INDOOR UNIT OF AIR CONDITIONER

• US 20100287968A1
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Original Assignee: Daikin Industries Ltd
• Inventors: Sakashita, Akihiko, Masuda, Kenji, Yokomizo, Tsuyoshi, Michitsuji, Yoshiharu
• Granted Patent: US 8,568,521 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/303
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0047 mounted in the ceiling or at the ceiling
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2140/50 Load
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/108 using dry filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/192 by electrical means, e.g. by applying electrostatic fields or high voltages
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/90 Cleaning of purification apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Abstract

Disclosed is an indoor unit having a dust storage container in which dust removed from an air filter is stored, and a dust collecting box into which the dust in the dust storage container is transferred by utilizing an effect of blown air. The dust storage container is provided with a full condition detection means for detecting a dust full condition of the dust collecting box. The full condition detection means includes an LED and a phototransistor which are opposed to each other with a storage portion interposed therebetween. After a dust transfer operation which transfers the dust from the dust storage container to the dust collecting box, an intensity of light of the LED that has passed through the storage portion is detected by the phototransistor. If the detected light intensity is equal to or less than a set value, a full condition of the dust collecting box is detected.

Claims

1. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, the indoor unit having in a casing an indoor heat exchanger, an indoor fan for drawing air from a room, and an air filter located on an intake side of the indoor fan, the indoor unit comprising:

dust removal means for removing dust captured by the air filter;

a storage portion for storing the dust removed by the dust removal means;

a dust collecting box which communicates with the storage portion;

dust transfer means for transferring, together with air, the dust stored in the storage portion to the dust collecting box by utilizing an effect of blown air or an effect of suction; and

full condition detection means for detecting a dust full condition of the dust collecting box, based on an amount of transmission of light through the storage portion.

3. The indoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 1, wherein

the full condition detection means includes a light emitting portion located outside the storage portion, and a light receiving portion which is opposed to the light emitting portion, with the storage portion interposed therebetween, and which detects an intensity of light of the light emitting portion that has passed through the storage portion, and the full condition detection means is configured to detect the dust full condition of the dust collecting box, based on the intensity of light detected by the light receiving portion.

4. The indoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 3, wherein

openings through which the light of the light emitting portion is transmitted are formed in a storage wall of the storage portion, and

the full condition detection means includes a housing which is provided so as to close the openings of the storage portion and in which the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are accommodated so as to correspond to the openings of the storage portion.

5. The indoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 3 or claim 4, wherein

the light emitting portion is an LED, and

the light receiving portion is a phototransistor or a photodiode.

6. The indoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 1, wherein

the dust transfer means includes an air passageway for introducing air blown by the indoor fan into an interior of the storage portion and transferring the dust stored in the storage portion to the dust collecting box.

2. An indoor unit of an air conditioner, the indoor unit having in a casing an indoor heat exchanger, an indoor fan for drawing air from a room, and an air filter located on an intake side of the indoor fan, the indoor unit comprising:

dust removal means for removing dust captured by the air filter;

a storage portion for storing the dust removed by the dust removal means;

a dust collecting box which communicates with the storage portion;

dust transfer means for transferring, together with air, the dust stored in the storage portion to the dust collecting box by utilizing an effect of blown air or an effect of suction; and

full condition detection means for detecting a dust full condition of the dust collecting box, based on an amount of air passing through the storage portion toward the dust collecting box.

7. The indoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 2, wherein

the dust transfer means includes an air passageway for introducing air blown by the indoor fan into an interior of the storage portion and transferring the dust stored in the storage portion to the dust collecting box, and

the full condition detection means includes an air speed sensor provided in the air passageway, and detects the dust full condition of the dust collecting box based on an air speed detected by the air speed sensor.

8. The indoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 7, wherein

a throttle portion is provided at a midpoint of the air passageway, and

the air speed sensor of the full condition detection means is positioned at the throttle portion.

9. The indoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 2, wherein

the dust transfer means includes an air passageway for introducing air blown by the indoor fan into an interior of the storage portion and transferring the dust stored in the storage portion to the dust collecting box,

a throttle portion is provided at a midpoint of the air passageway, and

the full condition detection means includes a differential pressure sensor which detects a differential pressure between a wind pressure of an upstream side of the throttle portion and a wind pressure of a downstream side of the throttle portion in the air passageway, and detects the dust full condition of the dust collecting box based on the differential pressure detected by the differential pressure sensor.

10. The indoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 8 or claim 9, wherein

the dust transfer means includes passageway opening/closing means which is provided at a midpoint of the air passageway and whose aperture is variable, and

the throttle portion of the air passageway is formed by the passageway opening/closing means being half opened.

11. The indoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 2, wherein

the dust transfer means includes an air passageway for introducing air blown by the indoor fan into an interior of the storage portion and transferring the dust stored in the storage portion to the dust collecting box, and passageway opening/closing means provided at a midpoint of the air passageway and switching between a state in which air blown by the indoor fan is introduced into the storage portion through the air passageway and a state in which the introduction of the air is inhibited, and

the full condition detection means includes a bypass passage whose flow passage area is smaller than a flow passage area of the air passageway and which connects between an upstream side and a downstream side of the passageway opening/closing means in the air passageway, and an air speed sensor provided in the bypass passage, and the full condition detection means detects the dust full condition of the dust collecting box based on an air speed detected by the air speed sensor when the passageway opening/closing means is fully closed.

12. The indoor unit of the air conditioner of claim 6, 7, 9 or 11, wherein

the air passageway is configured to introduce the air blown by the indoor fan into the storage portion before the air blown by the indoor fan passes through the indoor heat exchanger.