WO2017175533A1

WO2017175533A1 - Air conditioning system and method for rewriting control program for same

Info

Publication number: WO2017175533A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/009276
Authority: WO
Inventors: 努井浦; 泰之相阪; 俊一上中; 大樹砂畠
Original assignee: ダイキン工業株式会社
Priority date: 2016-04-07
Filing date: 2017-03-08
Publication date: 2017-10-12
Also published as: JPWO2017175533A1; JP6662450B2

Abstract

An air conditioning system provided with an outdoor unit, a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit by refrigerant piping, and a centralized management device which is communicably connected to the outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units, the control of the outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units being placed under the management of the centralized management device, wherein when a control program is to be rewritten, the centralized management device rewrites the control program of the indoor unit subjected to the rewriting, while the supply of a refrigerant to the indoor unit subjected to the rewriting is cut off and the other indoor units are operational.

Description

Air conditioning system and control program rewriting method thereof

The present invention relates to a technique for rewriting a control program in an air conditioning system in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit.

For example, in an air conditioning system used as a multi air conditioner for buildings, the control program can be upgraded without replacing the control board (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, it is possible to rewrite the control program for customization by changing a part of the function according to the user's request.

International Publication Number WO2002 / 095299

For example, when it is desired to rewrite the control program for one of a plurality of indoor units without stopping the operation of the entire air conditioning system, the operation of the indoor unit is stopped for that one unit, and the other indoor units are The control program is rewritten in a situation where the vehicle is operating. However, when the control program is rewritten, the operation of the actuator in the indoor unit becomes undefined during the rewriting. The effect extends to other indoor units connected as a refrigerant system. Although the time required for rewriting depends on the data amount of the control program to be rewritten, for example, it takes about 5 minutes, so the influence on other indoor units during that time cannot be ignored.

Therefore, even if there is only one indoor unit to be rewritten by the control program, it is necessary to stop the entire air conditioning system connected by the refrigerant system so as not to affect other indoor units. This is inconvenient for the user.

In view of such conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to rewrite a control program for a target indoor unit in an air conditioning system in which an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units are connected by a refrigerant system. It is to be able to execute without affecting the driving.

(1) The present invention relates to an outdoor unit, a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit, a communicable connection to the outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units, and the outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units An air conditioning system including a centralized management device placed under control of the control, and when rewriting the control program, interrupts the flow of the refrigerant to the indoor unit to be rewritten, and controls other indoor units. It is an air conditioning system in which the central management device rewrites the control program for the target indoor unit in a state where it can be operated.

In such an air conditioning system, the control program can be rewritten while eliminating the influence on other indoor units by blocking the circulation of the refrigerant to the target indoor unit. Further, during rewriting, other indoor units can be operated normally.

(2) Further, in the air conditioning system of (1), for example, by giving an instruction from the outdoor unit and fully closing the expansion valve in the target indoor unit, the refrigerant flow can be blocked.
If an instruction is given from the outdoor unit to fully close the expansion valve in the target indoor unit, the refrigerant flow can be reliably blocked without depending on the indoor unit to be rewritten.

(3) In the air conditioning system of (1), an electric valve is provided on the liquid side of the flow path switching unit in the cooling and heating simultaneous machine, and the flow path connected to the target indoor unit by giving an instruction from the outdoor unit The circulation of the refrigerant may be blocked by fully closing the motor-operated valve of the switching unit.
If an instruction is given from the outdoor unit and the motorized valve of the flow path switching unit connected to the target indoor unit is fully closed, the refrigerant can be reliably circulated without depending on the target indoor unit to be rewritten. Can be cut off.

(4) Further, in the air conditioning system of (1), the central management device may obtain the rewrite control program via a communication network.
In this case, rewriting of the control program can be executed via the communication network even if the worker does not go to the site of the air conditioning system and execute rewriting work of the control program.

(5) From the viewpoint of the method, the present invention is an air conditioning system control program rewriting method for placing an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit under the control of the centralized management device. The outdoor unit is notified that the control program of the target indoor unit is to be rewritten, and the outdoor unit shifts from normal operation to operation when the control program is rewritten, and the expansion valve of the target indoor unit is fully closed. Then, rewrite the control program for the target indoor unit from the centralized management device, and when the rewrite is completed, the target indoor unit notifies the outdoor unit that the rewrite is complete, and the outdoor unit It is a control program rewriting method of an air-conditioning system which cancels full closure of the expansion valve and returns to the normal operation.

According to such a control program rewriting method of the air conditioning system, the control program is rewritten while eliminating the influence on other indoor units by blocking the circulation of the refrigerant to the target indoor unit. Can do. Further, during rewriting, other indoor units can be operated normally.

(6) Further, the present invention is connected to the outdoor unit via the outdoor unit of the simultaneous cooling and heating unit, the plurality of channel switching units connected to the outdoor unit, and the corresponding channel switching unit. A plurality of indoor units, the outdoor unit, the plurality of flow path switching units, and the plurality of indoor units are communicably connected to control the outdoor unit, the plurality of flow path switching units, and the plurality of indoor units. An air-conditioning system comprising a centralized control device placed under management, and when rewriting a control program, interrupts the flow of refrigerant to the target channel switching unit to be rewritten, and disables other indoor units In the air conditioning system, the centralized management device rewrites the control program of the target flow path switching unit in a state where operation is possible.

According to the present invention, the rewriting of the control program for the target indoor unit can be executed without affecting the operation of other indoor units.

It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of a structure of the air conditioning system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the rewriting procedure of a control program. It is a figure which shows the example which added the structure which rewrites a control program via the internet to the air conditioning system of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure in case an air conditioning system is a simultaneous heating and cooling machine.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<Configuration of air conditioning system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a configuration of an air conditioning system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such an air conditioning system 100 is used, for example, as a multi air conditioner for buildings.
In the figure, a plurality of indoor units 3, 4, 5 are connected to the outdoor unit 1 via a refrigerant pipe 2. That is, the indoor units 3, 4, and 5 constitute a refrigerant system that shares the outdoor unit 1. In addition, although the three indoor units 3, 4, and 5 are shown here, the number is only an example for convenience of illustration.

Remote control devices

3r, 4r, and 5r for operation are connected to the indoor units 3, 4, and 5, respectively.

The refrigerant pipe 2 includes a liquid pipe 2L through which the liquid refrigerant flows and a gas pipe 2G through which the gas refrigerant flows. For example, in the indoor unit 3, a heat exchanger 3h and an expansion valve (electronic expansion valve) 3e are connected in series with each other, the heat exchanger 3h is on the liquid pipe 2L side, the expansion valve 3e is on the gas pipe 2G side, Each is connected. A control program is stored in the flash memory 3m mounted on the control board (not shown) of the indoor unit 3. Similarly, the indoor units 4 and 5 are provided with a heat exchanger 4h, an expansion valve 4e and a flash memory 4m, and a heat exchanger 5h, an expansion valve 5e and a flash memory 5m, respectively.

In addition, the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor units 3, 4, and 5 are connected to each other via a transmission line 6 that performs signal transmission using a high-speed transmission method. A central management device 7 is connected to the transmission line 6. The central management device 7 is equipped with a microcomputer and is capable of various displays and operations by, for example, touch panel operation, and is installed in a central monitoring room of a building.

In the air conditioning system 100 described above, any indoor units 3, 4, and 5 can be air-conditioned under the common outdoor unit 1.
The centralized management device 7 puts the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor units 3, 4, and 5 under management, and can perform various remote controls separately from the operation status monitoring and the

remote control devices

3 r, 4 r, and 5 r. In addition, the central management device 7 has various interface functions with external devices other than the air conditioning system 100. For example, a LAN (Local Area Network) connection and a USB device such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory 8 can be connected.

<Rewriting the control program>
Next, a method of rewriting a control program for an arbitrary indoor unit during operation of the indoor units 3, 4, 5 (which is also a function of the air conditioning system 100) will be described. Here, for example, it is assumed that the control program is rewritten for the indoor unit 5 and the other indoor units 3 and 4 are performing normal operation. A new control program for rewriting can be given from the USB memory 8 to the centralized management device 7, for example.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a rewrite procedure of the control program. The operations of the central management device 7, the outdoor unit 1, the target indoor unit 5, and the other indoor units 3 and 4 are shown in order from the left side of the figure. When the rewriting is started, first, the central management device 7 transmits a rewriting preparation signal to the entire air conditioning system 100 (step S1). The outdoor unit 1 that has received the rewrite preparation signal shifts to a rewrite operation (step S2). The rewrite preparation signal also includes information for specifying the indoor unit to be rewritten by the control program. Note that the indoor units 3, 4, and 5 can receive the rewrite preparation signal, but do not react to this signal. Further, the centralized management device 7 can grasp all the current states of the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor units 3, 4, 5 under the management.

Next, the outdoor unit 1 transmits a full-close instruction signal for the expansion valve 5e to which the identification signal of the target indoor unit 5 is added (step S3). The target indoor unit 5 that has received the full-close instruction signal interrupts the normal operation when the normal operation is being performed, and fully closes the expansion valve 5e (step S4). When the expansion valve 5e is fully closed, the indoor unit 5 is in a state where no refrigerant flows, that is, a state where the expansion valve 5e is detached from the refrigerant system.

After that, the centralized management device 7 rewrites the control program for the target indoor unit 5 at an appropriate timing after the rewrite preparation signal is transmitted and the expansion valve 5e of the indoor unit 5 is fully closed (step). S5). Thereby, the control program of the indoor unit 5 is rewritten with a new control program in a state where the expansion valve 5e is fully closed. During this time, the other indoor units 3 and 4 are performing normal operation or are in a state where normal operation is possible.

When the rewriting of the control program is completed, the indoor unit 5 transmits a rewriting completion signal to the entire air conditioning system 100 (step S6). Subsequently, the outdoor unit 1 transmits a full-close instruction release signal for the expansion valve 5e to which a signal for identifying the target indoor unit 5 is added (step S7). The target indoor unit 5 that has received the full-close instruction release signal releases the full-close of the expansion valve 5e and returns to the normal operation (step S8). By fully releasing the expansion valve 5e, the indoor unit 5 is in a state in which the refrigerant can flow, that is, a state in which the refrigerant is returned to the refrigerant system. Also, the outdoor unit 1 returns to normal operation (step S9). Thereby, the rewriting process of the control program ends.

In the above case, the rewriting of the control program for the indoor unit 5 has been described. However, the rewriting of the control program can be performed for the other indoor units 3 and 4 in the same manner.

<Summary>
Thus, in the air conditioning system 100 of the present embodiment, the control program can be rewritten while eliminating the influence on other indoor units by blocking the circulation of the refrigerant to the target indoor unit. it can. In addition, the other indoor units can operate normally during rewriting. That is, the rewriting of the control program for the target indoor unit can be executed without affecting the operation of other indoor units.

Further, in the air conditioning system of the present embodiment, an instruction is given from the outdoor unit 1 to fully close the expansion valve in the target indoor unit or the electric valve of the flow path switching unit connected to the indoor unit, thereby circulating the refrigerant. Shut off. As described above, when an instruction is given from the outdoor unit and the expansion valve in the target indoor unit or the motor-operated valve of the flow path switching unit connected to the indoor unit is fully closed, the indoor unit whose control program is to be rewritten It is possible to reliably block the circulation of the refrigerant.
Note that the command to fully close the expansion valve in the target indoor unit can also be given directly to the target indoor unit from the central control device 7.

<Other configuration of air conditioning system>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which a configuration for rewriting a control program via the Internet is added to the air conditioning system 100 of FIG.
FIG. 3 differs from FIG. 1 in that the centralized management device 7 is connected to the server 10 via the Internet 9. Others are the same as FIG. In the case of the air conditioning system 100 shown in FIG. 3, a rewrite control program can be provided from the server 10 to the central management device 7 via the Internet 9 and the central management device 7 can execute the rewriting.

In this case, the centralized management device 7 can obtain a control program for rewriting via the Internet 9, so that even if the worker does not visit the site of the air conditioning system and execute the rewriting operation of the control program, The control program can be rewritten via the Internet 9.
The Internet 9 is an example of a typical communication network, but a similar remote control program can be rewritten on a local intranet or the like than the Internet.

<Others>
(Use of transmission line)
The rewriting of the control program as described above can be performed using the transmission line 6 originally provided in the air conditioning system 100. Therefore, it is not necessary to connect a communication line directly to the target indoor unit. In addition, rewriting of the control program can be performed for the outdoor unit. When the outdoor unit is communicably connected to another outdoor unit via a transmission line, the control program can be rewritten for the other outdoor unit.

(Transmission speed)
In normal operation, communication is performed at a common transmission rate in order to maintain compatibility between devices constituting the air conditioning system 100. Therefore, when the control program is rewritten, the rewriting can be completed more quickly by increasing the transmission speed of the entire air conditioning system 100.

(Transmission reliability)
In order to ensure the reliability of data transmission for rewriting, the table of contents address of the block to be rewritten is added to the head of the data in order and transmitted. The target indoor unit receives all the table of contents addresses of the block to be rewritten, and can confirm that the rewriting has been performed correctly by confirming that rewriting has been performed without a missing number of table of contents addresses. Further, when there is a data loss during transmission, it is possible to identify which portion has a loss.

(Another example of a configuration that blocks refrigerant)
In the above embodiment, when the control program is rewritten, the refrigerant flow is blocked by closing the expansion valve of the indoor unit to be rewritten. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the casing of the indoor unit It is good also as a structure which interrupts | blocks the distribution | circulation of a refrigerant | coolant by providing an on-off valve in outside refrigerant | coolant piping (liquid pipe | tube etc. before this flowing in and out of an indoor unit), and closing the said on-off valve.
The air conditioner in this air conditioning system may be a cooling and heating simultaneous machine. In the case of the cooling and heating simultaneous machine, for example, the flow of the refrigerant may be blocked by closing the valve of the flow path switching unit corresponding to the indoor unit that does not flow the refrigerant.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration when the air conditioning system 100 is a simultaneous cooling and heating machine.
In the figure, from the outdoor unit 11 of the simultaneous cooling and heating machine, a plurality of high-pressure gas pipes 12HG through which high-pressure gas refrigerant flows, low-pressure gas pipes 12LG through which low-pressure gas refrigerant flows, and high-pressure liquid pipes 12LQ through which high-pressure liquid refrigerant flows. The flow

path switching units

23, 24, 25, and 26 are connected. In addition, a plurality of indoor units 13, 14, 15, and 16 are connected to the flow

path switching units

23, 24, 25, and 26, respectively. The flow path switching units 23 to 26 and the indoor units 13 to 16 constitute a refrigerant system that shares the outdoor unit 1. Here, four flow path switching units 23 to 26 and indoor units 13 to 16 are shown, but the number is merely an example for convenience of illustration.

For example, the flow path switching unit 23 includes an electric valve 23H connected to the high pressure gas pipe 12HG, an electric valve 23L connected to the low pressure gas pipe 12LG, and an electric valve 23e connected to the high pressure liquid pipe 12LQ. . The flow path switching unit 23 includes a control board 23p and a flash memory 23m mounted on the control board 23p.

Similarly, the flow path switching unit 24 includes motor-operated

valves

24H, 24L, and 24e, a control board 24p, and a flash memory 24m. The flow path switching unit 25 includes motor-operated

valves

25H, 25L, and 25e, a control board 25p, and a flash memory 25m. The flow path switching unit 26 includes motor-operated

valves

26H, 26L, and 26e, a control board 26p, and a flash memory 26m.

In the indoor unit 13, the heat exchanger 13h and the expansion valve 13e are connected in series with each other. One of the heat exchangers 13h (the one with the expansion valve 13e) is on the high pressure liquid pipe 12LQ side, and the other is on the gas pipe (high pressure gas pipe 12HG, low pressure gas pipe 12LG) side. The indoor unit 12 includes a control board 13p and a flash memory 13m mounted on the control board 13p.

Similarly, the indoor unit 14 includes a heat exchanger 14h, an expansion valve 14e, a control board 14p, and a flash memory 14m. The indoor unit 15 includes a heat exchanger 15h, an expansion valve 15e, a control board 15p, and a flash memory 15m. The indoor unit 16 includes a heat exchanger 16h, an expansion valve 16e, a control board 16p, and a flash memory 16m.

The outdoor unit 11 includes a control board 11p. The control board 11p of the outdoor unit 1 and the control boards 23p to 26p of the flow path switching units 23 to 26 are connected to each other via the transmission line 6 so as to communicate with each other. A central management device 7 is connected to the transmission line 6. On the other hand, the control boards 13p to 16p of the indoor units 13 to 16 are communicably connected to the control boards of the corresponding flow path switching units 23 to 26 via the transmission line 6a.

In the cooling / heating simultaneous air conditioning system 100 described above, any indoor units 13, 14, 15, and 16 can be air-conditioned (cooling or heating) under the common outdoor unit 11.
Further, for example, it is assumed that the control program is to be rewritten for the indoor unit 13, but the other indoor units 14 to 16 are performing normal operation. In this case, rewriting can be executed in the same manner as in the case of FIGS. 1 to 3 described above, but the expansion valve 13e and the motor operated valve 23e are connected in series with each other. By closing, it is possible to block the circulation of the refrigerant. The same applies to the other indoor units 14-16.

Also, if there is a target to rewrite the control program among the flow path switching units 23 to 26, the motor-operated valve (any one of 23e, 24e, 25e, 26e) of the target flow path switching unit is closed to allow the refrigerant to flow. The control program can be rewritten in the blocked state. Also in this case, the indoor unit connected to the other flow path switching unit can be operated even during rewriting of the control program.

1: outdoor unit, 2: refrigerant pipe, 2G: gas pipe, 2L: liquid pipe, 3: indoor unit, 3e: expansion valve, 3h: heat exchanger, 3m: flash memory, 3r: remote control device, 4: indoor unit 4e: expansion valve, 4h: heat exchanger, 4m: flash memory, 4r: remote control device, 5: indoor unit, 5e: expansion valve, 5h: heat exchanger, 5m: flash memory, 5r: remote control device, 6, 6a: Transmission line, 7: Centralized management device, 8: USB memory, 9: Internet, 10: Server, 11: Outdoor unit, 11p: Control board, 12HG: High pressure gas pipe, 12LG: Low pressure gas pipe, 12LQ: High pressure liquid Pipe, 13: indoor unit, 13e: expansion valve, 13h: heat exchanger, 13p: control board, 13m: flash memory, 14: indoor unit, 14e: expansion valve, 14h: heat exchanger, 14p: control board, 14m : Flat Memory, 15: indoor unit, 15e: expansion valve, 15h: heat exchanger, 15p: control board, 15m: flash memory, 16: indoor unit, 16e: expansion valve, 16h: heat exchanger, 16p: control board, 16m : Flash memory, 23: Channel switching unit, 23e, 23H, 23L: Motorized valve, 23p: Control board, 23m: Flash memory, 24: Channel switching unit, 24e, 24H, 24L: Motorized valve, 24p: Control board 24m: flash memory, 25: flow path switching unit, 25e, 25H, 25L: motorized valve, 25p: control board, 25m: flash memory, 26: flow path switching unit, 26e, 26H, 26L: motorized valve, 26p: Control board, 26m: Flash memory, 100: Air conditioning system

Claims

Outdoor unit (1),
A plurality of indoor units (3, 4, 5) connected to the outdoor unit (1);
The outdoor unit (1) and the plurality of indoor units (3, 4, 5) are communicably connected to each other, and the outdoor unit (1) and the plurality of indoor units (3, 4, 5) are managed under control. An air conditioning system comprising a centralized management device (7)
At the time of rewriting the control program, the centralized management device (7) in a state where the refrigerant flow to the indoor unit (3, 4 or 5) to be rewritten is blocked and the other indoor units can be operated. ) Rewrites the control program for the target indoor unit.
The refrigerant flow is shut off by giving an instruction from the outdoor unit (1) to fully close the expansion valve (3e, 4e or 5e) in the target indoor unit (3, 4 or 5). The air conditioning system described.
An electric valve (23e, 24e, 25e, 26e) is provided on the liquid side of the flow path switching unit (23, 24, 25, 26) in the cooling and heating simultaneous machine, and an instruction from the outdoor unit (1) is given to the target room. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the flow of the refrigerant is blocked by fully closing the motor-operated valve of the flow path switching unit connected to the machine.
The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the central management device (7) obtains the control program for rewriting via a communication network (9).
An air conditioning system control program rewriting method for placing an outdoor unit (1) and a plurality of indoor units (3,4, 5) connected thereto under the control of a centralized management device (7),
The central management device (7) notifies the outdoor unit (1) that the control program for the target indoor unit (3, 4 or 5) will be rewritten,
The outdoor unit (1) shifts from the normal operation to the control program rewriting operation, and fully closes the expansion valve (3e, 4e or 5e) of the target indoor unit (3, 4 or 5),
Rewriting the control program for the target indoor unit (3, 4 or 5) from the centralized management device (7),
When rewriting is completed, the target indoor unit (3, 4 or 5) informs the outdoor unit (1) that rewriting is complete,
The outdoor unit (1) releases the fully closed expansion valve (3e, 4e or 5e) and returns to the normal operation.
Rewriting method of control program for air conditioning system.
An outdoor unit (11) for simultaneous cooling and heating;
A plurality of flow path switching units (23, 24, 25, 26) connected to the outdoor unit (11);
A plurality of indoor units (13, 14, 15, 16) connected to the outdoor unit (11) via the corresponding flow path switching unit;
The outdoor unit (11), the plurality of flow path switching units (23, 24, 25, 26) and the plurality of indoor units (13, 14, 15, 16) are communicably connected, and the outdoor unit (11 ), A plurality of flow path switching units (23, 24, 25, 26) and a centralized management device (7) for placing the plurality of indoor units (13, 14, 15, 16) under control of control. Air conditioning system,
At the time of rewriting the control program, the centralized management device (7) is in a state where the flow of the refrigerant to the flow path switching unit to be rewritten is interrupted and the other indoor units can be operated. An air conditioning system that rewrites the control program of the flow path switching unit.