JP2021156497A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner capable of adjusting a direction of an airflow while avoiding increase of resistance to the airflow, and capable of reducing structural restrictions.SOLUTION: An air conditioner 11 comprises, on a surface, a wind direction body 32 having a plane area 46 that guides a path 45 of an airflow Sm, a first electrode 49 installed on the surface of the wind direction body 32 at a position downstream of the airflow Sm with respect to the plane area 46 and away from the airflow Sm, a second electrode 52 that is connected to the first electrode 49 via a dielectric 51 and is arranged at a position deviated from the first electrode 49 in a flow direction of the air flow Sm, and a control unit 53 that applies an AC voltage to the first electrode 49 and the second electrode 52.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

Patent Document 1 discloses an indoor unit in which an indoor heat exchanger is arranged in an air passage from a suction port to an air outlet. At the air outlet, a wind direction plate is arranged so as to be rotatable around the horizontal axis. The wind direction plate can change the direction of the airflow blown out from the air outlet in the vertical direction based on the movement around the horizontal axis.

Japanese Patent No. 5789029

In Patent Document 1, during the cooling operation, cold air is blown out from the air outlet diagonally upward toward the ceiling. The Coanda effect is used to control the wind direction. According to the Coanda effect, the direction of the airflow can be adjusted while avoiding the increase in resistance to the airflow caused by a shield such as a wind direction plate. However, in generating the Coanda effect, there were structural restrictions such as securing a long air passage and changing the shape.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of adjusting the direction of an air flow while avoiding an increase in resistance to the air flow and relaxing structural restrictions.

The air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present invention has a wind direction body having a plane area on the surface for guiding the airflow blown from the outlet, and a wind direction body downstream of the plane area and from the plane area. Is connected to the first electrode, which is installed on the surface of the wind direction body at an outer position, via a dielectric, and is arranged at a position deviated from the first electrode on the downstream side of the air flow. The second electrode is provided with a control unit for applying an AC voltage or a pulsed voltage to the first electrode and the second electrode.

When air flows along the plane area of the wind direction body, the air flows linearly even if it is separated from the plane area. The plane area of the wind direction body can guide the direction of the air flow. When an AC voltage or a pulsed voltage is applied from the control unit to the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode can function as a so-called plasma actuator. Air away from the plane region moves to the plasma region downstream of the first electrode. The airflow is bent. According to the plasma actuator, the direction of the airflow can be adjusted while avoiding the increase in resistance to the airflow caused by the shield such as the wind direction plate. Moreover, in the wind direction body, the first electrode and the second electrode need only be arranged downstream of the plane region, and structural restrictions such as securing a long air passage and changing the shape can be relaxed.

The wind direction body may have a curved surface that supports the first electrode and the second electrode and produces a Coanda effect on the airflow that has passed through the plane region. The airflow passing through the plane region is guided along the curved surface by the action of the plasma actuator. Due to the Coanda effect, the direction of the airflow can be adjusted satisfactorily while avoiding the increase in resistance to the airflow caused by obstacles such as the wind direction plate.

The wind direction body may be any wind direction plate that is rotatably supported around an axis that crosses the air flow. A variety of wind direction controls can be realized based on the combination of the wind direction plate and the plasma actuator, as compared with the case where only the rotation around the axis of the wind direction plate is used.

The first electrode and the second electrode may be arranged at the downstream end of the wind direction body. Good wind direction control can be realized with a simple shape.

The air conditioner may further include a guide body that faces the plane area and guides the air flow. The guide body can guide the air flow toward the plane area. The airflow guided in this way can satisfactorily flow to the downstream side of the plane region. The effect of changing the wind direction based on the plasma actuator can be obtained satisfactorily.

The guide body may be a guide plate that is rotatably supported around an axis that crosses the air flow. The effect of changing the wind direction based on the plasma actuator can be adjusted by widening or narrowing the distance between the wind direction body and the guide plate based on the rotation of the guide plate around the axis.

As described above, according to the disclosed air conditioner, the direction of the airflow can be adjusted while avoiding an increase in resistance to the airflow, and structural restrictions can be relaxed.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the air conditioner which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows schematic appearance of the indoor unit which concerns on one form. It is sectional drawing of the indoor unit cut by the cut plane orthogonal to the rotation axis of a blower fan. It is an enlarged partial perspective view of the vertical wind direction plate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which follows the 5-5 line of FIG. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the air flow when the plasma actuator is inactive. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the air flow at the time of operation of a plasma actuator. It is an enlarged partial perspective view of the vertical wind direction plate which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the vertical wind direction plate which corresponds to FIG. 3 and concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

(1) Configuration of Air Conditioner FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of an air conditioner 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The air conditioner 11 includes an indoor unit 12 and an outdoor unit 13. The indoor unit 12 is installed in, for example, an indoor space in a building. In addition, the indoor unit 12 may be installed in a space corresponding to the indoor space. An indoor heat exchanger 14 is incorporated in the indoor unit 12. The outdoor unit 13 incorporates a compressor 15, an outdoor heat exchanger 16, an expansion valve 17, and a four-way valve 18. The indoor heat exchanger 14, the compressor 15, the outdoor heat exchanger 16, the expansion valve 17, and the four-way valve 18 form a freezing circuit 19. The outdoor unit 13 may be installed outdoors so that heat can be exchanged with the outdoor air.

The freezing circuit 19 includes a first circulation path 21. The first circulation path 21 connects the first port 18a and the second port 18b of the four-way valve 18 to each other. A compressor 15 is arranged in the first circulation path 21. The suction pipe 15a of the compressor 15 is connected to the first port 18a of the four-way valve 18 via a refrigerant pipe. The gas refrigerant is supplied from the first port 18a to the suction pipe 15a of the compressor 15. The compressor 15 compresses the low-pressure gas refrigerant to a predetermined pressure. The discharge pipe 15b of the compressor 15 is connected to the second port 18b of the four-way valve 18 via a refrigerant pipe. The gas refrigerant is supplied from the discharge pipe 15b of the compressor 15 to the second port 18b of the four-way valve 18. The refrigerant pipe may be, for example, a copper pipe.

The freezing circuit 19 further includes a second circulation path 22. The second circulation path 22 connects the third port 18c and the fourth port 18d of the four-way valve 18 to each other. The outdoor heat exchanger 16, the expansion valve 17, and the indoor heat exchanger 14 are incorporated in the second circulation path 22 in order from the third port 18c side. The outdoor heat exchanger 16 exchanges heat energy between the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 16 and the air in contact with the outdoor heat exchanger 16. The indoor heat exchanger 14 exchanges heat energy between the refrigerant passing through the indoor heat exchanger 14 and the air in contact with the indoor heat exchanger 14.

A blower fan 23 is incorporated in the outdoor unit 13. The blower fan 23 ventilates the outdoor heat exchanger 16. The blower fan 23 generates an air flow according to the rotation of the impeller, for example. The airflow passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 16 by the action of the blower fan 23. The outdoor air passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 16 and exchanges heat with the refrigerant. The heat-exchanged cold or warm airflow is blown out from the outdoor unit 13. The flow rate of the airflow passing through is adjusted according to the rotation speed of the impeller.

A blower fan 24 is incorporated in the indoor unit 12. The blower fan 24 ventilates the indoor heat exchanger 14. The blower fan 24 generates an air flow according to the rotation of the impeller. Indoor air is sucked into the indoor unit 12 by the action of the blower fan 24. The indoor air passes through the indoor heat exchanger 14 and exchanges heat with the refrigerant. The heat-exchanged cold or warm airflow is blown out from the indoor unit 12. The flow rate of the airflow passing through is adjusted according to the rotation speed of the impeller.

When the cooling operation is carried out in the refrigeration circuit 19, the four-way valve 18 connects the second port 18b and the third port 18c to each other, and connects the first port 18a and the fourth port 18d to each other. Therefore, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 16 from the discharge pipe 15b of the compressor 15. The refrigerant circulates in order through the outdoor heat exchanger 16, the expansion valve 17, and the indoor heat exchanger 14. The outdoor heat exchanger 16 dissipates heat from the refrigerant to the outside air. The expansion valve 17 reduces the pressure of the refrigerant to a low pressure. The decompressed refrigerant absorbs heat from the surrounding air in the indoor heat exchanger 14. Cold air is generated. The cold air is blown into the indoor space by the action of the blower fan 24.

When the heating operation is performed in the refrigeration circuit 19, the four-way valve 18 connects the second port 18b and the fourth port 18d to each other, and connects the first port 18a and the third port 18c to each other. A high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is supplied from the compressor 15 to the indoor heat exchanger 14. The refrigerant flows through the indoor heat exchanger 14, the expansion valve 17, and the outdoor heat exchanger 16 in this order. The indoor heat exchanger 14 dissipates heat from the refrigerant to the surrounding air. Warm air is generated. The warm air is blown into the indoor space by the action of the blower fan 24. The expansion valve 17 reduces the pressure of the refrigerant to a low pressure. The decompressed refrigerant absorbs heat from the surrounding air by the outdoor heat exchanger 16. After that, the refrigerant returns to the compressor 15.

(2) Configuration of Indoor Unit FIG. 2 schematically shows the appearance of the indoor unit 12 according to the embodiment. The indoor unit 12 includes a housing 26. The housing 26 has a top plate 27 that extends along a horizontal plane orthogonal to the wall surface of the room and a bottom plate 28 that extends below the top plate 27 along a horizontal plane orthogonal to the wall surface and sandwiches a storage space between the top plate 27 and the top plate 27. And have. The room may have, for example, a floor surface parallel to a horizontal plane orthogonal to the direction of gravity and a wall surface perpendicular to the floor surface.

A suction port 29 is formed on the top plate 27 of the housing 26. The air flowing into the indoor heat exchanger 14 is taken in from the suction port 29. A plurality of air filter assemblies (not shown) are detachably attached to the housing 26 below the top plate 27 and in front of the indoor heat exchanger 14.

An outlet 31 is formed on the bottom plate 28 of the housing 26. The air outlet 31 is opened toward the room. The air outlet 31 blows out a cold or warm air flow generated by the indoor heat exchanger 14.

The air outlet 31 has one vertical wind direction plate (wind direction body) 32 that changes the direction of the airflow blown from the air outlet 31 in the vertical direction, and a surface that faces the upper surface of the vertical wind direction plate 32. A guide plate (guide body) 33 for guiding the airflow from the air outlet 31 is installed with the vertical wind direction plate 32. The vertical wind direction plate 32 may be formed as a part of the housing 26. The vertical wind direction plate 32 and the guide plate 33 may be provided so as to rotate around the horizontal axis, for example.

As shown in FIG. 3, a ventilation passage 34 from the suction port 29 to the air outlet 31 is partitioned in the housing 26 of the indoor unit 12. A blower fan 24 is rotatably arranged around the axis 35 in the ventilation passage 34. For example, a cross flow fan is used as the blower fan 24. The axis 35 of the blower fan 24 extends horizontally at the time of installation. The blower fan 24 is arranged parallel to the outlet 31. The driving force around the axis 35 is transmitted from the driving source 36 to the blower fan 24. The drive source 36 is supported by the housing 26. The airflow passes through the indoor heat exchanger 14 according to the rotation of the blower fan 24. As a result, a cold or warm airflow is generated. The cold or warm airflow is blown out from the outlet 31.

The housing 26 of the indoor unit 12 includes the indoor heat exchanger 14, and is connected to the heat exchanger unit 38 attached to the wall surface of the room and the heat exchanger unit 38 from below to partition the air outlet 31. It includes an outlet frame 39 and a main frame 41 that is coupled to the outlet frame 39 from above to partition the suction port 29. The air outlet frame 39 partitions a fan space 42 for accommodating the blower fan 24 with the heat exchanger unit 38. The air outlet 31 is continuous from the fan space 42. The blower fan 24 is supported by the outlet frame 39 in the direction of gravity. When the blower fan 24 rotates, the indoor air flowing in from the suction port 29 passes through the indoor heat exchanger 14 and flows into the fan space 42. The air in the fan space 42 flows out into the room from the air outlet 31. The main frame 41 covers the indoor heat exchanger 14.

(3) Wind Direction Body According to the First Embodiment As shown in FIG. 4, the vertical wind direction plate 32 has a plane area 46 provided along the airflow path 45. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower surface 33a of the guide plate 33 is provided so as to face the plane region 46. A curved surface 47 is formed on the downstream end 64 of the vertical wind direction plate 32, which is continuous from the downstream end 60 of the plane region 46 in the flow direction of the air flow. The downstream end 60 of the plane region 46 is set parallel to, for example, the axis 35 of the blower fan 24. The curved surface 47 has a generatrix in the direction across the airflow (ie, in the horizontal direction parallel to the axis 35). The shape (eg, curvature) of the curved surface 47 can be set according to the principle of the Coanda effect produced for the airflow passing through the plane region 46. A plasma actuator 48 composed of a laminate of a metal foil and a dielectric film is attached to the curved surface 47, as will be described later. The plasma actuator 48 may extend over the entire area of the curved surface 47 in the axial direction of the axis 35, for example. The plasma actuators 48 may be continuously provided in the axial direction of the axis 35, or may be provided in plurality at predetermined intervals. The plasma actuator 48 may be provided from the downstream end 60 of the plane region 46 to the curved surface 47. The plasma actuator 48 may extend linearly in the axial direction of the axis 35 or may extend while being curved.

As shown in FIG. 5, the plasma actuator 48 has a vertical wind direction at a position downstream of the air flow Sm with respect to the plane area 46 and outside the plane area 46, that is, a position away from the air flow Sm flowing along the path 45. The first electrode 49 arranged on the curved surface 47 of the plate 32 is connected to the first electrode 49 via a dielectric 51, and is connected to the first electrode 49 in the flow direction of the air flow Sm (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5) from the first electrode 49. The second electrode 52 arranged at a displaced position is electrically connected to the first electrode 49 and the second electrode 52, and an AC voltage or a pulsed voltage is applied to the first electrode 49 and the second electrode 52. It includes a control unit 53. For the dielectric 51, for example, a resin film attached to the curved surface 47 is used. The resin film may have a thickness of, for example, several μm to several hundred μm.

The first electrode 49 is attached to the outer surface of the resin film. The first electrode 49 can be formed of a copper foil having a thickness of several μm. The first electrode 49 may have a length of about 1 to 2 mm in the flow direction of the air flow Sm. The first electrode 49 may be laminated on the surface of the resin film. For laminating, for example, thin film deposition can be used.

Downstream of the first electrode 49, the second electrode 52 is covered with a resin film. The second electrode 52 can be formed of a copper foil having a thickness of several μm. The second electrode 52 may have a length of about 1 to 2 mm on the downstream side of the air flow. The second electrode 52 is attached to the curved surface 47 of the vertical wind direction plate 32. The second electrode 52 may be laminated on the back surface of the resin film or the front surface of the curved surface 47. For laminating, for example, thin film deposition can be used. The second electrode 52 may partially overlap the first electrode 49 as long as the resin film is sandwiched between the first electrode 49 and the second electrode 52. The control unit 53 applies an AC voltage of several kV between the first electrode 49 and the second electrode 52 at a frequency of several Hz to several kHz. The frequency of the voltage output by the control unit 53 may be set outside the audible sound region, for example. The voltage output by the control unit 53 may be a burst voltage in addition to a constant frequency AC voltage or a pulsed voltage.

(4) Operation of the air conditioner When the air conditioner 11 starts the cooling operation or the heating operation, the blower fan 24 of the indoor unit 12 rotates. The room temperature air in the room is sucked into the ventilation passage 34 from the suction port 29 according to the rotation of the blower fan 24. The air passes through the fan space 42 and blows out from the outlet 31. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the airflow Sm flows along the plane region 46 of the vertical wind direction plate 32. The guide plate 33 can guide the air flow Sm to flow along the plane region 46. The airflow Sm can satisfactorily flow along the path 45. Unless an AC voltage or a pulsed voltage is applied from the control unit 53 to the first electrode 49 and the second electrode 52, when the airflow Sm passes through the plane region 46, the direct guidance of the plane region 46 ends. The airflow Sm follows the path 45 as it is even if it is separated from the plane region 46 in the downstream direction. The direction of the airflow Sm can be set in the plane area 46 of the vertical wind direction plate 32. The straightness of the airflow Sm can be satisfactorily ensured.

When an AC voltage or a pulsed voltage is applied from the control unit 53 to the first electrode 49 and the second electrode 52, a plasma region is formed on the surface of the second electrode 52 downstream of the first electrode 49 in the flow direction of the air flow Sm. It is formed. The first electrode 49 and the second electrode 52 function as a so-called plasma actuator 48. Air containing cations generated by ionization generated in the plasma region moves to the second electrode 52 side. The airflow Sm is bent along the curved surface 47. Due to the Coanda effect, the direction of the airflow Sm can be satisfactorily adjusted while avoiding an increase in resistance to the airflow caused by an obstacle such as a wind direction plate.

(5) Wind Direction Body According to the Second Embodiment As shown in FIG. 8, the vertical wind direction plate (wind direction body) 55 may be formed with a first plane region 56a and a second plane region 56b on the front and back surfaces. In this case, it is sufficient that the first guide plate (guide body) 58a faces the first plane region 56a on the front side of the vertical wind direction plate (wind direction body) 55 along the path 57a, and the second plane region on the back side. Similarly, the second guide plate (guide body) 58b may face the 56b along the path 57b. A curved surface 59 is formed at the downstream end 64 of the vertical wind direction plate 55, which is continuous from the individual plane regions 56a and 56b in the flow direction of the air flow. The first plasma actuator 61a is arranged downstream of the first plane region 56a. The second plasma actuator 61b is arranged downstream of the second plane region 56b. For example, the plasma actuators 61a and 61b may be continuously provided in the axial direction of the axis 35, or may be provided in plurality at predetermined intervals. The individual plasma actuators 61a and 61b may be configured in the same manner as the plasma actuator 48. Further, plasma actuators may be provided on either one or both of the first plane region 56a side of the first guide plate 58a and the second plane region 56b of the second guide plate 58b.

When an AC voltage or a pulsed voltage is applied from the control unit 53 to the first plasma actuator 61a, the upper airflow can be bent downward (to the second guide plate 58b side) along the curved surface 59. The airflow in path 57b is redirected by the bent airflow. When an AC voltage or a pulsed voltage is applied from the control unit 53 to the second plasma actuator 61b, the lower airflow can be bent upward (on the first guide plate 58a side) along the curved surface 59. The airflow in path 57a is redirected by the bent airflow.

(6) Wind Direction Body According to the Third Embodiment As shown in FIG. 9, the vertical wind direction plate 32 may move around the horizontal axis 62 that crosses the airflow Sm. The direction of the airflow is adjusted based on the combination of the vertical airflow direction plate 32 and the plasma actuator 48, while avoiding an increase in resistance to the airflow, as compared with the case where only the rotation around the axis of the vertical airflow direction plate 32 is used. be able to. The guide plate 33 may move around the horizontal axis 63. The effect of changing the wind direction based on the plasma actuator 48 can be obtained by widening or narrowing the distance between the vertical wind direction plate 32 and the guide plate 33 based on the rotation of the guide plate 33 around the axis.

11 ... air conditioner, 32 ... wind direction body (up and down wind direction plate), 45 ... (air flow direction) path, 46 ... plane area, 47 ... curved surface, 49 ... first electrode, 51 ... dielectric, 52 ... second electrode , 53 ... Control unit, 55 ... Wind direction body (up and down wind direction plate), 56a ... Plane area (first plane area), 56b ... Plane area (second plane area), 57a ... (air flow) path, 57b ... (air flow) Path, 58a ... guide body (first guide plate), 58b ... guide body (second guide plate), 59 ... curved surface, 62 ... wind direction body axis (horizontal axis), 63 ... guide body (horizontal axis) ).

Claims (6)

On the surface, a wind direction body having a flat area that guides the airflow blown out from the air outlet,
A first electrode installed on the surface of the wind direction body at a position downstream of the plane area and outside the plane area.
A second electrode connected to the first electrode via a dielectric and arranged at a position deviated from the first electrode on the downstream side of the air flow.
An air conditioner including a control unit that applies an AC voltage or a pulsed voltage to the first electrode and the second electrode. In the air conditioner according to claim 1, the wind direction body has a curved surface that supports the first electrode and the second electrode and produces a Coanda effect on the air flow passing through the plane region. Air conditioner. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wind direction body is a wind direction plate that is rotatably supported around an axis that crosses the air flow. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are arranged at a downstream end of the wind direction body along the air flow. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a guide body that faces the plane area and guides the air flow along the plane area. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the guide body is a guide plate that is rotatably supported around an axis that crosses the air flow.

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