Drainage system for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions.

Abstract

To provide a drainage system for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions. [Solution] The drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions comprises a housing, a drive motor, a control module, a drain impeller, and a holder. The control module has programmed control logic. The holder has a water intake and a drain pipe. The control logic provides the control module with A mode, B mode, and C mode for execution. Mode A is to rotate the drive motor in the first direction when operating normally, i.e., to maintain normal rotation of the drive motor. Mode B is to reverse the drive motor by the microcontroller when the current value detected by the current detection unit is greater than a predetermined critical value, and then switch the drive motor back to normal rotation. Mode C is to stop the rotation of the drive motor after the number of times the drive motor has reversed calculated by the control module has accumulated to a predetermined number of times.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a drainage device for air-conditioning equipment, and more particularly to a drainage device for air-conditioning equipment that automatically eliminates abnormal operating conditions.

Background Art

[0002] A well-known drainage device for air-conditioning equipment is mounted on or around the air-conditioning equipment, and abnormal operation occurs due to dust accumulating inside over a long period of operation. Specifically, since dust clogs the drainage impeller and reduces the rotational speed of the drainage impeller, the drainage efficiency decreases. Alternatively, the drainage impeller is blocked by foreign matter and cannot rotate. In contrast, in the prior art, although some detection means have been presented, a technique for automatically eliminating abnormal operating conditions by reverse rotation of the drainage impeller has not yet been presented.

[0003] In the direction control structure of the underwater motor blade presented by Patent Document 1, since the blade is a movable blade that operates facing the center of the shaft, when the underwater motor rotates counterclockwise, the blade is pushed outwards, and by producing a drag brake effect, the rotating body is rotated clockwise. Subsequently, the blade retracts and is stored in the fixed seat to accurately control the rotation direction of the underwater motor blade.

[0004] Patent Document 1 is a technique for reversing the blade, but the blade is a movable blade and is the object to be adjusted. That is, since the technique disclosed by Patent Document 1 has no relevance to eliminating abnormal operating conditions, the abnormal operating conditions cannot be eliminated. In other words, the lack of a technique for automatically eliminating abnormal operating conditions in current drainage devices for air-conditioning equipment becomes the problem to be solved by the present invention.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Taiwan Utility Model Publication No. M423752 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The main objective of this invention is to provide a drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions, that is, an air conditioning equipment drainage device that automatically reverses the drain impeller to resolve abnormal conditions when abnormal operation occurs or when the system becomes clogged and unable to operate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the aforementioned problems, the drainage system for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions comprises a housing, a drive motor, a control module, a drain impeller, and a holder. The drive motor is mounted inside the housing. The control module is located inside the housing, electrically connected to the drive motor, and has programmed control logic. The control module controls the rotation of the drive motor based on the control logic. The drain impeller is connected to the drive motor and rotates under the driving force of the drive motor. The holder fits below the housing, creating a sealed drainage chamber between it and the housing. The holder has a water intake and a drain pipe. The water intake is formed extending downward from the holder. The drain pipe is formed extending laterally from one side of the holder. The water intake and drain pipe are connected to the drainage chamber. The control module has a current detection unit and a microcontroller (MCU). The control module detects the current corresponding to the electrical energy consumed by the rotating drive motor using the current detection unit, and controls the rotation of the drive motor using the microcontroller. The control logic provides the control module with A mode, B mode, and C mode for execution. Mode A is the normal operation mode in which the drive motor rotates in the first direction, i.e., the drive motor maintains normal rotation. Mode B is the mode in which, if the current value detected by the current detection unit is greater than a predetermined critical value, the microcontroller rotates the drive motor in the opposite direction to the first direction, i.e., reverses the drive motor, and then switches the drive motor back to normal rotation after a predetermined time or number of reversals have been reached, i.e., the drive motor is reversed once. Mode C is the mode in which, after the number of times the drive motor has been reversed calculated by the control module has accumulated to a predetermined number, the microcontroller stops the rotation of the drive motor.

[0008] In summary, when an abnormal operation occurs or the impeller becomes clogged and unable to rotate, the present invention automatically reverses the drain impeller using the aforementioned technical features, thereby resolving the abnormal situation. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1]This is a front view showing a drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an exploded perspective view showing a drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is an exploded oblique view from below of a drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a plan view showing the arrangement of the blades of a drain impeller and a drain pipe in a drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the construction of a drainage system for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of a drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is another schematic diagram showing the operating state of a drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is another schematic diagram showing the operating state of a drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is another schematic diagram showing the operating state of a drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the construction of a drainage system for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes, based on the drawings, a drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions according to the present invention.

[0011] (First Embodiment) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the drainage device 10 for air-conditioning equipment that automatically eliminates abnormal operating conditions according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 11, a drive motor 21, a control module 31, a drainage impeller 41, and a holder 51.

[0012] The drive motor 21 is mounted inside the housing 11.

[0013] The control module 31 is arranged on the drive motor 21 inside the housing 11, is electrically connected to the drive motor 21, and has a written control logic 32. The control module 31 controls the rotation of the drive motor 21 based on the control logic 32.

[0014] The drainage impeller 41 is connected to the drive motor 21 and rotates by receiving the driving force of the drive motor 21. In the first embodiment, the drainage impeller 41 has a shaft portion 42 and a plurality of blades 43. The plurality of blades 43 are blades that extend along the radial direction of the shaft portion 42. The plurality of blades 43 are symmetric on both sides in the longitudinal sectional view of the shaft portion 42.

[0015] The holder 51 is fitted below the housing 11, and a closed drainage chamber 52 is formed between the holder 51 and the housing 11. The holder 51 has a water inlet 54 and a drain pipe 56. The water inlet 54 is formed to extend downward from the holder 51. The drain pipe 56 is formed to extend horizontally from one side of the holder 51. The water inlet 54 and the drain pipe 56 are connected to the drainage chamber 52. In the first embodiment, the holder 51 further has an annular wall surface 511 surrounding the drainage chamber 52. Since the drain pipe 56 extends outward along the radial direction of the annular wall surface 511, the holder 51 is symmetric on both sides facing the axis of the drain pipe 56.

[0016] Subsequently, the technical features of the first embodiment of the present invention will be clarified.

[0017] The control module 31 includes a current detection unit 34 and a microcontroller (MCU) 36. The control module 31 detects the current corresponding to the electrical energy consumed by the rotating drive motor 21 using the current detection unit 34, and controls the rotation of the drive motor 21 using the microcontroller 36. The microcontroller 36 can detect the rotational speed of the drive motor 21 and simultaneously detect whether or not the drive motor 21 is rotating. Since a technology for directly detecting the rotational speed of a motor using a chip has been made public in the field of publicly available technology, the microcontroller 36 can employ a chip capable of detecting the rotational state of the drive motor 21.

[0018] The control logic 32 provides the control module 31 with modes A, B, and C, and causes it to execute them.

[0019] Mode A, when operating normally, rotates the drive motor 21 in the first direction, that is, it maintains the normal rotation of the drive motor 21.

[0020] In mode B, if the current value detected by the current detection unit 34 is greater than a predetermined critical value, the microcontroller 36 rotates the drive motor 21 in the opposite direction to the first direction, i.e., reverses the drive motor 21, and then switches the drive motor 21 back to normal rotation when the reverse rotation reaches a predetermined time or number of times, i.e., performs one reverse rotation of the drive motor 21. The predetermined critical value is set according to the manufacturer's needs and is 0.5 A (amperes) in the first embodiment.

[0021] Mode C is the process in which the rotation of the drive motor 21 is stopped by the microcontroller 36 after the number of reverse rotations of the drive motor 21 calculated by the control module 31 has accumulated to a predetermined number. The predetermined number of times is set according to the manufacturer's needs, and in the first embodiment it is three times, but it may be one time.

[0022] The above describes the structure and control logic 32 of the first embodiment. Next, we will explain the operating state of the first embodiment.

[0023] When operating normally, the current value detected by the current detection unit 34 is below a predetermined critical value, so the control module 31 causes the drive motor 21 to maintain normal rotation based on the control logic 32, and at the same time causes the water in the drain chamber 52 to flow into the drain pipe 56 by the rotation of the drain impeller 41, and then flows out from the drain pipe 56.

[0024] When dirt gets caught on the drain impeller 41, causing the rotation speed of the drain impeller 41 to slow down or the rotation of the drain impeller 41 to stop, the current value detected by the current detection unit 34 becomes greater than a predetermined critical value, as shown in Figure 6, i.e., the load on the drive motor 21 increases. In response, the control module 31 reverses the drive motor 21 and the drain impeller 41 via the microcontroller 36 based on the instructions of the control logic 32, and then switches the drive motor 21 back to normal rotation when the reverse rotation reaches a predetermined time or number of times. In the first embodiment, an example is given where the predetermined time for reversing is set to 30 seconds and the predetermined number of reversing cycles is set to 100.

[0025] Since the multiple blades 43 of the drain impeller 41 extend symmetrically along the radial direction, the effect of flowing water in the drain chamber 52 is the same whether it is rotating in normal or reverse direction. As the drain pipe 56 extends outward along the radial direction of the annular wall surface 511 while simultaneously maintaining the symmetrical structure of the holder 51, the efficiency of water flowing out of the discharge pipe 56 remains the same whether the water in the drain chamber 52 is flowed by the normal rotation or reverse rotation of the drain impeller 41. In other words, if no abnormal conditions occur and the rotational speed in normal rotation and the rotational speed in reverse rotation are the same, the efficiency will be the same. In other words, the present invention, through the structure and combination of the drain impeller 41 and the discharge pipe 56, can equalize the efficiency of water flow and discharge from the discharge pipe 56 when the drain impeller 41 maintains normal rotation or reverses direction. Therefore, even after the drain impeller 41 reverses direction to remove foreign matter, it can achieve the same drainage efficiency as when it is rotating normally.

[0026] Normally, when the drain impeller 41 reverses direction, most of the dirt adhering to the drain impeller 41 falls off and flows out of the drain chamber 52 with the water. Therefore, the present invention, with the technical features described above, can automatically detect and resolve abnormal operating conditions.

[0027] As shown in Figure 7, the first embodiment allows for the addition of new content to the control logic 32 according to actual needs. Specifically, if the current value detected by the current detection unit 34 is still greater than a predetermined critical value while the microcontroller 36 is reversing the drive motor 21, the control logic 32 should be modified to stop the rotation of the drive motor 21 by the microcontroller 36. Therefore, if the abnormal situation cannot be resolved by reversing the rotation, that is, if the abnormal situation cannot be resolved by either normal rotation or reversing the rotation, the rotation of the drive motor 21 can be stopped. In other words, the technical details described above involve stopping the rotation of the drive motor 21 if the abnormal situation cannot be resolved by either normal rotation or reverse rotation.

[0028] As shown in Figure 8, the control logic 32 in the first embodiment can be modified as follows, based on the above description. If the current value detected by the current detection unit 34 is still greater than a predetermined critical value while the drive motor 21 is being reversed by the microcontroller 36, the microcontroller 36 should cause the drive motor 21 to maintain normal rotation for a predetermined time or number of times, and then maintain reverse rotation for a predetermined time or number of times. However, if the current value is still greater than a predetermined critical value after that, the microcontroller 36 should stop the rotation of the drive motor 21. In other words, the above-mentioned modification is to stop the rotation of the drive motor 21 if it is not possible to resolve the abnormal situation by switching from normal rotation to reverse rotation, or by reverting the drive motor 21 to normal rotation and reverse rotation.

[0029] As shown in Figure 9, the first embodiment allows for the addition of new content to the control logic 32 according to actual needs. Specifically, the control logic 32 can be modified to increase the rotational speed of the drive motor 21, which is reversed by the microcontroller 36, according to the actual needs. For example, in the process, it is necessary to increase the rotational speed of the drive motor 21 in response to all reverse rotation instructions. Furthermore, if it is not necessary to increase the rotational speed of the drive motor 21 in response to all reverse rotation instructions, it is sufficient to increase the rotational speed of the drive motor 21 in response to some of the reverse rotation instructions. Furthermore, the control logic 32 includes temporarily increasing the rotational speed of the drive motor 21 during some normal rotation. Since this method of increasing the rotational speed is relatively effective in resolving abnormal situations, it can be added to the control logic 32 according to actual needs.

[0030] (Second Embodiment) Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing the construction of a drainage device 10' for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The differences from the first embodiment are as follows.

[0031] In the second embodiment, the control module 31' is electrically connected to the air conditioning equipment 99. The control logic 32' further includes issuing a warning signal (not shown in the figure) to the air conditioning unit 99' after the control module 31' has stopped rotating the drive motor 21', and subsequently notifying the user of the abnormal operating condition via the air conditioning unit 99'.

[0032] In the second embodiment, the control logic 32' includes the current detection method shown in the first embodiment, as well as the following instructions. When the microcontroller 36' detects that the rotation of the drive motor 21' has stopped, it reverses the rotation of the drive motor 21', and then switches the drive motor 21' back to normal rotation after a predetermined time or number of reversals.

[0033] If the current is too high or the drive motor 21' stops rotating, i.e., if an abnormality occurs, the second embodiment can resolve the abnormality by reversing the drive motor 21' according to the technical details described above.

[0034] In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the following can be added to the control logic 32' according to the actual needs. Specifically, if the current value detected by the current detection unit 34' is still greater than a predetermined critical value while the drive motor 21' is being reversed by the microcontroller 36', or if it is detected that the rotation of the drive motor 21' has stopped, the microcontroller 36' will stop the operation of the drive motor 21'. The effects achieved by the technology described above are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0035] The second embodiment can further add the following to the control logic 32' according to actual needs. Specifically, if the current value detected by the current detection unit 34' is still greater than a predetermined critical value while the drive motor 21' is being reversed by the microcontroller 36', or if it is detected that the drive motor 21' has stopped rotating, the microcontroller 36' should cause the drive motor 21' to maintain normal rotation for a predetermined time or number of times, and then maintain reverse rotation for a predetermined time or number of times. However, if the current value is still greater than a predetermined critical value or the drive motor 21' has still stopped rotating, the microcontroller 36' will stop the operation of the drive motor 21'. The effects achieved by the technology described above are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0036] Since the other structures and effects achieved in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, their description will be omitted.

[0037] In the present invention, the drain impeller 41 and the discharge pipe 56 are not necessarily arranged radially according to the first embodiment. The blades of the drain impeller 41 may be designed in an arc shape (not shown in the figure). The discharge pipe 56 may be positioned along the tangential position (not shown in the figure). Since the arrangement method is based on well-known technology, the drawings and explanations are omitted. If the above design is adopted, the drainage efficiency during reverse rotation will be lower than the drainage efficiency during normal rotation. In other words, the present invention allows the user to determine the arrangement method according to their actual needs.

[0038] The present invention is not limited in any way to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0039] 10, 10': Drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions. 11: Housing 21, 21': Drive motor 31, 31': Control module 32, 32': Control logic 34, 34': Current detection unit 36, 36': Microcontroller 41: Drain impeller 42: Shaft 43: Feather 51: Holder 511: Ring-shaped wall 52:Drain room 54: Water intake 56: Drain pipe 99': Air conditioning equipment

Claims

1. It comprises a housing, drive motor, control module, drain impeller and holder, The drive motor is mounted inside the housing, The control module is located within the housing, is electrically connected to the drive motor, and has programmed control logic. The control module controls the rotation of the drive motor based on the control logic. The drain impeller is connected to the drive motor and rotates by receiving the driving force of the drive motor. The holder is positioned below the housing, and the space between it and the housing forms a sealed drainage chamber. The holder has a water intake port and a drain pipe, the water intake port is formed extending downward from the holder, and the drain pipe is formed extending laterally from one side of the holder, and the water intake port and the drain pipe are connected to a drain chamber. The control module includes a current detection unit and a microcontroller (MCU). The control module detects the current corresponding to the electrical energy consumed by the rotating drive motor using the current detection unit, and controls the rotation of the drive motor using the microcontroller. The control logic provides and executes A mode, B mode, and C mode to the control module, wherein A mode rotates the drive motor in the first direction when operating normally, that is, maintains normal rotation of the drive motor; B mode rotates the drive motor in the opposite direction to the first direction, that is, reverses the drive motor, when the current value detected by the current detection unit is greater than a predetermined critical value, by the microcontroller, and then switches the drive motor back to normal rotation, that is, performs one reverse rotation, after a predetermined time or number of reverse rotations have been reached; and C mode stops the rotation of the drive motor by the microcontroller after the number of reverse rotations of the drive motor calculated by the control module has accumulated to a predetermined number. This is a drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions.

2. The holder further has an annular wall surrounding the drain chamber, and the drain pipe extends outward along the radial direction of the annular wall, so the holder is symmetrical on both sides opposite the axis of the drain pipe. The drainage impeller has a shaft and a plurality of blades 43, the plurality of blades are blades that extend along the radial direction of the shaft, and the shaft exhibits bilateral symmetry in the longitudinal cross-sectional view, characterized in that it is a drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions as described in claim 1.

3. The control module is electrically connected to the air conditioning equipment, and the control logic further includes an instruction by the microcontroller to stop the rotation of the drive motor and then issue a warning signal (not shown in the figure) to the air conditioning equipment, characterized in that the drainage device for air conditioning equipment automatically resolves the abnormal operating condition described in claim 1.

4. The control logic further includes the following instructions: A drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves an abnormal operating condition according to claim 1, characterized in that if the current value detected by the current detection unit is still greater than a predetermined critical value while the drive motor is being reversed by the microcontroller, the microcontroller stops the rotation of the drive motor.

5. The control logic further includes the following instructions: A drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves an abnormal operating condition as described in claim 1, characterized in that, if the current value detected by the current detection unit is still greater than a predetermined critical value while the drive motor is being reversed by the microcontroller, the microcontroller causes the drive motor to maintain normal rotation for a predetermined time or number of times, then maintains reverse rotation for a predetermined time or number of times, and if the current value is still greater than the predetermined critical value thereafter, the microcontroller stops the rotation of the drive motor.

6. The rotation state of the drive motor is detected by the microcontroller. The control logic further includes the following instructions: A drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves an abnormal operating condition according to claim 1, characterized in that, when it is detected that the rotation of the drive motor has stopped, the microcontroller rotates the drive motor in the opposite direction to the first direction, i.e., reverses the rotation of the drive motor, and then switches the drive motor back to normal rotation when the reverse rotation reaches a predetermined time or number of times.

7. The control logic further includes the following instructions: A drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves an abnormal operating condition according to claim 1, characterized in that if the current value detected by the current detection unit is still greater than the predetermined critical value while the drive motor is being reversed by the microcontroller, or if it is detected that the rotation of the drive motor has stopped, the microcontroller stops the operation of the drive motor.

8. The control logic further includes the following instructions: The drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves abnormal operating conditions as described in 7, characterized in that, while the drive motor is being reversed by the microcontroller, if the current value detected by the current detection unit is still greater than the predetermined critical value, or if the rotation of the drive motor has stopped, the microcontroller causes the drive motor to maintain normal rotation for a predetermined time or number of times, and then maintains reverse rotation for a predetermined time or number of times, and if the current value is still greater than the predetermined critical value, or if the rotation of the drive motor has still stopped, the microcontroller stops the operation of the drive motor.

9. The control logic further includes the following instructions: A drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves the abnormal operating condition described in claim 1, characterized in that the rotation speed is increased when the drive motor is reversed by the microcontroller.

10. The control logic further includes the following instructions: A drainage device for air conditioning equipment that automatically resolves an abnormal operating condition according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotation speed is increased for a while when the drive motor is kept rotating normally by the microcontroller.

Images