JP4478004B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner including a movable front panel that opens and closes a front suction port in an indoor unit, and more particularly to improvement in operation control of the front panel in a dehumidifying operation.

  In an indoor unit that constitutes an air conditioner, dust that has entered from a gap in the main body adheres to and accumulates on a heat exchanger or adheres to a blower fan, an air passage, or a drain pan over a long period of use. Furthermore, immediately after the cooling operation is stopped, part of the condensed water condensed in the heat exchanger does not flow down easily, or remains in the drain pan and the humidity in the main body increases. For this reason, the propagation of germs and molds contained in the dust is enhanced.

  Therefore, the present applicant has provided, for example, the technique of [Patent Document 1]. Here, a movable front panel is provided at the front suction port so as to be freely opened and closed. The front panel is driven to protrude during normal air-conditioning operation and during drying in the main body to open the front suction port, and is driven backward during operation stop and during sterilization in the main body to close the front suction port.

In other words, after the cooling operation is completed, the dehumidifying operation is performed, and the dry air blown out from the blowout port is short-circuited directly into the front suction port, and the internal components are dried to prevent the propagation of germs and mold. To do. Furthermore, during this short circuit operation, ozone generated by the electrostatic precipitator is filled in the entire interior of the main body to reliably sterilize and sterilize germs and molds.
JP 2003-74897 A

  By the way, in the technique of the above-mentioned [Patent Document 1], there is a predetermined interval between the lower end of the front suction port provided in the main body and the upper end of the blowout port. Therefore, when the circulating air volume is small, the heat exchange air rises along the outer surface of the front panel and an effective effect can be obtained.However, if the circulating air volume is set large, a part of the blown air flow is separated from the outer surface of the front panel. And tend to be blown into the room (residential area).

  On the other hand, in a dehumidifying operation that employs a reheating method that has been used more often than before, the indoor heat exchanger is divided into a reheating part and a dehumidifying part through a fixed throttle mechanism. Therefore, it is necessary to set the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant in the dehumidifying section to be equal to or lower than the air dew point temperature, and this has been dealt with by increasing the operating frequency (rotation speed) of the compressor.

However, when the operating frequency of the compressor is increased, the pressure on the high pressure side also increases, and the sensible heat capacity (reheat amount and cooling heat amount) that is wasted relative to the latent heat capacity actually required for dehumidification increases. For example, in an air conditioner with power consumption of 2.8 KW class, the input during cooling operation is 500 W, while the input during dehumidification operation with a dehumidification amount of 800 cc / h requires 400 W, which is energy saving. Gets worse.
Further, in the above-described reheating method, a larger amount of air is blown into the room in order to increase the amount of heat exchange with the passing air and improve energy saving. Therefore, chilliness due to wind speed is a problem.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and the purpose thereof is to provide a movable front panel that opens and closes the front suction port, and is always effective regardless of the amount of circulating air. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that forms a circulating flow and suppresses the amount of air that escapes to the living area, and that can improve the air blowing efficiency and the heat exchange efficiency particularly during the dehumidifying operation.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an air conditioner that includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit and communicates with a refrigerant pipe so as to form a refrigeration cycle. It is a housing with a blowout opening at the front and lower front.
Inside, communicates via an auxiliary throttle valve, a first heat exchanger unit that consists of the portion of the upper half than the substantially intermediate portion and in the vertical direction, the second heat exchanger composed of portions of the lower half made parts, the first heat exchanger and reheat section during dehumidification operation, the configuration of the indoor heat exchanger to the evaporation portion and the second heat exchanger and houses the indoor blower,
A movable front panel can be opened and closed freely at the front inlet of the indoor unit body, and a horizontal louver is installed at the outlet to set the vertical direction of heat exchange air.
Control means fully closed mode for closing the front suction port in contact with the bottom air outlet of the vertically intermediate portion extending to the front suction opening to a position covering a front portion of the horizontal louver on the front panel And a fully open mode in which the lower portion of the front panel is positioned above the blowout port and is controlled to a position and orientation opposed to the front suction port to open the front suction port, and
The lower part of the front panel is extended and held at the position facing the front of the horizontal louver so as to cover the upper part of the outlet, the upper part is opposed to the front inlet through the gap, and the upper end of the front panel is forward of the lower end of the front panel Heat-exchanging air that protrudes and is controlled to be entirely inclined and flows from the lower side of the outlet flows along the outer surface of the front panel, and is sucked into the indoor unit body from the upper surface inlet and the front inlet . and the panel outer surface circulating air flow and heat exchange 1 of the heat exchange unit, the heat exchange air discharged from the upper side of the air outlet to flow along the inner surface of the front panel, is sucked from the front suction port to the indoor unit body controls switching the position and orientation of the horizontal louver and the front panel to one of the half-open mode for forming a panel inner surface circulation stream you heat exchanger and the second heat exchanging portion.

  According to the present invention, regardless of the size of the circulating airflow, an effective circulation flow is always formed to suppress the airflow that escapes to the living area, and in particular, an improvement in air blowing efficiency and heat exchange efficiency during dehumidifying operation can be obtained. There is an effect.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an indoor unit constituting an air conditioner, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner, and FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the indoor unit in a fully open mode during a dehumidifying operation. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the indoor unit in the half-open mode during the dehumidifying operation.
In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an indoor unit body composed of a housing composed of a front plate 1A and a rear plate 1B. The indoor unit body 1 includes a front surface portion that is curved in a side view, and an upper surface portion, a lower surface portion, and both left and right side portions are substantially flat.

  An upper surface inlet 2 is provided on the upper surface of the indoor unit body 1, and a front inlet 3 is provided on the front. A blowout port 4 is provided along the lower portion of the front suction port 3. A grille 5 is fitted in the upper surface suction port 2 and is always open, but a movable front panel 6 described later is attached to the front surface suction port 3 so as to be freely opened and closed via a link type opening / closing mechanism. .

The blowout port 4 is provided with two horizontal louvers 7A and 7B in parallel in the vertical direction. The lower horizontal louver 7B is formed so that the longitudinal dimension perpendicular to the horizontal longitudinal direction is larger than the longitudinal dimension perpendicular to the horizontal longitudinal direction of the upper horizontal louver 7A.
These upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B are coupled to a drive mechanism (not shown), and this drive mechanism is electrically connected to a control unit (control means) 8 and is individually controlled to rotate. That is, the air direction in the vertical direction of the heat exchange air blown out from the blowout port 4 is set, or the blowout port 4 is closed.

  In the indoor unit body 1, an indoor heat exchanger 9, which is a refrigeration cycle device formed in a substantially inverted V shape by the front heat exchanger portion 9A and the rear heat exchanger portion 9B, is disposed. The front heat exchanger section 9A is curved substantially in parallel with a predetermined gap from the front surface of the indoor unit body 1 to a part of the upper surface. The rear heat exchanger section 9B is straight and obliquely inclined and faces the upper surface inlet 2.

As described above, the indoor heat exchanger 9 is composed of the front heat exchanger portion 9A and the rear heat exchanger portion 9B and is formed in a substantially inverted V shape. This is configured as described later.
An electric dust collector 11 is attached to the front side of the front heat exchanger section 9 </ b> A of the indoor heat exchanger 9. The electrostatic precipitator 11 is electrically connected to the control unit 8 and can perform an original dust collecting operation and can also be operated as an ozone generator.

  An indoor blower 12 that is electrically connected to the control unit 8 is disposed between the front and rear heat exchanger units 9A and 9B of the heat exchanger 9 and opposed to the outlet 4. The indoor blower 12 has an axial dimension substantially the same as the width dimension of the indoor heat exchanger 9, a cross-flow fan disposed facing the indoor heat exchanger 9, and a fan motor that rotationally drives the cross-flow fan. It consists of.

  The lower end portion of the front heat exchanger 9A is placed on the front drain pan 13a, and the lower end of the rear heat exchanger portion 9B is placed on the rear drain pan 13b formed integrally with the rear plate 1B. The drain water dripped from the vessel portions 9A and 9B can be received and drained to the outside via a drain hose (not shown).

  At a position close to the front and rear drain pans 13 a and 13 b, a nose for the fan of the indoor blower 12 is formed, and a partition wall member 14 is provided across the outlet 7. A space surrounded by the partition member 14 and the rear plate 1B becomes a part of the air passage 15 that communicates the nose and the outlet 4.

That is, in the indoor unit main body 1, an air passage 15 that connects the upper surface inlet 2, the front surface inlet 3, and the outlet 4 is formed as the fan 12 is driven. The indoor heat exchanger 9 and the electrostatic precipitator 11 are arranged in the middle of the air passage 15.
On the other hand, a filter 17 is attached between the upper surface suction port 2 and the front surface suction port 3, and the front heat exchanger portion 9A and the upper heat exchanger portion 9B. The filter 17 is inserted from the upper end of the outlet 4 with the front panel 6 opened, and can be removed from the same part as necessary.

Next, the front panel 6 will be described in detail.
In the state where the front suction port 3 is closed, the upper end and both side ends of the front panel 6 abut along the upper end and both side ends of the front suction port 3. It extends from the lower end of the front suction port 3 to the intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the blowout port 4 below.

  The lower portion 6a of the front panel 6 overlaps with the front surface of the upper horizontal louver 7A that closes the outlet 4 with a narrow gap, and the lower end of the front panel 6 is close to the upper end of the lower horizontal louver 7B. Designed to be That is, the front panel 6 not only closes the front suction port 3, but the front panel lower portion 6a closes the upper side of the outlet 4 together with the upper horizontal louver 7A as a substantially double structure.

  Although not shown in detail, the opening / closing drive mechanism includes a plurality of sets of link members, a drive shaft that connects the link members, and a drive source that drives the drive shaft. The drive source is electrically connected to the control unit 8 and receives a control signal from the drive source to drive the drive shaft so that the link member can expand and contract to move the front panel 6 in the front-rear direction. It has become.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front panel 6 closes the front suction port 3, and the front panel lower portion 6 a extends to a position facing the front surface of the upper horizontal louver 7 </ b> A so as to cover the upper portion of the outlet 4. Such a position and orientation of the front panel 6 is referred to as a “fully closed mode”.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the state where the front panel 6 is separated from the closed position with respect to the front suction port 3 to the front upper side, the front suction port 3 is largely opened and the position is maintained, the upper end of the front panel 6 is The position is higher than the upper end of the front inlet 3, and the lower end of the front panel 6 is higher than the upper end of the outlet 4. Such a position and orientation of the front panel 6 is referred to as a “fully open mode”.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the front panel 6 is slightly separated from the closed position in the front suction port 3 to the front, and the front suction port 3 is opened to a small size to maintain its position and orientation. And the front panel lower part 6a is hold | maintained in the position extended to the position facing the front surface of the upper horizontal louver 7A so that the upper part of the blower outlet 4 might be covered. The upper end of the front panel projects forward from the lower end of the front panel, and the front panel 6 as a whole is inclined. Such a position and orientation of the front panel 6 is referred to as a “half-open mode”.

As shown in FIG. 2, an outdoor unit that constitutes an air conditioner together with an indoor unit includes a compressor 21, a four-way switching valve 22, an outdoor heat exchanger 23, and an electronic expansion that is a decompression device in the outdoor unit main body 20. An outdoor fan 25 is accommodated and disposed so as to face the valve 24 and the outdoor heat exchanger 23.
The compressor 21, the four-way switching valve 22, the outdoor heat exchanger 23, the electronic expansion valve 24, and the indoor heat exchanger 9 in the indoor unit body 1 constitute a heat pump type refrigeration cycle circuit through the refrigerant pipe P. Communicated.

The compressor 21, the four-way switching valve 22, the electronic expansion valve 24, and the outdoor fan 25 are electrically connected to the control unit 8 and receive necessary control signals from the control unit 8. Yes.
The indoor heat exchanger 9 is configured such that the front heat exchanger section 9A and the rear heat exchanger section 9B are connected in series and the refrigerant is conducted. During cooling operation and dehumidifying operation, which will be described later, the refrigerant is introduced into the rear heat exchanger section 9B and led out from the front heat exchanger section 9A. Conversely, during the heating operation, the refrigerant is introduced from the front heat exchanger section 9A. And derived from the rear heat exchanger section 9B.

And the indoor heat exchanger 9 is provided with the dehumidification valve 10 which is an auxiliary throttle valve in the intermediate part of a refrigerant | coolant conduction path, The 1st heat exchanger part U and 2nd heat are passed through this dehumidification valve 10. The exchange part D is connected.
The first heat exchanger unit U is composed of the whole of the rear heat exchanger unit 9B and the upper half of the substantially middle part in the vertical direction of the front heat exchanger unit 9A. The second heat exchanger part D is composed of a lower half part from a substantially middle part in the up-down direction of the front heat exchanger part 9A. The dehumidifying valve 10 is provided at a substantially intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the front heat exchanger portion 9A, which is between the first heat exchanger portion U and the second heat exchanger portion D.

In the air conditioner configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 1 again, when the operation is stopped, the front panel 6 closes the front inlet 3 and the front panel lower portion 6a is the upper horizontal louver 7A. The blowout port 4 is closed together with the lower horizontal louver 7B on the substantially front surface.
Since the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B close the air outlet 4, dust does not enter the interior of the indoor unit body 1 from the front air inlet 3 and the air outlet 4. Since the front panel lower portion 6a is located on the front surface of the upper horizontal louver 7A and prevents dust from adhering to the surface of the upper horizontal louver 7A, it is extremely effective when heat exchange air forms a circulating airflow as will be described later. .

  When the cooling operation is set, the controller 8 controls the compressor 21 to start the refrigeration cycle operation. In this operation, the electronic expansion valve 24 is throttled and the dehumidification valve 10 is fully opened. Furthermore, the indoor air blower 12 is driven to guide indoor air along the air flow path 15. At the same time, the open / close drive mechanism and the drive sources of the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B are driven. The front panel 6 completely opens the front suction port 3, and the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7 </ b> A and 7 </ b> B are rotationally displaced in a substantially horizontal posture to completely open the outlet 4.

  The room air is sucked into the indoor unit main body 1 from the upper surface suction port 2 and the front surface suction port 3, and is guided along the air blowing path 15. On the way, the dust is collected by the electric dust collector 11, exchanges heat with the indoor heat exchanger 9, changes into cold air, and is blown out from the outlet 4. Cooling air is blown into the room, so that an indoor cooling action can be obtained.

  In addition, the control part 8 is the front panel 6 according to each of the cooling conditions, the room temperature stability, and the driving | running condition according to the request | requirement of a resident | resident (for example, airflow driving | operation easy for a person who prevents drying of skin). The positions and postures of the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B can be finely set and controlled.

  When the heating operation is set, the components such as the dehumidifying valve 10 are basically controlled in the same manner as in the cooling operation except that the four-way switching valve 22 is switched. The refrigerant is condensed in the indoor heat exchanger 9, and the indoor air flowing through the indoor heat exchanger 9 is turned into warm air and blown into the room to obtain a heating action.

  Also at this time, the front panel 6 and the upper and lower parts are horizontally aligned according to the heating start-up, the room temperature stability, and the operating conditions according to the occupant's requirements (for example, the airflow operation that is easy on the person to prevent skin drying). Of course, the position and posture of the louvers 7A and 7B can be finely set and controlled.

When the dehumidifying operation is set, as shown in FIG. 3, the front panel 6 is controlled to be switched to the fully open mode, and the upper and lower blowout louvers 7A and 7B are set to be inclined obliquely downward toward each other. Therefore, the front inlet 3 and the outlet 4 are completely opened.
Then, while the electronic expansion valve 24 is fully opened, the dehumidification valve 10 is controlled to be throttled, and the operation of the compressor 21, the outdoor fan 25, and the indoor fan 12 is started. The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 21 is guided to the outdoor heat exchanger 23 via the four-way switching valve 22 and most of the refrigerant gas is condensed.

And it distribute | circulates the electronic expansion valve 24 of a full open state, and is introduce | transduced into the indoor heat exchanger 9. FIG. Here, the remaining refrigerant gas that is first guided to the first heat exchanger unit U and cannot be condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 23 is condensed. That is, the first heat exchanger unit U functions as a reheat unit.
In the state where all the refrigerant gas is condensed in the first heat exchanger unit U, the refrigerant gas is led to the dehumidifying valve 10 and expanded under reduced pressure, and then led to the second heat exchanger unit D to be evaporated. Therefore, the 2nd heat exchanger part D functions as a dehumidification part (evaporation part).

Eventually, in the indoor heat exchanger 9, the refrigerant is condensed in the first heat exchanger section U indicated by broken line hatching in the figure, and the condensed heat is released to the circulating indoor air. The room air is warmed as indicated by broken line arrows in the drawing, guided along the air blowing path 15, and blown out from the outlet 4.
Further, in the indoor heat exchanger 9, the refrigerant evaporates in the second heat exchanger portion D indicated by cross hatching in the figure, and takes latent heat of evaporation from the circulating indoor air. The room air is dehumidified and cold as shown by the one-dot chain line arrow in the figure, is guided through the air passage 15, and is blown out from the outlet 4.

At the outlet 4, warm air and dehumidified cold air are mixed to form heat exchange air that has been deheated and dehumidified. Since the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A, 7B are inclined obliquely downward toward the room, all heat exchange air is efficiently blown into the room.
As described above, the front panel 6 fully opens the front air inlet 3 and also sucks room air from the upper air inlet 2, so that the heat exchange air blown from the outlet 4 has a sufficient air volume, Is quickly dehumidified.

When the indoor dehumidifying environment is stabilized, the control unit 8 keeps the operating frequency of the compressor 21 below a predetermined value to lower the operating capability, and as shown in FIG. 4, the front panel 6 and the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B. Controls the position and orientation of the.
That is, the front panel 6 is switched to the half-open mode, and the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B are both in a posture in which the front end is slightly upward from the rear end and is inclined obliquely upward toward the room. Therefore, at the blowout port 4, heat exchange air is blown between the upper horizontal louver 7A and the upper portion of the blowout port 4, and heat exchange air is blown between the upper horizontal louver 7A and the lower horizontal louver 7B.

  As the indoor blower 12 is driven, the heat exchange air blown from the upper side of the upper horizontal louver 7A passes between the front surface of the indoor unit body 1 and the inner surface of the front panel 6 as indicated by a one-dot chain line arrow in the figure. Then rise. When the heat exchange air faces the front suction port 3, it is influenced by the suction pressure of the indoor blower 12, flows through the lower side of the front suction port 3, and is introduced into the indoor unit body 1.

  Further, the heat exchange air is guided to the indoor heat exchanger 9 through the filter 17, and the front heat exchanger portion 9 </ b> A constituting the indoor heat exchanger 9 is disposed substantially opposite to the front suction port 3. Most of the heat exchange air flows through the second heat exchanger part D formed in the lower part of the front heat exchanger part 9A to exchange heat.

Thereafter, the air is sucked into the indoor blower 12 and blown along the blower passage 15. Since the position where this heat exchange air is blown out from the blowout port 4 is mainly on the upper side of the blowout port 4 partitioned by the upper horizontal louver 7A, it circulates again through the above-mentioned path.
Thus, the air blown out from the outlet 4 and guided along the inner surface of the front panel 6 to exchange heat with the second heat exchanger part D will always circulate inside the indoor unit body 1. Since it does not come out from the indoor unit main body 1 side, this heat exchange air flow state is referred to as a panel inner surface circulation air flow Qi.

  On the other hand, as shown by broken line arrows in the figure, the heat exchange air blown from between the upper horizontal louver 7A and the lower horizontal louver 7B, which is the lower part of the blowout port 4 partitioned by the upper horizontal louver 7A, It is led to the outer surface side of the panel 6. And it raises along the outer surface of the front panel 6, and finally reaches an upper end.

Here, under the influence of the suction pressure of the indoor blower 12, most of it is introduced into the indoor unit body 1 from the upper surface suction port 2, and a part is introduced into the indoor unit body 1 from the upper end of the front suction port 3, and the filter 17. To the indoor heat exchanger 9.
Since the upper part of the front heat exchanger part 9A constituting the indoor heat exchanger 9 and the rear heat exchanger part 9B are disposed substantially opposite to the upper surface suction port 2, most of the heat exchange air is transferred to the front heat exchanger. Heat is exchanged through the first heat exchanger U formed by the upper part 9A and the rear heat exchanger 9B.

Thereafter, the air is sucked into the indoor blower 12 and blown along the blower passage 15. Since the position where this heat exchange air is blown out from the blowout port 4 is mainly on the lower side of the blowout port 4 partitioned by the upper horizontal louver 7A, it circulates again through the above-mentioned path.
Thus, the air that is blown out from the outlet 4 and is guided along the outer surface of the front panel 6 and exchanges heat with the first heat exchanger unit U circulates in the outer surface of the indoor unit body 1. The air flow state is referred to as a panel outer surface circulation air flow Qo.

  Eventually, after the operation frequency of the compressor 21 is controlled to be lowered, the panel inner surface circulating air flow Qi and the panel outer surface circulating air flow Qo are simultaneously formed and circulated in the indoor unit. The heat exchange air guided to the panel inner surface circulating air flow Qi and the panel outer surface circulating air flow Qo is guided along the upper horizontal louver 7A.

As described above, particularly when the front panel 6 is in the fully closed mode during operation stop, the upper horizontal louver 7A is shielded by the front panel lower part 6a and is in a state in which dust does not adhere to it. The degree is retained.
Since the dehumidification valve 10 is controlled to be throttled as described above, the first heat exchanger unit U condenses the refrigerant that cannot be condensed by the outdoor heat exchanger 23 and circulates the panel outer surface circulation air flow Qo. It becomes the reheat part which reheats. The second heat exchanger part D becomes a dehumidifying part (evaporating part) that evaporates the refrigerant and cools and dehumidifies the air circulating in the panel inner surface circulation air flow Qi.

  All the reheat dehumidifications blown from the outlet 4 were performed by setting the front panel 6 to the half-open mode position and controlling the position and orientation of the upper and lower horizontal louvers 7A and 7B to perform the reheat dehumidification operation. The heat exchange air circulates as a panel outer surface circulation airflow Qo and a panel inner surface circulation airflow Qi. Since no air is blown into the living area, the sensible temperature is improved for the resident and a comfortable dehumidifying environment is obtained.

  In order to perform dehumidification, it is necessary to lower the evaporation temperature to below the air dew point temperature. However, in the present invention, the operation for sucking the blown heat exchange air having a low suction temperature and the operation frequency of the compressor are reduced. By performing the low-capacity operation, the pressure of the entire refrigeration cycle decreases, and the first heat exchanger part (reheating part / high pressure) U temperature and the second heat exchanger part (evaporation part / low pressure) D temperature. Decreases.

In the normal reheat dehumidifying operation, the operation frequency of the compressor is increased to the maximum in order to lower the temperature of the evaporator, but in the present invention, the second heat is increased without increasing the operation frequency of the compressor 21. The temperature of the exchanger part D can be lowered, and significant energy saving can be achieved.
Furthermore, even if the temperature of the first heat exchanger unit U is low, the suction temperature is low, so that heat is radiated in the first heat exchanger unit U to ensure isothermal properties, and the pressure of the entire refrigeration cycle is reduced. Since the pressure decreases, the high-pressure side also becomes low, the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 23 becomes low, heat exchange is suppressed, and the heat radiation amount on the outdoor side can be suppressed.

Therefore, compared with the conventional reheating method, sufficient latent heat capability (dehumidification capability) can be obtained even in low-capacity operation, and sensible heat capability (ability to cool the room) can be reduced. And by using the front panel 6 having the above-described configuration, it is possible to stably secure the path of the panel inner surface circulating air flow Qi together with the panel outer surface circulating air flow Qo.
During the dehumidifying operation, the control unit 8 is more stable at the time when the panel inner surface circulating air flow Qi is formed in the half-open mode position than at the start of operation in which the front panel 6 is set in the fully open mode position to form the normal air flow. The switching control is performed so as to reduce the maximum operating frequency of the compressor 21.

  That is, when the dehumidifying operation is stable, the panel outer surface circulation air flow Qi is formed together with the panel inner surface circulation air flow Qi to perform reheat dehumidification, so that the amount of dehumidification can be ensured even if the operation frequency of the compressor 21 is lowered. Therefore, the maximum operating frequency of the compressor 21 can be suppressed, and energy saving and quietness can be improved.

  Further, during the dehumidifying operation, the control unit 8 assumes that the operation frequency of the compressor 21 is the same at the start of operation for forming the normal air flow and at the stable time of forming the panel inner surface circulation air flow Qi. The fan rotation speed of the blower 12 is switched and controlled so that the time at the time of stability becomes larger than that at the start of operation.

  That is, at the stable time, the dehumidification amount can be secured even if the operation frequency of the compressor 21 is lowered, but there is a possibility that the blowout temperature is further lowered and condensation or the like occurs at the blowout port 4 or the like. Therefore, by setting the operating frequency of the compressor 21 at the time of stability to be the same as that at the start of operation and increasing the fan rotation speed of the indoor blower 12, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the dew condensation and improve the dehumidification amount. I can plan.

  Further, during the dehumidifying operation, the control unit 8 sets the outdoor blower 25 to be the same when the operation frequency of the compressor 21 is the same at the start of operation for forming the normal air flow and at the stable time of forming the panel inner surface circulation air flow Qi. The fan speed is switched and controlled so that it is greater at the stable time than at the start of operation.

  That is, when the panel inner surface circulating air flow Qi and the panel outer surface circulating air flow Qo are formed in the indoor unit main body 1, the amount of heat radiation in the outdoor heat exchanger 23 is reduced, but the isothermal property in the room is improved. In order to ensure the same isothermal property, it is necessary to increase the heat radiation amount in the outdoor heat exchanger 23, and the isothermal property can be made the same by increasing the fan rotation speed of the outdoor blower 25 from the time of normal air flow formation. And the amount of heat radiation increases in the outdoor heat exchanger 23, whereby the internal pressure of the refrigeration cycle is lowered and energy saving can be achieved.

  FIG. 5A is a diagram for explaining the temperature of each part at the start of operation in the dehumidifying operation (hereinafter referred to as a normal airflow method), and FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating when the dehumidifying operation is stable (hereinafter referred to as a panel inner surface circulating airflow method). FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the characteristics of power consumption with respect to the dehumidification amount of the normal airflow method and the panel inner surface circulation airflow method. [Table 1] and [Table 2] show the cycle temperature and various data of the normal airflow method and the panel internal circulation airflow method together.

First, comparing the normal airflow method and the panel internal circulation airflow method from FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B), the panel internal circulation airflow method requires a smaller temperature difference than the normal airflow method, and compression. Energy saving can be obtained by keeping the operating frequency (comp rotation speed) of the machine 21 low, and the dehumidifying part (second heat exchanger part D) can be kept at a lower temperature to ensure the dehumidifying amount.

  The above is also proved from the data in Table 1. That is, despite the result of obtaining the same dehumidification amount (400 cc / h) in the normal air flow method and the panel internal circulation air flow method, the operating frequency (compression speed) of the compressor 21 is reduced (20 rps-12 rps). In addition to energy savings, the room noise can be reduced by 3 dB (30 dB-27 dB).

  In FIG. 6, the line N connecting the circles in the figure indicates the characteristics of the panel inner surface circulation airflow method, and the line T connecting the triangles indicates the characteristics of the normal airflow method. If the panel inner surface circulation air flow method N is adopted, it can be seen that, in any dehumidification amount, the power consumption is about ½ compared to the normal air flow method T, and energy saving is achieved.

  Further, since the panel internal circulation air flow method has a high concentration diffusion rate of moisture in the air, a sufficient dehumidification amount can be secured even if the amount of air sent directly to the living area is reduced. Explaining that dehumidifying operation requires powerful power to take up a lot of moisture at the start of operation in order to quickly reduce the humidity, and also uses less power when stable because it is used for a longer time than other operations. It is necessary to balance energy saving.

  Currently, the reheat dehumidification method that is frequently used meets the demand for power to reduce the temperature of the dehumidifying part of the indoor heat exchanger to ensure the amount of dehumidification. Since it corresponds by raising the frequency, energy saving is not sufficient, and when compared at the same sensible temperature as in cooling operation, power consumption of 2 to 3 times that of cooling is required.

  Therefore, in the present invention, at the start of the dehumidifying operation, the front panel 6 is completely opened to ensure a large air flow, and the refrigerant circulation rate is increased to keep the dehumidifying amount to the maximum. When the operation is stable, the front panel 6 is set to the half-open mode, and the low-temperature panel inner surface circulation air flow Qi that guides the dehumidified air along the inner surface of the front panel 6 again is formed, and the dehumidifying section temperature is lowered. As a result, as described above, the dehumidification can be performed at twice the efficiency compared to the conventional reheat dehumidification method, and the energy saving performance is improved.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments.

Sectional drawing which shows typically the indoor unit of the air conditioner based on Embodiment of this invention. The figure explaining the structure of an air conditioner, a refrigerating cycle, and control based on the embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows typically the indoor unit at the time of the dehumidification driving | operation start based on the embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows typically the indoor unit at the time of dehumidification driving | operation stable based on the embodiment. The figure which shows each part temperature of the conventional system and this invention system at the time of a dehumidification driving | operation. The power consumption characteristic figure of the dehumidification amount at the time of dehumidification driving | operation.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Front suction port, 2 ... Upper surface suction port, 4 ... Outlet port, 10 ... Dehumidification valve ( auxiliary throttle valve ), U ... 1st heat exchanger part, D ... 2nd heat exchanger part, 9 ... Indoor Heat exchanger, 12 ... indoor blower, 1 ... indoor unit main body, 6 ... front panel, 7A ... upper horizontal louver, 7B ... lower horizontal louver, Qo ... panel external circulation airflow, Qi ... panel internal circulation airflow, 8 ... control unit (Control means), 21 ... compressor, 25 ... outdoor blower.

Claims (1)

In an air conditioner including an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, and the indoor unit and the outdoor unit communicate with each other so as to constitute a refrigeration cycle via a refrigerant pipe.
The indoor unit is
Mouth suction on the front and top are provided a housing blowout bottom front is provided, inside, communicates via an auxiliary throttle valve, Ru is constituted from portions of the upper half than the substantially middle portion in the vertical direction first heat exchanger part and made from the second heat exchanger unit constituted by the portion of the lower half, the first heat exchanger and reheat section during dehumidification operation, the evaporation of the second heat exchanger An indoor heat exchanger configured as a part, an indoor unit main body that houses the indoor blower, and
A movable front panel that can be freely opened and closed at the front suction port of the indoor unit body;
A horizontal louver which is provided at the outlet and sets the vertical air direction of the heat exchange air to be blown;
Lower part of the front panel is extended to a position covering a front portion of the horizontal louver vertically intermediate portion of the air outlet, and a fully closed mode for closing the front suction port in contact with the front surface intake port,
Is located above the bottom blowing port of the front panel, full-open mode is controlled by the position and orientation facing away from the front surface intake port opening the front suction port and,
The lower part of the front panel is extended and held at the position facing the front of the horizontal louver so as to cover the upper part of the outlet , the upper part is opposed to the front inlet through the gap, and the upper end of the front panel is forward of the lower end of the front panel Projecting to the whole and controlled to an inclined posture ,
The heat exchange air blown out from the lower side of the blowout port flows along the outer surface of the front panel, and is sucked into the indoor unit main body from the upper surface suction port and the front suction port to constitute the indoor heat exchanger. A panel outer surface circulating airflow to exchange heat with the heat exchange unit ,
Heat exchange air blown from the upper side of the blowout port flows along the inner surface of the front panel, and is sucked into the indoor unit main body from the front suction port to constitute the indoor heat exchanger; a half-open mode for forming a panel inner surface circulation stream you heat exchanger,
An air conditioner comprising control means for switching and controlling the position and orientation of the horizontal louver and the front panel in any of the fully closed mode and the fully open mode or the semi-closed mode .

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