JPH10148366A - Air conditioner with underfloor ventilation function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To permit the ventilation of an underfloor space simultaneously with the air conditioning of an indoor space. SOLUTION: A separate type air conditioner, having an indoor machine 2 and an outdoor machine 3, is provided with an underfloor space ventilating mode wherein a fan for the outdoor machine 3 can be rotated independently from air-conditioning operation. The air conditioner is provided with a control unit 5, judging whether air-conditioning operation is being effected or not and controlling so as to shift into the underfloor space ventilating mode only when the air-conditioning operation is not effected. The control unit 5 judges whether the temperature or the humidity of the underfloor space 12 or the temperature and the humidity of the underfloor space 12 satisfy a given condition or not and controls the fan of the outdoor machine 3 to be rotated only when the condition is satisfied.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner having an underfloor ventilation function. More specifically, the present invention relates to an air conditioner that can perform under-floor ventilation together with indoor air conditioning.

[0002]

2. Description of the Prior Art The underfloor of modern homes is often closed with a fabric foundation. Although such cloth foundations are provided with ventilation holes, it is said that the airflow between the floor and the outside alone is small, so that the underfloor becomes moist and the life of the house is shortened. . Therefore, conventionally, a dedicated underfloor ventilation device is provided at a ventilation opening of the cloth foundation in order to forcibly circulate outdoor air under the floor. This type of underfloor ventilation device is a blower fitted into a ventilation opening, and sucks underfloor air from a rear surface and discharges the sucked air from a front surface to the outside. Thereby, outdoor air flows under the floor through another ventilation port, and ventilation under the floor is performed.

However, there is a problem in that providing a dedicated underfloor ventilator requires a special expense. On the other hand, the above-described function of the underfloor ventilation device is a function that can be executed by an outdoor unit of a general separate type air conditioner.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner with an underfloor ventilation function capable of performing air conditioning under the floor together with air conditioning in a room so that ventilation under the floor can be performed without extra cost. is there.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioner with an underfloor ventilation function according to claim 1 is provided.
A separate type air conditioner having an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, wherein the air conditioner has an underfloor ventilation mode in which a fan of the outdoor unit can be turned on independently of an air conditioning operation.

In the air conditioner of the first aspect, the indoor unit is installed indoors, while the outdoor unit has the rear surface (air suction surface) facing the floor of the house and the front surface (air blowing surface) facing the outdoor. Is provided in the ventilation opening of the cloth foundation. In this state, if the air conditioning operation is performed, the fan of the outdoor unit is appropriately driven, so that the air under the floor is sucked into the outdoor unit through the rear surface, and the sucked air is discharged outside through the front surface. Then, as a result of the outdoor air flowing under the floor through a ventilation port different from the ventilation port into which the outdoor unit is fitted, ventilation under the floor is performed. However, by itself, ventilation under the floor is not performed during the period when the air conditioning operation is not performed. Here, since this air conditioner has the underfloor ventilation mode in which the fan of the outdoor unit can be rotated independently of the air conditioning operation, the air conditioner can shift to the underfloor ventilation mode during a period in which the air conditioning operation is not performed. . When the mode is shifted to the underfloor ventilation mode and the fan of the outdoor unit is turned on, air under the floor is sucked into the outdoor unit through the rear surface, and the sucked air is discharged to the outside through the front surface. Then, as a result of the outdoor air flowing under the floor through a ventilation port different from the ventilation port into which the outdoor unit is fitted, ventilation under the floor is performed. In this manner, the underfloor ventilation can be performed not only during the period in which the air-conditioning operation is performed but also during the period in which the air-conditioning operation is not performed. In addition, since the underfloor ventilation can be performed by using the outdoor unit, no special cost is required unlike the case where a dedicated underfloor ventilation device is provided.

[0007] The air conditioner according to the second aspect is the first aspect.
Wherein the user selects a first operation mode for performing a normal air-conditioning operation not including the underfloor ventilation mode and a second operation mode for performing an air-conditioning operation including the underfloor ventilation mode. And a selecting means for performing the setting.

In the air conditioner according to the second aspect, when the user does not desire the underfloor ventilation mode, the first operation mode is selected by the selection means. In the first operation mode,
Normal air-conditioning operation not including the underfloor ventilation mode is performed. When the air-conditioning operation is performed, the fan of the outdoor unit is appropriately driven, so that ventilation under the floor is performed. However, the ventilation under the floor is not performed during the period when the air conditioning operation is not performed. On the other hand, when the user desires the underfloor ventilation mode, the selection means selects the second operation mode. Thereby, the air conditioning operation including the underfloor ventilation mode is performed. When the air-conditioning operation is being performed, the fan of the outdoor unit is appropriately driven to perform ventilation under the floor, so that it is not necessary to shift to the under-floor ventilation mode. Therefore, when the air conditioning operation is stopped, the mode is shifted to the underfloor ventilation mode, and the fan of the outdoor unit may be turned.

[0009] The air conditioner according to the third aspect is the first aspect.
Or the air conditioner according to 2, further comprising a control unit that determines whether or not the air conditioning operation is being performed, and performs control to shift to the underfloor ventilation mode when the air conditioning operation is not performed. Features.

As described above, when the air-conditioning operation is being performed, the fan of the outdoor unit is appropriately driven to ventilate under the floor, so that it is not necessary to shift to the underfloor ventilation mode. Therefore, in the air conditioner of the third aspect, the control unit determines whether or not the air conditioning operation is being performed, and performs control to shift to the underfloor ventilation mode when the air conditioning operation is not being performed. Thereby, when the air conditioning operation is not being performed, it is possible to automatically shift to the underfloor ventilation mode.

[0011] The air conditioner according to the fourth aspect is the third aspect.
In the air conditioner according to the above, when the control unit shifts to the underfloor ventilation mode, the temperature or humidity under the floor,
Alternatively, it is characterized in that it is determined whether or not the temperature and humidity under the floor satisfy certain conditions, and control is performed to turn on the fan of the outdoor unit only when the conditions are satisfied.

Here, the "certain condition" means a condition serving as an index of whether or not ventilation under the floor is necessary, and is determined by the temperature or humidity under the floor or the temperature and humidity under the floor. The “constant condition” may be determined by the correlation between the temperature and humidity under the floor.

[0013] In the air conditioner according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the control unit may be configured such that when the mode is shifted to the underfloor ventilation mode, when the temperature or humidity under the floor or the temperature and humidity under the floor satisfies certain conditions, Since the control to turn on the fan of the outdoor unit is performed only when ventilation under the floor is necessary, the running cost (electricity bill) is lower than when the fan of the outdoor unit is always turned on when the air conditioning operation is not performed. Is saved.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an embodiment of an air conditioner with an underfloor ventilation function of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 shows an example in which a separate type air conditioner having an underfloor ventilation function according to one embodiment (indicated by 1 as a whole) is installed in a house 9. 14A and 14B are the walls of the house 9 and 1
5A and 15B show cloth foundations, respectively. Room 10
The underfloor 12 is partitioned by a floor 13. Air conditioner 1
The indoor unit 2 is mounted on the wall 14A of the room 10, while the outdoor unit 3 is fitted into the ventilation opening 16A of the cloth foundation 15A. As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the outdoor unit 3 has the rear surface 36 facing the underfloor 12 and the front surface 35 facing the outdoor 11, respectively, the rear of the bottom plate 31 is the table 18, and the front of the bottom plate 31 is the ventilation port 16A. Each is supported by the lower edge. As shown in FIG. 1, a microcomputer unit 5 as a control unit is mounted on the indoor unit 2, and an electrical component 7 for driving the outdoor unit 3 is mounted on the outdoor unit 3. The microcomputer unit 5 of the indoor unit 2 and the electrical component 7 of the outdoor unit 3 are connected by a cable 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, the outdoor unit 3 includes a compressor 41, a heat exchanger 42, and a fan 4 on a bottom plate 31.
4, a blower 43 including a fan cover 45 and a motor 46, an accumulator 44, valves 47, electrical components 7,
(See Figs. 1 and 2)
These are covered with a top plate 32, side plates 33 and 34, and a grid-like front panel 35 and rear panel 36. A temperature sensor and a humidity sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature and humidity under the floor 12 are provided in the outdoor unit 3.

The microcomputer unit 5 can control the first operation mode in which only the normal air-conditioning operation is performed and the control in the second operation mode in which the air-conditioning operation including the underfloor ventilation mode is performed. The underfloor ventilation mode is a mode in which the ventilation operation of the outdoor unit 3 can be performed independently of the air conditioning operation.
During the air blowing operation, the fan 44 is rotated by the motor 46 while the compressor 41 shown in FIG. 3 is stopped. In the second operation mode, the underfloor ventilation button switch provided in the remote controller 8 (sending an optical signal to the microcomputer unit 5) shown in FIG.
Alternatively, it is executed when the operation mode selection setting switch 6 provided in the indoor unit 2 is switched to “ON”. During other operations, the first operation mode in which only normal air-conditioning operation is performed is executed.

As shown in FIG. 4A, it is assumed that the user turns on the underfloor ventilation button switch of the remote controller 8 and selects the second operation mode (S11). At this time, the microcomputer unit 5 determines whether or not the air-conditioning operation is being performed (S12). When the air-conditioning operation is being performed, the microcomputer unit 5 controls the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 according to the setting of the air-conditioning operation ( S13). When the air-conditioning operation is performed, the fan of the outdoor unit 3 is appropriately driven, so that ventilation under the floor is performed. That is, the air under the floor 12 in FIG. 1 is sucked into the outdoor unit 3 through the rear surface 36, and the sucked air is discharged to the outside 11 through the front surface 35. And
Ventilation port 1 different from ventilation port 16A into which outdoor unit 3 is fitted
The air outside 11 flows into the underfloor 12 through 6B. As a result, ventilation under the floor is performed. It should be noted that the process returns to step S12 every time the predetermined time elapses, and checks whether the air conditioning operation is being performed.

If the air-conditioning operation has not been performed in step S12, the microcomputer unit 5 operates in the underfloor ventilation mode (S1).
4, a loop for repeating S15). Then, it is determined whether ventilation under the floor is necessary, that is, whether the temperature and humidity under the floor 12 detected by the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor in the outdoor unit 3 are equal to or higher than predetermined reference values (S1).
4). If the temperature and humidity of the underfloor 12 are lower than the reference values, the process exits the underfloor ventilation mode and proceeds to step S1.
Return to 2. Conversely, if the temperature and humidity under the floor 12 are equal to or higher than the reference values in step S14, the microcomputer unit 5
Determines that ventilation under the floor is necessary, and performs the blowing operation of the outdoor unit 3 (S15). Therefore, the air under the floor 12 in FIG. 1 is sucked into the outdoor unit 3 through the rear surface 36,
The sucked air is discharged to the outside 11 through the front surface 35. Then, the air in the outdoor area 11 passes through the ventilation port 16B different from the ventilation port 16A into which the outdoor unit 3 is fitted, and the air under the floor 11 is placed under the floor 12.
Flows into. As a result, ventilation under the floor is performed. In addition,
Every time the predetermined time elapses, the process returns to step S14 to check whether ventilation under the floor is necessary.

As described above, when the air blowing operation of the outdoor unit 3 is performed only when the ventilation under the floor is really required, compared with the case where the air blowing operation of the outdoor unit 3 is always performed when the air conditioning operation is not performed. Running costs (electricity costs) can be saved.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the microcomputer unit 5 monitors whether the setting switch of the indoor unit 2 has been switched to “ON” (S 16). When the setting switch of the indoor unit 2 is in the “OFF” state, the microcomputer unit 5 executes the first operation mode and controls the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 according to the setting of the normal air-conditioning operation (S17). .

When the user switches the setting switch 6 of the indoor unit 2 to "ON" and selects the second operation mode, the microcomputer unit 5 executes step S12 in FIG.
The following control is performed. That is, the microcomputer unit 5
It is determined whether or not the air conditioning operation is being performed (S12),
When the air-conditioning operation is being performed, the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 are controlled according to the setting of the air-conditioning operation (S13). When the air-conditioning operation is performed, the fan of the outdoor unit 3 is appropriately driven, so that ventilation under the floor is performed. On the other hand, step S12
If the air conditioning operation is not being performed in
Shifts to the underfloor ventilation mode. Then, it is determined whether or not ventilation under the floor is necessary (S14), and the ventilation operation of the outdoor unit 3 is performed only when ventilation under the floor is truly required (S1).
5). In this way, underfloor ventilation can be performed automatically.

According to this air conditioner, the under-floor ventilation can be performed by using the outdoor unit 3, so that the cost for the facilities of the house can be reduced as compared with the case where a dedicated under-floor ventilation device is provided. be able to.

The setting switch 6 for selecting the operation mode
May be provided not in the indoor unit 2 but in the outdoor unit 3.

[0025]

As is apparent from the above description, the air conditioner with underfloor ventilation function according to the first aspect is a separate type air conditioner having an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, wherein the outdoor unit is independent of the air conditioning operation. It has a underfloor ventilation mode in which the fan can be turned on, so that underfloor ventilation can be performed during air-conditioning operation, and underfloor ventilation can be performed by shifting to the underfloor ventilation mode during a period in which air-conditioning operation is not performed. .
In addition, since the underfloor ventilation can be performed by using the outdoor unit, no special cost is required unlike the case where a dedicated underfloor ventilation device is provided.

An air conditioner according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a first operation mode for performing a normal air conditioning operation not including the underfloor ventilation mode, and a second operation mode for performing an air conditioning operation including the underfloor ventilation mode. If the user does not want the underfloor ventilation mode, the first operation mode can be selected by the selection means to perform only normal air-conditioning operation. it can. In addition, when the user desires the underfloor ventilation mode, the user can select the second operation mode by the selection unit and perform the air conditioning operation including the underfloor ventilation mode.

In the air conditioner according to the third aspect, the control unit can automatically shift to the underfloor ventilation mode when the air conditioning operation is not being performed.

[0028] In the air conditioner according to the fourth aspect, when the control unit shifts to the underfloor ventilation mode, when the temperature or humidity under the floor or the temperature and humidity under the floor satisfies certain conditions, that is, when the air conditioner under the floor satisfies certain conditions, Since the control to turn on the fan of the outdoor unit is performed only when ventilation under the floor is necessary, the running cost (electricity cost) is lower than when the fan of the outdoor unit is always turned on when the air conditioning operation is not performed. Can be saved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a separate type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed in a house.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing in detail an installation state of an outdoor unit of the air conditioner.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing a structure of an outdoor unit of the air conditioner.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 air conditioner 2 indoor unit 3 outdoor unit 5 microcomputer unit 8 remote controller

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A separate type air conditioner (1) having an indoor unit (2) and an outdoor unit (3), wherein a fan of the outdoor unit (3) can be turned on independently of an air conditioning operation. An air conditioner having a ventilation mode. 2. The air conditioner (1) according to claim 1, wherein a first operation mode in which a normal air conditioning operation not including the underfloor ventilation mode is performed, and an air conditioning operation including the underfloor ventilation mode is performed. An air conditioner comprising a selection means (6) for allowing a user to select one of the two operation modes. 3. The air conditioner (1) according to claim 1, wherein it is determined whether or not the air conditioning operation is being performed, and when the air conditioning operation is not being performed, the mode is shifted to the underfloor ventilation mode. An air conditioner, comprising: a control unit (5) for performing control to perform the control. 4. The air conditioner (1) according to claim 3, wherein the control unit (5), when shifting to the underfloor ventilation mode, controls the temperature or humidity under the floor (12) or the underfloor (1).
It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not the temperature and humidity of 2) satisfy certain conditions, and only when the conditions are satisfied, control for turning the fan (44) of the outdoor unit (3) is performed. Air conditioner.