A centralized control system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a centralized control system, wherein the centralized controller comprises: a main control unit; a communication loop; an address setting unit for setting the communication address of the centralized controller; a level setting unit for setting the priority of the centralized controller; only one centralized controller with the highest priority among multiple centralized controllers is set as the main centralized controller, and the remaining centralized controllers are slave centralized controllers; the main centralized controller communicates with the air-conditioning unit, each slave centralized controller communicates with the main centralized controller, and the main centralized controller forwards the status information of the air-conditioning unit to each slave centralized controller; the control instruction of the main centralized controller is directly issued to the air-conditioning unit; the control instruction of each slave centralized controller is issued to the air-conditioning unit through the main centralized controller; based on the priority of each current slave centralized controller that issues the control instruction, the control instruction issued by the slave centralized controller is forwarded by the main centralized controller. The present invention can realize the hierarchical control of multiple centralized controllers and meet the flexibility of use in multiple scenarios.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of centralized control technology, and in particular to a centralized control system. Background Art

[0002] The centralized controller of the central air conditioner brings convenient operations to users, which are mainly divided into two categories: local end and remote end. The remote end mainly accesses the network through wired mode (LAN, etc.) or wireless mode (such as 4G, NB-Iot, WiFi, etc.), can collect the status parameters of the air-conditioning unit and send them to the centralized controller, and the air-conditioning unit receives the control instructions issued by the centralized controller.

[0003] The system design of the existing centralized controller is as follows Figure 1 As shown, it includes a main control unit (MCU) 10 , a communication circuit 20 , a communication interface 30 and a power supply circuit 40 .

[0004] The communication circuit 20 is responsible for communicating with the air-conditioning unit; the communication interface 30 is used to connect the touch / display module (for displaying and controlling the local status of the air-conditioning), the remote APP or PC host computer (for displaying and controlling the remote status of the air-conditioning); the touch / display module displays and controls the local status of the air-conditioning; the power supply circuit 40 provides power for the centralized control system.

[0005] Existing remote centralized applications, such as remote control fields such as APP or Web terminals, can easily achieve hierarchical management of central air conditioners, and can allocate permissions according to different users. The highest administrator can allocate control permissions to other administrators or end users, thus realizing multi-level permission management. Although the local centralized controller can be used in parallel on the bus, they are all used at the same level and lack hierarchical management functions.

[0006] Even if permissions are allocated through remote APP, their control over the central air-conditioning is at the same level. Even if the highest administrator issues a control instruction to the central air-conditioning, ordinary administrators or end users can make secondary adjustments. There is no level distinction for control instructions, only a distinction in sequence.

[0007] In some special application scenarios, such as hospitals, government agencies and other units, it has become a demand to achieve hierarchical control of central air conditioning. For example, the highest-level authority manager controls a certain temperature, while managers with lower-level authority cannot modify it. Only managers with higher authority can operate it, thus avoiding chaotic control. Summary of the invention

[0008] The present invention provides a centralized control system, which can prioritize multiple centralized controllers mounted on a communication bus, realize hierarchical control of air-conditioning units, avoid the problem of control confusion, and effectively reduce the occupancy rate of the communication bus at the same time.

[0009] The present application provides a centralized control system for connecting multiple centralized controllers on the same communication bus, wherein the centralized controller includes:

[0010] A main control unit, which is used to perform the centralized control function of the air conditioning unit;

[0011] A communication circuit, connected to the main control unit, for transmitting communication messages on the communication bus;

[0012] an address setting unit connected to the main control unit and used to set a communication address for the central controller to communicate with the air-conditioning unit, wherein the communication addresses of the central controllers are different from each other;

[0013] A level setting unit, connected to the main control unit, for setting the priority of the centralized controller;

[0014] Among the multiple centralized controllers, only one centralized controller with the highest priority is set as the master centralized controller, and the remaining centralized controllers are slave centralized controllers.

[0015] The present application ensures that multiple centralized controllers on the same communication bus can communicate with each other without interfering with each other through an address setting unit and a level setting unit, while also being able to perform hierarchical control through set priorities, thereby facilitating hierarchical management of multiple centralized controllers.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present application, the master controller communicates with the air-conditioning unit, and each slave controller communicates with the master controller. The master controller synchronizes status information of the air-conditioning unit to each slave controller. In this way, each slave controller can synchronously update status information through the master controller.

[0017] The control instructions of the master centralized controller are directly issued to the air-conditioning unit. In addition, the control instructions of each slave centralized controller are issued to the air-conditioning unit through the master centralized controller; based on the current priority of each slave centralized controller that issues the control instructions, the control instructions issued by the slave centralized controller are forwarded through the master centralized controller.

[0018] In the centralized control system proposed in the present application, a master centralized controller with the highest priority is provided, through which status information is forwarded to synchronize the status information of the remaining slave centralized controllers, and based on the priority of the slave centralized controllers, the air-conditioning control instructions from the slave centralized controllers are forwarded to the air-conditioning units through the master centralized controller, thereby realizing the absolute dominance of the master centralized controller.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present application, based on the current priority of each slave centralized controller that issues the control instruction, controlling the master centralized controller to forward the control instruction issued by the slave centralized controller is specifically:

[0020] Based on the current priorities of the slave centralized controllers that issue control instructions, the master centralized controller forwards the control instructions issued by the slave centralized controllers whose priorities are higher than or equal to the current centralized controller, so that the forwarded control instructions control the current state of the air-conditioning unit;

[0021] The current centralized controller is a slave centralized controller used to set the current state of the air-conditioning unit.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present application, the level setting unit is a hierarchical DIP switch.

[0023] The priorities of multiple centralized controllers can be set through hierarchical dial switches, and the priority classification can be multiple, such as 3, 5, etc.

[0024] Different priority values ​​may also be set corresponding to different priorities, that is, the priority values ​​correspond to the priorities one by one.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present application, the master centralized controller searches for slave centralized controllers on the communication bus and establishes a mapping table corresponding to the searched slave centralized controllers, wherein the mapping table stores the communication addresses and priorities of the slave centralized controllers;

[0026] The slave centralized controller periodically sends online communication messages to the master centralized controller to identify the online status of the slave centralized controller and update the mapping table.

[0027] In this way, the master centralized controller can learn the communication address and priority of the slave centralized controller, so as to facilitate hierarchical control of each slave centralized controller through the master centralized controller.

[0028] In some embodiments of the present application, the main centralized controller searches for the air-conditioning units on the communication bus and establishes a status parameter table corresponding to the searched air-conditioning units, and the status parameter table stores the air-conditioning addresses and status information of the air-conditioning units mounted on the communication bus.

[0029] The slave controller can synchronize the status information with the master controller. Therefore, the master controller will first obtain the status information. In this way, the master controller can serve as a transfer station to transfer and send the status information.

[0030] In some embodiments of the present application, in order to prevent any setting of the centralized controller from changing the status information of the air-conditioning unit, a centralized prohibition bit is provided to prevent a low-priority slave controller from operating the air-conditioning unit.

[0031] In some embodiments of the present application, the master centralized controller broadcasts status information to each slave centralized controller on the communication bus in a broadcasting manner to achieve the purpose of fast synchronization;

[0032] After the slave centralized controller receives and responds to the master centralized controller, determining that the slave centralized controller has synchronized state information;

[0033] When the master centralized controller does not receive a response from the slave centralized controller, the master centralized controller retransmits the message a predetermined number of times to ensure reliable confirmation of whether the slave centralized controller has synchronized the status information.

[0034] In some embodiments of the present application, each centralized controller can set a centralized prohibition bit, and the master centralized controller stores the centralized prohibition bit of each slave centralized controller. The centralized prohibition bit is set to prevent a slave centralized controller with a low priority from arbitrarily controlling the air-conditioning unit, or to prevent a slave centralized controller with a high priority and having the same centralized prohibition bit from controlling the air-conditioning unit, thereby realizing hierarchical control of the air-conditioning unit and ensuring that a centralized controller with a high priority has priority control.

[0035] The centralized prohibition bit indicates whether the status information is prohibited, and is divided into a valid state and an invalid state.

[0036] When the centralized prohibition bit is valid, the status information corresponding to the centralized prohibition bit can only be set from the centralized controller side, and when the centralized prohibition bit is invalid, it is equivalent to not setting the centralized prohibition bit.

[0037] In some embodiments of the present application, the master centralized controller has the highest priority. Therefore, when the centralized prohibition bit of the master centralized controller is set and is valid, the master centralized controller will block all air-conditioning control instructions issued from the centralized controllers, and the master centralized controller will directly issue air-conditioning control instructions to the air-conditioning unit.

[0038] When the centralized prohibition bit is set in the slave controller and is valid, based on the priority and centralized prohibition bit of each slave controller, it is determined whether to forward the air-conditioning control instruction to the air-conditioning unit through the master controller, so that the air-conditioning control instruction controls the air-conditioning state corresponding to the valid centralized prohibition bit.

[0039] In this way, in the slave centralized controller having a higher priority than the slave centralized controller as described above, judgment is further performed based on the centralized prohibition bit of the slave centralized controller having a higher priority than the slave centralized controller, thereby further realizing hierarchical control of the slave centralized controller.

[0040] In some embodiments of the present application, the master centralized controller will obtain the centralized disable bit of each slave centralized controller through the communication bus in advance. Therefore, the master centralized controller broadcasts a query to each slave centralized controller on the communication bus, and establishes a disable bit table corresponding to the queried slave centralized controller. The disable bit table stores the communication address, priority and centralized disable bit of the corresponding centralized disable instruction of the slave centralized controller.

[0041] In some embodiments of the present application, whether other slave centralized controllers having a higher priority than the slave centralized controller have the same centralized prohibition bit is judged to determine whether other slave centralized controllers can be used to issue control instructions.

[0042] Therefore, it is determined whether to forward the air conditioning control instruction to the air conditioning unit through the main centralized controller, specifically:

[0043] S1: the slave controller sends an air conditioning control instruction corresponding to the centralized prohibition bit;

[0044] S2: the master centralized controller receives the air conditioning control command through the communication bus and replies with a response command;

[0045] S3: the master centralized controller queries the centralized prohibition bit table to check whether there is a slave centralized controller with a higher priority than the slave centralized controller that sets the same centralized prohibition bit as the centralized prohibition bit. If so, return to S2; if not, proceed to S4;

[0046] S4: The main centralized controller forwards the air conditioning control instruction to the air conditioning unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Figure 1 shows a system diagram of the centralized control system;

[0048] Figure 2 A system diagram of a centralized control system according to some embodiments is shown;

[0049] Figure 3 shows the priorities set by each centralized controller in a centralized control system according to some embodiments;

[0050] Figure 4 A mapping table established by a master centralized controller in a centralized control system according to some embodiments is shown;

[0051] Figure 5 A flow chart showing the handshake communication performed by the master centralized controller after initial power-on in the centralized control system according to some embodiments is shown;

[0052] Figure 6 shows a state parameter table established by a master centralized controller in a centralized control system according to some embodiments;

[0053] Figure 7shows a centralized prohibition bit table established by a master centralized controller in a centralized control system according to some embodiments;

[0054] Figure 8 A signal line diagram between an air conditioning unit, a master centralized controller and a slave centralized controller in a centralized control system according to some embodiments is shown;

[0055] Fig. 9 A flowchart of updating a centralized prohibition bit table by a master centralized controller in a centralized control system according to some embodiments is shown;

[0056] Fig.10 A flow chart of issuing air conditioning control instructions when a centralized prohibition bit is set from a centralized controller in a centralized control system according to some embodiments is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0058] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0059] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0060] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0061] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0062] The disclosure below provides many different embodiments or examples to realize different structures of the present invention. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present invention, the parts and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are only examples, and the purpose is not to limit the present invention. In addition, the present invention can repeat reference numbers and / or reference letters in different examples, and this repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity, which itself does not indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present invention provides various specific examples of processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art can be aware of the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0063] like Figure 1 The centralized control system shown is used for centralized control of central air conditioners, and can realize local and remote control. If it is used for remote control and remote data upload, it is necessary to connect to the Internet through a wireless communication unit and log in to the centralized control system for operation.

[0064] The basic principle of the air conditioning unit is described below.

[0065] The air conditioning unit performs the cooling and heating cycle of the air conditioning unit by using a compressor, condenser, expansion valve and evaporator. The cooling and heating cycle includes a series of processes involving compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation to cool or heat the indoor space.

[0066] The low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant enters the compressor, which compresses it into high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas and discharges the compressed refrigerant gas. The discharged refrigerant gas flows into the condenser. The condenser condenses the compressed refrigerant into a liquid phase, and the heat is released to the surrounding environment through the condensation process.

[0067] The expansion valve expands the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser into a low-pressure liquid refrigerant. The evaporator evaporates the refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve and returns the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant gas to the compressor. The evaporator can achieve a cooling effect by utilizing the latent heat of evaporation of the refrigerant to exchange heat with the material to be cooled. In the entire cycle, the air conditioning unit can adjust the temperature of the indoor space.

[0068] The outdoor unit of an air conditioning unit refers to the part of the refrigeration cycle including the compressor, outdoor heat exchanger and outdoor fan, the indoor unit of the air conditioning unit includes the indoor heat exchanger and indoor fan, and a throttling device (such as a capillary tube or an electronic expansion valve) may be provided in the indoor unit or the outdoor unit.

[0069] The indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger function as a condenser or an evaporator. When the indoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser, the air conditioner performs a heating mode, and when the indoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator, the air conditioner performs a cooling mode.

[0070] Among them, the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger are converted to serve as a condenser or an evaporator, generally using a four-way valve. For specific reference, refer to the settings of conventional air-conditioning units and will not be elaborated here.

[0071] The refrigeration working principle of the air-conditioning unit is: the operation of the compressor makes the indoor heat exchanger (in the indoor unit, it is the evaporator at this time) in an ultra-low pressure state, the liquid refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger evaporates rapidly to absorb heat, and the wind blown out by the indoor fan is cooled by the indoor heat exchanger coil and becomes cold air blown into the room. The evaporated refrigerant is pressurized by the compressor and condensed into liquid under the high-pressure environment of the outdoor heat exchanger (in the outdoor unit, it is the condenser at this time), releasing heat, and dissipating the heat into the atmosphere through the outdoor fan. This cycle achieves the cooling effect.

[0072] The heating working principle of the air conditioning unit is as follows: the gaseous refrigerant is pressurized by the compressor, becomes a high-temperature and high-pressure gas, enters the indoor heat exchanger (the condenser at this time), condenses and liquefies to release heat, becomes a liquid, and heats the indoor air at the same time, thereby achieving the purpose of increasing the indoor temperature. The liquid refrigerant is decompressed by the throttling device and enters the outdoor heat exchanger (the evaporator at this time), evaporates and absorbs heat to become a gas, and at the same time absorbs the heat of the outdoor air (the outdoor air becomes colder), becomes a gaseous refrigerant, and enters the compressor again to start the next cycle.

[0073] The central air conditioner is connected to multiple centralized controllers through a communication bus to achieve centralized control of multiple centralized controllers.

[0074] See also Figure 2 The present application also sets the communication address of the centralized controller through the address setting unit 50 to ensure that multiple centralized controllers on the same communication bus can communicate with each other without interfering with each other.

[0075] It should be noted that each centralized controller has a communication address, and the communication addresses of two centralized controllers are different from each other, so that the centralized controllers with different communication addresses do not interfere with each other's communication with the air-conditioning units on the communication bus.

[0076] In some special occasions, it is necessary to perform hierarchical control on multiple centralized controllers mounted on the same communication bus to avoid using the centralized controller to arbitrarily change status information (for example, switch, temperature, air volume, mode, etc.).

[0077] Continue to see Figure 2 In order to perform hierarchical control on multiple centralized controllers, in some embodiments of the present application, the centralized controller also includes a level setting unit 60, which is connected to the main control unit 10.

[0078] The level setting unit 60 is used to set the priority of the centralized controller.

[0079] In some embodiments of the present application, the level setting unit 60 selects a dip switch, and the number of digits of the dip switch can be selected according to the required priority type.

[0080] You can select a two-position DIP switch to define three priorities: high priority (01), medium priority (10) and low priority (11). If 00 appears, it means there is no classification.

[0081] Corresponding to the priority, you can also set a numerical value corresponding to the priority. For example, when the numerical value is 01, that is, 1, it indicates a high priority, when the numerical value is 10, that is, 2, it indicates a medium priority, and when the numerical value is 11, that is, 3, it indicates a low priority.

[0082] In some embodiments of the present application, a priority is set for each of the multiple centralized controllers.

[0083] For example, six centralized controllers with different communication addresses are connected to the communication bus at the same time. Figure 3 priority.

[0084] It is necessary and only one centralized controller needs to be set with the highest priority, which can be called the main centralized controller.

[0085] Right now, Figure 3 The centralized controller corresponding to the communication address 0xA0 is the master centralized controller, and the remaining centralized controllers are slave controllers.

[0086] The remaining centralized controllers are set according to actual needs without any restrictions.

[0087] For example, Figure 3 As shown in , three centralized controllers with medium priorities are set, and two centralized controllers with low priorities are set.

[0088] As described above, three levels of priority are set: high priority, medium priority and low priority; two levels of priority may also be set: high priority and medium priority, or high priority and low priority, etc.

[0089] In some embodiments of the present application, the number of priorities may also be other numbers, for example, four, referred to as high priority, first priority, second priority and low priority, where high priority, first priority, second priority and low priority decrease in sequence.

[0090] In some embodiments of the present application, for hierarchical control of the centralized controller, once the priority is divided using the level setting unit, the corresponding priority must be assigned, and no priority is allowed.

[0091] When multiple centralized controllers are not prioritized, there is no permission classification function by default, which is consistent with the level control of existing centralized controllers.

[0092] As above, the priority setting for a plurality of centralized controllers is described.

[0093] In this way, each centralized controller has a communication address and priority.

[0094] The master centralized controller and the slave centralized controller have different tasks.

[0095] In communication, see Figure 8 , only the master controller is allowed to communicate with the air-conditioning units, and the slave controllers are allowed to communicate with the master controller.

[0096] The main centralized controller is generally used by the highest administrator and has the highest control authority.

[0097] The master controller is responsible for: (1) searching for the number, address and status information of the air-conditioning units connected to the communication bus; (2) searching for the number, communication address and priority of the slave controllers on the communication bus; (3) forwarding status information to the slave controllers to synchronize the status information; and (4) receiving the air-conditioning control instructions issued by the slave controllers and forwarding them to the air-conditioning units.

[0098] When the master controller completes (1) as described above, it can establish a status parameter table of the air-conditioning unit, see Figure 6 .

[0099] The air conditioner address may refer to an address formed by combining a system number and an address number in a central air conditioner system. The state information Argi (i=1, 2, ... n) may be, for example, switch, mode, temperature, air volume, etc.

[0100] When the master controller completes (2) as described above, it can establish a mapping table for the slave controller, see Figure 4 .

[0101] For slave controllers, they can be assigned to ordinary administrators or owners for use. They only communicate with the master controller, obtain status information of all air-conditioning units from the master controller, or send air-conditioning control instructions for air-conditioning units to the master controller.

[0102] At the same time, the slave centralized controller periodically sends an online communication message to the master centralized controller to identify the online status of the slave centralized controller, so that the master centralized controller updates the mapping table as described above.

[0103] As described above, the communication relationship between the master centralized controller and the slave centralized controller and the division of tasks in the communication process are described.

[0104] As follows, see Figure 5 and Figure 8 During the communication process, the communication connection between the master central controller and the slave central controller will be established according to the handshake process.

[0105] (1) After initial power-on

[0106] At the initial power-on, all slave controllers are in silent state and will not send handshake requests to the air-conditioning units. Only the master controller communicates with the air-conditioning units. After the master controller and the air-conditioning units have completed handshake, the slave controllers can synchronize the status information of the air-conditioning units through the master controller.

[0107] The specific description is as follows.

[0108] (11) Power on

[0109] It is powered by the power supply circuit of the centralized controller.

[0110] (12) All slave controllers are in silent state

[0111] Since the slave central controller communicates only with the master central controller, it is in a silent state before the master central controller communicates with the air-conditioning unit.

[0112] (13) The main controller searches for air conditioning units

[0113] The main centralized controller searches for the number, communication address, status information, etc. of the air-conditioning units connected to the current communication bus, and after the search is completed, establishes a status parameter table of the corresponding air-conditioning units as described above.

[0114] (14) The master controller searches for the slave controller

[0115] (a) After all air-conditioning units have been searched, the master controller will broadcast a query to other slave controllers to search all slave controllers on the communication bus.

[0116] In the present application, in order to ensure the reliability of the broadcast query, the query is broadcasted twice respectively, and after receiving the response instruction ACK from the same slave central controller each time, the mapping table corresponding to the slave central controller as described above is established.

[0117] (b) In some embodiments of the present application, the centralized controller may also set a centralized prohibition bit.

[0118] That is, the master centralized controller can set the centralized prohibition bit, and the slave centralized controller can also set the centralized prohibition bit, and the two settings do not interfere with each other.

[0119] The centralized prohibition bit indicates whether the status information (eg, switch, mode, temperature, air volume, etc.) is prohibited, and the centralized prohibition bit is divided into two states: a valid state and an invalid state.

[0120] The valid state can be represented by a state value of "1", and the invalid state can be represented by a state value of "0".

[0121] For example, the centralized prohibition bit is a prohibition mode switch. When the state value of the prohibition mode switch is 1 (ie, valid), when the state value is 0, the default centralized prohibition bit is released.

[0122] When the centralized prohibition bit is valid, that is, the wired controller is locked, the user is not allowed to operate from the wired controller. For example, when setting the prohibition mode switching, the user cannot switch the mode from the wired controller and can only switch the mode from the centralized controller side, or the centralized controller can release the centralized prohibition bit before the wired controller can switch the mode.

[0123] The centralized prohibition bit is set by the centralized controller, and other centralized controllers with higher priority than the slave centralized controller to be operated are hierarchically controlled (see the following description for details).

[0124] When each centralized controller is set with a centralized prohibition bit, after all air-conditioning units have been searched, when the master centralized controller broadcasts a query to other slave centralized controllers, the master centralized controller searches all slave centralized controllers on the communication bus, and in addition to obtaining the communication address and priority ultraviolet of each slave centralized controller as described in (a), it also obtains the centralized prohibition bit of each centralized controller.

[0125] In the present application, in order to ensure the reliability of the broadcast query, it is broadcasted twice, and each time the same reply instruction ACK from the central controller is received.

[0126] The master central controller stores the communication addresses, priorities and centralized prohibition bits of all slave central controllers found to form a centralized prohibition bit table. Figure 7 .

[0127] The priority may be expressed in high, medium, and low levels, or may be expressed in numerical values ​​corresponding to the priority levels.

[0128] For example, Forbid0 may indicate prohibiting mode switching, which has a valid state and an invalid state; Forbid1 may indicate prohibiting temperature setting, which has a valid state and an invalid state.

[0129] (15) The master controller synchronizes status information to the slave controller

[0130] The master centralized controller also sends the status information of the air-conditioning unit to each slave centralized controller on the communication bus in a broadcast manner, so as to achieve the purpose of rapid synchronization of each slave centralized controller.

[0131] Each slave central controller receives the broadcast information and replies with an acknowledgement instruction ACK. At this time, the master central controller believes that the slave central controller has received the broadcast status information, thereby synchronizing the status information.

[0132] The master centralized controller determines whether the response instructions ACK of all the slave centralized controllers are received. If the master centralized controller does not receive the response instruction ACK, the master centralized controller retransmits the response instruction ACK for a predetermined number of times.

[0133] If the master centralized controller still does not receive the response instruction ACK fed back by the slave centralized controller after exceeding the predetermined number of times, it indicates that the synchronization status information of the corresponding slave centralized controller has not been successful.

[0134] As above, the handshake communication after the initial power-on is completed, and as below, it will enter the normal control stage.

[0135] (2) Normal control stage

[0136] See also Figure 8 In the normal control stage, when the status information of the air-conditioning unit changes, the master centralized controller will still broadcast the status information of the air-conditioning unit to the communication bus in a broadcast mode to synchronize the current status information of the air-conditioning unit to all slave centralized controllers.

[0137] See also Figures 8 to 10 , two aspects are explained regarding the issuance of air conditioning control instructions.

[0138] (21) All centralized controllers (including the master centralized controller and all slave centralized controllers) have not set the centralized prohibition bit or the centralized prohibition bits are all in invalid state.

[0139] (a) When the main central controller issues an air conditioning control command

[0140] Since the master centralized controller has the highest priority, when the master centralized controller issues an air-conditioning control instruction, the master centralized controller directly issues the air-conditioning control instruction to the air-conditioning unit.

[0141] (b) When the air conditioning control command is issued from the central controller

[0142] Since the slave centralized controller communicates with the master centralized controller but not with the air-conditioning unit, the master centralized controller first receives the air-conditioning control instruction and then forwards it to the air-conditioning unit.

[0143] As mentioned above, which centralized controller issues the air-conditioning control command needs to be determined based on the priority of the centralized controller.

[0144] For the purpose of convenience of description, it is noted that the currently operated slave controller (ie, the slave controller that currently issues the air conditioning control instruction) is slave controller A, where the air conditioning control instruction may be, for example, a mode switch, and currently has been switched to the cooling mode.

[0145] Since the master centralized controller has the highest priority, the master centralized controller has the highest absolute control right, and the following will only be explained for the slave centralized controller.

[0146] If the mode of the air-conditioning unit needs to be switched again, it is necessary to determine from which one or more centralized controllers the air-conditioning control instructions for the corresponding mode switching can be issued, as described below.

[0147] The master controller passes Figure 4 The mapping table in the query is a slave controller with a higher priority than slave controller A. Any of the slave controllers obtained can issue an air conditioning control instruction for the corresponding mode switching, and forward it to the air conditioning unit through the master controller to realize air conditioning status control.

[0148] For example, if a slave controller B having a higher priority than slave controller A is found, the slave controller can issue an air conditioning control instruction for mode switching to change the mode of the air conditioning unit from the current cooling mode to the heating mode, for example.

[0149] The slave controllers with a lower priority than slave controller A will be shielded and unable to implement mode switching control of the air-conditioning unit.

[0150] In this way, by utilizing the priority of the centralized controller, it is possible to prevent low-priority slave centralized controllers from modifying the set state information, thereby realizing hierarchical control of the centralized controller.

[0151] After the air conditioning control command is issued, as described above, the master centralized controller broadcasts the status information in a broadcasting manner to synchronize the status information to each slave centralized controller.

[0152] (22) When the centralized controller sets the centralized prohibition bit and it is in the valid state

[0153] See also Fig. 9 ,When the centralized prohibition bit in the slave centralized controller changes, the master centralized controller will update the centralized prohibition bit table.

[0154] (a) When the master controller sets the effective centralized disable bit

[0155] Since the master centralized controller has the highest priority, the master centralized controller will shield the air-conditioning control instructions from other slave centralized controllers and only execute the air-conditioning control instructions issued by the master centralized controller to control the air-conditioning units.

[0156] For example, if the master controller is set to prohibit mode switching, the wire controller will not be able to switch modes, and other slave controllers are also unable to switch modes. Only the master controller can achieve mode switching, thereby ensuring that the master controller has the highest priority.

[0157] It should be noted that, as described above, when the master centralized controller sets a valid centralized prohibition bit, no matter whether the slave centralized controller sets a centralized prohibition bit or not, it will be shielded and not executed.

[0158] (b) When the slave controller sets a valid centralized disable bit and the master controller does not set the centralized disable bit

[0159] Since the master centralized controller has the highest priority, the control of the air-conditioning units by the master centralized controller is not affected (ie, can be executed).

[0160] Whether the air conditioning control instructions issued by other slave controllers can be executed depends on the priority of other slave controllers and their respective centralized prohibition bits.

[0161] For details, please refer to Fig.10 The following description is given.

[0162] S1: The central controller sends an air conditioning control command corresponding to the centralized prohibition bit.

[0163] For example, a valid centralized prohibition bit is set from centralized controller B, and the centralized prohibition bit is for prohibiting mode switching.

[0164] For example, a master centralized controller, a slave centralized controller C, and a slave centralized controller B are used as examples for description, wherein the priorities of the master centralized controller, the slave centralized controller C, and the slave centralized controller B decrease in sequence.

[0165] The slave centralized controller in S1 may be one of the slave centralized controller C and the slave centralized controller B, and the air conditioning control instruction in S1 refers to mode switching.

[0166] As mentioned above, the master controller has the highest priority control. Whether the air conditioning control command issued by one of the slave controllers C and B can be executed depends on two aspects: 1. The priority of slave controller C relative to slave controller B; 2. The centralized prohibition bit of slave controller B and slave controller C.

[0167] For example, the centralized controller B issues an air conditioning control instruction corresponding to the centralized prohibition bit, that is, the centralized controller B issues an air conditioning control instruction for mode switching.

[0168] S2: The main centralized controller receives the air conditioning control command through the communication bus and replies with the response command.

[0169] Since the slave centralized controllers are connected to the master centralized controller via the communication bus, the air conditioning control instructions issued by the slave centralized controller B can be received by the master centralized controller.

[0170] After receiving it, a response instruction is sent back to the slave controller B.

[0171] S3: The master centralized controller queries the centralized prohibition bit table to check whether there is a slave centralized controller with a higher priority than the slave centralized controller and has a centralized prohibition bit that is the same as the centralized prohibition bit. If so, return to S2; if not, proceed to S4.

[0172] As described in S1, the priority and centralized inhibit bit of slave controllers B and C need to be determined.

[0173] Furthermore, as described above, the master centralized controller stores a centralized prohibition bit table, so the master centralized controller queries the centralized prohibition bit table to query the priority and centralized prohibition bit in the slave centralized controllers B and C.

[0174] The master centralized controller queries the centralized prohibition bit table to check whether there is a slave centralized controller with a higher priority than the slave centralized controller B and has a centralized prohibition bit that is the same as the centralized prohibition bit.

[0175] (1) The master controller finds that the priority of slave controller C is higher than that of slave controller B, and the centralized inhibit bit of slave controller C is switched to the inhibit mode and is in a valid state (that is, slave controller C has the same centralized inhibit bit as the centralized inhibit bit of the slave controller). In this way, the master controller returns to S2 and receives the air conditioning control command issued by slave controller C.

[0176] After that, it goes into S3 to check whether there is a slave central controller having a higher priority than the slave central controller C and having a centralized prohibition bit identical to the centralized prohibition bit set.

[0177] The master controller does not query the existence of a slave controller with a higher priority than slave controller C, that is, it does not query the slave controller with a higher priority than slave controller C to set the same centralized prohibition bit as the centralized prohibition bit.

[0178] Therefore, the slave controller C blocks the slave controller B from sending the air conditioning control instruction for switching the mode, so as to change the air conditioning control mode (see S4 ).

[0179] The slave controller B is shielded, that is, the air conditioning control command for switching modes issued by the slave controller B will not be executed.

[0180] Here, S2 and S3 are executed cyclically to ensure that the slave controller with the highest priority and the same centralized prohibition bit has the control right over the air-conditioning unit, that is, to ensure that among the slave controllers, slave controller C has the highest control right.

[0181] (2) The master controller finds that the priority of slave controller C is higher than that of slave controller B, and the centralized disable bit of slave controller C is in the disabled mode switching state and is invalid, or the centralized disable bit does not disable the mode switching (that is, there is no centralized disable bit in slave controller C that is the same as the centralized disable bit of the slave controller).

[0182] In this way, the air conditioning control mode can be changed by sending an air conditioning control instruction for switching the mode from the centralized controller C.

[0183] At this time, the air conditioning control instruction for switching modes can also be sent from the centralized controller B.

[0184] It should be noted that if the priorities of other slave controllers are lower than the priority of slave controller B, the air-conditioning control instructions issued by other slave controllers are blocked and not executed.

[0185] S4: The main centralized controller forwards the air conditioning control command to the air conditioning unit.

[0186] As described in S3 (1), the air conditioning control instruction for switching modes issued from the centralized controller C can be forwarded to the air conditioning unit through the main centralized controller.

[0187] As described in S3 (2), the air conditioning control command for switching modes issued from the centralized controller B can be forwarded to the air conditioning unit through the main centralized controller, or the air conditioning control command for switching modes issued from the centralized controller C can also be forwarded to the air conditioning unit through the main centralized controller.

[0188] The centralized control system involved in the present application can realize hierarchical control of multiple centralized controllers mounted on the same communication bus; and the specific hierarchical control content can be realized by setting a centralized prohibition bit by the centralized controller, which has high flexibility and avoids arbitrary settings of the air-conditioning unit by a low-priority centralized controller.

[0189] In addition, the highest control priority can be ensured by flexibly setting the centralized prohibition bit in the high-priority centralized controller, achieving the highest control use in special scenarios, so that the centralized control system can be flexibly used in different scenarios.

[0190] In addition, hierarchical control can flexibly change the number of centralized controllers communicating simultaneously on the communication bus, effectively reducing the occupancy rate of the communication bus and improving communication efficiency.

[0191] In the description of the above embodiments, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0192] The above are only specific embodiments of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A centralized control system, for connecting multiple centralized controllers on the same communication bus, the centralized controller comprising: A main control unit, which is used to perform the centralized control function of the air conditioning unit; A communication circuit, connected to the main control unit, for transmitting communication messages on the communication bus; an address setting unit connected to the main control unit and used to set a communication address for the central controller to communicate with the air-conditioning unit, wherein the communication addresses of the central controllers are different from each other; A level setting unit, connected to the main control unit, for setting the priority of the centralized controller; Only one centralized controller with the highest priority among multiple centralized controllers is set as the master centralized controller, and the remaining centralized controllers are slave centralized controllers; The master centralized controller communicates with the air-conditioning unit, each slave centralized controller communicates with the master centralized controller, and the master centralized controller synchronizes the status information of the air-conditioning unit to each slave centralized controller; Wherein, the control instructions of the main centralized controller are directly issued to the air conditioning unit; The control instructions of each slave centralized controller are sent to the air-conditioning unit through the master centralized controller; The control instructions issued by the slave centralized controllers are forwarded by the master centralized controller based on the current priorities of the slave centralized controllers that issue the control instructions.

2. The centralized control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Based on the current priorities of the slave centralized controllers that issue control instructions, the control instructions issued by the slave centralized controllers are controlled to be forwarded by the master centralized controller, specifically: Based on the current priorities of the slave centralized controllers that issue control instructions, the master centralized controller forwards the control instructions issued by the slave centralized controllers whose priorities are higher than or equal to the current centralized controller, so that the forwarded control instructions control the current state of the air-conditioning unit; The current centralized controller is a slave centralized controller used to set the current state of the air-conditioning unit.

3. The centralized control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The level setting unit is a hierarchical dial switch.

4. The centralized control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The master centralized controller searches for slave centralized controllers on the communication bus and establishes a mapping table corresponding to the searched slave centralized controllers, wherein the mapping table stores the communication addresses and priorities of the slave centralized controllers; The slave centralized controller periodically sends online communication messages to the master centralized controller to identify the online status of the slave centralized controller and update the mapping table.

5. The centralized control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The master centralized controller searches for the air-conditioning units on the communication bus and establishes a status parameter table corresponding to the searched air-conditioning units. The status parameter table stores the air-conditioning addresses and status information of the air-conditioning units mounted on the communication bus.

6. The centralized control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The master centralized controller broadcasts status information to each slave centralized controller on the communication bus in a broadcasting manner; After the slave centralized controller receives and responds to the master centralized controller, determining that the slave centralized controller has synchronized state information; When the master central controller does not receive a response from the slave central controller, the master central controller retransmits the message a predetermined number of times.

7. The centralized control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each centralized controller can set a centralized prohibition bit, and the master centralized controller stores the centralized prohibition bits of each slave centralized controller; The centralized prohibition bit indicates a status value of whether the status information is prohibited, and when the centralized prohibition bit is valid, the status information corresponding to the centralized prohibition bit can only be set from the centralized controller side; When the central prohibition bit is set in the master centralized controller and is valid, only the master centralized controller can issue air conditioning control instructions to the air conditioning unit; When the centralized prohibition bit is set in the slave controller and is valid, based on the priority and centralized prohibition bit of each slave controller, it is determined whether to forward the air-conditioning control instruction to the air-conditioning unit through the master controller so that the air-conditioning control instruction controls the air-conditioning state corresponding to the valid centralized prohibition bit.

8. The centralized control system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The master centralized controller broadcasts a query to each slave centralized controller on the communication bus, and establishes a centralized prohibition bit table corresponding to the queried slave centralized controllers, wherein the centralized prohibition bit table stores the communication address, priority and centralized prohibition bit of the slave centralized controller.

9. The centralized control system according to claim 8, characterized in that: Determining whether to forward the air conditioning control instruction to the air conditioning unit through the main centralized controller is specifically: S1: the slave controller sends an air conditioning control instruction corresponding to the centralized prohibition bit; S2: the master centralized controller receives the air conditioning control command through the communication bus and replies with a response command; S3: the master centralized controller queries the centralized prohibition bit table to check whether there is a slave centralized controller with a higher priority than the slave centralized controller and has a centralized prohibition bit that is the same as the centralized prohibition bit. If so, return to S2; if not, proceed to S4; S4: The main centralized controller forwards the air conditioning control instruction to the air conditioning unit.

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