JPH05256499A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform a quiet operation by reducing sound leaked from a suction port of an upper part of an indoor unit. CONSTITUTION:An openable cover 6 is provided at a suction port 5 of an upper part of an indoor unit 3 to have a first operation mode in which it is operated in a state that the cover 6 is opened and a second operation mode in which it is operated in a state that the cover 6 is closed. When the second mode is selected, the port 5 is closed, and wind crossing sound of an indoor fan 11, sound of refrigerant flowing through an indoor heat exchanger 9 are not leaked to a ceiling side in a room through the port 5. Accordingly, noise is reduced, and a quiet operation can be performed. This operation is optimum for a sound sleep at the time of sleeping.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner having suction ports provided in an upper portion of an indoor unit and other portions thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An indoor unit is provided with a suction port on the front surface and an air outlet on the lower part, and forms an air passage from the suction port to the air outlet. An indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan are provided in the ventilation passage. That is, when the operation of the indoor fan is turned on, the indoor air is sucked from the suction port and is blown out into the room through the indoor heat exchanger from the air outlet.

Further, there is an indoor unit in which suction ports are provided not only on the front face but also on the upper part, and indoor heat exchangers are provided corresponding to these suction ports. This indoor unit has an advantage that the indoor heat exchanger can be upsized in a limited size.

[0004]

In an indoor unit having a suction port on the front surface and the upper part, the noise of the wind of the indoor fan and the sound of the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger leak to the ceiling side of the room through the upper suction port. It is reflected on the ceiling and becomes noise, which is heard by residents. The present invention takes the above circumstances into consideration, and an object of the air conditioner of the present invention is to reduce the sound leaking from the suction port in the upper part of the indoor unit and enable quiet operation.

The air conditioner according to claim 2 can reduce the sound leaking from the suction port in the upper part of the indoor unit to enable quiet operation, and can avoid the occurrence of troubles due to the reduction of the sound. With the goal. An air conditioner according to a third aspect of the present invention is intended to reduce the noise that leaks from the suction port in the upper part of the indoor unit and improve quietness.

[0006]

An air conditioner according to claim 1 has an outdoor unit having a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger and an outdoor fan, an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan, and an upper part and the upper part thereof. An indoor unit having a suction port in a portion other than the above, a lid body that is openably and closably provided at the suction port at the upper part of the indoor unit, a first operation mode in which the lid body is operated in an open state, and the lid body And a means for selecting the first and second operation modes.

An air conditioner according to a second aspect of the invention has an outdoor unit having a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor fan, an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan, and a suction port at an upper portion and other portions. An indoor unit having, and a lid provided on the suction port at the top of the indoor unit to be openable and closable,
A first operation mode in which the lid is opened,
A second operation mode in which the lid is operated in a closed state;
Means for selecting these first and second operating modes;
Means for controlling the capacity of the compressor according to the air conditioning load,
And a means for limiting the upper limit of the capacity of the compressor to a low value when the second operation mode is selected.

An air conditioner according to a third aspect of the invention has an outdoor unit having a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor fan, an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan, and a suction port at an upper portion and other portions. An indoor unit having, and a lid provided on the suction port at the top of the indoor unit to be openable and closable,
Means for controlling the capacity of the compressor according to the air conditioning load,
Open the lid when the capacity of the compressor is equal to or more than a predetermined value,
And a means for closing when the value is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0009]

In the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, the indoor unit has a lid at the suction port at the upper portion thereof, and the first operation mode in which the lid is opened and the lid is closed are operated. There is a second operation mode to be performed. If the second operation mode is selected, the sound leaking from the suction port is reduced.

In the air conditioner of the second aspect, there is a lid at the suction port at the upper part of the indoor unit, and there is a first operation mode in which the lid is opened and operation is performed with the lid closed. There is a second operation mode to be performed. If the second operation mode is selected, the sound leaking from the suction port is reduced, and the upper limit of the compressor capacity is limited to a low value. In the air conditioner of the third aspect, the suction port at the upper part of the indoor unit has a lid, which is closed when the capacity of the compressor is low, and the sound leaking from the suction port is reduced.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment corresponds to the air conditioner of claims 1 and 2.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 is an outdoor unit, which has a suction grill 2, and is equipped with a compressor 21, an outdoor heat exchanger 23, an outdoor fan 25, etc., which will be described later. The indoor unit 3 is connected to the outdoor unit 1 by piping and wiring.

The indoor unit 3 is, as shown in FIG.
The suction port 4 is provided on the front side, and the suction port 5 is provided on the upper side.
The lid 6 is provided on the. The lid 6 opens and closes the suction port 5 by being driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) having a motor 6M described later as a power source. Further, the indoor unit 1 has a blowout port 7 at a lower portion thereof, and an air passage 8 is formed from the suction ports 4 and 5 to the blowout port 7.

The ventilation passage 8 is provided with an indoor heat exchanger 9, an electric heater 10, an indoor fan 11, and a blowout louver 12 in this order from the suction ports 4, 5 side to the blowout port 7.
The electric heater 10 functions as an auxiliary heat source during heating and also functions as a reheater during dehumidification. On the other hand, the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor unit 3 constitute the refrigeration cycle and control circuit shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 21 is a variable capacity compressor mounted on the outdoor unit 1, and an outdoor heat exchanger 23 is connected to a discharge port of the compressor 21 via a four-way valve 22. The indoor heat exchanger 9 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 23 via an expansion valve 24 which is a pressure reducer, and the indoor heat exchanger 9 is connected to the suction port of the compressor 21 via the four-way valve 22. .. An outdoor fan 25 is arranged near the outdoor heat exchanger 23.

That is, during the cooling operation, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 21 flows to the compressor 21 in the order of the four-way valve 22, the outdoor heat exchanger 23, the expansion valve 24, the indoor heat exchanger 9, and the four-way valve 22. Be sucked. As a result, the outdoor heat exchanger 23 functions as a condenser and the indoor heat exchanger 9 functions as an evaporator to cool the room.

During the heating operation, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 21 flows through the four-way valve 22, the indoor heat exchanger 9, the expansion valve 24, the outdoor heat exchanger 23, and the four-way valve 22 in this order, and is sucked into the compressor 21. Be done. As a result, the indoor heat exchanger 9 functions as a condenser and the outdoor heat exchanger 23 functions as an evaporator to heat the room.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a commercial AC power source, to which an inverter composed of a rectifying circuit 31, a smoothing capacitor 32, and a switching circuit 33 is connected. The inverter temporarily rectifies the voltage of the power supply 30, converts it into a voltage of a predetermined frequency by switching according to a command from the inverter control circuit 34, and outputs the voltage. This output becomes drive power for the compressor motor 21M.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a wireless type remote control operation device (hereinafter, abbreviated as a remote controller), which has a function of transmitting operating condition input and operation start / stop instructions to the indoor unit 3 by infrared light. In addition, this remote control 4
Examples of the operation means of 0 are a temperature setting button 41 for inputting the set room temperature Ts, and a quiet operation switch 42 for setting and resetting quiet operation.

Infrared light emitted from the remote controller 40 is taken into the light receiving portion 43 of the indoor unit 3. This light receiving part 4
Of the infrared light data taken in 3, the set room temperature Ts is sent to the load-corresponding frequency determining means 44.

The load-corresponding frequency determining means 44 finds the difference (= ΔT) between the room sound Ta detected by the room temperature sensor 45 and the set room temperature Ts as the air conditioning load, and the operating frequency f corresponding to the air conditioning load. To decide. The determined operating frequency f is sent to the frequency correction means 46. Of the infrared light data taken into the light receiving section 43, the quiet command and the quiet cancel command are sent to the frequency limiting means 47 and the suction port opening / closing control means 48.

The frequency limiting means 47 issues a command to limit the upper limit of the operating frequency f when it receives a quiet command, and issues a command to release the restriction on the operating frequency f when it receives a quiet cancel command. For example, when the quiet command is received, the upper limit of the operating frequency f is limited to f ₃ , and when the quiet cancel command is received, the limit is released and the upper limit of the operating frequency f is changed to f _5.
Allow up to (> f ₃ ).

The command of the frequency limiting means 47 is sent to the frequency correcting means 46. The frequency correcting means 46 corrects the operating frequency f in accordance with the instruction from the frequency limiting means 47 to obtain the operating frequency F. This operating frequency F is sent to the inverter control circuit 34, reflected in the output frequency of the inverter, and becomes the operating frequency F of the compressor 21 as it is. The suction port opening / closing control means 48 drives the motor 6M so that the lid body 6 closes when receiving the silent command and the lid body 6 opens when receiving the quiet canceling command. Next, the operation of the air conditioner configured as above will be described. First, the operation of the remote controller 40 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When the temperature setting button 41 is pressed to change the set room temperature Ts, the changed set room temperature Ts is transmitted to the indoor unit 3 as a wireless signal by infrared light. When the quiet operation switch 42 is pressed, it is determined whether the quiet operation has already been executed, that is, whether the quiet command has already been transmitted. If the quiet command has not been transmitted yet, the quiet command is transmitted to the indoor unit 3 as a wireless signal by infrared light together with the set room temperature Ts at that time. If the quietness command has already been transmitted, the quietness cancellation command is transmitted to the indoor unit 3 as a wireless signal by infrared light together with the set room temperature Ts at that time. From here, the operation of the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor unit 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5 and the time chart of FIG. When the light receiving section 43 receives the wireless signal, the data of the set room temperature Ts is used as the load frequency determining means 4.
4 and the set room temperature Ts is stored.

The room temperature Ta detected by the room temperature sensor 45 is read. Then, in the load frequency determining means 44, the difference (= Δ) between the indoor temperature Ta and the set indoor temperature Ts.
T) is obtained as the air conditioning load, and the operating frequency f is determined according to the air conditioning load. The relationship between the air conditioning load ΔT and the operating frequency f is shown in Table 1 below.

[0026]

[Table 1] In the situation where the silent command is not received (the same situation as when the quiet cancellation command is issued), the first operation mode is selected.

In this first operation mode, the motor 6M is driven in the opening direction and the lid 6 of the suction port 5 is opened. At the same time, the restriction on the upper limit value of the operating frequency f is released, and the highest f ₅ (> f ₃ ) is selected as the upper limit value Fmax.

When the operating frequency f is lower than the upper limit value Fmax, the operating frequency f becomes the operating frequency F. Operating frequency f
Is higher than the upper limit value Fmax, the upper limit value Fmax becomes the operating frequency F as it is. In this case, since the suction port 5 is open, a large amount of indoor air is sucked in through the suction ports 4 and 5, and the heat exchange amount of the indoor heat exchanger 9 increases. Now, when the quiet command is received from the remote controller 40, the second operation mode is selected.

In this second operation mode, the motor 6M is driven in the closing direction and the lid 6 of the suction port 5 is closed. At the same time, a limit is added to the upper limit of the operating frequency f,
F ₃ (<f ₅ ) is selected as the upper limit value Fmax.

In this case, since the suction port 5 is closed, the wind noise of the indoor fan 11 and the noise of the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 9 will not leak to the ceiling side of the room through the suction port 5. Therefore, noise is reduced and quiet operation can be performed. This driving is most suitable for sleep driving at bedtime.

In this second operation mode, the heat exchange amount of the indoor heat exchanger 9 is reduced by closing the suction port 5, and the indoor heat exchanger 9 freezes depending on the capacity of the indoor heat exchanger 9. There is a risk that the high-pressure side pressure will rise abnormally during heating, but the upper limit Fmax of the operating frequency F is limited to f ₃ at the same time as the suction port 5 is closed. The decrease in the amount of heat exchange of No. 9 will be compensated, and the above-mentioned problems can be avoided.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment corresponds to the air conditioner of claims 1 and 3. In the drawings, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 to 3 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the remote controller 4
From 0, the quiet switch 42 is removed. Further, the operating frequency f determined by the load-corresponding frequency determining means 44 becomes the operating frequency F as it is, which is the inverter control circuit 34.
And sent to the low frequency discriminating means 49. Then, the determination result of the low frequency determination means 49 is the inlet opening / closing control means 48.
Sent to. The low frequency discriminating means 49 discriminates whether or not the operating frequency F is lower than the set value Fs. Set value Fs
Corresponds to a lower operating frequency f ₂ . The suction port opening / closing control unit 48 controls the drive of the motor 6M according to the determination result of the low frequency determination unit 49. The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the light receiving unit 43 receives the wireless signal, the data of the set room temperature Ts is used as the load frequency determining unit 4.
4 and the set room temperature Ts is stored.

The room temperature Ta detected by the room temperature sensor 45 is read. Then, in the load frequency determining means 44, the difference (= Δ) between the indoor temperature Ta and the set indoor temperature Ts.
T) is obtained as the air conditioning load, and the operating frequency f is determined according to the air conditioning load. The relationship between the air conditioning load ΔT and the operating frequency f is the same as in Table 1.

Under the condition that the air conditioning load is large, such as when the operation is started, the operating frequency f becomes higher than f ₂ , so that the first operating mode is selected. That is, the motor 6M is driven in the opening direction, and the lid 6 of the suction port 5 is opened. When the air conditioning load is large, the operating noise of the air conditioner is not so noticeable, so the intake port 5 is opened to take in a large amount of indoor air.

As the operation progresses and the air conditioning load decreases, the operating frequency f decreases. When the operating frequency f drops to f ₂ , the second operating mode is selected. That is, the motor 6M is driven in the closing direction, and the lid 6 of the suction port 5 is closed.

When the air conditioner is stable, the operation sound of the air conditioner is of concern, so the suction port 5 is closed and the wind noise of the indoor fan 11 and the noise of the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 9 are generated.
Will prevent it from leaking out. Therefore, quietness can be improved.

By the way, when the operation is stopped, the lid 6 is closed to prevent dust from entering through the suction port 5. However, since the electric heater 10 is used as an auxiliary heat source during heating, the electric heater is also used during dehumidification. Since 10 is used as a reheater, the heat of the electric heater 10 is trapped in the indoor unit 3 if the lid 6 is closed immediately. Therefore, it is conceivable to employ the control circuit shown in FIG. 9 in each of the above embodiments.

The heater control circuit 51 starts energizing the electric heater 10 in response to a heating command and a dehumidifying command based on the operation of the remote controller 40, and terminates the energization in response to a stop command based on the operation of the remote controller 40. To do.

The timer means 52 is the suction port opening / closing control means 4
The open state of the lid 6 is detected according to the output of 8, and when a stop command based on the operation of the remote controller 40 is supplied at the time of detection, time counting is started and a close signal is issued at the time up. This closing signal is sent to the suction port opening / closing control means 48 and the fan control means 53.

The fan control circuit 53 turns on the indoor fan 11 in response to an operation command based on the operation of the remote controller 40. In addition, the fan control circuit 53 immediately receives the stop command based on the operation of the remote controller 40 and immediately after the indoor fan 1
The operation of No. 1 is not turned off, and the turning off is delayed until the stop instruction is received from the timer means 52.

That is, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 10, if the electric heater 10 is used when the operation is stopped, the closing of the lid 6 and the operation of the indoor fan 11 are delayed until a predetermined time elapses. To be done. Due to this delay, the heat of the electric heater 10 is released to the outside of the indoor unit 3, and thermal deformation of parts is prevented. It is also safe.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention,

In the air conditioner of the first aspect, a lid body which is openable and closable is provided at the upper inlet of the indoor unit, and the first operation mode in which the lid body is operated in an open state and the lid body is closed. Since the second operation mode for operating in the above condition is provided and these operation modes are selected, the first operation mode with good heat exchange efficiency and the quiet operation in which the sound leaking from the suction port at the upper part of the indoor unit is reduced. It is possible to provide an air conditioner capable of selecting the second operation mode.

In the air conditioner of the second aspect of the present invention, an openable and closable lid is provided at the suction port in the upper part of the indoor unit, and the first operation mode in which the lid is opened and the lid is closed. The second operation mode for operating in the above condition is provided, and the operation modes are selected, and the upper limit of the capacity of the compressor is limited to a low value when the second operation mode is selected. It is possible to provide an air conditioner capable of reducing the sound leaking from the upper suction port to enable quiet operation and avoiding the occurrence of troubles due to the reduction of the sound.

In the air conditioner of the third aspect of the present invention, since an openable / closable lid is provided at the suction port in the upper part of the indoor unit, and the lid is closed when the capacity of the compressor is reduced due to the air conditioning load. When the load is high and the capacity is high, the operation with high heat exchange efficiency is performed, and when the capacity is low, the noise that leaks from the suction port in the upper part of the indoor unit is reduced to improve quietness.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a refrigeration cycle and a control circuit according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing appearances of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit according to first and second embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of an indoor unit in each example.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the remote controller in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a refrigeration cycle and a control circuit of a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a modified example of each embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the modified example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Outdoor unit, 3 ... Indoor unit, 4 ... Suction port, 5
... Suction port, 6 ... Lid, 7 ... Blowout port, 9 ... Indoor heat exchanger,
11 ... Indoor fan, 21 ... Compressor, 23 ... Outdoor heat exchanger, 40 ... Remote control, 42 ... Quiet switch.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An outdoor unit having a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor fan, an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan, and having suction ports at an upper portion and other portions thereof, A lid body which is openably and closably provided at the upper inlet of the indoor unit, a first operation mode in which the lid body is operated in an open state, and a second operation mode in which the lid body is operated in a closed state. And an air conditioner comprising means for selecting the first and second operation modes. 2. An outdoor unit having a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor fan, an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan, and having suction ports at an upper portion and other portions thereof, A lid body which is openably and closably provided at the upper inlet of the indoor unit, a first operation mode in which the lid body is operated in an open state, and a second operation mode in which the lid body is operated in a closed state. A means for selecting the first and second operation modes, a means for controlling the capacity of the compressor according to an air conditioning load, and an upper limit value of the capacity of the compressor at the time of selecting the second operation mode. An air conditioner characterized by comprising a means for limiting it to a low level. 3. An outdoor unit having a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor fan, an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan, and having suction ports at upper and other parts thereof, A lid body that is openably and closably provided at the suction port in the upper part of the indoor unit, a means for controlling the capacity of the compressor according to an air conditioning load, and the lid body is opened when the capacity of the compressor is a predetermined value or more, An air conditioner comprising: means for closing when a value is equal to or less than a predetermined value.