Air Conditioning System

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning system.

In recent air conditioning systems, there has been a trend toward greater demand for faster communication speed to achieve advanced control and to realize services, such as analysis of failure and prediction of failure signs in air conditioners, using sensor data provided by the air conditioners.

To increase communication speed in air conditioning systems, adoption of a communication method using high-frequency signals of several MHz to several tens of MHz has been considered, as disclosed in Patent Literature 1.

In conventional air conditioning systems, one outdoor unit and one or more indoor units connected to the same refrigerant pipe are defined as one refrigerant system, and communication between air conditioners (the outdoor unit and the indoor units) is performed via the same communication line (hereinafter, referred to as the “internal/external communication line”) in each refrigerant system.

In such air conditioning systems, when a communication method using high-frequency signals is adopted in communication via the internal/external communication lines, crosstalk might occur between the internal/external communication lines in different refrigerant systems. When crosstalk occurs, there is a problem in that the outdoor unit cannot properly recognize the indoor units in the own refrigerant system, resulting in interference with air conditioning control.

Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent No. 6702471

To deal with the above crosstalk, for example, communication group information, such as a number or the like that indicates being included in the same communication group may be set to the outdoor unit and the indoor units in the same refrigerant system by a constructor at the time of construction. In this case, each air conditioner is configured to store the set communication group information into a communication frame to be send, and when receiving a communication frame storing different communication group information from the own communication group information, discard the communication frame storing the different communication group information without executing processing thereto. This enables normal air conditioning control even when crosstalk occurs.

However, the constructor may make incorrect setting of the communication group information, and proposal of new technique to deal with such a case is desired.

The present disclosure is made in view of the above circumstances, and an objective of the present disclosure is to provide an air conditioning system capable of notifying a user, such as a constructor, of useful information relating to incorrect setting of communication group information.

To achieve the above objective, an air-conditioning system according to the present disclosure includes two or more refrigerant systems connected to a plurality of air conditioners via a refrigerant pipe and a communication line, and communication between the plurality of air conditioners via the communication line is performed with high-frequency signal. The air-conditioning system includes:

The present disclosure enables notifying a user of useful information relating to incorrect setting of communication group information.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described hereinafter in detail with reference to the drawings.

is a drawing illustrating an overall configuration of an air conditioning systemin an embodiment of the present disclosure. The air conditioning systemis an example of an air conditioning system according to the present disclosure. The air conditioning systemis a system that performs air conditioning of a building, such as an office building or a shop. The air conditioning systemincludes a plurality of refrigerant systems (A, B) and a remote controller.

The refrigerant system A is an example of a refrigerant system according to the present disclosure. The refrigerant system A includes an outdoor unitan indoor unitand an indoor unitThe outdoor unitand the indoor unitsandare connected to an internal/external communication line Sa, and connected to each other via a non-illustrated first refrigerant pipe for circulating a refrigerant. The internal/external communication line Sa is an example of a communication line according to the present disclosure.

The refrigerant system B is an example of the refrigerant system according to the present disclosure. The refrigerant system B includes an outdoor unitan indoor unitand an indoor unitThe outdoor unitand the indoor unitsandare connected to the internal/external communication line Sb, and connected to each other via a non-illustrated second refrigerant pipe different from the first refrigerant pipe described above.

Hereinafter, in explanation of matters that are common between the outdoor unitsandthese outdoor units are referred to as the outdoor unitswithout individual designation, in explanation of matters that are common among the indoor unitstothese indoor units are referred to as the indoor unitswithout individual designation, and in explanation of matters that are common between the internal/external communication lines Sa andthese internal/external communication lines are referred to as the internal/external communication lineswithout individual designation.

The outdoor unitis an example of an air conditioner according to the present disclosure. As illustrated in, the outdoor unitincludes, as hardware components, a communication group setting receiver, a communication address setting receiver, a signal level analysis circuit, a communication interface, and a control circuit. As with general outdoor units, the outdoor unitfurther includes actuators such as a compressor, a fan, and an electronic expansion valve, and a sensor such as an outdoor temperature sensor. Illustration and description of these components are omitted. The communication group setting receiverincludes, for example, a dual in-line package (DIP) switch, a rotary switch, or the like. The communication group setting receiverreceives setting of a communication group number from a user, such as a constructor or a system administrator. The communication group number is an example of communication group information according to the present disclosure.

The communication group number is a unique number assigned to each of the refrigerant systems. To each of the air conditioners (the outdoor unitand the indoor units), the communication group number corresponding to the own refrigerant system is set by the user. In the present embodiment, as the communication group numbers, the number “1” is set to each of the air conditioners included in the refrigerant system A, and the number “2” is set to each of the air conditioners included in the refrigerant system B. Each of the air conditioners determines, based on the communication group number, whether an air conditioner being a communication counterpart is included in the same refrigerant system as the own.

The communication address setting receiverincludes, for example, a DIP switch, a rotary switch, or the like. The communication address setting receiverreceives setting of a communication address from the user. The communication address is an address for identifying each of the air conditioners in communication via the internal/external communication line, and is set to each of the air conditioners so as to be different from the communication addresses of the other air conditioners in the same refrigerant system.

The signal level analysis circuitis an example of signal level determination means according to the present disclosure. The signal level analysis circuitincludes a non-illustrated central processing unit (CPU), a non-illustrated read only memory (ROM), a non-illustrated random access memory (RAM), a non-illustrated auxiliary storage device, and the like. The auxiliary storage device includes, for example, a readable/rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, such as an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, or the like.

The signal level analysis circuitanalyzes a signal at reception of the communication frame from another air conditioner by the communication interface, to determine a signal level (an amplitude). The signal level analysis circuitnotifies the control circuitof the determined signal level. In the present embodiment, the signal level analysis circuitdetermines, using a plurality of predetermined level determination thresholds, which of three levels (levelsto) the signal level is.

The communication interfaceis an interface for communication with each indoor unitvia the internal/external communication line. In the present embodiment, communication is performed between the air conditioners via the internal/external communication linesby a communication method using high-frequency signals of several MHz to several tens of MHz. Thus, due to crosstalk, the communication interfacemay receive the communication frames from the air conditioners included in the other refrigerant system. For example, a communication signal between the indoor unitand the outdoor unitcommunicated with each other via the internal/external communication line Sa in the refrigerant system A is superimposed on the internal/external communication linein the refrigerant system B due to the crosstalk, and the outdoor unitmay thus receive the communication frame between the indoor unitand the outdoor unit

The control circuitincludes a non-illustrated CPU, a non-illustrated ROM, a non-illustrated RAM, a non-illustrated auxiliary storage device, and the like, and performs overall control of the outdoor unit. The auxiliary storage device includes, for example, a readable/writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, such as an EEPROM, a flash memory, or the like. The auxiliary storage device stores an outdoor unit program that is a program for execution of connection confirmation processing and air conditioning control described later, and data for use in execution of the outdoor unit program.

The outdoor unitcan acquire, from another device such as a cloud server, the outdoor unit program or an update program for updating the outdoor unit program, through communication. These programs can be distributed by storage in a computer-readable recording medium, such as a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a magneto-optical disc, a universal serial bus (USB) memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD) and a memory card. The outdoor unitmay read and acquire, upon direct or indirect attachment thereto of such a recording medium, the outdoor unit program or the update program from the recording medium.

The indoor unitis an example of the air conditioner according to the present disclosure. As illustrated in, the indoor unitincludes, as hardware components, an internal/external communication interface, a signal level analysis circuit, a communication group setting receiver, a communication address setting receiver, a remote controller communication interface, and a control circuit. As with general indoor units, the indoor unitfurther includes an actuator such as a fan, and a sensor such as an indoor temperature sensor. Illustration and description of these components are omitted. The internal/external communication interfaceis an interface for communication with the outdoor unitvia the internal/external communication line. As with the communication interfaceof the outdoor unitabove, the internal/external communication interfacecan receive the communication frames from the air conditioners included in the other refrigerant system.

The signal level analysis circuitis an example of the signal level determination means according to the present disclosure. The signal level analysis circuitincludes a non-illustrated CPU, a non-illustrated ROM, a non-illustrated RAM, a non-illustrated auxiliary storage device, and the like. The auxiliary storage device includes, for example, a readable/writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, such as an EEPROM, a flash memory, or the like. The signal level analysis circuitanalyzes a signal at reception of the communication frame from another air conditioner by the internal/external communication interface, to determine a signal level (an amplitude). The signal level analysis circuitnotifies the control circuitof the determined signal level. In the present embodiment, the signal level analysis circuitdetermines, using a plurality of predetermined level determination thresholds, which of three levels (levelsto) the signal level is.

The communication group setting receiverincludes, for example, a DIP switch, a rotary switch, or the like. The communication group setting receiverreceives setting of the communication group number from the user. The communication address setting receiverincludes, for example, a DIP switch, a rotary switch, or the like. The communication address setting receiverreceives setting of the communication address from the user.

The remote controller communication interfaceis an interface for communication with the remote controllervia a remote controller communication line. The control circuitincludes a non-illustrated CPU, a non-illustrated ROM, a non-illustrated RAM, a non-illustrated auxiliary storage device, and the like, and performs overall control of the indoor units. The auxiliary storage device includes, for example, a readable/writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, such as an EEPROM, a flash memory, or the like. The auxiliary storage device stores an indoor unit program that is a program for execution of upon-connection-confirmation-command-reception processing and air conditioning control described later, and data for use in execution of the indoor unit program.

The indoor unitcan acquire, from another device such as a cloud server, the indoor unit program or an update program for updating the indoor unit program, through communication. These programs can be distributed by storage in a computer-readable recording medium, such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, a magneto-optical disc, a USB memory, an HDD, an SSD, and a memory card. The indoor unitmay read and acquire, upon direct or indirect attachment thereto of such a recording medium, the indoor unit program or the update program from the recording medium.

The remote controlleris an example of notification means according to the present disclosure. The remote controlleris a remote controller for air conditioning, and is connected, via the remote controller communication line, to one of the indoor unitsin each of the refrigerant systems. As illustrated in, the remote controllerincludes, as hardware components, a communication interface, a display, an operation receiver, and a control circuit. The communication interfaceis an interface for communication with the indoor unitvia the remote controller communication line. In the present embodiment, the remote controlleris communicatively connected to the indoor unitin the refrigerant system A and the indoor unitin the refrigerant system B via the remote controller communication line.

In the refrigerant system A, communication between the remote controllerand the outdoor unitand communication between the remote controllerand the indoor unitare performed via the indoor unitIn the refrigerant system B, communication between the remote controllerand the outdoor unitand communication between the remote controllerand the indoor unitare performed via the indoor unit

The displayincludes a display device, such as a liquid crystal display, an organic electro luminescence (EL) display, or the like. The displaydisplays various types of screens under control by the control circuit. The displaydisplays, for example, an air conditioning operation screen for receiving operation relating to air conditioning from a user of the building. The operation relating to air conditioning is, for example, switching of start/stop of operation, switching of operation modes, such as cooling, heating, dehumidification, air blowing, and the like, or change of setting temperature, setting humidity, air volume, and the like. When receiving notification information described later from any of the air conditioners at startup of the air conditioning system, the displaydisplays, for a user such as a constructor or a system administrator, a notification screen based on the notification information.

The operation receiverincludes one or more input devices, such as a push button, a touch panel, a touch pad, and the like. The operation receiverreceives input operation from a user, a constructor, or a system administrator of the building, and outputs to the control circuita signal relating to the received input operation.

The control circuitincludes a non-illustrated CPU, a non-illustrated ROM, a non-illustrated RAM, a non-illustrated auxiliary storage device, and the like, and performs overall control of the remote controller. The auxiliary storage device includes, for example, a readable/writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, such as an EEPROM, a flash memory, or the like. The auxiliary storage device stores a remote controller program relating to operation of the remote controllerand data for use in execution of the remote controller program.

The remote controllercan acquire, from a terminal device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a notebook personal computer (PC), the remote controller program or an update program for updating the remote controller program, through communication. These programs can be distributed by storage in a computer-readable recording medium, such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, a magneto-optical disc, a USB memory, an HDD, an SSD, and a memory card. The remote controllermay read and acquire, upon direct or indirect attachment thereto of such a recording medium, the remote controller program or the update program from the recording medium.

is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the control circuitincluded in the outdoor unit. As illustrated in, the control circuitincludes, as characteristic functions according to the present disclosure, a signal level acquirer, a notification necessity determiner, and a notification information transmitter. These functional components are achieved by execution, by the CPU of the control circuit, of the above-described outdoor unit program stored in the auxiliary storage device. The control circuitfurther has other functions for control of general operation of the outdoor unit, although description of these functions is omitted.

The signal level acquireracquires, from the signal level analysis circuit, the signal level determined by the signal level analysis circuit. The signal level acquirernotifies the notification necessity determinerof the acquired signal level.

The notification necessity determineris an example of notification necessity determination means according to the present disclosure. The notification necessity determinerdetermines necessity of notification to the remote controllerbased on the signal level determined by the signal level analysis circuit, the communication group number set to another air conditioner, that is, an air conditioner being a transmission source of the received communication frame, and the communication group number set to the air conditioner including the notification necessity determiner(that is, the outdoor unitincluding the control circuit).

Specifically, the notification necessity determinerdetermines, by comparing the signal level determined by the signal level analysis circuitand a predetermined threshold, whether the signal level is high or low. In general, the signal level superimposed on the internal/external communication linedue to crosstalk is lower than the signal level on the internal/external communication linein the other refrigerant system. For this reason, in the present embodiment, when the signal level is level(an example of a first threshold according to the present disclosure) or lower, the notification necessity determinerdetermines that the signal level is low (that is, crosstalk may exist), and when the signal level is level(an example of a second threshold according to the present disclosure) or higher, the notification necessity determinerdetermines that the signal level is high (that is, crosstalk is less likely to exist).

The notification necessity determinerdetermines whether the communication group number stored in the received communication frame, that is, the communication group number set to the air conditioner being the transmission source of the received communication frame matches the communication group number set to the air conditioner including the notification necessity determiner. When both the communication group numbers match each other and the signal level is low, the notification necessity determinerdetermines that notification to the remote controlleris necessary. When both the communication group numbers do not match each other and the signal level is high, the notification necessity determinerdetermines that notification to the remote controlleris necessary. When both the communication group numbers match each other and the signal level is high, or when both the communication group numbers do not match each other and the signal level is low, the notification necessity determinerdetermines that notification to the remote controlleris not necessary.

The notification information transmitteris an example of notification information transmission means according to the present disclosure. When the notification necessity determinerdetermines that notification to the remote controlleris necessary, the notification information transmittergenerates the notification information. The notification information includes information relating to the other air conditioner, that is, the air conditioner being the transmission source of the received communication frame, information relating to the air conditioner including the notification information transmitter(that is, the outdoor unit), and information relating to the signal level. Specifically, the notification information includes the communication group numbers and the communication addresses of both the air conditioners and the signal level determined by the signal level analysis circuit.

The notification information transmittertransmits the generated notification information via the communication interfaceto the remote controller. In this transmission, a configuration may be provided in which the notification information transmitterperforms broadcast transmission, via the communication interface(that is, via the internal/external communication line), of the communication frame storing the notification information and information indicating that a destination is the remote controller, and the indoor unitincluded in the same refrigerant system as the outdoor unitand connected to the remote controller communication line(the indoor unitor the indoor unit) transfers, via the remote controller communication interface(that is, via the remote controller communication line) to the remote controller, the communication frame received via the internal/external communication line.

Alternatively, when the indoor unitconnected to the remote controller communication linehas notified in advance the outdoor unitin the same refrigerant system of the own communication address and the own connection to the remote controller communication line, a configuration may be provided in which the notification information transmitterperforms unicast transmission of the communication frame storing the notification information via the internal/external communication lineto the indoor unit, and the indoor unittransfers the received communication frame via the remote controller communication lineto the remote controller.

When receiving the notification information transmitted from any of the outdoor units, the remote controllerperforms notification to a user based on the received notification information. For example, when the signal level is levelalthough the communication group numbers of the both air conditioners match each other, or when the signal level is levelalthough the communication group numbers of the both air conditioners do not match each other, the remote controller controls the displayto display the notification screen containing a message such as “setting of the communication group number of the air conditioner *** or the air conditioner *** is highly likely incorrect”. The expression “***” indicates the communication address.

The signal level on the inside/external communication linetends to become lower as the communication distance (that is, the wiring length) is greater and the number of the connected air conditioners is greater. Thus, for example, when the signal level is levelalthough the communication group numbers of the both air conditioners match each other, the remote controller may control the displayto display the notification screen containing a massage such as “Is the wiring length between the air conditioner *** and the air conditioner *** XX m or greater? Is the number of the connected air conditioners YY or greater?”. When the remote controllerholds information in which the communication address and the name of the air conditioner is associated with each other, the remote controllermay control the displayto display the name of the air conditioner corresponding to the communication address.

is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the control circuitincluded in the indoor unit. As illustrated in, the control circuitincludes, as characteristic functions according to the present disclosure, a signal level acquirer, a notification necessity determiner, and a notification information transmitter. These functional components are achieved by execution, by the CPU of the control circuit, of the above-described indoor unit program stored in the auxiliary storage device. The control circuitfurther has other functions for control of general operation of the indoor unit, although description of these functions is omitted.

The signal level acquireracquires, from the signal level analysis circuit, the signal level determined by the signal level analysis circuit. The signal level acquirernotifies the notification necessity determinerof the acquired signal level.

The notification necessity determineris an example of the notification necessity determination means according to the present disclosure. The notification necessity determinerdetermines necessity of notification to the remote controllerbased on the signal level determined by the signal level analysis circuit, the communication group number set to another air conditioner, that is, an air conditioner being a transmission source of the received communication frame, and the communication group number set to the air conditioner including the notification necessity determiner(that is, the indoor unitincluding the control circuit). method for determining necessity of notification to the remote controllerby the notification necessity determineris the same as the method by the notification necessity determinerdescribed above.

The notification information transmitteris an example of the notification information transmission means according to the present disclosure. When the notification necessity determinerdetermines that notification to the remote controlleris necessary, the notification information transmittergenerates the notification information. The generated notification information includes information relating to the other air conditioner, that is, the air conditioner being the transmission source of the received communication frame, information relating to the air conditioner including the notification information transmitter(that is, the indoor unit), and information relating to the signal level. Specifically, the notification information includes the communication group numbers and the communication addresses of both the air conditioners and the signal level determined by the signal level analysis circuit.

The notification information transmittertransmits the generated notification information to the remote controller. For example, when the indoor unitis connected to the remote controller communication line(that is, when the indoor unitis the indoor unitor the indoor unit), the notification information transmittertransmits the communication frame storing the generated notification information via the remote controller communication interface(that is, via the remote controller communication line) directly to the remote controller.