JP2001280672A - Method of controlling air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control other indoor units at a main indoor unit according to the same contents as the contents of the main unit in a method of controlling a multizone type air conditioner. SOLUTION: In the method of controlling a multiple type air conditioner composed of a first and second indoor units 10, 11 and one outdoor unit 12 so that the indoor units can be individually controllable by remote controllers 14, 17, the first indoor unit 10 is set to a main unit, an individual/interlocked change-over switch 13 is disposed to individually or, in an interlocked state, control the second indoor unit 11. When this switch 13 is changed to the interlock side, the first indoor unit 10 transmits an interlock signal to the second indoor unit 11 through the outdoor unit 12, the outdoor unit 12 transmits the interlock signal and operation contents of the indoor unit 10 to the second unit 11, and the second unit 11 disables the individual control operation according to the interlock signal by the remote controller 17 and performs the same operation according to the operation contents from the outdoor unit 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for controlling a multi-type air conditioner comprising a plurality of indoor units and one outdoor unit, and more particularly, to an indoor unit mainly including each indoor unit. The present invention relates to a method for controlling an air conditioner in which other indoor units can be controlled in the same manner as described above to improve the usability.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A multi-type air conditioner is a type in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit. At present, a type in which operation can be operated by a remote controller for each indoor unit has been proposed. I have. For this reason, a plurality of indoor units are installed in different rooms, and free air-conditioning control can be performed for each room.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, one outdoor unit 1 and a room different from each other (for example, a living room and a children's room).
With the indoor units 2 and 3 installed in each room, desired air conditioning can be simultaneously performed in each room. In this case, in order to provide comfortable air conditioning in each room, the operation is performed by the remote controllers 4 and 5.

[0004] An air conditioner has also been proposed which has a function of turning on and off an indoor unit of one room in one room by using remote controllers 4 and 5, for example, from the other room to the one room. This is convenient when you notice that you have forgotten to turn off the indoor unit of the room you were in when you moved. As described above, a device that adds a new function and improves usability is being proposed.

[0005]

By the way, in the multi-type air conditioner, an indoor unit is installed in a room where a child, an elderly person (user), a sick person, etc., who are not accustomed to the setting operation of the remote controllers 4 and 5, are located. In such a case, it is difficult to change an inappropriate setting or the setting, which may adversely affect the user's body. In particular, children and the elderly do not always make appropriate settings, for example, raising the temperature of the room more than necessary,
It may be lower, not only adversely affecting users etc.,
It also wastes power.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable a main indoor unit and other indoor units to be individually or interlocked by a simple operation with a multi-type air conditioner. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of controlling an air conditioner, which enables another indoor unit to perform the same operation as that of the indoor unit on the side, thereby improving usability.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is directed to a multi-type air conditioner comprising a plurality of indoor units and one outdoor unit. In the method of controlling an air conditioner, which is capable of individually controlling the room temperature, one of the plurality of indoor units is set as a main indoor unit, and the operation content of the main indoor unit is transferred to another indoor unit. Setting means for interlocking is provided in the main indoor unit, and when interlocking is set by the setting means, the other indoor unit is controlled with the same operation content as the main indoor unit. Features.

[0008] The present invention is a multi-type air conditioner comprising a plurality of indoor units and one outdoor unit, wherein at least each of the indoor units can individually control a room temperature by a remote controller. In the method for controlling a harmony unit, one of the plurality of indoor units is set as a main indoor unit, and setting means for linking the operation content of the main indoor unit with another indoor unit is provided in the main unit. When the interlock is set by the setting means,
The main indoor unit transmits an interlocking signal to the other indoor unit via the outdoor unit, and the outdoor unit transmits the operation content of the main indoor unit to the other indoor unit, and the other indoor unit The indoor unit disables the individual control operation by the remote controller by the interlocking signal, and performs the same operation as the main indoor unit according to the operation content from the outdoor unit. . Thus, since the control unit of each indoor unit and the outdoor unit is mainly a microcomputer, the present invention can be realized by software. In other words, the hardware cost can be reduced only by the switch of the interlocking setting unit.

The present invention relates to a multi-type air conditioner comprising a plurality of indoor units and one outdoor unit, wherein the room temperature can be individually controlled at least for each indoor unit. In the control method, one of the plurality of indoor units is set as a main indoor unit, and the main indoor unit is provided with individual / interlock switching means for controlling other indoor units individually or in conjunction with each other, When the individual / interlock switching means is switched to the interlocking side, the other indoor units except the main indoor unit are controlled with the same operation contents as the main indoor unit, and the individual / interlocking switching means is switched to the individual side. When switched to, the plurality of indoor units can be individually controlled, and individual control or interlocking control of the other indoor units can be freely selected on the main indoor unit side. And Thus, by operating the switch of the individual / interlocking switching means, the operation contents of the other indoor units can be made the same as the main indoor unit, and the usability can be improved.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG.
The method of controlling the air conditioner mainly includes the first indoor unit 10 out of the plurality of indoor units, and the second indoor unit 11 with the same operation content as the first indoor unit 10 via the outdoor unit 12. Controllable. Therefore, the main first indoor unit 10
Is provided with an individual / interlock switch (setting means) 13 for switching the second indoor unit 11 individually or interlocked. The individual / interlocking switch 13 is, for example, a slide switch disposed on the first indoor unit main body.
You may arrange | position in the place which a child etc. cannot operate easily.

The control device of the first indoor unit 10 decodes a remote control signal from the remote control 14, determines a setting content (operation content), and outputs a necessary command to a remote control setting content discrimination / instruction unit 10a. According to the operation contents, the output element unit 15 is used to perform the room temperature control.
To drive the indoor fan and wind direction board, and An operation content determination / instruction unit 10b for outputting the operation content (instruction such as operation frequency) of the outdoor unit 12;
State (individually or interlocked) is transmitted to the outdoor unit 12 and the operation content of the outdoor unit 12 (instruction such as operating frequency)
And an outdoor unit operation content discrimination / instruction unit 12c for transmitting the operation content of the indoor unit 10 and the like, and executes the routine shown in FIG.

The control device of the outdoor unit 12 is the first indoor unit 1
The individual / association control determining unit 12a determines whether the operation is the same as the operation of the first indoor unit 10 if the operation is the same as the first indoor unit 10 if the operation is the same. An indoor unit operation instruction unit 12b for transmitting operation contents (operation contents of the first indoor unit 10) to the second indoor unit 11, and first and second indoor units 10,
11 includes an outdoor fan of the output element unit 16, an outdoor unit operation content discriminating / instructing unit 12c for driving a compressor, an expansion valve, and the like constituting the refrigeration cycle in order to perform the room temperature control based on the signal transmitted from the unit 11. The routine shown in FIG.

The control device of the second indoor unit 11 as another indoor unit decodes the remote control signal from the remote control 17, determines the setting contents (operation contents), and outputs a necessary remote control setting. In order to perform the room temperature control in accordance with the content determination / instruction unit 11a and the operation content or the operation content (operation content of the first indoor unit 10) from the outdoor unit 12, the indoor fan of the output element unit 18 An operation content determination / instruction unit 11b for driving the wind direction plate;
An outdoor unit operation content determination / instruction unit 11c for transmitting the operation content (instruction such as operation frequency) of the outdoor unit 12 is provided, and the routine shown in FIG. 4 is executed.

The first and second indoor units 10, 11
Has the same functions as those of the indoor units 2 and 3 shown in FIG. 5, and their control device is mainly composed of a microcomputer, and is provided with a driver circuit and the like for driving the output element units 15 and 18. The outdoor unit 12 also has the same function as the outdoor unit 1 shown in FIG. 5, and its control device is mainly composed of a microcomputer and includes a driver circuit for driving the output element unit 16 and the like. Further, the remote controller 14 and the remote controller 17 may be the same.

Next, a method of controlling the air conditioner having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, the first and second indoor units 10 and 12 of each room are operated according to the setting operation of the remote controllers 14 and 17,
It is assumed that each room is controlled at room temperature. In this case, it is assumed that the individual / interlock switch of the first indoor unit 10 is on the individual side.

At this time, when the user or the like switches the individual / interlock switch 13 to the interlocking side in the room of the first indoor unit 10, the control device of the first indoor unit 10 proceeds from step ST1 to ST2. The signal of the interlock is transmitted to the outdoor unit 12.
Send to In addition, the operation content by the operation of the remote controller 14 in the room is transmitted to the outdoor unit 12.

Subsequently, an operation according to the setting operation of the remote controller 14 is performed (step ST3). That is, in order to perform room temperature control, the indoor fan and the wind direction plate of the output element unit 15 are controlled.

When the control device of the outdoor unit 12 receives the interlock signal from the main first indoor unit 10, the control proceeds to step S.
The process proceeds from T10 to ST11 to transmit to the second indoor unit 11 the operation content (operation content of the first indoor unit 10) according to the interlocking instruction and the setting operation of the remote controller 14.

Subsequently, the operation is performed based on the operation content from the first indoor unit 10 (step ST12). In this case, in consideration of the fact that the two indoor units are operated, the compressor and the expansion valve that constitute the refrigeration cycle of the output element unit 16 are driven to control the room temperature in each room.

The control device for the second indoor unit 11 is the outdoor unit 1
When the interlocking instruction is received from step 2, step ST20 to step S20
Proceeding to T21, the function of receiving the remote control signal from the remote control 17 in the room is locked, that is, the individual driving operation is disabled.

Subsequently, the operation content from the outdoor unit 12 (first
(Step ST22). That is, in order to perform the same room temperature control as that of the first indoor unit, the indoor fan and the wind direction plate of the output element unit 18 are controlled.

When the individual / interlock switch 13 is switched to the individual side, the first and second indoor units 1
0, 11 and the outdoor unit 12 perform the same operation as the conventional one. In this case, the control device of the first indoor unit 10 jumps from step ST1 to step ST3 by executing the routine shown in FIG. 1, and operates according to the setting operation of the remote controller 14. That is, while controlling the indoor fan and the wind direction plate of the output element unit 15, the operation content for performing the room temperature control is transmitted to the outdoor unit 12.

In the control device of the second indoor unit 12,
By executing the routine shown in FIG. 3, the process proceeds from step ST20 to ST23, and the operation is performed according to the setting operation of the remote controller 17 in the room. That is, while controlling the indoor fan and the wind direction plate of the output element unit 18, the operation content for performing the room temperature control is transmitted to the outdoor unit 12.

The control unit of the outdoor unit 12 executes the routine shown in FIG.
2, the operation is performed based on the operation instructions from the first and second indoor units 10 and 11, and processing necessary for controlling the room temperature in each room is performed. As a result, the first and second indoor units 10 and 11 in each room operate in accordance with the setting operations of the individual remote controllers 14 and 17 in the same manner as the conventional multi-type air conditioner, and individually control the room temperature. To do. The description of the room temperature control is omitted because it is already known.

As described above, in the room where the first indoor unit 10 set as the main is installed, a new function is operated by a simple operation of the individual / interlocking changeover switch 13, and the second indoor unit in the other room is operated. 11 in conjunction with the first indoor unit 10,
Alternatively, individual control of each indoor unit can be freely selected.

Therefore, it is possible to eliminate a problem caused by an operation error of a child, an elderly person or a sick person in another room. For example, when the temperature of the room is raised or lowered more than necessary, the room temperature control can be made appropriate by a simple operation such as switching the individual / interlock switch 13. Therefore, not only is it easy to use, it also prevents adverse effects on the body of the user and the like, and does not wastefully consume power. Although the above embodiment has been described by taking as an example the case where the number of indoor units is two, the present invention can be similarly applied to an air conditioner having more indoor units.

[0027]

According to the present invention described above, the following effects can be obtained. The present invention relates to a method for controlling a multi-type air conditioner including a plurality of indoor units and one outdoor unit, wherein one of the plurality of indoor units is used as a main indoor unit and the other indoor units are used as other indoor units. Setting means for interlocking control of machines (individual /
(Interlocking changeover switch), and by setting this interlocking, the other indoor unit can be controlled with the same operation content as the main indoor unit on the main indoor unit side. Can be freely operated in the same manner as the main indoor unit. For this reason, it is possible to prevent not only the inappropriate setting by the infant or the elderly, etc. in the room on the other indoor unit side, but also the adverse effect on the body of the infant or the elderly due to the incorrect setting, and also to prevent unnecessary power consumption. There is an effect that can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention and illustrating a control device to which an air conditioner control method is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart for explaining the operation of a control device of a first indoor unit that is a main part of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart for explaining the operation of the control device for the outdoor unit of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart for explaining the operation of the control device for the second indoor unit of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram for explaining a conventional multi-type air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 1st indoor unit (main indoor unit) 11 2nd indoor unit 13 Individual / interlocking changeover switch (setting means) 14 Remote controller (on the first indoor unit side) 15 Output element unit (on the first indoor unit side) 16) Output element (on the outdoor unit side) 17 Remote control (on the second indoor unit side) 18 Output element section (on the second indoor unit side)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method of controlling an air conditioner, comprising: a multi-type air conditioner comprising a plurality of indoor units and one outdoor unit, wherein the room temperature can be individually controlled at least for each indoor unit. , One of the plurality of indoor units is set as a main indoor unit, and the main indoor unit is provided with setting means for linking the operation content of the main indoor unit with another indoor unit. The method of controlling an air conditioner, wherein when the interlocking is set by the setting means, the other indoor unit is controlled by the same operation as the main indoor unit. 2. A multi-type air conditioner comprising a plurality of indoor units and one outdoor unit, wherein the room temperature can be individually controlled by a remote controller for at least each indoor unit. In the control method of (1), one of the plurality of indoor units is set as a main indoor unit, and setting means for linking the operation content of the main indoor unit with another indoor unit is provided in the main indoor unit. On the machine,
When the interlocking is set by the setting unit, the main indoor unit transmits a signal of the interlocking to the other indoor unit via the outdoor unit, and the outdoor unit transmits the operation content of the main indoor unit to the other indoor unit. The signal is transmitted to another indoor unit, and the other indoor unit disables the individual control operation by the remote controller by the interlocking signal, and performs the same operation as the main indoor unit according to the operation content from the outdoor unit. A method for controlling an air conditioner. 3. A method for controlling an air conditioner, which is a multi-type air conditioner comprising a plurality of indoor units and one outdoor unit, wherein the room temperature can be individually controlled at least for each indoor unit. In one of the plurality of indoor units,
The stand is used as a main indoor unit, and the main indoor unit is provided with individual / interlock switching means for individually or interlocking control of other indoor units, and the individual / interlock switching means is switched to an interlocking side. In this case, the other indoor units except the main indoor unit are controlled with the same operation as the main indoor unit, and when the individual / interlocked switching means is switched to the individual side, the plurality of indoor units are controlled. The control method of an air conditioner, wherein each of the air conditioners can be individually controlled, and individual control or interlocking control of the other indoor units can be freely selected on the main indoor unit side.