JP2017048949A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner which prevents attaching of dust and the like to an indoor heat exchanger during filter cleaning.SOLUTION: An air conditioner which has an indoor unit including an indoor fan 6 and an indoor heat exchanger 5 and an outdoor unit including an outdoor heat exchanger includes: a filter 11 for collecting dust in the air sucked from an air suction port 3; a cleaning mechanism 20 for removing the dust collected by the filter 11; and a rotation control part for controlling the rotation of the indoor fan 6. The indoor fan 6 is rotatable in a normal direction in which the air sucked from the air suction port 3 is blown out from a blowout port 8, and in a direction which is an opposite direction from the normal direction. The rotation control part rotates the indoor fan 6 in the direction opposite from that in the normal operation time, while the cleaning mechanism 20 is cleaning the filter 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to a control technique for an air conditioner provided with a mechanism for cleaning a filter that collects dust from air taken in by an indoor unit.

  An indoor unit of an air conditioner that adjusts indoor temperature, humidity, air cleanliness, and the like includes a filter. The filter provided in the indoor unit collects dust from the air sucked by the indoor unit and prevents the dust from adhering to the indoor heat exchanger and the indoor fan. This filter is also important for keeping the interior of the indoor unit clean and maintaining the cleanliness of air blown toward the room.

  When the dust collected by the filter of the indoor unit accumulates on the filter, the filter is clogged and the flow rate of the air taken in by the indoor unit is reduced, so that the performance of the air conditioner is deteriorated. In addition, the cleanliness of the air blown toward the room may not be maintained.

  Therefore, in recent years, an air conditioner that includes a cleaning mechanism that automatically cleans a filter of an indoor unit and cleans the filter at a predetermined timing is known. As an air conditioner having such an automatic cleaning function, in Patent Document 1 listed below, filter cleaning is performed by scraping dust collected by a filter while moving the filter with respect to the rotating brush constituting the cleaning mechanism. An air conditioner equipped with a device has been proposed. Patent Documents 2 and 3 listed below propose an air conditioner configured to remove dust from a filter while moving a cleaning unit with respect to the filter.

JP 2014-70884 A (published April 21, 2014) JP 2010-19551 A (released on January 28, 2010) JP 2013-53846 A (published March 21, 2013) JP-A-5-196288 (published Aug. 06, 1993) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-36967 (published on Feb. 05, 2004)

  In an air conditioner to which the filter cleaning device described in Patent Document 1 is applied, automatic cleaning is performed on the filter that covers the indoor heat exchanger during normal operation of air conditioning (operation such as heating, cooling, and air cleaning). When moving, the indoor heat exchanger is exposed. If normal operation of air conditioning is performed in this exposed state, dust will directly adhere to the interior of an indoor unit such as an indoor heat exchanger. Therefore, in the air conditioner to which the filter cleaning device described in Patent Document 1 is applied, control for stopping the normal operation of air conditioning is performed when the filter is automatically cleaned.

  In the types of Patent Documents 2 and 3, the indoor heat exchanger is not exposed during automatic cleaning. However, when air conditioning is operated normally during automatic cleaning, dust is attracted to the filter. It becomes difficult to remove. Therefore, in the types of Patent Documents 2 and 3, similarly, when the automatic cleaning of the filter is started, control for stopping the normal operation of the air conditioning is performed.

  However, the normal operation of the air conditioning is not simply stopped when the filter is cleaned, but the filter can be cleaned more efficiently by appropriately controlling the rotation of the indoor fan.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and its purpose is to send air to the indoor heat exchanger even during the period during which the filter is being cleaned, and to exchange heat in the indoor heat exchanger. It is to realize an air conditioner or the like that can prevent dust from entering the interior of the indoor unit from the air inlet while continuing the operation.

  In order to solve the above problems, an air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention is an air conditioner including an indoor unit including an indoor fan and an indoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor unit including an outdoor heat exchanger. A filter that collects dust in the air sucked from the air inlet, a cleaning mechanism that removes dust collected by the filter, and a rotation control unit that controls the rotation of the indoor fan. The indoor fan is rotatable in a forward direction in which the air sucked from the air inlet is blown out from the outlet and in a reverse direction opposite to the forward direction, and the rotation control unit includes the cleaning mechanism. The indoor fan is rotated in the reverse direction during the period of cleaning the cleaning target area that is the area on the filter that is the cleaning target.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, since the indoor fan is rotated in the reverse direction while the filter is being cleaned, air is sent to the indoor heat exchanger to continue the heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger. Meanwhile, it is possible to prevent dust from entering the interior of the indoor unit from the air inlet.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the principal part of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on this invention in a side surface cross section. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the indoor unit of an air conditioner, (a) is the perspective view which looked at the indoor unit from the downward | lower direction, (b) is a front view. It is the schematic diagram which showed an example of the refrigerating cycle of an air conditioner at the time of (a) heating operation and (b) cooling operation. It is a functional block diagram which shows roughly the structure of the control system of the air conditioner provided with the filter unit which has an automatic cleaning function. It is a time chart which shows the example of the procedure of the cleaning control which the control part shown in FIG. 4 performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a process in case the control part shown in FIG. 4 performs the procedure of the cleaning control shown to (a) of FIG. It is a time chart which shows another example of the procedure of the cleaning control which the control part shown in FIG. 4 performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a process in case the control part shown in FIG. 4 performs the procedure of the cleaning control shown to (a) of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows another structure of the principal part of the indoor unit of the air conditioner which concerns on this invention in a side surface cross section.

Embodiment 1
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

(Appearance structure of air conditioner)
First, the external appearance of the indoor unit 10 of the air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2A and 2B are views showing the appearance of the indoor unit 10 of the air conditioner 1. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the indoor unit 10 as viewed from below, and FIG. 2B is a front view. The air conditioner 1 corresponds to the separation type indoor unit 10 in which the outdoor unit 30 is separately provided, and belongs to the wall-mounted type as shown in FIG. The air conditioner 1 may be a ceiling-mounted type, a floor-standing type, or an indoor dedicated unit type that does not have the outdoor unit 30.

  The indoor unit 10 of the air conditioner 1 includes an open panel 2, an air inlet 3, an airflow panel 4, and an air outlet 8 (see FIG. 1) as outer components. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the air conditioner 1 installed on the wall surface is viewed from the front, the ceiling side is the upper side, the floor side is the lower side, and the left-right direction is the longitudinal direction of the air conditioner 1. The vertical direction intersects the longitudinal direction in a cross shape. In the following description, the upper, lower, vertical direction and longitudinal direction have the meanings defined as described above. As shown in FIG. 2B, the air inlet 3 is formed in a lattice shape on the upper surface of the air conditioner 1, for example. The general opening shape of the entire air inlet 3 is an elongated rectangular shape along the longitudinal direction. The open panel 2 and the airflow panel 4 are supported by the cabinet 7 of the air conditioner 1 so as to be opened and closed.

  Note that an input unit 52 (not shown) such as a light receiving unit (not shown) that receives a light beam such as an infrared ray emitted from a remote controller that receives an operation instruction from the user, and a voice input unit such as a microphone that receives an instruction voice from the user. 4) may be provided in front of the cabinet 7. In addition, a display unit (notification unit) (not shown), a lamp (notification unit) (not shown), and a sound output unit 57 such as a speaker (notification unit, FIG. 4) for notifying the user of various types of information. Reference) may also be provided in front of the cabinet 7.

(Main components of the air conditioner 1)
Next, the configuration of the main part of the indoor unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG. Drawing 1 is an explanatory view showing the composition of the important section of indoor unit 10 of air harmony machine 1 concerning the present invention in a side section. As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 10 of the air conditioner 1 is disposed in a cabinet 7 and an outlet 8 having openings such as an air inlet 3 and the outlet 8, and is blown out from the outlet 8. An airflow panel 4 for adjusting the direction of airflow, a filter 11, a drawing mechanism 12, a cleaning mechanism 20, an indoor heat exchanger 5, and an indoor fan 6 are provided.

  The indoor fan 6 may be, for example, a cross flow fan (also called a line flow fan). The indoor fan 6 can rotate in a forward direction in which air sucked from the air suction port 3 is blown out from the blowout port 8 and in a reverse direction that is opposite to the forward direction.

  The filter 11 collects dust in the air sucked from the air suction port 3 (see FIG. 2B) of the air conditioner 1. The cleaning mechanism 20 is a mechanism that removes dust adhering to the filter 11, and is not limited to this, but includes a rotating brush 21 and a dust box 22. For example, the rotating brush 21 contacts the filter 11 while rotating, scrapes off dust adhering to the filter 11, and the scraped dust is collected in the dust box 22.

  The cleaning mechanism 20 receives an instruction from the control unit 50 (see FIG. 4) of the air conditioner 1, and among the filter 11 (cleaning target area), at least one cleaning target area constituting a plurality of areas into which the filter 11 is divided. On the other hand, the operation is started during the air conditioning operation, and the filter 11 is cleaned. Here, the cleaning target region is a region on the filter 11 that is a cleaning target of the cleaning mechanism 20.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the cleaning mechanism 20 is fixed in the vicinity of the retracting mechanism 12, the filter 11 that has covered the indoor heat exchanger 5 is cleaned before being accommodated in the retracting mechanism 12. A region that contacts the 20 rotary brushes 21 is a cleaning target region. The cleaning target area may be the entire filter 11 or a part of the area.

  That is, in the indoor heat exchanger 5 of the air conditioner 1 shown in FIG. 1, the filter 11 covering the indoor heat exchanger 5 moves during the period when the cleaning mechanism 20 cleans the area to be cleaned ( For example, the filter 11 is drawn into the drawing mechanism 12), and the indoor heat exchanger 5 is exposed.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the air conditioner 1 further includes an outdoor unit 30 (see FIG. 3) including an outdoor heat exchanger 37, and between the indoor heat exchanger 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 37. It has a refrigeration cycle through which refrigerant circulates.

(Refrigeration cycle of air conditioner 1)
Next, the refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner 1 during (a) heating operation and (b) cooling operation. In FIG. 3, a thick line indicates that the temperature of the refrigerant is high, and a thin line indicates that the temperature of the refrigerant is low. In the air conditioner 1, the refrigerant pipe 40 is connected to the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 30 so that the refrigerant circulates between the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 30. In the following description, the air conditioner 1 having both a cooling function and a heating function will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any air conditioner 1 that uses a refrigerant compression process by the compressor 33 may be used. For example, the air conditioner 1 may have only a heating function or only a cooling function, or may have a dehumidifying function or an air purifying function or both of these functions in addition to the cooling function and the heating function. Good.

  The refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner 1 includes a compressor 33 capable of changing the number of revolutions that is discharged after condensing the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 37 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air, and refrigerant and indoors. An indoor heat exchanger 5 that exchanges heat with the air, an outdoor fan 36 that blows air to the outdoor heat exchanger 37, and an indoor fan 6 that blows air to the indoor heat exchanger 5.

  When the indoor fan 6 rotates in the forward direction around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction, indoor air is sucked from the air suction port 3 and airflow blown out from the blower outlet 8 into the room is created. The air flow passes through the air intake port 3, the top and front surfaces of the filter 11, the indoor heat exchanger 5, the indoor fan 6, and the outlet 8 in order. The indoor fan 6 passes the indoor air sucked from the air suction port 3 provided in the indoor unit 10 through the indoor heat exchanger 5, whereby heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant and the indoor air. The heat-exchanged air is blown into the room from an air outlet 8 provided in the indoor unit 10 by the indoor fan 6. By controlling the number of rotations of the indoor fan 6 per unit time (hereinafter referred to as “the number of rotations of the indoor fan”), the amount of air blown into the room from the outlet 8 can be adjusted.

  On the other hand, when the indoor fan 6 rotates around the axis parallel to the longitudinal direction in the reverse direction, which is the opposite direction to the normal direction, the indoor air is mainly sucked from the blowout port 8 and the air intake port 3 And the airflow which blows off indoors from the front of the cabinet 7 is produced. This airflow passes through a path that sequentially follows the air outlet 8, the indoor fan 6, the indoor heat exchanger 5, the top and front surfaces of the filter 11, and the air inlet 3. The strength of the airflow generated per rotation when the indoor fan 6 is rotated in the reverse direction is generally weaker than the airflow generated per rotation when rotating in the forward direction. This is due to the blade structure of the indoor fan 6.

  The air conditioner 1 controls the refrigeration cycle and performs air conditioning operations such as a cooling function and a heating function. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, during the heating operation, the refrigerant is “compressor 33 → four-way valve 38 → three-way valve 41 → indoor heat exchanger 5 → two-way valve 42 → expansion valve”. 39 → outdoor heat exchanger 37 → four-way valve 38 → compressor 33 ”, and in the cooling operation,“ compressor 33 → four-way valve 38 → outdoor heat exchanger 37 → expansion valve 39 → two-way valve 42 → It circulates in order of the indoor heat exchanger 5 → the three-way valve 41 → the four-way valve 38 → the compressor 33 ”.

  The state of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle during the heating operation will be described as follows. The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor 33 is condensed in the indoor heat exchanger 5 by the heat of the indoor air driven by the indoor fan 6. The high-temperature refrigerant condensed in the indoor heat exchanger 5 is decompressed and expanded by the expansion valve 39 to become a low-temperature and low-pressure state, and is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 37. The refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 37 evaporates while absorbing heat from the outdoor air by driving the outdoor fan 36, becomes a low-temperature refrigerant (gas state), and returns to the compressor 33. The air heat-exchanged in the indoor heat exchanger 5 is discharged into the room, thereby heating the room. That is, in the refrigeration cycle during the heating operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 37 functions as an evaporator, and the indoor heat exchanger 5 functions as a condenser.

  A detailed description of the refrigeration cycle during the cooling operation will be omitted. In the refrigeration cycle during the cooling operation, the refrigerant is circulated in the opposite direction to that during the heating operation, the indoor heat exchanger 5 functions as an evaporator, and the outdoor heat exchanger 37 functions as a condenser. Air that has undergone heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger 5 is discharged into the room, thereby cooling the room.

  The air conditioner 1 includes a flow path that connects the refrigerant pipe 40 that connects the expansion valve 39 and the outdoor heat exchanger 37 and the compressor 33, and allows the refrigerant to pass through the flow path (open state) or the refrigerant. Is provided with a solenoid valve 35 (also called a capillary tube) that can take two states of shutting off (closed state). The electromagnetic valve 35 is a member for adjusting the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant by limiting the flow of the refrigerant. By opening the electromagnetic valve 35, it is possible to quickly bring the refrigerant into a low-temperature and low-pressure state. That is, by opening the electromagnetic valve 35 during heating operation ((a) of FIG. 3), a part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 33 is changed to “compressor 33 → electromagnetic valve 35 → outdoor heat exchanger 37 → It can be circulated (guided) with valve 38 → compressor 33 ". Thereby, the condensation pressure of the compressor 33 can be reduced.

(Configuration of air conditioner control system)
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control system of the air conditioner 1. Various operations of the air conditioner 1 are controlled by the control unit 50. The control unit 50 includes a drawing mechanism 12, a cleaning mechanism 20, an indoor fan 6, an air flow panel 4, a memory 51, an input unit 52, an air conditioning unit 53, a timer unit 54, an indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 55, and an outdoor heat exchanger temperature. The controlled elements of the sensor 56 and the audio output unit 57 are connected via a bus.

  The control unit 50 includes a fan rotation control unit 501 (rotation control unit). The fan rotation control unit 501 controls the direction and speed of rotation of the indoor fan 6 and the timing for starting or stopping the rotation. That is, the fan rotation control unit 501 may rotate the indoor fan 6 in the reverse direction while the cleaning mechanism 20 is cleaning the cleaning target area of the filter 11. Alternatively, the fan rotation control unit 501 may rotate the indoor fan 6 in the reverse direction or the forward direction when the cleaning mechanism 20 is cleaning the filter 11 when the defrosting operation is started.

  The input unit 52 may include a communication unit (not shown) that communicates with a remote controller that gives various instructions to the air conditioner 1 by the user. More specific controlled elements in the air-conditioning unit 53 include the driving unit of the air flow panel 4 and the driving unit of the indoor fan 6 of the air conditioner 1, and the configuration provided in the outdoor unit 30, that is, the compressor 33, A valve and an outdoor fan 36 are included.

  The indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 55 is a temperature sensor that is provided in the indoor unit 10 and monitors the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 5. The outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 56 is a temperature sensor that is provided in the outdoor unit 30 and monitors the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 37.

  When the power of the air conditioner 1 is turned on, the control unit 50 reads out the control program and the set values of various operations from the memory 51, thereby controlling the operations of the driving units and the controlled elements.

  Note that a procedure for controlling the rotation of the indoor fan 6 when the control unit 50 performs cleaning of the filter 11 will be described later with a specific example.

(Rotation control of the indoor fan when the air conditioner 1 cleans the filter 11)
Subsequently, rotation control of the indoor fan when the air conditioner 1 cleans the filter 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a time chart illustrating an example of a cleaning control procedure performed by the control unit 50 illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing when the control unit 50 illustrated in FIG. 4 executes the cleaning control procedure illustrated in FIG.

  In addition, although the case where the filter 11 is cleaned during heating operation is described as an example here, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the same applies when the filter 11 is cleaned during normal operation such as cooling operation or air cleaning operation.

  The air conditioner 1 starts the heating operation triggered by the reception of an operation by the user or the preset time (time A in FIG. 5A) (step 11; Abbreviated as S11). The control unit 50 receives information on the accumulated operation time X from the timer unit 54. Here, the “integrated operation time X” is the total time during which air-conditioning operation is performed, starting from the date and time when filter cleaning was performed last time. Further, the memory 51 stores a threshold value Y (time for defining a cycle for cleaning the filter) of the accumulated operation time at which the filter should be cleaned. Therefore, the control unit 50 compares the accumulated operation time X received from the timer unit 54 with the threshold Y read from the memory 51, and determines whether the accumulated operation time X exceeds the threshold Y (S12). Note that the control unit 50 may periodically make this determination every time a predetermined time elapses.

  When integrated operation time X exceeds threshold value Y (Yes in S12), control unit 50 instructs cleaning mechanism 20 and retracting mechanism 12 to start cleaning of filter 11 while continuing the heating operation. (Time B in FIG. 5A) (S13). While the cleaning mechanism 20 is cleaning the filter 11, the fan rotation control unit 501 rotates (reversely rotates) the indoor fan 6 in a direction opposite to the rotation direction (forward rotation) during the heating operation (S14). . The timing at which the indoor fan 6 starts to reversely rotate may be the same as when the cleaning mechanism 20 starts cleaning the filter 11, may be before a certain time, or may be after a certain time. .

  Note that the control unit 50 may stop the heating operation in conjunction with the cleaning operation of the filter 11. In this case, when the cleaning of the filter 11 is started, the audio data that informs the user to that effect may be read from the memory 51 and output from the audio output unit 57. Thereby, when the heating operation is interrupted, it is possible to prevent the user from thinking that the air conditioner has failed.

  Note that the controller 50 may control the airflow panel 4 to open when the indoor fan 6 is rotated in the reverse direction. If the airflow panel 4 is controlled to be opened, the amount of air sucked into the indoor unit 10 from the air outlet 8 can be increased when the indoor fan is rotated in the reverse direction. Therefore, it is more effective for dust to enter the interior of the indoor unit 10 from the air inlet 3 or the like while sending more air to the indoor heat exchanger 5 and continuing the heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger 5. It can be avoided. In addition, since the airflow created by the reverse rotation of the indoor fan 6 flows in a direction that does not attract the dust to the filter 11, it is possible to easily remove the dust adhering to the filter 11.

  When the cleaning of the filter 11 by the cleaning mechanism 20 is completed (S15), the fan rotation control unit 501 switches the indoor fan 6 from reverse rotation to normal rotation (time point C in FIG. 5A). When the heating operation is interrupted, the control unit 50 restarts the heating operation at time C.

  As a trigger for executing S12, for example, when the control unit 50 outputs a control signal indicating a change in temperature or air volume, the control unit 50 changes the operation mode from the cooling mode to the dehumidifying mode. Or when the user sets a timer. That is, the input / output of any signal in the control unit 50 can be used as a trigger for executing S12.

  Thus, the air conditioner 1 rotates the indoor fan 6 in the reverse direction while the cleaning mechanism 20 is cleaning the cleaning target area of the filter 11. Thereby, it is possible to continue sending air to the indoor heat exchanger 5 even while the filter 11 is being cleaned. Therefore, normal operation such as cooling, heating or dehumidification can be continued. Further, it is possible to prevent dust from entering the interior of the indoor unit from the air inlet. In addition, since dust is not attracted to the filter as compared with the case where the filter is cleaned during normal operation of the air conditioner while rotating the indoor fan in the forward direction, it becomes easier to remove the dust.

  The fan rotation control unit 501 selects a mode in which the rotation of the indoor fan 6 is stopped in addition to the mode in which the rotation of the indoor fan 6 is reversely rotated while the cleaning mechanism 20 is cleaning the filter 11. It may be configured to be possible.

  FIG. 5B illustrates cleaning control performed by the control unit 50 including the fan rotation control unit 501 that can stop or reversely rotate the indoor fan 6 while the filter 11 is being cleaned. It is a time chart which shows an example of rotation control of the indoor fan 6 in.

  In the air conditioner 1 that has been performing the heating operation from time A, the cleaning mechanism 20 starts cleaning the filter 11 at time D. While the filter 11 is retracted into the retracting mechanism 12 (time point E to time point F), the indoor heat exchanger 5 is exposed. Thereafter, the filter 11 is pulled out from the retracting mechanism 12, and the cleaning of the filter 11 is finished at time G.

  Therefore, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 5B, the fan rotation control unit 501 exposes the indoor heat exchanger 5 from the time point D to the time point G when the filter 11 is cleaned. The indoor fan 6 is reversely rotated only from the time point E to the time point F in the state. On the other hand, the indoor heat exchanger 5 is covered with the filter 11, and the indoor fan 6 is stopped at the time point D to the time point E and the time point F to the time point G when there is no possibility of dust adhering to the indoor heat exchanger 5. Yes. That is, the fan rotation control unit 501 selects the mode for stopping the rotation of the indoor fan 6.

  In this way, when the filter is being cleaned, if the indoor fan 6 is not required to rotate in the reverse direction or is in an inappropriate operating state, the mode for stopping the rotation is selected. Also good.

  In the case of (a) in FIG. 5, at the time point B, the indoor fan from the time when the control unit 50 instructs the cleaning mechanism 20 to clean the filter 11 until the filter 11 starts to move by the retracting mechanism 12. The rotation of the indoor fan 6 may be stopped assuming that it is an operation state in which it is not necessary to rotate 6 in the reverse direction.

  In addition, the controller 50 detects the length of the pulled-in filter 11 in order to determine whether the indoor heat exchanger 5 is covered with the filter 11 or is exposed (not shown). May be arranged in the retracting mechanism 12. When the length detected by this sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold, it can be determined that the indoor heat exchanger 5 is exposed.

[Embodiment 2]
The following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  In addition to the case where the filter 11 is cleaned during execution of normal operation, the air conditioner 1 according to the present embodiment uses a period during which the air conditioner 1 performs defrosting of the outdoor heat exchanger 37, The filter 11 is cleaned. Thereby, the frequency | count (frequency) which cleans a filter can be increased from the past. Therefore, clogging of the filter can be reduced, so that power consumption can be kept low.

(Rotation control of the indoor fan when the air conditioner 1 cleans the filter 11 in accordance with the defrosting operation)
Below, rotation control of the indoor fan 6 when the air conditioner 1 cleans the filter 11 is demonstrated using FIG. 7 and FIG. FIG. 7 is a time chart illustrating an example of a cleaning control procedure performed by the control unit 50 illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing when the control unit 50 illustrated in FIG. 4 executes the cleaning control procedure illustrated in FIG. In addition, although the case where the period which performs the cleaning of the filter 11 is long compared with the period of a defrost operation is mentioned as an example, it demonstrates here as an example, It is not limited to this, The length of each period is adjusted appropriately. That's fine.

  The air conditioner 1 starts the heating operation triggered by accepting an operation by the user or at a preset time (time A in FIG. 7A) (S21).

  When the controller 50 determines the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 37 acquired via the outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 56 and detects frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 37 (S22), the controller 50 Then, the heating operation is interrupted and switched to the defrosting operation (S23). In addition, although detection of the frost formation to the outdoor heat exchanger 37 is not limited to this, For example, it can carry out by judging as follows. The controller 50 detects that the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 37 is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature (for example, −5 ° C.), or is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature (for example, −5 ° C.) for a certain time (for example, 1 hour). Is detected, it is determined that frost formation on the outdoor heat exchanger 37 has been detected.

  When the defrosting operation is started, the control unit 50 may read audio data that informs the user of the start of the defrosting operation from the memory 51 and output the audio data from the audio output unit 57. Thereby, when the heating operation is interrupted, it is possible to prevent the user from thinking that the air conditioner has failed.

  The control unit 50 performs the defrosting by controlling the refrigeration cycle and switching the refrigerant flow in the same direction as in the cooling operation. Thereby, the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 37 can be raised and the adhering frost can be melted. On the other hand, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 5 is lowered.

  In S23, when the control unit 50 switches to the defrosting operation, the control unit 50 instructs the cleaning mechanism 20 and the retracting mechanism 12 to start cleaning the filter 11 (in FIG. 7A). Time K) (S24). Here, a case where the defrosting operation and the cleaning of the filter 11 are started simultaneously at the time point K is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cleaning of the filter 11 may be started after a while after the defrosting operation is started.

  Next, while the cleaning mechanism 20 is cleaning the filter 11, the fan rotation control unit 501 rotates (reversely rotates) the indoor fan 6 in a direction opposite to the rotation direction (forward rotation) during the heating operation. (S25).

  Note that the controller 50 may control the airflow panel 4 to open when the indoor fan 6 is rotated in the reverse direction. When the indoor fan 6 is rotated in the reverse direction, air is sucked into the indoor unit 10 from the air outlet 8. By opening the air flow panel 4, the amount of air sucked from the outlet 8 can be increased, so that the heat exchange amount in the indoor heat exchanger 5 can be increased and the heat exchange efficiency can be increased. Therefore, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 5 whose temperature has decreased during the defrosting operation can be quickly increased, and the resumption of the heating operation can be accelerated.

  When detecting that the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 37 has become higher than the predetermined temperature, the controller 50 ends the defrosting operation (time point L in FIG. 7A) (S26). At this time L, the cleaning of the filter 11 is not completed.

  Next, when the cleaning of the filter 11 is completed in S27 (time M in FIG. 7A), the control unit 50 refers to the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 5 measured by the indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 55. . When it is detected that the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 5 has risen to a predetermined temperature (for example, 10 ° C.) or higher (Yes in S29), the suspended heating operation is resumed (in FIG. 7A). Time M) (S30). At this time, the fan rotation control unit 501 switches the indoor fan 6 from reverse rotation to normal rotation.

  Note that, in the above example, the airflow panel 1 is between the time when the air conditioner 1 finishes defrosting the outdoor heat exchanger 37 and the time when the heating operation is restarted (from time L to time M in FIG. 7A). 4 is closed, and the fan rotation control unit 501 continues to rotate the indoor fan 6 in the reverse direction. However, the rotation control of the indoor fan 6 is not limited to this, and the following control is also possible, for example.

  As shown in (c) of FIG. 7, from the time when the air conditioner 1 ends the defrosting of the outdoor heat exchanger 37 until the heating operation is restarted (from time L to time M in FIG. 7C). ), The airflow panel 4 is closed, and the fan rotation control unit 501 may rotate the indoor fan 6 in the forward direction at a lower speed than in the heating operation or at the same speed as in the heating operation. When the indoor fan 6 is rotated in the forward direction at a lower speed than during heating operation, dust on the filter 11 is blown into the room when air flows backward from the air inlet 3 with the airflow panel 4 closed. You can avoid that. By rotating the indoor fan 6 in the forward direction, an air flow is generated in the indoor unit 10, the amount of heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger 5 is increased, and the heat exchange efficiency can be increased. At this time, since the airflow panel 4 is closed, it is possible to prevent the cooled wind from entering the room through the outlet 8 before the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 5 whose temperature has decreased during the defrosting operation increases. . However, it is desirable to make the rotational speed of the indoor fan 6 in the positive direction from the time point L to the time point M slower than in the heating operation. By reducing the rotation speed of the indoor fan 6 as compared with that during the heating operation, it is possible to suppress the amount of air that the cold air exits from the air inlet 3 into the room.

  In addition to the above, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), after the air conditioner 1 completes the defrosting of the outdoor heat exchanger 37, the heating operation is restarted (in FIG. 7 (b)). At time L to time M), the airflow panel 4 is closed, and the fan rotation control unit 501 may stop the indoor fan 6.

[Embodiment 3]
The following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

(Main components of the air conditioner 1a)
The principal part structure of the air conditioner 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing another configuration of a main part of the indoor unit 10a of the air conditioner 1a according to the present invention in a side cross-sectional view.

  The indoor unit 10 shown in FIG. 9 includes a filter 11 having a surplus area 11B (filter, cleaning target area) in addition to the normal area 11A (filter, cleaning target area). The normal area 11A is an area developed at the dust collection position during the air conditioning operation, and the surplus area 11B is a remaining area other than the normal area 11A. During normal operation of air conditioning, the surplus area 11B is accommodated in the retracting mechanism 12B. The normal area 11A and the surplus area 11B are continuous in the vertical direction, and there is no structural distinction. Each of the normal region 11A and the surplus region 11B has a length in the vertical direction that can sufficiently cover the indoor heat exchanger 5 arranged from above the indoor fan 6 to the front. Therefore, the filter 11 of the present embodiment is a filter configured to be longer in the vertical direction than the conventional filter 11 that does not move the filter.

  While the normal area 11A is being cleaned, even if the normal area 11A is pulled into the pulling mechanism 12A, the surplus area 11B is pulled out from the pulling mechanism 12A. Covered by.

  In the indoor unit 10a having such a configuration, the indoor fan 6 is rotated in the reverse direction during the period in which the normal region 11A is cleaned while performing the normal operation of air conditioning. In this case, the dust is not attracted to the filter 11 as already described, as compared with the mode in which the indoor fan 6 is rotated forward during the period of cleaning the normal area 11A while performing the normal operation of the air conditioning. It becomes easy to remove dust.

  On the other hand, in the indoor unit 10a having such a configuration, the cleaning operation for the surplus area 11B may be performed once or twice a year. This is because only a small amount of dust adheres to the surplus area 11B developed at the dust collection position only during the cleaning operation of the normal area 11A, as compared to the normal area 11A always developed at the dust collection position. Moreover, since the frequency of the cleaning operation for the surplus area 11B is small, the cleaning operation for the surplus area 11B can be performed continuously after the air conditioning operation is stopped or during the period after the operation is stopped. It is not necessary to reduce the comfort of the air conditioner.

  However, when cleaning the surplus area 11B, the indoor heat exchanger 5 is exposed as in the filter 11 of FIG. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the dust from adhering to the indoor heat exchanger 5 by rotating the indoor fan in the reverse direction even during the period of cleaning the surplus area 11B.

[Summary]
An air conditioner 1 according to an aspect 1 of the present invention is an air conditioner including indoor units 10 and 10a including an indoor fan 6 and an indoor heat exchanger 5, and an outdoor unit 30 including an outdoor heat exchanger 37. A filter (filter 11, normal region 11A, surplus region 11B) for collecting dust in the air sucked from the air suction port 3, a cleaning mechanism 20 for removing dust collected by the filter, and the room A rotation control unit (fan rotation control unit 501) for controlling rotation of the fan, wherein the indoor fan blows out the air sucked from the air suction port from the blowout port and a direction opposite to the positive direction The rotation control unit reverses the indoor fan during the period in which the cleaning mechanism is cleaning the cleaning target area that is the area of the filter that is the cleaning target. It is rotated in the direction.

  According to said structure, the said indoor fan is rotated to the said reverse direction during the period which is cleaning the cleaning object area | region which is the area | region of the said filter which is a cleaning object. Thereby, air can be continuously sent to the indoor heat exchanger even during the period of cleaning the filter. Therefore, normal operation such as cooling, heating or dehumidification can be continued. In addition, when the normal heating operation is resumed after the defrosting operation is performed during the heating operation period, the heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger can be promoted, and the resumption of the heating operation can be accelerated. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent dust from entering the interior of the indoor unit from the air inlet. In addition, since dust is not attracted to the filter as compared with the case where the filter is cleaned during normal operation of the air conditioner while rotating the indoor fan in the forward direction, it becomes easier to remove the dust.

  The air conditioner 1 according to aspect 2 of the present invention is the air conditioner 1 according to aspect 1, wherein the filter that has covered the indoor heat exchanger moves during the period in which the cleaning mechanism is cleaning the area to be cleaned. The indoor heat exchanger may be exposed.

  As a result, the indoor fan rotates in the opposite direction even when the filter that covered the indoor heat exchanger moves and the indoor heat exchanger is exposed during the period of cleaning the filter. It is possible to prevent dust from entering the interior of the indoor unit from the air inlet and adhering to the indoor heat exchanger.

  The air conditioner according to aspect 3 of the present invention is the air conditioner according to aspect 1 or 2, wherein the rotation control unit stops the rotation of the indoor fan while the cleaning mechanism is cleaning the area to be cleaned. The mode to be selected may be selectable.

  For example, if the indoor heat exchanger is covered with the filter and not exposed when the filter is cleaned, there is no possibility that dust will adhere to the indoor heat exchanger even if the indoor fan is stopped. Therefore, when the filter is being cleaned, if it is an operation state that does not require the indoor fan to rotate in the reverse direction or an inappropriate operation state, a mode for stopping the rotation may be selected. .

  The air conditioner according to Aspect 4 of the present invention is the air conditioner according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein the air conditioner performs the defrosting of the outdoor heat exchanger during the period in which the air conditioner executes the defrosting. You may comprise so that an area | region may be cleaned.

  During the defrosting operation, the air conditioner stops the normal heating operation. According to said structure, the cleaning object area | region which is an area | region on a filter is cleaned during the period when the air conditioner is performing defrosting of an outdoor heat exchanger. Thereby, the frequency | count (frequency) which cleans a filter can be increased from the past. Therefore, clogging of the filter can be reduced, so that power consumption can be kept low.

  An air conditioner according to aspect 5 of the present invention is the air conditioner according to aspect 4 described above, wherein an air flow panel for adjusting the direction of air flow to be blown out is disposed at the outlet, and the air conditioner is an outdoor heat exchanger. When the rotation control unit rotates the indoor fan in the reverse direction during the defrosting period, the air conditioner may be configured to open the airflow panel.

  According to said structure, an air conditioner opens an airflow panel, when rotating an indoor fan to a reverse direction in the period which is performing defrosting of an outdoor heat exchanger. When the indoor fan is rotated in the reverse direction, air is sucked into the indoor unit from the outlet. By opening the air flow panel, it is possible to increase the amount of air sucked from the air outlet, thereby increasing the amount of heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger and increasing the heat exchange efficiency. Therefore, the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger whose temperature has decreased during the defrosting operation can be quickly increased, and the resumption of the heating operation can be accelerated.

  The air conditioner according to aspect 6 of the present invention is the air conditioner according to aspect 4 described above, in which the air conditioner is in the period from when the air conditioner finishes defrosting the outdoor heat exchanger until the heating operation is restarted. The air flow panel is closed, and the rotation control unit may continue the rotation of the indoor fan in the reverse direction.

  According to the above configuration, the rotation of the indoor fan in the reverse direction is continued with the airflow panel closed until the heating operation is restarted after the defrosting of the outdoor heat exchanger is completed. By rotating the indoor fan in the reverse direction, an air flow is generated in the indoor unit, the amount of heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger is increased, and the heat exchange efficiency can be increased. In addition, by closing the airflow panel, it is possible to prevent the cooled air from entering the room from the outlet before the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger whose temperature has decreased during the defrosting operation increases.

  The air conditioner according to Aspect 7 of the present invention is the air conditioner according to Aspect 4, wherein the air conditioner is in the period from when the air conditioner finishes defrosting the outdoor heat exchanger until the heating operation is restarted. The airflow panel is closed, and the rotation control unit may rotate the indoor fan in the forward direction.

  According to said structure, after complete | finishing defrosting of an outdoor heat exchanger until it restarts heating operation, an indoor fan is rotated to a normal direction in the state which closed the airflow panel. By rotating the indoor fan in the forward direction, an air flow is generated in the indoor unit, the amount of heat exchange in the indoor heat exchanger is increased, and the heat exchange efficiency can be increased. Since the airflow panel is closed, it is possible to suppress the cold wind from entering the room through the outlet before the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger whose temperature has decreased during the defrosting operation increases.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a new technical feature can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioner 3 Air inlet 4 Airflow panel 5 Indoor heat exchanger 6 Indoor fan 8 Air outlet 10, 10a Indoor unit 11 Filter (cleaning object area)
11A Normal area (filter, cleaning target area)
11B Surplus area (filter, area to be cleaned)
20 cleaning mechanism 30 outdoor unit 37 outdoor heat exchanger 501 fan rotation control unit (rotation control unit)

Claims (5)

An air conditioner comprising an indoor unit including an indoor fan and an indoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor unit including an outdoor heat exchanger,
A filter that collects dust in the air sucked from the air inlet;
A cleaning mechanism for removing dust collected by the filter;
A rotation control unit for controlling the rotation of the indoor fan,
The indoor fan is rotatable in a forward direction in which air sucked from the air suction port is blown out from a blowout port, and in a reverse direction that is opposite to the forward direction,
The rotation control unit rotates the indoor fan in the reverse direction during a period in which the cleaning mechanism is cleaning a cleaning target area that is an area on the filter that is a cleaning target. Harmony machine.   The filter which covered the said indoor heat exchanger moves during the period when the said cleaning mechanism is cleaning the said area | region to be cleaned, This indoor heat exchanger will be in an exposure state. The air conditioner according to 1.   The said rotation control part can select the mode which stops rotation of the said indoor fan during the period when the said cleaning mechanism is cleaning the said cleaning object area | region, The Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Air conditioner.   The said cleaning mechanism cleans the said area | region to be cleaned during the period when the said air conditioner is performing the defrost of the said outdoor heat exchanger, The cleaning object area | region is any one of Claim 1 to 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Air conditioner. An airflow panel for adjusting the direction of the airflow to be blown out is arranged at the outlet.
The air conditioner opens the air flow panel when the rotation control unit reverses the rotation of the indoor fan during a period in which the air conditioner performs defrosting of the outdoor heat exchanger. The air conditioner according to claim 4.

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