JPH1163621A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To alarm a maintenance time accurately by integrating on periods in which supply air cleaning operation is carried out in the case that an ion wind operation and the supply air cleaning operation can be changed over and operating alarm means which directs cleaning of a filter of an electric precipitator is operated when the integrated value reaches a given value. SOLUTION: When an operation of an air conditioner is started, a main control circuit 10 supplies electricity to an electric precipitator 15 and judges whether the operation is an ion wind operation or not. In the case that it is judged that the operation is the ion wind operation, the main control circuit 10 integrated the value multiplied by a weighting coefficient to a timer each time a reference time elapses. In the case that it is judged that the operation is not the ion wind operation, the main control circuit 10 supplies electricity to the electric precipitator 15 and judges whether the operation is an air cleaning operation or not. In the case that the operation is the air cleaning operation, the value obtained by multiplying weighting coefficient to the reference time corresponding to the air volume on a given slot is added to the current integrated value. Then, the main control circuit 10 judges whether the integrated value of the timer exceeds a predetermined value or not. In the case that the integrated value exceeds the predetermined value, a filter cleaning indication LED 18 is lit thus requesting cleaning of a filter 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner including an air blower for ventilating an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor unit containing an electric precipitator for trapping suspended particles in the air passage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an electrostatic precipitator produces a so-called corona when an appropriate non-uniform electric field is formed by a negative discharge electrode and a positive precipitating electrode, and the applied voltage of the electric field is appropriately increased. Discharge occurs and electrons are generated from the discharge electrode to create negative ions, which travel toward the dust collection electrode.
When air to be cleaned is passed through the electric field, suspended particles contained in the air collide with negative ions to form a negatively charged body, which is adsorbed to the dust collection electrode by Coulomb force.

[0003] By incorporating such an electrostatic precipitator into an air conditioner, air purification can be achieved together with air conditioning. In this case, the electric precipitator is provided on the upstream side of the indoor heat exchanger when viewed from a ventilation path for ventilating the indoor heat exchanger, and the dust collection electrode is also called a filter, and the amount of adsorbed suspended particles reduces purification efficiency. Removal of attached particles at the stage where they are deposited to the extent of lowering,
That is, cleaning is forced.

Conventionally, the operation time of an electric precipitator is integrated,
When the integrated value reaches a predetermined value, a means for urging the filter to be cleaned, that is, a means for urging maintenance is operated. For example, a display lamp has been used as the means.

[0005] As is well known, an air conditioner stops air blowing when a temperature of an indoor heat exchanger is low in a heating operation mode,
The air volume is changed according to the deviation between the room temperature and the set value. In addition, the direction of air discharge is changed according to operation modes such as heating, cooling, and dehumidification. Thus, it is not difficult to imagine that if the air volume or the air discharge direction is different, the amount of particles attached to the filter also changes. However, this type of conventional air conditioner is configured to accumulate the operation time of the electric precipitator irrespective of the air volume and the operation mode, and to prompt maintenance when the accumulated value reaches a predetermined value. Was. For this reason, there has been a problem that maintenance is urged when the amount of adhered particles is small, or conversely, when maintenance is required, this is not urged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of notifying a time for urging maintenance substantially accurately according to the degree of contamination of a filter. I do.

[0007]

The invention according to claim 1 is
An indoor heat exchanger that forms a refrigeration cycle, a blower that ventilates the indoor heat exchanger, and an indoor unit that houses an electric precipitator that collects suspended particles in the ventilation path are provided, and the blower is stopped and the electric precipitator is operated. Notification means for instructing the cleaning of the filter of the electrostatic precipitator in the air conditioner capable of switching between the ion wind operation and the air purifying operation for operating both the blower and the electric precipitator, and the time during which the air purifying operation was performed. And a timer means for instructing the informing means to perform a cleaning instruction when the integrated value reaches a predetermined value.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger forming a refrigeration cycle, a blower for ventilating the indoor heat exchanger, and an electric dust collector for trapping suspended particles in the ventilation passage. In the air conditioner, which is capable of switching between an ion wind operation in which the blower is stopped and the electric dust collector is operated to operate and an air purifying operation in which both the blower and the electric dust collector are operated, a notification instructing to clean the filter of the electric dust collector. When the ion wind operation is performed, the reference time is multiplied and multiplied by a predetermined weight coefficient, and when the blast cleaning operation is performed, the reference time is multiplied by a weight coefficient having a value larger than the weight coefficient. And a timer means for informing the notifying means of a cleaning instruction when the integrated value reaches a predetermined value.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the air conditioner according to the first or second aspect, the air conditioner further comprises means for adjusting the air volume of the ventilation path, and the timer means has a larger weight as the air volume increases during the ventilation cleaning operation. It is characterized in that the coefficient is multiplied by a reference time and integrated.

[0010] The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claims 1 to 3.
The air conditioner according to any one of the above, further comprising means for operating the refrigeration cycle by switching to a plurality of modes including cooling and heating, the timer means as a weight coefficient at the time of blast cleaning operation, a value according to the operation mode. Are characterized by using different weighting factors.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claims 1 to 4
The air conditioner according to any one of the above, further comprising a remote control device capable of setting an air volume and an operation mode, wherein the remote control device is provided with timer means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the air conditioner of the fifth aspect, the notifying means is provided in the indoor unit,
A signal for operating the notification means when the integrated value reaches a predetermined value is included in a series of signals transmitted when the remote control device is operated.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger forming a refrigeration cycle, a blower for ventilating the indoor heat exchanger, and an electric dust collector for collecting suspended particles in the ventilation passage. And a refrigeration cycle, a main body control unit that controls the blower and the electric dust collector, and an air conditioner including a remote control device that transmits a setting signal to the main body control unit, a notification unit that instructs cleaning of a filter of the electric dust collector, Provided in both the main unit control unit and the remote control device,
Timer means for multiplying the reference time by a weighting factor determined according to the control state of the main body control unit and generating a signal when the integrated value reaches a predetermined value, The notifying means is operated by the timer means which has generated the signal.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of one embodiment of the present invention together with a refrigeration cycle. In FIG. 1, a compressor 1 is connected to a series connection path of an indoor heat exchanger 3, an electric expansion valve 4, and an outdoor heat exchanger 5 via a four-way valve 2, forming a well-known refrigeration cycle. . In this case, the four-way valve 2 forms the illustrated flow path corresponding to the heating operation mode, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 flows from the compressor 1 to the four-way valve 2 to the indoor heat as indicated by an arrow x. Exchanger 3 → electric expansion valve 4 → outdoor heat exchanger 5 → four-way valve 2
→ Circulates in the path of the compressor 1. In the cooling operation mode, the flow path is switched by the four-way valve 2 so that the circulation direction of the refrigerant is reversed. Among them, the indoor heat exchanger 3 is provided with an indoor fan 6 for promoting the heat exchange, and the outdoor heat exchanger 5 is also provided with an outdoor fan 7 for promoting the heat exchange.

The indoor fan 6 is disposed in a ventilation path formed to allow the wind W to pass through the indoor heat exchanger 3, and when the wind W passes in the direction indicated by the arrow, an electric fan having a filter 16 as a dust collection electrode is provided. A dust collector 15 is provided on the upstream side. Further, a temperature sensor 14 for detecting the room temperature is provided on the wind suction side of the electrostatic precipitator 15.

On the other hand, the microcontroller unit (M
The main control circuit 10 as a main body control unit including the CU) includes an inverter device 1 for controlling the capacity of the compressor 1.
1, an indoor fan control circuit 12 for controlling the speed of the indoor fan 6 including stopping, a high voltage generating circuit 17 for applying a high voltage to the electrostatic precipitator 15, and a filter cleaning display as an informing means for instructing the filter 16 to be cleaned. The LED 18 is connected, and a setting signal is transmitted to the main control circuit 10 from a remote controller 20 as a remote control device.

The inverter 11 converts AC of commercial power into DC, converts the AC into a AC having a frequency according to a frequency command Hz given from the main control circuit 10, and supplies the AC to the compressor 1. . Also, the indoor fan control circuit 1
Reference numeral 2 denotes a converter for converting the AC of a commercial power supply into a DC, and converting the AC into a AC having a frequency corresponding to the rotation speed command Fs of the main control circuit 10 to control the speed of the drive motor of the indoor fan 6. Similarly, the outdoor fan control circuit 13 controls the speed of the outdoor fan control circuit 13 by converting AC of commercial power into DC and converting the AC into a AC having a frequency corresponding to the rotation speed command Fos of the main control circuit 10. is there. The remote controller 20 sets the operation mode, the room temperature, the air volume of the indoor fan 6, and the like, and transmits the setting signal to the main control circuit 10 as a serial signal having a predetermined number of bits.

In addition, among the components shown in FIG. 1, the indoor heat exchanger 3, the indoor fan 6, the main control circuit 10, the indoor fan control circuit 12, the temperature sensor 14, the electric dust collector 15, the filter 16, and the filter cleaning display. The LED 18 is housed in a housing forming an indoor unit, and the compressor 1, the four-way valve 2,
The electric expansion valve 4, the outdoor heat exchanger 5, the outdoor fan 7, the inverter device 11, and the outdoor fan control circuit 13 are housed in a housing forming an outdoor unit.

The operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. Operation of the air conditioner, operation stop of the electric dust collector 15 by the remote controller 20,
When the selection of the operation mode, the room temperature, the air volume, and the like are set, these command values and set values are coded and transmitted to the main control circuit 10 as a serial signal having a predetermined number of bits. The microprocessor unit constituting the main control circuit 10 decodes the serial signal and executes a predetermined operation to transmit a frequency command Hz to the inverter device 11, a rotation speed command Fs to the indoor fan control circuit 12, and an outdoor command. A rotation speed command Fos is given to the fan control circuit 13. In addition, according to the operation mode, an excitation or non-excitation command is given to the valve control circuit, and the valve control circuit controls the excitation or non-excitation of the four-way valve 2. The illustration is omitted for clarification.

In this way, if the operation mode is set to, for example, heating, the frequency command H of the main control circuit 10 is set.
z, the compressor 1 is driven, and the refrigerant is circulated in the direction of arrow x. At this time, the indoor fan control circuit 12 controls the speed of the indoor fan 6 and the outdoor fan control circuit 13
Controls the speed of the outdoor fan 7. Thus, the heating operation is started.

When the main control circuit 10 outputs the frequency command Hz to the inverter device 11, the difference between the room temperature set by the remote controller 20 and the room temperature detected by the temperature sensor 14 is reduced to zero. A predetermined frequency command Hz is selected so as to approach the frequency command.
Further, the main control circuit 10 outputs a command to stop the operation of the indoor fan 6 until the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 3 rises to a predetermined value, for example, in order to prevent the blowing of cool air at the start of the operation.

When a command to operate the electrostatic precipitator 15 is given from the remote controller 20, the main control circuit 10 gives an operation command to the high voltage generating circuit 17, and the high voltage generating circuit 17 sends a high voltage to the electric precipitator 15. Is applied. As a result, the electric dust collector 15 is operated, and the suspended particles in the air adhere to the filter 16. The amount of the suspended particles adhering to the filter 16 is determined by the rotation speed of the indoor fan 6,
It changes greatly according to the wind speed. For example, the electric dust collector 15
In the so-called ion wind operation, in which the indoor fan 6 is stopped, the amount of particles attached to the filter 16 is small, and in the air cleaning operation in which both the electric precipitator 15 and the indoor fan 6 are operated, the amount of particles passing through the electric precipitator 15 is reduced. Adsorption amount is different. Further, even if the air volume passing through the electrostatic precipitator 15 is the same, it is conceivable that the amount of adsorption also changes according to the operation mode. The main control circuit 10 calculates the amount of particles attached to the filter 16 on the basis of the ion wind operation time, the air flow corresponding to the rotation speed command during the air cleaning operation, and the operation mode, and the degree of dirt needs to be removed. When the amount reaches the filter cleaning LED1
8 is turned on to clean the filter 16 itself,
This will encourage maintenance.

Here, the main control circuit 10 includes an electric dust collector 15
Is multiplied by the weighting coefficient according to the air volume, the operation mode and the like to calculate the amount of particles attached to the filter 16.
Hereinafter, a specific example thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the main control circuit 10 in a case where the apparatus is capable of switching between the ion wind operation and the air cleaning operation, and particularly when the air flow is switched in three stages. In this specification, these processing functions are referred to as timer means. In this case, in step 101 immediately after the operation of the air conditioner is started, it is determined whether or not the electric dust collector 15 is energized and the indoor fan 6 is stopped to perform the ion wind operation. Here, when it is determined that the operation is the ion wind operation, the timer M accumulates a value a · t multiplied by the weighting coefficient a every time the reference time t elapses in step 102. That is, starting from the time when the filter 16 is cleaned,
A process of adding t to obtain a new integrated value T is executed. Then, after executing the processing of step 102, the processing moves to the processing of step 111 and thereafter.

When it is determined that the operation is not the ion wind operation, the electric dust collector 15 is energized in step 103, and
It is determined whether or not the air purifying operation for operating the indoor fan 6 is performed. If it is determined that the air-cleaning operation is performed, it is determined in step 104 whether the air-conditioning operation for actually operating the compressor 1 is performed. If it is determined that the air-conditioning operation is being performed, step 105
It is determined whether the air volume at that time is “large”, “medium” or “small”. If the air volume is “large”, the value c1 · t obtained by multiplying the reference time t by the weighting factor c1 is determined in step 106. If the state is “medium”, the value c2 · t obtained by multiplying the reference time t by the weighting coefficient c2 is added to the current integrated value T in step 107 to determine whether the state is “small”. In step 108, reference time t
Is multiplied by a weighting factor c3, and a value c3 · t is added to the current integrated value T, and then the process proceeds to step 111 and subsequent steps.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 103 that the operation is not the air cleaning operation, for example, if no voltage is applied to the electrostatic precipitator 15, the time accumulation by the timer M is stopped in step 109, and in step 104, For example, if it is not an air-conditioning operation such as a defrosting operation, a value b · t obtained by multiplying the reference time t by the weighting coefficient b is added to the current integrated value T in step 110, and the process proceeds to step 111 and subsequent steps.

Here, the weighting factors a, b, c1, c2, and c3 are expressed as a
Set as <b <c3 <c2 <c1. That is, the higher the effect of air cleaning, the greater the increase rate of the integrated value of the timer M.

Next, at step 111, it is determined whether or not the integrated value T of the timer M has exceeded a set value ts corresponding to dirt requiring cleaning of the filter 16, and the integrated value T has exceeded the set value ts. If so, in step 112 the filter cleaning display LED 18 is turned on to urge the filter 16 to be cleaned. When the filter cleaning display LED 18 is turned on, the filter cleaning display LED 18 is turned off when the user turns on a reset button (not shown) at the stage where the filter 16 is cleaned. This reset button is provided in the main control circuit 10. Therefore, the main control circuit 10 determines whether or not the reset button has been turned on in step 113. If it is determined that the reset button has been turned on, the integrated value of the timer M is reset to an initial value, for example, “zero” in step 114. Then, the process returns to step 101. If it is determined in step 113 that the reset button has not been turned on, the process returns to step 101 immediately without resetting the timer M. That is, the filter cleaning display LED 18 is kept turned on.

Thus, by executing the processing shown in FIG. 2, the values multiplied by the larger weighting factor as the air volume increases in accordance with the air cleaning efficiency are sequentially integrated, and the integrated value reaches a predetermined value. Filter cleaning display LED at stage
Since the lamp 18 is turned on, the timing for prompting the cleaning of the filter 16 can be adjusted quite accurately to the degree of contamination of the filter.

In the above-described embodiment, when the ion wind operation is performed in step 101, the reference time t is multiplied by the minimum weight coefficient a, but the weight coefficient during the ion wind operation is set to "zero". By setting, it becomes possible to detect dirt by integrating only the air cleaning operation time when the amount of particles attached is significantly increased.

Incidentally, the degree of contamination of the filter 16 depends not only on the air volume but also on the operation mode. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure of the main control circuit 10 when the operation mode is switched to the heating, cooling, and dehumidification modes, particularly for an apparatus capable of switching between the ion wind operation and the air cleaning operation. In this case, in step 201 immediately after the operation of the air conditioner is started, it is determined whether or not the operation is the ion wind operation. Here, if it is determined that the operation is the ion wind operation, the value a · t multiplied by the weighting coefficient a is integrated every time the reference time t elapses in step 202, and then the process proceeds to step 211 and subsequent steps.

If it is determined in step 201 that the operation is not the ion wind operation, it is determined in step 203 whether or not the operation is the air cleaning operation. If it is determined that the operation is not the air cleaning operation, the weight coefficient b
After multiplying the value b · t by multiplying by, the process proceeds to step 211 and subsequent steps. If it is determined in step 203 that the operation is the air cleaning operation, it is determined in step 205 whether or not the air-conditioning operation for actually operating the compressor 1 is performed. If it is determined that the air-conditioning operation is performed, the operation mode at that time is set to “heating” in step 206.
Judge whether it is "cooling" or "dehumidification", and
Mode, the weighting coefficient is added to the reference time t in step 207.
The value d1 · t multiplied by d1 is added to the current integrated value T. If the mode is the “cooling” mode, in step 208, the value d2 · t obtained by multiplying the reference time t by the weighting factor d2 is added to the current integrated value T. Add
If the mode is the "dehumidification" mode, the value d3 · t obtained by multiplying the reference time t by the weighting factor d3 is added to the current integrated value T in step 209, and then the process proceeds to step 211 and subsequent steps.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 205 that the air conditioner is not in the air-conditioning operation, the operation corresponds to substantially the completely stopped state of the air conditioner. Move on to

Here, the weighting factors a, b, d1, d2, and d3 are expressed as a
<B <d3 <d2 <d1 That is, the higher the effect of air cleaning, the greater the increase rate of the integrated value of the timer M.

In steps 211 to 214, the same processing as steps 111 to 114 described with reference to FIG. 2 is executed. In the above-described embodiment, when the ion wind operation is performed in step 201, the reference time t is multiplied by the minimum weight coefficient a, but the weight coefficient during the ion wind operation is set to “zero”. This makes it possible to detect dirt by integrating only the blast cleaning operation time in which the amount of adhered particles is significantly increased.

Thus, by executing the processing shown in FIG. 3, even in an installation environment of an air conditioner in which the amount of dust collected depends on the operation mode, the greater the air purification efficiency is predicted to be, the greater the weight. The values obtained by multiplying the coefficients are successively integrated, and the filter cleaning display LED 18 is turned on when the integrated value reaches a predetermined value. Therefore, the timing for prompting the cleaning of the filter 16 can be adjusted quite accurately to the degree of contamination of the filter. it can.

2 and 3, the main control circuit 10 constituting the indoor unit has made the determination of the degree of contamination of the filter 16, but the commercial power supply to which the air conditioner is connected is cut off or the commercial power supply is disconnected. When the plug connected to the power supply is unplugged, the integrated value of the timer means is cleared, and it is expected that the integrated value does not reflect the degree of contamination of the filter 16. On the other hand, the remote controller 20 has a built-in battery, and the microcontroller unit (MCU) is operated by the battery. Accordingly, if the microcontroller unit of the remote controller 20 is provided with the function of the timer means described above, the degree of contamination of the filter 16 can be determined without being affected by a power failure or plugging / unplugging.
In this case, since the remote controller 20 transmits a setting signal or the like only during the operation, it is necessary to include a filter cleaning display command in a series of signals transmitted during the operation.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the microcontroller unit constituting the remote controller 20 to execute these controls. FIG.
Steps 301 to 310 in FIG.
Since the same processing as steps 1 to 210 is performed, detailed description thereof is omitted. Then, after executing the processing of steps 301 to 310, the processing shifts to the processing of step 311 and thereafter.

In step 311, it is determined whether or not the integrated value T of the timer M has exceeded a set value ts corresponding to the degree of contamination that requires the filter 16 to be cleaned. Here, the integrated value T
If exceeds the set value ts, in step 312 a lighting instruction for a filter cleaning display provided in the indoor unit is set therein. In this case, a reset button that is turned on at the end of cleaning of the filter 16 is provided in the remote controller 20. Therefore, in step 311, the integrated value T
Does not reach the set value ts, or it is determined whether or not the reset button has been turned on in step 313 after the lighting command of the filter cleaning display has been set internally in step 312, and it has been turned on. If so, step
At 314, the accumulated time of the timer M is reset.
Set the filter cleaning display turn-off command at.

Next, at step 316, it is determined whether or not any of the set buttons of the remote controller 20 has been operated, and if it has been determined, at step 317, the presence or absence of a signal to be transmitted is determined. When it is determined that there is a signal, it is determined in step 318 whether or not the lighting command of the filter cleaning display is set internally. If it has been set, in step 319, a series of transmission signals are followed by a filter. Sending the cleaning display lighting command and step 301
Return to the processing of. On the other hand, if it is determined in step 318 that the filter cleaning display lighting command has not been set internally, it is determined in step 320 whether the filter cleaning display turning off command has been set internally. If so, at step 321, a command to turn off the filter cleaning display is transmitted following a series of transmission signals, and step 301
Return to the processing of.

If it is determined in step 316 that the set button of the remote controller 20 has not been operated, or if it is determined in step 317 that there is no signal to be transmitted, the process immediately returns to step 301. .

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the main control circuit 10 for receiving a signal of the remote controller 20 for executing the processing shown in FIG. In this case, it is determined in step 401 whether or not there is a filter cleaning display lighting command. If the command is present, the filter cleaning display LED 18 is turned on in step 402, and the process returns to step 401 to return to the filter cleaning display. If there is no lighting command, it is determined in step 403 whether or not there is a command to turn off the filter cleaning display. If there is such a command, the filter cleaning display LED 18 is turned off in step 404, and the process proceeds to step 401. Return.

In the above-described embodiment, when the ion wind operation is performed in step 101, the reference time t is multiplied by the minimum weight coefficient a. However, the weight coefficient during the ion wind operation is set to “zero”. By setting, it becomes possible to detect dirt by integrating only the air cleaning operation time when the amount of particles attached is significantly increased.

Thus, by executing the processing shown in FIG. 4 in the remote controller 20 and executing the processing shown in FIG. 5 in the main control circuit 10 of the indoor unit, the filter is not affected by a power failure or plugging / unplugging. The degree of contamination can be determined.

In the processing procedure shown in FIG. 2, the weighting factor by which the reference time t is multiplied is changed as c1, c2, and c3 according to the air volume, and in the processing procedure shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. The weighting factors for multiplying the reference time t according to are d1, d2,
When the integrated value T exceeds a predetermined time ts, the filter 16 is determined to be dirty to the extent that cleaning is necessary. However, it is determined by a combination of the air volume and the operation mode. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the weighting factors by which the reference time t is multiplied by the number of times determined are determined, and the integration is performed. As a result, the degree of dirt can be determined more accurately by considering both the air volume and the operation mode.

In the above embodiment, the filter 1 is provided in one of the indoor unit and the remote controller.
Although the timer means for judging the degree of contamination of No. 6 is provided, the timer means described above is provided in both the indoor unit and the remote controller, and the filter cleaning indication LED 18 is turned on by the timer means which generates a signal at any point. May be.

In the above embodiment, the LED is used as an instruction to clean the filter of the electric dust collector.
Instead, a buzzer may be used, or the situation may be notified by voice using voice synthesis. In short, a notification unit for instructing cleaning of the filter may be provided.

[0047]

According to the first aspect of the invention, when it is possible to switch between the ion-air operation and the air-cleaning operation, only the time during which the air-cleaning operation is performed is integrated, and the integrated value becomes a predetermined value. When it arrives, the notification means for instructing cleaning of the filter of the electrostatic precipitator is operated, so that there is an effect that the time for urging the maintenance can be notified almost exactly according to the degree of contamination of the filter.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when it is possible to switch between the ion wind operation and the air cleaning operation, the time during which the ion wind operation is performed is multiplied by a weighting factor and integrated.
The air purifying operation is multiplied by a weighting factor having a value larger than the weighting factor and integrated, and when the integrated value reaches a predetermined value, the notification means for instructing the cleaning of the filter of the electrostatic precipitator is operated. Therefore, there is an effect that the time when the maintenance is urged can be notified substantially in accordance with the degree of contamination of the filter.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when a means for adjusting the air volume of the ventilation path is provided, a larger weight coefficient is used as the air volume increases.
There is an effect that the degree of contamination of the filter can be calculated more accurately than that described in (1).

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when a means for operating the refrigeration cycle by switching to a plurality of modes including cooling and heating is included, the weight coefficient in the air cleaning operation is set to a value corresponding to the operation mode. Since different weight coefficients are used, there is an effect that the degree of contamination of the filter can be more accurately determined than that of the first or second aspect.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the timer means for judging the degree of contamination of the filter is provided in the remote control device capable of setting the air volume and the operation mode, the filter is not affected by a power failure or plugging / unplugging. A new effect is obtained in which the degree of dirt can be determined.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a signal for operating the notifying means when the integrated value of the timer means reaches a predetermined value is included in a series of signals transmitted when operating the remote controller. Even if the remote control device is not used and stored in a place where the remote control signal does not reach, the remote control device must be actually removed and the transmission operation must be performed, so the signal for prompting maintenance is securely sent to the main unit control unit. Can be sent.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the weighting coefficient determined according to the control state of the main body control section is multiplied by the reference time and integrated, and a signal is generated when the integrated value reaches a predetermined value. Timer means to perform both the main body control unit and the remote control device, and the timer means that has generated a signal at one of them activates the notification means that prompts maintenance, so it is not affected by a power failure or plugging / unplugging. In addition, the effect of reliably preventing erroneous recognition or the like based on the failure of signal transmission and reception between the remote control device and the main body control unit can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, together with a refrigeration cycle.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a main control circuit constituting the indoor unit of the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing another processing procedure of the main control circuit constituting the indoor unit of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a signal processing unit of the remote control device when a main function is provided to the remote control device as another embodiment of the present invention.

5 corresponds to the processing of the remote control device shown in FIG. 4,
9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure on the indoor unit side.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Compressor 2 Four-way valve 3 Indoor heat exchanger 4 Electric expansion valve 5 Outdoor heat exchanger 6 Indoor fan 7 Outdoor fan 10 Main control circuit 11 Inverter device 12 Indoor fan control circuit 13 Outdoor fan control circuit 14 Temperature sensor 15 Electric dust collector 16 Filter 17 High voltage generation circuit 18 Filter cleaning display LED 20 Remote controller

Claims (7)

[Claims] An indoor unit comprising an indoor heat exchanger forming a refrigeration cycle, a blower for ventilating the indoor heat exchanger, and an electric dust collector for trapping suspended particles in the ventilation passage, is provided. In an air conditioner that can be switched to an ion wind operation that stops and operates the electric dust collector and a blow-cleaning operation that operates both the blower and the electric dust collector, a notification unit that instructs cleaning of a filter of the electric dust collector; Timer means for accumulating only the time during which the blast cleaning operation is performed, and when the accumulated value reaches a predetermined value, causing the notifying means to perform a cleaning instruction operation. Machine. 2. An indoor unit which houses an indoor heat exchanger forming a refrigeration cycle, a blower for ventilating the indoor heat exchanger, and an electric dust collector for trapping suspended particles in the ventilation passage. In an air conditioner that can be switched to an ion wind operation that stops and operates the electric dust collector and a blow-cleaning operation that operates both the blower and the electric dust collector, a notification unit that instructs cleaning of a filter of the electric dust collector; When the ion wind operation is performed, the reference time is multiplied by a predetermined weighting factor and integrated, and when the blast cleaning operation is performed, the reference time is multiplied by a weighting factor larger than the weighting factor. An air conditioner, comprising: timer means for accumulating and, when the integrated value reaches a predetermined value, causing the notifying means to perform a cleaning instruction operation. 3. A means for adjusting an air volume of the ventilation path,
3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the timer means multiplies the reference time by a weighting factor having a larger value as the air volume increases during the air blowing operation. 4. 4. A means for operating the refrigeration cycle by switching to a plurality of modes including cooling and heating, wherein the timer means has different weights as weighting factors for the air purifying operation depending on the operation mode. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a coefficient is used. 5. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising a remote controller capable of setting the air volume and the operation mode, wherein the remote controller is provided with the timer. 6. The informing means is provided in the indoor unit,
The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein a signal for operating the notification means when the integrated value reaches a predetermined value is included in a series of signals transmitted when the remote control device is operated. 7. An indoor unit which houses an indoor heat exchanger forming a refrigerating cycle, a blower for ventilating the indoor heat exchanger, and an electric precipitator for trapping suspended particles in a ventilation path of the indoor heat exchanger. In an air conditioner including a main body control unit that controls a blower and an electrostatic precipitator, and a remote control device that transmits a setting signal to the main body control unit, a notification unit that instructs cleaning of a filter of the electric precipitator; Unit and the remote control device, respectively, multiplying a reference time by a weighting factor determined according to a control state of the main body control unit, and generating a signal when the integrated value reaches a predetermined value. An air conditioner, comprising: a timer unit that generates a signal, and the notification unit is operated by the timer unit that has generated a signal.