WO2019020021A1

WO2019020021A1 - Air conditioner indoor unit

Info

Publication number: WO2019020021A1
Application number: PCT/CN2018/096850
Authority: WO
Inventors: 张建雄; 王祯祯; 曾福祥; 王彦生; 刘秋菊; 董积菊; 黄素琴
Original assignee: 青岛海尔空调器有限总公司
Priority date: 2017-07-26
Filing date: 2018-07-24
Publication date: 2019-01-31
Also published as: CN107514681A

Abstract

An air conditioner indoor unit (100), comprising: a casing (110), which comprises a frame (111) for supporting an indoor unit fan (130) and an indoor unit heat exchanger (140), and a housing (112) covering the frame (111) and provided with an air inlet (113) and an air outlet (114); a humidity sensor (160), which is configured to measure the humidity in the working environment surrounding said indoor unit (100); and a humidifying assembly (150), which has a spray nozzle (153) provided in the casing (110) and is configured to be actuated when the humidity in the working environment is lower than a first preset humidity threshold, so as to spray water mist by means of the spray nozzle (153) to humidify the working environment.

Description

Air conditioner indoor unit

Technical field

The present invention relates to a household air conditioner, and more particularly to an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

Background technique

Air conditioning is a common electrical appliance in our life. Nowadays, the air conditioner has more and more functions, not only cooling and heating, but also dehumidification and humidification. Because the air is humid in the south, many people use the dehumidification function.

However, if the air in the north is relatively dry, it is necessary to increase the humidity of the air. In the prior art, the lack of an air conditioner with a humidifying function requires the user to purchase an additional humidifying device, which increases the user's cost and takes up more space, resulting in complicated operation of the user.

On the other hand, when the air conditioner is placed or used for a long time, a large amount of dust is present in the air conditioner. These dusts adhere to the heat exchanger of the indoor unit, which on the one hand will reduce the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger, resulting in a decrease in the performance of the air conditioner, resulting in an increase in energy consumption; on the other hand, dust adhesion tends to breed bacteria and form mildew spots. Bacteria and mildew can cause odors in the unit. If not cleaned up in time, it will seriously threaten the health of air conditioner users.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner indoor unit that solves at least some of the above technical problems.

It is a further object of the present invention to enable an air conditioner indoor unit to perform an environmental humidification function.

A further object of the present invention is to improve the self-cleaning effect of an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

In particular, the present invention provides an air conditioner indoor unit including: a casing including a skeleton for supporting an indoor unit fan and an indoor unit heat exchanger, and an air inlet and an air outlet which are disposed on the skeleton a cover; a humidity sensor configured to measure a humidity of the working environment of the indoor unit; a humidifying assembly having a spray port disposed in the casing and configured to be activated when the humidity of the working environment is lower than a preset first humidity threshold, The working environment is humidified by spraying water mist using a spray port.

Optionally, the humidity sensor is further configured to continuously measure the humidity of the indoor working environment after the humidifying component is started; and the humidifying component is further configured to be turned off when the working environment humidity is higher than a preset second humidity threshold, and second The humidity threshold is greater than the first humidity threshold.

Optionally, the humidifying component is further configured to be activated when the air conditioner indoor unit performs the self-cleaning function, to improve the degree of condensation at the indoor heat exchanger, and the humidifying component further comprises: a water tank, an atomizing device, is used in the water tank The water atomization; and the spray port is disposed upstream of the inlet air of the indoor unit heat exchanger for supplying the water mist formed by the atomizing device to the indoor unit heat exchanger.

Optionally, the spray port is disposed laterally on the inner side of the air inlet, and has a length corresponding to the length of the air inlet, and a plurality of spray holes are evenly arranged along the length thereof to spray the water mist through the plurality of spray holes.

Optionally, the water tank is disposed outside the casing; the atomization device is fixed on the skeleton and communicates to the spray port through the mist supply hose; and the humidification assembly further includes: a water pump for supplying water of the water tank to the atomization device .

Optionally, a water pipe connecting the water tank and the atomizing device penetrates the casing from the side of the casing and extends against the skeleton to the atomizing device.

Optionally, the atomizing device is further configured to adjust the atomization intensity according to the humidity of the working environment in a state where the air conditioner indoor unit performs the self-cleaning function, so that the atomization intensity decreases correspondingly as the humidity of the working environment increases.

Optionally, the indoor unit heat exchanger is further configured to operate in the evaporator mode when the indoor unit of the air conditioner is turned on, and to ensure that the surface temperature is lower than the frosting temperature.

Optionally, the indoor unit heat exchanger is further configured to determine that the condensation is completed after the air conditioner indoor unit turns on the self-cleaning function and continues for a set time.

Optionally, the indoor unit fan is further configured to operate at a low speed or stop when the air conditioner indoor unit starts the self-cleaning function; stop the operation during the indoor unit heat exchanger defrosting, and defoase the indoor unit heat exchanger After completion, run at high speed to dry the indoor unit heat exchanger.

In the air conditioner indoor unit of the present invention, a humidifying unit is disposed inside the casing, and is started when the humidity of the working environment is lower than a preset first humidity threshold, so that the water mist is sprayed by the spray port to humidify the working environment. Thereby, the humidification function can be integrated in the indoor unit of the air conditioner.

Further, in the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present invention, a humidifying unit is disposed inside the casing, and when the self-cleaning function is performed on the indoor unit of the air conditioner by using the humidifying unit, the degree of frosting at the heat exchanger of the indoor unit is improved, and the existing self is avoided. Cleaning the air conditioner in a dry environment does not produce enough condensed water to affect the self-cleaning effect.

Further, in the indoor unit of the air conditioner of the present invention, the spray port of the humidifying unit is disposed laterally on the inner side of the air inlet, and a plurality of spray holes are evenly arranged along the longitudinal direction thereof to spray water mist through the plurality of spray holes, thereby Ensure that the indoor heat exchanger can evenly frost, avoiding the occurrence of clean corners.

Furthermore, the air conditioner indoor unit of the present invention has simple control and compact structure, and reduces the influence of the original function of the air conditioner.

The above as well as other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the <

DRAWINGS

Some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, by way of example, and not limitation, The same reference numbers in the drawings identify the same or similar parts. Those skilled in the art should understand that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the figure:

1 is a schematic functional block diagram of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic perspective structural view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic perspective structural view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a schematic diagram of a humidification control method of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a schematic diagram of a self-cleaning control method of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a timing chart of performing a self-cleaning function in a cooling state of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a timing chart of performing a self-cleaning function in a heating state of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

1 is a schematic functional block diagram of an air conditioner indoor unit 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 2 is an angular schematic structural view of an indoor unit 100 of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an angular schematic structural view of an indoor unit 100 of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a front elevational view of an air conditioner indoor unit 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

The air conditioner indoor unit 100 may generally include a casing 110, a humidity sensor 160, and a humidifying assembly 150. The casing 110 includes a skeleton 111 for supporting the indoor unit fan 130 and the indoor unit heat exchanger 140, and a casing 112 having an air inlet 113 and an air outlet 114 which are disposed on the skeleton 111. Generally, the front side of the casing 112 constitutes the front panel of the indoor unit 100, and has an air inlet 113 at the top thereof and an air outlet 114 at the lower end of the front side thereof. Since the structure of the casing 110 of the air conditioner indoor unit 100 is well known to those skilled in the art, no further details are provided herein.

The indoor unit heat exchanger 140 exchanges heat with the air flowing therethrough to change the temperature of the air flowing therethrough. The indoor unit fan 130 causes the ambient air entering from the air inlet 113 to flow to the indoor unit heat exchanger 140, and causes the heat exchange air that has been exchanged by the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 to flow toward the air outlet 114, thereby being discharged to the indoor unit 100. Work environment.

The indoor unit heat exchanger 140 is used as a part of the refrigeration system, and the refrigeration system can be realized by a compression refrigeration cycle, which utilizes a refrigerant in a compression phase change cycle of a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, and a throttling device to realize heat transfer. . In the air conditioner, the refrigeration system can also be provided with a four-way valve to change the flow direction of the refrigerant, so that the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 alternately functions as an evaporator or a condenser to realize a cooling or heating function. Since the compression refrigeration cycle in the air conditioner is well known to those skilled in the art, the working principle and configuration thereof will not be described herein.

The humidifying assembly 150 includes a water tank 151, an atomizing device 152, and a spray port 153. The water tank 151 is used to store water used for atomization, and in some embodiments, may be disposed outside the indoor unit 100 to facilitate water addition.

The atomizing device 152 is used to atomize the water in the water tank 151, which can be atomized using an ultrasonic transducer sheet. The atomizing device 152 may be fixed to the bobbin 111 and communicated to the spray port 153 through the mist supply hose 154. The humidifying assembly 150 can also be provided with a water pump 1501 for supplying water of the water tank 151 to the atomizing device 152. The water pipe 155 connecting the water tank 151 and the atomizing device 152 can penetrate the casing 110 from the side of the casing 112 and abut The skeleton 111 extends to the atomizing device 152, thereby avoiding occupying excessive space in the indoor unit 100.

The spray port 153 is for outputting the water mist formed by the atomizing device 152, and the spray port 153 may be disposed in the casing 110 and located upstream of the intake air of the indoor unit heat exchanger 140. In some alternative embodiments, the spray port 153 is disposed laterally inside the air inlet 113, and has a length corresponding to the length of the air inlet 113, and a plurality of spray holes 1530 are evenly arranged along the length thereof to pass through the plurality of spray holes. 1530 sprayed water mist. With this configuration, the spray port 153 can output the water mist uniformly into the indoor unit 100.

The humidity sensor 150 is configured to measure the humidity of the working environment of the indoor unit 100. The working principle of the humidity sensor 150 is known to those skilled in the art. In this embodiment, the measurement range and measurement can be selected according to the working environment of the indoor unit 100 of the air conditioner. Precision.

The humidifying assembly 150 is configured to be activated when the humidity of the working environment is lower than a preset first humidity threshold to spray the water mist with the spray port to humidify the working environment. Thereby, the function of humidifying the environment is realized in the air conditioner indoor unit 10.

The humidity sensor 160 may also continuously measure the humidity of the working environment of the indoor unit 100 after the humidifying assembly 150 is started; and the humidifying assembly 150 is further configured to be closed when the humidity of the working environment is higher than a preset second humidity threshold, and the second humidity threshold is greater than First humidity threshold. The second humidity threshold and the first humidity threshold may be set according to human comfort requirements and other environmental requirements.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a humidification control method of an air conditioner indoor unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. When performing humidification control, the air conditioner indoor unit performs the following steps in sequence:

Step S502, the air conditioner indoor unit 100 is powered on;

Step S504, the humidity sensor 160 measures the humidity of the working environment of the indoor unit 100;

Step S506, determining whether the humidity of the working environment is lower than a preset first humidity threshold;

Step S508, if yes, the humidifying component 160 is turned on to increase the humidity of the working environment;

Step S510, determining whether the humidity of the working environment is higher than a preset second humidity threshold;

Step S512, if yes, the humidifying assembly 160 is turned off to stop humidification;

Step S514, if not, determining whether the humidification time exceeds the set time. If the set time is exceeded, the humidification unit 150 is turned off regardless of whether the humidity reaches the second humidity threshold. If the set time is not exceeded, the humidification is continued until the humidity is high. The second humidity threshold or time exceeds the set time.

The humidifying unit 150 can also be used to perform humidification during the self-cleaning of the indoor unit 100, to facilitate uniform frosting on the indoor unit heat exchanger 140, and to solve the problem of poor cleaning effect due to insufficient humidity.

The air conditioner indoor unit 100 may receive the self-cleaning control command when the accumulated operation time exceeds the set time threshold (for example, 48 or 60 hours after the accumulated operation, the specific value may be set according to the working environment of the air conditioner indoor unit 100). For example, when the user receives a control command to operate the self-cleaning button of the remote controller, the self-cleaning function is turned on.

When the air conditioner indoor unit 100 performs the self-cleaning function, the humidifying unit 150 activates the atomizing device 152 to spray the water mist through the spray port 153 to flow through the indoor unit heat exchanger 140, thereby improving the condensation of the indoor unit heat exchanger 140. The degree of frost. In the process of researching the self-cleaning function of the air conditioner, the inventors found that the current self-cleaning effect under the air conditioner is not good, especially in the relatively dry environment, the main reason for the self-cleaning effect is that the condensed water cannot meet the flushing indoor unit. The heat exchanger 140 is required. Therefore, the humidifying unit 150 provides a better frosting condition for the indoor unit heat exchanger 140, and by improving the structure of the spray port 153, the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 can be uniformly knotted. The frost can thus completely clean the indoor heat exchanger 140 to avoid cleaning dead angles.

The indoor unit heat exchanger 140 operates in the condenser mode after the completion of the frosting, so that the adhered contaminants are taken away by the water formed by the defrosting, and the self-cleaning process of the indoor unit 100 is completed.

The humidity sensor 160 can also measure the humidity of the working environment of the indoor unit 100 during the self-cleaning process, so as to determine whether the humidifying unit 150 needs to be turned on according to the humidity of the working environment of the indoor unit 100. For example, the humidifying assembly 150 may allow the atomizing device 152 to be activated only when the humidity of the working environment is below a predetermined third humidity threshold (the specific value may be set according to the frosting conditions). In addition, the atomizing device 152 can also adjust the atomization intensity according to the humidity of the working environment after starting, so that the atomization intensity is correspondingly reduced as the humidity of the working environment is increased, thereby ensuring uniform frosting without excessively increasing the environmental humidity.

The indoor unit heat exchanger 140 continuously operates in the evaporator mode when the air conditioner indoor unit 100 turns on the self-cleaning function, thereby ensuring that the surface temperature thereof is lower than the frosting temperature; and the self-cleaning function is turned on in the air conditioner indoor unit 100 and continues After setting the time, make sure to complete the cream and then start defrosting.

The indoor unit fan 130 is operated at a low rotation speed or stopped when the self-cleaning function of the air conditioner indoor unit is turned on (to ensure that the water mist of the humidifying unit 150 is used for frosting); the operation is stopped during the defrosting of the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 to improve The defrosting speed is operated at a high rotation speed after the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 is defrosted to dry the indoor unit heat exchanger 140.

In the air conditioner indoor unit 100 of the present embodiment, a humidifying unit 150 is disposed inside the casing 110, and when the self-cleaning function is performed in the air conditioner indoor unit 100 by the humidifying unit 150, the degree of condensation at the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 is increased. The problem that the self-cleaning air conditioner does not generate sufficient condensed water in a dry environment to affect the self-cleaning effect is avoided. In addition, by optimizing the structure of the spray port 153, the indoor heat exchanger 140 can be uniformly frosted, and cleaning is avoided. Dead end.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a self-cleaning control method of an air conditioner indoor unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The control method of the air conditioner indoor unit 100 includes:

Step S602, receiving a trigger signal for turning on the self-cleaning function;

Step S604, controlling the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 to operate in the evaporator mode and shutting down the indoor unit fan 130 or controlling the indoor unit fan 130 to operate at a low speed;

Step S606, determining whether the humidity of the working environment of the indoor unit 100 detected by the humidity sensor 160 is lower than a preset third humidity threshold;

Step S608, when the humidity of the working environment is lower than the preset humidity threshold, the humidifying component 150 is activated to spray the water mist by using the spray port 153 to improve the degree of condensation at the indoor heat exchanger 140;

Step S610, determining whether the frosting time of the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 exceeds a set frosting time threshold;

Step S612, after the completion of the frosting, controlling the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 to perform defrosting, and using the water formed by the defrosting to remove the attached pollutants;

Step S614, the indoor unit fan 130 is operated at a high rotational speed to dry the indoor unit heat exchanger 140;

In step S616, the working state of the indoor unit 100 before cleaning is resumed.

The air conditioner indoor unit of the present embodiment can perform the above self-cleaning process in both the cooling state and the heating state. 7 is a timing chart of performing a self-cleaning function in a cooling state of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, T1, T2, and T3 are the start-stop timing curves of the indoor unit fan 130, the compressor, and the humidifying unit 150, respectively. After receiving the self-cleaning signal at time t0, the indoor unit fan 130 is turned off, and the humidifying unit 150 satisfies the humidity. When the condition is started, the compressor keeps running; after the time t1, the compressor stops, the indoor unit fan 130 is turned on, the defrosting starts, and the defrosted water flushes the dust on the indoor unit heat exchanger 140, and the humidifying component 150 at this time It can be kept on for a while, increasing the humidity to speed up dust removal. After the time t2 is reached, the humidifying unit 150 is turned off to stop humidification, and the indoor unit fan 130 causes the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 to dry by blowing; after reaching the time t3, the compressor is restarted to resume the cooling state. The time difference between the above moments can be pre-tested according to the specifications of the air conditioner. For example, the time from t0 to t1 can take a value between 0 and 20 minutes, and the time from t2 to t3 can take a value between 10 and 60 seconds.

In addition, the above timing can also be specifically adjusted according to the situation. For example, the humidifying component 150 can be simultaneously turned off after the compressor is stopped. The indoor unit fan 130 can be closed instead of the low speed breeze operation of the indoor unit fan 130.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart of performing a self-cleaning function in a heating state of the air conditioner indoor unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, T1', T2', T3', T4', T5' are the start-stop timing curves of the indoor unit fan 130, the outdoor unit fan, the four-way valve, the compressor, and the humidifying unit 150, respectively, and are received at time t0'. After the self-cleaning signal, the indoor unit fan 130 and the compressor are turned off; at time t1', the outdoor unit fan is stopped, and the four-way valve is reversed; at time t2', the compressor is started, and the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 starts to operate at evaporation. State; at time t3', the temperature of the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 has decreased, the humidifying unit 150 is started to cause the indoor unit heat exchanger 140 to condense; at time t4', the humidifying unit 150 is closed; at time t5', the outdoor unit fan Start, the compressor is turned off; at time t6', the four-way valve is reversed; at time t7', the compressor is started, the indoor unit fan 130 is started, and the heating operation is resumed.

The time difference between the above moments can be pre-tested according to the specifications of the air conditioner. For example, the time from t2' to t3', t4' to t5' can be selected within 0 to 120 seconds (for example, 60 seconds), to avoid the compressor and the humidification assembly 150 start and stop at the same time, reducing the impact of large current; for example, t1 The time of 'to t2' can be selected within 0 to 60 seconds (for example, 30 seconds), and the four-way valve can be reversed after the compressor is stopped; the time from t6' to t7' can be within 0 to 30 seconds. Select (for example, 5 seconds) to resume the compressor after ensuring that the four-way valve completes the switch; for example, the time from t0' to t2' can be selected within 0 to 180 seconds (for example, 100 seconds) to avoid frequent compressors. The impact caused by start and stop; the time from t0' to t5' can be selected within 1 to 10 minutes; the time from t0' to t7' can be selected within 1 to 13 minutes, that is, the entire cleaning process is completed in 13 minutes. To reduce the impact on heating.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned timing is an example in which the air conditioner of a specific specification realizes a self-cleaning function, and in the actual embodiment, it can be appropriately adjusted according to specific needs.

In this regard, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the <RTIgt;the</RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; </ RTI> <RTIgt; The content directly determines or derives many other variations or modifications consistent with the principles of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be understood and construed as covering all such other modifications or modifications.

Claims

An air conditioner indoor unit includes:

The casing includes a skeleton for supporting the indoor unit fan and the indoor unit heat exchanger, and a casing having an air inlet and an air outlet which are disposed on the skeleton;

a humidity sensor configured to measure a humidity of the working environment of the indoor unit;

a humidifying assembly having a spray port disposed in the casing and configured to be activated when a humidity of the working environment is lower than a preset first humidity threshold to spray water mist using the spray port, The working environment is humidified.
The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 1, wherein

The humidity sensor is further configured to continuously measure the humidity of the working environment of the indoor unit after the humidifying assembly is activated;

The humidifying component is further configured to be turned off when the humidity of the working environment is higher than a preset second humidity threshold, wherein the second humidity threshold is greater than the first humidity threshold.
The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 1, wherein

The humidifying component is further configured to be activated when the air conditioner indoor unit performs a self-cleaning function, to improve a degree of frosting at the indoor unit heat exchanger, and the humidifying component further comprises:

Water tank,

An atomizing device for atomizing water in the water tank; and

The spray port is disposed upstream of the inlet of the indoor unit heat exchanger for supplying the water mist formed by the atomization device to the indoor unit heat exchanger.
The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 3, wherein

The spray port is disposed laterally on the inner side of the air inlet, and has a length corresponding to the length of the air inlet, and a plurality of spray holes are evenly arranged along the longitudinal direction thereof to be ejected through the plurality of spray holes Water mist.
The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 3, wherein

The water tank is disposed outside the casing;

The atomizing device is fixed to the skeleton and communicates to the spray port through a mist supply hose; and the humidification assembly further includes: a water pump for supplying water of the water tank to the atomization device .
The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 3, wherein

A water pipe connecting the water tank and the atomizing device penetrates the casing from a side of the casing and extends against the skeleton to the atomizing device.
The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 3, wherein

The atomizing device is further configured to adjust the atomization intensity according to the humidity of the working environment in a state where the air conditioner indoor unit performs a self-cleaning function, so that the atomization intensity increases with the humidity of the working environment. And the corresponding reduction.
The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 3, wherein

The indoor unit heat exchanger is further configured to operate in an evaporator mode when the air conditioner indoor unit is turned on by the self-cleaning function, and to ensure that the surface temperature thereof is lower than the frosting temperature.
The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 8, wherein

The indoor unit heat exchanger is further configured to determine that the frosting is completed after the air conditioner indoor unit turns on the self-cleaning function and continues for a set time.
The air conditioner indoor unit according to claim 3, wherein

The indoor unit fan is further configured to operate at a low rotation speed or stop the operation when the air conditioner indoor unit starts the self-cleaning function; stop the operation during the defrosting of the indoor unit heat exchanger, and change the indoor unit After the defrosting of the heater is completed, the operation is performed at a high rotation speed to dry the indoor unit heat exchanger.