JP3498036B2 - Air conditioner system and outdoor unit - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multi-air conditioner system, and more particularly to an air conditioner system which is reasonably constructed by using a network and which is suitable for cost reduction, maintenance such as maintenance and management, and improvement of operability. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an air conditioner, a control program is mounted on a printed board at the time of manufacture, and in a multi-air conditioner system, an outdoor unit is connected to a plurality of indoor units via connecting wires. Further, there is a system in which a local area network (LAN) is built in a building, centralized management is performed using the local area network, and the terminal is used to digitally control an operating unit of an air conditioner in the building. It is described in JP-A-61-212491.

Further, an example of downloading a program via a LAN is described in JP-A-4-340150.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned prior art (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-212941), the wiring of the indoor unit, the outdoor unit, etc. is rationally performed in the multi-air conditioner system,
There was no sufficient consideration given to controlling the room temperature and other details and reducing the number of indoor and outdoor units. In addition, the above-mentioned prior art (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-340150)
No.), the specification of the air conditioner is changed by the user (for example, the set temperature range is from 17 ° C to 30 ° C to 20 ° C to 26 ° C).
In the case of a request to change the control program), the specific configuration for changing the control program was not shown in detail.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, to reduce the wiring of a multi-air conditioner system, to simplify the construction, and to reduce the cost, and to use other OA equipment such as a personal computer. An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner system and an outdoor unit that can be shared with wiring necessary for the network and can effectively use the air conditioner network.

Further, another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner system and an outdoor unit which improve controllability and operability as an air conditioner and are suitable for maintenance such as maintenance management.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plurality of indoor units and a plurality of outdoor units.
Concentrated in an air conditioner system with an air conditioner
A network to which the control device and OA equipment are connected, and a game
Each was connected to the network via the toei
Memorize multiple air conditioners, identification code and group number
From the centralized control device, equipped with the indoor unit and the outdoor unit
For each indoor unit and outdoor unit via the network
Specify the required control program together with the identification code and group number.
As a message to the indoor unit and outdoor unit respectively.
It determines the message and loads the control program.
Is what you want.

Further, in the above, the indoor unit and the room
The serial number of the external machine is stored, and the serial number is displayed as a message.
Is specified and the control program is loaded
Is desirable.

Further, in the above, the centralized control device
There are multiple control programs for each application in the room.
For outdoor and outdoor units, one of the control programs for each application is selected.
It is desirable to be loaded.

Further, in the above, the network
Public network is connected and connected to
It is desirable that the control program be loaded from the remote
Good

Furthermore, the present invention is used in an air conditioner.
It is an outdoor unit that stores the identification code and group number.
The central control unit and OA equipment are connected via the gateway.
Connected to the connected network and connected from the central control unit.
Control program and identification code via the network.
Received as a message with the loop number, and received message
Control messages by identifying self-directed messages from messages
This is the one that loads the ram.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows the connection of components to a local area network (LAN) of an air conditioner system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5
Is a basic configuration of a refrigeration cycle which is a component of the air conditioner system.

In FIG. 1 for exchanging control signals and the like, the LAN 1 is managed by a centralized control unit 5 provided with an operating system (OS) for the network. The central unit 5 is connected to the indoor unit 3A via the LAN 1,
2 to 128 units are connected as in 3B and 1 to 16 outdoor units are connected as in 4A. For this connection, for example, 10BASE-T (twisted pair Ethernet (I
A network medium whose standard is determined by EEE) is used. The OS of the centralized control device 5 has a multi-task function, and can recognize the terminals such as the indoor units 3A and 3B and the outdoor unit 4A by IDs and set the usage right of the terminals.

As shown in the refrigeration cycle of FIG. 5, the outdoor unit 4
Each of A and 4B has a receiver 12, a four-way valve 8 for switching between heating and cooling, an outdoor heat exchanger 9, and a receiver 12 whose opening is adjusted in order to change the amount of refrigerant for the outdoor heat exchanger 9.
It has an accumulator 11. Indoor units 3A, 3B,
3C and 3D have an indoor heat exchanger 13 and an electronic expansion valve 14 whose opening is variable. Next, an example of the operation during driving will be described.

During cooling, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas discharged from the compressor 7 of the outdoor unit 4A passes through the four-way valve 8 and is heat-exchanged by the outdoor heat exchanger 9 to become a liquid refrigerant. Here, the electronic expansion valve 1
0 is fully open. The liquid refrigerant is the receiver 12 and the common liquid pipe 1
5, the liquid is split into the liquid pipe of each indoor unit, the pressure is reduced by the electronic expansion valve 14, and the heat is exchanged with the indoor air by the indoor heat exchanger 13,
Becomes low-pressure gas. The low-pressure gas merges with the common gas pipe 16, passes through the gas pipe of the outdoor unit, returns to the compressor 7 via the four-way valve 8 and the accumulator 11, and becomes a compressed high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant gas and is discharged again.

During heating, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas discharged from the compressor 7 of the outdoor unit 4A passes through the four-way valve 8 and merges with the common gas pipe 16 to be heat-exchanged with the indoor air by the indoor heat exchanger 13 and the liquid refrigerant. Becomes Here, the electronic expansion valve 14 is fully opened. The liquid refrigerant merges with the common liquid pipe 15, passes through the receiver 12 of the outdoor unit, is decompressed by the electronic expansion valve 10, and exchanges heat with the outdoor air by the outdoor heat exchanger 9 to become a low-pressure gas, which is the four-way valve 8,
It returns to the compressor 7 through the accumulator 11 and is discharged again.

In either the cooling operation or the heating operation described above, the electronic expansion valve 14 of the indoor unit, which needs to be stopped in response to the indoor demand, must be closed. In addition, a plurality of outdoor units are required to operate all or a part of them according to the required capacity. Furthermore, when the operating capacity of the compressor or the two outdoor heat exchangers 9 are configured, it is necessary to switch them.

The selection and combination of the above according to the required cooling or heating load, especially the capacity control of the compressor, is performed by the centralized control device 5. Here, to control the capacity of the compressor by the centralized control device 5 may be to determine the number of operating outdoor units, or to control the compressor 7 of each outdoor unit using a variable frequency power supply (inverter). It is also possible to instruct the capacity at the time and directly control. Further, the control of the refrigerant flow rate by the centralized control device 5 means that at least the opening degree of the electronic expansion valve 14 of each indoor unit is determined so that the refrigerant is appropriately distributed to each indoor unit according to each indoor load. To do.

As described above, the centralized controller 5 controls the network operating system (O) for managing the LAN.
Since S) is provided, its maintenance and management becomes easy. Moreover, since the distribution of the refrigerant flow rate to at least each indoor unit is determined, and the required operating capacity of the compressor of the outdoor unit is determined,
It becomes easy to manage the model and capacity of indoor units and outdoor units,
Can be shared.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows the connection of the constituent devices to the LAN of the air conditioner system of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 is a LAN similar to the example of FIG. 1, and is connected with a plurality of personal computers 6A, 6B as OA devices. The OA device to be connected is a printer or the like which is usually used in an office in a building, and may be equipment such as a disaster prevention and crime prevention system.

The refrigeration cycle as a multi-air conditioner
As is the case with FIG. 1, the centralized control device 5 determines the distribution of the refrigerant flow rate to each of the indoor units 3A, 3B, and determines the required operating capacity of the compressor 7 of the outdoor unit 4A. Also,
An ice heat storage unit or the like is connected as another component. In the present embodiment, the wiring in the building of the office automation equipment and the wiring between the indoor and outdoor units necessary for the air conditioner can be shared, and the work saving can be promoted.

Further, another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 and FIGS. 6 to 12. FIG. 3 shows an indoor unit 3A which is one of the components of the multi-air conditioner system.
3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of FIG. Similarly, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the outdoor unit 4A. FIG. 6 is a list view showing an example of unique numbers stored in each constituent device, and FIG. 7 is a list view of refrigerant system numbers and group numbers of indoor units and outdoor units decided at the time of system design, and FIG. Is a message format transmitted from the centralized control device or the loader to the LAN, and FIGS. 9 to 12 show message examples.

The connection of the constituent devices to the LAN of the air conditioner system is the same as the structure shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. The refrigeration cycle is similar to that described in FIG.

The indoor unit 3A requires a relatively high speed in a basic part of the indoor unit, and although not shown, for example, a control unit 3-which mainly detects an indoor temperature and drives a fan motor 3- 3, a storage device 3-2, and a transmission unit 3-1 that communicates with other components via the LAN 1. The storage device 3-2 has an initial program loader (I) for confirming that the control program has been transmitted.
PL).

The outdoor unit 4A also requires relatively high speed or constant monitoring. Although not shown, for example, a control unit 4-3 mainly for detecting discharge and suction pressures, driving a compressor, and the like, It is provided with a storage device 4-2 and a transmission means 4-1 for communicating with other constituent devices via the LAN 1.

Other indoor units and outdoor units have the same structure,
Similarly, the centralized control device 5 also has a storage device and a transmission means, and further comprises a loader for transmitting the control program onto the LAN 5. Here, the loader may be provided separately from the centralized control device 5. Indoor unit 3A, 3B, outdoor unit 4A,
Also, the centralized control device 5 stores a manufacturing number, which is a unique number when the device is manufactured. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a 10-digit manufacturing number is stored, and this number can be transmitted to LAN 1 by a request signal from another device.

Further, the refrigerant system number and the group number are determined at the time of system design as shown in FIG. 7, and the centralized control device 5 reads the manufacturing numbers of the indoor units 3A, 3B, etc. and the outdoor unit 4A, etc., at the time of construction. The refrigerant system number and the group number corresponding to are transmitted and stored in the storage devices 3-2 and 4-2 such as the indoor units 3A and 3B and the outdoor unit 4A.

The transmitted message format is shown in FIG.
As shown in Fig. 2, the control program for each indoor unit and outdoor unit can be transmitted to LAN1 by specifying the information of the header part, and if the serial number is specified, the specific indoor unit and outdoor unit can be specified. It is also possible to send just the control program. Each indoor unit 3A, 3B, outdoor unit A, etc. is LA
The message on N1 is received via the transmission means 3-1, 4-1 and the control unit 3-3, 4-3 discriminates the message for itself and stores only the message for itself in the storage device, 4-
Read in 2.

As an example, the centralized control device 5 or its loader sends the message of FIG. 9 in which the indoor control program is installed. The indoor units 3A and 3B receive the message of FIG. 9 via the transmission unit 3-1, and the control unit 3-3 recognizes the identification number = 1 in the header part and determines that the message is for itself. Then, the indoor control program is loaded into the storage device 3-2.

On the other hand, the outdoor unit 4A similarly receives the message of FIG. 9 via the transmission means 4-1, and the control section 4-3 recognizes the identification code = 1 in the header section, which is not a message for itself. And discard this message.

As described above, the indoor control program can be loaded into the indoor units 3A, 3B, etc. at the same time. As another message example, a case where the group number 1 is used as a cooling-only machine and the other groups 2 to 5 are used as heat pump machines will be described.

First, a cooling-only outdoor control program is set in the centralized control device 5 or its loader, and the message of FIG. 10 is transmitted via the LAN 1. Then, similarly to the above, only the outdoor unit 4A recognizes the message for itself and loads the cooling-only outdoor control program into the storage device 4-1.

Next, the heat pump outdoor control program is set in the centralized control device 5 or its loader, and as shown in FIG.
Message is sent, and the heat pump outdoor control program is loaded in the storage device 4-1 of the outdoor unit 4B, though not shown.

Next, the room control program is set to the central control unit 5
Alternatively, it may be set in the loader and the message shown in FIG.
The storage device 3-1 such as A, 3B is loaded.

In the above description, the control program is set in the centralized control unit 5 or its loader, but one of the air conditioners on the LAN 1 or the devices constituting the air conditioner is set.
One device, for example, the indoor unit 3A is provided with a load switch, and when this switch is pressed, the indoor unit 3A will be stored in the storage device 3A.
It is also possible to send the control program stored in -2 to the above in the same message format as described above.

As described above, it is possible to easily and surely change the control program required for each constituent device in accordance with the change in system specifications. In particular, when the capacity combinations of the indoor units are mixed and provided, the control of the operating capacity of the compressor can be changed. Further, since a specific group can be selected and the control program can be loaded in a lump, the program can be efficiently changed.

FIG. 14 shows an example in which groups of air conditioners are connected via gateways 20 and 21. This makes it possible to disperse the danger when a failure occurs in one of the groups. In addition, a device that can be connected to a public line network is connected to the LAN 1, and LA can be remotely accessed via this device.
You may load the control program of the air conditioner on N1, or the apparatus which comprises an air conditioner. Further, in the above embodiment, the centralized control device 5 is described as a server personal computer, but a loader may be simply provided separately.

FIG. 13 shows still another embodiment, which is shown in FIG.
The file server 17 is separately provided for the above.

The file server 17 is provided with a plurality of control programs for each application and a plurality of programs required for detection by various sensors. In addition, the indoor unit 3A,
3B, the outdoor unit A, etc., the operating frequency of the compressor, the suction pressure and the discharge pressure, the opening / closing state of each expansion valve, the temperature of each part such as the suction temperature, the discharge temperature, the outside air temperature, etc. It is transmitted to the server 17 and stored. On the other hand, the reference value of the operation data is separately stored in the file server 17, and the analysis software provided in the centralized control device 5 compares the two values to perform a failure diagnosis.

Further, a plurality of personal computers for clients are connected as OA devices, for example, as described above, and installed in the same room as the room in which at least one indoor unit 3A is provided.

From the personal computers 6A and 6B, a response indicating that the room temperature is high, for example, can be input, and the information is transmitted to the server personal computer 5 which is a centralized control device. The server personal computer 5 comprehensively determines the response to the operating state of the multi-air conditioner system as described above and the values obtained by the temperature sensors provided in the indoor units 3A and 3B to control the operating state. As a result, it is possible to optimally control the compressor capacity, the amount of refrigerant, etc. so as to raise the room temperature, particularly by concentrating only where there is a reaction that the room temperature is high.

In the above embodiment, assuming that the number of indoor units connected to the LAN is 2 to 128 units and the number of outdoor units is 1 to 16 units, the refrigerant pipes of one system are aggregated to start from about 84 KW (30 horsepower). It is possible to expand according to the system capacity. In addition, the scale is convenient for constructing an air conditioner system with a small-scale LAN that can be manufactured at a low cost by using a personal computer.

Further, in the above, at least the control program of the outdoor unit, for example, the control program which gives the opening degree command of the expansion valve provided in the indoor unit can be changed through the small LAN. Therefore, a means for controlling the opening degree of the expansion valve is not required in the indoor unit, and at least a drive unit is sufficient, and the indoor unit can be shared.

Further, since the centralized control device determines the distribution of the refrigerant flow rate to at least each indoor unit and controls so as to determine the operating capacity of the compressor of the outdoor unit, the model and capacity of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, etc. Can be easily managed, the indoor unit and the outdoor unit can be standardized and standardized, and the number of models can be reduced.

As a result, the cost of the multi-air conditioner system can be reduced, the controllability and operability of the air conditioner can be improved, and the maintenance management can be facilitated.

Further, since the OA device is connected to the LAN, the wiring can be commonly used with the OA device normally installed in the building and the equipment such as the disaster prevention and crime prevention system, and the effective use thereof can be achieved.

Further, since the control program required for the component equipment of the multi-air conditioner system is loaded from the loader to the storage device via the LAN and the transmission means, the control program required for each component equipment is changed according to the specification change or the like. It becomes easy to do.

Further, since the outdoor control program required for the outdoor unit of the multi-air conditioner system is transferred from the loader to the outdoor storage device via the LAN and the outdoor transmission means, the control program required for the outdoor unit can be changed in specifications. It becomes easy to change accordingly. In particular, the ability to change the control program of the outdoor unit makes it possible to finely change the control of the operating capacity of the compressor in response to the case where the combination of indoor units is changed by mixing large and small capacities.

Furthermore, in the above, since a specific group is selected from a plurality of constituent devices and the control programs required for the group are collectively loaded into the storage device of the constituent devices, for example, a certain group The control program can be efficiently transmitted in a short time by classifying it into the one dedicated to cooling and the other used only as a heat pump machine.

Further, since the centralized control device is provided with a plurality of control programs for each application and one of them can be selected, the air conditioner can be controlled, for example, for hospitals with a relatively small temperature change and a gentle control, or a school. For the purpose of increasing learning efficiency, the temperature can be lowered and changed for the purpose of active control.

Further, if the loader is provided with a plurality of control programs for each application and one of them can be selected, the air conditioner can be changed for each application, for example, for a hospital or for a school. And, in this example, rather than centrally controlling a plurality of constituent devices, the constituent devices are dispersedly controlled,
When the discharge pressure, the suction pressure, the outside air temperature and the like are constantly detected by individual constituent devices, it is suitable to change the program required for them.

Further, in the above description, since the manufacturing number is stored as a unique number for the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and it can be sent to the LAN, the centralized control device or the loader has the manufacturing number. To determine
Only the control program corresponding to it can be transmitted. Therefore, it is possible to improve the controllability of the multi-air conditioner system, such as the program having an improved version different for each manufacturing number, and the maintenance management becomes easy.

Further, the LAN is connected to the storage device of the multi-air conditioner system and the constituent devices and OA devices provided with the transmission means, and the centralized control device controls the LAN with an operating system (OS) and the storage device. Since the program can be loaded, it becomes easy to change the control program required for each component according to the change of the specifications, and the OA such as a personal computer or a printer usually installed in a building.
Wiring of equipment etc. can be shared and effective use is achieved.

Further, in the above, since the operation data of the indoor unit and the external unit are transmitted to the centralized control device, if the operation data is, for example, the suction pressure of the compressor, the discharge pressure, the temperature of each part, etc., By analyzing the recorded operation data, the cause such as the device failure can be found. Also,
By comparing the operation data with the reference value, it becomes possible to diagnose the operation state.

As a result, the maintenance and maintenance of each air conditioner and multi-air conditioner system can be facilitated.

Further, a centralized control device having an OS for controlling the LAN and an indoor unit, an outdoor unit, and an OA device are connected to the LAN, and the operating condition of the multi-air conditioner system is higher than that of the OA device, for example, when the room temperature is high Since the response can be input, not only the operating state is controlled by the temperature sensor, but also the operating state can be controlled in consideration of the reaction to the operating state at the place where the indoor unit is installed.

As a result, the controllability and operability of the air conditioner are improved.

Further, the LAN is provided with a personal computer for a server, which is provided with an OS for connecting 2 to 128 indoor units, 1 to 16 outdoor units, and a client personal computer. As a result, a small-scale LAN that can be integrated with one system of refrigerant piping to perform installation work corresponding to a system capacity of up to 84 kW, and that can be inexpensively performed with a personal computer.
You can build a system with.

Therefore, in a building or the like, the capacity can be set in small increments according to each room, and a system design such as selecting an outdoor unit of an appropriate scale according to the expansion of each indoor unit can be performed.

Further, an outdoor unit connected to the LAN and L
Since the personal computer for a plurality of clients connected to the AN and the personal computer for the server provided with the server OS for managing the LAN are provided, at least the outdoor unit can be provided at a low cost through a small LAN. It is possible to change the control program, for example, a control program which gives an opening degree command of the expansion valve provided in the indoor unit. Therefore, the indoor unit does not need a means for controlling the opening of the expansion valve, the indoor unit can be shared, and the number of models can be reduced.

[0061]

According to the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner system and an outdoor unit which are improved in controllability and operability as an air conditioner and which are suitable for maintenance such as maintenance management and various system deployments. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a connection of constituent devices to a local area network (LAN) of an air conditioner system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a LAN of an air conditioner system according to another embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the connection of component devices to the.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an indoor unit that is one of the components of the multi-air conditioner system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an outdoor unit.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a refrigeration cycle which is a component of the air conditioner system.

FIG. 6 is a list showing an example of unique numbers stored in each component device.

FIG. 7 is a list of refrigerant system numbers and group numbers of indoor units and outdoor units, which are determined when the system is designed.

FIG. 8 is a list of message formats transmitted to a LAN by a centralized control device or a loader.

FIG. 9 is a list showing a message example.

FIG. 10 is a list showing an example of a message.

FIG. 11 is a list showing a message example.

FIG. 12 is a list showing a message example.

FIG. 13 shows still another embodiment, which is an air conditioner system L provided with a file server separately from that shown in FIG.
It is a block diagram which shows the connection of the component apparatus to AN.

FIG. 14 shows still another embodiment, and shows an example in which a group of air conditioners is connected via a gateway to the one shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Local Area Network (LAN), 3A-3
Z ... Indoor unit, 4A-4F ... Outdoor unit, 5 ... Centralized control device or server personal computer, 6A-6B ... OA
Personal computer for device or client, 3-
1, 4-1 ... Transmission means, 3-2, 4-2 ... Storage device, 3
-3, 4-3 ... Control part, 7 ... Compressor, 10, 14 ... Electronic expansion valve.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Masamichi Mochizuki, 390 Muramatsu, Shimizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Hitachi, Ltd., Air Conditioning Systems Division (72) Inventor, Masashi Watanabe 390, Muramatsu, Shimizu City, Shizuoka Hitachi Shimizu Engineering Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-6-241544 (JP, A) JP-A-6-74539 (JP, A) JP-A-7-71809 (JP, A) JP-A-4-340150 (JP, A) JP-A-7-182410 (JP, A) JP-A-1-131846 (JP, A) JP-A-7-63401 (JP, A) JP-A-5-199226 (JP, A) JP-A-6-337153 (JP, A) JP-A-61-212941 (JP, A) JP-A-6-185742 (JP, A) JP-A-4-271455 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷⁾ , DB name) F24F 11/02 103

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. An air conditioner equipped with an indoor unit and an outdoor unit.
In the air conditioner system according to the present invention, a network to which the centralized control device and the OA equipment are connected and a gateway to each of the networks are connected to the network .
The air conditioner connected by being divided into loops, the indoor unit in which an identification code and a group number are stored, and
The outdoor unit, and the network from the central control device.
Each of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit via the network
The control program required for this is the identification code and group
The message is sent together with the number, and each of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit sends the message.
Load the control program.
And an air conditioner system. 2. The room according to claim 1, wherein
Machine and the outdoor unit store the serial number, and the message
The serial number is specified as
An air conditioner system characterized by being loaded
Mu. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the concentration is
Multiple control programs for each application are provided in the control device.
The indoor unit and the outdoor unit are control programs for each application.
One of the selected and loaded
Air conditioner system. 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the
Public network is connected to the network, and
Then, the control program is loaded remotely.
An air conditioner system characterized by that. 5.An outdoor unit used in an air conditioner,
The identification code and group number are stored, and the gateway
A network in which a centralized control device and OA equipment are connected via
Grouped into groups and connected to the central control unit.
Control program through the network.
Received as a message with another code and group number
From the received message,
Discriminating and loading the control program
FeaturedOutdoor unit.