JP6628527B2 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner.

There is a refrigeration apparatus that sequentially activates target devices and sequentially determines a faulty device when leakage occurs in a plurality of compressors and outdoor fans of the refrigeration device having an air conditioning system.
Patent Document 1 discloses a sequential starting unit that sequentially starts a predetermined target refrigeration unit when restarting after a breaker is shut down due to an abnormality in an electric system, and an electric system that is sequentially started by the sequential starting unit when the restarting is performed. There is described a refrigerating apparatus including an abnormality processing unit for excluding a refrigerating device to which power has been supplied immediately before the abnormality when the circuit breaker is shut off due to an abnormality, and excluding the refrigerating device from the target of the sequential activation unit.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a ground fault countermeasure device provided between a plurality of modules constituting a power generating device and a power conditioner for supplying power generated by these modules to a load system or a power system. Has been described. The ground fault countermeasure device described in Patent Literature 2 is provided corresponding to each of the modules, and is provided in advance with opening / closing means disposed between the module and the power conditioner, and when a ground fault is detected, the device is set in advance. Control means for controlling the opening / closing of each of the opening / closing means based on the opening / closing procedure to specify the module in which the ground fault has occurred.

  Patent Literature 3 discloses that each device in a plant is sequentially energized for a short time, and when the respective devices are energized, the presence or absence of an operation of an electric leakage detector is monitored, and the electric leakage detector is activated. A method for detecting a leak location is described, which specifies a device that is sometimes energized as a leak location.

  Patent Literature 4 discloses a zero-phase current transformer that detects a ground fault current and outputs a zero-phase current, a capacitor, and when the zero-phase current exceeds a predetermined positive threshold or when a predetermined value is set. And a circuit that operates when the voltage falls below a negative threshold and controls charging and discharging of the capacitor based on the operation.

As a protection against leakage current due to insulation deterioration of components constituting the air conditioner, there is an installation of a leakage breaker. Although the connection of the earth leakage breaker is instructed at the time of site construction, the earth leakage breaker may not be connected in some cases. In this case, protection against electric leakage cannot be performed.
For this reason, in recent years, it has been studied to detect and protect the leakage current by the air conditioner alone. In the configuration in which the air conditioner itself detects the leakage current and shuts off the power, similarly to the case of the earth leakage breaker, the power is shut off when the earth leakage is detected, so that there is a problem that the air conditioner cannot be continuously operated.
Therefore, when an air conditioner detects a leak, there is an air conditioner in which a faulty part is specified and operation is restarted only with normal equipment (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-162242 A JP 2005-168156 A JP 2006-194804 A JP 2009-112108 A

  However, in the case of an air conditioner in which a plurality of outdoor units are module-connected with a master unit and a slave unit, if leakage occurs in the outdoor unit set in the master unit, normal control of the slave unit is also disabled. There is a problem that the entire air conditioner system stops.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner that can continue operation even when an electric leakage occurs in an outdoor unit set as a master unit and power is cut off.

In order to solve the above problem, an air conditioner of the present invention includes at least one indoor unit, and a plurality of outdoor units that are supplied with power by a power supply and are connected in parent and child, and the outdoor unit includes a refrigerant. Compressor, a control unit for controlling the compressor, a storage unit for storing setting information of the master unit as master unit information, a leakage current detection unit for detecting leakage current, and a power line of the compressor. And a compressor power cutoff unit that cuts off power supply to the compressor when the power is OFF, and a power supply other than the power supply to the control unit, out of power supplied from the outside to the outdoor unit. A main power cutoff unit, wherein the control unit of the outdoor unit that is set as a master unit among the plurality of outdoor units is configured to shut off the compressor power when the compressor is a site where a leakage current occurs. The compressor is turned off and the leakage current is In addition to switching to control not supplying a power source, taking into account the reduced capacity of the separated compressor, continuous operation is performed while restricting the operation of the indoor unit, and parts other than the compressor are parts where leakage current occurs. The authority as a master unit is given to another outdoor unit which is a slave unit that has been set in advance, the operation of the slave unit is continued as the master unit, and the main power cutoff unit is shut off. When the communication between the parent device and the child device has been interrupted for a predetermined time, the control unit of the child device reads the parent device information from the storage unit and is set as the parent device, and is set as the parent device. In this case, a control signal for controlling another slave unit is transmitted.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner capable of continuing operation even when an electric leakage occurs in an outdoor unit set as a master unit and power is cut off.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an operation | movement sequence diagram at the time of normal of the air conditioner connected to the module which concerns on the said embodiment. It is an operation | movement sequence diagram at the time of abnormality of the air conditioner connected to the module which concerns on the said embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows processing when a child unit of an outdoor unit of an air conditioner concerning the above-mentioned embodiment operates as a base unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. In an air conditioner, an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are connected by a refrigerant pipe to form a refrigeration cycle and perform air conditioning.
As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 includes a plurality of outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m connected to a parent and a child, and a plurality of indoor units 20-1,. , 10-m, an outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission path 16 (outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission means) for electrically connecting the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m. And indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n.
, 10-m are supplied with three-phase AC power currents from power supplies 2-1,..., 2-m, respectively. , 3-m are installed in the power supply path of the power supplies 2-1,..., 2-m to protect the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m against leakage current. Can be The outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m constitute the outdoor unit 10. The indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n constitute the indoor unit 20.
, 10-m and the indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n are connected by refrigerant pipes (not shown), and air-conditioning operation is performed by a known refrigerant cycle (not shown). Do.

<Outdoor unit 10-1, ..., 10-m>
The outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m each have the same hardware configuration. The outdoor units 10-1,..., And 10-m have the same configuration, but are set as master units or slave units by setting switches described later. However, even if it is set to the slave unit by the setting switch, in a predetermined case, it operates as the master unit.
In the example of FIG. 1, the outdoor unit 10-1 is a master unit, the outdoor unit 10-2 is a slave unit <1>, and the outdoor unit 10-m is a slave unit <2> under normal conditions. That is, the outdoor unit 10-1 is a parent unit of the child unit <1> (the outdoor unit 10-2) and the child unit <2> (the outdoor unit 10-m), and the child unit <1> and the child unit <2. > Overall control of operation.
Whether the outdoor units 10-1, ..., 10-m supply warm air or cold air to the indoor units 20-1, ..., 20-n depends on the operation control of the master unit.
The outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m control the indoor units 20-1,.

, 10-m include compressors 11-1,..., 11-m, outdoor unit control boards 12-1,..., 12-m, and leakage current detectors 13-1,. , 13-m, main power cutoffs 14-1,..., 14-m, and compressor power cutoffs 15-1,.
, 12-m include control units 100-1,..., 100-m, storage units 101-1,..., 101-m, and outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission unit 102-m. , 102-m (outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission means), and indoor unit-outdoor unit transmission units 103-1,..., 103-m.
, 11-m compress the refrigerant of the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m of the air conditioner 1.

The leakage current detectors 13-1,..., 13-m detect the leakage current.
, 15-m are arranged on the power lines of the compressors 11-1,..., 11-m, and detect leakage currents of the compressors 11-1,. In this case, the power supply to the compressors 11-1,..., 11-m is cut off.
When the main power cut-off units 14-1,..., 14-m detect the leakage current despite the cutoff of the power supply by the power cut-off units 15-1,. , 2-m to the outdoor unit control boards 12-1, ..., 12-m.
The control units 100-1,..., 100-m are configured by CPUs (Central Processing Units), control the entire outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m, and store the storage units 201-1,. The operation program stored in n is read and executed to drive the compressors 11-1,..., 11-m.

  When the communication between the master unit and the slave unit is interrupted for a predetermined time, the control units 100-1,..., 100-m read the master unit information from the storage units 101-1,. Then, when set as a master unit, a control signal for controlling another slave unit is transmitted. More specifically, each of the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m includes a setting switch (not shown) for setting the unit as a master unit or a slave unit. , 100-m (in FIG. 1, the control units 100-2 and 100-m), when the communication between the master unit and the slave unit is interrupted for a predetermined time, regardless of the setting of the setting switch. 1,..., 101-m (in FIG. 1, the storage units 101-2, 101-m) are read out and set as master units. In FIG. 1, the control unit 100-2 of the slave unit <1> (the outdoor unit 10-2), when set as the master unit, controls the slave unit <2> (the outdoor unit 10-m) with respect to the outdoor unit. Transmitting a control signal via the outdoor unit transmission line 16 to control the slave unit <2> (the outdoor unit 10-m);

Further, the control units 100-1,..., 100-m limit the operating capacity of the indoor units 20-1,.
Also, the control units 100-1,..., 100-m determine a part in which the leakage current tends to increase due to aging based on the detection results of the leakage current detection units 13-1,.

Each of the storage units 101-1,..., 101-m includes a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and stores settings and operation states of the master unit. The storage units 101-1,..., 101-m store the setting information of the parent device as the parent device information.
The outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission units 102-1,..., 102-m communicate with each other via the outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission path 16 with the outdoor units 10-1,. Department.
The indoor unit-outdoor unit transmission units 103-1,..., 103-m mutually communicate with a plurality of indoor units 20-1,. It is a communication unit.

<Indoor units 20-1, ..., 20-n>
, 20-n include indoor unit control boards 21-1,..., 21-n, blowers, expansion valves, louvers and other driving devices 22-1,. , 23-n (notifying means).
The indoor unit control boards 21-1,..., 21-n include control units 200-1,..., 200-n (notifying means), storage units 201-1,. , 202-n.

Each of the control units 200-1,..., 200-n is constituted by a CPU, and operates according to an operation program of the storage units 201-1,.
The control units 200-1,..., 200-n notify the remote control operation units 23-1,..., 23, when the driving capacity is restricted by the master unit of the outdoor units 10-1,. -n are displayed on the display units 24-1,..., 24-n. The notification of the driving capability limitation is not limited to the display on the remote control operation units 23-1,..., 23-n, but may be a voice message or lighting of a lamp or the like.
Each of the storage units 201-1,..., 201-n includes a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM and stores various setting states.

, 202-n are connected to a plurality of indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n connected via the indoor unit-outdoor unit transmission path 17, and a parent-child connection. The communication unit communicates with the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m.
, 23-n are operation units (input units) that receive input of various data. .., 22-n are displayed on the display units 24-1,..., 24-n when the driving capability of the indoor units 20-1,. I do.

<Air conditioner 1>
As described above, the air conditioner 1 includes a plurality of outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m connected to each other, and a plurality of connected indoor units 20-1,. Prepare.
, 10-m and the indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n via refrigerant pipes (not shown). Since a well-known refrigerant cycle is used between them, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The outputs when the air conditioner 1 performs the air-conditioning operation include the rotation speeds of the motors (not shown) of the compressors 11-1,..., 11-m, and the fan motors of the outdoor units 10-1,. (Not shown), the opening of expansion valves (not shown) of the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m, and the fan motors (not shown) of the indoor units 20-1,. ), Opening and closing timing of expansion valves (not shown) of indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n, opening and closing angles of louvers (not shown) of indoor units 20-1,. There is.
Here, “output” refers to the control units 200-1,..., 200-n of the indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n or the control units 100-. 1, ..., 100-m whose operation is directly controlled.
The inputs to the output of the air conditioner 1 include an operating current value, a refrigerant pressure and a refrigerant temperature of each part of a refrigerant cycle (not shown), and a temperature of air blown from the indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n. And the pressure on the suction side and discharge side of the compressors 11-1,..., 11-m.

Hereinafter, the operation of the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m of the air conditioner 1 configured as described above will be described.
Generally, when a leakage current is detected, it is determined that there is a part where a leakage current is generated in some of the components of the air conditioner 1, and the main purpose is to cut off the power supply to the main body of the air conditioner 1. And For example, a method of shutting off the power supply to the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m by the operation of the external earth leakage breakers 3-1,. , 14-m installed in the interior of the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m.

If there is an outdoor unit whose power is shut off due to leakage current detection, the capacity of the air conditioner 1 becomes insufficient.
As shown in FIG. 1, the case where the outdoor unit 10-1 is a master unit, the outdoor unit 10-2 is a slave unit <1>, and the outdoor unit 10-m is a slave unit <2> in a normal state.
When the power of the outdoor unit 10-1 set as the master unit is turned off, even if power is supplied to the slave unit <1> (outdoor unit 10-2) and the slave unit <2> (outdoor unit 10-m), the master unit ( The outdoor unit 10-1) does not send out a control signal (command). Therefore, the master unit (outdoor unit 10-1) cannot control the slave unit <1> (outdoor unit 10-2) and the slave unit <2> (outdoor unit 10-m), and the air conditioner 1 continues to operate. I can't drive.

Therefore, in the air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment, when the outdoor unit 10-1 set as the master unit detects the leakage current, the leakage current is generated by the authority of the master unit (the outdoor unit 10-1). A control signal (command) that is given to a normal slave unit (eg, slave unit <1>) and that the authorized slave unit (slave unit <1>) controls another slave unit (eg, slave unit <2>) ). Thus, the air conditioner 1 can be continuously operated by the outdoor units (outdoor units 10-2 and 10-m) in which no leakage current is generated.
In order to continue the operation with the normal slave units (outdoor units 10-2 and 10-m) except for the master unit (outdoor unit 10-1) in which the leakage current has occurred, the master unit (outdoor unit 10-1) is required. ) Insufficient capacity for minutes. Therefore, by limiting the operation of the indoor units 10-1,..., 10-m, the air conditioner 1 can be continuously operated.

Next, the operation continuation operation of the air conditioner 1 when the leakage current is detected will be specifically described.
[Normal]
As shown in FIG. 1, during normal operation, the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m of the air conditioner 1 have the main power cutoff units 14-1,. The sections 15-1,..., 15-m are ON. The control units 100-1,..., 100-m constantly monitor that no leakage current is generated based on the sensor information of the leakage current detection units 13-1,.

[In case of abnormality]
<When the compressor 11-1 is a site where a leakage current is generated>
As shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the compressor 11-1 of the outdoor unit 10-1 set as the master unit is a site where a leakage current is generated.
When an abnormality occurs in the compressor 11-1 and a leakage current occurs, the value of the leakage current detection unit 13-1 changes, so that the control unit 100-1 determines that there is an abnormality. The control unit 100-1 turns off the compressor power cutoff unit 15-1 disposed on the power line of the compressor, and switches to a control in which power is not supplied to the compressor 11-1 that has a leakage current. The compressor power cutoff unit 15-1 remains OFF until the compressor 11-1 in which the leakage current is generated is repaired.

Even if the compressor 11-1 in which the leakage current is generated is disconnected by turning off the compressor power cutoff unit 15-1, the control unit 100-1 on the outdoor unit control board 12-1 is energized. , The control unit 100-1 of the outdoor unit 10-1 can be controlled so that the outdoor units 10-1 and 10-m of normal slave units can continuously operate.
However, since the air-conditioning capacity for one compressor 11-1 is reduced, the control unit 100-1 of the outdoor unit 10-1 set as the master unit is reduced by the capacity reduction of the separated compressor 11-1. , The continuous operation of the air conditioner 1 is performed while limiting the operation of the indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n.

<When parts other than the compressor 11-1 are parts where leakage current occurs>
In the following description, it is assumed that parts other than the compressor 11-1 of the outdoor unit 10-1 are parts where leakage current occurs.
When a leakage current occurs in a component other than the compressor 11-1 of the outdoor unit 10-1, as described above, the control unit 100-1 detects an abnormality due to a change in the value of the leakage current detection unit 13-1, and performs compression. The machine power cutoff unit 15-1 is cut off. However, since the parts other than the compressor 11-1 are the parts where the leakage current is generated, the leakage current cannot be stopped by shutting off the compressor power supply cutoff unit 15-1. Since the leakage current cannot be stopped, the abnormal state by the leakage current detection unit 13-1 does not change. Therefore, the control unit 100-1 shuts off the main power cutoff device 14-1 and disconnects the outdoor unit 10-1 from the outdoor unit 10.

The outdoor unit 10-1 is set as a master unit, and the control unit 100-1 controls the slave units (outdoor units 10-2 and 10-m). Before the performance is reduced, the slave units (outdoor units 10-2 and 10-m) cannot be controlled, and the entire air conditioner 1 stops.
Therefore, the air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment gives the authority of the control unit 100-1 of the outdoor unit 10-1 set to the master unit to, for example, the slave unit <1> (the outdoor unit 10-2), The slave unit <1> (the outdoor unit 10-2) sends a control signal for operating the slave unit <2> (the outdoor unit 10-m), so that the air conditioner 1 is continuously operated. A specific method in which the slave unit operates as the master unit will be described later with reference to FIG.

An outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission path 16 normally performed between the slave unit <1> (outdoor unit 10-2) and the slave unit <2> (outdoor unit 10-m) and the master unit (outdoor unit 10-1). When the communication of the control signal is interrupted for a certain period of time, the control unit 100-2 of the preset high-priority slave unit (outdoor unit 10-2) starts operating as the master unit.
The settings of the parent device and the child device are usually set by switch settings. The master unit has various settings such as a capacity setting, a refrigerant system setting, a construction condition setting, and an option setting that are not required in the setting of the slave unit.
Normally, these settings do not need to be recognized by the child device if the parent device recognizes them. In the present embodiment, in order to enable the slave unit to continue the operation by substituting the authority of the master unit, the switch setting recognized by the control unit 100-1 of the master unit is set to the outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission path 16. Via the control unit 100-2, 100-m of the slave unit (outdoor unit 10-2, 10-m). Thereby, even if the control unit 100-1 of the master unit (outdoor unit 10-1) is suddenly disconnected due to leakage current detection, the slave unit can control another slave unit by substituting the authority of the master unit. As a result, the air conditioner 1 can be continuously operated.

<Operation restrictions of indoor units 20-1, ..., 20-n>
A description will be given of the case where the operation of the indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n is limited and the air conditioner 1 is continuously operated.
When leak current is detected, if the compressor in which the leak current is generated is disconnected, the capacity of the air conditioner 1 for the separated compressor is reduced, and the indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n maintain 100% capacity. become unable. Therefore, it is necessary to restrict the operation of the indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n.
As a means for restricting the operation of the indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n and lowering the capacity, the overall capacity of the indoor units 20-1,. There is a means for driving the vehicle or for prioritizing the indoor units in accordance with the frequency of use, and stopping the indoor units in ascending order of priority.

<Notification of driving restrictions>
When the leakage current is detected, the outdoor unit 10-1 or the compressor 11-1 is disconnected, and the operation of the indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n is restricted and the air conditioner 1 is continuously operated. , To the display units 24-1,..., 24-n of the indoor units 20-1,..., 20-n, and to the outdoor unit 10-1 or the compressor 11-1. A leak current is generated to notify the indoor unit whose operation is restricted. It is possible to notify the user of the abnormality of the air conditioner 1.

<Part failure prediction>
One of the causes of the generation of the leakage current is an increase in the leakage current due to the life of the component and deterioration of the insulation. In this case, there is a feature that the leakage current gradually increases. The control units 100-1,..., 100-m of the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m store the current values of the leakage current detection units 13-1,. The data is stored as needed in 101-m, and the data is compared and determined for each measurement. As a result, it is possible to specify a part where the leakage current tends to increase as a part that is likely to be defective in the future.
It is assumed that the specified portion is a component that is highly likely to fail in the future, and the use priority is set to the lowest among the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m, and the use rate is reduced. This has the effect of extending the service life by reducing the usage rate of components that are likely to fail.
In addition, the parts having a possibility of failure are displayed on the display units 24-1,..., 24-n of the remote control operation units 23-1,..., 23-n of the indoor units 20-1,. Prior repair before a failure is possible, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the failure and to restrict the operation of the indoor unit before it occurs, and to realize the continuous operation of the air conditioner 1.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the operation continuation operation of the air conditioner 1 at the time of detecting a leakage current will be specifically described. 2 and 3, for convenience of explanation, the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m of FIG. 1 are simply referred to as a master unit or a slave unit <1> and a slave unit <2>, and the indoor unit 20-1 ,..., 20-n are simply referred to as the indoor unit <1> and the indoor unit <2>.
2 and 3 are operation sequence diagrams of the air conditioner 1 connected to the module. FIG. 2 shows an operation sequence in a normal state, and FIG. 3 shows an operation sequence in an abnormal state.

[Normal]
<Outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission>
The master unit, the slave unit <1>, and the slave unit <2> are determined by the switch settings.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the outdoor unit-to-outdoor unit transmission, communication between the parent and child of the outdoor unit is performed.
The communication between the master unit and the slave unit is executed, for example, every one second, and a communication error occurs when communication is interrupted for 30 seconds.
The master unit transmits a compressor operation command to the slave unit to control the operation capability of the slave unit. In FIG. 2, the master unit transmits a compressor operation command to the slave unit <1> (see reference sign S1-1). The slave unit <1> transmits the compressor and expansion valve opening degree state information to the master unit (see reference sign S2-1). The expansion valve opening of the slave unit is independently controlled for each slave unit based on a compressor operation command from the master unit.
The communication line for outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission is such that the master unit and the slave unit are all connected by the same transmission line, so that the slave unit <1> can also recognize the data being communicated between the master unit and the slave unit <2>. (See the dashed arrow in FIG. 2). Thereby, the master unit transmits a compressor operation command to the slave unit <2> (see reference sign S1-2), and the slave unit <2> sends the compressor and expansion valve opening degree state information to the master unit ( Reference sign S2-2).

<Indoor unit-outdoor unit transmission>
As shown in FIG. 2, in the indoor unit-outdoor unit transmission, communication between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit is performed.
The indoor unit-outdoor unit transmission communicates when a state change such as a sensor value or an operation mode occurs. For example, in the indoor unit-outdoor unit transmission, a communication error is caused by communication interruption for three minutes. However, communication is performed every 30 seconds even if there is no state change.
The master unit of the outdoor unit controls the opening degree of the expansion valve of the indoor unit based on the operation mode of the indoor unit and the indoor sensor information. In FIG. 2, the indoor unit <1><2> transmits the operation mode of the indoor unit and the indoor unit sensor information to the parent unit of the outdoor unit (see reference sign S11), and the parent unit is the indoor unit <1><2>. Is transmitted to the controller (see reference numeral S12).
In the indoor unit-outdoor unit transmission, all the indoor units and the master unit of the outdoor unit communicate. Further, in the indoor unit-outdoor unit transmission, since all of the slave units of the outdoor unit are also connected by the same transmission path, during communication between the master unit and the indoor unit, the slave unit can also recognize the data being communicated.

[In case of abnormality]
<Outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission>
The master unit, the slave unit <1>, and the slave unit <2> are determined by the switch settings.
As shown by the mark x in FIG. 3, when communication with the master unit is interrupted for a predetermined time due to power shutdown of the master unit, the slave unit determines that the master unit has stopped abnormally.
As indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 3, the preset slave unit <1> becomes the master unit (see the flowchart in FIG. 4).
Then, the slave unit <1> of the outdoor unit starts the master unit operation. In FIG. 3, the slave unit <1> serving as the master unit transmits an expansion valve opening degree operation command to the slave unit <2> (see reference numeral S1-1). The child device <2> transmits the compressor and expansion valve opening state information to the child device <1> that has become the parent device (see reference sign S2-1).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process when the slave unit of the outdoor unit operates as a master unit. , 100-m (see FIG. 1) of the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m are stored in the storage units 101-1,. It is repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing according to the program.
An example in which the slave unit <1> of the outdoor unit operates as the master unit will be described.
The master unit, slave unit <1>, and slave unit <2> are determined by the switch settings, but if the communication of the master unit is interrupted for a certain period of time, the slave unit <1> starts master operation according to this flowchart. I do.
First, in step S101, it is determined whether or not a parent device has been set.
If the parent device has been set (step S101 → YES), an operation command is transmitted to the child device as the parent device in step S102.

If the master unit is not set (step S101 → NO), it is determined in step S103 from the addresses of the master unit and the slave unit that are communicating on the outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission line that the own slave unit address is the youngest. Determine whether or not. Note that the present embodiment is an example in which the child device having the youngest address has a higher priority for becoming the parent device. Any method of determining the priority order to become the master unit may be used.
If the address of the slave unit itself is not the youngest in step S103 (step S103 → NO), a reply is sent as the slave unit to the communication of the master unit in step S107.

If it is determined in step S103 that the child device address is the youngest (step S103 → YES), it is determined in step S104 whether the communication with the parent device is performed periodically.
If the communication with the master unit is performed periodically (step S104 → YES), the settings (capacity, options, etc.) of the master unit are stored in the storage unit 101- of the outdoor unit control boards 12-1,..., 12-m in step S105. 1,..., 101-m (see FIG. 1). By acquiring and storing the setting information of the parent device in advance, it is possible to cope with a case where the device itself becomes the parent device.
Next, in step S106, the communication information and the indoor unit information of the master unit and the other slave units are stored in the storage units 101-1,..., 101-m of the outdoor unit control boards 12-1,. To memorize. By acquiring and storing communication information and indoor unit information between the master unit and another slave unit in advance, the control units 100-1,..., 100-m store these information in the storage unit 101-1. .., 101-m, and can cope with a case where the device itself becomes a master device.
In step S107, a reply is made to the communication of the master unit as a slave unit.

If communication with the master unit is not performed regularly in step S104 (step S104 → NO), there is a possibility that an abnormality has occurred in the air conditioner 1 including the master unit. In step S108, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the communication from the master unit was interrupted.
If the fixed time has not elapsed since the communication was interrupted (step S108 → NO), communication from the master unit is waited for in step S109.

If a certain period of time has elapsed after the communication was interrupted (YES in step S108), in step S110, although the slave unit was set to <1> by switch setting, the operation is switched to master unit recognition by software.
In step S111, the control units 100-1,..., 100-m read the parent device information stored in the storage units 101-1,.
In step S112, the child device <1> transmits to the other child device <1> as a parent device.

As described above, the outdoor units 10-1,..., 10-m of the air conditioner 1 according to the present embodiment include the compressors 11-1,. , 100-m controlling storage units 1,..., 100-m, storage units 101-1,..., 101-m storing setting information of the base unit as base unit information, ,..., 11-m and the compressors 11-1,..., 11-m when the leakage currents of the compressors 11-1,. , 15-m for shutting off the power supply to the power supply, and detecting the leakage current despite the cutoff of the power supply by the power cutoffs 15-1,..., 15-m. ,..., 14-m for shutting off power supply from 2-1.
When the communication between the master unit and the slave unit is interrupted for a predetermined time, the control units 100-1,..., 100-m of the slave units read the master unit information from the storage units 101-1,. When the communication device is set as a master device and is set as a master device, a control signal for controlling another slave device is transmitted.

With this configuration, when the outdoor unit set as the master unit detects the leakage current, the master unit is given the authority to control the slave unit where no leakage current is generated, and this slave unit becomes the master unit and becomes another master unit. The slave unit can be controlled.
Conventionally, when an outdoor unit set as a base unit detects a leakage current, the power supply of the base unit is shut off, so that the connected slave unit cannot be controlled and the operation of the entire system has been stopped. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the air conditioner 1 can be continuously operated even when the master unit is disconnected at the time of the electric leakage, so that the temperature of the indoor unit installation location can be maintained immediately after the occurrence of the failure until repair. Maintenance of comfort can be realized.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and includes other modifications and applications without departing from the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

  The above-described embodiments are described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described above. In addition, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of one embodiment can be added to the configuration of another embodiment. . Further, for a part of the configuration of each embodiment, it is possible to add / delete / replace another configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioner 2-1, ..., 2-m Power supply 3-1, ..., 3-m Leakage breaker 10 Outdoor unit 10-1 ..., 10-m Outdoor unit 11-1, ..., 11-m Compression Unit 12-1, ..., 12-m Outdoor unit control board 13-1, ..., 13-m Leakage current detection unit 14-1, ..., 14-m Main power cutoff unit 15-1, ..., 15-m Compression Unit power cutoff unit 16 Outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission path (outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission means)
17 indoor unit-outdoor unit transmission line 20 indoor unit unit 20-1, ..., 20-n indoor unit 21-1, ..., 21-n indoor unit control board 22-1, ..., 22-n drive unit 23-1 , ..., 23-n remote control operation unit (notification means)
24-1,..., 24-n display unit 100-1,..., 100-m control unit 101-1,..., 101-m storage unit 102-1,..., 102-m outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission unit ( Outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission means)
103-1, ..., 103-m indoor unit-outdoor unit transmission unit 200-1, ..., 200-n control unit (notification means)
201-1, ..., 201-n storage unit 202-1, ..., 202-n indoor unit-outdoor unit transmission unit

Claims (6)

At least one indoor unit,
A plurality of outdoor units that are powered by a power supply and are parent-child connected,
The outdoor unit is
A compressor for compressing the refrigerant,
A control unit for controlling the compressor,
A storage unit for storing setting information of the base unit as base unit information;
A leakage current detection unit that detects a leakage current;
A compressor power cutoff unit that is arranged on a power line of the compressor and that shuts off power supply to the compressor when the compressor is OFF ;
And a main power cutoff unit that cuts off power supply other than power supply to the control unit, among power supplies supplied to the outdoor unit from outside ,
The control unit of the outdoor unit that is set as a parent device of the plurality of outdoor units,
When the compressor is a site where a leakage current is generated, the compressor power cutoff unit is turned off, control is switched to not supplying power to the compressor that has a leakage current, and a reduction in capacity of the separated compressor is performed. In consideration of, performing continuous operation while limiting the operation of the indoor unit,
When the components other than the compressor are the locations where the leakage current occurs, the authority as the master unit is given to another outdoor unit which is a preset slave unit, and the operation of the slave unit is continued as the master unit. Above, shut off the main power cutoff, disconnect the outdoor unit,
The control unit of the slave unit,
When communication between the parent device and the child device has been interrupted for a predetermined time, the parent device information is read from the storage unit and set as a parent device,
An air conditioner characterized by transmitting a control signal for controlling another slave when set as a master. An outdoor unit that transmits and receives a control signal between the master unit and the slave unit-including an outdoor unit transmission unit,
The control unit of the slave unit,
The communication of the control signal by the outdoor unit-outdoor unit transmission means is detected, and when the communication is interrupted for a predetermined time, a control signal is set as a master unit and transmits a control signal for controlling another slave unit. Item 1. The air conditioner according to Item 1. The outdoor unit includes a setting switch for setting that is a master unit or a slave unit,
The control unit of the slave unit,
2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein when the communication between the master unit and the slave unit is interrupted for a predetermined time, the master unit information is read from the storage unit and set as the master unit regardless of the setting of the setting switch. An air conditioner according to item 1. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit restricts an operation capability of the indoor unit when set as a master unit. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines, based on a detection result of the leakage current detection unit, a portion where the leakage current is increasing due to a change with time. 3. 5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the indoor unit includes a notifying unit that notifies, when the driving capability is restricted, a notification to that effect.

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