KR101150945B1 - Outdoor Unit for Multi Air Conditioner and Control Method Thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner connected to a plurality of indoor units and using commercial AC power supplied from the indoor unit as a control signal and a control method thereof.

An outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner and a control method thereof, the outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner connected to a plurality of indoor units comprises: an outdoor unit motor; A connector connected to the plurality of indoor units; A detector for detecting whether or not commercial AC power is supplied from each of the plurality of indoor units through the connector, and a controller for variably controlling the drive of the outdoor unit motor based on a signal detected by the detector, Wherein the commercial AC power supply is detected by down-converting the commercial AC power supplied from each of the plurality of indoor units, shaping the waveform, and outputting a digital signal having a voltage level periodically changed.

Commercial AC power, control signal, separation, air conditioner

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner,

The present invention relates to an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner connected to a plurality of indoor units and using commercial AC power supplied from the indoor unit as a control signal and a control method thereof.

In general, the air conditioner may be divided into an integrated type air conditioner in which an indoor unit and an outdoor unit are integrated according to the structure, and a separate type air conditioner in which an indoor unit and an outdoor unit are separately separated. The air conditioner roughly comprises a compressor for compressing the refrigerant to a high temperature and a high pressure, a condenser for condensing the compressed refrigerant, and an evaporator for exchanging heat between the condensed refrigerant and the outside air. In the case of the separate type air conditioner, the compressor and the condenser described above are included in the outdoor unit, and the evaporator is included in the indoor unit.

The separate type air conditioner may be divided into a single type air conditioner in which one indoor unit is connected to one outdoor unit and a multi type air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit. In this case, the single-use type air conditioner is often used in a cooling system for individually cooling a narrow space, and it is not necessary to provide separate communication means between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, and the commercial AC power supplied to the outdoor unit is controlled by the indoor unit, And the driving is controlled.

On the other hand, a multi-type air conditioner is widely used in a cooling system for cooling a wide space in a building such as a building or a school.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing a multi-type air conditioner.

1, the multi-type air conditioner includes an outdoor unit 10, a plurality of indoor units 40a, 40b and 40c, liquid measuring valves 30a, 30b and 30c and gas observation valves 50a, 50b and 50c ).

Here, the outdoor unit includes a compressor 11, a condenser 12, an expansion device 13, and an accumulator 14. Each of the indoor units 40a, 40b, and 40c includes evaporators 41a, 41b, and 41c . The liquid monitoring valves 30a, 30b and 30c and the gas monitoring valves 50a, 50b and 50c control the amount of refrigerant flowing to the outdoor unit 10 and the plurality of indoor units 40a, 40b and 40c .

In the case of the conventional multi-type air conditioner, unlike the case where the indoor unit directly drives the outdoor unit by the commercial AC power in the above-described single separation type air conditioner, a separate communication means for transmitting the control signal is added to each indoor unit A control signal is transmitted from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, and the outdoor unit microcomputer supplies commercial AC power to the outdoor unit motor by the control signal to drive the outdoor unit. However, in the conventional method of transmitting the control signal, the communication means for transmitting the control signal must be additionally provided, and wiring for transmitting the control signal must be additionally provided. Therefore, the entire system must be redesigned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been conceived to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-type air conditioner which can control the driving of an outdoor unit by using commercial AC power supplied from each indoor unit of a multi- An outdoor unit for an air conditioner, and a control method thereof.

In order to achieve the above object, the outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner according to the present invention is an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner connected to a plurality of indoor units, the outdoor unit comprising: A connector connected to the plurality of indoor units; A detector for detecting whether commercial AC power is supplied from each of the plurality of indoor units via the connector, and a controller for variably controlling the drive of the outdoor unit motor based on the signal detected by the detector.

In the above-described configuration, the detection of the supply of the commercial AC power by the detection unit can be achieved by down-converting the commercial AC power supplied from each of the plurality of indoor units, shaping the waveform, and outputting it as a digital signal whose voltage level periodically changes .

In addition, in the above-described configuration, the detecting portion may include: a transformer connected to the connector; And a diode connected between the photodiode in the photocoupler and the step-down transformer to prevent dielectric breakdown of the photocoupler due to a reverse voltage, .

In addition, in the above-described configuration, if it is determined that the commercial AC power is supplied based on whether or not the digital signal whose voltage level is periodically changed is received, the controller sets the value of the counter provided in advance corresponding to each of the plurality of indoor units to a predetermined constant value And if it is determined that there is no commercial AC power supply, the value of the counter is decreased by a designated constant value, and the drive of the outdoor unit motor can be variably controlled based on the value of the counter.

In addition, in the above-described configuration, if the maximum value and the minimum value are designated to be incremented or decremented, the counter is reset to the maximum value if the counter value is greater than the specified maximum value, The value of the corresponding counter can be reset to the minimum value.

In addition, in the above-described configuration, the control unit may further include a notification unit for alerting an abnormality of the detection unit under the control of the control unit.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected, the method comprising the step of rectifying a commercial AC power supplied from each of the plurality of indoor units, (A) receiving a digital signal obtained by shaping; Wherein the control unit determines that the commercial AC power is not supplied from the indoor unit while the voltage level of the digital signal inputted in the step (a) is constant, and while the voltage level of the input digital signal periodically changes, And (c) varying the drive of the outdoor unit motor based on the determination result in the step (b).

In the above-described configuration, if it is determined in step (b) that the commercial AC power is supplied, the counter value of the predetermined counter corresponding to each of the plurality of indoor units is increased by a predetermined constant value, (D) decreasing the value of the counter by a predetermined constant value, and if the value of the incremented or decremented counter is greater than the specified maximum value for each of the counters previously prepared in the step (d) (E) setting the value of the corresponding counter to the minimum value if the value of the counter is smaller than the specified minimum value, and (c) The outdoor unit motor can be controlled in a variable manner.

Further, in the above-described configuration, if the digital signal inputted in the step (b) is different from the digital signal as a reference for determining whether the commercial AC power is supplied, it is determined that there is an error in the digital signal, g). < / RTI >

According to the outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner of the present invention and the control method thereof, not only the separate communication means for transmitting the control signal from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit is provided, but also the operation of the outdoor unit is controlled by controlling the commercial AC power supply The conventional indoor unit can be used as it is.

According to the outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner of the present invention and the control method thereof, the commercial AC power supplied from the indoor unit or the commercial AC power is rectified and the waveform-shaped signal is temporarily affected by the momentary power failure or external noise, It is possible to reduce the malfunction caused by the signal input.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an outdoor unit and its peripheral device for explaining an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, the peripheral devices of the outdoor unit 70 include a plurality of indoor units 60a, 60b, 60c, 60 for transmitting the commercial AC power to the outdoor unit 70, An AC outlet 80 for connecting AC power to the outdoor unit 70, and the like.

The main components of the outdoor unit 70 include a control unit 71, a notification unit 73, an outdoor unit motor 75, and a power supply unit 77. The outdoor unit motor 75 is a power source for driving the compressor and the blower of the air conditioner. The outdoor unit motor 75 may be composed of one compressor motor and two or more blower motors, for example, differentiated in output size. The controller 71 receives the commercial AC power from the plurality of indoor units 60 and variably controls the operation of the outdoor motor 75 by using the commercial AC power as a control signal and the notification unit 73 receives the commercial AC power from the controller The power supply unit 77 receives the commercial AC power for driving the outdoor unit 70 through the external AC outlet 80 and supplies the AC power to the outdoor unit motor 75. [ Supplies the DC power to the control unit 71 and the notification unit 73, Here, the notification unit 73 may be a display device for displaying an error occurrence or a warning sound generating device for generating a warning sound.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a controller of an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3, the controller 71 may include a connector 100, a detector 200, a microcomputer 300, and an outdoor unit driver 400.

In the above-described configuration, the connector 100 is connected to the indoor unit to receive the commercial AC power from each of the indoor units 60, and the detecting unit 200 converts the commercial AC power supplied through the connector 100 into the periodic The outdoor unit driving unit 400 drives the outdoor unit motor 75 and the notification unit 73 and the like and the micom 300 receives the digital signal outputted from the detection unit 200 And controls the outdoor unit driver 400 according to the received digital signal.

Specifically, the detecting unit 200 includes a step-down resistors 203a, 203b, 203c, and 203d, 203 connected to the connector 100, photocouplers 201a and 201b each having an internal photodiode connected to the step-down resistor 203, 205b, 205c, 205 connected between the photodiode in the photocoupler 201 and the resistor 203 for step-down, as shown in FIG.

In the above-described configuration, the step-down resistor 203 functions to prevent breakage of the photocoupler 201 by the commercial AC power inputted through the connector 100, and this function can also be realized by a transformer.

The diode 205 serves as a protective element for preventing electrical breakdown due to a reverse voltage higher than a breakdown voltage inputted to the photodiode of the photocoupler 201. Therefore, the diode 205 must be configured as a circuit by reversing the direction of the photodiode on the photocoupler 201 side. Further, the voltage-falling resistor 203 can be realized as a resistor whose component of the insulator is cement.

When the commercial AC power source is applied in the forward direction to the direction of the photodiodes inside the photocoupler 201, a current flows through the photodiodes of the photocoupler 201, so that the phototransistors are turned on and connected to the microcomputer 201 The input voltage level becomes a low level. On the other hand, when the commercial AC power source is applied in the reverse direction to the direction of the photodiode in the photocoupler 201, no current flows through the photodiode, so that the phototransistor is shut off and the voltage level input to the microcomputer 300 is again , And becomes a high level. That is, when the commercial AC power is input to the connector 100, the voltage level input to the microcomputer 300 periodically changes. In other words, the microcomputer 300 can know whether the indoor unit 60 is driven by periodically changing the input voltage level.

Although the photocoupler 201 is widely known, the phototransistor is not electrically connected directly to the photodiode and is not operated, and the conduction or non-conduction is determined by the light emitted from the photodiode. Therefore, the microcomputer 300 is insulated from the detection unit 200. [

In addition, the microcomputer 300 may be provided with a counter function, and the counter function will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a voltage-time graph of an input terminal and an output terminal of the detector for explaining a method of converting a commercial AC power into a digital signal in the detector of FIG. 3; In the outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention and the control method thereof, the voltage cycle of the commercial AC power supply is not rounded to 16.7 ms according to the frequency of 60 Hz of the commercial AC power supply, and is rounded to 17 ms for convenience of explanation . On the other hand, the voltage level shown in the graph depends on the circuit configuration of the detection unit 200 shown in Fig.

As shown in FIG. 4, the output signal of the detector 200 is maintained at 5 V in the section where the input of the detector 200 is maintained at 0 V without the input of the commercial AC power. When the commercial AC power is input to the input terminal of the detector 200, the output signal of the detector 200 is changed. When the voltage of the commercial AC power source is in the forward direction t to t + 8.5 ms and t + 17 to t +25.5 ms), the output signal has a value of 0 V, and when the commercial AC power supply voltage is in the reverse direction (t + 8.5 to t + 17 ms and t + 25.5 to t + 34 ms) I have.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of analyzing a digital signal of an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, a flowchart of an individual digital signal corresponding to each indoor unit, . ≪ / RTI >

As shown in FIG. 5, a method of analyzing a digital signal of an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured as follows.

First, in step S10, the commercial AC power of one cycle is rectified by the detector 200, and a counter B (hereinafter, referred to as 'commercial AC power input frequency counter') corresponding to the number of inputted waveform- , The control command input state indicating the state of the control command according to the result of analyzing the input digital signal is set to the OFF state.

In step S12, the counter X indicating the number of times the voltage value of the digital signal received by the microcomputer 300 is confirmed (hereinafter, referred to as a 'confirmation frequency counter') is set to 0, and the number of times that the confirmed voltage value is 0 V (Hereinafter referred to as a " 0 V count counter ") is set to zero.

Next, in step S14, the voltage value of the digital signal input to the microcomputer 300 is checked at preset 1 ms intervals. If the checked voltage value is 0 V, step S16 is performed to set the value of the 0 V number counter to 1 If the confirmed voltage value is not 0 V, the process proceeds to step S18 without going through step S16 to increase the value of the confirmation number counter by 1 .

On the other hand, in step S14, 1 ms, which is the time interval for checking the voltage value of the digital signal, is variable. The output signal of the detector shown in FIG. 4 is checked at intervals of less than half of one cycle .

In step S20, it is checked whether the value of the confirmation number counter is 17 or more. If the value of the confirmation number counter is not 17 or more, the process returns to step S14. If the value of the confirmation number counter is 17 or more, step S22 is performed.

On the other hand, in step S20, the constant 17 to be compared with the confirmation number counter is a value indicating the number of times required for confirming one period when the voltage value is confirmed at intervals of 1 ms in a digital signal having a period of 17 ms. The constant to be compared with the confirmation number counter should be set differently according to the period value of the digital signal and the time interval for checking the voltage value of the digital signal in step S14. Also, the period for checking the voltage value of the digital signal may be a period in which the period is a natural multiple of the period, not one period.

Next, in step S20, if the value of the 0 V count counter is equal to or greater than 13, it is determined that the value of the 0 V count counter is equal to or greater than 13. If the value of the 0 V count counter is equal to or greater than 13, And informs the user of the error through the notification unit 73 such as a display device or a warning sound generating device provided in the outdoor unit. On the other hand, if the value of the 0 V count counter is not 13 or more, the step S26 is executed. If the value of the 0 V count counter is 5 or more, the step S28 is executed. S36.

On the other hand, in the steps S22 and S26, the constant 13 and the constant 5, which are the comparison targets of the 0 V count counter, are used to determine whether a digital signal is received by the supply of commercial AC power, . Here, the reason why the comparison target of the 0 V count counter is set to the constant 13 and the constant 5 in the step S22 and the step S26 is that if the signal having the cycle of 17 ms is checked at intervals of 1 ms, the number of times 0 V is confirmed should be 8 to 9 And an external noise environment. The criterion for determining whether to receive the digital signal may be set differently according to the period value of the digital signal and the time interval for checking the voltage value of the digital signal in step S14.

On the other hand, in step S28 performed when the value of the 0 V counter is equal to or greater than 5 in step S26, the value of the commercial AC power input counter is incremented by one. In step S30, it is checked whether the value of the commercial AC power input count counter is 3 or more. If the value of the commercial AC power input count counter is 3 or more, the step S32 is executed to correct the value of the commercial AC power input number counter to 3. Then, in step S34, the control command input state is set to ON, If the value of the commercial AC power input number counter is not equal to or more than 3 in step S30, the step S44 is performed.

On the other hand, in step S36 performed when the value of the 0 V counter is not equal to or greater than 5 in step S26, the value of the commercial AC power input counter is decremented by one. In step S38, it is checked whether the value of the commercial AC power input count counter is 0 or less. If the value of the commercial AC power input count counter is less than or equal to 0, step S40 is performed to correct the value of the commercial AC power input number counter to 0, and the control command input state is set to OFF in step S42, If the value of the commercial AC power input number counter is not equal to or more than 3 in step S38, the step S44 is performed.

If it is determined in step S30 that the value of the commercial AC power input number counter is not 3 or more and in step S38, if the value of the commercial AC power input number counter is not 3 or more, then in step S44, .

On the other hand, the constant 1 added to or subtracted from the commercial AC power input count counter in steps S28 and S36 can be changed, and the constants 3 and 0 to be compared with the commercial AC power input counter in steps S30 and S38 can also be changed And the constants set in the commercial AC power input count counter in step S32 and step S40 should be changed together.

After performing steps S34, S42, and S44 described above, the flow returns to step S12.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for driving an outdoor unit of an outdoor unit control method for a multi-type air conditioner according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, the indoor unit is connected to one outdoor unit as shown in FIG. As shown in Fig.

As shown in FIG. 6, the outdoor unit driving method of the outdoor unit control method for a multi-type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured as follows.

First, in step S100, the control command input state set in FIG. 5 is checked. At this time, in step S100, all control command input states for the respective indoor units are checked.

Next, when there is only one indoor unit in which the control command input state is ON in step S102, step S104 is performed to drive the outdoor unit motor 75 to a level corresponding to the preset 'weak'.

If it is determined in step S102 that there is not one indoor unit in which the control command input state is ON, step S106 is performed. If there are two indoor units in which the control command input state is ON, step S108 is performed to set the outdoor motor 75 in ' As shown in FIG.

If it is determined in step S106 that there is no indoor unit with the control command input state turned ON, step S110 is performed. If the indoor unit having the control command input state ON is set, step S112 is executed to set the outdoor unit motor 75 to ' Drive to the appropriate level.

After performing steps S104, S108, and S112 described above, the flow returns to step S100.

On the other hand, if the indoor unit having the control command input state ON is not set in step S110, that is, if the commercial AC power is not input, the step S114 is executed to stop the driving of the outdoor unit motor 75. [

The outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner of the present invention and the control method thereof are not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be variously modified and practiced within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, when two blower motors are provided with small and medium outputs, the 'about' level may be to drive the compressor motor 'weakly' while driving the low output blower motor, The 'middle' level may be to drive the compressor motor 'medium' and the large output blower motor, while the 'strong' level may drive the compressor motor 'high' It may be to drive the motor. If the blower motor is made up of a single speed variable motor, it may be driving its speed at 'weak', 'medium' and 'strong' speeds.

6, the order of checking the number of indoor units in which the control command input state is ON can be changed, and the level at which the outdoor unit motor is driven can also be changed as the order is changed.

The step S34 of Fig. 5 can be executed immediately when the 0 V count counter is 5 or more at step S26 without the steps S28, S30 and S32, and the step S42 is executed at step S26 without the steps S36, S38 and S40, Lt; / RTI > is not 5 or more. At this time, step S44 is deleted in the flowchart.

In addition, the counters and constants presented in the description of the present invention can be modified and designed.

Also, the outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner of the present invention and the control method thereof may be applied to an air-conditioning system including a separate type air conditioner as well as a hot-air heating unit having a structure in which an indoor unit and an outdoor unit are separated.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing a multi-type air conditioner,

2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an outdoor unit and its peripheral device for explaining an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a control unit of an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing voltage-time graphs of input and output terminals of a detector for explaining a method of converting commercial AC power into digital signals in the detector of FIG. 3,

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for analyzing a digital signal of an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of driving an outdoor unit in a method for controlling an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE SYMBOLS

10: outdoor unit,

11: compressor, 12: condenser,

13: expansion device, 14: accumulator,

30a: liquid measuring valve, 30b: liquid measuring valve,

30c: liquid measuring valve,

40a: an indoor unit, 40b: an indoor unit,

40c: an indoor unit,

41a: an evaporator, 41b: an evaporator,

41c: an evaporator,

50a: gas observation valve, 50b: gas observation valve,

50c: gas observation valve,

60a: an indoor unit, 60b: an indoor unit,

60c: indoor unit,

70: outdoor unit,

71: control unit, 73: notification unit,

75: outdoor motor, 77: power supply unit,

80: AC outlet,

100: connector, 200: detecting part,

201a: photo coupler, 201b: photo coupler,

201c: Photo coupler,

203a: a step-down resistor, 203b: a step-down resistor,

203c: a resistor for step-down, 203d: a resistor for step-down,

205a: diode, 205b: diode,

205c: diode,

300: a microcomputer, and 400: an outdoor-

Claims (9)

In an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner connected to a plurality of indoor units, Outdoor motor; A connector connected to the plurality of indoor units; A detector for detecting whether or not commercial AC power is supplied from each of the plurality of indoor units via the connector; And a control unit for variably controlling the driving of the outdoor unit motor based on the signal detected by the detection unit, Wherein the detection of the supply of the commercial AC power by the detection unit is achieved by down-converting the commercial AC power supplied from each of the plurality of indoor units, shaping the waveform, and outputting it as a digital signal whose voltage level is periodically changed. Outdoor unit. delete The method according to claim 1, The detection unit A transformer connected to the connector; An optocoupler in which a photodiode included in the photocoupler is connected to the power supply, And a diode connected between the photodiode in the photocoupler and the step-down transformer to prevent dielectric breakdown of the photocoupler due to a reverse voltage. The method according to claim 1, The control unit If it is determined that the commercial AC power is supplied based on whether or not the digital signal whose voltage level is periodically changed is received, the value of the counter provided in advance corresponding to each of the plurality of indoor units is increased by a predetermined constant value, Decreases the value of the counter by a designated constant value, and variably controls driving of the outdoor unit motor based on the value of the counter. 5. The method of claim 4, The counter When the counter value is greater than the designated maximum value, the counter value is reset to the maximum value, and when the counter value is smaller than the specified minimum value, Of the outdoor unit (1). The method according to any one of claims 1, 3, 4, and 5, Further comprising an alarm unit for alerting the abnormality of the detection unit under the control of the control unit. A method for controlling an outdoor unit for a multi-type air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected, (A) receiving a digital signal obtained by rectifying and waveform shaping a commercial AC power supplied from each of the plurality of indoor units; Wherein the controller determines that the commercial AC power is not supplied from the indoor unit while the voltage level of the digital signal inputted in the step (a) is constant, and while the voltage level of the input digital signal periodically changes, the commercial AC power (B) judging that it is supplied And (c) varying the drive of the outdoor unit motor based on the determination result in the step (b). 8. The method of claim 7, If it is determined in step (b) that the commercial AC power is supplied, the value of the predetermined counter corresponding to each of the plurality of indoor units is increased by a predetermined constant value. If it is determined that no commercial AC power is supplied, (D) decreasing by a constant value and If the value of the incremented or decremented counter is larger than the specified maximum value for each of the counters provided in step (d), the counter value is reset to the maximum value. If the counter value is smaller than the specified minimum value, (E) setting the value of the corresponding counter again, Wherein the step (c) variably controls driving of the outdoor unit motor based on the value of the counter set in the step (e). 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, If the digital signal inputted in the step (b) is different from the digital signal which is a reference for judging the presence or absence of the commercial AC power supply, it is determined that there is an error in the digital signal, and the step (g) And the outdoor air is supplied to the outdoor unit.

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