JP2002372282A - Air conditioning system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioning system which can be defrosted without marring the comfortableness even partially, in the air conditioning system composed of a plurality of air conditioners. SOLUTION: The controller 10 of an air conditioner 3 constituting the air conditioning system is provided with a defrosting information transmitter- receiver 28 which can acquire the defrosting information ϕd of the air conditioner 3 adjoining it via a network 9, and based on this information, a defrosting controller 25 controls some one to perform defrosting operation only when neither of adjacent air conditioners 3 is performing defrosting operation. Thereby, this system can prevent a part of heating capacity from dropping sharply, and also this can defrost the air conditioner 3 with good timing, so this can prevent the heating capacity of itself at large from dropping.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner and an air conditioner that perform a defrosting operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An air conditioning system in which a plurality of air conditioners are arranged side by side along a wall or the like to cool and heat a space such as a conference room, thereby providing a comfortable environment by making the temperature distribution of the air conditioned space as uniform as possible. It has been known. As these air conditioners, a heat pump type capable of independently performing efficient cooling and heating is widely used.
Further, a through-sall air conditioner system in which a refrigerant circuit including an outdoor coil and an indoor coil is integrated is often used. In the air conditioner of this system, outside air is taken in through an opening provided in a wall so that heat can be absorbed and discharged from an outdoor coil.

[0003]

In a heating operation using a heat pump type air conditioner, a defrosting operation is performed periodically or when predetermined conditions are satisfied in order to remove frost adhering to the outdoor coil. Will be Therefore, in the air conditioning system in which a plurality of air conditioners are arranged side by side as described above, there is a high possibility that several air conditioners simultaneously enter the defrosting operation, and the heating capacity may be temporarily insufficient. There is.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 52-153270
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-25631 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-25631, a control is performed such that a predetermined number or more of a plurality of air conditioners do not simultaneously perform a defrosting operation (defrost operation), thereby preventing a decrease in heating capacity. ing.

[0005] However, in these methods, there is a possibility that a plurality of air conditioners arranged in a part of the space to be air-conditioned start the defrosting operation at the same time. In that case, the heating capacity is reduced intensively at that portion, so that it is difficult to obtain a comfortable heating feeling. On the other hand, by limiting the number of air conditioners that enter the defrosting operation to one or the like, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the heating capacity. However, if the number of air conditioners is large, all the air conditioners can be controlled within a desired time. The defrosting operation of the device does not end, and the heating capacity of the entire air conditioning system is reduced.

On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-131135, a plurality of air conditioners are divided by a preset number, and only one air conditioner in the division enters a defrosting operation. In this way, it is possible to prevent the room temperature from suddenly dropping and to prevent the frost formation amount from unduly increasing. However, in this method, a procedure for preliminarily classifying a plurality of air conditioners is necessary. In order to prevent a decrease in heating capacity, when the number of units included in the classification increases, the amount of frost increases and the heating capacity of the entire system increases. Is a factor of decrease. Further, it is necessary to centrally manage at least the air conditioners included in the sections, and the control method is limited.

[0007] As described above, several techniques for preventing the heating capacity from being extremely reduced during the defrosting operation have been disclosed. However, any of the techniques significantly reduces the heating capacity. In order to prevent this, the number of defrosting machines is extremely limited. For this reason, the completion of the defrosting operation of all the air conditioners is delayed, and as a result, the performance of the air conditioning system is reduced. Furthermore, this is a system in which the number of air conditioners that enter the defrosting operation cannot be limited unless a plurality of air conditioners are controlled collectively, and control of the air conditioner becomes complicated.

Accordingly, in the present invention, in an air conditioning system in which a plurality of air conditioners are arranged, a plurality of air conditioners may perform a defrosting operation while partially preventing a significant decrease in heating capacity. It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioning system and a control method thereof. It is another object of the present invention to provide an air conditioning system capable of efficiently defrosting a room temperature without lowering the comfort so as to impair the comfort and preventing a decrease in a heating capacity. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that can perform a defrosting operation of the air conditioner by a control method with a simple configuration without partially lowering the heating capacity, and a control method thereof.

[0009]

For this reason, in the present invention, when a plurality of air conditioners constituting an air conditioning system perform a defrost operation, adjacent air conditioners do not simultaneously perform a defrost operation. , The two or more adjacent air conditioners perform the defrosting operation at the same time so that the heating capacity of the portion does not significantly decrease. That is, the air-conditioning system of the present invention can perform the defrosting operation individually, and a plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses arranged adjacent to each other, and at least one of the adjacent air-conditioning apparatuses performs the defrosting operation. And a control device that can control each air conditioner so that the defrosting operation is not performed when the air conditioner is in operation. Therefore, in the air conditioning system of the present invention, the control is performed by the control method including the step of starting the defrosting operation of each air conditioner only when none of the adjacent air conditioners is performing the defrosting operation. Is done.

In the air conditioning system and the control method thereof according to the present invention, it is only necessary to control each air conditioning device so that adjacent air conditioning devices do not simultaneously perform the defrosting operation. There is no need and the control is simple. Therefore, there is no trouble of grouping and controlling a plurality of air conditioners, the construction of the air conditioner is simplified, and the number of controllable air conditioners is almost infinite.

[0011] Further, since one of the adjacent air conditioners performs the heating operation, the heating capacity does not partially decrease significantly. Further, when this condition is satisfied, the plurality of air conditioners can execute the defrosting operation without partially reducing the heating capacity significantly. For this reason, the defrosting operation can be executed at an appropriate timing, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in the heating capacity of the entire air conditioning system. Therefore, it is possible to provide an air conditioning system that can efficiently defrost without lowering the room temperature so as to impair comfort and prevent a decrease in the overall heating capacity, and a control method thereof. In addition, since it is only necessary to control so that the adjacent air conditioners do not simultaneously perform the defrosting operation, the control is simple, and furthermore, by separately controlling the air conditioners without providing a central control device. Can also realize the air conditioning system of the present invention.

Therefore, the air conditioning system of the present invention may be provided with a central controller for centrally managing a plurality of air conditioners, and the central controller may be provided with the above-described controller. It is also possible for the conditioning devices to each comprise a control device as described above. That is, an air conditioner that can individually perform a defrosting operation, and an air conditioner that has a control device that can start the defrosting operation only when none of the adjacent air conditioning devices is performing the defrosting operation By arranging the harmony device, the air conditioning system of the present invention can be constructed. And
By installing a control device capable of controlling the present invention in each air conditioner, the central control device can be omitted and the control is distributed, so that the air conditioner constituting the air conditioner is partially It can be easily moved or partially replaced, and a flexible distributed air conditioning system can be provided.

Each air conditioner may be connected to each of the adjacent air conditioners by a signal line in order to obtain a defrosting state of the adjacent air conditioner. Alternatively, an address is added in ascending order or descending order in the order adjacent to each air conditioner, and connected by a network capable of transmitting defrost information at least as to whether or not the defrosting operation is being performed.
Obtain the defrost information of the air conditioner with the address before and after the address assigned to the air conditioner to perform the defrost operation, and transfer the defrost information of each air conditioner to other air conditioners. Means for transmitting to the device may be provided. That is, a control device mounted on each air conditioner is provided with a means capable of connecting to a network capable of transmitting at least defrost information indicating whether or not a defrost operation is being performed, and addresses before and after its own address. Means for acquiring the defrost information of the air conditioner that has been set and transmitting its own defrost information to other air conditioners, so that the individual air conditioners can be connected to the network simply by connecting them. An air conditioning system for controlling the invention can be constructed.

[0014] The air conditioner connectable to such a network includes a step of starting the defrosting operation only when none of the adjacent air conditioners is performing the defrosting operation, and further includes a step of starting its own address. The control can be performed by a control method that further includes a step of acquiring defrost information of the air conditioner to which the previous and next addresses are assigned, and a step of transmitting own defrost information to another air conditioner. Further, in this control method, both the process of acquiring defrost information of the air conditioner to which the address before and after the own address is attached and the operation of the defrost operation of the air conditioner to which the address before and after are assigned RO as a program having an instruction to execute a process of starting a defrosting operation only when not performing the process and a process of transmitting its own defrosting information to another air conditioner.
M and the like can be provided after being recorded on an appropriate recording medium.

Since the adjacent air conditioners do not simultaneously perform the defrosting operation, it is possible to prevent the heating capacity around the air conditioner during the defrosting operation from being significantly reduced. Furthermore, even during the defrosting operation, it is desirable to further suppress the decrease in the heating capacity around the defrosting operation so that the overall feeling of the air conditioning does not decrease. Therefore, when a certain air conditioner starts the defrosting operation, it is desirable that at least one of the air conditioners arranged next to it increases the heating output and performs the backup operation. Therefore, in the air conditioning system of the present invention, when at least one of the adjacent air conditioners is performing the defrosting operation, each air conditioner is controlled to perform the backup operation.

Since the air conditioner adjacent to the air conditioner of the present invention does not enter the defrosting operation at the same time, it can always be backed up by one of the air conditioners on both sides. However, depending on which of the air conditioners on both sides performs the backup operation, there is a possibility that the backup cannot be performed. That is, when "operation-defrost-operation-operation-operation-defrost-operation" is referred to, "operation-defrost-operation-defrost-operation"
The control of "defrost-backup-operation-backup-defrost-operation" is possible, but if the fourth air-conditioning apparatus enters defrost in this state, backup cannot be performed. Alternatively, add an air conditioner away from the defrosted air conditioner to the backup operation,
The troublesome control of changing the backup operation target of the air conditioner adjacent to the newly defrosted air conditioner is required.

Therefore, it is desirable that an air conditioner adjacent to any one of the air conditioners be an air conditioner to be backed up by each other. That is, by setting a pair to be backed up in advance, such a situation can be prevented from occurring. If the air conditioners are numbered from 0 in the arrangement order, the even-numbered air conditioner and the odd-numbered air conditioner which is one greater than the pair perform the backup operation. This ensures that the backup operation is performed with extremely simple control that monitors only whether the air conditioner to be backed up has entered the defrost operation,
It is possible to further suppress a local decrease in the performance of the air conditioning.

During the backup operation, it is desirable to increase the air volume of the air conditioner and change the wind direction to the side of the air conditioner to be backed up. For this reason, it is possible to perform control such as raising the set temperature during the backup operation, and making the maximum output regardless of the set temperature.

Such a backup operation may be realized by centralized control as an air conditioning system or by controlling individual air conditioners. It is also possible to add a command for realizing the backup operation function to the program for the air conditioning system or the program for each air conditioner.

[0020]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. FIG. 1 shows an outline of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Air conditioning system 1 of this example
Is a system that can control the environment such as the temperature and humidity of the space 7 such as a conference room. For this reason, a plurality of air conditioners (hereinafter, air conditioners) 3 are arranged along the wall 8 surrounding the space 7.
In this example, 14 units are arranged in order at an appropriate interval so that the common space 7 can be air-conditioned (cooled and heated).

The air conditioner 3 of the present embodiment is a heat pump type air conditioner in which a refrigerant cycle including a pair of an outdoor unit 5 and an indoor unit 6 is housed in a substantially rectangular housing 4 as shown in FIG. is there. On the side of the outdoor unit 5, outside air is taken in from the outdoor through the wall 8 by the fan 5 a,
After absorbing and exhausting heat through b, the air is exhausted outside the room. On the other hand, on the indoor unit 6 side, indoor air is sucked in from below the housing 4 by the fan 6a, and the temperature is adjusted by the indoor coil 6b, and then released from the upper peri-counter 6c to the indoor to perform indoor air conditioning. Will be The housing 4 of each air conditioner 3 houses a sensor 5c and a control device 10 that can determine the state of the outdoor coil 5b, a condenser 6d, and other devices for constituting a refrigerant cycle. As described above, the air conditioner 3 of this example is an air conditioner of a type called a package air conditioner of a through-south type. Therefore, the air conditioner 3 of this example
Is a device that can perform the defrosting operation individually, and when the sensor 5c senses the state and the defrosting operation is required, the control device 10 performs the defrosting operation in a reverse cycle manner for each air conditioner 3 Done in

In the air-conditioning system 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, for each of the air conditioners 3 arranged along the wall 8, the air conditioners 3 are arranged in a clockwise adjacent order from (0) to (0). Addresses up to 13) are assigned. Further, these air conditioners 3 are connected by a transmission line (network) 9 capable of transmitting and receiving signals between the air conditioners 3, so that the status of the adjacent air conditioners 3 can be obtained via the network. ing. In other words, by referring to the address from which the information is transmitted among the information provided via the network 9, the information transmitted from the address of ± 1 of the own address is compared with the information from the adjacent air conditioner 3. Become.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of the control device 10 of the air conditioner 3 of the present embodiment. The control device 10
An address setting unit 21 in which its own address is set, and a communication unit 26 capable of transmitting and receiving information by connecting to the network
And defrost information φd indicating whether or not the adjacent air conditioner 3 is performing a defrost operation and whether or not the air conditioner 3 itself is performing a defrost operation from the network 9 via the communication unit 26. A defrosting information transmitting / receiving unit 28 and a defrosting control unit 25 that starts a defrosting operation only when none of the adjacent air conditioners 3 is performing a defrosting operation based on the defrosting information φd are provided. Further, the control device 10 includes an adjacent address calculation unit 22 that calculates the address of the next air conditioner 3 based on its own address set in the address setting unit 21. The defrost information φd of the adjacent air conditioner 3 is acquired from the network 9 based on the address thus obtained.
Then, the information obtained from the network 9 is stored in the registers 23a and 23b which store the defrosting state of the adjacent air conditioner 3 in the register group 23.

The control device 10 further includes a defrosting condition judging unit 24 for judging that a condition for defrosting the outdoor coil 5b has been established based on information from the sensor 5a. When the defrosting condition determination unit 24 indicates that the defrosting condition is satisfied, the defrosting state of the adjacent air conditioner 3 in the register group 23 is checked, and the adjacent air conditioner 3 is not in the defrosting operation. The defrosting operation of the own outdoor coil 5b is started. Then, the information is stored in the register 23c for storing the own defrosting state of the register group 23. When the state of the register 23c changes, the defrosting information transmitting / receiving unit 28
It is sent to the network 9 as defrost information φd of its own air conditioner 3. Control device 10 having these functions
Can be realized using a control board provided with a CPU having an appropriate capacity or a one-chip microcomputer.

In the air conditioning system 1 of the present embodiment, the communication unit 26 can connect to the network 9 as described above, and the defrost information φ is transmitted via the defrost information transmitting / receiving unit 28.
d can be exchanged. The network 9 capable of transmitting the defrost information φd includes a half-duplex asynchronous communication (U
A communication speed employing ART) may be about 2400 bps. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, by transmitting and receiving a packet including the destination address φ1, the source address φ2, and the defrost flag φ3 as defrost information φd, the own defrost state is transmitted to the adjacent air conditioner 3. It can transmit and receive the defrosting state of the adjacent air conditioner 3.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process of the defrosting operation in the control device 10 of the air conditioning system 1 of the present embodiment. First, at step 71, it is confirmed by the communication unit 26 whether or not there is a reception signal to be transmitted through the network 9. If there is no reception signal, the process goes to a standby state at step 72. If there is a reception signal, the data is received at step 73. Then, in step 74, the defrosting information transmitting / receiving section 28 confirms whether or not the data is addressed to its own address. On the other hand, if it is not addressed to its own address, step 75
To discard the data.

Next, in step 77, the received defrost information relates to the previous and next addresses, that is, the adjacent air conditioners, and furthermore, the air conditioner 3 of the previous and next addresses stored in the register group 23 in advance. If the defrost state is to be changed, the defrost information received in step 78 is stored in an appropriate register of the register group 23 to update the defrost state of the adjacent air conditioner 3. As described above, when the process of obtaining the defrost information of the air conditioner 3 to which the address before and after the own address is added is completed, further, in step 79, the defrost information transmitting / receiving unit 28 Air conditioner 3
It is determined whether or not the register 23c in the defrost state has changed. If there is a change, it is checked in step 80 whether the change state has been transmitted. If not, it is checked in step 81 whether data is being received.
If it is being received, it waits for transmission in step 82. If the reception is not being performed, the other reception interruption is prohibited in step 83, and the own defrost information φd is transmitted to the address of another air conditioner 3 in step 84. When the transmission is completed in step 85, another reception interrupt is permitted in step 86, and a series of processes for transmitting and receiving the defrost information φd is completed. In the control device 10, only when the control state is updated, the defrost information φd
Execute the process of transmitting / receiving. Further, the process of transmitting and receiving the defrost information φd shown in FIG. 5 may be repeatedly executed at appropriate time intervals.

The control device 10 also performs a process for starting the defrosting operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 before and after the process of transmitting and receiving. This processing is performed by the defrost control unit 2
First, in step 91, the address (N), that is, whether or not the defrosting condition of the own air conditioner 3 is satisfied is performed based on information from the defrosting condition determination unit 24 in step 91. . Next, if the defrosting condition is not satisfied, normal control, that is, heating operation is performed in step 96. On the other hand, when the defrosting condition is satisfied, in step 92,
From the defrost information at the address (N + 1) stored in the register group 23, it is determined whether or not one of the adjacent air conditioners 3 is in a defrost operation. If the air conditioner 3 at the address (N + 1) is in the process of defrosting, the process waits in step 95 without entering the defrosting operation.
When the air conditioner 3 at the address (N + 1) is not being defrosted,
From the defrost information at the address (N-1), it is determined whether or not the other adjacent air conditioner 3 is in a defrost operation. Address (N +
If the air conditioner 3 of 1) is in the process of defrosting, the process waits without entering the defrosting operation in step 95, and the air conditioner 3 of the address (N-1)
Is not being defrosted, both the adjacent air conditioners 3, that is, the air conditioner 3 at the address (N + 1) and the address (N-1) are not being defrosted, so that the own address (N) is determined in step 94. Is allowed to enter the defrosting operation.

The processing in the control device 10 can be provided as a program having instructions executable by the CPU or the microcomputer constituting the control device 10 described above. It can be provided by being stored in an appropriate readable recording medium. In the air conditioning system 1 described above, the air conditioners 3 of addresses (0) and (13) arranged at the end do not have one adjacent air conditioner 3. Therefore, in such an air conditioner 3, by setting the register storing the defrost information of the non-existent air conditioner 3 to a state where the defrost is not being performed, the same processing as that shown in FIG. 6 can be performed. If one of the existing air conditioners 3 is not being defrosted, it can be controlled to start the defrosting operation by itself.

As described above, in the air conditioning system 1 of the present embodiment, when at least one of the adjacent air conditioners 3 is performing the defrosting operation, each air conditioner 3 is controlled so as not to perform the defrosting operation. are doing. That is, in the air conditioner 3 configuring the air conditioning system 1 of the present example, control is performed so that the defrost operation is started only when none of the adjacent air conditioners 3 is performing the defrost operation. Therefore, in the air-conditioning system 1 of the present embodiment, the own defrosting operation can be controlled by looking only at the defrosting state of the adjacent air conditioners 3.
Can be individually controlled, and it is not necessary to classify the plurality of air conditioners 3 constituting the air conditioning system 1 into a plurality of groups in advance, and merely assign addresses in the order in which they are arranged. Desired control is possible. For this reason, an air conditioning system can be easily constructed,
In addition, control can be performed by the control device 10 of each air conditioner 3. Furthermore, since control can be performed only by the defrosting state of the adjacent air conditioners 3, the same control is applied to each air conditioner 3 irrespective of the number of air conditioners 3 constituting the air conditioning system 1. Is possible. Therefore, the construction of the air conditioning system 1 is simplified, and the number of controllable air conditioners is almost infinite.

Further, in the air conditioning system 1 of the present embodiment, since one of the adjacent air conditioners 3 performs the heating operation, the heating capacity of a part of the room 7 is not significantly reduced locally. Absent. Therefore, defrosting can be performed efficiently without lowering the room temperature so as to impair comfort. On the other hand, as long as the above-mentioned defrosting conditions are satisfied, the plurality of air conditioners 3 can be simultaneously defrosted without partially lowering the heating capacity. For this reason, it is possible to prevent a situation where the defrosting operation of the air conditioner 3 is unnecessarily extended and the overall heating capacity of the air conditioning system 1 is reduced. Therefore, in the air-conditioning system 1 of this example, defrosting can be performed efficiently without lowering the room temperature so as to impair comfort, and a decrease in the overall heating capacity can be prevented.

Further, in the air conditioning system 1 of the present embodiment, the defrost information φd of the adjacent air conditioner 3 via the network 9
I'm trying to get Therefore, if an address that matches the order of arrangement is the air conditioner 3 set in the address setting unit 21, the address is simply connected to the network 9 and removed by the control device 10 of each air conditioner 3 via communication. The frost operation can be monitored and controlled appropriately. For this reason, the air conditioning system 1 in which the individual air conditioners 3 are controlled by the control method of the present invention described above can be constructed extremely easily.

In the above description, the individual air conditioners 3 control the defrosting operation. However, as shown in FIG.
A central control device 11 for centrally managing a plurality of air conditioners 3 constituting the air conditioning system 1 is provided.
In the same manner as in the above, it is also possible to perform control to enter the defrosting operation only when the adjacent air conditioner 3 is not in the defrosting operation. In this system, it is necessary to provide the central control device 11 as compared with the above-described method of controlling with the individual air conditioners 3, and it is necessary to change the setting of the central control device 11 by increasing or decreasing the air conditioners 3. .

By adding the backup operation to the control, it is possible to more positively suppress the decrease in the heating capacity even during the defrosting operation. As shown in FIG. 8, if the air conditioner 3 can change the wind direction of the hot air outlet 6 x, the air flow is increased, and the wind direction is directed to the next air conditioner during the defrosting operation. Hot air can also be actively supplied to the area covered by the air conditioner during the defrosting operation to back it up. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the outlet 6x of the air conditioner 3 shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a circle, and the louver 61 is rotated from the control device 10 via a motor 65 such as a stepping motor. Thereby, the direction of the fins 63 can be controlled, and the blowing direction of the warm air can be automatically controlled.

The control device 10 of the air conditioner 3 of this embodiment, which performs the backup operation, has the function of the defrosting operation shown in FIG. 3 and, as shown in FIG. Function 29 for calculating address of machine 3
a, and a backup operation control unit 29b that starts a backup operation when the communication unit 26 receives information indicating that the air conditioner 3 at the address to be backed up is in a defrost operation. The backup operation control unit 29b maximizes its own output and changes the wind direction of the air conditioner 3 to be backed up.
In the direction of. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, in the air conditioning system 1 of the present example, addresses are assigned in ascending order in the order in which several air conditioners 3 are adjacent to each other, and the address (1),
When the air conditioners 3 of (4) and (7) start the defrosting operation, the adjacent addresses (0), (5) and (6) perform the backup operation.

The backup of the air conditioner 3 at the address (N) is performed at the address (N-
The rule that the air conditioner 3 of 1) performs can be set, but the air conditioner 3 at the address (0) cannot be backed up. The rule that the air conditioner 3 at the address (N) is backed up by the air conditioner 3 at the address (N + 1) also has a possibility that some air conditioners 3 cannot be backed up. It is possible to set a rule that the air conditioners 3 on both sides are backed up at random, but if the air conditioners 3 at addresses (1) and (5) are backed up by the air conditioners 3 at addresses (2) and (4),
The control of the backup operation when the air conditioner 3 at the address (3) enters the defrosting operation becomes complicated.

Therefore, in this example, since the address is assigned from 0, the address (2
One pair of the air conditioners m) and (2m + 1) is set as a mutual backup target, and the backup can be performed without omission by simple rules. Where m
Is an integer of 0 or more. As described above, in the system 1 in which addresses are assigned to the air conditioners 3 from (1), equivalent control is possible by pairing the addresses (2m + 1) and (2m + 2).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the control of the backup operation. In step 101, if the air conditioner 3 at its own address (N) is in the normal operation (heating operation) or the standby state for defrosting, it is the air conditioner 3 that can perform the backup operation. 3
Is periodically checked to see if it is a defrost operation. If its own address (N) is an odd number, the address (N-1) is the air conditioner 3 to be backed up. If its own address (N) is an even number, the address (N + 1) is the air conditioner to be backed up. It becomes 3. Therefore, step 10
In step 103 or 1, the own address (N) is determined in step 103 or 1 to determine whether the backup target air conditioner 3 set by the backup address calculation unit 29 a is in a defrosting operation.
Judge at 06. If the air conditioner 3 to be backed up is in the defrosting operation, the backup operation control unit 29b starts the backup operation in step 104 or 107, and releases the defrosting operation in step 105 or 108 if not. .

The flowchart in FIG. 13A is an example of the backup operation. First, in order to maximize the output, in step 110, its own set temperature is set to a maximum value. Instead of controlling the set temperature to indirectly maximize the output, the output may be set to the maximum regardless of the set temperature. In addition, if the air conditioner is an inverter type, the operating frequency of the compressor can be increased. If its own address (N) is an odd number, the air conditioner on the left side is to be backed up as shown in FIG. 11, and if it is an even number, the air conditioner on the right side is to be backed up. Therefore, in step 111, it is confirmed whether the address (N) of the own device is odd or even, and in step 112, the louver 61 is changed to the left. On the other hand, if the address (N) of the air conditioner 3 is an even number, in step 113, the louver 61 is changed to the right. That is, it is directed to the air conditioner 3 side of the address (N-1). Therefore, when the air conditioner 3 to be backed up is in the defrosting operation, the warm air W is supplied from the air conditioner 3 in the backup operation at the maximum output in the direction covered by the air conditioner 3 in the defrosting operation. You. Therefore, the temperature around the air conditioner 3 during the defrosting operation is not significantly reduced, and the shortage of the heating capacity due to the defrosting operation can be covered. For this reason,
It is possible to provide the air conditioning system 1 that can prevent a decrease in the heating capacity due to the defrosting operation and can maintain a more comfortable temperature environment.

When the defrosting operation of the air conditioner 3 to be backed up is completed, as shown in FIG. 13B, in step 114, the set temperature and the direction of the louver 61 are returned to the original state.

As described above, when the space 7 such as a conference room is air-conditioned (cooled / heated) by the plurality of air conditioners 3, the backup operation is added to the control to actively follow a partial decrease in the heating capacity. The present invention can provide an air conditioner and an air conditioning system that maintain a more comfortable environment.

[0042]

As described above, in the air conditioning system and the control method thereof according to the present invention, two adjacent
The table is interlocked so as not to start the defrosting operation at the same time. For this reason, since one of the adjacent air conditioners performs the heating operation, the heating capacity of a part of the area covered by the air conditioning system does not significantly decrease. Further, if two adjacent units do not start the defrosting operation at the same time, the plurality of air conditioners can perform the defrosting operation without significantly lowering the partial heating capacity. For this reason, it is possible to execute the defrosting operation of each air conditioner at an appropriate timing, and it is possible to prevent the heating capacity of the entire air conditioning system from being reduced. Therefore, by the air conditioning system and the air conditioning apparatus of the present invention and their control method,
To provide an air-conditioning system and a control method thereof that can efficiently defrost without lowering the room temperature so as to impair comfort and prevent a decrease in overall heating capacity, even though the control method has a simple configuration. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an air conditioning system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the air conditioner shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing functions of a control device of the air conditioning system shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a packet transmitted / received via a network.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process of transmitting and receiving defrost information in the air conditioning apparatus shown in FIG.

6 is a flowchart showing a process for performing a defrosting operation in the air conditioner shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an outline of a different air conditioning system.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of an air conditioner of the present invention suitable for backup operation.

9 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration or an operation of an air outlet of the air conditioner shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing functions of a control device of the air conditioning system shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a backup operation is performed.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a backup operation.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing details of a backup operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 air conditioning system 3 air conditioning device (air conditioner) 5c sensor 9 network 10 control device 11 central control device 21 address setting unit 22 adjacent address calculation unit 23 register group 24 defrost condition determination unit 25 defrost control unit 26 communication unit 28 Defrosting information transmitting / receiving unit 61 Vent outlet (louver) 65 Motor

Claims (25)

[Claims] 1. A defrosting operation can be individually performed for each of the plurality of air conditioners, and at least one of the adjacent air conditioners performs the defrosting operation. An air conditioning system having a control device that can control each of the air conditioning devices so that the defrosting operation is not performed. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device controls each of the air conditioners to perform a backup operation when at least one of the adjacent air conditioners is performing the defrosting operation. Air conditioning system. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the control device is an air conditioner that is a backup target of the air conditioners adjacent to any one of the air conditioners, and the air conditioner is a backup target. An air conditioning system that controls each of the air conditioners to perform the backup operation when the device performs the defrosting operation. 4. The air conditioning system according to claim 3, wherein the control device increases the air volume of the air conditioner during the backup operation and changes the wind direction toward the air conditioner to be backed up. 5. The air-conditioning system according to claim 1, further comprising a central control device for centrally managing the plurality of air conditioners, wherein the central control device includes the control device. 6. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein each of the air conditioners includes the control device. 7. The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein each of the air conditioners is assigned an address in ascending order or descending order in an adjacent order, and can transmit at least defrost information indicating whether or not the defrost operation is being performed. The control device is connected to the defrosting information of the air conditioner to which an address before and after the address assigned to the air conditioner to perform the defrosting operation is attached. An air conditioning system comprising: means for acquiring the defrost information of each of the air conditioners to the other air conditioners. 8. An air conditioner capable of individually performing a defrosting operation, wherein the defrosting operation can be started only when none of the adjacent air conditioners is performing the defrosting operation. An air conditioner having a control device. 9. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the control device starts a backup operation when any of the adjacent air conditioners is performing the defrosting operation. 10. The air conditioner according to claim 9, wherein the control device is configured such that the air conditioner adjacent to any one of them is set as an air conditioner to be backed up mutually. 11. The air conditioner according to claim 10, wherein the control device increases the air volume of the air conditioner during the backup operation and changes the wind direction toward the air conditioner to be backed up. 12. The control device according to claim 8, wherein:
A means connectable to a network capable of transmitting at least the defrost information indicating whether or not the defrost operation is being performed; and obtaining the defrost information of the air conditioner to which addresses before and after its own address are attached. Means for transmitting the defrost information of itself to another air conditioner. 13. A method for controlling an air conditioning system in which a plurality of air conditioners each capable of individually performing a defrosting operation are arranged adjacent to each other, wherein any of the adjacent air conditioners is used. An air conditioning system control method, comprising: starting the defrosting operation of each of the air conditioners only when the defrosting operation is not performed. 14. The control method for an air conditioning system according to claim 13, further comprising a step of starting backup operation of each of the air conditioners when at least one of the adjacent air conditioners is performing the defrosting operation. . 15. The air conditioner according to claim 14, wherein the air conditioner adjacent to any one of the air conditioners is an air conditioner to be backed up mutually, and the air conditioner to be backed up is the defroster. A method for controlling an air conditioning system that performs the backup operation during operation. 16. The method of controlling an air conditioning system according to claim 15, wherein during the backup operation, the air volume of the air conditioner is increased to change the wind direction to the side of the air conditioner to be backed up. 17. A method for controlling an air conditioner that can individually perform a defrost operation, wherein the defrost operation is performed only when none of the adjacent air conditioners is performing the defrost operation. A method for controlling an air conditioner having a step of starting. 18. The control method for an air conditioner according to claim 17, further comprising a step of starting a backup operation when at least one of the adjacent air conditioners is performing the defrosting operation. . 19. The air conditioner according to claim 18, wherein the air conditioner adjacent to one of the air conditioners is an air conditioner to be backed up mutually, and the air conditioner to be backed up is the defrosting device. A method for controlling an air conditioner that performs the backup operation during operation. 20. The control method for an air conditioner according to claim 19, wherein during the backup operation, the air volume of the air conditioner is increased to change the wind direction toward the air conditioner to be backed up. 21. The air conditioner according to claim 17, wherein the air conditioner is connectable to a network capable of transmitting at least the defrost information indicating whether or not the defrost operation is being performed, and the address before and after the own address is the same. A method for controlling an air conditioner, further comprising: acquiring the attached defrost information of the air conditioner attached thereto; and transmitting the own defrost information to another air conditioner. 22. A program for controlling an air conditioner capable of individually performing a defrost operation, wherein the air conditioner transmits at least defrost information indicating whether or not the defrost operation is being performed. A process for acquiring the defrost information of the air conditioner, which is connectable to a possible network, and which has an address before and after its own address; and A program for executing a process of starting the defrosting operation only when the defrosting operation is not performed and a process of transmitting the defrosting information of the own device to the other air conditioner. . 23. The apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising an instruction capable of executing a process of starting a backup operation of each of the air conditioners when at least one of the adjacent air conditioners is performing the defrosting operation. program. 24. The air conditioner according to claim 23, wherein the air conditioner adjacent to one of the air conditioners is an air conditioner to be backed up mutually, and the air conditioner to be backed up is the defroster. A program for performing the backup operation during operation. 25. The program according to claim 24, wherein during the backup operation, the air volume of the air conditioner is increased to change the wind direction to the side of the air conditioner to be backed up.