Indoor Airflow Flap Control for Uniform Room Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing air-conditioning apparatus experiences temperature unevenness in air-conditioning target spaces due to mismatched swing timings of flaps, leading to areas with varying airflow rates, resulting in discomfort for users.
Innovation Solution
An indoor unit with up-and-down and right-and-left airflow direction adjusters controlled by a controller to continuously change the airflow direction across multiple areas, ensuring even air distribution and reducing temperature disparities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the first flaps and second flaps are set to swing to equalize temperature in the air-conditioning target space, then temperature equalization is improved, but when swing timings do not match, airflow rates differ among areas causing temperature unevenness
Solution Approach 1:
The controller detects the swing positions of the first flaps and second flaps, and adjusts their swing timings based on detected positions to synchronize their movements. This feedback mechanism ensures that both flaps reach their extreme positions simultaneously, maintaining uniform airflow rates across different areas while achieving temperature equalization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces pure mechanical swing timing coordination with an electronic control system that uses sensors to detect flap positions and a controller to adjust timing electronically. This substitution allows for precise timing synchronization that overcomes the limitations of mechanical coordination alone.
2Ease of operation
If the flaps are controlled to swing for temperature equalization, then comfortability is improved, but energy efficiency decreases due to needless air-conditioning of areas without people
Solution Approach 1:
The controller determines the number of people in each area based on infrared sensor information and adjusts the swing control of flaps independently for each area. Areas with people receive air-conditioning while areas without people do not, achieving localized quality control that improves both comfortability and energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the swing control of flaps based on real-time detection of people's presence in different areas. The control parameters are not fixed but change according to the detected environment, allowing the system to optimize between comfortability and energy efficiency based on actual conditions.
3Device complexity
If the swing timings of first flaps and second flaps are not synchronized, then device complexity is reduced, but temperature unevenness occurs due to differing airflow rates among areas
Solution Approach 1:
The controller detects the swing positions of flaps and uses this feedback information to adjust and synchronize their swing timings. This feedback-based synchronization maintains temperature uniformity across areas while avoiding the need for complex pre-coordinated mechanical timing mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An indoor unit for an air-conditioning apparatus includes an air-sending unit configured to send air subjected to heat exchange with refrigerant to an air-conditioning target space through an air outlet, the air-conditioning target space being divided into a plurality of areas, an up-and-down airflow direction adjuster configured to adjust an angle in an up-and-down direction of a blowing direction of the air sent through the air outlet, a right-and-left airflow direction adjuster configured to adjust an angle in a right-and-left direction of the blowing direction of the air sent through the air outlet, and a controller configured to control the angle of the up-and-down airflow direction adjuster and the angle of the right-and-left airflow direction adjuster. The controller is configured to control the up-and-down airflow direction adjuster and the right-and-left airflow direction adjuster to continuously change the angle in the up-and-down direction and the angle in the right-and-left direction.