JPWO2018003094A1 - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

The air conditioner includes input means for inputting the use time and stop time of the air conditioner during the demand period, and control means. When the usage time and the stop time are input by the input means, the control means is configured such that the compressor during the usage time elapses based on the power consumption required during the demand period and the input usage time and stop time. Calculate the frequency. The control means operates the compressor at the calculated frequency until the usage time elapses, and forcibly stops the compressor during the stop time after the usage time elapses.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner that performs demand control.

  Conventionally, some air conditioners are compatible with demand control for the purpose of suppressing power consumption. For example, from the viewpoint of maintaining product reliability, the air conditioner of Patent Document 1 performs oil recovery for a predetermined time without suppressing the operation frequency of the compressor when the oil recovery operation is performed in the compressor during demand control. After the oil recovery operation is finished, the entire power consumption is suppressed by stopping the compressor for a predetermined time. Moreover, in the demand control method described in Patent Document 2, the comfort of the user is maintained even during demand control by subdividing the inverter frequency and decreasing the frequency step by step from the viewpoint of maintaining comfort. However, a sudden increase in load power when starting and returning from the demand period and the compressor stop is suppressed.

JP 2012-122039 A (page 5-7, FIG. 1) JP-A-11-325539 (page 4-5, Fig. 2-4)

  However, the control of the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 specializes in oil recovery operation, and the compressor is forcibly stopped after oil recovery, so that the room temperature rises or falls from the temperature desired by the user. This may cause discomfort to the user. Further, in the demand control described in Patent Document 2, since the above-described frequency control is executed based on the temperature difference between the suction temperature and the set temperature, the actual usage environment of the user is not reflected.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve comfort while reflecting an actual use environment of a user during a demand period of an air conditioner.

  An air conditioner according to the present invention is an air conditioner having a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, expansion means, and an indoor heat exchanger are sequentially connected by a refrigerant pipe, and the air conditioner in a demand period Input means for inputting the use time and stop time of the machine, and a control means, the control means is required during the demand period when the use time and the stop time are input by the input means Based on the power consumption and the input utilization time and the stop time, the frequency of the compressor during the utilization time during the demand period is calculated, and the calculated frequency is used during the utilization time. The compressor is operated, and the compressor is forcibly stopped during the stop time during the demand period.

  According to the air conditioner of the present invention, when the use time and stop time of the air conditioner during the demand period are input, the compressor is based on the power consumption required during the demand period, and the use time and stop time. The compressor is operated at the calculated frequency during the use period, and the compressor is forcibly stopped during the stop period. Therefore, the comfort required by the user can be ensured while responding to the demand request, and the comfort can be improved.

It is the schematic of the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioner in embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the control flow in embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows control of the frequency of the compressor in embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the change of the frequency of the compressor in embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of an air conditioner according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. In the following drawings, the size of each component may be different from that of an actual apparatus.

Embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. The air conditioner 100 includes an outdoor unit 101, an indoor unit 102, and a remote controller 8. The outdoor unit 101 and the indoor unit 102 are connected by refrigerant piping. In the outdoor unit 101, the compressor 1, the four-way valve 2, the outdoor heat exchanger 3, the intermediate electronic expansion valve 4, and the pressure vessel 5 are connected by refrigerant piping. In the indoor unit 102, the electronic expansion valve 6 and the indoor heat exchanger 7 are connected by a refrigerant pipe.

  The compressor 1 is composed of, for example, a compressor whose capacity can be controlled by inverter drive control, and compresses and discharges the sucked refrigerant. The four-way valve 2 connects the pressure vessel 5 and the outdoor heat exchanger 3, connects a flow path connecting the compressor 1 and the indoor heat exchanger 7, the pressure vessel 5 and the indoor heat exchanger 7, It is a valve for switching the flow path connecting the compressor 1 and the outdoor heat exchanger 3. When the four-way valve 2 is switched, the direction in which the refrigerant flows changes. The outdoor heat exchanger 3 functions as an evaporator in the heating operation mode, functions as a radiator in the cooling operation mode, and performs heat exchange between the air supplied by the outdoor unit blower fan 9 and the refrigerant. The pressure vessel 5 is connected to the electronic expansion valve 6 via a refrigerant pipe connected to the indoor unit 102, and is connected to the intermediate electronic expansion valve 4 via the refrigerant pipe in the outdoor unit 101. The pressure vessel 5 is connected so that the suction pipe of the compressor 1 passes through the pressure vessel 5. The pressure vessel 5 can store the liquid refrigerant, and stores the excess refrigerant in the liquid state due to the difference between the heating operation mode and the cooling operation mode and the transient operation change. Further, the gas refrigerant is circulated to the suction side of the compressor 1 through the suction pipe of the compressor 1.

  The indoor heat exchanger 7 of the indoor unit 102 functions as a condenser in the heating operation mode and as an evaporator in the cooling operation mode, performs heat exchange between the air supplied from the indoor unit blower fan 10 and the refrigerant, and performs air conditioning. Cooling air or heating air to be supplied to the target space is generated. The electronic expansion valve 6 can be variably controlled in opening, and expands the refrigerant by decompressing it.

  The remote controller 8 is for a user to input various information such as an operation mode and a set temperature. A use time and a stop time during a demand period to be described later are input by the remote controller 8.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram according to the embodiment of the present invention. The controller 103 of the air conditioner 100 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a readable / writable non-volatile semiconductor memory, and a timing unit. (Not shown). The controller 103 controls the outdoor unit 101 and the indoor unit 102, controls the air conditioner 100 as a whole, and controls the air conditioning of the air conditioning target space. Information such as the operation mode, the temperature, the wind speed of the air blown out from the air outlet, and the wind direction input by the user with the remote controller 8 is sent to the controller 103. The controller 103 controls the compressor 1, the outdoor unit blower fan 9, the four-way valve 2, the intermediate electronic expansion valve 4, the electronic expansion valve 6, and the indoor unit blower fan 10 based on the input information.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a control flow in the embodiment of the present invention. The control shown in FIG. 3 is executed by the controller 103. In step S10, it is checked whether a demand signal has been received from an external power supply destination (not shown). If it is confirmed that the demand signal has been received, the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, it is checked whether or not the use time and stop time of the air conditioner 100 have been input during the demand period. The use time and stop time during the demand period are input by the user from the remote controller 8 and sent to the controller 103. If it is confirmed that the usage time and the stop time have been input, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, a period during which the air conditioner 100 is operated during the demand period, that is, a utilization period is calculated based on the input utilization time and stop time. Next, in step S13, the maximum operating frequency of the compressor 1 during the demand period is calculated. The maximum operating frequency of the compressor 1 is calculated based on the ratio of the ON time during which the compressor 1 is operated and the OFF time during which the compressor 1 is stopped so as not to exceed the total power consumption required during the demand period.

  FIG. 4 is a graph showing control of the frequency of the compressor in the embodiment of the present invention. Here, the calculation of the maximum operating frequency in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the graph of FIG. 4, the vertical axis represents the frequency (unit: Hz) of the compressor 1 and the horizontal axis represents time (unit: minute). A dotted line L41 indicates an aspect of the operation frequency in normal demand control. Normal demand control is demand control performed when the use time and stop time of the air conditioner 100 are not input by the user. As indicated by the dotted line L41, in normal demand control, a range in which the total power consumption does not exceed the amount of power allowed to be consumed during the demand period while maintaining constant power during the demand period. Thus, the compressor 1 is operated at the maximum frequency.

  On the other hand, when the use time and stop time of the air conditioner 100 are input by the user in demand control, the compressor 1 is operated during the use period during which the use time elapses, and during the stop period during which the stop time elapses. Is forcibly stopped. The frequency of the compressor 1 during the use period is such that the compressor 1 is operated at the maximum frequency during the use period within a range that does not exceed the maximum power amount allowed to be consumed during the demand period. Be controlled. That is, the frequency of the compressor 1 during the use period is calculated based on the ratio between the use time and the stop time. A solid line L42 indicates the frequency transition of the compressor 1 when the use time is set to 30 minutes and the stop time is set to 25 minutes. In this case, the use period is from the start of the demand period until 30 minutes elapses, and the stop period is 25 minutes after the elapse of 30 minutes until the demand period ends. An alternate long and short dash line L43 indicates a frequency transition of the compressor 1 when the use time is set to 40 minutes and the stop time is set to 15 minutes. In this case, the use period is 40 minutes after the start of the demand period, and the stop period is 15 minutes after the 40 minutes have elapsed until the demand period ends.

  Total power consumption at the time of normal demand control indicated by the dotted line L41, total power consumption when the usage period indicated by the solid line L42 is 30 minutes, and when the usage period indicated by the alternate long and short dash line L43 is 40 minutes The total power consumption is approximately equal. That is, in any case, the frequency of the compressor 1 is calculated so as to be maximized within a range that does not exceed the amount of power allowed to be consumed during the demand period.

  Here, the processing after the frequency of the compressor 1 during the demand period is calculated will be described with reference to FIG. 3 again. If the frequency of the compressor 1 is calculated in step S13, it will progress to step S14 of FIG. 3, and the driving | operation of the compressor 1 will be performed with the calculated frequency. In step S14, a timer (not shown) is started.

  Next, in step S15, a timer is checked, and it is checked whether the time until the air conditioner 100 calculated in step S12 has elapsed, that is, whether the stop time has been detected. When the stop time is not detected, the operation of the air conditioner 100 needs to be continued, and thus the process of step S14 is repeated. If it is confirmed that the stop time is detected, the process proceeds to step S16. In step S16, the operation of the compressor 1 is forcibly stopped.

  Thereafter, in step S17, it is checked whether the stop time has elapsed and there is an input for turning on the air conditioner 100. After the stop time has elapsed, when the user gives an instruction to turn on the air conditioner 100 via the remote controller 8 and it is confirmed that a signal to turn on the air conditioner 100 is transmitted from the remote controller 8, the process returns to step S12, and the above-mentioned The process is repeated.

  In step S17, if the stop time has not yet elapsed, or if the signal for turning on the air conditioner 100 is not detected even if the stop time has elapsed, the process of step S16 is executed and the compressor 1 is operated. The stop state is maintained.

  When it is confirmed in step S10 that no demand signal has been received, the process proceeds to step S18, and the compressor 1 is operated by normal control other than demand control. If it is confirmed in step S11 that the usage time and the stop time are not input, the process proceeds to step S19, and the compressor 1 is operated by the above-described normal demand control.

  FIG. 5 is a graph showing changes in the frequency of the compressor in the embodiment of the present invention. In the graph of FIG. 5, the vertical axis represents the frequency (unit: Hz) of the compressor 1 and the horizontal axis represents time (unit: minute). When the air conditioner 100 is activated when the demand is OFF, the controller 103 controls the air conditioner 100 based on the temperature difference between the room temperature and the set temperature set via the remote controller 8. When the temperature difference between the room temperature and the set temperature is large, the controller 103 increases the frequency of the compressor 1 in order to increase the cooling capacity in the cooling operation and to increase the heating capacity in the heating operation. Raise until In FIG. 5, the period from 0 to 19 minutes corresponds to this process.

  When the demand signal is received at the time when the frequency of the compressor 1 reaches the maximum, if the usage time and the stop time are not input by the user, normal demand control is executed. A change in frequency of the compressor 1 when normal demand control is executed is indicated by a dotted line L51. As described above, in the normal demand control, the compressor 1 maintains the constant power and maximizes the total power consumption within a range not exceeding the power amount allowed to be consumed during the demand period. The frequency of is controlled. Therefore, the frequency of the compressor 1 is forcibly lowered from the maximum frequency to the normal demand frequency at the time of 20 minutes in FIG. 5 immediately after the start of the demand period, and during this demand period from 20 minutes to 50 minutes. Usually the demand frequency is maintained.

  When the demand signal is received when the frequency of the compressor 1 reaches the maximum, and the usage time and the stop time are input by the user, as described above, according to the ratio between the usage time and the stop time. The maximum frequency of the compressor 1 during the use period is calculated. Then, as indicated by the solid line L52, the frequency of the compressor 1 is from the maximum frequency to the maximum frequency during the use period higher than the above-described normal demand frequency immediately after the start of the demand period, at 20 minutes in FIG. The maximum frequency calculated is maintained during the use period of 20 to 40 minutes. Further, during the stop period of 40 to 50 minutes, the frequency of the compressor 1 is forcibly set to 0, and the compressor 1 is forcibly stopped.

  Thus, during the usage period designated by the user, the compressor 1 is operated at a frequency higher than the normal demand frequency. That is, even during the demand period, the operation of the compressor 1 is controlled according to the usage environment desired by the user.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the power consumption required during the demand period is not exceeded based on the use time and stop time of the air conditioner 100 during the demand period set by the user. Control is performed so that the operating frequency of the compressor 1 during the use period is maximized. Accordingly, during the demand period, it is possible to save power consumption in accordance with the demand request while following the user's desire for comfort.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, when the user does not set the use time and the stop time of the air conditioner 100 during the demand period, the power consumption during the demand period does not exceed the power consumption required during the demand period. Control is performed so that the operating frequency of the compressor 1 is maximized. Therefore, even if the user does not set the use time and stop time of the air conditioner 100, it is possible to save power consumption according to demand demand without impairing comfort.

  Further, since the use time and stop time during the demand period can be input by the remote controller 8, the use time and stop time can be set by the same operation method as the set temperature adjustment.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the use period progresses when the demand signal is received and the stop period progresses when the use time elapses is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The frequency of the compressor 1 is similarly controlled when the stop period advances before and after the use period, and when the stop period advances when the demand signal is received and the use period advances when the stop time elapses.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Compressor, 2 Four way valve, 3 Outdoor heat exchanger, 4 Intermediate electronic expansion valve, 5 Pressure vessel, 6 Electronic expansion valve, 7 Indoor heat exchanger, 8 Remote control, 9 Outdoor unit ventilation fan, 10 Indoor unit ventilation fan, 100 air conditioner, 101 outdoor unit, 102 indoor unit, 103 controller.

Claims (3)

An air conditioner having a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, expansion means, and an indoor heat exchanger are sequentially connected by refrigerant piping,
Input means for inputting a use time and a stop time of the air conditioner in a demand period;
Control means,
The control means includes
When the use time and the stop time are input by the input means, based on the power consumption required during the demand period, the input use time and the stop time,
Calculating the frequency of the compressor during the usage time during the demand period, operating the compressor at the calculated frequency during the usage period, and the compressor during the stop time during the demand period Air conditioner to forcibly stop. The control means includes
The usage time and the stop time are such that the frequency of the compressor during the usage time is maximized so that the total power consumption during the usage time does not exceed the power consumption required during the demand period. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a frequency of the compressor during the use time is calculated based on a ratio. The control means includes
In the demand period, when the usage time and the stop time are not input by the input means, the frequency of the compressor during the demand period becomes maximum within a range not exceeding the total power consumption required during the demand period. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the frequency of the compressor during the demand period is calculated, and the compressor is operated at the calculated frequency during the demand period.

Images