air conditioning unit

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner which can automatically remove dirt and dust in a fan or a blowing path.SOLUTION: An air conditioner includes: a case 40 with an air intake port 41 and an air blowout port 42 opened therein; a fan 33 for blowing air; a guide surface part 45 for guiding air blown out of the fan 33 to the air blowout port 42; and a cleaning mechanism 50 for cleaning the fan 33 or the guide face part 45. An in-case dew condensation cooling operation is performed after a finish of air-conditioning operation, an in-case dew condensation blowing operation is performed after a finish of the in-case dew condensation cooling operation, and a cleaning operation by the cleaning mechanism 50 is performed after a finish of the in-case dew condensation blowing operation. Thus, sufficient dew condensation is generated on the fan 33 or the guide face part 45, such that dirt and dust adhering to the fan 33 or the guide face part 45 are made to sufficiently contain moisture and softened. By the cleaning operation of the fan 33 or the guide face part 45 after the finish of the in-case dew condensation blowing operation, dirt and dust adhering to the fan 33 and the guide face part 45 can be easily removed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, this type of air conditioner has included a case fixed to the wall, a fan housed in the case that rotates to blow air into the room, and a brush unit that is arranged to be able to contact the fan and clean the fan, and dust adhering to the fan is removed by rotating the fan with the brush unit in contact with the fan (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-143961 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this conventional system, the brush unit performs a fan cleaning operation after the air conditioning operation has finished. However, when the brush unit performs a fan cleaning operation after the internal drying operation has finished, there is a problem in that the dirt and dust that has adhered to the fan and air duct during the internal drying operation dries and becomes firmly stuck, making it difficult to remove during the cleaning operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, claim 1 of the present invention provides an air conditioning device comprising: a case having an air intake port that can take in air from outside and an air outlet port that can blow the taken-in air to the outside; a fan that is rotatably supported on the case and blows air by rotating; a guide surface portion formed on the case that guides the air blown by the fan toward the air outlet port; and a cleaning mechanism having a fan cleaning mechanism that cleans the fan or a guide surface portion cleaning mechanism that cleans the guide surface portion, wherein after air conditioning operation is completed, a cooling operation for preventing condensation inside the case is performed; after the cooling operation for preventing condensation inside the case is completed, a fan blowing operation for preventing condensation inside the case is performed; and after the fan blowing operation for preventing condensation inside the case is completed, a cleaning operation is performed by the cleaning mechanism.

[0006] In addition, in claim 2, the compressor is driven in a heating cycle during the air blowing operation for dew condensation inside the case.

[0007] In addition, claim 3 provides an estimation means for estimating whether the fan or the guide surface is at a temperature at which condensation can occur, and if the estimation means estimates that the fan or the guide surface is at or below the temperature at which condensation can occur, the air conditioning operation for condensation inside the case is not performed, but the fan operation for condensation inside the case is performed.

[0008] Moreover, in claim 4, an internal drying operation is carried out after the cleaning operation is carried out. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to claim 1 of this invention, after air conditioning operation is completed, a cooling operation for condensation within the case is performed to lower the temperature inside the case to a temperature low enough to cause condensation. At this time, condensation occurs on the heat exchanger inside the case, but little condensation occurs on the fan or guide surface inside the case. Therefore, by performing a fan operation for condensation within the case after the cooling operation for condensation within the case is completed, moisture-rich air is taken into the case. As the air taken into the case passes through the heat exchanger inside the case, condensation water condenses on the heat exchanger, turning the air very moisture-rich and blowing it onto the fan or guide surface at a low temperature enough to cause condensation. This causes sufficient condensation to occur on the fan or guide surface, which softens any dust or dirt adhering to the fan or guide surface by absorbing enough moisture. This allows the dust or dirt adhering to the fan or guide surface to be easily removed by cleaning the fan or guide surface after the fan operation for condensation within the case is completed.

[0010] Furthermore, according to claim 2, in the air blowing operation for condensation inside the case, by driving the compressor in the heating cycle, the temperature of the air taken into the case rises as it passes through the heat exchanger inside the case, increasing the amount of saturated water vapor and allowing the air to contain more moisture, and by taking in the condensed water that has condensed into the heat exchanger, the air containing more moisture is blown against the low-temperature fan or guide surface where condensation is possible, allowing more condensation to occur on the fan or guide surface.

[0011] Furthermore, according to claim 3, an estimation means is provided for estimating whether the fan or guide surface is at a temperature at which condensation can occur, and if the estimation means estimates that the fan or guide surface is at a temperature below which condensation can occur, air blowing operation for condensation inside the case is performed instead of air conditioning operation for condensation inside the case.Therefore, by not performing air conditioning operation for condensation inside the case, the time until the cleaning operation is completed can be shortened and power consumption due to air conditioning operation for condensation inside the case after air conditioning operation has ended can be reduced.

[0012] Furthermore, according to claim 4, by carrying out an internal drying operation after the cleaning operation, it is possible to prevent mold and the like from growing on the clean fan or guide surface after the cleaning operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioning device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the indoor unit with the fan removed from the case. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit as viewed from the right side. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG.

[0014] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. An air conditioner 10 according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 1. The air conditioner 10 has a cooling function for cooling the indoor space In and a heating function for heating the indoor space In.

[0015] 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.

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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 draws 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 cleaning mechanism 50 that can wipe off dust that has adhered to the inside of the case 40.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] Please refer to Fig. 2. An air intake port 41 is opened on the top surface of the case 40 so that air can be taken in from the outside (indoors In). An air outlet 42 capable of blowing air to the outside (indoors In) is opened at the front lower part of the case 40. The air outlet 42 is provided with an up-and-down louver 36 that can open and close the air outlet 42 and adjust the air blowing direction in the up-and-down direction.

[0023] Please refer to Figures 3 and 4. Further, behind the up-down louvers 36 (see FIG. 2), left-right louvers 37 are provided which can adjust the direction in which air is blown out in the left-right direction. 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 part of the case main body 43.

[0024] The case 40 is formed with a guide surface portion 45 that guides the air blown by the fan 33 toward the air outlet 42 (see FIG. 2). Guide surface portion 45 is formed over the longitudinal direction of case 40 along the direction in which axis C of fan 33 extends. Hereinafter, the space between fan 33 and guide surface portion 45 will be referred to as air passage AP through which blown air flows.

[0025] 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 that is formed by the case main body portion 43 may be referred to as the main body side guide surface portion 43a, and the portion that is 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.

[0026] The case body 43 is formed with a transmission unit housing 43b in which a part of the cleaning mechanism 50 is housed.

[0027] 4 and 5. The transmission part storage part 43b is a part 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 unit 43b is covered by a cover unit 44.

[0028] 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.

[0029] Between the case main body 43 and the cover 44, a gap Sp is formed, which is a gap with a predetermined distance. The gap Sp is formed with approximately the same width along the longitudinal direction of the case.

[0030] The cleaning mechanism 50 has a drive unit 60 and a wiping unit 70 that is driven by the drive unit 60 to move along the guide surface unit 45 and can wipe away dust adhering to the guide surface unit 45.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] The driving force transmission section 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.

[0034] A toothed rope (synchro mesh rope) can be used for the support transmission part 62c. The support transmission portion 62c is looped around a drive pulley 62b and a driven pulley provided on both the left and right ends of the case main body 43, respectively. It can also be said that both ends of the rope-like support transmission part 62c are connected to the wiping part 70 to form a loop.

[0035] 4, wiping unit 70 includes a driven unit 71 connected to support transmission unit 62c and driven to move left and right in response to operation of drive unit 60, 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 serving as a guide surface cleaning mechanism provided on wiping main body 74 and in contact with guide surface 45, and a brush unit 76 serving as a fan cleaning mechanism extending from wiping main body 74 toward fan 33 and capable of contacting fan 33 at its tip.

[0036] The driven portion 71 is connected to both ends of a wire-shaped support transmission portion 62c. This connects the wiping part 70 to the drive part 60. The tip of the driven part 71 passes through the gap Sp and faces the air passage AP.

[0037] The wiping unit 70 and the drive unit 60 may be connected by a magnet with the guide surface unit 45 sandwiched therebetween.

[0038] The lower surface of the first guide roller 72 may be in contact with the transmission portion housing portion 43b. The right side surface of the second guide roller 73 may be in contact with the transmission portion housing portion 43b. When the rib 44b is formed at a position where it can come into contact with the second guide roller 73, the rib 44b for reinforcing the cover portion 44 can guide the second guide roller 73.

[0039] The sheet 75 can be made of nonwoven fabric, sponge, or the like. The sheet 75 is provided detachably to the wiping main body 74.

[0040] The brush part 76 is provided so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction relative to the wiping main body part 74 .

[0041] Next, cleaning of the guide surface portion 45 and the fan 33 by the cleaning mechanism 50 will be described. Please refer to 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 is activated, the gear portion 62a and the drive pulley 62b rotate. When the drive pulley 62b rotates, the wiping part 70 provided on the support transmission part 62c moves in the left-right direction.

[0042] Please refer to Figures 4 and 5. A sheet 75 abuts against the guide surface portion 45, and a brush portion 76 abuts against the fan 33. When the wiping portion 70 moves along the gap portion Sp in this state, dust adhering to the guide surface portion 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 the blades can be cleaned.

[0043] 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, dust can be dropped from the fan 33 onto the guide surface portion 45 by the brush portion 76 and then wiped away by the sheet 75.

[0044] Since the left and right louvers 37 (see Figure 3) are arranged downstream of the cleaning 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 cleaning mechanism 50 that can move along the guide surface portion 45, dust adhering to the guide surface portion 45 can be easily removed.

[0045] Next, the features of the air conditioner 10 (cleaning mechanism 50) will be described. Please refer to Figure 2. The air conditioner 10 has a case 40 in which an air intake 41 that can take in air from the outside and an air outlet 42 that can blow the taken-in air out, and a fan 33 that is rotatably supported by the case 40 and blows air by rotating.

[0046] Please refer to Figure 5. Further, the case 40 is formed with a guide surface portion 45 that guides the air blown by the fan 33 toward the air outlet 42 (see FIG. 2) along the direction in which the axis C of the fan 33 extends. Also, a cleaning mechanism 50 capable of wiping off dust adhering to the guide surface portion 45 is provided.

[0047] The cleaning 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.

[0048] It is difficult to reach the air passage AP between the fan 33 and the guide surface portion 45, making it difficult to clean, and dust is likely to accumulate therein. By providing a cleaning 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 conditioning device that can clean the guide surface portion 45.

[0049] In particular, the air conditioner 10 having the louvers 36, 37 (see FIG. 2) makes it difficult to reach inside because the louvers 36, 37 are located at the front lower portion of the air passage AP. The cleaning mechanism 50 is particularly preferred for air conditioners 10 having louvers 36,37.

[0050] Furthermore, the wiping main body 74 is provided with a brush part 76 for cleaning the fan 33 in addition to the sheet 75 . 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, dust can be dropped from the fan 33 onto the guide surface portion 45 by the brush portion 76 and then wiped away by the sheet 75.

[0051] 5 and 6, the cleaning mechanism 50 further includes a drive unit 60 for driving the wiping main body 74. The drive unit 60 also 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 . Moreover, the driving force transmission portion 62 (support transmission portion 62c) extends substantially parallel to the axis C of the fan 33.

[0052] Normally, the air conditioner 10 is long in the direction along the axis C of the fan 33 (left-right direction). By extending the driving force transmission part 62 substantially parallel to the axis C, cleaning can be performed while moving the wiping part 70 in the longitudinal direction. When the wiping part 70 is moved in the width direction (vertical direction), it is necessary to provide the wiping part 70 along the length direction. Therefore, the wiping section 70 can be made smaller than when the wiping section 70 is moved in the width direction.

[0053] Furthermore, since the sheet 75 and the brush part 76 are provided on the wiping main body 74, cleaning can be performed by moving one wiping main body 74. Since there is only one wiping main body 74, there is only one drive unit 60. There is no need to provide separate drive units for driving the sheet 75 and the brush unit 76. The configuration of the air conditioner 10 can be simplified, and the cost of parts can be reduced.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 7. An example of the configuration of the control unit 300 (107, 207) of the air conditioner 10 will be described below. The control unit 300 is made up of, for example, two control units (a first control unit and a second control unit), which are the control unit 107 (indoor control unit) and the outdoor control unit 207 in FIG.

[0055] The indoor unit 30 in FIG. 7 (or FIG. 1) may include an input unit 301, which is, 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, the operator can select, for example, cooling operation or heating operation (operation mode) via a remote control (remote controller) not shown.

[0056] In response to this, the control unit 107 can set the operation mode to cooling operation or heating operation via the input unit 301 or the remote control input unit. Specifically, when an 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, the control unit 107 recognizes or determines that cooling operation has been selected, and the control unit 107 is set to cooling operation.

[0057] The control unit 107 is, for example, a microcomputer configured with a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., but is not limited to this. When the control unit 107 is a microcomputer, the ROM stores 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 the operations set in the control unit 107 and data required to execute those operations.

[0058] When the control unit 107 is a microcomputer, the control unit 107 has a memory unit (not shown) therein, but the air conditioner 10 (indoor unit 30, outdoor unit 20) may have a memory unit (indoor memory unit, outdoor memory unit) outside the control unit 300, 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).

[0059] When the cooling operation is set in the control unit 107, the control unit 107 can instruct the outdoor unit 20 (the outdoor control unit 207 via the wiring 109 or the signal line) to start the cooling operation. Next, when the operator presses, for example, a heating button (not shown) on the remote control, heating operation is set in the control unit 107, and the control unit 107 can instruct the outdoor unit 20 (outdoor control unit 207) to start heating operation.

[0060] 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 the cooling operation or heating operation. Furthermore, when the cooling operation or heating operation is stopped, the estimation means 80 estimates whether the temperature of the fan 33 or the guide surface portion 45 is at a temperature at which condensation can occur.

[0061] 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 the room temperature, for example. Preferably, a 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.

[0062] 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, the indoor unit 30 can prepare for or start removing dust adhering to at least the fan 33, for example, when the cooling operation or heating operation is stopped. In other words, the indoor unit 30 may be provided with only a fan cleaning mechanism having a brush portion 76 capable of cleaning the fan 33, instead of a guide surface cleaning mechanism having a sheet 75 capable of wiping off dust adhering to the guide surface portion 45.

[0063] Preferably, the fan cleaning mechanism is the cleaning mechanism 50, and when automatic cleaning (startup mode of the cleaning 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 fan 33, but also prepares or starts removing dust adhering to the guide surface portion 45 (air passage AP between the fan 33 and the guide surface portion 45).

[0064] 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 is preferably performed by alternating between weak heating operation (heating operation for internal drying operation) and fan operation (fan operation for internal drying operation), for example, fan operation is performed for 3 minutes, followed by weak heating operation for 3 minutes. The fan operation and weak heating operation are performed a total of 10 times each, and the internal drying operation is performed for a total of 60 minutes.

[0065] Please refer to Figure 8. The control of the control unit 300 (107, 207) of the air conditioner 10 will be described below in the case where the indoor unit 30 is equipped with a sheet 75 and a brush unit 76 as a cleaning mechanism, and the control unit 107 is set to ON (on) for automatic cleaning as an operation from the operator, in other words, when the air duct AP (fan 33 and guide surface unit 45) is set to be cleaned automatically after cooling operation, dehumidification operation, or heating operation is stopped.

[0066] 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 control when an operator presses, for example, a stop button on the remote control is input or received by the input unit 301. After the cooling operation, dehumidifying operation, or heating operation set in the control unit 107 is stopped, the estimation means 80 estimates whether the fan 33 or the guide surface 45 is at or below a temperature at which condensation can occur.

[0067] Furthermore, the estimation means 80 estimates whether the fan 33 or the guide surface portion 45 is below a temperature at which condensation can occur based on the set temperature during operation, the room temperature, the operating time, the heat exchanger temperature of the indoor unit 30, the temperature inside the indoor unit 30, etc.

[0068] When the estimation means 80 estimates that the fan 33 or the guide surface portion 45 is not at a temperature below which condensation can occur, the control unit 107 sets the cooling operation for condensation inside the case, and the control unit 107 instructs the outdoor unit 20 (the outdoor control unit 207 via the wiring 109 or the signal line) to start the cooling operation. On the other hand, when the estimation means 80 estimates that the fan 33 or the guide surface portion 45 is at a temperature below the temperature at which condensation can occur, the control unit 107 sets the fan operation for condensation inside the case, which will be described later, and the control unit 107 starts the fan operation for condensation inside the case.

[0069] When the cooling operation for condensation inside the case is started, the control unit 107 sets the set rotation speed (predetermined rotation speed) for the cooling operation for condensation inside the case to a speed lower than the rotation speed during normal cooling operation, rotates the fan 33 to provide a low airflow, and instructs the outdoor unit 20 (outdoor control unit 207) to start the compressor 22 (ON: preferably, ON at the maximum rotation speed or maximum frequency of the compressor 22) as cooling operation, and after, for example, 10 minutes, the compressor 22 is stopped (OFF) and the rotation speed of the fan 33 is controlled to zero, and the control unit 107 ends the cooling operation for condensation inside the case.

[0070] By operating the compressor 22 at maximum capacity with a low airflow rate during this cooling operation for condensation inside the case, cold air accumulates inside the case 40, lowering the temperature inside the case 40, and the temperatures of the heat exchanger 34, fan 33, and guide surface portion 45 inside the case 40 also decrease. In this state, air flowing into the case 40 first hits the heat exchanger 34 and is cooled, and moisture in the air condenses on the heat exchanger 34. Thereafter, the dry, cool air hits the fan 33 and the guide surface portion 45, but since the moisture in the air has already condensed in the heat exchanger 34, the fan 33 and the guide surface portion 45 are in a state where there is almost no condensation.

[0071] Then, after the cooling operation for condensation inside the case is terminated, the control unit 107 sets the blowing operation for condensation inside the case, and the control unit 107 rotates the fan 33 at a rotation speed higher than the set rotation speed for the cooling operation for condensation inside the case as the set rotation speed (predetermined rotation speed) for the blowing operation for condensation inside the case, while instructing the outdoor unit 20 (outdoor control unit 207) to stop (OFF) the compressor 22 as the blowing operation, and after, for example, five minutes, the rotation speed of the fan 33 is controlled towards zero, and the control unit 107 terminates the blowing operation for condensation inside the case.

[0072] By this fan operation for condensation inside the case, more air flows into the case 40 than by the cooling operation for condensation inside the case, and the air that flows in is first cooled by hitting the heat exchanger 34, and the moisture in the air condenses on the heat exchanger 34. However, since the compressor 22 is stopped, the temperature of the heat exchanger 34 gradually rises, and the temperature of the air that hits the heat exchanger 34 gradually stops decreasing, and the air hits the fan 33 and guide surface portion 45 while still containing moisture.

[0073] At this time, the temperature of the air hitting the heat exchanger 34 gradually stops decreasing, so that part of the condensed water on the heat exchanger 34 becomes included in the air hitting the heat exchanger 34, and the air hits the fan 33 and the guide surface portion 45 in a moist state.

[0074] As a result, condensation occurs on the fan 33 and guide surface portion 45, which have become cold due to the cooling operation for condensation inside the case, and the dirt and dust adhering to the fan 33 and guide surface portion 45 absorb the condensed water.

[0075] Then, after the air blowing operation for preventing condensation inside the case is stopped, the control unit 107 is set to automatic cleaning operation to remove dust adhering to the fan 33 and the air duct AP, and 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 (for example, 50 rpm) (starting air duct cleaning).

[0076] When air passage cleaning begins, the wiping unit 70 moves from the right end to the left end of the fan 33, and then the brush unit 76 reaches the left end of the fan 33. More specifically, when the motor 61, which is, for example, a stepping motor, is rotated, for example, counterclockwise by 5,000 pulses, the control unit 107 rotates the motor 61 in the reverse direction, for example, clockwise by 5,000 pulses, and moves the wiping unit 70 to the right using the drive unit 60 (motor 61). When the wiping unit 70 returns to its original position, the control unit 107 stops (turns off) the driving of the wiping unit 70 and also stops (turns off) the driving of the fan 33 (ends air passage cleaning).

[0077] By this automatic cleaning operation, the brush part 76 removes the moisture-containing dirt and dust adhering to the fan 33, and the air passage of the guide surface part 45 etc., which is sufficiently condensed, is wiped with water by the sheet 75, and the moisture-containing dirt and dust is removed.

[0078] Then, after the automatic cleaning operation is stopped, the control unit 107 sets the internal drying operation, and the control unit 107 instructs the outdoor unit 20 to perform the internal drying operation. The internal drying operation is preferably performed by alternating between weak heating operation (heating operation for internal drying operation) and fan operation (fan operation for internal drying operation), for example, fan operation is performed for 3 minutes, followed by weak heating operation for 3 minutes. The fan operation and weak heating operation are performed a total of 10 times each, and the internal drying operation is performed for a total of 60 minutes.

[0079] When the internal drying operation is set by the control unit 107, the control unit 107 rotates the fan 33 at the set rotation speed (predetermined rotation speed) for the internal drying operation, while instructing the outdoor unit 20 (outdoor control unit 207) to stop (OFF) the compressor 22 as the 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 the weak heating operation (which has a lower heating capacity than 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.

[0080] Although the cooling operation for forming condensation inside the case is followed by the air blowing operation for forming condensation inside the case, the heating operation for forming condensation inside the case may be carried out after the cooling operation for forming condensation inside the case. This heating operation for condensation inside the case is a weak heating operation (with a lower heating capacity than normal heating operation, preferably the lowest heating capacity), which causes the temperature of the heat exchanger 34 to rise slightly more than at the end of the cooling operation for condensation inside the case, but the fan 33 and guide surface portion 45 remain at almost low temperatures.

[0081] In this state, the air outside the case 40 containing moisture flows into the case 40 . The air that flows in first hits the heat exchanger 34, but since the temperature of the heat exchanger 34 is higher than during the operation of blowing air to form condensation inside the case, the temperature of the air after hitting the heat exchanger 34 is higher than during the operation of blowing air to form condensation inside the case. The air, which can contain more moisture due to its higher temperature, contains some of the moisture that has condensed on the heat exchanger 34 as humidity, and the humidity of the air after hitting the heat exchanger 34 becomes higher than during the fan operation for condensation inside the case.

[0082] This air, which contains more moisture than when operating the fan for condensation inside the case, hits the low-temperature fan 33 and guide surface 45, so that more condensation occurs on the fan 33 and guide surface 45 than when operating the fan for condensation inside the case, and the dirt and dust adhering to the fan 33 and guide surface 45 absorbs more condensed water. As a result, the dirt and dust adhering to the fan 33 containing a lot of moisture is removed by the brush part 76, and the air passage such as the guide surface part 45 where a lot of moisture has condensed is in a state of being wiped with water by the sheet 75, and the dirt and dust containing moisture are removed.

[0083] Although the cleaning mechanism has been described as including a guide surface cleaning mechanism and a fan cleaning mechanism that are driven together, they may be provided separately and driven independently. Furthermore, although the cleaning mechanism has been described as including both a guide surface cleaning mechanism and a fan cleaning mechanism, it may also be provided with only one of them. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 10 Air conditioner 33 Fan (indoor fan) 40 cases 41 Air intake 42 Air outlet 45 Guide surface 50 Cleaning mechanism 60 Drive unit 61 Motor 62 Driving force transmission section 74 Wiping body 75 seats 76 Brush section 80 Estimation means 107, 207, 300 Control section AP air duct C axis

Claims

1. an air conditioning system comprising a case having an air intake port through which air can be taken in from outside and an air outlet port through which the taken-in air can be blown out to the outside; a fan rotatably supported in the case and which blows air by rotating; a guide surface portion formed in the case which guides the air blown by the fan towards the air outlet port; and a cleaning mechanism having a fan cleaning mechanism or a guide surface cleaning mechanism which cleans the guide surface portion, wherein the air conditioning system performs a cooling operation to prevent condensation inside the case after air conditioning operation has been completed, performs a fan blowing operation to prevent condensation inside the case after the cooling operation to prevent condensation inside the case has been completed, and performs a cleaning operation by the cleaning mechanism after the fan blowing operation to prevent condensation inside the case has been completed.

2. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the compressor is driven in a heating cycle during the air blowing operation for removing condensation inside the case.

3. 3. The air conditioning device according to claim 1, further comprising an estimation means for estimating whether the fan or the guide surface is at a temperature at which condensation can occur, and if the estimation means estimates that the fan or the guide surface is at or below the temperature at which condensation can occur, the air conditioning device performs a blowing operation for condensation inside the case instead of performing a cooling operation for condensation inside the case.

4. 4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein an internal drying operation is performed after the cleaning operation.

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