ES2358257T3 - FAN AND AIR CONDITIONER. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an air conditioner that can send in outdoor air to an indoor space, and can effectively discharge indoor air to the outside. The air conditioner comprises an air supply and discharge line (7), a humidification fan (70), and a switching damper (90). The air supply and discharge line (7) connects an indoor space with an outdoor space. The fan (70) has an air intake port and an air discharge port. The switching means (90) can switch between a first and a second state. The first state is one in which the air discharge port of the humidification fan (70) communicates with the air supply and discharge line (7). The second state is one in which the air intake port of the humidification fan (70) communicates with the air supply and discharge line (7). <IMAGE>

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a ventilation device that is included in an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner and a ventilation device comprising a fan and an airway that connect an outer space with an inner space.

BACKGROUND TECHNIQUE

Recently, air conditioners and the like have been introduced that include a humidification unit that aspirates moisture from the outside air and supplies the moisture to an interior space.

These humidification units have a structure as disclosed in the pending Japanese patent application No. 2001-41511, and use a humidification rotor consisting of zeolite to humidify air that is blown into an interior space by means of a fan. More specifically, the air that is blown into the interior space is humidified by causing the humidification rotor to absorb moisture from the air, a heater is used to release moisture from the humidification rotor, and then this moisture released is added to the air that is insufflated to the interior space.

Therefore, a pleasant relative humidity can be maintained in an indoor space even during winter, when the air is dry, because the humidification unit in the air conditioner can supply humidified air to the interior space. In addition, the aforementioned humidification unit includes a fan that operates to supply air drawn from outside to an indoor space, and therefore, can use this function to exchange indoor air with outdoor air.

The humidification unit that aspirates air from outside and humidifies it (or leaves it as is), and then supplies that air to an interior space by means of the fan, also includes the aforementioned air exchange function. Generally, the outside air is cleaner than the indoor air, and therefore, if the outside air is blown into an indoor space with the humidifying unit fan, the indoor air will be exchanged with the outside air and, by Therefore, it will become cleaner.

However, if the indoor air has become very polluted due to cigarette smoke and the like, it will take time to dump the contaminated indoor air to the outside through gaps in the room with an air exchange procedure that blows outside air into the interior space .

On the other hand, although it is believed that a ventilation fan installed separately from the air conditioner can effectively discharge indoor air that has been contaminated by cigarette smoke and the like, the cost of installing, from scratch, a ventilation fan in an interior air gap apart from the air conditioner will be elevated.

An air conditioner is known which has the characteristics defined in the preamble by JP-A-10-274425, and US 5314 376.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can send outside air to an indoor space, and can effectively discharge indoor air to an outdoor space. This objective is solved by means of the content of claim 1. The embodiments are mentioned in the dependent claims.

The ventilation device of the air conditioner according to the invention comprises an airway, a fan and a switching means. The airway connects an interior space with an exterior space. The fan has an air intake unit and an air discharge unit. The switching means can switch between a first state and a second state. The first state is one in which the fan air discharge unit communicates with the airway. The second state is one in which the fan air intake unit communicates with the airway.

In this case, by switching the switching means between the first state and the second state, the outside air can be sent to an indoor space by means of the airway and the indoor air can be discharged into an outdoor space by means of The airway. Therefore, a switching procedure can be adopted in which outside air is sent to an interior space when it is desired to moderately ventilate the interior space while maintaining a positive pressure therein, and a ventilation procedure can be adopted in the one that discharges indoor air into an outer space by means of the airway when it is desired to effectively ventilate contaminated indoor air to the outer space.

It is noted that, instead of providing the switching means, the fan can be turned in reverse. However, the efficiency with which this type of fan blows air is reduced, and therefore this option is not practical. In consideration of this, the fan employed in the present invention may be one that discharges air in one direction.

In addition, the ventilation device can be combined with an air conditioner as original equipment, or it can be added to an air conditioner that does not have a ventilation function as an option.

The switching device, in addition to switching between the first state and the second state, can be switchable to a third state that closes the airway.

The airway of the ventilation device is closed when the switching means is switched to the third state. Therefore, if the switching means is switched to the third state in situations such as when a strong wind blows outside, it is possible to prevent undesirable air from flowing from an outer space to an interior space.

In addition, the fan and the switching means may be arranged in an outdoor space.

In this case, people in an indoor space can avoid feeling uncomfortable because the fan and the switching means are arranged in an outdoor space due to the fact that they can produce noise.

The ventilation device may further comprise a controller. The controller controls the switching means, and thereby switches between an air supply from an exterior space to an interior space, and an air discharge from an interior space to an exterior space, by switching the switching means between The first state and the second state. In addition, the controller changes the fan output during air supply and air discharge.

In this case, the controller will consider each characteristic of the air supply, in which clean outside air is sent to an interior space, just as each characteristic of the air discharge is considered, in which the indoor air is directly discharged into An outside space by means of the airway, for example, can increase the fan output when the indoor air is discharged.

Instead, the controller can also reduce fan output when indoor air is discharged in situations where it is desired to eliminate the amount of sound generated during the discharge.

According to the invention, the fan can be used for ventilation and to supply humidified air in the humidification unit to an indoor space. Therefore, it will be difficult for people inside to hear the noise of the fan and the switching medium produced during ventilation and humidification because they are arranged in a humidification unit that is inside the outdoor unit, or adjacent to the same.

In addition, by arranging the switching means in the humidification unit, the fan in the humidification unit can be used to expel the indoor air to an outdoor space. The air conditioner comprising the humidification unit can reinforce the ventilation function at a low cost. In other words, the fan and the switching means within the humidification unit of the air conditioner of the present claims can carry out ventilation both by supplying outside air to an interior space and by discharging interior air into an exterior space.

In addition, the air conditioner may comprise a temperature regulating unit that regulates the temperature of the air in an indoor space. In this air conditioner, by controlling the switching means and switching between a first state and a second state, the switching means will switch between an air supply, which supplies outside air to an interior space, and an air discharge, that discharges indoor air into an outdoor space. During the discharge of air, the temperature of the indoor air can be regulated more effectively by means of the temperature regulating unit.

It is believed that, during the discharge of air, the indoor air temperature will become hotter or colder than desired because the heated or cooled indoor air is discharged by means of the air conditioner to the desired temperature to an outside space as is through the airway. In consideration of this, the indoor air temperature is regulated by means of the air regulating unit during the discharge of air, and, therefore, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the air in an indoor space from becoming warmer or colder than desired. For example, in an air conditioner that performs an inverter control during heating and cooling, sudden changes in the indoor air temperature can be avoided by temporarily increasing the number of cycles of the compressor during the discharge of air.

The indoor unit of the air conditioner can have an air exchanger and an indoor fan. The indoor fan is provided to introduce indoor air into a predetermined space, pass it through the heat exchanger, and discharge it into an indoor space. The airway connects the humidification unit and the default space of the indoor unit.

In this case, when outside air is supplied to an indoor space, the outside air is sent from the humidification unit fan via the airway, and flows into the predetermined space of the indoor unit. The predetermined space is a space that is upstream of the air flow with respect to the heat exchanger of the indoor unit. Therefore, the outside air sent to the predetermined space of the indoor unit is sucked into the indoor space by means of the heat exchanger of the indoor unit. Because of this, there will be less variation in indoor air temperature compared to when outside air is supplied directly to an indoor space.

The air conditioner may further comprise a pollution sensor that detects the state of indoor air pollution.

In this case, the air conditioner can switch between an air supply from an exterior space to an interior space and an air discharge from an interior space to an exterior space in response to the state of indoor air pollution detected by the air sensor. pollution. For example, the air conditioner can switch to an air discharge when the air in an indoor space is contaminated by cigarette smoke and the like, and can switch to an air supply when the air in an indoor space is not contaminated and aspirate , in this way, clean outside air.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the outer structure of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a refrigerant circuit and an air flow.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional outdoor unit.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a humidification fan of a humidification unit and a switching regulator in a first state.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a humidification fan of a humidification unit and a switching regulator near a first state.

Fig. 6 is a control block diagram of the air conditioner.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a humidification fan of a humidification unit and a switching regulator in a second state.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a humidification fan of a humidification unit and a switching regulator near a second state.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a humidification fan of a humidification unit and a switching regulator near a third state.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

<General structure of the air conditioner>

Fig. 1 shows the external appearance of an air conditioner that includes a ventilation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The air conditioner 1 comprises an indoor unit 2 that is installed in an inner wall or the like, and an outdoor unit 3 that is arranged outside. The outdoor unit 3 comprises an outdoor air conditioning unit 5 that stores an outdoor heat exchanger, an outdoor fan, and other elements, and a humidification unit 4. An indoor heat exchanger is stored inside the indoor unit 2, and the outdoor heat exchanger is stored inside the outdoor unit 3. Each heat exchanger and the cooling ducts 6 that connect to these heat exchangers form a cooling circuit . In addition, an air supply and air discharge duct 7 is provided between the humidification unit 4 and the indoor unit 2, and is used when air is supplied from the humidification unit 4 to the indoor unit 2, and when discharge indoor air to the outside through the humidification unit 4.

<Coolant circuit structure>

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow diagram of the refrigerant circuit used in the air conditioner 1, and includes a summary of the air flow.

An internal heat exchanger 11 is provided in the indoor unit 2. The internal heat exchanger 11 comprises a heat transfer conduit having a plurality of curved portions at both ends thereof in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of fins through which the heat transfer conduit passes, and exchanges heat with the air that comes into contact with it.

In addition, a cross flow fan 12 and an inner motor 13 of the fan are provided which rotatably drives the cross flow fan 12 in the indoor unit 2. The cross flow fan 12 has a cylindrical shape, is provided with arranged blades around the circumferential surface of an axis of rotation, and generates an air flow in a direction that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation. The cross flow fan 12 sucks indoor air into the indoor unit 2, and discharges this air into an indoor space after it has heat exchanger with the indoor heat exchanger 11.

A compressor 21, a four-way directional control valve 22 is provided that is connected to the discharge side of the compressor 21, an accumulator 23 that is connected to the intake side of the compressor 21, an external heat exchanger 24 that is connected to the four-way directional control valve 22, and an electric valve 25 which is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 24 in the outdoor air conditioning unit 5. The electric valve 25 is connected to a conduit 31 by means of a filter 26 and a valve 27 for closing the liquid, and is connected to one end of the internal heat exchanger 11 by means of the conduit 31. In addition, the valve 22 of four Directional control steps are connected to a conduit 32 by means of a gas shut-off valve 28, and is connected to the other end of the internal heat exchanger 11 by means of this conduit 32. These conduits 31, 32 correspond to the conduit refrigerant 6 shown in Fig. 1.

In addition, a propeller fan 29 is provided that discharges air to the outside after heat exchange with the outdoor heat exchanger 24 in the outdoor air conditioning unit 5. The propeller fan 29 is driven by an external motor 30 of the fan.

<Structure of a conventional outdoor unit>

Before describing the structure of the outdoor unit 3, an exploded perspective view (Fig. 3) will be used to describe a conventional outdoor unit that was available before the achievement of the present invention.

The prior art outdoor unit comprises a lower outdoor air conditioning unit and an upper humidifying unit, and comprises a frame of the outdoor unit that includes a base plate 41, a plate 42 on the right side, a plate 43 of the left side, a plate 44 from the front, a protective metal grid 46, a plate 47 from the top, a frame 48 from the humidification unit, and other elements.

[Structure of the outdoor air conditioning unit]

A fan intake hole 45 and a divider 49 are installed at the rear of the plate 44 in the front. In addition, an external heat exchanger 24 having an L-shape is installed when viewed from above on a front surface of the protective metal grid 46 that is arranged on a rear surface of the outer unit frame.

A support 50 for the fan motor is installed to fix the outer motor 30 of the fan on the front surface of the external heat exchanger 24. The outer motor 30 of the fan is provided to rotate a propeller fan 29. The propeller fan 29 serves to produce a negative pressure within a space formed by the intake hole 45 of the fan, the divider 49, the plate 43 on the left side, the external heat exchanger 24, and the base plate of the frame 48 of the humidification unit, and contacts the air that entered from the rear surface and the surface of the left side of the frame of the outdoor unit with the external heat exchanger 24 and discharges it to the front of the front plate 44 .

The refrigerant circuit components such as a compressor 21, a four-way directional control valve 22, an electric valve 25, a liquid shut-off valve 27, and a gas shut-off valve 28 are arranged between the plate 49 of division and the right panel 42, like a thermistor 51 that detects the temperature of each of these components. A cover 52 of the shut-off valve is installed on the right side of the plate 42 on the right-hand side, and serves to protect the liquid shut-off valve 27 and the gas shut-off valve 28.

A box 53 of electrical components is installed above the propeller fan 29, which contains a printed circuit board 54 on which circuit components are mounted to control each component of the outdoor unit. A cooling fin 55 is installed in the electrical component box 53, which serves to remove heat produced by the circuit components.

[Structure of the humidification unit]

The humidification unit comprises a frame 48 of the humidification unit that is arranged in the upper portion of the outdoor unit. The interior of the frame 48 of the humidification unit includes a space on the right side thereof that accommodates the humidification rotor 58 and other elements, and a storage space 75 of the absorption fan on the left side thereof that accommodates a fan 81 absorption and other elements. The humidification rotor 58, a heating assembly 64, the humidification fan 70, a cover member 74, the absorption fan 81, and other elements are disposed within the frame 48 of the humidification unit. The humidification rotor 58 is a ceramic rotor that has an alveolar structure and has a generally disc shape and has a structure through which air can easily pass. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, it is a rotor that has a disk shape when viewed from above, and an alveolar structure in a horizontal cross-section. The air passes through a large number of cylindrical portions in the humidification rotor 58 and has a polygonal cross-section.

The main portion of the humidifying rotor 58 is formed from an absorbent such as zeolite and the like and cooked in a drying oven. Zeolite is used here, but other absorbents such as silica gel or alumina can be used. Absorbents such as zeolite and the like have the ability to absorb moisture from the air with which it comes in contact, and release that absorbed moisture when heated.

The humidification rotor 58 is rotatably supported by means of a rotor guide 60 on a support shaft 59 that is provided in the frame 48 of the humidification unit. Gear teeth are formed on the circumferential surface of the humidifying rotor 58, which are coupled with a rotor drive gear 62 that is installed on a drive shaft in a rotor drive motor 61.

The heating assembly 64 is arranged so that it covers approximately half (the right half) of the upper surface of the humidifying rotor 58. The heating assembly 64 comprises a heating unit 66, an upper cover 65 covering the heating unit 66, and a lower cover 69. An intake port 67 for introducing air, and a discharge hole 68 for forming in the lower cover 69 are formed. discharge air that was heated in the heating unit 66 to the humidification rotor 58. The heater assembly 64 is installed above the humidification rotor 58 by means of a heater fixing plate 63.

A humidification fan 70 is disposed below the humidification rotor 58 in a position oriented towards the heating assembly 64. The humidification fan 70 is a centrifugal fan that is arranged in a space that is connected to a humidification sleeve 73 (a space under the discharge hole 68 of the lower cover 69 of the heating assembly 64). The humidifying fan 70 sends air passing through the humidification rotor 58 outside and descends from the front portion of the right side of the humidifying rotor 58 that is covered (the portion disposed below the discharge hole 68 of the lower cover 69 of heater assembly 64). The humidification sleeve 73 is connected to the air supply and discharge duct 7, and supplies air sent from the humidification fan 70 to the indoor unit 2.

A cover member 74 covers the upper surface portion of the humidifying rotor 58 that does not have the heating assembly 64 placed thereon (approximately the portion of the left half thereof). The cover member 74 forms an air flow path that includes a flared inlet 84 (described below) and runs from the upper surface of the left half portion of the humidification rotor 58 to the upper portion of a space 75 of absorption fan supply (described below).

The absorption fan 81 that is accommodated in the storage space 75 of the absorption fan is a centrifugal fan that rotates by means of a motor 83 of the absorption fan, supplies air from an opening 85 in the flared inlet 84 on the side of the absorbency that is disposed thereon, and discharges air out of the storage space 75 of the absorption fan (the outside of the frame 48 of the humidification unit). The flared inlet 84 on the absorbency side is provided in the upper portion of the storage space 75 of the absorption fan, and serves to guide air in the air flow path formed by the cover member 74 to the absorption fan 81 . It is noted that the motor 83 of the absorption fan is fixed within the frame 48 of the humidification unit by means of a support 82 for the motor.

In addition, a base 79 of the power supply, a frame of electrical components, and the like are arranged within the frame 48 of the humidification unit. The frame of the electrical components comprises a box 76 of electrical components that stores a printed circuit board 78 inside and a cover 77.

<Structure of the outdoor unit 3 of the present embodiment>

Next, the outdoor unit 3 of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment will be described.

The outdoor unit 3 comprises an outdoor air conditioning unit 5 in the lower portion thereof and a humidification unit 4 in the upper portion thereof. The outdoor air conditioning unit 5 has the same structure as the conventional outdoor air conditioning unit as noted above. On the other hand, the humidification unit 4 includes a switching regulator 90 that is not found in the humidification unit of the conventional outdoor unit noted above.

[Structure and operation of switching regulator 90]

The switching regulator 90 is a means of switching the rotary type air flow path that is disposed below the humidifying unit 70, and comprises a circular member 92 as shown in Figures 4, 5, 7 and 8, and a drive motor 91 of the regulator (see Fig. 6) which rotatably drives the circular member 92.

As shown in Fig. 4, the circular member 92 comprises a circular base plate 92a, a side wall 92b, a side wall 92c with a semicircular cone shape, internal walls 92d, and an internal cylindrical wall 96. Each wall 92b , 92c, 92d, and 96 extends upward from the base plate 92a. The side wall 92b is divided in two by a side opening 92e and the semi-conical side wall 92c. The inner walls 92d comprise three plates that exit outwardly from near the center of the circular member 92. The circular member 92 is divided into a first space 93, a second space 94, and a third space 95 by means of the internal walls 92d ( see Fig. 4). The first space 93 does not have the side wall 92b, and is a space that is open laterally by means of the side opening 92e. Two circular holes 94a, 94b are formed in the base plate 92a of the second space 94. The internal cylindrical wall 96 disposed in the second space 94 extends upwardly from the periphery of the circular hole 94b. The semi-conical side wall 92c adjacent to the circular hole 94a is provided, and this surface has a shape that approximates a face-down cone that has been divided in half vertically. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the space that is surrounded by the outer surface of the semi-conical side wall 92c is a space that is open to the sides. In addition, each space 93, 94, 95, the space surrounded by the outer surface of the semi-conical side wall 92c, and the space surrounded by the inner surface of the inner cylindrical wall 96 open upward.

On the other hand, as shown in Figures 5 and 8, the humidifying fan 70 that is disposed above the circular member 92 includes an axis 70a of the blades, an air intake port 70b, and a discharge port 70c air. The air intake opening 70b and the air discharge opening 70c are formed on the lower surface of the humidifying fan frame 70, and are oriented towards the upper opening of the circular member 92.

The drive motor 91 of the regulator is provided to rotate the circular member 92 in the manner shown in Figures 5 and 8. Although not shown in Figures 5 and 8, the drive motor 91 of the regulator is arranged, for example , below the circular member 92. The drive motor 91 of the regulator rotates the circular member 92, and switches between a first state in which the circular member 92 reaches the turning position shown in Figures 4 and 5, and a second state in which the circular member 92 reaches the turning position shown in Figures 7 and 8.

In the first state, a path 89 (see Fig. 5) that guides humidified air that passed through the heater assembly 64 and the humidification rotor 58, or outside air, to the circular member 92 of the switching regulator 90 which is communicates with the first space 93 of the circular member 92 through the lateral opening 92e. Furthermore, in the first state, the first space 93 of the circular member 92 communicates with the air intake port 70b of the humidifying fan 70 by means of the upper opening. Furthermore, in the first state, the upper part of the internal cylindrical wall 96 of the cylindrical member 92 communicates with the air discharge hole 70c of the humidifying fan 70, and communicates with a connector 3a of the sleeve to which the humidification sleeve 73 at the bottom thereof, and, therefore, the air discharge port 70c of the humidification fan 70 is attached to the humidification sleeve 73. In the first state, the air that was discharged from the air discharge port 70c of the humidifying fan 70 passes through the supply and air discharge duct 7 and is supplied to the indoor unit 2 because the humidifying sleeve 73 is connected to the supply and discharge duct 7. Therefore, in the first state, the air flows in the direction illustrated by the dotted and striped line of Figures 4 and 5, and the humidified air or the outside air passes through the supply and discharge duct 7 of air and is supplied to the indoor unit 2.

On the other hand, in the second state, the connector 3a to which the humidifying sleeve 73 is connected communicates with the second space 94 of the circular member 92 by means of the circular hole 94a. In addition, the second space 94 communicates with the air intake port 70b of the humidifying fan 70 by means of the upper opening. In addition, in the second state, the air discharge port 70c of the humidifying fan 70 is positioned above the semi-conical side wall 92c of the circular member 92, and the air discharge port 70c is connected to the path 3b which passes to through the outside of the device (the outer part of the outdoor unit 3) by means of the space that is surrounded by the semi-conical side wall 92c. Therefore, in the second state, the air flows in the direction illustrated by the dotted and striped line of Figures 7 and 8, and the air that was discharged from the indoor unit 2 and that has passed through the duct 7 of supply and discharge of air is discharged from the air discharge hole 70c of the humidification fan outside the unit.

It is noted that, as shown in Fig. 2, the air supply and discharge duct 7 is connected to the predetermined space 2a of the indoor unit 2. The predetermined space 2a is an upstream space from the air flow of the internal heat exchanger 11, and is a space in which the air resides before the heat exchange. Therefore, the air that has passed through the air supply and discharge duct 7 and supplied to the indoor unit 2 is transported in the air flow inside the indoor unit that is produced by the cross flow fan 12 , and is discharged into an interior space after heat exchange with the internal heat exchanger 11.

[Humidification Unit 4 Operation]

The switching regulator 90 is switched to the first state shown in Figures 4 and 5 when humidification must occur.

The humidification unit 4 introduces outside air into the frame 48 of the humidification unit when the absorption fan 81 is rotatably operated. The air entering the humidification unit 48 passes through the left half portion of the humidification unit 58, and is discharged from the storage space 75 of the absorption fan to the outside thereof through the flow path of air formed by the cover member 74 and the flared inlet 84 on the absorption side and the absorption fan 81. When the air introduced into the humidification rotor 48 from outside passes through the left half portion of the humidification rotor 58, the humidification rotor 58 adsorbs moisture contained in the air.

The portion of the left half of the humidification rotor 58 that absorbed moisture in this absorption stage will become the portion of the right half of the humidification rotor 58 when the humidification rotor 58 rotates. In other words, the absorbed moisture is displaced to a portion of the humidification rotor 58 that is disposed below the heating assembly 64 according to the rotation of the humidification rotor 58. Then, the humidity that moved to this position is released to the air flow produced by the humidifying fan 70 due to the heat coming from the heating unit 66 of the heating assembly 64.

When the humidification fan 70 rotates, air is introduced into the frame 48 of the humidification unit from outside it. This air flows from the bottom inside of the left half portion of the humidifying rotor 58 upward, and is guided into the top cover 65 of the intake port 67 of the top cover 69. Then, the air that enters the inside of the upper cover 65 flows from the upper part of the left half portion of the humidification rotor 58 downwards of the humidification fan 70 via a direct path 89 and the switching regulator 90. This air flow is produced by means of the humidifying fan 70. The humidification fan 70 blows the air that passed through the humidification rotor 58 and the switching regulator 90 to the indoor unit 2 by means of the humidification sleeve 73 and the air supply and discharge duct 7. The air blown into the indoor unit 2 includes the moisture absorbed by the humidifying rotor 58.

Therefore, the air supplied to the indoor unit 2 from the humidifying unit 4 is discharged into an indoor space of the predetermined space 2a by means of the indoor heat exchanger 11.

<Structure and control of controller 100>

The controller 100 is divided between the electrical component boxes arranged in the indoor unit 2, the outdoor air conditioning unit 5, and the humidifying unit 4 of the air conditioner 1. As shown in Fig. 5, the controller 100 is connected to the equipment in the indoor unit 2 and in the outdoor unit 3, and controls the operation of each equipment in response to each operating mode such as heating, cooling,

5

fifteen

25

35

Four. Five

drying, humidification, air supply, and air ventilation.

[Humidification operation control]

The controller 100 will carry out a humidification operation if it receives a humidification instruction or an automatic humidification instruction from a remote control 102. The humidification instruction can be carried out together with a heating operation. The humidification operation drives the rotor drive motor 61 within the humidification unit 4, the heating unit 66, the motor that rotates the humidification fan 70, and the motor 83 of the absorption fan. As noted above, in the humidification operation the humidity in the air introduced into the humidification unit 4 outside it due to the rotation of the absorption fan 81 is absorbed by the humidification rotor 58. The air heated by the heating unit 66 flows through the humidification rotor 58 due to the rotation of the humidification fan 70, and the air that includes the moisture released from the humidification rotor 58 is supplied to the indoor unit 2 via the duct 7 of supply and discharge of air.

[Ventilation by means of the air supply operation or the air discharge operation]

In addition, the controller 100 will perform an air supply operation or an air discharge operation if it determines that an interior space needs to be ventilated. The air supply operation sucks outside air into the humidification unit 4, and supplies this outside air from the supply and discharge duct 7 to the indoor unit 2. The air discharge operation sucks the air into inside the air supply and discharge duct 7 by means of the humidifying fan 70 of the humidification unit 4, that is, it sucks indoor air into the interior of the supply and discharge duct 7 by means of the indoor unit 2 , and then discharge this air from the humidifying fan 70 to the atmosphere or to the outdoor unit 3. The air flow during the air supply operation and the air discharge operation is as described above (Structure and operation of the regulator 90 switching) for the first state and the second state. During the air supply operation, the switching regulator 90 is placed in the first position, the air flows in the direction illustrated by the dotted and dashed lines of Figures 4 and 5, and the outside air passes through the duct 7 for supply and discharge of air and is supplied to the indoor unit 2. On the other hand, during the air discharge operation, the switching regulator 90 is placed in the second state, the air flows in the direction illustrated by the dotted and dashed lines of Figures 7 and 8, and the air that was discharged from the indoor unit 2 and passed through the air supply and discharge duct 7 is discharged from the air discharge hole 70c of the unit 70 of humidification outside of it. It is noted that, in the air supply operation and the air discharge operation, the absorption fan 81 of the humidification unit 4 and the rotor drive motor 61 are not driven and only the fan 70 of the humidification

The controller 100 determines, based on the operating mode set by the remote control 102 and the results of the detection of the contamination sensor 101, whether or not it is necessary to ventilate an interior space, and the selection between the air supply operation and the air discharge operation. The pollution sensor 101 is provided in the indoor unit 2, and detects the indoor air pollution status.

The controller 100 determines that an interior space needs to be ventilated if the operating mode is an automatic operation, and if the contamination state exceeds a first tolerance level. Then, the controller 100 selects the air supply operation when the pollution state exceeds the first tolerance level and is less than a second tolerance level, and selects the air discharge operation when the pollution state exceeds the second level of tolerance In addition, a user of the air conditioner 1 can directly select the air supply operation or the air discharge operation as the operating mode of the remote control 102. For example, if an interior space is loaded due to cigarette smoke and you want to use the water conditioner 1 instead of the ventilation fan, it is preferred that the user directly select the air discharge operation. In addition, if it is desired to aspirate clean outside air while it is heated or cooled and it is desired to moderately ventilate an interior space, the user can select the air supply operation.

It is noted that the humidifying fan 70 is controlled so that the output is greater during the air discharge operation than during the air supply operation. In addition, during the air discharge operation, the controller 100 increases the number of cycles in the control of the inverter of the compressor 21, and, therefore, will increase the number of turns of the motor of the compressor 21.

<Features of air conditioner 1>

(one)

In the air conditioner 1, both an air supply operation that sends outside air into an interior space through the air supply and discharge duct 7 (airway), and an air discharge operation that Discharge of indoor and outdoor air through the supply and discharge duct 7 can be carried out by switching between a first state and a second state of the switching regulator 90 within the humidification unit 4. Therefore, it is possible to select either the air supply operation or the air discharge operation when it is desired to ventilate an interior space.

(2)

In the air conditioner 1, the humidification fan 70 and the switching regulator 90 operating in the humidification operation, in the air supply operation, and in the air discharge operation, are disposed within the outdoor unit 4 humidification. Because of this, it will be almost completely avoided that the noise produced by these devices makes people inside feel uncomfortable.

(3)

In the air conditioner 1, the outlet of the humidifying fan 70 during the air discharge operation is controlled so that it is greater than the outlet thereof during the air supply operation, and, therefore, will be greatly increased the ventilation effect of the air discharge operation when it has been selected to quickly ventilate an interior space. On the other hand, the humidifying fan 70 is operated with a relatively small outlet in the air supply operation that is employed in a ventilation procedure in which clean outside air is sent to an interior space.

(4)

In the air conditioner 1, the humidification fan 70 is used for the air supply operation and the humidification operation, as in the prior art.

In addition, the humidification fan 70 can be used in the air discharge operation to discharge indoor air to the outside by providing a switching regulator 90 in the humidification unit 4. Thus, in an air conditioner comprising a humidification unit, a design change that reinforces the ventilation function can be carried out at a reduced cost.

(5)

It is believed that when air is discharged with the air conditioner 1, the indoor air temperature may become hotter or colder than desired because the indoor air heated or cooled by the air conditioner to the desired temperature is discharged to the outside as is by means of the supply and discharge duct 7. In consideration of this, the number of cycles in the inverter control of the compressor 21 during the air discharge operation is increased. Therefore, even if air is discharged from the interior space, the worsening of the temperature therein will be kept to a minimum, and therefore, abrupt changes of temperature in the interior space can be avoided.

(6)

In the air conditioner 1, the outside air that is sent from the humidification fan 70 of the humidification unit 4 through the supply and discharge duct 7 flows to the predetermined space 2a of the indoor unit 2 during operation of air supply that supplies outside air to an interior space. The outside air that flowed to the predetermined space 2a is discharged into an interior space by means of the internal heat exchanger 11 because the predetermined space 2a is placed upstream with respect to the internal heat exchanger 11. Therefore, there will be less variation in indoor air temperature compared to when outside air is supplied directly to the indoor space.

[Other realizations]

(TO)

The switching regulator 90 can not only be placed in the first and second states, but can also be placed in a third state shown in Fig. 9 which is also effective. In this third state, a portion of the base plate 92a of the circular member 92 covers the upper opening of the connector 3a of the sleeve to which the humidifying sleeve 73 is connected. Therefore, the state in which the exterior and the interior space are joined by means of the air supply and discharge duct 7 and the humidification sleeve 73 by means of the base plate 92a of the circular member 92, and the air supply and discharge duct 7 will not be connected to the exterior or the interior space.

If the switching regulator 90 is switched to the third state by controlling it manually or automatically, undesirable air flows from the outside to an interior space can be eliminated in situations where a strong wind blows outside, or in Other situations as needed.

(B)

The contamination sensor 101 is provided in the indoor unit 2 in the above-mentioned embodiment, but it is believed that the contamination sensor 101 can be omitted in situations where a user determines the need for ventilation and / or the selection of the air supply operation and the

air discharge operation.

(C)

A rotary type switching regulator 90 is used in the aforementioned embodiment, however a peripheral structure can be devised, so that a sliding type 10 switching regulator can be used.

(D)

The humidification fan 70 is controlled so that the output thereof during the air discharge operation is greater than during the air supply operation in the aforementioned embodiment, however it is believed that the humidification fan 70 can be controlled. so that the output

15 thereof during the air discharge operation is smaller than during the air supply operation.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

If the switching device and the air conditioner according to the present invention are used, outside air can be sent to an indoor space by means of the airway and indoor air can be expelled to the outside by means of the airway when switching the switching means between the first state and the second state. For the

Therefore, a switching procedure can be adopted in which outside air is sent to an interior space when it is desired to moderately ventilate the interior space while maintaining a positive pressure therein, and a ventilation procedure can be adopted in the that indoor air is expelled to the outside through the airway when it is desired to effectively expel indoor air to the outside.

Claims (7)

1. An air conditioner (1) comprising: a ventilation device having an air path (7, 73) that connects an interior space with an exterior space; a fan (70) having an air intake unit (70b) and an air discharge unit (70c); Y a switchable switching means (90) between a first state in which the air discharge unit (70c) is in communication with the airway (73), and a second state in which the unit (70b) of Air intake is in communication with the airway (73), characterized in that the air conditioner (1) comprises: an indoor unit (2) and an outdoor unit (3); Y a humidification unit (4) arranged inside or outside the unit (3), or adjacent thereto, the humidification unit (4) having the fan (70), the switching means (90), and a means of humidification, and being configured to supply humidified air to an indoor unit (2) by means of the air path (7, 73). 2. The air conditioner (1) disclosed in claim 1, further comprising a unit (21) of temperature regulation that regulates the temperature of the air in the interior space; wherein the switching means (90) is controlled to switch between an air supply that supplies outside air to the interior space, and an air discharge that discharges indoor air into the outer space, when switching between the first state and the second state , and the effect of regulating the temperature of the indoor air is reinforced by means of the unit (21) for regulating the temperature in the air discharge.

3.

The air conditioner (1) defined in claim 1, wherein the indoor unit (2) has a heat exchanger (11) and an indoor fan (12, 13) to aspirate indoor air in a predetermined space (2a) , passing it through the heat exchanger, and discharging it into the interior space; Y

the air path (7, 73) connects the humidification unit (4) and the predetermined space (2a) of the indoor unit (2).

Four.

The air conditioner (1) presented in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a pollution sensor (101) that detects the state of indoor air pollution.

5.

The air conditioner presented in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the switching means (90) is switchable to a third state that closes the air path (7, 73).

6.

The air conditioner presented in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fan (70) and the switching means (90) are arranged in the outer space.

7.

The air conditioner presented in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ventilation device further comprises a controller (100) configured to switch between an air supply from the outer space to an interior space and an air discharge from the inner space to outer space by switching the switching means between the first state and the second state, and to modify the fan outlet (70) during the air supply and the air discharge.