JPH1163633A - Multiple air-conditioning system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To construct a multiple air-conditioning system wherein a plurality of branch kits are connected sequentially in a multistage manner to one outdoor unit through the intermediary of one set of common piping and a common control line. SOLUTION: This system is constructed of a common outdoor unit 1 provided outdoors, a branch kit 2 and a branch kit 2' and indoor units 3 connected thereto and the common outdoor unit 1 and the branch kit 2 in a first stage are connected through the intermediary of one set of common refrigerant piping of the outdoor unit and a common control line from a control part, while the branch kit 2' in the next stage is also connected to the branch kit 2 in the preceding stage sequentially through the intermediary of the common piping and the common control signal line. The indoor units 3 in arbitrary numbers are connected to each branch kit. Since only few and short pipings are needed and the outdoor and indoor units can be designed discretely in this constitution, a burden on the design is alleviated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a new multi-air conditioner system which is sequentially connected by a branch kit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a multi-air conditioner system comprising a single outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units has been known. Recently, a type in which a plurality of indoor units are sequentially branched and connected using a branch kit has been used because of simplification of the system configuration and ease of installation work. As an example, the one shown in FIG. 4A is one in which an indoor unit 3 and a branch kit 2 are connected to one outdoor unit 1, and a plurality of indoor units are further connected to the branch kit 2. It is.

[0003] In this type, since a branch kit is used, the system configuration is simplified and the installation work is improved. However, when viewed from the outdoor unit 1, each of the indoor unit 3 and the branch kit 2 can be used. The configuration becomes complicated, for example, it requires the installation of individual pipes and control signal lines, and the outdoor unit 1 requires mechanical valves by the number thereof. At the same time, the microcomputer for control was required to have the capability to cope with both the indoor unit 3 and the branch kit 2, and the microcomputer load of the outdoor unit 1 was correspondingly large. Also, the example shown in FIG.
A common pipe and a control signal line are provided in the outdoor unit 1, and a plurality of indoor units 3 are connected thereto. In this type, the piping and control signal lines are common, so the structure is simple for the time being, but long piping is required, so complicated work may be involved depending on the installation condition of the indoor unit, The microcomputer for control was required to have the ability to correspond to each of the plurality of indoor units, and the microcomputer load of the outdoor unit was still large.

In the actual installation of an air conditioner,
Depending on the customer's request, the location of installation and the number of installations are different, and there are also variables such as the number of installations being changed during construction, but the conventional multi air conditioning system is sufficient to meet those demands could not.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a plurality of branch kits are sequentially connected to one outdoor unit via a set of common piping and a control signal line in a multistage manner. The branch kit can be arbitrarily branched at the construction site and is easy to handle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-air conditioner system capable of minimizing a microcomputer load on an outdoor unit by utilizing an advantage that it can be handled like a single indoor unit.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-air conditioner system comprising: a common outdoor unit and a first branch kit; a pair of common piping and a common control signal line for the outdoor unit; And the next-stage branch kit is also connected to the previous-stage branch kit sequentially through a common pipe and a common control signal line, and an arbitrary number of indoor units are connected to each branch kit. This is achieved by:

In this way, by sequentially connecting the branch kits to one outdoor unit via a set of common piping and a control signal line in multiple stages, the piping of the outdoor unit and the branch kit can be shortened, and the construction can be completed. A multi-air conditioner system that can be arbitrarily expanded by taking advantage of the advantage that it can be handled at the site and is easy to handle, and that the branch kit can be handled as one indoor unit for outdoor units it can.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A multi-air-conditioning system to which the present invention is directed has a common outdoor unit 1 installed outdoors, a branch kit 2 and a branch kit 2 'as shown in FIG.
The common outdoor unit 1 and the first-stage branch kit 2 are constituted by an indoor unit 3 connected thereto and the common unit 1 and the first-stage branch kit 2 via a set of common refrigerant pipes and a common control signal line from a control unit. And connect the next branch kit 2 'to the previous branch kit 2
Are sequentially connected via a common pipe and a common control signal line.

An arbitrary number of indoor units 3 are connected to each branch kit. Although two indoor units are connected to the branch kit 2 in this example, they can be arbitrarily configured in a range of approximately 1 to 3 units. If there is a place where the air conditioner needs to be further installed at the site where the air conditioner is installed, the indoor unit can be easily added by sequentially connecting new branch kits to the branch kit.
However, it goes without saying that the capacity of the outdoor unit must be increased so as to correspond to the capacity of the added indoor unit.

In the multi air conditioner system of the present invention, a configuration in which a first-stage branch kit 2 is connected to a common outdoor unit 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The figure shows a configuration centering on the piping. The outdoor unit 1 includes a common outdoor heat exchanger (heat source side heat exchanger) 10, an outdoor fan 11, which includes an electric motor and a propeller fan, and promotes heat exchange between the outside air and the outdoor heat exchanger, a compressor 12, and a refrigerant. Valve 13 for switching the circulation direction of the air, an accumulator 14, an electric expansion valve (decompression device) 15, a variable flow valve 16, ports 17 and 18 for connecting refrigerant piping, and an outdoor controller (not shown) composed of a microcomputer. Have been.

The indoor unit 3 and the indoor unit 4 are branched and connected to the branch kit 2 as described above.
A, 26B, ports 27A, 27B for connecting refrigerant piping,
A control unit (not shown) composed of 28A, 28B and a microcomputer is mounted. Further, ports 20 and 21 for connecting refrigerant pipes for extension are prepared.

The indoor unit 3 includes an indoor heat exchanger (use side heat exchanger) 30, a fan motor, and a cross flow fan driven by the motor and returning the air heated / cooled by the indoor heat exchanger to the indoor. , An indoor fan 31 and an indoor control unit (not shown). The other outdoor units 4 have the same configuration.

A port 17 is connected to a refrigerant pipe (9.52 mm in diameter), and a port 18 is connected to a refrigerant pipe (6.35 mm in diameter) to the outdoor unit 1 and the branch kit 2 each equipped with such a device. By doing so, a refrigeration cycle is configured. Only one set of refrigerant pipes of the outdoor unit 1 is required, and the length thereof is sufficient as long as it can be connected to the branch kit 2, and does not require a long pipe as in the conventional case.

The branch kit 2, the indoor unit 3 and the indoor unit 4 also connect the ports 27A and 27B to the refrigerant pipe (9.52 in diameter).
mm), and the ports 28A and 28B are further connected by refrigerant piping (diameter 6.35 mm) to form a two-system refrigeration cycle. At this time, since the mechanical valve is provided on the branch kit side instead of the indoor unit side, noise design is also facilitated.

Regarding the relationship between the outdoor unit 1 and the branch kit 2, during the heating operation, the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 12 is supplied by the four-way valve 13, the variable flow valve 16,
It reaches the branch kit 2 via the port 17. During the cooling operation, the four-way valve 13 switches to the state shown by the dotted line, and the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 12 is:
The refrigerant reaches the heat exchanger 10 of the outdoor unit via the four-way valve 13, and is condensed (liquefied) at a reduced temperature.
5 and to the branch kit 2 via the port 18.

In the branch kit 2, the supplied refrigerant is supplied to the flow control valves 26A and 26A in accordance with a command from a control unit (not shown).
B controls the flow rate and is supplied to the heat exchanger 30 of the indoor unit 3 and the heat exchanger 40 of the outdoor unit 4 via the ports 27A, 28A and 27B, 28B, respectively. The operation of cooling / heating between the branch kit 2 and the indoor units 3 and 4 is the same as the operation of cooling / heating between the conventional outdoor unit and the indoor unit. That is, the branch kit 2 plays a role as an indoor unit for the outdoor unit 1 and a role as an outdoor unit for the indoor units 3 and 4.

Here, the control unit (not shown) of the outdoor unit 1 exchanges control signals with the control unit of the branch kit 2. The control unit of the branch kit 2 exchanges control signals with the respective control units of the indoor units 3 and 4. An example of the serial bus circuit is shown in FIG. 3 as a conceptual diagram.

In the multi air-conditioning system thus configured, the branch kit can be regarded as an outdoor unit from the indoor side and an indoor unit from the outdoor side on the system. And the indoor unit can be handled independently, and there is no need to integrally design the outdoor unit and the indoor unit as in the past, and the outdoor unit and the indoor unit can be designed sequentially, so the design burden is reduced. . In addition, if an outdoor unit and a branch kit are manufactured, various types of indoor units can be supported, and an arbitrary number can be connected.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the branch kit comprises:
The system can be considered as an outdoor unit from the indoor side and an indoor unit from the outdoor side, so the outdoor unit and indoor unit can be individually and sequentially designed, reducing the design burden and minimizing the microcomputer load of the outdoor unit. Can be stopped. In addition, since the common piping and control signal lines of the outdoor unit are one set, the number of pipings is small and short, so that the size is reduced. In addition, the simplification of the outdoor unit eliminates the need for the conventional multi-line, so that the production line can be simplified.

Further, if an outdoor unit and a branch kit are manufactured, various indoor units can be used, and even if an indoor unit is added, an arbitrary number of branch units can be connected by using the branch kits in multiple stages. It is easy to handle layouts and design and construction is simple. As a result, installation mistakes can be prevented as much as possible, and a multi-air conditioner system that can be extended indefinitely can be constructed. Further, since the mechanical valve is provided not on the indoor side but on the branch kit side, noise design is also facilitated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a multi air conditioner system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a piping connection diagram of the multi-air conditioner system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a serial bus circuit.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a conventional multi air conditioner system.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 outdoor unit 2, 2 'branch kit 3, 4 indoor unit 10 outdoor heat exchanger 11 outdoor fan 12 compressor 13 four-way valve 14 accumulator 15 electric expansion valve (decompression device) 16, 26A, 26B variable flow valve 17, 27A, 27B Ports for connecting refrigerant pipes 18, 28A, 28B Ports for connecting refrigerant pipes 20 Ports for connecting refrigerant pipes for extension 21 Ports for connecting refrigerant pipes for extension 30, 40 Indoor heat exchangers 31, 41 Indoor fans

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A common outdoor unit and a first branch kit,
One set of outdoor units is connected via a common pipe and a common control signal line, and the next-stage branch kit is also connected to the previous-stage branch kit sequentially through a common pipe and a common control signal line, and A multi-air-conditioning system characterized in that an arbitrary number of indoor units are connected to the branch kit.