KR20170082765A - Controller for air conditions apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioning control system, and more particularly, to an air conditioning control system including an input unit provided for a manager to control the air conditioner, And an output unit for displaying management information of the air conditioner according to an input of the input unit, wherein the output unit is capable of setting a target degree of heating or a target degree of supercooling of the indoor unit; An outdoor unit option setting menu capable of setting a target pressure of the heating / cooling cycle; And a special operation menu in which the refrigerant circulating in the heating / cooling cycle can flow to the outdoor unit or the indoor unit.

Description

[0001] CONTROLLER FOR AIR CONDITIONS APPARATUS [0002]

The present invention relates to a control apparatus for an air conditioner.

Generally, a control device, that is, a controller is a device for controlling household appliances such as a TV, a video, an audio, an air conditioner, a wired broadcast converter, a satellite broadcast converter, and a fan. In some cases, the controller is used in connection with household appliances, but in some cases the controller can control various appliances remotely through wireless transmission of control frequencies or wire communication. In general, the controller may be a device specific to a particular home appliance, or a computer equipped with software capable of controlling a particular home appliance.

The controller described above can be applied to an air conditioner. A multi-type air conditioner, which is used in a large building requiring a plurality of indoor units such as a building, has a plurality of indoor units connected to one outdoor unit, and these indoor units are installed in the room for air conditioning, Can be obtained.

An existing air conditioner control apparatus is disclosed as follows.

 [Prior Art]

One. Application No. 10-2007-0089501 (Published on Mar. 9, 2009), Title of the invention: Remote controller of air conditioner.

However, in the conventional controller of the air conditioner, it has been common that a user who directly uses the air conditioner is used to control the air conditioner or to check the current air flow rate or temperature. In other words, it was common for the user to reside or reside in a space where the air conditioner harmonizes air.

However, in the case of a manager (e.g., a repairman) for repairing, repairing, and managing the air conditioner, there is no controller for remotely managing the air conditioner, which is inconvenient for repair and maintenance.

In detail, there has conventionally been a problem that the manager does not have a remote controller for repairing and managing the air conditioner. That is, in order for the manager to repair and manage the air conditioner, the operation state and the maintenance state of the outdoor unit or the indoor unit can be checked and checked through the controller attached to the outdoor unit or the indoor unit, There is an inconvenience that the outdoor unit or the indoor unit must be directly moved to the place where the indoor unit is disposed.

In addition, if the manager fails to fully understand the procedures necessary for management, he / she can not proceed according to the procedure required for management, and thus the repair and management of the air conditioner can not be smoothly performed.

Further, since the progress of the part where the management is currently being performed (for example, the diagnosis of the refrigerant quantity in the outdoor unit) can not be confirmed in real time, it is difficult for the manager to find a problem in the air conditioner and proceed with management and repair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioning control system that enables maintenance and repair of an air conditioner through a remote controller in order to solve the above problems.

In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioning control system capable of checking the condition of an air conditioner through a remote controller (for example, a smart phone) and repairing the air conditioner without going to the outdoor unit and checking the condition of the air conditioner .

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioning control system in which an administrator can adjust the option values of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit without having to go directly to an outdoor unit and an indoor unit.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an air conditioning control system that allows a manager to flow refrigerant through a remote controller so that the air conditioner is in a state suitable for maintenance required.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioning control system capable of detecting an operating state in real time when an administrator controls an outdoor unit and an indoor unit through a remote controller or operates an air conditioner.

The controller of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention is one of a controller provided to communicate with an air conditioner including an indoor unit and an outdoor unit and operated in an air conditioning cycle, An input unit provided for the manager to be input; And an output unit for displaying management information of the air conditioner according to an input of the input unit.

The output unit may include an indoor unit option setting menu capable of setting a target heating degree or a target subcooling degree of the indoor unit; An outdoor unit option setting menu capable of setting a target pressure of the heating / cooling cycle; And a special operation menu in which the refrigerant circulating in the heating / cooling cycle can flow to the outdoor unit or the indoor unit.

The air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above has the following effects.

First, there is an effect that an administrator can maintain a desired management and maintenance state without directly contacting the air conditioner through a remote controller.

Secondly, the manager can control the air conditioner remotely so that the air conditioner becomes suitable for maintenance.

Third, when the manager controls the air conditioner, the control state can be confirmed in real time through the remote controller.

1 is a conceptual diagram of an air conditioner control apparatus and an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 to 5 are views showing a communication connection screen between the air conditioner control device and the air conditioner.
6 is a view showing a management screen of the air conditioner control device;
7 to 11 are diagrams illustrating a procedure of a test operation of the air conditioner output to the air conditioner control device.
12 is a view showing an automatic address setting screen output to the air conditioner control device;
13 is a diagram showing an additional function screen output to the air conditioner control device.
14 and 15 are views showing a special operation screen outputted to the air conditioner control device.
16 to 22 are diagrams showing an outdoor unit option setting screen and a screen related to the outdoor unit option setting screen outputted to the air conditioner control device.
23 to 25 are views showing an indoor unit option setting screen output to the air conditioner control apparatus and a screen related thereto.
26 to 32 are diagrams showing a diagnostic screen output to the air conditioner control apparatus and a screen related thereto.
33 is a flowchart showing an option value setting step of the air conditioner control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 34 is a flow chart showing special operation steps of the air conditioner control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
35 is a flowchart showing the diagnostic steps of the air conditioner control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
36 is a flowchart illustrating an indoor unit search step of the air conditioner control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. The present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the structures and methods described herein.

1 is a conceptual diagram of an air conditioner control apparatus and an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an air conditioner control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an outdoor unit 1 installed mainly outdoors, at least one indoor unit 2 connected to the outdoor unit 1, And an air conditioner (not shown). However, it is an embodiment of the air conditioner and may further include a unit such as a ventilator, a defrosting device, a humidifier, and a heater in addition to the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 1. [

The outdoor unit 1 may include a condenser, a compressor, and an expansion valve, and the indoor unit 2 may include an evaporator and an expansion valve. The air conditioner is a cooling / heating system that sucks hot air from a room and heat-exchanges the refrigerant with low-temperature refrigerant, and then circulates the room by a repetitive action of discharging it into the room or heats the room by the opposite action. - a condenser - an expansion valve - an evaporator. In this specification, the air conditioner can be implemented by a known structure, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The outdoor unit (1) may include a module controller (10) for controlling and monitoring the outdoor unit (1) and the indoor unit (2). The module controller 10 can communicate with the air conditioner.

The module controller 10 may be installed on one side of the air conditioner, specifically, on the inner side of the outdoor unit 1.

The module controller 10 can communicate with the remote controller 3. At this time, the remote controller 3 can perform wired or wireless communication with the module controller 10.

Therefore, in the following, the case where the remote controller 3 communicates with the air conditioner will be described in detail. In the following description, the remote controller 3 is referred to as the remote controller 3, which is the same as the air conditioner control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The remote controller 3 may include an output device for outputting information, an input device for inputting information, and a communication device for communication.

The output device may include a sound output unit 31 for outputting sound and / or a display device for emitting light to perform a visual display. Specifically, the output device may be a light emitting polymer display (LPD), a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display, an organic lightemitting diode, a flexible display , And a 3D display. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

The output device may display information on an object to which the remote controller 3 is connected. That is, the remote controller 3 can display information on the air conditioner to the outside and show it to the manager. For example, the remote controller 3 may include an item selection screen for managing the air conditioner, an option value setting screen for setting an option value of the outdoor unit 1 or the indoor unit 2, (2) connected to the outdoor unit (1) of the air conditioner or a separate outdoor unit (2) connected to the outdoor unit (1) And a peripheral search screen for searching for the peripheral device (1).

The output device may be a touch-sensitive touch screen, in which case it may be integrated with the input device. The touch sensitive touch screen may display a visual output to the user and accept input from the user based on the tactile touch. The visual output may include graphics, text, icons, video, and combinations thereof. When the output device includes a touch-sensitive touch screen, each of the buttons of the input device may be replaced with a user interface displayed on the touch screen. That is, the input device may be omitted.

The communication device may receive information from the air conditioner and transmit a control command to the air conditioner.

The communication device may wirelessly communicate with the air conditioner by using a wireless communication method such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. However, the present invention is not limited to such a wireless communication system, but may be applied to various communication systems such as a communication system through transmission and reception of RF signals, Radio Frequency Identification, IrDA, Ultra Wideband, ZigBee, May also be applied.

The remote controller 3 may further include a memory for storing information received from the air conditioner, and a separate processor for controlling the output device. In addition, the memory may store layout information constituting a screen displayed on the output device and an information list to be displayed for each air conditioner.

The remote controller 3 may be provided with software for communicating with the air conditioner to control and manage the air conditioner. As an example, the software may be an application.

The module controller 10 will be described in detail below. The module controller 10 may include a communication device and a control unit. The configuration and effects of the communication device are the same as those of the communication device of the remote controller 3, and the above description will be used. However, the communication device of the module controller 10 is a device capable of communicating with the remote controller 3 other than the air conditioner.

When the manager inputs a desired value or operation through the screen output through the output device of the remote controller 3, the communication device of the module controller 10 and the communication device of the remote controller 3 are connected The controller 10 of the module controller 10 can control the air conditioner to perform an operation of an input value or an operation.

Figs. 2 to 32 are views showing a screen shown in the controller of the present invention in detail. 2 to 5 are views showing a communication connection screen between the air conditioner control device and the air conditioner, FIG. 6 is a view showing a management screen of the air conditioner control device, and FIGS. Fig. 5 is a view showing a procedure of a trial operation of the air conditioner output to the air conditioner. 12 is a view showing an automatic address setting screen output to the air conditioner control apparatus, FIG. 13 is a view showing an additional function screen output to the air conditioner control apparatus, and FIGS. 14 and 15 are views showing an air conditioner control Fig. 7 is a view showing a special operation screen outputted to the apparatus. Fig. 16 to 22 are views showing an outdoor unit option setting screen and a screen related to the outdoor unit option setting screen outputted to the air conditioner control apparatus, and FIGS. 23 to 25 show an indoor unit option setting screen outputted to the air conditioner control apparatus, FIG. 26 to FIG. 32 are diagrams showing a diagnostic screen output to the air conditioner control apparatus and a screen related thereto. FIG.

The control configuration of the air conditioner controller will be described below with reference to Figs. 2 to 32. Fig. The output device of the remote controller 3 is a touch screen combined with an input device. It should be noted, however, that this is merely an example, but is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 2, a manual, management, and communication connection menu may be output to the touch screen.

In detail, when the user touches the communication connection menu on the touch screen, a connection setting menu is created on the touch screen. For example, referring to FIG. 3, two configuration menus are created to allow selection of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth mode.

When the user selects the Wi-Fi setting menu, the remote controller 3 can communicate with the air conditioner by being connected to the module controller 10 via the internal communication device through the Wi-Fi communication method. In addition, when the user selects the Bluetooth setting menu, the remote controller 3 can communicate with the air conditioner by being connected to the module controller 10 through the internal communication device through the Bluetooth communication method.

When there are a plurality of communicatable air conditioners, a device selection screen is displayed so that the user can select any one of the unique identification numbers of the plurality of air conditioners outputted on the screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, unique identification numbers (LGE-MV-40-1f-43 to 45) of models for three connectable air conditioners are outputted, and the manager can select one air conditioner. Also, the device selection screen may include a re-search menu for searching again for the air conditioner that can be connected.

When the air conditioner and the remote controller 3 are communicatively connected, a screen showing model information of the connected air conditioner as shown in FIG. 5 may be output.

In detail, the screen on which the model information is displayed may include the model name of the air conditioner communicatively connected to the remote controller 3, the number of the outdoor units 1 connected to the air conditioner, and the number of the indoor units 2 of the air conditioner have. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, information such as the model name Multi V H / R, one connected outdoor unit, and the connected indoor units 18 can be displayed. Further, a confirmation menu for the user to proceed to the next step and a cancel menu for canceling the progress step may be output.

When the user selects the confirmation menu, a control screen for controlling the air conditioner can be outputted.

Referring to FIG. 6, the control screen may include a cycle monitoring menu, an installation menu, an additional function menu, a diagnostic menu, a manual menu, and a management menu.

The cycle monitoring menu is a menu for monitoring the operation state of the air conditioner.

The installation menu is a menu that allows the user to confirm whether the air conditioner is normally installed and operated through trial operation after installing the air conditioner.

The additional function menu is a menu that enables the special operation of the air conditioner and sets options of the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor unit 2 connected to the air conditioner.

The diagnosis menu is a menu for diagnosing the amount of refrigerant flowing in each operation mode when the air conditioner is in the cooling or heating operation and guiding the refrigerant to be charged for each operation mode when the refrigerant is insufficient.

The manual menu is a menu for providing a manual for use of software when the manager manages the air conditioner using software.

The management menu is a menu for confirming the information of the software installed in the remote controller 3 and confirming the site information to be accessed by the manager who manages the air conditioner.

Hereinafter, the case where the administrator selects the installation menu will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 7, when the administrator selects the installation menu, a setup screen including a test run menu, a test run report issue menu, a test run report history view menu, and an automatic address setup menu is displayed.

When the administrator selects the trial operation menu on the installation screen, a test operation information input screen including the product information menu 101 and the input information menu 102 is outputted as shown in FIG.

In detail, the product information menu 101 may include model name, model version, number of combined air conditioners, and number of indoor units 2 connected to the air conditioner. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, information of the model information Multi-V IV, the model version 41.0, the number of connected outdoor units 2, and the number of connected indoor units 16 can be outputted.

Also, the manager can input the date of execution of trial operation in the order of year / month / day / hour through the input information menu 102, and input the total amount of refrigerant injected at the time of commissioning. In this case, the minimum amount of refrigerant necessary for commissioning is displayed for each model through the information stored in the software at a position where the total amount of refrigerant can be input, and the manager can input the total amount of refrigerant referring to the amount.

Referring to FIG. 9, when the manager sequentially inputs the date of commissioning in the input information menu and inputs the total amount of refrigerant to be injected, the commissioning mode selection screen for selecting the cooling commissioning or the heating commissioning is displayed. In detail, the cooling start-up start menu and the heating start-up start menu may be displayed on the start-up mode selection screen. Also, the test run time and the run phase are output on the test run mode selection screen, and the test run can be performed by referring to the test run.

Referring to FIG. 10, when the manager selects the cooling / commissioning menu or the heating commissioning menu through the commissioning mode selection screen, the heating / commissioning progress menu in which the cooling / heating commissioning is executed and the execution process is displayed in real time, To the administrator. For example, the remote controller 3 performs a trial operation corresponding to the corresponding process in a preparatory step, a compressor operation step, an indoor unit 2 inspection step, a refrigerant amount inspection step, an outdoor unit 1 inspection step, and a completion step The corresponding process step can be displayed in real time and output to the manager.

11, when the cooling or heating trial operation of the air conditioner is completed, the remote controller 3 can output the cooling / heating trial operation result screen 103 including the refrigerant state, the communication state, and the indoor unit 2 state have. More specifically, if there is no abnormality in the refrigerant state, the communication state, and the indoor unit 2 state in the cooling / heating trial operation result screen 103, an anomaly indication is output and any one of the refrigerant state, the communication state and the indoor unit 2 state If there is an abnormality, a management required indication may be output. In addition, when there is an abnormality in only a part of the indoor units (2) in multiple numbers, the unique address of the indoor unit (2) in the abnormal state can be outputted. For example, as shown in Fig. 11, the check mark is outputted because the amount of refrigerant is proper, the communication state is OK, and the indoor unit state is abnormal. In the lower part, indoor units 1, 10 and 11 The number of the indoor unit # 1 can be outputted.

Referring again to FIG. 7, when the administrator selects the commissioning report issuing menu on the installation screen, a commissioning report on cooling / heating commissioning results may be issued. Also, when the administrator selects the view menu of the test report history on the installation screen, the report history of the cooling or heating trial run performed during the set period can be confirmed. In this way, the administrator can check the condition of the air conditioner by performing trial operation of the air conditioner at regular intervals.

Referring again to FIG. 7, when the user selects the automatic address setting menu on the installation screen, the unique address of the indoor unit 2 connected to the air conditioner can be automatically set.

12, when the user selects the automatic address setting menu, a process of searching for the number of indoor units 2 connected to the air conditioner and automatically assigning a unique address to the discovered indoor unit 2 appears The automatic address setting screen may be displayed. In detail, the automatic address setting screen may include an initialization menu, an indoor unit (2) search menu, an address assignment menu, and a completion menu. When the indoor unit 2 performs an operation for automatic address setting, The corresponding menu may be displayed so that the user can recognize the menu.

Referring again to FIG. 6, the case where the administrator selects the additional function menu on the control screen will be described in detail.

13, when the administrator selects the additional function menu, the additional function screen including the special operation menu, the outdoor unit option setting menu, the indoor unit option setting menu and the manual backup menu is outputted to the touch screen of the remote controller 3 .

14, when a manager selects a special operation menu on the additional function screen, a special operation screen including a pump-out menu, a pump-down menu, a vacuum mode menu, a manual oil recovery and a manual defrost operation menu is displayed on the remote controller 3).

The pump-out menu is a menu that allows the air conditioner to perform a pump-out operation in which all of the refrigerant in the outdoor unit 1 flows into the indoor unit 2, thereby removing all the refrigerant in the outdoor unit 1.

The pump-down menu allows the air conditioner to perform a pump-out operation in which all of the refrigerant in the plurality of indoor units 2 flows into the outdoor unit 1, thereby removing all of the refrigerant in the plurality of indoor units 2 There is a menu ...

The vacuum mode menu is a menu that allows the air conditioner to perform an operation of flowing the refrigerant to form all of the piping in the air conditioner in a vacuum state.

The manual oil recovery menu is a menu in which the outdoor unit 1 can be started in the oil recovery operation state so that the manager can recover the oil from the outdoor unit 1. [

The manual defrosting operation menu is a menu in which the outdoor unit 1 can be started in the defrosting operation state so that the manager can perform the defrosting operation of the outdoor unit 1.

Referring to FIG. 15, when the administrator selects a pump-down menu on the special operation screen, the remote controller 3 may output a pump-down progress screen. The pump-down progress screen may output a pump-down progress process. In detail, while the pump-down operation is being performed, the steps of preparing the pump-down operation, the operation of cooling the whole room, the step of shutting off the valve, and the completion step are displayed step by step in real time. Also, the pump-down progress screen may output a confirmation menu that the administrator can input to perform the pump-down operation.

However, the present invention is not limited to this. Even when the manager selects any one of the pump-out menu, the vacuum mode menu, the manual oil recovery menu, and the manual defrost operation menu on the special operation screen, A separate operation state is output in real time through the remote controller 3, and the administrator can confirm the operation state.

13, the case where the administrator selects the outdoor unit option setting menu on the additional function screen will be described.

16 and 17, when the administrator selects the outdoor unit option setting menu, an outdoor unit option setting screen capable of setting a plurality of outdoor unit (1) options is output through the remote controller 3. Specifically, the outdoor unit option setting screen includes a cooling target low pressure manual setting, a heating target high pressure manual setting, a heating target high pressure adjustment in a hydrokit operation, a preliminary setting, a forced snow setting, a quick defrost setting, (108), an outdoor mode setting mode (108), and an outdoor mode setting mode menu, which can be used to set the cooling mode, the cooling mode, the cooling mode, the nighttime low noise operation, the automatic dust removal mode, the SLC function setting have.

For example, the cooling / heating target pressure manual setting menu 104 in which the target pressure of the cooling / heating cycle can be set may include the cooling target low pressure manual setting and the heating target high pressure manual setting menu.

The heating target high pressure adjustment menu in the above-described hydro-kit operation is a menu for adjusting the pressure of the refrigerant for setting the floor heating when the air conditioner is connected to the boiler.

The precursor setting, forced snowing setting, and quick defrost setting menu may be included in the defrost setting menu 105 that allows the outdoor unit 1 to perform defrosting or snowing operations. The defrost setting menu is a menu for causing the refrigerant in the outdoor unit 1 to flow for the entire defrosting of the outdoor unit 1 and differs in that the refrigerant pressure and / The pre-set, mandatory, and defrost settings menus can be selected on / off.

The noise-enhanced mode menu is a menu for enhancing the noise by adjusting the pressure of the refrigerant flowing inside.

The divisional defrosting number adjustment menu is a menu capable of adjusting the number of divided defrosting operations.

The cooling mode setting mode menu is a menu capable of controlling the cooling amount depending on whether there is a person in the internal space. The cooling mode setting mode setting menu may be selected on / off.

The nightly low-noise operation menu is a menu that can control the degree of compression of the refrigerant flowing in the inside in order to reduce noises of the air conditioner at night.

The automatic dust removal mode is a menu for removing foreign matter or fine particles in the filtering process by operating a filter of the air conditioner when a filter is included in the air conditioner.

Referring to FIG. 18, when the manager selects the cooling target low pressure manual setting menu, the cooling target low pressure manual setting screen may be output to the touch screen. The cooling target low pressure manual setting screen can provide a menu that can manually adjust the pressure of the refrigerant in the low pressure state according to the purpose of use during cooling operation. In detail, the cooling target low pressure manual setting screen may include an OFF menu and a plurality of refrigerant pressure menus capable of adjusting a pressure value of the refrigerant. As an example, one off-menu and five refrigerant pressure menus (pressure values can be arbitrarily set, as shown in Fig. 18, 725, 765, 869, 935 and 961 kPa pressure) can be included.

Further, when the manager selects the heating target high pressure manual setting menu, the heating target high pressure manual setting screen can be outputted to the touch screen. The heating target high pressure manual setting screen may provide a menu that can manually adjust the refrigerant pressure inside the refrigerator to a high pressure state in accordance with the purpose of use during heating operation, Except for the high pressure point, the remaining components may be output the same.

Referring to FIG. 19, when the administrator selects the SLC function setting menu, an SLC function setting screen may be displayed. The SLC function setting screen may provide a menu for reducing the power consumption by changing the target pressure of the refrigerant according to the difference between the room temperature and the set temperature of the indoor unit 2. The provided menu may include an off-menu, a low-pressure mode, , A high pressure mode menu may be included. In the drawing, the SLC function setting menu is described, but the SLC function setting menu can be used in the same meaning as the temperature-to-target pressure setting menu. For example, in Fig. 19, OFF means OFF menu, OP1 means low pressure mode, OP2 means normal mode, and OP3 means high pressure mode. The off-menu is a menu that does not set the target pressure of the refrigerant according to the difference between the room temperature and the set temperature of the indoor unit 2. The low-pressure mode menu is a menu for setting the target of the refrigerant according to the difference between the room temperature and the set temperature And the normal mode menu is a menu for setting the target pressure of the refrigerant according to the difference between the room temperature and the set temperature of the indoor unit 2 to the standard pressure, And the set temperature of the indoor unit (2). Here, the low pressure, the standard pressure and the high pressure may all be predetermined values.

Referring to FIG. 20, when the manager selects the cooling / heating selection menu, a cooling / heating selection screen may be displayed. The cooling / heating selection screen may provide a menu for limiting control of cooling or heating, and the provided menu may include an off-menu, a blow-off use, and an indoor-off menu. In the case of the off-menu, it is a function that does not use the cooling / heating selection exercise. In the case of the air-blowing use menu, it is a function to use only air-cooling without using cooling and heating. . For example, as shown in FIG. 20, OP0 may be an OFF menu, OP1 may be a blowing use menu, and OP2 may be an indoor unit (2) unused menu.

Referring to FIG. 21, when the manager selects the fixed-pressure mode menu, a fixed-pressure mode screen can be output. The fixed pressure mode screen can provide a menu to be used for securing a proper air volume of the outdoor unit 1 by setting a duct or other static pressure in the discharge unit of the outdoor unit 1, Four operation menus can be set according to the set static pressure value. For example, as shown in Fig. 21, there are provided an off-menu capable of setting a positive pressure of 0 to 20 Pa, a first-stage exercise menu capable of setting a positive pressure of 21 to 40 Pa, a second-stage exercise menu And a three-stage exercise menu in which a static pressure of 611 to 80 Pa can be set.

Referring to FIG. 22, when the administrator selects the outdoor unit address setting mode menu, the outdoor unit 1 address setting screen may be displayed. The address setting screen of the outdoor unit 1 is a screen for setting an address for each outdoor unit 1 in order to distinguish the outdoor unit 1 when the central controller is installed. (For example, 0 to 254), a number input unit 109 for inputting a number, and a number output unit 110 for confirming the input number.

Referring again to FIG. 13, when the manager selects the indoor unit option setting menu, the heating-operation-driving indoor unit 2, the expansion indoor unit 2 setting menu, the heating indoor unit 2 target subcooling degree setting menu, The indoor unit option setting screen including the target superheat degree setting menu, the continuous cooling function setting menu, and the non-operation indoor unit (2) the individual liquid recovery control temperature setting menu may be displayed.

Referring to Fig. 24, when the manager selects the expansion apparatus opening degree setting menu of the heating ratio operation indoor unit 2, the expansion ratio opening degree setting screen of the heating ratio operation indoor unit 2 can be outputted. The expansion-device opening degree setting screen of the heating-ratio operation indoor unit (2) sets the expansion-device opening value of the heating-ratio operation indoor unit (2) when only some of the indoor units (2) It is possible to provide a function for stabilizing the cycle by reducing the noise inside the indoor unit 2 or increasing the opening value of the expansion device.

The expansion device opening degree setting screen may include a total indoor unit menu 110 and an indoor unit menu 111 corresponding to the number of all the indoor units 2 connected to the outdoor unit 1. [ For example, when the number of indoor units 2 connected to the outdoor unit 1 is five, the entire indoor unit 2 menu and the first indoor unit 2 to the fifth indoor unit 2 menu are outputted as shown in FIG. 24 And a button menu which can increase or decrease the number can be output to one side of each menu. Thus, the manager can adjust the opening degree of the expansion device of the desired indoor unit 2 by touching the number increase / decrease button menu of the menu of the indoor unit (2) which desires to adjust the opening degree.

Referring to FIG. 25, when the manager selects the continuous cooling function setting menu, the continuous cooling function setting screen may be displayed. The continuous cooling function setting screen can provide a menu for reducing the power consumption of the outdoor unit 1 by continuously operating the indoor unit 2 during the cooling operation. In detail, the continuous cooling function setting screen may include all the indoor unit menus connected to the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor unit menus as many as the number of the indoor units 2, such as the heating unit operation indoor unit 2 expansion apparatus opening setting menu . In addition, a button menu for increasing / decreasing the number within a predetermined range is formed on one side of each menu. By clicking a button menu on one side of the indoor unit 2 within a predetermined range, the user can continuously operate the partial or entire indoor unit 2 Can be controlled.

Referring again to FIG. 23, the heating / indoor unit target subcooling degree setting menu is a menu that allows the user to set a target subcooling degree of the indoor unit 2 to be heated, and the menu for setting the target cooling degree of the cooling / 2) can be set by the user.

The menu for setting the individual liquid recovery control temperature for the non-operation indoor unit (2) is a menu for setting the temperature for individually recovering the liquid refrigerant in the indoor unit (2) which is not operated during cooling or heating operation.

Referring again to Fig. 6, the case where the user selects the diagnosis menu will be described.

Referring to FIG. 26, when the user selects the diagnosis menu, a diagnostic screen including a cooling-water refrigerant quantity diagnosis menu, a heating-refrigerant quantity diagnosis menu, a cooling-water refrigerant auto-charge menu, and a heating refrigerant auto-charge menu may be output.

When the manager selects the cooling-refrigerant quantity diagnosis menu or the heating-refrigerant quantity diagnosis menu, a refrigerant quantity diagnosis information input screen for inputting the refrigerant quantity diagnosis information is output as shown in Fig. More specifically, the refrigerant amount diagnostic information input screen includes a product information menu 112 for outputting model information, a model version, the number of outdoor units 1 and the number of indoor units 2, Month / day / hour / minute / second, and an input information menu 113 for inputting the amount of refrigerant to be diagnosed can be output.

Further, when the manager enters the execution date and the amount of refrigerant in the input information menu, a process for diagnosis of the amount of cooling refrigerant or diagnosis of the amount of heating refrigerant is output to the outside, and the user can visually confirm the progressing stage. For example, as shown in FIG. 28, when a screen of the refrigerant quantity diagnosis step including the preparing step, the compressor starting step, the refrigerant amount checking step and the completion step is outputted and the air conditioner performs the exercise of each step, The character size is outputted differently from the color or character size of the step menu, so that the user can grasp the current refrigerant quantity diagnosis situation.

Referring to FIG. 29, when the coolant amount diagnosis or the heating amount of refrigerant amount is completed, the refrigerant amount diagnosis result screen 114 indicating the completion of the refrigerant amount diagnosis and displaying the diagnosis result may be output. For example, when the amount of the refrigerant is insufficient, the amount of the refrigerant is notified that the amount of the refrigerant is insufficient, and at the same time, the amount of the refrigerant that is insufficient is output.

Referring again to FIG. 26, when the manager recognizes that the amount of refrigerant during cooling is insufficient as a result of the refrigerant quantity diagnosis and selects the refrigerant automatic filling menu or the heating refrigerant automatic filling menu, (115) can be output. For example, the guide screen may be a form in which a process for charging a refrigerant is glow-outputted. For example, when a closed manifold and a refrigerant container are connected to each other, a trial operation is started, After opening the folder, if the charging is completed, a message informing that the manifold folder should be closed is displayed so that the manager can guide the refrigerant charging behavior.

Also, in the case of automatic cooling of cooling refrigerant, a cooling start-up start menu is outputted, and in the case of automatic heating-refrigerant charge, a heating start-up start menu may be outputted. In the following, the case of automatic cooling of cooling refrigerant is described, but the same applies to automatic charging of heating refrigerant.

When the manager selects automatic cooling of the refrigerant, the automatic refrigerant charging information input screen is output as shown in FIG. In detail, the refrigerant automatic charging information input screen includes a product information menu 116 such as model information, model version, number of outdoor units 1 and number of indoor units 2, Seconds, and an input information menu for inputting the amount of refrigerant to be charged is output. When the manager inputs the input information to the input information menu 117 and then touches the OK button, the automatic refrigerant cooling process is outputted.

32, the automatic cooling refrigerant charging process is performed in the order of the preparation stage, the refrigerant diagnosis stage, the valve opening stage, the refrigerant charging stage, the valve closing stage and the completion stage, and the air conditioner performs the operation of each stage If so, you can mark that step.

33 is a flowchart showing an option value setting step of the air conditioner control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

33, it is assumed that an administrator sets the option values of the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioner by first using the remote controller 3 and the communication device of the remote controller 3 The module controller 10 formed in the outdoor unit 1 can be communicatively connected to the remote controller 3 and the air conditioner in a communicative manner (S10)

When the remote controller 3 and the air conditioner are communicatively connected, a management item screen may be output through the output device of the remote controller 3 (S20). The management item screen may be, for example, the control screen of FIG. When the administrator selects the additional function menu of the control screen for setting the option values of the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor unit 2, the additional function screen of FIG. 13 can be outputted.

The following describes the operation for setting the option value of the outdoor unit 1 by the administrator. The option value setting of the indoor unit 2 is also the same as the configuration of the option value of the outdoor unit 1, .

When the manager selects the option value setting menu of the outdoor unit (1) of the additional function screen (S31), the remote controller 3 transmits the settable option list and option value of the connected air conditioner to the module controller 10 (S32).

In addition, the remote controller 3 may output the received option list and option value to the outside (S33).

For example, the settable option list of the outdoor unit 1 includes, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, a cooling target low pressure manual setting, a heating target high pressure manual setting, a heating target high pressure adjustment in a hydro kit operation, a preliminary setting, (1) Setting of address, fast defrost setting, noise strengthening mode, split defrost frequency adjustment, cooling comfort mode setting, nighttime low noise operation, automatic dust removal mode, SLC function setting, air conditioning selection, fixed pressure mode and outdoor unit Etc., and on / off or option values can be set for each option list.

Through the option list and option value output from the remote controller 3, the administrator can set the desired option list and option value (S34). In addition, the administrator can confirm whether or not the option list and the option value have been set (S35). The set option list and the option value are transmitted from the remote controller 3 to the outdoor unit 1 through the module controller 10, (S36).

Further, when the option list and the option value set in the outdoor unit 1 are transmitted, whether or not the transmission is completed can be output from the output device of the remote controller 3 through the module controller 10. [ More specifically, it is determined whether or not the option value transmission of the option list set in the outdoor unit 1 is completed (S37). If the transmission is completed, the transmission completion can be outputted to the remote controller 3 (S39) If the transmission fails, the transmission failure is output to the remote controller 3 (S38), so that the user can confirm whether or not the transmission has been completed.

Also, when the transmission of the option list and the option value set to the outdoor unit 1 is completed, the outdoor unit 1 can operate according to the set option value. For example, when the manager selects the option value of the noise-enhancing mode in the option list of the outdoor unit 1 as the on mode, the outdoor unit 1 can operate so that the refrigerant flows at low pressure for noise enhancement .

FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing special operation steps of the air conditioner control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

34, in order to perform a special operation of the air conditioner, the manager firstly controls the communication device of the remote controller 3 and the module controller (not shown) provided in the outdoor unit 1 using the remote controller 3, (10) can be communicatively connected to each other, so that the remote controller (3) and the air conditioner can be communicatively connected (S10).

When the remote controller 3 and the air conditioner are communicatively connected, a management item screen may be output through the output device of the remote controller 3 (S20). The management item screen may be, for example, the control screen of FIG. When the administrator selects the additional function menu of the control screen to perform the special operation, the additional function screen of FIG. 13 may be output. In this state, when the manager selects the special operation menu, the remote controller 3 can receive the special operation screen from the module controller 10. [ In addition, the remote controller 3 can output the received special operation screen to the outside via the output device.

For example, the special operation screen may include a pump-down, a pump-out, a vacuum mode, a manual oil recovery, and a manual defrost operation menu, as shown in FIG.

Through the special operation screen outputted by the remote controller 3, the manager can select the menu to perform the desired special operation (S41). When one of the special operation menus is selected by the manager, information on the selected special operation menu can be transmitted from the remote controller 3 to the module controller 10 (S42).

When information on the special operation menu is transmitted to the module controller 10, the module controller 10 determines whether a special operation corresponding to the selected special operation menu can be performed in the outdoor unit 1 or the indoor unit 2 (S43). As a result of the determination, when the special operation operation selected by the outdoor unit 1 or the indoor unit 2 can be performed, the module controller 10 performs the special operation operation selected by the outdoor unit 1 or the indoor unit 2 (S44). For example, when the manager selects the pump-out menu among the special operation menus, the module controller 10 causes the outdoor unit 1 to circulate all of the refrigerant therein to the indoor unit 2, It is possible to control the outdoor unit 1 so as to remove all of the refrigerant in the outdoor unit 1.

In addition, the remote controller 3 may receive information on the special operation state of the air conditioner from the module controller 10 (S45). In addition, the module controller 10 may transmit to the remote controller 3 information about whether the special operation state has been terminated (S46).

In detail, when the special operation is being performed, the module controller 10 transmits the progress of the special operation to the remote controller 3, and the remote controller 3 notifies the progress of the special operation And output it to the outside (S47).

When the special operation is terminated, the module controller 10 transmits information indicating that the special operation is completed to the remote controller 3, and the remote controller 3 performs special operation through the output device (S48). ≪ / RTI >

35 is a flowchart showing the diagnostic steps of the air conditioner control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

35, in order for the manager to perform the diagnosis operation of the air conditioner, first, the communication controller of the remote controller 3 and the module controller (not shown) provided in the outdoor unit 1, using the remote controller 3, (10) can be communicatively connected to each other, so that the remote controller (3) and the air conditioner can be communicatively connected (S10).

When the remote controller 3 and the air conditioner are communicatively connected, a management item screen may be output through the output device of the remote controller 3 (S20). The management item screen may be, for example, the control screen of FIG. When the administrator selects the diagnosis menu on the control screen to perform the diagnosis operation, the remote controller 3 receives data on various diagnosis types from the module controller 10 and outputs the diagnosis screen to the outside . 26 can be output to the remote controller 3. As shown in the figure, the diagnosis screen includes a diagnosis of cooling refrigerant quantity, a diagnosis of heating refrigerant quantity, an automatic cooling refrigerant charge, and a heating refrigerant automatic charge menu can do.

Through the diagnostic screen output by the remote controller 3, the administrator can select a menu to perform a desired diagnostic operation (S51). When one of the diagnostic menus is selected by the administrator, information on the selected diagnostic menu may be transmitted from the remote controller 3 to the module controller 10 (S52).

When information on the diagnostic menu is transmitted to the module controller 10, the module controller 10 determines whether or not the diagnostic operation corresponding to the selected diagnostic menu can be performed in the outdoor unit 1 or the indoor unit 2 (S53). If it is determined that the diagnostic operation can be performed in the outdoor unit 1 or the indoor unit 2 as a result of the determination, the module controller 10 controls the outdoor unit 1 or the indoor unit 2 so that the outdoor unit 1 or the indoor unit 2 can perform the selected diagnostic operation. (S54). For example, when the manager selects the cooling water amount diagnostic menu in the diagnosis menu and inputs input information (for example, total refrigerant amount and execution date), the module controller 10 controls the outdoor unit 1 or the indoor unit 2) can be controlled to measure the amount of refrigerant flowing inside.

Further, the module controller 10 can confirm whether or not the diagnostic operation is completed (S55).

In detail, when the diagnostic operation is not completed, the module controller 10 can transmit information on the diagnostic process to the remote controller 3, and the remote controller 3 can send information about the diagnostic process The real-time diagnosis state can be output to the outside (S56). For example, when the manager selects the cooling-refrigerant quantity diagnosis menu, the cooling-refrigerant quantity diagnosis stage screen of FIG. 28 may be output.

In addition, when the diagnosis operation is completed, the module controller 10 can transmit information on the diagnosis result to the remote controller 3, and the remote controller 3 can receive the diagnosis result based on the information on the diagnosis result The diagnosis result can be output to the outside (S57). For example, the screen for the diagnosis result may be the screen for the result of the refrigerant quantity diagnosis shown in Fig.

In addition, the remote controller 3 may output a diagnosis result report according to the diagnosis result to the outside (S58).

36 is a flowchart showing the step of searching the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioner control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

36, in order to perform an operation of searching for the indoor unit 2 connected to the outdoor unit 1 of the air conditioner, the manager firstly uses the remote controller 3 to perform the communication of the remote controller 3 And the module controller 10 formed in the outdoor unit 1 are communicatively connected to each other so that the remote controller 3 and the air conditioner can be communicatively connected to each other.

When the remote controller 3 and the air conditioner are communicatively connected, a management item screen may be output through the output device of the remote controller 3 (S20). The management item screen may be, for example, the control screen of FIG. When the administrator selects the installation menu of the control screen to perform the search operation of the indoor unit 2, the remote controller 3 receives data of various installation types from the module controller 10, Can be output to the outside. As an example, the installation screen of FIG. 7 may be output to the remote controller 3, and as shown, the installation screen may include an automatic address setup menu. The automatic address setting menu is a menu for assigning a unique address to the indoor unit 2 connected to the outdoor unit 1, and is a menu indispensably required for the indoor unit 2 search operation.

The user can select the menu to perform the automatic address setting operation (the indoor device 2 search operation by the administrator) desired through the installation screen output by the remote controller 3 (S61). When one of the automatic address setting menu (i.e., menu for searching the indoor unit 2) is selected by the administrator, information on the selected menu may be transmitted from the remote controller 3 to the module controller 10 (S62).

When the module controller 10 transmits information to the search for the indoor unit 2 and the selected menu, the module controller 10 determines whether the search for the indoor unit 2 corresponding to the selected menu is performed in the outdoor unit 1 or the indoor unit 2 (Step S63). As a result of the determination, when the indoor unit 2 can be searched in the outdoor unit 1 or the indoor unit 2, the module controller 10 can perform the diagnostic operation in which the outdoor unit 1 or the indoor unit 2 is selected (S64).

The remote controller 3 can receive the information on the search condition of the indoor unit 2 from the module controller 10 in step S65. It is possible to confirm whether or not it is completed (S66).

In detail, when the search operation of the indoor unit (2) is not completed, the module controller (10) can transmit information on the search procedure of the indoor unit (2) to the remote controller (3) The real-time searching state can be output to the outside based on the information about the searching process of the indoor unit 2 (S67). As an example, the screen of Fig. 12 can be output.

When the search operation of the indoor unit 2 is completed, the module controller 10 can transmit information on the search result of the indoor unit (2) to the remote controller (3), and the remote controller (3) Information on the search result can be output to the outside (S68). For example, information such as the number of connected indoor units 2 can be connected.

Claims (15)

1. A control device for communicating with an air conditioner including an indoor unit and an outdoor unit,
The control device includes:
An input unit provided to be able to be input for the management of the air conditioner; And
And an output unit for displaying management information of the air conditioner in accordance with an input of the input unit,
The output unit includes:
An indoor unit option setting menu capable of setting a target heating degree or a target subcooling degree of the indoor unit;
An outdoor unit option setting menu capable of setting a target pressure of the heating / cooling cycle; And
And a special operation menu in which the refrigerant circulating in the heating / cooling cycle can flow to the outdoor unit or the indoor unit.
The method according to claim 1,
When the indoor unit option setting menu is selected, the indoor unit option setting screen is displayed,
The indoor unit option setting screen includes:
A target indoor subcooling setting menu for setting the target subcooling degree of the indoor unit in the heating operation;
A target temperature setting menu of a cooling and heating indoor unit capable of setting a target superheat degree of the indoor unit during cooling operation;
A heating ratio driving indoor unit expansion device opening degree setting menu capable of adjusting the expansion device opening degree of the indoor unit not operating during heating operation; And
Among the continuous cooling function setting menus for continuously operating a plurality of indoor units during cooling operation,
Wherein the air conditioner comprises at least one air conditioner.
3. The method of claim 2,
When the heating ratio operation indoor unit expansion device opening degree setting menu is selected, the heating ratio operation indoor unit expansion device opening degree setting screen is outputted,
Wherein the heating ratio operation indoor unit expansion device opening degree setting screen includes an opening degree adjustment menu capable of adjusting the opening degree of at least one indoor unit.
3. The method of claim 2,
When the continuous cooling function setting menu is selected, the continuous cooling function setting screen is outputted,
Wherein the continuous cooling function setting screen includes an indoor unit selection menu capable of selecting a plurality of indoor units to be continuously operated.
The method according to claim 1,
When the outdoor unit option setting menu is selected, the outdoor unit option setting screen is outputted,
The outdoor unit option setting screen includes:
A heating / heating target pressure manual setting menu for setting the target pressure of the heating / cooling cycle;
A defrost setting menu for allowing the outdoor unit to perform a defrosting operation or a defrosting operation;
A temperature vs. target pressure setting menu capable of changing the target pressure according to the difference between the room temperature and the set temperature of the indoor unit; And
Among the heating / cooling selection menus which can limit whether the outdoor unit is operated for cooling /
Wherein the air conditioner comprises at least one air conditioner.
6. The method of claim 5,
When the cooling / heating target pressure manual setting menu is selected, the cooling / heating target pressure manual setting screen is outputted,
The heating /
An OFF menu for turning OFF the target pressure setting of the cooling / heating cycle of the outdoor unit; And
Wherein one of the one or more refrigerant pressure menus for adjusting the target pressure value of the cooling /
Wherein the air conditioner comprises at least one air conditioner.
6. The method of claim 5,
When the temperature vs. target pressure setting menu is selected, a temperature vs. target pressure setting screen is output,
The temperature-to-target pressure setting screen includes:
An OFF menu for not setting a target pressure of the refrigerant according to a difference between the indoor temperature and the indoor unit set temperature;
A low pressure mode menu for setting a target pressure of the refrigerant to a predetermined low pressure according to a difference between the indoor temperature and the indoor unit set temperature;
A normal mode menu for setting the target pressure of the refrigerant according to the difference between the indoor temperature and the indoor unit set temperature to a predetermined standard pressure; And
A high pressure mode menu in which a target pressure of the refrigerant is set to a preset high pressure in accordance with the difference between the indoor temperature and the indoor unit set temperature,
Wherein the air conditioner comprises at least one air conditioner.
6. The method of claim 5,
When the cooling / heating selection menu is selected, a cooling / heating selection screen is outputted,
The heating /
An OFF-menu which does not perform the limitation control of cooling or heating;
A ventilation menu for limiting the cooling or heating operation so that the indoor unit can be ventilated; And
The indoor unit off-menu for limiting the cooling or heating operation and turning off the indoor unit,
Wherein the air conditioner comprises at least one air conditioner.
The method according to claim 1,
When the special operation menu is selected, a special operation screen is outputted,
In the special operation screen,
A pump-down menu for collecting refrigerant in the air conditioner into an outdoor unit;
A pump-out menu for collecting the refrigerant in the air conditioner into an indoor unit; And
A vacuum mode menu in which the refrigerant flows to make the inside of the pipe of the air conditioner into a vacuum state,
Wherein the air conditioner comprises at least one air conditioner.
The method according to claim 1,
The output unit includes:
Further comprising an installation menu for commissioning the air conditioner.
11. The method of claim 10,
When the installation menu is selected, an installation screen is displayed,
In the installation screen,
A test run menu to determine whether the test run is to be performed; And
Commissioning report for issuing a commissioning report after commissioning Among the issuing menus,
Wherein the air conditioner comprises at least one air conditioner.
12. The method of claim 11,
When the test run menu is selected, a test run information input screen is output,
The commissioning information input screen includes:
A product information menu for outputting the information of the commissioning target, the number of outdoor units and indoor units connected to the air conditioner, and the like; And
And the input information menu in which the administrator can input the commissioning execution date and the total amount of refrigerant in the air conditioner,
Wherein the air conditioner comprises at least one air conditioner.
The method according to claim 1,
The output unit includes:
Further comprising a heating / cooling refrigerant quantity diagnosis menu for diagnosing the amount of heating / cooling refrigerant.
14. The method of claim 13,
When the heating / heating refrigerant quantity diagnostic menu is selected, the heating / cooling refrigerant quantity diagnostic screen is outputted,
The cooling / heating refrigerant quantity diagnostic screen may include:
A product information menu for outputting the information of the diagnosis target, the number of outdoor units and indoor units connected to the air conditioner; And
Among the input information menu in which the manager can input the refrigerant quantity diagnosis execution date and the total refrigerant amount of the air conditioner,
Wherein the air conditioner comprises at least one air conditioner.
The method according to claim 1,
The output unit includes:
Further comprising an automatic address setting menu for searching the number of indoor units in the air conditioner and automatically setting a unique address of the searched indoor unit.

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