JP5691000B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to control of an air conditioner equipped with a mechanism for automatically cleaning an air filter.

  When a conventional air conditioner equipped with an automatic air filter cleaning function is in continuous operation such as heating, when the indoor fan operation time reaches a predetermined time, the operation such as heating is temporarily stopped to clean the air filter. There has been proposed one that returns to the operation mode before stopping after the operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, in the case of a heat pump type air conditioner, if heating operation is performed at a low outdoor temperature, frost will form on the outdoor heat exchanger and the heating capacity will be reduced. This is a well-known technique.

JP 2007-139249 A

  However, in the conventional configuration, when the heating operation is stopped and the defrosting operation is performed, and the timing of cleaning the air filter immediately after returning to the heating operation after the completion of the defrosting operation, For cleaning, the heating operation has to be stopped again, which causes a problem that the decrease in the room temperature increases and the comfort is impaired.

  This invention solves the said conventional subject, and it aims at providing the air conditioner which can make heating operation and defrost operation compatible, without impairing comfort.

In order to solve the conventional problems, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between indoor air and refrigerant, an expansion valve that decompresses the refrigerant, and heat exchange between outdoor air and refrigerant. An outdoor heat exchanger, a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, a four-way valve that switches between the forward and reverse of the refrigerant flow path, and an indoor fan that blows air into the room, and the compressor, the four-way valve, and the indoor heat exchanger during heating operation The function of the automatic cleaning operation that configures the refrigeration cycle so that the refrigerant flows in the order of the expansion valve, the outdoor heat exchanger, and the four-way valve and automatically cleans the air filter, and the function of the defrosting operation that switches the four-way valve After the heating operation is started, the defrosting operation is performed when the first defrosting start condition is satisfied, and the automatic cleaning operation is performed when the cumulative operation time of the indoor fan has passed the predetermined cumulative operation time. When performing the automatic cleaning operation, the first If you meet a second defrosting start conditions are more relaxed than frost start condition, by performing the defrosting operation and the automatic cleaning operation and at the same time, the stop time of the heating operation by the defrosting operation, automatic cleaning operation Since the heating operation stop time can be shared, the heating operation stop time can be shortened, and the decrease in comfort can be minimized.

  The present invention can provide an air conditioner that can achieve both heating operation and defrosting operation without impairing comfort.

The block diagram of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 of this invention Air filter block diagram of the indoor unit of the air conditioner in the first embodiment Flow chart of defrosting operation and automatic cleaning operation in the first embodiment

The air conditioner of the first invention includes an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between indoor air and refrigerant, an expansion valve that decompresses the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between outdoor air and the refrigerant, A compressor that compresses the refrigerant, a four-way valve that switches between the forward and reverse directions of the refrigerant flow path, and an indoor fan that blows air into the room, the compressor, the four-way valve, the indoor heat exchanger, the expansion valve, and the outdoor heat exchanger during heating operation The refrigeration cycle is configured so that the refrigerant flows in the order of the four-way valve, and has an automatic cleaning operation function that automatically cleans the air filter and a defrost operation function that switches the four-way valve, and after the heating operation starts The defrosting operation is performed when the first defrosting start condition is satisfied, and the automatic cleaning operation is performed when the predetermined cumulative operation time of the indoor fan has elapsed. When the first defrost start condition was relaxed If you meet a second defrosting start conditions, by carrying out the defrosting operation and the automatic cleaning operation at the same time, to predict the timing likely to enter the defrosting operation, the next time by performing a pre-defrosting operation The timing of the defrosting operation can be delayed, and the timing of the defrosting operation and the timing of the automatic cleaning operation can be matched. As a result, the heating operation stop time due to the defrosting operation and the heating operation stop time due to the automatic cleaning operation can be shared, so that the heating operation stop time can be shortened and the decrease in comfort is minimized. Can be limited.

The air conditioner of the second invention includes an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between indoor air and the refrigerant, an expansion valve that decompresses the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the outdoor air and the refrigerant, A compressor that compresses the refrigerant, a four-way valve that switches between the forward and reverse of the refrigerant flow path, and an indoor fan that blows air into the room, the compressor, the four-way valve, the indoor heat exchanger, the expansion valve during heating operation, The refrigeration cycle is configured so that the refrigerant flows in the order of the outdoor heat exchanger and the four-way valve, and the air filter is automatically
A function of an automatic cleaning operation for cleaning and a function of a defrosting operation performed by switching the four-way valve, and when the cumulative operating time of the indoor fan has passed a first cumulative operating time, the automatic cleaning When the predetermined defrost start condition is satisfied after the heating operation is started, the defrost operation is performed, and when performing the defrost operation, the time is shorter than the first cumulative operation time. When the set second cumulative operation time has elapsed, the timing of the defrosting operation and the timing of the automatic cleaning operation can be matched by simultaneously performing the defrosting operation and the automatic cleaning operation.

In the air conditioner of the third invention, particularly in the first or second invention, when performing the defrosting operation and the automatic cleaning operation at the same time, the heating operation is stopped by cleaning only a part of the air filter. Therefore, the temperature drop in the room is suppressed.

In the air conditioner of the fourth invention, particularly in the first to third inventions, when only the automatic cleaning operation is performed without performing the defrosting operation, the dust of the air filter is cleaned by cleaning the entire surface of the air filter. Therefore, it is considered that more air is accumulated than usual. By cleaning the entire surface, ventilation resistance can be eliminated and efficient operation can be performed.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner in the present embodiment is configured by connecting an indoor unit 1 installed indoors and an outdoor unit 2 installed outdoors by a refrigerant pipe 3.

  In addition, the air conditioner in the present embodiment includes an indoor heat exchanger 4 that exchanges heat between indoor air and refrigerant, an expansion valve 5 that decompresses refrigerant, and outdoor heat that exchanges heat between outdoor air and refrigerant. The exchanger 6, the compressor 7 that compresses the refrigerant, and the four-way valve 8 that switches the refrigerant flow path are connected in a ring shape by piping.

  Further, an indoor fan 9 that supplies wind to the indoor heat exchanger 4 and blows air indoors and an outdoor fan 10 that supplies air to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 and promotes heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outside air are provided. .

Furthermore, an air filter 11 for collecting foreign matters such as dust mixed in the wind supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 4 is disposed on the front surface of the indoor heat exchanger 4. Moreover, the temperature sensor 21 which detects the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is provided.

  During the heating operation, the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor 7 condenses in the indoor heat exchanger 4 through the four-way valve 8, is depressurized by the expansion valve 5, and then evaporates in the outdoor heat exchanger 6. The refrigeration cycle is configured to return to the compressor 7 again through the four-way valve 8. In addition, the solid line arrow shown in FIG. 1 is the direction in which the refrigerant flows during the heating operation, and the dotted line arrow is the direction in which the refrigerant flows during the cooling operation.

  In the case of an air conditioner configured with such a refrigeration cycle, if the heating operation is continued for a long time, frost is formed on the outdoor heat exchanger 6, and thus a defrosting operation for melting the frost is required.

  In the defrosting operation in the present embodiment, when the continuation time of the heating operation elapses for a predetermined time, or when the elapse of the predetermined time that the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, the outdoor heat exchanger Therefore, the four-way valve 8 is switched to provide a refrigerant flow path for cooling operation.

  As a result, the high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor 7 is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 and melts frost attached to the outdoor heat exchanger 6. The timing for entering the defrosting operation described above is only an example, and the timing for entering the defrosting operation may be any condition.

  On the other hand, the air conditioner of the present embodiment has a function of automatic cleaning operation for automatically cleaning the air filter 11. The automatic cleaning operation is performed by stopping the heating operation or the cooling operation when the indoor fan has been operated for a predetermined time or when the user instructs the stop of the heating operation or the cooling operation. The automatic cleaning operation is performed before stopping.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the air filter 11 and the automatic cleaning mechanism for automatically cleaning the air filter 11 in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the air filter 11 has a suction nozzle 12 that drives the front side of the air filter 11 in the left-right direction and sucks dust, and an exhaust fan 13 that sucks dust from the suction nozzle 12 and discharges it to the outside. Yes. Then, by driving the front side of the air filter 11 in the left-right direction, dust collected by the air filter 11 is sucked and discharged outside the room.

  Further, a suction port (not shown) is provided on the surface side of the suction nozzle 12 facing the air filter 11, and by driving the suction port in the vertical direction, the place where the air filter 11 is cleaned is moved up and down. The direction has changed.

  When cleaning the entire surface of the air filter 11, the suction nozzle 12 is driven back and forth in the left-right direction, the suction port is driven up and down, and the suction nozzle 12 is driven again in the left-right direction. The first predetermined number of times is repeated to clean the entire surface of the air filter 11. For example, the entire surface of the air filter 11 is cleaned by reciprocating the suction nozzle 12 eight times in the left-right direction (first predetermined number of times).

  Further, when cleaning a part of the air filter 11, after the suction nozzle 12 is driven back and forth in the left-right direction, the suction port is driven up and down, and the suction nozzle 12 is driven again in the left-right direction. This is repeated a second predetermined number of times to clean the air filter 11, but automatic cleaning is performed by thinning out the surface to be cleaned as compared with the entire surface cleaning. For example, a part of the air filter 11 is cleaned by reciprocating the suction nozzle 12 in the left-right direction (second predetermined number of times). Needless to say, the first predetermined number of times is larger than the second predetermined number of times.

  In the present embodiment, the suction nozzle 12 is driven to clean dust adhering to the air filter 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, the air filter 11 is driven, A configuration in which the brush is scraped off with a brush provided in advance may be used, or another configuration may be used.

  In the case of a mechanism that drives the air filter 11 to perform an automatic cleaning operation, when cleaning the entire surface of the air filter 11, the air filter 11 is driven multiple times to clean, and a part of the air filter 11 is cleaned. In the case of performing the automatic cleaning, the number of times of driving the air filter 11 may be reduced as compared with the case of cleaning the entire surface of the air filter 11.

  As described above, the automatic cleaning operation of the air filter 11 includes the entire cleaning for cleaning the entire surface of the air filter 11 and the partial cleaning for cleaning a part of the air filter 11. Although the cleaning effect of the air filter 11 depends on the degree of dust adhesion, the cleaning of the entire surface is more effective than the partial cleaning.

  Next, the timing of the defrosting operation and the timing of the automatic cleaning operation will be described. FIG. 3 is a timing chart of the defrosting operation and the automatic cleaning operation.

  First, in STEP 1, the user starts the heating operation with a remote control device (not shown) or the like. Then, the heating operation is started in STEP 2 and the measurement of the cumulative operation time of the indoor fan is started.

  Next, in STEP 3, it is determined whether or not the total accumulated operation time of the indoor fans so far has exceeded a preset first accumulated operation time Tra. If it has elapsed, the process proceeds to STEP 11, and if it has not elapsed, the process proceeds to STEP 4.

  The accumulated operation time of the indoor fan is continuously measured from the previous operation, and is cleared or subtracted by performing the automatic cleaning operation of the air filter 11. Therefore, when the air filter 11 is automatically cleaned during the previous shutdown and then stopped, the accumulated operation time of the indoor fan is cleared and the measurement starts from zero during the current heating operation, but the previous shutdown Sometimes, when the automatic cleaning operation of the air filter 11 is not performed, the operation time is added during the current heating operation, starting from the previous cumulative operation time of the indoor fan. For example, assuming that the first cumulative operation time Tra is 480 minutes, the automatic cleaning operation of the air filter 11 is performed when the cumulative operation time of the indoor fan has elapsed 480 minutes.

  In STEP 4, it is determined whether or not the first start condition of the defrosting operation is satisfied. In the present embodiment, the first start condition and the second start condition of the defrosting operation are provided, and the second start condition is more relaxed than the first start condition. For example, the first start condition starts the defrosting operation when the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 falls below zero degrees Celsius, whereas the second start condition starts the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 6 below 2 degrees Celsius. The first start condition is satisfied before the first start condition is satisfied, such as starting the defrosting operation.

  Further, if the air conditioner starts the defrosting operation as the heating operation time becomes longer, the first start condition is that the heating operation continues for 120 minutes while the defrosting operation is performed. In the second start condition, if the heating operation is continued for 100 minutes, the defrosting operation may be performed.

  As described above, although there are various conditions for the defrost start condition, a condition that is always satisfied before the first defrost start condition is set as the second defrost start condition.

  In STEP 4, when the first start condition for starting the defrosting operation is satisfied, the process proceeds to STEP 5, and when the first start condition is not satisfied, the process returns to STEP 3.

  Next, in STEP 5, it is determined whether or not the cumulative operation time of the indoor fan has passed the second cumulative operation time Trb. The second cumulative operation time Trb is set to be shorter than the first cumulative operation time Tra. If the cumulative operation time of the indoor fan has not passed the second cumulative operation time Trb, the process proceeds to STEP6. Therefore, it is determined that there is not so much dust accumulated on the air filter 11, and only the defrosting operation is performed.

  And it progresses to STEP7 and will return to STEP3, if a defrost operation is complete | finished. Note that the defrosting operation performed in STEP 6 performs defrosting by switching the four-way valve 8 to operate in the refrigeration cycle of the cooling operation.

  The defrosting operation is terminated when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 21 continues for a predetermined time (for example, 4 minutes) after detecting the defrosting end temperature (for example, 6 ° C.). There may be no problem even if other conditions are satisfied.

  In STEP5, when the cumulative operation time of the indoor fan has passed the second cumulative operation time Trb, the process proceeds to STEP8, where it is determined that a little dust has accumulated on the air filter 11, and the defrosting operation and the air filter 11 are performed. Do some cleaning operation.

  When both the defrosting operation and the partial cleaning operation are completed in STEP 9, the indoor fan accumulated operation time is subtracted by a predetermined time in STEP 10, and the process returns to STEP 3. Note that the predetermined time for subtracting the indoor fan accumulated operation time in STEP 10 is not uniquely determined, and is appropriately set according to the configuration of the air conditioner, for example, the indoor fan accumulated operation. Two hours are subtracted from the time.

  Moreover, the completion | finish conditions of the partial cleaning operation of the air filter 11 should just be complete | finished if the conditions of the partial cleaning operation determined beforehand are satisfied, and are not determined uniquely. For example, if the suction nozzle 12 is driven to clean the air filter 11 as in the present embodiment, the number of times the suction nozzle 12 reciprocates in the left-right direction can satisfy the second predetermined number of times as described above. That's fine.

  Next, in STEP 3, when the cumulative operation time of the indoor fan has passed the first cumulative operation time Tra, the process proceeds to STEP 11 to determine whether or not the second defrosting start condition is satisfied. If the defrosting start condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to STEP8. If the second defrosting start condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to STEP12.

  In STEP 12, it is determined that a relatively large amount of dust has accumulated on the air filter 11, and the entire surface of the air filter 11 is cleaned. In STEP 13, it is determined whether or not the entire cleaning operation has been completed. If it has been completed, the accumulated operation time of the indoor fan is set to zero in STEP 14 and the process returns to STEP 3.

  Moreover, the completion | finish conditions of the whole surface cleaning operation of the air filter 11 should just be complete | finished if the conditions of the predetermined whole surface cleaning operation are satisfy | filled, and are not determined uniquely. For example, if the suction nozzle 12 is driven and the air filter 11 is cleaned as in the present embodiment, the number of times the suction nozzle 12 reciprocates in the left-right direction can satisfy the first predetermined number of times as described above. That's fine.

  In this way, by combining the timing of the defrosting operation and the timing of the automatic cleaning operation, it is possible to match the timing of stopping the heating operation by carrying out the defrosting operation and the automatic cleaning operation, so that the heating operation is continued. Without stopping, the decrease in the room temperature can be suppressed as much as possible, and the user's discomfort can be suppressed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, performing the defrosting operation and the automatic cleaning operation at the same time means performing the automatic cleaning operation in accordance with the timing of performing the defrosting operation, or matching the timing of performing the automatic cleaning operation. The defrosting operation may be performed and is not limited to any one.

  In addition, when performing the defrosting operation and the automatic cleaning operation at the same time, the start time of the defrosting operation and the start time of the automatic cleaning operation are not necessarily the same, and the end time of the defrosting operation and the end time of the automatic cleaning operation are It doesn't have to be the same.

  In the present embodiment, a wall-mounted air conditioner has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and there is no problem as long as it has a function of a defrosting operation and a function of an automatic cleaning operation. For example, there is no problem even if it is a ceiling-embedded air conditioner attached to the ceiling or a multi-type air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit.

  The present invention can be applied to an air conditioner having an air filter automatic cleaning operation function and a defrosting operation function. In the automatic cleaning operation, even if the air filter is driven, the air filter However, the present invention can be applied even when the suction nozzle is driven with the nozzle fixed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indoor unit 2 Outdoor unit 3 Refrigerant piping 4 Indoor heat exchanger 5 Expansion valve 6 Outdoor heat exchanger 7 Compressor 8 Four-way valve 9 Indoor fan 10 Outdoor fan 11 Air filter 12 Suction nozzle 13 Exhaust fan 21 Temperature sensor

Claims (4)

An indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the indoor air and the refrigerant, an expansion valve that decompresses the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the outdoor air and the refrigerant, a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, and a refrigerant flow A four-way valve that switches between forward and reverse of the road, and an indoor fan that blows air indoors, and during the heating operation, the compressor, the four-way valve, the indoor heat exchanger, the expansion valve, the outdoor heat exchanger, and the four-way valve The refrigeration cycle is configured so that the refrigerant flows in order, and has an automatic cleaning operation function of automatically cleaning the air filter and a defrosting operation function of switching the four-way valve . The defrosting operation is performed when the defrosting start condition is satisfied, and when the cumulative operation time of the indoor fan has passed a predetermined cumulative operation time, the automatic cleaning operation is performed, and the automatic cleaning operation is performed. The first defrost start article If you meet a second defrosting start conditions are more relaxed than the air conditioner and performs the defrosting operation and the automatic cleaning operation and at the same time. An indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the indoor air and the refrigerant, an expansion valve that decompresses the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the outdoor air and the refrigerant, a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, and a refrigerant flow A four-way valve that switches between forward and reverse of the road, and an indoor fan that blows air indoors, and during the heating operation, the compressor, the four-way valve, the indoor heat exchanger, the expansion valve, the outdoor heat exchanger, and the four-way valve The refrigeration cycle is configured so that the refrigerant flows in order, and has an automatic cleaning operation function of automatically cleaning the air filter, and a defrosting operation function of switching the four-way valve, and the cumulative operation time of the indoor fan When the first cumulative operation time has elapsed, the automatic cleaning operation is performed. After the heating operation is started, the defrosting operation is performed when a predetermined defrosting start condition is satisfied, and the defrosting operation is performed. The first cumulative operating time Second case have passed the accumulated operation time, the air conditioner and performs the defrosting operation and the automatic cleaning operation and at the same time that is set in a short time. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein when performing the defrosting operation and the automatic cleaning operation simultaneously, only a part of the air filter is cleaned. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein when only the automatic cleaning operation is performed without performing the defrosting operation, the entire surface of the air filter is cleaned.