JP7082269B2 - air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner, particularly an air conditioner including a humidifying unit having a humidifying heater.

Conventionally, an air conditioner equipped with a humidifying unit is known. For example, Cited Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-118312) discloses an air conditioner in which a humidifying unit having a rotor and a humidifying heater orbiting a suction area and a desorption area is mounted on an outdoor unit. In this air conditioner, the rotor adsorbs moisture from the air in the adsorption area, and desorbs the moisture by the air heated by the humidifying heater in the desorption area. The moist air desorbed from the rotor is sent to the air-conditioned space.

By the way, in an air conditioner, frost may adhere to a heat exchanger that functions as an evaporator during heating operation. When more than a predetermined amount of frost adheres to the heat exchanger, in order to remove the frost, in the air conditioner, for example, the flow of the refrigerant so that the heat exchanger functioning as an evaporator during the heating operation functions as a condenser. A reverse cycle defrost operation is performed in which the direction is switched. During the reverse cycle defrost operation, the heating operation is temporarily interrupted and the comfort of the air conditioner user is reduced, so that the adhesion of frost is reduced as much as possible and the time during which the reverse cycle defrost operation is performed can be shortened as much as possible. preferable.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner provided with a humidifying unit having a humidifying heater, which can reduce frost during heating operation.

The air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a humidifying unit, a heat exchanger, an air flow path, an air blowing unit, and a control unit. The humidifying unit has a suction member and a humidifying heater. The adsorption member adsorbs the moisture in the air and releases the adsorbed moisture by being heated. The humidifying heater heats the adsorption member. The heat exchanger functions as an evaporator during the heating operation. Air heated by a humidifying heater flows through the air flow path. The air blowing portion is arranged in the vicinity of the heat exchanger and blows out the air guided through the air flow path. The control unit controls the air heated by the humidifying heater to flow to the air blowing unit through the air flow path at a predetermined condition in which frost needs to be reduced in the heating operation.

In the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the heat of the humidifying heater for removing and attaching moisture from the suction member is used to reduce the frost, the time for which the heating is stopped due to the defrost is shortened, and the air conditioner is used. It is possible to improve the comfort of the user.

The air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to the first aspect, and air is blown from the air blowing portion toward the heat exchanger.

In the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present invention, the air heated by the humidifying heater can be directly blown to the heat exchanger to efficiently reduce the frost.

The air conditioner according to the third aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to the first aspect, and air is blown from the air blowing portion toward other than the heat exchanger.

In the air conditioner according to the third aspect of the present invention, even when air containing a relatively large amount of water is blown out from the air blowing portion, the air conditioner contains a relatively large amount of water that may cause frost. Frost can be reduced without blowing air onto the heat exchanger.

The air conditioner according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to any one of the first to third aspects, and further includes a moving mechanism for moving the air outlet portion along the heat exchanger.

In the air conditioner according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, frost can be reduced in a wide area of the heat exchanger.

The air conditioner according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is the air conditioner according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and further includes a fan for supplying outside air to the heat exchanger. The control unit reduces the rotation speed of the fan at a predetermined condition in which the frost needs to be reduced in the heating operation, as compared with other than the predetermined condition in the heating operation.

In the air conditioner according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the fan rotation speed is reduced under the condition that frost may occur in the heat exchanger, the generation of noise due to the adhesion of frost to the heat exchanger is suppressed. can do.

In the air conditioner according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the heat of the humidifying heater for removing and attaching the moisture from the adsorption member is used for reducing the frost, the time for stopping the heating due to the defrost is shortened and the air conditioning is performed. It is possible to improve the comfort of the user of the aircraft.

In the air conditioner according to the second aspect of the present invention, frost can be efficiently reduced.

In the air conditioner according to the third aspect of the present invention, even when air containing a relatively large amount of water is blown out from the air blowing portion, the air conditioner contains a relatively large amount of water that may cause frost. Frost can be reduced without blowing air onto the heat exchanger.

In the air conditioner according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, frost can be reduced in a wide area of the heat exchanger.

In the air conditioner according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the fan rotation speed is reduced under the condition that frost may occur in the heat exchanger, the generation of noise due to the adhesion of frost to the heat exchanger is suppressed. can do.

It is a schematic block diagram of the air conditioner which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner of FIG. The outdoor unit with the top plate removed is drawn. It is a schematic front view of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner of FIG. The outdoor unit with the protective grill removed from the front plate is depicted. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the humidifying rotor of the humidifying unit which the outdoor unit of the air conditioner of FIG. 1 has, and the flow of the air passing through a humidifying rotor. It is a schematic perspective view of the humidification unit which the outdoor unit of the air conditioner of FIG. 1 has. The humidifying unit with the humidifying heater removed is drawn. It is a schematic diagram of the frost reduction mechanism which the outdoor unit of the air conditioner of FIG. 1 has. It is a block diagram of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner of FIG. It is a flowchart of the frost reduction processing of the air conditioner of FIG. It is a schematic diagram of the frost reduction mechanism of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

The air conditioner 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are specific examples of the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

(1) Overall Configuration The air conditioner 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a plurality of operation modes such as cooling operation, heating operation, and humidification operation. The air conditioner 10 can execute a plurality of operation modes in an appropriate combination. For example, the air conditioner 10 can perform a heating operation and a humidifying operation in combination (that is, at the same time). The operation content of the air conditioner 10 is determined based on, for example, a command from a remote controller (not shown) operated by the user of the air conditioner 10, the temperature and humidity of the room which is the air conditioning target space, and the like.

The air conditioner 10 mainly has an indoor unit 20 and an outdoor unit 30 (see FIG. 1). The refrigerant circuit 90 is configured by connecting the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 30 by the liquid refrigerant connecting pipe 14 and the gas refrigerant connecting pipe 16 (see FIG. 1). The refrigerant moves between the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 30 via the liquid refrigerant connecting pipe 14 and the gas refrigerant connecting pipe 16, and circulates in the refrigerant circuit 90. The refrigerant circuit 90 mainly includes a compressor 31 of the outdoor unit 30, a four-way switching valve 32, an outdoor heat exchanger 33, an electric expansion valve 34 and an accumulator 36, and an indoor heat exchanger 21 of the outdoor unit 30, which will be described later. See Figure 1). When the refrigerant circulates in the refrigerant circuit 90, a steam compression refrigeration cycle is performed in the air conditioner 10. Although not limited, the type of the refrigerant is, for example, R32 of the HFC refrigerant.

There is air movement between the outdoor unit 30 and the indoor unit 20 via the air supply hose 18 (see FIG. 1). The air supply hose 18 is an air flow path for supplying outdoor air to the room which is the air conditioning target space in the humidification operation. The outdoor unit 30 has a humidifying unit 60 that adsorbs moisture in the outdoor air, desorbs the adsorbed moisture, and supplies it indoors (see FIG. 1). During the humidification operation, highly humid air containing a large amount of water is supplied from the outdoor unit 30 side (humidification unit 60) to the indoor unit 20 via the air supply hose 18.

Further, the outdoor unit 30 has a frost reduction mechanism 100 that heats the outdoor heat exchanger 33 of the outdoor unit 30, which will be described later, to reduce frost during the heating operation (see FIG. 1).

(2) Detailed configuration (2-1) Indoor unit As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 20 mainly includes an indoor heat exchanger 21 and an indoor fan 22.

The indoor heat exchanger 21 is, but is not limited to, a cross-fin type fin-and-tube heat exchanger composed of, for example, a heat transfer tube and a heat transfer fin. The liquid side of the indoor heat exchanger 21 is connected to the liquid-refrigerant connecting pipe 14 (see FIG. 1). The gas side of the indoor heat exchanger 21 is connected to the gas-refrigerant connecting pipe 16 (see FIG. 1). In the indoor heat exchanger 21, heat exchange is performed between the indoor air and the refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tube. The indoor heat exchanger 21 functions as an evaporator (heat absorber) during the cooling operation to cool the indoor air. The indoor heat exchanger 21 functions as a condenser (radiator) during the heating operation to heat the indoor air.

The indoor fan 22 is driven by a fan motor (not shown), takes in indoor air and blows it to the indoor heat exchanger 21, and promotes heat exchange between the refrigerant and the indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 21. The indoor fan 22 is, but is not limited to, a cross-flow fan, for example. The indoor fan 22 is arranged on the downstream side of the indoor heat exchanger 21 in the air flow direction during operation of the indoor fan 22. When the indoor fan 22 is driven, indoor air is sucked from the suction port at the upper part of the indoor unit 20, passes through the indoor heat exchanger 21, and is blown out from the air outlet at the lower part of the indoor unit 20.

The indoor unit 20 is connected to the outdoor unit 30 via an air supply hose 18 (see FIG. 1). The air supply port 25 of the air supply hose 18 is arranged in the space on the upstream side of the indoor heat exchanger 21 in the air flow direction during the operation of the indoor fan 22. The other end of the air supply hose 18 opposite to the air supply port 25 is connected to the humidifying unit 60 via a path switching mechanism 140 described later. During the humidification operation, the humid air sent from the humidification unit 60 is supplied from the air supply port 25 to the space on the upstream side of the indoor heat exchanger 21. When the indoor fan 22 is driven while the high humidity air is being supplied from the air supply port 25, the high humidity air is blown out from the indoor unit 20 into the room.

(2-2) Outdoor unit The outdoor unit 30 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the outdoor unit 30 from which the top plate 48 of the casing 40, which will be described later, has been removed. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of the outdoor unit 30 from which the protective grill 56 described later is removed. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the humidifying rotor 63 of the humidifying unit 60, which will be described later, of the outdoor unit 30, and the flow of air passing through the humidifying rotor 63. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the humidifying unit 60 in a state where the humidifying heater 71, which will be described later, is removed from the outdoor unit 30. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the frost reduction mechanism 100 included in the outdoor unit 30. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the outdoor unit 30.

In the following explanation, the arrangement and orientation may be explained using expressions such as "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "front (front)", and "rear (back)". However, unless otherwise specified, these representations follow the arrows shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6.

The outdoor unit 30 mainly includes a casing 40, a compressor 31, a four-way switching valve 32, an outdoor heat exchanger 33, an electric expansion valve 34, an accumulator 36, an outdoor fan 39, a liquid side closing valve 37, and a gas side closing valve 38. , A humidifying unit 60, a frost reduction mechanism 100, and an electrical component unit 50 (see FIGS. 1 to 3).

The compressor 31, the four-way switching valve 32, the outdoor heat exchanger 33, the electric expansion valve 34, the accumulator 36, the liquid side closing valve 37, and the gas side closing valve 38 are connected by a refrigerant pipe. Specifically, the suction port of the compressor 31 and the four-way switching valve 32 are connected by a suction pipe 91. The suction pipe 91 is provided with an accumulator 36. The discharge port of the compressor 31 and the four-way switching valve 32 are connected by a discharge pipe 92. The four-way switching valve 32 and the gas side of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 are connected by a first gas refrigerant pipe 93. The outdoor heat exchanger 33 and the liquid side closing valve 37 connected to the liquid refrigerant connecting pipe 14 are connected by a liquid refrigerant pipe 94. The liquid refrigerant pipe 94 is provided with an electric expansion valve 34. The four-way switching valve 32 and the gas side closing valve 38 connected to the gas refrigerant connecting pipe 16 are connected by a second gas refrigerant pipe 95.

(2-2-1) Casing The casing 40 is an outdoor unit 30 such as a compressor 31, a four-way switching valve 32, an outdoor heat exchanger 33, an electric expansion valve 34, an accumulator 36, an outdoor fan 39, and a humidifying unit 60. It is a housing that accommodates various configurations.

The casing 40 mainly has a left side plate 45, a front plate 46, a right side plate 47, a top plate 48, a bottom plate 49, a back surface portion 44, and a partition plate 43 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

The inside of the casing 40 is divided into a blower room 41 and a machine room 42 by a partition plate 43 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The outdoor heat exchanger 33 and the outdoor fan 39 are mainly arranged in the blower room 41. A compressor 31, a four-way switching valve 32, an electric expansion valve 34, and an accumulator 36 are mainly arranged in the machine room 42. The humidifying unit 60 is arranged so as to straddle the blower room 41 and the machine room 42. That is, a part of the humidifying unit 60 is arranged in the blower room 41 and a part of the humidifying unit 60 is arranged in the machine room 42.

The partition plate 43 extends from the top plate 48 side toward the bottom plate 49 side. Further, the partition plate 43 extends in a curved shape from the inner surface side of the front plate 46 toward the right end of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 (see FIG. 2). The partition plate 43 shields the blower chamber 41 from flowing into the machine chamber 42.

A circular outlet 46a is formed on the front plate 46 at the lower left side (see FIG. 3). A ring-shaped bell mouth 52 is attached to the outlet 46a along its peripheral edge (see FIG. 3). When the outdoor fan 39 is driven, the outdoor air is sucked in from the back surface side and the left side surface side of the outdoor heat exchanger 33, passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 33, and is blown out from the outlet 46a. A protective grill 56 is attached to the front plate 46 of the casing 40 in order to prevent external contact with the propeller 39b of the outdoor fan 39, which will be described later (see FIG. 2). The protective grill 56 covers the outlet 46a. The protective grill 56 is formed with a plurality of openings for blowing out air.

Further, the front plate 46 is formed with a suction opening 46b for supplying outdoor air to the humidifying rotor 63 of the humidifying unit 60, which will be described later (see FIG. 3). The suction opening 46b is provided on the diagonally upper right side of the air outlet 46a of the front plate 46. The suction opening 46b is an opening formed in a fan shape. The suction opening 46b is an opening formed in a fan shape having a central angle of about 240 °.

(2-2-2) Compressor The compressor 31 is arranged in the machine room 42 and fixed to the bottom plate 49.

The compressor 31 drives a compression mechanism (not shown) by a motor (not shown) to compress the refrigerant. The compressor 31 is, for example, a rotary compressor. However, the type of the compressor 31 is not limited to the rotary compressor, and may be another type of compressor such as a scroll compressor. The compressor 31 is preferably an inverter-driven compressor with a variable frequency. The compressor 31 sucks the refrigerant from the suction pipe 91, and discharges the high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by a compression mechanism (not shown) to the discharge pipe 92.

(2-2-3) Four-way switching valve The four-way switching valve 32 is arranged in the machine room 42.

The four-way switching valve 32 switches the flow direction of the refrigerant when switching between the cooling operation and the heating operation of the air conditioner 10. Further, the four-way switching valve 32 switches the flow direction of the refrigerant when switching between the heating operation and the defrost operation of the air conditioner 10. The defrost operation is an operation for removing frost adhering to the outdoor heat exchanger 33.

During the cooling operation and the defrost operation, the four-way switching valve 32 connects the discharge pipe 92 and the first gas refrigerant pipe 93, and also connects the suction pipe 91 and the second gas refrigerant pipe 95 (4 in FIG. 1). See the solid line in the path switching valve 32). During the heating operation, the four-way switching valve 32 connects the discharge pipe 92 and the second gas refrigerant pipe 95, and also connects the suction pipe 91 and the first gas refrigerant pipe 93 (four-way switching valve 32 in FIG. 1). See the dashed line inside).

(2-2-4) Outdoor heat exchanger The outdoor heat exchanger 33 is arranged in the blower room 41.

The outdoor heat exchanger 33 is a cross-fin type fin-and-tube heat exchanger composed of, but not limited to, a heat transfer tube and heat transfer fins. In the outdoor heat exchanger 33, heat exchange is performed between the outdoor air and the refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tube. The outdoor heat exchanger 33 functions as a condenser (radiator) during the cooling operation and as an evaporator (heat absorber) during the heating operation.

The outdoor heat exchanger 33 is formed in an L shape so as to face the back surface portion 44 and the left side plate 45 of the casing 40 (see FIG. 2). The outdoor heat exchanger 33 extends from the vicinity of the bottom plate 49 to the vicinity of the top plate 48.

The outdoor heat exchanger 33 is equipped with a temperature sensor 33a for measuring the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 33 (see FIG. 7).

(2-2-5) Electric expansion valve The electric expansion valve 34 is arranged in the machine room 42.

The electric expansion valve 34 is an electric expansion valve having a variable opening degree provided for adjusting the pressure and flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 90.

(2-2-6) Accumulator The accumulator 36 is arranged in the machine room 42.

The accumulator 36 is provided in the suction pipe 91. The accumulator 36 separates the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant into a gas-phase refrigerant and a liquid-phase refrigerant. By providing the accumulator 36 in the suction pipe 91, the compressor 31 is mainly supplied with the gas phase refrigerant.

(2-2-7) Outdoor fan The outdoor fan 39 is arranged in the blower room 41. The outdoor fan 39 is provided on the downstream side of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 in the air flow direction during operation of the outdoor fan 39. The outdoor fan 39 supplies outside air to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 and promotes heat exchange between the outdoor air and the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 33.

The outdoor fan 39 mainly has a fan motor 39a and a propeller 39b (see FIG. 2).

A part of the propeller 39b is arranged so as to enter the space surrounded by the bell mouth 52 attached to the outlet 46a of the front plate 46 of the casing 40 (see FIG. 2). The fan motor 39a drives the propeller 39b. When the propeller 39b is driven by the fan motor 39a, outdoor air is taken into the blower chamber 41 from the back surface side and the left side surface side of the casing 40. The outdoor air taken into the blower chamber 41 passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 33, and then is discharged to the outside of the blower chamber 41 from the outlet 46a.

The outdoor fan 39 also functions as an air supply fan that supplies outdoor air to the humidifying rotor 63 of the humidifying unit 60, which will be described later. When the propeller 39b is driven by the fan motor 39a, outdoor air is taken into the blower chamber 41 from the suction opening 46b and passes through the humidifying rotor 63. The air that has passed through the humidifying rotor 63 is discharged to the outside of the blower chamber 41 from the outlet 46a.

(2-2-8) Liquid-side closing valve and gas-side closing valve The liquid-side closing valve 37 and the gas-side closing valve 38 are three-way valves provided with a service port.

The liquid-side closing valve 37 is connected to a liquid-refrigerant connecting pipe 14 for exchanging refrigerant between the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 30, and a liquid-refrigerant pipe 94. When the air conditioner 10 is in operation, the liquid side closing valve 37 is opened, and the liquid refrigerant connecting pipe 14 and the liquid refrigerant pipe 94 communicate with each other.

A gas refrigerant connecting pipe 16 for exchanging refrigerant between the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 30 and a second gas refrigerant pipe 95 are connected to the gas side closing valve 38. When the air conditioner 10 is in operation, the gas side closing valve 38 is opened, and the gas refrigerant connecting pipe 16 and the second gas refrigerant pipe 95 communicate with each other.

(2-2-9) Humidification unit The humidification unit 60 adsorbs the moisture in the outdoor air, desorbs the adsorbed moisture, and supplies it to the room which is the air-conditioning target space. As shown in FIG. 2, the humidifying unit 60 is arranged between the front plate 46 and the back surface portion 44 so as to straddle the blower chamber 41 and the machine chamber 42.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the humidifying unit 60 mainly includes a humidifying rotor 63, a suction duct 68, a humidifying heater 71, a first humidifying duct 73, a humidifying fan 75, and a second humidifying duct 180. is doing.

(2-2-9-1) Humidifying rotor The humidifying rotor 63 is an example of an adsorption member. The humidifying rotor 63 adsorbs moisture in the air. Further, the humidifying rotor 63 releases the adsorbed moisture by being heated.

The humidifying rotor 63 is a disk-shaped member as shown in FIG. The material of the humidifying rotor 63 is not limited, but is, for example, an adsorbent such as silica gel or zeolite. The humidifying rotor 63 has a honeycomb structure. Adsorbents such as silica gel and zeolite adsorb moisture from air at room temperature and release moisture when exposed to air heated by a heater and the temperature rises.

The humidifying rotor 63 faces the suction opening 46b formed in the front plate 46. Further, the humidifying rotor 63 faces the humidifying heater 71 arranged between the humidifying rotor 63 and the front plate 46. The humidifying rotor 63 adsorbs moisture in a fan-shaped region having a central angle of about 240 ° facing the suction opening 46b. The region where the humidifying rotor 63 adsorbs moisture from the outdoor air is referred to as an adsorption area 63a (see FIG. 4). Further, the humidifying rotor 63 desorbs moisture in a fan-shaped region having a central angle of about 120 °, which is adjacent to the suction area 63a and does not face the suction opening 46b. The region where the moisture adsorbed by the humidifying rotor 63 is desorbed is referred to as a desorption area 63b (see FIG. 4). The humidifying rotor 63 faces the humidifying heater 71 in the desorption area 63b. The adsorption area 63a is arranged on the bell mouth 52 side with respect to the desorption area 63b.

The humidifying rotor 63 is driven by a rotor driving motor 64 (see FIG. 3) of the humidifying unit 60 to rotate, and goes around the suction area 63a and the desorption area 63b. That is, in the humidifying rotor 63, the portion arranged in the suction area 63a at a certain rotation angle is arranged in the desorption area 63b at another rotation angle. Further, in the humidifying rotor 63, the portion arranged in the desorption area 63b at a certain rotation angle is arranged in the suction area 63a at another rotation angle. The rotation center axis of the humidifying rotor 63 is arranged coaxially with the fan-shaped center axis of the suction opening 46b formed in the front plate 46.

The mechanism for rotating the humidifying rotor 63 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The humidifying rotor 63 is surrounded by an annular frame 65. A gear 65t is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the frame body 65 as shown in FIG. The gear 65t meshes with the pinion gear 64a that is rotated by driving the rotor drive motor 64 (see FIG. 3). When the pinion gear 64a rotates by driving the rotor drive motor 64, the humidifying rotor 63 rotates together with the frame body 65.

In order to prevent air from passing through the outside of the frame body 65 without passing through the humidifying rotor 63, the frame body 65 is surrounded by a wall.

(2-2-9-2) Adsorption duct The humidifying unit 60 has an adsorption duct 68 for guiding the outside air to the adsorption area 63a, as shown in FIG. The suction duct 68 has an air inlet 681 that opens toward the suction opening 46b of the front plate 46. The shape of the air inlet 681 is a fan shape having the same central angle as the suction opening 46b and having a central angle of about 240 °.

The outdoor air flowing in from the suction opening 46b is sucked in from the air inlet 681, then flows through the suction duct 68 and reaches the suction area 63a. In the adsorption area 63a, the moisture in the outdoor air is adsorbed by the humidifying rotor 63. The air that has passed through the humidifying rotor 63 is discharged from the air outlet 683 (see FIG. 2) of the suction duct 68. The air outlet 683 is adjacent to a space that becomes a negative pressure when the outdoor fan 39 rotates, specifically, an upstream end portion of the bell mouth 52. Air is sucked from the air inlet 681 by the action that the pressure on the air outlet 683 side becomes lower than the pressure on the air inlet 681 side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the suction opening 46b is provided adjacent to the air outlet 46a on the diagonally upper right side of the air outlet 46a of the front plate 46. Since the air pushed forward by the outdoor fan 39 travels along the bell mouth 52 and is vigorously blown out from the outlet 46a, the air blown out from the outlet 46a is difficult to be sucked from the suction opening 46b. Therefore, the humidifying rotor 63 can take in air containing a larger amount of water in the adsorption area 63a. I will explain in more detail.

The humidification operation is usually performed during the heating operation. During the heating operation, the air that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 33 that functions as an evaporator (heat absorber) has a low temperature and low humidity. When low-humidity air with a small amount of water is sucked from the suction opening 46b, the amount of water that can be adsorbed by the humidifying rotor 63 decreases. However, here, since the air that has passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is not sucked through the suction opening 46b, it is possible to take in air containing a relatively large amount of water from the suction opening 46b.

(2-2-9-3) Humidifying heater The humidifying heater 71 is a heater for heating the humidifying rotor 63. The humidifying rotor 63 releases (desorbs) moisture by being heated by the heat of the humidifying heater 71 in the desorption area 63b. Specifically, the humidifying heater 71 heats the air sent to the desorption area 63b in order to release the moisture from the humidifying rotor 63 in the desorption area 63b. When the heated air passes through the desorption area 63b, it releases moisture to the humidifying rotor 63, becomes high-humidity air, and is sucked into the humidifying fan 75.

The humidifying heater 71 is also used as a heat source for reducing the frost of the outdoor heat exchanger 33, as will be described later.

(2-2-9-4) First Humidification Duct The first humidification duct 73 guides air to the desorption area 63b via the humidification heater 71, and further guides the air that has passed through the humidification rotor 63 to the humidification fan 75 (2-2-9-4). See Figure 1).

More specifically, the first humidifying duct 73 guides the outdoor air to the humidifying heater 71 so that the outdoor air passes through the desorption area 63b of the humidifying rotor 63 from the back side to the front side. Further, the first humidifying duct 73 is heated by the humidifying heater 71 to a high temperature, and guides the air passing through the desorption area 63b of the humidifying rotor 63 from the front side to the back side to the humidifying fan 75. The high-temperature air desorbs moisture as it passes through the humidifying rotor 63 in the desorption area 63b, becomes high-temperature and high-humidity air, and heads toward the humidifying fan 75. The air flow in the first humidifying duct 73 is generated by the humidifying fan 75.

(2-2-9-5) Humidification fan The humidification fan 75 brings the air taken in through the first humidification duct 73 toward the indoor unit 20 or the air blowing portion 120 of the frost reduction mechanism 100 described later. It is a blower that sends toward. The humidifying fan 75 is arranged in the machine room 42.

The humidifying fan 75 mainly has an impeller 75a for sending air in a predetermined direction and a fan motor 75b for driving the impeller 75a (see FIG. 1). The rotation shaft of the fan motor 75b is directly connected to the rotation shaft of the impeller 75a. The humidifying fan 75 is arranged so that the rotation axis of the impeller 75a is in the horizontal direction.

The impeller 75a is surrounded by a fan casing 81 (see FIG. 2). The outlet of the fan casing 81 is connected to the inlet of the second humidifying duct 180 (see FIG. 5). The outside of the fan motor 75b is covered with a motor cover 82 (see FIG. 2).

(2-2-9-6) Second Humidification Duct The second humidification duct 180 is a duct that guides the air blown from the humidification fan 75 to the path switching mechanism 140 of the frost reduction mechanism 100 described later (FIG. 1). reference).

As will be described later, the air flow path 110 of the air supply hose 18 and the frost reduction mechanism 100, which will be described later, are connected to the route switching mechanism 140. The air blown out by the humidifying fan 75 and passed through the second humidifying duct 180 has its blowout path switched by the path switching mechanism 140, and is sent to the indoor unit 20 via the air supply hose 18 or through the air flow path 110. Is sent to the air blowing portion 120 of the frost reduction mechanism 100 (see FIG. 1).

(2-2-10) Frost reduction mechanism The frost reduction mechanism 100 is a mechanism for reducing frost (frost formation) on the outdoor heat exchanger 33 during heating operation. The frost reduction mechanism 100 is a mechanism that sends high-temperature air heated by the humidifying heater 71 to the vicinity of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 and supplies heat to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 (heats the outdoor heat exchanger 33). be.

The frost reduction mechanism 100 mainly has an air flow path 110, an air blowing portion 120, a moving mechanism 130, and a route switching mechanism 140 (see FIGS. 1 and 6).
(2-2-10-1) Air flow path The air flow path 110 is a flow path through which the air heated by the humidifying heater 71 flows. The air flow path 110 is preferably composed of a flexible hose. Further, it is preferable that the air flow path 110 is composed of a hose having elasticity. One end of the air flow path 110 is connected to the path switching mechanism 140, and the other end is connected to the air blowing portion 120 (see FIG. 1).

The air blowing unit 120 blows out the air sent through the air flow path 110 toward the outdoor heat exchanger 33 as described later. In order to prevent the moisture contained in the blown air from adhering to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 as frost, the air blown out by the air blowout unit 120 is preferably air having a small amount of water. Therefore, when the frost reduction mechanism 100 sends air to the air blowing portion 120 via the air flow path 110, it is preferable that the rotation of the humidifying rotor 63 is stopped.

(2-2-10-2) Air blowing unit The air blowing unit 120 is a member that is arranged in the vicinity of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 and blows out air guided through the air flow path 110. By guiding the air heated by the humidifying heater 71 to the air outlet 120, the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is heated, and the frost of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 that functions as an evaporator (heat absorber) during the heating operation is reduced. Will be done.

The air blowing portion 120 is a pipe-shaped member that extends in the vertical direction and has upper and lower ends closed (see FIG. 6). It is preferable that the length of the air blowing portion 120 and the height of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 are substantially the same. More preferably, the length of the air blowing portion 120 is slightly larger than the height of the outdoor heat exchanger 33. The air blowing portion 120 is arranged on the back side of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 adjacent to the outdoor heat exchanger 33. As will be described later, between the air outlet 120 and the outdoor heat exchanger 33 when the air outlet 120 is moved by the moving mechanism 130 so that the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is efficiently heated in order to reduce frost. The gap is preferably as small as possible.

An air flow path 110 is connected to the central portion of the air blowing portion 120 in the vertical direction (see FIG. 6).

An outlet hole 122 is formed on the side (front side) of the air outlet portion 120 facing the outdoor heat exchanger 33 (see FIG. 6). It is preferable that a plurality of outlet holes 122 are formed along the vertical direction. The plurality of outlet holes 122 are formed, for example, at intervals from each other over the entire air outlet portion 120 so that the air blown from the outlet holes 122 evenly hits the outdoor heat exchanger 33 in the vertical direction. Alternatively, the outlet hole 122 may be formed only in the lower part of the air outlet portion 120 so that the air is blown only to the region where the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is prone to frost formation, for example, the lower part of the outdoor heat exchanger 33.

Each of the upper end and the lower end of the air blowing portion 120 is connected to a connecting portion 132 provided in a pair of wires 134 of the moving mechanism 130 described later.

(2-2-10-3) Moving mechanism The moving mechanism 130 is a mechanism for moving the air blowing portion 120 along the outdoor heat exchanger 33.

The moving mechanism 130 has a drive roller 136a and a driven roller 136b mounted above the outdoor heat exchanger 33, and a wire 134 hung around the drive roller 136a and the driven roller 136b. Further, the moving mechanism 130 has a drive roller 136a and a driven roller 136b attached below the outdoor heat exchanger 33, and a wire 134 hung around the drive roller 136a and the driven roller 136b.

The wire 134 arranged above the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is provided with a connecting portion 132 to which the upper end of the air blowing portion 120 is connected. The wire 134 arranged below the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is provided with a connecting portion 132 to which the lower end of the air blowing portion 120 is connected. When the drive roller 136a is driven by a motor (not shown) and rotates, the connecting portion 132 moves to the left or right according to the rotation direction of the drive roller 136a. As a result, the air blowing portion 120 connected to the connecting portion 132 moves in the left-right direction along the back surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 33.

When the frost reduction mechanism 100 is not used, in other words, when it is determined that the reduction of frost with respect to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is unnecessary, the air blowing unit 120 is the air flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 33 by the moving mechanism 130. It is preferable to move to a position that does not interfere with the flow of the air (a position that is not adjacent to the outdoor heat exchanger 33).

The configuration of the moving mechanism 130 described here is an example and is not limited thereto. The moving mechanism 130 may be a mechanism for moving the air blowing portion 120 along the outdoor heat exchanger 33 by using, for example, a feed screw or a rack and a pinion.

(2-2-10-4) Route switching mechanism The route switching mechanism 140 is a mechanism for switching the flow path of the air blown out by the humidifying fan 75 of the humidifying unit 60. The path switching mechanism 140 directs the path of the air blown by the humidifying fan 75 to the path (first path) toward the indoor unit 20 via the air supply hose 18 and to the air blowing section 120 via the air flow path 110. Switch between the route to go (second route).

A second humidifying duct 180, an air supply hose 18, and an air flow path 110 are connected to the path switching mechanism 140.

The path switching mechanism 140 is generated from the humidifying fan 75 by rotating an opening / closing member that opens / closes the flow path with a motor, for example, as in the air flow path switching section (damper) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-229054. The air flow path is switched so that the air supplied through the second humidification duct 180 faces the air supply hose 18 or the air flow path 110.

Further, the route switching mechanism 140 closes the flow path by an opening / closing member so that the second humidification duct 180 does not communicate with either the air supply hose 18 or the air flow path 110 when the humidification fan 75 is stopped. May be configured to allow.

(2-2-11) Electrical component unit The electrical component unit 50 is a control board in which electronic components are integrated. The electrical component unit 50 is located in the blower room 41.

The electrical component unit 50 has a CPU and a memory (not shown), and functions as an outdoor control unit 51 that controls the operation of each unit of the outdoor unit 30 (see FIG. 7).

The outdoor control unit 51 controls the operation of each unit of the outdoor unit 30 by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory. The outdoor control unit 51 includes a compressor 31, a four-way switching valve 32, an electric expansion valve 34, an outdoor fan 39 (fan motor 39a), and a humidifying unit 60 (rotor drive motor 84, humidifying heater 71) included in the outdoor unit 30. , Fan motor 75b), frost reduction mechanism 100 (movement mechanism 130, route switching mechanism 140) and other devices are electrically connected (see FIG. 7). Further, the outdoor control unit 51 is provided on an outdoor temperature sensor (not shown) for measuring the temperature of the outdoor air, a temperature sensor 33a (see FIG. 7) attached to the outdoor heat exchanger 33, and a discharge pipe 92. It is electrically connected to a discharge temperature sensor (not shown), a humidity sensor (not shown) arranged in the second humidification duct 180, and the like. Further, the outdoor control unit 51 is communicably connected to the indoor control unit (not shown) of the indoor unit 20 and controls the operation of each unit of the air conditioner 10 in cooperation with the indoor control unit. do.

Among the functions of the outdoor control unit 51, the control for reducing the frost of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 will be described in particular.

The outdoor control unit 51 controls the air heated by the humidifying heater 71 to flow to the air blowing unit 120 via the air flow path 110 under predetermined conditions in which frost needs to be reduced in the heating operation. Further, the outdoor control unit 51 reduces the rotation speed of the humidifying fan 75 at a predetermined condition in which the frost needs to be reduced in the heating operation, as compared with other than the predetermined condition in the heating operation. The predetermined condition in which it is necessary to reduce the frost is, for example, the time when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 33a attached to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is lower than the predetermined first threshold value. The first threshold value may be determined to an appropriate value so as to suppress frost to the outdoor heat exchanger 33.

The outdoor control unit 51 switches the four-way switching valve 32 to the same state as during the cooling operation (with the outdoor heat exchanger 33 functioning as a radiator) under predetermined conditions requiring defrost in the heating operation. Drive. Here, the predetermined condition in which defrost is required is when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 33a attached to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is lower than the predetermined second threshold value. The second threshold is a temperature lower than the first threshold.

(3) Operation of the air conditioner The operation of the air conditioner 10 during the cooling operation, the heating operation, and the humidifying operation, and the frost reduction process described later will be described below.

(3-1) Cooling operation During the cooling operation, the outdoor control unit 51 is connected so that the discharge pipe 92 and the first gas refrigerant pipe 93 are connected, and the suction pipe 91 and the second gas refrigerant pipe 95 are connected. The four-way switching valve 32 is controlled (see the solid line in the four-way switching valve 32 in FIG. 1).

In such a state of the refrigerant circuit 90, when the compressor 31 and the outdoor fan 39 are operated by the outdoor control unit 51 and the indoor fan 22 is operated by the indoor control unit (not shown), the following is performed. The indoor space, which is the space subject to air conditioning, is cooled.

The low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 31 and compressed to become a high-pressure gas refrigerant. The high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 via the four-way switching valve 32, exchanges heat with the outdoor air supplied by the outdoor fan 39, and is condensed to have a high pressure. It becomes the liquid refrigerant of. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant is decompressed by the electric expansion valve 34 and then sent to the indoor unit 20 via the liquid side closing valve 37 and the liquid refrigerant connecting pipe 14. The outdoor control unit 51 adjusts the opening degree of the electric expansion valve 34 so that, for example, the degree of superheat of the refrigerant at the refrigerant outlet of the indoor heat exchanger 21 becomes a predetermined target value. The low-pressure refrigerant sent to the indoor unit 20 becomes a gas-liquid two-phase state refrigerant, enters the indoor heat exchanger 21, exchanges heat with the indoor heat in the indoor heat exchanger 21, evaporates, and is a low-pressure gas. It becomes a refrigerant. The low-pressure gas refrigerant is sent to the outdoor unit 30 via the gas refrigerant connecting pipe 16 and flows into the accumulator 36 via the gas side closing valve 38 and the four-way switching valve 32. The low-pressure gas refrigerant flowing into the accumulator 36 is sucked into the compressor 31 again.

In this way, the air conditioner 10 can perform a cooling operation in which the outdoor heat exchanger 33 functions as a condenser (radiator) and the indoor heat exchanger 21 functions as an evaporator (heat absorber).

(3-2) Heating operation During the heating operation, the outdoor control unit 51 is connected so that the discharge pipe 92 and the second gas refrigerant pipe 95 are connected, and the suction pipe 91 and the first gas refrigerant pipe 93 are connected. The four-way switching valve 32 is controlled (see the dotted line in the four-way switching valve 32 in FIG. 1).

In such a state of the refrigerant circuit 90, when the compressor 31 and the outdoor fan 39 are operated by the outdoor control unit 51 and the indoor fan 22 is operated by the indoor control unit (not shown), the following is performed. The indoor space, which is the space subject to air conditioning, is heated.

The low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 31 and compressed to become a high-pressure gas refrigerant. The high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 31 is sent to the indoor unit 20 via the four-way switching valve 32, the gas side closing valve 38, and the gas refrigerant connecting pipe 16. The high-pressure gas refrigerant sent to the indoor unit 20 exchanges heat with the indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 21 and condenses into a high-pressure liquid refrigerant, which is sent to the outdoor unit 30 via the liquid refrigerant connecting pipe 14. Sent. The liquid refrigerant passes through the liquid side closing valve 37 and enters the electric expansion valve 34. The liquid refrigerant is depressurized by the electric expansion valve 34 and then flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 33. The outdoor control unit 51 adjusts the opening degree of the electric expansion valve 34 so as to reduce the pressure so that the refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 33 can evaporate in the outdoor heat exchanger 33, for example. .. The low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the outdoor heat exchanger 33 exchanges heat with the outdoor air supplied by the outdoor fan 39 and evaporates to become a low-pressure gas refrigerant, which passes through the four-way switching valve 32. Then, it flows into the accumulator 36. The low-pressure gas refrigerant flowing into the accumulator 36 is sucked into the compressor 31 again.

In this way, the air conditioner 10 can perform a heating operation in which the outdoor heat exchanger 33 functions as an evaporator (heat absorber) and the indoor heat exchanger 21 functions as a condenser (radiator).

(3-3) Humidification operation The humidification operation is performed at the same time as the heating operation, for example.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, the air inlet 681 (see FIG. 5) of the suction duct 68 opens toward the suction opening 46b (see FIG. 3) of the front plate 46, and the suction duct 68 is opened. The air outlet 683 (see FIG. 2) is adjacent to the upstream end of the bell mouth 52, which has a negative pressure when the outdoor fan 39 rotates. When the outdoor fan 39 is operated during the heating operation, the pressure on the air outlet 683 side becomes lower than the pressure on the air inlet 681 side, and the action causes the outdoor air to be sucked from the air inlet 681 to the air outlet 683. Flows.

During the humidification operation, the outdoor control unit 51 rotates the humidification rotor 63 at a predetermined rotation speed by the rotor drive motor 64. In the suction area 63a, the humidifying rotor 63 that has adsorbed the moisture of the outdoor air flowing from the air inlet 681 is carried to the desorption area 63b as the humidifying rotor 63 rotates, and faces the humidifying heater 71 that heats the humidifying rotor 63. Move to the position where you want to.

Further, during the humidification operation, the outdoor control unit 51 drives the humidification fan 75. When the humidifying fan 75 is driven, the outdoor air is sent to the periphery of the humidifying heater 71 through the first humidifying duct 73 and heated. The air heated by the humidifying heater 71 passes through the desorption area 63b of the humidifying rotor 63 and flows toward the humidifying fan 75. At this time, moisture is released (desorbed) from the portion of the humidifying rotor 63 exposed to the heated air.

During the humidification operation, the outdoor control unit 51 allows the second humidification duct 180 and the air supply hose 18 to communicate with each other (the air blown from the humidification fan 75 passes through the second humidification duct 180). (To flow to the air supply hose 18), the path switching mechanism 140 of the frost reduction mechanism 100 is controlled. Therefore, the air containing a relatively large amount of water (hereinafter referred to as humidified air) sent out from the humidifying fan 75 is blown out to the air supply hose 18 through the second humidifying duct 180. The humidified air is guided to the indoor unit 20 via the air supply hose 18.

The humidification operation does not have to be performed at the same time as the heating operation, and may be performed independently (independently) from the heating operation. For example, the air conditioner 10 may operate the outdoor fan 39 without operating the compressor 31 to execute the above-mentioned humidification operation.

(3-4) Frost reduction process As described above, in the outdoor control unit 51, the air heated by the humidifying heater 71 passes through the air flow path 110 under a predetermined condition in which frost needs to be reduced in the heating operation. It is controlled to flow to the air blowing portion 120. Further, the outdoor control unit 51 reduces the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 39 at predetermined conditions when it is necessary to reduce frost in the heating operation, as compared with other than the predetermined conditions in the heating operation.

The operation in which the air conditioner 10 determines whether or not a predetermined condition for reducing frost is satisfied in the heating operation and performs the operation according to the determination result is referred to as a frost reduction process here. The frost reduction process will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The outdoor control unit 51 controls the compressor 31 and the electric expansion valve 34 in the same manner as during the normal heating operation even during the frost reduction process (until it is determined that the defrost operation is necessary). For example, although not limited, the outdoor control unit 51 controls the operating frequency of the compressor 31 so that the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 21 becomes the target temperature until it is determined that the defrost operation is necessary. Then, the electric expansion valve 34 is controlled so that the degree of supercooling in the refrigeration cycle becomes a predetermined value.

When the air conditioner 10 starts the heating operation, the outdoor control unit 51 starts an operation of determining whether or not the current situation corresponds to a predetermined condition for which frost needs to be reduced (step S1). Specifically, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 33a falls below the above-mentioned first threshold value, the outdoor control unit 51 determines that the current situation corresponds to a predetermined condition in which frost needs to be reduced. .. If it is determined that the current situation corresponds to a predetermined condition for which frost needs to be reduced, the process proceeds to step S2. The outdoor control unit 51 repeats the determination process of step S1 until it is determined that the current situation corresponds to a predetermined condition for which frost needs to be reduced during the heating operation.

In step S2, the outdoor control unit 51 determines whether the air conditioner 10 is performing the humidification operation at the same time as the heating operation. If the humidification operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S3, and if the humidification operation has not been performed, the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S3, the outdoor control unit 51 stops the rotation of the humidifying rotor 63. Specifically, the outdoor control unit 51 stops the rotor drive motor 64. This treatment is performed in order to reduce the amount of water contained in the air blown from the blowout hole 122 of the air blowout portion 120 toward the outdoor heat exchanger 33 in the subsequent step. After executing step S3, the process proceeds to step S4.

In step S4, the outdoor control unit 51 controls the operation of a motor (not shown) that drives the opening / closing member of the path switching mechanism 140, and sets the path of the air blown out by the humidifying fan 75 to the second path (air flow). The route is switched to the air outlet 120 via the road 110). After executing step S4, the process proceeds to step S8.

In step S5 (when it is determined in step S2 that the air conditioner 10 is performing the humidification operation at the same time as the heating operation), the outdoor control unit 51 drives the opening / closing member of the route switching mechanism 140 (FIG. The operation of (not shown) is controlled to switch the path of the air blown out by the humidifying fan 75 to the second path. After executing step S5, the process proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, the outdoor control unit 51 starts the operation of the humidifying fan 75. Specifically, the outdoor control unit 51 starts the operation of the fan motor 75b. Then, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S7, the outdoor control unit 51 turns on the humidifying heater 71. Then, the process proceeds to step S8. In order to prevent the temperature around the humidifying heater 71 from rising excessively, the process of step S7 (the process of turning on the humidifying heater 71) is the process of step S6 (the process of starting the operation of the humidifying fan 75). It is preferably executed after.

In step S8, the outdoor control unit 51 controls a motor (not shown) that rotates the drive roller 136a of the moving mechanism 130 to cause the moving mechanism 130 to start operation, and the air blowing unit 120 is used as an outdoor heat exchanger. Move left and right along 33. In the outdoor control unit 51, while the air heated by the humidifying heater 71 is sent to the air outlet unit 120, the air outlet unit 120 is along the outdoor heat exchanger 33 from the vicinity of the right end of the outdoor heat exchanger 33. The operation of the moving mechanism 130 is controlled so that a series of operations of being moved to the vicinity of the left end and then being moved from the vicinity of the left end to the vicinity of the right end of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 are repeatedly executed. After the operation of the moving mechanism 130 is started in step S8, the process proceeds to step S9.

In step S9, the outdoor control unit 51 controls the fan motor 39a to set the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 39 during normal heating operation (during heating operation and when it is not necessary to reduce frost). It is reduced to a predetermined rotation speed, which is smaller than the rotation speed. After executing step S9, the process proceeds to step S10. The execution timing of the operation of step S9 is not limited to the timing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, and may be executed at different timings, for example, before the operation of step S2.

In step S10, the outdoor control unit 51 performs an operation of determining whether or not the current situation corresponds to a predetermined condition required for defrost operation. Specifically, when the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 33a falls below the above-mentioned second threshold value, the outdoor control unit 51 determines that the predetermined condition required for the defrost operation is satisfied. If it is determined that the current situation corresponds to the predetermined condition requiring defrost operation, the process proceeds to step S11, and if it is determined that the predetermined condition that requires defrost operation is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S20.

In steps S12 to S14 following step S11 and step S11, the air heated by the humidifying heater 71 is blown left and right along the outdoor heat exchanger 33 by the moving mechanism 130 via the air flow path 110. This is a process for terminating the operation of flowing the air to the unit 120 and reducing the frost.

In step S11, the outdoor control unit 51 controls a motor (not shown) that rotates the drive roller 136a of the moving mechanism 130 to end the operation of the moving mechanism 130. The moving mechanism 130 ends the operation after moving the air blowing unit 120 to a position that does not interfere with the flow of the air flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 33 as the operation at the end.

In step S12, the outdoor control unit 51 turns off the humidifying heater 71.

In step S13, the outdoor control unit 51 stops the operation of the humidifying fan 75. Specifically, the outdoor control unit 51 stops the operation of the fan motor 75b.

In step S14, the outdoor control unit 51 controls the operation of a motor (not shown) that drives the opening / closing member of the path switching mechanism 140, and sets the path of the air blown out by the humidifying fan 75 to the first path (air supply). Switch to the path to the indoor unit 20 via the hose 18).

It should be noted that steps S11 to S14 may not be executed in this order, but may be executed in a different order. Further, a part of steps S11 to S14 may be executed at the same time as other steps. However, in order to prevent the temperature around the humidifying heater 71 from rising excessively, the process of step S12 (the process of turning off the humidifying heater 71) is more than the process of step S13 (the process of stopping the operation of the humidifying fan 75). Is preferably executed first.

Next, in step S15, the outdoor control unit 51 controls the air conditioner 10 so as to interrupt the heating operation and perform the defrost operation. In step S15, the outdoor control unit 51 temporarily stops the compressor 31 or temporarily lowers the operating frequency of the compressor 31, the discharge pipe 92 and the first gas refrigerant pipe 93 are connected, and the suction pipe 91 and the second The four-way switching valve 32 is controlled so as to be connected to the gas refrigerant pipe 95. Then, in such a state of the refrigerant circuit 90, the outdoor control unit 51 operates the compressor 31 at a predetermined frequency to perform defrost operation. The defrost operation is performed until it is determined in step S15 that the defrost is completed. In step S15, the outdoor control unit 51 determines, for example, that the frost adhering to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 has been removed when the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 33a exceeds a predetermined threshold value, and determines that the defrost has ended. do.

After the defrost operation is completed, the outdoor control unit 51 determines the compressor 31, the four-way switching valve 32, and the outdoor so that the air conditioner 10 returns to the original operation (heating operation or simultaneous operation of heating operation and humidification operation). The operations of the fan 39, the humidification unit 60, and the frost reduction mechanism 100 are appropriately controlled (step S17). After returning to the original operation, the process returns to step S1, and the outdoor control unit 51 determines whether or not the current situation corresponds to a predetermined condition for which frost needs to be reduced.

When the process proceeds from step S10 to step S20, it is determined in step S20 whether it is necessary to continue the operation for reducing frost. For example, the outdoor control unit 51 determines that it is necessary to continue the operation for reducing frost when the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 33a is below a predetermined threshold value. For example, the predetermined threshold value here is the above-mentioned first threshold value. However, it is preferable that the predetermined threshold value is higher than the first threshold value in order to avoid switching between execution / non-execution of the operation for reducing frost frequently. If it is determined that it is necessary to continue the operation for reducing frost, the process returns to step S10, and if it is determined that it is not necessary to continue the operation for reducing frost, the process proceeds to step S21. ..

In step S21, the outdoor control unit 51 determines that the air conditioner 10 corresponds to a normal predetermined condition (when it is not a predetermined condition in which frost needs to be reduced, that is, in step S1 it corresponds to a predetermined condition in which frost needs to be reduced). The operation of the outdoor fan 39, the humidifying unit 60, and the frost reduction mechanism 100 is appropriately controlled so as to return to the operating state (before the operation). Specifically, the outdoor control unit 51 changes the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 39 to the rotation speed during normal heating operation. Further, the outdoor control unit 51 stops the operation of the moving mechanism 130 of the frost reduction mechanism 100 in the same manner as in step S11 described above. Further, the outdoor control unit 51 controls the path switching mechanism 140 of the frost reduction mechanism 100 in the same manner as in step S14 described above so that the high temperature air heated by the humidifying heater 71 does not flow through the air flow path 110. Further, when the humidification operation is necessary based on the user's command or the humidity of the air-conditioned space, the outdoor control unit 51 controls the humidification unit 60 so that the humidification operation is performed. After that, returning to step S1, the outdoor control unit 51 determines whether or not the current situation corresponds to a predetermined condition in which frost needs to be reduced.

(4) Features (4-1)
The air conditioner 10 of the above embodiment includes a humidifying unit 60, an outdoor heat exchanger 33 which is an example of a heat exchanger, an air flow path 110, an air blowing unit 120, and an outdoor control unit which is an example of a control unit. 51 and. The humidifying unit 60 includes a humidifying rotor 63, which is an example of an adsorption member, and a humidifying heater 71. The humidifying rotor 63 adsorbs the moisture in the air and releases the adsorbed moisture by being heated. The humidifying heater 71 heats the humidifying rotor 63. The outdoor heat exchanger 33 functions as an evaporator during the heating operation. The air heated by the humidifying heater 71 flows through the air flow path 110. The air blowing unit 120 is arranged in the vicinity of the outdoor heat exchanger 33, and blows out the air guided through the air flow path 110. The outdoor control unit 51 controls the air heated by the humidifying heater 71 to flow to the air blowing unit 120 via the air flow path 110 under predetermined conditions in which frost needs to be reduced in the heating operation.

In the air conditioner 10 of the above embodiment, since the heat of the humidifying heater 71 for removing and attaching moisture from the humidifying rotor 63 is used to reduce the frost, the time during which the heating is stopped due to the defrost is shortened, and the air conditioner 10 is used. It is possible to improve the comfort of the user.

(4-2)
In the air conditioner 10 of the above embodiment, air is blown from the air blowout unit 120 toward the outdoor heat exchanger 33.

In the air conditioner 10 of the above embodiment, the air heated by the humidifying heater 71 can be directly blown to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 to efficiently reduce the frost.

(4-3)
The air conditioner 10 of the above embodiment includes a moving mechanism 130 that moves the air blowing unit 120 along the outdoor heat exchanger 33.

In the air conditioner 10 of the above embodiment, frost can be reduced in a wide area of the outdoor heat exchanger 33.

(4-4)
The air conditioner 10 of the above embodiment includes an outdoor fan 39 that supplies outside air to the outdoor heat exchanger 33. The outdoor control unit 51 reduces the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 39 at predetermined conditions when it is necessary to reduce frost in the heating operation, as compared with other than the predetermined conditions in the heating operation.

In the air conditioner 10 of the above embodiment, the rotation speed of the outdoor fan 39 is reduced under the condition that frost may occur in the outdoor heat exchanger 33, so that the noise caused by the adhesion of the frost to the outdoor heat exchanger 33 is generated. The occurrence can be suppressed.

(5) Modification example A modification of the above embodiment is shown below. The modified examples may be appropriately combined as long as they do not contradict each other.

(5-1) Modification A
In the above embodiment, air is blown from the blowout hole 122 of the air blowout portion 120 toward the outdoor heat exchanger 33, but the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the air blowing unit 120a may be configured to blow air toward a direction other than the outdoor heat exchanger 33. As shown in FIG. 9, an air flow path 110 is connected to the lower part of the air blowing portion 120a, and for example, only one blowing hole 122a is formed in the upper part. The outlet hole 122a is formed on a side that does not face the outdoor heat exchanger 33, for example, on the back side.

Here, even when the air containing a relatively large amount of water is blown out from the air blowing portion 120a, the air containing a large amount of water that may cause frost is blown to the outdoor heat exchanger 33. Frost can be reduced without.

In this case, air having a large amount of water may be supplied to the air blowing portion 120a. For example, in the outdoor control unit 51, the air heated by the humidifying heater 71 is aired through the air flow path 110 in a state where the humidifying rotor 63 is operated at a predetermined condition in which frost needs to be reduced in the heating operation. The air conditioner 10 may be controlled so as to flow to the blowout portion 120a.

(5-2) Modification B
In the above embodiment, the case where the air conditioner 10 includes a frost reduction mechanism 100 having an air blowing portion 120 that moves left and right along the back surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 has been described, but the present invention is limited to this. It's not a thing.

For example, the air conditioner 10 replaces the frost reduction mechanism 100 having an air blowing portion that moves back and forth along the left side surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 with the frost reduction mechanism 100 described in the above embodiment, or implements the above. It may be configured to be provided in addition to the frost reduction mechanism 100 described in the embodiment.

Further, for example, the air conditioner 10 may be configured to include a frost reduction mechanism having an air blowing portion 120 that moves up and down along at least one of the back surface and the left side surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 33.

(5-3) Modification C
The frost reduction mechanism 100 may not have the moving mechanism 130, and the air blowing portion 120 may be immovable. For example, the air blowing portion 120 may be an immovable pipe-shaped member provided to heat only a portion of the outdoor heat exchanger 33 that is particularly prone to frost (for example, the lower portion of the outdoor heat exchanger 33).

(5-4) Modification D
In the humidifying unit 60 of the above embodiment, the humidifying rotor 63 is configured such that the air passing surface faces a vertical surface and rotates around a horizontal rotation axis. However, the structure of the humidifying unit 60 is not limited to the structure of the above embodiment. For example, the humidifying rotor may be configured such that the air passage surface is a horizontal plane and rotates around a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction. Further, for example, the humidifying rotor may be configured to rotate around a rotation axis whose air passage surface is inclined with respect to a vertical surface or a horizontal plane and extends in a direction inclined with respect to a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.

(5-5) Modification E
In the above embodiment, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 33a falls below the first threshold value, the outdoor control unit 51 determines that the current situation corresponds to a predetermined condition in which frost needs to be reduced. Not limited to. For example, the outdoor control unit 51 determines that the current situation corresponds to a predetermined condition for reducing frost when the outside air temperature is in a temperature range in which frost formation is particularly likely to occur, and this condition is eliminated. Until then, the air heated by the humidifying heater 71 may be controlled to flow to the air blowing portion 120 via the air flow path 110.

(5-6) Modification F
In the air conditioner 10 of the above embodiment, the so-called reverse cycle defrost operation in which the refrigerant flows in the direction opposite to that in the heating operation is performed as the defrost operation under a predetermined condition requiring the defrost operation, but the defrost operation is not limited to this. .. For example, the defrost operation performed by the air conditioner may be a so-called positive cycle defrost operation in which the refrigerant flows in the same direction as during the heating operation.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to an air conditioner provided with a humidifying unit having a humidifying heater and is useful.

10 Air conditioner 33 Outdoor heat exchanger (heat exchanger)
39 Outdoor fan (fan)
51 Outdoor control unit (control unit)
60 Humidification unit 63 Humidification rotor (adsorption member)
71 Humidifier heater 110 Air flow path 120 Air outlet 130 Moving mechanism

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-118312

Claims (5)

A humidifying unit (60) having an adsorption member (63) that adsorbs moisture in the air and releases the adsorbed moisture by being heated, and a humidifying heater (71) that heats the adsorption member.
A heat exchanger (33) that functions as an evaporator during heating operation,
A temperature sensor attached to the heat exchanger and measuring the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the heat exchanger.
An air flow path (110) through which the air heated by the humidifying heater flows, and
An air blowing portion (120) arranged in the vicinity of the heat exchanger and blowing out air guided through the air flow path, and an air blowing portion (120) .
Control unit (51) and
It is an air conditioner equipped with
The control unit causes the air heated by the humidifying heater to flow to the air blowing unit through the air flow path at the same time as the heating operation under predetermined conditions in which frost needs to be reduced in the heating operation. Control and
When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is lower than the first threshold value and equal to or higher than the second threshold value lower than the first threshold value, the control unit needs to reduce frost in the heating operation under the predetermined conditions. Judging that
When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is lower than the second threshold value, the control unit interrupts the heating operation and causes the air conditioner to perform the defrost operation.
Air conditioner (10). Air is blown from the air blowing portion toward the heat exchanger.
The air conditioner according to claim 1. Air is blown from the air blowing portion to a direction other than the heat exchanger.
The air conditioner according to claim 1. Further provided with a moving mechanism (130) for moving the air outlet along the heat exchanger.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A fan (39) for supplying outside air to the heat exchanger is further provided.
The control unit reduces the rotation speed of the fan under the predetermined conditions in the heating operation as compared with other than the predetermined conditions in the heating operation.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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