Air conditioner

Abstract

The utility model discloses an air conditioner, which comprises a water pan, a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe, the draining pump is mounted in the water receiving plate and used for draining the condensate water in the water receiving plate to the outside; the water pump driving unit is used for driving the drainage pump to operate; the lifting driving parts synchronously work and jointly drive the water pan to ascend and descend; the lifting connecting parts are used for connecting the water pan and the corresponding lifting driving parts; the controllable valve is connected to the drainage pipeline; when the air conditioner is shut down, the main control unit controls the water pump driving unit to keep working and controls the lifting driving parts to jointly lift the water pan by a preset distance, and the controllable valve is communicated; and when the main control unit detects that the drainage pump works stably, the controllable valve is controlled to be switched off, the drainage pump stops working, and the lifting driving parts are controlled to reset the water pan. According to the utility model, thorough drainage can be realized, and backwater noise is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of air conditioning, in particular to an air conditioner. Background Art

[0002] In the related art, when the air conditioner is in the cooling mode, the water vapor in the air touches the low-temperature evaporator, forms condensed water and flows into the water receiving tray of the indoor unit. During the generation of the condensed water, impurities such as lint, dust, and hair in the low-temperature evaporator and the air are collected in the water receiving tray. The condensed water is discharged to the outside through a drain pipe by a drain pump from the water receiving tray.

[0003] As this kind of impurity accumulates in the water receiving tray for a long time, more and more impurities will adsorb and precipitate in the water receiving tray.

[0004] Moreover, in the existing household air conditioners, when installing the drain pump, there is a certain distance between the water inlet of the drain pump and the bottom wall of the water receiving tray. Therefore, it is easy to leave condensed water at the bottom of the water receiving tray; and the drain pipe is usually designed with a height difference (equivalent to the drainage head) during installation for anti-backflow. After the air conditioner stops running, the drain pump motor will also stop accordingly, resulting in the condensed water in the drain pipe not being able to be emptied immediately. Under the influence of gravity, it will quickly return to the water receiving tray immediately, and the water flow impact in the water receiving tray will generate a very obvious backwater noise. Summary of the Utility Model

[0005] Some embodiments of the present application provide an air conditioner. The water receiving tray is designed to be liftable. When the machine stops, the drain pump keeps running and the water receiving tray rises to shorten the distance between the bottom wall of the water receiving tray and the water inlet of the drain pump, which helps the drain pump to drain completely. And after the drain pump works stably, the control valve on the drain pipe is controlled to close to avoid the backwater noise caused by backwater.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned utility model purpose, the present utility model is implemented by adopting the following technical solutions:

[0007] The present application relates to an air conditioner, including:

[0008] A water receiving tray, which is installed inside the indoor unit of the air conditioner and is used for receiving the condensed water generated when the air flow passes through the low-temperature evaporator during the refrigeration operation of the air conditioner;

[0009] A drain pump, which is installed in the water receiving tray. The water inlet of the drain pump is communicated with the water receiving tray, and the water outlet is communicated with the outside through a drain pipe, and is used for discharging the condensed water in the water receiving tray to the outside;

[0010] A water pump driving unit, which is used for driving the drain pump to operate;

[0011] A plurality of lifting driving parts, which are used for working synchronously and jointly driving the water receiving tray to lift;

[0012] A plurality of lifting connection parts, the number of which is the same as that of the plurality of lifting driving parts, are used to connect the water receiving tray and the corresponding lifting driving parts respectively, and the arrangement positions of the plurality of lifting connection parts are based on stably lifting the water receiving tray;

[0013] A controllable valve, which is connected to the drainage pipeline;

[0014] A main control unit, which is configured to control the water pump driving unit to keep working, control the plurality of lifting driving parts to jointly lift the water receiving tray by a preset distance, and control the controllable valve to remain connected when the air conditioner stops;

[0015] When the main control unit detects that the drainage pump works stably, it controls the controllable valve to disconnect, controls the drainage pump to stop working, and controls the plurality of lifting driving parts to reset the water receiving tray.

[0016] For the air conditioner involved in this application, when it stops, the drainage pump continues to operate, and at the same time, the water receiving tray is lifted to shorten the distance between the bottom wall of the water receiving tray and the water inlet of the drainage pump, ensuring that the drainage pump drains completely. When the drainage pump is stable, it means that the water in the current water receiving tray is completely emptied. At this time, the controllable valve is controlled to disconnect to avoid the water in the drainage pipeline from flowing back to the water receiving tray and generating backwater noise. Then the drainage pump stops working, and the water receiving tray resets to the initial position for convenient next use.

[0017] In some embodiments of this application, the lifting connection part includes:

[0018] A threaded block, which is correspondingly arranged on the water receiving tray. The threaded block has an opening part facing away from the bottom wall of the water receiving tray and forms an internal thread;

[0019] A threaded column, which has an external thread matching the internal thread of the threaded block and is connected to the driving output end of the lifting driving part. When the driving output end of the lifting driving part outputs a driving force, it drives the threaded column to rotate, so that the water receiving tray together with the threaded block rises and falls.

[0020] By using the cooperation of a threaded block with an internal thread and a threaded column with an external thread, when the lifting driving part works, the rotational force is converted into the movement of the threaded block rising and falling along the threaded column.

[0021] In some embodiments of this application, other forms of lifting connection parts can also be adopted, such as a worm and worm gear assembly.

[0022] In some embodiments of this application, the air conditioner further includes:

[0023] The detection unit sends a in-place signal to the main control unit after detecting that the water receiving tray has risen by the preset distance. At this time, the main control unit sends a stop working signal to each lifting drive unit.

[0024] The detection unit can be a limit switch arranged above the water receiving tray. When the water receiving tray rises to the point where the limit switch senses it, the limit switch closes. At this time, a high-level in-place signal can be provided for the main control unit.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present application, the water pump drive unit includes:

[0026] A water pump drive chip, the signal output by its rotation speed feedback pin is fed back to the main control unit for real-time detection of the rotation speed of the drainage pump;

[0027] An overcurrent protection circuit is arranged around the water pump drive chip for overcurrent protection of the drainage pump motor.

[0028] In some embodiments of the present application, the water pump drive chip has a first pin, a second pin and a third pin, and the overcurrent protection circuit is connected between the first pin, the second pin and the third pin;

[0029] The overcurrent protection circuit includes a first resistor, a second resistor and a third resistor. The first pin is grounded through the first resistor, the second pin is grounded through the second resistor, the third pin is connected to one end of the third resistor, and the other end of the third resistor is connected to the connection point between the second resistor and the second pin.

[0030] The water pump drive chip involved in the present application has an overcurrent protection function, and can realize overcurrent protection of the drainage pump motor by arranging an overcurrent protection circuit around the overcurrent protection pin.

[0031] The overcurrent protection circuit can include multiple resistors. By setting different resistance values of the resistors, the current protection limit value is set to realize overcurrent protection of different motor currents.

[0032] In some embodiments of the present application, the air conditioner further includes:

[0033] A valve drive unit, which is connected to the main control unit and is also electrically connected to the controllable valve. When the main control unit outputs a first control signal, the controllable valve is driven to be connected through the valve drive unit. When the main control unit outputs a second control signal, the controllable valve is driven to be disconnected through the valve drive unit.

[0034] In some embodiments of the present application, the valve drive unit includes:

[0035] A valve driving chip, whose input pin is connected to an output end of the main control unit, is used to receive the first control signal or the second control signal;

[0036] A relay, one end of whose coil is connected to a power supply, and the other end is connected to an output pin corresponding to the input pin. When the input pin receives the first control signal, the coil is energized; when the input pin receives the second control signal, the coil is de-energized. The normally open switch of the relay is connected in series on the power supply line that provides electrical energy for the controllable valve. When the normally open switch is closed, the controllable valve is connected; when the normally open switch is opened, the controllable valve is disconnected.

[0037] By controlling the energization / de-energization of the relay coil, the connection / disconnection of the power supply line of the controllable valve is realized, and further the connection / disconnection of the controllable valve is realized.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present application, the controllable valve is a solenoid valve.

[0039] In some embodiments of the present application, the air conditioner further includes:

[0040] A fan driving unit, which communicates with the main control unit through a communication unit, is used to drive the indoor fan to operate or stop operating.

[0041] By using the communication unit to realize the communication loop between the main control unit and the fan driving unit, it is possible to drive the indoor fan to stop operating after the main control unit receives a shutdown command. This communication unit can be a UART communication loop.

[0042] After reading the specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0044] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional air conditioner;

[0045] Figure 2 is a structural diagram of a drainage pump arranged in a water receiving tray in the prior art;

[0046] Figure 3 is a structural diagram of a drainage pump arranged in a water receiving tray in an air conditioner embodiment according to the present application;

[0047] Figure 4 The top view of the drainage pump arranged in the water receiving tray in the air conditioner embodiment proposed according to the present application;

[0048] Figure 5 The principle block diagram of the air conditioner embodiment proposed according to the present application;

[0049] Figure 6 The block diagram of the connection relationship of each component in the air conditioner embodiment proposed according to the present application;

[0050] Figure 7 The pin connection diagram of the MCU chip and the water pump drive chip in the air conditioner embodiment proposed according to the present application;

[0051] Figure 8 The control principle diagram of the controllable valve in the air conditioner embodiment proposed according to the present application;

[0052] Figure 9 The control principle diagram of the relay in the air conditioner embodiment proposed according to the present application;

[0053] Figure 10 The detection principle diagram of the float switch in the air conditioner embodiment proposed according to the present application.

[0054] Reference numerals:

[0055] 100, water receiving tray; 200, drainage pump; 210, water inlet; 220, water outlet; 300, main control unit; 400, controllable valve; 500, water pump drive unit; 600, lifting drive part; 700, valve drive part; 710, valve drive chip; 720, relay; 800, lifting connection part; 810, threaded block; 820, threaded column; 910, float switch; 920, fan drive unit; L1, drainage pipeline; S, limit switch. Detailed implementation manners

[0056] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0057] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. These are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0058] The terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

[0059] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "mounted", "connected" and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0060] In the present utility model, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature may include the direct contact between the first and second features, or may include the situation where the first and second features are not in direct contact but in contact through additional features therebetween. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over" and "on top of" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature being "under", "beneath" and "underneath" the second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicates that the horizontal height of the first feature is lower than that of the second feature.

[0061] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different structures of the present utility model. To simplify the disclosure of the present utility model, components and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present utility model. In addition, the present utility model may repeat reference numerals and / or reference letters in different examples. Such repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity and does not itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present utility model provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art may be aware of the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0062] <Basic working principle of an air conditioner>

[0063] See Figure 1 , which shows a block diagram of an air conditioner.

[0064] The air conditioner performs a refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner by using a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. The refrigeration cycle includes a series of processes involving compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation to cool or heat an indoor space.

[0065] The low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant enters the compressor, and the compressor compresses the refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas and discharges the compressed refrigerant gas. The discharged refrigerant gas flows into the condenser. The condenser condenses the compressed refrigerant into a liquid phase, and heat is released to the surrounding environment through the condensation process.

[0066] The expansion valve expands the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant formed by condensation in the condenser into a low-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant. The evaporator evaporates the refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve and returns the refrigerant gas in the low-temperature and low-pressure state to the compressor. The evaporator can achieve a refrigeration effect by using the latent heat of evaporation of the refrigerant to exchange heat with the material to be cooled. Throughout the cycle, the air conditioner can adjust the temperature of the indoor space.

[0067] The outdoor unit of the air conditioner refers to the part of the refrigeration cycle including the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger. The indoor unit of the air conditioner includes the indoor heat exchanger, and the expansion valve can be provided in the indoor unit or the outdoor unit.

[0068] The indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger are used as condensers or evaporators. When the indoor heat exchanger is used as a condenser, the air conditioner serves as a heater in the heating mode. When the indoor heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, the air conditioner serves as a cooler in the cooling mode.

[0069] The drain pump 200 is a component of the indoor unit of an air conditioner. When the air conditioner is in the cooling mode, when the air flow passes through the surface of the indoor heat exchanger acting as an evaporator, condensate will be generated on its surface. Generally, a water receiving tray 100 for receiving this condensate is arranged below the indoor heat exchanger. Refer to Figure 1 .

[0070] The drain pump 200 is installed in the water receiving tray 100 and is used to draw the condensate in the water receiving tray 100 to the outside of the indoor unit of the air conditioner when the drain pump 200 is started.

[0071] Generally, when installing the drain pump 200, the water inlet 210 of the drain pump 200 is at a certain distance from the bottom wall of the water receiving tray 100. Therefore, it is easy to leave condensate residues at the bottom of the water receiving tray 100.

[0072] While receiving the condensate, the water receiving tray 100 will also deposit foreign matters such as fluff and hair in the low-temperature evaporator and the air on its bottom wall. When the drain pump 200 cannot empty the condensate in the water receiving tray 100, the long-term deposition will not only generate peculiar smells, but also the larger foreign matters deposited together will cause the risk of blockage of the drain pump 200, and the longer the deposition time, the more difficult it is to clean the deposited foreign matters.

[0073] Moreover, in existing household air conditioners, there is generally a drain pipe L1 with a height of about 30 cm. Since the drain pump 200 will also stop running after the air conditioner stops operating, the water in the drain pipe L1 cannot be emptied immediately, and under the influence of gravity, it will quickly return to the water receiving tray 100 immediately, and the water flow impact in the water receiving tray 100 will generate very obvious water return noise.

[0074] Therefore, to solve the above technical problems, refer to Figures 2 to 10 , the present application relates to an air conditioner.

[0075] Refer to Figure 5 , the air conditioner includes a water receiving tray 100, a drain pump 200, a water pump driving unit 500, and a main control unit 300.

[0076] Refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the water receiving tray 100 is located inside the indoor unit of the air conditioner and is used to hold the condensate generated when the air flow passes through the surface of the low-temperature indoor heat exchanger during the cooling operation of the air conditioner.

[0077] The drain pump 200 has a water inlet 210 and a drain outlet 220, and is installed in the water receiving tray 100, for example, installed upside down in the water receiving tray 100, so that the water inlet 210 of the drain pump 200 faces the water receiving tray 100, for example, in contact with the condensate in the water receiving tray 100.

[0078] When the drainage pump 200 is operating, the water inlet 210 of the drainage pump 200 can extract the condensed water collected in the water receiving tray 100, and then discharge it to the outside through the drain port 220 and the drainage pipeline L1.

[0079] In some embodiments of the present application, in order to achieve controllable drainage, refer to Figure 3 , a controllable valve 400 is provided on the drainage pipeline L1. When drainage is required, the controllable valve 400 is opened and connected, and the drainage pipeline L1 connects the drain port 220 and the outside. When drainage is not required, the controllable valve 400 is closed and disconnected, disconnecting the path between the drain port 220 and the outside.

[0080] In some embodiments of the present application, the controllable valve 400 is controlled by the main control unit 300. Specifically, when to open and close the controllable valve 400 will be described as follows.

[0081] In some embodiments of the present application, the controllable valve 400 can be an electromagnetic valve, a piezoelectric valve, a MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) valve, or an angle seat valve, etc., which can be controlled to open and connect or close and disconnect.

[0082] In some embodiments of the present application, the controllable valve 400 can be selected as an electromagnetic valve.

[0083] Refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the water pump drive unit 500 is connected to the main control unit 300, and is used to receive the PWM pulse drive signal sent by the main control unit 300, and control the operation of the drainage pump 200 based on the PWM pulse drive signal.

[0084] The larger the duty cycle of the PWM pulse drive signal, the faster the operation speed of the drainage pump 200, and thus the faster the drainage speed; the smaller the duty cycle of the PWM pulse drive signal, the slower the operation speed of the drainage pump 200, and thus the slower the drainage speed.

[0085] In some embodiments of the present application, the main control unit 300 selects an MCU chip.

[0086] Refer to Figure 7 , the water pump drive unit 500 includes a water pump drive chip, which has a PWM pin, and this PWM pin is used to receive the PWM pulse signal output by the first output pin of the MCU chip.

[0087] The water pump drive chip also has an overcurrent protection function, and the current limiting protection of the motor of the drainage pump 200 is achieved by setting an overcurrent protection circuit around it.

[0088] In some embodiments of the present application, refer to Figure 7, the water pump driving chip has a first pin, a second pin and a third pin, and an overcurrent protection circuit is arranged among the first pin, the second pin and the third pin.

[0089] The overcurrent protection circuit includes a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2 and a third resistor R3.

[0090] The first pin is grounded through the first resistor R1, the second pin is grounded through the second resistor R2, and the third pin is connected to the connection point where the second pin and the second resistor R2 are connected through the third resistor R3.

[0091] By setting the values of each resistor, the overcurrent protection limit value of the motor of the drainage pump 200 can be set, and different overcurrent protection limit values can be set by changing the values of each resistor.

[0092] See Figure 7 , the water pump driving chip also has a speed feedback pin, and the MCU chip has a first input pin.

[0093] The speed feedback pin is connected to the first input pin, and is used for the main control unit 300 to detect the speed of the drainage pump 200 in real time and perform closed-loop control on the speed to achieve stable and controllable speed.

[0094] By detecting the speed of the drainage pump 200 within a period of time, the current drainage load can also be determined. When there is residual condensate at the bottom of the water receiving tray 100 and the water level gradually decreases, the speed of the drainage pump 200 will change continuously due to different drainage loads.

[0095] If the speed of the drainage pump 200 is detected to be unchanged within a period of time (for example, three cycles), it means that the current speed of the drainage pump 200 reaches a stable state.

[0096] In order to completely drain the condensate in the water receiving tray 100 when the air conditioner stops (such as receiving a shutdown command, temperature control shutdown, fault shutdown, etc.), in some embodiments of the present application, the water receiving tray 100 is set as a liftable water receiving tray 100.

[0097] In some embodiments of the present application, see Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the air conditioner includes a plurality of lifting driving parts 600 and corresponding a plurality of lifting connecting parts 800.

[0098] The number of the plurality of lifting driving parts 600 and the number of the plurality of lifting connecting parts 800 are in one-to-one correspondence, and the structures of the plurality of lifting driving parts 600 are the same, and the structures of the plurality of lifting connecting parts 800 are also the same.

[0099] The lifting connection part 800 connects the water receiving tray 100 and the lifting driving part 600. Among them, the lifting driving part 600 is controlled by the main control unit 300, and several lifting driving parts 600 jointly drive the water receiving tray 100 to lift and lower.

[0100] The position of the lifting driving part 600 corresponds to the position of the lifting connection part 800, and the positions of several lifting connection parts 800 are arranged to be able to stably lift and lower the water receiving tray 100 when several lifting driving parts 600 work together.

[0101] In some embodiments of the present application, there are four lifting driving parts 600 and four lifting connection parts 800.

[0102] See Figure 4 , the four lifting connection parts 800 are respectively arranged at the four corner parts of the square water receiving tray 100 to ensure the stable lifting and lowering of the water receiving tray 100. Of course, the number of the lifting connection parts 800 and the shape of the water receiving tray 100 can also have other settings, which are not limited here.

[0103] In some embodiments of the present application, when the air conditioner is working normally, the main control unit 300 controls the controllable valve 400 to open. When drainage is required, the drainage pump 200 operates for drainage. At this time, the water receiving tray 100 is in the initial position, that is, there is a certain distance d between the bottom of the water receiving tray 100 and the water inlet 210 of the drainage pump 200. This kind of distance d is reserved to prevent the drainage pump 200 from being dirty and blocked.

[0104] When the air conditioner stops, at this time the indoor fan stops rotating, but there is still a certain amount of condensed water remaining on the low-temperature indoor heat exchanger and continuing to fall into the water receiving tray 100. Therefore, at this time, the drainage pump 200 will not be controlled to stop immediately, but will continue to operate for a period of time t until all the condensed water on the indoor heat exchanger has dropped into the water receiving tray 100.

[0105] During the time t when the drainage pump 200 is operating, it is necessary to empty the condensed water in the water receiving tray 100.

[0106] When the air conditioner stops, the main control unit 300 controls the drainage pump 200 to keep operating, keeps the controllable valve 400 open, and at the same time controls several lifting driving parts 600 to raise the water receiving tray 100 by a preset distance. After that, the lifting driving parts 600 are controlled to stop working.

[0107] The distance d' between the bottom of the raised water receiving tray 100 and the water inlet 210 of the drainage pump 200 is lower than the distance d. At this time, when the drainage pump 200 continues to operate, drainage will continue.

[0108] During this drainage process, the rotation speed of the drainage pump 200 is detected in real time. For example, within three cycles, if the rotation speed of the drainage pump 200 remains constant, it indicates that the condensed water at the bottom of the water receiving tray 100 has been completely drained. At this time, due to the action of the external upward lift drainage pipeline L1 on the drainage pump 200, the condensed water inside the drainage pipeline L1 reaches an equilibrium state under the operation of the drainage pump 200 and no longer drains or falls back.

[0109] When the drainage pump 200 is operating stably, the control valve 400 is controlled to disconnect, so that there is no further drainage and the water in the drainage pipeline L1 no longer falls back, thus avoiding the generation of backwater noise. At this time, the drainage pump 200 is also controlled to stop working, and several lifting driving parts 600 are controlled to reset the water receiving tray 100.

[0110] In some embodiments of the present application, the lifting driving part 600 adopts a driving motor (for example, a stepping motor), which converts the rotational force of the driving motor into the lifting force of the water receiving tray 100 through the lifting connection part 800.

[0111] In some embodiments of the present application, refer to Figure 3 and the lifting connection part 800 includes a threaded block 810 and a threaded column 820.

[0112] The threaded block 810 is arranged on the water receiving tray 100. The threaded block 810 has an opening facing away from the bottom wall of the water receiving tray 100 for receiving the threaded column 820, and internal threads are provided inside the threaded block 810.

[0113] The threaded column 820 is connected to the driving output end of the lifting driving part 600 and has external threads provided on the outside.

[0114] The threaded column 820 passes through the opening, and its external threads are in threaded connection with the internal threads.

[0115] When it is necessary to raise the water receiving tray 100, the main control unit 300 controls the four lifting driving parts 600 to work simultaneously, and they jointly rotate the output rotational force clockwise for example, and at the same time drive the threaded column 820 to rotate clockwise. At this time, the threaded block 810 together with the water receiving tray 100 moves upward along the threaded column 820 until it stops after rising a preset distance L.

[0116] When it is necessary to lower (i.e., reset) the water receiving tray 100, the main control unit 300 controls the four lifting driving parts 600 to work simultaneously, and they jointly rotate the output rotational force counterclockwise for example, and at the same time drive the threaded column 820 to rotate counterclockwise. At this time, the threaded block 810 together with the water receiving tray 100 moves downward along the threaded column 820 until it stops after resetting to the initial position.

[0117] In some embodiments of the present application, the lifting driving part 600 together with the threaded column 820 is fixed to an external sheet metal part (not shown) located below the water receiving tray 100 to ensure the stable lifting of the water receiving tray 100.

[0118] In some embodiments of the present application, the lifting drive unit 600 is implemented by using an existing motor drive chip, which will not be elaborated here.

[0119] In some embodiments of the present application, the air conditioner further includes a detection unit, which sends a in-place signal to the main control unit 300 after detecting that the water receiving tray 100 has risen by a preset distance L. Thus, the main control unit 300 sends a stop working signal to each lifting drive unit 600 to continue raising the water receiving tray 100. At this time, each lifting drive unit 600 stops working.

[0120] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figure 3 , the detection unit may be a limit switch S, which is arranged above the water receiving tray 100 and at a certain distance L from one side of the water receiving tray 100. After the water receiving tray 100 rises by a distance L, the distance between the water inlet 210 of the drain pump 200 and the bottom wall of the water receiving tray 100 is d' as described above.

[0121] After the water receiving tray 100 rises by the preset distance L, the limit switch S closes and outputs a high level to the second input pin of the main control unit 300 (refer to Figure 7 ). When the second input pin receives the high level, it is considered that the water receiving tray 100 has risen in place.

[0122] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figure 8 , the valve drive unit 700 includes a valve drive chip 710 and a relay 720.

[0123] Referring to Figure 8 and Figure 9 , when the main control unit 300 is an MCU chip, the output terminal for outputting the first control signal or the second control signal is the second output pin of the MCU chip.

[0124] The first input terminal of the valve drive chip 710 is connected to the second output pin of the MCU chip, and an output pin is connected to one end of the coil of the relay 720. The power supply Vcc is connected to the other end of the coil of the relay 720.

[0125] The normally open switch of the relay 720 is connected in series in the power supply line of the controllable valve 400.

[0126] When the first input terminal of the valve drive chip 710 receives the first control signal, a low-level signal is output at its first output terminal output pin, causing the coil to be energized and the normally open switch to close, thereby connecting the power supply line to normally supply power to the controllable valve 400. At this time, the controllable valve 400 is opened and connected.

[0127] When the second control signal is received at the first input terminal of the valve driving chip 710, a high-level signal is output at the first output terminal, causing the coil to lose power and the normally open switch to disconnect, thereby disconnecting the power supply line and preventing power supply to the controllable valve 400. At this time, the controllable valve 400 closes and disconnects.

[0128] To avoid the problem that when the drainage pump 200 malfunctions during normal drainage (i.e., before shutdown), the amount of condensed water in the water receiving tray 100 is too much and overflows, posing a safety hazard. In some embodiments of the present application, refer to Figure 10 The air conditioner further includes a float switch 910.

[0129] The float switch 910 is disposed in the water receiving tray 100 and is used to detect the water level of the condensed water in the water receiving tray 100. A preset water level is preset inside the float switch 910, and this preset water level is the maximum water receiving level in the water receiving tray 100.

[0130] When the water level in the water receiving tray 100 reaches the preset water level, the float switch 910 operates and sends a detection signal, and the sent detection signal is transmitted to the main control unit 300.

[0131] When the float switch 910 is normally closed because the water level does not reach the preset water level, the third input pin of the MCU chip receives a detection signal such as a high level. When the float switch 910 is disconnected because the water level reaches the preset water level, the third input pin of the MCU chip receives a detection signal such as a low level.

[0132] After receiving the detection signal, the MCU chip outputs a control signal to the fan driving unit 920 to make the indoor fan operate, keep operating, or stop operating.

[0133] That is, when the MCU chip receives a high-level detection signal, it outputs a control signal to the fan driving unit 920 to make the indoor fan continue to operate or start operating. When the MCU chip receives a low-level detection signal, it outputs a control signal to the fan driving unit 920 to make the indoor fan stop operating, avoiding the continuous generation of condensed water due to the continuous operation of the indoor fan.

[0134] As described above, when the float switch 910 is disconnected, it indicates that the water level in the water receiving tray 100 has reached the preset water level. This situation indicates that the drainage pump 200 has a drainage abnormality. Therefore, at this time, manual drainage should be carried out in a timely manner.

[0135] To remind manual drainage in a timely manner, the air conditioner further includes an alarm unit (not shown), which is used to control the alarm unit to issue an alarm prompt when the main control unit 300 receives a low-level detection signal, so as to intuitively remind the user to drain water in a timely manner.

[0136] In some embodiments of the present application, the main control unit 300 is communicatively connected to the fan driving unit 920 through a communication unit (not shown), and the fan driving unit 920 outputs a driving signal to the indoor fan to cause the indoor fan to operate, continue to operate, or stop operating.

[0137] The communication unit may adopt a UART communication circuit.

[0138] The air conditioner of the present application can be lifted through the water receiving tray 100 to achieve complete drainage of the drainage pump 200, avoid deposition of condensed water and impurities in the water receiving tray 100, and disconnect the controllable valve 400 after completely draining the condensed water to avoid the return water noise caused by the backflow of condensed water in the drainage pipeline L1.

[0139] In the description of the above embodiments, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0140] The above are only the specific embodiments of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, characterized in that: include: A water receiving tray installed in the indoor unit of the air conditioner, used to receive condensed water generated by the air flow passing through the low-temperature evaporator when the air conditioner is in cooling operation; A drain pump is installed in the water receiving tray, the water inlet of the drain pump is connected to the water receiving tray and the drain outlet is connected to the outside through a drain pipe, and is used to discharge the condensed water in the water receiving tray to the outside; A water pump driving unit, which is used to drive the drainage pump to operate; A plurality of lifting drive parts, which are used to work synchronously and jointly drive the water receiving tray to rise and fall; A plurality of lifting connection parts, the number of which is the same as the number of the lifting drive parts, used to connect the water receiving tray and the corresponding lifting drive parts, and the layout positions of the plurality of lifting connection parts are based on the stable lifting of the water receiving tray; A controllable valve connected to the drainage pipeline; a main control unit configured to control the water pump drive unit to keep working, control the plurality of lifting drive units to jointly raise the water receiving tray by a preset distance, and control the controllable valve to keep connected when the air conditioner is stopped; When the main control unit detects that the drainage pump is working stably, the controllable valve is controlled to be disconnected, the drainage pump is controlled to stop working, and the plurality of lifting drive parts are controlled to reset the water receiving tray.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting connection part comprises: A threaded block, which is correspondingly arranged on the water receiving tray, the threaded block has an opening away from the bottom wall of the water receiving tray and forms an internal thread; A threaded column has an external thread matching the internal thread of the threaded block and is connected to the driving output end of the lifting drive unit, and is used to drive the threaded column to rotate when the driving output end of the lifting drive unit outputs a driving force, so that the water receiving tray and the threaded block are lifted and lowered.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air conditioner also includes: The detection unit sends a positioning signal to the main control unit after detecting that the water receiving tray has risen by the preset distance. At this time, the main control unit sends a stop working signal to each lifting drive unit.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water pump driving unit comprises: A water pump driving chip, the signal output by the speed feedback pin of which is fed back to the main control unit, for real-time detection of the speed of the drainage pump; An overcurrent protection circuit is disposed on the periphery of the water pump driving chip to provide overcurrent protection for the drainage pump motor.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, characterized in that: The water pump driving chip has a first pin, a second pin and a third pin, and the overcurrent protection circuit is connected between the first pin, the second pin and the third pin; The overcurrent protection circuit includes a first resistor, a second resistor and a third resistor, the first pin is grounded through the first resistor, the second pin is grounded through the second resistor, the third pin is connected to one end of the third resistor, and the other end of the third resistor is connected to the connection point between the second resistor and the second pin.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air conditioner also includes: A valve driving unit is connected to the main control unit and is also electrically connected to the controllable valve. When the main control unit outputs a first control signal, the controllable valve is driven to be connected through the valve driving unit. When the main control unit outputs a second control signal, the controllable valve is driven to be disconnected through the valve driving unit.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 6, characterized in that: The valve driving unit comprises: a valve driving chip, whose input pin is connected to an output end of the main control unit and is used to receive the first control signal or the second control signal; A relay, wherein one end of the coil is connected to a power supply and the other end is connected to an output pin corresponding to the input pin, so that the coil is energized when the input pin receives the first control signal, and the coil is de-energized when the input pin receives the second control signal; the normally open switch of the relay is connected in series to a power supply line that provides electrical energy to the controllable valve, so that the controllable valve is connected when the normally open switch is closed, and the controllable valve is disconnected when the normally open switch is disconnected.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controllable valve is a solenoid valve.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air conditioner also includes: The fan driving unit communicates with the main control unit through the communication unit and is used to drive the indoor fan to start or stop running.

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