JP4506774B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for writing an error log indicating an abnormality of a drive unit that drives a motor into a storage unit.

In Patent Document 1, for the purpose of providing an inexpensive air conditioner that can easily identify the cause of an abnormality occurring in an outdoor unit (paragraph [0005]), when an abnormality occurs in the outdoor unit An air conditioner that specifies how much accumulated operation time has elapsed by causing the accumulated operation time to be stored in an outdoor storage unit has been disclosed (paragraph [0008]).
JP 2004-156829 A

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1, there is no description about which area of the storage unit stores the error log indicating the content of the abnormality, so the error log is stored in the storage unit while saving the capacity of the storage unit. There is a problem that it cannot be stored efficiently.

  In particular, the error log immediately after the occurrence of an abnormality is more important in many cases, and if there is no more free space in the storage unit and the oldest error log is updated with the latest error log, the error immediately after the occurrence of the error The log is erased, the specific contents of the abnormality cannot be grasped, and there is a problem that the cause of the abnormality cannot be specified.

  The objective of this invention is providing the air conditioner which can store an error log in a memory | storage part efficiently, saving the capacity | capacitance of a memory | storage part.

An air conditioner according to the present invention includes a storage unit, a writing unit that detects an abnormality of the air conditioner, generates an error log indicating the content of the detected abnormality, and writes the error log to the storage unit, and the storage unit includes A fixed storage area for storing from the first error log generated first in the writing unit to the error log generated n (n is a positive positive number), and n + 1 and subsequent times in the writing unit An update storage area for storing the generated error log, and the error log includes detailed information indicating the details of the abnormality and an error code indicating the type of the abnormality, and the storage unit includes the first to nth and n + 1 A code storage area for storing an error code of an error log after the first time , and the writing unit writes the 1st to n-th error logs in the fixed storage area, and the error log after the (n + 1) th time is the update storage area The error code is written in the code storage area so that the detailed information constituting the error log and the error code are associated with each other, and the detailed information of the first to nth error logs is written in the fixed storage area. , When the detailed information of the error log after the (n + 1) th time is written to the update storage area, and new error log detailed information is written in a state where there is no free space in the update storage area, it is written to the update storage area Of the detailed information of the error log, the detailed information of the oldest error log is updated with the detailed information of the newly generated error log .

  According to this configuration, the storage unit includes a fixed storage area for storing from the first error log generated first to the error log generated n (n is a positive positive number), and the n + 1 and subsequent times. Including the update storage area for storing the generated error log, the 1st to n-th error logs are written to the fixed storage area, and the (n + 1) th and subsequent error logs are written to the update storage area.

  Therefore, if a new error log is generated when there is no free space in the update storage area, an error has occurred by rewriting any data written in the update storage area with a new error log. It is possible to store the newly generated error log in the storage unit at any time without deleting the error log that is generated in the initial period and is important for identifying the cause of the abnormality, and the capacity of the storage unit Thus, the error log can be efficiently stored in the storage unit.

In addition, according to this configuration, when a new error log is generated when there is no free space in the update storage area, the oldest error log written in the update storage area is newly generated. Since the error log is updated, the error log considered to be less important in identifying the cause of the abnormality can be deleted, and a new error log can be stored in the storage unit.

In addition, according to this configuration, since the error code and the detailed information are stored in the associated storage unit, it is possible to identify the error type from the error code and to recognize the details of the error from the detailed information. Become.

  Further, the apparatus further includes a motor and a drive unit for driving the motor, and the writing unit detects whether an abnormality has occurred in the drive unit and generates an error log indicating the content of the abnormality. It is preferable to write in the storage unit.

  According to this configuration, an error log indicating the content of abnormality of the drive unit that drives the motor is written in the storage unit.

  The driving unit includes a converter circuit that converts an AC voltage from an AC power source into a DC voltage, and an inverter circuit that converts a DC voltage output from the converter circuit into an AC voltage, and the control unit includes the converter It is preferable to detect an error in the circuit and the inverter circuit and generate an error log.

  According to this configuration, an error log indicating an abnormality between the converter circuit and the inverter circuit is generated.

  According to the present invention, a newly generated error log is stored in the storage unit at any time without erasing the error log that is generated in the initial period after the occurrence of the abnormality and is important for identifying the cause of the abnormality. Therefore, the error log can be efficiently stored in the storage unit while saving the capacity of the storage unit.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. The air conditioner includes a drive unit 10, a control unit 20 (writing unit), a ROM 30 (storage unit), and a motor M. The drive unit 10 drives the motor M and includes a converter circuit 11 and an inverter circuit 12. The converter circuit 11 converts an AC voltage from the AC power source E1 into a DC voltage, and includes a rectifier circuit 111, a boost chopper 112, a smoothing unit 113, and resistors R1, R2, and R3.

  The AC power source E1 is a commercial power source of an electric power company. The rectifier circuit 111 is composed of, for example, a diode bridge, and full-wave rectifies the AC voltage output from the AC power supply E1. The step-up chopper 112 boosts the DC voltage output to the inverter circuit 12 to a predetermined level, and includes a coil L1, a diode D1, a switching element Q1, and a diode D2. That is, the boost chopper 112 receives the PWM signal output from the control unit 20, the switching element Q1 is turned on / off, and the electromagnetic energy accumulated in the coil L1 while the switching element Q1 is on is converted into the switching element Q1. Is discharged while is turned off, so that a DC voltage of a predetermined level is output to the inverter circuit 12.

  In the present embodiment, an npn-type bipolar transistor is employed as the switching element Q1, the collector is connected to the connection point between the coil L1 and the diode D1, the base is connected to the control unit 20, and the emitter is connected to the ground. ing. The diode D1 has an anode connected to the coil L1 and a cathode connected to the resistor R1. The diode D2 has an anode connected to the emitter of the switching element Q1, and a cathode connected to the collector of the switching element Q1. The smoothing unit 113 is composed of a capacitor C1, and smoothes the voltage output from the boost chopper 112.

  The resistor R1 has one end connected to the cathode of the diode D1 and the other end connected to the resistor R2. The resistor R2 has one end connected to the resistor R1 and the other end connected to the ground. A connection point between the resistor R1 and the resistor R2 is connected to the control unit 20 via the monitor line L12. The resistor R3 is composed of a shunt resistor connected on the ground side line between the smoothing unit 113 and the inverter circuit 12 in order to monitor a current for driving the motor M, and one end is connected to the control unit 20. Yes.

  The inverter circuit 12 includes switching elements Q2 and Q3, diodes D3 and D4, and the like, and converts the DC voltage output from the converter circuit 11 into an AC voltage having a predetermined level of amplitude under the control of the control unit 20. Then, the motor M is driven. Here, the switching element Q2 is composed of an npn-type bipolar transistor, the base is connected to the control unit 20, the emitter is connected to the collector of the switching element Q3, and the collector is connected to the capacitor C1. The switching element Q3 is composed of an npn-type bipolar transistor, and has a base connected to the control unit 20 and an emitter connected to the ground. The diode D3 has an anode connected to the emitter of the switching element Q2, and a cathode connected to the collector of the switching element Q2. The diode D4 has an anode connected to the emitter of the switching element Q3 and a cathode connected to the collector of the switching element Q3. The motor M is composed of, for example, a brushless motor and is driven by an AC voltage output from the inverter circuit 12 to drive a blower fan or the like.

  The control unit 20 includes a microcomputer such as a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM, and governs overall control of the air conditioner. The control unit 20 is connected to the step-up chopper 112 via the monitor line L11, connected to the connection point of the resistors R1 and R2 via the monitor line L12, and connected to the resistor R3 via the monitor line L13. It is connected to the inverter circuit 12 via the line L14, monitors various electrical signals sent via the monitor lines L11 to L14, and applies PWM to the switching elements Q1 to Q3 so that the rotational speed of the motor M becomes a predetermined speed. A signal is output and the drive part 10 is controlled. Furthermore, the control unit 20 monitors various electrical signals sent via the monitor lines L11 to L14 at regular time intervals, and detects whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the control unit 20. Here, for example, when the level of any electrical signal flowing through the monitor lines L11 to L14 shows a predetermined abnormal value, the control unit 20 detects that an abnormality has occurred in the drive unit 10, and An error log indicating the contents is generated and written in the ROM 30. The error log includes an error code indicating the type of abnormality and detailed information indicating the detailed content of the abnormality. The control unit 20 stores in advance the relationship between each error code and a typical monitor result for each error code, and identifies the typical monitor result closest to the monitor result when an abnormality is detected. Identify the error code. Moreover, the control part 20 makes detailed information the monitoring result when abnormality is detected.

  The ROM 30 includes a rewritable nonvolatile storage device such as an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), and stores an error log generated by the control unit 20.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually showing the memory space of the ROM 30. In addition, the numerical value shown on the left side of each box shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the ROM 30 has a word length of 2 bytes and is composed of 16 cells SL1 to SL16 of 128 bytes.

  The memory space generally includes three areas R1 to R3. The region R1 includes cells SL1 and SL2. The cell SL1 stores data that should remain in the ROM 30 even when the supply of the AC power supply E1 is stopped. Here, as the data stored in the cell SL1, data indicating the monitoring result of the driving unit 10 performed by the control unit 20 at regular time intervals is adopted. Specifically, the electric power of each of the monitor lines L11 to L14 is used. Data indicating contents such as signal levels is employed.

  Since the data written to the cell SL1 is frequently rewritten data, the same data as the cell SL1 is also written to the cell SL2 in preparation for the occurrence of an error, thereby achieving duplication.

  The area R2 (code storage area) is composed of the cells SL3 to SL6, and an error code included in an error log generated by the control unit 20 is written therein. Here, the 1st to 16th error codes are written to the cell SL3, the 17th to 32th error codes are written to the cell SL4, and the 33rd to 48th error codes are written to the cell SL5. The 49th to 64th error codes are written in the cell SL6. The error code for the abnormality detected by the control unit 20 for the first time becomes the first error code, and the error code for the abnormality detected for the second time becomes the second error code.

  The region R3 includes a total of 10 cells SL7 to SL16, and stores detailed information included in the error log generated by the control unit 20. The region R3 includes a fixed storage region R31 that stores from the first detailed information generated first to the fifth detailed information, and an update storage region R32 that stores detailed information generated after the sixth time.

  The fixed storage area R31 includes cells SL7 to SL11, and detailed information for the first to fifth times is written in the cells SL7 to SL11, respectively. The update storage area R32 includes cells SL12 to SL16, and detailed information generated after the sixth time is written therein. The detailed information for the abnormality detected by the control unit 20 for the first time is the first detailed information, and the detailed information for the abnormality detected for the second time is the second detailed information.

  Specifically, 5k (k is a positive integer) + 1th detailed information is written in the cell SL12, 5k + 2nd detailed information is written in the cell SL13, and 5k + 3rd detail is written in the cell SL14. The information is written, the 5k + 4th detailed information is written in the cell SL15, and the 5k + 5th detailed information is written in the cell SL16.

  Here, when the control unit 20 sequentially writes the sixth to tenth detailed information in the cells SL12 to SL16 and generates the eleventh error log, it is the oldest detailed information written in the update storage area R32. The 6th detailed information of the cell SL12, which is detailed information, is rewritten to the 11th detailed information. That is, when writing new detailed information in a state where there is no free space in the update storage area R32, the control unit 20 newly generates the oldest detailed information among the detailed information written in the update storage area R32. Update with detailed information.

  Next, processing when the control unit 20 writes an error log in the ROM 20 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing when the control unit 20 writes the error log into the ROM 20. First, in step S1, when the controller 20 detects an abnormality in the drive unit 10 (YES in step S1), the controller 20 identifies an error code from the monitor result when the abnormality is detected, and uses this monitor result as detailed information for an error log. Is generated (step S2).

  Next, in step S3, when the error log generated in step S2 is an error log generated after the sixth time (YES in step S3), the control unit 20 stores the error code included in the error log in the region R2. The oldest detailed information written in the update storage area R32 is rewritten with the detailed information included in the error log (step S4). On the other hand, when the error log generated in step S2 is the error log generated before the fifth time (NO in step S3), the control unit 20 transfers the error code included in the error log to a predetermined cell in the region R2. At the same time, the detailed information contained in the error log is written to a predetermined cell in the fixed storage area R31 (step S5).

  When writing the error code, the control unit 20 associates the pointer indicating the address where the corresponding detailed information is stored with the error code, and writes the error code in the fixed storage area R31.

  As described above, according to the present air conditioner, the ROM 30 is generated from the first generated detailed information to the detailed information generated from the first time to the fifth generated information, and from the sixth time onward. Update information storage area R32 for storing detailed information, and when a new error log is generated in a state where there is no free area in update storage area R32, the most detailed information written in update storage area R32 The old detailed information is updated with the newly generated detailed information.

  Therefore, it is possible to store newly generated detailed information in the ROM 30 at any time without deleting detailed information that is generated in the initial period after the occurrence of the abnormality and is important for specifying the cause of the abnormality. Thus, the detailed information can be efficiently stored in the ROM 30 while saving the capacity of the ROM 30.

  In the above embodiment, the control unit 20 detects an abnormality of the driving unit 10, but is not limited to this, and detects an abnormality of various devices constituting the air conditioner. Any abnormality that occurs in the air conditioner may be detected.

  In the above embodiment, the detailed information for the first to fifth times is written in the fixed storage area R31, and the detailed information for the sixth and subsequent times is written in the update storage area R32. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to write the detailed information before the nth time in the fixed storage area R31 and write the detailed information after the (n + 1) th time in the update storage area R32. In this case, the fixed storage region R31 may be configured with n cells including the cells SL1 to SLn, and the update storage region R32 may be configured with n cells including the cells SLn + 1 to SL2n.

  In the above embodiment, the number of cells constituting the fixed storage area R31 is the same as the number of cells constituting the update storage area R32. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of cells in both areas is different. It may be a number.

  In the above embodiment, the error log after the 65th time is not particularly mentioned. However, when the error log after the 65th time is generated, the control unit 20 generates one of the error codes stored in the region R2. May be updated with the error code included in the newly generated error log, the 65th and subsequent error logs may not be written to the ROM 20, and at the time when 64 error logs are generated, the error log The generation may end, or the error code for the 65th and subsequent times may not be written in the area R2, but only detailed information may be written in the update storage area R32.

  In the above embodiment, the detailed information is written in the region R3 and the error code is written in the region R2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the error code and the detailed information are combined, that is, the error log itself is stored. You may make it write in area | region R3. In this case, the first to fifth error logs are left in the ROM 30, and the sixth and subsequent error logs are update target error logs.

It is the figure which showed the electrical structure of the air conditioner by embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the memory space of ROM notionally. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of a control part writing an error log in ROM.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Drive part 11 Converter circuit 12 Inverter circuit 20 Control part 111 Rectifier circuit 112 Boost chopper 113 Smoothing part C1 Capacitors R1-R3 Area D31 Fixed storage area D32 Update storage area

Claims (4)

A storage unit;
An abnormality of the air conditioner is detected, an error log indicating the content of the detected abnormality is generated, and a writing unit for writing to the storage unit is provided.
The storage unit includes a fixed storage area for storing from a first error log generated first in the writing unit to an error log generated n (n is a positive positive number), and the writing unit And an update storage area for storing error logs generated after the (n + 1) th time in
The error log includes detailed information indicating details of the abnormality and an error code indicating the type of abnormality,
The storage unit further includes a code storage area for storing error codes of error logs from the 1st to nth times and from the (n + 1) th time ,
The writing unit writes the 1st to n-th error logs in the fixed storage area and writes the (n + 1) th and subsequent error logs to the update storage area , and includes detailed information and error codes constituting the error log. Write the error code to the code storage area, write the detailed information of the 1st to nth error logs to the fixed storage area, write the detailed information of the error log after the (n + 1) th time to the update storage area, When new error log detailed information is written when there is no free space in the update storage area, the oldest error log detailed information is newly generated among the error log detailed information written in the update storage area. The air conditioner is characterized by being updated with detailed information of the error log . 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein n is variable. A motor,
A drive unit for driving the motor;
The said writing part detects whether abnormality occurred in the said drive part, produces | generates the error log which shows the content of the said abnormality, and writes in the said memory | storage part, The Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Air conditioner. The drive unit includes a converter circuit that converts an AC voltage from an AC power source into a DC voltage;
An inverter circuit that converts a DC voltage output from the converter circuit into an AC voltage;
The air conditioner according to claim 3 , wherein the controller detects an abnormality in the converter circuit and the inverter circuit and generates an error log.

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