Air conditioner with an energy switch

• US 4,898,230 A
• Filed: 11/17/1987
• Issued: 02/06/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Tokyo Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Tokyo Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsuchiyama, Yuji, Shimizu, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): FORD, JOHN K
• Application Number:
  US07/122,624
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 236/51, 236/94, 165/12, 165/26, 165/27, 165/29, 165/24, 364/557
• US Class Current: 165/265
• 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 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/63 Electronic processing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/81 by controlling the air supply to heat-exchangers or bypass channels
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/84 using valves
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/10 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 13/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle defrosting cycles F25B47/02
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/02331 during cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/02334 during heating
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/02531 during cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/02533 during heating
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1902 characterised by the use of a variable reference value
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/24 the sensing element having a resistance varying with temperature, e.g. a thermistor

Abstract

An air conditioner comprises a control portion and a refrigeration system wherein a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device and an evaporator are connected in a refrigerant flow relationship. The control portion compares the temperature measured by a room temperature sensor with the temperature set by a temperature setting switch. For heating, the compressor is stopped when the room temperature rises higher than the set temperature, and for cooling, the compressor is stopped when the room temperature falls lower than the set temperature. A special switch is installed in the control portion, and when this switch is operated, responsively the range of the temperature set by the temperature setting switch is changed. More specifically, when the switch is operated at heating the control portion lowers the upper limit of the temperature set by the temperature setting switch and at cooling, the lower limit of the temperature is heightened by the control portion. Thereby the capacity of heating or cooling of the air conditioner is reduced, therefore an over cooling at cooling and an over heating at heating can be prevented.

Claims

1. An air conditioner with an energy saving switch, comprising:

a refrigerating system including compressor means, indoor heat exchanger means, expansion means and outdoor heat exchanger means connected in refrigerant flow relationship,

means for measuring a temperature of a room in which said indoor heat exchanger means is located to produce measured temperature data of the temperature of the room,

means for defining a temperature range from a first temperature to a second temperature which is higher than the first temperature so that a temperature to be produced by said refrigerating system can be set in said temperature range,

means for setting a temperature within said temperature range, which includes means generating set temperature data of the set temperature,

means for controlling an operation of said refrigerating system based on a comparison between the set temperature data generated by said means for generating temperature data and the measured temperature data produce by said temperature measuring means,

switch means,

means for changing said set temperature data in response to an operation of said switch means, said changing means including at least one of means for forcibly changing said set temperature data of the set temperature into temperature data corresponding to a third temperature only if the temperature set within said temperature range is within a first temperature subrange which exits between the third temperature and the second temperature when said refrigerating system is set in a heating mode and means for forcibly changing said temperature data of the set temperature into temperature data corresponding to a fourth temperature only if the temperature set within said temperature range is within a second temperature subrange which exists between the first temperature and the fourth temperature when said refrigerating system is set in a cooling mode,

said means for controlling including at least one of means for controlling an operation of said refrigerating system based on a comparison between said third temperature data and the measured temperature data produced by said temperature measuring means if the temperature set by said setting means is within said first temperature subrange in said heating mode and means for controlling an operation of said refrigerating system based on a comparison between said fourth temperature data and the measured temperature data produced by said temperature measuring means is the temperature set by said setting means is within said second temperature substrate in said cooling mode.

2. An air conditioner in accordance with claim 1, wherein said switch means includes a manual switch.

3. An air conditioner in accordance with claim 1, wherein said means for controlling further comprises:

first operational switch means installed in a main unit of said refrigerating system for commanding operation or stopping of said refrigerating system,

second operational switch means installed in a remote control unit apart from said main unit of said refrigerating system for stopping operation of said refrigerating system, and

means for stopping operation of said refrigerating system in response to an operation of either of said first or said second operational switch means.

4. An air conditioner in accordance with claim 2, further comprising a remote control unit for remotely controlling said refrigerating system, wherein said manual switch is provided in said remote control unit.

5. An air conditioner in accordance with claim 4, wherein said remote control unit is provided in a room separated from said room in which said indoor heat exchanger is provided.

6. An air conditioner in accordance with claim 1, wherein said means for defining the temperature range includes means for storing a set of data of said temperature range and said means for changing the temperature range includes means for storing another set of data of another temperature range, and when the switch means is operated a microprocessor forcedly modifies the set temperature data to a temperature within said another set of the temperature data of said another temperature range.

7. An air conditioner in accordance with claim 6, wherein is temperature range changing means is formed to change the temperature range is which said temperature data is generated by said set temperature data generating means.

8. An air conditioner in accordance with claim 6, wherein said temperature range changing means includes means for producing another temperature data based on the temperature data set by said temperature setting means so as to change the temperature range in which said another temperature data is generated by said set temperature data generating means.

9. An air conditioner with an energy saving switch, comprising

a refrigerating system including compressor means, indoor heat exchanger means, expansion means and outdoor heat exchanger means connected in refrigerant flow relationship,

means for measuring a temperature of a room in which said indoor heat exchanger means is located to produce measured temperature data of the temperature of the room,

means for defining a temperature range in which a temperature to be produced by said refrigerating system can be set,

means for setting a temperature within said temperature range, which includes means for generating set temperature data of the set temperature,

means for controlling an operation of said refrigerating system based on a comparison between the set temperature data generated by said means for generating temperature data and the measured temperature data produced by said temperature measuring means,

switch means, and

means for changing said set temperature data in response to an operation of said switch means, said changing means including at least one of means for lowering an upper limit of said temperature range when said refrigerating system is set in a heating mode and means for raising a lower limit of said temperature range when said refrigerating system is set in a cooling mode, said means for changing the temperature range including at least one of means for raising the lower limit of the temperature range when said refrigerating system is set in the heating mode and means for lowering the upper limit of the temperature range when said refrigerating system is set in the cooling mode.

10. An air conditioner with an energy saving switch, comprising:

a refrigerating system including compressor means, indoor heat exchanger means, expansion means and outdoor heat exchanger means connected inrefrigerant flow relationship,

means for measuring a temperature of a room in which said indoor heat exchanger means is located to produce first digital temperature data representing the temperature of the room,

means for setting a temperature to be produced by said refrigerating system to produce second digital temperature data representing the temperature set by a user, said second digital temperature data being included within a temperature range from a first temperature to a second temperature which is higher than the first temperature,

switch means,

means for changing said second digital temperature data in response to an operation of said switch means, said changing means including at least one of means for changing said second digital temperature data to third digital temperature data corresponding to a third temperature only if the temperature set by said setting means is within a first temperature subrange that exists between third temperature and the second temperature when said refrigerating system is set in a heating mode and means for changing said second digital temperature data to fourth digital temperature data corresponding to a fourth temperature only if the temperature set by said setting means is within a second temperature subrange that exists between the first temperature and the fourth temperature when said refrigerating system is set in a cooling mode, and

means for controlling an operation of said refrigerating system based on a comparison between said first digital temperature data and at least one of said third digital temperature data and said fourth digital temperature data.

11. An air controller with an energy saving switch, comprising:

a refrigerating system including compressor means, indoor heat exchanger means, expansion means and outdoor heat exchanger means connected in refrigerant flow relationship,

means for measuring a temperature of a room in which said indoor heat exchanger means is located to produce first digital temperature data representing the temperature of the room,

means for setting a temperature to be produced by said refrigerating system to produce second digital temperature data representing the temperature set by a user, said second digital temperature data being included within a temperature range from a first temperature to a second temperature which is higher than the first temperature,

switch means,

means for changing said second digital temperature data in response to an operation of said switch means, said changing means including at least one of means for changing said second digital temperature data to third digital temperature data corresponding to a third temperature only if the temperature set by said setting means is within a first temperature subrange that exists between third temperature and the second temperature when said refrigerating system is set in a heating mode and means for changing said second digital temperature data to fourth digital temperature data corresponding to a fourth temperature only if the temperature set by said setting means is within a second temperature subrange that exists between the first temperature and the fourth temperature when said refrigerating system is set in a cooling mode, and

means for controlling an operation of said refrigerating system based on a comparison between said first digital temperature data and at least one of said third digital temperature data and said fourth digital temperature data.

said means for changing including table means by which a change is made, said table means digitally storing temperature data of a plurality of said third digital temperature data so as to respectively correspond to respective one of a plurality of said second digital temperature data.

12. An air conditioner in accordance with claim 11, wherein said means for setting a temperature includes a manual switch which generates a code signal representative of the temperature to be produced by said refrigerating system.

13. An air conditioner in accordance with claim 12, wherein said means for changing includes a ROM in which said third digital temperature data is stored and which is addressed by a code signal from said manual switch.

14. An air conditioner with energy saving switch, comprising:

a refrigerating system including compressor means, indoor heat exchanger means, expansion means and outdoor heat exchanger means connected in refrigerant flow relationship,

means for measuring a temperature of a room in which said indoor heat exchanger mean sis located to produce temperature data of the temperature of the room,

means for setting a temperature at which said refrigerating system is to be operated, said setting means including a pointer capable of being fit to a graduation mark defined within a first range from a first graduation mark indicating a first temperature to a second graduation mark indicating a second temperature that is higher than the first temperature,

means for generating temperature data corresponding to a graduation mark being pointed by said pointer,

means for controlling an operation of said refrigerating system based on a comparison between the set temperature data generated by said means for generating temperature data and the measured temperature data produced by said temperature measuring means,

switch means, and

means for changing said temperature data corresponding to the set temperature in response to an operation of said switch means, said changing means including at least one of means for changing said temperature data corresponding to the set temperature into temperature data corresponding to a third temperature only in response to said pointer being fit to a graduation mark indicating a temperature within a second range between a third graduation mark, which indicates that said third temperature is lower than said second temperature and higher than said first temperature, and said second graduation mark when said refrigerating system is set in a heating mode and means for changing said temperature data corresponding to the set temperature into temperature data of a fourth temperature only in response to said pointer being fit to a graduation mark indicating that said fourth temperature is within a third range between said first graduation mark and a fourth graduation mark when said refrigerating system is set in a cooling mode.

15. An air conditioner with an energy saving switch, comprising:

a refrigerating system including compressor means, indoor heat exchanger means, expansion means and outdoor heat exchanger means connected in refrigerant flow relationship,

means for measuring a temperature of a room in which said indoor heat exchanger means is located to produce a digital temperature data of the temperature of the room,

means for setting a temperature at which said refrigerating is to be operated, said setting means including a pointer capable of being fit to a graduation mark defined within a first range from a first graduation mark indicating a first temperature to a second graduation mark indicating a second temperature that is higher than the first temperature,

means for generating digital temperature data corresponding to a graduation mark being pointed by said pointer,

means for controlling an operation of said refrigerating system based on a comparison between the set digital temperature data generated by said means for generating temperature data with the measured digital temperature data produced by said temperature measuring means,

switch means, and

means for changing said set digital temperature data in response to an operation of said switch means, said changing means including at least one of means for changing said set digital temperature data into digital temperature data corresponding to a third temperature only if said pointer is fit to a graduation mark indicating a temperature within a second range between a third graduation mark, which indicates said third temperature is lower than said second temperature and higher than said first temperature, and said second graduation mark when said refrigerating system is set in a heating mode and means for changing said set digital temperature data into digital temperature data corresponding to a fourth temperature only if said pointer is fit to a graduation mark indicating that said fourth temperature is within a third range between said first graduation mark and a fourth graduation mark when said refrigerating system is set in a cooling mode.

16. An air conditioner with an energy saving switch, comprising:

means for refrigerating air and delivering the air to a room to be conditioned,

means for measuring a temperature of said room to produce measured temperature data;

means for setting a temperature within a temperature range at which said refrigerating means is to be operated, said setting means producing set temperature data, said temperature range including two end subranges and a middle subrange between said two end subranges;

means for controlling an operation of said refrigerating means in response to said setting means and said measuring means;

switch means; and

means for changing only said set temperature data corresponding to a temperature set in at least one of said end subranges to temperature data corresponding to another temperature within the other subranges in response to an operation of said switch means, said controlling means being response to said changing means to operate said refrigerating means based on a comparison between said measured temperature data and said temperature data corresponding to said another temperature as changed by said change means, said another temperature remaining fixed irrespective of the operation state of said switch means.