JP2012233600A - Air conditioning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioning device, in which an auxiliary power supply for supplying electric power used for taking various measures in electric power shutoff is implemented in a simple configuration, and is suppressed in increase of size and cost.SOLUTION: The air conditioning device 1 includes a compressor 24a, an outdoor expansion valve 27a, an outdoor unit control part 20a for driving and controlling them, and a thermoelectric device 25a in an outdoor unit 2a. The thermoelectric device 25a is installed in a place at high temperature, for example, near the compressor 24a, and if electric power shutoff to the outdoor unit 2a occurs, the outdoor unit control part 20a drives it by a voltage generated by the thermoelectric device 25a. Then, the outdoor unit control part 20a performs storage of operation conditions of the rotation speed of the compressor 24a and an opening and the like of the outdoor expansion valve 27a on the occurrence of the electric power shutoff and performs operation and stop control of the outdoor unit 2a such as stopping and the like of the outdoor expansion valve 27a.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner including at least one outdoor unit and an indoor unit.

  Conventionally, in an air conditioner in which an indoor unit is connected to an outdoor unit with a refrigerant pipe, the air conditioner is connected to the air conditioner by a momentary power failure caused by lightning strikes or insufficient power supply, or by a breaker operation at the installation location of the air conditioner. Various measures are taken assuming that the power supply is cut off.

  For example, the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 stores operation states such as the rotation speed of a compressor provided in the air conditioner, the opening of an electric expansion valve, the rotation speed of a blower / exhaust fan, and the like. When the power supply is cut off by this air conditioner and the power supply is cut off for a short time (for example, when an instantaneous power failure occurs), the power supply is cut off after the power supply is restored. The operation state stored immediately before is read, and the read operation state is set as a control target value to control the compressor, the electric expansion valve, and the blower / exhaust fan. As a result, when the operation of the air conditioner after the restoration of power supply is resumed, it is possible to quickly recover the air conditioning state before the power supply is shut off.

  In addition, the air conditioner described in Patent Document 2 includes an auxiliary power source such as a primary battery, a secondary battery, a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply), and a power supply device that uses a regenerative current of a fan motor. When the power supply is cut off, this auxiliary power supply is used to close the electric expansion valve. As a result, the liquid refrigerant staying in the refrigerant circuit when the air conditioner is stopped flows into the compressor and the refrigerant stagnation occurs, or the liquid refrigerant staying in the refrigerant circuit after the power supply is restored. It is possible to prevent liquid compression generated by flowing into the compressor, and to prevent breakage of the compressor due to these.

  In addition, the air conditioner described in Patent Document 3 includes an auxiliary power source mounted on the air conditioner, and if the power supply is interrupted by one of the plurality of indoor units, the auxiliary power source is used. The fact that the power supply is cut off is transmitted to the outdoor unit that manages the entire air conditioner. Normally, when communication with one of the devices constituting the air conditioner (one indoor unit in Patent Document 3) is interrupted, a communication abnormality occurs in the air conditioner management device (the outdoor unit in Patent Document 3). It recognizes that it has done, stops communication with all the apparatuses, and stops the operation | movement of an air conditioning apparatus. However, if a communication error occurs due to the power supply being interrupted by any device, the entire air conditioner can be operated even though it can communicate with other devices and thus perform air conditioning operation. There was a problem of stopping. In the air conditioner of Patent Document 3, since it is possible to notify the outdoor unit that the power supply has been cut off, it can be determined that the outdoor unit has a communication abnormality due to the power supply being cut off. Can be prevented.

JP 2007-255759 A (pages 4 to 6, FIGS. 2 and 3) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-121333 (pages 5 to 8, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-57868 (pages 4-6, FIGS. 2 and 3)

  However, the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 does not include an auxiliary power source unlike the air conditioners described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, and does not mention timing for storing the operating state. . Since it is not known when the interruption of the power supply occurs, the air conditioner described in Patent Literature 1 may not be able to store the operation state immediately before the power supply is cut off, and the power supply is quickly cut off after the power supply is restored. There was a possibility that the air-conditioning state before recovery could not be recovered.

  On the other hand, since the air conditioning apparatus described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 is equipped with an auxiliary power supply, the above problem does not occur, but there is the following problem related to the auxiliary power supply. When a primary battery is installed as an auxiliary power source, the primary battery is depleted and needs to be replaced periodically, so there is a problem that replacement work occurs. In addition, if you forget to replace it, the power supply will be cut off. There is a problem that the power cannot be supplied from the auxiliary power source and the intended function cannot be exhibited.

  In addition, when a secondary battery, UPS, or a power supply device that uses the regenerative current of a fan motor is installed as an auxiliary power source, all of these devices have a large and complicated structure, so that the size of the air conditioner is increased. In addition, there is a problem that it causes a significant cost increase of the air conditioner.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and realizes an auxiliary power supply for supplying power used for taking various measures when the power supply is cut off with a simple configuration, thereby achieving a large size. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that suppresses the increase in cost and cost.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an air conditioner of the present invention includes a compressor, a control unit that controls the compressor, and a thermoelectric element in an outdoor unit. The thermoelectric element is installed in the vicinity of the compressor, and generates electricity by the heat generated by the compressor. When the power supply to the outdoor unit is interrupted, the control unit is driven by the power generated by the thermoelectric element, and the driven control unit performs an operation stop process for the outdoor unit.

  According to the air conditioner of the present invention configured as described above, when the power supply to the outdoor unit is interrupted, the control unit is driven by the power generated by the thermoelectric element to perform the operation stop processing of the outdoor unit. . By using a thermoelectric element as an auxiliary power source when the power supply is interrupted, labor required for maintenance of the auxiliary power source can be reduced, and an increase in the size and cost of the air conditioner can be prevented.

It is composition explanatory drawing of the air conditioning apparatus which is an Example of this invention. It is a block diagram explaining the electrical connection of the outdoor unit and indoor unit of the air conditioning apparatus which is an Example of this invention. In the air conditioning apparatus which is an Example of this invention, it is operation | movement explanatory drawing when an electric power supply is interrupted | blocked by the outdoor unit. It is a flowchart explaining the process in the outdoor unit control means of the air conditioning apparatus which is an Example of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As an example, the air conditioner is installed in a five-story building, and each floor has 14 indoor units, and these 14 indoor units are connected to two outdoor units by refrigerant piping. The connection 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. In addition, “cut off of power supply” described in the examples means that when the input from the AC power source to the outdoor unit is shut off, and the voltage of the AC power source decreases, and accordingly, the air conditioner internal When the output voltage of the DC power supply falls below the rated voltage, this is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 of this embodiment is connected to a plurality of outdoor units 2, a plurality of indoor units 3, and the plurality of outdoor units 2 and indoor units 3 so as to communicate with each other via a communication line 7. And a central management device 10 that performs centralized management of the outdoor unit 2 and the indoor unit 3. The central management apparatus 10 is connected to a building management system that manages the entire building through a communication line.

  The indoor units 3 are distributed on each floor from the first floor to the fifth floor of the building, and in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the same number of rooms (14 on each floor) are provided on each floor. Machine 3 is installed. Moreover, the outdoor unit 2 is installed outdoors, for example, on the roof of a building, and two outdoor units 2 are connected to 14 indoor units 3 through refrigerant distributors 6 via flow dividers 5 for each floor. Yes. As described above, the refrigeration cycle is formed for each floor by connecting the two outdoor units 2 and the 14 indoor units 3 with the refrigerant pipe 6.

  The central management device 10 inputs an instruction to the air conditioner 1 from an operation unit (not shown) by the administrator, displays this instruction data on a display unit (not shown), and also uses the outdoor unit 2 and the indoor unit 3 via the communication line 7. Send to.

  The outdoor unit 2 and the indoor unit 3 that have received the instruction data transmitted from the central management apparatus 10 are instructed regarding operation conditions such as operation start / stop, switching of operation mode such as cooling / heating, change of set temperature, etc. according to the instruction content. Execute. When executed according to the instruction data, the latest operation setting information of the outdoor unit 2 or the indoor unit 3 is transmitted as operation setting data to the central management device 10 and stored in the central management device 10 (not shown). The management data is updated based on the received operation setting data.

  Next, the electrical configuration of the outdoor unit 2 and the indoor unit 3 will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, since the refrigeration cycle installed on each floor has the same configuration, in the following description, 14 indoor units 3 installed on the first floor and these are connected by the refrigerant pipe 6. The two outdoor units 2 will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the two outdoor units 2 constituting the refrigeration cycle on the first floor are outdoor units 2 a and 2 b. Since these two outdoor units 2a and 2b have the same configuration, the outdoor unit 2a will be described below.

  The outdoor unit 2a includes a power supply unit 21a, a storage unit 22a, a communication unit 23a, a compressor 24a, a thermoelectric element 25a, a connection means 26a, an outdoor expansion valve 27a, a rectifier circuit 28a, an inverter 29a, A four-way valve 50a and an outdoor unit control unit 20a that is a control means for controlling the outdoor expansion valve 27a, the inverter 29a, and the four-way valve 50a are provided.

  The power supply unit 21a has one end connected to the AC power supply 40 and the other end connected to a power supply terminal (not shown) of the outdoor unit control unit 20a, and converts the AC voltage supplied from the AC power supply 40 into a predetermined DC voltage. It supplies to the outdoor unit control part 20a.

The storage unit 22a stores a control program for the outdoor unit 2a, detection values of various sensors (not shown) provided in the outdoor unit 2a, a current operating state of the outdoor unit 2a, and the like. Here, the operating state of the outdoor unit 2a refers to various setting information of the outdoor unit 2a such as the rotational speed of the compressor 24a, the opening of the outdoor expansion valve 27a, the valve position of the four-way valve 50a, the rotational speed of an outdoor fan (not shown), and the like. Point to.
The communication unit 23a is an interface for communicating with each of the indoor units 3a, 3b, 3c and the central management device 10 which will be described later. In FIG. 2, the communication line 7 that connects the central management device 10 to the outdoor unit 2 and the indoor unit 3 is omitted.

  The compressor 24a is a variable capacity compressor that can be driven by a motor (not shown) whose rotation speed is controlled by an inverter 29a, which will be described later. The compressor 24a is a variable capacity compressor that is sucked from the refrigerant pipe 6 connected to the suction port. The refrigerant is compressed, and the compressed refrigerant is discharged to the refrigerant pipe 6 connected to the discharge port. Moreover, the airtight container of the compressor 24a and the refrigerant pipe 6 near the discharge port of the compressor 24a become high temperature (80 ° C. to 100 ° C.) during the operation of the compressor 24a.

  The thermoelectric element 25a is made of, for example, a Peltier element, and is disposed so that one side thereof is in contact with the airtight container of the compressor 24a or the refrigerant pipe 6 near the discharge port of the compressor 24a. In this way, power is generated by the Seebeck effect of the thermoelectric element 25a by providing a temperature difference between both surfaces of the thermoelectric element 25a with one surface of the thermoelectric element 25a being a high temperature and the other surface being a low temperature (outside temperature). The thermoelectric element 25a is connected to a connection line between the power supply unit 21a and the outdoor unit control unit 20a through connection means 26a described below.

  The connection means 26a is composed of a diode, a relay, or the like, and supplies the electric power generated by the thermoelectric element 25a to the outdoor unit control unit 20a or cuts off the supply. When the connecting means 26a is a diode, the thermoelectric element 25a is connected to the anode side of the diode, and the connection line between the power supply unit 21a and the outdoor unit control unit 20a is connected to the cathode side. In the case where the connecting means 26a is a relay, one that is open when power is supplied to the relay drive coil and closed when power supply is interrupted is used. Then, one terminal of the relay is connected to the thermoelectric element 25a, and the other terminal is connected to a connection line between the power supply unit 21a and the outdoor unit control unit 20a.

  The outdoor expansion valve 27a is an electric expansion valve whose input is adjusted by inputting a pulse signal. The outdoor expansion valve 27a is connected to the indoor unit 3 side (compressor 24a) of an outdoor heat exchanger (not shown) provided in the outdoor unit 2a. It is provided on the opposite side of the outdoor heat exchanger. The outdoor expansion valve 27a functions to adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration cycle and to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant by adjusting the opening degree.

  The rectifier circuit 28a has one end connected to the AC power supply 40 and the other end connected to the inverter 29a. The rectifier circuit 28a is a circuit that rectifies an AC voltage supplied from the AC power supply 40 to obtain a pulsating voltage, and is configured by a bridge diode or the like.

  The inverter 29a is a circuit that inputs a DC voltage smoothed by a smoothing capacitor (not shown) and drives a motor (not shown) of the compressor 24a (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 four-way valve 50a is a valve for switching the flow direction of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle, and is provided between the discharge side of the compressor 24a and the outdoor heat exchanger. The four-way valve 50a has its valve position switched by the outdoor unit controller 20a of the outdoor unit 2a that has received the operation mode instruction (heating operation / cooling operation) from the user in the indoor unit 3 via the indoor unit 3. Change the direction of refrigerant flow.

  The outdoor unit control unit 20a receives detection values from various sensors (not shown) provided in the outdoor unit 2a, and receives control data including operation conditions such as an operation mode and a set temperature transmitted from the indoor unit 3. Input via the communication unit 23a. The outdoor unit control unit 20a performs control of the inverter 29a and rotation control of an outdoor fan (not shown) in addition to the switching of the four-way valve 50a described above based on the various pieces of input information, and a pulse signal to the outdoor expansion valve 27a. To adjust the opening degree. The outdoor unit control unit 20a constantly monitors the voltage supplied from the AC power supply 40 via the power supply unit 21a. For example, the monitored voltage is less than 90% (less than 90V) of the normal voltage (100V). Then, it is recognized that the power supply will have been cut off.

  Next, the indoor unit 3 will be described. There are 14 indoor units 3 constituting the refrigeration cycle on the first floor, all of which have the same configuration, and FIG. 2 shows three indoor units 3a, 3b, and 3c. In the following description, the indoor unit 3a will be described as a representative.

  The indoor unit 3a includes a communication unit 31a that is an interface for performing communication with the outdoor unit 2, and an indoor unit control unit 30a that performs communication with the outdoor unit 2 via the communication unit 31a. Further, the indoor unit 3a is provided with a remote controller 4a for operating the indoor unit 3a, and responds to a user's driving instruction by a wireless method such as infrared rays or radio waves, or by wired communication using a communication line. The communication data is transmitted to the indoor unit control unit 30a.

  The remote controller 4a is provided with operation buttons (not shown) for determining the operation mode such as operation start / stop of the indoor unit 3a, cooling / heating operation, setting of the set temperature, air volume, wind direction plate operation, and the like. Operation instruction data corresponding to various instruction contents for air conditioning control is transmitted to 3a by operating these operation buttons.

  The indoor unit control unit 30a receives detection values from various sensors (not shown) provided in the indoor unit 3a and driving instruction data transmitted from the remote controller 4a, and includes control contents transmitted from the outdoor unit 2. Communication data is input. The indoor unit control unit 30a controls the rotation of an indoor fan (not shown) and the operation of the wind direction plate based on the input various pieces of information.

  In the air conditioner 1 having the above-described configuration, when the user instructs the start of the operation of the indoor unit 3 by operating the remote controller 4, the indoor unit control units (indoor unit control units 30a, 30b, 30c of the indoor unit 3). ...) transmits an operation start signal to the outdoor unit 2a. The outdoor unit control unit 20a that has received the operation start signal via the communication unit 23a controls the inverter 29a according to the magnitude of the operation load required by the indoor unit 3 so that the compressor 24a is rotated at a predetermined rotational speed. While operating, the four-way valve 50a is operated according to the instructed operation mode, and the outdoor unit 2a is started to operate with the outdoor expansion valve 27a set to a predetermined opening degree. As a result, the refrigerant circulates in the refrigeration cycle, and heat exchange between the refrigerant and air is performed in the outdoor heat exchanger of the outdoor unit 2 and the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit 3, thereby cooling and heating the room. Is called.

  In the air conditioner 1, the number of the outdoor units 2 to be operated is determined according to the increase or decrease of the operation load on the indoor unit 3 side. For example, out of the two outdoor units 2a and 2b, the outdoor unit 2a is determined as a master unit and the outdoor unit 2b is defined as a slave unit, and the operation load on the indoor unit 3 side is low. Only the outdoor unit 2a is operated when it can cope with the operating load. When the operation load on the indoor unit 3 side is high and the required operation load cannot be accommodated unless the two outdoor units 2 are operated, the outdoor unit control unit 20a of the outdoor unit 2a is connected to the outdoor unit via the communication unit 23a. A driving instruction signal for instructing the machine 2b to start driving is transmitted. The outdoor unit control unit 20b that has received the operation instruction signal via the communication unit 23b controls the inverter 29b according to the magnitude of the operation load required by the indoor unit 3 so that the compressor 24b is rotated at a predetermined rotational speed. In addition to the operation, the four-way valve 50b is operated according to the instructed operation mode, the outdoor expansion valve 27b is set to a predetermined opening degree, and the operation of the outdoor unit 2b is started.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the principle and specific operation of performing the operation stop process when the power supply is interrupted by the outdoor unit 2 in the air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment will be described. For example, when the breaker corresponding to the place where the two outdoor units 2a and 2b are installed is operated, or when the supply voltage is instantaneously decreased due to activation of other electric devices, the outdoor unit 2a, As the case where the power supply is interrupted in 2b, the case where the power supply is interrupted for both the outdoor units 2a and 2b and the case where one of the outdoor units 2a and 2b is interrupted are considered. . In the following, problems that occur in each case will be described.

[When power supply is shut off for both outdoor units 2a and 2b]
When the power supply is interrupted in both the outdoor units 2a and 2b, the outdoor expansion valves 27a and 27b of both outdoor units remain open at a predetermined opening degree. At this time, in the air conditioning apparatus 1, the liquid refrigerant stays in the refrigerant pipe 6 in any of the cooling operation / heating operation. The liquid refrigerant staying in the refrigerant pipe 6 tries to move to the low pressure side when the operation of the air conditioner 1 is stopped, but when normal stop processing can be performed (not shutting off the power supply, for example, operation stop by remote control operation, etc. ), The outdoor unit controllers 20a and 20b operate even after the operation is stopped, and the outdoor expansion valves 27a and 27b are fully closed after the operation is stopped, so that the liquid refrigerant to be moved is the outdoor expansion valves 27a and 27b. It will be dammed up.

  However, when the power supply is cut off, the power supply to the outdoor unit control units 20a and 20b is also cut off and the outdoor unit control units 20a and 20b are stopped. Therefore, the outdoor expansion valves 27a and 27b cannot be fully closed. In this state, the liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe 6 cannot stop flowing to the low pressure side, so the liquid refrigerant flows into the compressors 24a and 24b after the operation is stopped. When the liquid refrigerant flows into the compressors 24a and 24b, a state in which the liquid refrigerant is dissolved in the refrigeration oil, so-called refrigerant stagnation occurs, and when the power is restored and the compressors 24a and 24b are restarted, the viscosity of the refrigeration oil decreases. There is a possibility that the compressors 24a and 24b are damaged due to the above. Further, when the compressors 24a and 24b are restarted, liquid refrigerant staying in the refrigerant pipe 6 may be sucked into the compressors 24a and 24b and compressed, so-called liquid compression may occur. There is a risk of damage to 24a and 24b.

[When power supply of one of the outdoor units 2a, 2b is cut off]
For example, when the power supply is interrupted by the outdoor unit 2b, the outdoor unit control unit 20b of the outdoor unit 2b stops, and communication with the outdoor unit 2a that is the parent unit or communication with the central management device 10 becomes impossible. . As described above, if the communication abnormality is caused by the interruption of the power supply generated in a part of the air conditioner 1, it is not necessary to stop the communication of the entire air conditioner 1, but the communication of the air conditioner 1 is usually performed. When communication becomes impossible in a part of the network, for example, the central management device 10 determines that a communication failure has occurred in the refrigerant system, and instructs the outdoor unit 2 to stop all communication. Thereby, there exists a problem that the driving | operation of the air conditioning apparatus 1 stops all.

  In addition, when the outdoor unit 2 normally stops operation and then restarts, the initial setting value (the valve positions of the four-way valves 50a and 50b stored in the storage units 22a and 22b in advance) The operation is started with the opening degree of the outdoor expansion valves 27a, 27b, etc.) as the control target value. However, when the outdoor unit 2b shuts off the power supply and then the power supply is restored, the outdoor unit 2b restarts and starts operation with the initial set value as the control target value. There is a risk of driving in a cycle.

  For example, at the start of operation, the outdoor units 2a and 2b are both regulated so as to be set to the initial setting values during the heating operation, and the refrigeration cycle including the outdoor units 2a and 2b performs the cooling operation according to a user instruction. Assume that the power supply is interrupted by the outdoor unit 2b during the operation. In this case, if the outdoor unit 2b is controlled to have the initial setting value when the power is restored and the outdoor unit 2b is restarted, the outdoor unit 2a and the outdoor unit 2b connected by the same refrigerant pipe 6 are used. Different refrigeration cycles, that is, the outdoor unit 2b in which the power supply is not cut off are controlled to be set at the time of the cooling operation, and the outdoor unit 2b in which the power supply is cut off is controlled to be set at the time of the heating operation ( There is a risk that the compressors 24a and 24b may be damaged.

  In order to prevent the above problems, in the air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, the outdoor units 2a and 2b are provided with thermoelectric elements 25a and 25b, and when the power supply to the outdoor units 2a and 2b is interrupted, Using the electric power generated by the thermoelectric elements 25a and 25b, the outdoor unit control units 20a and 20b fully close the outdoor expansion valves 27a and 27b, and the rotation speeds of the compressors 24a and 24b when the power supply is shut off. The storage unit 22a, 22b stores the operating state of the outdoor units 2a, 2b, such as the valve positions of the four-way valves 50a, 50b, the opening degrees of the outdoor expansion valves 27a, 27b, etc. An operation stop process is performed such as transmitting a power supply cutoff signal for notifying that.

  The operation stop process when the power supply is interrupted will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, it is assumed that the power supply is interrupted by the outdoor unit 2a. When the electric power supply is interrupted by the outdoor unit 2a, the electric power generated by the thermoelectric element 25a is supplied to the outdoor unit control unit 20a by the action of the connecting means 26a. Here, when the connection means 26a is a diode, it operates because the voltage on the cathode side becomes lower than the voltage on the anode side due to the power supply being cut off. In the case where the connecting means 26a is a relay, the relay is closed and operated when the application of voltage to the drive coil of the relay is interrupted when the power supply is cut off.

  As described above, since the thermoelectric element 25a is installed at a high temperature location such as the sealed container of the compressor 24a or the refrigerant pipe 6 near the discharge port, the thermoelectric element 25a is shown in FIG. Thus, the electric power that always becomes the voltage Vg is generated. In addition, when the state where the electric power supply is shut off in the outdoor unit 2a continues for a long time, the temperature in the vicinity of the compressor 24a gradually decreases, so that the power generation (voltage Vg) in the thermoelectric element 25a is also shown in FIG. As shown by the broken line in FIG.

  On the other hand, the outdoor unit control unit 20a recognizes that the power supply has been cut off if the voltage corresponding to the AC power supply 40 (for example, 100V) monitored via the power supply unit 21b is less than 90V. In FIG. 3A, the solid line shows the case where the power supply is restored in a relatively short time after the power supply is cut off. The outdoor unit control unit 20a monitors the power supply via the power supply unit 21b. If the voltage is 90 V or higher, it is recognized that the power supply has been restored. In FIG. 3A, the broken line indicates a case where the state where the power supply is cut off continues for a long time, and the voltage monitored by the outdoor unit control unit 20a via the power source unit 21b is a certain time later. Becomes 0V.

  If the power supply from the AC power supply 40 is cut off and the voltage becomes less than 90V, the drive voltage Vcc of the outdoor unit control unit 20a supplied from the power supply unit 21a decreases as shown in FIG. If the voltage supplied from the power supply 40 becomes 0V, the drive voltage Vcc also becomes 0V. In this case, the connecting means 26a is activated so that the drive voltage Vcc is supplied from the thermoelectric element 25a to the outdoor unit controller 20a. become. When the above-described power supply is restored in a relatively short time, the connecting means 26a is activated to supply the drive voltage Vcc from the power supply unit 21a to the outdoor unit control unit 20a as shown in FIG. Will also recover. Although illustration is omitted, when the state where the power supply is cut off continues for a long time, the voltage generated by the thermoelectric element 25a decreases as the temperature in the vicinity of the compressor 24a decreases, and eventually becomes 0V. . And if the voltage generated with the thermoelectric element 25a will be 0V, the outdoor unit control part 20a will also stop.

  The outdoor unit controller 20a that has recognized that the power supply from the AC power source 40 has been cut off, the central management device 10 confirms that the power supply to the outdoor unit 2a has been cut off, as shown in FIG. A power supply cutoff signal to be notified is transmitted. Thereby, even if the state where the power supply is cut off for a long time and communication with the outdoor unit 2a cannot be performed, the central management device 10 is due to the fact that the power supply is cut off rather than a communication abnormality. Therefore, the communication with the other outdoor units 2 is not stopped, and the overall control of the air conditioner 1 is performed without delay.

  After transmitting the power supply cutoff signal to the central management device 10, the outdoor unit controller 20a, as shown in FIG. 3 (e), the rotational speed of the compressor 24a when the power supply is cut off and the outdoor expansion valve 27a. And the operation state such as the valve position of the four-way valve 50a is stored in the storage unit 22a. Thereby, when the interruption of the power supply is restored in a short time, the outdoor unit control unit 20a reads the operation state when the power supply stored in the storage unit 22a is cut off, and the rotation speed of the compressor 24a Since the opening degree of the outdoor expansion valve 27a, the valve position of the four-way valve 50a, and the like can be returned to the state before the power supply is shut off, the outdoor unit 2a and the outdoor unit 2b Operation with different refrigeration cycles can be prevented.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 (f), the outdoor unit control unit 20a transmits a predetermined pulse signal to the outdoor expansion valve 27a in parallel with the storage of the operation state to fully close the outdoor expansion valve 27a. As a result, it is possible to prevent refrigerant stagnation that occurs when the outdoor unit 2a is shut down due to the interruption of power supply, and liquid compression that occurs when the power supply is restored and the compressor 24a is restarted. it can.
In addition, transmission of the electric power supply interruption | blocking signal to the central management apparatus 10 shown to FIG.3 (d)-(f), the memory | storage of an operation state, and the full closure of the outdoor expansion valve 27a are as shown in FIG.3 (c). This is all done until the voltage Vg generated by the thermoelectric element 25a drops below the drive voltage Vcc.

  As described above, in the air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, even if the power supply is interrupted by the outdoor unit 2, the driving voltage is supplied to the outdoor unit control unit by the thermoelectric element provided in the outdoor unit 2. The outdoor unit control unit can perform an operation stop process. Thereby, the operation | movement of the air conditioning apparatus 1 whole is not stopped, and the failure | damage of the compressor of the outdoor unit 2 can be prevented.

  Next, the flow of processing in the outdoor unit 2 in the air conditioner 1 of the present invention will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 4 explains the flow of processing related to the operation stop process in the outdoor unit control unit of the outdoor unit 2 whose power supply is cut off. In the following description, the power supply is cut off by the outdoor unit 2a. It will be described as.

  In FIG. 4, ST represents a step, and the subsequent numbers represent step numbers. Further, other general air such as processing other than the flowchart of FIG. 4, for example, control based on operation information instructed by the user with the remote controller 4a, switching control of the compressor 24a and the four-way valve 50a in the outdoor unit 2a, and the like. The description of the processing in the harmony device 1 is omitted.

  The outdoor unit control unit 20a determines whether or not the voltage supplied from the AC power supply 40 via the power supply unit 21a has decreased (ST1). If the voltage has decreased (ST1-Yes), the outdoor unit control unit 20a determines that the power supply has been cut off by the outdoor unit 2a, and transmits a power supply cut-off signal to the central management device 10 (ST2). ). When the power supply is cut off, the connecting means 26a is closed, and the drive voltage is supplied from the thermoelectric element 25a to the outdoor unit controller 20a.

  Next, the outdoor unit control part 20a memorize | stores the driving | running state when electric power supply is interrupted | blocked in the memory | storage part 22a (ST3). Next, the outdoor unit control unit 20a fully closes the outdoor expansion valve 27a (ST4).

  Next, the outdoor unit control unit 20a determines whether or not the voltage supplied from the AC power supply 40 has been restored (the voltage has become 90 V or higher) (ST5). If the voltage is not restored (ST5-No), the outdoor unit control unit 20a returns the process to ST5. If the voltage has been restored (ST5-Yes), the outdoor unit control unit 20a determines that the interruption of the power supply has been restored. And the operation state when the power supply memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 22a is interrupted is read (ST6), the driving | operation of the outdoor unit 2a is restarted (ST7), and it controls using the read operation state as a control target value. . And the outdoor unit control part 20a returns a process to ST1.

  If no voltage drop occurs in ST1 (ST1-No), the outdoor unit control unit 20a determines whether or not an operation start signal is input from the remote controller 4a (ST8). If the operation start signal is not input (ST8-No), the outdoor unit control unit 20a advances the process to ST10.

  If the operation start signal is input (ST8-Yes), the outdoor unit controller 20a starts the operation of the outdoor unit 2a based on the input signal from the remote controller 4a (ST9).

  Next, the outdoor unit controller 20a determines whether or not an operation stop signal has been input from the remote controller 4a (ST10). If the operation stop signal is not input (ST10-No), the outdoor unit control unit 20a continues the current state of the outdoor unit 2a, that is, continues the operation state if it is operating, and if it is stopped. The stopped state is continued (ST12). And the outdoor unit control part 20a returns a process to ST1. If the operation stop signal is input (ST10-Yes), the outdoor unit control unit 20a stops the operation of the outdoor unit 2a by stopping the compressor 24a, fully closing the outdoor expansion valve 27a, and the like. (ST11). And the outdoor unit control part 20a returns a process to ST1.

  As described above, according to the air conditioner of the present invention, when the power supply to the outdoor unit is interrupted, the control unit is driven by the power generated by the thermoelectric element to perform the operation stop processing of the outdoor unit. . By using a thermoelectric element as an auxiliary power source when the power supply is interrupted, labor required for maintenance of the auxiliary power source can be reduced, and an increase in the size and cost of the air conditioner can be prevented.

  In this embodiment, when the power supply is cut off by the outdoor unit, the outdoor unit control unit sends a power supply cut-off signal to the central management device to notify that the power supply is cut off. Not limited to this, by notifying other outdoor units belonging to the same refrigeration cycle that the power supply has been cut off, the operation modes of a plurality of outdoor units in the event of a momentary interruption of the power supply have occurred. Problems due to inconsistencies can be prevented.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioning apparatus 2, 2a, 2b Outdoor unit 3, 3a, 3b, 3c Indoor unit 4, 4a, 4b, 4c Remote control 5 Divider 6 Refrigerant piping 7 Communication line 10 Central management apparatus 20a, 20b Outdoor unit control part 21a, 21b Power supply unit 22a, 22b Storage unit 23a, 23b Communication unit 24a, 24b Compressor 25a, 25b Thermoelectric element 26a, 26b Connection means 27a, 27b Outdoor expansion valve 28a, 28b Rectifier circuit 29a, 29b Inverter 30a, 30b, 30c Indoor unit Control part 31a, 31b, 31c Communication part 40 AC power supply

Claims (2)

An air conditioner in which at least one outdoor unit comprising a compressor and a control means for controlling the compressor and at least one indoor unit are connected by a refrigerant pipe,
A thermoelectric element is provided in the vicinity of the compressor of the outdoor unit, and the thermoelectric element generates power by the heat generated by the compressor,
When the power supply to the outdoor unit is interrupted, the electric power generated by the thermoelectric element is supplied to the control unit, and the control unit performs an operation stop process in the outdoor unit. The outdoor unit includes a connection unit having one end connected to the thermoelectric element and the other end connected to the control unit.
2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein when the power supply to the outdoor unit is interrupted, the connection unit operates to connect the thermoelectric element and the control unit.

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