JP3378781B2 - 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 air conditioner for air conditioning in an air-conditioned room provided with an indoor unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Air conditioners (hereinafter referred to as "air conditioners")
Blows out the air whose temperature has been adjusted by passing through the heat exchanger of the indoor unit (indoor unit) provided in the air-conditioned room, to achieve air conditioning in the air-conditioned room. ing.

In such an air conditioner, a temperature sensor is provided in a remote control switch for operating the air conditioner, and this temperature sensor is mainly used (the temperature sensor provided in the remote control sensor).
Air-conditioning control is performed so that the temperature detected by the temperature control device reaches the set temperature, so that the temperature around the person in the room to be air-conditioned becomes the set temperature. That is, the remote control switch is operated by a person who is in the air-conditioned room, and the temperature of the remote control switch is close to the sensible temperature of the person who is in the air-conditioned room. Therefore, by setting the temperature detected by the temperature sensor of the remote control switch as the set temperature, it is possible to feel that the air-conditioned room is in a comfortable air-conditioning state.

The installation position of the indoor unit of the air conditioner is
The position where the conditioned air can be blown out toward the entire inside of the air-conditioned room is preferable, and thereby the entire inside of the room can be brought into a comfortable air-conditioned state.

In recent years, the air-conditioned room to be air-conditioned by an air conditioner has become wider, and the shape thereof has been diversified, such as being formed into an L shape. On the other hand, the mounting position of the indoor unit is often restricted because it is necessary to avoid windows, doors, beams, and the like. Therefore, in order to uniformly air-condition the entire area of a large room with one indoor unit, an air conditioner with high air-conditioning capacity is required.

However, from the viewpoint of energy saving, it is not preferable to uniformly air-condition the whole area of the air-conditioned room. In other words, even if the air-conditioned room is large, the space in which people are present is often limited, and air-conditioning the entire area of a large air-conditioned room allows the temperature-controlled air to reach even spaces without people. Therefore, the air conditioning capacity needs to be increased accordingly.

Considering such energy saving during air conditioning,
It is preferable to focus the air conditioning on the space where people are.
For this reason, the indoor unit is installed so as to air-condition the area where the person is present for the longest time.

By the way, when the indoor unit is attached so as to mainly air-condition an area where a person is present in a large room for a long time, the indoor unit is not located at a position (for example, a central portion) overlooking the entire area of the large room, It will be attached to an area where people are long (or where people are always).

However, even when the indoor unit is installed in this way, it is sometimes necessary to air-condition the entire large room or the area other than the area to which the indoor unit is directed by the indoor unit. At this time, even if the air-conditioning operation is the same as when air-conditioning only the area where people are often present, the installation location of the indoor unit is offset, so the entire indoor area is of course mainly air-conditioned by the indoor unit. I couldn't get a comfortable temperature in the areas other than the above.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and it is possible to efficiently air-condition a desired area in an air-conditioned room to a comfortable temperature by one indoor unit. The purpose is to propose an air conditioner that can

[0011]

The invention according to claim 1 is
An air conditioner for air-conditioning an air-conditioned room in which an indoor unit is provided from an outlet of an indoor unit, the internal temperature detecting means provided in the indoor unit, and a range for blowing the conditioned air from the outlet. Changing means for changing between the air conditioning of the first area and the air conditioning of the first area and the second area in the air-conditioned room; and a first temperature detecting means for detecting the room temperature of the first area. A second temperature detecting means for detecting the room temperature of the second area, and the internal temperature detecting means and the inner temperature detecting means when the blowing range of the conditioned air is switched to the first and second areas by the changing means. Air conditioning control means for air conditioning the air-conditioned room based on the detection results of the first and second temperature detection means.

According to the present invention, when air conditioning the first and second areas in the room to be conditioned, the internal temperature detecting means provided in the indoor unit and the first temperature detecting means provided in the first area. And the second temperature detecting means provided in the second area are used to control the driving ability.

When air-conditioning the first area, air-conditioning is performed using the internal temperature detecting means or the first temperature detecting means and the internal temperature detecting means provided in the first area. Only the internal temperature detecting means and the first temperature detecting means can be used to air-condition the area 2 to detect only a part of the temperature of the air-conditioned area.

On the other hand, a second temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the second area is separately provided in the second area, and the second temperature detecting means is also used to provide an air-conditioned area. It is possible to make the air-conditioning conditions uniform. Further, by disposing a plurality of temperature detecting means in the air-conditioned area, the air-conditioned area can be efficiently and comfortably air-conditioned.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the first temperature detecting means is provided in a remote control switch used for setting an operating condition including a set temperature.

According to the present invention, the first temperature detecting means is provided on the remote control switch for setting the operating condition. The remote control switch that sets these operating conditions is
It is mainly used in indoor units in areas that are air-conditioned. That is, the first area is an area that is normally air-conditioned, and the second area is an area that is air-conditioned as necessary.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the air conditioning control means controls the first temperature detecting means when the blowing range of the blowing air is changed to the first and second areas by the changing means. The detection result of the second temperature detecting means is used only when the detection result of 1 is input.

According to the present invention, when air-conditioning the first area and the second area, the room temperature detected by the second temperature detecting means is the room temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means. Used only when. That is, the first
When the room temperature detected by the temperature detecting means is not input, even if the room temperature detected by the second temperature detecting means is input, the control of the air conditioning capacity using this room temperature is not performed.

Since the indoor unit is usually mounted so as to mainly air-condition the first area, even if the first and second areas are air-conditioned under the same conditions, the air-conditioning efficiency of the second area is low. . At this time, if the first area is air-conditioned based on the room temperature of the second area, the first area may not be in an appropriate air-conditioned state. That is, the first region is overcooled during cooling or overheated during heating.

On the other hand, when the first temperature detecting means does not detect an appropriate temperature when air-conditioning the first area and the second area, the temperature detected by the second temperature detecting means is detected. By not using, it is possible to prevent the first region from becoming an appropriate air conditioning state.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the second temperature detecting means has a person detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the second area, and the changing means has a detection result of the person detecting means. It is characterized in that the blowing range of the conditioned air is changed based on

According to the present invention, air conditioning is performed so that the second area becomes comfortable only when the person detecting means detects that a person is present at the position where the second detecting means is attached.

With this, it is possible to prevent unnecessary air conditioning in a state where there is no person in the area where the second detecting means is attached, and it is possible to achieve efficient air conditioning and energy saving.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 2 shows a refrigeration cycle of an air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as "air conditioner 10") to which the present invention is applied. The air conditioner 10 is composed of an indoor unit 12 installed in an air-conditioned room and an outdoor unit 14 installed outdoors. The indoor unit 12 and the outdoor unit 14 are thick pipe refrigerant pipes 16A for circulating a refrigerant.
And the refrigerant pipe 16B which is a thin pipe.

A heat exchanger 18 is provided in the indoor unit 12, and one end of each of the refrigerant pipes 16A and 16B is connected to the heat exchanger 18. The other end of the refrigerant pipe 16A is connected to the valve 20A of the outdoor unit 14. This valve 20A is a muffler 22A
Is connected to the four-way valve 24 via. This four-way valve 24
Are connected to the compressor 26 via the accumulator 28 and the muffler 22B.

Further, the outdoor unit 14 is provided with a heat exchanger 30. This heat exchanger 30 has one end connected to the four-way valve 24 and the other end connected to a capillary tube 32,
Valve 20 via strainer 34 and modulator 38
Connected to B. An electric expansion valve 36 is provided between the strainer 34 and the modulator 38, and the other end of the refrigerant pipe 16B is connected to the valve 20B.
As a result, a closed refrigerant circulation path forming a refrigeration cycle is formed between the indoor unit 12 and the outdoor unit 14.

The air conditioner 10 can be cooled or heated by operating the compressor 26 to circulate a refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle.

That is, in the cooling mode, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 26 is supplied to the heat exchanger 30 to be liquefied, and the liquefied refrigerant is vaporized in the heat exchanger 18 of the indoor unit 12, The air passing through the heat exchanger 18 is cooled. Further, in the heating mode, conversely, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 26 radiates heat by being condensed in the heat exchanger 18 of the indoor unit 12, and the heat radiated by this refrigerant causes air to pass through the heat exchanger 18. Is heated.

In FIG. 1, during the heating operation (heating mode) and during the cooling operation (cooling mode or dry mode) indicated by arrows.
The operation mode is switched between the cooling mode (including the dry mode) and the heating mode by switching the four-way valve 24, and the valve opening of the electric expansion valve 36 is controlled to evaporate the refrigerant. The temperature is adjusted. The present invention can be applied to an air conditioner of any configuration, and the air conditioner 10 shows an example thereof.

As shown in FIG. 3, the indoor unit 12
The heat exchanger 18 is provided in the casing 42 in which the inlet 48 and the outlet 50 are formed. The casing 42 is fixed to the wall surface in the room by the base plate 40.

Inside the casing 42, the heat exchanger 18
The cross flow fan 44 and the filter 46 are arranged between the suction port 48 and the suction port 48, and the air in the room is sucked into the casing 42 by the operation of the cross flow fan 44.
After passing through the filter 46 and the heat exchanger 18, it is blown out into the room from the blowout port 50. At this time, the air blown into the room passes through the heat exchanger 18 so that heat is exchanged with the refrigerant circulated in the heat exchanger 18 to become temperature-controlled air for air conditioning the room. .

The outlet 50 of the indoor unit 12 is provided with upper and lower flaps 54 together with the left and right flaps 52. The left and right flaps 52 and the upper and lower flaps 54 allow
The direction of the conditioned air (temperature-controlled air) blown out from the outlet 50 can be changed. That is,
The air blown into the room from the outlet 50 is changed in direction by the upper and lower flaps 54 in the vertical direction.
The left and right flaps 52 are adapted to change the direction of the air blown from the outlet 50 along the left-right direction (horizontal direction). The air conditioner 10 can change the wind direction of the air blown from the outlet 50 by the upper and lower flaps 54 and the left and right flaps 52.

As shown in FIG. 4, the indoor unit 12
A power supply board 56, a control board 58, and a power relay board 60 are provided in the. A motor power supply 62, a control circuit power supply 64, a serial power supply 66, and a drive circuit 68 are provided on the power supply board 56 to which electric power for operating the air conditioner 10 is supplied. Further, the control board 58 is provided with a serial circuit 70, a drive circuit 72, and a microcomputer 74.

A fan motor 76 (for example, a DC brushless motor) for driving the cross flow fan 44 is connected to the drive circuit 68 of the power supply board 56, and a control signal from the microcomputer 74 provided on the control board 58 is supplied. In response, drive power is supplied from the motor power source 62. At this time, the microcomputer 74 controls the output voltage from the drive circuit 68 so as to be changed in 256 steps in the range of 12V to 36V. As a result, the air volume of the conditioned air blown from the outlet 50 of the indoor unit 12 is adjusted.

The drive circuit 72 of the control board 58 is connected to a power relay board 60, a left and right flap motor 77 for operating the left and right flaps 52, and an up and down flap motor 78 for operating the up and down flaps 54. The power relay board 60 is provided with a power relay 80 and a temperature fuse, and operates the power relay 80 by a signal from the microcomputer 74 to open / close a contact 80A for supplying electric power to the outdoor unit 14. Air conditioner 1
When 0, the contact 80 </ b> A is closed, so that power can be supplied to the outdoor unit 14.

The left and right flap motors 77 and the upper and lower flap motors 78 are controlled according to control signals from the microcomputer 74 to operate the left and right flaps 52 and the upper and lower flaps 54, respectively. When the left and right flaps 52 are swung in the left and right direction, the blowing direction of the air (air conditioning air) blown out from the outlet 50 is changed to the left and right direction, and the upper and lower flaps 54 are swung in the up and down direction, so that the indoor unit The blowing direction of the air (air conditioning air) blown from the 12 outlets 50 is changed to the vertical direction. The operation of the left and right flaps 52 and the upper and lower flaps 54 can be fixed so that the blowing air can be directed in any direction, and can also be set so that the wind direction changes randomly.

In the indoor unit 12 of the air conditioner 10, the rotation of the crossflow fan 44 and the operation of the left and right flaps 52 and the upper and lower flaps 54 are controlled to obtain a desired air volume and a desired wind direction or to make the room comfortable. The air conditioned with a controlled air volume and direction is blown out into the room.

As shown in FIG. 9, the left and right flaps 52 are controlled so as to change the wind direction within the range of the angle θ ₀ (generally, the angle 2θ ₀ ) centering on the front of the indoor unit 12. It The angle 2θ ₀ is, for example, 100 °
It is set to be as wide as 120 °.

As shown in FIG. 4, the serial circuit 70 connected to the microcomputer 74 and the serial power supply 66 of the power supply circuit 56 is connected to the outdoor unit 14,
The microcomputer 74 performs serial communication with the outdoor unit 14 via the serial circuit 70 to control the operation of the outdoor unit 14.

Further, the indoor unit 12 is provided with a display board 82 having a receiving circuit for receiving an operation signal from the remote control switch 120 (see FIG. 1) and a display LED for operation display. The board 82 is the microcomputer 7
4 is connected. As shown in FIG. 1, the display portion 82A of the display substrate 82 is arranged on the front surface of the casing 42, and the remote control switch 120 is provided on the display portion 82A.
A receiver is provided for receiving the operation signal sent from the device. As a result, the remote controller switch 120 is turned on by the display unit 8.
Remote control switch 1 by operating toward 2A
An operation signal from 20 is input to the microcomputer 74.

As shown in FIG. 4, the microcomputer 74 includes a room temperature sensor 84 for detecting the room temperature and the heat exchanger 1.
The heat exchange temperature sensor 86 for detecting the coil temperature of No. 8 is connected, and further, the service LED and the operation changeover switch 88 provided on the control board 58 are connected. The operation changeover switch 88 is switched between "normal operation" and "test operation" performed at the time of maintenance, etc., and is also changed to "stop" in which the contact of the power switch 88A is opened to cut off the supply of operating power to the air conditioner 10. To be Normally, the operation changeover switch 88 is set to "normal operation" and the contact of the power switch 88A is closed. The service LED can be turned on during maintenance,
The service person is notified of the self-diagnosis result.

The indoor unit 12 includes an outdoor unit 14
There is provided a terminal block 90 to which the wiring between and is connected. The terminals 90A, 90B, 90 of this terminal block 90
Wiring for power supply supplied from the indoor unit 12 to the outdoor unit 14 and wiring for serial communication between the indoor unit 12 and the outdoor unit 14 are connected to C.

As shown in FIG. 5, the outdoor unit 14
Is provided with a terminal block 92, and the terminals 92A, 92B, 92C of the terminal block 92 are respectively terminals 90A, 90B, 9 of the terminal block 90 of the indoor unit 12.
0C is connected.

The outdoor unit 14 includes a rectifying board 9
4. A control board 96 is provided. The control board 96 includes a microcomputer 98 and a noise filter 10.
0A, 100B, 100C, the serial circuit 102, the switching power supply 104, etc. are provided.

A noise filter 100 is provided on the rectifying board 94.
The power supplied via A is double-voltage rectified, and the smoothed DC power is output to the switching power supply 104 via the noise filters 100B and 100C. The switching power supply 104 is connected to the inverter circuit 106 together with the microcomputer 98, and the inverter circuit 106 is connected to the compressor motor 108. Inverter circuit 1
Reference numeral 06 outputs electric power having a frequency corresponding to the control signal output from the microcomputer 98 to the compressor motor 108, and rotationally drives the compressor 26.

The microcomputer 98 uses the inverter circuit 1
The frequency of the power output from 06 is off or 14Hz
The compressor motor 1 is controlled so as to be in the above range (the upper limit depends on the upper limit of the operating current).
08, that is, the rotation speed of the compressor 26 is changed,
The operating capacity of the compressor 26 (cooling / heating capacity of the air conditioner 10) is controlled.

The control board 96 includes a four-way valve 2
4 and a fan motor 110 for driving a blower fan (not shown) for cooling the heat exchanger 30 and a fan motor condenser 110A are connected. Further, the outdoor unit 14 includes an outdoor air temperature sensor 11 for detecting the outdoor air temperature.
2. A coil temperature sensor 114 for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant coil of the heat exchanger 30 and a compressor temperature sensor 116 for detecting the temperature of the compressor 26 are provided, and these are connected to the microcomputer 98.

The microcomputer 98 switches the four-way valve 24 in accordance with the operation mode and controls signals from the indoor unit 12, the outside air temperature sensor 112, and the coil temperature sensor 11.
4 and the detection result of the compressor temperature sensor 116, the on / off of the fan motor 110, the operating frequency of the compressor motor 108 (the capacity of the compressor 26) and the like are controlled.

Further, the control board 96 is connected with a motor 118 for opening and closing the electric expansion valve 36. The microcomputer 98 controls the opening degree of the electric expansion valve 36 by the motor 118.

6A and 6B, a remote control switch 120 for operating the air conditioner 10 is shown.
(Hereinafter referred to as "main remote controller") is shown. A display unit 122 is provided on the main remote controller 120. The display unit 122 is configured to display operating conditions such as an operating mode, a set temperature, an indoor temperature (room temperature), a time, and a wind direction and an air volume when the air conditioner 10 is operated.

Further, the main remote controller 120 has
Stop button 124, temperature setting buttons 126A, 126B
In addition, a sensation button 128 and a wind direction button 130 are provided. The air conditioner 10 has a start / stop button 124
It is operated / stopped by the operation of. Further, the set temperature (target temperature for air conditioning) displayed on the display unit 122 can be changed by the temperature setting buttons 126A and 126B.

A temperature sensor (not shown) is provided inside the main remote controller 120, and the room temperature around the main remote controller 120 is measured by the main remote controller 120 and sent to the indoor unit 12. . Further, a temperature sensor is also provided in the sub remote controller 140, which will be described later, so that the room temperature around the sub remote controller 140 can be measured and sent to the indoor unit 12. The microcomputer 74 of the indoor unit 12 includes a room temperature sensor 84 and a main remote controller 12 provided in the indoor unit 12.
0 and the sub remote controller 140 can detect the temperature in the room.

The sensation button 128 is for switching the temperature sensor for measuring the room temperature.
By operating the room temperature sensor 84 of the indoor unit 12 in the normal mode, and in addition to the room temperature sensor 84, the main remote controller 120 (normal sensation mode) or the main remote controller 120 and the sub remote controller 140.
It can be switched to a sensation mode in which the room temperature is measured using (multi-sensation mode).

By operating the wind direction button 130,
The automatic mode in which the left and right flaps 52 are automatically swung within a preset range is selected. Further, by operating the wind direction button 130, the left and right flaps 52 can be fixed to any positions.

In this embodiment, the left and right flaps 52 are fixed at arbitrary positions in the non-automatic mode, but the swing range is arbitrarily selected and the swing is performed within the selected swing range. Is also good. That is, the center position when swinging the left and right flaps 52 may be selected by the wind direction button 130.

The main remote controller 120 is provided with a slide cover 130, and this slide cover 134 is provided.
The operation panel 132 having various operation buttons is exposed by the slide operation.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the operation mode button of the operation panel 132 hidden in the slide cover 134 allows the operation modes of the air conditioner 10 to be automatic, heating, dry, cooling, and air cleaning. The order is switched to drying. Further, by operating a switch in the operation panel 132, it is possible to switch the amount of air blown from the outlet 50 and the wind direction (vertical direction), and it is possible to select the air conditioning capacity such as high power and capacity saving. . Further, by operating switches on the operation panel 132, it is possible to set timers such as operation start time and operation stop time.

The main remote controller 120 sends an operation signal corresponding to the operation content to the display section 82A of the indoor unit 12 and sends the room temperature detected by the temperature sensor each time the operation button is operated. To do.
Further, the main remote controller 120 sends out the room temperature at a constant time interval regardless of the operation of the operation button.

The air conditioner 10 can perform the air conditioning operation based on the room temperature detected and sent by the main remote controller 120. That is, the main remote controller 120
By operating in the main area of the room that is air-conditioned by the air conditioner 10, the air-conditioning state (mainly temperature) of this main area can be detected, and the air-conditioning operation is performed so that the temperature detected by the main remote controller 120 becomes the set temperature. Be seen.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 1, the display portion 82A of the air conditioner 10 also receives a signal from a remote controller sensor switch (hereinafter referred to as "sub remote controller 140") provided separately from the main remote controller 120. It is like this.

An outline of the sub remote controller 140 is shown in FIGS. 7, 8A and 8B. As shown in FIG. 7, the sub remote controller 140 is
The temperature detection unit 142 that detects the ambient temperature of the device and outputs a signal (for example, voltage) corresponding to the detected temperature is provided with a human detection unit 144 and a position setting switch 146, each of which is a conversion unit 148. It is connected to the. The conversion unit 148 is also connected to the communication unit 150.

The person detecting section 144 is provided with a person detecting sensor 152 having a pyroelectric element for detecting far infrared rays condensed by a Fresnel lens. 8 (A) and 8
As shown in (B), this human detection sensor 152 is
It is arranged in a hemispherical dome cover 154 provided in the central portion of the sub remote controller 140, and detects far infrared rays around the dome cover 154 that have passed through.

As shown in FIG. 7, the human detection sensor 152 is connected to the detection circuit 156. The human detection unit 144 determines whether or not there is a change in far infrared rays detected by the human detection sensor 152 by the detection circuit 156.
It has a general human detection configuration that detects the presence or absence of people around 0.

The detection circuit 156 includes a sensitivity adjuster 1
58 is connected. As shown in FIG. 8 (B),
The sub remote controller 140 is provided with an adjustment knob 158A of the sensitivity adjuster 158. This adjustment knob 158A
The sensitivity of the human detection sensor 152, that is, the detection distance can be adjusted.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the slide cover 140A of the sub remote controller 140 is slid downward to operate the position setting switch 1
46 is opened.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the position setting switch 146 sets the operation knob 146 A to “right” according to the position of the indoor unit 12 with respect to the sub remote controller 140.
It is designed to be slid to three display positions of "middle" and "left". The adjustment knob 158 described above
A is also usually hidden by the slide cover 140A.

The conversion section 148 converts the input signals from the temperature detection section 142, the human detection section 144 and the position setting switch 146 based on the respective preset codes and outputs them to the communication section 150. .

The communication section 150 sends the signal output from the conversion section 148 to the indoor unit 12. Also,
As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the sub remote controller 140 is provided with a power switch 160 for turning on / off the sub remote controller 140. Communication unit 150
When the power switch 160 is turned on,
The ON signal is transmitted, and at the same time, the signal is transmitted according to inputs from the temperature detection unit 142, the human detection unit 144, and the position setting switch 146.

The sub remote controller 140 has a power switch 16
When 0 is turned on, the temperature detecting unit 142 measures the room temperature and the human detecting unit 144 detects the presence / absence of a person, and the human detecting unit 144 detects a person at regular time intervals. Position setting switch 14 with measured room temperature
The position signal set by 6 is transmitted.

On the other hand, the microcomputer 74 of the indoor unit 12
When the automatic mode is selected by operating the wind direction button 130 of the main remote controller 120, the sub remote controller 14 is operated based on the position setting signal from the sub remote controller 140.
The position of 0 is determined, the initial position is set, and the left and right flaps 52 are swung within a predetermined range around this initial position. In addition, the microcomputer 74 of the indoor unit 12
When the signal indicating that a person has been detected is stopped from the sub remote controller 140, the swing of the left and right flaps 52 centering on the initial position is stopped, and the signal for detecting a person is input again to input the initial position. The swing of the left and right flaps 52 centering around is restarted. At this time, the microcomputer 74 determines that the experience button 12 of the main remote controller 120.
When 8 is in the sensible mode, the room temperature sent from the sub remote controller 140 is used to control the temperature and air volume of the conditioned air.

As shown in FIG. 10, the indoor unit 12 of the air conditioner 10 is usually an air-conditioned room 162 to be air-conditioned.
It is attached so as to blow out the conditioned air toward the main area 162A inside. Further, the left and right flaps 52 are provided with air conditioning air blown from the outlet 50 in the main area 162A.
The orientation is set to face (for example, by operating the wind direction button 130 of the main remote controller 120). That is, the indoor unit 12 is mounted with its front surface facing the main area 162A in the air-conditioned room, and is normally operated so that the main area 162A is in a comfortable air-conditioned state.

The sub remote controller 140 is attached to an area (hereinafter, referred to as "sub area 162B") in which the air conditioning is desired to be performed at a position different from the main area 162A in the air-conditioned room 162.

As shown in FIG. 9, the air conditioner 10 is
The direction of the conditioned air blown out by the left and right flaps 52 is normally the front position of the indoor unit 12 at the initial position (hereinafter referred to as the initial position C), and the left and right flaps 52 have an angle around the initial position C. θ
Swing left and right in the range of ₀ (eg 50 ° to the left and right)
Swing range). When the position setting switch 146 of the sub remote controller 140 is set to “middle”, the left and right flaps 52 are similarly swung around the initial position C.

On the other hand, when the position setting switch 146 of the sub remote controller 140 is set to "left" or "right", the initial positions R and L of the indoor unit 12 are respectively set to the angle θ.
_It is changed to _R and θ _L , and is swung right and left in the range of an angle θ ₁ (for example, about 30 °). That is, the swing of the left and right flaps 52 is biased rightward or leftward by the position setting switch 146 of the sub remote controller 140.

When the left and right flaps 52 are swung in response to a signal from the sub remote controller 140, the amount of air blown from the outlet 50 is increased, whereby air conditioning is performed on the sub area 162B indicated by the sub remote controller 140. Make sure that the wind reaches.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. In the air conditioner 10, when a start / stop operation is performed in a state set to any one of cooling operation, dry operation, heating operation, etc. by a switch operation of the main remote controller 120, operation in the set operation mode is started.

When the air conditioner 10 is operated and the air conditioning operation is started, the set temperature and the room temperature are measured, and the operating frequency of the compressor 26, the air volume (the number of rotations of the cross flow fan), etc. are measured based on the measurement results. The air conditioning operation is performed based on the setting result.

In the outdoor unit 14, the four way valve 24 is switched according to the set operation mode. For example, when the cooling or dry mode is set, the compressor 2
The refrigerant compressed by 6 is supplied to the heat exchanger 30 of the outdoor unit 14. As a result, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 26 is liquefied by passing through the heat exchanger 30, and the liquefied refrigerant is supplied to the heat exchanger 18 of the indoor unit 12. The refrigerant supplied to the heat exchanger 18 of the indoor unit 12 is vaporized when passing through the heat exchanger 18, and cools the air passing through the heat exchanger 18.

On the other hand, during the heating operation, the compressor 26
The four-way valve 24 is switched so that the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by is supplied to the heat exchanger 18 of the indoor unit 12. As a result, when the high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor 26 is liquefied by the heat exchanger 18, it heats the air passing through the heat exchanger 18. The air heated by the heat exchanger 18 is blown into the room through the air outlet 50 to heat the room.

In the air conditioner 10, the direction (or swing range) of the left and right flaps 52 is normally set so that the conditioned air is blown toward the main area 162A, and the room temperature is controlled by the room temperature sensor 84 of the indoor unit 12. Although the measurement is being performed, when the sensation button 128 of the main remote controller 120 is operated, the air conditioning operation is performed in the sensation mode using the room temperature measured by the main remote controller 120 in addition to the room temperature measured by the room temperature sensor 84. At this time, when the sub remote controller 140 is turned on and the room temperature measured by the temperature detecting unit 142 of the sub remote controller 140 is being received, the air conditioning is performed based on the room temperature detected by each of the room temperature sensor 84, the main remote controller 120 and the sub remote controller 140. It is designed to drive in a multi-experience mode. The sensation mode can be executed during automatic operation in which the wind direction and air volume such as cooling, heating, and dry are automatically set, and the wind direction (mainly the wind direction of the left and right flaps 52) is set to the automatic mode (wind direction button 130). It may be set by the operation of).

FIG. 11 shows an outline of the operation of the sub remote controller 140. In the sub remote controller 140, when the power switch 160 is turned on, the temperature detection unit 142 starts measuring the room temperature around the sub remote controller 140, and the human detection sensor 152 detects the presence or absence of a person.

The presence / absence of a person is set to be unattended unless the person detection sensor 152 is turned on for a predetermined time (for example, 15 minutes).
If the person continues to detect people, it will be set as manned.

On the other hand, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 11, when the power switch 160 is turned on, the sub-remote controller 140 sets the position setting switch 146 in the first step 200 and the temperature detecting section 14 as well.
The room temperature measured in 2 is delivered. Along with this, in the next step 202, a timer for measuring an interval for transmitting a signal is reset / started.

At the next step 204, it is confirmed whether or not the time measured by the timer has reached a predetermined time,
When the predetermined time has been reached (affirmative determination in step 204), the process proceeds to step 206, and it is confirmed whether or not the human detection unit 144 determines (sets as manned) to be manned.

If it is determined that the person is present, an affirmative determination is made in step 206 and the process proceeds to step 200. By this, a predetermined interval (for example, time t
The room temperature around the sub remote controller 140 is sent from the sub remote controller 140 every ₂ minutes (about 10 minutes).

Further, when unmanned is set (negative determination in step 206), the human detection unit 144 is in a standby state until it detects a person around the sub remote controller 140. A positive determination is made in step 200, and the execution of this flowchart is restarted.

On the other hand, the air conditioner 10 includes the main remote controller 1
By inputting the signal for shifting from 20 to the sensation mode, the sensation mode using the room temperature detected by the sub remote controller 140 is executed. The flowchart of FIG. 12 shows an outline of a routine for switching to the sensation mode.

This flowchart is for the main remote controller 1
It is executed when the driving is started by operating the driving / stop button 124 of 20. In the first step 210, it is confirmed whether or not the sensation mode is set. If the main remote control 120 was set to the sensation mode at the time of the previous operation, the main remote control 120 stores this setting.
When the driving operation is performed, an operation signal indicating the setting to the sensation mode is transmitted.

If the sensation mode is not set (NO at step 210), step 212 is performed.
Then, the normal control is performed using only the room temperature measured by the room temperature sensor 84 provided in the indoor unit 12. For this normal control, various conventionally known methods can be used, and detailed description thereof will be omitted in the present embodiment.

On the other hand, when the sensation mode is set (Yes at Step 210), it is confirmed at Step 212 whether the room temperature is sent from the main remote controller 120, and at Step 214, the room temperature is sent from the sub remote controller 140. Check if it has been done. That is, it is confirmed whether or not the room temperature for executing the sensible mode is sent from each of the main remote controller 120 and the sub remote controller 140.

FIGS. 13A and 13B show flowcharts for making the determinations in steps 212 and 214.

As shown in FIG. 13A, in the operation judging routine of the main remote controller 120, it is judged in the first step 230 whether or not the temperature signal sent from the main remote controller 120 is received. When the affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step 232, and the main remote controller 120
Is operating as a temperature sensor.

Thereafter, in step 234, the temperature based on the received temperature signal is set as the room temperature _trtp detected by the main remote controller 120, and in step 2
Move to 36 to reset / start the timer.

In the next step 238, it is confirmed whether or not the timer has timed out, and in step 240, it is confirmed whether or not the temperature signal which should be transmitted from the main remote controller 120 at a constant interval is received. To do.

Here, when the temperature signal sent from the main remote controller 120 is received before the timer times out (negative determination in step 238, positive determination in step 240), the process proceeds to step 234 and is received. The room temperature _trtp is updated based on the temperature signal. On the other hand, when the timer times out before receiving the temperature signal sent from the main remote controller 120 (Yes in step 238), the process proceeds to step 242, and the main remote controller 120 is not operating as a temperature sensor. judge.

The time measured by the timer is t ₁ × 3 + β with respect to the time t ₁ which is the interval at which the main remote controller 120 sends out the temperature signal (for example, if t ₁ is about 5 minutes and β is about 2 minutes, About 17 minutes) and the main remote control 120
When the transmission of the temperature signal from is stopped three times in a row or cannot be received, it is determined to stop using the main remote controller 120 as the temperature sensor.

Further, as shown in FIG. 13B, in the operation judging routine of the sub remote controller 140, it is judged in the first step 250 whether or not the temperature signal sent from the sub remote controller 140 is received, and the temperature signal is received. If so, an affirmative decision is made and the routine proceeds to step 252 where the sub remote controller 140
Is operating as a temperature sensor.

Thereafter, in step 254, the temperature based on the received temperature signal is set as the room temperature _trts detected by the sub remote controller 140, and in step 25
Go to 6 and reset / start the timer.

At the next step 258, it is confirmed whether or not the timer has timed out, and at step 260, it is confirmed whether or not the temperature signal which should be sent from the sub remote controller 140 at a constant interval is received. To do.

If the temperature signal sent from the sub remote controller 140 is received before the timer times out (negative determination in step 258, positive determination in step 260), the process proceeds to step 254 and the room temperature t Update _rts .

On the other hand, when the timer times out before receiving the temperature signal sent from the sub remote controller 140 (affirmative determination in step 258), the process proceeds to step 262 and the sub remote controller 140 operates as a temperature sensor. Determine not.

The time measured by the timer is t ₂ × 2 + β with respect to the time t ₂ which is the interval at which the sub remote controller 140 sends the temperature signal (about 22 minutes when t ₂ is about 10 minutes).
Therefore, when the transmission of the temperature signal from the sub remote controller 140 is stopped twice or not received continuously, it is determined to stop using the sub remote controller 140 as the temperature sensor.

Based on this determination result, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 12, at least the main remote controller 12
When 0 is a temperature sensor and the operation is stopped, a negative determination is made in step 212, and step 216
Move to. As a result, in the air conditioner 10, air conditioning control using only the room temperature sensor 84 of the indoor unit 12 is performed.

When only the main remote controller 120 can be used as a temperature sensor, an affirmative judgment is made in step 212 and a negative judgment is made in step 214, so that the process proceeds to step 218 and the normal sensation mode using the main remote controller 120 is set. Set. A known method can be used for this sensation mode as well, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, if it is determined that both the main remote controller 120 and the sub remote controller 140 are operating properly (Yes in steps 212 and 214), the process proceeds to step 220 and the multi-experience mode is set. .

When the position setting signal (the signal corresponding to the operation position of the position setting switch 146) is input from the sub remote controller 140, the initial positions of the left and right flaps 52 are changed according to this signal, and this initial position is changed. It is swung in the swing range according to the position. As a result, the main area 162A and the sub area 16 are blown by the conditioned air blown from the outlet 50 of the indoor unit 12.
2B can be air-conditioned (see FIG. 10).

After that, the process proceeds to step 222, waits for a fixed time (for example, about 5 minutes), and then step 210 is performed again.
Move to. When the sensation mode is canceled during the standby in step 222, the normal mode is set (shift to step 216).

[0109] When set to multi-sensory mode in this manner, the microcomputer 74 performs air conditioning control using a room temperature t _rts measured by RT t _rtp and the sub remote controller 140 as measured by the main remote controller 120.

In this multi-sensation mode, the left and right sides are controlled while controlling the air volume and the temperature of the conditioned air blown from the outlet 50 so that the room temperature _trtp and the room temperature _trts are substantially equal (for example, the temperature difference is within 1 ° C). The flap 52 is swung at a predetermined speed. In this case, by correcting, based mainly on the room temperature t _rtp and room temperature t _rts the set temperature, the sub-area 162B of sensible temperature and the sub remote controller 140 in the main area 162A of the main remote controller 120 is placed is attached The sensible temperature is substantially matched, and the inside of the air-conditioned room 162 is air-conditioned to a comfortable room temperature.

In the multi-experience mode, the main remote controller 12
By 0 and the sub remote controller 140 in a state of being continued at room temperature t _rtp, measurement of t _rts, temperature approximately identical to the state (e.g., deviation of the set temperature and the room temperature t _rtp measured by the main remote controller 120 is within 1 ° C ) along with continues for a predetermined time, is set in a state where the temperature of the room t _rtp room temperature t _rts becomes within a predetermined range, at least at room temperature t _rtp
When the temperature of room temperature _trts exceeds a predetermined range, it is reset.

In the sub remote controller 140, the human detection sensor 152 detects the presence / absence of a person in the sub area 162B at regular intervals.
When 40 no longer detects a person, it stops blowing the conditioned air toward the sub area 162B. At the same time, the signal from the sub remote controller 140 is sent or a signal indicating the stop is sent, whereby the initial positions of the left and right flaps 52 are returned, and the air conditioning centering on the main area 162A is returned. As a result, the sub-area 16 without people
It is possible to prevent unnecessary air conditioning of 2B.

As described above, the air conditioner 10 is provided with the sub remote controller 140 for setting a predetermined area of the air-conditioned room 162 in which the indoor unit 12 is provided, and blows air toward the position set by the sub remote controller 140. By biasing the air conditioning, it is possible to predominantly perform air conditioning so that a specific area in the air-conditioned room 162 is in a comfortable air conditioning state.

As a result, since it is possible to efficiently perform air conditioning so that only a desired area or the entire area of the large air-conditioned room is comfortable, it is possible to save energy when air-conditioning the air-conditioned room 162 by the air conditioner 10.

In the present embodiment, description has been made using the main remote controller 120 and the sub remote controller 140 for each indoor unit 12, but the sub remote controller 1
A plurality of 40 may be provided. As a result, a large room can be divided into a large number of areas, and only a specific area of each can be efficiently air-conditioned.

Further, in this embodiment, the main remote controller 120 and the sub remote controller 1 each having a different function.
Although 40 is used, a remote controller switch having both functions may be used. That is, the main remote controller 120 may have the position setting function of the sub remote controller 140, and may further have the human detection function and the on / off function of the remote controller switch.

As a result, it is possible to maintain a desired air conditioning state in a specific area in the air-conditioned room set by the remote control switch.

The above-described embodiment does not limit the structure of the present invention. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to an air conditioner having any configuration for air conditioning a room to be air-conditioned in which an indoor unit is provided.

[0119]

As described above, according to the present invention, the inside of the room is conditioned based on the temperature detected by each of the plurality of outside temperature detecting means. Therefore, the outside temperature detecting means is arranged at a desired position in the air-conditioned room. Then, each of the plurality of areas in which the external detection means is arranged can be brought into a desired air conditioning state. As a result, it is not necessary to air-condition the entire air-conditioned room unnecessarily, so that efficient air conditioning can be performed, and energy saving can be achieved when air-conditioning the air-conditioned room by the air conditioner. The effect is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an indoor unit and a remote control switch applied to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a refrigeration cycle of an air conditioner applied to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the inside of an indoor unit.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a substrate in the indoor unit.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a ban of the outdoor unit.

6A and 6B are schematic plan views showing a main remote controller, FIG. 6A showing a state in which a slide cover is opened, and FIG. 6B showing a state in which the slide cover is closed. .

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a sub remote controller according to the present invention.

8A and 8B are schematic plan views showing a sub remote controller according to the present invention, FIG. 8A showing a state in which a slide cover is opened, and FIG. 8B in a state in which the slide cover is closed. Is shown.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing swing areas of the left and right flaps of the indoor unit with respect to the position designated by the sub remote controller.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a region in which conditioned air is blown out from the indoor unit, and shows a state in which both the main area and the sub area are air-conditioned.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the sub remote controller.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an outline of transition to a sensation mode.

13A is a flowchart showing an example of determination as to whether or not a main remote controller is operating, and FIG. 13B is a flowchart showing an example of determination as to whether or not a sub remote controller is operating.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Air conditioners (air conditioners) 12 indoor units 14 outdoor unit 18 heat exchanger 26 Compressor 50 outlet 52 Left and right flaps (change means) 74 Microcomputer (air conditioning control means, change means) 77 Left and right flap motors (change means) 82 display board 84 Room temperature sensor (internal temperature detection means) 120 Main remote controller (first temperature detecting means) 128 experience buttons 140 Sub remote controller (second temperature detecting means) 142 Temperature detector 144 human detection unit (human detection means) 146 Position setting switch 150 Communication unit 152 Human detection sensor (human detection means) 160 power switch 162 Air-conditioned room 162A main area (first area) 162B sub area (second area)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Kanai 2-5-5 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Harutaka Mineno 2-chome, Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture No. 5-5 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshimitsu Nakajima 2-5-5 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A No. 2-143047 JP-A-4-48142 (JP, A) JP-A-3-213933 (JP, A) JP-A-9-196447 (JP, A) JP-A-7-35388 (JP, A) JP-A-5-296517 (JP, A) Actual Kaihei 1-158039 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F24F 11/02 102 F24F 11/02 103

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An air conditioner for air-conditioning an air-conditioned room in which an indoor unit is installed by means of air-conditioning air blown from an outlet of the indoor unit, the internal temperature detecting means provided in the indoor unit, and the air conditioner from the outlet. Changing means for changing the range in which the air is blown out during air conditioning of the first area and during air conditioning of the first area and the second area in the air-conditioned room;
A first temperature detecting means for detecting the room temperature of the first area, a second temperature detecting means for detecting the room temperature of the second area, and an air conditioner for the first and second areas by the changing means. Air-conditioning control means for air-conditioning the inside of the air-conditioned room based on the detection results of the internal temperature detection means and the first and second temperature detection means when the blowing range of the wind is switched,
An air conditioner characterized by including. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the first temperature detecting means is provided on a remote control switch used for setting an operating condition including a set temperature. 3. The air conditioning control means inputs the detection result of the first temperature detection means when the blowing range of the blowing air is changed to the first and second regions by the changing means. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the detection result of the second temperature detecting means is used only when the air conditioner is operating. 4. The second temperature detecting means comprises a person detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of a person in the second area, and the changing means detects the conditioned air based on the detection result of the person detecting means. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the blowout range is changed.