JP3448440B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units including indoor unit groups are connected to an outdoor unit, and relates to a technique for automatically performing parent-child setting in the indoor unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Normally, in an air conditioner, a control device (control unit) for an indoor unit and an outdoor unit.
A control board is provided therein. The control board has parts such as a CPU (central processing unit) and a ROM (read-only storage device) arranged on the board. The CPU calls various control programs from the ROM and equipments in the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. Drive control is performed.

In recent years, so-called multi-type air conditioners, in which a large number of indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit, are often installed in large office buildings and the like. In a multi-type air conditioner, individual indoor units may be independently controlled by a remote controller (hereinafter, abbreviated as remote controller) or the like, but indoor unit groups installed in the same air-conditioned space are group-controlled. Often. When grouping indoor units, it is necessary to use one indoor unit in the group as a parent unit and the remaining indoor units as child units.

The parent unit of the indoor unit group communicates with the remote controller, the outdoor unit, etc., while transmitting the operation setting to the child unit, whereby the entire indoor unit group is controlled with the same operation setting. In general,
Since the indoor units are the same, conventionally, a master / slave changeover switch is provided in the control unit, etc., and the changeover switch is switched by the installation worker or the like, whereby each indoor unit is set as a parent unit or a child unit. To be done.

[0005]

In the above-described conventional air conditioner, the following problems have arisen due to the fact that the installer sets the parent and child in the indoor unit group. That is, if the installation operator makes a mistake in switching the changeover switch, a plurality of parent units may be set in one indoor unit group, or all of them may be set as child units. In this case, control commands may be mixed between the indoor units, or group control may not be performed, so it is necessary to correct the settings promptly. However, when the indoor unit is a ceiling-embedded type or a built-in duct type, it is very difficult to access the indoor unit after installation, and a lot of man-hours and time are required for the resetting work.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,
An object is to provide an air conditioner in which an outdoor unit automatically sets parent and child in an indoor unit group.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, according to the invention of claim 1, an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit and including at least one indoor unit group are provided. An air conditioner, which is a room forming the indoor unit group
The internal units are connected by a remote control communication bus line.
The outdoor unit is located in the indoor unit group.
A predetermined indoor unit and the remote control communication bus line
Other indoor unit in the indoor unit group via
The confirmation command is output to the
The parent unit is not set from all indoor units.
When a response command indicating that
Equipped with parent-child setting means to set the indoor unit to the parent unit
Suggest what you got .

In the present invention, for example, the outdoor unit communicates with each indoor unit, and based on the communication result, the parent and child of each indoor unit is set. This eliminates the need for the installation operator to operate the master / slave selector switch, and completely prevents the control commands from intersecting due to erroneous settings.

In the invention of claim 2, the invention according to claim 1 is described.
In the above invention, the parent-child setting means is the indoor unit.
Indoor units other than the parent unit in the
Suggest what to set for a child unit .

In the invention of claim 3, the invention according to claim 1 or
In the invention described in 2, the parent-child setting means is the room
Show parent unit to indoor unit in unit group
I suggest the one that stores the setting data. Also, the claims
According to the invention of claim 4, in any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the invention, the parent-child setting means is provided in each indoor unit.
On the other hand, set the parent and child in the order of preset addresses.
Suggest things. The invention of claim 5 is the parent-child device.
The setting means outputs a confirmation command to a predetermined indoor unit
However, if the response command is not sent,
We propose a method to judge an indoor unit as an individual unit.
It

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a communication system of a gas heat pump multi-type air conditioner, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a specific configuration of the air conditioner. still,
In FIG. 2, the solid line indicates the refrigerant circuit and the alternate long and short dash line indicates the electric circuit.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner of the present embodiment comprises one outdoor unit 3 and a number of indoor units 1a-1d ... (Represented by indoor units 1a-1d). In the figure, three indoor units 1a to 1c form a group, and one indoor unit 1d is an independent machine. The outdoor unit 3 and the indoor units 1a to 1d are connected by an indoor / outdoor communication bus line 2 and exchange signals by serial communication. In addition, the indoor units 1a to 1c forming the indoor unit group are connected by the remote control communication bus line 4, and the signals are also transmitted and received by serial communication. A remote controller 67 is attached to each of the indoor units 1a to 1d, so that a user can input a driving command such as driving / stopping or temperature adjustment.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the side of the indoor unit 1a, the indoor heat exchanger 5, the electric fan 7, the electric expansion valve 9,
An electric heater 11 and the like are installed. A compressor 13, an electromagnetic four-way valve 15, an outdoor heat exchanger 17, an electric fan 19, an accumulator 21, a receiver tank 23, etc. are installed on the outdoor unit 3 side. The devices that make up the refrigerant circuit are connected by refrigerant pipes 31 to 39 that are used for the circulation of gas refrigerant or liquid refrigerant. 25 in the figure
Is a gas engine and has a flexible coupling 27
The compressor 13 is driven via.

In the indoor unit 1a, a CPU,
I / O interface, ROM, RAM, EEPROM
An indoor-side control unit (hereinafter, referred to as an indoor-side ECU) 41 including the above is installed. In addition to the electric fan 7, the electric expansion valve 9, and the electric heater 11, the room-side ECU 41 includes a room temperature sensor 61 that detects a room temperature Tr.
Further, the first and second refrigerant temperature sensors 63 and 65 for detecting the refrigerant temperatures Tfi and Tfo on the inlet side and the outlet side during the cooling operation of the indoor heat exchanger 5, the remote controller 67, etc. are connected.

In the outdoor unit 3, an outdoor control unit (hereinafter referred to as an outdoor E) including a CPU, an input / output interface, a ROM, a RAM and the like.
71) is installed. Outdoor ECU 71
Includes four-way valve 15, electric fan 19, gas engine 25
In addition, a pressure sensor 83 that detects the discharge side refrigerant pressure Pd of the compressor 13, an outside air temperature sensor 85 that detects the outside air temperature Ta,
The control panel 87 and the like are connected.

Indoor ECU of each indoor unit 1a-1d
As shown in FIG. 3, inside the indoor / outdoor communication circuit 51,
A remote control communication circuit 53, a command processing unit 55,
A setting data storage unit (EEPROM) 57 is incorporated. The indoor / outdoor communication circuit 51 is used for communication with the outdoor ECU 71 and other indoor / outdoor communication circuits 51, and the remote controller communication circuit 53 is used for communication with the remote controller 67 and other remote controller communication circuits 53. The command processing unit 55 processes commands input from the indoor / outdoor communication circuit 51 and the remote control communication circuit 53, and reads and writes setting data with the setting data storage unit 57.

Next, the flow of the refrigerant during the cooling operation will be described.

In the outdoor unit 3, the gas refrigerant sucked into the compressor 13 from the refrigerant pipe 39 becomes a high temperature and high pressure by adiabatic compression and is discharged from the compressor 13 to generate the refrigerant pipe 3
1, the four-way valve 15 and the refrigerant pipe 32 flow into the outdoor heat exchanger 17. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant is cooled by the outside air while passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 19 and becomes a liquid refrigerant by being condensed, and then passes through the refrigerant pipe 33, the receiver tank 23, and the refrigerant pipe 34. Indoor unit 1a
It flows into the electric expansion valve 9 of 1d.

After the flow rate of the liquid refrigerant is adjusted by the electric expansion valve 9, the liquid refrigerant flows into the indoor heat exchanger 7 via the refrigerant pipe 35. The liquid refrigerant is vaporized into a gas refrigerant while passing through the indoor heat exchanger 7, and cools the indoor air blown by the electric fan 7 by the latent heat of vaporization. At this time, the indoor ECU 41
Controls the number of revolutions (rpm) of the electric fan 7 based on the deviation between the set temperature Ts and the room temperature Tr, and the indoor heat exchanger 7
Of the electric expansion valve 9 such that the deviation between the inlet side refrigerant temperature Tfi and the outlet side refrigerant temperature Tfo becomes a predetermined value (for example, 0 to 1 ° C.).
The valve opening amount (number of steps of the valve body driving step motor) is controlled.

The gas refrigerant vaporized in the indoor heat exchanger 7 is
The refrigerant pipe 36 flows into the accumulator 21 via the four-way valve 15 and the refrigerant pipe 37 in the outdoor unit 3, and is sucked into the compressor 13 again from the refrigerant pipe 39.

When the installation of the air conditioner is completed and the main power source is turned on to each of the indoor units 1a to 1d and the outdoor unit 3, the outdoor ECU 71 executes the parent-child setting subroutine shown in FIG. 4 at predetermined intervals. Execute repeatedly.

When this subroutine is started, the outdoor side E
In step S1, the CU 71 outputs the confirmation command CB shown in FIG. 5 to the indoor unit with the address N. Here, the initial value of the address N is 1, which is preset for each of the indoor units 1a to 1d. In this embodiment, the addresses corresponding to the indoor units 1a to 1d are 1 to 4. In addition, in the confirmation command CB and the response command CR described later, one item indicates the device that has transmitted the command, two items indicate the device that is the destination of the command, three items indicate the presence or absence of relay, and four items indicate the relay. If there is, the device that is the destination is shown, while if there is no relay, the device that is the transmission source is shown. Five items show the contents of confirmation and the contents of the setting data.

The confirmation command CB immediately after the main power is turned on is the indoor unit of address 1, that is, the indoor unit 1a.
Is output to the indoor ECU 41. At this time, the confirmation command CB is addressed to all the indoor units by relaying the indoor unit 1a from the outdoor unit 3 as shown in FIG.
Confirm the setting data. In the indoor ECU 41,
The command processing unit 55 analyzes the confirmation command CB input from the indoor / outdoor communication circuit 51 and converts the confirmation command CB into the conversion confirmation command CB 'shown in FIG. From the remote control communication bus line 4 to the indoor ECU 41 of the indoor units 1b and 1c. The conversion confirmation command CB 'is addressed to all the indoor units connected by the remote control communication bus line 4 from the indoor unit 1a without a relay from the outdoor unit 3 as a transmission source and confirms the setting data.

Indoor ECU 4 of the indoor units 1b, 1c
In 1, the conversion confirmation command CB ′ input from the indoor / outdoor communication circuit 51 is analyzed, and the response command CR shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is output to the indoor side ECU 41 of the indoor unit 1a. The response command CR at this time is the indoor unit 1b,
The indoor unit 1a is relayed from 1c to the outdoor unit 3 and responds that the setting data is undecided immediately after the main power is turned on. Then, the indoor side ECU 41 of the indoor unit 1a analyzes this response command CR, converts it into the conversion response command CR 'shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and then transmits it to the outdoor side ECU 71 of the outdoor unit 3. At this time, the conversion response command CR ′ is the indoor unit 1b,
From the indoor unit 1a as a transmission source, the indoor unit 1a is addressed to the outdoor unit 3 without relay, and responds that the setting data of the indoor units 1b and 1c is undecided.

The outdoor ECU 71 outputs a confirmation command CB to the indoor unit (indoor unit 1a) of address 1 in step S1, and then determines in step S3 whether or not there is a response. In this case, since there are two conversion response commands CR ', the determination in step S3 is Yes.
(Yes), and it is determined in step S5 whether or not the parent unit already exists. However, in the conversion response command CR 'from the indoor units 1b and 1c, both setting data are undecided, and the determination in step S5 is No ( Negative),
In step S7, the indoor unit 1a is set as the parent unit. Thereafter, the outdoor unit 3 outputs the setting result to the indoor unit 1a in step S9, stores the setting data (parent unit) in the setting data storage unit 57, and then increments the address N in step S11.

When the setting of the indoor unit 1a is completed, the outdoor ECU 71 next outputs a confirmation command CB to the indoor unit of address 2, that is, the indoor unit 1b. In this case, since the response command CR (conversion response command CR ′) is input from the indoor units 1a and 1c by relaying the indoor unit 1b, the determination in step S3 becomes Yes, and the outdoor unit 3 becomes the parent unit in step S5. Determine if it already exists. And
Since the setting data of the indoor unit 1a is the parent unit and the determination in step S5 is Yes, the outdoor unit 3
Sets the indoor unit 1b as a child unit in step S13. Then, the outdoor unit 3 performs step S9.
Then, the setting result is output to the indoor unit 1b and the setting data (parent unit) is stored in the setting data storage unit 57, and then the address N is incremented in step S11.

The outdoor unit 3 also performs parent-child setting for the indoor unit 1c, and the indoor unit 1c is subjected to the same procedure.
Is set as the child unit, and then the parent-child setting for the indoor unit 1d is performed. However, in the case of this embodiment, since the indoor unit 1d is an independent unit, even if the confirmation command CB is output to the indoor unit 1d, the response command CR is not input to the outdoor unit 3. Therefore, step S
The determination of No. 3 is No, and the outdoor unit 3 performs step S
In step 15, it is determined that the indoor unit 1d is an individual unit, and in step S9, the setting result is output to the indoor unit 1d.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the main unit is turned on after the air conditioner is installed, and the outdoor unit 3 automatically determines the parent / child of the room. The operation of is unnecessary, and the intersection of control commands due to erroneous setting is completely prevented.

The description of the specific embodiment is completed above.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.
For example, the above-described embodiment is one in which the present invention is applied to a gas heat pump type air conditioner, but it may be applied to an air conditioner equipped with an electric compressor, or an air conditioner equipped with a plurality of outdoor units. May be applied to the machine. Further, the specific device configuration and the operating procedure thereof can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0030]

As described above, according to the air conditioner of the present invention, an air conditioner including an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit and including at least one indoor unit group. Machine,
In the outdoor unit, since the parent-child setting means for setting the parent unit in the indoor unit group is provided,
This eliminates the need for the installation operator to operate the master / slave selector switch of the indoor unit, and completely prevents the control commands from intersecting due to erroneous settings.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a communication system of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a specific configuration of the air conditioner in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a communication circuit and the like in an indoor side ECU 41.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a parent-child setting subroutine.

FIG. 5 is an example of a confirmation command output from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit.

FIG. 6 is an example of a conversion confirmation command output from the indoor unit to the indoor unit.

FIG. 7 is an example of a response command output from the indoor unit to the indoor unit.

FIG. 8 is an example of a response command output from the indoor unit to the indoor unit.

FIG. 9 is an example of a conversion response command output from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit.

FIG. 10 is an example of a conversion response command output from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

1a-1d indoor unit 2 Indoor / outdoor communication bus line 3 outdoor unit 4 Remote control bus line 41 Indoor ECU 51 Indoor / outdoor communication circuit 53 Remote control communication circuit 55 Command processing unit 57 setting data storage 67 Remote control 71 Outdoor ECU

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F24F 11/02 102

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. An air conditioner comprising an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit and including at least one indoor unit group, wherein the indoor units forming the indoor unit group are
The outdoor units are connected to each other by a Mocon communication bus line , and are located in the indoor unit group.
Fixed indoor unit and the remote control communication bus line
Through other indoor units in the indoor unit group
The confirmation command is output to the
The parent unit has not been set from all indoor units
When a response command indicating
Equipped with parent-child setting means for setting a unit as a parent unit
An air conditioner characterized by that . 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the parent-child setting means is in the front of the indoor unit group.
Set indoor units other than the master unit as slave units
An air conditioner characterized by Rukoto. 3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2.
The parent-child setting means is a room in the indoor unit group.
Store the setting data indicating the parent unit in the inner unit
An air conditioner characterized by that . 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
In the air conditioner, The parent-child setting means is preset for each indoor unit
The feature is that the parent and child settings are made in the order of the addresses
Air conditioner. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
In the air conditioner, The parent-child setting means confirms the confirmation command to a predetermined indoor unit.
If the response command is not sent,
To determine that the predetermined indoor unit is an individual unit
A characteristic air conditioner.