Firmware upgrading method and device, drive-by-wire controller, multi-connected system and storage medium

Abstract

The application relates to a firmware upgrading method and device, a drive-by-wire controller, a multi-connected system and a storage medium. When it is necessary to upgrade the equipment such as an external machine and an internal machine in a multi-connected system, the target upgrading types of the drive-by-wire controllers can be determined based on the drive-by-wire controller information frame data of the drive-by-wire controllers and preset rules, and a unique drive-by-wire controller with the target upgrading type of the main upgrading type is obtained. Based on the target upgrading type of each drive-by-wire controller and the received upgrading information frame data of the external machine and the internal machine in the multi-connected system, the new version firmware of the target equipment corresponding to the drive-by-wire controller is obtained from a server, and the corresponding new version firmware is sent to the target equipment. The application relates to the emerging software and new information technology service technology field in the strategic emerging industry field, can improve the upgrading efficiency of the multi-connected system, can ensure the normal upgrading of offline equipment, can reduce the bus conflict risk, and can improve the reliability in the upgrading process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of firmware upgrade technology, and in particular to a firmware upgrade method, apparatus, wired controller, multi-unit system and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Multi-split air conditioning systems (such as air conditioning systems where one outdoor unit drives multiple indoor units) have been widely used in commercial and residential sectors. With the popularization of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, devices such as indoor and outdoor units in multi-split systems have a need for remote firmware upgrades to fix vulnerabilities, improve performance, or add new functions.

[0003] However, firmware upgrades for multi-split air conditioning systems using this technology typically suffer from the following drawbacks: First, the upgrade process is inefficient. Most upgrade solutions rely on a single device (such as an outdoor unit or a specific wired controller) as the main control node, which then distributes the new firmware version to all indoor and outdoor units one by one. When the system is large, firmware transmission takes a very long time, and if this single device fails, the entire upgrade will fail.

[0004] Secondly, offline devices cannot be upgraded. If a wired controller connected to an indoor unit is not connected to the internet (and cannot download firmware from the server), then the wired controller cannot upgrade the indoor unit it is connected to.

[0005] Third, there is a high risk of bus collisions. If all wired controllers are allowed to download firmware information from the server simultaneously and send data to the system's communication bus at will, it is very easy to cause bus data collisions and network congestion, affecting the normal communication and control command transmission of the system.

[0006] In other words, the firmware upgrade method of the multi-unit system in the relevant technology has problems such as low upgrade efficiency, inability to upgrade offline devices, and high risk of bus conflict. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of this, in order to solve the technical problems of low upgrade efficiency, inability to upgrade offline devices, and high risk of bus conflict in the firmware upgrade methods of existing multi-unit systems, this application provides a firmware upgrade method, device, wired controller, multi-unit system, and storage medium.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this application, a firmware upgrade method is provided. The firmware upgrade method is applied to a multi-unit air conditioning system. The multi-unit air conditioning system includes at least one outdoor unit and multiple indoor units, and also includes multiple wired controllers that correspond one-to-one with the multiple indoor units. The corresponding indoor units and the wired controllers are electrically connected. The firmware upgrade method includes: Based on the wire controller information frame data of the multiple wire controllers and preset rules, the target upgrade type of each wire controller is determined; among the target upgrade types of each wire controller, there is a unique wire controller with a primary upgrade type; Based on its target upgrade type and the upgrade information frame data received from at least one of the outdoor units and multiple of the indoor units, the system obtains a new version firmware for the target device from the server and sends the corresponding new version firmware to the target device; wherein, the new version firmware is used to upgrade the corresponding target device; if the target upgrade type is a primary upgrade type, then the target device includes the indoor unit electrically connected to itself, the indoor units electrically connected to other wired controllers that are not connected to the network, and at least one of the outdoor units; if the target upgrade type is a secondary upgrade type, then the target device includes the indoor unit electrically connected to itself; if the target upgrade type is a non-upgrade type, then the target device is empty; wherein, the target upgrade type of the wired controllers that are not connected to the network is a non-upgrade type.

[0009] In one alternative implementation, The wired controller information frame data includes at least the wired controller upgrade type; The step of determining the target upgrade type for each of the wire controllers based on wire controller information frame data and preset rules includes: After the duration of power-on reaches the set duration, if a unique main upgrade type of the wire controller is determined based on the upgrade type of the wire controller in the multiple wire controller information frame data, then the wire controller upgrade type of each wire controller is determined as the target upgrade type of each wire controller.

[0010] In one alternative implementation, The step of determining the target upgrade type for each of the wire controllers based on wire controller information frame data and preset rules includes: After the duration of its power-on operation reaches the set duration, if at least two main upgrade types of wire controllers are determined based on the upgrade types of the multiple wire controller information frames, then the upgrade type of the wire controller that is not of the main upgrade type is determined as its target upgrade type; and a unique wire controller is selected from the at least two main upgrade types as the wire controller with the target upgrade type as the main upgrade type; and other wire controllers with the main upgrade types are determined as wire controllers with the target upgrade type as the secondary upgrade type.

[0011] In one alternative implementation, The wired controller information frame data includes at least the indoor unit number information electrically connected to the wired controller. The step of selecting a unique wire controller from at least two primary upgrade types as the target upgrade type primary upgrade type wire controller includes: Among at least two main upgrade type wire controllers, the wire controller corresponding to the smallest or largest indoor unit number information is identified as the wire controller of the target upgrade type as the main upgrade type.

[0012] In one alternative implementation, The step of determining the target upgrade type for each of the wire controllers based on wire controller information frame data and preset rules includes: After the duration of its power-on reaches the set duration, if no wire controller of the primary upgrade type is determined based on the upgrade type of the multiple wire controller information frame data, then a unique wire controller is selected from the wire controllers of the secondary upgrade type as the wire controller with the primary upgrade type as the target upgrade type; the target upgrade type of the other wire controllers of the secondary upgrade type is determined as the secondary upgrade type; and the target upgrade type of the wire controllers of the non-upgrade type is determined as the non-upgrade type.

[0013] In one alternative implementation, The wired controller information frame data includes at least the indoor unit number information electrically connected to the wired controller. The selection of a unique wire controller from the secondary upgrade type as the wire controller for the primary upgrade type of the target upgrade type includes: Among the wired controllers of the secondary upgrade type, the wired controller corresponding to the smallest or largest indoor unit number is identified as the wired controller of the target upgrade type, which is the primary upgrade type.

[0014] In one alternative implementation, The upgrade information frame data includes at least firmware encoding. Based on its own target upgrade type and the received upgrade information frame data from at least one of the external devices and multiple of the internal devices, the process of obtaining the new firmware version of the target device from the server and sending the corresponding new firmware version to the target device includes: From the received upgrade information frame data, determine the firmware code corresponding to the target device; Based on the firmware code corresponding to the target device, download the new version firmware corresponding to the firmware code from the server; The downloaded new firmware version is sent to the corresponding target device.

[0015] In one alternative implementation, The firmware upgrade method includes: After sending the corresponding new firmware version to the target device, a first prompt message and update options are displayed on the upgrade page; wherein, the first prompt message indicates that at least one of the outdoor units and / or the indoor units electrically connected to it have the corresponding new firmware version. Upon receiving a confirmation update command for the update option, control at least one of the outdoor units with the new firmware version and / or the indoor unit electrically connected to it to perform an upgrade.

[0016] In one alternative implementation, The firmware upgrade method includes: When at least one of the outdoor units and / or the indoor units electrically connected to it do not support the upgrade, a second prompt message is displayed on the upgrade page; wherein the second prompt message indicates that the corresponding outdoor unit and / or the indoor unit electrically connected to it does not support the upgrade.

[0017] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this application, a firmware upgrade device is provided. The firmware upgrade device is applied to a multi-unit air conditioning system. The multi-unit air conditioning system includes at least one outdoor unit and multiple indoor units, and also includes multiple wired controllers that correspond one-to-one with the multiple indoor units. The corresponding indoor units and the wired controllers are electrically connected. The firmware upgrade device includes: The determining unit is configured to determine the target upgrade type of each of the multiple wire controllers based on wire controller information frame data and preset rules; wherein, among the target upgrade types of each wire controller, there is a unique wire controller with a primary upgrade type; An upgrade unit is configured to, based on its own target upgrade type and upgrade information frame data received from at least one of the outdoor units and multiple of the indoor units, obtain a new version firmware of the target device from the server and send the corresponding new version firmware to the target device; wherein, the new version firmware is used to upgrade the corresponding target device; if the target upgrade type is a primary upgrade type, then the target device includes the indoor unit electrically connected to itself, the indoor units electrically connected to other wired controllers that are not connected to the network, and at least one of the outdoor units; if the target upgrade type is a secondary upgrade type, then the target device includes the indoor unit electrically connected to itself; if the target upgrade type is a non-upgrade type, then the target device is empty; wherein, the target upgrade type of the non-connected wired controllers is a non-upgrade type.

[0018] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of this application, a wired controller is provided, the wired controller comprising: a processor and a memory, the processor being configured to execute a control program stored in the memory to implement the firmware upgrade method as described in any of the first aspects.

[0019] According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of this application, a multi-split air conditioning system is provided, the multi-split air conditioning system including at least one outdoor unit and multiple indoor units, and also including multiple wired controllers as described in the third aspect, each corresponding to one of the multiple indoor units, wherein the corresponding indoor units and the wired controllers are electrically connected.

[0020] According to a fifth aspect of the embodiments of this application, a storage medium is provided, the storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs being executable by one or more processors to implement the firmware upgrade method as described in any of the first aspects.

[0021] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application can include the following beneficial effects: In this application, the multi-split air conditioning system includes at least one outdoor unit and multiple indoor units, each of which is electrically connected to a wired controller. When it is necessary to upgrade the outdoor units, indoor units, and other equipment in the multi-split air conditioning system, the target upgrade type of each wired controller can be determined first based on the wired controller information frame data of multiple wired controllers and preset rules, resulting in a unique wired controller with the target upgrade type as the primary upgrade type. Then, each wired controller can obtain the new version firmware of the target device corresponding to the wired controller from the server based on its own target upgrade type and the received upgrade information frame data of the outdoor and indoor units in the multi-split air conditioning system, and send the corresponding new version firmware to the target device, thereby realizing the upgrade of the target device. Specifically, for a wired controller with a target upgrade type of non-upgrade, it means that the wired controller is not connected to the network, and its corresponding target device is empty. That is, a non-upgrade type wired controller does not acquire or send relevant firmware information. For a wired controller with a target upgrade type of secondary upgrade, its corresponding target device is its electrically connected indoor unit. That is, a secondary upgrade type wired controller obtains the new version firmware of its electrically connected indoor unit from the server and sends it to the indoor unit. For a wired controller with a target upgrade type of primary upgrade, its corresponding target devices include the outdoor unit, the indoor unit electrically connected to the wired controller, and the indoor unit electrically connected to a wired controller that is not connected to the network. That is, a primary upgrade type wired controller can obtain the new version firmware of the aforementioned outdoor unit, the indoor unit electrically connected to the wired controller, and the indoor unit electrically connected to a wired controller that is not connected to the network from the server, and send the corresponding new version firmware to the corresponding device. As can be seen, this application, by classifying the upgrade types of each wired controller, allows multiple wired controllers to perform upgrade tasks in parallel according to their respective roles—the primary upgrade type wired controller is responsible for acquiring and sending firmware for the outdoor unit, its own indoor unit, and indoor units connected to unconnected wired controllers; the secondary upgrade type wired controller is responsible for acquiring and sending firmware for its own indoor unit. Compared to the serial method in related technologies that relies on a single device to send firmware to all devices one by one, this application achieves parallel collaborative upgrades of multiple wired controllers, significantly shortening the time required for overall upgrades of large-scale multi-split air conditioning systems and improving efficiency. Moreover, it enables the orderly allocation of permissions for each wired controller. This mechanism avoids multiple wired controllers arbitrarily acquiring or sending firmware information, thereby eliminating the risk of collisions and network congestion during data transmission and ensuring the normal communication and real-time transmission of control commands in the multi-split air conditioning system. Furthermore, in this application, even if some wired controllers are unable to obtain firmware information from the server due to being offline, the connected indoor units can still obtain and send the new firmware version through the main upgrade-type wired controller, thus ensuring full upgrade coverage for all indoor units in the system and avoiding the problem of corresponding indoor units being unable to upgrade due to some wired controllers being offline. In other words, this application can improve the upgrade efficiency of multi-split air conditioning systems, ensure normal upgrades for offline devices, reduce the risk of bus conflicts, improve reliability during the upgrade process, and further enhance the user experience.

[0022] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] One or more embodiments are illustrated by way of example with reference numerals in the accompanying drawings. These illustrations do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference numerals in the drawings are denoted as similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings are not to be limited by scale.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a firmware upgrade method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a firmware upgrade method according to another exemplary embodiment.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a firmware upgrade method according to another exemplary embodiment.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-unit system according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0030] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating a firmware upgrade apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0031] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of a wired controller according to an exemplary embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0033] The following disclosure provides numerous different embodiments or examples for implementing various aspects of the invention. To simplify the disclosure, specific examples of components and arrangements are described below. These are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, reference numerals and / or letters may be repeated in different examples. Such repetition is for simplification and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or arrangements discussed.

[0034] For ease of description, spatial relative terms may be used in the text to describe the relative position or movement of one element or feature relative to another element or feature, as shown in the figure. These relative terms include, for example, "inside," "outside," "middle," "outer," "below," "below," "above," "front," "back," etc. Such spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation, other than those depicted in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure undergoes a positional flip, orientation change, or change of motion, these directional indications will change accordingly. For instance, an element described as "below other elements or features" or "below other elements or features" will subsequently be oriented "above other elements or features" or "above other elements or features." Therefore, the example term "below" can include both upper and lower orientations. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other directions), and the spatial relative descriptors used in the text will be interpreted accordingly.

[0035] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of this application. Therefore, the drawings only show the components related to this application and are not drawn according to the actual number, shape and size of the components in the actual implementation. In the actual implementation, the form, quantity and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0036] The embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this application from the content disclosed in this specification. This application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this application. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments are only for illustrating this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] To address the technical problems of low upgrade efficiency, inability to upgrade offline devices, and high risk of bus conflicts in existing firmware upgrade methods for multi-unit systems, this application provides a firmware upgrade method, apparatus, wired controller, multi-unit system, and storage medium.

[0038] In this application, the multi-split air conditioning system includes at least one outdoor unit and multiple indoor units, each of which is electrically connected to a wired controller. When it is necessary to upgrade the outdoor units, indoor units, and other equipment in the multi-split system, the target upgrade type of each wired controller can be determined first based on the wired controller information frame data of multiple wired controllers and preset rules, resulting in a unique wired controller with the target upgrade type as the primary upgrade type. Then, each wired controller can obtain the new version firmware of the target device corresponding to its own target upgrade type and the upgrade information frame data of the outdoor and indoor units in the multi-split system received from the server, and send the corresponding new version firmware to the target device, thereby realizing the upgrade of the target device. Specifically, for a wired controller with a target upgrade type of non-upgrade, it means that the wired controller is not connected to the network, and its corresponding target device is empty. That is, a non-upgrade type wired controller does not acquire or send relevant firmware information. For a wired controller with a target upgrade type of secondary upgrade, its corresponding target device is its electrically connected indoor unit. That is, a secondary upgrade type wired controller obtains the new version firmware of its electrically connected indoor unit from the server and sends it to the indoor unit. For a wired controller with a target upgrade type of primary upgrade, its corresponding target devices include the outdoor unit, the indoor unit electrically connected to the wired controller, and the indoor unit electrically connected to a wired controller that is not connected to the network. That is, a primary upgrade type wired controller can obtain the new version firmware of the aforementioned outdoor unit, the indoor unit electrically connected to the wired controller, and the indoor unit electrically connected to a wired controller that is not connected to the network from the server, and send the corresponding new version firmware to the corresponding device. As can be seen, this application, by classifying the upgrade types of each wired controller, allows multiple wired controllers to perform upgrade tasks in parallel according to their respective roles—the primary upgrade type wired controller is responsible for acquiring and sending firmware for the outdoor unit, its own indoor unit, and indoor units connected to unconnected wired controllers; the secondary upgrade type wired controller is responsible for acquiring and sending firmware for its own indoor unit. Compared to the serial method in related technologies that relies on a single device to send firmware to all devices one by one, this application achieves parallel collaborative upgrades of multiple wired controllers, significantly shortening the time required for overall upgrades of large-scale multi-split air conditioning systems and improving efficiency. Moreover, it enables the orderly allocation of permissions for each wired controller. This mechanism avoids multiple wired controllers arbitrarily acquiring or sending firmware information, thereby eliminating the risk of collisions and network congestion during data transmission and ensuring the normal communication and real-time transmission of control commands in the multi-split air conditioning system. Furthermore, in this application, even if some wired controllers are unable to obtain firmware information from the server due to being offline, the connected indoor units can still obtain and send the new firmware version through the main upgrade-type wired controller, thus ensuring full upgrade coverage for all indoor units in the system and avoiding the problem of corresponding indoor units being unable to upgrade due to some wired controllers being offline. In other words, this application can improve the upgrade efficiency of multi-split air conditioning systems, ensure normal upgrades for offline devices, reduce the risk of bus conflicts, improve reliability during the upgrade process, and further enhance the user experience.

[0039] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, a multi-split air conditioning system and a firmware upgrade method for the multi-split air conditioning system are provided. The multi-split air conditioning system includes at least one outdoor unit (also known as an outdoor unit) and multiple indoor units (also known as indoor units), and also includes multiple wired controllers corresponding one-to-one with the multiple indoor units. The corresponding indoor units and wired controllers are electrically connected, that is, each indoor unit is electrically connected to one wired controller.

[0040] For example, a multi-split air conditioning system includes one outdoor unit, three indoor units (indoor unit A, indoor unit B, and indoor unit C), and three wired controllers (controller a, controller b, and controller c). Controller a is electrically connected to indoor unit A, controller b is electrically connected to indoor unit B, and controller c is electrically connected to indoor unit C. Controllers a and b have internet connectivity, while controller c does not. Data exchange between the outdoor unit, the indoor units, and the controllers occurs via an internal communication bus.

[0041] It should be noted that a multi-split system can also include more outdoor units and more indoor units; there is no limitation on this.

[0042] In this embodiment, the firmware upgrade method may include: S110. Determine the target upgrade type for each wire controller based on the wire controller information frame data and preset rules from multiple wire controllers. S120: Based on its own target upgrade type and the upgrade information frame data received from at least one external unit and multiple internal units, obtains the new version firmware of the target device from the server and sends the corresponding new version firmware to the target device.

[0043] In step S110, each wired controller sends its own wired controller information frame data to the communication network. For example, a wired controller can broadcast its own wired controller information frame data to the communication network. Each wired controller can also receive and record wired controller information frame data sent by other wired controllers on the communication network. The wired controller information frame data can be used to reflect information such as the operating status and connection status of each wired controller. Based on its own information frame data and the information frame data received from other wired controllers, and in accordance with preset rules, each wired controller determines its own and other wired controllers' target upgrade type.

[0044] In this step, after determining the target upgrade type for each wired controller, it is necessary to ensure that there is a unique wired controller with a primary upgrade type among the target upgrade types for each wired controller. The wired controller with the primary upgrade type is configured to be responsible for acquiring and sending new firmware information for the indoor unit electrically connected to it, the indoor units electrically connected to other wired controllers that are not connected to the network, and at least one outdoor unit. By setting a unique wired controller with a primary upgrade type, the upgrade task can be divided in an orderly manner. On the one hand, multiple wired controllers can execute upgrade tasks in parallel according to their respective roles, avoiding the inefficiency caused by sending upgrades one by one to a single device in related technologies, and significantly improving the upgrade speed of large-scale multi-split systems. On the other hand, determining a unique wired controller with a primary upgrade type in a multi-split system can prevent multiple wired controllers from occupying bus resources at the same time, eliminate the risk of bus data collisions and network congestion, and ensure that the normal communication and real-time performance of control commands of the multi-split system are not interfered with.

[0045] In some implementations, a multi-split air conditioning system includes one outdoor unit, three indoor units (indoor unit A, indoor unit B, and indoor unit C), and three wired controllers (wired controller a, wired controller b, and wired controller c). Wired controllers a and b are networked, while wired controller c is not. According to preset rules, networked wired controllers are eligible to undertake upgrade tasks, while unnetworked wired controllers are not. From the upgrade-eligible wired controllers a and b, one is designated as the primary upgrade type and the other as the secondary upgrade type according to preset rules (e.g., the wired controller with the smaller IP address of the connected indoor unit is designated as the primary upgrade type). Following these rules, wired controller a is designated as the primary upgrade type, and wired controller b as the secondary upgrade type. Wired controller c, being unnetworked, is designated as a non-upgrade type.

[0046] Therefore, among the target upgrade types of each wired controller, there is only one controller with a primary upgrade type, namely, wired controller a has a primary upgrade type. Meanwhile, wired controller b has a secondary upgrade type, and wired controller c has a non-upgrade type. Among these, wired controller c, which is not connected to the network, has a non-upgrade type as its target upgrade.

[0047] In step S120, the new firmware version is used to upgrade the corresponding target device. If the target upgrade type is a primary upgrade type, the target device includes the indoor unit electrically connected to it, the indoor units electrically connected to other wired controllers that are not connected to the network, and at least one outdoor unit; if the target upgrade type is a secondary upgrade type, the target device includes the indoor unit electrically connected to it; if the target upgrade type is a non-upgrade type, the target device is empty; wherein, the target upgrade type of the wired controllers that are not connected to the network is a non-upgrade type.

[0048] In this step, the outdoor unit and each indoor unit can broadcast their own upgrade information frame data via the communication network. The upgrade information frame data can reflect firmware-related information (such as firmware encoding) for each device. Each wired controller receives and records the upgrade information frame data from the outdoor unit and each indoor unit. The wired controller determines the target device to be upgraded based on its own target upgrade type, then determines the required firmware-related information for each target device based on the received upgrade information frame data, retrieves the corresponding new firmware version from the server, and sends the retrieved new firmware version to the corresponding target device via the internal communication bus for subsequent upgrades of the target device.

[0049] In some specific implementation methods, The multi-split air conditioning system includes one outdoor unit, three indoor units (indoor unit A, indoor unit B, and indoor unit C), and three wired controllers (wired controller a, wired controller b, and wired controller c). Wired controllers a and b are networked, while wired controller c is not. Wired controller a's target upgrade type is the primary upgrade type. Wired controllers with the primary upgrade type are responsible for upgrading the following devices: the indoor unit electrically connected to it, the indoor units electrically connected to the other wired controllers that are not networked, and the outdoor unit. Therefore, the target devices for wired controller a include: indoor unit A electrically connected to it, indoor unit C electrically connected to the non-networked wired controller c, and the outdoor unit. Based on the received upgrade information frame data, the wired controller A determines the firmware-related information of indoor unit A, indoor unit C, and outdoor unit respectively. Then, it obtains the corresponding new version firmware from the server and sends each new version firmware to the corresponding target device through the internal communication bus. That is, the new version firmware of indoor unit A is sent to indoor unit A, the new version firmware of indoor unit C is sent to indoor unit C, and the new version firmware of outdoor unit is sent to outdoor unit.

[0050] The target upgrade type for wired controller b is a minor upgrade type. A wired controller with a minor upgrade type is only responsible for upgrading the indoor unit it is electrically connected to. Therefore, the target device for wired controller b only includes the indoor unit B it is electrically connected to. Wired controller b determines the firmware-related information of indoor unit B based on the received upgrade information frame data from indoor unit B, obtains the new firmware version corresponding to indoor unit B from the server, and then sends the new firmware version to indoor unit B via the internal communication bus.

[0051] The target upgrade type for wired controller c is non-upgrade type. Wired controllers with a non-upgrade target type do not undertake any upgrade tasks. Therefore, the target device corresponding to wired controller c is empty, and wired controller c does not perform operations such as obtaining firmware information from the server or sending firmware information to any device.

[0052] The newly sent firmware version is used to upgrade the corresponding target device. After receiving the new firmware version sent by the wired controller, each target device uses the new firmware version to perform a firmware upgrade operation.

[0053] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, a wired controller that is not connected to the network refers to a wired controller that is not connected to the network communication with the server. For example, the wired controller is not connected to a wireless network (WIFI) and cannot obtain firmware information from the server. Therefore, it is set as a non-upgradeable wired controller.

[0054] This embodiment categorizes the upgrade types of each wired controller, allowing multiple controllers to perform upgrade tasks in parallel according to their respective roles. The primary upgrade type controller is responsible for acquiring and sending firmware for the outdoor unit, its own indoor unit, and indoor units connected to unconnected controllers; the secondary upgrade type controller is responsible for acquiring and sending firmware for its own indoor unit. Compared to the serial approach in related technologies, which relies on a single device to send firmware to all devices one by one, this application achieves parallel collaborative upgrades of multiple wired controllers, significantly shortening the time required for overall upgrades of large-scale multi-split air conditioning systems and improving efficiency. Furthermore, it enables the orderly allocation of permissions for each wired controller. This mechanism avoids multiple controllers arbitrarily acquiring or sending firmware information, thereby eliminating the risk of data transmission collisions and network congestion, and ensuring the normal communication and real-time transmission of control commands in the multi-split air conditioning system.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even if some wired controllers are unable to obtain firmware information from the server due to being offline, the connected indoor units can still obtain and send the new firmware version through the main upgrade-type wired controller. This ensures full upgrade coverage for all indoor units within the system and avoids the problem of corresponding indoor units being unable to upgrade due to some wired controllers being offline. In other words, this embodiment can improve the upgrade efficiency of multi-split air conditioning systems, ensure normal upgrades for offline devices, reduce the risk of bus conflicts, improve reliability during the upgrade process, and further enhance the user experience.

[0056] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 4 As shown, a multi-unit air conditioning system and a firmware upgrade method applied to the system are provided. In this embodiment, each wired controller can send its own controller information frame data to the communication network. For example, each wired controller broadcasts its own controller information frame data through the communication bus at regular intervals. The controller information frame data includes at least the controller upgrade type. The controller upgrade type indicates whether the controller is currently set to a primary upgrade type, a secondary upgrade type, or a non-upgrade type.

[0057] It should be noted that the interval duration can be set according to the actual situation, and its specific value is not limited. For example, the interval duration can be greater than or equal to 20 seconds and less than or equal to 40 seconds. Specifically, the interval duration can be 20 seconds, 30 seconds, or 40 seconds.

[0058] Each wire controller can also receive and record wire controller information frame data sent by other wire controllers on the communication network. The wire controller information frame data includes at least the wire controller upgrade type. The upgrade type indicates whether the wire controller is currently set to primary upgrade type, secondary upgrade type, or no upgrade type. It should be noted that during system initialization, the upgrade type of each wire controller can be configured to the default type (e.g., secondary upgrade type).

[0059] After powering on, each wired controller continuously monitors the wired controller information frame data on the communication network and has a set duration for use as a time reference for controller role confirmation. The set duration can be set according to actual conditions, and its specific value is not limited. For example, the set duration can be greater than or equal to 3 minutes and less than or equal to 8 minutes. Specifically, the set duration can be 3 minutes, 5 minutes, or 8 minutes.

[0060] In this embodiment, when determining the target upgrade type of each wire controller based on the wire controller information frame data of multiple wire controllers and preset rules, the following situations may be included.

[0061] First scenario: After each wired controller has been powered on for a set duration (e.g., 5 minutes), if the wired controller upgrade type is determined based on the wired controller information frame data received from multiple wired controllers, and a unique primary upgrade type has been identified, then the current wired controller upgrade type of each wired controller will be determined as the target upgrade type of each wired controller.

[0062] For example, a multi-split air conditioning system includes four wired controllers (controller a, controller b, controller c, and controller d). After powering on, each controller broadcasts its own controller information frame data. Controller a's controller information frame data indicates a primary upgrade type, controllers b and c indicate secondary upgrade types, and controller d indicates a non-upgrade type. Each controller broadcasts its own controller information frame data and receives controller information frame data broadcast by the other controllers. After five minutes of continuous power-on, each controller confirms the existence of a single controller with a primary upgrade type (e.g., controller a) in the network. At this point, each controller determines its current upgrade type as the target upgrade type. That is, the target upgrade type of wired controller a is the primary upgrade type, the target upgrade types of wired controllers b and c are both secondary upgrade types, and the target upgrade type of wired controller d is both non-upgrade type.

[0063] The second scenario: After each wired controller has been powered on for a set duration (e.g., 5 minutes), if it is confirmed that there are at least two wired controllers with the primary upgrade type in the network (i.e., a multi-primary conflict has occurred) based on the wired controller information frame data received from multiple wired controllers, then the multi-primary conflict arbitration process is executed.

[0064] Among them, a single wire controller can be selected from at least two main upgrade types (e.g., wire controller a, wire controller b, and wire controller c) as the wire controller with the target upgrade type as the main upgrade type, and the other wire controllers with the main upgrade type are determined as wire controllers with the target upgrade type as the secondary upgrade type.

[0065] Regarding the specific method for selecting a unique main upgrade type wired controller from multiple main upgrade type wired controllers, the wired controller information frame data shall at least include the indoor unit number information (e.g., indoor unit IP) of the indoor unit to which each wired controller is electrically connected. Among at least two main upgrade type wired controllers, the wired controller with the smallest (or largest) indoor unit number shall be determined as the main upgrade type.

[0066] For example, if the indoor unit connected to controller a is numbered "03", controller b is numbered "07", and controller c is numbered "08", using the rule of "the controller with the smallest indoor unit number wins", controller a is determined to be the controller with the primary upgrade type, while controllers b and c are determined to be controllers with the secondary upgrade type. Alternatively, the rule of "the controller with the largest indoor unit number wins" can also be used, where the controller with the largest connected indoor unit number is determined to be the primary upgrade type.

[0067] In addition, in this case, for other wired controllers, the wired controller upgrade type in their wired controller information frame data can be directly determined as their target upgrade type, which will not be elaborated further.

[0068] The third scenario: After each wired controller has been powered on for a set duration (e.g., 5 minutes), if it is confirmed that no wired controller with a primary upgrade type has been determined in the network (i.e., there is no wired controller with a primary upgrade type in the network) based on the wired controller information frame data received from multiple wired controllers, then the primary upgrade wired controller election process is executed.

[0069] Specifically, each wire controller selects a unique wire controller from those currently classified as secondary upgrade type as the primary upgrade type, while maintaining the secondary upgrade type as the target upgrade type for other wire controllers of secondary upgrade type, and maintaining the non-upgrade type as the non-upgrade type. The non-upgrade type wire controllers include those not connected to the network.

[0070] Regarding the specific method for selecting a unique primary upgrade type wired controller from the secondary upgrade type wired controllers, the wired controller information frame data must include at least the indoor unit number information (e.g., indoor unit IP) of the indoor unit to which each wired controller is electrically connected. The wired controller with the smallest (or largest) indoor unit number among the secondary upgrade type wired controllers is determined as the wired controller for the primary upgrade type.

[0071] For example, in a multi-split air conditioning system, there are three wired controllers (controller a, controller b, and controller c), all of which are secondary upgrade type. Controller a is connected to an indoor unit numbered "02", controller b to an indoor unit numbered "08", and controller c to an indoor unit numbered "05". Using the rule of "the controller with the smallest indoor unit number wins", controller a is determined to be the primary upgrade type, while controllers b and c remain secondary upgrade types. Alternatively, the rule of "the controller with the largest indoor unit number wins" could be used, where the secondary upgrade type controller with the largest connected indoor unit number is determined to be the primary upgrade type.

[0072] It should be noted that the reason for the occurrence of zero master upgrade type wired controllers is as follows: For example, if wired controller 'a' was initially selected as the master upgrade wired controller, and after a period of time, this wired controller and the indoor unit were disconnected from power, meaning that the wired controller became a non-networked wired controller. In this case, wired controller 'a' can automatically change to a non-upgrade type wired controller based on its own network status. Subsequently, each wired controller can determine the zero master upgrade type wired controller based on the wired controller information frame data in the communication network.

[0073] The reason for multiple master upgrade types for wired controllers is as follows: Initially, controller A was selected as the master upgrade controller. After a period of time, this controller and its indoor unit were powered off, meaning the controller became offline. Other controllers would then reselect controller B as the master upgrade controller. If controller A and its indoor unit are subsequently powered on again, then there will be two master upgrade controllers. The controller broadcasts a controller information frame containing the controller's upgrade type (master upgrade controller, secondary upgrade controller, no upgrade controller) periodically. This frame allows the controller to determine whether other controllers are master upgrade controllers.

[0074] In this embodiment, through the above method, regardless of the situation encountered by the multi-connector system—including the normal situation where a unique primary upgrade type is determined after a set time, the abnormal situation where multiple primary conflicts occur after a set time, and the extreme situation where no primary upgrade type is determined after a set time—each wire controller can autonomously complete role confirmation or re-election according to preset rules, ensuring that there is ultimately a single primary upgrade type wire controller in the entire network, without the need for manual intervention.

[0075] This embodiment, through the autonomous allocation and dynamic adjustment of wired controller roles, can adapt to various network states during the power-on initialization phase of a multi-unit system. When determining the unique primary upgrade type, each wired controller quickly confirms its role, shortening the system convergence time. In the event of multiple primary conflicts, the system automatically arbitrates and downgrades unnecessary primary nodes using preset rules (such as the smallest or largest internal unit number winning), avoiding logical confusion caused by two primary controllers vying for the same device upgrade right. If no primary node is found after a set time, the system automatically elects a primary node from wired controllers of the secondary upgrade type, ensuring the upgrade task can be executed normally. The above mechanism requires no manual intervention throughout, ensuring the system can still complete the orderly allocation of wired controller roles under various abnormal conditions, improving the system's reliability and intelligence level.

[0076] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, a multi-unit air conditioning system and a firmware upgrade method applied to the system are provided. In this embodiment, the upgrade information frame data includes at least firmware encoding. Based on its target upgrade type and the received upgrade information frame data from at least one external unit and multiple internal units, the system obtains the new firmware version of the target device from the server and sends the corresponding new firmware version to the target device. This may include: S210. Determine the firmware code corresponding to the target device from the received upgrade information frame data; S220: Based on the firmware code corresponding to the target device, download the new version firmware corresponding to the firmware code from the server; S230: Send the downloaded new firmware version to the corresponding target device.

[0077] In step S210, the upgrade information frame data may include firmware encoding, which is the encoding of the firmware information of the device (an indoor or outdoor unit) broadcasting the upgrade information frame data. It is unique and used to identify the new version firmware corresponding to the device.

[0078] In this step, for wired controllers with a primary upgrade target, the firmware codes of the outdoor unit, the electrically connected indoor unit, and the indoor unit electrically connected to non-networked wired controllers can be determined from the upgrade information frame data broadcast by each device, so as to download the corresponding new firmware version from the server later. For wired controllers with a secondary upgrade target, the firmware code of the electrically connected indoor unit can be determined from the upgrade information frame data broadcast by each device, so as to download the corresponding new firmware version from the server later.

[0079] In some specific implementations... The multi-split air conditioning system includes one outdoor unit, three indoor units (indoor unit A, indoor unit B, and indoor unit C), and three wired controllers (controller a, controller b, and controller c). Controller a is electrically connected to indoor unit A, controller b is electrically connected to indoor unit B, and controller c is electrically connected to indoor unit C. Controllers a and b have internet connectivity, while controller c does not. In this implementation, the target upgrade type for controller a is designated as a primary upgrade type, for controller b as a secondary upgrade type, and for controller c as a non-upgrade type.

[0080] The outdoor unit, indoor unit A, indoor unit B, and indoor unit C each periodically (e.g., every 60 seconds) broadcast their own upgrade information frames via the communication bus. Assume the upgrade information frame broadcast by the outdoor unit contains firmware code "xxxx1", the upgrade information frame broadcast by indoor unit A contains firmware code "xxxx2", the upgrade information frame broadcast by indoor unit B contains firmware code "xxxx3", and the upgrade information frame broadcast by indoor unit C contains firmware code "xxxx4". Each wired controller receives and records the above upgrade information frame data in real time.

[0081] The target upgrade type for wired controller a is the primary upgrade type. According to the preset upgrade permission rules, wired controllers with the primary upgrade type as their target upgrade type are responsible for upgrading the following devices: the indoor unit electrically connected to it, the indoor unit electrically connected to other wired controllers that are not connected to the network, and the outdoor unit. Therefore, the target devices corresponding to wired controller a include: indoor unit A electrically connected to it, indoor unit C electrically connected to the non-networked wired controller c, and the outdoor unit.

[0082] Each wired controller determines the firmware code corresponding to each target device from the received upgrade information frame data. Specifically, wired controller a determines the firmware code corresponding to the outdoor unit as "xxxx1" based on the upgrade information frame data broadcast by the outdoor unit; determines the firmware code corresponding to the indoor unit A as "xxxx2" based on the upgrade information frame data broadcast by the indoor unit A; determines the firmware code corresponding to the indoor unit C as "xxxx4" based on the upgrade information frame data broadcast by the indoor unit C; and wired controller b determines the firmware code corresponding to the indoor unit B as "xxxx3" based on the upgrade information frame data broadcast by the outdoor unit B.

[0083] It should be noted that although the wired controller c does not have a corresponding target device, in this embodiment, the wired controller c can determine the firmware code of the indoor unit C it is electrically connected to as "xxxx4" based on the upgrade information frame data broadcast by the outdoor unit.

[0084] In step S220, after the wired controller determines the firmware code corresponding to each target device, it can send a firmware download request to the server according to each firmware code. The server stores the new version firmware corresponding to each firmware code.

[0085] For example, if the target upgrade type of wired controller a is the main upgrade type, and its corresponding target devices include the outdoor unit, indoor unit A, and indoor unit C, then wired controller a can download the new version firmware corresponding to the outdoor unit from the server according to the firmware code "xxxx1"; download the new version firmware corresponding to the indoor unit A from the server according to the firmware code "xxxx2"; and download the new version firmware corresponding to the indoor unit C from the server according to the firmware code "xxxx4".

[0086] In step S230, after the wired controllers of the target upgrade type (main upgrade type and secondary upgrade type) obtain the corresponding new firmware version from the server, they can send it to the corresponding target device through the communication bus of the multi-unit system.

[0087] For example, referring to the specific implementation in step S210, wired controller a can send the new version firmware corresponding to the downloaded firmware code "xxxx1" to the outdoor unit; send the new version firmware corresponding to the firmware code "xxxx2" to the indoor unit A; and send the new version firmware corresponding to "xxxx4" to the indoor unit C. Wired controller b can send the new version firmware corresponding to the downloaded firmware code "xxxx3" to the indoor unit B. The target device for wired controller c is empty; wired controller c does not perform the operations of obtaining firmware information from the server or sending firmware information to any device.

[0088] In this embodiment, by using the firmware code in the upgrade information frame data, the wired controller can accurately determine the firmware version required by each target device and precisely download the corresponding new firmware version from the server according to the firmware code, avoiding upgrade errors caused by firmware version mismatch. Based on this, each wired controller obtains and sends the new firmware version of the corresponding target device according to its own target upgrade type—the primary upgrade type wired controller is responsible for obtaining and sending firmware for the outdoor unit, its own indoor unit, and indoor units connected to unconnected wired controllers; the secondary upgrade type wired controller is responsible for obtaining and sending firmware for its own indoor unit. Compared to the serial method in related technologies that relies on a single device to send firmware to all devices one by one, this embodiment achieves parallel collaborative upgrades of multiple wired controllers, significantly shortening the time required for overall upgrades of large-scale multi-split systems. Simultaneously, even if some wired controllers cannot obtain firmware information from the server independently due to being offline, the indoor units connected to them can still have the primary upgrade type wired controller obtain and send the new firmware version on their behalf according to the firmware code, thus ensuring full upgrade coverage of all indoor units in the system and avoiding the problem of corresponding indoor units being unable to be upgraded due to some wired controllers being offline.

[0089] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, a multi-unit air conditioning system and a firmware upgrade method applied to the multi-unit air conditioning system are provided. In this embodiment, the firmware upgrade method may include: S310 After sending the corresponding new firmware version to the target device, the first prompt message and update options are displayed on the upgrade page; S320: Upon receiving a confirmation update command for the update option, control at least one outdoor unit with the new firmware version and / or an indoor unit electrically connected to it to perform an upgrade.

[0090] In step S310, the wired controllers with a primary upgrade target type are responsible for acquiring and sending the new firmware version to the outdoor unit, the indoor unit electrically connected to them, and the indoor unit electrically connected to non-networked wired controllers in the multi-split system; the wired controllers with a secondary upgrade target type are responsible for acquiring and sending the new firmware version to the indoor unit electrically connected to them. After all wired controllers (including primary and secondary upgrade types) have completed sending the new firmware version, each wired controller (including primary, secondary, and non-upgrade types) can display the first prompt information and update options on its own upgrade page.

[0091] In other words, after all wired controllers (excluding non-upgraded types) have completed sending the new firmware version, each wired controller (including non-upgraded types) can display the first prompt message and update options on the upgrade page. That is, the new firmware version is downloaded and sent by wired controllers of the target upgrade type (primary and secondary upgrade types), but upgrades for individual devices (including outdoor and indoor units) are implemented by the corresponding wired controllers.

[0092] The first prompt message indicates that at least one outdoor unit and / or its electrically connected indoor unit has the corresponding new firmware version. In other words, regardless of the type of wired controller being upgraded, the first prompt message displayed on the upgrade page can simultaneously indicate that both the outdoor unit and its electrically connected indoor unit have the new firmware version.

[0093] In some implementations... The multi-split air conditioning system includes one outdoor unit, three indoor units (indoor unit A, indoor unit B, and indoor unit C), and three wired controllers (controller a, controller b, and controller c). Controller a is electrically connected to indoor unit A, controller b is electrically connected to indoor unit B, and controller c is electrically connected to indoor unit C. Controllers a and b have internet connectivity, while controller c does not. Therefore, the target upgrade type for controller a is a primary upgrade type, for controller b it is a secondary upgrade type, and for controller c it is a non-upgrade type.

[0094] Controller a retrieves the latest firmware versions for the outdoor unit, indoor unit A, and indoor unit C from the server, and sends these new firmware versions to the corresponding target devices (i.e., outdoor unit, indoor unit A, and indoor unit C). Controller b retrieves the latest firmware version for indoor unit B from the server and sends this new firmware version to indoor unit B. Controller c does not perform the operations of retrieving and sending new firmware versions.

[0095] After the new firmware version is sent (i.e., both wired controllers a and b have completed the sending), wired controller a displays the first prompt message on its upgrade page, such as "New firmware version available for both outdoor and indoor units A," and simultaneously displays update options, such as "Confirm Update" and "Remind Me Later" buttons. Wired controller b displays the first prompt message on its upgrade page, such as "New firmware version available for both outdoor and indoor units B," and simultaneously displays update options. Although wired controller c does not perform the new firmware acquisition and sending operation, its indoor unit C has already received the new firmware version through wired controller a's proxy. Therefore, wired controller c also displays the first prompt message on its upgrade page, such as "New firmware version available for both outdoor and indoor units C," and simultaneously displays update options.

[0096] It should be noted that the update options on the upgrade page of each wired controller can be used to upgrade both the outdoor unit and the indoor unit electrically connected to the controller in a multi-split air conditioning system. That is, the information displayed on the upgrade page does not distinguish between upgrade types for the wired controllers. Each wired controller's upgrade page only displays the upgrade status of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit electrically connected to it. Indoor units not electrically connected to it (e.g., wired controller b cannot know whether indoor unit A has a new firmware, and wired controller a cannot know whether indoor unit B has a new firmware) are not displayed on their upgrade pages.

[0097] In step S320, after the user views the upgrade page of the wired controller, if they select and click the "Confirm Update" button, the wired controller receives a confirmation update command for the update option. In response to this confirmation update command, the wired controller sends upgrade execution commands to the corresponding devices (outdoor unit and / or the indoor unit electrically connected to it) that have the new firmware version, controlling the corresponding devices to perform firmware upgrades using the received new firmware version.

[0098] It should be noted that the update options can be used uniformly to control the updates of both the outdoor unit and the indoor unit electrically connected to the wired controller; that is, the update options can include only a single option. Of course, the update options can also include update sub-options for the outdoor unit and update sub-options for the indoor unit electrically connected to the controller, used to control the updates of the outdoor and indoor units respectively, without limitation.

[0099] For example, when a user clicks the "Confirm Update" button on the upgrade page of wired controller A, after receiving the confirmation command, wired controller A sends upgrade execution commands to both the outdoor unit and indoor unit A, controlling them to upgrade their firmware using the received new version. It should be noted that although wired controller A sends the new firmware version to indoor unit C, its upgrade page does not display an update option for indoor unit C (because indoor unit C is not electrically connected to wired controller A). Therefore, the user cannot control the upgrade of indoor unit C from the interface of wired controller A. The upgrade control of indoor unit C is completed by wired controller C—after the user clicks the "Confirm Update" button on the upgrade page of wired controller C, wired controller C sends an upgrade execution command to indoor unit C, controlling it to upgrade its firmware using the received new version. Similarly, when a user clicks the "Confirm Update" button on the upgrade page of wired controller B, after receiving the confirmation command, wired controller B sends upgrade execution commands to both the outdoor unit and indoor unit B, controlling them to upgrade their firmware. The user clicks the "Confirm Update" button on the upgrade page of the wired controller C. After receiving the confirmation command, the wired controller C sends upgrade execution commands to the outdoor unit and indoor unit C, controlling them to perform firmware upgrades. Each device (including the outdoor and indoor units) receives the upgrade execution command from the wired controller and performs the firmware upgrade operation using the previously received and stored new firmware version. It should be noted that the outdoor unit can perform an upgrade as long as it receives an upgrade execution command from any wired controller.

[0100] It should be noted that in this embodiment, each wired controller can read firmware upgrade information of the indoor and outdoor units through the communication network of the multi-split system (this network is the wired communication network of the unit, not the Wi-Fi network). Therefore, each wired controller can display the corresponding first prompt information and update options, because the upgrade control is just a command, which can be sent to the outdoor unit or the indoor unit electrically connected to it through the communication network of the multi-split system.

[0101] In this embodiment, after both the primary and secondary upgrade type wired controllers have completed sending the new firmware version, all wired controllers (including primary, secondary, and non-upgrade types) can display the first prompt message and update options on their upgrade pages, allowing users to choose whether to upgrade. Each wired controller's upgrade page only displays the upgrade status of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit electrically connected to it, omitting information about indoor units connected to other wired controllers. This makes the interface clear and concise, avoiding information redundancy and user confusion. Users can control the upgrade of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit connected to that controller through the upgrade page of any wired controller, improving the flexibility and convenience of user operation and further optimizing the user experience.

[0102] In addition, in this embodiment, when at least one outdoor unit and / or the indoor unit electrically connected to it does not support the upgrade, a second prompt message is displayed on the upgrade page; wherein, the second prompt message indicates that the corresponding outdoor unit and / or the indoor unit electrically connected to it does not support the upgrade.

[0103] It should be noted that "outdoor or indoor units that do not support upgrades" can refer to outdoor or indoor units that lack the conditions for upgrades, such as those that do not have sufficient flash memory (i.e., storage space) to store OTA (Over-The-Air) firmware (i.e., new firmware versions). Of course, it can also refer to other outdoor or indoor units that do not meet the conditions for upgrades, without limitation.

[0104] In some implementations... The outdoor unit, indoor unit A, indoor unit B, and indoor unit C each periodically (e.g., every 60 seconds) broadcast their own upgrade information frame data via the communication bus. The upgrade information frame data includes an "upgrade supported" field, which indicates whether the device has firmware upgrade capabilities.

[0105] Assume the system contains a mix of old and new hardware: the outdoor unit is a new model and supports firmware upgrades; indoor unit A is a relatively new model and supports firmware upgrades; indoor unit B is an older model whose hardware does not support firmware upgrades; and indoor unit C is a new model and supports firmware upgrades. Correspondingly, the "Upgrade Support?" field in the upgrade information frame broadcast by the outdoor unit will be "Yes," the same applies to the upgrade information frame broadcast by indoor unit A, indoor unit B, and indoor unit C. Each wired controller receives and records these upgrade information frames in real time.

[0106] Based on the received upgrade information frame data, wired controller A determines that the outdoor unit supports the upgrade, and the indoor unit A, which is electrically connected to it, also supports the upgrade. Therefore, wired controller A displays the current firmware versions of the outdoor unit and indoor unit A, as well as the available new firmware versions, on the upgrade page, and shows the update option.

[0107] Based on the received upgrade information frame data, wired controller B determines that its electrically connected indoor unit B does not support the upgrade. Therefore, wired controller B displays a second prompt on the upgrade page to indicate that indoor unit B does not support the upgrade. For example, the upgrade page of wired controller B displays the text "Indoor unit B does not support upgrade," or displays the name of indoor unit B in gray with an upgrade-prohibited icon next to it, clearly informing the user that the device cannot be upgraded. At the same time, the upgrade page of wired controller B does not display any update options for indoor unit B.

[0108] Based on the received upgrade information frame data, the wired controller C determines that the indoor unit C it is electrically connected to supports the upgrade. Therefore, the wired controller C displays the current firmware version and available new firmware versions of both the outdoor unit and the indoor unit C on the upgrade page, and shows the update option.

[0109] Additionally, it should be noted that each wired controller can also receive and record upgrade information frames broadcast by the outdoor unit. If the outdoor unit also does not support upgrades (i.e., the "Upgrade Support?" field is "No"), the wired controller can display a second prompt message on the upgrade page to indicate that the outdoor unit does not support upgrades.

[0110] When some devices in the system support upgrades while others do not (i.e., there is a mix of old and new hardware), the upgrade page of each wired controller can clearly distinguish and display the upgrade support status of each device. For devices that do not support upgrades, a second prompt message is displayed. For devices that support upgrades, the current firmware version and update options are displayed normally. This allows users to intuitively know which devices can be upgraded and which cannot, effectively avoiding user doubts or misoperations caused by unclear information.

[0111] It should be noted that the first prompt message, update options, and second prompt message can all be displayed on the upgrade page, or only some may be displayed, depending on the situation; there is no limitation on this. For example, if both the outdoor unit and the indoor unit electrically connected to it support upgrades, the upgrade page of the wired controller can display the first prompt message and update options. As another example, if neither the outdoor unit nor the indoor unit electrically connected to it supports upgrades, the upgrade page of the wired controller can display the second prompt message. As yet another example, if the outdoor unit does not support upgrades, but the indoor unit electrically connected to it does, the upgrade page of the wired controller can display the first prompt message and update options corresponding to the indoor unit, as well as the second prompt message corresponding to the outdoor unit. As yet another example, if the outdoor unit supports upgrades, but the indoor unit electrically connected to it does not support upgrades, the upgrade page of the wired controller can display the first prompt message and update options corresponding to the outdoor unit, as well as the second prompt message corresponding to the indoor unit.

[0112] In this embodiment, the wired controller can accurately determine whether the outdoor unit and the indoor unit electrically connected to it have firmware upgrade capabilities based on the "upgrade support" field in the received upgrade information frame data. For devices that do not support upgrades, the wired controller displays a second prompt on the upgrade page, clearly informing the user that the device cannot be upgraded; for devices that support upgrades, the wired controller displays its current firmware version and update options normally. Through this method, when some devices in the system support upgrades and others do not, the wired controller's upgrade page can clearly display the upgrade support status of each device, allowing users to intuitively understand the upgrade readiness of each device. This eliminates users' ambiguity regarding whether a device can be upgraded, avoids accidental operation on devices that do not support upgrades, and further improves the user experience.

[0113] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 4 As shown, a multi-unit air conditioning system and a firmware upgrade method for the multi-unit air conditioning system are provided. In this embodiment, the multi-unit air conditioning system includes one outdoor unit and multiple indoor units. Each indoor unit is connected to a wired controller. The outdoor unit, indoor units, and wired controllers communicate with each other via communication lines. The wired controllers are equipped with Wi-Fi modules and can obtain new firmware versions from the server and send them to the indoor and outdoor units.

[0114] The wired controller broadcasts a data frame to the communication network every certain interval (e.g., 30 seconds). This data frame includes the IP address of the connected indoor unit (the indoor unit IP is assigned by the outdoor unit and is unique to each indoor unit within a system), the controller's network status, and its upgrade type (primary upgrade, secondary upgrade, or no upgrade). After powering on, the controller listens for and records data frames from other wired controllers on the network. After a certain period (typically 5 minutes), if no primary upgrade controller is found on the network, the controller with the lowest indoor unit IP among the connected controllers becomes the primary upgrade controller, the others become secondary upgrade controllers, and the unconnected controllers become no upgrade controllers (they cannot download firmware and therefore lack upgrade functionality). If multiple primary upgrade controllers appear on the network, the controller with the lowest indoor unit IP continues as the primary upgrade controller, and the others automatically become secondary upgrade controllers.

[0115] The outdoor and indoor units periodically broadcast upgrade information frames to the communication network. These frames include the device IP (the outdoor unit's IP and the indoor unit's IP, both uniquely assigned by the outdoor unit), firmware code, current firmware version, downloaded firmware version, upgrade support status, and the network status of the connected controller (this determines whether the corresponding indoor unit's connected controller supports upgrades). The wired controller receives and records these upgrade information frames in real time.

[0116] The primary upgrade controller is responsible for upgrading the outdoor unit, its connected indoor units, and indoor units connected to non-networked controllers (i.e., controllers not being upgraded). The controller downloads the new firmware version corresponding to its device from the server based on the firmware code, and then sends the firmware to the corresponding IP address (each corresponding to a firmware code) via the internal communication network. For indoor units electrically connected to non-upgraded controllers, if the primary upgrade controller detects that a particular indoor unit's controller is not networked, it acts as a proxy, sending the new firmware version to that indoor unit via the internal communication bus. Secondary upgrade controllers are responsible for upgrading their own connected indoor units: they download the new firmware version corresponding to their indoor unit from the server based on the firmware code, and then send the firmware to the indoor units they are connected to. Controllers not being upgraded are not responsible for upgrade tasks.

[0117] This embodiment accelerates the upgrade speed of large-scale multi-unit air conditioning systems by assigning roles to the wired controllers and utilizing multiple wired controllers to download and distribute data in parallel (primary / secondary division of labor). It avoids data transmission conflicts caused by multiple wired controllers downloading simultaneously, achieving efficient and reliable upgrades for both indoor and outdoor units. Furthermore, even if some wired controllers are offline or not connected to the network, the system can still complete the upgrade of all devices through the remaining connected wired controllers.

[0118] In this embodiment, the upgrade page for all wired controllers (including primary upgrade type, secondary upgrade type, and non-upgrade type) displays the current firmware version of the outdoor unit and the connected indoor unit. After the download and distribution of the new firmware version is completed, a notification will appear indicating that a new firmware version is available for the outdoor or indoor unit. Users can then click the relevant update option on the wired controller to update the firmware version of the outdoor or indoor unit. If the outdoor or indoor unit does not support the upgrade, the wired controller's upgrade page will display that the corresponding outdoor or indoor unit does not support the upgrade. When there is a mix of old and new units in the network (i.e., some outdoor and indoor units support the upgrade, while others do not), the wired controller's upgrade page can clearly display the upgrade information for each outdoor and indoor unit, avoiding user confusion.

[0119] This embodiment has the following advantages: The system employs a multi-controller role allocation and parallel upgrade strategy: By comprehensively assessing the network connectivity of the controllers and the IP address size of the indoor units, it automatically categorizes all controllers in the network into three types: primary upgrade type, secondary upgrade type, and non-upgrade type. Strict firmware distribution permission rules are established (primary upgrade type controllers are responsible for outdoor units, their own indoor units, and proxy unconnected indoor units; secondary upgrade type controllers are only responsible for their own connected indoor units). Multiple controllers (primary / secondary) collaboratively process download and distribution tasks in parallel, transforming the serial upgrade mode of large-scale multi-split systems into a parallel upgrade mode, significantly improving upgrade efficiency. Furthermore, the role allocation of controllers prevents bus conflicts caused by multiple controllers arbitrarily sending large blocks of firmware data concurrently, ensuring the real-time performance of the original control commands of the air conditioning system remains unaffected. This mechanism achieves parallel acceleration of multiple controllers while avoiding data conflicts through single-master coordination.

[0120] Among them, the "proxy penetration upgrade" of the main upgrade type wired controller: For the "non-upgrade type" wired controller that is not connected to the network (cannot download firmware), the main upgrade type wired controller breaks through and acts as its "download proxy". The main upgrade type wired controller downloads the corresponding firmware and sends the firmware to the indoor unit connected to the non-networked wired controller directly through the air conditioner's internal communication bus. This solves the defect of "the device cannot be upgraded when the wired controller is disconnected from the network" in related technologies and realizes "zero dead zone" upgrade of the whole system.

[0121] Among them, the real-time arbitration and automatic degradation of multi-master conflicts: a real-time monitoring and self-healing mechanism is designed. When multiple master upgrade type wire controllers unexpectedly appear in the network, the system can automatically arbitrate according to preset rules (such as the one with the smallest internal IP wins) and seamlessly downgrade the non-optimal master upgrade type wire controller to the secondary upgrade type without manual intervention, thus avoiding the logical chaos caused by two master controllers competing for the same device upgrade right.

[0122] Among the key features is the transparent information handling of the upgrade interface: the upgrade page not only displays the regular version number, but also proactively identifies and marks whether a device "supports the upgrade," clearly indicating "supported / unsupported" on the upgrade page. In other words, when the system is in a transitional period with a mix of old and new hardware, the page can clearly display which devices can be upgraded and which cannot, eliminating user confusion and the risk of misoperation, effectively solving the management challenges of differentiated iteration of devices in a large-scale existing market.

[0123] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, a fixed-line upgrade device is provided. This firmware upgrade device is applied to a multi-split air conditioning system, which includes at least one outdoor unit and multiple indoor units, as well as multiple wired controllers corresponding one-to-one with each of the indoor units. The corresponding indoor units and wired controllers are electrically connected. The firmware upgrade device is used to implement the aforementioned firmware upgrade method and may include: The determining unit 10 is used to determine the target upgrade type of each of the wire controllers based on the wire controller information frame data of the multiple wire controllers and preset rules; wherein, among the target upgrade types of each wire controller, there is a unique wire controller as the main upgrade type; Upgrade unit 20 is configured to obtain a new version firmware of the target device from the server based on its own target upgrade type and upgrade information frame data received from at least one of the outdoor units and multiple of the indoor units, and send the corresponding new version firmware to the target device; wherein, the new version firmware is used to upgrade the corresponding target device; if the target upgrade type is a primary upgrade type, then the target device includes the indoor unit electrically connected to itself, the indoor units electrically connected to other wired controllers that are not connected to the network, and at least one of the outdoor units; if the target upgrade type is a secondary upgrade type, then the target device includes the indoor unit electrically connected to itself; if the target upgrade type is a non-upgrade type, then the target device is empty; wherein, the target upgrade type of the non-connected wired controllers is a non-upgrade type.

[0124] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, a fixed-line upgrade device is provided. In this embodiment, the wired controller information frame data includes at least the wired controller upgrade type, and the determination unit 10 can be used for: After the duration of power-on reaches the set duration, if a unique main upgrade type of the wire controller is determined based on the upgrade type of the wire controller in the multiple wire controller information frame data, then the wire controller upgrade type of each wire controller is determined as the target upgrade type of each wire controller.

[0125] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, a fixed-line upgrade device is provided. In this embodiment, the determining unit 10 can be used to: After the duration of its power-on operation reaches the set duration, if at least two main upgrade types of wire controllers are determined based on the upgrade types of the multiple wire controller information frames, then the upgrade type of the wire controller that is not of the main upgrade type is determined as its target upgrade type; and a unique wire controller is selected from the at least two main upgrade types as the wire controller with the target upgrade type as the main upgrade type; and other wire controllers with the main upgrade types are determined as wire controllers with the target upgrade type as the secondary upgrade type.

[0126] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, a fixed-line upgrade device is provided. In this embodiment, the wired controller information frame data includes at least the indoor unit number information electrically connected to the wired controller, and the determining unit 10 can be used for: Among at least two main upgrade type wire controllers, the wire controller corresponding to the smallest or largest indoor unit number information is identified as the wire controller of the target upgrade type as the main upgrade type.

[0127] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, a fixed-line upgrade device is provided. In this embodiment, the determining unit 10 can be used to: After the duration of its power-on reaches the set duration, if no main upgrade type is determined based on the upgrade type of the multiple wire controller information frames, then a unique wire controller is selected from the wire controllers of the secondary upgrade types as the wire controller with the main upgrade type as the target upgrade type; the target upgrade type of the other wire controllers of the secondary upgrade types is determined as the secondary upgrade type; and the target upgrade type of the non-upgrade type wire controller is determined as the non-upgrade type.

[0128] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, a fixed-line upgrade device is provided. In this embodiment, the wired controller information frame data includes at least the indoor unit number information electrically connected to the wired controller, and the determining unit 10 can be used for: Among the wired controllers of the secondary upgrade type, the wired controller corresponding to the smallest or largest indoor unit number is identified as the wired controller of the target upgrade type, which is the primary upgrade type.

[0129] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, a fixed-line upgrade device is provided. In this embodiment, the upgrade information frame data includes at least firmware encoding, and the upgrade unit 20 can be used for: From the received upgrade information frame data, determine the firmware code corresponding to the target device; Based on the firmware code corresponding to the target device, download the new version firmware corresponding to the firmware code from the server; The downloaded new firmware version is sent to the corresponding target device.

[0130] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, a fixed-line upgrade device is provided. In this embodiment, the upgrade unit 20 can be used for: After sending the corresponding new firmware version to the target device, a first prompt message and update options are displayed on the upgrade page; wherein, the first prompt message indicates that at least one of the outdoor units and / or the indoor units electrically connected to it have the corresponding new firmware version. Upon receiving a confirmation update command for the update option, control at least one of the outdoor units with the new firmware version and / or the indoor unit electrically connected to it to perform an upgrade.

[0131] In one exemplary embodiment, reference Figure 5 As shown, a fixed-line upgrade device is provided. In this embodiment, the upgrade unit 20 can be used for: When at least one of the outdoor units and / or the indoor units electrically connected to it do not support the upgrade, a second prompt message is displayed on the upgrade page; wherein the second prompt message indicates that the corresponding outdoor unit and / or the indoor unit electrically connected to it does not support the upgrade.

[0132] This embodiment provides a wired controller. This wired controller can be the wired controller for the multi-split air conditioning system described in the above embodiments.

[0133] refer to Figure 6 As shown, the wired controller 100 includes at least one processor 101, a memory 102, at least one network interface 104, and other user interfaces 103. The various components in the wired controller 100 are coupled together via a bus system 105. It is understood that the bus system 105 is used to enable communication between these components. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 105 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, all buses are referred to as bus system 105.

[0134] The user interface 103 may include a display, keyboard, mouse, touchpad, or touch screen.

[0135] It is understood that the memory 102 in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate Synchronous DRAM (DDRSDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), Synchronous Link DRAM (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM). The memory 102 described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0136] In some implementations, memory 102 stores elements, executable units or data structures, or subsets thereof, or extended sets thereof: operating system 1021 and application program 1022.

[0137] The operating system 1021 includes various system programs, such as a framework layer, a core library layer, and a driver layer, used to implement various basic business functions and handle hardware-based tasks. The application program 1022 includes various applications, such as a media player and a browser, used to implement various application functions. Programs implementing the methods of this application embodiment can be included in the application program 1022.

[0138] In this embodiment of the application, the processor 101 executes the methods provided in each method embodiment by calling the program or instructions stored in the memory 102, specifically the program or instructions stored in the application program 1022.

[0139] The methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be applied to or implemented by the processor 101. The processor 101 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of the hardware or by instructions in the form of software in the processor 101. The processor 101 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software units in the decoding processor. The software units may be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. The storage medium is located in memory 102. Processor 101 reads the information in memory 102 and performs the above method in conjunction with its hardware.

[0140] It is understood that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, or a combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the processing unit can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), general-purpose processors, main control boards, microcontroller boards, microprocessors, other electronic units for performing the functions described herein, or combinations thereof.

[0141] For software implementation, the techniques described herein can be implemented by units that perform the functions described herein. The software code can be stored in memory and executed by a processor. The memory can be implemented in the processor or external to the processor.

[0142] This application also provides a storage medium (computer-readable storage medium). This storage medium stores one or more programs. The storage medium may include volatile memory, such as random access memory; it may also include non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory, flash memory, hard disk, or solid-state drive; and it may also include combinations of the above types of memory.

[0143] When one or more programs in the storage medium can be executed by one or more processors to implement the above-described method of the in-line controller.

[0144] Those skilled in the art will further recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the components and steps of the various examples have been generally described in terms of functionality in the foregoing description. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0145] It should be noted that the terms "one implementation," "embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," and "some embodiments" used in the specification indicate that the described embodiment may include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes that specific feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, implementing such a feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether explicitly described or not, is within the knowledge scope of those skilled in the art.

[0146] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or air conditioning thermal management device that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or air conditioning thermal management device. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or air conditioning thermal management device that includes said element.

[0147] The above embodiments are merely preferred embodiments provided to fully illustrate this application, and the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art based on this application are all within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A firmware upgrade method, characterized in that, The firmware upgrade method is applied to a multi-unit air conditioning system, which includes at least one outdoor unit and multiple indoor units, and also includes multiple wired controllers that correspond one-to-one with the multiple indoor units, with the corresponding indoor units and the wired controllers being electrically connected. The firmware upgrade method includes: Based on the wire controller information frame data of the multiple wire controllers and preset rules, the target upgrade type of each wire controller is determined; among the target upgrade types of each wire controller, there is a unique wire controller with a primary upgrade type; Based on its target upgrade type and the upgrade information frame data received from at least one of the outdoor units and multiple of the indoor units, the system obtains a new version firmware for the target device from the server and sends the corresponding new version firmware to the target device; wherein, the new version firmware is used to upgrade the corresponding target device; if the target upgrade type is a primary upgrade type, then the target device includes the indoor unit electrically connected to itself, the indoor units electrically connected to other wired controllers that are not connected to the network, and at least one of the outdoor units; if the target upgrade type is a secondary upgrade type, then the target device includes the indoor unit electrically connected to itself; if the target upgrade type is a non-upgrade type, then the target device is empty; wherein, the target upgrade type of the wired controllers that are not connected to the network is a non-upgrade type.

2. The firmware upgrade method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wired controller information frame data includes at least the wired controller upgrade type; The step of determining the target upgrade type for each of the wire controllers based on wire controller information frame data and preset rules includes: After the duration of power-on reaches the set duration, if a unique main upgrade type of the wire controller is determined based on the upgrade type of the wire controller in the multiple wire controller information frame data, then the wire controller upgrade type of each wire controller is determined as the target upgrade type of each wire controller.

3. The firmware upgrade method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of determining the target upgrade type for each of the wire controllers based on wire controller information frame data and preset rules includes: After the duration of its power-on operation reaches the set duration, if at least two main upgrade types of wire controllers are determined based on the upgrade types of the multiple wire controller information frames, then the upgrade type of the wire controller that is not of the main upgrade type is determined as its target upgrade type; and a unique wire controller is selected from the at least two main upgrade types as the wire controller with the target upgrade type as the main upgrade type; and other wire controllers with the main upgrade types are determined as wire controllers with the target upgrade type as the secondary upgrade type.

4. The firmware upgrade method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The wired controller information frame data includes at least the indoor unit number information electrically connected to the wired controller. The step of selecting a unique wire controller from at least two primary upgrade types as the wire controller for the target upgrade type as the primary upgrade type includes: Among at least two main upgrade type wire controllers, the wire controller corresponding to the smallest or largest indoor unit number information is identified as the wire controller of the target upgrade type as the main upgrade type.

5. The firmware upgrade method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of determining the target upgrade type for each of the wire controllers based on wire controller information frame data and preset rules includes: After the duration of its power-on reaches the set duration, if no main upgrade type is determined based on the upgrade type of the multiple wire controller information frames, then a unique wire controller is selected from the wire controllers of the secondary upgrade types as the wire controller with the main upgrade type as the target upgrade type; the target upgrade type of the other wire controllers of the secondary upgrade types is determined as the secondary upgrade type; and the target upgrade type of the non-upgrade type wire controller is determined as the non-upgrade type.

6. The firmware upgrade method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The wired controller information frame data includes at least the indoor unit number information electrically connected to the wired controller. The selection of a unique wire controller from the secondary upgrade type as the wire controller for the primary upgrade type of the target upgrade type includes: Among the wired controllers of the secondary upgrade type, the wired controller corresponding to the smallest or largest indoor unit number is identified as the wired controller of the target upgrade type, which is the primary upgrade type.

7. The firmware upgrade method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upgrade information frame data includes at least firmware encoding. Based on its own target upgrade type and the received upgrade information frame data from at least one of the external devices and multiple of the internal devices, the process of obtaining the new firmware version of the target device from the server and sending the corresponding new firmware version to the target device includes: From the received upgrade information frame data, determine the firmware code corresponding to the target device; Based on the firmware code corresponding to the target device, download the new version firmware corresponding to the firmware code from the server; The downloaded new firmware version is sent to the corresponding target device.

8. The firmware upgrade method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The firmware upgrade method includes: After sending the corresponding new firmware version to the target device, a first prompt message and update options are displayed on the upgrade page; wherein, the first prompt message indicates that at least one of the outdoor units and / or the indoor units electrically connected to it have the corresponding new firmware version. Upon receiving a confirmation update command for the update option, control at least one of the outdoor units with the new firmware version and / or the indoor unit electrically connected to it to perform an upgrade.

9. The firmware upgrade method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The firmware upgrade method includes: When at least one of the outdoor units and / or the indoor units electrically connected to it do not support the upgrade, a second prompt message is displayed on the upgrade page; wherein the second prompt message indicates that the corresponding outdoor unit and / or the indoor unit electrically connected to it does not support the upgrade.

10. A firmware upgrade device, characterized in that, The firmware upgrade device is applied to a multi-unit air conditioning system, which includes at least one outdoor unit and multiple indoor units, and also includes multiple wired controllers that correspond one-to-one with the multiple indoor units. The corresponding indoor units and the wired controllers are electrically connected. The firmware upgrade device includes: The determining unit is configured to determine the target upgrade type of each of the multiple wire controllers based on wire controller information frame data and preset rules; wherein, among the target upgrade types of each wire controller, there is a unique wire controller with a primary upgrade type; An upgrade unit is configured to, based on its own target upgrade type and upgrade information frame data received from at least one of the outdoor units and multiple of the indoor units, obtain a new version firmware of the target device from the server and send the corresponding new version firmware to the target device; wherein, the new version firmware is used to upgrade the corresponding target device; if the target upgrade type is a primary upgrade type, then the target device includes the indoor unit electrically connected to itself, the indoor units electrically connected to other wired controllers that are not connected to the network, and at least one of the outdoor units; if the target upgrade type is a secondary upgrade type, then the target device includes the indoor unit electrically connected to itself; if the target upgrade type is a non-upgrade type, then the target device is empty; wherein, the target upgrade type of the non-connected wired controllers is a non-upgrade type.

11. A wired controller, characterized in that, The wired controller includes a processor and a memory, the processor being configured to execute a control program stored in the memory to implement the firmware upgrade method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

12. A multi-split air conditioning system, characterized in that, The multi-split air conditioning system includes at least one outdoor unit and multiple indoor units, and also includes multiple wired controllers as described in claim 11, each corresponding to one of the multiple indoor units, wherein the corresponding indoor units and the wired controllers are electrically connected.

13. A storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores one or more programs, which can be executed by one or more processors to implement the firmware upgrade method as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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