Management apparatus and method of managing air-conditioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9671124-B2
Application number	US-201314651814-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2013
Priority date	Mar 4, 2013
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

A remaining memory capacity of a memory is acquired in a predetermined cycle, and remaining memory capacity MR is stored in a remaining capacity database in association with an acquisition date. After that, it is determined whether or not a memory leak is present based on the remaining memory capacity and the acquisition date stored in the remaining capacity database. When it is determined that the memory leak possibly occurs, a usage limit period being a length of time to a point when a forced restart according to a usage limit threshold is performed is computed based on the remaining memory capacity and a memory decreasing rate. A restart schedule (and an all-stop period) is set within the usage limit period. On a date of the restart schedule, a management apparatus for managing an air-conditioning apparatus is restarted.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A management apparatus for managing an air-conditioning apparatus, the management apparatus including a memory to store data, and managing an operation of an air-conditioning apparatus including a plurality of indoor units and an outdoor unit, the management apparatus comprising:
a remaining memory capacity acquisition unit to acquire a remaining memory capacity of the memory;
a memory leak determination unit to determine whether or not a memory leak is present in the memory based on the remaining memory capacity acquired by the remaining memory capacity acquisition unit;
a usage limit estimation unit to estimate, when the memory leak determination unit determines that the memory leak is present, a usage limit period being a length of time to a point when the memory reaches a preset usage limit threshold;
a schedule table storing an operation schedule of the air-conditioning apparatus and the management apparatus, wherein the operation schedule for one of the plurality of indoor units, in the operation schedule stored in the schedule table, has an operation period which is independent of an other of the plurality of indoor units;
a schedule management unit to search the schedule table for an all-stop period in which operations of all of the plurality of Indoor units are stopped within the usage limit period estimated by the usage limit estimation unit, and set a restart schedule for restarting the management apparatus in the schedule table in accordance with the all-stop period searched out; and
an equipment control unit to restart the management apparatus according to the restart schedule set in the schedule table by the schedule management unit.

2. The management apparatus for managing an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory leak determination unit determines that the memory leak is present when a period in which the remaining memory capacity continues to decrease exceeds a predetermined period.

3. The management apparatus for managing an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the usage limit estimation unit estimates the usage limit period being a length of time to a point when the memory reaches the usage limit threshold, based on a decreasing rate of the remaining memory capacity per unit time.

4. The management apparatus for managing an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the equipment control unit restricts an operation of monitoring the air-conditioning apparatus while the management apparatus is being restarted.

5. The management apparatus for managing an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the schedule management unit changes the restart schedule in accordance with a change in the all-stop period when a schedule of the all-stop period is changed after setting the restart schedule.

6. The management apparatus for managing an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the schedule management unit has a function to newly set the all-stop period within the usage limit period when the all-stop period cannot be searched within the usage limit period.

7. The management apparatus for managing an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the schedule management unit sets the restart schedule by assuming that the all-stop period is started when it is detected that all of the plurality of indoor units are stopped in a case in which the all-stop period cannot be searched within the usage limit period.

8. The management apparatus for managing an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the all-stop period which is searched for by the schedule management unit means a period in which operations of all of the plurality of indoor units under management of the management apparatus are stopped, and operation of the outdoor unit under management of the management apparatus may continue during the all-stop period.

9. The management apparatus for managing an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the all-stop period which is searched for by the schedule management unit means a period in which operations of the outdoor unit and all of the plurality of indoor units and under management of the management apparatus are stopped.

10. The management apparatus for managing an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the management apparatus further manages an operation of a plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses each including at least one indoor unit, the plurality of air-conditioning apparatus including the air-conditioning apparatus that includes the plurality of indoor units,
the schedule table further stores an operation schedule of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses,
the all-stop period which is searched for means a period in which, for all of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses, operations of all of the plurality of indoor units for the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses under management of the management apparatus are stopped.

11. A method of managing an air-conditioning apparatus, the air-conditioning apparatus including a memory to store data, and managing an operation of an air-conditioning apparatus including a plurality of indoor units and an outdoor unit, the method comprising:
acquiring a remaining memory capacity of the memory;
determining whether or not a memory leak is present in the memory based on the acquired remaining memory capacity;
estimating a usage limit period being a length of time to a point when the memory reaches a preset usage limit threshold, when the step of determining determines that the memory leak is present;
searching a schedule table that stores an operation schedule of the air-conditioning apparatus and the management apparatus for an ail-stop period in which operations of all of the plurality of indoor units are stopped within the estimated usage limit period, and setting a restart schedule for restarting the management apparatus in the schedule table in accordance with the all-stop period searched out, wherein the stored in the schedule table, has an operation period which is independent of an other of the plurality of indoor units; and
restarting the management apparatus according to the set restart.

12. The method of managing an air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the all-stop period which is searched for means a period in which operations of all of the plurality of indoor units under management of the management apparatus are stopped, and operation of the outdoor unit under management of the management apparatus may continue during the all-stop period.

13. The method of managing an air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the all-stop period which is searched for means a period in which operations of the outdoor unit and all of the plurality of indoor units and under management of the management apparatus are stopped.

14. The method of managing an air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the management apparatus further manages an operation of a plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses each including at least one indoor unit, the plurality of air-conditioning apparatus including the air-conditioning apparatus that includes the plurality of indoor units,
the schedule table further stores an operation schedule of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses,
the all-stop period which is searched for means a period in which, for all of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses, operations of all of the plurality of indoor units for the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses under management of the management apparatus are stopped.

Assignees

• Sakaguchi Hiroaki
• Kitazaki Mitsuru
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Sakaguchi Hiroaki
• Kitazaki Mitsuru

Classifications

• F24F11/38 Primary

  Failure diagnosis · CPC title

• F24F11/64

  using pre-stored data · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• G06F3/0673

  Single storage device · CPC title

• G06F3/0653

  Monitoring storage devices or systems · CPC title