JP6595288B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to a control technique for an air conditioner including a compressor whose rotation speed can be changed.

  A compressor widely used in an air conditioner has a function of applying pressure to a refrigerant circulating between an indoor heat exchanger and an outdoor heat exchanger to form a high-temperature and high-pressure gas, and is connected to the compressor. The condenser has a function of radiating and condensing a high-temperature and high-pressure gas. If the saturated vapor pressure (condensation pressure) when the refrigerant condenses in the condenser exceeds the upper limit of the set pressure, the compressor is overloaded and the reliability of the compressor operation is impaired. Furthermore, it may cause a failure such as an abnormal stop or a shortened service life.

  When an event occurs in the air conditioner that suddenly reduces the indoor air volume during heating operation, the condensing pressure is prevented from becoming excessive by reducing the compressor rotation speed (rotation speed per unit time). Need arises. In this case, the rotational speed of the blower fan of the indoor unit (the rotational speed per unit time) can be quickly reduced, but on the other hand, it is difficult to rapidly reduce the rotational speed of the compressor. As a result, an excessive increase in the condensation pressure may occur, and an excessive load may be applied to the compressor. On the other hand, in order to avoid excessive increase in the condensation pressure, for example, the following techniques are known.

  In Patent Document 1 listed below, when an instruction to reduce the rotation speed of the indoor fan is received, the rotation speed of the compressor and the indoor fan starts to decrease at the same time, and the decrease in the rotation speed of the compressor and the indoor fan ends simultaneously. Thus, an air conditioner that controls the rotation speed of a compressor and an indoor fan is disclosed.

JP 2014-153028 A (released on August 25, 2014)

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is insufficient to avoid an increase in the condensation pressure. This is because, when the reduction of the indoor air volume and the reduction of the rotation speed of the compressor are linked in the heating operation, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger becomes difficult to decrease as the indoor air volume decreases, so the condensation pressure does not sufficiently decrease or rises again. This is because there is a fear.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to appropriately reduce the refrigerant condensing pressure when an event for increasing the refrigerant condensing pressure occurs during heating operation. It is to provide air conditioner control technology.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention includes a compressor whose rotation speed can be changed, an indoor air blower that sends warm air into the room through an indoor heat exchanger, and the indoor An air direction adjusting plate capable of changing the direction of the warm air with respect to the air, and at least a control unit for controlling the compressor and the air direction adjusting plate, and increasing the condensation pressure of the refrigerant circulating in the air conditioner during heating operation If the event to occur, the control unit, so as to reduce the rotational speed of the compressor, as the air volume of the hot air is increased, and move the wind direction adjusting plate, and the rotation speed of the compressor It is characterized in that the wind direction adjusting plate is controlled so as to decrease the speed of movement of the wind direction adjusting plate as the amount of decrease of the air flow increases .

  According to one aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to increase the possibility of appropriately reducing the condensation pressure when an event that increases the condensation pressure of the refrigerant occurs during the heating operation.

It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the schematic diagram which showed an example of the refrigerating cycle of an air conditioner at the time of (a) heating operation and (b) cooling operation. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process when the event which raises the condensing pressure of a refrigerant | coolant arises in an air conditioner. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process when the event which raises the condensing pressure of a refrigerant | coolant in an air conditioner arises by a user's instruction | indication. It is a functional block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. The flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process which changes the operating speed of a wind direction adjustment board according to the fall amount of the rotation speed of a compressor, when the event which raises the condensing pressure of a refrigerant | coolant in an air conditioner arises by a user's instruction | indication. It is.

Embodiment 1
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

(Refrigeration cycle of air conditioner 1)
First, the refrigeration cycle (heat pump cycle) 5 of the air conditioner 1 (FIG. 1) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner 1 during (a) heating operation and (b) cooling operation. In FIG. 2, a thick line indicates that the temperature of the refrigerant is high, and a thin line indicates that the temperature of the refrigerant is low. In the air conditioner 1, the refrigerant pipe 3 is connected to the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 30 so that the refrigerant circulates between the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 30. In the following description, the air conditioner 1 having both a cooling function and a heating function will be described as an example, but any air conditioner having at least a heating function may be used. The air conditioner 1 may have a dehumidifying function, a defrosting function, or an air cleaning function.

  The refrigeration cycle 5 of the air conditioner 1 includes a compressor 33 that compresses and discharges a refrigerant, the rotation speed of which can be changed, an outdoor heat exchanger 37 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air, and refrigerant and indoors. An indoor heat exchanger 17 that exchanges heat with the air, an outdoor fan 36 that blows air to the outdoor heat exchanger 37, and an indoor fan 13 (indoor blower) that blows air to the indoor heat exchanger 17 I have. The indoor fan 13 passes indoor air sucked from a suction port (not shown) provided in the indoor unit 10 through the indoor heat exchanger 17, whereby heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant and the indoor air. The heat-exchanged air is discharged into the room from an air outlet (not shown) provided in the indoor unit 10 by the indoor fan 13. By controlling the number of rotations of the indoor fan 13 per unit time (hereinafter, referred to as “the number of rotations of the indoor fan”), the amount of air discharged from the air outlet into the room can be adjusted.

  The air conditioner 1 controls the refrigeration cycle 5 and performs air conditioning operations such as a cooling function and a heating function. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2A, during the heating operation, the refrigerant is “compressor 33 → four-way valve 38 → three-way valve 41 → indoor heat exchanger 17 → two-way valve 42 → expansion valve”. 39 → outdoor heat exchanger 37 → four-way valve 38 → compressor 33 ”is circulated through a flow path (first flow path) in order, and during the cooling operation,“ compressor 33 → four-way valve 38 → outdoor heat exchanger 37 ”. -> Expansion valve 39-> two-way valve 42-> indoor heat exchanger 17-> three-way valve 41-> four-way valve 38-> compressor 33 ". The compressor 33, the four-way valve 38, the outdoor heat exchanger 37, the expansion valve 39, and an electromagnetic valve 35 to be described later constitute an outdoor refrigerant circuit.

  The state of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle 5 during the heating operation will be described as follows. The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant (gas state) compressed by the compressor 33 is condensed in the indoor heat exchanger 17 by releasing heat into the indoor air by driving the indoor fan 13. The high-temperature refrigerant condensed in the indoor heat exchanger 17 is decompressed and expanded by the expansion valve 39 to become a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant (liquid state) and sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 37. The refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 37 evaporates while absorbing heat from the outdoor air by driving the outdoor fan 36, becomes a low-temperature refrigerant (gas state), and returns to the compressor 33. The air heated by the indoor heat exchanger 17 (warm air) is discharged into the room, thereby heating the room. That is, in the refrigeration cycle 5 during the heating operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 37 functions as an evaporator, and the indoor heat exchanger 17 functions as a condenser.

  A detailed description of the refrigeration cycle 5 during the cooling operation is omitted. In the refrigeration cycle during the cooling operation, the refrigerant is circulated in the direction opposite to that during the heating operation, the indoor heat exchanger 17 functions as an evaporator, and the outdoor heat exchanger 37 functions as a condenser. The air cooled in the indoor heat exchanger 17 is discharged into the room, thereby cooling the room.

  The compressor 33 is, for example, an inverter variable capacity type that can control the number of rotations of the motor of the compressor 33 per unit time by an inverter circuit (motor rotation number, hereinafter referred to as “the rotation number of the compressor 33”). This is a compressor. The capacity of the compressor 33 may be changed by controlling the rotation speed of the compressor 33.

  The four-way valve 38 is a member for switching the direction in which the refrigerant circulates. Thus, during the heating operation, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 33 is controlled to be directed to the indoor heat exchanger 17 next, and during the cooling operation. Then, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 33 is controlled to go to the outdoor heat exchanger 37 next. As shown in the figure, the refrigerant pipe 3 connecting the outdoor heat exchanger 37 and the indoor heat exchanger 17 is provided with a three-way valve 41 and a two-way valve 42 that control the refrigerant to circulate correctly in a predetermined direction. ing.

  The expansion valve 39 is a throttle valve that decompresses and expands (adiabatic expansion) the high-temperature refrigerant, converts it to a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant (liquid state), and sends it to the evaporator. An appropriate amount of pressure reduction in the expansion valve 39 may be adjusted according to the rotational speed of the compressor 33, the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the rotational speeds of the indoor fan and the outdoor fan, and the like.

  The air conditioner 1 includes a flow path that branches to the compressor 33 in the middle of the refrigerant pipe 3 that connects the expansion valve 39 and the outdoor heat exchanger 37, and includes an electromagnetic valve 35 in this flow path. The electromagnetic valve 35 can take two states: allowing the refrigerant to pass (open state) or blocking the refrigerant (closed state). By opening the electromagnetic valve 35, it is possible to avoid an excessive increase in the pressure applied to the compressor 33 and to avoid an excessive increase in the condensing pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 33. Further, an expansion valve that can finely control the flow rate of the refrigerant can be used as the electromagnetic valve 35.

  For example, by opening the solenoid valve 35 during heating operation ((a) in FIG. 2), a part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 33 is prevented from going to the indoor heat exchanger 17, and to the outdoor heat exchanger 37. I can escape. That is, a part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 33 is circulated through a flow path (second flow path) of “compressor 33 → electromagnetic valve 35 → outdoor heat exchanger 37 → four-way valve 38 → compressor 33” (induction) can do. Thereby, the pressure concerning the compressor 33 can be reduced.

  In addition, it is possible to reduce the condensing pressure of a refrigerant | coolant by reducing the rotation speed of the compressor 33. FIG. However, it is difficult to quickly reduce the rotational speed of the compressor 33, and this control takes time. Therefore, there is a possibility that the condensation pressure cannot be rapidly reduced. In such a case, in addition to starting the control for lowering the rotational speed of the compressor 33, it is possible to avoid an excessive increase in the condensation pressure by opening the electromagnetic valve 35.

(Configuration of air conditioner 1)
Next, in the heating operation, when an event that raises the condensation pressure of the refrigerant circulating in the air conditioner 1 occurs, control of the indoor air volume and direction is performed in addition to the control of reducing the rotation speed of the compressor 33. A functional configuration of the air conditioner 1 that can be operated so that the condensation pressure does not exceed the set pressure will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the air conditioner 1. For convenience of explanation, members described with reference to FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The air conditioner 1 includes an indoor unit 10 and an outdoor unit 30. The indoor unit 10 is installed near, for example, an indoor wall ceiling, while the outdoor unit 30 is installed, for example, on an outdoor floor surface. The indoor unit 10 includes an operation instruction acquisition unit 11, an indoor heat exchanger temperature detection unit 12 (temperature detection unit), and a control unit 20, and further includes an indoor fan 13 and an up / down air direction adjustment plate 14 (wind direction adjustment plate) as controlled elements. ), Left and right wind direction adjusting plate 15 (wind direction adjusting plate), and indoor unit communication unit 16. On the other hand, the outdoor unit 30 includes a compressor rotation speed control unit 32, a solenoid valve opening / closing control unit 34, and a compressor rotation speed detection unit 40, and further includes an outdoor unit communication unit 31, a compressor 33, and an electromagnetic wave as controlled elements. A valve 35 is provided. The vertical wind direction adjusting plate 14 is attached to the outside of the cabinet outlet so as to be vertically rotatable in addition to the plurality of blades attached to the inside of the outlet of the cabinet of the indoor unit 10 so as to be rotatable up and down. The airflow panel includes a single airflow panel that can change the direction of the airflow blown out from the air outlet into the room.

  Note that a controller (for example, a remote controller (remote controller)) that accepts a user input of an operation instruction for operating the air conditioner 1 or displays a current operation state is not illustrated. 2, the functional block for controlling the refrigeration cycle 5 by controlling the states of the three-way valve 41, the two-way valve 42, the four-way valve 38, and the expansion valve 39 provided in the refrigerant pipe 3, The illustration of the exchanger 17, the outdoor heat exchanger 37, the outdoor fan 36, and the like is also omitted for the sake of simplicity.

  The operation instruction acquisition unit 11 receives an operation instruction by a user from a controller (not shown). The operation instruction acquisition unit 11 may have any configuration as long as it has a function of receiving an operation instruction. For example, if the controller uses light such as infrared rays, the operation instruction acquisition unit 11 may be a light receiving unit that receives the light. If the operation instruction is sound, the operation instruction acquisition unit 11 may be a microphone that acquires the sound. I just need it.

  The indoor heat exchanger temperature detector 12 detects the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 17 (hereinafter referred to as “indoor heat exchanger temperature”). For example, the indoor heat exchanger temperature detection unit 12 may be a temperature sensor that measures the indoor heat exchange temperature. The indoor heat exchange temperature detected by the indoor heat exchanger temperature detection unit 12 is output to the control unit 20 (for example, an air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 described later).

  The indoor fan 13 is a fan that can adjust the amount of air blown into the room according to the number of rotations, and the number of rotations of the indoor fan 13 is adjusted by the air volume adjusting unit 23. By changing the rotation speed of the indoor fan 13, the amount of air passing through the indoor heat exchanger 17 is changed. The indoor air volume during the air conditioning operation may be driven at a reference rotational speed corresponding to the rotational speed of the compressor 33.

  The up / down air direction adjusting plate 14 and the left / right air direction adjusting plate 15 are members for changing the direction of blowing air into the room in the up / down direction and the left / right direction, and operate according to the operation of a motor (not shown). For example, by changing the direction of the up / down airflow direction adjusting plate 14, air is blown from the outlet of the indoor unit 10 toward the horizontal to the ceiling side during cooling operation, or from the outlet toward the horizontal to the floor side during heating operation. You can blow.

For example, the control unit 20 is built in the indoor unit 10 and includes a processor (not shown) for performing various arithmetic processes and a memory (not shown) for storing various programs and data. The processor is configured by a CPU (Control Processing Unit), for example. The processor controls each operation of the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 30 by executing a program stored in the memory. The control unit 20 includes an operation specifying unit 21, an air volume / wind direction control necessity determining unit 22, an air volume adjusting unit 23, and an air direction control unit 24 as functional blocks.

The operation specifying unit 21 specifies the content of the operation based on the information indicating the operation instruction acquired by the operation instruction acquiring unit 11. The operation specifying unit 21 determines whether or not the operation instruction or the operation according to the operation instruction is an event for increasing the condensation pressure of the refrigerant, or another operation that occurs during the execution of the operation according to the operation instruction is the event. Specify whether it exists. Here, the “event for increasing the condensing pressure of the refrigerant” is broadly divided into an event A that automatically appears in the execution of the programmed operation mode and an event B that appears in response to a user instruction. For example, event A includes events as shown in the following (1) and (2), and event B includes events as shown in (3) below.
(1) An event that automatically changes the indoor air volume from strong to weak when the room temperature reaches a set temperature during automatic heating operation with strong indoor air volume (warm air volume),
(2) An event that automatically switches from heating operation to defrosting operation,
(3) An event in which the user changes the indoor air volume from strong wind to weak wind or light wind.

  Further, when the operation specifying unit 21 specifies that an event such as the above (1) to (3) that raises the condensation pressure has occurred, the operation specifying unit 21 instructs the compressor 33 to reduce the rotation speed. A reduction instruction is transmitted to the compressor rotation speed control unit 32. This instruction to reduce the compressor rotational speed is an instruction to reduce the rotational speed of the compressor 33 to a preset minimum rotational speed. The operation specifying unit 21 acquires the current rotation speed of the compressor 33 from the compressor rotation speed detection unit 40, calculates a difference between the current rotation speed of the compressor 33 and the rotation speed of the control target, An instruction to reduce the rotation speed of the compressor 33 by the calculated difference may be transmitted as a compressor rotation speed reduction instruction.

  The air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 receives information α indicating that an event for increasing the condensation pressure, such as (1) to (3), has occurred from the operation specifying unit 21. Then, when the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 receives the information α, the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 sends an instruction to the wind direction control unit 24 to increase the air volume discharged from the air outlet of the indoor unit 10 into the room. In response to this instruction, the wind direction control unit 24 obtains the maximum air volume based on the state of the up / down air direction adjusting plate 14 and the left / right air direction adjusting plate 15 (for example, the direction of the blades constituting each of the air direction adjusting plates 14, 15). Determine if it is in a state. In other words, the wind direction control unit 24 determines whether there is room for moving the wind direction adjusting plates 14 and 15 so that the air volume after the event has occurred is larger than the air volume before the event has occurred. If the determination result is negative, the airflow direction control unit 24 adjusts the up / down airflow direction adjusting plate 14 and the left / right airflow direction adjusting plate 15 (hereinafter referred to as the airflow direction adjusting plate) so that the airflow rate increases (preferably the maximum airflow rate is obtained). 14 and 15).

  Further, the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 acquires the indoor heat exchange temperature from the indoor heat exchanger temperature detection unit 12, and based on whether the current indoor heat exchange temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, You may determine whether it is necessary to control the indoor air volume which the indoor unit 10 ventilates. For example, when the indoor heat exchange temperature is equal to or higher than the threshold, the air volume / wind direction control necessity determining unit 22 may instruct the air volume adjusting unit 23 to increase the indoor air volume. The air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 receives a compressor rotation speed reduction completion notification notifying that the control of the rotation speed of the compressor 33 has been completed, and controls the opening / closing of the solenoid valve. A valve control instruction (for example, an electromagnetic valve opening instruction, an electromagnetic valve closing instruction, etc.) is transmitted to the outdoor unit 30, or an electromagnetic valve control completion notification (for example, an electromagnetic valve opening instruction) for notifying that the opening / closing control of the electromagnetic valve has been completed. Completion notification, electromagnetic valve closing completion notification, etc.) may be received from the outdoor unit 30.

  The compressor rotation speed control unit 32 decreases the rotation speed of the compressor 33 based on control instructions (for example, a compressor rotation speed decrease instruction and a compressor rotation speed decrease release instruction) transmitted from the operation specifying unit 21. Or return to the original speed. The compressor rotation speed control unit 32 notifies the control unit 20 of completion (for example, the compressor rotation speed reduction) when the control of the rotation speed of the compressor 33 is completed according to the control instruction transmitted from the control unit 20. Completion notification and compressor rotation speed reduction release completion notification, etc.) may be transmitted.

  The compressor rotation speed detection unit 40 detects the rotation speed of the compressor 33. The detected rotation speed of the compressor 33 is transmitted to the control unit 20 (for example, the operation specifying unit 21).

  The electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 changes the state of the electromagnetic valve 35 between the open state and the closed state based on control instructions (for example, an electromagnetic valve opening instruction and an electromagnetic valve closing instruction) transmitted from the control unit 20. Control either one. The electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 notifies the control unit 20 of completion (for example, electromagnetic valve opening completion notification and compression) when the opening / closing control of the electromagnetic valve 35 is completed according to the control instruction transmitted from the control unit 20. A machine rotation speed reduction completion notification or the like may be transmitted.

  The indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 30 are connected so that information and data such as a control instruction transmitted from the indoor unit 10 and a completion notification transmitted from the outdoor unit 30 can be transmitted and received. Communication between the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 30 is performed via the indoor unit communication unit 16 on the indoor unit 10 side and the outdoor unit communication unit 31 on the outdoor unit 30 side. The communication between the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 30 may be wired communication or wireless communication.

  The compressor rotation speed control unit 32 and the electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 have been described as examples provided in the outdoor unit 30. However, at least one of the compressor rotation speed control unit 32 and the electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 is described. One of the configurations may be included in the control unit 20 of the indoor unit 10. For example, the control unit 20 includes an operation specifying unit 21, an air volume / wind direction control necessity determining unit 22, an air volume adjusting unit, an air direction control unit 24, a compressor rotation speed control unit 32, and an electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34. Also good. When the control unit 20 includes both the compressor rotation speed control unit 32 and the electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34, the control information for controlling the compressor 33 and the electromagnetic valve 35 is the indoor unit communication unit 16 and the outdoor unit communication unit. What is necessary is just to transmit to the compressor 33 and the solenoid valve 35 via 31.

(Processing when an event that automatically changes the indoor air volume from strong to weak)
Next, as the event for increasing the refrigerant condensing pressure, the air conditioner 1 when the event for automatically changing the indoor air volume from strong to weak as described in the event (1) or (2) has occurred. Processing to be performed will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow when an event that increases the condensation pressure of the refrigerant occurs in the air conditioner 1.

  When the above events occur, the condensation pressure may increase excessively only by reducing the rotational speed of the compressor 33. This is because the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 17 is less likely to decrease as the indoor air flow becomes weaker, so that the condensing pressure does not sufficiently decrease or may increase again.

  First, when the operation specifying unit 21 specifies that the event (1) has occurred (step 101; hereinafter abbreviated as S101), the information α is generated, and the compressor 33 is configured based on the information α. A compressor rotation speed reduction instruction for reducing the rotation speed to the minimum rotation speed is transmitted to the compressor rotation speed control unit 32 (S102). Further, the operation specifying unit 21 sends an indoor air volume increase instruction based on the information α to the air volume / wind direction control necessity determining unit 22.

  In response to the reception of the indoor air volume increase instruction, the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 makes the air direction adjustment plate 14 in the direction in which the indoor air volume increases, preferably the maximum air volume, with respect to the air direction controller 24. 15 is instructed to control the direction (S103). Thereby, since the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 17 becomes easy to fall, the fall of a condensation pressure can be accelerated | stimulated. Further, the air volume / wind direction control necessity determining unit 22 instructs the air volume adjusting unit 23 to increase the indoor air volume (for example, to the maximum air volume) (S104). Although S103 is an indispensable process, S104 is a process that is preferably executed. In accordance with the instruction in S104, the air volume adjusting unit 23 increases the rotational speed of the indoor fan 13 and increases the indoor air volume.

  On the other hand, the compressor rotation speed control unit 32 receives the compressor rotation speed decrease instruction and starts to decrease the rotation speed of the compressor 33 (S121). For example, when the difference in the rotational speed of the compressor 33 between before and after the change is large, the reduction in the rotational speed of the compressor 33 cannot be completed instantaneously. That is, even if it is instructed to decrease the rotational speed of the compressor 33, the rotational speed of the compressor 33 continues to be higher than the instructed rotational speed (minimum rotational speed) for a while. When the decrease in the rotation speed of the compressor 33 is completed, the compressor rotation speed control unit 32 transmits a compressor rotation speed decrease completion notification to the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 (S122).

  Upon receiving the compressor rotation speed reduction completion notification (S105), the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 acquires the current indoor heat exchange temperature from the indoor heat exchanger temperature detection unit 12, and determines whether the air flow / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 exceeds a predetermined threshold. It is determined whether or not (S106). If the current indoor heat exchange temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold (YES in S106), the condensation pressure is not sufficiently reduced. Therefore, the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 transmits an electromagnetic valve opening instruction to open the electromagnetic valve 35 to the electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 (S107). The electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 that has received the electromagnetic valve opening instruction opens the electromagnetic valve 35 in accordance with this instruction (S123). The electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 transmits an electromagnetic valve opening completion notification indicating that the electromagnetic valve 35 has been opened to the air volume / wind direction control necessity determining unit 22 (S124).

  The air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 determines whether the indoor heat exchange temperature is lower than a predetermined threshold value (NO in S106) and whether an electromagnetic valve opening completion notification is received (S108). A closing instruction and an instruction to return the compressor rotational speed to the rotational speed corresponding to the weak wind automatically set from the minimum rotational speed are transmitted to the outdoor unit 30 (S109).

  The outdoor unit 30 receives an instruction to close the electromagnetic valve from the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 and an instruction to return the compressor rotational speed to a predetermined rotational speed, and the electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 closes the electromagnetic valve 35. The compressor rotation speed control unit 32 controls the rotation speed of the compressor 33 to a predetermined rotation speed during the heating operation (S125).

  As described above, when an event that automatically changes the indoor air volume from strong to weak occurs, the air conditioner 1 decreases the rotational speed of the compressor 33 and increases the indoor air volume, Open it. Thereby, a condensation pressure can be reduced appropriately.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

(Processing when the user instructs a decrease in indoor air volume during heating operation-1)
The simplest process for reducing the condensation pressure when the user instructs to reduce the indoor air volume during the heating operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing when an event for increasing the condensation pressure of the refrigerant in the air conditioner 1 occurs according to a user instruction.

  When the operation instruction acquisition unit 11 of the indoor unit 10 receives a user instruction to reduce the indoor air volume from strong wind to weak wind or light wind (S201), the operation instruction acquisition unit 11 sends the instruction to the control unit 20. The operation specifying unit 21 of the control unit 20 specifies that the instruction is an operation instruction that needs to reduce the rotation speed of the compressor 33, generates the information α, and converts the information α into the compressor rotation. It is transmitted to the number control unit 32 and the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22. The compressor rotation speed control unit 32 recognizes the received information α as a compressor rotation speed decrease instruction, and starts a decrease in the rotation speed of the compressor 33 (S211).

  On the other hand, the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 recognizes the received information α as an indoor air volume increase instruction, and instructs the wind direction controller 24 to maximize the indoor air volume (S202). In accordance with this instruction, the wind direction control unit 24 controls the direction of the wind direction adjusting plates 14 and 15 so that the indoor air volume becomes the maximum, similarly to the first embodiment.

  After S202, the air volume / wind direction control necessity determining unit 22 determines whether the indoor heat exchange temperature after the indoor air volume is maximized is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold (S203). If the indoor heat exchange temperature is still equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold (YES in S203), an electromagnetic valve opening instruction for instructing to open the electromagnetic valve 35 is transmitted to the electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 (S204). The electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 that has received the electromagnetic valve opening instruction opens the electromagnetic valve 35 in accordance with this instruction (S212). Further, the electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 waits for a certain time corresponding to the time required to open the electromagnetic valve 35 after S204, and outputs an electromagnetic valve closing instruction for instructing the electromagnetic valve 35 to be closed. The data is transmitted to the unit 34 (S205). The electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 that has received the electromagnetic valve opening instruction closes the electromagnetic valve 35 in accordance with this instruction (S213). After performing the above process, the air volume adjusting unit 23 reduces the rotation speed of the indoor fan 13 and the process of reducing the indoor air volume is completed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the communication process between the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 and the electromagnetic valve opening / closing control unit 34 is not performed, a series of cases when the user instructs a decrease in the indoor air volume during the heating operation. This process can be completed earlier than in the first embodiment.

[Embodiment 3]
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 as follows. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

(Configuration of air conditioner 1a)
First, the structure of the air conditioner 1a is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the air conditioner 1a. The air conditioner 1a includes the air conditioner 1 of FIG. 1 in that the control unit 20 includes a wind direction adjusting plate speed adjustment unit 25 and the indoor unit 10a includes an audio output unit 18 (notification unit). Is different.

  The air direction adjusting plate speed adjusting unit 25 changes the operating speed of the air direction adjusting plates 14 and 15 according to the amount of decrease in the rotational speed of the compressor 33. More specifically, the wind direction adjusting plate speed adjusting unit 25 is configured to reduce the speed of movement of the wind direction adjusting plates 14 and 15 as the amount of decrease in the rotational speed of the compressor 33 is larger. 15 is controlled. The amount of decrease in the rotational speed of the compressor 33 is calculated by the compressor rotational speed control unit 32 as will be described later, and is transmitted from the compressor rotational speed control unit 32 to the air volume / wind direction control necessity determining unit 22. The wind direction adjusting plate speed adjusting unit 25 instructs the wind direction adjusting plate speed adjusting unit 25 on the operating speed of the wind direction adjusting plates 14 and 15 according to the received amount of decrease in the rotational speed.

  The voice output unit 18 outputs a voice message or music to notify the user of the operation state. The air conditioner 1a can notify the user of the operation state of the air conditioner 1a from the audio output unit 18 when the user is not performing an operation that can be visually recognized. Thereby, even if it is a case where the air conditioner 1a is not performing the operation | movement which can be visually recognized by a user, it can avoid giving a user the anxiety that the malfunction may generate | occur | produce in the air conditioner 1a. .

(Processing when the user instructs a decrease in indoor air volume during heating operation-2)
Next, processing performed by the air conditioner 1a when the event (3) instructing the user to decrease the indoor air volume occurs during the heating operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows a flow of processing for changing the operating speed of the airflow direction adjusting plate according to the amount of decrease in the rotation speed of the compressor when an event for increasing the condensation pressure of the refrigerant occurs in the air conditioner according to a user instruction. It is a flowchart which shows an example.

  When the operation instruction acquisition unit 11 of the indoor unit 10a receives a user instruction for lowering the indoor air volume (S301), the operation instruction acquisition unit 11 sends the instruction to the control unit 20. When receiving the instruction, the operation specifying unit 21 of the control unit 20 recognizes that an event for increasing the condensation pressure has occurred, generates information α indicating that the event has occurred, and generates a compressor rotation speed control unit. 32 and the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 (S302). The compressor rotation speed control unit 32 recognizes the received information α as a compressor rotation speed decrease instruction, and starts to decrease the rotation speed of the compressor 33 (S311).

  Subsequently, the compressor rotational speed control unit 32 calculates how much the rotational speed of the compressor 33 is to be decreased (decrease amount) and notifies the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 (S312). The amount of decrease in the rotational speed of the compressor 33 is calculated by the compressor rotational speed control unit 32 as the difference (X−Y) between the rotational speed (X) at the time of S311 and the preset minimum rotational speed Y. To do.

  The air amount / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 that has received the amount of decrease in the rotation speed of the compressor 33 instructs the air direction control unit 24 to maximize the indoor air amount, and the operation speed according to the amount of decrease. Then, it instructs to move the wind direction adjusting plates 14 and 15 (S304). In accordance with this instruction, the wind direction control unit 24 causes the wind direction adjusting plate 14 and 15 to move at the instructed operating speed until the state of the wind direction adjusting plates 14 and 15 reaches a state where the indoor air volume is increased (preferably a state where the indoor air volume is maximized). 14 and 15 are moved (S305). It should be noted that the time required for the rotation speed of the compressor 33 to decrease tends to increase as the magnitude of the rotation speed to be decreased (decrease amount) increases. Therefore, the larger the difference (X−Y), the slower the operating speed of the wind direction adjusting plates 14 and 15, and the smaller the difference (X−Y), the faster the operating speed of the wind direction adjusting plates 14 and 15. Such control prevents the air conditioner 1a from being in a state that is not visible to the user, thereby giving the user anxiety that a problem has occurred in the air conditioner 1a. You can avoid that.

  In addition, before execution of S304, and after control of the rotation speed of the compressor 33 is started, the operation | movement specific | specification part 21 is a voice message which alert | reports to a user that the air conditioner 1a is operating now. You may make it output from the output part 18 (S303). However, as described above, if it is not necessary to take a state in which the air conditioner 1a does not perform an operation visible to the user, the process of S303 may not be executed. When executing the process of S303, the voice message used for this notification may be a voice message such as “Please wait for a while” instructing the user to wait. Or the data of the voice message corresponding to the action specified by the action specifying unit 21 is stored in the memory (not shown) of the control unit 20, and a different voice message for each action (for example, reducing the indoor air volume) May be configured to output from the audio output unit 18 “the air volume is reduced.”, Or when the heating operation is resumed later, “preparing for the heating operation”.

  When the operation of the wind direction adjusting plates 14 and 15 is completed in S305, the air volume / wind direction control necessity determination unit 22 sends information indicating that the change of the wind direction is completed to the operation specifying unit 21 (S306). As a result, the operation specifying unit 21 instructs the air volume adjusting unit 23 to change the indoor air volume to the weak wind or the light wind designated by the user, and the weak wind or the light wind designated by the user for the rotation speed of the compressor 33. Is sent to the compressor rotation speed control unit 32. Thereby, the rotation speed of the compressor 33 returns to a predetermined rotation speed (S313).

  In addition, although the example which alert | reports the operation state of the air conditioner 1a by outputting an audio | voice to a user was given and demonstrated here, it is not limited to this. For example, the operating state of the air conditioner 1a may be notified by lighting or blinking, or may be notified by displaying a character string or the like. In the former case, the indoor unit 10a only needs to include a lighting unit, and in the latter case, the indoor unit 10a only needs to include a display unit.

[Example of software implementation]
Control blocks of the air conditioners 1 and 1a (particularly, the operation specifying unit 21, the air volume / wind direction control necessity determining unit 22, the air volume adjusting unit 23, the air direction control unit 24, the compressor rotation speed control unit 32, and the solenoid valve opening / closing control unit) 34) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

  In the latter case, the air conditioners 1 and 1a include a CPU that executes instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function, and a ROM (Read Only) in which the program and various data are recorded so as to be readable by the computer (or CPU). Memory) or a storage device (these are referred to as “recording media”), a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program, and the like. And the objective of this invention is achieved when a computer (or CPU) reads the said program from the said recording medium and runs it. As the recording medium, a “non-temporary tangible medium” such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) that can transmit the program. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Summary]
The air conditioners 1 and 1a according to the first aspect of the present invention include a compressor 33 that can change the number of rotations, an indoor air blowing unit (indoor fan 13) that sends warm air into the room through the indoor heat exchanger 17, and the above The air conditioner is provided with a wind direction adjusting plates 14 and 15 that can change the direction of the warm air with respect to the room, and at least the control unit 20 that controls the compressor 33 and the air direction adjusting plates 14 and 15. When an event that increases the condensing pressure of the refrigerant circulating in 1 occurs, the control unit 20 reduces the rotational speed of the compressor 33 and increases the air flow rate so that the air volume of the hot air increases. The adjustment plates 14 and 15 are moved.

  In the above configuration, the event for increasing the refrigerant condensing pressure is, for example, (1) When the room temperature reaches a set temperature during automatic heating operation with a strong indoor air volume, the indoor air volume is automatically changed from strong to weak. (2) an event for automatically switching from heating operation to defrosting operation, (3) an event for the user to change the indoor air volume from strong wind to weak wind or light wind.

  Generally, when an event that raises the condensation pressure occurs, the rotation speed of the compressor is decreased so that the condensation pressure does not become excessive. However, it is difficult to quickly reduce the rotational speed of the compressor, and a certain amount of time is required. In this case, there is a possibility that the state in which the condensing pressure is excessively increased is maintained until the rotational speed of the compressor is reduced to a desired rotational speed.

  According to said structure, when the event which raises the condensation pressure of a refrigerant | coolant arises at the time of heating operation, while the said control part reduces the rotation speed of a compressor, the air volume of the warm air sent indoors increases. Move the wind direction adjusting plate so that That is, the control unit determines whether there is room to move the wind direction adjusting plate so that the air volume after the event has occurred is larger than the air volume before the event has occurred, The wind direction adjusting plate is moved so that the direction in which the wind direction adjusting plate sends out warm air is changed.

  As a result, in addition to the control for reducing the rotational speed of the compressor, the indoor air volume is increased, so that the condensation action in the indoor heat exchanger, that is, the heat of the high-temperature refrigerant is transferred to the indoor air via the indoor heat exchanger. The moving action can be promoted. For this reason, possibility that the condensation pressure of a refrigerant | coolant will be reduced appropriately can be raised.

  In the air conditioner 1, 1a according to aspect 2 of the present invention, in the aspect 1, the control unit 20 moves the air direction adjusting plates 14 and 15 and, in addition, moves the indoor air blowing unit (indoor fan 13). The amount of warm air may be increased by controlling.

  According to said structure, since the said condensing effect | action can further be accelerated | stimulated when the air volume of warm air increases, the possibility that it can avoid that it will be in the state which the condensing pressure of the refrigerant | coolant raised excessively further increases. be able to.

  In the air conditioners 1 and 1a according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the control unit 20 is configured so that the amount of decrease in the rotational speed of the compressor 33 increases. The wind direction adjusting plates 14 and 15 may be controlled so as to reduce the speed of movement.

  In the above configuration, when control is performed to reduce the rotation speed of the compressor, the user feels as if the operation of the air conditioner has stopped. In general, the control for reducing the rotation speed of the compressor requires more time as the amount of reduction is larger. Therefore, if the wind direction adjusting plate is moved quickly until the air volume increases, the operation of the air conditioner stops for the user after the movement of the wind direction adjusting plate stops until the control of the compressor rotation speed is completed. It feels as if you did it. This state may give the user anxiety that a malfunction has occurred in the air conditioner.

  So, according to said structure, the speed of the said wind direction adjustment board is made slow, so that the fall amount of the rotation speed of the said compressor is large. Thereby, the state where the wind direction adjusting plate is moving can be lengthened as it takes a long time to reduce the rotational speed of the compressor. Therefore, even if control for reducing the number of revolutions of the compressor is performed, it is possible to extend the time during which the user can visually confirm that the air conditioner is operating. It becomes easy to avoid this.

  An air conditioner 1, 1a according to aspect 4 of the present invention is the air conditioner 1, 1a according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the temperature detection unit (indoor heat exchanger temperature detection unit 12) detects the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 17. And an outdoor refrigerant circuit including the compressor 33 and the outdoor heat exchanger 37, and the controller 20 completes a decrease in the rotational speed of the compressor 33 and increases the air volume. When the temperature after moving the wind direction adjusting plates 14 and 15 is acquired from the temperature detection unit, and the acquired temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 33 is The outdoor refrigerant circuit is instructed to be divided into a first flow path that flows toward the heat exchanger 17 and a second flow path that returns to the compressor 33 via the outdoor heat exchanger 37. May be.

  According to said structure, when the fall of the rotation speed of the said compressor is completed and the said indoor heat exchange temperature after moving the said wind direction adjusting plate is more than a predetermined threshold value, a condensation pressure falls to a desirable value. There is a possibility that it is not. Therefore, the control unit instructs the outdoor refrigerant circuit so that the refrigerant discharged from the compressor passes through the outdoor heat exchanger as well as the normal first flow path that flows toward the indoor heat exchanger. So that it also flows through the second flow path returning to the compressor.

  Thereby, it can be avoided that the condensing pressure is excessively increased by letting the refrigerant whose pressure has increased to the outdoor heat exchanger. If it supplements, it will be difficult to reduce the rotation speed of a compressor rapidly, Therefore, there exists a possibility that a condensing pressure cannot be reduced rapidly. In such a case, it is possible to assist in lowering the condensation pressure by changing the flow of a part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor.

  The air conditioner 1, 1 a according to aspect 5 of the present invention further includes a notification unit (audio output unit 18) for notifying the user of the operation state in any of the above aspects 1 to 4, wherein the user When the control unit 20 reduces the rotational speed of the compressor 33 due to the fact that an instruction to reduce the air volume of the engine occurs as the event, the control unit 20 is operating the air conditioners 1 and 1a. The notification section may be caused to perform an operation for notifying the user that this is the case.

  According to said structure, although the control which reduces the rotation speed of the said compressor is performed with respect to the instruction | indication of the air volume fall of the said warm air, whether the air conditioner is operate | moving? Like this, there are times when the user can see time. Even in such a case, it is possible to notify the user that the air conditioner is operating according to the operation instruction. Therefore, it is possible to avoid giving the user anxiety that the air conditioner has a problem.

  The control unit provided in the air conditioner according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, a control program that causes the computer to operate as the control unit (software element), and the program are recorded. Such computer-readable recording media also fall within the scope of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a new technical feature can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

  The present invention can be used for an air conditioner that uses a refrigeration cycle including refrigerant compression and discharge by a compressor.

1, 1a Air conditioner 10 Indoor unit 12 Indoor heat exchanger temperature detection unit (temperature detection unit)
13 Indoor fan (indoor fan)
14 Vertical wind direction adjustment plate (wind direction adjustment plate)
15 Left and right wind direction adjustment plate (wind direction adjustment plate)
17 Indoor heat exchanger 18 Audio output unit (notification unit)
20 control unit 21 operation specifying unit (control unit)
22 Air volume / wind direction control necessity judgment part (control part)
23 Air volume adjustment unit (control unit)
24 Wind direction control unit (control unit)
25 Wind direction adjusting plate speed control unit (control unit)
30 Outdoor Unit 32 Compressor Speed Control Unit 33 Compressor (Outdoor Refrigerant Circuit)
34 Solenoid valve opening / closing control unit 35 Solenoid valve 37 Outdoor heat exchanger (outdoor refrigerant circuit)

Claims (4)

A compressor whose rotation speed can be changed;
An indoor air blower that sends warm air into the room through the indoor heat exchanger;
A wind direction adjusting plate capable of changing the direction of the warm air with respect to the room;
And at least a controller that controls the compressor and the wind direction adjusting plate,
When an event that raises the condensation pressure of the refrigerant circulating in the air conditioner occurs during the heating operation, the control unit reduces the rotation speed of the compressor and increases the amount of hot air. to move the wind direction adjusting plate, and as the amount of decrease in the rotational speed of the compressor is large, to slow the speed of movement of the wind direction adjusting plate, and controlling the airflow direction adjusting plate Air conditioner.   The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the indoor air blowing unit to increase the air volume of the warm air in addition to moving the wind direction adjusting plate. A temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger;
An outdoor refrigerant circuit including the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger,
The control unit acquires the temperature after moving the wind direction adjusting plate from the temperature detection unit so that the decrease in the rotation speed of the compressor is completed and the air volume increases, and the acquired the above-mentioned When the temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is returned to the compressor via the first flow path that flows toward the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the outdoor refrigerant circuit is instructed to be divided into two flow paths. It further includes a notification unit that notifies the user of the operation state,
When the control unit lowers the rotation speed of the compressor because the user instructs the decrease in the air volume of the warm air as the event,
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the control unit causes the notifying unit to perform an operation of notifying a user that the air conditioner is in operation.

Images