JP6790109B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner provided with a clogging detecting device for detecting clogging of a humidifier in an indoor unit.

The vaporization type humidifier installed in the conventional air conditioner deteriorates over time due to the accumulation of impurities contained in the water supply, and the period until the humidifier becomes clogged depends on the water quality and the environment in which the humidifier is used. There is a big difference depending on the operating time. The presence or absence of clogging of the humidifier is mainly determined by visually checking it at the time of periodic inspection, or by measuring the differential pressure before and after the operation of the humidifier with a pressure gauge installed in advance.
As another technique, there is a technique of detecting the rotation speed of the motor of the blower and determining the clogging of the humidifier from the change of the detected rotation speed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Further, there is a method in which the floating height of the float floating in the rising water stream is confirmed to determine the clogging state of the filter (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-149728 Utility Model Registration No. 3028048

Regarding the vaporization type humidifier built in the conventional air conditioner, if the humidifier is clogged and the pressure inside the indoor unit rises, it may cause dew condensation or dew splash due to wind leakage, so detect it as soon as possible. There is a need. However, in the case of visual confirmation, it is difficult to detect clogging inside the humidifier. In addition, in a format such as an air filter that displays by the passage of a certain period of time, the accuracy is low for a device such as a humidifier in which the period until clogging varies greatly depending on the local water quality and operating conditions.
Although the measurement of clogging due to the differential pressure before and after the operation of the humidifier is highly accurate, there is a problem that the introduction cost is high because a pressure detection element, a microcomputer, software related to clogging detection, a power supply, etc. are required.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is necessary to detect clogging of the humidifier with a simple device with high accuracy and suppress air leakage from the indoor unit due to clogging of the humidifier. The purpose is to obtain an air conditioner that can.

The air humidifier according to the present invention is at least an outdoor unit having a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, and an indoor heat exchanger and indoor heat that exchange heat between the air from the blower and the blower and the refrigerant from the outdoor unit. A humidifier that humidifies the air heat exchanged by the exchanger and a humidifier are provided, and the space on the indoor heat exchanger side including the humidifier is the first space, and the space on the outflow side of the air humidified by the humidifier. In an air exchanger equipped with an indoor unit having a partition plate that separates the first space as a second space, an air outflow hole provided in the partition plate and communicating the first space and the second space, and air from the second space side. It has an open / close door that opens and closes the outflow hole freely, and detects clogging of the humidifier when the open / close door opens the air outflow hole because the air pressure in the first space becomes higher than the air pressure in the second space. to possess a clogging detection device for notifying, partition plate includes a first partition plate disposed so as to be perpendicular to the air flow from the blower, horizontally from the distal end of the first partition plate into the first space side It is composed of a second partition plate extending and a third partition plate extending vertically upward from the tip of the second partition plate, and the second partition plate is provided with an air outflow hole communicating the first space and the second space. The clogging detection device has a closing circuit formed through an opening / closing door and an opening / closing door that closes the air outflow hole, and when the closing circuit is cut off by opening the air outflow hole of the opening / closing door. It is equipped with a closed circuit monitoring unit that detects and notifies the clogging of the humidifier .

According to the present invention, when the air pressure in the first space becomes higher than the air pressure in the second space and the opening / closing door opens the air outflow hole, clogging of the humidifier is detected and notified. , You can immediately know the clogging of the humidifier. Further, when the air outflow hole is opened by the opening / closing door, the air on the first space side having a high air pressure can flow into the second space side, so that the increase in the internal pressure of the indoor unit can be alleviated. Therefore, it is possible to suppress wind leakage from the gaps in the housing that constitutes the appearance of the indoor unit. Further, this can prevent the occurrence of dew condensation due to wind leakage.

It is a top view which shows the schematic structure of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the inside of the indoor unit of FIG. 1 as seen from the side. It is a schematic diagram which shows the clogging detection device of FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner. It is a schematic diagram of the state where the opening / closing door of the clogging detection device shown in FIG. 3 is open. It is a schematic diagram which shows the inside of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention from the side view. It is a schematic diagram which shows the clogging detection device of FIG. 5 enlarged. It is a schematic diagram of the state where the opening / closing door of the clogging detection device shown in FIG. 6 is open.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the inside of the indoor unit of FIG. 1 as viewed from the side.
As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioner 200 according to the first embodiment is composed of an outdoor unit 10 and an indoor unit 20 connected to the outdoor unit 10 via a gas pipe 31 and a liquid pipe 32. There is. The outdoor unit 10 includes a compressor, a four-way valve for switching the flow path of the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger, a blower for supplying air to the outdoor heat exchanger, and the like. The indoor unit 20 is installed, for example, behind the ceiling of a building. The indoor unit 20 is configured to be connected to an intake port and an air outlet via ducts, respectively.

The compressor is composed of, for example, an inverter compressor having a controllable capacity, sucks a low-temperature low-pressure gas refrigerant, compresses the gas refrigerant, and discharges a high-temperature high-pressure gas refrigerant. The four-way valve switches between the flow of refrigerant during heating operation and the flow of refrigerant during cooling operation. The outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator during the heating operation and as a condenser during the cooling operation, and exchanges heat between the air from the blower and the refrigerant.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the indoor unit 20 includes an indoor heat exchanger 30, a blower 40, a humidifier 50, a drain pan 60 installed under the indoor heat exchanger 30 and the humidifier 50, and a humidifier 50. The humidifying module 51 is provided with a clogging detection device 70 that detects and notifies the clogging of the humidification module 51.

The gas pipe 31 and the liquid pipe 32 described above are connected to the indoor heat exchanger 30, which functions as a condenser during the heating operation and as an evaporator during the cooling operation, and between the air from the blower 40 and the refrigerant. Perform heat exchange. The liquid pipe 32 is provided with an expansion valve 33 that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant. The expansion valve 33 is composed of, for example, an electronic expansion valve whose opening degree can be controlled. The blower 40 includes a motor 41, a fan casing 42, and a fan rotatably housed in the fan casing 42. This fan is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 41. The blower 40 is installed in a space separated from the indoor heat exchanger 30 side by the wall plate 43.

The humidifier 50 includes a humidifying module (humidifying material) 51 that is a vaporization and evaporation part of water, a sprinkling head 52 that drops water from above to permeate the humidifying module 51, an electromagnetic valve 53, and the like. A water supply pipe 54 is connected to the solenoid valve 53. In the humidifier 50, when the air flowing in through the indoor heat exchanger 30 passes through the humidifying module 51, the moisture permeating the humidifying module 51 is vaporized and evaporated to humidify the air.

The drain pan 60 is a container for storing water that has not been vaporized by the humidifying module 51 and dew condensation water that is generated in the indoor heat exchanger 30, and is installed under the humidifier 50 and the indoor heat exchanger 30. The drain pan 60 is provided with a drain port 61 for draining the stored water to the outside of the indoor unit 20. A drain pipe is connected to the drain port 61.

In the above-mentioned indoor unit 20, the space on the indoor heat exchanger 30 side excluding the space on the blower 40 side is set as the first space A, and the outflow side of the air humidified by the humidifier 50 is defined in the indoor unit 20. For example, a partition plate 80 made of sheet metal is provided to separate the space of the above as a second space B. A humidifier 50 is also provided in the first space A.

The partition plate 80 is installed on the drain pan 60. The partition plate 80 is provided with an opening 81 at a position on the back surface of the humidifier 50 to allow air humidified by the humidifier 50 to pass through. Further, the partition plate 80 has an air outflow hole 82 that allows air in the first space A to flow out into the second space B, and an opening / closing door 71 of a clogging detection device 70 that rotatably closes the air outflow hole 82. Is provided. The clogging detection device 70 will be described later. Further, the indoor unit 20 is provided with a control board 90 connected to the remote controller 100.

For example, a microcomputer 90a (see FIGS. 3 and 4) is mounted on the control board 90. The microcomputer 90a instructs the outdoor unit 10 to perform heating operation or cooling operation based on the operation of the operation key of the remote controller 100, and controls the rotation speed of the motor 41 of the blower 40 according to the setting of the air volume key. Further, the microcomputer 90a supplies water to the humidifying module 51 of the humidifier 50 by opening the solenoid valve 53 during the heating operation, and when the clogging detecting device 70 detects the clogging of the humidifying module 51, the solenoid valve 90a is used. The 53 is closed to shut off the water supply to the humidification module 51.

In the indoor unit 20 configured as described above, the air sent by the blower 2 is cooled or warmed by the indoor heat exchanger 30 to air-condition the room. As for the flow of the refrigerant during heating, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor of the outdoor unit 10 flows into the indoor heat exchanger 30 through the gas pipe 31 via the four-way valve. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the indoor heat exchanger 30 is dissipated and condensed by heat exchange with the air supplied from the blower 40, becomes a low-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant, and flows out of the indoor heat exchanger 30. The low-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant flowing out of the indoor heat exchanger 30 is expanded and depressurized by the expansion valve 33 to become a low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and returns to the outdoor unit 10 through the liquid pipe 32.

On the other hand, the air warmed by the indoor heat exchanger 30 passes through the opening 81 of the humidifier 50 and the partition plate 80 and is sent out of the indoor unit 20 as shown by the arrow (broken line) shown in FIG. Heat the room. When the air passes through the humidifier 50, the moisture permeating the humidifying module 51 is vaporized and evaporated by the air, and the air is humidified.

Next, the configuration of the clogging detection device 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an enlarged view of the clogging detection device of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a state in which the opening / closing door of the clogging detection device of FIG. 3 is opened.
As described above, the clogging detection device 70 according to the first embodiment includes an opening / closing door 71 that rotatably closes the air outflow hole 82 of the partition plate 80, and a magnet 72 provided at one end of the opening / closing door 71. It is composed of a reed switch 73 installed on the partition plate 80. A Hall IC may be used instead of the reed switch 73.

The opening / closing door 71 is installed on the surface of the partition plate 80 on the second space B side. The other end of the opening / closing door 71 is rotatably supported by a hinge portion 71a provided at a position below the air outflow hole 82 of the partition plate 80. The opening / closing door 71 is joined to a position above the air outflow hole 82 of the partition plate 80 by the magnetic force of the magnet 72 provided at one end thereof to close the air outflow hole 82.

As shown in FIG. 4, the reed switch 73 has a magnet 72 of the opening / closing door 71 when the opening / closing door 71 opens an air outflow hole 82, that is, when the opening / closing door 71 rotates downward about the hinge portion 71a. It is provided at a position where it comes into contact with. The reed switch 73 is turned on by the magnetic force of the magnet 72, and inputs a signal for notifying the detection of clogging of the humidifying module 51 to the microcomputer 90a. This signal is output to the remote controller 100 by the microcomputer 90a. Although the above signal is input to the microcomputer 90a, the signal may be directly input to the remote controller 100 via the control board 90.

The operation of the clogging detection device 70 configured as described above will be described.
The air sent from the blower 40 passes through the indoor heat exchanger 30 and further passes through the humidifier 50 and is sent into the room. In the case of the heating operation, as described above, when the air passes through the humidifier 50, the moisture permeated into the humidifying module 51 is vaporized and evaporated by the air, and the air is humidified. While the air from the blower 40 is passing through the humidifier 50, the opening / closing door 71 is joined to the partition plate 80 by the magnetic force of the magnet 72 to close the air outflow hole 82.

On the other hand, as the operation of the indoor unit 20 progresses, the humidifying module 51 is gradually contaminated with dust in the air and scale components (calcium, magnesium, etc.) contained in water. When the humidifying module 51 is clogged due to aged deterioration of the humidifying module 51, the pressure loss Ph (Pa) of the humidifying module 51 increases. As the flow rate of air passing through the humidifying module 51 decreases as the pressure loss Ph (Pa) increases, the air pressure in the first space A in the indoor unit 20 becomes higher than the air pressure in the second space B.

Assuming that the air pressure of the first space A in the indoor unit 20 is P1 (Pa) and the air pressure of the second space B in the indoor unit 20 is P2 (Pa), the relationship is P1 = P2-Ph. Therefore, as the amount of clogging increases (Ph increases), the air pressure P1 in the first space A increases, and the air pressure difference ΔP12 (= P1-P2) between the first space A and the second space B increases. .. When the force of pushing the air pressure opening / closing door 71 on the first space A side due to the differential pressure ΔP12 becomes larger than the magnetic force of the magnet 72 joining the opening / closing door 71 to the partition plate 80, the opening / closing door 71 has a hinge portion 71a. As a fulcrum, the air outflow hole 82 is opened on the second space B side, and the magnet 72 provided at one end contacts the reed switch 73.

At this time, the first space A and the second space B communicate with each other through the open air outflow hole 82, and the air on the first space A side having a high air pressure flows into the second space B side. On the other hand, the reed switch 73 is excited by the magnetic force of the magnet 72 to turn on, and inputs a signal for notifying the detection of clogging of the humidifying module 51 to the microcomputer 90a of the control board 90. The microcomputer 90a transmits the input signal to the remote controller 100. When the signal is input, the remote controller 100 notifies by voice or a buzzer and displays the clogging of the humidifying module 51 on the display unit 100a.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the air pressure on the first space A side becomes higher than the air pressure on the second space B side due to the clogging of the humidifying module 51, and the air pressure on the first space A side becomes higher. When the magnetic force of the magnet 72 that joins the opening / closing door 71 to the partition plate 80 becomes larger, the opening / closing door 71 opens. Then, when the opening / closing door 71 is opened, the reed switch 73 is excited by the magnetic force of the magnet 72 and turned on to notify the detection of clogging of the humidifying module 51. With this configuration, clogging of the humidification module 51 can be immediately known. Further, since the configuration is simple as described above, the introduction cost of the clogging detection device can be suppressed.

Further, when the opening / closing door 71 opens the air outflow hole 82, the air on the first space A side having a high air pressure flows into the second space B side, so that the air pressure on the first space A side of the indoor unit 20 rises. Can be alleviated. Therefore, it is possible to suppress wind leakage from the housing forming the appearance of the indoor unit 20, and thereby it is possible to prevent the occurrence of dew condensation due to the wind leakage.

Embodiment 2.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the inside of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an enlarged view of the clogging detection device of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a state in which the opening / closing door of the clogging detection device shown in FIG. 6 is open. In the second embodiment, the same or corresponding parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described.

In FIG. 5, the partition plate 80 extends horizontally from the tip of the first partition plate 80a to the first space A side and the first partition plate 80a installed on the drain pan 60 so as to be orthogonal to the air flow from the blower 40. It is composed of a second partition plate 80b and a third partition plate 80c extending vertically upward from the tip of the second partition plate 80b and joining to the top plate of the indoor unit 20. The partition plate 80 is formed of a sheet metal that separates the space inside the indoor unit 20 into a first space A and a second space B. The second partition plate 80b is provided with an air outflow hole 82 that allows air in the first space A to flow out into the second space B.

The clogging detection device 150 according to the second embodiment is formed via an opening / closing door 71 that rotatably closes the air outflow hole 82 from the second space B side and an opening / closing door 71 that closes the air outflow hole 82. It has a closed circuit 151, and includes a closed circuit monitoring unit that detects and notifies clogging of the humidifying module 51 when the closed circuit 151 is cut off by opening the air outflow hole 82 of the opening / closing door 71.

The opening / closing door 71 is installed on the surface of the second partition plate 80b on the second space B side. A magnet 72 to be joined to the second partition plate 80b is provided at one end of the opening / closing door 71, and the other end of the opening / closing door 71 is rotatable by a hinge portion 71a provided on the second partition plate 80b. Is supported by. The opening / closing door 71 is joined to the second partition plate 80b by the magnetic force of the magnet 72 provided at one end to close the air outflow hole 82. Although the hinge portion 71a is provided on the third partition wall plate 80c side, the hinge portion 71a may be provided at a position on the opposite side to rotatably support the opening / closing door 71.

As shown in FIG. 6, the closed circuit 151 has an opening / closing door 71, a first lead wire 150a having one end in contact with one side of the opening / closing door 71 and the other end connected to the connector 90b of the control board 90, and one end thereof. It is formed by a second lead wire 150b connected to a second partition plate 80b on the hinge portion 71a side and the other end connected to a connector 90c of a control board 90, and a power supply connected between the connectors 90b and 90c. .. For example, the microcomputer 90a has the function of the closed circuit monitoring unit described above.

Next, the operation of the clogging detection device 150 configured as described above will be described.
While the air from the blower 40 is passing through the humidifier 50, the opening / closing door 71 is joined to the second partition plate 8b by the magnetic force of the magnet 72 to close the air outflow hole 82. When the humidifying module 51 is clogged due to deterioration over time, the pressure loss Ph (Pa) of the humidifying module 51 increases, and the indoor unit 20 increases as the pressure loss Ph (Pa) increases. The air pressure in the first space A inside becomes higher than the air pressure in the second space B.

Assuming that the air pressure of the first space A in the indoor unit 20 is P1 (Pa) and the air pressure of the second space B in the indoor unit 20 is P2 (Pa), the relationship is P1 = P2-Ph. Therefore, as the amount of clogging increases (Ph increases), the air pressure P1 in the first space A increases, and the air pressure difference ΔP12 (= P1-P2) between the first space A and the second space B increases. .. When the force of pushing the air pressure opening / closing door 71 on the first space A side due to the differential pressure ΔP12 becomes larger than the magnetic force of the magnet 72 joining the opening / closing door 71 to the partition plate 80, the opening / closing door 71 has a hinge portion 71a. Is opened on the second space B side as a fulcrum to open an air outflow hole 82, the first space A and the second space B are communicated with each other, and the air on the first space A side with high air pressure is sent to the second space B side. Inflow.

On the other hand, the microcomputer 90a detects the interruption of the closing circuit 151 by opening the opening / closing door 71. At this time, the microcomputer 90a starts counting the time and determines whether or not the counted time has elapsed a predetermined fixed time. When the closed circuit 151 that has been cut off returns before the counted time elapses, the microcomputer 90a resets the counted time and continues the heating operation by humidification. Further, the microcomputer 90a determines that the humidifying module 51 is clogged when the counted time elapses, and notifies the remote controller 100 that the humidifying module 51 is clogged. Send a signal. When the signal is input, the remote controller 100 notifies by voice or a buzzer and displays the clogging of the humidifying module 51 on the display unit 100a.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the closing circuit 151 formed via the opening / closing door 71 is cut off by opening the opening / closing door 71 and the shutoff state is continued for a certain period of time, the humidifying module 51 It detects clogging and notifies it. With this configuration, in addition to the effect of being able to know the clogging of the humidifying module 51, it is possible to avoid erroneous detection of clogging due to a temporary increase in internal pressure.

Further, when the opening / closing door 71 opens the air outflow hole 82, the air on the first space A side having a high air pressure flows into the second space B side, so that the air pressure on the first space A side of the indoor unit 20 rises. Can be alleviated. Therefore, it is possible to suppress wind leakage from the gaps in the housing constituting the appearance of the indoor unit 20, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of dew condensation due to the wind leakage.

In the case of the first embodiment, since it is necessary to install the opening / closing door 71 vertically and the hinge portion 71a downward, there are restrictions on the installation of the opening / closing door 71. In addition, there is a possibility of erroneous detection of a temporary increase in internal pressure due to outside wind or the like. On the other hand, in the case of the second embodiment, the degree of freedom in the installation posture of the opening / closing door 71 is relatively large as compared with the first embodiment, and when the opening / closing door 71 is horizontally installed, the opening / closing door 71 is kept open for a certain period of time or longer. By detecting clogging when the above is continued, it is possible to avoid erroneous detection due to a temporary increase in internal pressure as described above.
Further, as a method of releasing after notifying the clogging of the humidifying module 51, it is necessary to access the inside of the indoor unit 20 and return the opening / closing door 71 in the first embodiment, but in the case of the second embodiment, the opening / closing door 71 needs to be returned to the original position. Since the opening / closing door 71 is closed by the weight of the door 71 and gravity, it is not necessary to access the inside of the indoor unit 20 every time clogging is detected.

By the way, in the first and second embodiments, the clogging detection devices 70 and 150 used for the humidifier 50 of the indoor unit 20 are used, but in addition, the clogging detection devices such as an air filter and a heat exchanger can also be used to detect clogging. Needless to say.

10 outdoor unit, 20 indoor unit, 30 indoor heat exchanger, 31 gas pipe, 32 liquid pipe, 33
Expansion valve, 40 blower, 41 motor, 42 fan casing, 42a air outlet, 43 wall plate, 50 humidifier, 51 humidifier module, 52 watering head, 53 solenoid valve, 54 water supply pipe, 60 drain pan, 61 drain port, 70th Clog detection device, 71 opening / closing door, 71a hinge part, 72 magnet, 73 reed switch, 80 partition plate, 80a first partition plate, 80b second partition plate, 80c third partition plate, 81 opening, 82 air outflow hole, 90 control board, 90a microcomputer, 90b, 90c connector, 100
Remote controller, 100a display unit, 150 clogging detector, 150a 1st lead wire, 150b 2nd lead wire, 151 closed circuit, 200 air conditioner, A 1st space, B 2nd space.

Claims (2)

At least an outdoor unit with a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger,
A blower, an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air from the blower and the refrigerant from the outdoor unit, a humidifier that humidifies the air that has been heat exchanged by the indoor heat exchanger, and the humidifier are provided. The indoor unit having a partition plate for separating the space on the indoor heat exchanger side including the humidifier as the first space and the space on the outflow side of the air humidified by the humidifier as the second space is provided. In the air exchanger
An air outflow hole provided in the partition plate and communicating the first space and the second space,
It has an opening / closing door that rotatably closes the air outflow hole from the second space side, and the opening / closing door opens the air outflow hole because the air pressure in the first space becomes higher than the air pressure in the second space. when the open, possess a clogging detection device for notifying to detect clogging of the humidifier,
The partition plate includes a first partition plate installed so as to be orthogonal to the air flow from the blower, a second partition plate extending horizontally from the tip of the first partition plate to the first space side, and the first partition plate. It is composed of a third partition plate extending vertically upward from the tip of the two partition plates, and the second partition plate is provided with the air outflow hole for communicating the first space and the second space.
The clogging detection device is
With the opening and closing door
The humidifier eye has a closing circuit formed through the opening / closing door that closes the air outflow hole, and when the closing circuit is cut off by opening the air outflow hole of the opening / closing door. With a closed circuit monitoring unit that detects and notifies you of clogging
Air conditioner equipped with . The closed circuit monitoring unit starts counting time when it detects clogging of the humidifier, and when the shutoff state of the closed circuit continues by the time the counted time elapses, the humidification the air conditioner of claim 1, wherein notifying the clogging of the vessel.

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