Refrigeration – Automatic control – Refrigeration producer
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-15
2004-06-01
Wayner, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Automatic control
Refrigeration producer
C236S051000, C165S207000, C700S278000, C702S130000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06742349
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an equipment detection system for detecting, for example, the state of the temperature of equipment, for example, cooling storerooms, such as refrigerators for commercial use or domestic use, low-temperature showcases, prefabricated refrigerators, and vending machines, or air conditioners, and an equipment control device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For example, in conventional refrigerators for commercial use, a compressor, a condenser, a cooler and the like, which constitute a cooling device, are built in the refrigerators, or alternatively the compressor and the condenser are separately provided. In these conventional refrigerators, a coolant discharged from the compressor is condensed in the condenser, is depressurized in a pressure reducing device and is then supplied to the cooler to attain cooling effect, and air cooled in the cooler is circulated through an internal fan into the refrigerator to cool the inside of the refrigerator to a predetermined low temperature.
Frost grown in the cooler by the cooling operation is heat thawed by a defroster (a defrost heater), and, further, dew condensed and deposited by cooling action is removed by heating with an antidewing heater. On the other hand, a fan for the condenser is provided around the compressor and the condenser, and the condenser and the compressor are air cooled by the fan for the condenser.
In order to perform such various operation controls, the refrigerator is loaded with a controller comprising a microcomputer. Further, various sensors for detecting the temperature of the inside of the refrigerator, the cooler, and the condenser are mounted, and, in addition, switches for controlling the operation of mounted parts such as the compressor, the defroster, the antidewing heater, and the internal fan are also provided. The controller receives data sent from the sensors and controls the operation of mounted parts by the individual switches.
In this refrigerator, however, temperature sensors according to various applications, such as the control of the internal temperature or the protection of the compressor and the condenser, are mounted, and the number of the temperature sensors varies depending upon the type of the equipment. Further, for example, the number of fans and the number of antidewing heaters for preventing dew formation vary depending upon the type of the equipment. Therefore, wiring of electric systems including switches for controlling them and the construction of control devices for controlling the electrical systems vary depending upon the type of the equipment. This has resulted in significantly lowered productivity particularly, for example, in equipment for commercial use which is produced in various types on a small lot production manner, and a reduction in this drawback has been desired.
In the above equipment, various mounted parts are deteriorated by operation and motion for a long period of time and, as a result, a malfunction of the equipment occurs. For this reason, maintenance/inspection is carried out either at the time of the occurrence of the malfunction or periodically (in the case of equipment for commercial use), and, at that time, the failed portion is repaired. In this case, at the time of inspection, the contents of maintenance in the past can be learned, subsequent measures can be easily taken.
Specifically, for example, when specific parts have been frequently replaced, it is learned that some measure or modification is necessary for the parts per se. A conventional method similar to this is that a check label or the like is put on the equipment and inspection date and the like are written on the label or the like. In this method, however, the contents of maintenance in the past are not written. Writing the contents of the maintenance on the label leads to a possibility that the user has an idle fear.
In recent years, also in this type of refrigerators for commercial use, a system has been searched and developed wherein a plurality of refrigerators are connected to each other or one another through a signal line and these refrigerators are controlled by a single controller in a centralized manner. In this centralized control, the controller performs data communication for giving an instruction to each control terminal, that is, parts mounted on each refrigerator. When the number of refrigerators or the number of parts mounted on the refrigerators is large, a long time is necessary until all the mounted parts complete communication with the controller.
The prolongation of the time of communication with the controller cannot disadvantageously cope with, for example, the necessity of an immediate change of setting or operation of a specific refrigerator and results in delayed change of setting or operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a first object of the invention to provide an equipment detection system which can realize reliable and rapid detection operation while enjoying a significant improvement in productivity and a significant reduction in cost through common use of parts and simplification of wiring.
It is a second object of the invention to provide an equipment control device which can significantly improve the productivity and significantly reduce the cost through common use of parts and simplification of wiring, can easily grasp the history of maintenance, which has been done in the past for the equipment, and can realize smooth control even in the case of control of a large number of sensors or switching devices by single main control means through transmission and receipt of data.
The first object of the invention can be attained by an equipment detection system comprising a main control device, sensors, and a signal line, the main control device and the sensors being connected to the signal line, characterized in that each of the sensors comprises: detection means; storage means having its own ID code; send/receive means for sending data to and receiving data from the main control device through the signal line; and terminal-side control means which, upon the receipt of an instruction from the main control device through the send/receive means for the start of detection operation, allows the detection means to perform detection operation, and, upon the receipt of an instruction from the main control device for reading, sends data detected by the detection means to the main control device through the send/receive means, and that the main control device gives an instruction for the start of operation of the detection to all the sensors from which data are to be collected, then provides a predetermined standby period, and, after the elapse of the standby period, gives an instruction for reading to the sensors while specifying the ID codes.
The first object of the invention can also be attained by an equipment detection system comprising a main control device, a plurality of sensors, and a signal line, the main control device and the sensors being connected to the signal line, characterized in that each of the sensors comprises: detection means; storage means having its own ID code; send/receive means for sending data to and receiving data from the main control device through the signal line; and terminal-side control means which, upon the receipt of an instruction from the main control device through the send/receive means for the start of detection operation, allows the detection means to perform detection operation, and, upon the receipt of an instruction from the main control device for reading, sends data detected by the detection means to the main control device through the send/receive means, and that the main control device gives an instruction for the start of operation of the detection to the plurality of sensors connected to the signal line, then provides a predetermined standby period, and, after the elapse of the standby period, gives an instruction for reading to the individual sensors while specifying the ID codes.
The second object of the invention can be attained by a control dev
Imamura Kazuya
Ishii Yutaka
Ishikura Tsutomu
Kawai Sigekazu
Maekawa Katsumi
McGinn & Gibb PLLC
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
Wayner William
LandOfFree
Equipment sensing system and equipment control device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Equipment sensing system and equipment control device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Equipment sensing system and equipment control device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3366190