Equipment management device and equipment management method

Abstract

An air-conditioning management controller (20), which is an equipment management device, is provided with an initial communication processing unit (221), a periodic communication processing unit (222), a display information generation unit (224), and a display unit (242). An initial communication processing unit (221) executes communication establishment processing based on the initial communication with a management target device that does not establish communication. The regular communication processing unit (222) periodically executes a communication confirmation process based on regular communication for confirming whether the communication state is normal or not for the equipment that has established the communication by the communication establishment process. When a display information generation unit (224) recognizes that a communication abnormality has occurred with the device on the basis of the execution result of the communication establishment process and the execution result of the communication confirmation process, the display information generation unit (224) generates display information that distinguishes whether the corresponding communication abnormality is an abnormality of initial communication or an abnormality of regular communication. A display unit (242) displays the generated display information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a facility equipment management device and a facility equipment management method. Background Art

[0002] Many devices are installed in large buildings such as schools, hospitals, and office buildings. These devices are configured to communicate with a device management controller for managers to manage the devices, thereby building a management system. The manager can use the device management controller to confirm the working status or operation of each device.

[0003] In order to control such a plurality of equipments and machines by the equipment management controller, two-way communication is performed between the equipments and machines and the equipment management controller. In such a system, the installation location of the equipment management controller is far away from the installation locations of the equipments and machines, so communication anomalies are likely to occur between the equipment management controller and the equipments and machines. Therefore, communication confirmation is periodically performed between the controller and each machine, and the controller detects the occurrence of communication anomalies between the machines based on the communication confirmation results.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-118564 Summary of the invention

[0007] When such a communication abnormality occurs, it is considered to display the occurrence of the communication abnormality on the display screen of the controller.

[0008] However, the causes of communication anomalies between the device management controller and each device include various factors such as communication connection setting errors, communication line wiring errors, line disconnection, external noise, power failure, etc. Therefore, there is a problem that even if the manager recognizes that a communication anomaly has occurred based on the information displayed in the device management controller, it takes a lot of time to determine the cause and perform repair work.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a facility management apparatus and a facility management method that, when a communication abnormality occurs with a facility to be managed, provide information for allowing a manager to easily identify the cause of the communication abnormality.

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, an air conditioning management controller as a device for managing equipment includes an initial communication processing unit, a periodic communication processing unit, a display information generating unit, and a display unit. The initial communication processing unit performs a communication establishment process based on initial communication with a device of a management object with which communication has not been established. The periodic communication processing unit periodically performs a communication confirmation process based on periodic communication to confirm whether the communication status is normal for the device with which communication has been established through the communication establishment process. If the display information generating unit recognizes that a communication abnormality has occurred with the device based on the execution result of the communication establishment process and the execution result of the communication confirmation process, the display information generating unit generates display information that distinguishes whether the corresponding communication abnormality is an initial communication abnormality or a periodic communication abnormality. The display unit displays the generated display information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 This is an overall diagram showing an air-conditioning system using an air-conditioning management controller as a facility equipment management device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a flowchart showing the flow of a communication establishment process and a communication confirmation process executed by an air-conditioning management controller as a facility equipment management device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 3 (a) is an example of a monitoring control screen generated by the air conditioning management controller as the equipment management device according to one embodiment of the present invention when the communication status with all the air conditioners to be managed is normal. Figure 3 (b) is an example of a monitoring control screen when there is an air conditioner having a communication abnormality among the air conditioners to be managed.

[0014] Figure 4 This is an example of a communication status display screen 200A generated by the air-conditioning management controller as the equipment management device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 5 This is an example of a communication status display screen 200B generated by the air-conditioning management controller as the equipment management device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 6 (a) to (e) are examples of a communication status display screen 200C generated by the air conditioning management controller as the equipment management device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 7 This is an example of a communication status display screen 200D generated by the air-conditioning management controller as the equipment management device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 8 This is an overall diagram showing an air-conditioning system using an air-conditioning management controller as a facility equipment management device according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] As one embodiment of the present invention, an air conditioning system including an air conditioner as a facility device installed in a building and an air conditioning management controller as a facility device management apparatus that manages and controls the air conditioner will be described.

[0020] <Configuration of an Air Conditioning System Using a Facility and Equipment Management Device According to an Embodiment>

[0021] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of the air conditioning system 1 of the present embodiment. The air conditioning system 1 includes a plurality of air conditioners 10-1 to 10-100 to be managed and installed in a building, and an air conditioning management controller 20 connected to the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-100. The air conditioners 10-1 to 10-100 may be indoor units or outdoor units. The air conditioning management controller 20 is operated by a manager of the air conditioning system 1. The air conditioning management controller 20 and the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-100 are connected via a communication line U. The communication line U is composed of two bus communication lines, and the communication line U connected to the air conditioning management controller 20 is branched in the middle and connected to all the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-100. In the following, in order to simplify the description, the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-100 are sometimes collectively referred to as air conditioners 10. The air conditioning management controller 20 and each air conditioner 10 are individually connected to a commercial power supply.

[0022] The air conditioning management controller 20 includes a communication unit 21, a central processing unit (CPU) 22, a storage unit 23, and a touch panel 24. The communication unit 21 communicates with each air conditioner 10 via a communication line U.

[0023] CPU22 has an initial communication processing unit 221, a periodic communication processing unit 222, a monitoring control unit 223 and a display information generating unit 224. A peripheral circuit not shown in the figure is provided in CPU22, and the functions of the initial communication processing unit 221, the periodic communication processing unit 222, the monitoring control unit 223 and the display information generating unit 224 are executed by the CPU22 reading and processing the program stored in the ROM (Read on ly memory) in the peripheral circuit. The initial communication processing unit 221 performs a communication establishment process based on the initial communication with the air conditioner 10 with which the communication has not been established. Specifically, the initial communication processing unit 221 performs a communication establishment process with all the air conditioners 10 when the air conditioner management controller 20 is started. The periodic communication processing unit 222 periodically performs a communication confirmation process (periodic communication) to confirm whether the communication state is normal for the air conditioner with which the communication has been established through the communication establishment process. In addition, the time interval of the periodic communication may be fixed or not fixed. In short, it is sufficient that the periodic communication processing unit 222 can sequentially execute the communication confirmation process on all the air conditioners 10 at a certain time interval.

[0024] In addition, in the periodic communication, the air conditioning management controller 20 may also send / receive the operation control information (operation instruction) for each air conditioner 10. For example, in the case of starting heating for a specific air conditioner 10, the air conditioning management controller 20 attaches the heating operation instruction to the periodic communication and sends it to the air conditioner 10. On the other hand, each air conditioner 10 attaches the operation status information related to its operation status, such as the operation mode of being stopped or running, the set temperature, the air volume, etc., to the reply to the periodic communication and sends it to the air conditioning management controller 20. In this way, the air conditioning management controller 20 can understand the current operation status of all the air conditioners 10 through the reply information.

[0025] The monitoring control unit 223 acquires the operating state information of the air conditioner 10 at a predetermined time interval through periodic communication, and transmits the operation control information for controlling the operation of each air conditioner 10 input from the input unit 241 to each air conditioner 10. In addition, regarding the operation instruction from the air conditioner management controller 20 to each air conditioner 10, in some cases, it is important for each air conditioner 10 to respond quickly. Therefore, the operation instruction may be transmitted to the air conditioner 10 immediately by the air conditioner management controller 20 whenever the operation control information is generated, instead of by periodic communication.

[0026] The display information generating unit 224 generates monitoring control screen information as display information for displaying monitoring control information including the operation status information and the operation control information of each air conditioner 10 obtained or instructed by the monitoring control unit 223 .

[0027] Furthermore, the display information generation unit 224 generates communication status display screen information as display information based on the execution result of the communication establishment process and the execution result of the communication confirmation process, for displaying information showing the communication status with each air conditioner 10. At this time, if the display information generation unit 224 recognizes that a communication abnormality has occurred with any air conditioner, it distinguishes whether the corresponding communication abnormality is an initial communication abnormality that has occurred in a state where communication has not been established even once after startup, or a regular communication abnormality in which communication has been established at least once after startup, in other words, communication has become impossible after the initial communication has been established, and generates the communication status display screen information.

[0028] The storage unit 23, which is composed of a RAM (Random access memory), a nonvolatile memory, etc., has a management object setting unit 231, a communication status storage unit 232, and a monitoring control information storage unit 233. The management object setting unit 231 stores the pre-set address information of all the air conditioners 10 that are the management objects. The address information of each air conditioner 10 is stored in the management object setting unit 231 by the equipment manufacturer reading the setting file stored in a personal computer, etc. when the air conditioner management controller 20 is installed or before installation. The setting file contains various machine information of each air conditioner 10 in addition to the address information of all the air conditioners 10 connected in advance. The communication status storage unit 232 stores the execution result of the communication establishment process executed by the initial communication processing unit 221 and the execution result of the communication confirmation process executed by the periodic communication processing unit 222. The monitoring control information storage unit 233 stores the action control information sent by the monitoring control unit 223 and the acquired operation status information.

[0029] The touch panel 24 includes an input unit 241 and a display unit 242. The input unit 241 can input operation information of the administrator. The display unit 242 formed of a color liquid crystal screen displays the display information generated by the display information generating unit 224.

[0030] <Operation of the Air Conditioning System Using the Equipment Management Device According to One Embodiment>

[0031] Next, the operation of the air conditioning system 1 of the present embodiment will be described. When the air conditioning management controller 20 is activated, the initial communication processing unit 221 uses the address information set in the management object setting unit 231 to sequentially perform communication establishment processing based on initial communication on each air conditioner 10 via the communication unit 21. After that, the periodic communication processing unit 222 similarly uses the address information set in the management object setting unit 231 to perform operation status confirmation and operation instruction transmission at predetermined time intervals for each air conditioner 10 with which communication has been established via the communication unit 21, and performs periodic communication confirmation processing to confirm whether the communication status is normal.

[0032] Figure 2 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of the communication establishment process performed by the initial communication processing unit 221 and the communication confirmation process performed by the periodic communication processing unit 222 for a predetermined air conditioner. Here, the process performed by the initial communication processing unit 221 and the periodic communication processing unit 222 on the air conditioner 10-1 is described as an example. Figure 2 The processing is sequentially executed on all the air conditioners 10 under the management of the air conditioning management controller 20 , that is, all the air conditioners 10 set in the management object setting unit 231 .

[0033] When the air conditioning management controller 20 is started (started), the initial communication processing unit 221 sends an initial communication, i.e., a communication establishment request to a specific air conditioner 10-1 (hereinafter, the air conditioner 10-1 is used as an example) via the communication unit 21 (S1). If the communication between the communication unit 21 and the air conditioner 10-1 is established based on the sent communication establishment request ("Yes" in S2), the initial communication processing unit 221 stores the communication establishment information indicating that the communication with the air conditioner 10-1 is established in the communication state storage unit 232, and if the initial communication abnormality information is previously stored, it is deleted (S3).

[0034] Here, when the communication between the communication unit 21 and the air conditioner 10-1 is not established (No in S2), the initial communication processing unit 221 generates initial communication abnormal information indicating that the communication with the air conditioner 10-1 is not established, and stores it in the communication state storage unit 232 (S4). Then, returning to step S1, the initial communication processing unit 221 repeatedly sends a communication establishment request to the air conditioner 10-1 at a predetermined time interval until the communication is established (S1, S2, S4).

[0035] If the initial communication processing unit 221 repeatedly sends a communication establishment request to establish communication between the communication unit 21 and the air conditioner 10-1 ("Yes" in S2), the initial communication processing unit 221 generates communication establishment information as described above and stores it in the communication status storage unit 232, and deletes the stored initial communication abnormality information (S3).

[0036] In the initial communication, after establishing the communication with the air conditioner 10-1, the periodic communication processing unit 222 transmits the communication confirmation information for confirming whether the communication status is normal to the air conditioner 10-1 via the communication unit 21 at a predetermined timing (S5). With respect to the transmitted communication confirmation information, if the communication unit 21 obtains the response information from the air conditioner 10-1 ("Yes" in S6), the periodic communication processing unit 222 generates the communication normal information indicating that the communication status with the air conditioner 10-1 is normal, and stores it in the communication status storage unit 232 (S7). At this time, if the periodic communication abnormal information is previously stored, it is deleted.

[0037] Here, when the communication unit 21 fails to obtain response information from the air conditioner 10-1 (No in S6), the regular communication processing unit 222 generates regular communication abnormality information indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the communication with the air conditioner 10-1, and stores it in the communication state storage unit 232 (S8).

[0038] After the process of step S7 or step S8, the process returns to step S5, and thereafter, while the air conditioning management controller 20 is operating, the periodic communication processing unit 222 repeatedly executes the process after step S5 at a predetermined time interval.

[0039] In short, if the communication is not established in the initial communication, the initial communication abnormality information is stored and the communication establishment request for the initial communication is repeated (S1, S2, S4). Thus, even if there is an air conditioner 10 that cannot establish the initial communication at first, if the communication failure is corrected, the initial communication is established ("Yes" in S2), the initial communication abnormality information is deleted (S3), and the process is transferred to the regular communication process (S5 and later).

[0040] On the other hand, if the communication is established in the initial communication (Yes in S2), the process does not return to the initial communication process (S1) and the periodic communication process is repeated every predetermined period (S5 and thereafter).

[0041] In the above-mentioned communication confirmation processing, when the response information cannot be obtained for the sent communication confirmation information, the periodic communication processing unit 222 may not store the periodic communication abnormality information, but may continue to repeatedly send the communication confirmation information, and when the response information cannot be obtained for a predetermined number of times (e.g., 5 times), determine the state of the periodic communication abnormality and store the periodic communication abnormality information. In this way, it is possible to avoid reporting the communication abnormality due to a temporary bad situation.

[0042] While the communication establishment process and the communication confirmation process are being executed as described above, the monitoring control unit 223 acquires the operation status information and transmits the motion control information to the air conditioner with which the communication is established normally. The monitoring control unit 223 stores the acquired operation status information and the transmitted motion control information in the monitoring control information storage unit 233.

[0043] In addition, in the air conditioning system 1 in operation, when the system configuration is changed due to replacement of each air conditioner, addition of air conditioners, etc., it is desirable to change Figure 2The process of the air conditioning management controller 20 shown is temporarily reset, and the initial communication abnormality information, communication establishment information, periodic communication abnormality information, communication normal information, and working status information are all deleted, so that it can start again from the establishment of the initial communication in step S1. Such a change in the system configuration requires a new reading of the setting file, so it is most convenient to reset the process by using the overwriting and saving of the management object setting unit 231 caused by the reading of the new setting file as an opportunity.

[0044] In addition, the air conditioning management controller 20 is an equipment management device, so once the power is turned on, the power is usually not turned off again. Therefore, the processing of the air conditioning management controller 20 can be reset and the initial communication abnormality information, communication establishment information, periodic communication abnormality information, communication normal information and working status information can be deleted by disconnecting the power, so that when the power is turned on again, the processing starts again from the establishment of the initial communication in step S1. According to this method, when the air conditioning system is introduced, when the equipment and machines constituting the air conditioning system are set up and the installation is confirmed, in the middle of the wiring connection project and the confirmation of the setting content in each air conditioner, by appropriately turning on and off (on / off) the power of the air conditioning management controller 20, the installation project can be promoted while confirming the faulty part.

[0045] Above Figure 2 The operations of the initial communication processing unit 221, the periodic communication processing unit 222, etc. shown are sequentially performed on all the connected air conditioners 10, starting from the illustrated air conditioner 10-1 and ending with the last air conditioner 10-100.

[0046] Next, the information displayed on the display unit 242 during the operation of the air conditioning management controller 20 will be described. Normally, the display information generation unit 224 generates an image at a predetermined time interval (for example, 5 seconds interval) based on the information stored in the monitoring control information storage unit 233. Figure 3 The generated information of the monitoring control screen 100 is displayed on the display unit 242 .

[0047] The monitoring control screen 100 includes: an area name display unit 110 that displays information on the management target area specified by the operation of the administrator; an air conditioner icon display unit 120 that displays air conditioner icons corresponding to each air conditioner in the specified management target area; and a display switching button 130. The display switching button 130 is an operation unit for switching the display content on the display unit 242 between the monitoring control screen 100 and the communication status display screen 200 described later.

[0048] exist Figure 3In the monitoring control screen 100 of (a), the name of the management target area "1F○○ bookstore" specified by the operation of the administrator is displayed in the area name display unit 110. In addition, in the air conditioner icon display unit 120, air conditioner icons 121 to 126 corresponding to the air conditioners 10-2 to 10-7 installed in the corresponding management target areas are displayed.

[0049] Each of the air conditioner icons 121 to 126 displays identification information of the corresponding air conditioner 10-2 to 10-7, a graphic showing the operation mode included in the latest acquired operation status information, and a set temperature. Figure 3 In the display example (a), the snowflake marks (right side) shown in the air conditioner icons 121 to 126 indicate that all the air conditioners 10-2 to 10-7 are in cooling operation. In addition, the set temperature of each of the air conditioners 10-2 to 10-7 in operation is 23.5°C, which is also displayed in the air conditioner icons 121 to 126 (left side). Figure 3 In (a), there is no abnormal display, so it can be understood that it is the monitoring control screen 100 when the communication status between the air conditioning management controller 20 and each of the air conditioners 10-2 to 10-7 is normal.

[0050] If the administrator performs a prescribed operation on any of the displayed air conditioner icons 121 to 126, the monitoring and control unit 223 generates prescribed control information and sends it to the corresponding air conditioner. For example, if the administrator slides from the right side of the area where a graphic showing the operating mode is displayed to the left side on the air conditioner icon 121, the monitoring and control unit 223 generates control information for stopping the air conditioner and sends it to the corresponding air conditioner 10-1. Such transmission of control information based on operation can be implemented in periodic communication, or it can be sent individually to the corresponding air conditioner 10 each time the control information is generated. The air conditioner 10-1 stops operating based on the control information obtained from the air conditioning management controller 20.

[0051] When the air conditioner 10-1 stops, the monitoring control unit 223 detects this and stores information indicating that the air conditioner 10-1 has stopped in the monitoring control information storage unit 233. The display information generation unit 224 switches the air conditioner icon 121 in the monitoring control screen 100 being displayed to a state indicating the stop state, such as a state with reduced brightness.

[0052] Figure 3(b) shows the monitoring control screen 100 when a communication anomaly occurs between the air conditioning management controller 20 and the air conditioner 10-3 and between the air conditioning management controller 20 and the air conditioner 10-5. Here, a mark "!" indicating an abnormal state is displayed on the air conditioner icon 123 corresponding to the air conditioner 10-3 in which the communication anomaly occurs and the air conditioner icon 125 corresponding to the air conditioner 10-5.

[0053] Here, when the administrator performs a predetermined operation on the display switching button 130 , such as a long press operation for more than 3 seconds, in order to confirm detailed information related to the communication abnormality, the display information generated by the display information generating unit 224 switches from the monitoring control screen 100 to the communication status display screen 200 .

[0054] The display information generation unit 224 generates a communication status display screen 200 showing the communication status with each of the air conditioners 10 - 1 to 10 - 100 based on the information set in the management target setting unit 231 and the information stored in the communication status storage unit 232 .

[0055] As specific examples of the communication status display screen 200 generated by the display information generating unit 224 , communication status display screens 200A to 200D will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0056] [Communication status display screen 200A]

[0057] Figure 4 2 is a diagram showing a communication status display screen 200A generated by the display information generation unit 224. In the communication status display screen 200A, identification information of the air conditioner 10 in which a communication abnormality has occurred is displayed by being classified into initial communication abnormality and regular communication abnormality.

[0058] Specifically, in the communication status display screen 200A, information on the air conditioner 10-5 (office 1) and the like where a periodic communication abnormality occurs is displayed below the identification information "E01" indicating a periodic communication abnormality, and information on the air conditioner 10-3 (conference room 1F) and the like where an initial communication abnormality occurs is displayed below the identification information "E20" indicating an initial communication abnormality.

[0059] In this way, by displaying the identification information of the air conditioner 10 in which the communication abnormality has occurred in the air conditioning system 1 separately as initial communication abnormality and periodic communication abnormality, the manager can identify in which air conditioner the initial communication abnormality or the periodic communication abnormality has occurred.

[0060] In addition, when the communication anomaly that occurs is an initial communication anomaly, the manager can predict that the cause of the anomaly is a disconnection, the power supply of the air conditioner is not turned on, or the setting of the air conditioner is wrong. In addition, when the communication anomaly that occurs is a regular communication anomaly, since the initial communication can be temporarily established, it can be known that the cause of the communication anomaly is at least not a setting error of the air conditioner. Furthermore, since the probability of disconnection of the communication line U is extremely low when the communication line U is not under construction, the manager can predict that the cause of the anomaly is likely to be the deformation of the signal waveform caused by the superposition of electrical noise at a specific connection wiring part in the communication line U. The manager can take appropriate and efficient measures against the communication anomaly based on the predicted cause in this way. In addition, as a measure against electrical noise, it can be considered to insert a noise filter due to the discovery of the noise source and change the routing of the communication line U at the corresponding part.

[0061] [Communication status display screen 200B]

[0062] Figure 5 2 is a diagram showing another communication status display screen 200B generated by the display information generation unit 224. The communication status display screen 200B displays a wiring connection configuration diagram of the air conditioning system 1, and marks are attached to locations in the configuration diagram where communication abnormalities have occurred.

[0063] The mark has different visual recognizability when the corresponding communication anomaly is an initial communication anomaly and a periodic communication anomaly. Figure 5 In the example, a black × mark 201 and text information “E20” indicating that the initial communication abnormality occurs are marked at the location where the initial communication abnormality occurs, specifically between the air conditioning management controller 20 and the air conditioner 10-3. In addition, a white × mark 202 and text information “E01” indicating that the abnormality is a periodic communication abnormality are marked at the location where the periodic communication abnormality occurs, specifically between the air conditioning management controller 20 and the air conditioner 10-5.

[0064] By displaying different marks and text information at the location where the initial communication anomaly occurs and the location where the periodic communication anomaly occurs in the configuration diagram of the air conditioning system 1, the manager can recognize at which location in the air conditioning system 1 the communication anomaly occurs, and whether the communication anomaly occurs is the initial communication anomaly or the periodic communication anomaly. In addition, the manager can predict the cause of the communication anomaly based on the recognized content, similarly to the case of the communication status display screen 200A, and take measures to deal with the communication anomaly efficiently.

[0065] [Communication status display screen 200C]

[0066] Figure 6(a) to (e) are diagrams showing another communication status display screen 200C generated by the display information generation unit 224. The communication status display screen 200C displays information 203 showing the total number of air conditioners to be managed, information 204 showing the number of air conditioners with normal communication status, information 205 showing the number of air conditioners with initial communication abnormality, and information 206 showing the number of air conditioners with periodic communication abnormality in the form of a table. Furthermore, on the same screen, the left side of the table contains information 207 showing the number of air conditioners with communication abnormality (the number of air conditioners with initial communication abnormality + the number of air conditioners with periodic communication abnormality), and a graph 208 showing the ratio of the number of air conditioners with normal communication status to the number of air conditioners with communication abnormality among the air conditioners to be managed.

[0067] Graph 208 is a pie chart with a portion of the lower part cut off. From the lower right end to the left end, an area (region) corresponding to the ratio of the number of normal air conditioners is allocated, and from the lower left end to the lower right end, an area (region) corresponding to the ratio of the number of air conditioners with communication abnormalities is allocated. In graph 208, the areas allocated according to the respective ratios are displayed in different colors. Figure 6 In the example of the display, the area allocated by the ratio of the number of normal air conditioners is white, and the area allocated by the ratio of the number of air conditioners with communication abnormalities is black, but other easily distinguishable colors can be used to distinguish each other. In addition, the number of normal air conditioners, the number of air conditioners with communication abnormalities, and the total number of air conditioners connected below them, that is, set in the management object setting unit 231, are displayed in numbers in the center of the pie chart. It is effective to use this screen when the air conditioning management controller 20 and the air conditioner 10 are installed and tested.

[0068] Figure 6 (a) shows the communication status display screen 200C in which, among all the 100 air conditioners connected to the air conditioning management controller 20, 75 air conditioners have normal communication status, 23 air conditioners have initial communication abnormalities, and 2 air conditioners have periodic communication abnormalities.

[0069] In this case, since communication anomalies occur in multiple air conditioners among the managed air conditioners, the manager can determine that the anomaly has occurred in a certain part between the air conditioners, and the cause of the communication anomaly may be the boundary between the area where air conditioners that have normally established communication with the air conditioning management controller 20 are located and the area where air conditioners that have experienced the communication anomaly are located.

[0070] Figure 6(b) shows a communication status display screen 200C in which, among the 100 air conditioners to be managed, there are 0 air conditioners with normal communication status, 100 air conditioners with initial communication abnormalities, and 0 air conditioners with periodic communication abnormalities.

[0071] In this case, since communication cannot be established with all the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-100 of the management object, the manager can judge that the cause of the communication abnormality is more likely to be an abnormality in the machine body of the air conditioning management controller 20, an error (setting error) in the address information or various machine information of the air conditioner 10 stored in the management object setting unit 231, or around the communication line U before the branch leading out from the air conditioning management controller 20.

[0072] Figure 6 (c) shows a communication status display screen 200C in which, among the 100 air conditioners to be managed, there is one air conditioner in normal communication status, 99 air conditioners have initial communication abnormalities, and 0 air conditioners have periodic communication abnormalities.

[0073] In this case, the manager can determine that the cause of the communication abnormality is likely to be the boundary between the area where the air conditioners normally communicating with the air conditioning management controller 20 are installed and the area where the air conditioners experiencing the communication abnormality are installed.

[0074] Figure 6 (d) shows the communication status display screen 200C in which, among the 100 air conditioners to be managed, 99 air conditioners are in normal communication status, 1 air conditioner has an initial communication abnormality, and 0 air conditioners have a periodic communication abnormality.

[0075] In this case, the manager can determine that the cause of the communication abnormality of an air conditioner may be due to an error in setting data such as the address of the air conditioner, an error in the wiring connected only to the air conditioner, a disconnection, or power failure of the air conditioner.

[0076] Figure 6 (e) shows a communication status display screen 200C in which, among 100 air conditioners to be managed, 99 air conditioners are in normal communication status, 0 air conditioners have an initial communication abnormality, and 1 air conditioner has a periodic communication abnormality.

[0077] In this case, the air conditioner with communication abnormality establishes initial communication when starting up, and then the communication is cut off. Therefore, the manager can determine that the cause of the communication abnormality of the air conditioner may be caused by external noise to the communication line U near the air conditioner.

[0078] As mentioned above, according to Figure 6 In the display mode, in each state, the manager can easily identify the ratio of the number of air conditioners with normal communication status to the number of air conditioners with communication abnormalities among the air conditioners of the management object by visually recognizing the chart 208, and can quickly obtain clues to the cause of the communication abnormality.

[0079] [Communication status display screen 200D]

[0080] Figure 7 2 is a diagram showing a communication status display screen 200D generated by the display information generation unit 224. The communication status display screen 200D is a display screen that shows information related to communication abnormalities in more detail in a list format, and displays identification information (10-1 to 10-100) of each air conditioner 10 to be managed, address information "0001" to "0100", information showing the installation location, information showing the classification of the air conditioner (indoor unit or outdoor unit), information showing the communication status ("normal", "initial communication abnormality", "periodic communication abnormality"), information showing the total number of air conditioners to be managed, information showing the number of air conditioners in normal communication status, information showing the number of air conditioners in which initial communication abnormality has occurred, and information showing the number of air conditioners in which periodic communication abnormality has occurred in a table format.

[0081] In addition, identification information (10-1 to 10-100) of each air conditioner 10 that is a management object, address information "0001" to "0100", information indicating the installation location, and information indicating the classification of the air conditioner (indoor unit or outdoor unit) are information that is read into the air conditioner management controller 20 from a setting file, etc. when or before the air conditioner management controller 20 is installed and stored in the management object setting unit 231.

[0082] like Figure 7 As shown in the table, for example, the air conditioner 10 with address information "0001" is an outdoor unit installed on the roof. And for this outdoor unit, the initial communication abnormality is shown as its communication status. In addition, at the bottom of the table, as a summary of the communication status, it is shown that there are 80 normal air conditioners, 10 air conditioners with initial communication abnormality, 10 air conditioners with regular communication abnormality, and the number of air conditioners to be connected, that is, the total number of air conditioners to be connected is 100.

[0083] By displaying information showing the communication status of each air conditioner 10 and information related thereto in a table format in this way, the manager can easily identify the communication status of each air conditioner 10, and can predict the cause of a communication abnormality and take measures, as in the case of displaying the communication status display screen 200C.

[0084] The display information generating unit 224 generates the above-mentioned communication status display screen 200A, 200B, 200C, or 200D at a predetermined time interval (for example, every 5 seconds), and updates the display on the display unit 242 .

[0085] According to the above embodiment, when a communication anomaly occurs between the air conditioning management controller 20 and any air conditioner 10 in the air conditioning system 1, the manager can easily determine the cause of the communication anomaly by distinguishing whether the communication anomaly is an initial communication anomaly or a regular communication anomaly and prompting the air conditioning management controller 20.

[0086] [Example of other air conditioning system configuration]

[0087] In the above embodiment, an example of the air conditioning system 1 is shown in which the air conditioning management controller 20 and all the air conditioners 10 are connected to the same communication line U and exchange information with each other in a bus communication manner. However, the configuration is not limited to this configuration, and the configuration may also be as follows. Figure 8 The air conditioning system 2 shown is constructed in the following manner: only the outdoor units 40-1, 40-2... in the air conditioner 10 are directly connected to the upper bus communication line UH connected to the air conditioning management controller 20, and each outdoor unit 40-1, 40-2... is connected to the indoor unit, that is, the indoor unit in the same refrigeration cycle system, through the lower bus communication line UL, and the indoor unit is connected to each outdoor unit 40-1, 40-2... by a refrigerant pipe.

[0088] For example, in Figure 8 In the air conditioning system 2, three outdoor units 40-1 to 40-3 are connected to the air conditioning management controller 20 through a bus communication line UH, wherein the outdoor units 40-1 and 40-3 are respectively configured in a multi-connected manner to which a plurality of indoor units 50 are connected. The outdoor unit 40-1 is connected to four indoor units 50-1 to 50-4 through a lower communication line UL1, and the outdoor unit 40-3 is connected to three indoor units 50-6 to 50-8 through a lower communication line UL3. In addition, the outdoor unit 40-2 is configured in a so-called unit type, and only one indoor unit 50-5 is connected through a lower communication line UL2. Hereinafter, the outdoor units in the air conditioning system 2 are collectively referred to as outdoor units 40, the indoor units are collectively referred to as indoor units 50, and the lower communication lines are collectively referred to as communication lines UL.

[0089] In the case of such an air conditioning system configuration, the air conditioning management controller 20 and the indoor unit 50 exchange information via the outdoor unit 40. At this time, the outdoor unit 40 may only function as a communication relay between the air conditioning management controller 20 and the indoor unit 50, or the outdoor unit 40 may obtain the information of the indoor unit 50 in advance via the downstream communication line UL, and the air conditioning management controller 20 responds to the initial communication and periodic communication of the indoor unit 50 by the outdoor unit 40 in the form of summarizing the information of the indoor unit 50 obtained in advance.

[0090] Generally, in the initial communication between the air conditioning management controller 20 and the air conditioner 10, detailed information such as the type or model information of the air conditioner 10 that is not performed in the periodic communication performed during operation is exchanged. Therefore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the initial communication and the periodic communication are described separately, but the initial communication and the periodic communication may be performed with the same communication content. That is, the periodic communication between the air conditioning management controller 20 and each air conditioner 10 until the initial communication is established may also be treated as the initial communication.

[0091] The embodiments of the present invention are described above, but the embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The new embodiments can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the scope equivalent thereto.

[0092] Description of Reference Numerals

[0093] 1. Air conditioning system

[0094] 10-1~10-100 Air conditioner

[0095] 20 Air conditioning management controller

[0096] 21 Ministry of Communications

[0097] 22CPU

[0098] 23 Storage

[0099] 24 touch panel

[0100] 40 Outdoor unit

[0101] 50 indoor units

[0102] 100 monitoring control screen

[0103] 110 Area name display unit

[0104] 120 Air conditioner icon display unit

[0105] 121~126 Air conditioner icon

[0106] 200, 200A~200D communication status display screen

[0107] 201, 202×mark

[0108] 203 Information showing the total number of air conditioners to be managed

[0109] 204 Information showing the number of air conditioners in normal communication state

[0110] 205 Information showing the number of air conditioners in which initial communication abnormality occurred

[0111] 206 Information showing the number of air conditioners in which periodic communication abnormality occurs

[0112] 207 Information showing the number of air conditioners in which communication abnormality occurs

[0113] 208 is a graph showing the ratio of the number of air conditioners in normal communication state to the number of air conditioners in which communication abnormality occurs.

[0114] 221 Initial Communication Processing Unit

[0115] 222 Regular Communication Processing Department

[0116] 223 Monitoring and Control Department

[0117] 224 Display information generation unit

[0118] 231 Management object setting department

[0119] 232 communication status storage unit

[0120] 233 Monitoring and control information storage unit

[0121] 241 Input unit

[0122] 242 Display

[0123] U, UH, UL communication lines.

Claims

1. A device for managing equipment and machinery, characterized in that: have: an initial communication processing unit that performs communication establishment processing based on initial communication with a management target device with which communication has not been established; a regular communication processing unit that regularly performs a communication confirmation process based on regular communication to confirm whether the communication state is normal for the equipment that has established communication through the communication establishment process; a display information generating unit that generates display information for distinguishing whether the corresponding communication abnormality is an initial communication abnormality or a regular communication abnormality, if a communication abnormality with the device is recognized based on the execution result of the communication establishment process and the execution result of the communication confirmation process; A display unit displays the display information generated by the display information generating unit.

2. The equipment and machine management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple equipment and machines of the management object. The display information generating unit further generates the display information including information on the number of equipment devices in which the initial communication error has occurred.

3. The equipment and machine management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple equipment and machines of the management object. The display information generating unit further generates the display information including information on the number of equipment devices in which the periodic communication abnormality has occurred.

4. The equipment and machine management device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The display information generating unit further generates the display information including information on the total number of the equipment devices to be managed.

5. The equipment and machine management device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The display information generating unit generates the display information so as to simultaneously display information on the number of devices in which the initial communication error has occurred and information on the total number of devices to be managed.

6. The equipment and machine management device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The display information generating unit further generates the display information including information on the total number of devices currently experiencing communication abnormalities, which is obtained by adding the number of devices experiencing the initial communication abnormality to the number of devices experiencing the periodic communication abnormality.

7. The equipment and machine management device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The display information generating unit generates the display information so as to simultaneously display information on the number of devices in which the initial communication abnormality has occurred, information on the number of devices in which the regular communication abnormality has occurred, and information on the total number of devices to be managed.

8. The equipment and machine management device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The display information generating unit generates the display information including information indicating a ratio of the number of air conditioners having a normal communication state to the number of air conditioners having a communication abnormality among the air conditioners to be managed.

9. The equipment and machine management device according to claim 5 or 7, characterized in that: The display unit has a liquid crystal screen. The display information generating unit displays the generated display information on one screen of the liquid crystal screen.

10. The equipment and machine management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple equipment and machines of the management object. The display information generating unit generates the display information including information for distinguishing, for each device in which the communication abnormality is identified, whether the communication abnormality is an initial communication abnormality or a regular communication abnormality.

11. The equipment and machine management device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The display information generating unit further generates the display information including information indicating that the communication status is normal for each device whose communication status is recognized to be normal, based on the execution result of the communication establishment process and the execution result of the communication confirmation process.

12. A method for managing equipment and machinery, characterized in that: The equipment management device performs communication establishment processing with the equipment to be managed through initial communication. For the equipment that has established communication through the communication establishment process, a communication confirmation process is periodically performed to confirm whether the communication status is normal through periodic communication. If a communication abnormality with the device is recognized based on the execution results of the communication establishment process and the communication confirmation process, display information is generated and displayed to distinguish whether the corresponding communication abnormality is an initial communication abnormality or a regular communication abnormality.

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