KR20080063576A

KR20080063576A - Air conditioner and controlling method thereof

Info

Publication number: KR20080063576A
Application number: KR1020070000146A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김동진
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2007-01-02
Filing date: 2007-01-02
Publication date: 2008-07-07

Abstract

An air conditioner and a method of controlling the same are provided to realize a simple structure by cooling and heating indoors using a thermoelectric element without using an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. An air conditioner comprises a casing(101), a barrier(105), fans(132,134) and a thermoelectric element(121). The casing has a plurality of inlets(111,113) and a plurality of outlets(112,114). Inner space of the casing is divided into a first passage(102) and a second passage(103) through the barrier. The fan is provided at the passages. The thermoelectric element includes a first member(121a) disposed at a side of the first passage and a second member(121b) disposed at a side of the second passage. Indoor air passes through the first passage. Outdoor air passes through the second passage.

Description

Air conditioner and controlling method

1 is a cross-sectional view of the air conditioner according to the present invention installed.

2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II ′ of FIG. 1.

3 is a view showing the air flow in the heating and cooling mode of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

4 shows the air flow in the purification mode of an air conditioner according to the invention.

5 and 6 show the air flow in the ventilation mode of the air conditioner according to the invention.

101: casing 102: indoor euro

103: outdoor passage 120: thermoelectric unit

140: damper

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an air conditioner and a method of controlling the air conditioner for performing indoor heating and cooling by a thermoelectric element.

In general, an air conditioner is a device that sucks indoor air, heats the sucked air to cool or heat it, and discharges the cooled or heated air into the room. This air conditioner is configured to condition the air by a series of heat exchange cycles.

In detail, the heat exchange cycle of the air conditioner includes a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and a switching valve.

The compressor serves to compress the working fluid circulating in the heat exchange cycle. The indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger heat-exchange the indoor air or the outdoor air with the working fluid flowing therein, respectively. In addition, the expansion valve serves to depressurize the working fluid heat exchanged in the indoor heat exchanger or the outdoor heat exchanger.

The switching valve also controls the direction of the working fluid circulating in the heat exchange cycle in accordance with the operating mode of the air conditioner. In other words, the working fluid compressed in the compressor is selectively supplied to the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger by the switching valve in accordance with the cooling operation or the heating operation of the air conditioner.

However, according to the air conditioner according to the prior art, since cooling or heating is performed by a series of heat exchange cycles called compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation, the structure is complicated by the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and the noise caused by the use of the compressor There is a problem that occurs, and because the refrigerant must be used, there is a problem that adversely affects the environment.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to propose an air conditioner and a control method for cooling and cooling the room by a simple structure.

It is also an object of the present invention to propose an air conditioner and a method of controlling the same, in which operating noise of a product is significantly reduced.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to propose an air conditioner and a control method for performing air conditioning in a room using a thermoelectric element without using a refrigerant.

Air conditioner according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a casing is formed with a plurality of air inlet and outlet; A barrier partitioning the casing inner space into a first flow passage and a second flow passage; A blowing fan provided in each of the flow paths; And a thermoelectric element including a first member positioned at the first flow path side and a second member positioned at the second flow path side, wherein indoor air flows through the first flow path, and the second flow path is formed. The furnace is characterized in that the outdoor air flows.

According to another aspect, a control method of an air conditioner includes: a casing provided with an indoor flow path through which indoor air flows and an outdoor flow path through which outdoor air flows; A thermoelectric element provided inside the casing and including a heat dissipation part and a cooling part; And a blower fan provided on each of the flow paths, wherein the heat dissipation unit and the cooling unit have different functions depending on the direction of the current flowing to the thermoelectric element, and the direction of the current flowing to the thermoelectric element is changed according to the cooling or heating mode. In turn, the temperature of the indoor air sucked into the indoor flow path is lowered or raised by the thermoelectric element, and then discharged to the room.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings will be described a specific embodiment of the present invention. However, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention can easily suggest other embodiments within the scope of the same idea.

1 is a cross-sectional view of the air conditioner according to the present invention installed, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II 'of FIG.

1 and 2, the air conditioner according to the present invention includes a casing 101 installed on an interior wall W or a window, and a barrier 105 partitioning the inside of the casing 101 into two spaces. ), A plurality of inlets and outlets for discharging the air sucked into and inhaled into each of the spaces, and a thermoelectric element unit 120 for cooling or heating the air sucked into the respective spaces.

In detail, the casing 101 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is formed to be vertically long so that air flows up and down. At this time, the casing 101 may be formed long before and after the air flows back and forth.

In addition, a barrier 105 is formed in the casing 101 to vertically partition the inner space of the casing 101 into an indoor space and an outdoor space.

Therefore, the casing 101 is formed with an indoor flow path 102 in which the indoor air flows, and an outdoor flow path 103 in which the indoor air flows in the outdoor side.

In addition, an indoor air intake port 111 through which indoor air is sucked is formed at an indoor lower end portion of the casing 101, and an indoor air discharge port 112 is formed at an indoor upper end portion to discharge air into the room. In addition, an outdoor air inlet 113 is formed at an outdoor lower end of the casing 101, and an outdoor air outlet 114 is formed at an outdoor upper end to allow air to be discharged to the outside.

In this case, the suction ports 111 and 113 and the discharge ports 112 and 114 not only control the directions of air sucked and discharged, but also selectively shield the respective suction ports 111 and 113 and the discharge ports 112 and 114. Suction vanes 115 and 117 and discharge vanes 116 and 118 are mounted.

In addition, the suction vanes 115 and 117 and the discharge vanes 116 and 118 are rotatably mounted to the casing 101 so that the direction of air sucked and discharged is adjusted according to a user's selection.

In addition, the suction vanes 115 and 117 and the discharge vanes 116 and 118 shield the suction ports 111 and 113 and the discharge ports 112 and 114 when the air conditioner is not operated. Is prevented from flowing into the casing 101 through the suction ports 111 and 113 and the discharge ports 112 and 114.

In addition, a first blowing fan 132 is provided on the indoor flow path 102 of the casing 101 so that indoor air is sucked into the casing 101, and outdoor air is provided on the outdoor flow path 103. A second blowing fan 134 is provided to allow suction into the casing 101.

Here, it is preferable that a cross flow fan is used for each of the blower fans 132 and 134, thereby making the casing 101 slim. However, it should be noted that the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the type of fan.

In addition, the first blowing fan 132 may be called an indoor fan because the indoor air is sucked so as to flow inside the casing 101, and the second blowing fan 134 may suck the outdoor air. Since the casing 101 flows inside, it may be called an outdoor fan.

On the other hand, the thermoelectric element 120 is provided on the barrier 105 to allow the heating and cooling of the room.

In detail, the thermoelectric unit 120 includes a thermoelectric element 121 and a fin 122 that is in contact with the thermoelectric element 121 so that cold air or heat generated by the thermoelectric element 121 is more effectively transmitted. It is composed of

Here, when the thermoelectric element 121 contacts two kinds of metals and sends a current through the junction, one terminal absorbs heat and the other terminal generates a Peltier effect according to the current direction. I use it. In addition, the thermoelectric element may maintain a desired temperature by appropriately adjusting the amount of current.

In more detail, the thermoelectric element 121 is in contact with the first member 121a and the first member 121a positioned on the indoor flow path 102 and positioned on the outdoor flow path 103. 2 members 122b are included.

In addition, a first pin 122a is provided on the side of the first member 121a, and a second pin 122b is provided on the side of the second member 121b.

In this case, the first member 121a and the second member 122b serve as the heat dissipation unit or the cooling unit, respectively, according to the flow direction of the current.

That is, when forward current flows to the thermoelectric element 121 for cooling, the first member 121a serves as a cooling unit for generating cold air, and the second member 121b serves as a heat radiating unit for generating heat. Do it. The first fin 122a serves as a cooling fin, and the second fin 122b serves as a heat sink fin.

In this case, the outdoor air sucked through the indoor air inlet 111 is brought into contact with the first fin 122a to be in a low temperature state, and the air is cooled in the room as the air in the low temperature state is discharged to the room.

On the other hand, when a current flows in the reverse direction to the thermoelectric element 121 for heating, the second member 121b serves as a cooling unit for generating cold air, and the first member 121a is a heat radiating unit for generating heat. Play a role. The second fin 122b serves as a cooling fin, and the first fin 122a serves as a heat sink fin.

In this case, the outdoor air sucked through the indoor air inlet 111 is brought into contact with the first fin 122a to become a high temperature state, and the indoor air is heated as the air in the high temperature state is discharged to the room.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the configuration of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit for the conventional air-conditioning is not necessary, it is possible to perform the cooling and cooling of the room by a simple structure, the advantage that does not need to use a refrigerant that adversely affects the environment have.

At this time, one side of the air state on the indoor passage 102 and the outdoor passage 103 becomes a high temperature state, and the other side is a low temperature state. Therefore, in order to prevent the air on one flow path from affecting the air on the other flow path, the barrier 105 may be a heat insulating material, and a material having low thermal conductivity is preferably used.

On the other hand, the barrier 105 is provided with a damper 140 for selectively communicating the indoor flow path 102 and the outdoor flow path 103 in order to discharge the indoor air to the outside or to enter the indoor air. The damper 140 is configured to be rotatable by a hinge to the barrier 105, and the damper is configured to be rotated by a motor (not shown). In this case, the damper 140 is formed around the discharge ports 112 and 114 to smoothly discharge the air to the indoor or outdoor.

Further, filters 151 and 152 are provided on each of the flow paths to filter the sucked air. At this time, the filter 151 provided on the indoor flow path 102 allows the sucked indoor air to be filtered and discharged into the room, and the filter 152 provided on the outdoor flow path 103 is sucked outdoor air. When is discharged into the room, the air is filtered to ensure clean air into the room.

Hereinafter, the operation of the air conditioner according to the present invention will be described.

The air conditioner of the present invention can be operated in a ventilation mode and a purification mode in addition to the heating and cooling mode.

In the cooling mode and the heating mode, the indoor air sucked into the casing 101 is discharged to the inside again, and the outdoor air sucked into the casing 101 is discharged to the outside again. As described above, the present invention is characterized in that the air flows in the cooling mode and the heating mode are the same, and the modes are distinguished according to whether the thermoelectric element 121 is operated.

Meanwhile, in the ventilation mode, indoor air or indoor air is sucked, when indoor air is sucked, the sucked air is discharged to the outside, and when outdoor air is sucked, the sucked outdoor air is discharged to the indoor. However, the air flow in the ventilation mode and the heating and cooling mode is the same, it characterized in that the mode is distinguished according to the operation of the thermoelectric element 121.

On the other hand, in the purification mode, only indoor air is sucked in, filtered by the filter 151, and discharged back to the room.

Hereinafter, the air flow under each mode will be described in detail.

3 is a view showing the air flow in the cooling and heating mode of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the cooling mode is selected, each of the suction vanes 115 and 117 and the discharge vanes 116 and 118 are rotated at a predetermined angle so that the respective suction inlets 111 and 113 and the toe outlets 112 and 114 are rotated. ) Is opened. Each of the blower fans 132 and 134 is rotated. At this time, the damper 140 is not operated so that the indoor passage 102 and the outdoor passage 103 are completely partitioned.

Then, indoor air is sucked into the indoor flow path 102 through an indoor air intake port 111, and outdoor air is sucked into the outdoor flow path 103 through the outdoor air intake port 113. At this time, current flows to the thermoelectric element 121 in a forward direction, the first member 121a performs an endothermic action, and the second member 121b performs a heat radiation action.

Then, the inhaled indoor air is brought into contact with the first pin 122a while moving upward, thereby becoming a low temperature state. The low temperature air passes through the filter 151 and is then discharged into the room through the indoor air outlet 112. Therefore, cooling of the room is achieved by the low temperature air discharged.

On the other hand, the outdoor air sucked through the outdoor air inlet 113 is moved upward to come into contact with the second fin 122b to cool the second member 121b and then pass through the filter 152. It is discharged to the outside through the outdoor air outlet 114.

Here, when heat is continuously generated in the second member 122b, there is a problem in that the resistance value of the thermoelectric element 121 itself is increased to shorten the life of the thermoelectric element 121, so that proper cooling is required. Therefore, in the present invention, the heat dissipation part 121b is cooled by outdoor air having a temperature relatively lower than the temperature of the heat dissipation part 121b.

Meanwhile, when the heating mode is selected, indoor air is sucked into the indoor flow path 102 through the indoor air intake port 111, and outdoor air is sucked into the outdoor flow path 103 through the outdoor air intake port 113. do. At this time, current flows in the reverse direction to the thermoelectric element 121, the first member 121a performs a heat radiating action, and the second member 121b performs an endothermic action.

Then, the air sucked through the indoor air inlet 111 is moved to the upper side and is in contact with the first pin 122a to be in a high temperature state. The high temperature air is discharged to the room through the indoor air outlet 112 after passing through the filter 151. Therefore, the heating of the room is achieved by the hot air discharged.

On the other hand, the outdoor air sucked through the outdoor air inlet 113 is moved upward and is brought into contact with the second pin 122b to become a low temperature state, and after passing through the filter 152, the outdoor air outlet ( Through 114).

4 is a view showing the air flow in the purification mode of the air conditioner according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the purification mode is selected, the indoor suction vane 115 and the indoor discharge vane 116 are rotated at a predetermined angle to open the indoor air inlet 111 and the discharge port 112. On the other hand, the outdoor air inlet 113 and the outlet 114 are kept closed. Therefore, only indoor air flows inside the casing 101.

In addition, no current is supplied to the thermoelectric element 121. Therefore, the indoor air sucked through the indoor air inlet 111 is filtered while passing through the filter 151, and the filtered air is discharged back into the room through the indoor air outlet 112.

Such a purification mode is operated when the indoor air is to be purified, and will be mainly used in winter or when the outside air is contaminated.

5 and 6 are views showing the air flow in the ventilation mode of the air conditioner according to the present invention, Figure 5 is a view that the indoor air is discharged to the outside, Figure 6 is the outdoor air is supplied to the room The figure is shown.

When the ventilation mode is selected, the user may discharge indoor air to the outside or allow the outdoor air to be supplied to the room according to the condition of the indoor air or the outdoor air.

First, when the outdoor air is supplied to the indoor, as shown in FIG. 5, the outdoor air inlet 113 and the indoor air outlet 112 are opened, and the indoor air inlet 111 and the outdoor air outlet 114 are closed. do.

In addition, the damper 140 is rotated to one side so that the indoor passage 102 and the outdoor passage 103 communicate with each other, and only the second blower fan 134 is operated. In addition, no current is supplied to the thermoelectric element 121.

In this case, outdoor air sucked into the outdoor flow path 103 through the outdoor air inlet 113 is filtered while passing through the filter 152, and the indoor flow path 102 is opened by opening the damper 1490. Is moved to. Then, the filtered air moved to the indoor flow path 102 is discharged into the room through the indoor air discharge port 112.

On the other hand, when the indoor air is discharged to the outdoors, as shown in Figure 6, the indoor air inlet 111 and the outdoor air outlet 114 is opened, the outdoor air inlet 113 and the indoor air outlet 112 is closed. do.

In addition, the damper 140 is rotated to one side so that the indoor passage 102 and the outdoor passage 103 communicate with each other, and only the first blowing fan 134 is operated. In addition, no current is supplied to the thermoelectric element 121.

In this case, outdoor air sucked into the indoor flow path 102 through the indoor air suction port 111 is filtered while passing through the filter 151, and the outdoor flow path 103 is opened by opening the damper 140. Is moved to. The filtered air moved to the outdoor flow path 103 is discharged to the outside through the outdoor air discharge port 114.

According to the present invention as proposed, there is an effect that can be performed independently or simultaneously with the ventilation, purification and indoor air conditioning of indoor air in one product.

In addition, since the indoor air conditioning is performed by the thermoelectric element, there is no effect of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit for the existing air conditioning, thereby simplifying the structure and reducing the cost.

In addition, it is not necessary to use a refrigerant that adversely affects the environment as the indoor heating and cooling is performed by the thermoelectric element, and as the compressor is not used, noise generated during operation of the compressor is removed.

Claims

A casing in which a plurality of air inlets and outlets are formed;

A barrier partitioning the casing inner space into a first flow passage and a second flow passage;

A blowing fan provided in each of the flow paths; And

A thermoelectric element including a first member positioned on the first flow path side and a second member positioned on the second flow path side,

And an indoor air flows through the first flow path, and outdoor air flows through the second flow path.

The method of claim 1,

The intake port includes an indoor air intake port through which the indoor air is sucked and an outdoor air intake port through which the indoor air is sucked,

The discharge port is an air conditioner including an indoor air discharge port for discharging air into the room, and an outdoor air inlet port for discharging air to the outside.

The method of claim 2,

The first flow passage is in communication with the indoor air intake port and the indoor air discharge port,

And the second flow path is in communication with the outdoor air intake port and the outdoor air intake port.

The method of claim 1,

In the cooling mode, a current flows in the positive direction to the thermoelectric element, the endothermic action is performed in the first member, the heat radiating action is performed in the second member.

The method of claim 1,

In the heating mode, the current flows in the reverse direction to the thermoelectric element, the heat radiating action is performed in the first member, the endothermic action is performed in the second member.

The method according to claim 4 or 5,

Suction vanes and discharge vanes for selectively opening and closing the suction port and the discharge port is included,

The air conditioner in each of the inlet and outlet ports are opened in the heating mode or cooling mode.

The method of claim 1,

And the barrier is provided with a damper for selectively communicating the first flow passage and the second flow passage.

The method of claim 7, wherein

When the damper is opened, the air conditioner characterized in that the indoor air is discharged to the outside or the outdoor air is supplied to the room.

A casing provided with an indoor flow path through which indoor air flows and an outdoor flow path through which outdoor air flows;

A thermoelectric element provided inside the casing and including a heat dissipation part and a cooling part; And

A blowing fan provided on each of the flow paths,

The heat dissipation unit and the cooling unit function to change depending on the direction of the current flowing through the thermoelectric element,

The direction of the current flowing to the thermoelectric element is changed according to the cooling or heating mode, so that the temperature of the indoor air sucked into the indoor flow path is lowered or raised by the thermoelectric element and then discharged to the room to perform cooling and heating. The control method of the air conditioner characterized by the above-mentioned.

The method of claim 9,

The air conditioner further includes a purification mode,

The control method of the air conditioner in the purifying mode, the operation of the thermoelectric element is stopped and the indoor air is discharged back to the room after passing through the filter.

The method of claim 9,

The air conditioner further includes a ventilation mode,

In the ventilation mode, the operation of the thermoelectric element is stopped and the indoor flow path and the outdoor flow path are communicated with each other, so that indoor air is discharged to the outside or outdoor air is supplied to the room.