JP2018004096A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress radiant heat from a ceiling.
An indoor unit 13 is mounted on a wall surface and performs indoor air conditioning. The indoor unit 13 blows out heat-exchanged air and adjusts the blowing direction of the main fan 23 and the main fan 23. A left side fan unit 24 and a right side fan unit 25 that are arranged in parallel on the left and right sides and blow out air that is not heat-exchanged and that can adjust the blowing direction. During the cooling operation, the blowing direction of the main fan 23 is set to be horizontal or upward from the horizontal, and the blowing directions of the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 are set to be higher than the blowing direction of the main fan.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

  Wall-mounted indoor units are provided with a wind direction plate that adjusts the blowing direction of the top and bottom, and there are some that change the angle of the wind direction plate between heating and cooling.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-187709

Even when the room temperature is controlled comfortably by cooling operation in hot weather, if there is radiant heat from above (ceiling), people may feel uncomfortable. Therefore, it is conceivable to cool the air near the ceiling and lower the ceiling temperature. However, in general, wall-mounted indoor units do not blow cold air toward the ceiling to prevent condensation.
An object of the present invention is to blow air upward during cooling operation.

  An air conditioner according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an indoor unit that is attached to a wall surface and performs indoor air conditioning. The indoor unit blows out the heat-exchanged air, and is arranged in parallel on the left and right sides of the first fan, the blower direction being adjustable, and blows out the air that is not heat-exchanged and A second fan that can be adjusted; and a control unit that adjusts a blowing direction of the first fan and a blowing direction of the second fan. During the cooling operation, the control unit sets the blowing direction of the first fan to be horizontal or upward from the horizontal, and directs the blowing direction of the second fan above the blowing direction of the first fan.

  According to the present invention, since the blowing direction of the second fan is directed above the blowing direction of the first fan, the cold air blown from the first fan is guided upward from the blowing direction. The Therefore, the air near the ceiling can be cooled.

It is the structure of an air conditioner. It is a functional block diagram of an indoor unit. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of a radiation sensor. It is an image figure of an indoor unit. It is a flowchart which shows an operation control process. It is a figure which shows the driving | operation for cooling the ceiling side. It is a figure which shows the problem of a general air conditioner.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Each drawing is schematic and may be different from the actual one. Further, the following embodiments exemplify apparatuses and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the configuration is not specified as follows. That is, the technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified within the technical scope described in the claims.

"Constitution"
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an air conditioner.
The air conditioner 11 includes an indoor unit 13 attached to the wall surface of the room 12 and an outdoor unit 14 installed outdoors. The air conditioner 11 is remotely operated by a user by wireless communication via a remote controller (hereinafter simply referred to as a remote controller) 15.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the indoor unit.
The indoor unit 13 includes a radiation sensor 21, an indoor unit control unit 22, a main fan 23, a left side fan unit 24, and a right side fan unit 25.
The radiation sensor 21 detects the temperature of the floor surface, wall surface or ceiling surface of the room 12.
The indoor unit control unit 22 inputs a signal from the radiation sensor 21, and drives and controls the outdoor unit 14, the main fan 23, the left side fan unit 24, and the right side fan unit 25. Here, the main fan 23 corresponds to the “first fan”, and the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 correspond to the “second fan”.

  A refrigerant circuit is formed between the indoor unit 13 and the outdoor unit 14, and heat energy is exchanged between the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit and the air, and cool air and warm air are discharged from the indoor unit 13. It is supplied to the room 12. The indoor unit control unit 22 controls the cooling / heating switching and the cool air and warm air blown from the indoor unit 13 by driving and controlling the compressor and four-way valve of the outdoor unit 14 (not shown).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of the radiation sensor.
FIG. 3A is a view of the attachment state of the radiation sensor 21 as viewed from the side. The radiation sensor 21 is provided in front of the indoor unit 13 and is attached so that the detection direction faces obliquely downward. A radiation sensor 21 is attached so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 21a. The radiation sensor 21 can swing around the rotation shaft 21a, and the rotation shaft 21a is tilted upward in front of the indoor unit (downward in the rear of the indoor unit) when the indoor unit 13 is viewed from the side. ing. Therefore, when the radiation sensor 21 is facing forward, it is possible to detect mainly the temperature of the floor surface of the room 12, and when the radiation sensor 21 is rotated around the rotation axis 21a by the rotation axis 21a, The temperature of the 12 ceiling surfaces can be detected. FIG. 3B shows the detection range of the radiation sensor 21.

FIG. 4 is an image diagram of the indoor unit.
The blower outlet 23a of the main fan 23 is provided in the indoor unit main body 20, and blows out cool air or warm air supplied through the refrigerant circuit. That is, the air subjected to heat exchange is blown. The air blown out from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23 can be adjusted in the blowing direction by the direction of the up-and-down air direction plate 23b provided in the air outlet 23a and the right and left air direction plates (not shown). Here, air (airflow) blown out from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23 is indicated by a broken line, and is blown out in a substantially horizontal direction.

  The left side fan unit 24 is provided on the left side surface of the indoor unit main body 20, and the right side fan unit 25 is provided on the right side surface of the indoor unit main body 20, both of which blow out indoor air. That is, air that is not heat-exchanged is blown. Each of the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 can rotate about an axis parallel to the width direction of the indoor unit 13, and its own rotation position and the wind direction provided at the outlets 24 a and 25 a. The blowing direction can be adjusted by the direction of the plate. Here, the air (airflow) blown out from the air outlet 24a of the left side fan unit 24 and the air outlet 25a of the right side fan unit 25 is indicated by a dotted line and is blown out obliquely downward.

Next, the operation control process executed by the indoor unit control unit 22 will be described.
Here, the processing according to the present invention is mainly described, and general processing such as control of the refrigerant circuit is omitted.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation control process.
The operation control process is started when the user performs an operation for instructing the indoor unit 13 to start operation.
In step S101, it is determined whether it is a cooling operation. Here, when it is a cooling operation, the routine proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, when it is not the cooling operation, that is, during the heating operation, the air blowing operation, the dehumidifying operation or the like, the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S102, the temperature difference ΔT between the ceiling surface and the floor surface in the room 12 is detected by the radiation sensor 21. That is, the temperature TL of the floor surface in the room 12 is detected at the initial position where the radiation sensor 21 faces forward. Further, the radiation sensor 21 is rotated left and right to detect the temperature TH of the ceiling surface in the room 12. Then, a temperature difference ΔT (= TH−TL) between the ceiling surface temperature TH and the floor surface temperature TL is detected. Here, the process of step S102 corresponds to the operation of the “temperature difference detection unit”.
In a succeeding step S103, it is determined whether or not the temperature difference ΔT is larger than a predetermined threshold value T1. The threshold value T1 is a value for determining whether or not an operation for cooling the ceiling side is necessary. Here, when the temperature difference ΔT is larger than the threshold value T1, it is determined that an operation for cooling the ceiling side is necessary, and the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, when the temperature difference ΔT is equal to or less than the threshold value T1, it is determined that it is not necessary to cool the ceiling side, and the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S104, the operation for cooling the ceiling side is set, and then the process proceeds to step S107.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation for cooling the ceiling side.
(A) of FIG. 6 is the figure which looked at the indoor unit 13 from the side.
First, by adjusting the angle of the up-and-down wind direction plate 23b provided at the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23, the air (airflow) blown out from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23 is made horizontal or upward from the horizontal. This means that the up-and-down wind direction plate 23b is most upward in the normal movable range. Here, the cold air 26 blown out from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23 is shown by shading. Further, by adjusting the rotation positions of the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25, the blowing direction of the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 is blown out from the outlet 23a of the main fan 23. Directed above the air (airflow). Here, the air 27 blown out from the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 is indicated by solid arrows.

Further, by adjusting the rotation speed of a blower (not shown) inside the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25, the first wind speed blown from the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 is changed to the main wind speed. It is set to be larger than the second wind speed blown from the blower outlet 23a of the fan 23.
FIG. 6B is a view of the indoor unit 13 as viewed from above.
Here, by adjusting the left and right wind direction plates provided at the outlet 24 a of the left side fan unit 24 and the outlet 25 a of the right side fan unit 25, the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 are blown out. The direction is directed to the side of air (airflow) blown out from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23, respectively. Here, the cold air 26 blown out from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23 is indicated by shading, and the air 27 blown out from the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 is indicated by solid arrows.
The above is the operation for cooling the ceiling side.

In step S105, a normal cooling operation is executed, and the process proceeds to step S107.
For example, as shown in FIG. 4, cool air is blown out horizontally from the outlet 23a of the main fan 23, and indoor air is blown out obliquely downward from the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25. . In this way, it is possible to feel a natural coolness even in a modest cooling operation by allowing the user to take air at a comfortable temperature while preventing the cool air from directly hitting the body.
In step S106, operations other than cooling, that is, heating operation, air blowing operation, dehumidifying operation, and the like are executed, and the process proceeds to step S107.
In step S107, it is determined whether there is an operation stop request, for example, the user instructs the indoor unit 13 to stop the operation. Here, when there is an operation stop request, the operation is stopped and the operation control process is terminated. On the other hand, when there is no operation stop request, the process returns to step S101.
The above is the operation control process.

<Effect>
Next, operational effects will be described.
Even if the room temperature is controlled comfortably by cooling operation in hot weather, if the temperature near the ceiling is high, the person may receive radiant heat and feel uncomfortable. In general, wall-mounted indoor units are not structured to blow cool air toward the ceiling.

Therefore, apart from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23 through which the heat-exchanged air is blown out, the left side fan unit that is arranged in parallel on the left and right sides of the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23 and blows out the air that has not been heat-exchanged. 24 and the right side fan unit 25 are provided. During the cooling operation (the determination in step S101 is “Yes” and the determination in step S103 is “Yes”), the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 are used for cooling the ceiling. Switching (step S104).
That is, as shown in FIG. 6A, the direction of the cool air blown from the outlet 23a of the main fan 23 is horizontal or upward from the horizontal, and the room air from the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 Is directed above the direction in which the cool air is blown out from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23. Thereby, the cold air blown out from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23 is guided upward from the blowing direction. Therefore, the air near the ceiling can be cooled, and radiant heat from the ceiling can be suppressed.

Further, the wind speed of the indoor air blown out from the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 is made larger than the wind speed of the cold air blown out from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23. Since the low wind speed side is attracted to the high wind speed side, the cold air blown out from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23 is guided upward. Therefore, the vicinity of the ceiling can be cooled.
Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the blowing direction of the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 is directed to the side of the cold air blown from the outlet 23a of the main fan 23, respectively. In this way, the indoor air blown out from the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 is caused to interfere with the cold air blown out from the outlet 23a of the main fan 23. Thereby, the cold air blown out from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23 is guided upward without diffusing. Therefore, the vicinity of the ceiling can be cooled.

  Moreover, the temperature difference ΔT between the ceiling surface and the floor surface in the room 12 is detected by making the radiation sensor 21 have a swing structure. When the temperature difference ΔT is larger than the threshold value T1 (the determination in step S103 is “Yes”), the operation is switched to the operation for cooling the ceiling side (step S104). Further, when the temperature difference ΔT is equal to or smaller than the threshold value T1 (determination in Step S103 is “No”), normal cooling operation is performed (Step S105). As described above, since the operation mode is switched according to the temperature difference ΔT between the ceiling surface and the floor surface in the room 12, a comfortable environment for the user can be realized. That is, even if the operation is continued at the same set temperature throughout the day, the temperature difference ΔT between the ceiling surface and the floor surface in the room 12 varies as the outside air temperature changes. Therefore, a comfortable environment can be realized not only at the start of operation but also at any time by adjusting the operation mode according to the temperature difference ΔT.

Here, a comparative example will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a problem of a general air conditioner.
(A) of FIG. 7 shows the state which has faced the up-and-down wind direction board 23b provided in the blower outlet 23a of the main fan 23 above the horizontal position. This is a state in which the up-and-down wind direction plate 23b faces upward beyond the normal movable range. With such an angle, the cool air can be blown out to the side closer to the ceiling to some extent, but it is considered that the vicinity of the air outlet 23a of the indoor unit body 20 is cooled and condensation occurs.
FIG. 7B shows a state in which the up-and-down wind direction plate 23 b provided at the air outlet 23 a of the main fan 23 is horizontal. If it does in this way, the above dew condensation can be suppressed, but cold air cannot be blown out to the side near a ceiling. In addition, if the wind speed is low, the cold air is likely to fall into the living space, so comfort may be lacking.
According to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress radiant heat from the ceiling while preventing condensation from occurring near the air outlet 23a of the indoor unit body 20 and cooling air from falling into the living space.

<Modification>
In the present embodiment, the cooling air blowing direction from the air outlet 23a of the main fan 23 is horizontal, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, even if the blowout direction of the cold air from the blower outlet 23a of the main fan 23 is slightly below the horizontal position, the blowout angle difference between the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25, or the wind speed difference. Depending on the situation, the cool air blown from the outlet 23a of the main fan 23 can be guided upward. Therefore, it suffices if the blowing direction of the indoor air from the left side fan unit 24 and the right side fan unit 25 can be directed at least above the blowing direction of the cold air from the outlet 23a of the main fan 23.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to a limited number of embodiments, the scope of rights is not limited thereto, and modifications of the embodiments based on the above disclosure are obvious to those skilled in the art.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Air conditioner 12 Indoor 13 Indoor unit 14 Outdoor unit 15 Remote control 20 Indoor unit main body 21 Radiation sensor 22 Indoor unit control part 23 Main fan 23a Air outlet 23b Vertical wind direction board 24 Left side fan unit 24a Air outlet 25 Right side fan unit 25a Outlet

Claims (4)

It has an indoor unit that is attached to the wall and performs indoor air conditioning.
The indoor unit is
A first fan that blows out the heat-exchanged air and adjusts the blowing direction,
A second fan that is arranged in parallel on the left and right sides of the first fan, blows out air that is not heat-exchanged, and can adjust the blowing direction;
A controller that adjusts the blowing direction of the first fan and the blowing direction of the second fan, and
The controller is
During cooling operation, the blowing direction of the first fan is set to be horizontal or upward from the horizontal, and the blowing direction of the second fan is set to be higher than the blowing direction of the first fan. Air conditioner.   The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit makes a first wind speed blown from the second fan higher than a second wind speed blown from the first fan.   The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit directs the blowing direction of the second fan toward the first fan. With a temperature difference detection unit that can detect the temperature difference between the ceiling side and the floor side in the room,
When the temperature difference detected by the temperature difference detection unit is greater than a predetermined threshold, the control unit directs the blowing direction of the second fan above the blowing direction of the first fan. The air conditioner as described in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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