WO2018078685A1

WO2018078685A1 - Air conditioner

Info

Publication number: WO2018078685A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/081405
Authority: WO
Inventors: 一也道上
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2016-10-24
Filing date: 2016-10-24
Publication date: 2018-05-03
Also published as: CN109863348A; CN109863348B; JPWO2018078685A1; JP6790109B2

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an air conditioner configured so that clogging in a humidifier can be accurately detected by a simple device and so that the leakage of an air flow from an indoor unit caused by clogging in the humidifier can be prevented. [Solution] This air conditioner is provided with: an outdoor unit having at least a compressor and at least an outdoor heat exchanger; and an indoor unit having a blower, an indoor heat exchanger which exchanges heat between air from the blower and a refrigerant from the outdoor unit, a humidifier which humidifies air having been subjected to heat exchange by the indoor heat exchanger, and a partition plate having the humidifier mounted thereto and providing separation between a first space which is an indoor heat exchanger-side space including the humidifier, and a second space which is a space on the side out of which air humidified by the humidifier flows. The air conditioner has: an air outflow hole provided in the partition plate and providing communication between the first space and the second space; and a clogging detection device having an opening and closing door for closing the air outflow hole in an openable and closable manner from the second space side, the clogging detection device being configured such that, when air pressure within the first space increases to a level higher than air pressure within the second space to cause the opening and closing door to open the air outflow hole, the clogging detection device detects clogging in the humidifier and notifies the clogging.

Description

Air conditioner

The present invention relates to an air conditioner including a clogging detection device that detects clogging of a humidifier in an indoor unit.

Vaporizing humidifiers mounted on conventional air conditioners deteriorate over time due to accumulation of impurities contained in the water supply, and the period until the humidifier becomes clogged is the water quality, the usage environment of the humidifier, There is a big difference depending on the driving time. The presence or absence of clogging of the humidifier is mainly determined by visual confirmation during periodic inspection or by measuring the differential pressure before and after the operation of the humidifier with a pressure gauge installed in advance.
As another technique, there is one that detects the rotation speed of a motor of a blower and determines clogging of the humidifier from a change in the detected rotation speed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In addition, there is a method for determining the clogged state of the filter by checking the floating height of the float drifted in the rising water flow (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2001-149728 A Utility Model Registration No. 3028048

For a vaporizing humidifier built in a conventional air conditioner, if the humidifier is clogged and the pressure in the indoor unit increases, it may cause condensation or dew, etc., due to wind leakage. There is a need. However, in the case of visual confirmation, it is difficult to find clogging inside the humidifier. In addition, in a format such as an air filter that displays after a lapse of a certain time, accuracy is low in a device such as a humidifier that differs greatly in the period until clogging depending on the local water quality and operating conditions.
Although the clogging measurement due to the differential pressure before and after the operation of the humidifier is high in accuracy, a pressure detecting element, a microcomputer, software related to clogging detection, a power source, and the like are required, and there is a problem that the introduction cost becomes high.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and detects clogging of a humidifier with a simple device with high accuracy and suppresses air leakage from the indoor unit due to clogging of the humidifier. It aims at obtaining the air conditioner which can do.

An air conditioner according to the present invention includes at least an outdoor unit having a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, a blower, an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air from the blower and the refrigerant from the outdoor unit, indoor heat A humidifier for humidifying the air heat-exchanged by the exchanger, and a humidifier, and a space on the indoor heat exchanger side including the humidifier is a first space, and a space on the outflow side of the air humidified by the humidifier In the air conditioner including the indoor unit having a partition plate that separates the first space and the second space, an air outflow hole that is provided in the partition plate and communicates between the first space and the second space, and air from the second space side. It has an open / close door that closes the outflow hole so that it can be opened and closed. When the open / close door opens the air outflow hole because the air pressure in the first space is higher than the air pressure in the second space, clogging of the humidifier is detected. And a clogging detection device for informing That.

According to the present invention, when the open / close door opens the air outflow hole because the air pressure in the first space is higher than the air pressure in the second space, the clogging of the humidifier is detected and notified. You can immediately know the clogging of the humidifier. In addition, when the air outflow hole is opened by the open / close door, the air on the first space side with high air pressure can be flowed into the second space side, so that the increase in the internal pressure of the indoor unit can be mitigated. For this reason, a wind leak can be suppressed from the clearance gap of the housing | casing which comprises the external appearance of an indoor unit. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of condensation due to wind leakage.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the inside of the indoor unit of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which expands and shows the clogging detection apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram of the state in which the opening / closing door of the clogging detection apparatus shown in FIG. 3 was opened. It is a schematic diagram which shows the inside of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention seeing from a side surface. It is a schematic diagram which expands and shows the clogging detection apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic diagram of the state in which the opening / closing door of the clogging detection apparatus shown in FIG. 6 was opened.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the interior of the indoor unit of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioner 200 according to Embodiment 1 includes an outdoor unit 10 and an indoor unit 20 connected to the outdoor unit 10 via a gas pipe 31 and a liquid pipe 32. Yes. The outdoor unit 10 includes a compressor, a four-way valve that switches a refrigerant flow path, an outdoor heat exchanger, a blower that supplies air to the outdoor heat exchanger, and the like. The indoor unit 20 is installed, for example, behind the ceiling of a building. The indoor unit 20 is configured to be connected to the air inlet and the air outlet via ducts.

The compressor is composed of an inverter compressor whose capacity can be controlled, for example, and sucks low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant, compresses the gas refrigerant, and discharges high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant. The four-way valve switches between a refrigerant flow during heating operation and a refrigerant flow during cooling operation. The outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator during heating operation, functions as a condenser during cooling operation, and performs heat exchange between the air from the blower and the refrigerant.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the indoor unit 20 includes an indoor heat exchanger 30, a blower 40, a humidifier 50, a drain pan 60 installed under the indoor heat exchanger 30 and the humidifier 50, and a humidifier 50. A clogging detection device 70 that detects and notifies clogging of the humidification module 51 is provided.

The indoor heat exchanger 30 is connected to the gas pipe 31 and the liquid pipe 32 described above, and functions as a condenser during heating operation and as an evaporator during cooling operation, and between the air from the blower 40 and the refrigerant. Perform heat exchange. The liquid pipe 32 is provided with an expansion valve 33 that expands the refrigerant by decompressing it. The expansion valve 33 is composed of, for example, an electronic expansion valve whose valve opening degree can be controlled. The blower 40 includes a motor 41, a fan casing 42, and a fan that is rotatably housed in the fan casing 42. This fan is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 41. The blower 40 is installed in a space separated from the indoor heat exchanger 30 side by a wall plate 43.

The humidifier 50 includes a humidifying module (humidifying material) 51 that is a vaporizing and evaporating part of water, a watering head 52 that drops and permeates the humidifying module 51 from above, and an electromagnetic valve 53. A water supply pipe 54 is connected to the electromagnetic valve 53. The humidifier 50 vaporizes and evaporates the moisture that permeates the humidifying module 51 when the air flowing in through the indoor heat exchanger 30 passes through the humidifying module 51, and humidifies the air.

The drain pan 60 is a container for storing water that has not been vaporized by the humidification module 51 and water of condensation generated in the indoor heat exchanger 30, and is installed under the humidifier 50 and the indoor heat exchanger 30. The drain pan 60 includes a drain port 61 that drains the stored water to the outside of the indoor unit 20. A drain pipe is connected to the drain port 61.

In the indoor unit 20 described above, the space on the indoor heat exchanger 30 side excluding the space on the blower 40 side among the spaces in the indoor unit 20 is defined as the first space A, and the outflow side of the air humidified by the humidifier 50 A partition plate 80 made of, for example, sheet metal is provided to separate the space as the second space B. In the first space A, a humidifier 50 is also provided.

The partition plate 80 is installed on the drain pan 60. The partition plate 80 is provided with an opening 81 that allows the air humidified by the humidifier 50 to pass through at a position on the back surface of the humidifier 50. Further, the partition plate 80 has an air outflow hole 82 through which air in the first space A flows out into the second space B, and an open / close door 71 of the clogging detection device 70 that closes the air outflow hole 82 so as to be freely opened and closed. Is provided. The clogging detection device 70 will be described later. The indoor unit 20 is provided with a control board 90 connected to the remote controller 100.

The control board 90 is mounted with, for example, a microcomputer 90a (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The microcomputer 90a instructs the outdoor unit 10 to perform the heating operation or the cooling operation based on the operation key operation of the remote controller 100, and controls the rotation speed of the motor 41 of the blower 40 according to the setting of the air volume key. Further, the microcomputer 90a opens the electromagnetic valve 53 during heating operation to supply water to the humidifying module 51 of the humidifier 50, and when the clogging of the humidifying module 51 is detected by the clogging detection device 70, the electromagnetic valve 53 is closed and the water supply to the humidification module 51 is shut off.

In the indoor unit 20 configured as described above, the air sent by the blower 2 is cooled or warmed by the indoor heat exchanger 30 to air-condition the room. As the refrigerant flow during heating, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor of the outdoor unit 10 flows into the indoor heat exchanger 30 through the gas pipe 31 through the four-way valve. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the indoor heat exchanger 30 is dissipated and condensed by heat exchange with the air supplied from the blower 40, and flows out of the indoor heat exchanger 30 as a low-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The low-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant that has flowed out of the indoor heat exchanger 30 is expanded and depressurized by the expansion valve 33, becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and returns to the outdoor unit 10 through the liquid pipe 32.

On the other hand, the air heated by the indoor heat exchanger 30 passes through the opening 81 of the humidifier 50 and the partition plate 80 as shown by the arrow (broken line) shown in FIG. Heat the room. When air passes through the humidifier 50, the moisture that has permeated the humidifying module 51 is evaporated and evaporated by the air, and the air is humidified.

Next, the configuration of the clogging detection device 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic diagram showing the clogging detection device of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the opening / closing door of the clogging detection device of FIG. 3 is opened.
As described above, the clogging detection device 70 according to the first embodiment includes the open / close door 71 that freely closes the air outflow hole 82 of the partition wall plate 80, and the magnet 72 provided at one end of the open / close door 71. And a reed switch 73 installed on the partition plate 80. In place of the reed switch 73, a Hall IC may be used.

The opening / closing door 71 is installed on the surface of the partition plate 80 on the second space B side. The other end portion of the opening / closing door 71 is rotatably supported by a hinge portion 71 a provided at a position below the air outflow hole 82 of the partition plate 80. This open / close door 71 is joined to a position above the air outflow hole 82 of the partition plate 80 by the magnetic force of the magnet 72 provided at one end portion, thereby closing the air outflow hole 82.

As shown in FIG. 4, the reed switch 73 is configured such that when the opening / closing door 71 opens the air outflow hole 82, that is, when the opening / closing door 71 rotates downward about the hinge portion 71 a, the magnet 72 of the opening / closing door 71. It is provided in the position which contacts. The reed switch 73 is turned on by the magnetic force of the magnet 72, and inputs a signal for informing the detection of clogging of the humidifying module 51 to the microcomputer 90a. This signal is output to the remote controller 100 by the microcomputer 90a. In addition, although the said signal was input into the microcomputer 90a, you may make it input the signal directly into the remote controller 100 via the control board 90. FIG.

The operation of the clogging detection device 70 configured as described above will be described.
The air sent from the blower 40 passes through the indoor heat exchanger 30 and further passes through the humidifier 50 to be sent indoors. In the case of the heating operation, as described above, when the air passes through the humidifier 50, the water that has permeated the humidification module 51 is evaporated and evaporated, and the air is humidified. While the air from the blower 40 passes through the humidifier 50, the open / close door 71 is joined to the partition plate 80 by the magnetic force of the magnet 72 to block the air outflow hole 82.

On the other hand, the humidification module 51 is gradually soiled due to dust components in the air and scale components (calcium, magnesium, etc.) contained in the water as the indoor unit 20 is operated. And when the humidification module 51 becomes clogged due to aged deterioration of the humidification module 51, the pressure loss Ph (Pa) of the humidification module 51 increases. When the flow rate of the air passing through the humidification module 51 decreases with an increase in the pressure loss Ph (Pa), the air pressure in the first space A in the indoor unit 20 becomes higher than the air pressure in the second space B.

When the air pressure in the first space A in the indoor unit 20 is P1 (Pa) and the air pressure in the second space B in the indoor unit 20 is P2 (Pa), the relationship is P1 = P2-Ph. Therefore, as the clogging amount increases (Ph increases), the air pressure P1 in the first space A increases, and the air pressure difference ΔP12 (= P1-P2) between the first space A and the second space B increases. . When the force that pushes the air pressure opening / closing door 71 on the first space A side due to the differential pressure ΔP12 becomes larger than the magnetic force of the magnet 72 that joins the opening / closing door 71 to the partition plate 80, the opening / closing door 71 is hinged 71a. Is opened to the second space B side as a fulcrum to open the air outflow hole 82, and the magnet 72 provided at one end contacts the reed switch 73.

At this time, the first space A and the second space B communicate with each other through the opened air outflow hole 82, and the air on the first space A side with high air pressure flows into the second space B side. On the other hand, the reed switch 73 is turned on by being excited by the magnetic force of the magnet 72, and inputs a signal notifying the detection of clogging of the humidifying module 51 to the microcomputer 90 a of the control board 90. The microcomputer 90a transmits the input signal to the remote controller 100. When the signal is input, the remote controller 100 notifies the user with a voice or a buzzer and displays the clogging of the humidifying module 51 on the display unit 100a.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, due to the clogging of the humidifying module 51, the air pressure on the first space A side becomes higher than the air pressure on the second space B side, and the air pressure on the first space A side is increased. When the opening / closing door 71 becomes larger than the magnetic force of the magnet 72 joining the partition plate 80, the opening / closing door 71 is opened. When the open / close door 71 is opened, the reed switch 73 is excited by the magnetic force of the magnet 72 and is turned on to notify the detection of the clogging of the humidifying module 51. With this configuration, clogging of the humidification module 51 can be immediately known. In addition, since the configuration is simple as described above, the introduction cost of the clogging detection device can be suppressed.

Further, when the open / close door 71 opens the air outflow hole 82, the air on the first space A side with high air pressure flows into the second space B side, so that the air pressure on the first space A side of the indoor unit 20 increases. Can be relaxed. For this reason, the wind leak from the housing | casing which forms the external appearance of the indoor unit 20 can be suppressed, and generation | occurrence | production of the dew condensation by a wind leak can be prevented by this.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the inside of the indoor unit of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention as seen from the side. 6 is an enlarged schematic view of the clogging detection device of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the clogging detection device shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts as in the first embodiment, and only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described.

In FIG. 5, the partition plate 80 extends horizontally from the front end of the first partition plate 80 a to the first space A side, the first partition plate 80 a installed in the drain pan 60 so as to be orthogonal to the air flow from the blower 40. The second partition plate 80b and the third partition plate 80c extending vertically upward from the tip of the second partition plate 80b and joining to the top plate of the indoor unit 20 are configured. The partition plate 80 is formed of a sheet metal that separates the space in the indoor unit 20 into a first space A and a second space B. The second partition plate 80b is provided with an air outflow hole 82 through which air in the first space A flows out into the second space B.

The clogging detection device 150 according to the second embodiment is formed via an open / close door 71 that closes the air outflow hole 82 from the second space B side, and an open / close door 71 that closes the air outflow hole 82. And a closed circuit monitoring unit that detects and notifies the clogging of the humidifying module 51 when the closed circuit 151 is blocked by opening the air outflow hole 82 of the door 71.

The opening / closing door 71 is installed on the surface of the second partition plate 80b on the second space B side. A magnet 72 joined to the second partition plate 80b is provided at one end portion of the opening / closing door 71, and the other end portion of the opening / closing door 71 is rotatable by a hinge portion 71a provided in the second partition plate 80b. It is supported by. The open / close door 71 is joined to the second partition plate 80b by the magnetic force of the magnet 72 provided at one end to close the air outflow hole 82. In addition, although the hinge part 71a is provided in the 3rd partition plate 80c side, the hinge part 71a may be provided in the position on the opposite side, and you may make it support the door 71 rotatably.

As shown in FIG. 6, the closed circuit 151 includes an opening / closing door 71, a first lead wire 150 a whose one end is in contact with one surface of the opening / closing door 71, and the other end is connected to the connector 90 b of the control board 90, and one end is The second lead wire 150b is connected to the second partition plate 80b on the hinge portion 71a side and the other end is connected to the connector 90c of the control board 90, and the power source is connected between the

connectors

90b and 90c. . The function of the above-described closed circuit monitoring unit is provided in, for example, the microcomputer 90a.

Next, the operation of the clogging detection device 150 configured as described above will be described.
While the air from the blower 40 passes through the humidifier 50, the open / close door 71 is joined to the second partition plate 8 b by the magnetic force of the magnet 72 to block the air outflow hole 82. When the humidification module 51 becomes clogged due to deterioration over time, the pressure loss Ph (Pa) of the humidification module 51 increases, and the indoor unit 20 increases as the pressure loss Ph (Pa) increases. The air pressure in the first space A is higher than the air pressure in the second space B.

When the air pressure in the first space A in the indoor unit 20 is P1 (Pa) and the air pressure in the second space B in the indoor unit 20 is P2 (Pa), the relationship is P1 = P2-Ph. Therefore, as the clogging amount increases (Ph increases), the air pressure P1 in the first space A increases, and the air pressure difference ΔP12 (= P1-P2) between the first space A and the second space B increases. . When the force that pushes the air pressure opening / closing door 71 on the first space A side due to the differential pressure ΔP12 becomes larger than the magnetic force of the magnet 72 that joins the opening / closing door 71 to the partition plate 80, the opening / closing door 71 is hinged 71a. Is opened to the second space B side as a fulcrum, and the air outflow hole 82 is opened to connect the first space A and the second space B, and the air on the first space A side having high air pressure is moved to the second space B side. Let it flow.

On the other hand, the microcomputer 90a detects the closing of the closed circuit 151 by opening the door 71. At this time, the microcomputer 90a starts counting time and determines whether the counted time has passed a predetermined time. The microcomputer 90a resets the counted time and continues the heating operation by humidification when the closed circuit 151 is shut off before the counted time has passed a certain time. Further, the microcomputer 90a determines that the humidification module 51 is clogged when the counted time has passed a certain time, and notifies the remote controller 100 that the humidification module 51 has clogged. Send a signal. When the signal is input, the remote controller 100 notifies the user with a voice or a buzzer and displays the clogging of the humidifying module 51 on the display unit 100a.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the closed circuit 151 formed through the opening / closing door 71 is blocked by the opening / closing of the opening / closing door 71, and the humidifying module 51 is turned on when the blocking state continues for a certain period of time. Clogging is detected and notified. With this configuration, in addition to the effect that the clogging of the humidification module 51 can be known, erroneous detection of clogging due to a temporary increase in internal pressure can be avoided.

Further, when the open / close door 71 opens the air outflow hole 82, the air on the first space A side with high air pressure flows into the second space B side, so that the air pressure on the first space A side of the indoor unit 20 increases. Can be relaxed. For this reason, a wind leak can be suppressed from the clearance gap of the housing | casing which comprises the external appearance of the indoor unit 20, and generation | occurrence | production of the dew condensation by a wind leak can be prevented in connection with this.

In the case of the first embodiment, it is necessary to install the opening / closing door 71 vertically and the hinge portion 71a downward, so that the installation of the opening / closing door 71 is limited. Moreover, there is a possibility of erroneous detection of a temporary increase in internal pressure due to outside winds. On the other hand, in the case of the second embodiment, the degree of freedom of the installation posture of the open / close door 71 is relatively larger than that of the first embodiment, and when the open / close door 71 is horizontally installed, the open state of the open / close door 71 is kept for a certain time or more. By detecting that the clogging is continued, the erroneous detection due to the temporary increase in internal pressure described above can be avoided.
Furthermore, as a release method after notifying the clogging of the humidifying module 51, in the first embodiment, it is necessary to access the interior of the indoor unit 20 and return the opening / closing door 71 to the original state. Since the opening / closing door 71 is closed by the weight of the door 71 and gravity, it is not necessary to access the interior of the indoor unit 20 each time clogging is detected.

By the way, in Embodiment 1, 2, although it was set as the clogging detection apparatuses 70 and 150 used for the humidifier 50 of the indoor unit 20, it can be utilized also for clogging detection of an air filter, a heat exchanger, etc. Needless to say.

10 outdoor unit, 20 indoor unit, 30 indoor heat exchanger, 31 gas pipe, 32 liquid pipe, 33 expansion valve, 40 blower, 41 motor, 42 fan casing, 42a air outlet, 43 wall plate, 50 humidifier, 51 humidification Module, 52 Watering head, 53 Solenoid valve, 54 Water supply pipe, 60 Drain pan, 61 Drain outlet, 70 Clogging detection device, 71 Opening / closing door, 71a Hinge part, 72 Magnet, 73 Reed switch, 80 Bulkhead plate, 80a First bulkhead Plate, 80b second partition plate, 80c third partition plate, 81 opening, 82 air outflow hole, 90 control board, 90a microcomputer, 90b, 90c connector, 100 remote controller, 100a display unit, 150 clogging detection device, 150a first lead, 150b second Lead wires, 151 closed circuit, 200 an air conditioner, A first space, B the second space.

Claims

An outdoor unit having at least a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger;
A blower, an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the air from the blower and the refrigerant from the outdoor unit, a humidifier that humidifies air exchanged by the indoor heat exchanger, and the humidifier are provided. And an indoor unit having a partition plate that separates the space on the indoor heat exchanger side including the humidifier as a first space and the space on the outflow side of the air humidified by the humidifier as a second space. In air conditioner,
An air outflow hole provided in the partition plate and communicating the first space and the second space;
An open / close door that freely closes and opens the air outflow hole from the second space side, and the air pressure in the first space becomes higher than the air pressure in the second space, so that the open / close door opens the air outflow hole; An air conditioner having a clogging detection device that detects and notifies clogging of the humidifier when opened.
The clogging detection device is
The opening and closing door;
A magnet provided at one end of the open / close door, and joined to the partition plate to block the air outflow hole with the open / close door;
The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising: a reed switch that is turned on by the magnetic force of the magnet when the opening / closing door opens the air outflow hole to notify detection of clogging of the humidifier.
The partition plate includes a first partition plate installed so as to be orthogonal to the air flow from the blower, a second partition plate extending horizontally from the tip of the first partition plate toward the first space, and the first partition plate. A third partition plate extending vertically upward from the tip of the two partition plates, the second partition plate is provided with an air outflow hole communicating the first space and the second space;
The clogging detection device is
The opening and closing door;
The humidifier has a closed circuit formed through the opening / closing door closing the air outflow hole, and when the closed circuit is blocked by opening the air outflow hole of the opening / closing door, The air conditioner of Claim 1 provided with the closed circuit monitoring part which detects and alert | reports clogging.
The closed circuit monitoring unit starts counting time when the clogging of the humidifier is detected, and when the closed state of the closed circuit is continued until a predetermined time has elapsed, The air conditioner of Claim 3 which alert | reports clogging of a vessel.