Room air conditioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10288303-B2
Application number	US-201615140071-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2016
Priority date	May 20, 2015
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

A room air conditioning system includes a plurality of indoor units and a controller. Each of the plurality of indoor units includes: an air conditioner main body having a plurality of blow-off openings formed therein; a plurality of flaps rotatably that are disposed in the respective blow-off openings and that can independently change vertical angles of airflows; and a human body sensor that detects whether a person is present below a corresponding one of the plurality of indoor units. When at least one of the human body sensors in the plurality of indoor units detects the absence of a person in a state of selecting the airflow control, the controller causes a corresponding one of the indoor units that detects the absence to perform the temperature evenness control. This room air conditioning system successfully reduces unevenness of room temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A room air conditioning system comprising:
an indoor unit configured to be installed on a ceiling; and
a controller operable to cause the indoor unit to perform airflow control and temperature evenness control,
wherein the indoor unit includes: an air conditioner main body having a lower surface that has a periphery along which a plurality of blow-off openings are formed; a plurality of flaps rotatably disposed in the plurality of blow-off openings, respectively, the plurality of flaps being capable of independently changing angles of airflows from the indoor unit with respect to a horizontal plane; and a human body sensor that detects whether a person is present below the indoor unit,
wherein the controller is operable, when the human body sensor detects an absence of the person below the indoor unit, to cause the indoor unit to perform the temperature evenness control, and
wherein the controller is further operable, while causing the indoor unit to perform the temperature evenness control, to cause the indoor unit to blow air for a preset period with all of the flaps positioned at the largest angle with respect to the horizontal plane.

2. The room air conditioning system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of flaps include a first pair of flaps opposing each other and a second pair of flaps opposing each other, the first pair of flaps and the second pair of flaps being disposed perpendicularly to each other,
the controller is further operable, under the temperature evenness control, to cause the indoor unit to sequentially blow air for a preset period with the first pair of flaps positioned at the smallest angle with respect to the horizontal plane, to blow air for a preset period with all of the flaps positioned at the largest angle with respect to the horizontal plane, to blow air for a preset period with the second pair of flaps positioned at the smallest angle with respect to the horizontal plane, and to blow air for a preset period with all of the flaps positioned at the largest angle with respect to the horizontal plane.

3. A room air conditioning system comprising:
a first indoor unit configured to be installed at a first location on a ceiling;
a second indoor unit configured to be installed at a second location on the ceiling; and
a controller operable to cause the first indoor unit and the second indoor unit to perform airflow control and temperature evenness control,
wherein the first indoor unit includes: a first air conditioner main body having a first lower surface that has a first periphery along which a first plurality of blow-off openings are formed; a first plurality of flaps rotatably disposed in the first plurality of blow-off opening, respectively, the first plurality of flaps being capable of independently changing angles of airflows from the first indoor unit with respect to a horizontal plane; and a first human body sensor that detects whether a first person is present in a first area below the first indoor unit,
wherein the second indoor unit includes: a second air conditioner main body having a second lower surface that has a second periphery along which a second plurality of blow-off openings are formed; a second plurality of flaps rotatably disposed in the second plurality of blow-off openings, respectively, the second plurality of flaps being capable of independently changing angles of airflows from the second indoor unit with respect to the horizontal plane; and a second human body sensor that detects whether a second person is present in a second area below the second indoor unit, and
wherein the controller is operable, when the first human body sensor detects the first person in the first area below the first indoor unit and when the second human body sensor detects an absence of the second person in the second area below the second indoor unit, to cause the second plurality of flaps to change angles of airflows from the second indoor unit with respect to the horizontal plane so as to prevent airflows from being directed from the second indoor unit toward the first area below the first indoor unit.

4. The room air conditioning system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the second indoor unit further includes a floor temperature sensor operable to detect a temperature of a floor in a room, and
wherein when the second human body sensor detects absence of the second person and the floor temperature sensor detects a state that the temperature of the floor in the room to be lower than a predetermined temperature during a heating operation or the floor temperature sensor detects a state that the temperature of the floor in the room to be higher than a predetermined temperature during a cooling operation, the controller is operable to cause the second indoor unit to perform the temperature evenness control.

5. The room air conditioning system according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is operable to terminate the temperature evenness control after a predetermined time period has elapsed from a start of the temperature evenness control.

6. The room air conditioning system according to claim 3 , wherein when the first human body sensor detects presence of the first person, the controller is operable to terminate the temperature evenness control.

7. The room air conditioning system according to claim 3 , wherein the second plurality of flaps include a first pair of flaps opposing each other and a second pair of flaps opposing each other, the first pair of flaps and the second pair of flaps being disposed perpendicularly to each other.

8. The room air conditioning system according to claim 7 , wherein the controller is operable to perform temperature evenness control by sequentially: controlling the second indoor unit to position, of the second plurality of flaps, the first pair of flaps at a lowest location angle and a second pair of flaps at a middle location angle; then controlling the second indoor unit to position all of the second plurality of flaps at the lowest location angle; and then controlling the second indoor unit to position the first pair of flaps at the middle location angle and to position the second pair of flaps at the lowest location angle.

9. The room air conditioning system according to claim 3 ,
wherein the second plurality of flaps include a first pair of flaps being disposed adjacent to each other and a second pair of flaps being disposed adjacent to each other, and
wherein the controller is operable to perform temperature evenness control by sequentially: controlling the second indoor unit to position the first pair of flaps at a lowest location angle and the second pair of flaps at a middle location angle; then controlling the second indoor unit to position all of the second plurality of flaps at the lowest location angle; and then controlling the second indoor unit to position the first pair of flaps at the middle location angle and the second pair of flaps at the lowest location angle.

10. A method of controlling a room air conditioning system comprising: a first indoor unit configured to be installed at a first location on a ceiling; a second indoor unit configured to be installed at a second location on the ceiling; and a controller operable to cause the first indoor unit and the second indoor unit to perform airflow control and temperature evenness control, wherein the first indoor unit includes: a first air conditioner main body having a first lower surface that has a first periphery along which a first plurality of blow-off openings are formed; a first plurality of flaps rotatably disposed in the first plurality of blow-off opening, respectively, the first plurality of flaps being capable of independently changing angles of air

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yaegashi Masahiro
• Kamata Shigemitsu

Classifications

• F24F1/0014 Primary

  having two or more outlet openings · CPC title

• F24F11/30

  for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring · CPC title

• F24F11/79 Primary

  for controlling the direction of the supplied air · CPC title

• F24F2120/12

  Position of occupants · CPC title

• F24F2120/10

  Occupancy · CPC title