JPH0552386A - Method for controlling air flow direction of air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To rapidly heat the vicinity of a floor surface which has been cooled down to improve comfortableness by blowing hot air downwardly immediately after starting a heating operation to effect heating operation. CONSTITUTION:When a heating operation is started, each air guide plate 12 of a group of right and left air flow direction adjusting plates are set in a forward direction approximately parallel with each other and a main air guide plate 10a is set approximately normal to an auxiliary air guide plate 10b to allow hot air to flow downwardly to heat the vicinity of a floor surface. Thereafter the plate 10a is held vertical, the plate 10b nearly horizontal, the left air flow direction adjusting plates 12a in the left direction and the right ones 12b in the right direction to distribute the hot air all over a room. When a long period of time has passed since the heating operation was stopped and the temperature near the floor is greatly fallen down, a heating operation wherein hot air is blown in a downward direction is continued for a long period immediately after the beginning of the heating operation to sufficiently heat the vicinity of the floor to enhance comfortableness.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wind direction control method for controlling the direction of hot air blown from a blowout port when a heating operation of an air conditioner is started.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an indoor unit of an air conditioner, in order to make the temperature distribution in the room uniform and to create a comfortable environment for the entire room, a vertical air flow direction adjusting plate and a horizontal air flow direction adjusting plate are provided at the hot air outlet. The vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is rotated in the horizontal and vertical directions, and the horizontal airflow direction adjusting plate is rotated in the leftward and rightward directions so that the warm air from the outlet is spread over the entire room. However, since the floor surface is cold at the start of the heating operation, if the above-described control is performed from the beginning, the warmth near the feet is poor, and the user feels that heating is insufficient. Therefore, conventionally, after the heating operation is started, the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is controlled to be in a substantially vertical direction until the room is warmed to some extent, for example, until the indoor temperature reaches a value of -4 ° C with respect to the set temperature. The blowing direction is directly below, warming the floor side to raise the sensible temperature of the human body,
After that, the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is rotated in a substantially horizontal direction, and the leftward and rightward airflow direction adjusting plate is rotated in the horizontal direction, so that the warm air from the outlet can be spread throughout the room.

[0003]

However, the time until the floor surface warms up is not always constant. For example, if the heating operation is stopped for 10 hours or more Since it is completely different from the floor surface that was warmed by heating operation before, the method of detecting and controlling only the room temperature as described above will blow hot air even though the floor surface remains cold. There was a problem that the direction was switched from the vertical direction to warm the floor surface to the horizontal direction to warm the entire room. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wind direction control method for an air conditioner that eliminates such a problem, sufficiently heats the floor surface, and promptly creates a comfortable environment in the room.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a vertical direction is provided in a blow-out port formed on the outlet side of an air passage including a heat exchanger and a blower fan. In an air conditioner provided with an adjusting plate and a left-right airflow direction adjusting plate, an up-down airflow direction adjusting plate drive means for rotating the up-down airflow direction adjusting plate in substantially horizontal and vertical directions, and rotating the left-right airflow direction adjusting plate left and right. Left and right wind direction adjusting plate driving means that move, an indoor temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the room in which the indoor unit of the air conditioner is arranged, and a stop time and a heating operation time of the heating operation of the air conditioner Timer means and a control means for controlling the vertical wind direction adjusting plate driving means and the left and right wind direction adjusting plate driving means, and when the heating operation of the air conditioner is started, the left and right wind direction adjusting plate by the blower fan. Profit The wind flow direction substantially parallel to,
And, the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is in a substantially vertical direction, and when the indoor temperature reaches a preset temperature, the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is in a substantially horizontal direction, and then, the left and right sides of the left and right airflow direction adjusting plate The wind direction plate groups are made to face outward in opposite directions, and if the stop time of the heating operation before the start of the heating operation exceeds a preset predetermined time, the left and right air flow direction adjusting plates are set to the blower fan. After the heating operation is performed in a direction substantially parallel to the wind flow direction and the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is in a substantially vertical direction until a separately set time elapses, the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is moved substantially horizontally. After that, the left and right wind direction plate groups of the left and right wind direction adjusting plates are directed outward in opposite directions.

[0005]

According to the above control method, when the air conditioner is set to the heating operation mode, the left and right airflow direction adjusting plates are initially in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of the airflow obtained in the indoor fan section (the central position). Since it is rotated and the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is rotated in a substantially vertical direction, the warm air from the outlet becomes downward, and the warm air is blown to the feet (floor surface) of the human body. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the cold sensation of the human body and raise the sensible temperature.
This downward heating is performed until the room reaches a predetermined temperature (for example, a set temperature), and when the room reaches the predetermined temperature, the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is rotated in a substantially horizontal direction, and the left and right airflow direction adjusting plates are left and right. The groups are oriented outward in opposite directions. Therefore, the warm air from the outlet changes from downward to diagonal, and also spreads in the left-right direction, so the amount of air blown to the human body decreases and spreads throughout the room,
The temperature distribution in the room can be made uniform quickly.
Further, if the stop time of the heating operation before the start of the heating operation exceeds the preset predetermined time, the operation of the downward heating with the warm air from the outlet downward at the start of the heating operation is set separately. It will continue until the time has passed, so you can fully warm the cold floor.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a control system of an air conditioner. In the figure, an indoor unit 1 includes an indoor temperature sensor 2 that detects an indoor temperature, a humidity sensor 3 that detects indoor humidity, a light receiving unit 5 that receives a signal from a remote controller 4, and a cool air or warm air in the room. An indoor fan unit 6 that circulates wind, an indoor control unit (CPU) 7, a memory unit (from a RAM and a ROM) that stores a control program of the indoor control unit 7, data detected by the sensor, remote control signals, and the like. Structure) 8 and its indoor control unit 7
Timer unit 9 and vertical wind direction adjusting plate as shown in FIG.
The main wind direction plate 10a and the auxiliary wind direction plate 10b of 10 are motors (not shown).
Upward / downward wind direction adjustment plate drive unit 11 that rotates horizontally and vertically at
As shown in FIG. 3, a left and right wind direction adjusting plate group 12a and a right wind direction adjusting plate group 12b of the left and right wind direction adjusting plate 12 can be rotated in opposite directions by a motor (not shown). And are provided. It should be noted that the left / right airflow direction adjustment plate drive unit 13 may have either one or two motors, and the left / right airflow direction adjustment plate 12
It is possible by the structure of.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the indoor unit 1 is formed with an outlet 14 for blowing out cold air or warm air, and the indoor fan section 6 and the heat are blown behind the outlet 14. An exchanger 15 is provided, and the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate 10 is provided on the outlet side of the air passage including the heat exchanger 15 and the indoor fan unit 6, and the main airflow direction plate 10a and the auxiliary airflow direction plate 10b are integrally or individually provided. It is designed to rotate horizontally and vertically. Further, in the blowout port 14, the left and right airflow direction adjusting plates 12 which are divided into the above two groups are provided in the passage of the airflow obtained by the indoor fan unit 6. Each of the left wind direction plate group 12a and the right wind direction plate group 12b is composed of a plurality of wind direction plates, and each group is rotated substantially parallel to the wind flow and opposite to each other. On the other hand, the outdoor unit 16 has an outdoor temperature sensor 17 that detects an outdoor temperature, an outdoor fan unit 18 for a heat exchanger, a four-way valve unit 19 that is switched during cooling and heating, an inverter unit 20, and this inverter unit 20. A compressor 21 and an outdoor control unit (CPU) 22 that drives them based on a control signal from the indoor unit 1 are provided.

Then, in the indoor unit 1, the remote controller 4
The operation request is judged by the remote control signal from the control panel or the operation signal of the operation panel (not shown), the operating conditions suitable for the ambient environment such as the indoor temperature are calculated, and the calculated operation is performed together with the power supply to the outdoor unit 16. Output the condition control signal. On the other hand, in the outdoor unit 16, the control signal decodes commands such as frequency for heating / cooling operation, inverter control, driving the outdoor fan unit 18, switching control of the four-way valve unit 19, and at the optimum frequency. The compressor 21 is controlled by an inverter. Further, with the operation of the outdoor unit 16, in the indoor unit 1, the indoor fan unit 6 is driven, and the vertical airflow direction adjustment plate drive unit 11 rotates the vertical airflow direction adjustment plate 10 to rotate the horizontal airflow direction adjustment plate drive unit. The left and right wind direction adjusting plate 12 is rotated by 13 to blow cold air or warm air into the room.

Next, a wind direction control method applied to the air conditioner having the above structure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. It is assumed that the air conditioner is normally operated in the heating mode according to the temperature set by the remote controller 4 or the like.
Further, the timer of the timer unit 9 counts the elapsed time even when the heating operation is not performed, and newly counts the operation time when the heating operation is started. By the way, when the heating operation is started, in step ST1 shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5, from the indoor control unit 7, the left wind direction plate group 12a and the right side wind direction plate group 12b.
A control signal for making each of the airflow direction plates of (1) to be substantially parallel to the airflow direction obtained by the indoor fan unit 6 (generally at the center position) is output, and the motors of the left and right airflow direction adjusting plate drive units 13 rotate the respective airflow direction plates. It If the respective wind direction plates are already substantially parallel to the wind flow direction, the left and right wind direction adjusting plate drive unit 13 does not drive the motor.

At step ST2, as shown in FIG. 6, from the indoor control section 7, the main wind direction plate 10a and the auxiliary wind direction plate 10b of the vertical wind direction adjusting plate 10 are moved in a substantially vertical direction (for example, 90 degrees).
Control signal is output, and the vertical wind direction adjustment plate drive unit is output.
11 motors for the main wind direction plate 10a and the auxiliary wind direction plate 10b
Is rotated. On the other hand, the outdoor control unit 22 controls the outdoor fan unit 18, the four-way valve unit 19, and the inverter unit 20, and the hot air obtained in the refrigeration cycle including the compressor 21 is discharged from the outlet 14 at the indoor fan unit 6. Blown out. At this time, the warm air from the blowout port 14 of the air conditioner is blown out in a spot shape downward in the living space depending on the orientations of the main airflow direction plate 10a and the auxiliary airflow direction plate 10b of the up-down airflow direction adjustment plate 10. In other words, it is considered as downward heating, and the warm air is blown directly to the feet of the human body, so the feet are warmed up rapidly, and the living space (near the floor)
Is quickly heated.

In the next step ST3, the indoor control section 7 is set to the downward heating, and the temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor 2 (indoor temperature) Tr is a predetermined temperature, for example, the set temperature Ts set by the remote controller 4 or the like- It is determined whether or not the temperature has risen to 4 ° C. If the detected temperature Tr has not reached the above temperature (set temperature Ts -4 ° C), the downward heating based on the operating conditions previously set in step ST1 and step ST2 is continued, and the detected temperature Tr is Tr. When the condition of ≧ Ts −4 is satisfied, step ST
Proceed to 4. Then, in this step ST4, it is determined whether or not the operation stop time counted by the timer of the timer unit 9 while the heating operation is stopped is longer than a predetermined time stored in the memory unit 8 in advance, for example, 3 hours. Executed.

When it is determined that the above operation stop time exceeds the predetermined time (3 hours), step ST5
Proceed to. In this step ST5, when the heating operation is started, it is determined whether or not the heating operation time counted by the timer of the timer unit 9 has exceeded 60 minutes, and this 60 minutes passes. Until
The downward heating based on the operating conditions previously set in steps ST1 and ST2 is continued, and after 60 minutes have passed, the process proceeds to step ST6. If it is determined in step ST4 described above that the operation stop time does not exceed the predetermined time (3 hours), the process immediately proceeds to step ST6.

In step ST6, as shown in FIG. 7, the indoor control section 7 outputs a control signal for setting the sub air flow direction plate 10b of the vertical air flow direction adjusting plate 10 in a substantially horizontal direction (for example, 30 to 45 degrees). Then, the auxiliary wind direction plate 10b is rotated by the motor of the vertical wind direction adjusting plate drive unit 11. Then, the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate 10 is doubled, and the warm air from the outlet 14 is doubled downward and obliquely. That is, the double warm air is blown to the feet, and the warm air blown to the feet is the auxiliary wind direction plate 10b.
Since the hot air blown from the side is suppressed, the floor area is heated, and the air is blown directly to the human body to alleviate the hot air and warm the indoor floor and walls.

Then, in step ST6, while continuing the operation with the above-mentioned double warm air, from the indoor control section 7, each wind direction plate of the left side wind direction plate group 12a and each right side wind direction plate group 12b. As shown in FIG. 8, the control signals for directing the plates to the outside, which are opposite to each other, are output, and the respective wind direction plates are rotated by the motor of the left / right air direction adjusting plate drive unit 13. At this time, since the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate 10 remains doubled,
The warm air from 14 is double blown out and can be divided into left and right directions. That is, it is a surround heating, and the warm air does not have a spot shape and is blown so as to wrap around the human body. Therefore, the feeling of cold air due to the warm air disappears, the sensible temperature rises, and the entire room is heated.

[0015]

As described above, in the case of the air conditioner in which the wind direction is controlled as described above, immediately after the heating operation is started, the downward heating is performed by blowing warm air to the feet so that the room temperature reaches the predetermined value and the heating is performed. When the operation stop time before the start of operation is less than the specified value, double warm air is used, and when the operation stop time before the start of heating operation is more than the specified value, the operation time of the downward heating that blows warm air to your feet is automatically After the extension, double warm air is blown out, and since the double blown hot air is divided into the outside heating, it is possible to heat the human body by downward heating first, and then the double warm air is automatically switched. The room can be heated with, and the warm air can be spread all over the room by the subsequent surround heating, so the feeling of cold air at the start of heating operation can be eliminated and the sensible temperature can be raised. Both quickly uniform temperature distribution in the chamber, can be quickly comfortable environment the whole room. Especially, when the heating operation is stopped for a long time and the temperature near the floor is greatly reduced, the operation time of the downward heating that blows warm air to your feet immediately after starting the heating operation is automatically extended. Since it is on the floor (near the floor)
Is well warmed and improves comfort.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a control system of an air conditioner showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a main part of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of essential parts near the outlet of the indoor unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the wind direction control method of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of the left and right wind direction adjusting plates of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory view of the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory view of the vertical wind direction adjusting plate of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory view of the left and right wind direction adjusting plates of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Indoor unit 6 Indoor fan part 7 Indoor control part 8 Memory part 9 Timer part 10 Vertical wind direction adjusting plate 10a Main wind direction plate 10b Secondary wind direction plate 11 Vertical wind direction adjusting plate drive part 12 Left and right wind direction adjusting plate 12a Left side wind direction plate group 12b Right side Wind direction plate group 13 Left and right wind direction adjusting plate drive unit 14 Outlet port 15 Heat exchanger for indoor unit 16 Indoor unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner in which a vertical airflow direction adjusting plate and a horizontal airflow direction adjusting plate are provided at an outlet formed on the outlet side of an air passage including a heat exchanger and a blower fan, wherein the vertical airflow direction adjustment is performed. An up-down airflow direction adjusting plate drive means for rotating the plate in substantially horizontal and vertical directions, a left-right airflow direction adjustment plate drive means for rotating the left-right airflow direction adjustment plate left and right, and an indoor unit of the air conditioner are arranged. An indoor temperature sensor that detects an indoor temperature, a timer means that counts a heating operation stop time and a heating operation time of the air conditioner, and the up-down air direction adjusting plate driving means and the left-right air direction adjusting plate driving means are controlled. Control means, at the start of heating operation of the air conditioner, the left and right airflow direction adjusting plate is substantially parallel to the airflow direction obtained by the blower fan, and the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is substantially vertical direction. When the indoor temperature reaches a preset temperature, the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is made substantially horizontal, and thereafter, the left and right airflow direction adjusting plate groups are made to face outward in opposite directions. If the stop time of the heating operation before the start of the heating operation exceeds a predetermined time set in advance, the left and right airflow direction adjusting plates are set in a direction substantially parallel to the airflow direction of the blower fan, and After continuing the heating operation in a state where the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is in a substantially vertical direction until a separately set time has elapsed, the vertical airflow direction adjusting plate is made substantially horizontal,
Then, the left and right wind direction plate groups of the left and right wind direction adjusting plates are made to face outward in opposite directions, respectively.