Control panel and control monitoring system

Abstract

To reduce the labor, time and cost required for wiring construction.SOLUTION: A control panel 1a includes a controller 100 that performs wired communication with a sensor or a device to be controlled, a wireless communication device that wirelessly transmits data received from the controller 100 via wired communication to an external central monitoring device 500, and a mode setting device that, upon notification from the outside, selects a mode setting in which the control panel operates as a representative panel among multiple control panels belonging to the same group including the control panel itself, or a mode setting in which the control panel operates as a subordinate panel. When the control panel itself is a representative panel, the wireless communication device of the control panel wirelessly transmits data received from the controller 100 in the control panel itself and data received from the subordinate panel to the central monitoring device 500, and transmits data wirelessly transmitted from the central monitoring device 500 to the controller 100 in the control panel itself and wirelessly transmits the data to the subordinate panels.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control panel that houses a controller for monitoring or controlling various devices, and a control and monitoring system that monitors or controls various devices via the controller. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the rising cost of materials and labor has become a problem in building and equipment control and monitoring systems. Equipment used in building control and monitoring systems is required to be low-cost and easy to install. In terms of installation, it may seem effective to eliminate wiring because there are many sensors, but in reality, the construction of long, heavy wiring called trunk lines is a heavy burden and should be eliminated.

[0003] FIG. 12 is a diagram outlining a conventional building facility. Multiple control panels 1 are installed on each floor of a building. These multiple control panels 1 are connected to each other by horizontal trunk lines. Multiple controllers are placed inside the control panel 1, and each controller is connected to each other by wires. Devices 2 to be controlled or measured are connected to the control panel 1 by wires, and receive power from the control panel 1 and communicate with the control panel 1. The controllers of the control panel 1 control the devices 2 in the target area, or collect data measured by the devices 2. Information from each device 2 is collected in the building's central control room (not shown) via the control panel 1 by trunk lines that vertically connect the network wiring on each floor.

[0004] 13 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of vertical and horizontal trunks in a conventional building facility. As described above, a plurality of control panels 1 are installed on floors 3-1 to 3-X of the building from the first floor to the Xth floor (X is an integer of 2 or more). A plurality of controllers 100 and a switching hub 101 are arranged inside each control panel 1. The controllers 100 in the control panel 1 are connected to each other via the switching hub 101 and a cable 102. The switching hubs 101 of multiple control panels 1 on the same floor are connected to each other via a cable (horizontal trunk line 4).

[0005] A central monitoring device 500, a monitoring PC (Personal Computer) 501, and a switching hub 502 are arranged in the central control room 5. The central monitoring device 500 and the monitoring PC 501 are connected to the switching hub 502 via a cable 503. The switching hub 101 of the control panel 1 on each floor and the switching hub 502 in the central control room 5 are connected via a cable (vertical trunk line 6).

[0006] 14 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the control panel 1. Inside each control panel 1, a power distribution circuit 103 is arranged in addition to a controller 100 and a switching hub 101. Power is supplied to the control panel 1 from the outside via a power cable 7, and power is supplied to each controller 100 via the power distribution circuit 103 and a power cable 104.

[0007] FIG. 15 is a diagram explaining the connection between the control panel and the sensor. On one floor, multiple control panels 1 are provided depending on the scale of the equipment. To streamline the wiring length and optimize the scale of the control panel 1, the area covered by one control panel 1 is limited. The controller 100 of each control panel 1 collects data measured by the sensor 8 (device 2 in FIG. 12) of the target area managed by the control panel 1. A sub-controller 9 is placed between the control panel 1 and the sensor 8. The control panel 1 is often placed in a dedicated area such as a machine room. On the other hand, the sub-controller 9 is often placed in the ceiling or the like near the sensor 8.

[0008] As mentioned above, thick, long, and heavy cables called trunk lines are required around the control panel, and there was a problem that the installation of the wiring was very time-consuming. In particular, the installation of vertical trunk lines connecting each floor from top to bottom requires more work, time, and cost the higher the building. In addition, the price of the wiring itself is expensive, so the higher the building, the higher the material costs.

[0009] One method for reducing the amount of work required is to apply wireless technology that eliminates the need for wiring. For example, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 wirelessly transmits a status signal from an electric lock device installed on the door to a control panel. Making the connection between the sensor and the control panel wireless in this way has the following advantages: (I) it allows for layout freedom, (II) wiring work is no longer necessary, and (III) wiring materials are no longer necessary.

[0010] However, wireless communication can bring new problems that can become an obstacle to widespread adoption. Specifically, there are issues such as the additional cost required to equip sensors with wireless communication functions, and the need to replace the batteries used to power the sensors. This issue becomes more pronounced when there are many sensors at the end of a control and monitoring system, and the disadvantages of eliminating wiring often outweigh the advantages.

[0011] The wiring between the control panel and the sensor installed on the same floor is often limited to a certain area centered on the control panel, and there is no long-distance wiring. In addition, wiring is usually performed using general-purpose cables that are thinner and lighter than the cables used for trunk lines, and the benefits of going wireless in terms of reducing material costs are small. Furthermore, in addition to wireless information and communications, unless the power supply is also made wireless, construction will not be saved. For this reason, wireless sensors are often equipped with batteries, but as the batteries wear out, they need to be replaced. When there are many sensors at the end of a control and monitoring system, changing the batteries in the sensors becomes a major burden for maintenance, and in some cases this can be problematic after the system is introduced. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5289793 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0013] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a control panel and a control monitoring system that can reduce the effort, time, and cost required for wiring installation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The control panel of the present invention includes a controller configured to perform wired communication with a sensor or a device to be controlled, a first wireless communication device configured to wirelessly transmit data received from the controller via a wired connection to an external central monitoring device and to wirelessly transmit data received from the central monitoring device to the controller, and a first mode setting device configured to select and set, upon notification from an external device, either a mode setting in which the control panel itself operates as a representative panel among a plurality of control panels belonging to the same group including the control panel itself, or a mode setting in which the control panel itself operates as a subordinate panel, and the first wireless communication device is configured to select and set, upon notification from an external device, either a mode setting in which the control panel itself operates as the representative panel, When set, the data received from the controller in the own board and the data received from the other control board set in mode as the subordinate board are wirelessly transmitted to the central monitoring device, the data wirelessly transmitted from the central monitoring device is received and transmitted to the controller in the own board, and also wirelessly transmitted to the subordinate board, and when the own board is set in mode as the subordinate board, the data received from the controller in the own board is wirelessly transmitted to the other control board set in mode as the representative board, and the data wirelessly transmitted from the representative board to the own board is received and transmitted to the controller in the own board.

[0015] In addition, one configuration example of the control panel of the present invention has a plurality of controllers arranged within the control panel, and further includes a switching hub configured to transfer data transmitted from any of the plurality of controllers to the first wireless communication device, and for the first wireless communication device to transfer data received from the central monitoring device or the representative panel to at least one of the plurality of controllers, and the first wireless communication device is characterized in that, when the control panel is the representative panel, it wirelessly transmits the data received from the switching hub in the control panel and the data received from the subordinate panel to the central monitoring device, receives data wirelessly transmitted from the central monitoring device and forwards it to the switching hub in the control panel and also wirelessly transmits it to the subordinate panel, and, when the control panel is the subordinate panel, it wirelessly transmits data received from the controller in the control panel via the switching hub to the representative panel, receives data wirelessly transmitted from the representative panel and forwards it to the switching hub in the control panel.

[0016] In addition, the control and monitoring system of the present invention comprises the control panel, a central monitoring device configured to monitor or control the multiple control panels, a second wireless communication device configured to receive data wirelessly transmitted from the representative panel and transmit it to the central monitoring device, and to receive data transmitted from the central monitoring device and wirelessly transmit it to the representative panel, and a second mode setting device configured to select one of the multiple control panels as the representative panel and notify the control panel selected as the representative panel of the representative panel selection result through the second wireless communication device, and is characterized in that when the first mode setting device is notified of the representative panel selection result for its own panel, it sets a mode for its own panel to operate as a representative panel, and notifies other control panels of the group to which it belongs through its first wireless communication device, and when it is notified of the subordinate panel selection result for its own panel, it sets a mode for its own panel to operate as a subordinate panel.

[0017] Furthermore, in one configuration example of the control and monitoring system of the present invention, when a communication failure occurs between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device of the representative board, the second mode setting device selects one of the multiple control boards in the same group, excluding the representative board, as a new representative board, and notifies the newly selected representative board of the representative board selection result via the second wireless communication device. In addition, in one configuration example of the control and monitoring system of the present invention, the second mode setting device is characterized in that it selects one of the multiple control panels as the representative panel based on the strength of radio waves from the multiple control panels. In addition, in one configuration example of the control and monitoring system of the present invention, the first mode setting device transmits load data of its own panel to the second mode setting device via the first wireless communication device, and the second mode setting device selects one of the multiple control panels as the representative panel based on the load data from the multiple control panels. Furthermore, one configuration example of the control and monitoring system of the present invention is characterized in that it further includes a relay device configured to relay wireless communication between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device of the representative board. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, when a control and monitoring system is introduced into a building or factory, if the communication between all control panels and the central monitoring device is made wireless, the vertical trunk lines connecting the control panels on each floor and the horizontal trunk lines connecting the control panels on the same floor can be eliminated, and thick, heavy, and long wiring is not required, thereby reducing the effort, time, and cost required for wiring construction. In addition, if the communication between the representative control panel on each floor and the central monitoring device is made wireless and the other control panels on the same floor are connected to the representative panel by wire, the vertical trunk lines can be eliminated, and expensive wiring can be reduced, thereby reducing material costs. In addition, in the present invention, the communication between the control panel and the sensor on the same floor is made wired, so that battery replacement of the sensor is not required as in the case of making the sensor wireless on the same floor, and therefore the maintenance load due to battery replacement of the sensor does not increase. In addition, in the present invention, usually, only the representative panel of the group of control panels communicates with the central monitoring device, so the communication load of the central monitoring device can be reduced. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a control and monitoring system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control panel according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an equipment configuration of a central control room according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating the representative board determination process in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating communication processing between the central monitoring device and the control panel in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining the process of changing the representative board and the subordinate board in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control and monitoring system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram illustrating the representative board determination process in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating communication processing between the central monitoring device and the control panel in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining the process of changing the representative board and the subordinate board in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer that realizes the controller, the central monitoring device, and the monitoring PC according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an overview of conventional building facilities. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of vertical trunk lines and horizontal trunk lines of a conventional building facility. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a conventional control panel. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a conventional connection between a control panel and a sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] [First Example] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control and monitoring system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The control and monitoring system comprises a plurality of control panels 1a arranged on floors 3-1 to 3-X of a building, from the first floor to the Xth floor (X is an integer of 2 or more), and a central control room 5a.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control panel 1a of this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the device configuration of a central control room 5a of this embodiment. The control board 1a includes a plurality of controllers 100, a switching hub 101, a power distribution circuit 103, a wireless communication device 105, and a mode setting device .

[0022] The controllers 100 are connected to each other via a switching hub 101 and a cable 102. In addition, each controller 100 is connected to a wireless communication device 105 via the switching hub 101 and the cable 102. Power is supplied to the control board 1a from the outside via a power cable 7. Power is supplied to each controller 100, wireless communication device 105, and mode setting device 106 via a power distribution circuit 103 and a power cable 104.

[0023] The wireless communication device 105 includes a wireless transmission / reception unit 1050 , a radio wave intensity measurement unit 1051 , and a storage unit 1052 .

[0024] In the central control room 5a, a central monitoring device 500, a monitoring PC 501, a switching hub 502, a wireless communication device 504, and a mode setting device 505 are arranged. The central monitoring device 500 and the monitoring PC 501 are connected to the switching hub 502 via a cable 503. In addition, the central monitoring device 500 is connected to the wireless communication device 504 via the switching hub 502 and the cable 503.

[0025] The wireless communication device 504 includes a wireless transmission / reception unit 5040 , a radio wave intensity measurement unit 5041 , and a storage unit 5042 . The wireless communication standard between the wireless communication device 105 and the wireless communication device 504 is, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0026] Next, the operation of the control and monitoring system of this embodiment will be described. The connection between the control panel 1a and the devices under its control, such as sensors, is the same as the conventional configuration shown in Fig. 15, so the symbols in Fig. 15 will also be used in the description of this embodiment.

[0027] 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining the representative board determination process that is performed before normal communication. Here, it is assumed that three control boards 1a-1, 1a-2, and 1a-3 are arranged on the same floor of a building.

[0028] At the start of the representative board determination process, the mode setting device 106 of each of the control boards 1a-1 to 1a-3 generates data for strength measurement and passes it to the wireless transmission / reception unit 1050 in the control board itself. The wireless transmission / reception unit 1050 of each of the control boards 1a-1 to 1a-3 wirelessly transmits the data for strength measurement received from the mode setting device 106 in the control board itself to the central monitoring device 500 (steps S100, S101, S102 in FIG. 4). The address of the central monitoring device 500 is preset in the memory unit 1052.

[0029] The wireless transmission / reception unit 5040 of the wireless communication device 504 in the central control room 5a receives the data transmitted from the control panels 1a-1 to 1a-3. The radio wave intensity measuring unit 5041 measures the intensity of the radio waves received by the wireless transmitting / receiving unit 5040 from the control boards 1a-1 to 1a-3 for each control board (for each received data) (Step S103 in FIG. 4).

[0030] Based on the measurement result by the radio wave intensity measurement unit 5041, the mode setting device 505 selects the control board with the strongest radio wave intensity among the control boards in one group as a representative board (step S104 in FIG. 4). Information on the control boards belonging to the group is set in advance in the mode setting device 505. Here, it is assumed that the control board 1a-2 has been selected. The mode setting device 505 transmits representative board selection result notification data addressed to the control board 1a-2 to the wireless transmission / reception unit 5040.

[0031] The wireless transmission / reception unit 5040 wirelessly transmits the representative board selection result notification data to the control board 1a-2 (step S105 in FIG. 4). The address of the control board 1a-2 is set in the storage unit 5042 in advance.

[0032] When the wireless transmission / reception unit 1050 in the control panel 1a-2 receives the representative panel selection result notification data, the mode setting device 106 of the control panel 1a-2 sets the mode so that the control panel 1a-2 operates as the representative panel (step S106 in FIG. 4). The mode setting device 106 of the control panel 1a-2 then selects other control panels 1a-1 and 1a-3 (other control panels on the same floor in this embodiment) that belong to the same group as the control panel 1a-2 as subordinate panels, and transmits subordinate panel selection result notification data addressed to the wireless transmission / reception unit 1050 in the control panel 1a-1 and 1a-3. Information on the other control panels that belong to the same group as the control panel 1a-2 is set in advance in the mode setting device 106.

[0033] The wireless transmission / reception unit 1050 wirelessly transmits the subordinate board selection result notification data to the control boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 (steps S107 and S108 in FIG. 4). The addresses of the control boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 are set in the storage unit 1052 in advance.

[0034] When the wireless transceiver 1050 in the mode setting device 106 of the control board 1a-1 receives the subordinate board selection result notification data, the mode setting device 106 sets the mode so that the control board operates as a subordinate board (FIG. 4, step S109). Similarly, when the wireless transceiver 1050 in the mode setting device 106 of the control board 1a-3 receives the subordinate board selection result notification data, the mode setting device 106 sets the mode so that the control board operates as a subordinate board (FIG. 4, step S110). This ends the representative board determination process.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining communication processing between the central monitoring device 500 and the control panels 1a-1 to 1a-3 after the representative panel determination processing. The central monitoring device 500 requests data transmission from all the controllers or a specific controller in each of the control panels 1a-1 to 1a-3.

[0036] The switching hub 502 transfers the data transmission request received from the central monitoring device 500 to the wireless communication device 504 . The wireless transceiver 5040 of the wireless communication device 504 wirelessly transmits the data transmission request received from the switching hub 502 to the destination controller 100 (Step S200 in FIG. 5).

[0037] The wireless transceiver 1050 of the control board 1a-2, which is the representative board, receives the data transmission request transmitted from the wireless communication device 504 and sends it to the switching hub 101 in the control board itself. The wireless transceiver 1050 also wirelessly transmits data transmission requests addressed to the subordinate boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 that belong to the same group as the control board itself (steps S201 and S202 in FIG. 5).

[0038] If a data transmission request received from a wireless transceiver unit 1050 in the control panel 1a-2 is addressed to a controller in the control panel 1a-2, the switching hub 101 transfers the received data transmission request to the destination controller 100, and if the data transmission request received from the wireless transceiver unit 1050 is not addressed to a controller in the control panel 1a-2, the switching hub 101 discards the request.

[0039] When the controller 100 of the control panel 1a-2 receives a data transmission request from the switching hub 101 within the panel itself, it collects data measured by the sensor 8 in the target area, and sends the collected data to the switching hub 101 within the panel itself, with the central monitoring device 500 as the destination. The switching hub 101 of the control board 1a-2 transfers the data received from the controller 100 in the control board to the wireless communication device 105 in the control board.

[0040] On the other hand, the wireless transceiver 1050 of the subordinate control boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 receives the data transmission request transmitted from the control board 1a-2 and sends it to the switching hub 101 in its own board. If a data transmission request received from a wireless transceiver unit 1050 in the control panel 1a-1, 1a-3 is addressed to a controller in the control panel, the switching hub 101 transfers the received data transmission request to the destination controller 100, and if the data transmission request received from the wireless transceiver unit 1050 is not addressed to a controller in the control panel, the switching hub 101 discards the request.

[0041] When the controller 100 of the control panel 1a-1, 1a-3 receives a data transmission request from the switching hub 101 in the control panel itself, it collects data measured by the sensor 8 in the target area, and transfers the collected data to the switching hub 101 in the control panel itself, with the central monitoring device 500 as the destination. The switching hub 101 of the control boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 transfers data received from the controller 100 in the own board to the wireless communication device 105 in the own board.

[0042] The wireless transmission / reception units 1050 of the control boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 wirelessly transmit the data received from the switching hubs 101 in their own boards to the control board 1a-2 (steps S203 and S204 in FIG. 5). The address of the control board 1a-2 is preset in the memory unit 1052.

[0043] The wireless transceiver 1050 of the control board 1a-2 wirelessly transmits the data received from the switching hub 101 in its own board and the data received from the control boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 to the central monitoring device 500 (Step S205 in FIG. 5).

[0044] The wireless transmission / reception unit 5040 in the central control room 5a receives the data transmitted from the wireless transmission / reception unit 1050 in the control panel 1a-2. The wireless transmission / reception unit 5040 transfers the received data to the switching hub 502. The switching hub 502 transfers the data received from the wireless transceiver unit 5040 to the central monitoring device 500 .

[0045] The central monitoring device 500 performs a predetermined process on the data received from the switching hub 502. The processes performed by the central monitoring device 500 include, for example, data storage, device monitoring based on the data, device control based on the data, and data transfer to a monitoring PC 501 for data display.

[0046] In this embodiment, data is transmitted when requested by the central monitoring device 500, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, each controller 100 temporarily stores collected data in an internal memory and periodically transmits the data to the wireless communication device 105 in its own board. The wireless transceiver 1050 in the control boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 wirelessly transmits the data to the control board 1a-2. The wireless transceiver 1050 in the control board 1a-2 may wirelessly transmit the data transmitted from the controller 100 in its own board or the data transmitted from the control boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 to the central monitoring device 500.

[0047] In the above example, data is transmitted from the control panel 1a-2 to the central monitoring device 500, but it goes without saying that data may also be transmitted from the central monitoring device 500 to the control panels 1a-1 to 1a-3. For example, when transmitting data on the set temperature of an air conditioner, the central monitoring device 500 transfers the data to be transmitted to the controller 100 to the switching hub 502.

[0048] The switching hub 502 transfers the data received from the central monitoring device 500 to the wireless communication device 504 . The wireless transmitting / receiving unit 5040 of the wireless communication device 504 wirelessly transmits the data received from the switching hub 502 to the destination controller 100 (FIG. 5, step S206).

[0049] The wireless transceiver 1050 of the control board 1a-2 receives the data transmitted from the wireless communication device 504 and sends it to the switching hub 101 in the control board 1a-2. The wireless transceiver 1050 also wirelessly transmits data addressed to the subordinate boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 that belong to the same group as the control board (steps S207 and S208 in FIG. 5).

[0050] If the data received from the wireless transceiver unit 1050 in the control panel 1a-2 is addressed to a controller in the control panel 1a-2, the switching hub 101 transfers the received data to the destination controller 100, and if the data received from the wireless transceiver unit 1050 is not addressed to a controller in the control panel 1a-2, the switching hub 101 discards the received data.

[0051] The wireless transmission / reception units 1050 of the control boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 receive the data transmitted from the control board 1a-2 and transmit it to the switching hub 101 in their own board. The switching hub 101 of the control panel 1a-1, 1a-3 transfers the received data to the destination controller 100 when the data received from the wireless transceiver unit 1050 in the control panel is addressed to a controller in the control panel, and discards the received data when the data received from the wireless transceiver unit 1050 is not addressed to a controller in the control panel.

[0052] When the controller 100 of the control panel 1a-1 to 1a-3 receives data (new set temperature data for the air conditioner) from the switching hub 101 in the control panel itself, it updates the set temperature data for the air conditioner in the target section to the data received from the switching hub 101, and controls the air conditioner so that the indoor temperature of the target section measured by the sensor 8, for example, matches the set temperature. Here, a case where an air conditioner is controlled has been described, but the device to be controlled does not have to be an air conditioner.

[0053] 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining the process of changing the representative board and the subordinate board. For example, when wireless communication between the representative board and the central monitoring device 500 is not possible, it is necessary to change the representative board. The mode setting device 106 of the control panel 1a-2, which is the current representative panel, determines that a communication failure has occurred with the central monitoring device 500 when it sends data from its own panel to the central monitoring device 500 and does not receive a response packet indicating that data has been received from the central monitoring device 500, or when it does not receive data or a data transmission request from the central monitoring device 500 for a specified period of time or longer since the last time it was received (FIG. 6, step S300).

[0054] When the mode setting device 106 of the control panel 1a-2 determines that a communication failure has occurred with the central monitoring device 500, it transmits replacement notification data addressed to the subordinate panels 1a-1, 1a-3 which belong to the same group as the control panel 1a-2 to the wireless transceiver unit 1050 within the control panel. The wireless transmission / reception unit 1050 wirelessly transmits the switch notification data to the control boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 (steps S301 and S302 in FIG. 6).

[0055] When the wireless transceiver 1050 in the mode setting device 106 of the control panel 1a-1, 1a-3 receives the change notification data, the wireless transceiver 1050 in the control panel transmits a representative change request to the wireless transceiver 1050 in the control panel. The wireless transceiver 1050 in the control panel 1a-1, 1a-3 wirelessly transmits the representative change request received from the mode setting device 106 in the control panel to the central monitoring device 500 (steps S303 and S304 in FIG. 6).

[0056] The wireless transceiver unit 5040 in the central control room 5a receives the data transmitted from the control panels 1a-1 and 1a-3. The radio wave intensity measuring unit 5041 measures the intensity of the radio waves received by the wireless transmitting / receiving unit 5040 from the control boards 1a-1 and 1a-3 for each control board (for each received data) (FIG. 6, step S305).

[0057] The mode setting device 505 selects the control board with the strongest radio wave intensity among the control boards in one group as a representative board based on the measurement result by the radio wave intensity measurement unit 5041 (FIG. 6, step S306). Here, it is assumed that the control board 1a-1 is selected. The mode setting device 505 transmits representative board selection result notification data addressed to the control board 1a-1 to the wireless transmission / reception unit 5040. The wireless transmission / reception unit 5040 wirelessly transmits the representative board selection result notification data to the control board 1a-1 (Step S307 in FIG. 6).

[0058] When the wireless transceiver 1050 in the mode setting device 106 of the control panel 1a-1 receives the representative panel selection result notification data, the mode setting device 106 of the control panel 1a-1 sets the mode so that the control panel 1a-1 operates as the representative panel (step S308 in FIG. 6). Then, the mode setting device 106 of the control panel 1a-1 selects other control panels 1a-2 and 1a-3 that belong to the same group as the control panel 1a-1 (other control panels on the same floor in this embodiment) as subordinate panels, and transmits subordinate panel selection result notification data addressed to the wireless transceiver 1050 in the control panel 1a-2 and 1a-3. The wireless transmission / reception unit 1050 wirelessly transmits the subordinate board selection result notification data to the control boards 1a-2 and 1a-3 (steps S309 and S310 in FIG. 6).

[0059] When the wireless transmission / reception unit 1050 in the control board 1a-2, 1a-3 receives the subordinate board selection result notification data, the mode setting device 106 of the control board 1a-2, 1a-3 performs a mode setting for the control board 1a-2 to operate as a subordinate board (steps S311, S312 in FIG. 6). Specifically, in the control board 1a-2 that was previously set as the representative board, the mode setting device 106 of the control board performs a mode setting change to change the control board 1a-2 to a subordinate board, and thereafter, the control board 1a-2 operates as a subordinate board. On the other hand, in the control board 1a-3 that was previously set as the subordinate board, the mode setting device 106 of the control board maintains the mode setting of the subordinate board, which is the current setting mode. This ends the representative board change processing.

[0060] As described above, in this embodiment, communication between all the control panels 1a and the central control room 5a, and between the control panels, is made wireless. Therefore, the vertical trunk lines connecting the control panels on each floor and the horizontal trunk lines connecting the control panels on the same floor can be eliminated, and thick, heavy, and long wiring is no longer necessary, so that the effort, time, and cost required for wiring construction can be reduced. This effect is greater in larger facilities. In addition, since expensive wiring is no longer necessary, material costs can also be reduced. Note that since the control panel 1a is equipped with many devices, it is difficult to run it on batteries, and power is generally supplied from outside. Therefore, the power consumed by wireless communication does not become a problem. On the other hand, since communication between the control panel and the sensor is performed by wire, it is possible to avoid the problem that when communication between the control panel and the sensor is made wireless as in the past, battery replacement of the sensor becomes a large maintenance burden, and the effort, time, and cost required for maintenance increase. In addition, in this embodiment, since usually only the representative panel of each group communicates with the central control room 5a, the communication load of the central control room 5a (wireless communication device 504) can be reduced.

[0061] In this embodiment, the representative board is selected based on the strength of the radio waves, but the representative board may be selected based on the load of the control board. For example, at the start of the representative board determination process, the mode setting device 106 of each control board 1a-1 to 1a-3 instructs the wireless transceiver unit 1050 in that board to wirelessly transmit the communication load data of the wireless transceiver unit 1050 to the central monitoring device 500 (steps S100 to S102 in FIG. 4). The mode setting device 505 in the central control room 5a may select, from among the control boards in one group, a control board with the smallest load indicated by the communication load data received by the wireless transceiver unit 5040 as the representative board (step S104 in FIG. 4).

[0062] Similarly, the mode setting device 106 of the control panels 1a-1 and 1a-3 instructs the wireless transceiver 1050 in the control panel to wirelessly transmit the communication load data of the wireless transceiver 1050 to the central monitoring device 500 (steps S303 and S304 in FIG. 6). The mode setting device 505 in the central control room 5a may select, as a representative panel, the control panel having the smallest load indicated by the communication load data received by the wireless transceiver 5040 from among the control panels of one group (step S306 in FIG. 6).

[0063] [Second Example] 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control and monitoring system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The control and monitoring system of this embodiment is composed of a plurality of control panels 1b arranged on floors 3-1 to 3-X of a building from the 1st floor to the Xth floor, a central control room 5b, and a relay device 10 that relays wireless communications between the control panels 1b and a central monitoring device in the central control room 5b.

[0064] In the first embodiment, the control board 1a and the central monitoring device 500 directly communicate wirelessly, but in this embodiment, all the control boards 1b are made wireless via public lines. Examples of public lines include LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G, 5G, etc. Note that, for communication between the control boards 1b, Wi-Fi may be used, for example, as in the first embodiment.

[0065] The configuration of the control panel 1b is the same as that of the control panel 1a except that the wireless communication standard used by the wireless communication device is different, and therefore will be described using the symbols in Fig. 2. Similarly, the configuration of the equipment in the central control room 5b is the same as that of the central control room 5a except that the wireless communication standard used by the wireless communication device is different, and therefore will be described using the symbols in Fig. 3.

[0066] Next, the operation of the control and monitoring system of this embodiment will be described. The connection between the control panel 1b and the devices under its control, such as sensors, is the same as the conventional configuration shown in Fig. 15, so the symbols in Fig. 15 will also be used in the description of this embodiment.

[0067] 8 is a sequence diagram for explaining the representative board determination process of this embodiment. Here, it is assumed that three control boards 1b-1, 1b-2, and 1b-3 are arranged on the same floor of a building. At the start of the representative board determination process, the mode setting device 106 of each control board 1b-1 to 1b-3 instructs the wireless transceiver 1050 in that board to wirelessly transmit the communication load data of the wireless transceiver 1050 to the central monitoring device 500 (steps S400 to S402 in FIG. 8). In this embodiment, since there is a relay device 10 between the control boards 1b-1 to 1b-3 and the central monitoring device 500 and the radio wave intensity of the control boards 1b-1 to 1b-3 cannot be measured, a representative board is selected based on the load data.

[0068] The relay device 10 wirelessly transmits the data received from the control boards 1b-1 to 1b-3 to the central monitoring device 500 (steps S403 to S405 in FIG. 8).

[0069] The wireless transceiver 5040 in the central control room 5b receives the data transmitted from the relay device 10. The mode setting device 505 in the central control room 5b selects, from among the control panels in one group, a control panel having the smallest load indicated by the load data received by the wireless transceiver 5040 as a representative panel (FIG. 8, step S406). Here, it is assumed that the control panel 1b-2 is selected. The mode setting device 505 transmits representative panel selection result notification data addressed to the control panel 1b-2 to the wireless transceiver 5040. The wireless transceiver 5040 wirelessly transmits the representative board selection result notification data to the control board 1b-2 (step S407 in FIG. 8).

[0070] The relay device 10 wirelessly transmits the representative board selection result notification data received from the wireless transmission / reception unit 5040 to the control board 1b-2 (Step S408 in FIG. 8).

[0071] When the wireless transceiver 1050 in the control board 1b-2 receives the representative board selection result notification data, the mode setting device 106 of the control board 1b-2 sets the mode so that the control board operates as the representative board (step S409 in FIG. 8). The subsequent processing of steps S410 to S413 is the same as steps S107 to S110 in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0072] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram for explaining the communication process between the central monitoring device 500 and the control panels 1b-1 to 1b-3 after the representative panel determination process. The central monitoring device 500 requests data transmission from all the controllers or a specific controller in each of the control panels 1b-1 to 1b-3.

[0073] The switching hub 502 transfers the data transmission request received from the central monitoring device 500 to the wireless communication device 504 . The wireless transceiver 5040 of the wireless communication device 504 wirelessly transmits the data transmission request received from the switching hub 502 to the destination controller 100 (Step S500 in FIG. 9).

[0074] The relay device 10 wirelessly transmits the data transmission request received from the wireless transmission / reception unit 5040 to the destination controller 100 (Step S501 in FIG. 9).

[0075] The wireless transceiver 1050 of the control board 1b-2 receives the data transmission request transmitted from the relay device 10 and transfers it to the switching hub 101 in the control board 1b-2. The wireless transceiver 1050 also wirelessly transmits the data transmission request to the subordinate boards 1b-1 and 1b-3 that belong to the same group as the control board (steps S502 and S503 in FIG. 9). The processes in steps S504 and S505 in FIG. 9 are the same as those in steps S203 and S204 in the first embodiment.

[0076] The wireless transceiver 1050 of the control board 1b-2 wirelessly transmits the data received from the switching hub 101 in its own board and the data received from the control boards 1b-1 and 1b-3 to the central monitoring device 500 (Step S506 in FIG. 9).

[0077] The relay device 10 wirelessly transmits the data received from the wireless transmission / reception unit 1050 to the central monitoring device 500 (Step S507 in FIG. 9).

[0078] The wireless transmission / reception unit 5040 in the central control room 5b receives the data transmitted from the relay device 10. The wireless transmission / reception unit 5040 transfers the received data to the switching hub 502. The switching hub 502 transfers the data received from the wireless transmitting / receiving unit 5040 to the central monitoring device 500. The operation of the central monitoring device 500 is as described in the first embodiment.

[0079] In the above example, the control panel 1b transmits data to the central monitoring device 500. However, data may be transmitted from the central monitoring device 500 to the control panel 1b as in the first embodiment. The central monitoring device 500 transfers data to be transmitted to the controller 100 to the switching hub 502.

[0080] The switching hub 502 transfers the data received from the central monitoring device 500 to the wireless communication device 504 . The wireless transmitting / receiving unit 5040 of the wireless communication device 504 wirelessly transmits the data received from the switching hub 502 to the destination controller 100 (FIG. 9, step S508).

[0081] The relay device 10 wirelessly transmits the data received from the central monitoring device 500 to the destination controller (Step S509 in FIG. 9). The processes in steps S510 and S511 in FIG. 9 are the same as those in steps S207 and S208 in the first embodiment.

[0082] Fig. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining the process of changing the representative board and the subordinate board. As in the first embodiment, when the mode setting device 106 of the control board 1b-2, which is the current representative board, transmits data from its own board to the central monitoring device 500, if it cannot receive a response packet indicating that data has been received from the central monitoring device 500, or if it cannot receive data or a data transmission request from the central monitoring device 500 for a specified time or longer from the time of the previous reception, it determines that a communication failure has occurred with the central monitoring device 500 (Fig. 10, step S600).

[0083] The processes in steps S601 and S602 in FIG. 10 are the same as those in steps S301 and S302 in the first embodiment. When the wireless transceiver unit 1050 in the mode setting device 106 of the control panel 1b-1, 1b-3, which is the current subordinate panel, receives the changeover notification data, the mode setting device 106 instructs the wireless transceiver unit 1050 to wirelessly transmit the communication load data of the wireless transceiver unit 1050 to the central monitoring device 500 (steps S603 and S604 in FIG. 10).

[0084] The relay device 10 wirelessly transmits the data received from the wireless transmission / reception unit 1050 to the central monitoring device 500 (steps S605 and S606 in FIG. 10).

[0085] The wireless transceiver 5040 in the central control room 5b receives the data transmitted from the control panels 1b-1 and 1b-3. The mode setting device 505 selects, from among the control boards in one group, a control board having the smallest load indicated by the load data received by the wireless transceiver 5040 as a representative board (step S607 in FIG. 10). Here, it is assumed that the control board 1b-1 is selected. The mode setting device 505 transmits representative board selection result notification data addressed to the wireless transceiver 5040. The wireless transceiver 5040 wirelessly transmits the representative board selection result notification data addressed to the control board 1b-1 (step S608 in FIG. 10).

[0086] The relay device 10 wirelessly transmits the representative board selection result notification data received from the wireless transmission / reception unit 5040 to the control board 1b-1 (Step S609 in FIG. 10). The processing in steps S610 to S614 in FIG. 10 is the same as that in steps S308 to S312 in the first embodiment.

[0087] Although the present embodiment uses one relay device 10, it goes without saying that a plurality of relay devices 10 may be provided between the control panel 1b and the central monitoring device 500. In addition, in this embodiment, a public line is used for communication between the control panel 1b and the central monitoring device 500, but a private network such as local LTE or local 5G may also be used.

[0088] In the first and second embodiments, the control panels on the same floor are grouped as belonging to the same group, but this is not limited thereto, and the control panels may be grouped according to function, such as air conditioning, lighting, security, etc. Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, the case where an air conditioner is controlled has been described, but it goes without saying that the device to be controlled is not limited to an air conditioner.

[0089] In addition, in the first and second embodiments, packet communication is assumed for the communications between the control panels 1a, 1b and the central monitoring device 500, between the switching hub 101 and the controller 100, between the switching hub 502 and the central monitoring device 500, and between the switching hubs 101, 502 and the wireless communication devices 105, 504, but analog signals may be sent and received between the sensors or controlled equipment and the controller. In the first and second embodiments, the control and monitoring system is applied to a building, but it goes without saying that the system may also be applied to various facilities such as factories.

[0090] The controller 100, mode setting devices 106, 505, central monitoring device 500, and monitoring PC 501 described in the first and second embodiments can each be realized by a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device, and an interface, and a program that controls these hardware resources. An example of the configuration of this computer is shown in FIG.

[0091] The computer includes a CPU 200, a storage device 201, and an interface device (I / F) 202. In the case of the controller 100, the sensor 8, the device to be controlled, the switching hub 101, etc. are connected to the I / F 202. In the case of the mode setting devices 106, 505, the hardware of the wireless communication devices 105, 504, etc. are connected to the I / F 202. In the case of the central monitoring device 500 and the monitoring PC 501, the switching hub 503, etc. are connected to the I / F 202. In such a computer, a program for realizing the control and monitoring method of the present invention is stored in the storage device 201. The CPU 200 of each device executes the processes described in the first and second embodiments according to the program stored in the storage device 201. [Industrial Applicability]

[0092] The present invention can be applied to a control panel. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1a, 1b...control panel, 5a, 5b...central control room, 10...relay device, 100...controller, 101, 502...switching hub, 103...distribution circuit, 102, 104, 503...cable, 105, 504...wireless communication device, 106, 505...mode setting device, 500...central monitoring device, 501...monitoring PC, 1050, 5040...wireless transmitter / receiver unit, 1051, 5041...radio wave intensity measuring unit, 1052, 5042...memory unit.

Claims

1. A controller configured to communicate with a sensor or a controlled device via wired communication; a first wireless communication device configured to wirelessly transmit data received from the controller via a wired connection to an external central monitoring device and to wirelessly transmit data received from the central monitoring device to the controller via a wired connection; a first mode setting device configured to select and set, in response to a notification from an external source, either a mode setting in which the control panel itself operates as a representative panel among a plurality of control panels belonging to the same group including the control panel itself, or a mode setting in which the control panel itself operates as a subordinate panel; A control board characterized in that, when the first wireless communication device is set in a mode as the representative board, it wirelessly transmits data received from the controller in the control board itself and data received from other control boards set in a mode as the subordinate board to the central monitoring device, receives data wirelessly transmitted from the central monitoring device and transmits it to the controller in the control board itself and also wirelessly transmits it to the subordinate board, and, when the control board itself is set in a mode as the subordinate board, it wirelessly transmits data received from the controller in the control board itself to other control boards set in a mode as the representative board, and receives data wirelessly transmitted from the representative board to the control board itself and transmits it to the controller in the control board.

2. The control panel according to claim 1, A plurality of the controllers are arranged in a control panel, Further comprising a switching hub configured to transfer data transmitted from any one of the plurality of controllers to the first wireless communication device, and to transfer data received by the first wireless communication device from the central monitoring device or the representative board to at least one of the plurality of controllers; A control board characterized in that, when the board itself is the representative board, the first wireless communication device wirelessly transmits data received from the switching hub within the board and data received from the subordinate board to the central monitoring device, receives data wirelessly transmitted from the central monitoring device and forwards it to the switching hub within the board and also wirelessly transmits it to the subordinate board, and, when the board itself is the subordinate board, wirelessly transmits data received from the controller within the board via the switching hub to the representative board, receives data wirelessly transmitted from the representative board and forwards it to the switching hub within the board.

3. A control panel according to claim 1 or 2; a central monitoring device configured to monitor or control a plurality of said control panels; A second wireless communication device configured to receive data wirelessly transmitted from the representative board and transmit the data to the central monitoring device, and to receive data transmitted from the central monitoring device and transmit the data wirelessly to the representative board; a second mode setting device configured to select one of the plurality of control boards as the representative board and notify the control board selected as the representative board of the representative board selection result via the second wireless communication device; The first mode setting device, when notified of the representative board selection result for its own board, sets the mode for its own board to operate as a representative board, and notifies other control boards in the group to which the own board belongs via the first wireless communication device of its own board, and when notified of the subordinate board selection result for its own board, sets the mode for its own board to operate as a subordinate board.

4. 4. The control and monitoring system according to claim 3, A control and monitoring system characterized in that, when a communication failure occurs between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device of the representative board, the second mode setting device selects one of the multiple control boards in the same group, excluding the representative board, as a new representative board, and notifies the newly selected representative board of the representative board selection result via the second wireless communication device.

5. 4. The control and monitoring system according to claim 3, A control and monitoring system characterized in that the second mode setting device selects one of the multiple control panels as the representative panel based on the strength of radio waves from the multiple control panels.

6. 4. The control and monitoring system according to claim 3, The first mode setting device transmits load data of its own board to the second mode setting device through the first wireless communication device; A control and monitoring system characterized in that the second mode setting device selects one of the plurality of control panels as the representative panel based on load data from the plurality of control panels.

7. 4. The control and monitoring system according to claim 3, A control and monitoring system further comprising a relay device configured to relay wireless communication between the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device of the representative board.

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