JPH08152178A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To reduce the power consumption of an air conditioner in a wide space such as a department store with a focus on reducing humidity. [Structure] A plurality of indoor units A, B, C, and D are connected to a variable capacity outdoor unit 3 and / or a plurality of outdoor units 30, and these indoor units are arranged in the same space to change the capacity. When the capacity of the outdoor unit of the mold is set to a predetermined value or less and / or when the operation of at least one outdoor unit of the plurality of outdoor units is stopped, the indoor units arranged in these same spaces Among them, the operation of a specific indoor unit is stopped and the remaining indoor units are operated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to an outdoor unit and these indoor units are arranged in the same space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-10175 discloses an air-conditioning facility for air-conditioning a wide space such as a department store without gaps. In the air conditioner shown here, a plurality of indoor units are appropriately installed in a large space, and these indoor units are simultaneously operated / stopped or the wind direction is controlled.

As a result, a large space is air-conditioned substantially uniformly.

[0004]

In such a control method, for example, when the cooling (air conditioning) load of the space decreases, the flow rate of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor in the outdoor unit is decreased. It is conceivable that the cooling capacity of each indoor unit will be reduced. When the cooling capacity of each indoor unit is reduced in this way, the amount of refrigerant flowing into each indoor unit decreases, and the temperature of the cool air discharged from each indoor unit rises accordingly. Comparing the increase in the temperature of the cold air with the increase in the humidity in the space, the increase in the humidity is larger, and the space may feel sizzling. If an example is shown based on the moist air diagram, the outdoor unit has a refrigerating capacity of 100% (predetermined value).
Assuming that the air temperature is 27 ° C. and the humidity is 50%, the blowing temperature of the cold air is 15 ° C. and the humidity is 90%. On the other hand, assuming that the refrigerating capacity is 50% (below a predetermined value), the blowing temperature of the cold air is 20.5 ° C. and the humidity is 70% in the air in the air supply state. Since the blowing condition of the cold air is different, it is difficult to reduce the absolute humidity in the room when the refrigerating capacity is 50%.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to select, when the capacity (capacity) of an outdoor unit is controlled in a large space such as a department store, the number of indoor units having the capacity corresponding to this is selected and the dehumidifying capacity is set to 100% refrigerating capacity. By maintaining the same ratio, it is possible to prevent the humidity from rising and to achieve comfort while saving power in the air conditioner.

[0006]

In order to achieve this object, a first aspect of the present invention is that a plurality of indoor units are connected to an outdoor unit of variable capacity type and / or a plurality of outdoor units, and these indoor units are connected to each other. The units are arranged in the same space, and when the capacity of the variable capacity outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less and / or when the operation of at least one outdoor unit among the plurality of outdoor units is stopped. Of the indoor units arranged in the same space, the operation of a specific indoor unit is stopped and the remaining indoor units are operated.

A second aspect of the invention is to sequentially set indoor units whose operation is stopped for a predetermined time among the indoor units arranged in the same space. A third aspect of the present invention is configured such that, among the indoor units arranged in the same space, the operation of the indoor unit in the area having a small air conditioning load is stopped and the indoor unit in the area having a large air conditioning load is operated.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the operation control of the indoor units arranged in the same space is set to a plurality of patterns, and these patterns stop the operation of the indoor units in the area where the air conditioning load is small and the air conditioning load is large. The first pattern for operating the indoor unit in the area and the second pattern for stopping the operation of the indoor unit in the area with a large air conditioning load and operating the indoor unit in the area with a small air conditioning load At the time of control, the time of the first pattern is set longer than the time of the second pattern.

In a fifth aspect of the invention, when the capacity of the variable capacity outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less and / or when the operation of at least one outdoor unit among a plurality of outdoor units is stopped. The rotation speed of the blower of the indoor unit to be operated is the blower of the indoor unit to be operated when the capacity of the variable capacity outdoor unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined value and / or when a plurality of outdoor units are all operated. The number of rotations is set to be approximately the same.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the invention, when the capacity of the variable capacity outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less and / or the operation of at least one outdoor unit among the plurality of outdoor units is stopped. Even then, certain indoor units continue to operate normally.

According to the second aspect of the invention, when the capacity of the variable capacity type outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less and / or the operation of at least one outdoor unit among the plurality of outdoor units is stopped. In this case, the indoor unit that is normally operated for a predetermined time is set to rotate.
According to the third aspect of the invention, when the capacity of the variable capacity outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less and / or when the operation of at least one outdoor unit among the plurality of outdoor units is stopped. Areas with a large air-conditioning load within the same space are mainly air-conditioned.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when the capacity of the capacity-variable outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less and / or the operation of at least one outdoor unit among the plurality of outdoor units is stopped. In this case, the operating time of the indoor unit in the area having a large air conditioning load in the same space is longer than the operating time of the indoor unit in the area having a small air conditioning load.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the rotation speed of the blower of each indoor unit is set to be substantially the same even if the capacity of the outdoor unit changes, and the temperature of the air blown from this indoor unit is kept constant. .

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1, 1 is a building and 2 is its one floor (same space). This one-floor 2 has no gaps, or even if there is a gap, the gap is low, and it is a space where the one-floor 2 should be air-conditioned substantially uniformly. Further, four indoor units A, B, C, D are arranged on the ceiling of the one floor 2. Reference numeral 3 denotes one outdoor unit, which is arranged on the roof of the building (not shown) or the like. Reference numeral 4 denotes a refrigerant pipe for the indoor units A, B, and
C and D are connected in parallel.

These indoor and outdoor units A, B, C, D,
An air conditioner is constituted by 3 and the refrigerant pipe 4 and a control device (described later). In FIG. 2, 5 is a compressor, 6 is a condenser, 7 is an accumulator, and 8 is an outdoor blower, and these devices are housed in the outdoor unit 3. The compressor 5 is provided with an unloader mechanism and is a variable capacity compressor. Specifically, 100% full operation and 50
% Capability operation can be performed. This 50% capacity control operation is “when the capacity of the outdoor unit is set to be equal to or less than a predetermined value”. These operations are performed on one floor 2 (Fig. 1
(See) air conditioning load.

Reference numeral 9 is an evaporator, 10 is an electric expansion valve (pressure reducer), 11 is an indoor blower, and these devices are housed in each indoor unit. 12 is a control device of this air conditioner, which is a signal from a central monitoring device (not shown) of the building,
A signal from an outside air temperature detector, a signal from a one-floor controller (not shown), etc. is input, and the capacity signal of the compressor 5 of the outdoor unit 3, the opening signal of the electric expansion valve 10, and the indoor blower 11 are input. Outputs a rotation speed control signal, etc.

FIG. 3 shows the layout of each indoor unit A, B, C, D on the above-mentioned one floor 2, where each area a, b, which has a vertical X of 11 m and a horizontal Y of 11 m.
The indoor units are arranged in c and d (121 m ² ) and the layout is such that the one floor 2 is substantially uniformly air-conditioned. Next, the operation of this air conditioner will be described. 4 and 5, when the operation is started, is the operation date first Saturday or Sunday of midsummer (mid July to mid August)? Is the outside temperature above 25 ℃? Is determined in step S ₁ . If both conditions are satisfied, it is determined that the air-conditioning (cooling) load on the one floor 2 in this department store is large, and the capacity of the outdoor unit 3 (compressor 5) is 100% as shown in step S _2. Drive In this case, in any of the indoor units A, B, C, D, the electric expansion valve 10 is set to a predetermined valve opening α,
In addition, the rotation speed of any indoor blower is set to β rpm. That is, the same control is applied to any of the indoor units A, B, C, D to air-condition the one floor 2 substantially uniformly.

On the other hand, when both of the above are not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S ₃ and 50% of the outdoor unit 3
Operation (unloading operation of the compressor 5) is performed. It should be noted that this time corresponds to “when the capacity of the capacity-variable outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less”. 50% of this outdoor unit 3
The operation control of the indoor units A, B, C, D during operation is characterized by the present invention.

That is, the operation of the specific indoor units C and D is stopped by the signal from the controller 12. Specifically, the operation of the indoor blower 11 of the indoor units C and D is stopped, and the electric expansion valve 10 of the indoor units C and D is stopped.
Fully close the valve opening of. On the other hand, the remaining indoor units A and B operate. Specifically, the electric expansion valve 10
Is set to a predetermined valve opening α, and the rotation speed of the indoor blower 11 is set to β rpm. Here, the valve opening α and the rotation speed βrpm are the same as the valve opening and the rotation speed of each indoor unit A, B, C, D when the capacity of the outdoor unit 3 is operated at 100%. With this setting, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 flows into the indoor units A and B,
It will not flow into the indoor units C and D. here,
The valve opening degree and the rotation speed of the indoor blower 11 in the indoor units A and B during operation (inflow of the refrigerant) are set to be the same as those during 100% operation of the outdoor unit 3 as described above. Therefore, the operation of the outdoor unit 3 becomes 50% of the capacity, and the outdoor unit 3 is compared with the operation of 100% capacity.
Although the amount of refrigerant discharged from (compressor 5) is halved,
The amount of refrigerant flowing into each indoor unit A, B at the time of 50% capacity and the amount of air blown are the amount of each indoor unit A, B at the time of 100% capacity.
It is the same as that of B, C and D. Therefore, the temperature of the cool air discharged from each of the indoor units A and B in operation is substantially the same regardless of whether the outdoor unit has 50% or 100% operating capacity, and the dehumidifying capacity at 50% is 100%
The dehumidifying capacity should be almost uniform. For this reason, by reducing the capacity by 50%, energy consumption is reduced to promote "energy conservation" and at the same time, it is suppressed that it becomes sweltering. In this way, the indoor units A and B are operated and the indoor units C and D are stopped for 1 hour (10 am: from opening time to 11:00 am), and then 1
During the time (from 11:00 am to noon), the indoor units C and D are operated and the indoor units A and B are switched to stop. That is, in each of the indoor units A, B, C, D, the air conditioning (dehumidification) in the one floor 2 is made uniform by repeating the operation and the stop every hour. still,
It goes without saying that the repeating time of the operation and stop of the indoor unit is not limited to 1 hour, may be 10 minutes, and may be arbitrarily changed.

As described above, on a Saturday or Sunday of midsummer when the number of customers in the department store is the largest and the air-conditioning (cooling) load is maximum, and when the outside air temperature is 25 ° C. or higher, the outdoor unit 3 is fully operated (100%). However, other than that, the outdoor unit 3 is operated as a capacity control operation with 50% capacity to achieve an "energy saving" effect. While suppressing the rise in humidity while achieving such an "energy saving" effect, it is less likely to give an unpleasant feeling to attracting customers.

FIGS. 6 to 8 show the second to fourth inventions, and the indoor units A, B, C and D described above are shown.
The following shows the control pattern for running and stopping. 6 is different from FIG. 5 in that the operation of the indoor units A, B, C, D
It is a rotation of the stop pattern. That is, the indoor units A and B are operated from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, the indoor units B and C are operated from 11:00 am to noon, and the indoor units C and D are operated from noon to 1:00 pm Let In this way, the indoor units that are operated and the indoor units that are stopped are not changed at once, but are changed from the sequential operation to the stop. Therefore, fluctuations in air conditioning (humidity) during the change can be reduced.

FIG. 7 shows a control pattern for operating / stopping the indoor unit, assuming that the areas a and c are facing south and the areas d and b are facing north. That is, the indoor units A and C provided in the area facing south
Comrades, indoor units B and D in the north facing area
It is a group of people who control each other and start and stop.
As a result, the operation corresponding to the load can be performed mainly in the areas a and c facing south and having a large air-conditioning load.

Further, in FIG. 8, compared with the case of FIG. 7, the air conditioning loads in the south facing areas a, c are north facing areas b, d.
Assuming that the air conditioning load is extremely large compared to the air conditioning load of the above, the operating time of the indoor units A and C in the south facing area is 2 hours (first pattern), and the operating time of the indoor units B and D in the north facing area is The operating time is set to 1 hour (second pattern).

In FIG. 2, a capillary tube and a solenoid valve (open / close valve) are used instead of the electric expansion valve 10,
When operating the indoor unit, open the solenoid valve,
When stopping, this solenoid valve may be "closed".
In addition, in FIG. 2, one outdoor unit 3 is connected to another outdoor unit 30 as indicated by a chain double-dashed line, and the operation control of these outdoor units 3 and 30 is performed according to the air-conditioning load. It may be a variable type.

Further, in FIG. 4, when the outside air temperature is 25 ° C. or lower, all four indoor units A, B, C and D may be operated. This is because when the outside air temperature is 25 ° C or less, the indoor humidity does not seem to be so high, so that the heat exchange capacity of the indoor heat exchanger 11 is maximized to "energy saving" of the air conditioner. This is because it is intended.

The above-mentioned operation is described as the cooling operation. However, for example, even in the heating operation, when the heating load is small and the capacity of the outdoor unit is controlled, a specific indoor unit is operated as usual and the remaining indoor units are operated. The operation may be stopped. As a result, even when the capacity of the outdoor unit is controlled, the temperature of the blown air of the indoor unit during operation can be made higher than the temperature of the blown air when all the indoor units are operated, so the feeling of cold air is softened. be able to.

[0027]

As described above, according to the first invention, when the capacity of the capacity-variable outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less and / or at least one of the plurality of outdoor units is used. Even when the operation of the outdoor unit is stopped, the specified indoor unit is operated normally and the operation of the remaining indoor units is stopped, so it is possible to achieve energy-saving air conditioning while suppressing the increase in humidity in a wide space. Can be done.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the rotation of the indoor unit to be operated is performed when the capacity of the outdoor unit is controlled. Therefore, fluctuations in air conditioning (humidity) during operation / stop of the indoor unit can be suppressed. You can According to the third and fourth aspects, even when the capacity of the outdoor unit is controlled, it is possible to predominantly air-condition an area having a large air-conditioning load within the same space.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a layout of an air conditioner of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of the air conditioner shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the layout of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing control of the air conditioner shown in FIG.

5 is an explanatory diagram showing the control content of step S ₃ shown in FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the control contents of the air conditioner of the second invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the control contents of the air conditioner of the third invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the control contents of the air conditioner of the fourth invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 One floor (same space) 3 Outdoor unit 11 Indoor blower 12 Controller A, B, C, D Indoor unit

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to a variable capacity outdoor unit and / or a plurality of outdoor units, and these indoor units are arranged in the same space. When the capacity of the outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less and / or when the operation of at least one outdoor unit among the plurality of outdoor units is stopped, the indoor units arranged in the same space are An air conditioner characterized by stopping the operation of a specific indoor unit among them and operating the remaining indoor units. 2. An air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to a variable capacity outdoor unit and / or a plurality of outdoor units, and these indoor units are arranged in the same space. When the capacity of the outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less and / or when the operation of at least one outdoor unit among the plurality of outdoor units is stopped, the indoor units arranged in the same space are An air conditioner in which indoor units whose operation is stopped for a predetermined time are sequentially set. 3. An air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to a variable capacity outdoor unit and / or a plurality of outdoor units, and these indoor units are arranged in the same space. If the capacity of the outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less and / or the operation of at least one outdoor unit among the plurality of outdoor units is stopped, An air conditioner characterized by stopping the operation of an indoor unit in an area with a small air conditioning load and operating an indoor unit in an area with a large air conditioning load. 4. An air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to a variable capacity outdoor unit and / or a plurality of outdoor units, and these indoor units are arranged in the same space, With the arranged operation control, the first pattern for stopping the operation of the indoor unit in the area with a small air conditioning load and operating the indoor unit in the area with a large air conditioning load, and stopping the operation of the indoor unit in the area with a large air conditioning load A second pattern for operating an indoor unit in an area having a small air conditioning load, and when the capacity of the capacity-variable outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less and / or at least one of a plurality of outdoor units When the operation of one outdoor unit is stopped, the time of the first pattern is the second
An air conditioner characterized by being set longer than the time of the pattern. 5. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the capacity of the capacity-variable outdoor unit is set to a predetermined value or less, and / or at least one of the plurality of outdoor units. When the operation of the outdoor unit is stopped, the rotation speed of the blower of the indoor unit that is operated is when the capacity of the capacity-variable outdoor unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined value and / or when a plurality of outdoor units operate. The air conditioner is set to be substantially the same as the rotation speed of the blower of the indoor unit that is operated in the case of being operated.