JP2007183035A - Controller and control method for air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a controller for an air conditioner capable of efficiently carrying out settings of operation control with respect to a plurality of air conditioners. <P>SOLUTION: The air conditioner controller controlling the air conditioners is provided with operation setting databases 122, 123, 124 saving a plurality of operation patterns of output of each air conditioner 301, 302, 303, an input part selecting and inputting operation patterns of the plurality of operation patterns saved in the operation setting databases as operation patterns of predetermined time zones of the air conditioners, an operation schedule database 120 saving the operation patterns of the predetermined time zones inputted by the input part, and a control signal transmitting part 131 transmitting control signals to the air conditioners in accordance with the operation patterns in time sequence saved in the operation schedule database. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner control device and a control method, and more particularly to a control device and a control method suitable for controlling a large number of air conditioners.

  As a controller for controlling an air conditioner, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-49039 (hereinafter, Patent Document 1) is known. Patent Document 1 describes a controller for an air conditioner that sets the air volume and operating frequency of an air conditioner in time series.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-49039 (particularly FIGS. 3 and 4)

  However, the controller of Patent Document 1 only describes a method for setting an air volume and an operating frequency for a specific air conditioner, and efficiently sets operation control for a plurality of air conditioners. It is not considered to do. In such a setting method, when an administrator sets operation control for a large number of air conditioners, it is necessary to set operation control for each air conditioner at each time zone. There is a problem that it takes time and effort.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain an air conditioner control device capable of efficiently setting operation control for a plurality of air conditioners.

  One feature of the present invention is that an air conditioner control device for controlling an air conditioner is set as an operation setting database for storing a plurality of operation patterns of the output of each air conditioner and an operation pattern for a predetermined time zone of the air conditioner. An input unit for selecting and inputting one of a plurality of operation patterns stored in the database, an operation schedule database for storing an operation pattern of a predetermined time zone input by the input unit, and an operation schedule A control signal transmission unit that transmits a control signal to the air conditioner according to a time-series operation pattern stored in the database is provided.

  Another feature of the present invention is an air conditioner control method for controlling an air conditioner, a procedure for storing a plurality of operation patterns of outputs of each air conditioner in an operation setting database, and an operation of the air conditioner in a predetermined time zone. A procedure for accepting a selection selected from a plurality of operation patterns stored in the operation setting database as a pattern from the input unit, a procedure for storing a selection of an operation pattern for a predetermined time period received from the input unit in the operation schedule database, And a procedure for transmitting a control signal to the air conditioner in accordance with an operation pattern in a predetermined time zone stored in the operation schedule database.

  According to the present invention, when setting the operation schedule of a large number of air conditioners, a typical operation pattern stored in the operation setting database may be selected and set for a predetermined time zone. The operation schedule can be easily set without individually setting the operation schedule.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an air conditioner control device. Broadly divided, it is composed of an air conditioning management device main body (100), a Web terminal (201), an Internet or intranet transmission network (200), and an air conditioner transmission path (300) to be monitored and controlled.

  The air conditioner controller main body (100) is connected to the air conditioner transmission path (300) and the air conditioning transmission path (401). This transmission line (401) uses the same transmission line as that used to exchange control information between the outdoor unit (301) and the indoor unit (302) of the air conditioner.

  The air conditioner controller main body (100) includes an air conditioner database (110) in which operation data and control data of the air conditioner are recorded, an air conditioner transmission communication driver (132) for transmitting and receiving to the air conditioner transmission path, and A database processing engine (130) that sends and receives messages to the equipment connected to the air conditioning transmission line via the air conditioner transmission circuit (131) and records it in the operation database of the air conditioner, and a normal operation control schedule The schedule database (120), the air conditioning management system main unit (100) and Ethernet (registered trademark of Xerox Corporation in the United States) communicate with the operation data and the operation schedule dedicated to energy-saving operation control and the details of each energy-saving operation condition. Ethernet communication driver (141) for transmission / reception, connected to Internet or intranet transmission network (200) A web server process (140) that responds to an input acceptance display request to the eb terminal (201), and a schedule is executed at a predetermined time based on data registered in the schedule database (120) It consists of a schedule management process (150) for managing In this embodiment, the normal operation schedule is operated at an arbitrary time, and the energy saving schedule is an operation schedule at an arbitrary period from an arbitrary time to an arbitrary time.

  The Web server processing unit (140) realizes monitoring and control of the air conditioner by accessing the air conditioner database (110). If air conditioner data is required, it can be obtained by reading the operating state data area (111) of the air conditioner database (110). When control is required for the air conditioner, it can be controlled by writing arbitrary control contents in the operation setting data area (112) of the air conditioner database (110).

The operation pattern setting from the Web terminal (201) is performed by the Web server processing unit (140) saving the operation setting pattern in the operation pattern setting database 1 (123) of the schedule database (120). The content to be saved is, for example, the content shown on the operation pattern setting screen (500) as shown in FIG. 2 displayed on the Web terminal (201). The screen of FIG. 2 shows the registration contents of the setting for limiting the driving capability (output) of the outdoor unit (301), and each outdoor unit from level 1 (501) to level 3 (503) depending on the operating load status. By registering (504) after performing settings such as what outdoor operation capacity (output) is set for and for which outdoor unit the setting is performed, The Web server process (140) records these contents in the operation pattern setting database 1 (123) of the schedule database (120).
In addition, for example, rotation control that sequentially controls the operation group of the air conditioner that has set the process of changing the set temperature for a certain period of time to the set temperature in the direction in which the operating load decreases, at regular time intervals for each group. Are registered by the same input method as described above, the Web server processing unit (140) records these contents in the schedule database (120) and the operation pattern setting database 2 (124).

  Furthermore, as another energy-saving operation setting, if the set temperature can be changed freely for a certain temperature range, and if you try to change it to a set temperature that exceeds the upper and lower limits, return the set temperature to the original, When the control target of the set temperature upper / lower limit control, the upper / lower limit range, and the like are registered by the same input method as described above, the Web server processing unit (140) operates the operation pattern setting data 3 (125) of the schedule database (120). Record these contents.

  Then, an operation schedule for executing these energy saving operation controls at which time of the day for the control of the plurality of operation patterns (energy saving operation control) is shown in FIG. 3 as an energy saving operation control schedule screen (input unit). Select and input which energy saving operation pattern 1 (601) to 3 (603) from (600), and click the operation pattern (605) selected on the time axis (604) on Monday, for example. To decide. Finally, by executing registration (606), the Web server processing unit (140) stores these contents in the energy saving control schedule data (122) of the schedule database (120).

For these registered schedules, the schedule management processing unit (150) checks the energy saving control schedule data (122), and when the registered time is reached, the registered energy saving operation setting is performed. The predetermined control content is written in the operation setting data (112) with reference to the data (123) to (125).
On the other hand, the database processing engine (130) transmits a control message (control signal) to a predetermined air conditioner according to the contents of the operation setting database, thereby realizing energy saving operation control.

  In the above embodiment, the control for the outdoor unit is described, but the same control can be performed for the indoor unit.

The block diagram of the air-conditioner control apparatus of the Example of this invention. The figure which shows the driving | running pattern setting screen of the Example of this invention. The figure which shows the operation control schedule setting screen of the Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

100 ... Air conditioning management system body, 110 ... Air conditioner database, 111 ... Operation status data area, 112 ... Operation setting data area, 120 ... Schedule database, 121 ... Schedule data, 122 ... Energy saving control schedule data, 123 ... Energy saving operation setting data DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,124 ... Energy saving operation setting data 2, 125 ... Energy saving operation setting data 3, 130 ... Database processing engine, 131 ... Air conditioner transmission circuit, 132 ... Communication driver for air conditioner transmission, 140 ... Web server processing, 141 ... Ethernet communication 150, schedule management processing, 200 ... internet or intranet transmission network, 201 ... web terminal path, 300 ... air conditioner transmission path, 301 ... outdoor unit, 302 ... indoor unit, 303 ... refrigerator or chiller unit, 500 ... energy saving Operation setting screen, 501 ... level 1 setting, 502 ... level 2 setting, 503 ... level 3 setting, 504 ... registration button, 600 ... energy saving Rolling control schedule screen, 601 ... each energy-saving operation pattern 1,602 ... each energy-saving operation pattern 2,603 ... time axis of each energy-saving operation pattern 3,604 ... Monday, 605 ... operation pattern, 606 ... registration button.

Claims (5)

  In an air conditioner control device that controls an air conditioner, an operation pattern setting database that stores a plurality of operation patterns of the operation capacity of each air conditioner, and an operation pattern for a predetermined time zone of the air conditioner are stored in the operation pattern setting database. An input unit that selects and inputs one of the plurality of operation patterns, an operation schedule database that stores an operation pattern of a predetermined time period input to the input unit, and the operation schedule database An air conditioner control device comprising: a control signal transmission unit that transmits a control signal to the air conditioner in accordance with an operation pattern stored in a predetermined time zone.   2. The air conditioner control device according to claim 1, wherein the operation capacity of the air conditioner is an operation output.   2. The air conditioner control device according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner is an outdoor unit.   In an air conditioner control method for controlling an air conditioner, a procedure for storing a plurality of operation patterns of the operation capacity of each air conditioner in an operation setting database and an operation pattern for a predetermined time zone of the air conditioner are stored in the operation setting database. A procedure for receiving input selected from the plurality of operation patterns received from the input unit, a procedure for storing the input of the operation pattern for a predetermined time period received from the input unit in the operation schedule database, and saving in the operation schedule database And a procedure for transmitting a control signal to the air conditioner in accordance with the predetermined operation pattern of the predetermined time zone. 5. The air conditioner control method according to claim 4, wherein the air conditioner is an outdoor unit.

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