INDOOR UNIT OF AIR CONDITIONER

• US 20100294134A1
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Original Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Inventors: Sakashita, Akihiko, Yokomizo, Tsuyoshi, Takagaki, Yukihiro, Nouchi, Yoshiteru
• Granted Patent: US 8,603,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 96/405
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/10 Particle separators, e.g. dust precipitators, using filter plates, sheets or pads having plane surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/681 by scrapers, brushes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/74 by forces created by movement of the filter element
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0071 with means for purifying supplied air perfuming or deodorising means F24F1/008
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0073 characterised by the mounting or arrangement of filters
• 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 11/39 Monitoring filter performance
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/28 Arrangement or mounting of filters
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2013/0616 Outlets that have intake openings
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/00 Control inputs relating to air properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/90 Cleaning of purification apparatus

Abstract

An indoor unit (1) is provided with an output control portion (35, 71) for controlling a cleaning signal output portion (33, 48) to output a cleaning signal when it is determined that the amount of dust in a dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached a predetermined first level, and when it is determined that the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached a second level that is higher than the first level.

Claims

1. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising:

a casing (20) having an inlet (13) and an outlet (14);

an indoor fan (21) for blowing air drawn through the inlet (13), into the outlet (14); and

an air filter (30) for capturing dust contained in the air drawn through the inlet (13), wherein

the air conditioner performs an air conditioning operation of blowing the air drawn through the inlet (13), into a room through the outlet (14), the indoor unit further comprising;

a dust removing portion (40, 50) for removing from the air filter (30) the dust captured by the air filter (30);

a dust storing portion (60, 90) for storing the dust removed from the air filter (30);

a cleaning signal output portion (33, 48) for outputting a cleaning signal that indicates a need to remove the dust from the dust storing portion (60, 90); and

an output control portion (35, 71) for controlling the cleaning signal output portion (33, 48) to output the cleaning signal when it is determined that an amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached a predetermined first level, and when it is determined that the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached a second level that is higher than the first level.

2. The indoor unit of claim 1, wherein

the output control portion (35, 71) inhibits a cleaning operation of removing the dust from the air filter (30) by the dust removing portion (40, 50), when it is determined that the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached the second level.

3. The indoor unit of claim 2, further comprising:

a clogging detection section (37) for detecting clogging of the air filter (30), wherein

the output control portion (35, 71) inhibits the air conditioning operation when it is determined based on an output of the clogging detection section (37) that the clogging of the air filter (30) has reached a predetermined level, after it is determined that the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached the second level.

4. The indoor unit of claim 1 or 2, wherein

the output control portion (35, 71) inhibits the air conditioning operation when it is determined that the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached the second level.

5. The indoor unit of claim 2 or 3, further comprising:

an inhibition termination input portion (55) for inputting a command to terminate a state where the output control portion (35, 71) inhibits the cleaning operation,

the output control portion (35, 71) also controls the cleaning signal output portion (33, 48) to output the cleaning signal, when it is determined that the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached a third level that is higher than the second level, in addition to the first level and the second level, and

the state where the output control portion (35, 71) inhibits the cleaning operation can be terminated by input to the inhibition termination input portion (55), only before it is determined that the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached the third level.

6. The indoor unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a detection sensor (71) for detecting the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90), and

the output control portion (35, 71) determines if the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached the first level or not, based on an output of the detection sensor (71).

7. The indoor unit of claim 6, wherein

the output control portion (35, 71) determines if the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached the second level or not, based on an accumulated operation time of the indoor fan (21) or the air conditioner after it is determined that the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached the first level.

8. The indoor unit of claim 7, wherein

the output control portion (35, 71) also controls the cleaning signal output portion (33, 48) to output the cleaning signal, when it is determined that the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached a third level that is higher than the second level, in addition to the first level and the second level, and

the output control portion (35, 71) determines if the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached the third level or not, based on the accumulated operation time of the indoor fan (21) or the air conditioner after it is determined that the amount of dust in the dust storing portion (60, 90) has reached the second level.

9. The indoor unit of claim 1, wherein

the cleaning signal output portion (33, 48) outputs different kinds of the cleaning signal according to the level of the amount of dust at which the cleaning signal is output.

10. The indoor unit of claim 1, wherein

when outputting the cleaning signal of the level corresponding the largest amount of dust out of the levels at which the cleaning signal is output, the cleaning signal output portion (33, 48) outputs the cleaning signal and an abnormal code that indicates an abnormal condition of the dust storing portion (60, 90).

11. The indoor unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a measuring timer (37) for measuring an accumulated operation time of the indoor fan (21) or the air conditioner after the dust is removed from the dust storing portion (60, 90), and

the output control portion (35, 71) also controls the cleaning signal output portion (33, 48) to output the cleaning signal, when the time measured by the measuring timer (37) or a time calculated by using the measured time reaches a predetermined reference value.