JPH0960904A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Problem] It is possible to suppress the height of an indoor unit, contribute to the improvement of installation flexibility, and to provide comfortable heating without lowering the air flow and increasing noise during heating operation. An air conditioner that can contribute to the realization of the above. SOLUTION: The air sucked from the suction portions 23, 24 is blown downward through a cross-flow fan 26, a diffuser 34, and the suction portions 23, 24 and the diffuser 34 are also blown.
In the air conditioner including the indoor unit 21 in which the indoor heat exchanger 29 is arranged between the indoor heat exchanger 29 and the indoor heat exchanger 29, the diffuser 34 is provided downward in the vertical direction, and the indoor heat exchanger 29 is such that the refrigerant flowing inside is mainly horizontal. The horizontal arrangement portion 30 is arranged so as to flow along the path extending in the direction, and the non-horizontal arrangement portion 31 is arranged so that the refrigerant flowing inside flows mainly along the path extending in the vertical direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to directing indoor air sucked through a suction part to an indoor heat exchanger, and then directing it downward through a cross flow fan and a diffuser. The present invention relates to an air conditioner including an indoor unit of a type that blows out.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, indoor units of air conditioners are classified into various types according to the structure for sucking / blowing indoor air. Among these types, there is an indoor unit in which indoor air sucked from the front surface or the front surface and the upper surface is brought into contact with the indoor heat exchanger and then blown downward through a cross flow fan and a diffuser.

This type of indoor unit is suitable for use in a wall-hanging system, and is specifically constructed as shown in FIG. That is, the indoor unit 1 is usually provided with a casing 2 having a semi-cylindrical cross-section and elongated in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the drawing. Suction ports 3 and 4 for sucking indoor air are provided in the front wall of the housing 2 excluding the lower portion and the upper wall.
And a filter for trapping dust is attached to the suction ports 3 and 4.

A blow-out port 5 for blowing air obliquely downward is formed in a portion of the housing 2 that straddles the front wall and the bottom wall. A cross-flow fan 6 is provided at the center of the housing 2 with its axis oriented in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the drawing.
Between the suction ports 3 and 4 and the cross-flow fan 6, a bent or arc shape is formed so as to surround almost half of the cross-flow fan 6 except the part surrounded by the back casing 7 and the fan nose 8. An indoor heat exchanger 9 is arranged.
The drain water condensed on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 9 during the cooling operation is discharged after being collected in the drain pans 10 and 11.

When the cross-flow fan 6 is rotated, room air is sucked into the housing 2 through the suction ports 3 and 4 as indicated by solid line arrows 12a to 12d in the drawing. The indoor air that has been sucked in passes through the crossflow fan 6 after coming into contact with the indoor heat exchanger 9, and is statically pressured by the diffuser 13 formed by the rear casing 7 and the fan nose 8 and then obliquely downward from the outlet 5. Is blown out toward.

However, the air conditioner provided with the indoor unit 1 having the above structure has the following problems. That is, in the conventional indoor unit 1, in order to arrange the indoor heat exchanger 9 having a large heat exchange area between the wall of the housing 2 and the cross flow fan 6, the indoor heat exchanger 9 is formed in a bent or arc shape. Have been arranged. Then, in order to reliably guide the condensed water condensed on the surface of the indoor heat exchanger 9 to the drain pans 10 and 11 during the cooling operation, the indoor heat exchanger 9 is substantially divided into a plurality of divided portions 9a and 9b. The divided portions 9a and 9b are arranged so that the refrigerant flowing through the flow path flows in a direction that is within 50 degrees with respect to the vertical line.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the divided portions 9a and 9b must be arranged in a mountain shape or a V shape so as to surround a half circumference of the cross flow fan 6, and inevitably the indoor heat exchanger. The distance h1 between the uppermost end of the vertical direction and the axis of the cross flow fan 6 becomes large. On the other hand, the diffuser 13 requires a certain length or more in the flow direction. As described above, when the distance h1 becomes large and the diffuser 13 having a certain length or more in the flow direction must be provided, the vertical height H of the housing 2 inevitably increases.
If the height H becomes large, the installation place is limited, and the disadvantage is unavoidable.

Therefore, in the conventional indoor unit 1, in order to secure the length in the flow direction required by the diffuser 13 and to prevent the height H from increasing, the direction of the diffuser 13 is inclined 45 degrees downward. I am aiming.

However, the direction of the diffuser 13 is slanted by 4
When it is turned downward by 5 degrees, when it is actually attached to the wall 15 of the room 14 as shown in FIG. 11, the air flow blown out from the outlet 5 reaches the floor surface as shown by the broken line arrow 16 in the figure. It will be difficult. In particular, warm air is likely to rise due to buoyancy during heating operation, and therefore comfort cannot be satisfied when it is desired to raise the temperature of the feet in a short time as in heating operation. Therefore, normally, an auxiliary means such as a louver is provided at the blowout port 5 so that the blowout airflow is directed downward in the vertical direction during the heating operation. But,
When such an auxiliary means is added, there are problems that the air volume is reduced and noise is increased due to the addition.

[0010]

As described above, in the conventional air conditioner, if an attempt is made to adopt a structure in which the height of the indoor unit is suppressed, the air volume is reduced and the noise is reduced especially during the heating operation. There was a problem such as the increase.

Therefore, the present invention can suppress the height of the indoor unit, contribute to the improvement of installation flexibility, and
An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can contribute to improvement in comfort during heating without causing a decrease in air flow and an increase in noise even during heating operation.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is directed to a suction portion for sucking indoor air and room air sucked through the suction portion from a position lower than the suction portion. An indoor unit including a blow-out section for blowing out through a diffuser, a cross-flow fan provided between the suction section and the diffuser, and an indoor heat exchanger provided between the cross-flow fan and the suction section In the air conditioner comprising, the diffuser is provided downward in the vertical direction, and the indoor heat exchanger has a horizontal arrangement portion arranged so that the refrigerant flowing inside flows mainly in a path extending in the horizontal direction. The non-horizontal arrangement portion is arranged so that the refrigerant flowing inside flows mainly in a path extending in the vertical direction.

[0013] It is preferable that a throttle mechanism is inserted in a refrigerant passage connecting the horizontal arrangement portion and the non-horizontal arrangement portion of the indoor heat exchanger. Further, the throttle mechanism may be provided with control means for exhibiting the throttle function only during the cooling operation. It is preferable that the control means controls the throttle amount of the throttle mechanism so that the temperature of the horizontally arranged portion of the indoor heat exchanger is kept below room temperature and above the dew point during the cooling operation. Furthermore, this control means
A function of controlling the degree of throttling with respect to the throttling mechanism during the dehumidifying operation and also controlling the degree of throttling with respect to the expansion mechanism inserted in the refrigeration cycle may be provided.

In the air conditioner according to the present invention, the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit is a combination of two types of arrangements, that is, the horizontal arrangement portion in which the refrigerant flowing inside flows mainly in the path extending in the horizontal direction. And a non-horizontal arrangement portion arranged so that the refrigerant flowing inside flows mainly in a path extending in the vertical direction.

Therefore, a throttle mechanism is inserted in the refrigerant passage connecting the horizontal arrangement portion and the non-horizontal arrangement portion in the indoor heat exchanger so that condensed water is not generated on the surface of the horizontal arrangement portion during the cooling operation. By setting or controlling the throttling mechanism, it is possible to prevent the condensed water from adhering to the surface of the horizontally arranged portion, and it is not necessary to provide a treatment system for treating the condensed water.

Therefore, the distance h1 between the axis of the cross flow fan and the top of the horizontal arrangement portion can be made sufficiently small, and as a result, the diffuser can be directed downward in the vertical direction. In other words, the diffuser direction can be directed vertically downward while the height of the indoor unit is suppressed, so there is no reduction in air flow or increase in noise even during heating operation, and comfort during heating operation is ensured. It can contribute to the improvement of the property.

During the dehumidifying operation, the above-mentioned control means controls the throttling mechanism to exert its throttling function, and the expansion mechanism inserted in the refrigeration cycle to fully open. For example, the dehumidifying operation can be performed without lowering the indoor temperature.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of an indoor unit 21 in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The indoor unit 21 has a kamaboko-shaped cross section,
A housing 22 is provided that is elongated in the direction orthogonal to the paper surface. Suction ports 23 and 24 for sucking indoor air are formed in the front wall of the housing 22 excluding the lower portion and the upper wall, and these suction ports 23 and 24 have filters for trapping dust. It is installed.

An outlet 25 is formed in the lower wall of the housing 22 for blowing air downward in the vertical direction. A cross-flow fan 26 is provided at the center of the housing 22 with its axis oriented in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the drawing. And
An indoor heat exchanger 29 is disposed between the suction ports 23, 24 and the cross flow fan 26 so as to surround substantially the half circumference part of the cross flow fan 26 except the part surrounded by the back casing 27 and the fan nose 28. There is.

The indoor heat exchanger 29 is arranged along the upper wall of the housing 22, that is, in such a manner that the refrigerant flowing inside flows mainly in the path extending in the horizontal direction. The non-horizontal arranging portion 31 is arranged along the front wall, that is, so that the refrigerant flowing inside flows mainly in a path extending in the vertical direction. The refrigerant passages of the horizontal arrangement portion 30 and the non-horizontal arrangement portion 3
The first refrigerant passage is connected in series via the throttle mechanism 32 as shown in FIG.

Here, in any case in this example,
An operation mode in which condensed water does not adhere to the surface of the horizontally arranged portion 30 is selected. Therefore, the drain pan 33 for collecting condensed water is provided only on the non-horizontal arrangement portion 31 side.

On the other hand, the diffuser 34 formed by the back casing 27 and the fan nose 28 is provided so as to extend vertically downward. Note that, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the horizontally arranged portion 30 formed in a flat shape and the non-horizontal arranged portion 31 formed in an arc shape are incorporated, but as shown in FIG. Placement unit 30
a and the non-horizontal arranging portion 31a may be formed in a flat shape, or the horizontal arranging portion 30 as shown in FIG.
Incorporating a part including an arc-shaped part as b,
The non-horizontal arrangement portion 31b may be formed in an arc shape.

FIG. 4 shows the indoor unit 21 shown in FIGS.
A refrigeration cycle system of an air conditioner according to the present invention, which is a combination of (21a, 21b) and an outdoor unit (not shown), is shown here, which is a refrigeration cycle system in a cooling operation mode.

That is, reference numeral 41 in the drawing denotes a compressor driven by an inverter power source or the like. This compressor 41
The refrigerant discharged from the electromagnetically driven four-way valve 42, the outdoor heat exchanger 43, the expansion mechanism 44 typified by an expansion valve, and the horizontal arrangement portion 30 (3) of the indoor heat exchanger 29 (29a, 29b).
0a, 30b), throttle mechanism 32, indoor heat exchanger 29 (2
9a, 29b) non-horizontal arrangement portion 31 (31a, 31)
b) Flows in the path of the 4-way valve 42 and the compressor 41. In addition,
In the heating operation mode, the four-way valve 42 is switched and the refrigerant flows in the route opposite to the above.

The outdoor heat exchanger 43 is provided with an outdoor fan 45 for circulating and contacting outside air with the outdoor heat exchanger and a motor 46 for driving the outdoor fan 45. The cross flow fan 26 arranged in the indoor unit 21 is rotationally driven by the motor 47.

Next, the operation of the air conditioner configured as above will be described. First, when the four-way valve 42 is set to the position shown in FIG. 4, that is, the cooling operation mode is set to start driving the compressor 41 and the motors 46 and 47, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 41 causes the four-way valve 42- The heat flows from the outdoor heat exchanger 43 to the expansion mechanism 44 to the horizontal arrangement portion 30 of the indoor heat exchanger 29 to the throttle mechanism 32 to the non-horizontal arrangement portion 31 to the four-way valve 42 of the indoor heat exchanger 29 to the compressor 41.

When the cross flow fan 26 rotates, the room air is sucked into the housing 22 through the suction ports 23 and 24 as shown by solid arrows 51a to 51d in FIG. The inhaled indoor air passes through the cross-flow fan 26 after contacting the horizontal arrangement portion 30 and the non-horizontal arrangement portion 31 of the indoor heat exchanger 29, and after being statically pressured by the diffuser 34, solid line arrow 52 in FIG. As shown by, the air is blown downward from the outlet 25 in the vertical direction.

In this case, the expansion mechanism 44 and the throttle mechanism 3
By setting the throttling degree of 2 to a predetermined value, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the horizontally arranged portion 30 of the indoor heat exchanger 29 from significantly lowering, and the condensed water is kept on the surface of the horizontally arranged portion 30. The cooling operation can be performed in the state where the air does not adhere.
That is, the cooling operation can be performed in a state where the condensed water adheres only to the surface of the non-horizontal arrangement portion 31. Then, the condensed water that has adhered to the surface of the non-horizontal arrangement part 31 is not
It is collected in 3 and discharged. The Mollier diagram at this time is shown in Fig. 5 (a).

On the other hand, when the four-way valve 42 is switched to the relationship opposite to that shown in FIG. 4 to set the heating operation mode and the compressor 41 and the motors 46 and 47 are started to drive, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 41 is discharged. 4-way valve 42-non-horizontal arrangement part 31 of indoor heat exchanger 29 1-throttle mechanism 32-horizontal arrangement part 30 of indoor heat exchanger 29-expansion mechanism 44-outdoor heat exchanger 43 4-way valve 4
2 to flow in the path of the compressor 41.

The Mollier diagram at this time is shown in FIG. 5 (b). Since the flow velocity of the refrigerant flowing in the indoor heat exchanger 29 is slow during the heating operation, the pressure difference in the throttle mechanism 32 is smaller than that during the cooling operation, and the heating operation can be performed without any trouble.

In this way, the indoor unit 21 (21a, 21a
The indoor heat exchanger 29 (29a, 29b) of b) is a combination of two types of arrangements, that is, a horizontal arrangement portion 30 (30a, 30b) arranged so that the refrigerant flowing inside flows mainly in a path heading in the horizontal direction. And a non-horizontal arrangement portion 31 (31a, 31b) arranged so that the refrigerant flowing inside mainly flows in a vertically upward path.

Therefore, the throttle mechanism 32 is inserted in the refrigerant passage connecting the horizontal arrangement portion 30 and the non-horizontal arrangement portion 31 in the indoor heat exchanger 29, and the condensed water is formed on the surface of the horizontal arrangement portion 30 during the cooling operation. If the throttling mechanism 32 is set to a degree of throttling that does not cause the occurrence of condensed water, it is possible to prevent condensed water from adhering to the surface of the horizontal arrangement portion 30, and it is not necessary to provide a treatment system for treating condensed water. .

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1, the distance h1 between the axial center line of the cross flow fan 26 and the top of the horizontal arrangement portion 30.
Can be made sufficiently small, resulting in diffuser 34
Can be directed downward in the vertical direction. That is, since the direction of the diffuser 34 can be directed vertically downward while the height H of the indoor unit 21 is suppressed,
As shown in FIG. 9, when actually attached to the wall 54 of the room 53, as shown by a broken line arrow 55 in the figure, the air flow blown out from the outlet 25 does not cause a decrease in air volume and an increase in noise, It can reach the floor surface and contribute to the improvement of comfort during heating operation.

As shown by the broken line in FIG. 4, a bypass valve 60 is provided in parallel with the throttle mechanism 32, and the bypass valve 60 is controlled by the controller 61, or the throttle mechanism 32 and the expansion mechanism are controlled by the controller 61. You may employ the structure which controls the aperture of 44. A specific example will be described below.

(1) In the cooling operation mode, the throttling mechanism 32 is caused to exert its throttling function, and in the heating operation mode, the controller 61 controls the bypass valve 60 to be fully opened. The throttling degree of the throttling mechanism 32 in the cooling operation mode is set to a level at which condensed water does not adhere to the horizontal arrangement portion 30. By the above control, the influence of the throttle mechanism 32 during the heating operation can be eliminated. Figure 6 (a) shows the Mollier diagram during cooling operation, and Figure 6 (b) shows the Mollier diagram during heating operation.

(2) In the cooling operation mode, the throttling degree of the throttling mechanism 32 is controlled by the controller 61 so that the temperature of the horizontally arranged portion 30 is lower than room temperature and higher than the dew point. Controller 6 to be zero (fully open)
1 controls the diaphragm mechanism 32.

FIG. 7 (a) shows the Mollier diagram during the cooling operation, and FIG. 7 (b) shows the Mollier diagram during the heating operation. (3) In the dehumidifying operation mode, the controller 61 controls the degree of throttling of the expansion mechanism 44 and the throttling mechanism 32 so that the temperature of the horizontally arranged portion 30 becomes higher than room temperature.

By this control, during the dehumidifying operation, the horizontal arrangement section 30 heats the air, and the non-horizontal arrangement section 3
1, the air can be cooled and dehumidified, and the dehumidification operation can be performed without lowering the room temperature. Fig. 8 shows a Mollier diagram during dehumidification operation.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit is configured by the combination of the horizontal arrangement portion and the non-horizontal arrangement portion, it is possible to direct the diffuser direction downward in the vertical direction while suppressing the height of the indoor unit, It is possible to contribute to the realization of comfortable heating without lowering the air flow or increasing the noise even during the heating operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an indoor unit incorporated in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the indoor unit.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another modified example of the indoor unit.

FIG. 4 is a refrigeration cycle system diagram of the air conditioner.

FIG. 5 is a Mollier diagram during cooling operation and heating operation of the air conditioner.

FIG. 6 is a Mollier diagram during cooling operation and heating operation under the condition that the refrigeration cycle system is modified.

FIG. 7 is a Mollier diagram during cooling operation and heating operation under conditions in which the refrigeration cycle system is modified differently.

[Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is a Mollier diagram during dehumidification operation under the condition that another modification is added to the refrigeration cycle system.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the flow of indoor air when the room is air-conditioned by the air conditioning apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view of an indoor unit incorporated in a conventional air conditioner.

FIG. 11 is a view for explaining the flow of indoor air when the inside of the room is conditioned by the conventional air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21, 21a, 21b ... Indoor unit 22 ... Housing 23, 24 ... Suction port 25 ... Outlet port 26 ... Cross flow fan 27 ... Rear casing 28 ... Fan nose 29, 29a, 29b ... Indoor heat exchanger 30, 30a, 30b ... Horizontal arrangement portion 31, 31a, 31b ... Non-horizontal arrangement portion 32 ... Throttling mechanism 33 ... Drain pan 34 ... Diffuser 41 ... Compressor 42 ... 4-way valve 43 ... Outdoor heat exchanger 44 ... Expansion mechanism 60 ... Bypass valve 61 ... Controller

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Takeshi Mishima 8 Shinsita-cho, Isogo-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Kanagawa Prefecture, Living Space Systems Engineering Laboratory (72) Inventor Arai Kurai Shinsugita-cho, Isogo-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa No. 8 Inside the Toshiba Housing and Space Systems Engineering Laboratory (72) Inventor Yukinobu Takahashi No. 8 Shinsugita-cho, Isogo-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Inside the Toshiba Housing and Space Systems Engineering Laboratory

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A suction portion for sucking indoor air, a blower portion for blowing indoor air sucked through the suction portion from a position below the suction portion through a diffuser, the suction portion and the diffuser. In an indoor unit including a cross-flow fan provided between the cross-flow fan and the indoor heat exchanger provided between the cross-flow fan and the suction section, wherein the diffuser is vertically downward. It is provided for
The indoor heat exchanger has a horizontal arrangement part in which the refrigerant flowing inside flows mainly in a path extending in the horizontal direction and a non-horizontal arrangement part arranged in such a manner that the refrigerant flowing inside flows mainly in a path extending in the vertical direction. An air conditioner comprising: 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a throttle mechanism is inserted in a refrigerant passage connecting the horizontal arrangement portion and the non-horizontal arrangement portion of the indoor heat exchanger. . 3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising control means for causing the throttling mechanism to exert a throttling function only during a cooling operation. 4. The control means controls the temperature of the horizontally arranged portion of the indoor heat exchanger to be lower than room temperature during cooling operation,
The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the throttling degree of the throttling mechanism is controlled so as to be kept higher than the dew point. 5. The control means controls the throttling degree of the throttling mechanism during the dehumidifying operation, and also controls the throttling degree of the expansion mechanism inserted in the refrigeration cycle. The air conditioner according to claim 3.