KR20020072785A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a control device for an air conditioner which is effective in suppressing growth of mold which is apt to generate on the surface of an indoor blower and capable of avoiding a start of heating operation for the suppression of mold at times, when residents cannot anticipate. CONSTITUTION: The control device comprises a body control device 12 incorporated in the air conditioner, and a remote control 15 transmitting a signal to the body control device 12 to effect operation control the remote control 15 is provided with an internal drying operation starting time setting means 15h and an internal drying operation setting means 15j the body control device 12 is provided with a cooling operation means 12a, a heating operation means 12b, and a drying time counting means 12c, suppression of growth of mold generated at the internal part of an air conditioner during cooling period is conducted for a prescribed time interval at a set time.

Description

Air conditioner {AIR CONDITIONER}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner that is effective in preventing the occurrence of mold on the surface of an indoor blower, an indoor heat exchanger, or the like.

Conventionally, as an air conditioner effective for suppressing the mold which is easy to generate | occur | produce on the surface of indoor blowers etc., it is disclosed by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2037318, for example.

8 is a configuration diagram showing the outline of the air conditioner, in which the air conditioner receives the indoor air passage 52 formed by the casing 51, the indoor blower 53, the indoor heat exchanger 54, and the effluent water. The drip tray 55, the flap 56 which changes a discharge direction up and down, the cooling operation counting means 57, the heating operation means 58, the short circuiting means 59 which short-circuits this heating operation, and counts the heating operation time. It consists of the flap drive means 61 which drives the flap 56 by the signal of the heating drive count means 60, the said heating drive means 58, and the heating drive count means 60.

By the above configuration, while the cooling operation time is counted by the cooling operation counting means 57 during the cooling operation, the heating operation means 58 switches over to the heating operation at a predetermined time elapsed time at which the cooling operation accumulation time is set. Then, the wind blown out by the short circuit means 59 is moved to the position of the short circuit state which the main body sucks in, and the heating operation is forcibly performed. The indoor heat exchanger 54, the indoor blower 53, the casing 51, and the flap 56 which are arrange | positioned in the indoor air path 52 are dried by the warm air by this heating operation, and mold generation is suppressed. Then, after the set time elapses, the heating operation counting means 60 returns the original cooling operation to the original cooling operation, and the flap 56 is also returned to the original state to perform a series of mold suppression control operations.

However, in the above conventional configuration, the forced heating operation for taking out the warm air regardless of the cooling time is performed to dry the inside of the air conditioner, so that the cooling operation is stopped and the comfort of the occupants is impaired. As a countermeasure, during the heating operation, the direction of the flap is changed to short-circuit the wind blown out on the suction side, so that the influence on the living space is avoided as much as possible, but it is difficult to return all the airflow to the suction side. It was unavoidable to make the residents feel uncomfortable because the warm air was blown out of the living space during the cooling period.

In addition, although this mold suppression control operation is performed by accumulation of cooling operation time, it is difficult for a user to start cooling operation by predicting the start time of the mold suppression control operation, and it starts cooling operation without consciousness, As a result, they had a problem of suddenly discomforting residents due to heating operation during an unexpected time period (for example, when visiting a guest or going to bed).

In addition, since the indoor heat exchanger of the recently miniaturized general air conditioner has a small pin pitch and easily condensation water, a porous surface is used as a hydrophilic treatment to improve the drainage of the condensation water during cooling operation. Coating treatment is performed. For this reason, if the indoor heat exchanger warms up by forced heating operation, it may release odor components such as food, tobacco or cosmetics attached to the inside of the porous coating of the surface heat exchanger of the indoor heat exchanger, which may cause residents to feel bad smell. I added.

Accordingly, the present invention is effective for suppressing the growth of mold that is likely to occur on the surface of an indoor blower and the like, and the air conditioner that the occupant can avoid heating operation start for mold suppression at an unexpected time. It is an object to provide a device.

The air conditioner according to the present invention has an air conditioner capable of at least cooling operation and heating operation having a main body control device embedded in the air conditioner main body and a remote control which sends a signal to the main body control device to operate the air conditioner. In the apparatus, the main body control device has a driving unit for selecting one of cooling and heating operations and a drying time counting unit for counting heating time according to the instruction of the remote control, and the remote control unit has an internal drying for heating operation in the cooling period. The internal drying operation setting unit and the internal drying operation start time setting unit for operation are configured to execute the internal drying operation from the time set in the internal drying operation start time setting unit to a predetermined time set in the drying time counting unit.

This configuration can provide an air conditioner that is effective for suppressing the growth of mold that is likely to occur on the surface of an indoor blower or the like, and which can avoid the start of heating operation for mold suppression at an unexpected time of a resident.

1 is a refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner according to the present invention,

2 is a longitudinal side view showing the configuration of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention;

3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a remote control in the embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a control function block diagram of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a flowchart illustrating a time setting of a timer operation according to the present invention;

6 is a flowchart showing the internal drying operation in the embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a flowchart showing an internal drying operation in another embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air conditioner effective for suppressing conventional mold.

Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

1: outdoor unit 2: indoor unit

3: compressor 4: four-way valve

5: heat exchanger 6: expansion valve

7: indoor heat exchanger 11: indoor blower

13: suction grill 15: remote control

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment of this invention is described, referring drawings.

1 shows a refrigeration cycle configuration of a detachable wall-mounted air conditioner, which is composed of an outdoor unit 1 and an indoor unit 2, and the outdoor unit 1 includes a four-way valve 4 for switching the flow of the compressor 3 and the refrigerant. ), An outdoor heat exchanger (5) and an expansion valve (6), and an indoor heat exchanger (7) are installed in the indoor unit (2) and piped sequentially to form a heat pump type refrigeration cycle.

In the cooling operation, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 3 flows to the four-way valve 4, the outdoor heat exchanger 5, the expansion valve 6, and the indoor heat exchanger 7. The air is sucked into the compressor 3 via a cooling operation. In the heating operation, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 3 flows to the four-way valve 4, the indoor heat exchanger 7, the expansion valve 6, and the outdoor heat exchanger 5, and again the four-way valve 4. Is sucked into the compressor (3) via heating, and heating operation is performed.

The structure of the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioner of this embodiment is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the indoor heat exchanger 7 and the indoor blower 11 are arranged in the indoor air path 10 constituted by the frame 8 and the fan case 9, and are configured for cooling operation or heating. In operation, the indoor air sucked from the suction grille 13 by the indoor blower 11 passes through the indoor heat exchanger 7, and blows out cold or warm air from the blower outlet 14 into the indoor space of the living space for cooling operation or heating. Operation is carried out.

Moreover, the air conditioner of this embodiment sends a signal to the main body control apparatus 12 and the main body control apparatus 12 arrange | positioned inside the indoor unit 2, as shown in FIG. It is constituted by a remote control 15 that plays a role. The structure of the remote control in embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. 3, and the control function block diagram of the air conditioner in embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG.

As shown in Fig. 4, the remote control 15 has a built-in remote control control section 15a, which is composed of a battery-powered microcomputer having a clock function, and at the same time as shown in Figs. A display portion 15b made of a liquid crystal display device, an operation on / off button 15c, an operation switching button 15d for selecting an operation mode of cooling operation or heating operation, a temperature setting button 15e, an air volume setting button 15f, The wind direction setting button 15g, the timer setting button 15h as the internal drying operation time setting unit, and the internal drying button 15j as the internal drying operation setting unit are disposed, and the timer counting unit 15k and the display unit 15b are provided. The timer on-off time display section 15m is provided.

Moreover, the main body control apparatus 12 is comprised from a microcomputer and its related parts, as shown in the control function block diagram of FIG. 4, The cooling operation part 12a, the heating operation part 12b, and the drying time counting part 12c ) Is installed by the program software of the microcomputer. And the operation operation of the air conditioner by the said structure is performed by the remote control 15. FIG.

During the cooling operation, the cooling operation mode is selected in advance by the operation control button 15d by the remote control 15, and at the same time, the room temperature adjustment temperature is set by the temperature setting button 15e, and the air volume is set by the air volume setting button 15f. After each of the wind directions is set by the button 15g, the cooling operation is started by pressing the operation on / off button 15c.

In addition, the remote control 15 is provided with a timer setting button 15h as an internal drying operation start time setting section for setting the start time of the internal drying operation to automatically perform the internal drying operation by setting the timer to suppress mold growth. do. The timer setting button 15h is configured to have a timer on / off time setting unit that can set the on / off time of the air conditioner by a timer during cooling operation or heating operation.

As shown in Fig. 3, the timer setting button 15h is composed of six buttons of " on ", " off ", " return ", " progress, " By selecting and operating the necessary buttons with these six buttons as necessary, timer operation by setting the internal drying start time and setting the timer of the air conditioner according to the living pattern are possible. In addition, since the preset operation mode, room temperature adjustment temperature, air volume, wind direction, timer on-off time and the like are stored in the control device, the next state of operation is the same as in the previous operation only by pressing the operation on-off button 15c. It is possible to drive. In the heating operation, the heating operation mode is selected in advance by the operation switching button 15d by the remote control 15, and at the same time, the room temperature adjustment temperature is set by the temperature setting button 15e, and the air volume is set by the air volume setting button 15f. The heating operation is started by pressing the operation on / off button 15c after setting the wind direction by the wind direction setting button 15g.

Usually, when the air conditioner performs the cooling operation, the indoor heat exchanger 7 in the indoor unit 2 acts as an evaporator, and dew forms on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 7 during the cooling period from early spring to early autumn. The humidity in the indoor unit 2 is high, and mold growth becomes a problem. Mold spores are usually suspended in air at 100 μm or less. Mold spores sucked together with air in the indoor unit 2 are contaminated with static contaminants such as static electricity or oil mist in the indoor air path 10, the indoor heat exchanger 7, and the indoor blower 11 disposed inside the indoor unit 2. Are attached together. The relative humidity during the cooling period in the indoor unit 2 is maintained for almost 100% during operation and 90% or more even during stop. Mold growth rates vary greatly with temperature and humidity. Generally, the temperature is 20 ° C. to 30 ° C. and the humidity is 70% or more, and the higher these values, the faster the mold growth rate. For this reason, germination of fungal spores, growth of hyphae, and reproduction of spores occur in the indoor unit 2, and the indoor unit 2 is contaminated with mold. The most severe part of the mold contamination is a part where the humidity of the heat exchanger 7 and the indoor blower 11 tends to be high. As the mold grows on the indoor blower 11, the growth is repeated between the blades, and finally, the blades of the indoor blower 11 may be blocked to prevent the wind from coming out of the indoor unit 2. In addition, the molds that are easy to grow in the indoor unit 2 are hygroscopic molds widely present in ordinary rooms, such as Cladosporium, Altanaria, Aspergillus, and the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner effective for suppressing mold growth occurring in the indoor unit 2, and to achieve this object, heating is performed during a cooling period to perform internal drying of the indoor unit. This internal drying operation will be described based on the operation and function of the internal drying button 15j and the timer setting button 15h as the internal drying operation setting section shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

By pressing the internal drying button 15j, the display unit 15b displays "internal drying" and a preset value of the preset start time of the internal drying operation (e.g., 10:00 AM). This is enabled by the timer setting button 15h. The start time of the internal drying operation is determined by selecting and operating the six buttons of the timer setting button 15h described above, and finally pressing the reservation button to set it to the lower side marked "internal drying" of the display section 15b. The time (eg 10:00 AM) is displayed. Therefore, if the current time is 8:00 AM, a series of internal drying operations are started at 10:00 AM, two hours later, and the internal drying operation of the indoor unit 2 is performed.

Therefore, since the internal drying start time can be set at a convenient time, for example, at 10 am when the family is not leaving, the internal dry start time can be set according to the indoor cleaning time while the window is opened. There is almost no need to worry about off-flavor due to hydrophilic treatment of the group, and it is possible to reliably prevent the internal drying operation from being started at an unexpected time and causing discomfort to the occupants.

Below, the detail of internal drying operation is demonstrated using the control flowchart of FIGS. 5-7. Fig. 5 shows the flow of normal cooling operation in which the on / off timer is set. When the “off timer” is set by the timer setting button 15h, “off timer” is displayed on the display section 15b, and the “return” “ When the timer is set with the advance button and the reservation button is pressed, the off timer operation command is transmitted to the indoor unit 2 (steps s1 to s5), and the cooling operation is stopped when the set time is reached. Similarly, if the "on timer" is set, the "on timer" is displayed on the display unit 15b, the timer is set using the "return" and "go" buttons, and the ON timer operation command is input to the indoor unit (2). (Steps s6 to s9), the cooling operation is started when the set time is reached.

6 shows the flow of the internal drying operation. When the internal drying button 15j of the remote control 15 is pressed, the preset values of "internal drying" and "starting time" are displayed on the display unit 15b (step s11, step s12). If there is no need to change the setting of the start time, the internal drying operation command is transmitted as a signal to the main body control device 12 of the indoor unit 2 by pressing the reservation button (step s13, step s15, step s16). )]. In addition, if the setting change of the start time is necessary, the internal drying operation command determined by changing the time setting with the "return" and "go" buttons and pressing the "reservation" button is transmitted to the main body control device 12 (step ( s13) to step s16].

Next, in the main body control device 12 of the indoor unit 2 that has received the signal from the remote control 15, first the reception of the internal drying operation command is determined (step s17), and the internal drying operation command is received. Then, it is judged whether or not the next internal drying operation start time is set (step s18), and if the internal drying operation start time is reached, the internal drying operation (the four-way valve 4 is switched heating operation) is performed. When the drying operation time T1 has passed the predetermined value t1 (usually 10 minutes) set by the drying time counting unit 12c provided in the main body control device 12, the state before the internal drying operation, that is, the cooling operation state By returning to (steps s19 to s21), a series of internal drying operations are finished.

If the air conditioner is receiving the internal drying operation command even when the air conditioner is stopped, it is determined whether the time is set by the internal drying operation start time setting unit 15h, and the internal drying operation is similarly started to determine the predetermined time. After the elapse of time, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped. For this reason, troublesome driving operation is possible.

Moreover, it is set as the control structure which performs internal drying operation automatically every predetermined period by the internal drying operation start time setting part 15h. For example, if it is performed at least once a day, it will show a big effect in suppressing mold growth, and can reduce the influence to a living space by reducing the operation | movement frequency of internal drying operation.

In addition, in this embodiment, while the internal drying button 15j was pressed, the method of displaying internal drying start time in a place different from the on-off time display part 15m at the time of normal timer operation was demonstrated, but normal timer By using the on-off time display section 15m during operation to switch the on-off time display and the internal dry operation start time during the timer operation at the same place, it is not necessary to increase the size of the liquid crystal display unit, thereby inexpensive control device and air A conditioner can be provided.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, when the operation of pressing the reservation button (step s15) within the predetermined time t2 (usually 1 minute) set after pressing the internal drying button 15j is not performed, at that time point Is immediately transmitted to the room (step s22 to step s24, step s16). Accordingly, even if the internal dry operation start time setting unit 15h does not set the start time when the morning indoor cleaning time is irregular, for example, the internal dry operation can be performed immediately by simply pressing the internal dry button 15j at the time of morning cleaning or the like. Can be.

In addition, in this embodiment, although the internal drying operation start time setting part 15h was comprised and demonstrated with six buttons, the number of a button, an arrangement | positioning, and an operation method may differ as needed.

In addition, the internal drying button has a function of an internal drying operation setting unit and an internal drying operation start time setting unit, and the internal drying operation start time is changed each time the internal drying button is operated, so that the desired internal drying operation start time can be set. The present configuration is also included in the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in this embodiment, although the detachable wall-mounted type air conditioner comprised by the indoor unit and the outdoor unit was demonstrated as an example, it can be employ | adopted in the same form also in the integrated air conditioner comprised by the indoor unit and the outdoor unit integrally.

The present invention is effective for suppressing the growth of mold that is likely to occur on the surface of an indoor blower or the like, and also provides an air conditioner in which the occupant can avoid starting heating operation for mold suppression at an unexpected time.

Claims (7)

An air conditioner capable of at least cooling and heating operations, comprising: a main body control device built in the air conditioner main body; and a remote control that sends a signal to the main body control device to operate the air conditioner. The main body control device has a driving unit for selecting any operation of cooling and heating and a drying time counting unit for counting heating operation time according to the instruction of the remote control, The remote control unit has an internal drying operation setting unit and an internal drying operation start time setting unit of the internal drying operation for heating operation in the cooling period, Performing the internal drying operation from a time set in the internal drying operation start time setting unit to a predetermined time set in the drying time counting unit; Air conditioner. The method of claim 1, The internal drying operation is started when the time set by the internal drying operation start time setting unit is reached, and after operating for a predetermined time set by the drying operation time counting unit, the internal drying operation is returned to the operation state before the internal drying operation. Air conditioner. The method of claim 1, When the time set by the internal drying operation start time setting unit is reached, it is characterized in that the automatic operation periodically Air conditioner. The method of claim 1, The remote control unit has a timer on-off time setting unit for setting the on-off time of cooling operation or heating operation, The internal drying operation start time setting unit is the timer on-off time setting unit; Air conditioner. The method of claim 1, The remote control unit has a time display unit, When the internal drying operation setting unit is operated, either one of the internal drying operation start time initially set and the internal drying operation start time set at the previous time is displayed on the time display unit. Air conditioner. The method of claim 5, The time display unit is a timer on-off time display unit for displaying the on-off time of cooling operation or heating operation, characterized in that Air conditioner. The method of claim 5, The remote control unit has a setting confirmation button for the internal drying operation start time, When the setting determination button is not operated within a predetermined time after the operation of the internal drying operation setting unit, a command of internal drying operation is transmitted from the remote control to the main body control unit after a predetermined time. Air conditioner.