JPH11159846A - Display unit for air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inexpensively provide an easy-to-use service information-display function without causing a user to feel a shortage of an amount of information due to a restriction of characters which can be displayed or an amount of display, and inconvenience of use due to use of a dedicated switch and a personal computer and the like. SOLUTION: This display unit for an air conditioner is provided with a microcomputer for operation control of the air conditioner, various sensors for detecting an operating condition of the air conditioner, various switches 3 for conducting a trial run and the like of the air conditioner, and a display unit 2 for displaying the operating condition. In this case, a content displayed on the liquid crystal by a special operation is changed from a display of operating conditions of normal cooling and heating and the like to a display of service information of various sensor information inputted into the microcomputer, an operation frequency and a fan voltage and the like outputted from the microcomputer, so as to display a plurality of service information on a same screen simultaneously.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display device for an air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional air conditioner uses a 7-segment LED for displaying service information, and displays abnormality information, operating frequency, sensor information, and the like sequentially by switching a switch. Some have connected a computer to display service information.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, the characters that can be displayed are limited, and the display amount is also limited, and a plurality of pieces of information cannot be displayed at the same time. For this reason, even when a malfunction occurs in the operation of the air conditioner and the repair is performed, there is a case where the analysis of the cause becomes difficult due to a shortage of information or a bad use occurs. In addition, a dedicated switch is required to sequentially switch the display of the service information, resulting in a problem that the cost is increased. In addition, when a personal computer or the like is used, a computer such as a personal computer, a dedicated connector, a connection wire, and the like are required, and it has been difficult in some cases to use the computer on the actual site.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a service information display means of an air conditioner which is cheaper and easier to use.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a microcomputer for controlling the operation of an air conditioner,
Various sensors for detecting the operation state of the air conditioner, various switches for performing a test operation of the air conditioner, and a display device for displaying the operation state of the air conditioner, the contents displayed by a special operation, Switching from the normal operation status display such as cooling and heating to the display of service information such as various sensor information input to the microcomputer and the operating frequency and fan voltage of the compressor output from the microcomputer, the same service information is displayed. They are displayed on the screen at the same time.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a microcomputer for controlling the operation of the air conditioner, various sensors for detecting the operation state of the air conditioner, and a microcomputer for the air conditioner. Equipped with various switches for performing test operation, etc., and a display device for displaying the operation status of the air conditioner. The contents displayed on the liquid crystal by special operation are input to the microcomputer from the operation status display such as normal cooling and heating. The display is switched to the display of service information such as the various sensor information and the operating frequency of the compressor and the fan voltage output from the microcomputer, and a plurality of service information are simultaneously displayed on the same screen. According to this configuration, it is possible to simultaneously display a plurality of pieces of service information at a time using an existing display device.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the display switching operation from the normal operation state display to the service information display does not include a special switch or the like, and uses various switches provided in the air conditioner, such as a trial operation, in advance. It is like that. According to this configuration, service display can be performed using an existing switch without providing a new switch or the like.

[0008] The invention according to claim 3 is to switch the display from the normal operation state display to the service information display by using various switches such as a test run provided in advance in the air conditioner and operating the air conditioner. The signal from the remote control is used together. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent erroneous display of service information during normal use.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in the air conditioner, service information is automatically displayed. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to perform a special operation when an abnormality occurs, and the service information can be immediately viewed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the service information at the moment when an abnormality occurs in the air conditioner is stored, and when the display switching operation is performed, the stored service information at the time of occurrence of the abnormality is displayed. It was made. According to this configuration, it is possible to confirm what kind of abnormality has occurred in the past, and what the state of the air conditioner was when the abnormality occurred.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an indoor unit of an air conditioner, 2 denotes a dot matrix liquid crystal display for displaying an operation state and service information, and 3 denotes a switch such as a test operation switch. FIG. 2A is a liquid crystal display screen during service information display, and FIG. 2B is a liquid crystal display screen during normal operation state display. FIG. 3 is a simple block diagram of the electronic control unit. Reference numeral 4 denotes an electronic control unit equipped with a microcomputer for controlling the operation of the air conditioner. Reference numeral 5 denotes various sensor units for detecting the operation state of the air conditioner.

Normally, during operation of the air conditioner, FIG.
As shown in (b), the operating states such as cooling and heating are displayed on the dot matrix liquid crystal display unit 2. In this state, when a signal is given to the air conditioner by a special operation using a dedicated remote controller, a special switch, or the like, as shown in FIG. 2A, various sensor information input to the microcomputer and output from the microcomputer are output. A plurality of service information such as the operating frequency of the compressor and the fan voltage are simultaneously displayed on the same screen on the dot matrix liquid crystal display unit 2. According to this configuration, it is possible to simultaneously check a plurality of pieces of service information at a time using an existing display device. In addition, by using a dot matrix liquid crystal, any character or figure can be displayed freely, so that a large amount of information can be provided.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing this embodiment. The display switching operation from the normal operation state display shown in FIG. 2 (b) to the service information display shown in FIG. 2 (a) does not require a special switch or the like. The switch 3 is used. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a method of switching the display when the switch 3 is pressed for a certain period of time or more is used. And according to this configuration,
The service display can be performed using an existing switch without providing a new switch or the like.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing this embodiment. In order to switch the display from the normal operation state display shown in FIG. 2 (b) to the service information display shown in FIG. 2 (a), various switches 3 such as a trial run provided in advance in the air conditioner and the air conditioner are used. A signal from a remote controller for operation is also used. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a method of switching the display when a signal is received from the remote controller of the air conditioner while the switch 3 is pressed is used. To be used. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent erroneous display of service information during normal use.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing this embodiment. The display switching from the normal operation state display shown in FIG. 2 (b) to the service information display shown in FIG. 2 (a) is performed, for example, as shown in FIG. Automatically when an error occurs. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to perform a special operation when an abnormality occurs, and the service information can be immediately viewed.

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing this embodiment. When an abnormality occurs in the air conditioner, the service information at that moment is stored in a non-volatile memory or the like, and when the display switching operation is performed, the stored service information at the time of the abnormality occurrence is read out from the non-volatile memory, and is stored in the liquid crystal. To be displayed. According to this configuration, it is possible to confirm what kind of abnormality has occurred in the past, and what the state of the air conditioner was when the abnormality occurred.

(Embodiment 6) FIG. 8 shows a liquid crystal display screen of this embodiment. Normally, information inside a microcomputer is represented by a hexadecimal number, which is difficult for humans to understand. Therefore, the microcomputer internal information is converted and displayed in a form easily understood by humans as shown in FIG. According to this configuration, the contents of the service information can be known without using a special information conversion table or the like.

[0019]

As apparent from the above embodiment, claim 1
The described invention displays a microcomputer for controlling the operation of the air conditioner, various sensors for detecting the operating state of the air conditioner, various switches for performing a trial operation of the air conditioner, and the operating state of the air conditioner. It is equipped with a display device, and can display the contents displayed on the liquid crystal by special operation from the normal operation state display of cooling, heating, etc., various sensor information input to the microcomputer and the operating frequency of the compressor output from the microcomputer. The display is switched to the display of service information such as a fan voltage, and a plurality of pieces of service information are simultaneously displayed on the same screen. According to this configuration, a plurality of service information can be displayed simultaneously at a time using an existing display device, and the operating state of the air conditioner can be confirmed at a glance.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a special switch or the like is not provided for the display switching operation from the normal operation state display to the service information display, and various switches provided for the air conditioner in advance, such as a trial run, are used. It is like that. According to this configuration, it is possible to display a service using an existing switch without providing a new switch or the like, and it is possible to prevent an increase in cost due to mounting a service information display function.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there are provided various switches, such as a test run, provided in advance in the air conditioner, and a switch for operating the air conditioner, for the display switching operation from the normal operation state display to the service information display. The signal from the remote control is used together. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the service information from being displayed erroneously during normal use.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in the air conditioner, service information is automatically displayed. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to perform a special operation when an abnormality occurs, and time and effort can be saved. Further, the service information can be immediately viewed, and the driving status and environmental information at the time of occurrence of the abnormality can be immediately confirmed. Play.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the service information at the moment when an abnormality occurs in the air conditioner is stored, and when the display switching operation is performed, the stored service information at the time of occurrence of the abnormality is displayed. It was made. According to this configuration, it is possible to confirm what kind of abnormality has occurred in the past, and what the state of the air conditioner was when the abnormality occurred, and check immediately after the abnormality occurred. This makes it possible to obtain valuable information at the time of occurrence of an abnormality when analyzing the cause of the subsequent occurrence of the abnormality due to product recovery or the like, even if the recovery is difficult.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an indoor unit showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a front view of a display screen during service information display according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2B is a front view of a display screen during normal operation state display according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an electronic control device showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a liquid crystal display screen during service information display according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 indoor unit 2 dot matrix liquid crystal display unit 3 switch 4 electronic control unit 5 various sensor units

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yasuyuki Ejima 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shinji Naka 1006 Odakadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Claims] A microcomputer for controlling the operation of the air conditioner; a sensor for detecting an operation state of the air conditioner; a switch for operating the air conditioner; and a display device for displaying the operation state of the air conditioner. The contents displayed on the display device by a predetermined operation, from the operation state display, the sensor information input to the microcomputer and the internal service of the microcomputer including the operating frequency of the compressor output from the microcomputer A display device for an air conditioner, characterized by switching to information display and simultaneously displaying a plurality of service information on the same screen. 2. The display device for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein an operation switch provided in the air conditioner is used for a display switching operation from a normal operation state display to a service information display. 3. An operation switch provided in advance in an air conditioner and a signal from a remote controller for operating the air conditioner are used in combination with a display switching operation from a normal operation state display to a service information display. The display device for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The display device for an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein when an abnormality occurs in the air conditioner, service information is automatically displayed on the display device. 5. The service information at the moment when an abnormality occurs in the air conditioner, and when the display switching operation is performed, the stored service information at the time of occurrence of the abnormality is displayed. The display device for an air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 3.