JP5193782B2 - Air conditioner and control method of air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner including an air filter that collects dust in intake air, and a method for controlling the air conditioner.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an air conditioner, a rotary brush that removes dust adhering to an air filter and a dust box that collects dust removed by the rotary brush are provided, and the dust adhering to the air filter is automatically removed by the rotary brush. There has been proposed an air conditioner that facilitates maintenance of an air filter by collecting the removed dust with a dust box (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The air conditioner according to Patent Document 1 includes a suction grill supported so as to be movable up and down with respect to a main body unit (housing) of the air conditioner, and the suction brush is provided with the rotating brush and the dust box. It has become.
JP 2007-40689 A

By the way, in the air conditioner provided with a member that can be raised and lowered with respect to the main unit like the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, when this member is raised and lowered, this member and other members provided in the main unit It is necessary to prevent unintentional contact with.
This invention is made in view of the situation mentioned above, In an air conditioner provided with the member which can be raised-lowered with respect to a main body unit, when this member raises / lowers, this member and the other provided in the main body unit An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that prevents unintended contact with a member, and a control method for the air conditioner.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an air conditioner including a main body unit having a heat exchanger and a blower, and a decorative panel disposed below the main body unit. An air filter that collects dust in the air sucked through the suction grill of the decorative panel, and a removal device that scans the lower surface of the air filter and removes dust attached to the air filter, and is removed by this removal device. A dust box in which the collected dust is transferred from the removing device and accumulated; lifting means for supporting the dust box so as to be lifted and lowered with respect to the air filter and the removing device; and the removing device is located above the dust box A position detecting means for detecting that the removal device is not located above the dust box by the position detecting means. If the it is not located is detected, characterized in that it comprises a lifting control means for vertically movable control said lifting means.
Here, the dust box is one in which the dust removed by the removal device is transferred from the removal device and accumulated. When the dust is transferred from the removal device to the dust box, the vertical position of the removal device and the dust box is Dust is moved in the vicinity or in a state where the removal device and the dust box are engaged in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the removal device, which is a member provided in the main unit, is located above the dust box, which is a member that can be moved up and down with respect to the main unit, when the dust box is lifted, the dust box and the removal device are There is a possibility of contact in an unintended state.
According to the above configuration, when it is detected that the removal device provided in the main unit is not located above the dust box, which is a member that can be moved up and down with respect to the main unit, the lifting and lowering means lifts and lowers the dust box. Therefore, when the dust box is raised and lowered, it is possible to reliably prevent contact between the dust box and the removal device, and unintentional contact between the member that can be raised and lowered relative to the main unit and the member provided on the main unit. Can be prevented.

Here, in the air conditioner of the above invention, the removal device is located at a standby position set at a position deviated from above the dust box while the dust attached to the air filter is not removed. The position detection means may be controlled to detect that the removal device is not located above the dust box by detecting that the removal device is located at the standby position. .
According to this configuration, it is reliably detected that the removal device is not located above the dust box by detecting that the removal device is located at the standby position set at a position deviated from above the dust box. can do.

Further, in the air conditioner of the above invention, a scan start time for starting the scan of the removal device can be set, and the elevating control means is configured to perform the dust box during a predetermined time period including the scan start time. You may make it prohibit the raising / lowering of the said dust box by an raising / lowering means.
According to this configuration, raising and lowering of the dust box in a predetermined time zone including the scanning start time is prohibited. Therefore, when the current time reaches the scanning start time and the removal device automatically scans, the dust box is prohibited from being raised or lowered during the scanning of the removal device. Here, when the removal device is scanning, the removal device may be located above the dust box during the scanning process. For this reason, when the dust box moves up and down during the scanning of the removal device, unintended contact between the removal device and the dust box may occur. However, according to the above configuration, when the removal device automatically scans at the scanning start time, the removal device automatically scans to prevent the dust box from moving up and down while the removal device is automatically scanning. It is possible to reliably prevent unintended contact between the removing device and the dust box during the operation.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a method for controlling an air conditioner including a main unit having a heat exchanger and a blower, and a decorative panel disposed below the main unit. An air filter that collects dust in the air sucked through the suction grille of the decorative panel in the main body unit, and a removal device that scans the lower surface of the air filter and removes dust attached to the air filter. A dust box in which dust removed by the removal device is transferred and accumulated; and a lifting means for supporting the dust box so that the dust box can be raised and lowered relative to the air filter and the removal device. It is detected that the removal device is not located above the dust box, and the removal device is not located above the dust box. There if it is detected, characterized by vertically movable control said lifting means.
According to this control method, when it is detected that the removal device provided in the main body unit is not located above the dust box, which is a member that can be moved up and down with respect to the main body unit, Since the elevating and lowering is possible, when the dust box is raised and lowered, the contact between the dust box and the removal device can be surely prevented, and the unintentional contact between the member that can be raised and lowered relative to the main unit and the member provided on the main unit Can be prevented.

  According to the present invention, when the dust box is raised and lowered, the contact between the dust box and the removing device can be surely prevented, and unintentional contact between the member that can be raised and lowered with respect to the main unit and the member provided on the main unit. Can be prevented.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 includes a sheet metal body unit 1 formed in a box shape, the body unit 1, a filter chamber 20, and a decorative panel 21. Are stacked in three stages.
As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of suspension fittings 1B are provided on the outer surface of the main unit 1, and each suspension fitting 1B has a suspension fixed to the ceiling surface 109 as shown in FIG. The lower bolt 2 is fixed by a nut 4 (FIG. 1), and the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 is suspended from the ceiling surface 109 via these suspension bolts 2. In this case, the decorative panel 21 of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 is disposed on the ceiling plate 112 provided below the ceiling surface 109 via the ceiling back space 111 and is exposed to the conditioned room.

As shown in FIG. 3, inside the main body unit 1, a heat insulating material 3 made of foamed polystyrene is disposed almost entirely on the inner side of the side plate 1 </ b> A and the top surface. A heat exchanger 11 is accommodated.
The blower 9 includes a motor 5 having a shaft disposed downward, and a turbo fan 7 attached to the shaft of the motor 5. The heat exchanger 11 is a plate fin type heat exchanger 11 formed in a pentagonal shape in a top view, and is arranged so as to surround the blower 9.

Below the heat exchanger 11, a drain pan 13 made of a synthetic resin such as styrene resin is disposed so as to cover the lower surface 11 </ b> A of the heat exchanger 11, and a drain pump (not shown) that discharges the drain accumulated in the drain pan 13 to the outside. Abbreviation) is provided.
The drain pan 13 is disposed so as to be in contact with the inner surface of the side plate 1A of the main unit 1, the suction opening 14 is opened at the center of the drain pan 13, and the exhaust of the blower 9 passing through the heat exchanger 11 is passed through the peripheral portion. A blowout opening 15 is formed. A nozzle 17 that guides the air in the conditioned room that has passed through the suction opening 14 to the blower 9 is attached to the upper part of the suction opening 14. The drain pan 13 is screwed with an electrical unit box (not shown) that houses the indoor unit side control unit 120 (FIG. 10), a power supply circuit, and the like.

The filter chamber 20 is disposed directly below the drain pan 13. The filter chamber 20 has a ventilation hole 25 communicating with the blowout opening 15 of the drain pan 13, and a rectangular suction opening 26 communicating with the suction opening 14. Is formed. The suction opening 26 includes a frame portion 26A formed along the four sides of the suction opening 26. The frame portion 26A flows into the main unit 1 through the suction opening 26 as shown in FIGS. An air filter 40 that collects dust contained in the air in the conditioned room is fitted. The air filter 40 includes a filter material 41 formed in a mesh shape and a filter support frame 42 formed in a lattice shape that supports the filter material 41, and the filter material 41 and the filter support frame 42 are integrated. Is formed.
In this configuration, the filter chamber 20 includes a cleaning mechanism 50 that automatically removes dust adhering to the air filter 40 on the windward side of the air filter 40, that is, on the lower surface (collecting surface) side of the air filter 40. The cleaning mechanism 50 includes a brush unit 51 that scans the lower surface of the air filter 40 in a direction indicated by an arrow X in FIG. 3, and removes dust adhering to the air filter 40 when the brush unit 51 moves. To be removed. The cleaning mechanism 50 will be described later.

On the lower surface of the filter chamber 20, a decorative panel 21 exposed in the conditioned room is attached by screws (not shown) or the like. The decorative panel 21 is formed with a suction port 22 that sucks in air in the conditioned room and a blowout port 23 that blows conditioned air that has passed through the heat exchanger 11 into the conditioned room. A louver 24 for changing is provided. The suction port 22 communicates with the suction opening 26 of the filter chamber 20, and the blowout port 23 is formed at a position and a shape communicating with the ventilation hole 25 of the filter chamber 20.
Further, at the four corners of the decorative panel 21, as shown in FIG. 2, decorative panel side openings 21 </ b> A are formed at positions corresponding to the lower side of the hanging bracket 1 </ b> B. As shown in FIG. 1, corner panels 21 </ b> B, 21 </ b> C, 21 </ b> D, 21 </ b> E are detachably attached to the decorative panel side opening 21 </ b> A so as to close the opening. When positioning or adjusting the height of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100, an operator or the like removes the corner panels 21B, 21C, 21D, and 21E to expose the decorative panel side opening 21A, and this decorative panel side A hand or a tool is inserted into the opening 21A to access the nut 4, and the nut 4 is operated to perform positioning, height adjustment, or the like of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the corner panel 21B to 21E as seen from the surface, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the corner panel 21C as seen from the surface. Here, the surface is a surface facing the conditioned room when the corner panels 21B to 21E are attached to the decorative panel 21.
The corner panel 21 </ b> B is a corner panel having a function of notifying the state of the suction grill 30. As shown in FIG. 4A, the corner panel 21B is a plate-like member having a substantially square shape when viewed from the front, and a locking claw 211B that locks to a locking piece (not shown) provided in the decorative panel side opening 21A. It has. A notification device 212B is provided substantially at the center of the surface of the corner panel 21B, and the notification device 212B includes LEDs 213B to 215B. These LEDs 213B to 215B notify the state of the suction grill 30 by emitting light in a predetermined manner. The mode of light emission of the LEDs 213B to 215B will be described later. On the side of the locking claw 211B of the notification device 212B, a light receiving unit 216B for transmitting a signal from the remote controller 130 (FIG. 10) is provided. The user operates the remote controller 130 to give various instructions to the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100.

  The corner panel 21 </ b> C is a corner panel having a function of notifying a state of a cleaning mechanism 50 described later. As shown in FIG. 4B, the corner panel 21C is a plate-like member having a substantially square shape when viewed from the front, and a locking claw 211C that is locked to a locking piece (not shown) provided in the decorative panel side opening 21A. It has. A notification device 212C is provided substantially at the center of the surface of the corner panel 21B, and the notification device 212C includes LEDs 213C to 215C. These LEDs 213C to 215C notify the state of the cleaning mechanism 50 by emitting light in a predetermined manner. The mode of light emission of the LEDs 213C to 215C will be described later.

  The decorative panel 21 is fitted with a suction grill 30 that fits into the suction port 22 and a lifting unit 35 that supports the suction grill 30 by four hanging straps 36, 37, 38, 39. Yes. A suction port 31 for sucking room air is formed in the center of the suction grill 30, and the suction port 31 communicates with the suction opening 26 in a state where the suction grill 30 is fitted to the suction port 22.

The lifting / lowering unit 35 is attached to the inside of the decorative panel 21, that is, the surface on the filter chamber 20 side through a sheet metal stay (not shown), and the four hanging straps 36 to 39 are fed or unwound. The suction grill 30 is raised and lowered within a predetermined range.
The suction grill 30 has two hanging straps 36 and 37 fixed to one side thereof, and two hanging straps 38 and 39 fixed to the other side thereof. The lifting unit 35 includes a first mechanism (not shown) for feeding and unwinding the hanging straps 36 and 37, a second mechanism (not shown) for feeding and unwinding the hanging straps 38 and 39, and the first A control board (not shown) for controlling the mechanism and the second mechanism is housed in one housing.

One end of each of the hanging straps 36 to 39 is fixed to the back surface of the suction grill 30, that is, the upper surface in FIG. 1, and the other end is turned horizontally by guides 55 and 56 provided on the back surface of the decorative panel 21. And accommodated in the elevating unit 35.
The first mechanism includes a bobbin (not shown) around which the hanging straps 36 and 37 are wound, a gear (not shown) for rotating the bobbin, and a grill elevating motor 129 (FIG. 10). The bobbin is rotated in the forward direction or the reverse direction by the forward or reverse operation of the forward rotation, and the hanging straps 36 and 37 are fed out or rewound. Similarly, the other ends of the hanging straps 38 and 39 are wound around a bobbin (not shown) included in the second mechanism, and the forward or reverse operation of the motor included in the second mechanism is transmitted to the bobbin via the gear. Is rotated in the forward or reverse direction, and the hanging straps 38 and 39 are fed out or rewound.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the suction grill 30 is fitted to the suction port 22 of the decorative panel 21, and the other side opposite to the one side 30 </ b> A facing the lifting unit 35. A dust box 57 is arranged along the side 30B. The dust box 57 is configured such that the dust removed by the cleaning mechanism 50 is transferred from the cleaning mechanism 50 and accumulated. The dust box 57 is supported by the suction grill 30 and moves up and down as the suction grill 30 moves up and down.
In this configuration, the filter chamber 20 includes the air filter 40 and a cleaning mechanism 50 that removes dust on the air filter 40, and the dust removed by the cleaning mechanism 50 is transferred from the cleaning mechanism 50 and accumulated. A dust box 57 is supported by the suction grill 30 so as to be movable up and down. For this reason, since the dust box 57 can be lifted and lowered together with the suction grill 30 with the air filter 40 and the cleaning mechanism 50 left in the filter chamber 20, the load on the lifting unit 35 can be reduced.

  The ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 configured as described above allows a refrigerant supplied from an outdoor unit (not shown) to pass through the heat exchanger 11 so that the heat exchanger 11 functions as an evaporator or a condenser. As shown in FIG. 3, the air in the conditioned room is sucked from the suction port 31 by the operation of the blower 9, and the indoor air is cooled or heated by passing through the heat opening 11 through the suction opening 26, the suction opening 14, and the nozzle 17. Use conditioned air. Then, the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 blows out conditioned air from the blowout opening 23 to the conditioned room through the blowout opening 15 and the vent hole 25 and cools or heats the conditioned room by the operation of the blower 9.

Next, the cleaning mechanism 50 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning mechanism 50 supports a horizontally long brush unit 51 (removal device) extending over the entire width of the air filter 40 and the brush unit 51 movably supported on the lower surface of the air filter 40. A pair of guide rails 52L and 52R is provided. The guide rails 52L and 52R are formed in a long prismatic shape, and a rack gear (not shown) is formed on the upper surface of the guide rails 52L and 52R over the entire length of the guide rails 52L and 52R. Further, the guide rails 52L and 52R are connected to stays 53 and 53 whose both ends are suspended from the frame portion 26A of the filter chamber 20, respectively.

  The brush unit 51 of the cleaning mechanism 50 scans the entire area of the lower surface of the air filter 40 while the operation of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 is stopped, and automatically removes dust adhering to the air filter 40. To be removed. Specifically, when the dust removal from the air filter 40 is started, the brush unit 51 located at the standby position H1 shown in FIG. 3 removes the dust adhering to the lower surface of the air filter 40, while FIG. After scanning from the standby position H1 shown to the dust movement position H2, it is turned back and scanned from the dust movement position H2 to the standby position H1, and again positioned at the standby position H1.

Here, the standby position H1 is such that when the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1, the brush unit 51 does not impede the flow of air flowing from the suction grill 30 and passing through the air filter 40. Set to position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, it is set at one end of the air filter 40 and above the elevating unit 35. While the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 is in operation, the brush unit 51 is controlled to be positioned at the standby position H1, and the air flow is prevented from being hindered by the presence of the brush unit 51. . Further, the brush unit 51 is controlled so as to be positioned at the standby position H1 even while the dust of the air filter 40 is not removed, and before and after the dust removal of the air filter 40 is finished. The structure is located at the standby position H1.
The dust moving position H2 is formed above the dust box 57, and will be described in detail later. When the brush unit 51 is moved to the dust moving position H2, the brush unit 51 and the dust box 57 are engaged. The dust collected by the dust box 57 is moved to the dust box 57. In the present embodiment, when the brush unit 51 is not located at the dust movement position H2, the brush unit 51 and the dust box 57 may be in contact with each other because the vertical positions of the brush unit 51 and the dust box 57 are different. Absent.

FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the brush unit 51, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper case is removed from the state of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the brush unit 51 includes a case body 61 disposed on a pair of guide rails 52 </ b> L and 52 </ b> R. The case body 61 is combined with a lower case 62 and the lower case 62. And a case 63. As shown in FIG. 6, the case body 61 is provided with a horizontally long rotating brush 64 extending over the entire width of the case body 61. As shown in FIG. An opening 63 </ b> B is formed in which the outer peripheral portion of the rotating brush 64 protrudes toward the outside of the case body 61.
Further, the case body 61 is disposed on one end side 61 </ b> A of the case body 61 to rotate the rotary brush 64, and the case body 61 is disposed on the other end side 61 </ b> B of the case body 61. Is formed on the guide rails 52L and 52R.

  The brush drive mechanism 65 meshes with a brush drive motor 71 screwed to the lower case 62 and a pinion (not shown) housed in the lower case 72 and provided on the drive shaft of the brush drive motor 71. A first transmission 73, a second transmission 74 provided coaxially with the first transmission 73, a third transmission 75 that meshes with the second transmission 74, and a coaxial with the third transmission 75 A fourth transmission wheel 76 provided on the upper side, and the fourth transmission wheel 76 meshes with a pinion 77 provided at one shaft end of the rotary brush 64. These first transmission wheel 73 to fourth transmission wheel 76 function as a decelerating wheel that decelerates the rotational speed of the brush drive motor 71 to the rotational speed for the rotary brush 64 and defines the rotational direction of the rotary brush 64. The brush drive motor 71 is controlled to rotate in the direction of arrow A (counterclockwise direction) in FIG. 6, and the rotation of the brush drive motor 71 passes through the first to fourth transmission wheels 73 to 76. As a result, the speed is reduced and transmitted to the rotating brush 64, so that the rotating brush 64 is rotated in the direction of arrow B (clockwise direction) in FIG. Thereby, dust adhering to the air filter 40 is scraped off by the rotation of the air filter 40, and the dust thus scraped off is collected inside the case body 61.

  A photo sensor 124 (FIG. 10) is provided in the vicinity of the rotating brush 64. The photosensor 124 is a reflection type photosensor, and includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The light emitting element emits light to the rotating brush 64 and receives light reflected by the light receiving element. A chamber-side control unit 121 described later is connected to the photosensor 124 so that signal communication is possible. The photosensor 124 outputs a detection value to the chamber-side control unit 121. The chamber side control unit 121 outputs the detection value of the photosensor 124 to the indoor unit side control unit 120. As will be described later, the brush rotation detecting unit 120B of the indoor unit side control unit 120 determines whether or not the rotating brush 64 is rotating based on the detection value of the photosensor 124.

As shown in FIG. 6, the moving mechanism 66 includes a moving motor 81 screwed to the lower case 62, and a pinion (contained in the lower case 72 and provided on the drive shaft of the moving motor 81. A fifth transmission wheel 82 meshing with the fifth transmission wheel 82, a sixth transmission gear 83 provided coaxially with the fifth transmission gear 82, a seventh transmission gear 84 meshing with the sixth transmission gear 83, An eighth transmission 85 provided coaxially with the seventh transmission 84, a ninth transmission 86 engaged with the eighth transmission 85, and a tenth transmission 87 provided coaxially with the ninth transmission 86 The tenth transmission 87 is meshed with a pinion 88 that meshes with the rack gear of one guide rail 52R. One end of a rotation shaft 89 provided across the width direction of the lower case 62 is connected to the pinion 88, and a pinion 90 having the same diameter and the same number of teeth as the pinion 88 is connected to the other end of the rotation shaft 89. It is connected. The pinion 90 meshes with the rack gear of the other guide rail 52L. By rotating the pinions 88 and 90 on these rack gears, the brush unit 51 is moved along the lower surface of the air filter 40 from one end side 40A to the other end side 40B as shown in FIG. be able to.
The fifth transmission wheel 82 to the tenth transmission wheel 87 function as a speed reduction vehicle that decelerates the rotation speed of the moving motor 81 to a rotation speed suitable for the brush unit 51 to move on the guide rails 52L and 52R. The rotation direction of the pinions 88 and 90 meshing with the rack gears of the guide rails 52L and 52R is defined.

  The moving motor 81 is controlled to selectively rotate in the direction of arrow C (clockwise direction) or the direction of arrow D (counterclockwise direction) in FIG. When the movement motor 81 is driven in the direction of arrow C, the rotation of the movement motor 81 is decelerated via the fifth transmission wheel 82 to the tenth transmission wheel 87 and the pinion 88 remains in the same rotation direction. 90. Thereby, the brush unit 51 moves on the guide rails 52L and 52R in the direction of the arrow X1 (direction toward the standby position H1). Similarly, when the movement motor 81 is driven in the direction of the arrow D, the rotation of the movement motor 81 is decelerated via the fifth transmission wheel 82 to the tenth transmission wheel 87, and the pinion remains in the same rotation direction. 88, 90. Thereby, the brush unit 51 moves on the guide rails 52L and 52R in the direction of the arrow X2 (direction toward the dust moving position H2).

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a limit switch 110L is provided at the end of the guide rail 52L on the standby position H1 side, and a limit switch 110R is provided at the end of the guide rail 52R on the standby position H1 side. Yes. The limit switches 110L and 110R are switches that detect whether or not the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1, and project from the case portions 111L and 111R and the case portions 111L and 111R toward the dust movement position H2. Switch sections 112L and 112R. When the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1, the switch parts 112L and 112R of the limit switches 110L and 110R are pressed together to be “on” (the state indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7), and the brush unit 51 is When it is not located at the standby position H1, the pressing of the switch portions 112L and 112R is released and turned off. The limit switches 110L and 110R are connected so as to be capable of signal communication with a chamber-side control unit 121 (FIG. 10) described later, and the detection values of the limit switches 110L and 110R are output to the chamber-side control unit 121 (FIG. 10). The chamber side control unit 121 outputs the detected value to the indoor unit side control unit 120.
As described above, since the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1 during the operation of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100, the limit switches 110L and 110R are turned on, and the dust is removed from the air filter 40 while the brush is being removed. Since the unit 51 is scanning, the limit switches 110L and 110R are turned off.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the brush unit 51.
As shown in FIG. 7, the brush unit 51 receives the dust scraped (removed) by the rotating brush 64 below the rotating brush 64 and temporarily stores the dust (dust receiving chamber). Part) 67. As shown in FIG. 1, the dust chamber 67 protrudes between the guide rails 52 </ b> L and 52 </ b> R and is integrally formed on the lower surface of the lower case 62 over the width direction of the lower case 62.
The dust storage chamber 67 includes a lower lid (bottom lid) 68 that can be opened and closed on the lower surface. The lower lid 68 is opened when the dust accumulated in the dust storage chamber 67 is dropped into the dust box 57. The lower lid 68 is hinged to the lower edge of the side surface 67A on the lifting unit 35 side in the dust storage chamber 67 via a hinge shaft 69, and is normally attached with a spring in a direction to close the dust so that the internal dust does not fall. It is energized.
The lower lid 68 includes an extending portion 68A extending toward the hinge shaft 69, and a plurality of triangular projecting pieces 91 projecting downward are formed on the extending portion 68A. These projecting pieces 91 are provided at substantially the same size with a predetermined interval in the width direction of the dust storage chamber 67, and come into contact with the dust box 57 when the brush unit 51 is moved onto the dust box 57, It has a function of opening the lower lid 68 against the spring force.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing the brush unit 51 and the dust box 57, and FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing a state where the brush unit 51 has moved to the above-described dust movement position H2 above the dust box 57. In FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the description of the transmission vehicle and the like is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 8, the dust box 57 includes a box body 92 having an upper surface opened and formed in a box shape, and an upper lid 93 that can open and close the upper surface of the box body 92. As shown in FIG. 9, the upper lid 93 is opened when the brush unit 51 moves onto the dust box 57 and receives the dust dropped from the dust storage chamber 67 of the brush unit 51.

The upper lid 93 is hinged to the upper edge portion of the side surface 92 </ b> A located on the other side 30 </ b> B side of the suction grill 30 in the box body 92 via a hinge shaft 94. Further, a stopper portion 92 </ b> B <b> 1 extending to the upper portion of the upper lid 93 is formed on the upper edge portion of the side surface 92 </ b> B that faces the side surface 92 </ b> A of the box body 92. The stopper 92B1 is in contact with the upper lid 93 and restricts the upper lid 93 from opening to the outside of the box body 92. Further, the hinge shaft 94 is provided with a spring member 95, and the upper lid 93 is closed so that dust inside the dust box 57 is not blown up by wind when the brush unit 51 is separated from the dust box 57 in a normal state. It is spring-biased in the direction.
Further, the upper lid 93 is formed with a plurality of triangular projecting pieces 96 projecting upward. These projecting pieces 96 are provided in substantially the same size at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the dust box 57, and when the brush unit 51 is moved onto the dust box 57, It has a function of abutting and opening the upper lid 93 against the spring force.

In this configuration, the dust box 57 is detachably supported by the suction grill 30. Therefore, when the dust box 57 is attached to the suction grill 30, the dust box 57 moves up and down in accordance with the lifting and lowering of the lifting unit 35. For this reason, in this embodiment, the elevating unit 35 functions as elevating means for elevating and lowering the dust box 57.
The attachment structure of the dust box 57 to the suction grill 30 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 8, a pair of support portions 32 </ b> A and 32 </ b> B that support the dust box 57 are provided on the upper surface of the suction grill 30. The recesses 32A1 and 32B1 are formed on the inner surfaces of the support portions 32A and 32B, respectively. These recesses 32A1 and 32B1 prevent protrusions 97 and 98 formed on the side surfaces 92A and 92B of the box body 92 of the dust box 57 from being locked, so that the dust box 57 is not easily detached from the support portions 32A and 32B. Is.

When attaching the dust box 57 to the support portions 32A, 32B, the support portions 32A, 32B are curved in the direction of the arrow Y in FIG. 8 by pushing the dust box 57 between the support portions 32A, 32B, and the protrusions described above. When 97 and 98 are fitted into the recesses 32A1 and 32B1, the support portions 32A and 32B are restored to the original state, so that the dust box 57 is locked to the support portions 32A and 32B.
Further, when removing the dust box 57 from the support portions 32A and 32B, for example, one support portion 32A is curved in the arrow Y direction to release the engagement between the protrusion 97 and the recess 32A1, and the dust box 57 is removed. Remove upward. Thereby, the dust box 57 can be easily attached to and detached from the support portions 32 </ b> A and 32 </ b> B of the suction grill 30.

Here, the operation when the dust is removed by the air filter 40 by the cleaning mechanism 50 and the operation when the dust moves to the dust box 57 at the dust moving position H2 will be described.
When the movement motor 81 of the cleaning mechanism 50 is operated, the rotation of the movement motor 81 is transmitted to the pinions 88 and 90 via a plurality of transmissions, and the brush unit 51 is rotated by the rotation of the pinions 88 and 90. Reciprocates on the guide rails 52L and 52R.
When the brush drive motor 71 is operated, as shown in FIG. 8, the rotation of the brush drive motor 71 is transmitted to the rotary brush 64 via a plurality of transmissions, and the rotary brush 64 is indicated by an arrow in the figure. Rotate in B direction. Due to the rotation of the rotating brush 64, the dust 200 adhering to the air filter 40 is scraped off by the rotating brush 64 and adheres to the rotating brush 64. A dust peeling plate 58 extending over the entire width of the rotary brush 64 is attached to the case body 61 below the rotary brush 64. The dust peeling plate 58 has a claw portion that is bent in a direction substantially along the outer peripheral surface of the rotating brush 64 and contacts the rotating brush 64. When the rotating brush 64 rotates, the rotating brush 64 is rotated. And the claw portion come into contact with each other, and the dust 200 adhering to the rotating brush 64 is peeled off and stored in the dust storage chamber 67.

The dust 200 stored in the dust storage chamber 67 is dropped into the dust box 57 when the dust storage chamber 67 (brush unit 51) moves to the dust movement position H2. Specifically, when the brush unit 51 moves onto the dust box 57, the protruding piece 96 formed on the upper cover 93 of the dust box 57 and the dust storage chamber 67 of the brush unit 51 come into contact with each other. Since the projecting piece 96 has an oblique side extending downward toward the brush unit 51, the dust accommodating chamber 67 moves toward the dust box 57 in a state where the oblique side and the dust accommodating chamber 67 are in contact with each other. Then, along with this moving operation, the projecting piece 96 is pushed, and the upper lid 93 is opened inside the box body 92 around the hinge shaft 94.
On the other hand, in the lower lid 68 of the dust storage chamber 67 of the brush unit 51, the protruding piece 91 formed on the extending portion 68 </ b> A of the lower lid 68 contacts the box body 92 of the dust box 57. Since the projecting piece 91 includes an oblique side portion extending upward toward the dust box 57, the dust accommodating chamber 67 is disposed on the dust box 57 side in a state where the oblique side portion and the box body 92 of the dust box 57 are in contact with each other. When moved, the projecting piece 91 is pushed along with the moving operation, and the lower lid 68 is opened to the outside of the dust chamber 67 around the hinge shaft 94. Thereby, the dust 200 in the dust chamber 67 is dropped into the box body 92 of the dust box 57 via the upper surface of the upper lid 93 of the dust box 57.

  When dust accumulates in the dust box 57, the dust box 57 is lowered by lowering the suction grill 30. Since the dust box 57 is detachably disposed on the suction grill 30, the dust box 57 can be detached from the suction grill 30 and the dust in the dust box 57 can be easily discarded. The dust box 57 may be lowered when the operation time of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 reaches a predetermined time, and a full sensor for detecting the amount of dust is provided in the dust box 57. When the sensor is activated, the dust box 57 may be lowered.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100.
As shown in this figure, the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 includes an indoor unit control unit 120 housed in an electrical box provided in the drain pan 13 of the main unit 1, and a chamber side provided in the filter chamber 20. The control part 121 and the grille side control part 122 provided in the decorative panel 21 are provided, and these control parts are connected so that signal communication is possible.
The indoor unit side control unit 120 centrally controls each part of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as a calculation execution unit and a basic control program executed by the CPU. ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores data related to the basic control program in a nonvolatile manner, RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores programs executed by the CPU, data related to the program, etc. Peripheral circuit and the like. Moreover, the indoor unit side control part 120 performs various time measuring operation | movement based on the reference clock which the oscillator which is not illustrated produced | generated, and the time measurement of the present time.

The indoor unit side controller 120 includes a brush unit position detector 120A (position detector) and a brush rotation detector 120B.
The brush unit position detection unit 120A determines whether or not the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1 based on the output values of the limit switches 110L and 110R. Specifically, the brush unit position detection unit 120A determines that the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1 when a signal indicating ON is output from both of the limit switches 110L and 110R, and the limit is detected. When a signal indicating OFF is output from at least one of the switches 110L and 110R, it is determined that the brush unit 51 is not located at the standby position H1. As described above, the brush unit position detection unit 120A considers that the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1 only when both of the limit switches 110L and 110R are on. Even when the brush unit 51 is not normally positioned at the standby position H1, this can be detected. As described above, the detection values of the limit switches 110 </ b> L and 110 </ b> R are output to the chamber-side controller 121, and the chamber-side controller 121 outputs to the indoor unit-side controller 120.

  Here, as described above, the standby position H1 and the dust movement position H2 are set at different positions. For this reason, while the brush unit position detection unit 120A detects that the brush unit 51 is positioned at the standby position H1, the brush unit 51 is not reliably positioned at the dust movement position H2. The brush unit position detection unit 120A detects that the brush unit 51 is not located at the dust movement position H2 above the dust box 57 by detecting that the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1. It functions as a detection means. As described above, the brush unit position detection unit 120A detects that the brush unit 51 is positioned at the standby position H1, so that the brush unit 51 is not positioned at the dust movement position H2 above the dust box 57. By using the configuration for detecting this, it is possible to reliably detect that the brush unit 51 is not positioned above the dust box 57.

  The brush rotation detection unit 120B determines whether or not the rotating brush 64 is rotating based on the output value of the photosensor 124. Specifically, after the rotation of the rotating brush 64 is started, the brush rotation detecting unit 120B calculates the rate of change of the light reflected by the rotating brush 64 based on the detection value of the photosensor 124, and displays the calculated result. Based on this, it is determined whether or not the rotating brush 64 is rotating. As described above, the detection value of the photosensor 124 is output to the chamber-side control unit 121, and the chamber-side control unit 121 outputs to the indoor unit side control unit 120.

  A storage unit 125 is connected to the indoor unit side control unit 120. The storage unit 125 includes an EEPROM or a flash memory, and stores various data in a rewritable manner under the control of the indoor unit side control unit 120. The storage unit 125 stores a post-end time table 125A, a start time table 125B, and an accumulated time table 125C, which will be described later.

The grill side control unit 122 is provided on the decorative panel 21 and controls the suction grill 30 to move up and down under the control of the indoor unit side control unit 120. The motor driver 127, the LED board 128, and the light receiving unit Part 216B. In addition, the grill side control part 122 is provided with CPU, ROM, RAM, and a peripheral circuit similarly to the indoor unit side control part 120.
The motor driver 127 is connected to a grill raising / lowering motor 129 for raising / lowering the suction grill 30, and supplies drive current to the grill raising / lowering motor 129 under the control of the grill side control unit 122, thereby driving and controlling the grill raising / lowering motor 129. To do. When the grill elevating motor 129 is formed of a stepping motor, the motor driver 127 outputs a driving pulse to the motor to operate the motor by a necessary amount.

The LED board 128 is connected to LEDs 213B, 214B, and 215B provided in a notification device 212B for notifying the state of the suction grill 30, and performs light emission control of these LEDs under the control of the grill side control unit 122. Here, the light emission mode of the LEDs 213B, 214B, and 215B of the notification device 212B in the present embodiment will be described.
The LED 213B notifies that an abnormality has occurred in the suction grill 30. Specifically, it blinks when the suction grill 30 is not normally raised or lowered, or when the suction grill 30 is not normally fitted in a predetermined position in the suction port 22 of the decorative panel 21. To notify that some abnormality has occurred in the suction grill 30. In addition, as a detection means for detecting that an abnormality has occurred in the suction grill 30, a mechanism using a known technique such as a limit switch or a photo sensor can be used.
The LED 214B notifies the current state of the suction grill 30. Specifically, when the suction grill 30 is fitted to the suction port 22 of the decorative panel 21, the light is turned off. When the suction grill 30 is lowered, it blinks, and when the suction grill 30 is raised. Light. In the present embodiment, since the dust box 57 is supported by the suction grill 30, the state of the dust grill 57 is also notified by notifying the state of the suction grill 30.
When the user operates the remote controller 130 to instruct the lowering of the suction grill 30, the LED 215 </ b> B is used to remove dust from the air filter 40 by the cleaning mechanism 50, or the current time is prohibited to ascend or descend as will be described later. Flashes when in time zone. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, during the removal of dust from the air filter 40 by the cleaning mechanism 50 and when the current time is within the range of the lift prohibited time zone, the suction grill 30 is prohibited from being lifted or lowered. The configuration is such that the lifting / lowering of the dust box 57 is prohibited, and the user can grasp that the lifting / lowering of the dust box 57 is prohibited by visually recognizing that the LED 214C is blinking.

As described above, the light receiving unit 216 </ b> B receives the signal generated by the remote controller 130 and outputs this signal to the grill side control unit 122. Grill side control unit 122 outputs the signal input from light receiving unit 216 </ b> B to indoor unit side control unit 120. The indoor unit side control unit 120 controls each unit of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 based on the signal input from the grill side control unit 122.
The remote controller 130 provides instructions regarding air conditioning such as start / stop of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100, switching between cooling operation / heating operation, setting of the set temperature, etc., as well as instructions for lowering the suction grill 30 and suction. The configuration is such that an instruction to raise the grill 30 and an instruction to start removing dust from the air filter 40 by the cleaning mechanism 50 can be given. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the remote controller 130 is configured to be able to instruct the conditions for starting the dust removal of the air filter 40 by the cleaning mechanism 50.

FIG. 11A is a diagram schematically illustrating the post-end time table 125A, FIG. 11B is a diagram schematically illustrating the start time table 125B, and FIG. 11C is a cumulative time. It is a figure which shows the table 125C typically.
In the present embodiment, as a condition for starting the dust removal of the air filter 40 by the cleaning mechanism 50, a condition that a preset elapsed time T1 has elapsed after the operation of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 is completed ( (Hereinafter referred to as “condition A”) can be selected, and the user can set the elapsed time T1 in the condition A by operating the remote controller 130. When the user operates the remote controller 130 to set the elapsed time T1, a signal indicating the elapsed time T1 is output from the remote controller 130 to the indoor unit side control unit 120 via the light receiving unit 216B and the grill side control unit 122. . On the basis of the signal input from the grill side control unit 122, the indoor unit side control unit 120 indicates that the user has indicated the value of the post-end time table 125A (FIG. 11A) stored in the storage unit 125. The value is rewritten to indicate the time T1. When the condition A is selected as the condition for starting the dust removal of the air filter 40, the indoor unit control unit 120 sets the elapsed time when the operation of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 is stopped. While counting time, referring to the time table 125A after completion, when the elapsed time reaches the elapsed time T1 stored in the time table 125A after completion, the cleaning mechanism 50 starts removing dust from the air filter 40.

  Further, as a condition for starting the dust removal of the air filter 40 by the cleaning mechanism 50, a condition that the current time has reached a preset time T2 (scanning start time) (hereinafter referred to as “condition B”) can be selected. The user can set the time T2 in the condition B by operating the remote controller 130. When the user operates the remote controller 130 to set the time T2, a signal indicating the time T2 is output from the remote controller 130 to the indoor unit side control unit 120 via the light receiving unit 216B and the grill side control unit 122. Based on the signal input from grill side control unit 122, indoor unit side control unit 120 changes the value of start time table 125B (FIG. 11B) stored in storage unit 125 to a value indicating time T2. rewrite. When the condition B is selected as the condition for starting the dust removal of the air filter 40, the indoor unit control unit 120 refers to the start time table 125B, and the current time is stored in the start time table 125B. When the time reaches, the cleaning mechanism 50 starts removing dust from the air filter 40.

In addition, as a condition for starting the dust removal of the air filter 40 by the cleaning mechanism 50, a condition that the cumulative operation time of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 reaches a preset cumulative time T3 (hereinafter referred to as “condition C”). ”) Can be selected, and the user can set the accumulated time T3 in the condition C by operating the remote controller 130. When the user operates the remote controller 130 to set the accumulated time T3, a signal indicating the accumulated time T3 is output from the remote controller 130 to the indoor unit side control unit 120 via the light receiving unit 216B and the grill side control unit 122. . Based on the signal input from the grill side control unit 122, the indoor unit side control unit 120 uses the value of the accumulated time table 125C (FIG. 11C) stored in the storage unit 125 as a value indicating the accumulated time T3. Rewrite to When the condition C is selected as the condition for starting the dust removal of the air filter 40, the indoor unit control unit 120 measures the accumulated time of the operation of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100, and stores the storage unit. 125, and referring to the accumulated time table 125C, when the current accumulated time reaches the time stored in the accumulated time table 125C, the cleaning mechanism 50 starts removing dust from the air filter 40. When this condition C is selected, when the cumulative operation time of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 reaches the cumulative time T3, the dust removal of the air filter 40 is automatically started, which improves user convenience. can do.
Note that the user can select the above-described conditions A, B, and C by operating the remote controller 130, or can select none of the conditions.

Returning to FIG. 10, the chamber-side control unit 121 is provided in the filter chamber 20 and controls the cleaning mechanism 50 and the like under the control of the indoor unit-side control unit 120. The motor driver 131, the LED The substrate 132, limit switches 110L and 110R, and the photo sensor 124 are connected. The chamber-side control unit 121 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and peripheral circuits, like the indoor unit-side control unit 120.
The motor driver 131 is connected to the brush drive motor 71 and the movement motor 81 described above, and supplies drive current to these motors under the control of the grill side control unit 122 to control the drive. When either the brush drive motor 71 or the movement motor 81 is configured by a stepping motor, the motor driver 131 outputs a drive pulse to the motor to operate the motor by a necessary amount.

The LED board 132 is connected to LEDs 213C, 214C, and 215C provided in the notification device 212C for notifying the state of the cleaning mechanism 50, and performs light emission control of these LEDs under the control of the chamber-side control unit 121. Here, the light emission mode of the LEDs 213C, 214C, and 215C of the notification device 212C in the present embodiment will be described.
The LED 213C notifies that an abnormality has occurred in the cleaning mechanism 50. Specifically, when the brush rotation detecting unit 120B detects that the rotating brush 64 is not rotating normally, or when the brush unit 51 is not normally scanned, the cleaning mechanism 50 blinks. Informs that some abnormality has occurred.
The LED 214C notifies whether or not the brush unit 51 of the cleaning mechanism 50 is located at the standby position H1. Specifically, the light is turned off when the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1, and blinks when the brush unit 51 is not located at the standby position H1. According to this configuration, by referring to the LED 214C, the user can easily and quickly grasp that the brush unit 51 is not located at the standby position H1. Note that whether or not the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1 is detected by the brush unit position detection unit 120A of the indoor unit side control unit 120 as described above.
The LED 215C notifies that the dust removal of the air filter 40 by the cleaning mechanism 50 has been completed. Specifically, when the dust removal of the air filter 40 is completed, it blinks for a certain time.

Next, the operation of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 will be described.
First, the operation when the raising / lowering of the dust box 57 supported by the suction grill 30 is instructed by instructing the elevation of the suction grill 30 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the following operations, the indoor unit side control unit 120 functions as a lift control unit. For convenience of explanation, the fact that the dust box 57 moves up and down as the suction grill 30 moves up and down is simply referred to as “the dust box 57 moves up and down”.
When the raising / lowering of the dust box 57 is instructed, a signal to that effect is input to the indoor unit side control unit 120 (step SA1). Next, the brush unit position detector 120A of the indoor unit side controller 120 determines whether or not the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1 based on the output values of the limit switches 110L and 110R (step SA2). . As described above, when it is detected that the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1, the brush unit 51 is not reliably located at the dust movement position H2 above the dust box 57.
When the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1 (step SA2: YES), that is, when the brush unit 51 is not located at the dust movement position H2, the indoor unit control unit 120 determines that the current time of the suction grill 30 It is determined whether or not it is within the range of the ascending / descending time zone (step SA3). Here, the up / down prohibition time zone will be described in detail.

  The raising / lowering prohibition time zone is a time zone during which the raising and lowering of the suction grill 30 and the dust box 57 is prohibited. In the present embodiment, when the above-described condition B is selected as a condition for starting the dust removal of the air filter 40 by the cleaning mechanism 50, a time zone including the time T2 is set as the ascending / descending time zone. More specifically, the ascending / descending time zone is set so as to include a time zone from the start of dust removal of the air filter 40 to the end thereof at time T2. For example, if the time T2 that is the start time of dust removal of the air filter 40 is 12:05 and the end time is 12:10, the ascending / descending time zone is set to 12:00 to 12:15. The In addition, when the condition B is not selected as the condition for starting the dust removal of the air filter 40, the ascending / descending time zone is not set.

  In step SA3, when it is determined that the current time is outside the range of the elevation prohibition time zone (step SA3: NO), the indoor unit side control unit 120 controls the grill side control unit 122 to raise and lower the dust box 57. The elevator is allowed to move up and down (step SA4), and the fact is notified (step SA5). Specifically, when descending the dust box 57, the indoor unit side control unit 120 controls the grill side control unit 122 to blink the LED 214B, and when raising the dust box 57, the indoor unit side control unit 120 The grill side control unit 122 is controlled to light the LED 214B. On the other hand, when it is determined that the current time is within the range of the lifting prohibition time zone (step SA3: YES), the indoor unit control unit 120 prohibits the lifting of the suction grill 30 and the dust box 57 and does not perform the lifting. (Step SA6), the fact is notified (Step SA7). Specifically, the indoor unit side control unit 120 controls the grill side control unit 122 to blink the LED 215B. Next, the indoor unit side control unit 120 returns the process to step SA2, and again determines whether or not the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1.

  Now, returning to step SA2, when the brush unit 51 is not located at the standby position H1 (step SA2: NO), the indoor unit side control unit 120 prohibits the raising and lowering of the suction grill 30 and the dust box 57 and executes the raising and lowering. Not (step SA6), the fact is notified (step SA7). Specifically, the indoor unit side control unit 120 controls the grill side control unit 122 to blink the LED 215B. Next, the indoor unit side control unit 120 returns the process to step SA2, and again determines whether or not the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1.

  Thus, in this embodiment, when the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1, the indoor unit side control unit 120 allows the dust box 57 to be raised and lowered, and the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1. In such a case, the indoor unit side control unit 120 prohibits the lifting and lowering of the dust box 57. Here, when the suction grill 30 is moved up and down while the brush unit 51 is located at the dust movement position H2 above the dust box 57, the brush unit 51 and the dust box 57 may cause unintended contact. However, in this embodiment, when it is detected that the brush unit 51 is positioned at the standby position H1, that is, not reliably positioned at the dust movement position H2, the lifting and lowering of the dust box 57 is permitted. Therefore, unintended contact between the brush unit 51 and the dust box 57 can be prevented.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the condition B is selected as the condition for starting the dust removal of the air filter 40, in the ascending / descending time period including the time T2 which is the start time of the dust removal of the air filter 40. In this case, raising / lowering of the dust box 57 is prohibited.
Here, when the brush unit 51 is scanning to remove dust from the air filter 40, the brush unit 51 may be positioned at the dust moving position H2 above the dust box 57 in the scanning process. For this reason, when the dust box 57 moves up and down during the scanning of the brush unit 51, unintended contact between the brush unit 51 and the dust box 57 may occur.
However, according to the present embodiment, when the condition B is selected, the current time reaches time T2, and the dust box 57 is not allowed to move up and down while the air filter 40 is automatically removing dust. Thus, unintended contact between the brush unit 51 and the dust box 57 can be reliably prevented.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12, after the instruction to raise and lower the suction grill 30 and the dust box 57 is given in Step SA1, the brush box 51 is raised and lowered if the brush unit 51 is not positioned at the standby position H1. When the brush unit 51 is positioned at the standby position H1, the suction grill 30 and the dust box 57 are allowed to move up and down. Therefore, when the raising / lowering of the dust box 57 is instructed during the dust removal of the air filter 40, the removal of the dust of the air filter 40 is finished, and after the brush unit 51 is positioned at the standby position H1, the dust box 57 is automatically Since the lifting / lowering is performed, it is not necessary to instruct the lifting / lowering of the dust box 57, and the convenience of the user can be improved.

Next, the operation of the ceiling-embedded air conditioner 100 when the cleaning mechanism 50 removes dust from the air filter 40 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. It is assumed that dust is not removed from the air filter 40 at the start of the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG.
First, the indoor unit control unit 120 starts removing dust from the air filter 40 by the cleaning mechanism 50 at a predetermined timing (step SB1). As the timing of starting the dust removal of the air filter 40, when the start instruction is given via the remote controller 130, or when any of the above-described conditions A, B, C is selected as the start condition There are times when the selected condition is satisfied. In addition, a time zone in which the dust removal of the air filter 40 by the cleaning mechanism 50 is prohibited can be set, and when the current time is within the set time zone, the dust removal is prohibited. May be. In addition, it may be configured to prohibit the removal of dust when a certain period of time has not elapsed since the previous dust removal of the air filter 40. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the dust from being removed continuously for a very short time, and to improve the efficiency of dust removal of the air filter 40.

  When the removal of dust from the air filter 40 is started, the brush unit position detection unit 120A of the indoor unit side control unit 120 determines whether or not the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1 (step SB2). When the brush unit 51 is not located at the standby position H1 (step SB2: NO), the brush unit 51 that should be located at the standby position H1 is not located at the standby position H1, and some abnormality occurs. Therefore, the indoor unit side control unit 120 interrupts the operation related to the dust removal of the air filter 40 and notifies the cleaning mechanism 50 including the brush unit 51 that an abnormality has occurred (step SB3). ). Specifically, the chamber-side controller 121 is controlled to blink the LED 213C.

On the other hand, when the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1 (step SB2: YES), the indoor unit side control unit 120 controls the chamber side control unit 121 to drive and control the brush drive motor 71 to rotate. The brush 64 is rotated (step SB4). Next, the brush rotation detection unit 120B of the indoor unit side control unit 120 determines whether or not the rotating brush 64 is rotating (step SB5). When the rotating brush 64 is not rotating (step SB5: NO), since some abnormality has occurred, the indoor unit side control unit 120 interrupts the operation related to the dust removal of the air filter 40 and notifies that effect. (Step SB3). Specifically, the chamber-side controller 121 is controlled to blink the LED 213C.
On the other hand, when the rotating brush 64 is rotating (step SB5: YES), the indoor unit side control unit 120 controls the chamber side control unit 121 to drive and control the movement motor 81 and scan the brush unit 51. (Step SB6). In step SB6, the brush unit 51 scans from the standby position H1 to the dust movement position H2 (FIG. 3), and then returns to scan from the dust movement position H2 to the standby position H1.

  After the scanning of the brush unit 51 is finished, that is, after the dust removal of the air filter 40 is finished, the brush unit position detection unit 120A of the indoor unit side control unit 120 has the brush unit 51 positioned at the standby position H1. It is determined whether or not there is (step SB7). When the brush unit 51 is not located at the standby position H1 (step SB7: NO), since some abnormality has occurred, the indoor unit side control unit 120 interrupts the operation related to the dust removal of the air filter 40, This is notified (step SB3). Specifically, the chamber-side controller 121 is controlled to blink the LED 213C. On the other hand, when the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1 (step SB7: YES), the indoor unit side control unit 120 controls the chamber side control unit 121 to drive and control the brush drive motor 71 to rotate. The rotation of the brush 64 is terminated (step SB8). Next, the indoor unit side control unit 120 determines whether or not the rotation of the rotary brush 64 has ended based on the output value of the photosensor 124 (step SB9). When the rotation of the rotating brush 64 has not ended (step SB9: NO), the indoor unit side control unit 120 interrupts the operation related to the dust removal of the air filter 40 and notifies that fact (step SB3). Specifically, the chamber-side controller 121 is controlled to blink the LED 213C. On the other hand, when the rotation of the rotary brush 64 has been completed (step SB9: YES), the indoor unit side control unit 120 controls the chamber side control unit 121 to blink the LED 215C for a certain time (step SB10).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1, the indoor unit side control unit 120 permits the dust box 57 to move up and down, and the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1. If not, the indoor unit side control unit 120 prohibits the lifting and lowering of the dust box 57. Here, when the suction grill 30 is moved up and down while the brush unit 51 is located at the dust movement position H2 above the dust box 57, the brush unit 51 and the dust box 57 may cause unintended contact. However, in this embodiment, when it is detected that the brush unit 51 is positioned at the standby position H1, that is, not reliably positioned at the dust movement position H2, the lifting and lowering of the dust box 57 is permitted. Therefore, unintended contact between the brush unit 51 and the dust box 57 can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the brush unit position detection unit 120A detects that the brush unit 51 is located at the standby position H1, so that the brush unit 51 is located at the dust movement position H2 above the dust box 57. By adopting a configuration for detecting that the brush unit 51 is not, it is possible to reliably detect that the brush unit 51 is not positioned above the dust box 57.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the condition B is selected as the condition for starting the dust removal of the air filter 40, in the ascending / descending time period including the time T2 which is the start time of the dust removal of the air filter 40. In this case, raising / lowering of the dust box 57 is prohibited.
Here, when the brush unit 51 is scanning to remove dust from the air filter 40, the brush unit 51 may be positioned at the dust moving position H2 above the dust box 57 in the scanning process. For this reason, when the dust box 57 moves up and down during the scanning of the brush unit 51, unintended contact between the brush unit 51 and the dust box 57 may occur.
However, according to the present embodiment, when the condition B is selected, the current time reaches time T2, and the dust box 57 is not allowed to move up and down while the air filter 40 is automatically removing dust. Thus, unintended contact between the brush unit 51 and the dust box 57 can be reliably prevented.

The above-described embodiment is merely an aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied within the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the embodiment described above, an example of the light emission mode of the LEDs 213B, 214B, and 215B and the LEDs 213C, 214C, and 215C has been described. However, the light emission mode of these LEDs is not limited to this example, and can be set as appropriate.
In the present embodiment, various instructions are given by the remote controller 130, but various instructions may be given by a wired remote controller.
In the present embodiment, the dust box 57 is attached to the suction grill 30 and the dust box 57 moves up and down as the suction grill 30 moves up and down. For example, regardless of the movement of the suction grill 30, only the dust box 57 is used. The structure which raises / lowers may be sufficient.
Further, in the present embodiment, the limit switch 110L, 110R is used to detect that the brush unit 51 is positioned at the standby position H1, but the shape and structure of the limit switch 110L, 110R is the present embodiment. It is not limited to the shape and structure described in. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which detects that the brush unit 51 is located in the standby position H1 using sensors, such as not only a limit switch but a photo sensor.
In the present embodiment, the brush unit 51 is detected not to be positioned at the dust moving position H2 above the dust box 57 by detecting that the brush unit 51 is positioned at the standby position H1. A limit switch, a photo sensor, or the like that operates when the brush unit 51 is located at the dust movement position H2 is provided, and these are used to detect that the brush unit 51 is not located at the dust movement position H2. Good. That is, the mechanism and method for detecting that the brush unit 51 is not located at the dust movement position H2 can be designed as appropriate.

1 is a perspective view of a ceiling-embedded air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of a ceiling embedded type air conditioner. It is sectional drawing of a ceiling embedded type air conditioner. It is a perspective view of a corner panel. It is an external appearance perspective view of a brush unit. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the upper case from the state of FIG. It is a side view of a brush unit. It is side sectional drawing which shows a brush unit and a dust box. It is a sectional side view which shows the state which the brush unit moved on the dust box. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of a ceiling embedded type air conditioner. (A) is a diagram schematically showing a post-end time table, (B) is a diagram schematically showing a start time table, and (C) is a diagram schematically showing an accumulated time table. is there. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of a suction grill descent. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of the dust removal of an air filter.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body unit 9 Blower 11 Heat exchanger 21 Decorative panel 30 Suction grill 35 Lifting unit
40 Air filter 51 Brush unit (removal device)
57 Dust box 100 Ceiling-embedded air conditioner 120 Indoor unit control unit (lift control means)
120A Brush unit position detection unit (position detection means)
H1 standby position

Claims (4)

In an air conditioner comprising a main unit having a heat exchanger and a blower, and a decorative panel disposed below the main unit,
An air filter that collects dust in the air sucked through the suction grille of the decorative panel in the main body unit, and a removal device that scans the lower surface of the air filter and removes dust attached to the air filter. Prepared,
A dust box in which the dust removed by the removing device is transferred from the removing device and accumulated; lifting means for supporting the dust box with respect to the air filter and the removing device; and the removing device includes the dust box A position detecting means for detecting that the dust box is not located above the dust box; and when the position detecting means detects that the removal device is not located above the dust box, the lifting means is An air conditioner characterized by comprising elevating control means for controlling elevating. The removal device is controlled to be positioned at a standby position set at a position deviated from above the dust box while the dust attached to the air filter is not removed.
2. The position detection means detects that the removal device is not located above the dust box by detecting that the removal device is located at the standby position. Air conditioner as described in. The scan start time for starting the scanning of the removing device is configured to be settable,
3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the elevating control unit prohibits the elevating / lowering of the dust box by the dust box elevating unit during a predetermined time period including the scanning start time. A control method for an air conditioner comprising a main unit having a heat exchanger and a blower, and a decorative panel arranged below the main unit,
An air filter that collects dust in the air sucked through the suction grille of the decorative panel in the main body unit, and a removal device that scans the lower surface of the air filter and removes dust attached to the air filter. Prepared,
A dust box in which the dust removed by the removal device is transferred and accumulated from the removal device, and an elevating unit that supports the dust box so as to be movable up and down with respect to the air filter and the removal device;
When it is detected that the removing device is not located above the dust box and it is detected that the removing device is not located above the dust box, the lifting means is controlled to be able to move up and down. An air conditioner control method characterized by the above.

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