KR20070056343A - Communication checking apparatus and method of system-type air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

A communication checking apparatus and a method of a system-type air conditioner are provided to check an installation error easily by checking a communication between a refrigerant divider and a plurality of indoor unit by group. A communication checking apparatus of a system-type air conditioner includes outdoor units(1-1,1-2,1-3), at least one refrigerant divider(7-1~7-5), and indoor units(4-1~4-35). The communication checking apparatus detects an installation error of the refrigerant divider and the outdoor unit. A first communication line(12) is connected between the outdoor unit and the refrigerant divider. A second communication line(13) is connected between the refrigerant divider and the indoor unit. The refrigerant divider transmits an indoor unit check order to each indoor units through the second communication line. Each indoor unit responds to the indoor unit check order and checks own indoor unit.

Description

Communication checking apparatus and method of system-type air conditioner

1 shows a configuration of a general air-conditioning simultaneous system air conditioner.

2 shows a communication block diagram of a conventional system air conditioner.

3 is a communication block diagram of a system air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a block diagram illustrating a refrigerant classifier according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a block diagram illustrating an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication checking method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main functions of the drawings *

1-1 ~ 1-3: Outdoor unit 4-1 ~ 4-35: Indoor unit

7-1 ~ 7-5: Refrigerant classifier 11, 12, 13: Communication line

21: refrigerant classifier address setting unit 22: indoor unit address setting unit

23: branch address setting unit 24: communication interface unit

25: communication check switch 26: control unit (Refrigeration Sorter)

31: indoor unit address setting unit or branch address setting unit

32: communication interface unit 33: communication check indicator

34: control unit (indoor)

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for checking communication of a system air conditioner, and more particularly, by setting a refrigerant classifier and a plurality of indoor units in a group, the number of indoor units can be easily increased, and the refrigerant classifier and the plurality of groups are grouped. The present invention relates to a communication check apparatus and method for a system air conditioner that can facilitate installation inspection by checking communication between indoor units of a.

In general, the system air conditioner includes one or a plurality of outdoor units, a plurality of refrigerant classifiers, and a plurality of indoor units. Among the system type air conditioners, there is a cooling / heating simultaneous air conditioner that simultaneously implements cooling or heating according to the operation of the indoor unit.

1 shows a configuration of a general air-conditioning simultaneous system air conditioner. As shown, one outdoor unit 1 including a compressor 1A, a four-way valve 1B, an outdoor heat exchanger 1C, an expansion valve 1D, a receiver tank 1E, and an accumulator 1F. A plurality of indoor units 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4 including indoor heat exchangers 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, expansion valves 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, It includes a plurality of air solenoid valves (5A, 5B, 5C, 5D) and a plurality of heating solenoid valves (6A, 6B, 6C, 6D) and each indoor unit (4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-) 4) A refrigerant classifier (7) for classifying the refrigerant to flow a low temperature low pressure refrigerant or a high temperature high pressure refrigerant and the outdoor unit (1) and the indoor units (4-1, 4-2, 4-) through the refrigerant classifier (7). It includes a high pressure gas pipe 8, a low pressure gas pipe 9, a high pressure liquid pipe 10 provided between the 3, 4-4.

The plurality of air solenoid valves 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D and the plurality of heating solenoid valves 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D each have a pair of 5A-6A, 5B-6B, 5C-6C, and 5D-6D. One pair is connected to one indoor unit, which is called a basin.

The air-conditioning simultaneous system air conditioner is connected to the refrigerant pipe from the outdoor unit 1 to each indoor unit 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, and the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor unit 4-1, A plurality of refrigerant classifiers 7 are installed for simultaneous cooling and heating between 4-2, 4-3, and 4-4, and the refrigerant compressed by the compressor included in the outdoor unit 1 is respectively stored in each indoor unit 4-1, According to the desired operation mode (cooling or heating) in 4-2, 4-3, and 4-4, the solenoid valve is opened and closed from the refrigerant classifier 7 so that the indoor units 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4 -4) It is configured to do desired operation by circulating refrigerant. And, for this purpose, communication between a plurality of indoor units, refrigerant classifiers and outdoor units is essential.

2 shows a communication block diagram of a conventional system air conditioner. As shown in FIG. 2, in the conventional system air conditioner, the outdoor unit 1, the refrigerant classifier 7, and the plurality of indoor units 4-1 to 4-n each have a unique address and have one communication line 11. Through the outdoor unit 1 is a master device, a plurality of indoor units (4-1 ~ 4-n) and the refrigerant classifier 7 is a slave device to communicate directly with each other.

That is, each of the plurality of indoor units 4-1 to 4-n grasps its own actual address and transmits it to the outdoor unit 1 through the communication line 11, and the refrigerant classifier 7 is an indoor unit connected to the piping in its own. Determine the setting address of the indoor unit corresponding to the transmission to the outdoor unit (1).

The outdoor unit 1 includes setting address information of each indoor unit 4-1 to 4-n transmitted from the refrigerant classifier and indoor units 4-1 to 4-n transmitted from each indoor unit 4-1 to 4-n. Check the address setting error between the refrigerant classifier and the indoor unit by comparing the actual address of the controller.

As shown in FIG. 2, since the outdoor unit 1, the refrigerant classifier 11, and the plurality of indoor units 4-1 to 4-n share one communication line 11 to communicate with each other, different addresses are used. use. For example, if each device's addressing bit is 3 bits, the maximum number of available addresses is eight. Therefore, the maximum number of devices that can be connected through the communication line 11 is eight, and in order to add more devices, the addressing digits must be converted.

The conventional system air conditioner as described above has a problem in that addressing is not easy when a new device is added by allocating a unique address to each device and sharing a communication line.

In addition, since communication checks for checking installation errors are performed mainly on the outdoor unit, when the number of indoor units increases, communication load and control of the outdoor unit becomes complicated, and even when checking the installation error of the refrigerant classifier and the indoor unit, There is a problem in that it is not easy to check directly at the place where the indoor unit is installed, and by checking the outdoor unit, it is not easy to check the installation error of the installer.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention can easily increase the number of the indoor unit in the system air conditioner, and facilitate the installation check between the plurality of indoor and the plurality of refrigerant classifier To provide an apparatus and method for checking a communication of a system air conditioner for performing.

The present invention for achieving the above object is a communication check device of a system air conditioner comprising an outdoor unit, at least one refrigerant classifier, and a plurality of indoor units, to check the installation error of the refrigerant classifier and the indoor unit, A first communication line connecting between the outdoor unit and the refrigerant classifier and a second communication line connecting between the refrigerant classifier and the indoor unit, wherein the refrigerant classifier transmits an indoor unit inspection command to each indoor unit through the second communication line; Each indoor unit is characterized by checking its indoor unit in response to the indoor unit inspection command.

In addition, the refrigerant classifier is characterized in that it comprises a communication check start means received from the user to start the communication check.

      In addition, the indoor unit is characterized in that it comprises a communication check display means for displaying its address in the process of performing the communication check.

The plurality of indoor units form a plurality of groups, and the plurality of groups share the addresses of the indoor units.

A communication check method of a system air conditioner for checking an installation error between the plurality of refrigerant classifiers and the plurality of indoor units in a plurality of outdoor units, a plurality of refrigerant classifiers, and a plurality of indoor units connected through a communication network, the plurality of refrigerants The classifier and the plurality of indoor units are classified into a plurality of groups composed of a predetermined number, and a communication check start command is applied to a refrigerant classifier by an installer, and the plurality of indoor units belonging to the same group as the refrigerant classifier are the communication units. And a check result in response to the check start command.

In addition, the plurality of groups are characterized by checking whether another group performs the communication check before starting the communication check.

The plurality of groups may also perform a communication check when the other group does not perform the communication check.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

3 is a communication block diagram of a system air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in the drawing, a plurality of outdoor units 1-1 to 1-3 and a plurality of indoor units 4-1 to 4-35. And a plurality of refrigerant classifiers 7-1 to 7-5, the plurality of outdoor units 1-1 to 1-3 are connected to the refrigerant classifier via the communication line 12, and a plurality of refrigerant classifiers 7-. 1 to 7-5 are connected to the plurality of indoor units 4-1 to 4-35 through communication lines 12 and different communication lines 13.

3, the plurality of outdoor units 1-1 to 1-3, the plurality of indoor units 4-1 to 4-35, and the plurality of refrigerant classifiers 7-1 to 7-5 each have a 3-bit address. It has a specified number of digits, and consists of three outdoor units and five refrigerant classifiers, and each refrigerant classifier is connected to seven indoor units to form a group. For example, the refrigerant classifier 7-1 is connected to the indoor units 4-1 to 4-7 to form a group G1, and the refrigerant classifier 7-2 is an indoor unit 4-8 to 4-14. Is connected to form a group G2.

In addition, the plurality of outdoor units 1-1 to 1-3 and the plurality of refrigerant classifiers 7-1 to 7-5 form a communication network through the communication line 12, and the plurality of refrigerant classifiers 7-1 to 7. -5) and the groups G1 to Gn composed of a plurality of indoor units each form a separate communication network through the communication line 13.

Then, the information of the indoor unit is transmitted to the refrigerant classifier belonging to the same group for communication check, and again is transmitted from the refrigerant classifier to the outdoor unit, the information transmitted from the outdoor unit is transferred to the refrigerant classifier, the same group connected to itself in the refrigerant classifier By transmitting to the indoor unit, communication between the refrigerant classifier and the indoor period is performed for each group.

To this end, the plurality of outdoor units (1-1 to 1-3) and the plurality of refrigerant classifiers (7-1 to 7-5) each have their own unique addresses, and the plurality of indoor units (4-1 to 4-35) Has its own unique address in the group, and the addresses may be the same if the groups are different. For example, the indoor unit 4-2 belonging to the group G1 and the indoor unit 4-9 belonging to the group G2 have the same address as [001] but the groups are different from each other, and communication is performed for each group. As the address is the same, communication is possible.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, since the plurality of refrigerant classifiers and the plurality of indoor units are set in groups and communication is performed for each group, the same indoor unit address can be used in multiple groups, and devices having the same addressable digits can be easily added. can do.

In FIG. 3, one refrigerant classifier is connected to seven indoor units, but the group setting may vary according to the installation environment of the system air conditioner.

4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a refrigerant classifier according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the refrigerant classifier address setting unit 21, the indoor unit address setting unit 22, the branch address setting unit 23, and the communication interface unit ( 24), the communication check switch 25 and the control unit 26.

The refrigerant classifier address setting unit 21 is used by the installer to set a unique address of each refrigerant classifier and is used for communication between the refrigerant classifier and the outdoor unit or between the refrigerant classifier and the indoor unit. The indoor unit address setting unit 22 and the branch district address setting unit 23 are used for communication between the refrigerant classifier and the indoor unit as a part for setting an address and a branch address of the indoor units belonging to the group by the installer.

The communication interface unit 24 performs signal processing for communication with the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, and the communication check switch 25 is used for communication for installation check in the group. In addition, when the communication check signal is input from the communication check switch 25, the controller 26 transmits a check signal to the indoor unit corresponding to the indoor unit address or the branch address set through the communication interface unit or performs other general control.

5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an indoor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the indoor unit address setting unit or branch address setting unit 31, the communication interface unit 32, the communication check indicator 33, and the control unit ( 34).

The indoor unit address setting unit or the branch address setting unit 31 may include an indoor unit address setting unit or a branch address setting unit according to the model or type of the indoor unit, and sets an indoor unit address or branch address by the installer. As part, it is used for communication with the refrigerant classifier.

The communication interface 32 performs signal processing for communication with the refrigerant classifier, and the communication check indicator 33 may be configured with an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and is generally used for communication for installation check in a group. When the communication check signal is received from the refrigerant classifier, it blinks as many times as its address.

In addition, the control unit 34 receives the communication check signal from the refrigerant classifier, controls the communication check indicator to display an address corresponding to the indoor unit address or the branch address, and performs other overall indoor unit control.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication checking method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, when the installer applies the communication check signal using the communication check switch provided in the refrigerant classifier (step S10), the communication check signal is transmitted to the outdoor unit through the communication line. The outdoor unit checks the communication check status of the other refrigerant classifier and transmits the check result to the refrigerant classifier (step S11).

For example, when more than one group is installed in one room, if the communication check of each group is performed at the same time, the installer may not find an installation error because the same address display may occur in different indoor units. Therefore, when performing a communication check in a specific group, confirm that the communication check is being performed in another group, and then perform a communication check when the communication check is not performed in another group.

After receiving the communication check execution status information of another group from the outdoor unit and determining whether the other group is performing the communication check (step S12), when the communication check is not performed in the other group, the refrigerant classifier sends the communication check performing signal to the same group. The data is transmitted to a plurality of indoor machines belonging to each other (step S13). If the communication check is performed in another group as a result of the determination in step S12, the process returns to step S10 to repeat the above process.

Each of the plurality of indoor units that have received the communication check performance signal confirms its indoor unit address or branch address, and blinks the LED a number of times corresponding to the indoor unit address or branch address (step S14).

For example, if the address of the indoor unit receiving the communication check execution signal is '5', the indoor unit blinks the LED five times, indicating that its address is '5'.

The present invention can easily check the installation error by setting the refrigerant classifier and the predetermined number of indoor units in groups for the plurality of refrigerant classifiers and the plurality of indoor units, and checking the communication between the refrigerant classifiers and the plurality of indoor units for each group. Since the addresses of the same indoor unit can be used in different groups, the indoor unit can be easily increased.

Claims (7)

In the communication check device of the system air conditioner comprising an outdoor unit, at least one refrigerant classifier, and a plurality of indoor units, and checking the installation error of the refrigerant classifier and the indoor unit, A first communication line connecting between the outdoor unit and the refrigerant classifier; A second communication line connecting between the refrigerant classifier and the indoor unit, And the refrigerant classifier transmits an indoor unit inspection command to each indoor unit through the second communication line, and each indoor unit inspects its own indoor unit in response to the indoor unit inspection command. The method of claim 1, The refrigerant classifier is a communication check device of the system air conditioner, characterized in that it comprises a communication check start means received from the user to start the communication check. The method of claim 1, And the indoor unit includes a communication check display means for displaying its address in a process of performing a communication check. The method of claim 1, And the plurality of indoor units form a plurality of groups, and the plurality of groups share an address of the indoor unit. In the communication check method of the system air conditioner for checking the installation error between the plurality of refrigerant classifier and the plurality of indoor units in a plurality of outdoor units, a plurality of refrigerant classifier and a plurality of indoor units connected through a communication network, The plurality of refrigerant classifier and the plurality of indoor units are classified into a plurality of groups consisting of a predetermined number,       Communication check start command is applied to refrigerant classifier by installer.      And the plurality of indoor units belonging to the same group as the refrigerant classifier display the inspection result in response to the communication inspection start command.        The method of claim 5, And the plurality of groups check whether another group performs a communication check before starting the communication check. The method of claim 5, And the plurality of groups perform a communication check when the other group does not perform a communication check.

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