Air conditioning system and method

Abstract

To provide an air conditioning system and method for appropriately detecting and cleaning the amount of dust during air conditioning operation. [Solution] An air conditioning system 10 comprising an indoor unit 20, an outdoor unit 30, and an operating mode control unit 410 that controls at least one operation of the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 30, wherein the indoor unit 20 includes a temperature measuring unit 430 for measuring the temperature of the indoor space and a dust detection unit 420 for detecting the amount of dust, and the operating mode control unit 410 performs a clean operation based on the dust detected by the dust detection unit 420 from the start of operation until a time has elapsed that is longer than the time it takes for the temperature measured by the temperature measuring unit 430 to reach the target temperature.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a method for detecting dust and performing cleaning.

Background Art

[0002] With the increasing added value of air conditioners such as air conditioners, models with various functions have been developed. For example, an air conditioner equipped with a dust sensor and having a function of cleaning the inside of the indoor unit and the air in the indoor space is sold.

[0003] Regarding this point, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-283534 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for calculating the average value of the output voltage from a dust sensor with respect to time and controlling the air volume based on the calculated value. According to Patent Document 1, an appropriate cleaning operation according to the amount of dust can be performed.

[0004] However, Patent Document 1 does not assume the detection of dust during the air conditioning operation, and cannot detect dust excluding the influence of the operation of the fan during the air conditioning operation. Therefore, there has been a demand for further technology for appropriately detecting and cleaning the amount of dust.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the problems in the above prior art, and an object thereof is to provide an air conditioner and a method for appropriately detecting the amount of dust during the air conditioning operation and performing cleaning.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In other words, according to the present invention, An air conditioning system comprising an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, and control means for controlling the operation of at least one of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, The aforementioned indoor unit is A measuring means for measuring the temperature of an indoor space, A detection means for detecting the amount of dust and Includes, The control means is The detection means performs a clean operation based on the dust detected from the start of operation until a time has elapsed that is longer than the time it takes for the temperature measured by the measuring means to reach the target temperature. An air conditioning system will be provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, an air conditioning system and method can be provided that appropriately detects the amount of dust during air conditioning operation and cleans it. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A diagram illustrating the configuration of the refrigeration cycle in the air conditioning system of this embodiment. [Figure 2] A cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the indoor unit in this embodiment. [Figure 3] A diagram showing the hardware configuration included in the control board of this embodiment. [Figure 4] A software block diagram included in the air conditioning system of this embodiment. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the processes performed by the air conditioning system of this embodiment. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating the statistical values ​​of the amount of dust calculated in this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described later. In the figures referenced below, the same reference numerals will be used for common elements, and their descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0011] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the refrigeration cycle in the air conditioning system 10 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the refrigeration cycle in the air conditioning system 10 consists of an indoor unit 20 and an outdoor unit 30, which are connected via refrigerant piping 40. The indoor unit 20 is installed in the indoor space where air conditioning is performed, and the outdoor unit 30 is installed outside the said indoor space.

[0012] The indoor unit 20 comprises an indoor heat exchanger 21, an indoor fan 22, a control board 23, a dust sensor 24, and a temperature sensor 25. The outdoor unit 30 comprises a compressor 31, a four-way valve 32, an outdoor heat exchanger 33, an expansion valve 34, and an outdoor fan 35. Here, the arrows in Figure 1 indicate the direction of refrigerant flow during cooling operation, and in the following explanation of the refrigeration cycle, unless otherwise specified, the operation during cooling operation will be used as an example for convenience. Note that during heating operation, the direction of refrigerant flow is reversed from the direction of the arrows in Figure 1.

[0013] The indoor unit 20 uses an indoor fan 22 to exchange heat between the air in the indoor space and the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 21, and then discharges the air back into the room to conditioned the indoor space. During cooling operation, the indoor heat exchanger 21 acts as an evaporator, exchanging heat between the low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant and the air blown in by the indoor fan 22. The indoor unit 20 can lower the temperature of the indoor space by discharging the heat-exchanged air. The refrigerant that flows out of the indoor heat exchanger 21 is a low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous refrigerant and flows to the outdoor unit 30 via the refrigerant piping 40.

[0014] The control board 23 is configured by mounting various electronic components and controls the operation of the air conditioner 10. The control board 23 controls, for example, the operation of the indoor unit 20 constituting the air conditioner 10 and also controls the operation of the outdoor unit 30 based on signals received from an operating device such as a remote control. As a result, the air conditioner 10 can execute predetermined operating operations such as cooling operation, dehumidifying operation, heating operation, cleaning operation, etc. The detailed configuration of the control board 23 will be described later.

[0015] The dust sensor 24 is a sensor that detects the amount of dust and constitutes the detection means in the present embodiment. The dust sensor 24 of the present embodiment can detect and output dust such as dust and particulate matter contained in the air. The dust sensor 24 of the present embodiment can be, for example, a sensor of the light scattering method. In a housing provided with a heater, an air current is generated by the Joule heat of the heater, light is irradiated onto the air current, and the dust contained in the air current can be detected by receiving the scattered light. The dust sensor 24 of the light scattering method is an example in the embodiment and does not particularly limit the embodiment. Therefore, a dust sensor 24 other than the light scattering method, for example, a sensor of the light transmission method or a sensor of the friction electrostatic method, etc. may also be used.

[0016] The temperature sensor 25 is a sensor that measures the temperature of the indoor space and constitutes the measurement means in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the operation of the air conditioner 10 can be controlled based on the room temperature measured by the temperature sensor 25.

[0017] Next, the outdoor unit 30 will be described. The compressor 31 compresses the low-temperature and low-pressure gas refrigerant flowing in from the outdoor unit side by driving a motor and discharges it as a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant. The gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 passes through the four-way valve 32 and flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 33. The outdoor heat exchanger 33 performs heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the inside and the outside air sent in from the outdoor fan 35. The outdoor heat exchanger 33 during cooling operation operates as a condenser and discharges the refrigerant as a high-temperature liquid by heat exchange. The outdoor heat exchanger 33 operates as an evaporator during heating operation.

[0018] The refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger 33 expands in volume by the expansion valve 34 and is depressurized, resulting in a temperature drop. Then, the refrigerant flows into the indoor unit 20 and performs a cooling operation to lower the temperature of the indoor space as described above.

[0019] The four-way valve 32 is a valve that switches the refrigerant flow path according to the operation mode of the air conditioner 10. That is, during the cooling operation, the connection is as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, and during the heating operation, the connection is as shown by the broken line. Thus, either the indoor heat exchanger 21 or the outdoor heat exchanger 33 can operate as a condenser and the other as an evaporator, enabling appropriate air conditioning operation.

[0020] Next, the configuration of the indoor unit 20 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the indoor unit 20 of the present embodiment. Note that FIG. 2 shows only some of the components included in the indoor unit 20, and it should be noted that the illustration of other components is omitted as appropriate.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the indoor unit 20 of the present embodiment includes, in addition to the indoor heat exchanger 21, indoor fan 22, and dust sensor 24 shown in FIG. 1, an up-down air direction plate 26 and a filter 27.

[0022] The indoor fan 22 rotates during the operation of the air conditioner 10, takes in indoor air, and exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 21. The heat-exchanged air is discharged into the indoor space, enabling air conditioning. The direction of the discharged air can be adjusted by the up-down air direction plate 26. Note that the up-down air direction plate 26 can adjust the opening degree, and for example, it may be fully closed while the air conditioner 10 is not performing air conditioning operation.

[0023] The air drawn in by the operation of the indoor fan 22 has dust and other particles removed by passing through the filter 27. Therefore, clogging of the fins of the indoor heat exchanger 21 can be prevented, and the efficiency of heat exchange between air and refrigerant can be prevented from decreasing.

[0024] Furthermore, a portion of the airflow generated by the operation of the indoor fan 22 flows into the dust sensor 24. Therefore, while the indoor fan 22 is operating, the dust sensor 24 can detect the amount of dust in the indoor air, that is, the degree of air pollution in the indoor space. In this case, by keeping the upper and lower air deflectors 26 open, the indoor air can be efficiently drawn into the dust sensor 24, allowing for a more accurate detection of the amount of dust in the indoor air.

[0025] Furthermore, when the indoor fan 22 is not operating, the air drawn into the dust sensor 24 is predominantly from the air inside the indoor unit 20. Therefore, while the indoor fan 22 is not operating, the dust sensor 24 can detect the amount of dust inside the indoor unit 20, that is, the degree of dirtiness of the indoor unit 20. In this case, by closing the upper and lower air deflectors 26, the inflow of air from the indoor space can be blocked, allowing for a more accurate detection of the amount of dust inside the indoor unit 20.

[0026] Next, the hardware configuration of the control board 23 will be described. Figure 3 shows the hardware configuration included in the control board 23 of this embodiment. The control board 23 of this embodiment is composed of a CPU 231, a RAM 232, a ROM 233, a sensor I / F 234, and a refrigeration cycle I / F 235, and each piece of hardware is connected via a bus.

[0027] The CPU 231 is a device that executes a program to control the operation of the air conditioning system 10 and performs predetermined processing. The RAM 232 is a volatile memory device that provides the execution space for the program executed by the CPU 231 and is used for storing and retrieving programs and data. The ROM 233 is a non-volatile memory device that stores programs and firmware executed by the CPU 231.

[0028] The sensor I / F234 is an interface for connecting to sensors that detect various information related to the operation of the air conditioning system 10. In addition to the dust sensor 24 and temperature sensor 25 shown in Figure 1, the sensor I / F234 may also include, for example, a refrigerant temperature sensor, a refrigerant pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, a human presence sensor, and sensors that detect the fan speed and the operating frequency of the compressor 31, but the embodiment is not particularly limited.

[0029] The refrigeration cycle interface 235 is an interface for controlling the operation of various components that make up the refrigeration cycle shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the refrigeration cycle interface 235 of this embodiment can be connected to, for example, an indoor fan 22, a compressor 31, a four-way valve 32, an expansion valve 34, an outdoor fan 35, and so on.

[0030] The hardware configuration included in the air conditioning system 10 of this embodiment has been described above. Next, the functional means executed by each piece of hardware in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a software block diagram included in the air conditioning system 10 of this embodiment.

[0031] As shown in Figure 4, the air conditioning system 10 of this embodiment is configured to include the following functional means: an operating mode control unit 410, a dust detection unit 420, a temperature measurement unit 430, and a dust amount determination unit 440. The details of each functional means are described below.

[0032] The operation mode control unit 410 is a means for controlling the operation mode of the air conditioning system 10. The operation mode control unit 410 constitutes the control means in this embodiment. The operation mode control unit 410 in this embodiment can perform various operations, such as air conditioning operations such as heating, cooling, and dehumidification, as well as air purification operations for the indoor space, cleaning operations for the inside of the indoor unit 20, and various other cleaning operations. Here, cleaning operations in this embodiment include, for example, operations to purify the air in the indoor space, operations to clean the inside of the indoor unit 20, operations to react ions generated by the ion generator with the air, operations to disinfect various parts, operations to remove mold and dust, operations to clean the filter 27, and operations to wash the indoor heat exchanger 21 with condensation water. However, the embodiment is not particularly limited, and any operation can be performed to maintain a clean environment by any method. The operation mode control unit 410 can control the operation of the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 30 in order to execute various operation modes.

[0033] The dust detection unit 420 controls the operation of the dust sensor 24 and is a means for detecting dust. Together with the dust sensor 24, the dust detection unit 420 constitutes the detection means in this embodiment. The dust detection unit 420 in this embodiment can detect dust inside the indoor unit 20 and dust in the air of the indoor space.

[0034] The temperature measuring unit 430 is a means for measuring various temperatures by controlling the operation of the temperature sensor 25. Together with the temperature sensor 25, the temperature measuring unit 430 constitutes the measuring means in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the temperature measuring unit 430 can measure, for example, the temperature (room temperature) of the indoor space in which the indoor unit 20 is installed.

[0035] The dust amount determination unit 440 is a means for determining the amount of dust detected by the dust detection unit 420. The dust amount determination unit 440 constitutes the determination means in this embodiment. The dust amount determination unit 440 in this embodiment can, for example, compare the detected amount of dust with a predetermined threshold, and determine the degree of air pollution in the indoor unit 20 and the indoor space. Furthermore, the dust amount determination unit 440 in this embodiment can calculate the amount of dust as a statistical value such as an average value or a total value over a predetermined time and make a determination.

[0036] The software blocks described above correspond to functional means realized by the CPU 231 executing the program of this embodiment, thereby enabling each piece of hardware to function. Furthermore, the functional means shown in each embodiment may be entirely implemented in software, or some or all of them may be implemented as hardware providing equivalent functionality.

[0037] Next, the processes performed by each of the functional means described above will be explained with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processes performed by the air conditioning system 10 of this embodiment. The air conditioning system 10 of this embodiment starts processing from step S1000.

[0038] In step S1001, the operation mode control unit 410 starts the air conditioning operation. The air conditioning operation in step S1001 can be, for example, heating operation, cooling operation, etc. With the start of the air conditioning operation, the indoor fan 22, compressor 31, outdoor fan 35, etc. that constitute the refrigeration cycle start to operate. The temperature measuring unit 430 also controls the operation of the temperature sensor 25 to measure the room temperature. In this embodiment, the operation mode control unit 410 can control the operation of each device that constitutes the refrigeration cycle based on the temperature measured by the temperature measuring unit 430.

[0039] Subsequently, in step S1002, the dust detection unit 420 begins detecting dust. Dust detection is performed continuously from step S1002 onward.

[0040] Next, in step S1003, the process branches depending on whether the room temperature measured by the temperature measuring unit 430 has reached the target temperature for air conditioning operation. If the target temperature has not been reached (NO), the process returns to step S1003 and waits for the room temperature to reach the target temperature. If the target temperature has been reached (YES), the process proceeds to step S1004.

[0041] In the following step S1004, the process branches depending on whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the target temperature was reached. If the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO), the process returns to step S1004 and waits for the predetermined time to elapse. If the predetermined time has elapsed (YES), the process proceeds to step S1005. By waiting for the predetermined time to elapse in step S1004, the effect of the increase in the amount of dust detected due to the operation of the indoor fan 22 can be reduced, and the amount of dust can be calculated accurately.

[0042] In step S1005, the dust amount determination unit 440 calculates the amount of dust. In step S1005, the dust amount determination unit 440 of this embodiment can calculate a statistical value of the amount of dust during the period from when dust detection is started (step S1002) until a predetermined time has elapsed after the target temperature is reached (step S1004 - YES). The statistical value of the amount of dust can be, for example, the average value of the amount of dust or the total amount of dust, but is not limited to any particular embodiment.

[0043] Here, the statistical values ​​for the amount of dust will be explained with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the statistical values ​​for the amount of dust calculated in this embodiment. Figure 6(a) is a graph showing the room temperature changing over time. Figure 6(b) is a graph showing the change in the rotation speed of the indoor fan 22 over time. Figure 6(c) is a graph showing the amount of dust detected.

[0044] Figure 6 shows an example where air conditioning operation is started at time t=0 (step S1001 in Figure 5), where the air conditioning operation is assumed to be heating operation. As shown in Figure 6(a), when air conditioning operation starts, the refrigeration cycle operates and the room temperature rises to approach the target temperature. At this time, the rotation speed of the indoor fan 22 becomes relatively high, as shown in Figure 6(b). That is, immediately after the start of air conditioning operation, the difference between the room temperature and the target temperature is large, so the rotation speed of the indoor fan 22 is increased to improve comfort.

[0045] Here, when the rotation speed of the indoor fan 22 is high, the amount of air passing through the dust sensor 24 increases, and as shown in Figure 6(c), the amount of dust detected also increases. Therefore, the amount of dust detected at this point does not reflect the actual amount of dust, and it may not be appropriate to decide whether or not to perform clean operation based on this amount of dust.

[0046] On the other hand, as shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), when the room temperature reaches the target temperature (step S1003·YES in Figure 5), the rotation speed of the indoor fan 22 decreases. When the rotation speed of the indoor fan 22 decreases, the amount of dust detected also decreases, as shown in Figure 6(c).

[0047] Then, as shown in Figure 6(c), dust detection is continued until a predetermined time has elapsed from the time the target temperature is reached (step S1004 in Figure 5), and statistical values ​​are calculated after the predetermined time has elapsed (step S1005 in Figure 5). Here, the statistical values ​​can be the statistical values ​​of the amount of dust detected from the start of air conditioning operation (time t=0) until a predetermined time has elapsed (e.g., average value, total value, etc.). By calculating statistical values ​​that include the detected values ​​from the time the target temperature is reached until a predetermined time has elapsed in this way, the influence of the operation of the indoor fan 22 during air conditioning operation can be reduced, and the accuracy of dust detection can be improved.

[0048] Let's return to the flowchart in Figure 5 for the explanation. After step S1005, in step S1006, the dust amount determination unit 440 determines whether the dust amount calculated in step S1005 is above a predetermined threshold, and branches the process according to the determination result. If the dust amount is not above the threshold (NO), the clean operation is not performed, and the process proceeds to step S1008 and ends. In other embodiments, the process may not end in step S1008, but return to step S1001 and repeat each of the processes described above. If the dust amount is above the threshold (YES), the process proceeds to step S1007.

[0049] In step S1007, the operation mode control unit 410 performs a clean operation. Here, the clean operation in this embodiment can be, for example, an operation to purify the air in the indoor space by operating the indoor fan 22 so that the air in the indoor space passes through the filter 27 and is discharged back into the indoor space, an operation to purify the air by generating ions with an ion generator and reacting them with the air, an operation to clean the filter 27, an operation to clean the indoor heat exchanger 21 by freezing it and then thawing it, but the embodiment is not particularly limited.

[0050] Furthermore, the operating mode control unit 410 can adjust the cleaning level for the clean operation in step S1007 according to the amount of dust calculated in step S1005. For example, if the amount of dust is large, the clean operation may be performed for a longer period of time, or the amount of ions generated by the ion generator may be increased. Conversely, if the amount of dust is small, the clean operation may be performed for a shorter period of time, or the amount of ions generated by the ion generator may be reduced. By adjusting the cleaning level according to the amount of dust in this way, the power consumed during the clean operation can be appropriately saved.

[0051] After step S1007, the process proceeds to step S1008 and terminates. In other embodiments, the process may not terminate at step S1008, but may return to step S1001 and repeat the processes described above.

[0052] By performing the process shown in Figure 5, the air conditioner 10 of this embodiment can detect dust and perform clean operation. In particular, according to the configuration of the embodiment described, the increase in the amount of dust detected due to the operation of the indoor fan 22 during air conditioning operation can be reduced, and clean operation can be performed appropriately.

[0053] According to the embodiments of the present invention described above, it is possible to provide an air conditioning device and method that can appropriately detect and clean the amount of dust during air conditioning operation.

[0054] Each of the embodiments of the present invention described above can be implemented by a device-executable program written in C, C++, C#, Java®, etc. The program of this embodiment can be stored and distributed on a device-readable recording medium such as a hard disk drive, CD-ROM, MO, DVD, flexible disk, EEPROM®, EPROM, etc., and can also be transmitted over a network in a format that can be used by other devices.

[0055] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. It is included within the scope of the present invention as long as it achieves the effects and advantages of the present invention within the range of embodiments that a person skilled in the art could deduce. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 10…Air conditioning system, 20...Indoor unit, 21...Indoor heat exchanger, 22... Indoor fan, 23... Control board, 24... Dust sensor, 25...Temperature sensor, 26...Upper and lower wind direction plates, 27... Filter, 30...Outdoor unit, 31... Compressor, 32... Four-way valve, 33...Outdoor heat exchanger, 34...Expansion valve, 35... Outdoor fan, 40... Refrigerant piping, 231...CPU, 232...RAM, 233...ROM, 234...Sensor I / F, 235...Refrigeration cycle I / F, 410...Operation mode control unit, 420... Dust detection unit, 430...Temperature measurement section, 440... Dust amount determination unit

Claims

1. An air conditioning system comprising an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, and control means for controlling the operation of at least one of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, The aforementioned indoor unit is A measuring means for measuring the temperature of an indoor space, A detection means for detecting the amount of dust and Includes, The control means is The detection means performs a clean operation based on the dust detected from the start of operation until a time has elapsed that is longer than the time it takes for the temperature measured by the measuring means to reach the target temperature. Air conditioning system.

2. The control means is Based on the statistical values ​​of the amount of dust detected by the detection means, the clean operation is performed. The air conditioning device according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned indoor unit is The system further includes determination means for determining whether the aforementioned statistical value is greater than a predetermined threshold, The control means is If the determination means determines that the statistical value is greater than the predetermined threshold, it will perform the clean operation. The air conditioning device according to claim 2.

4. The control means is The level of the clean operation is adjusted according to the amount of dust. The air conditioning device according to claim 1.

Images