Air conditioning system

Abstract

To provide an air conditioning system that enables uniform air conditioning in the same room, even when a sensor of each of a plurality of indoor units has different measurement accuracy during group operation.SOLUTION: An air conditioning system 1 comprises a plurality of indoor units 5 that each have a sensor 3 and an indoor control unit 39, and perform a predetermined air conditioning operation. When any indoor unit 5 of the plurality of indoor units 5 has a sensor 3 with high measurement accuracy, an indoor control unit 39 of each indoor unit 5 controls the predetermined air conditioning operation using a high-accuracy measurement value of the sensor 3 with high measurement accuracy.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an air conditioning system.

Background Art

[0002] In air conditioners, single-type heat pump air conditioners equipped with a single indoor unit and multi-type heat pump air conditioners equipped with a plurality of indoor units are known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Regardless of these single-type and multi-type air conditioners, group operation may be performed to efficiently execute air conditioning control by interlocking a plurality of indoor units installed in a wide and identical room as an air conditioning system. In group operation, a remote controller or a higher-level centralized controller centrally manages a plurality of indoor units. Each indoor unit has, for example, at least one type of sensor and performs air conditioning operation based on a command signal from the remote controller and a measured value of its own sensor.

[0005] However, the measurement accuracy of the sensors of each of the plurality of indoor units operated in group may be different. In this case, even if the remote controller group-operates a plurality of indoor units with, for example, the same indoor set temperature as a command signal, variations occur in the indoor temperatures reached by the respective indoor units due to differences in the accuracy of the temperature sensors for measuring the room temperature of each indoor unit. Therefore, in the same room, the room temperature is not uniform and variations occur.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioning system capable of achieving uniform air conditioning in the same room even when the measurement accuracies of sensors respectively provided in a plurality of indoor units during group operation are different.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above problems, an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of indoor units each having a sensor and an indoor control unit and performing a predetermined air conditioning operation. When there is an indoor unit having the sensor with high measurement accuracy among the plurality of indoor units, the indoor control unit of each indoor unit controls the predetermined air conditioning operation using the high-precision measurement value of the sensor with high measurement accuracy.

[0008] Further, to solve the above problems, an air conditioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of indoor units performing a predetermined air conditioning operation and a remote controller for managing the plurality of indoor units. Each of the indoor units has a sensor having an accuracy rank value indicating measurement accuracy classified into three or more stages and an indoor control unit for controlling the predetermined air conditioning operation based on a command signal from the remote controller. The indoor control unit of each of the plurality of indoor units controls the predetermined air conditioning operation using the optimal sensor data obtained based on the measurement value of the sensor having the highest accuracy rank value.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Two embodiments of the air conditioning system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. In the plurality of drawings, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0011] (First Embodiment) As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of indoor units 5 each having at least one type of sensor 3 and performing a predetermined air conditioning operation, and a remote controller 7 for centrally managing the plurality of indoor units 5. The plurality of indoor units 5 and the remote controller 7 are communicably connected to each other via a communication line 9. Between each device connected to the communication line 9, not only one-to-one communication but also one-to-many communication is possible. One-to-many communication is also called multicast. These indoor units 5 may include a mixture of indoor units 5 of each type regardless of whether they are single-type or multi-type air conditioners.

[0012] A plurality of indoor units 5 are installed in the same room and are pre-grouped during installation or the like so as to perform a predetermined air-conditioning operation in conjunction with each other as one group. Such an operation of the plurality of indoor units 5 that have been group-set may hereinafter be referred to as group operation. The plurality of indoor units 5 are installed, for example, such that most of the casing of each indoor unit 5 is embedded in the ceiling 81 of the room. The number of the plurality of indoor units 5 is three in the example of FIG. 1, but is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, two or four or more. The plurality of indoor units 5 may include a ventilation unit that performs only ventilation operation.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2 in addition to FIG. 1, each of the plurality of indoor units 5 includes, for example, a communication unit 31 connected to a communication line 9, an indoor heat exchanger (not shown), an indoor fan 33 that generates an air flow passing through the indoor heat exchanger, sensors 3 including a temperature sensor 35 that measures the indoor temperature, a humidity sensor 36 that measures the indoor humidity, and other sensors 37, and an indoor control unit 39 that reads the measured values of these sensors 3 and controls the indoor fan 33. When the indoor fan 33 operates, indoor air for heat exchange with the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger is sent to the indoor heat exchanger. Thereby, the conditioned air heat-exchanged in the indoor heat exchanger is supplied to the room.

[0014] Note that when the indoor unit 5 is a ventilation unit, depending on the functions and specifications of the indoor unit 5 as a ventilation unit, the indoor unit 5 does not necessarily have to include an indoor heat exchanger through which the refrigerant flows. The indoor unit 5 as a ventilation unit has, for example, an exhaust passage (not shown) for exhausting indoor air, an introduction passage (not shown) for introducing outdoor air (outside air), and a total heat exchanger that transfers the heat of the exhausted air to the introduced air.

[0015] The communication unit 31 transmits and receives communication data to and from each device connected to the communication line 9 via the communication line 9. The communication unit 31 receives the communication data to be transmitted from the indoor control unit 39 and delivers the received communication data to the indoor control unit 39. The communication unit 31 has a transmitter and a receiver (both not shown) in order to perform both transmission and reception. Note that the communication data transmitted and received by the communication unit 31 is, for example, the data of the sensor 3 of its own device, the data representing the operating state of its own device, the data of the sensor 3 of another indoor unit 5, and the command signal from the remote controller 7.

[0016] The temperature sensor 35, the humidity sensor 36, and the other sensors 37 are usually provided at a position exposed to the interior of the indoor unit 5 or in a path through which the indoor air flows before passing through the indoor heat exchanger in order to measure various environmental information in the room. The temperature sensor 35, the humidity sensor 36, and the other sensors 37 output the measured values to the indoor control unit 39.

[0017] The other sensors 37 may be, for example, a CO2 sensor that measures the carbon dioxide concentration in the room, an odor sensor that measures the degree of odor in the room, a particulate sensor that measures the concentration of suspended particles such as smoke and pollen in the room, and a flow sensor that measures the amount of air-conditioning air supplied by the indoor unit 5. Note that each indoor unit 5 does not necessarily have all of the temperature sensor 35, the humidity sensor 36, and the other sensors 37. Each indoor unit 5 may be allowed to have, for example, either one of the temperature sensor 35 and the humidity sensor 36.

[0018] The indoor control unit 39 controls the fan rotation speed of the indoor fan 33 according to a predetermined air-conditioning operation based on the measured value of the sensor 3 and the command signal from the remote controller 7. The indoor control unit 39 includes a microprocessor (not shown), a storage device (not shown) such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores various arithmetic programs, parameters, the measured value of the sensor 3, and the arithmetic results of various arithmetic programs executed by the microprocessor. Note that the indoor control unit 39 may be formed by a logic circuit.

[0019] The remote controller 7 includes a communication unit 51 connected to the communication line 9, a setting unit 53 as an input interface for setting the indoor set temperature, the indoor set humidity, and a predetermined air-conditioning operation (operation mode) of the air-conditioning system 1, and a display unit 55 that displays the content of the setting and the operation state as the operation conditions of each device including a plurality of indoor units 5 connected to the communication line 9. The remote controller 7 outputs the content set by the setting unit 53 to each device including a plurality of indoor units 5 connected to the communication line 9 as a command signal.

[0020] The communication unit 51 transmits and receives communication data to and from each device connected to the communication line 9 via the communication line 9. The communication unit 51 receives the communication data to be transmitted from the setting unit 53 and delivers the received communication data to the display unit 55. Since the communication unit 51 performs both transmission and reception, it has a transmitter and a receiver (both not shown).

[0021] The remote controller 7 transmits, as a control signal, the indoor set temperature, the indoor set humidity, and the operation mode corresponding to the predetermined air-conditioning operation of the air-conditioning system 1 set by the user via the setting unit 53 to each device including a plurality of indoor units 5 connected to the communication line 9. The indoor set temperature, the indoor set humidity, and the operation mode corresponding to the predetermined air-conditioning operation of the air-conditioning system 1 may be common to a plurality of indoor units 5 in the group, or different settings may be made for each indoor unit 5.

[0022] The air conditioning system 1 also includes at least one outdoor unit 11 to which each indoor unit 5 is communicably connected via a communication line 9.

[0023] The outdoor unit 11 includes a communication unit 61 connected to the communication line 9, a compressor 63, a four-way valve (not shown), an outdoor heat exchanger (not shown), an expansion device (not shown), an outdoor fan 65 that generates a flow of air (outdoor air) passing through the outdoor heat exchanger, and an outdoor control unit 67 that controls the compressor 63, the four-way valve, and the outdoor fan 65.

[0024] The air conditioning system 1 also includes a refrigerant pipe (not shown) that sequentially connects the compressor 63, the four-way valve, the outdoor heat exchanger, the expansion device, and the indoor heat exchanger to circulate refrigerant. In other words, the air conditioning system 1 includes a refrigeration circuit that circulates refrigerant between the indoor unit 5 and the outdoor unit 11. The outdoor unit 11 is connected to each indoor unit 5 by a refrigerant pipe. The outdoor heat exchanger performs heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant flowing inside the outdoor heat exchanger. The expansion device reduces the pressure of the refrigerant. The expansion device is, for example, an electronic expansion valve (Pulse Motor Valve, PMV) whose valve opening can be electrically adjusted. Note that the outdoor unit 11 does not necessarily have to be connected to the indoor unit 5 serving as a ventilation unit among the plurality of indoor units 5 via a refrigerant pipe.

[0025] The communication unit 61 transmits and receives communication data to and from each device connected to the communication line 9 via the communication line 9. The communication unit 61 receives the communication data to be transmitted from the outdoor control unit 67 and delivers the received communication data to the outdoor control unit 67. Since the communication unit 61 performs both transmission and reception, it has a transmitter and a receiver (both not shown).

[0026] The compressor 63 compresses the refrigerant, raises the pressure, and discharges it. Preferably, the compressor 63 can change its operating frequency (rotation speed) by known inverter control via an inverter device (not shown). When the rotation speed of the compressor 63 is increased, the amount of heat transferred to the high-temperature part increases, and when the rotation speed of the compressor 63 is decreased, the amount of heat transferred to the high-temperature part decreases. The outdoor control unit 67 detects the air-conditioning load based on the communication data from the indoor control unit 39 of each indoor unit 5, and accordingly increases or decreases the operating frequency of the inverter device, so as to exert an appropriate refrigerating capacity according to the load state.

[0027] The four-way valve switches the flow path of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigeration circuit. Thereby, during the cooling operation in which the indoor unit 5 performs cooling, the four-way valve causes the outdoor heat exchanger of the outdoor unit 11 to function as a condenser and the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit 5 to function as an evaporator. On the other hand, during the heating operation in which the indoor unit 5 performs heating, the four-way valve causes the outdoor heat exchanger to function as an evaporator and the indoor heat exchanger to function as a condenser.

[0028] The outdoor control unit 67 controls the rotation speed of the compressor 63 and the fan rotation speed of the outdoor fan 65 based on the instruction content from the indoor unit 5 that has determined the operation content based on the command signal from the remote controller 7. The outdoor control unit 67 includes a microprocessor (not shown) and a storage device (not shown) such as a ROM and a RAM that stores various arithmetic programs, parameters, and arithmetic results of the various arithmetic programs executed by the microprocessor.

[0029] Under group operation, the measurement accuracies of the sensors 3 of each indoor unit 5 may be different. In this case, if the indoor control unit 39 of each indoor unit 5 directly controls a predetermined air-conditioning operation based on the measured value of the sensor 3 of the indoor unit 5 in addition to the command signal from the remote controller 7, uniform air-conditioning operation cannot be achieved due to the measurement accuracy of the sensor 3. That is, variations occur in the air-conditioning in the same room.

[0030] Therefore, when there is an indoor unit 5 having a sensor 3 with high measurement accuracy among the plurality of indoor units 5, the indoor control unit 39 of each indoor unit 5 controls a predetermined air-conditioning operation using the high-precision measurement value which is the measurement value of the sensor 3 with high measurement accuracy. Thereby, even when the measurement accuracies of the sensors 3 respectively possessed by the plurality of indoor units 5 are different during group operation, the air-conditioning system 1 shares and uses the high-precision measurement values among the plurality of indoor units 5 under group operation, so as to perform uniform air-conditioning in the same room.

[0031] Also, among the plurality of indoor units 5, at least one first indoor unit 71 may receive a high-precision measurement value from at least one other second indoor unit 73 among the plurality of indoor units 5. Thereby, the first indoor unit 71 efficiently aggregates the high-precision measurement values in the plurality of indoor units 5 within the group.

[0032] Furthermore, at least one second indoor unit 73 may transmit only its own high-precision measurement value to at least one first indoor unit 71. Thereby, while reducing the amount of communication data flowing through the communication line 9, the first indoor unit 71 more efficiently aggregates the high-precision measurement values in the plurality of indoor units 5 within the group.

[0033] Furthermore, at least one first indoor unit 71 transmits at least one of its own high-precision measurement value and the high-precision measurement value from at least one second indoor unit 73 to the indoor units 5 other than the first indoor unit 71 among the plurality of indoor units 5. Thereby, it is ensured that the indoor units 5 not having the sensor 3 with high measurement accuracy use the high-precision measurement values.

[0034] Incidentally, at least one first indoor unit 71 may transmit the optimal sensor data obtained based on at least one of the high-precision measurement values of its own unit and the high-precision measurement values from at least one second indoor unit 73 to indoor units 5 other than the first indoor unit 71 among the plurality of indoor units 5. The optimal sensor data is data that is preferable for each indoor unit 5 to use for controlling a predetermined air-conditioning operation during group operation. The optimal sensor data is usually a value obtained by performing various calculations and conversions on the measurement values of the sensors 3 with high measurement accuracy. However, it is not limited to this. For example, it may be the measurement values of the sensors 3 with high measurement accuracy themselves. In this case, the high-precision measurement values coincide with the optimal sensor data.

[0035] Here, with reference to FIG. 3, data communication of at least one type of sensor 3 among the plurality of indoor units 5 in the air-conditioning system 1 of the first embodiment will be described. At the time of group setting, one indoor unit 5 within the group is set in advance as the master unit, and the other indoor units 5 within the group are set as slave units.

[0036] In FIG. 3, the three indoor units 5 are an indoor unit 5A as the master unit, and indoor units 5B and 5C as slave units. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the indoor unit 5A does not have sensors 3 with high measurement accuracy. It is assumed that the indoor unit 5B has a temperature sensor 35 with high measurement accuracy. It is assumed that the indoor unit 5C has a humidity sensor 36 with high measurement accuracy. When the slave indoor units 5B and 5C have sensors 3 with high measurement accuracy, they are set to transmit the measurement values of their own sensors 3 with high measurement accuracy to the indoor unit 5A, which is the master unit.

[0037] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the indoor unit 5A, which is the master unit, receives the measured values of the highly accurate sensor 3 from the indoor units 5B and 5C, which are the slave units. Then, the indoor unit 5A calculates the optimal sensor data obtained based on these received measured values, uses this for the control of its own air-conditioning operation, and has a function of transmitting the calculated optimal sensor data to the indoor units 5B and 5C. The indoor unit 5A, which is the master unit, corresponds to, for example, at least one first indoor unit 71. On the other hand, the indoor units 5B and 5C, which are the slave units, correspond to, for example, the second indoor unit 73.

[0038] Also, in FIG. 3, the timing T1 is abbreviated as "T1". The same applies to the timings after T2.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3, data communication including the measured value of the highly accurate temperature sensor 35 of the indoor unit 5B and the measured value of the highly accurate humidity sensor 36 of the indoor unit 5C is periodically performed every predetermined time C among the indoor units 5A to 5C. The predetermined time C depends on the number of indoor units 5 operating in group operation, but is, for example, about 15 seconds.

[0040] Specifically, at T1, the indoor unit 5B transmits the measured value of the highly accurate temperature sensor 35 that it holds to the indoor unit 5A as communication data.

[0041] At T2 following T1, the indoor unit 5C transmits the measured value of the highly accurate humidity sensor 36 that it holds to the indoor unit 5A as communication data.

[0042] Subsequently, at T3, the indoor unit 5A aggregates the measurement values of the highly accurate temperature sensor 35 received from the indoor unit 5B and the measurement values of the highly accurate humidity sensor 36 received from the indoor unit 5C as optimal sensor data, and transmits them collectively to the indoor units 5B and 5C. As a result, the measurement values of the highly accurate temperature sensor 35 (high-precision measurement values) and the measurement values of the highly accurate humidity sensor 36 (high-precision measurement values) are shared as optimal sensor data among the indoor units 5A, 5B, and 5C, and each indoor control unit 39 of the indoor units 5A, 5B, and 5C controls a predetermined air-conditioning operation using the shared optimal sensor data. In other words, each indoor control unit 39 of the indoor units 5A, 5B, and 5C controls a predetermined air-conditioning operation based on the command signal from the remote controller 7 and the high-precision measurement values as optimal sensor data. Thereby, the indoor units 5A, 5B, and 5C enable uniform air-conditioning in the same room according to the command signal from the remote controller 7.

[0043] Also, at T3, the indoor unit 5A may transmit the high-precision measurement values to the remote controller 7 and display the high-precision measurement values on the display unit 55 of the remote controller 7. Thereby, more accurate information on the uniform air-conditioning environment indoors is presented to the user. Note that the indoor unit 5A may transmit the optimal sensor data to the remote controller 7 instead of the high-precision measurement values.

[0044] The plurality of indoor units 5 include at least one air-conditioning operation function among a cooling operation, a dehumidifying operation, a heating operation, and a ventilation operation as a predetermined air-conditioning operation. And it is preferable that the air-conditioning system 1 includes various operation modes such as a cooling operation mode, a dehumidifying operation mode, a heating operation mode, and a ventilation operation mode as a group operation mode. Thereby, the air-conditioning system 1 provides the air-conditioning environment desired by the user. Note that when the plurality of indoor units 5 include a ventilation unit that performs only the ventilation operation, it is also allowed to perform a plurality of types of air-conditioning operations such as a ventilation operation and a cooling operation simultaneously depending on the combination of the operation contents of the plurality of indoor units 5.

[0045] In the air conditioning system 1 according to the first embodiment described so far, the control of a predetermined air conditioning operation using the highly accurate measurement values of the sensor 3 with high measurement accuracy among the plurality of indoor units 5 is executed by the indoor control units 39 of the respective indoor units 5. Among the processes in these indoor control units 39, the process in the indoor control unit 39 of the indoor unit 5 serving as the master unit will be described using the control flowchart shown in FIG. 4. Further, the process in the indoor control unit 39 of the indoor unit 5 serving as the slave unit will be described using the control flowchart shown in FIG. 5. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the master unit means the "indoor unit 5 serving as the master unit", and the slave unit means the "indoor unit 5 serving as the slave unit". Only one indoor unit 5 is set as the master unit among the grouped indoor units 5, and the remaining indoor units 5 in the group all become slave units. Each of the master unit and the slave unit has at least one of the temperature sensor 35 and the humidity sensor 36. Also, the symbols and names shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are defined as follows.

[0046] The temperature data Ta is the measurement value of the temperature sensor 35 with low measurement accuracy that the master unit or the slave unit has. The temperature data Ta is, for example, 25.5 °C and has a measurement accuracy of ±0.5 °C. The humidity data Ha is the measurement value of the humidity sensor 36 with low measurement accuracy that the master unit or the slave unit has. The temperature data Ta is, for example, 85 °C and has a measurement accuracy of ±5%.

[0047] The temperature data Tap is the measurement value of the temperature sensor 35 with high measurement accuracy that the master unit or the slave unit has. The temperature data Tap is, for example, 25.35 °C and has a measurement accuracy of ±0.15 °C. The humidity data Hap is the measurement value of the humidity sensor 36 with high measurement accuracy that the master unit or the slave unit has. The humidity data Hap is, for example, 82.5% and has a measurement accuracy of ±2.5%.

[0048] The temperature data Tan is the value of the temperature used by the master unit and the slave units, i.e., each indoor unit 5, for controlling a predetermined air-conditioning operation, and means the aforementioned optimal sensor data regarding the temperature. The humidity data Han is the value of the humidity used by each indoor unit 5 for controlling a predetermined air-conditioning operation, and means the aforementioned optimal sensor data regarding the humidity.

[0049] The sensor data (Ta, Ha) means at least one of the temperature data Ta and the humidity data Ha. The high-precision sensor data (Tap, Hap) means at least one of the temperature data Tap and the humidity data Hap. Also, the high-precision sensor data (Tap, Hap) may be simply denoted as the sensor data (Tap, Hap). The optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) means at least one of the temperature data Tan and the humidity data Han.

[0050] The operation of the indoor control unit 39 of the master unit will be described with reference to FIG. 4. Note that step S1 is abbreviated as "S1". The same applies to steps S2 and subsequent steps. The same shall also apply to other figures described hereinafter.

[0051] In FIG. 4, first, in S1, the indoor control unit 39 of the master unit determines whether it has received the sensor data (Tap, Hap), which is the measured value of the high-precision sensor 3, from the slave units within the group. If the sensor data (Tap, Hap) has been received (YES in S1), the process proceeds to S2; if the sensor data (Tap, Hap) has not been received (NO in S1), the process proceeds to S6. Note that when the sensor data (Tap, Hap) is received, the indoor control unit 39 of the master unit stores the received sensor data (Tap, Hap) in the storage device. As shown in FIG. 5 described hereinafter, all the slave units equipped with the high-precision sensor 3 are set to transmit the sensor data (Tap, Hap), which is the measured value of the high-precision sensor 3, to the master unit.

[0052] In S2 following YES in S1, the master unit determines whether the sensor 3 of its own unit is of high precision. If the sensor 3 of its own unit is of high precision (YES in S2), it proceeds to S3; if the sensor 3 of its own unit is not of high precision (NO in S2), it proceeds to S8.

[0053] In S3 following YES in S2, the indoor control unit 39 of the master unit calculates the average value of the sensor data (Tap, Hap) received in S1 and the sensor data (Tap, Hap) of its own unit for each type of sensor 3, and stores it as the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han).

[0054] Note that if there is only one indoor unit 5 equipped with a high-precision sensor 3 in the group, regardless of whether it is the master unit or a slave unit, the sensor data (Tap, Hap) which is the measured value of the high-precision sensor 3 becomes the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han). Also, determining the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) as the average value of the sensor data (Tap, Hap) received in S1 and the sensor data (Tap, Hap) of its own unit is just an example, and it may be determined by other calculation methods or conversion methods other than calculating the average value.

[0055] In S4 following S3, S7 or S8, the indoor control unit 39 of the master unit transmits the sensor data (Tan, Han) to all indoor units 5 which are slave units via the communication unit 31.

[0056] In S5 following S4 or S9, the master unit executes various operation controls of its own unit, that is, controls a predetermined air-conditioning operation, using the sensor data (Tan, Han). Note that the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) stored via S3 or S7 or S8 described later is commonly used in various operation controls of the indoor unit 5 which is the master unit and the indoor unit 5 which is the slave unit.

[0057] During cooling and heating operations, the indoor control unit 39 of the master unit cooperates with the outdoor control unit 47 of the outdoor unit 11 to stop the operation of the compressor 63, for example, based on a comparison of the temperature data Tan and the set temperature Ts as a command signal from the remote controller 7. Also, during the automatic operation mode in which the air conditioning system 1 determines and performs a predetermined air conditioning operation, for example, the cooling operation and the dehumidifying operation are automatically switched based on the humidity data Han. The dehumidifying operation is executed, for example, by changing the air volume of the indoor fan 33 sent to the indoor heat exchanger of the indoor unit 5 functioning as an evaporator according to the level of the value of the humidity data Han. At this time, the higher the value of the humidity data Han, the lower the air volume of the indoor fan 33 is reduced to lower the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger. As a result, moisture contained in the indoor air is likely to condense on the indoor heat exchanger, and the indoor humidity can be reduced. The same applies to the cooling and heating operations and the operations related to humidity in the indoor control unit 39 of the slave unit described with reference to FIG. 5 hereinafter.

[0058] If the answer is NO in S1, that is, when the sensor data (Tap, Hap) which is the measured value of the high-precision sensor 3 from the slave unit is not received, in S6 where the process proceeds, the master unit determines whether the sensor 3 of its own unit is high-precision. If the sensor 3 of its own unit is high-precision (YES in S6), the process proceeds to S7, and if the sensor 3 of its own unit is not high-precision (NO in S6), the process proceeds to S9.

[0059] In S7, the master unit stores the sensor data (Tap, Hap) of its own unit as the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han), and proceeds to S4.

[0060] In the case of NO at S2, that is, when the sensor 3 of the own device, i.e., the sensor 3 of the master device, is not of high precision, it proceeds to S8, and the master device calculates the average value of the sensor data (Tap, Hap) received from the slave device and stores it as the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han). Note that, similar to S3, determining the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) as the average value of the sensor data (Tap, Hap) received at S1 is just one example, and the optimal sensor data may be determined by methods other than calculating the average value.

[0061] In the case of NO at S6, that is, when shifting to S9 where the sensor 3 of the master device is not of high precision, the indoor control unit 39 of the master device stores the sensor data (Ta, Ha) of the own device as the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han). Note that this stored optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) is only used for the operation of the own device at the subsequent S5 and is not transmitted to the slave device.

[0062] Next, referring to FIG. 5, the processing of the indoor control unit 39 of the slave device will be described.

[0063] First, at S21, the indoor control unit 39 of the slave device determines whether the sensor 3 of the own device is of high precision. If the sensor 3 of the own device is of high precision (YES at S21), it proceeds to S22; if the sensor 3 of the own device is not of high precision (NO at S21), it proceeds to S25.

[0064] Following YES at S21, at S22, the slave device transmits the high-precision sensor data (Tap, Hap) measured by itself to the master device.

[0065] In S23 following S22, the indoor control unit 39 of the slave unit determines whether it has received the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) from the master unit. If it has received the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) from the master unit (YES in S23), it proceeds to S24. If it has not received the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) from the master unit (NO in S23), it repeats S23 and waits for the reception of the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) from the master unit. When the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) is received, the indoor control unit 39 of the slave unit stores the received optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) in the storage device.

[0066] In S24 following YES in S23, YES in S25, or S26, the indoor control unit 39 of the slave unit uses the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) to execute various operation controls of its own unit, that is, to control a predetermined air-conditioning operation.

[0067] In S25, which is entered when NO in S21, that is, when the sensor 3 of its own unit is not highly accurate, the slave unit determines whether it has received the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) from the master unit. If it has received the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) from the master unit (YES in S25), it proceeds to S24. If it has not received the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) from the master unit (NO in S25), it proceeds to S26. In S26, the indoor control unit 39 of the slave unit stores the sensor data (Ta, Ha) of its own unit as the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han), and in the subsequent S24, it uses that data (Tan, Han) to execute the control of the air-conditioning operation of its own unit.

[0068] According to the control flows of FIGS. 4 and 5, the indoor control unit 39 of the master unit and the indoor control unit 39 of the slave unit control a predetermined air conditioning operation using the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han). In particular, when passing through S3, S7, or S8 in FIG. 4 and the process of S23 in FIG. 5 is YES or the process of S25 in FIG. 5 is YES, the air conditioning system 1 causes a plurality of indoor units 5, which are the master unit and the slave units under group operation, to perform a predetermined air conditioning operation uniformly and accurately using the optimal sensor data (Tan, Han) obtained based on the high-precision measurement values measured by the sensors 3 with high measurement accuracy.

[0069] As described above, the air conditioning system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a plurality of indoor units 5 each having an indoor control unit 39 that controls a predetermined air conditioning operation using the high-precision measurement values of the sensors 3 with high measurement accuracy when there is an indoor unit 5 having a sensor 3 with high measurement accuracy among the plurality of indoor units 5. Therefore, even when the measurement accuracies of at least one type of sensor 3 respectively possessed by the plurality of indoor units 5 are different during group operation, the air conditioning system 1 can cause the high-precision measurement values to be used by the indoor control units 39 of the respective indoor units 5 to perform uniform air conditioning in the same room.

[0070] The air conditioning system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a plurality of indoor units 5 including a first indoor unit 71 and a second indoor unit 73 having a relationship that the first indoor unit 71 receives high-precision measurement values from at least one second indoor unit 73. Therefore, the air conditioning system 1 can efficiently aggregate the high-precision measurement values in the plurality of indoor units 5 within the group in the first indoor unit 71.

[0071] The air conditioning system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a plurality of indoor units 5 including a second indoor unit 73 that transmits only the high-precision measurement values of its own unit to the first indoor unit 71. Therefore, the air conditioning system 1 can reduce the amount of communication data flowing through the communication line 9 from the second indoor unit 73 to the first indoor unit 71 and can more efficiently aggregate the high-precision measurement values in the plurality of indoor units 5 within the group in the first indoor unit 71.

[0072] The air conditioning system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a plurality of indoor units 5 including a first indoor unit 71 that transmits at least one of the high-precision measurement values of the own unit and the high-precision measurement values from the second indoor unit 73 to indoor units 5 other than the first indoor unit 71 among the plurality of indoor units 5. Therefore, the air conditioning system 1 can surely cause the indoor units 5 having no sensors 3 with high measurement accuracy in the group to use the high-precision measurement values.

[0073] The air conditioning system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a remote controller 7 having a display unit 55 for displaying high-precision measurement values. Therefore, the air conditioning system 1 can more accurately present uniform air conditioning environment information in the room to the user.

[0074] The air conditioning system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a plurality of indoor units 5 that perform at least one air conditioning operation among cooling operation, dehumidifying operation, heating operation, and ventilation operation. Therefore, the air conditioning system 1 can cause all of the plurality of indoor units 5 operating in a group to perform a predetermined air conditioning operation using high-precision measurement values, and provide the air conditioning environment desired by the user in a better state.

[0075] Therefore, according to the air conditioning system 1 according to the first embodiment, even when the measurement accuracies of the sensors 3 respectively provided in the plurality of indoor units 5 are different during group operation, uniform air conditioning in the same room can be performed.

[0076] (Second Embodiment) Next, the air conditioning system 1A of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the description of the configuration overlapping with the air conditioning system 1 of the first embodiment will be omitted. The air conditioning system 1A of the second embodiment is different from the air conditioning system 1 of the first embodiment in that the sensor 3 included in the indoor unit 5 has accuracy rank values classified into at least three or more levels based on its detection accuracy (measurement accuracy). In the air conditioning system 1A, the indoor control unit 39 of each indoor unit 5 uses the optimal sensor data obtained based on the measurement value of the sensor 3 with the highest accuracy rank value for each type of sensor 3 among the measurement values of the sensors 3 of all the indoor units 5 in the group to control a predetermined air conditioning operation. By doing so, the air conditioning system 1A commonly uses the optimal sensor data based on the measurement value of the sensor 3 with the highest measurement accuracy for the operation control of a plurality of indoor units 5 operating in a group.

[0077] Hereinafter, the control of a predetermined air conditioning operation based on the accuracy rank values among a plurality of indoor units 5 in the air conditioning system 1A will be described in detail.

[0078] Specifically, the control of a predetermined air conditioning operation using the optimal sensor data obtained from the measurement values based on the accuracy rank values of at least one type of sensor 3 among a plurality of indoor units 5 is executed by the indoor control unit 39 of each indoor unit 5. Regarding the processing in these indoor control units 39, the processing in the indoor control unit 39 of the indoor unit 5 serving as the master unit among the plurality of indoor units 5 will be described using the control flowchart shown in FIG. 6 and the data table shown in FIG. 7. Furthermore, the processing in the indoor control unit 39 of the indoor unit 5 serving as the slave unit will be described using the control flowchart shown in FIG. 8.

[0079] In FIGS. 6 to 8, it is assumed as a premise that there is one master unit and N slave units (N is a positive integer of 3 or more). It is assumed that each of the master unit and the slave units has at least any one of a temperature sensor 35, a humidity sensor 36, and another sensor 37 including a CO2 sensor as the sensor 3. Furthermore, the accuracy rank values of the sensor 3 are four levels from A to D in descending order of accuracy.

[0080] The symbols and names shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 are defined as follows. The first slave unit is denoted as slave unit 101, and the subsequent slave units are denoted in the same way. The sensor data includes the type of sensor 3, the measured value, and the accuracy rank value. The optimal sensor data includes the measured value of sensor 3 that the master unit and the slave units use for controlling a predetermined air-conditioning operation, and the type and accuracy rank value of sensor 3 associated with the measured value.

[0081] Also, in the present embodiment, the master unit and the slave units belong to the same group and mean a plurality of indoor units 5 that air-condition the same space. The master unit is an indoor unit 5 that receives sensor data from the slave units and uses, for controlling its own air-conditioning operation, the optimal sensor data obtained based on the measured value of sensor 3 with the highest accuracy rank value for each type of sensor 3 among its own sensor data and the received sensor data, and transmits the optimal sensor data to the slave units. The slave unit is an indoor unit 5 that transmits the sensor data of its own sensor 3 to the master unit. In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the slave units do not distinguish whether to transmit sensor data to the master unit based on sensor accuracy. Therefore, all slave units transmit all of the sensor data including the measured values detected by themselves to the master unit.

[0082] In FIG. 6, first, at S31, the master unit determines whether it has received sensor data from all the slave units. If it has received sensor data from all the slave units (YES at S31), the process proceeds to S32. If it has not received sensor data from all the slave units (NO at S31), S31 is repeated to wait for the reception of sensor data from all the slave units. Note that the indoor control unit 39 of the master unit sequentially stores the sensor data received from each slave unit in the storage device.

[0083] In the subsequent S32, among the received sensor data and the sensor data of its own device, the master device determines the measurement value with the highest accuracy rank value for each type of sensor 3 and stores it as the optimal sensor data. At this time, the indoor control unit 39 of the master device stores and holds a data table regarding the sensor data of all the indoor units 5 in the group in the storage device as shown in Fig. 7(A). In the same table, an example is shown where for each type of sensor 3 of each indoor unit 5, the measurement value is stored on the left side and its accuracy rank is stored on the right side. Then, the indoor control unit 39 of the master device selects and determines the measurement value with the highest accuracy for each type of sensor. In the example of Fig. 7(A), the measurement value (24°C) of the temperature sensor 35 of the master device with an accuracy rank of B, the measurement value (19%) of the humidity sensor 36 of the slave unit 102 with an accuracy rank of A, and the measurement value (52 ppm) of the CO2 sensor of the slave unit 10N with an accuracy rank of A are respectively determined as the measurement values with the highest accuracy rank value and stored as the optimal sensor data shown in Fig. 7(B). Note that when there are two or more measurement values with the highest accuracy rank value in the same type of sensor 3, their average value may be used as the optimal sensor data.

[0084] In S33 following S32, the master device transmits the optimal sensor data to all the slave units.

[0085] In S34 following S33, the master device executes various operation controls of its own device, that is, controls a predetermined air conditioning operation, using the measurement values included in the optimal sensor data. Since the various operation controls executed by the indoor control unit 39 of the master device are the same as those of the indoor control unit 39 of the master device in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[0086] Next, with reference to Fig. 8, the processing of the indoor control unit 39 of the slave unit will be described.

[0087] First, in S41, the slave unit transmits the sensor data of its own device to the master device.

[0088] In S42 following S41, the indoor control unit 39 of the slave unit determines whether it has received the optimal sensor data from the master unit. If it has received the optimal sensor data from the master unit (YES in S42), it proceeds to S43. If it has not received the optimal sensor data from the master unit (NO in S42), it repeats S42 and waits for the reception of the optimal sensor data from the master unit.

[0089] In S43 following YES in S42, the slave unit uses the optimal sensor data to execute various operation controls of itself, that is, controls a predetermined air-conditioning operation.

[0090] According to the control flows of FIGS. 6 and 8, the indoor control unit 39 of the master unit and the indoor control unit 39 of the slave unit control a predetermined air-conditioning operation using the optimal sensor data. The optimal sensor data is data obtained based on the measured values of the sensor 3 with the highest accuracy rank value for each type of sensor 3 among all the indoor units 5 under group operation. Therefore, the air-conditioning system 1 uses the optimal sensor data to operate all the indoor units 5 that become the master unit and the slave unit under group operation, so as to execute a predetermined air-conditioning operation uniformly and accurately.

[0091] As described above, the air-conditioning system 1A according to the second embodiment includes a plurality of indoor units 5 each having an indoor control unit 39 that controls a predetermined air-conditioning operation using the optimal sensor data obtained based on the measured values of the sensor 3 with the highest accuracy rank value. Therefore, when there are a plurality of accuracy rank values for each type of sensor 3, the air-conditioning system 1A has an effect equal to or better than that of the air-conditioning system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0092] In each of the above-described embodiments, one master unit is selected from the indoor units 5 included in the group, and this master unit selects the high-precision measurement value or the optimal sensor data and notifies the other indoor units 5, that is, the slave units. Not limited to these embodiments, the remote controller 7 or a higher-level centralized controller (not shown) communicatively connected to all the indoor units 5 may be made to select the high-precision measurement value or the optimal sensor data and notify all the indoor units 5. In this case, the remote controller 7 or the centralized controller serves as the master unit, and all the indoor units 5 within the group serve as the slave units.

[0093] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0094] 1, 1A... air conditioning system, 3... sensor, 5, 5A, 5B, 5C... indoor unit, 7... remote controller, 39... indoor control unit, 51... display unit, 71... first indoor unit, 73... second indoor unit.

Claims

1. A plurality of indoor units each having a sensor and an indoor control unit for performing a predetermined air-conditioning operation, When there is an indoor unit having the sensor with high measurement accuracy among the plurality of indoor units, the indoor control unit of each indoor unit uses the high-precision measurement value of the sensor with high measurement accuracy to control the predetermined air-conditioning operation. An air-conditioning system.

2. Among the plurality of indoor units, a first indoor unit receives the high-precision measurement value from another second indoor unit among the plurality of indoor units. The air-conditioning system according to Claim 1.

3. The second indoor unit transmits only the high-precision measurement value of its own unit to the first indoor unit. The air-conditioning system according to Claim 2.

4. The first indoor unit transmits at least one of its own high-precision measurement value and the high-precision measurement value from the second indoor unit to indoor units other than the first indoor unit among the plurality of indoor units. The air-conditioning system according to Claim 2.

5. Comprising a remote controller for managing the plurality of indoor units, The indoor control unit of each indoor unit controls the predetermined air-conditioning operation based on a command signal from the remote controller and the high-precision measurement value. The air-conditioning system according to Claim 1.

6. The remote controller has a display unit, The display unit displays the high-precision measurement value. The air-conditioning system according to Claim 5.

7. The predetermined air-conditioning operation is at least one of a cooling operation, a dehumidifying operation, a heating operation, and a ventilation operation. The air-conditioning system according to Claim 1.

8. The sensor includes at least one of a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. The air-conditioning system according to Claim 1.

9. A plurality of indoor units for performing a predetermined air-conditioning operation, A remote controller for managing the plurality of indoor units, and Each of the indoor units, A sensor having an accuracy rank value classified into three or more stages to indicate measurement accuracy, An indoor control unit for controlling the predetermined air-conditioning operation based on a command signal from the remote controller, and The indoor control unit of each indoor unit uses the optimal sensor data obtained based on the measurement value of the sensor with the highest accuracy rank value to control the predetermined air-conditioning operation. An air-conditioning system.

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