JP2000171082A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner in which a liquid crystal display device provided in an indoor unit main body is always clearly visible. SOLUTION: In an air conditioner in which an operation is instructed by an operation of a remote controller 2 and a liquid crystal display device 3 for displaying an operation state is provided in an indoor unit main body 1, the contrast of the liquid crystal is increased. Can be adjusted by operating the remote controller 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner in which driving is instructed by operating a remote control device (hereinafter, referred to as "remote controller") and having a liquid crystal display in an indoor unit main body. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 1 shows an example of an air conditioner in which an operation is instructed by operating a remote controller, in which an indoor unit body is provided with a liquid crystal display. 1 is an indoor unit main body of the air conditioner, and 2 is a remote controller for remotely instructing the operation of the air conditioner.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the remote controller 2. The remote control 2 is used for starting / stopping operation and increasing / decreasing a set temperature.
An operation button 21 for transmitting a signal such as lowering to the indoor unit main body 1 and a remote control display unit 22 of liquid crystal for displaying the content of a signal by the operation button 21 are provided.

In the air conditioner, the operation is performed according to a signal transmitted by the operation of the remote controller 2. As shown in FIG. 1, the operation state is controlled by a liquid crystal display device 3 provided in the indoor unit main body 1. Will be displayed. 3 is (a) a front view and (b) a side view of the display device 3, and FIG. 4 is an exploded view thereof.

[0005] The display device 3 is provided with a liquid crystal unit 4 on the front surface. Behind it, a backlight 5 is provided to illuminate the liquid crystal unit 4 to clarify the displayed characters and figures. The backlight 5 is an LED of a plurality of colors, for example, red, green, and yellow, and lighting is controlled according to driving.

[0006] The backlight 5 is covered with a unit cover 6, and is configured to irradiate the liquid crystal unit 4 uniformly by maintaining a constant distance between the liquid crystal unit 4 and the backlight 5. Reference numeral 7 denotes a signal line.

[0007]

FIG. 6 shows a prior art of a control circuit for controlling the display device 3 in the air conditioner having the above configuration. Reference numeral 8 denotes an IC driver circuit having a circuit capable of finely adjusting the contrast of the liquid crystal unit 4. In this driver circuit 8, the delicate temperature change of the surroundings causes thermistor 1
3 and the contrast is changed by the input.

However, as shown in FIG. 1, in the indoor unit body 1 of the air conditioner, since the display device 3 is located near the air outlet 9, the temperature change during cooling and heating is very severe, and the control can follow. And the contrast could not be adjusted sufficiently.

Further, depending on the installation position of the indoor unit body 1, the liquid crystal display of the display device 3 may not be clearly seen by the user. In such a case, the remote controller 2 shown in FIG.
In, the light control button 21a of the operation buttons 21 can be operated to adjust the light amount of the backlight 5, but it is insufficient to improve the visibility.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an air conditioner in which a liquid crystal display device provided in an indoor unit main body is always clearly visible.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the air conditioner of the present invention has a liquid crystal display for displaying a driving state, in which driving is instructed by operation of a remote controller. In an air conditioner in which the display device is provided in the indoor unit main body, the contrast of the liquid crystal can be adjusted by operating a remote controller. With this air conditioner, when the display device of the indoor unit main body is difficult to see, the user can adjust the contrast to an appropriate level by operating the remote controller at hand.

Further, the air conditioner according to the second aspect is the first aspect.
The contrast of the liquid crystal of the display device is set to several stages, and the stage of the visualized contrast is displayed on the display device according to the adjustment at the time of adjustment. With this configuration, when the user adjusts the contrast using the remote controller, a numerical value indicating the contrast level is displayed on the display device, and the user performs the adjustment using this as a guide.

[0013] The air conditioner of the third aspect is the first aspect of the invention.
The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the display device is provided with a backlight for clarifying the liquid crystal display, and the backlight is turned on when adjusting the contrast. Thus, the user can check the display state when the backlight is turned on.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, a first embodiment will be described. This air conditioner differs from the general configuration shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 in control of the display device. Therefore,
Members having the same names as those of the air conditioner having the general configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description will be omitted.

FIG. 5 shows a configuration of a control circuit of the display device 3 in the air conditioner of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the driver circuit 8 is connected to a light receiving element 11 for receiving a signal transmitted from the remote controller 2 via a microcomputer 10 with a D / A converter. Here, the light receiving element 11 is connected only to the driver circuit 8, but may be connected to another circuit (not shown) so as to be able to respond to all signals transmitted from the remote controller 2.

When the display on the display device 3 is difficult to see, the user performs a special operation such as simultaneously pressing the light control button 21a and the temperature setting button 21b on the remote controller 2 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, when the signal 12 for contrast adjustment transmitted by the above operation is received by the light receiving element 11, the signal is converted into an analog voltage by the microcomputer 10 with D / A conversion and is input to the driver circuit 8.

In the present embodiment, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal unit 4 of the display device 3 can be controlled by a not-shown contrast fine adjustment circuit of the driver circuit 8. Therefore, the voltage applied to the liquid crystal unit 4 is controlled according to the signal 12 from the remote controller 2, and the contrast changes.

Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the liquid crystal unit 4 has several stages,
For example, the display can be performed with 19 levels of contrast. The contrast fine adjustment circuit of the driver circuit 8 changes the contrast of the liquid crystal unit 4 step by step according to the contrast adjustment signal 12 from the remote controller 2.

Each level of the contrast corresponds to a level value of 9 to -9, and the standard value is a level of 0. Then, this level value is displayed on the display device 3 together with the adjustment of the contrast. By checking this display, the user can make adjustments while grasping the degree of contrast.

Here, the level value is made to correspond to each stage of the contrast, but any means of visualization may be used, and the state of the contrast may be represented by a graph.

Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, in the first or second embodiment, the remote controller 2 is used at the time of adjusting the contrast or after the contrast is ended.
The backlight 5 can be turned on by the operation of.

For example, the backlight 5 is turned on in the order of red, green, and yellow with characters indicating room temperature or the like being displayed on the display device 3. Although the appearance of the liquid crystal display differs between when the backlight 5 is turned on and when the backlight 5 is turned off, in the present embodiment, the degree of contrast when the backlight 5 is turned on can be confirmed, and more reliable adjustment can be performed. The backlight 5 may be turned on automatically for a certain period of time without operating the remote controller 2.

In the configuration of each of the above embodiments, the display device 3 is provided on the right side of the air outlet 9 in the indoor unit main body 1 of the air conditioner shown in FIG. May be provided.

[0024]

As described above, in the air conditioner of the present invention, since the contrast of the display device can be adjusted by the remote controller, it is possible to appropriately adjust the contrast at which the user can easily see the display at the position where the user is. it can.

In particular, in the air conditioner according to the second aspect, since the contrast is set in several steps and a visualization of this step is displayed on the display device in accordance with the adjustment, the state of the contrast can be easily grasped and surely obtained. Adjustments can be made.

In the air conditioner according to the third aspect, the actual state of the liquid crystal display can be confirmed by turning on the backlight, and the adjustment according to each user can be reliably performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a general configuration of an air conditioner operated by a remote controller.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a remote controller.

3A is a front view and FIG. 3B is a side view of the display device.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a display device.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a control circuit of the display device of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a control circuit of a display device of a conventional air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indoor unit main body 2 Remote control 3 Display device 4 Liquid crystal unit 5 Backlight 6 Unit cover 7 Signal line 8 Driver circuit 9 Air outlet 10 Microcomputer with D / A conversion 11 Light receiving element

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner in which an operation is instructed by an operation of a remote control device and a liquid crystal display device for displaying an operation state is provided in an indoor unit main body. An air conditioner, wherein contrast can be adjusted by operating the remote control device. 2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the contrast of the liquid crystal of the display device is set in several stages, and the stage of the visualized contrast is displayed on the display device according to the adjustment at the time of adjustment. The air conditioner according to item 1. 3. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a backlight for clarifying the liquid crystal display, wherein the backlight is turned on when adjusting the contrast. The air conditioner according to item 1.