JPH01300150A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce consumption of a dry cell in a remote control device by a method wherein room temperature confirmation signal is sent to a wireless remote control device from the main unit of an air conditioner, a temperature of the confirmation signal is compared with a room temperature sensed by a sensor at the wireless remote control device and as the temperatures are coincided to each other, a response signal is sent to the main body. CONSTITUTION:A signal transmitting part 8 at a main body 2 of an air conditioner may transmit a room temperature confirmation signal toward a signal receiving part 22 at a wire-less remote control part 16. If this room temperature confirmation signal is for a heating operation, it is made such that various temperature data are coded in sequence with temperature decreased by 1 deg.C for the received set temperature. If the indoor temperature sensed by an indoor temperature sensor 21 is coincided with the room temperature confirmation signal at the wire-less remote control device 16, a response signal is transmitted from the signal transmitting part 20 toward the signal receiving part 6. This response signal is a signal for use in informing only the fact that the temperatures are coincided to each other and so it is sufficient to have 1 to 2 pulses or so. Therefore, a consumption for the dry cell of a power supply for the wire-less remote control part is sufficiently reduced.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to an air conditioner that can be remotely controlled by a wireless remote controller that has a built-in indoor temperature sensor. (Conventional technology) A wireless remote control that remotely controls an air conditioner has a built-in indoor temperature sensor that detects the indoor temperature. There is something. This wireless remote control uses a built-in indoor temperature sensor to detect the room temperature near the wireless remote control, encodes the detected temperature with a microcomputer, and then sends the signal to the signal transmitter as indoor temperature data. It is sent to the air conditioner at regular intervals. On the other hand, the air conditioner main body is provided with a signal receiving section. Based on the signal received by the signal receiver, the microcomputer installed inside the air conditioner controls the operation of the air conditioner based on the set temperature and the received indoor temperature data, and controls the indoor temperature. (Problem to be Solved by the Invention) Conventionally, however, indoor temperature data sent from a wireless remote control to an air conditioner main body was composed of a pulse signal consisting of several tens of pulses. Moreover, pulse signals were frequently transmitted at fixed time intervals.

As a result, the batteries built into the wireless remote control are rapidly depleted.Furthermore, even if the air conditioner itself requires indoor temperature data, unless the wireless remote control transmits the pulse signal, , indoor temperature data cannot be obtained for the air conditioner itself.

For this reason, the air conditioner itself had to wait for indoor temperature data to be transmitted from the wireless remote control in order to be able to accurately control its operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that uses a wireless remote control to reduce battery consumption and allows indoor temperature data to be reliably obtained when necessary.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an air conditioner that is remotely controlled by a wireless remote control with a built-in indoor temperature sensor, and transmits the temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor. A signal transmitting section that transmits a room temperature confirmation signal for confirmation and a signal receiving section that receives the signal sent from the wireless remote control are provided, and the wireless remote control is provided with a signal receiving section that receives the room temperature confirmation signal and an air conditioner. A microcomputer is provided with a signal transmitter that transmits a signal to the air conditioner, and transmits a response signal to the air conditioner via the signal transmitter when the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor matches the room temperature confirmation signal. 9 (Function) A room temperature confirmation signal is sent from the air conditioner body to a wireless remote control with a built-in indoor temperature sensor. The wireless remote control that receives this room temperature confirmation signal sends a response signal to the air conditioner body if the room temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor built into it matches the temperature detected by the received room temperature confirmation signal. Send. Therefore, the air conditioner itself transmits a room temperature confirmation signal containing various temperature data, and the remote control transmits it when the temperature according to the room temperature confirmation signal matches, so this transmission signal is a short transmission of one to several pulses. It only requires a signal, which reduces battery consumption.

(Example) The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the air conditioner main body 2, a signal receiving section 6 and a signal transmitting section 8 are provided adjacent to each other on the front part. Furthermore, in the wireless remote controller 16, a display section 5 is provided on the front surface and displays the air conditioning operation mode, etc., and a signal transmitting section 20 and a signal receiving section 22 are adjacent to each other at the tip of the wireless remote controller 16. A display section 19 and an operation switch 23 are provided on the front surface. Furthermore, the wireless remote control 16 has a built-in indoor temperature sensor 21.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of this embodiment.

As shown in the figure, the air conditioner main body 2 side has a microcomputer (
It consists of a microcomputer (microcomputer) 4, a signal receiving section 6, a signal transmitting section 8, a buzzer output section 10, a relay output section 12, and a display output section 14. The signal receiving unit 6 receives signals such as a reply signal transmitted from the wireless remote controller 16.

The signal transmitter 8 transmits the room temperature confirmation signal to the wireless remote controller 1.
The signal is transmitted to the signal receiving section 22 of No. 6. The microcomputer 4 has a central role in controlling the operation of the air conditioner main body 2, and the CP
It consists of a U (central processing unit), ROM (read-only memory), input/output board, etc. The microcomputer 4 decodes the signal sent from the signal receiving section 6.

Buzzer output section 10, relay output section 12 and display output section 1
The buzzer output section 10, which issues control commands to the air conditioner main unit 2 and controls the operation of the air conditioner main body 2, has the role of emitting a buzzer sound when the signal receiving section 6 receives a signal to make the operator confirm it. . The relay output section 12 operates the relay in response to a control command from the microcomputer 4 to control the operation of the compressor, four-way valve, indoor fan, etc., and the display output section 14 operates as follows.
This is a circuit section for displaying air conditioning operation modes, etc. that correspond to control commands. On the other hand, wireless remote control 16111
1 includes a microcomputer 18, a signal transmitter 20, and a signal receiver 2.
2, a room temperature input section 24, a display output section 26, and a switch input section 28. The signal receiving section 22 of the wireless remote control 16111 is a circuit section that receives a room temperature confirmation signal sent from the air conditioner main body 2 side. The room temperature input unit 24 takes in indoor temperature data detected by an indoor temperature sensor built into the wireless remote control, converts the indoor temperature data into a digital signal, and sends the digital signal to the microcomputer 18. The switch input unit 28 inputs the air conditioning operation mode set by the operation switch 23 (FIG. 1) to the microcomputer 18, and the display output unit 26 is a signal output unit for displaying the current air conditioning mode on a liquid crystal display, for example. be. The microcomputer 18 receives the room temperature confirmation signal received by the signal receiving section 22, compares it with the indoor temperature data sent from the room temperature input section 24, and sends a switch input signal to the signal transmitting section 20. It sends response signals, various operation command signals, etc.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. First, the air conditioner operating mode is set using the operation switch 23 of the wireless remote controller 16, and the air conditioner operation mode is transmitted from the signal transmitter 20 to the air conditioner main body 2. The air conditioner body 2 is operated in its air conditioning operation mode 9
The signal transmitter 8 on the air conditioner main body 2 side transmits a room temperature confirmation signal to the signal receiver 22 on the wireless remote controller 16 side. For example, in the case of heating operation, this room temperature confirmation signal is obtained by sequentially encoding various temperature data that is lowered by 1° C. with respect to the received set temperature. On the wireless remote control 16 side, the built-in indoor temperature sensor 2
If the indoor temperature detected by step 1 and the temperature of the room temperature confirmation signal match, the signal transmitter 20 transmits a response signal to the signal receiver 6. Since this response signal does not encode actual temperature data, but only indicates that the temperatures match, a signal of about 1 to 2 pulses is sufficient. Therefore, the consumption of the dry cell battery that is the power source of the wireless remote control can be reduced.The air conditioner body 2 receives a response signal to the temperature sent in the room temperature confirmation signal, and uses the temperature of the room temperature confirmation signal as room temperature data. . Then, based on the temperature difference between this room temperature data and the set temperature, operation related to indoor temperature control is performed.

This will be explained in more detail with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

As shown in the figure, a flowchart on the wireless remote control 16 side and a flowchart on the air conditioner main body 2 side are shown in the same figure. Operation starts 30, and wireless signal transmission 32 from the wireless remote control side is taken in as operation information to the air conditioner main body side (air conditioner main body side) 34. Then, on the air conditioner main body side 34 which has received the operating information such as the set temperature, a judgment 36 is made as to whether or not a response signal has been received from the wireless remote control 16 side after the start of control.5 In this judgment 36, First, when starting operation, use remote control 1.
Since there is no response from 611 (No), first, data on the set temperature received in the room temperature confirmation signal 50 is first sent to the remote controller 16a as a room temperature confirmation signal. Next, the indoor temperature control value is lowered by 1° C. from the maximum value (set temperature) through the line 50a, and it is determined 36 whether or not a response signal is received again. In this way, the room temperature confirmation signal transmission 50 continues to be sent to the remote controller 16a, with the room temperature confirmation signal being lowered by 1° C. from the set temperature.

On the remote control 16 side, the temperature of the room temperature confirmation signal sent sequentially as described above is compared with the room temperature detected by the temperature sensor 54, and the temperature in the room temperature confirmation signal sent in the room temperature confirmation signal transmission 50 is compared with the room temperature. When they match (YES),
Outputting the reply signal transmission 56 to the wireless signal transmission 32;
A response signal is transmitted to the air conditioner main body 34. When the air conditioner body 2111I determines that the response signal has been received (YES) in the judgment 36, it sets the time 38 for transmitting the room temperature confirmation signal, and sets the temperature data of the next room temperature confirmation signal to the room temperature. Then, the air conditioning operation is performed in accordance with the relative temperature difference between the room temperature and the set temperature.Firstly, the timer is counted 44, and the time set in the above-mentioned time setting 38 has elapsed. A judgment 46 is made as to whether or not it has been done.

If the timer count has ended (YES), the indoor temperature control value is lowered by 1° C. based on the room temperature data set in the setting 40, and a room temperature confirmation signal is transmitted 50. Also,
In this timer count judgment 46, it is judged 48 whether or not there is a request to send a room temperature confirmation signal from other controls of the air conditioner, and if there is such a request (YES), the room temperature confirmation signal is sent even before the timer count ends. do 50,
While there is no such request, the timer continues counting 44 until the timer count ends, and the timing for transmitting the room temperature confirmation signal 50 is determined.

In addition, FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 are diagrams showing another embodiment,
This embodiment is implemented in order to prevent other electrical equipment from being affected when signals are transmitted and received between the air conditioner main body and the wireless remote controller. That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an attachment 62 is attached to the tip of a signal receiving section 60 provided in the main body of the air conditioner.

By doing so, the opening 68 of the receiving section 60 is reduced in size by the attachment 62 as shown in the opening 66 . Therefore, the reception range of the infrared signal for the infrared light receiving element 67 is narrowed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the signal transmitted by the wireless remote control 16 is received only by the signal receiving section 6 of the air conditioner main body 2, and is received by the signal receiving section 72 of the other electric appliance 70. No worries,
Other electric appliances 70 will not malfunction.

However, the condition is that the wireless remote controller 16 is within the signal receivable angle θB.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, the following effects are achieved.

A room temperature confirmation signal is sent from the air conditioner main unit to the wireless remote controller, and the wireless remote controller compares the temperature in the confirmation signal with the room temperature detected by the sensor, and when they match, sends a response signal to the air conditioner main unit. Therefore, the consumption of the dry cell battery that is the power source of the wireless remote control can be greatly reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the invention, Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 4 is another embodiment. A side sectional view showing
FIG. 5 is a front view showing another embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing another embodiment. In the figure, 21 is an indoor temperature sensor, 16 is a wireless remote control, 2 is an air conditioner main body, 22 is a signal receiving section, 20 is a signal transmitting section, 6 is a signal receiving section, and 8 is a signal transmitting section. Representative Patent Attorney Nori Chika
Hiroshi UjiFigure 2Figure 4Figure 516'Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A signal transmitting unit that sends a room temperature confirmation signal to confirm the temperature detected by the indoor temperature sensor to an air conditioner that is remotely controlled by a wireless remote control with a built-in indoor temperature sensor, and a signal transmitter that receives the signal sent from the wireless remote control. and a signal receiving unit that receives the room temperature confirmation signal, and a signal transmitting unit that transmits the signal to the air conditioner, and
An air conditioner comprising a microcomputer that transmits a response signal to the air conditioner via a signal transmitter when the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor matches the room temperature confirmation signal.