JP2012149854A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

It is an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner that can perform a change operation after grasping an actual direction of a wind direction plate when an operator changes the direction of the wind direction plate.
A remote controller 1 generates an operation signal for changing the direction of a wind direction plate 23 of an air conditioner indoor unit 2 by an MPU board 14 and transmits the operation signal from the RF module 11 to the air conditioner indoor unit 2. When the air conditioner indoor unit 2 receives an operation signal from the remote controller 1 that changes the direction of the wind direction plate 23 by the RF module 21, the air direction plate grasping unit 24 grasps the direction of the wind direction plate 23 and the grasped wind direction plate 23. The direction information is transmitted to the remote controller 1 by the RF module 21. When the RF module 11 receives the information on the wind direction position of the wind direction plate 23 transmitted from the air conditioner indoor unit 2, the remote controller 1 displays the current direction of the wind direction plate 23 on the LCD based on the information on the wind direction position of the wind direction plate 23. Display on unit 15.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner that displays the direction of a wind direction plate of an air conditioner body.

  In recent years, there is an air conditioner in which the direction of a wind direction plate (louver) provided at the air outlet of an air conditioner body can be controlled by a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) (see Patent Document 1). In this type of air conditioner, the position of the wind direction plate is controlled by sending a control signal from the remote control to the air conditioner body. For this reason, the direction of the wind direction plate displayed on the remote control is the direction specified by the remote control.

JP 2004-61005 A

  However, an air conditioner that can perform cooling operation and heating operation (hereinafter referred to as an air conditioner) has different movable ranges of the vertical wind direction plates during cooling operation (horizontal center) and heating operation (downward center). When the operation is performed in the automatic operation mode, the direction (wind direction position) of the up and down wind direction plates automatically changes every time the operation is switched to the heating or cooling operation according to the room temperature.

  Also, an air conditioner with a dew control operation function that prevents dew during cooling operation may automatically change the wind direction plate to the wind direction position for dew control even if the direction of the wind direction plate is specified. In this way, during the automatic operation mode and the dew control operation, the direction of the wind direction plate displayed on the remote control initially set by the remote control is different from the direction of the actual air direction plate of the air conditioner. When performing, there is a problem that the direction of the wind direction plate of the air conditioner body cannot be grasped.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and can always grasp the actual direction of the wind direction plate when the operator operates the remote control, and when changing the direction of the wind direction plate, It aims at providing the air conditioner which can perform change operation after grasping | ascertaining a direction.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an air conditioner body capable of changing a wind direction position of a wind direction plate, and a remote controller for changing the wind direction position of the wind direction plate of the air conditioner body. The air conditioner main body includes a main body receiving means for receiving an operation signal for operating the air conditioner main body from the remote controller, and the operation signal received by the main body receiving means. And a main body transmission means for transmitting information on the wind direction position of the current wind direction plate to the remote control, the remote control generating the operation signal for operating the air conditioner main body. A remote controller transmitting means for transmitting the operation signal to the air conditioner body, and a remote controller for receiving information on the wind direction position of the wind direction plate transmitted from the air conditioner body. Receiving means, on the basis of the remote control receiving means and the wind direction plate information wind direction position of the received, characterized by comprising display means for displaying the wind direction position of the wind direction plate of current, the.

  In the present invention, the air conditioner main body further includes wind direction plate changing means for changing the direction of the wind direction plate based on an operation signal for changing the wind direction position of the wind direction plate from the remote controller. When the operation signal for changing the wind direction position of the wind direction plate is received from the remote controller within a predetermined time after the information on the wind direction position of the wind direction plate is transmitted to the remote control, the wind direction position is changed by the wind direction plate changing means. It is preferable to change the wind direction position of the wind direction plate based on an operation signal to be changed.

  Further, according to the present invention, when the wind direction position of the wind direction plate of the air conditioner main body repeatedly moves within a predetermined range, the main body transmission means provides information on the movable range of the wind direction position of the wind direction plate. It is preferable to transmit to a remote controller, and the display means of the remote controller displays the moving range of the wind direction position of the wind direction plate.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the direction of the wind direction plate of the main body of the air conditioner can be changed in at least one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.

  In addition, the present invention preferably further comprises storage means for storing information on the direction of the wind direction plate received by the remote control receiving means.

According to the present invention, when the air conditioner main body receives an operation signal from the remote control, the current wind direction position of the wind direction plate is transmitted to the remote control by transmitting the current wind direction position information of the wind direction plate to the remote control. Since it is displayed on the display means, the operator can always grasp the wind direction position of the wind direction plate.
Further, when changing the direction of the wind direction plate with respect to the air conditioner main body, the change operation can be performed after grasping the actual direction of the wind direction plate, so that the change operation can be performed accurately.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a relationship among an air conditioner body, a remote controller, a humidifier, and an external connection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the air conditioner body, the remote controller, the humidifier, and the external connection device of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the remote controller of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the procedure of the pairing setting operation performed between the remote controller and the air conditioner according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of air conditioner model information that can be received during the pairing setting of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of air conditioner model information that is the minimum necessary for the pairing setting of FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a communication procedure when log information is exchanged between the remote controller and the air conditioner after pairing setting according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a display example when the up / down air direction key of the remote controller is pressed on the air conditioner body during automatic operation. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example when the up / down wind direction key of the remote controller is pressed against the air conditioner main body that is swinging up / down during automatic operation. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example when the up / down air direction key of the remote controller is pressed against the air conditioner main body that is swinging up / down / left / right during automatic operation. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the up and down wind direction state of the air conditioner. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the order of changing the setting of the vertical wind direction position. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the release of the swing setting by operating the up / down wind direction key. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a right and left wind direction state of the air conditioner. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an order of changing the setting of the left and right wind direction positions. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the release of the swing setting by operating the left and right wind direction keys. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a communication procedure when log information is exchanged between the remote controller and the PC according to the present embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC. FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an example of a PC screen that performs air conditioner operation information management based on log information acquired by the PC.

  Embodiments of an air conditioner according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[Description of configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between an air conditioner body, a remote controller, a humidifier, and an external connection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the air conditioner body, the remote controller, and a humidifier in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a remote controller of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes an air conditioner indoor unit 2 as a main body of the air conditioner, a remote controller 1, and an outdoor unit (not shown), and uses bidirectional wireless communication by an RF module. When the remote controller 1 performs remote control and various settings on the air conditioner indoor unit 2, and the remote controller 1 acquires various operation information from the air conditioner indoor unit 2, the information is displayed on the display means of the remote controller 1, and the operation is performed. Used for management and various settings. In addition, the remote controller 1 according to the present embodiment can connect the various operation information acquired to a personal computer (PC) 3 via a USB connection terminal as an external connection terminal and perform operation information management on the PC 3 side. . In addition, the remote controller 1 according to the present embodiment can perform a remote operation using an infrared (IR) LED as an infrared transmission means, such as a humidifier 4 that is an operation target device other than the air conditioner indoor unit 2.

  A schematic configuration of the remote controller 1 configured as shown in FIG. 1, an air conditioner indoor unit 2 as an air conditioner body, a PC 3 connected via a USB connection terminal, and a humidifier 4 will be described with reference to FIG. . The remote control 1 is a remote control transmission means including a transceiver and antenna for performing two-way wireless communication with the air conditioner indoor unit 2, an RF module 11 as a remote control reception means, a personal computer (PC) that performs information management, etc. 3, USB socket 12 for USB connection, IRLED 13 for transmitting and controlling the humidifier 4 by an infrared (IR) diode, data such as various operation information received from the air conditioner indoor unit 2 for a certain period (here Then, an MPU board 14 is provided which includes a memory 14a for holding for 40 days and on which an MPU (microprocessor unit) for controlling each part of the remote controller 1 is mounted. This MPU board 14 constitutes an operation signal generating means for generating an operation signal for changing the direction of the wind direction plate of the air conditioner indoor unit 2, and the wind direction of the wind direction plate of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 received by the RF module 11. A memory 14a for storing position information is included. The remote controller 1 includes an LCD unit 15 as display means for displaying operation information of the remote controller 1 and operation information (operating time, power consumption, etc.) of the air conditioner indoor unit 2, a key operation unit 16 for operating the operation target device, time It is composed of an RTC (real time clock) 17 dedicated to timing, a battery 18 for supplying power to each part of the remote controller 1, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioner indoor unit 2 includes a main body receiving unit that performs bidirectional wireless communication with the RF module 11 of the remote controller 1, an RF module 21 as a main body transmitting unit, and the remote controller 1 that is received by the RF module 21. The control unit controls each part of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 on the basis of the command and collects operation information of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 and calculates an operation time and power consumption (electricity cost) for a certain period (here, 10 days). ), An MPU board 22 on which an MPU including a memory for holding data is mounted. The air conditioner indoor unit 2 includes a wind direction plate 23 provided in the vicinity of the air outlet, a wind direction plate grasping unit 24 for grasping the direction of the wind direction plate 23 (the movable range of the wind direction plate when the swing is in progress), and A wind direction plate changing unit 25 for changing the direction of the wind direction plate 23 is provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the PC 3 includes a USB socket 31 for connecting a USB cable to the USB socket 12 of the remote controller 1. By installing the operation information management software, the PC 3 can transmit and receive data when connected via USB, and periodically collects operation information from the air conditioner indoor unit 2 via the remote controller 1 and displays it on the PC screen. Operation management can be performed continuously.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the humidifier 4 includes an IRPD (infrared receiving) unit 41 that receives an infrared signal transmitted from the IRLED 13 of the remote controller 1. The remote controller 1 can control the humidifier 4 by this infrared signal (command).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the remote controller 1 for operating the air conditioner includes an LCD unit 15 including a liquid crystal display unit that displays operation information (direction of wind direction plate, operation content, operation time, power consumption, etc.), And a key operation unit 16 for operating the air conditioner indoor unit 2. The key operation unit 16 includes an operation / stop key 16a for operating start and stop of the air conditioner indoor unit 2, a confirmation key 16b necessary for starting pairing, and upper and lower wind direction plates. Are provided with an up / down wind direction key 16c for controlling the wind direction, a left / right wind direction key 16d for controlling the left and right wind directions of the wind direction plate, a swing key 16e for moving the wind direction plate within a certain range, and the like.

  Since the air conditioner of this embodiment performs two-way wireless communication using the RF module between the remote controller 1 and the air conditioner indoor unit 2, the operation target device can be distinguished if there is another type of air conditioner nearby. Since it will disappear, it is necessary to set the pairing in advance.

[Pairing settings]
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the procedure of the pairing setting operation performed between the remote controller 1 and the air conditioner indoor unit 2 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is receivable during the pairing setting of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of air conditioner model information, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of air conditioner model information necessary for the pairing setting in FIG.

  First, when the registration setting of the remote controller 1 is selected, or when a pairing partner is not stored in a non-illustrated non-volatile memory (hereinafter referred to as EEPROM) mounted on the MPU board 9 of the remote controller 1 (LCD unit 15). When “NO REGISTRATION” is displayed, the remote control registration setting mode is set, and the pairing display for displaying the procedure for pairing with the air conditioner indoor unit 2 is performed. Similarly, when there is no pairing registration, the air conditioner indoor unit 2 is also displayed by a lamp (not shown) provided in the air conditioner indoor unit 2. As shown in FIG. 4, when the operator presses a pairing button (not shown) in the air conditioner indoor unit 2, the pairing execution state is indicated by a buzzer sounding and a lamp being lit. Is sent to the RF module 21 to start pairing (step S60).

  Further, while the pairing display is displayed on the LCD unit 15 of the remote controller 1, the run / stop key 16a of the key operation unit 16 of the remote controller 1 shown in FIG. When pressed simultaneously, a pairing request signal is sent to the RF module 11, and pairing is started (step S61). The LCD unit 15 of the remote controller 1 displays “Pairing registration in progress”. Here, communication for pairing is performed between the RF modules 11 and 21 (step S62), and after confirming whether the model can be registered for pairing (step S63), the RF module 21 transfers to the MPU board 22. A pairing completion signal indicating that the pairing of the RF module is completed is transmitted (step S64), and a pairing completion signal indicating that the pairing of the RF module is completed is transmitted from the RF module 11 to the MPU board 14 (step S65). ).

  Subsequently, an air conditioner model information request is transmitted as general-purpose data from the remote controller 1 to the air conditioner indoor unit 2 (step S66). At this time, the air conditioner model information signal receivable from the air conditioner indoor unit 2 includes a series name (Z / S), an indoor unit year (A to Z), a character string (model name of 16 characters, as shown in FIG. ), Derivative model (1), air conditioner ID (MAC address), and the like. When the air conditioner indoor unit 2 receives the air conditioner model information request, the RF module 21 on the air conditioner indoor unit 2 side transmits a general-purpose data transmission completion signal to the remote controller 1 to notify the successful transmission (step S67). . The MPU board 14 of the remote controller 1 switches the RF module 11 to the reception mode (step S68).

  Subsequently, the MPU board 22 of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 transfers the air conditioner model information to the remote controller 1 side (step S69). When the remote controller 1 receives the model information of the air conditioner indoor unit 2, the RF module 11 transmits an information transfer completion signal to the air conditioner indoor unit 2 to notify that the transmission has been successful (step S70).

  When the remote controller 1 acquires the air conditioner model information, the remote controller 1 notifies the RF module 11 that the reception mode is stopped (step S71), and receives the completion of the reception mode (step S72).

  Based on the acquired air conditioner model information, the MPU board 14 of the remote controller 1 determines whether or not the air conditioner indoor unit 2 that performs pairing setting is a corresponding model. When the received signal includes at least the signal shown in FIG. 6 in the corresponding model, the MPU board 14 of the remote controller 1 transmits the pairing establishment general-purpose data to the air conditioner indoor unit 2 (step S73). When the RF module 21 of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 receives the general data for which pairing has been established, it notifies the remote controller 1 that the transmission of the general data has been completed (successful transmission) (step S74). The MPU board 14 of the remote controller 1 displays that the pairing has been established on the LCD unit 15 for 5.5 seconds. When the operator selects “Z” or “S” according to the series name, the selected model content Is written to EEPROM.

  On the other hand, if the MPU board 14 of the remote controller 1 determines that the air conditioner indoor unit 2 that performs the pairing setting is not a corresponding model, or if the received air conditioner model information is other than the signal shown in FIG. The general-purpose data in which the ring is not established is transmitted to the air conditioner indoor unit 2 (step S75). When the RF module 21 of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 receives the general-purpose data that is not paired, it notifies the remote controller 1 that the transmission of the general-purpose data has been completed (step S76). The MPU board 14 of the remote controller 1 displays a pairing failure indication on the LCD unit 15 for 5.5 seconds, performs a pairing clear process (step S77), and receives a notification that the pairing clear has been completed (step S78). ).

  If pairing is not established, pairing clear processing is also performed on the MPU board 22 side of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 (step S79), and notification that pairing clear has been completed is received (step S80). In this way, the pairing setting is completed.

  Between the remote controller 1 and the air conditioner indoor unit 2 for which the above pairing setting has been completed, the remote controller 1 performs operation operations and various settings for the air conditioner indoor unit 2, and the air conditioner indoor unit 2 is connected to the air conditioner indoor unit 2 by the following communication sequence. When the remote controller 1 requests a saved operation status log (history), the log can be acquired.

[Communication sequence between air conditioner and remote control]
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a communication procedure when log information is exchanged between the remote controller and the air conditioner after pairing setting according to the present embodiment. The remote controller 1 requests and collects an operation status log from the air conditioner indoor unit 2 at a fixed time every day.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7, the MPU board 14 of the remote controller 1 reaches the MPU board 22 of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 via the RF modules 11 and 21 when the RTC 17 reaches a fixed time (here, AM0: 03). A log request is transmitted to (step S81). The remote controller 1 waits for log data to be sent from the air conditioner indoor unit 2 after transmitting the log request. When waiting for a log, if the log has not been sent even after a certain period of time, a reception error due to a reception timeout is determined, the log reception wait is terminated, and the log collection for that day is terminated. The EEPROM of the MPU board 22 of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 has a capacity that can store a log of the air conditioner operation status for a maximum of 10 days, so when a reception error occurs the next time the log can be received, Log transfer is performed collectively.

  As shown in FIG. 7, whenever log data is sequentially sent from the air conditioner indoor unit 2 (steps S82, 83...), It is stored in the EEPROM of the MPU board 14 of the remote controller 1 each time. As for the log saving method, if there is an unsaved area in the EEPROM, the log is written in that area, and if there is no unsaved area, the oldest log writing area is overwritten and saved. When the remote controller 1 receives the log end indicating the end of the log data from the air conditioner indoor unit 2 (step S84), the log acquisition is completed.

  Further, between the remote controller 1 and the air conditioner indoor unit 2, when the remote controller 1 transmits a driving operation command at a time other than the above-described fixed time, an operation status log is acquired from the air conditioner indoor unit 2, and the LCD unit of the remote controller 1 is acquired. 15 can be displayed.

[Change operation of wind direction plate and display of direction of wind direction plate]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example when the up / down wind direction key of the remote controller is pressed on the air conditioner main body during automatic operation, and FIG. 9 shows the air conditioner main body during vertical swing during automatic operation. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example when the up / down wind direction key of the remote control is pressed, and FIG. 10 is a display example when the up / down wind direction key of the remote control is pressed with respect to the air conditioner main body during automatic operation and swinging up / down / left / right. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an up / down air direction state of the air conditioner, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an order of changing the setting of the up / down air direction position, and FIG. 13 is a swing by operating the up / down air direction key. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the right and left wind direction state of the air conditioner, FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an order of changing the setting of the left and right wind direction position, and FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the left and right wind direction. Swing setting by key operation It is a diagram illustrating a release.

  When the air conditioner indoor unit 2 is in operation and the remote controller 1 is also in operation as shown in FIG. 8, when the operator presses the up / down direction key 16c (see FIG. 3) of the remote controller 1, A part of the screen during operation changes to a display indicating that communication is in progress. This represents that bidirectional communication is performed between the remote controller 1 and the air conditioner indoor unit 2.

  Specifically, the remote controller 1 transmits an operation signal for changing the direction of the wind direction plate 23 to the air conditioner indoor unit 2 from the RF module 11. Upon receiving this, the RF module 21 of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 grasps the current wind direction position of the wind direction plate 23 by the wind direction plate grasping unit 24 and transmits information on the wind direction position of the wind direction plate from the RF module 21 to the remote controller 1. To do. When the RF module 11 receives the information on the wind direction position of the current wind direction plate that has been sent, the remote controller 1 is successful in communication.

  As described above, when the communication between the remote controller 1 and the air conditioner indoor unit 2 is successful, as shown by the next white arrow, the LCD unit 15 receives the current wind direction position information of the current wind direction plate received by the remote controller 1. The direction of the wind direction plate is displayed. After 2.5 seconds, the normal display during operation is restored. Even when the operator of the remote controller 1 presses the up / down wind direction key 16c in order to change the direction of the wind direction plate 23, the change operation of the wind direction plate 23 is not performed for the first time, and the current direction of the wind direction plate is displayed on the LCD unit 15. Is displayed. For this reason, the operator can know the current direction of the wind direction plate 23 of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 only by looking at the display on the remote controller 1.

  Further, when the operator presses the up / down direction key 16c of the remote controller 1 in the state shown in FIG. 9 in which the air conditioner indoor unit 2 is in operation and the wind direction plate is swinging up and down, it is in operation as indicated by the white arrow. Part of the screen changes to a display indicating that communication is in progress. Up to this point, it is the same as in FIG. 8, but the current direction of the wind direction plate displayed on the LCD unit 15 of the remote controller 1 after successful communication is not a single direction but a certain range. This indicates that the wind direction plate 23 is in a swing state that repeats movement within a certain range. Also in this case, after the position of the wind direction plate is displayed for 2.5 seconds, the display returns to the normal display during operation.

  Furthermore, when the operator presses the up / down air direction key 16c of the remote controller 1 in the state shown in FIG. 9 in which the air conditioner indoor unit 2 is in operation and the wind direction plate swings up / down / left / right, as indicated by the white arrow, A part of the screen during operation changes to a display indicating that communication is in progress. Here, when the communication is successful, as indicated by the white arrow, the LCD unit 15 of the remote controller 1 shows a swing display indicating a certain range, and then the up / down wind direction key 16c is pressed for the second and subsequent times. The operation of changing the direction of the wind direction plate is performed in the order indicated by the white arrows. As shown in FIG. 12, the order in which the change operation is performed changes cyclically in the order of “wind direction 1 (initial setting) → wind direction 2 → wind direction 3... → wind direction 8 → wind direction 1. As shown in FIG. 11, the relationship between the wind direction 1 to the wind direction 8 and the up-and-down wind direction state of the air conditioner corresponds to the downwinding in which the wind direction 1 is horizontal and the wind direction 8 is substantially vertical. Further, when the up / down wind direction key 16c is operated, the swing setting state can be canceled as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, after the swing state indicating a certain range is displayed on the LCD unit 15 of the remote controller 1, when the up / down wind direction key 16c is pressed for the second time, the swing state is canceled and the initial setting is performed. The setting can be changed in order from the wind direction 1. The operator then presses the up / down wind direction key 16c in order to change the setting from the wind direction 1 to the wind direction 4, and after 2.5 seconds, the up / down wind direction position is set at the last set position and the driver is driving. Return to the normal display.

  In the above description, the setting of the up / down swing and the up / down wind direction position has been described, but the left / right swing and the left / right wind direction setting operation are the same. However, as shown in FIG. 14, the right and left wind direction states (5 types) of the air conditioner are different from the up and down wind direction states (8 types) in that the number of wind directions is small. When the left / right wind direction key 16d shown in FIG. 3 is pressed in the left / right swing state, the swing state is canceled and the left / right wind direction setting operation is sequentially performed. Further, when the left / right wind direction key 16d is operated, the swing setting state can be canceled as shown in FIG.

  The air conditioner indoor unit 2 may transmit the information on the wind direction position of the wind direction plate 23 to the remote controller 1 even when an operation signal other than the change operation of the wind direction plate 23 is received. In this case, the frequency of updating the wind direction position information of the wind direction plate 23 is increased.

[Communication sequence between remote control and PC]
In addition, the remote controller 1 of this embodiment includes a USB socket 12 as an external connection terminal that is connected to a PC 3 that can manage the operation information of the air conditioner indoor unit 2. For this reason, by connecting the remote controller 1 and the PC 3 by USB, it becomes possible to collect the operation information of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 in the PC 3 via the remote controller 1, and the operation information of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 can be managed in the PC 3. .

  FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a communication procedure when log information is exchanged between the remote controller and the PC according to the present embodiment. According to the communication sequence between the air conditioner 1 and the remote controller 2 described above, a log of the air conditioner operating status stored in the EEPROM of the MPU board 14 of the remote controller 1 is transmitted to the PC 3. The EEPROM of the MPU board 14 of the remote controller 1 has a capacity capable of storing a log received from the air conditioner for a maximum of 40 days.

  First, when the remote control 1 and the PC 3 are connected via USB, a series of processing (enumeration) is performed until communication is possible by the USB driver, and communication is performed between the remote control 1 and the PC 3 upon completion of the enumeration. Becomes possible (step S85). During the enumeration, a display of “connection detection: USB connected” is displayed on the LCD unit 15 of the remote controller 1.

  When the enumeration is completed, the PC 3 requests air conditioner information from the remote controller 1 (step S86). In response to this, the remote controller 1 transmits the air conditioner information stored in the EEPROM of the MPU board 14 to the PC 3 (step S87). The air conditioner information includes air conditioner product name, series name, capacity band, indoor unit year, operating voltage, air conditioner MAC address, room information, and remote control type.

  The PC 3 compares the received air conditioner information with the managed air conditioner information, and identifies which air conditioner the received air conditioner information corresponds to. When managing a plurality of air conditioners in the PC 3, it is necessary to collate information about which air conditioner the received air conditioner corresponds to.

  Subsequently, the PC 3 requests the air conditioner operation setting information from the remote controller 1 in order to read the operation setting information (step S88). In response to this, the remote controller 1 transmits the air conditioner operation setting information stored in the EEPROM of the MPU board 14 to the PC 3 (step S89). The air conditioner operation setting information includes volume level, presence / absence of voice, absence eco switching, presence / absence of internal clean, maintenance time, presence / absence of energy saving fan, presence / absence of automatic power, and current switching.

  Subsequently, the PC 3 makes a log request to the remote controller 1 for reading the log (step S90). The remote controller 1 transmits log data in response to the log request from the PC 3 (step S91). The PC 3 and the remote controller 1 repeat the next data request and log data transmission (steps S92, S93, S94). The remote controller 1 transmits a log end to the PC 3 when there is no log data to be transmitted (step S95), and the log reading process in the PC 3 is completed. Thereafter, the USB connection connecting the PC 3 and the remote controller 1 is disconnected (step S96), and when the remote controller 1 is released from the communication mode with the PC 3, the display of the LCD unit 15 shifts to the normal display.

  As described above, the operation log of the air conditioner temporarily stored in the air conditioner indoor unit 2 (can be stored for up to 10 days) is transmitted to the remote controller 1 and stored (can be stored for up to 40 days). When the PC 3 is connected via USB, the log stored in the remote controller 1 is transferred to the PC 3 side. The PC 3 can manage the operation information of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 as shown in FIGS. 18 to 33 using the operation information management software installed in advance.

[Management of operation information on PC]
18 to 33 are diagrams illustrating examples of PC screens for managing air conditioner operation information based on log information acquired by the PC. First, the PC 3 displays a screen as shown in FIG. 18 by the operation information management software. When the operator clicks on the air conditioner selection tag 100 and clicks the “living 1” button 101 and clicks on the calendar tag 102, the daily operating time, electricity bill, and month of the “living 1” air conditioner are clicked. A calendar screen 103 on which unit, yearly electricity bill, monthly target electricity bill, etc. are displayed is displayed. Thereby, it becomes possible to continuously grasp the operation status and the electricity bill for each air conditioner, and it can be used for efficient use and setting of the air conditioner.

  When the PC 3 and the remote controller 1 are connected by USB, as shown in FIG. 19, the remote controller 1 is connected and a window 104 indicating that data is being received is displayed. Then, when new operation information is taken into the PC 3, the PC 3 has a screen in which the operation time up to the previous day and the electricity bill stored in the remote control 1 are added to the calendar screen 103 as shown in FIG. Is displayed.

  Subsequently, when the operator clicks the graph tag 105 on the screen from the state of FIG. 20, as shown in FIG. 21, a graph screen 106 in which the daily electricity bill is converted into a bar graph can be displayed. As a result, it is possible to grasp at a glance the increase or decrease in the electricity bill of the air conditioner for one month. Also, as the total electricity bill, the total of the air-conditioner electricity bill for this month's “Living 1”, the previous month's electricity bill, the annual electricity bill, the previous year's electricity bill, the monthly target electricity Since the cost is also displayed, it becomes possible to grasp the operating condition of the air conditioner from various perspectives.

  In addition, when the total room total button 108 of the air conditioner selection tag 100 is clicked on the screen of FIG. 21, the graph screen 106 in which the living room 1 button 101 and the bedroom 1 button 107 are totaled is different in color (if monochrome display, Displayed with a difference in density. Thereby, it is possible to grasp at a glance the total and the breakdown of the electricity bills of the air conditioners in all rooms. Further, the graph screen 106 is provided with a reduction button 109 and an enlargement button 110. For example, when the enlarge button 110 is clicked in the state shown in FIG. 22, the graph screen 106 can be enlarged and displayed as the graph rate changes as shown in FIG. This makes it possible to clearly grasp subtle changes in the electricity bill.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 24, the air conditioner selection tag 100 includes a living 1 button 101, a dining 1 button 111, a Japanese-style room 1 button 112, a bedroom 1 button 113, a children's room 1 button 114, other 1 button 115, and a children's room 2 button. If a large number of air conditioners are registered, clicking the all room total button 108 displays a graph of the total electricity bill for all rooms per day. In the graph of total electricity charges for all rooms in a day, since the electricity charges for each room are displayed in different colors (in the case of monochrome display, the concentration is different), the breakdown of the electricity charges for many air conditioners is also included. It can be grasped at a glance.

  In addition, when a specific date is clicked in the graph display shown in FIG. 22, a window 117 showing details of the driving situation on that day can be opened as shown in FIG. The window can display the total electricity bill, operating time, average outside air temperature, and the like for that room.

  Furthermore, the air conditioner setting confirmation screen 119 shown in FIG. 26 is a screen when the living room 1 button 101 of the air conditioner selection tag 100 is clicked and the air conditioner setting confirmation tag 118 is clicked. The air conditioner setting confirmation screen 119 can easily confirm details of the setting contents of the air conditioner registered in the living room 1 button 101 on the screen of the PC 3. In addition, since the air conditioner setting confirmation screen 119 displays the function of the setting content, when the operator changes the setting content, it can be changed while correctly understanding the setting content. Further, when the next page button 120 is clicked, an air conditioner setting confirmation screen 119 for the next page is displayed as shown in FIG. When changing the setting contents, when the setting contents to be changed are clicked, the changed contents are displayed in a menu, and the setting contents are changed by clicking the desired contents. To return to the air conditioner setting confirmation screen 119 on the previous page, the previous page button 121 is clicked. The changed setting information is sent from the PC 3 connected to the USB to the remote controller 1, and when the command or the like is sent from the remote controller 1 to the air conditioner indoor unit 2, the changed setting information is also sent. The setting of the air conditioner indoor unit 2 is changed.

  In the calendar display of FIG. 20, when the one-point advice button 123 shown in FIG. 28 is clicked, a one-point advice window 122 is opened, and advice for efficiently using the air conditioner is displayed to the operator. The When there are a plurality of one-point advice windows 122, another one-point advice window 122 can be opened by clicking the next page button 122a or the previous page button 122b (see FIG. 29).

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 30, when the file management tag 124 next to the air conditioner selection tag 100 is clicked, data is written to a read button 125 for reading data from a CD-ROM or the like, a CD-R or the like. Export button 126 to perform, model delete button 127 to delete the air conditioner model registered in the air conditioner selection tag, file button 128 to write a file to a flexible disk (FD), etc., this software for displaying help of this PC software Button 129 and a button 130 for the software for displaying the name, provider, version information, etc. of the PC software. For example, when the model deletion button 127 is clicked, a window 131 as shown in FIG. 31 is opened and a list of registered models is displayed. For example, when the living room 1 button 131 is clicked, a confirmation window 132 for confirmation of deletion is opened as shown in FIG. 32, and deletion or cancellation is canceled by clicking “Yes” or “No”. it can.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 33, when the button 130 is clicked for this software of the file management tag 124, the name of the PC software, the name of the provider, and the release date (not shown) are displayed. 133 is displayed.

  Thus, the air conditioner according to the present embodiment is bi-directional even when the air conditioner indoor unit 2 performs the automatic operation mode or the dew control operation and the direction of the wind direction plate is automatically changed. By using the communication function, it is possible to accurately set the position of the wind direction plate after grasping the current position of the wind direction plate of the air conditioner indoor unit 2. In particular, in this embodiment, even if the operator does not know that there is a function to display the current direction of the wind direction plate on the remote control side, the current wind direction position can be determined by pressing the first wind direction key (up / down / left / right). Is displayed, and when the second and subsequent wind direction keys are pressed within a predetermined time (in this case, within 2.5 seconds), the wind direction position of the wind direction plate is cyclically changed. It can be a good air conditioner.

  The air conditioner according to the present embodiment not only grasps and sets the angle of the fixed wind direction plate when controlling the direction of the wind direction plate, but also moves the wind direction plate within a certain range. Even in the swing mode, the state of the wind direction plate can be displayed on the remote controller, and the wind direction position can be set for the wind direction plate during the swing.

  In the air conditioner according to the present embodiment, the case where the operator performs the wind direction changing operation has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the wind direction plate is used when the air conditioner changes to cooling, heating, or dew operation. Direction information is automatically transmitted to the remote control side, the position of the wind direction plate is displayed on the remote control side that has received the information, and the direction information of the wind direction plate is stored in the memory 14a of the MPU board 14. good.

  Further, in the air conditioner according to the present embodiment, the current wind direction plate position can be displayed on the remote control, so even in the automatic operation mode in which the air conditioner automatically switches to cooling, heating, and dew operation. The current operation mode can be estimated to some extent only by looking at the operating range of the up and down wind direction plates. This is based on the fact that in the heating operation, the wind direction plate swings about the downward direction, and in the cooling operation, the wind direction plate often swings about the horizontal.

  As described above, the air conditioner according to the present invention is useful when bidirectional communication is possible between the air conditioner body and the remote controller, and in particular, the direction of the wind direction plate of the air conditioner body is controlled by the remote controller. Suitable for changeable air conditioners.

1 Remote controller (remote control)
11 RF module 12 USB socket 13 IRLED
14 MPU board 14a Memory 15 LCD unit 16 Key operation unit 17 RTC (real time clock)
18 battery 2 air conditioner (air conditioner)
21 RF module 22 MPU board 23 Wind direction plate 24 Wind direction plate change unit 25 Wind direction plate grasping unit

Claims (5)

An air conditioner comprising: an air conditioner body capable of changing the direction of the wind direction plate; and a remote controller for changing the wind direction position of the wind direction plate of the air conditioner body,
The air conditioner body is
Body receiving means for receiving an operation signal for operating the air conditioner body from the remote control;
Based on the operation signal received by the main body reception means, main body transmission means for transmitting information on the wind direction position of the current wind direction plate to the remote control;
With
The remote control is
Operation signal generating means for generating the operation signal for operating the air conditioner body;
Remote control transmission means for transmitting the operation signal to the air conditioner body;
Remote control receiving means for receiving information on the wind direction position of the wind direction plate transmitted from the air conditioner body;
Display means for displaying the current wind direction position of the wind direction plate based on the information of the wind direction position of the wind direction plate received by the remote control receiving means;
An air conditioner characterized by comprising: The air conditioner main body further includes wind direction plate changing means for changing the direction of the wind direction plate based on an operation signal for changing the wind direction position of the wind direction plate from the remote controller.
If the operation signal for changing the wind direction position of the wind direction plate is received from the remote controller within a predetermined time after transmitting the information on the current wind direction position of the wind direction plate to the remote control, the wind direction position change means is used by the wind direction plate changing means. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the wind direction position of the wind direction plate is changed based on an operation signal for performing a change operation.   When the wind direction position of the wind direction plate of the air conditioner main body repeatedly moves within a predetermined range, the main body transmission means transmits information on the movement range of the wind direction position of the wind direction plate to the remote control. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the display unit of the remote controller displays a moving range of a wind direction position of the wind direction plate.   2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the wind direction plate of the air conditioner body is capable of changing a direction in at least one of a vertical direction and a horizontal direction. The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising storage means for storing information on the direction of the wind direction plate received by the remote control receiving means.

Images