JP2016070582A - Indoor unit of air conditioning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently perform air conditioning to an entire room including a perimeter zone in heating operation, and suppress temperature unevenness in the room.SOLUTION: An indoor unit of an air conditioning device includes: a load detection unit 71 detecting a high load area where an air conditioning load is relatively high at heating operation and a low load area where an air conditioning load is smaller than that in the high load area, in a perimeter zone of an air-conditioned space R; and an air amount adjustment unit 50 making an air amount of air blown out toward the low load area smaller than an air amount of air flown out toward the high load area, in a horizontal blowout mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly to a technique for controlling airflow during heating operation of an indoor unit installed on a ceiling.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in zone air conditioning in which an air conditioning target space is divided into a perimeter zone and an interior zone for air conditioning, an air conditioner is known in which the operation mode is changed according to the air conditioning load of the perimeter zone (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).

  In the air conditioner of Patent Document 1, a floor-standing indoor unit is used. In this air conditioner, if the air conditioning load in the perimeter zone is large when heating the air-conditioning target space, air is blown out from the upper air outlet of the indoor unit, and when the air conditioning load in the perimeter zone is reduced, the air is blown down to warm the feet. I am doing so.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 04-028946

  However, in the air conditioner of Patent Document 1, the load in the perimeter zone is detected and the upward blowing is performed, but even in that case, the conditioned air is blown out to the entire perimeter zone. If the air conditioning load varies, it is difficult to perform efficient air conditioning.

  Further, in an indoor unit of a ceiling-mounted air conditioner, generally, air-conditioning air is blown downward during heating operation to warm the interior zone and supply the warm air to the perimeter zone. However, in such airflow control, a part of the warm air blown downward from the indoor unit rises without reaching the perimeter, and there is a problem that temperature unevenness occurs in the room because the warm air reaching the perimeter decreases. .

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently air-condition the entire air-conditioning target space including the perimeter zone during heating operation, and to suppress temperature unevenness. It is.

  The first invention includes a casing (20) installed on the ceiling (U) of the air-conditioning target space (R), and the casing (20) has a blower capable of blowing air in a plurality of blowing directions in a horizontal blowing mode. An indoor unit of an air conditioner provided with outlets (24, 25) is assumed.

  The indoor unit includes a high load area having a relatively large air conditioning load during heating operation and a low load area having a smaller air conditioning load than the high load area in the perimeter zone of the air conditioning target space (R). In the load detection unit (71) to detect and in the horizontal blowing mode, the air volume adjustment operation is performed so that the air volume blown toward the low load area is smaller than the air volume blown toward the high load area. And an operation control unit (70) having an air volume control unit (72) for controlling the air volume adjustment operation by the air volume adjustment unit (50). Yes. The horizontal blowing mode is a mode in which air is blown out in a direction close to the horizontal direction (including a case where the air is blown slightly diagonally downward) so that the air can reach the place away from the indoor unit (11) in the room.

  In the first aspect of the invention, when the air volume adjustment operation is performed in the horizontal blowing mode during the heating operation, the air volume blown toward the low load area becomes smaller than the air volume blown toward the high load area. . In other words, the air volume toward the high load area is greater than the air volume toward the low load area. Thus, in the state where the air is blown out in the horizontal blowing mode, the air volume toward the high load area, which is lower than the low load area, is relatively large. First, warm air is supplied to the high load area, and the temperature of the high load area rises. As a result, the temperature difference between the low load area and the high load area is reduced.

  In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the air volume control unit (72) determines the air volume blown toward the high load area during the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal blowing mode. It is characterized in that control is performed to increase the air volume at the time of operation to blow out evenly.

  In the second aspect of the invention, the air volume blown toward the high load area during the air volume adjustment operation is set to be larger than the air volume during the operation of blowing air uniformly in all directions. The warm air blown out is reliably supplied to the high load area. Therefore, the temperature difference between the low load area and the high load area can be reliably reduced.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the air volume adjusting section (50) is configured by a wind direction adjusting blade (51) provided in the air outlet (24, 25). (72) During the air volume adjustment operation, by adjusting the angle of the wind direction adjusting blade (51), the opening edge of the air outlet (24, 25) that blows air toward the low load area and the air direction adjustment are adjusted. The clearance between the peripheral edge of the blade (51) and the peripheral edge of the airflow adjusting blade (51) and the opening edge of the air outlet (24, 25) that blows air toward the high load area It is characterized by being restricted to an area smaller than the area.

  In the third aspect of the invention, at the time of air volume adjustment operation, the air volume control section (72) adjusts the angle of the wind direction adjusting blade (51) to thereby blow out air toward the low load area (24, 25). The gap area between the opening edge of the air flow and the peripheral edge of the airflow direction adjusting blade (51) is restricted to an area smaller than the gap area at the air outlet that blows air toward the high load area, and the ventilation resistance increases. As a result, the amount of air blown toward the low load area is reduced, and the amount of air directed toward the high load area is relatively increased. Moreover, the air volume of the air blown toward the high load area is larger than the air volume at the time of operation in which the air is blown evenly in all directions. Therefore, the temperature difference between the low load area and the high load area is reliably reduced.

  According to a fourth invention, in any one of the first to third inventions, the operation control unit (70) selects the horizontal blowing mode from a plurality of blowing modes (for example, a horizontal blowing mode and a lower blowing mode). It is configured to be possible.

  In the fourth aspect of the invention, a horizontal blowing mode can be selected from a plurality of blowing modes, and the air volume adjustment operation can be performed in the horizontal blowing mode. When the load becomes larger than a predetermined value, the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal blowing mode is performed as necessary, and the temperature difference between the low load area and the high load area can be reduced.

  5th invention is equipped with the input part (73) for a user to input the presence or absence of the wall surface (W) of the said air-conditioning object space (R) in any one of 1st to 4th invention, The air volume control unit (72) is characterized in that it performs control to limit the air blowing direction to the direction toward the wall surface during the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal blowing mode.

  In the fifth aspect of the invention, when the user inputs the presence / absence of the wall surface (W) to the input unit (73), the air volume adjustment operation can be performed with the air blowing direction limited to the direction of the wall surface. Even if air is blown out in the direction where there is no wall surface, no circulating airflow is generated in the air-conditioning target space (R). .

  According to the present invention, among the perimeter zones of the air-conditioning target space (R), a high load area having a relatively large air conditioning load during heating operation and a low load area having a smaller air conditioning load than the high load area are loaded. It can be detected by the detector (71). Then, in the horizontal blowing mode, the air volume adjusting unit (50) is controlled by the air volume control unit (72) of the operation control unit (70), whereby the air volume of the air blown toward the low load area is controlled by the high load. Since the air volume adjustment operation for reducing the air volume blown toward the area is performed, the temperature difference between the high load area and the low load area can be reduced. Therefore, temperature unevenness in the air-conditioning target space is reduced, and efficient heating operation can be performed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the air volume blown toward the high load area during the air volume adjustment operation is larger than the air volume during the operation of blowing air evenly in all directions. Since the temperature difference between the load area and the high load area can be reliably reduced, the temperature unevenness of the air-conditioning target space can be further reduced, and a more efficient heating operation can be performed.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, by adjusting the angle of the airflow direction adjusting blade (51), the airflow of the air blown toward the high load area during the airflow adjustment operation blows out the air evenly in all directions. It is possible to easily realize a configuration in which the air volume is larger than the hourly air volume and is larger than the air volume during the operation of blowing air uniformly in all directions. Therefore, the temperature unevenness of the air-conditioning target space can be further reduced, and an efficient heating operation can be easily realized.

  According to the fourth aspect, the horizontal blowing mode can be selected from a plurality of blowing modes. In addition, when the horizontal blowing mode is selected, the air volume adjustment operation can be performed when the load in the high load area in the perimeter zone becomes larger than the predetermined value in other operation modes, and the temperature in the low load area and the high load area can be adjusted. The difference can be reduced. Thereafter, another mode (for example, the lower blowing mode) of the horizontal blowing mode can be selected and the operation can be performed.

  According to the fifth aspect, when the user inputs the presence / absence of the wall surface (W) using the input unit (73), the air is blown out only in the direction in which the circulating airflow is generated in the air-conditioning target space during the air volume adjustment operation. Therefore, the temperature unevenness in the room is reduced and the operation efficiency is improved.

FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the indoor unit viewed from above with the top plate removed. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the indoor unit (11) taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic bottom view of the indoor unit. FIG. 6A is a partial cross-sectional view of the indoor unit in a state where the wind direction adjusting blade is set at the horizontal blowing position, and FIG. 6B is a partial cross section of the indoor unit in a state where the wind direction adjusting blade is set at the lower blowing position. FIG. 6 (C) is a partial cross-sectional view of the indoor unit in a state where the airflow direction adjusting blade is set at the blowing restriction position. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an arrangement example of indoor units in a room. 8A is a perspective view showing a state in which air is blown out in four directions in the horizontal blowing mode in the indoor unit of FIG. 1, and FIG. 8B is a drawing of air in the horizontal blowing mode in the indoor unit of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which blows off in 2 directions. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a warm air flow and a temperature distribution in a longitudinal section of a room when the air flow control of the present embodiment is performed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a warm air flow and a temperature distribution in a longitudinal section of a room when a conventional downward blowing is performed. FIG. 11A is a diagram showing the temperature distribution in the cross section of the room when the air flow control of the present embodiment is performed at a constant blowing temperature, and FIG. 11B is a diagram illustrating the conventional air flow control with the blowing temperature. It is a figure which shows the temperature distribution in the cross section of a room when it makes constant. FIG. 12A is a diagram showing the temperature distribution in the cross section of the room when the air flow control of the present embodiment is performed with a constant supply capability, and FIG. 12B is a diagram showing the conventional air flow control with the supply capability. It is a figure which shows the temperature distribution in the cross section of a room when it makes constant.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to an air conditioner (1) that performs indoor cooling and heating. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner (1) includes an outdoor unit (10) installed outside and an indoor unit (11) installed indoors. The outdoor unit (10) and the indoor unit (11) are connected to each other by two connecting pipes (2, 3). Thereby, the refrigerant circuit (C) is comprised in the air conditioning apparatus (1). In the refrigerant circuit (C), a vapor compression refrigeration cycle is performed by circulating the filled refrigerant.

<Configuration of refrigerant circuit>
The outdoor unit (10) is provided with a compressor (12), an outdoor heat exchanger (13), an outdoor expansion valve (14), and a four-way switching valve (15). The compressor (12) compresses the low-pressure refrigerant and discharges the compressed high-pressure refrigerant. In the compressor (12), a scroll type or rotary type compression mechanism is driven by the compressor motor (12a). The rotation speed (operation frequency) of the compressor motor (12a) is variable by an inverter device.

  The outdoor heat exchanger (13) is a fin-and-tube heat exchanger. An outdoor fan (16) is installed in the vicinity of the outdoor heat exchanger (13). In the outdoor heat exchanger (13), the air conveyed by the outdoor fan (16) and the refrigerant exchange heat. The outdoor fan (16) is configured by a propeller fan driven by an outdoor fan motor (16a). The outdoor fan motor (16a) is configured such that its rotational speed is variable by an inverter device.

  The outdoor expansion valve (14) is an electronic expansion valve having a variable opening. The four-way switching valve (15) has first to fourth ports. In the four-way switching valve (15), the first port is connected to the discharge side of the compressor (12), the second port is connected to the suction side of the compressor (12), and the third port is the outdoor heat exchanger (13 ) And the fourth port is connected to the gas-side stop valve (5). The four-way selector valve (15) switches between a first state (state indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1) and a second state (state indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1). In the four-way selector valve (15) in the first state, the first port communicates with the third port, and the second port communicates with the fourth port. In the four-way selector valve (15) in the second state, the first port communicates with the fourth port and the second port communicates with the third port.

  The two connecting pipes are composed of a liquid connecting pipe (2) and a gas connecting pipe (3). The liquid communication pipe (2) has one end connected to the liquid side shut-off valve (4) and the other end connected to the liquid side end of the indoor heat exchanger (32). One end of the gas communication pipe (3) is connected to the gas side shut-off valve (5), and the other end is connected to the gas side end of the indoor heat exchanger (32).

  The indoor unit (11) is provided with an indoor heat exchanger (32) and an indoor expansion valve (39). The indoor heat exchanger (32) is a fin-and-tube heat exchanger. An indoor fan (31) is installed in the vicinity of the indoor heat exchanger (32). The indoor fan (31) is a centrifugal blower driven by an indoor fan motor (31a) as will be described later. The indoor fan motor (31a) is configured to have a variable rotational speed by an inverter device. The indoor expansion valve (39) is connected to the liquid end of the indoor heat exchanger (32) in the refrigerant circuit (C). The indoor expansion valve (39) is an electronic expansion valve having a variable opening.

[Indoor unit]
2-5 has shown the example of a structure of the indoor unit (11). The indoor unit (11) is connected to the outdoor unit (10) installed outside the indoor space (R), which is the air-conditioning target space, via the connecting pipe (2, 3), so that the outdoor unit (10) Together with this, an air conditioner (1) is configured. The air conditioner (1) performs a cooling operation and a heating operation in the indoor space (R). In this example, the indoor unit (11) is configured as a ceiling-embedded type, and includes an indoor casing (20), an indoor fan (31), an indoor heat exchanger (32), a drain pan (33), And Bellmouth (34). The indoor casing (20) is installed on the ceiling (U) of the indoor space (R), and is composed of a casing body (21) and a decorative panel (22).

  2 is a schematic perspective view of the indoor unit (11) when viewed from obliquely below, and FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the indoor unit (11) viewed from above with the top plate (21a) removed. 4 is a schematic sectional view of the indoor unit (11) taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a schematic bottom view of the indoor unit (11).

<Case body>
The casing body (21) is inserted into an opening formed in the ceiling (U) of the indoor space (R). The casing body (21) is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape having an open bottom surface, and has a substantially square plate-like top plate (21a) and a substantially rectangular plate-like shape extending downward from the peripheral edge of the top plate (21a). And four side plates (21b). The casing body (21) accommodates an indoor fan (31), an indoor heat exchanger (32), a drain pan (33), and a bell mouth (34). Furthermore, the indoor refrigerant pipe (P) for connecting the indoor heat exchanger (32) and the connecting pipe (2, 3) is inserted into one of the four side boards (21b). Possible through holes (H) are formed.

<Indoor fan>
The indoor fan (31) is arranged at the center inside the casing body (21), and blows out the air sucked from below. In this example, the indoor fan (31) is constituted by a centrifugal blower and is driven by an indoor fan motor (31a) located at the center of the top plate (21a) of the casing body (21).

<Indoor heat exchanger>
The indoor heat exchanger (32) includes a refrigerant pipe (heat transfer pipe) bent so as to surround the indoor fan (31), and a refrigerant flowing through a heat transfer pipe (not shown) provided therein. Heat is exchanged with the air sucked into the casing body (21). For example, the indoor heat exchanger (32) is a fin-and-tube heat exchanger. The indoor heat exchanger (32) cools the air by functioning as a refrigerant evaporator during the cooling operation, and heats the air by functioning as a refrigerant condenser (radiator) during the heating operation.

<Drain pan>
The drain pan (33) is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a small thickness in the vertical direction, and is disposed below the indoor heat exchanger (32). In addition, a suction passage (33a) is formed at the center of the drain pan (33), a water receiving groove (33b) is formed on the upper surface of the drain pan (33), and an outer peripheral portion of the drain pan (33) Four first outlet passages (33c) and four second outlet passages (33d) are formed. The suction passage (33a) penetrates the drain pan (33) in the vertical direction. The water receiving groove (33b) extends in an annular shape so as to surround the suction passage (33a) in plan view. The four first outlet passages (33c) extend along the four sides of the drain pan (33) so as to surround the water receiving groove (33b) in plan view, and penetrate the drain pan (33) in the vertical direction. doing. The four second outlet passages (33d) are respectively located at four corners of the drain pan (33) in plan view and penetrate the drain pan (33) in the vertical direction.

<Bellmouth>
The bell mouth (34) is formed in a cylindrical shape whose opening area increases from the upper end to the lower end. The bell mouth (34) has an upper end of the opening inserted into a suction port (lower end of the opening) of the indoor fan (31) and is accommodated in the suction passage (33a) of the drain pan (33). With such a configuration, the air sucked from the lower opening end of the bell mouth (34) is guided to the suction port of the indoor fan (31).

<Makeup panel>
The decorative panel (22) is formed in a substantially cubic shape with a thin thickness in the vertical direction. Moreover, the suction inlet (23) is formed in the center part of the decorative panel (22), and the several blower outlet (24, 25) is formed in the outer peripheral part of the decorative panel (22). Specifically, four first outlets (24) and four second outlets (25) are formed as the plurality of outlets (24, 25). Air can be blown out in a plurality of blowing directions in the horizontal blowing mode by the blowout ports (24, 25).

  The horizontal blowing mode is a mode in which air is blown out at an angle close to the horizontal direction so that the air can reach the place away from the indoor unit (11) in the room. However, the blowing direction is not limited to the horizontal direction, and is a blowing mode that includes a state where the blowing direction is slightly inclined downward.

《Suction port》
The suction port (23) penetrates the decorative panel (22) in the vertical direction and communicates with the internal space of the bell mouth (34). In this example, the suction port (23) is formed in a substantially square shape in plan view. The suction port (23) is provided with a suction grill (41) and a suction filter (42). The suction grill (41) is formed in a substantially square shape, and a plurality of through holes are formed in the center thereof. The suction grill (41) is attached to the suction port (23) of the decorative panel (22) and covers the suction port (23). The suction filter (42) captures dust in the air sucked from the suction grille (41).

《Air outlet》
The four first air outlets (24) are straight air outlets that extend along the four sides of the decorative panel (22) so as to surround the suction opening (23) in a plan view. 22) penetrates in the vertical direction and communicates with the four first outlet passages (33c) of the drain pan (33). In this example, the first air outlet (24) is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The four second air outlets (25) are curved air outlets that are respectively positioned at four corners of the decorative panel (22) in plan view, and pass through the decorative panel (22) in the vertical direction to drain pans (33 ) And four second outlet passages (33d).

<Air flow in the indoor unit>
Next, the flow of air in the indoor unit (11) will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the indoor fan (31) is in an operating state, the suction grill (41), the suction filter (42) and the bell mouth (34) provided from the indoor space (R) to the suction port (23) of the decorative panel (22). ) Through the interior space in order, indoor air is sucked into the indoor fan (31). The air sucked into the indoor fan (31) is blown out to the side of the indoor fan (31), and exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger (32) when passing through the indoor heat exchanger (32). . As a result, the air passing through the indoor heat exchanger (32) is cooled when the indoor heat exchanger (32) functions as an evaporator (that is, in the cooling operation), and the indoor heat exchanger ( When 32) functions as a condenser (that is, in the case of heating operation), it will be heated. The air that has passed through the indoor heat exchanger (32) is diverted to the four first outlet passages (33c) and the four second outlet passages (33d) of the drain pan (33), and then the decorative panel (22). The four first outlets (24) and the four second outlets (25) are blown out into the indoor space (R).

<Wind adjustment blade>
Each first outlet (24) is provided with a wind direction adjusting blade (51) for adjusting the wind direction of the air (blowing air) flowing through each first outlet passage (33c). The wind direction adjusting blade (51) is formed in a flat plate shape extending from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the first outlet (24) of the decorative panel (22). The wind direction adjusting blade (51) is supported by the support member (52) with a central axis (53) extending in the longitudinal direction as an axis, and is configured to be rotatable. The wind direction adjusting blade (51) is formed in an arc shape in which the shape of its transverse cross section (cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction) is convex in the direction away from the central axis (53) of the oscillating motion. The second air outlet (25) is not provided with a wind direction adjusting blade, but may be provided with a wind direction adjusting blade.

  The wind direction adjusting blade (51) is a movable blade, and the horizontal blowing position shown in FIG. 6 (A) set in the horizontal blowing mode for blowing air from the first blowing outlet (24) in the horizontal direction, and the first blowing The lower blowing position (FIG. 6B) set in the lower blowing mode in which air is blown downward from the outlet (24), and the blowing restriction position in FIG. 6 (C) for suppressing the blowing of air from the first blowing outlet (24) It is configured so that the position can be set. In addition, when a wind direction adjusting blade is provided at the second air outlet (25), the air direction adjusting blade of the second air outlet (25) is the same as the air direction adjusting blade (51) of the first air outlet (24). It is better to configure and enable similar operation.

  In the present embodiment, the horizontal blowing mode is performed using only the first air outlet (24). However, when the second air outlet (25) is also provided with wind direction adjusting blades, the first air outlet (24) You may perform using both a 2nd blower outlet (25).

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the operation control unit (70) configured by the control board includes the air volume control unit (72), and the air volume control unit (72) adjusts the air direction. By controlling the position of the blade (51), the horizontal blowing mode can be selected from a plurality of blowing modes. Specifically, the operation control unit (70) sets the air blowing direction adjustment blade (51) at the horizontal blowing position, and sets the wind direction adjusting blade (51) at the lower blowing position to be air-conditioned. It is possible to select a lower blowing mode in which air is blown toward the floor (F) of the space.

  The wind direction adjusting blades (51) can be individually controlled by the air volume control unit (72) of the operation control unit (70), which are provided at the four first outlets (24). When the wind direction adjusting blade (51) is set to the blowing restriction position in at least one of the four first outlets (24), the opening edge of the first outlet (24) and the wind direction adjusting blade (51 ) Is restricted to an area smaller than the gap area in the other first outlet (24), and the ventilation resistance is increased. When the ventilation resistance is increased, air is less likely to be blown out from the first air outlet (24), so that the speed of air blown out from the other first air outlet (24) is increased and the air volume is increased. In addition, the air blown out from the first air outlet (24) with the airflow direction adjusting blade (51) in the air outlet restricting position is a small amount and low speed, and is sucked into the air inlet (23) as it is without flowing into the indoor space. A short circuit occurs. In addition, the blowing control position which controls the clearance gap between the opening edge part of a 1st blower outlet (24) and the peripheral part of a wind direction adjustment blade | wing (51) to a small area is not restricted to the position of FIG.6 (C), As indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 6A, it may be a position where the ventilation resistance is applied by making the angle of the wind direction adjusting blade (51) closer to the horizontal.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the said wind direction adjustment blade (51) is used as the air volume adjustment part (50) of this invention, and this air volume adjustment part (50) is used for the air volume control of the said operation control part (70). This is controlled by the unit (72). In this embodiment, since the wind direction adjusting blade (51) is provided only at the first air outlet (24) and not at the second air outlet (25), the air volume adjusting section (50) is also provided in the first air outlet. It is provided only at the outlet (24). In addition, when a wind direction adjusting blade is provided at the second air outlet (25), an air volume adjusting unit (50) is also provided at the second air outlet (24).

  One casing (20) of the indoor unit (11) of the present embodiment is arranged at the center of a room having a ceiling (U) and a floor (F) as shown in FIG. 7, for example. As described above, the casing (20) of the indoor unit (11) has the four first outlets (24). As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8B, the air can be blown out only in two directions opposite to each other in the horizontal blowing mode. Moreover, although not shown in figure, it can blow out to arbitrary 2 directions other than FIG. 8 (B), and arbitrary 3 directions. As will be described later, FIG. 8B shows a state of the air volume adjustment operation of the present invention in which the air volume toward the low load area is less than the air volume toward the high load area.

  The indoor unit (11) of the present embodiment includes a high load area having a relatively large air conditioning load during heating operation, and a high load area among the perimeter zones existing at the periphery of the indoor space (R) that is the air conditioning target space. A load detection unit (sensor) (71) is provided for detecting a low load area where the air conditioning load is smaller than the load area. The load detection part (71) is provided in one place of the lower surface of the decorative panel (22), as shown in FIG.

  And in this embodiment, based on the detection result of a load detection part (71), in a horizontal blowing mode, a wind direction adjustment blade | wing (51) in the air volume control part (72) of the operation control part (70) shown in FIG. By controlling this angle, it is possible to perform an air volume adjustment operation in which the air volume blown toward the low load area is less than the air volume blown toward the high load area. In particular, the air volume control section (72) of the operation control section (70) is configured to uniformly distribute the air volume of the air blown toward the high load area in all directions during the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal blowing mode. Control is performed so that the air volume is larger than the air flow during the operation.

-Driving action-
Next, the operation of the air conditioner (1) according to this embodiment will be described. In the air conditioner (1), the cooling operation and the heating operation are switched.

<Cooling operation>
In the cooling operation, the four-way switching valve (15) shown in FIG. 1 is in a state indicated by a solid line, and the compressor (12), the indoor fan (31), and the outdoor fan (16) are in an operating state. Thereby, in the refrigerant circuit (C), a refrigeration cycle is performed in which the outdoor heat exchanger (13) serves as a condenser and the indoor heat exchanger (32) serves as an evaporator.

  Specifically, the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor (12) flows through the outdoor heat exchanger (13) and exchanges heat with outdoor air. In the outdoor heat exchanger (13), the high-pressure refrigerant dissipates heat to the outdoor air and condenses. The refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger (13) is sent to the indoor unit (11). In the indoor unit (11), the refrigerant flows through the indoor heat exchanger (32) after being decompressed by the indoor expansion valve (39).

  In the indoor unit (11), indoor air sequentially flows upward through the internal space of the suction port (23) and the bell mouth (34) and is sucked into the indoor fan (31). Air is blown out radially outward from the indoor fan (31). This air passes through the indoor heat exchanger (32) and exchanges heat with the refrigerant. In the indoor heat exchanger (32), the refrigerant absorbs heat from the indoor air and evaporates, and the air is cooled by the refrigerant.

  The air cooled by the indoor heat exchanger (32) is divided into the first and second blow-out passages (33c, 33d), flows downward, and is supplied to the indoor space (R) from the blow-out ports (24, 25). The The refrigerant evaporated in the indoor heat exchanger (32) is sucked into the compressor (12) and compressed again.

<Heating operation>
In the heating operation, the four-way selector valve (15) shown in FIG. 1 is in a state indicated by a broken line, and the compressor (12), the indoor fan (31), and the outdoor fan (16) are in an operating state. Thereby, in the refrigerant circuit (C), a refrigeration cycle is performed in which the indoor heat exchanger (32) serves as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger (13) serves as an evaporator.

  Specifically, the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor (12) flows through the indoor heat exchanger (32) of the indoor unit (11). In the indoor unit (11), indoor air sequentially flows upward through the internal space of the suction port (23) and the bell mouth (34) and is sucked into the indoor fan (31). Air is blown out radially outward from the indoor fan (31). This air passes through the indoor heat exchanger (32) and exchanges heat with the refrigerant. In the indoor heat exchanger (32), the refrigerant dissipates heat to the indoor air and condenses, and the air is heated by the refrigerant.

  The air heated by the indoor heat exchanger (32) is divided into the first and second outlet passages (33c, 33d), flows downward, and is supplied to the indoor space (R) from the outlets (24, 25). The The refrigerant condensed in the indoor heat exchanger (32) is depressurized by the outdoor expansion valve (14) and then flows through the outdoor heat exchanger (13). In the outdoor heat exchanger (13), the refrigerant absorbs heat from the outdoor air and evaporates. The refrigerant evaporated in the outdoor heat exchanger (13) is sucked into the compressor (12) and compressed again.

<Airflow control during heating operation>
In the present embodiment, during the heating operation, the air volume control unit (72) of the operation control unit (70) reduces the air volume blown toward the low load area in the horizontal blowing mode to the high load area. The air volume adjustment operation can be performed so that the air volume is less than the air volume blown out (see FIG. 8B). Specifically, in FIG. 8B, the air direction adjustment blade (51) of the first outlet (24) that blows out air toward the low load area is set to the blowing restriction position, and the air flows toward the low load area. Avoid blowing or reduce the airflow in that direction. Thus, warm air is first supplied to the high load area of the perimeter zone.

  In this state, when the air reaches the high load area of the perimeter zone as shown in FIG. 9, the air flows from the upper load area to the lower side and then goes to the center of the room and rises from there to the indoor unit ( 11) is sucked into (circulation airflow is generated). On the other hand, in the conventional general indoor unit, warm air is blown downward from the indoor unit (11) as shown in FIG. 10 and then goes to the perimeter zone, but a part of the air rises before reaching the perimeter. The amount of air reaching the perimeter is reduced, and a circulating airflow is less likely to occur.

  Here, when the airflow control of the present embodiment is performed with the blowing temperature constant, as shown in FIG. 11A, the temperature unevenness in the room can be suppressed, and the room can be efficiently air-conditioned. is there. On the other hand, in the conventional airflow control, as shown in FIG. 11 (B), compared with the airflow control of the present embodiment, the temperature unevenness in the room is increased, and the efficiency of air conditioning is reduced. Specifically, in FIG. 11A showing the temperature distribution when performing the two-way blowing of this embodiment, the suction temperature is 22.6 ° C., the blowing temperature is 40.0 ° C., and the supply capacity is 3.53 kW. In contrast, in FIG. 11B showing the temperature distribution of the four-way blowing, the suction temperature was 23.3 ° C., the blowing temperature was 40.0 ° C., and the supply capacity was 4.49 kW. The average temperature of the indoor space (R) in FIG. 11A is 21.8 ° C. and the standard deviation is 0.26 K, whereas the average temperature of the indoor space (R) in FIG. The standard deviation was 5 ° C. and 0.38K. 11A and 11B show temperature distributions at a height of 0.6 m from the floor surface (F).

  Further, when the air flow control of the present embodiment is performed with a constant supply capacity, as shown in FIG. 12A, the temperature unevenness in the room can be similarly suppressed, and the room can be efficiently air-conditioned. It is. On the other hand, in the conventional airflow control, as shown in FIG. 12 (B), compared with the airflow control of the present embodiment, the temperature unevenness in the room is increased, and the efficiency of air conditioning is reduced. Specifically, in FIG. 12A showing the temperature distribution when the two-way blowing of this embodiment is performed, the suction temperature is 22.6 ° C., the blowing temperature is 40.0 ° C., and the supply capacity is 3.53 kW. In contrast, in FIG. 12B showing the temperature distribution of the four-way blowing, the suction temperature was 21.7 ° C., the blowing temperature was 34.7 ° C., and the supply capacity was 3.53 kW. The average temperature of the indoor space (R) in FIG. 12A is 21.8 ° C. and the standard deviation is 0.26 K, whereas the average temperature of the indoor space (R) in FIG. The standard deviation was 0.31K. 12 (A) and 12 (B) show temperature distributions at a height of 0.6 m from the floor (F), respectively, as in FIGS. 11 (A) and 11 (B).

-Effect of the embodiment-
As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the perimeter zone of the indoor space (R), a high load area where the air conditioning load during heating operation is relatively large, and the air conditioning load is smaller than the high load area. By detecting the low load area with the load detection unit (71) and controlling the wind direction adjusting blade (51) with the air volume control unit (72) of the operation control unit (70) in the horizontal blowing mode, The air volume adjustment operation is performed so that the air volume blown toward the load area is less than the air volume blown toward the high load area. In particular, by setting the airflow direction adjustment vane (51) at the blowing restriction position during the airflow adjustment operation, the airflow of the air blown toward the high load area is more than the airflow during the operation of blowing air uniformly in all directions. Since the number is increased, the temperature difference between the high load area and the low load area can be reliably reduced. Therefore, the temperature unevenness of the indoor space (R) is reduced, and the heating operation can be performed more efficiently than in the past.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, since the horizontal blowing mode and the lower blowing mode can be selected by the operation control unit (70), while the operation is normally performed in the lower blowing mode, When the load becomes larger than a predetermined value, the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal blowing mode can be performed to reduce the temperature difference between the low load area and the high load area. Thereafter, the operation can be performed by returning to the lower blowing mode.

-Modification of the embodiment-
In the above embodiment, the outdoor unit (11) is provided with the load detection unit (71) for detecting the load of the perimeter, but together with this load detection unit (71), the user inputs the presence or absence of the wall surface of the perimeter. It may be configured. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 1, when performing the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal blowing mode, the input unit (73) for the user to input the presence / absence of the wall surface (W) constituting the perimeter zone of the air conditioning target space. ) Should be provided. In this case, the remote controller is used as the input unit connected to the operation control unit (70).

  Even in this case, when the user inputs the presence / absence of the wall surface (W) corresponding to the high load area using the input unit (73), warm air can be first supplied to the high load area of the perimeter. In addition, this allows air to blow out only in the direction of the wall to generate a circulating air flow, thus suppressing temperature unevenness in the indoor space (R) and efficiently air-conditioning the indoor space (R). It is.

<< Other Embodiments >>
About the said embodiment, it is good also as the following structures.

  For example, in the said embodiment, the indoor unit (11) of an air conditioning apparatus (1) is comprised by the ceiling embedding type fitted by the opening part (O) of a ceiling (U). However, the indoor unit (11) may be a ceiling-suspended indoor unit in which the casing (20) is suspended from the ceiling and disposed in the indoor space (R). Further, the blowing direction of the indoor unit (11) may be a direction corresponding to the high load area and the low load area of the perimeter zone, and is not limited to four directions or eight directions.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the indoor unit in which a horizontal blowing mode and a downward blowing mode were possible, this invention does not limit the blowing mode of an indoor unit to a horizontal blowing mode and a downward blowing mode. For example, the present invention can be applied to an indoor unit having a blowing mode in which the wind direction adjusting blade (51) swings as long as the horizontal blowing mode is possible. In some cases, only the horizontal blowing mode is possible. The present invention can also be applied to the configuration.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the wind direction adjustment blade | wing (51) is used as an air volume adjustment part (50), in the horizontal blowing mode, the air volume to a high load area and the air volume to a low load area can be varied. If there is, other than the wind direction adjusting blade (51) may be used as the air volume adjusting unit (50).

  In addition, the above embodiment is an essentially preferable illustration, Comprising: It does not intend restrict | limiting the range of this invention, its application thing, or its use.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for a technique for controlling airflow during heating operation in an indoor unit of an air conditioner installed on a ceiling.

1 Air conditioner
11 Indoor unit
20 casing
24 First outlet
25 Second outlet
50 Air flow adjustment section
51 Wind direction adjusting blade
70 Operation control unit
71 Load detector
72 Air flow control unit
73 Input section
R Indoor space (space subject to air conditioning)
U ceiling
W wall

Claims (5)

Air outlets (24, 25) provided with a casing (20) installed on the ceiling (U) of the air-conditioning target space (R) and capable of blowing air in a plurality of blowing directions in the horizontal blowing mode in the casing (20) Is an indoor unit of an air conditioner provided with
Among the perimeter zones of the air-conditioning target space (R), a load detector (71) that detects a high load area where the air conditioning load during heating operation is relatively large and a low load area where the air conditioning load is smaller than the high load area )When,
In the horizontal blowing mode, the air volume adjusting unit (50) for performing the air volume adjusting operation for reducing the air volume blown toward the low load area to be smaller than the air volume blown toward the high load area. When,
An operation control unit (70) having an air volume control unit (72) for controlling the air volume adjustment operation by the air volume adjustment unit (50);
An indoor unit of an air conditioner characterized by comprising: In claim 1,
The air volume control unit (72) increases the air volume of the air blown toward the high load area during the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal blowing mode, compared to the air volume during the operation of blowing air uniformly in all directions. An indoor unit of an air conditioner that performs control. In claim 1 or 2,
The air volume adjusting section (50) is configured by a wind direction adjusting blade (51) provided at the air outlet (24, 25),
The air volume control unit (72) adjusts the angle of the wind direction adjusting blade (51) during the air volume adjustment operation, thereby opening an opening edge of the air outlet (24, 25) that blows air toward the low load area. The opening area of the air outlet (24, 25) that blows out air toward the high load area and the peripheral edge of the wind direction adjusting blade (51) An indoor unit of an air conditioner, characterized by being restricted to an area smaller than a gap area between the two. In any one of Claims 1-3,
The indoor unit of an air conditioner, wherein the operation control unit (70) is configured to be able to select the horizontal blowing mode from a plurality of blowing modes. In any one of Claims 1-4,
The air-conditioning space (R) has an input unit (73) for the user to input the presence / absence of a wall surface (W), and the air volume control unit (72) blows out air during the air volume adjustment operation in the horizontal blowing mode. An indoor unit of an air conditioner that performs control to limit the direction to a direction with a wall surface (W).

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