JP2013221648A - Air conditioning system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To grant a main controller an authority level that prohibits a subcontroller from changing setting, and an authority level that permits the subcontroller to change the setting when setting the prohibition or permission of a remote-controlled operation on each indoor unit by a user so that the superiority of the main controller is maintained, and the flexibility of the subcontroller is increased.SOLUTION: When a main controller 1 and a subcontroller 2 prohibit or permit a user to remotely control predetermined operations on an indoor unit 10, an authority level in a low level L1 or a high level L2 is added to contents of settings from the main controller 1, however, only the authority level in the low level L1 is added to contents of setting from the subcontroller 2. The indoor unit 10 preferentially adopts the setting with the higher authority level.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioning system that manages indoor units of an air conditioner as a group by a controller, for example, for each tenant or each level of a building, and more specifically, a main controller that centrally manages the entire system and a part of the system. The present invention relates to a control system for a management system of sub-controllers for group management.

  The air conditioner is basically operated by the user's remote controller (remote controller) to start / stop operation, switch the heating / cooling operation mode, set the temperature, etc. For example, a large occupant with many tenants In a building or the like, predetermined operation items are centrally managed by a building manager, and individual remote control operations by a user are prohibited (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  By the way, as an example, when it becomes a large-scale air conditioning system in which about several tens of indoor units are arranged on one floor and several of these indoor units are used by a plurality of tenants, Since it is difficult to centrally manage the entire system with a single main controller installed, for example, a touch panel type sub-controller is assigned to each tenant A, B, C. Thus, a plurality of indoor units are managed as a group.

  In this way, when a sub-controller is assigned to each tenant separately from the main controller in the system, conventionally, for example, the set temperature change is prohibited by the remote controller for the tenant A indoor unit in the main controller. ", The setting is canceled without permission by the sub-controller of the tenant A, and the set temperature is freely changed by the operation of the remote controller.

  As one of the countermeasures, access the main controller setting screen to the sub controller, set a password that allows the setting change only for specific operation items, and use the contents set in the main controller unless that password is used. Although there is a method of preventing the change, it is not preferable for the tenant that not only the operation is troublesome but also the password is often forgotten.

  As another method, there is a method in which setting change by the sub controller is impossible and the sub controller is set to a mode that makes the sub controller equivalent to a remote control operation by a normal user. The degree of freedom of air conditioning management is considerably limited, which is undesirable for tenants.

JP-A-10-148381

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide various settings for each indoor unit in an air conditioning system including a main controller that manages the indoor units of the entire system and a sub-controller that manages a plurality of indoor units as a group. The main controller has an authority level that disables setting changes by the sub-controller and an authority level that allows setting changes by the sub-controller. The purpose is to increase the degree of freedom.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 comprises a plurality of indoor units managed as a group, and the main controller and sub-controller 2 are connected to each control unit of the indoor units via communication means. In the air conditioning system in which two controllers are connected, and the controller of the indoor unit is set to prohibit or permit the remote control operation by the user of the predetermined operation item from each controller.
The predetermined operation items for which the remote control operation is prohibited or permitted are provided with authority levels for determining the setting priority for each item, and the authority levels include a low level L1 and a high level L2.
The control unit of each indoor unit includes a setting for prohibiting or permitting remote control operation of the predetermined operation item and a storage unit for storing the authority level, and each controller performs remote control operation of the predetermined operation item. When sending a signal to set prohibition or permission, add the authority level of the setting priority and send it to the control unit of the indoor unit,
The control unit of each indoor unit has the authority level of the setting priority added to the received signal for setting the prohibition or permission of remote control operation of the predetermined operation item, and the setting stored in the storage unit Compare with the authority level of the priority order, and if the authority level of the received setting priority order is the same or higher, it is rewritten to the setting for prohibiting or permitting remote control operation of the received predetermined operation item, and the authority of the received setting priority order If the level is low, the received signal is discarded.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in claim 1, as the authority level, the main controller has a low level L1 and a high level L2, and the sub-controller has only a low level L1. It is said.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, each of the controllers includes a display unit, and the setting details of whether or not the remote controller can be operated set in the control unit of the indoor unit can be rewritten. Whether or not there is is displayed on the display unit.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when setting the prohibition or permission of the remote control operation by the user to the control unit of the indoor unit for the predetermined operation item, the authority level of the low level L1 or the high level L2 is set in the setting. In addition, the control unit of the indoor unit can change the setting according to the authority level or disable the change of the setting, thereby prohibiting remote control operation according to the importance of air conditioning management. Can be allowed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the main controller has the authority level of the low level L1 and the high level L2, and the sub-controller has the authority level of the low level L1, thereby controlling the control unit of the indoor unit. It is possible to increase the degree of freedom on the sub-controller side while maintaining the advantage on the main controller side when setting the prohibition or permission of remote control operation by the user.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the display contents of each controller, in particular, the sub-controller, display the setting contents of the remote controller operation set in the control unit of the indoor unit. Whether the setting can be changed can be determined based on the added authority level.

The schematic diagram which shows one Embodiment of the air conditioning system by this invention. The flowchart which shows the setting operation | movement of the remote control operation availability by contrast of an authority level. The flowchart which shows the judgment of the operation availability by the comparison of the authority level in the sub controller side. (A) a schematic diagram showing an example of a display pattern that cannot be changed, (b) a schematic diagram showing an example of a first display pattern that can be changed, and (c) a second display that can be changed. The schematic diagram which shows the example of 2 display patterns.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  The air conditioning system according to this embodiment includes a large number of indoor units. In FIG. 1, for example, an indoor unit 10A installed in a tenant A occupancy room and a tenant B occupancy room are installed. An indoor unit 10B is shown.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, there are eight indoor units 10A and 10B, but this has no special meaning. In addition, when it is not necessary to particularly identify each indoor unit, the indoor unit 10 is used as a generic name. Each indoor unit 10 is connected to an outdoor unit (both not shown) via a refrigerant pipe. However, the configuration thereof may be arbitrary, and the description thereof is omitted here.

  Each indoor unit 10 includes a control unit 11 and operates based on instruction signals from the remote controller 3 for various operation items such as “operation / stop”, “cooling / heating”, and “temperature setting”. In managing the air conditioning operation of the machine 10, the air conditioning system of the present invention includes a main controller 1 and a sub-controller 2.

  In the indoor unit 10, the control unit 11 receives an instruction signal from the remote controller 3, and also receives a setting signal indicating whether or not the remote controller operation is permitted, including prohibition and permission of the remote controller operation from the controllers 1 and 2.

  The main controller 1 monitors all indoor units 10 included in the air conditioning system, and is preferably installed, for example, in a management room that only a building owner or manager can enter. The main controller 1 can operate each indoor unit 10 similarly to the remote controller 3 and includes a display unit 101 that displays a setting screen described later.

  The main controller 1 can set prohibition or permission of remote control operation by the user for the control unit 11 of each indoor unit 10 for a predetermined operation item.

  The setting by the main controller 1 can be performed for all the indoor units 10, tenants A and B or specified individual indoor units 10. In the case where the setting target is the tenant A, B unit or individual indoor unit 10, the identification signal ID for identifying them is attached to the setting signal.

  On the other hand, the sub-controller 2 is installed in each tenant A and B occupancy room, and the sub-controller 2A of the tenant A is assigned to a group of the indoor units 10A of the tenant A, and the sub-controller of the tenant B 2B is allocated to a group of each indoor unit 10B of the tenant B.

  The sub-controller 2 (2A, 2B) may be, for example, a touch panel type controller disposed on a wall surface, and the sub-controller 2 (2A, 2B) also controls the control unit 11 of each indoor unit 10 (10A, 10B). On the other hand, a setting signal indicating whether or not the user can operate the remote control is given. Similarly to the remote controller 3, the sub-controller 2 (2A, 2B) also includes operation buttons for various operation items such as “operation / stop”, “cooling / heating”, and “temperature setting” of the indoor unit 10. The sub-controller 2 (2A, 2B) includes a display unit 201 that displays a setting screen described later.

  In this way, the main controller 1 and the sub-controller 2 set the prohibition or permission (remote control operation permission / prohibition) of the remote control operation by the user to the control unit 11 of each indoor unit 10 for each predetermined operation item. However, in the present invention, among the setting items for whether or not the remote controller can be operated by the main controller 1, for example, in order to prevent the sub controller 2 from changing the setting of operation items that are highly important for air conditioning management, The controllers 1 and 2 are given authority levels, and the control unit 11 of the indoor unit 10 adopts those having higher authority levels.

  In this embodiment, the authority level has two levels, a low level L1 and a high level L2, and the main controller 1 has two levels, a low level L1 and a high level L2, whereas the sub-controller 2 has a low level. Only L1 is provided.

  The authority level is set on a setting screen displayed on the display unit 101 of the main controller 1, and for security reasons, it is preferable that a password is set so that only a specific administrator can access the setting screen.

  The authority level is added to the setting signal indicating whether or not the remote controller can be operated, and is transmitted from the controllers 1 and 2 to the control unit 11 of each indoor unit 10. As described above, the authority level added to the setting signal of the main controller 1 for the control unit 11 of each indoor unit 10 is either the low level L1 or the high level L2, but the setting signal of the sub controller 2 The added authority level is always the low level L1.

  With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2, the control unit 11 of each indoor unit 10 first receives, for example, “remote control operation prohibition” as a setting signal from the main controller 1 or the sub-controller 2 for a predetermined operation item in step ST20. Then, in step ST21, it is determined whether or not the remote controller can be operated on the own machine (indoor unit 10), whether or not the setting has already been made (whether it has not been set).

  If the result is YES, that is, if it is not set, in step ST22, “remote control operation prohibition” is set, and the operation signal from the remote control 3 is subsequently ignored for the predetermined operation item.

  If the result in step ST21 is NO and it is determined that the setting is not set but not set, in step ST23, the authority level (current level value) added to the setting and the setting signal transmitted this time are set. Is compared with the authority level (current level value) added to, and it is determined whether or not current level value ≦ current level value.

  If the result is YES and the current level value ≦ the current level value, the process proceeds to step ST22 to “prohibit remote control operation”, and the operation signal from the remote control 3 is subsequently ignored for the predetermined operation item.

  On the other hand, if the determination result in step ST23 is NO and the current level value> the current level value, the setting of “prohibit remote control operation” transmitted in step ST24 is discarded, and the current setting (already set) ).

More specific description will be given with reference to the following Table 1.

  First, a case where the predetermined operation item is “operation / stop” will be described. A state where “remote controller operation permission” is set from the main controller 1 at a low level L1, for example, to the control unit 11 of the indoor unit 10. Thus, when “prohibit remote control operation (low level L1)” is set from the sub-controller 2, the control unit 11 of the indoor unit 10 has both the authority level at the low level L1. “Prohibit” is adopted, and the “operation / stop” instruction of the indoor unit by the remote controller 3 is ignored as “remote control operation prohibition” thereafter.

  As a next example, with respect to the item “operation mode (switching between cooling / heating)”, a state where “prohibit remote control operation” is set at a high level L2 from the main controller 1 to the control unit 11 of the indoor unit 10. Then, when “permitted remote control operation (low level L1)” is set from the sub-controller 2, since the current level is the high level L2, the setting from the sub-controller 2 is discarded, and “remote control operation prohibition at the high level L2” ”. Therefore, the cooling / heating cannot be switched by the remote controller 3.

  In this embodiment, the setting to which the high level L2 is added can be changed only from the main controller 1. That is, as in the above example, when “prohibit remote control operation” is set at the high level L2, in order to change this to “permit remote control operation”, the “remote control operation permit” from the main controller 1 at the high level L2. "Is given to the control unit 11 of the indoor unit 10.

  In addition, regarding the item “set temperature”, the sub-controller 2 sets “remote control operation” to the control unit 11 of the indoor unit 10 in a state where “prohibit remote control operation” is set from the main controller 1 at a low level L1, for example. When “permitted (low level L1)” is set, the authority level is both low level L1, so the setting transmitted from the sub-controller 2 transmitted this time is adopted, and the setting content is set to “prohibit remote control operation” → “ It is rewritten to “remote control operation permission”, and the set temperature can be changed by the remote control 3.

  As described above, the authority level added by the main controller 1 is set to the high level L2 for the setting items that are not desired to be changed on the tenant side, and is set to the low level L1 for the setting items that may be changed on the tenant side. The degree of freedom of air conditioning management on the sub controller 2 (tenant) side can be increased while maintaining the superiority on the main controller 1 (manager) side.

  Next, since the main controller 1, the sub-controller 2, and each indoor unit 10 are connected so as to be capable of bidirectional communication via communication means such as a LAN, each controller 1, 2 is set to each indoor unit 10. You can know the contents including the authority level.

  Therefore, as another embodiment, the function of the sub-controller 2 will be described. The sub-controller 2 determines whether the sub-controller 2 is self-regarded for each indoor unit 10 according to the authority level of each operation item set for each indoor unit 10 from the main controller 1. It is determined whether the setting can be changed from the machine (sub-controller 2).

  With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3, the sub-controller 2 first receives setting contents from each indoor unit 10 in step ST30. In step ST31, it is determined whether or not the indoor unit 10 has been set with respect to whether or not the remote controller can be operated (whether it has not been set).

  If the result is YES, that is, it is not set, in step ST32, the sub controller 2 recognizes that the setting state of the indoor unit 10 can be changed, and the setting screen displayed on the display unit 201 of the sub controller 2 For example, the pattern of FIG. 4C indicating that the setting state of the indoor unit 10 can be changed is displayed. In addition, the pattern in which the key of FIG.4 (c) is vacant means that the present setting state of the indoor unit 10 is not remote control operation prohibition but remote control operation permission.

  On the other hand, if the result in step ST31 is NO and it is determined that the setting is not set but not set, in step ST33, the authority level (current level value) added to the setting and the sub-controller 2 are determined. It is determined whether or not the authority level (low level L1) possessed by is equal.

  If the result is YES and the current level value = low level L1, in step ST34, the sub controller 2 recognizes that the setting state of the indoor unit 10 can be changed and is displayed on the display unit 201 of the sub controller 2. For example, a pattern shown in FIG. 4B indicating that the setting state of the indoor unit 10 can be changed is displayed on the setting screen. Note that the locked pattern in FIG. 4B means that the current setting state of the indoor unit 10 is prohibited from remote control operation.

  On the other hand, if the result in step ST33 is NO and the current level value> low level L1, that is, if the current level value is high level L2, in step ST35, the sub controller 2 changes the set state of the indoor unit 10 in step ST35. For example, the pattern shown in FIG. 4A is displayed on the setting screen displayed on the display unit 201 of the sub-controller 2 to indicate that the setting cannot be changed. The pattern in FIG. 4A means that the indoor unit 10 is being managed by another unit (main controller 1), and the setting state cannot be changed from the sub-controller 2.

  For example, the patterns shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C indicating the current setting state of the indoor unit 10 may be displayed on the setting screen displayed on the display unit 101 of the main controller 1.

  As described above, if the remote controller operation mode is set to the control unit 11 of the indoor unit 10 from the main controller 1 at the authority level of the high level L2 for the predetermined operation item, the sub-controller 2 controls the remote controller for the same operation item. Since it is impossible to transmit the availability of the operation, the remote controller operation mode at the high level L2 set by the main controller 1 is not changed by the sub-controller 2.

1 Main controller 2 (2A, 2B) Sub-controller 3 Remote control 10 Indoor unit 11 Control unit of indoor unit A, B Tenant

Claims (3)

A plurality of indoor units managed as a group are provided, and two controllers, a main controller and a sub-controller, are connected to each control unit of the indoor unit via a communication unit. In the air conditioning system for setting the prohibition or permission of remote control operation by the user of the predetermined operation item for the control unit,
The predetermined operation items for which the remote control operation is prohibited or permitted are provided with authority levels for determining the setting priority for each item, and the authority levels include a low level L1 and a high level L2.
The control unit of each indoor unit includes a setting for prohibiting or permitting remote control operation of the predetermined operation item and a storage unit for storing the authority level.
When each controller transmits a signal for setting prohibition or permission of remote control operation of the predetermined operation item, the controller adds an authority level of the setting priority order and transmits it to the control unit of the indoor unit,
The control unit of each indoor unit has the authority level of the setting priority added to the received signal for setting the prohibition or permission of remote control operation of the predetermined operation item, and the setting stored in the storage unit Compare with the authority level of the priority order, and if the authority level of the received setting priority order is the same or higher, it is rewritten to the setting for prohibiting or permitting remote control operation of the received predetermined operation item, and the authority of the received setting priority order An air conditioning system that discards a received signal if the level is low.   The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the main controller has a low level L1 and a high level L2, and the sub-controller has only a low level L1.   Each of the controllers includes a display unit, and the display unit displays whether or not the setting of whether or not the remote controller can be operated is set in the control unit of the indoor unit. Item 3. The air conditioning system according to Item 1 or 2.

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