JP2007071401A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize an air conditioner suitably improving user's amenity while securing reliability of a device. <P>SOLUTION: This air conditioner comprises an air conditioning device A and an air conditioning device B for cooling/heating the air in the same room, and an operation control means 10a is disposed to increase the operation of the air conditioning device B in accordance with deficiency in operation of the air conditioning device A, when the operation of the air conditioning device A is restricted. As the deficiency in operation of the air conditioning device A is compensated by the operation of the air conditioning device B, the impairing of air conditioning efficiency in the whole room can be prevented, and user's amenity can be improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner that cools and warms indoor air in an office or the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art As an air conditioner that cools and warms indoor air in an office or factory, an air conditioner that cools and warms air in the same air-conditioning target space (for example, one room) using a plurality of air conditioners is known. For example, an air conditioner A having a compressor a that compresses refrigerant and a heat exchanger that cools and cools indoor air using the latent heat of the refrigerant, a compressor b that compresses refrigerant, and a room using the latent heat of the refrigerant And an air conditioner B having a heat exchanger that cools and cools the air. The air conditioners A and B are operated to cool and heat the air in the same room.

  By the way, in general, in order to ensure the reliability of the air conditioner, protection control is performed on the operation of the compressor. For example, when the compressor motor current or the suction-side or discharge-side refrigerant pressure exceeds an allowable value, it is proposed to prevent the compressor from malfunctioning by reducing the operating frequency of the compressor. (For example, patent document 1).

JP 2004-170032 A

  However, in the conventional system such as Patent Document 1, when the protection control is activated and the operation restriction is applied to the compressor, the air conditioning efficiency in the room is reduced due to the restriction. When the air conditioning efficiency is lowered, there is a possibility that the user may feel uncomfortable, for example, the room temperature cannot be set to the target temperature, or it may take time until the room temperature is set to the target temperature. That is, the compressor protection control for ensuring the reliability of the apparatus may cause the user's comfort to be lost.

  An object of the present invention is to realize an air conditioner that is more suitable for improving the comfort of the user while ensuring the reliability of the apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an air conditioner of the present invention includes a plurality of air conditioners that cool and heat the air in the same air-conditioning target space. An operation control means for enhancing the operation of the other air conditioner according to the lack of operation of the other air conditioner is mounted.

  According to this, when the operation of the air conditioner A is restricted in order to prevent the breakdown of the equipment, the lack of operation of the air conditioner A occurs due to the restriction. The operation of the air conditioner B is enhanced. Thereby, since the operation shortage of the air conditioner A is automatically compensated by the air conditioner B, a decrease in the air conditioning efficiency of the air-conditioning target space (for example, a room) can be avoided, so that the comfort of the user can be improved.

  More specifically, the air conditioner of the present invention includes an air conditioner having a compressor that compresses a refrigerant and a heat exchanger that cools and heats indoor air using the latent heat of the refrigerant, and a refrigerant. Other air conditioners having a compressor to be compressed and a heat exchanger for cooling and heating the indoor air using the latent heat of the refrigerant, and operation control for operating the one compressor within a predetermined protection range And when the factor indicating the operation status of the one compressor reaches the upper limit value of the protection range, the operation control unit adds an operation limit to the one compressor, and sets an indoor temperature and the target. A shortage of operation of the one compressor is obtained based on a difference with temperature, and the operation of the compressor of the other air conditioner is enhanced according to the shortage of operation.

  According to this, when the protection control is activated and the operation restriction is applied to the compressor a of the air conditioner A, the operation of the compressor b of the other air conditioner B is performed by the operation shortage of the compressor a due to the restriction. Is strengthened. Thereby, since the shortage of the operation of the air conditioner A is automatically compensated by the air conditioner B, the room temperature can be made to reach the target temperature smoothly and accurately. As a result, it is possible to improve the comfort of the user by avoiding a decrease in the air conditioning efficiency while securing the reliability of the air conditioner A by the protection control for the compressor a.

  In this case, the operation control means determines at least one of the operation frequency, the operation speed, the motor current, the suction side refrigerant temperature or the refrigerant pressure, the discharge side refrigerant temperature or the refrigerant pressure of the one compressor as the operation status. The operating condition of the one compressor can be monitored as a factor to show.

  Further, the operation control means can automatically update the target temperature set in another air conditioner according to the shortage of operation. As a result, the operation of another air conditioner can be enhanced to compensate for the lack of operation of one air conditioner, and the user can be notified that the operating conditions of the other air conditioner have been changed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the air conditioner more suitable for improving a user's comfort is ensured, ensuring the reliability of an apparatus.

  An embodiment of an air conditioner to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. Drawing 1 is a lineblock diagram showing the air harmony machine of this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner includes an air conditioner A and an air conditioner B as a plurality of air conditioners for cooling and heating the air in the same room. Here, the air conditioner A includes a variable capacity compressor 12a that compresses refrigerant, a heat exchanger 14a that cools and cools indoor air using the latent heat of the refrigerant, and a compressor 12a within a predetermined protection range. It is comprised from the operation control apparatus 10a etc. which operate | move by. The air conditioner B includes a variable capacity compressor 12b that compresses the refrigerant, a heat exchanger 14b that cools and cools indoor air using the latent heat of the refrigerant, and the compressor 12b within a predetermined protection range. It is comprised from the operation control apparatus 10b etc. to operate.

  The operation control device 10a according to the present embodiment is provided with operation control means 10a for enhancing the operation of the air conditioner B according to the lack of operation of the air conditioner A when the operation of the air conditioner A is restricted. ing. More specifically, the operation control means 10a applies an operation restriction to the compressor 12a when a factor indicating the operation status of the compressor 12a (hereinafter referred to as an operation parameter) reaches the upper limit value of the protection range. Insufficient operation of the compressor 12a is obtained based on the difference between the indoor temperature and the target temperature at the time, and a command for increasing the operation of the compressor 12b of the air conditioner B is output to the operation control device 10b according to the obtained operation deficiency. To do. The operating parameters here are, for example, detected values of the operating frequency, operating speed, motor current, suction side refrigerant pressure, and discharge side refrigerant pressure of the compressor 12a.

  In the present embodiment, the air conditioner A and the air conditioner B are basically the same in configuration, and therefore, for convenience, a suffix “a” is added to the suffix indicating each component of the air conditioner A, and the air conditioner “B” is added to the suffix of the reference numeral indicating each component of B. However, the present invention can be applied even when there is a difference between the configuration of the air conditioner A and the configuration of the air conditioner B, such as making the capacity of the compressor 12a different from the capacity of the compressor 12b. The point is that air conditioner A and air conditioner B with different refrigerant systems are arranged in the same room, and the operating capacity of the air conditioner A, for example, which has been reduced in operating capacity, is automatically operated by the air conditioner B during normal operation. It only needs to be compensated.

  The air conditioner of this embodiment will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 1, an air conditioner A for an air conditioner includes an indoor unit 16a disposed on the ceiling, for example, in a room such as an office or a factory, and an outdoor unit 18a disposed outdoors on a roof or the like. The refrigeration cycle α is formed by connecting through 20a.

  The indoor unit 16a includes a remote controller 22a (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller 22a) disposed in the vicinity of the user, a control device 26a on the indoor unit 16a side connected to the remote controller 22a via a communication line 24a, and an outdoor unit 18a. A heat exchanger 14a is provided that cools and warms the indoor air with the latent heat of the refrigerant supplied through the refrigerant pipe 20a and returns it to the outdoor unit 18a through the refrigerant pipe 20a. The remote controller 22a here has a temperature sensor for detecting the room temperature, an input means for setting the target temperature by the user, and a display means for displaying the room temperature and the target temperature. The heat exchanger 14a acts as a refrigerant evaporator during the cooling operation, and acts as a refrigerant condenser during the heating operation, thereby cooling and heating the indoor air. The control device 26a has a function of taking in the current room temperature from the temperature sensor of the remote controller 22a and calculating an operation necessary amount of the air conditioner A from the difference between the room temperature and the target temperature.

  The outdoor unit 18a includes a compressor 12a having a refrigerant suction port and a discharge port returned from the indoor unit 16a, and an operation control device 10a that operates the compressor 12a within a predetermined protection range. Here, the compressor 12a is of a variable capacity type in which the operation speed, the operation frequency, and the motor current value are varied in accordance with a control command. The compressor 12a is provided with a sensor for detecting its operating frequency, operating speed, and motor current, and a refrigerant pressure sensor at the refrigerant suction port and discharge port. The operation control device 10 a is connected to the control device 26 a on the indoor unit 16 a side via the communication line 28 a and is connected to the operation control device 10 b of the air conditioner B via the communication line 30.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the operation control apparatus 10a. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation control apparatus 10a prints a data input circuit 40, an output circuit 42, a normal operation control unit 44, a protection control unit 46, a backup control unit 48, a communication means 49, and the like. It is mounted on a substrate.

  The data input circuit 40 includes an analog / digital converter (A / D converter) and the like, and converts an analog signal input from each sensor into a digital signal and outputs the digital signal. For example, the necessary operation amount of the air conditioner A is taken in from the control device 26a on the indoor unit 16a side and transferred to the normal operation control unit 44 and the backup control unit 48. Further, the data input circuit 40 takes in operating parameters of the compressor 12a of the air conditioner A in operation from each sensor and passes them to the protection control unit 46. The communication unit 49 exchanges data with the control device 26a on the indoor unit 16a side, and transmits protection control data to the air conditioner B.

  The normal operation control unit 44 outputs a drive command to the drive mechanism (for example, a motor) of the compressor 12a via the output circuit 42 in accordance with the operation necessary amount of the air conditioner A passed from the data input circuit 40. Means 50 are included. Further, the protection control unit 46 monitors the operating status of the compressor 12a based on the operating parameters of the compressor 12a passed from the data input circuit 40, and when the operating parameters reach the upper limit value of the predetermined protection range. A monitoring determination unit 52 that determines abnormality of the compressor 12a, and a protection control unit 54 that outputs a protection command to the drive mechanism of the compressor 12a according to the determination result of the monitoring determination unit 52. For example, the protection control means 54 outputs a command to reduce the operating frequency of the compressor 12a to an allowable value to the motor of the compressor 12a according to the determination result.

  The backup control unit 48 detects whether or not the compressor 12a is protected and controlled by the protection control unit 54, and the operation requirement of the air conditioner A taken in from the data input circuit 40. Calculation means 58 for calculating the shortage of operation and compensation control means 60 for transmitting the protection control data to the air conditioner B via the communication means 49 according to the calculation result of the calculation means 58. The protection control data here is, for example, a command to increase the operation of the compressor 12b of the air conditioner B or a command to automatically update the target temperature of the remote control 22b of the air conditioning measure B.

  The basic operation of the air conditioner configured as described above will be described. When the user presses the operation start switch via the remote controller 22a, the operation of the air conditioner A is started. When the operation of the air conditioner A is started, the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe 20a circulates between the outdoor unit 18a and the indoor unit 16a. For example, during the heating operation, the room air is warmed in the process in which the gas refrigerant pressurized by the compressor 12a is condensed in the heat exchanger 14a. Conversely, during the cooling operation, the refrigerant flow direction is opposite to the direction during the heating operation, and the room air is cooled in the process in which the liquid refrigerant evaporates in the heat exchanger 14a. The basic operation of the air conditioner B is the same.

  Here, control of the air conditioner of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6 as appropriate. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of protection control of the compressor 12a. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of protection control data transmitted from the air conditioner A to the air conditioner B. FIG. 5 is a time chart showing data exchange between the air conditioner A and the air conditioner B. FIG. 6 shows the time variation of the target temperature set in the remote controller 22b of the air conditioner B in the upper stage, and shows the relationship between the operating frequency of the compressor 12a of the air conditioner A and the operating frequency of the compressor 12b of the air conditioner B on the time axis. It is the figure which showed the graph represented above on the lower stage. The horizontal axis in FIG. 3 indicates the magnitude of the current flowing through the motor of the compressor 12a, and the horizontal axes in FIGS. 5 and 6 indicate the passage of time.

<Normal operation>
When the operation of the air conditioner A is started, the necessary operation amount of the air conditioner A is obtained by the control device 26a on the indoor unit 16a side based on the difference between the indoor temperature at the start of the operation and the preset target temperature. A drive command is supplied from the operation control device 10a to the drive mechanism (for example, a motor) of the compressor 12a according to the required operation requirement. The indoor air is cooled and warmed by operating the compressor 12a in accordance with the drive command.

<Protective operation>
When the air conditioner A is in operation, the operation status of the compressor 12a is monitored by the operation control device 10a. When it is determined that the operation status of the compressor 12a is abnormal, the operation control device 10a limits the operation of the compressor 12a in order to prevent a failure of the compressor 12a. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, until the motor current exceeds the A value, the operating rotational speed of the compressor 12a is not limited. However, as a result of the increase in the motor current, when the motor current falls between the A value and the B value, a protection command for prohibiting the increase in the operation speed of the compressor 12a is issued from the operation control device 10a to the motor of the compressor 12a. Is output. When the motor current exceeds the B value, the motor rotation speed of the compressor 12a is forcibly decreased according to the command of the operation control device 10a. Further, when the motor current reaches the value C, the motor of the compressor 12a is forcibly stopped in accordance with a command from the operation control device 10a. Thus, if protection control is operated and operation restriction is added to the compressor 12a, the reliability of the air conditioner A is ensured, but the air conditioning efficiency in the room is reduced due to the restriction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the shortage of operation when the operation of the air conditioner A is restricted is backed up by the operation of the air conditioner B.

<Backup operation>
When the operation of the air conditioner A is restricted, the operation control device 10a uses the operation state of the compressor 12a at that time and the necessary operation of the air conditioner A transmitted from the control device 26a on the indoor unit 16a side. The operation shortage of the compressor 12a is calculated. Protection control data corresponding to the calculated operation shortage is generated (FIG. 4). Then, the generated protection control data is transmitted from the operation control device 10a to the air conditioner B through the communication line 30 (FIGS. 5 and 6). Specifically, the operation control device 10a updates the target temperature of the remote controller 22b of the air conditioner B according to the protection control data, and enhances the operation of the compressor 12b with respect to the operation control device 10b of the air conditioner B. The command is output. For example, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 6, the operation control device 10 a reduces the target temperature of the remote controller 22 b when the cooling operation is being performed. If the heating operation is being performed, the target temperature of the remote controller 22b is raised. The operation control device 10b increases, for example, the operation frequency of the compressor 12b according to the protection control data directly transmitted from the operation control device 10a or according to the updated target temperature of the remote controller 22b (FIG. 6).

  When the protection control data transmitted from the air conditioner A to the air conditioner B is described, the protection control data includes a data area indicating its own identification and the protection of the compressor 12a as shown in FIG. A data area indicating the state, a data area indicating the upper limit value of the operating frequency of the compressor 12a, a data area indicating the operating frequency of the compressor 12a, and a data area for parity check (for example, BCC). However, the protection control data is not limited to the form of FIG. 4, and the protection control data may be a command that backs up the insufficient operation of the air conditioner A by the operation of the air conditioner B.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the protection control is activated and the operation restriction is applied to the compressor 12a of the air conditioner A, another air conditioner B is provided by the insufficient operation of the compressor 12a due to the restriction. The operation of the compressor 12b is automatically increased. Thereby, since the operation shortage of the compressor 12a is compensated by the compressor 12b, the room temperature can be smoothly and accurately reached the target temperature. As a result, the comfort of the user can be improved while ensuring the reliability of the air conditioner A.

  In addition, the operation control device 10a of the present embodiment can directly input an increase request for the compressor 12b of the air conditioner B to the operation control device 10b according to the shortage of the operation of the air conditioner A. At the same time, the target temperature of the remote controller 22b of the air conditioner B can be automatically updated according to the lack of operation of the air conditioner A. By automatically updating the target temperature of the remote controller 22b, it is possible to increase the operation of the air conditioner B to compensate for the lack of operation of the air conditioner A, and to display to the user that the operating conditions of the air conditioner B have been changed. It can be informed visually.

  As a conventional technique, there is one that air-conditions the same room using a plurality of air conditioners with different refrigerant systems and switches the operating state of each air conditioner (for example, JP-A-2002-108925). This technique merely ensures the reliability of the air conditioner (for example, the reliability of the compressor) by shifting the timing of switching from the normal operation to the defrost operation so that all the air conditioners do not perform the defrosting operation at the same time. The point is not considered. In this regard, according to the air conditioner of the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the comfort of the user by ensuring the reliability of each air conditioner and avoiding a decrease in the air conditioning efficiency of the entire room.

  As mentioned above, although the air conditioner to which this invention was applied by embodiment was demonstrated, it is not limited to this form. For example, the backup by the air conditioner B when the operation of the air conditioner A is restricted has been described. However, when the operation of the air conditioner B is restricted, the lack of operation can be compensated by the operation of the air conditioner A. In short, when a restriction is imposed on the operation of a certain air conditioner, it is sufficient that the shortage of operation can be backed up by the operation of another air conditioner.

  Moreover, although the protection control of the compressor 12a was demonstrated to the example as a cause by which restrictions are imposed on the operation of the air conditioner A, the cause is not limited to the protection control. For example, the operation of the air conditioner A is also restricted when the air conditioner A reaches the upper limit of the allowable operating capacity. Therefore, the backup by the air conditioner B of this embodiment should just be performed also in that case.

  In addition, for convenience of explanation, the example in which the normal operation control unit 44, the protection control unit 46, and the backup control unit 48 are integrated in the operation control device 10a has been described, but each control unit or control function is distributed as necessary. You may arrange. For example, the protection control unit 46 may be mounted on the drive mechanism of the compressor 12a, or the calculation unit 58 and the compensation control unit 60 of the backup control unit 48 may be implemented in the operation control device 10b of the air conditioner B. In short, it is only necessary to mount a backup function that compensates for the lack of operation of the air conditioner A by the operation of the air conditioner B in an air conditioner including a plurality of air conditioners A and B having different refrigerant systems.

  In addition, although the case where the same room is air-conditioned by the air conditioning apparatuses A and B whose refrigerant systems are independent from each other, the same room is air-conditioned by two or more air conditioning apparatuses whose refrigerant systems are independent from each other. Backup control can be applied. Thereby, the operation shortage of one air conditioner among a plurality of air conditioners can be compensated by the operation of another air conditioner.

It is a block diagram which shows the air conditioner of one Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the operation control apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of protection control of the compressor of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the protection control data transmitted with respect to the air conditioner B from the air conditioner A. It is a time chart which shows transfer of the data between the air conditioner A and the air conditioner B. The time change of the target temperature set in the remote control of the air conditioner B is shown in the upper part, and the lower graph shows the relationship between the operating frequency of the compressor of the air conditioner A and the operating frequency of the compressor of the air conditioner B on the time axis. It is the figure shown in.

Explanation of symbols

10a Operation control device 10b of air conditioner A Operation control device 12a of air conditioner B Compressor 12b of air conditioner A Compressor 22a of air conditioner B Remote control 22b of air conditioner A Remote control 30 of air conditioner B Communication line

Claims (4)

  A plurality of air conditioners that cool and heat the air in the same air conditioning target space, and when the operation of the one air conditioner is restricted, according to the lack of operation of the one air conditioner, the other air conditioner An air conditioner equipped with operation control means for enhancing operation. One air conditioner having a compressor that compresses the refrigerant and a heat exchanger that cools and cools indoor air using the latent heat of the refrigerant, the compressor that compresses the refrigerant, and the latent heat of the refrigerant Another air conditioner having a heat exchanger for cooling and heating indoor air, and operation control means for operating the one compressor within a predetermined protection range,
When the factor indicating the operation status of the one compressor reaches the upper limit value of the protection range, the operation control means adds an operation limit to the one compressor, and difference between an indoor temperature and the target temperature. An air conditioner characterized in that an operation deficiency of the one compressor is obtained based on the above and the operation of the compressor of the other air conditioner is enhanced according to the operation deficiency.   The operation control means is a factor that indicates at least one of the operating frequency, the operating rotational speed, the motor current, the suction side refrigerant temperature or refrigerant pressure, and the discharge side refrigerant temperature or refrigerant pressure indicating the operation status of the one compressor. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the operating condition of the one compressor is monitored. 4. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the operation control unit automatically updates a target temperature set in the other air conditioner according to the shortage of operation.

Images