ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONING UNIT TESTING

• US 20150094986A1
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Daddis, Eugene Duane Jr., Cote, Michael R., Jones, Christopher A., Wells, Allen L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,001,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/183
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/005 Testing of complete machines, e.g. washing-machines or mobile phones testing of machine parts G01M13/00; testing of electric apparatus or components G01R31/50
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/008 by doing functionality tests

Abstract

An air conditioning unit test system includes an a multi-sub-system air conditioning assembly including a plurality of sub-systems for conditioning an indoor environment. The a multi-sub-system air conditioning assembly includes a control board having control circuitry for controlling the plurality of sub-systems. The air conditioning unit test system includes a remote test communications device connected to the control board via a data communications link. The control board is configured to perform a configuration of tests for testing sub-systems of the multi-sub-system air conditioning assembly based on receiving a test request from the remote test communications device, to test the sub-systems based on the configuration of the tests, and to transmit results of the tests to the remote test communications device.

Claims

1. An environmental conditioning unit test system, comprising:

a multi-sub-system air-conditioning assembly including a plurality of sub-systems for conditioning an indoor environment, the multi-sub-system air-conditioning assembly including a control board having control circuitry for controlling the plurality of sub-systems; and

a remote test communications device connected to the control board via a data communications link,

wherein the control board is configured to perform a configuration of tests for testing sub-systems of the multi-sub-system air-conditioning assembly based on receiving a test request from the remote test communications device, to test the sub-systems based on the configuration of the tests, and to transmit results of the tests to the remote test communications device.

2. The environmental conditioning unit test system of claim 1, wherein the remote test communication device is a hand-held device connected to the multi-sub-system air-conditioning assembly.

3. The environmental conditioning unit test system of claim 1, wherein the remote test communications device is a personal computer connected to the multi-sub-system air-conditioning assembly via a data communications network.

4. The environmental conditioning unit test system of claim 1, wherein the control board includes memory and a processing circuit, the memory storing configuration data including a description of the sub-systems present in the multi-sub-system air-conditioning assembly, and

the control board performs the configuration of the tests by referencing the configuration data.

5. The environmental conditioning unit test system of claim 1, wherein the control board is configured to test the sub-systems periodically without receiving user input to perform the tests between each periodic test.

6. A control board of a multi-sub-system environmental conditioning unit, comprising:

memory having stored therein configuration information of sub-systems of the multi-sub-system environmental conditioning unit;

an input/output (I/O) module configured to receive a test initiation request and transmit test result information; and

a processor configured to receive the test initiation request, access the configuration information, initiate testing of the sub-systems of the multi-sub-system environmental conditioning unit based on the configuration information, obtain the testing results from sensors monitoring the sub-systems, and transmit the test result information to the I/O module to output to an externally-connected device.

7. The control board of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to receive a test initiation request to test a class of sub-systems and to perform pre-determined tests on each of the sub-systems of the class of sub-systems based on receiving the test initiation request.

8. The control board of claim 6, wherein the test initiation request is a request to perform periodic testing of the sub-systems without receiving user input to perform the periodic testing between the periodic tests.

9. The control board of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the test result information to the I/O module automatically without receiving user input to transmit the test result information to the I/O module.

10. The control board of claim 6, wherein the test initiation request includes a request to test a class of sub-systems, and the configuration information includes information regarding a number, type and configuration of the sub-systems of the multi-sub-system environmental conditioning unit that are in the class requested by the test initiation request.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a request to test a class of sub-systems of a multi-sub-system environmental conditioning unit.

accessing configuration information of the multi-sub-system environmental conditioning unit stored in a control board of the multi-sub-system environmental conditioning unit;

generating tests to perform on the sub-systems within the requested class of sub-systems based on the configuration information;

conducting the tests on the sub-systems; and

generating test results data based on conducting the tests.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein only one set of test results data is generated based on conducting the tests on the sub-systems for each request to test the class of sub-systems.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the tests are conducted periodically and the tests results data are generated periodically based on receiving only one request to test the class of sub-systems.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the request is received based on having a wire connected to a data transmission slot of the control board of the multi-sub-system environmental conditioning unit.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the request is received via a wireless data communications receiver on the multi-sub-system environmental conditioning unit control board.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein generating the test results data includes providing an identifier for each sub-system and an indication of whether the sub-system is faulty.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the class of sub-systems includes at least one of compressors, filters, de-humidifiers, economizers, and fans, and

the configuration information includes a number and type of each of the at least one compressors, filters, de-humidifiers, economizers and fans.