Air conditioner and method for controlling air conditioner

Abstract

To provide an air conditioning device that collects and removes indoor floating fine particles.SOLUTION: An air conditioning device according to the present disclosure comprises an outdoor unit comprising at least a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor unit comprising an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor air blower inside a case, a control unit for performing operation in an indoor floating fine particle collection mode for causing indoor floating fine particles to be collected by condensed water generated by decreasing the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger to a temperature higher than the temperature at which water freezes, and equal to or lower than the indoor dew point, and a water discharge path for discharging the condensed water.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner and a method for controlling an air conditioner. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, techniques have been proposed for removing odorous components contained in condensed water adhering to a heat exchanger of an indoor unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a heating operation for improving the effect of drying moisture and an air blowing operation for improving the effect of removing stagnant odors are carried out in sequence. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-130773 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure discloses an air conditioner that collects and removes indoor suspended particles, and a method for controlling the air conditioner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The air conditioner according to the present disclosure includes an outdoor unit having at least a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor blower inside a housing, before a control unit that operates in an indoor suspended particulate recovery mode in which the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger is lowered to a temperature higher than the freezing point of water but lower than the indoor dew point to generate condensed water that recovers indoor suspended particulates; and a drainage channel that drains the condensed water. The control unit, after operating in the indoor suspended particulate matter collection mode, operates in a drainage mode in which the rotation speed of the indoor blower is controlled to increase the amount of condensed water generated and evaporated to the maximum air volume at which the amount of condensed water generated does not exceed the amount of evaporation, thereby causing the condensed water to flow into the drainage channel, and when operating in the indoor suspended particulate matter collection mode, the control unit keeps the condensed water from drying out by controlling the rotation speed of the indoor blower to a predetermined rotation speed or lower without stopping the indoor blower.

[0006] A control method for an air conditioner in the present disclosure is a control method for an air conditioner including an outdoor unit having at least a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, and an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor blower inside a housing, the control method comprising the steps of: lowering the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger to a temperature higher than the freezing point of water to a temperature equal to or lower than the indoor dew point, and collecting indoor suspended particulate matter in condensed water generated by the lowering of the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger to a temperature higher than the freezing point of water; Without stopping the indoor blower By controlling the rotation speed of the indoor blower to a predetermined rotation speed or less, the condensed water is kept in a state where it does not dry, and after collecting the indoor suspended particulate matter, the rotation speed of the indoor blower is controlled. The amount of condensed water generated and the amount of evaporation are controlled to the maximum airflow so that the amount of generation does not exceed the amount of evaporation. By raising it, the condensed water falls into a drain. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The air conditioner according to the present disclosure can collect suspended particulate matter in the room in the condensed water condensed in the indoor heat exchanger, thereby reducing the amount of suspended particulate matter in the room. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Cross-sectional view of an indoor unit according to the first embodiment [Diagram 2] A block diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart of a control method for an air conditioner according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] Experimental results showing the effectiveness of dust collection by air conditioning equipment DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (The knowledge and other information that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time when the inventors came up with the present disclosure, there was a technique for providing an electrostatic atomizer in an air conditioner in order to remove indoor odors and neutralize allergens such as pollen.

[0010] However, although the radicals generated by electrostatic atomizers are suitable for breaking down and neutralizing chemical substances, it is difficult to remove simple dust particles, such as the extremely small airborne particles known as PM2.5, which have become a problem in recent years. The inventors discovered that suspended fine particles are collected in condensed water of air conditioners, and in order to solve the above problem, they came to form the subject of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure provides an air conditioner that recovers and removes indoor suspended particles by using temperature control of a heat exchanger or the like.

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters or duplicate explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming more redundant than necessary and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. It should be noted that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0012] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0013] [1-1. Configuration] [1-1-1. Indoor unit configuration] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the air conditioner 1 includes an indoor unit 10. The indoor unit 10 includes a housing 11 that is attached to a wall surface inside a room.

[0014] An air intake port 12 for drawing in indoor air is provided on the upper surface of the housing 11. An air outlet 13 for blowing air into the room is provided on the lower surface of the housing 11. Both the air intake port 12 and the air outlet 13 are formed across the entire width of the housing 11. An indoor heat exchanger 14 is housed inside the housing 11. The indoor heat exchanger 14 is formed in a substantially inverted V shape in a side view, and is disposed so as to separate the space between the air intake 12 and the air outlet 13 inside the housing 11. This ensures that the indoor air sucked in through the air intake 12 always passes through the indoor heat exchanger 14 before reaching the air outlet 13.

[0015] An indoor blower 15 is disposed inside the indoor heat exchanger 14. The indoor blower 15 is configured to be rotated by a blower drive motor (not shown) to draw in indoor air from the intake port 12, pass the air through the indoor heat exchanger 14 for heat exchange, and blow the air out of the air outlet 13 into the room. Further, a filter 16 is disposed in the air intake 12. The filter 16 is made of a flexible material, and serves to remove dust and other particles from the air sucked in through the air intake 12. A cleaning drive roller 17 is provided in front of the filter 16 so as to be rotatable. The cleaning drive roller 17 is rotated to wind up the filter 16, thereby cleaning dirt such as dust adhering to the filter 16.

[0016] A left / right air deflector 18 for adjusting the left / right wind direction of the air blown out is provided so as to be swingable left / right near the air outlet 13. The left / right air deflector 18 is capable of adjusting the wind direction manually or by an air deflector drive motor (not shown). Below the left and right airflow direction vanes 18, up and down airflow direction vanes 19 are provided so as to be able to swing freely, for adjusting the up and down wind direction of the blown air. The vertical air deflector 19 can automatically adjust the vertical air direction by an air deflector drive motor (not shown).

[0017] Furthermore, an electrostatic atomizer 20 is disposed inside the housing 11 near the air outlet 13. The electrostatic atomizer 20 includes, for example, a discharge unit that discharges electricity to the supplied moisture to generate a mist containing charged fine water particles, and a power supply circuit that generates a high voltage to be applied to the discharge unit. The discharge unit and the power supply circuit are not shown. The electrostatic atomizer 20 generates a mist containing charged fine water particles to suppress viruses, mold, substances that cause allergies, bacteria, etc. in the air, and to deodorize. The charged fine water particles contain active ingredients such as electrostatic mist that exhibit sterilizing and deodorizing effects.

[0018] The indoor heat exchanger 14 is equipped with a thermometer (not shown) that measures the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 14. The air conditioning device 1 is also equipped with a thermometer other than the above-mentioned thermometer that measures the air temperature in the location where the indoor unit 10 is installed, specifically, for example, the air temperature inside the room.

[0019] The indoor unit 10 is provided with a drainage channel called a drain pan (not shown) that receives water that is cooled and generated near the indoor heat exchanger 14.

[0020] The air conditioner 1 includes an outdoor unit 40. The outdoor unit 40 includes a compressor 41, an outdoor heat exchanger 50, an outdoor blower 43 that sends outside air to the outdoor heat exchanger 50, and an expansion mechanism 45 (all of which are shown in FIG. 2). The outdoor unit 40 and the indoor unit 10 are connected by refrigerant piping (not shown) to configure a predetermined refrigeration cycle circuit.

[0021] [1-1-2. Control configuration] Next, the control configuration of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of this embodiment. The indoor unit 10 is equipped with a control unit 30. The control unit 30 controls each device of the air conditioning apparatus 1. The control unit 30 includes a processor, a memory, and a timer. The control of the control unit 30 is executed by the processor processing a program stored in the memory.

[0022] The control unit 30 includes a communication unit 35, and the communication unit 35 is capable of communicating with a remote control (not shown) operated by a user. That is, the control unit 30 controls the drive of the compressor 41, outdoor blower 43, expansion mechanism 45, outdoor heat exchanger 50 of the outdoor unit 40, and the indoor heat exchanger 14, indoor blower 15, electrostatic atomization device 20, etc. of the indoor unit 10, through the user's operation of a remote control.

[0023] The control unit 30 also performs control in normal operation modes such as a cooling operation mode and a cooling and dehumidifying operation mode. Of course, the control unit 30 may also have a heating operation mode, a dehumidifying operation mode, a fan operation mode, a clothes drying operation mode, etc. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 30 performs control in an indoor suspended particulate collection mode. The indoor particulate collection mode can be selected by the user by operating the remote control. In this embodiment, when the indoor particulate collection mode is selected, the control unit 30 lowers the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 14 to a temperature equal to or lower than the dew point of the room. The moisture in the room that has been cooled by the indoor heat exchanger 14 condenses when the temperature falls below the dew point, producing condensed water. The indoor suspended particles floating in the room are collected in the condensed water and removed.

[0024] When operating in the indoor suspended particulate collection mode, the control unit 30 controls the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 to a predetermined rotation speed or less, thereby keeping the condensed water from drying.

[0025] The above-mentioned predetermined rotation speed is, for example, 1000 rpm.

[0026] Moreover, the above-mentioned predetermined rotation speed is preferably, for example, 400 rpm. After the control unit 30 has performed operation in the indoor suspended particulate collection mode, it controls the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 to increase the air volume, thereby performing operation in a drainage mode in which the condensed water is drained into a drainage channel. Specifically, the amount of condensed water generated and evaporated is considered, and the indoor suspended particles are collected at the maximum air volume that does not exceed the amount of evaporation. By operating at a high air volume for a short period of time, the condensed water adhering to the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 14 is impacted and falls into the drainage channel, where it is discharged.

[0027] It is preferable that the indoor heat exchanger 14 and the drainage channel are coated with a metal catalyst that promotes the decomposition of the indoor suspended particles remaining in the indoor heat exchanger 14 and the drainage channel. Specifically, the metal catalyst may be a catalyst containing platinum or titanium.

[0028] In addition, the control unit 30 is configured to be able to communicate with a ventilation fan (not shown), and it is desirable that the indoor suspended particle collection mode includes a function of discharging indoor suspended particles to the outside by operating the ventilation fan, or supplying air purified by a purification filter in the ventilation fan into the room.

[0029] The control unit 30 in the present disclosure may be any one that can control the device in the present disclosure. When expressing the subject matter of the invention, in addition to the control unit 30, the device in the present disclosure may be controlled by a control means, a control unit, or similar terms. The control unit 30 can be realized in various forms. For example, a processor may be used as the control unit 30. If a processor is used as the control unit 30, various processes can be executed by loading a program from a storage medium storing the program into the processor and executing the program by the processor. Therefore, the processing contents can be changed by changing the program stored in the storage medium, so that the degree of freedom in changing the control contents can be increased. Examples of the processor include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). Examples of the storage medium include a hard disk, a flash memory, and an optical disk. In addition, a wired logic in which the program cannot be rewritten may be used as the control unit 30. Using a wired logic as the control unit 30 is effective in improving the processing speed. Examples of the wired logic include an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 30 may be realized by combining a processor and wired logic. By realizing the control unit 30 by combining a processor and wired logic, the degree of freedom of software design can be increased while improving the processing speed. The control unit 30 and a circuit having a function different from that of the control unit 30 may be configured by one semiconductor element. An example of a circuit having a function different from that of the control unit 30 is an A / D·D / A conversion circuit. The control unit 30 may be configured by one semiconductor element or by multiple semiconductor elements. When configured by multiple semiconductor elements, each control described in the claims may be realized by different semiconductor elements. Furthermore, the control unit 30 may be configured by a configuration including a semiconductor element and a passive component such as a resistor or a capacitor.

[0030] [1-2. Air conditioner control method] Next, a method for controlling the air conditioner in an indoor suspended particle recovery mode using the above-mentioned air conditioner will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a control method for the air conditioner 1.

[0031] When the air conditioner 1 starts operating in the indoor suspended particulate collection mode, first, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 14 is lowered to a temperature higher than the freezing point of water but below the indoor dew point to generate condensed water to collect the indoor suspended particulates (step SA1). While collecting the indoor suspended particulates, the rotation speed of the indoor blower is controlled to a predetermined rotation speed or lower to keep the condensed water from drying (step SA2).

[0032] Next, after collecting the indoor suspended particles, the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 is controlled to increase the air volume, thereby causing the condensed water to fall into the drain (step SA3).

[0033] [1-3. Experimental results] FIG. 4 shows the experimental results showing the effect of dust collection by the air conditioner 1. The horizontal axis shows time, and the vertical axis shows dust concentration normalized to 100% as the dust concentration at time zero. The dotted line shows the change in dust concentration over time due to natural attenuation, and the dashed line shows the change in dust concentration over time when air was blown in the normal operation mode. The solid line shows the change in dust concentration over time when the air conditioner was operated in the indoor suspended particle collection mode. For example, it can be seen that after 90 minutes, more than 90% of the dust remains when left to natural attenuation, whereas when the air conditioner was operated in the indoor suspended particle collection mode, the dust concentration drops to just over 20%, demonstrating a remarkable effect.

[0034] [1-4. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, the air conditioning device 1 comprises an outdoor unit 40 having at least a compressor 41 and an outdoor heat exchanger 50, an indoor unit 10 having an indoor heat exchanger 14 and an indoor blower 15 inside a housing 11, a control unit 30 that operates in an indoor suspended particulate recovery mode in which indoor suspended particulates are recovered in condensed water generated by lowering the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 14 to a temperature higher than the temperature at which water freezes to a temperature below the indoor dew point, and a drainage channel for draining the condensed water.

[0035] As a result, the air conditioning device 1 can collect and remove indoor suspended particles simply by controlling the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger without adding any additional components. Also, because the indoor heat exchanger 14 maintains a temperature above the freezing point of water, the condensed water does not freeze and can be easily drained, so the indoor suspended particles can be discharged together with the condensed water.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when operating in the indoor suspended particulate matter collection mode, the control unit 30 associated with the air conditioning apparatus 1 controls the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 to a predetermined rotation speed or lower, thereby keeping the condensed water from drying out.

[0037] As a result, the air conditioner 1 is unlikely to dry out the condensed water again, and so an effect is achieved in that the suspended particles contained in the condensed water can be drained without being returned to the room.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 30 associated with the air conditioning device 1 operates in an indoor suspended particle collection mode, and then operates in a drainage mode in which the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 is controlled to increase the air volume, thereby causing condensed water to flow into a drainage channel.

[0039] As a result, the air conditioner 1 can drain condensed water containing indoor suspended particulate matter, making it difficult for the inside of the housing 11 to become contaminated, and the room can be continuously purified.

[0040] In this embodiment, the indoor heat exchanger 14 and the drainage channel of the air conditioner 1 are coated with a metal catalyst that promotes the decomposition of the components of substances contained in the collected indoor suspended particulate matter.

[0041] This has the effect of decomposing mold spores, bacteria, harmful organic components, and other allergens and chemicals contained in indoor airborne particles, thereby eliminating the causes of odors and illnesses.

[0042] In this embodiment, the air conditioner 1 further includes an electrostatic atomization device 20.

[0043] This allows the air conditioner 1 to remove suspended particles contained in the air in the area where the indoor unit 10 is placed, while at the same time purifying the air by neutralizing or breaking down allergens and chemicals contained in the air.

[0044] In the air conditioning apparatus of this embodiment, the control unit 30 is configured to be able to communicate with a ventilation fan not shown, and the indoor suspended particle collection mode includes a function of discharging indoor suspended particles to the outside by operating the ventilation fan, or supplying air purified by a purification filter in the ventilation fan into the room.

[0045] This makes it possible to discharge indoor suspended particles to the outside of the room, and also makes it possible to supply purified air taken in from the outside, thus achieving the effect of purifying the air in the room.

[0046] In this embodiment, the control method for the air conditioning apparatus 1 is a control method for the air conditioning apparatus 1 which includes an outdoor unit 40 having at least a compressor 41 and an outdoor heat exchanger 50, and an indoor unit 10 having an indoor heat exchanger 14 and an indoor blower 15 inside a housing 11, in which the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 14 is lowered to a temperature higher than the temperature at which water freezes to a temperature below the indoor dew point to generate condensed water which collects indoor suspended particulate matter, and while the indoor suspended particulate matter is being collected, the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 is controlled to a predetermined rotation speed or lower to keep the condensed water from drying, and after the indoor suspended particulate matter has been collected, the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 is controlled to increase the air volume to cause the condensed water to fall into a drain.

[0047] As a result, the air conditioner 1 can collect and remove indoor suspended particles simply by controlling the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger without adding any additional components. In addition, since the indoor heat exchanger 14 maintains a temperature above the freezing point of water, the condensed water does not freeze and can be easily drained, so the indoor suspended particles can be discharged together with the condensed water. In addition, since the air conditioner 1 does not easily dry out the condensed water again, it has the effect of being able to drain the suspended particles contained in the condensed water without returning them to the room. It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, and the like can be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents. [Industrial Applicability]

[0048] The present disclosure is generally applicable to devices that condition indoor air, and more specifically, the present disclosure is applicable to air conditioners, air purifiers, and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1. Air conditioning equipment 10 Indoor unit 11. Cabinet 12 Air Intake 13 Air outlet 14 Indoor heat exchanger 15 Indoor fan 16 Filters 17 Cleaning drive roller 18 Left and right wind direction plates 19 Upper and lower wind direction plates 20 Electrostatic atomizer 30 Control section 35 Communications Department 40 Outdoor unit 41 Compressor 43 Outdoor blower 45 Expansion Mechanism 50 Outdoor heat exchanger

Claims

1. an outdoor unit including at least a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger; an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan inside a housing; a control unit that operates in an indoor suspended particulate recovery mode in which the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger is reduced to a temperature higher than the freezing point of water but not higher than the indoor dew point, thereby recovering indoor suspended particulates in condensed water generated by the reduction; A drainage channel for draining the condensed water, the control unit, after operating in the indoor suspended particulate collection mode, operates in a drainage mode in which the rotation speed of the indoor blower is controlled to increase the amount of condensed water generated and the amount of volatilization to a maximum air volume at which the amount of condensed water generated does not exceed the amount of volatilization, thereby causing the condensed water to fall into the drainage channel; The air conditioning apparatus is characterized in that, when operating in the indoor suspended particulate matter collection mode, the control unit keeps the condensed water from drying out by controlling the rotation speed of the indoor blower to a predetermined rotation speed or less without stopping the indoor blower.

2. 2. The air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the indoor heat exchanger and the drainage channel are coated with a metal catalyst that promotes decomposition of substances contained in the collected indoor suspended particulate matter.

3. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising an electrostatic atomizer.

4. The control unit is configured to be able to communicate with a ventilation fan, The indoor suspended particulate collection mode includes a function of discharging indoor suspended particulates in the room to the outside by operating the exhaust fan or supplying air purified by a purification filter in the exhaust fan to the room. The air-conditioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. an outdoor unit including at least a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger; A method for controlling an air conditioner having an indoor unit equipped with an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan inside a housing, comprising: The temperature of the indoor heat exchanger is lowered to a temperature lower than the dew point of the room at a temperature higher than the freezing point of water, and the indoor suspended particulate matter is collected in the condensed water generated by the lowering of the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger to a temperature lower than the dew point of the room; While collecting the indoor suspended particulates, the indoor blower is not stopped and a rotation speed of the indoor blower is controlled to a predetermined rotation speed or less, thereby keeping the condensed water from drying, After collecting the indoor suspended particles, the rotation speed of the indoor blower is controlled to increase the amount of condensed water generated and the amount of evaporation to the maximum air volume at which the amount of generation does not exceed the amount of evaporation, thereby causing the condensed water to fall into a drainage channel. A method for controlling an air conditioning apparatus comprising:

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