JPH1019341A - Air conditioner remote monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote monitoring system for an air conditioner which can reduce installation cost and maintenance cost of a remote monitoring system for an air conditioner and can prevent occurrence of abnormality of the air conditioner in advance. I do. SOLUTION: A signal for notifying an operating state of a device in an air conditioner system 2 or occurrence of an abnormality is transmitted to a notifying means 10 of another building equipment system via a building equipment integrated network 1, and a communication line is transmitted from the notifying means 10. This signal is reported to the remote monitoring means 13 via the remote control means 12 so that the remote monitoring means 13, the reporting means 10 and the communication line 12 are connected to the elevator system 7 which is a device for remote monitoring of building equipment other than the air conditioner. And so on. [Effect] Measures can be taken in advance before the device causes an abnormality.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote monitoring system, and more particularly to a remote monitoring system using a reporting unit and a communication line for reporting an operating state or occurrence of an abnormality of building equipment other than an air conditioner to a remote monitoring unit at a remote place. The present invention also relates to a remote monitoring system for notifying an operating condition and occurrence of an abnormality of an air conditioner to a remote monitoring means, and a remote monitoring system for an air conditioner for predicting the occurrence of an abnormality of the air conditioner and diagnosing the cause of the occurrence.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when remotely monitoring an air conditioner system, a remote monitoring means dedicated to the air conditioner system,
Notifying means and communication lines were required, and installation and maintenance costs were high. When an abnormality has occurred in the air conditioner system, a service person has been on site to diagnose and repair the cause of the abnormality.

[0003] In an air conditioner system comprising an outdoor unit, an indoor unit, a remote monitoring and operating device, a transmission data monitoring device, and a communication means between the two monitoring devices, the transmission data monitoring device includes a transmission data between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. And a method for remotely monitoring an air conditioner by transmitting transmission data to a remote monitoring and operation device by means of communication means is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. Hei.
No. 216712.

[0004]

The above-described conventional remote monitoring of the air conditioner requires remote monitoring means, a notifying means, a communication line, and the like dedicated to the air conditioner, so that installation and maintenance costs are large. In the past, when an air conditioner abnormality occurred, the cause of the abnormality could not be known unless a service person went to the site and investigated the air conditioner. It took time and it took a long time to restore the air conditioning system.

[0005] Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to reduce installation and maintenance costs of a remote monitoring system for an air conditioner.

A second object of the present invention is to prevent the occurrence of an abnormality by performing a countermeasure in advance of the occurrence of an abnormality by performing a prediction of the occurrence of an abnormality of the air conditioner by a remote monitoring system. It is to be.

[0007]

The remote monitoring system for an air conditioner according to the present invention includes an air conditioner system including devices such as an outdoor unit, an indoor unit, and a centralized control device, and an operation state of a building equipment and occurrence of an abnormality. Building equipment system other than an air conditioner system having a notifying means for notifying a remote monitoring means at a remote place, and a building equipment integrated network or protocol conversion for transmitting and receiving data between the air conditioner system and the building equipment system Means for inter-system connection such as means, remote monitoring means installed in a remote place, and a communication line connecting the reporting means and the remote monitoring means, and a signal for notifying the operating state of a device in the air conditioner system or occurrence of an abnormality. Is transmitted to the notifying means via the inter-system connection means, and the signal is transmitted from the notifying means to the remote monitoring means at a remote place via the communication line. To report. As a result, the operating condition of the air conditioner and the occurrence of abnormality can be reported using the equipment of the building equipment system other than the air conditioner system, and the installation cost and maintenance cost of the remote monitoring system of the air conditioner can be reduced. be able to.

The air conditioner remote monitoring system according to the present invention predicts the occurrence of an abnormality and diagnoses the cause of the abnormality based on the received data of the air conditioner by using a predetermined abnormality prediction algorithm. By doing so, it is possible to take countermeasures in advance before the device causes an error, and it is possible to prevent the device from causing an error.

Further, in the air conditioner remote monitoring system of the present invention, the air conditioner system and the building equipment are replaced by connecting the air conditioner system and the building equipment system by a building equipment integrated network. The devices of the system can transmit using the same transmission protocol.

In the remote monitoring system for an air conditioner of the present invention, the air conditioner system and the building equipment are replaced by connecting the air conditioner system and the building equipment system by a building equipment integrated network. The connection with the system can be established via transmission protocol conversion means.

In the remote monitoring system for an air conditioner according to the present invention, it is preferable that an elevator system is used as the building facility system.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As an embodiment, a method of reporting data in a remote monitoring system of an air conditioner when an elevator system is used as a building facility system other than the air conditioner system will be described.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall structure of an air conditioner remote monitoring system using the building equipment integrated network of the present invention. In the figure, the outdoor unit 3 and the indoor unit 4 of the air conditioner are connected by control wiring, and mutually transmit and receive sensor data and command data such as a heating operation request, a cooling operation request, and a stop request via the control wiring. doing.
The central control device 5 of the air conditioner is connected to the above-described control wiring, and performs data transmission and reception with each of the outdoor units 3 and the indoor units 4. The protocol conversion means 6 is a protocol conversion means for performing a protocol conversion between a transmission protocol of the data on the control wiring and a transmission protocol on the building equipment integrated network 1 described later. An air conditioner system 2 is formed from the outdoor unit 3, the indoor unit 4, the central control unit 5, and the protocol conversion unit 6. Data transmission in the air conditioner system 2 is performed by a transmission protocol dedicated to the air conditioner system.

The elevator monitoring means 8 is connected to the elevator 9 via a control wiring different from the control wiring of the air conditioner system. Monitors for any abnormalities. The notifying means 10 is connected to the elevator monitoring means 8 by control wiring, transmits data sent from the elevator monitoring device to the remote monitoring means 13 via the communication line 12, and is sent from the communication line 12. And a function of transmitting the transmitted data to the elevator monitoring means 8.

Further, an elevator system 7 is formed by the protocol conversion means 11, the elevator monitoring means 8, the elevator 9, and the notification means 10. Elevator system 7
The transmission of the data within is performed by a transmission protocol dedicated to the elevator system. Protocol conversion means 11
Has a function of performing protocol conversion between a transmission protocol in an elevator system and a transmission protocol on a building equipment integrated network.

The building equipment integrated network 1 transmits data transmitted from the protocol conversion means 6 of the air conditioner system 2 to the protocol conversion means 11 of the elevator system, and transmits the data transmitted from the protocol conversion means 11 of the elevator system 7. Data from the air conditioner system 2
Has a function of transmitting the data to the protocol conversion means 6.

Next, the operation of the air conditioner remote monitoring system of FIG. 1 will be described. For example, consider a case where a certain indoor unit in the air conditioner system 2 changes from a stopped state to a cooling operation state. In this case, the indoor unit transmits a cooling operation request to the outdoor unit 3 and requests the outdoor unit 3 to operate the compressor.

The indoor unit 4 transmits to the central control unit 5 and the protocol conversion means 6 data for notifying that the operation mode of the indoor unit 4 has changed from the stop mode to the cooling operation mode. Upon receiving this data, the protocol conversion means 6
The protocol of the received data is converted into a transmission protocol on the building equipment integrated network 1 and transmitted to the protocol conversion means 11 of the elevator system 7 via the building equipment integrated network 1.

The protocol converting means 11 on the elevator system 7 which has received the data converts the protocol of the received data into a transmission protocol used in the elevator system 7 and transmits it to the elevator monitoring means 8. Upon receiving this data, the elevator monitoring means 8 instructs the notifying means 10 to notify the remote monitoring means 13 that the indoor unit has changed from the stopped state to the cooling operation state.

The notifying means 10 receiving this command notifies the remote monitoring means 13 via the communication line 12 that the indoor unit has changed to the cooling operation state. Thus, the remote monitoring means 13 can detect that the indoor unit has changed from the stopped state to the cooling operation state, so that the operator in front of the remote monitoring means 13 can use the indoor unit of the air conditioner located far away. 4 can be found to have changed from the stopped state to the cooling operation state. When an abnormality occurs in a device in the air conditioner system 2, the device that has detected the abnormality transmits alarm data to the protocol conversion unit 6, thereby similarly reporting the occurrence of the abnormality to the remote monitoring system. .

Although the system in which the air conditioner system 2 and the elevator system 7 are connected via the building equipment integrated network has been described above, as shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioner system 2 and the elevator system 7 have the same transmission. By performing transmission using the protocol, the two systems are directly connected without going through the building equipment integrated network 1, and the operating state of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit of the air conditioner and the occurrence of abnormality are notified by the elevator system. It is also possible to realize a remote monitoring system for transmitting to the remote monitoring means 13 by using the remote monitoring device 10.

Hereinafter, the air conditioner remote monitoring system of FIG. 2 will be described. As in the case of FIG. 1, it is assumed that a certain indoor unit 4 changes from a stopped state to a cooling operation state. In this case, the indoor unit 4 transmits a cooling operation request to the outdoor unit 3 and, at the same time, transmits data to the elevator monitoring means 8 to inform that the operation mode of the indoor unit 4 has changed from the stop mode to the cooling operation mode. Thereafter, as in the case of the system of FIG. 1, the remote monitoring unit 13 is notified that the indoor unit 4 has changed to the cooling operation state.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioner system 2 and the elevator system 7 which perform transmission using different transmission protocols are connected by a protocol conversion means 14, and the data of the air conditioner system 2 is transmitted by the protocol conversion means 14. The data of the air conditioner system 2 is transmitted to the elevator monitoring means 8 by converting the data into the transmission protocol on the elevator system 7, and thereafter the remote monitoring means 13 is notified in the same manner as in FIGS. An air conditioner remote monitoring system is also feasible.

Next, an embodiment of predicting the occurrence of an abnormality and diagnosing the cause of the abnormality will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the indoor unit 4 includes an intake air temperature sensor 15, an indoor heat exchanger 16, an indoor heat exchange gas pipe temperature sensor 17, an expansion valve 18, and an indoor unit control means 19.
And a notification unit 10, and is connected to a remote monitoring unit 13 via a communication line 12. Also, the remote monitoring means 13
Is storage means 20 for storing operation data of the air conditioner.
have. Here, the indoor unit control means 19 reads the suction air temperature Ti from the suction air temperature sensor 15 and the gas pipe temperature Tg from the indoor heat exchange gas pipe temperature sensor 17 at fixed time intervals, and transmits the notification means 10 and the communication line 12. To the remote monitoring means 13 via Then, the remote monitoring unit 13 stores the received data in the storage unit 20, and stores the data for the past hour.
The data of Ti and Tg is stored in the storage means 20. And
Calculate Ti-Tg. If this value is kept at 5 ° C or less for 30 minutes or more, the slip of the motor that operates the expansion valve 18 has increased, and it is judged that the motor will soon break down. An alarm is output to inform the operator of the means.

The operator recognizing the alarm notifies the serviceman of the occurrence of the alarm, and instructs the serviceman to replace the motor of the expansion valve 18. As a result, instead of investigating the cause after the occurrence of an abnormality and taking countermeasures as in the past, it is possible to predict the occurrence of the abnormality and diagnose the details of the abnormality before the air conditioner breaks down. Countermeasures can be taken. Further, it is possible to shorten the time required for identifying the abnormality occurrence part, investigating the cause of the occurrence, and restoring the air conditioning system.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, the remote monitoring means, the reporting means for reporting the operating condition of the air conditioner and the occurrence of abnormality to the remote monitoring means, and the communication line other than the air conditioner are used. Because it is shared with the equipment for remote monitoring of building equipment, it is possible to reduce the cost of owning and maintaining remote monitoring means, reporting means, and communication lines dedicated to air conditioner monitoring. A monitoring system can be provided.

In addition, since the occurrence of an abnormality in the air conditioner is predicted by the remote monitoring system, the occurrence of the abnormality in the air conditioner can be predicted in a remote place. You can take measures in advance,
It is possible to provide a remote monitoring system for an air conditioner that can prevent an abnormality from occurring, and can also identify a location where an abnormality has occurred, determine the cause of the occurrence, and reduce the time required for restoring the air conditioning system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall structure of a remote monitoring system for an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an overall structure of a remote monitoring system for an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an overall structure of a remote monitoring system for an air conditioner according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating a remote monitoring system for an air conditioner according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Building equipment integrated network 2 Air conditioner system 3 Outdoor unit 4 Indoor unit 5 Centralized control equipment 6 Protocol conversion means for connection between air conditioner system and building equipment integrated network 7 Elevator system 8 Elevator monitoring means 9 Elevator 10 Reporting means 11 Elevator Protocol conversion means for connection between system and building equipment integrated network 12 Communication line 13 Remote monitoring means 14 Transmission protocol conversion means between air conditioner system and elevator system 15 Suction air temperature sensor 16 Indoor heat exchanger 17 Indoor heat exchange gas pipe temperature sensor 18 expansion valve 19 indoor unit control means 20 storage means

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner system including at least an outdoor unit, an indoor unit, and a centralized control device, a building facility system other than an air conditioner system having a means for reporting to a remote monitoring means, and an air conditioner system. In a remote monitoring system comprising remote monitoring means installed in a remote place and a communication line connecting the remote monitoring means and the reporting means, a building for transmitting and receiving data between the air conditioner system and the building equipment system It has an equipment integrated network, and transmits a signal for notifying the operation state and occurrence of an abnormality of the air conditioner from the air conditioner system to the reporting means in a building equipment system other than the air conditioner system via the building equipment integrated network. And reporting the operating state of the air conditioner and occurrence of an abnormality from the reporting means to the remote monitoring means via the communication circuit. A remote monitoring system for an air conditioner, characterized in that: 2. The air conditioner remote monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said air conditioner system and said building equipment system are connected to each other by a building equipment integrated network, A remote monitoring system for an air conditioner, wherein equipment of a building equipment system performs transmission using the same transmission protocol. 3. The air conditioner remote monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said air conditioner system and said building equipment system are connected to each other by a building equipment integrated network, A remote monitoring system for an air conditioner, wherein the system is connected to a building facility system via a transmission protocol converting means. 4. The air conditioner remote monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the building equipment system includes:
An air conditioner remote monitoring system using an elevator system. 5. A storage unit for storing data received from an air conditioner system, wherein an abnormality occurrence of the air conditioner is predicted and a cause of the abnormality is diagnosed based on the data. Remote monitoring system for air conditioners.