WO2007040276A1 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

An air conditioner having an air filter (100) for collecting dust in the air; a suction nozzle (103) capable of moving along the surface of the air filter (100) and cleaning the air filter (100) by collecting the dust collected on the filter; a suction duct (105) connected to the suction nozzle (103); a suction device (106) communicating with the suction nozzle (103) via the suction duct (105); an air discharge duct (107) connected to the air discharge side of the suction device (106) and discharging the sucked dust; and a time setting means (423a) with which the time at which the air filter (100) is automatically cleaned by the suction nozzle (103) can be set as desired.

Description

 Specification

 Air conditioner

 Technical field

 The present invention relates to automatic cleaning of an air filter provided in an air conditioner.

 Background art

 [0002] This type of conventional air conditioner is provided with an air filter for preventing dust from entering the inside of the main body of the air conditioner on the front surface of the heat exchanger. It is configured to be detachable so that the attached dust can be cleaned by hand. In such an air conditioner, the air filter is gradually clogged until the maintenance is performed as well as frequent maintenance of the air filter. As a result, the air filter passes through the heat exchanger. There is a problem that the air flow capacity decreases and the air conditioning capacity decreases, leading to an increase in power consumption.

 [0003] Therefore, for the purpose of solving this problem and reducing maintenance work of the air filter, automatic cleaning having a suction nozzle that sucks dust accumulated on the air filter while self-running on the air filter. There is a device, and when the normal operation of the air conditioner is stopped or when normal operation is started, the suction nozzle of the automatic cleaning device runs on the air filter and cleans the dust adhering to it ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

 [0004] An operation algorithm for cleaning the air filter of the conventional air conditioner having the above configuration will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

 [0005] When a stop signal for stopping the air conditioner is transmitted from the remote control while the air conditioner in step 601 is in normal operation, the indoor fan and compressor (Comp) are operated in step 602. Stops. In the next step 603, the air filter cleaning mode is entered and the air filter is automatically cleaned while the suction nozzle moves, and when the cleaning is completed, the operation of the air conditioner is stopped in step 604. To do. Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-360995

 Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention [0006] However, in the configuration of the conventional air conditioner, the air filter is automatically cleaned when the normal operation of the air conditioner is stopped or when the normal operation is started. Therefore, the normal operation of the air conditioner is stopped. There was a problem that convenience was impaired for the user who wanted automatic cleaning of the air filter at the time or at the start of normal operation.

 [0007] In the above prior art, it was possible to select not to clean the air filter when the normal operation of the air conditioner was stopped or at the start of normal operation. However, if the user selected so It is necessary to clean the air filter at the user's will and if the cleaning is forgotten, regular maintenance will not be performed and the air filter will gradually become clogged. As a result, the air conditioning capacity declined and the power consumption increased.

 [0008] The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and provides an air conditioner capable of automatically cleaning an air filter at a time desired by a user. The purpose is that.

 Means for solving the problem

In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes an air filter that collects dust in the air, and is movable along the surface of the air filter and is collected on the air filter. A suction nozzle for sucking and cleaning the generated dust, a suction duct connected to the suction nozzle, a suction device communicating with the suction nozzle through the suction duct, and an exhaust side of the suction device. There is provided a time setting means capable of arbitrarily setting the time for automatically cleaning the air filter with the suction nozzle and the outside of the exhaust duct for discharging the sucked dust.

 [0010] In addition, when the time for performing the automatic cleaning of the air filter is set by the time setting means, the air filter is automatically cleaned at the set time and when the normal operation of the air conditioner is stopped or The automatic cleaning of the air filter is not performed at the start of normal operation.

[0011] Further, an elapsed time detecting means for detecting an elapsed time from the previous automatic cleaning of the air filter is provided, and the time for automatically cleaning the air filter is not set by the time setting means, and the elapsed time detection is performed. It is determined that the time detected by the means has passed. In this case, the air filter is automatically cleaned.

 The invention's effect

 [0012] According to the present invention, since the time setting means that can arbitrarily set the time for automatically cleaning the air filter by the suction nozzle is provided, the cleaning operation of the air filter is automatically performed at the time desired by the user. And the convenience of the user can be improved.

 [0013] In addition, when the air filter automatic cleaning time is set by the time setting means, the air filter is not automatically cleaned when the normal operation of the air conditioner is stopped or when the normal operation is started. For a user who does not want to automatically clean the air filter at the start, the air filter can be automatically cleaned only at a desired time, and the convenience of the user can be improved. In addition, since regular maintenance is automatically performed by setting the time, it is possible to prevent a decrease in air conditioning capacity due to clogging of the air filter.

 [0014] Further, since the elapsed time detection means for detecting the elapsed time from the previous automatic air filter cleaning is provided, the elapsed time can be obtained even if the user does not set the time for the automatic air filter cleaning by the time setting means. When it is determined that the time detected by the time detection means has elapsed, the air filter is automatically cleaned. Therefore, even if the user forgets to set the time for automatic cleaning of the air filter, maintenance is automatically performed at predetermined intervals to ensure that the air conditioning capacity is not degraded due to clogging of the air filter. Can do.

 Brief Description of Drawings

 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

 FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an air filter cleaning mechanism provided in the air conditioner of FIG.

 FIG. 3A is an exploded perspective view of a suction nozzle provided in the air filter cleaning mechanism of FIG.

 [Fig. 3B] Sectional view along HA-A in Fig. 3A

 [Fig. 4] Front view of the air filter cleaning mechanism of Fig. 2.

 FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control method for automatic air filter cleaning.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control method for automatic cleaning of the air filter in a conventional air conditioner. Explanation of symbols

 100 Air filter

101 Filter frame

 102 Filter network

 103 Suction nozzle

 103a opening

 104 guide rail

 105 Suction duct

 106 Suction device

 107 Exhaust duct

 203 Benole

 204 Suction hole

 205 Benoleto Guide

 401 air conditioner

 402 outdoor unit

 403 indoor unit

 404 compressor

 405 four-way valve

 406 expansion valve

 407 outdoor heat exchanger

408 Outdoor fan

 412 Indoor heat exchanger

413 Indoor fan

 414 Air filter cleaning mechanism

420 Outdoor control unit

 421 Indoor control unit

 421a Elapsed time detection means

422 Receiver 423 remote control

 423a Time setting means

 BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the air conditioner in the present embodiment.

 In FIG. 1, an air conditioner 401 is composed of an outdoor unit 402 and an indoor unit 403.

 The outdoor unit 402 is provided with a compressor 404, a four-way valve 405, an expansion valve 406, an outdoor heat exchanger 407, an outdoor fan 408, a discharge temperature sensor 409, an outdoor pipe temperature sensor 410, and an outdoor temperature sensor 411. The indoor unit 403 includes an indoor heat exchanger 412, an indoor fan 413, an air filter cleaner 414, an indoor pipe temperature sensor 417, a suction sensor 418, a humidity sensor 419, and a suction unit, a blowout unit, upper and lower blades not shown, Left and right blades are provided, and the outdoor unit 402 and the indoor unit 403 are connected so as to form a refrigeration cycle, and cooling and heating are performed by switching the four-way valve 405.

 [0019] The indoor heat exchanger 412 is divided into a front heat exchanger 412a and a rear heat exchanger 412b. The front heat exchanger 412a and the rear heat exchanger 412b are composed of a dry two-way valve 415 and a cylinder tube. It is connected via an aperture mechanism 416. By fully opening the dry two-way valve 415, cooling operation or heating operation is performed, and the expansion valve 406 is fully opened or substantially fully opened by closing the expansion valve 406, so that the front heat exchanger 412a is a condenser and rear heat exchange. So-called dehumidifying operation can be performed by making the device 412b function as an evaporator. The outdoor unit 402 and the indoor unit 4003 are each provided with an outdoor control unit 420 and an indoor control unit 421, and both the control units 420 and 421 are connected by a connection line (not shown). .

 [0020] The indoor control unit 421 is provided with an elapsed time detecting means 421a for detecting the elapsed time so as to start counting the elapsed time each time the air filter 100 is automatically cleaned (see later). Every time the next automatic cleaning starts, the elapsed time is reset.

In addition, the indoor control unit 421 has a receiving unit 422 that receives an infrared signal transmitted from a remote controller 423 provided outside the indoor unit 403, and is controlled by the remote controller 423 and the indoor control unit 421. Various operations and detection can be performed. [0022] The remote controller 423 is provided with time setting means 423a for setting the time for automatically cleaning the air filter 100. Once the time is set, the air filter 100 is set at the same time every day. It is designed to be cleaned automatically. Of course, the cleaning time once set can be reset or the setting of the cleaning time can be canceled.

 FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the air filter cleaning mechanism 414.

 In FIG. 2, an air filter cleaning mechanism 414 includes an air filter 100 configured by a finole frame 101 and a finole net 102 to remove dust contained in the air passing through the indoor heat exchanger 412, and a surface of the air filter 100. A suction nozzle 103 that is movable along one side, a suction duct 105 having one end connected to the suction nozzle 103 and the other end connected to the suction device 106, and one end connected to the exhaust side of the suction device 106 and the other end to the outdoor side. The exhaust duct 107 is routed around.

 [0024] The suction nozzle 103 can smoothly move to the left and right with a certain distance from the air filter 100 by the guide rails 104 installed at the upper and lower ends of the filter frame 101. The suction dart 105 can be bent so as not to interfere with the movement of the suction nozzle 103, and is formed in a duct shape.

 [0025] With the above configuration, when the suction device 106 is operated while moving the suction nozzle 103 on the air filter 100, dust adhering to the air filter 100 is sucked from the suction nozzle 103, and further, the suction duct 105 The air is discharged to the outside through the suction device 106 and the exhaust duct 107.

 [0026] In this configuration, when the air filter cleaning mechanism 414 is built in a small domestic air conditioner, it is necessary to reduce the size and increase the output of the suction device 106. Therefore, a strong suction force with a small air volume is required. The suction nozzle 103 is designed to clean the entire surface of the air filter 100 by increasing the suction force by restricting the suction to a part and switching the position.

 [0027] Details of the configuration of the suction arch I noznore 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are an exploded perspective view and a sectional view showing the structure of the suction nozzle 103, respectively. In the figure, a suction nozzle 103 has a long slit-like opening 103a corresponding to the entire height of the air filter 100, and a belt 203 that can be driven along the opening 103a. A suction hole 204 is provided in the belt 203 and disposed at a position facing the opening 103a. The length of the suction hole 204 provided in the belt 203 is set shorter than the length of the opening 103a. When the suction device 106 connected to the suction nozzle 103 via the suction duct 105 is operated, The suction force 204 provided in 203 causes the dust on the air finer 100 to be sucked, that is, the dust is sucked only from a part of the opening 103a of the suction nozzle I nozzle 103. Therefore, the benolet 203 is driven. As a result, the force to change the place where the dust is sucked on the air filter 100 can be changed.

[0029] In order to keep the belt 203 along the surface of the suction nozzle 103, the belt 203 is covered with a belt guide 205 formed integrally with the suction nozzle 103 by welding, adhesion, or the like.

[0030] With the above configuration, even with a small amount of air, the air is squeezed into the small suction hole 204, so that the wind speed at the suction hole 204 is increased, and the small suction device 106 can also exert a strong suction force.

 [0031] To clean the entire surface of the air filter 100, as shown in FIG. 4, the suction nozzle 103 is driven along the air filter 100 by moving the suction nozzles 203 of the suction nozzle 103 in the vertical direction to change the positions of the suction holes 204. By driving left and right, the entire surface of the air filter 100 can be cleaned by sweeping the suction hole 204 as shown by the arrow in the figure. In FIG. 4, the length of the suction hole 204 is set to approximately 1Z4, which is the entire length of the air filter 200, and the entire surface of the air filter 100 is swept in two reciprocating sweeps as shown by the arrows in the figure. Can be cleaned.

 Next, a control method for performing automatic cleaning of the air filter will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5, in step 501, it is determined whether or not the time for automatically cleaning the air filter 100 is set by the time setting means 423a. , Go to step 502; otherwise go to step 503. In step 502, it is determined whether or not the current time is a set time for automatically cleaning the air filter 100. If so, the process returns to step 502 if the process does not proceed to step 504. [0034] In step 503, the time detected by the elapsed time detecting means 421a, that is, whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 24 hours) has elapsed since the previous air filter 100 was automatically cleaned is determined. If yes, go to 504, otherwise return to 503. In step 504, while operating the suction device 106, the suction nozzle 103 and the benolet 203 provided in the suction nozzle 103 are moved to perform automatic cleaning of the air filter 100, and when the cleaning of the entire surface of the air filter 100 is completed, step Proceed to 505 to return to the cleaning start state.

 [0035] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the cleaning operation of air filter 100 can be automatically performed at a time desired by the user, which greatly improves user convenience. By setting the cleaning time, the regular maintenance is automatically and reliably performed, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the air conditioning capacity from being lowered due to the clogging of the air filter 100.

 [0036] Further, even if the user does not set the time for cleaning the air filter 100, if it is determined that a predetermined time (for example, 24 hours) detected by the elapsed time detecting means 421a has passed, The filter 100 is automatically cleaned, so that even if the user continuously operates the air conditioner, periodic maintenance is automatically performed, ensuring that the air filter capacity is reduced due to clogging of the air filter 100. Can be prevented.

 [0037] Although not included in the flowchart of FIG. 5, when the time for automatically cleaning the air filter 100 is set, the air filter is stopped when the air conditioner 401 is stopped or started. If automatic cleaning is not performed, the convenience of users who prefer it can be improved.

 Industrial applicability

[0038] As described above, the air conditioner according to the present invention can automatically perform periodic maintenance and can improve the convenience of the user. Applicable to the machine.

Claims

The scope of the claims  [1] An air filter that collects dust in the air, a suction nozzle that is movable along the surface of the air filter and sucks and cleans the dust collected on the air filter, and the suction A suction duct connected to the nozzle; a suction device communicating with the suction nozzle via the suction duct; an exhaust duct connected to the exhaust side of the suction device for discharging the sucked dust; and the suction nose An air conditioner comprising time setting means capable of arbitrarily setting a time for automatically cleaning the air filter.  [2] When the time for automatically cleaning the air filter is set by the time setting means, the air filter is automatically cleaned at the set time, and the normal operation of the air conditioner is stopped or the normal operation is started. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air filter is sometimes not automatically cleaned.  [3] An elapsed time detecting means for detecting an elapsed time from the previous automatic cleaning of the air filter is provided, and the time for performing the automatic cleaning of the air filter is not set by the time setting means, and the elapsed time detecting means The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air filter is automatically cleaned when it is determined that the time detected by has passed.