JP2022128154A - air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner that efficiently operates to clean an indoor heat exchanger.SOLUTION: Before a stop duration (T2), which is started to measure from the stop timing of air-conditioning operation or dehumidifying operation, exceeds a pre-set reference time (m1), if a controller (40) executes air-conditioning operation for the purpose of cleaning, heating operation or air-blowing operation is executed to return the moisture deposited on an indoor heat exchanger (32) to the indoor side before executing the air-conditioning operation for cleaning.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an air conditioner having a washing operation function for washing surfaces of indoor heat exchangers.

When the air conditioner is used for a long period of time, dust adheres to the indoor heat exchanger. Therefore, some air conditioners have a cleaning function for cleaning the surface of the indoor heat exchanger on which dust is attached. Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional technique relating to an air conditioner having such a cleaning function.

JP-A-2009-300030

When the indoor humidity is low, dew condensation is less likely to occur in the indoor heat exchanger. If the amount of water droplets for washing away the dust adhering to the surface of the indoor heat exchanger is small, the dust and dirt will remain adhering to the surface of the indoor heat exchanger, requiring improvement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that facilitates condensation on the surface of an indoor heat exchanger by increasing indoor humidity.

In claim 1, a refrigerant circuit in which a refrigerant circulates;
a compressor provided in the refrigerant circuit and capable of compressing a refrigerant;
an expansion valve provided in the refrigerant circuit to lower the pressure of the refrigerant;
a four-way switching valve provided in the refrigerant circuit to switch the direction of refrigerant flow;
an indoor heat exchanger that is provided in the refrigerant circuit and exchanges heat between the refrigerant and indoor air;
an indoor fan that takes in air from the room and blows air into the room;
By controlling the compressor, the expansion valve, the four-way switching valve, and the indoor fan, heating operation for warming indoor air, cooling operation for cooling indoor air, and dehumidification of indoor air are performed. Dehumidifying operation, blowing operation in which the indoor fan blows air into the room without heat exchange by the indoor heat exchanger, and dew condensation on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger to clean the surface of the indoor heat exchanger. and a control unit that executes a cleaning cooling operation for
When the control unit executes the washing cooling operation before the stop duration time, which is started to be measured from the stop of the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation, exceeds a preset reference time,
There is provided an air conditioner in which the heating operation or the air blowing operation is performed in order to return the moisture adhering to the indoor heat exchanger to the interior of the room before the cleaning cooling operation is performed.

As described in claim 2, preferably, as the operation time of the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation that was performed immediately before the stop duration time measurement was started,
The operation time of the heating operation or the air blowing operation for returning the moisture adhering to the indoor heat exchanger to the room is set long.

In claim 1, when the control unit executes the cleaning cooling operation before the stop duration time, which starts to be measured after the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation is stopped, exceeds a preset reference time, the cleaning cooling operation is performed. Before the execution, the heating operation or the air blowing operation is executed in order to return the moisture adhering to the indoor heat exchanger to the room. Normally, when the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation is performed, the indoor humidity becomes low. Humidity is returned to the room by performing the heating operation or the air blowing operation before executing the cleaning cooling operation. After increasing the humidity in the room, the cleaning cooling operation can be performed. The indoor heat exchanger can be cleaned efficiently.

In claim 2, as the operation time of the cooling operation or dehumidifying operation that was performed before the heating operation or air blowing operation for returning the moisture adhered to the indoor heat exchanger to the room increases, the heating operation or air blowing The driving time is also set to be longer. Generally, the longer the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation, the lower the humidity in the room. To lengthen the operation time of heating operation or air blowing operation for returning moisture adhering to an indoor heat exchanger to the room when the indoor humidity is lowered. The humidity return operation can be efficiently performed according to the indoor humidity.

1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the first stage of the control contents of the air conditioning operation of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the latter stage of the control contents of the air conditioning operation of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining control contents of a cleaning operation of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Example>
FIG. 1 shows an air conditioner 10 (air conditioner) including a refrigerant circuit 11 through which a refrigerant flows. The air conditioner 10 has a function of performing a cooling operation for cooling the room R and a heating operation for warming the room R. The refrigerant circuit 11 includes an outdoor unit 20 arranged in the outdoor Ou and an indoor unit 30 arranged in the room R. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the direction in which the refrigerant circulates is based on that during the cooling operation.

The outdoor unit 20 includes a four-way switching valve 21 that switches the direction of refrigerant circulation during cooling operation and heating operation, a compressor 22 that compresses the refrigerant through which the refrigerant that has passed through the four-way switching valve 21 flows, and this An outdoor heat exchanger 23 through which the refrigerant compressed in the compressor 22 to become high temperature and high pressure flows, a propeller fan 24 that blows air toward the outdoor heat exchanger 23, and the refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 23 is decompressed. and an expansion valve 25 .

The indoor unit 30 is hung on the wall Wa in the room R. The indoor unit 30 includes an indoor fan 31 that takes in air from the room and blows the air into the room, an indoor heat exchanger 32 that cools the air taken in by the indoor fan 31, and the indoor fan 31 and the indoor heat exchanger 32. and a case 33 for housing.

The case 33 has a blower port 33a that serves as a blower port for the air blown out by the indoor fan 31 . A left-right louver 34 for adjusting the left-right direction of the blown air and an up-down louver 35 for adjusting the up-down direction of the blown air are arranged in the air blow port 33a.

The cooling operation will be explained. The refrigerant that has been brought to a high temperature and high pressure by the compressor 22 exchanges heat with the outside air in the outdoor heat exchanger 23 and releases heat. At this time, the rotation of the propeller fan 24 forces outside air to flow to the outer periphery of the outdoor heat exchanger 23 to promote heat exchange. The refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 23 and has released heat is decompressed in the expansion valve 25 and the temperature thereof is lowered. The refrigerant whose temperature has decreased flows to the indoor heat exchanger 32 .

The low-temperature refrigerant that has flowed into the indoor heat exchanger 32 exchanges heat with the indoor R air in the indoor heat exchanger 32 to cool the indoor R air. The cooled air is blown into the room R by the indoor fan 31 . The indoor fan 31 forces air to flow to the outer periphery of the indoor heat exchanger 32 to promote heat exchange with the refrigerant. The operation principle of the dehumidifying operation for dehumidifying the air in the room and the cleaning cooling operation described later is the same as that of the cooling operation described above.

During heating operation, the four-way switching valve 21 switches the flow path of the refrigerant to circulate the refrigerant in the direction opposite to that during cooling operation. Furthermore, the air conditioner 10 also has a function of blowing air into the room with the indoor fan 31 without performing heat exchange with the indoor heat exchanger 32 .

FIG. 2 shows a control block diagram of the air conditioner device 10 (see FIG. 1). The indoor unit 30 includes an indoor controller 40 (controller) that controls the indoor fan 31, the left and right louvers 34, and the upper and lower louvers 35, a room temperature sensor 41 that detects the temperature in the room, and the indoor controller 40, which controls the operating conditions. , a remote control transmitter/receiver 43 for exchanging predetermined information with the remote controller 12, a humidity sensor 46 for detecting indoor humidity, and a human sensor 47 for detecting people in the room. ing.

The indoor control unit 40 stores data received via the remote control transmission/reception unit 43, detection values of the room temperature sensor 41, set temperatures and reference times to be described later, and other predetermined programs. It has timers T1 to T4 for measuring the elapsed time of driving.

The outdoor unit 20 has an outdoor controller 45 electrically connected to the indoor controller 40 . The indoor controller 40 can control the four-way switching valve 21 , the compressor 22 , the propeller fan 24 , and the expansion valve 25 via the outdoor controller 45 .

The air conditioner 10 also has a function of performing a cleaning operation for cleaning dust adhering to the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 32 (see FIG. 1). An operation other than the cleaning operation, specifically, an operation aimed at air-conditioning the room by a heating operation, a cooling operation, or the like, is referred to as an air-conditioning operation. The display mode of the display lamp 42 differs depending on each operation.

The cleaning operation includes a cleaning cooling operation in which water droplets are generated on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 32 by dew condensation to wash away dust, and a drying operation that is performed after the cleaning cooling operation and dries the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 32. include.

Furthermore, the cleaning operation includes a moisture return operation that increases indoor humidity. By executing the moisture return operation before the cooling operation for cleaning, the humidity in the room can be increased and the efficiency of the cooling operation for cleaning can be improved. Each operation in the cleaning operation is executed by controlling the compressor 22 , the expansion valve 25 , the four-way switching valve 21 and the indoor fan 31 .

Please refer to FIG. When a signal for starting the operation of the air conditioner 10 is transmitted from the remote controller 12 (see FIG. 2) to the indoor controller 40, or based on other programs such as timer operation, the indoor controller 40 starts the operation of the air conditioner 10. (Start).

At step st1, it is determined whether the air-conditioning operation (operation other than the cleaning operation) has started.

When the air-conditioning operation is started, the flag A is lowered in step st2. The state in which the flag A is lowered means that "the air conditioner device 10 is in operation". The state in which the flag A is raised means that "the air conditioner device 10 is stopped".

At step st3, the flag B is lowered. A state in which the flag B is lowered means that "conditions for starting the moisture return operation are not met". The state in which the flag B is set means that "conditions for starting the moisture return operation are met".

At step st4, it is determined whether the operation currently being performed is the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation.

If the operation currently being performed is neither the cooling operation nor the dehumidification operation, for example, if the heating operation or the air blowing operation is being performed, it is determined in step st5 whether the air conditioning operation has ended.

When the air-conditioning operation ends, in step st6, flag A is set (during air-conditioning operation stop), and the process ends (end).

If it is determined in step st4 that the operation currently being performed is the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation, then in step st7 the first timer T1 is started from "0".

At step st8, it is determined whether the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation has ended.

Please refer to FIG. When the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation is completed, at step st9, a flag A is set (while the air conditioning operation is stopped).

At step st10, the first timer T1 is stopped and the measured time of the first timer T1 is stored. This stored time T1 is the operating time during which the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation was performed.

At step st11, the second timer T2 is started from "0". The time measured by the second timer T2 is the stop continuation time that starts counting from the stop of the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation.

At step st12, a flag B is set (conditions for moisture return operation are met).

At step st13, it is determined whether or not the time measured by the second timer T2 (stop duration T2 of cooling operation or dehumidifying operation) has passed a preset reference time m1 (second timer T2>reference time m1).

When the stop continuation time T2 has passed the reference time m1 (second timer T2>reference time m1), in step st14, the second timer T2 is reset.

At step st15, the flag B is lowered (start of moisture return operation not possible), and the process ends (end).

Please refer to FIG. Next, the case where there is an instruction to start the cleaning operation will be described. Note that the cleaning operation can be started at any timing regardless of the flow charts shown in FIGS.

At step st16, it is determined whether the flag A is set (while the air conditioning operation is stopped).

When the air-conditioning operation is stopped, it is determined in step st17 whether the flag B is set (whether the conditions for starting the moisture relieving operation are met). As shown in steps st12 to st15 in FIG. 4, the condition for starting the moisture return operation is that the stop duration time (the measurement time of the second timer T2), which starts to be measured from the stop of the cooling operation or the dehumidification operation, is set in advance. It is that the set reference time m1 is not exceeded.

In step st17, if the flag B is set (the conditions for starting the moisture removal operation are met), the room temperature sensor 41 detects the room temperature Tr in step st18.

At step st19, it is determined whether or not the room temperature Tr detected at step st18 is lower than a preset reference temperature Trs (room temperature Tr<reference temperature Trs).

(Moisture return operation by heating operation)
When the room temperature Tr is lower than the reference temperature Trs (room temperature Tr<reference temperature Trs), in step st20, the heating operation is started as the moisture return operation. In the heating operation as the moisture return operation, the air volume, the set temperature, etc. may be set higher than those in the normal heating operation.

After starting the heating operation, in step st21, the third timer T3 is started from "0".

At step st22, the third timer T3 judges whether or not a preset set time Ts1 has elapsed (third timer T3>set time Ts1). In addition, as the measurement time of the first timer T1 stored in step st10 (the operation time of the cooling operation or the dehumidification operation that was executed immediately before the stop duration time T2 started to be measured) becomes longer, the set time Ts1 becomes set to long.

When the third timer T3 has passed the set time Ts1 (third timer T3>set time Ts1), the cleaning cooling operation is executed in step st23, and the drying operation is executed in step st24, and the process ends. (end). A detailed description of the cleaning cooling operation and the drying operation is omitted.

(Moisture return operation by ventilation operation)
When the room temperature Tr is equal to or higher than the preset reference temperature Trs (room temperature Tr≧reference temperature Trs), in step st25, the air blowing operation is started as the humidity returning operation.

At step st26, the fourth timer T4 is started from "0".

At step st27, the fourth timer T4 determines whether or not a preset set time Ts2 has elapsed (fourth timer T4>set time Ts2). The longer the time measured by the first timer stored in step st10 (the operating time of the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation that was being performed immediately before the start of measurement of the stop duration time T2), the longer the set time Ts2. set.

When the fourth timer T4 has passed the set time Ts2 (fourth timer T4 > set time Ts2), the cleaning cooling operation is executed in step st23, and then the drying operation is executed in step st24, and the process ends. (end). A detailed description of the cleaning cooling operation and the drying operation is omitted.

(Effect of Example)
(Moisture return operation)
Please refer to FIG. When the flag B is set at step st17, that is, as shown in steps st12 to st15 of FIG. If (the time measured by the second timer T2) does not exceed the preset reference time m1, the water adhering to the indoor heat exchanger 32 is returned to the room before executing the cleaning cooling operation in step st23. Therefore, the heating operation of step st20 or the air blowing operation of step st25 is executed.

If the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation is being performed (see step st4), the humidity in the room becomes low. By executing the heating operation of step st20 or the air blowing operation of step st25 before executing the cleaning cooling operation of step st23, moisture returns to the room. After increasing the humidity in the room, the cleaning cooling operation can be performed. The indoor heat exchanger 32 can be efficiently cleaned.

(Operating time for moisture return operation)
In addition, the longer the time measured by the first timer T1 stored in step st10 (the operation time of the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation that was executed immediately before the stop duration time T2 started to be measured), the setting of step st22. The time Ts1 or the set time Ts2 of step st27 is set to be long.

Generally, the longer the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation, the lower the humidity in the room. When the humidity in the room drops significantly, the operation time (set times Ts1, Ts2) of the heating operation or the air blowing operation for returning the moisture adhering to the indoor heat exchanger 32 to the room is lengthened. The humidity return operation can be efficiently performed according to the indoor humidity.

By using the humidity sensor 46, when the indoor humidity is equal to or higher than a predetermined humidity, the cooling operation for washing in step st23 may be started without executing the humidity return operation (steps st20 and st25). . By using the humidity sensor 46, when the humidity rise slows down during the operation time of the humidity return operation (steps st20, step st25), the humidity return operation is performed before the operation time (set times Ts1, Ts2) elapses. may end the operation of

Furthermore, by using the human sensor 47, the moisture return operation may be executed only when there is no one in the room (step st20, step st25).

As long as the action and effects of the present invention are exhibited, the present invention is not limited to the examples.

The air conditioner of the present invention is suitable for domestic air conditioners.

10 Air conditioner (air conditioner)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Refrigerant circuit 21... Four-way switching valve 22... Compressor 25... Expansion valve 32... Indoor heat exchanger 40... Indoor control part (control part)
41... Room temperature sensor
T1: Operating time of cooling operation or dehumidifying operation that was executed immediately before the stop duration time measurement started
T2: Stopped duration time from when cooling operation or dehumidifying operation stops and measurement starts
m1: preset reference time
Ts1: Set time for heating operation (operating time)
Ts2: Setting time for fan operation (operating time)

Claims (2)

a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant circulates;
a compressor provided in the refrigerant circuit and capable of compressing a refrigerant;
an expansion valve provided in the refrigerant circuit to lower the pressure of the refrigerant;
a four-way switching valve provided in the refrigerant circuit to switch the direction of refrigerant flow;
an indoor heat exchanger that is provided in the refrigerant circuit and exchanges heat between the refrigerant and indoor air;
an indoor fan that takes in air from the room and blows air into the room;
By controlling the compressor, the expansion valve, the four-way switching valve, and the indoor fan, heating operation for warming indoor air, cooling operation for cooling indoor air, and dehumidification of indoor air are performed. Dehumidifying operation, blowing operation in which the indoor fan blows air into the room without heat exchange by the indoor heat exchanger, and dew condensation on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger to clean the surface of the indoor heat exchanger. and a control unit that executes a cleaning cooling operation for
When the control unit executes the washing cooling operation before the stop duration time, which is started to be measured from the stop of the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation, exceeds a preset reference time,
An air conditioner, wherein the heating operation or the air blowing operation is performed in order to return moisture adhering to the indoor heat exchanger to the inside of the room before performing the cleaning cooling operation. As the operation time of the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation that was being performed immediately before the start of measurement of the stop duration time increases,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein an operating time of said heating operation or said air blowing operation for returning moisture adhering to said indoor heat exchanger to the room is set long.

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