JP2014228198A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of improving comfortability in every indoor location and performing an energy saving operation.SOLUTION: An air conditioner includes: an outdoor unit including a compressor that discharges refrigerant; an indoor unit connected to the outdoor unit via a refrigerant pipe and having a plurality of diffusers formed therein; and a controller controlling a refrigeration cycle formed by the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. The indoor unit includes: a plurality of heat exchangers provided to correspond to the plurality of diffusers, respectively; a plurality of control valves corresponding to the plurality of heat exchangers, respectively and each capable of controlling a flow volume of the refrigerant fed to the corresponding heat exchanger; and detection means capable of detecting a situation of a person in each of a plurality of areas corresponding to the plurality of diffusers, respectively. The controller regulates an opening of each of the plurality of control valves on the basis of a detection result of each of the plurality of areas by the detection means, and controls a rotational speed of the compressor according to a result of regulating the opening of each of the plurality of control valves.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner including an indoor unit having a plurality of outlets.

  Some air conditioners have a plurality of outlets in an indoor unit. For example, an embedded indoor unit that is embedded in a ceiling of a private house or an office building and sends cold air or hot air in different directions from a plurality of air outlets is used. Various devices have been devised for this type of indoor unit (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for improving the comfort of the air-conditioning target space by enabling appropriate airflow control according to the temperature distribution.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for improving temperature saving and energy saving by controlling the wind direction.

JP 2005-16885 A JP 2010-8004 A

  As described above, the technology that controls the airflow according to the temperature distribution by the indoor unit having a plurality of outlets and the technology that improves the temperature unevenness by controlling the air direction all equalize the entire room to the set temperature. In order to make it uniform or to make it uniform quickly. The temperature of the air blown out from the plurality of outlets is the same, and the airflow and the wind direction can only be controlled. And as a structure of an indoor unit, it is the structure which branches the air by which the temperature was adjusted with the single heat exchanger, and blows off from several blower outlets.

  However, the purpose of air conditioning is essentially to adjust the temperature and the like so that humans feel comfortable. And the room temperature that each person in the same room feels comfortable is not always the same. In order to improve the comfort of each person, it may be preferable to perform more aggressive control for each place rather than equalizing the temperature of the entire room.

  Even in the same room, there may be a difference in heat or radiant heat due to natural light depending on places such as the window, the wall, and the inside. In such a case, it may be preferable to more positively control for each place rather than equalize the temperature of the entire room.

  The objective of this invention is providing the air conditioner which can improve the comfort for every place of an indoor place, and can perform an energy saving operation.

  An air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention includes an outdoor unit having a compressor that discharges a refrigerant, an indoor unit that is connected to the outdoor unit via a refrigerant pipe and has a plurality of outlets, and the outdoor unit. And a controller that controls a refrigeration cycle formed by the indoor unit, wherein the indoor unit includes a plurality of heat exchangers provided corresponding to the plurality of outlets, and the plurality of heat exchangers A plurality of control valves capable of controlling the flow rate of the refrigerant to the corresponding heat exchanger, and a detection means capable of detecting a situation of a person for each of a plurality of areas corresponding to the plurality of outlets. The control unit adjusts the opening degree of the plurality of control valves based on the detection result for each of the plurality of areas by the detection unit, and compresses the compression according to the adjustment result of the opening degree of the plurality of control valves. Control the speed of the machine.

  According to the air conditioner of the present invention, the comfort of each indoor location can be improved, and energy saving operation is possible.

It is a refrigeration cycle system diagram of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which looked at the state which attached the indoor unit of the air conditioner by 1st Embodiment to the ceiling from the lower side. It is a longitudinal section in the state where the indoor unit of the air harmony machine by a 1st embodiment was installed in the ceiling. It is a cycle system diagram of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the state which installed the indoor unit of the air conditioner by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention on the ceiling. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the state which installed the indoor unit of the air conditioner by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention on the ceiling. It is the refrigerating cycle system diagram of the air conditioner by the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an air conditioner (air conditioning system) according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a refrigeration cycle system diagram of an air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment. The air conditioner 100 includes an outdoor unit 10 and an indoor unit 20. The outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 are connected by a gas refrigerant pipe 2 and a liquid refrigerant pipe 3. In the present embodiment, the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 are connected on a one-to-one basis. However, a plurality of outdoor units may be connected to a single indoor unit, or a single outdoor unit. A plurality of indoor units may be connected, or a plurality of indoor units may be connected to a plurality of outdoor units.

  The outdoor unit 10 includes a compressor 11, a four-way valve 12, an outdoor heat exchanger 13, an outdoor control valve 14, an accumulator 15, an outdoor fan 16, an outdoor fan motor 17, and an outdoor control unit 18. .

  The compressor 11 compresses the refrigerant and discharges it to the piping. By switching the four-way valve 12, the flow of the refrigerant changes, and the cooling operation and the heating operation are switched. The outdoor heat exchanger 13 exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the outside air. The outdoor control valve 14 depressurizes the refrigerant to a low temperature. The accumulator 15 is provided for storing the liquid return at the time of transition. The outdoor fan 16 is attached to the output shaft of the outdoor fan motor 17 and is driven to rotate by the outdoor fan motor 17. The outdoor control unit 18 controls the compressor 11, the outdoor heat exchanger 13, the outdoor control valve 14, and the outdoor fan motor 17 based on the operating state of the compressor 11, the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and the indoor unit 20. .

  The indoor unit 20 includes a plurality of indoor heat exchangers 21 (four in the present embodiment), a plurality of indoor control valves 22 (four in the present embodiment), an indoor fan 23, an indoor fan motor 24, The indoor control unit 25, an object detector (detecting means) 26, and a decorative board 27 (FIG. 2) are provided. The indoor unit 20 in the present embodiment is a type installed on the ceiling of a room where air conditioning is performed, and FIG. 2 shows the indoor unit 20 as viewed from the lower side when attached to the ceiling 30 (FIG. 3). 3 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the indoor unit 20 installed on the ceiling 30. As shown in FIG.

  Each indoor heat exchanger 21 performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and the inside air. The number of the plurality of indoor control valves 22 is the same as that of the plurality of indoor heat exchangers 21 and is provided in a one-to-one correspondence, and the refrigerant flow rate of each indoor heat exchanger 21 is controlled according to control from the indoor control unit 25. Adjust individually. Each indoor control valve 22 can adjust the refrigerant flow rate of each indoor heat exchanger 21 to a continuous value by setting the opening. By continuously controlling the refrigerant flow rate of each indoor heat exchanger 21, the temperature adjustment capability in each direction can be set with high accuracy. The temperature adjustment capability here is an ability to bring the temperature of indoor air close to a desired temperature, an ability to lower the temperature of air if it is cooling, and an ability to raise the temperature if heating. For example, if the refrigerant flow rate in the indoor heat exchanger 21 is increased, the temperature adjustment capability of the indoor heat exchanger 21 is increased.

  FIG. 4 shows a refrigerant cycle system diagram of the indoor unit 20 in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the four sets of indoor heat exchanger 21 and the indoor control valve 22 are connected in series, and the four sets are connected in parallel to each other and commonly connected to the refrigerant pipes 2 and 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the indoor unit 20 is attached to the ceiling 30 together with the decorative plate 27. The indoor unit 20 has a plurality of air outlets 28 (four in this embodiment). The number of the plurality of outlets 28 is the same as that of the plurality of indoor heat exchangers 21 and corresponds one-to-one. Each indoor exchanger 21 is located between the indoor fan 23 and the air outlet 28, and each air outlet 28 blows out the air whose temperature has been adjusted by the corresponding indoor heat exchanger 21 into the room. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of air outlets 28 are arranged so as to blow out air in different directions (different areas).

  The indoor fan 23 is attached to the output shaft of the indoor fan motor 24, is rotationally driven by the indoor fan motor 24, and sends air to the plurality of indoor heat exchangers 21. The indoor fan 23 and the indoor fan motor 24 constitute a blower.

  The indoor control unit 25 controls the plurality of indoor heat exchangers 21, the plurality of indoor control valves 22, and the indoor fan motor 24 based on operation commands from a remote controller (not shown). The indoor control unit 25 is connected to the outdoor control unit 18 via a transmission line (not shown) and communicates with each other. The object detector 26 can detect, for example, the presence or absence of a person (person's situation) in the room where the indoor unit 20 is installed. Specifically, the object detector 26 divides the room into four areas (A area to D area) corresponding to the four indoor heat exchangers 21 and the air outlets 28, and the presence or absence of people in each area. (Human situation) can be detected. The object detector 26 is a human sensor realized by, for example, infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, visible light, or a combination of all or part thereof. Each area is air-conditioned by a corresponding set of indoor heat exchanger 21 and air outlet 28.

  Next, the cooling operation in the air conditioner 100 will be described. The solid arrows in FIG. 1 indicate the refrigerant flow in the cooling operation of the air conditioner 100. In addition, the arrow of the broken line in FIG. 1 has shown the flow of the refrigerant | coolant in the heating operation of the air conditioner 100. FIG.

  The high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 through the four-way valve 12, is heat-exchanged with the outdoor air by the outdoor fan 16 driven by the outdoor fan motor 17, condenses, Becomes a refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant flows through the liquid refrigerant pipe 3 via the outdoor control valve 14 whose opening degree is increased by the outdoor control unit 18, and is sent to the indoor unit 20.

  In the indoor unit 20, the liquid refrigerant is decompressed by each indoor control valve 22 adjusted to an appropriate opening degree by the indoor control unit 25, enters each indoor heat exchanger 21, and is driven by the indoor fan motor 24. 23, heat exchange with room air is performed. At this time, the indoor air is cooled, and the cool air is sent into the room (each area) through each outlet 28, and the refrigerant evaporates to become a low-pressure gas refrigerant and returns to the outdoor unit 10 through the gas refrigerant pipe 2.

  The low-pressure gas refrigerant that has returned to the outdoor unit 10 is sucked into the compressor 11 through the four-way valve 12 and the accumulator 15.

  Further, the object detector 26 detects the presence or absence of a person in the A area to the D area during the cooling operation in the air conditioner 100. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the object detection unit 26 detects that there are people in the A, B, and D areas and no people in the C area (predetermined area), the indoor control unit 25 The flow of the refrigerant to the indoor heat exchanger 21 that air-conditions the C area is stopped by closing the indoor control valve 22, and a signal notifying that one indoor control valve 22 has been closed is transmitted to the outdoor control unit 18.

  The outdoor control unit 18 that has received the signal from the indoor control unit 25 controls the compressor 11 so that the refrigerant flow rate to the remaining three indoor heat exchangers 21 that air-condition the A, B, and D areas does not increase. Reduce the number of revolutions and reduce the refrigerant flow rate.

  According to the air conditioner 100 described above, based on the detection result of the object detector 26, the flow rate of the refrigerant can be adjusted for each indoor heat exchanger 21 by the indoor control valve 22, and the heat exchange amount can be adjusted. it can. And it is comprised so that the rotation speed of the compressor 11 may be controlled according to a refrigerant | coolant flow rate. Therefore, the temperature of the cold air blown out from each outlet 28 can be individually controlled, and the compressor 11 can be operated at an appropriate rotation speed. As a result, the comfort of people in all directions (areas) in the room can be improved at the same time, and efficient driving can be performed.

  Moreover, according to said embodiment, based on the detection result of the target object detector 26, the flow of the refrigerant | coolant to the indoor heat exchanger 21 corresponding to C area is closed by closing the indoor control valve 22, and the compressor 11 is stopped. The number of rotations is reduced. Therefore, air conditioning for an area that does not require air conditioning can be stopped, power of the compressor 11 can be reduced, and energy saving operation can be realized.

  In the above description, the operation and effect during the cooling operation are described, but the same effect can be obtained during the heating operation.

  Next, an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the indoor unit 120 installed on the ceiling according to the second embodiment. The same components as those in the indoor unit 20 in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and only different portions are described. The configuration of the outdoor unit in the second embodiment is the same as that of the outdoor unit 10 in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the indoor unit 120 in the second embodiment is different from the indoor unit 20 in the first embodiment in that a louver 29 for opening and closing each outlet 28 is provided. . The indoor control unit 25 (FIG. 1) controls the angle of each louver 29 to open / close the air outlet 28 and change the air direction.

  When the object detection unit 26 (FIG. 1) detects that there is no person in the C area during the air-conditioning operation, the indoor control unit 25 (FIG. 1) sends the air to the indoor heat exchanger 21 that air-conditions the C area. The flow of the refrigerant is stopped by closing the indoor control valve 22 and the corresponding louver 29 is closed. As a result, air is not sent to the C area where there is no person. By closing the louver 29 in the C area, the amount of air passing through the other three indoor heat exchangers 21 increases, so the air passes through each indoor heat exchanger 21 before closing the louver 29 in the C area. The number of rotations of the indoor fan motor 24 is decreased so that the amount of air blown by the indoor fan 23 is reduced so that the amount of air that has been kept.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the indoor control unit 25 (FIG. 1) transmits a signal notifying that one indoor control valve 22 is closed to the outdoor control unit 18, and the outdoor control unit 18 The number of rotations of the compressor 11 is decreased and the refrigerant flow rate is decreased so that the refrigerant flow rates to the remaining three indoor heat exchangers 21 that are air-conditioning the A, B, and D areas do not increase.

  According to the air conditioner according to the second embodiment, since the indoor unit 120 includes the louver 29 that can open and close the air outlet 28, the direction of the air can be controlled by the louver 29, and the air It is also possible to stop the air blowing from the air outlet 28 that does not need to be.

  And while closing the louver 29, the flow of the refrigerant | coolant to the indoor heat exchanger 21 corresponding to the closed louver 29 is stopped, the rotation speed of the compressor 11 is reduced, the rotation speed of the indoor fan motor 24 is decreased, and the indoor The amount of air blown by the fan 23 is reduced. Therefore, in addition to the reduction of the power of the compressor 11, the rotational speed (work volume) of the blower is reduced, so that further energy saving operation can be realized.

  Next, an air conditioner according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the indoor unit 220 installed on the ceiling in the third embodiment. The same components as those of the indoor unit 120 in the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and only different portions are described. In addition, the structure of the outdoor unit in 3rd Embodiment is the same as the outdoor unit 10 in 1st Embodiment.

  The object detector 26 (FIG. 1) according to the third embodiment is configured to be able to detect the amount of activity of people in each area in addition to detecting the presence or absence of people in each area. In FIG. 6, the person in area A is standing and moving, while the person in area C is sitting. In the state of the person shown in FIG. 6, since the person in the C area is sitting and does not perform a large activity (exercise) even at the same temperature setting, it is the same with less cooling power than the person who is active in the A area. The temperature is felt.

  Then, the object detector 26 of the present embodiment detects that the person in the A area is standing and moving, and detects that the person in the C area is sitting. Based on the detection result of the object detector 26, the indoor control unit 25 (FIG. 1) reduces the flow of the refrigerant to the indoor heat exchanger 21 that air-conditions the C area by adjusting the opening of the indoor control valve 22. At the same time, a signal notifying that the opening degree of one indoor control valve 22 has been reduced is transmitted to the outdoor control unit 18 (FIG. 1).

  The outdoor control unit 18 that has received the signal from the indoor control unit 25 controls the compressor 11 so that the refrigerant flow rate to the remaining three indoor heat exchangers 21 that air-condition the A, B, and D areas does not increase. Reduce the number of revolutions and reduce the refrigerant flow rate.

  According to the air conditioner according to the third embodiment, the object detector 26 is configured to be able to detect the amount of activity of people in each area in addition to detecting the presence or absence of people in each area. And based on the detection result of the target object detector 26, the flow of the refrigerant | coolant to the indoor heat exchanger 21 which air-conditions C area is reduced by the indoor control valve 22, and the rotation speed of the compressor 11 is reduced.

  Therefore, since appropriate air conditioning can be performed according to the amount of human activity, the comfort can be improved and the power of the compressor 11 is reduced, so that further energy saving operation can be realized.

  Next, an air conditioner according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a refrigeration cycle system diagram of the air conditioner 300 according to the fourth embodiment. The same components as those of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and only different portions are described.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the indoor unit 320 of the air conditioner 300 includes a temperature detector 30. The temperature detector 30 is an infrared sensor, for example, and is configured to be able to detect the temperature of a person in the room and an object around the person. Then, the indoor control unit 25 compares the set temperature of the indoor unit 320 set by the remote controller with the temperature of the person and the objects around the person detected by the temperature detector 30, and sets the set temperature and the temperature detector. The indoor control valve 22 is adjusted based on the difference with the temperature detected by 30 to control the flow rate of the refrigerant to the indoor heat exchanger 21 and to control the rotational speed of the blower. 11 is controlled.

  According to the air conditioner 300 of the present embodiment, based on the difference between the temperature set by the remote controller and the temperature detected by the temperature detector 30, the refrigerant flow rate to the indoor heat exchanger 21, the rotational speed of the blower, and The rotational speed of the compressor 11 is controlled. Therefore, finer control of the air conditioner 100 is possible, and comfort can be improved and energy can be saved.

  The embodiments and examples of the present invention described above are examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those embodiments or examples. Those skilled in the art can implement the present invention in various other modes without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in the first to fourth embodiments described above, the object detection unit 26 and the temperature detector 30 may be provided in each outlet 28. Thereby, an air conditioner can be controlled more accurately and energy saving can be achieved.

  In the above embodiment, each of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit is provided with a control unit, and each control unit is configured to control the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, respectively. One controller may be provided on one side, and both the outdoor unit and the indoor unit may be controlled by one controller.

  In addition to the detection of the presence or absence of people in each area, the object detector 26 of the third embodiment is configured to be able to detect the amount of activity of people in each area. Instead of the detection, the activity amount of the person in each area may be detected.

100, 300: Air conditioner, 2: Gas refrigerant piping, 3: Liquid refrigerant piping, 10: Outdoor unit, 11: Compressor, 18: Outdoor control unit, 20, 120, 220, 320: Indoor unit, 21: Indoor Heat exchanger, 22: indoor control valve, 23: indoor fan, 24: indoor fan motor, 25: indoor control unit, 26: object detection unit, 28: air outlet, 29: louver, 30: temperature detector

Claims (6)

An outdoor unit having a compressor for discharging refrigerant;
An indoor unit connected to the outdoor unit via a refrigerant pipe and having a plurality of outlets;
A controller that controls a refrigeration cycle formed by the outdoor unit and the indoor unit,
The indoor unit is
A plurality of heat exchangers provided corresponding to the plurality of outlets;
A plurality of control valves corresponding to the plurality of heat exchangers and capable of controlling the flow rate of the refrigerant to the corresponding heat exchangers;
Detecting means capable of detecting a situation of a person for each of a plurality of areas corresponding to the plurality of air outlets,
The control unit adjusts the opening degree of the plurality of control valves based on the detection result for each of the plurality of areas by the detection unit, and according to the adjustment result of the opening degree of the plurality of control valves, An air conditioner that controls the rotational speed. The detection means can detect the presence or absence of a person for each of the plurality of areas,
When the detection means detects that there is no person in the predetermined area among the plurality of areas, the control unit corresponds to the air outlet for sending air to the predetermined area. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control valve corresponding to is closed to stop the flow of the refrigerant and reduce the rotational speed of the compressor. The indoor unit includes a blower that sends the air to the plurality of heat exchangers in order to exchange heat between the refrigerant and air, and the plurality of outlets that are provided corresponding to the plurality of outlets. A plurality of louvers that open and close;
When the detection means detects that there is no person in the predetermined area of the plurality of areas, the control unit closes the louver corresponding to the air outlet for sending air to the predetermined area. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the rotational speed of the blower is reduced. The detection means can detect the amount of activity of a person for each of the plurality of areas,
Based on the detection result of the activity amount of the person for each of the plurality of areas by the detection means, the control unit adjusts the opening of the plurality of control valves, and according to the adjustment result of the opening of the plurality of control valves The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rotation speed of the compressor is controlled. The indoor unit further includes temperature detecting means capable of detecting the temperature of a person and an object around the person,
Based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection means and the set temperature of the indoor unit, the control unit adjusts the openings of the plurality of control valves, and according to the adjustment results of the openings of the plurality of control valves. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rotation speed of the compressor is controlled. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the detection unit and the temperature detection unit are provided for each of the plurality of outlets.

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