JP3101408B2 - Engine driven air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an engine-driven air conditioner for cooling and heating using an engine as a drive source.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-59340 discloses an engine, a compressor driven by the engine, a refrigerant heat exchanger (outdoor heat exchanger), and a heat exchanger fan inside a heat source side unit. An engine heat pump is disclosed in which a front panel is provided detachably at the front of the unit, and an oil drain port and a supply port of an oil pan of an engine are provided adjacent to the front panel.

[0003]

In the above prior art, the amount of engine oil (hereinafter referred to as "oil") decreases and the oil deteriorates as the operating time of the engine becomes, for example, several hundred hours. For this reason, in order to prolong the service life of the engine oil, that is, prolong the replacement time of the engine oil, the capacity of the oil pan is increased to increase the oil holding amount, thereby delaying the progress of oil deterioration.
However, when the capacity of the oil pan is increased, the capacity of the engine and the heat source side unit is increased, and the volume of the oil pan is limited by the capacity of the heat source side unit. . Further, at the time of oil change, the oil drain port provided at the lower part of the oil pan must be opened and drained from below, which causes a problem that the replacement operation becomes complicated.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to extend the life of engine oil and to simplify the operation of oil change.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an engine 4 having an oil pan 6 at a lower portion.
And a machine room 2 containing a compressor 5 driven by the engine 4, and a heat exchanger room 3 provided above the machine room 2 and containing outdoor heat exchangers 15 and 16. Oil pan 6 in the engine-driven air conditioner
A liquid level meter 22 that outputs a signal when the oil level reaches an upper limit set value, and a pump 8 is connected to the oil pan 6.
An engine oil tank 7 connected by piping through, en
The operation time of the gin 4 is counted and the operation time
Output an operation signal to the pump 8 when the
A stop signal is output to the pump 8 by inputting a signal from the total 22.
The present invention provides an engine-driven air conditioner provided with a control device 23 for extending the life of oil and maintaining the oil level of the oil pan properly.

[0006]

[0007]

[0008]

[0009]

The operation time of the engine 4 is, for example, several hundred hours.
As the distance approaches, the amount of oil in the oil pan 6 decreases and the oil deteriorates. And the engine 4
When the operation time reaches a predetermined time, the control device 23
An operation signal is output to the pump 8 so that new oil
The oil pan 6 is replenished from the oil pan 7
When the liquid level rises to the upper limit set value, the liquid level gauge 2
2 detects the liquid level and controller 23 stops pump 8
A signal can be output and the pump 8 can be stopped reliably.
You.

[0010]

[0011]

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an outdoor unit that is a heat source side unit of the engine-driven air conditioner of the present invention. 1 is an outdoor unit, 2 is a machine room provided under the outdoor unit 1, and 3 is a heat exchange room provided on the machine room 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes an engine installed in the machine room 2, and reference numeral 5 denotes a compressor driven by the driving force of the engine 4 being transmitted by a flexible joint 6. Reference numeral 6 denotes an oil pan provided at a lower portion of the engine 4, and 7 denotes an oil tank provided on the bottom wall of the outdoor unit 1. The oil tank 7 and the oil pan 6 have an oil pump 8 which can be reversed in the middle. The pipes are connected by a connected oil pipe 10. Reference numeral 11 denotes an exhaust heat recovery device provided on the engine 4, and a drain pipe 12 is connected to the exhaust heat recovery device 11. Reference numeral 13 denotes a partition plate between the machine room 2 and the heat exchange room 3, and a soundproof material 14 is provided on a surface of the partition plate 13 on the machine room 2 side.

Reference numerals 15 and 16 denote outdoor heat exchangers which are provided in the heat exchange chamber 3 and function as condensers during cooling operation.
Is a blower, and 18 is an exhaust top. The exhaust top 18 and the exhaust heat recovery device 11 are connected by an exhaust pipe 20. Further, reference numeral 21 denotes a muffler provided in the exhaust pipe 20. FIG. 1 shows an engine 4, an oil pan 6,
It is a piping connection diagram of the oil pump 8 and the oil tank 7, and 22 is a liquid level gauge attached to the oil pan 6 such as a float switch. The liquid level gauge 22 detects the oil level in the oil pan 6 and determines that the level is lower than the lower limit set value L.
Outputs a signal when it becomes 1. 23 is a control device for the oil pump 8. The control device 23 includes a timer 24. The timer 24 counts the operation time of the engine 4 and outputs a signal when the operation time reaches a predetermined time. Five minutes later, counting starts when the controller 23 is inputting a signal from the liquid level gauge 22. The operating time of the oil pump 8 (for example, 10 seconds) is set in advance in the timer 24 from the relationship between the capacity of the oil pump 8 (for example, 100 cc / sec) and the amount of oil supply (for example, 1 liter). Further, the control device 23 outputs an operation signal to the oil pump 8 when a signal is input from the liquid level gauge 22. When the timer 24 counts for a predetermined time and counts up, it outputs a signal, and the control device 23 stops the operation signal.

During operation of the outdoor unit 1 constructed as described above, the engine 4 operates, the driving force is transmitted to the compressor 5, and the refrigerant flows through the compressor 5, the outdoor heat exchangers 15, 16 and a four-way valve (not shown). A cooling operation or a heating operation is performed in the indoor unit by circulating through a refrigerant circuit including an indoor heat exchanger (use-side heat exchanger) of an indoor unit (not shown). Hereinafter, the operation of the oil pump 8 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. When the cooling operation or the heating operation is performed and the operation time of the engine 4 increases, the engine oil is consumed and the amount of oil in the engine 4 and the oil pan 6 gradually decreases. When the oil circulating in the engine 4 returns to the oil pan 6 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the engine 4 was stopped and the liquid level of the oil pan 6 is lower than the lower limit set value L1, the control is performed. The device 23 receives a signal from the liquid level gauge 22.

When a signal is input from the liquid level gauge 22, the control device 23 outputs an operation signal to the oil pump 8 and outputs an operation signal to the oil pump 8. Then, the oil pump 8 operates to supply new oil from the oil tank 7 to the oil pan 6. When the control device 23 inputs a signal, the timer 24 operates to start counting. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the replenishment and counting by the timer 24, the timer 24 counts up and outputs a signal, and the control device 23 stops the operation signal. Then, the oil pump 8 stops, and the supply of oil stops. By the operation of the oil pump 8 for the predetermined time, an amount of oil substantially equal to the amount set in advance is replenished, and the oil level of the oil pan 6 has almost reached the upper limit level L2. Further, by supplying new oil at time T1, the value of the base number of the oil in the oil pan 6 increases and the value of the acid value decreases as shown in FIGS.

Thereafter, when the engine 4 starts operating by starting the cooling operation or the heating operation, the oil remaining in the oil pan 6 is supplied with new oil from the oil tank 7 as described above. The oil in which the quality of the oil in the pan 6 is improved from the original state is circulated through the engine. Thereafter, similarly, if the oil level of the oil pan 6 is lower than the lower limit set value after a predetermined time period of the engine stop due to the stop of the cooling operation or the heating operation, new oil is supplied.

Thereafter, similarly, every time the amount of oil in the oil pan 6 decreases and reaches the lower limit value, new oil is supplied to the oil pan 6, and the quality of the oil is improved from the state before the supply. When the operation time of the engine 4 is further prolonged, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the base number of the oil gradually decreases, and the acid value increases, and the quality gradually decreases.

When the operation time of the engine 4 reaches a predetermined time (for example, 4000 hours), the timer 24
Outputs a signal, and the control device 23 operates to output a reverse rotation signal to the oil pump 8, and the oil pump 8 rotates in the reverse direction. Here, when the operation time of the engine 4 reaches a predetermined time during the cooling operation or the heating operation, the control device 23 outputs a reverse rotation signal after the cooling operation or the heating operation is stopped. The oil pump 8 which has received the reverse rotation signal rotates in the reverse direction, and the oil pan 6
The oil accumulated in the oil pan 6 is recovered from the lower part of the oil pan 6 to the oil tank 7 via the oil pipe 10. Then, the oil tank 7 is removed from the outdoor unit 1, the oil tank containing new oil is stored in the outdoor unit 1, and the oil pipe 10 is connected.

According to the above embodiment, when the oil is consumed with the operation of the engine 4 and the oil level of the oil pan 6 is lower than the lower limit set value L1 when the engine 4 is stopped, the signal of the liquid level meter 22 is output. The controller 23 inputs and operates to output a signal to operate the oil pump 6 to automatically replenish new oil and improve the quality of oil stored in the oil pan 6 from before replenishment. In addition, as shown by the solid line, the deterioration of the oil can be delayed to extend the service life of the oil as compared with the progress of the conventional oil deterioration shown by the broken line in FIG. , The maintenance of the outdoor unit 1 can be simplified. In addition, by delaying the deterioration of the oil, the operating state of the engine 4 can be favorably maintained for a long time.

Further, since the progress of oil deterioration can be delayed by replenishing new oil, it is not necessary to store a large amount of oil in the oil pan 6, and the capacity of the oil pan 6 is reduced from the conventional 8 liters, for example. The volume can be reduced to 4 liters, and as a result, the volume of the machine room 2 can be reduced. Here, the oil tank 7 is disposed in the space in the machine room 3.

In the above-described embodiment, the oil supply amount is controlled by setting the oil supply time in the timer 24. For example, the lower limit value L is set in the liquid level meter 22.
The upper limit set value L2 is set in addition to 1, and the oil pump 8 starts operating to replenish the oil, and the level gauge 22 outputs a signal when the oil level reaches the upper limit set value L2. Then, the control device 23 may be operated based on this signal to stop the operation of the oil pump 8.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention according to claim 1 will be described.
This will be described in detail. Reference numeral 26 shown in FIG. 1 is a timer for counting the operation time of the engine 4, and this timer 26 outputs a signal when the operation time of the engine 4 reaches a set time, for example, 400 hours. The set time of the timer 26 is a time set for replenishing new oil,
A predetermined time until the timer 24 outputs a signal, that is, the engine 4 for recovering oil from the oil pan 6
The operation time is set to be much shorter than the above 4000 hours. Then, the control device 23 outputs an operation signal based on a signal from the timer 26. The set time is 1
Oil consumption of the engine 4 per hour (for example, 2.5 c
It is set in advance from c) and the amount of oil to be replenished at one time (approximately 1 liter). In this embodiment, the liquid level meter 2
Reference numeral 2 denotes a signal which is output when the liquid level of the oil reaches the upper limit set value L2. The output of the liquid level meter 22 causes the control device 23 to output a stop signal to the oil pump 8.

In the above embodiment, the outdoor unit 1 is operated by the cooling operation and the heating operation, and the amount of oil in the oil pan 6 decreases as the operation time elapses, and the oil gradually deteriorates. When the operation time reaches the set time, the timer 26 outputs a signal, and the control device 23 operates based on the signal. Here, when the cooling operation or the heating operation is stopped when the operation time reaches the set time, or when the cooling operation or the heating operation is stopped after the operation time reaches the set time, the control signal Is output to the oil pump 8. The oil pump 8 is operated by this signal, and new oil is supplied from the oil tank 7 to the oil pan 6. Therefore, the quality of the deteriorated oil is improved. When the oil level of the oil pan 6 reaches the upper limit set value L2, the level gauge 22 detects the level and outputs a signal. Based on this signal, the controller 23
Operates to output a stop signal to the oil pump 8, and the oil pump 8 stops.

Thereafter, similarly, every time the operation time of the engine 4 reaches the set time, the timer 26 outputs a signal, the control device 23 operates to operate the oil pump 8, and new oil is supplied to the oil pan 6. You. And of the new oil
At the time of replenishment, new oil is replenished until the oil level of the oil pan 6 reaches the upper limit set value and the level gauge 22 detects the level. According to the above embodiment, the oil pan 6
Every time the operating time of the engine 4 closely related to the progress of the oil deterioration reaches the set time, the control device 23 operates based on the signal of the timer 26, the oil pump 8 operates, and new oil is supplied to the oil pan 6. Since the oil is replenished, deterioration of the oil in the oil pan 6 can be suppressed, the life of the oil can be extended, the oil replacement time can be extended, and the maintenance of the outdoor unit 1 can be simplified. In addition, the replenishment of the oil causes the oil level of the oil pan 6 to reach the upper limit set value, and new oil is replenished until the level gauge 22 detects the level, so that the oil can be reliably replenished. , Make sure oil quality is improved by replenishment
Can.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but includes the capacity of the oil tank 7, the lower limit set value L1, the upper limit set value L2, the timer 24 and the timer 2 of the liquid level gauge 22.
The setting time 6 and the like are appropriately set according to the capacity of the engine 4 and the like.

[0026]

According to the present invention, there is provided an engine-driven air conditioner configured as described above, wherein an oil pan is provided with a liquid level gauge for outputting a signal when the oil level reaches an upper limit set value . The engine oil tank is connected to the oil pan via a pump via a pump, and the control unit measures the operating time of the engine.
Operation signal to the pump when the specified time
Input a signal from the level gauge and stop signal to the pump.
Output, the oil in the oil pan is greatly reduced.
The engine is running every specified operating time
Replenishes new oil and delays oil deterioration
Oil level can be increased by replenishment.
When the pump rises, make sure to stop the pump at the upper limit set value.
Replenishment can be stopped, and the specified operating time of the engine
If the amount of oil in the oil pan is
Even if oil is replenished more than necessary,
The occurrence of throat can also be avoided.

[0027]

[0028]

[0029]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a piping connection diagram of an outdoor unit.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an outdoor unit.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing a change in base number with the elapse of operation time.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a change in an acid value with a lapse of operation time.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating operation control of the pump.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Outdoor unit 2 Machine room 3 Heat exchange room 4 Engine 5 Compressor 6 Oil pan 7 Oil tank 8 Oil pump 10 Oil pipe 22 Level gauge 23 Control device 24 Timer 26 Timer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-50-73303 (JP, A) JP-A-2-59208 (JP, U) JP-A-61-105709 (JP, U) 59340 (JP, B2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F01M 11/06 F01M 11/00 F01M 11/04 F01M 11/10

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A machine room accommodating an engine having an oil pan at a lower portion, a compressor driven by the engine, and a heat exchanger provided on the machine room and accommodating an outdoor heat exchanger. In an engine-driven air conditioner equipped with an oil chamber, the oil level
A liquid level gauge that outputs a signal when
The engine oil tank connected to the oil pan via a pump via a pump, and the operation time of the engine is counted and operated.
Outputs an operation signal to the pump when the time reaches the specified time
And input a signal from the level gauge to stop the pump.
An engine-driven air conditioner, comprising: a control device that outputs a signal .