Control device and control method for air conditioner, and air conditioner

Abstract

To provide a device and a method for controlling an air conditioner that can prevent unnecessary operation information from being written in a storage part of an air conditioner before shipping, and to provide an air conditioner.SOLUTION: A device for controlling an air conditioner includes: a storage unit 39b; and a control unit 39a for writing operation information of an air conditioner to the storage unit 39b. The control unit 39a stops writing of operation information to the storage unit 39b until detection of installation of the air conditioner and executes writing of operation information to the storage unit 39b after detection of installation of the air conditioner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device and a control method for an air conditioner, and an air conditioner.

Background Art

[0002] Some air conditioners that adjust the temperature of an air-conditioned space are capable of post-analysis of abnormalities that occurred during operation by writing operation information such as the control state and sensor output in the control device to a memory (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Writing operation information to the memory as described above functions when the control device is powered on and the control program is executed. On the other hand, during the manufacturing stage of the air conditioner, inspections involving powering on the control device are performed, and thus operation information may also be written to the memory during this inspection. However, since such inspections are not performed with the air conditioner properly installed, operation information indicating an abnormality may be inadvertently written to the memory, and a process of erasing unnecessary operation information may occur before the product is shipped.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a control device and a control method for an air conditioner, and an air conditioner that can suppress unnecessary operation information from being written to a storage unit before the air conditioner is shipped.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] (1) The control device for an air conditioner according to the present disclosure, a storage unit, A control unit for writing the operation information of the air conditioner into the memory unit, The control unit stops writing the operation information to the memory unit until the installation of the air conditioner is detected, and after detecting the installation of the air conditioner, executes writing the operation information to the memory unit.

[0007] According to the control device with the above configuration, before the installation of the air conditioner, since the operation information of the air conditioner is not written into the memory unit, during the inspection process and the like performed before the shipment of the air conditioner, unintended operation information is not written into the memory unit, and there is no need to erase unnecessary operation information. Therefore, the processing amount in the inspection process can be suppressed. Note that the operation information of the air conditioner includes detection information of sensors such as the temperature of the refrigerant, the pressure of the refrigerant, the current flowing through the motor, control information such as the opening degree of the valve and the operating frequency of the compressor, information on the connection state of the devices constituting the air conditioner, information on the communication state between the devices, or abnormal information thereof.

[0008] (2) Preferably, the air conditioner includes a first device and a second device, The control device is provided on one of the first device and the second device, The control unit detects the installation of the air conditioner by detecting the connection between the first device and the second device. According to this configuration, the control unit can detect that the air conditioner is installed by detecting the connection between the first device and the second device.

[0009] (3) Preferably, the control unit detects the installation of the air conditioner by detecting the communication connection between the first device and the second device. According to this configuration, it is possible to detect that the air conditioner is installed by detecting the communication connection between the first device and the second device. Note that "communication connection" means that communication has been established between the first device and the second device, or that one-way or two-way signal transmission has been performed between the first device and the second device.

[0010] (4) Preferably, one of the first device and the second device is an outdoor unit, and the other is an indoor unit. According to this configuration, in a separate type air conditioner having an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, the control unit can detect that the air conditioner is installed by detecting the connection between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit.

[0011] (5) Preferably, the control unit detects the installation of the air conditioner by detecting the start of the trial operation of the air conditioner. The trial operation of the air conditioner is always performed after the air conditioner is installed at the site. Therefore, the control unit can detect that the air conditioner is installed by detecting the start of this trial operation.

[0012] (6) The air conditioner of the present disclosure includes the control device according to any one of (1) to (5) above.

[0013] (7) The present disclosure is a control method for an air conditioner including a storage unit and a control unit that writes operation information of the air conditioner to the storage unit, a step in which the control unit stops writing the operation information to the storage unit, a step in which the control unit detects the installation of the air conditioner, and a step in which the control unit executes writing the operation information to the storage unit after detecting the installation of the air conditioner.

[0014] According to the control device having the above configuration, before the installation of the air conditioner, the operation information of the air conditioner is not written to the storage unit. Therefore, in the inspection process and the like performed before the shipment of the air conditioner, unintended operation information is not written to the storage unit, and there is no need to erase unnecessary operation information. Therefore, the amount of processing in the inspection process can be suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the air conditioner will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The air conditioner 11 adjusts the temperature of the indoor air, which is the target space for air conditioning, to a predetermined target temperature. The air conditioner 11 of the present embodiment performs a cooling operation for lowering the indoor temperature and a heating operation for raising the temperature.

[0017] The air conditioner 11 includes an indoor unit (first device) 21 and an outdoor unit (second device) 22. In the air conditioner 11 of the present embodiment, a plurality of indoor units 21 are connected in parallel to one outdoor unit 22. However, the number of outdoor units 22 and indoor units 21 is not particularly limited, and the air conditioner 11 may include one indoor unit 21 and one outdoor unit 22 each.

[0018] The air conditioner 11 has a refrigerant circuit 23 that performs the above-described compression-type refrigeration cycle operation. The refrigerant circuit 23 circulates refrigerant between the indoor unit 21 and the outdoor unit 22. The refrigerant circuit 23 includes a compressor 30, a four-way switching valve 32, an outdoor heat exchanger (heat source heat exchanger) 31, an outdoor expansion valve 34, a liquid shut-off valve 36, an indoor expansion valve 24, an indoor heat exchanger (utilization heat exchanger) 25, a gas shut-off valve 37, and refrigerant pipes 40L and 40G that connect these.

[0019] The indoor unit 21 includes an indoor expansion valve 24 and an indoor heat exchanger 25 that constitute a refrigerant circuit 23. The indoor expansion valve 24 is constituted by an electric expansion valve capable of adjusting the refrigerant flow rate. The indoor heat exchanger 25 is a cross fin tube type or microchannel type heat exchanger and is used for heat exchange with indoor air.

[0020] The indoor unit 21 further includes an indoor fan 26 and an indoor temperature sensor 27. The indoor fan 26 is configured to take indoor air into the interior of the indoor unit 21, perform heat exchange between the taken-in air and the indoor heat exchanger 25, and then blow out the air into the room. The indoor fan 26 includes a motor whose operating rotation speed can be adjusted by inverter control. The indoor temperature sensor 27 detects the indoor temperature.

[0021] The outdoor unit 22 includes a compressor 30, a four-way switching valve 32, an outdoor heat exchanger 31, an outdoor expansion valve 34, a liquid shut-off valve 36, and a gas shut-off valve 37 that constitute a refrigerant circuit 23.

[0022] The compressor 30 sucks in low-pressure gas refrigerant and discharges high-pressure gas refrigerant. The compressor 30 includes a motor whose operating rotation speed can be adjusted by inverter control. The compressor 30 is a variable capacity type (capacity variable type) whose capacity (ability) can be changed by inverter control of the motor. However, the compressor 30 may be a fixed capacity type. A plurality of compressors 30 may be provided. In this case, a variable capacity type compressor 30 and a fixed capacity type compressor 30 may be mixed.

[0023] The four-way switching valve 32 reverses the flow of the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe and switches and supplies the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 30 to either the outdoor heat exchanger 31 or the indoor heat exchanger 25. Thereby, the air conditioner 11 can switch between cooling operation and heating operation. The air conditioner 11 of the present embodiment only needs to be able to perform at least one of cooling operation and heating operation. When performing only one of the operations, the four-way switching valve 32 can also be omitted.

[0024] The outdoor heat exchanger 31 is, for example, a cross fin tube type or microchannel type heat exchanger, and is used to exchange heat between the refrigerant and air as the heat source. The outdoor expansion valve 34 is constituted by an electric expansion valve capable of adjusting the refrigerant flow rate and the like.

[0025] The liquid shut-off valve 36 is a manual on-off valve. The gas shut-off valve 37 is also a manual on-off valve. The liquid shut-off valve 36 and the gas shut-off valve 37 block the flow of the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipes 40L and 40G when closed, and allow the flow of the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipes 40L and 40G when opened.

[0026] The outdoor unit 22 further includes an outdoor fan 33, a suction pressure sensor 35, a discharge pressure sensor 41, a suction temperature sensor 38, a discharge temperature sensor 42, and the like. The outdoor fan 33 is equipped with a motor whose operating speed can be adjusted by inverter control. The outdoor fan 33 is configured to take in outdoor air into the outdoor unit 22, perform heat exchange between the taken-in air and the outdoor heat exchanger 31, and then blow out the air to the outside of the outdoor unit 22.

[0027] The suction pressure sensor 35 detects the pressure of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 30. The discharge pressure sensor 41 detects the pressure of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 30. The suction temperature sensor 38 detects the temperature of the refrigerant sucked into the compressor 30. The discharge temperature sensor 42 detects the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 30. Using the detection information of these refrigerant pressure sensors 35 and 41 and refrigerant temperature sensors 38 and 42, the evaporation pressure, condensation pressure, superheat degree, etc. of the outdoor heat exchanger 31 and the indoor heat exchanger 25 are obtained, and the rotational speed of the compressor 30, the opening degrees of the indoor expansion valve 24 and the outdoor expansion valve 34, etc. are controlled to adjust these values.

[0028] When the air conditioner 11 with the above configuration performs a cooling operation, the four-way switching valve 32 is held in the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1. The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 30 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 31 through the four-way switching valve 32, and exchanges heat with the outdoor air by the operation of the outdoor fan 33 to condense and liquefy. The liquefied refrigerant passes through the fully open outdoor expansion valve 34 and flows into each indoor unit 21. In the indoor unit 21, the refrigerant is depressurized to a predetermined low pressure by the indoor expansion valve 24, and further exchanges heat with the indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 25 to evaporate. The indoor air cooled by the evaporation of the refrigerant is blown into the room by the indoor fan 26 to cool the room. The refrigerant evaporated in the indoor heat exchanger 25 returns to the outdoor unit 22 through the gas refrigerant pipe 40G and is sucked into the compressor 30 through the four-way switching valve 32.

[0029] When the air conditioner 11 performs a heating operation, the four-way switching valve 32 is held in the state shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1. The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor 30 passes through the four-way switching valve 32 and flows into the indoor heat exchanger 25 of each indoor unit 21. In the indoor heat exchanger 25, the refrigerant exchanges heat with the indoor air to condense and liquefy. The indoor air heated by the condensation of the refrigerant is blown into the room by the indoor fan 26 to heat the room. The refrigerant liquefied in the indoor heat exchanger 25 returns to the outdoor unit 22 through the liquid refrigerant pipe 40L, is depressurized to a predetermined low pressure by the outdoor expansion valve 34, and further exchanges heat with the outdoor air in the outdoor heat exchanger 31 to evaporate. The refrigerant evaporated and vaporized in the outdoor heat exchanger 31 is sucked into the compressor 30 through the four-way switching valve 32.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control device. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the indoor unit 21 further includes an indoor control device 29. The indoor control device 29 includes a control unit 29a having an arithmetic function such as a CPU, a storage unit 29b having a ROM and a RAM for storing data, and a communication unit 29c which is a communication interface for communicating with other devices. The control unit 29a exhibits a predetermined function by executing a program stored in the storage unit 29b. The detection signal of the sensor provided in the indoor unit 21 is input to the indoor control device 29. The indoor control device 29 controls the operations of the indoor expansion valve 24 and the indoor fan 26 based on the detection signal of the sensor and the like.

[0031] The outdoor unit 22 further includes an outdoor control device 39. The outdoor control device 39 includes a control unit 39a having an arithmetic function such as a CPU, a storage unit 39b having a ROM and a RAM for storing data, and a communication unit 39c which is a communication interface for communicating with other devices. The control unit 39a exhibits a predetermined function by executing a program stored in the storage unit 39b. The storage unit 39b includes a non-volatile memory 39b1 such as an EEPROM. The detection signal of each sensor provided in the outdoor unit 22 is input to the outdoor control device 39. The outdoor control device 39 controls the operations of the outdoor expansion valve 34, the compressor 30, and the outdoor fan 33 based on the detection signal of each sensor and the like.

[0032] The communication unit 29c of the indoor control device 29 and the communication unit 39c of the outdoor control device 39 are connected to be communicable with each other via a transmission line 44. A remote controller 28 is connected to the indoor control device 29 via a transmission line 45. The remote controller 28 includes a control unit having an arithmetic function such as a CPU and a control device having a storage unit such as a ROM and a RAM. The remote controller 28 includes an operation switch for a user or the like to perform operations such as operation and stop of the air conditioner 11, a display unit for displaying the content of the operation, and the like. The remote controller 28 may include a touch panel that also serves as an operation switch and a display unit.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, the indoor control device 29 and the outdoor control device 39 are connected to the centralized management device 50 via the transmission line 46. The centralized management device 50 includes a control unit having a computing function such as a CPU and a control device having a storage unit such as a ROM and a RAM. The centralized management device 50 is installed, for example, in the central management room of a building. The centralized management device 50 manages the outdoor unit 22 and the indoor unit 21. Specifically, the centralized management device 50 monitors the operating status of the outdoor unit 22 and the indoor unit 21, sets the air conditioning temperature, controls the operation / stop, etc.

[0034] [Writing of operation information to non-volatile memory] As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 39a of the outdoor control device 39 in the present embodiment stores the operation information of the air conditioner 11 in the non-volatile memory 39b1. Specifically, when power is supplied to the outdoor control device 39, the control unit 39a executes the control program stored in the storage unit 39b and writes the operation information of the air conditioner 11 to the non-volatile memory 39b1. The operation information of the air conditioner 11 stored in the non-volatile memory 39b1 includes, for example, any of the following information.

[0035] (a) Detection information of sensors such as the suction temperature sensor 38, the discharge temperature sensor 42, the suction pressure sensor 35, the discharge pressure sensor 41, and the indoor temperature sensor 27. (b) Control information such as the opening degrees of the indoor expansion valve 24 and the outdoor expansion valve 34 controlled by the control units 29a and 39a, the operating frequency of the compressor 30, and the operating rotation speeds of the indoor fan 26 and the outdoor fan 33. (c) Information on the communication state between the indoor control device 29 and the outdoor control device 39. (d) Information of any of the above (a) to (c) indicating an abnormality.

[0036] By writing the operation information as described above to the non-volatile memory 39b1, for example, when an abnormality occurs during the operation of the air conditioner 11, the operation information written in the non-volatile memory 39b1 can be used to investigate the cause of the abnormality, or when power is restored after a power failure, the air conditioner 11 can be started in the operating state before the power failure.

[0037] [Write Control to Non-Volatile Memory] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the steps from the manufacture to the operation of an air conditioner focusing on an outdoor control device. The air conditioner 11 is manufactured, shipped, installed, and tested before being delivered to the user and put into operation. The manufacturing process of the air conditioner 11 includes the manufacture of the control board of the outdoor control device 39 where the control unit 39a and the memory unit 39b are mounted, the manufacture of the electrical component unit that incorporates the outdoor control device 39 together with other electrical components into a box, the incorporation of the electrical component unit into the outdoor unit 22, etc.

[0038] In the manufacturing process of the air conditioner 11 as described above, inspections are carried out at several stages to check whether the product functions normally. For example, after the manufacture of the control board, after the manufacture of the electrical component unit, and before the shipment of the air conditioner 11, inspections are carried out with the outdoor control device (control board) 39 energized. In this inspection process, when the outdoor control device 39 is energized, the control unit 39a executes the control program and writes the operation information as described above to the non-volatile memory 39b1.

[0039] However, in the manufacturing stage of the air conditioner 11, not all parts and devices are normally connected, so there is a possibility that operation information indicating an abnormality (abnormal information) or the like may be written to the non-volatile memory 39b1. Since the abnormal information generated in the inspection process is not originally intended to be written to the non-volatile memory 39b1, it is necessary to initialize the non-volatile memory 39b1 at the end of the inspection process to erase unnecessary abnormal information. In particular, if unnecessary abnormal information is written to the non-volatile memory 39b1 in the inspection before the shipment of the air conditioner 11, the inspection itself cannot be passed and the air conditioner 11 cannot be shipped, so the process of erasing unnecessary abnormal information becomes essential.

[0040] In the control unit 39a of the outdoor control device 39 of the present embodiment, it is configured not to write unnecessary operation information in the non-volatile memory 39b1 in the inspection process. Specifically, before the control unit 39a of the present embodiment detects that the air conditioner 11 has been installed (mounted) in the building at the delivery destination, it stops writing operation information to the non-volatile memory 39b1. After the control unit 39a detects that the air conditioner 11 has been installed in the building, it executes writing operation information to the non-volatile memory 39b1. Therefore, unnecessary operation information is not written to the non-volatile memory 39b1 in the inspection process performed before the air conditioner 11 is shipped, and thus the process of erasing unnecessary operation information is also unnecessary. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the processing amount and simplify the process in the inspection process.

[0041] [Method for detecting installation of air conditioner] Hereinafter, a method for the control unit 39a to detect the installation of the air conditioner 11 will be described. The installation of the air conditioner 11 in a building such as a building or a store is completed by performing various operations such as fixing the indoor unit 21 indoors, fixing the outdoor unit 22 outdoors, connecting the indoor unit 21 and the outdoor unit 22 with a refrigerant pipe, and connecting the indoor control device 29 and the outdoor control device 39 with a transmission line 44. In the air conditioner 11 of the present embodiment, the control unit 39a of the outdoor control device 39 detects that the air conditioner 11 has been installed by detecting the communication connection between the indoor control device 29 of the indoor unit 21 and the outdoor control device 39 of the outdoor unit 22. Specifically, the control unit 39a detects that the air conditioner 11 has been installed when the communication between the outdoor control device 39 and the indoor control device 29 is established.

[0042] When the air conditioner 11 is installed and power is supplied to the outdoor control device 39 of the outdoor unit 22 and the indoor control device 29 of the indoor unit 21, the outdoor control device 39 and the indoor control device 29 automatically start communicating. For example, when power is supplied to the indoor control device 29 and the outdoor control device 39, signal transmission and reception are performed between the two in a predetermined procedure as described below, and when this procedure is completed, communication between the outdoor unit 22 and the indoor unit 21 is established. The control unit 39a of the outdoor control device 39 detects (recognizes) the establishment of this communication, thereby detecting that the air conditioner 11 has been installed.

[0043] Figure 4A is a sequence diagram showing an example of establishing communication between the outdoor control device and the indoor control device. The indoor control device 29 of the indoor unit 21 transmits a connection request message to the outdoor control device 39 of the outdoor unit 22 (step S11). When the outdoor control device 39 receives the connection request message from the indoor control device 29, it transmits a response message notifying that fact to the indoor control device 29 (step S12). At this time, the outdoor control device 39 stores the identification information such as the address included in the connection request message of the indoor control device 29 in the storage unit 39b. Thereafter, communication between the indoor control device 29 and the outdoor control device 39 is established, and an arbitrary signal can be transmitted and received (step S13).

[0044] Figure 4B is a sequence diagram showing another example of establishing communication between the outdoor control device and the indoor control device. The outdoor control device 39 of the outdoor unit 22 transmits a connection request message (step S21). When the indoor control device 29 of the indoor unit 21 receives the connection request message, it transmits a response message including its own identification information such as an address to the outdoor control device 39 (step S22). When the outdoor control device 39 successfully receives the response message, it transmits a response message notifying that fact to the indoor control device 29 (step S23). At this time, the outdoor control device 39 stores the identification information of the indoor control device 29 in the storage unit 39b. Thereafter, communication between the outdoor control device 39 and the indoor control device 29 is established, and arbitrary information can be transmitted and received (step S24).

[0045] [Other Embodiments] In the above-described embodiment, as a method for detecting that the air conditioner 11 has been installed, the establishment of communication between the outdoor control device 39 and the indoor control device 29 has been detected, but other methods may also be used. For example, the transmission of a signal from one of the outdoor control device 39 and the indoor control device 29 to the other or from the other to the one (for example, the transmission S11, S21 of the connection request messages shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B) may be used to detect the communication connection between the outdoor control device 39 and the indoor control device 29, and the detection of this communication connection may be used to detect that the air conditioner 11 has been installed. In this case, even when the communication between the outdoor control device 39 and the indoor control device 29 is not normally established, the control unit 39a can write the abnormality of the communication establishment into the non-volatile memory 39b1.

[0046] As another method for detecting that the air conditioner 11 has been installed, the start of the trial operation of the air conditioner 11 as shown in FIG. 3 may be detected. This trial operation is an operation that is always performed after the air conditioner 11 has been installed. Therefore, for example, when the control unit 39a detects that an operation (such as a switch operation) for starting the trial operation has been performed on the outdoor control device 39 or the remote controller 28, etc., it is possible to detect that the air conditioner 11 has been installed. At this time, the control unit 39a may detect the operation itself for starting the trial operation, or may detect a signal emitted by another device accompanying this operation.

[0047] For example, when the power supply to the indoor control device 29 of the indoor unit 21 is connected and the power supply to the outdoor control device 39 of the outdoor unit 22 is performed via the indoor control device 29, the control unit 39a can detect that the air conditioner 11 has been installed by the fact that power has been supplied from the indoor control device 29 to the outdoor control device 39. In other words, the control unit 39a can detect that the air conditioner 11 has been installed by detecting that the indoor control device 29 and the outdoor control device 39 are connected so as to enable power supply.

[0048] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the "control device" of the present disclosure having a storage unit and a control unit for writing operation information to the storage unit is the outdoor control device 39 has been described. However, the "control device" of the present disclosure is not limited to this, and for example, it may be an indoor control device 29. In this case, until the control unit 29a in the indoor control device 29 detects that the air conditioner 11 has been installed, writing of operation information to the storage unit 29b (non-volatile memory) is stopped, and after detecting that the air conditioner 11 has been installed, writing of operation information to the storage unit 29b is executed.

[0049] The "control device" of the present disclosure may be provided in the centralized management device 50. In this case, detection of the installation of the air conditioner 11 can be performed, for example, by detecting a communication connection between the centralized management device (first device) 50 and the outdoor unit 22 (outdoor control device 39) and the indoor unit 21 (indoor control device 29) (both corresponding to the second device). The "control device" of the present disclosure may be provided in the remote controller 28. In this case, detection of the installation of the air conditioner 11 can be performed, for example, by detecting a communication connection between the remote controller 28 (first device) and the indoor unit 21 (indoor control device 29) (second device).

[0050] In the manufacturing process until the air conditioner 11 is shipped, the control unit 39a does not necessarily stop all writing to the non-volatile memory 39b1, and writing of predetermined information can be executed. For example, when it is necessary to write model-specific setting information or the like to the non-volatile memory 39b1 before shipping the air conditioner 11, the control unit 39a executes the writing.

[0051] When the inspection device is connected to the outdoor control device 39, a dummy signal regarded as being connected to the indoor control device 29 may be transmitted from the inspection device to the outdoor control device 39, and communication may be established between the inspection device regarded as the indoor control device 29 and the outdoor control device 39. In this case, the control unit 39a can maintain the state of stopping the writing of operation information to the non-volatile memory 39b1 by distinguishing the dummy signal from the inspection device from the formal signal actually transmitted from the indoor control device 29.

[0052] [Operation and Effect of Embodiment] (1) The control devices 39 and 29 of the air conditioner 11 of the present disclosure include storage units 39b and 29b (non-volatile memories) and control units 39a and 29a that write operation information of the air conditioner 11 to the storage units 39b and 29b. The control units 39a and 29a stop writing operation information to the storage units 39b and 29b until the installation of the air conditioner 11 is detected, and after detecting the installation of the air conditioner 11, execute writing operation information to the storage units 39b and 29b. Thereby, before the installation of the air conditioner 11, since the operation information of the air conditioner 11 is not written to the storage units 39b and 29b, unintended operation information is not written to the storage units 39b and 29b in the inspection process and the like performed before the shipment of the air conditioner 11, and there is no need to erase unnecessary operation information. Therefore, the processing amount of the inspection process can be suppressed, and the inspection process can be simplified.

[0053] (2) In the above embodiment, the air conditioner 11 includes first devices 21, 28, 50 and second devices 22, 21. The control devices 39 and 29 are provided in one of the first devices 21, 28, 50 and the second devices 22, 21, and the control units 39a and 29a detect the installation of the air conditioner 11 by detecting the connection between the first devices 21, 28, 50 and the second devices 22, 21. Thereby, the control units 39a and 29a can detect that the air conditioner 11 has been installed by detecting the connection between the first devices 21, 28, 50 and the second devices 22, 21.

[0054] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the control units 39a and 29a detect the installation of the air conditioner 11 by detecting the communication connection between the first devices 21, 28, 50 and the second devices 22, 21. Thus, by detecting the communication connection between the first devices 21, 28, 50 and the second devices 22, 21, it is possible to detect that the air conditioner 11 has been installed.

[0055] (4) In the above-described embodiment, the control units 39a and 29a detect the installation of the air conditioner 11 by detecting the start of the test operation of the air conditioner 11. Since the test operation of the air conditioner 11 is always performed after the air conditioner 11 is installed, the control units 39a and 29a can detect that the air conditioner 11 has been installed by detecting the start of this test operation.

[0056] (5) The above-described embodiment discloses a control method for the air conditioner 11 including a storage unit 39b, 29b (non-volatile memory) and a control unit 39a that writes the operation information of the air conditioner 11 to the storage unit 39b, 29b. This control method includes steps in which the control units 39a and 29a stop writing operation information to the storage unit 39b, 29b, the control units 39a and 29a detect the installation of the air conditioner 11, and after the control units 39a and 29a detect the installation of the air conditioner 11, the control units 39a and 29a execute writing operation information to the storage unit 39b, 29b. Therefore, before the installation of the air conditioner 11, the operation information of the air conditioner 11 is not written to the storage unit 39b, 29b, so that unintentional operation information is not written to the storage unit 39b, 29b during the inspection process and the like performed before the shipment of the air conditioner 11, and there is no need to erase unnecessary operation information. Thus, the inspection process can be simplified.

[0057] Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples, is shown by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0058] 11: Air conditioner 21: Indoor unit (first device) 22: Outdoor unit (second device) 29: Indoor control device 30: Compressor 39: Outdoor control device 39a: Control unit 39b: Memory unit 39b1: Non-volatile memory

Claims

1. a memory unit (39b, 29b); a control unit (39a, 29a) configured to write operation information including information indicating an abnormality of the air conditioner (11) into the memory unit (39b, 29b), wherein the control unit (39a, 29a) does not write the operation information into the memory unit (39b, 29b) until detecting the installation of the air conditioner (11), detects the installation of the air conditioner (11) by detecting the start of a test operation of the air conditioner (11), and executes writing of the operation information into the memory unit (39b, 29b) after detecting the installation of the air conditioner (11). A control device for an air conditioner.

2. wherein the air conditioner (11) includes a first device (21, 28, 50) and a second device (22, 21); the control device (39) is provided in one of the first device (21, 28, 50) and the second device (22, 21); and the control unit (39a, 29a) detects the installation of the air conditioner (11) by detecting connection between the first device (21, 28, 50) and the second device (22, 21). The control device for an air conditioner according to Claim 1.

3. The control device for an air conditioner according to Claim 2, wherein the control unit (39a, 29a) detects the installation of the air conditioner (11) by detecting establishment of a communication connection between the first device (21, 28, 50) and the second device (22, 21).

4. The control device for an air conditioner according to Claim 2 or 3, wherein one of the first device (21) and the second device (22) is an outdoor unit and the other is an indoor unit.

5. An air conditioner including the control device according to any one of Claims 1 to 4.

6. A control method for an air conditioner, comprising a memory unit (39b, 29b) and a control unit (39a, 29a) configured to write operation information including information indicating an abnormality of the air conditioner (11) into the memory unit (39b, 29b), wherein the control unit (39a, 29a) does not write the operation information into the memory unit (39b, 29b); the control unit (39a, 29a) detects the installation of the air conditioner (11) by detecting the start of a test operation of the air conditioner (11); and A control method for an air conditioner, including the step of: after the control unit (39a, 29a) detects the installation of the air conditioner (11), executing writing of the operation information to the storage unit (39b, 29b).

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