JP4527583B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner in which indoor units of a plurality of independent refrigerant circuits are installed in the same air-conditioned space, and more particularly to rotation operation of a plurality of indoor units.

  As in the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 below, rotation operation of a plurality of outdoor units in the same refrigerant system is well known. In an objective air conditioning system in which multiple indoor units are installed in the same air-conditioned space, the rotation operation for each indoor unit is performed by a remote start / stop signal from a host system such as an air conditioning manager or a building management computer. ing.

JP 2003-21416 A

  However, since the conventional air conditioner has been rotated by the intuition and experience of the manager, it is difficult to say that the effect of extending the life of the compressor and the blower is necessarily high. In addition, the rotation is based on the judgment of only the operation time, and the air conditioning load status (load size and distribution) in the air-conditioned space is not taken into consideration, so that appropriate air conditioning is not performed on the air conditioning target. was there.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and is an air conditioner that can extend the life of the apparatus by leveling the operating time of the compressor and blower, which are the main parts of the refrigerant circuit components. It is intended to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioner according to the present invention is an air conditioner in which indoor units of a plurality of independent refrigerant circuits are installed in the same air-conditioned space. An operating time integrating means for integrating each, an activation priority setting changing means for setting and changing the starting priority higher in order from the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit whose accumulated operating time is integrated by the operating time integrating means, and the operating time integrating Means for changing the setting of the stop priority in order from the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit having the largest integrated operation time accumulated by the means, and the stop operation priority setting change means for increasing the stop priority, and the accumulated operation time accumulated by the operation time accumulation means from the predetermined accumulated time If so, the stop together with starting the indoor unit of the stopped on the basis of the set boot priority by the boot priority setting changing means It stores the indoor unit rotation means for performing indoor unit rotation stopping the indoor unit during operation on the basis of the set stopped priority by the priority setting changing means, a combination of an indoor unit can not be stopped for a preset time The combination storage means and the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit scheduled to stop based on the set stop priority order and the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit already stopped correspond to a combination of indoor units that cannot be stopped simultaneously by the combination storage means In this case, it is configured to include a forward stop means for stopping the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit having the highest stop priority next to the refrigerant circuit scheduled to be stopped .

Further, in the above-described configuration, at least an operation state detection unit that detects an operation state of the refrigerant circuit scheduled to stop, and an air conditioner that calculates the air conditioning capability of the refrigerant circuit based on the operation state of the refrigerant circuit detected by the operation state detection unit When the indoor unit rotation is performed by the capacity calculation unit and the indoor unit rotation unit, the air conditioning capability of the refrigerant circuit activated based on the set activation priority is stopped based on the set stop priority. When a predetermined air conditioning capacity of the planned refrigerant circuit is reached, a delay stop means for stopping the refrigerant circuit scheduled to stop is provided.

In each of the above-described configurations, the combination storage unit that stores the preset combination of indoor units that cannot be stopped at the same time, and the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit scheduled to stop based on the set stop priority are already stopped. When the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit is a combination of indoor units that cannot be stopped at the same time by the combination storage means, the advance stop means for stopping the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit with the highest stop priority next to the refrigerant circuit scheduled to be stopped It is equipped with.

Further, in each configuration described above, the performance record storage means for storing the performance of the air conditioning capacity of each refrigerant circuit calculated by the air conditioning capacity calculation means, and the results of the air conditioning capacity of each refrigerant circuit stored in the performance record storage means. Ability to increase the air conditioning capacity of the refrigerant circuit that has a low performance of air conditioning capacity and / or to reduce the air conditioning capacity of the refrigerant circuit that has a high performance of air conditioning capacity when the difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined capacity difference. And leveling means.

Further, in each of the above-described configurations, a failure detection unit that detects an indoor unit failure or an emergency operation state, an indoor unit arrangement storage unit that stores a perspective arrangement of a plurality of indoor units in the air-conditioned space, a failure, etc. When a detection unit detects a failure or emergency operation state of a certain indoor unit, the indoor unit located near the indoor unit where the failure or emergency operation state is detected is selected from the indoor unit arrangement storage unit, and the selected indoor unit is selected. Are forcibly activated regardless of the activation priority that has been set.

And in each above-mentioned structure, the centralized controller connected by communication control with the indoor unit of each refrigerant circuit so that remote control is possible is provided.

According to the air conditioner of the present invention, the indoor unit that is stopped is started based on the start priority set according to the accumulated operation time, and based on the stop priority set according to the accumulated operation time. By stopping the indoor unit in operation, it is possible to equalize the operation time of particularly important compressors and blowers among the component parts of the refrigerant circuit, thereby extending the life of the apparatus. According to the air conditioner of the present invention, when the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit scheduled to stop and the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit already stopped correspond to a combination of indoor units that cannot be stopped simultaneously, the refrigerant scheduled to stop By stopping the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit having the highest stop priority next to the circuit, it is possible to eliminate the shortage of capacity according to the air conditioning load situation without stopping the indoor units that cannot be stopped simultaneously.

In addition, when the indoor unit rotation is performed, the refrigerant circuit activated based on the activation priority is temporarily stopped by the rotation by stopping the refrigerant circuit scheduled to be stopped after the refrigerant circuit can be operated with a predetermined air conditioning capability. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a shortage of ability and to perform rotation smoothly.

When the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit scheduled to stop and the indoor unit of the already stopped refrigerant circuit fall under the combination of indoor units that cannot be stopped simultaneously, the refrigerant circuit having the next highest stop priority after the refrigerant circuit scheduled to stop By stopping the indoor units, it is possible to solve the shortage of capacity according to the air conditioning load situation without stopping the indoor units that cannot be stopped at the same time.

Furthermore, when the difference in the performance of the air conditioning capacity of each refrigerant circuit is greater than or equal to the predetermined capacity difference, the operation of increasing the air conditioning capacity of the refrigerant circuit that has a low performance of air conditioning capacity or the air conditioning capacity of the refrigerant circuit that has a high performance of air conditioning capacity By performing the operation that lowers the power consumption, it is possible to drive with efficient capacity, leading to energy saving operation.

In addition, when a failure or emergency operation state of a certain indoor unit is detected, another indoor unit at a position close to the indoor unit is selected, and the selected indoor unit is activated regardless of the activation priority. The backup operation can be performed by the indoor unit, and the operation without the capacity shortage becomes possible.

By providing a centralized controller that is communicably connected to the indoor units of each refrigerant circuit so as to be remotely controllable, settings and control relating to rotation can be performed collectively and control communication can be simplified.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an overall schematic configuration of an air conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a refrigerant circuit used in the air conditioning apparatus.
In each of the drawings, the air conditioner according to this embodiment has the same indoor units 2, 2, 2,... Of the six independent refrigerant circuits 1, 1, 1,. It is installed on the wall surface in the space 4. Three air-conditioning objects 5 (in this example, cooling objects 5 (1), 5 (2), and 5 (3)) such as a computer that generates heat are installed in the center of the air-conditioned space 4. In the vicinity of each air-conditioning target 5, 5, 5, temperature sensors 6, 6, 6 that can grasp the air-conditioning load situation are installed, and compression is performed based on the temperature information of the air-conditioning target 5 detected by the temperature sensor 6. The capacity of the machine 8 is controlled and appropriate air conditioning is performed.

In the refrigerant circuit 1, a compressor 8, a heat source side heat exchanger 9, a throttle valve 11, and an indoor side heat exchanger 12 are annularly connected via a refrigerant pipe 10. Among these elements, the compressor 8, the heat source side heat exchanger 9, and the like are arranged in the heat source unit 3 installed outside the room, and the throttle valve 11 and the indoor side heat exchanger 12 are arranged in the indoor unit 2. The heat source unit 3 is provided with a controller 18 that controls the compressor 8 and the like, and a communication unit 17 that communicates between the controller 18 and the outside. The indoor unit 2 has a blower 13 that blows air to the indoor heat exchanger 12, a temperature sensor 19 that is installed in the vicinity of the air suction port and detects the intake air temperature, and a blower air temperature that is installed in the vicinity of the air outlet. A temperature sensor 20, a controller 14 for controlling the blower 13 and the throttle valve 11, a communication device 15 for communicating with the controller 14 and the outside, and a blower sensor 22 for detecting the rotational speed and on / off of the blower 13 are provided. Has been. In the vicinity of the air outlet of the indoor unit 2, an electric or manual louver 40 that determines the direction of the blown air is provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, the controller 14 of the indoor unit 2 includes a control unit 23 realized by an MPU, a memory (ROM and RAM) 36 that stores setting data, detection data, performance data, program data, and the like. The timer 34 counts and resets the elapsed time, and the input / output port 41 inputs / outputs data to / from the control unit 23. A temperature sensor 19, a temperature sensor 20, a compressor sensor 21, a blower sensor 22, and a temperature sensor 6 are connected to the input side of the input / output port 41, and the compressor 8, the throttle valve 11, the blower 13, and the louver 40 are connected to the output side. Are communicably connected so that they can be driven, and the communication device 15 is communicably connected to the input / output side. The communication device 15 is connected in communication with the communication device 17 of the heat source device 3 and the communication device of the centralized controller 7.

As will be described later, the control unit 23 includes a start priority setting change unit 24, a stop priority setting change unit 25, an indoor unit rotation unit 26, an operation state detection unit 27, an air conditioning capability calculation unit 28, and a delay stop unit 29. , Carry stop means 30, capacity leveling means 31, failure detection means 32, and forced activation means 33. Each function of these means 24 to 33 is realized by a processing procedure of a program set in the control unit 23. In addition, the timer 34 has a function of the operating time integrating means 35. The memory 36 has functions of a combination storage unit 37, a performance record storage unit 38, and an indoor unit arrangement storage unit 39.

  The air conditioner configured as described above operates as in the outline of the process shown in FIG. That is, the total operation time of the compressor 8 of the heat source unit 3 or the blower 13 of the indoor unit, the selection of the indoor unit (rotation indoor unit) 2 to be stopped / started next time, the calculation of the required air conditioning capacity for the air-conditioning target, and the vicinity when stopped The other indoor units satisfy the necessary capacity, the stop delay until the air conditioning capacity of the start indoor unit reaches the predetermined capacity of the stop indoor unit, and the stop of the indoor unit after the stop delay.

Therefore, the operation of the air conditioner according to this embodiment will be described in detail. First, the function of the operation time integration means 35 of the timer 34 integrates the operation time of each refrigerant circuit 1, 1, 1,... (Compressor 8 and blower 13) (step 1). The function of the stop priority setting changing means 25 of the control unit 23 changes the setting of the stop priority higher in order from the indoor unit 2 of the refrigerant circuit 1 having a long accumulated operation time accumulated by the timer 34 (step 2). Further, it is determined whether or not the accumulated operation time of the refrigerant circuit 1 having the highest stop priority is longer than a set predetermined accumulated time (arbitrary) (step 3). When the accumulated operation time is longer than the predetermined accumulated time, the function of the activation priority setting change means 24 of the control unit 23 activates the indoor unit 2 of the refrigerant circuit 1 with the smallest accumulated operation time accumulated by the timer 34 next time. The indoor unit 2 is set (step 4). The function of the indoor unit rotation means of the control unit 23 is to start the stopped indoor unit 2 based on the start priority set by the start priority setting change means 24 (step 5) and stop priority order setting change means. Based on the stop priority set by 25, the indoor unit 2 in operation is stopped (step 6). Such processes of steps 1 to 6 are repeated.

Therefore, according to this air conditioner, the stopped indoor unit 2 is activated based on the activation priority set according to the accumulated operation time, and based on the stop priority set according to the accumulated operation time. Therefore, the operation time of the compressor 8 and the blower 13 that are particularly important among the component parts of the refrigerant circuit 1 can be leveled, and the life of the apparatus can be extended.

And the function of the operation state detection means 27 of the control part 23 is the temperature sensors 19 and 20, the compressor sensor 21, the operation state of the refrigerant circuit 1 to be stopped or all the refrigerant circuits 1, 1, 1,. And detection based on detection data from the blower sensor 22. Then, at the time of the processing of step 1, the function of the air conditioning capacity calculation means 28 of the control unit 23 is based on the operation state of the refrigerant circuit 1 detected by the operation state detection means 27, and the air conditioning capacity of the refrigerant circuit 1. calculate. The function of the delay stop unit 29 of the control unit 23 is that the air conditioning capability of the refrigerant circuit 1 that is activated based on the activation priority that is set when the indoor unit rotation is performed by the indoor unit rotation unit 26 is set. It is determined whether or not the air conditioning capacity of, for example, 80% of the refrigerant circuit 1 scheduled to stop is exceeded based on the stop priority order. If it exceeds it, it will be judged that it started normally, and the refrigerant circuit 1 to be stopped will be stopped.

By controlling in this way, when the indoor unit 2 is rotated, the refrigerant circuit 1 that is activated based on the activation priority order can be operated with a predetermined air conditioning capability, and then the refrigerant circuit 1 that is scheduled to stop. Can be stopped. Thereby, it is possible to avoid a temporary shortage of capacity due to the rotation, and it is possible to perform the rotation smoothly.

On the other hand, the function of the combination storage means 37 of the memory 36 stores “combination of indoor units 2, 2,... That cannot be stopped simultaneously” data set manually from the outside in advance. The function of the advance stopping means 30 of the control unit 23 is that the indoor unit 2 of the refrigerant circuit 1 scheduled to stop and the indoor unit 2 of the refrigerant circuit 1 already stopped based on the set stop priority order are stored in the memory 36. When the data corresponds to the “combination of indoor units 2, 2,... That cannot be stopped simultaneously” data, the indoor unit 2 of the refrigerant circuit 1 having the highest stop priority next to the refrigerant circuit 1 to be stopped is stopped.

Thus, when the indoor unit 2 of the refrigerant circuit 1 scheduled to stop and the indoor unit 2 of the refrigerant circuit 1 already stopped correspond to a combination of indoor units 2, 2,. By stopping the indoor unit 2 of the refrigerant circuit 1 having the highest stop priority next to the refrigerant circuit, the indoor units 2, 2,. Can be resolved.

Moreover, the function of the performance record storage means 38 of the memory 36 stores the results of the air conditioning capacity of the refrigerant circuits 1, 1, 1,... Calculated by the air conditioning capacity calculation means 28 of the control unit 23. The function of the capacity leveling means 31 of the control unit 23 is that when the difference in the performance of the air conditioning capacity of each refrigerant circuit 1, 1, 1,. An operation for increasing the air conditioning capability of the refrigerant circuit 1 having a low performance record and an operation for decreasing the air conditioning capability of the refrigerant circuit 1 having a high performance record of the air conditioning performance are performed. For example, when the capacity difference between a plurality of units in the same group is large (for example, one of the plurality of indoor units 2 and 2 that cool the same air-conditioning target 5 is operated with 90% capacity and the other with 50% capacity. If this is the case, leveling these capacities will allow them to operate at the most efficient capacities. Incidentally, although it differs depending on the compressor 8, the COP at the time of 70% capacity operation is maximized.

As described above, when the difference in the performance of the refrigerant circuits 1, 1, 1,... Is equal to or greater than the predetermined capability difference, the operation of increasing the air conditioning capability of the refrigerant circuit 1 having a low performance of the air conditioning capability. In addition, by performing an operation that lowers the air conditioning capability of the refrigerant circuit 1 that has a high track record of air conditioning capability, the refrigerant circuit 1 can be operated with high efficiency, leading to energy saving operation.
In order to equalize the capacity of each refrigerant circuit 1, 1, 1,..., An operation for increasing the air conditioning capacity of the refrigerant circuit 1 having a low air conditioning performance record, or a refrigerant circuit having a high air conditioner performance record. Only one of the operations for lowering the air conditioning capability of 1 may be used.

And the function of the indoor unit arrangement | positioning memory | storage means 39 of the memory 36 has memorize | stored beforehand the data which concern on the perspective arrangement of the six indoor units 2,2,2, ... in the air-conditioned space 4. FIG. The function of the failure detection means 32 of the control unit 23 detects a failure of the refrigerant circuit 1 and the indoor unit 2 or an emergency operation state. The function of the forced activation means 33 of the control unit 23 is to store the indoor unit 2 at a position close to the indoor unit 2 where the failure or the emergency operation state is detected when a failure or the emergency operation state of the certain indoor unit 2 is detected. 36, and the selected indoor unit 2 is activated regardless of the set activation priority.
More specifically, for each indoor unit 2, the indoor unit 2 that is in a position where backup can be performed in the event of a failure and the order of backup (for example, close order, “backup priority”) are set in advance. Then, when a certain indoor unit 2 is abnormally stopped or a sign thereof is generated, the indoor unit (backup indoor unit) 2 having a high “backup priority” is activated. At this time, the abnormal indoor unit (the indoor unit in which the abnormal stop or sign has occurred) 2 and the backup indoor unit 2 are excluded from the processing operations from Step 1 to Step 6. When the abnormal indoor unit 2 can be normally activated, it is incorporated into the processing operations from step 1 to step 6 again.

As described above, when a failure or an emergency operation state of a certain indoor unit 2 is detected, another indoor unit 2 near the indoor unit 2 is selected, and the selected indoor unit 2 is set regardless of the activation priority. By starting up, backup operation can be performed by the other indoor units 2, and operation without running out of capacity becomes possible. In this case, the electric louver 40 may be used for backup by changing the wind direction.

On the other hand, the centralized controller 7 includes the communication devices 15, 15, 15,... Of the indoor units 2, 2, 2,. , 3, 3,... And the communication devices 17, 17, 17,... Are connected via a communication line 16 so that they can be remotely controlled. Control can be performed all at once and control communication can be simplified.

  In the above embodiment, the functions of the units 24 to 33 are provided on the indoor unit 2 side. However, these functions may be provided on the heat source device 3 side or the centralized controller 7 side, for example.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole schematic structure of the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the refrigerant circuit used for the said air conditioning apparatus. It is a control block diagram which shows the control structure of the indoor unit of the said refrigerant circuit. It is a flowchart which shows the outline of the control by the said indoor unit.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerant circuit, 2 Indoor unit, 3 Heat source machine, 4 Air-conditioned space, 5 Air-conditioning object, 6 Temperature sensor, 7 Centralized controller, 8 Compressor, 13 Blower, 14 Controller, 16 Communication line, 19 Temperature sensor, 20 Temperature Sensor, 21 Compressor sensor, 22 Blower sensor, 23 Control unit, 24 Start priority setting change means, 25 Stop priority order setting change means, 26 Indoor unit rotation means, 27 Operating state detection means, 28 Air conditioning capacity calculation means, 29 Delay stop means, 30 Advance stop means, 31 Capacity leveling means, 32 Failure detection means, 33 Forced start means, 34 Timer, 35 Operating time integration means, 36 Memory, 37 Combination storage means, 38 Capacity record storage means, 39 Indoor unit arrangement storage means.

Claims (5)

In an air conditioner in which indoor units of a plurality of refrigerant circuits independent from each other are installed in the same air-conditioned space, the operation time integrating means for integrating the operation time of each refrigerant circuit, and the operation time integrating means Starting priority setting setting changing means for setting the starting priority higher in order from the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit with the smaller accumulated operation time, and the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit with the larger accumulated operating time accumulated by the operating time integrating means Stop priority setting setting change means for setting a higher stop priority, and an activation priority set by the activation priority setting change means when the accumulated operation time accumulated by the operation time accumulation means is greater than a predetermined accumulated time Based on the stop priority set by the stop priority setting changing means. And an indoor unit rotation means for performing indoor unit rotation stopping the indoor units in operation and have a combination storage unit that stores a combination of the indoor unit can not be stopped for a preset time, based on the stop priority set If the indoor unit of the refrigerant circuit scheduled to stop and the indoor unit of the already stopped refrigerant circuit fall under the combination of indoor units that cannot be stopped simultaneously by the combination storage means, the stop priority is placed next to the refrigerant circuit scheduled to stop An air conditioner characterized by comprising an advance stopping means for stopping indoor units of a refrigerant circuit having a higher rank . An operation state detection unit that detects at least an operation state of the refrigerant circuit scheduled to be stopped, an air conditioning capability calculation unit that calculates the air conditioning capability of the refrigerant circuit based on the operation state of the refrigerant circuit detected by the operation state detection unit, When the indoor unit rotation is performed by the indoor unit rotation means, the air conditioning capacity of the refrigerant circuit activated based on the set activation priority is set to the refrigerant circuit scheduled to be stopped based on the set stop priority. The air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising a delay stop means for stopping the refrigerant circuit scheduled to stop when a predetermined air conditioning capacity is reached. The difference between the performance record storage means for storing the performance of the air conditioning capacity of each refrigerant circuit calculated by the air conditioning capacity calculation means and the result of the air conditioning capacity of each refrigerant circuit stored in the capacity performance storage means is greater than a predetermined capacity difference. And an ability leveling means for performing an operation for increasing the air conditioning capacity of the refrigerant circuit having a low performance of air conditioning capability and / or an operation for reducing the air conditioning capacity of the refrigerant circuit having a high performance of air conditioning capacity. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein A failure detection unit for detecting a failure of the indoor unit or an emergency operation state, an indoor unit arrangement storage unit for storing the perspective arrangement of a plurality of indoor units in the air-conditioned space, and a certain indoor unit by the failure detection unit When the failure or the emergency operation state is detected, the indoor unit at a position close to the indoor unit where the failure or the emergency operation state is detected is selected from the indoor unit arrangement storage means, and the selected indoor unit is set. The air conditioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising forced activation means that is activated regardless of the activation priority order. The air conditioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , further comprising a centralized controller that is communicatively connected to an indoor unit of each refrigerant circuit so as to be remotely controlled.

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