Patent Grant
9897335
This U.S. National stage application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-254309, filed in Japan on Nov. 5, 2009, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to an indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus.
As an indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus, there is, as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-349892 for example, an indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus where plural air outlets are disposed. In this indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus, a wide range of a target space can be conditioned by conditioned air blown out from each of the plural air outlets.
However, in the indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-349892, in a case where the target area to which the conditioned air from a predetermined air outlet is to be blown out is near a side wall in a room or in a case where there is a user who dislikes the sensation of a draft, a closing member or the like becomes separately necessary in order to keep the extent to which the air is blown out from that air outlet low or stop it.
With respect to this, in an indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-285652, there is proposed a technology that reduces the volume of conditioned air blown out from a specific air outlet by causing a horizontal flap that adjusts the airflow direction of the conditioned air to rotate to block the entire air outlet.
However, in the indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-285652, it is difficult to completely block the air outlet with the horizontal flap, and it is easy for a temperature difference to arise between the surface of the horizontal flap that the conditioned air strikes and the surface of the horizontal flap on the room side that air whose temperature has not been adjusted strikes. When a temperature difference arises between one surface and the opposite surface of the horizontal flap in this way, it ends up becoming easier for dew condensation to form on the front surface of the horizontal flap.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and it is a problem of the present invention to provide an indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus that can decrease the volume of air blown out from any air outlet of plural air outlets while suppressing dew condensation without using a new part.
An indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of a first aspect of the invention is an indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus that is fixed with respect to a ceiling, the indoor unit including an indoor unit casing, airflow direction adjusting plates, and an airflow direction adjusting control unit. The indoor unit casing has an air inlet and plural air outlets. The plural airflow direction adjusting plates are disposed in the air outlet respectively. The airflow direction adjusting plates can, by rotating, adjust the airflow direction of conditioned air blown out from the air outlet respectively. The airflow direction adjusting control unit can independently adjust the rotational states of the plural airflow direction adjusting plates respectively. The airflow direction adjusting control unit causes the entire body of at least any one of the plural airflow direction adjusting plates to be positioned inside the corresponding air outlet to thereby put the airflow direction adjusting plate in an air volume reducing state in which the airflow direction adjusting plate reduces the volume of the conditioned air passing through the air outlet or a suppressing state in which the airflow direction adjusting plate suppresses the flow of the conditioned air heading from the air outlet toward the opposite side of the air inlet side.
In this indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus, it becomes possible to reduce the volume of air blown out from any air outlet of the plural air outlets while suppressing dew condensation without using a new part.
An indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of a second aspect of the invention is the indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of the first aspect of the invention and further includes arm members. The airflow direction adjusting plates are placed away from rotating shafts in the rotation. The arm members extend from the airflow direction adjusting plates to the rotating shafts.
In this indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus, the airflow direction adjusting plates are placed away from the rotating shafts, so it becomes possible to change, by rotation, position in the flow direction of the conditioned air in the air outlets.
An indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of a third aspect of the invention is the indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of the first or second aspect of the invention, wherein the airflow direction adjusting plates have dew condensation suppressing surfaces that have a dew condensation suppressing function as a result of having a groove shape formed therein or being flocked. Back surfaces of the dew condensation suppressing surfaces of the airflow direction adjusting plates have a flatter shape than the dew condensation suppressing surfaces.
In this indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus, the formation of dew condensation can be suppressed by the dew condensation suppressing surfaces of the airflow direction adjusting plates. Further, the back surfaces of the dew condensation suppressing surfaces have a flat shape, so by putting these surfaces in a state in which they face the room side, the design can be improved. For this reason, it becomes possible to achieve a balance, simply by changing the rotational states of the airflow direction adjusting plates, between suppressing dew condensation on the airflow direction adjusting plates and improving the design when seen from the room side.
An indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of a fourth aspect of the invention is the indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of the third aspect of the invention, wherein the dew condensation suppressing surface sides of the airflow direction adjusting plates have a concave shape, and the back surface sides of the dew condensation suppressing surfaces of the airflow direction adjusting plates have a convex shape.
In this indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus, in the case of adjusting the airflow direction with the airflow direction adjusting plates, the conditioned air passing through the air outlets can be gently guided in the traveling direction, and in the case of reducing the air volume in the air outlets, it becomes possible to suppress the extent of turbulence in the traveling direction of the conditioned air.
An indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of a fifth aspect of the invention is the indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of any of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, wherein the indoor unit is equipped with at least four sets of the airflow direction adjusting plates and the air outlets. The number of sets on which the airflow direction adjusting control unit can simultaneously execute the air volume reducing state is only one set or two sets of the four sets.
In the indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of the first to fourth aspects, if the air volume reducing state ends up being simultaneously performed in three or more sets of the four sets of the air outlets and the airflow direction adjusting plates, the volume of air passing through the section of the remaining set of the air outlets and the airflow direction adjusting plates ends up increasing too much.
With respect to this, in the indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of the fifth aspect, the number of sets on which the air volume reducing state can be simultaneously executed is restricted to two sets or less, so it becomes possible to suppress an excessive increase in the volume of air blown out from the section not taking the air volume reducing state.
In the indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of the first aspect of the invention, it becomes possible to reduce the volume of air blown out from any air outlet of the plural air outlets while suppressing dew condensation without using a new part.
In the indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of the second aspect of the invention, it becomes possible to change, by rotation, position in the flow direction of the conditioned air in the air outlets.
In the indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of the third aspect of the invention, it becomes possible to achieve a balance, simply by changing the rotational states of the airflow direction adjusting plates, between suppressing dew condensation on the airflow direction adjusting plates and improving the design when seen from the room side.
In the indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of the fourth aspect of the invention, it becomes possible to selectively perform: moderately and gently guiding, in the traveling direction, the conditioned air passing through the air outlets; and reducing the air volume while suppressing the extent of turbulence in the traveling direction of the conditioned air.
In the indoor unit of an air conditioning apparatus of the fifth aspect of the invention, it becomes possible to suppress an excessive increase in the volume of air blown out from the section not taking the air volume reducing state.
A ceiling-mounted air conditioning apparatus pertaining to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
<1> Air Conditioning Apparatus 1
The air conditioning apparatus 1 is a type that is installed as a result of a type of indoor unit being embedded in a ceiling, has eight air outlets, and can independently rotate and control, per airflow direction adjusting plate, the angles of inclination of airflow direction adjusting plates disposed in four of the eight air outlets. The air conditioning apparatus 1 is a split type of air conditioning apparatus, mainly has an outdoor unit 2, an indoor unit 4, a liquid refrigerant connection tube 5 and a gas refrigerant connection tube 6 that interconnect the outdoor unit 2 and the indoor unit 4, and a control unit 7, and configures a vapor compression refrigerant 10.
<1-1> Outdoor Unit 2
The outdoor unit 2 is installed outdoors or the like and mainly has a compressor 21, a four-way switching valve 22, an outdoor heat exchanger 23, an expansion valve 24, a liquid-side stop valve 25, a gas-side stop valve 26, and an outdoor fan 27.
The compressor 21 is a compressor for sucking in low-pressure gas refrigerant, compressing the low-pressure gas refrigerant into high-pressure gas refrigerant, and thereafter discharging the high-pressure gas refrigerant.
The four-way switching valve 22 is a valve for switching the direction of the flow of the refrigerant when switching between cooling and heating. During cooling, the four-way switching valve 22 can interconnect the discharge side of the compressor 21 and the gas side of the outdoor heat exchanger 23 and also interconnect the gas-side stop valve 26 and the suction side of the compressor 21 (refer to the solid lines of the four-way switching valve 22 in
The outdoor heat exchanger 23 is a heat exchanger that functions as a condenser of the refrigerant during cooling and functions as an evaporator of the refrigerant during heating. The liquid side of the outdoor heat exchanger 23 is connected to the expansion valve 24, and the gas side of the outdoor heat exchanger 23 is connected to the four-way switching valve 22.
The expansion valve 24 is a motor-driven expansion valve which, before sending the refrigerant to an indoor heat exchanger 42 (described later), can reduce the pressure of the high-pressure liquid refrigerant that has been condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 23 during cooling and which, before sending the refrigerant to the outdoor heat exchanger 23, can reduce the pressure of the high-pressure liquid refrigerant that has been condensed in the indoor heat exchanger 42 during heating.
The liquid-side stop valve 25 and the gas-side stop valve 26 are valves disposed in openings that connect to external devices and pipes (specifically, the liquid refrigerant connection tube 5 and the gas refrigerant connection tube 6). The liquid-side stop valve 25 is connected to the expansion valve 24. The gas-side stop valve 26 is connected to the four-way switching valve 22.
The outdoor fan 27 is placed inside the outdoor unit 2 and forms an airflow that sucks in outdoor air, supplies the outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 23, and thereafter discharges the outdoor air to the outside of the unit. For this reason, the outdoor heat exchanger 23 has the function of using the outdoor air as a cooling source or a heating source to condense and evaporate the refrigerant.
<1-2> Indoor Unit 4
In the present embodiment, the indoor unit 4 is a type of ceiling-mounted air conditioning apparatus indoor unit called a ceiling-embedded type and has an indoor unit casing 31, an indoor fan 41, an indoor heat exchanger 42, a drain pan 40, a bell mouth 41c and other components.
The indoor unit casing 31 includes a casing body 31a, a decorative panel 32, and airflow direction adjusting portions 70.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The suction grill 32a is a substantially quadrilateral panel placed in the center of the lower surface of the casing body 31a. As shown in
The air inlet 35 is a substantially quadrilateral opening disposed in the substantial center of the suction grill 32a. A filter 39 for removing dirt and dust in the air that has been sucked in from the air inlet 35 is disposed in the air inlet 35. The above mentioned air inlet flow path 35a leads to the air inlet 35 on the inside of the casing body 31a.
The air outlet 36 is disposed between the inner frame decorative panel 37 and the outer frame decorative panel 38 so as to surround the periphery of the air inlet 35 and is configured from long-side air outlets 50 and short-side air outlets 60. The long-side air outlets 50 are configured from four air outlets—a first long-side air outlet 51, a second long-side air outlet 52, a third long-side air outlet 53, and a fourth long-side air outlet 54—that are disposed in positions corresponding to the sides of the substantially quadrilateral shape of the air inlet 35. The long-side air outlets 50 are formed so as to not have edge sections facing the inside of the opening. The long-side air outlets 50 are configured in such a way that the difference in length between their lengthwise direction and their width direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the lengthwise direction, is smaller than in a conventional air outlet (in such a way that the aspect ratio of the lengths is smaller than conventionally), so the initial speed of the airflows blown out from the neighborhoods of the centers of the long-side air outlets 50 can be raised. The short-side air outlets 60 are configured from four air outlets—a first short-side air outlet 61, a second short-side air outlet 62, a third short-side air outlet 63, and a fourth short-side air outlet 64—that are disposed in positions corresponding to the corner sections of the substantially quadrilateral shape of the air inlet 35. The air outlet 36 is configured in such a way that the long-side air outlets 50 and the short-side air outlets 60 are alternately arranged and placed in a substantially annular shape. The first long-side air outlet flow path 51a, the second long-side air outlet flow path 52a, the third long-side air outlet flow path 53a, and the fourth long-side air outlet flow path 54a lead respectively to the first long-side air outlet 51, the second long-side air outlet 52, the third long-side air outlet 53, and the fourth long-side air outlet 54. Further, the first short-side air outlet flow path 61a, the second short-side air outlet flow path 62a, the third short-side air outlet flow path 63a, and the fourth short-side air outlet flow path 64a lead respectively to the first short-side air outlet 61, the second short-side air outlet 62, the third short-side air outlet 63, and the fourth short-side air outlet 64.
Airflows F51, F52, F53, F54, F61, F62, F63, and F64 that have been conditioned inside the indoor unit 4 are blown out, while having their blow-out direction adjusted, respectively from the first long-side air outlet 51, the second long-side air outlet 52, the third long-side air outlet 53, the fourth long-side air outlet 54, the first short-side air outlet 61, the second short-side air outlet 62, the third short-side air outlet 63, and the fourth short-side air outlet 64.
As shown in
As shown in
The flap body 80 is a plate-shaped member formed so as to extend in a direction substantially parallel to the rotating shaft 90x, and a front surface 80x that is a surface on the opposite side of a back surface 80y that is a surface on the side where the arm 90 is attached has a curved shape projecting outward. Because the flap body 80 has a moderately curved shape in this way, the conditioned air passing through the long-side air outlet 50 can be gently guided in the traveling direction. The outer edge of the flap body 80 is formed so as to not have a section with an inwardly recessed shape. As shown in
Further, as shown in
As shown in
The placement relationship between the long-side air outlets 50 and the airflow direction adjusting portions 70 will be described later.
The indoor fan 41 is a centrifugal blower placed inside the casing body 31a. The indoor fan 41 forms an airflow that sucks the room air through the air inlet 35 in the decorative panel 32 into the casing body 31a and blows out the air through the air outlet 36 in the decorative panel 32 to the outside of the casing body 31a. The indoor fan 41 has a fan motor 41a that is disposed in the center of the top plate 33a of the casing body 31a and an impeller 41b that is coupled to and driven to rotate by the fan motor 41a. The impeller 41b is an impeller having turbo blades and can suck air into the inside of the impeller 41b from below and blow out the air toward the outer peripheral side of the impeller 41b as seen from above.
The indoor heat exchanger 42 is a fin-and-tube heat exchanger that is bent so as to surround the periphery of the indoor fan 41 as seen from above and is placed inside the casing body 31a. More specifically, the indoor heat exchanger 42 is a fin-and-tube heat exchanger called a cross-fin type that has numerous heat transfer fins placed a predetermined interval apart from each other and plural heat transfer tubes disposed in a state where they penetrate these heat transfer fins in their plate thickness direction. As described above, the liquid side of the indoor heat exchanger 42 is connected to the liquid refrigerant connection tube 5 via the liquid-side connecting tube 5a. The gas side of the indoor heat exchanger 42 is connected to the gas refrigerant connection tube 6 via the gas-side connecting tube 6a. Additionally, the indoor heat exchanger 42 functions as an evaporator of the refrigerant during cooling and as a condenser of the refrigerant during heating. Because of this, the indoor heat exchanger 42 can perform heat exchange with the air that has been blown out from the indoor fan 41, cool the air during cooling, and heat the air during heating.
The drain pan 40 is placed on the underside of the indoor heat exchanger 42 and receives drain water produced as a result of moisture in the air condensing in the indoor heat exchanger 42. The drain pan 40 is attached to the lower portion of the casing body 31a. Outlet holes 40a, an inlet hole 40b, and a drain water receiving channel 40c are formed in the drain pan 40. The outlet holes 40a are formed in various places so as to be communicated with the air outlet 36 in the decorative panel 32. The inlet hole 40b is formed so as to be communicated with the air inlet 35 in the decorative panel 32. The drain water receiving channel 40c is formed on the underside of the indoor heat exchanger 42.
The bell mouth 41c is placed so as to correspond to the inside of the inlet hole 40b in the drain pan 40 and guides the air sucked in from the air inlet 35 to the impeller 41b of the indoor fan.
<1-3> Control Unit 7
As shown in
The control unit 7 performs: independent airflow direction control that independently adjusts the airflow directions of the conditioned air blown out from four air outlets—the first long-side air outlet 51, the second long-side air outlet 52, the third long-side air outlet 53, and the fourth long-side air outlet 54—of the air outlet 36 by performing control that allows the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71, the second airflow direction adjusting portion 72, the third airflow direction adjusting portion 73, and the fourth airflow direction adjusting portion 74 to be moved independently, per each airflow direction adjusting portion 70, to thereby change their rotational states; and interlocking airflow direction control that interlockingly adjusts the aforementioned airflow direction by performing control that causes all of the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71, the second airflow direction adjusting portion 72, the third airflow direction adjusting portion 73, and the fourth airflow direction adjusting portion 74 to move interlockingly so that their postures have the same rotational state. Here, the controller 7c has an input button and other components and receives from the user an instruction to either perform the independent airflow direction control or perform the interlocking airflow direction control. Additionally, the control unit 7 performs the independent airflow direction control or the interlocking airflow direction control in accordance with the instruction to perform the independent airflow direction control or the interlocking airflow direction control that the controller 7c has received.
In addition to the independent airflow direction control and the interlocking airflow direction control, the control unit 7 also performs, in regard to the four air outlets—the first long-side air outlet 51, the second long-side air outlet 52, the third long-side air outlet 53, and the fourth long-side air outlet 54—of the air outlet 36, individual air volume suppression control that most reduces the volume of air blown out from a specific long-side air outlet 51 to 54 by individually independently adjusting the rotational state of each of the airflow direction adjusting portions 70 including the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71, the second airflow direction adjusting portion 72, the third airflow direction adjusting portion 73, and the fourth airflow direction adjusting portion 74 to change the posture. Here, the controller 7c can, like described above, receive from the user an instruction to perform the individual air volume suppression control and a designation of a specific long-side air outlet 50 of the long-side air outlets 50 selected to have the volume of air blown out from that, long-side air outlet suppressed. Additionally, in a case where the controller 7c has received an instruction to perform the individual air volume suppression control, the control unit 7 performs the individual air volume suppression control by rotating the airflow direction adjusting portion 70 placed in the position of the specific long-side air outlet 50 in such a way that the volume of air blown out from the specific long-side air outlet 50 becomes most reduced. Here, the number of the long-side air outlets 50 whose air volumes can be suppressed by the individual air volume suppression control at the same time is two or less, and the control unit 7 prohibits the individual air volume suppression control from being performed at the same time in regard to three or more of the long-side air outlets 50. Specifically, the control unit 7 allows the individual air volume suppression control to be continued in regard to specific long-side air outlets 50 whose designation the control unit 7 has received first and second, and the control unit 7 ignores setting inputs of the individual air volume suppression control in regard to specific long-side air outlets 50 whose designation the controller 7c receives thereafter. In a case where the user cancels, from the controller 7c, the individual air volume suppression control in regard to a specific long-side air outlet 50, the control unit 7 can then perform the individual air volume suppression control in regard to another long-side air outlet 50.
<Basic Actions>
Next, the actions of the air conditioning apparatus 1 during a cooling operation and a heating operation will be described.
<2-1> Cooling Action
In the refrigerant circuit 10 during cooling, the four-way switching valve 22 is in the state indicated by the solid lines in
In this state of the refrigerant circuit 10, low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 21. In the compressor 21, the low-pressure gas refrigerant is compressed and becomes high-pressure gas refrigerant. The high-pressure gas refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 21. The high-pressure gas refrigerant is sent through the four-way switching valve 22 to the outdoor heat exchanger 23. In the outdoor heat exchanger 23, the high-pressure gas refrigerant performs heat exchange with the outdoor air, condenses, and becomes high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant is sent to the expansion valve 24. In the expansion valve 24, the high-pressure liquid refrigerant has its pressure reduced and becomes low-pressure refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state. The low-pressure refrigerant in the gas-liquid two-phase state is sent through the liquid-side stop valve 25, the liquid refrigerant connection tube 5, and the liquid-side connecting tube 5a to the indoor heat exchanger 42. In the indoor heat exchanger 42, the low-pressure refrigerant in the gas-liquid two-phase state performs heat exchange with the air blown out from the indoor fan 41, evaporates, and becomes low-pressure gas refrigerant. The low-pressure gas refrigerant is sent back to the compressor 21 through the gas-side connecting tube 6a, the gas refrigerant connection tube 6, the gas-side stop valve 26, and the four-way switching valve 22.
<2-2> Heating Action
Next, in the refrigerant circuit 10 during heating, the four-way switching valve 22 is in the state indicated by the broken lines in
In this state of the refrigerant circuit 10, low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 21. In the compressor 21, the low-pressure gas refrigerant is compressed and becomes high-pressure gas refrigerant. The high-pressure gas refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 21. The high-pressure gas refrigerant is sent to the indoor heat exchanger 42 through the four-way switching valve 22, the gas-side stop valve 26, the gas refrigerant connection tube 6, and the gas-side connecting tube 6a. In the indoor heat exchanger 42, the high-pressure gas refrigerant performs heat exchange with the air blown out from the indoor fan 41, condenses, and becomes high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant is sent through the liquid-side connecting tube 5a, the liquid refrigerant connection tube 5, and the liquid-side stop valve 25 to the expansion valve 24. In the expansion valve 24, the high-pressure liquid refrigerant has its pressure reduced and becomes low-pressure refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state. The low-pressure refrigerant in the gas-liquid two-phase state is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 23. In the outdoor heat exchanger 23, the low-pressure refrigerant in the gas-liquid two-phase state performs heat exchange with the outdoor air, evaporates, and becomes low-pressure gas refrigerant. The low-pressure gas refrigerant is sent through the four-way switching valve 22 back to the compressor 21.
<3> Placement Relationship Between Long-side Air Outlets 50 and Airflow Direction Adjusting Portions 70
Here, the placement of the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71 in the neighborhood of the first long-side air outlet 51 will be described. The neighborhood of the second long-side air outlet 52, the neighborhood of the third long-side air outlet 53, and the neighborhood of the fourth long-side air outlet 54 are the same as the neighborhood of the first long-side air outlet 51, so description thereof will be omitted.
<3-1> Placement Relationship as Seen from Below
When the indoor unit 4 is seen from below, the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71 and airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 are placed on the inside of the first long-side air outlet 51.
The airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 are disposed on the insides of both lengthwise direction ends of the first long-side air outlet 51 and on the outsides of both lengthwise direction ends of the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71. The airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 are connected to the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71 via the shaft members 90a extending so as to follow the rotating shafts 90x from the arms 90 of the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71 and apply a driving force for causing the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71 to rotate. Specifically, the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 and the shaft members 90a of the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71 configure unillustrated cam mechanisms, and drive control via the cam mechanisms is performed as a result of the control unit 7 sending to the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 a control signal for causing the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 to control the drive state of the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71.
The outside edge of the first long-side air outlet 51 is configured by the outer frame decorative panel 38, the inside edge of the first long-side air outlet 51 is configured by the inner frame decorative panel 37, and the lengthwise direction end portions of the first long-side air outlet 51 are configured by the inside side surfaces of the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95. The width, at the lengthwise direction end portions (the inside side surfaces of the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95), of the first long-side air outlet 51 is formed so as to be about 60% of the width, in the neighborhood of the lengthwise direction center, of the first long-side air outlet 51. Specifically, the outside edge of the first long-side air outlet 51 is configured by the outer frame air outlet-side linear portion 38d and the outer frame air outlet-side curved portions 38e of the outer frame decorative panel 38. Further, the inside edge of the first long-side air outlet 51 is configured by the inner frame air outlet-side linear portion 37a and the inner frame air outlet-side curved portions 37b of the inner frame decorative panel 37. Because of this, the first long-side air outlet 51 has, when seen from below, a shape that bulges greatly inward while bulging a little outward. The bulging of the first long-side air outlet 51 inward is formed so as to be greater than the bulging of the first long-side air outlet 51 outward.
The outer frame air outlet-side linear portion 38d of the outer frame decorative panel 38 is positioned in the neighborhood of the lengthwise direction center of the first long-side air outlet 51. The outer frame air outlet-side curved portions 38e of the outer frame decorative panel 38 are positioned in the neighborhoods of both lengthwise direction ends of the first long-side air outlet 51 and in the neighborhoods of the outsides of the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95.
The inner frame air outlet-side linear portion 37a of the inner frame decorative panel 37 is positioned in the neighborhood of the lengthwise direction center of the first long-side air outlet 51. The inner frame air outlet-side curved portions 37b of the inner frame decorative panel 37 are positioned a little inside of both lengthwise direction ends of the first long-side air outlet 51 and on the insides of the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 and in the neighborhoods between the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 and the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71.
The horizontal direction width between the flap outside linear portion 80d and the flap outside curved portions 80e configuring the outside edge of the flap body 80 of the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71 and the outer frame air outlet-side linear portion 38d and the outer frame air outlet-side curved portions 38e of the outer frame decorative panel 38 configuring the outside edge of the first long-side air outlet 51 is placed so as to be substantially the same width (about 2 cm) across in the entire lengthwise direction of the first long-side air outlet 51.
The horizontal direction width between of the flap inside linear portion 80a, the flap inside curved portions 80b, and the flap lengthwise direction end portions 80c configuring the inside edge of the flap body 80 of the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71 and the inner frame air outlet-side linear portion 37a and the inner frame air outlet-side curved portions 37b of the outer frame decorative panel 38 configuring the inside edge of the first long-side air outlet 51 is placed so as to be substantially the same width (about 1 cm) across in the entire lengthwise direction of the first long-side air outlet 51 so that the mutual edges follow each other.
The width between the inside edge of the flap body 80 of the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71 and the inside edge of the first long-side air outlet 51 is configured to be equal to or less than half of the width between the outside edge of the flap body 80 of the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71 and the outside edge of the first long-side air outlet 51.
<3-2> Placement Relationship in Neighborhood of Center of Airflow Direction Adjusting Portions 70
As shown in
The rotating shaft 90x is positioned on the airflow direction upstream side of the first long-side air outlet 51 positioned in the end portion of the first long-side air outlet flow path 51a. Further, the rotating shaft 90x is placed so as to be closer to the outside wall surface side of the first long-side air outlet flow path 51a than the inside wall surface side of the first long-side air outlet flow path 51a.
The arm 90 is positioned in a position substantially coinciding with, or on the airflow upstream side of, the first long-side air outlet 51 positioned in the end portion of the first long-side air outlet flow path 51a even in the rotational state closest to the first long-side air outlet 51 of the rotational states of the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71.
As shown in
When the independent airflow direction control or the interlocking airflow direction control is being performed, the flap body 80 of the airflow direction adjusting portion 70 is swung by the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 in the range of about +30° and about −30° taking as a reference a state where the angle of inclination of the section, in the neighborhood of the center, of the front surface 80x is about 30° (corresponding to
<3-3> Placement Relationship in Neighborhoods of End Portions of Airflow Direction Adjusting Portions 70
In the neighborhoods of the lengthwise direction end portions of the flap body 80, the inside wall surface of the first long-side air outlet flow path 51a has, as shown in
The width direction length, in the neighborhoods of the end portions, of the flap body 80 is disposed in such a way that, as shown in
<4> Placement Relationship Between Long-side Air Outlets 50 and Airflow Direction Adjusting Portions 70 During Shutdown
When the controller 7c receives from the user an instruction to shut down (a state where the cooling action and the heating action are not performed), the control unit 7 sends a control signal to the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 to cause all of the airflow direction adjusting portions 70—that is, all of the first airflow direction adjusting portion 71, the second airflow direction adjusting portion 72, the third airflow direction adjusting portion 73, and the fourth airflow direction adjusting portion 74—to rotate, whereby the airflow direction adjusting portions 70 are adjusted so that the centers of their front surfaces 80x face substantially vertically downward.
Because of this, during shutdown, when the indoor unit 4 is seen from below, the insides of the long-side air outlets 50 appear most covered by the airflow direction adjusting portions 70, so that the sense of unity between the decorative panel 32 and the airflow direction adjusting portions 70 can be improved. Because of this, the design of the indoor unit 4 during shutdown can be improved, and the user can easily know that the indoor unit 4 is in a shutdown state.
<5> Placement Relationship Between Long-side Air Outlets 50 and Airflow Direction Adjusting Portions 70 During Individual Air Volume Suppression Control
When the controller 7c receives from the user an instruction to suppress the volume of air blown out from a specific long-side air outlet 50, the control unit 7 sends a control signal to the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95, of the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95, that control the rotational state of the airflow direction adjusting portion 70 disposed in the position corresponding to the specific long-side air outlet 50 instructed by the user. Because of this, the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 that have received the control signal cause the airflow direction adjusting portion 70 whose rotational state they themselves control to rotate, to thereby adjust the airflow direction adjusting portion 70 to a posture that restricts the volume of air blown out from the long-side air outlet 50 specified by the user. For example, as shown in
The flap body 80 on which the individual air volume suppression control is performed is adjusted by the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 in such a way that the front surface 80x faces the airflow upstream side of the first long-side air outlet flow path 51a. Specifically, the flap body 80 is adjusted by the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 in such a way that an angle of inclination θ3 (an inside angle) of the section, in the neighborhood of the center, of the front surface 80x with respect to a horizontal plane is about 110° (which corresponds to
Because of this, the volume of air blown out from the long-side air outlet 50 on which the individual air volume suppression control has been performed can be reduced. The angle of inclination during the individual air volume suppression control is finely adjusted in the range of +5° and −5° from the angle of about 110°.
In a state where the individual air volume suppression control has been performed, a gap of about 5 mm to 10 mm is ensured (in the section indicated by S1 in
Further, in a state where the individual air volume suppression control has been performed, the end portion on the lower side of the flap body 80 (the section indicated by S2 in
<6> Characteristics of Present Embodiment
(1)
In the indoor unit 4 of the air conditioning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the flap body 80 positioned in the long-side air outlet 50 specified during the individual air volume suppression control can significantly suppress the volume of air blown out from the specific long-side air outlet 50 as a result of the rotational state of the airflow direction adjusting portion 70 being adjusted by the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95. Because of this, the volume of air blown out in a specific direction can be suppressed without blocking the specific long-side air outlet 50 using a member separate from the flap body 80 etc. or greatly changing the airflow direction.
Moreover, the control unit 7 automatically starts the individual air volume suppression control simply as a result of the user designating and inputting to the controller 7c a specific long-side air outlet 50 of the plural long-side air outlets 51 to 54, so the comfort of a specific user can be improved with a simple action.
(2)
For example, when blocking the first long-side air outlet 51 in the individual air volume suppression control, in contrast to the above embodiment, as shown in the comparative example of
With respect to this, in the indoor unit 4 of the air conditioning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in
Further, by putting the rotational state of the flap body 80 during the individual air volume suppression control into a state with the angle of inclination shown in
Moreover, the rotational state of the flap body 80 during the individual air volume suppression control is adjusted in such a way that, as shown in
In addition, the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 adjust the rotational state of the airflow direction adjusting portion 70 in such a way that the flap body 80 during the individual air volume suppression control does not have a section positioned on the airflow direction downstream side of the long-side air outlet 50. Because of this, it becomes more difficult for the air whose temperature has not been adjusted on the room side to reach the flap body 80.
Additionally, the flap body 80 during the individual air volume suppression control has a posture where the air whose temperature has been adjusted more easily strikes the front surface 80x side than the back surface 80y side, but because the flocked sheet 80ya that suppresses the formation of dew condensation is disposed on the back surface 80y side of the flap body 80, it is difficult for dew condensation to form even if the room air whose temperature has not been adjusted were to more or less flow into the back surface 80y side of the flap body 80.
Because of this, the air whose temperature has been adjusted can flow along not only the front surface 80x but also the back surface 80y with respect to the flap body 80 when performing the individual air volume suppression control. For this reason, the temperature difference between the front surface 80x and the back surface 80y of the flap body 80 can be kept small, and the formation of dew condensation can be more effectively suppressed. Particularly in a state where the air conditioning apparatus 1 is performing the cooling action, the formation of dew condensation on the flap body 80 can be suppressed.
(3)
In the indoor unit 4 of the air conditioning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, a structure by which the position of the flap body 80 in the airflow direction in the first long-side air outlet flow path 51a is caused to move so as to be on the downstream side during the independent airflow direction control or the interlocking airflow direction control and on the upstream side during the individual air volume suppression control is realized as a result of the arms 90 interconnecting the rotating shafts 90x and the flap body 80 placed in a position away from the rotating shafts 90x.
In this way, by employing a structure where the flap body 80 is placed away from the rotating shafts 90x and where the rotating shafts 90x and the flap body 80 are interconnected by the arms 90, the flap body 80 can be easily moved to a desired position during each control simply by rotating.
(4)
In the indoor unit 4 of the air conditioning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, in the long-side air outlet 50 on which the individual air volume suppression control is being performed, the air tends to flow along the surface of the ceiling U because the speed of the passing air drops.
With respect to this, in the indoor unit 4 of the air conditioning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in
(5)
In the indoor unit 4 of the air conditioning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the flap body 80 during the individual air volume suppression control is in a state where the back surface 80y side on which the flocked sheet 80ya is disposed faces the room side, and the front surface 80x side that has a flat shape cannot be directed toward the room side. However, during the individual air volume suppression control, the flap body 80 is not in the exit of the first long-side air outlet flow path 51a etc. but in a slightly deep-set position, so it becomes difficult for the back surface 80y of the flap body 80 to be able to be seen, and the placement is such that if is difficult to see the inside of the indoor unit 4, so the design can be improved.
<7> Other Embodiments
(A)
In the above embodiment, a case of suppressing the volume of air blown out from the long-side air outlet 50 specified when receiving an instruction from the user to perform the individual air volume suppression control was taken as an example and described.
However, the present invention is not limited to this and may also, for example, be configured to perform control that not only suppresses the volume of air blown out from the long-side air outlet 50 specified when receiving an instruction from the user to perform the individual air volume suppression control but at the same time also reduces the air volume of the indoor fan 41 so as make it substantially inversely proportional to the number of the long-side air outlets 50 on which the individual air volume suppression control is being performed.
Because of this, in a case where the volume of air supplied to a specific user has been reduced, the volume of air supplied to another user can be prevented from unintentionally ending up increased.
(B)
In the above embodiment, a case where, in the independent airflow direction control, the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 cause the airflow direction adjusting portions 70 to rotate was taken as an example and described.
However, the present invention is not limited to this and may also, for example, be configured to change, in the independent airflow direction control, the upper limit and the lower limit of the swinging angle per each of the airflow direction adjusting portions 70 whose rotation the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 control in a case where, for example, there is an input via the controller 7c from the user or in the case of performing a predetermined operating mode.
Because of this, the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 do not put the airflow direction adjusting portions 70 in a state in which the airflow direction adjusting portions 70 virtually stop the air blown out from the long-side air outlets 50 as a result of the individual air volume suppression control being performed, but the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 can cause the airflow direction adjusting portions 70 to swing in avoidance of a section where a user who dislikes the sensation of a draft is positioned, and it also becomes possible to maintain the comfort of another user in the area around the user who dislikes the sensation of a draft.
(C)
In the above embodiment, a case of significantly suppressing the volume of air blown out from the long-side air outlet 50 for which an instruction to perform the individual air volume suppression control has been received was taken as an example and described.
However, the present invention is not limited to this; for example, the control unit 7 may, in regard to the posture of the flap body 80 in the long-side air outlet 50 for which an instruction to perform the individual air volume suppression control has been received, perform control that intermittently releases, at appropriate time intervals, the posture in which the flap body 80 suppresses the air volume, such as, for example, using the airflow direction adjusting drive units 95 to put the flap body 80 in a posture in which the flap body 80 suppresses the air volume for a predetermined amount of time and thereafter causing the flap body 80 to perform an ordinary swing operation during another predetermined amount of time.
(D)
In the above embodiment, a case where the number of the long-side air outlets 50 on which the individual air volume suppression control can be simultaneously performed is determined to be two or less and the control unit 7 performs control was taken as an example and described.
However, the present invention is not limited to this; for example, the control unit 7 may also perform control in such a way that the number of the long-side air outlets 50 on which the individual air volume suppression control can be simultaneously performed is just one.
Further, in a case where there are more than four air outlets in which flaps that can adjust the airflow direction are placed, the present invention may be configured in such a way that it can simultaneously perform the individual air volume suppression control on up to 50% of those or may be configured in such a way that it can simultaneously perform the individual air volume suppression control on up to 25%) individually.
(E)
In the above embodiment, the indoor unit 4 that blows out conditioned air in eight directions was taken as an example and described.
However, the present invention is not limited to this and may also have a configuration where, for example, in the above embodiment, the short-side air outlets 60 are not disposed and the blow-out directions are only those of the four long-side air outlets 50. Further, the indoor unit may also be one where there are two air outlets.
According to the present invention, the volume of air blown out from any air outlet of plural air outlets can be reduced while suppressing dew condensation without using a new part, so the present invention is particularly useful in an indoor unit of air conditioning apparatus.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-254309 | Nov 2009 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2010/069168 | 10/28/2010 | WO | 00 | 4/27/2012 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2011/055677 | 5/12/2011 | WO | A |
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