Control device, valve device, air conditioning system, program, storage medium for storing program, and deterioration inspection method

Abstract

[Problem] Development of a technology enabling easy inspection of a flow control valve deterioration state is sought. [Solution] A control device according to the present embodiment is configured so as to perform position control of a motor and thereby perform flow control by means of a flow control valve which uses the motor as a drive source. The control device comprises: an inspection preparation unit configured so as to set the motor to be in an inspection preparation state in which a rotor is stopped at a preset rotation position for inspection; and a deterioration inspection unit configured so as to inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve according to whether the rotor operates when a driving current for inspection, which is preset to be a smaller value than a driving current applied to the motor during the flow control, is applied to the motor in the inspection preparation state.

Description

Control device, valve device, air conditioning system, program, storage medium for storing program, and deterioration inspection method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device that controls a flow control valve driven by a motor, a valve device and an air conditioning system that include such a control device, a program executed by a computer of such a control device and a storage medium that stores the program, and a method for inspecting deterioration of a flow control valve driven by a motor.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of control device, there is known a device that controls the position of a valve element by controlling the rotational position of a rotor of a motor (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2022-171289 A (paragraph

[0030] )

[0004] However, as deterioration of a flow control valve progresses, such as an increase in frictional resistance of moving parts, problems such as a decrease in the accuracy of motor position control or a sudden stoppage of operation can occur. However, disassembling a flow control valve to inspect the progress of deterioration is time-consuming. For this reason, there is a demand for the development of technology that makes it possible to easily inspect the deterioration of a flow control valve.

[0005] A control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a control device configured to control flow rate by a flow control valve driven by a motor by controlling the position of the motor, and includes an inspection preparation unit configured to set the motor in an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position, and a deterioration inspection unit configured to pass an inspection drive current, which is preset to a value smaller than the drive current passed through the motor during the flow rate control, to the motor in the inspection preparation state and inspect the deterioration of the flow rate control valve based on whether the rotor operates.

[0006] A program according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer of a control device that controls the position of a motor to perform flow control using a flow control valve driven by the motor to function as an inspection preparation unit that is configured to place the motor in an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position, and a deterioration inspection unit that is configured to pass an inspection drive current, which is preset to a value smaller than the drive current passed through the motor during the flow control, to the motor in the inspection preparation state and inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve based on whether the rotor operates.

[0007] A deterioration inspection method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a deterioration inspection method for a flow control valve in which the position of a valve body relative to a valve seat is controlled using a motor as a drive source, and includes an inspection preparation step in which the motor is placed in an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position, and an inspection step in which an inspection drive current, which is preset to a value smaller than the drive current passed through the motor in the position control, is passed through the motor in the inspection preparation state, and deterioration of the flow control valve is inspected based on whether the rotor operates.

[0008] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a flow control valve according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a control device, FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of an excitation pattern, FIG. 4 is a program flowchart, FIG. 5A is a conceptual diagram of an excitation pattern, FIG. 5B is a conceptual diagram of a current control pulse signal, and FIG. 5C is a conceptual diagram of an on / off control signal, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a control circuit, FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an inspection preparation unit, FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a deterioration inspection unit, FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a flow control unit,

[0009] 1 to 9, a valve device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The valve device 10 includes a flow control valve 11 as an electrically driven device and a control device 30A that controls the flow control valve 11. A motor 12, which is the drive source of the flow control valve 11, is, for example, a stepping motor, and includes a central shaft 14 of its rotor 13 and a base portion 20 that rotatably supports the central shaft 14, which has a male screw portion 14N and a female screw portion 20N that threadably engage with each other. As a result, a valve element 18, which will be described below, moves linearly as the rotor 13 rotates.

[0010] A central hole 14A is formed at one end of the central shaft 14, and the base end of a needle-shaped valve element 18 is fitted therein in a slidable but retained manner. A compression coil spring 18S housed in the central hole 14A biases the valve element 18 in the direction that it protrudes from the central shaft 14.

[0011] The base portion 20 is formed with a first hole 21A extending coaxially with the central shaft 14 and a second hole 21B laterally communicating with the first hole 21A, forming an L-shaped flow path 21 through which a fluid can pass from the first hole 21A and the second hole 21B. The first hole 21A is narrowed at a portion away from the second hole 21B to form a valve hole 22. The valve element 18 moves linearly toward and away from the valve hole 22, changing the opening degree of the valve hole 22 and changing the flow rate of the fluid passing through the flow path 21. When the valve element 18 abuts against a valve seat 23, which is part of the inner surface of the valve hole 22, the valve hole 22 is closed.

[0012] A screw guide 19G, formed by spirally wound wire, is fixed to the end of the central shaft 14 opposite the valve body 18 so as to rotate integrally with the central shaft 14. A stopper 19A, formed by spirally wound wire with a larger diameter and shorter length than the screw guide 19G, is threadedly engaged with the outer surface of the screw guide 19G. A pair of stopper abutment portions 19S1, 19S2 are provided at both ends of the screw guide 19G, and the stopper 19A abuts against the pair of stopper abutment portions 19S1, 19S2 to prevent it from coming off the screw guide 19G. Furthermore, a rotation restriction bar 90A extends parallel to the central shaft 14 from one end of a rotor case 90 that houses the rotor 13 of the motor 12. The rotation restriction bar 90A is positioned to the side of the screw guide 19G, and a portion of the stopper 19A abuts against the rotation restriction bar 90A. The rotation limiting mechanism 19K, which includes the screw guide 19G, the stopper 19A, and the rotation restricting bar 90A, causes the stopper 19A to move linearly along the rotation restricting bar 90A as the rotor 13 rotates. When the rotor 13 rotates in one direction, as shown in Figure 1, the stopper 19A abuts against one stopper abutment portion 19S1, positioning the rotor 13 at one end of its rotatable range. When the rotor 13 rotates multiple times in the other direction from that end position, the stopper 19A abuts against the other stopper abutment portion 19S2, positioning the rotor 13 at the other end of its rotatable range. The rotatable range of the rotor 13 is stored in a memory 36B, which will be described later, as a maximum rotatable angle θmax of the rotor 13.

[0013] In the flow control valve 11 of this embodiment, one end position of the rotatable range of the rotor 13, which is positioned by the stopper abutment portion 19S1, is set as an origin position for controlling the rotational position of the rotor 13 by a control device 30A (described below) (i.e., for controlling the position of the motor 12). Furthermore, at this end position of the rotor 13, i.e., the origin position, the valve element 18 abuts against the valve seat 23, and the compression coil spring 18S is in a slightly deflected state.

[0014] In this embodiment, the stopper abutment portion 19S1 that positions the rotor 13 at the home position is provided inside the motor 12, but it may be provided outside the motor 12. For example, the valve element 18 may be configured to abut against the valve seat 23 as a stopper, thereby positioning the rotor 13 at the home position. In this case, it is preferable that the valve element 18 is fixed so as not to slide relative to the central shaft 14. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the rotor 13 is located at the home position, the valve element 18 abuts against the valve seat 23 and the valve hole 22 is fully closed. However, when the rotor 13 is located at the home position, the valve element 18 may be slightly separated from the valve seat 23, allowing a small amount of fluid to pass through the valve hole 22.

[0015] 2, the control device 30A includes a drive circuit 33 for driving the motor 12 and a control circuit 36 ​​for controlling the drive circuit 33. To explain the configuration of the drive circuit 33, the configuration of the motor 12 will be explained more specifically. The motor 12 is, for example, a claw-pole stepping motor having a permanent magnet 13M in the rotor 13 and two-phase coils 91, 92 in the stator 93, as shown in FIG.

[0016] 2, the drive circuit 33 is connected to the coils 91 and 92 in, for example, a unipolar configuration and has four switches 31A, 31a, 32B, and 32b, with one coil 91 divided into coils A and a, and the other coil 92 divided into coils B and b. The switches 31A, 31a, 32B, and 32b correspond one-to-one to the coils A, a, B, and b, and when any of the switches is turned on, a drive current is passed through the corresponding coil.

[0017] The control circuit 36 ​​includes a CPU 36A and a memory 36B, which is a computer-readable storage medium for storing information. An excitation pattern P for rotating the rotor 13 is stored in the memory 36B, an example of which is shown in FIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the excitation pattern P is composed of excitation patterns PA, Pa, PB, and Pb for the coils A, a, B, and b, respectively. In FIG. 3 , the horizontal axis represents time and the number of steps. In this example excitation pattern, one electrical rotation of the rotor 13 is divided into four steps ST. Each time step ST is switched in the direction of the time axis in FIG. 3 , the combination of excitation and non-excitation of coils A, a, B, and b is switched, and the rotor 13 is rotated in the valve closing direction by one-quarter of an electrical rotation. Furthermore, by switching step ST in the direction opposite to the direction of the time axis in FIG. 3 , the rotor 13 is rotated in the valve opening direction. In addition, by arbitrarily changing the execution time of each step ST of the excitation pattern (hereinafter referred to as "step width"), it is possible to arbitrarily change the rotation speed and rotation acceleration of the rotor 13. Furthermore, by arbitrarily changing the number of steps constituting the excitation pattern, it is possible to arbitrarily change the rotation angle of the rotor 13.

[0018] 1, a magnetic sensor 94 is attached to the outer surface of the rotor case 90. Whether the rotor 13 is rotating (operating) or not can be detected based on whether the magnetism detected by the magnetic sensor 94 has changed or not.

[0019] The memory 36B stores the program PG1 shown in Fig. 4. This program PG1 is executed, for example, when an external command for fault detection is received, and first, predetermined set values ​​ω0 and μ0 are set to the target rotational speed ωx and target rotational acceleration μx of the motor 12 (S11). In this embodiment, the set values ​​of the target rotational speed ωx and target rotational acceleration μx are not changed during execution of the program PG1, but are maintained at the set values ​​ω0 and μ0.

[0020] Next, an origin setting process (S12) is executed. When the origin setting process (S12) is executed, excitation patterns PA, Pa, PB, and Pb (see FIG. 3) are generated to rotate the rotor 13 at a target rotational speed ωx and a target rotational acceleration μx to a target rotational position Px that is away from the current position toward the valve closing side by a rotational angle obtained by adding a preset additional rotational angle θa to the maximum rotatable angle θmax. These excitation patterns are output as on / off control signals ZA, Za, ZB, and Zb to the switches 31A, 31a, 32B, and 32b. As a result, the rotor 13 is driven to a position where the stopper 19A abuts against the stopper abutment portion 19S1 (the rotational position shown in FIG. 1). The rotational position of the rotor 13 when the output of the on / off control signals ZA, Za, ZB, and Zb (see FIG. 5C) is completed is set as the origin position. Thereafter, each time the rotor 13 is rotated, the current rotational position of the rotor 13 is updated and stored in the memory 36B as the "number of steps away from the origin position." This allows the origin position to be identified from the updated current rotational position stored in the memory 36B. In other words, the origin position is set by storing the current rotational position of the rotor 13 in the memory 36B.

[0021] When the execution of the origin setting process (S12) is completed, the first counter i is set to "1" (S13), and then the second counter j is set to "1" (S14). Then, the preset inspection rotation position Ps(i) is set to the target rotation position Px (S15), and then the preparatory positioning process (S16) is executed.

[0022] In the preparatory positioning process (S16), excitation patterns PA, Pa, PB, and Pb are generated from the current rotational position of the rotor 13 and the target rotational position Px to rotate the rotor 13 to the target rotational position Px at the target rotational speed ωx and the target rotational acceleration μx, and these patterns are output as on / off control signals ZA, Za, ZB, and Zb to the switches 31A, 31a, 32B, and 32b. As a result, the rotor 13 is positioned at the inspection rotational position Ps(i). After the preparatory positioning process (S16) is completed, the operation check rotational position Pe(i) is set at the target rotational position Px (S17).

[0023] In this embodiment, the first counter i is changed to, for example, a range of 1 to 3, and three inspection rotation positions Ps(i) are provided. The inspection rotation positions Ps(i) are set, for example, at one end, the other end, and a middle portion of the range in which the rotor 13 can operate when the flow control valve 11 controls the flow rate.

[0024] Furthermore, the inspection rotation position Ps(i) may be set to a value other than that described above. For example, the inspection rotation position Ps(1) may be the rotation position at which the valve body 18 is least susceptible to fluid resistance, the inspection rotation position Ps(2) may be the rotation position at which the valve body 18 is most susceptible to fluid resistance, and the inspection rotation position Ps(3) may be the rotation position at which the rotor 13 is most frequently positioned.

[0025] In step S17, the operation check rotation position Pe(i) is set as the target rotation position Px as the destination of each inspection rotation position Ps(i). Each operation check rotation position Pe(i) is set in advance at a position far enough from the inspection rotation position Ps(i) that the magnetic sensor 94 can detect whether the rotor 13 has moved.

[0026] It should be noted that the inspection rotation position Ps(i) and the operation confirmation rotation position Pe(i) are not limited to the above settings, and for example, the operation confirmation rotation position Pe(i) may be the same as the inspection rotation position Ps(i+1), and the operation confirmation rotation position Pe(3) may be the same as the inspection rotation position Ps(1).

[0027] Once the setting of the operation check rotation position Pe(i) to the target rotation position Px (S17) is completed, a preset inspection drive current I(j) is set to the target drive current Ix (S18).

[0028] Here, the target drive current Ix is used to control the drive current when driving the motor 12 in the inspection positioning process (S19) described below. Since this control is performed using PWM control, the target drive current Ix is set using a duty ratio. In this embodiment, the second counter j is set to a variable value, for example, between 1 and 3, providing three inspection drive currents I(j). The inspection drive current I(1) is the smallest, followed by the inspection drive current I(2), and the inspection drive current I(3), which is the largest. The smallest inspection drive current I(1) is set to a value corresponding to the actual measurement of the minimum drive current required for each flow control valve 11 to rotate the rotor 13 against frictional resistance, etc. In this embodiment, the largest inspection drive current I(3) is set to a value corresponding to the actual measurement. While the largest inspection drive current I(3) is set to a value less than 100%, the largest inspection drive current I(3) may also be set to 100%.

[0029] In addition, in this embodiment, when the motor 12 is driven for purposes other than the inspection positioning process (S19), the drive current is controlled by PWM control, as in the inspection positioning process (S19), and a drive current with a preset duty ratio is passed through the motor 12.

[0030] Once the inspection drive current I(j) is set to the target drive current Ix (S18), an inspection positioning process (S19) is executed. When the inspection positioning process (S19) is executed, excitation patterns PA, Pa, PB, and Pb (see FIG. 5A) for rotating the rotor 13 from the inspection rotation position Ps(i) to the operation check rotation position Pe(i) at the target rotation speed ωx and the target rotation acceleration μx are generated, along with a current control pulse signal Y1 having a constant period t sufficiently smaller than the step width T of each step ST of the excitation patterns PA, Pa, PB, and Pb (see FIG. 5B). At this time, the duty ratio of the minute pulse signal is set to the duty ratio of the target drive current Ix. Then, the excitation patterns PA, Pa, PB, and Pb are stepped, and only when the excitation patterns PA, Pa, PB, and Pb are in the on state, the current control pulse signal Y1 is output as the on / off control signals ZA, Za, ZB, and Zb (see Figure 5C) for the switches 31A, 31a, 32B, and 32b.

[0031] As a result, a test drive current I(j) that is smaller than the normal drive current that is supplied to the motor 12 in the origin setting process (S12), the preparatory positioning process (S16), the flow rate control process (S27) described later, and the like is supplied to the motor 12. Then, whether or not the rotor 13 has operated (rotated) at such test drive current I(j) is determined based on the detection result of the magnetic sensor 94 (S20). If no operation of the rotor 13 is detected, it is determined that an operational abnormality has occurred (YES in S20), and test result data including information that an operational abnormality has occurred in the motor 12, based on the test rotation position Ps(i) and the test drive current I(j) at that time, is stored in memory 36B. Then, the second counter j is incremented (S22), and it is determined whether the second counter j is greater than a maximum value (for example, "3" in this embodiment). If the second counter j is less than or equal to the maximum value (YES in S23), an origin setting process (S28) similar to the origin setting process of step S20 is performed, and then the inspection rotation position Ps(i) is reset to the correct position by the processes of steps S15 to S20 described above, and the inspection drive current I(j) is increased to determine whether the rotor 13 operates (rotates). Furthermore, if rotation of the rotor 13 is detected after the inspection positioning process (S19) and it is determined that there is no operational abnormality (NO in S20), the second counter j is not incremented, and the process exits from the loop related to the second counter j.

[0032] When the loop related to the second counter j is exited, the first counter i is incremented (S24), and it is determined whether the first counter i is greater than the maximum value (for example, "3" in this embodiment). If the first counter i is smaller than the maximum value or the same as the maximum value (NO in S25), the processing of the above-mentioned steps S14 to S25 is repeated until the first counter i reaches the maximum value. When the first counter i reaches the maximum value, the loop related to the first counter i is exited.

[0033] When the loop related to the first counter i is exited, an inspection result reporting process (S26) is executed, and a failure level is transmitted to, for example, an external device (e.g., an air conditioning system control unit, a vehicle ECU, etc.) based on the inspection result data stored in memory 36B. More specifically, if the rotor 13 does not operate even at the maximum inspection drive current I(3) at any inspection rotation position Ps(i), a signal is transmitted indicating that the degree of deterioration is in the final stage, requiring immediate maintenance. If the rotor 13 operates at the maximum inspection drive current I(3) at all inspection rotation positions Ps(i) but does not operate even at the second-smallest inspection drive current I(3) at any inspection rotation position Ps(i), a signal is transmitted indicating that the degree of deterioration is in the intermediate stage. If the rotor 13 operates at the second-smallest inspection drive current I(2) at all inspection rotation positions Ps(i) but does not operate at the smallest inspection drive current I(1) at any inspection rotation position Ps(i), a signal indicating that the degree of deterioration is in the early stage is transmitted. If the rotor 13 operates at the smallest inspection drive current I(1) at all inspection rotation positions Ps(i), no signal is transmitted.

[0034] Next, after the test result reporting process (S26) is completed, the flow control process (S27) is repeatedly executed. When the flow control process (S27) is executed, the control device 30A waits, for example, until command data is provided from outside the control device 30A. Here, the command data is provided, for example, as a target valve opening or a target flow rate of the flow control valve 11. The memory 36B also stores a data table that associates the command data with a target rotational position of the rotor 13. Then, in the flow control process (S27), when the command data is provided, the target rotational position Px corresponding to the command data is determined based on the data table. Then, from the current rotational position and the target rotational position Px of the rotor 13, excitation patterns PA, Pa, PB, and Pb are generated for rotating the rotor 13 to the target rotational position Px at a target rotational speed ωx and a target rotational acceleration μx, and these excitation patterns are provided to the switches 31A, 31a, 32B, and 32b as on / off control signals ZA, Za, ZB, and Zb. Then, the flow control process (S27) is repeatedly executed each time command data is received, and the target valve opening of the flow control valve 11 is changed in accordance with the command data from the outside, thereby controlling the flow rate passing through the flow control valve 11.

[0035] When executing the program PG1, the CPU 36A functions as the speed setting unit 41, acceleration setting unit 42, origin setting unit 71, inspection preparation unit 72, deterioration inspection unit 73, flow rate control unit 74, execution control unit 49, inspection result reporting unit 75, etc., which are shown in the block diagrams of Figures 6 to 9. The speed setting unit 41 shown in Figure 6 sets a set value ω0 to the target rotation speed ωx, and the acceleration setting unit 42 sets a set value μ0 to the target rotation acceleration μx.

[0036] 7, the flow rate control unit 74 has a rotation angle setting unit 44 and a first pulse signal generating unit 45. The rotation angle setting unit 44 determines a target rotation position Px corresponding to command data provided from an external device and a data table stored in memory 36B. The first pulse signal generating unit 45 generates excitation patterns PA, Pa, PB, Pb (see FIG. 5A) based on the current rotation position and target rotation position Px of the rotor 13 for rotating the rotor 13 to the target rotation position Px at a target rotation speed ωx and a target rotation acceleration μx, and outputs the excitation patterns as on / off control signals ZA, Za, ZB, Zb to the switches 31A, 31a, 32B, 32b.

[0037] Although not shown, the origin setting unit 71 has a rotation angle setting unit 44 similar to the flow rate control unit 74 and a first pulse signal generating unit 45, and the rotation angle setting unit 44 determines a target rotation position Px from a preset maximum rotatable angle θmax and an additional rotation angle θa, and the first pulse signal generating unit 45 outputs on / off control signals ZA, Za, ZB, Zb based on the target rotation position Px.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 8, the test preparation unit 72 has a rotation angle setting unit 44 similar to the flow control unit 74, and a first pulse signal generation unit 45. The rotation angle setting unit 44 sequentially sets preset test rotation positions Ps(1), Ps(2), and Ps(3) to target rotation positions Px, and the first pulse signal generation unit 45 outputs on / off control signals ZA, Za, ZB, and Zb based on these target rotation positions Px.

[0039] 9 , the deterioration inspection unit 73 includes a second pulse signal generation unit 46, a current setting unit 43, and a deterioration detection unit 48 in addition to a rotation angle setting unit 44 and a first pulse signal generation unit 45. The rotation angle setting unit 44 sequentially sets preset operation check rotation positions Pe(1), Pe(2), and Pe(3) to the target rotation position Px. The first pulse signal generation unit 45 then outputs excitation pattern pulse signals XA, Xa, XB, and Xb corresponding to excitation patterns PA, Pa, PB, and Pb (see FIG. 5A ) for rotating the rotor 13 to the target rotation position Px at the target rotation speed ωx and the target rotation acceleration μx, based on the current rotation position and the target rotation position Px of the rotor 13, to a plurality of AND circuits 47.

[0040] Furthermore, each time the operation check rotation positions Pe(1), Pe(2), and Pe(3) are set to the target rotation position Px, the current setting unit 43 switches the inspection drive currents I(1), I(2), and I(3), which have been set in advance as duty ratios, up to three times and sets them as the target drive current Ix. Then, the second pulse signal generating unit 46 generates current control pulse signals Y1 of the duty ratios of the respective target drive currents Ix and outputs them to the multiple AND circuits 47.

[0041] A plurality of AND circuits 47 perform AND processing on the excitation pattern pulse signals XA, Xa, XB, and Xb and the current control pulse signal Y1 to generate on / off control signals ZA, Za, ZB, and Zb, and output them to the switches 31A, 31a, 32B, and 32b.

[0042] Then, the execution control unit 49 switches the timing for operating the inspection preparation unit 72 and the deterioration inspection unit 73, and switches the on / off control signals ZA, Za, ZB, Zb so that the drive current for rotating the rotor 13 from the inspection rotation position Ps(1) to the operation confirmation rotation position Pe(1) is switched between up to three types, and then the on / off control signals ZA, Za, ZB, Zb are switched in the same way for the inspection rotation position Ps(2) and the inspection rotation position Ps(3).

[0043] The deterioration detection unit 48 determines whether the rotor 13 has rotated based on the detection result of the magnetic sensor 94, and detects deterioration of the flow control valve 11. The inspection result reporting unit 75 transmits the deterioration level to the outside. Note that the transmission to the outside may be wireless or wired, for example, and when transmitting to the ECU of the vehicle, it may be transmitted using an on-board communication means.

[0044] This completes the description of the configuration of this embodiment. In the valve device 10 of this embodiment, for example, upon receiving an external fault detection command, the control device 30A performs an origin setting process for the motor 12 and then performs a degradation diagnosis. In the degradation diagnosis, the rotor 13 is positioned at a preset inspection rotation position Ps(1). Then, among the inspection drive currents I(j) that are smaller than the normal drive currents applied to the motor 12 during flow rate control, the smallest inspection drive current I(1) is applied to the motor 12 to determine whether the rotor 13 will operate. If the rotor 13 does not operate, the second smallest inspection drive current I(2) is applied to the motor 12 to determine whether the rotor 13 will operate. If the rotor 13 still does not operate, the third smallest inspection drive current I(2) is applied to the motor 12 to determine whether the rotor 13 will operate. Similar processing is performed with the rotor 13 positioned at inspection rotation positions Ps(2) and Ps(3), which are different from the inspection rotation position Ps(1). The extent of deterioration of the flow control valve 11 is determined based on the magnitude of the inspection drive current I(j) at which the rotor 13 operates. After that, normal flow control is performed.

[0045] As described above, the control device 30A, program PG1, and deterioration inspection method of this embodiment inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve 11 by determining whether the rotor 13 operates at an inspection drive current that is smaller than the normal drive current supplied to the motor 12 during flow control. This makes it possible to easily detect deterioration that would not be apparent when the motor 12 is operated at a normal drive current, without disassembling the flow control valve 11. Furthermore, since the position at which the valve disc 18 is separated from the valve seat 23 is included in the inspection rotation position Ps(i), which is the starting point for operating the rotor 13, the deterioration inspection can be performed under conditions that are close to the actual operating conditions of the flow control valve 11. Furthermore, since the deterioration is inspected by determining whether the rotor 13 operates from multiple inspection rotation positions Ps(i), the deterioration inspection can be performed over a wide range within the operating range in which the rotor 13 is actually used. Furthermore, since the rotor 13 is inspected for operation at multiple types of inspection drive current I(j), the progress (level) of deterioration can be determined. Furthermore, the smallest inspection drive current I(1) is set to an individual magnitude for each flow control valve 11, so it is possible to accommodate variations in the load on the motor 12, which differs for each flow control valve 11. Moreover, the smallest inspection drive current I(1) is the minimum drive current required to drive the motor 12 of each flow control valve 11, so even slight deterioration can be detected.

[0046] In this embodiment, the smallest inspection driving current I(1) is measured and determined for each flow control valve 11 in order to set the minimum required magnitude, but it may also be determined uniformly across multiple flow control valves 11 without being measured.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, three inspection rotation positions Ps(i) are set, but the number of inspection rotation positions Ps(i) may be a number other than three or may be just one. Furthermore, three inspection drive currents I(j) are set, but the number of inspection drive currents I(i) may be a number other than three or may be just one.

[0048] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the presence or absence of the rotor 13 is detected by the magnetic sensor 94, but the presence or absence of the rotor 13 may be detected by means other than the magnetic sensor 94. Specifically, for example, the flow rate passing through the flow control valve 11 may be measured by a flow meter, and the presence or absence of the rotor 13 may be detected based on whether or not the flow rate has changed, or the presence or absence of the rotor 13 may be detected based on the presence or absence of a back electromotive force generated in the motor 12.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, whether the rotor 13 is operating normally is determined solely based on whether the rotor 13 has moved from the inspection rotation position Ps(i). However, whether the rotor 13 is operating may be determined not simply based on whether the rotor 13 moves, but also based on whether the rotor 13 rotates from the inspection rotation position Ps(i) to the operation check rotation position Pe(i). In this way, deterioration of the flow control valve 11 can be accurately inspected. For this purpose, a rotation position sensor (e.g., an encoder, resolver, etc.) may be provided in the motor 12. For example, the operation check rotation position Pe(i) may be set as a valve closing position, and whether the rotor 13 has rotated to the operation check rotation position Pe(i) may be determined based on whether the flow of fluid through the flow control valve 11 has stopped.

[0050] Second Embodiment This embodiment is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, and differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the drive circuit 33 of the control device 30A and the program PG2.

[0051] 10, in the drive circuit 33, the terminals of the coils A, a, B, and b that are not connected to the corresponding switches 31A, 31a, 32B, and 32b are commonly connected from the power supply 34, and a selection switch 35 and four resistors R1 to R4 serving as current-reducing elements are connected between the common connection and the power supply 34. The selection switch 35 selectively connects the resistors R1 to R4 between the power supply 34 and the coils A, a, B, and b (hereinafter, this will be simply referred to as "resistors R1 to R4 being selectively connected to the coils A, a, B, and b"). The resistance values ​​of the resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4 decrease in order, and the larger the resistance value, the more the current that can pass through is restricted.

[0052] 11 , in the program PG2 of this embodiment, the resistors R1 to R4 are specified as resistors R(j), (j = 1 to 4). Then, after the inspection rotation position Ps(i) is set to the target rotation position Px (S15), the resistor R(4) is connected to the coils A, a, B, and b (S30). Thereafter, in step 31, which replaces step S18 in the program PG1 of the first embodiment, the resistor R(j) is connected to the coils A, a, B, and b. Then, after the inspection result reporting process (S26), the resistor R(4) is again connected to the coils A, a, B, and b (S32).

[0053] In this manner, in this embodiment, the current setting unit 35K is configured from the selection switch 35 and the resistors R1 to R4, and the current setting unit 35K is controlled by the program PG2, so that the inspection driving current is switched to a value smaller than the normal driving current, similar to the configuration of the first embodiment, and the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0054] As a modification of this embodiment, instead of the configuration in which the resistors R1 to R4 are selectively switched, the output voltage of the power supply device 34 may be switched between first to fourth output voltages. Even with such a configuration, the same effect can be obtained.

[0055] [Third Embodiment] An air conditioning system 89 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 12 and 13. As shown in Figure 12, this air conditioning system 89 includes a flow path 86 that connects an exterior heat exchanger 81, a condenser 83, an evaporator 82, and a pump 84. A plurality of valve devices 10A to 10C, each having the same structure as the valve device 10 of the first embodiment, are attached to the flow path 86. Furthermore, a plurality of control devices 30A for the plurality of valve devices 10A to 10C and a drive circuit 85 for driving the pump 84 are connected to a control device 88, which controls the plurality of control devices 30A and the drive circuit 85.

[0056] Specifically, for example, upon receiving a command to detect a failure, the CPU 88A of the control device 88 executes the program PG3 shown in Fig. 13 from the memory 88B of the control device 88. In this program PG3, the valve devices 10A to 10C are identified as valve devices V(f), (f = 1 to 3).

[0057] When the program PG3 is executed, an origin setting instruction is issued to the plurality of control devices 30A (S40), and the CPU 36A of each control device 30A then executes steps S11 and S12 in the program PG1 (see FIG. 4) described in the first embodiment.

[0058] Next, counter f is set to 1 (S41). The remainder when the value of counter f is divided by 3 is set to variable g (S42), and the remainder when the value of counter f is added by 1 and divided by 3 is set to variable h (S43). Then, instructions are given to valve devices V(g), V(h), etc. to maintain the valve devices V(g), V(h) and pump 84 in the preset state (f).

[0059] Specifically, for each of the valve devices V(1), V(2), and V(3), the valve openings of the other valve devices V(g) and V(h) and the drive state of the pump 84 are preset as state (f) so that the air conditioning system 89 is in a state suitable for performing a deterioration test on each valve device V(f). The instruction of step S44 is then given from the CPU 88A of the control device 88 to the control devices 30A of the valve devices V(g) and V(h) and the drive circuit 85 of the pump 84, thereby maintaining the valve devices V(g) and V(h) and the pump 84 in the preset state (f). Note that the state (f) may be such that the flow control valves 11 of the valve devices V(g) and V(h) are open or closed, and the pump 84 is operating or stopped.

[0060] Next, a deterioration inspection command is issued to the valve device V(f) (S45), and the CPU 36A of the control device 30A of the valve device V(f) then executes steps S13 to S26 of the program PG1 (see FIG. 4) described in the first embodiment.

[0061] Thereafter, counter f is incremented, and the above processing is repeated until counter f reaches 3. When counter f reaches 3, program PG3 ends. Then, a program for controlling air conditioning system 89 (not shown) is executed by CPU 88A, and command data is provided to each valve device V(1), V(2), V(3) based on set temperature information provided to CPU 88A, room temperature information actually measured by a temperature sensor, and the like. Then, CPU 36A of control device 30A for valve devices V(1), V(2), V(3) performs the above-described flow rate control based on the command data.

[0062] According to the configuration of this embodiment, when deterioration tests are performed multiple times on multiple flow control valves 11 connected to a common flow path 86, the deterioration tests can be performed under the same conditions, thereby improving the accuracy of the deterioration tests.

[0063] [Other Embodiments] In the above embodiment, the motor 12 serving as the drive source of the flow control valve 11 is a stepping motor. However, as long as the motor is capable of performing position control, it may be, for example, a DC motor including a brushed motor and a brushless motor.

[0064] While the motor 12 in the above embodiment is a PM-type stepping motor equipped with a permanent magnet 13M in the rotor 13, the motor 12 is not limited to this when it is a stepping motor, and may be, for example, a variable reluctance type equipped with a gear-shaped iron core in the rotor 13, or a hybrid type equipped with both a permanent magnet and a gear-shaped iron core in the rotor 13. Furthermore, the motor 12 in the above embodiment is a claw-pole stepping motor in which multiple phase coils 91, 92 are arranged in the direction of the rotation axis on the stator side, but it may also be a structure in which multiple teeth are arranged in the circumferential direction on the stator side, and a coil is wound around each tooth.

[0065] If the motor 12 is a stepping motor, the drive circuit 33 that drives the motor 12 is not limited to the unipolar wiring illustrated in the above embodiment, but may be bipolar wiring. Furthermore, the excitation pattern was full-step excitation, in which a constant voltage is applied to the coils 91 and 92, but may also be half-step excitation or microstep excitation, in which the applied voltage is divided into multiple steps. Furthermore, while multi-phase excitation was used, in which multiple phase coils are simultaneously excited, single-phase excitation may also be used. In the above-described modified example, the drive current to the motor 12 may be changed between the origin setting process and the position control process by performing PWM control as in the above embodiment, or may be changed by means other than the PWM control described in the second embodiment.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the rotational acceleration and rotational speed are the same in the flow rate control process (S27), the preparatory positioning process (S15), and the inspection positioning process (S19), but both or one of the rotational acceleration and rotational speed may be different among the flow rate control process (S27), the preparatory positioning process (S15), and the inspection positioning process (S19). Specifically, for example, the rotational speed in the inspection positioning process (S19) may be lower than that in the preparatory positioning process (S15) and the flow rate control process (S27).

[0067] <Supplementary Notes> Below, the group of features extracted from the above embodiment will be explained, indicating, as necessary, the effects, etc. Note that, for ease of understanding, the corresponding configurations in the above embodiment will be indicated in parentheses as appropriate below, but these group of features are not limited to the specific configurations indicated in parentheses.

[0068] [Feature 1] A control device (30A, 88) configured to control a flow rate by a flow control valve (11) driven by a motor (12) by controlling the position of the motor (12), the control device (30A, 88) including: an inspection preparation unit (72) configured to set the motor (12) in an inspection preparation state in which a rotor (13) is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position (Ps(i)); and a deterioration inspection unit (73) configured to supply an inspection drive current (I(j)), which is preset to a value smaller than a drive current supplied to the motor (12) during the flow rate control, to the motor (12) in the inspection preparation state, and to inspect deterioration of the flow control valve (11) based on whether the rotor (13) operates.

[0069] [Feature 2] The control device (30A, 88) according to Feature 1, wherein the deterioration inspection unit (73) is configured to determine whether the rotor (13) operates based on whether the rotor (13) rotates from the inspection rotation position (Ps(i)) to the preset target rotation position.

[0070] [Feature 3] The control device (30A, 88) according to Feature 1 or 2, wherein the inspection rotation position (Ps(i)) is a position where the valve body (18) of the flow control valve (11) is separated from the valve seat (23).

[0071] [Feature 4] The control device (30A, 88) according to any one of Features 1 to 3, wherein the inspection preparation unit (72) is configured to sequentially position the rotor (13) at a plurality of preset inspection rotation positions (Ps(i)) to bring the motor (12) into the inspection preparation state a plurality of times, and the deterioration inspection unit (73) is configured to inspect the flow control valve (11) for deterioration each time the motor (12) is brought into the inspection preparation state.

[0072] [Feature 5] The control device (30A, 88) according to any one of Features 1 to 4, wherein the deterioration inspection unit (73) is configured to pass a plurality of types of the inspection drive current (I(j)) that are preset to have different magnitudes to the motor (12) in the inspection preparation state, and to determine the degree of deterioration of the flow control valve (11) based on which type of the inspection drive current (I(j)) started the motor (12).

[0073] [Feature 6] A control device (30A, 88) according to any one of Features 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of the flow control valves (11) are provided to be connected to a plurality of locations of a common flow path (86), the deterioration inspection unit (73) is configured to inspect the plurality of flow control valves (11) one by one, and the inspection preparation unit (72) is configured to maintain the other flow control valves (11) at predetermined valve opening degrees when the deterioration inspection unit (73) inspects one of the plurality of flow control valves (11).

[0074] [Feature 7] The control device (30A, 88) according to any one of Features 1 to 6, wherein the inspection drive current (I(j)) is set to an individual magnitude for each of the flow control valves (11).

[0075] [Feature 8] A valve device (10, 10A to 10C) including the control device (30A, 88) according to any one of Features 1 to 7, and a flow control valve (11) controlled by the control device (30A, 88).

[0076] [Feature 9] An air conditioning system (89) comprising: a control device (30A, 88) according to any one of Features 1 to 7; a plurality of flow control valves (11) controlled by the control device (30A, 88); and an air conditioner main body having a flow path (86) to which the plurality of flow control valves (11) are fixed and to which the plurality of flow control valves (11) are commonly connected, wherein the deterioration inspection unit (73) is configured to inspect the plurality of flow control valves (11) one by one, and the inspection preparation unit (72) is configured so that, when the deterioration inspection unit (73) inspects one of the plurality of flow control valves (11), the other flow control valves (11) are maintained at predetermined valve opening degrees.

[0077] [Feature 10] Programs (PG1 to PG3) for causing a computer of a control device (30A, 88) that controls the position of a motor (12) to perform flow control by a flow control valve (11) driven by the motor (12) to function as: an inspection preparation unit (72) configured to place the motor (12) in an inspection preparation state in which the rotor (13) is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position (Ps(i)); and a deterioration inspection unit (73) configured to energize the motor (12) in the inspection preparation state with an inspection drive current (I(j)) that is preset to a value smaller than the drive current that is energized to the motor (12) during the flow control, and inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve (11) based on whether the rotor (13) operates. [Feature 11] The programs (PG1 to PG3) according to Feature 10, for causing the computer to function so that the deterioration inspection unit (73) determines whether the rotor (13) operates based on whether the rotor (13) rotates from the inspection rotation position (Ps(i)) to the preset target rotation position.

[0078] [Feature 12] The program (PG1 to PG3) according to Feature 10 or 11, wherein the inspection rotation position (Ps(i)) is a position where the valve body (18) of the flow control valve (11) is separated from the valve seat (23).

[0079] [Feature 13] The program (PG1 to PG3) according to any one of Features 10 to 12, wherein the inspection preparation unit (72) is configured to sequentially position the rotor (13) at a plurality of preset inspection rotation positions (Ps(i)) to put the motor (12) into the inspection preparation state a plurality of times, and the deterioration inspection unit (73) causes the computer to function to inspect the flow control valve (11) for deterioration each time the motor (12) is put into the inspection preparation state.

[0080] [Feature 14] The program (PG1 to PG3) according to any one of Features 10 to 13, wherein the deterioration inspection unit (73) causes the computer to function so as to pass a plurality of types of the inspection drive current (I(j)), which are preset to have different magnitudes, to the motor (12) of the flow control valve (11) in the inspection preparation state, and determine the degree of deterioration of the flow control valve (11) based on which type of the inspection drive current (I(j)) started the motor (12).

[0081] [Feature 15] The program (PG3) according to any one of Features 10 to 14, wherein a plurality of the flow control valves (11) are provided to connect to a plurality of locations of a common flow path (86), and the computer is configured such that the deterioration inspection unit (73) inspects the plurality of flow control valves (11) one by one, and the inspection preparation unit (72) causes the computer to function such that, when the deterioration inspection unit (73) inspects one of the plurality of flow control valves (11), the other flow control valves (11) are maintained at predetermined valve opening degrees.

[0082] [Feature 16] A storage medium storing the program according to any one of Features 10 to 15.

[0083] [Feature 17] A deterioration inspection method for a flow control valve (11) capable of controlling a flow rate by controlling the position of a motor (12) that is a driving source, the deterioration inspection method including: an inspection preparation step of bringing the motor (12) into an inspection preparation state in which a rotor (13) is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position (Ps(i)); and an inspection step of passing an inspection drive current (I(j)), which is preset to a value smaller than a drive current passed through the motor (12) during the flow rate control, through the motor (12) in the inspection preparation state, and checking whether the rotor (13) operates to inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve (11).

[0084] [Feature 18] The deterioration inspection method according to Feature 17, wherein in the inspection step, it is determined whether the rotor (13) operates based on whether the rotor (13) rotates from the inspection rotation position (Ps(i)) to the preset target rotation position.

[0085] [Feature 19] The deterioration inspection method according to Feature 17 or 18, wherein the inspection rotation position (Ps(i)) is a position where the valve body (18) of the flow control valve (11) is separated from the valve seat (23).

[0086] [Feature 20] The deterioration inspection method according to any one of Features 17 to 19, wherein in the inspection pre-step, the rotor (13) is sequentially positioned at a plurality of preset inspection rotation positions (Ps(i)) to bring the motor (12) into the inspection preparation state a plurality of times, and in the inspection step, deterioration of the flow control valve (11) is inspected each time the motor (12) is brought into the inspection preparation state.

[0087] [Feature 21] The deterioration inspection method according to any one of Features 17 to 20, wherein in the inspection step, a plurality of types of the inspection drive current (I(j)) that are preset to have different magnitudes are applied to the motor (12) of the flow control valve (11) in the inspection preparation state, and the degree of deterioration of the flow control valve (11) is determined based on which type of the inspection drive current (I(j)) starts the motor (12).

[0088] [Feature 22] The deterioration inspection method according to any one of Features 17 to 21, wherein a plurality of the flow control valves (11) are provided to connect to a plurality of locations of a common flow path (86), and the plurality of flow control valves (11) are inspected for deterioration one by one, and when inspecting each flow control valve (11), the other flow control valves (11) are maintained at a predetermined valve opening.

[0089] [Feature 22] The degradation inspection method according to any one of Features 16 to 21, wherein a minimum drive current required to start the motor (12) is measured for each of the flow control valves (11), and the inspection drive current (I(j)) is set based on the measurement result.

[0090] In the control device of Feature 1, the program of Feature 10, the storage medium for storing the program of Feature 16, and the deterioration inspection method of Feature 17, deterioration of the flow control valve is inspected by checking whether the rotor operates with an inspection drive current that is smaller than the normal drive current that is passed through the motor during flow control, so that deterioration that does not become apparent when the motor is operated with a normal drive current can be easily found without disassembling the flow control valve.

[0091] As with the control device of Feature 2, the program of Feature 11, and the deterioration inspection method of Feature 18, by determining whether the rotor operates not simply by whether it moves but by whether it rotates from the inspection rotation position to the target rotation position, it is possible to accurately inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve.

[0092] As with the control device of Feature 3, the program of Feature 12, and the deterioration inspection method of Feature 19, by setting the position of the valve disc of the flow control valve away from the valve seat as the inspection rotation position and determining whether the rotor has moved from that position, it is possible to perform a deterioration inspection under conditions close to the actual operating conditions of the flow control valve.

[0093] As with the control device of feature 4, the program of feature 13, and the deterioration inspection method of feature 20, by inspecting whether the rotor operates from multiple inspection rotation positions, it is possible to perform deterioration inspection within the operating range in which the rotor is actually used.

[0094] As with the control device of feature 5, the program of feature 14, and the deterioration inspection method of feature 21, the progress (level) of deterioration can be determined by checking whether the rotor operates with multiple types of inspection drive currents.

[0095] According to the control device of feature 6, the program of feature 15, and the deterioration inspection method of feature 22, when deterioration inspections of multiple flow control valves connected to a common flow path are performed multiple times, the deterioration inspections can be performed under the same conditions, thereby improving the accuracy of the deterioration inspections.

[0096] In the control device of Feature 7, the inspection drive current is set to an individual magnitude for each flow control valve, so it is possible to deal with the drive current to the motor that varies for each flow control valve. And, like the deterioration inspection method of Feature 23, deterioration inspection can be performed with the minimum drive current required to drive the motor of each flow control valve, making it possible to detect even slight deterioration.

[0097] Although the present specification and drawings disclose specific examples of the technology included in the scope of the claims, the technology described in the claims is not limited to these specific examples, but also includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples, and also includes parts of the specific examples taken out alone.

[0098] 10, 10A to 10C Valve device 11 Flow control valve 12 Motor 13 Rotor 23 Valve seat 30A, 88 Control device 35 Selection switch 72 Inspection preparation section 73 Deterioration inspection section 86 Flow path 89 Air conditioning system 36A, 88A CPU (computer) I(j) Inspection drive current PG1 to PG3 Program Ps Inspection rotation position

Claims

1. A control device configured to control a flow rate by a flow control valve driven by a motor by controlling the position of the motor, an inspection preparation unit configured to set the motor to an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position; a deterioration inspection unit configured to inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve by supplying an inspection drive current to the motor in the inspection preparation state, the inspection drive current being preset to a value smaller than the drive current supplied to the motor during the flow control, and determining whether the rotor operates, The control device wherein the inspection rotation position is a position where the valve body of the flow control valve is separated from the valve seat.

2. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the deterioration inspection unit is configured to determine whether the rotor operates based on whether the rotor rotates from the inspection rotation position to a preset target rotation position.

3. The control device described in Claim 1, wherein the deterioration inspection unit is configured to pass multiple types of inspection drive currents that are pre-set to have different magnitudes through the motor in the inspection preparation state, and to determine the degree of deterioration of the flow control valve based on which type of inspection drive current started the motor.

4. A control device as described in Claim 1, wherein the inspection drive current is set to an individual magnitude for each flow control valve.

5. A control device configured to control the position of a motor to control flow rate by a flow control valve driven by the motor, an inspection preparation unit configured to set the motor to an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position; a deterioration inspection unit configured to inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve by supplying an inspection drive current to the motor in the inspection preparation state, the inspection drive current being preset to a value smaller than the drive current supplied to the motor during the flow control, and determining whether the rotor operates, the inspection preparation unit is configured to sequentially place the rotor at a plurality of preset inspection rotation positions to bring the motor into the inspection preparation state a plurality of times; The deterioration inspection unit is a control device configured to inspect the flow control valve for deterioration every time the motor is placed in the inspection preparation state.

6. A control device configured to control the position of a motor to control flow rate by a flow control valve driven by the motor, an inspection preparation unit configured to set the motor to an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position; a deterioration inspection unit configured to inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve by supplying an inspection drive current to the motor in the inspection preparation state, the inspection drive current being preset to a value smaller than the drive current supplied to the motor during the flow control, and determining whether the rotor operates, a plurality of flow control valves are provided to connect to a plurality of points of a common flow path; the deterioration inspection unit is configured to inspect the plurality of flow control valves one by one; The control device is configured such that when the deterioration inspection unit inspects one of the plurality of flow control valves, the other flow control valves are maintained at a predetermined valve opening degree.

7. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a flow control valve controlled by the control device.

8. A control device configured to control a flow rate by a flow control valve driven by a motor by controlling the position of the motor, an inspection preparation unit configured to set the motor to an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position; a deterioration inspection unit configured to inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve by supplying an inspection drive current to the motor in the inspection preparation state, the inspection drive current being preset to a value smaller than the drive current supplied to the motor during the flow control, and determining whether the rotor operates; and a control device including: a plurality of flow control valves controlled by the controller; an air conditioner body to which the plurality of flow control valves are fixed and which has a flow path to which the plurality of flow control valves are commonly connected, the deterioration inspection unit is configured to inspect the plurality of flow control valves one by one; The air conditioning system is configured such that when the deterioration inspection unit inspects one of the plurality of flow control valves, the other flow control valves are maintained at a predetermined valve opening degree.

9. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; a plurality of flow control valves controlled by the controller; an air conditioner body to which the plurality of flow control valves are fixed and which has a flow path to which the plurality of flow control valves are commonly connected, the deterioration inspection unit is configured to inspect the plurality of flow control valves one by one; The air conditioning system is configured such that when the deterioration inspection unit inspects one of the plurality of flow control valves, the other flow control valves are maintained at a predetermined valve opening degree.

10. A computer of a control device that controls the position of a motor and controls the flow rate by a flow control valve driven by the motor, an inspection preparation unit configured to set the motor to an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position; a deterioration inspection unit configured to inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve by supplying an inspection drive current to the motor in the inspection preparation state, the inspection drive current being set to a value smaller than the drive current supplied to the motor during the flow control, and determining whether the rotor operates; A program for functioning as The inspection rotation position is a position where the valve body of the flow control valve is separated from the valve seat.

11. The program according to claim 10, for causing the computer to function such that the deterioration inspection unit determines whether the rotor operates based on whether the rotor rotates from the inspection rotation position to a predetermined target rotation position.

12. The program described in Claim 10, wherein the deterioration inspection unit causes the computer to function so as to pass multiple types of inspection drive currents, which are pre-set to have different magnitudes, through the motor of the flow control valve in the inspection preparation state, and determine the degree of deterioration of the flow control valve based on which type of inspection drive current started the motor.

13. A computer of a control device that controls the position of a motor to control the flow rate of a flow control valve driven by the motor, an inspection preparation unit configured to set the motor to an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position; a deterioration inspection unit configured to inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve by supplying an inspection drive current to the motor in the inspection preparation state, the inspection drive current being set to a value smaller than the drive current supplied to the motor during the flow control, and determining whether the rotor operates; A program for functioning as the inspection preparation unit is configured to sequentially place the rotor at a plurality of preset inspection rotation positions to bring the motor into the inspection preparation state a plurality of times, a program that causes the computer to function so that the deterioration inspection unit inspects the flow control valve for deterioration every time the motor is set to the inspection preparation state;

14. A computer of a control device that controls the position of a motor to control the flow rate of a flow control valve driven by the motor, an inspection preparation unit configured to set the motor to an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position; a deterioration inspection unit configured to inspect the deterioration of the flow control valve by supplying an inspection drive current to the motor in the inspection preparation state, the inspection drive current being set to a value smaller than the drive current supplied to the motor during the flow control, and determining whether the rotor operates; A program for functioning as a plurality of flow control valves are provided to connect to a plurality of points of a common flow path; The computer the deterioration inspection unit is configured to inspect the plurality of flow control valves one by one, A program that causes the inspection preparation unit to function so that, when the deterioration inspection unit inspects one of the plurality of flow control valves, the other flow control valves are maintained at a predetermined valve opening degree.

15. A storage medium for storing a program described in any one of claims 10 to 14.

16. A deterioration inspection method for a flow control valve capable of controlling flow rate by position control of a motor that is a drive source, comprising: an inspection preparation step in which the motor is brought into an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position; an inspection step in which a test drive current, which is preset to a value smaller than the drive current supplied to the motor during the flow control, is supplied to the motor in the test preparation state, and deterioration of the flow control valve is inspected based on whether the rotor operates, The deterioration inspection method includes the step of: determining whether the valve body of the flow control valve is spaced from the valve seat;

17. A deterioration inspection method as described in Claim 16, wherein in the inspection process, whether the rotor operates is determined based on whether the rotor rotates from the inspection rotation position to a predetermined target rotation position.

18. A deterioration inspection method as described in claim 16 or 17, in which, in the inspection process, multiple types of inspection drive currents that are preset to have different magnitudes are passed through the motor of the flow control valve in the inspection preparation state, and the degree of deterioration of the flow control valve is determined based on which type of inspection drive current started the motor.

19. A deterioration inspection method as described in claim 16 or 17, in which the minimum drive current required to start the motor is measured for each flow control valve, and the inspection drive current is set based on the measurement results.

20. A deterioration inspection method for a flow control valve capable of controlling flow rate by position control of a motor that is a drive source, comprising: an inspection preparation step in which the motor is brought into an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position; an inspection step in which a test drive current, which is preset to a value smaller than the drive current supplied to the motor during the flow control, is supplied to the motor in the test preparation state, and deterioration of the flow control valve is inspected based on whether the rotor operates, In the inspection preparation step, the rotor is sequentially placed at a plurality of preset inspection rotation positions to put the motor into the inspection preparation state a plurality of times; In the inspection step, the flow control valve is inspected for deterioration every time the motor is placed in the inspection preparation state.

21. A deterioration inspection method for a flow control valve capable of controlling flow rate by position control of a motor that is a drive source, comprising: an inspection preparation step in which the motor is brought into an inspection preparation state in which the rotor is stopped at a preset inspection rotation position; an inspection step in which a test drive current, which is preset to a value smaller than the drive current supplied to the motor during the flow control, is supplied to the motor in the test preparation state, and deterioration of the flow control valve is inspected based on whether the rotor operates, a plurality of flow control valves are provided to connect to a plurality of points of a common flow path; The deterioration inspection method inspects the plurality of flow control valves one by one for deterioration, and when inspecting each flow control valve, the other flow control valves are maintained at a predetermined valve opening.

Images