JPH11294833A - Multi-room air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a multi-room air-conditioning apparatus which can select an air-conditioning mode from an indoor unit side, has a simple configuration, can be manufactured at low cost, and can easily cope with a change in the number of air-conditioning rooms. SOLUTION: An indoor unit 7 in a plurality of rooms is connected to a heat source unit 1 for supplying cold and hot water. In addition, an indoor unit controller 12 that requests the heat source unit 1 to supply cold and hot water at a required temperature is arranged in each of the indoor units 7. Further, an indoor unit controller 11 for controlling the indoor unit 7 in accordance with the temperature of the supplied cold / hot water and a heat source unit operating unit 6 for setting the temperature of the cold / hot water are provided. further,
A heat source unit controller (2) for controlling the output of the heat source unit (1) for a required temperature of cold / hot water according to a supply request from the indoor unit operating unit (12) is provided. As a result, the signal form between the indoor unit 7 and the heat source unit 1 is not bidirectional, and the air conditioner mode is selected by the indoor unit controller 7 to obtain the required air conditioner action with cold and hot water.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multi-room air conditioner for supplying cold and hot water to indoor units provided in a plurality of rooms by using a heat source unit for air conditioning.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 and FIG.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a conventional multi-room air conditioner disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 368, FIG. 7 is an air conditioner circuit diagram conceptually showing the structure of the device, and FIG. 8 is a signal circuit diagram of the device in FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a heat source device, a heat source device controller 2, a heating / cooling device 3 controlled by the heat source device controller 2, a heat exchanger 4 and a heat exchanger arranged opposite to the heating / cooling device 3. It is constituted by a pump 5 connected to 4.

[0003] Reference numeral 6 denotes a heat source unit operating unit comprising a remote controller connected to the heat source unit controller 2, and 7 denotes an indoor unit comprising fan coil units installed in a plurality of rooms, respectively. A heat valve 9 connected to the heat exchanger 8, a blower 10 arranged opposite the heat exchanger 8, and an indoor unit controller 11 connected to the heat valve 9 and the blower 10. Reference numeral 12 denotes an indoor unit controller including a remote controller connected to the indoor unit controller 11.

[0004] 13 is an outgoing line connecting the pump 5 of the heat source unit 1 and the heat valve 9 of each indoor unit 7 in parallel, and 14 is a heat exchanger of the heat exchanger 4 of the heat source unit 1 and each indoor unit 7. Return line for connecting the heaters 8 in parallel, 15 is an indoor unit signal line wired between the heat source unit 1 and the indoor unit 7, and 16 is a heat source unit wired between the heat source unit 1 and the heat source unit operation unit 6. This is a signal line.

[0005] The conventional multi-room air conditioner is configured as described above, and when the room is air-conditioned, the user operates the indoor unit controller 12 of the room to select an air-conditioning mode such as cooling or heating. Command. Thereby, the indoor unit controller 11
Is transmitted to the heat source unit 1 via the indoor unit signal line 15, and the thermal valve 9 is opened to energize the blower 10 to start the air conditioning operation. In the heat source unit 1, the pump 5 operates according to a command from the indoor unit 7, and the heating / cooling device 3 is controlled so that cold / hot water having a temperature corresponding to the command, that is, low-temperature water during cooling or the like, For example, cold / hot water composed of high-temperature water is supplied to the indoor unit 7.

[0006]

In the conventional multi-room air conditioner as described above, since cold or hot water is supplied from the heat source unit 1, the air conditioner using the cold / hot water at that temperature in the indoor unit 7 is used. Only action is obtained. That is, even if cooling or heating can be selected by the indoor unit controller 12, there is a problem that the temperature of the cold / hot water supplied from the heat source unit 1 is not appropriate and a required air conditioning operation cannot be obtained.

In response to such a problem, the user is informed that the temperature of the cold and hot water is inappropriate by performing two-way communication between the heat source unit 1 and the indoor unit 7 through the indoor unit signal line 15. You. Regarding the method of determining the air conditioning mode of the heat source unit 1, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H5-60368 describes the method.
A method for automatically determining, for example, driving according to the air conditioning mode requested first, and the like are shown. When the temperature of the cold / hot water is inappropriate on the indoor unit 7 side, it is common to close the thermal valve 9 and deactivate the blower 10 to stop the operation.

In the configuration in which the two-way communication is performed between the heat source unit 1 and the indoor unit 7 by the indoor unit signal line 15 as described above, a device having a high function can be obtained by performing the two-way communication. The apparatus is complicated and expensive, and it takes a lot of trouble to add the indoor unit 7 for address management and the like in terms of communication. In the case of a commercial air conditioner or the like, which has a large scale, the response of the temperature of the cold and hot water becomes slow due to operation management and the operating characteristics of the heat source unit 1. The operability of the user is improved.

However, when the air conditioner is a small-sized air conditioner for a private house or the like, the device becomes complicated and expensive, and it takes a lot of trouble to add an indoor unit 7 for address management in communication. There was a problem. In addition, there is a simple air conditioner that does not select the air conditioning mode on the indoor unit 7 side and unilaterally determines the air conditioning mode on the heat source unit 1 side. However, in such a simple air conditioner, low-temperature cold / hot water is used in the indoor unit 7 for a dehumidifying mode or a cooling mode, or high-temperature cold / hot water is used for reheat dehumidification.
There is a problem that it is not suitable for enhancing the function of the indoor unit 7 that enables the indoor unit 7 to select various air conditioning modes.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and has a simple configuration, can easily cope with a change in the number of air-conditioning rooms, and can select an air-conditioning mode from the indoor unit side. The purpose is to obtain a room air conditioner.

[0011]

In a multi-room air conditioner according to the present invention, a heat source unit that generates and supplies cold and hot water, and a heat source unit installed in each of a plurality of rooms and connected to the heat source unit and connected to the heat source unit by the cold and hot water An indoor unit that performs air-conditioning operation, an indoor unit operation device that is arranged in each of the indoor units and configured to be capable of selecting an air-conditioning mode, and is operated to request supply of cold / hot water of a required temperature to the heat source unit; An indoor unit controller that controls and operates in accordance with the temperature of the supplied cold and hot water arranged in each of the units, and a heat source device operating unit that sets the temperature of the cold and hot water,
A heat source unit controller for controlling an output of the heat source unit with respect to a required temperature of the cold / hot water in response to a supply request from the indoor unit operation unit.

In the multi-room air conditioner according to the present invention, when the temperature of the supplied cold and hot water is higher than a required low temperature, and when the temperature of the cold and hot water is lower than the required high temperature, An indoor unit controller having a function of reducing the output of the blower of the indoor unit is provided.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an air conditioning circuit diagram conceptually showing the structure of the device, FIG. 2 is a signal circuit diagram of the device in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a device arrangement of the signal circuit of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control operation of the heat source unit of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a determination operation of the temperature of the cold / hot water of the indoor unit of FIG. is there. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a heat source device, a heat source device controller 2, a heating / cooling device 3 controlled by the heat source device controller 2, a heat exchanger 4 and a heat exchanger arranged opposite to the heating / cooling device 3. It is constituted by a pump 5 connected to 4.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a heat source unit operating unit comprising a remote controller connected to the heat source unit controller 2, and 7 denotes an indoor unit comprising a fan coil unit installed in each of a plurality of rooms. A heat valve 9 connected to the heat exchanger 8, a blower 10 arranged opposite the heat exchanger 8, and an indoor unit controller 11 connected to the heat valve 9 and the blower 10. Reference numeral 12 denotes an indoor unit controller including a remote controller connected to the indoor unit controller 11.

Reference numeral 13 denotes an outgoing line connecting the pump 5 of the heat source unit 1 and the heat valve 9 of each indoor unit 7 in parallel, and reference numeral 14 denotes heat exchange between the heat exchanger 4 of the heat source unit 1 and each indoor unit 7. Return line for connecting the heaters 8 in parallel, 15 is an indoor unit signal line wired between the heat source unit 1 and the indoor unit 7, and 16 is a heat source unit wired between the heat source unit 1 and the heat source unit operation unit 6. A signal line 17 is a temperature detector provided between the heat exchanger 8 and the heat valve 9.

In the multi-room air conditioner constructed as described above, if the cooling operation is started by the indoor unit 7 now, the air conditioning load is applied to step 2 in FIG.
If it is determined that the chilled water is necessary in step 01, the process proceeds to step 202. If it is not determined that the chilled water is required, the process proceeds to step 209 to return to step 201 without requesting the supply of the chilled and hot water. Then, in step 202, the supply of cold / hot water is requested.

The cold / hot water supply request is instructed to the heat source unit 1 via the indoor unit signal line 15. This cold / hot water supply request signal is only in one direction from the indoor unit 7 to the heat source unit 1,
No response from the heat source unit 1 is required. Then, if there is a cold / hot water supply request from the indoor unit 7 in step 101 in FIG.
Is energized. Then, the process proceeds to step 103, in which the heat source device controller 2 controls the heating and cooling water so that the temperature of the cold / hot water determined by the heat source device operation device 6 corresponding to the air conditioning mode is reached.
The cooling device 3 is controlled.

If it is determined in step 101 that there is no cold / hot water supply request, the process proceeds to step 104, where the pump 5 is deactivated, and the process proceeds to step 105, where the heat source device controller 2 remains deactivated. Note that the temperature of the cold / hot water supplied to the indoor unit 7 is determined by the heat source unit operation unit 6.

Next, the program proceeds from step 202 to step 203 in FIG. 5 to detect the temperature of the cold / hot water supplied by the temperature detector 17, and goes to step 204 if the temperature of the cold / hot water is low enough for cooling. Proceeding to step 205, it is determined that the air conditioning operation is normal. Step 204
If the temperature of the cold / hot water is not suitable for cooling in step 206,
Proceed to. Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed in step 206, the process proceeds to step 207, in which the temperature of the cold / hot water is determined to be unsuitable, and the process proceeds to step 208 to determine the air conditioning operation abnormality.

As described above, when the temperature of the cold / hot water is set by the heat source unit operating device 6, the temperature of the cold / hot water is detected on the indoor unit 7 side to judge the inappropriateness of the cooling operation in the air conditioning mode. Thus, the air-conditioning operation abnormality can be notified. Further, since the signal form between the indoor unit 7 and the heat source unit 1 is one-way signal transmission, a simple and inexpensive configuration in which contacts are provided on the indoor unit 7 side as shown in FIG. 3 can be achieved. Furthermore, there is no restriction on the number of indoor units 7, and it is possible to easily cope with an increase or decrease in the number of indoor units 7.

Further, since the temperature of the cold / hot water is set by the heat source device operating device 6, even if the indoor unit 7 determines that the air conditioning operation is abnormal, the temperature of the cold / hot water of the heat source device operating device 6 is set. Can be determined by checking and re-operating.
Therefore, the operation procedure can be made simple and easy for the user to understand.

As described above, the indoor unit 7 and the heat source unit 1
The air conditioner mode such as cooling and heating can be selected on the indoor unit 7 side without making the signal form bidirectional.
In addition to such an operation, air conditioning effects such as cooling and heating can be obtained by the cold and hot water, and the multi-room air can be manufactured at a low cost with a simple configuration and can easily cope with an increase or decrease in the number of indoor units 7. A harmony device can be obtained.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the temperature of the supplied hot / cold water is detected by a temperature detector 17 provided between the heat exchanger 8 and the thermal valve 9 of the indoor unit 7. ing. However, by detecting the temperature of the supplied cold / hot water at an appropriate position, such as detecting the temperature of the pipe in the outward pipe 13, the same operation as in the above-described embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5 can be obtained. be able to.

Embodiment 2 FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of another embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing an output state of a blower of an indoor unit. Note that, other than FIG. 6, a multi-room air conditioner is configured in the same manner as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5 described above. In FIG. 6, the upper limit of the cooling operation of the blower 10 of the indoor unit 7 is illustrated. The air supply for cooling operation is stopped. Then, the upper limit of the amount of air blown by the blower 10 is controlled to increase as the temperature of the supplied cold / hot water decreases.

That is, the amount of air blown by the blower 10 is proportional to the cooling amount of the indoor unit 7 corresponding to the blower 10 and is also proportional to the cooling load of the heat source unit 1 itself. In this way, the air conditioning capability, that is, the load on the heat source unit 1 is controlled according to the temperature of the cold / hot water supplied on the indoor unit 7 side. Thereby, the temperature drop of the cold / hot water by the heat source device 1 can be promoted, the inappropriate temperature of the cold / hot water can be determined at an early stage, and the air conditioning operation can be performed at an early stage.

As a result, an efficient air conditioning operation can be obtained at an early stage, and the comfort of the room provided with the indoor unit 7 can be efficiently improved. Although the control of the air blowing for the cooling operation has been described above, the same operation as the cooling operation can be obtained by performing the control according to the cooling operation also during the heating operation.

[0027]

As described above, the present invention relates to a heat source unit that generates and supplies cold and hot water, and an indoor unit that is installed in each of a plurality of rooms and is connected to the heat source unit and performs air conditioning operation with the cold and hot water. An indoor unit operation device that is arranged in each of the indoor units so that the air conditioning mode can be selected, and is operated to request supply of cold and hot water of a required temperature to the heat source unit;
An indoor unit controller that controls and operates in accordance with the temperature of the supplied chilled / hot water disposed in the indoor unit, a heat source unit operating unit that sets the temperature of the chilled / hot water, and a cooling / heating device that is supplied by a request from the indoor unit operating unit. A heat source device controller for controlling an output of the heat source device with respect to a required temperature of water.

With this, the air conditioner mode such as cooling and heating can be selected by the indoor unit operation unit on the indoor unit side without making the signal form between the indoor unit and the heat source unit bidirectional. Thereby, air conditioning functions such as cooling and heating can be obtained. Accordingly, there is an effect that the manufacturing cost is reduced with a simple configuration, and that the response to the increase / decrease in the number of indoor units is facilitated.

In the multi-room air conditioner according to the present invention, when the temperature of the supplied cold and hot water is higher than a required low temperature, and when the temperature of the cold and hot water is lower than the required high temperature, An indoor unit controller having a function of reducing the output of the blower of the indoor unit is provided.

Thus, the air conditioner mode such as cooling and heating can be selected by the indoor unit controller on the indoor unit side without making the signal form between the indoor unit and the heat source unit bidirectional. Air conditioning effects such as cooling and heating can be obtained. Accordingly, there is an effect that the manufacturing cost is reduced with a simple configuration, and that the response to the increase / decrease in the number of indoor units is facilitated. In addition, when the temperature of the cold and hot water is higher than the required low temperature, and when the temperature of the cold and hot water is lower than the required high temperature, the output of the indoor unit blower decreases. Is suppressed. As a result, an efficient air-conditioning action can be obtained at an early stage, and there is an effect of promoting improvement in the comfort of the room provided with the indoor unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, and is an air conditioning circuit diagram conceptually showing a configuration of an apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a signal circuit diagram of the device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a device arrangement of the signal circuit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control operation of the heat source device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of determining the temperature of cold and hot water in the indoor unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the second embodiment of the present invention, and is a graph showing an output state of a blower of an indoor unit.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a conventional multi-room air conditioner, and is an air conditioner circuit diagram conceptually showing the structure of the device.

FIG. 8 is a signal circuit diagram of the device of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 heat source unit, 2 heat source unit controller, 6 heat source unit operation unit, 7
Indoor unit, 10 blower, 11 indoor unit controller, 12
Indoor unit controller.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A heat source unit that generates and supplies cold and hot water, an indoor unit that is installed in each of a plurality of rooms, is connected to the heat source unit, and performs air-conditioning operation with the cold and hot water, and is disposed in the indoor unit. The air conditioning mode is configured to be selectable, and the indoor unit operating device that is operated and requests the heat source unit to supply the hot and cold water at a required temperature, and the indoor unit operating unit that is arranged and supplied to the indoor unit, respectively. An indoor unit controller that performs a control operation in accordance with the temperature of the cold / hot water, a heat source unit operating unit that sets the temperature of the cold / hot water, and the heat source that reaches the required temperature of the cold / hot water according to a supply request from the indoor unit operating unit A multi-room air conditioner comprising a heat source device controller for controlling the output of the device. 2. A function for lowering the output of the blower of the indoor unit when the temperature of the supplied cold / hot water is higher than a required low temperature and when the temperature of the cold / hot water is lower than the required high temperature. The multi-room air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the multi-room air conditioner has an indoor unit controller.