JP2016151397A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new air conditioner which stops operation of indoor equipment and outdoor equipment to improve the safety when a fan guard provided in the indoor equipment or the outdoor equipment comes off.SOLUTION: An attachment state (an installation state) of a fan guard is detected. When a situation that the fan guard is not attached is detected, operation of an electric motor of indoor equipment or outdoor equipment is stopped. Thus, when the fan guard provided in the indoor equipment or the outdoor equipment comes off, the operation of the electric motor of the indoor equipment or the outdoor equipment is stopped to improve the safety.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner equipped with a heat exchange device, and in particular, an air conditioner equipped with a heat exchange device that exchanges heat between air that is provided in a housing and sent through a blower and refrigerant that flows through the heat exchanger. Related to the machine.

  In general, an air conditioner includes a compressor that compresses a refrigerant in a refrigerant circulation passage in which the refrigerant is sealed, an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and indoor air, and an expansion valve that depressurizes the refrigerant. And an refrigeration cycle in which an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and the outside air is sequentially provided. The outdoor heat exchanger is stored in the casing of the outdoor unit together with a blower that sends air to the outdoor heat exchanger, and the indoor heat exchanger is inside the casing of the indoor unit together with a blower that sends indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger Stored in

  An air conditioner having such a configuration is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-236715 (Patent Document 1). And the indoor fan which is an air blower is installed in the vicinity of the indoor heat exchanger provided in the inside of an indoor unit. The indoor fan is composed of a centrifugal fan and an electric motor with a variable number of revolutions for driving the centrifugal fan. The indoor control device controls the indoor fan drive device, which is an inverter control device, and starts and stops the operation of the indoor fan and changes the rotational speed.

  Similarly, an outdoor fan, which is a blower, is installed in the outdoor unit near the outdoor heat exchanger. The outdoor fan is composed of a propeller fan and an electric motor with a variable number of revolutions that rotates the propeller fan. The outdoor control device controls the outdoor fan drive device that is an inverter control device, and starts and stops the operation of the outdoor fan, and changes the rotation speed.

  There are various types of indoor units depending on the installation location, but in recent years, especially in the field of business use, the casing is embedded in the ceiling and air is passed through a decorative panel installed on the ceiling surface. So-called ceiling-embedded air conditioners that draw in and blow out are the mainstream.

JP 2010-236715 A

  Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 5 of Patent Document 1, in the indoor unit, the suction grille serving as a fan guard is detachable from the decorative panel, and has a structure that facilitates cleaning of the filter and maintenance of the fan, the electrical component box, and the like. It has become. In addition, a blow-out grill serving as a fan guard that covers the propeller fan is installed at the blow-out opening of the outdoor unit, and the propeller fan is protected from contact with external obstacles. In this way, fan guards such as indoor unit suction grills and outdoor unit blowout grills prevent people and obstacles from coming into contact with the rotating fan to prevent injury and damage to the air conditioner. Device.

  However, even when the fan guard is deliberately removed due to mischief or when the fan guard is forgotten to be re-installed during cleaning work, etc., the indoor unit or outdoor unit continues to operate and the user notices. Until then, it could be operated even without a protective device, which was not preferable from the viewpoint of safety.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a novel air conditioner that improves the safety by stopping the operation of an indoor unit or an outdoor unit when the fan guard provided in the indoor unit or the outdoor unit is removed. is there.

  The feature of the present invention resides in that the operation of the outdoor unit or the electric motor of the outdoor unit is stopped when it is detected that the fan guard is attached and the fan guard is not attached.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when the fan guard provided in the indoor unit or the outdoor unit is removed, safety can be improved by stopping the operation of the electric motor of the indoor unit or the outdoor unit.

It is sectional drawing which shows the cross section of the general indoor unit of an air conditioner. It is sectional drawing which shows the cross section of the common outdoor unit of an air conditioner. It is a block diagram showing the outline of the electric motor operation control part of the air conditioner which becomes the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a characteristic view which shows the relationship between the presence or absence of a fan guard, the rotation speed of an electric motor, and a current. In order to demonstrate the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, it is a characteristic view which showed the time change of the electric current value when changing a driving | running state and changing rotation speed. In order to demonstrate the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, it is a characteristic view which showed the change of the electric current value when a fan guard is removed during a driving | operation. It is a block diagram showing the outline of the electric motor operation control part of the air conditioner which becomes the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications and application examples are included in the technical concept of the present invention. It is included in the range.

  Before describing the air conditioner of the present invention, the configuration of a general indoor unit and outdoor unit will be described. FIG. 1 shows an indoor unit of a ceiling-embedded air conditioner, and FIG. 2 shows the outdoor unit. ing.

  In FIG. 1, the indoor unit is composed of a decorative panel 101 around which a blowout port 105 having a wind direction plate 104 is disposed, and a casing 102 connected to the decorative panel 101. A centrifugal fan 120 including an electric motor 106 and a centrifugal fan 107 connected to the shaft of the electric motor 106 is installed in the housing 102, and the centrifugal fan 107 rotates by operating the electric motor 106.

  As indicated by an arrow 115 in FIG. 1, room air is a suction grill 103 serving as a fan guard that covers the suction port of the centrifugal fan 107, a filter 116 installed in the suction grill 103, and a bell mouth 110 installed in the housing 102. Through the suction port of the centrifugal fan 107, and is discharged from the discharge port of the centrifugal fan 107 as indicated by an arrow 118.

  An indoor heat exchanger 108 is disposed so as to surround the centrifugal blower 120, and the air discharged from the centrifugal fan 107 is heat-exchanged by the indoor heat exchanger 108, and then the air outlet 105 as indicated by an arrow 117. It is blown out more indoors.

  In addition, a drain pan 109 for receiving condensed water generated in the indoor heat exchanger 108 during cooling is installed below the indoor heat exchanger 108. Further, an electrical component box 111 containing a control board (not shown) for controlling operation is attached to the lower surface of the bell mouth 110. Here, the suction grill 103 serving as a fan guard is detachable from the decorative panel 101, and has a structure that facilitates cleaning of the filter 116 and maintenance of the fan, the electrical component box, and the like.

  On the other hand, the outdoor unit has a form such as an upper blowing type that blows out air after heat exchange from the upper part of the casing, and a horizontal blowing type that blows out air after heat exchange from the front face of the casing. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner. This outdoor unit has a horizontal blow type configuration.

  In FIG. 2, the inside of a housing 121 is partitioned by a partition plate 122, a machine room 125 that houses a compressor 123 and an electrical component box 124 that houses a control board (not shown), an axial blower 128 including a propeller fan 126 and an electric motor 127. It is divided into the fan room 129 provided with. A heat exchanger 130 is disposed upstream of the axial flow fan 128 in the blower chamber 129, the propeller fan 126 rotates by operating the electric motor 127, and the surrounding air is sucked through the heat exchanger 130, and the housing The heat-exchanged air is blown out from a blow-out port 131 provided in. Here, a blow-out grill 132 serving as a fan guard that covers the propeller fan 126 is installed at the blow-out opening 131 to protect the propeller fan 126 from contacting an obstacle.

  As described above, in the conventional air conditioner, even if the fan guard is intentionally removed due to mischief or when the fan guard is forgotten to be re-installed in the cleaning work, Until the operation is continued and the user or the like notices, the vehicle can be operated even without a protective device, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of safety.

  Therefore, the present invention is configured to detect the installation state (installation state) of the fan guard and stop the operation of the indoor unit or the outdoor unit when it is detected that the fan guard is not attached. According to this, when the fan guard provided in the indoor unit or the outdoor unit is removed, safety can be improved by stopping the operation of the electric motor of the indoor unit or the outdoor unit. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of the electric motor operation control unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Although FIG. 3 shows an example of an indoor unit of an air conditioner, the description is omitted because it is basically the same for an outdoor unit.

  In FIG. 3, the control board 1 includes a power supply circuit unit 2, a control unit 3 mainly composed of a microcomputer, a ROM in which control programs and control constants used in calculations are stored, a memory functioning as a work area, a RAM, and the like. 4 and a current detection unit 5 for detecting the magnitude of the current supplied to the electric motor. The power supply circuit unit 2 receives supply from the commercial power supply 6 and supplies a direct current to the drive circuit 9 of the electric motor 8 for rotating the fan 7. The current detection unit 5 uses a Hall element, is connected between the power supply circuit unit 2 and the drive circuit 9 and detects the drive current of the electric motor supplied to the drive circuit 9.

  The control unit 3 is connected to the drive circuit 9 and exchanges information necessary for operating the electric motor 8, and is connected to a remote control 11 having a display unit 10, which is set by the user using the remote control 11. The information is received by the control unit 3 to control the air conditioner, or the operation information sent from the control unit 3 to the remote controller 11 is displayed on the display unit 10.

  FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the number of rotations of the electric motor 8 and the current supplied to the electric motor 8, that is, the current detected by the current detection unit 5. The rotation speed of the fan is determined according to the operation state. In the “weak operation” state, the fan is rotated at the rotation speed N1, in the “medium operation” state, the rotation is performed at the rotation speed N2, and in the “strong operation” state, the rotation speed is N3. It is to be rotated. Therefore, when the operation state is changed from the “weak operation” state to the “medium operation” state, the rotation speed of the electric motor 8 is changed from the rotation speed N1 to the rotation speed N2.

  In a normal case where the suction grill 103 serving as a fan guard is normally mounted (hereinafter referred to as a normal state), the current value increases as the number of rotations increases as shown by the solid line in FIG. On the other hand, when the suction grille 103 serving as a fan guard is removed (hereinafter referred to as an abnormal state), the current value increases as the number of revolutions increases, but the air volume increases as there is no fan guard serving as a flow path resistance. The value is larger than that in the normal state.

  For example, the current value in the normal state when the rotation speed of “weak operation” is N1 is I1n, but the current value in the abnormal state is I1a, and the current value is larger in the abnormal state. Similarly, the current value in the normal state when the rotation speed in “medium operation” is N2 is I2n, but the current value in the abnormal state is I2a, and the current value in the normal state when the rotation speed in “strong operation” is N3. Although the current value is I3n, the current value in the abnormal state is I3a, and in any case, the current value is larger in the abnormal state.

  Therefore, the current value supplied to the drive circuit 9 when the rotational speed is increased with the fan guard removed is obtained in advance for each predetermined rotational speed, such as the rotational speeds N1, N2, and N3. This is stored in the rotation speed table. This current value is used as a current threshold for stopping the electric motor 8 of the indoor unit. The rotation speed table is stored in a memory unit (for example, a flash memory) 4 of the control board, and is used in a control flow of a microcomputer constituting the control unit 3. Since the functions of the microcomputer are already well known, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  For example, in a microcomputer, an abnormal state detection program is started at every predetermined time to start an abnormal state detection program, and the current rotational speed of the fan 7 or the electric motor 8 is detected. The current value flowing in is detected. These rotational speed information and current value information are temporarily stored in the RAM of the microcomputer.

  On the other hand, the microcomputer corresponds to the rotation speed N1 of “weak operation”, the rotation speed N2 of “medium operation”, and the rotation speed N3 of “strong operation” stored in the memory unit 4 in advance from the detected rotation speed information. The current threshold value (here, the current value when the fan guard is removed) is read.

  Next, the microcomputer compares the detected current value stored in the RAM with the current threshold value stored in the memory unit 4, and if the detected current value is lower than the current threshold value, the fan guard is normally attached. Continue to operate the indoor unit. On the other hand, if the detected current value is higher than the current threshold, the operation of the electric motor 8 of the indoor unit is stopped assuming that the fan guard has been removed.

  In the present embodiment, the current value corresponding to one set rotational speed (N1, N2, or N3) is compared to make the above-described determination. However, two or more different set rotational speeds are used. Comparing the corresponding current values, if two or more current values are both greater than the current threshold, it is assumed that the fan guard has finally been removed and the operation of the indoor unit is stopped. Is also good. In this way, it is possible to determine an abnormal state with higher accuracy.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the fan guard mounting state is detected (judged) by comparing the detected current value with the current threshold value of the abnormal state obtained in advance, and it is detected that the fan guard is not mounted. Then, it is set as the structure which stops the driving | operation of an indoor unit or an outdoor unit. According to this, when the fan guard provided in the indoor unit or the outdoor unit is removed, safety can be improved by stopping the operation of the electric motor of the indoor unit or the outdoor unit.

  In this embodiment and the second embodiment described below, changes in current flowing from the drive circuit to the electric motor are used. However, in addition to this, the voltage applied to the electric motor from the control board and the electric power supplied to the electric motor are also used. Can also be used. In the claims of the present invention, current, voltage, and power are collectively referred to as electricity.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 5A and 5B show a change in current value when the rotation speed of the electric motor 8 is changed and a change in current value when the fan guard is removed during operation of the indoor unit.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, when switching from the “weak operation” state to “medium operation” at time T1, the rotation speed changes from “weak operation” rotation speed N1 to “medium operation” rotation speed N2 at time T. Be changed. At this time, the control corresponding to the current corresponding to the rotational speed is gradually increased from I1 to I2. That is, a control is executed in which the current supplied to the electric motor 8 under the control of the control unit 3 is gradually increased.

  For this reason, the increase characteristic of the current during the period from the rotational speed N1 to the rotational speed N2 is determined in advance. Of course, the current increase characteristic during the period from the rotational speed N2 to the rotational speed N3 and from the rotational speed N1 to the rotational speed N3 is also determined in advance. Therefore, the current increasing during the predetermined time ΔT becomes the differential current value ΔIa, which is known.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, the current value when the fan guard is removed during operation of the indoor unit changes by the difference current value ΔIb during the same predetermined time ΔT. At this time, since there is a relationship of ΔIa <ΔIb, the fan guard during operation is set by setting a differential current value Is (having a relationship of ΔIa <ΔIs <ΔIb) smaller than ΔIb and larger than ΔIa as a differential current threshold. Can be detected. This differential current threshold value Is is stored in the memory unit 4. Note that ΔIa, ΔIb, and ΔIs are changes (differences) in the current value, not the absolute value of the current value.

  In the microcomputer, in the electric motor control program executed every predetermined time, the current detection unit 5 detects the current value flowing into the electric motor 8. This current value information is temporarily stored in the RAM of the microcomputer.

  Next, the microcomputer detects the current value after the lapse of a predetermined time ΔT. This may use a timer to detect the current value after the elapse of the predetermined time ΔT, or the electric motor control program may be activated for a time, so that the predetermined time ΔT may be detected from the number of times the program is executed.

  Next, the microcomputer obtains the differential current value ΔIa or the differential current value ΔIb by subtracting the previous detected current value stored in the RAM from the current value detected this time. The obtained difference current value Ia or difference current value Ib is compared with the difference current threshold value Is stored in the memory unit 4. If the difference current value Ia is lower than the difference current threshold value Is, the fan guard is normally attached. Continue to operate the indoor unit. On the other hand, if the differential current value Ib is larger than the differential current threshold Is, it is assumed that the fan guard has been removed, and the operation of the indoor unit is stopped.

  When the difference current threshold Is is dependent on the current value (= rotation speed) of the electric motor 8, the difference current threshold Is corresponding to each can be set.

  In this way, in this embodiment, the fan guard is detected (determined) by comparing the previously obtained differential current threshold value with the detected differential current value to determine that the fan guard has been removed during operation of the indoor unit. When the removal is detected, the operation of the indoor unit or the electric motor of the outdoor unit is stopped. According to this, when the fan guard provided in the indoor unit or the outdoor unit is removed during operation, the safety can be improved by stopping the operation of the electric motor of the indoor unit or the outdoor unit.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an outline of an electric motor operation control unit of the air conditioner according to the third embodiment. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a limit switch is connected to the control unit instead of the current detection unit.

  Here, the limit switch (micro switch) 12 is provided in a portion where the fan guard is attached. An ON signal is output in a state where the fan guard is normally attached.

  In the microcomputer, an interrupt is generated every predetermined time, an abnormal state detection program is started, and the signal of the limit switch 12 is monitored. When the microcomputer determines that the limit switch 12 is outputting the ON signal, it assumes that the fan guard is normally attached and continues the operation of the indoor unit. On the other hand, if it is determined that the limit switch 12 is outputting an OFF signal, the operation of the indoor unit is stopped assuming that the fan guard has been removed or that the fan guard has been removed at this time.

  As described above, in this embodiment, it is detected by monitoring the signal of the limit switch that the fan guard has been removed during the operation of the indoor unit, and when it is detected that the fan guard has been removed, The operation of the electric motor of the machine is stopped. According to this, when the fan guard provided in the indoor unit or outdoor unit is removed or removed during operation, safety is improved by stopping the operation of the electric motor of the indoor unit or outdoor unit. Can be improved.

  In the above embodiments, examples of indoor units are described, but the same applies to outdoor units. However, in the case of an outdoor unit, the control unit is generally not connected to the remote control, the control unit is connected to the control board of the indoor unit by wiring, and the control unit of the indoor unit is connected to the remote control.

  Here, when it is detected that the fan guard has been removed and the operation is stopped, the abnormality detection information can be displayed on the display unit 10 of the remote controller 11 or can be notified by voice. In particular, when the fan guard of the outdoor unit is removed, it often happens that the user does not notice it. In this case, the abnormality detection information can be displayed on the display unit of the remote controller 11, or the user can be notified of the abnormality by notifying the user with sound.

  Furthermore, in a system that connects and centrally manages a plurality of air conditioners, abnormality detection information may be displayed on the central control controller, or when connected to a remote monitoring device, the abnormality detection information is displayed on the remote monitoring device. May be notified. Of course, it is needless to say that voice notification may be performed.

  In addition, it may be assumed that the vehicle needs to be operated with the fan guard removed during maintenance. Therefore, when detecting that the fan guard is removed, there may be provided switching means for switching between a continuous mode for continuing the operation and a stop mode for stopping the operation. In other words, when maintenance is performed, if the operator selects the continuation mode, the operation of the electric motor of the air conditioner is continued even if it is detected that the fan guard is removed, and if the stop mode is selected, the fan guard is selected. When it is detected that is removed, the operation of the electric motor of the air conditioner is stopped.

  In this case, the switching means is provided in the remote controller 11, and a switching signal is transmitted from the remote controller 11 to the control unit 3, and the control unit 3 selects the continuous mode or the stop mode, thereby enabling the maintenance work described above. As another method, the above maintenance work can be performed by providing a changeover switch on the control board of the air conditioner and selecting a continuation mode or a stop mode by a selection signal of the changeover switch.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when the fan guard is attached (installed state) and it is detected that the fan guard is not attached, the operation of the electric motor of the indoor unit or the outdoor unit is stopped. . According to this, when the fan guard provided in the indoor unit or the outdoor unit is removed, safety can be improved by stopping the operation of the electric motor of the indoor unit or the outdoor unit.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to an above-described Example, Various modifications are included. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Further, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Control board, 2 ... Power supply circuit, 3 ... Control part, 4 ... Memory part, 5 ... Current detection part, 6 ... Commercial power supply, 7 ... Fan, 8 ... Electric motor, 9 ... Drive circuit, 10 ... Display part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Remote control, 12 ... Limit switch, 101 ... Makeup panel, 102 ... Housing, 103 ... Suction grill, 104 ... Windlight plate, 105 ... Air outlet, 106 ... Electric motor, 107 ... Centrifugal fan, 108 ... Heat exchanger, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 109 ... Drain pan, 110 ... Bellmouth, 111 ... Electric box, 115, 117, 118 ... Arrow which shows the flow of air, 116 ... Filter, 120 ... Centrifugal blower, 121 ... Housing, 122 ... Partition plate, 123 ... Compressor 124 ... Electric box, 125 ... Machine room, 126 ... Propeller fan, 127 ... Electric motor, 128 ... Axial fan, 129 ... Blower room, 130 ... Heat exchanger, 131 ... Outlet 132 ... outlet grill.

Claims (6)

A housing that contains at least a blower fan, an electric motor that drives the blower fan, and a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air sent through the blower fan and the refrigerant, and an air passage surface of the housing In an air conditioner provided with a fan guard attached to the motor and a control device for controlling the electric motor,
The said control apparatus detects the attachment state of the said fan guard, and if it detects that the said fan guard is not attached, the driving | operation of the said electric motor will be stopped, The air conditioner characterized by the above-mentioned. The air conditioner according to claim 1,
The control device detects the amount of electricity of the electric motor, and when the amount of electricity of the electric motor becomes larger than the value of electricity when the fan guard is removed, the fan guard is removed. The air conditioner is characterized in that it is determined that the electric motor is stopped. The air conditioner according to claim 1,
The control device detects the amount of increase in the amount of electricity within a predetermined time of the electric motor, and the amount of increase in the amount of electricity of the electric motor is determined by the amount of increase in electricity when the fan guard is removed. An air conditioner characterized by determining that the fan guard is disengaged and stopping the electric motor when the amount exceeds a predetermined increase amount. The air conditioner according to claim 1,
The fan guard mounting state is detected by a limit switch,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein when the control device determines that the fan guard is removed based on a signal from the limit switch, the control device stops the electric motor. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When the control device determines that the fan guard is removed, the control device sends the determination information to another notification means different from the control device, and notifies the fact that the fan guard is removed by the notification device. Air conditioner to do. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The air conditioner is characterized in that the control device includes switching means capable of executing a continuous mode in which the electric motor can be operated even when it is determined that the fan guard is removed.

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