KR101812015B1 - Air conditioner and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner and its control method for securing reliability and improving efficiency. A control method of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a step in which a compressor is operated; Measuring an inlet water temperature which is a temperature of water flowing into an evaporator in which refrigerant compressed in the compressor is evaporated by heat exchange with water; And setting a target pressure, which is the pressure of the refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator, from the intake temperature.
The air conditioner and the control method thereof according to the present invention can prevent the defrosting operation from being performed simultaneously by a plurality of cycles by sequentially performing the defrosting operation of the air conditioners having a plurality of cycles, It is possible to improve the reliability of the product and the user's convenience.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a control method thereof,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an air conditioner and its control method for securing reliability and improving efficiency.

Generally, an air conditioner uses a refrigeration cycle of a refrigerant composed of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, and an evaporator to cool or heat the room to create a more comfortable indoor environment for the user.

In the case of industrial air conditioners or central air conditioners, water is cooled in a cooler consisting of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator, and water in a cooler is used to air the interior of a large building such as a building, a factory or a gymnasium .

Also, the large-capacity air conditioner includes a plurality of compressors and a heat exchanger, and each of the compressors and the heat exchanger operates independently according to a separate setting, thereby forming a plurality of cycles.

Since each cycle of the large-capacity air conditioner operates independently, it can be added or reduced in units of cycles, and the capacity can be easily changed by changing the capacity as needed according to the size of the load.

However, although the large-capacity air conditioner operates independently of each cycle, there arises a problem that a plurality of cycles simultaneously enter the defrosting operation when the temperatures of the cycles are similar. If the defrosting operation starts at the same time, the defrosting operation can be started even if defrosting is unnecessary, and the cooling / heating operation can not be performed until the defrosting operation is completed, resulting in a low efficiency problem and inconveniences the user.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner which controls the defrosting operation for a plurality of cycles of the air conditioner to prevent a plurality of cycles from entering the defrosting operation at the same time, .

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air conditioner comprising: a plurality of cycle controllers connected to a plurality of independently operated air conditioning cycles to control cycles; And a main controller connected to the plurality of cycle controllers to monitor and control the plurality of air conditioning cycles, wherein the main controller controls the plurality of cycle controllers in accordance with the operation state of the cycle controlled by the plurality of cycle controllers, So that the defrosting operation is sequentially performed in accordance with the order.

An air conditioner control method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an air conditioner including a plurality of cycle controllers each of which is composed of a plurality of air conditioning cycles for individually controlling each cycle and a main controller connected to the plurality of cycle controllers A control method, comprising: a main controller receiving a defrost operation request from a first cycle controller that controls a first cycle among a plurality of connected cycle controllers; Determining whether a cycle during a defrosting operation is present according to an operation state of another plurality of cycles; Transmitting a wait command to the first cycle controller to limit defrost operation when a defrosting cycle is present; And transmitting a defrost operation command to the first cycle controller when the defrost operation of the defrosting cycle is terminated.

The air conditioner and the control method thereof according to the present invention can prevent the defrosting operation from being performed simultaneously by a plurality of cycles by sequentially performing the defrosting operation of the air conditioners having a plurality of cycles, It is possible to improve the reliability of the product and the user's convenience.

1 is a view illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a plurality of cooling and heating cycles included in the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the cycle controller and the main controller for the plurality of cycles of FIG.
4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the cycle controller and the main controller of FIG.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a main controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart showing a control method of a cycle controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention and the manner of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. To fully disclose the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings for explaining an air conditioner and a control method thereof according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a view showing an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view showing a plurality of air conditioning cycles included in the air conditioner shown in FIG.

An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention is divided into a cooling unit that cools water using a refrigerant cycle and an air conditioning unit that cools the interior of the building using water cooled in the cooler.

1 and 2, the air conditioner includes a plurality of compressors and a plurality of heat exchangers as coolers, and is connected to a plurality of air conditioning units, respectively. Each compressor and heat exchanger is connected to at least one air conditioning unit to form one cycle. The configuration of these cycles is modular and can operate independently of each other and can be added or removed depending on the size of the load.

The air conditioning unit uses the water cooled in the chiller to cool, heat, ventilate, dehumidify, or humidify the interior of the building. The air conditioning unit comprises: an AHU (air handling unit) for mixing indoor air circulated in the room and fresh outdoor air and performing heat exchange with water cooled in the cooler; an air handling unit (AHU) And a fan coil unit (FCU) for circulation. The air conditioning unit and the cooler are connected to an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe through which water circulates.

The condenser includes a compressor for compressing the refrigerant, a condenser for condensing the refrigerant compressed in the compressor, an expansion mechanism for expanding the refrigerant condensed in the condenser, an evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant expanded in the expansion mechanism by heat exchange with water, An inlet pipe through which water flows into the evaporator, and an outlet pipe through which water flows out from the evaporator.

The compressor compresses the refrigerant. Various types of compressors such as a reciprocating type, a rotary type, and a scroll type can be used as the compressor, and the present embodiment is a scroll type compressor. The scroll type compressor has a motor therein, and the motor rotates the scroll to compress the refrigerant.

The compressor compresses the refrigerant to increase the pressure of the refrigerant. The compressor can change the pressure of the refrigerant compressed and discharged by varying the operation speed. The compressor discharges refrigerant at a higher pressure when operating at a lower speed than at a higher speed. The range of the operating speed is determined by the performance of the compressor. The compressor is connected to the suction pipe and the discharge pipe, compresses the refrigerant sucked through the suction pipe 114, and discharges the compressed refrigerant to the discharge pipe.

The condenser is connected to the discharge pipe and is compressed in the compressor to condense the refrigerant discharged to the discharge pipe. The condenser cools the refrigerant by exchanging the refrigerant with the fluid such as cooling water or outdoor air.

When the condenser exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the cooling water, it may be formed of a cooling tower (not shown) and a water-cooled heat exchanger that is connected to the cooling water flow path and heat-exchanges the cooling water circulated to the cooling tower and the refrigerant. When the condenser exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air, it may be formed as an air-cooled heat exchanger in which outdoor air blown by the blower exchanges heat with the refrigerant.

The condenser is connected to the condensing pipe so that the refrigerant condensed in the condenser flows to the expansion mechanism. The expansion mechanism is connected to the condensing pipe to expand the condensed refrigerant in the condenser. The expansion mechanism may be a capillary tube for expanding the refrigerant or an electronic expansion valve (EEV). The expansion mechanism expands the refrigerant to lower the pressure of the refrigerant. The expansion mechanism is connected to the expansion pipe so that the refrigerant expanded in the expansion mechanism flows to the evaporator.

The evaporator is connected to the expansion pipe to condense the refrigerant expanded in the expansion mechanism by heat exchange with water. The evaporator cools the water circulating in the air conditioning unit by exchanging heat with the refrigerant. Water flows into the evaporator from the air conditioning unit through the water inlet pipe, and water flows out to the air conditioning unit through the water outlet pipe 162.

The evaporator may be a shell-and-tube heat exchanger composed of a shell through which a refrigerant passes and a tube through which water passes, or a plate-type heat exchanger in which a channel through which a refrigerant passes and a channel through which water flows is formed between plate- .

The evaporator is connected to the suction pipe, and the refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator is sucked into the compressor. The suction pipe connects the evaporator and the compressor, and the suction pipe is provided with a suction pipe pressure sensor for measuring the evaporation pressure which is the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the suction pipe. The suction pipe pressure sensor measures the pressure of the refrigerant vaporized in the evaporator, that is, the pressure of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor. The suction pipe may be provided with a suction pipe temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the suction pipe. The suction pipe temperature sensor measures the temperature of the refrigerant vaporized in the evaporator, that is, the temperature of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor.

Water is introduced from the air conditioning unit into the evaporator in the intake pipe. In the inlet piping, the air that is circulated in the room through the air conditioning unit flows into the evaporator. Water flowing into the evaporator through the intake pipe is cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant. The inlet pipe is provided with an inlet pipe temperature sensor for measuring the inlet temperature, which is the temperature of the water flowing through the inlet pipe. The inlet pipe temperature sensor measures the inlet water temperature of the water flowing into the evaporator from the air conditioning unit.

Water is discharged from the evaporator to the air conditioning unit in the outflow pipe. The outflow pipe exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the evaporator, and the cooled water flows out to the air conditioning unit. Water flowing out to the air conditioning unit through the outflow pipe cools the room. The outflow pipe is provided with an outflow pipe temperature sensor for measuring the outflow temperature, which is the temperature of water flowing through the outflow pipe. The outflow pipe temperature sensor measures the outflow temperature of the water coming out from the evaporator to the air conditioning unit.

3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the cycle controller and the main controller for the plurality of cycles of FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, the air conditioner includes a main controller 10 for controlling a plurality of independent cycles configured as described above, and a plurality of cycle controllers 100, each of which is provided in a plurality of cycles and controls each cycle do.

The plurality of cycle controllers 100, that is, the first to third cycle controllers 111 to 113 independently control the cooler and the air conditioning unit according to their respective settings, communicate with the main controller 10, Change the setting according to the control command.

The main controller 10 monitors the operation state of each cycle according to the data received from the first to third cycle controllers 111 to 113, To the respective cycle controllers.

The main controller 10 transfers input data to each of the plurality of cycle controllers 100, applies the same settings to a plurality of cycles to each cycle controller, and controls the plurality of cycles to complement each other . In particular, the main controller 10 monitors and controls the plurality of cycles so that the defrosting operation is not performed at the same time.

4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the cycle controller and the main controller of FIG.

4, the main controller 10 includes an input unit 54, an output unit 55, a data unit 52, a communication unit 53, and a main control unit 51 for controlling overall operation of the main controller .

The cycle controller 100 includes a communication unit 130, a sensing unit 140, a cycle data unit 120, a driving control unit 150, and a control unit 110 for controlling the entire cycle.

The input unit 54 of the main controller 10 inputs the air conditioner setting. The input unit 54 includes at least one button, a switch, or touch input means. At this time, the touch input means operates as the input unit 54 and the output unit 55 in the case of the touch screen layered on the display.

The input unit 54 applies data to the main control unit 51 when the setting of the air conditioner and the setting of the individual cycle are input.

The output unit 55 includes at least one of a display for displaying operating conditions and operation information of the air conditioner, a speaker for outputting sounds, and a lamp for lighting or flickering.

The output unit 55 outputs information on the air conditioner operation and displays a menu for inputting operation settings. Also displays the setting menu for the individual cycle.

The setting data of the air conditioner inputted from the input section 54 is stored in the data section 52 and the information of the individual cycle received through the communication section 53 is stored. In the data section 52, control data according to the operation control of the main control section 51 is stored.

The communication unit 53 includes at least one communication module and communicates with each cycle controller 100. [

The main controller 51 stores the data received from the first to third cycle controllers 111 to 113 in the data unit 52 and monitors the operation state of each cycle, The control command is applied.

When the defrost operation request is received from any one of the plurality of cycle controllers, the main control unit 51 transmits a defrost operation command in response to the state of another cycle.

At this time, the main control unit 51 determines whether or not there is a cycle already under defrosting operation. If there is a defrosting cycle, the main control unit 51 transmits a wait command to the cycle controller that requested the defrosting operation. Defrost operation command is transmitted.

If the number of possible simultaneous defrosting operations is designated in some cases, the defrosting operation command may be applied when the defrosting cycle is smaller than the number of simultaneously defrostable operations. For example, if six cycles are in operation and the number of defrostable cycles is set to two, the defrosting operation can be allowed in two cycles.

At this time, when there are a plurality of cycle controllers that requested a defrost operation, the main control unit 51 specifies a defrost operation order for each cycle. The main control unit 51 may specify the defrost operation order in accordance with the order of request, and may change the order by designating the priority order as the case may be. For example, when the defrosting operation is required immediately, and the importance of the room where the air conditioning unit of the cycle is installed is high, the defrosting operation can be performed first.

The communication unit 130 of the cycle controller 100 includes at least one communication module and communicates with the main controller 10. [

The sensing unit 140 includes a plurality of sensors, and applies data measured during a cycle operation to the control unit 110. The sensing unit 140 is provided in each of the cooler and the air conditioning unit such as a compressor, a heat exchanger, and a pipe, measures temperature or pressure, and inputs the measured temperature and pressure to the controller 110.

The cycle data unit 120 stores cycle control data according to each cycle control, data measured from the sensing unit 140 during the cycle operation, and data received from the main controller 10.

The drive control unit 150 controls the operation of the compressor in response to the control command of the control unit 110, controls the motor to rotate the fan, and controls the valve or the switch. The valve, the compressor, and the motor may be provided with separate drive control units.

The control unit 110 generates a control command for controlling the driving of the compressor, the valve, and the motor according to the setting, and applies the control command to the driving control unit 150. The control unit 110 determines the operation state of the cycle according to the measurement data input from the sensing unit 140 and controls the operation. For example, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the compressor operates normally, controls the operation frequency of the compressor, controls the valve according to the flow rate, controls according to the operation mode, and drives the motor according to the setting.

In particular, when it is determined that the defrosting operation is necessary according to the measured data, the control unit 110 starts the defrosting operation. At this time, when the defrosting operation is required, the controller 110 does not immediately perform the defrosting operation but requests the defrosting operation to the main controller 10 and then performs the defrosting operation when the control command of the main controller 10 is received .

In addition, when the defrosting operation is completed, the controller 110 notifies the main controller 10 of the defrosting operation completion, and the normal operation is started according to the setting.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a main controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the main controller 10 communicates information with respect to each cycle while communicating with a plurality of the cycle controllers 100 (S310).

At this time, the main controller 10 determines whether a defrost operation request is received from at least one of the plurality of cycle controllers (S320).

The main control unit 51 is configured to control the plurality of cycle controllers 100 based on data received from the plurality of cycle controllers 100 when a defrost operation request is received from any one of the plurality of cycle controllers, (S330).

At this time, the main control unit 51 determines whether there is a defrosting cycle in a plurality of cycles (S340). If there is no waiting cycle, the defrost operation command is transmitted to the corresponding cycle controller so that the defrost operation for the requested cycle is performed (S390).

On the other hand, if there is a cycle under defrosting operation, the main control unit 51 transmits a wait command to the cycle controller that requested the defrost operation (S350).

When the main control unit 51 receives the notification of the end of the defrosting operation in the defrosting operation (S360), it confirms the waiting cycle, sets the order when there are a plurality of waiting cycles (S380) The defrost operation command is transmitted (S390). In this case, the order of a plurality of waiting cycles is specified according to the order of requests, but in some cases, when the priority is set in the cycle, the waiting order can be set according to the priority.

If there is one waiting cycle, the defrosting operation command is immediately transmitted so that the corresponding cycle performs the defrosting operation.

At this time, the main control unit 51 can set the number of defrosting enabled cycles in accordance with the setting. That is, when only one cycle of a plurality of connected cycles is set to perform the defrosting operation, the defrosting operation is checked for another cycle with respect to the defrosting operation request, and the defrosting operation is performed after the waiting according to the order.

When the number of possible defrosting cycles in a plurality of cycles is set to a plurality of, for example, when the defrosting possible cycle is 2, the main control unit 51 sets the number of defrosting- Depending on the number of cycles and the number of possible defrosting cycles, a defrosting operation command may be transmitted or a standby command may be transmitted and the defrosting operation may be performed in order.

However, in order to prevent the plurality of connected cycles from performing the defrosting operation at the same time, the main control unit 51 sets the number of defrosting enabled cycles to be smaller than the number of connected plural cycles. At this time, it is preferable to set it to 50% or less of a plurality of cycles.

6 is a flowchart showing a control method of a cycle controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, the cycle controller 100 controls the cycle operation according to the setting, and receives data measured from the sensing unit 140. And transmits and receives data to and from the main controller 10 through the communication unit 130. [

In operation S420, the control unit 110 determines whether defrost operation is necessary. The control unit 110 determines the necessity of the defrosting operation based on the measurement data input from the sensing unit 140 and the operation state of the cycle. For example, the necessity of defrosting operation can be judged based on outdoor temperature, refrigerant temperature and pressure.

When the defrosting operation is required, the control unit 110 requests the main controller 10 to operate the defrosting operation through the communication unit 130.

At this time, if there is another cycle of the defrosting operation (S430), a standby command is received from the main controller 10, and the control unit 110 waits without starting the defrosting operation and maintains the present operation state (S440).

At this time, as described above, the main controller 10 checks the operation state of another cycle according to the defrost operation request of the cycle controller to determine whether defrosting operation is possible, and then transmits a standby command. When the defrosting operation of another cycle is completed and the defrosting operation becomes possible, the main controller 10 transmits a defrosting operation command to the cycle controller.

When the defrosting operation of the cycle during the defrosting operation is terminated while the operation state is maintained while the defrosting operation is being performed (S450), the defrost operation command is received from the main controller 10.

The control unit 110 stops the setting operation and starts defrosting operation (S460).

The controller 110 starts a defrost operation according to a defrost operation command of the main controller 10 and transmits a message to the main controller 10 to start defrost operation in step S470. When the defrosting operation is completed (S480), the control unit 110 transmits a message informing the main controller 10 that the defrosting operation is completed (S490).

The control unit 110 resumes the setting operation (S500).

Accordingly, the main controller 10 can prevent the other cycles from performing the defrosting operation according to the defrosting start notification of the cycle controller, and perform the defrosting operation in accordance with the defrosting termination notification of the cycle controller can do.

Accordingly, the present invention prevents a plurality of cycles from entering the defrosting operation at the same time, and prevents defrosting operation from being performed by sequentially performing the defrosting operation in a predetermined order, thereby improving the operation efficiency.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It should be understood that various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

10: main controller 51: main controller
100, 11 to 113: cycle controller
110: control unit 120: cycle data unit
140:

Claims (11)

A plurality of cycle controllers individually connected to a plurality of independently operating air conditioning cycles to control the cycle;
And a main controller connected to the plurality of cycle controllers to monitor and control the plurality of air conditioning cycles,
Wherein the main controller controls the plurality of cycles to sequentially perform the defrosting operation in accordance with the designated sequence in response to the operation state of the cycle controlled by the plurality of cycle controllers, The defrosting operation command is applied when the number of cycles in the defrosting operation is smaller than the number of simultaneous defrosting operations,
Wherein the cycle controller transmits a notification message to the main controller at the start and end of the defrost operation, and the main controller controls defrost operation of another cycle in accordance with the notification message received from the cycle controller. Harmonics. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the cycle controller requests the defrosting operation by the main controller when the defrosting operation is required, waits while maintaining the operating state according to the standby command of the main controller, and starts the defrosting operation in accordance with the defrosting command of the main controller The air conditioner being characterized in that: delete The method according to claim 1,
When the defrost operation request is received from any one of the plurality of cycle controllers, the main controller determines the operation state of each cycle based on data received from the other plurality of cycle controllers to determine whether a defrosting cycle exists So,
If there is another cycle in the defrosting operation, a wait command is transmitted,
And when the defrosting operation cycle does not exist, the defrosting operation command is transmitted. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the main controller transmits a defrosting operation command so that the defrosting operation is sequentially performed according to the designated sequence when the defrosting operation of the cycle during the defrosting operation is completed. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the main controller specifies the order of the defrosting operation in accordance with the order of the request or the priority of the cycle when there are a plurality of waiting cycles. A control method for an air conditioner comprising a plurality of cycle controllers each consisting of a plurality of air conditioning cycles for individually controlling each cycle and a main controller connected to the plurality of cycle controllers,
Comprising: receiving a defrost operation request from a first cycle controller that controls a first cycle among a plurality of cycle controllers connected to the main controller;
Determining whether a cycle during a defrosting operation is present according to an operation state of another plurality of cycles;
Transmitting a wait command to the first cycle controller to limit defrost operation when a defrosting cycle is present;
Transmitting a defrost operation command to the first cycle controller when the defrost operation in the defrosting cycle is terminated;
Limiting the other cycle from being prevented from performing the defrosting operation when the defrost operation start notification is received from the first cycle controller; And
And performing a defrosting operation sequentially with respect to a waiting cycle when a defrosting operation end notification is received from the first cycle controller,
Wherein the step of determining whether the defrost operation cycle is present comprises:
Applying a defrost operation command when the number of simultaneous defrosting operations is equal or less than the number of simultaneously defrostable strokes in comparison with the number of simultaneous defrosting cycles in a defrosting operation cycle; And
And limiting the defrosting operation when the number of defrosting cycles is larger than the number of simultaneous defrosting operations. 8. The method of claim 7,
And transmitting a defrost operation command to the first cycle controller when a defrost operation cycle is not present at the defrost operation request from the first cycle controller. delete delete 9. The method of claim 8,
Further comprising the step of designating a defrosting operation sequence in correspondence with a priority order for a request sequence or a cycle when a plurality of waiting cycles are present.

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