KR20030042711A - Method and apparatus for control front grill of airconditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method and device of controlling driving of a front panel of an air conditioner is provided to control air flow by controlling driving of the front panel. CONSTITUTION: A method of controlling driving of a front panel of an air conditioner includes steps of inputting an operation control signal(200); deciding cooling/heating modes or an additional function operation mode according to the input operation control signal(210); controlling driving of the front panel to make the air flow sucked differently into the inside of an indoor unit according to the operation modes(230); and controlling the driving force of a fan motor to make the heat-exchanged air discharged differently according to the operation modes(240-280). Thus, a space for air conditioning is effectively cooled and heated, and the space for air conditioning is additionally purified or dehumidified.

Description

Method and apparatus for controlling front panel of air conditioner {Method and apparatus for control front grill of airconditioner}

The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly, to a front panel drive control method and apparatus for an indoor unit for controlling the drive of a front panel provided in the indoor unit.

Looking at the front panel drive control method of the indoor unit according to the prior art as follows.

Figure 1a, 1b is a view showing the indoor unit of the separate air conditioner according to the prior art.

According to this, the main chassis 1 is configured to form a frame of the indoor unit and be mounted on the wall of the room. The exterior of the indoor unit is configured by the main chassis 1 and the front panel mounted on the front thereof. Between the main chassis 1 and the front panel 3 is formed a space for mounting the various components to be described below. The exterior of the indoor unit formed by the main chassis 1 and the front panel 3 is formed to protrude round toward the front as shown in the figure.

The suction grille 5 is formed in the entire front panel 3, and the suction grille 5 constitutes a passage through which the air sucked in the space for air conditioning is sucked into the indoor unit. On the other hand, the suction grille 5 'is formed on the upper surface of the main chassis 1 in a long direction.

The heat exchanger 9 is installed at the rear of the front panel 3. The heat exchanger (9) is such that the air of the space for air conditioning sucked through the suction grill (7) passes through the heat exchange. Although not shown here, a filter for purifying the sucked air is installed on the front surface of the heat exchanger 9.

The fan assembly 11 is installed at the rear of the heat exchanger 9. The fan assembly 11 provides a driving force to suck air in the space for air conditioning and discharge the air back to the space for air conditioning. A configuration for guiding the air flow formed by the fan assembly 11 is integrally formed inside the main chassis 1.

On the other hand, the air heat exchanged in the heat exchanger (9) is discharged back to the space for air conditioning by the fan assembly 11, for this purpose, the discharge grill at the lower end of the main chassis (1) and the front panel (3) 13) is installed. Inside the discharge grill 13, a discharge passage 14 for guiding the air passing through the fan assembly 11 into the space for air conditioning is formed.

In addition, the discharge passage 14 is provided with a vane 15 for adjusting the direction of the discharged air up and down and a louver 16 for adjusting left and right. The louvers 16 are operated in parallel by a plurality of links.

In addition, the display unit 19 for displaying the operating state of the air conditioner is provided at the center of the lower end of the front panel (3).

In the prior art having the configuration described above, the air conditioner is operated in the cooling mode according to one embodiment.

When the air conditioner is driven, air for air conditioning is sucked into the indoor unit by the fan assembly 11. That is, air is sucked into the indoor unit through the suction grills 5 and 5 ′ and exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing in the heat exchanger 9 while passing through the heat exchanger 9.

The air heat-exchanged in the heat exchanger 9 becomes air of a relatively low temperature and is sucked into the fan assembly 11. Air sucked into the fan assembly and discharged is guided toward the discharge grill 13.

That is, the air is guided along the discharge passage 14 formed in the discharge grill 13, and the discharge direction of the air is adjusted by the louvers 16 and the vanes 15 in the discharge passage 14. It is discharged into the space for air conditioning.

At this time, due to the driving of the louver or vane helps to uniform the temperature distribution of the space for air conditioning.

As described above, the separate type air conditioner according to the prior art not only performs the basic functions of the heating function but also the cooling function described in one embodiment, and in addition to the above-described basic functions such as an air cleaning function or a dehumidification function. Perform.

In this case, when performing the cooling / heating function as described above, there is a difference between the amount of air sucked from the suction panel of the front panel and the amount of air generated from the suction panel in performing the additional function.

That is, in the cooling / heating operation as described above, the air volume sucked from the front panel during the cooling / heating operation is large, and additional functions such as the air cleaning operation require less air volume than the cooling / heating operation mode. Accordingly, the heat exchange efficiency is high in the cooling / heating operation, and the additional function mode has an optimum efficiency when the air volume is low.

Accordingly, in the related art, only the fan rotation speed is controlled so as to obtain a small amount of air flow according to additional functions. As a result, a resonance sound of the motor is generated due to the control.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a front panel drive control method and apparatus of an indoor unit for controlling the air volume by driving the front panel provided in the indoor unit.

Figure 1a, 1b is an illustration of an indoor unit of a separate air conditioner according to the prior art.

2 is a control block diagram for controlling the driving of the front panel of the indoor unit according to the present invention.

Figure 3a, 3b is an illustration of the indoor unit of the separate air conditioner according to the present invention.

4 is an operation control flowchart for controlling the front panel of the indoor unit according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

30: main chassis 32: front part

32 ': suction grill 35: rear part

35 ': suction grill 38: support panel

38 ': Intake grill 40: Front panel drive

42: display unit 50: heat exchanger

60: fan assembly 70: discharge grill

71: hinge axis 72: discharge passage

74: Bain 76: Louver

100: signal input unit 110: control unit

130: fan motor drive unit

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a front panel of an air conditioner, the method comprising: inputting a driving control signal by a user, determining whether a cooling / heating or additional function driving mode is performed according to the input driving control signal; And controlling the driving of the front panel so that the air volume is sucked into the indoor unit differently according to the driving mode, and controlling the driving force of the fan motor so that the heat-exchanged air is discharged differently according to the driving mode.

In addition, the front panel drive control apparatus of the air conditioner according to the present invention, the main chassis having a front suction grill and the suction grill on the upper front / rear, a front panel formed on the front of the front suction grill, and the main chassis A discharge grill formed at a lower portion of the main grill, a heat exchange means formed at an inside of the main chassis, and a control unit of an air conditioner formed at an upper portion of the heat exchange end, wherein the control unit includes a front panel according to an operation mode control signal. It is characterized by controlling the opening degree of differently.

Looking at the front panel drive control method of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a control configuration for implementing the air conditioner according to the present invention to control the front panel of the indoor unit.

To control the front panel of the indoor unit according to the present invention, as shown in the drawing, a signal input unit 100 for inputting a control signal, a display unit 120 for displaying a control signal input by the user, and a control signal through a remote controller When inputting, the remote control receiving unit 140 receiving the signal, the control unit 110 to perform the cooling / heating function or perform additional functions such as a dehumidification function according to the control signal, and the cooling / heating Front panel driver 40 for controlling the amount of air sucked into the indoor unit to perform a function or an additional function, a fan motor driver 130 for transmitting power to discharge air through the discharge grill, and the heat exchanged air discharge grill Discharge grill driving unit 150 for transmitting the power of the discharge grill to be transmitted through the air flow control device for adjusting to control it as the user adjusts the air volume It is configured to include the portion 160.

Looking at the control operation according to the configuration as follows.

When the user inputs an additional function operation mode such as a cooling / heating operation mode or a dehumidification function and a clean function through the signal input unit 100, the control signal is transmitted to the control unit 110.

The control unit 110 receiving the control signal controls the driving of the front panel according to the control signal input by the user. In addition, by controlling the driving of the fan motor according to the operation mode, the air volume is discharged to the air conditioning space.

Looking at the separate air conditioner according to the present invention including the above configuration.

3a and 3b are views showing the indoor unit of the separate air conditioner according to the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the main chassis 30 forms the exterior of the indoor unit. The main chassis 30 has a rectangular hexahedral shape and includes a front part 32 having a space for installing components therein and a space integrally formed with the front part 32 and communicating with the space. The rear part 35 is provided. The front of the space formed inside the main chassis is shielded by the support panel 38.

The front portion 32 is composed of a hexahedron having a flat shape having a relatively narrow front and rear width. The rear part 35 is formed to protrude to the rear of the front part 32 and is formed to have a left and right width shorter than the left and right width of the front part 32. Therefore, when the indoor unit is installed on the wall from the front or the side, the front part 32 is generally visible, and the overall configuration of the indoor unit is visually slimmed.

The main chassis 30 is provided with suction grills 32 ', 35', 38 'for sucking air from a space for air conditioning. That is, the suction grill 32 ′ is formed on the upper surface of the front part 32. In addition, a suction grill 38 ′ is formed on the support panel 38. Reference numeral 31 is a flow guide formed in the main chassis 30 to guide the flow of air. In addition, the air purifier (A) is installed to filter the air introduced through the suction grill on the upper surface. The air conditioner executes an additional function, that is, a clean function.

On the other hand, the support panel 38 is provided with a front panel. The front panel selectively opens and closes the suction grill 38 ′ formed on the support panel 38. To this end, the front panel is configured such that the tip is rotated by a predetermined angle about both sides of the lower end thereof. The front panel driver 40 is provided for the operation of the front panel. The front panel opens the suction grill 38 'when the air conditioner is operated and closes the suction grill 38' when the air conditioner is not operated.

One side of the front panel is provided with a display for displaying the operating state of the air conditioner. The display unit is provided at one front side of the front panel.

Next, a heat exchanger 50 is installed inside the main chassis 30. The heat exchanger 50 is provided at a position corresponding to the suction grills 32 ', 35', 38 '. This is to allow the air sucked through the suction grills 32 ', 35', 38 'to pass through the heat exchanger 50. In addition, the working fluid of the heat exchange cycle flows inside the heat exchanger 50 so that the air sucked through the suction grills 32 ′, 35 ′, 38 ′ passes through the heat exchange.

The fan assembly 60 is installed at the rear of the heat exchanger 50. The fan assembly 60 provides a driving force for sucking air into the interior of the indoor unit and discharging air at a relatively low temperature to the outside while passing through the heat exchanger 50.

On the other hand, the air heat exchanged in the heat exchanger 50 is discharged through the discharge grill (70). The discharge grill 70 is configured to enter and exit the inside and outside of the indoor unit through the lower surface of the main chassis 30. That is, the discharge grill 70 enters and exits through the lower surface of the main chassis 30 while the tip is rotated by a predetermined angle about the hinge shaft 71 provided at both ends thereof. The discharge grill 70 protrudes out of the main chassis 30 during the operation of the air conditioner, and is located inside the main chassis 30 when the air conditioner is not operated.

The discharge grill driving unit 150 is provided for entering and exiting the discharge grill 70. For example, a gear is provided at one side of the discharge grill 70, and a gear engaged with the gear may be installed at one inner side of the main chassis 30 to receive power from a separate driving source.

Inside the discharge grill 70, a discharge passage 72 through which air passing through the fan assembly 60 flows is provided. The discharge passage 72 serves as a passage communicating an internal space of the main chassis 30 in which the fan assembly 60 is provided with a space for air conditioning. The discharge passage 72 is opened so as to face between the front and the bottom of the discharge grill 70 (front and bottom of the room) when the discharge grill 70 protrudes out of the main chassis 30.

The discharge passage 72 is provided with vanes 74 and louvers 76 for controlling the direction of the discharged air. The vanes 74 discharge air by adjusting the air in the vertical direction, and the louver 76 discharges the air by adjusting the air in the left and right directions. Such vanes 74 and louvers 76 may be driven by separate driving sources or manually driven, respectively.

Looking at the drive control process of the front panel according to the operation mode of the separate air conditioner according to the present invention configured as described above are as follows.

Figure 4 is a flow chart according to the drive control of the front panel of the indoor unit in the separate air conditioner according to the present invention.

The user turns on the air conditioner and inputs a control signal (step 200). Accordingly, as shown in the drawing, the control unit 110 receiving the control signal determines whether the control signal is to perform cooling / heating (operation 210).

If it is determined that the control signal for cooling / heating according to the determination, the front panel of the indoor unit is opened (step 230).

As the front panel is opened, air is introduced through the suction grill 38 '. In addition, air is sucked in through the suction grills 32 'and 35' provided on the upper surface. The sucked air is heat-exchanged in the heat exchanger (50), the discharge grill is opened (240), and the fan motor at the air volume set according to the cooling / heating operation so that the heat-exchanged air is discharged through the discharge grill (70). When driven (250), the maximum amount of heat exchanged according to the input control signal is supplied to the air conditioning space, and a cooling / heating process is performed (step 260).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 210 to perform the dehumidification function or the air cleaning function, the discharge grill is opened (step 270).

And air is introduced through the suction grill 32 'located on the upper surface. At this time, the air is filtered through the air purifier (A) provided on the upper surface. And the fan motor is driven to 'about' so that the filtered air controlled by the airflow control device driving unit 160 is discharged through the discharge grill 70 (step 270), according to the input control signal The minimum amount of air is discharged to the air conditioning space and performs a dehumidification function and an air cleaning function (step 280).

As described above, according to the present invention, it is a basic technical idea to control the driving of the front grill so as to perform a clean function or a dehumidification function in addition to a cooling / heating function according to the operation of the air conditioner.

The rights of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described above, but are defined by the claims, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications and adaptations within the scope of the claims. It is self-evident.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the operation of the front panel is controlled according to the control signal input by the user, that is, performing cooling / heating functions or additional functions (dehumidification function, air cleaning function, etc.), thereby adjusting the amount of air sucked into the indoor unit.

In addition, when the additional function is applied, it is possible to reduce the maximum fan motor capacity by bringing the air volume reduction effect due to the large ventilation resistance according to the operation of the air volume control device.

In addition, by controlling the driving of the front panel differently according to the operation mode as described above, it can be driven with the optimum efficiency according to the situation provides a satisfaction to the user using the product.

Claims (4)

Inputting a driving control signal by a user; Determining whether it is a cooling / heating or an additional function operating mode according to the input operation control signal; Controlling the driving of the front panel so that the air volume is sucked into the indoor unit differently according to the operation mode according to the determination; And controlling the driving force of the fan motor so that the heat-exchanged air is discharged differently according to the operation mode. The method of claim 1, According to the operation mode, the front panel drive control method of the air conditioner, characterized in that the fan motor is driven to 'strong' in the cooling / heating operation mode, 'weak' in the case of the additional function. The method of claim 2, When the operation mode is the cooling / heating operation mode, the front panel is completely opened, and in the case of the additional function, the front panel is completely closed so that the air volume of the air sucked into the indoor unit is different. Way. A main chassis having a suction grille formed on the front suction grill and an upper front / rear; A front panel formed on the front surface of the front suction grill; A discharge grill formed under the main chassis and driven in and out of the main chassis; Heat exchange means formed in the main chassis; Consists of a control unit of the air conditioner formed on the heat exchange stage, The control unit controls the front panel of the air conditioner according to the operation mode control signal, characterized in that for controlling the opening degree of the front panel differently.