JPH0379930A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform an automatic cleaning of inner stain at the most suitable cleaning time by providing a discriminating means for discriminating a degree of stain inside a main body of an air conditioner in response to an output signal from a sensor, and a stain acknowledgement means for sensing stain inside the main body of the air conditioner in response to an output signal from the discriminating means. CONSTITUTION:Sensors 80 and 81 for sensing a stain inside the main body of an air conditioner have pressure sensors, for example. One sensor 80 is placed at front inlet sides of a filter 5 within a housing 1 and a heat exchanger 6, the other sensor 81 is placed at rear outlet sides of the filter 5 of the housing 1 and the heat exchanging 6. The pressure sensor 80 may detect inlet side pressures at the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6. The outlet side pressure sensor 81 may detect the outlet side pressures of the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6 and output its detected signal to the discriminating device 9. Ac knowledging device 9 to acknowledge a stain inside the main body of the air conditioner, resulting in that the most suitable cleaning time is acknowledged and the inside stain is automatically cleaned.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to air conditioners, and in particular, it is possible to accurately grasp and judge dirt inside the air conditioner body and recognize the optimal cleaning time. The present invention relates to an air conditioner that can automatically clean dirt inside the air conditioner body.

[Conventional technology]

Conventional air conditioners include a counter that counts the operating time of the air conditioner and outputs a signal when the time exceeds the set time, and a counter that operates based on the output signal from the counter to control the air conditioner itself. and a recognition unit that allows a user or the like to recognize dirt inside.

When a user or the like recognizes dirt inside the air conditioner main body through the operation of the above-mentioned recognition unit, the inside of the air conditioner main body is cleaned.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, with the conventional air conditioners mentioned above, the dirt inside the air conditioner itself is determined based on the operating time of the air conditioner, regardless of the degree of air pollution in the place where the air conditioner is used. Therefore, there are the following problems.

For example, if the air in the area where it is used is dirty, the inside of the air conditioner will become dirty before the set time is reached.
Filters and heat exchangers become clogged, resulting in reduced capacity.
! G sounds, strange smells from the blown air, etc. occur. Further, if the air in the place where the air conditioner is used is clean, the inside of the air conditioner body is not so dirty even after the set time has elapsed, and cleaning and maintenance may be wasted. in this way,
It is not possible to accurately identify and judge the dirt inside the air conditioner body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can accurately determine the dirt inside the air conditioner body and recognize the optimal cleaning time.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can accurately grasp and judge the dirt inside the air conditioner main body and automatically clean the dirt inside the air conditioner main body. be.

[Means for Solving the Problem] In order to solve the above problem, the first invention (the invention according to claim 1) provides a sensor inside the machine body to detect dirt inside the machine body. The sensor is linked to a judgment section that judges the degree of dirt inside the machine body based on the output signal from the sensor, and the judgment section is activated by the output signal from the judgment section to detect dirt inside the machine body, etc. It is characterized by a recognition unit that can be recognized by the user.

In addition, in order to solve the above problem, this second invention (invention according to claim 2) is provided with a sensor that detects dirt inside the machine body, and a sensor that detects dirt inside the machine body. A judgment section that judges the degree of dirt inside the machine body based on the output signal of the machine body is linked, and a cleaning section that is activated by the output signal from the judgment section and cleans the dirt inside the machine body is linked to the judgment section. Features.

[Effect]

The pressure difference between the pressure on the inlet side and the pressure on the outlet side of the filter and heat exchanger in the housing changes depending on the amount of dust etc. adhering to the filter and heat exchanger, that is, the degree of dirt inside the air conditioner body. Therefore, the detection signal from the pressure sensor is input to the judgment device, the judgment device calculates the pressure difference, and when the value of the pressure difference becomes larger than the set value, it is determined that the filter, heat exchanger, etc. are dirty. It makes a judgment and outputs a signal to the recognition device and cleaning unit.

Since the first invention directly determines the dirt inside the air conditioner main body with the above configuration, the dirt inside the air conditioner main body is determined based on the operating time of the air conditioner. Compared to conventional air conditioners, it is possible to accurately grasp and judge the I'i inside the air conditioner body and recognize the optimal cleaning time.

Further, the second invention uses the above configuration to directly determine the dirt inside the air conditioner main body, and when the dirt inside the air conditioner main body exceeds a set value, the dirt inside the air conditioner main body is detected. Can be washed automatically.

In this way, the optimal cleaning time can be recognized, and the dirt inside the air conditioner body can be automatically cleaned at the optimal cleaning time, so it is possible to eliminate dirt caused by clogging of filters, heat exchangers, etc. It is possible to prevent a decrease in performance, noise, and the occurrence of abnormal odors in the blown air, and it is also possible to eliminate wasteful cleaning and maintenance.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the air conditioner of the first invention and the air conditioner of the second invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of the air conditioner of the first invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart 1 diagram showing a state in which dirt inside the air conditioner main body is determined.

In the figure, 1 is the housing of the air conditioner body, and a suction 02 is installed approximately in the center of the front panel of this housing ↓.
Moreover, an air outlet 3 is provided at the upper part of the front plate of the housing 1. A blower 4 is arranged in a ventilation passage communicating with the suction port 2 and the blowout port 3 in the upper part of the housing,
A filter 5 and a heat exchanger 6 are disposed in the ventilation passage in the center of the housing 1 so as to face the suction port 2. A drain pan 7 is disposed above the housing below the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6,
A drain pipe 71 is connected to the drain pan 7, and the drain pipe 7e is drawn out from the inside of the housing 1 to the outside of the housing 1 from the lower part of the back plate of the housing 1. The air conditioner is configured in this way.

Sensors 80 and 81 detect dirt inside the air conditioner main body, and in this example, pressure sensors are used. Said 2
One of the pressure sensors 80 is disposed on the inlet side of the front surface of the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6 in the housing 1,
The other 81 is disposed on the outlet side of the back surface of the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6 of the housing 1. The pressure sensor 80 on the inlet side detects the pressure Pal on the inlet side of the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6, and outputs the detection signal to a determination device 9, which will be described later. In addition, the pressure sensor 8 on the outlet side
1 detects the pressure Pa2 on the outlet side of the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6, and outputs the detection (4) to a determination device 9, which will be described later.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a determining device as a determining section linked to the pressure sensors 80 and 81, and this determining device 9 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer and a memory.

This judgment device 9 determines that after the set operating time Δto has elapsed,
The above-mentioned pressure difference ΔPa is calculated by inputting the detection signals from the pressure sensors 80 and 81, and the absolute value Δ of the pressure difference is calculated.
When Pa: ]Pa1-Pa21) exceeds a preset pressure difference value E, a signal is output to a recognition device ]-O, which will be described later. After the set operating time described above is reset to Δto =O, the same calculation as described above is performed.

Furthermore, the value of the detected pressure difference and the value of the set pressure difference are ΔPa(ε
In this case, the above calculation is performed again after the set operating time ΔLo has elapsed.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a recognition device as a recognition unit linked to the determination device 9. In this embodiment, the recognition device 10 is a warning lamp, and is installed at a position slightly above the suction port 2 on the front panel of the housing. This recognition unit [10 is activated by inputting the output signal from the determination device 9, and allows the user, etc. to recognize dirt inside the air conditioner body and recognize the optimal cleaning time. be.

The air conditioner of the present invention in this embodiment has five or more configurations, and the operation thereof will be explained below with reference to FIG. 2.

First, when the set operating time Δto has elapsed, the detection signals from the pressure sensors 80 and 81 are input to the judgment device 9, and the pressure Pal on the inlet side and the outlet side of the filter 5 and heat exchanger 6 in the housing 1 are input. Calculate the pressure difference ΔPa with the pressure Pa2, and calculate the absolute value ΔPa of the pressure difference: (l
When Pa 1 - Pa 21) exceeds the preset pressure difference value ε (ΔPa<E), the judgment device 9 determines that the filter 5
and the recognition unit fi determines that the heat exchanger 6 etc. is dirty.
Outputs a signal to lo. Then, the recognition device 1o is activated.

It is possible to warn and make the user aware of dirt inside the air conditioner main body.

After the set operating time is reset to Δ10=0, calculations similar to those described above are performed. Also, if the value of the detected pressure difference and the value of the set pressure difference are ΔPa minus ε,
After the set operating time Δto has elapsed, the same calculation as described above is performed again.

In this way, the dirt inside the air conditioner can be directly determined, compared to conventional air conditioners that judge the dirt inside the air conditioner based on the operating time of the air conditioner. , it is possible to accurately grasp and judge the dirt inside the air conditioner body and recognize the optimal cleaning time. Therefore, capacity decreases due to clogging of filters, heat exchangers, etc.4
G sound.

It is possible to prevent the occurrence of abnormal odors in the blown air, and it is also possible to eliminate wasteful cleaning and maintenance.

In the above-described embodiment, the recognition device 10 uses a warning lamp, but other devices such as a buzzer or a light emitting diode that appeal to visual or auditory senses may be used.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the air conditioner of the second invention, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views showing modified examples of the cleaning device.

In the figure, the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 1 and 2 indicate the same parts.

In the figure, 11 is a cleaning device, and in this example, the cleaning device 11
a tank 12 disposed above the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6 in the housing 1 and storing a cleaning liquid; a nozzle 13 disposed at the bottom of the tank 2 facing the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6; From the tank 12 to the nozzle 1
It consists of a solenoid valve (not shown) disposed in a liquid supply pipe (not shown) to 3 and linked to a determination device 9.

Since the air conditioner of the present invention in this embodiment has the above configuration, the pressure Pal on the inlet side and the pressure Pa2 on the outlet side of the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6 in the housing 1 are
Absolute value ΔPa of pressure difference ΔPa: (IPal-P
a21) exceeds the preset pressure difference value ε, (Δ
Pa<ε), the judgment device 9 is the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6
etc., and outputs a signal to the solenoid valve. Then, the solenoid valve opens, and the cleaning liquid 14 in the tank 12 is sprayed from the nozzle 13 onto the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6, and the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6 are automatically cleaned.

In this way, it is possible to automatically clean dirt inside the air conditioner body at the optimal cleaning time, which prevents performance degradation due to clogging of filters and heat exchangers, noise, and abnormal odors in the blown air. It is possible to prevent this from happening, and also to eliminate wasteful cleaning and maintenance.

In addition to the above-mentioned cleaning equipment, there are
As shown in FIG. 4, a self-propelled roll brush 15 is installed on at least one side of the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6 via a drive device, and the roll brush 15 contacts the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6. A device that rotates while cleaning the filter 5 and heat exchanger 6.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a self-propelled scrubber 16 is installed on at least one side of the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6 via a drive device, and the scrubber 16 comes into contact with the filter 5 and the heat exchanger 6. There are devices that remove dirt from the filter 5 and heat exchanger 6 by moving while moving.

Furthermore, if a cleaning liquid is sprayed when using the roll brush 15 or the scrubbing brush 16, a further cleaning effect can be obtained.

In the above example, a pressure sensor was used as a sensor to detect dirt inside the air conditioner main body, but a sensor that measures the amount of light transmitted by a phototransistor and a light emitting diode and an increase in noise were used. A method that measures fan input and current value, a method that measures the amount of heat exchanged by a heat exchanger, a method that measures wind speed using a hot wire thermistor, a method that uses a change in color on the filter surface, etc. may also be used.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above, the air conditioner of the present invention has a sensor installed inside the main body to detect dirt inside the main body,
The sensor is linked to a judgment section that judges the degree of dirt inside the machine body based on the output signal from the sensor, and the judgment section is activated by the output signal from the judgment section to recognize the dirt inside the machine body to the user etc. It is connected to a cleaning section that cleans dirt inside the machine body by being activated by the output signal from the recognition section or dirt section, which can clean the inside of the machine. Dirt inside the air conditioner body can be automatically cleaned during cleaning time, which prevents performance degradation due to clogging of filters, heat exchangers, etc.
! It is possible to prevent the occurrence of noise, abnormal odors of the blown air, etc., and also to eliminate wasteful cleaning and maintenance.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the air conditioner of the first invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a state in which dirt inside the air conditioner main body is determined. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the air conditioner of the second invention, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views showing modified examples of the cleaning device. 1...Housing, 2...Suction port, 3...1 blowout, 4...Blower, 5...Filter, 6...
Heat exchanger, 7...Drain pan, 80 and 81...
Pressure sensor (sensor), 9...judgment device (judgment unit),
10... Recognition device (recognition unit), 11... Cleaning device (
cleaning section), 12... tank, 13... nozzle, 14
...Cleaning liquid, 15... Kuchifuzuzuyuki 1-3 A certain t4 Fuzuzu

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A sensor that detects dirt inside the machine body, a judgment section that judges the degree of dirt inside the machine body based on an output signal from the sensor, and an operation based on the output signal from the judgment section. An air conditioner characterized by comprising a dirt recognition section inside the machine body. 2. A sensor that detects dirt inside the machine body, a judgment section that judges the degree of dirt inside the machine body based on the output signal from the sensor, and a sensor that operates based on the output signal from the judgment section. An air conditioner characterized by comprising a cleaning section.