JP4369352B2 - Air conditioner indoor unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner indoor unit having a movable front panel that opens and closes a front air inlet, and more particularly to an improvement in front panel structure and operation control.

  In an indoor unit of an air conditioner composed of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, the main body includes a suction port and a blowout port, and a heat exchanger, a blower, and the like, which are refrigeration cycle devices, are accommodated inside the main body. The outlet is provided with a louver that changes the direction of the air in the vertical direction or closes so that the air can be blown in the optimum direction according to switching between cooling operation and heating operation. A grill and an air filter are provided to shield the body.

  In this type of indoor unit, dust that has entered from a gap in the main body adheres to and accumulates on the heat exchanger over a long period of use, or adheres to the blower fan, the air passage, and the drain pan. Furthermore, immediately after the cooling operation is stopped, part of the condensed water condensed in the heat exchanger does not flow down easily, or remains in the drain pan and the humidity in the main body increases. For this reason, the propagation of germs and molds contained in the dust is enhanced.

  Therefore, the present applicant has provided, for example, the technique of [Patent Document 1]. Here, a movable front panel is provided at the front suction port so as to be freely opened and closed. The front panel is driven to protrude during normal air-conditioning operation and during drying in the main body to open the front suction port, and is driven backward when operation is stopped and during sterilization in the main body to close the front suction port.

In other words, after the cooling operation is completed, the dehumidifying operation is performed, and the dry air blown out from the outlet is short-circuited directly into the front inlet, and the internal components are dried to prevent the growth of germs and mold. To do. Furthermore, during this short circuit operation, ozone generated by the electrostatic precipitator is filled in the entire interior of the main body to reliably sterilize and sterilize germs and molds.
JP 2003-74897 A

  By the way, in the technique of the above-mentioned [Patent Document 1], there is a predetermined interval between the lower end of the front suction port provided in the main body and the upper end of the blowout port. Therefore, when a short circuit is made in the internal sterilization operation, if the circulating air volume is small, dry air rises along the surface of the front panel and an effective short circuit effect is obtained, but if the circulating air volume is set large, some Tends to be separated from the surface of the front panel and blown into the room (residential area).

  Also, during the internal drying operation, a short circuit is made with the front panel opening the inlet, but at this time there is a difference in height between the lower end of the front panel protruding from the front inlet and the upper end of the outlet. Rather, there are some intervals. For this reason, an effective short circuit can be obtained when the circulating air volume is set small, but when the circulating air volume is set large, the air volume directly blown into the living area tends not to be ignored.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and the purpose thereof is to provide a movable front panel that opens and closes the front suction port, and is always effective regardless of the amount of circulating air. An object of the present invention is to provide an indoor unit for an air conditioner that has a short circuit action, suppresses the amount of air escaping to the living area, and can improve the air blowing efficiency and the heat exchange efficiency.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the indoor unit of an air conditioner of the present invention, the indoor unit body accommodates a part of the refrigeration cycle equipment inside, has a suction port on the front surface and an upper surface, and a blower port on the lower front surface. The upper horizontal louver and the lower horizontal louver are installed in parallel vertically at the blowout port of the indoor unit main body, and close the vertical direction or blowout port of the heat exchange air blown from the blowout port. Is configured to be openable and closable at the front suction port, and with the front suction port closed, the lower part extends to the position covering the front of the upper horizontal louver, and the control means closes the front suction port at the front panel. Full-closed mode, full-open mode in which the front panel lower end is positioned above the upper end of the outlet and the front suction port is opened, and the blowing airflow flows along the front and back surfaces of the front panel. A half-open mode to move the front panel in an intermediate position between the open mode and the fully closed mode and switching control to either.

  According to the present invention, a movable front panel that opens and closes the front suction port is provided, and an effective short circuit action is always performed regardless of the amount of circulating air, thereby improving air blowing efficiency and heat exchange efficiency. There are effects such as

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an indoor unit constituting an air conditioner, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the indoor unit.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an indoor unit body composed of a housing composed of a front plate 1A and a rear plate 1B. The indoor unit body 1 includes a front surface portion that is curved in a side view, and an upper surface portion, a lower surface portion, and both left and right side portions are substantially flat.
An upper surface inlet 2 is provided on the upper surface of the indoor unit body 1, and a front inlet 3 is provided on the front. A blowout port 4 is provided along the lower portion of the front suction port 3. A grille 5 is fitted in the upper surface inlet 2 and is always open, but a movable front panel 6 described later can be opened and closed through an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) in the front inlet 3. Mounted.

The blowout port 4 is provided with two horizontal louvers 7 </ b> A and 7 </ b> B in parallel up and down. The lower horizontal louver 7B is formed so that the longitudinal dimension perpendicular to the horizontal longitudinal direction is larger than the longitudinal dimension perpendicular to the horizontal longitudinal direction of the upper horizontal louver 7A.
These upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B are coupled to a drive mechanism (not shown), and this drive mechanism is electrically connected to a control unit (control means) 8 and is individually controlled to rotate. That is, the air direction in the vertical direction of the heat exchange air blown out from the blowout port 4 is set, or the blowout port 4 is closed.

  In the indoor unit body 1, a heat exchanger 9, which is a refrigeration cycle device formed in a substantially inverted V shape by the front heat exchanger portion 9A and the rear heat exchanger portion 9B, is disposed. The front heat exchanger section 9A is curved substantially in parallel with a predetermined gap from the front surface of the indoor unit body 1 to a part of the upper surface. The rear heat exchanger section 9B is straight and obliquely inclined and faces the upper surface inlet 2.

  Although not particularly illustrated, a dehumidification valve that is electrically connected to the control unit 8 is provided in the middle of the refrigerant conduction path that constitutes the heat exchanger 9. The dehumidifying valve is in a fully open state during the cooling operation and the heating operation. However, when the reheat dehumidifying operation or the dehumidifying operation is selected, the dehumidifying valve is throttled and the refrigerant in the lower half of the heat exchanger 9 is controlled. Evaporation effect can be achieved, and the refrigerant can be condensed in the upper half.

  A temperature sensor for detecting the refrigerant temperature is attached to the refrigerant introduction side and the middle part of the refrigerant conduction path of the heat exchanger 9, and a temperature sensor and humidity for detecting the room temperature and humidity are further provided on the side part of the indoor unit body 1. Sensors (both not shown) are attached, and each sensor is electrically connected to the control unit 8.

An electric dust collector 11 is attached to the front side of the front heat exchanger portion 9A of the heat exchanger 9. The electric dust collector 11 is electrically connected to the control unit 8 and can perform an original dust collecting operation and function as an ozone generator.
A blower 12 that is electrically connected to the control unit 8 is disposed between the front and rear heat exchanger units 9A and 9B of the heat exchanger 9 and facing the outlet 4. The blower 12 has an axial dimension that is substantially the same as the width dimension of the heat exchanger 9, and includes a cross-flow fan disposed facing the heat exchanger 9 and a fan motor that rotationally drives the cross-flow fan. Is done.

  The lower end of the front heat exchanger section 9A rests on the front drain pan 13a, and the lower end of the rear heat exchanger section 9B rests on the rear drain pan 13b formed integrally with the rear plate 1B. The drain water dripped from 9A, 9B can be received and drained to the outside through a drain hose (not shown).

  At a position close to the front and rear drain pans 13 a and 13 b, a nose for the fan of the blower 12 is configured, and a partition wall member 14 is provided across the outlet 7. A space surrounded by the partition member 14 and the rear plate 1 </ b> B serves as a blow-out path 15 that communicates the nose and the blow-out port 4.

  In the indoor unit body 1, an air passage 16 that connects the upper surface inlet 2, the front air inlet 3, and the outlet 14 is formed as the air blower 12 is driven. The heat exchanger 9 and the electrostatic precipitator 11 are arranged in the middle of the air passage 16.

  On the other hand, the filter 17 is attached between the upper surface inlet 2 and the front inlet 3 and the front heat exchanger part 9A and the upper heat exchanger part 9B. The filter 17 is inserted from the upper end of the outlet 4 with the front panel 6 opened, and can be removed from the same part as necessary.

Next, the front panel 6 will be described in detail.
The front panel 6 is configured so that the upper end and both side ends of the front panel 6 are positioned along the upper end and both side ends of the front suction port 3 with the front suction port 3 closed. As shown, the lower portion 6 a of the front panel 6 protrudes downward from the lower end 3 a of the front suction port 3 and extends to an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the blowout port 4.

  The lower portion 6a of the front panel 6 overlaps the front side of the upper horizontal louver 7A closing the outlet 4 with a narrow gap, and the lower end a of the front panel 6 is aligned with the upper end b of the lower horizontal louver 7B. Designed to closely fit along. That is, in the state of FIG. 1, the front panel 6 not only closes the front suction port 3, but the front panel lower part 6a doubles the upper side of the outlet 4 together with the upper horizontal louver 7A.

  The opening / closing drive mechanism (shown only in FIGS. 4 and 7) K includes a plurality of sets of link members, a drive shaft that connects the link members, and a drive source that drives the drive shaft. The drive source is electrically connected to the control unit 8 and receives a control signal from the drive source to drive the drive shaft so that the link member can expand and contract to move the front panel 6 in the front-rear direction. It has become.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front panel 6 closes the front suction port 3, and the front panel lower portion 6 a extends to a position facing the front surface of the upper horizontal louver 7 </ b> A so as to cover the upper portion of the blowout port 4. Such a position and orientation of the front panel 6 is referred to as a “fully closed mode”.
As shown in FIG. 4, the opening / closing drive mechanism K is activated, and the front panel 6 is moved forward and upward from the closed position of the front suction port 3, and the front suction port 3 is largely opened to change its position and orientation. Hold. The upper end c of the front panel 6 is higher than the upper end of the front inlet 3, and the lower end a of the front panel 6 is higher than the upper end 4 a of the outlet 4. Such a position and orientation of the front panel 6 is referred to as a “fully open mode”.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the front panel 6 is spaced slightly forward from the closed position of the front suction port 3, and the front suction port 3 is opened slightly to maintain its position and orientation. The front panel 6 is held at a position where the lower end a of the front panel 6 extends to a position facing the front surface of the upper horizontal louver 7A so as to cover the upper portion of the outlet 4. The front panel upper end c is inclined so as to protrude forward from the front panel lower end a. Such a position and orientation of the front panel 6 is referred to as a “half-open mode”.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) 20 attached to the air conditioner.
The control unit 8 receives a set condition signal sent from the remote controller 20 and receives a temperature signal detected by the temperature sensor or the humidity sensor, and opens and closes a drive mechanism K, a blower 12, an electrostatic precipitator 11, and upper and lower parts of the front panel 6. Control signals are sent to the driving sources of the horizontal louvers 7A and 7B. And the control part 8 transmits / receives a signal to the means to detect the operating frequency of the compressor 21 which is a refrigerating cycle apparatus arrange | positioned at the said outdoor unit, and the means to drive.

  The remote controller 20 includes a display window 22 made of a liquid crystal panel on the upper surface, and displays set operating conditions, temperature, air volume, and the like. On the lower side of the display window 22, a set switch group including a temperature setting button 23, a cooling button 24, a dehumidifying button 25, a heating button 26, a panel button 27, and the like is arranged.

  The temperature setting button 23 is operated according to the setting of the room temperature. The cooling, dehumidifying, and heating buttons 24, 25, and 26 are operated in accordance with required operating condition settings. As will be described later, the panel button 27 is a mode setting button for performing a person-friendly operation in which air is not directly applied to the resident in each of the cooling operation, the dehumidifying operation, and the heating operation.

  A slide case 28 is fitted on the lower side of the button group. Although not particularly illustrated, sliding the slide case 28 exposes a button group that enables settings such as air volume setting of the blower 12, humidity setting, and automatic air direction change of the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B. .

  As shown in FIG. 1 again, the air conditioner indoor unit configured as described above is set to the “fully closed mode” in which the front panel 6 closes the front inlet 3 when the operation is stopped. In addition, the front panel lower portion 6a is in front of the upper horizontal louver 7A, and the outlet 4 is closed together with the lower horizontal louver 7B.

  Since the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B close the air outlet 4, dust does not enter the interior of the indoor unit body 1 from the front air inlet 3 and the air outlet 4. Since the front panel lower portion 6a is in front of the upper horizontal louver 7A and prevents dust from adhering to the surface of the upper horizontal louver 7A, it is extremely effective when short circuit operation is performed as described later.

  When the cooling button 24 of the remote controller 20 is pressed to set the cooling operation, the indoor unit becomes as shown in FIG. That is, the control unit 8 receives a signal from the remote controller 20 to drive and control the compressor 21 to start the refrigeration cycle operation, and also drives the blower 12 to guide indoor air along the air passage 16. At the same time, the opening / closing drive mechanism K and the drive sources of the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B are driven to control the posture of the front panel 6 and the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B as described below.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit at the start of the cooling operation.
Until the room temperature reaches the set temperature after the cooling operation is started, the opening / closing drive mechanism K operates to move the front panel 6 away from the front suction port 3 and fully open to maintain its position and orientation. Mode ". At this time, the upper end c of the front panel 6 is higher than the upper end of the front suction port 3, and the lower end a of the front panel 6 is higher than the upper end 4 a of the outlet 4. On the other hand, the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B are both controlled to rotate in a substantially horizontal posture and completely open the outlet 4.

  The room air is sucked into the indoor unit body 1 from the upper surface suction port 2 and the front surface suction port 3, and is guided along the air blowing path 16. On the way, the dust is collected by the electric dust collector 11, exchanges heat with the heat exchanger 9, changes into cold air, and is blown out from the blowout port 4 through the blowout path 15. Cooling air is blown into the room, so that an indoor cooling action can be obtained.

  Since the front panel 6 completely opens the front suction port 3, room air is smoothly sucked from here. And since the lower end a of the front panel 6 is located to some extent above the upper end 4a of the outlet 4, and the upper horizontal louver 7A is controlled in a substantially horizontal posture together with the lower horizontal louver 7B, cold air is discharged from the outlet 4. There is no problem in being blown out.

  When a certain amount of time has elapsed since the start of the cooling operation, the room temperature drops to the set temperature, and this state continues. Some residents do not like the direct ventilation of the heat exchanged in this state, so the operation that does not directly blow the resident can be set by operating the panel button 27 which is a function switch provided in the remote controller 20. It has become.

When the panel button 27 is operated, the signal is sent to the control unit 8, and when the condition described below is satisfied, the control unit 8 shifts the operation from the cooling operation to the weak cooling operation or the reheat dehumidifying operation, or Control is performed so as to shift from the weak cooling operation or the reheat dehumidification operation to the cooling operation, and the front panel 6 is shifted from the normal full-open mode to the half-open mode.
Note that the weak cooling operation refers to, for example, an operation in which the operation capability is reduced in the cooling operation and the operation is performed while suppressing the evaporation amount of the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger.

FIG. 5A is a diagram for explaining a transition condition from the cooling operation to the reheating dehumidification operation, and FIG. 5B is a diagram for explaining a transition condition from the reheating dehumidification operation to the cooling operation.
When the panel button 27 is pressed after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the cooling operation, the control unit 8 determines whether or not the first condition shown in FIG. 5 (A) is satisfied. That is, when it is detected that the operation frequency of the compressor 21 gradually decreases from the operation frequency during the cooling operation and becomes, for example, 10.2 Hz or less, the control unit 8 performs control so as to shift to the reheat dehumidifying operation.

  Specifically, the front panel 6 is kept in the fully open mode, and the postures of the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B are kept the same. And while maintaining the operating frequency of the compressor 21 at 10.2 Hz or less, the dehumidification valve provided in the heat exchanger 9 is throttled and controlled so that the upper half of the heat exchanger 9 is a condenser and the lower half is an evaporator. Change.

  Therefore, a part of the indoor air that conducts through the lower half of the heat exchanger 9 is deprived of the latent heat of vaporization, but most of the indoor air that conducts through the upper half of the heat exchanger 9 receives the heat of condensation. Eventually, the heat exchange air blown out from the blowout port 4 becomes a temperature that does not change much from the temperature when sucked in from the upper surface front suction ports 2 and 3. For residents, it is possible to obtain an environment in which the cooling capacity is suppressed more than necessary and to improve comfort.

  In order to return to the cooling operation after such reheat dehumidification operation continues, the second transition condition must be satisfied as shown in FIG. That is, the difference between the detected temperature sent from the temperature sensor to the control unit 8 during the reheat dehumidifying operation and the set room temperature Tsc on the remote controller 20 is calculated, and the detected room temperature is 2 ° C. higher than the set temperature Tsc. The state (Tsc + 2) shifts to normal cooling operation.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining the conditions for shifting from the reheating dehumidification operation to the cooling and gentle airflow operation described later, and the conditions for shifting from the cooling and gentle airflow operation to the reheat dehumidifying operation.
In the above-described reheat dehumidifying operation, after the transition condition shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B has passed a predetermined time (20 minutes), the control unit sets the front panel 6 in the half-open mode, The posture of the louvers 7A and 7B is controlled.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 6A, as the first transition condition, the difference between the detected temperature sent from the temperature sensor to the control unit 8 during the reheat dehumidifying operation and the set room temperature Tsc in the remote controller 20 is calculated. Then, the detected room temperature is 1 ° C. higher than the set temperature Tsc (Tsc + 1), and as shown in FIG. 6B, the second transition condition is humidity during the reheat dehumidifying operation. The difference between the detected humidity sent from the sensor to the control unit 8 and the set humidity on the remote controller is calculated, and the condition that the detected humidity is 15% higher than the set humidity Hus (Hus + 15) must be met. I must.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the indoor unit in a cooling and gentle airflow operation state.
The front panel 6 is slightly spaced forward from the closed position in the front suction port 3, and the front suction port 3 is opened slightly to maintain its position and orientation. The front panel 6 is held at a position where the lower end a of the front panel 6 extends to a position facing the front surface of the upper horizontal louver 7A so as to cover the upper portion of the outlet 4. The front panel upper portion 6b is set to the “half-open mode” in which the front panel lower portion 6a is inclined so as to protrude forward. On the other hand, the upper horizontal louver 7A and the lower horizontal louver 7B at the outlet 4 are controlled to be in a mutually parallel posture by being inclined obliquely upward.

  The reheat-dehumidified heat exchange air blown out from the blowout port 4 is blown out from between the top of the blowout port 4 and the upper horizontal louver 7A along the back side of the front panel 6 as indicated by arrows in the figure. Be guided. At the same time, the reheat-dehumidified heat exchange air blown from between the upper horizontal louver 7A and the lower horizontal louver 7B is guided along the surface side of the front panel 6.

  Eventually, the heat exchange air that has been deheated and dehumidified is guided from the lower side to the upper side along the front and back sides of the front panel 6 from the blowout port 4 and reaches the upper end c of the front panel 6 before reaching the front suction port. Then, a short circuit state is again drawn into the indoor unit body 1 through 3. At this time, the front panel 6 has an inclination in which the upper part 6b protrudes further forward than the lower part 6a. Therefore, the blown air flow guided efficiently flows along the inclination and is guided to the upper part 6b side.

  In this way, the front panel 6 can be moved to the half-open mode position and the posture of the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B can be controlled so that the heat exchange air blown from the blowout port 4 can be a short circuit airflow. The blowout airflow flowing to the area can be suppressed.

As described above, the resident controls the position and orientation of the front panel 6 and the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B by turning on the panel switch 27 of the remote controller 20, and heat exchange air is not directly blown to the resident. Comfortable cooling can be obtained. This state is called “cooling and gentle airflow operation”.
Since the airflow blown from the upper horizontal louver 7A can be guided along the back surface side of the front panel 6 and the airflow blown from the lower horizontal louver 7B can be guided along the front surface side of the front panel 6, short circuit The air volume can be increased, and the operating efficiency can be greatly improved. The front panel lower portion 6a covers a part of the outlet 4 and has an effect of reducing room noise.

  All of the short circuit air currents are guided along the upper horizontal louver 7A. In particular, in the fully closed mode when the operation is stopped, the front surface of the upper horizontal louver 7A is shielded by the front panel lower portion 6a and is in a state in which dust does not adhere, so the sanitary level of the short circuit airflow is maintained.

  When the front panel 6 is returned from the half-open mode to the full-open mode, that is, when the cooling-friendly airflow operation is shifted to the reheat dehumidifying operation, the first transition condition is as shown in FIG. The room temperature detected during the heat dehumidifying operation is 4 ° C. higher than the set temperature Tsc (Tsc + 4), and as shown in FIG. 6B, the detected humidity is set as the second transition condition. This is a case where the condition that the humidity is higher than Hus by 25% (Hus + 25) is met, and the indoor unit returns to the state shown in FIG.

  In addition, as a switching condition from the fully open mode to the half open mode, the detection signal of the refrigerant temperature at the heat exchanger inlet side by the temperature sensor attached to the heat exchanger 9 and the refrigerant temperature at the intermediate portion of the heat exchanger 9 is received, You may make it judge based on a result by calculating these differences.

That is, in the cooling operation, in the case of the half-open mode, the cooling operation is performed with the operation capacity lowered and the refrigeration cycle throttle amount increased, and the evaporation in the heat exchanger 9 is completed up to the intermediate portion. Is a condition.
In this operation, the evaporation operation ends in the intermediate portion of the heat exchanger 9 and the intermediate portion temperature rises due to the overheating operation at that time, so the half-open mode is entered when the temperature difference becomes a predetermined temperature or more (+5 to 10 K). Transition. As a result, the cooling capacity is reduced, dew and spray are prevented, and the cooling operation can be performed without directly applying cold air to the room.

  The control unit 8 measures the operation time from the start of the cooling operation, and continues the cooling operation as it is even if the panel button 27 is pressed before the predetermined time elapses, and shifts to the reheat dehumidifying operation. There is nothing. For a predetermined time from the start of operation, the operation is performed in the fully open mode to perform the operation of blowing air throughout the room, so that sufficient capacity is exhibited at the start of operation, and the environment of the entire room is made uniform.

  When the operating frequency of the compressor 21 is detected to be equal to or lower than a predetermined value, switching control is performed so as to shift to the reheat dehumidifying operation. When the room temperature becomes close to the set temperature during the cooling operation, the operation capability of the compressor 21 gradually decreases, and when the temperature decreases to the minimum operation frequency, the operation stops. Therefore, the operation of the compressor 21 is continued in a state where the decrease in the room temperature is suppressed as the reheat dehumidifying operation, and the temperature change in the room due to the intermittent operation of the compressor is prevented.

When the dehumidifying operation is selected, it will be described below.
As described above, the dehumidifying valve is throttled to perform the reheat dehumidifying operation, and as shown in FIG. 4, the front panel 6 is in the fully open mode state, and the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B are both held in a substantially horizontal posture. Thus, these positions and postures are not different from those during the cooling operation. The heat exchange air that has been dehumidified and dried is blown out from the outlet 4, and an efficient dehumidifying effect is obtained.

Similarly to the cooling operation, when the panel button 27 of the remote controller 20 is pressed after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the dehumidifying operation, the control unit 8 changes the position and orientation of the front panel 6 and the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B. Control.
The control unit 8 has a control mode for prohibiting the movement of the front panel 6 from the start of the dehumidifying operation until a predetermined time elapses even if the panel button 27 of the remote controller 20 is pressed. The same applies to the dehumidifying operation.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating a transition condition from the reheat dehumidification operation to the dehumidification-friendly airflow operation, or a transition condition from the dehumidification-friendly airflow operation to the reheat dehumidification operation.
After a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the reheat dehumidifying operation, the panel button 27 is pressed, and after the predetermined time (20 minutes) has passed under the conditions shown in FIGS. Changes the front panel 6 to the half-open mode position and controls the posture of the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A, 7B.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, as the first transition condition, the detected room temperature is in a state (Tsc + 1) that is 1 ° C. higher than the set temperature Tsc, and as shown in FIG. The second transition condition is when the detected humidity is 5% higher than the set humidity Hus (Hus + 5). At this time, the front panel 6 and the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B are controlled to the positions and orientations shown in FIG. 7, and the effects described in FIG.

As described above, the resident controls the position and orientation of the front panel 6 and the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B by turning on the panel switch 27 of the remote controller 20, and comfortable dehumidification that prevents heat exchange air from being blown. Is obtained. This state is called “dehumidification-friendly airflow operation”.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the condition when the front panel 6 returns from the half-open mode to the full-open mode is that the indoor temperature detected during the reheat dehumidifying operation is 4 than the set temperature Tsc. As shown in FIG. 8B, the detected humidity is 15% higher than the set humidity Hus (Hus + 15) as shown in FIG. 8B. This is a case where the conditions are met, and the indoor unit returns to the state shown in FIG.

  When the control unit 8 shifts from the fully open mode to the half open mode, the front panel 6 is once set to the fully closed position and then transferred to the half open mode position. That is, when the front panel 6 is moved to the short circuit position, the front panel 6 is once returned to the fully closed mode position to initialize the drive source of the opening / closing mechanism K. This prevents the occurrence of an error in the half-open mode position and can always shift to an accurate position.

  However, the transition from the half-open mode to the full-open mode is made as it is, and there is no need to initialize the drive source. Similarly, when there is a transition from half-open mode to full-closed mode, transition from full-closed mode to half-open mode, and transition from full-closed mode to full-open mode and from full-open mode to full-closed mode, the drive source is initialized. Is unnecessary.

During the dehumidifying operation, when the room temperature rises above the set temperature, the control may be switched to the cooling operation. That is, when the room temperature becomes equal to or higher than the set temperature during the dehumidifying operation, the heat exchanger 9 is switched to the cooling action to suppress the increase in the room temperature and prevent the temperature change.
Note that the heat exchanger 9 is not limited to having a dehumidifying valve, but a configuration in which the dehumidifying capacity is increased by adjusting the fan operating frequency of the blower 12 in the cooling operation, or a PMV (electronic automatic expansion valve). The opening degree may be lowered to form an overdraw operation.

Next, the heating operation will be described in detail. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the stable state of the heating operation, and FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the indoor unit in the heating-friendly airflow operation described later.
Immediately after the heating operation is selected and the operation is started, the front panel 6 and the lower horizontal louver 7B are controlled to a position and orientation as shown in FIG. That is, the front panel 6 is in a fully open mode in which the upper surface inlet 3 is fully opened, and the lower horizontal louver 7B is in a substantially vertical state in which the outlet 4 is fully opened.

On the other hand, the posture of the upper horizontal louver 7A is not changed, and the upper side of the outlet 4 is closed. Therefore, a large amount of heat exchange air with a small temperature rise immediately after the heating operation is not blown out to the living area, so that the resident can feel cold.
After a predetermined time has elapsed since the heating operation was started, the upper horizontal louver 7A is also changed to a substantially vertical state together with the lower horizontal louver 7B, as shown in FIG. Therefore, a large amount of heat exchange air whose temperature has been completely increased is blown out from the outlet 4.

If the room temperature approximates the set temperature and the amount of heat is maintained to maintain the temperature, the resident will not feel any trouble. In addition, there is a possibility that the room will be dried more than necessary and the skin of the resident will be rough.
In such a case, the resident presses the panel button 27 of the remote controller 20 to maintain the room temperature, and obtains “heating and gentle airflow operation” that suppresses indoor drying. The transition to the half-open mode position of the front panel in this heating-friendly airflow operation operates when the conditions described below are satisfied.

  FIG. 11A shows the transition condition from the fully open mode position of the front panel 6 during heating operation to the half open mode position of the heating-friendly airflow operation, or the transition from the half-open mode position of the front panel of the heating-friendly airflow operation to the fully open mode position. FIG. 11B is a diagram for explaining the conditions, and FIG. 11B is a diagram for explaining the transition conditions from the fully open mode position of the front panel to the half-open mode position of the heating-friendly airflow operation.

That is, when the panel button 27 of the remote controller 20 is pressed and the first transition condition shown in FIG. 11A and the second transition condition shown in FIG. 11B are continued for a predetermined time (30 minutes), the front panel 6 and the vertical louvers 7A and 7B are controlled in position and orientation as shown in FIG.
The first transition condition is a state (Tsc-4) in which the room temperature detected during the heating operation is 4 ° C. lower than the set temperature Tsc, and the second transition condition is that the detected operating frequency of the compressor 21 is 60 Hz. It is in a state below that.

  As shown in FIG. 10, at the position where the front panel 6 is fitted into the front suction port 3, the front panel lower portion 6a is in the fully closed mode located on the front side of the upper horizontal louver 7A, and the upper horizontal louver 7A is in the outlet 4 Close the top side of. As described above, the lower horizontal louver 7B remains substantially vertical. The front panel lower part 6a functions as a wind direction guide in the downward direction and enhances the heating effect.

  When the operating frequency of the compressor 21 is lowered, the heat exchange efficiency is suppressed, the front suction port 4 is closed by the front panel 6, and the half area of the blowout port 4 is closed by the upper horizontal louver 7A. Therefore, the heating effect in the room can be suppressed, a decrease in dryness can be prevented, the drying of the skin can be suppressed as much as possible, and the problem such as the rough skin can be solved and the heating-friendly airflow operation can be obtained.

  The control of the opening degree of the front panel 6 during the cooling operation, the dehumidifying operation, and the heating operation described above is determined by the energization pulse from the control unit 8 to the drive source of the opening / closing drive mechanism K. That is, the front panel 6 shown in FIG. 1 sends a predetermined number of pulses to the drive source from the fully closed mode state in which the front suction port 3 is closed, so that the front panel 6 shown in FIG. Move to the half-open mode position shown.

  It is not necessary to use all of the position movement conditions of the front panel 6. For example, during the reheat dehumidification operation, determination is made based on some conditions such as omitting the condition of the inlet side temperature sensor value of the heat exchanger 9. May be performed.

The present invention has the following features.
(1) The front panel 6 provided in the front suction port 3 is in a fully closed mode for closing the front suction port 3, and the front panel lower portion 6a is positioned above the upper end of the outlet 4 to open the front suction port 3. The switching can be selected between a fully-open mode and a half-open mode so that the blown airflow flows along the front and back surfaces of the front panel 6.

  Therefore, when the operation is stopped when the fully closed mode is selected, the adhesion of dust to the front surface of the upper horizontal louver 7A is suppressed, and the hygiene level against the short circuit airflow is maintained. During the heating operation, the front panel lower portion 6a functions as a wind direction guide in the downward direction, and the heating effect can be enhanced.

  In the half-open mode, heat exchange air is guided along the front surface and the back surface of the front panel 6, and the air volume during short circuit operation can be increased. Operation efficiency is greatly improved by reheat dehumidification operation and dehumidification operation. In the fully open mode, the front of the outlet is completely opened during the cooling operation, and the cool air can be efficiently blown forward.

(2) Since the front panel 6 is in the half-open mode position, the upper portion 6b of the front panel 6 is inclined so as to protrude forward from the lower portion 6a. Therefore, the front panel 6 is inclined and a short circuit airflow is obtained. Can do. In particular, the airflow flowing on the surface of the front panel 6 can easily follow the front panel 6, and airflow leakage to the living area can be more reliably prevented.

(3) The lower horizontal louver 7B provided at the outlet 4 has a front-rear direction dimension perpendicular to the horizontal direction larger than that of the upper horizontal louver 7A, and the horizontal louvers 7A and 7B are both in the half-open mode state. Control to be in an upward posture.
Therefore, in the half-open mode position of the front panel 6, a short circuit that guides the blowing air guided by the upper horizontal louver 7A to the back surface of the front panel 6 and guides it to the front air inlet 3 through the back surface can be configured. Further, in combination with the short circuit that leads to the front suction port 3 through the surface of the front panel 6 by the lower horizontal louver 7B, an increase in the air volume during short circuit operation can be obtained.

  Furthermore, by making the width dimension in the front-rear direction of the lower horizontal louver larger than that of the upper horizontal louver, the tip of the lower horizontal louver can be brought closer to the vicinity of the lower end a of the front panel 6, and the front guide action of the front panel 6 can be achieved. Will improve.

(4) When shifting from the full-open mode to the half-open mode, the front panel 6 is once set to the fully-closed position and then moved to the half-open mode position. By returning to the fully closed mode and initializing the drive source of the opening / closing drive mechanism K, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an error in the half-open mode position and always shift to an accurate position.

(5) In cooling operation or dehumidifying operation, the full open mode is selected immediately after the start of operation, and the mode is switched to the half open mode when stable. Therefore, at the start of operation, the room temperature and humidity are rapidly lowered to the set temperature and near the humidity. When the room is close to the set temperature, the front panel 6 is moved to a predetermined position, so that short circuit airflow leakage to the living room area can be prevented and the comfort can be improved.

(6) When a cooling operation or a dehumidifying operation is set, a control mode for prohibiting the movement of the front panel is provided until a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of operation. Thus, it is possible to perform an operation of blowing air to the entire room, and to exhibit a sufficient capability at the start of the operation, so that the environment of the entire room can be made uniform.

(7) As a condition for switching from the full open mode to the half open mode, the judgment is made based on the detected values of the indoor temperature and humidity. Therefore, when the indoor temperature and humidity approaches the set value, Judging that the temperature and humidity of the living area are stable, it is possible to determine that the room is stable and not to reduce the comfort.

(8) Since the determination is made based on the detected value of the operating frequency of the compressor 21 as the switching condition from the full-open mode to the half-open mode, the indoor air-conditioning state when the operating frequency of the compressor 21 becomes a predetermined value or less. Therefore, it can be determined that the temperature and humidity in the living room are stable, and the prevention of dew condensation and spraying can be ensured without impairing the reduction in comfort.

(9) As a switching condition from the full open mode to the half open mode at the time of the cooling operation setting, the determination is made based on the difference between the refrigerant temperature at the inlet side of the heat exchanger and the refrigerant temperature at the intermediate part of the heat exchanger. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cooling capacity, prevent dew and spray, and allow the cooling operation without directly applying cold air to the room.

(10) During the cooling operation, when the operation frequency of the compressor is detected to be equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the switching control is performed so as to shift to the reheat dehumidifying operation. Prevents changes in indoor temperature due to intermittent operation.

(11) In the dehumidifying operation, when the indoor temperature is detected to be equal to or higher than the set temperature, the switching control is performed so as to shift to the cooling operation. Therefore, an increase in the indoor temperature is suppressed and a change in the indoor temperature is prevented.

(12) When the heating operation is set, the full open mode is set immediately after the start of operation, and the control is switched to the fully closed mode when stable, so that the room can be rapidly heated at the start of the heating operation, When stable, by blowing out the blown air in the vertical direction, it is possible to perform a heating operation without directly applying warm air to a person in the room.

(13) When the heating operation is set, a control mode for prohibiting the movement of the front panel 6 is provided until a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the operation. Make the environment uniform. Then, by allowing the front panel 6 to move after the indoor temperature state becomes stable, it is possible to reliably determine the stability of the refrigeration operation and the stability of the temperature in the room.

(14) Since the set temperature of the room temperature and the operation frequency detection value of the compressor 21 are used as the switching condition from the fully open mode to the fully closed mode, the stability of the refrigeration operation and the stability of the room temperature are reliably determined. It becomes possible to do.

(15) Since the setting condition is transmitted to the control unit 8 based on the pressing operation of the setting button 27 provided in the remote controller 20, the front panel 6 and the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B are adapted to the user's request. The position and orientation can be controlled.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments.

Sectional drawing which shows typically the indoor unit of the air conditioner based on Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the indoor unit based on the embodiment. The front view of the remote controller based on the embodiment. Sectional drawing of the indoor unit in the fully open mode position of the front panel based on the embodiment. The figure explaining the transfer conditions from the cooling operation to the reheat dehumidification operation and the transfer conditions from the reheat dehumidification operation to the cooling operation according to the embodiment. The figure explaining the transfer conditions in the case of changing the position and orientation of the front panel at the time of the cooling operation based on the embodiment. Sectional drawing of the indoor unit at the time of the air_conditionaing | cooling operation and dehumidification operation based on the embodiment. The figure explaining the transfer conditions in the case of changing the position and orientation of the front panel at the time of dehumidification operation based on the embodiment. The schematic sectional drawing of the indoor unit at the time of the heating operation based on the embodiment. The schematic sectional drawing of the indoor unit at the time of the heating operation based on the embodiment. The figure explaining the transition conditions in the case of changing the position and orientation of a front panel from heating operation based on the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Front suction port, 2 ... Upper surface suction port, 4 ... Outlet, 1 ... Indoor unit main body, 7A ... Upper horizontal louver, 7B ... Lower horizontal louver, 6 ... Front panel, 8 ... Control part (control means), 21 ... compressor, 20 ... remote controller, 27 ... panel button.

Claims (15)

An indoor unit main body comprising a housing that houses a part of the refrigeration cycle equipment inside, has a suction port on the front surface and an upper surface, and a blower port on the lower front surface;
An upper horizontal louver and a lower horizontal louver that are provided in parallel with the upper and lower outlets of the indoor unit main body, set the vertical direction of heat exchange air blown from the outlet, or close the outlet. ,
A front panel that is supported by the front suction port so as to be freely opened and closed, and has a configuration in which the lower part extends to a position that covers the front surface of the upper horizontal louver, with the front suction port closed.
The front panel closes the front suction port, the fully closed mode, the front panel lower end is positioned above the upper end of the blowout port, and the front suction port is opened. The blowout airflow along the front and back surfaces of the front panel An air conditioner comprising: a half-open mode in which the front panel is moved to an intermediate position between the full-open mode and the full-close mode so as to flow; and a control means for switching the front panel to one of these modes. Indoor unit.   The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein when the half-open mode is selected, the front panel has an inclined posture in which an upper part of the front panel projects forward from a lower part. The lower horizontal louver provided at the outlet is formed such that the longitudinal dimension perpendicular to the horizontal direction is larger than that of the upper louver.
The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the upper and lower horizontal louvers so that the blowing direction is in an upward posture when the half-open mode of the front panel is selected.   2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein when the control unit shifts from the full-open mode to the half-open mode, the control unit controls the front panel to shift to the half-open mode after the front panel is once set to the full-closed mode. Indoor unit.   In the cooling operation or dehumidifying operation in which the front panel half-open mode is set, the control means performs control in the full-open mode at the start of operation, and then switches from the full-open mode to the half-open mode. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 1.   The control means includes a control mode for prohibiting the movement of the front panel from the fully open mode to the half open mode until a predetermined time elapses after the start of operation when the cooling operation or the dehumidifying operation by the half open mode of the front panel is set. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the indoor unit is an air conditioner.   6. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the control means makes a determination based on detected values of indoor temperature and humidity as a switching condition from the full open mode to the half open mode.   6. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the control means makes a determination based on a detected value of an operating frequency of a compressor which is the refrigeration cycle device, as a switching condition from the full open mode to the half open mode. .   The control means, as a switching condition from the full open mode to the half open mode during cooling operation, the refrigerant temperature at the inlet side of the heat exchanger that is the refrigeration cycle equipment, and the refrigerant temperature at the intermediate portion of the heat exchanger 6. The indoor unit for an air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the determination is made based on the difference.   6. The control means according to claim 5, wherein the control means performs switching control so as to shift to a reheating dehumidifying operation when an operating frequency of a compressor that is the refrigeration cycle device detects a predetermined value or less during cooling operation. Air conditioner indoor unit.   6. The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the control means performs switching control so as to shift to a cooling operation when the indoor temperature is detected to be equal to or higher than a set temperature during the dehumidifying operation.   The indoor unit of an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein when the heating operation is set, the control means controls to select the fully open mode immediately after the start of operation and to switch to the fully closed mode when stable. .   The control means includes a control mode for prohibiting the movement of the front panel from the fully open mode to the fully closed mode until a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of operation when the heating operation in the fully closed mode of the front panel is set. The indoor unit of the air conditioner according to claim 12, wherein the indoor unit is an air conditioner.   The control means makes a determination based on a set temperature of a room temperature and an operating frequency detection value of a compressor that is the refrigeration cycle device as a switching condition from the fully open mode to the fully closed mode during heating operation. Item 14. An air conditioner indoor unit according to Item 13.   13. The control unit according to claim 5, wherein the control unit is operated by an operation mode setting switch in a half-open mode or a full-close mode of a front panel provided in a remote controller for transmitting a setting condition to the control unit. An air conditioner indoor unit according to any one of the above.

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