JP2002181367A - Control method of air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To appropriately control an electric heating device in a dehumidifying operation of an air conditioner to improve comfort and energy saving. A method for controlling an air conditioner that controls an electric heating device between an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan during a dehumidifying operation includes:
The temperature (room temperature) of the room becomes the set temperature Ts of the remote controller,
When the predetermined value α (integer) according to the outside air temperature becomes equal to or less than the sum (see the downward dashed arrow in FIG. 1), the electric heating device is turned on, and then the room temperature is set to (the set temperature Ts).
When the temperature exceeds (+ predetermined value α) + 2 ° C. (see the upward dashed arrow in FIG. 1), the electric heating device is turned off.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control method for a dehumidification (dry) operation of an air conditioner equipped with an electric heating device, and more particularly, to an appropriate control of the electric heating device to optimize room temperature and dehumidification. The present invention relates to a method for controlling an air conditioner that realizes energy saving.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a dehumidifying operation of an air conditioner, dehumidification is performed by controlling an electric heating device provided in an indoor unit. in this case,
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the electric heating device 1 is provided between the indoor heat exchanger 2 and the indoor fan 3, and dehumidifies indoor air with the evaporator of the indoor heat exchanger 2. Since the cold air that has passed through the evaporator is heated by the heater of the electric heating device 1 and blown into the room, dehumidification can be performed without excessively lowering the room temperature.

The indoor unit control device 4 performs control necessary for the room temperature control (for example, weak cooling operation in the dehumidifying operation) and also controls the electric heating device 1. In the room temperature control, the control according to the setting of the remote controller 5 is performed. Then, according to the difference between the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 6 and the set temperature of the remote controller 5, a command such as the operating frequency of the compressor 7 is transmitted to the outdoor unit controller 8 and the indoor fan 3 is controlled.

The outdoor unit control device 8 controls the four-way valve 9 according to a command from the indoor unit control device 4 and controls the compressor 7, the electronic expansion valve 10, and the outdoor fan 11.
FIG. 5 shows the refrigeration cycle, and 12 is an outdoor unit heat exchanger.

[0005] As described above, by controlling the electric heating device 1, the air passing through the evaporator may be heated by the electric heating device 1 particularly during the dehumidifying operation, so that the indoor environment can be maintained comfortably. Become.

By the way, as control of the electric heating device 1, for example, during the dehumidifying operation, the electric heating device 1 is turned on (power is supplied to the heater), and the power consumption of the air conditioner by the electric heating device 1 is increased. It is hard to say that it is preferable from the viewpoint of energy.

Further, from the viewpoint of the room temperature control and the dehumidifying effect, it is better to turn on the electric heating device 1 under conditions where the room temperature is apt to decrease (for example, a condition where the cooling load is light). Under difficult conditions (for example, a condition where the cooling load is heavy), the electric heating device 1 does not need to be turned on.

[0008]

However, in the above-described method for controlling an air conditioner, when the room temperature falls below the set temperature during the dehumidifying operation, the electric heating device 1 is controlled to be turned on. May also occur.

[0009] Even if the electric heating device 1 is controlled to be turned on, the blown air does not immediately warm, and the room temperature may fall below the set temperature, resulting in reduced indoor comfort. In addition, when the room temperature falls below the set temperature, the compressor 7 is stopped. Therefore, even if the electric heating device 1 is turned on, the dehumidifying effect is reduced by half, the amount of dehumidifying is reduced, and comfort cannot be achieved. .

Further, the outside air temperature affects the cooling load. For example, when the outside air temperature is high, the cooling load becomes larger than the minimum cooling capacity of the air conditioner. At this time, if the electric heating device 1 is controlled to be on. However, the room temperature rises and the comfort is impaired, and wasteful power consumption is applied, and energy saving cannot be achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an air conditioner capable of appropriately controlling an electric heating device and improving comfort and energy saving. It is to provide a control method.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention circulates refrigerant of a refrigeration cycle from an outdoor heat exchanger to an indoor heat exchanger to control room temperature.
An air conditioner control method for controlling electric heating means between an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan at least when performing dehumidification control, wherein the indoor temperature (room temperature) is set to a set temperature Ts of a remote controller, When the predetermined value α (integer) corresponding to the temperature becomes equal to or less than a value obtained by adding the temperature, the electric heating means is turned on. When the room temperature becomes higher than the set temperature Ts + the predetermined value α, It is characterized in that the electric heating means is turned off.

The predetermined value α is a table corresponding to the outside air temperature. The higher the outside air temperature t, the smaller the predetermined value α and the lower the Ts + α, and the lower the outside air temperature t, the lower the predetermined value α. Is set to be a large value, and Ts + α may be increased. Thus, the electric heating means is appropriately controlled without being affected by the outside air temperature, and comfort and energy saving can be achieved.

The table of the predetermined value α is corrected to a table in which the predetermined value α is lowered when the cooling load is light, and the predetermined value α is increased when the cooling load is heavy. The control method for an air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the correction is performed on a table. As a result, the electric heating means is appropriately controlled without being affected by the cooling load condition, and comfort,
Energy saving can be achieved.

The table of the predetermined value α is a standard in a state where the cooling load and the minimum cooling capacity at the predetermined outside air temperature are equal, and the room temperature change and the outside air temperature are monitored at least after the room temperature reaches the set temperature, and the outside air temperature is monitored. In the case where the room temperature falls when the ambient temperature is higher than the standard outdoor temperature, a table in which the predetermined value α is corrected to a higher value is used, and when the outdoor temperature is lower than the standard outdoor temperature. In the case where the room temperature rises, a table in which the predetermined value α is corrected to a lower value may be used. in this way,
Since the cooling load is estimated based on the change in the room temperature and the outside air temperature and the predetermined value α is corrected, the electric heating means is appropriately controlled without being influenced by the cooling load, and comfort and energy saving can be achieved.

As a table of the predetermined value α, a change rate of the room temperature from the start of operation is detected, and when the change rate is faster than a predetermined reference value, the predetermined value α is corrected to a higher value. If the change speed is slower than a predetermined reference value, a table in which the predetermined value α is corrected to a lower value may be used. In this way, the change rate of the room temperature is monitored, and the cooling load is estimated based on the change rate to obtain the predetermined value α.
Is corrected, the electric heating means is appropriately controlled without being affected by the cooling load, and comfort and energy saving can be achieved.

[0017]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2,
The same parts as those in FIG. See FIG. 5 for the refrigeration cycle.

In FIG. 2, the control device to which the control method of the air conditioner is applied turns on the electric heating device 1 when the room temperature becomes equal to or lower than the set temperature of the remote controller 5 + a predetermined value α (integer) during the dehumidifying operation. An indoor unit control device 20 for controlling and changing the predetermined value α according to a table in the internal memory 20a according to the outside air temperature, an outside air temperature sensor 21 for detecting the outside air temperature, and an indoor unit control device 20 for detecting the detected outside air temperature. And an outdoor unit control device 22 for transmitting the information to an external unit. The indoor unit control device 20 and the outdoor unit control device 22 also have the functions of the indoor unit control device 4 and the outdoor unit control device 8 shown in FIG. 4, respectively.

As shown in Table 1 below, the higher the outside air temperature, the smaller the predetermined value α,
The lower the outside air temperature is, the larger the predetermined value α is.
It is stored as

[0020]

[Table 1]

Next, the operation of the control device having the above configuration will be described with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. First, when the operation of the dehumidifying operation is performed by the remote controller 5, the indoor unit controller 20 and the outdoor unit controller 22 perform the operation according to the operation of the remote controller 5 and the control for controlling the room temperature in the same manner as in the related art. At this time, the outdoor unit controller 22 updates the outdoor temperature detected by the outdoor temperature sensor 21 every predetermined time.
0, and the indoor unit control device 20 determines the predetermined value α from Table A in Table 1 each time the outside air temperature is input.

The room temperature is the set temperature Ts of the remote controller 5.
Is determined to be equal to or less than a value obtained by adding the above-mentioned determined predetermined value α to the temperature.
When it becomes + α (see the downward dashed arrow in FIG. 1), the electric heating device 1 is turned on.

As described above, since the electric heating device 1 is turned on under the condition of Ts + α, the conventional problem is solved and the room temperature is not excessively lowered. Also, the compressor 7
Without stopping, a decrease in the amount of dehumidification can be prevented, and comfort can be improved. At this time, since the on-timing of the electric heating device 1 is varied according to the outside air temperature, appropriate dehumidification is performed even when the outside air temperature fluctuates, and the comfort can be maintained.

In particular, as the outside air temperature increases, the predetermined value α
Becomes a small value. For example, when the outside air temperature is 30 ° C. or more, the operation of the compressor 7 is prioritized because the electric heater 1 does not turn on unless the room temperature becomes lower than the set temperature Ts. By preventing an extra load from being given, a rise in room temperature is suppressed, and deterioration in comfort is suppressed.

As the outside air temperature decreases, the predetermined value α
Becomes a small value, for example, when the outside air temperature is 27 ° C. or less, the electric heating device 1 is not turned on unless the room temperature becomes higher than the set temperature Ts.
s or less can be prevented, and deterioration of comfort can be suppressed.

As shown by the upward dashed arrow in FIG. 1, when the electric heating device 1 is turned on and the room temperature rises, the electric heating device 1 needs to be turned off. A value higher than Ts + α (for example, (Ts + α
α) + 2 ° C.), the electric heating device 1 is turned off. Thereby, chattering in on / off control of the electric heating device 1 is prevented, and the electric heating device 1 is appropriately controlled, so that energy saving can be improved.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. For a control device to which this embodiment is applied, see the block diagram of FIG. In this embodiment, a table B or a table C is used instead of the table A in the internal memory 20a. Note that the indoor unit control device 30 also has the function of the indoor unit control device 20 of the previous embodiment.

The indoor unit controller 30 corrects the table A of the internal memory 20a to the table B or the table C according to the relationship between the cooling load and the minimum cooling capacity. In this case, after the operating frequency of the compressor 7 is stabilized at the lowest frequency and the room temperature reaches the set temperature Ts, the change in the room temperature and the outside air temperature are monitored.

When the room temperature falls in the X zone where the room temperature rises, that is, when the outside air temperature is higher than the standard, and when the room temperature decreases (cooling load <cooling minimum capacity), the indoor load is adjusted to the standard. It is determined that the value is smaller than the above value, and the correction is made to the following table B in table 2 in which the predetermined value α in table A in table 1 is increased.

[0030]

[Table 2]

The above standard is a comparison of the cooling load and the cooling capacity at the lowest frequency (cooling lowest capacity) at an outside air temperature of 28 ° C., for example, and indicates a state where cooling load = cooling lowest capacity.

When the room temperature is in the Y zone where the room temperature decreases, that is, when the outside air temperature is lower than the standard, and when the room temperature increases (when the cooling load> the minimum cooling capacity), the indoor load is adjusted to the standard. It is determined that the value is larger than the predetermined value, and the correction is made to Table C in Table 3 below in which the predetermined value α in Table A in Table 1 is set lower.

[0033]

[Table 3]

As described above, when the room temperature decreases (cooling load <minimum cooling capacity), it is determined that the indoor load is smaller than the standard, and the table B is used. Therefore, the electric heater 1 is controlled to be turned on at a higher timing than when the room temperature is in the table A. That is, a decrease in room temperature is suppressed, and deterioration in comfort is suppressed.

Conversely, when the room temperature rises (when cooling load> cooling minimum capacity), the load in the room is judged to be larger than the standard and the table C is used, so that the predetermined value α is lower than the table A. Table A
The electric heating device 1 is turned on at a timing lower than in the case of (1). That is, a rise in room temperature is suppressed, and deterioration in comfort is suppressed. In this case, since the table A is corrected to the table B or the table C, the internal memory 20
The capacity of “a” can be small and the cost can be low.

As a method for judging whether the indoor load is smaller or larger than the standard, a change rate of the room temperature is measured from the start of the dehumidifying operation, and whether the change rate is faster than a predetermined reference value is determined. The determination may be made based on whether it is late. Note that the reference value is the rate of change in room temperature when the outside air temperature is 28 ° C. as in the previous embodiment.

In this case, when the change speed is faster than the reference value, it is determined that the indoor load is smaller than the standard, and the table A in Table 1 is corrected to the table B in Table 2. When the change speed is slower than the reference value, it is determined that the indoor load is larger than the standard, and the table A in Table 1 is corrected to the table C in Table 3. Thereby, the same effect as that of the previous embodiment can be obtained.

[0038]

According to the present invention described above, the following effects can be obtained. The control method of the air conditioner of the present invention,
The temperature (room temperature) of the room becomes the set temperature Ts of the remote controller,
When the predetermined value α (integer) according to the outside air temperature is equal to or less than the sum, the electric heating means is turned on. When the room temperature becomes equal to or higher than the set temperature Ts + the predetermined value α, the electric heating means is turned on. Since the means is controlled to be off, there is an effect that the electric heating device can be appropriately controlled under the condition of the set temperature Ts + the predetermined value α, thereby improving comfort and energy saving.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention and illustrating a method for controlling an air conditioner.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram for explaining a control device to which the control method of the air conditioner of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram for explaining a conventional control device for an air conditioner.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric heating device 2 Indoor heat exchanger 3 Indoor fan 4,20,30 Indoor unit control unit 5 Remote control 6 Room temperature sensor 7 Compressor 8,22 Outdoor unit control unit 20a Internal memory (table A, table B, table C) 21 outside air Temperature sensor t Outside air temperature Ts Set temperature (of remote controller 5) α Predetermined value

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. While controlling the room temperature by circulating the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle from the outdoor heat exchanger to the indoor heat exchanger,
An air conditioner control method for controlling electric heating means between an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan at least when performing dehumidification control, wherein the indoor temperature (room temperature) is set to a set temperature Ts of a remote controller, When the predetermined value α (integer) according to the temperature becomes equal to or less than a value obtained by adding the electric heating means, the electric heating means is turned on. Thereafter, when the room temperature becomes higher than the set temperature Ts + the predetermined value α, A method for controlling an air conditioner, wherein the electric heating means is turned off. 2. The predetermined value α is a table according to the outside air temperature. As the outside air temperature t increases, the predetermined value α increases.
Is set to a small value to lower the Ts + α, and the lower the outside air temperature t, the larger the predetermined value α is set to the Ts + α.
The control method for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein 3. The table of the predetermined value α is corrected to a table in which the predetermined value α is lower when the cooling load is light, and the predetermined value α is corrected when the cooling load is heavy.
3. The control method for an air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the table is corrected to a higher value. 4. The table of the predetermined value α is a standard in a state where the cooling load and the minimum cooling capacity at a predetermined outside air temperature are equal to each other, and after at least the room temperature reaches the set temperature, the change in room temperature and the outside air temperature are monitored. In the case where the room temperature falls when the outside air temperature is higher than the standard outside air temperature, a table in which the predetermined value α is corrected to a higher value, and the outside air temperature becomes lower than the standard outside air temperature. The air conditioner control method according to claim 2, wherein when the room temperature rises at a certain time, the predetermined value α is corrected to a lower value as a table. 5. The table of the predetermined value α detects a change speed of the room temperature from the start of the operation and corrects the predetermined value α to a higher value before the change speed is faster than a predetermined reference value. The control method for an air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the table is a table in which the predetermined value α is corrected to a lower value when the change speed is slower than a predetermined reference value.