Air conditioner

Abstract

[Problem] To achieve control of an optional device while minimizing costs in cases in which the optional device is connected to an air conditioner. [Solution] An air conditioner comprising: an operation device that operates the air conditioner; and a control unit that controls an optional device in accordance with the air conditioning operation of the air conditioner when connection setting for setting connection of the optional device to the air conditioner is performed and the operation device is not equipped with an optional operation function for operating the optional device.

Description

air conditioner

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

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

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-241056

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

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to realize control of optional equipment while suppressing costs when optional equipment is connected to an air conditioner.

[0006] The present invention is an air conditioner comprising an operating device for operating the air conditioner, and a control unit for controlling the optional equipment in accordance with the air conditioning operation of the air conditioner when connection settings are made to indicate that an optional equipment is connected to the air conditioner and the operating device is not equipped with an optional operation function for operating the optional equipment.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is an air conditioner comprising an operating device for operating the air conditioner, and a control unit for controlling an optional device in accordance with the air conditioning operation of the air conditioner when the optional device is connected to the air conditioner and the operating device is not equipped with an optional operating function for operating the optional device.

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

[0009] It is an external view of the air conditioner. It is a diagram showing a refrigerant circuit. It is a diagram showing a main configuration related to control of optional equipment. It is a flowchart showing an ionizer control process.

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

[0011] The indoor unit 2 is equipped with a remote control communication unit 5. The remote control communication unit 5 transmits and receives predetermined signals to and from the remote control 4 via infrared communication or the like. For example, the remote control communication unit 5 receives signals such as an operation command, a stop command, a change in the set temperature, a change in the operation mode, or a timer setting from the remote control 4 in response to operation of the operation unit 42. As another example, the remote control 4 may only transmit signals to the indoor unit 2. In this case, the remote control communication unit 5 only needs to have a receiving function. Although not shown in FIG. 1 , the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 3 are connected via refrigerant piping and also via a communication line.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0021] If the air conditioner 1 does not have an ionizer 30 built in, the control unit 21 controls the ionizer 30 in accordance with an ionizer control process. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the ionizer control process performed by the control unit 21.

[0022] Air conditioners 1 that do not have a built-in ionizer 30 include models in which an ionizer operation function is installed in the remote control 4, and models in which the ionizer operation function is not installed. The ionizer operation function is a function that, when the ionizer 30 is connected to the air conditioner 1, accepts user operations and transmits instructions related to control of the ionizer 30, such as turning the power of the ionizer 30 on and off and turning the operation on and off, to the control unit 21 in accordance with the user operations. Function information indicating whether or not the ionizer operation function is installed is stored in advance in the memory unit 22 of the air conditioner 1.

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

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

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

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

[0027] As described above, when the remote control 4 is equipped with an optional operation function for operating optional functions corresponding to optional equipment such as the ionizer 30, the air conditioner 1 of this embodiment controls the optional equipment in accordance with user operations in accordance with the optional operation function. On the other hand, when the air conditioner 1 is not equipped with an optional operation function, the air conditioner 1 controls the optional equipment in accordance with air conditioning operation. This makes it possible to appropriately control the operation of optional equipment even when the remote control 4 is not equipped with an optional operation function. Furthermore, because the optional equipment can be operated using the remote control 4 of the air conditioner 1, there is no need to prepare a device such as a remote control separate from the remote control 4 of the air conditioner 1 to operate the optional equipment, which avoids increased costs.

[0028] In this embodiment, when an optional device is connected, connection information is sent in response to an operation by an operator, and the control unit 21 recognizes that the optional device has been connected. This reduces costs compared to when a hardware mechanism for detecting the connection of an optional device is installed.

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

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

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

[0032] As a third modification, the air conditioner 1 may include a hardware detector for physically detecting the connection of an optional device. The detector detects the connection of the optional device, for example, based on whether the optional device is electrically connected. In this case, in step S100 of the ionizer control process (see FIG. 4 ), the control unit 21 proceeds to S102 if the connection of the optional device is physically detected. As another example, the control unit 21 may proceed to S102 if the connection of the optional device is physically detected and connection information is acquired in step S100.

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

Claims

1. An air conditioner comprising: an operating device for operating the air conditioner; and a control unit for controlling the optional equipment in accordance with the air conditioning operation of the air conditioner when a connection setting is made to indicate that an optional equipment is connected to the air conditioner and the operating device is not equipped with an optional operation function for operating the optional equipment.

2. An air conditioner as described in claim 1, wherein the control unit synchronizes the on / off of operation of the optional equipment with the on / off of the air conditioning operation when the connection setting is performed and the operating device is not equipped with the optional operating function.

3. An air conditioner as described in claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the optional equipment in accordance with the optional operation function when the connection setting is performed and the optional operation function is installed in the operating device.

4. The air conditioner described in claim 3, wherein the control unit, when the connection setting is performed and the operating device is equipped with the optional operation function, displays an operation screen of the optional device on the display unit of the air conditioner in accordance with the optional operation function, and controls the optional device in accordance with input to the operation screen.

5. An air conditioner comprising: an operating device for operating the air conditioner; and a control unit for controlling an optional device in accordance with the air conditioning operation of the air conditioner when an optional device is connected to the air conditioner and the operating device is not equipped with an optional operating function for operating the optional device.

6. An air conditioner as described in claim 5, wherein the control unit controls the optional equipment in accordance with the air conditioning operation when the optional equipment is connected to the air conditioner, a connection setting is made to indicate that the optional equipment is connected, and the operating device is not equipped with the optional operating function.

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