JPWO2020032108A1 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

More accurately detect whether or not the tray is installed. The humidifier (100) is arranged on a housing (1) having a bottom surface (13) and a bottom surface (13) so as to be removable from the housing (1), and a water storage tray (4) for storing water. The light emitted directly below the bottom surface (13) from above the bottom surface (13) receives the reflected light reflected from the bottom surface (13) or the bottom surface (44) of the water storage tray (4), thereby receiving the reflected light from the bottom surface (13). ) Or a distance measuring sensor (6) for measuring the distance to the bottom surface (44). The bottom surface (13) is provided with an optical effect section that produces an optical effect that delays the time it takes for the reflected light to reach the ranging sensor (6).

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner that optically detects the mounting of a water storage tray.

The humidifier has an internal tray for storing water to evaporate. The tray needs to store more than a certain amount of water in order to evaporate the water. In a humidifier equipped with a tray in which water is directly poured, the user must grasp the amount of water stored in the tray and replenish the tray with water when the amount of water stored becomes less than a predetermined amount. Therefore, various improvements have been made to the method for measuring the water level in the tray.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for measuring the water level in a water tank using an optical distance measuring sensor.

Japanese Patent Publication "Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-99256 (published on May 30, 2016)"

By the way, in a humidifier in which the tray is detachably provided with respect to the housing, the tray can be removed from the housing and carried. This allows water to be poured directly into the tray from the tap. However, in such a humidifier, even if the tray operates with the tray removed from the housing, the humidified air cannot be discharged. Alternatively, when the tray is removed from the housing, water cannot be supplied to the humidifier main body from a kettle or the like.

Therefore, it is conceivable to apply the above technique for optically measuring the water level to detect the presence or absence of a tray. Specifically, the presence or absence of the tray is detected by the reflection of the light emitted from the distance measuring sensor arranged above the tray.

When the tray is mounted on the lower part of the housing and water is stored in the tray, the distance measuring sensor measures the water level in the tray, so that it can be detected that the tray is mounted on the housing. However, when the tray is empty, the distance measuring sensor sets a preset threshold value for the distance measured by receiving the light reflected by the emitted light on the measurement target surface (bottom surface of the housing or the bottom surface of the tray). Compared with, the presence or absence of the tray is detected based on the length with respect to the threshold value. Specifically, if the measurement distance is longer than the threshold value, it is detected that the tray is not mounted, and if the measurement distance is shorter than the threshold value, it is detected that the tray is mounted.

However, when the bottom surface of the tray arranged at the bottom of the housing and the bottom surface of the housing are very close to each other, it is not possible to detect the presence or absence of the tray based on the length with respect to the threshold value by using the above-mentioned distance measuring sensor. It's very difficult. In addition, the above-mentioned distance measuring sensor that measures the distance by reflecting light is easily affected by the external environment (temperature and humidity, surrounding walls, material of the surface to be measured, etc.), and the above-mentioned short distance difference can be detected. It is difficult to detect it separately from the error.

Therefore, in order to make it easier to detect whether or not the tray is attached, it is conceivable to increase the distance between the bottom surface of the tray and the bottom surface of the housing. For example, by forming a recess on the bottom surface of the housing, the above distance can be increased as much as possible.

However, since the thickness of the bottom of the housing is limited, there is a limit to increasing the above distance by forming the recesses deeper. Therefore, it is difficult due to the structure of the housing to form a recess deep enough to distinguish the distance from the distance measuring sensor to the bottom surface of the housing and the distance from the distance measuring sensor to the bottom surface of the tray.

One aspect of the present invention is to more accurately detect the presence or absence of mounting of a tray.

In order to solve the above problems, the air conditioner according to one aspect of the present invention is arranged on a housing having a first bottom surface and on the first bottom surface so as to be removable from the housing, and water. The light emitted from above the first bottom surface toward the first bottom surface and directly below the water storage tray receives the reflected light reflected from the first bottom surface or the second bottom surface of the water storage tray. A distance measuring sensor for measuring the distance to the first bottom surface or the second bottom surface is provided, and the first bottom surface produces an optical effect of delaying the time for the reflected light to reach the distance measuring sensor. An optical effect section is provided.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the presence or absence of mounting of the tray can be detected more accurately.

It is a perspective view which shows the appearance structure of the humidifier which concerns on Embodiments 1 to 3 of this invention. It is a front view which shows the appearance structure of the said humidifier. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the internal structure of the humidifier. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a part in the structure of the lower part of the humidifier. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control system in the said humidifier.

[Humidifier]
The basic configuration of the humidifier 100 commonly used in the first to third embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the humidifier 100 according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the external configuration of the humidifier 100. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of the humidifier. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the humidifier 100 (air conditioner) includes a housing 1, an electric operating unit 2, an upper cover 3, and a water storage tray 4. In the following description, the right side of the housing 1 shown in FIG. 2 is referred to as a right portion, and the left side of the housing 1 is referred to as a left portion.

In the housing 1, the electric operating unit 2 is arranged on the upper side, and the water storage tray 4 is arranged on the lower side. The housing 1 is formed so as to cover the side portions of the electric operating portion 2 and the water storage tray 4. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an intake port 11 for taking in external air is provided on one upper side surface of the housing 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the intake port 11 is covered by the grill 12 so as to be ventilated.

The electric operating unit 2 is a portion operated by electricity, and has a holding frame 21, a sirocco fan 22, a motor (not shown), a heater (not shown), and the like, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. There is.

The holding frame 21 has a fan holding portion 23 and an electric component holding portion 24. The fan holding portion 23 is a portion that rotatably holds the sirocco fan 22 by holding the motor. The electric component holding unit 24 is a portion that holds a heater or the like which is an electric component.

At the upper end of the holding frame 21, an outlet 211 for blowing out humidified air is provided on the left side, and a water supply port 212 for pouring water to be supplied to the water storage tray 4 is provided on the right side. .. Further, a water supply groove 213 is provided on the right side of the holding frame 21. The water supply groove 213 is formed in the vertical direction in a range extending from the water supply port 212 to the upper end on the right side of the water storage tray 4. The water supply groove 213 configured in this way guides water from the water supply port 212 to the water storage tray 4 by forming a tubular water supply channel with the inner wall on the right side of the housing 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, at the bottom of the holding frame 21, a vent 214 for discharging the air sent by the sirocco fan 22 to the water storage tray 4 is provided. The vent 214 is covered by the grill 215 so that it can be ventilated.

As shown in FIG. 1, the upper cover 3 is arranged in the opening at the upper end of the housing 1. The upper cover 3 has a diffuser 31, a guide plate 32, and an operation / display panel 33.

The diffuser 31 is provided to diffuse the air blown out from the air outlet 211 of the holding frame 21. The diffuser 31 is detachably provided on the upper cover 3.

The guide plate 32 is provided to guide the water poured from above to the water supply port 212 of the holding frame 21. Therefore, the guide plate 32 is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the water supply port 212.

The operation / display panel 33 has various operation buttons (operation buttons, etc.) for the user to operate, and lamps (LEDs) for displaying the operation status (operation ON / OFF, timer operation, etc.) of the humidifier 100. Includes.

The water storage tray 4 is a tray for storing water supplied through the above-mentioned water supply channel, and is configured to have a large capacity. A vaporization filter 5 (FIG. 3) for vaporizing the stored water is arranged on the water storage tray 4. Further, the water storage tray 4 is detachably provided in the housing 1 and is attached to the housing 1 in a drawer format. The water storage tray 4 is provided with a handle 43 for carrying the water storage tray 4. The handle 43 is rotatably attached to both side walls of the water storage tray 4.

In the humidifier 100 configured as described above, the air taken in from the intake port 11 of the housing 1 is heated by the heater and guided to the water storage tray 4 by the wind power generated by the rotation of the sirocco fan 22. .. In the water storage tray 4, the vaporization filter 5 sucks up the stored water as a whole. The air guided to the water storage tray 4 is discharged in a moist state by passing through the vaporization filter 5. Since the air blown into the vaporization filter 5 is warmed up, the vaporization efficiency of the vaporization filter 5 can be improved.

The water-containing air that has passed through the vaporization filter 5 passes through a passage (not shown) behind the sirocco fan 22 and is sent out to the air outlet 211, and is discharged to the outside through the diffuser 31.

The fan in the humidifier 100 is not limited to the sirocco fan 22. As the fan, a turbo fan, a cross flow fan, an axial flow fan, a mixed flow fan, or the like may be used.

Further, the first to third embodiments described below can be applied not only to the humidifier 100 but also to an air conditioner, a dehumidifier, an air purifier having a dehumidifying function and / or a humidifying function, and the like. The dehumidifier is provided with a water storage tray similar to the water storage tray 4 for storing the water generated as a result of dehumidification.

[Embodiment 1]
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a part of the structure of the lower part of the humidifier 100.

As shown in FIG. 4, the humidifier 100 includes a distance measuring sensor 6.

The distance measuring sensor 6 is an optical distance measuring sensor, and is based on the time required for the light receiving unit to receive the reflected light reflected on the surface to be measured by emitting light from the light emitting unit. Measure the distance from the surface to the surface to be measured. As the distance measuring sensor 6, a ToF (Time of Flight) type distance measuring sensor is used.

The distance measuring sensor 6 is arranged at the bottom of the holding frame 21. The distance measuring sensor 6 is attached to the bottom of the holding frame 21 with the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion facing downward so as to irradiate light directly below the bottom surface 13 (first bottom surface) of the housing 1. ..

On the other hand, on the bottom surface 13 of the housing 1, a recess 14 is formed in a light irradiation region where the light from the distance measuring sensor 6 is irradiated. The recess 14 is formed in a square shape, but the shape is not limited to the square shape.

Further, at the bottom of the recess 14, an inclined surface 14a (optical effect portion) inclined with respect to the incident direction of the light from the distance measuring sensor 6 is formed so as not to reflect the incident light toward the distance measuring sensor 6. Has been done. The inclined surface 14a produces an optical effect that delays the time for the light reflected on the inclined surface 14a to reach the distance measuring sensor 6, as will be described later.

Subsequently, the control system of the humidifier 100 will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system.

As shown in FIG. 6, the humidifier 100 includes a storage unit 7, a notification unit 8, and a control unit 9 (tray mounting determination unit) as a control system in addition to the distance measuring sensor 6 described above.

The storage unit 7 stores a predetermined threshold value for discriminating between the distance to the bottom surface 13 of the housing 1 and the distance to the bottom surface 44 (second bottom surface) of the water storage tray 4.

The notification unit 8 is provided to notify that the water storage tray 4 is not mounted on the housing 1. For example, when the water storage tray 4 is not mounted on the housing 1, the notification unit 8 lights a non-mounted lamp provided for notification on the operation / display panel 33.

The control unit 9 compares the measurement distance, which is the distance to the measurement target surface (bottom surface 13 or bottom surface 44) measured by the distance measurement sensor 6, with the threshold value stored in the storage unit 7. As a result of the comparison, the control unit 9 determines the presence / absence of the water storage tray 4 in the housing 1 based on the length of the measurement distance with respect to the threshold value. Specifically, the control unit 9 determines that the water storage tray 4 is not attached to the housing 1 when the measurement distance is longer than the threshold value, while the water storage tray 4 is attached to the housing when the measurement distance is shorter than the threshold value. Judge that it is attached. Here, it is assumed that the water storage tray 4 is in an empty state where water is not stored.

Subsequently, the operation of determining whether or not the water storage tray 4 is attached to or not attached to the housing 1 by the humidifier 100 configured as described above will be described.

When the user is using the humidifier 100 and the water storage tray 4 is not mounted on the housing 1, the inclined surface 14a of the recess 14 on the bottom surface 13 is the measurement target surface. In this case, first, the light emitted from the distance measuring sensor 6 is applied to the inclined surface 14a. The light is reflected by the inclined surface 14a in an oblique direction different from the incident direction, and is reflected by the inner side wall of the water storage tray 4 and then reaches the distance measuring sensor 6. The distance measuring sensor 6 receives the reflected light from the inclined surface 14a, calculates the measurement distance, and outputs the measured distance.

Therefore, the time from when the distance measuring sensor 6 emits light to when it receives the reflected light is longer than the time when the reflected light returns directly to the distance measuring sensor 6. Therefore, since the recess 14 has the inclined surface 14a, the measurement distance is measured longer than the actual distance between the distance measuring sensor 6 and the inclined surface 14a.

The control unit 9 compares the measurement distance with the threshold value stored in the storage unit 7. In this case, since the control unit 9 determines that the measurement distance is longer than the threshold value, it determines that the water storage tray 4 is not mounted on the housing 1. Based on this determination, the control unit 9 instructs the notification unit 8 to notify that the water storage tray 4 is not attached. In response to this instruction, the notification unit 8 turns on the above-mentioned non-mounted lamp on the operation / display panel 33. As a result, the user can recognize that the water storage tray 4 is not attached.

When the water storage tray 4 is mounted on the housing 1 in a state where the user is using the humidifier 100, the bottom surface 44 of the water storage tray 4 is the measurement target surface. In this case, when the light emitted from the distance measuring sensor 6 is reflected by the bottom surface 44 which is a horizontal plane, it directly returns to the distance measuring sensor 6. The distance measuring sensor 6 receives the reflected light from the bottom surface 44, calculates the measured distance, and outputs the measured distance.

The control unit 9 compares the measurement distance with the threshold value. In this case, since the control unit 9 determines that the measurement distance is shorter than the threshold value, it determines that the water storage tray 4 is mounted on the housing 1. Based on this determination, the control unit 9 does not give an instruction to notify the notification unit 8 that the water storage tray 4 is not attached. Therefore, the notification unit 8 does not turn on the above-mentioned non-mounted lamp on the operation / display panel 33. As a result, the user recognizes that the humidifier 100 is in a normal use state in which the water storage tray 4 is attached.

As described above, the humidifier 100 according to the present embodiment has a recess 14 on the bottom surface 13 of the housing 1 having an inclined surface 14a inclined with respect to the incident direction of the light from the distance measuring sensor 6. .. When the emitted light of the distance measuring sensor 6 is applied to the inclined surface 14a, the reflected light from the inclined surface 14a reaches the distance measuring sensor 6 later than the reflected light from the flat surface as described above.

As a result, the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor 6 becomes longer than the actual distance between the distance measuring sensor 6 and the inclined surface 14a. Therefore, a measurement distance equivalent to that when the distance between the bottom of the recess 14 formed deeper and the distance measuring sensor 6 is measured can be obtained. Therefore, even if the depth of the recess 14 is limited due to the structure of the housing 1, the measurement distance and the measurement can be measured by making the measurement distance between the distance measurement sensor 6 and the inclined surface 14a longer than the actual distance. The difference between the measured distance between the distance sensor 6 and the bottom surface 44 can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the water storage tray 4 is attached while suppressing the increase in size of the humidifier 100 that is formed so that the bottom of the housing 1 is thick.

In the present embodiment, the distance measuring sensor 6 is used for determining whether or not the water storage tray 4 is attached. However, the distance measuring sensor 6 provided for detecting the water level of the water stored in the water storage tray 4 may also be used for determining whether or not the water storage tray 4 is attached. In this configuration, since the measurement distance between the distance measuring sensor 6 and the water surface in the water storage tray 4 is shorter than the threshold value, the control unit 9 can determine that the water storage tray 4 is mounted on the housing 1.

Here, a specific example will be described. The distance values listed below are examples and do not limit the present invention.

Assuming that the distance between the distance measuring sensor 6 and the bottom surface 44 of the water storage tray 4 is 20 cm, an error of ± 0.5 cm appears in the measurement distance of the ToF sensor constituting the distance measuring sensor 6 in the measurement of the distance of 20 cm. there is a possibility. Therefore, the measurement distance measured by the round-trip time of light includes an error of about 1 cm, which is twice the above error. The distance between the bottom surface 13 of the housing 1 and the bottom surface 44 of the water storage tray 4 is about 1.3 cm. Therefore, the difference between this distance and the above error is small.

If the above error increases due to the influence of temperature, slight scratches on the bottom surface 13 and the bottom surface 44, vibration, and the like, there is a risk that the distance measuring sensor 6 cannot distinguish a small distance difference between the bottom surface 13 and the bottom surface 44. Even if a shallow recess is provided on the bottom surface 13, there is a high possibility that the above distance difference cannot be distinguished in the same manner.

On the other hand, in the above-described configuration according to the present embodiment, the measurement distance to the inclined surface 14a is measured longer than the actual distance, so that the above distance difference can be increased. As a result, even if the recess 14 is not deep enough, it is possible to determine whether or not the water storage tray 4 is attached to the housing 1 without being affected by the error of the distance measuring sensor 6. Further, since the above distance difference becomes large, it is possible to easily set the threshold value.

[Embodiment 2]
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals will be added to the components having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. Further, in the present embodiment, a part different from the first embodiment will be described.

Unevenness (optical effect portion) (not shown) is formed on the inclined surface 14a of the recess 14 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Examples of the uneven shape include, but are not limited to, a specific shape.

By forming the unevenness on the inclined surface 14a, the light is reflected by the unevenness in a direction different from the incident direction. Therefore, the time for the reflected light to reach the ranging sensor 6 can be further delayed. Therefore, the presence / absence detection of the water storage tray 4 can be performed with higher accuracy.

In addition, in a configuration in which a concave portion having a flat surface is provided on the bottom surface 13 instead of the concave portion 14 having the inclined surface 14a, unevenness may be formed on the flat surface. Even in such a configuration, since the reflected light does not reach the distance measuring sensor 6 directly, the measuring distance can be lengthened. Therefore, the presence / absence of the water storage tray 4 can be detected without being affected by the error of the distance measuring sensor 6.

[Embodiment 3]
The third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals will be added to the components having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. Further, in the present embodiment, a part different from the first embodiment will be described.

The inclined surface 14a of the recess 14 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is colored with high light absorption. As the color attached to the inclined surface 14a, a color having a high absorption rate with respect to the wavelength of the light emitted by the distance measuring sensor 6 is selected. For example, black is preferable as a color to be applied to the inclined surface 14a from the viewpoint that it does not depend on the wavelength of light because it exhibits substantially the same absorption rate regardless of the wavelength of light. Further, as the color applied to the inclined surface 14a, a dark color is preferable, and black is more preferable, from the viewpoint that it is difficult to reflect light.

However, when the color of the housing 1 and the color of the water storage tray 4 are bright, the color attached to the inclined surface 14a is preferably a color different from this color.

Since the inclined surface 14a is a colored portion (optical effect portion) colored with high light absorption, the amount of reflected light traveling straight on the inclined surface 14a is reduced, so that the proportion of diffusely reflected light is large. Become. As a result, the time for the reflected light to reach the distance measuring sensor 6 can be further delayed. Therefore, the presence / absence detection of the water storage tray 4 can be performed with higher accuracy.

In a configuration in which a recess having a flat surface is provided on the bottom surface 13 instead of the recess 14 having the inclined surface 14a, the flat surface may be colored as described above. Even in such a configuration, since the ratio of the reflected light that directly reaches the distance measuring sensor 6 is small, the distance measuring sensor 6 cannot detect the reflected light and detects the diffusely reflected light. Therefore, the measurement distance can be increased. Therefore, the presence / absence of the water storage tray 4 can be detected without being affected by the error of the distance measuring sensor 6.

The configuration of the present embodiment may be applied to the configuration of the second embodiment described above.

〔summary〕
The air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention is arranged on the housing 1 having the first bottom surface (bottom surface 13) and the first bottom surface so as to be detachable from the housing 1 and stores water. The light emitted from above the first bottom surface of the water storage tray 4 and directly below the first bottom surface receives reflected light reflected from the first bottom surface or the second bottom surface (bottom surface 44) of the water storage tray 4. The first bottom surface is provided with a distance measuring sensor 6 for measuring the distance to the first bottom surface or the second bottom surface, and the first bottom surface is provided with optics for delaying the time for the reflected light to reach the distance measuring sensor 6. An optical effect section is provided to produce an effect.

According to the above configuration, the reflected light from the first bottom surface reaches the ranging sensor later than usual due to the influence of the optical effect. As a result, the measured value (measured distance) of the distance to the first bottom surface becomes longer than the actual distance. Therefore, in order to increase the measurement distance, a measurement distance equivalent to the measurement distance to the recess in the state where the recess is deeply formed on the first bottom surface can be obtained. Therefore, even if there is a limit to the depth of the recess that can be formed on the bottom surface due to the structure of the housing, the difference between the measurement distance to the first bottom surface and the measurement distance to the second bottom surface becomes larger. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the water storage tray is attached without being affected by the measurement error of the distance measuring sensor.

Therefore, it is possible to more reliably determine whether or not the water storage tray is attached while suppressing the increase in size of the housing.

In the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the optical effect portion is a recess 14 formed in a light irradiation region where light is irradiated on the first bottom surface, and the recess 14 is formed. , An inclined surface 14a inclined with respect to the incident direction of light may be provided at the bottom thereof.

According to the above configuration, the light incident on the inclined surface is reflected in an oblique direction different from the incident direction, is reflected on the inner side wall of the water storage tray, and then reaches the distance measuring sensor. This makes it possible to delay the time it takes for the reflected light to reach the ranging sensor.

In the air conditioner according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the optical effect unit may be an uneven surface formed in a light irradiation region where light is irradiated on the first bottom surface.

According to the above configuration, the light incident on the inclined surface is reflected in an oblique direction different from the incident direction, is reflected on the inner side wall of the water storage tray, and then reaches the distance measuring sensor. This makes it possible to delay the time it takes for the reflected light to reach the ranging sensor.

In the air conditioner according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the optical effect unit has a color having high light absorption in the light irradiation region where the light is irradiated on the first bottom surface. It may be an attached colored portion.

According to the above configuration, when the light is incident on the colored portion, most of the light is absorbed by the colored portion, so that the amount of the reflected light traveling straight is reduced, so that the ratio of the diffusely reflected light is increased. As a result, the time for the reflected light to reach the distance measuring sensor can be further delayed.

The air conditioner according to the fifth aspect of the present invention has the distance to the measurement target surface including the first bottom surface and the second bottom surface measured by the distance measuring sensor 6 in any one of the above aspects 1 to 4. When the distance is longer than the threshold value, it is determined that the water storage tray 4 is not mounted on the housing 1, while when the distance is shorter than the threshold value, the water storage tray 4 is determined not to be mounted. A tray mounting determination unit (control unit 9) for determining that the 4 is mounted on the housing 1 may be further provided.

According to the above configuration, when the light is incident on the colored portion, most of the light is absorbed by the colored portion, so that the amount of the reflected light traveling straight is reduced, so that the ratio of the diffusely reflected light is increased. As a result, the time for the reflected light to reach the distance measuring sensor can be further delayed.

[Additional notes]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

1 Housing 4 Water storage tray 6 Distance measurement sensor 13 Bottom surface (1st bottom surface, measurement target surface)
14 Recess 14a Inclined surface (optical effect part, colored part)
44 Bottom surface (second bottom surface, measurement target surface)
100 humidifier (air conditioner)

Claims (5)

A housing with a first bottom surface and
A water storage tray arranged on the first bottom surface so as to be removable from the housing and storing water, and a water storage tray.
The light emitted directly below the first bottom surface from above the first bottom surface receives the reflected light reflected from the first bottom surface or the second bottom surface of the water storage tray, thereby receiving the reflected light from the first bottom surface or the second bottom surface. Equipped with a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to the bottom
An air conditioner characterized in that the first bottom surface is provided with an optical effect unit that produces an optical effect that delays the time for the reflected light to reach the distance measuring sensor. The optical effect portion is a recess formed in a light irradiation region where light is irradiated on the first bottom surface.
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the recess has an inclined surface at the bottom thereof that is inclined with respect to the incident direction of light. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the optical effect unit has irregularities formed in a light irradiation region where light is irradiated on the first bottom surface. Any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the optical effect unit is a colored portion in which a light irradiation region irradiated with light on the first bottom surface is colored with high light absorption. The air conditioner described in. The distance to the measurement target surface including the first bottom surface and the second bottom surface measured by the distance measuring sensor is compared with a predetermined threshold value, and when the distance is longer than the threshold value, the water storage tray is opened. It is characterized in that it further includes a tray mounting determination unit that determines that the water storage tray is mounted on the housing when the distance is shorter than the threshold value while determining that the water storage tray is not mounted on the housing. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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