air conditioning unit

Abstract

To provide an air conditioning system capable of improving the quietness of a fan during cleaning and durability of a brush part.SOLUTION: An air conditioning system (10) includes a case (40) having an air intake port (41) and an air blowout port (42) opened to take in air and to blow out air to the outside, respectively, a fan (33) rotatably supported by the case (40) and adapted to be rotated to blow air, and a brush part (76) capable of removing dust adhered onto the fan (33). The brush part (76) is made to abut on the fan (33) being rotated, and the brush part (76) is warmed by performing heating operation before cleaning the fan (33) and an air passage (AP) at the same time, preferably.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner for adjusting the temperature indoors.

Background Art

[0002] Air conditioners are widely used to adjust the temperature indoors, such as in houses. As a conventional technique related to air conditioners, there is a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0003] As shown in Patent Document 1, an air conditioner has a case fixed to a wall, a fan housed in this case and rotating to blow air into the room, and a brush part provided so as to be able to abut on this fan for cleaning the fan.

[0004] According to the air conditioner, by rotating the fan with the brush part abutting on the fan, dust adhering to the fan can be removed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Generally, since the brush part abuts on the fan, when removing the dust adhering to the fan, noise (specifically, frictional noise) is generated inside the air conditioner. At the same time, when removing the dust adhering to the fan with the brush part, the brush part deteriorates.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of improving the quietness during cleaning of the fan and the durability of the brush part.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] According to this disclosure, an air conditioning device having an air intake that can take in air from the outside and an air outlet that can blow the taken-in air out to the outside, and a fan that is rotatably supported in this case and blows air by rotating, The air conditioning device has a brush section inside that can remove dust and debris adhering to the fan. An air conditioning device is provided, characterized in that, before the fan is rotated with the brush portion in contact with the fan, a heating operation is performed to warm the interior, including the brush portion.

[0009] Secondly, the air conditioning system described in the first, In cases where the fan is set to be automatically cleaned after the cooling or dehumidifying operation is stopped, it is preferable that the heating operation is performed after the cooling or dehumidifying operation is stopped, and immediately thereafter, the fan is cleaned by the brush.

[0010] Thirdly, the air conditioning system described in the first, When the cleaning of the fan is manually instructed, it is preferable that the heating operation is performed when the previous operating state is remembered as cooling or dehumidifying, and immediately thereafter, the cleaning of the fan is performed by the brush part.

[0011] Fourth, any one of the first to third air conditioning units, Before rotating the fan with the brush portion in contact with it, a fan operation is also performed to blow air into the interior, including the brush portion. The aforementioned heating operation is a low-power heating operation with a lower heating capacity than normal heating operation. With the brush portion in contact with the fan, before the fan is rotated, it is preferable that the fan operation and the weak heating operation are performed alternately multiple times, with the weak heating operation being the last one performed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] In the present invention, it is possible to provide an air conditioner capable of improving the quietness during cleaning of the fan and the durability of the brush part.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] [Figure 1] It is a diagram schematically showing an air conditioner according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view of the indoor unit shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view of a state where the fan is removed from the case used in the indoor unit shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] It is a cross-sectional view of the indoor unit shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the right side. [Figure 5] It is an enlarged view of the wiping mechanism shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 6] It is a cross-sectional view for explaining the wiping mechanism. [Figure 7] It is a control block diagram of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart diagram showing a control example of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 9] It is a timing chart diagram for explaining a control example for cleaning the air duct after the cooling operation when the automatic cleaning is ON (on). [Figure 10] It is a timing chart diagram for explaining a control example for cleaning the air duct after the heating operation when the automatic cleaning is ON (on). [Figure 11] It is a flowchart diagram showing a control example of the air conditioner according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 12] It is a timing chart diagram for explaining a control example for cleaning the air duct after the cooling operation when the automatic cleaning is OFF (off). [Figure 13] It is a timing chart diagram for explaining a control example for cleaning the air duct after the heating operation when the automatic cleaning is OFF (off).

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, Fr indicates the front, Rr indicates the rear, Le indicates the left, Ri indicates the right, Up indicates the top, and Dn indicates the bottom.

[0015] <Example 1> Refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows an air conditioner 10 according to the present invention. The air conditioner 10 has a cooling function for cooling the indoor space In and a heating function for heating the indoor space In.

[0016] Also, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 7, the air conditioner 10 includes a control unit 300, and the control unit 300 can perform cooling and heating operations.

[0017] In FIG. 1, the air conditioner 10 includes an outdoor unit 20 provided outdoors Ou and an indoor unit 30 provided indoors In. The outdoor unit 20 and the indoor unit 30 are connected to each other so that refrigerant can circulate. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the direction of refrigerant circulation is based on the cooling operation.

[0018] The outdoor unit 20 includes a four-way switching valve 21 that switches the direction of refrigerant circulation during cooling and heating operations, a compressor 22 through which the refrigerant passing through the four-way switching valve 21 flows and compresses the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 23 through which the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 and having become high-temperature and high-pressure flows, an outdoor fan 24 that blows air toward the outdoor heat exchanger 23, and an expansion valve 25 that decompresses the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 23.

[0019] The indoor unit 30 is used by being hung on a wall Wa indoors In. The case 40 of the indoor unit 30 is fixed to the wall Wa via a support plate. In the case 40 extending in the left-right direction, a fan 33 that takes in the air indoors In into the case 40 and blows air into the indoor space In, a heat exchanger 34 that exchanges heat with the air taken in by the fan 33, and a wiping mechanism 50 that can wipe off dust adhering to the inside of the case 40 are housed.

[0020] <S During cooling operation, the refrigerant, which has been heated to high temperature and pressure by the compressor 22, exchanges heat with the outside air in the outdoor heat exchanger 23 and releases heat. At this time, the outdoor fan 24 operates to forcibly circulate the outside air around the outer perimeter of the outdoor heat exchanger 23, promoting heat exchange. The refrigerant that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 23 and released heat is depressurized in the expansion valve 25, and its temperature drops. The refrigerant with reduced temperature is sent to the indoor unit 30.

[0021] Air is introduced into the case 40 of the indoor unit 30 by the operation of the fan 33. The introduced air passes around the outer perimeter of the heat exchanger 34 and is blown into the indoor air intake. The heat exchanger 34 is supplied with refrigerant that has been cooled in the outdoor unit 20. The air passing around the outer perimeter of the heat exchanger 34 exchanges heat with the refrigerant and is cooled. The cooled air is then blown into the indoor air intake.

[0022] During heating operation, the four-way switching valve 21 switches the refrigerant flow path, circulating the refrigerant in the opposite direction to that during cooling operation.

[0023] Refer to Figure 2. An air intake 41 is provided on the top surface of the case 40, allowing air to be taken in from the outside (indoors). An air outlet 42 is provided on the lower front of the case 40, allowing air to be blown out to the outside (indoors). The air outlet 42 is equipped with an upper and lower louver 36 that can be opened and closed, and also allows the direction of air to be adjusted vertically.

[0024] Refer to Figures 3 and 4. In addition, behind the upper and lower louvers 36 (see Figure 2), left and right louvers 37 are provided, which can adjust the direction of airflow in the left and right directions. The case 40 has a case body 43 that rotatably supports the fan 33, and a cover 44 that is fixed to the case body 43 and covers a part of the case body 43.

[0025] The case 40 has a guide surface portion 45 that guides the air blown by the fan 33 toward the air outlet 42 (see Figure 2). The guide surface portion 45 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the case 40, in the direction in which the axis C of the fan 33 extends. Hereinafter, the space between the fan 33 and the guide surface portion 45 will be referred to as the air passage AP through which the blown air flows.

[0026] The guide surface portion 45 is formed by the front surface of the case body portion 43 and the front surface of the cover portion 44. Hereinafter, the portion of the guide surface portion 45 that is composed of the case body portion 43 may be referred to as the body-side guide surface portion 43a, and the portion that is composed of the cover portion 44 may be referred to as the cover-side guide surface portion 44a. When referring to the guide surface portion 45, it includes both the body-side guide surface portion 43a and the cover-side guide surface portion 44a.

[0027] The case body 43 has a transmission unit housing 43b in which a part of the wiping mechanism 50 is housed.

[0028] Refer to Figures 4 and 5. The transmission unit housing 43b is a portion that protrudes to the rear in a roughly U-shape at the lower part of the case body 43, and is formed along the longitudinal direction of the case body 43. The front of the transmission unit housing 43b is covered by the cover 44.

[0029] The cover portion 44 has ribs 44b that protrude from the back surface of the cover-side guide surface portion 44a toward the transmission portion housing portion 43b, reinforcing the cover portion 44.

[0030] A gap portion Sp, which is a gap at a predetermined interval, is formed between the case body portion 43 and the cover portion 44. The gap portion Sp is formed with approximately the same width and extends along the longitudinal direction of the case.

[0031] The wiping mechanism 50 includes a drive unit 60 and a wiping unit 70 that is driven by the drive unit 60 and is movable along the guide surface 45, and is capable of wiping away dust adhering to the guide surface 45.

[0032] Refer to Figure 6. The drive unit 60 includes a motor 61 located at the right end of the case 40 and operated by energizing it, and a drive force transmission unit 62 connected to the motor 61 and transmitting the driving force of the motor 61 to the wiping unit 70. The motor 61 may also be located at the left end.

[0033] The drive force transmission unit 62 is housed in the transmission unit housing 43b. The drive force transmission unit 62 includes a gear section 62a that is capable of transmitting the drive force of the motor 61 and is composed of multiple gears, a drive pulley 62b that is integrally provided with the gear section 62a and rotates together with the rotation of the gear section 62a, and a support transmission unit 62c that is displaced by the rotation of the drive pulley 62b and supports the wiping unit 70.

[0034] Furthermore, the drive force transmission section 62 has a driven pulley provided at the end of the case body section 43 opposite to the end where the drive pulley 62b is provided.

[0035] A toothed rope (synchronous mesh rope) can be used for the support transmission section 62c. The support transmission section 62c is stretched in an annular manner between the drive pulley 62b and the driven pulley, which are provided at both the left and right ends of the case body section 43, respectively. It can also be said that both ends of the rope-like support transmission section 62c are connected to the wiping section 70, forming an annular structure.

[0036] Refer to Figure 4. The wiping unit 70 includes a driven unit 71 connected to the support transmission unit 62c and driven in the left-right direction by the operation of the drive unit 60, a first guide roller 72 rotatably supported by the driven unit 71 with its upper surface abutting against the transmission unit housing 43b, a second guide roller 73 rotatably supported by the driven unit 71 with its side surface abutting against the rib 44b, a wiping body unit 74 integrally formed at the tip of the driven unit 71 and having a shape along the guide surface unit 45, a sheet 75 provided on the wiping body unit 74 and abutting against the guide surface unit 45, and a brush unit 76 extending from the wiping body unit 74 toward the fan 33 with its tip abutting against the fan 33.

[0037] The driven part 71 is connected to both ends of the wire-shaped support transmission part 62c. This connects the wiping part 70 and the drive part 60. The tip of the driven part 71 passes through the gap part Sp and faces the air supply passage AP.

[0038] The wiping unit 70 and the drive unit 60 may be connected by a magnet with the guide surface 45 in between.

[0039] The lower surface of the first guide roller 72 may be in contact with the transmission unit housing 43b. The right side of the second guide roller 73 may also be in contact with the transmission unit housing 43b. If the rib 44b is formed in a position that allows it to contact the second guide roller 73, the rib 44b, which reinforces the cover portion 44, can guide the second guide roller 73.

[0040] The sheet 75 can be made of nonwoven fabric, sponge, or the like. The sheet 75 is detachably attached to the wiping body 74.

[0041] The brush section 76 is provided so as to be able to swing in the front-rear direction relative to the wiping body section 74.

[0042] Next, we will explain how the cleaning of the guide surface 45 and the fan 33 by the wiping mechanism 50 will be performed.

[0043] Refer to Figure 6. For example, the air conditioning unit 10 starts cleaning after receiving a stop signal or a cleaning instruction signal from an operator. First, when the motor 61 is activated, the gear unit 62a and the drive pulley 62b rotate. When the drive pulley 62b rotates, the wiping unit 70, which is provided on the support transmission unit 62c, moves in the left-right direction.

[0044] Refer to Figures 4 and 5. The sheet 75 is in contact with the guide surface 45, and the brush part 76 is in contact with the fan 33. In this state, as the wiping part 70 moves along the gap Sp, dust adhering to the guide surface 45 is wiped away by the sheet 75, and dust adhering to the fan 33 is also wiped away by the brush part 76. At this time, all the blades can be cleaned by keeping the fan 33 rotating.

[0045] Since both a sheet 75 and a brush section 76 are provided on the wiping main body 74, the sheet 75 and the brush section 76 are positioned close together. Therefore, the brush section 76 can drop dust from the fan 33 onto the guide surface section 45, and the sheet 75 can wipe it away.

[0046] Since the left and right louvers 37 (see Figure 3) are installed downstream of the airflow of the wiping mechanism 50, it is difficult to reach into the air passage AP between the fan 33 and the guide surface 45 to clean it. Therefore, by providing a wiping mechanism 50 that can move along the guide surface 45, dust adhering to the guide surface 45 can be easily removed.

[0047] Next, we will explain the features of the air conditioning unit 10 (wiping mechanism 50).

[0048] Refer to Figure 2. The air conditioning unit 10 includes a case 40 with 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 to the outside, and a fan 33 that is rotatably supported in the case 40 and blows air by rotating.

[0049] Refer to Figure 5. The case 40 also has a guide surface 45 formed along the direction in which the axis C of the fan 33 extends, which guides the air blown by the fan 33 toward the air outlet 42 (see Figure 2). It also has a wiping mechanism 50 that can wipe away dust adhering to the guide surface 45.

[0050] The wiping mechanism 50 includes a wiping body 74 that can move along the guide surface 45, a sheet 75 that is detachably attached to the wiping body 74 and can wipe away dust adhering to the guide surface 45, and a brush 76 that extends from the wiping body 74 to the fan 33 and can clean the fan 33.

[0051] The air passage AP between the fan 33 and the guide surface 45 is difficult to access and clean, and dust tends to accumulate there. By providing a wiping mechanism 50 that can move along the guide surface 45, dust adhering to the guide surface 45 can be wiped away, and an air conditioning system that allows the guide surface 45 to be cleaned can be provided.

[0052] In particular, the air conditioning unit 10 having louvers 36 and 37 (see Figure 2) is difficult to access because the louvers 36 and 37 are located at the front lower part of the air duct AP. The wiping mechanism 50 is especially preferable for the air conditioning unit 10 having louvers 36 and 37.

[0053] Furthermore, the wiping body 74 is equipped with a brush section 76 for cleaning the fan 33, in addition to the sheet 75. Because both the sheet 75 and the brush section 76 are provided in the wiping body 74, the sheet 75 and the brush section 76 are positioned close together. Therefore, the brush section 76 can dislodge dust from the fan 33 onto the guide surface 45, which is then wiped away by the sheet 75.

[0054] Refer to Figures 5 and 6. The wiping mechanism 50 further includes a drive unit 60 for driving the wiping body 74. The drive unit 60 includes a motor 61 that operates when energized, and a drive force transmission unit 62 connected to the motor 61 that transmits the driving force of the motor 61 to the wiping body 74. The drive force transmission unit 62 (support transmission unit 62c) extends substantially parallel to the axis C of the fan 33. Typically, the air conditioning unit 10 is long in the direction along the axis C of the fan 33 (left-right direction). By extending the drive force transmission unit 62 substantially parallel to the axis C, cleaning can be performed while moving the wiping unit 70 in the longitudinal direction. When moving the wiping unit 70 in the width direction (up-down direction), it is necessary to provide the wiping unit 70 along the longitudinal direction. For this reason, the wiping unit 70 can be made smaller compared to when the wiping unit 70 is moved in the width direction.

[0055] Furthermore, since the wiping body 74 is equipped with a sheet 75 and a brush 76, cleaning can be performed by moving a single wiping body 74. Because there is only one wiping body 74, only one drive unit 60 is needed. There is no need to provide separate drive units for driving the sheet 75 and the brush 76. This simplifies the configuration of the air conditioning unit 10 and reduces component costs.

[0056] Refer to Figure 7. Below, we will describe one example configuration of the control unit 300 (107, 207) of the air conditioning system 10. The control unit 300 is composed of, for example, two control units (a first control unit and a second control unit), which in Figure 7 are the control unit 107 (indoor control unit) and the outdoor control unit 207.

[0057] The indoor unit 30 in Figure 7 (or Figure 1) may be equipped with an input unit 301, which is, for example, a remote control input unit (remote controller input unit) such as 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 (operating mode) via a remote control (remote controller) not shown. Accordingly, the control unit 107 can set cooling operation or heating operation as the operating mode via the input unit 301 or the remote control input unit. Specifically, when the operator presses, for example, the 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 the selection of cooling operation, and sets the control unit 107 to cooling operation.

[0058] The control unit 107 is, for example, a microcontroller (microcomputer) composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., but is not limited to this. When the control unit 107 is a microcontroller, the ROM can store a program that causes the CPU to perform a predetermined operation, and the RAM can form the CPU's work area. In addition, the ROM can store the operation set in the control unit 107 and the data necessary to perform that operation.

[0059] When the control unit 107 is a microcontroller, the control unit 107 has a memory unit (not shown) inside it. However, the air conditioning system 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 and 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).

[0060] When cooling operation is set in the control unit 107, the control unit 107 can instruct the outdoor unit 300 (outdoor control unit 207 via wiring 109 or signal line) to start cooling operation. Next, when the operator presses, for example, a heating button (not shown) on the remote control, the control unit 107 is set to heating operation, and the control unit 107 can instruct the outdoor unit 300 (outdoor control unit 207) to start heating operation. Alternatively, when the operator presses, for example, a stop button (not shown) on the remote control, the control unit 107 is set to stop the currently running mode (e.g., cooling operation or heating operation), and the control unit 107 can instruct the outdoor unit 300 (outdoor control unit 207) to stop the cooling operation or heating operation.

[0061] The remote control may have, for example, a temperature setting button (not shown), and the indoor unit 30 may have, for example, a detection unit (temperature sensor) for detecting the room temperature, and the temperature set by the operator may be set in the control unit 107. In this case, the control unit 107 may adjust the rotation speed of the fan 33 (cooling rotation speed, heating rotation speed, etc.) according to the room temperature, for example. Preferably, the control unit 107 is set to a set temperature, and the control unit 107 can adjust the rotation speed of the fan 33 (cooling rotation speed, heating rotation speed, etc.) according to the difference between the room temperature and the set temperature, for example.

[0062] Preferably, the remote control has, for example, an automatic cleaning setting button (not shown), and the operator's operation (turning automatic cleaning ON or OFF) is set in the control unit 107. When automatic cleaning is ON, for example when cooling or heating operation is stopped, the indoor unit 30 can prepare or start removing dust adhering to at least the fan 33. In other words, instead of a wiping mechanism 50 having a sheet 75 capable of wiping dust adhering to the guide surface 45, the indoor unit 30 may simply be equipped with a cleaning mechanism (first cleaning mechanism) having a brush part 76 capable of cleaning the fan 33.

[0063] Preferably, the cleaning mechanism (first cleaning mechanism) is a wiping mechanism 50, and when automatic cleaning (start mode of the wiping mechanism 50) is ON (automatic), for example when cooling or heating operation is stopped, the indoor unit 30 prepares or starts not only to remove dust adhering to the fan 33, but also to remove dust adhering to the guide surface 45 (air passage AP between the fan 33 and the guide surface 45).

[0064] Preferably, the air conditioning unit 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 300 to perform the internal drying operation. Preferably, the internal drying operation alternates between a weak heating operation (heating operation for internal drying operation) and a fan operation (fan operation for internal drying operation). For example, the fan operation is performed for 3 minutes, followed by a weak heating operation for 3 minutes. The fan operation and weak heating operation are each performed a total of 10 times, and the internal drying operation is performed for a total of 60 minutes.

[0065] Refer to Figures 8, 9, and 10. The control of the control unit 300 (107, 207) of the air conditioning unit 10 will be explained in the case where the indoor unit 30 is equipped with a wiping mechanism 50 having a sheet 75 and a brush part 76 as a cleaning mechanism (first cleaning mechanism), and the control unit 107 is set to turn on automatic cleaning as an operation from the operator, in other words, when the setting is made so that the air passage AP (fan 33 and guide surface part 45) is automatically cleaned after the cooling operation, dehumidification operation, or heating operation is stopped.

[0066] When the cleaning of the air passage AP between the fan 33 and the guide surface 45 is set to automatic, for example, when the operator presses the stop button on the remote control, the operation stop signal generated by the remote control is input to or received by the input unit 301. When the cooling operation set in the control unit 107 is stopped, the control unit 107 is set to internal drying.

[0067] For example, the control unit 107 may determine whether or not cooling operation (or dehumidification operation) has been performed for a predetermined period of time. For example, after cooling operation (or dehumidification operation) has been performed for 10 minutes or more, the control unit 107 may alternately switch between fan operation and weak heating operation every 3 minutes, for example, to perform internal drying operation for a total of 60 minutes.

[0068] During cooling (or dehumidifying) operation, condensation may occur on the indoor unit 30. Therefore, the internal drying operation dries the fan 33, air passage AP, etc., and warms the brush section 76. On the other hand, if heating operation is being performed, condensation does not occur on the indoor unit 30. Therefore, if the heating operation set in the control unit 107 is stopped, internal drying is not set in the control unit 107.

[0069] When internal drying operation is set in the control unit 107, the control unit 107 rotates the fan 33 at a set rotation speed (predetermined rotation speed) and instructs the outdoor unit 300 (outdoor control unit 207) to stop (turn off) the compressor 22 as a fan operation. After, for example, 3 minutes, the control unit 107 instructs the outdoor unit 300 (outdoor control unit 207) to start (ON: preferably at the lowest rotation speed or lowest frequency of the compressor) the compressor 22 as a weak heating operation (with a lower heating capacity than normal heating operation, preferably with the lowest heating capacity). After, for example, a total of 60 minutes of internal drying operation (for example, the last 10 weak heating operations) has been performed, the compressor 22 is stopped (turned off), the rotation speed of the fan 33 is controlled toward zero, and the control unit 107 terminates the internal drying operation.

[0070] Furthermore, the low-power heating operation is any heating operation that warms the inside of the indoor unit 30, including the brush section 76. Here, the low-power heating operation is not limited to an operation that blows warm air into the room, as in a normal heating operation. Specifically, during the low-power heating operation, the control unit 107 may operate the louvers (up and down louvers 36) that can open and close the air outlet 42 to close the air outlet 42. In other words, the low-power heating operation may be a heating operation that does not blow air into the room. Moreover, the heating operation in the internal drying operation (a heating operation that warms the inside of the indoor unit 30, including the brush section 76) is not limited to a low-power heating operation, but may be an operation similar to a normal heating operation.

[0071] After the internal drying operation is completed, or after the heating operation is stopped, the control unit 107 starts moving the wiping unit 70 to the left with the drive unit 60 (motor 61) and drives the fan 33 at an extremely low rotational speed (for example, 50 rpm) to remove dust adhering to the fan 33 and the air passage AP (starting air passage cleaning).

[0072] When the airflow path cleaning is initiated, the wiping unit 70 moves from the right end to the left end of the fan 33, and then when the brush unit 76 reaches the left end of the fan 33, more specifically, when the motor 61, which is composed of a stepping motor, is rotated counterclockwise for, for example, 5000 pulses, the control unit 107 rotates the motor 61 in the reverse direction, for, for example, clockwise, for 5000 pulses, to move 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 terminates (turns off) the drive of the wiping unit 70 and also terminates (turns off) the drive of the fan 33 (ending the airflow path cleaning).

[0073] Before the air duct cleaning begins, the brush portion 76, which had become cold (hardened) during the cooling operation prior to the internal drying operation, is warmed by a weak heating operation during the internal drying operation. The brush portion 76 is typically made of synthetic fibers or the like, and the weak heating operation softens the brush portion 76. This reduces the friction noise inside the indoor unit 30 that occurs when the brush portion 76 comes into contact with the fan 33. At the same time, it reduces the deterioration of the brush portion 76 that occurs when the brush portion 76 comes into contact with the fan 33.

[0074] <Example 2> Next, Example 2 will be described. The air conditioning unit 10 (indoor unit 30) generally has a filter (not shown) inside the air intake 41 that can take in outside air, for example, on the front side of the heat exchanger 34. The indoor unit 30 according to Example 2 has an automatic cleaning mechanism for the filter (air filter) (second cleaning mechanism) in addition to the parts common to Example 1. Since the automatic cleaning mechanism for the filter is a well-known configuration (for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-84338, etc.), a detailed description thereof will be omitted in this specification. For parts common to Example 1, the same reference numerals will be used and a detailed description thereof will also be omitted.

[0075] Refer to Figures 11, 12, and 13. When the indoor unit 30 is equipped with a cleaning mechanism (first cleaning mechanism and second cleaning mechanism) consisting of a wiping mechanism 50 having a sheet 75 and a brush part 76, and an automatic filter cleaning mechanism, and the control unit 107 is set to OFF (off) as an operation by the operator, the control of the control unit 300 (107, 207) of the air conditioning unit 10 differs mainly from that of Embodiment 1 and will be described below.

[0076] Specifically, when an operator presses, for example, a manual cleaning button (not shown) on the remote control, in other words, when cleaning of the fan 33 is manually instructed and operated, a signal indicating the selection of filter cleaning is transmitted from the remote control, the remote control input unit receives this signal, the control unit 107 recognizes or determines the selection of filter cleaning, and sets the control unit 107 to filter cleaning (an instruction to perform filter cleaning before performing air duct cleaning: specifically, an instruction to activate (ON) the automatic filter cleaning mechanism (second cleaning mechanism) before activating (ON) the air duct AP cleaning mechanism (first cleaning mechanism)).

[0077] The control unit 107 activates (turns on) the automatic filter cleaning mechanism (second cleaning mechanism). As an example, as disclosed in the abstract of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-84338, the automatic cleaning mechanism (second cleaning mechanism) is configured to send the filter to a first space (between the rear plate and the filter guide plate) to remove debris attached to the filter, and the second space (between the filter guide plate and the rear plate) can be configured as a dust chute to which the debris removed by the automatic cleaning mechanism falls and accumulates. The automatic cleaning mechanism (second cleaning mechanism) may have, for example, a filter drive unit (not shown), a filter cleaning brush (not shown), etc., to automatically clean the filter. The control unit 107 completes the cleaning of the filter in, for example, 7 minutes.

[0078] If the previous operating state is remembered as cooling before filter cleaning is set in the control unit 107, the control unit 107 will perform an internal drying operation for a total of 60 minutes, for example. On the other hand, if the previous operating state is remembered as heating before filter cleaning is set in the control unit 107, the control unit 107 will not perform an internal drying operation.

[0079] As shown in Figure 11 (if the previous operating state memory is cooling, filter cleaning → internal drying → air duct cleaning is performed; if the previous operating state memory is heating, filter cleaning → air duct cleaning is performed), after the completion of the internal drying operation when the previous operating state memory is cooling, or after the stop of filter cleaning when the previous operating state memory is heating, the control unit 107 starts air duct cleaning (after cleaning the filter) to remove dust adhering to the fan 33 and air duct AP. If the previous operating state memory is cooling, cleaning is performed starting from the filter at the top of the indoor unit 30, and then the fan 33 and air duct AP at the bottom of the indoor unit 30 are cleaned. This cleaning sequence (cleaning the filter first, then cleaning the air duct) allows for efficient removal of dust that has traveled from the indoor unit 30's filter towards the fan 33 and air duct AP. In other words, by cleaning the filter first, dust that has fallen from the filter into the airflow passage (AP) can be removed by cleaning the airflow passage. Therefore, this cleaning order is an efficient cleaning sequence.

[0080] <Variation> In Examples 1 and 2, the compressor 22 remains stopped (OFF) during air duct cleaning. However, the air conditioning unit 10 can perform a weak heating operation during air duct cleaning. Specifically, in Figures 8 and 11, the air conditioning unit 10 can perform air duct cleaning while performing a weak heating operation while cleaning the air duct AP. This warms the brush section 76, which can more reliably improve the quietness of the fan 33 during cleaning and the durability of the brush section 67.

[0081] Although the air conditioning system according to the present invention has been described using an air conditioning system equipped with both cooling and heating functions as an example, it is also applicable to systems that have only a cooling function, for example. Furthermore, the present invention is applicable not only to air conditioning systems consisting of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, but also to air conditioning systems in which these are integrated.

[0082] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, provided that it achieves the functions and effects of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0083] This invention is suitable for household air conditioning systems. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0084] 10...Air conditioner 33... Fan (indoor fan) 40...cases 41... Air intake 42... Air outlet 45... Guide surface 50... Wiping mechanism 60…Drive unit 61…motor 62...Drive force transmission section 74... Wiping main unit 75...sheets 76... Brush part 107, 207, 300… Control Unit AP...Air duct C…Axis line

Claims

1. In an air conditioning system having a case with an air intake that can take in air from the outside and an air outlet that can blow the taken-in air out to the outside, and a fan that is rotatably supported in this case and blows air by rotating, The case has a guide surface portion formed along the direction in which the axis of the fan extends, which guides the air blown by the fan toward the air outlet. The air conditioning device has a brush section capable of removing dust adhering to the fan, and a sheet made of nonwoven fabric or sponge that is detachably attached to the wiping body and capable of wiping dust adhering to the guide surface, inside the air conditioning device. Before rotating the fan with the brush portion in contact with it, a heating operation is performed to warm the interior, including the brush portion. An air conditioning device characterized in that the sheet wipes away dust and debris that has been dropped from the fan onto the guide surface by the brush portion.

2. The air conditioning device according to claim 1, in which the device is set to automatically clean the fan after the cooling or dehumidifying operation is stopped, the heating operation is performed after the cooling or dehumidifying operation is stopped, and immediately thereafter the fan is cleaned by the brush unit.

3. The air conditioning device according to claim 1, wherein, when the cleaning of the fan is manually instructed, if the memory of the previous operating state is cooling or dehumidifying, the heating operation is performed, and immediately thereafter, the cleaning of the fan is performed by the brush part.

4. Before rotating the fan with the brush portion in contact with it, a fan operation is also performed to blow air into the interior, including the brush portion. The aforementioned heating operation is a low-power heating operation with a lower heating capacity than normal heating operation. The air conditioning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, before the fan is rotated with the brush portion in contact with the fan, the fan operation and the weak heating operation are performed alternately multiple times, with the weak heating operation being performed last.

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