Air conditioners

Abstract

The air conditioner comprises a housing, a drain pan provided in the housing for receiving drain water generated inside the housing, a discharge section provided in the housing and having an inlet for sucking in drain water accumulated in the drain pan and discharging the drain water from the inlet, and a water level detection section for detecting when the drain water has reached a set water level above the inlet of the discharge section.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner that detects poor drainage of drain water. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, air conditioners that detect drainage failures are known. Generally, among abnormalities that occur in the drain pan, drainage failures caused by biofilms and the like are likely to occur especially in the summer. Examples of drainage failures include drain pipe blockages and poor rotation of the drain pump, which prevent the drain water from being drained smoothly. When drainage failures occur, the drain water level in the drain pan rises. Here, the air conditioner is set to stop operation when the drain water reaches a preset water level in the drain pan. Therefore, when drainage failures occur and the drain water level rises and reaches the preset water level, the air conditioner is forcibly stopped. In this case, unexpected maintenance such as cleaning of the drain pan and drain pipe is required. When drainage failures occur intensively in the summer, the maintenance load increases accordingly.

[0003] Conventionally, as a technique for notifying the occurrence of poor drainage before the air conditioner is forcibly stopped, it is known to detect the water level of drain water based on the operating state of the drain discharge means that discharges the drain water. Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner in which an ultrasonic water level sensor is provided above the drain pan. Patent Document 1 also discloses an air conditioner in which a capacitive water level sensor is provided on the outer wall side of the drain pan. All of these water level sensors detect continuous water level changes without contact. Patent Document 1 determines the presence or absence of poor drainage occurring in the drain pan by comparing the operating state of the drain discharge means with the water level change during normal operation. Here, Patent Document 1 starts the drain water discharge means when there is no drain water in the drain pan due to evaporation, and compares the operating state of the drain discharge means with the water level change during normal operation. Patent Document 1 also discloses that when the drain discharge means is stopped, the water level change of the returned water is compared with the water level change during normal operation. This notifies the occurrence of poor drainage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-96002 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the air conditioner disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot detect the occurrence of poor drainage during start-up from when drain water is present until the water level stabilizes immediately after the drain discharge means is operated, during continuous operation, during heating operation and fan operation when drain water is less frequently generated, etc. In other words, since Patent Document 1 does not detect poor drainage at all times while the air conditioner is operating, there is a risk that the drain water level will reach a preset level and the air conditioner will stop operating before poor drainage is detected, resulting in a delayed recognition of the occurrence of poor drainage. The user or administrator will not be able to recognize the occurrence of poor drainage until the air conditioner stops operating, which may require unexpected maintenance.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an air conditioner that does not require unexpected maintenance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The air conditioner according to the present disclosure includes a housing, a drain pan provided in the housing to receive drain water generated inside the housing, and a discharge section provided in the housing and having an inlet port for sucking in drain water accumulated in the drain pan and discharging the drain water from the inlet port. At the start of operation, and a water level detection unit that detects whether the drain water has reached a set water level above the suction port of the discharge unit. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, the set water level of the water level detection unit is located above the suction port of the discharge unit. When poor drainage of drain water occurs, the drain water is difficult to discharge, regardless of whether drain water has previously accumulated in the drain pan, and the water level rises above the suction port. Therefore, when the water level detection unit detects that the drain water has reached the set water level, it can be determined that poor drainage of drain water is occurring. In this way, poor drainage of drain water can be detected regardless of the timing, such as when starting operation, during operation, or when operation is stopped. Therefore, unexpected maintenance is not required. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a circuit diagram showing an air conditioner according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing how a water level is detected in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a water level detection section according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in water level when there is drain water on the drain pan at the start of cooling operation of the air conditioner in embodiment 1, and the water level of the drain water differs between when poor drainage is not occurring and when poor drainage is occurring. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in water level when there is drain water on the drain pan at the start of cooling operation of the air conditioner in embodiment 1, and the water level of the drain water is approximately the same when poor drainage is not occurring and when poor drainage is occurring. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in water level when poor drainage is not occurring and when poor drainage is occurring in a state where there is almost no drain water on the drain pan when the air conditioner starts operating in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in water level when poor drainage does not occur and when poor drainage occurs after the air conditioner has been operated for a predetermined period of time in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in water level when poor drainage does not occur and when poor drainage occurs when the discharge section operates after the air conditioner is stopped in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing how a water level is detected in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in water level when there is drain water on the drain pan at the start of cooling operation of the air conditioner in embodiment 2, and the water level of the drain water is approximately the same when poor drainage is not occurring and when poor drainage is occurring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the air conditioner of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment described below. Also, in the following drawings, including FIG. 1, the size relationship of each component may differ from the actual one. Also, in the following description, terms indicating directions are used as appropriate to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, but these terms are for explaining the present disclosure and do not limit the present disclosure. Examples of terms indicating directions include "up", "down", "right", "left", "front" and "rear".

[0011] Embodiment 1 Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an air conditioner 40 according to the first embodiment. The air conditioner 40 is a device that adjusts the air in an indoor space, and as shown in Fig. 1, is provided with an outdoor unit 41 and an indoor unit 42. The outdoor unit 41 is provided with, for example, a compressor 50, a flow path switching device 45, an outdoor heat exchanger 46, an outdoor blower 47, and an expansion section 48. The indoor unit 42 is provided with, for example, a heat exchanger 4, an indoor blower 49, and a control device 30.

[0012] The compressor 50, the flow path switching device 45, the outdoor heat exchanger 46, the expansion section 48, and the heat exchanger 4 are connected by the refrigerant piping 44 to form the refrigerant circuit 43. The compressor 50 sucks in a refrigerant in a low temperature and low pressure state, compresses the sucked refrigerant, and discharges it as a refrigerant in a high temperature and high pressure state. The compressor 50 is, for example, a capacity-controllable inverter compressor. The flow path switching device 45 switches the direction in which the refrigerant flows in the refrigerant circuit 43, and is, for example, a four-way valve. The outdoor heat exchanger 46 exchanges heat between, for example, outdoor air and the refrigerant. The outdoor heat exchanger 46 acts as a condenser during cooling operation and acts as an evaporator during heating operation. The expansion section 48 is a pressure reducing valve or an expansion valve that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant and expands it. The expansion section 48 is, for example, an electronic expansion valve whose opening is adjusted.

[0013] The heat exchanger 4 exchanges heat between, for example, indoor air and a refrigerant. The heat exchanger 4 acts as an evaporator during cooling operation and as a condenser during heating operation. The indoor blower 49 is a device that sends indoor air to the heat exchanger 4.

[0014] The air conditioner 40 does not have to have the flow path switching device 45. In this case, the air conditioner 40 becomes a dedicated cooling machine or a dedicated heating machine.

[0015] (Water level detection) Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing how the water level is detected according to the first embodiment. Next, detection of the water level will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, inside the housing 20 of the indoor unit 42, in addition to the heat exchanger 4 and the control device 30, a drain pan 1, a discharge section 2, a drain pipe 5, a humidifier 14, and a water level detection section 3 are provided. The drain pan 1 receives drain water 9 generated inside the housing 20. The drain pan 1 is provided below the heat exchanger 4 and the humidifier, and receives condensed water 10 generated in the heat exchanger 4 and the humidifier 14.

[0016] The discharge section 2 discharges drain water 9 accumulated in the drain pan 1, and is provided above the drain pan 1. A suction port 12 is formed at the bottom of the discharge section 2, and the suction port 12 sucks in the drain water 9 accumulated in the drain pan 1. When the level of the drain water 9 accumulated in the drain pan 1 becomes higher than the position of the suction port 12, the discharge section 2 sucks in the drain water 9 from the suction port 12. The discharge section 2 discharges the drain water 9 sucked in from the suction port 12 to the drain pipe 5. The drain pipe 5 is connected to the discharge section 2, and the drain water 9 discharged from the discharge section 2 flows through the drain pipe 5. The humidifier 14 is attached to the wall surface of the drain pan 1.

[0017] The water level detection unit 3 is of a float switch type (ON / OFF switch) that employs a reed switch. The water level detection unit 3 may be of a type that continuously detects the water level, such as a capacitance type or an ultrasonic type. The water level detection unit 3 may detect the water level by contacting the drain water 9, or may detect the water level without contacting the drain water 9. The water level detection unit 3 detects water levels at least at two points. This embodiment 1 illustrates a case in which the water level detection unit 3 detects water levels at two points.

[0018] The water level detection unit 3 detects the default water level and the set water level. The default water level is the upper of the two points, and is set at a position near where the drain water 9 remaining in the drain pan 1 is full. When the water level detection unit 3 detects that the drain water 9 has reached the default water level, the air conditioner 40 stops operation. This makes it possible to prevent the drain water 9 from leaking from the drain pan 1. The set water level is the lower of the two points, and is located above the intake port 12 formed in the discharge unit 2. The water level detection unit 3 is not limited to a location on the drain pan 1 as long as it can detect the water level of the drain water 9. Here, the drain water 9 generated during cooling operation is the condensed water 10 generated in the heat exchanger 4 or the humidifier 14, as described above.

[0019] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the water level detection unit 3 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the water level detection unit 3 has a lower float 3A and an upper float 3B, each of which surrounds an axis 3C. The lower float 3A is used to determine the occurrence of poor drainage, and the upper float 3B is used to detect a full-water state in which the level of the drain water 9 in the drain pan 1 has reached a preset water level. When the upper float 3B is turned ON, the operation of the air conditioner 40 is stopped.

[0020] (Control device 30) Next, the control device 30 will be described. The control device 30 controls the operation of the air conditioner 40. Here, the hardware configuration of the control device 30 will be described. The control device 30 is composed of a processing circuit. The processing circuit is composed of dedicated hardware or a processor. The dedicated hardware is, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The processor executes a program stored in the memory. The control device 30 has a memory (not shown). The memory is a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, or an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), or a disk such as a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, or an optical disk.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 30 has a water level output means 6, a determination means 7, and a transmission means 8. The water level output means 6, the determination means 7, and the transmission means 8 are formed of, for example, algorithms. The water level output means 6 receives and outputs the detection result of the water level detection unit 3. The determination means 7 determines that poor drainage has occurred in the discharge unit 2 when the water level output means 6 outputs information that the drain water 9 has reached the set water level. Furthermore, the determination means 7 determines that poor drainage has occurred in the discharge unit 2 when the drain water 9 has reached the set water level when a predetermined time threshold has elapsed after the discharge unit 2 operates.

[0022] The transmitting means 8 transmits the determination result of the determining means 7 to the outside. The outside is, for example, a display unit 13 provided outside the air conditioner 40. The display unit 13 is, for example, a remote control or a display medium on the cloud. The user can recognize the determination result of poor drainage displayed on the display unit 13. This makes it possible to take early measures to deal with poor drainage of the drain water 9, before the drain water 9 remaining in the drain pan 1 due to poor drainage reaches a predetermined water level and operation of the air conditioner 40 stops.

[0023] (Cause of poor drainage) Next, causes of poor drainage will be described. One example of the cause of poor drainage is biofilm 11. Biofilm 11 is also called slime, and is a complex aggregate of bacteria or mold, sticky polysaccharides metabolized by bacteria or mold, and dirt components contained in the air. Since biofilm 11 is viscous, if it adheres to and accumulates on the wall surface of discharge section 2, drain pipe 5, or drain pan 1, drain water 9 cannot be discharged.

[0024] (Water level in drain pan) Next, the water level state of the drain pan 1 will be described. When the air conditioner 40 is in cooling operation, drain water 9 is generated from the heat exchanger 4 or the humidifier 14, and the drain water 9 is discharged by the discharge unit 2. Nevertheless, during cooling operation, the drain water 9 is always present on the drain pan 1. After that, when the air conditioner 40 stops operating and the discharge unit 2 stops operating, the drain water 9 that was present in the drain pipe 5 during the pumping of the drain water 9 flows back. As a result, the drain water 9 that was originally present on the drain pan 1 is added to the drain water 9 that was present in the drain pipe 5, and the water level of the drain water 9 on the drain pan 1 rises. If the air conditioner 40 is not operated for a long time after the air conditioner 40 is stopped, the drain water 9 remaining on the drain pan 1 gradually evaporates, and the drain water 9 is no longer present on the drain pan 1. Therefore, the state of the drain pan 1 at the start of cooling operation is either a state where drain water 9 is present despite evaporation, or a state where no drain water 9 is present due to complete evaporation. Also, the amount of drain water 9 present on the drain pan 1 is not always constant because it is affected by the operating conditions or the installation environment of the air conditioner 40.

[0025] (Detection of poor drainage when drain water 9 remains at the start of operation) Next, detection of occurrence of poor drainage under conditions at the start of operation when the air conditioner 40 is operated will be described. In this condition, the time between the previous stop of operation of the air conditioner 40 and the start of cooling operation of the air conditioner 40 is short, and evaporation of the drain water 9 on the drain pan 1 does not occur much. For this reason, the water level of the drain water 9 at the start of operation is above the suction port 12 of the discharge section 2. When the water level L is set above the position of the suction port of the drain water 9, that is, when the switch for switching ON / OFF is set on the lower float 3A (set water level), the lower float 3A of the water level detection section 3 at the start of operation is in the switch ON state. Here, there are cases where the water level when poor drainage occurs is higher than the water level when poor drainage does not occur, and cases where the water level when poor drainage does not occur and the water level when poor drainage occurs are the same.

[0026] (When the water level is higher when poor drainage is occurring than when there is no poor drainage) 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in the water level of the drain water 9 when drain water 9 is on the drain pan 1 at the start of cooling operation of the air conditioner 40 in the first embodiment, and when drainage failure does not occur and when drainage failure occurs. As shown in FIG. 4, after the air conditioner 40 starts cooling operation, the discharge unit 2 operates and starts discharging the drain water 9 on the drain pan 1. After that, when the amount of condensed water 10 generated from the heat exchanger 4 and the humidifier 14 and the amount of drainage from the discharge unit 2 reach an equilibrium state, the water level of the drain water 9 becomes constant at the position of the inlet 12 of the discharge unit 2. Therefore, when drainage failure does not occur, the lower float 3A switches from ON to OFF.

[0027] In contrast, when a drainage defect occurs, the water level of the drain water 9 is higher than when a drainage defect does not occur. Therefore, even if the discharge unit 2 operates and drainage of the drain water 9 on the drain pan 1 begins, the position where the water level becomes constant is the position where the lower float 3A is in the ON state. Therefore, based on the ON / OFF state of the lower float 3A at the time when the water level becomes constant, it is possible to recognize when a drainage defect does not occur and when a drainage defect occurs. When the lower float 3A is in the ON state, the determination means 7 determines that there is a possibility of a drainage defect occurring. Information determined by the determination means 7 is sent to the transmission means 8, and is sent from the transmission means 8 to the display unit 13 installed outside the air conditioner 40. This allows the user to recognize that a drainage defect has occurred. After the user is notified, maintenance can be performed according to the user's usage situation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the drain water 9 from reaching a preset water level and becoming full, causing the air conditioner 40 to suddenly stop operating. It is also possible to accumulate the time when the drainage defect occurs and the water level data at the time when the drainage defect occurs on the cloud.

[0028] (When the water level when there is no drainage problem is the same as the water level when there is drainage problem) FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in the water level when the drain water 9 is present on the drain pan 1 at the start of cooling operation of the air conditioner 40 in the first embodiment, and when the drain water 9 is present on the drain pan 1, the water level of the drain water 9 is approximately the same when drainage failure does not occur and when drainage failure occurs. As shown in FIG. 5, the behavior when drainage failure does not occur is the same as that of FIG. 4. On the other hand, when drainage failure occurs, two patterns of behavior are considered. The first pattern is a case where the discharge speed of the drain water 9 decreases due to the occurrence of drainage failure, and the constant water level becomes higher than the water level L. The second pattern is a case where the drain water 9 is not discharged by the discharge unit 2, or the generation speed of the condensed water 10 from the heat exchanger 4 and the humidifier 14 is higher than the discharge speed of the drain water 9 by the discharge unit 2, and the water level of the drain water 9 appears to rise. In either case, the lower float 3A remains in the switch-on state in both the first and second patterns.

[0029] Therefore, based on the ON / OFF state of the lower float 3A at the time when the water level becomes constant, it is possible to recognize whether a drainage problem has occurred or not. When the lower float 3A is in the ON state, the determination means 7 determines that there is a possibility of a drainage problem occurring. The information determined by the determination means 7 is sent to the transmission means 8, and is sent from the transmission means 8 to the display unit 13 installed outside the air conditioner 40. This allows the user to recognize that a drainage problem has occurred. After the user is notified, maintenance can be performed according to the user's usage situation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the drain water 9 from reaching a preset water level and becoming full, causing the air conditioner 40 to suddenly stop operating. It is also possible to accumulate the time when the drainage problem occurs and the water level data at the time when the drainage problem occurs on the cloud.

[0030] (Detection of poor drainage when there is almost no drain water 9 at the start of operation) 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in water level when drainage failure does not occur and when drainage failure occurs in a state where there is almost no drain water 9 on the drain pan 1 when the air conditioner 40 starts operating in the first embodiment. This condition is a state where the time from the previous stop of the air conditioner 40 to the start of the current cooling operation of the air conditioner 40 is long, and evaporation of the drain water 9 on the drain pan 1 occurs. For this reason, the water level of the drain water 9 at the start of operation is below the intake 12 of the discharge section 2. When the water level L is above the position of the intake of the drain water 9, that is, when the switch for switching ON / OFF of the lower float 3A is set (set water level), the float 3A of the water level detection section 3 at the start of operation is in the switch OFF state.

[0031] When no drainage problem occurs, after the start of cooling operation, no drain water 9 is discharged by the discharge section 2, and condensed water 10 generated from the heat exchanger 4 and humidifier 14 accumulates on the drain pan 1. As a result, the rate at which the condensed water 10 is generated from the heat exchanger 4 and humidifier 14 becomes greater than the rate at which the drain water 9 is discharged, and the apparent level of the drain water 9 rises. Thereafter, when the rate at which the condensed water 10 is generated and the rate at which the drain water 9 is discharged become steady, the level of the drain water 9 becomes constant. In other words, when no drainage problem occurs, the lower float 3A remains in the OFF state.

[0032] When drainage failure occurs, after the start of cooling operation, the drain water 9 is not discharged by the discharge unit 2, or the generation rate of the condensed water 10 from the heat exchanger 4 and the humidifier 14 is faster than the discharge rate of the drain water 9 by the discharge unit 2, so that the condensed water 10 generated from the heat exchanger 4 and the humidifier 14 accumulates on the drain pan 1, and the drain water 9 rises. When drainage failure occurs, the water level of the drain water 9 rises and the lower float 3A is in the ON state. Therefore, based on the ON / OFF state of the lower float 3A at the time when the water level becomes constant, it is possible to recognize whether drainage failure has occurred or not. When the lower float 3A is in the ON state, the determination means 7 determines that there is a possibility of drainage failure. The information determined by the determination means 7 is sent to the transmission means 8, and is sent from the transmission means 8 to the display unit 13 installed outside the air conditioner 40. This allows the user to recognize that drainage failure has occurred. After the user is notified, maintenance can be performed according to the user's usage situation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the drain water 9 from reaching a preset water level and becoming full, causing the air conditioner 40 to suddenly stop operating. It is also possible to store the time when poor drainage occurred and the water level data at the time when poor drainage occurred on the cloud.

[0033] (Detection of poor drainage during continuous operation) Next, detection of the occurrence of poor drainage under conditions in which the air conditioner 40 is operated continuously for a given period of time will be described. When the water level L is set above the position of the drain water 9 suction port, i.e., when the switch for switching the lower float 3A ON / OFF is set (set water level), the lower float 3A of the water level detection unit 3 is switched ON when operation starts.

[0034] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in water level when drainage failure does not occur and when drainage failure occurs after the air conditioner 40 has been operated for a predetermined time in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, during continuous operation of the air conditioner 40, when drainage failure does not occur, the amount of condensed water 10 generated from the heat exchanger 4 and the humidifier 14 and the amount of water discharged from the discharge section 2 are in equilibrium, and the water level is constant. In contrast, when drainage failure occurs, the discharge speed of the drain water 9 from the discharge section 2 decreases and the generation speed of the condensed water 10 increases, so that the water level of the drain water 9 appears to rise. When drainage failure does not occur, the lower float 3A remains in the OFF state. On the other hand, when drainage failure occurs, the water level of the drain water 9 rises and the lower float 3A switches to the ON state.

[0035] Therefore, based on the ON / OFF state of the lower float 3A, it is possible to recognize when a drainage problem has not occurred and when a drainage problem has occurred. When the lower float 3A is in the ON state, the determination means 7 determines that there is a possibility of a drainage problem occurring. The information determined by the determination means 7 is sent to the transmission means 8, and is sent from the transmission means 8 to the display unit 13 installed outside the air conditioner 40. This allows the user to recognize that a drainage problem has occurred. After the user is notified, maintenance can be performed according to the user's usage situation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the drain water 9 from reaching a preset water level and becoming full, causing the air conditioner 40 to suddenly stop operating. It is also possible to accumulate the time when the drainage problem occurred and the water level data at the time when the drainage problem occurred on the cloud.

[0036] (Detection of poor drainage after operation is stopped) Next, detection of poor drainage occurrence under conditions when the air conditioner 40 stops operating will be described. This condition is when the water level L is set above the position of the suction port for the drain water 9, i.e., the switch for switching the lower float 3A ON / OFF is set (set water level), and the lower float 3A of the water level detection unit 3 is switched ON due to the rise in the water level caused by the backflow of drain water when operation is stopped. Also, the time T at which the discharge unit 2 starts operating again is stored in advance in the control device 30.

[0037] Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in water level when poor drainage does not occur and when poor drainage occurs when the discharge unit 2 operates after the air conditioner 40 is stopped in the first embodiment. When the operation of the discharge unit 2 stops with the stop of the air conditioner 40, the drain water 9 that was in the drain pipe 5 during pumping flows back. As a result, the drain water 9 that was in the drain pipe 5 is added to the drain water 9 that was originally on the drain pan 1, and the water level of the drain water 9 on the drain pan 1 rises as shown in Fig. 8.

[0038] When a drainage problem has not occurred, the discharge unit 2 operates again and discharges the drain water 9 by the discharge unit 2. When a drainage problem has occurred, the discharge unit 2 operates in the same way as when a drainage problem has not occurred, and discharge of the drain water 9 begins, but the discharge speed of the drain water 9 is slower than when a drainage problem has not occurred. This is because the occurrence of a drainage problem reduces the discharge speed of the drain water 9. The determination means 7 determines that a drainage problem has not occurred when the drain water 9 is discharged from the discharge unit 2 and the lower float 3A is in the OFF state. On the other hand, if the water level is higher than the water level L, i.e., the lower float 3A is in the ON state, the determination means 7 determines that a drainage problem may have occurred.

[0039] Therefore, based on the ON / OFF state of the lower float 3A, it is possible to recognize when a drainage problem has not occurred and when a drainage problem has occurred. When the lower float 3A is in the ON state, the determination means 7 determines that there is a possibility of a drainage problem occurring. The information determined by the determination means 7 is sent to the transmission means 8, and is sent from the transmission means 8 to the display unit 13 installed outside the air conditioner 40. This allows the user to recognize that a drainage problem has occurred. After the user is notified, maintenance can be performed according to the user's usage situation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the drain water 9 from reaching a preset water level and becoming full, causing the air conditioner 40 to suddenly stop operating. It is also possible to accumulate the time when the drainage problem occurred and the water level data at the time when the drainage problem occurred on the cloud.

[0040] As explained above, in either state, when the lower float 3A is in the ON state, the judgment means 7 judges that there is a possibility of poor drainage. By simply judging whether the lower float 3A is in the ON state or the OFF state, it is possible to recognize whether poor drainage is occurring or not.

[0041] According to the first embodiment, the set water level of the water level detection unit 3 is located above the suction port 12 of the discharge unit 2. When drainage failure of the drain water 9 occurs, the drain water 9 is difficult to drain regardless of whether the drain water 9 has been accumulated in the drain pan 1 beforehand, and the water level rises to above the suction port 12. For this reason, when the water level detection unit 3 detects that the drain water 9 has reached the set water level, it can be determined that drainage failure of the drain water 9 has occurred. In this way, the occurrence of drainage failure of the drain water 9 can be detected regardless of the timing, such as at the start of operation, during operation, or at the stop of operation. Therefore, unexpected maintenance is not required. This makes it possible to detect the occurrence of drainage failure at an early stage, which could not be detected until the operation of the air conditioner 40 was stopped in the past. In addition, it is also possible to perform the determination of the occurrence of drainage failure by limiting the conditions to only at the start of operation, only during continuous operation, and only at the stop of operation for each air conditioner 40. Furthermore, it is also possible to perform the determination of the occurrence of drainage failure under two conditions, such as at the start of operation and at the stop of operation, and each operating state can be freely combined.

[0042] Embodiment 2 9 is a schematic diagram showing how the water level is detected according to embodiment 2. This embodiment 2 differs from embodiment 1 in the configuration of the water level detection unit 3. In this embodiment 2, the parts common to embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted, and the differences from embodiment 1 will be mainly described.

[0043] FIG. 9 corresponds to FIG. 3 of the first embodiment. The water level detection unit 3 detects water levels at least at two points, but the method is different from that of the first embodiment. The water level detection unit 3 is a float 3D switch type having three or more ON / OFF switches, or a float type, a capacitance type, or an ultrasonic continuous type. As shown in FIG. 9, the float switch type or continuous type (float type) having three or more ON / OFF switches has a float 3D surrounding an axis 3C. For example, the float 3D moves up and down in the electromagnetic induction type, so that the water level can be detected continuously. In addition, when the continuous type is adopted, if drain water 9 exists on the drain pan 1 during the operation time of the air conditioner 40, the water level detection unit 3 detects the water level.

[0044] (When the water level when there is no drainage problem is the same as the water level when there is drainage problem) FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a water level change when the drain water 9 is present on the drain pan 1 at the start of cooling operation of the air conditioner 40 in the second embodiment, and the water level of the drain water 9 is approximately the same when drainage failure does not occur and when drainage failure occurs. Here, as shown in FIG. 10, a case will be described in which the water level when drainage failure does not occur is the same as the water level when drainage failure occurs. When the water level change detected by the water level detection unit 3 differs from the water level change stored in advance when drainage failure does not occur, the control device 30 determines that drainage failure has occurred in the discharge unit 2. The water level detection unit 3 detects the water level change from the start of operation of the indoor unit 42 at any time. The water level detection unit 3 presets the water level at which the drain pan 1 is full, and when the water level detection unit 3 detects the water level, the air conditioner 40 stops.

[0045] The determination means 7 of the control device 30 compares the water level change acquired from the water level detection unit 3 at any time with the water level change when no drainage failure occurs. When the water level change acquired from the water level detection unit 3 does not match the water level change when no drainage failure occurs, the determination means 7 of the control device 30 determines that there is a possibility of drainage failure. The control device 30 may previously learn each pattern of the drainage state. The information determined by the determination means 7 is sent to the transmission means 8, and is sent from the transmission means 8 to the display unit 13 installed outside the air conditioner 40. This allows the user to recognize that a drainage failure has occurred. After the user is notified, maintenance can be performed according to the user's usage situation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the drain water 9 from reaching the preset water level and becoming full, causing the air conditioner 40 to suddenly stop operating. It is also possible to accumulate the time when the drainage failure occurs and the water level data at the time when the drainage failure occurs on the cloud.

[0046] The determination of the occurrence of poor drainage in the second embodiment can also be applied to FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 in the first embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 drain pan, 2 discharge section, 3 water level detection section, 3A lower float, 3B upper float, 3C axis, 3D float, 4 heat exchanger, 5 drain pipe, 6 water level output means, 7 determination means, 8 transmission means, 9 drain water, 10 condensed water, 11 biofilm, 12 suction port, 13 display section, 14 humidifier, 20 housing, 30 control device, 40 air conditioner, 41 outdoor unit, 42 indoor unit, 43 refrigerant circuit, 44 refrigerant piping, 45 flow path switching device, 46 outdoor heat exchanger, 47 outdoor blower, 48 expansion section, 49 indoor blower, 50 compressor.

Claims

1. A housing and A drain pan provided in the housing for receiving drain water generated inside the housing; a drain section provided in the housing, the drain section having an inlet for sucking in drain water remaining in the drain pan and discharging the drain water from the inlet; a water level detection unit that detects whether the drain water has reached a set water level above the suction port of the discharge unit; An air conditioner equipped with:

2. a water level output means for receiving and outputting a detection result of the water level detection unit; and a determination means for determining that a drainage problem has occurred in the discharge section when the water level output means outputs information that the drain water has reached the set water level.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1.

3. The determination means is When the drain water reaches the set water level after a predetermined time threshold has elapsed after the discharge unit has been operated, it is determined that a drainage failure has occurred in the discharge unit.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 2.

4. The control device includes: The device further includes a transmitting means for transmitting the determination result of the determining means to an outside.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The control device includes: The information transmitted by the transmitting means is displayed on an external display unit.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4.

6. The water level detection unit is The drain water is detected to have reached the set water level and a predetermined water level that prevents the drain water from overflowing from the drain pan.

3. An air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2.

Images