JP2006275310A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure original air blowing performance even when a filter for sucking air and removing dust causes clogging. <P>SOLUTION: This air conditioner is provided with a front face panel 7 for opening and closing a suction port 2 and a clogging detection means 9 for detecting clogging of the filter 8 by dust. By changing opening of the panel 7 in accordance with clogging caused by dust in the filter 8, amount of suction air is increased, and reduction of amount of air due to clogging of the filter 8 is compensated to ensure air blowing performance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner that controls the air volume of an indoor unit by opening and closing a front panel that opens and closes a suction port.

  Conventionally, this type of air conditioner has a configuration in which a front panel that opens and closes an air inlet is provided, and the front panel is opened and closed by an opening and closing device built in an indoor unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

  FIG. 3 is a front view of a conventional indoor unit described in Patent Document 1, and FIG. 4 is a schematic side sectional view of the indoor unit. As shown in FIG. 4, the suction port 2, the heat exchanger 3, the air outlet 4, the fan 5, the opening / closing device 6, the panel 7, and the filter 8 are configured.

  The panel 7 is opened forward using the opening / closing device 6 to suck air into the indoor unit 1, and the air sucked from the suction port 2 in the gap between the panel 7 and the body of the indoor unit 1 passes through the heat exchanger 3. Heat is exchanged with the flowing refrigerant, and the heat-exchanged air is discharged from the outlet 4 by the fan 5. In the indoor unit 1, a filter 8 is installed on the suction side of the heat exchanger 3 in order to clean the sucked air.

When the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner is operated, the panel 7 is opened by the opening / closing device 6, and then sucks air in the vicinity of the indoor unit 1 from the suction port 2 and passes through the filter 8 and the heat exchanger 3. The air is discharged from the blowout port 4 by the fan 5. And in order to implement | achieve an indoor unit with high designability in recent years, the design of the panel 7 of the indoor unit 1 is improved by closing when operation stops.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 04-084042

  However, the conventional configuration has a problem that a filter that sucks air and removes dust is clogged to reduce the air volume, and the original air blowing performance cannot be secured.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide an air conditioner that can ensure air blowing performance in an indoor unit that opens and closes a front panel back and forth with an opening / closing device.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the air conditioner of the present invention changes the opening degree of the panel that opens and closes the air suction port when a filter that sucks air and removes dust is clogged. Is.

  As a result, the air volume of the air blown out greatly decreased due to clogging of the filter, but the air volume can be increased by increasing the opening of the panel at the time of clogging, and the air blowing performance can be secured. is there.

  The air conditioning apparatus of the present invention can ensure the air blowing performance even when the filter is clogged, and can provide a comfortable air conditioning environment to the user. Further, energy saving operation can be performed by suppressing the deterioration of the air blowing performance.

  1st invention provides the front panel which opens and closes a suction inlet, and the clogging detection means which detects that a filter is clogged with dust, By changing the opening degree of a panel according to clogging of the dust in a filter, By increasing the air intake air volume, it is possible to compensate for the decrease in the air volume due to the clogging of the filter and to ensure the air blowing performance.

  In the second invention, in particular, the clogging detection means of the first invention is a wind speed detection means provided at least on the leeward side of the filter provided at the suction port of the air passage, so that the filter is clogged with dust. By detecting and changing the opening of the panel according to the clogging of dust in the filter, it is possible to increase the air intake air volume, compensate for the decrease in air volume due to clogging of the filter, and ensure the air blowing performance .

  According to the third aspect of the invention, in particular, the clogging detection means of the first aspect of the invention is a wind pressure detection means provided at least on the leeward side of the filter provided at the suction port of the air passage so that the filter is clogged with dust. By detecting and changing the opening of the panel according to the clogging of dust in the filter, it is possible to increase the air intake air volume, compensate for the decrease in air volume due to clogging of the filter, and ensure the air blowing performance .

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, the clogging detection means of the first aspect of the invention is a luminance detection means provided at least on the leeward side of the filter provided at the suction port of the air passage so that the filter is clogged with dust. By detecting and changing the opening of the panel according to the clogging of dust in the filter, it is possible to increase the air intake air volume, compensate for the decrease in air volume due to clogging of the filter, and ensure the air blowing performance .

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional side view of an indoor unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a clogging detection device 9 for detecting clogging of the filter 8 is provided, which is substantially the same as the schematic side sectional view of the indoor unit in the conventional embodiment shown in FIG.

  When the indoor unit 1 of the air conditioner is operated, the panel 7 of the indoor unit 1 is opened from the C to the D direction, that is, the forward direction by the opening / closing device 6, and then the air near the indoor unit 1 is sucked into the inlet 2 from the A direction or the like. Through the filter 8 and the heat exchanger 3, and is discharged from the blowout port 4 by the fan 5 in the B direction.

  At that time, the clogging detection device 9 detects the degree of clogging of the filter 8, and the opening / closing device 6 is controlled in accordance with the degree of clogging to change the opening of the panel 7 and increase the amount of air sucked in.

  FIG. 2 is a control diagram of the opening degree of the panel according to the degree of clogging in the first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the opening degree represents the length of the gap between the panel and the indoor unit. However, when the panel opens obliquely, it may represent the angle of the panel, and the panel is shown in the conventional example. As described above, when controlled by a rack and pinion gear or the like, it may be expressed by the number of rotations of the gear.

  In FIG. 2, when the indoor unit 1 is in operation, when the filter 8 is not clogged in the initial state, that is, less than the clogging detection degree E by the clogging detection means 9, the opening degree of the panel 7 is the opening degree H. When the degree of clogging detection is equal to or higher than E, the opening degree I is opened. When the degree of clogging detection degree F is exceeded, the opening degree J is opened. When the degree of clogging detection degree G of the filter 8 is exceeded, the opening degree K is opened.

  That is, if it is determined by the clogging detection means that the filter 8 is clogged, the opening of the panel 7 is opened according to the degree of clogging, thereby increasing the intake air volume and the blown air volume. . Therefore, it is possible to compensate for the decrease in the air volume due to the clogging of the filter, to ensure the air blowing performance, and to provide a comfortable air-conditioned environment for the user. Further, energy saving operation can be performed by suppressing the deterioration of the air blowing performance.

  Further, the clogging detection means of the present embodiment is a wind speed detection means provided at least on the leeward side of the filter provided at the suction port of the air passage, so that the normal wind speed value and the actual wind speed value by the wind speed detection means are obtained. It is possible to detect that the filter is clogged with dust.

  Further, the clogging detection means of the present embodiment is a wind pressure detection means provided at least on the leeward side of the filter provided at the suction port of the air passage so that the normal wind pressure value and the actual wind pressure value by the wind pressure detection means are obtained. It is possible to detect that the filter is clogged with dust.

  Further, the clogging detection means of the present embodiment is a luminance detection means provided at least on the leeward side of the filter provided at the suction port of the air passage, so that the normal brightness and the actual brightness by the brightness detection means are obtained. By comparing, it is possible to detect that the filter is clogged with dust.

  The clogging detection means may be provided also on the windward side of the filter, and it may be detected that the filter is clogged by comparing with an actual measurement value instead of a normal value.

  As described above, the air conditioner according to the present invention can secure the air volume when the filter is clogged by controlling the panel opening, and thus can be applied to uses such as a ventilation fan and an air purifier.

Schematic side sectional view of an indoor unit according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Control diagram of the opening degree of the panel according to the degree of clogging in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Front view of conventional indoor unit Schematic side sectional view of a conventional indoor unit

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indoor unit 2 Inlet 3 Heat exchanger 4 Outlet 5 Fan 6 Opening / closing device 7 Panel 8 Filter 9 Clogging detection means

Claims (4)

A heat exchanger, a fan, an air outlet, a filter at a suction port of the air passage, and a front panel that opens and closes the suction port, and provided with clogging detection means for detecting that the filter is clogged with dust. An air conditioner that changes the opening of the panel in accordance with the clogging of dust in the filter. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the clogging detection means is a wind speed detection means provided at least on the leeward side of a filter provided at a suction port of the air passage. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the clogging detection means is a wind pressure detection means provided at least on the leeward side of a filter provided at a suction port of the air passage. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the clogging detection means is a luminance detection means provided at least on the leeward side of a filter provided at a suction port of the air passage.

Images