JPH0712386A - Drying operation of air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible for a current air conditioner to dry washing more efficiently by controlling a wind direction and a wind amount of an indoor fan delicately to be suitable for drying conditions of the washing and also selecting a more delicate operation mode. CONSTITUTION:A room temperature Ta is detected by a room temperature sensor 10, a room humidity Ha is detected by a humidity sensor 11, and an outdoor temperature To is detected by an outdoor temperature sensor 12, and respective detection signals of these sensors 10, 11 and 12 are inputted in an operation control part 14. The room temperature sensor 10 and the humidity sensor 11 are arranged in the vicinity of a suction port of an indoor unit, and the outdoor temperature sensor 12 is arranged in the vicinity of a suction port of an outdoor unit. The operation control part 14 is provided with various commands by a wireless remote controller 30 through a receiving part 13. The operation control part 14 controls ON-OFF and rotation speed of a motor, so that the room temperature Ta may come close to a set value which has been preset. The operation control part 14 is composed of a micro computer including a CPU, and its operation control is carried out by a soft ware.

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 at least an indoor fan and a compressor, which is dried indoors based on a command from an operation unit such as a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as "remote control"). The present invention relates to a drying operation method for an air conditioner (hereinafter, referred to as “air conditioner”) that performs an operation for drying the air.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Normally, an air conditioner can be operated in a heating operation mode, a cooling operation mode, or an automatic operation mode, and a remote controller is provided with a selection means for selecting one of the operation modes. Recently, it has been proposed to add a drying operation mode for drying laundry hanging in the room to these operation modes. The conventionally proposed drying operation method can be summarized as follows. (1) In the dry operation, the operation is performed in the cooling operation mode or the heating operation mode in which the set temperature is automatically fixed to a specific value, and the normal cooling operation is performed even when the compressor is stopped during the refrigeration cycle. The air volume of the indoor fan is reduced in the same manner as during heating or during heating operation. (2) The blowing direction of the indoor unit, that is, the direction of the louver attached to the outlet of the indoor unit.Louvers during cooling / drying operation are operated / stopped as in normal cooling / heating operation. However, the louver is fixed diagonally downward during heating / drying operation. (3) Monitoring status (Room temperature or outside temperature is below the temperature for cooling or heating operation, and the indoor fan is set as the minimum air volume operation to determine whether cooling operation or heating operation should be performed. In the middle “wait-and-see” operation where the outside air temperature is monitored), the air volume of the indoor fan is reduced, and the louver direction is fixed horizontally until the room temperature or outside temperature reaches the temperature at which cooling or heating should be performed. As it is, it remains as it is. (4) The drying operation mode can be selected only before the start of operation. That is, once the air conditioner operation is once switched to the cooling operation or the heating operation, it is not possible to shift to the dry operation while continuing the operation.

[0003]

The above-mentioned items listed as the prior art have the following inconveniences. (1) Although the blower operation is effective for drying the laundry indoors when the compressor is stopped, it can be said that the function of the indoor fan is actively used during the dry operation. Absent. (2) When the laundry is dried (dried) indoors, the laundry is generally arranged so as to be positioned diagonally downward and forward of the indoor fan. However, when the compressor is operated in the cooling operation, even if the laundry is blown with air, the blowing temperature is low and the relative humidity is high, so that there is almost no dehumidifying effect.
Therefore, the louver may be horizontally fixed during the operation of the compressor. However, when the compressor is stopped, even if only air at room temperature is blown, a considerable drying effect can be obtained, but this is not done from the idea of reducing the indoor humidity by the cooling operation. In addition, the louver during heating / drying operation
Regardless of whether the compressor is on or off, from the perspective of drying laundry, it is more effective to direct the air from the indoor fan toward the laundry rather than diagonally downward, but a uniform diagonal downward When fixed, an effective drying effect cannot always be expected. (3) In the monitoring state where it is not possible to determine whether it is the cooling operation or the heating operation, even if the laundry can be sufficiently dried by applying wind to the laundry under the same temperature condition, it is not effectively used. (4) There are quite a few practical situations in which one desires to enter dry operation for reasons such as going out after having entered air conditioning operation. Nevertheless,
Conventionally, the air conditioner being operated must be stopped before it can be put into dry operation, which gives the user a feeling of discomfort.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a drying operation method for an air conditioner capable of more efficiently drying laundry by using an existing air conditioner. .

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is to finely control the wind direction or volume of an indoor fan and to select a more fine operation mode.

According to the present invention, the wind direction or the air volume of the indoor fan is controlled in a fine manner in a preferable condition for drying the laundry, and a more detailed operation mode is selected. Drying operation is selected through the remote control. When the drying operation is selected with the air conditioner stopped, the content of the drying operation is determined according to the environmental condition at that time. When the remote controller is operated to switch from a state in which the air conditioner is operated for purposes other than the dry operation to the dry operation, the content of the dry operation is mainly determined according to the operation mode before that. When the operation mode before that is “automatic operation / monitoring”, the content of the dry operation is determined according to the environmental condition at that time. The cancellation of the drying operation is performed through a setting change operation to another operation mode (cooling, heating or automatic) or a stop operation.

[0007]

[Operation] At the time of the drying operation, it is necessary to select an appropriate operation mode from a plurality of operation modes including the strong air blowing operation mode, and to select a more reasonable air blowing direction and air blowing amount from the viewpoint of the drying operation. As a result, it is possible to avoid the inconveniences of the above-mentioned conventional techniques and to achieve a far more efficient drying effect.

The outline of the drying operation method according to the present invention is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. For reference, FIG. 12 shows the operation method during normal operation (not dry operation) of the air conditioner, FIG. 13 shows the operation method for the dry operation, and FIG. 14 shows the operation method for the automatic operation.

FIG. 12 shows that the room temperature Ta and the set temperature Ts in the normal cooling operation mode and the heating operation mode are Ta ≧ Ts (cooling operation) or Ta ≦, respectively.
Turning on (heating) the four-way valve for switching between heating and cooling is roughly divided into the case of Ts (heating operation) and the case not thereof (that is, Ta <Ts (cooling operation) or Ta> Ts (heating operation)). Off (cooling), compressor on / off, indoor fan air volume (H = strong, M = medium, L = weak, UL = ultra-weak. Every time automatic or manual setting), indoor louver direction, humidifier operation (presence or absence) ), The on / off timer function is described, that is, the basic control mode of the air conditioner is shown.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the operating modes of the above-described equipment, which are classified into three modes of cooling operation, heating operation, and air blowing operation in the case of performing the drying operation according to the present invention. In this operation mode, control according to the room temperature Ta, the set room temperature and the set humidity is performed.

FIG. 14 shows the normal automatic operation mode separately for the cooling operation mode, the heating operation mode and the monitoring mode. In the cooling / heating operation mode, control is performed in accordance with the relationship between the room temperature Ta and the set room temperature Ts, and in the monitoring mode, only the air blowing operation with an ultra-low air volume is performed, and the others are basically stopped.

The details of each of the above operation modes will be described in detail in the examples below. Whether control is at room temperature or humidity, in actuality, a hysteresis of about 0.5% in temperature and about 5% in humidity is provided between the operating point and the return point for stabilizing the control operation. Is common, but Figs.
4 and the flow charts described later are omitted.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

First, a device configuration of an air conditioner used for implementing the present invention will be described.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing the overall construction of an air conditioner to which the present invention is applied. The refrigeration cycle of this air conditioner includes a compressor 1, a four-way valve 2, an outdoor heat exchanger 3, and an expansion valve 4.
And the indoor heat exchanger 5. This air conditioner can be operated as both a heater and a cooler by switching the four-way valve 2 on and off. In the case of the cooling operation (four-way valve 2 off), the refrigerant is the compressor 1 as shown by the solid line. Through the four-way valve 2, the outdoor heat exchanger 3, the expansion valve 4, the indoor heat exchanger 5, and the four-way valve 2 in this order to return to the compressor 1. In the heating operation (the four-way valve is on), the refrigerant passes from the compressor 1 through the four-way valve 2, the indoor heat exchanger 5, the expansion valve 4, the outdoor heat exchanger 3 and the four-way valve 2 in order as indicated by the broken line. Reflux to the compressor 1. The outdoor heat exchanger 3 is provided with an outdoor fan 6 for promoting heat exchange with the outside air, and the indoor heat exchanger 5 includes:
Therefore, an indoor fan 7 for blowing the heat-exchanged air toward the room and a louver 8 for adjusting the blowing direction are attached. The compressor 1 is driven at a variable speed by a motor 9. Compressor 1, four-way valve 2, outdoor heat exchanger 3,
The expansion valve 4 and the outdoor fan 6 constitute an outdoor unit, and the indoor heat exchanger 5, the indoor fan 7 and the louver 8 constitute the indoor unit 2
0 (see FIG. 3).

The room temperature Ta is detected by the room temperature sensor 10, the room humidity Ha is detected by the humidity sensor 11, the outdoor temperature To is detected by the outside air temperature sensor 12, and each detection signal is introduced into the arithmetic control unit 14. The room temperature sensor 10 and the humidity sensor 11 are arranged near the intake port of the indoor unit, and the outside air temperature sensor 12 is arranged near the intake port of the outdoor unit. A wireless remote controller 30 is provided in the arithmetic control unit 14.
Various commands are given from the receiving unit 13 via the receiving unit 13 as described later. The arithmetic control unit 14 controls the on / off and rotation speed of the motor 9 so that the room temperature Ta approaches the preset room temperature Ts. The compressor 1 is turned on / off or speed-controlled in cooperation with the motor 9. The arithmetic control unit 14 is composed of a microcomputer including a central processing unit (CPU), and its arithmetic control operation is executed by software shown in a flowchart described later.

FIG. 1 shows a part controlled by the arithmetic control unit 14 in a form partially overlapping with FIG. The arithmetic control unit 14 controls the compressor 1 (on / off, operating frequency) via the driver 15 according to the arithmetic processing result,
Controls the four-way valve 2 (ON / OFF, that is, heating / cooling), the outdoor fan 6 (ON / OFF), the indoor fan 7 (ON / OFF, blown air volume) and the louver 8 (fixed / swinged, fixed direction) . Speed control of compressor 1, namely motor 9
The speed control is performed by the arithmetic and control unit 14 via the output frequency control of a frequency converter (not shown) such as an inverter. Similarly, the indoor fan 7 is strongly (H), medium (M), weak (L), ultra weak (UL), and stopped (OFF) through the speed switching of the drive motor (not shown) by the arithmetic control unit 14. It is assumed that the air flow rate can be switched in 5 steps.

FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of the indoor unit 20 in the room. The indoor unit 20 is attached to the upper part of the wall 21 of the room, and as shown by the arrow, the indoor air sucked from the front is passed through the indoor heat exchanger 5 to exchange heat, and further, the indoor fan 7 is passed through and the louver 8 is arranged. The air is blown into the room from the air outlet. The direction (angle) of the louver 8 will be described later.

FIG. 4 shows a situation in which a humidifier interlocking with an air conditioner is provided in a room, in which the indoor unit 20 is attached to the upper part of the wall 21 of the room and is placed on the floor (or on the table). ) Is provided with a humidifier 22. This kind of humidifier 22 is mainly used to raise the indoor humidity that has become too low during the heating period in winter to an appropriate humidity. The humidifier 22 is provided with a receiver 23, and the indoor unit 20
By wirelessly transmitting a control signal based on the indoor humidity from the transmitting unit 24 of the above to the receiving unit 23 of the humidifier 22, it is possible to control the on / off of the humidifier 22 from the indoor unit 20 side.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show the positional relationship between the indoor unit and the laundry when the laundry is hung and dried in the room according to the present invention.
Will be described with reference to.

FIG. 5 shows a general laundry drying condition. The indoor unit 20 is attached to the upper part of the wall 21 in the room, and a portable (preferably assembled) indoor clothes dryer 25 is set in front of the indoor unit 20 and the laundry 2
6 is hung. When the laundry is dried, the louver 8 may be fixed not only in the horizontal direction H or the oblique downward direction K but also in a swinging mode.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which a clothes-drying bar 28 is arranged in the indoor unit 20 via an attachment 27 so as to be positioned in front of the louver 8 and the laundry 26 is hung on the clothes-drying bar 28. Is.

FIG. 7 shows a plan view of a remote controller 30 used in connection with the method of the present invention.
It is shown with the cover covering the lower half removed. As is well known, the remote controller has a function of wirelessly transmitting various command signals to the indoor unit 20,
In the case of the remote controller 30 shown in the figure, the start / stop key 3 is located in the center.
1 is provided, and various function keys, for example, an operation switching key 32 for selecting an operation mode (cooling operation, heating operation, automatic operation, etc.), a drying operation mode for drying laundry are selected. For drying operation key 33, air volume of indoor fan H (strong), M (medium), L (weak), UL (ultra-weak), air volume switching key 34 for switching air volume automatic and off (stop), from indoor unit A timer reservation including a wind direction switching key 35 for switching the blowing direction of the fan, a rouging (LSG) key 36, a reservation / confirmation key 38, a timer "ON" key 39, a timer "OFF" key 40, and a timer "Cancel" key 41. A part 37 and the like are provided. The louvering key 36 transmits a swing command signal each time it is pressed. Above the start / stop key 31, set temperature change keys 42 and 43 for adjusting the set temperature Ts,
In addition to the humidity setting key 44, a display unit 45 for displaying the set temperature Ts and the like is provided. Humidity setting key 44
Press to change the humidity setting to H, M, L (for example, 6
0%, 50%, 40%), and the set value is displayed on the display unit 45 for a short time (for example, 3 seconds).

FIG. 8 shows the functions of the operation keys of the remote controller 30 in a list form. Run / stop key 31
When the operation is performed (ON operation when the air conditioner is stopped), the operation command is output, and the contents of various settings made up to that point (eg, setting operation mode command, setting temperature, setting humidity, etc.) are directed toward the indoor unit 20. Is output. When the operation / stop key 31 is operated to stop (ON operation when the air conditioner is operating), the operation of the air conditioner is stopped. Timer "ON" key 3
When the input timer is operated by 9, the set time TON and various setting contents are output together with the input timer command. By operating the OFF timer with the OFF key 40, the set time TOFF is output together with the OFF timer command. By the dry operation operation by the dry operation key 33, the dry operation command is output together with the operation time TOFF. When the cooling operation is selected by the operation switching key 32, each command of the set temperature Ts and the set air volume by the air volume switching key 34 is output together with the cooling operation command. When the heating operation is selected by the operation switching key 32, the set temperature Ts,
Each command of the set humidity Hs and the set air volume by the humidity setting key 44 is output. When automatic operation is selected by the operation switching key 32, the correction set temperature Δ
Each command of T, the set humidity Hs, and the set air volume is output. Here, the correction set temperature ΔT is set as follows. That is, during automatic operation, the air conditioner basically operates at a fixed set temperature selected by the air conditioner itself (for example, 23 ° C.), but it can be changed up or down by ± 2 ° C. depending on the preference of the user. This is the correction set temperature ΔT, which is set by the user in the automatic operation mode.
It can be selected by operating 2, 43. By the way, the display of the remote controller 30 shown in FIG.
The state of the correction set temperature ΔT = + 2 ° C. is set. Further, by operating the rubusing key 36, a rubusing command is output.

The swing operation of the louver 8 differs depending on the operation mode of the louvering key 36 and the equipment operating conditions at the start of operation, and as shown in FIG. )
After that, every time the rubousing key 36 is operated, swing-on (roubusing) and swing-off are alternately repeated. At the time of drying / heating operation or drying / blower operation, it is initially swing-on (roubus ing),
After that, each time the louver swing key 36 is operated, swing-off (fixed louver) and swing-on are alternately repeated. In addition, within the range of normal operation (cooling or heating) or automatic operation, even if the operation mode is changed between them,
The louver state before the change is continued.

During the drying / cooling operation, the temperature deviation = Ta at the beginning, based on the relationship between the detected temperature Ta and the set temperature Ts.
-When Ts is equal to or higher than a predetermined value and the compressor 1 is in a state to be operated (this state is referred to as "thermo-on" state), the swing is initially off (fixed louver), and then the louvering key. Each time 36 is operated, swing-on (roubusing) and swing-off are repeated alternately. At the time of the drying / cooling operation, the temperature deviation is initially T
When a-Ts is smaller than a predetermined value and the compressor 1 is in a state in which the operation should be stopped (this state is referred to as a "thermo-off" state), the swing-on is initially performed, and thereafter, the swing-on is performed. Swing-off (fixed louver) and swing-on are alternately repeated each time the louvering key 36 is operated in the thermo-off state. In the dry cooling operation, the rubusing state at the time of thermo-on is stored even if the thermo-off is performed later, and is independent of the swing state at the time of thermo-off from the beginning. Similarly,
In the dry / cooling operation, the rubusing state when the thermostat is turned off is remembered even when the thermostat is turned on later, and is independent of the swing state when the thermostat was on from the beginning. That is, when there is no operation input of the rubus ing key 36, thermo-on (swing on) → thermo-off → thermo-on (swing on) thermo-on (swing off) → thermo-off → thermo-on (swing off) thermo-off (swing-on) → thermo-on → thermo-off ( Swing on) Thermo-off (swing off) → thermo-on → thermo-off (swing off).

Next, a remote controller processing routine executed in connection with the operation of the remote controller 30 will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, referring to FIG. 15, if the air conditioner is initially in operation, a stop command is output by turning on the operation / stop key 31 (steps 50, 51, 52), and various operations during operation are performed. The stored data is deleted (step 53) to prepare for a new operation command. If the drive / stop key 31 is not turned on during driving, it is checked whether the reservation / confirmation key 38 is turned on (step 54), and if it is operated, the process proceeds to step 61 (FIG. 16). If it is not operated, it is further checked whether the dry operation key 33 is turned on (step 55), and if it is operated, the process proceeds to step 67 (FIG. 17). If it is not operated, other necessary key processing is performed. (Step 56) and returns to step 50. Initially, when the air conditioner is not in operation, by turning on the operation / stop key 31,
Various data set by various keys of the remote controller 30, for example, data relating to commands such as operation mode, set temperature TS, and air volume are transmitted (step 59) and stored during operation (step 60) to step 50. Return.

Steps 61 to 66 (FIG. 16) are a routine for confirming various key operations by the remote controller 30.
Step 61 is a display step in "display mode 1". In this display mode 1, as illustrated in FIG. 10, an "automatic" mark that means automatic operation, a timer mark that indicates that an operating time timer is set by a clock symbol, and that dry operation is performed Is displayed with a shirt symbol, and the remaining operation time preset by the timer, that is, the remaining operation time is displayed. After this display, the display timer is once cleared and restarted (step 62), and a predetermined display time, for example, the end of the display time of 3 seconds is waited (step 6).
3, 64) Clear the display timer again (step 6
5), "display mode 2" is displayed (step 6)
6). In display mode 2, as illustrated in FIG.
An "automatic" mark, a timer mark and a drying operation mark are displayed. After this display, the process returns to step 50.

Steps 67 to 73 (FIG. 17) are a routine for setting the time by the remote controller 30 in the dry operation mode. In step 67, the display of the above-mentioned display mode 1 (FIG. 10) is performed, the "key timer" is once cleared, and the key timer is counted up again (step 68). Then, each time the timer off key 40 is turned on once, the drying operation time is increased by the unit adjustment time Δt (for example, 0.5 hours) (steps 69, 7).
0) Return to step 67. In that case, for example, “3 hours” is initially displayed as a standard value set in advance.
The timer off key 40 continues counting up (steps 68, 69, 71) unless the timer off key 40 is turned on and the key timer time (for example, 3 seconds) elapses.
The drying operation time is increased by Δt every time the switch is turned on once. In the case of using the circulation type counter, after the maximum value of the set time, for example, 12 hours is exceeded, the time is returned to 1 hour, and the increment processing is performed again every Δt time. When the key timer time (3 seconds) elapses, that is, when the timer off key 40 is not operated for 3 seconds or more, the display of the display mode 2 (FIG. 11) is performed (step 7).
2) Then, the operation control data command is transmitted to the indoor unit 20 (step 73) and the process returns to step 50. That is, when the dry operation is set, the off timer is always set, 3 hours is set if the timer off key 40 is not operated, and any time can be set within the range of 1H to 12H if operated. .

By making it possible to freely and easily set or change the laundry drying operation time with the remote controller 30 as described above, when going out during the operation of the air conditioner or at night. Also, it is possible to secure a sufficient laundry drying time, and by displaying the display of the remote controller 45 in an appropriate time series corresponding to the dry operation mode, it is kind to the operator (user). It can be a remote control display.

18 to 26 show a control flow mainly for the drying operation on the air conditioner main body side, which is executed according to a command from the remote controller 30.

If there is an operation stop command during operation, the air conditioner stop processing is executed, the memory indicating "in operation" is released (steps 80, 81, 82), and the flag S _{1 of the} rubusing memory and S ₂ is S ₁ = 0, S ₂ =
It is set to 0 (step 83). Here, the flag S ₁ is a louvering control flag other than when the thermostat is off in dry cooling, and represents S ₁ = 0 ... louver fixed S ₁ = 1 ... roubusing, and similarly, the flag S ₂ is dry chilling. It is a rubusing control flag in the thermo-off, and represents S ₂ = 0 ... Fixed louver S ₂ = 1 ... Rubusing.

If there is an operation command when the air conditioner is not in operation (during stop), the fact that the air conditioner is "in operation" is stored together with the "setting contents" sent from the remote controller 30 (steps 80, 84, 85). The setting contents here are
It shows the contents of the operation / stop command sent from the remote controller 30 and various settings accompanying it, and more specifically, data on the operation mode (described later), the set temperature Ts, the set humidity Hs, and the set air volume. I mean.
After the storage process of step 85, the ON timer TM1 is reset (step 86), the flag process of step 83, S ₁
= 0 and S ₂ = 0 are executed. When the vehicle is in operation and there is no stop command (steps 80 and 81), step 94 (FIG. 19) and the subsequent steps are executed. When it is stopped and there is no operation command (steps 80 and 84), the presence or absence of a drying operation command is checked (step 87), and if there is a drying operation command, step 120 (FIG. 21) and subsequent steps are executed. If there is no drying operation command, it is checked whether or not the input timer (TM1) command is input (step 88). If there is an input, the input timer (TM1) is once reset and then restarted (step 89), the set time TON and the set contents are stored (step 90), and the process of step 83 is performed. If there is no incoming timer input at step 88, it is checked whether the incoming timer is operating (step 9).
1). If it is operating here, it is further checked whether (the count time of) the input timer TM1 and the set time TON are in the relation of TM1 ≧ TON (step 92), and if TM1 ≧ TON is stored, it is stored that “operating”. (Step 93), Step 8
Move to 3. If TM1 <TON, the process returns to step 80. After the flag processing in step 83, the process returns to step 80.

In steps 80 and 81, when the vehicle is in operation and there is no stop command, the processing routine of step 94 and the following steps (FIG. 19) is executed. First, it is checked whether or not the automatic operation is started (step 94). If the automatic operation is started, step 140 and subsequent steps (FIG. 22) are executed. If the automatic operation is not started, it is checked whether or not there is an instruction to change the setting contents (step 95). If there is a change, the new setting content is stored (step 96) and step 17
0 (FIG. 24) and subsequent processing routines are executed. If there is no change in the setting contents, it is checked whether or not there is an input timer (TM1) command input (step 97). If there is an input, the input timer (TM1) is reset once and restarted (step 98), and the setting is made. The time TON and the set contents are stored (step 99), the process proceeds to step 82 (FIG. 18), and the operation is stopped. If there is no on-timer command input in step 97, it is checked whether or not there is an off-timer command input (step 100). If there is an input here, the off timer TM2 is reset / restarted (step 101), the off timer set time TOFF is stored (step 102), and then step 170 (FIG. 24).
Do the following: If there is no input of the off timer in step 100, the off timer count time TM2 and the set time TOF
It is compared whether F has a relation of TM2 ≧ TOFF (step 103). If TM2 ≧ TOFF, the process proceeds to step 82 (FIG. 18), and if TM2 <TOFF, step 104.
(FIG. 20) The following is executed.

At step 104, the presence or absence of a swing command is checked. If there is no swing command, step 15
0 (FIG. 23) and subsequent steps are executed. If there is a swing command,
It is checked whether the compressor is stopped (thermo off) in the dry cooling (step 105). If stopped here, S ₂ =
It is checked whether it is 1 (step 106), and if S ₂ = 1, the process of S ₂ = 0 is performed (step 107) and S ₂ =
If it is 0, the process of S ₂ = 1 is performed (step 10
8) and step 170 (FIG. 24) and subsequent steps are executed. If the compressor is not stopped in the dry cooling in step 105, it is checked whether S ₁ = 1 (step 10
9) If S ₁ = 1 then the process of S ₁ = 0 is performed (step 110), if S ₁ = 0 then the process of S ₁ = 1 is performed (step 111) to step 170 respectively.
(FIG. 24) The following is executed.

In FIG. 21 (steps 120 to 126), the drying operation is executed when there is a drying operation command while the vehicle is stopped and there is no operation command (see steps 80, 84 and 87 in FIG. 18). 7 shows a processing routine for determining the operation mode of FIG. First, a humidifier off command is output (step 120), the humidifier 22 is held in a stopped state regardless of the temperature level, and the room temperature Ta, the indoor humidity Ha and the outside air temperature To are set.
Is read (step 121). It is checked whether the outside air temperature To read here is To ≥ 20 ° C (step 122). If To ≥ 20 ° C, room temperature Ta
However, it is checked whether Ta ≧ 24 ° C. (step 12
3). If Ta ≧ 24 ° C., the operation mode is set to “drying and cooling” operation, and that effect is set and stored (step 1
24), the roubusing flag S ₂ is set to S ₂ = 1 and the flag S ₁ is set to S ₁ = 0 (step 12).
5). If To <20 ° C. in step 122,
With respect to the room temperature Ta, it is checked whether Ta ≧ 24 ° C. (step 126). Here, when Ta ≧ 24 ° C. and when Ta <24 ° C. in step 123, the operation mode is set to “dry air blowing” operation, that effect is set / stored (step 127), and the roubusing flag S _{1 is set.} To
S ₁ = 1 is set (step 129). If Ta <24 ° C. in step 126, the operation mode is set to “drying and heating” operation, and that effect is set and stored (step 12
8) Go to step 129. Steps 121 to 12
After the operation mode in the dry operation is determined in 9, the off timer is set based on the set time (TOFF) data added to the dry operation command from the remote controller 30 in step 130 and thereafter. First, all the operations of the off timer before that are reset, the sent time data (TOFF) is stored, and the operation of the off timer TM2 is newly started (step 130). After that, the storage process of "in operation" (step 131) is performed, and the process proceeds to step 170 (FIG. 24) for executing the actual drive process. In the case of an air conditioner that does not have a heating function (for cooling only),
Since there is no operation mode called "drying and heating", steps 126 and 128 are omitted, and steps 122,
If “NO” in 123, both are “dry blow”
It will be driving.

FIG. 22 shows an automatic operation mode selection routine executed in the case of "YES" at step 94 (FIG. 19). First, the outside air temperature To and the room temperature Ta are read (step 140). It is checked whether the room temperature Ta read here is Ta> 23 ° C (step 1
41) If Ta> 23 ° C., the operation mode is set to “automatic cooling” operation, and the set room temperature Ts is stored as Ts = 23 ° C. + ΔT (step 142), step 170
(FIG. 24) The following is executed. In step 141, T
When a ≤ 23 ° C, further regarding the outside air temperature To,
It is checked whether To ≤17 ° C (step 143). T
If o ≦ 17 ° C., the operation mode is set to “automatic heating” operation, the set room temperature Ts is set to Ts = 23 ° C. + ΔT, which is stored (step 144), and step 170 (FIG. 24) and the following steps are executed. If To> 17 ° C. in step 143, the operation mode is set to “automatic monitoring” (step 145) and steps 160 and subsequent steps are executed. Automatic monitoring here means that the room temperature is close to the set room temperature,
Without cooling or heating (stopping the compressor 1),
The indoor fan 7 is set to "UL" (ultra-weak operation), which is a "wait and see" operation state in which changes in the room temperature Ta are monitored.

FIG. 23 shows a processing routine when it is judged that there is no swing command in step 104 (FIG. 20). First, the presence / absence of a drying operation command is checked (step 150). This is a check whether or not a dry driving operation is performed during driving. Here, if there is a drying operation command, the operation mode is checked (step 151), and if it is "cooling" or "automatic cooling," go to step 152, "heating" or "automatic heating".
If so, the process proceeds to step 155, and if "automatic monitoring", the process proceeds to step 157. Step 1
At 52, the setting storage of the operation mode = drying and cooling is performed, and then the flag S ₂ of the rubusing memory,
S ₂ = 1 (step 153), and the flag S ₁
S ₁ = 0 is set (step 154) and the process proceeds to step 159. In step 155, setting and storage indicating that the operation mode = drying / heating is performed, and then the flag S ₁ of the rubusing memory is set to S ₁ = 1 (step 156). In step 157, the outside air temperature To is read, and then To ≤17
It is checked whether the temperature is ° C (step 158). Where T
If o ≦ 17 ° C., move to step 155, To>
If it is 17 ° C., the process proceeds to step 152. Step 1
After the operation mode in the dry operation is determined in 50 to 158, the process proceeds from step 154 or step 156 to step 159, based on the set time (Toff) data added to the dry operation command from the remote controller 30. Off timer is set. First, the operation of the off timer TM2 before that is reset (step 159), and the sent off timer set time TOFF is stored (step 16).
0), and the operation of the off timer TM2 is newly started (step 161). Then, the process proceeds to step 170 (FIG. 24) which is the actual operation process.

If there is no dry operation command in step 150, it is checked whether automatic operation / monitoring is in progress (162), and if "YES", the outside air temperature To and the room temperature Ta are read (step 163). It is checked whether the room temperature Ta read here is Ta> 23 ° C (step 1
64), if Ta> 23 ° C, the operation mode = automatic cooling, and the set room temperature Ts is set as Ts = 23 ° C + ΔT.
Store (step 165) and execute step 170 (FIG. 24) and subsequent steps. When Ta ≤23 ° C in step 164, it is checked whether the ambient temperature To is To ≤17 ° C (step 166), and when To ≤17 ° C, the operation mode = automatic heating and the set room temperature Ts is set to Ts. = 23 ° C +
Set and store as ΔT (step 167) Step 1
70 (FIG. 24) and subsequent steps are executed. Also, step 166
In To, the monitoring is continued when To> 17 ° C., and the step 170 (FIG. 24) and subsequent steps are executed even when the automatic operation monitoring is not being performed in step 162.

At step 170 (FIG. 24), at room temperature Ta
And the indoor humidity Ha is read. Next, the operation mode is determined (step 171), if automatic cooling / normal cooling, go to step 172, if normal heating / automatic heating, go to step 175, if dry heating, go to step 181, if dry air blow, go to step 184, if automatic monitoring, step 185, step 186 for dry cooling (see FIG. 2
Go to 5) respectively. For the processing routine, refer also to FIGS. 12 to 14 already described.

In the case of automatic cooling / normal cooling, step 17
At room temperature Ta, whether Ta ≥ Ts or not is checked in 2 and when Ta ≥ Ts, the compressor 1 is turned on, the four-way valve 2 is turned off (cooling), and the indoor fan 7 outputs the louver 8 horizontal commands as set ( Step 173), and when Ta <Ts, output commands such as compressor 1 off, four-way valve 2 off (cooling), indoor fan 7 = L (weak), louver 8 horizontal (step 174). 193 (FIG. 26) and thereafter are executed.

In the case of normal heating / automatic heating, step 17
5, the indoor humidity Ha is the set humidity H on the remote controller 30.
Whether or not s or more is checked, and if Ha ≧ Hs, a humidifier off command is output (step 176), and Ha <
If it is Hs, a command to turn on the humidifier is output (step 17
7) It is checked whether Ta≤Ts (step 178). If Ta ≤ Ts, compressor 1 on, four-way valve 2 on (heating), indoor fan 7 = set, louver 8
= Output each setting from diagonally below or directly below (step 17
9) Also, if Ta> Ts, compressor 1 off, four-way valve 2
ON (heating), indoor fan 7 OFF, louver 8 = obliquely set or output set below (step 180), and step 193 (FIG. 26) and subsequent steps are executed.

In the case of dry heating, it is checked in step 181 whether the room temperature Ta is 28 ° C. or lower, and Ta ≦ 2.
If it is 8 ° C., each command of compressor 1 on, four-way valve 2 on (heating), indoor fan 7 = H (strong), louver 8 diagonally below is output (step 182) and step 193 (FIG. 26) and the following steps are executed. . When Ta> 28 ° C. in step 181, the compressor 1 is turned off, the four-way valve is turned on (heating), the indoor fan 7 = H (strong), and the louver 8 is diagonally below the commands (step 183). , Step 193 (FIG. 26) and the subsequent steps are executed.

In the case of dry air blowing, in step 184, each command of compressor 1 off, four-way valve 2 off (cooling), indoor fan 7 = H (strong), louver 8 diagonally below is output, and then step 193 (Fig. 26) Perform the following:

In the case of automatic monitoring, step 185
In step 1, the compressor 1 is turned off, the four-way valve is turned off (cooling), the indoor fan 7 is set to UL (ultra-weak), and the louver 8 is horizontally output.

In the case of dry cooling, as shown in FIG.
Check whether the room temperature Ta is 22 ℃ or higher (Step 1
86), if Ta ≧ 22 ° C., then the indoor humidity Ha is 80
A check is made as to whether it is at least% (step 187). Here, if Ha ≧ 80%, each command of compressor 1 on, four-way valve 2 off (cooling), indoor fan 7 = M (middle), louver 8 horizontal is output (step 188), and step 193 (FIG. 26). ) Do the following: In step 186, Ta <
22 ° C. or Ha <8 in step 187
In the case of 0%, the compressor 1 off, the four-way valve 2 off (cooling), the indoor fan 7 = H (strong), the louver 8 diagonally downward command is output (step 189), and the flag S ₂ is checked. Perform (step 190). If S ₂ = 1 then a command to turn on the rubus is output (step 191),
If S ₂ = 0, a rubusing-off command is output (step 192) and a series of routines is terminated (FIG. 2).
6).

Step 1 executed after the processing of FIG.
In 93 (FIG. 26), it is checked whether or not S ₁ = 0 regarding the flag S ₁ . If S ₁ = 0, indoor fan 7
A swing-off (stop) command is output (step 19
4) If S ₁ = 0 is not satisfied (that is, if S ₁ = 1), the indoor fan 7 swing-on command is output (step 195), and the series of routines is ended.

Steps 190 to 195 (FIGS. 25 and 26) are a part relating to the roubusing operation, and steps 193 to 195 are a routine for determining whether or not the roubusing is possible in an operating condition other than when the compressor of the dry cooling is stopped. , Whether or not the rubusing is possible is determined by the rubusing flag S ₁ . Here, when the rubousing operation with the remote control is not done, during normal or automatic heating,
During normal or automatic cooling, during automatic monitoring, and during compressor operation during dry cooling, the louver is fixed without a swing because the louvering flag S ₁ is set to "0" in the previous step, and during dry heating. And during dry air blowing, the rubusing flag S _{1 in the} previous step
Since "1" is set in step, steps 182-18
The louver is swung around the diagonally downward direction of the louver set in 4 (FIG. 24). On the other hand, steps 190 to 1
Reference numeral 92 is a routine for determining whether or not roubusing is possible in the operating state of the compressor during dry cooling, and the roubusing flag S ₂ determines whether or not roubusing is possible. In this case, if the rubusing operation is not performed with the remote controller, the rubusing flag S ₂ is set to “1” in the step before that, and thus step 189 (FIG. 2).
The louver is swung about the diagonally downward direction of the louver set in 5).

The louver direction during each operation will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The a direction is the louver direction during normal or automatic cooling, during automatic monitoring, and during compressor operation during dry cooling, and the On the other hand, it is set almost horizontally. on the other hand,
The b direction is the louver direction of normal or automatic heating, and is set to θ ₁ = 40 to 60 °, preferably 50 ° in the a direction, that is, downward with respect to the floor surface. Further, when the compressor is stopped during dry heating, dry air blowing and dry cooling, θ ₂ = 30-40 °, preferably 35 °, is set in the direction c, that is, downward with respect to the floor surface.

The b direction and the c direction are slightly different from each other in order to improve the temperature environment of the user in the room during normal or automatic heating, and the user generally puts the floor surface more than the laundry to be dried. It is intended that warm air, which is likely to float up, reach a lower position because it is near.

FIG. 27 shows the transition of the drying rate when the laundry is dried by the above-described drying method according to the present invention in the blower operation mode (solid line) and the cooling operation mode (broken line). . The operating conditions for obtaining this data are: (1) Air volume H (strong) (2) The louver 8 is fixed toward the laundry 26, and the room temperature Ta and the indoor humidity Ha at the start of operation in both operating modes are I made them the same. What can be understood from FIG. 27 is that, for example, even in the air blowing operation, the drying effect is improved by adjusting the direction of the louver 8 so that the air is blown to the laundry 26 with a larger air volume than in the air conditioning operation. It means that you can Here, the drying rate (%) is defined as follows. Drying rate = 100 × (amount of water evaporated from the laundry) / (amount of water contained in the laundry at the start of the drying operation) Next, a slight description will be given of the modified example of the present invention. Figure 2
8 detects the room temperature Ta and the humidity Ha when the dry command is output from the remote controller 30,
It shows an embodiment in which the operation mode is selected in accordance with the detection result, and the operation frequency and operation / stop of the compressor are controlled to perform the drying operation. In this embodiment, when Ta ≧ 22 ° C., the cooling operation is performed, and according to the humidity Ha, when the humidity is high, the compressor is operated at a high frequency, and when the humidity is low, the compressor is operated at a low frequency, and the humidity is decreased. When it falls to a preset value, for example Ha ≦ 30%, the compressor is stopped. Room temperature Ta drops from the cooling zone,
In the range of ℃ ≧ Ta ＞ 20 ℃, only the air is blown and the room temperature T
When a further decreases and Ta ≤ 20 ° C, heating operation is performed at a constant compressor speed (medium). Room temperature rises, Ta
When the temperature changes from the range of ≤20 ° C to the range of Ta> 20 ° C, the blowing operation mode is omitted and the cooling operation is performed at once, and the operating frequency (Hz) of the compressor is controlled according to the humidity Ha as described above. . The operating frequency in this case is, for example, as shown in FIG. 25, the highest speed when Ha> 70%, the stop when Ha ≦ 30%, and 10% when 30% <Ha ≦ 70% with reference to the humidity Ha. The operating frequency may be adjusted stepwise in steps. In this embodiment, the operation mode of the dry operation after the dry operation command changes depending on the conditions of the indoor temperature and the indoor humidity. Also in this embodiment, the louver is fixed horizontally when the compressor is operating in the cooling zone, and when the compressor is stopped (Ha <30%), the louver performs an oblique downward swing motion. In addition, in the blower zone and the heating zone, the louver swings diagonally downward.

FIG. 29 shows room temperature Ta = 2 as an initial condition in the cooling zone (Ta> 22 ° C. or Ta> 20 ° C.).
FIG. 29 shows the drying state of the laundry (drying rate 0%) immediately after washing when the cooling and drying operation is carried out according to the embodiment of FIG. 28 assuming 7 ° C. and humidity Ha = 70%. After starting operation 3
It can be seen that the drying rate of 50% is achieved in about 0 minutes, and the drying rate of almost 100% is achieved in 1.5 hours. In this way, the speed (frequency) of the compressor depending on the indoor humidity can be used together to achieve good drying of the laundry.

[0054]

According to the drying operation method of the present invention, an air conditioner can be used to achieve a more efficient laundry drying effect as compared with the conventional method.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for implementing a control method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing the overall configuration of an air conditioner to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an arrangement state of the indoor units and a wind direction state.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a situation in which a humidifier is installed in the indoor unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a general relative positional relationship between the indoor unit and the laundry.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which laundry is hung on an indoor unit.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the external appearance of a remote controller attached to the air conditioner with the cover covering the lower half removed.

FIG. 8 is a chart showing the relationship between the operation content of the remote controller and its output signal.

FIG. 9 is a chart showing a relationship between a key operation of a remote controller and an indoor unit swing operation.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display pattern in a dry operation mode displayed in response to remote control key operations performed in connection with the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a display pattern in a dry operation mode displayed in response to a remote control key operation performed in connection with the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a chart showing the operating state of each device during normal operation of the air conditioner.

FIG. 13 is a chart showing an operating state of each device during a drying operation performed in connection with the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a chart showing the operating state of each device during automatic operation of the air conditioner.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations of a remote controller operation unit performed in association with operation of a remote controller.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations of a remote controller operation unit performed in association with operation of a remote controller.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations of a remote controller operation unit performed in association with remote controller operations.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations on the air conditioner main body side performed in association with operation of a remote controller.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations on the air conditioner main body side performed in association with operation of a remote controller.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a flow of operations on the air conditioner main body side performed in association with operation of a remote controller.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for determining an operation mode from stop to drying operation performed on the air conditioner main body side in association with operation of a remote controller.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of automatic operation mode selection performed on the air conditioner main body side in association with operation of a remote controller.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed on the air conditioner main body side in relation to the operation of the remote controller.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed on the air conditioner main body side in relation to the operation of the remote controller.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed on the air conditioner main body side in relation to the operation of the remote controller.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed on the air conditioner main body side in relation to the operation of the remote controller.

FIG. 27 is a characteristic diagram for explaining a drying effect by the drying method of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a characteristic diagram showing one aspect of a drying operation control according to a modified example of the present invention.

29 is a diagram showing the dryness of the laundry, the humidity and temperature of the room, and the compressor operating frequency as a function of time when the drying operation is performed according to the characteristics of FIG. 28.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Compressor 2 Four-way valve 3 Outdoor heat exchanger 4 Expansion valve 5 Indoor heat exchanger 7 Indoor fan 8 Louver 9 Compressor drive electric motor 11 Humidity sensor 12 Outside air temperature sensor 13 Receiving part 14 Calculation control part 15 Driver 20 Indoor unit 22 Humidification Container 23 Transmitter / receiver 24 Transmitter / receiver 26 Laundry 30 Remote control

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Nobusuke Shirakawa 336 Tatehara, Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture, 336 Toshiba Fuji Co., Ltd. (72) Shotaro Hamamoto 336 Tatehara, Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture 336, Toshiba Fuji Factory, Co., Ltd.

Claims (23)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner for operating an air conditioner, which comprises an indoor unit having an indoor fan and an outdoor unit having a compressor, for drying laundry dried indoors based on a command from an operation unit. Of the air conditioner that automatically selects either the cooling operation mode or the strong air blowing operation mode based on the room temperature and the outside air temperature by selecting the drying operation mode when the air conditioner is started. Dry operation method. 2. An air conditioner for operating an air conditioner, which comprises an indoor unit having an indoor fan and an outdoor unit having a compressor, for drying laundry dried indoors based on a command from an operation unit. Of the air conditioner that automatically selects either the heating operation mode or the strong air blowing operation mode based on the room temperature and the outside air temperature by selecting the drying operation mode when starting the air conditioner. Dry operation method. 3. An air conditioner for operating an air conditioner, which comprises an indoor unit having an indoor fan and an outdoor unit having a compressor, for drying laundry dried indoors based on a command from an operation unit. By selecting a drying operation mode when the air conditioner is started, any one of a cooling operation mode, a heating operation mode, and a strong wind blowing operation mode is selected based on the room temperature and the outside air temperature. An air conditioner drying operation method that automatically selects an operation mode. 4. An air conditioner having an indoor fan and a compressor is selected on the basis of a command from an operation section to select a cooling operation mode or a ventilation operation mode for drying laundry dried indoors to perform a drying operation. It is a method of drying operation of the air conditioner to be performed, and the wind direction of the indoor unit is controlled to be substantially horizontal in the cooling operation mode
An air conditioner drying operation method in which the wind direction is controlled diagonally downward in the blow operation mode. 5. The method for drying an air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the wind direction is swing-controlled in a predetermined range in an obliquely downward direction in the blowing operation mode. 6. An air conditioner for operating an air conditioner, which comprises an indoor unit having an indoor fan and an outdoor unit having a compressor, for drying laundry dried indoors based on a command from an operation unit. A drying operation method for an air conditioner, in which the air conditioner is operated in a heating operation mode to dry laundry and the wind direction from the indoor unit is controlled obliquely downward. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the wind direction is swing-controlled in a predetermined range in an obliquely downward direction. 8. An air conditioner for operating an air conditioner, which comprises an indoor unit having an indoor fan and an outdoor unit having a compressor, for drying laundry dried indoors based on a command from an operation unit. A method of drying operation of a machine, wherein the air conditioner is operated in a cooling operation mode or a ventilation operation mode for drying, and the air volume in the ventilation operation mode is made larger than that in the cooling operation mode. How to dry. 9. An air conditioner for operating an air conditioner, which comprises an indoor unit having an indoor fan and an outdoor unit having a compressor, for drying laundry dried indoors based on a command from an operation unit. A method of drying operation of a machine, in which the air conditioner is operated in a cooling operation mode for drying, and when the compressor stops due to the room temperature approaching the set temperature during the cooling operation, the air conditioning is performed. How to operate the dryer. 10. An air conditioner for operating an air conditioner, which comprises an indoor unit having an indoor fan and an outdoor unit having a compressor, for drying laundry dried indoors based on a command from an operation unit. This is a method of drying operation of the machine, in which the air conditioner is operated in the cooling operation mode for drying, and when the indoor humidity drops below a predetermined value in the cooling operation mode of the drying operation, the compressor is stopped A method of drying and operating an air conditioner. 11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein a wind direction is controlled obliquely downward during a blowing operation. 12. The method for drying operation of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 5, 7 and 11, wherein the swing operation in the wind direction is manually stopped. 13. The method for drying operation of an air conditioner according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein during air blowing operation, the wind direction is swing-controlled in a predetermined range. 14. The method for drying operation of an air conditioner according to claim 9, wherein the air volume during the air blowing operation is larger than the air volume during the compressor operation. 15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the airflow direction is fixed horizontally when the compressor is operating in the cooling mode. 16. An air conditioner comprising an indoor unit having an indoor fan and an outdoor unit having a compressor is operated for drying laundry dried indoors based on a command from an operation unit, It is a method of drying operation of an air conditioner that can control the operation / non-operation of the humidifier based on the comparison result of the indoor humidity and the set humidity during heating operation.When the drying operation is selected, the humidifier is used regardless of the indoor humidity. Method of dry operation of air conditioner that does not operate. 17. The method of drying operation of an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the end time of the drying operation mode is variable by a timer. 18. The method for drying operation of an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the end time of the drying operation mode is controlled based on a change in indoor humidity. 19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a normal operation mode other than the dry operation mode, switching from the normal operation mode to the dry operation mode and from the dry operation mode to the normal operation mode. Drying operation method for air conditioners, in which the operation is switched manually. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, when the drying operation mode is switched to, a timer for stopping the operation is automatically set in association with the switching to the drying operation mode. 21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the set time of the timer can be changed manually. 22. An air conditioner in which an air conditioner including an indoor unit having an indoor fan and an outdoor unit having a compressor is operated for drying laundry dried indoors based on a command from an operation unit. A drying operation method for an air conditioner, wherein when the drying operation mode is selected during operation in the heating operation mode or the cooling operation mode, the drying operation in the operation mode in the operation mode before that is performed. 23. A drying operation method for an air conditioner, which has an indoor fan and a compressor and performs a heating operation to dry laundry that has been dried indoors. While making it possible to switch between the heating operation and the heating operation in the normal operation mode, the wind direction during the heating operation in the dry operation mode and the wind direction during the heating operation in the normal operation mode are controlled obliquely downward, and further, in the dry operation mode. An air conditioner drying operation method in which the reference direction of the wind direction during the heating operation is set to be higher than the reference direction of the wind direction during the heating operation in the normal operation mode.