JPH0418216B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) This invention relates to an air conditioner, and in particular improves ventilation comfort by automatically changing the blowing direction of air during heating operation. related to air conditioners.

(Prior art) When heating a room with an air conditioner mounted high on a wall, the warm air rises through automatic convection, so the warm air blown from the air conditioner body is heated on the floor,
Alternatively, by blowing toward people's feet, suitable air conditions can be provided throughout the room.
Therefore, the horizontal direction deflection plate of the blown air provided in the air conditioner main body is normally set at a downwardly inclined position during heating. However, when the device is started, the heat exchanger inside the air conditioner body is in a low temperature state, and until the temperature rises, cold air is blown out from the body, and this cold air hits the human body, making the air conditioner comfortable. This resulted in loss of sexuality. Therefore, in the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 58-88549, as shown in FIG. When the temperature is low, the blowing direction A is applied horizontally to the head of the person, and when the blowing temperature exceeds, for example, 40°C, the horizontal deflection plate 61 deforms in a downwardly inclined direction in response to the temperature. , Therefore, the blowing direction is automatically changed to the resident direction B. This is intended to prevent discomfort caused by the blowing of cold air at the time of startup, and to improve air conditioning comfort during heating operation.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) By the way, in recent air conditioners, after the device is started, the device is automatically operated according to the temperature detected by the indoor thermostat, for example, to maintain the indoor temperature at the temperature set by the occupant. It's like driving. That is, when the room temperature exceeds the set temperature, the operation is stopped, and when the temperature in the room left in that state drops below the set temperature, the operation is automatically restarted. At the time of such a restart, hot air is blown from the air conditioner body toward the occupants from the beginning of the restart, but there is a problem that the occupants still feel uncomfortable at this time. It was hot. This is because an air current with a high wind speed suddenly hits the occupant in a room where there was no wind until then. At this time, although the room temperature rises due to the hot air being blown out, the perceived temperature felt by the occupants decreases due to the influence of the wind speed, resulting in a feeling of cold air.

This invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide an air conditioner that can further improve air conditioning comfort during heating operation.

(Means for solving the problem) Therefore, the air conditioner of this invention has a heat exchanger 2
, a horizontal deflection plate 6 for vertically changing the blowing direction of the air blown into the room through the heat exchanger 2, and a horizontal deflection plate 6 for detecting the heating load in the room and when the detected value exceeds a set value. The air conditioner is installed at a high place on a wall and has an operation request signal output means 30 that outputs an operation request signal when the operation request signal is input, and when the operation request signal is input, the horizontal deflection plate 6 is It has a blowout air control means 33 that changes the blowout direction to a vertical downward blowing direction and then to an inclined direction between the vertical downward blowing direction and the horizontal blowing direction.

(Function) In the air conditioner having the above configuration, when the operation request signal is generated by the operation request signal output means 30,
The horizontal deflection plate 6 is controlled by the blowout air control means 33.
is first changed to a vertically downward blowing direction. As a result of this blowing, the blowing air becomes an indoor air current that spreads downward along the wall surface and onto the floor surface. In such airflow conditions, even if there is a person in the center of the room, the airflow will not feel like the air is directly hitting the person, and therefore the occupants will not feel the cold air. , the entire room is gradually heated from the floor. After raising the indoor temperature in advance and providing a gentle airflow to the occupants, the horizontal deflection plate 6 is then changed to an inclined direction, thereby blowing warm air toward the occupants. That will happen.

(Embodiments) Next, specific embodiments of the air conditioner of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of an air conditioner main body 1 that is installed at a high place on a wall according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, an indoor heat exchanger 2 and a blower fan 3 are arranged inside the main body 1, and when the blower fan 3 is operated, a suction grill 4 formed on the front surface of the main body 1 is connected to the room. air is sucked in,
The air that has passed through the indoor exchanger 2 is blown out from a blow-off grille 5 formed at the lower part of the front side. The outlet grille 5 is provided with a horizontal deflection plate, ie, a horizontal flap 6, and a vertical deflection plate, ie, a vertical flap 7, for controlling the direction of the outlet air. on the other hand,
A thermistor 8 for detecting the temperature of the heat exchanger (hereinafter referred to as a heat exchanger thermistor) is attached to the indoor heat exchanger 2 on the side of the blower fan 3. Therefore, temperature information of the blowing air that passes through the indoor heat exchanger 2 and is blown out from the blowing grill 5 can be obtained.

As shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal and vertical flaps 6 and 7 are connected to a first step motor 20 with the horizontal flap 6 and a second step motor 21 with the vertical flap 7 through link mechanisms. ing. By controlling the rotation of each of the step motors 20, 21, the direction of each of the flaps 6, 7 is changed, thereby making it possible to change the direction in which air is blown from the main body 1 to any desired direction.
In addition, a remote control switch box is provided in order to operate the device at a location away from the air conditioner body 1, and this remote control switch box is equipped with a room temperature sensor for detecting the indoor temperature. Sensor is attached. This room temperature detection sensor provides indoor temperature information near the occupant;
It has a structure as shown in FIG. 3 and is attached to a remote control switch box. That is, in the same figure, 22 indicates the entire remote control switch box, and the surface of the casing 23 is coated with a paint having an emissivity approximately equal to that of the human body, and the inside of the casing 23 is The thermistor 31 is placed in contact with the inner surface of the thermistor 31. Note that the thermistor 31 is surrounded by a heat insulating material 24. The room temperature detection thermistor 31 is installed in this structure because
This is because room temperature detection is performed in consideration of the exchange of radiant heat between the human body and the surroundings. In other words, during heating operation and cooling operation, the amount of radiant heat exchanged between the human body and the wall surface is different due to the difference in wall temperature, etc., so the casing 23 has a similar effect. This is to make the temperature detected by the room temperature detection sensor 31 as close as possible to the temperature actually felt by the human body, and to perform comfortable air conditioning.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a control system that controls the horizontal flap 6 during heating operation based on temperature information from the heat exchanger thermistor 8 and the room temperature detection thermistor 31. It is assumed that the vertical plug 7 is set at a deflection angle position such that the air is blown out approximately toward the center of the room during heating operation, which will be described later.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 31 denotes a room temperature detection sensor consisting of a thermistor for detecting the indoor temperature, and the indoor temperature detection signal of this room temperature detection sensor 31 and the outlet temperature detection signal of the heat exchanger thermistor 8 are respectively The detected temperature calculation circuit 32 converts the temperature information into appropriate temperature information, and inputs the temperature information to a blowout air control device 33 that serves as a blowout air control means. On the other hand, the remote control switch box 22 further includes an operation switch 34 and an indoor thermostat 30 built therein. This indoor thermostat 30 serves as an operation request signal output means, and is composed of the room temperature detection sensor 31 and a comparison circuit 35.
The indoor temperature signal from the room temperature detection sensor 31 is compared with the resident's desired set temperature, and if the desired set temperature has not been reached, an indoor thermo ON signal is output. The activation signal when the operation switch 34 is operated and the indoor thermostat ON from the comparison circuit 35
The -OFF signal is input to the blowout air control device 33. Furthermore, this blowout air control device 33 includes:
A timer 36 that measures a preset time in conjunction with the blowout air control device 33 is connected to a start-up completion determination counter 37, which will be described later. Then, depending on the deflection angle of the horizontal flap 6 and the rotational speed of the blower fan 3, which are appropriately determined by the blowout air control device 33, the horizontal flap 6 is controlled by the step motor 20 via the step motor control device 38, or by the step motor 20 via the step motor control device 38. The settings of the blower fans 3 are changed by a fan control device 39.

Next, the horizontal flap 6 during heating operation as described above.
The control method will be explained in detail based on the flowchart of FIG.

When heating operation is started by operating the operation switch 34, initial settings are first made in step S1. At this time, the horizontal flap 6 is set at a horizontal position, that is, at a deflection angle of 0°.
As a result, the cold air blown out through the indoor heat exchanger 2, which is in a low temperature state immediately after the start of operation, is blown out over the heads of the occupants, so that they do not feel cold air. In step S1 above,
Furthermore, the timer reset operation described below,
And the start-up completion determination counter is set to "0". Next, the process moves to step S2, where it is determined whether the indoor thermostat is ON or OFF. Since the heating operation is assumed to start when the indoor temperature is lower than the occupant's desired temperature setting, here we assume that the ON signal is input from the indoor thermostat, and the control transition from step S2 to step S3 is performed. First, let me explain. Step S3 is a step for determining the state of the start-up completion determination counter.
When the device is started up, the initial setting value in step S1 remains at "0", so the process moves to step S4 and the blowout temperature is adjusted from step S4 to S13.
Start-up control of the blowout air volume is performed based on Tc.
In other words, the blowout temperature Tc is 20℃ in step S4.
Until this step is reached, steps S4 to S5 are followed by S2, S3, and S4, and the execution steps are repeated cyclically. At this time, in step S5, the rotational speed of the blower fan 3 is set to a rotational speed corresponding to the ultra-light wind. The ventilation operation in this state is continued.
During this time, the indoor thermostat is turned off in step S2.
While monitoring the changes to the condition, have a temperature rise in the blowout temperature Tc. Then, when the above Tc reaches 20℃, the process moves from step S4 to S6, and until the above Tc reaches 25℃, the air volume is changed to a light breeze in step S7, and the air blowing operation in this state is continued in the same way as above. As the temperature continues, the temperature increases by Tc. If Tc reaches 25℃, step S6
Shifts to S8, and continues operation with the set air volume of the weak wind in step S9 until Tc reaches 35℃, and when it reaches 35℃, the operation changes from step S8
Migrate to S10. In step S10, the time value of the timer is determined; at this time, the timer has been reset in step S1, and therefore the above-mentioned blowout temperature Tc
The timer starts counting when the temperature reaches 35°C and the process moves from step S8 to S10 and then to step S11, and then from step S9 to steps S2, S3, S4, S6, S8, S10, and S11. Repeat this to continue the timer operation.
Therefore, operation in low wind is carried out for an additional minute after Tc reaches 35°C. Then, when the time measured by the timer reaches 1 minute, start from step S10.
Shifts to S12, and the air volume set by the user (low wind,
(moderate wind, strong wind), and in step S13,
Furthermore, operation at the above set air volume is continued until the blowout temperature Tc reaches 38°C. In this way, by performing start-up control that gradually increases the air volume according to the blowout temperature Tc at start-up, stirring of the indoor air by cold air at start-up is suppressed, giving the user a feeling of cool air. I try not to.

If it is determined in step S13 that the blowing temperature Tc is 38° C. or higher, the process moves from step S13 to S14. Steps S14 to S15, S16, and
In the process of returning to S2, passing through each of the above discrimination steps, and cyclically repeating the process to S14, the steps
The blowing directly below the horizontal flap 6 in S16, that is, at a deflection angle of 90°, continues for 2 minutes from the time the blowing temperature reaches 38° C. or higher. After 2 minutes, the process moves from step S14 to S17, S16, and returns to S2, and continues until the room temperature reaches 17℃ or higher.
The above-mentioned blowing directly downward is maintained. Then, when the room temperature reaches 17°C or higher, the process moves from step S17 to S18, and the horizontal flap 6 is moved to a set angle (for example, 70°).
From this point on, the air is blown toward the central area of the room, that is, toward the occupants. After the deflection angle in the inclination direction of the horizontal flap 6 is set as described above, in step S2, the above setting state is maintained until the indoor temperature reaches the temperature desired by the occupant, that is, until the indoor thermostat is turned off. Heating operation continues. If the indoor temperature reaches the desired set temperature, steps S2 to S19
At this time, the circulation of the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 2 is stopped, so hot air cannot be blown out. Therefore, the rotational speed of the blower fan 3 is changed to a speed corresponding to the ultra-light wind, or it is stopped. do. At this time, the timer is reset and the start-up completion determination counter is set to "1". In this state, the system waits for the next ON signal from the indoor thermostat to be input (steps S2 and S19).

When the room temperature becomes lower than the desired set temperature and an ON signal is input from the indoor thermostat, the process moves from step S2 to S3, and then to step S20, and in step S20, the blower fan 3 is rotated to adjust the air volume to the air volume set by the user. At the same time, the process moves to step S14 and restarts the control for changing the horizontal flap 6 directly downward. That is, in the same way as the control procedure at the time of startup described above, when the indoor thermostat is turned off, the timer that was reset in step S19 starts the timing operation in step S15, and
At S16, move the horizontal flap 6 directly downwards, and in this state step S2, S3, S20, S14,
The time counting operation of the timer is continued by repeating S15 and S16. And the time value in the timer is 2
When the temperature reaches the minute, the process moves from step S14 to S17, and it is determined that the room temperature is 17°C or higher. If the temperature is lower than 17℃, the above blowing condition continues,
Steps S17 to S18 when the temperature is 17℃ or higher,
Then, the process moves on to repeat steps S2, S3, S20, S14, S17, and S18. Therefore, in step S18, the horizontal flap 6 is set at an inclination angle (for example, 70 degrees).
change is given, and the heating operation shifts to normal. Thereafter, the above state will continue until an OFF signal is input from the indoor thermostat in step S2.

As described above, in the above embodiment, when the indoor thermostat is restarted by the indoor thermo ON signal, the control is restarted by first changing the horizontal flap 6 directly downward. When the indoor thermostat is ON, the indoor temperature and the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 2 that has been stopped are slightly lower than during heating operation, and when the indoor thermostat is OFF, there is almost no wind in the room.
If the air is suddenly blown toward the occupant in such a state, the perceived temperature will be felt to be lower due to the feeling of the airflow. Therefore, by controlling as described above, it is possible to recover the indoor temperature and soften the change in the air flow sensation felt by the occupants, thereby providing a suitable heating sensation without making the occupants feel cold. be. In the above embodiment, when the heating operation is started, the air is blown horizontally above people's heads while the air temperature is low, and after the air temperature reaches warm air, the horizontal flap 6 is changed to the direction directly below. . At this time, the blown air is blown out along the wall surface and becomes an air current that spreads over the floor surface. As a result, the room is first warmed without making the occupants feel the air current, and then the blowing direction is changed toward the occupant. Conventionally, warm air was blown out from the main unit and was cooled by cold indoor air before hitting the occupants, but in the above embodiment, this cold air feeling does not occur, and air conditioning comfort is improved. is improved.

Figure 6 shows the elapsed time during heating operation, and measurement data of temperature and wind speed at a point 10 cm above the floor, 2 m away from the air conditioner main body. The sensible temperature calculated from the above temperature and wind speed is also recorded. As shown in the figure, the temperature detected by the indoor thermostat is automatically operated to maintain a constant temperature of approximately 20°C. −
OFF), a pulsating state occurs in the temperature and wind speed at the above measurement point, and the perceived temperature also changes in accordance with this change. In the figure, the lines at each P point marked with two-dot chain lines along the sensible temperature curve and wind speed data indicate the changes in the sensible temperature and wind speed obtained when the deflection angle of the horizontal flap was fixed at 70°. It can be seen that there is a sudden drop in the sensible temperature in response to the steep rise change that occurs when the indoor thermostat is turned on. On the other hand, the sensible temperature curve and wind speed data connected by the solid line are data obtained when the horizontal flap in the above example was controlled when the indoor thermostat was turned on, and each has a gentle change curve. Therefore, by controlling according to the embodiment described above, it is possible to provide more suitable air conditioning comfort without making the occupants feel the cold air.

In the above embodiment, the direction of inclination in which the horizontal flap 6 is set in the vertical downward blowing direction and then changed toward the occupant is set at a preset deflection angle (70°).
However, for example, a configuration may be adopted in which a person's position detecting device is provided in the air conditioner main body and the blowing direction is automatically changed according to the detected position. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the heating load is detected using a room temperature detection sensor, but other configurations may also be used, such as detecting the load based on changes in the supercooling temperature of the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger. can. Furthermore, although the above embodiment describes a device that can automatically change the air volume, the present invention can be applied to other devices that can control the deflection angle of horizontal flaps to improve air conditioning comfort. can.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, in the air conditioner of the present invention, when the thermostat is restarted by turning on the thermostat, a gentle airflow is first given to the occupant, and then a horizontal deflection is directed toward the occupant. Since the plate is controlled, it is possible to prevent the feeling of cold air caused by sudden blowing of wind at a high speed from a state of no wind in the conventional device, and therefore it is possible to improve air conditioning comfort during heating operation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of the air conditioner main body in an embodiment of the air conditioner of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the horizontal flap and vertical flap attached to the device of FIG. 1, and FIG. Fig. 4 is a control block diagram of the horizontal flap and ventilation fan; Fig. 5 is a control flowchart; Fig. 6 is data showing temperature changes during heating operation; Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the mounting structure of the room temperature sensor; The figure is a side view showing the internal configuration of the air conditioner main body in a conventional device. 2... Indoor heat exchanger, 6... Horizontal flap (horizontal deflection plate), 30... Indoor thermostat (operation request signal output means), 33... Blowing air control device (blowing air controlling means).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A heat exchanger 2, a horizontal deflection plate 6 for vertically changing the blowing direction of the air blown into the room through the heat exchanger 2, and a device for detecting the indoor heating load and detecting the detected value. The air conditioner is installed at a high place on a wall and has an operation request signal output means 30 that outputs an operation request signal when a set value is exceeded, and further, when the operation request signal is input, the operation request signal output means 30 outputs an operation request signal in the horizontal direction. An air conditioner characterized in that it has a blowout air control means 33 that changes the deflection plate 6 to a vertical downward blowing direction and then to an inclined direction between the vertical downward blowing direction and the horizontal blowing direction.