Air conditioning system and control method of air conditioning system

Abstract

The application discloses an air conditioning system and a control method thereof, and relates to the technical field of air conditioners, and aims at solving the problem that the energy consumption of an air conditioning system is high due to the cold island effect caused by the too close distance between multiple air source heat pump units during heating. The method comprises the following steps: determining the total number of air source heat pump units that need to be started in order to match the first load demand of the air conditioning system; determining the number of rounds of starting units and the number of units that need to be started in each round according to the total number of units and the number of regions of multiple regions divided according to the multiple air source heat pump units; and starting the heat pump units that need to be started in each round according to the positions of the air source heat pump units in each region and preset unit screening rules.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of air conditioning technology, and in particular to an air conditioning system and a control method for the air conditioning system. Background Technology

[0002] As users' living standards improve, air conditioning systems are playing an increasingly important role in their daily lives.

[0003] Currently, heat pump units are mainly used as the heat source for heating in air conditioning systems to meet users' heating needs.

[0004] However, in practical applications, when heat pump units are used for heating in winter, multiple heat pump units in the heat pump unit group are often turned on in the same area. Due to the close proximity of multiple heat pump units, the evaporation temperature of the heat pump units is reduced, resulting in a cold island effect between multiple heat pump units, which increases the energy consumption of the air conditioning system. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present invention provide an air conditioning system and a control method for the air conditioning system, which solves the problem that when multiple heat pump units are heating, a cold island effect is formed due to their close proximity, resulting in high energy consumption of the air conditioning system.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present invention adopt the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides an air conditioning system, including: a heat pump unit group, the heat pump unit group including multiple heat pump units, the heat pump unit group being a group of equipment that provides a heat source in the air conditioning system;

[0008] A controller, coupled to the heat pump unit group, is configured to control the activation or deactivation of some heat pump units within the heat pump unit group. The controller is further configured to: determine the total number of heat pump units that need to be activated to match the first load demand of the air conditioning system; determine the number of rounds for activating the heat pump units and the number of heat pump units to be activated in each round based on the total number of the first units and the number of zones into which the multiple heat pump units are divided; and activate the heat pump units to be activated in each round based on the location of the heat pump units in each zone and preset unit selection rules.

[0009] Therefore, this application first determines the total number of heat pump units that need to be activated to match the initial load demand of the air conditioning system. Then, based on the total number of units and the number of zones divided by the multiple heat pump units, it determines the number of rounds of unit activation and the number of units to be activated in each round. Finally, based on the location of the heat pump units in each zone and preset unit selection rules, the heat pump units to be activated in each round are activated. Compared to existing technologies, when a heat pump unit group is operating for heating in winter, multiple heat pump units in the group often operate simultaneously in the same zone. This application, by activating units according to the location of the heat pump units in each zone and preset unit selection rules, avoids multiple heat pump units operating simultaneously in the same zone, thus reducing the energy consumption of the air conditioning system.

[0010] In some embodiments, when determining the heat pump units to be activated in the first round, activating the heat pump units to be activated in each round, based on the location of the heat pump units in each region and a preset unit selection rule, includes: determining the first unit among the unactivated heat pump units in the first region of multiple regions, and designating the first unit as the main unit. Then, sequentially determining the second unit corresponding to each of the remaining regions (excluding the first region), wherein for any of the remaining regions, the selected second unit is the heat pump unit furthest from the main unit in that region.

[0011] In some embodiments, when determining the heat pump units to be activated in any subsequent round, the activation of the heat pump units to be activated in each round, based on the location of the heat pump units in each region and a preset unit selection rule, includes: for each of the multiple regions, taking each of the unactivated heat pump units in each region as the center, determining the number of activated first heat pump units within the radius of their respective region. Based on the number of activated first heat pump units within the radius of each unactivated heat pump unit in each region, determining the third unit corresponding to each region, wherein the third unit is the heat pump unit with the fewest activated first heat pump units within its radius.

[0012] In some embodiments, the preset unit selection rules further include: for any heat pump unit determination process after the first round, if there are multiple heat pump units with the fewest first heat pump units in any of the multiple regions, the heat pump unit with the shortest operating time among the multiple heat pump units is selected as the third unit.

[0013] In some embodiments, after the heat pump unit to be turned on has been running for a first preset time, the controller is further configured to determine a second load demand of the air conditioning system. When the second load demand is greater than the first load demand, the controller is further configured to continue turning on at least one heat pump unit in multiple zones according to a preset unit selection rule. When the second load demand is less than the first load demand, the controller is further configured to turn off at least one heat pump unit with the longest running time among the heat pump units already turned on in multiple zones, based on the running time of each unit among the heat pump units already turned on in multiple zones. The at least one heat pump unit is determined based on the difference between the total number of second units and the total number of first units of heat pump units to be turned on to match the second load demand.

[0014] Secondly, this application provides a control method for an air conditioning system. The method includes: determining a first total number of heat pump units that need to be activated to match the first load demand of the air conditioning system; determining the number of rounds of activating the heat pump units and the number of heat pump units to be activated in each round based on the total number of first units and the number of zones into which the multiple heat pump units are divided; and activating the heat pump units to be activated in each round based on the location of the heat pump units in each zone and preset unit selection rules.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the second aspect can be referenced from the first aspect, and will not be elaborated here.

[0016] In some embodiments, when determining the heat pump units to be activated in the first round, activating the heat pump units to be activated in each round, based on the location of the heat pump units in each region and a preset unit selection rule, includes: determining the first unit DIP switch among the unit DIP switches of the unactivated heat pump units in the first region of multiple regions, and designating the heat pump unit corresponding to the first unit DIP switch as the main unit. Then, sequentially determining the second unit corresponding to each region in the remaining regions of multiple regions, excluding the first region, wherein for any region in the remaining regions, the selected second unit is the heat pump unit furthest from the main unit in that region.

[0017] In some embodiments, when determining the heat pump units to be activated in any round after the first round, activating the heat pump units to be activated in each round, based on the location of the heat pump units in each region and a preset unit selection rule, includes: for each of the multiple regions, taking each heat pump unit among the unactivated heat pump units in each region as the center, determining the number of first heat pump units that have been activated within the radius of their respective region for each heat pump unit. Based on the number of first heat pump units among the unactivated heat pump units in each region within the radius, determining the third unit corresponding to each region, wherein the third unit is the heat pump unit with the fewest number of first heat pump units within the radius of the third unit.

[0018] In some embodiments, the preset unit selection rules further include: for any heat pump unit determination process after the first round, if there are multiple heat pump units with the fewest first heat pump units in any of the multiple regions, the heat pump unit with the shortest operating time among the multiple heat pump units is selected as the third unit.

[0019] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining a second load demand for the air conditioning system after the heat pump unit to be turned on has been running for a first preset time. When the second load demand is greater than the first load demand, at least one heat pump unit in multiple areas continues to be turned on according to a preset unit selection rule. When the second load demand is less than the first load demand, at least one heat pump unit with the longest running time among the heat pump units already turned on in multiple areas is turned off, based on the running time of each unit among the heat pump units already turned on in multiple areas. The at least one heat pump unit is determined based on the difference between the total number of second units and the total number of first units of heat pump units to be turned on to match the second load demand. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an air conditioning system 100;

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the heat pump units in an existing group of operating heat pump units;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another existing group of operating heat pump units;

[0023] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating a process provided in this application;

[0024] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the regional division and coordinate system establishment of multiple air source heat pump units provided in this application;

[0025] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of DIP switches and coordinate numbering for multiple air source heat pump units provided in this application;

[0026] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an air conditioning system control method provided in this application;

[0027] Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of a controller controlling the first round of activation provided in this application;

[0028] Figure 9 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of controller controlling each subsequent activation after the first activation, provided in this application;

[0029] Figure 10A schematic diagram illustrating the radius range of an unactivated air source heat pump unit provided in this application;

[0030] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating an air conditioning system control method provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0033] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the term "coupled" should be interpreted broadly. For example, it can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances. Furthermore, when describing pipelines or channels, the term "coupled" as used in this application has the meaning of conducting electricity. The specific meaning needs to be understood in conjunction with the context.

[0034] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0035] The embodiments of this application are applied to the equipment frame of air-cooled modular unit groups or air source heat pump unit groups.

[0036] Air-cooled modular air conditioning units are integrated central air conditioning systems based on modular technology, using air as the cooling medium and serving as both a cooling and heating source. Typically, air-cooled modular air conditioning units are divided into single-cooling and heat pump types. Air-cooled modular air conditioning units generally refer to heat pump type units, also known as air-cooled heat pump units.

[0037] Air-cooled modular units have advantages such as high efficiency, low noise, reasonable structure, simple operation, safe operation, and convenient installation and maintenance. They are widely used in public places such as hotels, shopping malls, office buildings, exhibition halls, airports, and stadiums, and can meet the different requirements of air conditioning systems in industries such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, biology, textiles, chemicals, metallurgy, power, and machinery.

[0038] Among them, air-cooled heat pump units integrate cooling and heating functions, providing both cooling and heating, achieving summer cooling and winter heating, serving multiple purposes in one unit. Therefore, air-cooled heat pump units are usually the preferred solution in HVAC engineering designs that require year-round air conditioning but lack heating boilers, heating networks, or other stable and reliable heat sources. This unit can be combined with fan coil units, cabinet-type or ceiling-mounted air handling units, and fresh air units to form a semi-centralized air conditioning system. It has many advantages of fan coil unit systems, including flexible layout, beautiful appearance, saving building space, convenient adjustment, independent start-up and shutdown without affecting other rooms, and low operating noise.

[0039] Typically, an air-cooled heat pump unit is a circulating system consisting of a compressor, heat exchanger, throttling device, heat absorber, and compressor.

[0040] An air source heat pump unit is a closed system consisting of four main components: an evaporator, a condenser, a compressor, and an expansion valve. This closed system is filled with a suitable amount of working fluid. Based on the reverse Cartesian cycle principle, the liquid working fluid first absorbs heat from the air in the evaporator and evaporates to form steam (vaporization). The latent heat of vaporization is the recovered heat. Then, it is compressed into a high-temperature, high-pressure gas by the compressor and enters the condenser to condense back into liquid (liquefaction), transferring the absorbed heat to the water that needs heating. The liquid working fluid then expands and depressurizes through the expansion valve, returning to the expansion valve to absorb heat and evaporate again, completing one cycle. This process is repeated continuously, absorbing heat from a low-temperature source and outputting the heated water to directly reach the user's desired temperature.

[0041] like Figure 1 The diagram shows the architecture of an air conditioning system 100, which includes a heat pump unit group 101 and a controller 102. The heat pump unit group 101 includes multiple heat pump units 1011. Each heat pump unit 101 includes a main unit and the rest are sub-units. The main unit and sub-units are connected via communication lines, and the main unit can control the operation of the sub-units. Depending on the operating time of the heat pump unit 1011, a sub-unit can be switched to become the main unit to extend the service life of the heat pump unit 1011.

[0042] The heat pump unit group 101 is a group of devices in the air conditioning system 100 that provides a heat source. Multiple air source heat pump units are configured to absorb heat from the air to heat water.

[0043] Each heat pump unit 1011 can be an air-cooled heat pump unit or an air source heat pump unit as described above, or it can be other types of heat pump units, which are not limited in this application.

[0044] Controller 102 is coupled to heat pump unit group 101 and is configured to control the on / off of some heat pump units 1011 within the heat pump unit group 101. Controller 102 is a general term for switching devices primarily used to control electrical equipment, as well as combinations of these switching devices and related control, measurement, protection, and regulation equipment. It includes the assembly consisting of these devices and equipment, along with associated internal connections, accessories, housings, and supports.

[0045] In some embodiments, the controller 102 can also be a terminal device. A terminal device can be a device with transceiver capabilities. Terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water (such as on ships); and they can be deployed in the air (e.g., on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). Terminal devices include handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, or computing devices with wireless communication capabilities. For example, a terminal device can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, or computer or smart speaker with wireless transceiver capabilities. Terminal devices can also be virtual reality terminal devices, augmented reality terminal devices, wireless terminal devices in industrial control, wireless terminal devices in autonomous driving, wireless terminal devices in telemedicine, wireless terminal devices in smart grids, wireless terminal devices in smart cities, wireless terminal devices in smart homes, etc.

[0046] To reduce the energy consumption of air conditioning systems, one approach is to control the compressors in the air source heat pump units (excluding the main unit) to start and stop individually based on their operating time. However, this traditional load-bearing strategy, which balances the lifespan of the compressors, does not consider the impact of the placement of air source heat pump units within a cluster on energy efficiency during actual use. For example, if all air source heat pump units in a certain area of ​​a cluster are operating in heating mode, the "cold island effect" can cause a decrease in their efficiency and heating capacity, leading to a vicious cycle of repeated frosting and defrosting.

[0047] For example, the number of multiple heat pump units 1011 can be 16, 36, or 64. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a heat pump unit 1011 in a conventional group of operating heat pump units 101 is shown. Figure 2 It can be seen that multiple heat pump units 1011 are concentrated in the middle area, for example Figure 2 Sixteen heat pump units (1011) were activated in the central area.

[0048] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of another existing group of operating heat pump units.

[0049] like Figure 3 As shown, multiple heat pump units 1011 are concentrated in the corner area. Figure 3 A total of 22 heat pump units were started in China.

[0050] Combination Figure 2 and Figure 3 It is known that currently, when the heat pump unit group 101 is in heating mode, multiple heat pump units 1011 are usually concentrated in the central and corner areas. The close proximity of the heat pump units 1011 leads to a cold island effect, increasing the energy consumption of the heat pump units 1011. Furthermore, due to… Figure 2 It can be seen that the number of heat pump units 1011 that are turned on and running in some areas is relatively large, while the number of heat pump units 1011 that are turned on and running simultaneously in other areas is relatively small, which has caused the problem of uneven load distribution of heat pump unit group 101.

[0051] Another approach is to add a flow guide device to the exhaust vent of the heat pump unit 1011 to concentrate and exhaust the cold air away from the unit group. However, this method requires a large investment and the construction of the flow guide device is also more difficult.

[0052] In view of this, this application proposes a control method for an air conditioning system. By mapping the coordinate position of the heat pump units to the DIP switches, and by analyzing the relationship between the ambient temperature and operating time of each heat pump unit, the system enables the grouping and control of heat pump units at different locations for start-up and shutdown. This avoids the problem of cold island effect caused by the concentrated operation of adjacent heat pump units, and reduces the energy consumption of the heat pump unit group.

[0053] To prevent multiple heat pump units 1011 from operating simultaneously during heating, the air conditioning system 100 adds an extra step before the controller 102 controls the start or stop of some of the heat pump units 1011: the controller 102 divides the multiple heat pump units 1011 into zones and establishes a coordinate system. Then, it controls the start or stop of the heat pump units 1011 according to these zone groups.

[0054] like Figure 4 The diagram shown is a flowchart of one of the processes provided in this application.

[0055] S401 and controller 102 divide the multiple heat pump units 1011 into regions and establish a coordinate system.

[0056] For example, the staff can install multiple heat pump units 1011 in different areas according to the site conditions of the project, and the controller 102 can divide the locations of the multiple heat pump units 1011 into areas.

[0057] like Figure 5 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of the area division and coordinate system establishment of multiple heat pump units 1011 provided in this application.

[0058] Depend on Figure 5 As can be seen, the multiple heat pump units 1011 are divided into four regions: A, B, C, and D. The number of heat pump units 1011 in each region is equal. In some embodiments, the number of heat pump units 1011 in each region may also be unequal, and this application does not limit this. The number of regions is not limited to four, and this application does not limit this. This application describes the system with four regions.

[0059] A coordinate system for multiple heat pump units 1011 was established by arranging them at equal intervals in the horizontal and vertical directions within the area where the units are located.

[0060] S402, controller 102 marks each heat pump unit 1011.

[0061] For example, the controller 102 marks each heat pump unit 1011 according to its coordinate position, that is, each heat pump unit 1011 has a unique coordinate number. Moreover, the controller 102 assigns a unique DIP switch to each heat pump unit 1011. Among them, the DIP switch and the coordinate number of each heat pump unit 1011 are mapped to each other, that is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the DIP switch and the coordinate number of each heat pump unit 1011.

[0062] like Figure 6 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of the DIP switches and coordinate numbers of a plurality of heat pump units 1011 provided in this application.

[0063] As can be seen, each heat pump unit 1011 in the four regions A, B, C, and D has a unique coordinate number and DIP switch. For example, in region A, heat pump unit 1011 has a DIP switch of A1 and a coordinate number of (-3,3). The DIP switches and coordinate numbers of the other heat pump units 1011 will not be described here.

[0064] S403, Controller 102 controls multiple heat pump units 1011 to be turned on or off in separate areas and groups.

[0065] For example, controller 102 controls multiple heat pump units 1011 that need to be turned on to start sequentially in the order A→B→C→D, and only one heat pump unit 1011 is turned on in each area per round. For example, assuming that 5 heat pump units 1011 need to be turned on, the result of turning on the heat pump units 1011 could be A1→B3→C8→D6→A9. It can be seen that when 5 heat pump units 1011 need to be turned on, a total of 2 rounds are required, with only one heat pump unit 1011 turned on in each area per round. In the first round, controller 102 first controls A1 in area A to turn on, then controls B3 in area B to turn on, then controls C8 in area C to turn on, and then controls D6 in area D to turn on. In the second round, controller 102 controls A9 in area A to turn on.

[0066] based on Figure 4 This document describes the procedures preceding the start-up or shutdown of some heat pump units 1011 among multiple heat pump units controlled by controller 102. Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a control method for an air conditioning system 100 is shown. Figure 7 As shown, the method includes the following steps.

[0067] S701, controller 102 determines the total number of heat pump units 1011 that need to be started to match the first load demand of air conditioning system 100.

[0068] The first load demand here can be understood as the load rate of the heat pump unit 1011 required to meet user needs. The total number of first units can be understood as the number of heat pump units 1011 that need to be turned on.

[0069] For example, firstly, the sensors of the air conditioning system 100 send the collected indoor and outdoor temperatures to the controller 102. The controller 102 receives the indoor and outdoor temperatures sent by the sensors. Then, the controller 102 calculates the first load demand based on the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures. Next, the controller 102 matches the total number of first heat pump units that need to be activated based on the first load demand. For example, the controller 102 calculates the first load demand to be 650 kilowatts (kW) based on the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures. This 650 kW first load demand is equivalent to the output capacity of 10 heat pump units 1011 operating simultaneously. The controller 102 matches the total number of first heat pump units 1011 that need to be activated to 10 units based on the 650 kW first load demand.

[0070] S702, the controller 102 determines the number of rounds of starting the heat pump units 1011 and the number of heat pump units 1011 to be started in each round based on the total number of the first unit and the number of areas in the multiple regions divided by the multiple heat pump units 1011.

[0071] Taking the regions A, B, C, and D as defined above as an example, the number of regions could be, for instance, four. This application does not limit the number of regions.

[0072] For example, assume the first unit has a total of 10 units, meaning 10 heat pump units 1011 need to be activated, and there are 4 zones. Since the controller 102 controls the heat pump units 1011 to be activated sequentially in the order A→B→C→D, and only one heat pump unit 1011 is activated per zone per round, it can be seen that a total of 3 rounds are required. The first round requires 4 heat pump units 1011 to be activated, the second round also requires 4 heat pump units 1011 to be activated, and the third round requires 2 heat pump units 1011 to be activated.

[0073] S703 and controller 102 activate the heat pump units 1011 that need to be activated in each round according to the location of the heat pump units 1011 in each area and the preset unit selection rules.

[0074] The location here can be understood as the coordinate number mentioned above.

[0075] Therefore, this application first determines the total number of heat pump units 1011 that need to be activated to match the first load demand of the air conditioning system 100. Then, based on the total number of units and the number of zones divided by the multiple heat pump units 1011, it determines the number of rounds in which the heat pump units 1011 are activated and the number of units 1011 to be activated in each round. Finally, based on the location of the heat pump units 1011 in each zone and the preset unit selection rules, it determines the unit dialing code for the number of heat pump units 1011 to be activated in each zone and activates the heat pump units 1011 corresponding to the unit dialing code. Compared to the prior art, when the heat pump unit group 101 is heating in winter, multiple heat pump units 1011 in the heat pump unit group 101 often operate in the same zone. This application avoids multiple heat pump units 1011 being turned on in the same area by turning on the heat pump units 1011 according to the location of the heat pump units 1011 in each area and the preset unit selection rules, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the air conditioning system 100.

[0076] In some embodiments, when the controller 102 determines the number of heat pump units to be turned on in the first round, it turns on the heat pump units 1011 to be turned on in each round according to the location of the heat pump units 1011 in each area and the preset unit selection rules, including the following process.

[0077] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the process of controller 102 controlling the first round of activation is shown.

[0078] S801, the controller 102 determines the first unit DIP switch among the unit DIP switches of the unactivated heat pump unit 1011 in the first region of multiple regions, and uses the heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to the first unit DIP switch as the main unit.

[0079] The multiple regions here can be, for example, four regions. The first region here can be, for example, region A, but this application does not limit the first region.

[0080] For example, controller 102 identifies the unactivated heat pump unit 1011 in region A with DIP switch A1 as the main unit.

[0081] It needs to be understood that, based on the cumulative operating time of the heat pump unit 1011, the main unit can be redistributed to balance the operating time of the heat pump unit 1011 and extend its service life.

[0082] S802, controller 102 sequentially determines the second unit corresponding to each of the remaining areas other than the first area. For any of the remaining areas, the selected second unit is the heat pump unit 1011 that is farthest from the main unit in any area.

[0083] For example, controller 102 first determines that the DIP switch of the heat pump unit 1011 farthest from the host unit A1 in zone B is B9, then determines that the DIP switch of the heat pump unit 1011 farthest from the host unit A1 in zone C is C9, and finally determines that the DIP switch of the heat pump unit 1011 farthest from the host unit A1 in zone D is D9.

[0084] When controller 102 determines that the heat pump unit 1011 will be activated in the first round, it first determines the DIP switch A1 corresponding to the main unit in area A, and activates the main unit according to the DIP switch corresponding to main unit A1. Next, it determines the DIP switch B9 of the heat pump unit 1011 in area B that is farthest from the main unit, and sends a control command to the main unit. The main unit activates the heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to B9 according to the received control command. Then, it determines the DIP switch C9 of the heat pump unit 1011 in area C that is farthest from the main unit, and sends a control command to the main unit. The main unit activates the heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to C9 according to the received control command C9. Finally, it determines the DIP switch D9 of the heat pump unit 1011 in area D that is farthest from the main unit, and sends a control command to the main unit. The main unit activates the heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to D9 according to the received control command.

[0085] In some embodiments, when the controller 102 determines the number of heat pump units 1011 to be turned on in any round after the first round, it turns on the heat pump units to be turned on in each round according to the location of the heat pump 1011 in each area and the preset unit selection rules, including the following process.

[0086] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the process of controller 102 controlling the start of each round after the first round of start is shown.

[0087] S901, for each of the multiple regions, the controller 102 determines the number of first heat pump units 1011 that have been turned on within the radius of the region to which each heat pump unit 1011 is not turned on, taking each heat pump unit 1011 in each region that is not turned on as the center.

[0088] The radius here is inversely proportional to the number of activated heat pump units 1011. Assuming the radius is r and the number of activated heat pump units 1011 is k, then r = f(k). It can be seen that the more activated heat pump units 1011 (k), the smaller the radius range r becomes. For example, when k = 2, r = 4L. When k = 4, r = 2L. Here, L is the minimum standard spacing allowed for the installation of heat pump units 1011.

[0089] The number of heat pump units 1011 that are already in operation, k, is equal to the integer part of the quotient obtained by dividing the total number of units in the first unit by the number of areas. For example, suppose the total number of units in the first unit is N and N = 10, and the number of areas is n and n = 4. We know that 10 divided by 4 equals 2 with a remainder of 2, that is, the number of units k = 2.

[0090] It's important to understand that when the number of heat pump units 1011 activated in each round equals the number of areas, the number of units equals the number of rounds. When the number of heat pump units 1011 activated in the last round does not equal the number of areas, the number of units + 1 equals the number of rounds. For example, when the total number of units in the first round is 10, it needs to be activated for 3 rounds, and the number of units k is 2. When the total number of units in the first round is 12, it needs to be activated for 3 rounds, and the number of units k is 3.

[0091] For example, after the first round of heat pump unit 1011 activation is completed, controller 102 determines the number of activated first heat pump units 1011 within a radius r of each of the unactivated heat pump units 1011 in areas A, B, C, and D. For instance, after controller 102 controls the activation of A1, B9, C9, and D9 in the first round, controller 102 determines the number of activated first heat pump units 1011 within a radius r of each heat pump unit 1011 in area A. 2-9 The number of heat pump units 1011 that have been turned on within a radius of r, and the number of units in region B with respect to B. 1-8 The number of heat pump units 1011 that have been turned on within a radius of r, and the number of units in region C with radius r. 1-8 The number of heat pump units 1011 that have been turned on within a radius of r and the area in region D. 1-8 This represents the number of heat pump units 1011 that have been turned on within a radius of r.

[0092] S902, the controller 102 determines the third unit corresponding to each region based on the number of first heat pump units 1011 within the radius of each heat pump unit 1011 that is not turned on in each region. The third unit is the heat pump unit 1011 with the fewest number of first heat pump units 1011 within the radius of the third unit.

[0093] In one embodiment, for any round of unit determination process after the first round, if there are multiple heat pump units with the fewest number of first heat pump units 1011 in any of the multiple regions, the heat pump unit 1011 with the shortest operating time among the multiple heat pump units 1011 is designated as the third unit.

[0094] The third unit here can be understood as the heat pump unit 1011 that needs to be turned on.

[0095] For example, controller 102 determines the DIP switch of the heat pump unit 1011 with the fewest first heat pump units 1011 within a radius of each heat pump unit 1011 that is not turned on in each region. If the number of first heat pump units 1011 in any region that is not turned on is equal within a radius of the heat pump unit 1011, the heat pump unit with the shortest operating time is designated as the third unit.

[0096] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the radius range of an unactivated heat pump unit 1011 is shown.

[0097] Depend on Figure 10It can be seen that at the start of the second round of control, controller 102 confirms that the number of first heat pump units 1011 within the radius of A9 in region A is the minimum. Then, controller 102 identifies the heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to A9 and sends a control command to the host. The host controls the heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to A9 to start according to the received control command. Next, controller 102 confirms that the number of first heat pump units 1011 within the radius of B1 in region B is the minimum. Controller 102 identifies the heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to B1 and sends a control command to the host. The host controls the heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to B1 to start according to the received control command. Finally, controller 102 confirms that the number of first heat pump units 1011 within the radius of C1 and the number of first heat pump units 1011 within the radius of C4 in region C are equal, meaning that the radius of C1 includes the already started A9, and the radius of C4 includes the already started D9. Controller 102 determines the cumulative operating time of heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to C1 and heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to C4. Assuming controller 102 determines that the cumulative operating time of heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to C4 is shorter than that of heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to C1, it controls heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to C4 to start. Then, controller 102 determines that the number of first heat pump units 1011 within the radius of D1 in region D is the minimum. Next, controller 102 determines the heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to D1 and sends a control command to the host. The host controls heat pump unit 1011 corresponding to D1 to start according to the received control command.

[0098] Similarly, the controller 102 controls each subsequent round in a similar manner to the second round, which will not be elaborated here.

[0099] based on Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Figure 9 As the load demand of the air conditioning system 100 changes, the air conditioning system 100 needs to control the start and stop of the heat pump unit 1011 by adding or removing load.

[0100] like Figure 11 The diagram shown is a flowchart illustrating a control method for an air conditioning system 100 provided in this application. The method includes the following steps.

[0101] S1101. After the heat pump unit 1011 that needs to be turned on has been running for a first preset time, the controller 102 determines the second load demand of the air conditioning system 100.

[0102] The first preset time here could be, for example, t minutes, but this application does not limit it.

[0103] For example, after the heat pump unit 1011 that needs to be turned on has been running for a first preset time, the sensors of the air conditioning system 100 will re-collect the indoor and outdoor temperatures and send them to the controller 102. The controller 102 calculates the second load demand based on the difference between the re-collected indoor and outdoor temperatures.

[0104] S1102, Controller 102 determines whether the second load demand is greater than the first load demand.

[0105] If the second load demand is greater than the first load demand, then proceed to step 1103.

[0106] If the second load demand is less than the first load demand, then proceed to step 1104.

[0107] S1103, the controller 102 continues to start at least one heat pump unit 1011 in multiple areas according to the preset unit screening rules.

[0108] In one embodiment, at least one heat pump unit 1011 is determined based on the difference between the total number of second units and the total number of first units of heat pump units 1011 that need to be turned on to match the second load demand.

[0109] The second load demand is greater than the first load demand, meaning that the total number of second heat pump units 1011 that need to be turned on to match the second load demand is greater than the total number of first heat pump units 1011 that need to be turned on to match the first load demand.

[0110] For example, controller 102 matches the total number of second heat pump units 1011 that need to be activated after a first preset time based on the second load demand. For instance, suppose the total number of second heat pump units 1011 that need to be activated for the second load demand matching is 12. The total number of first heat pump units 1011 that need to be activated for the first load demand matching is 10. Therefore, controller 102 needs to activate 2 more heat pump units 1011 after the first preset time. Controller 102 continues to activate 2 more heat pump units 1011 according to a preset unit selection rule. The method for activating 2 more heat pump units 1011 according to the preset unit selection rule has been described above and will not be repeated here.

[0111] S1104, the controller 102 shuts down at least one heat pump unit 1011 with the longest operating time among the heat pump units 1011 that have been turned on in multiple areas, based on the operating time of each unit among the heat pump units 1011 that have been turned on in multiple areas.

[0112] For example, when the total number of second heat pump units 1011 that need to be activated for the second load demand matching is less than the total number of first heat pump units 1011 that need to be activated for the first load demand matching—for instance, assuming the total number of second heat pump units 1011 that need to be activated for the second load demand matching is 8, and the total number of first heat pump units 1011 that need to be activated for the first load demand matching is 10—the controller 102 controls the two heat pump units 1011 that have been running the longest among the 10 activated heat pump units 1011 to shut down.

[0113] In some embodiments, this application also provides a storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the above-described method. This application also provides a control system including a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory that can run on the processor, which, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the above-described air conditioning system control method.

[0114] Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple instances. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0115] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of this application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if such modifications and modifications of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

[0116] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An air conditioning system, characterized in that, include: A heat pump unit group, which includes multiple heat pump units, is a group of equipment that provides a heat source in the air conditioning system. A controller, coupled to the heat pump unit group, is configured to control the opening or closing of some of the heat pump units in the heat pump unit group; The controller is also configured to: Determine the total number of heat pump units that need to be turned on to match the first load demand of the air conditioning system; Based on the total number of the first units and the number of areas in the multiple regions divided by the multiple heat pump units, determine the number of rounds to start the heat pump units and the number of heat pump units to be started in each round. Based on the location of the heat pump units in each area and the preset unit selection rules, activate the heat pump units that need to be activated in each round. When determining the heat pump units to be activated in the first round, the process of activating the heat pump units to be activated in each round, based on the location of the heat pump units in each area and the preset unit selection rules, includes: Identify the first heat pump unit that is not turned on in the first region of the plurality of regions, and designate the first unit as the main unit; The second unit corresponding to each of the remaining regions other than the first region is determined sequentially, wherein, for any region in the remaining regions, the selected second unit is the heat pump unit that is farthest from the main unit in that region.

2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, characterized in that, When determining the heat pump units to be activated in any subsequent round after the first round, activating the heat pump units to be activated in each round according to the location of the heat pump units in each area and the preset unit selection rules includes: For each of the multiple regions, taking each heat pump unit in the unactivated heat pump units in each region as the center, determine the number of first heat pump units that have been activated within the radius of their respective regions for each heat pump unit; Based on the number of first heat pump units in each region that are not in operation within the radius, a third heat pump unit is determined for each region. The third heat pump unit is the heat pump unit with the fewest number of first heat pump units within the radius.

3. The air conditioning system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The preset unit screening rules also include: For any heat pump unit determination process after the first round, if there are multiple heat pump units with the fewest number of first heat pump units in any of the multiple regions, the heat pump unit with the shortest operating time among the multiple heat pump units shall be designated as the third unit.

4. The air conditioning system according to claim 3, characterized in that, After the heat pump unit that needs to be turned on has been running for a first preset time, the controller is also configured to determine the second load demand of the air conditioning system. When the second load demand is greater than the first load demand, the controller is also configured to continue to start at least one heat pump unit in the plurality of areas according to the preset unit screening rules. When the second load demand is less than the first load demand, the controller is further configured to shut down at least one heat pump unit with the longest operating time among the heat pump units that have been turned on in the plurality of regions, based on the operating time of each unit among the heat pump units that have been turned on in the plurality of regions. The at least one heat pump unit is determined based on the difference between the total number of the second heat pump units that need to be turned on to match the second load demand and the total number of the first heat pump units.

5. A control method for an air conditioning system, characterized in that, The method includes: Determine the total number of heat pump units that need to be activated to match the first load demand of the air conditioning system; Based on the total number of the first units and the number of areas in the multiple regions divided by the multiple heat pump units, determine the number of rounds to start the heat pump units and the number of heat pump units to be started in each round. Based on the location of the heat pump units in each area and the preset unit selection rules, activate the heat pump units that need to be activated in each round. When determining the heat pump units to be activated in the first round, the process of activating the heat pump units to be activated in each round, based on the location of the heat pump units in each area and the preset unit selection rules, includes: Determine the first unit DIP switch among the unactivated heat pump units in the first region of the plurality of regions, and designate the heat pump unit corresponding to the first unit DIP switch as the main unit. The second unit corresponding to each of the remaining regions other than the first region is determined sequentially, wherein, for any region in the remaining regions, the selected second unit is the heat pump unit that is farthest from the main unit in that region.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, When determining the heat pump units to be activated in any subsequent round after the first round, activating the heat pump units to be activated in each round based on the location of the heat pump units in each area and the preset unit selection rules includes: For each of the multiple regions, taking each heat pump unit in the unactivated heat pump units in each region as the center, determine the number of first heat pump units that have been activated within the radius of their respective regions for each heat pump unit; Based on the number of first heat pump units within the radius of each unactivated heat pump unit in each region, a third heat pump unit is determined for each region, wherein the third heat pump unit is the heat pump unit with the fewest number of first heat pump units within the radius of the third heat pump unit.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The preset unit screening rules also include: For any heat pump unit determination process after the first round, if there are multiple heat pump units with the fewest number of first heat pump units in any of the multiple regions, the heat pump unit with the shortest operating time among the multiple heat pump units shall be designated as the third unit.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: After the heat pump unit that needs to be turned on has been running for a first preset time, the second load demand of the air conditioning system is determined. When the second load demand is greater than the first load demand, at least one heat pump unit in the multiple areas shall continue to be turned on according to the preset unit screening rules. When the second load demand is less than the first load demand, based on the operating time of each of the heat pump units that have been turned on in the plurality of regions, at least one heat pump unit with the longest operating time among the heat pump units that have been turned on in the plurality of regions shall be turned off. The at least one heat pump unit is determined based on the difference between the total number of the second heat pump units that need to be turned on to match the second load demand and the total number of the first heat pump units.

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