Air conditioners

Abstract

To realize control of optional equipment while suppressing costs when the optional equipment is connected to an air conditioner. [Solution] An air conditioner comprising an operating device for operating the air conditioner, and a control unit for controlling the optional equipment in accordance with the air conditioning operation of the air conditioner when a connection setting is made to indicate that an optional equipment is connected to the air conditioner and the operating device is not equipped with an optional operation function for operating the optional equipment.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioner. [Background technology]

[0002] In an air conditioner, when an optional function such as an ionizer is installed as standard, the optional function can be controlled by operating the included remote control. Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner in which an optional device is provided in an indoor unit as a technology related to such optional functions. In this device, a corner panel provided with a status notification device that notifies the status of the optional device is detachably provided on the decorative panel body of the indoor unit. This allows the decorative panel body to be standardized regardless of whether or not the optional device is installed, and when the optional device is installed, the corner panel provided with the status notification device for the optional device can be attached to the decorative panel body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-241056 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When connecting optional devices with optional functions to an air conditioner, the question of how to control the optional functions arises. It is possible to prepare a dedicated remote control for the optional device, but this would be costly.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and has an object to realize control of optional equipment while suppressing costs when the optional equipment is connected to an air conditioner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is an air conditioner comprising an operation device for operating the air conditioner, and a control unit for controlling the optional device in accordance with air conditioning operation of the air conditioner when connection setting is performed to set that an optional device is connected to the air conditioner and the operation device is not equipped with an option operation function for operating the optional device. When the connection setting is performed and the optional operation function is installed in the operation device, the control unit controls the optional device in accordance with the optional operation function.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is an air conditioner comprising: an operation device for operating the air conditioner; and a control unit for controlling an optional device in response to an air conditioning operation of the air conditioner when an optional device is connected to the air conditioner and the operation device is not equipped with an option operation function for operating the optional device. The control unit sets that an optional device is connected to the air conditioner. When the connection setting is performed and the optional device is equipped with the optional operation function, the optional device is controlled in accordance with the optional operation function.

[0008] According to the present invention, when an optional device is connected to an air conditioner, it is possible to realize control of the optional device while suppressing costs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a refrigerant circuit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a main configuration relating to control of optional equipment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an ionizer control process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] FIG. 1 is an external configuration diagram showing an air conditioner 1 according to this embodiment. The air conditioner 1 performs air conditioning by circulating a refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 comprises an indoor unit 2 installed indoors (conditioned space), an outdoor unit 3 installed outdoors (outdoors), and a wireless remote control 4 operated by a user. The remote control 4 comprises a display unit 41 and an operation unit 42. The remote control 4 is an example of an operation device for operating the air conditioner 1.

[0011] The indoor unit 2 includes a remote control communication unit 5. The remote control communication unit 5 transmits and receives a predetermined signal to and from the remote control 4 by infrared communication or the like. For example, the remote control communication unit 5 receives signals such as an operation command, a stop command, a change in the set temperature, a change in the operation mode, or a timer setting from the remote control 4 in response to the operation of the operation unit 42. As another example, the remote control 4 may only transmit to the indoor unit 2. In this case, the remote control communication unit 5 only needs to have a receiving function. Although omitted in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 are connected via a refrigerant pipe and also via a communication line.

[0012] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a refrigerant circuit Q of the air conditioner 1 according to the embodiment. Note that the solid arrows shown in Fig. 2 indicate the flow of the refrigerant during heating operation. Also, the dashed arrows shown in Fig. 2 indicate the flow of the refrigerant during cooling operation.

[0013] In addition to the remote control communication unit 5, the indoor unit 2 is equipped with an indoor heat exchanger 6 and an indoor fan 7. In the indoor heat exchanger 6, heat exchange takes place between the refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tube and the indoor air sent in from the indoor fan 7. The indoor heat exchanger 6 operates as a condenser or an evaporator by switching a four-way valve 13 described below. The indoor fan 7 is installed near the indoor heat exchanger 6. The indoor fan 7 sends indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger 6 by driving an indoor fan motor 8.

[0014] The outdoor unit 3 includes a compressor 9, an outdoor heat exchanger 10, an outdoor fan 11, an expansion valve 12, and a four-way valve 13. The compressor 9 compresses a low-temperature, low-pressure gas refrigerant by driving a compressor motor 14, and discharges it as a high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant. In the outdoor heat exchanger 10, heat exchange takes place between the refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tube and the outside air sent in from the outdoor fan 11. The outdoor heat exchanger 10 operates as a condenser or an evaporator by switching the four-way valve 13.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the outdoor fan 11 is installed near the outdoor heat exchanger 10. The outdoor fan 11 sends outside air to the outdoor heat exchanger 10 by driving an outdoor fan motor 11a. The expansion valve 12 has a function of reducing the pressure of the refrigerant condensed in the "condenser" (one of the outdoor heat exchanger 10 and the indoor heat exchanger 6). The refrigerant reduced in pressure in the expansion valve 12 is guided to the "evaporator" (the other of the outdoor heat exchanger 10 and the indoor heat exchanger 6).

[0016] The four-way valve 13 is a valve that switches the flow path of the refrigerant depending on the operation mode of the air conditioner 1. By switching the four-way valve 13, during cooling operation, as shown by the dashed arrow, a refrigeration cycle is established in which the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 9, the outdoor heat exchanger (condenser) 10, the expansion valve 12, and the indoor heat exchanger (evaporator) 6. Also, during heating operation, as shown by the solid arrow, by switching the four-way valve 13, a refrigeration cycle is established in which the refrigerant circulates in the order of the compressor 9, the indoor heat exchanger (condenser) 6, the expansion valve 12, and the outdoor heat exchanger (evaporator) 10. That is, in the refrigerant circuit Q in which the refrigerant circulates sequentially through the compressor 9, the "condenser", the expansion valve 12, and the "evaporator", one of the "condenser" and the "evaporator" is the outdoor heat exchanger 10, and the other is the indoor heat exchanger 6.

[0017] Optional equipment can be connected to the air conditioner 1 of this embodiment. Optional equipment is equipment with functions other than air conditioning operation, such as an ionizer, an air purifier, and a ventilation system. When optional equipment is connected, the air conditioner 1 controls the optional equipment using a remote control 4 that is included with the air conditioner 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the main configuration related to the control of optional equipment. The following describes an example in which an ionizer 30 is connected as optional equipment.

[0018] The indoor unit 2 includes a control unit 21 and a storage unit 22 in addition to a remote control communication unit 5 that communicates with a remote control 4 that was included with the air conditioner 1. The control unit 21 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and controls the air conditioner 1. The storage unit 22 is a non-volatile memory, and stores various types of information. The control unit 21 and the storage unit 22 may be provided in the outdoor unit 3.

[0019] 3 shows an example in which the ionizer 30 is connected to the indoor unit 2 of the air conditioner 1, but there are also other models of air conditioners 1 equipped with the ionizer 30, in which the ionizer 30 is built into the air conditioner 1. The control unit 21 in this embodiment can control the ionizer 30 regardless of the type of air conditioner 1 it is installed in.

[0020] First, the control of the ionizer 30 in the case where the ionizer 30 is built into the air conditioner 1 will be described. In this case, the memory unit 22 stores information indicating that the air conditioner 1 is a model with a built-in ionizer 30. In this case, the control unit 21 controls the ionizer 30 in response to a user operation on the ionizer 30. Specifically, the control unit 21 turns on the operation of the ionizer 30 when an operation to turn on the ionizer 30 is performed, and turns off the operation of the ionizer 30 when an operation to turn off the ionizer 30 is performed.

[0021] When the ionizer 30 is not built into the air conditioner 1, the control unit 21 controls the ionizer 30 in accordance with an ionizer control process. FIG.

[0022] In air conditioners 1 that do not have a built-in ionizer 30, there are models in which an ionizer operation function is installed in the remote control 4, and models in which the ionizer operation function is not installed. The ionizer operation function is a function that, when the ionizer 30 is connected to the air conditioner 1, accepts user operations and transmits instructions relating to control of the ionizer 30, such as turning the power of the ionizer 30 on and off and turning the operation on and off, to the control unit 21 in accordance with the user operations. The memory unit 22 of the air conditioner 1 stores function information in advance that indicates the presence or absence of the ionizer operation function.

[0023] Furthermore, when connecting the ionizer 30 to the air conditioner 1, an operator such as a serviceman operates the remote control 4 to perform connection settings to the effect that the ionizer 30 is connected. In response to this, the remote control 4 transmits connection information indicating that the ionizer 30 is connected to the indoor unit 2. In the indoor unit 2, when the remote control communication unit 5 receives the connection information, the control unit 21 stores the connection information in the memory unit 22.

[0024] In the ionizer control process, first, in step S100, the control unit 21 checks whether or not connection information indicating that the ionizer 30 is connected has been acquired (received). As described above, if the connection information is not acquired from the remote control 4 (N in step S100), the control unit 21 waits until the connection information is acquired, and if the connection information is acquired (Y in step S100), the control unit 21 checks whether or not the ionizer 30 can be operated (step S102). Specifically, the control unit 21 checks whether or not the remote control 4 has an ionizer operation function by referring to the function information stored in the storage unit 22. If the remote control 4 has an ionizer operation function, the control unit 21 determines that the ionizer 30 is operable, and if the remote control 4 does not have the ionizer operation function, the control unit 21 determines that the ionizer 30 is not operable.

[0025] When the ionizer 30 is operable (Y in step S102), the control unit 21 controls the ionizer 30 in response to a user operation on the ionizer 30 (step S104). Specifically, the control unit 21 uses the ionizer operation function to display an operation screen for the ionizer 30 on the display unit 41 provided on the remote control 4 of the air conditioner 1. The user can recognize that the ionizer 30 can be operated by checking the operation screen. Then, when an operation is performed on the operation screen, the control unit 21 controls the ionizer 30 in response to the user operation. Specifically, the control unit 21 turns on the operation of the ionizer 30 when an operation to turn on the ionizer 30 is performed on the operation screen, and turns off the operation of the ionizer 30 when an operation to turn off the ionizer 30 is performed on the operation screen.

[0026] Furthermore, in step S102, if the ionizer 30 cannot be operated (N in step S102), the control unit 21 controls the ionizer 30 in response to a user operation for the air conditioning operation in the air conditioner 1 (step S106). Specifically, when the air conditioning operation is turned on, the control unit 21 turns on the operation of the ionizer 30 in conjunction with this, and when the air conditioning operation is turned off, the control unit 21 turns off the operation of the ionizer 30 in conjunction with this. In this way, the control unit 21 synchronizes the on / off of the ionizer 30 with the on / off of the air conditioning operation.

[0027] As described above, in the air conditioner 1 of this embodiment, when the remote control 4 is equipped with an option operation function for operating an optional function corresponding to an optional device such as the ionizer 30, the air conditioner 1 performs control according to the user operation on the optional device in accordance with the option operation function. On the other hand, when the air conditioner 1 is not equipped with the option operation function, the air conditioner 1 controls the optional device according to the air conditioning operation. This makes it possible to appropriately control the operation of the optional device even when the remote control 4 is not equipped with the option operation function. In addition, since the operation of the optional device can be performed by the remote control 4 of the air conditioner 1, there is no need to prepare a device such as a remote control in addition to the remote control 4 of the air conditioner 1 for operating the optional device, and it is possible to avoid an increase in costs.

[0028] In addition, in this embodiment, when an optional device is connected, connection information is sent in response to an operation by an operator, and the control unit 21 recognizes that the optional device is connected. This makes it possible to reduce costs compared to the case where a mechanism for detecting the connection of an optional device is installed as hardware.

[0029] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims, for example, by applying a modified example of one embodiment to another embodiment.

[0030] As such a first modified example, when an operator sets the optional device to be connected, the process of transmitting connection information to the indoor unit 2 may be performed by a device other than the remote control 4. An example of such a device is the operator's smartphone. In this case, the indoor unit 2 is provided with a communication unit for communicating with devices such as a smartphone.

[0031] In the second modified example, the control unit 21 may control the optional device in accordance with the air-conditioning operation, and the specific control is not limited to the embodiment. For example, when the optional device is an ionizer, the control unit 21 may turn on the operation of the ionizer for a certain period after the air-conditioning operation is turned on, and then turn it off. Also, when the optional device is a ventilation device, the control unit 21 may ventilate at regular intervals while the air-conditioning operation is on.

[0032] As a third modified example, the air conditioner 1 may include a hardware detection unit for physically detecting that an optional device is connected. The detection unit detects the connection of the optional device, for example, based on the presence or absence of an electrical connection of the optional device. In this case, in step S100 of the ionizer control process (see FIG. 4), the control unit 21 advances the process to S102 when it physically detects that the optional device is connected. As another example, in step S100, the control unit 21 may advance the process to S102 when it physically detects that the optional device is connected and acquires connection information. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1. Air conditioner 2 Indoor unit 3 Outdoor unit 4. Remote Control 5 Remote control communication unit 6 Indoor heat exchanger 7 Indoor Fan 8 Indoor fan drive unit 9. Compressor 10 Outdoor heat exchanger 11 Outdoor fan 11a Outdoor fan drive unit 12 Expansion valve 13 Four-way valve 14 Compressor motor 21 Control section 22 Memory section 30 Ionizer 41 Display section 42 Operation section

Claims

1. An air conditioner, An operating device for operating the air conditioner; a control unit that controls the optional device in accordance with an air conditioning operation of the air conditioner when a connection setting is performed to set that an optional device is connected to the air conditioner and when the operation device is not equipped with an option operation function for operating the optional device; Equipped with The control unit controls the optional device in accordance with the optional operation function when the connection setting is performed and the optional operation function is installed in the operation device.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the control unit synchronizes the on / off of the operation of the optional device with the on / off of the air conditioning operation when the connection setting is performed and the optional operation function is not installed in the operation device.

3. The control unit is When the connection setting is performed and the optional operation function is installed in the operation device, an operation screen of the optional device is displayed on a display unit of the air conditioner in accordance with the optional operation function; The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the optional device is controlled in response to an input to the operation screen.

4. An air conditioner, An operating device for operating the air conditioner; a control unit that controls an optional device in accordance with an air conditioning operation of the air conditioner when an optional device is connected to the air conditioner and the operation device is not equipped with an option operation function for operating the optional device; Equipped with The control unit controls the optional equipment in accordance with the optional operation function when a connection setting is made to indicate that an optional equipment is connected to the air conditioner and the operating device is equipped with the optional operation function.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls the optional equipment in accordance with the air conditioning operation when the optional equipment is connected to the air conditioner, a connection setting is made to indicate that the optional equipment is connected, and the optional operation function is not installed in the operating device.

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