Multiple type air conditioner system and address setting method thereof

• US 5,630,324 A
• Filed: 02/20/1996
• Issued: 05/20/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Shimizu Engineering Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Shimizu Engineering Company Limited
• Inventors: Watanabe, Masashi, Sato, Keiji, Kato, Takashi, Yoshida, Satoru, Mochizuki, Masamichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US08/603,344
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 62/175, 62/115, 62/510, 236/51, 165/12, 165/22, 165/205
• US Class Current: 62/175
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/52 Indication arrangements, e.g. displays
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/065 with a plurality of evaporators or condensers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0423 Input/output
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21049 Poll and detect connected I-O modules, address terminator, address line high
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21058 Find address by activating power and detect which address gives feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23048 Knob to select program serves also as indicator for progress of program
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25072 Initialise each module during start up
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25458 Opto isolation, optical separation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2638 Airconditioning

Abstract

In a multiple type air conditioner system which includes a plurality of outdoor units and a plurality of indoor units, the plurality of outdoor units are connected with the plurality of indoor units through a communication line, address setting is attained by generating a random address from each of all the indoor units under a command of one of the outdoor units and generating a dummy address from each outdoor unit on the basis of the random address, by obtaining a correlative relationship between the outdoor and indoor units on the basis of a variation of a physical quantity of the outdoor unit connected to the indoor unit actually operated based on the dummy address, and by updating the addresses of all the outdoor and indoor units on the basis of the correlative relationships between all the outdoor and indoor units obtained through the step.

Claims

1. An air conditioner system comprising a plurality of outdoor units each having a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger and a 4-way valve, and a plurality of indoor units having an expansion means and an indoor heat exchanger, said plurality of outdoor units are serially connected to said plurality of indoor units through a communication line, each of said outdoor units has an outdoor controller, each of said indoor units has an indoor controller, said outdoor controller includes communication means, outdoor control means for performing transmission and reception of a message to and from the other outdoor and indoor units through said communication means, indoor control means for performing transmission and reception of a message to and from the other outdoor units through said communication means, random value generation means for generating random address under a command of said indoor control means, and address control means for storing therein said random address.

2. An air conditioner system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said outdoor control means has an outdoor control part for performing transmission and reception of the message to and from the other outdoor units and an indoor control part for performing transmission and reception to and from the message to and from said indoor units.

3. An address setting method for an air conditioner system comprising a plurality of outdoor units each having outdoor control means and a compressor and a plurality of indoor units each having indoor control means and physical quantity detection means, said plurality of outdoor units being serially connected to said plurality of indoor units through a communication line, said method comprising the steps of:

generating, under a command of first one of said plurality of outdoor units, a random address from the indoor units;

receiving said generated random address at said first outdoor unit;

generating a dummy address from said first outdoor unit on the basis of said received random address and assigning said dummy address to the respective indoor units;

causing the control means of said first outdoor unit to operate the compressor of said first outdoor unit; and

thereafter

causing the control means of said plurality of indoor units to judge pipe connection with the first outdoor unit on the basis of a variation in a physical quantity caused by the compressor and detected by said physical quantity detection means provided in each of the indoor units and to update said dummy address.

4. An address setting method for an air conditioner system as set forth in claim 3, wherein said physical quantity is temperature of an indoor heat exchanger.

5. An address setting method for an air conditioner system comprising a plurality of outdoor units each having outdoor control means, a compressor and physical quantity detection means and a plurality of indoor units each having indoor control means and an expansion value, said plurality of outdoor units being serially connected to said plurality of indoor units through a communication line, said method comprising the steps of:

generating, under a command of first one of said plurality of outdoor units, a random address from the indoor units;

receiving said generated random address at said first outdoor unit;

generating a dummy address from said first outdoor unit on the basis of said received random address and assigning said dummy address to the respective outdoor and indoor units;

changing opening of the expansion valve of first one of said plurality of indoor units; and

causing the control means of said plurality of outdoor units to judge pipe connection with said first indoor unit on the basis of a variation of a physical quantity caused by a variation of the opening of the expansion valve of said first indoor unit and detected by said physical quantity detection means of said outdoor units and to update said dummy address.

6. A multiple type air conditioner comprising a plurality of outdoor units, a plurality of indoor units serially connected to said plurality of outdoor units through a communication line and a refrigerant-pipe, address memory means provided on each of said indoor units for storing therein its own address, and update means for updating a random address stored in said address memory means.

7. A multiple type air conditioner system as set forth in claim 6, wherein each of said indoor and outdoor units further includes judgment means for judging a refrigerant-pipe connection relationship between said outdoor and indoor units on the basis of an output of physical quantity measurement means provided in said indoor units, and said address update means updates the address stored in said memory means on the basis of an output of said judgment means.

8. An address control method for a multiple type air conditioner system comprising a plurality of outdoor units and a plurality of indoor units, said plurality of outdoor units being serially connected to said plurality of indoor units through a transmission line, said method comprising the steps of:

causing each of said indoor units to generate a random address on the basis of a signal generated by one of said outdoor units;

operating the outdoor unit having said signal generated therefrom and judging one of the indoor units connected through a refrigerant pipe to said outdoor unit on the basis of an output of physical quantity measurement means provided in each of the respective indoor units; and

updating said random address on the basis of a judgment result of said judging step.