WO2021005657A1

WO2021005657A1 - Air-conditioning apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2021005657A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/026863
Authority: WO
Inventors: 伊藤　慎一; 正樹豊島
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2019-07-05
Filing date: 2019-07-05
Publication date: 2021-01-14
Also published as: JPWO2021005657A1; JP7233538B2

Abstract

This air-conditioning apparatus provided with an outdoor unit that has a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger and that takes in outdoor air from an outdoor space and discharges the outdoor air to the outdoor space and an indoor unit that has a first expansion valve, a first indoor heat exchanger, and a second indoor heat exchanger and that takes in indoor air from an indoor space and supplies the indoor air to the indoor space, is provided with: a second expansion valve provided to the outdoor unit or the indoor unit; a refrigerant circuit in which the compressor, the second indoor heat exchanger, the first expansion valve, the first indoor heat exchanger, the second expansion valve, and the outdoor heat exchanger are sequentially connected to each other by a pipe; an absorption/desorption device having a absorption member that absorbs moisture in the air; and a controller that controls the degrees of opening of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve. The indoor unit has formed therein an air passage through which the indoor air taken into the inside passes. The first indoor heat exchanger, the absorption/desorption device, and the second indoor heat exchanger are arranged on the air passage. The second indoor heat exchanger is disposed on the downstream side of the first indoor heat exchanger. The absorption/desorption device is disposed on the downstream side of the first indoor heat exchanger and on the upstream side of the second indoor heat exchanger. The controller controls the degrees of opening of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve, is provided with a heating absorption mode for absorbing moisture in the indoor air by the absorption/desorption device and a heating desorption mode for desorbing the absorbed moisture, and performs humidification control by switching between these modes.

Description

Air conditioner

The present invention relates to an air conditioner that humidifies an indoor space.

Conventionally, an air conditioner having a rotary desiccant rotor having an adsorbent for adsorbing and desorbing water and using a heater as a regenerating heat source for the desorbing agent of the desiccant rotor has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). ). In the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, indoor air is dehumidified by adsorbing moisture at a desiccant rotor portion arranged in a suction portion, heated by a heater, and then compressed by a compressor to exchange heat. After being cooled by the vessel, it is discharged to the outdoor space. Further, after being heated by the heat exchanger, the outdoor air is released by desorbing moisture at the desiccant rotor portion arranged in the desorption portion, and is supplied to the indoor space. Then, in the above air conditioner, by rotating the desiccant rotor, the desiccant rotor moves between the suction part and the desorption part, and the suction at the suction part and the desorption at the desorption part are repeated, so that the room Humidification of the air supplied to the space is performed continuously.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-257768

However, in the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1, although the outdoor air is humidified and supplied to the indoor space, the outdoor air tends to be low in temperature and low humidity depending on the time, and in that case, the humidifying capacity is not stable. was there. Further, since the heater is used as the regenerated heat source of the desorbing agent of the desiccant rotor, there is a problem that the power consumption increases.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of obtaining a stable humidifying capacity with less power consumption.

The air conditioner according to the present invention has an outdoor unit having a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, taking in outdoor air from the outdoor space and discharging the outdoor air to the outdoor space, a first expansion valve, and a first chamber. An air conditioner having a heat exchanger and a second indoor heat exchanger, and including an indoor unit that takes in indoor air from the indoor space and supplies the indoor air to the indoor space, and is an outdoor unit. A second expansion valve provided in the machine or the indoor unit, the compressor, the second indoor heat exchanger, the first expansion valve, the first indoor heat exchanger, the second expansion valve, and the outdoor heat. A refrigerant circuit in which the exchangers are sequentially connected by pipes, an suction / desorption device having a suction member for adsorbing moisture in the air, a controller for controlling the opening degree of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve, and a controller. The indoor unit is formed with an air passage through which the indoor air taken in is passed, and the first indoor heat exchanger, the suction / desorption device, and the second indoor heat exchanger are described. The second chamber heat exchanger is arranged on the air passage, the second chamber heat exchanger is arranged on the downstream side of the first chamber heat exchanger, and the suction / desorption device is on the downstream side of the first chamber heat exchanger. Arranged on the upstream side of the second chamber heat exchanger, the controller controls the opening degrees of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve, and the suction / desorption device removes moisture in the room air. It has a heating adsorption mode for adsorbing and a heating / desorption mode for desorbing the adsorbed moisture, and humidification control is performed by switching between them.

The air conditioner according to the present invention includes an indoor unit that takes in indoor air from the indoor space and supplies the indoor air to the indoor space. That is, as the air supplied to the indoor space, indoor air with less fluctuation in humidity than outdoor air is used. In addition, the controller has a heating adsorption mode that controls the opening degree of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve and adsorbs the moisture in the room air by the suction / desorption device, and a heating / desorption mode that desorbs the adsorbed moisture. , Humidification control is performed by switching between them. That is, the heater is not used for the suction / desorption of the suction member of the suction / desorption device. As a result, a stable humidifying capacity can be obtained with less power consumption.

It is a refrigerant circuit diagram which shows an example of the structure of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the connection relation of the controller of the air conditioner, the outdoor unit control board, and the indoor unit control board which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a schematic diagram which shows the porous flat plate which forms the suction / desorption device of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a graph which shows the variation of the saturated adsorption amount with respect to the relative humidity of the adsorption member used for the suction / desorption device of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation in the heating adsorption mode of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a psychrometric chart which shows the state change of the air in the heating adsorption mode of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation in the heating / detaching mode of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a psychrometric chart which shows the state change of the air in the heating / detaching mode of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a refrigerant circuit diagram which shows another example of the structure of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 1. It is a refrigerant circuit diagram which shows an example of the structure of the air conditioner which concerns on embodiment 2. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation in the heating adsorption mode of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a psychrometric chart which shows the state change of the air in the heating adsorption mode of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is the schematic for demonstrating the operation in the heating / detaching mode of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 2. It is a psychrometric chart which shows the state change of the air in the heating / detaching mode of the air conditioner which concerns on Embodiment 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described based on the drawings. The embodiments are not limited by the contents described below. Further, in the drawings below, the relationship between the sizes of the constituent members may differ from the actual one.

Embodiment 1.
Hereinafter, the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment will be described. The air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment includes an indoor unit 20 that humidifies the room.

[Configuration of air conditioner 100]
FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 100 takes in outdoor air from the outdoor space and discharges the outdoor air to the outdoor space, and takes in the indoor air from the indoor space to bring the indoor air into the indoor space. The indoor unit 20 to be supplied is provided.

(Outdoor unit 10)
As shown in FIG. 1, the outdoor unit 10 includes a compressor 11, a refrigerant flow path switching device 12, an outdoor heat exchanger 13, a second expansion valve 14, and an outdoor blower 15. Inside the outdoor unit 10, an air passage 10a is formed in which the outdoor air taken in from the outdoor space by the outdoor blower 15 passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and is blown into the outdoor space.

The compressor 11 sucks in the low temperature and low pressure refrigerant, compresses the sucked refrigerant, and discharges the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant. The compressor 11 is composed of, for example, an inverter compressor whose capacity, which is the amount of transmission per unit time, is controlled by changing the operating frequency. The operating frequency of the compressor 11 is controlled by the controller 40 via the outdoor unit control board 19. In this example, the case where one compressor 11 is used is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, two or more compressors 11 may be connected in parallel or in series.

The refrigerant flow path switching device 12 is, for example, a four-way valve, and switches between cooling operation and heating operation by switching the flow direction of the refrigerant. During the cooling operation, the refrigerant flow path switching device 12 switches to the state shown by the broken line in FIG. 1, and the discharge side of the compressor 11 and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 are connected. Further, the refrigerant flow path switching device 12 switches to the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 during the heating operation, and the discharge side of the compressor 11 and the second chamber heat exchanger 24 are connected to each other. The switching of the flow path in the refrigerant flow path switching device 12 is controlled by the controller 40 via the outdoor unit control board 19.

The outdoor heat exchanger 13 exchanges heat between the outdoor air and the refrigerant. The outdoor heat exchanger 13 functions as a condenser that dissipates the heat of the refrigerant to the outdoor air and condenses the refrigerant during the cooling operation. Further, the outdoor heat exchanger 13 functions as an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant during the heating operation and cools the outdoor air by the heat of vaporization at that time. As the outdoor heat exchanger 13, for example, a cross-fin type fin-and-tube heat exchanger composed of a heat transfer tube and a large number of fins is used.

The second expansion valve 14 is, for example, an electronic expansion valve capable of adjusting the opening degree of the throttle, and by adjusting the opening degree, the refrigerant flowing into the first chamber heat exchanger 23 during the cooling operation, and During the heating operation, the pressure of the refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is controlled. In the first embodiment, the second expansion valve 14 is provided in the outdoor unit 10, but it may be provided in the indoor unit 20, and the installation location is not limited.

The outdoor blower 15 supplies outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 13, and the amount of air blown to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is adjusted by controlling the rotation speed. As the outdoor blower 15, for example, a centrifugal fan or a multi-blade fan driven by a motor such as a DC (Direct Current) fan motor or an AC (Alternating Current) fan motor is used. When a DC fan motor is used as the drive source of the outdoor blower 15, the amount of blown air is adjusted by changing the current value and controlling the rotation speed. When an AC fan motor is used as the drive source of the outdoor blower 15, the amount of blown air is adjusted by changing the power supply frequency by inverter control and controlling the rotation speed.

Further, the outdoor unit 10 includes an outdoor unit control board 19. The outdoor unit control board 19 is connected to the controller 40 by a transmission line 51, and based on the operation control signal from the controller 40, the compressor 11, the refrigerant flow path switching device 12, the second expansion valve 14, and the outdoor blower 15 are connected. Control.

(Indoor unit 20)
The indoor unit 20 includes a first expansion valve 25, a first indoor heat exchanger 23, a second indoor heat exchanger 24, an suction / detachment device 22, and an indoor blower 21. Inside the indoor unit 20, indoor air taken in from the indoor space by the indoor blower 21 passes through the first indoor heat exchanger 23, the suction / desorption device 22, and the second indoor heat exchanger 24 and is blown into the indoor space. The air passage 20a to be formed is formed.

The first expansion valve 25 is, for example, an electronic expansion valve capable of adjusting the opening degree of the throttle, and by adjusting the opening degree, the refrigerant flowing into the second chamber heat exchanger 24 during the cooling operation, and During the heating operation, the pressure of the refrigerant flowing into the first chamber heat exchanger 23 is controlled.

The first chamber heat exchanger 23 is arranged on the air passage 20a. The second chamber heat exchanger 24 is located on the air passage 20a and on the downstream side of the first chamber heat exchanger 23. The first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchanger 24 are connected in series with each other in the refrigerant circuit, and both exchange heat between air and the refrigerant. As a result, heating air or cooling air supplied to the indoor space is generated. The first chamber heat exchanger 23 functions as an evaporator or a condenser during the cooling operation to cool or heat the air flowing into the suction / desorption device 22. The second indoor heat exchanger 24 functions as an evaporator during the cooling operation, and cools the air in the indoor space to perform cooling. Further, the first chamber heat exchanger 23 functions as an evaporator or a condenser during the heating operation, and cools or heats the air flowing into the suction / desorption device 22. The second indoor heat exchanger 24 functions as a condenser during the heating operation, and heats the air in the indoor space to heat the room. As the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchanger 24, for example, a cross-fin type fin-and-tube heat exchanger composed of a heat transfer tube and a large number of fins is used.

The suction / desorption device 22 is located on the downstream side of the first chamber heat exchanger 23 in the air passage 20a and on the upstream side of the second chamber heat exchanger 24. That is, the suction / desorption device 22 is on the same air passage 20a as the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchanger 24, and the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchanger 24 It is provided between. The suction / desorption device 22 has an adsorption member that adsorbs moisture in the air, and adsorbs and desorbs moisture to the supplied air. Specifically, the suction / desorption device 22 adsorbs moisture from air having relatively high humidity, and desorbs moisture from air having relatively low humidity.

The indoor blower 21 supplies indoor air to the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchanger 24, and by controlling the rotation speed, the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchanger 23 are supplied. (Ii) The amount of air blown to the indoor heat exchanger 24 is adjusted. As the indoor blower 21, for example, a centrifugal fan or a multi-blade fan driven by a motor such as a DC fan motor or an AC fan motor is used. When a DC fan motor is used as the drive source of the indoor blower 21, the amount of blown air is adjusted by changing the current value and controlling the rotation speed. When an AC fan motor is used as the drive source of the indoor blower 21, the amount of blown air is adjusted by changing the power supply frequency by inverter control and controlling the rotation speed.

Further, by controlling the air volume of the indoor blower 21, the flow velocity of the air passing through the suction / desorption device 22 also changes. The adsorption speed and desorption speed of the adsorption member used in the adsorption / desorption device 22, that is, the water transfer rate between the air and the adsorption member during adsorption and desorption increase as the flow velocity of the air passing through the adsorption member increases. Therefore, by increasing the air volume of the indoor blower 21, it is possible to increase the suction / detachment ability of the suction member. In the first embodiment, the indoor blower 21 is arranged at the uppermost stream of the air passage 20a, but the present invention is not limited to this. As long as the target air volume can be obtained in the air passage 20a, it may be arranged downstream from the position shown in FIG. Further, the number is not limited to one of the number of air passages 20a, and may be arranged upstream and downstream, respectively. That is, the arrangement position and number of the indoor blowers 21 are not limited.

The outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 are connected to each other by piping. Further, the air conditioner 100 includes a compressor 11, a refrigerant flow path switching device 12, a second indoor heat exchanger 24, a first expansion valve 25, a first indoor heat exchanger 23, a second expansion valve 14, and an outdoor heat exchange. The vessels 13 are sequentially connected by pipes and include a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant circulates.

The refrigerant used in the refrigerant circuit is not particularly limited. For example, natural refrigerants such as carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons or helium, chlorine-free refrigerants such as HFC-410A or HFC-407C, or chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants such as R22 or R134a used in existing products. Can be used.

(Sensors)
The indoor unit 20 includes a plurality of temperature sensors including, for example, a thermistor. A first outlet temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the refrigerant flowing out of the first chamber heat exchanger 23 (hereinafter referred to as outlet temperature) on the outlet side of the first chamber heat exchanger 23 in the flow of the refrigerant during the heating operation. 28a is provided. On the inlet side of the first chamber heat exchanger 23 in the flow of the refrigerant during the heating operation, a first inlet temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the first chamber heat exchanger 23 (hereinafter referred to as the inlet temperature). 28b is provided. On the inlet side of the second chamber heat exchanger 24 in the flow of the refrigerant during the heating operation, a second inlet temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the second chamber heat exchanger 24 (hereinafter referred to as the inlet temperature). 28c is provided. An indoor temperature detection sensor 28d for detecting the temperature of the indoor space (hereinafter, also referred to as the indoor temperature) is provided near the suction port of the indoor unit 20. A blowout temperature detection sensor 28e for detecting the blowout temperature is provided in the vicinity of the blowout port of the indoor unit 20. The installation location of the indoor temperature detection sensor 28d is not limited to the above, and may be any position where the indoor temperature can be detected.

Further, a relative humidity detection sensor 28f for detecting the relative humidity in the indoor space is provided near the air suction port of the indoor unit 20. The installation location of the relative humidity detection sensor 28f is not limited to the above, and may be any position as long as it can detect the relative humidity in the indoor space. The relative humidity detection sensor 28f is, for example, a capacitance type.

Further, a motion sensor 28g for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space is provided inside or outside the indoor unit 20. The motion sensor 28g is composed of, for example, an infrared sensor.

Further, the indoor unit 20 includes an indoor unit control board 27. The indoor unit control board 27 is connected to the controller 40 by a transmission line 51, and controls the first expansion valve 25 and the indoor blower 21 based on the operation control signal from the controller 40.

(Controller 40)
The controller 40 transmits an operation control signal to the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 to control the entire air conditioner 100. Further, the controller 40 controls the opening degrees of the second expansion valve 14 and the first expansion valve 25 based on various information detected by various sensors provided in the indoor unit 20 in each mode during the heating operation.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the connection relationship between the controller 40 of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the outdoor unit control board 19, and the indoor unit control board 27. As shown in FIG. 2, various sensors are connected to the controller 40, respectively. Specifically, the first outlet temperature sensor 28a, the first inlet temperature sensor 28b, the second inlet temperature sensor 28c, the room temperature detection sensor 28d, the outlet temperature detection sensor 28e, the relative humidity detection sensor 28f, and the human sensor 28g. Are each connected to the controller 40. Further, the outdoor unit control board 19 and the indoor unit control board 27 are connected to the controller 40 via a transmission line 51.

The compressor 11, the refrigerant flow path switching device 12, the second expansion valve 14, and the outdoor blower 15 are connected to the outdoor unit control board 19. The first expansion valve 25 and the indoor blower 21 are connected to the indoor unit control board 27.

The controller 40 includes an information acquisition unit 41, an arithmetic processing unit 42, a device control unit 43, and a storage unit 44. The controller 40 is composed of hardware such as a circuit device that realizes various functions by executing software on an arithmetic unit such as a microcomputer.

The information acquisition unit 41 includes a first outlet temperature sensor 28a, a first inlet temperature sensor 28b, a second inlet temperature sensor 28c, an indoor temperature detection sensor 28d, a blowout temperature detection sensor 28e, a relative humidity detection sensor 28f, and a human sensor. Various information detected at 28 g is acquired.

The arithmetic processing unit 42 performs various processes based on various information acquired by the information acquisition unit 41.

The device control unit 43 generates an operation control signal for controlling each unit provided in the air conditioner 100 based on the processing result of the arithmetic processing unit 42, and transmits the operation control signal to the outdoor unit control board 19 and the indoor unit control board 27. To do.

The storage unit 44 stores various values used in each unit of the controller 40, and is, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or EEPROM.

(Suction / desorption device 22)
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a porous flat plate 22a forming the suction / detachment device 22 of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment. The broken line arrow in FIG. 3 indicates the ventilation direction.
Here, the suction / detachment device 22 according to the first embodiment will be described. The suction / desorption device 22 is stationary with respect to the air passage 20a, and is fixedly attached to the air passage 20a. The suction / desorption device 22 is formed by using the porous flat plate 22a shown in FIG. The porous flat plate 22a has a polygonal shape along the pipe cross section of the air passage 20a where the suction / desorption device 22 is arranged so that the ventilation cross section can be increased. Therefore, the suction / desorption device 22 can be made equivalent to the cross-sectional area of the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchanger 24. Further, the porous flat plate 22a is a ventilator in which a plurality of small through holes 22b through which air passes in the thickness direction of the porous flat plate 22a are formed. On the surface of the porous flat plate 22a, an adsorption member having a property of adsorbing moisture from relatively high humidity air and desorbing moisture to relatively low humidity air is formed.

That is, the suction / desorption device 22 of the first embodiment has a porous flat plate 22a and a suction member formed on the surface thereof. The adsorbent member is formed in layers by applying an adsorbent to the surface of the porous flat plate 22a. Further, the adsorption member may be supported on the surface of the porous flat plate 22a by impregnation, or may be formed on the surface of the porous flat plate 22a by surface treatment.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the variation of the saturated adsorption amount with respect to the relative humidity of the adsorption member used in the adsorption / desorption device 22 of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents the relative humidity [%] of air, and the vertical axis represents the equilibrium adsorption amount [g / g] per unit mass of the adsorption member.

The curve a shown by the solid line in FIG. 4 represents an example of the hygroscopic property of the adsorption member which is particularly preferably used in the first embodiment. Examples of the adsorption member particularly preferably used in the first embodiment include a crosslinked product of sodium polyacrylate in an organic system, and nanotube silicate (imogolite) and aluminum silicate (Husclay (registered trademark)) in an inorganic system. is there.

On the other hand, the curve b shown by the broken line represents an example of the hygroscopic characteristics of the suction member used in a general desiccant rotor. Examples of the adsorption member used in a general desiccant rotor include silica gel and zeolite.

As shown by the curve a in FIG. 4, in the adsorption member particularly preferably used in the first embodiment, the equilibrium adsorption amount monotonously increases as the relative humidity increases, and the relative humidity is particularly in the range of 40 to 100%. Has the property that the equilibrium adsorption amount increases substantially linearly as the relative humidity rises. Further, this adsorption member has a characteristic that the equilibrium adsorption amount is particularly large in a high humidity region where the relative humidity is 80 to 100%.

By using such an adsorption member, the equilibrium adsorption amount of the adsorption member for the air passing through the suction / desorption device 22 in the heating / desorption mode described later and the adsorption member for the air passing through the suction / desorption device 22 in the heating / desorption mode described later. The difference from the equilibrium adsorption amount of can be increased. Therefore, the suction ability and the attachment / detachment ability of the suction member can be further enhanced.

In the adsorption member having the moisture absorption characteristic of the curve b, the equilibrium adsorption amount increases monotonically as the relative humidity increases, but the equilibrium adsorption amount increases slowly as the relative humidity increases. When such an adsorption member is used in the suction / desorption device 22, it may be difficult to increase the amount of dehumidification from the air in a general indoor space having a relative humidity of about 40 to 60%.

In order to increase the amount of dehumidification and obtain the corresponding humidifying capacity, the equilibrium adsorption amount of the adsorption member with respect to the air passing through the suction / desorption device 22 in the heating / desorption mode and the air passing through the suction / desorption device 22 in the heating / desorption mode. It is desirable to increase the difference from the equilibrium adsorption amount of the adsorption member. Therefore, it may be necessary to heat the air before passing through the suction / desorption device 22 in the heating / desorption mode by a heating device or the like to reduce the relative humidity of the air to about 20%.

On the other hand, the adsorption member having the moisture absorption characteristic of the curve a has a particularly large amount of equilibrium adsorption in a high humidity region where the relative humidity is 80 to 100%. Therefore, it is not necessary to heat the air to reduce the relative humidity, and the equilibrium adsorption amount for air in a general indoor space having a relative humidity of about 40 to 60% and the equilibrium adsorption amount for air having a relative humidity of about 80 to 100%. The difference between and can be made large enough. Therefore, by using the suction member having the moisture absorption characteristic of the curve a in the suction / desorption device 22, continuous humidification operation becomes possible even if the air passage 20a is not provided with the desorption heat source.

The adsorption member has the property that the water transfer rate decreases as the temperature decreases. The air flowing into the suction / desorption device 22 in the heating adsorption mode is lower in temperature than the air flowing into the suction / desorption device 22 in the heating / desorption mode. Therefore, in the heating adsorption mode, the amount of dehumidification is reduced due to the decrease in the water transfer rate in the adsorption member. In order to increase the amount of dehumidification, the equilibrium adsorption amount in a high humidity area is medium by taking advantage of the characteristic that the air flowing into the suction / desorption device 22 in the heating adsorption mode has a high humidity of about 80 to 100% relative humidity. It is necessary to use an adsorption member that is sufficiently larger than the equilibrium adsorption amount in the wet area.

Here, the high humidity range is a range of 80 to 100% relative humidity, and the medium humidity range is a range of 40 to 60% relative humidity, which is the humidity of a general indoor space. From the test verification results, it is possible to suppress the decrease in humidifying capacity due to the decrease in the inflow air temperature by using a hygroscopic member whose equilibrium adsorption amount in the high humidity area is 1.2 times or more the equilibrium adsorption amount in the medium humidity area. I know I can do it.

Specifically, the equilibrium adsorption amount x per unit mass for air having a relative humidity of 60% and the equilibrium adsorption amount y per unit mass for air having a relative humidity of 80% are “y / x ≧ 1.2”. If the relationship is satisfied, the decrease in humidifying capacity due to the decrease in the inflow air temperature can be suppressed. The adsorption member having the hygroscopic property of the curve a satisfies the relationship of “y / x ≧ 1.2”.

The air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment humidifies the indoor space by alternately executing the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode during the heating operation. The heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode can be switched by changing the opening degree of the second expansion valve 14 and the first expansion valve 25.

Hereinafter, the operation in the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode during the heating operation of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment will be described, but the description will be omitted for the operation during the cooling operation.

(Heating adsorption mode)
FIG. 5 is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment in the heating adsorption mode. The black arrow in FIG. 5 indicates the flow of the refrigerant. In the heating adsorption mode, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the second chamber heat exchanger 24 that functions as a condenser via the refrigerant flow path switching device 12. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the second indoor heat exchanger 24 exchanges heat with the indoor air taken in by the indoor blower 21 and condenses while radiating heat, heating the indoor air and becoming a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. It flows out from the second chamber heat exchanger 24. The high-pressure liquid medium flowing out of the second chamber heat exchanger 24 is depressurized by the first expansion valve 25 set to a relatively low opening degree, becomes a low-temperature low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and functions as an evaporator. It flows into the first chamber heat exchanger 23. The low-temperature, low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the first chamber heat exchanger 23 exchanges heat with the indoor air taken in by the indoor blower 21 and evaporates while absorbing heat to cool the indoor air and heat the first chamber. It flows out of the exchanger 23. The low-temperature low-pressure two-phase refrigerant flowing out of the first indoor heat exchanger 23 is decompressed by the second expansion valve 14 set to a relatively high opening degree, and then flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 13.

The low-temperature, low-pressure two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the outdoor heat exchanger 13 exchanges heat with the outdoor air taken in by the outdoor blower 15 and evaporates while absorbing heat to cool and heat the outdoor air, and becomes a low-pressure gas refrigerant. Then, it flows out from the outdoor heat exchanger 13. The low-pressure gas refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is sucked into the compressor 11.

FIG. 6 is a psychrometric chart showing a change of state of air in the heating adsorption mode of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment. The horizontal axis of FIG. 6 indicates the temperature [° C.], and the vertical axis indicates the absolute humidity [kg / kg']. The points A1, B1, C1, and D1 in FIG. 6 correspond to the positions (A1), (B1), (C1), and (D1) in FIG. 5, respectively. Further, in the heating adsorption mode, the second expansion valve 14 is set to a relatively high opening degree, and the first expansion valve 25 is set to a relatively low opening degree. Note that FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a change of state of air in a state in which the suction / desorption device 22 retains a small amount of water, for example, in a state of being saturated with ambient air.

The room air before flowing into the first room heat exchanger 23 is in the state of point A1. The air that has passed through the first chamber heat exchanger 23 is cooled and dehumidified by heat exchange with the refrigerant, becomes a state of low temperature and high relative humidity (point B1), and flows into the suction / desorption device 22. Since air having a high relative humidity passes through the suction / desorption device 22, the adsorption member of the suction / desorption device 22 causes an adsorption reaction that adsorbs moisture in the air and dissipates the heat of adsorption. As a result, the air that has passed through the suction / desorption device 22 is dehumidified and heated by the adsorption reaction, and the absolute humidity is lowered (point C1), and the air flows into the second chamber heat exchanger 24. The air that has passed through the second indoor heat exchanger 24 is heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant (point D1) and supplied to the indoor space.

That is, in the heating adsorption mode, the indoor air sucked into the indoor unit 20 is dehumidified by the cooling by the first indoor heat exchanger 23 and the adsorption reaction by the suction / desorption device 22, and the second indoor heat exchanger 24 dehumidifies the indoor air. It is heated. As a result, high temperature and low absolute humidity air is supplied to the indoor space.

(Heating desorption mode)
FIG. 7 is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment in the heating / desorption mode. The black arrow in FIG. 7 indicates the flow of the refrigerant. In the heating / desorption mode, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the second chamber heat exchanger 24 that functions as a condenser via the refrigerant flow path switching device 12. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the second indoor heat exchanger 24 exchanges heat with the indoor air taken in by the indoor blower 21 and condenses while radiating heat, heating the indoor air and becoming a liquid refrigerant. It flows out from the two-chamber heat exchanger 24. The liquid medium flowing out of the second chamber heat exchanger 24 is depressurized by the first expansion valve 25 set to a relatively high opening degree, and then flows into the first chamber heat exchanger 23 functioning as a condenser. .. The liquid refrigerant flowing into the first chamber heat exchanger 23 exchanges heat with the indoor air taken in by the indoor blower 21 and condenses while dissipating heat, heats the indoor air and flows out from the first chamber heat exchanger 23. .. The liquid refrigerant flowing out of the first indoor heat exchanger 23 is depressurized by the second expansion valve 14 set to a relatively low opening degree, becomes a low-temperature low-pressure two-phase refrigerant, and flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 13.

The low-temperature, low-pressure two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the outdoor heat exchanger 13 exchanges heat with the outdoor air taken in by the outdoor blower 15 and evaporates while absorbing heat to cool and heat the outdoor air, and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is heated. Outflow from. The low-pressure gas refrigerant flowing out of the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is sucked into the compressor 11.

FIG. 8 is a psychrometric chart showing a change of air state in the heating / desorption mode of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment. The horizontal axis of FIG. 8 indicates the temperature [° C.], and the vertical axis indicates the absolute humidity [kg / kg']. The points A2, B2, C2, and D2 in FIG. 8 correspond to the positions (A2), (B2), (C2), and (D2) in FIG. 7, respectively. Further, in the heating / detaching mode, the second expansion valve 14 is set to a relatively low opening degree, and the first expansion valve 25 is set to a relatively high opening degree. Note that FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a change of state of air in a state in which the suction / desorption device 22 retains a large amount of water, for example, in a state of being saturated in the heating adsorption mode.

The room air before flowing into the first room heat exchanger 23 is in the state of point A2. The air that has passed through the first chamber heat exchanger 23 is heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant, becomes in a state of low relative humidity (point B2), and flows into the suction / desorption device 22. Since air having a low relative humidity passes through the adsorption / desorption device 22 and the amount of water retained in the adsorption member of the adsorption / desorption device 22 is large, the adsorption member releases moisture into the air to absorb the heat of attachment / detachment. A desorption reaction occurs. As a result, the amount of water retained in the adsorbing member is reduced, and the adsorbing member is regenerated. Further, the air that has passed through the suction / desorption device 22 is humidified and cooled by the desorption reaction, becomes low-temperature and high-humidity air (point C2), and flows into the second chamber heat exchanger 24. The air that has passed through the second indoor heat exchanger 24 is heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant (point D2) and supplied to the indoor space.

That is, in the heating / desorption mode, the indoor air sucked into the indoor unit 20 is humidified by the heating in the first indoor heat exchanger 23 and the desorption reaction in the suction / desorption device 22, and the second indoor heat exchanger 24 Further heated. As a result, high temperature and high absolute humidity air is supplied to the indoor space.

Next, the control of the second expansion valve 14 and the first expansion valve 25 in the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode during the heating operation of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment will be described.

(Heating adsorption mode)
In the heating adsorption mode, the first chamber heat exchanger 23 functions as an evaporator and the second chamber heat exchanger 24 functions as a condenser. In the heating adsorption mode, it is an object to increase the adsorption amount of the adsorption member of the adsorption / desorption device 22 by increasing the relative humidity of the indoor air passing through the adsorption / desorption device 22. Therefore, the controller 40 operates the compressor 11 and first expands so that the evaporation temperature obtained from the inlet temperature of the first chamber heat exchanger 23 detected by the first inlet temperature sensor 28b becomes a predetermined value. The opening degree of the valve 25 is controlled. By doing so, the suction capacity of the suction member is enhanced. Further, as a feature of the suction / desorption device 22, the higher the temperature and the higher the relative humidity, the higher the suction / desorption speed. Therefore, the target value of the evaporation temperature is set near the dew point temperature of the indoor air obtained from the indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature detection sensor 28d and the relative humidity of the indoor space detected by the relative humidity detection sensor 28f. Then, by controlling the operating frequency of the compressor 11 and the opening degree of the first expansion valve 25 so that the evaporation temperature becomes a target value set near the dew point temperature, the suction amount of the suction member of the suction / desorption device 22 Can be maximized.

(Heating desorption mode)
In the heating / desorption mode, the first chamber heat exchanger 23 functions as a condenser, and the second chamber heat exchanger 24 also functions as a condenser. Therefore, the heating capacity of the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchanger 24 is determined by the opening degree of the second expansion valve 14. Therefore, the controller 40 determines the inlet temperature of the second chamber heat exchanger 24 detected by the second inlet temperature sensor 28c and the outlet temperature of the first chamber heat exchanger 23 detected by the first outlet temperature sensor 28a. The opening degree of the second expansion valve 14 is controlled so that the degree of supercooling (SC) calculated from the difference becomes a predetermined value. By doing so, a predetermined heating capacity can be secured.

Next, the switching control between the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode during the heating operation of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment will be described.

(Switching control between heating adsorption mode and heating desorption mode)
In the first embodiment, when humidifying during the heating operation, it is necessary to alternately execute the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode. The timing for switching between the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode is determined based on the time zone and the like. For example, switch to the heating adsorption mode at night and switch to the heating / desorption mode during the day. The switching between the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode is performed by changing the opening degree of the second expansion valve 14 and the first expansion valve 25.

Alternatively, the timing of switching between the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode is determined according to the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space detected by the motion sensor 28g, that is, the occupancy status. For example, when the room is absent, the mode is switched to the heating adsorption mode, and when the room is changed from the absence to the room and the heating operation is started, the mode is switched to the heating / desorption operation mode. Here, in the heating adsorption mode, since the first chamber heat exchanger 23 functions as an evaporator, the heating operation in which the heating capacity is reduced is performed, and the energy consumption efficiency (COP) with respect to the heating capacity is reduced. In addition, the more water is contained in the ambient air, the more it can be adsorbed. Therefore, the heating adsorption mode should be performed at the timing when the room is absent, that is, at the start of absence. For example, when the indoor space is a living room, it corresponds to the start of absence after going to bed or after starting going out in the daytime.

FIG. 9 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing another example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment.
In the first embodiment, the presence status is detected by the motion sensor 28g, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the air conditioner 100 may include a receiving unit 31 that receives ON and OFF information of an external device, and may detect the occupancy status based on the received information. For example, when the external device is a TV installed in the indoor space, it is determined that the TV is in the room when the TV is ON and absent when the TV is OFF. Alternatively, when the external device is the lighting installed in the indoor space, it is determined that the room is present when the lighting is ON and that the external device is absent when the lighting is OFF.

Further, for example, the air conditioner 100 may include an input unit 32 into which power ON and OFF are input as shown in FIG. 9, and the occupancy status may be detected by the input information. For example, when the power is on, it is determined to be in the room, and when the power is off, it is determined to be absent.

In the heating adsorption mode and the heating / desorption mode according to the first embodiment, the moisture in the adsorption member is not the air in the space where the environmental change is large such as the outdoor space, but the air in the space where the environmental change is small such as the indoor space. Is adsorbed and desorbed. Therefore, it becomes easy to predict the condition in which the suction member is in an equilibrium state.

Therefore, even if the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode are switched as described above, the adsorption capacity of the adsorption member can be sufficiently exerted in the heating adsorption mode, and the adsorption capacity of the adsorption member can be sufficiently exhibited in the heating desorption mode. Can be demonstrated in. As a result, continuous humidification operation while maintaining the humidification capacity becomes possible. In order to optimize the humidifying capacity, the time of each mode during the heating operation may be changed by an external operation using, for example, a smartphone.

Further, high-efficiency operation is possible by starting the heating adsorption mode and then stopping the adsorption member after reaching the saturated adsorption amount. The timing of stopping the heating adsorption mode after starting is described below, for example. There are four to do.

The first is the timing when a preset time has elapsed after starting the heating adsorption mode. The second is the timing at which the change in the blowout temperature detected by the blowout temperature detection sensor 28e within the preset time becomes equal to or less than the reference value. The third is the timing at which the stop time is calculated according to the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection sensor 28d at the start of the heating adsorption mode, and the stop time has elapsed. Fourth, the stop time is calculated according to the room temperature detected by the room temperature detection sensor 28d at the start of the heating adsorption mode, and the stop time elapses and the blowout within a preset time. This is the timing when the change in the blowing temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 28e becomes equal to or less than the reference value.

Further, in the heating adsorption mode, when the relative humidity of the indoor space is higher than a constant value, for example, 80%, the relative humidity of the indoor air passing through the suction / desorption device 22 is originally high, and the amount of adsorption of the suction member of the suction / desorption device 22 is high. There is no need to increase. Therefore, in such a case, by stopping the operation of the compressor 11 and driving only the indoor blower 21, moisture adsorption can be realized with energy saving.

As described above, by adsorbing moisture to the suction / desorption device 22 in the heating adsorption mode when absent, and desorbing the moisture adsorbed from the suction / desorption device 22 in the heating / desorption mode at the start of the heating operation, the outdoor air is not used. Humidification operation becomes possible.

In addition, since the adsorption member reacts endothermicly during desorption in the heating desorption mode, it has the property of lowering the condensation pressure and condensation temperature in view of the reverse Carnot cycle. Therefore, even when the operating frequency at the time of starting the compressor 11 is high, the refrigerating cycle efficiency is increased by lowering the condensation pressure and the condensation temperature, and the energy saving at the time of starting the air conditioner 100 can be improved. Further, since the second indoor heat exchanger 24 functions as a condenser at the time of adsorption in the heating / desorption mode, it is possible to suppress a sudden change in the indoor temperature without excessively cooling the indoor space. In addition, the heating / desorption mode is started when a demand response for electric power generated by excessive power generation of PV (Photovoltaics) occurs, that is, when there is a request to use electric power. By doing so, it is possible to secure the humidifying capacity at the start of staying in the room without excessively raising the room temperature, and it is possible to achieve both a stable supply of electric power and an improvement in comfort.

The air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment has an outdoor unit 10 having a compressor 11 and an outdoor heat exchanger 13 and taking in outdoor air from the outdoor space and discharging the outdoor air to the outdoor space, and a first expansion. Air harmony including a valve 25, a first indoor heat exchanger 23, and an indoor unit 20 having a second indoor heat exchanger 24 and taking in indoor air from the indoor space and supplying the indoor air to the indoor space. In the device 100, the second expansion valve 14 provided in the outdoor unit 10 or the indoor unit 20, the compressor 11, the second indoor heat exchanger 24, the first expansion valve 25, the first indoor heat exchanger 23, A refrigerant circuit in which the second expansion valve 14 and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 are sequentially connected by piping, an suction / detachment device 22 having an adsorption member for adsorbing moisture in the air, a first expansion valve 25 and a second expansion valve. A controller 40 for controlling the opening degree of 14 is provided, and the indoor unit 20 is formed with an air passage 20a through which indoor air taken in is passed, and the first indoor heat exchanger 23, the suction / detachment device 22, The second chamber heat exchanger 24 is arranged on the air passage 20a, the second chamber heat exchanger 24 is arranged on the downstream side of the first chamber heat exchanger 23, and the suction / desorption device 22 is the first. It is located on the downstream side of the one-chamber heat exchanger 23 and on the upstream side of the second chamber heat exchanger 24, and the controller 40 controls the opening degrees of the first expansion valve 25 and the second expansion valve 14. The suction / desorption device 22 includes a heating adsorption mode for adsorbing moisture in the room air and a heating / desorption mode for desorbing the adsorbed moisture, and the humidification control is performed by switching between them.

According to the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the indoor unit 20 is provided by taking in the indoor air from the indoor space and supplying the indoor air to the indoor space. That is, as the air supplied to the indoor space, indoor air with less fluctuation in humidity than outdoor air is used. Further, the controller 40 controls the opening degree of the first expansion valve 25 and the second expansion valve 14, and has a heating adsorption mode in which the moisture in the indoor air is adsorbed by the suction / desorption device 22, and a heating / desorption mode in which the adsorbed moisture is desorbed. It is equipped with modes, and humidification control is performed by switching between them. That is, the heater is not used for the suction / desorption of the suction member of the suction / desorption device 22. As a result, a stable humidifying capacity can be obtained with less power consumption.

Further, in the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the air passage 20a is the same route in the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode.

According to the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the air conditioner switching device for switching the air passage between the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchanger 24 in the indoor unit 20 is like. Since no object is required, the indoor unit 20 can be made smaller or thinner.

Further, in the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the suction / desorption device 22 is composed of a porous flat plate 22a.

According to the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, since the suction / desorption device 22 is composed of the porous flat plate 22a, the suction / desorption device 22 is used as the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchange. It can be equal to the cross-sectional area of the vessel 24.

Further, in the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the controller 40 reduces the opening degree of the first expansion valve 25 to a lower opening degree than the opening degree of the second expansion valve 14 in the heating adsorption mode. Set. Then, in the heating / detaching mode, the opening degree of the first expansion valve 25 is set to a higher opening degree than the opening degree of the second expansion valve 14.

According to the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode can be switched by controlling the opening degree of the first expansion valve 25 and the second expansion valve 14.

Further, in the air conditioning device 100 according to the first embodiment, the controller 40 starts from the heating / desorption mode when the humidification control is started, and then switches to the heating adsorption mode.

According to the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, when the humidification control is started, the heating / desorption mode is started, so that the indoor space can be humidified immediately after the start of the humidification control, and the comfort is improved. Can be made to.

Further, the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment includes a motion sensor 28 g for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space. Then, the controller 40 starts the heating / detaching mode when the human sensor 28g detects a person, and switches to the heating adsorption mode when the motion sensor 28g no longer detects a person.

Alternatively, the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment includes a receiving unit 31 that receives ON and OFF information of the external device. Then, the controller 40 starts the heating / detaching mode when it receives that the power of the external device is turned on by the receiving unit 31, and the heating adsorption mode when it receives that the power of the external device is turned off by the receiving unit 31. It switches to.

Alternatively, the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment includes an input unit 32 into which power ON and OFF are input. Then, the controller 40 starts the heating / detaching mode when it detects that the power ON has been input from the input unit 32, and starts the heating adsorption mode when it detects that the power OFF has been input from the input unit 32. It switches to.

According to the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, since the heating / desorption mode in which the heating capacity is lowered can be performed in the absence, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the energy consumption efficiency (COP) with respect to the heating capacity.

Further, the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment detects the relative humidity of the indoor space with the indoor blower 21 that supplies indoor air to the first indoor heat exchanger 23 and the second indoor heat exchanger 24. The relative humidity detection sensor 28f is provided. Then, in the heating adsorption mode, the controller 40 operates the indoor blower 21 and the compressor 11 when the relative humidity detected by the relative humidity detection sensor 28f is equal to or less than a preset value. Further, the controller 40 operates the indoor blower 21 and stops the operation of the compressor 11 when the relative humidity detected by the relative humidity detection sensor 28f is larger than a preset value in the heating adsorption mode. Is.

According to the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the operation of the compressor 11 is stopped when the relative humidity of the indoor space is larger than a preset value in the heating adsorption mode. That is, when the relative humidity is high and it is not necessary to increase the adsorption amount of the adsorption member, the operation of the compressor 11 is stopped, so that moisture adsorption can be realized with energy saving.

Further, in the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the controller 40 stops the operation of the compressor 11 and the indoor blower 21 when a preset time elapses after starting the heating adsorption mode. ..

Alternatively, the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment includes a blowout temperature detection sensor 28e that detects the blowout temperature of the indoor unit 20. Then, after the controller 40 starts the heating adsorption mode, if it is determined that the change in the blowing temperature detected by the blowing temperature detection sensor 28e within a preset time is equal to or less than the reference value, the compressor 11 is operated. And the indoor blower 21 is stopped.

Alternatively, the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment includes an indoor temperature detection sensor 28d that detects the indoor temperature. Then, after starting the heating adsorption mode, the controller 40 calculates the stop time according to the indoor temperature detected by the indoor temperature detection sensor 28d at the start of the heating adsorption mode, and when the stop time elapses, the compressor 11 The operation of the indoor blower 21 and the indoor blower 21 are stopped.

According to the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the heating adsorption mode is started and then stopped at the above timing, so that the adsorption member can be stopped after reaching the saturated adsorption amount. Efficient operation is possible.

Further, in the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the adsorption amount per unit mass of the adsorption member with respect to air having a relative humidity of 40 to 100% increases linearly with the increase in the relative humidity. It is a thing.

According to the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, in the adsorption member, the equilibrium adsorption amount per unit mass for air having a relative humidity of 40 to 100% increases linearly with increasing relative humidity. .. Therefore, it is possible to increase the difference between the equilibrium adsorption amount of the adsorption member for the air passing through the suction / desorption device 22 in the heating adsorption mode and the equilibrium adsorption amount of the adsorption member for the air passing through the suction / desorption device 22 in the heating / desorption mode. it can. Therefore, the suction ability and the attachment / detachment ability of the suction member can be further enhanced.

Further, in the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the adsorption member has an equilibrium adsorption amount per unit mass with respect to air having a relative humidity of 80 to 100%, and the equilibrium with respect to air having a relative humidity of 40 to 60%. It is 1.2 times or more the amount of adsorption.

According to the air conditioner 100 according to the first embodiment, the adsorption member has an equilibrium adsorption amount per unit mass for air having a relative humidity of 80 to 100%, and the equilibrium for air having a relative humidity of 40 to 60%. It is 1.2 times or more the amount of adsorption. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the humidifying capacity due to a decrease in the inflow air temperature.

Embodiment 2.
Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described, but the description of the parts overlapping with the first embodiment will be omitted, and the same parts or the corresponding parts as those of the first embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals.

Since the suction / desorption device 22 has a heat capacity, in the first embodiment, heat loss occurs when the heating / adsorption mode, which is the adsorption operation, and the heating / desorption mode, which is the desorption operation, are switched. Further, in the first embodiment, since the suction / desorption device 22 is arranged between the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchanger 24, the indoor unit 20 may become large.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the suction member are not provided with the suction / desorption device 22 which is separate from both the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchanger 24. An adsorption heat exchanger 26 integrated with is provided.

[Configuration of air conditioner 100]
FIG. 10 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing an example of the configuration of the air conditioner 100 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, in the second embodiment, the suction / desorption device 22 in the first embodiment is removed, and the suction heat exchanger 26 in which the first chamber heat exchanger 23 and the suction member are integrated is provided. Has been done.

The adsorption heat exchanger 26 is connected in series with the second chamber heat exchanger 24 and is arranged on the upstream side of the second chamber heat exchanger 24 in the air passage 20a. In the adsorption heat exchanger 26, an adsorption member is formed on the surface of the first chamber heat exchanger 23. The suction member is formed by being applied or supported on the surface of the first chamber heat exchanger 23. In the adsorption heat exchanger 26, the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant evaporated in the first chamber heat exchanger 23 can be directly used for the adsorption reaction of the adsorption member without using air.

Next, the operations in the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode during the heating operation of the air conditioner 100 according to the second embodiment will be described, but the description will be omitted for the operations during the cooling operation.

(Heating adsorption mode)
FIG. 11 is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the air conditioner 100 according to the second embodiment in the heating adsorption mode. The black arrow in FIG. 11 indicates the flow of the refrigerant. In the heating adsorption mode, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the second chamber heat exchanger 24 that functions as a condenser via the refrigerant flow path switching device 12. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the second indoor heat exchanger 24 exchanges heat with the indoor air taken in by the indoor blower 21 and condenses while radiating heat, heating the indoor air and becoming a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. It flows out from the second chamber heat exchanger 24. The high-pressure liquid medium flowing out of the second chamber heat exchanger 24 is depressurized by the first expansion valve 25 set to a relatively low opening degree, becomes a low-temperature low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and functions as an evaporator. It flows into the adsorption heat exchanger 26. The low-temperature, low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the adsorption heat exchanger 26 exchanges heat with the indoor air taken in by the indoor blower 21 and evaporates while absorbing heat, cooling the indoor air, and from the adsorption heat exchanger 26. leak. The low-temperature low-pressure two-phase refrigerant flowing out of the adsorption heat exchanger 26 is depressurized by the second expansion valve 14 set to a relatively high opening degree, and then flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 13.

FIG. 12 is a psychrometric chart showing a change of state of air in the heating adsorption mode of the air conditioner 100 according to the second embodiment. The horizontal axis of FIG. 12 indicates the temperature [° C.], and the vertical axis indicates the absolute humidity [kg / kg']. Points A1, B1, and C1 in FIG. 12 correspond to the positions (A1), (B1), and (C1) in FIG. 11, respectively. Further, in the heating adsorption mode, the second expansion valve 14 is set to a relatively high opening degree, and the first expansion valve 25 is set to a relatively low opening degree. Note that FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a change of state of air in a state in which the adsorption heat exchanger 26 retains a small amount of water, for example, in a state of being saturated with ambient air.

In FIG. 12, the change of air state of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is shown by a broken line. The state of air at point A1 shown in FIG. 12 is similar to the state of air at point A1 shown in FIG. Further, the air states of points B1 and C1 shown in FIG. 12 are the same as the air states of points C1 and D1 shown in FIG. 6, respectively.

In the first embodiment, the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant in the first chamber heat exchanger 23 is transferred to the adsorption member of the suction / desorption device 22 via the air flowing through the air passage 20a. Therefore, heat loss may occur in which the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant is dissipated to a member other than the adsorption member.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment, since the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant is directly transferred to the adsorption member without passing through air, the above-mentioned heat loss can be prevented and the adsorption member is cooled with high efficiency. be able to. Therefore, since the evaporation temperature can be set high in the heating adsorption mode, the energy saving of the air conditioner 100 can be improved.

(Heating desorption mode)
FIG. 13 is a schematic view for explaining the operation of the air conditioner 100 according to the second embodiment in the heating / desorption mode. The black arrow in FIG. 13 indicates the flow of the refrigerant. In the heating / desorption mode, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the second chamber heat exchanger 24 that functions as a condenser via the refrigerant flow path switching device 12. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the second indoor heat exchanger 24 exchanges heat with the indoor air taken in by the indoor blower 21 and condenses while radiating heat, heating the indoor air and becoming a liquid refrigerant. It flows out from the two-chamber heat exchanger 24. The liquid medium flowing out of the second chamber heat exchanger 24 is depressurized by the first expansion valve 25 set to a relatively high opening degree, and then flows into the adsorption heat exchanger 26 functioning as a condenser. The liquid refrigerant flowing into the adsorption heat exchanger 26 exchanges heat with the indoor air taken in by the indoor blower 21 and condenses while radiating heat, heating the indoor air and flowing out from the adsorption heat exchanger 26. The liquid refrigerant flowing out of the adsorption heat exchanger 26 is depressurized by the second expansion valve 14 set to a relatively low opening degree, becomes a low-temperature low-pressure two-phase refrigerant, and flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 13.

FIG. 14 is a psychrometric chart showing a change of air state in the heating / desorption mode of the air conditioner 100 according to the second embodiment. The horizontal axis of FIG. 14 indicates the temperature [° C.], and the vertical axis indicates the absolute humidity [kg / kg']. Points A2, B2, and C2 in FIG. 14 correspond to the positions (A2), (B2), and (C2) in FIG. 13, respectively. Further, in the heating / detaching mode, the second expansion valve 14 is set to a relatively low opening degree, and the first expansion valve 25 is set to a relatively high opening degree. Note that FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a change of state of air in a state in which the adsorption heat exchanger 26 retains a large amount of water, for example, in a state of being saturated in the heating adsorption mode.

In FIG. 14, the change of air state of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is shown by a broken line. The state of air at point A2 shown in FIG. 14 is similar to the state of air at point A2 shown in FIG. Further, the air states of points B2 and C2 shown in FIG. 14 are the same as the air states of points C2 and D2 shown in FIG. 8, respectively.

The switching control between the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode during the heating operation of the air conditioner 100 according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

The air conditioner 100 according to the second embodiment has an outdoor unit 10 having a compressor 11 and an outdoor heat exchanger 13 and taking in outdoor air from the outdoor space and discharging the outdoor air to the outdoor space, and a first expansion. Air harmony including a valve 25, a first indoor heat exchanger 23, and an indoor unit 20 having a second indoor heat exchanger 24 and taking in indoor air from the indoor space and supplying the indoor air to the indoor space. In the device 100, the second expansion valve 14 provided in the outdoor unit 10 or the indoor unit 20, the compressor 11, the second indoor heat exchanger 24, the first expansion valve 25, the first indoor heat exchanger 23, The first chamber is provided with a refrigerant circuit in which the second expansion valve 14 and the outdoor heat exchanger 13 are sequentially connected by piping, and a controller 40 that controls the opening degree of the first expansion valve 25 and the second expansion valve 14. An adsorption member that adsorbs moisture in the air is formed on the surface of the heat exchanger 23, and the indoor unit 20 is formed with an air passage 20a through which the indoor air taken in is passed, and the first chamber The heat exchanger 23 and the second chamber heat exchanger 24 are arranged on the air passage 20a, and the second chamber heat exchanger 24 is arranged on the downstream side of the first chamber heat exchanger 23. The controller 40 controls the opening degree of the first expansion valve 25 and the second expansion valve 14, and has a heating adsorption mode in which the moisture in the room air is adsorbed by the first chamber heat exchanger 23, and the adsorbed moisture is desorbed. It is equipped with a heating / detaching mode, and humidification control is performed by switching between them.

According to the air conditioner 100 according to the second embodiment, the indoor unit 20 is provided by taking in the indoor air from the indoor space and supplying the indoor air to the indoor space. That is, as the air supplied to the indoor space, indoor air with less fluctuation in humidity than outdoor air is used. Further, the controller 40 controls the opening degree of the first expansion valve 25 and the second expansion valve 14, and has a heating adsorption mode in which the moisture in the room air is adsorbed by the first chamber heat exchanger 23, and the adsorbed moisture is desorbed. It is equipped with a heating / detaching mode, and humidification control is performed by switching between them. That is, no heater is used for suction / detachment of the suction member of the first chamber heat exchanger 23. As a result, a stable humidifying capacity can be obtained with less power consumption.

Further, since the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant is directly transmitted to the adsorption member without passing through air, it is possible to prevent the heat loss of heat dissipation of the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant to the members other than the adsorption member, and the adsorption member is highly efficient. Can be cooled with. Therefore, since the evaporation temperature can be set high in the heating adsorption mode, the energy saving of the air conditioner 100 can be improved.

10 outdoor unit, 10a air passage, 11 compressor, 12 refrigerant flow path switching device, 13 outdoor heat exchanger, 14 second expansion valve, 15 outdoor blower, 19 outdoor unit control board, 20 indoor unit, 20a air passage, 21 Indoor blower, 22 suction / detachment device, 22a porous flat plate, 22b small through hole, 23 first indoor heat exchanger, 24 second indoor heat exchanger, 25 first expansion valve, 26 adsorption heat exchanger, 27 indoor unit control Substrate, 28a 1st outlet temperature sensor, 28b 1st inlet temperature sensor, 28c 2nd inlet temperature sensor, 28d indoor temperature detection sensor, 28e blowout temperature detection sensor, 28f relative humidity detection sensor, 28g human sensor, 31 receiver, 32 input unit, 40 controller, 41 information acquisition unit, 42 arithmetic processing unit, 43 device control unit, 44 storage unit, 51 transmission line, 100 air exchanger.

Claims

An outdoor unit having a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, taking in outdoor air from the outdoor space and discharging the outdoor air to the outdoor space, a first expansion valve, a first indoor heat exchanger, and a second chamber. An air conditioner having a heat exchanger, an indoor unit that takes in indoor air from the indoor space and supplies the indoor air to the indoor space.
With the second expansion valve provided in the outdoor unit or the indoor unit,
A refrigerant circuit in which the compressor, the second indoor heat exchanger, the first expansion valve, the first indoor heat exchanger, the second expansion valve, and the outdoor heat exchanger are sequentially connected by piping.
An adsorption / desorption device having an adsorption member that adsorbs moisture in the air,
A controller for controlling the opening degree of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve is provided.
The indoor unit has an air passage through which the indoor air taken into the room passes.
The first chamber heat exchanger, the suction / desorption device, and the second chamber heat exchanger are arranged on the air passage.
The second chamber heat exchanger is arranged on the downstream side of the first chamber heat exchanger, and the suction / desorption device is on the downstream side of the first chamber heat exchanger of the second chamber heat exchanger. It is located on the upstream side and
The controller controls the opening degree of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve, and has a heating adsorption mode in which the moisture in the indoor air is adsorbed by the suction / desorption device, and a heating / desorption mode in which the adsorbed moisture is desorbed. An air conditioner that has modes and controls humidification by switching between them.
The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the suction / desorption device is made of a porous flat plate.
The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the porous flat plate is a ventilator in which a plurality of small through holes through which air passes in the thickness direction of the porous flat plate is formed.
An outdoor unit having a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, taking in outdoor air from the outdoor space and discharging the outdoor air to the outdoor space, a first expansion valve, a first indoor heat exchanger, and a second chamber. An air conditioner having a heat exchanger, an indoor unit that takes in indoor air from the indoor space and supplies the indoor air to the indoor space.
With the second expansion valve provided in the outdoor unit or the indoor unit,
A refrigerant circuit in which the compressor, the second indoor heat exchanger, the first expansion valve, the first indoor heat exchanger, the second expansion valve, and the outdoor heat exchanger are sequentially connected by piping.
A controller for controlling the opening degree of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve is provided.
An adsorption member that adsorbs moisture in the air is formed on the surface of the first chamber heat exchanger.
The indoor unit has an air passage through which the indoor air taken into the room passes.
The first chamber heat exchanger and the second chamber heat exchanger are arranged on the air passage.
The second chamber heat exchanger is arranged on the downstream side of the first chamber heat exchanger.
The controller controls the opening degree of the first expansion valve and the second expansion valve, and has a heating adsorption mode in which the moisture in the room air is adsorbed by the first chamber heat exchanger, and the adsorbed moisture is adsorbed. An air conditioner that has a heating / detaching mode for desorption and controls humidification by switching between them.
The controller
In the heating adsorption mode, the opening degree of the first expansion valve is set to be lower than the opening degree of the second expansion valve.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in the heating / desorption mode, the opening degree of the first expansion valve is set to a higher opening degree as compared with the opening degree of the second expansion valve. ..
The controller
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein when the humidification control is started, the heating / detaching mode is started, and then the heating adsorption mode is switched to.
A motion sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the indoor space is provided.
The controller
When a person is detected by the motion sensor, the heating / detaching mode is started.
The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein when a person is no longer detected by the motion sensor, the mode is switched to the heating adsorption mode.
Equipped with a receiver that receives ON and OFF information of external devices
The controller
When the receiving unit receives that the power of the external device is turned on, the heating / detaching mode is started.
The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein when the receiving unit receives that the power of the external device is turned off, the mode is switched to the heating adsorption mode.
Equipped with an input unit for inputting power ON and OFF
The controller
When it is detected that the power is turned on from the input unit, the heating / detaching mode is started.
The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein when it is detected that the power is turned off from the input unit, the mode is switched to the heating adsorption mode.
An indoor blower that supplies the indoor air to the first chamber heat exchanger and the second chamber heat exchanger.
A relative humidity detection sensor for detecting the relative humidity in the indoor space is provided.
The controller
In the heating adsorption mode
When the relative humidity detected by the relative humidity detection sensor is equal to or less than a preset value, the indoor blower and the compressor are operated.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein when the relative humidity detected by the relative humidity detection sensor is larger than a preset value, the indoor blower is operated and the operation of the compressor is stopped. Air conditioner.
The controller
The air conditioner according to claim 10, wherein the compressor is operated and the indoor blower is stopped after a preset time elapses after starting the heating adsorption mode.
A blowout temperature detection sensor for detecting the blowout temperature of the indoor unit is provided.
The controller
After starting the heating adsorption mode,
The tenth aspect of the present invention, wherein when it is determined that the change in the blowing temperature detected by the blowing temperature detection sensor within a preset time is equal to or less than a reference value, the compressor is operated and the indoor blower is stopped. Air conditioner.
The room temperature detection sensor for detecting the temperature of the room space is provided.
The controller
After starting the heating adsorption mode,
A claim for calculating a stop time according to the temperature of the room space detected by the room temperature detection sensor at the start of the heating adsorption mode, and stopping the operation of the compressor and the room blower after the stop time has elapsed. Item 10. The air conditioner according to item 10.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the air passage is the same route in the heating adsorption mode and the heating desorption mode.
The first outlet temperature sensor that detects the outlet temperature of the first chamber heat exchanger,
A first inlet temperature sensor that detects the inlet temperature of the first chamber heat exchanger, and
A second inlet temperature sensor for detecting the inlet temperature of the second chamber heat exchanger is provided.
The controller
In the heating adsorption mode
The first expansion valve is controlled so that the inlet temperature detected by the first inlet temperature sensor becomes a preset value.
In the heating / detaching mode,
The second expansion valve is controlled so that the difference between the inlet temperature detected by the first inlet temperature sensor and the outlet temperature detected by the first outlet temperature sensor becomes a preset value. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 14.
The suction member is
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the equilibrium adsorption amount per unit mass with respect to air having a relative humidity of 40 to 100% increases linearly with an increase in the relative humidity.
The suction member is
Any of claims 1 to 16, wherein the equilibrium adsorption amount per unit mass for air having a relative humidity of 80 to 100% is 1.2 times or more the equilibrium adsorption amount for air having a relative humidity of 40 to 60%. The air conditioner according to item 1.