WO2010092779A1

WO2010092779A1 - Air conditioner

Info

Publication number: WO2010092779A1
Application number: PCT/JP2010/000734
Authority: WO
Inventors: 杉尾孝; 清水昭彦; 森川智貴; 長谷川博基
Original assignee: パナソニック株式会社
Priority date: 2009-02-10
Filing date: 2010-02-08
Publication date: 2010-08-19
Also published as: JP4547030B2; JP2010185591A

Abstract

A sensor unit for recognizing conditions in an air conditioning space is provided to the discharge opening of an indoor unit, and air conditioning operation is performed by controlling an air direction changing vane according to the conditions in the air conditioning space which are recognized by the sensor unit. The sensor unit is provided with a sensor section which has a substantially circular cone-shaped horn (44). The horn (44) is provided with: a throat section (54) to which an ultrasonic sensor is mounted; an opening (56) which has a greater diameter than the throat section (54); and ribs (58) which are provided near the throat section (54), project toward the center line in the axial direction of the horn (44), and extend in the axial direction.

Description

Air conditioner

The present invention relates to a sensor unit for detecting an obstacle and an air conditioner using the same.

A conventional air conditioner uses a distance measuring unit provided in the main body to grasp the distance between the air conditioner main body and the wall or obstacle of the room, or by photographing and recognizing the state of the room using an image sensor, The wind direction change vane is controlled in accordance with the situation of the room to perform optimum air blowing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In addition, an ultrasonic sensor is used as a means for detecting an obstacle, and a horn is provided on the front side of the sensor to improve the directivity and sensitivity of the sensor (for example, patents). Reference 2).

Furthermore, for the purpose of efficiently transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, an opening of the ultrasonic sensor case is provided with a plate in which a pattern including an annular region that transmits ultrasonic waves and an annular region that does not transmit ultrasonic waves is formed. When ultrasonic waves are incident on the plate, the sound pressure of the ultrasonic waves can be increased by causing interference on the ultrasonic waves by the plate.

Japanese Patent No. 4106857 Japanese Patent No. 3520591 JP 2004-32499 A

The ultrasonic sensor described in Patent Document 2 is suitable for mounting in an automobile, for example, and it is difficult to rotate a sensor integrated with a horn in a limited space in a wide range up and down and left and right. There is a problem that it is not easy to mount on. Further, when a human finger or the like enters the horn, there is a possibility that a part of the ultrasonic sensor is damaged.

The ultrasonic sensor described in Patent Document 3 is configured to prevent intrusion of a human finger or the like because a plate provided for increasing the sound pressure of the ultrasonic wave is disposed in front of the ultrasonic sensor. However, if a strong force is applied to the plate, the plate may be damaged.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and by providing a plurality of ribs for preventing intrusion of a human finger or the like on the horn, the ultrasonic sensor is prevented from being damaged. The purpose is to provide an air conditioner.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention blows out into an indoor unit a suction port for sucking air, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat from the air sucked from the suction port, and air that has been heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger. And a sensor unit for recognizing a state in the air-conditioned space provided at the air outlet, the sensor unit recognizing the air outlet. The air-conditioning operation is performed by controlling the airflow direction change blade according to the state of the air-conditioned space. The sensor unit includes a sensor unit having a substantially conical horn. The horn includes a throat unit to which the ultrasonic sensor is attached, an opening having a larger diameter than the throat unit, and a shaft of the horn provided in the vicinity of the throat unit. It is the structure which has a some rib which protrudes toward a direction centerline and extends in an axial direction.

According to the present invention, the horn provided in the sensor part of the sensor unit includes a throat part to which the ultrasonic sensor is attached, an opening having a larger diameter than the throat part, and an axial center of the horn provided in the vicinity of the throat part. Since the plurality of ribs projecting toward the line and extending in the axial direction are provided, the plurality of ribs can prevent the ultrasonic sensor from being damaged by an intruder from the outside.

The front view of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on this invention Sectional view along line AA in FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1 with the movable front panel opening the front suction port and the up / down airflow direction changing blades opening the air outlet. The front view of the air-conditioning space recognition apparatus provided in the indoor unit of FIG. Sectional view along line BB in FIG. Front view of a horn provided in the air-conditioned space recognition device of FIG. Sectional view along line CC in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the modification of the indoor unit of FIG.

In a first aspect of the invention, the sensor unit includes a sensor unit having a substantially conical horn, and the horn is provided in the vicinity of the throat unit to which the ultrasonic sensor is attached, an opening having a larger diameter than the throat unit, and the throat unit. By having a plurality of ribs protruding toward the axial center line of the horn and extending in the axial direction, the ultrasonic sensor can be prevented from being damaged by intruders from the outside.

In the second invention, the plurality of ribs are arranged at equal intervals in a portion excluding the portion directly above the horn, so that the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor is located in the vicinity of the rib and the ultrasonic sensor. The irregular reflection at the lower end of the front panel can be reduced as much as possible, and the possibility of false detection of a virtual image as an obstacle due to the irregular reflection can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by placing a net-like member in front of the ultrasonic sensor, it is possible to prevent intrusion of an object thinner than a human finger such as a wire.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
An air conditioner used in a general home is composed of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit that are usually connected to each other by refrigerant piping, and FIGS. 1 to 3 show the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention. ing.

The indoor unit has a main body 2 and a movable front panel (hereinafter simply referred to as a front panel) 4 that can freely open and close a front suction port 2a of the main body 2. When the air conditioner is stopped, the front panel 4 is the main body 2. The front suction port 2a is closed in close contact with the front panel 4 while the front panel 4 moves away from the main body 2 to open the front suction port 2a during operation of the air conditioner. 1 and 2 show a state where the front panel 4 closes the front suction port 2a, and FIG. 3 shows a state where the front panel 4 opens the front suction port 2a.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, inside the main body 2, indoor air taken in from the heat exchanger 6 and the front inlet 2 a and the upper inlet 2 b provided on the downstream side of the heat exchanger 6 is received. An indoor fan 8 for exchanging heat in the heat exchanger 6 and blowing it into the room, an up-and-down air direction changing blade 12 that opens and closes the air outlet 10 that blows out the heat-exchanged air into the room, and changes the air blowing direction up and down, Left and right wind direction changing blades 14 that change the air blowing direction to the left and right are provided, and between the front suction port 2a and the upper suction port 2b and the heat exchanger 6 from the front suction port 2a and the upper suction port 2b. A filter 16 is provided for removing dust contained in the taken-in room air.

Further, a blowout grill 18 is provided on the downstream side of the indoor fan 8, and the blowout grill 18 forms a blower passage 20 and a blowout outlet 10 on the downstream side of the indoor fan 8.

The upper portion of the front panel 4 is connected to the upper portion of the main body 2 via two

arms

22 and 24 provided at both ends thereof, and drive control of a drive motor (not shown) connected to the arms 22 is performed. Thus, during operation of the air conditioner, the front panel 4 moves forward and obliquely upward from the position when the air conditioner is stopped (closed position of the front suction port 2a).

The vertical wind direction changing blade 12 is swingably attached to the lower part of the main body 2, connected to a drive motor (for example, a stepping motor), and angle-controlled by a control device (not shown) built in the indoor unit.

On the other hand, the left / right wind direction changing blade 14 is composed of a plurality of blades swingably attached to the lower portion of the main body 2 and is connected to a drive motor (for example, a stepping motor) to be incorporated in the indoor unit. The angle is controlled by.

Further, on the back side of the front panel 4 and the up / down airflow direction changing blade 12 on the lower side of one side (left side when viewed from the front) of the main body 2, the distance to the walls and floors of the air-conditioned room or the presence or absence of obstacles is detected. An air-conditioned space recognition device 30 that recognizes the state in the air-conditioned space is provided, and the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. As used herein, the term “obstacle” refers to all objects that are blown out from the air outlet 10 of the indoor unit and impede the flow of air to provide a comfortable space for residents. It is a collective term for non-residents such as furniture such as sofas, televisions, and audio.

In FIG. 1, the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is provided on the left side of the main body 2, but can be provided on the right side of the main body 2.

The air-conditioned space recognition device 30 includes a sensor unit 32, a vertical drive motor 34 that rotates the sensor unit 32 in the vertical direction, and a vertically long cylindrical shape that stores the sensor unit 32 and the vertical drive motor 34 arranged in the longitudinal direction. The sensor casing 36 and a left / right drive motor 38 that rotates the sensor casing 36 in the left-right direction are configured as a sensor unit. The sensor unit 32 is integrally formed with the ultrasonic sensor 40, a spherical support 42 that rotatably supports the ultrasonic sensor 40, and a support 42 that is positioned in the direction of the sound wave exit of the ultrasonic sensor 40. And a horn 44. The horn 44 is for improving the sensitivity of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 40 and enhancing the directivity and improving the air-conditioning space recognition accuracy.

The support 42 has a vertical rotation shaft 46, and the sensor casing 36 has a horizontal rotation shaft 48 extending in a direction orthogonal to the vertical rotation shaft 46. 46 is rotatably attached to the sensor casing 36, and the left / right rotation shaft 48 is rotatably attached to a housing 50 to which the left / right drive motor 38 is attached. Further, the support 42 is connected to the vertical drive motor 34 via a driving force transmission means 52 such as a gear and is driven to rotate in the vertical direction, and the sensor casing 36 is connected to the left and right drive motor 38. It is driven to rotate in the left-right direction.

The air-conditioned space recognition device 30 includes a metal plate, a ceramic vibration element attached to one side of the metal plate, and a cone for ultrasonic transmission / reception fixed to the opposite side of the metal plate. Since the air-conditioning space recognition device 30 is exposed to the outside during the operation of the conditioner, if a human finger or the like enters the horn 44, the cone or the like may be destroyed. Accordingly, the horn 44 is provided with a plurality of ribs for preventing intruders from the outside in order to prevent destruction of the cone or the like or to secure an insulation distance between the metal plate and the fingertip.

6 and 7, the horn 44 has a small-diameter throat portion 54 to which the ultrasonic sensor 40 is attached, and an opening 56 having a larger diameter than the throat portion 54. It has a substantially conical shape that gradually expands from 54 to the opening 56. Further, in the vicinity of the throat portion 54, a plurality of thin plate-like ribs 58 projecting toward the axial center line of the horn 44 and extending in the axial direction are integrally formed at equal intervals, and the inner edge of each rib 58 is The horn 44 extends substantially parallel to the axial center line.

Note that, as described above, the horn 44 is to improve the sensitivity of the ultrasonic wave and increase the directivity, but the direction in which the rib 58 is present tends to weaken the directivity. In the case of the air conditioner according to the present invention, the lower end portion of the front panel 4 is disposed near the upper part of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30, and the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 40 are transmitted to the rib 58 and the front panel 4. There is a possibility that a virtual image is erroneously detected as an obstacle due to irregular reflection at the lower end of the lens.

Therefore, it is preferable to provide the ribs 58 at positions other than directly above. In the configuration in which the two ribs 58 are provided, the ribs 58 are arranged horizontally. In the configuration in which the three ribs 58 are provided, the two ribs 58 are provided. In the configuration in which the other rib is disposed obliquely above and the other one is disposed directly below, and the four ribs 58 are provided, they are disposed as shown in FIG.

Note that the number of ribs 58 is not limited to 2 to 4, and five or more ribs 58 may be provided.

Further, it is more preferable to arrange a net-like member (not shown) in front of the ultrasonic sensor 40 because it is possible to prevent an object thinner than a human finger from entering. However, the net-like member needs to be arranged at the node position of the particle velocity. If the net-like member is not arranged at the node position, attenuation of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 40 becomes large. The node position of the particle velocity is a position corresponding to the vicinity of a distance of (2n-1) / 4 × λ from the cone, where λ is the wavelength of the ultrasonic wave.

The air-conditioned space recognition device 30 can be downsized by adopting the above-described configuration, and has a wide rotation range in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is fixed to the main body 2 such that the left / right rotation shaft 48 is inclined upward and the sensor unit 32 is inclined. It arrange | positions so that it may face downward. By adopting such an arrangement, it is possible to secure a visual field in the vicinity immediately below the air conditioner, and in a vertical direction, it is possible to secure a detection visual field covering a wide range from a substantially horizontal direction to the vicinity immediately below.

Drive motor for driving the arm 22 of the front panel 4, vertical drive motor 34 for driving the vertical wind direction changing blade 12, left and right drive motor 38 for driving the horizontal wind direction changing blade 14, the vertical drive motor 34 of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30, and the left and right The drive motor 38 and the like are electrically connected to a control unit (not shown) provided in the indoor unit, and when these drive means are controlled by the control unit, the front panel 4 and the up / down air direction changing blades 12, operations of the right and left wind direction changing blades 14, the air-conditioned space recognition device 30, and the like are controlled.

In addition, the signal detected by the air-conditioning space recognition device 30 is also processed by the control unit to control the operation of the air conditioner.

Next, the operation of the air conditioner according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 2 shows a stopped state of the air conditioner, and the front suction port 2a and the air outlet 10 are respectively closed by the front panel 4 and the up / down air direction changing blades 12.

When the operation of the air conditioner is started using a remote controller (remote control device, not shown), as shown in FIG. 3, the arm 22 is driven by the drive motor, and the front panel 4 is moved from the front suction port 2a. Moves forward and stops at an arbitrary position. At the same time, the up / down airflow direction changing blade 12 is driven by another drive motor, rotates and stops at an arbitrary position, and the sensor unit 32 of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is exposed from the main body 2. In this state, the conditioned space recognition device 30 recognizes the conditioned space by detecting the distance to the walls and floors of the room, which is the conditioned space, and the presence or absence of an obstacle.

The distance to the object is detected by reflecting the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the ultrasonic sensor 40 and receiving the reflected wave by the ultrasonic sensor 40 when the ultrasonic wave hits the object. Assuming that the time from transmission to reception is t and the sound speed is C, the distance D from the ultrasonic sensor 40 to the object is represented by D = Ct / 2.

4 and 5 show the ultrasonic sensor 40 in which the ultrasonic transmission unit and the reception unit are integrated. However, even in the case where the ultrasonic transmission unit and the reception unit are separate, in principle or functionally. Can be adopted in the present embodiment.

In addition, the air-conditioned space is recognized by rotating the sensor unit 32 in the vertical direction by a vertical drive motor 34 at a predetermined angular interval, and by moving the sensor casing 36 housing the sensor unit 32 by a horizontal drive motor 38 in a horizontal direction at a predetermined angle. While rotating at intervals, ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received at each angle, and the signals are recorded and processed.

For example, the address determined by the vertical and horizontal angles of the sensor unit 32 is set in the air-conditioned space, and the ultrasonic sensor 40 measures each address and scans the living space. Thus, the air-conditioned space is recognized. The angle range in the vertical direction is set to, for example, 5 degrees to 80 degrees, and the angle in the horizontal direction is set to, for example, 10 degrees to 170 degrees.

After recognizing the air-conditioned space in this way, the air-conditioning operation is performed with the capacity corresponding to the size of the air-conditioned space. When an obstacle is recognized, the direction of the wind blown from the outlet 10 is controlled by the left / right wind direction changing blade 14 or the upper / lower wind direction changing blade 12, or the wind speed is controlled by the indoor fan 8 to avoid the obstacle. By performing the air conditioning operation, efficient operation can be performed and energy saving is achieved.

In addition, the recognition operation of the conditioned space by the conditioned space recognition device 30 can be performed at the start of the operation of the air conditioner. Alternatively, since the state of the air-conditioned space does not change greatly with the passage of time, the recognition operation of the air-conditioned space may be performed after completion of the air-conditioning operation or at regular intervals.

In the above-described embodiment, the air-conditioning space recognition device 30 is disposed on the back side of the front panel 4 and the up / down air direction changing blades 12, and the sensor unit 32 is changed from the front panel 4 to the up / down air direction when the operation of the air conditioner is stopped. It is made to cover with the wing 12. With this configuration, the ultrasonic sensor 40 is less susceptible to dust, cigarette smoke, and the like when the air conditioner is shut down, and can suppress degradation in recognition performance.

However, as shown in FIG. 8, while the length of the front panel 4 in the vertical direction is shortened, the length of the vertical wind direction changing blade 12 is lengthened in the vertical direction so that all of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is in the vertical wind direction. It can also be arranged on the back side of the change blade 12.

That is, in the configuration of FIG. 2, a part of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is arranged on the back side of the up / down airflow direction changing blade 12 and the remaining part is arranged on the back side of the front panel 4. All of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is arranged on the back side of the up-and-down air direction changing blade 12 and is fixed to the main body 2. When the operation of the air conditioner is stopped, the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 can be operated only by the up-and-down air direction changing blade 12. I try to cover it up. This configuration is particularly effective in an air conditioner in which the front panel 4 is fixed. By disposing the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 on the back side of the up-and-down airflow direction changing blade 12, the recognition performance of the air-conditioned space recognition device 30 is reduced. Can be suppressed.

Also in the configuration of FIG. 8, as in the configuration of FIG. 2, the conditioned space recognition device 30 is fixed to the main body 2 such that the left and right rotation shaft 48 is inclined upward toward the front, 32 is arranged to face obliquely downward. Therefore, a visual field in the vicinity immediately below the air conditioner can be secured, and a single field sensor can be used to secure a wide-range detection visual field from the substantially horizontal direction to the vicinity immediately below the air conditioner.

In the present embodiment, an ultrasonic sensor that detects the distance to a wall, floor, or obstacle in the air-conditioned space is used as the air-conditioned space recognition device 30, but the human state such as the position and body temperature of the person is used. You may use the sensor which detects this. Further, the wind direction changing blade may be only one of the upper and lower sides and the left and right sides.

In the air conditioner according to the present invention, the sensor unit for recognizing the state in the air-conditioned space is provided with a horn, and the horn is provided with a plurality of ribs for preventing intrusion of a human finger or the like. Since the ultrasonic sensor can be prevented from being damaged by the intruder, the air sensor is useful as various air conditioners including a general home air conditioner.

2 indoor unit body, 2a front suction port, 2b top suction port,
4 movable front panel, 6 heat exchanger, 8 indoor fan, 10 air outlet,
12 Up-and-down wind direction change blade, 14 Left and right wind direction change blade, 16
18 blow grill, 20 air passage, 22, 24 front panel arm,
30 air-conditioning space recognition device, 32 sensor unit, 34 vertical drive motor,
36 sensor casing, 38 left and right drive motor,
40 ultrasonic sensor, 42 support, 44 horn,
46 Rotating shaft for vertical rotation, 48 Rotating shaft for left-right rotation,
50 housing 52 driving force transmission means 54 throat portion
56 openings, 58 ribs.

Claims

In the indoor unit, an air inlet for sucking air, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat from the air sucked from the air inlet, an air outlet for blowing out the air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger, and an air outlet A wind direction changing blade provided to change the direction of the air to be blown out, and a sensor unit provided at the outlet for recognizing a state in the air-conditioned space, according to the state of the air-conditioned space recognized by the sensor unit An air conditioner that performs air conditioning operation by controlling the wind direction changing blade,
The sensor unit includes a sensor portion having a substantially conical horn, and the horn is provided near the throat portion to which an ultrasonic sensor is attached, and protrudes toward the axial center line of the horn. An air conditioner having at least one rib.
2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the horn has a plurality of ribs, and the plurality of ribs are arranged at equal intervals in a portion excluding the portion directly above the horn. .
The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a net-like member is disposed in front of the ultrasonic sensor.
A sensor unit for recognizing a state in a space, comprising a support for rotatably supporting a sensor, and a horn formed on the support,
The horn is
A throat part to which a sensor is attached;
A sensor unit comprising: a rib provided in the vicinity of the throat portion and protruding toward a central axis of the horn.