FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10, Rule 13]
STATE ANALYZER SYSTEM AND STATE ANALYSIS DEVICE
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION, A CORPORATION ORGANISED AND
EXISTING UNDER THE LAWS OF JAPAN, WHOSE ADDRESS IS 7-3,
MARUNOUCHI 2-CHOME, CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO 100-8310, JAPAN
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE INVENTION
AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED.
2
DESCRIPTION
5 Technical Field
[0001]
The present invention relates to a state analyzer system and a state analysis
device that analyze a state of an air-conditioning apparatus.
Background Art
10 [0002]
An air-conditioning apparatus configured to control an air environment in a
space such as a room has become widespread, and is indispensable for maintaining
the comfort of the space. Therefore, a malfunction of the air-conditioning apparatus
directly leads to a user's unpleasant feeling. In addition, a malfunction of an air15
conditioning apparatus disposed in a server room, a freezing storage room, and the
like may lead to a fatal loss in business. For this reason, in recent years, attention
has been focused on a technique for analyzing a state of the air-conditioning
apparatus and knowing a malfunction and a symptom of the malfunction of the airconditioning
apparatus.
20 [0003]
The air-conditioning apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit in which refrigerant
circulates, and an abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus affects a refrigeration
cycle chart in which a refrigeration cycle indicating a change in the state of refrigerant
is displayed on a p-h chart. In the p-h chart, a vertical axis represents a pressure,
25 and a horizontal axis represents an enthalpy. Accordingly, the refrigeration cycle
chart shows changes in pressure and enthalpy in each process of the change in the
state of refrigerant.
[0004]
Conventionally, a method has also been adopted in which a refrigeration cycle
30 chart based on a current operation state and a pre-stored refrigeration cycle chart in a
3
normal state are displayed on the same p-h chart (for example, see Patent Literature
1). In Patent Literature 1, when it is determined from a non-overlap ratio between
the refrigeration cycle charts that maintenance is necessary, the necessity of
maintenance in an air-conditioning apparatus is displayed on a display device.
5 Citation List
Patent Literature
[0005]
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
2015-92121
10 Summary of Invention
Technical Problem
[0006]
However, a difference in shape between the current refrigeration cycle chart
and the refrigeration cycle chart in the normal state depends on factors of the
15 abnormality and a degree of abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus. Since
various environments inside and outside the refrigerant circuit are reflected on the
refrigeration cycle chart, it is difficult to diagnose the state of the air-conditioning
apparatus based on the difference in shape or the non-overlap ratio between the
refrigeration cycle charts. In other words, the configuration disclosed in Patent
20 Literature 1 has a problem that the user cannot easily diagnose the factor of the
abnormality and the degree of abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus.
[0007]
The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and an
object thereof is to provide a state analyzer system and a state analysis device that
25 allow the user to easily diagnose the factor of the abnormality and the degree of
abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus.
Solution to Problem
[0008]
A state analyzer system according to an embodiment of the present invention
30 includes: an air-conditioning apparatus including a refrigerant circuit including a
4
compressor and an expansion unit, a state detection unit configured to detect a state
of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit as state data, and a controller configured to
control the compressor and the expansion unit; a specific state determination unit
configured to determine specific state information by using the state data and control
data, the control data indicating a content of control performed by the 5 controller, the
specific state information representing a state of the refrigerant at a specific position
in the refrigeration circuit, and being located in a state space defined by a first
parameter and a second parameter; a normal region determination unit configured to
determine, by using the state data and the control data, a normal region in the state
10 space within which the specific state information is present when the air-conditioning
apparatus operates under a normal state; and a display unit configured to display the
specific state information determined by the specific state determination unit, and a
normal region determined by the normal region determination unit.
[0009]
15 A state analysis device according to another embodiment of the present
invention is a state analysis device that analyzes a state of an air-conditioning
apparatus by using state data and control data and allows a display unit, which is
provided outside, to display an analysis result, the air-conditioning apparatus
including a refrigerant circuit including a compressor and an expansion unit and a
20 controller configured to control the compressor and the expansion unit, the state data
indicating a state of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit, the control data indicating a
content of control performed by the controller, the state analysis device including: a
specific state determination unit configured to determine specific state information by
using the state data and the control data, the specific state information representing a
25 state of the refrigerant at a specific position in the refrigeration circuit, and being
located in a state space defined by a first parameter and a second parameter; a
normal region determination unit configured to determine, by using the state data and
the control data, a normal region in the state space within which the specific state
information is present when the air-conditioning apparatus operates under a normal
30 state; and a display processing unit configured to allow the display unit to display the
5
specific state information determined by the specific state determination unit, and a
normal region determined by the normal region determination unit.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0010]
According to the present invention, it is possible to display 5 specific state
information corresponding to a specific position of a refrigerant circuit and a normal
region within which specific state information is present during a normal operation of
an air-conditioning apparatus, thereby allowing a user to visually recognize a position
of the specific state information with respect to the normal region. Accordingly, the
10 user can easily diagnose a factor of an abnormality and a degree of abnormality in
the air-conditioning apparatus.
Brief Description of Drawings
[0011]
[Fig. 1] Fig. 1 a configuration diagram illustrating a state analyzer system
15 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
[Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the
state analyzer system illustrated in Fig. 1.
[Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of
specific state information and a normal region according to Embodiment 1 of the
20 present invention when an air-conditioning apparatus is in a normal state.
[Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of
specific state information and a normal region according to Embodiment 1 of the
present invention when an abnormality in the amount of refrigerant is suspected.
[Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of
25 specific state information and a normal region in Embodiment 1 of the present
invention when an abnormality in heat transfer in a condenser is suspected.
[Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of
specific state information and a normal region in Embodiment 1 of the present
invention when an abnormality in heat transfer in an evaporator is suspected.
6
[Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of
specific state information and a normal region in Embodiment 1 of the present
invention when an abnormality in a compressor is suspected.
[Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of
specific state information and a normal region in Embodiment 5 1 of the present
invention when an abnormality in which the compressor is compressing liquid
refrigerant is suspected.
[Fig. 9] Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of
specific state information and a normal region in Embodiment 1 of the present
10 invention when an abnormality in an expansion unit or pipe clogging is suspected.
[Fig. 10] Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the state analyzer
system illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.
[Fig. 11] Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of
specific state information and a normal region according to Modification 1 of
15 Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
[Fig. 12] Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of
specific state information and a normal region according to Modification 2 of
Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
[Fig. 13] Fig. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a
20 state analyzer system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
[Fig. 14] Fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating state determination processing of the
air-conditioning apparatus 100 in an operation of the state analyzer system illustrated
in Fig. 13.
[Fig. 15] Fig. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a
25 state analyzer system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.
[Fig. 16] Fig. 16 is a flowchart illustrating state diagnosis processing of the airconditioning
apparatus 100 in an operation of the state analyzer system illustrated in
Fig. 15.
[Fig. 17] Fig. 17 is a configuration diagram illustrating a state analyzer system
30 according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
7
[Fig. 18] Fig. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the
state analyzer system illustrated in Fig. 17.
[Fig. 19] Fig. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a state analyzer
system according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.
Description 5 of Embodiments
[0012]
Embodiment 1.
Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a state analyzer system according
to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As illustrated in Fig. 1, a state analyzer
10 system 1000 includes an air-conditioning apparatus 100, a management apparatus
400, an information terminal 500, and a server apparatus 600.
[0013]
The air-conditioning apparatus 100 conditions air environments, for example, a
temperature, a humidity, and cleanliness of air in an air-conditioned space such as a
15 room. The air-conditioning apparatus 100 includes an outdoor unit 100A and an
indoor unit 100B. The outdoor unit 100A includes a compressor 101, an outdoor
heat exchanger 102, a first expansion valve 106a, a second expansion valve 106b, a
four-way valve 108, and a receiver 109. The indoor unit 100B includes an indoor
heat exchanger 103. In other words, the air-conditioning apparatus 100 forms a
20 refrigerant circuit 200 in which the compressor 101, the outdoor heat exchanger 102,
the first expansion valve 106a, the receiver 109, the second expansion valve 106b,
and the indoor heat exchanger 103 are connected to each other through a refrigerant
pipe R and refrigerant circulates.
[0014]
25 The outdoor unit 100A has an outdoor fan 104 attached to the outdoor heat
exchanger 102 and promoting heat transfer of the outdoor heat exchanger 102. In
Embodiment 1, the outdoor unit 100A includes a controller 140 and a state analysis
device 300. The indoor unit 100B has an indoor fan 105 attached to the indoor heat
exchanger 103 and promoting heat transfer of the indoor heat exchanger 103.
30 [0015]
8
Further, the air-conditioning apparatus 100 includes refrigerant temperature
sensors 121 to 125 and air temperature sensors 131 to 132. The refrigerant
temperature sensors 121 to 123 and the air temperature sensor 131 are provided in
the outdoor unit 100A, and the refrigerant temperature sensors 124 and 125 and the
air temperature sensor 132 are provided in the 5 indoor unit 100B.
[0016]
The compressor 101 is driven by, for example, an inverter and compresses
sucked refrigerant and discharges it. The outdoor heat exchanger 102 is, for
example, a fin-and-tube heat exchanger, and exchanges heat between air and
10 refrigerant.
[0017]
The four-way valve 108 is connected to a discharge side of the compressor
101, that is, to an outlet of the compressor 101 via the refrigerant pipe R. The fourway
valve 108 switches a flow path of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 200. In
15 other words, the connection direction of the four-way valve 108 is switched by the
controller 140, and the direction of the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant circuit 200
is reversed. Thereby, a cooling operation and a heating operation can be switched.
[0018]
The four-way valve 108 is in the connection direction indicated by a solid line in
20 Fig. 1 during the cooling operation in which cooling energy is supplied to the indoor
unit 100B. Therefore, during the cooling operation, the refrigerant circulates in the
order of the compressor 101, the outdoor heat exchanger 102, the first expansion
valve 106a, the receiver 109, the second expansion valve 106b, the indoor heat
exchanger 103, and the compressor 101. At this time, the outdoor heat exchanger
25 102 functions as a condenser, and the indoor heat exchanger 103 functions as an
evaporator.
[0019]
The four-way valve 108 is in the connection direction indicated by a broken line
in Fig. 1 during the heating operation in which heating energy is supplied to the indoor
30 unit 100B. Therefore, during the heating operation, the refrigerant circulates in the
9
order of the compressor 101, the indoor heat exchanger 103, the second expansion
valve 106b, the receiver 109, the first expansion valve 106a, the outdoor heat
exchanger 102, and the compressor 101. At this time, the indoor heat exchanger
103 functions as a condenser, and the outdoor heat exchanger 102 functions as an
5 evaporator.
[0020]
The first expansion valve 106a and the second expansion valve 106b are, for
example, electronic expansion valves, and decompress the refrigerant to expand it.
The first expansion valve 106a has one end connected to the outdoor heat exchanger
10 102 and the other end connected to the receiver 109. The second expansion valve
106b has one end connected to the receiver 109 and the other end connected to the
indoor heat exchanger 103.
[0021]
The receiver 109 temporarily stores liquid refrigerant. The receiver 109 is
15 connected to the first expansion valve 106a and the second expansion valve 106b via
the refrigerant pipe R. In addition, a part of the refrigerant pipe R, through which an
inlet of the compressor 101 and the four-way valve 108 are connected to each other,
passes through the inside of the receiver 109. Therefore, the refrigerant flowing
through the refrigerant pipe R located in the receiver 109 exchanges heat with the
20 refrigerant around the refrigerant pipe R located in the receiver 109. The indoor heat
exchanger 103 is, for example, a fin-and-tube heat exchanger, and exchanges heat
between the air and the refrigerant.
[0022]
The refrigerant temperature sensor 121 is provided at the discharge side of the
25 compressor 101 and measures a temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the
compressor 101. The refrigerant temperature sensor 122 is provided in the
refrigerant pipe R between the outdoor heat exchanger 102 and the first expansion
valve 106a and measures a temperature of the refrigerant flowing between the
outdoor heat exchanger 102 and the first expansion valve 106a. The refrigerant
30 temperature sensor 123 is provided in the outdoor heat exchanger 102 and measures
10
a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 102.
The refrigerant temperature sensor 124 is provided in the indoor heat exchanger 103
and measures a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat
exchanger 103. The refrigerant temperature sensor 125 is provided in the
refrigerant pipe R between the indoor heat exchanger 103 and the 5 second expansion
valve 106b and measures a temperature of the refrigerant flowing between the indoor
heat exchanger 103 and the second expansion valve 106b. The air temperature
sensor 131 measures an outdoor air temperature that is a temperature of the air that
exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 102.
10 The air temperature sensor 132 measures an indoor temperature that is a
temperature of the air that exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the
heat exchanger 103.
[0023]
The controller 140 controls each of actuators such as the compressor 101, the
15 outdoor fan 104, the indoor fan 105, the first expansion valve 106a, and the second
expansion valve 106b, based on an output from the refrigerant temperature sensors
121 to 125 and the air temperature sensors 131 and 132. In addition, the controller
140 outputs control data indicating the content of control for each actuator to the state
analysis device 300. In Embodiment 1, the state analysis device 300 is installed in
20 the air-conditioning apparatus 100 to be diagnosed.
[0024]
Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the state
analyzer system illustrated in Fig. 1. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the state analyzer
system 1000 includes the state analysis device 300 as a main component. A state
25 detection unit 120 detects a state of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 200 as state
data. In Embodiment 1, the state detection unit 120 includes the refrigerant
temperature sensors 121 to 125 and the air temperature sensors 131 to 132 as
illustrated in Fig. 2. An expansion unit 106 includes the first expansion valve 106a
and the second expansion valve 106b.
30 [0025]
11
The state analysis device 300 analyzes a state of the air-conditioning
apparatus using the state data and the control data detected by the state detection
unit 120. In other words, the state analysis device 300 analyzes the state of the airconditioning
apparatus 100 based on various data included in the signals sent from
the controller 140, the refrigerant temperature sensors 121 to 5 125, and the air
temperature sensors 131 and 132. Further, the state analysis device 300 allows at
least one of a display unit 421 of the management apparatus 400 and a display unit
521 of the information terminal 500 to display the analysis result of the state of the airconditioning
apparatus.
10 [0026]
More specifically, the state analysis device 300 includes a specific state
determination unit 301, a normal region determination unit 302, a storage unit 303, a
display processing unit 304, and a communication unit 305. The specific state
determination unit 301 determines, using the state data and the control data, specific
15 state information x representing a state of the refrigerant at a specific position in the
refrigerant circuit 200 and being located in a state space defined by a first parameter
and a second parameter. The specific state information x is defined by the first
parameter and the second parameter. The state data and the control data can be
stored in the storage unit 303 or a server storage device 601, as operation data of the
20 air-conditioning apparatus 100.
[0027]
In Embodiment 1, the first parameter is a pressure of the refrigerant, and the
second parameter is an enthalpy. The state space corresponds to a p-h chart set on
a coordinate plane whose axes are the pressure of the refrigerant and the enthalpy.
25 In other words, the specific state information x is a point on the p-h chart given by the
pressure of the refrigerant and the enthalpy. The specific state determination unit
301 can be set to determine the specific state information x corresponding to one
specific position of the refrigerant circuit 200. Further, the specific state
determination unit 301 can also be set to determine the specific state information x for
30 each of a plurality of specific positions of the refrigerant circuit 200.
12
[0028]
The normal region determination unit 302 determines, using the state data and
the control data, a normal region X in the state space within which the specific state
information x is present when the air-conditioning apparatus 100 operates under a
normal state. Here, the operation of the air-conditioning apparatus 5 100 under the
normal state means that the air-conditioning apparatus 100 is operating under a nonabnormality
state, and is hereinafter referred to as a normal operation. In other
words, the normal region X is data indicating a region within which the specific state
information x is present when the air-conditioning apparatus 100 has no abnormality,
10 that is, when each of the actuators and each of the sensors have no abnormality. In
Embodiment 1, the normal region X is a region on the p-h chart. When the specific
state determination unit 301 determines a plurality of pieces of specific state
information x, the normal region determination unit 302 determines a normal region X
corresponding to each of the plurality of pieces of specific state information x.
15 [0029]
The storage unit 303 stores various data used for state analysis processing of
the air-conditioning apparatus 100 together with an operation program for the state
analysis device 300. For example, the storage unit 303 stores, as data, one or a
plurality of calculation coefficients included in a determination formula used when the
20 normal region determination unit 302 determines the specific state information x.
The storage unit 303 stores data of a predetermined initial determination coefficient at
the time of product shipment.
[0030]
The display processing unit 304 allows at least one of the display unit 421 and
25 the display unit 521 to display the specific state information x determined by the
specific state determination unit 301 and the normal region X determined by the
normal region determination unit 302. The display processing unit 304 generates
display data that is used to display the specific state information x and the normal
region X on the p-h chart.
30 [0031]
13
A destination of the display data is preset in the state analysis device 300, and
the display processing unit 304 transmits the generated display data to the
destination that is set. In Embodiment 1, the destination of the display data is set to
at least one of the management apparatus 400 and the information terminal 500.
Accordingly, the display processing unit 304 transmits the generated 5 display data to
at least one of the management apparatus 400 and the information terminal 500 via
the communication unit 305.
[0032]
The communication unit 305 serves as an interface when the state analysis
10 device 300 communicates with an external device. For example, the communication
unit 305 acts as an intermediary when the specific state determination unit 301 and
the normal region determination unit 302 receive the state data and the control data,
respectively. Further, the communication unit 305 acts as an intermediary when the
display processing unit 304 transmits the display data.
15 [0033]
The communication unit 305 may communicate with the server apparatus 600
via the information terminal 500. In this case, the communication unit 305 may
communicate with the information terminal 500 using a short-range wireless
communication system such as WiFi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered
20 trademark). Then, the information terminal 500 serves as a relay device that
transmits and receives a signal transmitted through a telecommunication line 800,
and communicates with the server apparatus 600 connected to the
telecommunication line 800.
[0034]
25 The management apparatus 400 is connected to the air-conditioning apparatus
100 by a wired or a wireless manner, and operates and manages the air-conditioning
apparatus 100. In other words, the management apparatus 400 is informationally,
that is, communicably connected to the air-conditioning apparatus 100. The
management apparatus 400 is a remote controller used to operate the air30
conditioning apparatus 100, or a centralized management apparatus that manages an
14
air conditioning system including the air-conditioning apparatus 100. In Embodiment
1, the management apparatus 400 is communicably connected to the controller 140
and the state analysis device 300. The management apparatus 400 is used when a
user operates the air-conditioning apparatus 100. Further, the management
apparatus 400 is used by the user to grasp the operating state of the 5 air-conditioning
apparatus 100.
[0035]
As illustrated in Fig. 2, the management apparatus 400 includes an input unit
410, an output unit 420, and an output control unit 430. The output unit 420 includes
10 a display unit 421 and a notification unit 422. The input unit 410 includes operation
buttons and receives an operation from the user. In addition, the input unit 410
transmits an operation signal indicating the content of the operation from the user to
the controller 140 or the state analysis device 300. The input unit 410 transmits a
diagnosis request signal to the state analysis device 300 when being requested to
15 diagnose the state of the air-conditioning apparatus 100.
[0036]
The display unit 421 is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and has a
function of displaying the specific state information x and the normal region X. The
notification unit 422 includes a speaker, and outputs sound or voice. The output
20 control unit 430 allows the display unit 421 to display a diagnostic image including the
specific state information x and the normal region X, based on the display data
transmitted from the state analysis device 300. Here, it is assumed that an image
display program used to display the diagnostic image based on the display data is
installed in the management apparatus 400. In Embodiment 1, when the display
25 data is transmitted from the display processing unit 304, the output control unit 430
allows the display unit 421 to display the diagnostic image in which the specific state
information x and the normal region X are displayed on the p-h chart.
[0037]
The information terminal 500 is a communication terminal such as a mobile
30 phone, a smartphone, a tablet PC (personal computer), a note PC, or a desktop PC.
15
In other words, the information terminal 500 is informationally, that is, communicably
connected to the air-conditioning apparatus 100. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the
information terminal 500 includes an input unit 510, an output unit 520, and an output
control unit 530. The output unit 520 includes a display unit 521 and a notification
unit 522. The input unit 510 includes operation buttons and receives 5 an operation
from the user. In addition, the input unit 510 transmits an operation signal indicating
the content of the operation from the user to the state analysis device 300. The
input unit 510 transmits a diagnosis request signal to the state analysis device 300
when being requested to diagnose the state of the air-conditioning apparatus 100.
10 [0038]
The display unit 521 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and has a function
of displaying the specific state information x and the normal region X. The
notification unit 522 includes a speaker, and outputs sound or voice. The output
control unit 530 allows the display unit 521 to display a diagnostic image including the
15 specific state information x and the normal region X, based on the display data
transmitted from the state analysis device 300. Here, it is assumed that an image
display program used to display the diagnostic image based on the display data is
installed in the information terminal 500. In Embodiment 1, when the display data is
transmitted from the display processing unit 304, the output control unit 530 allows
20 the display unit 521 to display the diagnostic image in which the specific state
information x and the normal region X are displayed on the p-h chart.
[0039]
The server apparatus 600 is, for example, a storage processing apparatus that
is disposed outside the air-conditioning apparatus 100 and is provided by a cloud
25 service. The server apparatus 600 is communicably connected to the information
terminal 500 and the state analysis device 300 via the telecommunication line 800
that is a network such as the Internet. The server apparatus 600 serves as a
database that stores and accumulates various data such as the analysis result
obtained by the state analysis device 300. In addition, the server apparatus 600 has
30 a function of processing various arithmetic operations based on the stored data.
16
[0040]
The server apparatus 600 includes a server storage device 601, a server
communication device 602, and a machine learning device 603. The server
communication device 602 functions as an interface when the devices such as the
machine learning device 603 and the server storage device 5 601 in the server
apparatus 600 communicates with the external apparatus of the server apparatus 600
via the telecommunication line 800 and performs signal conversion. The server
storage device 601 stores the state data, the control data, and the determination
coefficient included in the determination formula used by the normal region
10 determination unit 302.
[0041]
The machine learning device 603 is a device in which input data is processed
by machine learning. The machine learning is an approach of sequentially acquiring
new knowledge and skills and reconstructing existing knowledge and skills to extract
15 useful rules and judgement criteria. In Embodiment 1, the machine learning device
603 calculates a determination coefficient for the normal region determination unit
302 to determine the normal region X from the state data and the control data
measured by each of the sensors and the analysis result from the state analysis
device 300.
20 [0042]
By the way, the normal region determination unit 302 may continuously use the
initial determination coefficient, but may rewrite and update the data of the
determination coefficient using the machine learning device 603. For example, the
machine learning device 603 may determine the determination coefficient over time
25 by processing based on machine learning, using various data relating to the operation
of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 in normal and abnormal states as an input.
Then, the determination coefficient determined by the machine learning device 603
may be sent from the server apparatus 600 to the state analysis device 300, and the
determination coefficient in the storage unit 303 may be rewritten and updated.
30 Thereby, a more appropriate normal region X can be determined, so that the
17
accuracy of the information displayed on the display unit 421 or 521 is increased, and
thus the accuracy in diagnosis of the user can be improved.
[0043]
Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of the specific
state information and the normal region in Embodiment 1 of the 5 present invention
when the air-conditioning apparatus is in the normal state. In Fig. 3, the specific
state information x and the normal region X are displayed on the p-h chart. Further,
Fig. 3 illustrates a saturation line S including a saturated liquid line and a saturated
vapor line, a refrigeration cycle chart Rc, an isothermal line Tout corresponding to an
10 outdoor temperature, and an isothermal line Tin corresponding to an indoor
temperature.
[0044]
Here, Fig. 3 illustrates an example in which the specific state determination unit
301 determines the specific state information x for each of three specific positions in
15 the refrigerant circuit 200 and the normal region determination unit 302 determines
the normal region X corresponding to each of three pieces of specific state
information x. Accordingly, three pieces of specific state information x are present,
and the three pieces of specific state information x are determined by the states of the
refrigerant at the three specific positions of the refrigerant circuit 200, respectively.
20 [0045]
In addition, the three specific positions are an inlet of the compressor 101, an
outlet of the compressor 101, and an outlet of the condenser. In other words, the
three pieces of specific state information x includes inlet information "a" indicating the
state of the refrigerant at the inlet of the compressor 101, outlet information "b"
25 indicating the state of the refrigerant at the outlet of the compressor 101, and
condensation information "c" indicating the state of the refrigerant at the outlet of the
condenser. In other words, the normal region determination unit 302 determines the
inlet information "a", the outlet information "b", and the condensation information "c"
that are the three pieces of specific state information x.
30 [0046]
18
Three normal regions X are determined according to the inlet information "a",
the outlet information "b", and the condensation information "c" that are the three
pieces of specific state information x. The three normal regions X includes an inlet
region A where the inlet information "a" is present during the normal operation, an
outlet region B where the outlet information "b" is present 5 during the normal
operation, and a condensation region C where the condensation information "c" is
present during the normal operation. In other words, the specific state determination
unit 301 determines the inlet region A, the outlet region B, and the condensation
region C that are the three normal regions X corresponding to the three pieces of
10 specific state information x, respectively.
[0047]
In the display example illustrated in Fig. 3, the user can visually confirm that the
specific state information x is within the normal region X and determine that the airconditioning
apparatus 100 has no abnormality. In Fig. 3, the isothermal line Tout
15 corresponding to the outdoor temperature and the isothermal line Tin corresponding
to the indoor temperature may not be displayed. However, when the isothermal line
Tout and the isothermal line Tin are displayed on the diagnostic image, the user can
visually grasp the relationship between the state of the air-conditioning apparatus 100
and the air temperature around the air-conditioning apparatus 100.
20 [0048]
Next, a description will be given with respect to a display example when the airconditioning
apparatus 100 has an abnormality. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram
illustrating a display example of the specific state information and the normal region in
Embodiment 1 of the present invention when an abnormality in the amount of
25 refrigerant is suspected. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display
example of the specific state information and the normal region in Embodiment 1 of
the present invention when an abnormality in heat transfer in the condenser is
suspected. Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of the
specific state information and the normal region in Embodiment 1 of the present
30 invention when an abnormality in heat transfer in the evaporator is suspected. Fig. 7
19
is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of the specific state
information and the normal region in Embodiment 1 of the present invention when an
abnormality in the compressor is suspected. Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram
illustrating a display example of the specific state information and the normal region in
Embodiment 1 of the present invention when an abnormality in which 5 the compressor
is compressing the liquid refrigerant is suspected. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram
illustrating a display example of the specific state information and the normal region in
Embodiment 1 of the present invention when an abnormality in the expansion unit or
pipe clogging is suspected. In Figs. 4 to 9, the specific state information x and the
10 normal region X are displayed on the p-h chart. Further, Figs. 4 to 9 illustrate the
saturation line S and the refrigeration cycle chart Rc as illustrated in Fig. 3. A
method of identifying a factor of the abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus 100
will be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 9.
[0049]
15 When the abnormality in the amount of refrigerant is suspected, the
condensation information "c" has higher enthalpy than the condensation region C as
illustrated in Fig. 4. Therefore, the user can visually recognize, from the display
example illustrated in Fig. 4, that the condensation information "c" deviates to the
right from the condensation region C, thereby recognizing that the abnormality in the
20 amount of refrigerant is suspected.
[0050]
When the abnormality in heat transfer in the condenser is suspected, the outlet
information "b" has a higher pressure than the outlet region B and the condensation
information "c" has a higher pressure than the condensation region C, as illustrated in
25 Fig. 5. Therefore, the user can visually recognize, from the display example
illustrated in Fig. 5, that the outlet information "b" deviates above the outlet region B
and the condensation information "c" deviates above the condensation region C,
thereby recognizing that the abnormality in heat transfer in the condenser is
suspected. Here, it is assumed that the abnormality in heat transfer in the
30 condenser depends on an abnormality in the outdoor heat exchanger 102 or an
20
operation abnormality in the outdoor fan 104 during the cooling operation or an
abnormality in the indoor heat exchanger 103 or an operation abnormality in the
indoor fan 105 during the heating operation.
[0051]
When the abnormality in heat transfer in the evaporator is suspected, 5 the inlet
information "a" has a lower pressure than the inlet region A as illustrated in Fig. 6.
Therefore, the user can visually recognize, from the display example illustrated in Fig.
6, that the inlet information "a" deviates below the inlet region A, thereby recognizing
that the abnormality in heat transfer in the evaporator is suspected. Here, it is
10 assumed that the abnormality in heat transfer in the evaporator depends on an
abnormality in the indoor heat exchanger 103 or an operation abnormality in the
indoor fan 105 during the cooling operation or an abnormality in the outdoor heat
exchanger 102 or an operation abnormality in the outdoor fan 104 during the heating
operation.
15 [0052]
When the abnormality in the compressor 101 is suspected, the outlet
information "b" has higher enthalpy than the outlet region B as illustrated in Fig. 7.
Therefore, the user can visually recognize, from the display example illustrated in Fig.
7, that the outlet information "b" deviates to the right from the outlet region B, thereby
20 recognizing that the abnormality in the compressor 101 is suspected.
[0053]
When it is suspected that the compressor 101 is compressing the liquid
refrigerant, the inlet information "a" has lower enthalpy than the inlet region A as
illustrated in Fig. 8. Therefore, the user can visually recognize, from the display
25 example illustrated in Fig. 8, that the inlet information "a" deviates to the left from the
inlet region A, thereby recognizing that the liquid refrigerant is suspected to have
flowed into the compressor 101.
[0054]
When the abnormality in the expansion unit 106 or the pipe clogging is
30 suspected, the inlet information "a" has a higher pressure than the inlet region A, the
21
outlet information "b" has a lower pressure than the outlet region B, and the
condensation information "c" has a lower pressure than the condensation region C,
as illustrated in Fig. 9. Therefore, the user can visually recognize, from the display
example illustrated in Fig. 9, that the inlet information "a" deviates above the inlet
region A, the outlet information "b" deviates below the outlet 5 region B, and the
condensation information "c" deviates below the condensation region C, thereby
recognizing that the abnormality in the expansion unit 106 or the pipe clogging is
suspected. In Embodiment 1, the abnormality in the expansion unit 106 means that
at least one of the first expansion valve 106a and the second expansion valve 106b
10 has an abnormality. In addition, the pipe clogging is a situation in which the
refrigerant circuit 200 has a clogging portion that hinders the circulation of the
refrigerant.
[0055]
As described above, the user can diagnose the state of the air-conditioning
15 apparatus 100 based on the specific state information x and the normal region X
displayed on the p-h chart. In other words, the user grasps the relationship between
the position of the specific state information x with respect to the normal region X and
the factor of the abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus 100, and thus can
diagnose the factor of the abnormality and the degree of deterioration of the air20
conditioning apparatus 100 from the diagnostic image at a glance.
[0056]
In the examples illustrated in Figs. 3 to 9, the display unit 421 or the display
unit 521 displays, as the specific state information x, the inlet information "a", the
outlet information "b", and the condensation information "c", and displays, as the
25 normal region X, the inlet region A, the outlet region B, and the condensation region
C. Accordingly, the user can visually recognize the diagnostic image, thereby
diagnosing the abnormality in the amount of refrigerant enclosed in the refrigerant
circuit 200, the abnormality in the condenser or the evaporator, the abnormality in the
compressor 101, the abnormality in which the liquid refrigerant flows into the
30 compressor 101, the abnormality in the expansion unit 106, the abnormality in which
22
the refrigerant circuit 200 has the clogging portion, and the operation abnormality in at
least one of the outdoor fan 104 and the indoor fan 105. Then, when the
abnormality has occurred in the air-conditioning apparatus 100, the user can easily
identify the factor of the abnormality.
5 [0057]
Although Figs. 3 to 9 exemplify the cases where the diagnostic image includes
the saturation line S, the diagnostic image may not include the saturation line S
without being limited thereto. Further, Figs. 3 to 9 exemplify the cases where the
diagnostic image is displayed including the refrigeration cycle chart Rc, but the
10 diagnostic image may not include the refrigeration cycle chart Rc without being limited
thereto. However, when the diagnostic image includes the refrigeration cycle chart
Rc, the specific state information x and the normal region X can be more easily
associated with each other, so that the convenience of the user can be improved.
[0058]
15 Here, the controller 140 and the state analysis device 300 can include
hardware such as a circuit device that realizes the respective functions described
above or an arithmetic device such as a microcomputer and software that realizes the
respective functions described above in cooperation with such an arithmetic device.
The storage unit 303 can include a random access memory (RAM) and a read only
20 memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM) such as a flash memory, or a hard
disk drive (HDD), for example.
[0059]
Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the state analyzer system
illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. A state analysis method of the air-conditioning apparatus
25 100 in Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Here, a description
will be given with respect to a case where a diagnostic image based on display data
is displayed on the display unit 521 of the information terminal 500.
[0060]
The state analysis device 300 waits until a diagnosis request signal is
30 transmitted from the management apparatus 400 or the information terminal 500 (NO
23
in step S101). When the diagnosis request signal is transmitted (YES in step S101),
the state analysis device 300 uses the specific state determination unit 301 to
determine the current specific state information x (step S102). Next, the state
analysis device 300 uses the normal region determination unit 302 to determine the
current normal region 5 X (step S103).
[0061]
Subsequently, the state analysis device 300 uses the display processing unit
304 to generate display data that is the origin of the diagnostic image in which the
specific state information x and the normal region X are displayed on the p-h chart
10 (step S104), and to transmit the generated display data to the information terminal
500 (step S105). Then, the information terminal 500 uses the output control unit 530
to generate information on the diagnostic image based on the display data
transmitted from the state analysis device 300 (step S106), and to allow the display
unit 521 to display the diagnostic image including the specific state information x and
15 the normal region X (step S107). Then, the operation of the state analyzer system
1000 proceeds to the process of step S101.
[0062]
The information terminal 500 displays the diagnostic image on the display unit
521, and then switches the diagnostic image displayed on the display unit 521 to a
20 home screen when the user performs an operation of switching an image or when a
certain period of time has elapsed. Since the diagnostic image is displayed on the
display unit 421 of the management apparatus 400 in the same manner as the above
operation, the description thereof will not be presented.
[0063]
25 As described above, since the state analysis device 300 and the state analyzer
system 1000 in Embodiment 1 display the specific state information x and the normal
region X, the user can visually recognize the position of the specific state information
x with respect to the normal region X. Therefore, the user can easily diagnose the
factor of abnormality and the degree of deterioration of the air-conditioning apparatus.
30 In other words, the state analyzer system 1000 displays the specific state information
24
x and the normal region X on the p-h chart. Accordingly, the user can grasp the
position of the specific state information x with respect to the normal region X on the
p-h chart at a glance, and can obtain a highly accurate diagnosis result.
[0064]
In addition, the state analysis device 300 can determine 5 the specific state
information x for each of the plurality of specific positions in the refrigerant circuit 200
and the normal region X corresponding to each of the pieces of specific state
information x. Then, since the state analysis device 300 and the state analyzer
system 1000 display the plurality pieces of specific state information x and the
10 plurality of normal regions X, it is possible to easily and accurately identify the factor
of the abnormality. By the way, in the conventional configuration, the user needs to
acquire specialized knowledge, for example, the degree of influence for each factor of
the abnormality to accurately identify the factor of the abnormality in the airconditioning
apparatus 100. In this regard, according to the state analyzer system
15 1000, the positional relationship between the specific state information x and the
normal region X is clearly associated with the factor of the abnormality in the airconditioning
apparatus 100, as described above. Therefore, the user can diagnose
the air-conditioning apparatus 100 with high accuracy without having specialized
knowledge, that is, the user can know the deterioration state of the air-conditioning
20 apparatus 100 and the necessity of maintenance at a glance, so that the convenience
of the user can be improved.
[0065]
Further, the display unit 421 or the display unit 521 can display the isothermal
line indicating the temperature of the environment in which the air-conditioning
25 apparatus 100 is installed, together with the specific state information x and the
normal region X. In this case, the use can visually grasp the relationship between
the state of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 and the air temperature around the airconditioning
apparatus 100, so that the ease of diagnosis can be increased.
[0066]
25
The normal region determination unit 302 may determine the normal region X
by further using information on design specifications of the air-conditioning apparatus
100. In this way, the normal region X can be more appropriately determined, and
the accuracy of the information displayed on the display unit is increased, so that the
user can diagnose with 5 high accuracy.
[0067]

Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example of specific state
information and a normal region according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1 of the
10 present invention. In the above description, the normal region X is configured in one
level, but the normal region X in a diagnostic image is divided into a plurality of levels
depending on the degree of normality of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 in
Modification 1. In other words, the normal region determination unit 302 of
Modification 1 divides the normal region X into levels depending on the degree of
15 normality of the air-conditioning apparatus 100. In the normal region X, the degree
of normality decreases from the center toward the outside. In other words, the
degree of abnormality in the normal region X increases from the center toward the
outside.
[0068]
20 A basic configuration of Fig. 11 is the same as those of Figs. 3 to 9, and the
normal region X is divided into two levels in Fig. 11. In this case, the normal region
determination unit 302 determines an inlet region A formed by a first inlet region A1
and a second inlet region A2, an outlet region B formed by a first outlet region B1 and
a second outlet region B2, and a condensation region C formed by a first
25 condensation region C1 and a second condensation region C2.
[0069]
In the inlet region A, the second inlet region A2 is less normal than the first inlet
region A1. In the outlet region B, the second outlet region B2 is less than the first
outlet region B1. In the condensation region C, the second condensation region C2 is
30 less normal than the first condensation region C1.
26
[0070]
The display processing unit 304 generates display data using the normal region
X divided into two levels. Therefore, the output control unit 430 can allow the display
unit 421 to display the diagnostic image including the normal region X divided into two
levels, as illustrated in Fig. 11. Similarly, the output control unit 5 530 can allow the
display unit 521 to display the diagnostic image including the normal region X divided
into two levels.
[0071]
The normal region X may be divided into three or more levels. In other words,
10 the normal region determination unit 302 may determine the normal region X divided
into three or more levels, and the display processing unit 304 may generate display
data using the normal region X divided into three or more levels. Thereby, the
output control unit 430 can allow the display unit 421 to display a diagnostic image
including the normal region X divided into three or more levels. Similarly, the output
15 control unit 530 can allow the display unit 521 to display the diagnostic image
including the normal region X divided into three or more levels.
[0072]
As described above, the state analysis device 300 and the state analyzer
system 1000 in Modification 1 provide the normal region in the form of the levels of a
20 plurality of layers depending on the degree of normality thereof, and thus display the
normal region X divided into two or more levels. Therefore, the user can diagnose
the state of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 in detail. In other words, according to
the state analyzer system 1000 in Modification 1, the user can more easily diagnose
the degree of deterioration of the air-conditioning apparatus 100, and thus can
25 determine the necessity of maintenance with higher accuracy.
[0073]
In the above description, all of the inlet region A, the outlet region B, and the
condensation region C are divided into two or more levels, but one or two of the inlet
region A, the outlet region B, and the condensation region C may be divided into two
30 or more levels without being limited thereto. In other words, when a plurality of
27
specific positions are set, at least one normal region X may be divided into two or
more levels.
[0074]

Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example 5 of specific state
information and a normal region according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1 of the
present invention. In the above description, the display unit 421 or the display unit
521 displays only the current specific state information x, but the display unit 421 or
the display unit 521 may display information indicating a secular change of the
10 specific state information x without being limited thereto. In other words, a display
processing unit 304 may generate display data including not only the current specific
state information x but also the past specific state information x. In this case, the
current and past specific state information x may be accumulated in the storage unit
303 or the server storage device 601.
15 [0075]
More specifically, the specific state determination unit 301 allows the storage
unit 303 or the server storage device 601 to accumulate the specific state information
x determined using the state data and the control data in time series for at least a
certain period of the past. Here, the certain period can be set according to the
20 configuration and installation environment of the air-conditioning apparatus 100, and
can be changed as appropriate.
[0076]
The display processing unit 304 extracts the current specific state information x
and the past specific state information x from the plurality of pieces of specific state
25 information x accumulated in the storage unit 303 or the server storage device 601.
Then, the display processing unit 304 generates display data using the past specific
state information x together with the current specific state information x.
Accordingly, the display unit 421 or the display unit 521 can display the past specific
state information x that is information indicating the secular change of the specific
30 state information x.
28
[0077]
In the display example illustrated in Fig. 12, the display processing unit 304 is
configured to extract specific state information x at a period that is traced back by a
reference period from the current time and specific state information x at a period that
is further traced back by the reference period therefrom. In Fig. 5 12, the reference
period is set to 50 days.
[0078]
More specifically, in the display example illustrated in Fig. 12, the display
processing unit 304 extracts, from the storage unit 303 or the server storage device
10 601, inlet information "a", inlet information a1 that is inlet information "a" on 50 days
before the current time, and inlet information a2 that is inlet information "a" on 100
days before the current time. In addition, the display processing unit 304 extracts
outlet information "b", outlet information b1 that is outlet information "b" on 50 days
before the current time, and outlet information b2 that is outlet information "b" on 100
15 days before the current time. Further, the display processing unit 304 extracts
condensation information "c", condensation information c1 that is condensation
information "c" on 50 days before the current time, and condensation information c2
that is condensation information "c" on 100 days before the current time.
[0079]
20 Then, the display processing unit 304 generates display data using the
extracted information. Therefore, the state analysis device 300 can allow the display
unit to display a diagnostic image including the inlet information a1 and a2, the outlet
information b1 and b2, and the condensation information c1 and c2 that are
information indicating the secular change of the specific state information x.
25 [0080]
In addition, the display processing unit 304 generates display data including the
past refrigeration cycle chart Rc together with the current refrigeration cycle chart Rc.
In the display example illustrated in Fig. 12, the display processing unit 304 generates
display data including the refrigeration cycle chart Rc, a refrigeration cycle chart Rc1
30 that is a refrigeration cycle chart Rc on 50 days before the current time, and a
29
refrigeration cycle chart Rc2 that is a refrigeration cycle chart Rc on 100 days before
the current time. Therefore, the state analysis device 300 can allow the display unit
to display a diagnostic image including the refrigeration cycle chart Rc1 and the
refrigeration cycle chart Rc2 that are information indicating the secular change of the
specific state 5 information x.
[0081]
Fig. 12 illustrates the case where the reference period is set to 50 days, but the
elapsed time can be appropriately changed without being limited thereto. In
addition, Fig. 12 illustrates the case where the past two pieces of specific state
10 information x are displayed, but the diagnostic image may include past three or more
pieces of specific state information x without being limited thereto.
[0082]
As described above, the state analysis device 300 and the state analyzer
system 1000 in Modification 2 allow the display unit to display the diagnostic image
15 including the information indicating the secular change of the specific state
information x. In other words, at least one of the display unit 421 and the display unit
521 displays information indicating the secular change of the specific state
information x. Accordingly, the user can grasp the secular change of the degree of
deterioration of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 by visually recognizing the
20 diagnostic image, so that the user can more accurately diagnose the state of the airconditioning
apparatus 100.
[0083]
Further, the secular change of the specific state information x differs depending
on the specific position corresponding to the specific state information x. For
25 example, in the display example illustrated in Fig. 12, while the secular change of the
outlet information "b" and the condensation information "c" is relatively large, the
secular change of the inlet information "a" is relatively small. Here, the plurality of
pieces of specific state information x correspond to different specific positions. In
other words, the plurality of pieces of specific state information x serve as various
30 indicators regarding the abnormality of the air-conditioning apparatus 100,
30
respectively, as described with reference to Figs. 4 to Fig. 9. Therefore, the user
can know the tendency of deterioration of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 from the
information indicating the secular change of the specific state information x.
[0084]
Fig. 12 illustrates the case where the diagnostic image is displayed 5 including
the past refrigeration cycle chart Rc together with the past and current refrigeration
cycle charts Rc, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The diagnostic
image may not include the past refrigeration cycle chart Rc, or may originally lack the
current and past refrigeration cycle charts Rc. However, when the diagnostic image
10 includes the refrigeration cycle chart Rc, the specific state information x and the
normal region X can be more easily associated with each other, so that the tendency
of the secular change of the specific state information x can be easily grasped and
the convenience of the user can be improved. The configuration of Modification 2
can also be applied to the configuration of Modification 1.
15 [0085]
Embodiment 2.
Fig. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a state
analyzer system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The overall
configuration of the state analyzer system according to Embodiment 2 is the same as
20 the configuration illustrated in Fig. 1 referred to in Embodiment 1. The same
components as those in Embodiment 1 described above are denoted by the same
reference numerals and the description thereof will not be presented.
[0086]
A state analyzer system 1000A in Embodiment 2 includes, in an air25
conditioning apparatus 100, a state analysis device 300A that diagnoses malfunction
of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 to be diagnosed. The state analysis device
300A includes a specific state determination unit 301, a normal region determination
unit 302, a storage unit 303, a display processing unit 304, a communication unit 305,
and a state diagnosis unit 306.
30 [0087]
31
The state diagnosis unit 306 determines whether the air-conditioning apparatus
100 has an abnormality based on a positional relationship between specific state
information x and a normal region X. Then, the state diagnosis unit 306 determines
whether the specific state information x is present outside of the normal region X.
Here, the fact that the specific state information x is present outside 5 of the normal
region X indicates that an abnormality has occurred in the air-conditioning apparatus
100 as in Embodiment 1. In other words, the state diagnosis unit 306 determines
that the specific state information x deviates from the normal region X and the airconditioning
apparatus 100 has an abnormality.
10 [0088]
When a plurality of specific positions are set, the state diagnosis unit 306
determines that the air-conditioning apparatus 100 has an abnormality when at least
one of a plurality of pieces of specific state information x deviates from the normal
region X corresponding thereto. For example, such a situation is the same as those
15 illustrated in Figs. 4 to 9 referred to in Embodiment 1. On the other hand, as
illustrated in Fig. 3, when any of the plurality of pieces of specific state information x is
present in the normal region X corresponding thereto, the state diagnosis unit 306
determines that the air-conditioning apparatus 100 is in a normal state.
[0089]
20 When determining that the air-conditioning apparatus 100 has the abnormality,
the state diagnosis unit 306 transmits an abnormality signal indicating that the airconditioning
apparatus 100 has the abnormality, via the communication unit 305, to at
least one of a management apparatus 400 and an information terminal 500.
[0090]
25 When the abnormality signal is transmitted from the state diagnosis unit 306,
an output control unit 430 allows a display unit 421 to display abnormality information
indicating the abnormality has occurred in the air-conditioning apparatus 100.
Similarly, when the abnormality signal is transmitted from the state diagnosis unit 306,
an output control unit 530 allows a display unit 521 to display abnormality information.
30 When the abnormality signal is transmitted from the state diagnosis unit 306, the
32
output control unit 430 may allow a notification unit 422 to notify notification
information indicating that the abnormality has occurred in the air-conditioning
apparatus 100. Similarly, when the abnormality signal is transmitted from the state
diagnosis unit 306, the output control unit 530 may allow a notification unit 522 to
notify notification 5 information.
[0091]
Here, when the abnormality signal is transmitted from the state diagnosis unit
306, the output control unit 430 and the output control unit 530 may be configured to
perform both or either of the display of the abnormality information and the notification
10 of the notification information. The notification information may be notified in the
form of a beep sound and the like, or may also be notified in the form of a voice such
as "abnormality has occurred".
[0092]
When determining that the air-conditioning apparatus 100 is in the normal
15 state, the state diagnosis unit 306 may transmit a normal signal indicating that the airconditioning
apparatus 100 is in the normal state, to at least one of the management
apparatus 400 and the information terminal 500. In this case, in response to the
normal signal, the output control unit 430 may allow the display unit 421 to display
normal information indicating that the air-conditioning apparatus 100 is in the normal
20 state, or may allow the notification unit 422 to notify normal notification information
indicating that the air-conditioning apparatus 100 is in the normal state. Similarly, in
response to the normal signal, the output control unit 530 may allow the display unit
521 to display normal information, or may allow the notification unit 522 to notify
normal notification information.
25 [0093]
In Embodiment 2, the display unit 421 or the display unit 521 is configured to
display a diagnostic image including the specific state information x and the normal
region X, as in Embodiment 1. Therefore, the abnormality information or the normal
information may be displayed on the same screen together with the diagnostic image.
30 [0094]
33
Fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating state determination processing of the airconditioning
apparatus 100 in the operation of the state analyzer system illustrated in
Fig. 13. A method of determining the state of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 in
Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Here, a description will be
given with respect to a case where the abnormality information is 5 displayed on the
display unit 521 of the information terminal 500.
[0095]
The state analysis device 300A executes series of processes of steps S101 to
S103 as in the processes of Fig. 10. Next, the state diagnosis unit 306 determines
10 whether the specific state information x is present outside of the normal region X
(step S201). When the specific state information x is present outside of the normal
region X (YES in step S201), the state diagnosis unit 306 generates an abnormality
signal and transmits it to the information terminal 500 (step S202). On the other
hand, when the specific state information x is present within the normal region X (NO
15 in step S201), the operation of the state analyzer system 1000 proceeds to the
process of step S101.
[0096]
When the abnormality signal is transmitted from the state diagnosis unit 306,
the output control unit 530 allows the display unit 521 to display abnormality
20 information (step S203). Then, the operation of the state analyzer system 1000
proceeds to the process of step S101. The operation when the abnormality
information is displayed on the display unit 421 and the operation when the
notification information is notified from the notification unit 422 or the notification unit
522 are the same as in the case of Fig. 14, and thus the description thereof will not be
25 presented.
[0097]
Here, the determination process and the transmission process of the
abnormality signal or the normal signal (corresponding to steps S201 and S202 in
Fig. 14, respectively) to be performed by the state diagnosis unit 306 are performed in
30 parallel with the generation process and the transmission process of the display data
34
(steps S104 and S105 in Fig. 10) to be performed by the display processing unit 304.
In addition, the output control unit 430 and the output control unit 530 execute the
display process or the notification process (corresponding to step S203 in Fig. 14) in
parallel with the generation process and the display process of the diagnostic image
(steps S106 and S107 in Fig. 10). Then, in Embodiment 5 2, the abnormality
information or the normal information is displayed on the same screen together with
the diagnostic image.
[0098]
As described above, the state analysis device 300A and the state analyzer
10 system 1000A in Embodiment 2 use the positional relationship between the specific
state information x and the normal region X to determine whether the air-conditioning
apparatus 100 has an abnormality. Therefore, the presence or absence of the
abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus 100 can be accurately determined.
Then, it is determined that the specific state information x deviates from the normal
15 region X and the air-conditioning apparatus 100 has the abnormality, so that the
presence or absence of the abnormality in the specific position can be determined
with high accuracy.
[0099]
Further, the state analysis device 300A can determine the specific state
20 information x for each of the plurality of specific positions and the normal region X
corresponding to each of the pieces of specific state information x. Then, the state
analysis device 300A and the state analyzer system 1000A determine the presence
or absence of the abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus 100 from the
positional relationship between the specific state information x and the normal region
25 X corresponding to each of the plurality of specific positions. Therefore, the
abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus 100 can be determined with high
accuracy without being affected by the factor of the abnormality, thereby urging the
user to take appropriate measures.
[0100]
35
Furthermore, the state analyzer system 1000A includes an output unit
configured to output the result of the process performed by the state diagnosis unit
306. The output unit outputs information indicating that the abnormality has
occurred in the air-conditioning apparatus 100 when the specific state information x is
present outside of the normal region X. In other words, the output 5 unit is configured
to display the abnormality information or notify the notification information when the
specific state information x is present outside of the normal region X. Accordingly,
the user can easily grasp the result of the determination made by the state analysis
device 300A with eyes or ears, so that the usability can be improved.
10 [0101]
As in Patent Literature 1, in the method of uniformly determining the necessity
of maintenance by comparing the non-overlap ratio between the refrigeration cycle
charts with the reference value, the determination result varies depending on the
factor of malfunction that associates with the reference value. This is because the
15 influence on the non-overlap ratio between the refrigeration cycle charts differs
depending on the factor of the abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus. For
example, when the factor that the non-overlap ratio is relatively large is taken as a
reference, the factor that the non-overlap ratio is relatively small is overlooked. On
the other hand, when the factor that the non-overlap ratio is relatively small is taken
20 as a reference, an erroneous determination occurs due to the factor that the nonoverlap
ratio is relatively large. In other words, the configuration disclosed in Patent
Literature 1 cannot accurately determine whether the maintenance is necessary.
[0102]
In this regard, the state analysis device 300A in Embodiment 2 can compare
25 the specific state information x and the normal region X with each other for each of
the specific positions by determining the specific state information x and the normal
region X corresponding to the specific position of the refrigerant circuit 200, so that
erroneous determination can be reduced. Other effects are similar to those of
Embodiment 1.
30 [0103]
36
Fig. 13 illustrates the case where the state analysis device 300A includes the
display processing unit 304, but the state analysis device 300A may be configured
without including the display processing unit 304 without being limited thereto. Even
in this case, it is possible to notify the user of the abnormality in the air-conditioning
apparatus 100 due to the determination with high accuracy based 5 on the positional
relationship between the specific state information x and the normal region X.
Accordingly, the maintenance of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 can be urged to
the user, so that the malfunction of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 can be
prevented beforehand. The configuration of Embodiment 1 may be applied to the
10 configuration of Modification 2. In other words, the display content or the notification
content may be changed for each level in the normal region X within which the
specific state information x is present. In addition, the configuration of Modification 2
may be applied to a configuration of Embodiment 3.
[0104]
15 Embodiment 3.
Fig. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a state
analyzer system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The overall
configuration of the state analyzer system according to Embodiment 3 is the same as
the configuration illustrated in Fig. 1 referred to in Embodiment 1. The same
20 components as those in Embodiments 1 and 2 described above are denoted by the
same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be presented.
[0105]
A state analyzer system 1000B in Embodiment 3 includes, in an airconditioning
apparatus 100, a state analysis device 300B that diagnoses malfunction
25 of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 to be diagnosed. The state analysis device
300B includes a specific state determination unit 301, a normal region determination
unit 302, a storage unit 303, a display processing unit 304, a communication unit 305,
and a state diagnosis unit 306B.
[0106]
37
When specific state information x is present outside of a normal region X, the
state diagnosis unit 306B identifies a factor of an abnormality in the air-conditioning
apparatus 100 based on a positional relationship between the specific state
information x and the normal region X. When a plurality of specific positions are set,
the state diagnosis unit 306 identifies a factor of an abnormality in the 5 air-conditioning
apparatus 100 when at least one of a plurality of pieces of specific state information x
deviates from the normal region X corresponding thereto. Then, the state diagnosis
unit 306B transmits factor data indicating the identified result of the factor of the
abnormality to at least one of a management apparatus 400 and an information
10 terminal 500 via a communication unit 305.
[0107]
For example, the state diagnosis unit 306B identifies that the abnormality in the
amount of refrigerant enclosed in the refrigerant circuit 200 is the factor when the
positional relationship between the specific state information x and the normal region
15 X is as illustrated in Fig. 4. The state diagnosis unit 306B identifies that the
abnormality in the condenser or the abnormality in the fan attached to the condenser
is the factor when the positional relationship between the specific state information x
and the normal region X is as illustrated in Fig. 5. The state diagnosis unit 306B
identifies that the abnormality in the evaporator or the abnormality in the fan attached
20 to the evaporator is the factor when the positional relationship between the specific
state information x and the normal region X is as illustrated in Fig. 6. The state
diagnosis unit 306B identifies that the abnormality in the compressor 101 is the factor
when the positional relationship between the specific state information x and the
normal region X is as illustrated in Fig. 7. The state diagnosis unit 306B identifies
25 that the flowing of the liquid refrigerant into the compressor 101 is the factor when the
positional relationship between the specific state information x and the normal region
X is as illustrated in Fig. 8. The state diagnosis unit 306B identifies that the
abnormality in the expansion unit 106 or the abnormality in which the refrigerant
circuit 200 has the clogging portion is the factor when the positional relationship
38
between the specific state information x and the normal region X is as illustrated in
Fig. 9.
[0108]
When the factor data is transmitted from the state diagnosis unit 306, an output
control unit 430 may allow the display unit 421 to display 5 abnormality factor
information indicating the factor of abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus 100.
Similarly, when the factor data is transmitted from the state diagnosis unit 306, an
output control unit 530 may allow the display unit 521 to display abnormality factor
information. When the factor information is transmitted from the state diagnosis unit
10 306, the output control unit 430 may allow a notification unit 422 to notify factor
notification information indicating the factor of abnormality in the air-conditioning
apparatus 100. Similarly, when the factor data is transmitted from the state
diagnosis unit 306, the output control unit 530 may allow a notification unit 522 to
notify factor notification information. First of all, when the factor data is transmitted
15 from the state diagnosis unit 306, the output control unit 430 and the output control
unit 530 may be configured to perform both or either of the display of the abnormality
factor information and the notification of the factor notification information.
[0109]
In Embodiment 3, the display unit 421 or the display unit 521 is configured to
20 display a diagnostic image including the specific state information x and the normal
region X, as in Embodiment 1. Therefore, the abnormality factor information may be
displayed on the same screen together with the diagnostic image.
[0110]
Fig. 16 is a flowchart illustrating state diagnosis processing of the air25
conditioning apparatus 100 in the operation of the state analyzer system illustrated in
Fig. 15. A method of diagnosing the state of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 in
Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Here, a description will be
given with respect to a case where the abnormality factor information is displayed on
the display unit 521 of the information terminal 500.
30 [0111]
39
The state analysis device 300A executes series of processes of steps S101 to
S103 and S201 as in the processes of Fig. 14. Next, the state diagnosis unit 306B
identifies the factor of the abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus 100 (step
S301) when the specific state information x is present outside of the normal region X
(YES in step S201). Then, the state diagnosis unit 306B generates 5 factor data
indicating the identified result of the factor of the abnormality and transmits it to the
information terminal 500 (step S302).
[0112]
When the factor data is transmitted from the state diagnosis unit 306B, the
10 output control unit 530 allows the display unit 521 to display abnormality factor
information (step S303). Then, the operation of the state analyzer system 1000
proceeds to the process of step S101. The operation when the abnormality factor
information is displayed on the display unit 421 and the operation when the factor
notification information is notified from the notification unit 422 or the notification unit
15 522 are the same as in the case of Fig. 16, and thus the description thereof will not be
presented.
[0113]
The determination process and the transmission process of the factor data
(corresponding to step S201 and S301 in Fig. 16, respectively) to be performed by
20 the state diagnosis unit 306B are performed in parallel with the generation process
and the transmission process of the display data (steps S104 and S105 in Fig. 10) to
be performed by the display processing unit 304. In addition, the output control unit
430 and the output control unit 530 execute the display process or the notification
process (corresponding to step S303 in Fig. 16) in parallel with the generation
25 process and the display process of the diagnostic image (steps S106 and S107 in
Fig. 10). Then, in Embodiment 3, the abnormality factor information is displayed on
the same screen together with the diagnostic image.
[0114]
As described above, the state analysis device 300B and the state analyzer
30 system 1000B in Embodiment 3 use the positional relationship between the specific
40
state information x and the normal region X to identify the factor of the abnormality in
the air-conditioning apparatus 100. Therefore, the factor of the abnormality in the
air-conditioning apparatus 100 can be accurately identified. In addition, the state
analysis device 300B can determine the specific state information x for each of the
plurality of specific positions and the normal region X corresponding 5 to each of the
pieces of specific state information x. Then, the state analysis device 300B and the
state analyzer system 1000B identify the factor of the abnormality in the airconditioning
apparatus 100 in consideration of the positional relationship between the
specific state information x and the normal region X corresponding to each of the
10 plurality of specific positions. Therefore, various factors related to the abnormality in
the air-conditioning apparatus 100 can be diagnosed with high accuracy.
[0115]
Furthermore, the state analyzer system 1000B includes an output unit
configured to output the result of the process performed by the state diagnosis unit
15 306B. The output unit outputs information indicating the factor of the abnormality in
the air-conditioning apparatus 100 identified by the state diagnosis unit 306B.
Accordingly, the user can easily recognize the state of the air-conditioning apparatus
100 with eyes or ears, so that the convenience of the user can be improved.
[0116]
20 In the conventional configuration, the user needs to acquire specialized
knowledge in advance, for example, the degree of influence for each factor of the
abnormality to appropriately extract the factor of the abnormality in the airconditioning
apparatus 100. On the other hand, according to the state analyzer
system 1000B, the user can easily know the factor of the abnormality from the
25 information output by the output unit, so that the user can obtain a highly accurate
diagnosis result without having specialized knowledge.
[0117]
Fig. 15 illustrates the case where the state analysis device 300B includes the
display processing unit 304, but the state analysis device 300B may be configured
30 without including the display processing unit 304 without being limited thereto. Even
41
in this case, it is possible to notify the user of the factor of the abnormality in the airconditioning
apparatus 100 due to the diagnosis with high accuracy based on the
positional relationship between the specific state information x and the normal region
X. Accordingly, the user can perform targeted maintenance in a state of checking
the specific position of the air-conditioning apparatus 100. The 5 configuration of
Embodiment 3 can be used in combination with the configuration of Embodiment 2
described above. Further, the configuration of Modification 1 may be applied to the
configuration of Embodiment 3. In other words, the content of the abnormality factor
information or the content of the factor notification information may be changed for
10 each level in the normal region X within which the specific state information x is
present. In addition, the configuration of Modification 2 may be applied to a
configuration of Embodiment 3. Other effects are similar to those of Embodiments 1
and 2.
[0118]
15 Embodiment 4.
Fig. 17 is a configuration diagram illustrating a state analyzer system according
to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. Fig. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a
functional configuration of the state analyzer system illustrated in Fig. 17. The state
analyzer system of Embodiment 4 is characterized in that the state analysis device is
20 not provided inside the air-conditioning apparatus. The same components as those
in Embodiments 1 to 3 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals
and the description thereof will not be presented.
[0119]
A state analyzer system 1000C of Embodiment 4 includes an air-conditioning
25 apparatus 100C, a management apparatus 400C, an information terminal 500C, and
a server apparatus 600. The air-conditioning apparatus 100C has the same
configuration as the air-conditioning apparatuses 100 of Embodiments 1 to 3, except
for not including the state analysis device 300.
[0120]
42
The management apparatus 400C includes a communication processing unit
440 that relays data communication between the air-conditioning apparatus 100 and
the information terminal 500C. The communication processing unit 440 integrates
state data and control data once in an internal memory of the management apparatus
400C, and then forwards the state data and control data to the state 5 analysis device
300 provided in the information terminal 500C.
[0121]
In other words, the communication processing unit 440 acquires state data
from a state detection unit 120 including refrigerant temperature sensors 121 to 125
10 and air temperature sensors 131 and 132, and delivers the acquired state data to the
state analysis device 300 of the information terminal 500C. In addition, the
communication processing unit 440 acquires control data indicating the content of
control for each actuator of a controller 140 from the air-conditioning apparatus 100C,
and delivers the acquired control data to the state analysis device 300 of the
15 information terminal 500C. Then, the information terminal 500C includes the state
analysis device 300 that analyzes the state of the air-conditioning apparatus 100C
using the state data and the control data acquired via the management apparatus
400C.
[0122]
20 For example, high-performance applications can be installed in smartphones
that have become widespread in recent years. In other words, when the information
terminal 500C is a smartphone, the state analysis device 300 is installed as an
application for the smartphone.
[0123]
25 In Figs. 17 and 18, the information terminal 500C includes the state analysis
device 300 configured similarly to that of Embodiment 1, but is not limited thereto.
The information terminal 500C may include the state analysis device 300A of
Embodiment 2 or the state analysis device 300B of Embodiment 3. In other words,
the state analyzer system 1000C may employ the configuration of Modification 1,
43
Modification 2, Embodiment 2, or Embodiment 3, or a combination of two or more of
these configurations.
[0124]
As described above, according to Embodiment 4, since the state analysis
device 300 is provided in the information terminal 500C, the 5 air-conditioning
apparatus 100C can be manufactured at a low cost as compared with the
configurations of Embodiments 1 to 3. In the state analyzer system 1000C, the state
analysis device 300, the state analysis device 300A, or the state analysis device
300B may be provided in the management apparatus 400C. The operation of the
10 state analyzer system 1000C of Embodiment 4 is similar to that of Embodiments 1 to
3.
[0125]
Embodiment 5.
An overall configuration and a functional configuration of a state analyzer
15 system according to Embodiment 5 are the same as those illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 13,
15, 17, and 18 referred to in Embodiments 1 to 4. Embodiments 1 to 4 described
above exemplify the case where the state of the air-conditioning apparatus is
analyzed when the state analysis is requested from the outside. In other words,
Embodiments 1 to 4 exemplify an example in which the state of the air-conditioning
20 apparatus is analyzed in response to the request from the user. On the other hand,
in Embodiment 5, the state of the air-conditioning apparatus is analyzed, for example,
at regular time intervals instead of the request from the user. The same components
as those in Embodiments 1 to 4 described above are denoted by the same reference
numerals and the description thereof will not be presented. Hereinafter, unless
25 otherwise described, the reference numerals used in Embodiment 1 will be used.
[0126]
The state analysis device 300 of Embodiment 5 has a function of managing a
time or a function of measuring a time. Therefore, the state analyzer system 1000 is
configured to analyze the state of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 at the same time
30 every day. Further, the state analyzer system 1000 is configured to analyze the state
44
of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 for each set time. The set time is set to, for
example, 24 hours and can be changed appropriately.
[0127]
Fig. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the state analyzer system
according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. A description 5 will be given
below with respect to a state diagnosis method in the case of performing the state
analysis for each set time. The same steps as those in Fig. 10 are denoted by the
same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be presented. The
state analyzer system 1000 is configured to analyze the state of the air-conditioning
10 apparatus 100 for each set time.
[0128]
The state analyzer system 1000 executes a series of processes of steps S102
to S107 in response to an instruction operation for regular diagnosis from the user.
Then, the state analyzer system 1000 waits until the set time elapses from when the
15 state analysis of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 starts (step S108). After the set
time elapses, the state analyzer system 1000 proceeds to the process of step S102.
When the state analysis is performed at the same time every day, a series of
processes of steps S102 to S107 is executed when a designated time comes. The
designated time may be set for each day of the week or each date. Further, a
20 plurality of designated times may be set for one day. Then, the set number of
designated times may be changed for each day of the week or each date. The
operation is described above assuming that the configuration of Embodiment 1 is
applied, but is the same as that of each of the embodiments when the configurations
of Embodiments 2 to 4 are applied.
25 [0129]
The above-described embodiments are preferred specific examples of the state
analysis device and the state analyzer system, and the technical scope of the present
invention is not limited to these aspects. For example, the state detection unit 120 is
not limited to the above configuration. As an example, the state detection unit 120
30 may include a refrigerant temperature sensor that is provided at the suction side of
45
the compressor 101 to measure the temperature of the refrigerant suctioned into the
compressor 101, instead of the refrigerant temperature sensor 121. Each sensor of
the state detection unit 120 is not limited to the temperature sensor, and the state
detection unit 120 may include, for example, a pressure sensor that measures a
pressure of the refrigerant or an infrared camera that measures 5 a temperature of a
non-contact portion. Each of the above-described embodiments exemplifies the
case where the server apparatus 600 is the cloud server based on cloud computing,
but the server apparatus 600 may be a physical server such as a Web server.
[0130]
10 The refrigerant circuit 200 is not limited to the configurations illustrated in Figs.
1 and 17, and the air-conditioning apparatus 100 can be mounted with the refrigerant
circuits 200 having various configurations. Then, the state analysis device 300 can
analyze states of the refrigerant circuits 200 having various configurations in the
same manner as above. For example, Fig. 1 illustrates the case where the
15 expansion unit 106 includes the first expansion valve 106a and the second expansion
valve 106b, but the expansion unit 106 may be one expansion valve that is an
electronic expansion valve, for example. In the above description, three specific
positions are set as a specific example, but the set number of specific positions may
be one, two, or four or more.
20 Reference Signs List
[0131]
11 compressor 100, 100C air-conditioning apparatus 100A outdoor
unit 100B indoor unit 101 compressor 102 outdoor heat exchanger 103
indoor heat exchanger 104 outdoor fan 105 indoor fan 106 expansion unit
25 106a first expansion valve 106b second expansion valve 108 four-way
valve 109 receiver 120 state detection unit 121 to 125 refrigerant
temperature sensor 131 to 132 air temperature sensor 140 controller
200 refrigerant circuit 300, 300A, 300B state analysis device 301
specific state determination unit 302 normal region determination unit 303
30 storage unit 304 display processing unit 305 communication unit 306, 306B
46
state diagnosis unit 400, 400C management apparatus 410, 510 input unit
420, 520 output unit 421, 521 display unit 422, 522 notification unit
430, 530 output control unit 440 communication processing unit 500,
500C information terminal 600 server apparatus 601 server storage device
602 server communication device 603 machine learning 5 device 800
telecommunication line 1000, 1000A, 1000B, 1000C state analyzer system A
inlet region A1 first inlet region A2 second inlet region B outlet region
B1 first outlet region B2 second outlet region C condensation region
C1 first condensation region C2 second condensation region R
10 refrigerant pipe Rc, Rc1, Rc2 refrigeration cycle chart S saturation line
Tin, Tout isothermal line X normal region a, a1, a2 inlet information b,
b1, b2 outlet information c, c1, c2 condensation information x specific
state information.
47
We Claim :
[Claim 1]
A state analyzer system comprising:
an air-conditioning apparatus including
a refrigerant circuit including a compressor and 5 an expansion unit,
a state detection unit configured to detect a state of refrigerant in the
refrigerant circuit as state data, and
a controller configured to control the compressor and the expansion unit;
a specific state determination unit configured to determine specific state
10 information by using the state data and control data, the control data indicating a
content of control performed by the controller, the specific state information
representing a state of the refrigerant at a specific position in the refrigeration circuit,
and being located in a state space defined by a first parameter and a second
parameter;
15 a normal region determination unit configured to determine, by using the state
data and the control data, a normal region in the state space within which the specific
state information is present when the air-conditioning apparatus operates under a
normal state; and
a display unit configured to display the specific state information determined by
20 the specific state determination unit, and a normal region determined by the normal
region determination unit.
[Claim 2]
The state analyzer system of claim 1, further comprising:
25 a state diagnosis unit configured to, based on a positional relationship of the
specific state information and the normal region, determine whether the airconditioning
apparatus has an abnormality.
[Claim 3]
30 The state analyzer system of claim 2, wherein
48
the state diagnosis unit determines that the air-conditioning apparatus has the
abnormality when the specific state information is present outside of the normal
region.
5 [Claim 4]
The state analyzer system of claim 2 or 3, wherein
the display unit displays information indicating that the abnormality occurs in
the air-conditioning apparatus when the specific state information is present outside
of the normal region.
10
[Claim 5]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein
the state diagnosis unit is configured to identify a factor of the abnormality in
the air-conditioning apparatus, based on the positional relationship of the specific
15 state information and the normal region, and
the display unit displays information indicating the factor of the abnormality in
the air-conditioning apparatus identified by the state diagnosis unit.
[Claim 6]
20 A state analyzer system comprising:
an air-conditioning apparatus including
a refrigerant circuit including a compressor and an expansion unit,
a state detection unit configured to detect a state of refrigerant in the
refrigerant circuit as state data, and
25 a controller configured to control the compressor and the expansion unit;
a specific state determination unit configured to determine specific state
information by using the state data and control data, the control data indicating a
content of control performed by the controller, the specific state information
representing a state of the refrigerant at a specific position in the refrigeration circuit,
49
and being located in a state space defined by a first parameter and a second
parameter;
a normal region determination unit configured to determine, by using the state
data and the control data, a normal region in the state space within which the specific
state information is present when the air-conditioning apparatus 5 operates under a
normal state; and
a state diagnosis unit configured to, based on a positional relationship of the
specific state information and the normal region, determine whether the airconditioning
apparatus has an abnormality.
10
[Claim 7]
The state analyzer system of claim 6, wherein
the state diagnosis unit determines that the air-conditioning apparatus has the
abnormality when the specific state information is present outside of the normal
15 region.
[Claim 8]
The state analyzer system of claim 7, further comprising:
an output unit configured to output a result processed by the state diagnosis
20 unit, wherein
the output unit outputs information indicating that the abnormality occurs in the
air-conditioning apparatus when the specific state information is present outside of
the normal region.
25 [Claim 9]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising:
an output unit configured to output information on a result processed by the
state diagnosis unit, wherein
50
the state diagnosis unit is configured to identify a factor of the abnormality in
the air-conditioning apparatus, based on the positional relationship of the specific
state information and the normal region, and
the output unit outputs information indicating the factor of the abnormality in the
air-conditioning apparatus identified by the state 5 diagnosis unit.
[Claim 10]
The state analyzer system of claim 5 or 9, wherein
the refrigerant circuit includes a condenser and an evaporator, and
10 the state diagnosis unit identifies, as the factor of the abnormality in the airconditioning
apparatus, at least one of:
an abnormality in an amount of refrigerant enclosed in the refrigerant
circuit;
an abnormality in the condenser or the evaporator;
15 an abnormality in the compressor;
an abnormality in which liquid refrigerant flows into the compressor;
an abnormality in the expansion unit; and
an abnormality in which the refrigerant circuit has a clogging portion.
20 [Claim 11]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 5, 9 and 10, wherein
the refrigerant circuit includes a condenser and an evaporator,
the air-conditioning apparatus has fans each being attached to the condenser
and the evaporator, and
25 the state diagnosis unit identifies, as the factor of the abnormality in the airconditioning
apparatus, at least one of:
an abnormality in the fan attached to the condenser; and
an abnormality in the fan attached to the evaporator.
30 [Claim 12]
51
The state analyzer system of claim 8 or 9, wherein
the output unit includes a display unit configured to display the specific state
information determined by the specific state determination unit and the normal region
determined by the normal region determination unit.
5
[Claim 13]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 1 to 5 and 12, wherein
the first parameter is a pressure of the refrigerant,
the second parameter is an enthalpy, and
10 the display unit displays the specific state information and the normal region on
a p-h chart.
[Claim 14]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 1 to 5, 12, and 13, wherein
15 the display unit displays not only the specific state information and the normal
region but also an isothermal line indicating a temperature of an environment in which
the air-conditioning apparatus is installed.
[Claim 15]
20 The state analyzer system of any one of claims 1 to 5 and 12 to 14, further
comprising:
a storage unit configured to store the state data and the control data, wherein
the specific state information is accumulated in the storage unit or a server
apparatus provided outside the air-conditioning apparatus, and
25 the display unit displays information indicating a secular change of the specific
state information.
[Claim 16]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 1 to 5 and 12 to 15, wherein
52
the display unit is provided in at least one of a remote controller, a centralized
management apparatus, a mobile phone, and a personal computer that are
informationally connected to the air-conditioning apparatus.
5 [Claim 17]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 1 to 16, further comprising:
a storage unit configured to store the state data and the control data, wherein
the normal region determination unit determines the normal region by using the
state data and the control data accumulated in the storage unit.
10
[Claim 18]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein
the state data and the control data are accumulated in a server apparatus
provided outside the air-conditioning apparatus, and
15 the normal region determination unit determines the normal region by using the
state data and the control data accumulated in the server apparatus.
[Claim 19]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein
20 the normal region determination unit determines the normal region by using
information on design specifications of the air-conditioning apparatus.
[Claim 20]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein
25 the normal region determination unit determines the normal region based on
machine learning using the state data and the control data.
[Claim 21]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein
53
the normal region determination unit divides the normal region into levels
depending on a degree of the abnormality in the air-conditioning apparatus.
[Claim 22]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 5 1 to 21, wherein
the specific state determination unit determines the specific state information
for each of a plurality of specific positions in the refrigerant circuit, and
the normal region determination unit determines the normal region
corresponding to each of the specific state information.
10
[Claim 23]
The state analyzer system of claim 22, wherein
the refrigerant circuit includes a condenser,
the specific state determination unit determines each of the specific state
15 information including:
inlet information indicating a state of refrigerant at an inlet of the
compressor;
outlet information indicating a state of refrigerant at an outlet of the
compressor; and
20 condensation information indicating a state of refrigerant at an outlet of
the condenser, and
the normal region determination unit determines each of the normal regions
including:
an inlet region where the inlet information is present when the air25
conditioning apparatus operates under the normal state;
an outlet region where the outlet information is present when the airconditioning
apparatus operates under the normal state; and
a condensation region where the condensation information is present
when the air-conditioning apparatus operates under the normal state.
30
54
[Claim 24]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein
a state of the air-conditioning apparatus is analyzed when a state analysis is
requested from an outside.
5
[Claim 25]
The state analyzer system of any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein
a state of the air-conditioning apparatus is analyzed at regular time intervals.
10 [Claim 26]
A state analysis device that analyzes a state of an air-conditioning apparatus
by using state data and control data and allows a display unit, which is provided
outside, to display an analysis result, the air-conditioning apparatus including a
refrigerant circuit including a compressor and an expansion unit and a controller
15 configured to control the compressor and the expansion unit, the state data indicating
a state of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit, the control data indicating a content of
control performed by the controller, the state analysis device comprising:
a specific state determination unit configured to determine specific state
information by using the state data and the control data, the specific state information
20 representing a state of the refrigerant at a specific position in the refrigeration circuit,
and being located in a state space defined by a first parameter and a second
parameter;
a normal region determination unit configured to determine, by using the state
data and the control data, a normal region in the state space within which the specific
25 state information is present when the air-conditioning apparatus operates under a
normal state; and
a display processing unit
specific state information determined by the specific state determination unit, and a
normal region determined by the normal region