JP2006250456A - Air conditioner and shelter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioner for performing reliable cooling operation at starting the supply of a power source, and to provide a shelter equipped therewith. <P>SOLUTION: The air-conditioner 5 to be installed in the shelter 1 has a cooling operation mode and other operation modes. It comprises an operation mode selecting means for selecting the cooling operation mode at starting the supply of a commercial power source 3, and an operating means for performing cooling operation in accordance with the cooling operation mode selected by the operation mode selecting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a shelter, and more particularly, to an air conditioner having at least a cooling operation mode and other operation modes such as a heating operation mode, a blowing operation mode, and a stop mode, and a shelter including the air conditioner.

  A large number of communication devices are installed inside a base station (hereinafter referred to as “shelter”) that is indispensable for mobile communications such as mobile phones and wireless communications. To rise. The temperature rise inside the shelter hinders normal operation of the communication device. For example, the air conditioner as described in the following Patent Document 1 is provided in the shelter, and the inside of the shelter is cooled using the cooling operation mode of the air conditioner to cool the communication device.

  The majority of shelters are unmanned facilities, and the communication equipment and air conditioning equipment inside the shelters are operated using a commercial power source. Here, when a power failure occurs in the commercial power supply, the backup power supply means can be supplied to the communication device, specifically, the backup power can be supplied from a battery that stores the power by charging the commercial power supply. The operation can be continued. However, the power capacity of the battery is small, and no backup power is supplied to the air conditioning equipment in order to preferentially restore the communication device.

Patent Document 2 below stores operation information until the power is turned off, determines whether the operation mode is the automatic mode or the manual mode from the operation information stored when the power is restored. A multi-room air conditioner is disclosed in which operation is resumed in the same situation as before the operation is interrupted, and operation is resumed in the operation mode by the air conditioning load when the power is restored if the operation mode is the automatic mode. Yes. In this case, if the operation before the power supply is shut off is stopped, the operation is maintained in the stop mode even when the power supply is restored.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-316058 JP 2004-324898 A

  In the aforementioned air conditioning equipment or shelter, the following points are not considered. For example, when inspecting and maintaining a communication device of a shelter in winter, an operator switches the air conditioner to a heating operation mode in order to work comfortably. When a power failure occurs in this heating operation mode and the worker ends the operation while leaving the operation mode of the air conditioner unchanged, the setting of the air conditioner is left in the heating operation mode. When the power is restored in such a state, the air conditioner starts heating operation according to the heating operation mode set before the power failure, the temperature inside the shelter rises, the communication equipment is not cooled, and conversely Heat generation of communication equipment is promoted.

  When checking and repairing the communication equipment of shelter at the beginning of spring or autumn, the worker may switch the air conditioner to the blower operation mode depending on the case. The air conditioner starts the air blowing operation, the temperature inside the shelter rises, and the communication device is not cooled. In addition, when the work is completed in a state where the operation of the air conditioner is stopped (stop mode), and then the power supply is re-energized, the air conditioner is not re-energized unless the cooling operation is started. After that, it remains in a stopped state, and in this case, the communication device is not cooled.

  When the commercial power supply recovers from the power failure, the supply of backup power from the battery to the communication device is stopped, and the battery shifts to a charging operation. At the same time, commercial power is supplied to the communication device and the air conditioner. A large noise is generated in the communication device and the battery when the charging operation is switched from the discharging operation accompanying the return of the commercial power supply. When the operation of the air conditioner is started under such circumstances, a malfunction due to noise occurs in the electronic equipment inside the air conditioner, and the user wants to restart the operation in the cooling operation mode. Operation could be resumed in the operation mode.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner suitable for cooling an electronic device in which a cooling operation mode is reliably performed at the time of re-operation after power-off. It is to provide a shelter equipped with an air conditioner.

  The first feature according to the embodiment of the present invention is that the air conditioner has a cooling operation mode and other operation modes, and the power supply starts regardless of the operation mode before the power supply is stopped. Then, the operation mode selection means for selecting the cooling operation mode and the operation means for performing the cooling operation based on the operation mode selected by the operation mode selection means are provided.

  The second feature according to the embodiment of the present invention is that the air conditioner has a cooling operation mode and other operation modes, from the start of power supply regardless of the operation mode before the power supply is stopped. Operation mode selection means for selecting a cooling operation mode after a predetermined time has elapsed, and operation means for cooling operation based on the operation mode selected by the operation mode selection means.

  The third feature of the embodiment of the present invention is that in the shelter, an electronic device disposed inside the shelter, a backup power supply means for supplying a backup power to the electronic device, a cooling operation mode, and other operation modes. Regardless of the operation mode before the power supply is stopped, the operation mode selection means for selecting the cooling operation mode when the power supply is started, and the cooling based on the operation mode selected by the operation mode selection means An air conditioner having driving means for driving.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the shelter, an electronic device disposed in the shelter, a backup power supply means for supplying a backup power to the electronic device, a cooling operation mode, and other operation modes. Regardless of the operation mode before the power supply is stopped, the operation mode selection means for selecting the cooling operation mode after a certain time has elapsed from the start of the power supply, and the operation mode selected by the operation mode selection means And an air conditioner having operation means for performing cooling operation based on the air conditioner.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, an air conditioner and a shelter which can cool an electronic device reliably can be provided, without an operation mode being influenced by interruption | blocking of a power supply.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an air conditioner and a shelter capable of reliably cooling an electronic device without the operation mode being affected by noise generated when the power is restored.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a mobile communication base station, that is, an air conditioner installed in a shelter will be described.

(First embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 1, the shelter 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an electronic device 2 as a communication device. The electronic device 2 is connected to a commercial power source 3 and operates with power supplied from the commercial power source 3. Inside the shelter 1, a battery 4 connected to a commercial power source 3 is provided. When power is not supplied from the commercial power supply 3 to the electronic device 2 due to an unexpected power failure, the battery 4 supplies backup power to the electronic device 2. In addition, the air conditioner 5 is provided in the shelter 1 in order to suppress an increase in temperature inside the shelter 1 due to heat generated by the operation of the electronic device 2. The air conditioner 5 includes an indoor unit 51, an outdoor unit 52, and a remote controller 53.

  In the first embodiment, the electronic device 2 includes a receiver that receives radio waves transmitted from a mobile communication device such as a mobile phone and a portable wireless device, a transmitter that transmits radio waves to the mobile communication device, and the like. .

  The commercial power source 3 is a commercial power source supplied from an electric power company, for example, a single-phase AC power source.

  The battery 4 supplies backup power to the electronic device 2 when power from the commercial power source 3 supplied to the electronic device 2 is interrupted due to a power failure or the like. Even if a power failure occurs, the operation of the electronic device 2 can be continued by supplying the backup power.

  The indoor unit 51 of the air conditioner 5 is installed inside the shelter 1. In the first embodiment, the air conditioner 5 includes a cooling operation mode, a blowing operation mode, a dehumidifying operation mode, and a heating operation mode. . The air conditioner 5 basically cools the electronic device 2 by cooling the inside of the shelter 1 based on the cooling operation mode. The air conditioner 5 is operated by supplying power from the commercial power source 3. Moreover, the indoor unit 51 blows any one of cold air, air blowing, and warm air from the air blowing port according to the operation mode, and performs temperature control and air circulation inside the shelter 1.

  The outdoor unit 52 is installed outside the shelter 1 and is connected to the indoor unit 51 of the air conditioner 5 through refrigerant piping, electric wires, and the like. A device such as a compressor is accommodated in the outdoor unit 52.

  The remote controller 53 is a device used for setting the operation mode of the air conditioner 5. Since the air conditioner 5 is installed for the purpose of cooling the electronic device 2 inside the shelter 1 as described above, it is normally operated in the cooling operation mode. When repair is performed, the vehicle is operated in an operation mode other than the cooling operation mode depending on the season. As shown in FIG. 2, in the first embodiment, the remote controller 53 is a liquid crystal that displays an operation unit 530 and contents (for example, operation mode) operated by the operation unit 530, operation state, room temperature, humidity, time, and the like. A display unit 531.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioner 5 is connected to a commercial power source 3 and is connected to the DC power source circuit 10 that converts a single-phase AC current from the commercial power source 3 into a DC current. Microcontroller Unit (hereinafter simply referred to as “MCU”) 11, a temperature sensor 12 for measuring a room temperature connected to the MCU 11, a nonvolatile storage means 13, a blower 14, and a heat exchanger (not shown) Z.). The outdoor unit 52 and the remote controller 53 are each connected to the MCU 11 and exchange data by communication. That is, in the first embodiment, the MCU 11 operates the fan 14, the outdoor unit 52, and the like based on the temperature information inside the shelter 1 detected by the temperature sensor 12, the operation mode instructed from the remote controller 53, and the like. It is a controller which controls.

The non-volatile storage means 13 is a non-volatile storage device that can store and retain operation information without losing operation information even if the power supply from the commercial power supply 3 is interrupted due to a power failure or the like, and is specifically described in the first embodiment. Specifically, an electrically erasable nonvolatile memory (EEPROM) can be practically used.
In the first embodiment, the non-volatile storage means 13 includes “set temperature”, “air volume”, “air flow” for each operation mode such as “cooling operation mode”, “heating operation mode”, “fan operation mode”, and the like. More detailed driving information such as “louver direction” is stored. At the time of shipment, this operation information is stored as default information in advance, but new operation information is overwritten by operation of the remote controller 53.

  Next, operation | movement of the air conditioner 5 comprised in this way and installed in the shelter 1 is demonstrated using FIG. Note that FIG. 3 schematically shows the flow of the entire operation mainly using the operation of the MCU 11 as a main component.

  First, in the air conditioner 5, it is determined whether or not the power supply from the commercial power source 3 is started (the power is turned on) from the state where the power supplied from the commercial power source 3 is cut off. (ST1). This means that the MCU 11 is activated. When the power supply from the commercial power source 3 is not started (No), the MCU 11 is not supplied with power and does not operate, so that the state continues until the power supply from the commercial power source 3 is started. .

  When power supply to the air conditioner 5 is started from the commercial power supply 3 (Yes), the air conditioner 5 is nonvolatile based on an instruction stored in advance in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11a built in the MCU 11. The storage unit 13 is accessed, and operation information corresponding to the cooling operation mode is selected from a plurality of various operation modes stored in the nonvolatile storage unit 13 (ST2). Subsequently, the operation information corresponding to the selected cooling operation mode is read out to the MCU 11 (ST3). Based on the read operation information, the MCU 11 controls the operation of the blower 14, the outdoor unit 52, and the like, and as a result, the air conditioner 5 starts the cooling operation (ST4). At the same time, the MCU 11 transmits the operation content to the remote controller 53, and the remote controller 53 displays the transmitted operation content on the display unit 531 (ST5).

  That is, in the air conditioner 5, when the power supply from the commercial power source 3 is interrupted due to a power failure or the like, and the power supply is restored and the power supply is started, the cooling operation is always performed regardless of the operation mode immediately before the power failure. You can drive according to the mode. That is, in the present embodiment, the MCU 11 has functions of an operation mode selection unit and an operation unit.

  When the operation of the air conditioner 5 is started in the cooling operation mode, the air conditioner 5 determines whether or not the setting of the operation mode or various operation modes has been artificially changed by the remote controller 53 (ST6). . When the operation mode or setting content is changed (Yes), the air conditioner 5 is operated based on the changed operation mode or setting content (ST7). The change of the operation mode or setting contents is written and stored in the nonvolatile storage means 13 as a change of operation information (ST8). When there is no change in the operation mode or setting contents (No), the operation of the air conditioner 5 is continued in the cooling operation mode.

  As described above, in the air conditioner 5 and the shelter 1 according to the first embodiment, when the power supply from the commercial power source 3 is started, the cooling operation mode is always selected from the plurality of operation modes. Since the inside of the shelter 1 is cooled by the cooling operation, the electronic device 2 disposed inside the shelter 1 can be reliably cooled. Further, the use of the operation information stored in the non-volatile storage means 13 at the time of power supply recovery is based on the determination that it is more optimal to use the setting contents that the air conditioner was actually operated before. That is, various settings such as a set temperature, a wind direction, and an air volume are optimized in accordance with the shelter structure, the arrangement of electronic devices in the shelter, and the like. For this reason, it is more appropriate for the shelter to use the previous setting contents than to use a predetermined initial value (default value).

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 2nd Embodiment demonstrates the other example of operation | movement of the air conditioner 5 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. In addition, in description of operation | movement of the air conditioner 5 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment and 3rd Embodiment mentioned later, about the step same as the step of operation | movement of the air conditioner 5 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted and will be omitted or simplified.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the air conditioner 5 according to the second embodiment, after determining whether or not the power supply from the commercial power source 3 has been started (ST1), the time counting by the timer T is started. At the same time, the flag F is set to “0” as an initial value (ST11). Although not shown, the timer T may be built in the MCU 11 shown in FIG. 2 or may be externally attached, and may have a function of measuring a certain time from the start of power supply.

  Here, the fixed time is, for example, from the time when the supply of the commercial power supply is restored after the supply of the commercial power supply is stopped due to a power failure, and the transition to the stop of the backup power supply to the electronic device 2 or the charging operation of the battery 4 is performed. This is the time between the time when the noise generated at the time of convergence converges. In other words, the fixed time is from the time when the supply of the commercial power supply is started to the time when the cooling operation mode can be reliably selected without selecting the wrong operation mode due to the generation of noise. It means the time between. This fixed time can be appropriately adjusted in accordance with the convergence time of noise, but is generally about several seconds, so in the second embodiment, it is set to 10 seconds with a little margin. Is set. If this time is lengthened, the adverse effect of noise can be prevented, but the cooling of the equipment is delayed, so a time as short as possible is set in a range longer than the noise convergence time as much as possible.

  The flag F is always reset when the supply of commercial power is cut off due to a power failure, and always starts from “0” when the supply of commercial power is resumed after a power failure. .

  After the supply of power from the commercial power source 3 is started, the cooling operation is started in the cooling operation mode (ST2 to ST4), and the operation mode state and the like are displayed on the display unit 531 of the remote controller 53 (ST5). It is determined whether or not the flag F is “0” (ST12). As described above, the flag F is used as identification data for forcibly selecting the cooling operation mode again after a certain time (10 seconds) has elapsed since the start of supply of commercial power. That is, the flag F is an incorrect operation mode of the air conditioner 5 caused by noise generated when switching from the supply of the backup power supply to the electronic device 2 to the supply of the commercial power supply immediately after the commercial power supply starts. For example, it is used as identification data for forcibly correcting the selection of the heating operation mode to the operation in the cooling operation mode.

  That is, when the flag F is “0” (Yes), whether or not a certain time (“10 seconds” in the second embodiment) has elapsed since the start of the commercial power supply by the timer T described above. Is determined (ST13). If the certain time has not elapsed (No), this step is repeated until the certain time has elapsed. When it is determined that a certain time has passed (Yes), the flag F is rewritten to “1” (ST14), and the cooling operation mode stored in the nonvolatile storage means 13 is selected (ST2). Return to, select the cooling operation mode again, and perform the cooling operation.

  Then, it is determined again whether or not the flag F is “0” (ST12). Here, since a certain time has elapsed since the start of the supply of commercial power, the flag F has already been rewritten to “1” (No), so the operation is continued in the cooling operation mode, and the above-described first operation is performed. Similar to the operation shown in FIG. 3 of the embodiment, the process proceeds to step ST6 and subsequent steps.

  As described above, the air conditioner 5 and the shelter 1 according to the second embodiment always select the cooling operation mode when the power supply from the power source 3 is started, as in the first embodiment. Since the inside of the shelter 1 is cooled by the cooling operation, the electronic device 2 disposed inside the shelter 1 can be reliably cooled. In addition, the cooling operation mode is forcibly selected again after a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of the commercial power supply. It is possible to reliably prevent an error in selecting the operation mode due to noise that occurs.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. 3rd Embodiment demonstrates the other example of operation | movement of the air conditioner 5 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the third embodiment, the steps from the start of supply of commercial power to the cooling operation according to the second embodiment are different, and the power is switched immediately after the start of supply of commercial power. The cooling operation is started after a lapse of a certain time until the noise accompanying the convergence.

  That is, after determining whether or not to start supplying commercial power to the air conditioner 5 (ST1), the timer T starts counting time and sets the flag F to “0” as an initial value (ST11). At this time, the air conditioner 5 according to the third embodiment has not selected any operation mode and is not operating. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the flag F is “0” (ST12), and the flag F is kept until a certain time (for example, 10 seconds as in the second embodiment) elapses from the start of supply of commercial power. It is determined whether or not it is “0” (ST13). After a certain time has elapsed, the flag F is rewritten to “1” (ST14). And it returns to the step (ST2) which selects the cooling operation mode memorize | stored in the non-volatile memory | storage means 13, selects the cooling operation mode similarly to the operation | movement which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and performs a cooling operation (ST2) ~ ST8).

  As described above, in the air conditioner 5 and the shelter 1 according to the third embodiment, the operation is not performed until a certain time elapses after the supply of commercial power is started. Since the cooling operation mode is selected, the operation mode selection error due to noise generated due to the stop of the supply of the backup power supply immediately after the start of the supply of the commercial power supply can be reliably prevented.

(Other embodiments)
In addition, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary, various changes are possible.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the present invention is applied to a mobile communication shelter installed in an unmanned facility has been described. However, the present invention is installed inside a broadcasting station regardless of an unmanned facility or a manned facility. It can be applied to shelters that have been made.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the present invention is applied to the air conditioner 5 having the indoor unit 51 inside the shelter 1 and the outdoor unit 52 outside the shelter 1 has been described. The present invention can be applied to an air conditioner in which an outdoor unit is integrally configured.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air conditioner and a shelter according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the air conditioner shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows control of the air conditioner which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows control of the air conditioner which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows control of the air conditioner which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Shelter, 2 ... Electronic device, 3 ... Power supply, 4 ... Backup power supply, 5 ... Air conditioner, 51 ... Indoor unit, 52 ... Outdoor unit, 53 ... Remote controller, 13 ... Nonvolatile memory means

Claims (5)

An operation mode selection unit that has a cooling operation mode and other operation modes, and selects the cooling operation mode when the power supply is started regardless of the operation mode before the power supply is stopped;
Driving means for performing cooling operation based on the operation mode selected by the operation mode selection means;
An air conditioner comprising: An operation mode selection means that has a cooling operation mode and other operation modes, and selects the cooling operation mode after a lapse of a certain time from the start of the power supply, regardless of the operation mode before the power supply is stopped;
Driving means for cooling operation based on the operation mode selected by the operation mode selection means;
An air conditioner comprising:   Non-volatile storage means for storing the setting contents of the cooling operation mode and the other operation modes is further provided, and the operation mode selection means is stored in the nonvolatile storage means as the setting contents in the selected cooling operation mode. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the setting content of the cooling operation mode is selected. Electronic devices arranged inside the shelter;
Backup power supply means for supplying backup power to the electronic device;
An operation mode selection means that has a cooling operation mode and other operation modes and selects the cooling operation mode when the power supply is started regardless of the operation mode before the power supply is stopped, and the operation mode An air conditioner having operation means for performing cooling operation based on the operation mode selected by the selection means;
A shelter characterized by comprising: Electronic devices arranged inside the shelter;
Backup power supply means for supplying backup power to the electronic device;
An operation mode selection means that has a cooling operation mode and other operation modes, and selects the cooling operation mode after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the power supply, regardless of the operation mode before the power supply is stopped, and An air conditioner having operation means for performing cooling operation based on the operation mode selected by the operation mode selection means;
A shelter characterized by comprising:

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