Air conditioner

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner capable of cleaning a guide surface part.SOLUTION: When an internal drying operation is executed for predetermined time, a storage part stores an internal drying operation execution flag, and also, when the integrated time from the start of a first operation has surpassed predetermined integrated time, it resets the stored internal drying operation execution flag, and when a cleaning operation is instruction-operated manually, in the case where the immediately preceding operation is stored as the first operation and the internal drying operation execution flag is stored, an indoor control part 107 does not perform a first cleaning operation but performs a second cleaning operation, even though the immediately preceding operation is the first operation, and in the case where the internal drying operation has been performed sufficiently, the internal drying operation is omitted even though the immediately preceding operation is the first operation. Therefore, an air conditioner can be provided which shortens the time until the cleaning operation is completed and which is user friendly.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning device for adjusting the temperature in a room. [Background technology]

[0002] Air conditioners are widely used to regulate the temperature inside homes and other buildings. Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional technique.

[0003] When a cleaning operation (interior cleaning operation) is instructed in an air conditioner such as that shown in Patent Document 1, the cleaning operation is carried out in the order of filter cleaning, interior drying operation, and fan cleaning. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-134004 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Each cleaning operation takes time, and the internal drying operation to dry the inside of the indoor unit takes a particularly long time. Therefore, if the cleaning operation is interrupted when the user goes out, the internal drying operation, which takes a very long time, must be performed again. This results in the internal drying operation being performed unnecessarily even when the inside of the indoor unit is dry, resulting in a problem that it takes a long time to complete the cleaning operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, there is provided an indoor unit having a case in which an intake port that can take in air from outside and an outlet port that can blow the taken-in air to the outside are opened, an air passage formed by communicating the intake port and the outlet port, an air filter, an indoor heat exchanger, and an indoor fan arranged in the air passage, a wiping mechanism that cleans the air passage, and an indoor control unit that controls the air conditioner including a cleaning operation that drives the wiping mechanism, and the indoor control unit has a memory unit that stores whether the immediately preceding operation was a first operation of a cooling operation or a dehumidifying operation, or a second operation of a heating operation, and when a cleaning operation that cleans the air passage is manually instructed and operated, if the immediately preceding operation stored in the memory unit was the first operation, an internal drying operation is performed to dry the inside of the indoor unit, and the wiping mechanism In the air conditioner that controls a first cleaning operation for cleaning the air duct, and a second cleaning operation for cleaning the air duct with the wiping mechanism, omitting the internal drying operation if the immediately preceding operation stored in the memory unit is the second operation, the memory unit stores an internal drying operation execution flag when the internal drying operation has been executed for a predetermined time, and resets the stored internal drying operation execution flag when the accumulated time since the first operation started exceeds a predetermined accumulated time, and when the cleaning operation is manually instructed and operated, the indoor control unit, if the immediately preceding operation is stored as the first operation and the internal drying operation execution flag is stored, does not perform the first cleaning operation but performs the second cleaning operation even if the immediately preceding operation was the first operation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In the present invention, when the inside of the indoor unit is sufficiently dry, the time-consuming internal drying operation is omitted, thereby shortening the time required to complete the cleaning operation and providing an air conditioner that is easy to use. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an air conditioner according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the indoor unit shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a perspective view of the indoor unit shown in FIG. 2 with the fan removed from the case. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the right side. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the wiping mechanism shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a wiping mechanism. [Figure 7] 1 is a control block diagram of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a timing chart illustrating an example of control for cleaning the air duct after cooling operation when automatic cleaning is ON. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a timing chart illustrating an example of control for cleaning the air passage after heating operation when automatic cleaning is ON. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control of an air conditioner according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a timing chart illustrating an example of control for cleaning the air duct after cooling operation when automatic cleaning is OFF (off) and when the internal drying operation execution flag is not set. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a timing chart illustrating an example of control for cleaning the air duct after cooling operation when automatic cleaning is OFF (off) and when the internal drying operation execution flag is set. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a timing chart illustrating an example of control for cleaning the air passage after heating operation when automatic cleaning is OFF. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fr indicates front, Rr indicates rear, Le indicates left, Ri indicates right, Up indicates top, and Dn indicates bottom.

[0010] Example 1 Please refer to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 shows an air conditioner 10 according to the present invention. The air conditioner 10 has a cooling function for cooling the indoor space In and a heating function for heating the indoor space In.

[0011] As will be described later with reference to FIG. 7, the air conditioner 10 includes a control unit 300, which can perform heating and cooling operations.

[0012] In Fig. 1, the air conditioner 10 includes an outdoor unit 20 installed outdoors (Ou) and an indoor unit 30 installed indoors (In). The outdoor unit 20 and the indoor unit 30 are connected to each other so that a refrigerant can circulate. Unless otherwise specified, the direction of refrigerant circulation is based on the cooling operation.

[0013] The outdoor unit 20 has a four-way switching valve 21 that switches the direction of refrigerant circulation during cooling operation and heating operation, a compressor 22 that compresses the refrigerant that has passed through this four-way switching valve 21, an outdoor heat exchanger 23 through which the refrigerant that has been compressed in this compressor 22 and has become high-temperature and high-pressure flows, an outdoor fan 24 that blows air toward this outdoor heat exchanger 23, and an expansion valve 25 that decompresses the refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 23.

[0014] The indoor unit 30 is used by hanging it on a wall Wa inside the room In. A case 40 of the indoor unit 30 is fixed to the wall Wa via a support plate. The case 40, which extends in the left-right direction, houses a fan 33 that takes in air from the room In into the case 40 and blows it out into the room In, a heat exchanger 34 that exchanges heat with the air taken in by the fan 33, and a wiping mechanism 50 that can wipe away dust adhering to the inside of the case 40.

[0015] During cooling operation, the refrigerant, which has been heated to a high temperature and pressure by the compressor 22, exchanges heat with outside air in the outdoor heat exchanger 23 and releases heat. At this time, the outdoor fan 24 operates to force the outside air to flow around the periphery of the outdoor heat exchanger 23, promoting heat exchange. After passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 23 and releasing heat, the refrigerant is decompressed by the expansion valve 25 and its temperature drops. The cooled refrigerant is sent to the indoor unit 30.

[0016] Air is introduced into the case 40 of the indoor unit 30 by operating the fan 33. The introduced air passes around the periphery of the heat exchanger 34 and is sent to the indoor space In. A refrigerant cooled in the outdoor unit 20 is supplied to the heat exchanger 34. The air passing around the periphery of the heat exchanger 34 exchanges heat with the refrigerant and is cooled. The cooled air is sent to the indoor space In.

[0017] During heating operation, the four-way switching valve 21 switches the flow path of the refrigerant, circulating the refrigerant in the opposite direction to that during cooling operation.

[0018] See Figure 2. An air intake 41 is opened on the top surface of the case 40, allowing air to be taken in from the outside (indoors In). An air outlet 42 is opened in the lower front part of the case 40, allowing air to be blown out to the outside (indoors In). The air outlet 42 is provided with up-and-down louvers 36 that can open and close the air outlet 42 and adjust the direction in which the air is blown out in the vertical direction.

[0019] See Figures 3 and 4. Behind the up / down louvers 36 (see Figure 2), left / right louvers 37 are provided that can adjust the direction in which air is blown out left / right. The case 40 has a case main body 43 that rotatably supports the fan 33, and a cover 44 that is fixed to the case main body 43 and covers a portion of the case main body 43.

[0020] A guide surface 45 is formed on the case 40 to guide the air blown by the fan 33 toward the air outlet 42 (see FIG. 2). The guide surface 45 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the case 40, in the direction in which the axis C of the fan 33 extends. Hereinafter, the space between the fan 33 and the guide surface 45 will be referred to as an air passage AP through which the blown air flows.

[0021] The guide surface portion 45 is formed by the front surface of the case main body portion 43 and the front surface of the cover portion 44. Hereinafter, the portion of the guide surface portion 45 formed by the case main body portion 43 may be referred to as the main body-side guide surface portion 43a, and the portion formed by the cover portion 44 may be referred to as the cover-side guide surface portion 44a. The guide surface portion 45 includes both the main body-side guide surface portion 43a and the cover-side guide surface portion 44a.

[0022] The case main body 43 is formed with a transmission part housing part 43b in which a part of the wiping mechanism 50 is housed.

[0023] 4 and 5, the transmission unit storage section 43b is a portion that protrudes rearward in a substantially U-shape at the bottom of the case main body 43, and is formed along the longitudinal direction of the case main body 43. The front of the transmission unit storage section 43b is covered by the cover section 44.

[0024] The cover portion 44 is formed with a rib 44b that projects from the rear surface of the cover-side guide surface portion 44a toward the transmission portion storage portion 43b and reinforces the cover portion 44.

[0025] A gap Sp, which is a gap with a predetermined interval, is formed between the case main body 43 and the cover 44. The gap Sp is formed with approximately the same width along the longitudinal direction of the case.

[0026] The wiping mechanism 50 has a drive unit 60 and a wiping unit 70 that is driven by the drive unit 60 to be movable along the guide surface unit 45 and that can wipe away dust adhering to the guide surface unit 45 .

[0027] See Fig. 6. The drive unit 60 has a motor 61 that is provided at the right end of the case 40 and is activated when energized, and a drive force transmission unit 62 that is connected to the motor 61 and transmits the drive force of the motor 61 to the wiping unit 70. The motor 61 may also be provided at the left end.

[0028] The driving force transmission unit 62 is housed in the transmission unit housing 43b. The driving force transmission unit 62 has a gear unit 62a made up of multiple gears and capable of transmitting the driving force of the motor 61, a driving pulley 62b that is integral with the gear unit 62a and rotates together with the rotation of the gear unit 62a, and a support transmission unit 62c that is displaced by the rotation of the drive pulley 62b and supports the wiping unit 70.

[0029] The driving force transmission unit 62 also has a driven pulley provided at the end of the case main body 43 opposite to the end where the driving pulley 62b is provided.

[0030] A toothed rope (synchro mesh rope) can be used for the support transmission part 62c. The support transmission part 62c is looped around a drive pulley 62b and a driven pulley provided at both left and right ends of the case main body 43. Both ends of the rope-like support transmission part 62c are connected to the wiping part 70, forming a loop.

[0031] 4, wiping unit 70 includes a driven unit 71 connected to support transmission unit 62c and driven to move left and right when drive unit 60 is activated, a first guide roller 72 rotatably supported by driven unit 71 and capable of contacting transmission unit housing unit 43b at its upper surface, a second guide roller 73 rotatably supported by driven unit 71 and capable of contacting rib 44b at its side, a wiping main body 74 formed integrally with the tip of driven unit 71 and shaped to conform to guide surface 45, a sheet 75 provided on wiping main body 74 and in contact with guide surface 45, and a brush unit 76 extending from wiping main body 74 toward fan 33 and capable of contacting fan 33 at its tip.

[0032] Both ends of the wire-shaped support transmission part 62c are connected to the driven part 71. This connects the wiping part 70 and the drive part 60. The tip of the driven part 71 passes through the gap part Sp and faces the air passage AP.

[0033] The wiping unit 70 and the drive unit 60 may be connected by a magnet with the guide surface unit 45 sandwiched therebetween.

[0034] The lower surface of the first guide roller 72 may abut against the transmission unit housing portion 43b. The right side surface of the second guide roller 73 may abut against the transmission unit housing portion 43b. If the rib 44b is formed in a position where it can abut against the second guide roller 73, the rib 44b, which reinforces the cover portion 44, can guide the second guide roller 73.

[0035] The sheet 75 can be made of nonwoven fabric, sponge, etc. The sheet 75 is provided to the wiping main body 74 so as to be detachable.

[0036] The brush part 76 is provided so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction relative to the wiping main body part 74 .

[0037] Next, cleaning of the guide surface portion 45 and the fan 33 by the wiping mechanism 50 will be described.

[0038] See Figure 6. For example, the air conditioner 10 starts cleaning after receiving an operation stop signal or a cleaning instruction signal from an operator. First, when the motor 61 operates, the gear portion 62a and the drive pulley 62b rotate. When the drive pulley 62b rotates, the wiping portion 70 provided on the support transmission portion 62c moves left and right.

[0039] 4 and 5, a sheet 75 is in contact with the guide surface 45, and a brush portion 76 is in contact with the fan 33. In this state, the wiping portion 70 moves along the gap Sp, whereby dust adhering to the guide surface 45 is wiped away by the sheet 75, and dust adhering to the fan 33 is also wiped away by the brush portion 76. At this time, by keeping the fan 33 rotating, all of the blades can be cleaned.

[0040] By providing both the sheet 75 and the brush portion 76 on the wiping main body 74, the sheet 75 and the brush portion 76 are arranged in close proximity to each other. Therefore, the brush portion 76 drops dust from the fan 33 onto the guide surface portion 45, and the sheet 75 can then wipe it away.

[0041] Since the left and right louvers 37 (see Figure 3) are installed downstream of the wiping mechanism 50 in the air flow, it is difficult to reach into the air passage AP between the fan 33 and the guide surface portion 45 to clean it. Therefore, by providing a wiping mechanism 50 that can move along the guide surface portion 45, dust adhering to the guide surface portion 45 can be easily removed.

[0042] Next, the features of the air conditioner 10 (wiping mechanism 50) will be described.

[0043] Referring to Figure 2, air conditioner 10 has a case 40 that is provided with air intake 41 that can take in air from outside and air outlet 42 that can blow the taken-in air to the outside, and fan 33 that is rotatably supported by case 40 and blows air by rotating.

[0044] See Fig. 5. Furthermore, case 40 is provided with guide surface 45 that guides the air blown by fan 33 toward air outlet 42 (see Fig. 2) along the direction in which axis C of fan 33 extends. Also, case 40 is provided with wiping mechanism 50 that can wipe away dust adhering to guide surface 45.

[0045] The wiping mechanism 50 has a wiping main body 74 that can move along the guide surface 45, a sheet 75 that is detachably attached to the wiping main body 74 and can wipe away dust adhering to the guide surface 45, and a brush part 76 that extends from the wiping main body 74 to the fan 33 and can clean the fan 33.

[0046] It is difficult to reach into the air passage AP between the fan 33 and the guide surface portion 45, making it difficult to clean, and dust tends to accumulate therein. By providing a wiping mechanism 50 that can move along the guide surface portion 45, it is possible to wipe away dust adhering to the guide surface portion 45, and it is possible to provide an air conditioner in which the guide surface portion 45 can be cleaned.

[0047] In particular, in the air conditioner 10 having the louvers 36, 37 (see FIG. 2), it is difficult to reach the front lower part of the air passage AP because the louvers 36, 37 are located there. The wiping mechanism 50 is particularly preferable for the air conditioner 10 having the louvers 36, 37.

[0048] Furthermore, in addition to the sheet 75, the wiping main body 74 is provided with a brush portion 76 for cleaning the fan 33. By providing both the sheet 75 and the brush portion 76 on the wiping main body 74, the sheet 75 and the brush portion 76 are disposed in close proximity to each other. Therefore, the brush portion 76 drops dust from the fan 33 onto the guide surface portion 45, and the sheet 75 can then wipe it away.

[0049] 5 and 6 . The wiping mechanism 50 further includes a drive unit 60 for driving the wiping main body 74. The drive unit 60 includes a motor 61 that operates when energized and a drive force transmission unit 62 that is connected to the motor 61 and transmits the drive force of the motor 61 to the wiping main body 74. The drive force transmission unit 62 (support transmission unit 62c) extends substantially parallel to the axis C of the fan 33. Typically, the air conditioner 10 is long in the direction along the axis C of the fan 33 (left-right direction). By extending the drive force transmission unit 62 substantially parallel to the axis C, cleaning can be performed while moving the wiping unit 70 in the longitudinal direction. To move the wiping unit 70 in the width direction (up-down direction), the wiping unit 70 needs to be provided along the longitudinal direction. This allows the wiping unit 70 to be more compact than when the wiping unit 70 moves in the width direction.

[0050] Furthermore, since the wiping main body 74 is provided with the sheet 75 and the brush portion 76, cleaning can be performed by moving the single wiping main body 74. Since there is only one wiping main body 74, only one drive unit 60 is required. There is no need to provide separate drive units for driving the sheet 75 and the brush portion 76. This simplifies the configuration of the air conditioner 10 and reduces component costs.

[0051] Please refer to Fig. 7. Below, we will explain one configuration example of the control unit 300 (107, 207) of the air conditioner 10. The control unit 300 is made up of, for example, two control units (a first control unit and a second control unit), which in Fig. 7 are the control unit 107 (indoor control unit) and the outdoor control unit 207.

[0052] The indoor unit 30 in FIG. 7 (or FIG. 1) may include an input unit 301, which may be, for example, a remote control input unit (remote controller input unit) that is an infrared receiving module, but is not limited to this. When the input unit 301 is a remote control input unit, an operator can select, for example, cooling operation or heating operation (operation mode) via a remote control (not shown). In response, the control unit 107 can set cooling operation or heating operation as the operation mode via the input unit 301 or the remote control input unit. Specifically, when the operator presses, for example, a cooling button (not shown) on the remote control, a signal indicating the selection of cooling operation is transmitted from the remote control, the remote control input unit receives the signal, and the control unit 107 recognizes or determines the selection of cooling operation and sets the control unit 107 to cooling operation.

[0053] The control unit 107 is, for example, a microcomputer (microcomputer) configured with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., but is not limited to this. When the control unit 107 is a microcomputer, the ROM can store a program that causes the CPU to execute a predetermined operation, and the RAM can form a work area for the CPU. Furthermore, the ROM can store operations set in the control unit 107 and data necessary to execute those operations.

[0054] The ROM also stores data indicating whether the previous operation was the first cooling operation (or dehumidifying operation) or the second heating operation. The ROM also stores an internal drying operation execution flag indicating whether the internal drying operation described below has been performed and whether the internal drying has been completed.

[0055] When the control unit 107 is a microcomputer, the control unit 107 has an internal storage unit (not shown), but the air conditioner 10 (indoor unit 30, outdoor unit 20) may have a storage unit (indoor storage unit, outdoor storage unit) external to the control unit 300 (control unit 107, outdoor control unit 207) such as the control unit 107 or the outdoor control unit 207. In other words, the control unit 300 (control unit 107, outdoor control unit 207) can store various data (including setting data) inside or outside the control unit 300 (control unit 107, outdoor control unit 207).

[0056] When the control unit 107 is set to cooling operation, the control unit 107 can instruct the outdoor unit 20 (outdoor control unit 207 via the wiring 109 or signal line) to start cooling operation. Next, when the operator presses, for example, a heating button (not shown) on the remote control, the control unit 107 is set to heating operation, and the control unit 107 can instruct the outdoor unit 20 (outdoor control unit 207) to start heating operation. Alternatively, when the operator presses, for example, a stop button (not shown) on the remote control, the control unit 107 is set to stop the currently implemented operation mode (for example, cooling operation or heating operation), and the control unit 107 can instruct the outdoor unit 20 (outdoor control unit 207) to stop cooling operation or heating operation.

[0057] The remote control may have, for example, a temperature setting button (not shown), the indoor unit 30 may have, for example, a detection unit (temperature sensor) that detects the room temperature, and the set temperature from the operator may be set in the control unit 107. In this case, the control unit 107 may adjust the rotation speed (cooling rotation speed, heating rotation speed, etc.) of the fan 33 according to, for example, the room temperature. Preferably, the set temperature is set in the control unit 107, and the control unit 107 can adjust the rotation speed (cooling rotation speed, heating rotation speed, etc.) of the fan 33 according to, for example, the difference between the room temperature and the set temperature.

[0058] Preferably, the remote controller has, for example, an automatic cleaning setting button (not shown), and an operation by the operator (turning automatic cleaning ON or OFF) is set in the control unit 107. When automatic cleaning is ON, for example, when cooling operation or heating operation is stopped, the indoor unit 30 can prepare for or start removing dust adhering to at least the guide surface portion 45 (the air passage AP between the fan 33 and the guide surface portion 45). In other words, the indoor unit 30 may simply be provided with a wiping mechanism 50 having a sheet 75 capable of wiping off dust adhering to the guide surface portion 45, instead of having a brush portion 76 capable of cleaning the fan 33.

[0059] Preferably, the cleaning mechanism (first cleaning mechanism) is a brush unit 76, and when automatic cleaning (startup mode of the wiping mechanism 50) is ON (automatic), for example, when cooling operation or heating operation is stopped, the indoor unit 30 not only removes dust adhering to the guide surface unit 45, but also prepares or starts removing dust adhering to the fan 33.

[0060] Preferably, the air conditioner 10 can perform an internal drying operation to dry the inside of the indoor unit 30. When the internal drying operation is set in the control unit 107, the control unit 107 can instruct the outdoor unit 20 to perform the internal drying operation. The internal drying operation preferably alternates between a weak heating operation (heating operation for the internal drying operation) and a fan operation (fan operation for the internal drying operation), and for example, the fan operation is performed for three minutes, followed by a weak heating operation for three minutes. The fan operation and the weak heating operation are each performed a total of 10 times, and the internal drying operation is performed for a total of 60 minutes.

[0061] 8, 9, and 10 are referenced. The control of the control unit 300 (107, 207) of the air conditioner 10 will be described below when the indoor unit 30 is equipped with a wiping mechanism 50 having a sheet 75 and a brush portion 76 as a cleaning mechanism (first cleaning mechanism), and the control unit 107 is set to ON (on) by an operator's operation, in other words, when the air duct AP (fan 33 and guide surface portion 45) is set to be automatically cleaned after cooling operation, dehumidifying operation, or heating operation is stopped.

[0062] When cleaning of the air passage AP between the fan 33 and the guide surface portion 45 is set to automatic, for example, an operation stop signal generated by the remote controller when the operator presses, for example, a stop button on the remote controller is input to or received by the input unit 301. When the cooling operation set in the control unit 107 is stopped, the control unit 107 is set to internal drying.

[0063] As an example, the control unit 107 may determine whether or not the cooling operation (or dehumidifying operation) has been performed for a predetermined period of time, and after the cooling operation (or dehumidifying operation) has been performed for, for example, 10 minutes or more, the control unit 107 performs a first cleaning operation by alternately switching between the fan operation and the weak heating operation, for example, every 3 minutes, and performs an internal drying operation for, for example, a total of 60 minutes.

[0064] Because cooling operation (or dehumidifying operation) can cause condensation to form in the indoor unit 30, the internal drying operation dries the fan 33, the air duct AP, etc., and can also warm the brush part 76. On the other hand, when heating operation is being performed, condensation does not form in the indoor unit 30, so when the heating operation set in the control unit 107 is stopped, the control unit 107 does not set internal drying as the second cleaning operation.

[0065] When the internal drying operation is set in the control unit 107, the control unit 107 rotates the fan 33 at a set rotation speed (predetermined rotation speed) while instructing the outdoor unit 20 (outdoor control unit 207) to stop (OFF) the compressor 22 as an air blowing operation, and after, for example, three minutes, instructs the outdoor unit 20 (outdoor control unit 207) to start (ON: preferably, ON at the minimum rotation speed or minimum frequency of the compressor) the compressor as a weak heating operation (which has a heating capacity lower than that of normal heating operation, preferably the lowest heating capacity). After, for example, a total of 60 minutes of internal drying operation (for example, the last 10th weak heating operation) has been performed, the compressor 22 is stopped (OFF), the rotation speed of the fan 33 is controlled to zero, and the control unit 107 ends the internal drying operation.

[0066] At this time, when the internal drying operation is completed, the internal drying operation is performed, and an internal drying operation execution flag is stored, assuming that the inside of the indoor unit 30 has been sufficiently dried.

[0067] The weak heating operation may be any heating operation that dries the inside of the indoor unit 30. Here, the weak heating operation is not limited to an operation that blows warm air into the room like the normal heating operation. Specifically, during the weak heating operation, the control unit 107 may close the air outlet 42 by operating the louvers (upper and lower louvers 36) that can open and close the air outlet 42. In other words, the weak heating operation may be a heating operation that does not blow air into the room. Furthermore, the heating operation in the internal drying operation (heating operation that dries the inside of the indoor unit 30) is not limited to the weak heating operation, and may be the same as the normal heating operation.

[0068] After the internal drying operation is completed or the heating operation is stopped, in order to remove dust adhering to the fan 33 and the air duct AP, the control unit 107 starts moving the wiping unit 70 to the left using the drive unit 60 (motor 61) and drives the fan 33 at an ultra-low rotation speed (e.g., 50 rpm) (starts air duct cleaning).

[0069] When air passage cleaning starts, wiping unit 70 moves from the right end to the left end of fan 33, and then when brush unit 76 reaches the left end of fan 33, more specifically, when motor 61, which is, for example, a stepping motor, is rotated, for example, counterclockwise by 5,000 pulses, control unit 107 rotates motor 61 in the reverse direction, for example, clockwise by 5,000 pulses, to move wiping unit 70 to the right using drive unit 60 (motor 61). When wiping unit 70 returns to its original position, control unit 107 terminates (turns off) the driving of wiping unit 70 and also terminates (turns off) the driving of fan 33 (ending air passage cleaning).

[0070] Before the start of air passage cleaning, the inside of the indoor unit 30 that has formed condensation during the cooling operation before the internal drying operation can be dried by the weak heating operation of the internal drying operation.

[0071] <Example 2> Next, a second embodiment will be described. The air conditioner 10 (indoor unit 30) generally has a filter (not shown) inside an air intake 41 that can take in air from the outside, for example, on the front side of the heat exchanger 34, and the indoor unit 30 according to the second embodiment has an automatic cleaning mechanism (second cleaning mechanism) for the filter (air filter) in addition to the parts common to the first embodiment. The automatic filter cleaning mechanism is a well-known configuration (for example, JP 2018-84338 A, etc.), so a detailed description thereof will be omitted in this specification. The reference numerals for parts common to the first embodiment will be used, and a detailed description thereof will also be omitted.

[0072] Please refer to Figures 11, 12, 13, and 14. In the case where the indoor unit 30 is equipped with a wiping mechanism 50 having a sheet 75 and a brush unit 76 as cleaning mechanisms (first cleaning mechanism and second cleaning mechanism), and the automatic cleaning mechanism for the filter is set to OFF (turned off) by an operator in the control unit 107, the following mainly describes the parts of the control by the control unit 300 (107, 207) of the air conditioner 10 that are different from the first embodiment.

[0073] Specifically, when the operator presses, for example, a manual cleaning button (not shown) on the remote control, in other words, when cleaning of the fan 33 is manually instructed, a signal indicating the selection of filter cleaning is sent from the remote control, the remote control input unit receives the signal, and the control unit 107 recognizes or determines that the filter cleaning has been selected, and filter cleaning (an instruction to perform filter cleaning before performing air duct cleaning: specifically, an instruction to start (ON) the automatic filter cleaning mechanism (second cleaning mechanism) before starting (ON) the cleaning mechanism for the air duct AP (first cleaning mechanism)) is set in the control unit 107.

[0074] The control unit 107 activates (ON) the automatic filter cleaning mechanism (second cleaning mechanism). As an example, as disclosed in the abstract of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-84338, the automatic cleaning mechanism (second cleaning mechanism) is configured to send the filter to a first space (between the rear plate and the filter guide plate) to remove dust adhering to the filter, and the second space (between the filter guide plate and the rear plate) can be configured with a dust chute that drops and collects the dust removed by the automatic cleaning mechanism. The automatic cleaning mechanism (second cleaning mechanism) can have, for example, a filter drive unit (not shown), a filter cleaning brush (not shown), etc. to automatically clean the filter. The control unit 107 completes the filter cleaning in, for example, seven minutes.

[0075] As shown in Figure 12, if the previous operating state stored in the memory before filter cleaning is set in the control unit 107 is the first operation cooling and there is no internal drying operation execution flag in the memory unit, the control unit 107 will perform the internal drying operation for a total of, for example, 60 minutes to perform the first cleaning operation.

[0076] Also, as shown in Figure 13, if the previous operating state stored before filter cleaning is set in the control unit 107 is the first operation cooling and the internal drying operation execution flag is present in the memory unit, the control unit 107 will not perform the first cleaning operation but will perform the second cleaning operation, and therefore will not perform the internal drying operation.

[0077] Also, as shown in Figure 14, if the previous operating state stored before filter cleaning is set in the control unit 107 is heating, which is the second operation, the control unit 107 will not perform internal drying operation because it is the second cleaning operation.

[0078] In this way, if the previous operating state was stored as cooling operation, each operation is performed in the order of filter cleaning (approximately 7 minutes), internal drying operation (approximately 60 minutes), and air duct cleaning (approximately 5 minutes), so it takes a long time from the start to completion of cleaning operation, but even if the previous operating state was stored as cooling operation, if the internal drying operation flag is present, it is determined that internal drying operation has been performed, and control unit 107 performs cleaning operation without performing internal drying operation. In other words, the operation is completed with filter cleaning (7 minutes) and air duct cleaning (5 minutes), so the operating time can be significantly reduced.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 11 (if the previous operation state is cooling, filter cleaning → internal drying → air duct cleaning is performed; if the previous operation state is cooling but there is an internal drying operation execution flag indicating that the internal drying operation has been completed, filter cleaning → air duct cleaning is performed; if the previous operation state is heating, filter cleaning → air duct cleaning is performed), after the internal drying operation is completed if the previous operation state is cooling, or after filter cleaning is stopped if the previous operation state is heating, the control unit 107 starts air duct cleaning (after cleaning the filter) to remove dust that has adhered to the fan 33 and the air duct AP. If the previous operation state is cooling, cleaning is performed first on the filter at the top of the indoor unit 30, and then cleaning the fan 33 and the air duct AP at the bottom of the indoor unit 30. By cleaning in this order (filter cleaning followed by air duct cleaning), dust that has moved from the filter of the indoor unit 30 toward the fan 33 and the air duct AP can be efficiently removed. That is, by cleaning the filter first, dust that has fallen from the filter into the air passage AP can be removed by cleaning the air passage, so this order of cleaning is an efficient cleaning order.

[0080] The present invention is not limited to the examples, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, although an air conditioner having both a cooling function and a heating function has been described as an example, the present invention is also applicable to an air conditioner having only a cooling function. Furthermore, the present invention is applicable not only to air conditioners consisting of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, but also to air conditioners in which these are integrated.

[0081] In addition, in the embodiment, an internal drying operation execution flag is stored at the end of the internal drying operation, but the internal drying operation flag may also be stored if it is determined that the inside of the indoor unit has been sufficiently dried, or if the internal drying operation continues for a predetermined time.

[0082] Furthermore, even if the internal drying operation execution flag is set, if the cooling operation is performed for a predetermined cumulative time, the inside of the indoor unit 30 will become cold, condensation will form, and the inside will become damp, so the internal drying operation flag is reset.

[0083] In addition, in the embodiment, if the previous operating state was heating operation, or if the previous operating state was cooling operation and the internal drying operation execution flag was set, the process transitioned from filter cleaning to air duct cleaning, but heating operation for about 10 minutes may be performed between filter cleaning and air duct cleaning to warm and soften the brush part 76. [Industrial Applicability]

[0084] The present invention is suitable for use in home air conditioners. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 10...Air conditioner 34…Indoor heat exchanger 40…case 41...Air intake 42...Air outlet 45...Guide surface 50...wiping mechanism 70...wiping section 74...wiping body 75…seats 107, 207, 300...Control section AP...Air duct

Claims

[Claim 1] a case having an intake port capable of taking in air from the outside and an outlet port capable of blowing the taken-in air to the outside; an indoor unit that forms an air passage by communicating the air inlet and the air outlet, and that has an air filter, an indoor heat exchanger, and an indoor fan arranged in the air passage, a wiping mechanism that cleans the air passage, and an indoor control unit that controls the air conditioner, including a cleaning operation that drives the wiping mechanism; The indoor control unit is provided with a memory unit that stores whether the immediately preceding operation was the first operation of the cooling operation or dehumidifying operation, or the second operation of the heating operation, When a cleaning operation for cleaning the air duct is manually instructed and operated, if the immediately preceding operation stored in the storage unit is the first operation, an internal drying operation for drying the inside of the indoor unit is performed, and a first cleaning operation for cleaning the air duct with the wiping mechanism is performed. an air conditioning apparatus that, when the immediately preceding operation stored in the storage unit is the second operation, omits the internal drying operation and performs control of a second cleaning operation in which the wiping mechanism cleans the air passage, The storage unit stores an internal drying operation execution flag when the internal drying operation has been performed for a predetermined time, and resets the stored internal drying operation execution flag when an accumulated time since the first operation started exceeds a predetermined accumulated time, When the cleaning operation is manually instructed, the indoor control unit, if the immediately preceding operation is stored as the first operation and the internal drying operation execution flag is stored, does not perform the first cleaning operation but performs the second cleaning operation, even if the immediately preceding operation is the first operation.

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