JP2020016429A - Method and device for automatically cleaning evaporator of air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a device and method for automatically cleaning an evaporator of an air conditioner.SOLUTION: A method for automatically cleaning an evaporator of an air conditioner comprises: a step 201 of forming frost on the surface of the evaporator; a step 202 of defining a target temperature of the evaporator; a step 203 of continuously measuring a measured temperature of the evaporator; a step 204 of calculating a drop rate of the measured temperature; a step 205 of determining whether frost formation has been completed or not by determining whether the measured temperature has reached the target temperature and determining that the drop rate of the measured temperature has reached a preset condition; a step 206 of cleaning the evaporator by melting the frost when it is determined that the frost formation has been completed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to the field of air conditioners, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for cleaning an evaporator of an air conditioner.

  In the air conditioner, a large amount of dust tends to accumulate on components such as an evaporator during use. If these dusts are not removed quickly, the heat exchange performance of the evaporator will be significantly reduced, and bacteria will proliferate and mold will easily occur.

  Conventionally, the cleaning of the air conditioner has relied on the cleaning by the user or maintenance staff, but this requires great effort.

  An automatic cleaning method for an evaporator of an air conditioner has already been proposed in which after the frost is formed on the evaporator of the air conditioner, the surface of the evaporator is cleaned using condensed water generated after the frost is melted. However, such an automatic cleaning method still has room for optimization in terms of cleaning effect and energy consumption.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for automatically cleaning an evaporator of an air conditioner, which can more accurately determine a time point when frost formation is completed, thereby ensuring a cleaning effect and reducing energy consumption of automatic cleaning. It is.

  Technical means adopted to solve the problem include a step of forming frost on the surface of the evaporator, a step of determining a target temperature of the evaporator, a step of continuously measuring the measured temperature of the evaporator, and a step of decreasing the measured temperature. Defrosting is completed by calculating the speed rate, determining whether the measured temperature has reached the target temperature, and determining that the rate of decrease in measured temperature has reached a preset condition. A method of automatically cleaning an evaporator of an air conditioner, comprising the steps of: determining whether or not frosting is completed; and cleaning the evaporator by dissolving the frost when it is determined that frost formation is completed. It is.

  Preferably, the method of determining the target temperature of the evaporator includes calculating the target temperature based on the temperature and humidity in the room where the evaporator is located.

When the measured temperature reaches the target temperature, the step of judging that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature has reached a preset condition includes:
a. Accumulating the number of times of increase when it is determined that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature of the evaporator has increased; and
b. Determining whether the number of rises has reached a first threshold, and if so, entering step c; otherwise, returning to step a;
c. Determining that frost formation is complete;
It is preferable to include

When the measured temperature reaches the target temperature and it is determined in step a that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature of the evaporator has not yet increased, it is determined that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature has reached the preset condition. The steps to do
d. When it is determined that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature of the evaporator is decreasing or invariable, a step of accumulating the decreasing time or the invariable time;
e. Determining whether the fall time or the invariant time has reached the second threshold value, and if so, entering step c; otherwise, returning to step d;
It is preferable to further include

  Although the measured temperature has not yet reached the target temperature, it is preferable that when the frosting time reaches the third threshold, it is determined that frosting is completed.

  It is preferable that frost is formed on the surface of the evaporator in the cooling mode or the frost mode of the air conditioner, and in the frost mode, the indoor fan of the air conditioner is operated at the lowest wind level.

  Preferably, the method of thawing the frost includes placing the air conditioner in a ventilation mode.

  In the blowing mode, it is preferable to increase the rotation speed of the indoor fan of the air conditioner as the room temperature increases.

  In the ventilation mode, continue to measure whether the ventilation time has reached the preset time, and if it has reached, terminate the cleaning operation by the air conditioner; otherwise, continue the ventilation operation by the air conditioner It is preferable to further include

  Preferably, the air conditioner includes a flap assembly, and the guide flap of the flap assembly swings downward with respect to a horizontal plane to form a predetermined angle when frost is formed and / or when the frost is melted.

  The automatic cleaning device for the evaporator of the air conditioner includes an evaporator, an indoor fan, and a controller that controls the operation of the evaporator and the indoor fan according to the above-described method.

  The air conditioner includes an indoor unit, which includes the above-described automatic cleaning device and a flap assembly. The guide flap of this flap assembly swings downward with respect to the horizontal plane to form a predetermined angle.

  If the above-mentioned technical means is adopted, the point in time when the frost formation is completed can be more accurately determined as compared with the existing technology. As a result, a proper amount of condensed water can be secured to clean the surface of the evaporator, and the cleaning effect can be secured.

  In addition, since the time when the frost formation is completed is accurately determined, unnecessary energy consumption caused by continuing the useless operation of the evaporator after the completion of the frost formation can be prevented, and the energy consumption of the automatic cleaning can be reduced. be able to.

In order that the above objects, features and advantages will be more clearly and easily understood, specific embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
The block diagram of the automatic washing device of the evaporator of the air conditioner according to one embodiment. The flowchart of the automatic washing method of the evaporator of the air conditioner which concerns on one Example. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for determining the frost formation preset condition of the air conditioner according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for determining when frost formation of an air conditioner according to one embodiment is completed. Sectional drawing of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on one Example.

  In order that the above objects, features and advantages may be more clearly and easily understood, specific embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

  In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding. However, other means different from the present description may be employed. Therefore, the technical means described in the claims are not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

  As set forth in the present application and the claims, in the above and following descriptions, unless otherwise specified, "one", "one" and / or "this (the)" Words do not particularly refer to the singular but can include the plural. In general, the terms “comprising” and “comprising” merely suggest that they include the steps and elements that have been explicitly stated, and that these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive listing, but The equipment may include other steps or elements.

  This embodiment describes an automatic cleaning method and apparatus for an evaporator of an air conditioner, which can secure the cleaning effect and reduce the energy consumption of the automatic cleaning.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an automatic cleaning device for an evaporator of an air conditioner. Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus 100 may include an evaporator 110, an indoor fan 120, a temperature sensor 130, and a controller 140. To avoid obscuring the points, parts in the air conditioner that are not related to the present technology are not shown. The evaporator 110, the indoor fan 120, and the temperature sensor 130 are all electrically connected to the controller 140. The temperature sensor 130 is attached to the evaporator 110 and measures the temperature of the evaporator 110. Most preferably, the position where the temperature sensor 130 is mounted is on the surface of the evaporator 110. The controller 140 can control operations of the evaporator 110, the indoor fan 120, and the temperature sensor 130. The automatic cleaning device may further include an indoor temperature sensor 150 and an indoor humidity sensor 160, which are used to measure the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity, respectively, and transmit the measured indoor temperature and indoor humidity to the controller 140.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for automatically cleaning an evaporator of an air conditioner. This method can be implemented in the automatic cleaning apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 or another modification. Referring to FIG. 2, the method of the present embodiment includes steps 201 to 206.

  In step 201, frost is formed on the surface of the evaporator.

  In this step, frost is formed on the surface of the evaporator in the cooling mode of the air conditioner. Additionally or alternatively, the air conditioner may have a dedicated frost mode in which frost is formed on the surface of the evaporator. In the frost formation mode, the indoor fan of the air conditioner can be operated at the lowest wind level. Referring to FIG. 1, the controller 140 can form frost on the surface of the evaporator 110 in a cooling mode or a frost mode. If necessary, the controller 140 can adapt the wind speed of the indoor fan 120.

  In step 202, the target temperature of the evaporator 110 is determined.

  In this step, the target temperature of the evaporator can be determined based on the current environment. The target temperature is a temperature for determining whether or not the frost has been completed. The target temperature of the evaporator can be calculated based on the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity of the environment in which the air conditioner is provided. Referring to FIG. 1, the controller 140 obtains the room temperature and the room humidity from the room temperature sensor 150 and the room humidity sensor 160, and calculates the target temperature of the evaporator based on the room temperature and the room humidity. In one alternative embodiment, the room humidity sensor 160 may not be installed, and an approximate calculation may be performed using a fixed room humidity (eg, RH 60%).

  In step 203, the measured temperature of the evaporator is continuously measured.

  By performing this step in the process of frost formation, the temperature of the evaporator surface can be known. Referring to FIG. 1, the temperature sensor 130 can continue to measure the measured temperature of the evaporator surface and send it to the controller 140.

  In step 204, the rate of decrease in the measured temperature is calculated.

  By performing this step in the process of frost formation, the rate of decrease in the measured temperature can be known. The state of change in the rate of decrease in the measured temperature is an important index for determining whether or not frost formation has been completed. Referring to FIG. 1, the controller 140 may calculate a rate of decrease in the measured temperature using the series of measured temperatures obtained in step 203.

  In step 205, it is determined whether the frost formation is completed by determining whether the measured temperature has reached the target temperature and determining that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature has reached the preset condition. to decide.

  By performing this step in the process of frost formation, it can be determined whether or not frost formation has been completed. In one direction, it is possible to know whether or not the measured temperature has reached the target temperature by comparing. Whether or not the measured temperature has reached the target temperature is an important index for determining whether or not frost formation has been completed. Referring to FIG. 1, the controller 140 performs this comparison using the series of measured temperatures obtained in step 203 and the target temperature determined in step 202.

  The fact that the measured temperature has reached the target temperature usually means that frost formation has been completed. However, if it is determined that frost formation is completed only by the temperature value due to factors such as interference of environmental temperature and abnormal operation of the evaporator, the accuracy rate may not be sufficient. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the point in time when the frost formation is completed is determined in combination with the feature of decreasing the measured temperature. By knowing the characteristics of the temperature drop on the evaporator surface during the frost formation process by a preliminary test, the preset condition of this step can be determined. Referring to FIG. 1, the controller 140 can perform this step by measuring the falling feature of the measured temperature.

  When it is determined that the frost formation is completed, in step 206, the evaporator is washed by melting the frost.

  In this step, the frost can be melted by setting the air conditioner to the blowing mode. Referring to FIG. 1, the controller 140 can blow air at a relatively high rotation speed of the indoor fan 120. In one embodiment, the rotation speed of the indoor fan 120 may be further increased as the room temperature increases. In the blowing mode, the controller 140 can continue measuring whether the blowing time has reached the preset time. If the preset time has been reached, the air conditioner terminates the cleaning operation, and if not, the air conditioner continues the blow operation.

  Here, operations performed according to the method of the embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to a flowchart. It should be understood that the operations described above are not necessarily performed accurately based on order. In contrast, various steps may be performed in the reverse order or at the same time. Further, other operations may be added to these steps, or one or several operations may be deleted from these steps.

  In step 201 described above, the operation of the air conditioner can be set based on the parameters in Table 1 below.

  In Table 1, the lower the rotation speed of the indoor fan, the higher the frost formation speed. However, the amount of water passing through the evaporator decreases, and the amount of frost decreases. The higher the rotation speed of the indoor fan, the higher the heat exchange effect with the surroundings and the lower the frost speed, but the greater the amount of frost. The EV valve is operated at a low opening, and the smaller the opening of the EV valve, the faster the indoor frost forming speed. The higher the rotation speed of the outdoor fan, the better the heat exchange effect and the higher the frost formation speed of the indoor unit.

  In Table 1, the swing angle of the flap is an angle at which the guide flap of the flap assembly of the air conditioner indoor unit stops after swinging downward with respect to the horizontal plane. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner. Referring to FIG. 5, the guide flap 511 of the flap assembly 510 of the indoor unit 500 swings downward by an angle A with respect to the horizontal plane S.

  In step 202 described above, the target temperature can be determined with reference to the examples shown in Table 2 below.

  In step 206 described above, the operation of the air conditioner can be set based on the parameters in Table 3 below.

  Optionally, after step 206, drying may be further performed for a predetermined time. The operation of the air conditioner in the drying stage can be set based on the parameters in Table 4 below.

  FIG. 3 is a flow chart for judging the frost pre-setting condition of the air conditioner. This determination flow can be performed, for example, in the controller 140 of FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, the step of determining that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature has reached a preset condition may include steps 301 to 303. Steps 301 to 303 may be performed after determining that the measured temperature has reached the target temperature. In these steps, first, in step 301, it is determined whether or not the rate of decrease in the measured temperature of the evaporator has increased. In other words, it is determined whether or not the current lowering rate V1 is greater than the previous lowering rate V2. If it is larger, the process proceeds to step 302, and in step 302, the number of times n in which the descent speed rate increases is accumulated. In step 303, it is determined whether or not the number of rises n has reached the first threshold value N. If it has reached, the process jumps to step 306, where it is determined that frost formation has been completed. If it has not reached, the process returns to step 301.

  The preset conditions of steps 301 to 303 match the typical temperature drop curve in the process of frost, but when an unexpected sudden temperature change occurs, the temperature drops according to the preset settings of steps 301 to 303. There is a fear that not. For this reason, a better embodiment provides special preset conditions for steps 304-305. Steps 301 to 303 are also executed after determining that the measured temperature has reached the target temperature. Specifically, when it is determined in step 301 that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature of the evaporator has not yet increased, in step 304, the rate of decrease in the measured temperature of the evaporator has decreased or has not changed. Then, the descent time of the descent speed rate or the invariable time t1 is accumulated. In step 305, it is determined whether the decrease time or the invariable time has reached the second threshold value T1. If it has reached, step 306 is entered. If not reached, step 304 is returned.

  It is understood that the above-described preset conditions of steps 301 to 303 and the preset conditions of steps 304 to 305 can be combined depending on the situation.

  Steps 301 to 305 are executed under the condition that the measured temperature has reached the target temperature. However, in some cases, the measured temperature may not yet reach the target temperature. For this reason, in a better embodiment, a judgment flow of the time of frost as shown in FIG. 4 is separately provided. Specifically, in step 401, it is determined whether or not the measured temperature has reached the target temperature. If it has reached, step 402 is entered to determine whether or not the rate of decrease in measured temperature has reached a preset condition. FIG. 3 can be referred to for this determination method. If it has not reached, step 403 is entered and the frost time t2 is obtained. Here, the integration of the frosting time is performed at the start of the frosting by one timer. The timer can be provided inside the controller. Thereafter, in step 404, it is determined whether or not the frosting time t2 has reached the third threshold T2. If it has reached, step 405 is entered and it is determined that frost formation has been completed. If it has not reached, the process returns to step 401.

  In this application, the examples of this application have been described using specific phrases. For example, "an embodiment," "an embodiment," and / or "a few embodiments" means a feature, structure, or feature of at least one embodiment of the present application. Thus, “one embodiment,” “one embodiment,” or “one alternative embodiment” that is referred to two or more times in different places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. It should be emphasized and noted that there is no. Also, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the present application can be combined as appropriate.

  As described above, the embodiment of the automatic cleaning method of the evaporator of the air conditioner has been described. However, various changes in form and details can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure described in the claims. Will be understood.

Claims (12)

Forming a frost on the surface of the evaporator (201);
Determining a target temperature of the evaporator (202);
Continuing to measure the measured temperature of the evaporator (203);
Calculating (204) a rate of decrease in the measured temperature;
Judging whether or not the frost formation is completed by judging whether or not the measured temperature has reached the target temperature, and judging that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature has reached a preset condition. (205),
Cleaning the evaporator by dissolving the frost when it is determined that the frost formation is completed (206);
including,
Automatic cleaning method of evaporator of air conditioner. The method of determining a target temperature of the evaporator includes calculating the target temperature based on a temperature and humidity in a room where the evaporator is located,
The method of claim 1. When the measured temperature has reached the target temperature, the step of determining that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature has reached a preset condition,
a. When it is determined that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature of the evaporator has increased, a step of accumulating the number of increases,
b. Determining whether the number of rises has reached a first threshold, and if so, entering step c; otherwise, returning to step a;
c. Determining that frost formation is complete;
including,
The method of claim 1. When the measured temperature reaches the target temperature, when it is determined in step a that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature of the evaporator has not yet increased, the rate of decrease in the measured temperature reaches a preset condition. The step of determining that
d. A step of accumulating a decrease time or an invariable time when it is determined that the rate of decrease in the measured temperature of the evaporator is decreasing or invariable;
e. Determining whether the fall time or the invariant time has reached the second threshold value, and if so, entering step c; otherwise, returning to step d;
Further comprising,
The method of claim 3. Although the measured temperature has not reached the target temperature, when the frost time reaches the third threshold, it is determined that the frost has been completed,
A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. In the cooling mode or the frost mode of the air conditioner, frost is formed on the surface of the evaporator, and in the frost mode, the indoor fan of the air conditioner is operated at the lowest wind level.
The method of claim 1. A method for melting frost includes placing the air conditioner in a ventilation mode.
The method of claim 1. In the blowing mode, the rotation speed of the indoor fan of the air conditioner is increased with an increase in room temperature.
The method according to claim 7. In the air blowing mode, it continues to measure whether the air blowing time has reached a preset time, and when it has reached, terminates the cleaning operation of the air conditioner. Further including continuing,
The method according to claim 7. The indoor unit of the air conditioner includes a flap assembly,
The guide flap of the flap assembly makes a predetermined angle by swinging downward with respect to a horizontal plane during frost formation and / or when frost is melted,
The method of claim 1. An evaporator (110);
An indoor fan (120),
A controller (140) for controlling operation of the evaporator and the indoor fan according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 10,
An automatic cleaning device for an evaporator of an air conditioner, comprising: Including indoor units,
The indoor unit includes the automatic cleaning device according to claim 11, and a flap assembly,
The guide flap of the flap assembly swings downward with respect to a horizontal plane to form a predetermined angle,
air conditioner.

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