DESCRIPTION

Air Conditioner

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner having an indoor
unit in which wind direction changing blades are provided to change the direction of air blown out from a discharge opening and controlled for air conditioning and, in particular, to a structure of vertical wind direction changing blades for vertically changing the direction of air blown out from the discharge opening. Background Art

[0002] A conventional air conditioner includes wind direction changing blades to change the direction of air blown out from a discharge opening defined in an indoor unit. The wind direction changing blades are made up of vertical wind direction changing blades for vertically changing the direction of air blown out from the discharge opening and horizontal wind direction changing blades for horizontally changing the direction of air blown out from the discharge opening.

[0003] A known structure of the conventional vertical wind direction changing blades is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-60223). The vertical wind direction changing blades disclosed in Patent Document 1 are made up of three blades for the purpose of largely changing the direction of air blown out from the discharge opening in the air conditioner when the air conditioner is in operation and making a main body of the air conditioner compact when the air conditioner is not in operation. Specifically, the vertical wind direction changing blades as disclosed in Patent Document 1 include a first blade positioned on an upstream side in the direction of flow of a wind, a second blade positioned on a downstream side in the direction of flow of the wind and connected to the first blade via two links, and a third blade mounted on the second blade. The first and second blades can rotate about respective rotary shafts, each fixed at a given position, to move between a position where the two blades are connected in series and another position where they are separate from each other in the direction of rotation thereof. The third blade is provided to prevent the wind from passing between the first and second blades when they are separate from each other in the direction of rotation thereof.

Prior Art Document(s)

[0004]

• Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-60223 Summary of the Invention Problem(s) to be solved by the Invention

[0005] The vertical wind direction changing blades have a higher air-rectifying effect of, for example, largely changing the direction of air blown out from the discharge opening with an increase in length. However, an indoor unit of the air conditioner is often installed above an object such as, for example, a curtain rail. Because of this, the use of a single and long vertical wind direction changing blade has a problem that it may be brought into contact with an object such as a curtain rail and, accordingly, cannot sufficiently rotate to thereby reduce the air-rectifying effect. For this reason, the air conditioner is limited in installation space. If a length of the vertical wind direction changing blade from an end portion on the rotary shaft side to an opposite end portion (length of the vertical wind direction changing blade in the direction of an airflow) is increased, a torque applied to the rotary shaft increases. Accordingly, it is difficult to simply increase the length of the vertical wind direction changing blade.

[0006] On the other hand, according to the air conditioner of Patent Document 1, an apparent length of the vertical wind direction changing blades can be increased by separating the first blade and the second blade from each other and by providing the third blade so as not to allow air to pass between them.

However, because the air conditioner of Patent Document 1 requires the third blade, the number of component parts increases.

[0007] The present invention has been developed to solve the conventional
problems and is intended to provide an air conditioner capable of producing a higher air-rectifying effect by increasing an apparent length of the vertical wind direction changing blades with a reduced number of component parts. Means to Solve the Problem(s)

[0008] In order to solve the conventional problems, the air conditioner according to the present invention includes vertical wind direction changing blades mounted on an indoor unit to vertically change a direction of air blown out from a discharge opening, the vertical wind direction changing blades being controlled during air conditioning and including a first blade and a second blade, both pivotally mounted in the vicinity of the discharge opening. The first blade and the second blade are driven by a drive source for angle adjustments to rotate about respective rotary shafts. The second blade is driven by a drive source for interval adjustments to move between a parallel position where the second blade is positioned in parallel to the first blade and a serial position where the second blade is connected to the first blade in series. When the second blade is moved from the parallel position to the serial position during an air-conditioning operation, the drive source for interval adjustments is first driven to move the second blade by an amount that has been expected to be necessary for the movement of the second blade to the serial position, and at least one of the drive source for angle adjustments and the drive source for interval adjustments is subsequently driven in a direction in which the first blade and the second blade are brought into contact with each other.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the-air conditioner of the present invention, the above-described construction can produce a higher air-rectifying effect by increasing an apparent length of the vertical wind direction changing blades with a reduced number of component parts. Also, when the second blade is moved to the serial position, a gap created between the second blade and the first blade can be restrained to thereby enhance the air-rectifying effect. Further, frost formation on the first blade and the second blade during cooling can be restrained. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] The above and other objectives and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an indoor unit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the indoor unit of Fig. 1 with a portion thereof removed;

Fig. 3 is a schematic view depicting a state where an upper blade is positioned in a parallel position;

Fig. 4 is a schematic view depicting a state where the upper blade and a lower blade have been rotated the same angle from the state shown in Fig. 3 while keeping a substantially parallel state;

Fig. 5 is a schematic view depicting a state where the upper blade has approached the lower blade from the state shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a schematic view depicting a state where the upper blade and the lower blade have been rotated the same angle from the state shown in Fig. 5 while keeping the substantially parallel state;

Fig. 7 is a schematic view depicting a state where the upper blade has further approached the lower blade from the state shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a schematic view depicting a state where the upper blade and the lower blade have been rotated the same angle from the state shown in Fig. 7 while keeping the substantially parallel state;

Fig. 9A is a schematic view depicting a state where the upper blade and the lower blade are positioned in a serial position;

Fig. 9B is a schematic view depicting a state where a drive source for interval adjustments has been driven to move the upper blade by an amount that has been expected to be necessary for the movement of the upper blade to the serial position;

Fig. 10 is an explanatory view depicting a flow of air discharged from a discharge opening when vertical wind direction changing blades are in the state shown in Fig. 9 during cooling;

Fig. 11 is an explanatory view depicting the flow of air discharged from the discharge opening when the vertical wind direction changing blades are in the state shown in Fig. 5 during cooling;

Fig. 12 is an explanatory view depicting the flow of air discharged from the discharge opening when the vertical wind direction changing blades are in the state shown in Fig. 7 during cooling;

Fig. 13 is an explanatory view depicting the flow of air discharged from the discharge opening when the vertical wind direction changing blades are in the state shown in Fig. 4 during heating;

Fig. 14 is an explanatory view depicting the flow of air discharged from the discharge opening when the vertical wind direction changing blades are in the state shown in Fig. 6 during heating; and

Fig. 15 is an explanatory view depicting the flow of air discharged from the discharge opening when the vertical wind direction changing blades are in the state shown in Fig. 8 during heating. Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0011] An air conditioner of the present invention includes vertical wind direction changing blades mounted on an indoor unit to vertically change a direction of air blown out from a discharge opening, the vertical wind direction changing blades being controlled during air conditioning and including a first blade and a second blade, both pivotally mounted in the vicinity of the discharge opening. The first blade and the second blade are driven by a drive source for angle adjustments to rotate about respective rotary shafts. The second blade is driven by a drive source for interval adjustments to move between a parallel position where the second blade is positioned in parallel to the first blade and a serial position where the second blade is connected to the first blade in series. When the second blade is moved from the parallel position to the serial position during an air-conditioning operation, the drive source for interval adjustments is first driven to move the second blade by an amount that has been expected to be necessary for the movement of the second blade to the serial position, and at least one of the drive source for angle adjustments and the drive source for interval adjustments is subsequently driven in a direction in which the first blade and the second blade are brought into contact with each other.

[0012] By this construction, because a length of the vertical wind direction changing blades can be maximized when the first blade and the second blade are connected in series, an apparent length of the vertical wind direction changing blades can be increased with a reduced number of component parts. Also, because the second blade is designed to move in parallel to the first blade, the first blade and the second blade can be prevented from being brought into contact with an object such as, for example, a curtain rail. Also, when the second blade is moved to the serial position, a gap created between the second blade and the first blade can be restrained to thereby enhance the air-rectifying effect. Further, frost formation on the first blade and the second blade during cooling can be restrained.

[0013] It is preferred that the rotary shaft of the first blade be fixed at a given position and the rotary shaft of the second blade be designed to move towards or away from the first blade.

[0014] Also, after the drive source for interval adjustments has been driven to move the second blade by the amount that has been expected to be necessary for the movement of the second blade to the serial position, only the drive source for interval adjustments is preferably driven in the direction in which the first blade and the second blade are brought into contact with each other.

[0015] Again preferably, when the air-conditioning operation is halted, the drive source for angle adjustments and the drive source for interval adjustments are first driven by an amount that has been expected to close the discharge opening by the first blade and the second blade, and the drive source for angle adjustments and the drive source for interval adjustments are further driven in a direction in which the second blade is brought into contact with a main body of the air conditioner and with the first blade.

[0016] Embodiments of the present invention are described hereinafter with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited by the embodiments.

[0017] (Embodiments)

An air conditioner for use in a standard home includes an outdoor unit and an indoor unit connected to each other via refrigerant piping. Fig. 1 depicts an indoor unit of an air conditioner embodying the present invention.

[0018] The indoor unit includes a main body 2 and a movable front panel 4 to open and close a front suction opening 2a defined in the main body 2. When the air conditioner is not in operation, the front panel 4 is held in close contact with the main body 2 to close the front suction opening 2a. On the other hand, when the air conditioner is brought into air-conditioning operation, the front panel 4 moves away from the main body 2 to open the front suction opening 2a. Fig. 1 depicts a state where the front suction opening 2a has been closed by the front panel 4.

[0019] The main body 2 accommodates therein a heat exchanger 6 for exchanging heat with indoor air sucked through the front suction opening 2a and an upper suction opening 2b, a fan 8 operable to blow out air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 6 into a room, vertical wind direction changing blades 12 operable to open and close a discharge opening 10, through which the heat-exchanged air is blown out into the room, and also operable to vertically change the direction of air blown out from the discharge opening 10, and horizontal wind direction changing blades 14 operable to horizontally change the direction of the air blown out from the discharge opening 10. A filter 16 is interposed between the front and upper suction openings 2a, 2b and the heat exchanger 6 to remove dust contained in indoor air sucked through the front and upper suction openings 2a, 2b.

[0020] The vertical wind direction changing blades 12 include a lower blade 18 employed as an example of a first blade and an upper blade 20 employed as an example of a second blade and disposed above the lower blade 18. The vertical wind direction changing blades 12 are designed such that the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 cooperate with each other to control the direction of air blown out from the discharge opening 10. The lower blade 18 can freely rotate about a rotary shaft 22. The upper blade 20 can freely move towards or away from the lower blade 18 in a state where the upper blade 20 has been held substantially in parallel to the lower blade 18 by links 36a, 36b explained below.

[0021] The horizontal wind direction changing blades 14 include, for example, a set of blades positioned on a left side of the indoor unit as viewed from the front of the indoor unit and another set of blades positioned on a right side of the indoor unit. Each set of blades is made up of a plurality of (for example, four) blades. The sets of blades are respectively connected to and independently controlled by separate drive sources (for example, drive motors) 26.

[0022] When the air conditioner is brought into air-conditioning operation, the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 are controlled to open the discharge opening 10. In this state, when the fan 8 is driven, indoor air is drawn into the indoor unit through the front suction opening 2a and the upper suction opening 2b. The indoor air so drawn is heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 6, then passes through the fan 8 and an airflow path 28 formed on a downstream side of the fan 8, and is eventually discharged from the discharge opening 10.

[0023] The direction of air discharged from the discharge opening 10 is controlled by the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 and the horizontal wind direction changing blades 14. Movements such as angle adjustments of the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 and the horizontal wind direction changing blades 14 are controlled by a controller (not shown) that controls the indoor unit.

[0024] The airflow path 28 is positioned on an upstream side of the discharge opening 10 and delimited by a rear guider 30 positioned on a downstream side of the fan 8, a stabilizer 32 positioned on the downstream side of the fan 8 so as to confront the rear guider 30, and two side walls 34 (not shown) of the main body 2.

[0025] The term "stabilizer" referred to above can be divided into a stabilizer positioned in the vicinity of the fan 8 on the downstream side thereof to stabilize eddies that may be created in the vicinity of a front portion of the fan 8 and into a wall portion that forms an upper front portion of a diffuser positioned on the downstream side of the stabilizer to restore the pressure of air conveyed by the fan 8, but in this embodiment those members are collectively referred to as the "stabilizer."

[0026] Also, as shown in Fig. 2, the front panel 4 is provided with a human-detecting sensor unit 34 employed as an example of an activity detecting device for detecting an amount of activity of a person. The "amount of activity of a person" is a concept indicating the degree of movements of a person and is classified into a plurality of activity levels such as, for example, "rest", "fair amount of activity", and "small amount of activity". The "rest" means a case where there is little activity such as a case where a person relaxes on a sofa. The "fair amount of activity" means a state where a person is frequently active, for example, for cleaning of a room or ironing. The "small amount of activity" means a state where a person is somewhat active, for example, for a meal. The human-detecting sensor unit 34 is not particularly limited and a conventionally known one can be used (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-215764).

[0027] A configuration of the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 is next explained in detail. Figs. 3 to 9B are schematic views each depicting the configuration of the vertical wind direction changing blades 12. In Figs. 3 to 9B, the position of the discharge opening 10 is indicated by a virtual curve connecting a front end of the stabilizer 32 and a front end of the rear guider 30.

[0028] As described above, the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 include a lower blade 18 and an upper blade 20. The lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 are pivotally mounted in the vicinity of the discharge opening 10. More specifically, a rotary shaft 22 of the lower blade 18 is located in the vicinity of a lower end 10a of the discharge opening 10 and fixed at a given position. On the other hand, a rotary shaft 24 of the upper blade 20 is not fixed at a given position and is allowed to move towards or away from the lower blade 18.

[0029] That is, the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 are connected to each other so as to keep a substantially parallel state. In this embodiment, the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 are each pivotally connected to a pair of links 36a, 36b to thereby form a four-link mechanism. The link 36a is pivotally connected to both the rotary shaft 22 of the lower blade 18 and the rotary shaft 24 of the upper blade 20. The link 36b is pivotally connected to a portion of the lower blade 18 removed from the rotary shaft 22 of the lower blade 18 on a downstream side in the direction of flow of a wind and also to a portion of the upper blade 20 removed from the rotary shaft 24 of the upper blade 20 on the downstream side in the direction of flow of the wind.

[0030] The "substantially parallel state" means not only a state where the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 are completely parallel to each other, but also a state where they are nearly parallel to each other as viewed in broad perspective. This is because the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 may have a linear shape or the same thickness, and a curved blade or a blade having a stepped portion can be also used as such blades.

[0031] A drive source 38 such as, for example, a stepping motor for rotating the lower blade 18 for angle adjustments is connected to the rotary shaft 22 of the lower blade 18. When the lower blade 18 is rotated about the rotary shaft 22 by a driving force of the drive source 38, the upper blade 20 is rotated about the rotary shaft 24 in synchronism with the rotation of the lower blade 18 while keeping the substantially parallel state with respect to the lower blade 18. This results in the angle adjustments of both the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, Figs. 5 and 6, or Figs. 7 and 8. More specifically, when the lower blade 18 is rotated about the rotary shaft 22 in a direction of an arrow A1, the upper blade 20 is similarly rotated about the rotary shaft 24 in the direction of the arrow A1. On the other hand, when the lower blade 18 is rotated about the rotary shaft 22 in a direction counter to the arrow A1, the upper blade 20 is similarly rotated about the rotary shaft 24 in the direction counter to the arrow A1. The direction of air blown out from the discharge opening 10 is controlled through the angle adjustments of both the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20.

[0032] A drive source 40 such as, for example, a stepping motor for rotating the link 36a for interval adjustments is mounted on a shaft extending coaxially with the rotary shaft 22 of the lower blade 18. When the link 36a is rotated about the rotary shaft 22 by a driving force of the drive source 40, the link 36b is rotated in synchronism with the rotation of the link 36a. This causes the rotary shaft 24 of the upper blade 20 to move towards or away from the lower blade 18, as shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 7. More specifically, when the link 36a is rotated about the rotary shaft 22 in a direction of an arrow A2, the rotary shaft 24 of the upper blade 20 is moved towards the lower blade 18. On the other hand, when the link 36a is rotated about the rotary shaft 22 in a direction counter to the arrow A2, the rotary shaft 24 of the upper blade 20 is moved away from the lower blade 18.

[0033] When the rotary shaft 24 of the upper blade 2Q is moved towards the lower blade 18 from a state shown in Fig. 3 to a state shown in Fig. 5, an interval between the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 is reduced, and an interval between the upper blade 20 and the stabilizer 32 is increased. As a result, air blown out from the discharge opening 10 is distributed in two directions (for example, an upper space and a lower space).

[0034] Also, when the rotary shaft 24 of the upper blade 20 is moved towards the lower blade 18 from the state shown in Fig. 5 to a state shown in Fig. 7, the interval between the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 is further reduced, and the interval between the upper blade 20 and the stabilizer 32 is further increased. As a result, an amount of air passing between the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 is reduced, and an amount of air passing between the upper blade 20 and the stabilizer 32 is increased.

[0035] As described above, the movement of the rotary shaft 24 of the upper blade 20 towards or away from the lower blade 18 controls the amount of air passing between the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 and the amount of air passing between the upper blade 20 and the stabilizer 32.

[0036] Also, when the links 36a, 36b are rotated by the driving force of the drive source 40, an upstream end 20a of the upper blade 20 is moved towards an upstream or downstream side of the virtual curve indicating the discharge opening 10 in the direction of flow of the wind. In a state shown in Fig. 3, 4, 5 or 6, the upstream end 20a of the upper blade 20 is positioned on the upstream side of the virtual curve indicating the discharge opening 10 in the direction of flow of the wind. By way of example, when the links 36a, 36b are rotated from the state shown in Fig. 3 to the state shown in Fig. 7, the upstream end 20a of the upper blade 20 is moved -r from the upstream side towards the downstream side of the virtual curve indicating the discharge opening 10 in the direction of flow of the wind. In this event, a proportion of a distance from the upstream end 20a of the upper blade 20 to the stabilizer 32 to that from the upstream end 20a of the upper blade 20 to the lower blade 18 changes, which freely changes a proportion of an amount of air blown out in substantially parallel to the upper wall or stabilizer 32 to an amount of air blown out in substantially parallel to the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18, thus making it possible to realize an air-conditioned comfortable space.

[0037] As shown in Figs. 3 to 9, the upper blade 20 is designed to move between a parallel position B1, at which the upper blade 20 is positioned parallel to the lower blade 18, and a serial position B2 at which the former is connected to the latter in series during air-conditioning operation. The movement of the upper blade 20 between the parallel position B1 and the serial position B2 results from the rotation of the link 36a about the rotary shaft 22 caused by the driving force of the drive source 40.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 9A, when the upper blade 20 has moved to the serial position B2, an apparent length of the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 is maximized. This configuration enables air blown out from the discharge opening 10 to be supplied farther. In a state shown in Fig. 9A, the upstream end 20a of the upper blade 20 is positioned on the downstream side of the virtual curve indicating the discharge opening 10 in the direction of flow of the wind.

[0039] When the upper blade 20 has moved to the serial position B2, it is preferred that an inner surface of the lower blade 18 be in flush with an inner surface of the upper blade 20. This configuration increases an air-rectifying effect and does not impede a flow of air blown out from the discharge opening 10, thus making it possible to enhance the air-rectifying effect. It is also preferred that an outer surface of the lower blade 18 be in flush with an outer surface of the upper blade 20. This configuration can enhance the design and also enhance the air-rectifying effect even if only slightly. It is further preferred that the lower blade 18 has a recess (not shown) defined therein to receive the pair of links 36a, 36b.

[0040] Also, when the upper blade 20 has moved to the serial position B2, it is preferred that a rear end portion of the upper blade 20 overlaps with a front end portion of the lower blade 18. In this case, as shown in Fig. 9A, it is further preferred that the front end portion of the lower blade 18 has a stepped portion 18a to receive the rear end portion of the upper blade 20 therein. This configuration prevents air blown out from the discharge opening 10 from leaking between the rear end portion of the upper blade 20 and the front end portion of the lower blade 18 to thereby restrain a reduction in air-rectifying effect. The configuration in which the rear end portion of the upper blade 20 overlaps with the front end portion of the lower blade 18 can increase the length of the upper blade 20, because the lengthened upper blade 20 can be accommodated in the same space.

[0041] Although the above explanation has been made focusing on the position of the upstream end 20a of the upper blade 20 in order to explain that the upper blade 20 moves in association with the rotation of the links 36a, 36b, the upstream end 20a is not necessarily designed so as to pass across the virtual curve indicating the discharge opening 10. In this case, the rotary shaft 24 of the upper blade 20 may be designed so as to move towards the upstream side or the downstream side of the virtual curve indicating the discharge opening 10 in the direction of flow of the wind.

[0042] A control operation when the upper blade 20 moves to the serial position B2 is explained hereinafter.

[0043] A controller (not shown) that controls the indoor unit controls the drive sources 40, 38 to move the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18. The drive source 40 is driven to move the upper blade 20 to the serial position B2.

[0044] However, in this event, even if the drive source 40 is driven by an amount that has been expected to be necessary for the movement of the upper blade 20 to the serial position B2, it is likely that the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18 do not appropriately move to the serial position B2 due to, for example, variations of products. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 9B, the upstream end 20a of the upper blade 20 may be remained uplifted above the surface of the lower blade 18 with a gap created between the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18 without being received within the stepped portion 18a. Such a gap causes air blown out from the discharge opening 10 to leak or disturbs an air flow, thus reducing the air-rectifying effect. Also, during cooling, dewdrops may be formed on the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18. The amount of uplift of the upstream end 20a above the surface of the lower blade 18 varies depending on the products.

[0045] For this reason, in this embodiment, after the drive source 40 has been driven by an amount that has been expected to be necessary for the movement of the upper blade 20 to the serial position B2, the drive source 40 is further driven to reduce the amount of uplift of the upstream end 20a. That is, it is designed such that the upstream end 20a is appropriately received within the stepped portion 18a.

[0046] More specifically, the following operation is conducted.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 9B, after the drive source 40 has been driven by an amount that has been expected to be necessary for the movement of the upper blade 20 to the serial position B2, the drive source 40 is further driven to move the upper blade 20 toward the direction in which the upper blade 20 is brought into contact with the lower blade 18.

[0048] This first causes the outer surface of a portion of the upper blade 20 downstream of the rotary shaft 24 in the direction of flow of the wind to be brought into contact with the surface of a portion of the lower blade 18 on the downstream side in the direction of flow of the wind. Thereafter, the rotary shaft 24 enters the stepped portion 18a and the upstream end 20a is received within the stepped portion 18a.

[0049] If the torque of the lower blade 18 is made greater than that of the upper blade 20 with the use of a stepping motor as the drive source 40, after the upstream end 20a has been received within the stepped portion 18a, the drive source 40 of the upper blade 20 may be further driven in the direction in which the upper blade 20 presses the lower blade 18. In this case, a reaction force of the lower blade 18 received by the upper blade 20 causes the stepping motor of the upper blade 20 to lose steps and run idle, thus making it possible to bring the upper blade 20 into closer contact with the lower blade 18 at the serial position B2.

[0050] Although in the above discussion only the drive source 40 is driven to reduce the amount of uplift of the upstream end 20a, the present invention is not limited to this. By way of example, only the drive source 38 may be driven in the direction in which the lower blade 18 is brought into contact with the upper blade 20 to appropriately receive the upstream end 20a within the stepped portion 18a.

Alternatively, both the drive source 40 and the drive source 38 may be driven in the direction in which the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18 are brought into contact with each other to appropriately receive the upstream end 20a within the stepped portion 18a. Even such a construction can reduce the amount of uplift of the upstream end 20a to enhance the air-rectifying effect. Also, dew formation on the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18 during cooling can be restrained.

[0051] A control operation when the air-conditioning operation is halted is explained hereinafter.

[0052] If a halt to the air-conditioning operation is ordered, for example, by depressing a stop button provided on a remote controller (not shown), the drive sources 40, 38 are driven by an amount that has been expected to close the discharge opening 10 by the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18, as shown in Fig. 1. Thereafter, the drive sources 40, 38 are further driven in the direction in which the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18 are connected in series and a downstream edge of the upper blade 20 in the direction of flow of the wind is brought into contact with the main body 2 of the air conditioner.

[0053] By doing so, even if a gap is created between the main body 2 of the air conditioner and the upper blade 20 or between the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18 due to, for exam pie, variations of the products, the gap can be reduced. As a result, when the air-conditioning operation is halted, dust can be prevented from entering the discharge opening 10 from between the main body 2 of the air conditioner and the upper blade 20 or between the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18.

[0054] If stepping motors are used as the drive sources 40, 38, the drive sources 40, 38 may be driven even after the upstream end 20a has been received within the stepped portion 18a. In this case, reaction forces received by the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18 cause the stepping motors to lose steps and run idle, thus making it possible to bring the upper blade 20 into closer contact with the lower blade 18 and bring the downstream edge of the upper blade 20 in the direction of flow of the wind into closer contact with the main body 2 of the air conditioner.

[0055] A preferred control operation of the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 during the air-conditioning operation is next explained.

[0056] During cooling, it is considered that the closer the level of activity is to the "rest", the more comfortable a user feels if the temperature of an upper space and that of a lower space within a room are made as uniform as possible and, also, a cold wind is not caused to directly impinge on the user's body. (By way of example, when the level of activity is the "rest," it is known that the user feels comfortable if a temperature difference between the upper space and the lower space within the room is about 0°C, and the wind speed in the upper space and that in the lower space within the room are each below about 0.2 m/s that is a wind speed the user feels no airflow.) For this reason, during cooling, as shown in Fig. 9A, the drive source 38 and the drive source 40 are preferably controlled to move the upper blade 20 to the serial position B2, at which the apparent length of the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 is maximized and the air-rectifying effect is enhanced. Because air (cold air) cooled within the indoor unit during cooling is heavier than warm air, the former normally descends towards a floor surface through the discharge opening 10, but the lengthened apparent length of the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 changes the direction of air to a direction along a ceiling surface. As a result, as shown in Fig. 10, air (cold air) blown out from the discharge opening 10 flows along the ceiling surface and is supplied to a wall surface confronting another wall surface on which the indoor unit has been installed, thereby making it possible to equalize the temperature of the upper space and that of the lower space within the room and prevent cold air from directly imping on the user.

[0057] Even during cooling, when the room temperature is high at the beginning of the cooling or the closer the level of activity is to the "fair amount of activity", the more easily the user feels hot. Accordingly, it is considered that the user feels comfortable if part of a cold wind is caused to directly impinge on the user's upper body to reduce the sensible temperature (by way of example, when the level of activity is the "fair amount of activity," the inventors of the present invention have discovered that the user feels comfortable if the temperature of the upper space and that of the lower space within the room are differentiated such that the former is about 1°C lower than the latter, and the wind speed in the upper space within the room is rendered to be about 0.5 m/s that is a wind speed the user feels an appropriate airflow). For this reason, at the beginning of the cooling or in the case of the "fair amount of activity", the drive source 38 and the drive source 40 are preferably controlled to move the upper blade 20 to the position as shown in Fig. 5 or 7. By doing so, as shown in Fig. 11 or 12, air blown out from the discharge opening 10 is distributed in two directions, a direction in which the air flows along the ceiling surface and another direction in which the air is directed towards the user.

[0058] On the other hand, during heating, it is considered that the user feels comfortable if the temperature at the user's feet is high. For this reason, during heating, as shown in Fig. 4, the drive source 38 and the drive source 40 are preferably controlled to move the upper blade 20 to the parallel position B1 and direct the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 to a downward direction. Air (warm air) heated within the indoor unit during heating normally floats up from the discharge opening 10, but the direction of almost all of such air is changed downwards by moving the upper blade 20 to the parallel position B1 and directing the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 to the downward direction. By doing so, as shown in Fig. 13, air (warm air) blown out from the discharge opening 10 is supplied towards the floor surface to increase the temperature at the user's feet.

[0059] Also, considering energy saving during heating, it is considered preferable to circulate warm air over all wall surfaces including the ceiling surface and the floor surface to efficiently heat the room. In this case, the drive source 38 and the drive source 40 are preferably controlled to move the upper blade 20 to the position as shown in Fig. 6 or 8 over a wide angle and over a wide range of distance from the lower blade 18. By doing so, as shown in Fig. 14 or 15, air blown out from the discharge opening 10 is distributed in two directions, a direction in which the air flows along the ceiling surface and another direction in which the air is directed towards the user's feet, thereby making it possible to efficiently heat the room and realize energy-efficient heating.

[0060] It is to be noted that the upper blade 20 is not always moved to the serial position B2 only during cooling, and may be during heating and that the upper blade 20 is not always moved to the parallel position B1 only during heating, and may be during cooling. That is, it is sufficient if the upper blade 20 is moved to the serial position B2 when the distance from the discharge opening 10 to a target position to which air is supplied is long and if the upper blade 20 is moved to the parallel position B1 when the distance from the discharge opening 10 to the target position to which air is supplied is short.

[0061] Also, the temperature difference between the upper space and the lower space with which the user feels comfortable differs depending on the situation of the user such as when he or she is at rest or active. For this reason, it is preferred that the interval between the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 be controlled based on a detection signal of the human-detecting sensor unit 34. As shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 7, air blown out from the discharge opening 10 can be distributed in two directions (for example, the upper space and the lower space) and the volume of distribution can be regulated by controlling the interval between the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20, thereby making it possible to control the temperature difference between the upper space and the lower space to a desired value.

[0062] According to this embodiment referred to above, the length of the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 is maximized when the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 are connected in series and, hence, the apparent length of the vertical wind direction changing blades 12 can be increased with a lesser number of (two) component parts. Also, because the upper blade 20 is designed to move in parallel to the lower blade 18, the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 are prevented from being brought into contact with an object such as, for example, a curtain rail. Accordingly, a high air-rectifying effect can be obtained.

[0063] It is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and is practicable in various embodiments. By way of example, although in the above embodiment the rotary shaft 22 of the lower blade 18 and the rotary shaft 24 of the upper blade 20 have been described as being fixed at a given position and as being movable, respectively, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. By way of example, the upper blade 20 and the lower blade 18 may be rotated together about the rotary shaft 22 while keeping a relative positional relationship thereof and a predetermined interval therebetween in a state where the links 36a, 36b have been fixed without any rotation thereof.

[0064] Also, the rotary shaft 24 of the upper blade 20 may be fixed at a given position and the rotary shaft 22 of the lower blade 18 may be movable. That is, it is sufficient if one of the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 is fixed at a given position and the other of the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 is movable.

[0065] Although in the above embodiment the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 have been described as being connected to each other via a pair of links 36a, 36b so as to keep a substantially parallel state, the present invention is not limited to this. By way of example, the lower blade 18 and the upper blade 20 may be connected to each other using a member such as a jack.

[0066] Also, although in the above embodiment the upper blade 20 has been described as being moved ahead of the lower blade 18 and connected thereto in series, the present invention is not limited to this. By way of example, the upper blade 20 may be moved to rearward of the lower blade 18 and connected thereto in series.

[0067] Although the present invention has been fully described by way of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted here that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, unless such changes and modifications otherwise depart from the scope of the present invention as recited in the attached claims, they should be construed as being included therein.

Industrial Applicability

[0068] As described above, the air conditioner according to the present invention can obtain a higher air-rectifying effect by increasing the apparent length of the vertical wind direction changing blades with a lesser number of component parts and is accordingly effectively utilized for various air conditioners including those for general home use.
Explanation of reference numerals

[0069]
2 indoor unit body
2a front suction opening
2b upper suction opening
4 front panel
6 indoor heat exchanger
8 indoor fan
10 discharge opening
12 vertical wind direction changing blade
14 horizontal wind direction changing blade
16 filter
18 lower blade
18a stepped portion
20 upper blade
22 rotary shaft
24 rotary shaft
26 drive source
28 airflow path
30 rear guider
32 stabilizer
34 human-detecting sensor unit
36a, 36b link
38 drive source (drive source for angle adjustments)
40 drive source (drive source for interval adjustments)

CLAIMS

1. An air conditioner comprising:

an indoor unit;

vertical wind direction changing blades mounted on the indoor unit to vertically change a direction of air blown out from a discharge opening, the vertical wind direction changing blades being controlled during air conditioning; and

the vertical wind direction changing blades comprising a first blade and a second blade, both pivotally mounted in the vicinity of the discharge opening;

the first blade and the second blade being driven by a drive source for angle adjustments to rotate about respective rotary shafts; and

the second blade being driven by a drive source for interval adjustments to move between a parallel position where the second blade is positioned in parallel to the first blade and a serial position where the second blade is connected to the first blade in series;

wherein when the second blade is moved from the parallel position to the serial position during an air-conditioning operation, the drive source for interval adjustments is first driven to move the second blade by an amount that has been expected to be necessary for the movement of the second blade to the serial position, and at least one of the drive source for angle adjustments and the drive source for interval adjustments is subsequently driven in a direction in which the first blade and the second blade are brought into contact with each other.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the rotary shaft of the first blade is fixed at a given position and the rotary shaft of the second blade is designed to move towards or away from the first blade.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein after the drive source for interval adjustments has been driven to move the second blade by the amount that has been expected to be necessary for the movement of the second blade to the serial position, only the drive source for interval adjustments is driven in the direction in which the first blade and the second blade are brought into contact with each other.

4. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein

when the air-conditioning operation is halted, the drive source for angle adjustments and the drive source for interval adjustments are first driven by an amount that has been expected to close the discharge opening by the first blade and the second blade, and the drive source for angle adjustments and the drive source for interval adjustments are further driven in a direction in which the second blade is brought into contact with a main body of the air conditioner and with the first blade.