JP2005049001A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of positively preventing omission of carrying out diagnostic operation after finishing installation. <P>SOLUTION: A mode setting change over switch 44 is provided for changing between a normal operation mode and a diagnostic operation mode, and a storing means 42 is provided for storing a diagnostic operation result when operation is carried out in the diagnostic operation mode. When starting operation in the normal operation mode for at least the first time, operation action responding to the diagnostic operation result stored in the storing means 42 is carried out, and operation is carried out after confirming whether or not the diagnostic operation has been carried out when starting operation in the normal operation mode after finishing installation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner. More specifically, the present invention relates to operation control for preventing forgetting to perform a diagnostic operation for checking whether or not the installation work has been normally completed.

  In recent years, with the spread of air conditioners in ordinary homes, a plurality of air conditioners are often installed in the same home for comfort. A single air conditioner paired with an indoor unit and an outdoor unit may be installed in each room, but at the time of new construction or renovation, multiple room air conditioning is configured by connecting multiple indoor units to one outdoor unit. Machines, so-called multi air conditioners, are often chosen for their exterior and cost advantages.

  When installing the multi air conditioner, in order to connect a plurality of indoor units to one outdoor unit, when connecting the wiring and piping from each indoor unit to the corresponding indoor unit connection part of the outdoor unit, You may accidentally connect to a connection part for another indoor unit. For example, when the piping and wiring of the indoor unit A are connected to the outdoor unit, the piping is connected to the indoor unit A of the outdoor unit, but when the wiring is connected to the indoor unit B of the outdoor unit, the indoor unit A is connected. When operating, the refrigerant flows into the piping for the indoor unit B where the blower is stopped, so that the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit B is frozen, and if it worsens, there is a problem such as causing water leakage from the indoor unit B. .

  In this way, in the case of a separation type air conditioner, especially a multi-room separation type air conditioner, it is still a semi-finished product at the time of shipment from the factory, and there is no problem at the end of installation work, and the installation state is normal. It can be said that it becomes a finished product only after inspection and confirmation. Therefore, various diagnostic operations at the end of installation work play an important role.

  There are various methods for the diagnostic operation. As an example of a conventional diagnostic operation for inspecting malfunctions such as erroneous wiring and piping of a multi-air conditioner, there is one as shown in FIG.

  In the figure, 101 is an outdoor unit, 105 is an indoor unit A, and 110 is an indoor unit B. The outdoor unit 101, the indoor unit A105, and the indoor unit B110 are connected by communication lines 103 and 108 and refrigerant circuits 106 and 111, respectively. Reference numerals 102 and 104 denote temperature detection means that are built in the indoor unit A105 and the indoor unit B110 and detect the refrigerant temperature.

With the above configuration, the indoor unit A105 and the indoor unit B110 are operated in order on the outdoor unit 101 side, and the refrigerant is sequentially flowed from the outdoor unit 101 to the indoor unit A105 and the indoor unit B110. By monitoring the temperature detection means 102 and 104, erroneous wiring and erroneous piping are detected (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 05-288394 A

  In the above-described conventional configuration, if the diagnostic operation is reliably performed, it is possible to inspect erroneous wiring and erroneous piping as intended, and correct the defective portion on the spot as necessary. However, when such a diagnostic driving is forgotten, the diagnostic driving function at the corner cannot be used, and no trouble can be found.

  On the other hand, even if you forget the diagnostic operation at the time of installation, the normal test operation is always carried out, so it is only necessary to find the above-mentioned troubled place at that time, but as described above, the wiring between the indoor unit A105 and the indoor unit B110 Even if it is wrong, simply operating all the rooms at the same time in the normal operation mode will not reveal that the wiring is incorrect, and it will be delivered to the customer as it is. Even if the customer operates at the same time, there will be no problem, and the problem will be discovered for the first time when it is operated one by one at a later date. This has a lot of loss and causes great damage to customers.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide an air conditioner that can reliably prevent forgetting to perform a diagnostic operation at the end of installation.

  In order to solve the above problems, an air conditioner according to the present invention includes a mode switching unit that switches between a normal operation mode and a diagnostic operation mode, and a storage unit that stores a diagnostic operation result when operated in the diagnostic operation mode. Provided, at least when the operation in the normal operation mode is started, the operation according to the diagnostic operation result stored in the storage means is performed, and the operation in the normal operation mode at the end of the installation is performed. At the start, since the driving operation is performed after confirming whether or not the diagnostic operation has been performed in advance and the result, the diagnostic operation is always performed, and the malfunction can be confirmed in advance.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a diagnostic operation for confirming miswiring and incorrect connection is always performed when a new air conditioner is installed or when an indoor / outdoor unit is added, moved, or changed. In addition, it is possible to provide an air conditioner that can be easily handled and dealt with in the event of a malfunction.

  The invention according to claim 1 switches between an outdoor unit having an outdoor heat exchanger and a blower, an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger and a blower and connected to the outdoor unit, and a normal operation mode and a diagnostic operation mode. Comprising a mode switching means and a storage means for storing a diagnosis operation result when the operation is performed in the diagnosis operation mode, and at least a diagnosis operation stored in the storage means when starting an operation in the first normal operation mode. It was designed to perform operation according to the result, and after confirming whether the diagnostic operation was performed in advance at the start of operation in the normal operation mode at the end of installation, and how the result was, Since the driving operation is performed, the diagnostic operation is always performed, and the malfunction can be confirmed in advance.

  The invention according to claim 2 is for diagnosing the connection status of the electrical wiring and / or the refrigerant circuit between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit in the operation in the diagnostic operation mode. Even if it exists, it can be found at the first installation of the air conditioner, so it is easy to handle and deal with it.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, when operating in the normal operation mode, normal operation is started when there is no problem in the diagnostic operation result stored in the storage means, and operation is not started when there is a problem. Thus, since the operation does not start when there is a malfunction, the abnormality is immediately revealed as a phenomenon, and it is possible to surely prevent the execution of the diagnostic operation and forgetting to correct the malfunction.

  The invention according to claim 4 is provided with a display unit for displaying the diagnostic operation result stored in the storage means at least in one of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. Is displayed, so that the troubled part can be immediately identified, and further corrective action and response can be performed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when operating in the normal operation mode, if there is no problem in the diagnostic operation result stored in the storage means, the operation is started, and if there is a problem, the operation is started. The result is displayed on the display unit, and it is apparent from the appearance that a defect has occurred, and forgetting to correct the defect can be reliably prevented.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the diagnostic operation result stored in the storage means when the mode switching means is operated to switch to the normal operation mode and the switching means is operated again to switch to the diagnostic operation mode after completion of the diagnostic operation. Was stored in the storage means when the connection status of the wiring or piping was changed by adding, replacing, or moving indoor units from the state where the multi-system was installed for the first time and the diagnostic operation was completed. Since the diagnosis operation result at the time of the first installation is deleted, the storage means returns to the initial state, and the diagnosis operation can be performed again even after the system is changed.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the pump down setting means is provided in either the outdoor unit or the indoor unit, and the pump down operation is started by operating the pump down setting means, and the diagnostic operation stored in the storage means The result is erased, and the operation of the pump down setting means that is always used for adding, replacing, or moving indoor units is linked with the first or previous erasure of stored contents in the storage means. The diagnostic operation can be reliably performed later.

(Example 1)
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a refrigeration cycle diagram of a multi-room type air conditioner, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a control circuit of the air conditioner, and FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the control circuit It is a flowchart.

  In FIG. 1, an indoor unit A22, an indoor unit B23, an indoor unit C24, and an indoor unit D25 are connected to the outdoor unit 21, and the following refrigeration cycle is configured in each of these units.

  An outdoor heat exchanger 13 is connected to the discharge port of the compressor 11 via a four-way valve 12, and the liquid side main pipe 14 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 13. The liquid side main pipe 14 is provided with a main electric expansion valve 15 for controlling the heating degree of the entire refrigeration cycle. After exiting the main electric expansion valve 15, the liquid side main pipe 14 branches into liquid side branch pipes 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, which are the indoor heat exchangers 30a, 30b of the indoor units A to D (22-25), respectively. , 30c, 30d.

  Each liquid side branch pipe 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d is provided with an expansion valve 16 for adjusting the amount of refrigerant flowing to each of the indoor units A to D (22 to 25). Gas side branch pipes 17a, 17b, 17c, and 17d are connected to the indoor heat exchangers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d of the indoor units A to D (22 to 25).

  The gas side branch pipes 17a, 17b, 17c and 17d are concentrated in the outdoor unit 21 to the gas side main pipe 17, and the gas side main pipe 17 is connected to the suction port of the compressor 11 via the four-way valve 12 and the accumulator 18. Connected to.

  In this way, a heat pump refrigeration cycle is configured. During the cooling operation, the refrigerant flows in the direction of the solid line arrow to configure the cooling cycle, and during heating, the four-way valve is switched to flow the refrigerant in the direction of the broken line arrow to configure the heating cycle.

  Each of the indoor units A to D (22 to 25) has a suction temperature sensor 31 that detects the air temperature in the room, and each of the indoor heat exchangers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d has a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the interior. A pipe temperature sensor 32 for detection is provided. A blower comprising an indoor fan 33 and an indoor fan motor 52 for driving the indoor heat exchanger 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d is provided in the vicinity of the indoor heat exchangers 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d. 20 are provided.

  Next, the control circuit will be described with reference to FIG.

  The outdoor unit 21 includes an outdoor control unit 40 including a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits. The outdoor control unit 40 is connected to an inverter circuit 41, a storage unit 42, a display unit 43 serving as a display unit, a mode setting switch SW44 serving as a mode switching unit for switching between a diagnostic operation mode and a normal operation mode, and a pump down SW45. The outdoor control unit 40 is provided with a terminal A40a, a terminal B40b, a terminal C40c, and a terminal D40d for connection to the indoor control units 50 in the indoor units A to D (22 to 25).

  An inverter circuit 41 rectifies the voltage of the AC power supply 46, converts it into an AC voltage having a predetermined frequency in accordance with a command from the outdoor control unit 40, and supplies it to the compressor motor 47 as a drive output.

  The storage means 42 is composed of a nonvolatile RAM or the like, and the display unit 43 is capable of displaying characters using liquid crystals.

  Each of the indoor units A to D (22 to 25) (indoor units B to D (23 to 25) are not shown) includes an indoor control unit 50 including a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits.

  The indoor control unit 50 includes a remote control type operation operation unit 51 (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller 51), a suction temperature sensor 31 for detecting the indoor air temperature, and a pipe for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant flowing in the indoor heat exchanger. An indoor fan motor 52 that drives the temperature sensor 32 and the indoor fan 33 is connected thereto. An operation SW (not shown) is provided on the remote controller 51.

  Each unit controller 50 has the following means.

  1) Means for transmitting a command signal such as operating conditions to the outdoor unit 21 based on the operation of the remote controller 51.

  2) Means for obtaining the difference between the indoor set temperature set by the remote controller 51 and the temperature detected by the suction temperature sensor 31 as the indoor air conditioning load.

  3) A means for transmitting the indoor air conditioning load to the outdoor unit 21.

  4) A means for transmitting the temperature detected by the pipe temperature sensor 32 to the outdoor unit 21.

  5) A means for receiving a command signal such as an operating condition from the outdoor unit 21 when the diagnostic operation mode is set.

  6) A means for operating the indoor fan motor 52 that receives the diagnostic operation mode signal from the outdoor unit 21 and drives the indoor fan 33.

  The outdoor control unit 40 includes means having the following functions.

  1) Means for calculating the operating frequency of the compressor 11 in response to an indoor air conditioning load from each of the indoor units A to D (22 to 25), and means for controlling the opening degree of each expansion valve 16.

  2) Means for switching and controlling the four-way valve 12 based on command signals such as operating conditions from the indoor units A to D (22 to 25) and the operating frequency of the compressor 11, and the opening degree of the main electric expansion valve 15 And means for controlling the operating frequency of the compressor 11.

  3) When the operation mode setting switch SW44 is set from the normal operation mode at the time of factory shipment (= initial value) to the diagnosis operation mode side in the operation stop state, the diagnosis operation mode is set, the outdoor unit 21 is operated, and the main electric expansion valve 15 is operated. Is opened at a predetermined opening, and the electric expansion valve 16 for each indoor unit A to D (22 to 25) is opened at a predetermined opening in order from the terminal A40a for each indoor unit A to D (22 to 25). Means for flowing the refrigerant in order and storing “0” in the diagnosis result address T of the storage means 42.

  4) Diagnose the indoor units connected to the indoor unit terminals of the outdoor control unit 40 corresponding to the electric expansion valves 16 for the indoor units A to D (22 to 25) that are operating when the diagnostic operation mode is set. Means for transmitting an operation mode signal.

5) Pipe temperature sensor sent from the indoor unit connected to the indoor unit terminal of the outdoor control unit 40 corresponding to the electric expansion valve 16 for each indoor unit A to D (22 to 25) when the diagnostic operation mode is set If the pipe temperature changes in the passage of time before and after the opening of the electric expansion valve 16 in response to the temperature signal of the pipe temperature detected by 32, it is determined that the wiring and piping of the indoor unit are normal, and the unit of the storage means 42 Means for storing “2” in the diagnostic result address U, and storing “1” if there is no change in the pipe temperature. 6) Diagnosing each indoor unit A to D (22 to 25) when the diagnostic operation mode is set. As a result, if the wiring and piping for all the indoor units A to D (22 to 25) are normal (U is all “2”), the diagnostic result address T of the storage means 42 is set to “2”, which one Means for storing “1” if there is an abnormality in the indoor unit.

  7) When the operation is started in the normal operation mode, if the value of the diagnosis result address T in the storage means 42 is “2”, the operation is started, but if the value of T is “0” or “1”, the operation is started. Means not to start.

  8) When the operation is started in the normal operation mode, if the value of the address T of the storage means 42 is “2”, the operation is started. If the value of T is “0” or “1”, the operation is started. However, a means for displaying the defect content on the display unit 43.

  9) Means for starting the pump down operation when the pump down SW 45 is operated and storing “0” in the diagnosis result address T of the storage means 42.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to the refrigeration cycle diagram of FIG. 1, the functional block diagram of FIG. 2, and the flowchart of FIG.

  When the installation of the indoor units A to D (22 to 25), the outdoor unit 21, and the wiring and piping is completed, the operation mode setting switch SW44 of the outdoor unit 21 is switched from the normal operation mode in the factory shipment state to the diagnostic operation mode. Then, diagnostic operation is started. At the same time, “0” is stored in the diagnosis result address T of the storage means 42.

  In the diagnostic operation, the compressor 11 starts operation, the main electric expansion valve 15 opens to a predetermined opening, and first, the expansion valve 16 for the indoor unit A22 opens to a predetermined opening, and the expansion valve 16 is provided. The refrigerant flows into the indoor unit A22 connected to the liquid side branch pipe 14a.

  At the same time, the diagnostic operation mode signal is transmitted to the indoor unit A22 connected to the terminal A40a for the indoor unit A22 of the outdoor control unit 40 corresponding to the operated electric expansion valve 16 for the indoor unit A22. Here, the operation start of the compressor 11 is 5 seconds after the diagnosis operation mode signal is transmitted.

  Receiving the diagnostic operation mode signal, the control unit 50 of the indoor unit A22 drives the indoor fan motor 52 to rotate the indoor fan 33 and detects the temperature of the refrigerant flowing inside the indoor heat exchanger 30a by the pipe temperature sensor 32. Then, the detection result is transmitted to the outdoor control unit 40 of the outdoor unit 21. Here, the refrigerant temperature is transmitted immediately after receiving the diagnostic operation mode signal and every 10 seconds thereafter.

  The outdoor control unit 40 receives the detection signal of the pipe temperature sensor 32, compares the first value and the subsequent value, and if there is a change of 5K or more, the indoor unit (in the above case, the indoor unit A22) has a refrigerant. Is stored, and “2” is stored in the diagnostic result address U1 for the indoor unit in the storage means 42, and “1” is stored if it is determined that there is no change in temperature.

  Seven minutes after the expansion valve 16 for the indoor unit A22 opens a predetermined opening, the electric expansion valve 16 for the indoor unit B23 is opened by a predetermined opening and the electric expansion valve 16 for the indoor unit A22 is closed. At the same time, a diagnostic operation mode signal is transmitted to the indoor unit B23 connected to the terminal B40b for the indoor unit B23 of the outdoor control unit 40 corresponding to the operating electric expansion valve 16 for the indoor unit B23. Here, the electric expansion valve B is opened 5 seconds after the diagnosis operation mode signal is transmitted.

  The indoor control unit 50 of the indoor unit B23 that has received the diagnostic operation mode signal performs the same control as the indoor unit A22 diagnosed first. The outdoor control unit 40 of the outdoor unit 21 performs the same control as the first indoor unit A22.

  In this way, the refrigerant is sequentially flown to all four indoor units, and the storage of the diagnostic result addresses of each indoor unit is completed. If the wiring and piping of all the indoor units are normal (U1 to U4 are all 2) “2” is stored in the diagnosis result address T of the storage means 42, and “1” is stored in T if any of the indoor units is abnormal. Thereafter, the operation of the compressor 11 is stopped.

  Next, the operation mode setting switch SW44 is returned to the normal operation mode, and the operation SW of the remote controller 51 is operated to start the operation.

  The indoor control unit 50 in each indoor unit uses the difference between the command signal such as the operating condition based on the operation of the remote controller 51 and the indoor set temperature set by the remote controller 51 and the temperature detected by the suction temperature sensor 31 as an indoor air conditioning load. The indoor air conditioning load signal is transmitted to the outdoor unit R21.

  The outdoor control unit 40 receives a command signal such as an operating condition from the indoor control unit 50 and first checks the value of the diagnosis result address T in the storage unit 42. When the value of T is “0” or “1”, the operation is not started. When the value of T is “2”, the operation frequency of the compressor 11 is calculated in response to the indoor air conditioning load from each indoor unit, the four-way valve 12 is switched and the opening degree of the main electric expansion valve 15 is controlled. Then, the opening degree of the expansion valve 16 for each indoor unit is controlled, and the operation is started at the operation frequency of the compressor 11.

  In the above example, when the value of T is “0” or “1”, the operation is not started. However, the operation is started for the time being, and when the value is “0”, the diagnosis operation is not finished. In the case of “1”, it may be displayed that the diagnosis operation is finished but there is a mismatch between the wiring and the piping.

  When the operation is stopped while the operation is normally started in the normal operation mode and the operation mode setting switch SW44 is switched again from the normal operation mode to the diagnosis operation mode, the diagnosis result address T of the storage means 42 is set to “0”. Remember.

  Further, when the pump down operation SW 45 is operated in the operation stop state, the pump down operation is started and “0” is stored in the diagnosis result address T of the storage means 42. By doing so, even if normal operation is started without performing diagnostic operation after changing or adding indoor units after installation or moving to another place in the entire system (at this time, operation mode setting switch SW44) Can remain in normal operation mode).

  In this embodiment, the operation for diagnosing the wrong wiring / wrong piping that is most likely to occur in the installation work of the multi air conditioner has been described as an example. The multi-system is operating normally by checking the deviation from the predetermined reference value by forcibly operating in a predetermined mode (compressor operating frequency, internal / external fan speed, etc.) by operating the means. The present invention can also be applied to a diagnostic operation for determining whether the vehicle is operating normally or abnormally.

  Moreover, although the said Example demonstrated multi air conditioner, this invention is not limited to a multi air conditioner, An outdoor unit and an indoor unit can be applied also to a pair of single air conditioners, and the same effect is exhibited. Needless to say.

Refrigeration cycle diagram of the air conditioner showing the first embodiment of the present invention Functional block diagram showing the configuration of the control circuit of the air conditioner Flow chart for explaining the operation of the control circuit of the air conditioner Configuration diagram of conventional air conditioner

Explanation of symbols

11 Compressor 13 Outdoor heat exchanger 20 Outdoor fan (blower)
21 Outdoor unit 22 Indoor unit A
23 Indoor unit B
24 Indoor unit C
25 Indoor unit D
30a, 30b, 30c, 30d Indoor heat exchanger 33 Indoor fan (blower)
40 Outdoor Control Unit 42 Storage Unit 43 Display Unit 44 Mode Setting Switching SW (Mode Switching Unit)
45 Pump down SW
50 Indoor Control Unit 51 Remote Control 52 Indoor Fan Motor (Blower)

Claims (7)

An outdoor unit having an outdoor heat exchanger and a blower, an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger and a blower and connected to the outdoor unit, mode switching means for switching between a normal operation mode and a diagnostic operation mode, and the diagnostic operation Storage means for storing a diagnostic operation result when driving in the mode, and at the time of starting the operation in at least the first normal operation mode, the driving operation is performed according to the diagnostic operation result stored in the storage means An air conditioner characterized by that. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein, in the operation in the diagnostic operation mode, the connection condition of the electrical wiring and / or refrigerant circuit between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit is diagnosed. 3. The operation according to claim 1, wherein when the operation is performed in the normal operation mode, the normal operation is started when there is no problem in the diagnostic operation result stored in the storage unit, and the operation is not started when there is a problem. Air conditioner. The air conditioner of any one of Claims 1-3 which provided the display part which displays the diagnostic driving | operation result memorize | stored in the memory | storage means in at least any one of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. When operating in the normal operation mode, if there is no problem in the diagnostic operation result stored in the storage means, the operation is started, and if there is a problem, the operation is started and the diagnosis operation result is displayed on the display unit. Item 5. An air conditioner according to item 4. After completion of the diagnostic operation, the mode switching unit is operated to switch to the normal operation mode, and the switching unit is operated again to switch to the diagnostic operation mode, thereby erasing the diagnostic operation result stored in the storage unit. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A pump down setting means is provided in either the outdoor unit or the indoor unit, and the pump down operation is started by operating the pump down setting means, and the diagnostic operation result stored in the storage means is deleted. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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