Maintenance support system for air conditioners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioner maintenance systems complicate the identification of abnormal air conditioners, as they often require shutting down all units to diagnose issues, which disrupts comfort and complicates the discrimination of faulty units within multiple groups.
Innovation Solution
A maintenance support system comprising a server and a portable terminal that connects via a communication line, allowing for the acquisition and display of air conditioner position information, individual identification, operation data, and abnormality history, enabling quick identification of issues without shutting down functioning units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If all air conditioners are brought to halt condition and fan of abnormality-caused air conditioner is driven to enable easy discrimination, then the operator can easily discriminate the air conditioner with abnormality, but comfort is spoiled and work efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a remote controller as an intermediary device that displays abnormality information and identification numbers, allowing operators to identify faulty air conditioners without physically inspecting each unit or shutting down the system. This mediator enables easy discrimination while maintaining normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of shutting down all air conditioners and manually checking fans with an electronic information display system. The remote controller electronically presents abnormality codes and identification numbers, substituting physical inspection with digital information delivery.
2Adaptability or versatility
If air conditioners are divided into multiple groups and controlled separately, then control flexibility is improved, but checking for abnormalities becomes more complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the remote controller universal by enabling it to display abnormality information for multiple air conditioner groups simultaneously. The single remote controller can present identification numbers and abnormality codes for any group, eliminating the need for separate checking procedures for each group and simplifying the overall process.
3Loss of information
If identification numbers are displayed on remote controller to indicate abnormal air conditioner, then information delivery is improved, but operator still needs to grasp correspondence relation between identification numbers and actual air conditioners
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by having the remote controller display both the abnormality code and the corresponding air conditioner identification number together. This immediate feedback loop allows operators to directly correlate the abnormality information with the specific unit without needing to separately learn or remember identification mappings.
Data Source
AI summary
A maintenance support system includes an air conditioner system including air conditioners, an Internet line, a portable terminal and a server, and supports maintenance of the system. The system, portable terminal, and server are communicably interconnected via the Internet line. The server stores individual identification information, operation information and abnormality history of each air conditioner. The portable terminal receives the individual identification information, operation information and abnormality history of each air conditioner from the server. The portable terminal includes an image pickup unit photographing a space to acquire a picked-up image thereof, and a display unit displaying the air conditioner included in the picked-up image and one of the individual identification information, the operation information and the abnormality information of the air conditioner in association with each other with one being superimposed on other.