JP6746202B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner capable of correcting air volume, air direction, and set temperature.

In an air conditioner, the size of a room to be installed is set depending on the capacity of the air conditioner, but in recent years, the heat load on air conditioning has been reduced due to high airtightness and high heat insulation of a house. To cope with this, various functions have been proposed.

In Patent Document 1, in an air conditioner equipped with a control device that detects an air conditioning load and controls various actuators based on the load, based on the airtightness or heat insulation performance of a house in which an air conditioner is installed. It is disclosed that the selecting device for selecting is provided and the control device determines and controls the control parameter of the actuator according to the content selected by the selecting device.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a control device that controls the operation of the blower fan according to the temperature difference between the room temperature and the set temperature is provided by an operation command from the operation unit during heating operation, and rotation is performed by a signal from the operation unit or the control device. In an air conditioner equipped with a louver motor, the operation unit is provided with a tatami number changeover switch for selecting the size of the air-conditioned space. When the number of tatami mats smaller than the reference number of tatami mats is selected by the tatami mat number selector switch, the rotation speed of the blower fan is reduced by a predetermined rotation speed and the angle of the horizontal blade is set downward by a predetermined angle, and a large tatami mat number is selected. In this case, it is disclosed that the tatami number switching control means is provided for increasing the rotation speed of the blower fan by a predetermined rotation speed and for raising the angle of the horizontal blades by a predetermined rotation angle.

JP 2001-343145 A JP, 2003-214644, A

In Patent Document 1, the selection unit that selects based on the airtight performance or the heat insulating performance, and in Patent Document 2, the content of the air conditioning control is changed by selecting the tatami mat changeover switch. The issue is whether the appropriate selection is made.

In the future, if the air-tightness and high heat insulation of houses will be further improved, it will be possible to accommodate larger rooms even with air conditioners of the same capacity. Air conditioners will be installed in a wide range of rooms up to performance rooms.

On the other hand, because the air volume and direction of the air conditioner are set to be optimal considering the size of the standard room where the capacity class is installed, it will be installed in a wider room. Therefore, even if the capacity is sufficient, the indoor temperature becomes uneven, and even if only the vicinity of the air conditioner reaches the set temperature, the air conditioner is separated from the air conditioner. There is a problem that the set temperature does not reach the set point.

The present invention is an invention for solving the above-mentioned problems, and provides an air conditioner capable of appropriately controlling the air conditioning in accordance with the size of a room and the airtightness/heat insulating property (airtight heat insulating property) of the room. The purpose is to

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the air conditioner of the present invention has a size detection unit that detects the size of a room, a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the room, the size of the detected room, and after the start of operation. It is characterized by having an airtight and heat insulating property detection unit that detects the airtightness and heat insulation property of the room based on the temperature difference between the detected temperature and the detected temperature after a predetermined time after the start of operation, and an air conditioning control unit. .. Other aspects of the present invention will be described in the embodiments described later.

According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control the air conditioning in accordance with the size of the room and the airtightness/heat insulating property of the room.

It is a figure showing the whole air conditioner composition concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control part of the air conditioner which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the calculation process of the distance of the depth direction of a room, (a) is a figure which shows the vertical position of the vanishing point in an image, (b) is the vertical position of a vanishing point, and the distance to a corner. It is a figure which shows a relationship. It is a figure which shows the temperature difference of the reading value of a room temperature sensor and the average temperature of a room based on the size of a room, airtightness, and heat insulation of a room. It is a figure which shows the fall rate of room temperature at the time of thermo-off at the time of heating based on the size of a room, airtightness, and heat insulation of a room. It is a flow chart which shows temperature correction processing of room temperature, and temperature correction processing of thermo-off return (thermo return). It is a flow chart which shows temperature correction processing in the case of a narrow room. It is a flow chart which shows temperature correction processing in the case of an average room. It is a flow chart which shows temperature correction processing in the case of a large room. It is a figure which shows the example in case the size of a room is changed, (a) is a case where the Japanese-style room and the Western-style room are partitioned by the sliding door, (b) is a case where the sliding door is opened.

Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an air conditioner according to this embodiment. The air conditioner AC includes an indoor unit 20, an outdoor unit 10, and a remote controller 40 that transmits an operation signal to the indoor unit 20. The indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10 are connected by a connection pipe 60. The indoor unit 20 includes an internal structure such as a blower fan 27 (see FIG. 2) and an indoor heat exchanger in a housing 21. The air conditioner AC sucks indoor air from the air suction port 22 and blows the indoor air heated, cooled, dehumidified, etc. by the indoor heat exchanger into the room by changing the wind direction by the up-down wind direction plate 29. Air-condition.

Further, the indoor unit 20 has an imaging unit 25 which is one of the sensor units 50 (see FIG. 2). The imaging unit 25 is, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor, and is installed in the lower portion of the front panel in the center in the left-right direction. The indoor unit 20 may have a temperature detection unit such as a thermopile in addition to the image pickup unit 25. The control unit 30 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, detects the size of the room using the image capturing unit 25, and detects the airtightness/heat insulating property using the room temperature sensor 24 (see FIG. 2 ). In the cooling operation/heating operation, the control unit 30 changes the room temperature, the wind direction, and the air volume detected according to the size of the room, airtightness and heat insulation, and performs control suitable for the room.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a control unit of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment. The control unit 30 is provided in the electric component. Based on the information from the remote controller 40 and the information from the sensor unit 50 via the transmission/reception unit 26 (see FIG. 1), the control unit 30 controls the blower fan 27, the left/right airflow direction plate 28, and the up/down airflow direction plate 29 of the indoor unit 20. Then, the compressor 11 and the propeller fan 12 of the outdoor unit 10 are driven.

The sensor unit 50 is provided in the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 10. The sensor unit 50 includes a room temperature sensor 24 (temperature detection unit), a humidity sensor, a timepiece, an imaging unit 25, an outside air temperature sensor, a compressor temperature sensor, a refrigerant pipe temperature sensor, and the like.

The control unit 30 controls the image pickup unit 25, an image pickup control unit 31 that controls the image pickup unit 25, a size detection unit 32 that detects the size of the room based on the image picked up by the image pickup unit 25, and an airtightness due to a temperature change at room temperature. Setting of the airtight heat insulation detection unit 33 that detects heat insulation, the correction unit 34 that corrects and sets the operating parameter according to the detection results of the width detection unit 32 and the airtight heat insulation detection unit 33, and the correction unit 34 The storage unit 36 includes an air-conditioning control unit 35 that controls air-conditioning according to the above. When the user presses the automatic operation button of the remote controller 40, cooling, heating, dehumidification, etc. are automatically selected based on the detection result of the sensor unit 50, and automatic operation for adjusting the set temperature etc. is started.

The storage unit 36 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). Then, the program stored in the ROM is read by the CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the control unit 30, expanded in the RAM, and executed.

The width detection unit 32 extracts edges in the image based on the image captured by the imaging unit 25, extracts thick and long edges, extends straight lines, creates intersections, and eliminates the center of gravity of the intersections. By setting the points as the points, the corners in the room are detected, and the detected corners are set as the tangents between the walls, the tangents between the walls and the ceiling, or the tangents between the walls and the floor. It is detecting. Further, the size detection unit 32 can calculate the distance to the side wall or the front wall. As an example of the distance calculation, a distance calculation process in the depth direction will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a process of calculating a distance in the depth direction of a room, (a) is a diagram showing a vertical position of a vanishing point in an image, and (b) is a diagram showing a vertical position of the vanishing point and a corner. It is a figure which shows the relationship with the distance of.

FIG. 3A is an image captured by the imaging unit 25, and the image in FIG. 3A includes two vanishing points 99 (vanishing points 99A and 99B). The width detection unit 32 acquires the vertical length a from the vanishing point 99 to the upper end of the image and the vertical length b from the vanishing point 99 to the lower end of the image based on the pixels of the image and the like.

FIG. 3B shows a plane including the indoor unit 20 and a corner and parallel to the vertical direction. The imaging unit 25 shown in FIG. 3B images a field angle of 45° downward from the horizontal plane. Therefore, the relationship between the distance L on the horizontal plane from the indoor unit 20 to the corner, the length a and the length b in the image, and the height h at which the indoor unit 20 is installed is expressed by the following formula 1. Represented by

L:h=(a+b):a (Formula 1)
Then, the following expression 2 is derived from the expression 1.
L=(a+b)×h/a (Equation 2)

The width detection unit 32 can calculate the distance L using the length a and the length b, the height h at which the indoor unit 20 is installed, and (Equation 2). When a plurality of vanishing points 99 are detected as shown in FIG. 3A, the width detecting unit 32 calculates the distance L corresponding to each vanishing point 99. Note that, for example, the height h at which the indoor unit 20 is installed is, for example, 2 meters, and the width detection unit 32 holds the height h (2 meters) in advance.

In the above-described example, the length a and the length b are acquired using the image when the imaging unit 25 captures the upper and lower field angles of 45° from the horizontal plane. However, the orientation of the imaging unit 25 is not limited to 45° downward from the horizontal plane as long as the width detection unit 32 holds the angle indicating the vertical direction in which the imaging unit 25 captures an image.

For example, even when the image capturing unit 25 captures an angle of view from 10° upward to 35° downward with respect to the horizontal plane, the width detecting unit 32 captures an image based on the information about the upper and lower angles of the image capturing unit 25. The length a can be acquired by specifying the position corresponding to the same height as the portion 25 in the image. Further, if the width detection unit 32 acquires the vertical length (a+b) of the image captured by the image capturing unit 25 instead of the length b, the width detection unit 32 calculates the distance L using (Equation 2). You can

Returning to FIG. 2, the size detection unit 32 automatically detects the size of the room. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience of the setting for the user and to prevent the trouble caused by the incorrect setting.

When a large room is detected by the size detection unit 32, the correction unit 34 performs a preset correction calculation, and the air conditioning control unit 35 changes the angle of the vertical wind direction plate 29 upward with respect to the normal position. This is because the conditioned room air blown out from the air conditioner reaches the interior of the room. If this is not done, the conditioned air will reach only the space close to the air conditioner, and for example, only the surroundings of the air conditioner will be warmed during heating operation, the temperature will not rise at a distance, and the temperature difference in the room Will become bigger.

Further, when the size detection unit 32 detects a large room, the correction unit 34 corrects the rotation speed (rotation speed) of the blower fan 27, and the air conditioning control unit 35 raises the air volume to reach the back of the room. Deliver conditioned air. In particular, in heating, the air blown out is high in temperature and easily rises. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the air volume in order to air-condition the floor surface away from the air conditioner.

Even when installed in a large room in this way, the non-uniform temperature is suppressed by circulating the conditioned air throughout the room. It is expected that the non-uniformity of will increase.

Therefore, when the size detection unit 32 detects a large room, the correction unit 34 also corrects the correction amount of the detection value of the room temperature sensor 24. Regarding the room temperature sensor 24 inside the indoor unit 20 installed near the ceiling and the temperature near the floor surface where the occupants of the room exist, the ceiling side is generally higher and there is a temperature difference, so that the resident exists. The reading value of the room temperature sensor 24 of the indoor unit 20 is corrected so that the space reaches the set temperature. However, when the room becomes wider, the temperature difference in the depth direction of the room also becomes larger, and therefore the correction amount is further increased. Need to be bigger.

Specifically, in the heating operation, the surroundings of the air conditioner become warm, and the temperature becomes low in a distant space. Therefore, the detected value of the room temperature sensor 24 is corrected to a low value. Conversely, at the time of cooling, the surroundings of the air conditioner are cooled, The detection value of the room temperature sensor 24 is corrected to a high value. Alternatively, in the heating operation, the surroundings of the air conditioner warm up, and the temperature becomes low in a distant space, so the set temperature is corrected to a high value. Conversely, during cooling, the surroundings of the air conditioner are cooled, so the set temperature is corrected to a low value. Good.

The temperature difference between the room temperature sensor 24 built into the indoor unit 20 and the space in which the occupant exists is not only due to the size of the room but also due to the airtightness and heat insulation. Therefore, a room airtight heat insulation detecting unit 33 is further provided. That is, even if the room size is the same, if the room is detected to be highly airtight and highly heat-insulated, the correction of the correction amount of the reading value of the room temperature sensor 24 may be reduced. Similarly, when it is detected that the room has low airtightness and low heat insulation, the correction of the correction amount of the reading value of the room temperature sensor 24 may be increased.

The airtightness and heat insulation of the airtight heat insulation detection unit 33 can be automatically detected as follows. In other words, when the room is installed in an environment with standard airtightness and heat insulation and operated by an air conditioner, the time taken for the room temperature to rise to a certain temperature is recorded as data. It is possible to detect the airtightness and heat insulation of the room by storing it in the room and comparing it with the time it took for the room temperature to rise to a certain temperature when the room was actually driven. .. If this time is shorter than that of a standard room, it is recognized that the airtightness and heat insulation are higher, and conversely, the longer it is, the lower the airtightness and heat insulation is recognized.

Further, the airtight heat insulation detecting unit 33 determines the airtightness and heat insulation of the room based on the detected room size and the temperature difference between the detected temperature after the start of operation and the detected temperature after a predetermined time after the start of operation. It may be detected. A method for setting the control parameters according to the size of the room and the airtightness/heat insulation of the room will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 9.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a temperature difference between the reading value of the room temperature sensor 24 and the average temperature of the room, which is based on the size of the room and the airtightness/heat insulating property of the room. The vertical axis shows the size of the room, and the horizontal axis shows the airtightness and heat insulation of the room. There are three room sizes: small, average, and large. Further, the airtightness/heat insulating property is classified into three types: high, standard (medium), and low.

When the size of the room shown in FIG. 4 is “average”, and the airtightness/heat insulating property is “medium”, the airtightness is set if the temperature difference between the reading value of the room temperature sensor 24 and the average temperature of the room is “medium”. -When the heat insulation property is "high", the temperature difference is "slightly small", and when the airtightness and heat insulation property is "low", the temperature difference is "slightly large".

Similarly, when the room size is “narrow” and the airtightness/insulation is “low”, the temperature difference is “medium”, and when the airtightness/insulation is “medium”, the temperature difference is “slightly”. When the airtightness and heat insulation are "high", the temperature difference is "small".

Similarly, when the room is "wide" and the airtightness/insulation is "high", the temperature difference is "medium", and when the airtightness/insulation is "medium", the temperature difference is "slightly". When the airtightness and heat insulation are "low", the temperature difference becomes "large".

That is, when the size of the room is large and the airtightness/insulation is low, the airflow blown from the indoor unit 20 does not circulate throughout the room, and the room temperature sensor 24 inside the indoor unit 20 does not circulate. It shows that the temperature difference between the detected temperature and the average temperature of the entire room is large. On the other hand, when the size of the room is small and the airtightness and heat insulation are high, the air flow blown from the indoor unit 20. Circulates throughout the room, indicating that the temperature difference between the temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 24 in the indoor unit 20 and the average temperature of the room is small.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the rate of decrease in room temperature when the thermostat is turned off during heating, based on the size of the room and the airtightness/heat insulation of the room. The vertical axis shows the size of the room, and the horizontal axis shows the airtightness and heat insulation of the room. There are three room sizes: small, average, and large. Further, the airtightness/heat insulating property is classified into three types: high, standard (medium), and low.

Generally, in the thermo-off, when the temperature of the room reaches a set temperature, the outdoor unit 10 is stopped to stop the operation of warming the room during heating (cooling during cooling). When the thermostat is turned off, only the outdoor unit 10 is stopped, so the indoor unit 20 is still operating and does not always operate both indoors and outdoors during operation. The outdoor unit 10 starts and stops depending on the room temperature. repeat. The room temperature is determined by the room temperature sensor 24.

When the size of the room shown in FIG. 5 is "average" and the airtightness/heat insulation property is "medium", the airtightness/heat insulation property is "medium" when the temperature decrease rate of the room temperature when the thermostat is off during heating is "medium" In the case of "high", the decreasing speed is "slightly small", and in the case of the airtightness/insulating property being "low", the decreasing speed is "slightly large".

Similarly, when the room size is "narrow" and the airtightness/insulation is "high", the decrease rate is "medium", and when the airtightness/insulation is "medium", the decrease rate is "slightly". When the airtightness and heat insulation are "low", the rate of decrease is "high".

Similarly, when the room size is "wide" and the airtightness/insulation is "low", the decrease rate is "medium", and when the airtightness/insulation is "medium", the decrease rate is "slightly". When the airtightness/heat insulation property is “high”, the decreasing rate is “small”.

That is, when the size of the room is small and the airtightness and heat insulation are low, the outflow of air from the room to the outside of the room and the escape of heat are large compared to the size of the room. It shows that the rate of decrease in room temperature is large, while on the other hand, when the size of the room is large and the airtightness and heat insulation are high, the outflow of air from the room to the outside and the escape of heat relative to the size of the room. Indicates that the room temperature decreases at a low temperature when the thermostat is off during heating.

It should be noted that FIG. 5 can be regarded as a diagram showing the rate of increase in the room temperature when the thermostat is turned off during cooling, based on the size of the room and the airtightness/heat insulation of the room.

Next, in consideration of the characteristics of FIGS. 4 and 5, the temperature correction processing will be described according to the size of the room and the airtightness/heat insulation.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a temperature correction process for room temperature and a temperature correction process for returning to the thermo-off state (thermo return). FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the temperature correction processing in the case of a small room. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the temperature correction processing in the case of an average room. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the temperature correction process in the case of a large room.

In FIG. 6, when the control unit 30 starts the operation, the size detection unit 32 determines the size of the room (process S60), the process proceeds to process S61 in the case of a small room, and the process in the case of an average room. If the room is large, the process proceeds to step S62.

In FIG. 7, the airtight insulation detecting unit 33 compares the temperature change of the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 24 with the average room temperature change of the airtight/insulating room in a small room (process S70), When the temperature change is small (step S70, small), it is determined that the airtightness and heat insulation of the room are low (step S71). Then, in the correction unit 34, the temperature correction of the room temperature remains the standard (process S74), the temperature correction of the thermo recovery is increased (process S77), and the temperature correction process is ended.

In FIG. 4, the process S74 corresponds to the temperature difference of "medium" when the room size is "narrow" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "low". In the process S77, when the room size is "narrow" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "low" in FIG. 5, the decreasing speed corresponds to "large". That is, since the rate of decrease is large, it is possible to warm up the room during heating by starting the outdoor unit 10 earlier by increasing the temperature correction for the thermo recovery.

In the process S70, the airtight adiabaticity detection unit 33 determines that the airtightness/adiabatic properties of the room are average when the temperature changes are the same (process S70, the same) (process S72). Then, in the correction unit 34, the temperature correction of the room temperature is slightly decreased (process S75), the temperature correction of the thermo recovery is increased slightly (process S78), and the temperature correction process is ended.

In step S75 in FIG. 4, when the room size is "narrow" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "medium", the temperature difference corresponds to "slightly small". In the process S78, when the room size is "narrow" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "medium" in FIG. 5, the decreasing speed corresponds to "slightly large".

In the process S70, if the temperature change is large (process S70, large), the airtight adiabaticity detection unit 33 determines that the room has a high airtightness/adiabatic property (process S73). Then, the correction unit 34 reduces the temperature correction of the room temperature (process S76), leaves the temperature correction of the thermo recovery as standard (process S79), and ends the temperature correction process.

In the process S76 in FIG. 4, when the room size is "narrow" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "high", the temperature difference corresponds to "small". In the process S79, when the size of the room is "narrow" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "high" in FIG. 5, the decreasing speed corresponds to "medium".

In FIG. 8, the airtight heat insulation detection unit 33 compares the temperature change of the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 24 with the temperature change of the room temperature of an average airtight/heat insulating room in an average size room. (Processing S80) If the temperature change is small (Processing S80, small), it is determined that the room has low airtightness and heat insulation (Processing S81). Then, in the correction unit 34, the temperature correction of the room temperature is slightly increased (process S84), the temperature correction of the thermo return is increased slightly (process S87), and the temperature correction process ends.

In the process S84 in FIG. 4, when the room size is "average" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "low", the temperature difference corresponds to "slightly large". In the process S87, when the room size is "average" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "low" in FIG. 5, the decreasing speed corresponds to "slightly large".

In the process S80, the airtight adiabaticity detection unit 33 determines that the airtightness/adiabatic properties of the room are average when the temperature changes are equivalent (process S80, equivalent) (process S82). Then, in the correction unit 34, the temperature correction of the room temperature remains the standard (process S85), the temperature correction of the thermo return is left the standard (process S88), and the temperature correction process ends.

In step S85, the temperature difference corresponds to "medium" when the room size is "average" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "medium" in FIG. In the process S88, when the room size is “average” and the airtightness/heat insulating property is “medium” in FIG. 5, the decrease speed corresponds to “medium”.

In the process S80, if the temperature change is large (process S80, large), the airtight heat insulation detection unit 33 determines that the room has high airtightness/heat insulation (process S83). Then, in the correction unit 34, the temperature correction of the room temperature is made slightly small (process S86), the temperature correction of the thermo recovery is made slightly small (process S89), and the temperature correction process is ended.

In the process S86 in FIG. 4, when the room size is "average" and the airtightness/insulation is "high", the temperature difference corresponds to "slightly small". In the process S89, when the room size is "average" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "high" in FIG. 5, the decreasing speed corresponds to "slightly small".

In FIG. 9, the airtight insulation detecting unit 33 compares the temperature change of the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 24 with the average room temperature change of the airtight/insulating room in a large room (process S90), When the temperature change is small (process S90, small), it is determined that the airtightness and heat insulation of the room are low (process S91). Then, in the correction unit 34, the temperature correction of the room temperature is increased (process S94), the temperature correction of the thermo return is left as standard (process S97), and the temperature correction process ends.

In step S94 in FIG. 4, when the room size is "wide" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "low", the temperature difference corresponds to "large". In the process S97, when the room size is “wide” and the airtightness/heat insulating property is “high” in FIG. 5, the decrease speed corresponds to “medium”.

In process S90, if the temperature changes are the same (process S90, equivalent), the airtight heat insulation detection unit 33 determines that the airtightness and heat insulation of the room are average (process S92). Then, in the correction unit 34, the temperature correction of the room temperature is slightly increased (process S95), the temperature correction of the thermo return is decreased slightly (process S98), and the temperature correction process ends.

In step S95 in FIG. 4, when the room size is "wide" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "medium", the temperature difference corresponds to "slightly large". In step S98, when the room size is “wide” and the airtightness/heat insulating property is “medium” in FIG. 5, the reduction rate corresponds to “slightly small”.

In the process S90, if the temperature change is large (process S90, large), the airtight heat insulation detection unit 33 determines that the room has high airtightness/heat insulation (process S93). Then, in the correction unit 34, the temperature correction of the room temperature remains the standard (process S96), the temperature correction of the thermo recovery is reduced (process S99), and the temperature correction process ends.

In the process S96 in FIG. 4, when the room size is “wide” and the airtightness/heat insulating property is “high”, the temperature difference corresponds to “medium”. In the process S99, when the room size is "wide" and the airtightness/heat insulating property is "high" in FIG. 5, the decrease speed corresponds to "small".

By the above temperature correction processing, the temperature difference between the set temperature and the actual temperature of the room is reduced, and the temperature of the room when the thermostat is off may feel too cold when heated or too hot when cooled. Can be prevented.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the size of the room is changed. (a) shows a case where a Japanese-style room and a Western-style room are separated by a sliding door, and (b) shows a case where the sliding door is opened. Is. In FIG. 10(a), when the air conditioner is set to a room size of 8 tatami as a standard, the air conditioning of the western room on the right side can be adequately heated properly with the standard setting. In the case of 10(b), since the slide door is opened, the entire room becomes about 14 tatami mats, and with the current standard setting, for example, a situation where it does not warm up easily during heating occurs.

In the case of the air conditioner AC of the present embodiment, the size detection unit 32 detects the size of the room, the airtight heat insulation property detection unit 33 detects the airtightness/heat insulation property, and the wind direction, air volume, and temperature correction are performed accordingly. By performing the above, it is possible to provide the air conditioner AC that suppresses the unevenness of the indoor temperature and maintains the comfort for a wide range of room sizes.

As described above, the air conditioner AC of the present embodiment is provided with the means for changing the parameters such as the air volume and the air direction according to the size of the room, airtightness, and heat insulation. By setting parameters at the start of operation of the air conditioner AC or at predetermined time intervals, a wide range of room sizes from a narrow room with low heat insulation and airtightness to a large room with high airtightness and heat insulation, With respect to airtightness and heat insulation, air conditioning suitable for the room can be performed. Similarly, by correcting the detection value of the temperature sensor according to the size of the room, airtightness, and heat insulation, it is possible to control the temperature to reach the set temperature even in a place away from the air conditioner AC. Is possible. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the air conditioner AC that suppresses the unevenness of the indoor temperature and maintains the comfort for a wide range of room sizes.

In the present embodiment, the size of the room and the airtightness/heat insulating property are automatically detected, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, a switch such as a changeover switch mounted on the indoor unit 20 or the outdoor unit 10 may be used. In addition, the selection may be made by setting the remote controller 40. In this selection, a standard size room and a room larger than a certain size can be selected. Specifically, for example, in an air conditioner of a capacity class for 6 tatami mats, when it is installed in a room of 8 tatami mats or more, it is selected as a large room. The size of the room may be set in more detail in three or more steps. Further, instead of the size of the room, the distance from the wall surface where the air conditioner is installed to the opposite wall surface may be selected. The airtightness/heat insulating property may be selected from three or more stages.

10 Outdoor Unit 20 Indoor Unit 21 Indoor Unit Housing 22 Air Suction Port 24 Room Temperature Sensor (Temperature Detector)
25 Imaging unit 26 Transmitting/receiving unit 27 Blower fan 28 Left and right wind direction plate 29 Vertical wind direction plate (wind direction plate)
30 control unit 31 imaging control unit 32 width detection unit 33 airtight heat insulation detection unit (airtightness/heat insulation detection unit)
34 Correction Unit 35 Air Conditioning Control Unit 36 Storage Unit 40 Remote Control (Air Conditioning Control Terminal)
50 sensor section 60 connection piping AC air conditioner

Claims (10)

An area detector that detects the size of the room,
A temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the room,
An air-tight and heat-insulating detector that detects the air-tightness and heat-insulating property of the room based on the detected room size and the temperature difference between the detected temperature after the start of operation and the detected temperature after a predetermined time after the start of operation. ,
Air conditioner and having a air-conditioning control unit. The air conditioner has an imaging unit that images the room,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the size detecting unit detects the size of the room based on an image captured by the image capturing unit. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air-conditioning control unit makes the up-down wind direction plate face upward or lengthens the time when the detected air-conditioning chamber becomes wider as the detected room becomes wider during heating operation. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the air conditioning control unit increases the air volume of the blower fan as the detected room is larger during the heating operation. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air-conditioning control unit makes the vertical airflow direction face upward or lengthens the time during which the airflow direction is upward when the detected room is wider during the cooling operation. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein the air conditioning control unit increases the air volume of the blower fan as the detected room is larger during the cooling operation. The width detection unit calculates the distance from the wall surface where the indoor unit is installed to the opposite wall,
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air-conditioning control unit causes the vertical wind direction plate to face upward as the calculated distance becomes longer to increase the air volume. The air conditioner,
Wider the room is detected by the size detection unit, said detection knowledge of the temperature sensing portion lower during heating, air according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a correction unit for high corrected during cooling Harmony machine. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the correction unit corrects the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit according to the detected size of the room and the airtightness/heat insulation of the room. Machine. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the correction unit corrects the temperature setting for returning from the thermo-off operation according to the detected size of the room and the airtightness/heat insulating property of the room. ..

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