JPH0285634A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide ease of checking air conditioning units for the normal connection by a method wherein in case tow or more air conditioning units are controlled in a group by a single controller, the addresses of the air conditioning units are indicated on an indicator of the single controller. CONSTITUTION:Two or more air conditioning units A1 - A8 are adequately installed at different places, and their addresses are adequately set by an address setting device 10. When the air conditioning units are checked for the addresses setting, the addresses of the air conditioning units A1 - A8 are read by an address reading device 24 of a control device C, D in a single remote controller, etc. and indicated on an indicator 2 by an indication control device 25. Consequently, when the number of addresses indicated equals the number of the air conditioning units installed, an operator can recognize it as the normal address setting.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and particularly relates to an improvement in an air conditioner having a plurality of air conditioning units, in which the winter air conditioning units are group-controlled to the same operating state. .

(Prior art) Conventionally, as this type of air conditioner, for example,
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-63438, a single unit is equipped with a large number of air conditioning units each having a built-in heat exchanger, and uniformly controls a plurality of these units as a group so that they are in the same operating state as required. A device is known that is equipped with one remote controller, and operates or stops the plurality of air conditioning units at the same time depending on whether or not an operation command signal is output from the remote controller, thereby air-conditioning the room. .

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) By the way, when controlling a plurality of air conditioning units as a group as described above, it is necessary to check whether the operating status of each air conditioning unit is normal or abnormal, or whether the antifreeze operation of the built-in heat exchanger, etc. In order to determine whether it is necessary or not, it is preferable to identify each air conditioning unit using a remote controller such as the one described above, and for this reason, an address is set in advance for each air conditioning unit using a switch, etc. things are done.

In that case, installations in which multiple air conditioning units are connected to a single remote controller are sometimes required to check whether the address settings of each air conditioning unit are correct and there are no duplicate settings of the same address, and whether the connection with the remote controller is correct. It is desirable to check in advance whether or not it is normal.

However, the work of checking the switch state of each air conditioning unit and sequentially checking the address has the disadvantage that the work is cumbersome because it requires movement to the installation position of each air conditioning unit, and the work efficiency is poor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and its purpose is to use a single remote controller to check the address settings of each air conditioning unit and to remotely control the address settings of each air conditioning unit. The purpose is to easily confirm the normal connection with the controller.

In addition, in an air conditioner equipped with multiple systems of multi-type air conditioners in which multiple indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit, the indoor units belonging to each system are For each system, check whether the unit is properly connected, that is, whether the refrigerant piping and operation control crossover wiring are properly connected to the outdoor unit of the own system. It is equally difficult. In other words, in the past, this confirmation work was done by tracing the above-mentioned crossover wiring, or by operating each indoor unit and checking the outdoor units that operate in conjunction with it, and these tasks require a lot of man-hours. It takes time to confirm the information, and there are problems in terms of serviceability. In particular, when one remote control device controls the indoor units of its own system and other systems as a group, it is extremely difficult to confirm the proper connection.

Therefore, in the present invention, in an air conditioner equipped with multiple systems of multi-type air conditioners, by displaying the number and addresses of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit for each system, The purpose is to easily confirm the proper connection of units and improve the service system.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the solving means of the present invention includes air conditioning units (A1) to (A8) as shown in FIG. ), and is connected to the plurality of air conditioning units (A1) to (88),
A control means (C,
D) is assumed to be an air conditioner equipped with.

Each air conditioning unit (A1
) to (A8) have a basic configuration including an address setting means (lO) for setting its own address, whereas each of the air conditioning units (A1) to
(A8) a display section (2) for displaying the address;
Address reading means (24) for reading the addresses of each of the air conditioning units (A1) to (A8), and display control means (24) for displaying the addresses read by the address reading means (24) on the display section (2). 25).

In addition, in the invention according to claim (2), the above claim (1)
In place of the display control means (25) of the invention according to (2), the address read by the address reading means (24) and the number of connected air conditioning units corresponding to the number of read addresses are displayed on the display section (2). A display control means (25') is provided.

Furthermore, in the invention according to claim (3), the above claim (
The address display by the control means (25) of 1) is configured so that addresses are repeatedly displayed one by one on the display section (2).

In addition, in the invention according to claim (4), one outdoor unit (H, K) and a plurality of indoor units (If~+4), (Ll ~L
For an air conditioner equipped with multiple systems of air conditioners (P) and (6) having (4) and
Indoor unit (11-1) in its own system connected to (K)
4) display command means (35) for storing the number of units (Ll to L4) and commanding each outdoor unit (11), (K) to display a specific display; A number display section (36) is provided for displaying the pre-stored number of machines at the time of a display command (35).

Further, in the invention according to claim (5), the outdoor unit (1
1), (K) is connected to the indoor unit (It~+
4), (L1-L4), each indoor unit (I1-I4), (L1-L4), (Ll-L
4) is displayed.

(Function) With the above configuration, in the invention according to claim (1), the plurality of air conditioning units (A1) to (88) are installed at different locations as appropriate, and each address is set to the address setting means (10). ), but this installation sometimes
When checking the address settings of each air conditioning unit (A1) to (88), the control means (such as the single remote controller) (
The addresses of each of the air conditioning units (At) to (A8) set above are read by the address reading means (24) of C, D), and each address is displayed on the display section (2) by the display control means (25). When the number of displayed addresses and the number of air conditioning units installed are the same, the operator can confirm that the address has been set correctly. . On the other hand, if the number is not the same as the number of installed air conditioning units, it can be determined that the address has been set duplicated, and if it has been confirmed that there is no duplicate setting, it can be determined that the signal cannot be sent or received due to a break in the address, etc. can.

Further, in the invention according to claim (a), in addition to displaying each address on the display section (2), air conditioning units (^1) to
The number of connected units (A8) will be displayed, so look only at this number of connected units, and if the displayed number of connected units is the same as the number of air conditioning units (A1) to (88) installed, set the duplicate address. There is no error, and it is easily determined that the address settings are normal.

Furthermore, in the invention according to claim (3), since the address display on the display section (2) is specified and each address is repeatedly displayed one by one, the display section (2) is also used. Therefore, the display area can be reduced, and the repetition of the display can prevent the display from being overlooked.

In addition, in the invention according to claim (4), even when multiple systems of multi-type air conditioners are provided, the outdoor unit (for example, H) for which the proper connection state of each indoor unit is to be confirmed is displayed. When a specific display is commanded by the command means (35), the number of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit (11) is displayed on the number display section (36). As a result, the person checking the proper connection can grasp the correct number of units connected to this outdoor unit (H), making it easier to confirm the proper connection.

Furthermore, in the invention according to claim (5), instead of displaying the number of connected indoor units, each address of each indoor unit is displayed, so the connected indoor units can be identified, and even more legitimate This makes it easier to check connections.

(Effect of the invention) As explained above, in the invention according to claim (1), when a plurality of air conditioning units are group-controlled by a single control means, each air conditioning unit is displayed on the display section of the single control means. Since the address of the unit is displayed, there is no need to move each air conditioning unit to its installation location, and the correct address setting can be easily confirmed during installation.

Further, in the invention according to claim (2), in addition to displaying the address on the display section of the single control means, the number of connected air conditioning units is displayed, so the display of the number of connected air conditioning units and the number of installed units are Correct address settings can be easily confirmed by comparison.

Furthermore, in the invention according to claim (3), since each address is repeatedly displayed one by one on the display section, in addition to the effect that normal address setting can be easily confirmed, the display section can be made smaller. This can prevent oversight.

In addition, in the invention according to claim (4), in an air conditioner equipped with a plurality of systems of multi-type air conditioners, the number of indoor units connected to each outdoor unit is displayed on the outdoor unit. Therefore, it is possible to easily confirm the proper connection state of the indoor unit. especially,
By displaying the address of each indoor unit instead of displaying the number of indoor units, the connected indoor unit can be identified, and it becomes easier to confirm the correct connection to the - layer.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings from FIG. 2 onwards.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which a plurality of air conditioning units are uniformly controlled to the same operating state by one remote control device. In the same figure, (A1) to (A8) indicate multiple air conditioning units (e.g. 8 units, only the first three and last one are shown in the figure) having the same internal configuration and each having an indoor heat exchanger inside. This is an indoor unit.

In addition, (B1) to (B8) are the indoor units (A1) to (A
This outdoor unit is coated with the same number of gold films as in item 8) and has a compressor, a four-way switching valve for cold/warm switching, an electric expansion valve, and an outdoor heat exchanger inside. Each of the above indoor units (A1) to (A8) is connected to the corresponding outdoor unit (B1) to (B8) so that refrigerant can circulate, forming a large number (8 systems) of refrigerant circulation systems. .

Further, (C) is a remote control device (hereinafter referred to as (referred to as a remote control device). The remote control device (C) is connected to each of the indoor units (A1) to (A8) via a signal line (X) so as to be able to transmit and receive signals. A8) is connected to the corresponding outdoor units (B1) to (B8) via signal lines (Y) so that signals can be transmitted and received.

Inside the remote control device (C), as shown in FIG. 3, there is an operation section (1) equipped with various switches such as an operation/stop switch, a heating/cooling switch, etc., as shown in FIG. For displaying operating status and for each indoor unit (A1) to (A8)
The liquid crystal display section (2) serves as a display section for displaying each address of , and each indoor unit (A1) to (A8) is controlled uniformly to the same operating state. A8)
The main unit microcomputer (5) generates control signals including operation mode command signals and base unit signals, and each indoor unit (At) transmits and receives the control signals generated by the main unit microcomputer (5). A transmission circuit section (8) that performs communication between the terminals and the terminals (A8) and (A8) is provided.

As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid crystal display section (2) has its surface divided into small vertical sections on the upper side, and the lower section is further divided into approximately four equal parts horizontally. Then,
In the upper compartment, from left to right, "Blower", "Microcomputer Dry", "Auto", "Cooling", "Heating", and "Defrosting" are displayed.
, "Test run", and "Intensive management" are displayed surrounded by a mouth-shaped frame during operation, except for "Defrosting". In addition, in the lower compartment, on the leftmost side, the operating power status is displayed in 10 steps with the words "Power Monitor" and numbers, and below that, the power save status is displayed in a bar graph as "Power Save". ", and the words "Inspection" are displayed below it. Also,
In the compartment on the right side, the indoor temperature, target temperature for air conditioning operation, and timer setting time are displayed together with the "°C" symbol, "time", and "set temperature" characters, and below that, reserved operation is displayed. It is displayed along with the words ``person'' and ``cut'' and an image of a ``clock.'' Furthermore, in the section on the right side, the wind direction is graphically displayed along with the words "Wind Direction" and "Swing Flap." In addition, in the compartment on the right side, the air volume can be adjusted by adjusting the air volume.
Along with the characters ``Sudden'', ``Strong'', ``Auto'', ``Weak wind speed U''
It is displayed in letters PJ, and below it, when a filter cleaning is requested, this is displayed in letters and graphically.

In addition, in FIG. 3, each of the indoor units (A1) to (A8) has a deep switch, etc. (only the internal configuration of the indoor unit (A1) is shown) inside which the address of the indoor unit (A1) to (A8) is set by the setter. an address setting section (10) as an address setting means consisting of; a transmission circuit section (11) for transmitting and receiving control signals between the remote control device (C); and a control signal received by the transmission circuit section (11). A transmission microcomputer (12) that has a function of inputting a signal and the self-address set in the address setting section (10) and detecting normal reception thereof, and an indoor fan for a built-in indoor heat exchanger, etc. It has a main body control microcomputer (13) that controls the operation of the unit, and a transmission circuit unit (14) that transmits the received control signal to the corresponding outdoor unit (B1).

Thus, each of the indoor units (A1) to (A8) has its own address determined by its address setting section (10).
O#J, rl #J, r2 #J..."5#
” are set in consecutive numbers.

Furthermore, the inside of each outdoor unit (B1) to (B8) (outdoor unit (
Only B1) is shown in the figure), the corresponding indoor unit (A1
) A transmission circuit section (20) that transmits and receives control signals, etc. to and from the transmission circuit section (14) of the It is equipped with a main body control microcomputer (21) for controlling the operation of the outdoor ventilation fan of the heat exchanger, the electric expansion valve, etc.

Next, control for confirming normal address setting of each of the indoor units (A1.) to (88) during installation will be explained based on the control flow shown in FIG.

It starts when the power is turned on based on the operation side operation of the run/stop switch, and the address N is changed to N- in step SA+.
After initial setting to 0, each indoor unit (A1
) to (A8).

After that, in step sA3, the transmitted address N(
Initially, it is determined whether or not there is a return of the received signal from the indoor unit (A1) corresponding to N-0), and if there is no return,
It is determined that the indoor unit with the corresponding address does not exist, and the process immediately proceeds to step SA5. However, if there is a return,
It is determined that there is an indoor unit corresponding to the address N transmitted in step SA4, and it is determined in step SA5 whether the address N is a value corresponding to the maximum number of connected indoor units (18 units), and N<18. In this case, the address N is updated to N-N+1 in step SA6 and the process returns to step SA2.
Check the connections of the following indoor units.

When the result of step SA5 is N-16, it is determined that the indoor unit connection confirmation has been completed, and step SA7 is reached.
After memorizing each address N of the indoor units (A1) to (88) connected above, normal signal transmission (equipment stoppage!
! 3), and the address will be displayed on the liquid crystal display section (2) in the next step S, All and thereafter.

In other words, in step SA8, it is determined whether or not there is an input to the trial run switch, and if there is no input, the system immediately shifts to a normal stop, but if there is an input, the switch connected to the remote control device (C) is connected to the remote control device (C) in step SA9. The address N of each indoor unit is sequentially displayed numerically at predetermined time intervals (for example, 1 second) starting from the lowest value (N-0) on the operating power display section of the liquid crystal display section (2) in FIG. After that, in step 5AIO and step SAI+, the input of the trial run switch and the operation l stop switch are determined respectively, and if the operation l stop switch is on the stop side even if the trial run switch is turned off, the process returns to step SA9 and the LCD screen The numerical display of each address N on the display section (7) is repeated, and when the run/stop switch is operated to the operating side, the address display is stopped and the mode shifts to normal operation.

Therefore, in the control flow of FIG. 5 above, step S
Address reading means (24) configured to read the address N of each indoor unit (A1) to (88) by AI to SA6.
At the same time, in steps SA7 to SAI+, the addresses N read by the address reading means (24) are displayed one by one on the liquid crystal display (2) at predetermined time intervals (1 second).
) constitutes a display control means (25) for displaying numbers.

Therefore, in the above embodiment, each indoor unit (A1)
The installation of ~ (A8) is sometimes due to its normal address setting)
To confirm this, a trial run switch is operated. This allows the address reading means (24) to read each indoor unit (A
1) to (88) are read, and the display control means (25) displays each address N on the liquid crystal display section (2) of the remote control device (C) as shown in FIG. From the time of operation, the number will be displayed one by one every predetermined time (1 second) starting from the lowest value, starting with "0", rlJ..."5", and the number will be displayed until the operation side of the operation l stop switch is operated. Since the process continues repeatedly, it is easy to confirm whether the address setting is normal or not. For example, if there is no address "3", there is an abnormal setting due to duplicate address settings, or the connection with the remote control device (C) is disconnected. It can be determined that there is an abnormality in transmission and reception.

Here, the operator can check the address settings and determine whether there is a transmission/reception abnormality by looking only at the address display on the liquid crystal display (2) of the remote control device (C), so the operator can check the address settings and determine whether there is a transmission/reception error. ) to (A8), it is not necessary to move to the installation positions, and it is possible to improve the workability of confirming address settings. Furthermore, by repeating address display, the display of each address will not be overlooked, and address settings can be easily confirmed.

Moreover, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show another embodiment, in which in addition to displaying the address on the liquid crystal display section (2) of the remote control device (C), the number of connected indoor units (A1) to (A8) is displayed. This is what was done.

The above address display and number of connected devices display will be explained based on the control flow shown in FIG. Note that the steps up to step S86 are the same as up to step SA6 in the control flow shown in FIG.

In other words, the indoor units (A1) to ((
A8) Each address N is stored in memory, and the number of addresses N is stored as the number of connected indoor units, and then,
Normal signal transmission (the device is in a stopped state) is performed, and an address is displayed on the liquid crystal display section (2) after step Ses.

First, in step SSS, it is determined whether there is an input to the trial run switch. If there is an input, in step SSS, the number of connected indoor units (the number of read addresses) to the remote control device (C) is displayed on the liquid crystal display (2). for a predetermined time (e.g. 2 seconds)
After displaying the numbers, the address N of each indoor unit connected to the remote control device (C) is displayed on the liquid crystal display (2) sequentially for a predetermined period of time (for example, 1 second) starting from the lowest value (N-0) in step SKI@. ), and then step 5a.
In ll, the number of connected indoor units (the number of addresses read) is displayed numerically on the liquid crystal display section (2) again.

Thereafter, in steps 5812 and SB+3, the inputs of the trial run switch and run/stop switch are determined, respectively, and if the run/stop switch is on the stop side even after the trial run switch is turned off, the process returns to step SB11 and the LCD screen is displayed. Continue to display the number of connected indoor units on the display (2),
When the run/stop switch is operated to the operating side, this display of the number of connected units is stopped and normal operation is started.

Therefore, in the control flow of FIG. 7 above, step SB
By y~5813, the address read by the address reading means (24) and the number of connected indoor units corresponding to the number of read addresses are displayed on the liquid crystal display section (2), and the order of display is determined by the number of connected indoor units. , address, and again constitute a display control means (25°) in the order of the number of connected devices.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the trial run switch is operated, the liquid crystal display section (2) of the remote control device (C) will display a message as shown in FIG. After the number of indoor units is displayed as rBJ for a predetermined time (2 seconds), the addresses of each indoor unit (A1) to (88) are changed to "0", "1", etc. at predetermined time intervals (1 second)...・When the last address "5" is displayed, the number of connected devices will be displayed as "6", so you can easily confirm the correct address setting by looking at the address display. By comparing the display of the number of connected indoor units with the actual number of installed indoor units, it is possible to easily check at a glance whether the address setting has been performed correctly.

Further, FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of the invention according to claim (4). In the figure, (H) is an outdoor unit, (11) to (
14) are four indoor units, and each of the indoor units (11) to (14) is connected in parallel to the outdoor unit (H) through refrigerant piping (not shown) to form a multi-type air conditioner. (P), and each indoor unit (11) to (I4) has a remote control device (Jl).
~ (J4) are connected between the outdoor unit (H) and the indoor unit (11), and between each indoor unit (11) ~ (14).
) are connected to each other via a crossover wiring R (30>...) so that signals can be exchanged.

Similarly, (Q) is a multi-type air conditioner of another system, and the air conditioner (Q) is one outdoor unit (
K) and four indoor units (LL) to (R4) connected in parallel with this via refrigerant piping, and between the outdoor unit (K) and the indoor unit (Ll), and each indoor unit (skin). - (R4) are connected by crossover wiring (31) so that signals can be exchanged. Furthermore, indoor unitization 1)
shares the remote control device (J4) of the indoor unit (14), and uses the remote control device (J4) to control the indoor unit (
I4) and (LL) are configured to operate as a group. Other indoor units 2) to (R4) have their own remote control devices (M2) to (M4).

Therefore, each of the above outdoor units (11) and (K) is
Although not shown, each has a line inspection pin (34) used for product inspection at the time of factory shipment, and the line inspection pin (34) is used for product inspection at factory shipment.
Display command means (4) for commanding a specific display by the operation of
35). In addition, each indoor unit ()1)
, (K), the number of indoor units in the own system is stored in advance when the device is installed. And the first
As shown in Figure 0, each outdoor unit (II), (K) is equipped with a number display section (36) in which four light emitting elements (1?1) to (R4) are arranged in a horizontal row. Then, the number display section (36) displays the stored number of indoor units as 4 when the display command is issued by operating the line inspection pin (34).
It has the function of binary display in bits.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the line inspection pin (34) is operated when confirming proper connection, for example, when a problem occurs in the crossover wiring of the indoor units (11) to (14) belonging to the indoor unit (H). be done. Due to this,
The number display section (36) of the outdoor unit (l()) displays the indoor units (11) to 1 connected to the unit (l()I).
The number of outdoor units (I4) is displayed in binary, and the number of outdoor units (I4) is displayed in binary.
Since the correct number of units connected to I) can be ascertained, it becomes easier to confirm the proper connection of these indoor units (11) to (14).

In that case, each address of each indoor unit (11) to (14) is stored in the control section in the outdoor units (H) and (K), and in place of the number display section (36),
A simplified version of the liquid crystal display section (2) shown in Fig. 4 is provided in each outdoor unit (H), (K), and this simplified version of the liquid crystal display section (2) is used as an address display section (37). The address of each indoor unit (11) to (14) may be displayed numerically. In this case, the connected indoor unit can be identified, making it even easier to confirm the proper connection.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention. 2 to 10 show embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a general schematic diagram, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the remote control device, indoor unit, and outdoor unit, and FIG. 4 is the remote control device. 5 is a flowchart showing address display control by the remote control device, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of address display operation, FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing address and connected number display control by the remote control device, and FIG. 8 9 is an explanatory diagram of the address and number of connected units, FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram when a plurality of systems of multi-type air conditioners are provided, and FIG. 10 is a front view of the number display section provided in the outdoor unit. (At) ~ (A8)... Indoor unit (air conditioning unit), (
C)...Remote control device (single control means), (2)
. . . Liquid crystal display section (display section), (10) . . . Address setting means, (24) . . . Address reading means, (25
), (25°)...display control means, (H), (K
)...Outdoor unit, (11) to (+4), (Ll)
~(L4)...Indoor unit, (34)...Line inspection pin, (35)...Display command means, (36)...
- Number display means, (37)...address display means. Figure 1

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A plurality of air conditioning units (A1) to (A6) are provided, and the plurality of air conditioning units (A1) to (A8) are provided.
), and a single control means (C,
D), in which each of the group-controlled air conditioning units (A1) to (A8) is provided with address setting means (10) for setting its own address, and the single The control means (C, D) includes a display section (2) for displaying the addresses of each of the air conditioning units (A1) to (A8), and a display section (2) for displaying the addresses of each of the air conditioning units (A1) to (A8).
), and display control means (25) for displaying the address read by the address reading means (24) on the display section (2). air conditioning equipment. (2) In the air conditioner according to claim (1), address reading means (24) is used instead of display control means (25).
An air conditioner comprising display control means (25) for displaying, on the display section (2), addresses read in and the number of connected air conditioning units corresponding to the number of read addresses. (3) The control means (25) displays the read addresses of each of the air conditioning units (A1) to (A8) one by one on the display unit (
The air conditioner according to claim (1), wherein the display in step 2) is repeated. (4) One outdoor unit (H, K) and multiple indoor units (I) connected to the outdoor unit (H, K)
1 to I4), (L1 to L4)
, Q), each of the outdoor units (H) and (K) is connected to the outdoor unit (H).
, (K) in the own system (I1~
I4), (L1 to L4) are stored in advance, and a display command means (35) instructs a specific display, and when the display command means (35) commands a display, the number stored in advance is stored. An air conditioner comprising: a number display section (36) for displaying the number of units. (5) In the air conditioner according to claim (4), the outdoor units (H), (K) include the outdoor units (H),
Indoor units (I1 to I) in the own system connected to (K)
4), (L1 to L4), and an address display for displaying each of the pre-stored addresses when a display command is issued by the display command means (35), in place of the number display section (36). An air conditioner comprising a section (37).