Air conditioner and method for controlling air conditioner

• US 6,487,868 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2001
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Masahiro, Sato, Shigehiro, Imasaka, Toshiyuki, Nakatsuno, Eiji, Furuya, Shiho
• Primary Examiner(s): Doerrler, William C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zec, Filip
• Application Number:
  US09/778,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20010023593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 622/64, 62/78, 623/03, 621/86, 96/16, 236/51, 239/60, 422/121, 422/186.3, 422/124, 422/125, 424/405, 454/233
• US Class Current: 62/176.1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0071 with means for purifying supplied air perfuming or deodorising means F24F1/008
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0328 with means for purifying supplied air perfuming or deodorising means F24F1/0355
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/24 using sterilising media

Abstract

To provide an air conditioner having an antibacterial and mold-proofing member which can be easily incorporated and has high effectiveness and a method for controlling the air conditioner. An air conditioner of the present invention having a heat exchanger and a blower for supplying the heat exchanger with air comprises an antibacterial and mold-proofing member which includes an antibacterial and mold-proofing component which will volatile at an ambient temperature and diffuse in the air conditioner, and also has a control mechanism for gradually evaporating which controls the release rate of the antibacterial and mold-proofing component to the inside of the air conditioner so that it becomes large at high humidity and small at low humidity.

Claims

1. An air conditioner having a blower, additionally comprising:

an antibacterial and mold-proofing member, said member comprising an antibacterial and mold-proofing component for evaporating and diffusing the antibacterial and mold-proofing component into air in the air conditioner, wherein

the antibacterial and mold-proofing member additionally comprising a control mechanism comprising a membrane having a gas permeability that increases with increasing humidity for gradually evaporating the antibacterterial and mold-proofing component into air inside the air conditioner at an evaporation rate that is proportioned to the humidity of said air.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control mechanism for gradually evaporating comprises a viscose-processed cellulose membrane.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial and mold-proofing component is combined with resin.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein the resin is wrapped with said membrane.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial and mold-proofing component comprises isothiocyanates.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 5, wherein concentration of the antibacterial and mold-proofing component in the air in the air conditioner is at least 0.1 ppm when the humidity is at least 60% RH.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising a case comprising a plastic selected from the group consisting of polypropylene and vinyl, the case enclosing the antibacterial and mold-proofing member.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 7, wherein the control mechanism comprises an opening in the case for gradually evaporating the antibacterial and mold-proofing component.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the opening communicates with the inside of the air conditioner.

10. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the antibacterial and mold-proofing member is located at a position higher than the center of rotation of the blower.

12. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising:

an air conditioner controlling program recording medium for storing a program for closing an outlet of the air conditioner and operating the blower after completion of cooling or dehumidifying operation.

11. A method for controlling the air conditioner comprising:

evaporating and diffusing an antibacterial and mold-proofing component from an antibacterial and mold-proofing member into air in an air conditioner, said member comprising an antibacterial and mold-proofing component enclosed in a membrane having a gas permeability that increases with increasing humidity,

thereby controlling said evaporating and diffusing with said membrane so that an evaporation rate of said antibacterial and mold-proofing component is proportional to the humidity of said air.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising closing an outlet of the air conditioner and operating the blower after completion of evaporating and diffusing an antibacterial and mold-proofing component into air.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising performing the method of claim 13 automatically according to a stored program.