JP2017053551A - Remote monitoring device, remote monitoring method, and refrigeration cycle device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To determine abnormality of a refrigeration cycle device installed at a use site without using a prediction model.SOLUTION: A remote monitoring device has a control portion for determining whether an apparatus in a diagnosed object state is normal or not on the basis of positional relationship between data indicating a reference state of the apparatus and data indicating a diagnosed object state of the apparatus in a coordinate space having a physical amount measurable from the apparatus as an axis. Further in an embodiment, the apparatus is a refrigeration cycle device in which a refrigerant is circulated, and determination of normality or not is based on determination of whether leakage of the refrigerant exists or not.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote monitoring device, a remote monitoring method, and a refrigeration cycle apparatus.

  There is an air conditioning facility called a refrigeration cycle apparatus. In the refrigeration cycle apparatus, the refrigerant circulates while changing its state. Usually, the refrigerant is enclosed in the refrigeration cycle apparatus so as not to leak outside. This is because, firstly, if the refrigerant leaks, the air conditioning efficiency decreases. When the air-conditioning target is a person, the comfort of the living space is significantly reduced. When the air-conditioning target is a thing, the commercial value is significantly reduced. In any case, if a component of the refrigeration cycle apparatus breaks down, labor and cost for component replacement are generated. Secondly, some refrigerants have a high global warming potential (for example, R410A and R404A). Preventing such refrigerant leakage is also important from the viewpoint of preventing global warming.

  In general, a refrigeration cycle apparatus that detects leakage of a refrigerant by itself and reports it to the outside is known. A remote monitoring device that receives an operation signal of a refrigeration cycle apparatus via a network and detects that the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle apparatus is leaking is also generally known. The remote monitoring system of Patent Document 1 is the latter example.

  The remote monitoring system receives the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant and the like acquired by the sensor of the refrigeration cycle apparatus, and the current value and rotation speed of the compressor and fan motor of the refrigeration cycle apparatus, and detects the leakage of the refrigerant. More specifically, the remote monitoring system builds a prediction model. The prediction model includes a basic prediction model and a specific failure prediction model. The remote monitoring system constructs a basic prediction model from the correlation between sensor values when the facility is operating normally. Then, a specific failure prediction model is constructed from the correlation between the sensor values when the facility causes a specific failure. Further, the remote monitoring device compares the sensor value predicted by these prediction models with the actually observed sensor value, and determines the presence / absence of a failure and the type of failure.

JP 2006-135212 A

  The anticipation model constructed by the remote monitoring system of Patent Document 1 is formulated by performing multivariate analysis on the correlation between a plurality of sensor values. That is, it is assumed that the distribution of sensor values follows a specific rule (for example, a normal distribution or the like) regardless of whether it is a normal state or a state where a specific failure has occurred.

  In particular, the refrigeration cycle apparatus is often installed at a site away from a supervisor. Then, for example, the construction conditions such as the height difference between the heat source side device and the usage side device, the length and diameter of the refrigerant pipe connecting the heat source side device and the usage side device, the amount of refrigerant actually enclosed, etc. Is often unknown. Even if it becomes clear, the construction conditions can be easily changed for the convenience of the site. In practice, the operating state of the refrigeration cycle apparatus often changes due to such changes in construction conditions.

When the operating state changes due to changes in construction conditions, the distribution of individual sensor values cannot follow a particular rule in the first place. Then, naturally, there is no correlation between sensor values. The prediction model constructed by the remote monitoring system of Patent Document 1 is not constructed on the assumption of such a change in construction conditions. Therefore, in practice, it is impossible for the remote monitoring system to build a prediction model based on the operating state of such a refrigeration cycle apparatus. Even if possible, the accuracy of the sensor value predicted by the constructed prediction model is low.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to determine an abnormality of a refrigeration cycle apparatus installed at a site without using a prediction model.

The remote monitoring device of the present invention is based on a positional relationship between data indicating a reference state of a device and data indicating a diagnosis target state of the device in a coordinate space having a physical quantity measurable from the device as an axis. And a control unit that determines whether or not the device is normal.
Other means will be described in the embodiment for carrying out the invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, abnormality of the refrigerating-cycle apparatus installed in the field can be determined, without using a prediction model.

It is a cycle system diagram of a refrigeration cycle apparatus. It is a figure explaining the relationship between a refrigerating cycle device and a remote monitoring device. It is a figure explaining the structure of a remote monitoring apparatus. It is a figure explaining the structure of the control apparatus which has a function of a remote monitoring apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of sensor value and simulation value information. It is a figure which shows an example of refrigeration cycle apparatus information. (A) And (b) is a figure explaining the coordinate space centering on a sensor value. It is a flowchart of the whole processing procedure.

  Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention (referred to as “the present embodiment”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an example of remotely monitoring the refrigeration cycle apparatus will be described. However, the present invention can be applied to devices other than the refrigeration cycle apparatus.

(Refrigeration cycle equipment)
A cycle system of the refrigeration cycle apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. The refrigeration cycle apparatus RC includes an indoor unit 20 and an outdoor unit 40. The indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 40 are connected by a liquid side connection pipe 7 and a gas side connection pipe 8. The outdoor unit 40 includes a compressor 1, a four-way valve 2, a heat source side heat exchanger 3, an expansion device 4, a liquid pipe 5, a blocking valve 6, a blocking valve 9, and an accumulator 10. The indoor unit 20 includes an expansion device 21, a use side heat exchanger 22, and a blower fan 23.

(Refrigerant flow during cooling operation: solid line arrow in FIG. 1)
The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor 1 is discharged from the compressor 1 and sent to the four-way valve 2. The gas refrigerant is sent to the heat source side heat exchanger 3 via the four-way valve 2. The gas refrigerant exchanges heat (releases heat) with a heat source medium such as air or water in the heat source side heat exchanger 3 to be condensed and liquefied. The condensed liquid refrigerant is sent to the indoor unit 20 through the expansion device 4, the liquid pipe 5, the blocking valve 6 and the liquid side connection pipe 7 in order. The liquid refrigerant is depressurized in the expansion device 21 and enters a low-pressure two-phase state. The refrigerant in the low-pressure two-phase state exchanges heat (receives heat) with the use-side medium such as air in the use-side heat exchanger 22, and is evaporated and gasified. The gas refrigerant is sent to the outdoor unit 40 via the gas side connection pipe 8. The gas refrigerant is sent to the compressor 1 through the stop valve 9, the four-way valve 2 and the accumulator 10 in this order. The surplus refrigerant is stored in the accumulator 10, and the operating pressure and temperature of the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC are maintained in a normal state.

(Refrigerant flow during heating operation: broken line arrow in FIG. 1)
The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor 1 is discharged from the compressor 1 and sent to the four-way valve 2. The gas refrigerant is sent to the indoor unit 20 through the four-way valve 2, the blocking valve 9 and the gas side connection pipe 8 in order. The gas refrigerant exchanges heat with the use-side medium such as air (releases heat) in the use-side heat exchanger 22 to be condensed and liquefied. The condensed and liquefied liquid refrigerant is sent to the outdoor unit 40 through the expansion device 21 and the liquid side connection pipe 7 in order. The liquid refrigerant is sent to the expansion device 4 via the blocking valve 6 and the liquid pipe 5 in this order. The liquid refrigerant is decompressed in the expansion device 4 and sent to the heat source side heat exchanger 3. The liquid refrigerant exchanges heat (receives heat) with a heat source medium such as air or water in the heat source side heat exchanger 3, and is evaporated and gasified. The evaporated and gasified refrigerant is sent to the compressor 1 through the four-way valve 2 and the accumulator 10 in order.

(Sensor value)
The relationship between the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC and the remote monitoring apparatus 11 will be described with reference to FIG. The refrigeration cycle apparatus RC includes a control device 12 in addition to the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 40 described above. A sensor (not shown) installed in the use side heat exchanger 22 of the indoor unit 20 measures the refrigerant evaporation temperature or the refrigerant condensing temperature, and immediately sends the measured value to the control device 12. A sensor (not shown) installed in the heat source side heat exchanger 3 of the outdoor unit 40 also measures the refrigerant evaporation temperature or the refrigerant condensation temperature, and immediately sends the measured value to the control device 12. A sensor (not shown) installed in the compressor 1 of the outdoor unit 40 measures the suction refrigerant pressure, the discharge refrigerant pressure, and the discharge refrigerant temperature, and immediately sends the measured values to the control device 12.

  The control device 12 receives a value (sensor value) measured by each sensor, and transmits the received sensor value, reception time, and an identifier for uniquely specifying the refrigeration cycle device RC to the remote monitoring device 11 via the network 13. The remote monitoring device 11 receives sensor values and the like from one or a plurality of refrigeration cycle devices RC. In addition, in FIG. 2, the example which one refrigeration cycle apparatus RC has the one control apparatus 12 was demonstrated. However, one refrigeration cycle apparatus RC may have a plurality of control devices 12 according to the position of the sensor. For example, each of the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 40 may have one control device 12, and these two control devices 12 may independently transmit sensor values to the remote monitoring device 11.

  The configuration of the remote monitoring device 11 will be described with reference to FIG. The remote monitoring device 11 is a general computer, and includes a central control device 31, an input device 32, an output device 33, a main storage device 34, an auxiliary storage device 35, and a communication device 36. These are connected to each other by a bus. The auxiliary storage device 35 stores sensor value / simulation value information 42 and refrigeration cycle device information 43. The state determination unit 41 in the main storage device 34 is a program. Thereafter, when the subject is described as “state determination unit 41”, the central control device 31 reads the state determination unit 41 from the auxiliary storage device 35 and loads it into the main storage device 34. Functions (detailed below) shall be realized.

  In FIG. 2, the remote monitoring device 11 is installed at a location away from the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC, and simultaneously monitors a plurality of refrigeration cycle apparatuses RC. However, there may be a case where it is desired to monitor the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC in the vicinity of the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC. In this case, the remote monitoring device 11 may be installed on the same premises as the refrigeration cycle device RC, but more simply, the control device 12 may have all the functions of the remote monitoring device 11. FIG. 4 shows such a control device 12. The configuration of the control device 12 in FIG. 4 is almost the same as that of the remote monitoring device 11 in FIG. However, in FIG. 4, the communication device 36 b receives sensor values from the indoor unit 20 and the outdoor unit 40 without going through the network 13.

(Sensor value / simulation value information)
The sensor value / simulation value information 42 will be described with reference to FIG. In the sensor value / simulation value information 42, in association with the data ID stored in the data ID column 101, the refrigeration cycle device ID column 102 has the refrigeration cycle device ID, the acquisition time column 103 has the acquisition time, and the refrigerant. In the evaporating temperature (cooling) column 104, the refrigerant evaporation temperature (cooling) is stored, and in the refrigerant condensing temperature (heating) column 105, the refrigerant condensing temperature (heating) is stored in the refrigerant condensing temperature (cooling) column 106. The refrigerant condensation temperature (cooling), the refrigerant evaporation temperature (heating) column 107, the refrigerant evaporation temperature (heating), the suction refrigerant pressure column 108, the suction refrigerant pressure, the discharge refrigerant temperature column, 109, the discharge refrigerant temperature, the discharge refrigerant pressure column 110, the discharge refrigerant pressure, the actual machine state column 111, the actual machine state, and the simulation state column 112 store the simulation state.

The data ID in the data ID column 101 is an identifier that uniquely identifies a record (row) of the sensor value / simulation value information 42.
The refrigeration cycle apparatus ID in the refrigeration cycle apparatus ID column 102 is an identifier that uniquely identifies the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC. Note that the letters “RM” included in the refrigeration cycle apparatus ID indicate that the refrigeration cycle apparatus is an actual device (actual machine). The letters “SM” indicate that the refrigeration cycle apparatus is a virtual device for simulation (details will be described later).
The acquisition time in the acquisition time column 103 is the time when the control device 12 receives the sensor value.

The refrigerant evaporation temperature (at the time of cooling) in the refrigerant evaporation temperature (at the time of cooling) column 104 is a temperature of the sensor value at which the use-side heat exchanger 22 evaporates the refrigerant during the cooling operation (in the summer).
The refrigerant condensing temperature (at the time of heating) column 105 of the refrigerant condensing temperature (at the time of heating) is a temperature at which the use side heat exchanger 22 condenses the refrigerant during the heating operation (in winter) among the sensor values.
The refrigerant condensation temperature (cooling) in the refrigerant condensation temperature (cooling) column 106 is a temperature of the sensor value at which the heat source side heat exchanger 3 condenses the refrigerant during the cooling operation (summer).
The refrigerant evaporation temperature (at the time of heating) in the refrigerant evaporation temperature (at the time of heating) column 107 is a temperature at which the heat source side heat exchanger 3 evaporates the refrigerant during the heating operation (in winter) among the sensor values.

The suction refrigerant pressure in the suction refrigerant pressure column 108 is the pressure of the refrigerant sucked by the compressor 1 among the sensor values.
The discharge refrigerant temperature in the discharge refrigerant temperature column 109 is the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 among the sensor values.
The discharge refrigerant pressure in the discharge refrigerant pressure column 110 is the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 among the sensor values.

  The actual machine status in the actual machine status column 111 is a character string indicating the status of the actual machine. The actual machine state “normal” indicates that the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC is in a normal state. The actual machine state “diagnostic target” indicates that it is unknown whether the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC is in a normal state or an abnormal state, and therefore it is necessary to determine the state of the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC. When the actual machine state is a character string other than “normal” and “diagnostic object”, it indicates that the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC is in an abnormal state of the character string. For example, when the actual machine state is “refrigerant leakage from the compressor”, it indicates that the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC is actually in an abnormal state, and more specifically, the refrigerant is leaking from the compressor 1. The type of actual machine status and the level of detail can be arbitrarily set by the user of the remote monitoring device 11. For example, “coolant leakage”, “coil clogging”, “insufficient number of rotations”, and the like can be set as the actual machine state at the same level. Furthermore, as a lower hierarchy of “refrigerant leak”, “refrigerant leak from compressor”, “refrigerant leak from use side heat exchanger”, “refrigerant leak from heat source side heat exchanger”, and the like can be set.

  Before describing the simulation state in the simulation state column 112, simulation of the refrigeration cycle apparatus will be described. It is relatively easy to measure a sensor value from an actual machine in a normal state. However, it is costly to bother the actual machine to measure the sensor value as a sample. Therefore, a virtual refrigeration cycle device (virtual device) is simulated on a simulation computer (not shown), and a sensor value when the virtual device is in a normal state or a sensor when the virtual device is in a specific abnormal state It is common practice to obtain a value.

  For example, it is assumed that the sensor value when the actual machine “RM01” is in the abnormal state “refrigerant leakage from the compressor” needs to be obtained by simulation. At this time, in addition to the general specifications (tube diameter, etc.) of the actual machine “RM01”, the simulation computer inputs input conditions that cause the virtual device to cause “refrigerant leakage from the heat source side heat exchanger” (for example, Clearly abnormal heat source side heat exchanger wind speed conditions, etc.) are accepted by the user. And the sensor value (predicted value) under the condition is acquired.

  References describing such simulations include “Kenji Matsumura and Hiroshi Yasuda“ Development of Fin Tube Heat Exchanger Characteristics Analysis Simulator ”, Proceedings of the 34th Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Union Lecture Meeting, April 2004. 17-19, 13-16 ”and“ Michiko Endo, Kensaku Oguni, Hisaishi Ishibane, Masayuki Aiyama, “Simulation and Performance Improvement of Water-cooled Chillers”, Proceedings of the 2005 Annual Conference of the Japan Society of Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers , October 23-27, 2005, B204-1-4 pages ".

  Returning to FIG. The simulated state in the simulated state column 112 is a character string indicating the state of the virtual device. The simulated state “normal” indicates that the virtual device is in a normal state. When the actual machine state is a character string other than “normal”, it indicates that the virtual device is in an abnormal state of the character string. For example, when the simulation state is “refrigerant leakage from the compressor”, it indicates that the virtual device is in an abnormal state, and more specifically, the refrigerant is leaking from the compressor 1. As for the type of simulation state and the level of detail, the description of the actual machine applies as it is.

  “...” in each column in FIG. 5 indicates sensor values actually measured or sensor values obtained by simulation. “-” Indicates that there is no data in the column. For example, “−” is stored in the refrigerant evaporation temperature (cooling) column 104 and the refrigerant condensing temperature (cooling) column 106 of the record for the heating operation (winter season). Although there is no example in FIG. 5, if there is a record about the cooling operation (summer season), “−” is stored in the refrigerant condensation temperature (heating) column 105 and the refrigerant evaporation temperature (heating) column 107. Will be. At this time, “...” is stored in the refrigerant evaporation temperature (cooling) column 104 and the refrigerant condensing temperature (cooling) column 106. Note that “cooling” and “heating” are defined on the basis of the acquisition time, for example, “month”.

  A record above the thick broken line in FIG. 5 is a record for a real machine or a virtual machine. These are called reference records. It has been found that the real machine or virtual device in the reference record is in a normal state or in a specific abnormal state. A record below the thick broken line is a record for an actual machine in which it is unknown whether it is in a normal state or an abnormal state, and “diagnosis target” is stored in the actual machine state column 111. These are called diagnosis target records. Although details will be described later, the state determination unit 41 of the remote monitoring device 11 compares one or more of the diagnosis target records with one or more of the reference records, thereby refrigeration cycle apparatus ID of the diagnosis target record. The status of the actual machine specified by is determined.

  Reference records “D001” to “D005” are records for the actual machine “RM01”. RM01 was in a normal state from 10:00 to 10:02 on January 1, 2014. RM01 was in a state of “refrigerant leak” at 10:00 on January 4, 2014 (it is unknown from which part the refrigerant is leaking). RM01 was in a state of “refrigerant leakage” even at 10:00 on January 5, 2014 (it is unknown from which part the refrigerant is leaking).

  Reference records “D006” to “D010” are records for the actual machine “RM02”. The actual machine “RM02” has the same format (model) as the actual machine “RM01”. RM02 was in a normal state from 10:00 to 10:00 on January 1, 2014. RM02 was in a state of “refrigerant leakage from the compressor” at 10:00 on January 4, 2014. RM02 was in a state of “leakage of refrigerant from the heat source side heat exchanger” at 10:00 on January 5, 2014. For example, it is assumed that power is supplied from the same power source to the outdoor unit 40 of the actual machine “RM01” and the outdoor unit 40 of the actual machine “RM02”. If a failure occurs in the power source at 10:00 on January 4, 2014 and 10:00 on January 5, 2014, such a reference record may be stored as a result.

  The reference records “D011” to “D016” are records for the virtual device “SM01”. In the simulation computer, the user inputs the specifications of the actual machine “RM01” (the diameter of the pipe, etc.) to the simulation computer, and further the input conditions that keep the actual machine “RM01” in a normal state (standard outdoor temperature in winter) Etc.) is accepted. The reference record “D011” stores the sensor values acquired under the input conditions. Further, the simulation computer inputs the specification of the actual machine “RM01” to the simulation computer, and further the input condition (compressor of the compressor) that the actual machine “RM01” falls into an abnormal state “refrigerant leakage from the compressor”. It accepts input of vibration conditions. The reference record “D012” stores the sensor values acquired under the input conditions. The same applies to the reference records “D013” to “D016”.

  When the user changes the specifications and input conditions in various ways as described above, the sensor value / simulation value information 42 is obtained when any real machine is in any abnormal state in any hierarchy without operating the real machine. Sensor values can be stored.

  Then, as a result of the state determination unit 41 of the remote monitoring apparatus 11 comparing the diagnosis target record “D101” with the reference records “D001” to “D016”, the sensor value of the diagnosis target record “D101” is the record “D001”. Suppose that it was the closest to the sensor value (details below). At this time, the state determination unit 41 determines that the actual machine “RM01” was in a normal state at 10:00 on February 1, 2014. As another example, as a result of the state determination unit 41 comparing the diagnosis target record “D101” with the reference records “D001” to “D016”, the sensor value of the diagnosis target record “D101” is the sensor value of the record “D012”. Is the most approximate. At this time, the state determination unit 41 determines that the actual machine “RM01” was in an abnormal state “refrigerant leakage from the compressor” at 10:00 on February 1, 2014.

(Refrigeration cycle equipment information)
The refrigeration cycle apparatus information 43 will be described with reference to FIG. In the refrigeration cycle device information 43, the refrigerant type column 122 stores the refrigerant type and the indoor unit type column 123 stores the indoor unit type in association with the refrigeration cycle device ID stored in the refrigeration cycle device ID column 121. Has been.
The refrigeration cycle apparatus ID in the refrigeration cycle apparatus ID column 121 is the same as the refrigeration cycle apparatus ID of FIG.
The refrigerant type in the refrigerant type column 122 is a type of refrigerant, and here, the refrigerant type is “combustible”, “slightly flammable”, or “nonflammable” in the order in which the refrigerant easily burns in the air.
The indoor unit type in the indoor unit type column 123 is the type of indoor unit, and here, it is “floor placement”, “ceiling cassette” or “wall hanging” depending on the location where the indoor unit is installed. .

(Coordinate space with sensor value as axis)
A coordinate space with the sensor value as an axis will be described with reference to FIG. Two of the seven sensor values of the sensor value / simulation value information 42 are selectively measured only during cooling or heating. That is, each record of the sensor value / simulation value information 42 always includes five types of sensor values. More generally, it is assumed that the sensor value / simulation value information 42 includes n (n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,...) Types of sensor values. Then, each record of the sensor value / simulation value information 42 can be expressed as a point in an n-dimensional coordinate space having n axes. There is essentially no difference regardless of the value of n, but in the following, for simplicity of explanation, a coordinate plane in the case of n = 2 will be described as an example. It should be noted that the two-dimensional coordinate plane is also interpreted as a type of coordinate space in a broad sense, and the term “coordinate space” is used.

  FIG. 7A shows a coordinate space with the sensor value 1 as the horizontal axis and the sensor value 2 as the vertical axis. The sensor value 1 and the sensor value 2 may be anything as long as they are different types of sensor values included in the sensor value / simulation value information 42. The state determination unit 41 of the remote monitoring device 11 plots points corresponding to each reference record of the sensor value / simulation value information 42 in the coordinate space. Then, the points where the actual machine state (or simulated state) is “normal” are concentrated in a certain area 201 in the space.

  Similarly, the fact that the actual machine state (or simulated state) is an abnormal state “refrigerant leakage” is concentrated in another area 202 in the space. Similarly, the points of abnormal states “clogging” and “insufficient number of rotations” are concentrated in different areas 203 and 204, respectively.

  The state determination unit 41 plots points corresponding to a diagnosis target record having the sensor value / simulation value information 42 in the coordinate space. This point is called “diagnosis point”. If the diagnostic point is inside the region 201 as indicated by the point 205, the state determination unit 41 can determine that the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC to be diagnosed is in a normal state. If the diagnostic point is not inside any region as indicated by point 206, the state determination unit 41 can determine that the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC to be diagnosed is in an abnormal state. However, it cannot be determined what kind of abnormality it is.

  If the diagnosis point is inside the region 202 as indicated by the point 207, the state determination unit 41 can determine that the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC to be diagnosed is in the abnormal state “refrigerant leakage”. However, this alone cannot determine what part of the refrigerant leaks.

  FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of the region 202 in FIG. The point that the actual machine state (or the simulated state) is the abnormal state “refrigerant leakage from the compressor” is concentrated in the small region 202 a in the region 202. Similarly, the fact that the actual machine state (or simulated state) is an abnormal state “refrigerant leak from the use side heat exchanger” and “refrigerant leak from the heat source side heat exchanger” is different in the small area 202b and the small area 202c, respectively. concentrate. If the diagnostic point is inside the small region 202a as indicated by point 208, the state determination unit 41 can determine that the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC to be diagnosed is in an abnormal state “refrigerant leakage from the compressor”. .

  In the above description, the example in which the actual machine state or the simulated state of the reference record corresponding to each area in FIG. 7A and FIG. However, the state determination unit 41 plots points in the coordinate space corresponding to an actual machine whose actual state or simulated state is not known in advance, and uses a known technique such as the k-means method to determine these points. It may be divided into an arbitrary number of regions. In addition, the state determination unit 41 may accept that the user inputs an actual state such as “normal” or “leakage of refrigerant from the heat source side heat exchanger” via the input device 32 in association with each region.

(Overall procedure)
The overall processing procedure will be described with reference to FIG. As a premise that the entire processing procedure is started, it is assumed that the refrigeration cycle device information 43 is stored in the auxiliary storage device 35 in a completed state.

  In step S301, the state determination unit 41 of the remote monitoring device 11 acquires normal data. Specifically, first, the state determination unit 41 sends the sensor value, the reception time, and the refrigeration cycle apparatus ID via the network 13 from the control unit 12 of the actual machine whose actual machine state is known to be “normal”. Receive at. Then, based on the received information, reference records of the sensor value / simulation value information 42 are created and stored (reference records D001 to D003, D006 to D008 in FIG. 5). At this time, the state determination unit 41 stores “normal” in the actual machine state column 111.

  Second, the state determination unit 41 receives the sensor value of the virtual device, the reception time, and the refrigeration cycle apparatus ID from the simulation computer in which the input condition is set so that the simulation state becomes “normal”. Based on the received information, a reference record of the sensor value / simulation value information 42 is created and stored (reference record D011 in FIG. 5). At this time, the state determination unit 41 stores “normal” in the simulated state column 112. Note that the simulation computer sends the reception time input by the user (for example, the winter time if heating is assumed) to the state determination unit 41 as it is.

  In step S302, the state determination unit 41 acquires abnormal data. Specifically, first, the state determination unit 41 sends the sensor value, the reception time, and the refrigeration cycle apparatus ID via the network 13 from the control unit 12 of the actual machine, which is known that the actual machine state is not “normal”. Receive at. Then, based on the received information, a reference record of the sensor value / simulation value information 42 is created and stored (reference records D004, D005, D009, D010 in FIG. 5). At this time, the state determination unit 41 stores “refrigerant leakage” or the like in the actual machine state column 111 in accordance with the actual machine state that is known and input by the user.

  Second, the state determination unit 41 receives the sensor value, the reception time, and the refrigeration cycle apparatus ID of the virtual device from the simulation computer in which the input condition is set so that the simulation state does not become “normal”. Based on the received information, a reference record of the sensor value / simulation value information 42 is created and stored (reference records D012 to D016 in FIG. 5). At this time, the state determination unit 41 stores “refrigerant leakage from the compressor” or the like in the simulation state column 112 according to the simulation state relating to the setting input by the user.

  In step S303, the state determination unit 41 creates an area in the coordinate space. Specifically, first, the state determination unit 41 creates an n-dimensional coordinate space having n types of sensor values as axes, and corresponds to the reference record stored in steps S301 and S302 in the coordinate space. Plot the points to be

Secondly, the state determination unit 41 creates m areas including points where the actual machine state or the simulated state is the same, and associates the actual machine state or the simulated state with the area. At this time, the state determination unit 41 creates m n-dimensional spheres (“circle” is also referred to as “sphere”) as m regions. m corresponds to the number of types of actual machine state or simulated state. Each sphere has a radius r _i (i = 1, 2, 3,..., M), where r _i is the distance between the center of the sphere and the point furthest from the center of the sphere. Note that the state determination unit 41 reduces the value of r _i as necessary so that a plurality of spheres do not share a certain region. At this time, the state determination unit 41 creates regions hierarchically (for example, the region 202 includes the regions 202a, 202b, and 202c).

In step S304, the state determination unit 41 acquires diagnosis target data. Specifically, first, the state determination unit 41 acquires any unprocessed one from the diagnosis target records (records below the thick broken line) from the sensor value / simulation value information 42.
Second, the state determination unit 41 plots points (diagnostic points) in the coordinate space created in “first” in step S303 based on the sensor value of the diagnosis target record acquired in “first” in step S304. To do.

In step S305, the state determination unit 41 creates and displays a determination result. Specifically, first, the state determination unit 41 determines whether or not a diagnostic point enters the inside of each sphere. That is, it is determined whether or not the distance d from the center of each sphere to the diagnostic point is less than the radius r _i . When the diagnostic point is inside a certain sphere, the real machine state or the simulated state associated with the sphere and the distance d from the center of the sphere to the diagnostic point are acquired. Furthermore, the state determination unit 41 calculates the accuracy p of the determination result based on the distance d and the radius r _i . Note _that it is _{p = (r i -d) /} r i × 100 (%). Examples of determination results created by the state determination unit 41 are [state, accuracy p] = [normal, 80%], [refrigerant leakage from compressor, 50%], [−, −], and the like. “[−, −]” Indicates that the diagnostic point is not inside any sphere.

  Secondly, the state determination unit 41 displays the determination result on the output device 33. For example, when the determination result is “[normal, 80%]”, the state determination unit 41 displays a message “the refrigeration cycle apparatus is normal with a probability of 80%”. When the determination result is “[refrigerant leakage from the compressor, 50%]”, the state determination unit 41 displays a message “refrigeration cycle device has a refrigerant leakage from the compressor with a probability of 50%”. To do. When the determination result is “[−, −]”, the state determination unit 41 displays a message “The refrigeration cycle apparatus is abnormal, but details are unknown”.

  In step S306, the state determination unit 41 determines whether or not the determination result is “normal”. Specifically, when the determination result created in “first” in step S305 includes “normal” (step S306 “YES”), the state determination unit 41 ends the entire processing procedure. If the determination result does not include “normal” (step S306 “NO”), the process proceeds to step S307.

  In step S307, the state determination unit 41 determines whether or not the determination result is “refrigerant leakage”. Specifically, when the determination result created in “first” in step S305 does not include “refrigerant leakage” (step S307 “NO”), the state determination unit 41 ends the entire processing procedure. When the determination result includes “refrigerant leakage” (step S307 “YES”), the process proceeds to step S308.

  In step S308, the state determination unit 41 outputs a stop valve closing instruction. Specifically, the state determination unit 41 outputs an alarm to the output device 33 and transmits an instruction to close the blocking valve 6 and the blocking valve 9 to the control device 12 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC.

In step S309, the state determination unit 41 determines whether the diagnosis target includes the floor-standing indoor unit 20 and the refrigerant is combustible. Specifically, first, the state determination unit 41 acquires the refrigeration cycle apparatus ID of the diagnosis target record acquired in “first” in step S304.
Secondly, the state determination unit 41 searches the refrigeration cycle apparatus information 43 using the refrigeration cycle apparatus ID acquired in “first” in step S309 as a search key, and acquires the refrigerant type and indoor unit type of the corresponding record. .
Third, in the state determination unit 41, the refrigerant type acquired in “second” in step S309 is “combustible”, and the indoor unit type acquired in “second” in step S309 is “floor”. (Step S309 “YES”), the process proceeds to Step S310. In other cases (step S309 “NO”), the entire processing procedure is terminated.

In step S310, the state determination unit 41 outputs a blower operation instruction. Specifically, the state determination unit 41 transmits an instruction to start the blower fan 23 of the use-side heat exchanger 22 or an instruction to increase the output of the blower fan 23 to the control device 12 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC.
The state determination unit 41 repeats the processing of steps S304 to S310 until there is no unprocessed diagnosis target record.

(Normal / abnormal judgment)
In the above description, the state determination unit 41 creates a sphere in the coordinate space in “second” in step S303, and the distance from the center of the sphere in the coordinate space to the diagnostic point in “first” in step S305. The radius is compared. However, this is only an example. In addition to this, for example, the state determination unit 41 determines the angle formed by the position vector of the center of the sphere and the position vector of the diagnosis point, the size of the position vector of the center of the sphere, and the size of the position vector of the diagnosis point. It may be calculated. When the angle formed is smaller than a predetermined threshold and the difference between the size of the position vector of the center of the sphere and the size of the position vector of the diagnostic point is smaller than a predetermined value, the state determination unit 41 Can be determined to correspond to the actual machine state or the simulated state associated with the sphere.

  In other words, the state determination unit 41 more generally includes data indicating a reference state (“normal”, “refrigerant leak”, “compression corresponding to a reference record) in a coordinate space having the sensor value of the device as an axis. Whether the device in the diagnosis target state is normal or not based on the positional relationship between the data indicating the state of the diagnosis target ("diagnosis point" corresponding to the diagnosis target record) and the like. Can be determined.

(Sensor value)
The types of sensor values shown in FIG. 5 are merely examples. In addition to the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant, depending on the model, the temperature of cold water or cooling water can also be a sensor value. Furthermore, all the physical quantities that can be measured by the sensor, such as the current value of the electric power supplied to each part of the refrigeration cycle apparatus RC such as a compressor, the vibration value and noise value of each part, the temperature of the air in contact with each part, the wind speed, etc. Can be the sensor value.

(Narrow down sensor values)
Of the records of the sensor value / simulation value information 42, the more reference records, the more points the state determination unit 41 plots in the coordinate space. However, even if the number of reference records that are meaningless to compare with the diagnosis target record increases, the processing speed decreases and the determination accuracy only decreases. Therefore, the state determination unit 41 may narrow down the reference records, for example, under one or more conditions below.
-The acquisition time has the same "month" as the diagnostic record.
-The time of acquisition time (such as 10:00) belongs to the same time zone (10:00 to 11:00, etc.) as the diagnosis target record.

-The equipment age of the refrigeration cycle apparatus (actual machine) matches the equipment age of the refrigeration cycle apparatus to be diagnosed, or is within a predetermined range. It is assumed that the refrigeration cycle apparatus information 43 (FIG. 6) stores the facility age in association with the refrigeration cycle apparatus ID.
-The refrigeration cycle apparatus (actual machine) is a successor type or a preceding type of the refrigeration cycle apparatus to be diagnosed. It is assumed that the refrigeration cycle apparatus information 43 (FIG. 6) stores a refrigeration cycle apparatus ID of a successor (or preceding) type refrigeration cycle apparatus specified by the manufacturer in association with the refrigeration cycle apparatus ID.

(Noise removal)
When the normality (abnormality) data is acquired in steps S301 and S302, the state determination unit 41 determines whether the sensor value is noise (outlier value) by a known method, and the sensor value is noise. May delete the received information including such sensor values, and create a record of sensor value / simulation value information 42 from the remaining information.

(Time series judgment)
The state determination unit 41 creates a plurality of diagnosis target records at a predetermined cycle for the same actual machine. For example, the state determination unit 41 creates and stores a diagnosis target record for the actual machine “RM01” every minute from 10:00 on February 1, 2014 to 10:59. Now, it is assumed that 60 diagnostic object records “D101 to D160” are stored as a result of accumulating these diagnostic object records. The state determination unit 41 sequentially repeats the processing of steps S304 to S310 for D101, D102, D103,. When the diagnosis point continues to exist inside a specific sphere for a predetermined period (for example, 10 minutes), the state determination unit 41 determines whether the diagnosis point is associated with the sphere. You may determine that it corresponds.

(Delete reference record)
In step S305, the state determination unit 41 auxiliary stores the data ID of the reference record corresponding to the point that falls inside the sphere corresponding to the “state” of the determination result “[state, accuracy p]” as the referenced data ID. This is stored in the device 35. Then, the state determination unit 41 deletes the record having the data ID other than the referenced data ID from the sensor value / simulation value information 42 every time the processes of steps S304 to S310 are repeated a predetermined number of times, and the referenced data ID To clear.

(Effect of embodiment)
This embodiment has the following effects.
(1) The user of the device can determine the abnormality of the device installed on the site without using the prediction model.
(2) A user of the refrigeration cycle apparatus can determine a particularly important refrigerant leakage.
(3) The user of the device can know the abnormality of the device hierarchically.
(4) The device user can use a low-cost simulation value as sample data for normality / abnormality determination.
(5) The device user can use sensor values that can be easily measured on a daily basis.
(6) Since the remote monitoring device calculates the distance between the data, the objectivity of the determination result is ensured.
(7) Since the remote monitoring device makes the determination only when the positional relationship between the data has passed for a predetermined time, an erroneous determination due to chance can be avoided.
(8) Since the remote monitoring device calculates the accuracy of the determination, it can know the reliability of the determination.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to an above-described Example, Various modifications are included. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Further, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

Each of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, and the like may be realized by hardware by designing a part or all of them with, for example, an integrated circuit. Each of the above-described configurations, functions, and the like may be realized by software by interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function by the processor. Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in a recording device such as a memory, a hard disk, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.
In addition, the control lines and information lines are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and not all the control lines and information lines on the product are necessarily shown. In practice, it may be considered that almost all the components are connected to each other.

RC refrigeration cycle device 11 Remote monitoring device 12 Control device 13 Network 31 Central control device (control unit)
32 Input device 33 Output device 34 Main storage device (storage unit)
35 Auxiliary storage device (storage unit)
36 Communication Device 41 State Determination Unit 42 Sensor Value / Simulation Value Information 43 Refrigeration Cycle Device Information

Claims (10)

In a coordinate space having a physical quantity measurable from the device as an axis, the device in the diagnosis target state is normal based on the positional relationship between the data indicating the reference state of the device and the data indicating the diagnosis target state of the device. Having a control unit for determining whether or not
Remote monitoring device characterized by. The equipment is
A refrigeration cycle device in which a refrigerant circulates inside,
Determining whether it is normal or not
Determining whether the refrigerant is leaking,
The remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 1. The data indicating the reference state is
It indicates the abnormal state of the equipment in a hierarchical manner,
The remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 2. The data indicating the reference state is
It is a simulation value when the device is in an abnormal state,
The remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 3. The data indicating the diagnosis target state is:
A sensor value measured from the device to be diagnosed;
The remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 4. The positional relationship is
The distance between the position of the data indicating the reference state and the position of the data indicating the diagnosis target state;
The remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 5. The controller is
Determining whether the device is normal when the positional relationship continues for a predetermined time;
The remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 6. The controller is
Calculating the accuracy of the determination based on the distance;
The remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 7. The control unit of the remote monitoring device
In a coordinate space having a physical quantity measurable from the device as an axis, the device in the diagnosis target state is normal based on the positional relationship between the data indicating the reference state of the device and the data indicating the diagnosis target state of the device. Determining whether or not
A remote monitoring method for the remote monitoring device. A refrigeration cycle device in which a refrigerant circulates,
Based on the positional relationship between the data indicating the reference state of the refrigeration cycle apparatus and the data indicating the diagnosis target state of the refrigeration cycle apparatus in a coordinate space having a physical quantity measurable from the refrigeration cycle apparatus as an axis. Having a control device for determining whether or not the refrigeration cycle apparatus in a target state is normal;
A refrigeration cycle apparatus characterized by.

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