Indoor system and indoor unit of air-conditioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11236927-B2
Application number	US-201816962685-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2018
Priority date	Feb 23, 2018
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

An indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus includes a main body including a main board that is provided with a control terminal compatible with a plurality of expansion units. The main board is connected to an expansion board provided with at least one expansion terminal that is a connection terminal compliant with the same standard as the control terminal, and is connected to at least one of the plurality of expansion units via the expansion board.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus, comprising:
a main body including a main board that is provided with a control terminal compatible with a plurality of expansion components,
wherein the main board
is directly connected to an expansion board provided with at least one expansion terminal that is a connection terminal compliant with the same standard as the control terminal, and
is indirectly connected to at least one of the plurality of expansion components via the expansion board,

wherein in a case where one of the plurality of expansion components, excluding the at least one of the plurality of expansion components, includes the expansion board,
a wiring line extending from the expansion board is connected to the control terminal, and
a wiring line extending from the at least one of the plurality of expansion components that includes no expansion board is connected to the at least one expansion terminal,
whereby the main board is connected to the at least one of the plurality of expansion components that includes no expansion board via the expansion board,

wherein in the at least one of the plurality of expansion components that includes no expansion board, a standard board configured to fulfill a standard function of the at least one of the plurality of expansion components that includes no expansion board is provided, and
wherein the main board includes a power supply circuit configured to supply power to the expansion board directly connected to the main board and
each of the at least one expansion component indirectly connected to the main board.

2. The indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein in a case where some of the plurality of expansion components include respective expansion boards including the expansion board,
the expansion boards are connected in series,
whereby the main board is connected to the plurality of expansion components via the expansion boards.

3. The indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the main board includes a controller configured to detect whether or not the main body is connected to each of the plurality of expansion components, and
wherein in a case where the wiring line extending from the expansion board is connected to the control terminal and the wiring line extending from the at least one of the plurality of expansion components that includes no expansion board is connected to the at least one expansion terminal,
the controller transmits an operation instruction for the expansion component including the expansion board and an operation instruction for the at least one of the plurality of expansion components that includes no expansion board to the expansion component including the expansion board connected to the control terminal.

4. The indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the expansion board is removably provided in the main body.

5. The indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the main board includes a controller configured to detect whether or not the main body is connected to each of two or more of the plurality of expansion components, and
wherein when detecting one of the plurality of expansion components that is connected via the expansion board, the controller transmits an operation instruction to the detected expansion component via the expansion board.

6. An indoor system comprising:
the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 ; and
a board unit including a board case,
wherein the expansion board is housed in the board case.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kimata Atsushi
• Kurihara Makoto

Classifications

• F24F11/88

  Electrical aspects, e.g. circuits · CPC title

• F24F1/0022 Primary

  Centrifugal or radial fans · CPC title

• F24F11/89 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title

• F24F2013/207

  with control knobs; Mounting controlling members or control units therein · CPC title

• F24F1/005

  mounted on the floor; standing on the floor · CPC title