JPH07260231A - Detector for clogging of air filter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a detector for clogging of an air filter in which an erroneous detection of clogging can be prevented and assembling, a cleaning operation, etc., can be facilitated. CONSTITUTION:A reflector 19 is provided on an inner surface of a front panel 3 at an upstream side of an air filter 12. A light emitting unit 15 and a light receiving unit 16 are so integrally provided at a downstream side of the filter 12 as to be separate from one another. A light from the unit 15 is reflected by the reflector 19 while transmitting the filter 12, and received by the unit 18. Thus, in the case of assembling, both the units 15 and 18 can be assembled while remaining integrated, no positional deviation occurs between the units 15 and 18. The light from the unit 15 can be effectively received by the unit 18. Further, at the time of attaching or detaching the filter 12, it is not necessary to be separated from detecting circuits of the units 15, 18, or connection of the units 15, 18 to the circuits with long leads are not necessary as well.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clogging detection device for an air filter provided in, for example, an indoor unit such as an air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, an air conditioner blows out conditioned air from an air outlet opened in an air-conditioned room, takes in indoor air into the apparatus from a suction port also opened in the air-conditioned room, and operates a heat exchanger. By passing it, conditioned air is sent out from the air outlet into the room. At the same time, by arranging an air filter on the upstream side of the heat exchanger, dust in the air taken in from the suction port is attached to the air filter to prevent dust from adhering to the heat exchanger and to be placed inside the air conditioning room. Reflux is prevented and only purified air is blown out.

However, as the operation of the air conditioner is continued, the amount of dust adhering to the air filter increases, the air filter is clogged, and the conditioned air volume decreases, resulting in air cooling or heating. Harmony ability deteriorates. For this reason, when using the device, it is necessary to clean the air filter as appropriate according to the situation of use.

If the cleaning is not carried out for a long period of time, the apparatus will not be operated at its original capacity, and if it is attempted to eliminate such a situation, it is always or when the air filter is cleaned. It was inconvenient to handle.

In order to solve these problems, there has been proposed an air filter which allows light to pass therethrough so as to intersect with the air passage direction and measures the amount of light passing therethrough to detect clogging of the air filter. There is.

[0006] However, in the above-mentioned proposal, the light emitting part for sending out the light passing through the air filter and the light receiving part for passing the light must be separately arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the air filter. In addition, the wiring for connecting the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit to an electric circuit such as a detection circuit for measuring the amount of light and detecting clogging is relatively long. When assembling, both the upstream and downstream sides of the air filter are connected to each other, which complicates the work, and removes the air filter during cleaning and improves serviceability. It was difficult.

Further, since the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are separately attached, if the mounting positions are varied at the time of assembly and a position shift occurs between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion, the light receiving amount is varied and clogging occurs. It was a false detection of.

[0008]

As described above, in the conventional device, the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are separately arranged on both the upstream side and the downstream side of the air filter, and these respective portions are arranged in an electric circuit. Since relatively long wiring is required for connecting to the air filter, the work is troublesome because the air filter is connected on both sides of the air filter during assembly, and cleaning work and service work of the air filter are difficult to perform. Further, if the mounting positions of the light emitting part and the light receiving part are varied, clogging is erroneously detected. The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to prevent erroneous detection of clogging of an air filter and to easily perform assembly work and cleaning work without requiring long wiring. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for detecting clogging of an air filter that facilitates service work.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A clogging detection device for an air filter according to the present invention comprises a device body whose front side is covered with a front panel having an air suction port, and a device body arranged on the inner surface side of the front panel. The air filter that removes dust in the air passing inward of the air filter, the light emitting unit that is arranged on the downstream side of the air filter, the light receiving unit that is arranged on the downstream side of the air filter, and the inner surface of the front panel. A reflecting portion provided to reflect light passing through the air filter from the light emitting portion toward the light receiving portion so as to pass through the air filter, and a detection circuit portion for detecting clogging of the air filter by the amount of light received by the light receiving portion, It is characterized in that it includes an electric parts box in which the light emitting part and the light receiving part are fixed while accommodating the detection circuit part, and the reflecting part of the reflecting part is made of an aluminum thin plate. And characterized in that they are made, further, the reflective portion and is characterized in that it is constituted by a concave-convex surface to reflect light diffusely reflecting surface.

[0010]

In the air filter clogging detection device configured as described above, the reflecting portion is provided on the inner surface of the front panel on the upstream side of the air filter, and the light emitting portion and the light emitting portion are provided on the downstream side of the air filter so as to be spaced from each other. The light receiving portion is provided integrally with the electric component box, and the light from the light emitting portion is reflected by the reflecting portion while passing through the air filter and received by the light receiving portion. Therefore, at the time of assembly, the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion can be assembled after performing the operation check in advance with the electric component box being integrated. Further, the positional relationship between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit does not shift during assembly, and the light from the light emitting unit can be reliably received by the light receiving unit,
The risk of false detection is reduced. Further, when the air filter is attached or detached, it is not necessary to separate the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion from the detection circuit portion, or it is not necessary to connect the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion to the detection circuit portion with long lead wires.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. A separate type air conditioner, which is divided into an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, will be described as an example. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner with a part thereof cut away, FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the indoor unit, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing an essential part, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing an essential part of the front panel of the indoor unit seen from the inner surface side.
Is a circuit diagram, FIG. 7 is a flowchart, and FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of a modified example.

In FIGS. 1 to 5, an indoor unit 1 is formed by an indoor device body 2 having a front panel 3 and a rear plate 4, and is attached by fixing the rear plate 4 to a wall in an air-conditioned room. Thus, the air flow path 5 is formed in the indoor-side device body 2. The air inflow side of the air flow path 5 is connected to the suction port 6 opening to the upper part of the front panel 3, and the air discharge side is connected to the air outlet 7 also opening to the lower part of the front panel 3.

An indoor heat exchanger 8 is disposed on the air inflow side of the air flow path 5 for heat exchange by the heat exchange medium, and a cross flow fan is on the air discharge side of the air flow path 5. A blower 9 is provided. The indoor heat exchanger 8 is composed of a large number of fins 10 and pipes 11 forming a meandering flow path for the heat exchange medium. In the straight pipe portion in which the fins 10 are fitted, the direction of the heat exchange medium flowing inside is the air flow. It is arranged to be orthogonal to the air circulation direction A of the passage 5.

The blower 9 is operated so as to blow the air in the air flow path 5 outward from the air outlet 7, whereby the air in the air flow path 5 is sucked in.
From the outlet to the outlet 7. The indoor unit 1 is connected so that a heat exchange medium flows between it and an outdoor unit equipped with a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, etc., which are not shown, and is connected to the indoor heat exchanger 8 of the indoor unit 1. A compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger of an outdoor unit, an expansion valve, etc. constitute a refrigeration cycle,
Air conditioning is performed.

Between the indoor heat exchanger 8 and the suction port 6 of the front panel 3, a reticulated air filter 12 is detachably attached to the indoor equipment body 2 so as to close the air passage 5. There is.

On the downstream side of the air flow direction A of the air filter 12, a light emitting section 15 having a light emitting element 14 such as a light emitting diode or a semiconductor laser is provided obliquely with the light emitting direction B facing upstream. It is attached to the support member 16 and disposed so as to face the downstream side surface of the air filter 12 so as to intersect with the air flow direction A.

Similarly, the air flow direction A of the air filter 12 is
A light receiving portion 18 having a light receiving element 17 such as a phototransistor or a photo diode, which is spaced apart from the light emitting portion 15 at a predetermined distance on the downstream side, has a light receiving direction C directed in an upstream direction. That is, it is attached to the support member 16 and disposed so as to face the downstream surface of the air filter 12 so as to cross the air flow direction A.

Further, the inner surface of the front panel 3 is formed by attaching a thin plate having a light-reflecting surface such as an aluminum tape so as to face the upstream surface of the air filter 12 with a predetermined space therebetween. A section 19 is provided. Then, by the reflecting surface of the reflecting portion 19, the light from the light emitting portion 15 that has passed through the portion of the reticulated air filter 12 through which the suction air passes is made to pass through the air filter 12 again and is reflected by the light receiving portion 18. Has become.

On the other hand, an electric parts box 21 for accommodating a control section 20 for controlling the operation of the apparatus and for displaying various control statuses is provided on the upper side of the inside of the indoor-side apparatus body 2 at the upper part,
Although not shown, the locking claws 21a provided at the bottom respectively
Is attached by engaging with the upper surface of the rear plate 4 corresponding to these and the engaging holes 4a formed respectively on the lower surface (not shown).

Further, the operation control in the control unit 20 and various displays of control status are performed by a microcomputer or the like based on a set program. A support member 16 to which the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 18 are attached is integrally fixed to the electric component box 21, and the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 18 are attached to the indoor-side device body 2. The removal can be performed at the same time by attaching and removing the electric component box 21 to the rear plate 4.

As shown in FIG. 6, the light emitting element 14 and the light receiving element 17 are electrically connected to the control unit 20, and the filter lamp 22 mounted on the front panel 3 is also electrically connected. And constitutes a detection circuit section. Then, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, when the operation of the apparatus is started, the control unit 20 controls the operation, the light emitting element 14 is turned on, and the air filter 1 is turned on.
The light reflected by the reflecting portion 19 so as to pass through 2 is received by the light receiving element 17. While the output α of the light receiving element 17 is equal to or higher than the preset set output α _s , the operation is continued as it is, and when the light receiving amount of the light receiving element 17 decreases and the output α becomes smaller than the set output α _s , the filter lamp 22
Lights up and the operation of the equipment is stopped.

Since this embodiment is configured as described above, when the operation of the apparatus is started, the air conditioned by flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 8 from the air outlet 7 is blown into the air-conditioned room by the blower 9. Blown out. At the same time, the air in the air-conditioned room passes through the air filter 12 from the suction port 6 and is sucked into the air flow path 5. Then, when the air passes through the air filter 12, the dust in the sucked air adheres mainly to the upstream surface of the air filter 12, and the dust-free air flows through the indoor heat exchanger 8.

While the operation is not carried out for a long time in this way, the intake air of the air filter 12 passes obliquely through the dust adhering portion, is reflected by the reflecting portion 19 and passes through the air filter 12 again. Then, the amount of light from the light emitting element 14 received by the light receiving element 17 is large, and the operation is continued in a state where the output α of the light receiving element 17 is the set output α _s or more.

Furthermore, as the cumulative amount of air passing through the air filter 12 increases as the operation is continued, the amount of dust adhering to the surface of the air filter 12 also increases, which causes clogging of the air filter 12. The degree gets worse. Further, the amount of dust adhering to the portion of the air filter 12 through which the light from the light emitting element 14 obliquely passes increases, and the degree of clogging in this portion also deteriorates.

Then, the amount of light projected from the light emitting element 14 obliquely passing through the air filter 12, reflected by the reflecting portion 19 and received by the light receiving element 17 is reduced. When the amount of received light becomes small and the output α of the light receiving element 17 becomes smaller than the set output α _s , the filter lamp 22 is turned on and the operation of the apparatus is stopped. This informs the user that the air filter 12 needs to be cleaned.

The air filter 12 is not cleaned for a long time, and the air filter 12 is clogged, that is, it is operated in a state in which the conditioned air volume blown out from the air outlet 7 is reduced. Disappear. Therefore, during cooling or heating, the operation is not performed in a state where the air conditioning capacity is lowered, and the device can be operated in a state where the capacity is always sufficiently exerted. In addition, the user can use the air filter 1
Since it is not necessary to care about the cleaning time of No. 2 and it will notify you properly even if you forget the cleaning time, it will be easy to handle.

Further, since the light emitting portion 15 and the light receiving portion 18 are fixed to the supporting member 16 and provided on the downstream side of the air filter 12, the light emitting element 14 for the control portion 20 housed in the electric component box 21 is provided. The connection between the light receiving element 17 and the light receiving element 17 does not require a lead wire extending over the upstream side and the downstream side of the air filter 12, and can be performed regardless of attachment / detachment of the air filter 12.

Since the light emitting portion 15 and the light receiving portion 18 are fixed to the electric component box 21 so as to be integrated with each other, the light emitting portion 15 and the light receiving portion 18 can be easily assembled by assembling them into the indoor equipment main body 2. Further, by removing the electric component box 21, the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 18 can be removed at the same time. Therefore, it is possible to easily perform assembly work, operation adjustment work, cleaning work, service work, and the like.

Further, since the light emitting portion 15 and the light receiving portion 18 are integrated with the electric parts box 21, the indoor equipment main body 2
Before the assembly, the operation check or the like can be performed in a state where the control unit 20, the light emitting unit 15, and the light receiving unit 18 are connected in advance, and a device that operates with high reliability can be realized.

Similarly, since the light emitting portion 15 and the light receiving portion 18 are integrally provided in the electric component box 21 and do not have to be separately attached, the mounting positions may be different from each other during assembly. Therefore, the light from the light emitting section 15 is surely reflected by the reflecting section 19 and is incident on the light receiving section 18, so that the variation in the amount of received light is prevented and the detection of clogging is stable and less error occurs. .

Further, if the size of the reflecting portion 19 is made large within a range that does not interfere with the air flow in detecting clogging, the positional deviation of the reflecting portion 19 with respect to the light emitting portion 15 and the light receiving portion 18 will occur. Will be absorbed, and there will be a margin for mounting the reflection part 19, which will facilitate the assembly.

In this embodiment, the reflecting portion 19 is formed of a thin plate having a flat reflecting surface. However, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 8, the reflecting surface is an uneven aluminum surface that irregularly reflects light. The same effect can be obtained by forming the reflecting portion 19a with a thin plate, and the inclination of the reflecting surface of the reflecting portion 19 can be absorbed to facilitate the assembly, and the clogging can be detected by projecting light in a wider range. Can be done.

Further, different first and second set outputs α _s1 and α _s2 are set for the output α of the light receiving element 17, and when the output α becomes smaller than the first set output α _s1 , the filter lamp 22 may be turned on to give an advance notice of the clogging abnormality, and the operation of the apparatus may be stopped at the time point when it becomes smaller than the second set output α _s2 which is smaller than the first set output α _s1 .

[0034]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are provided such that the reflecting portion is provided on the inner surface of the front panel on the upstream side of the air filter, and the reflecting portions are separated from each other on the downstream side of the air filter. Since the light is emitted from the light emitting part through the air filter and reflected by the reflecting part and received by the light receiving part, false detection of clogging of the air filter is prevented, and assembly and cleaning are performed. The effect that work etc. can be performed easily is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an indoor unit of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention with a part thereof cut away.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an enlarged main part of the front panel of the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the inner surface side.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of a modified example according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 ... Indoor equipment main body 3 ... Front panel 6 ... Air inlet 12 ... Air filter 14 ... Light emitting element 15 ... Light emitting portion 16 ... Support member 17 ... Light receiving element 18 ... Light receiving portion 19 ... Reflecting portion 20 ... Control portion 21 ... Electricity Parts box 22 ... Filter lamp

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A device body, the front side of which is covered with a front panel having an air intake port, and dust in the air which is disposed on the inner surface side of the front panel and passes inward of the device body. An air filter, a light emitting portion arranged on the downstream side of the air filter, a light receiving portion arranged on the downstream side of the air filter, and a light emitting portion provided on the inner surface of the front panel and passing through the air filter from the light emitting portion. A reflecting portion that reflects the reflected light toward the light receiving portion so as to pass through the air filter, a detection circuit portion that detects clogging of the air filter based on the amount of light received by the light receiving portion, and the detection circuit portion is housed. A clogging detection device for an air filter, further comprising: an electric component box to which the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are fixed. 2. The clogging detection device for an air filter according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting surface of the reflecting portion is formed of an aluminum thin plate. 3. The clogging detection device for an air filter according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting portion has a reflecting surface which is formed by an uneven surface which diffusely reflects light.