Refrigeration – Automatic control – Refrigeration producer
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-26
2003-01-21
Tanner, Harry B. (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Automatic control
Refrigeration producer
C062S229000, C062S298000, C236S07800D
Reexamination Certificate
active
06508072
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a separate-type air conditioner whose outdoor machine includes a signal line connected portion for receiving ON/OFF signals of its compressor, and more particularly, to a outdoor machine drive control unit in the air conditioner for power-controlling and driving its compressor in response to ON/OFF signals from its indoor machine.
BACKGROUND ART
Separate-type air conditioners made up of an outdoor machine and an indoor machine involve ones of a so-called general heat-pump system in which a compressor constant in rotational speed is controlled in ON/OFF motion in response to the air-conditioning load, and ones of a so-called inverter system in which the compressor is controlled in power in response to the air-conditioning load. Among them, the inverter system has advantages in saving energy, enabling stepless, highly responsive speed control, enabling adjustment of the speed of a general-purpose motor without the need for any auxiliary device, requiring only a small start current for the motor, and so forth.
Then, there was an attempt to remodel a general heat-pump-type air conditioner to an inverter-type air conditioner.
However, due to a large difference in control method between them, remodeling was not easy. Structure of a general heat-pump-type air conditioner the invention is directed to will be explained below in detail, clarifying differences from an inverter-type air conditioner.
FIG. 17
is a diagram of a control circuit of a general heat-pump-type air conditioner. In the air conditioner, an outdoor machine
1
and an indoor machine
2
are connected by a plurality of crossover lines
3
. The indoor machine
1
includes a power source connector terminal
11
and an indoor-side connector terminal
13
. The power source connector terminal
11
includes power source line connectors L, N and a grounding line connector E. The indoor-side connector terminal
13
includes a power source line connector N, first signal line connector for transmitting ON/OF signals for the compressor, second signal line connector for transmitting ON/OFF signals for an outdoor fan, third signal line connector for transmitting ON/OFF signals to switch a four-way valve to the cooling side or the heating side, and grounding line connector E.
The power source line connector N of the power source connector terminal
11
is directly connected to the power source line connector N of the indoor-side connector terminal
13
. The power source line connector L of the power source connector terminal
11
is connected to the first, second and third signal line connectors of the indoor-side connector terminal
13
via a relay contact
18
a
for the compressor, relay contact
18
B for the outdoor fan and relay contact
18
C for the four-way valve, which constitute an indoor controller
12
. The indoor controller
12
includes a microcomputer unit (hereinafter abbreviated MCU)
14
, and it is configured to control an indoor fan
15
and to control ON/OFF states of the relay contacts
18
A,
18
B and
18
C in accordance with the room temperature detected by a temperature sensor
16
, temperature of an indoor heat exchanger detected by a temperature sensor
17
, and so on.
On the other hand, the outdoor machine
2
includes a compressor
22
connected to the outdoor-side connector terminal
21
, outdoor fan
23
and four-way valve
25
. The outdoor-side connector terminal
21
includes a power source line connector N, first signal line connector for receiving ON/OFF signals for the compressor, second signal line connector for receiving ON/OFF signal for the outdoor fan, third signal line connector for receiving ON/OFF signals to switch the four-way valve to the cooling side or the heating side, and grounding line connector E, which are connected to corresponding connectors in the indoor-side connector terminal
13
by a plurality of lines.
In the outdoor machine
2
, one end of the compressor
22
is connected to the first signal line connector, and the other end there of is connected to the power source line connector N. Further, a phase-advance coil terminal is connected to the power source line connector N via a phase-advance capacitor. One end of the outdoor fan
23
is connected to the second signal line connector, and the other end there of is connected to the power source line connector N. Further, a phase-advance coil terminal is connected to the power source line connector N via a phase-advance capacitor
24
. One end of the four-way valve
25
is connected to the third signal line connector, and the other end thereof is connected to the power source line connector N.
In the above-explained structure, MCU
14
forming the indoor controller
12
controls the indoor fan
15
to drive or stop it in accordance with a drive mode instructed from outside, temperatures detected by the temperature sensors
16
,
17
, and so on, and controls ON/OFF conditions of the relay contacts
18
A,
18
B and
18
C. Its ON/OFF signals are transmitted to the outdoor machine
2
via the crossover lines
3
. Thereby, driving or stopping the compressor
22
, driving or stopping the outdoor fan
23
and energizing or deenergizing the four-way valve
25
are controlled to effect known heating operation, cooling operation or defrosting operation.
In contrast, an inverter-type air conditioner, the present invention is not directed to, is roughly explained below, omitting illustration thereof in a drawing.
An instruction from a remoter controller and a signal from a temperature sensor are arithmetically processed by MCU forming a indoor controller, and driving materials except for the ventilation amount of the indoor fan are transmitted in form of a serial signal to the outdoor machine via crossover lines. A source voltage supplied to the outdoor machine is converted into a direct current by a converter generically named an inverter device, and becomes a pseudo three-phase alternating current in the inverter portion. The serial signal supplied from the indoor controller as the drive instruction signal is decoded in content by MCU forming the outdoor controller, and mixed and operated with information from sensors of the outdoor machine. Then, a decided actual drive frequency signal is supplied as a drive signal to the inverter portion. the inverter portion switches a transistor module with the drive signal, and outputs it as a pseudo three-phase alternating current to the compressor.
As explained above, the general heat-pump-type air conditioner and the inverter-type air conditioner are different in indoor machine from the viewpoint of structure and way of signal processing, also in outdoor machine, and also in transmitted signal. Therefore, it has been considered difficult as a system to remodel a general heat-pump-type air conditioner to have functions of an inverter-type air conditioner.
The invention has been made taking these circumstances into consideration, and its object lies in providing a outdoor machine drive control unit in an air conditioner, which makes it possible to construct an inverter-type air conditioner by using a general heat-pump-type indoor machine unchanged and merely mounting it in the outdoor machine.
Disclosure of Invention
An outdoor machine drive control unit for an air conditioner according to the invention is characterized in an outdoor machine drive control unit for an air conditioner of a separate type having a signal line connector provided in an outdoor machine to receive an ON/OFF signal for a compressor exclusively, comprising: an inverter device for supplying the compressor with power variable in frequency; and a control device for controlling the inverter device to gradually increase the number of revolutions of the compressor when the ON/OFF signal for the compressor received through the signal line connector changes from the OFF condition to the ON condition.
Further, an outdoor machine drive control unit for an air conditioner according to the invention is characterized in an outdoor machine drive control unit for an air conditioner of a separate typ
Isegawa Hiroyuki
Kambe Takayuki
Kanazawa Hidetoshi
Kobayashi Takashi
Miyazaki Hiroshi
Tanner Harry B.
Toshiba Carrier Corporation
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