JP6662450B2 - Air conditioning system and control program rewriting method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for rewriting a control program in an air conditioning system in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit.

  For example, in an air conditioning system used as a multi air conditioner for buildings, a control program can be upgraded without replacing a control board (for example, see Patent Document 1). Further, it is also possible to rewrite the control program for customization in which a part of the function is changed according to the user's request.

International Publication Number WO2002 / 095299

  For example, if it is desired to rewrite the control program for one of the plurality of indoor units without stopping the operation of the entire air conditioning system, the operation of the indoor unit is stopped for the one indoor unit and the other indoor units are stopped. The control program is rewritten under the condition that the vehicle is operating. However, when the control program is rewritten, the operation of the actuator in the indoor unit is in an indeterminate state during the rewriting. The effect also affects other indoor units connected as a refrigerant system. The time required for rewriting depends on the data amount of the control program to be rewritten, but it takes about 5 minutes, for example, so that the effect on other indoor units during that time cannot be ignored.

  Therefore, even if the number of indoor units to be rewritten by the control program is one, it is necessary to stop the entire air conditioning system connected by the refrigerant system in order not to affect other indoor units. This is inconvenient for the user.

  In view of such conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to rewrite a control program for a target indoor unit in another air conditioner in an air conditioning system in which an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units are connected by a refrigerant system. It is to be able to execute without affecting the driving.

The present disclosure includes the following contents. However, the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
(1) The present disclosure relates to an outdoor unit, a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit, a communication unit connected to the outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units, and the outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units. An air conditioning system comprising: a centralized management device under control of control; and when rewriting the control program, interrupts the flow of refrigerant to the indoor unit to be rewritten, and disconnects other indoor units. An air conditioning system in which the central management device rewrites a control program of the target indoor unit in an operable state.

  In such an air conditioning system, by interrupting the flow of the refrigerant to the target indoor unit, the control program can be rewritten while eliminating the influence on other indoor units. Further, even during rewriting, the other indoor units can operate normally.

(2) In the air conditioning system of (1), for example, the flow of the refrigerant can be cut off by giving an instruction from the outdoor unit and fully closing the expansion valve in the target indoor unit.
If an instruction is given from the outdoor unit to completely close the expansion valve of the target indoor unit, the flow of the refrigerant can be reliably shut off without depending on the indoor unit whose control program is to be rewritten.

(3) In the air conditioning system of (1), a motor-operated valve is provided on the liquid side of the flow path switching unit in the simultaneous cooling / heating machine, and the flow path connected to the target indoor unit by giving an instruction from the outdoor unit The circulation of the refrigerant may be cut off by fully closing the electric valve of the switching unit.
If the motor-operated valve of the flow path switching unit connected to the target indoor unit is fully closed by giving an instruction from the outdoor unit, the flow of the refrigerant is ensured without depending on the indoor unit for which the control program is rewritten. Can be shut off.

(4) In the air conditioning system of (1), the central control device may obtain the rewriting control program via a communication network.
In this case, the control program can be rewritten via the communication network without having to go to the site of the air conditioning system and execute the rewriting operation of the control program.

(5) From the viewpoint of a method, the present disclosure is a method for rewriting a control program for an air-conditioning system that places an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected thereto under the control of a centralized management device. Notifying the outdoor unit that the control program of the target indoor unit is to be rewritten, the outdoor unit shifts from the normal operation to the operation at the time of rewriting the control program, and fully closes the expansion valve of the target indoor unit. Then, for the target indoor unit from the centralized management device, rewrite the control program, when the rewrite is completed, the target indoor unit, let the outdoor unit know the rewrite completion, the outdoor unit, This is a method for rewriting a control program for an air conditioning system, which releases the fully closed expansion valve and returns to the normal operation.

  According to such a control program rewriting method for an air conditioning system, the control program is rewritten while eliminating the influence on other indoor units by blocking the flow of the refrigerant to the target indoor unit. Can be. Further, even during rewriting, the other indoor units can operate normally.

(6) In addition, the present disclosure is connected to the outdoor unit via a cooling / heating simultaneous outdoor unit, a plurality of flow path switching units connected to the outdoor unit, and the corresponding flow path switching unit. A plurality of indoor units, the outdoor unit, the plurality of flow path switching units and the plurality of indoor units are communicably connected to each other, and controls the outdoor unit, the plurality of flow path switching units, and the plurality of indoor units. A centralized control device under control, and when rewriting the control program, interrupts the flow of the refrigerant to the flow path switching unit to be rewritten, and disconnects other indoor units. An air conditioning system in which the central management device rewrites a control program of the target channel switching unit in an operable state.

  In such an air conditioning system, by interrupting the flow of the refrigerant to the target indoor unit, the control program can be rewritten while eliminating the influence on other indoor units. Further, even during rewriting, the other indoor units can operate normally.

  According to the present invention, rewriting of the control program for the target indoor unit can be executed without affecting the operation of other indoor units.

It is a figure showing the outline of the composition of the air-conditioning system concerning one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control program rewriting procedure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a configuration for rewriting a control program via the Internet is added to the air conditioning system of FIG. 1. It is a figure showing an example of composition when an air-conditioning system is a simultaneous heating and cooling machine.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
《Configuration of air conditioning system》
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of an air conditioning system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such an air conditioning system 100 is used, for example, as a multi air conditioner for buildings.
In the figure, a plurality of indoor units 3, 4, 5 are connected to an outdoor unit 1 via a refrigerant pipe 2. That is, the indoor units 3, 4, and 5 constitute a refrigerant system sharing the outdoor unit 1. Although three indoor units 3, 4, and 5 are shown here, the number is merely an example for convenience of illustration. Remote control devices 3r, 4r, 5r for operation are connected to the indoor units 3, 4, 5, respectively.

  The refrigerant pipe 2 includes a liquid pipe 2L through which a liquid refrigerant flows, and a gas pipe 2G through which a gas refrigerant flows. For example, in the indoor unit 3, the heat exchanger 3h and the expansion valve (electronic expansion valve) 3e are connected in series, the heat exchanger 3h is on the liquid pipe 2L side, the expansion valve 3e is on the gas pipe 2G side, Each is connected. A control program is stored in a flash memory 3m mounted on a control board (not shown) of the indoor unit 3. Similarly, the indoor units 4 and 5 are provided with a heat exchanger 4h, an expansion valve 4e, and a flash memory 4m, and a heat exchanger 5h, an expansion valve 5e, and a flash memory 5m, respectively.

  The outdoor unit 1 and the indoor units 3, 4, and 5 are communicably connected to each other via a transmission line 6 that performs signal transmission by a high-speed transmission method. A centralized management device 7 is connected to the transmission line 6. The central management device 7 is equipped with a microcomputer and is capable of performing various displays and operations by, for example, touch panel operation, and is installed in a central monitoring room or the like of a building.

In the above-described air conditioning system 100, any of the indoor units 3, 4, and 5 can be air-conditioned under the common outdoor unit 1.
The centralized management device 7 can place the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor units 3, 4, and 5 under management, monitor the operation status, and perform various remote controls separately from the remote controllers 3r, 4r, and 5r. The central management device 7 has various interface functions with external devices other than the air conditioning system 100. For example, a LAN (Local Area Network) connection and a USB device such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory 8 can be connected.

<< Rewriting control program >>
Next, a method of rewriting the control program of any one indoor unit while the indoor units 3, 4, and 5 are operating (also a function of the air conditioning system 100) will be described. Here, for example, it is assumed that the control program is rewritten for the indoor unit 5 and the other indoor units 3 and 4 are performing normal operation. The new control program for rewriting can be given from the USB memory 8 to the central management device 7, for example.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for rewriting the control program. The operations of the central management device 7, the outdoor unit 1, the target indoor unit 5, and the other indoor units 3 and 4 are shown in order from the left side of the figure. When rewriting is started, first, the centralized management device 7 transmits a rewriting preparation signal to the entire air conditioning system 100 (step S1). The outdoor unit 1 that has received the rewriting preparation signal shifts to rewriting operation (step S2). The rewrite preparation signal also includes information for specifying an indoor unit to be rewritten by the control program. The indoor units 3, 4, and 5 can receive the rewrite preparation signal, but do not particularly respond to the signal. In addition, the central management device 7 can grasp all the current states of the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor units 3, 4, and 5 under the management.

  Next, the outdoor unit 1 transmits a fully closed instruction signal of the expansion valve 5e to which the identification signal of the target indoor unit 5 is added (Step S3). If the indoor unit 5 that has received the fully closed instruction signal is performing the normal operation, the operation is interrupted, and the expansion valve 5e is fully closed (step S4). By fully closing the expansion valve 5e, a state in which the refrigerant does not flow through the indoor unit 5, that is, a state in which the refrigerant is separated from the refrigerant system is set.

  Thereafter, the central management device 7 executes the rewriting of the control program to the target indoor unit 5 at an appropriate timing after the transmission of the rewriting preparation signal and after the expansion valve 5e of the indoor unit 5 is fully closed (step). S5). Thereby, the control program of the indoor unit 5 is rewritten to a new control program in a state where the expansion valve 5e is fully closed. During this time, the other indoor units 3 and 4 are performing normal operation or are in a state where normal operation is possible.

  When the rewriting of the control program is completed, the indoor unit 5 transmits a rewriting completion signal to the entire air conditioning system 100 (Step S6). Subsequently, the outdoor unit 1 transmits a signal for canceling the instruction to completely close the expansion valve 5e to which the signal for identifying the target indoor unit 5 is added (Step S7). The indoor unit 5 that has received the full-close instruction release signal releases the full-close of the expansion valve 5e, and returns to the normal operation (Step S8). When the expansion valve 5e is fully closed, the refrigerant can flow into the indoor unit 5, that is, the refrigerant returns to the refrigerant system. The outdoor unit 1 also returns to the normal operation (step S9). Thus, the rewriting process of the control program ends.

  In the above case, the rewriting of the control program for the indoor unit 5 has been described, but the control program can be similarly rewritten for the other indoor units 3 and 4.

《Summary》
As described above, in the air conditioning system 100 of the present embodiment, by interrupting the flow of the refrigerant to the target indoor unit, the control program can be rewritten while eliminating the influence on other indoor units. it can. During rewriting, the other indoor units can be operated normally. That is, the control program for the target indoor unit can be rewritten without affecting the operation of the other indoor units.

Further, in the air conditioning system of the present embodiment, the refrigerant is distributed by giving an instruction from the outdoor unit 1 and fully closing the expansion valve in the target indoor unit or the electric valve of the flow path switching unit connected to the indoor unit. Cut off. In this way, if an instruction is given from the outdoor unit to fully close the expansion valve in the target indoor unit or the electric valve of the flow path switching unit connected to the indoor unit, the indoor unit for which the control program is rewritten And the flow of the refrigerant can be reliably shut off.
Note that the command to fully close the expansion valve in the target indoor unit can also be given directly from the central control device 7 to the target indoor unit.

《Other configuration of air conditioning system》
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which a configuration for rewriting a control program via the Internet is added to the air conditioning system 100 of FIG.
FIG. 3 differs from FIG. 1 in that the centralized management apparatus 7 is connected to a server 10 via the Internet 9. Others are the same as FIG. In the case of the air conditioning system 100 shown in FIG. 3, a rewriting control program is provided from the server 10 to the central management device 7 via the Internet 9, and the central management device 7 can execute the rewriting.

In this case, since the central management device 7 can obtain the control program for rewriting via the Internet 9, even if the worker does not go to the site of the air conditioning system to execute the rewriting operation of the control program, The control program can be rewritten via the Internet 9.
Although the Internet 9 is an example of a typical communication network, a similar remote control program can be rewritten on an intranet or the like that is more local than the Internet.

《Other》
(Use of transmission line)
The above-described rewriting of the control program can be performed using the transmission line 6 originally provided in the air conditioning system 100. Therefore, there is no need to connect a communication line directly to the target indoor unit. The rewriting of the control program can also be performed for the outdoor unit. When the outdoor unit is communicably connected to another outdoor unit via a transmission line, the control program can be rewritten for the other outdoor units.

(Transmission speed)
In normal operation, communication is performed at a common transmission speed in order to maintain compatibility between the devices constituting the air conditioning system 100. Therefore, when the control program is rewritten, the rewriting can be completed more quickly by increasing the transmission speed of the entire air conditioning system 100.

(Reliability of transmission)
To ensure the reliability of the data transmission for rewriting, the data is transmitted with the table of contents address of the block to be rewritten in order at the beginning of the data. If the target indoor unit receives all the table of contents addresses of the block to be rewritten and confirms that the block has been rewritten without a missing table of contents address, it can be determined that the rewriting has been correctly performed. Further, when data loss occurs during transmission, it is possible to identify which portion has loss.

(Other examples of the configuration for shutting off the refrigerant)
In the above-described embodiment, when the control program is rewritten, the refrigerant is shut off by closing the expansion valve of the indoor unit to be rewritten.However, the present invention is not limited to this. An on-off valve may be provided in an outer refrigerant pipe (a liquid pipe just before flowing into and out of the indoor unit), and the circulation of the refrigerant may be shut off by closing the on-off valve.
Further, the air conditioner in this air conditioning system may be a simultaneous cooling and heating machine. In the case of a simultaneous cooling and heating unit, for example, the flow of the refrigerant may be shut off by closing a valve of the flow path switching unit corresponding to the indoor unit that does not flow the refrigerant.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration when the air conditioning system 100 is a simultaneous cooling and heating machine.
In the figure, a plurality of cooling / heating simultaneous outdoor units 11 are provided via a high-pressure gas pipe 12HG through which a high-pressure gas refrigerant flows, a low-pressure gas pipe 12LG through which a low-pressure gas refrigerant flows, and a high-pressure liquid pipe 12LQ through which a high-pressure liquid refrigerant flows. Channel switching units 23, 24, 25 and 26 are connected. Also, a plurality of indoor units 13, 14, 15, 16 are connected to these flow path switching units 23, 24, 25, 26, respectively. The flow path switching units 23 to 26 and the indoor units 13 to 16 constitute a refrigerant system sharing the outdoor unit 1. Although four channel switching units 23 to 26 and indoor units 13 to 16 are shown here, the number is merely an example for convenience of illustration.

  For example, the flow path switching unit 23 includes an electric valve 23H connected to the high-pressure gas pipe 12HG, an electric valve 23L connected to the low-pressure gas pipe 12LG, and an electric valve 23e connected to the high-pressure liquid pipe 12LQ. . The flow path switching unit 23 includes a control board 23p and a flash memory 23m mounted on the control board 23p.

  Similarly, the passage switching unit 24 includes electric valves 24H, 24L, 24e, a control board 24p, and a flash memory 24m. The flow path switching unit 25 includes electric valves 25H, 25L, 25e, a control board 25p, and a flash memory 25m. The flow path switching unit 26 includes electric valves 26H, 26L, 26e, a control board 26p, and a flash memory 26m.

  In the indoor unit 13, the heat exchanger 13h and the expansion valve 13e are connected to each other in series. One of the heat exchangers 13h (the one having the expansion valve 13e) is on the high-pressure liquid pipe 12LQ side, and the other is on the gas pipe (high-pressure gas pipe 12HG, low-pressure gas pipe 12LG) side. The indoor unit 12 includes a control board 13p and a flash memory 13m mounted on the control board 13p.

  Similarly, the indoor unit 14 includes a heat exchanger 14h, an expansion valve 14e, a control board 14p, and a flash memory 14m. The indoor unit 15 includes a heat exchanger 15h, an expansion valve 15e, a control board 15p, and a flash memory 15m. The indoor unit 16 includes a heat exchanger 16h, an expansion valve 16e, a control board 16p, and a flash memory 16m.

  The outdoor unit 11 includes a control board 11p. The control board 11p of the outdoor unit 1 and the respective control boards 23p to 26p of the flow path switching units 23 to 26 are communicably connected to each other via the transmission line 6. A centralized management device 7 is connected to the transmission line 6. On the other hand, the control boards 13p to 16p of the indoor units 13 to 16 are communicably connected to the control boards of the corresponding flow path switching units 23 to 26 via the transmission line 6a.

In the air conditioning system 100 of the simultaneous cooling and heating unit, any of the indoor units 13, 14, 15, and 16 can be air-conditioned (cooled or heated) under the common outdoor unit 11.
Further, for example, it is assumed that the control program is to be rewritten for the indoor unit 13 but the other indoor units 14 to 16 are performing normal operation. In this case, rewriting can be executed in the same manner as in the case of FIGS. 1 to 3 described above. However, since the expansion valve 13e and the motor-operated valve 23e are connected in series with each other, one of them is connected. By closing, the circulation of the refrigerant can be cut off. The same applies to the other indoor units 14 to 16.

  Further, if there is a target whose control program is to be rewritten among the flow path switching units 23 to 26, the electric valve (any one of 23e, 24e, 25e, 26e) of the target flow path switching unit is closed to flow the refrigerant. The control program can be rewritten in the shut-off state. Also in this case, the indoor unit connected to another flow path switching unit can be operated even while the control program is being rewritten.

1: outdoor unit, 2: refrigerant pipe, 2G: gas pipe, 2L: liquid pipe, 3: indoor unit, 3e: expansion valve, 3h: heat exchanger, 3m: flash memory, 3r: remote control device, 4: indoor unit , 4e: expansion valve, 4h: heat exchanger, 4m: flash memory, 4r: remote controller, 5: indoor unit, 5e: expansion valve, 5h: heat exchanger, 5m: flash memory, 5r: remote controller, 6, 6a: Transmission line, 7: Central management device, 8: USB memory, 9: Internet, 10: Server, 11: Outdoor unit, 11p: Control board, 12HG: High pressure gas pipe, 12LG: Low pressure gas pipe, 12LQ: High pressure liquid Pipe, 13: indoor unit, 13e: expansion valve, 13h: heat exchanger, 13p: control board, 13m: flash memory, 14: indoor unit, 14e: expansion valve, 14h: heat exchanger, 14p: control board, 14m ： Fla Memory, 15: indoor unit, 15e: expansion valve, 15h: heat exchanger, 15p: control board, 15m: flash memory, 16: indoor unit, 16e: expansion valve, 16h: heat exchanger, 16p: control board, 16m : Flash memory, 23: Channel switching unit, 23e, 23H, 23L: Motorized valve, 23p: Control board, 23m: Flash memory, 24: Channel switching unit, 24e, 24H, 24L: Motorized valve, 24p: Control board , 24m: Flash memory, 25: Channel switching unit, 25e, 25H, 25L: Motorized valve, 25p: Control board, 25m: Flash memory, 26: Channel switching unit, 26e, 26H, 26L: Motorized valve, 26p: Control board, 26m: Flash memory, 100: Air conditioning system

Claims (7)

An outdoor unit (1),
A plurality of indoor units (3, 4, 5) connected to the outdoor unit (1);
The outdoor unit (1) and the plurality of indoor units (3, 4, 5) are communicably connected to the outdoor unit (1) and the plurality of indoor units (3, 4, 5) under control of control. An air conditioning system comprising:
At the time of rewriting the control program, the expansion valve (3e, 4e or 5e) in the indoor unit (3, 4 or 5) to be rewritten is completely closed to shut off the flow of the refrigerant, and the other indoor units are closed. An air conditioning system in which the central management device (7) rewrites the control program of the target indoor unit at a timing after the expansion valve (3e, 4e or 5e) has been fully closed in an operable state. An outdoor unit (1),
A plurality of indoor units (3, 4, 5) connected to the outdoor unit (1) and having an on-off valve in a refrigerant pipe outside the casing;
The outdoor unit (1) and the plurality of indoor units (3, 4, 5) are communicably connected to the outdoor unit (1) and the plurality of indoor units (3, 4, 5) under control of control. An air conditioning system comprising:
At the time of rewriting the control program, the on-off valve in the indoor unit (3, 4 or 5) to be rewritten is fully closed to shut off the flow of the refrigerant, and to allow other indoor units to operate. An air conditioning system, wherein the central management device (7) rewrites a control program of the target indoor unit at a timing after the on-off valve is fully closed.   A motor-operated valve (23e, 24e, 25e, 26e) is provided on the liquid side of the flow path switching unit (23, 24, 25, 26) in the simultaneous cooling and heating unit, and an instruction is given from the outdoor unit (1) to supply the target room. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the flow of the refrigerant is shut off by fully closing the electric valve of the flow path switching unit connected to the air conditioner.   The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the central management device (7) obtains the control program for rewriting via a communication network (9). A method for rewriting a control program for an air conditioning system in which an outdoor unit (1) and a plurality of indoor units (3, 4, 5) connected thereto are controlled by a centralized management device (7)
The central management device (7) notifies the outdoor unit (1) that the control program of the target indoor unit (3, 4 or 5) is to be rewritten,
The outdoor unit (1) shifts from the normal operation to the operation at the time of rewriting the control program, and fully closes the expansion valve (3e, 4e or 5e) of the target indoor unit (3, 4 or 5),
The central management device (7) rewrites the control program for the target indoor unit (3, 4 or 5) at a timing after the expansion valve (3e, 4e or 5e) has been fully closed,
When the rewriting is completed, the target indoor unit (3, 4 or 5) notifies the outdoor unit (1) of the completion of the rewriting,
The outdoor unit (1) releases the fully closed expansion valve (3e, 4e or 5e) and returns to the normal operation.
Control program rewriting method for air conditioning system. An outdoor unit (11) that is a simultaneous cooling and heating unit,
A plurality of flow path switching units (23, 24, 25, 26) connected to the outdoor unit (11);
A motor-operated valve (23e, 24e, 25e, 26e) provided in each of the plurality of flow path switching units (23, 24, 25, 26);
A plurality of indoor units (13, 14, 15, 16) connected to the outdoor unit (11) via the corresponding flow path switching unit;
Expansion valves (13e, 14e, 15e, 16e) respectively provided in the plurality of indoor units (13, 14, 15, 16);
The outdoor unit (11), the plurality of flow path switching units (23, 24, 25, 26), and the plurality of indoor units (13, 14, 15, 16) are communicably connected to the outdoor unit (11). ), A central management device (7) for controlling the plurality of flow path switching units (23, 24, 25, 26) and the plurality of indoor units (13, 14, 15, 16) under control. Air conditioning system,
At the time of rewriting the control program, one of the electric valve and the expansion valve in the flow path switching unit to be rewritten is completely closed to shut off the flow of the refrigerant, and the other indoor units can be operated. In this state, the centralized management device (7) rewrites the control program of the target flow path switching unit at a timing after one of the electric valve and the expansion valve has been fully closed.   The air-conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the on-off valve is fully closed in accordance with an instruction from the outdoor unit (1).

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