JP7767976B2 - air conditioning system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioning system that conditions indoor air.

One way to efficiently circulate the air from an air conditioner (indoor unit) throughout the room and eliminate uneven temperatures in the room is to use an air conditioner in conjunction with a circulator or other fan.
2. Description of the Related Art An example of an air conditioning system including an air conditioner and a blower is the system described in Patent Document 1.

The system described in Patent Document 1 uses an infrared sensor to obtain the position of the blower relative to the indoor unit. Patent Document 1 also analyzes indoor temperature distribution data. Specifically, the system described in Patent Document 1 compares temperature difference information for all compartments on the floor, walls, and ceiling, and identifies the compartment with the largest temperature difference between the floor temperature, wall temperature, or ceiling temperature and the indoor unit's set temperature. The direction of the blower fan is then controlled so that the airflow direction from the blower is directed toward the compartment with the largest temperature difference.

International Publication No. 2017/183083

Generally, it is desirable to install the fan within the range where the air conditioner's wind (the conditioned air flow) reaches.
However, users do not always install the fan in such an appropriate location. For this reason, the system described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that if the fan is not installed in an appropriate location in the room, that is, in an area where the air from the air conditioner can reach, it may not be able to fully eliminate temperature unevenness in the room.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above points, and aims to more efficiently eliminate temperature variations in the room by minimizing the impact of installing a fan in an inappropriate position.

To solve this problem, one aspect of the present invention is an air conditioning system comprising an air conditioner that sends conditioned air into a room from an indoor unit located in the room, and a blower located in the room, wherein the air conditioning system comprises an air blowing control unit for controlling the air blown by the blower, and the air blowing control unit comprises a determination unit that determines whether the conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit has reached the blower, and an air blowing direction determination unit that determines the air blowing direction of the blower based on the determination result of the determination unit.

This aspect of the present invention makes it possible to circulate indoor air more efficiently, eliminating temperature variations within the room.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration of an outdoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a remote control according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a blower according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an indoor unit side control unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process flow for identifying the position of a blower. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process flow for determining whether an airflow is directed toward a blower. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for determining an airflow direction. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow for determining an air volume. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a blower-side control unit.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The air conditioning system of this embodiment is a system that conditions the air in a target room to desired set conditions by cooling, heating, or dehumidifying the air.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the air conditioning system of this embodiment includes an air conditioner 1 and a blower 4 .

(Air conditioner 1)
The air conditioner 1 comprises an indoor unit 2 installed indoors and an outdoor unit 3 located outdoors. The indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 are connected by a refrigerant circuit that circulates a refrigerant. The air conditioner 1 receives power for operation from an external power source (not shown).

(Indoor unit 2)
1 illustrates a wall-mounted indoor unit 2. However, there are no particular restrictions on the installation form of the indoor unit 2. The installation form of the indoor unit 2 may be, for example, a ceiling-suspended type or a ceiling-embedded type.

As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the indoor unit 2 includes an indoor heat exchanger 21, a blower fan 22, an airflow direction adjuster 23, a transmitter/receiver 24, an indoor temperature sensor 29, a blower position detection sensor 25, a display 26, a thermistor 27, and an indoor unit control unit 28. However, this configuration is not limited, and for example, if the indoor unit 2 is a duct type, the airflow direction adjuster 23 may not be necessary.

<Indoor heat exchanger 21>
The indoor heat exchanger 21 exchanges heat between the air taken in from the indoor space S and the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant circuit. The indoor space S is a space inside the room in which the indoor unit 2 is installed. The indoor space S is a space to be air-conditioned.

<Blower fan 22>
The blower fan 22 is a blower means that takes in indoor air from the indoor space S, exchanges heat in the indoor heat exchanger 21 , and sends the conditioned air out into the indoor space S from the air outlet of the indoor unit 2 .
<Wind direction adjuster 23>
The airflow direction adjuster 23 adjusts the blowing direction of the conditioned air blown out by the blower fan 22 .

<Transmitter/receiver 24>
The transmitting/receiving unit 24 constitutes a transmitting unit of the indoor unit 2 that wirelessly transmits signals and a receiving unit that receives signals.
In this embodiment, the transmitting/receiving section 24 includes an infrared receiving unit 24A and a wireless unit 24B.

The infrared receiving unit 24A receives a signal from the remote control 5 operated by the user.
The wireless unit 24B performs wireless communication with the control unit of the blower 4 (blower control unit 45).

<Indoor temperature sensor 29>
In this embodiment, the indoor temperature sensor 29 is configured by a thermopile. In this embodiment, the thermopile measures the temperatures of the floor, wall, and ceiling surfaces in the indoor space S, at least at a plurality of locations on the floor.

<Blower position detection sensor 25>
The blower position detection sensor 25 detects the relative position of the blower 4 with respect to the indoor unit 2 .
The blower position detection sensor 25 of this embodiment is configured to include a magnetic sensor for position detection, and detects the position of the blower 4 by receiving a signal from a magnetic sensor for position detection (blower position transmitter 43) provided in the blower 4. The blower position detection sensor 25 may detect the position of the blower 4 by other known methods. For example, the blower position detection sensor 25 may detect the position of the blower 4 by receiving infrared rays generated by an infrared generator built into the blower 4. The blower position detection sensor 25 may also detect the position of the blower 4 by processing images captured by a camera built into the indoor unit 2, for example.

The blower position detection sensor 25 may be configured to detect not only the position of the blower 4, but also the current orientation or reference orientation of the blower fan 41 of the blower 4. The orientation of the blower fan 41 of the blower 4 may be obtained from the blower 4 via wireless communication.

Here, a supplementary explanation will be given of the magnetic sensor for detecting the position of the blower 4.
This magnetic sensor may be the same type as those used in VR data gloves, game controllers, etc. This magnetic sensor has coils that are orthogonal to the horizontal and vertical directions and detects position and direction based on changes in magnetic flux density. The blower position detection sensor 25 generates a magnetic field and receives a signal emitted by the blower position transmitter 43, thereby identifying the relative position and direction of the indoor unit 2 and the blower 4. The magnetic sensor may be a gyro sensor or an acceleration sensor, as long as it is capable of detecting the position and direction of the blower 4.

Note that the coil of this position detection magnetic sensor will generate heat if it is constantly powered. For this reason, it is preferable that the magnetic sensor provided in the blower 4 be activated only when the indoor unit 2 starts operating or when a transmission request is received from the indoor unit control unit 28, and only for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 15 seconds), i.e., for a short period of time.

<Display 26>
The display 26 displays the operating status of the air conditioner 1, particularly the indoor unit 2.
<Thermistor 27>
The thermistor 27 measures the temperature of the air drawn from the indoor space S into the indoor unit 2 before conditioning.
The processing of the indoor unit side control unit 28 will be described later.

(Outdoor unit 3)
As shown in FIG. 3 , the outdoor unit 3 includes an outdoor heat exchanger 31 , a fan 32 , a compressor 33 , and various sensors 34 .
The outdoor heat exchanger 31 exchanges heat between outdoor air and the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant circuit. The fan 32 takes in air from outdoors, exchanges heat in the outdoor heat exchanger 31, and sends the air outdoors. The compressor 33 compresses the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. The various sensors 34 are sensors that measure, for example, refrigerant pressure and various temperatures.

Here, there are no particular limitations on the configuration of the outdoor unit 3, and as long as it has the functions of the outdoor unit 3, there are no particular limitations on its configuration or form.

Furthermore, the air conditioner 1 shown in Figure 1 is an example of a separate-type air conditioner in which the indoor unit 2 and outdoor unit 3 are separated from each other. However, it may also be an integrated-type air conditioner in which the indoor unit 2 and outdoor unit 3 are housed in the same housing.

(Remote control 5)
As shown in FIG. 4, the remote controller 5 includes an operation unit 51, a transmission unit 52, and an information display unit 53.
The operation unit 51 is an input unit for receiving operation information through user operations. The transmission unit 52 transmits the operation information received by the operation unit 51 as an operation command signal, which is instruction information, to the indoor unit 2. The information display unit 53 is a display unit for displaying various information such as the set temperature and operation mode.

The instruction information sent from the remote controller to the indoor unit 2 includes at least the set temperature of the air conditioning and instruction information for the type of air conditioning operation, such as cooling or heating, as the air conditioning operation mode. The set temperature is the target temperature for the room set by the user.
The remote control 5 may have a receiving unit that receives information from the indoor unit 2 .

(Blower 4)
The blower 4 is, for example, a circulator. The blower 4 of this embodiment includes a mechanism for rotating a blade portion 41A (impeller) to blow out air.

The blower 4 of this embodiment is capable of controlling the direction and power of the air it blows out based on instruction information from the indoor unit control unit 28. The blower 4 of this embodiment is independent of the indoor unit 2 and can be carried by the user. In other words, the blower 4 of this embodiment can be installed in any position indoors. The position of the blower 4 may also be fixed.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the blower 4 includes a blower fan 41 which is the main body of the blower 4 , a wind direction adjusting unit 42 , a blower position transmitting unit 43 , a transceiver unit 44 , and a blower control unit 45 .
<Blower fan 41>
The blower fan 41 is a fan unit and includes a blade portion 41A having an impeller, and a rotary motor 41B that drives the impeller to rotate.

<Wind direction adjustment section 42>
The airflow direction adjustment unit 42 includes a rotation mechanism 42A and an airflow direction adjustment motor 42B.
<Rotation mechanism>
The rotation mechanism 42A is a mechanism that rotates to change the orientation of the blower fan 41 in a plan view of the indoor space S. The rotation mechanism 42A of the present embodiment also has a mechanism that rotates the blower fan 41 in the vertical direction (oscillates in the vertical direction).

<Wind direction adjustment motor 42B>
The airflow direction adjusting motor 42B is a driving unit that adjusts the direction of the blower fan 41 via the rotation mechanism 42A.

<Blower position transmitting unit 43>
The fan position transmitter 43 is an information transmission sensor that transmits a signal that identifies the position of the fan 4. As described above, the fan position transmitter 43 of this embodiment is made up of a magnetic sensor that includes a coil that transmits magnetism. The fan position transmitter 43 may also be configured to transmit position information by other means such as infrared transmission or wireless transmission. In the case of a magnetic sensor, it is possible to transmit position information in three dimensions.

<Transmitter/receiver 44>
The transmitting/receiving unit 44 of this embodiment includes an infrared receiving unit 44A and a wireless unit 44B.
The infrared receiving unit 44A wirelessly communicates with the wireless unit 24B of the indoor unit 2 via the smart remote control 6. The smart remote control 6 converts the wireless communication signal into an infrared signal. The infrared receiving unit 24A also wirelessly communicates with a remote control (not shown) for the blower 4. The infrared receiving unit 44A may not be required as a communication unit with the indoor unit 2.
The wireless unit 44B performs wireless communication with the wireless unit 24B of the indoor unit 2.
The blower control unit 45 will be described later.

(Indoor unit side control unit 28)
6, the indoor unit side control unit 28 includes an indoor unit side air conditioning control unit 28A and an air blowing control unit 28B. The indoor unit side control unit 28 is configured by a microcomputer including a CPU and a memory.

Here, the indoor unit air conditioning control unit 28A and the air blowing control unit 28B may be configured as separate microcomputers that are independent of each other. In this case, the air blowing control unit 28B may be provided in a housing that is independent of the indoor unit 2 and that is capable of wireless communication with the indoor unit 2. For example, the air blowing control unit 28B may be built into the remote control 5, the air blower 4, etc.

(Indoor unit side air conditioning control unit 28A)
The indoor unit-side air conditioning control unit 28A controls the operation of the indoor unit 2 based on instruction information from the remote control 5. In this embodiment, the processing configuration of the indoor unit-side air conditioning control unit 28A is not limited in any way in terms of function or configuration, as long as it is capable of controlling the delivery of conditioned air. The processing of the indoor unit-side air conditioning control unit 28A is configured, for example, by known air conditioning control for the indoor unit 2.

(Air blowing control unit 28B)
The air blowing control unit 28B calculates information for controlling the air blowing of the fan 4 according to the air conditioning state of the indoor unit 2, such as the floor temperature, which will be described later.
As shown in FIG. 6, the air blowing control unit 28B includes a floor temperature acquisition unit 28Ba, a fan position acquisition unit 28Bb, a determination unit 28Bc, an air blowing direction determination unit 28Bd, and an air blowing amount determination unit 28Be.

<Bed temperature acquisition unit 28Ba>
The floor temperature acquisition unit 28Ba divides the floor surface of the indoor space S in a plan view into multiple sections, and acquires the floor temperature for each section based on the floor temperature information for each section acquired (detected) by the indoor temperature sensor 29.

Each section is assigned an identification number, for example, and is identified and managed. The floor temperature for each section is stored in the memory of the indoor unit 2's air conditioning control. The floor temperature acquisition unit 28Ba also performs processing to convert the multiple divided sections into set X-Y coordinates (two-dimensional coordinates).

The partitioned area does not necessarily have to be the entire floor surface, but may be an area that can be detected by the indoor temperature sensor 29 from the indoor unit 2. This area may be, for example, an area to which conditioned air from the room can be directly sent out.

<Blower position acquisition unit 28Bb>
The blower position acquisition unit 28Bb identifies the position of the blower 4 based on the signal received by the blower position detection sensor 25, and calculates blower position information, which is information about which of the multiple sections the blower 4 is located in, from the identified position and the coordinate information of the multiple sections, and acquires the blower position information.

An example of the processing performed by the fan position acquisition unit 28Bb will be described with reference to Figure 7. Note that this processing is repeatedly executed at a predetermined interval (e.g., every 5 minutes).

First, in step S10, the fan position acquisition unit 28Bb acquires the distance to the fan 4 on the XY coordinate system based on the signal received by the fan position detection sensor 25.
Next, in step S20, the fan position acquisition unit 28Bb identifies in which of the divided sections (areas) the fan 4 is located, based on the acquired distance on the XY coordinates.
Next, in step S30, the fan position acquisition unit 28Bb determines the section in which the identified fan 4 is located as the installation area α, and ends the process.

<Determination unit 28Bc>
The determination unit 28Bc determines whether the conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit 2 has reached the blower 4 or not.
The judgment unit 28Bc of this embodiment judges whether the conditioned air flow is reaching the blower 4 based on the information acquired by the floor temperature acquisition unit 28Ba, the information acquired by the blower position acquisition unit 28Bb (blower position information), and the set temperature of the indoor unit 2.

In this embodiment, the determination unit 28Bc, for example, determines one or more sections that are reached by the conditioned airflow, and determines that these sections are areas reached by the conditioned airflow. Here, sections included in the areas reached by the conditioned airflow are also referred to as airflow reach sections. Then, based on the fan position information, the determination unit 28Bc in this embodiment determines whether the conditioned airflow is reaching the fan 4 by determining whether a fan 4 is present in the airflow reach section.

For example, if the temperature of a compartment is close to the set temperature, that compartment is considered to be the airflow reach compartment. Close to the set temperature means, for example, that the difference from the set temperature is less than 1°C. If airflow reach compartments exist in multiple discontinuous areas, for example, the compartment in the area with the temperature closest to the set temperature is considered to be the airflow reach compartment.

In other words, the determination unit 28Bc in this embodiment calculates the temperature difference between the temperature of each compartment and the set temperature, and determines the airflow reach compartment based on the temperature difference between each compartment. It also calculates the compartment with the largest temperature difference from the temperature differences between each compartment, and sets that compartment as the temperature deviation compartment.

Here, an example of the processing performed by the determination unit 28Bc will be described with reference to Figure 8. Note that this processing is repeatedly executed at a predetermined interval (e.g., every 5 minutes).

First, in step S100, determination unit 28Bc acquires the floor temperature of installation area α, which is the section in which blower 4 is located, from the information acquired by floor temperature acquisition unit 28Ba and the information acquired by blower position acquisition unit 28Bb. The acquired floor temperature is set to floor temperature α.
Next, in step S110, the determination unit 28Bc determines whether the current air conditioning operation by the indoor unit 2 is cooling operation or heating operation. If it is cooling operation (S110-Y), the process proceeds to step S120. If it is heating operation (S110-N), the process proceeds to step S150.

In step S120, determination unit 28Bc determines whether or not floor temperature α is significantly higher (for example, by 2°C or more) than the set temperature. If the determination is satisfied (S120-Y), the process proceeds to step S130. On the other hand, if the determination is not satisfied (S120-N), the process proceeds to step S140.
In step S130, the determination unit 28Bc determines that the cool air has not reached the blower 4, and then ends the process. The cool air is the airflow of conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit 2.

In step S140, the determination unit 28Bc determines that the cool air has reached the blower 4, and then ends the process. The cool air is the airflow of conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit 2.
In step S150, determination unit 28Bc determines whether or not floor temperature α is significantly lower (for example, by 2°C or more) than the set temperature. If the determination is satisfied (S150-Y), the process proceeds to step S160. On the other hand, if the determination is not satisfied (S150-N), the process proceeds to step S170.

In step S160, the determination unit 28Bc determines that the warm air has not reached the blower 4, and then ends the process. The warm air is the airflow of conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit 2.
In step S140, the determination unit 28Bc determines that the warm air has reached the blower 4, and then ends the process. The warm air is the airflow of conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit 2.

<Blow direction determining unit 28Bd>
The airflow direction determining unit 28Bd determines the airflow direction of the fan 4 based on the determination result of the determining unit 28Bc.
In this embodiment, when the airflow direction determination unit 28Bd determines, based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 28Bc, that the airflow of the conditioned air sent out by the conditioned air does not reach the blower 4, it determines the airflow direction of the blower 4 to be in the direction of the area (airflow reaching section) where the conditioned air sent out by the conditioned air reaches in a planar view.

In addition, when the airflow direction determination unit 28Bd of this embodiment determines, based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 28Bc, that the conditioned air sent out by the conditioned air reaches the blower 4, it determines the airflow direction of the blower 4 to be in the direction of the temperature deviation section in a planar view.
If the airflow reaching section cannot be detected, the air direction of the blower 4 is not adjusted, or the direction of the air blown by the blower 4 is determined to be the direction of the temperature deviation section in plan view.

An example of the processing performed by the airflow direction determination unit 28Bd will be described with reference to Figure 9. Note that this processing is repeatedly executed at a predetermined interval (e.g., every 5 minutes).

First, in step S200, the airflow direction determination unit 28Bd determines whether the airflow of conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit 2 has reached the blower 4, based on the determination result of the determination unit 28Bc. If it determines that the airflow has not reached the blower 4 (S200-Y), the process proceeds to step S210. If it determines that the airflow has reached the blower 4 (S200-N), the process proceeds to step S270.

In step S210, the airflow direction determination unit 28Bd identifies the section closest to the set temperature from among the multiple sections into which the floor is divided, based on the information acquired by the floor temperature acquisition unit 28Ba, and designates the identified section as floor temperature area β. Floor temperature area β corresponds to the airflow reach section. Then, the process proceeds to step S220.

In the above explanation, the section closest to the set temperature is set as floor temperature area β, i.e., the airflow reach section, but this is not limited to this. When the air conditioning operating mode is cooling mode, the section with the lowest temperature can be set as floor temperature area β, i.e., the airflow reach section, as the area where the conditioned air reaches.

Also, when the air conditioning is in heating mode, the compartment with the highest temperature may be set as the area reached by the conditioned air current, that is, the floor temperature area β, i.e., the air current reach area. However, because warm air tends to accumulate at the top during heating, the floor temperature acquisition unit 28Ba also divides the ceiling side into multiple compartments, acquires the temperature of each compartment, determines the compartment with the highest temperature among the compartments on the ceiling side, and sets the floor side compartment located opposite the compartment determined as the floor temperature area β, that is, the air current reach area.

Furthermore, the floor temperature area β, i.e., the airflow reach zone, may be set by estimating the direction of the airflow sent out from the indoor unit 2 from the state of the airflow direction adjuster 23.

In step S220, the airflow direction determination unit 28Bd determines the direction (horizontal direction) of the floor temperature area β starting from the installation area α in the preset XY coordinate system, and sets the determined direction as the direction XY. The direction XY is determined, for example, as an angle with respect to a reference direction. Then, the process proceeds to step S230.
In step S230, it is determined whether the current air conditioning operation of the indoor unit 2 is cooling operation or heating operation. If it is cooling operation (S230-Y), the process proceeds to step S240. If it is heating operation (S230-N), the process proceeds to step S250.

In step S240, airflow direction determination unit 28Bd determines the vertical orientation of the fan of blower 4 to be diagonally upward or diagonally downward, and sets the determined direction as direction Z. Then, the process proceeds to step S260.
In step S250, airflow direction determination unit 28Bd determines the vertical orientation of the fan of blower 4 to be diagonally upward, and sets the determined direction as direction Z. Then, the process proceeds to step S260.

This processing example illustrates a case in which the vertical airflow direction of the blower 4 is also controlled depending on whether the air conditioning is operating in cooling or heating mode. This is because, during cooling mode, the conditioned air sent out tends to accumulate on the floor side, and during heating mode, the conditioned air sent out tends to accumulate on the ceiling side.

In step S270, the airflow direction determination unit 28Bd identifies the section with the floor temperature furthest from the set temperature among the multiple sections into which the floor surface is divided, based on the information acquired by the floor temperature acquisition unit 28Ba, and designates the identified section as the floor temperature area γ. The floor temperature area γ corresponds to the temperature deviation section. Then, the process proceeds to step S280.

In step S280, the airflow direction determination unit 28Bd determines the direction (horizontal direction) of the floor temperature area γ starting from the installation area α in the preset XY coordinate system, and sets the determined direction as the XY direction. For example, the direction is determined as an angle with respect to a reference direction. Then, the process proceeds to step S290.
In step S290, the airflow direction determination unit 28Bd determines the vertical orientation of the blower fan 41 of the blower 4 to be the intermediate direction, and sets the determined direction as direction Z. Then, the process proceeds to step S260.

In step S260, the airflow direction determination unit 28Bd transmits the determined information on the XY and Z directions as a wind direction instruction command to the air blower control unit 45 via the transceiver unit 44, and then ends the processing.

<Airflow volume determination unit 28Be>
The airflow rate determination unit 28Be obtains the largest temperature difference between the floor temperature of each section and the set temperature of the indoor unit 2 as the maximum deviation temperature, and determines the airflow rate of the fan 4 based on that deviation temperature.

For example, when the maximum deviation temperature, which is the temperature difference in the temperature deviation section, is large, the airflow rate determination unit 28Be of this embodiment sets the airflow rate to a larger value than when the deviation temperature is small.
That is, the airflow rate is set to increase stepwise or continuously according to the maximum temperature difference (temperature difference).

An example of the processing of the airflow amount determination unit 28Be will now be described with reference to Fig. 10. This processing is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle (for example, every five minutes).
First, in step S300, a temperature difference γ between the set temperature and the floor temperature area γ, which is the section (temperature deviation section) farthest from the set temperature among the multiple sections, is calculated.

Next, in step S310, the fan rotation speed of blower 4 is calculated as a value proportional to the temperature difference γ based on the following equation (1). That is, the fan rotation speed of blower 4 is set according to the degree of deviation in the temperature deviation section, i.e., the degree of temperature unevenness. Here, temperature difference γ is a parameter that represents the degree of temperature unevenness in the indoor space S.

Fan rotation speed = c × temperature difference γ + d (1)
where c and d are coefficients.
In addition, in the formula (1), the set value of the fan rotation speed of the blower fan 41 and the value of the temperature difference γ are linearly related, but may be non-linear.

Next, in step S320, a command for specifying the air volume is sent to the fan control unit 45 via the transceiver unit 44, and the process ends.

(Blower control unit 45)
The blower control unit 45 is a control unit for controlling the blower 4, such as adjusting the direction and airflow rate of the blower fan 41 of the blower 4. The blower control unit 45 is configured by a microcomputer having a CPU and a memory.
As shown in FIG. 11, the blower control unit 45 of this embodiment includes a fan position adjustment unit 45A and a fan air volume adjustment unit 45B.

<Fan position adjustment unit 45A>
The fan position adjustment unit 45A adjusts the direction of the blower fan 41 based on a signal from the blower control unit 28B.
The fan position adjustment unit 45A of this embodiment drives the airflow direction adjustment motor 42B to match the airflow direction determined by the airflow direction determination unit 28Bd, based on a signal sent from the indoor unit side control unit 28. In this embodiment, the fan position adjustment unit 45A adjusts the horizontal and vertical angles of the orientation of the blower fan 41.

For example, the fan position adjustment unit 45A obtains the rotation angle of the blower fan 41 relative to the reference direction from the indoor unit control unit 28, and adjusts the airflow direction to match that rotation angle.

<Fan air volume adjustment unit 45B>
The fan air volume adjustment unit 45B adjusts the air volume of the blower fan 41 based on a signal from the air blow control unit 28B.
When there is no signal from the indoor unit side control unit 28, the fan air volume adjustment unit 45B drives and controls the rotary motor 41B so that the air volume becomes the air volume set by the user operating the input unit of the blower 4 or the air volume set by obtaining instruction information from a remote control (not shown) for the blower 4.

On the other hand, when the fan airflow adjustment unit 45B acquires airflow information based on a signal from the indoor unit side control unit 28, it controls the drive of the rotary motor 41B to achieve the acquired airflow (motor rotation speed).

(Operations etc.)
When the objective is to eliminate temperature unevenness in the indoor space S, it is desirable to install the blower 4 within the range of the airflow of conditioned air sent out from the indoor unit 2. However, the user may not always install the blower 4 in an appropriate position in the room.
If the user does not install the blower 4 within the range of the conditioned airflow sent out from the indoor unit 2, the blower 4 may not be able to fully eliminate temperature unevenness in the indoor space S.

In contrast, the system of this embodiment allows for more efficient circulation of indoor air by adjusting the airflow direction of the blower 4 depending on the installation position of the blower 4. As a result, this embodiment makes it possible to eliminate temperature variations in the room.

Specifically, in this embodiment, even if the user places the blower 4 in a location where the airflow from the indoor unit 2 does not reach, the blowing direction of the blower 4 is automatically adjusted so that it faces the area where the conditioned air from the indoor unit 2 reaches. As a result, in this embodiment, the air in the area where the conditioned air from the indoor unit 2 reaches is diffused throughout the room by the blower 4, efficiently circulating the air in the indoor space S. As a result, in this embodiment, temperature unevenness can be eliminated.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the blower 4 is placed in a location that is well served by the airflow from the indoor unit 2, the blowing direction of the blower 4 is automatically adjusted so that it faces areas that are not reached by the conditioned air from the indoor unit 2. As a result, in this embodiment, the air in areas that are reached by the conditioned airflow from the indoor unit 2 is diffused throughout the room by the blower 4, efficiently circulating the air in the indoor space S. As a result, in this embodiment, temperature unevenness can be eliminated.

In addition, in this embodiment, the vertical direction of the air blown from the blower 4 is automatically adjusted depending on whether the air conditioning operation is cooling or heating, thereby making it possible to eliminate temperature unevenness more quickly.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the air volume of the blower 4 is adjusted based on the temperature difference from the set temperature, so that temperature unevenness can be eliminated more quickly.

(others)
The present disclosure may also have the following configuration.
(1) An air conditioning system comprising an air conditioner that sends conditioned air into a room from an indoor unit arranged in the room, and a blower arranged in the room, wherein the air conditioning system comprises an air blowing control unit for controlling the air blowing of the blower, and the air blowing control unit comprises a judgment unit that judges whether the conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit has reached the blower, and an air blowing direction determination unit that determines the air blowing direction of the blower based on the judgment result of the judgment unit.
(2) The air blowing control unit has a floor temperature acquisition unit that divides the floor of the room into multiple sections and acquires the floor temperature for each section, and a blower position acquisition unit that acquires blower position information, which is information on which section of the multiple sections the blower is located in, and the determination unit determines whether the airflow of the conditioned air is reaching the blower based on the information acquired by the floor temperature acquisition unit, the information acquired by the blower position acquisition unit, and the set temperature of the indoor unit.
(3) If the airflow direction determination unit determines, based on the judgment result of the judgment unit, that the conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit has not reached the blower, it determines the direction of the airflow from the blower to be in the direction of the area where the conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit has reached.
(4) The blower is provided with a sensor for detecting a position, and the blower position acquisition unit calculates the blower position information based on a signal from the sensor.
(5) The air blowing control unit acquires the largest temperature difference between each floor temperature for each section and the set temperature of the indoor unit as the maximum deviation temperature, and has an air blowing volume determination unit that determines the air blowing volume of the air blower based on the maximum deviation temperature, and when the deviation temperature is large, the air blowing volume determination unit sets the air blowing volume to a larger value than when the deviation temperature is small.
(6) The determination unit and the airflow direction determination unit are provided in the indoor unit, a fan position control unit that controls the direction of the fan of the airflow unit is provided in the airflow unit, and a transmission unit that wirelessly transmits a command for the airflow direction determined by the airflow direction determination unit to the fan position control unit is provided in the indoor unit.

1 Air conditioner 2 Indoor unit 3 Outdoor unit 4 Blower 5 Remote control 6 Smart remote control 21 Indoor heat exchanger 22 Blower fan 23 Air direction adjuster 24 Transmitter/receiver 24A Infrared receiving unit 24B Wireless unit (transmitter)
25 Fan position detection sensor 26 Display 27 Thermistor 28 Indoor unit side control unit 28A Indoor unit side air conditioning control unit 28B Air blowing control unit 28Ba Floor temperature acquisition unit 28Bb Fan position acquisition unit 28Bc Determination unit 28Bd Air blowing direction determination unit 28Be Air blowing amount determination unit 29 Indoor temperature sensor 41 Air blower fan 41A Blade unit 41B Rotation motor 42 Airflow direction adjustment unit 42A Rotation mechanism 42B Airflow direction adjustment motor 43 Fan position transmission unit 43 Fan position transmission unit (sensor for position detection)
44 Transmitting/receiving unit 44A Infrared receiving unit 44B Wireless unit 45 Blower control unit 45A Fan position adjustment unit 45B Fan air volume adjustment unit S Indoor space

Claims (6)

An air conditioning system comprising an air conditioner that sends conditioned air into a room from an indoor unit disposed in the room, and a blower disposed in the room,
The air conditioning system includes an air blowing control unit for controlling air blowing by the air blower,
The air blowing control unit is
a determination unit that determines whether or not the conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit has reached the blower;
an air blowing direction determination unit that determines the air blowing direction of the air blower based on the determination result of the determination unit;
An air conditioning system comprising: The air blowing control unit is
a floor temperature acquisition unit that divides the indoor floor into a plurality of sections and acquires the floor temperature for each of the sections;
a fan position acquisition unit that acquires fan position information, which is information about which section of the plurality of sections the fan is located in;
and
The determination unit determines whether or not the airflow of the conditioned air reaches the fan based on the information acquired by the floor temperature acquisition unit, the information acquired by the fan position acquisition unit, and the set temperature of the indoor unit.
2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1. When it is determined based on the determination result of the determination unit that the conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit has not reached the blower, the air blowing direction determination unit determines the air blowing direction of the blower to be the direction of an area where the conditioned air sent out by the indoor unit has reached.
3. The air conditioning system according to claim 2. a position detection sensor is provided on the blower;
the fan position acquisition unit calculates the fan position information based on a signal from the sensor;
4. An air conditioning system according to claim 2 or 3. The air blowing control unit is
an airflow rate determination unit that obtains the largest temperature difference between each floor temperature of each section and the set temperature of the indoor unit as a maximum deviation temperature, and determines the airflow rate of the fan based on the maximum deviation temperature;
When the deviation temperature is large, the airflow rate determination unit sets the airflow rate to a larger value than when the deviation temperature is small.
5. The air conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the air conditioning system comprises: a first air conditioning unit; The determination unit and the airflow direction determination unit are provided in the indoor unit,
a fan position control unit that controls the direction of the fan of the blower is provided in the blower;
The indoor unit further includes a transmitter that wirelessly transmits a command for the airflow direction determined by the airflow direction determination unit to the fan position control unit.
6. An air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.