JPS62134435A - Device for detecting water level of condensed water of ceiling recessed type air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent drain water from overflowing and remove stains of ceiling surfaces and the lower floor by providing a water level detecting part for detecting the water level before overflowing in the vicinity of a position which becomes the upper limit water level of a drain pan, and stopping a compressor by an output from a water level detecting portion. CONSTITUTION:Drain condensed in a heat exchanger 16 passes through a strainer 19 from a drain pan 17 and is discharged through a drain pipe 18. When clogging is generated at the strainer 19 and the water level within the drain pan 17 rises up and thus overflowing is to almost start, a water level detecting part 20 is immersed in water, thus resulting in short-circuiting of two electrode parts. Therefore, a high level signal is outputted to a control part 26 to judge the output to a driver circuit 27. Dashed on the output due to the electrode short-circuiting the operation of the compressor 15 is stopped by the driver circuit 27.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a condensation water level detection device for a ceiling-embedded air conditioner that is suspended and installed in the attic of a building or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 2, this type of ceiling-embedded air conditioner has a main body 3 suspended in an attic 2 behind a ceiling surface 1. A blower 4, a compressor 9, and a heat exchanger 5 are provided within the main body 3, and a drain pan 6 is provided below the heat exchanger 6. The drain pan 6 is provided with a strainer 7 with coarse joints, to which a slightly sloped drain pipe 8 is connected, and the drain pan 6 receives condensed water on the heat exchanger 5 during cooling, and this drain is passed through the strainer. -7, drain pipe 8, and drain main pipe (not shown).

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In such a conventional configuration, since the strainer 7 is provided in the drain pan 6, the drain pipe 8 is less likely to be clogged, but on the other hand, when dust accumulates, the strainer 7 becomes clogged. However, since the flow to the drain pipe 8 is poor and the drainage condition is poor, the drain becomes clogged in the drain pan 6 and water overflows from the drain pan 6. When water overflows, water falls from the main body 3 onto the ceiling 1, causing problems such as water leaking from the ceiling 1 and damage to electrical systems such as fluorescent lights.

The present invention takes these problems into consideration and aims to prevent drain overflow accidents.

Means to Solve the Problem In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a water level detection section for detecting the water level before flooding near the upper limit water level of the drain pan, and an operation switch connected to this water level detection section. The compressor is equipped with a control section that controls and determines the output to the driver circuit based on the section output, and a driver circuit that outputs the operation of the compressor.

Effect: With this configuration, drain water just before overflowing from the drain pan is detected by the water level detection section and output to the control section via the operation switch section, and based on the control judgment of this control section, the drain water is detected via the driver circuit. The compressor will be stopped.

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. A main body 13 of the air conditioner is installed by hanging inside the attic 12 on the back side of the ceiling surface 11. The interior of the main body 13 is provided with a blower, a compressor 16, and a heat exchanger 16 that acts as an evaporator during cooling and as a condenser during heating. A drain pan 17 is provided below the heat exchanger 16 to receive condensed water generated during cooling, and a strainer 19 is provided at the drain port of the drain pan 17 to stop dust and prevent clogging of the drain pipe 18. Further, an electrode 20 serving as a water level detection section is provided near the water level of the drain pan 17, and is connected to an operation switch section 22 by a lead wire 21. The operation switch section 22 includes a non-lock type operation switch 25 connected to a vCC power source 23 via a limiting resistor 24, and an electrode section 33 provided in parallel with the operation switch 25. The operation switch section 22 is connected to a control section 26 that determines whether or not to output the signal to the driver circuit 2 based on the output signal, and the driver circuit 27 stops the compressor 15. Note that on one side of the main body 13 there is an indoor air intake port 28 for introducing indoor air;
On the other side, an indoor air outlet 31 is provided which is connected to an air outlet grille 3Q provided on the ceiling surface 11 via a duct 29.

In the above configuration, during cooling/heating operation, air inside the attic 12 is sucked in, or indoor air is taken in through a duct (not shown) and flows into the indoor suction port 28 into the heat exchanger 1.
At step 6, the air becomes cold or warm air, flows through the duct 29, and is blown into the room through the indoor air outlet 31. During this cooling operation, condensate condensing on the heat exchanger 16 falls into a drain pan 17, passes through a strainer 19, and is drained from a sloped drain pipe 18 to a drain main pipe (not shown).

At this time, if the strainer 19 becomes clogged,
The water level in the drain pan 1a is rising. When the water rises and the water level is about to overflow, the water level detecting section 20 is eroded by water, and the two electrode sections 33 become short-circuited.

Due to a short circuit in the electrode section 33 due to flooding of the water level detection section 20, the operation switch 26 is turned on and the current is turned on, and the current flows from the vCC power supply 23 to the ground side via the limiting resistor 24 and the electrode section 33, resulting in an H level. The signal is output to the control unit 26, and the control unit 26 performs control to determine the output to the driver circuit 2. Then, the output from the electrode short circuit causes the driver circuit 27 to control the operation stoppage of the compressor 15, thereby stopping the compressor 15.

By stopping the compressor 15, the cooling operation is stopped and no more condensate accumulates in the drain pan 17, so after removing the cause, the operation switch 25 is turned on again and the operation is started.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the description of the embodiments above, in the present invention, in the event that the strainer becomes clogged and the drain pan overflows, the water level detection unit detects the water before the overflow occurs, and the water level between the electrodes is detected. This sheet is judged and controlled by the control unit, and the compressor is stopped via the driver circuit, which prevents water from overflowing from the drain pan and prevents the ceiling and downstairs from getting dirty. It has the following effects.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view and a block circuit diagram of a condensation water level detection device for a ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a conventional ceiling-embedded air conditioner. 16...Heat exchanger, 17...Drain pan, 18...Drain pipe, 19...Strainer-12o...Water level detection section, 25・・・・・・
Operation switch, 33... Electrode section, 26...
...Control unit, 27...Driver circuit, 16.
...Compressor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A water level detection part is installed near the upper limit water level of the drain pan to detect the water level before overflowing, and a control part that controls and determines the output to the driver circuit based on the output of the operation switch part connected to this water level detection part, and a control part of the compressor. A condensation water level detection device for a ceiling-mounted air conditioner that is equipped with a driver circuit that outputs operation information.