JPH0861745A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce consumption energy without impairing comfortable feeding by irregularly and automatically altering the discharging direction of coditioned air temperature regulated by a heat exchanger and supplied into a room to be conditioned in a predetermined range. CONSTITUTION: Upper and lower flaps 62 and right and left flaps 64 are provided as wind direction altering means in the vicinity of the outlet of a supply grill 58. When a command for driving the flaps 62 is input from a microcomputer to the drive circuit of the flaps 62, a pulse signal of the pulse count responsive to a deviation between the position designated by upper and lower flat motors and the present position is output, and rotated to the position (angle) designated with the flaps 62. The flaps 64 are manually altered in the direction. When the directions of the flaps 62 and 64 are altered, the air directing of the air (conditioned air) discharged from the outlet of the grill 58 via an air duct is freely altered.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner for controlling the wind direction of conditioned air that is temperature-controlled by a heat exchanger and discharged into a conditioned room.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a heat exchanger arranged indoors and outdoors, a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, a four-way valve for switching the flow direction of the refrigerant, a capillary tube, and the like are provided, and heating and cooling are performed by switching the four-way valve. There is known an air conditioner capable of performing air conditioning in various operation modes such as dehumidification. Such an air conditioner is generally equipped with a temperature sensor that detects a room temperature, and generally performs air conditioning during cooling or heating so that the room temperature matches a set target temperature. In addition, in recent years, a so-called inverter type air conditioner has been made possible, in which the operating frequency of a compressor can be changed by an inverter and the operating frequency, that is, the capacity of the compressor can be changed according to the air-conditioning load so that the room temperature can be accurately controlled. Is also widely known.

By the way, in an air conditioner, conditioned air that has passed through a heat exchanger on the indoor side and has been temperature-controlled (cooled or heated) by the heat exchanger is supplied to the room by a fan, and this conditioned air is discharged. Generally, a wind direction plate (so-called louver) is provided on the outlet side of the discharge port, and by changing the direction of the wind direction plate, the discharge direction of the conditioned air to be discharged can be arbitrarily changed within a predetermined range. There is.

The direction of the wind direction plate is, for example, during cooling.
Since it is easier for the occupants to feel comfortable when the cool air is blown directly to the occupants, it is necessary to adjust the conditioned air flow (cold air) from the air conditioner toward the occupants. There are many.
Also, since cold air stays near the floor in the room during heating,
In many cases, the direction of the wind direction plate is adjusted so that the conditioned air flow (warm air) is discharged from the air conditioner toward the floor, preferably directly below. By adjusting the wind direction of the conditioned air flow by the wind direction plate as described above, it is possible to improve the feeling of comfort felt by the person in the room.

[0005]

However, as a characteristic of human sensation, when it is placed in a certain environmental condition (temperature, humidity, air volume, etc.) for a long time, it adapts to that environment and is placed in that environment. It is known that even if you initially feel comfortable, it gradually fades. Therefore, even after the air conditioner is operated and the room temperature is matched with the set target temperature, if the person in the room adapts to the environmental condition after a predetermined time elapses, further comfort is obtained. As described above, the target temperature is changed, resulting in wasteful consumption of energy.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and an object thereof is to obtain an air conditioner capable of reducing energy consumption without impairing comfort.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 supplies conditioned air whose temperature is controlled by a heat exchanger based on a room temperature and a set temperature into a room to be conditioned. In the air conditioner configured as described above, wind direction changing means for changing the discharge direction of the conditioned air, and control means for changing the discharge direction randomly and automatically within a predetermined range,
It is characterized by having.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the control means has a predetermined range in which the conditioned air discharge direction corresponds to the upper side of the conditioned room when cooling is being performed. The air-direction changing unit is controlled so that the air-conditioning changing unit changes the discharge direction of the conditioned air within a predetermined range corresponding to the lower side of the conditioned room when heating is performed. , Is characterized.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided wind direction changing means for changing the discharge direction of the conditioned air which is temperature-controlled by the heat exchanger based on the room temperature and the set temperature and is supplied into the conditioned room. . The wind direction changing means is provided, for example, on the outlet side of the conditioned air discharge port formed in the air conditioner, and can change the wind direction of the conditioned air to be discharged at least along the vertical direction of the conditioned chamber (louver). ) Or the like, and the control means randomly and automatically changes the discharge direction of the conditioned air within a predetermined range.

Conventionally, the conditioned air discharge direction has been regularly and periodically changed in a short cycle (for example, every several seconds). However, such a periodic change in the conditioned air discharge direction is present in the room. It is easy for a person to perceptually recognize the change cycle of the ejection direction, and it is perceived that the indoor environmental condition is constant, including the periodic change in the ejection direction, and the comfort feeling felt by the occupants gradually increases. It will fade. In contrast,
In the invention of claim 1, since the discharge direction of the conditioned air is changed irregularly, it is difficult for a person in the room to feel that the environmental condition in the room is constant, and it is possible to prevent the comfort feeling from gradually diminishing. Therefore, the energy consumed by the air conditioner can be changed, for example, by the occupant changing the set temperature in order to feel comfortable, or by automatically changing the set temperature to make the occupant feel comfortable. Is not further increased, and energy consumption can be reduced without impairing comfort.

Further, as described above, it is easier for the occupant to feel comfortable when the conditioned air flow (cold air) is directly blown to the occupant during cooling, and the cold air stays near the floor in the room during heating. Therefore, it is known that it is preferable to discharge the conditioned air flow (warm air) toward the vicinity of the floor. The air conditioner according to the present invention may be an air conditioner having a cooling function and a heating function (a so-called air conditioner) or an air conditioner having only a cooling function (a so-called cooler). If it has a cooling function and a heating function, based on the above facts,
As described in claim 2, in the control means, when cooling is performed, the conditioned air is controlled to change its discharge direction within a predetermined range corresponding to the upper side of the conditioned room, and heating is performed. When the above is performed, it is preferable to control so that the discharge direction of the conditioned air changes within a predetermined range corresponding to the lower side of the conditioned room. As a result, the discharge direction of the conditioned air is controlled to an appropriate direction at the time of cooling and at the time of heating, so that it is possible to further improve the comfort feeling felt by the person in the room.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Although the following description will be given using numerical values that do not hinder the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the numerical values given below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner (so-called air conditioner) according to this embodiment includes an indoor unit 10 and an outdoor unit 12, and a refrigerant is further provided between the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 12. A coolant circulation path is provided for circulation. The indoor unit 10 is provided with an indoor heat exchanger 16. On the other hand, the outdoor unit 12 is provided with a valve 20 for opening and closing the circulation of the refrigerant, and the indoor heat exchanger 16 is a refrigerant pipe 1 formed of a thick pipe.
It is connected to one end of the valve 20 via 8.

A muffler 22 and a four-way valve 36 are sequentially connected to the other end of the valve 20 via a refrigerant pipe. The four-way valve 36 is switched by the electric circuit of the outdoor unit 12 described later to the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 during cooling and to the state shown by the broken line during heating and defrosting. An accumulator 24 and a compressor 26 as a compressor are sequentially connected to the four-way valve 36 via a refrigerant pipe that communicates with the muffler 22 side during cooling. The compressor 26 is connected such that the accumulator 24 side is the refrigerant suction side.

The refrigerant discharge side of the compressor 26 is connected to a four-way valve 36 via a refrigerant pipe that communicates with the muffler 22 side during heating and defrosting, and a muffler 38 is provided in the middle of this refrigerant pipe. Has been. Furthermore, the four-way valve 36
It is connected to one end of the outdoor heat exchanger 28 via a refrigerant pipe that communicates with the muffler 38 side during cooling. The other end of the outdoor heat exchanger 28 is connected to one end of a capillary tube 30 via a refrigerant pipe. Further, between the muffler 38 and the four-way valve 36 is connected to the other end of the outdoor heat exchanger 28 via a refrigerant pipe provided with an electromagnetic valve 40 at an intermediate portion.

A strainer 42 and one end of a valve 32 are sequentially connected to the other end of the capillary tube 30 via a refrigerant pipe, and the other end of the valve 32 is connected to a chamber via a refrigerant pipe 34 composed of a thin tube. It is connected to the inner heat exchanger 16. By the above, a closed refrigerant circulation path, that is, a refrigeration cycle is formed.

In this refrigeration cycle, the solenoid valve 40 is turned off (the refrigerant pipe is closed), and the four-way valve 36 is turned on.
To the state shown by the solid line in FIG.
When 6 is operated, as shown by the solid line arrow in FIG. 1, the refrigerant causes the indoor heat exchanger 16, the refrigerant pipe 18, the valve 20,
The muffler 22, four-way valve 36, accumulator 24, compressor 26, muffler 38, four-way valve 36, outdoor heat exchanger 28, capillary tube 30, strainer 42, valve 32, refrigerant pipe 34, and indoor heat exchanger 16 are circulated in this order. To do. As a result, the refrigerant evaporates in the indoor heat exchanger 16 and the refrigerant condenses in the outdoor heat exchanger 28, so that the room can be cooled. When the four-way valve 36 is switched to the state shown by the broken line in FIG. 1, the refrigerant circulates in the opposite direction to the indoor heat exchanger 16 as shown by the broken line arrow in FIG.
By condensing the refrigerant in the above and evaporating the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 28, it is possible to heat the room.

A sectional view of the indoor unit 10 is shown in FIG. The indoor unit 10 is an indoor unit body 10A.
And a mounting base 10B fixed to a wall surface in the room, and the rear side (right side in FIG. 2) of the indoor unit body 10A is mounted to the mounting base 10B,
It is installed at a predetermined position in the room. Indoor unit body 10A
A cross flow fan 50 is arranged in the substantially central portion of the. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the indoor unit body 10A
A suction grill 52 is formed on the front surface of the. The crossflow fan 50 is arranged so that its intake side faces the suction grill 52, and when the crossflow fan 50 is driven, the air in the room is sucked into the indoor unit body 10A through the suction grill 52. .

Inside the intake grill 52, an indoor heat exchanger 16 is arranged over the entire surface of the passage through which the air sucked inside the indoor unit body 10A passes, and the indoor heat exchanger 16 is provided. The air purifying filter 54 is diagonally above.
An air filter 54 including A and a deodorizing filter 54B is provided. The air sucked inside the indoor unit body 10A by the drive of the cross flow fan 50 is
The air filter 54 removes dust and deodorizes, and the indoor heat exchanger 16 regulates temperature and humidity.

During cooling and dehumidification, the water contained in the air sucked into the indoor unit body 10A is condensed by being cooled by the indoor heat exchanger 16 and the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 16 is condensed. Adhere to. For this reason,
A drain pan 56 serving as a pan is provided below the indoor heat exchanger 16, and the water adhering to the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 16 is discharged to the outside through the drain pan 56.

As shown in FIG. 3, an outlet grill 58 is formed below the suction grill 52. The exhaust side of the cross flow fan 50 is in communication with the blowout grill 58 through the air passage 60, and the air that has been sucked into the indoor unit main body 10A to be deodorized and deodorized and whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted is cross flowed. The air is blown into the room by the fan 50 through the air passage 60 and the blow grill 58.

Near the air outlet of the air outlet grill 58, an upper and lower flap 62 and a left and right flap 64 are provided as the wind direction changing means of the present invention. The direction of the upper and lower flaps 62 is changed by transmitting a driving force of an upper and lower flap motor 62A, which will be described later, and the left and right flaps 64 can be manually changed in direction. By changing the direction of the upper and lower flaps 62 or the left and right flaps 64,
The wind direction of the wind (conditioned air of the present invention) blown from the blowout grill 58 via the air passage 60 is changed.

FIG. 4 shows an electric circuit provided in the indoor unit 10. This electric circuit includes a power supply board 70 and a control board 72. The power supply board 70 includes a motor power supply circuit 70A that supplies electric power for driving various motors, a control circuit power supply circuit 70B that supplies electric power for operating the control circuit, and a serial circuit power supply that supplies electric power for operating the serial circuit. A circuit 70C is provided. The motor power supply circuit 70A and the control circuit power supply circuit 70B are connected in series between a pair of power supply lines to which commercial power (single-phase 100V) is supplied.
C is a motor power supply circuit 70A and a control circuit power supply circuit 7
0B is connected in parallel.

The control board 72 has a serial circuit 72A connected to the serial circuit power supply circuit 70C for serially communicating with the outdoor unit 12 side, and a drive for driving the motor by the electric power supplied from the motor power supply circuit 70A. A circuit 72B and a microcomputer 72C are provided. The drive circuit 72B is connected to an upper and lower flap motor 74A which is a stepping motor and rotates the upper and lower flaps 62, and a fan motor 74B which is a DC brushless motor and drives the crossflow fan 50. In addition, the drive circuit 7
2B is connected to the microcomputer 72C. The upper and lower flap motors 74A, the drive circuit 72B and the microcomputer 72
C corresponds to the control means of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, as the positions (angles) of the upper and lower flaps 62 during operation of the air conditioner, there are six types of positions (see FIGS. 6A to 6F;
The position (F) is referred to as each position-position). The upper and lower flap motors 74A are composed of stepping motors, and the drive circuit 72B sets the upper and lower flaps 6 to any one of the above six positions.
When an instruction to rotate 2 is input from the microcomputer 72C, a pulse signal having a pulse number corresponding to the deviation between the instructed position and the current position is output to the up / down flap motor 74A to instruct the up / down flap 62. Rotate to the position.
The upper and lower flap motors 74A move so that the upper and lower flaps 62 move to a position shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 6, that is, the upper and lower flaps 62 do not project from the casing of the indoor unit body 10A when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped. Driven.

The drive circuit 72B also includes a fan motor 74.
By supplying DC power to B to drive the fan motor 74B, and changing the voltage of the DC power according to an instruction from the microcomputer 72C, the rotation speed of the fan motor 74B, that is, the air flow rate of the cross flow fan 50. Adjust. In this embodiment, the voltage can be changed in 256 steps in the range of 12 to 36V by an instruction from the microcomputer 72C.

The microcomputer 72C is connected to a display LED provided on the display board 76 for displaying an operation mode and the like and a receiving circuit for receiving an operation signal from a remote controller, and further provided on the sensor board 78. A floor sensor for detecting the temperature of the floor and an optical sensor are connected. Further, the microcomputer 72C is connected with a room temperature sensor 80A for detecting a room temperature and a heat exchanger temperature sensor 80B for detecting the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 16, and further, a self-diagnosis LED provided on the switch board 82, An operation changeover switch and a self-diagnosis switch for switching between normal operation and trial operation are connected. The microcomputer 72C monitors outputs from various sensors and switching states of contacts of various switches.

The microcomputer 72C has a serial circuit 72.
It is connected to A and can communicate serially with a microcomputer 102F (described later) provided in the outdoor unit 12 via the serial circuit 72A. The microcomputer 72C includes outputs from various sensors, switching states of contacts of various switches, operation signals received via a receiving circuit, and the outdoor unit 1 received by serial communication.
Based on the operating state of No. 2 and the like, by outputting drive instructions for the upper and lower flap motors 74A and the fan motors 74B to the drive circuit 72B, or by outputting various instructions to the outdoor unit 12 via the serial circuit 72A, Control the overall operation.

The electric circuit of the indoor unit 10 is an outdoor unit through a terminal connected to a pair of power supply lines and a terminal connected to the other end of a serial communication line whose one end is connected to the serial circuit 72A. It is connected to the electric circuit provided at 12 (see FIG. 5). Outdoor unit 12
The electric circuit of the rectifier circuit 100 and the control board 10
Equipped with 2. The control circuit 102 includes a serial circuit 7 on the indoor unit 10 side via a serial communication line.
Serial circuit 102A connected to 2A, noise filters 102B, 102C for removing noise from the power supply line, 1
20D, switching power supply circuit 102E, microcomputer 10
2F is provided.

A reactor is connected to the control board 102, and the alternating current supplied through the power supply line connected to the terminal is supplied to the rectifier circuit 100 through the noise filter 102B and the reactor. It
The current rectified by the rectifier circuit 100 is supplied to the inverter 104 connected to the control board 102 via the noise filter 102C. Further, the rectified current is supplied to the switching power supply circuit 102E via the noise filter 102D. The switching power supply circuit 102E is connected to the microcomputer 102F and the inverter 104, and supplies the inverter 104 with electric power for switching the inverter 104 in accordance with an instruction from the microcomputer 102F. A compressor motor 106 for driving the compressor 26 is connected to the inverter 104.

The microcomputer 102F outputs the compressor motor 106 output from the inverter 104 based on the control signal received from the microcomputer 72C of the indoor unit 10.
By changing the frequency (operating frequency) of the AC power for driving (and the compressor 26) (for example, in the range of 18 to 150 Hz), the rotation speed of the compressor 26 is changed and the cooling and heating capacity is adjusted.

Further, the microcomputer 102F has an outside air temperature thermistor 110 as an outside air temperature sensor for detecting the outside air temperature.
A, a temperature thermistor 110B as a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 28, a compressor temperature thermistor 110C as a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the compressor 26, and a serial circuit 102A are connected. The control board 102 also includes a four-way valve 36 and a solenoid valve 40 provided in the outdoor unit 12.
(Refer to FIG. 1), a fan motor 112A and a fan motor condenser 112B that rotate and drive a fan (not shown) that ventilates the outdoor heat exchanger 28 are connected.

Next, during operation of the air conditioner, the indoor unit 1
The operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7 for explaining the processing executed by the zero microcomputer 72C.
Note that the flowchart of FIG. 7 is executed by the microcomputer 72C when a signal instructing the start of operation of the air conditioner is received from the remote controller. In step 200, the operation instruction information received from the remote controller is fetched together with the signal instructing the operation start. This operation instruction information is composed of information such as the operation mode and the set temperature Ta (target temperature). When the operation start instruction operation is performed by the remote controller, a signal instructing the operation start and various information set in the remote controller are simultaneously transmitted.

In step 202, it is determined whether or not the "automatic operation mode" is instructed as the "operation mode" based on the operation instruction information. If the determination in step 202 is negative, the air conditioner is operated in an operation mode other than the automatic operation mode (for example, heating, cooling, dry, air cleaning, etc.) based on the operation instruction information fetched in step 204. Since this operation is well known in the art, detailed description will be omitted. In step 206, it is determined whether or not the driving instruction information is received, and step 204 is repeated until the determination in step 206 is affirmed. When new driving instruction information is received, the determination in step 206 is affirmed,
Return to step 200.

On the other hand, the determination in step 202 is affirmative
In this case, the set temperature Ta is set to the target temperature in step 208.
Then, the room temperature is controlled. Specifically, for example, a room temperature sensor
Room temperature T detected by 80A_ROOMTake every predetermined time
Including set temperature Ta and room temperature T _ROOMAnd the difference between
Fuzzy operation is performed based on the amount of change, and the compressor 2
Calculate the fluctuation of the driving ability (driving frequency) of 6 and
Fluctuation of the driving ability through the loop circuit and serial communication line.
The minute is transmitted to the microcomputer 102F of the outdoor unit 12.
The microcomputer 102F of the outdoor unit 12 is a compressor
26 to the compressor motor 106 that drives the
The frequency of the received increase / decrease to the frequency of the AC power
Compressor motor 1 with added new frequency AC power
Supply to 06.

As described above, by increasing or decreasing the frequency of the AC power supplied to the compressor motor 106 from the target temperature and the room temperature T _ROOM , the operating capacity of the compressor 26 required to maintain the target temperature (the frequency of the AC power). ) Is obtained, and the operation of the compressor 26 is maintained by this operation capacity. Further, when the set temperature Ta is changed in such a state, the microcomputer 72C newly calculates the fluctuation amount of the operating capacity of the compressor 26, and the operating capacity required to maintain the set temperature Ta (air conditioning load). (Operating frequency) is set.

In this automatic operation mode, the upper and lower flaps 62 are at positions where the cool air is mainly blown to the upper half of the occupant in the cooling operation (see FIG. 6 (B)), and in the heating operation it is warm. It is rotated to a position where the wind is mainly blown to the feet of the person in the room (see FIG. 6C).

At the next step 210, it is judged whether or not the driving instruction information is newly received. If the determination in step 210 is negative, it is determined in step 212 whether or not the flag indicating whether or not the temperature sensation wave control (details are described later) is currently on. It should be noted that when the automatic operation mode is started, the temperature sensation wave control is not performed and the flag is turned off. Therefore, at this time, the determination in step 212 is denied and step 214 is performed.
Move to. In step 214, the temperature at which the room temperature T _ROOM corresponds to a deviation of 1 ° C. from the set temperature Ta (more specifically, Ta + 1 ° C. during cooling operation, Ta−1 ° C. during heating operation).
It is determined whether or not it has changed. If the determination in step 214 is negative, the process returns to step 208 and step 2
08 to 214 are repeated.

Since the difference between the room temperature T _ROOM and the set temperature Ta is relatively large in the initial stage of operation until the determination in step 214 becomes affirmative, the compressor 2 is determined in step 208.
The operating frequency of No. 6 is set relatively high, and the room temperature changes at a high rate of change, as shown in period A of FIG. Note that FIG. 9 shows the case of the heating operation as an example, but the same applies to the case of the cooling operation. Also, room temperature T _ROOM and set temperature Ta
By the time deviation determination in step 214 becomes less than 1 ℃ is positive and the operating frequency of the compressor 26 is changed to a low value, the temperature change of the room temperature T _ROOM as shown in period B of FIG. 9 is very Becomes loose.

When the room temperature T _ROOM changes as described above and the determination in step 214 is affirmative, the elapsed time is counted in step 216. In the next step 218, it is determined whether or not the count value updated in step 216 has reached the value corresponding to 10 minutes. If the determination in step 218 is negative, the process returns to step 208 and step 20
8 to 218 are repeated. Therefore, step 216 is repeatedly executed after the determination in step 214 is affirmative, so that the elapsed time after the deviation between the room temperature T _ROOM and the set temperature Ta is less than 1 ° C. (the time period B in FIG. 9). Will be counted.

If the determination in step 218 is affirmative, the temperature sensation wave control described above is entered. That is, in step 220, it is determined whether or not the cooling operation is currently being performed. If the determination in step 220 is affirmative, step 22
In step 2, 1 ° C. is added to the set temperature Ta, and when the determination in step 220 is negative, the set temperature Ta is set in step 224.
Subtract 1 ° C from In the next step 226, a flag indicating whether or not the temperature sensation wave control is performed is turned on, and in the next step 228, the value of the counter X is initialized to "0" and the process returns to step 208. Therefore, in step 208, the operating frequency is changed according to the set temperature Ta changed in step 222 or step 224.

Further, as described above, since the flag indicating whether or not the temperature sensation wave control is performed is turned on, the determination at step 212 is affirmative from the next control cycle, and the routine proceeds to step 230. In step 230, counting of the elapsed time is newly started. In step 232, it is determined whether the count value updated in step 230 has reached a value corresponding to 1 minute. If the determination in step 230 is negative, the process returns to step 208, and the air conditioning control is continued according to the current set temperature Ta.

On the other hand, if one minute has elapsed and the determination in step 2323 is affirmative, in step 234, step 230 is performed.
Reset the count value updated by
At 36, target temperature setting / flap position setting processing is performed. Details of the target temperature setting / flap position setting processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step 250, it is determined whether the counter X has reached the maximum value X _max . Since X = 0 at this time, step 250
Is denied, and 1 is added to X in step 252. In step 256, the temperature fluctuation data DT (X) stored in advance in the ROM of the microcomputer 72C is fetched.

This temperature fluctuation data is shown in FIG. 1 as an example.
As shown in 0, the time series is continuous and the value is +0.5.
A plurality of values (X _max ) in which each value is set so as to change irregularly in the range of −0.5 (so that fluctuations occur in the value)
Data) (DT (1), DT (2), ...). The value of each data is specifically obtained by using the chaos arithmetic expression shown in the following equation (1) so as to have a power spectrum of 1 / f.

X _{n + 1} = (X _n + X _n ^1.5 ) MOD1 (1) However, the initial value of X _n X ₀ = 0.2 The fluctuation that results in the power spectrum of 1 / f, so-called 1 / f
An example of the f-fluctuation is a change in the human pulse, which is said to give the human a particularly comfortable feeling. Therefore, by performing the air conditioning control using the temperature fluctuation data obtained as described above, it is possible to give the occupant a particularly comfortable feeling.

In step 258, the target temperature Ta 'is calculated according to the following equation (2) based on the fetched temperature fluctuation data DT (X).

Ta ′ = Ta + DT (X) (2) From the next step 260 onward, the flap position is set as a process corresponding to the control means of the present invention. That is,
In step 260, it is determined whether the cooling operation is currently being performed. If the determination in step 260 is affirmative, step 2
62, DT (X) +0.5 is a predetermined value M (eg, "0.7
)) It is determined whether or not the above. If the determination in step 262 is negative, in step 264 the upper and lower flaps 62
As the position P representing the position of, the position facing the most upward among the six types of positions (see FIG. 6A) is set. If the determination in step 262 is affirmative, the position P facing the upper half of the person in the room (see FIG. 6B) is set as the position P in step 266.

On the other hand, if the determination in step 260 is negative, it is determined in step 268 whether DT (X) +0.5 is greater than or equal to the predetermined value M. When the determination in step 268 is negative, the position facing the foot of the person in the room (see FIG. 6E) is set as the position P representing the position of the upper and lower flaps 62 in step 270. When the determination in step 268 is affirmative, the position P in step 272 is set to the lowest position (the foot of the person in the room) of the six types of positions (see FIG. 6F). To do.

In the next step 274, it is determined whether or not the current position of the upper and lower flaps 62 matches the position P set above. Top and bottom flaps 62 if they match
Do not rotate, but if they do not match, step 2
The upper and lower flap motors 74A are driven by 76 to rotate the upper and lower flaps 62 to the previously set position P. With the above, the target temperature / flap position setting process ends, and the process returns to step 208 in the flowchart of FIG. 7.

After the flag indicating whether the temperature sensation wave control is performed is once turned on, the determination in step 212 is always affirmed until the new driving instruction information is received, and the target temperature / flap position is determined in 1-minute cycles. Although the setting process is performed,
Since the value of the counter X is incremented every time, the temperature fluctuation data DT (X) captured in the target temperature / flap position setting processing of each time is the next data that is continuous in time series with the previously captured data, Top and bottom flaps 6
The position of 2 is determined based on the temperature fluctuation data newly taken in each time, so the position is irregularly changed in a 1-minute cycle. As an example, if the temperature fluctuation data shown in FIG. 10 is used and the value corresponding to the position of the broken line shown in FIG. 10 is used as the predetermined value M, the “first position” (the position during cooling, the heating The positions of the upper and lower flaps 62 are irregularly changed, as indicated by "second position" (corresponding to position during cooling, position corresponding to heating).

Further, since the target temperature Ta 'is calculated based on the data newly taken in each time, the target temperature Ta' is in the range of Ta-1.5 ° C to Ta-0.5 ° C during heating, and Ta + 1.5 ° C during cooling. Within a range of ℃ to Ta + 0.5 ℃, it is irregularly changed and set every 1 minute. As a result, the room temperature is also irregularly changed in a 1-minute cycle as shown as a period C in FIG. As described above, according to the present invention, the positions of the upper and lower flaps 62 are irregularly changed, and the target temperature of the room temperature is also irregularly changed. Therefore, the synergistic effect of these causes the occupant to keep the indoor environment constant. It can be prevented from feeling, and the comfort felt by the occupants does not gradually diminish. Therefore, the energy consumed by the air conditioner will not be further increased by the occupants changing the target temperature in order to obtain a comfortable feeling, and compared with the case where the air conditioning is controlled so that the room temperature becomes the set temperature Ta. As a result, energy saving can be achieved without impairing comfort.

Further, the position of the upper and lower flaps 62 is moved to a range corresponding to the upper side of the room during the cooling operation (positions from the position to) and a range corresponding to the lower side of the room during the heating operation. Position), the wind directions of the cool air discharged during the cooling operation and the hot air discharged during the heating operation are controlled to the appropriate wind directions that make it easy for the occupants to feel comfortable. The comfort can be further improved.

On the other hand, when new driving instruction information is received, the determination at step 210 is affirmed, and the target temperature Ta '
Also, the temperature sensation wave control according to the present embodiment, which randomly changes the positions of the upper and lower flaps 62, is stopped, and step 200
Return to

Although a predetermined value M is used as the threshold value for changing the position of the upper and lower flaps 62 in the above description, the present invention is not limited to this and the outside temperature The threshold value may be changed according to the above. Specifically, for example, during heating operation and when the outside air temperature is low, the time for which the position of the upper and lower flaps 62 is located at is longer (in the present embodiment, the value of the predetermined value M is increased). The threshold value may be changed.

In the above, the position of the upper and lower flaps 62 is set using the temperature fluctuation data.
The present invention is not limited to this, and data for setting the positions of the upper and lower flaps 62 may be provided separately from the temperature fluctuation data. Further, instead of the data for setting the position, an arithmetic expression for changing the positions of the upper and lower flaps irregularly (for example, the above formula (1)) is stored, and the upper and lower flaps are stored based on this arithmetic expression. The position of 62 may be calculated.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the position of the upper and lower flaps 62 is changed to change the discharge direction of the conditioned air along the vertical direction in the room to be conditioned, but the changing direction of the wind direction is as described above. It is needless to say that the wind direction may be changed to the left and right directions by changing the positions of the left and right flaps 64 and the like.

Furthermore, in the above, the upper and lower flaps 62 are positioned at any of the six positions,
The present invention is not limited to this, and the positions of the upper and lower flaps 62 may be changed more finely when the position of the flap according to the present invention is changed.

In the above description, the case in which the discharge direction of the conditioned air discharged through the fixedly arranged discharge ports is changed by the upper and lower flaps 62 as the wind direction changing means has been described, but the direction of the discharge ports is changed. Therefore, the discharge direction of the conditioned air may be changed. For example, the wind direction changing means may be constituted by a nozzle connected to the air passage, and the direction of discharge of the conditioned air may be changed by changing the direction of the nozzle.

Further, although an air conditioner having a cooling function and a heating function (so-called air conditioner) has been described above as an example, the configuration of the air conditioner according to the present invention is not limited to the above, and the cooling function is not limited thereto. It is also possible to apply the present invention to an air conditioner having only one of the heating function and the heating function.

[0060]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the discharge direction of the conditioned air which is temperature-controlled by the heat exchanger and is supplied into the conditioned chamber is irregular and automatic within a predetermined range. Since it is changed to, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that energy consumption can be reduced without impairing a feeling of comfort.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, during cooling, the conditioned air discharge direction is controlled so as to change within a predetermined range corresponding to the upper side of the conditioned room, and during heating, the conditioned air discharge direction is controlled. Since the control is performed so as to change within a predetermined range corresponding to the lower side of the room, the excellent effect that the comfort feeling felt by the person in the room can be further improved is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a piping diagram showing a refrigeration cycle of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an indoor unit.

FIG. 3 is an external view of an indoor unit.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing an electric circuit provided in the indoor unit.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing an electric circuit provided in the outdoor unit.

6 (A) to (F) are schematic views respectively showing six positions of upper and lower flaps.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the contents of target temperature / flap position setting processing.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of changes in room temperature due to air conditioning control according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of temperature fluctuation data.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Indoor Unit 12 Outdoor Unit 16 Indoor Heat Exchanger 50 Cross Flow Fan 62 Vertical Flap 72B Drive Circuit 72C Microcomputer 74A Vertical Flap Motor

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Kazuhito Fujin 2-5-5 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner configured to supply conditioned air, whose temperature is controlled by a heat exchanger based on a room temperature and a set temperature, into a conditioned room, wherein a wind direction is changed to change a discharge direction of the conditioned air. An air conditioner comprising: a means and a control means for changing the discharge direction irregularly and automatically within a predetermined range. 2. The control means controls the wind direction changing means so that the discharge direction of the conditioned air changes within a predetermined range corresponding to the upper side of the conditioned room when cooling is performed. The air-direction changing unit is controlled so that the discharge direction of the conditioned air changes within a predetermined range corresponding to the lower side of the conditioned room when heating is performed. Air conditioner.