AIR CONDITIONER

• US 20100064708A1
• Filed: 07/22/2009
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: SEKI, Tatsuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,424,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/231
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/47 Responding to energy costs
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/60 Energy consumption

Abstract

Disclosed is an air conditioner that provides a displaying apparatus that can present information on a predicted value of the integrated electricity per unit time, a predicted value of the electricity charge per unit time, and a predicted value of the amount of CO2 emission per unit time, at the start of operation. The air conditioner of the present invention comprises a predicted electricity efficiency speculating unit that speculates an electricity efficiency, which is an integrated electricity per unit time predicted from a set parameter set by the user this time, based on a stored value of the recent integrated electricity storing unit, a calculated result of the actual usage electricity efficiency calculating unit, and a compared result of the setting comparing unit, a predicted electricity efficiency calculating unit that calculates an electricity charge per unit time or a predicted amount of CO2 emission efficiency calculating unit that calculates an amount of CO2 emission per unit time, and a displaying unit that displays the electricity charge per unit time or the amount of CO2 emission per unit time or the integrated electricity charge per unit time, on a displaying apparatus, at a start of the air conditioner operation.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, comprising:

a setting apparatus that sets an operation mode which a user requests to the air conditioner or an operation condition of the air conditioner for the operation mode;

a control apparatus with a built-in microcomputer having an inputting unit that inputs information from the setting apparatus, a memory unit that stores various control setting values and programs, a CPU that performs a calculation process and a determination process, and an outputting unit that outputs a calculated result and a determined result from the CPU; and

a displaying unit that displays the outputs from the outputting unit;

wherein the control apparatus comprises;

a recent integrated electricity storing unit that integrates and stores an electricity consumed by the air conditioner, as an integrated electricity, for each operation mode;

a recent accumulated operation time storing unit that integrates and stores an operation time of the air conditioner, as an accumulated operation time, for each operation mode;

an actual usage electricity efficiency calculating unit that calculates an electricity efficiency, which is an integrated electricity per unit time for the actual usage, based on a stored value of the recent integrated electricity storing unit and a stored value of the recent accumulated operation time storing unit;

a recent average setting storing unit that stores a set parameter set with the setting apparatus by the user, as a time weighted averaged data, for each operation mode;

a setting comparing unit that compares a stored content of the recent average setting storing unit with a set parameter set by the user this time at a start of operation;

a predicted electricity efficiency speculating unit that speculates the electricity efficiency predicted as a result of the set parameter set this time by the user, based on a calculated result of the actual electricity efficiency calculating unit and a compared result of the setting comparing unit; and

at least one of an electricity unit price storing unit that stores an electricity unit price on the memory unit or a CO2 emission coefficient storing unit that stores a CO2 emission coefficient;

at least one of a predicted electricity charge efficiency calculating unit that calculates an electricity charge efficiency, which is an electricity charge per unit time, based on a speculated result of the predicted electricity efficiency speculating unit, and a stored value of the electricity unit price storing unit, or a predicted amount of CO2 emission efficiency calculating unit that calculates an amount of CO2 emission efficiency, which is an amount of CO2 emission per unit time, based on the speculated result of the predicted electricity efficiency speculating unit and the stored value of the CO2 emission coefficient storing unit; and

wherein any one of predicted information including the electricity charge efficiency calculated by the predicted electricity charge efficiency calculating unit, or the amount of CO2 emission efficiency calculated by the predicted amount of CO2 emission efficiency calculating unit, or the electricity efficiency speculated by the predicted electricity efficiency speculating unit, is displayed on the displaying apparatus, at the start of the operation of the air conditioner.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control apparatus displays on the displaying apparatus any one of the predicted informations including the electricity charge efficiency or the amount of CO2 emission efficiency or the electricity efficiency, at the same time, starts counting a duration of displaying the predicted information, and when a set parameter of the setting apparatus has been changed before this time counted value reaches a pre-set time value stored on the memory unit, the predicted electricity efficiency speculating unit re-predicts the electricity efficiency based on the set parameter changed, and redisplays on the displaying apparatus any one of the predicted informations including the electricity charge efficiency or the amount of CO2 emission efficiency or the electricity efficiency.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the setting apparatus can instruct to the control apparatus, to display on the displaying apparatus, any one of the predicted informations (1) or (2) or (3) or (4), among the following predicted informations displayed on the displaying apparatus at the start of operation.

(1) the electricity charge efficiency that the predicted electricity charge efficiency calculating unit calculates;

(2) the amount of CO2 emission efficiency that the predicted amount of CO2 emission efficiency calculating unit calculates;

(3) the electricity efficiency that the predicted electricity efficiency speculating unit speculates;

or

(4) does not display any one of (1), (2) and (3).

4. An air conditioner, comprising;

a setting apparatus that sets an operation mode which a user requests to the air conditioner or an operation condition of the air conditioner for the operation mode;

a control apparatus with a built-in microcomputer having an inputting unit that inputs information from the setting apparatus, a memory unit that stores various control setting values and programs, a CPU that performs a calculation process and a determination process, and an outputting unit that outputs a calculated result and a determined result from the CPU; and

a displaying unit that displays the outputs from the outputting unit;

wherein the control apparatus comprises;

an integrated electricity storing unit for this time that integrates, at any time, an electricity consumption of the air conditioner during a period starting from switching the power ON and ending at the power OFF by the user, and stores on the memory unit;

at least one of an electricity unit price storing unit that stores an electricity unit price on the memory unit or a CO2 emission coefficient storing unit that stores a CO2 emission coefficient; and

at least one of an electricity charge calculating unit for this time that calculates an electricity charge incurred during a period starting from switching the power ON this time and ending at power OFF, based on a stored value of the integrated electricity storing unit for this time and a stored value of the electricity unit price storing unit, or an amount of CO2 emission calculating unit for this time that calculates an amount of CO2 emission, during a period starting from switching the power ON this time and ending at power OFF, based on the stored value of the integrated electricity storing unit for this time and a stored value of the CO2 emission coefficient storing unit; and

when the user outputs an operation stop instruction to the air conditioner by switching a power OFF of the setting apparatus, any one of the electricity charge incurred during a period starting from switching the power ON this time and ending at power OFF that the electricity charge calculating unit for this time calculates, or the amount of CO2 emission released during a period starting from switching the power ON this time and ending at power OFF that the amount of CO2 emission calculating unit for this time calculates, or the electricity consumption of the air conditioner during a period starting from switching the power ON this time and ending at power OFF that the integrated electricity storing unit for this time stores, is displayed on the displaying unit.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the setting apparatus can instruct to the control apparatus, to display on the displaying apparatus, any one of the predicted informations (1) or (2) or (3) or (4), among the following predicted informations displayed on the displaying apparatus at a stop of the operation.

(1) the electricity charge incurred during a period starting from switching the power ON this time and ending at power OFF that the electricity charge calculating unit for this time calculates;

(2) the amount of CO2 emission released during a period starting from switching the power ON this time and ending at power OFF that the amount of CO2 calculating unit for this time calculates;

(3) the electricity consumption of the air conditioner, during a period starting from switching the power ON this time and ending at power OFF that the integrated electricity storing unit for this time stores;

or

(4) does not display any one of (1), (2) and (3).