JP2012193901A - Multi-room type air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multi-room type air conditioner capable of continuing the operation of an outdoor unit without giving any incompatible feeling or unpleasantness to a person present in each room even when forcibly operating a stopped indoor unit in order to secure minimum operation capability of the outdoor unit.SOLUTION: An outdoor unit control part 210 counts the number of times of thermo-off stage changing/releasing of an indoor unit 4c while the only indoor unit 4c is operated. When the number of times is a predetermined number or more within a predetermined time, for example, five times or more within 30 minutes from the operation start of the indoor unit 4c, the outdoor unit control part 210 selects, among indoor units in which the operation is stopped by referring to a management table and no one is present in rooms, an indoor unit 4e whose rated operation capability is the lowest and allows the indoor unit 4e to start adjustment operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a multi-room air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit by refrigerant piping.

  Conventionally, in a multi-room type air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit by refrigerant piping, depending on the number of indoor units actually operated and the operation capacity required for each indoor unit, The load of the compressor provided in the outdoor unit varies greatly. However, since the capacity of the compressor, that is, the operating capacity of the outdoor unit is limited within a certain range, the operating capacity of each indoor unit is also restricted in accordance with the range of the operating capacity of the outdoor unit.

  For example, when the multi-room air conditioner is in a heating operation and there is only one indoor unit in operation, and the operating capacity required from this indoor unit is below the minimum operating capacity of the outdoor unit, Even if the outdoor unit operates with the minimum operating capacity, the operating capacity supplied to the indoor unit becomes excessive. In such a state, the room temperature may be equal to or higher than the set temperature in the indoor unit.

  When the room temperature becomes higher than the set temperature by a predetermined temperature (for example, 2 ° C) or more, the indoor unit requests a capacity request signal to the outdoor unit (a signal that requests the compressor speed of the outdoor unit according to the difference between the set temperature and the room temperature). Is stopped, and the indoor expansion valve is closed and only the blower fan is intermittently rotated, so-called thermo-off state. On the other hand, the outdoor unit that does not receive the capability request signal stops the compressor. When the room temperature decreases to a predetermined temperature, for example, a set temperature after the thermo-off state, the indoor unit cancels the thermo-off state and transmits a capability request signal to the outdoor unit. Start up at a predetermined speed.

If the outdoor unit's operating capacity is excessive with respect to the operating capacity required for the indoor unit, the room temperature may exceed the set temperature as described above, so there is a possibility that the thermo-off state is frequently shifted / released. is there. In this case, each time the thermo-off state is released, the compressor starts at a predetermined rotation speed. Therefore, there is a problem that the power consumption increases when the thermo-off state is frequently transferred / released.
In addition, the rotation speed of the compressor at the time of start-up is higher than the minimum rotation speed of the compressor. The rotation speed higher than the minimum rotation speed is obtained by quickly collecting the refrigeration oil into the compressor. This is to prevent shortage of refrigeration oil in the factory.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, for example, in Patent Document 1, when the total value of the driving capability required by the indoor unit that is operating is below the minimum operating capability of the outdoor unit, By opening the indoor expansion valve of the unit slightly and forcibly operating the indoor unit, the necessary minimum operating capacity of the outdoor unit is ensured, and the outdoor unit is continuously operated with the minimum operating capacity. A multi-room air conditioner that prevents frequent release has been proposed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-190462 (pages 3 to 4, FIGS. 1 and 3)

  However, in the above-described multi-room air conditioner, when a stopped indoor unit is forcibly operated, if there is a person in the room where the indoor unit is installed, the person in the room gives a driving instruction. There is a problem that this person feels uncomfortable when the indoor unit starts operation even though it is not. In addition, when the indoor unit is forced to start operation, the room temperature of the room in which the indoor unit is installed may be high or low, which may cause discomfort to people in the room. there were.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and even when the stopped indoor unit is forcibly operated in order to ensure the minimum operation capacity of the outdoor unit, it is uncomfortable for people present in each room. An object of the present invention is to provide a multi-room air conditioner that can continue the operation of an outdoor unit without causing discomfort.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the multi-room air conditioner of the present invention includes an outdoor unit, a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit by refrigerant piping, and a control unit that controls the outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units. And human detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a person in a room where a plurality of indoor units are installed. The control means obtains information related to the operation status of the plurality of indoor units and information related to the detection result of the human detection means, or information related to the operation status of the plurality of indoor units and the human detection means from the stored management table. Information on the detection result is extracted. When the control unit determines that the minimum operation capability of the outdoor unit is larger than the operation capability required by the operating indoor unit, the acquired operation state of the indoor unit, the detection result in the human detection unit, and An instruction to start the adjustment operation is given to the indoor unit selected in accordance with the predetermined priority order of the indoor units.

  According to the multi-room air conditioner of the present invention configured as described above, when the driving capacity required for the indoor unit being operated is lower than the minimum required driving capacity of the outdoor unit, An instruction to start the adjustment operation is given to the indoor unit selected according to the detection result of the detection means and the predetermined priority order of the indoor unit. Thereby, the driving capability required for the indoor unit becomes higher than the minimum driving capability of the outdoor unit, and the outdoor unit can be continuously operated. Moreover, since the indoor unit installed in the room where a person does not exist is selected as the indoor unit performing the adjustment operation, it is possible to prevent the person existing in the room from feeling uncomfortable.

It is a refrigerant circuit figure of the multi-chamber type air harmony device by the present invention. It is a block diagram of the configuration of the multi-room air conditioner according to the present invention. It is the management table memorize | stored in the outdoor unit of the multi-room air conditioner by this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the process in the outdoor unit of the multi-room air conditioner by this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As an example, a multi-room type air conditioner in which five indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit by refrigerant piping will be described as an example. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a multi-room air conditioner 1 according to this embodiment includes a single outdoor unit 2 installed outside a house, a condominium, and the like, and a liquid pipe 5 installed in each outdoor unit 2. And five indoor units 4 a to 4 e connected in parallel by the gas pipe 6. Specifically, one end of the liquid pipe 5 is branched and connected to one end of each of the indoor units 4a to 4e, the other end is connected to the closing valve 31 of the outdoor unit 2, and one end of the gas pipe 6 is branched. The other end of each of the indoor units 4 a to 4 e is connected to the closing valve 32 of the outdoor unit 2. Thus, the refrigerant circuit 10 of the multi-room air conditioner 1 is configured.

  The outdoor unit 2 includes an outdoor refrigerant path 10 x that constitutes a part of the refrigerant circuit 10. The outdoor refrigerant circuit 10x is connected to the compressor 21, the four-way valve 22, the outdoor heat exchanger 23, the accumulator 24, the closing valve 31 to which the other end of the liquid pipe 5 is connected, and the other end of the gas pipe 6. The closing valve 32 is connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe. The outdoor unit 2 includes an outdoor fan 25.

  The compressor 21 is a variable capacity compressor driven by a motor (not shown) whose rotation speed is controlled by an inverter 260 described later. The discharge side of the compressor 21 is connected to the four-way valve 22, and the suction side of the compressor 21 is connected to the outflow side of the accumulator 24.

  The four-way valve 22 is a valve for switching the direction in which the refrigerant flows. The four-way valve 22 includes four ports a to d. As described above, the port a is at the discharge side of the compressor 21, the port b is at one end of the outdoor heat exchanger 23, and the port c is at the accumulator 24. On the inflow side, the ports d are respectively connected to the shutoff valve 32 by refrigerant piping.

  When the multi-room air conditioner 1 performs the heating operation, switching is performed so that the ports a and d of the four-way valve 22 communicate with each other and the ports b and c communicate with each other (four-way valve 22 in FIG. 1). ), The outdoor heat exchanger 23 is caused to function as an evaporator. At this time, the discharge side of the compressor 21 is connected to the gas pipe 6 via the closing valve 32, and the suction side of the compressor 21 is connected to one end of the outdoor heat exchanger 23 via the accumulator 24. .

  On the other hand, when the multi-chamber air conditioner 1 performs the cooling operation, switching is performed so that the ports a and b of the four-way valve 22 communicate with each other and the ports c and d communicate with each other (four-way in FIG. 1). The state indicated by the broken line in the valve 22), the outdoor heat exchanger 23 is caused to function as a condenser. At this time, the discharge side of the compressor 21 is connected to one end of the outdoor heat exchanger 23, and the suction side of the compressor 21 is connected to the closing valve 32 via the accumulator 24.

  The outdoor heat exchanger 23 has one end connected to the port b of the four-way valve 22 and the other end connected to one port of the outdoor expansion valve 30 as described above, and functions as an evaporator during heating operation. It functions as a condenser during operation.

  The outdoor fan 25 is driven by a fan motor 260 described later. As the outdoor fan 25 rotates, outside air is taken into the outdoor unit 2 from a suction port (not shown) of the outdoor unit 2, and heat is exchanged with the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 23, and then from an outlet (not shown) of the outdoor unit 2. Discharge outside the outdoor unit 2.

  As described above, the accumulator 24 has the inflow side connected to the port c of the four-way valve 22 and the outflow side connected to the suction side of the compressor 21. The accumulator 24 is a container that can contain a refrigerant, separates the liquid refrigerant and the gas refrigerant, and causes the compressor 21 to suck only the gas refrigerant.

  The outdoor expansion valve 30 has one port connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 23 and the other port connected to the liquid pipe 5 via the closing valve 31. When the outdoor heat exchanger 23 functions as an evaporator, the degree of superheat of the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 23 (low-pressure saturation calculated from the suction pressure detected by the low-pressure sensor 52 described later) The outdoor heat exchanger 23 functions as a condenser, and is adjusted according to the temperature and the refrigerant outlet temperature detected by a heat exchange outlet temperature sensor (not shown) provided on the four-way valve 22 side of the outdoor heat exchanger 23. When doing so, the opening is fully opened.

  Various types of sensors are provided in the outdoor unit 2, and a high pressure sensor 51 that detects the discharge pressure of the compressor 21 and a low pressure sensor 52 that detects the suction pressure of the compressor 21 are provided. Further, a discharge temperature sensor 53 that detects the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 21 and a suction temperature sensor 54 that detects the temperature of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 21 are provided. The high pressure sensor 51 and the discharge temperature sensor 53 are located at a position between the compressor 21 and the four-way valve 22, and the low pressure sensor 52 and the suction temperature sensor 54 are located at a position between the compressor 21 and the accumulator 24, respectively. Be placed.

  The outdoor heat exchanger 23 is provided with a heat exchange temperature sensor 56 that detects the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 23. A liquid side temperature sensor 55 that detects the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into or out of the outdoor heat exchanger 23 is provided at a position between the outdoor heat exchanger 23 and the outdoor expansion valve 30. Further, an outdoor air temperature sensor 57 for detecting the outdoor air temperature is provided in the vicinity of a suction port (not shown) of the outdoor unit 2.

  The five indoor units 4a to 4e each have a rated operation capability determined, and identification numbers (described later) are assigned as 001 to 005 in the order of the indoor units 4a to 4e. The indoor units 4a to 4e include indoor refrigerant paths 10a to 10e that constitute part of the refrigerant circuit 10, and the indoor refrigerant circuits 10a to 10e mainly include indoor heat exchangers 41a to 41e and indoor expansion valves 42a to 42a. 42e and these are mutually connected by refrigerant | coolant piping. The indoor units 4a to 4e include indoor fans 43a to 43e. In addition, since the structure of all the indoor units 4a-4e is the same, in the following description, the structure of the indoor unit 4a is demonstrated and description is abbreviate | omitted about the other indoor units 4b-4e.

  One end of the indoor heat exchanger 41a is connected to the refrigerant pipe in the indoor unit 4a through which the high-pressure refrigerant flowing in or out of the gas pipe 6 flows, and the other end is connected to one port of the indoor expansion valve 42a. ing. When the four-way valve 22 of the outdoor unit 2 is switched, the indoor heat exchanger 41a heats indoor air as a condenser when the multi-room air conditioner 1 performs a heating operation, and performs a cooling operation. Cools room air as an evaporator.

  The indoor fan 43a is driven by a fan motor 430a described later. As the indoor fan 43a rotates, the indoor air is taken into the indoor unit 4a from a suction port (not shown) of the indoor unit 4a, and heat is exchanged with the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger 41a, and then from an outlet (not shown) of the indoor unit 4a. Supply it indoors.

  As described above, the indoor expansion valve 42a has one port connected to the indoor heat exchanger 41a and the other port connected to the refrigerant in the indoor unit 4a through which the low-pressure refrigerant flowing in or out of the liquid pipe 5 flows. Connected to the pipe (liquid pipe side). When the indoor heat exchanger 41a functions as a condenser, the indoor expansion valve 42a is adjusted according to the required heating capacity, and when the indoor heat exchanger 41a functions as an evaporator, The opening is adjusted according to the required cooling capacity.

  The indoor unit 4a is provided with various sensors, and a liquid side temperature sensor 45a for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant flowing out or flowing in from the indoor heat exchanger 41a is provided on the indoor expansion valve 42a side of the indoor heat exchanger 41a. Is provided. A gas side temperature sensor 44a for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into or out of the indoor heat exchanger 41a is provided on the opposite side of the indoor heat exchanger 41a from the side where the liquid side temperature sensor 45a is provided. . Further, a room temperature sensor 46a for detecting the temperature of the indoor air is provided in the vicinity of a suction port (not shown) of the indoor unit 4a. Furthermore, the front panel (not shown) of the indoor unit 4a is an infrared sensor such as a pyroelectric sensor or a thermopile, and is a person detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the room where the indoor unit 4a is installed. A detection sensor 47a is provided.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the multi-room air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition to the compressor 21 described above, the outdoor unit 2 includes a storage unit 220, a communication unit 230, a rectifier circuit 250, an inverter 260, a fan motor 270, a sensor input unit 240, an inverter 260, and a fan motor 270. And an outdoor unit control unit 210 which is a control means for controlling.

  The rectifier circuit 250 is a circuit that rectifies an AC power supply voltage supplied from the AC power supply 300 to obtain a pulsating voltage, and is configured by a bridge diode or the like. The inverter 260 is a circuit that inputs a DC voltage smoothed by a smoothing capacitor (not shown) and drives a motor (not shown) of the compressor 21 (for example, a three-phase brushless motor) by inverter control. It is composed of a switching element and a plurality of freewheel diodes for protecting the switching element.

  The fan motor 270 rotates the outdoor fan 25 of the outdoor unit 2. The sensor input unit 240 receives detection signals from the pressure sensors and temperature sensors provided in the outdoor unit 2 and outputs the detection signals to the outdoor unit control unit 210 as detection values.

  The storage unit 220 includes a ROM and a RAM, and stores a control program for the outdoor unit 2, detection values corresponding to detection signals from the sensors, current setting information for the outdoor unit 2, and the like. The communication unit 230 is an interface that performs communication with each of the indoor units 4a to 4e.

  The outdoor unit control unit 210 receives detection values from the sensors via the sensor input unit 240, and communication data including control details of the outdoor unit 2 transmitted from the indoor units 4a to 4e is transmitted to the communication unit. 230 is input. The outdoor unit control unit 210 controls the inverter 260, the fan motor 270, the four-way valve 22, and the outdoor expansion valve 30 based on these various pieces of input information.

  The indoor units 4a to 4e include sensor input units 420a to 420e and fan motors 430a to 430e. Since the electrical configurations of the indoor units 4a to 4e are all the same, in the following description, the configuration of the indoor unit 4a will be described, and the description of the other indoor units 4b to 4e will be omitted.

  The fan motor 430a rotates the indoor fan 43a of the indoor unit 4a. The sensor input unit 420a receives detection signals from the temperature sensors provided in the indoor unit 4a, and outputs the detection signals to the indoor unit control unit 410a as detection values.

  The indoor unit control unit 410a receives detection values from the sensors via the sensor input unit 420a and communication data including control contents transmitted from the outdoor unit 2. The indoor unit control unit 410a controls the fan motor 430a and the indoor expansion valve 42a based on the various pieces of input information.

Next, the flow of the refrigerant and the operation of each part in the refrigerant circuit 10 during the heating operation and the defrosting operation / cooling operation of the multi-room air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  During the heating operation, the four-way valve 22 is in the state indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1, that is, the port a and the port d are communicated, and the port b and the port c are communicated. Thereby, the outdoor heat exchanger 23 becomes an evaporator, and all the indoor heat exchangers 41a to 41e become condensers.

  The high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 21 passes through the four-way valve 22 and the closing valve 32 and flows into the gas pipe 6, and from the gas pipe 6 to the indoor heat exchanger via the refrigerant pipes in the indoor units 4a to 4e. It flows into 41a-41e. The high-pressure refrigerant that has flowed into the indoor heat exchangers 41a to 41e is condensed by exchanging heat with the indoor air in the indoor heat exchangers 41a to 41e. Thereby, the room in which the indoor units 4a to 4e are installed is heated.

  The high-pressure refrigerant that has flowed out of the indoor heat exchangers 41a to 41e passes through the indoor expansion valves 42a to 42e and is depressurized. Here, the indoor expansion valves 42a to 42e are, for example, the indoor unit control units 410a to 410e detected the refrigerant temperature detected by the liquid side temperature sensors 45a to 45e and the high pressure saturation temperature received from the outdoor unit 2 (the high pressure of the outdoor unit 2). It is calculated from the discharge pressure detected by the sensor 51, and the refrigerant subcooling degree at the outlets of the indoor heat exchangers 41a to 41e is obtained from the temperature corresponding to the refrigerant temperature in the indoor heat exchangers 41a to 41e). The opening is determined accordingly.

  The refrigerant that has flowed out of the indoor units 4 a to 4 e flows through the liquid pipe 5 and flows into the outdoor unit 2 through the closing valve 31. The intermediate-pressure refrigerant that has flowed into the outdoor unit 2 is reduced in pressure when passing through the outdoor expansion valve 30, becomes a low-pressure refrigerant, and flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 23. The low-pressure refrigerant that has flowed into the outdoor heat exchanger 23 evaporates by exchanging heat with the outside air. The low-pressure refrigerant that has flowed out of the outdoor heat exchanger 23 is sucked into the compressor 21 through the four-way valve 22 and the accumulator 24 and is compressed again.

  In addition, the flow of the refrigerant | coolant at the time of the heating operation demonstrated above is shown by the solid line arrow in FIG. 1, the flow of the refrigerant | coolant between the compressor 21 and the four-way valve 22 is the arrow 80 (thick line arrow), and other refrigerant | coolants The flow of is indicated by arrows 60 (thin arrows).

  During the defrosting operation and the cooling operation, the four-way valve 22 is in a state indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1, that is, a state where the port a and the port b are communicated and a port c and the port d are communicated. Thereby, the outdoor heat exchanger 23 becomes a condenser, and all the indoor heat exchangers 41a to 41e become evaporators.

  The high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 21 passes through the four-way valve 22 and flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 23. The high-pressure refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 23 is condensed by exchanging heat with the outside air. The high-pressure refrigerant that has flowed out of the outdoor heat exchanger 23 passes through the outdoor expansion valve 30 that is fully opened by the outdoor unit control unit 210, passes through the closing valve 31, and flows into the liquid pipe 5.

  The refrigerant flowing through the liquid pipe 5 and flowing into the indoor units 4a to 4e passes through the indoor expansion valves 42a to 42e and is decompressed. The low-pressure refrigerant that has passed through the indoor expansion valves 42a to 42e flows into the indoor heat exchangers 41a to 41e, exchanges heat with the indoor air, and evaporates. Thereby, cooling of the room | chamber interior in which the indoor units 4a-4e were installed is performed. Here, the indoor expansion valves 42a to 42e are, for example, based on the refrigerant temperatures detected by the liquid unit temperature sensors 45a to 45e and the gas side temperature sensors 44a to 44e by the indoor unit controllers 410a to 41oe of the indoor units 4a to 4e. The degree of refrigerant superheating at the outlets of the indoor heat exchangers 41a to 41e is obtained, and the opening degree is determined accordingly.

  The low-pressure refrigerant that has flowed out of the indoor heat exchangers 41 a to 41 e flows through the gas pipe 6 and flows into the outdoor unit 2 through the closing valve 32. The low-pressure refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat 2 is sucked into the compressor 21 via the four-way valve 22 and the accumulator 24 and compressed again.

  The refrigerant flow during the defrosting operation / cooling operation described above is indicated by the solid line and broken line arrows in FIG. 1, and the refrigerant flow between the compressor 21 and the four-way valve 22 is indicated by the arrow 80 (bold line). The other refrigerant flows are indicated by arrows 70 (broken arrows).

  Next, the management table 100 shown in FIG. 3 will be described. This management table 100 is stored in the storage unit 220 of the outdoor unit 2. The management table 100 is used for managing the installation locations and identification numbers of the indoor units 4a to 4e and grasping the operation setting information in real time. The current operation state (running or stopped) from the indoor units 4a to 4e. Is received), or when the user changes the set temperature, the air volume, etc. by operating the remote controller, signals including the contents are received from the indoor units 4a to 4e and updated as needed. .

  The management table 100 displays items indicating setting information defined when the multi-room air conditioner 1 is installed, and items indicating operation information updated in normal air conditioning operation. Items indicating installation information include an identification number, an installation location, and a rated operating capacity.

  The item of the identification number is used for identifying a communication partner in communication within the multi-room air conditioner 1. The item of the installation location indicates the installation position of the indoor units 4a to 4e in the building where the multi-room air conditioner 1 is installed. The item of rated operating capacity indicates the rated operating capacity of the indoor units 4a to 4e.

  As items indicating the operation information, there are a power source indicating an operation state of each of the indoor units 4a to 4e, an operation mode which is operation information of each of the indoor units 4a to 4e, a set temperature, a room temperature, and a human detection result. The item of power supply indicates the operating state of the indoor units 4a to 4e, that is, indicates that the indoor units 4a to 4e are operating or stopped. Indicates that it is stopped. The operation mode item distinguishes between cooling and heating of the indoor units 4a to 4e, the set temperature item indicates the target room temperature set for each of the indoor units 4a to 4e, and the room temperature item indicates the indoor units 4a to 4e. The current temperature of the installed room indicates the result of detecting the presence / absence of a person in the room in which the indoor units 4a to 4e are installed by the human detection sensors 47a to 47c. As for the room temperature and the human detection result, the detection results are always transmitted from the indoor units 4a to 4e to the outdoor unit 2 regardless of whether the indoor units 4a to 4e are in operation / stopped. 100 is to be updated.

  In addition to the above items, the management table 100 is provided with items indicating the air volume and wind direction plate operation in the indoor units 4a to 4e, items indicating the timer operation setting state, and the like. The description is omitted because it is not directly related to. A table for storing the rotational speed of the compressor 21 and the outdoor fan 25 in the outdoor unit 2 and the values detected by the sensors is also stored in the storage unit 220, but is not directly related to the description of this embodiment. Description and detailed description are omitted.

  Next, the operation | movement which makes the outdoor unit 2 operate continuously in the multi-room air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, as shown in FIG. 3A, the multi-room air conditioner 1 performs a heating operation, and the indoor unit 4a (identification number: 001, installed in the room A) and the indoor unit 4b. (Identification number: 002, installed in room B) and indoor unit 4d (identification number: 004, installed in room D) have a rated operating capacity of 2.8 kW, indoor unit 4c (identification number: 003, installed in room C) And the indoor unit 4e (identification number: 005, installed in the room E) have a rated operating capacity of 2.2 kW, only one outdoor unit 4c is in operation, and those in which a person is present are the indoor unit 4b and the indoor unit It is assumed that the maximum operating capacity of the outdoor unit 2 is 2.2 kW.

  In the indoor unit 4c, the user sets the set temperature to 22 ° C. When the heating operation is started and the temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 46c is 22 ° C., which is the set temperature, the driving capability required for the indoor unit 4c is lower than the rated driving capability of 2.2 kW. 1 kW.

  Since the minimum operation capability of the outdoor unit 2 is 2.2 kW, an operation capability greater than 1.1 kW, which is the operation capability required for the indoor unit 4c, is supplied to the indoor unit 4c. In such a state, the room temperature exceeds the set temperature. The indoor unit controller 410c of the indoor unit 4c takes in the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 46c via the sensor input unit 420c, and when the room temperature becomes higher than a set temperature by a predetermined temperature (for example, 2 ° C.) or more, the indoor expansion The valve 42c is closed and the transmission of the capacity request signal (a signal requesting the rotation speed of the compressor 21 of the outdoor unit 2 according to the difference between the set temperature and room temperature) to the outdoor unit 2 is stopped, so-called thermo-off state. Transition.

  FIG. 3A shows a case where the room temperature is 25 ° C. when the set temperature is 22 ° C. The capability request signal is always transmitted from the indoor unit 4c to the outdoor unit 2 except when the thermo is off. In addition, when the thermo-off is performed, the indoor unit control unit 410c intermittently operates the indoor fan 43c, thereby taking indoor air into the indoor unit 4c and taking in the room temperature detected by the room temperature sensor 46c.

  On the other hand, the outdoor unit control unit 210 of the outdoor unit 2 starts operation of the outdoor unit 2 based on a control signal from the indoor unit 4c, and starts time measurement from the time when the indoor unit 4c starts operation. This time measurement is performed in order to measure the “predetermined time” when counting how many times the stoppage of the compressor 21 described later is performed within a predetermined time. Then, if the reception of the capability request signal from the indoor unit 4c stops during the operation of the outdoor unit 2, the outdoor unit control unit 210 determines that the indoor unit 4c has shifted to the thermo-off state, and the compressor 21 and the outdoor fan 25 is stopped. Thereby, the flow of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10 is stopped, heat exchange between the refrigerant and the indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 41c of the indoor unit 4c, and the refrigerant and the outdoor air in the outdoor heat exchanger 23 of the outdoor unit 2 are performed. No heat exchange.

  If it becomes a thermo-off state, as above-mentioned, the flow of the refrigerant | coolant in the refrigerant circuit 10 will stop, heat exchange with the refrigerant | coolant and indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 41c of the indoor unit 4c will not be performed, and this state continues. And the room temperature of the room C in which the indoor unit 4c is installed is lowered. When the room temperature reaches the set temperature (22 ° C.), the indoor unit control unit 410C releases the thermo-off state, opens the indoor expansion valve 42c, and drives the indoor fan 43c. Then, transmission of the capability request signal to the outdoor unit 2 is resumed.

  The outdoor unit controller 210 of the outdoor unit 2 that has received the capability request signal recognizes that the thermo-off state has been released in the indoor unit 4c, restarts the compressor 21 at a predetermined rotational speed, and sets the outdoor fan 25 to To drive.

  In the above-described thermo-off state, the outdoor unit control unit 210 once the compressor 21 is stopped, the time until the discharge side pressure and the suction side pressure in the compressor 21 are equalized (hereinafter referred to as pressure equalization). For example, the compressor 21 is not restarted for 3 minutes. And the outdoor unit control part 210 counts the frequency | count of a stop of the compressor 21 once after the pressure equalization time passes after stopping the compressor 21, ie, counts that the indoor unit 4c shifted to the thermo-off state once. The outdoor unit control unit 210 restarts the compressor 21 after the equalization time has elapsed. At this time, if the capacity request signal is not received from the indoor unit 4c, the outdoor unit control unit 210 compresses again or continuously. The machine 21 is stopped, and the number of stops of the compressor 21 is counted as two.

  The outdoor unit control unit 210 counts the number of stops of the compressor 21 from the time when the operation of the indoor unit 4c is started and stores it in the storage unit 220. If this number is equal to or more than a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time from the start of the operation of the indoor unit 4c, for example, 5 times or more in 30 minutes after the operation of the indoor unit 4c is started, the outdoor unit control unit 210 Is determined that the indoor unit 4c frequently shifts to the thermo-off state, that is, the operation capability required by the indoor unit 4c is lower than the minimum operation capability of the outdoor unit 2, and is required by the indoor unit. It is determined that the start condition of the adjustment operation for forcibly operating the stopped indoor unit in order to make the capacity equal to or greater than the minimum operation capacity of the outdoor unit 2 is determined.

  When the number of stoppages of the compressor 21 is 5 times or more in 30 minutes after starting the operation of the indoor unit 4c, the outdoor unit control unit 210 has measured from the time when the operation of the indoor unit 4c is started. Reset time (timer reset). Then, referring to the management table 100, an indoor unit that has stopped operation and has no people in the room is extracted, and the room having the highest priority when performing a predetermined adjustment operation among them is extracted. Select the unit and make this indoor unit start adjustment operation. The priorities in this embodiment are set in advance so that the lowest rated operating capacity of the indoor unit has the highest priority, and the priority is lowered as the rated operating capacity increases in sequence. ing. At this time, the priority when there are a plurality of indoor units having the same rated operation capacity is, for example, the multi-room air conditioner 1 in consideration of the size of the room in which the indoor unit is installed, the presence time of people, and the like. The administrator or the like may set in advance.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3B, the indoor units that are installed in a room where operation is stopped and no person is present are the indoor unit 4a, the indoor unit 4d, and the indoor unit 4e. Of these, the indoor unit 4e has the highest priority, that is, the lowest rated operating capacity, and therefore the outdoor unit control unit 210 transmits an adjustment operation start signal to the indoor unit 4e.

  The indoor unit control unit 410e of the indoor unit 4e that has received the adjustment operation start signal drives the indoor fan 43e and sets the indoor expansion valve 42e to an opening degree corresponding to the degree of refrigerant subcooling at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger 41e. Then, the adjustment operation of the indoor unit 4e is started.

  Since the rated operating capacities of the indoor unit 4c and the indoor unit 4e are the same 2.2 kW, the refrigerant subcooling degree at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger 41c and the refrigerant subcooling degree at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger 41e are the same value. Become. Therefore, the indoor unit 4e is also operated at 1.1 kW like the indoor unit 4c, and the operation capability required for the indoor unit 4c and the indoor unit 4e is equal to the minimum operation capability of the outdoor unit 2, so that the indoor unit 4c For this reason, excessive driving ability is not supplied, so that frequent transition to / off from the thermo-off state can be prevented.

  The outdoor unit control unit 210 measures the time after transmitting the adjustment operation start signal, and when this time has elapsed for a predetermined time, for example, 30 minutes, transmits the adjustment operation stop signal to the indoor unit 4e. 4e is stopped. Further, the outdoor unit control unit 210 determines that the condition for starting the adjustment operation is not satisfied within a predetermined time after the indoor unit 4c starts operation (the number of times the thermo-off state is reached within the predetermined time is 4 or less). If there is, the timer is reset after a predetermined time has elapsed, time measurement is started again, and the reception status of the capability request signal is monitored.

  The multi-room air conditioner 1 described above is installed in a room where there is no person even when the required operating capacity of one indoor unit is small compared to the minimum operating capacity of the outdoor unit 2, By performing the adjustment operation with the indoor unit that has stopped operating, the required operating capacity of the indoor unit exceeds the minimum operating capacity of the outdoor unit 2, and the thermo-off state is frequently switched / released in the operating indoor unit. Can be prevented. In addition, since the adjustment operation is performed by selecting an indoor unit installed in a room where no people are present, there is a sense of incongruity in the room that the indoor unit operates even if a person in the room does not give a driving instruction. The person does not feel uncomfortable due to the increase or decrease in the room temperature due to the adjustment operation.

  Next, the flow of processing in the multi-room air conditioner 1 according to the present invention will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 4 shows the outdoor unit of the outdoor unit 2 in a state where any one of the five indoor units 4a to 4e is in operation (the state described in the management table 100 in FIG. 3). The flow of processing in the control unit 210 will be described. ST represents a step, and the number following this represents a step number.

  In addition, processing other than the flowchart of FIG. 4, for example, switching of the four-way valve 22 in the outdoor unit 2, rotation speed of the compressor 21 corresponding to the set temperature instructed by the user, opening degree adjustment of the outdoor expansion valve 30, etc. Description of other processes in the general outdoor unit 2 is omitted. In addition, description of processing in general indoor units 4a to 4e such as drive control of indoor fans 43a to 43e in each of the indoor units 4a to 4e and adjustment of the opening degree of the indoor expansion valves 42a to 42e is omitted. .

  The outdoor unit control unit 210 starts time measurement (ST1), and determines whether or not a capability request signal is received from one operating indoor unit (hereinafter referred to as an indoor unit) (ST2). . If the capability request signal has not been received (ST2-No), the outdoor unit control unit 210 stops the compressor 21 (ST3). As described above, if the capability request signal is not received, the outdoor unit control unit 210 stops the outdoor fan 25 together with the compressor 21, but the description regarding the stop of the outdoor fan 25 is omitted in the flowchart in FIG. 4. is doing.

  Next, the outdoor unit control unit 210 determines whether or not 3 minutes, which is a pressure equalizing time, has elapsed since the compressor 21 was stopped (ST4). If three minutes have not elapsed (ST4-No), the outdoor unit control unit 210 returns the process to ST4 and continues to stop the compressor 21. If 3 minutes have passed (ST4-Yes), the outdoor unit control unit 210 counts the number of stops of the compressor 21 and stores it in the storage unit 220 (ST5).

  Next, outdoor unit control section 210 determines whether or not a predetermined time of 30 minutes has elapsed since the start of time measurement in ST1 (ST6). If 30 minutes have not elapsed (ST6-No), outdoor unit control section 210 returns the process to ST2, and repeats the processes from ST2 to ST5.

  If 30 minutes have passed (ST6-Yes), the outdoor unit control unit 210 reads the number of stops of the compressor 21 from the storage unit 220, and determines whether the number of stops is 5 or more (ST7). . If the number of stops is 4 or less (ST7-No), outdoor unit control section 210 resets the time measurement started in ST1 by performing a timer reset (ST8), and returns the process to ST1.

  If the number of stops is 5 or more (ST7-Yes), outdoor unit control section 210 resets the time measurement started in ST1 by performing a timer reset (ST10). And the outdoor unit control part 210 refers to the management table 100 memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 220, extracts the indoor unit installed in the room where a person does not exist among the stopped indoor units, and these The indoor unit with the highest priority is selected, an adjustment operation start signal is transmitted to this indoor unit (ST11), and the adjustment operation is started in the indoor unit.

  Next, outdoor unit control section 210 determines whether or not a predetermined time of 30 minutes has elapsed since the start of time measurement in ST10 (ST12). If 30 minutes have not elapsed (ST12-No), the outdoor unit control unit 210 returns the process to ST12. If 30 minutes have passed (ST12-Yes), the outdoor unit control unit 210 transmits an adjustment operation stop signal to the indoor unit that is performing the adjustment operation (ST13), and the indoor unit that is performing the adjustment operation is Stop. And the outdoor unit control part 210 returns a process to ST1.

  In ST2, if the capability request signal has been received (ST2-Yes), the outdoor unit control unit 210 operates the outdoor unit 2 based on the received capability request signal (ST9), and performs processing in ST1. return.

  As described above, according to the multi-room air conditioner of the present invention, when the driving capacity required for the indoor unit being operated is lower than the minimum required driving capacity of the outdoor unit, An instruction to start the adjustment operation is given to the indoor unit selected according to the detection result of the detection means and the predetermined priority order of the indoor unit. Thereby, the driving capability required for the indoor unit becomes higher than the minimum driving capability of the outdoor unit, and the outdoor unit can be continuously operated. Moreover, since the indoor unit installed in the room where a person does not exist is selected as the indoor unit performing the adjustment operation, it is possible to prevent the person existing in the room from feeling uncomfortable.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioning apparatus 2 Outdoor unit 4a-4e Indoor unit 5 Liquid pipe 6 Gas pipe 10 Refrigerant circuit 10a-10e Indoor refrigerant circuit 10x Outdoor refrigerant circuit 21 Compressor 22 Four-way valve 23 Outdoor heat exchanger 24 Accumulator 25 Outdoor fan 30 Outdoor expansion Valve 31 Closing valve 32 Closing valve 41a-41e Indoor heat exchanger 42a-42e Indoor expansion valve 43a-43e Indoor fan 44a-44e Gas side temperature sensor 45a-45e Liquid side temperature sensor 46a-46e Room temperature sensor 47a-47e Human detection sensor 51 High Pressure Sensor 52 Low Pressure Sensor 53 Discharge Temperature Sensor 54 Suction Temperature Sensor 55 Liquid Side Temperature Sensor 56 Heat Exchange Temperature Sensor 57 Outside Air Temperature Sensor 100 Management Table 210 Outdoor Unit Control Unit 220 Storage Unit 230 Communication Unit 240 Sensor Input Unit 250 Rectifier Circuit 260 Inverter 270 Fan motor 300 AC power source 410a to 410e Indoor unit controller 420a to 420e Sensor input unit 430a to 430e Fan motor

Claims (4)

Outdoor unit, a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit by refrigerant piping, control means for controlling the outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units, and presence / absence of persons in a room where the plurality of indoor units are installed A multi-room air conditioner comprising a human detection means for detecting
The control means acquires information related to the operating state of the plurality of indoor units and information related to the detection results of the human detection means, and the control unit is configured to obtain the driving capability required for the indoor unit being operated. If it is determined that the minimum operating capacity is large, the indoor unit selected according to the acquired operating state of the indoor unit, the detection result of the human detection means, and the predetermined priority order of the indoor unit is adjusted. A multi-room air conditioner characterized by instructing start of operation. An outdoor unit, a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit by refrigerant piping, control means for controlling the outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units, a storage unit, and a room in which the plurality of indoor units are installed A multi-room air conditioner equipped with a human detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a person,
The storage unit stores, for each of the plurality of indoor units, a management table that associates the operation state of the indoor unit with the detection result of the human detection unit,
When the outdoor unit control unit determines that the minimum operation capability of the outdoor unit is larger than the operation capability required for the indoor unit in operation, the operation state and the person detection extracted from the management table A multi-room air conditioner that instructs the indoor unit selected in accordance with a detection result of the means and a predetermined priority order of the indoor unit to start an adjustment operation.   The outdoor unit control unit refers to the management table, and among the plurality of stopped indoor units, the highest priority among the indoor units installed in a room where no person exists. The multi-room air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein an indoor unit is selected, and the indoor unit is instructed to start the adjustment operation.   The outdoor unit control unit counts the number of thermo-offs in the indoor unit when the number of the indoor units in operation is one, and performs the adjustment operation when the number of thermo-offs exceeds a predetermined number within a predetermined time. The multi-room air conditioner according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the indoor unit to be performed is selected, and the indoor unit is instructed to start the adjustment operation.