlet 341 and a right outlet 342 for blowing out airflow sent from the side fan 266, respectively. Are rotated around the horizontal axis 35 by the driving mechanism described in the above, and the air direction and the air volume of the air blown out from each outlet are individually controlled by the left and right wind direction plates 341a and 342a of the left outlet 341 and the right outlet 342. Is possible. The air blown out from the central outlet 30 is a main fan airflow 301 composed of cold air or warm air passing through the indoor heat exchanger 264. The left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 blown out from the left outlet 341 and the right outlet 342 are airflows in which the room air sucked from the side suction ports 37 is blown out as it is.

  Then, the control system of the air conditioner of a present Example is demonstrated using FIG. The control unit 21 includes an air conditioning establishment unit 211. The air conditioning establishment unit 211 controls the operation of the refrigeration circuit 41 shown in FIG. According to the control of the air conditioning establishment unit 211, the cooling circuit 41 selectively establishes the cooling operation or the heating operation. The outdoor unit 40 is connected to the air conditioning establishment unit 211. The air conditioning establishment unit 211 controls operations of the compressor 43, the expansion valve 45, and the four-way valve 42 in FIG. In such control, the air conditioning establishment unit 211 supplies control signals to the compressor 43, the expansion valve 45, and the four-way valve 42. For example, in the four-way valve 42, the position of the valve is switched by the action of the control signal.

  The control unit 21 includes a main unit control block 212 and a fan unit control block 213 as airflow control means. The main unit control block 212 controls the operation of the main unit 263 of FIG. The main unit control block 212 includes a main fan control unit 2121, an up / down air direction plate control unit 2122, and a left / right air direction plate control unit 2123. A main fan drive source 22 is connected to the main fan control unit 2121. The main fan control unit 2121 controls the operation of the main fan drive source 22. In this control, the main fan control unit 2121 supplies a drive signal to the main fan drive source 22. In response to the supply of the drive signal, the main fan drive source 22 performs start and stop of the main fan 265 and control of the rotation speed. The vertical wind direction plate drive source 23 of the main unit 263 is connected to the vertical wind direction plate control unit 2122. The vertical wind direction plate control unit 2122 controls the operation of the vertical wind direction plate drive source 23. In this control, the vertical wind direction plate control unit 2122 supplies a control signal to the vertical wind direction plate drive source 23. The vertical wind direction plate drive source 23 controls the direction of the vertical wind direction plates 31a and 31b in response to the supply of the control signal. A left / right wind direction plate drive source 24 is connected to the left / right wind direction plate control unit 2123. The left / right wind direction plate control unit 2123 controls the operation of the left / right wind direction plate drive source 24. In this control, the left / right wind direction plate control unit 2123 supplies a control signal to the left / right wind direction plate drive source 24. In response to the supply of this control signal, the left and right wind direction plate drive source 24 controls the direction of a left and right wind direction plate (not shown).

  The fan unit control block 213 controls the operation of the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262. The fan unit control block 213 includes a side fan control unit 2131, a housing posture control unit 2132, and a left / right wind direction plate control unit 2133. A left side fan drive source 2611 and a right side fan drive source 2621 are individually connected to the side fan control unit 2131. The side fan control unit 2131 individually controls the operations of the two left side fan drive sources 2611 and the right side fan drive source 2621. In this control, the side fan control unit 2131 supplies drive signals to the left side fan drive source 2611 and the right side fan drive source 2621. In response to the supply of the drive signal, the left side fan drive source 2611 and the right side fan drive source 2621 execute start and stop of the side fan and control of the rotation speed. The chassis orientation control unit 2132 is connected to fan chassis drive sources 2612 and 2622 of the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262, respectively. The housing posture control unit 2132 controls the operations of the two fan housing driving sources 2612 and 2622. In this control, the chassis posture control unit 2132 individually supplies drive signals to the fan chassis drive sources 2612 and 2622. The fan housing drive source 2612 controls the orientation of the left side fan housing 331 and the fan housing driving source 2622 controls the orientation of the right side fan housing 332 in response to the supply of the drive signal. Left and right wind direction plate drive sources 2613 and 2623 are individually connected to the left and right wind direction plate control unit 2133. The left / right wind direction plate control unit 2133 controls the operation of the left / right wind direction plate drive sources 2613, 2623. In this control, the left and right wind direction plate control unit 2133 supplies a control signal to the left and right wind direction plate driving sources 2613 and 2623. In response to the supply of this control signal, the left and right wind direction plate drive sources 2613 and 2623 control the directions of the left and right wind direction plates 341a and 342a.

  Further, for example, a light receiving sensor 61 is connected to the control unit 21. For example, a command signal is supplied to the light receiving sensor 61 wirelessly from the remote controller 10. This command signal specifies, for example, the operation mode and set room temperature of the air conditioner. In the command signal, the operation mode and the set room temperature are described according to the operation of the remote controller 10. Examples of the operation mode include “cooling operation”, “heating operation”, “dehumidifying operation”, and “air blowing operation”. The light receiving sensor 61 outputs the received command signal. The command signals are supplied to the air conditioning establishment unit 211, the main unit control block 212, and the fan unit control block 213, respectively. The air conditioning establishment unit 211, the main unit control block 212, and the fan unit control block 213 operate according to the operation mode and the set room temperature specified by the command signal.

  In addition, a room temperature sensor 62 is connected to the control unit 21. The room temperature sensor 62 is attached to the indoor unit 20, for example. The room temperature sensor 62 detects the temperature around the indoor unit 20. In response to the detection result, the room temperature sensor 62 outputs a temperature signal. The room temperature is specified by the temperature signal. This temperature signal is supplied to the control unit 21. The main unit control block 212 and the fan unit control block 213 can refer to the temperature specified by the temperature signal when executing the control.

  A human sensor 63 is connected to the control unit 21. The human sensor 63 is attached to the indoor unit 20, for example. The human sensor 63 detects the presence of the occupant and the position of the occupant. The human sensor 63 outputs a detection signal according to the detection result. The presence / absence and position of the occupant is specified by the detection signal. The detection signal is supplied to the control unit 21. The air conditioning establishment unit 211, the main unit control block 212, and the fan unit control block 213 can refer to the presence or absence and position of the occupant specified by the detection signal when executing the control.

  The control unit 21 may be configured by an arithmetic processing circuit such as a microprocessor unit (MPU). For example, a non-volatile storage device can be built in or externally attached to the arithmetic processing circuit. A predetermined control program can be stored in the storage device, and the arithmetic processing circuit can function as the control unit 21 by executing the control program.

  The control system and sensors of the air conditioner described in FIG. 3 are arranged inside the indoor unit shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the main body unit 263 of the indoor unit 20 sandwiched between the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262 removes the outer panel 29 and the inner cover 64 that cover the front portion, The light receiving sensor 61, the human sensor 63, and the room temperature sensor 62 are arranged in the part. Further, the air conditioning establishment unit 211 and the main unit control block 212 of the control system are arranged on the right side of the human sensor 63, and the fan unit control block 213 is arranged near the right fan unit 262 on the upper right. Thus, since it is necessary to connect between the control system and the controlled object, they are arranged close to each other.

  The air conditioner according to the present embodiment is characterized by an up / down wind direction plate drive source 23 and a left / right wind direction plate drive source 24 for driving the main wind direction change means, and a fan housing drive source 2622 for driving the side wind direction change means and the left / right directions. The control unit 21 serving as an airflow control unit that performs airflow control by combining the wind direction plate drive source 2623 is provided with an optimal airflow mode corresponding to the operation mode of the air conditioner and performs control based thereon. Hereinafter, the airflow mode will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5A is a perspective view schematically showing an air flow state in the first convergent air flow mode of the air conditioner, and FIG. 5B is a left and right view when the main fan air flow of FIG. FIG. 5C is a view of the blowing angle of the side fan airflow from above, and FIG. 5-3 illustrates the blowing angle of the left and right side fan airflows when the main fan airflow of FIG. FIG. 5-4 is a view of the blowing angle of the left and right side fan airflows when the main fan airflow of FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an air flow state of the first diffused air flow mode of the air conditioner, and FIG. 6-2 is a left and right side fan air flow when the main fan air flow of FIG. FIG. 6-3 is a view of the blowing angle of FIG. Fig. 6-1 is a view of the blowing angle of the left and right side fan airflow when the left side of the indoor unit of the air conditioner -2 is installed close to the wall surface, and Fig. 6-1 is the first neck of the air conditioner FIG. 7-2 is a perspective view schematically showing the airflow state in the swing airflow mode, and FIG. 7-2 is a view of the main fan airflow shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view schematically showing an air flow state in the second convergent air flow mode of the air conditioner, and FIG. 9-1 schematically shows an air flow state in the second swing air flow mode of the air conditioner. 9-2 is a top view of a blowing angle for swinging the main fan airflow and the left and right side fan airflows in FIG. 9-1 in conjunction with each other, and FIG. For the air conditioner operation mode and conventional operation mode It is a corresponding view of the new air flow modes. Hereinafter, the new airflow mode in which the main fan airflow and the left and right side fan airflows are combined will be described in detail.

(First convergent airflow mode)
FIG. 5A shows an airflow state in the first convergent airflow mode used when the operation mode is cooling, dehumidifying, or blowing. The vertical air direction of the main fan airflow 301 is fixed horizontally. The left and right wind directions of the main fan airflow 301 are set to the center when the indoor unit 20 is installed at the center of the wall surface 70, slightly right when the left sleeve wall is installed, and slightly left when the right sleeve wall is installed. FIG. 5-2 shows the blowing angle of the wind in the left-right direction during central installation. The left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 are blown out so as to face inward by 10 ° in the left-right direction with respect to the main fan airflow 301. As shown in FIG. 5A, the main fan airflow 301 is horizontally fixed, but the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262 are rotated about 30 ° downward from the horizontal direction, whereby the left side fan The air current 3411 and the right side fan air current 3421 are blown out downward. As described above, in the first convergent airflow mode, the main fan airflow 301 is fixed horizontally, so that the cool air can be spread over the entire room without directly applying the cool air to the person 72. Since the left side fan air flow 3411 and the right side fan air flow 3421 are blown out in the direction in which the room air is converged, the flow of the room air is concentrated on the person 72 and the air is blown, so that the user can have a moderate cool feeling. Note that the vertical wind direction of the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262 can be changed as appropriate by changing the rotation angle of the left side fan housing 331 and the right side fan housing 332.

  FIG. 5-3 is a wind blowing angle in the left-right direction when the wind direction is slightly changed to the right in the air flow state in the first convergence air flow mode, and FIG. 5-4 is an air flow state in the first convergence air flow mode. When the wind direction is changed to the right or when the left sleeve wall is installed, the wind blowing angle in the left-right direction is shown. In all of FIGS. 5-2 to 5-4, the left side fan air flow 3411 and the right side fan air flow 3421 are blown out by 10 ° with respect to the main fan air flow 301. The relationship between the blowing angles is the same when the wind direction is changed slightly to the left or to the left. FIGS.

(First diffusion airflow mode)
FIG. 6A shows an airflow state in the first diffusion airflow mode used when the operation mode is cooling, dehumidifying, or blowing. The vertical air direction of the main fan airflow 301 is fixed horizontally. The left and right wind directions of the main fan airflow 301 are set to the center when the indoor unit 20 is installed at the center of the wall surface 70, slightly right when the left sleeve wall is installed, and slightly left when the right sleeve wall is installed. FIG. 6-2 shows the blowing angle of the wind in the left-right direction during central installation. The left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 are blown out so as to face outward by 20 ° in the left-right direction with respect to the main fan airflow 301. As shown in FIG. 6A, while the main fan airflow 301 is horizontally fixed, the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262 are rotated about 30 ° downward from the horizontal direction, whereby the left side fan The air current 3411 and the right side fan air current 3421 are blown out downward. In this way, in the first diffusion airflow mode, the main fan airflow 301 is fixed horizontally, so that the cold air can be spread over the entire room without directly applying the cold air to the person 72. Since the left side fan air flow 3411 and the right side fan air flow 3421 blow out as they are in the direction in which room air is diffused, a flow of air that wraps the room air directly without hitting the person 72 is created. A cool feeling is obtained. Note that the vertical wind direction of the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262 can be changed as appropriate by changing the rotation angle of the left side fan housing 331 and the right side fan housing 332.

  FIG. 6-3 shows the blowing angle of the wind in the left-right direction when the direction of the wind is changed slightly to the right when the left sleeve wall is installed in the airflow state of the first diffusion airflow mode. In FIG. 6-3, the left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 are blown out so as to face the main fan airflow 301 so as not to interfere with each other by a predetermined angle. The angle difference between the left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 is 40 ° in FIG. 6-2, but is 45 ° in FIG. 6-3. In FIG. 6-3, the left sleeve wall is installed as an example. However, since the right sleeve wall is installed when the right sleeve wall is installed, the illustration is omitted.

(First swing airflow mode)
FIG. 7-1 shows an airflow state in the first swing airflow mode used when the operation mode is cooling, dehumidifying, or blowing. The vertical air direction of the main fan airflow 301 is fixed horizontally. The left and right wind directions of the main fan airflow 301 are set to the center when the indoor unit 20 is installed at the center of the wall surface 70, slightly right when the left sleeve wall is installed, and slightly left when the right sleeve wall is installed. FIG. 7-2 shows the blowing angle of the wind in the left-right direction during central installation. In the first oscillating airflow mode, the main fan airflow 301 is fixed in the left-right direction, and the left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 are interlocked and swung in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 7A, while the main fan airflow 301 is fixed horizontally, the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262 are rotated about 30 ° downward from the horizontal direction, whereby the left side fan The air current 3411 and the right side fan air current 3421 are blown out downward. As described above, in the first swing airflow mode, the main fan airflow 301 is fixed horizontally, so that the cool air can be spread over the entire room without directly applying the cool air to the person 72. The left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 are blown out as they are in the direction in which the room air converges, and are swung in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, in order to surely deliver the swung wind to the corner of the room, the swing is stopped for 30 seconds at five fixed positions (left, slightly left, front, slightly right, right). Thus, in the first swing airflow mode, it is possible to create a flow of wind over the entire room by sending wind over a wide range, and a natural cool feeling can be obtained. Note that the vertical wind direction of the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262 can be changed as appropriate by changing the rotation angle of the left side fan housing 331 and the right side fan housing 332.

  FIG. 7-2 illustrates the blowing angle of the wind in the left-right direction in the swing state of the left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 in the first swing airflow mode. The left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 swing in a range from an obtuse angle to an acute angle with respect to a direction parallel to the main fan airflow 301.

(Second convergent airflow mode)
FIG. 8 shows an airflow state in the second convergent airflow mode used when the operation mode is heating. The vertical wind direction of the main fan air flow 301 blows downward so as to supply warm air to the floor surface 71. The left and right wind directions of the main fan airflow 301 are set to the center when the indoor unit 20 is installed at the center of the wall surface 70, slightly right when the left sleeve wall is installed, and slightly left when the right sleeve wall is installed. The blowing angle of the wind in the left-right direction at the time of center installation is the same as that in FIG. That is, the left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 are blown out so as to face inward by 10 ° in the left-right direction with respect to the main fan airflow 301. As shown in FIG. 8, the main fan airflow 301 that is warm air is blown downward, and the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262 are rotated about 45 ° downward from the horizontal direction so as to suppress the main fan airflow 301 from above. By doing so, the left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 are blown out downward and slightly above the main fan airflow 301. As described above, in the second convergent airflow mode, the main fan airflow 301 is blown downward, and the left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 are directed inward by 10 ° in the left-right direction with respect to the main fan airflow 301. Since air having a temperature lower than that of the main fan airflow 301 is blown out from above, the vicinity of the floor 71 can be warmed by suppressing the rise of warm air and spreading warm air around a specific position where a person 72 is present. While being able to convect warm air.

(Second swing airflow mode)
FIG. 9A shows an airflow state in the second swing airflow mode used when the operation mode is heating. The vertical wind direction of the main fan air flow 301 blows downward so as to supply warm air to the floor surface 71. The wind direction in the left-right direction of the main fan airflow 301 is swung in the left-right direction. Further, the left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 are blown out so as to face inward by 10 ° in the left-right direction with respect to the swinging main fan airflow 301. As shown in FIG. 9A, the left fan unit 261 and the right fan unit 262 are about 45 degrees downward from the horizontal direction so that the main fan airflow 301 that is warm air is blown downward and the main fan airflow 301 is suppressed from above. By rotating, the left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 are blown out downward and slightly above the main fan airflow 301. That is, in the second swing airflow mode, the main fan airflow 301 and the left side fan are maintained while maintaining the state in which the left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 are directed inward by 10 ° with respect to the main fan airflow 301. The airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 swing in the left-right direction in conjunction with each other. As described above, in the second swing airflow mode, the main fan airflow 301 is blown downward, and the left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 face the main fan airflow 301 inward by 10 ° in the left-right direction. In order to keep the air cooler than the main fan airflow 301 from being swung in from the top while swinging in conjunction with the swing, the warm air is spread over a wide area and the vicinity of the floor surface 71 is warmed while suppressing the warm air from rising. The entire room can be warmed by convection. In this embodiment, in order to reliably deliver the warm air swung in the second swing airflow mode to the corner of the room, it is stopped and swung for 30 seconds at five fixed positions.

  FIG. 9-2 shows the blowing angle of the wind in the left-right direction in the swing state of the main fan airflow 301, the left side fan airflow 3411, and the right side fan airflow 3421 in the second swing airflow mode. It can be seen that the left side fan airflow 3411 and the right side fan airflow 3421 are blown out so as to face inward by 10 ° in the left-right direction with respect to the main fan airflow 301.

  Since the control unit 21 of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment has a plurality of airflow modes corresponding to the above operation modes, when the operation is started in a specific operation mode, the control unit 21 is suitable for the operation mode. It is possible to blow in the airflow mode, and anyone can easily perform airflow control optimal for the operation mode. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between airflow modes that can be selected according to the operation mode. The type of operation mode of the present embodiment is the same as the conventional example (cooling, dehumidification, ventilation, heating, automatic), but it is possible to operate in one of a plurality of airflow modes for one operation mode. Is possible.

  Next, operation | movement of the air conditioner of a present Example is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIGS. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the first convergent airflow mode subroutine of FIG. 11, and FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining a first diffusion airflow mode subroutine, FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining a first swing airflow mode subroutine of FIG. 11, and FIG. 15 is a second convergent airflow mode of FIG. FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining the subroutine of the second swing airflow mode of FIG.

  The user of the air conditioner performs an operation to start operation on the indoor unit 20 using the remote controller 10 shown in FIG. At this time, in the case of an air conditioner that stores the operation mode at the end of the previous operation and starts operation in the same mode, the operation mode at the end of the previous operation becomes the operation mode at the start of operation. In addition, at the start of the first operation when a new air conditioner is installed, the operation is started in the operation mode set as default at the time of factory shipment. When the user starts operation by pressing the operation mode button on the remote controller 10, the operation is started in the designated operation mode. If the operation mode is any one of cooling, dehumidification, and ventilation, the process proceeds to step S2, and if the operation mode is heating, the process proceeds to step S6 (step S1).

  If the operation mode is any one of cooling, dehumidification, and ventilation, whether the airflow mode of the first convergent airflow mode, the first diffusion airflow mode, or the first swing airflow mode is set or selected. Judgment is made (step S2). In the present embodiment, the airflow mode may be selected arbitrarily by the user, or the optimum airflow mode may be set as a default for each operation mode.

  When the first convergent airflow mode in step S3 is set or selected, the operation in the first convergent airflow mode is performed in the subroutine of FIG. When the first convergent airflow mode is set or selected, the control unit 21 performs airflow control that causes the airflow of the main fan to be horizontal and the airflow of the side fan to face downward and interfere with the main fan airflow (step) S30). If the first convergent airflow mode has not ended, the process returns to step S30 to continue the first convergent airflow mode. If the first convergent airflow mode ends, the process returns to the main routine (step S31). Thereafter, if the operation is not stopped, the process returns to step S1, and if the operation is stopped, the operation is ended (step S9).

  When the first diffusion airflow mode in step S4 is set or selected, the operation in the first diffusion airflow mode is performed in the subroutine of FIG. When the first diffusion airflow mode is set or selected, the control unit 21 performs airflow control in which the airflow direction of the main fan is horizontal and the airflow direction of the side fan is downward and does not interfere with the main fan airflow (step) S40). If the first diffusion airflow mode has not ended, the process returns to step S40 to continue the first diffusion airflow mode. If the first diffusion airflow mode has ended, the process returns to the main routine (step S41).

  When the first swing airflow mode in step S5 is set or selected, the operation in the first swing airflow mode is performed in the subroutine of FIG. When the first oscillating airflow mode is set or selected, the control unit 21 makes the main fan wind direction horizontal, and the side fan wind direction faces downward while interfering with the main fan airflow. The airflow control to be shaken is performed (step S50). If the first swing airflow mode has not ended, the process returns to step S50 to continue the first swing airflow mode. If the airflow mode ends, the process returns to the main routine (step S51).

  In step S1, when the operation mode is heating, it is determined whether the airflow mode is set to the second convergent airflow mode or the second swing airflow mode (step S6). The selection of the airflow mode may be arbitrarily specified by the user, or an optimal airflow mode may be set as a default for each operation mode.

  When the second convergent airflow mode in step S7 is set or selected, the operation in the second convergent airflow mode is performed in the subroutine of FIG. When the second convergent airflow mode is set or selected, the control unit 21 directs the airflow of the main fan toward the floor (here, downward as shown in FIG. 8) and blows out from the side fan. Airflow control is performed so that the airflow is directed upward from the airflow of the main fan and interferes with the airflow of the main fan (step S70). If the second convergent airflow mode has not ended, the process returns to step S70 to continue the second convergent airflow mode. If the airflow mode ends, the process returns to the main routine (step S71). Thereafter, if the operation is not stopped, the process returns to step S1, and if the operation is stopped, the operation is ended (step S9).

  If the second swing airflow mode in step S8 is set or selected, the operation in the second swing airflow mode is performed in the subroutine of FIG. When the second swing airflow mode is set or selected, the control unit 21 directs the wind direction of the main fan toward the floor (here, downward as shown in FIG. 9-1), and from the side fan. Airflow control is performed in which the main fan airflow and the side fan airflow are swung in the left-right direction in a state where the blown-out airflow is higher than the main fan airflow and interferes with the main fan airflow (step S80). . If the second swing airflow mode has not ended, the process returns to step S80 to continue the second swing airflow mode. If the airflow mode ends, the process returns to the main routine (step S81).

  Note that the conditions for ending each airflow mode described above include operation stop, operation mode switching, and airflow mode switching operation by the user.

  As described above, the air conditioner according to the present embodiment has a plurality of airflow modes that are controlled by combining the main fan airflow and the side fan airflow in correspondence with the operation mode. Therefore, appropriate airflow control can be performed according to the operation mode.

  Further, in the air conditioner according to the present embodiment, since a plurality of airflow modes for performing control by combining the main fan airflow and the side fan airflow can be selected in correspondence with the operation mode, the operation is easily performed. be able to.

  As described above, the air conditioner according to the present invention has an air conditioner in which a plurality of air outlets are arranged in the indoor unit of the air conditioner, and the air volume and direction of the airflow blown from each air outlet can be individually adjusted. It is useful for a machine, and appropriate airflow control can be performed only by selecting a preset airflow mode, so that control of the air conditioner can be simplified.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Remote control 20 Indoor unit 21 Control unit 211 Air conditioning establishment part 212 Main body unit control block 2121 Main fan control part 2122 Vertical wind direction board control part 2123 Left and right wind direction board control part 213 Fan unit control block 2131 Side fan control part 2132 Case attitude control part 2133 Left and right wind direction plate control unit 22 Main fan drive source 23 Up and down wind direction plate drive source 24 Left and right wind direction plate drive source 27 Main housing 28 Housing body 29 Exterior panel 30 Central air outlet 301 Main fan airflow 30a Front end 30b Rear end 31a, 31b Up-and-down wind direction plate 32a, 32b, 35 Horizontal axis 36 Side panel 37 Side suction port 40 Outdoor unit 41 Refrigeration circuit 42 Four-way valve 42a First port 42b Second port 42c Third port 42d Fourth port 43 Compressors 43a, 43b Discharge pipe 44 outdoor Exchanger 45 Expansion valve 46 Outdoor fan 50 Refrigerant pipe 61 Light receiving sensor 62 Room temperature sensor 63 Human sensor 64 Interior panel 70 Wall surface 71 Floor surface 72 People 261 Left fan unit 2611 Left side fan drive source 2612 Fan housing drive source 2613 Left and right wind direction Plate drive source 262 Right fan unit 2621 Right side fan drive source 2622 Fan housing drive source 2623 Left and right wind direction plate drive source 263 Main unit 264 Indoor heat exchanger 265 Main fan 266 Side fan 331 Left side fan housing 332 Right side fan housing Body 341 Left outlet 341a Left and right wind direction plate 3411 Left side fan airflow 342 Right outlet 342a Left and right air direction plate 3421 Right side fan airflow

Claims (3)

An air conditioner having a main fan that blows indoor air that has passed through a heat exchanger, and a side fan that blows indoor air that does not pass the heat exchanger to at least one of both sides of the main fan,
Main wind direction changing means for changing the wind direction from the main fan in the vertical and horizontal directions;
Side wind direction changing means for changing the wind direction from the side fan in the vertical and horizontal directions;
Airflow control means for performing airflow control by combining the wind direction of the main fan by the main wind direction changing means and the wind direction of the side fan by the side wind direction changing means,
With
The air flow control means corresponds to a heating operation mode or a cooling operation mode of the air conditioner,
A convergent airflow mode that blows out in a direction that causes the airflow blown from the side fan to interfere with the airflow blown from the main fan;
A diffusion airflow mode for blowing out airflow blown from the side fan in a direction that does not interfere with airflow blown from the main fan;
An air conditioner characterized by comprising:   The airflow control means can be operated in the convergent airflow mode during the heating operation mode, and can be operated in either the convergent airflow mode or the diffusion airflow mode during the cooling operation mode. Air conditioner. The airflow mode further includes a swirling airflow mode in which the airflow blown from the main fan is swung in the left-right direction at least with respect to the airflow blown from the main fan, and the wind is spread over a wide range.
The airflow control means can be operated in either the convergent airflow mode or the swing airflow mode in the heating operation mode, and in the cooling operation mode, the convergent airflow mode, the swing airflow mode, and the diffusion airflow. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the air conditioner can be operated in any one of modes.

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