JP7325640B2 - Fault diagnosis device - Google Patents

Description

This technology relates to a fault diagnosis device. In particular, the present invention relates to failure diagnosis of devices used in inspection equipment.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a technique for checking the operation of a device such as an air conditioner, there is a technique that utilizes changes in the operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This technique inspects the device and its components based on the difference between the operation information obtained when the device to be inspected and the device to be inspected is operating normally and the operation information obtained during the inspection. Here, the application of this technique is premised on the fact that devices such as sensors in the air conditioner are not malfunctioning.

Japanese Patent No. 4638359

Therefore, conventionally, a contact-type temperature sensor is manually applied to a sensor to be diagnosed, and the temperature is visually detected to diagnose the failure of the sensor. However, it takes a lot of time and effort to apply a contact-type temperature sensor to a sensor and compare the temperatures, especially when the number of sensors to be diagnosed increases.

In recent air conditioners and the like, the temperature may be estimated from the state of the refrigerant, and the number of sensors included in the air conditioners is decreasing. For this reason, there is a possibility that failure diagnosis technology, which has been known as conventional technology, cannot be applied. In addition, in the device to be inspected, it is necessary for an operator to confirm the temperature by applying a contact sensor to a pipe or the like that can detect the temperature required for inspection. This makes it very inefficient.

Furthermore, the conventional technology often uses a part of the refrigeration cycle used for control, but in performing various fault diagnosis, it is essential to use a large number of temperatures related to the refrigeration cycle. becomes. In such a case, a highly proficient worker can efficiently investigate necessary points. However, a worker with low proficiency may have many points to measure temperature, resulting in poor efficiency.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fault diagnosis apparatus that solves the above-described problems and facilitates and efficiently performs fault diagnosis.

A fault diagnosis device according to the present disclosure is a fault diagnosis device that diagnoses a fault of a diagnosis target of a device to be inspected, and includes a thermal image processing unit that processes thermal image data including the diagnosis target and derives an actual measured temperature. and a control data processing unit that derives the temperature obtained from the control of the device under inspection as the control temperature based on the control data used to control the device under inspection, and a data comparison that calculates the temperature difference between the measured temperature and the control temperature. and a fault diagnosis section for diagnosing a fault of the diagnostic object based on the temperature difference calculated by the data comparison section.

According to this disclosure, the fault diagnosis unit detects the temperature difference between the measured temperature obtained from the data of the thermal image including the diagnosis target and the control temperature obtained from the control data used for controlling the device under inspection including the diagnosis target. Based on this, it is possible to easily and efficiently diagnose the failure of the diagnostic object.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an air conditioning system 1 having a fault diagnosis device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of each device of the air conditioning system 1 having a fault diagnosis device that realizes fault diagnosis of a diagnostic object that the device to be inspected has. 4 is a diagram illustrating the flow of processing related to fault diagnosis performed by the server 100 according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the flow of processing related to fault diagnosis performed by the server 100 according to the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship in the refrigerant circuit of the first electronic expansion valve 350 in the air conditioner 200 according to Embodiment 2; FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the flow of processing related to failure diagnosis performed by the server 100 according to the third embodiment;

A fault diagnosis device according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings and the like. In the following drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts, and are common throughout the embodiments described below. Also, in the drawings, the size relationship of each component may differ from the actual size. The forms of the constituent elements shown in the entire specification are merely examples, and are not limited to the forms described in the specification. In particular, the combination of components is not limited only to the combinations in each embodiment, and the components described in other embodiments can be applied to other embodiments. In addition, when there is no need to distinguish or specify a plurality of devices or devices of the same type that are distinguished by subscripts, the subscripts may be omitted.

Embodiment 1.
[Configuration of air conditioning system 1]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an air conditioning system 1 having a fault diagnosis device according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning system 1 of Embodiment 1 is configured by connecting a server 100, an air conditioning apparatus 200, and an operation terminal device 500 so as to be able to communicate with each other via an electric communication line 600. FIG. Here, the electric communication line 600 may be not only a general public electric line but also a LAN (Local Area Network) or the like. Also, the electric communication line 600 may be a wireless connection as well as a wired connection.

Embodiment 1 will be described assuming that the server 100 is a fault diagnosis device. The server 100 processes various data contained in the signals sent from the air conditioner 200 and the operation terminal device 500 via the electric communication line 600, and the air conditioner 200, which is the device to be inspected, has sensors that detect physical quantities. perform failure diagnosis of diagnostic objects such as In the first embodiment, fault diagnosis will be described in which a temperature sensor that detects temperature as a physical quantity is a diagnosis target. Although not particularly limited, the server 100 acquires data such as the temperature, humidity, or weather of the outside air from devices other than the air conditioning device 200 and the operation terminal device 500, and includes these data for failure diagnosis. processing may be performed.

The air conditioner 200 of Embodiment 1, which is the device to be inspected, has an outdoor unit 300 and an indoor unit 400 . The air conditioner 200 is a device that forms a refrigerant circuit by connecting devices in the outdoor unit 300 and the indoor unit 400 with pipes, and air-conditions a target space by circulating the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. However, the air conditioner 200 is not limited to this configuration. For example, air conditioner 200 may be configured to have a controller, a relay unit, etc., in addition to outdoor units 300 and 400 . In addition, the air conditioner 200 may circulate a heat medium that is a fluid other than a refrigerant, such as water or brine, in the connected pipes.

The operation terminal device 500 is a terminal device operated by a user. Operation terminal device 500 of Embodiment 1 sends to server 100 a signal including data obtained by processing input and imaging by a user. Further, the operation terminal device 500 receives a signal including failure diagnosis result data sent from the server 100 and notifies the user of the diagnosis result. Here, the operation terminal device 500 is a device such as a personal computer or a smart phone, but is not limited to this. For example, the operation terminal device 500 may be an input terminal device such as a thermo camera capable of capturing thermal images.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of each device of the air conditioning system 1 having a fault diagnosis device that realizes fault diagnosis of a diagnostic object that the device to be inspected has.

[Configuration of Server 100]
As described above, the server 100 of Embodiment 1 serves as a fault diagnosis device that diagnoses whether or not the sensor or the like of the air conditioner 200 is faulty. Therefore, the server 100 of Embodiment 1 includes a device information storage unit 110 , a server-side data transmission/reception unit 120 and a data processing unit 130 .

The device information storage unit 110 has a storage device, and stores and stores data regarding the air conditioner 200 . In particular, the device information storage unit 110 records, stores, and stores data related to each device of the outdoor unit 300 and the indoor unit 400 in the air conditioner 200 as the device information 111 . The device information 111 is data relating to the main body of the air conditioner 200, such as a model name and a serial number, which can distinguish devices of the same type. In addition, the device information storage unit 110 records, stores, and stores data relating to the configuration of the piping as the piping configuration information 112 in association with the device information 111 . The piping configuration information 112 is data regarding the positions of piping, sensors, actuators, and the like in the outdoor unit 300 and the indoor unit 400 in the air conditioner 200 . Here, the device information 111 and the piping configuration information 112 are used by the data processing unit 130 to identify diagnostic objects included in the thermal image. Here, the device information storage unit 110 does not have to store all the data from the beginning. For example, the device information storage unit 110 may acquire and store data from other devices such as the air conditioner 200, other servers, air conditioning systems, and the like. Further, the device information storage unit 110 may store and store not only the data in the sent signal, but also the data obtained by arithmetic processing or the like in the server 100 .

The server-side data transmission/reception unit 120 serves as an interface for performing signal communication between the data processing unit 130 and the air conditioner 200 and the operation terminal device 500 via the electric communication line 600 . Unless otherwise specified, the server-side data transmission/reception unit 120 communicates with the air conditioner 200 and the operation terminal device 500. However, communication with other devices and systems is performed. may

Data processing unit 130 performs a process of diagnosing whether or not an object to be diagnosed is faulty based on data included in signals sent from air conditioner 200 and operation terminal device 500 . The data processing unit 130 of the first embodiment has a data comparison unit 131 , a failure diagnosis unit 132 , a thermal image processing unit 133 , a control data processing unit 134 and a result notification unit 135 .

The thermal image processing unit 133 processes the data related to the thermal image sent from the operation terminal device 500, identifies the diagnosis object included in the thermal image, and acquires the measured temperature of the temperature sensor. If the diagnostic object is a temperature sensor, the measured temperature is the actual temperature detected when the temperature sensor is normal. Here, when performing the process of acquiring the measured temperature from the thermal image, the thermal image processing unit 133 corrects the measured temperature by performing a process using control data provided from the air conditioning apparatus 200, which will be described later. good too.

The control data processing unit 134 requests the air conditioning apparatus 200 to provide control data related to the diagnostic object identified by the thermal image processing unit 133 . Then, the control data processing unit 134 performs processing for acquiring the control temperature from the control data in the signal sent from the air conditioner 200, as will be described later. The control data is data such as values of physical quantities detected by various sensors used for control values used when controlling devices in the air conditioner 200 and for calculation of the control values. The control temperature is the temperature detected with respect to the diagnostic object estimated from the control data from the air conditioner 200 . If the object to be diagnosed is a temperature sensor, the control temperature is the temperature that the temperature sensor wants to detect.

The data comparison unit 131 compares the measured temperature acquired by the thermal image processing unit 133 and the control temperature acquired by the control data processing unit 134 to calculate a temperature difference. The failure diagnosis unit 132 performs failure diagnosis of the diagnostic object based on the temperature difference calculated by the data comparison unit 131 . The result notification unit 135 performs processing for notifying the diagnosis result of the failure diagnosis unit 132 . In Embodiment 1, the result notification unit 135 sends a signal including data related to the diagnosis result to the operation terminal device 500 via the server-side data transmission/reception unit 120 . Here, the fault diagnosis section 132 may further include a conventional diagnostic function.

Here, the data processing unit 130 is configured by, for example, a device such as a microcomputer having a control arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an analog circuit, a digital circuit, etc., as hardware. In addition, the device information storage unit 110 may be, for example, a volatile storage device (not shown) such as a random access memory (RAM) that can temporarily store data, or a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk that can store data for a long time. It is composed of a device such as a storage device (not shown).

[Configuration of air conditioner 200]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the air conditioner 200 includes an outdoor unit 300 and an indoor unit 400. As shown in FIG. The outdoor unit 300 has an outdoor data transmission/reception section 310 , an outdoor device information holding section 320 and an outdoor control data detection section 330 . The indoor unit 400 also has an indoor data transmission/reception unit 410 , an indoor device information holding unit 420 and an indoor control data detection unit 430 .

The outdoor data transmitter/receiver 310 of the outdoor unit 300 transmits/receives signals including various data to/from the server 100 , the other outdoor units 300 , the indoor unit 400 and the operation terminal device 500 . Here, in FIG. 2, the outdoor data transmitting/receiving unit 310 is directly connected to the electric communication line 600, but it is not limited to this. For example, the air conditioner 200 has a communication device such as a plurality of outdoor units 300 that organizes communication of devices in the air conditioner 200, and is connected to the electric communication line 600 for communication via the communication device, and the server 100 and Communication with the operation terminal device 500 may be performed.

The outdoor device information holding unit 320 holds device-specific information of each outdoor unit 300, such as the type, model, and serial number, as data. Since this data is similar to the device information 111 held by the server 100, it is referred to as the device information 111. FIG. The outdoor unit 300 in the air conditioner 200 transmits the device information 111 to the server 100 together with the control data. Thereby, for example, even when air conditioning apparatus 200 has a plurality of devices such as outdoor unit 300 and indoor unit 400, server 100 can uniquely identify the device associated with the control data.

The outdoor control data detection unit 330 detects data used for sensor failure diagnosis, such as detection values of various sensors and control values of actuators of the outdoor unit 300, as control data. FIG. 2 shows first temperature sensor control data 331, second temperature sensor control data 332, first electronic expansion valve control data 333, and second electronic expansion valve control data 334 as examples of control data. is not limited to

The indoor data transmission/reception unit 410 of the indoor unit 400 transmits/receives signals including various data to/from the server 100 , the outdoor unit 300 , other indoor units 400 and the operation terminal device 500 . Here, the indoor data transmission/reception unit 410 is described as being connected for communication with the outdoor unit 300 of the same refrigerant system, but it is not limited to this. For example, indoor data transmission/reception unit 410 may be directly connected to electric communication line 600 to directly communicate with server 100 or the like. Further, for example, the air conditioner 200 has a communication device that integrates communication of devices in the air conditioner 200, and is connected for communication with the electric communication line 600 via the communication device, and communicates with the server 100 and the operation terminal device 500. You may make it communicate.

The indoor device information holding unit 420 holds device information 111 unique to each indoor unit 400, such as the model, model, and serial number, as data. The indoor unit 400 in the air conditioner 200 transmits the device information 111 to the server 100 together with the control data. This allows the server 100 to uniquely identify the device associated with the control data.

The indoor control data detection unit 430 detects, as control data, data used for sensor failure diagnosis, such as detection values of various sensors of the indoor unit 400 and control values of actuators. Although not particularly shown in FIG. 2 , the indoor control data detector 430 detects various control data as the indoor unit 400 operates, similarly to the outdoor unit 300 .

[Configuration of operation terminal device 500]
As shown in FIG. 2 , the operation terminal device 500 includes a terminal-side data transmission/reception section 510 , an equipment information input section 520 , a thermal image capturing section 530 and a data display section 540 . The terminal-side data transmission/reception unit 510 serves as an interface for performing signal communication with the server 100 and the air conditioner 200 via the electric communication line 600 .

The thermal image capturing unit 530 has an infrared camera or the like, and generates thermal image data representing the temperature of the captured portion captured by the user. In the first embodiment, thermal image data including pipes and the like located around the diagnostic object is generated together with the diagnostic object. Based on the thermal image data and the device-related data processed by the device information input unit 520, the user specifies the device of the air conditioner 200 that causes the server 100 to perform the failure diagnosis process. Here, in FIG. 2, the thermal image capturing unit 530 is built in the operation terminal device 500, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as an option, a device capable of capturing a thermal image may be connected to operation terminal device 500 . Here, the thermal image captured by the thermal image capturing unit 530 may be a three-dimensional image or the like. Also, the pipe included in the thermal image may be a pipe connecting the outdoor unit 300 and the indoor unit 400, or the like. Moreover, the operation terminal device 500 may detect the temperature by a method other than the infrared rays by the thermal image capturing section 530 .

The device information input unit 520 has an input device and the like, and assists the user in inputting data regarding the device to be diagnosed. The user inputs device-specific information such as model name or serial number as data via the device information input unit 520 . Since this data is similar to the device information 111 held by the server 100, it is referred to as the device information 111. FIG. Here, the device information input unit 520 has been described as being manually input by the user, but it is not limited to this. For example, the device information input unit 520 has a camera as an imaging device, and performs OCR (image character information acquisition) processing from a captured image such as characters or processes a QR code (registered trademark) of the captured image to obtain the device information 111. may be obtained. Further, the operation terminal device 500 may have the above-described piping configuration information 112 , and may acquire the device information 111 by specifying devices and the like from the piping configuration represented by the thermal image of the thermal image data.

The data display unit 540 has a display device, and displays the thermal image captured by the thermal image capturing unit 530, the failure diagnosis result included in the signal from the server 100, and the like. If the diagnosis result can be communicated to the user without display, the failure diagnosis result may not be displayed on the data display unit 540 regardless of the presence or absence of the data display unit 540 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the flow of processing related to fault diagnosis performed by the server 100 according to the first embodiment. Here, in Embodiment 1, it is assumed that the data processing unit 130 of the server 100 mainly performs processing related to failure diagnosis. Here, it is assumed that the first temperature sensor included in the outdoor unit 300 is a diagnostic target for fault diagnosis.

When a signal including device information 111 and thermal image data is sent from operation terminal device 500 , thermal image processing unit 133 of data processing unit 130 captures an image based on device information 111 stored in device information storage unit 110 . A device to be diagnosed is specified (step ST1). Then, based on the pipe configuration information 112 of the specified equipment, the thermal image processing unit 133 detects the first temperature sensor, which is the diagnostic object in the thermal image, from the position of the pipe imaged together with the diagnostic object in the thermal image. Identify (step ST2). Then, the thermal image processing unit 133 acquires the measured temperature of the first temperature sensor, which is the object to be diagnosed, based on the data of the thermal image (step ST3).

The control data processing unit 134 requests the air conditioning apparatus 200 for control data corresponding to the diagnostic object specified by the thermal image processing unit 133 (step ST4). The outdoor unit 300 of the air conditioner 200 sends a signal including the first temperature sensor control data 331 detected by the outdoor control data detection unit 330 together with the device information 111 in response to the request. Here, the first temperature sensor control data 331 is the temperature detected by the first temperature sensor. When the control data processing unit 134 obtains the device information 111 and control data from the sent signal (step ST5), it obtains the control temperature of the temperature sensor, which is the object to be diagnosed, based on the control data (step ST6).

The data comparator 131 calculates the temperature difference between the measured temperature and the control temperature (step ST7). Then, failure diagnosis section 132 determines whether or not the temperature difference calculated by data comparison section 131 exceeds a predetermined reference range (step ST8). Then, when the failure diagnosis section 132 determines that the temperature difference exceeds the reference range, it diagnoses that the first temperature sensor, which is the object to be diagnosed, is out of order (step ST9). A large temperature difference indicates that there is a large difference between the control temperature, which represents the temperature detected by the first temperature sensor, and the measured temperature, which represents the temperature at the position where the first temperature sensor is actually exposed. On the other hand, when failure diagnosis section 132 determines that the temperature difference does not exceed the reference range, failure diagnosis section 132 diagnoses that the first temperature sensor, which is the object to be diagnosed, is not out of order (step ST10).

The result notification unit 135 sends a signal including data related to the diagnosis result to the operation terminal device 500 via the server-side data transmission/reception unit 120 (step ST11).

As described above, according to the failure diagnosis apparatus of Embodiment 1, the thermal image processing unit 133 acquires the measured temperature of the temperature sensor serving as the diagnosis target based on the thermal image data from the operation terminal device 500. do. Also, the control data processing unit 134 acquires the control temperature, which is the temperature detected by the temperature sensor used to control the air conditioner 200, based on the control data from the air conditioner 200, which is the device to be inspected. The failure diagnosis unit 132 diagnoses the failure of the object to be diagnosed based on the temperature difference between the measured temperature calculated by the data comparison unit 131 and the control temperature. Therefore, it is possible to perform failure diagnosis easily and efficiently from the thermal image including the diagnostic object photographed in the air conditioner 200 . Then, the result notification unit 135 can quickly notify the diagnosis result.

In addition, the device information storage unit 110 stores and stores the device information 111 and the piping configuration information 112 regarding the air conditioner 200, which is the device to be inspected, so that the thermal image processing unit 133 can determine the diagnosis target from the thermal image data. Objects can be automatically and efficiently identified.

Embodiment 2.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the flow of processing related to fault diagnosis performed by the server 100 according to the second embodiment. The configuration of the equipment in the air conditioning system 1 according to the second embodiment is the same as that according to the first embodiment. A fault diagnosis device according to Embodiment 2 diagnoses faults of devices installed in a refrigerant circuit. Also in Embodiment 2, the server 100 is a failure diagnosis device, and the data processing unit 130 mainly performs processing related to failure diagnosis.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship in the refrigerant circuit of first electronic expansion valve 350 in air conditioner 200 according to Embodiment 2. As shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the first electronic expansion valve 350 of the outdoor unit 300, which is a component of the air conditioner 200, is the object to be diagnosed. The first electronic expansion valve 350, which is a driving device, is a valve used in the air conditioner 200 to allow the refrigerant to pass through the bypass pipe 351 when subcooling the refrigerant. Therefore, the opening of the first electronic expansion valve 350 is adjusted when the air conditioner 200 supercools the refrigerant in the cooling operation, and reduces the pressure of the refrigerant passing through the bypass pipe 351 . On the other hand, the first electronic expansion valve 350 is closed so that the refrigerant does not pass through the bypass pipe 351 when the refrigerant is not supercooled.

As shown in FIG. 4 , when a signal including the device information 111 and the thermal image data is sent from the operation terminal device 500 , the thermal image processing unit 133 performs diagnostic imaging based on the device information 111 in the device information storage unit 110 . The target device is specified (step ST21). Then, based on the pipe configuration information 112 of the specified equipment, the thermal image processing unit 133 determines the first electron expansion valve, which is the diagnostic object in the thermal image, from the position of the pipe imaged together with the diagnostic object in the thermal image. 350 is specified (step ST22). Based on the thermal image data, the thermal image processing unit 133 acquires the measured temperature of the bypass pipe 351 before and after the first electronic expansion valve 350, which is the diagnostic object (step ST23). The positions of the bypass pipe 351 before and after the first electronic expansion valve 350 are predetermined positions for obtaining the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 .

Here, the actually measured temperature of the device to be diagnosed in the second embodiment will be described. The first electronic expansion valve 350, which is the diagnostic object of the second embodiment, decompresses the refrigerant in accordance with the degree of opening. The temperature of the refrigerant decreases as the pressure is reduced. Therefore, in the bypass pipe 351 , the temperature of the refrigerant changes before and after passing through the first electronic expansion valve 350 depending on the degree of opening of the first electronic expansion valve 350 . Therefore, the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 is the difference in pipe temperature of the bypass pipe 351 before and after passing the first electronic expansion valve 350 and included in the thermal image together with the first electronic expansion valve 350 . As described above, the thermal image processing unit 133 according to the second embodiment can obtain a thermal image including the pipes before and after the equipment even if a temperature sensor is not installed on at least one of the equipment to be diagnosed and the pipes before and after the equipment. By obtaining a plurality of measured temperatures from the , it is possible to obtain the measured temperature of the device to be diagnosed.

For example, when the first electronic expansion valve 350 is operating normally and the degree of opening is controlled, a difference in pipe temperature before and after the first electronic expansion valve 350 occurs in the bypass pipe 351 . On the other hand, when the first electronic expansion valve 350 fails and the first electronic expansion valve 350 is closed, refrigerant does not flow through the bypass pipe 351, so there is a difference in pipe temperature before and after the first electronic expansion valve 350. is almost 0. Therefore, when the difference between the measured temperatures in the pipes before and after the first electronic expansion valve 350 becomes 0, it can be diagnosed that the first electronic expansion valve 350 is out of order.

The data comparison unit 131 calculates the difference between the measured temperatures of the bypass pipe 351 before and after the first electronic expansion valve 350 as the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 . (Step ST24). Then, the failure diagnosis section 132 determines whether or not the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 is 0, which is a preset set value (step ST25). Then, when the failure diagnosis section 132 determines that the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 is 0, it diagnoses that the first electronic expansion valve 350, which is the object to be diagnosed, has failed (step ST26). On the other hand, when the failure diagnosis section 132 determines that the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 is not 0, it diagnoses that the first electronic expansion valve 350, which is the object to be diagnosed, is not malfunctioning (step ST27). Here, the failure diagnosis unit 132 has been described as determining whether or not the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 is 0, but a range including 0 is set and the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 is determined. is within a set range.

Failure diagnosis section 132 sends a signal including data related to the diagnosis result to operation terminal device 500 via server-side data transmission/reception section 120 (step ST28).

As described above, according to the failure diagnosis apparatus of the second embodiment, based on the thermal image data from the operation terminal device 500, the thermal image processing unit 133 detects the pipes before and after the device to be diagnosed. Get the measured temperature. Based on the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 calculated by the data comparison section 131, the failure diagnosis section 132 diagnoses the failure of the object to be diagnosed. Therefore, failure diagnosis can be performed easily and efficiently from the thermal image including the diagnostic object photographed in the air conditioner 200 . In particular, since it is possible to obtain actual measured temperatures at multiple locations from a thermal image that includes the diagnosis target, even if temperature sensors are not installed at all locations where temperatures required for fault diagnosis can be obtained, multiple locations can be used. Failure diagnosis can be performed using the measured temperature.

Embodiment 3.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the flow of processing related to fault diagnosis performed by the server 100 according to the third embodiment. The configuration of the equipment in the air conditioning system 1 in Embodiment 3 is the same as in Embodiment 1. FIG. A description will be given assuming that the first electronic expansion valve 350 shown in FIG. 5 is the object to be diagnosed. Also in Embodiment 3, the server 100 is a failure diagnosis device, and the data processing unit 130 mainly performs processing related to failure diagnosis. The fault diagnosis device of Embodiment 3 performs fault diagnosis of devices installed in a refrigerant circuit, as in Embodiment 2. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6 , when a signal including device information 111 and thermal image data is sent from the operation terminal device 500 , the thermal image processing unit 133 performs diagnostic imaging based on the device information 111 in the device information storage unit 110 . The target device is specified (step ST31). Then, based on the pipe configuration information 112 of the specified equipment, the thermal image processing unit 133 determines the first electron expansion valve, which is the diagnostic object in the thermal image, from the position of the pipe imaged together with the diagnostic object in the thermal image. 350 is specified (step ST32). Based on the thermal image data, the thermal image processing unit 133 acquires the measured temperature of the bypass pipe 351 before and after the first electronic expansion valve 350, which is the diagnostic object (step ST33).

The control data processing unit 134 requests the control data corresponding to the diagnostic object identified by the thermal image processing unit 133 from the air conditioner 200 (step ST34). In the outdoor unit 300 of the air conditioner 200, a signal including the first electronic expansion valve control data 333 detected by the outdoor side control data detection unit 330 is sent together with the device information 111 in response to the request. Here, the first electronic expansion valve control data 333 relating to the first electronic expansion valve 350 is data relating to the degree of opening. When the control data processing unit 134 obtains the device information 111 and the control data from the sent signal (step ST35), the control data processing unit 134 controls the bypass pipe 351 before and after the first electronic expansion valve 350, which is the object of diagnosis, based on the control data. A temperature is obtained (step ST36).

Here, the measured temperature and the controlled temperature of the device to be diagnosed in the third embodiment will be described. As in the second embodiment, the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 is the difference between the pipe temperatures of the bypass pipe 351 before and after passing the first electronic expansion valve 350 and included in the thermal image together with the first electronic expansion valve 350 . do. Here, the difference in pipe temperature before and after the first electronic expansion valve 350 changes according to the degree of opening of the first electronic expansion valve 350 . Therefore, the difference in pipe temperature before and after the first electronic expansion valve 350 can be obtained from the degree of opening of the first electronic expansion valve 350 , and this temperature is used to control the bypass pipe 351 before and after the first electronic expansion valve 350 . temperature. Therefore, if the temperature difference between the measured temperature and the controlled temperature is different, it can be diagnosed that the first electronic expansion valve 350 is out of order.

The data comparison unit 131 calculates the difference between the measured temperatures of the bypass pipe 351 before and after the first electronic expansion valve 350 as the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 . The data comparison unit 131 also calculates the temperature difference between the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 and the controlled temperature (step ST37). Then, failure diagnosis section 132 determines whether or not the temperature difference calculated by data comparison section 131 exceeds a predetermined reference range (step ST38). Then, when the failure diagnosis section 132 determines that the temperature difference exceeds the reference range, it diagnoses that the first electronic expansion valve 350, which is the object to be diagnosed, is out of order (step ST39). On the other hand, when failure diagnosis section 132 determines that the temperature difference does not exceed the reference range, failure diagnosis section 132 diagnoses that first electronic expansion valve 350, which is an object to be diagnosed, is not malfunctioning (step ST40). Here, in Embodiment 3, the reference range may differ depending on the degree of opening of the first electronic expansion valve 350 .

Failure diagnosis section 132 sends a signal including data related to the diagnosis result to operation terminal device 500 via server-side data transmission/reception section 120 (step ST41).

As described above, according to the failure diagnosis apparatus of the third embodiment, based on the thermal image data from the operation terminal device 500, the thermal image processing unit 133 detects the pipes before and after the device to be diagnosed. Get the measured temperature. In addition, the control data processing unit 134, based on the control data from the air conditioner 200, which is the device to be inspected, determines the temperature of the device to be diagnosed and the temperature of the piping before and after the device, which is estimated from the control of the air conditioner 200. Get a certain control temperature. Based on the temperature difference between the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 calculated by the data comparison unit 131 and the control temperature, the failure diagnosis unit 132 performs failure diagnosis of the object to be diagnosed. Therefore, it is possible to perform failure diagnosis easily and efficiently from the thermal image including the diagnostic object photographed in the air conditioner 200 . In particular, since it is possible to obtain the measured temperatures at multiple locations from a thermal image that includes the diagnosis target, failure diagnosis can be performed using the measured temperatures at multiple locations even if temperature sensors are not installed at all locations. be able to.

Here, in the failure diagnosis apparatus of Embodiment 3, the opening degree of the first electronic expansion valve 350 is used as the control temperature, and the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 is compared with the control temperature, but the present invention is not limited to this. The failure diagnosis device converts the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 into an opening degree related to the measured temperature, and compares the opening degree related to the measured temperature of the first electronic expansion valve 350 with the opening related to control. may

Embodiment 4.
In Embodiments 1 to 3 described above, the data comparison unit 131 calculates the temperature difference between the measured temperature and the control temperature, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the data comparison unit 131 calculates an average temperature obtained by averaging the measured temperature acquired by the thermal image processing unit 133 and the control temperature acquired by the control data processing unit 134 over time, and calculates the temperature difference between the average temperatures. can be calculated. By averaging the temperature over time, it is possible to suppress errors in the obtained actual measurement temperature and the control temperature.

Although the failure diagnosis apparatus of Embodiments 1 to 3 is server 100 connected by electric communication line 600, it is not limited to this. Operation terminal device 500 may be a fault diagnosis device. Also, the operation terminal device 500 may have the function of the thermal image processing unit 133 . Furthermore, a device such as a centralized control device connected to the air conditioner 200 via a dedicated transmission line may be the fault diagnosis device.

Further, although the server 100, which is the failure diagnosis device of Embodiments 1 to 3, acquires various data from the outdoor unit 300 and the indoor unit 400 of the air conditioner 200, the present invention is not limited to this. If the air conditioner 200 has a controller, a relay unit, etc., data included in signals sent from these devices may be acquired.

In the failure diagnosis apparatus of the first embodiment described above, the diagnosis object is the temperature sensor, but it is not limited to the temperature sensor and can be applied to other sensors as well. For example, the air conditioner 200 has a compressor that compresses and discharges refrigerant and a heat exchanger that condenses and evaporates the refrigerant. In the refrigerant circuit, the condensation temperature of the refrigerant passing through the heat exchanger can be obtained based on the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor. Therefore, if the failure diagnosis device can acquire the measured temperature representing the condensing temperature in the heat exchanger and the control temperature, it can diagnose the failure of the pressure sensor that detects the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor.

Further, in the failure diagnosis apparatuses of the second and third embodiments described above, the electronic expansion valve is used as the driving equipment to be diagnosed, but it can also be applied to other driving equipment. For example, in the air conditioner 200, the temperature of the compressor can be estimated from the number of revolutions to be controlled. Therefore, if the actually measured temperature and the control temperature of the compressor can be obtained, the failure diagnosis of the compressor can be performed.

In the above-described failure diagnosis apparatuses of Embodiments 1 and 2, the air conditioner 200 is used as the device to be inspected, and failure diagnosis is performed on the diagnostic object of the air conditioner 200. It is not limited. For example, a refrigerating device, a hot water supply device, or the like can be applied as the device to be inspected. Moreover, it can also be applied to other inspected devices in which a fluid passes through a pipe to which an object to be diagnosed is connected.

1 air conditioning system, 100 server, 110 device information storage unit, 111 device information, 112 piping configuration information, 120 server side data transmission/reception unit, 130 data processing unit, 131 data comparison unit, 132 failure diagnosis unit, 133 thermal image processing unit , 134 control data processing unit, 135 result notification unit, 200 air conditioner, 300 outdoor unit, 310 outdoor data transmission/reception unit, 320 outdoor device information holding unit, 330 outdoor control data detection unit, 331 first temperature sensor control data, 332 second temperature sensor control data, 333 first electronic expansion valve control data, 334 second electronic expansion valve control data, 350 first electronic expansion valve, 351 bypass pipe, 400 indoor unit, 410 indoor data transmission/reception unit, 420 indoor equipment information storage unit, 430 indoor control data detection unit, 500 operation terminal device, 510 terminal side data transmission/reception unit, 520 equipment information input unit, 530 thermal image capturing unit, 540 data display unit, 600 electrical communication line.

Claims (7)

A fault diagnosis device that diagnoses a fault of a diagnostic object possessed by a device to be inspected,
a thermal image processing unit that processes data of a thermal image including the diagnostic object to derive an actual measured temperature;
a control data processing unit that derives a temperature obtained by controlling the device under inspection as a control temperature based on control data used for controlling the device under inspection;
a data comparison unit that calculates a temperature difference between the measured temperature and the controlled temperature;
and a failure diagnosis unit that performs failure diagnosis of the object to be diagnosed based on the temperature difference calculated by the data comparison unit. 2. The fault diagnosis device according to claim 1, wherein the object to be diagnosed is a sensor, and the controlled temperature is a temperature derived from a value of a physical quantity detected by the sensor used for controlling the device to be inspected. 2. The fault diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the diagnostic object is a driving device, and the controlled temperature is the temperature of the driving device estimated based on the control of the driving device. The device to be inspected has a pipe through which a fluid flows, and the drive device is connected to the pipe and installed in the flow path of the fluid,
the thermal image processing unit and the control data processing unit derive the measured temperature and the control temperature of the pipe upstream and downstream of the drive device with respect to the flow of the fluid;
4. The fault diagnosis device according to claim 3, wherein the fault diagnosis section performs the fault diagnosis of the drive device. The device to be inspected is an air conditioner,
a device information storage unit that stores and stores device information, which is data about devices of the air conditioner, and piping configuration information, which is data about the piping configuration in the device, in association with each other;
5. The thermal image processing unit, based on the equipment information corresponding to the data of the thermal image, specifies the diagnostic object in the thermal image from the piping configuration information associated with the equipment information. Fault diagnosis device as described. The failure diagnosis device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the data comparison unit calculates the temperature difference based on a time-averaged temperature of the measured temperature and the controlled temperature. The fault diagnosis device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , further comprising a result notification section for notifying the diagnosis result of the fault diagnosis section.

Images