Multi-connected air conditioner control method and device, indoor unit and air conditioner equipment

Abstract

The disclosure provides a multi-split air conditioner control method and device, an indoor unit and an air conditioner equipment, and relates to the technical field of air conditioner equipment. Through the superheat error information of the evaporator of each indoor unit, the opening degree of the expansion valve is independently adjusted; the temperature control requirement information of the indoor unit is also sent to the main control unit, and the main control unit controls the compressor based on the temperature control requirement information of each indoor unit. Each indoor unit independently completes the calculation of the expansion valve opening degree adjustment part, and can quickly respond to the expansion valve control requirement of the room where the indoor unit is located.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of air conditioning equipment technology, and in particular to a multi-split air conditioning control method, device, indoor unit and air conditioning equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Multi-split air conditioners are widely used in smart homes, building management, and other fields. In related technologies, the control algorithms for multi-split systems are mostly concentrated in the central controller for calculations. This makes it difficult for the air conditioning system to quickly respond to the independent control needs of each room, resulting in low temperature control accuracy in each room. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned problems in related technologies, this disclosure provides a multi-split air conditioning control method, device, indoor unit, and air conditioning equipment.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-split air conditioner control method is provided, the multi-split air conditioner including an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor unit units, each of the plurality of indoor unit units performing the following method steps:

[0005] The expansion valve of the machine is controlled based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the machine. The unit sends its temperature control requirements to the main control unit, which then controls the compressor of the outdoor unit.

[0006] The above technical solution allows each indoor unit to independently adjust the expansion valve opening based on the superheat error information of its evaporator. It also sends the unit's temperature control requirements to the main control unit, which then controls the compressor based on these requirements. Each indoor unit autonomously calculates the expansion valve opening adjustment, enabling rapid response to the expansion valve control needs of the room in which it is located.

[0007] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the main control unit is any one of the plurality of internal unit units.

[0008] This technical solution simplifies the architecture of multi-split air conditioning systems by having the main control functions performed by the indoor unit, saves on the cost of dedicated main control hardware, and improves the temperature control response speed of multi-split air conditioning systems through distributed collaborative control.

[0009] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: The indoor unit's on / off status is sent to the main control unit, which then controls the outdoor unit's compressor based on the temperature control requirements of the indoor unit when it is on.

[0010] This technical solution accurately identifies the operating status of the indoor unit through power-on / off indicators, enabling the main control unit to effectively filter invalid or non-target temperature control data reported by the indoor unit in standby mode, thereby preventing interference with the compressor's frequency decisions. Load calculations and frequency adjustments are based solely on the actual needs of the indoor unit during operation, improving the accuracy of compressor control and the overall system's operational efficiency.

[0011] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the indoor unit includes an indoor unit and a control panel communicatively connected to the indoor unit; controlling the expansion valve of the unit based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the unit includes: The control panel of each indoor unit receives the superheat error information of the evaporator of the indoor unit reported by the indoor unit of this machine; The control panel of each indoor unit controls the expansion valve of the unit based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the unit.

[0012] This technical solution decouples the indoor unit unit into a control panel and the indoor unit in terms of hardware. The control panel controls the expansion valve of the indoor unit, thereby dividing the functional modules. This allows the control panel to be installed in a location that is convenient for user interaction, without being restricted by the installation location of the indoor unit itself.

[0013] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, controlling the expansion valve of the machine based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the machine includes: During the closed-loop control phase, the expansion valve of the machine is controlled based on the superheat error information of the evaporator. The method further includes: during the open-loop control phase, determining the initial opening degree of the expansion valve based on the difference between the indoor temperature and the target temperature of the machine; The triggering conditions for switching from the open-loop control stage to the closed-loop control stage include: the operating time of the multi-split air conditioning system reaches a threshold, and / or the indoor temperature change trend meets the target conditions.

[0014] This technical solution, through the coordinated operation of two control phases, enables multi-split air conditioners to not only respond quickly to initial load demands but also accurately correct operating errors based on real-time feedback, thus improving the overall temperature control accuracy of the system.

[0015] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the control of the expansion valve of the machine during the closed-loop control phase, based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the machine, includes: During the closed-loop control phase, based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the machine, PID calculation is performed to obtain the opening adjustment amount of the expansion valve of the machine, and the expansion valve of the machine is controlled based on the opening adjustment amount.

[0016] In this technical solution, the PID algorithm realizes closed-loop control. Due to its simplicity and stability, the PID control algorithm in the closed-loop control stage can meet the daily comfort temperature control requirements.

[0017] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the superheat error information includes the superheat error and the rate of change of the superheat error, the input to the PID calculation is the superheat error and the rate of change of the superheat error, and the output is a first increment of the PID parameter. After outputting the first increment of the PID parameter, obtaining the opening adjustment of the expansion valve of the machine includes: By inputting the first increment of the PID parameters, the superheat error for each cycle, and the historical superheat error into the PID expression, the opening adjustment of the expansion valve for each cycle is obtained.

[0018] In this technical solution, the incremental PID output is the increment of the PID parameter. Incremental PID allows the expansion valve opening to increase slowly, avoiding overshoot.

[0019] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the step of obtaining the superheat error includes: Obtain the actual superheat of the evaporator of each of the indoor unit units within multiple cycles; The original superheat error is obtained based on the difference between the actual superheat and the target superheat. The original superheat error is processed by nonlinear transformation to obtain the superheat error for each cycle.

[0020] This technical solution uses nonlinear variation to control the superheat, allowing for smooth control under small errors and drastic control under large errors, thereby optimizing the PID response.

[0021] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, obtaining the actual superheat of the evaporator of each of the indoor unit units over multiple cycles includes: The outlet pipe temperature, inlet pipe temperature, and middle pipe temperature of the evaporator of each indoor unit are obtained within multiple cycles. The actual superheat for each cycle is obtained based on the difference between the minimum outlet temperature, inlet temperature, and middle tube temperature within each cycle.

[0022] The purpose of taking the minimum values ​​of the inlet pipe temperature and the intermediate pipe temperature in this technical solution is to prevent the superheat calculation from being too small due to fluctuations in the inlet pipe temperature.

[0023] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, sending the unit's temperature control requirement information to the main control unit, for the main control unit to control the outdoor unit's compressor, includes: The indoor temperature and target temperature of the outdoor unit are sent to the main control unit, which determines the temperature difference information based on the indoor temperature and the target temperature, and controls the compressor of the outdoor unit according to the temperature difference information.

[0024] Under this technical solution, the subordinate indoor unit only needs to complete data acquisition and communication with the master indoor unit. The calculation tasks that require global information are concentrated on the selected master indoor unit, so that the multi-split air conditioning system can equip the master unit with stronger processing capabilities without increasing the cost of all indoor units.

[0025] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the step of sending the indoor temperature and target temperature of the room where the unit is located to the main control unit, for the main control unit to determine temperature difference information from the indoor temperature and the target temperature, and to control the compressor of the outdoor unit according to the temperature difference information, includes: During the closed-loop control phase, the indoor temperature and target temperature of the unit are sent to the main control unit. The main control unit aggregates the temperature difference information of multiple indoor units to obtain the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated temperature difference value, and controls the compressor of the outdoor unit based on the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated temperature difference value. The method further includes: during the open-loop control phase, sending the indoor temperature and target temperature of the room where the unit is located to the main control unit, so that the main control unit can determine the initial frequency of the compressor in the outdoor unit based on the temperature difference information of the indoor unit and the cooling and heating output capacity of the indoor unit. The triggering conditions for switching from the open-loop control stage to the closed-loop control stage include: the operating time of the multi-split system reaches a threshold, and / or the indoor temperature change trend meets the target conditions.

[0026] This technical solution, through the coordinated operation of two control phases, enables multi-split air conditioners to not only respond quickly to initial load demands but also accurately correct operating errors based on real-time feedback, thus improving the overall temperature control accuracy of the system.

[0027] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the aggregated temperature difference value is obtained by calculating the average or weighted average of the temperature differences of the plurality of indoor units, wherein the temperature difference is the difference between the indoor temperature of the room where the indoor unit is located and the target temperature of the indoor unit.

[0028] This technical solution aggregates the temperature differences of multiple indoor units to obtain a temperature difference aggregation value. The compressor frequency is adjusted according to the magnitude of the temperature difference aggregation value, so that the temperature control can meet the needs of each indoor unit.

[0029] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, controlling the compressor of the outdoor unit based on the temperature difference aggregation value and the rate of change of the aggregation value includes: Based on the temperature difference aggregation value and the aggregation value change rate, PID calculation is performed to obtain the frequency adjustment amount of the outdoor unit's compressor, and the compressor of the outdoor unit is controlled based on the frequency adjustment amount.

[0030] In this technical solution, the PID control algorithm in the closed-loop control stage is simple and stable, which can meet the daily comfort temperature control requirements.

[0031] In some possible implementations of the first aspect, the PID calculation employs an incremental fuzzy PID control algorithm, the inputs to the PID calculation are the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated value, and the output of the PID calculation is a second increment of the PID parameters. After outputting the second increment of the PID parameters, obtaining the frequency adjustment amount of the compressor of the outdoor unit includes: By inputting the second increment of the PID parameters, the aggregated temperature difference value for each cycle, and the historical data into the PID expression, the frequency adjustment amount of the outdoor unit's compressor for each cycle is obtained.

[0032] This technical solution combines fuzzy theory and PID controller to propose fuzzy incremental PID calculation. The fuzzy incremental PID controller corrects the weights of the proportional, integral, and derivative terms in real time through fuzzy rules. Based on the membership function of the superheat error and its rate of change, it transforms control experience into a calculable fuzzy inference process, thereby improving control accuracy.

[0033] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-split air conditioner control method is provided, the multi-split air conditioner including an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor unit units, the method being applied to any one of the indoor unit units, the method comprising: Obtain the superheat error information of the evaporator corresponding to the indoor unit, and control the expansion valve corresponding to the indoor unit according to the superheat error information; The indoor unit acts as a slave unit, sending its temperature control requirements to the master control unit, which then controls the compressor of the outdoor unit based on the temperature control requirements. Alternatively, the indoor unit acts as the master control unit, receiving temperature control requirements from other indoor units and controlling the compressor of the outdoor unit based on the temperature control requirements.

[0034] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided, wherein the multi-split air conditioner includes an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor unit units; the apparatus includes: The expansion valve control module is configured to control the expansion valve of the machine based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the machine. The compressor control module is configured to send the temperature control requirement information of the unit to the main control unit, which then controls the compressor of the outdoor unit.

[0035] In some possible implementations of the third aspect, the compressor control module is further configured to: The indoor unit's on / off status is sent to the main control unit, which then controls the outdoor unit's compressor based on the temperature control requirements of the indoor unit when it is on.

[0036] In some possible implementations of the third aspect, the indoor unit includes an indoor unit and a control panel communicatively connected to the indoor unit; the expansion valve control module is further configured to: The control panel of each indoor unit receives the superheat error information of the evaporator of the indoor unit reported by the indoor unit of this machine; The control panel of each indoor unit controls the expansion valve of the unit based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the unit.

[0037] In some possible implementations of the third aspect, the expansion valve control module is further configured to: During the closed-loop control phase, the expansion valve of the machine is controlled based on the superheat error information of the evaporator. During the open-loop control phase, the initial opening degree of the expansion valve is determined based on the difference between the indoor temperature of the machine and the target temperature. The triggering conditions for switching from the open-loop control stage to the closed-loop control stage include: the operating time of the multi-split air conditioning system reaches a threshold, and / or the indoor temperature change trend meets the target conditions.

[0038] In some possible implementations of the third aspect, the compressor control module is further configured to: During the closed-loop control phase, the indoor temperature and target temperature of the unit are sent to the main control unit. The main control unit aggregates the temperature difference information of multiple indoor units to obtain the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated temperature difference value, and controls the compressor of the outdoor unit based on the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated temperature difference value. During the open-loop control phase, the indoor temperature and target temperature of the unit are sent to the main control unit. The main control unit then determines the initial frequency of the compressor in the outdoor unit based on the temperature difference information of the indoor unit and the cooling and heating output capacity of the indoor unit. The triggering conditions for switching from the open-loop control stage to the closed-loop control stage include: the operating time of the multi-split system reaches a threshold, and / or the indoor temperature change trend meets the target conditions.

[0039] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, an indoor unit is provided, the indoor unit being configured to implement the steps of the multi-split air conditioning control method provided in the first or second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0040] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, an air conditioning device is provided, the air conditioning device including an indoor unit as provided in the fourth aspect.

[0041] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, implements the steps of the multi-split air conditioning control method provided in the first or second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0042] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores computer program instructions thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the multi-split air conditioning control method provided in the first or second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0043] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0044] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0045] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-split air conditioning control method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating an indoor unit according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0047] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a local expansion valve control method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0048] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a step for obtaining superheat error according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0049] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a compressor control method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0050] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a fuzzy incremental PID control structure according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0051] Figure 7 This is a data transmission schematic diagram illustrating a multi-split air conditioning control method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0052] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of a multi-split air conditioning control device according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0053] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0054] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0055] It should be noted that all actions involving the acquisition of signals, information, or data in this disclosure are carried out in compliance with the relevant data protection laws and policies of the country where the location is situated, and with authorization from the owner of the relevant device.

[0056] As mentioned in the background section, air conditioning systems struggle to respond quickly to the individual control needs of each room, resulting in low temperature control accuracy in each room. This problem can be caused by various factors. For example, current multi-split air conditioning systems determine compressor start-up and shutdown based on the difference between ambient and indoor temperatures. Due to changes in indoor heat load, fluctuations in ambient temperature, or different room settings, the compressor can easily reach the set temperature, causing frequent starts and stops. In addition to increasing energy consumption, after the compressor stops, the room temperature gradually deviates from the set value until the temperature difference becomes large enough to restart, resulting in significant room temperature fluctuations and affecting comfort.

[0057] For example, if the opening and closing of the expansion valve is adjusted only based on the superheat at the evaporator outlet, the valve will be opened if the superheat is high and closed if the superheat is low. This can easily cause the superheat to oscillate around the target value but not stabilize at the target value, resulting in poor control accuracy.

[0058] For example, the control of each internal unit relies entirely on the central controller, which results in slow response and computational bottlenecks.

[0059] To address the low control accuracy issues in each room caused by the aforementioned reasons, this disclosure provides a multi-split air conditioning control method. This method delegates the control of the expansion valve from the central controller to each indoor unit for local execution. Alternatively, it may include using fuzzy incremental PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) to calculate the opening adjustment of the expansion valve and the frequency adjustment of the compressor. It may also include switching between open-loop and closed-loop control strategies at different stages of operation. These will be described in detail below.

[0060] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a multi-split air conditioning control method according to an exemplary embodiment, such as... Figure 1 As shown, this multi-split air conditioning control method is applied to multiple indoor unit units. The indoor unit unit can be an integrated unit combining the indoor unit and the central control panel, or it can be a separate unit. The method includes steps S11 and S12.

[0061] In step S11, the expansion valve of the machine is controlled based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the machine.

[0062] In this step, each indoor unit collects the superheat error information of its evaporator and controls its respective expansion valve based on the superheat error information. The superheat error information reflects the error between the actual superheat of the evaporator and the target superheat.

[0063] For example, superheat error information includes the difference between the actual superheat of the evaporator and the target superheat, i.e., the superheat error. The superheat error reflects the degree to which the current superheat deviates from the target value. Another example is the superheat error change rate, which reflects the trend of the superheat error. As an example, each indoor unit collects the actual superheat of its evaporator and the unit's operating time, and then calculates the superheat error and the superheat error change rate based on the evaporator's target superheat. These two parameters are then used as the superheat information.

[0064] In this embodiment, the target superheat can be a preset fixed value; or it can be dynamically adjusted according to the operating conditions, such as the target superheat being based on dynamic changes in indoor load, ambient temperature, and set temperature deviation. The actual superheat is a real-time value obtained by sensor measurement and calculation.

[0065] Taking air conditioning refrigeration as an example, the control of the expansion valve opening is explained as follows: During refrigeration operation, the larger the expansion valve opening, the greater the refrigerant flow into the evaporator. Therefore, in related technologies, when the actual superheat is greater than the target superheat, the expansion valve is opened wider to increase the refrigerant flow and reduce the actual superheat; conversely, the opposite is also true. In this embodiment, the expansion valve opening is adjusted based on superheat error information, so that each control can take into account the magnitude and trend of the thermal error, thereby achieving more precise and stable control of the superheat.

[0066] For example, when the superheat error is positive and the rate of change of the error changes from negative to positive, it indicates that the superheat is accelerating away from the target value. At this time, a larger step size is used to increase the opening. When the error approaches zero and the rate of change is stable at zero, fine-tuning is applied to maintain dynamic balance.

[0067] In step S12, the temperature control requirement information of the unit is sent to the main control unit, which then controls the compressor of the outdoor unit.

[0068] In this embodiment, the temperature control calculation is divided into two parts. One part of the calculation is completed by each indoor unit, namely the calculation related to controlling the opening of the expansion valve. The other part of the calculation is completed by the main control unit. The indoor unit sends temperature control requirement information to the main control unit, and the main control unit controls the compressor of the outdoor unit according to the temperature control requirement information of one or more indoor units.

[0069] In this step, the temperature control demand information represents the real-time demand of each indoor unit for the current cooling / heating capacity. The temperature control demand information may include the current load demand intensity of each indoor unit, actual temperature, target temperature, actual humidity, target humidity, operating mode, environmental parameters, etc. In some embodiments, the actual temperature and target temperature can be replaced by temperature difference and the rate of change of temperature difference. For example, in this embodiment, the temperature control demand information may include temperature difference, rate of change of temperature difference, humidity deviation and the rate of change of humidity deviation, operating mode identifier, and load weighting coefficient. The main control unit calculates a control value characterizing the overall real-time total demand of the system based on the temperature control demand information reported by the indoor units, and controls the compressor speed based on this control value to match the system load.

[0070] The above technical solution allows each indoor unit to independently adjust the expansion valve opening based on the superheat error information of its evaporator. It also sends the unit's temperature control requirements to the main control unit, which then controls the compressor based on these requirements. Each indoor unit autonomously calculates the expansion valve opening adjustment, enabling rapid response to the expansion valve control needs of the room in which it is located.

[0071] In some embodiments, the end-side program is specially designed to use distributed computing. Each indoor unit calculates its own expansion valve opening, and selects one as the master control unit to calculate the outdoor unit frequency. That is, the master control unit mentioned above can be any one of the multiple indoor units. While assuming the functions of the master control unit, this indoor unit still normally performs its own temperature control adjustment tasks; that is, the expansion valve control logic of this indoor unit is unaffected.

[0072] In this embodiment, an indoor unit can be selected as the master control unit in a multi-split air conditioning system using its IP address or device identifier. For example, the indoor unit with the smallest IP address can be selected as the master control unit. Non-master control units send their temperature control requirements to the master control unit. The master control unit combines the temperature control requirements reported by each indoor unit with its own temperature control information to calculate the compressor frequency and controls the outdoor unit compressor based on the calculation results.

[0073] This embodiment simplifies the architecture of the multi-split air conditioning system by having the main control function performed by the indoor unit, saves the cost of dedicated main control hardware, and improves the temperature control response speed of the multi-split air conditioning system through distributed collaborative control.

[0074] In this embodiment of the disclosure, such as Figure 2 As shown, the indoor unit may include an indoor unit 201 and a control panel 202. The control panel 202 refers to an interactive operating terminal integrated into the indoor unit panel or installed independently. The control panel 202 allows users to manually set temperature, humidity, fan speed, and operating mode. The control panel 202 can also display the system's operating status and energy efficiency data in real time. The target temperature can be manually set by the user on the control panel 202. Alternatively, the target temperature can be a recommended comfort temperature calculated based on the user's manually set temperature and humidity.

[0075] In an embodiment where the indoor unit includes an indoor unit 201 and a control panel 202, step S11 includes: the control panel 202 of each indoor unit receives the superheat error information of the evaporator of the indoor unit reported by the indoor unit 201 of the unit; the control panel 202 of each indoor unit controls the expansion valve of the unit based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the unit.

[0076] The technical solution provided in this embodiment decouples the indoor unit unit into a control panel 202 and an indoor unit 201 in hardware. The control panel 202 controls the expansion valve of the unit, thereby realizing the division of functional modules. This allows the control panel 202 to be installed in a location that is convenient for user interaction, without being limited by the installation location of the indoor unit 201 itself.

[0077] In this embodiment, the sensors of the indoor unit collect current operating data, including indoor temperature, outdoor temperature, evaporator pipe temperature, compressor frequency, and indoor unit expansion valve opening. Each indoor unit's sensors report the above data to the corresponding control panel. The control panel calculates the control amount of the expansion valve of each indoor unit according to the program deployed on the terminal side, and then sends it to the indoor unit. The indoor unit adjusts according to the received data.

[0078] In some embodiments, in step S12, each indoor unit sends its on / off status to the main control unit so that the main control unit can determine whether the indoor unit is in the on / off state. The main control unit then processes the temperature control requirement information of the indoor unit in the on / off state to obtain the compressor's adjustment frequency. It is understood that while the indoor unit can collect and report some data in standby mode, it does not perform temperature control requirement calculations. Therefore, in standby mode, the indoor unit can send its on / off status and temperature control requirement information to the main control unit. In this embodiment, the indoor unit's on / off status can be represented by an on / off identifier, such as 1 indicating on and 0 indicating standby; the main control unit only processes the temperature control requirement information sent by the indoor unit with identifier 1.

[0079] The technical solution provided in this embodiment accurately identifies the operating status of the indoor unit through power-on / off indicators, enabling the main control unit to effectively filter invalid or non-target temperature control data reported by the indoor unit in standby mode, thereby avoiding interference with the compressor frequency decision. Load calculations and frequency adjustments are performed solely based on the actual needs of the indoor unit during operation, improving the accuracy of compressor control and the overall system's operational efficiency.

[0080] In some embodiments, step S11, the expansion valve control of the machine includes two stages: open-loop control and closed-loop control, specifically as follows: Figure 3 Steps S111 to S112 shown are implemented.

[0081] Step S111: In the closed-loop control stage, the expansion valve of the machine is controlled based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the machine.

[0082] Step S112: In the open-loop control stage, the initial opening degree of the expansion valve is determined based on the difference between the indoor temperature of the machine and the target temperature.

[0083] The triggering conditions for switching from the open-loop control stage to the closed-loop control stage include: the operating time of the multi-split system reaches a threshold, and / or the indoor temperature change trend meets the target condition. As an example, the threshold can be 10 minutes, 15 minutes, etc., and the target condition refers to the condition that limits the temperature change to reach the target trend, such as the target condition being that the temperature difference is less than 0.5℃ over three consecutive sampling cycles.

[0084] Taking a multi-split air conditioner as an example, the open-loop phase occurs within the first few minutes after startup. During this time, various parameters change drastically; for example, the internal pipe temperature drops rapidly from the initial indoor temperature. Feedback-based closed-loop control is unsuitable during this phase, hence open-loop control is implemented. In the open-loop control phase, the expansion valve's calculation is determined by the temperature difference between the room temperature and the target temperature. The larger the temperature difference, the larger the initial opening of the expansion valve; conversely, the smaller the temperature difference, the smaller the initial opening.

[0085] In some embodiments, the calculation during the open-loop control phase also considers the capability code coefficient of the internal unit, specifically expressed as follows: .in Indicates the initial opening degree. , For hyperparameters, This indicates the temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the target temperature. This represents the change in temperature difference between the current cycle and the previous cycle. This indicates the capability coefficient value of the internal unit, which can be obtained from the capability code of the internal unit. The larger the capability code, the higher the capability coefficient. The larger the value, the stronger the cooling or heating capacity of the indoor unit; conversely, the smaller the value, the weaker the capacity. This expression can dynamically adapt to the load characteristics of different indoor unit models, ensuring that the initial opening matches the actual capacity. The hyperparameters α and β are adjustable proportional coefficients used to balance the dominance of temperature difference and the weight of capacity code, thereby enabling the rapid calculation of the reasonable initial opening of the expansion valve during the open-loop control stage.

[0086] When the phase switching conditions are met—namely, the operating time of the multi-split system reaches a threshold, and / or the indoor temperature change trend meets the target conditions—the system automatically switches from open-loop control to closed-loop control. In the closed-loop control phase, the expansion valve opening is dynamically adjusted based on the evaporator superheat error, achieving more precise temperature control than in the open-loop control phase.

[0087] By coordinating the two control phases, the multi-split air conditioner can quickly respond to initial load demands and accurately correct operating errors based on real-time feedback, thus improving the overall temperature control accuracy of the system.

[0088] In some of these embodiments, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the steps for obtaining the superheat error include steps S31 to S33.

[0089] In step S31, the actual superheat of the evaporator of each indoor unit is obtained within multiple cycles.

[0090] In step S32, the original superheat error is obtained based on the difference between the actual superheat and the target superheat.

[0091] In step S33, the original superheat error is subjected to nonlinear transformation processing to obtain the superheat error for each cycle.

[0092] In this embodiment, the expression for calculating the superheat error is: .

[0093] in, Indicates superheat error. Indicates the tube temperature. Indicates the inlet pipe temperature. This represents the intermediate tube temperature. The purpose of using the minimum values ​​of the inlet and intermediate tube temperatures in this expression is to prevent inlet temperature fluctuations from causing an underestimation of superheat. To optimize the PID response, enabling smooth control with small errors and drastic control with large errors, a non-linear variation of the superheat is applied, resulting in... For example, the formula for calculating nonlinear changes is: .

[0094] In some embodiments, step S111 includes: during the closed-loop control phase, performing PID calculations based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the unit to obtain the opening adjustment amount of the expansion valve of the unit, and controlling the expansion valve of the unit based on the opening adjustment amount. Specifically, the PID control part generates a proportional output based on the current superheat error, the integral term accumulates historical errors to eliminate steady-state deviation, and the derivative term predicts the error change trend and suppresses overshoot; the control quantity is output after weighted summation of the three. For multi-split air conditioners, the PID control algorithm in the closed-loop control phase, due to its simplicity and stability, can meet the daily comfort temperature control requirements. In addition to PID calculation, model prediction, deep learning control, and other methods can also be used to calculate the control quantity of the expansion valve opening during the closed-loop control phase.

[0095] In this embodiment, the superheat error information may include the superheat error and the rate of change of the superheat error. During the closed-loop control phase, the input to the PID calculation is the superheat error and the rate of change of the superheat error, and the output is the first increment of the PID parameters. That is, unlike conventional PID calculations which output the control quantity of the expansion valve, this embodiment outputs the increment of the PID parameters. Incremental PID allows the expansion valve opening to increase slowly, avoiding overshoot. After outputting the first increment of the PID parameters, obtaining the expansion valve opening adjustment amount involves inputting the first increment of the PID parameters, the superheat error for each cycle, and the historical superheat error into the PID expression to obtain the expansion valve opening adjustment amount for each cycle. The PID expression can use existing PID formulas, containing a linear combination of proportional, integral, and derivative terms, which will be specifically described later in the section on fuzzy incremental PID calculation.

[0096] The above text explained some of the calculations performed by the indoor unit. The following text introduces another calculation performed by the main control unit.

[0097] In some feasible implementations, in step S12, sending the temperature control requirement information of the unit to the main control unit for the main control unit to control the compressor of the outdoor unit includes: sending the indoor temperature and target temperature of the unit to the main control unit, so that the main control unit can determine the temperature difference information from the indoor temperature and the target temperature, and control the compressor of the outdoor unit according to the temperature difference information.

[0098] In this step, the temperature control requirement information includes the indoor temperature and the target temperature. This information may also include the indoor unit ID, indoor humidity, fan speed, indoor unit expansion valve opening, and outdoor temperature. In some embodiments, the indoor unit directly sends the temperature difference information as the temperature control requirement information to the main control unit. The temperature difference is the difference between the indoor temperature and the target temperature, and the main control unit adjusts the compressor frequency based on this temperature difference.

[0099] Under this technical solution, the subordinate indoor unit only needs to complete data acquisition and communication with the master indoor unit. The calculation tasks that require global information are concentrated on the selected master indoor unit, so that the multi-split air conditioning system can equip the master unit with stronger processing capabilities without increasing the cost of all indoor units.

[0100] In some embodiments, in step S12, the indoor temperature and target temperature of the unit are sent to the main control unit, so that the main control unit can determine the temperature difference information from the indoor temperature and the target temperature, and control the compressor of the outdoor unit according to the temperature difference information, including two stages of control.

[0101] like Figure 5 As shown, the method includes steps S121 to S122.

[0102] Step S121: In the closed-loop control stage, the indoor temperature and target temperature of the unit are sent to the main control unit. The main control unit aggregates the temperature difference information of multiple indoor units to obtain the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated temperature difference value, and controls the compressor of the outdoor unit based on the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated temperature difference value.

[0103] Step S122: In the open-loop control stage, the indoor temperature and target temperature of the indoor unit are sent to the main control unit. The main control unit determines the initial frequency of the compressor in the outdoor unit based on the temperature difference information of the indoor unit and the cooling and heating output capacity of the indoor unit.

[0104] The triggering conditions for switching from the open-loop control stage to the closed-loop control stage include: the operating time of the multi-split system reaches a threshold, and / or the indoor temperature change trend meets the target conditions.

[0105] The phased control of the compressor by the main control unit is similar to the phased control of the expansion valve of the indoor unit. Therefore, the calculation of the closed-loop control stage can refer to the above description of steps S111 to S112, which will not be repeated here.

[0106] The following mainly explains the compressor frequency calculation during the open-loop control phase. As an example, the compressor frequency during the open-loop phase depends on the room capacity code value and the sum of the room's temperature difference. Taking the example of only one indoor unit installed in each room, the room capacity code value can be equated to the indoor unit's capacity code. The calculation expression is: .

[0107] This expression can be understood as: the initial operating frequency of the outdoor unit compressor = weighted sum of room demand + base frequency compensation, where the demand for each room = room capacity code × hyperparameter × exponential temperature difference term. The capacity code is used as the weight for each room's demand, ensuring that the demand from high-capacity indoor units accounts for a higher proportion of the total frequency.

[0108] In this expression, N is the total number of rooms; This represents the capacity code value of the i-th room. The larger the value, the stronger the cooling or heating capacity of the indoor unit. This represents the temperature difference between the indoor temperature of the i-th room and the target temperature. In cooling mode, a temperature difference greater than 0 indicates that the set temperature has not been reached and cooling is required; the larger the temperature difference, the stronger the cooling demand. In heating mode, an error less than 0 indicates that the set temperature has not been reached and heating is required; the larger the absolute value of the temperature difference, the stronger the heating demand. An exponential function is used so that the demand increases slowly with small temperature differences and rapidly with large temperature differences, conforming to the non-linear perception of human temperature comfort. 19 represents the minimum starting frequency of the compressor, ensuring that the compressor can maintain its speed even if the temperature difference in all rooms is 0, avoiding start-stop cycles.

[0109] By coordinating the two control phases, the multi-split air conditioner can quickly respond to initial load demands and accurately correct operating errors based on real-time feedback, thus improving the overall temperature control accuracy of the system.

[0110] It should be noted that the temperature difference aggregated value is obtained by aggregating the temperature difference demand information of multiple indoor unit units. The temperature difference aggregated value can be the average value of the temperature difference of each indoor unit unit or a weighted average value. The temperature difference is the difference between the indoor temperature of the room where the indoor unit is located and the target temperature of the indoor unit.

[0111] In some embodiments, the main control unit adjusts the compressor frequency based on PID calculations during the closed-loop phase. Similar to the indoor unit adjusting the expansion valve based on PID calculations during the closed-loop phase, the PID control algorithm in the closed-loop control phase, due to its simplicity and stability, can meet the daily comfort temperature control requirements.

[0112] In some embodiments, the PID calculation employs an incremental fuzzy PID control algorithm. The inputs to the PID calculation are the aggregated temperature difference and its rate of change, and the output is the second increment of the PID parameters. Unlike conventional PID calculations, which output the control quantity of the compressor, this embodiment outputs the increment of the PID parameters. Incremental PID allows the compressor frequency to increase slowly, avoiding overshoot. After outputting the second increment of the PID parameters, the frequency adjustment of the outdoor unit's compressor is obtained by inputting the second increment of the PID parameters, the aggregated temperature difference for each cycle, and historical data into the PID expression to obtain the frequency adjustment of the outdoor unit's compressor for each cycle. The PID expression can use existing PID formulas, containing a linear combination of proportional, integral, and derivative terms, which will be described in detail later in the section on fuzzy incremental PID calculation.

[0113] In summary, to address the problem of difficulty in determining parameters for traditional PID controllers during dynamic adjustment in the closed-loop control phase, resulting in suboptimal control performance, this disclosure provides a fuzzy incremental PID control algorithm. This algorithm combines fuzzy theory and the PID controller, dynamically specifying key parameters for the PID controller to achieve better control performance. The fuzzy incremental PID controller uses fuzzy rules to real-time adjust the weights of the proportional, integral, and derivative terms. Based on the membership function of the overheat error and its rate of change, it transforms control experience into a calculable fuzzy inference process. For example, when the error is large and increasing positively, the proportional action is enhanced to accelerate the response and suppress integral saturation; when the error approaches zero but fluctuates frequently, the derivative suppression is increased to reduce oscillations. The fuzzy incremental PID control structure is as follows: Figure 6 As shown, the proportional coefficient, integral coefficient, and derivative coefficient of the PID controller are adjusted in real time through the fuzzy inference module. Among them, These are sampled values, such as superheat data collected by the indoor unit. The error is the difference between the current superheat and the target superheat. This is the derivative of the error, i.e., the rate of change of the error. The fuzzy inference module uses... and As input, the proportional coefficient is output through the fuzzy rule base. Integral coefficient and differential coefficients A PID controller takes the error and the rate of change of error as inputs, combined with a proportional gain. Integral coefficient and differential coefficients Calculate control quantity The controlled object is based on the control variable. Adjust the expansion valve opening and output the new actual value. .

[0114] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the fuzzy incremental PID control includes five parts: input variable fuzzification, fuzzy inference, output variable declarativeization, indoor unit expansion valve calculation, and compressor frequency calculation, which will be described in turn below.

[0115] In the input variable fuzzification stage, let the input error be... The error change rate is The fuzzy rule sets for the input error and the rate of change of error are respectively and Regarding the error Its membership degree , and location The calculation method uses the trigonometric membership function, as follows: .

[0116] .

[0117] .

[0118] Error change rate membership degree , and location , and error The calculation method is the same.

[0119] The following discusses input variables. The parameters involved in the fuzzification stage are explained. The values ​​of fuzzy linguistic variables are usually represented by a set of fuzzy sets, in order to... For example, each Represents a fuzzy linguistic value. For a large negative value, For negative middle, For negative small, Zero, For positive small, It is in the center. It is upright. Membership degree The triangular membership function represents the degree to which a precise value belongs to a fuzzy set, taking values ​​from 0 to 1, where 0 indicates no membership at all and 1 indicates full membership. When the range of the fuzzy rule set is exceeded, It indicates that it does not belong to any fuzzy set; when When it falls between two adjacent fuzzy linguistic values, express The degree to which it belongs to the left fuzzy linguistic value, express The degree to which it belongs to right-fuzzy linguistic values. Location index. express The location within the fuzzy rule set is used for subsequent quick searching of fuzzy rules. Location Index The meaning of the expression is: when hour, Corresponding to Therefore, the position is negative; when Falling and In between, Corresponding to arrive The interval; when hour, Corresponding to Therefore, its position is upright.

[0120] In the fuzzy inference stage, the fuzzy rule table uses a matrix. Representation, matrix Each element R[i][j] is a rule value, which is an integer from 0 to 6. (The rest of the text appears to be a list of rules or rules, possibly related to a table or table.) Listed as Extract four rule values As shown below: .

[0121] Calculate the fuzzy output value again , Indicates the first The influence of the rule The larger the value, the more it indicates the first... The more important a rule is. The four fuzzy output values ​​are calculated by taking the minimum membership degree of both the error and the rate of change of error, as shown in the expression below. .

[0122] .

[0123] Known fuzzy output value It needs to be converted to precise output. The output variable will be defuzzified.

[0124] During the output variable clarification stage, it is necessary to clarify the fuzzy output values. Deblurring. As an example, we use a weighted average method for deblurring, the core idea being that rules with greater influence contribute more to the output. First, let's define the output rule set. ,according to Each Convert to precise numerical value ,like .get and Then, calculate using the expression below. : .

[0125] In the expression, This represents the adjustment amount of the PID controller, i.e. , and The respective increments. Then... Substitute the values ​​into the incremental PID formula to calculate the control quantity.

[0126] During the calculation phase of the indoor unit expansion valve, the superheat error in the k-th cycle is: The calculation formula can be found in the introduction of step S33 above.

[0127] The formula for calculating the increment of the indoor unit's expansion valve opening is: .

[0128] In the formula, , , The values ​​calculated during the output variable clarification phase, It is a proportional term; It is an integral term; This is the differential term, used to predict future changes in the error.

[0129] During the compressor frequency calculation phase, after receiving the temperature control requirements from other indoor units, the main control unit calculates the temperature difference for each indoor unit, and then takes a weighted average of the temperature differences of all indoor units as the overall error. The expression is: .

[0130] in, This represents the indoor temperature reported by the i-th indoor unit. This represents the set temperature value (i.e., target temperature) of the i-th indoor unit, and N represents the number of indoor units.

[0131] The main control unit calculates the compressor frequency increment based on the total demand. The calculation expression is as follows: .

[0132] The above five stages illustrate the fuzzy incremental PID control. The above technical solution is based on the precise control of the compressor frequency based on temperature deviation and the precise control of the opening of the indoor unit expansion valve based on superheat deviation. At the same time, the fuzzy algorithm is used to optimize the PID parameters, which significantly improves the control accuracy of the temperature in each room, reduces overshoot and quickly reaches the temperature.

[0133] Based on the same concept, this disclosure provides a multi-split air conditioner control method, which is applied to any indoor unit, including: acquiring superheat error information of the evaporator corresponding to the indoor unit, and controlling the expansion valve corresponding to the indoor unit according to the superheat error information; the indoor unit, as a slave unit, sends the temperature control requirement information of the indoor unit to the master control unit, so that the master control unit can control the compressor of the outdoor unit according to the temperature control requirement information; or, the indoor unit, as the master control unit, receives the temperature control requirement information sent by other indoor units, and controls the compressor of the outdoor unit according to the temperature control requirement information.

[0134] like Figure 7 As shown, each indoor unit locally stores environmental data for n cycles, which is equivalent to the superheat error information mentioned above. The end-side AI program of each indoor unit calculates the opening degree of the expansion valve based on the historical environmental data. As a slave unit, the indoor unit transmits indoor unit information to the master control unit, which is equivalent to the temperature control requirement information mentioned above. As the master control unit, the indoor unit calculates the compressor frequency by integrating the information reported by all indoor units.

[0135] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating a multi-split air conditioning control device according to an exemplary embodiment. (Refer to...) Figure 8 The device includes an expansion valve control module 801 and a compressor control module 802.

[0136] The expansion valve control module 801 is configured to control the expansion valve of the machine based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the machine.

[0137] The compressor control module 802 is configured to send the temperature control requirement information of the unit to the main control unit, so that the main control unit can control the compressor of the outdoor unit.

[0138] In some embodiments, the compressor control module 802 is further configured to send the indoor unit's on / off status to the main control unit, so that the main control unit can control the outdoor unit's compressor based on the temperature control requirements of the indoor unit in the on / off state.

[0139] In some embodiments, the indoor unit includes an indoor unit and a control panel communicatively connected to the indoor unit; the expansion valve control module 801 is further configured to: the control panel of each indoor unit receives superheat error information of the evaporator of the indoor unit reported by the indoor unit of the unit; and the control panel of each indoor unit controls the expansion valve of the unit based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the unit.

[0140] In some embodiments, the expansion valve control module 801 is further configured to: control the expansion valve of the unit based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the unit during the closed-loop control phase; determine the initial opening degree of the expansion valve based on the difference between the indoor temperature and the target temperature of the unit during the open-loop control phase; the triggering conditions for switching from the open-loop control phase to the closed-loop control phase include: the operating time of the multi-split system reaches a threshold, and / or the trend of indoor temperature change meets the target conditions.

[0141] In some embodiments, the compressor control module 802 is further configured to: in the closed-loop control phase, send the indoor temperature and target temperature of the room where the unit is located to the main control unit, so that the main control unit can aggregate the temperature difference information of multiple indoor unit units to obtain the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated temperature difference value, and control the compressor of the outdoor unit based on the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated temperature difference value; in the open-loop control phase, send the indoor temperature and target temperature of the room where the unit is located to the main control unit, so that the main control unit can determine the initial frequency of the compressor in the outdoor unit based on the temperature difference information of the indoor unit units and the cooling and heating output capabilities of the indoor unit units; the triggering conditions for switching from the open-loop control phase to the closed-loop control phase include: the operating time of the multi-split system reaches a threshold, and / or the indoor temperature change trend meets the target conditions.

[0142] Regarding the apparatus in the above embodiments, the specific manner in which each module performs its operation has been described in detail in the embodiments related to the method, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0143] This disclosure also provides an internal unit that may have, for example: Figure 2 The hardware structure shown indicates that the indoor unit is configured to implement the steps of the multi-split air conditioning control method provided in this disclosure.

[0144] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, the electronic device 900 may be the outdoor unit, indoor unit, or intelligent gateway of a multi-split air conditioning system with centralized control functions.

[0145] like Figure 9 As shown, the electronic equipment 900 of the multi-split air conditioning system may include one or more of the following components: processing component 902, memory 904, power supply component 906, communication component 916, sensor component 914, actuator component 918, and user interface component 912.

[0146] The processing component 902 can control the overall operation of the electronic device 900, such as control logic operations related to the operation of the air conditioning system. For example, when the electronic device 900 is an outdoor unit or a main control indoor unit, the processing component 902 executes the compressor control method described above, including calculating and outputting compressor frequency control commands based on aggregated temperature difference information; when the electronic device 900 is a regular indoor unit, the processing component 902 executes the expansion valve control method described above, including calculating and outputting expansion valve opening control commands based on the unit's superheat error information. The processing component 902 may include one or more processors 920 (such as a microcontroller MCU or a digital signal processor DSP) to execute instructions to complete all or part of the steps of the multi-split air conditioning control method described above.

[0147] Memory 904 is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of electronic device 900. Examples of this data include program instructions for controlling the air conditioning system, target superheat, PID control parameters, fuzzy rule tables, historical operating data, and device configuration parameters (such as indoor unit capability codes and address codes). Memory 904 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), or static random access memory (SRAM).

[0148] Power supply assembly 906 provides power to various components of electronic device 900. Power supply assembly 906 may include switching power supply, power management circuit and protection circuit, convert AC mains power into DC operating voltage required by each component, and may provide variable frequency drive power to some actuators (such as fan motors).

[0149] Communication component 916 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communication between electronic device 900 and other devices (such as other indoor units and outdoor units) within the multi-split air conditioning system to exchange control commands, status information, and sensor data. Communication component 916 can implement one or more communication protocols, such as a dedicated serial communication bus (e.g., RS-485), a CAN bus, or TCP / IP-based network communication. In one exemplary embodiment, communication component 916 may also support connectivity to an external network (e.g., home Wi-Fi) for remote monitoring and control.

[0150] Sensor assembly 914 includes one or more sensors for providing status feedback for the control of the air conditioning system. Sensor assembly 914 may include: temperature sensor, pressure sensor, humidity sensor, current / voltage sensor, position sensor, etc.

[0151] Among them, the temperature sensor is used to detect indoor ambient temperature, evaporator inlet / outlet / middle pipe temperature, condenser temperature, outdoor ambient temperature, etc.

[0152] Pressure sensor: Used to detect high and low pressure in refrigeration systems.

[0153] Humidity sensor: Used to detect indoor humidity.

[0154] Current / voltage sensor: used to detect the operating current and voltage of loads such as compressors and fans.

[0155] Position sensor: Used to detect the opening position of the expansion valve spool.

[0156] The sensor signals collected by the sensor assembly 914 are processed and can be provided to the processing assembly 902 as input for the control algorithm.

[0157] Actuator assembly 918 is configured to receive control commands from processing assembly 902 and drive corresponding physical devices to operate. Actuator assembly 918 may include: compressor drive circuit, expansion valve drive circuit, fan drive circuit, four-way valve control circuit, other solenoid valve control circuits, etc.

[0158] Among them, the compressor drive circuit is used to adjust the operating frequency of the compressor (e.g., through a frequency converter).

[0159] Expansion valve drive circuit: Used to control the stepper motor or pulse motor of the electronic expansion valve to adjust the opening degree of the electronic expansion valve.

[0160] Fan drive circuit: Used to control the speed of indoor and outdoor fans.

[0161] Four-way valve control circuit: used to switch between cooling and heating operation modes.

[0162] User interface component 912 provides an interactive interface between processing component 902 and the user. User interface component 912 receives user-set commands such as target temperature and operating mode, and displays system operating status, fault codes, and other information. For indoor units, user interface component 912 may include a display panel (such as an LCD or LED display), touch buttons, an infrared receiver (for remote control), and status indicator lights. For outdoor units or centralized controllers, user interface component 912 may include easy-to-use operation buttons and status indicator lights.

[0163] In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 900 may be implemented by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the above-described multi-split air conditioning control method.

[0164] This disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the multi-split air conditioning control method provided in this disclosure.

[0165] In another exemplary embodiment, a computer program product is also provided, the computer program product comprising a computer program executable by a programmable device, the computer program having a code portion for performing the above-described multi-split air conditioning control method when executed by the programmable device.

[0166] In the above detailed description, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific aspects of this disclosure by way of illustration. In this regard, terms indicating direction or positional relationship, such as “center,” “longitudinal,” “lateral,” “length,” “width,” “thickness,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer,” “clockwise,” “counterclockwise,” “axial,” “radial,” and “circumferential,” are used with reference to the orientation of the described figures. Since components of the described device can be positioned in multiple different orientations, directional terms are used for illustrative purposes and not for limitation. It should be understood that other aspects can be utilized and structural or logical changes can be made without departing from the concept of this disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be considered limiting.

[0167] It should be understood that, unless otherwise specifically indicated, features of various embodiments of this disclosure described herein can be combined with each other. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any one of the relevant listed items and any combination of any two or more; similarly, “at least one of…” includes any one of the relevant listed items and any combination of any two or more.

[0168] It should be understood that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "joining," "attaching," "installing," "connecting," "linking," "fixing," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows communication between them; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms herein based on the specific circumstances.

[0169] Furthermore, the term "above" as used herein with respect to components, elements, or material layers formed or located "above" a surface may be used to indicate that the component, element, or material layer is "indirectly" positioned (e.g., placed, formed, deposited, etc.) on the surface such that one or more additional components, elements, or layers are arranged between the surface and the component, element, or material layer. However, the term "above" as used with respect to components, elements, or material layers formed or located "above" a surface may also optionally have a specific meaning: that the component, element, or material layer is "directly" positioned (e.g., placed, formed, deposited, etc.) on the surface, for example, in direct contact with the surface.

[0170] Although terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used herein to describe various components, parts, regions, layers, or sections, these components, parts, regions, layers, or sections are not limited to these terms. Rather, these terms are used only to distinguish one component, part, region, layer, or section from another. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the examples described herein, the first component, part, region, layer, or section mentioned in the examples may also be referred to as the second component, part, region, layer, or section. Furthermore, 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 at least one of that feature. In the description herein, “a plurality” means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0171] It should be understood that spatial relative terms, such as “above,” “upper,” “below,” and “lower,” are used herein to describe the relationship between one element and another shown in the figures. In addition to the orientation depicted in the figures, these spatial relative terms are also intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the figures is flipped, an element described as “above” or “upper” relative to another element would be “below” or “lower” relative to that other element. Thus, depending on the spatial orientation of the device, the term “above” encompasses both above and below orientations. Devices may have other orientations (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative terms used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0172] Furthermore, the term “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as advantageous compared to other aspects or designs. Rather, the use of the term “exemplary” is intended to present the concept in a concrete manner. As used herein, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, “X applies A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive arrangements. That is, “X applies A or B” satisfies any of the foregoing instances if X applies A; X applies B; or both X applies A and B. Additionally, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to refer to the singular form, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims are generally understood to mean “one or more.”

[0173] Similarly, although this disclosure has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding this specification and the accompanying drawings. This disclosure includes all such modifications and variations and is limited only by the scope of the claims. In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the components described above (e.g., elements, resources, etc.), unless otherwise indicated, the terminology used to describe such components is intended to correspond to any component (functionally equivalent) that performs the specific function of the described component, even if structurally not equivalent to the disclosed structure. Furthermore, although specific features of this disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations, as may be desired and advantageous to any given or particular application. Moreover, with regard to the terms “comprising,” “owning,” “having,” “having,” or variations thereof as used in the detailed description or claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “including.”

[0174] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

[0175] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a multi-split air conditioning system, characterized in that, The multi-split air conditioner includes an outdoor unit and multiple indoor unit units, and each of the multiple indoor unit units performs the following method steps: The expansion valve of the machine is controlled based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the machine. The unit sends its temperature control requirements to the main control unit, which then controls the compressor of the outdoor unit.

2. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main control unit is any one of the plurality of internal unit units.

3. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The indoor unit's on / off status is sent to the main control unit, which then controls the outdoor unit's compressor based on the temperature control requirements of the indoor unit when it is on.

4. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The indoor unit includes an indoor unit and a control panel communicatively connected to the indoor unit; based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the unit, the expansion valve of the unit is controlled, including: The control panel of each indoor unit receives the superheat error information of the evaporator of the indoor unit reported by the indoor unit of this machine; The control panel of each indoor unit controls the expansion valve of the unit based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the unit.

5. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control of the expansion valve based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of this machine includes: During the closed-loop control phase, the expansion valve of the machine is controlled based on the superheat error information of the evaporator. The method further includes: during the open-loop control phase, determining the initial opening degree of the expansion valve based on the difference between the indoor temperature and the target temperature of the machine; The triggering conditions for switching from the open-loop control stage to the closed-loop control stage include: the operating time of the multi-split air conditioning system reaches a threshold, and / or the indoor temperature change trend meets the target conditions.

6. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 5, characterized in that, In the closed-loop control phase, based on the superheat error information of the evaporator, the expansion valve of the machine is controlled, including: During the closed-loop control phase, based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the machine, PID calculation is performed to obtain the opening adjustment amount of the expansion valve of the machine, and the expansion valve of the machine is controlled based on the opening adjustment amount.

7. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The superheat error information includes the superheat error and the rate of change of the superheat error. The input quantities for the PID calculation are the superheat error and the rate of change of the superheat error, and the output is the first increment of the PID parameters. After outputting the first increment of the PID parameters, the method for obtaining the opening adjustment of the expansion valve of the machine includes: By inputting the first increment of the PID parameters, the superheat error for each cycle, and the historical superheat error into the PID expression, the opening adjustment of the expansion valve for each cycle is obtained.

8. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The steps for obtaining the superheat error include: Obtain the actual superheat of the evaporator of each of the indoor unit units within multiple cycles; The original superheat error is obtained based on the difference between the actual superheat and the target superheat. The original superheat error is processed by nonlinear transformation to obtain the superheat error for each cycle.

9. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The process of obtaining the actual superheat of the evaporator of each of the indoor unit units within multiple cycles includes: The outlet pipe temperature, inlet pipe temperature, and middle pipe temperature of the evaporator of each indoor unit are obtained within multiple cycles. The actual superheat for each cycle is obtained based on the difference between the minimum outlet temperature, inlet temperature, and middle tube temperature within each cycle.

10. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of sending the temperature control requirement information of the unit to the main control unit, so that the main control unit can control the compressor of the outdoor unit, includes: The indoor temperature and target temperature of the outdoor unit are sent to the main control unit, which determines the temperature difference information based on the indoor temperature and the target temperature, and controls the compressor of the outdoor unit according to the temperature difference information.

11. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The step of sending the indoor temperature and target temperature of the outdoor unit to the main control unit, so that the main control unit can determine the temperature difference information based on the indoor temperature and the target temperature, and control the compressor of the outdoor unit according to the temperature difference information, includes: During the closed-loop control phase, the indoor temperature and target temperature of the unit are sent to the main control unit. The main control unit aggregates the temperature difference information of multiple indoor units to obtain the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated temperature difference value, and controls the compressor of the outdoor unit based on the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated temperature difference value. The method further includes: during the open-loop control phase, sending the indoor temperature and target temperature of the room where the unit is located to the main control unit, so that the main control unit can determine the initial frequency of the compressor in the outdoor unit based on the temperature difference information of the indoor unit and the cooling and heating output capacity of the indoor unit. The triggering conditions for switching from the open-loop control stage to the closed-loop control stage include: the operating time of the multi-split system reaches a threshold, and / or the indoor temperature change trend meets the target conditions.

12. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The temperature difference aggregate value is obtained by calculating the average or weighted average of the temperature differences of the multiple indoor unit units, wherein the temperature difference is the difference between the indoor temperature of the room where the indoor unit is located and the target temperature of the indoor unit.

13. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method of controlling the compressor of the outdoor unit based on the temperature difference aggregation value and the aggregation value change rate includes: Based on the temperature difference aggregation value and the aggregation value change rate, PID calculation is performed to obtain the frequency adjustment amount of the outdoor unit's compressor, and the compressor of the outdoor unit is controlled based on the frequency adjustment amount.

14. The multi-split air conditioning control method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The PID calculation employs a fuzzy incremental PID control algorithm. The inputs to the PID calculation are the aggregated temperature difference and the rate of change of the aggregated value. The output of the PID calculation is the second increment of the PID parameters. After outputting the second increment of the PID parameters, the frequency adjustment of the outdoor unit's compressor is obtained, including: By inputting the second increment of the PID parameters, the aggregated temperature difference value for each cycle, and the historical data into the PID expression, the frequency adjustment amount of the outdoor unit's compressor for each cycle is obtained.

15. A method for controlling a multi-split air conditioning system, characterized in that, The multi-split air conditioner includes an outdoor unit and multiple indoor unit units, and the method is applied to any one of the indoor unit units, the method comprising: Obtain the superheat error information of the evaporator corresponding to the indoor unit, and control the expansion valve corresponding to the indoor unit according to the superheat error information; The indoor unit acts as a slave unit, sending its temperature control requirements to the master control unit, which then controls the compressor of the outdoor unit based on the temperature control requirements. Alternatively, the indoor unit acts as the master control unit, receiving temperature control requirements from other indoor units and controlling the compressor of the outdoor unit based on the temperature control requirements.

16. A multi-split air conditioning control device, characterized in that, The multi-split air conditioner includes an outdoor unit and multiple indoor unit units; the device includes: The expansion valve control module is configured to control the expansion valve of the machine based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the machine. The compressor control module is configured to send the temperature control requirement information of the unit to the main control unit, which then controls the compressor of the outdoor unit.

17. The multi-split air conditioning control device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The compressor control module is also configured to: The indoor unit's on / off status is sent to the main control unit, which then controls the outdoor unit's compressor based on the temperature control requirements of the indoor unit when it is on.

18. The multi-split air conditioning control device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The indoor unit includes an indoor unit and a control panel communicatively connected to the indoor unit; the expansion valve control module is further used for: The control panel of each indoor unit receives the superheat error information of the evaporator of the indoor unit reported by the indoor unit of this machine; The control panel of each indoor unit controls the expansion valve of the unit based on the superheat error information of the evaporator of the unit.

19. The multi-split air conditioning control device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The expansion valve control module is also configured to: During the closed-loop control phase, the expansion valve of the machine is controlled based on the superheat error information of the evaporator. During the open-loop control phase, the initial opening degree of the expansion valve is determined based on the difference between the indoor temperature of the machine and the target temperature. The triggering conditions for switching from the open-loop control stage to the closed-loop control stage include: the operating time of the multi-split air conditioning system reaches a threshold, and / or the indoor temperature change trend meets the target conditions.

20. The multi-split air conditioning control device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The compressor control module is also configured to: During the closed-loop control phase, the indoor temperature and target temperature of the unit are sent to the main control unit. The main control unit aggregates the temperature difference information of multiple indoor units to obtain the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated temperature difference value, and controls the compressor of the outdoor unit based on the aggregated temperature difference value and the rate of change of the aggregated temperature difference value. During the open-loop control phase, the indoor temperature and target temperature of the unit are sent to the main control unit. The main control unit then determines the initial frequency of the compressor in the outdoor unit based on the temperature difference information of the indoor unit and the cooling and heating output capacity of the indoor unit. The triggering conditions for switching from the open-loop control stage to the closed-loop control stage include: the operating time of the multi-split system reaches a threshold, and / or the indoor temperature change trend meets the target conditions.

21. An indoor unit, characterized in that, The in-unit is configured to implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 or the steps of the method according to claim 15.

22. An air conditioning device, characterized in that, The air conditioning equipment includes the indoor unit as described in claim 21.

23. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor of the electronic device, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 or the steps of the method according to claim 15.

24. A computer-readable storage medium having computer program instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When executed by a processor, the program instructions implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 or the steps of the method according to claim 15.

25. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: processor; Memory used to store processor-executable instructions; The processor is configured to implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 or the steps of the method according to claim 15.

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