JP7611482B2 - Air conditioner and method for controlling air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an air conditioning device and a method for controlling an air conditioning device.

Conventionally, techniques have been proposed for removing odorous components contained in condensed water adhering to a heat exchanger of an indoor unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, a heating operation for improving the effect of drying moisture and an air blowing operation for improving the effect of removing stagnant odors are carried out in sequence.

JP 2002-130773 A

This disclosure describes an air conditioner that collects and removes indoor airborne particles, and a method for controlling the air conditioner.

The air conditioning apparatus of the present disclosure comprises an outdoor unit having at least a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor blower inside a housing, a control unit that operates in an indoor suspended particulate collection mode in which indoor suspended particulates are collected in condensed water generated by lowering the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger to a temperature higher than the temperature at which water freezes to a temperature below the indoor dew point, and a drainage channel for draining the condensed water , wherein after operation in the indoor suspended particulate collection mode, the control unit operates in a drainage mode in which the rotation speed of the indoor blower is controlled to increase the amount of condensed condensed water generated and the amount of volatilization to a maximum air volume at which the amount of generation does not exceed the amount of volatilization, thereby causing the condensed water to drain into the drainage channel, and when operating in the indoor suspended particulate collection mode, the control unit keeps the condensed water from drying by controlling the rotation speed of the indoor blower to a predetermined rotation speed or lower without stopping the indoor blower.

In addition, the control method for an air conditioning device in the present disclosure is a control method for an air conditioning device that includes an outdoor unit having at least a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, and an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor blower inside a housing, and the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger is lowered to a temperature higher than the temperature at which water freezes to a temperature below the indoor dew point to generate condensed water, and indoor suspended particulate matter is collected in the condensed water. When the indoor suspended particulate matter is being collected, the indoor blower is not stopped but its rotation speed is controlled to be equal to or lower than a predetermined rotation speed to keep the condensed water from drying out, and after the indoor suspended particulate matter has been collected, the rotation speed of the indoor blower is controlled to increase the amount of condensed water generated and evaporated to a maximum air volume that does not exceed the evaporation amount, thereby causing the condensed water to fall into a drain.

The air conditioning device disclosed herein can collect suspended particles in the room in the condensed water condensed in the indoor heat exchanger. This makes it possible to reduce suspended particles in the room.

Cross-sectional view of an indoor unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an air conditioning device according to a first embodiment. 1 is a flowchart of a control method for an air conditioner according to a first embodiment. Experimental results showing the effectiveness of dust collection by air conditioning equipment

(The knowledge and other information that formed the basis of this disclosure)
At the time when the inventors came up with the present disclosure, there was a technique for providing an electrostatic atomizer in an air conditioner in order to remove indoor odors and neutralize allergens such as pollen.

However, although the radicals generated by electrostatic atomizers are suitable for decomposing and neutralizing chemical substances, it is difficult to remove simple dust particles, such as the extremely small airborne particles known as PM2.5, which have become a problem in recent years.
The inventors discovered that suspended fine particles are collected in condensed water of air conditioners, and in order to solve the above problem, they came to form the subject of the present disclosure.
Therefore, the present disclosure provides an air conditioner that recovers and removes indoor suspended particles by using temperature control of a heat exchanger or the like.

Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters or duplicate explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming more redundant than necessary and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.
It should be noted that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

[1-1. Configuration]
[1-1-1. Configuration of indoor unit]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus according to the first embodiment.
As shown in Fig. 1, the air conditioner 1 includes an indoor unit 10. The indoor unit 10 includes a housing 11 that is attached to a wall surface inside a room.

An air intake port 12 for drawing in indoor air is provided on the upper surface of the housing 11. An air outlet 13 for blowing air into the room is provided on the lower surface of the housing 11. Both the air intake port 12 and the air outlet 13 are formed across the entire width of the housing 11.
An indoor heat exchanger 14 is housed inside the housing 11. The indoor heat exchanger 14 is formed in a substantially inverted V shape when viewed from the side, and is disposed so as to separate the space between the air intake 12 and the air outlet 13 inside the housing 11. This ensures that the indoor air sucked in from the air intake 12 always passes through the indoor heat exchanger 14 before reaching the air outlet 13.

An indoor blower 15 is disposed inside the indoor heat exchanger 14. The indoor blower 15 is configured to be rotated by a blower drive motor (not shown) to draw in indoor air from the intake port 12, pass the air through the indoor heat exchanger 14 for heat exchange, and blow the air out of the air outlet 13 into the room.
A filter 16 is disposed in the air intake 12. The filter 16 is made of a flexible material and serves to remove dust and other particles from the air drawn in through the air intake 12.
A cleaning drive roller 17 is provided in front of the filter 16 so as to be rotatably driven, and this cleaning drive roller 17 is rotated to wind up the filter 16, thereby cleaning dirt such as dust adhering to the filter 16.

A left/right air deflector 18 for adjusting the left/right wind direction of the air blown out is provided near the air outlet 13 so as to be swingable left/right. The left/right air deflector 18 is capable of adjusting the wind direction manually or by an air deflector drive motor (not shown).
Below the left and right airflow direction vanes 18, up and down airflow direction vanes 19 are provided so as to be able to swing freely, for adjusting the up and down wind direction of the blown air.
The vertical airflow direction vane 19 can automatically adjust the vertical airflow direction by an airflow direction vane drive motor (not shown).

Furthermore, an electrostatic atomizer 20 is disposed inside the housing 11 near the air outlet 13. The electrostatic atomizer 20 includes, for example, a discharge unit that discharges electricity to the supplied moisture to generate a mist containing charged fine water particles, and a power supply circuit that generates a high voltage to be applied to the discharge unit. The discharge unit and the power supply circuit are not shown. The electrostatic atomizer 20 generates a mist containing charged fine water particles to suppress and deodorize viruses, mold, allergy-causing substances, bacteria, etc. in the air. The charged fine water particles contain active ingredients such as electrostatic mist that have a disinfecting or deodorizing effect.

The indoor heat exchanger 14 is equipped with a thermometer (not shown) that measures the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 14. The air conditioning device 1 is also equipped with a thermometer other than the above-mentioned thermometer that measures the air temperature in the location where the indoor unit 10 is installed, specifically, for example, the air temperature inside the room.

The indoor unit 10 is equipped with a drainage channel called a drain pan (not shown) that receives the water that is cooled and generated near the indoor heat exchanger 14.

The air-conditioning apparatus 1 includes an outdoor unit 40. The outdoor unit 40 includes a compressor 41, an outdoor heat exchanger 50, an outdoor blower 43 that sends outside air to the outdoor heat exchanger 50, and an expansion mechanism 45 (all of which are shown in FIG. 2 ).
The outdoor unit 40 and the indoor unit 10 are connected by refrigerant piping (not shown) to configure a predetermined refrigeration cycle circuit.

[1-1-2. Control configuration]
Next, the control configuration of the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of this embodiment.
The indoor unit 10 is equipped with a control unit 30 .
The control unit 30 controls each device of the air conditioning apparatus 1. The control unit 30 includes a processor, a memory, and a timer. The control of the control unit 30 is executed by the processor processing a program stored in the memory.

The control unit 30 includes a communication unit 35, and the communication unit 35 is capable of communicating with a remote control (not shown) operated by a user.
That is, the control unit 30 controls the drive of the compressor 41, outdoor blower 43, expansion mechanism 45, and outdoor heat exchanger 50 of the outdoor unit 40, and the indoor heat exchanger 14, indoor blower 15, and electrostatic atomization device 20 of the indoor unit 10, through the user's operation of a remote control.

The control unit 30 also performs control in normal operation modes such as a cooling operation mode and a cooling and dehumidifying operation mode. Of course, the control unit 30 may also have a heating operation mode, a dehumidifying operation mode, a fan operation mode, a clothes drying operation mode, and the like.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 30 performs control in an indoor suspended particulate collection mode.
The indoor particulate collection mode can be selected by the user by operating a remote controller. In this embodiment, when the indoor particulate collection mode is selected, the control unit 30 lowers the surface temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 14 to a temperature equal to or lower than the dew point of the room.
The moisture in the room cooled by the indoor heat exchanger 14 condenses when the temperature falls below the dew point, generating condensed water. Indoor suspended particles floating in the room are collected in the condensed water and removed.

When operating in the indoor suspended particulate collection mode, the control unit 30 keeps the condensed water from drying by controlling the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 to a predetermined rotation speed or lower.

The above-mentioned predetermined rotation speed is, for example, 1000 rpm.

Moreover, the above-mentioned predetermined number of revolutions is preferably, for example, 400 rpm.
After the control unit 30 has performed operation in the indoor suspended particulate collection mode, it controls the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 to increase the air volume, thereby performing operation in a drainage mode in which the condensed water is drained into a drainage channel.
Specifically, the amount of condensed water generated and evaporated is considered, and the indoor suspended particles are collected at the maximum air volume that does not exceed the amount of evaporation. By operating at a high air volume for a short period of time, the condensed water adhering to the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 14 is impacted, causing it to fall into the drain and be discharged.

It is desirable that the indoor heat exchanger 14 and the drainage channel are coated with a metal catalyst that promotes the decomposition of the components of indoor airborne particles remaining in the indoor heat exchanger 14 and the drainage channel. Specifically, the metal catalyst may be a catalyst containing platinum or titanium.

The control unit 30 is also configured to be able to communicate with a ventilation fan (not shown), and it is desirable that the indoor airborne particle collection mode includes a function of discharging indoor airborne particles to the outside by operating the ventilation fan, or supplying air purified by a purification filter in the ventilation fan into the room.

The control unit 30 in the present disclosure may be any device capable of controlling the device in the present disclosure. When expressing the subject matter of the invention, in addition to the control unit 30, the device in the present disclosure may be controlled by a control means, a control unit, or similar terms. The control unit 30 can be realized in various forms. For example, a processor may be used as the control unit 30. If a processor is used as the control unit 30, various processes can be executed by loading a program from a storage medium storing the program into the processor and executing the program by the processor. Therefore, the processing contents can be changed by changing the program stored in the storage medium, so that the degree of freedom in changing the control contents can be increased. Examples of the processor include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). Examples of the storage medium include a hard disk, a flash memory, and an optical disk. In addition, a wired logic in which the program cannot be rewritten may be used as the control unit 30. Using a wired logic as the control unit 30 is effective in improving the processing speed. Examples of wired logic include ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 30 may be realized by combining a processor and wired logic. By combining a processor and wired logic to realize the control unit 30, the degree of freedom of software design can be increased while improving the processing speed. The control unit 30 and a circuit having a function different from that of the control unit 30 may be configured with a single semiconductor element. Examples of circuits having a different function include an A/D and D/A conversion circuit. The control unit 30 may be configured with a single semiconductor element or multiple semiconductor elements. When configured with multiple semiconductor elements, each control described in the claims may be realized with different semiconductor elements. Furthermore, the control unit 30 may be configured with a configuration including a semiconductor element and a passive component such as a resistor or a capacitor.

[1-2. Air conditioner control method]
Next, a method for controlling the air conditioner in an indoor suspended particle recovery mode using the above-mentioned air conditioner will be described with reference to a flowchart.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a control method for the air conditioning apparatus 1.

When the air conditioning device 1 starts operating in the indoor suspended particulate collection mode, first, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 14 is lowered to a temperature higher than the freezing point of water but below the indoor dew point to generate condensed water to collect the indoor suspended particulates (step SA1). While collecting the indoor suspended particulates, the rotation speed of the indoor blower is controlled to a predetermined rotation speed or lower to keep the condensed water from drying out (step SA2).

Next, after collecting the indoor suspended particles, the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 is controlled to increase the airflow, causing the condensed water to fall into the drain (step SA3).

[1-3. Experimental results]
FIG. 4 shows the experimental results showing the effect of dust collection by the air conditioner 1. The horizontal axis shows time, and the vertical axis shows the dust concentration normalized to 100% at time zero. The dotted line shows the change in dust concentration with time due to natural attenuation, and the dashed line shows the change in dust concentration with time when blowing air in normal operation mode. The solid line shows the change in dust concentration with time when operating in indoor suspended particle collection mode. For example, after 90 minutes, more than 90% of the dust remains when left to natural attenuation, whereas when operating in indoor suspended particle collection mode, the dust concentration drops to just over 20%, demonstrating a remarkable effect.

[1-4. Effects, etc.]
As described above, in this embodiment, the air conditioning device 1 comprises an outdoor unit 40 having at least a compressor 41 and an outdoor heat exchanger 50, an indoor unit 10 having an indoor heat exchanger 14 and an indoor blower 15 inside a housing 11, a control unit 30 that operates in an indoor suspended particulate matter recovery mode in which indoor suspended particulate matter is recovered in condensed water generated by lowering the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 14 to a temperature higher than the temperature at which water freezes to a temperature below the indoor dew point, and a drainage channel for draining the condensed water.

As a result, the air conditioning device 1 can collect and remove indoor suspended particulate matter simply by controlling the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger without adding any additional components. In addition, because the indoor heat exchanger 14 maintains a temperature above the freezing point of water, the condensed water does not freeze and can be easily drained, allowing the indoor suspended particulate matter to be discharged together with the condensed water.

In addition, in this embodiment, when operating in the indoor suspended particulate collection mode, the control unit 30 of the air conditioning device 1 controls the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 to a predetermined rotation speed or less, thereby keeping the condensed water from drying.

As a result, the air conditioning device 1 is less likely to dry out the condensed water again, which has the effect of allowing the suspended particles contained in the condensed water to be drained without being returned to the room.

In addition, in this embodiment, the control unit 30 of the air conditioning device 1 operates in the indoor suspended particulate collection mode, and then operates in the drainage mode in which the condensed water is drained into the drain by controlling the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 to increase the air volume.

This allows the air conditioning device 1 to drain condensed water that contains indoor airborne particles, making it less likely to contaminate the inside of the housing 11 and allowing the room to continue to be purified.

In this embodiment, the indoor heat exchanger 14 and drainage channel of the air conditioning device 1 are coated with a metal catalyst that promotes the decomposition of the substances contained in the collected indoor airborne particles.

This allows the device to break down mold spores, bacteria, harmful organic components, and other allergens and chemicals contained in airborne particles indoors, resulting in deodorizing effects and potentially eliminating the causes of illness.

In this embodiment, the air conditioning device 1 further includes an electrostatic atomizer 20.

As a result, the air conditioning device 1 can purify the air by removing suspended particles contained in the air in the area where the indoor unit 10 is placed, while at the same time neutralizing or breaking down allergens and chemicals contained in the air.

In the air conditioning device according to this embodiment, the control unit 30 is configured to be able to communicate with a ventilation fan (not shown), and the indoor suspended particulate collection mode includes a function of discharging indoor suspended particulates to the outside by operating the ventilation fan, or supplying air purified by a purification filter in the ventilation fan into the room.

This allows airborne particles to be expelled to the outside of the room, and the air taken in from outside can be purified before being supplied, which has the effect of purifying the air inside the room.

In this embodiment, the control method for the air conditioner 1 is a control method for the air conditioner 1 that includes an outdoor unit 40 equipped with at least a compressor 41 and an outdoor heat exchanger 50, and an indoor unit 10 equipped with an indoor heat exchanger 14 and an indoor blower 15 inside a housing 11, and the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 14 is lowered to a temperature higher than the freezing point of water but below the indoor dew point to generate condensed water that collects indoor suspended particles, and while collecting the indoor suspended particles, the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 is controlled to a predetermined rotation speed or less to keep the condensed water from drying, and after collecting the indoor suspended particles, the rotation speed of the indoor blower 15 is controlled to increase the air volume to cause the condensed water to fall into a drain.

As a result, the air conditioner 1 can collect and remove indoor suspended particles simply by controlling the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger without adding any additional components. In addition, since the indoor heat exchanger 14 maintains a temperature above the freezing point of water, the condensed water does not freeze and can be easily drained, so the indoor suspended particles can be discharged together with the condensed water. In addition, since the air conditioner 1 does not easily dry out the condensed water again, it has the effect of being able to drain the suspended particles contained in the condensed water without returning them to the room.
It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, and the like can be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

This disclosure is generally applicable to devices that condition indoor air. Specifically, this disclosure is applicable to air conditioners, air purifiers, etc.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Air conditioner 10 Indoor unit 11 Housing 12 Air intake 13 Air outlet 14 Indoor heat exchanger 15 Indoor blower 16 Filter 17 Cleaning drive roller 18 Left/right air deflector 19 Top/bottom air deflector 20 Electrostatic atomizer 30 Control unit 35 Communication unit 40 Outdoor unit 41 Compressor 43 Outdoor blower 45 Expansion mechanism 50 Outdoor heat exchanger

Claims (5)

an outdoor unit including at least a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger;
an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan inside a housing;
a control unit that operates in an indoor suspended particulate recovery mode in which the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger is reduced to a temperature higher than the freezing point of water but not higher than the indoor dew point, thereby recovering indoor suspended particulates in condensed water generated by the reduction;
A drainage channel for draining the condensed water ,
the control unit, after operating in the indoor suspended particulate collection mode, operates in a drainage mode in which the rotation speed of the indoor blower is controlled to increase the amount of condensed water generated and the amount of volatilization to a maximum air volume at which the amount of condensed water generated does not exceed the amount of volatilization, thereby causing the condensed water to fall into the drainage channel;
The air conditioning apparatus is characterized in that, when operating in the indoor suspended particulate matter collection mode, the control unit keeps the condensed water from drying out by controlling the rotation speed of the indoor blower to a predetermined rotation speed or less without stopping the indoor blower . 2. The air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the indoor heat exchanger and the drainage channel are coated with a metal catalyst that promotes decomposition of substances contained in the collected indoor suspended particulate matter. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising an electrostatic atomizer. The control unit is configured to be able to communicate with a ventilation fan,
The indoor suspended particulate collection mode includes a function of discharging indoor suspended particulates in the room to the outside by operating the exhaust fan or supplying air purified by a purification filter in the exhaust fan to the room.
The air-conditioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . an outdoor unit including at least a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger;
A method for controlling an air conditioner having an indoor unit equipped with an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor fan inside a housing, comprising:
The temperature of the indoor heat exchanger is lowered to a temperature lower than the dew point of the room at a temperature higher than the freezing point of water, and the indoor suspended particulate matter is collected in the condensed water generated by the lowering of the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger to a temperature lower than the dew point of the room;
While collecting the indoor suspended particulates, the indoor blower is not stopped and a rotation speed of the indoor blower is controlled to a predetermined rotation speed or less, thereby keeping the condensed water from drying,
A method for controlling an air-conditioning system, comprising the steps of: after collecting indoor suspended particulate matter, controlling the rotation speed of the indoor blower to increase the amount of condensed water generated and evaporated to the maximum air volume at which the amount of condensed water generated does not exceed the amount of evaporated water, thereby causing the condensed water to fall into a drainage channel.

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