JP4538659B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner that displays the power consumption, information such as an electric charge.

  Conventionally, the setting of the operation content in a home air conditioner is generally performed by wireless transmission from the remote control to the air conditioner body, and the transmission content includes the operation mode, air volume, wind direction, temperature, timer, other special operations, Additional functions.

On the other hand, an air conditioner consumes a relatively large amount of power among household appliances used in the home. If the user can confirm the power consumption, the power consumption can be set by frequently setting the operation details. Reduction and energy saving .

The present applicant has already proposed a device for displaying power consumption, electricity charges, and the like measured by the air conditioner body on a remote controller (Japanese Patent Application No. 10-48313). Thereby, the user can see power consumption, an electricity bill, etc. at hand. However, this apparatus lacks a function for providing information that the user wants to know only by displaying the power consumption or electricity price value from when the user started measurement until now.

Then, the objective of this invention is providing the air conditioner which can display the information regarding reduction of power consumption and energy saving .

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises an air conditioner body having a measuring means for measuring power consumption or electricity bill, a remote control having a stop button for stopping the operation of the air conditioner, and a display, When the operation of the air conditioner is stopped by the stop button of the remote controller, the electricity bill from the start of operation to the stop of operation measured by the measuring means of the air conditioner body is displayed on the display. It is what.
The measuring means further measures the time from the start of operation of the air conditioner to the stop of operation, and when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped by the stop button, in addition to the electricity bill, from the start of operation to the stop of operation. The operation time may be displayed on the display.
The indicator is provided in the remote controller, and the remote controller and the air conditioner main body each include bidirectional communication means, and when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped by a stop button of the remote controller, the air conditioner Data of power consumption or electricity charges measured by the measuring means may be transmitted from the main body to the remote controller, and the remote controller may display the electricity charges from the start of operation to the stop of operation on the display.

According to the present invention , a user can know information useful for energy saving.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner according to the present invention includes an indoor unit (hereinafter referred to as an air conditioner main body) 1, an outdoor unit 2, and a remote controller 3.

  The air conditioner main body 1 and the remote controller 3 each have a built-in transmission / reception unit that is a bidirectional communication means so that data can be transmitted and received between them. Reference numeral 4 denotes a transmission / reception unit of the air conditioner body 1. The data to be transmitted / received includes the data for setting the conventional operation details, the data measured / integrated by the air conditioner body, the data commanded from the remote controller for measurement / integration / communication, etc., the operating condition of the air conditioner body Data representing

  The air conditioner body 1 includes a time measuring means for measuring the operating time, a current value detecting means for detecting the current value flowing through the indoor unit 1 and the outdoor unit 2, and a preset number of days (hereinafter referred to as a total integration period). Measuring means for measuring and integrating power consumption and electricity charges are provided. Further, the measuring means calculates the power consumption consumed from the start of the operation to the present using the operation time and the current value from the start of the operation to the present, and converts this power consumption into an electricity bill. Further, the measuring means integrates (accumulates) the power consumption and the electricity bill within the total integration period to obtain a total integration value. Note that the air conditioner body 1 may measure only power consumption, send power consumption data to the remote control 3 by two-way communication, and convert to an electric charge by the remote control 3.

  The remote controller 3 is provided with a dot matrix type display 5 in which a predetermined number of dots are arranged vertically and horizontally so that numerical values, characters, symbols and the like can be displayed in combination with dots. The display content includes operation content, operation status, current value of power consumption or electricity rate, total integrated value, current time, and the like. The remote controller 3 also includes a menu key 6 for selecting display contents (setting items), a timer key 7 for setting a timer, a reservation key 8 for making a reservation, an operation / stop button 9 for operating / stopping, A cancel key 10 for canceling, a switching key 11 for switching the operation mode, a request key 12 for requesting display relating to power consumption, electricity charges, and the like are provided. These keys are also used to input numerical values such as unit price of electricity according to the key operation procedure. The display 5 may be configured to display a plurality of numerical values, characters, and symbols side by side as illustrated.

  Hereinafter, the operation relating to measurement, integration, and display in the air conditioner of the present invention will be described using the flowchart of FIG. However, in this example, the electricity bill is not measured, but only the power consumption is measured.

  Step A: When the power is turned on, the air conditioner body resets each register such as the operation timer, power consumption, integration timer, total integration power consumption, and enters a waiting state. The operation timer register indicates the elapsed time from the start of operation, the power consumption register indicates the power consumption since the start of operation, the integration timer indicates the total operation time within the total integration period, and the total integration power consumption indicates the total time within the total integration period. Each of the accumulated power consumption is stored.

  Step B: When the air conditioner body receives the operation start command from the remote controller, it starts measuring / integrating the operating time and measuring / integrating the power consumption.

  Step C: When a power consumption request command is received from the remote controller during operation, data such as power consumption is transmitted to the remote controller.

  Step D: The air conditioner body continues measurement and integration until an operation stop command is received from the remote controller. When the operation stop command is received, data such as power consumption is transmitted to the remote controller, and then the process returns to the waiting state.

  Step E: When the air conditioner body receives the operation start command from the remote controller, it checks whether the total integration period has ended. If the total integration period has reached a predetermined value (for example, for one month) set in advance, the integration timer and the total integration power consumption register are reset.

  Step F: When the air conditioner body receives a command for canceling the total integration period during operation, it resets the integration timer and the total integration power consumption register.

  Step G: When a power consumption request command is received from the remote control during stoppage, data such as power consumption is transmitted to the remote control.

  The total integration period can be set, for example, by one month (31 days) by the user. If the total integration period is set to one month, the current month ends while the air conditioner is stopped so that the user can check the final total integration value for the current month even if he forgot to check it. However, the total integrated value should not be deleted, and after that, the total integrated value may be displayed after the operation is started and then deleted.

  The display contents of the electricity bill will be described using the display example of FIG. However, in this example, the power consumption is not displayed, and only the electricity charge is displayed.

  The display content of the display 5 of the remote controller 3 varies depending on the operation mode and operation. First, it is assumed that the request key 12 is pressed during operation in the automatic operation mode. In the figure, the character “automatic” is displayed on the display 5 during automatic operation as indicated by the circled number 1, but when the request key 12 is pressed, the character “receiving” is substituted for the character “automatic”. When the data is obtained from the air conditioner main body, the character “current” is displayed. Subsequently, the numerical value and symbol of the operation time and the numerical value and symbol of the electricity bill are sequentially displayed. Further, the character “temperature”, the numerical value and symbol of the indoor temperature, and the numerical value and symbol of the outdoor temperature are sequentially displayed. The outdoor temperature display is obtained by adding the numerical value of the outdoor temperature to the indoor temperature display. Subsequently, in order to indicate the content of the automatic operation, the character “operation” is displayed. If the air-conditioning is in the automatic operation, the character “cooling”, the characters indicating the set temperature, and the numerical value are sequentially displayed. When a series of data obtained by bidirectional communication between the air conditioner body and the remote controller is thus displayed, the display returns to the character “automatic”.

  In the next example, it is assumed that the request key 12 is pressed during operation in the cooling operation mode. In the figure, as indicated by a circled number 2, during the cooling operation, the character “cooling” is displayed on the display 5, but when the request key is pressed, the character “receiving” is displayed instead of the character “cooling”. Then, the characters “current” to the outdoor temperature are sequentially displayed in the same manner as in the automatic operation mode. Since it is not automatic operation, there is no display of automatic operation content, and it returns to the display of the character "cooling".

  In the next example, it is assumed that the request key is pressed while the air conditioner is stopped. In the figure, the current time is displayed on the display 5 in the sense of being stopped, as indicated by the circled number 3, but when the request key is pressed, in order to inform the electricity bill in the previous operation, The characters “previous”, the numerical value and symbol of the operating time, and the numerical value and symbol of the electricity bill are displayed in order. Then, the characters “integrated”, the elapsed time and symbol within the total integration period, the numerical value and symbol of the total integrated electricity bill are sequentially displayed, and the display returns to the current time display.

In the following example, it is assumed that the operation is stopped by the operation / stop button 9 during the operation. In this case, data is transmitted and received by bidirectional communication even if the request key 12 is not pressed. In the figure, as in the circled numeral 4, a display 5 is displayed during operation of characters "Auto", the character "stop" to the variable fairly, followed by driving time until the shutdown from the start of the operation numerical values and symbols, Electricity price values and symbols are displayed in sequence. Thereafter, the display shifts to the display of the current time, which is the meaning of stopping.

  In the example of FIG. 3, the display contents are different between during operation and during stop in order to reduce the information provided to the user. However, the same display contents may be provided during operation and during stop. Further, only the electricity bill may be displayed with the operation time omitted. Further, the display contents may be specified by selecting only necessary information by the user.

  Next, a method for changing the unit price for calculating the electricity bill will be described with reference to FIG.

  Each time the menu key 6 is pressed, various setting screens are changed on the display 5. When the character “unit price” is displayed by several menu key operations, the unit price setting screen is displayed. At this time, the numerical value can be changed by pressing the timer key 7. Each time the timer key 7 is pressed, the value of the unit price so far changes up or down in increments of 1 yen. When the reservation key 8 is pressed, the unit price is fixed. When not changing, press the cancel key 10 to return to the original state. Since the user can set the unit price in this way, it is possible to cope with a case where the price system of the electricity rate is different.

  Next, a method for selecting the display of electricity charges will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the character “integrated” is displayed on the display 5 by several menu key operations, it is possible to select whether or not to display the total integrated value by pressing the timer key 7. In this case, each time the timer key 7 is pressed once, the characters “Yes” and “No” are displayed alternately. When the reservation key 8 is pressed, the display selection is confirmed. When not changing, press the cancel key 10 to return to the original state. As described above, since the user can select display items and select whether or not to display each display item, it is possible to omit display of items that the user considers unnecessary.

  Next, another form of display contents of the electricity bill will be described with reference to FIG.

  Here, the current power consumption (instantaneous value) or current value is displayed instead of the electricity bill. For example, when the request key 12 is pressed during operation in the cooling operation mode, the character “receiving” is displayed on the display 5 instead of the character “cooling”, and data is obtained from the air conditioner body 1. The character “current” is displayed. Then, the current power consumption value, the current electricity charge value, and the symbol are displayed. The temperature display is the same as in the example of FIG. By displaying the current power consumption or current value in this way, the user can figure out how much power is currently being operated and how much the electricity bill will be if operating as it is.

  Next, the display of the history of electricity charges will be described with reference to FIG.

  For example, when the request key 12 is pressed during operation in the cooling operation mode, the character “receiving” is displayed on the display 5 instead of the character “cooling”, and data is obtained from the air conditioner body 1. The character “current” is displayed. Following the current power consumption value, a graph with time on the horizontal axis and power consumption on the vertical axis is displayed to show the history of power consumption in the past. Since the history of past electricity charges is displayed in this way, the user grasps the history of past electricity charges together with the current power and current electricity charges, and the total accumulated electricity charges (for the user this month's electricity charges) Can be predicted.

It is a block diagram of the air conditioner which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for measurement, integration, and display of power consumption. It is a figure which shows the content displayed on a display. It is a flowchart of a unit price change. It is a flowchart of a display selection. It is a figure which shows the content displayed on a display. It is a figure which shows the content displayed on a display.

Explanation of symbols

1 Air conditioner body 2 Outdoor unit 3 Remote control 5 Display

Claims (3)

An air conditioner body having a measuring means for measuring power consumption or electricity rate, a remote control having a stop button for stopping the operation of the air conditioner, and a display,
When the operation of the air conditioner is stopped by the stop button of the remote controller, the electricity bill from the start of operation to the stop of operation measured by the measuring means of the air conditioner body is displayed on the display. An air conditioner characterized by The measuring means further measures the time from the start of operation of the air conditioner to the stop of operation, and when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped by the stop button, in addition to the electricity bill, from the start of operation to the stop of operation. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein an operation time is displayed on the display. The indicator is provided in the remote controller, and the remote controller and the air conditioner main body each include bidirectional communication means, and when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped by a stop button of the remote controller, the air conditioner Data of power consumption or electricity bill measured by the measuring means is transmitted from the main body to the remote controller, and the remote controller displays the electricity bill from the start of operation to the stop of operation on the display. The air conditioner according to claim 1.

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