JP2018189360A - Air-conditioning machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately regulate cleaning operation to clean a heat exchanger of an air-conditioning machine.SOLUTION: An air-conditioning machine comprises: a refrigeration cycle which has a heat exchanger cooling or heating surrounding air; and a control device 130 which is capable of executing heating, cooling, dehumidifying operation and controls the refrigeration cycle so as to execute cleaning operation to clean a surface of the heat exchanger. The control device 130 has a regulation control section 138 which regulates execution of cleaning operation when a predetermined condition is met.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

  In paragraph 0019 of the specification of Patent Document 1 below, “In addition, in the heating operation mode, the control device 11 causes water to adhere to the surface of the fin 4b of the indoor heat exchanger 4 after the heating operation so that the oil content on the surface of the fin 4b is reduced. It is provided with a means for executing a heat exchanger clean operation mode that removes, etc. ”.

Japanese Patent No. 4931666

However, Patent Document 1 does not specifically describe the point of appropriately regulating the heat exchanger clean operation mode.
This invention is made | formed in view of the situation mentioned above, and it aims at providing the air conditioner which can regulate appropriately the washing | cleaning driving | operation which wash | cleans a heat exchanger.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the air conditioner of the present invention, a refrigeration cycle having a heat exchanger for cooling or heating ambient air and a cleaning operation for cleaning the surface of the heat exchanger are executed. And a control device that controls the refrigeration cycle, and the control device includes a regulation control unit that regulates execution of the cleaning operation when a predetermined condition occurs.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately regulate the cleaning operation for cleaning the heat exchanger.

It is a schematic diagram of the air conditioner of one Embodiment of this invention. It is side sectional drawing of the principal part of an indoor unit. It is a block diagram of the control apparatus applied to an air conditioner. It is a flowchart (1/2) of a timer interruption routine. It is a flowchart (2/2) of a timer interruption routine. It is a flowchart of a manual cleaning operation routine.

[Configuration of the embodiment]
<Overall configuration of air conditioner>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner S according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, the air conditioner S includes an indoor unit 100, an outdoor unit 200, and a remote controller Re. The indoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 200 are connected by a refrigerant pipe (not shown), and air-conditions an indoor space (hereinafter referred to as an air conditioning room) in which the indoor unit 100 is installed by a known refrigeration cycle. The indoor unit 100 and the outdoor unit 200 transmit and receive information to and from each other via a communication cable (not shown). The outdoor unit 200 is provided with an outside air temperature detection unit 163 that detects the outside air temperature.

  The remote controller Re is operated by a user and transmits an infrared signal to the remote controller transmission / reception unit Q of the indoor unit 100. The content of the signal is a command such as an operation request, a change in set temperature, a timer value setting, an operation mode change, or a stop request. Based on these signals, the air conditioner S performs air conditioning operations such as heating operation, cooling operation, dehumidifying operation, and washing operation. In addition, the remote controller transmission / reception unit Q of the indoor unit 100 transmits information such as room temperature information, humidity information, and electricity bill information to the remote controller Re and notifies the user of these information.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view at the position of the imaging unit 110 of the indoor unit 100.
The housing base 101 houses internal structures such as the heat exchanger 102, the blower fan 103, and the filter 108. The heat exchanger 102 has a plurality of heat transfer tubes 102a. The heat transfer tube 102a is configured to heat-exchange the air taken into the indoor unit 100 by the blower fan 103 and the refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tube 102a and to heat or cool the air. The heat transfer tube 102a communicates with the above-described refrigerant pipe (not shown) and constitutes a part of a known refrigeration cycle (not shown).

  When the blower fan 103 shown in FIG. 2 rotates, the air in the air-conditioned room is taken in through the air suction port 107 and the filter 108, and the heat exchanged by the heat exchanger 102 is guided to the blowout air passage 109a. Furthermore, the air direction of the air guided to the blowout air passage 109a is adjusted by the left and right airflow direction plates 104 and the vertical airflow direction plate 105, and is blown from the air outlet 109b to air-condition the air-conditioned room.

  The left and right wind direction plates 104 are rotated by a left and right wind direction plate motor (not shown) around a rotation shaft (not shown) provided at the lower portion in accordance with an instruction from a control device 130 (FIG. 3) described later. The The vertical wind direction plate 105 is rotated by a vertical wind direction plate motor (not shown) with pivot shafts (not shown) provided at both ends as fulcrums according to instructions from a control device 130 (FIG. 3) described later. Is done. Thereby, the conditioned air can be blown to a desired position in the air-conditioned room.

  An imaging unit 110 and a visible light cut filter unit 117 are provided below the front panel 106 installed so as to cover the front surface of the indoor unit 100. A general camera is applied to the imaging unit 110. This type of camera has sensitivity mainly in the visible light band in order to reproduce colors seen by the human eye, but also has some sensitivity in the ultraviolet band and near infrared band. The visible light cut filter unit 117 has an optical filter that attenuates light in the visible light band, and in particular passes through the near infrared band.

  The imaging unit 110 can also acquire image data of the heat exchanger 102 by changing the direction of the optical axis. The filter driving unit 116 inserts the visible light cut filter unit 117 into the optical axis of the imaging unit 110 as necessary. The installation positions of the imaging unit 110, the visible light cut filter unit 117, and the like can be changed according to the purpose of the acquired image, and are not limited to the positions in FIG.

  When the visible light cut filter unit 117 is placed in the optical axis of the imaging unit 110 and the air-conditioned room is photographed, near-infrared luminance data, that is, a near-infrared image can be acquired. If the visible light in the air-conditioned room is simply photographed, for example, a white portion may be erroneously detected as “brighter” than it actually is. On the other hand, in the near-infrared image, the influence of the color and pattern of each part in the air-conditioned room can be removed. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the filter driving unit 116 inserts the visible light cut filter unit 117 into the optical axis of the imaging unit 110 as necessary.

  Note that the visible light cut filter unit 117 may be removed from the optical axis of the imaging unit 110 when the solar radiation into the air-conditioned room is extremely strong. In addition, the specification of the optical filter may be changed so that the visible light cut filter unit 117 transmits ultraviolet rays. The infrared projector 115 is a near-infrared diode, for example, and irradiates infrared rays into the air-conditioned room. This is because the human body is accurately detected using the luminance difference images before and after infrared irradiation.

  The imaging unit 110 is installed so as to face downward by a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction from the installation position of the imaging unit 110, and can appropriately capture an image of the air-conditioned room. The imaging unit 110 can detect a wide range of human bodies in the air-conditioned room by swinging the optical axis to the left and right. However, the detailed mounting position and angle of the imaging unit 110 may be set according to the specification and application of the air conditioner S, and the configuration is not limited. The configuration of the air conditioner S shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is merely an example according to the present embodiment, and it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment.

<Control device configuration>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the control device 130 applied to the air conditioner S of the present embodiment.
In FIG. 3, the control device 130 includes a camera microcomputer 130 </ b> A, a main microcomputer 130 </ b> B, a load driving unit 150, and an environment detection unit 160.
Further, the imaging unit 110 described above digitizes the optical lens 111 that adjusts the imaging range and focus, the imaging element 112 that converts room light incident from the optical lens 111 into an electrical signal, and digitizes the signal of the imaging element 112 to generate an image. An A / D converter 113 that converts data and a digital signal processing unit 114 that corrects the luminance and color tone of the image data are included.

  Here, when shooting, it is preferable to apply appropriate shooting parameters (general corrections such as shutter speed, white balance, contrast, noise removal, etc.) according to the specifications of the product to be applied. Depending on the sensitivity of the imaging unit 110, image data preferable for human body detection can be acquired by applying the above-described visible light cut filter unit 117 (see FIG. 2).

  The environment detection unit 160 includes a room temperature detection unit 161, an illuminance detection unit 162, an outside air temperature detection unit 163 that detects outdoor temperature, and a heat exchanger that detects the temperature of the heat exchanger 102 (see FIG. 2). A temperature detection unit 164. Here, the room temperature detection unit 161 detects the temperature in the air-conditioned room, and applies a far-infrared sensor such as a thermopile so that a room temperature in the same range as the imaging range by the imaging unit 110 can be detected. It is preferable. The illuminance detection unit 162 includes an illuminance sensor that detects the illuminance in the air-conditioned room. Moreover, the illumination intensity detection part 162 may measure the solar radiation amount irradiated into the air-conditioned room with the illumination intensity. Further, instead of the illuminance detection unit 162, the illuminance may be measured based on the imaging result of the imaging unit 110.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the outside air temperature detection unit 163 detects the temperature where the outdoor unit 200 is installed, that is, the temperature outside the air conditioning room. The outside air temperature detection unit 163 includes a semiconductor temperature sensor such as a thermistor. Moreover, the heat exchanger temperature detection part 164 has semiconductor temperature sensors, such as a thermistor. As shown in FIG. 2, the heat exchanger temperature detector 164 is attached to the upper end of the heat exchanger 102 and detects the surface temperature of the heat exchanger 102. The environment detection unit 160 may be provided with various sensors as necessary, such as an activity amount detection sensor using a Fresnel lens and an infrared sensor, or a humidity sensor, in addition to the above.

  The camera microcomputer 130A has a storage unit 140A, and the main microcomputer 130B has a storage unit 140B. Each of the storage units 140A and 140B includes a RAM (Random Access Memory, no sign) and a ROM (Read Only Memory, no sign). Further, the camera microcomputer 130A and the main microcomputer 130B have hardware as a general computer such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), and the ROM has a control program executed by the CPU and various data. Etc. are stored. In the camera microcomputer 130A and the main microcomputer 130B, blocks other than the storage units 140A and 140B indicate functions realized by a control program or the like.

  That is, the camera microcomputer 130A has an image detection unit 139. The image detection unit 139 includes a human body detection unit 131 and a dirt detection unit 132. The main microcomputer 130B includes an arithmetic processing unit 141, an automatic operation unit 135, a drive control unit 136, a time measurement unit 137, and a restriction control unit 138.

  The control device 130 can operate any one of a heating operation, a cooling operation, a dehumidifying operation, and a cleaning operation to operate a refrigeration cycle (not shown) of the air conditioner S. Among these, the heating operation, the cooling operation, and the dehumidifying operation are the same as those of a known air conditioner. The cleaning operation is an operation in which the surface of the heat exchanger 102 is condensed and the surface of the heat exchanger 102 is cleaned with the condensed water. In the cleaning operation, the control device 130 sets the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the heat exchanger 102 to be equal to or lower than the dew point temperature. Further, the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant in the cleaning operation is set to be lower (preferably below the freezing point) than the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant in the dehumidifying operation.

  Here, the cleaning operation includes operation modes of “strong cleaning mode” and “weak cleaning mode”. The weak cleaning mode is an operation mode for setting the temperature of the heat exchanger 102 higher than that in the strong cleaning mode and suppressing energy consumption. In the strong cleaning mode, the control device 130 cools the surface of the heat exchanger 102 until it becomes less than 0 ° C. Thereby, the surface of the heat exchanger 102 is frosted. Thereafter, the controller 130 melts the frost by heating the heat exchanger 102 and cleans the surface of the heat exchanger 102 with the generated water. On the other hand, in the weak cleaning mode, the surface of the heat exchanger 102 may be 0 ° C. or higher.

  The main microcomputer 130B receives an operation instruction from the user via the remote control transmission / reception unit Q, and loads the load based on various environment information supplied from the environment detection unit 160 and an operation command from the remote control transmission / reception unit Q. Each unit is controlled via the drive unit 150. The load driving unit 150 is based on a command from the main microcomputer 130B, a refrigeration cycle (not shown), a fan motor (not shown) for the blower fan 103, and a fan motor (not shown) for the left and right wind direction plates 104. A fan motor (not shown) for the up-and-down wind direction plate 105, a compressor motor (not shown) provided in the outdoor unit 200, and the like are driven.

  The camera microcomputer 130A and the main microcomputer 130B mutually input / output various operation commands. In particular, the camera microcomputer 130A supplies the detection result of the image detection unit 139 and the like to the main microcomputer 130B, and the main microcomputer 130B outputs an imaging request signal to the camera microcomputer 130A. The indoor image data acquired by the imaging unit 110 is supplied to the image detection unit 139, and various image processing is performed in the image detection unit 139. First, the dirt detector 132 detects dirt attached to the surface of the heat exchanger 102. Here, “dirt” includes both an oil film adhering to the surface of the heat exchanger 102 and dust floating from the surface of the heat exchanger 102.

  Further, the human body detection unit 131 is based on the image data supplied from the imaging unit 110, and the number of people in the room, the position of each person in the room, the head, chest, arms, legs, etc. of the person in the room. It detects the position and movement of these parts. The human body detection unit 131 and the dirt detection unit 132 may detect a part of the human body and dirt based on the image data having the same specifications supplied from the imaging unit 110. Further, imaging parameters suitable for the human body detection unit 131 and the dirt detection unit 132 may be set in the digital signal processing unit 114 of the imaging unit 110. In this case, the human body detection unit 131 and the dirt detection unit 132 may detect the human body part and the heat exchanger 102 based on the results of different signal processing.

  The detection results of the human body detection unit 131 and the dirt detection unit 132 are supplied to the arithmetic processing unit 141 of the main microcomputer 130B. The arithmetic processing unit 141 performs overall control of the control device 130, performs operation settings of each part in the control device 130 for air conditioning operation (heating operation, cooling operation, dehumidification operation or cleaning operation), and the drive control unit 136 and the like. To control air conditioning. The imaging unit 110 described above captures images of the room and the heat exchanger 102 based on the imaging request signal from the arithmetic processing unit 141.

  By the way, the detection result obtained by the image processing of the image detection unit 139 is only information such as the position of the occupant and the amount of activity, information such as distance information, and the image data that a person can visually grasp as video is It may not be included. Thereby, the amount of data held in the storage units 140A and 140B can be reduced, and the image data cannot be taken out of the control device 130, so that the privacy protection of the occupants in the air-conditioned room can be realized.

The automatic operation unit 135 included in the main microcomputer 130 </ b> B mainly executes a “sleep function”. This is a function that is preferably used at night when it is difficult to sleep. That is, the good night function is a function that automatically executes the weak cooling operation when the room temperature becomes a predetermined value or more, for example, while the air conditioner S is always in the OFF state. Further, the drive control unit 136 controls the load driving unit 150 and the like based on a command from the arithmetic processing unit 141 and the like.
Moreover, the time measurement part 137 measures various time information, such as the operation start time of the air conditioner S, the operation continuation time, and the operation stop time. In addition, the restriction control unit 138 restricts the cleaning operation performed by the arithmetic processing unit 141 as necessary. The details will be described later together with the operation.

  In addition, the control device 130 includes a camera substrate 122 and a control substrate 124. A main microcomputer 130B is mounted on the control board 124, and a camera microcomputer 130A and the imaging unit 110 are mounted on the camera board 122. The imaging unit 110 and the camera microcomputer 130A mounted on the camera substrate 122 tend to operate at high speed because they perform various image processing and perform a lot of data processing. For this reason, it is preferable to apply a multilayer substrate suitable for high-speed operation to the camera substrate 122, although it is relatively expensive. On the other hand, since the main microcomputer 130B is not required to operate so fast, a low-cost board can be applied to the control board 124.

  In this embodiment, since the control apparatus 130 has the camera board | substrate 122 and the control board 124, communication between both generate | occur | produces. However, since the communication contents between the two are, for example, detection results by the human body detection unit 131 and the dirt detection unit 132, various operation commands, and the like, the communication amount can be made relatively small. Therefore, it is preferable to apply serial communication with a small number of connection lines for communication between the two. Thus, the control device 130 can be configured at low cost by dividing the circuit board provided in the control device 130 into the camera substrate 122 and the control substrate 124.

[Operation of the embodiment]
<Automatic cleaning operation>
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
The above-mentioned “cleaning operation” includes, for example, “automatic cleaning operation” that is automatically executed at predetermined time intervals and “manual cleaning operation” that is started by the user manually operating the remote control Re (operation unit). There is. In addition, the user can specify in advance whether or not to permit the automatic cleaning operation. Further, when permitting the automatic cleaning operation, the user can also specify whether or not to permit the automatic cleaning operation when the person is in the room. This is because when the cleaning operation is executed, the room temperature and the humidity are slightly lowered, so that there are users who feel uncomfortable with the automatic execution of the cleaning operation.

  4 and 5 are flowcharts of a timer interrupt routine executed in the control device 130. This routine is started at a predetermined timer interrupt cycle (for example, several seconds or several minutes). This routine is mainly applied to the automatic cleaning operation.

  In FIG. 4, when the process proceeds to step S <b> 2, the restriction control unit 138 determines whether activation of the automatic cleaning operation is permitted. Here, if it is determined as “No”, the regulation control unit 138 prohibits the automatic cleaning operation at that time. The operation in that case will be described later. On the other hand, if “Yes” is determined in step S2, the process proceeds to step S4, and the restriction control unit 138 determines that the operation time after completion of the previous cleaning operation (either automatic or manual) is a predetermined operation interval. It is determined whether or not it is equal to or longer than D1 (first operation time). The operation interval D1 is an interval at which the automatic cleaning operation can be performed, and may be set to a value of about 10 hours to 1000 hours, for example.

  If “No” is determined here, the restriction control unit 138 prohibits the automatic cleaning operation at that time. On the other hand, if “Yes” is determined, the process proceeds to step S <b> 6, and the restriction control unit 138 indicates that “automatic cleaning operation is permitted when a person is present” or “no person is present in the air-conditioned room. ", It is determined whether at least one of the conditions is satisfied. In other words, if the automatic cleaning operation when the person is in the room is prohibited and there is a person in the air-conditioned room, it is determined as “No”, and the restriction control unit 138 performs the automatic cleaning operation at that time. Is prohibited.

On the other hand, if “Yes” is determined in step S 6, the process proceeds to step S 8, and the restriction control unit 138 determines whether or not the illuminance in the air-conditioned room is greater than or equal to a predetermined value based on the detection result of the illuminance detection unit 162. Determine whether. If “No” is determined here, the restriction control unit 138 prohibits the automatic cleaning operation at that time. This is because if the illuminance is less than the predetermined value, the occupant is likely to be sleeping.
On the other hand, if “Yes” is determined in step S10, the process proceeds to step S10, and the restriction control unit 138 determines whether the “sleep function” is in the OFF state.

  If the sleep function is in the ON state, “No” is determined in step S10, and the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the restriction control unit 138 determines whether or not the operation time after completion of the previous cleaning operation has passed a predetermined operation interval D2 (third operation time). Here, the operation interval D2 is longer than the operation interval D1 described above, and may be, for example, about twice as long as the operation interval D1. If “No” is determined here, the restriction control unit 138 prohibits the automatic cleaning operation at that time. On the other hand, if “Yes” is determined in either step S10 or S12, the process proceeds to step S14.

  Here, the significance of steps S10 and S12 will be described. First, if the sleep function is ON, the person in the room is likely to be asleep. Therefore, if it is determined “No” in step S10, the restriction control unit 138 basically performs the automatic cleaning operation. Is preferably prohibited. However, there are users who use the sleep function continuously without interruption even after waking up or while sleeping. In this case, if the automatic cleaning operation is immediately prohibited because the sleep function is in the ON state, the automatic cleaning operation will not be executed any time. Therefore, the regulation control unit 138 determines in step S12 whether or not an operation interval D2 longer than the normal operation interval D1 has elapsed since the previous cleaning operation. That is, if it determines with "Yes" in step S12, automatic washing operation will be performed when other conditions are satisfied.

  The human body detection unit 131 (see FIG. 3) in the camera microcomputer 130A detects that when the occupant turns over based on the position, posture, movement, etc. of the occupant, and detects that fact, and the main microcomputer 130B. Notify In FIG. 4, when the process proceeds to step S <b> 14, the restriction control unit 138 determines whether turning over has not been detected within the past predetermined time. When turning over is detected, it is determined as “No”, and the restriction control unit 138 prohibits the automatic cleaning operation at that time. This is because, when turning over is detected, the occupant is likely to be sleeping. On the other hand, if "Yes" is determined in step S14, the process proceeds to step S16.

  In step S16, the restriction controller 138 determines whether or not the outside air temperature detected by the outside air temperature detector 163 (see FIG. 3) is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature T1 (first predetermined temperature). Here, the temperature T1 may be set to 0 ° C., for example. This is because when the outside air temperature is below freezing, that is, below 0 ° C., a drain pipe (not shown) for discharging condensed water to the outside may freeze and become clogged. However, the user can set a desired value of 0 ° C. or higher as the temperature T1. This is because there is a user who desires that “I want to avoid further cooling the room in a cold time zone (for example, below 5 ° C.)”. If it is determined as “No” in step S <b> 16, the restriction control unit 138 prohibits the automatic cleaning operation at that time. On the other hand, if "Yes" is determined in step S16, the process proceeds to step S18.

  In step S18, the regulation controller 138 determines whether the heat exchanger temperature detected by the heat exchanger temperature detector 164 (see FIG. 3) is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature T2 (second predetermined temperature, third predetermined temperature). Determine whether or not. Here, the temperature T2 is “a temperature at which the refrigeration cycle and the heat exchanger 102 can be stably washed if the temperature is equal to or higher than this temperature”. The predetermined temperature T2 varies depending on the refrigeration cycle and the configuration of the heat exchanger 102, but may be set to −30 ° C., for example. If it is determined as “No” in step S18, the restriction control unit 138 prohibits the automatic cleaning operation at that time. On the other hand, if “Yes” is determined in step S18, the process proceeds to step S20 (see FIG. 5).

  In step S20, the restriction control unit 138 determines whether the cooling, heating, dehumidification, or cleaning operation of the air conditioner S has been stopped and whether a predetermined time D3 has elapsed since the stop. This is because if the sufficient time (predetermined time D3) has not elapsed since the operation stop, the cleaning operation may be hindered due to the influence of the previous operation. If "No" is determined here, the process proceeds to step S22, and the restriction control unit 138 determines whether or not a predetermined start condition is satisfied. This is because the cleaning operation may be started even if the predetermined time D3 has not elapsed since the operation stop.

  Here, the “start condition” is, for example, “when the heat exchanger temperature is equal to or higher than the dew point temperature T3 after the cooling operation”. Such a situation may occur immediately after a weak cooling operation where the set temperature is about 28 ° C., for example. If it is determined as “No” in step S22, the restriction control unit 138 prohibits the automatic cleaning operation at that time. On the other hand, if “Yes” is determined in either step S20 or S22, the process proceeds to step S24.

  In step S24, the arithmetic processing unit 141 determines whether or not the “strong cleaning start condition” is satisfied. Here, the strong cleaning start condition is a condition for starting a cleaning operation in the strong cleaning mode. As described above, the cleaning operation includes the strong cleaning mode and the weak cleaning mode, and the strong cleaning mode consumes more energy than the weak cleaning mode. Therefore, in this embodiment, power consumption is reduced by alternately selecting the strong cleaning mode and the weak cleaning mode. Specifically, the conditions such as “the operation mode of the previous cleaning operation was the weak cleaning mode” and “the cleaning operation in the strong cleaning mode has not been executed for the operation time D4 (second operation time) or longer” are satisfied. It may be applied as “strong washing start condition”. This is because it is considered that there is little dirt adhering to the heat exchanger 102 unless the operation time has passed since the cleaning operation in the strong cleaning mode.

  If it is determined as “Yes” in step S24, the process proceeds to step S32, and the arithmetic processing unit 141 starts the cleaning operation in the strong cleaning mode. On the other hand, if “No” is determined in step S24, the process proceeds to step S34, and the arithmetic processing unit 141 starts the cleaning operation in the weak cleaning mode. Next, when the process proceeds to step S36, the arithmetic processing unit 141 determines whether or not the cleaning operation is completed. If "No" is determined here, the process proceeds to step S40. Here, similarly to step S18 described above, the regulation control unit 138 determines whether or not the heat exchanger temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature T2 (for example, −30 ° C.). If "No" is determined here, the process returns to step S36.

  Thereafter, as long as the heat exchanger temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature T2, the loop of steps S36 and S40 is repeated. During the period in which this loop is repeated, the arithmetic processing unit 141 continues the cleaning operation process. For example, when the strong cleaning mode is selected, the arithmetic processing unit 141 cools the surface of the heat exchanger 102 until the surface becomes less than 0 ° C., and continues the state for a predetermined time, whereby the surface of the heat exchanger 102 Frost. Thereafter, frost is heated by the heat exchanger 102 and the state where the temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature is continued for a predetermined time. As a result, the frost is melted and the surface of the heat exchanger 102 is washed with the generated water.

  When these series of processes are completed, “Yes” is determined when the process proceeds to step S36, and the process proceeds to step S38. In step S38, the arithmetic processing unit 141 resets a timer called an automatic cleaning timer (not shown) provided in the time measuring unit 137 (see FIG. 3) to zero, and the processing of this routine ends. Here, the automatic cleaning timer is a timer that counts the time during which the air conditioner S is performing cooling, heating or dehumidifying operation. When the steps S4 and S12 were described above, the “operation time” of the air conditioner S was described. This “operation time” means “the count result of the automatic cleaning timer”.

  In the present embodiment, the terms “complete” and “stop” are used for the cleaning operation. Here, “stop” refers to stopping the cleaning operation for any reason. On the other hand, “complete” refers to stopping the cleaning operation as a result of completing a series of processes of the cleaning operation. Therefore, “complete” is included in the concept of “stop”. When the cleaning operation is “completed”, the arithmetic processing unit 141 can be distinguished from “stop” due to abnormality or the like in that the automatic cleaning timer is reset to zero in step S38 described above.

  When the loop of steps S36 and S40 described above is repeated, if the heat exchanger temperature becomes lower than a predetermined temperature T2 (for example, −30 ° C.), it is determined as “No” in step S40, and the process proceeds to step S42. Here, the restriction control unit 138 “stops” the cleaning operation, and the processing of this routine is completed. When the cleaning operation is stopped in step S42, the above-described automatic cleaning timer is not reset to zero. Therefore, when the timer interrupt routine (FIGS. 4 and 5) is started again at the next timer interrupt timing (for example, several seconds or minutes later), “Yes” (operation from the previous cleaning operation) is performed in step S4. It is determined that the interval D1 has elapsed).

  Then, when the process proceeds to step S18 thereafter, if the heat exchanger temperature has returned to the predetermined temperature T2 or higher, it is determined as “Yes”. If the predetermined time D3 has elapsed from the timing at which the previous cleaning operation was stopped (that is, the timing at which step S42 was executed), the arithmetic processing unit 141 performs the cleaning operation again by the processing after step S24. Start.

  Further, as described above, when it is determined “No” in any of steps S2 to S8, S12 to S18, and S22, the restriction control unit 138 prohibits the automatic cleaning operation at that time. In this case, the process proceeds to step S <b> 26 in FIG. 5, and the arithmetic processing unit 141 determines whether or not the “dirt measurement condition” is satisfied. In other words, in the present embodiment, the arithmetic processing unit 141 outputs a command to the camera microcomputer 130A every predetermined operation time so as to detect contamination of the heat exchanger 102. Therefore, when a predetermined operation time has elapsed from the timing when the previous command is output, the “dirt measurement condition” is satisfied.

  If it is determined as “Yes” in step S <b> 26, the arithmetic processing unit 141 performs dirt measurement. That is, the arithmetic processing unit 141 outputs an operation command to the effect that dirt measurement should be performed to the camera microcomputer 130A. In response to this operation command, the camera microcomputer 130A causes the imaging unit 110 to photograph the heat exchanger 102 and acquires the image data. Then, the dirt detector 132 detects the degree of dirt of the heat exchanger 102 based on the image data.

  Next, when the process proceeds to step S <b> 30, the arithmetic processing unit 141 updates the operation intervals D <b> 1 and D <b> 2 based on the detection result of the degree of contamination of the heat exchanger 102. That is, the greater the degree of soiling, the shorter the operation intervals D1 and D2, so that the heat exchanger 102 is frequently washed. Thus, the processing of this routine ends.

  As described above, in step S6, if the automatic cleaning operation when a person is in the room is prohibited, the automatic cleaning operation at that time is prohibited when the occupant is detected. However, if the occupant leaves the room at the next timer interruption, the automatic cleaning operation can be executed. Here, the timer interrupt routine (FIGS. 4 and 5) is started with a relatively short timer interrupt cycle (for example, several seconds or several minutes). After the automatic cleaning operation is restricted due to the detection of the human body, it is considered that the automatic cleaning operation is executed when the human body detection unit 131 stops detecting the human body.

  Similarly, in step S8, if the illuminance in the air-conditioned room is less than a predetermined value, the automatic cleaning operation at that time is prohibited. However, if the illuminance becomes a predetermined value or more at the next timer interruption, the automatic cleaning operation can be executed. Therefore, the operation of the present embodiment is “when the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection unit 162 is less than a predetermined value, and after the automatic cleaning operation is regulated, the automatic cleaning operation is executed when the illuminance exceeds a predetermined value”. Can be considered.

<Manual cleaning operation>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a manual cleaning operation routine executed in the control device 130. This routine is started when the user performs a predetermined operation instructing the manual cleaning operation on the remote controller Re.
In FIG. 6, when the process proceeds to step S60, the regulation control unit 138 determines whether or not the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature T1, similarly to step S16 (see FIG. 4) described above. If "Yes" is determined here, the process proceeds to step S62.

In step S62, the restriction control unit 138 determines whether or not the heat exchanger temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature T2 as in the above-described step S18 (see FIG. 4). If "Yes" is determined here, the process proceeds to step S64.
On the other hand, if “No” is determined in step S60 or S62, the restriction control unit 138 prohibits the automatic cleaning operation at that time, and this routine ends.

  In step S64, the regulation control unit 138 stops the cooling, heating, dehumidification, or cleaning operation of the air conditioner S in the same manner as in the above-described step S20 (see FIG. 5), and the predetermined time D3 from the stop. It is determined whether or not elapses. If “No” is determined here, the process proceeds to step S66, and the restriction control unit 138 determines whether or not a predetermined start condition is satisfied, as in step S22 (see FIG. 5) described above. To do. However, in this routine, if “No” is determined in step S66, the process returns to step S64. Thereafter, the loops of steps S64 and S66 are repeated. When the predetermined time D3 elapses, at step S64, “Yes” is determined.

  If "Yes" is determined in step S64 or S66, the process proceeds to step S68. The subsequent steps S68 to S72 and S76 to S82 are the same as the steps S24, S32, S34, and S36 to S42 of the above-described timer interrupt routine (see FIG. 5). That is, based on whether or not the strong cleaning start condition is satisfied (S68), the cleaning operation is started in the strong cleaning mode (S70) or the weak cleaning mode (S72). Thereafter, when the cleaning operation is normally completed (“Yes” in S76), the automatic cleaning timer is reset to zero (S78), and the processing of this routine is ended. On the other hand, when the heat exchanger temperature becomes lower than the predetermined temperature T2 (“No” in S80), the cleaning operation is stopped at that time (S82).

[Effect of the embodiment]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the control device (130) includes the regulation control unit (138) that regulates execution of the cleaning operation when a predetermined condition occurs, the cleaning operation for cleaning the heat exchanger is performed. Can be properly regulated.
Further, the regulation control unit (138) regulates the cleaning operation until the operation time of the refrigeration cycle reaches a predetermined first operation time (D1) after the cleaning operation has been executed in the past (the manual cleaning operation is performed). Permitted, automatic cleaning operation is prohibited). Thereby, the interval of cleaning operation can be controlled appropriately.
The control device (130) further includes a human body detection unit (131) that detects the human body in the target room or the movement of the human body in the target room, and the regulation control unit (138) includes the human body detection unit (131) When a predetermined movement of the human body is detected, the cleaning operation is restricted (manual cleaning operation is permitted, and automatic cleaning operation is prohibited). Thereby, the operation when a person is present in the air-conditioned room can be appropriately regulated.

The control device (130) further includes an illuminance detection unit (162) that detects the illuminance in the target room, and the regulation control unit (138) regulates the cleaning operation if the illuminance is less than a predetermined value (manual). Cleaning operation is permitted, automatic cleaning operation is prohibited). Thereby, according to illumination intensity, a washing operation can be controlled appropriately.
The control device (130) further includes a room temperature detection unit (161) that detects the room temperature in the target room, and an automatic operation unit (135) that operates the stopped refrigeration cycle according to the detected room temperature. The regulation control unit (138) regulates the cleaning operation when the automatic operation unit (135) is operating (permits manual cleaning operation and prohibits automatic cleaning operation until the operation interval D2 elapses). . Thereby, the washing operation can be appropriately regulated during the operation of the automatic operation unit.

The control device (130) further includes an outdoor air temperature detection unit (163) for detecting the outdoor temperature, and the regulation control unit (138) performs the cleaning operation when the outdoor temperature becomes equal to or lower than the first predetermined temperature (T1). (S16, S60: Both manual and automatic washing operations are prohibited). Thereby, according to outdoor temperature, a washing operation can be controlled appropriately.
The regulation control unit (138) regulates the cleaning operation when the outdoor temperature is below freezing point. This can prevent the drain pipe from being clogged due to freezing.

The control device (130) further includes a heat exchanger temperature detection unit (164) for detecting the temperature of the heat exchanger (102), and the regulation control unit (138) is configured to perform the heat exchanger during the cleaning operation. When the temperature of (102) becomes lower than the second predetermined temperature (T2), the cleaning operation is stopped (S40, S42, S80, S82). Thereby, according to the temperature of the heat exchanger 102, a washing | cleaning driving | operation can be regulated more appropriately.
Further, the regulation control unit (138) stops the cleaning operation based on the temperature of the heat exchanger (102), and then the temperature of the heat exchanger (102) becomes equal to or higher than the second predetermined temperature (T2). Then, the re-execution of the cleaning operation is prohibited (S18, S62). Thereby, according to the temperature of the heat exchanger 102, a washing | cleaning driving | operation can be regulated more appropriately.

  The air conditioner S further includes an operation unit (Re) operated by a user, and the control device (130) performs a cleaning operation based on an operation in the operation unit (Re), and performs regulation control. The unit (138) has a function of prohibiting execution of the cleaning operation due to factors other than the operation in the operation unit (Re) (S2: prohibiting automatic cleaning operation). Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately regulate the cleaning operation due to factors other than the operation of the operation unit (Re).

The control device (130) selects, as the cleaning operation, either the strong cleaning mode or the weak cleaning mode that consumes less energy than the strong cleaning mode, and the second operation time in the past. When the strong cleaning mode is selected in (D4), it has a function of selecting the weak cleaning mode (S24). Thereby, the washing operation can be appropriately regulated so as to reduce the power consumption.
In addition, the regulation control unit (138) regulates the execution of the washing operation until the predetermined time (D3) has elapsed after the heating operation is finished (S20, S64), whereby the washing after the heating operation is finished. Driving can be regulated appropriately.

The control device (130) further includes a dirt detection unit (132) that detects dirt adhering to the surface of the heat exchanger (102), and the restriction control unit (138) has a smaller amount of detected dirt. The first operation time (D1) is lengthened (S26 to S30). Thereby, according to the dirt of a heat exchanger (102), the interval of cleaning operation can be controlled appropriately.
In addition, when the automatic operation unit (135) is operating, the regulation control unit (138) is configured so that the operation time of the refrigeration cycle is longer than the first operation time (D1) after the cleaning operation has been executed in the past. When the long third operation time (D2) is reached, the cleaning operation is accepted (S12). Thereby, even if it is during operation | movement of an automatic driving | operation part (135), the space | interval of washing | cleaning operation can be controlled appropriately.

Further, the regulation control unit (138) executes the cleaning operation when the illuminance becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined value after regulating the cleaning operation because the illuminance is less than the predetermined value (S8). Thereby, according to illumination intensity, a washing operation can be controlled appropriately.
The restriction control unit (138) executes the cleaning operation when the human body detection unit (131) no longer detects the human body after the human body detection unit (131) detects the human body and restricts the cleaning operation (S6). ). Thereby, the operation when a person is present in the air-conditioned room can be appropriately regulated.

  Further, after the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation is completed, the regulation control unit (138) immediately accepts the execution of the cleaning operation if the temperature of the heat exchanger (102) is equal to or higher than the third predetermined temperature (T3). (S22, S66). Thereby, according to the temperature of a heat exchanger (102), a washing operation can be controlled appropriately. Further, the regulation control unit (138) regulates the execution of the cleaning operation until a predetermined time (D3) elapses after the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation is completed (S20, S64). Thereby, the washing | cleaning driving | operation after completion | finish of a cooling operation or a dehumidification driving | operation can be controlled appropriately.

  Further, the regulation control unit (138) regulates the execution of the cleaning operation until a predetermined time (D3) has elapsed after the completion of the cleaning operation (S20, S64). Thereby, the next washing | cleaning driving | operation after completion | finish of washing | cleaning driving | operation can be controlled appropriately. Further, if the temperature of the heat exchanger (102) is lower than the second predetermined temperature (T2), the restriction control unit (138) restricts the execution of the cleaning operation (S18, S62). Thereby, according to the temperature of a heat exchanger (102), a washing operation can be controlled appropriately.

Further, when executing the cleaning operation, the control device (130) sets the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the heat exchanger (102) to be equal to or lower than the dew point temperature (T3). Thereby, water vapor | steam in air can be condensed appropriately.
Further, the control device (130) makes the refrigerant evaporation temperature in the cleaning operation lower than the refrigerant evaporation temperature in the dehumidifying operation. Thereby, the water vapor | steam in air can be condensed more appropriately.

[Modification]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made. The above-described embodiments are illustrated for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Further, other configurations may be added to the configuration of the above embodiment, and a part of the configuration can be replaced with another configuration. In addition, the control lines and information lines shown in the figure are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and not all the control lines and information lines that are necessary on the product are shown. Actually, it may be considered that almost all the components are connected to each other. Examples of possible modifications to the above embodiment are as follows.

(1) Since the hardware of the main microcomputer 130B in the above embodiment can be realized by a general computer, the programs according to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 are stored in a storage medium or distributed via a transmission path. May be.

(2) The process shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 has been described as a software process using a program in the above embodiment, but a part or all of the process is an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively, hardware processing using an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) or the like may be used.

(3) In the timer interrupt routine (FIG. 4) of the above embodiment, if “No” is determined in step S10, that is, if the “sleep function” is in the OFF state, the process shown in step S12 is performed. Executed. However, if “No” is determined in step S10, the automatic cleaning operation may be immediately prohibited and the process may proceed to step S26 (see FIG. 5).

  In step S10 of the above embodiment, it is determined whether or not “the sleep function is in an OFF state”. Instead, it is determined whether or not “the sleep function is in an OFF state or a thermo OFF state”. You may judge. Here, the “thermo OFF state” is a state “the blast fan 103 of the indoor unit 100 is driven but the refrigeration cycle is stopped”. As a result, even if the air conditioner S is continuously performing normal (not a sleep function) cooling, heating or dehumidifying operation, if the thermo-OFF state occurs, the operation starts from the previous cleaning operation. When the interval D2 has elapsed, the cleaning operation can be performed (step S12). In this case, the process of step S20 is replaced with the above-described embodiment, “the operation of the refrigeration cycle in the cooling, heating, dehumidifying or cleaning operation is stopped, and the predetermined time D3 has elapsed since the stop. It is preferable to determine whether or not.

(4) In the above embodiment, the temperature (second predetermined temperature) that becomes the boundary for stopping the cleaning operation in steps S40, S42, S80, and S82, and the re-execution of the cleaning operation in steps S18 and S62. The temperature (third predetermined temperature) serving as the boundary for prohibiting is the same predetermined temperature T2. However, the second predetermined temperature and the third predetermined temperature may be different from each other.

(5) The “start condition” in steps S22 and S66 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) in the above embodiment is “when the heat exchanger temperature is equal to or higher than the dew point temperature T3 after the cooling operation”. However, when a stable operation of the heat exchanger 102 or the like can be expected, if the immediately preceding operation is “cooling operation” or “dehumidification operation”, the “start condition” even if the heat exchanger temperature is lower than the dew point temperature T3. It is good also as satisfying. In this case, the cleaning operation can be started immediately after the “cooling operation” or “dehumidification operation” is stopped. Note that when the “heating operation” has ended, the execution of the cleaning operation is restricted until the predetermined time D3 has elapsed, as in the case of the above-described embodiment. This is because the temperature of the heat exchanger 102 is high after the heating operation is completed, and it takes time and energy loss increases when the heat exchanger 102 is cooled from this state.

(6) In the above embodiment, in order to prevent the drain pipe (not shown) from being clogged due to freezing, if the outside air temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature T1 (for example, 0 ° C.), the automatic / manual cleaning operation is prohibited. (Steps S16 and S60). However, a heater may be attached to the drain pipe, and the cleaning operation may be executed even when the outside air temperature is lower than the temperature T1. In this case, when it is determined “No” in step S16 or S60, the heater is turned on, and the processing after step S18 or S62 is continued.

(7) In the above embodiment, two types of operation modes, the strong cleaning mode and the weak cleaning mode, are applied as the cleaning operation. However, the cleaning operation may be performed only in the strong cleaning mode.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 Heat exchanger 130 Control apparatus 131 Human body detection part 132 Dirt detection part 135 Automatic operation part 138 Regulation control part 161 Room temperature detection part 162 Illuminance detection part 163 Outside air temperature detection part 164 Heat exchanger temperature detection part D1 Operation interval (1st Operating time)
D2 Operation interval (third operation time)
D3 predetermined time D4 operation time (second operation time)
Re remote control (operation unit)
S air conditioner T1 temperature (first predetermined temperature)
T2 temperature (second predetermined temperature, third predetermined temperature)
T3 dew point temperature

Claims (25)

A refrigeration cycle having a heat exchanger that cools or heats the surrounding air;
A control device for controlling the refrigeration cycle to perform a cleaning operation for cleaning the surface of the heat exchanger;
The air conditioner is characterized in that the control device includes a restriction control unit that restricts execution of the cleaning operation when a predetermined condition occurs. The restriction control unit restricts the cleaning operation until an operation time of the refrigeration cycle reaches a predetermined first operation time after the cleaning operation has been executed in the past. The air conditioner described. The control device further includes a human body detection unit that detects a human body in the target room or a movement of the human body in the target room,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the regulation control unit regulates the cleaning operation when the human body detection unit detects the human body or a predetermined movement of the human body. The control device further includes an illuminance detection unit that detects illuminance in the target room,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the regulation control unit regulates the cleaning operation when the illuminance is less than a predetermined value. The control device further includes a room temperature detection unit that detects a room temperature in a target room, and an automatic operation unit that operates the refrigeration cycle that is stopped according to the detected room temperature,
The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the regulation control unit regulates the cleaning operation when the automatic operation unit is operating. The control device further includes an outside air temperature detection unit that detects an outdoor temperature,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the regulation control unit regulates the cleaning operation when the outdoor temperature is equal to or lower than a first predetermined temperature. The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein the regulation control unit regulates the cleaning operation when the outdoor temperature is below freezing point. The control device further includes a heat exchanger temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the heat exchanger,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the restriction control unit stops the cleaning operation when the temperature of the heat exchanger becomes lower than a second predetermined temperature during the execution of the cleaning operation. The regulation control unit prohibits re-execution of the cleaning operation until the temperature of the heat exchanger becomes equal to or higher than a third predetermined temperature after stopping the cleaning operation based on the temperature of the heat exchanger. The air conditioner according to claim 8. It further comprises an operation unit operated by the user,
The control device performs the cleaning operation based on an operation in the operation unit,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the restriction control unit has a function of prohibiting execution of the cleaning operation due to a factor other than an operation in the operation unit. The control device selects, as the cleaning operation, either a strong cleaning mode or a weak cleaning mode that consumes less energy than the strong cleaning mode, and within the second operation time in the past. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner has a function of selecting the weak cleaning mode when the strong cleaning mode is selected. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the regulation control unit regulates execution of the cleaning operation until a predetermined time elapses after the heating operation is completed. The air conditioner according to claim 12, wherein the regulation control unit immediately accepts the execution of the cleaning operation after the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation is completed. The control device further includes a dirt detection unit that detects dirt attached to the surface of the heat exchanger,
The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the restriction control unit lengthens the first operation time as the detected dirt is smaller. A drain pipe for discharging water condensed in the heat exchanger to the outside;
A heater for heating the drain pipe;
An outside air temperature detector for detecting the outdoor temperature;
Further comprising
2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein when the outdoor temperature becomes equal to or lower than a first predetermined temperature, the control device executes the cleaning operation while operating the heater. When the automatic operation unit is operating, the regulation control unit has a third operation time in which an operation time of the refrigeration cycle is longer than the first operation time after the cleaning operation has been executed in the past. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the cleaning operation is permitted when the value reaches the value. The said control part performs the said washing | cleaning operation, if the said illumination intensity becomes more than the said predetermined value after restrict | limiting the said washing | cleaning operation since the said illumination intensity is less than the said predetermined value. The air conditioner described. The restriction control unit executes the cleaning operation when the human body detection unit stops detecting the human body after the human body detection unit detects the human body and restricts the cleaning operation. Item 4. The air conditioner according to Item 3. The regulation control unit immediately accepts execution of the cleaning operation when the temperature of the heat exchanger is equal to or higher than a third predetermined temperature after the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation is completed. Air conditioner as described in. The air conditioner according to claim 12, wherein the regulation control unit regulates execution of the cleaning operation until the predetermined time has elapsed after the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation is completed. The air conditioner according to claim 20, wherein the restriction control unit restricts execution of the cleaning operation until the predetermined time has elapsed after the cleaning operation is completed. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the regulation control unit regulates execution of the cleaning operation when a temperature of the heat exchanger is lower than a third predetermined temperature. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control device sets an evaporation temperature of a refrigerant flowing through the heat exchanger to a dew point temperature or less when the cleaning operation is executed. The air conditioner according to claim 23, wherein the control device makes the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant in the cleaning operation lower than the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant in the dehumidifying operation. The air conditioner according to claim 24, wherein the control device sets an evaporating temperature of the refrigerant in the cleaning operation below a freezing point.

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