JP3604855B2 - Equipment operation status management device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To judge a fault with high accuracy by storing data regarding an operating state of an equipment at each operating condition, building a data base regarding a past operating state, comparing data regarding present operating state of the equipment with past data, and evaluating the present operating state of the equipment. SOLUTION: A central managing apparatus builds a data base 73 by calculating an operation factor of each low temperature display case, calculating a load in a store, sorting it according to the load, and sequentially storing the factors. A change detector 77 compares the present factor with past factor stored in the base 73, and evaluates it. This compared evaluated result is registered with an operating state register 78. If a day in which deteriorated amount of the factor becomes, for example, 0.2 or more due to certain cause is continued for three or more days, arrival of a fault of the case is predicted, a fault is predicted and displayed on a display, and a fault prediction is informed to a maintenance company by using a public channel.

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus that manages the operation state of equipment such as a low-temperature showcase installed in a supermarket or the like and a commercial refrigerator / freezer.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, several to several tens of low-temperature showcases installed in supermarkets for storing and displaying foods are installed according to the scale of the store. Such a low-temperature showcase, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-1135 (F25B47 / 02) or Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-6713 (F25B47 / 02), stores air cooled by heat exchange with a refrigerant in a refrigerator. By circulating the food, the temperature of the air in the refrigerator is lowered below the temperature of the surrounding air, and the food is stored. The target set temperature varies depending on the target food.
[0003]
That is, when the food to be displayed is a frozen food, the temperature is a freezing temperature such as -20 ° C. When the food is a fresh food such as meat or fish, the temperature is an ice temperature such as -3 ° C to 0 ° C. In such a case, a higher temperature (such as + 5 ° C. to + 10 ° C.) becomes the set temperature.
[0004]
Also, there are various types of low-temperature showcase structures, such as a multi-stage case in which a plurality of upper and lower shelves are erected, and a flat case in which a plurality of trays are juxtaposed at the bottom. Therefore, these various types of low-temperature showcases will be installed in a supermarket store. Further, a plurality of such low-temperature showcases are generally installed for one refrigerator.
[0005]
That is, the refrigerator is provided with a compressor, a condenser, and the like, and the evaporators installed in the respective low-temperature showcases are connected in parallel to the compressor by refrigerant pipes to constitute a predetermined refrigeration cycle. Then, depending on the store size, a plurality of systems of the refrigerator and a plurality of low-temperature showcases exist.
[0006]
If such a low-temperature showcase breaks down for some reason and the food in the refrigerator cannot be stored at an appropriate temperature, the food deteriorates and cannot be sold, resulting in serious damage to the store. Therefore, in order to minimize food damage in the event of a failure, supermarkets of this type enter into a maintenance contract with a maintenance company to deal with the occurrence of a failure.
[0007]
In this case, the repair must be performed promptly from the viewpoint of maintaining the freshness of the product (food), so that the maintenance company is usually forced to manage the system on a 24-hour basis. Therefore, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-61814 (F25B49 / 00), a plurality of thresholds such as a maximum temperature, a minimum temperature, and an allowable temperature difference in the refrigerator are set in advance and the temperature in the refrigerator / refrigerated showcase is reduced. Are sequentially compared with these to determine a failure that has occurred in the showcase for each cause and manage the operating state.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, as described above, there are many types of low-temperature showcases, and since there are a plurality of types of refrigerators depending on the horsepower of the compressor and the like, the failure judgment criteria (the above-described thresholds) are not uniform, and In such a method, the setting must be performed for each low-temperature showcase, and the setting operation itself becomes extremely difficult and complicated.
[0009]
Further, the operating state of the low-temperature showcase may be deteriorated due to the above-described failure, or may be deteriorated depending on the load condition. It is generally known that the amount of air heat near the low-temperature showcase and the amount of air heat near the refrigerator affect the cooling degree of each showcase, that is, the temperature inside the refrigerator, but the low-temperature showcase is used in stores. The environment at each installation location is slightly different.
[0010]
For example, the air temperature in the store is not uniform, and the amount of air heat varies depending on the air conditioner and the air blowing direction of the air conditioner in the store, the layout of the entrance and exit of the store, and other heat sources. Different around the case. Therefore, even in the same store, the installation environment of the low-temperature showcase is not uniform, and thus the load differs for each low-temperature showcase. Since there is no sensor capable of accurately detecting the change in the load at the present time, it is not possible to simply determine whether the deterioration of the operating state is due to a failure or a change in the load from the temperature in the refrigerator.
[0011]
On the other hand, if the amount of air heat around the low-temperature showcase or the refrigerator is measured by attaching an outside air temperature sensor, an outside air humidity sensor, or the like, it is possible to judge the deterioration of the operation state due to the change in the load to some extent. Since the number increases, it is difficult to commercialize it in terms of cost.
[0012]
Also, since the cooling capacity in the refrigerator is determined by the refrigerator and the low-temperature showcase combined with it, there are cases where it is difficult to cool from the beginning of installation if there is not enough cooling capability, and the temperature in the refrigerator and the constant It cannot be determined that a failure has occurred only from a simple comparison with a threshold value.
[0013]
Furthermore, if the failure occurrence state of the low-temperature showcase can be found at an early stage, or if it is possible to predict that the failure will occur in the near future, the burden on the maintenance contractor can be reduced, and as a store It is also possible to prevent loss due to unexpected failure, but in the case of judging by comparing the internal temperature with each threshold value as described in the above publication, the threshold value of the allowable temperature difference is narrowed and the failure is reduced. Attempting to detect quickly would result in false alarms occurring very frequently, which would be impractical.
[0014]
The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional technical problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a device operation state management device capable of performing an accurate failure determination based on data from a small number of sensors. With the goal.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The device operating state management device according to claim 1,Such as showcase, refrigerator or freezerEquipment operationrateAn operation state management device that manages the device based on data related to the operation of the device.rateBy classifying and storing data relating to the operating conditions of the device from which the data was obtained,rateMeans for building a database on the current operation of the devicerateMeans for evaluating the current operating state of the device by comparing the data on the device with the past data in the database under the same operating conditions.
Further, the operating state management device for the device according to claim 2, wherein the operating state management device that manages the device based on data relating to a deviation between a set temperature and a discharge air temperature of a device such as a showcase, a refrigerator, or a freezer, By storing data relating to the deviation between the discharge air temperature of the device and the set temperature for each operating condition of the device from which the data was obtained, a database relating to the deviation between the past discharge air temperature and the set temperature is stored. Evaluating the current operating state of the device by comparing the data on the deviation between the current discharge air temperature and the set temperature of the device with the past data in the database under the same operating conditions. Means for performing the operation.
[0016]
Claim 1 or Claim 2According to the operation of the equipmentRatio or deviation between discharge air temperature and set temperatureA database that classifies the current operating conditionsRatio or deviation between discharge air temperature and set temperaturePast driving in the database under the same driving conditions asRatio or deviation between discharge air temperature and set temperatureBy comparing with the above, the current operating state of the device is evaluated, so that it is possible to make a failure determination in consideration of the variation of each device.
[0017]
That is, normal operation at the beginning of installation of the deviceRatio or deviation between discharge air temperature and set temperatureThe database is constructed and stored, and the subsequent deterioration of the operating state is determined based on the database. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine a failure from a small amount of sensor information without performing a troublesome setting for each device in advance. .
[0018]
As a result, it is possible to simplify the monitoring work of the device and to speed up the maintenance work.
[0019]
Claim3The device operating state management device of the invention of the invention has means for holding the evaluation result for a certain period as described above and judging the operating state of the device when the same evaluation result occurs for a predetermined period.
[0020]
Claim3According to the invention, in addition to the above, the evaluation result for a certain period is held, and when the same evaluation result occurs for a predetermined period, the operating state of the device is determined. As a result, even if the operating condition deteriorates, it is possible to prevent the failure from being determined as a failure, and it is possible to avoid erroneous determination and realize more accurate device management.
[0021]
Claim4The device operating state management apparatus according to the invention of the invention has means for estimating the cause of the failure when it is determined in the above that the operating state of the device is a failure or a failure.
[0022]
Claim4According to the invention, in addition to the above, when the operation state of the device is determined to be a failure or a failure, the cause of the failure is estimated, so that the device can be repaired efficiently. It becomes.
[0023]
Claim5The device operating state management device according to the invention includes a means for updating data in a database when an evaluation result meeting predetermined update conditions is obtained in each of the above inventions, and a means for storing information related to the update. It is provided with.
[0024]
Claim5According to the invention, the data in the database is updated when an evaluation result meeting a predetermined update condition is obtained in addition to the above-described inventions.Ratio or deviation between discharge air temperature and set temperatureThe failure can be determined on the basis of. Therefore, operation under the same operating conditionsRatio or deviation between discharge air temperature and set temperatureEven if the value is worse than the initial installation of the device, if it is within the range of normal operation, erroneous determination can be avoided and appropriate management can be performed.
[0025]
In addition, since information related to this update is stored, it is possible to detect a long-term deterioration of the operating state, and to accurately predict occurrence of a failure based on the deterioration.
[0026]
Claim6The device operating state management device of the invention of the invention is provided with means for outputting the priority of the device to be treated based on the information on updating the data in the database in the above.
[0027]
Claim6According to the invention, in addition to the above, the priority of the device to be treated is output based on the information on the update of the data in the database. This makes it possible to further accelerate work and improve accuracy.
[0028]
Claim7The device operating state management apparatus according to the invention of the present invention is provided with means for adjusting the evaluation or judgment criteria in each of the above inventions.
[0029]
Claim7According to the invention, a means for adjusting the evaluation or judgment criteria is provided in addition to the above inventions, so that the administrator or maintenance company evaluates the failure judgment result, and adjusts the evaluation or judgment criteria for each device. become able to. This makes it possible to optimize the evaluation / judgment criteria for each device-specific performance and installation environment, and to achieve more accurate device management.
[0030]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a low-temperature showcase 1 as an embodiment of a device for explaining the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a piping configuration in a supermarket store where the low-temperature showcase 1 is installed, and FIG. It is a block diagram of the electric circuit of the control apparatus 56 of the showcase 1 and the centralized control apparatus 69 installed in the store.
[0031]
The low-temperature showcase 1 of the embodiment is a vertical open showcase, and includes a heat insulating wall 32 having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and side plates (not shown) attached to both sides of the heat insulating wall 32 at an installation site. I have. An outer partition plate 34 and an inner partition plate 36 are attached to the inner side of the heat insulating wall 32 at intervals, and a space between the heat insulating wall 32 and the outer layer partition plate 34 is formed between the outer duct 37 and the inner and outer layer partition plates 36, 34. Is an inner layer duct 38, and the inside of the inner layer partition plate 36 is a storage chamber 39.
[0032]
A plurality of shelves 41 are provided in the storage room 39, and fluorescent lamps 40 are provided in the front of the lower surface of each shelf 41, the ceiling of the storage room 39, and the eaves 37. Installed. A deck pan 42 is attached to the bottom of the storage chamber 39, and below the deck pan 42 is a bottom duct 43 communicating with the ducts 37 and 38. A fan case 44 having a blower 45 built therein is installed in the bottom duct 43. An evaporator 46 is provided vertically below the inner layer duct 38 located behind the storage room 39.
[0033]
An outer-layer outlet 52 and an inner-layer outlet 53 are arranged in front and rear at the upper edge of the front opening 51 of the storage chamber 39. The outer-layer outlet 52 is connected to the outer-layer duct 37 and the inner-layer outlet 53 is connected to the inner-layer duct 38. Communicating. A suction port 54 is formed at a lower edge of the opening 51 and communicates with the bottom duct 43.
[0034]
When the blower 45 in the fan case 44 is operated, the air in the bottom duct 43 is blown toward the inner and outer layer ducts 37 and 38 at the rear, and is blown up as it is in the outer layer duct 37, and the inner layer duct 38. Is blown up after exchanging heat with the evaporator 46, and is blown out from the inner and outer layer discharge ports 52, 53 at the upper edge of the opening 51 toward the suction port 54 at the lower edge.
[0035]
As a result, an inner cool air curtain and an outer air curtain protecting the inner cool air curtain are formed in the opening 51 of the storage chamber 39, and the intrusion of outside air from the opening 51 is prevented or suppressed. A part of the air curtain circulates in the storage room 39 and the inside of the storage room 39 is cooled.
[0036]
Then, the cool air or the like returns to the bottom duct 43 from the suction port 54 and is sucked into the blower 45 again. A defrost heater 67 is attached to the evaporator 46 to generate heat and melt frost on the evaporator 46.
[0037]
Next, in FIG. 2, what is indicated by 1a... Is a low-temperature showcase (refrigerated case for fruits and vegetables) for storing and displaying fruits and vegetables (commodities), three of which are arranged side by side. .. Are low-temperature showcases (ice temperature cases for fresh fish) for storing and displaying fresh fish (products).
[0038]
Each of the low-temperature showcases 1a, 1b, ... is installed along the wall surface of a supermarket store as shown in FIG. On the other hand, reference numerals 11 and 12 are separate-type refrigeration refrigerators and ice-temperature refrigerators installed (separately) in a machine room 13 formed outside the store.
[0039]
Each of the refrigerators 11 and 12 is composed of a compressor and a condenser (not shown). The inlet side of the evaporator 46 of the low-temperature showcase 1a (refrigeration case) is provided with the electromagnetic valve 14 and the expansion valve 16 respectively. The refrigerant is connected in parallel to the liquid refrigerant pipe 17 of the refrigerator 11 through the outlet, and the outlet side of the evaporator 46 is connected in parallel to the gas refrigerant pipe 18 of the refrigerator 11.
[0040]
Further, the inlet side of the evaporator 46... Of the low-temperature showcase 1 b (ice temperature case) is connected in parallel to the liquid refrigerant pipe 22 of the ice temperature refrigerator 12 via the solenoid valve 19 and the expansion valve 21. At the same time, the outlet side of the evaporator 46 is connected in parallel to the gas refrigerant pipe 23 of the ice temperature refrigerator 12.
[0041]
Next, in FIG. 3, the control device 56 of the low-temperature showcases 1a and 1b is constituted by a general-purpose microcomputer 57, and a control temperature setting switch 58 is connected to the input of the microcomputer 57. A lighting switch 61 is connected to an input of the computer 57. The output of a defrost recovery temperature sensor 62 for detecting the defrost recovery temperature of the evaporator 46 is connected, and the output of a control temperature sensor 63 for detecting the temperature of the air discharged from the inner layer duct 38 (discharge air temperature). Has been entered. The control temperature sensor 63 is provided in the inner layer duct 38 on the upstream side of the inner layer discharge port 53 as shown in FIG.
[0042]
The output of the temperature control contact 64 of the microcomputer 57 is connected to the solenoid valve 14 or 19, and the output of the defrost contact 66 is connected to the defrost heater 67. The communication unit 68 of the microcomputer 57 is connected to a centralized management device 69 installed in the store via a communication line.
[0043]
The central control device 69 is composed of a personal computer or the like, and the control device 56 of each low-temperature showcase 1a,..., 1b. Connected through. In addition, the central control device 69 is provided with a keyboard 71 for performing various input operations such as adjusting thresholds, which will be described later, which are evaluation or judgment reference values, and a temperature and humidity sensor installed in the store. The output of 72 is also input. The central control device 69 is connected to a computer (not shown) of a maintenance company via a public line or the like.
[0044]
The operation will be described with the above configuration. The low-temperature showcase 1b and the refrigerator 12 for chilling will be described below. However, the operation of the solenoid valve 14, the expansion valve 16 and the like for the low-temperature showcase 1a and the refrigerator 11 only differ in the set temperature and the like. The description is omitted because it is the same.
[0045]
When the compressor of the chilling refrigerator 12 is operated, the refrigerant is decompressed by the expansion valve 21 through the liquid refrigerant pipe 22, and then supplied to the evaporators 46 of the low-temperature showcases 1b. I do. At this time, the evaporator 46 exerts a cooling function. The air (cool air) that has exchanged heat with the evaporator 46 rises in the inner layer duct 38 as described above and is discharged from the inner layer discharge port 53.
[0046]
Here, assuming that the set value of the temperature of the air discharged from the inner layer discharge port 53 (discharge air temperature) is set to −5 ° C. by the control temperature setting switch 58, the microcomputer 57 sets this set temperature −5 ° C. Based on the discharge air temperature detected by the control temperature sensor 63, the temperature control switch 64 controls opening and closing of the solenoid valve 19.
[0047]
That is, based on the discharge air temperature detected by the control temperature sensor 63, the microcomputer 57 opens the solenoid valve 19 when the temperature rises to, for example, −3 ° C. or more, and closes the solenoid valve 19 when the temperature drops to −5 ° C. or less. When all the solenoid valves 19 are closed, the compressor of the chiller 12 stops. By such a cooling operation, the temperature of the goods displayed on the shelf 41 in the storage room 39 is maintained at about 0 ° C.
[0048]
The microcomputer 57 has a clock function, and closes the electromagnetic valve 19 every 12 hours or 24 hours, for example, and energizes (closes) the defrost heater 67 through the defrost contact 66. The defrost heater 67 is energized and generates heat to melt and remove frost from the evaporator 46. When the defrosting of the evaporator 46 progresses and reaches a defrosting recovery temperature such as, for example, + 8 ° C., the microcomputer 57 opens the contact 66 based on the output of the defrosting recovery temperature sensor 62 and stops the power supply to the defrosting heater 67. I do. Thereafter, after a predetermined draining time (the defrost heater 67 is turned off and the solenoid valve 19 is closed), the operation returns to the cooling operation described above.
[0049]
Next, referring to the functional block diagram of the centralized control device 69 shown in FIG. 4, the centralized control device 69 determines the failure of the low-temperature showcases 1a, 1b,. The following describes a control operation for judging that a failure occurs or predicting that a failure will occur.
[0050]
Now, assuming that the low-temperature showcase 1a or 1b is installed in the winter period, the central control device 69 relates to ON / OFF (opening / closing) of the temperature control contact 64 sent from each low-temperature showcase 1a or 1b. Information, the discharge air temperature information detected by the control temperature sensor 63, and the set temperature information (hereinafter, referred to as sensor information) set by the control temperature setting switch 58, and the temperature control contact 64 in the information is turned on. The operation rates of the low-temperature showcases 1a and 1b are calculated from the / OFF information. The operating rate in this case is a value obtained by dividing the opening time by the sum of the opening time and the closing time of the solenoid valve 14 or 19.
[0051]
Further, the central control device 69 calculates the load (enthalpy) in the store based on information (also referred to as sensor information) from the temperature and humidity sensor 72, classifies the load (operating condition), and classifies the load (operating condition) into the above-mentioned operating rate. Are sequentially stored to construct the database 73 (FIG. 4). In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the central management device 69 samples the operating rate from the beginning of the installation of the low-temperature showcases 1a and 1b every 30 minutes, classifies the operating rate for each load, and stores it.
[0052]
FIG. 5 shows the arrangement of data in the database 73 in two dimensions, in which the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents load. Further, as the operation rate, the average value of the values of three consecutive days under the same load, or the average value of the operation rates when the load is the same for three days in one week is stored.
[0053]
Since the low-temperature showcases 1a and 1b are normal at the beginning of the installation, if one year has passed in this way (from winter to spring, summer, and autumn), the database 73 will correspond to various loads. A database 73 relating to the operation rates (normal operating conditions) of the low-temperature showcases 1a and 1b is constructed for each low-temperature showcase 1a and 1b.
[0054]
As described above, the central management device 69 has constructed the database 73 from the beginning of the installation of each of the low-temperature showcases 1a and 1b. Next, actual failure determination control by the central management device 69 will be described. .
[0055]
(1) Failure judgment operation
The change detection unit 77 of the central control device 69 determines that the deviation e between the discharge air temperature (discharge temperature) sent from each of the low-temperature showcases 1a and 1b and the set temperature is a threshold value of 2 ° C. or 3 ° C. deg) or more, and also determines whether the operation rate is 0.9 or more. This comparison determination is made every 60 minutes, and the deviation e is determined by an average of three hours. The result is registered in the operation state registration unit 78. If the operation rate is 0.9 or less (0.8 in the figure) as shown on the left side of FIG. 6, it is determined that the state is normal.
[0056]
On the other hand, the cooling becomes weaker for some reason, and the operating rate registered in the operating state registration unit 78 is 0.9 or more for three consecutive hours as shown on the right side of FIG. , 0.9 once), and when the average deviation e over three hours is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the failure determination / prediction unit 79 of the central control device 69 determines that the low-temperature showcase 1a or 1b has failed. It determines that the state has fallen, displays a failure determination on its own display, and notifies the maintenance company of the failure determination using a public line.
[0057]
In this case, the cause estimating unit 74 of the centralized management device 69 determines that the evaporator is not used if the defrosting time (the energizing time of the defrosting heater 67) is the maximum value twice or more in the past four defrosting before the failure determination. It is presumed that the frost may be caused by frost formation at 46, and the indication and the notification are added to that effect.
[0058]
If a plurality of low-temperature showcases 1a... Or 1b... In the same system are determined to be in a failure state, it is estimated that there is an abnormality in the refrigerant piping system, and display and notification are performed. The maintenance contractor repairs the low-temperature showcase 1a or 1b based on the notification / display. At this time, if no trouble has actually occurred, the maintenance contractor uses the keyboard 71 to enter " By inputting the "false alarm", the failure determination prediction learning mechanism unit 76 of the central control device 69 increases the threshold value by 0.5 ° C.
[0059]
Conversely, if the failure determination is required earlier, if "early" is input on the keyboard 71 in the same manner, the failure determination prediction learning mechanism 76 of the centralized management device 69 will receive the threshold value. By 0.5 ° C.
[0060]
If a defrosting operation is performed during the above-described failure determination as shown in FIG. 7, the determination is performed in a total of four hours with the defrosting operation interposed.
[0061]
(2) Failure prediction operation
The change detection unit 77 of the centralized management device 69 is configured to determine the current operation rate (operating state) of the low-temperature showcases 1a and 1b based on ON / OFF information of the temperature control contact 64 sent from each of the low-temperature showcases 1a and 1b as needed. And the past data (operating rate: operating state) of the low-temperature showcases 1a and 1b stored in the database 73 are compared and evaluated. In this case, as the comparison target, the past operation rate at the same load as the current load (based on the temperature and humidity sensor 72) at which the operation rate was obtained is selected.
[0062]
This comparison evaluation result is registered in the operating state registration unit 78. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, when days in which the deterioration rate of the operation rate becomes the threshold value, for example, 0.2 or more do not continue for three days or more, the failure determination / prediction unit 79 does not perform the failure prediction. As described above, by making a determination based on the change within three days, it is possible to prevent false reports due to a temporary change.
[0063]
On the other hand, if the operating state deteriorates for some reason and the days when the amount of deterioration of the operation rate becomes 0.2 or more continue, for example, three days or more as shown in FIG. 9, the low-temperature showcase 1a or 1b may fail. It predicts that there will be a failure, displays a failure prediction on its own display, and notifies the maintenance company of the failure prediction using a public line.
[0064]
Further, the failure prediction is also performed when the operation rate does not continue for three days or more and the operation rate deteriorates by 0.2 or more for three days or more in one week as shown in FIG. As described above, since the current operating state is compared with the past operating state, the transition of the operating state can be detected, and the occurrence of a failure can be predicted in advance. That is, even if the failure state has not been reached as described above, if the operation rate under the same load condition has deteriorated, it can be inferred that the state has fallen into such a state for some reason. This is because if left unchecked, it can be determined that a failure state will eventually occur.
[0065]
In this case as well, the cause estimating unit 74 determines that the evaporator has not been used in the past four times before the failure prediction. For example, if the defrosting time (the energizing time of the defrosting heater 67) is the maximum value twice or more, It is presumed that the frost may be caused by frost formation at 46, and the indication and the notification are added to that effect.
[0066]
If a plurality of low-temperature showcases 1a... 1b... In the same system are predicted to be in a failure state, it is presumed that there is an abnormality in the refrigerant piping system, and display and notification are performed. The maintenance contractor can repair the low-temperature showcase 1a or 1b based on the notification / display before the failure occurs. At this time, if no abnormality has actually occurred, When the maintenance company inputs "false alarm" on the keyboard 71, the failure determination prediction learning mechanism 76 of the centralized management apparatus 69 adjusts the threshold value.
[0067]
On the other hand, if the failure prediction is required earlier, if "early" is input on the keyboard 71 in the same manner, the failure determination prediction learning mechanism 76 of the centralized management device 69 will receive the threshold value. Adjust to lower.
[0068]
As described above, the central control device 69 detects that the operation rate (operating state) is worse than before by the failure judgment / prediction unit 79. However, the degree of deterioration is small, so May not be reached.
[0069]
In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, when days in which the deterioration rate of the operation rate becomes the threshold value in this case, for example, 0.1 or more do not continue for three or more days, the learning mechanism unit 81 of the database Although the update is not performed, as shown in FIG. 12, when the days in which the deterioration rate of the operation rate becomes 0.1 or more continue for, for example, three or more days, the learning mechanism unit 81 of the database stores the low-temperature showcase in the database 73. The past data on 1a or 1b is updated to the operation rate at that time (corresponding to the load).
[0070]
In addition, the above update is also performed in a case where three or more consecutive days do not occur, and as shown in FIG. Therefore, the worst operating state of each low-temperature showcase 1a, 1b under each load (operating condition) is stored in the database 73.
[0071]
Further, when the database 73 is updated as described above, information on the update is stored in the data change history registration unit 82. The failure determination / prediction unit 79 detects long-term deterioration of the operating state from the registration information of the data change history registration unit 82 and predicts the occurrence of a failure.
[0072]
In addition, the maintenance case extraction unit 83 of the centralized management device 69, based on a request from the keyboard 71 by the maintenance company, based on the information in the data change history registration unit 82, the low-temperature showcases 1a and 1b in which the operating state is greatly deteriorated. Is displayed on the display so that maintenance is given priority. This allows the maintenance contractor to perform maintenance efficiently.
[0073]
In the above-described embodiment, the failure determination is continuously performed when the operating state is greatly deteriorated. However, by comparing with the past data in the database 73 in the same manner as the failure prediction, for example, a large operation is performed in a short time. Failure determination may be performed based on a change in the state.
[0074]
In the embodiment, the operation state of the low-temperature showcase is determined from the operation rate. However, a database of the operation state is obtained from other information (such as deviation temperature and ON / OFF of the fluorescent lamp) or further considering other information. And it is also possible to perform failure judgment and prediction.
[0075]
Further, in the embodiments, the low-temperature showcase has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention is effective for various devices.
[0076]
【The invention's effect】
As detailed aboveClaim 1 or Claim 2According to the operation of the equipmentRatio or deviation between discharge air temperature and set temperatureA database that classifies the current operating conditionsRatio or deviation between discharge air temperature and set temperaturePast driving in the database under the same driving conditions asRatio or deviation between discharge air temperature and set temperatureBy comparing with the above, the current operating state of the device is evaluated, so that it is possible to make a failure determination in consideration of the variation of each device.
[0077]
That is, normal operation at the beginning of installation of the deviceRatio or deviation between discharge air temperature and set temperatureThe database is constructed and stored, and the subsequent deterioration of the operating state is determined based on the database. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine a failure from a small amount of sensor information without performing a troublesome setting for each device in advance. .
[0078]
As a result, it is possible to simplify the monitoring work of the device and to speed up the maintenance work.
[0079]
Claim3According to the invention, in addition to the above, the evaluation result for a certain period is held, and when the same evaluation result occurs for a predetermined period, the operating state of the device is determined. As a result, even if the operating condition deteriorates, it is possible to prevent the failure from being determined as a failure, and it is possible to avoid erroneous determination and realize more accurate device management.
[0080]
Claim4According to the invention, in addition to the above, when the operation state of the device is determined to be a failure or a failure, the cause of the failure is estimated, so that the device can be repaired efficiently. It becomes.
[0081]
Claim5According to the invention, the data in the database is updated when an evaluation result meeting a predetermined update condition is obtained in addition to the above-described inventions.Ratio or deviation between discharge air temperature and set temperatureThe failure can be determined on the basis of. Therefore, operation under the same operating conditionsRatio or deviation between discharge air temperature and set temperatureEven if the value is worse than the initial installation of the device, if it is within the range of normal operation, erroneous determination can be avoided and appropriate management can be performed.
[0082]
In addition, since information related to this update is stored, it is possible to detect a long-term deterioration of the operating state, and to accurately predict occurrence of a failure based on the deterioration.
[0083]
Claim6According to the invention, in addition to the above, the priority of the device to be treated is output based on the information on the update of the data in the database. This makes it possible to further accelerate work and improve accuracy.
[0084]
Claim7According to the invention, a means for adjusting the evaluation or judgment criteria is provided in addition to the above inventions, so that the administrator or maintenance company evaluates the failure judgment result, and adjusts the evaluation or judgment criteria for each device. become able to. This makes it possible to optimize the evaluation / judgment criteria for each device-specific performance and installation environment, and to achieve more accurate device management.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a vertical side view of a low-temperature showcase as an example of an apparatus for explaining the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a piping configuration in a supermarket store where a low-temperature showcase is installed.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electric circuit of a control device of a low-temperature showcase and a central control device installed in a store.
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a centralized management device.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for constructing a database of a centralized management device.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a failure determination operation performed by the centralized management device.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a failure determination operation by the centralized management device.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a failure prediction operation performed by the centralized management device.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a failure prediction operation by the centralized management device.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a failure prediction operation by the centralized management device.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a database update operation by the central management device.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a database update operation performed by the central management apparatus.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a database update operation performed by the centralized management device.
[Explanation of symbols]
1a, 1b low temperature showcase
11, 12 Refrigerator
14, 19 Solenoid valve
56 Controller
63 Control temperature sensor
69 Centralized management device
71 Keyboard
72 Temperature and humidity sensor
73 Database
74 Cause Estimator
76 Failure judgment prediction learning mechanism
77 Change detector
78 Operation status register
79 Failure judgment / prediction unit
81 Database Learning Mechanism
82 Data Change History Register
83 Maintenance Case Extraction Required

Claims (7)

In an operation state management device that manages the equipment based on data on the operation rate of equipment such as a showcase, a refrigerator or a freezer ,
Means for constructing a database relating to past operating rates by storing data relating to the operating rates of the equipment, classifying and storing the data for each operating condition of the equipment from which the data was obtained,
Means for evaluating the current operating state of the device by comparing data on the current operation rate of the device with past data in the database under the same operating conditions. Operating state management device. In an operation state management device that manages the showcase, a device such as a refrigerator or a freezer based on data regarding a deviation between the discharge air temperature and a set temperature of the device, such as a refrigerator or a freezer ,
By storing data relating to the deviation between the discharge air temperature of the device and the set temperature for each operating condition of the device from which the data was obtained, a database relating to the deviation between the past discharge air temperature and the set temperature is stored. Means for constructing
Means for evaluating a current operating state of the device by comparing data relating to a deviation between a current discharge air temperature of the device and a set temperature with past data in the database under the same operating conditions. An operation state management device for a device. 3. The device operation state management device according to claim 1, further comprising means for holding an evaluation result for a predetermined period and determining an operation state of the device when the same evaluation result occurs for a predetermined period. apparatus. 4. The device operating state management device according to claim 3 , further comprising means for estimating a cause of the failure when the operating state of the device is determined to be a failure or a failure. 3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising: means for updating data in a database when an evaluation result matching predetermined update conditions is obtained; and means for storing information relating to the update. The operation state management device for a device according to claim 3 or 4 . 6. The device operation state management device according to claim 5 , further comprising: a unit that outputs a priority of the device to be treated based on information on updating data in the database. Claim 1, characterized in that it comprises means for adjusting the evaluation or criteria, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, operating state management device of the apparatus according to claim 5 or claim 6.

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