Controller circuit for air conditioner with cool air guided with room temperature airstream

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9964324-B2
Application number	US-201313872816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2013
Priority date	Apr 27, 2012
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A first fan controlling section of a controller circuit is configured to control a first blower fan so as to induce the discharge of the airflow of a cool air through a first air outlet defined in a first enclosure of an indoor unit of the air conditioner. A second fan controlling section is configured to control second blower fans so as to induce the discharge of the airflows of a room air through second air outlets, respectively, defined in a pair of second enclosures disposed on the opposite sides of the first enclosure. An enclosure attitude controlling section is configured to change the respective attitude of the second enclosures relative to the first enclosure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioner comprising:
an indoor unit comprising:
a first enclosure comprising a first airflow passage in which a heat exchanger and a first blower fan are disposed, the first enclosure comprising a first air outlet at an end of the first airflow passage;
a second enclosure disposed on a first side of the first enclosure, the second enclosure comprising a second air airflow passage in which a second blower fan is disposed, the second airflow passage being distinct from the first airflow passage, the second enclosure comprising a second air outlet at an end of the second airflow passage; and
a third enclosure disposed on a second side of the first enclosure, the third enclosure comprising a third airflow passage in which a third blower fan is disposed, the third airflow passage being distinct from the first airflow passage and the second airflow passage, the second side being opposite the first side of the first enclosure, the third enclosure defining a third air outlet at an end of the third airflow passage; and

a controller circuit comprising:
a cooling operation unit configured to control generation of a cool air through the heat exchanger in the first airflow passage, the cool air being lower in temperature than a room temperature air;
a first fan controller configured to control the first blower fan to induce an airflow of the cool air in the first airflow passage, the airflow of the cool air being discharged through the first air outlet;
a second fan controller configured to control:
the second blower fan to induce a first airflow of the room temperature air in the second airflow passage, the first airflow of the room temperature air being discharged through the second air outlet, and
the third blower fan to induce a second airflow of the room temperature air in the third airflow passage, the second airflow of the room temperature air being discharged through the third air outlet; and

an enclosure orientation controller configured to control driving mechanisms driving the second enclosure and the third enclosure to change orientations of the first airflow and the second airflow of the room temperature air, guiding the airflow of the cool air.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the enclosure orientation controller is configured to determine the orientations of the second enclosure and the third enclosure based on a detect signal output from a human sensor detecting a presence of a human being in a room.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the enclosure orientation controller is further configured to control the orientations of the second enclosure and the third enclosure differently from each other.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the enclosure orientation controller is configured to determine the orientations of the second enclosure and the third enclosure in an orientation enabling the first airflow and the second airflow of the room temperature air running in a horizontal direction or a descendant direction from the second air outlet and the third air outlet when the airflow of the cool air is blown in a horizontal direction from the first air outlet.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4 , wherein the second fan controller is configured to set a first flow rate of the first airflow of the room temperature air and a second flow rate of the second airflow of the room temperature air to be larger than that of the airflow of the cool air.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the indoor unit further comprises an airflow directing mechanism disposed at the first air outlet for directing the airflow of the cool air, the enclosure orientation controller is configured to control operation of the driving mechanisms in a manner interlocked with operation of the airflow directing mechanism.

Assignees

• Fujitsu General Ltd

Inventors

• Taira Ritsushi
• Sugiyama Shinji
• Haruyama Kenji
• Iwano Syun
• Tanaka Fumiaki

Classifications

• F24F1/0057

  mounted in or on a wall · CPC title

• F24F2120/10

  Occupancy · CPC title

• F24F11/30

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

• F24F1/0033

  having two or more fans · CPC title

• F24F11/79 Primary

  for controlling the direction of the supplied air · CPC title