JP2006046688A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner capable of operating a slave unit without re-setting the slave unit for a master unit in the case that the master unit stops operation because of abnormality. <P>SOLUTION: The master unit 1-A monitors occurrence of abnormality while the master unit 1-A and the slave unit 1-B are operating in sync. When abnormality is detected, the master unit 1-A stops operation and determines whether a wired-remote-controller 4 and a second communication means 9-A work normally or not. In the case that they do not work normally, the slave unit 1-B stops operation. In the case that they work normally, the slave unit 1-B continues operation according to an input signal from the wired-remote-controller. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner having a master unit and at least one slave unit.

  As a conventional example, in the operation of the master unit and the slave unit of the air conditioner connected to the master and the slave, the operation information input from the operation means to the master unit is directly communicated from the master unit to the slave unit. There is an air conditioner that can be operated synchronously with a slave unit. For example, when the parent device starts the cooling operation, the child device also performs the cooling operation, and when the parent device stops, the same operation is performed.

Further, in Patent Document 1, centralized control devices that are operation means grasp the operation information of the air conditioner group in an integrated manner, and control signals such as operation and stop are simultaneously sent to these air conditioner groups. An air conditioner capable of transmitting is disclosed. In this air conditioner, transmission of a control signal from the central control device is prohibited to an air conditioner in which an operation abnormality is detected, or to other air conditioners other than the air conditioner in which an operation abnormality is detected. On the other hand, it is described that a control signal is transmitted.
JP 2002-349940 (paragraphs 0008 to 0009, FIG. 1)

  However, in the conventional air conditioner, if the master unit stops abnormally, the slave unit can be operated normally, but the master unit and the slave unit operate synchronously. We stopped together. For this reason, there is a problem that neither the master unit nor the slave unit can be operated until the cause of the abnormal stop of the master unit is resolved. In order to operate only the slave unit, it is necessary to connect the operating means to the slave unit and set the slave unit as the master unit again.

  In Patent Document 1, each air conditioner is controlled by a centralized control device, but the operation information input from the operating means to the master unit is directly communicated from the master unit to the slave unit. There is no description regarding control such that the slave unit operates in synchronization.

  An object of the present invention is to enable operation of a slave unit without resetting the slave unit to the master unit when the master unit is stopped due to an abnormality in the air conditioner connected to the parent and child. .

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an air conditioner having a master unit and at least one slave unit, wherein the master unit is operated by an input from an operating means, and the slave unit is operated as the master unit. It is operated in synchronism with a machine, and when an abnormality occurs in the parent machine, the child machine is operated independently.

  Here, the synchronization means that the parent device and the child device perform the same operation, such as when the parent device starts operation, the child device also operates, and when the parent device stops, the child device also stops. For example, when the parent device performs the cooling operation, the child device also performs the cooling operation, and when the parent device performs the heating operation, the child device also performs the heating operation. At this time, it does not matter whether or not the slave unit is operated under the same conditions as the temperature and humidity set in the master unit. Therefore, the master unit and the slave unit may be linked only to ON / OFF of the operation, and the setting conditions such as temperature and humidity may be different.

  The operation means is for the user to input operation information to the parent device or the child device via the parent device, and the parent device and the child device are operated based on the inputted operation information. Further, the operation means may be able to notify by a display or voice that the slave unit can be operated when an abnormality occurs in the master unit and the operation is stopped. As a result, the user can easily recognize which of the parent device and the child device is currently operating.

  The parent device and the child device each have communication means for communicating with each other. For example, an input from the operation means received by the master unit is transmitted to the slave unit. Further, the operating state and the like are communicated with each other between the parent device and the child device. As a result, the parent device or the child device can recognize the state of each other, and the operation is performed accordingly. The slave unit receives the input from the operation unit from the master unit via the communication unit, and executes the same operation content in synchronization with the master unit.

  Here, when an abnormality occurs in the parent device, the child device is transmitted from the parent device via the communication device and the operation device is operated based on the transmitted input information. In other words, even in this abnormal state, communication between the master unit and the slave unit is possible, so if the master unit malfunctions and the operation stops, the slave unit will receive input from the operating means. Is received by the communication means from the master unit, and the operation is continued independently according to the received input information. In addition, when the master unit has an abnormality and the master unit has stopped operating, the slave unit may start driving when receiving an operation start input from the operation unit from the master unit via the communication unit. it can. In this case, the master unit remains stopped.

  The slave unit is operated by receiving the input of the operation means via the master unit until the abnormality of the master unit is resolved and the operation is started normally. When the master unit becomes normal, the master unit and the slave unit are again operated in synchronization.

  As described above, according to the present invention, even when an abnormality occurs in the master unit and the operation is stopped, the input from the operation unit can be made via the master unit without changing the setting of the operation unit. The slave unit can be operated based on the input transmitted to the slave unit.

  Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the adverse effect of stopping all the indoor units when the master unit stops abnormally. In this case, at least the slave unit is operated, so that the minimum function as an air conditioner is achieved, and the inconvenience to the user is minimized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a ceiling-mounted separate type air conditioner showing an embodiment according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a master unit and a slave unit, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display unit of a wired remote controller.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air conditioner of the present invention is composed of two indoor units 1-A and 1-B and outdoor units 2-A and 2-B connected to the indoor units 1-A and 1-B, respectively. One group is formed. This group includes a wired remote controller 4 as an operation means. Although not shown, one refrigeration cycle is formed by the indoor unit 1-A and the outdoor unit 2-A, and another refrigeration cycle is formed by the indoor unit 1-B and the outdoor unit 2-B. Each refrigeration cycle is controlled independently of each other.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the indoor unit 1-A includes a first communication unit 8-A, a second communication unit 9-A, a control circuit 11-A, a wireless remote control signal receiving element 10-A, a power plug 3- A (see FIG. 1) is provided. The indoor unit 1-B includes a first communication unit 8-B, a second communication unit 9-B, a control circuit 11-B, a wireless remote control signal receiving element 10-B, and a power plug 3-B (see FIG. 1). Is provided.

  The indoor unit 1-A and the outdoor unit 2-A are electrically connected by a wiring 7-A such as a cable. The indoor unit 1-B and the outdoor unit 2-B are connected by a wiring 7-B such as a cable. Electrically connected. Communication between the indoor units 1-A and 1-B and the outdoor units 2-A and 2-B can be performed through the wirings 7-A and 7-B.

  Each of the indoor units 1-A and 1-B is provided with a connection connector (not shown) for data transmission / reception so that the wired remote controller 4 can be connected thereto. As described above, the indoor unit 1-A and the indoor unit 1-B have the same configuration and are shared, leading to cost reduction.

  A first communication unit 8-A provided in the indoor unit 1-A and a wired remote controller 4 as an operation unit are electrically connected by a wiring 5 such as a cable to transmit and receive data. The wired remote controller 4 is not connected to the first communication unit 8-B provided in the indoor unit 1-B.

  Here, the first communication unit 8-A receives an input signal from the wired remote controller 4, but the first communication unit 8-A, 8-B also receives a wireless input signal from the wireless remote controller 14. The signals can be received through the wireless remote control signal receiving elements 10-A and 10-B and output to the control circuits 11-A and 11-B as operation signals. Further, the data signal from the control circuit 11-A can be transmitted to the wired remote controller 4 via the wiring 5, and the data signal from the control circuit 11-B is transmitted to the second communication means 9-B, the wiring 6, It can be transmitted to the wired remote controller 4 through the wiring 5 from the second communication means 9-A, the control circuit 11-A, and the first communication means 8-A.

  The control circuits 11 -A and 11 -B perform control such as cooling operation and heating operation in accordance with the input from the wired remote controller 4. And control circuit 11-A, 11-B discriminate | determines whether it functions as a main | base station or a subunit | mobile_unit by the presence or absence of the connection of the wired remote control 4. FIG. When the control circuits 11-A and 11-B function as slave units, the control circuits 11-A and 11-B perform control so as to operate in synchronization with the master unit.

  The wired remote controller 4 communicates with the first communication unit 8-A to control the operation of the indoor units 1-A and 1-B. Since this wired remote controller 4 can be detached from the indoor units 1-A and 1-B, it can be detached from the indoor unit 1-A and attached to the indoor unit 1-B if necessary. In addition, the wired remote controller 4 is provided with a display unit 15 for displaying the operation status of the indoor units 1-A, 1-B and the outdoor units 2-A, 2-B (see FIG. 3).

  The second communication means 9-A provided in the indoor unit 1-A and the second communication means 9-B provided in the indoor unit 1-B are electrically connected by a wiring 6 such as a cable. The second communication means 9-A and 9-B perform data transmission / reception with control circuits of other indoor units.

  Next, the parent-child setting operation of the indoor units 1-A and 1-B will be described based on FIG. FIG. 4 shows a parent-child setting flowchart when the wired remote controller is used.

  When the indoor unit 1-A is energized, the control circuit 11-A executes a parent-child setting routine shown in FIG. The parent-child setting end flag stored in S1 is confirmed.

  When the power is turned on, since the parent-child setting has not ended, the parent-child setting end flag = 0. Accordingly, the process proceeds to S2, and it is confirmed whether or not communication with the wired remote controller 4 is possible in S2. In the present embodiment, since the wired remote controller 4 is connected to the indoor unit 1-A and communication is possible, the process proceeds to S3. In S3, control circuit 11-A sets itself as a parent device. At S5, the parent-child setting end flag = 1 is stored, and this parent-child setting routine is ended.

  Next, the parent-child setting of the indoor unit 1-B will be described. When the indoor unit 1-B is energized, the control circuit 11-B executes a parent-child setting routine similar to FIG. The parent-child setting end flag stored in S1 is confirmed. When the power is turned on, since the parent-child setting has not been completed, the parent-child setting end flag = 0. Accordingly, the process proceeds to S2, and it is confirmed whether or not communication with the wired remote controller 4 is possible in S2. Since the wired remote controller 4 is not connected to the indoor unit 1-B and communication is not possible, the process proceeds to S4. In S4, control circuit 11-B sets itself as a slave unit. In S5, the parent-child setting end flag = 1 is stored, and this parent-child setting routine is ended.

  The indoor unit 1-A set as the parent unit notifies the indoor unit 1-B that it is the parent unit via the second communication means 9-A, 9-B. As a result, the indoor unit 1-B can recognize that the parent unit is the indoor unit 1-A, and the control circuit 11-B of the indoor unit 1-B follows the instruction of the indoor unit 1-A. Set to In this way, the parent-child setting of the indoor unit 1-A and the indoor unit 1-B is completed. This parent-child setting routine is periodically performed while the indoor units 1-A and 1-B are energized. In FIG. 1, the indoor unit 1-A to which the wired remote controller 4 is connected is a master unit, and the outdoor unit 1-B is a slave unit. Thus, the master unit 1-A and the slave unit 1-B are connected in series to the wired remote controller 4. Further, even when there are a plurality of slave units for one master unit 1-A, the relationship between the master unit 1-A and each slave unit is a serial connection with the wired remote controller 4. It is the same.

  In addition, although the parent-child setting shown above is a case where the operation means of a present Example is the wired remote control 4, it is not this limitation in particular. For example, the operation means may be either the centralized controller 12 shown in FIG. 5 or the wireless remote controller 14 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5 is an overall configuration diagram of an air conditioner composed of a plurality of groups, and FIG. 6 is an overall configuration diagram of an air conditioner using a wireless remote controller.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the centralized controller 12 is used when performing centralized operation control for the three groups A, B, and C. Each group A, B, C can be operated by the centralized controller 12. The parent-child setting in this case is performed in the same manner as in the case of the wired remote controller 4 in each group A, B, and C.

  In the case of the wireless remote controller 14, as shown in FIG. 6, the signal transmitted from the wireless remote controller 14 is received by the wireless remote controller signal receiving element 10-A of the indoor unit 1-A. The data is sent to the control circuit 11-A through the communication means 8-A.

  In this case, the parent-child setting is such that the indoor unit 1-A that has received the signal from the wireless remote controller 14 is set as the parent device, and if it cannot be received, the parent-child setting is set as the child device.

  Next, the operation of the parent device and the child device after the completion of the parent-child setting of the indoor units 1-A and 1-B will be described based on FIG. 7 and FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an abnormal stop process when a master unit abnormality occurs, and FIG. In the following example, a case where the indoor unit 1-A is set as a master unit and the indoor unit 1-B is set as a slave unit will be described.

  After completion of the parent-child settings of the indoor units 1-A and 1-B, the slave unit 1-B uses the second communication means 9-A and 9-B as the operation information from the wired remote controller 4 input to the master unit 1-A. The same operation is performed in synchronization with the master unit 1-A. That is, based on the setting conditions such as the temperature and the air volume input by the wired remote controller 4, the parent device 1-A and the child device 1-B start operation simultaneously.

  During operation, the control circuit 11-A of the parent device 1-A monitors the occurrence of an abnormality and executes an abnormal stop processing routine shown in FIG. For example, abnormal temperatures in the indoor unit 1-A and the outdoor unit 2-A such as abnormal temperature of a room temperature sensor or outdoor sensor, abnormal rotation of a blower, warning of filter replacement and indoor unit cover open, high temperature of the compressor, etc. Then, the information is input to the control circuit 11-A.

  The control circuit 11-A determines whether there is an abnormality based on the input information. That is, in S1, it is confirmed whether the abnormality detection continues for a predetermined time, whether the number of occurrences of the abnormality has reached a predetermined number, or whether the operation stop request due to the abnormality is received from the outdoor unit.

  If at least one of these conditions is satisfied, base unit 1-A determines that it is an abnormality that cannot be self-repaired and that the cause cannot be eliminated, and the base unit is abnormal. Further, when these conditions are not satisfied, the self-repair is attempted because it is a stop due to a protection function or a temporary abnormality due to noise or the like. In this case, it is determined that there is no abnormality in the master unit and the operation is continued. When there is an abnormality in the parent device, the control circuit 11-A of the parent device 1-A stops the operation. That is, in the present embodiment, the case where an abnormality occurs in the parent device 1-A and the parent device is operating means a stop due to an abnormality that cannot be self-repaired.

  Next, base unit 1-A determines whether wired remote controller 4 and second communication means 9-A operate normally. When operating normally, the wired remote controller 4 and the slave unit 1-B are connected via the first communication unit 8-A, the second communication unit 9-A, and the control circuit 11-A of the master unit 1-A. Bidirectional communication is possible. Then, the master unit 1-A sets the master unit abnormal stop flag = 1 and ends this abnormal stop processing routine. On the other hand, the subunit | mobile_unit 1-B continues driving | operation.

  When the wired remote controller 4 or the second communication means 9-A does not operate normally, an input signal from the wired remote controller 4 cannot be transmitted to the slave unit 1-B. In the former case, parent device 1-A issues a command to stop operation to child device 1-B, and child device 1-B stops operation. In the latter case, the slave unit 1-B determines that communication with the master unit 1-A cannot be performed and stops the operation itself. The master unit abnormal stop flag = 1 is set and stored in a memory (not shown) provided in the control circuit 11-A, and this abnormal stop processing routine is terminated.

  In addition, when the same abnormality occurs in the slave unit 1-B, the operation of the slave unit 1-B is stopped. The control circuit 11-B notifies the master unit 1-A that it has stopped due to an abnormality. Base unit 1-A continues to exercise.

  Further, when the base unit 1-A is stopped due to an abnormality, the handset 1-B can be operated independently. At this time, the control circuit 11-A of the parent device 1-A executes an operation ON / OFF processing routine shown in FIG. In S <b> 1, it is confirmed whether or not there is an operation start input from the wired remote controller 4. When there is no operation start input, that is, when the operation is OFF, the parent device 1-A and the child device 1-B perform the operation OFF process, and the operation ON / OFF processing routine ends.

  When there is an operation start input, that is, when the operation is ON, the control circuit 11-A of the parent device 1-A checks the parent device abnormal stop flag. When the master unit abnormal stop flag = 0, since the master unit 1-A can be operated, the master unit 1-A and the slave unit 1-B perform the operation ON process, and the operation ON / OFF process routine is ended. When the master unit abnormal stop flag = 1, since the master unit 1-A has stopped abnormally, the control circuit 11-A performs the operation OFF process of the master unit 1-A. However, since the input signal from the wired remote controller 4 is transmitted to the slave unit 1-B, the slave unit 1-B performs the operation ON process, and the slave unit 1-B is operated alone.

  When the slave unit 1-A is directly operated by the wired remote controller 4 when the master unit 1-A stops operation due to an abnormality, the display unit 15 provided on the wired remote controller 4 displays “Slave unit alone” Displays that the slave unit can be operated, such as “Slave unit in operation”. Thereby, the user can easily recognize that the parent device 1-A is operating only the child device 1-B without being operated.

  In this way, it is possible to prevent the operation of the child device 1-B that can be normally operated from being stopped due to the abnormality of only the parent device 1-A. Therefore, an emergency driving | operation becomes possible by driving | operating only with the subunit | mobile_unit 1-B. Moreover, since it is not necessary to reset the subunit | mobile_unit 1-B to the main | base station 1-A, since the effort for resetting can be saved, it is convenient for a user. Further, except for the case where the master unit 1-A stops operation due to an abnormality, the mode is not shifted to the mode in which the slave unit 1-B is directly operated. Therefore, the user operates the master unit 1-A and the slave unit. The operation can be performed with confidence without making a mistake with the operation of 1-B.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A correction and a change can be added within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, one outdoor unit is connected to each indoor unit, but one outdoor unit may be connected to a plurality of indoor units. Further, the number of indoor units is not limited to two, and three or more indoor units may be connected.

  Further, as a communication method between the indoor units, wireless communication may be used instead of cable or the like.

  In addition, when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the main unit, the means for notifying the operation unit such as the wired remote controller or the wireless controller that the sub unit can be operated other than displaying on the display unit The user may be notified by voice or lamp.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the example is shown in which the child device is controlled to operate under the same conditions as the set conditions such as the temperature and humidity of the parent device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only the ON / OFF process of the operation is linked. The setting conditions are the same, and the operation may be individually controlled according to the output from the temperature sensor or humidity sensor of each indoor unit, or the setting conditions may be changed individually. good.

The whole block diagram of the ceiling-mounted separate type air conditioner which shows embodiment which concerns on this invention Schematic block diagram of main unit and sub unit The figure which shows the display part of wired remote control Parent-child setting flowchart when using wired remote control Overall configuration diagram of an air conditioner composed of multiple groups Overall configuration diagram of air conditioner using wireless remote control Flow chart of abnormal stop processing when master unit error occurs Flow chart of operation ON / OFF process at the time of abnormal stop of master

Explanation of symbols

1-A Indoor unit 1-B Indoor unit 2-A Outdoor unit 2-B Outdoor unit 3-A Power plug 3-B Power plug 4 Wired remote control 5 Wiring 6 Wiring 7-A Wiring 7-B Wiring 8-A First Communication means 8-B First communication means 9-A Second communication means 9-B Second communication means 10-A Wireless remote control signal receiving element 10-B Wireless remote control signal receiving element 11-A Control circuit 11-B Control circuit 12 Centralized controller 13 Wiring 14 Wireless remote control 15 Display unit

Claims (8)

An air conditioner having a master unit and at least one slave unit, wherein the master unit is operated by an input from an operation means, the slave unit is operated in synchronization with the master unit, and The air conditioner is characterized in that when an abnormality occurs, the slave unit operates independently. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein when an abnormality occurs in the master unit and the operation is stopped, the slave unit continues the operation in accordance with an input from the operation means. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the slave unit operates independently until the abnormality of the master unit is resolved and the operation is started normally. An air conditioner composed of at least one or more slave units communicably connected to the master unit, and an input from an operating means provided in the master unit is transmitted from the master unit to the slave unit, The air conditioner characterized in that when the slave unit is operated and an abnormality occurs in the master unit, the slave unit is operated based on an input from the operation means. When the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the master unit, the slave unit receives the operation start input from the operation means via the master unit, so that the slave unit can be stopped while the operation of the master unit is stopped. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the operation of the machine is started. The air conditioner according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the slave unit is operated by an input from the operation means until the abnormality of the master unit is resolved and the operation is started normally. An air conditioner having a master unit and at least one slave unit, wherein the master unit and the slave unit include communication means for communicating with each other, and operating means provided in the master unit The master unit is operated based on the input of the master unit, and the slave unit is operated in synchronization with the master unit by receiving the input from the operation unit via the communication unit, and an abnormality occurs in the master unit. When the master unit is stopped, the slave unit continues to operate independently according to the input from the operation means. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the operation means notifies that the slave unit is operable when an abnormality occurs in the master unit and the operation is stopped. .

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