JP7406060B2 - refrigeration system - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates to refrigeration systems.

BACKGROUND ART An air conditioning system (refrigeration system) is known that includes a plurality of air conditioners as refrigeration devices and a central control device that centrally controls the plurality of air conditioners (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
This air conditioning system is configured such that each air conditioner and the central control device can communicate with each other by a communication slave device connected to each air conditioner and a communication master device connected to the central control device. . The central control device can operate and check the status of each air conditioner through communication with each air conditioner. Further, the central control device can also store the history of operations performed on the indoor units and store abnormalities that occur in the indoor units by communicating with each air conditioner.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-349940

In the air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1, various data such as operation data, status data, operation history data, and abnormal data are stored in the central control device, so a large-capacity storage device is required, and data maintenance is difficult. Building a system for such purposes is also extremely complicated.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigeration system in which operating information in each refrigeration device can be used mutually between refrigeration devices without using a centralized control device that complicates system construction.

(1) The refrigeration system of the present disclosure includes:
multiple refrigeration devices that can communicate with each other,
an operating device connected to at least one of the plurality of refrigeration devices and having an input section and an output section;
comprising a control device;
The input unit receives an instruction to compare operating information of one refrigeration device connected to the operating device with operating information of another refrigeration device,
In response to the comparison instruction, the control device compares the operating information of the one refrigeration device with the operating information of the other refrigeration device acquired through mutual communication with the one refrigeration device, and performs a predetermined comparison. Get the comparison result,
The output unit outputs the comparison result.

With such a configuration, it is possible to compare the operating information between one refrigeration apparatus and another refrigeration apparatus, obtain the comparison result, and output the comparison result. That is, it becomes possible to mutually use the operating information in each refrigeration device between the refrigeration devices.

(2) Preferably, the refrigeration apparatus includes a storage unit that stores the operation information.
With such a configuration, the operation information stored in the storage section of each refrigeration device can be used mutually.

(3) Preferably, the storage unit stores information about the comparison result.
Such a configuration enables mutual use of the comparison results stored in the storage units of the respective refrigeration devices.

(4) Preferably, the operating information includes operating information regarding a malfunction of the refrigeration device,
The comparison result includes information about the cause of the problem and/or how to deal with the problem.
With such a configuration, operational information regarding a malfunction can be compared between one refrigeration system and another refrigeration system, and as a result of the comparison, information about the cause of the malfunction and/or how to deal with the malfunction can be obtained. I can do it.

(5) Preferably, the operating information includes operating information regarding power consumption of the refrigeration device,
The comparison result includes information about the improvement in power consumption.
With such a configuration, it is possible to compare operating information regarding power consumption between one refrigeration system and another refrigeration system, and obtain information regarding improvement in power consumption as a result of the comparison.

(6) Preferably, the driving information includes model data.
According to this configuration, since the operating information includes the model data, it is possible to easily compare the operating information of one refrigeration device with the operating information of other refrigeration devices of the same model as that one refrigeration device. can.

(7) Preferably, the driving information includes driving state data.
According to this configuration, since the operating information includes the operating state data, the operating state data of one refrigeration device can be compared with the operating state data of another refrigeration device, and the comparison result can be obtained.
Note that the operating state data includes, for example, measurement data of a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a power sensor, etc., control data of devices such as the rotation speed of a compressor, the rotation speed of a fan, and the operating time of a refrigeration device.

(8) Preferably, the output unit provides operation information that has a higher degree of coincidence with the operation information of the first refrigeration apparatus, among the operation information of the other refrigeration apparatus that is compared with the operation information of the one refrigeration apparatus. The comparison results for the other refrigeration equipment having the above are preferentially output.
According to this configuration, other refrigeration equipment that has operating information that has a high degree of coincidence with the operating information of one refrigeration equipment is likely to have the same operating status, so the comparison results for the other refrigeration equipment are prioritized. By outputting to , more appropriate comparison results can be used.

(9) Preferably, the output unit outputs a plurality of comparison results in descending order of the degree of coincidence.
According to this configuration, a more appropriate comparison result can be selected and utilized from among the plurality of comparison results by outputting the plurality of comparison results in descending order of degree of coincidence.

(10) Preferably, the output unit preferentially outputs manufacturer-provided information related to the input instruction.
According to this configuration, since the information provided by the manufacturer of the refrigeration equipment is likely to be important, by outputting this information preferentially, it is possible to convey all of the information to maintenance workers and the like.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing one embodiment of a refrigeration system. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a refrigerant circuit of the refrigeration device. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a control device. It is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for using information to resolve a problem. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of information use for energy saving. It is an explanatory diagram showing a comparison result of power consumption.

[Refrigerating system configuration]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing one embodiment of a refrigeration system. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a refrigerant circuit of the refrigeration system.
The refrigeration system of this embodiment includes a plurality of refrigeration devices 1A to 1C. Each of the refrigeration devices 1A to 1C is a separate air conditioner including an indoor unit 21 and an outdoor unit 22, for example. As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C have a compressor 30, a four-way switching valve 32, an outdoor heat exchanger 31, an expansion valve 34, 24, and an indoor heat exchanger 25 connected by a refrigerant pipe 23. A heat pump type refrigerant circuit 11 is provided.

During cooling operation, the refrigerant circuit 11 sends high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 30 to the outdoor heat exchanger 31 via the four-way switching valve 32, and condenses it in the outdoor heat exchanger 31. A refrigeration cycle is performed in which the refrigerant is depressurized by the expansion valve 24, evaporated by the indoor heat exchanger, and then sucked into the compressor 30. Furthermore, during heating operation, the refrigerant circuit 11 sends high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 30 to the indoor heat exchanger 25 via the four-way switching valve 32, and condenses it in the indoor heat exchanger 25. A refrigeration cycle is performed in which the refrigerant is depressurized by the expansion valve 34, evaporated by the outdoor heat exchanger 31, and then sucked into the compressor 30. Each heat exchanger 25, 31 is supplied with airflow by a fan 26, 33.

The refrigeration devices 1A to 1C are provided with various sensors. For example, the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C include an air temperature sensor 27 that detects the suction temperature (indoor temperature), refrigerant temperature sensors 35a and 35b that detect the temperature of refrigerant in the discharge pipe and suction pipe of the compressor 30, and Pressure sensors 36a and 36b for detecting the suction pressure and discharge pressure of the refrigerator 30, power sensors for detecting the power consumption of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C, and the like are provided. Measurement data obtained by these sensors is stored in a storage unit 6 of the control device 4, which will be described later. Further, the operation of various devices such as the compressor 30, fans 26, 33, expansion valves 24, 34, etc. is controlled by the control device 4. Data used for this control, for example, control data such as the operating frequencies of the compressor 30 and the fans 26 and 33, and the opening degrees of the expansion valves 24 and 34, is also stored in the storage unit 6 of the control device 4.

Each of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C further includes a communication device 3 and a control device 4. The refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C are connected to each other via a communication device 3 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The communication device 3 of each refrigeration device 1A to 1C has a storage section that stores address information of the communication device 3 of the other refrigeration devices 1A to 1C. As the communication device 3, for example, a wireless or wired LAN adapter that connects to a LAN (local area network) built in the equipment where the refrigeration devices 1A to 1C are installed can be adopted. In this case, the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C are connected to each other via a LAN so that they can communicate with each other.

Note that the communication device 3 may connect the refrigeration devices 1A to 1C so that they can communicate with each other via an external network such as the Internet via a router installed in the LAN. Furthermore, the communication device 3 may connect the refrigeration devices 1A to 1C to each other via an external network using a 3G line or an LTE line. The communication device 3 may be built into the refrigeration devices 1A to 1C, or may be externally attached.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the control device 4. As shown in FIG.
The control device 4 of each of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C controls the operation of internal equipment of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C. The control device 4 is composed of a control board on which various electronic components are mounted. The control device 4 includes an arithmetic unit 5 including a CPU, a storage unit 6 including RAM, ROM, flash memory, and the like. In the present embodiment, a control board configuring the control device 4 is housed in an electrical component box provided within the housing of the indoor unit 21 or outdoor unit 22 of the air conditioner, for example. However, the control board constituting the control device 4 is not limited to being placed inside the electrical component box, but may be placed outside.

The control device 4 exhibits a predetermined function when the calculation unit 5 executes an application program stored in the storage unit 6. In particular, the control device 4 of this embodiment has a function as a comparison unit 5a that compares the operation information of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C and obtains the comparison results.

The storage unit 6 stores measurement data of various sensors, control data of various devices, and driving state data such as driving time as driving information. The storage unit 6 also stores model data such as model numbers of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C as operating information. Furthermore, the storage unit 6 stores data regarding defects that have occurred in the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C (hereinafter also referred to as "defect data").

This defect data is data regarding defects that have occurred in the past, the cause of which has already been investigated, and some kind of countermeasure has been taken. Specifically, the defect data includes "cause data" that identifies the cause of the defect, and "coping data" for resolving the defect. Furthermore, the defect data may include countermeasure data provided by the manufacturer to resolve the defect. The malfunction data is associated with operational information related to the malfunction. The operational information related to a malfunction is, for example, operational information that characterizes the malfunction, such as a large fluctuation or an abnormal value when the malfunction occurs.

The control device 4 further includes an input/output interface 7. The input/output interface 7 is used to connect an external terminal 2 such as a notebook or tablet personal computer. The control device 4 performs predetermined processing based on information input via the external terminal 2, and further transmits the results of the processing to the external terminal 2. In this respect, the external terminal 2 constitutes an operating device that performs an operation to cause the control device 4 to perform a predetermined process. The external terminal 2 has an input section 2a that receives input of predetermined information, and an output section 2b that outputs the results of processing. The input unit 2a is configured with a keyboard, a touch panel, a pointing device, or the like, and can accept input of information through human operation. The output unit 2b is constituted by a display unit such as a display, and can output information through display. Further, the external terminal 2 includes a control device 2c having a calculation unit such as a CPU, and a memory such as a RAM or ROM. The control device 2c of the external terminal 2 performs processing for transmitting information input from the input section 2a to the control device 4, processing for outputting information received from the control device 4 to the output section 2b, and the like.

In this embodiment, a refrigeration system is constructed by a plurality of refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C including a communication device 3 and external terminals 2 connected to the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C. By communicating with each other through the communication device 3, the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C can mutually utilize the information held by each of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C. Specifically, the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C of this embodiment are configured to mutually use information for the following two purposes.
(1) Use of information to resolve problems (2) Use of information to save energy

Each information use will be explained in detail below.
<Use of information to resolve problems>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for using information to resolve a problem.
Generally, when some kind of malfunction occurs in the refrigeration equipment 1A to 1C, a maintenance worker obtains the operating information of the refrigeration equipment 1A to 1C, uses the operating information to investigate the cause of the malfunction, and takes measures to resolve the malfunction. . For example, a maintenance worker connects the external terminal 2 to the input/output interface 7 of the control device 4 and uses the external terminal 2 to obtain operating information of the refrigeration devices 1A to 1C. The operation information includes, for example, model data (model numbers) of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C, measurement data of various sensors, control data of equipment such as compressors, and the like. Then, the maintenance worker grasps the operating status of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C from the acquired operating information, and refers to the manual or the like based on the operating status to investigate the cause of the malfunction and take measures to eliminate the malfunction.

In contrast, in this embodiment, when a malfunction occurs in one refrigeration system (for example, refrigeration system 1A), a maintenance worker can , input information about the situation of the problem. For example, a maintenance worker inputs the status of the problem, such as ``the room does not cool down'' during cooling operation, ``the room does not warm up'' during heating operation, ``abnormal noise occurs'', or ``operation has stopped.'' This input becomes an instruction for comparing operating information between the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C, as will be described later. As for the form of inputting instructions, a form may be adopted in which the maintenance worker directly inputs specific details, or items of multiple failure examples may be displayed on the display section 2b of the external terminal 2, and any It is also possible to adopt a form in which the maintenance worker selects the item. Moreover, before accepting the input of the instruction, the external terminal 2 may request the maintenance worker to input authentication information (ID, password, etc.) to permit access to the refrigeration apparatus 1A. This prevents anyone who does not have access authority from accessing the refrigeration apparatus 1A, thereby increasing the security of the refrigeration system.

When the input unit 2a receives the malfunction status (step S1 in FIG. 4), the external terminal 2 transmits the information to the control device 4 of the one refrigeration device 1A (step S2).
The control device 4 of the first refrigeration equipment 1A determines whether or not information regarding the status of the malfunction has been received from the external terminal 2 (step S11), and if the information has been received, the operational information related to the malfunction is determined. is inquired of the other refrigeration apparatuses 1B and 1C (step S12). As described above, the operational information related to the malfunction is stored in the storage unit 6 of each of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C as operational information associated with the malfunction data. The operating information to be inquired also includes model data of the other refrigeration apparatuses 1B and 1C.

When the control device 4 of one refrigeration device 1A receives the operation information and model data related to the malfunction from the other refrigeration devices 1B and 1C (step S13), it compares the operation information with its own operation information. (Step S14). The control device 4 then retrieves the operating information of the other refrigeration equipments 1B and 1C that has the highest degree of agreement with its own operating information, and fault data associated with this operating information, that is, fault cause data and countermeasure data. Specify (step S15). Then, the control device 4 transmits the defect data to the external terminal 2 (step S16).

Note that "matching" between one's own operating information and the operating information of another refrigeration equipment means complete matching or matching within a predetermined range. For example, if the value indicated by the operating information of the other refrigeration apparatuses 1B and 1C is included within the range of ±several percent of the value indicated by the own operating information, it can be determined as a "match". Moreover, the "degree of coincidence" refers to the proportion of matching driving information among all the driving information to be compared.

The external terminal 2 determines whether or not defect data has been received from the control device 4 (step S3), and if defect data has been received, outputs the defect data to the display section (output section) 2b (step S4). ).
Therefore, when a maintenance worker operating the external terminal 2 inputs the status of a malfunction, the cause of the malfunction and the details of its countermeasure can be obtained as output. The causes and countermeasures for the malfunctions that are output are related to malfunctions that actually occurred in the other refrigeration equipment in the past, and are related to the malfunctions that have actually occurred in the other refrigeration equipment, and are related to other refrigeration equipment whose operating information has a high degree of coincidence with the operating information of the first refrigeration equipment. Since this is a problem with a refrigeration system, there is a high possibility that it is the same problem that occurred in the first refrigeration system. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the maintenance worker will be able to resolve the problem by taking action according to the outputted solution. Moreover, by taking action according to the outputted solution, it is possible to quickly deal with the problem.

Through the processing of the control device 4 and external terminal 2 as described above, the operation information can be suitably used mutually among the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C. Therefore, even if a centralized control device is not provided as in the prior art (see Patent Document 1 above), it is sufficient to manage operation information and information regarding malfunctions in each refrigeration device, and information management becomes easy and information Storage capacity can also be reduced. Furthermore, in the conventional technology, the centralized control device controls all the refrigeration devices, resulting in an enormous load on the central control device, but in this embodiment, the load is distributed among the refrigeration devices 1A to 1C to perform processing. becomes possible.

Note that common causes of malfunctions include malfunctions of equipment such as the compressor 30, fans 26, 33, valves 32, 24, 34, sensors, lack of refrigerant, dirt on the heat exchangers 25, 31, and the like. Examples of measures taken to deal with the malfunction include replacing equipment, replenishing refrigerant, and cleaning the heat exchangers 25 and 31.

In step S15 of FIG. 4, the control device 4 may transmit to the external terminal 2 malfunction data regarding the operation information of a plurality of other refrigeration apparatuses 1B and 1C that has a high degree of coincidence with its own operation information. Then, the external terminal 2 can output the plurality of defect data in the order of the highest degree of coincidence. In this case, the maintenance worker can select appropriate defect data from among a plurality of defect data and take more optimal measures.

Furthermore, if the models of the refrigeration systems are the same, there is a high possibility that the operating conditions will be the same when a problem occurs. Therefore, by including model data in the operation information that is compared between one refrigeration equipment 1A and other refrigeration equipment 1B, 1C, it is possible to prevent Defect data can be easily identified. Further, the control device 4 may specify defect data of the other refrigeration apparatuses 1B and 1C whose model data matches that of the one refrigeration apparatus 1A with higher priority, and transmit the data to the external terminal 2.

Note that, as described above, the defect data includes countermeasure data provided by the manufacturer in order to resolve the defect. The countermeasure data provided by the manufacturer may be preferentially output from the external terminal 2. This is because the countermeasure information provided by the manufacturer is likely to be important and likely to indicate an appropriate countermeasure.

<Use of information for energy saving>
Next, the use of information for energy saving will be explained.
As described above, the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C are provided with power sensors and the like for detecting power consumption, and the measured data is stored in the storage unit 6 of the control device 4. The refrigeration system of this example compares power consumption among a plurality of refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C, and outputs information for improving power consumption as a result of the comparison.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for using information for energy saving.
For example, when trying to reduce the electricity bill by improving the power consumption of a refrigeration system with a large monthly electricity bill (for example, refrigeration system 1A), a maintenance worker, etc. An instruction to compare power consumption is input to the external terminal 2 connected to 1A. This instruction may be entered by the maintenance worker directly inputting "Compare power consumption," or by inputting the item "Compare power consumption" on the display section 2b of the external terminal 2. Alternatively, the maintenance worker may select the item.

When the input unit 2a receives an instruction to compare power consumption (step S21), the external terminal 2 transmits information on the instruction to the control device 4 of the first refrigeration device 1A (step S22).
The control device 4 of the first refrigeration device 1A determines whether instruction information has been received from the external terminal 2 (step S31), and if the information has been received, the control device 4 of the other refrigeration device 1B, 1C (Step S32). For example, the control device 4 inquires about power consumption between 0:00 and 24:00 most recent at the time of making the inquiry.

When the control device 4 of one refrigeration device 1A receives power consumption data from the other refrigeration devices 1B and 1C (step S33), it compares the power consumption with its own power consumption (step S34). For example, the control device 4 compares the average value of power consumption from 0:00 to 24:00. Then, the control device 4 identifies other refrigeration devices 1B and 1C having lower power consumption than its own (step S35). For example, the control device 4 transmits data on the power consumption of the identified refrigeration devices 1B and 1C to the external terminal 2 (step S36).

The external terminal 2 determines whether or not it has received the power consumption data from the control device 4 (step S23), and if the data has been received, it compares the power consumption data with its own power consumption. is output to the display section (output section) 2b (step S24).
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the comparison results of power consumption. In FIG. 6, the display section 2b shows a graph of changes in power consumption of one refrigeration device 1A and changes in power consumption of the other refrigeration devices 1B and 1C. Therefore, the difference in power consumption between one refrigeration device 1A and the other refrigeration devices 1B and 1C can be understood at a glance. Then, it becomes possible to use the changes in the power consumption of the other refrigeration apparatuses 1B and 1C as a reference to improve the power consumption of the one refrigeration apparatus 1A. For example, in a time period when the power consumption of another refrigeration system is lower than that of the first refrigeration equipment (for example, the hatched time period in Figure 6), there is a high possibility that the power consumption of the first refrigeration equipment can be reduced. Therefore, it is conceivable that the operation of one refrigeration equipment during the relevant time period should be subject to review.

[Actions and effects of this embodiment]
(1) The refrigeration system of the present embodiment includes a plurality of refrigeration devices 1A to 1C that can communicate with each other, and an external device having an input section 2a and an output section 2b connected to at least one of the plurality of refrigeration devices 1A to 1C. It includes a terminal (operation device) 2 and a control device 4. Then, the input unit 2a receives an instruction to compare the operating information of one refrigeration system connected to the external terminal 2 with the operating information of another refrigeration equipment, and the control device 4 A predetermined comparison result is obtained by comparing the operating information of one refrigeration apparatus with the operating information of another refrigeration apparatus acquired through mutual communication with the one refrigeration apparatus, and the output unit 2b outputs the comparison result. Output. With such a configuration, it is possible to compare the operating information between one refrigeration apparatus and another refrigeration apparatus, obtain the comparison result, and output the comparison result. Therefore, the operating information in each of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C can be used mutually among the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C.

(2) The refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C of this embodiment include a storage unit 6 that stores operating information. Therefore, it becomes possible to mutually use the operation information stored in the storage section 6 of each of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C.

(3) The storage unit 6 also stores information about the comparison results. Therefore, it becomes possible to mutually use the comparison results stored in the storage section 6 of each of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C.

(4) In this embodiment, the operating information of each refrigeration device 1A to 1C includes operating information regarding a malfunction of the refrigeration device 1A to 1C, and the obtained comparison result is the cause of the malfunction and/or how to deal with the malfunction. Contains information about. If a malfunction occurs in one refrigeration equipment and the operating information of that refrigeration equipment matches the operational information regarding the malfunction that occurred in the other refrigeration equipment to a predetermined degree, the malfunction in the one refrigeration equipment will cause the other refrigeration equipment to There is a high possibility that the problem is the same as the problem that occurred in the device. Therefore, by outputting the cause of the malfunction that occurred in the other refrigeration equipment and how to deal with the malfunction as a comparison result, the comparison result can be used to resolve the malfunction in the one refrigeration equipment.

(5) In the present embodiment, the operating information of each of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C includes operating information regarding power consumption of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C, and the obtained comparison result includes information regarding improvement of power consumption. There is. Therefore, for example, by comparing the power consumption of one refrigeration system with another refrigeration system that consumes less power, and outputting information about improvements in power consumption as a result of the comparison, the comparison results can be used to This can be useful for improving power consumption in devices.

(6) In this embodiment, the operating information of each of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C includes model data.
If a problem occurs in one refrigeration device, if the model is the same as the one refrigeration device, the operating state will be similar, and the necessary countermeasures will likely be the same. Therefore, by including the model data in the operating information, it is possible to easily compare the operating information of one refrigeration equipment with the operating information of other refrigeration equipment of the same model as the one refrigeration equipment, and By outputting the cause and countermeasures for a malfunction occurring in one of the refrigeration equipment as a comparison result, the comparison result can be used to eliminate the malfunction in the one refrigeration equipment.

(7) In this embodiment, the operating information of each of the refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C includes operating state data. If a problem occurs in a refrigeration system, some changes will occur in the operating state data such as the air blowing temperature and compressor pressure, so if a problem occurs in one refrigeration system, the operating state data of that one refrigeration system will change. and the operating status data when a malfunction occurred in another refrigeration equipment, and if the two match to a predetermined degree, the results of the comparison, such as the cause of the malfunction that occurred in the other refrigeration equipment and how to deal with it, etc. By outputting the result as a result, the comparison result can be used to solve a problem in the first refrigeration system.

(8) The output unit 2b in this embodiment has operation information that has a higher degree of coincidence with the operation information of the first refrigeration apparatus among the operation information of the other refrigeration apparatuses that are compared with the operation information of the first refrigeration apparatus. Comparison results for other refrigeration systems are output preferentially. Other refrigeration equipment that has operating information that has a high degree of coincidence with the operating information of one refrigeration equipment is likely to have the same operating status, so by outputting the comparison results of the other refrigeration equipment with priority, More appropriate comparison results can be utilized.

(9) The output unit 2b in this embodiment outputs a plurality of comparison results in descending order of degree of coincidence. Therefore, by outputting a plurality of comparison results in descending order of degree of coincidence, it is possible to select and utilize a more appropriate comparison result from among the plurality of comparison results.

(10) The output unit 2b in this embodiment preferentially outputs manufacturer-provided information related to the input instruction. Therefore, since the information provided by the manufacturer of the refrigeration equipment is likely to be important, by outputting this information preferentially, it is possible to convey all of the information to maintenance workers and the like.

The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes can be made within the scope of the claims.
For example, in the above embodiment, the status of the malfunction is input into the external terminal 2, but in addition to this, the maintenance worker also inputs into the external terminal 2 operational information used for comparison with previously acquired operational status data, etc. You can.

The output section 2b of the external terminal 2 is not limited to a display section such as a display, but may output on paper or through data communication such as e-mail. Further, the external terminal 2 may be connected to at least one of the plurality of refrigeration apparatuses 1A to 1C.

The control device 2c of the external terminal 2 may compare the operating information of the plurality of refrigeration devices 1A to 1C. That is, the control device 2c of the external terminal 2 may have the function of the comparison section as described above. In this case, the operating information of one refrigeration device and the operating information of the other refrigeration device are transmitted to the external terminal 2, and the control device 2c of the external terminal 2 compares the operating information and obtains the comparison result. . Further, the operating device having an input section and an output section may be configured by a remote controller provided in the indoor unit 21 of the refrigeration system, or by an operation panel etc. housed in the indoor unit 21 or the outdoor unit 22. You can also do it.

The plurality of refrigeration devices 1A to 1C may be installed in the same facility, such as a building or a shopping center, or may be installed in different facilities in remote locations. .

1A, 1B, 1C: Refrigeration equipment 2: External terminal (operation device)
2a: Input section 2b: Output section 2c: Control device 4: Control device 6: Storage section

Claims (10)

A plurality of refrigeration devices (1A, 1B, 1C) that can communicate with each other,
an operating device (2) connected to at least one of the plurality of refrigeration devices (1A, 1B, 1C) and having an input section (2a) and an output section (2b);
a control device ( 4) that is provided in each of the plurality of refrigeration devices and has a storage section (6) that stores operating information of the refrigeration device ;
The input unit (2a) receives an instruction to compare the operating information of one refrigeration device to which the operating device (2) is connected and the operating information of another refrigeration device,
In response to the comparison instruction, the control device ( 4) combines the operating information stored in the storage unit (6) of the one refrigeration device with the other information acquired through mutual communication with the one refrigeration device. and the operating information stored in the storage unit (6) of the refrigeration device to obtain a predetermined comparison result;
The output unit (2b) is a refrigeration system that outputs the comparison result. A plurality of refrigeration devices (1A, 1B, 1C) that can communicate with each other,
an operating device (2) connected to at least one of the plurality of refrigeration devices (1A, 1B, 1C) by a maintenance worker and having an input section (2a) and an output section (2b);
a first control device ( 4) provided in each of the plurality of refrigeration devices, and having a storage unit that stores operational information of the refrigeration devices ;
A second control device (2c) provided in the operating device ,
The input unit (2a) receives an instruction to compare operating information of one refrigeration device connected to the operating device (2) with operating information of another refrigeration device,
The second control device (2c ) of the operation device (2) that has received the comparison instruction is configured to combine the operating information stored in the storage section of the first refrigeration device with the corresponding operating information according to the comparison instruction. Comparing the operating information stored in the storage unit of the other refrigeration equipment acquired through mutual communication with the one refrigeration equipment to obtain a predetermined comparison result;
The output unit (2b) is a refrigeration system that outputs the comparison result. The refrigeration system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the storage unit (6) stores information about the comparison result. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operating information includes operating information regarding a malfunction of the refrigeration system (1A, 1B, 1C), and the comparison result includes information about the cause of the malfunction and/or how to deal with the malfunction. The refrigeration system according to any one of the items. Any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operating information includes operating information regarding power consumption of the refrigeration device (1A, 1B, 1C), and the comparison result includes information regarding improvement of the power consumption. The refrigeration system described in. The refrigeration system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the operating information includes model data. The refrigeration system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the operating information includes operating state data. The output unit (2b) has operation information having a higher degree of coincidence with the operation information of the one refrigeration apparatus among the operation information of the other refrigeration apparatus to be compared with the operation information of the one refrigeration apparatus. The refrigeration system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein comparison results in other refrigeration devices are output preferentially. The refrigeration system according to claim 8, wherein the output unit (2b) outputs a plurality of comparison results in descending order of the degree of coincidence. The refrigeration system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the output unit (2b) preferentially outputs manufacturer-provided information related to the input instruction.

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