Internal and external unit bus type air conditioner centralized control panel and control method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of air conditioner control, in particular to an indoor and outdoor unit bus type air conditioner centralized control panel and a control method.The indoor and outdoor unit bus type air conditioner centralized control panel comprises a bottom plate part which is provided with a master controller and a three-in-one communication device which communicate with each other; the three-in-one communication device is provided with a communication terminal used for being externally connected with an indoor and outdoor unit communication bus, obtaining a voltage difference signal and indoor and outdoor unit communication data and uploading the data to the master controller. The main controller can identify air conditioner brands based on the voltage difference signals and switch corresponding brand communication protocols for communication, and can also obtain different indoor unit addresses based on indoor unit and outdoor unit communication data; the display panel part communicates with the main controller and is provided with a touch screen for displaying the running state information of the air conditioner; the touch screen can input a control instruction and upload the control instruction to the main controller, so as to control the indoor unit at the corresponding address; according to the centralized control panel, the main controller and the three-in-one communication device are matched, automatic identification and protocol butt joint of air conditioner brands are achieved, and simultaneous control over the multiple indoor units through one centralized control panel is achieved in the mode of being connected into the communication bus of the indoor units and the communication bus of the outdoor units.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of air conditioning control, and in particular to an indoor and outdoor unit bus type air conditioning centralized control panel and a control method. Background Art

[0002] Currently, in ordinary homes and industrial environments, air conditioning centralized control gateways and air conditioning wired controllers play a very important role in realizing centralized and intelligent control of air conditioning systems.

[0003] Existing air conditioning centralized control gateway products can control multiple indoor units, (1) but generally only support a specific brand of air conditioners and cannot achieve control of multiple brands of air conditioners, and therefore cannot achieve deep interconnection with smart home platforms; (2) when in use, they need to be connected to the centralized control interface of the central air conditioning system. Since the centralized control interface is generally located in the air conditioner outdoor unit control panel, the air conditioner indoor unit control panel or the central control box (some models of central air conditioners do not even have a centralized control interface), at the air conditioner centralized control gateway installation site, the installation and debugging personnel generally need to open the control cabinet of the outdoor unit shell, the circuit board compartment near the indoor unit return air outlet or the air conditioner distribution box to complete the installation of the air conditioner centralized control gateway. Since the air conditioner centralized control gateway is installed at a high position (usually at the construction site, for aesthetics and to prevent accidental touch, the gateway device needs to be installed near the ceiling or in a place that is difficult for people to enter), this forces users to use mobile devices (mobile phones, tablets, etc.) to connect to the gateway to achieve control of the air conditioner centralized control system, and there are also many inconveniences during installation, maintenance and repair.

[0004] Existing air conditioner wired controller products are easy to install, but only support the control of a single air conditioner indoor unit and cannot control multiple air conditioner indoor units.

[0005] In summary, existing air conditioning centralized control gateway products can only be remotely controlled using mobile devices, are complex to install, and only support the control of a specific brand of air conditioners; existing air conditioning wired controllers cannot control multiple air conditioning indoor units and have a single function. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a bus-type air conditioner centralized control panel and control method for indoor and outdoor units to solve the problems existing in the prior art. To achieve the above purpose, the present invention solves the problem through the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a centralized control panel for an indoor / outdoor unit bus-type air conditioner, comprising:

[0008] The baseplate is equipped with a main controller and a three-in-one communication device for communicating with each other. The three-in-one communication device is equipped with communication terminals for connecting to the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus, and obtains voltage difference signals and indoor and outdoor unit communication data and uploads them to the main controller. The main controller can identify the air conditioner brand based on the voltage difference signal and switch to the corresponding brand communication protocol for communication. It can also obtain different indoor unit addresses based on the indoor and outdoor unit communication data.

[0009] The display panel communicates with the main controller, and its integrated touch screen displays the air conditioner operation status information (including the number of indoor units, temperature, power on / off status, etc.); the touch screen can convert the user's touch behavior into input control instructions and upload them to the main controller, thereby controlling the indoor unit of the corresponding address.

[0010] As a further technical solution, the display panel part also includes a slave controller, which can upload instructions from the touch screen to the main controller and send instructions from the main controller to the touch screen.

[0011] As a further technical solution, the master controller communicates with the slave controller and the three-in-one communication device using a UART protocol, and the slave controller communicates with the touch screen using an SPI protocol.

[0012] As a further technical solution, the three-in-one communication device supports HBS, RS485, and CAN communication protocols.

[0013] As a further technical solution, the display panel part also has a built-in wireless communication module to communicate with the slave controller to achieve remote control.

[0014] As a further technical solution, it also includes a power supply module, which is provided with an AC-DC conversion circuit and an LDO circuit connected thereto, and the AC-DC conversion circuit is externally connected to alternating current.

[0015] As a further technical solution, the power supply module is further provided with a TYPE-C interface and a power supply circuit thereof.

[0016] As a further technical solution, the three-in-one communication device has a built-in miswiring protection circuit.

[0017] As a further technical solution, its overall size is adapted to the size of the junction box.

[0018] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for operating the indoor and outdoor bus-type air conditioner centralized control panel according to the first aspect, comprising the following steps:

[0019] The centralized control panel is connected to the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus through the communication terminal. The three-in-one communication device obtains the voltage difference signal on the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus and uploads it to the main controller. The main controller identifies the air conditioner brand based on the voltage difference signal and switches to the corresponding brand communication protocol for communication;

[0020] The three-in-one communication device continuously obtains the communication data between the indoor and outdoor units on the communication bus and uploads it to the main controller. The slave controller sends instructions to the touch screen according to the instructions of the main controller, and the touch screen displays the air conditioner operation status information according to the instructions;

[0021] The user touches the touch screen to input instructions, which are uploaded to the main controller through the slave controller and control the three-in-one communication device to send the corresponding data to the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus, and the indoor unit with the corresponding address will act according to the instructions.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0023] (1) The three-in-one communication device of the present invention obtains a voltage difference signal via the communication bus between the indoor and outdoor units. The main controller can identify the brand of the air conditioner based on the voltage difference signal and switch the corresponding brand communication protocol for communication. Through the cooperation of the three-in-one communication device and the main controller, the corresponding air conditioner brand can be automatically identified, thereby realizing the control of air conditioners of various brands.

[0024] (2) The three-in-one communication device of the present invention can obtain the address data of different indoor units and upload the address data to the main controller. The main controller can then issue instructions based on the address to control the air-conditioning indoor unit at the address, thereby realizing the simultaneous control of multiple air-conditioning indoor units by one centralized control panel.

[0025] (3) The centralized control panel of the present invention changes the existing air conditioning centralized control gateway's control method of controlling the central air conditioning system through the centralized control interface, and controls the central air conditioning system by connecting to the communication bus between the air conditioning indoor and outdoor units. This also allows the installation location of the centralized control panel to be selected according to the user by leading out the communication bus between the indoor and outdoor units. In addition, the centralized control panel of this embodiment consists of a base plate portion and a display panel portion, making the centralized control gateway panel-like; the centralized control panel can be embedded in a standard junction box or directly embedded in the wall, making the installation of the centralized control gateway product standardized and aesthetically pleasing.

[0026] (4) The centralized control panel of the present invention changes the existing air conditioning centralized control gateway, which can only be remotely controlled through third-party devices or mobile device apps. By integrating a touch screen, users can touch the touch screen, and the corresponding instructions are sent to the air conditioning indoor units at different addresses via the air conditioning indoor and outdoor unit communication bus, realizing touch control of multiple air conditioning indoor units through a centralized control panel. It also integrates a wireless communication module, which enables users to remotely control the central air conditioning system through the smart home app on mobile devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings, which form part of the present invention, are provided to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their description are provided to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should also be understood that these drawings are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The present invention will now be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an application scenario of a bus-type air-conditioning centralized control panel for internal and external units in an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0029] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the centralized control panel of the indoor and outdoor bus-type air conditioner in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The technical solutions in typical embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] Example 1

[0032] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment provides an indoor and outdoor bus-type air conditioning centralized control panel, including a base plate portion and a display panel portion. The application scenarios are: commercial, industrial, public buildings and residential buildings that use central air conditioning systems.

[0033] The base panel houses a main controller and a three-in-one communication device, which communicate with each other. This device supports RS485, CAN, and HBS (Homebus) protocols. It connects to the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus via external communication terminals on the central control panel. The indoor and outdoor unit communication bus uses two-core wires, eliminating the need for polarity verification. This device utilizes the RS485, CAN, and HBS communication protocol described in Publication No. CN116366378A (disclosing a communication device).

[0034] On the one hand, the three-in-one communication device obtains the voltage difference signal (voltage difference between the two indoor and outdoor unit communication buses) and the indoor and outdoor unit communication data through the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus and uploads them to the main controller; on the other hand, it sends the main controller's instructions to the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus and the indoor unit.

[0035] The three-in-one communication device acquires the voltage difference signal on the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus and uploads it to the main controller via the UART protocol. The main controller can then identify the air conditioner brand based on the voltage difference signal and switch to the corresponding brand communication protocol for communication (the main controller pre-stores the communication protocols for multiple brands of air conditioners). For example, a bus voltage difference between 28V and 35V can be identified as a Mitsubishi Electric brand, a bus voltage difference between 16V and 18V as a Panasonic brand, and a bus voltage difference between 14V and 15V as a Daikin brand. At this point, the main controller can communicate with the indoor and outdoor units via the three-in-one communication device and the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus.

[0036] The three-in-one communication device in this embodiment acquires a voltage difference signal via the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus. The master controller can then identify the air conditioner brand based on this voltage difference signal and switch to the corresponding brand communication protocol for communication. The three-in-one communication device and the master controller work together to automatically identify the corresponding air conditioner brand, enabling control of multiple brands of air conditioners. The centralized control panel in this embodiment is used in an air conditioner system with indoor and outdoor units of the same brand (not an air conditioner system with multiple brands of indoor and outdoor units). Once connected to the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus, the centralized control panel can automatically identify the air conditioner brand.

[0037] The three-in-one communication device then transmits the collected indoor and outdoor unit communication data (including indoor unit addresses, number of indoor units, temperature, etc.) to the main controller via the UART protocol. Acquiring different indoor unit addresses allows the main controller to subsequently issue commands based on the addresses to control the indoor units at those addresses, enabling a single centralized control panel to simultaneously control multiple indoor units.

[0038] The display panel communicates with the main controller and has a touch screen that displays the air conditioner operating status information; the touch screen can input control instructions and upload them to the main controller, and then control the corresponding indoor unit according to the address.

[0039] The centralized control panel in this embodiment changes the existing air conditioning centralized control gateway's control method of controlling the central air conditioning system through the centralized control interface, and controls the central air conditioning system by connecting to the communication bus of the air conditioning indoor and outdoor units. This also allows the user to select the installation location of the centralized control panel by leading out the communication bus of the indoor and outdoor units. In addition, the centralized control panel of this embodiment is composed of a base plate portion and a display panel portion. The bottom of the display panel portion is the base plate portion, which changes the structural design of the existing air conditioning centralized control gateway and makes the centralized control gateway panel-based. Under existing process conditions, its overall size can be adapted to the size of the junction box (the junction box in this embodiment is an 86 box). The centralized control panel can be embedded in a standard 86 box (a standard electrical junction box with a size of 86mm*86mm) or directly embedded in the wall, making the installation of the centralized control gateway product standardized and beautiful.

[0040] The display panel also includes a slave controller, which is mainly used to control the touch screen. It can upload instructions from the touch screen to the master controller and send instructions from the master controller to the touch screen.

[0041] Specifically, the master controller transmits data to the slave controller via the UART protocol, and the slave controller transmits the data to the touch screen via the SPI protocol. The touch screen refreshes and displays the operating status information of the air conditioner, specifically the corresponding air conditioner brand, temperature, etc.

[0042] At the same time, the user sends control instructions (including power on / off and temperature control instructions for the indoor unit address) through the touch screen. The touch screen transmits data to the slave controller through the SPI protocol. The slave controller parses the data content and then uploads it to the master controller through the UART protocol. The master controller sends data to the three-in-one communication device. The three-in-one communication device sends data to the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus according to the instructions. The air conditioner indoor unit with the corresponding address receives the corresponding data and takes corresponding actions. At this time, the control is completed.

[0043] The display panel also features a built-in wireless communication module that communicates with the slave controller for remote control. In this embodiment, the wireless communication module is the Mijia WiFi module, which incorporates an ESP8266 chip for communication with the Mijia cloud platform. Users can issue control commands to networked devices via the Smart Home app on their mobile devices (phones, tablets, etc.). Unlike issuing control commands through the touchscreen, the Mijia WiFi module first communicates with the slave controller, and the subsequent process is the same as issuing commands through the touchscreen.

[0044] In other embodiments, the Mi WiFi module can be replaced with wireless communication modules of other brands and types, such as Bluetooth or Zigbee modules, to adapt to other smart platforms.

[0045] This embodiment's centralized control panel changes the existing remote control method for air conditioning centralized control gateways, which can only be controlled remotely via third-party devices or mobile device apps. By integrating a touchscreen, users can simply touch the touchscreen, and corresponding commands are transmitted to air conditioner indoor units at different addresses via the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus, enabling touch control of multiple indoor units from a single centralized control panel. It also integrates a wireless communication module, enabling remote control and intelligent interaction with the central air conditioning system through smart home apps on mobile devices.

[0046] In this embodiment, the touch screen adopts a capacitive touch screen that supports multi-touch and sliding operations. In other embodiments, the touch screen can also adopt a resistive screen or an electronic ink screen to further reduce power consumption and cost.

[0047] The centralized control panel also includes a power supply module, which is provided with an AC-DC conversion circuit and an LDO circuit connected thereto, and the AC-DC conversion circuit is externally connected to alternating current.

[0048] The base panel receives 220V AC power (supports a wide voltage input of 220~250V), which is converted into 5V DC power by the AC-DC conversion circuit. One path of this 5V DC power is converted into 3.3V DC power by the LDO circuit to power the main controller and three-in-one communication circuit; the other path is output to the display panel part, which is converted into 3.3V DC power by the LDO circuit in the display panel to power the slave controller and touch screen.

[0049] The display panel has a Type-C port and its power supply circuit (including an LDO circuit that converts 5V DC to 3.3V DC). In environments where 220V AC power is unavailable, you can power the device with a 5V power supply that supports the Type-C port.

[0050] The three-in-one communication device has a built-in miswiring protection circuit to prevent damage to the control panel or air conditioner due to human error (AC 220V connected to the communication terminal of the control panel). In this embodiment, the miswiring protection circuit can be an existing circuit in the prior art.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] This embodiment provides a method for operating the indoor and outdoor bus-type air conditioner centralized control panel as described in Example 1, including the following steps:

[0053] The centralized control panel is connected to the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus through the communication terminal. The three-in-one communication device obtains the voltage difference signal on the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus and uploads it to the main controller. The main controller identifies the air conditioner brand based on the voltage difference signal and switches to the corresponding brand communication protocol for communication;

[0054] The three-in-one communication device continuously obtains the indoor and outdoor unit communication data (including indoor unit address, number of indoor units, temperature, etc.) on the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus and uploads it to the main controller. The slave controller sends instructions to the touch screen according to the instructions of the main controller. The touch screen displays the air conditioner operation status information according to the instructions, such as air conditioner brand, indoor unit temperature, etc.

[0055] The user touches the touch screen to input instructions, which are uploaded to the main controller through the slave controller and control the three-in-one communication device to send the corresponding data to the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus, and the indoor unit with the corresponding address will act according to the instructions.

[0056] Although the present invention has been disclosed above in terms of preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make possible changes and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention by using the methods and technical contents disclosed above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A bus-type air conditioner centralized control panel for internal and external units, characterized in that: include: The baseplate is equipped with a main controller and a three-in-one communication device for communicating with each other. The three-in-one communication device is equipped with communication terminals for connecting to the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus, and obtains voltage difference signals and indoor and outdoor unit communication data and uploads them to the main controller. The main controller can identify the air conditioner brand based on the voltage difference signal and switch to the corresponding brand communication protocol for communication. It can also obtain different indoor unit addresses based on the indoor and outdoor unit communication data. The display panel communicates with the main controller, and its integrated touch screen displays the air conditioner operation status information; the touch screen can convert the user's touch behavior into input control instructions and upload them to the main controller, and then control the indoor unit of the corresponding address.

2. The indoor and outdoor bus type air conditioner centralized control panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The display panel part also includes a slave controller, which can upload instructions from the touch screen to the master controller and send instructions from the master controller to the touch screen.

3. The indoor and outdoor bus type air conditioner centralized control panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The master controller communicates with the slave controller and the three-in-one communication device using the UART protocol, and the slave controller communicates with the touch screen using the SPI protocol.

4. The indoor and outdoor bus type air conditioner centralized control panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The three-in-one communication device supports HBS, RS485, and CAN communication protocols.

5. The indoor and outdoor bus type air conditioner centralized control panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The display panel also has a built-in wireless communication module for communicating with the slave controller to achieve remote control.

6. The indoor and outdoor bus type air conditioner centralized control panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a power supply module, which is provided with an AC-DC conversion circuit and an LDO circuit connected thereto, and the AC-DC conversion circuit is externally connected to alternating current.

7. The indoor and outdoor unit bus type air conditioner centralized control panel according to claim 6, characterized in that: The power supply module is also provided with a TYPE-C interface and a power supply circuit thereof.

8. The indoor and outdoor bus type air conditioner centralized control panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The three-in-one communication device has a built-in miswiring protection circuit.

9. The indoor and outdoor bus type air conditioner centralized control panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: Its overall dimensions are adapted to the size of the junction box.

10. The operating method of the indoor and outdoor unit bus type air conditioner centralized control panel according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: The centralized control panel is connected to the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus through the communication terminal. The three-in-one communication device obtains the voltage difference signal on the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus and uploads it to the main controller. The main controller identifies the air conditioner brand based on the voltage difference signal and switches to the corresponding brand communication protocol for communication; The three-in-one communication device continuously obtains the communication data between the indoor and outdoor units on the communication bus and uploads it to the main controller. The slave controller sends instructions to the touch screen according to the instructions of the main controller, and the touch screen displays the air conditioner operation status information according to the instructions; The user touches the touch screen to input instructions, which are uploaded to the main controller through the slave controller and control the three-in-one communication device to send the corresponding data to the indoor and outdoor unit communication bus, and the indoor unit with the corresponding address will act according to the instructions.

Images