Air Conditioning System

Abstract

An air conditioning system comprising a subordinate system including an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, and a superordinate system including a management device that controls the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, the air conditioning system being provided with: a bridge control unit that receives a first communication packet from the management device and transfers the first communication packet to the indoor unit, and receives a second communication packet from the indoor unit and transfers the second communication packet to the management device; and an extended address input unit that rewrites the extended address area of the second communication packet to the extended address assigned to the subordinate system including the indoor unit.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning system, and more particularly to an air conditioning system including a host system and a subordinate system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, it is known that in an air conditioning system, a lower air conditioning system connected by a lower bus is connected to a higher air conditioning system connected by a higher bus to expand the air conditioning system. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioning system in which a converter for system expansion is provided between the higher bus and the lower bus, and the lower air conditioning system is connected to the higher air conditioning system via the converter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-301430 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In an air conditioning system such as that described in Patent Document 1, addresses are assigned to the outdoor units and indoor units included in the system, and the outdoor units and indoor units of the lower air conditioning system are individually controlled by the upper air conditioning system based on the addresses. Therefore, when a lower air conditioning system is added, it becomes necessary to change the specifications of the upper air conditioning system and the lower air conditioning system in order to unify the address system between the upper air conditioning system and the lower air conditioning system.

[0005] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an air conditioning system that can suppress changes to the system specifications even when the system is expanded. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The air conditioning system according to the present disclosure is an air conditioning system consisting of a lower system including an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, and a higher system including a management device that controls the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, and is equipped with a bridge control unit that receives a first communication packet from the management device and transfers it to the indoor unit, and receives a second communication packet from the indoor unit and transfers it to the management device, and an extended address input unit that rewrites the extended address field of the second communication packet to an extended address assigned to the lower system including the indoor unit. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the air conditioning system of the present disclosure, by rewriting the extended address field of the second communication packet sent from the indoor unit to an extended address, changes to the system specifications can be suppressed even when the air conditioning system is expanded by adding a subordinate system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air conditioning system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the air conditioning system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining address assignment in the air conditioning system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a communication packet. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating rewriting of an extension address according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing a communication operation of the outdoor unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating communication in the air conditioning system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a method for automatically allocating an extension address in an air conditioning system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining classification of a plurality of lower-level systems in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining grouping of a plurality of lower-level systems in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining grouping of a plurality of lower-level systems in the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining grouping of a plurality of lower-level systems in the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining grouping of a plurality of lower-level systems in the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining grouping of a plurality of lower-level systems in the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining grouping of a plurality of lower-level systems in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the allocation of extension addresses in the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the allocation of extension addresses in the third embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a control block diagram of an air conditioning system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating rewriting of an individual address according to the third embodiment. [Figure 20] 11 is a flowchart showing a communication operation of the outdoor unit according to the third embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating communication in an air conditioning system according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same or equivalent parts, and this is common throughout the specification. In addition, the forms of the components shown in the entire specification are merely examples and are not limited to these descriptions. Furthermore, the size relationships of the components in the following drawings may differ from the actual ones.

[0010] Embodiment 1 Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an air conditioning system 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the air conditioning system 100 is composed of a host system 1 including a management device 10 and a plurality of outdoor units, and a plurality of lower systems 2A to 2D each including an outdoor unit and at least one indoor unit. In Fig. 1, the air conditioning system 100 is equipped with four lower systems 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D, but this is just an example, and the air conditioning system 100 may be equipped with three or less or five or more lower systems.

[0011] The upper system 1 and each of the lower systems 2A to 2D are connected to be able to communicate with each other via outdoor units 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D, respectively. The communication method of the upper system 1 and the communication method of the lower system 2 may be the same or different. In the upper system 1, communication is performed for linking the multiple outdoor units and indoor units included in the lower system 2, such as communication involving the management device 10. In the lower systems 2A to 2D, communication is performed for functions realized by the lower system alone, such as refrigerant control.

[0012] In the upper system 1, the management device 10 is communicatively connected to a plurality of outdoor units 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D. In the lower system 2A, the indoor unit 30A is communicatively connected to the outdoor unit 20A, and the remote controller 40A is communicatively connected to the indoor unit 30A. In the lower system 2B, the indoor unit 30B is communicatively connected to the outdoor unit 20B, and the remote controller 40B is communicatively connected to the indoor unit 30B. In the lower system 2C, the indoor units 30C and 30D are communicatively connected to the outdoor unit 20C, and the remote controllers 40C and 40D are communicatively connected to the indoor units 30C and 30D, respectively. In the lower system 2D, the indoor units 30E and 30F are communicatively connected to the outdoor unit 20D, and the remote controllers 40E and 40F are communicatively connected to the indoor units 30E and 30F, respectively.

[0013] The management device 10 controls the outdoor units 20A to 20D and the indoor units 30A to 30F in an integrated manner. The management device 10 is, for example, a centralized controller provided in a management room or the like in a building in which the air conditioning system 100 is installed. The management device 10 may be a computer provided outside the building in which the air conditioning system 100 is installed or on the cloud. In this case, the management device 10 is connected to each of the outdoor units 20A to 20D via the Internet or the like.

[0014] The outdoor units 20A to 20D are heat source units that supply heat to the indoor units 30A to 30F. The outdoor unit 20A and the indoor unit 30A, the outdoor unit 20B and the indoor unit 30B, the outdoor unit 20C and the indoor units 30C and 30D, and the outdoor unit 20D and the indoor units 30E and 30F are each connected by a refrigerant piping to form a refrigerant circuit. The outdoor units 20A to 20D each include a compressor, a flow path switching valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a fan that form part of the refrigerant circuit.

[0015] The indoor units 30A to 30F are, for example, indoor units of an air conditioner, and are installed in a space to be air-conditioned by the air conditioning system 100 to cool or heat the space to be air-conditioned. The indoor units 30A to 30F each include an indoor heat exchanger, a fan, and a throttling device that constitute a part of a refrigerant circuit. Note that the indoor units 30A to 30F are not limited to indoor units of an air conditioner, and may be a refrigerator of a refrigeration device or a heater of a hot water supply device. The remote controllers 40A to 40F display the operating status of the corresponding indoor units, and accept input of instructions from the user regarding the indoor units.

[0016] Fig. 2 is a control block diagram of the air conditioning system 100 according to the first embodiment. The management device 10, the outdoor units 20A-20D, and the indoor units 30A-30F each include a control device. Note that, although Fig. 2 shows only the control devices of the outdoor unit 20A and the indoor unit 30A, the control devices of the other outdoor units 20B-20D and the indoor units 30B-30F have the same configuration as the control devices of the outdoor unit 20A and the indoor unit 30A.

[0017] The management device 10 includes a control device 15. The control device 15 is configured by a computer including a memory that stores data and programs required for control and a CPU that executes the programs, or by dedicated hardware such as an ASIC or FPGA, or by both. The control device 15 includes a control unit 101 and a communication unit 102 as functional units that are realized by the CPU executing the programs. Each functional unit may be executed by a separate CPU, or the two functional units may be executed by one CPU. Alternatively, each functional unit may be executed by dedicated hardware such as an ASIC or FPGA.

[0018] The control unit 101 collects the operating conditions of each of the outdoor units 20A-20D and the indoor units 30A-30F, and comprehensively controls the operation of the outdoor units 20A-20D and the indoor units 30A-30F. The control unit 101 also stores and manages the extended addresses and individual addresses assigned to the outdoor units 20A-20D and the indoor units 30A-30F, respectively. The communication unit 102 is communicatively connected to each of the outdoor units 20A-20D, receives communication packets from each of the outdoor units 20A-20D, and transmits communication packets to each of the outdoor units 20A-20D.

[0019] The indoor unit 30A is equipped with a control device 35. The control device 35 is composed of a computer equipped with a memory that stores data and programs required for control and a CPU that executes the programs, dedicated hardware such as ASIC or FPGA, or both. The control device 35 has an operation control unit 301 and a communication unit 302 as functional units realized by the CPU executing the programs. Each functional unit may be executed by a separate CPU, or the two functional units may be executed by one CPU. Alternatively, each functional unit may be executed by dedicated hardware such as ASIC or FPGA.

[0020] The operation control unit 301 controls the operation of the indoor unit 30A based on setting information transmitted from the management device 10 or the remote controller 40A and detection results of various sensors such as an indoor temperature sensor or an outdoor air temperature sensor. Specifically, the operation control unit 301 controls the opening degree of the throttling device and the rotation speed of the fan based on the setting information and the detection results of each temperature sensor. The communication unit 302 is communicatively connected to the outdoor unit 20A, receives communication packets from the outdoor unit 20A, and transmits communication packets to the outdoor unit 20A.

[0021] The outdoor unit 20A is equipped with a control device 25. The control device 25 is composed of a computer equipped with a memory for storing data and programs required for control and a CPU for executing the programs, dedicated hardware such as ASIC or FPGA, or both. The control device 25 has an operation control unit 201, an upper side communication unit 202, a lower side communication unit 203, a bridge control unit 204, and an extended address input unit 205 as functional units realized by the CPU executing the programs. Each functional unit may be executed by a separate CPU, or two or more functional units may be executed by one CPU. Alternatively, each functional unit may be executed by dedicated hardware such as ASIC or FPGA.

[0022] The operation control unit 201 controls the operation of the outdoor unit 20A based on setting information transmitted from the management device 10 or the indoor unit 30A and detection results of various sensors such as an indoor temperature sensor or an outdoor air temperature sensor. Specifically, the operation control unit 201 controls the operating frequency of the compressor, the rotation speed of the fan, switching of the flow path switching valve, etc. based on the setting information and the detection results of each temperature sensor.

[0023] The upper side communication unit 202 is communicatively connected to the management device 10 and the outdoor units 20B to 20D included in the upper system 1, and receives communication packets from the management device 10 or the outdoor units 20B to 20D, and transmits communication packets to the management device 10 or the outdoor units 20B to 20D. The lower side communication unit 203 is communicatively connected to the indoor unit 30A included in the lower system 2A, and receives communication packets from the indoor unit 30A, and transmits communication packets to the indoor unit 30A.

[0024] The bridge control unit 204 monitors the upper side communication unit 202 and the lower side communication unit 203, checks the destination address of a communication packet received by the upper side communication unit 202 and the lower side communication unit 203, and transfers the packet as necessary. For example, when the bridge control unit 204 receives a communication packet addressed to the indoor unit 30A from the management device 10 at the upper side communication unit 202, the bridge control unit 204 transfers the received communication packet to the indoor unit 30A. Also, when the bridge control unit 204 receives a packet addressed to the management device 10 from the indoor unit 30A at the lower side communication unit 203, the bridge control unit 204 transfers the received communication packet to the management device 10. The bridge control unit 204 does nothing for communication that does not need to pass through the outdoor unit 20A.

[0025] When the air conditioning system 100 includes multiple lower systems 2A to 2D, communication other than that of its own system (lower system 2A in the case of the outdoor unit 20A) is blocked by the bridge control unit 204 by forwarding communication packets using the bridge control unit 204. This makes it possible to increase the number of lower systems in the air conditioning system 100 without increasing the communication traffic in each of the lower systems 2A to 2D.

[0026] Here, there is a problem of address exhaustion when increasing the number of lower systems to expand the air conditioning system 100. Each device constituting the air conditioning system 100 is identified by an address assigned to it. Therefore, when the assigned addresses are exhausted, it is necessary to take measures such as expanding the addresses. Therefore, the air conditioning system 100 of this embodiment is configured to assign an extended address to each group of lower systems in addition to the addresses assigned to each device (hereinafter referred to as "individual addresses").

[0027] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining address allocation in the air conditioning system 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, individual addresses are assigned to the outdoor units 20A-20D and the indoor units 30A-30F of the air conditioning system 100. In addition, an extension address is assigned to each of the lower systems 2A-2D, i.e., each of the outdoor units 20A-20D. Here, the outdoor units 20A and 20B are assigned the same extension address as they belong to the same group G1, and the outdoor units 20C and 20D are assigned the same extension address as they belong to the same group G2. The individual addresses assigned to each device of the air conditioning system 100 are shared by each device. In addition, the extension addresses assigned to each outdoor unit 20A-20D of the air conditioning system 100 are shared by each device of the upper system 1.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a communication packet. As shown in FIG. 4, a communication packet 80 is composed of, for example, a header 81, an address 82, a payload 83, and a checksum 84. The address 82 is an area including an individual address of a destination or a source. The header 81 has a defined area 81A and an undefined area 81B. The undefined area 81B is an undefined free area that is not referenced in the communication procedure in order to provide flexibility for changes in specifications. In conventional systems, the undefined area 81B is configured not to be referenced so that whatever value is set in the undefined area 81B does not affect control at the time of reception.

[0029] Therefore, in this embodiment, the undefined area 81B is used as the extended address area. For example, when the undefined area 81B is 2 bits, four types of extended addresses can be set. In this embodiment, the extended address can be arbitrarily set by the user when the air conditioning system 100 is installed or when an extension becomes necessary. For example, when the extended address is 2 bits, a physical switch capable of setting four types of extended addresses is provided in the outdoor unit 20A and connected to the bridge control unit 204, and the user manually operates the physical switch to set the address. The set extended address is stored in the memory of the control device 25 of the outdoor unit 20A, and is notified to and shared by other devices of the upper system 1, that is, the management device 10 and the outdoor units 20B to 20D.

[0030] Furthermore, the extension addresses may be arbitrarily set by the user by operating the management device 10, the indoor units 30A-30F, the remote controllers 40A-40F, or other terminal devices for setting extension addresses. In this case, the extension addresses are set in the outdoor units 20A-20D by communication from the management device 10, the indoor units 30A-30F, the remote controllers 40A-40F, or other terminal devices for setting extension addresses.

[0031] The grouping of the subsystems 2A to 2D is performed arbitrarily by the user according to the type of each subsystem or the number of each group. For example, the same group may be used until the number of indoor units included in one group reaches the maximum number. The unique address may be arbitrarily set by the user, or may be automatically set to each device using a known method.

[0032] Also, if the undefined area 81B is 3 bits or more, the entire undefined area 81B may be used as an extended address area, or an extended address may be set with the minimum number of bits first, and if that is not enough, a larger number of bits may be set as the extended address. In this case, it is advisable to assign the extended address so that it is easy to increase the number of bits.

[0033] Here, when the extension address is set as described above, it is necessary to reflect the specification change regarding the conversion of the extension address to all devices. Therefore, in this embodiment, the outdoor units 20A to 20D located at the boundary between the upper system 1 and the lower systems 2A to 2D have an extension address input unit 205 for converting the extension address.

[0034] The extension address input unit 205 rewrites the extension address field (i.e., undefined field 81B) of a communication packet to be transmitted to the upper system 1 to the extension address assigned to the own device in accordance with an instruction from the bridge control unit 204. For example, the extension address input unit 205 of the outdoor unit 20A rewrites the extension address field of a communication packet to be transmitted to the upper system 1 to the extension address [1:1] in accordance with an instruction from the bridge control unit 204.

[0035] Fig. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining the rewriting of an extension address according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, when the bridge control unit 204 receives a communication packet from the lower-side communication unit 203 and the destination is a device of a lower system, the bridge control unit 204 discards the received communication packet as in the conventional case.

[0036] On the other hand, if the destination of the received communication packet is a device of a higher-level system, the bridge control unit 204 instructs the extension address input unit 205 to rewrite the extension address field. The extension address input unit 205 rewrites the extension address field of the communication packet to an extension address assigned to the device itself. The bridge control unit 204 transmits the communication packet rewritten to the extension address to the higher-level system.

[0037] Furthermore, when the bridge control unit 204 receives a communication packet from the upper side communication unit 202, if the destination is a device of the lower system, it transmits the received communication packet to the lower system. On the other hand, if the destination of the communication packet is a device of the upper system, it discards the received communication packet as in the conventional manner. This makes it possible to establish communication at least for the devices (indoor units and remote controllers) included in the lower system without changing the specifications related to the extended addresses.

[0038] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the communication operation of the outdoor unit 20A according to the first embodiment. The communication operations of the outdoor units 20B to 20D are the same as the communication operation of the outdoor unit 20A. First, when the bridge control unit 204 of the outdoor unit 20A receives a communication packet (S1), it reads an extension address from the extension address area of ​​the communication packet (S2). Then, the bridge control unit 204 judges whether or not the communication packet is received from the upper system 1 (S3). When the upper side communication unit 202 receives a communication packet, the bridge control unit 204 judges that the communication packet is received from the upper system 1. When the communication packet is received from the upper system 1 (S3: YES), the bridge control unit 204 judges whether or not the extension address read in step S2 matches the extension address assigned to the own device (S4).

[0039] If the extension address does not match the extension address assigned to the own device (S4: NO), the bridge control unit 204 discards the received communication packet without forwarding it (S8). On the other hand, if the extension address matches the extension address assigned to the own device (S4: YES), the bridge control unit 204 judges whether to forward the communication packet (S5), and if it is determined that forwarding is necessary (S6: YES), it forwards the communication packet (S7). Here, if the individual address included in the communication packet is the address of the indoor unit 30A included in the lower system 2A including the own device, the bridge control unit 204 determines that forwarding is necessary and forwards the communication packet to the indoor unit 30A. On the other hand, if the bridge control unit 204 determines that forwarding is unnecessary (S6: NO), that is, if the packet is not addressed to the indoor unit 30A, it discards the communication packet (S8).

[0040] Also, in step S3, if the communication packet is not received from the higher-level system 1 but from the lower-level system 2A (S3: NO), the bridge control unit 204 performs a transfer judgment of the communication packet (S9) and judges whether the transfer is necessary or not (S10). If the transfer is not necessary (S10: NO), the bridge control unit 204 discards the communication packet (S8). On the other hand, if the transfer is necessary (S10: YES), the bridge control unit 204 instructs the extension address input unit 205 to rewrite the extension address area, and the extension address input unit 205 rewrites the extension address area to the extension address assigned to the device itself (S11). Then, the bridge control unit 204 transfers the communication packet rewritten to the extension address to the transfer destination of the higher-level system 1 indicated by the individual address (S7).

[0041] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining communication in the air conditioning system 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, when the first communication packet P1 is transmitted from the management device 10 to the indoor unit 30C, the management device 10 sets the extension address [1:0] of the group G2 to which the indoor unit 30C belongs in the communication packet. Then, when the extension address included in the first communication packet P1 matches the extension address set in the outdoor unit 20C, the outdoor unit 20C transfers the received first communication packet P1 to the lower indoor unit 30C. In this case, since each indoor unit cannot recognize the extension address, the communication packet is transferred with the extension address area unchanged. The indoor unit 30C checks the individual address area that it can recognize, and receives the packet if it matches the individual address of its own device.

[0042] Furthermore, when the indoor unit 30E transmits the second communication packet P2 to the management device 10, the extension address field of the second communication packet P2 generated by the indoor unit 30E and transmitted to the outdoor unit 20D is the initial value [1:1]. This is because the extension address field is used as an undefined field for the indoor unit 30E. The outdoor unit 20D rewrites the extension address field of the packet received from the indoor unit 30E to the extension address set in the outdoor unit = [1:0]. In this case, the undefined field of the second communication packet P2 is used as the source address of the second communication packet P2. The second communication packet P2 rewritten to the extension address is transferred to the management device 10. As a result, the management device 10 can identify the source of the second communication packet P2 as the indoor unit 30E from the extension address [1:0] and the source individual address included in the received second communication packet P2.

[0043] As described above, in the air conditioning system 100 of this embodiment, the bridge control unit 204 of the outdoor units 20A-20D located between the upper system 1 and the lower systems 2A-2D rewrites the extension address of the communication packet. As a result, even when a lower system is newly added and the air conditioning system 100 is expanded, there is no need to change the specifications of the indoor units and remote controllers included in the lower system while maintaining upward compatibility with previous models. As a result, it is possible to suppress specification changes in the air conditioning system 100.

[0044] In the first embodiment, when an extension address is set by a user, the same extension address may be set to multiple groups due to a setting error. To ensure normal communication, the extension addresses must be set without duplication. As long as the extension addresses are not duplicated in all groups, duplication of individual addresses in different groups is permitted. Therefore, the management device 10 may determine whether or not there is duplication of extension addresses, and notify the user if duplication occurs.

[0045] Individual addresses are often set in ascending order in consecutive numbers from the viewpoint of workability. Therefore, if the extension addresses are mistakenly set to the same address, there is a high possibility that multiple individual address duplications will occur simultaneously. Therefore, the management device 10 sets a threshold X for address duplications, and displays a message urging the user to recheck the extension addresses if an individual address duplication that exceeds the threshold X occurs in the system.

[0046] The threshold value X is, for example, 3, and if three individual address duplications occur simultaneously, a message is displayed on the display device of the management device 10. The message includes information about the group in which the address duplications occur. This allows the user to identify and correct the possibly duplicated extension address from the information about the group in which the address duplications occurred. Note that with regard to individual address duplications within each group, it is advisable for each device to determine whether or not there is duplication using a method similar to that used in the past.

[0047] Embodiment 2 A second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the user sets the extension address as desired, but in the second embodiment, the extension address is set automatically. The configuration of the air conditioning system 100 and the configuration of each device included in the air conditioning system 100 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0048] 8 is a flowchart showing a method for automatically allocating an extension address in the air conditioning system 100 according to the second embodiment. This process is executed by the control device 15 of the management device 10. First, the control device 15 collects information on a plurality of lower systems included in the air conditioning system 100 (S21). The information collected here includes the type of each lower system, individual addresses, model names, or serial numbers of the outdoor units and indoor units included in each lower system, etc.

[0049] Then, the control device 15 classifies the multiple lower systems according to type (S22). Here, the control device 15 classifies the lower systems according to, for example, whether they are for people or objects, whether they are VRF (a multi-air conditioner for buildings that uses refrigerant) or HVRF (a multi-air conditioner for buildings that uses refrigerant and water), whether the type of indoor unit is an air conditioner, a refrigerator, or a heater, etc. By classifying the lower systems according to type, it is possible to assign extended addresses according to the type.

[0050] Next, the control device 15 divides each of the lower systems into groups according to classification (S23). Here, the grouping is performed so that the individual addresses of the indoor units included in each of the classified lower systems do not overlap. The grouping will be described in detail later.

[0051] Then, when all the lower systems have been grouped (S24: YES), the control device 15 assigns an extension address to each group (S25). Here, the extension address is assigned to each group according to the priority set according to the classification type. For example, when the lower systems are classified into VRF or HVRF, the management device 10 assigns the extension addresses to the group of lower systems classified into VRF in ascending order of size, and then assigns the remaining extension addresses to the group of lower systems classified into HVRF. The priority of the extension addresses for each type may be determined by the user or may be determined in advance by the design side. Alternatively, the management device 10 may assign the smaller extension addresses to each group in descending order of the number of indoor units belonging to each group.

[0052] Then, the control device 15 notifies the outdoor units of each lower system of the assigned extension addresses, and the extension addresses are set in the outdoor units (S26).

[0053] Next, a specific example of automatic allocation of extended addresses will be described with reference to Figs. 9 to 16. Figs. 9 to 16 explain an example in which the air conditioning system 100 includes 14 lower systems. Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining classification of a plurality of lower systems in the second embodiment. Fig. 9 shows an example in which a plurality of lower systems are classified into systems for people and systems for objects. Note that, in the 14 lower systems, if there are a plurality of lower systems having outdoor units and indoor units with the same addresses, the model names or serial numbers of the outdoor units and indoor units are used to distinguish between the respective lower systems.

[0054] "OC" shown in Fig. 9 indicates the individual address and type of the outdoor unit of each lower system, and "IC" indicates the individual address of the indoor unit included in each lower system. For example, in the example of Fig. 9, the lower system 2E is a person-facing system including an outdoor unit with an individual address of "51" and two indoor units with individual addresses of "1" and "2". The management device 10 classifies each lower system into a person-facing system and an object-facing system according to its type.

[0055] 10 to 15 are diagrams for explaining grouping of a plurality of lower systems in the second embodiment. In FIG. 10 to FIG. 15, grouping of seven lower systems 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 2J, 2K, and 2L classified as person-facing systems will be explained as an example. The management device 10 performs grouping so that the individual addresses of the indoor units do not overlap in each group. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the management device 10 compares the individual addresses of the indoor units included in the plurality of lower systems classified as person-facing systems, and stores the lower system 2E having the smallest individual address "1" in the provisional group g1. Here, the lower system 2K also has the smallest individual address "1", but since the individual address "51" of the outdoor unit of the lower system 2E is smaller than the individual address "61" of the outdoor unit of the lower system 2K, the lower system 2E is stored first.

[0056] Next, the management device 10 sequentially stores in the provisional group g1 the subordinate systems that have as their minimum address the address that is greater than the maximum address of the indoor unit included in the stored subordinate systems and is the smallest address among the non-stored subordinate systems. As shown in Fig. 11, the management device 10 stores in the provisional group g1 the subordinate system 2J that has as its minimum address the address "3" that is greater than the maximum address "2" of the stored subordinate system 2E and is the smallest address among the non-stored subordinate systems.

[0057] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 12, the management device 10 stores in the provisional group g1 the lower system 2F, which has a minimum address "6" that is greater than the maximum address "4" of the lower system 2J and is the smallest address among the lower systems not stored.

[0058] 13, management device 10 stores lower system 2H, which has a minimum address of "8" that is greater than the maximum address "7" of lower system 2F and is the smallest address among the lower systems not stored, in provisional group g1. Here, there is no lower system that includes an individual address greater than the maximum address "10" of lower system 2H. Also, because lower systems 2G, 2K, and 2L have not yet been stored in a group, management device 10 stores them in a new group in the same manner as above.

[0059] 14, the management device 10 stores in the temporary group g2 the subsystem 2K having the smallest address "1" among the individual addresses of the indoor units among the subsystems not stored. Then, similar to the temporary group g1, the management device 10 stores in the temporary group g2 in order the subsystems having as their minimum address the address of the subsystem that is greater than the maximum address of the indoor units included in the stored subsystems and is the smallest address among the subsystems not stored.

[0060] 15, a lower system 2G having a minimum address of "4" that is greater than the maximum address "3" of the lower system 2K and is the smallest address among the lower systems not stored is stored in the provisional group g2. After that, a lower system 2L having a minimum address of "7" that is greater than the maximum address "6" of the lower system 2G and is the smallest address among the lower systems not stored is stored in the provisional group g2.

[0061] There is no subordinate system that includes an individual address larger than the maximum address "10" of the provisional group g2. In addition, all subordinate systems classified as person-to-person systems are stored in one of the groups, and no unstored subordinate systems remain. Therefore, grouping of person-to-person systems is complete. The management device 10 also performs grouping of object-to-person systems in the same manner as for person-to-person systems.

[0062] When grouping of all lower systems is completed, an extension address is assigned to each group. Fig. 16 is a diagram for explaining the assignment of extension addresses in the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 16, the management device 10 sets the provisional group g1 of the interpersonal system as group G1 and assigns the extension address [0:0] to it, and sets the provisional group g2 as group G2 and assigns the extension address [0:1] to it.

[0063] The management device 10 also sets the provisional group g3 of the objective system to group G3 and assigns it an extension address [1:0], and sets the provisional group g4 to group G4 and assigns it an extension address [1:1]. Fig. 16 shows an example of assignment when the priority of the person-to-person system is higher than the priority of the objective system, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and it is also possible to assign smaller extension addresses in descending order of the number of indoor units belonging to the system.

[0064] As described above, in this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the user does not need to set the extension address, which reduces the time and effort required, and can prevent communication problems caused by setting errors. Also, by classifying and grouping the lower systems according to their type, the type of the lower system can be identified by looking at the extension address.

[0065] Furthermore, by prioritizing the types of subsystems and assigning smaller extension addresses to the systems with the highest priority, the extension addresses of subsystems of the same type will have adjacent address numbers. For example, if there are three VRF subsystems and one HVRF subsystem, and the priority of the VRF is set higher than that of the HVRF, the extension addresses assigned will be [0:0], [0:1], and [1:0] for the VRF extension addresses, and [1:1] for the HVRF extension address.

[0066] In the second embodiment, it is not necessary to classify the subsystems according to their types. In this case, the management device 10 omits step S22 in Fig. 7 and performs the processes of steps S23 to S25 for all the subsystems collectively.

[0067] Embodiment 3 A description will now be given of embodiment 3. Embodiment 3 differs from embodiments 1 and 2 in that the bridge control units 204 of the outdoor units 20A to 20D rewrite individual addresses in addition to rewriting extension addresses of communication packets.

[0068] FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the allocation of extension addresses in the third embodiment. In the case where the management device 10 is configured to automatically allocate extension addresses, five provisional groups g1 to g5 may be generated as shown in FIG. 17 as a result of grouping so as not to overlap individual addresses. When the extension address area of ​​a communication packet is 2 bits, there are four types of extension addresses: [0:0], [0:1], [1:0], and [1:1]. Therefore, there is no extension address to be allocated to the provisional group g5. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the same extension address is allocated to a plurality of provisional groups, and when the individual addresses overlap, the bridge control unit 204 of the outdoor units 20A to 20D rewrites the individual addresses to deal with the problem.

[0069] In this embodiment, when five temporary groups g1 to g5 are created, the control device 15 of the management device 10 sets an extension address of one of [0:0] to [1:1] for the temporary group g5. For example, when the temporary group g5 is an objective system, the control device 15 sets the extension address [1:1] for the temporary group g5, which is the same as the temporary group g4 that includes the fewer individual addresses among the temporary groups g3 and g4 of the same objective system. Note that the control device 15 may assign the smallest extension address to the temporary group g5, instead of the extension address with the fewer individual addresses. The user may be able to set which extension address to assign.

[0070] In this case, since the individual addresses included in the provisional group g4 and the provisional group g5 partially overlap, it is necessary to set different individual addresses. Here, if up to 50 individual addresses can be set for devices in the same extended address, individual addresses 6, 7, and 11 to 50 in the extended address [1:1] of group G4 are vacant addresses. Therefore, by assigning the vacant addresses of the provisional group g4 to the five devices belonging to the provisional group g5, the overlapping of individual addresses between the provisional group g4 and the provisional group g5 can be eliminated, and the same extended address can be used.

[0071] The control device 15 of the management device 10 associates the five individual addresses of the temporary group g5 with the vacant addresses of the temporary group g4, and creates an individual address table. In the example of FIG. 17, the individual address table indicates which individual address of group G4 should be rewritten for the individual addresses of the temporary group g5, such as [1→6], [2→7], [3→11], [4→12], and [5→13]. For example, the control device 15 associates the individual addresses of the temporary group g5 with the vacant addresses of the temporary group g4 in ascending order. Then, the control device 15 transmits the created individual address table to the outdoor units included in the temporary group g5.

[0072] Fig. 18 is a control block diagram of an air conditioning system 100 according to the third embodiment. As shown in Fig. 18, the control device 25 of the outdoor unit 20A of this embodiment further has an individual address input unit 206 as a functional unit realized by the CPU executing a program. The control devices 25 of the other outdoor units included in the air conditioning system 100 also have individual address input units 206. The rest of the configuration of the air conditioning system 100 is the same as in the first embodiment. When the bridge control unit 204 of the outdoor unit 20A receives the individual address table from the management device 10, it stores the individual address table in the individual address input unit 206.

[0073] The individual address input unit 206 rewrites the individual address of a communication packet based on the individual address table in accordance with an instruction from the bridge control unit 204. For example, the individual address input unit 206 of the outdoor unit 20A rewrites the individual address, which is the destination of a communication packet received from the higher-level system 1, from "1" to "6" in accordance with an instruction from the bridge control unit 204.

[0074] Fig. 19 is a sequence diagram for explaining rewriting of an individual address according to the embodiment 3. As shown in Fig. 19, when a communication packet is received from the lower-side communication unit 203 and the destination is a device of a lower system, the bridge control unit 204 discards the received communication packet as in the conventional case.

[0075] On the other hand, when the destination of the received communication packet is a device in a higher-level system, the bridge control unit 204 instructs the extension address input unit 205 to rewrite the extension address field. The extension address input unit 205 rewrites the extension address field of the communication packet to the extension address assigned to its own device.

[0076] Then, if the individual address of the communication packet is not the one to be rewritten, the bridge control unit 204 transmits the communication packet with the extension address area rewritten to the upper system. On the other hand, if the individual address of the communication packet is the one to be rewritten, the bridge control unit 204 instructs the individual address input unit 206 to rewrite the individual address. The individual address input unit 206 rewrites the individual address included in the address 82 of the communication packet based on the individual address table. The bridge control unit 204 transmits the communication packet with the extension address area and individual address rewritten to the upper system.

[0077] Furthermore, when the bridge control unit 204 receives a communication packet from the upper side communication unit 202, if the destination is a device of the lower system and the individual address of the communication packet is not to be rewritten, the bridge control unit 204 transmits the received communication packet to the lower system. On the other hand, if the individual address of the communication packet is to be rewritten, the bridge control unit 204 instructs the individual address input unit 206 to rewrite the individual address. The individual address input unit 206 rewrites the individual address included in the address 82 of the communication packet based on the individual address table. The bridge control unit 204 transmits the communication packet with the rewritten individual address to the lower system.

[0078] Furthermore, if the destination of a communication packet received from the upper communication unit 202 is a device in a higher-level system, the received communication packet is discarded as in the conventional method. This makes it possible to establish communication, at least for devices included in a lower-level system (indoor units and remote controllers), even if individual addresses are duplicated, without changing the specifications related to the extended addresses.

[0079] 20 is a flowchart showing the communication operation of the outdoor unit 20A according to embodiment 3. The communication operations of the outdoor units 20B to 20D are the same as the communication operation of the outdoor unit 20A. Steps S1 to S11 of the communication operation in this embodiment are the same as the communication operation in embodiment 1 shown in FIG.

[0080] When it is determined in step S6 that the transfer of the communication packet received from the upper system 1 is unnecessary (S6: NO), the bridge control unit 204 determines whether or not the individual address of the communication packet is to be rewritten (S21). When it is determined that the transfer of the communication packet received from the upper system 1 is unnecessary, it means that the extension address of the communication packet received from the upper system 1 matches, but it is determined that the target device does not exist in the system of the own device. In this case, the bridge control unit 204 refers to the individual address table of the individual address input unit 206 and determines whether or not the individual address of the communication packet is to be rewritten. When the individual address of the received communication packet is included in the individual address table, the bridge control unit 204 determines that it is to be rewritten, and when it is not included, it determines that it is not to be rewritten.

[0081] If the individual address of the communication packet is to be rewritten (S21: YES), the bridge control unit 204 instructs the individual address input unit 206 to rewrite the individual address, and the individual address input unit 206 rewrites the individual address of the communication packet based on the individual address table (S22).Then, the bridge control unit 204 transfers the communication packet whose individual address has been rewritten (S7).On the other hand, if the individual address of the communication packet is not to be rewritten (S21: NO), the bridge control unit 204 discards the communication packet (S8).

[0082] In addition, after rewriting the extension address field of the communication packet received from the lower system to the extension address assigned to the own device in step S11, the bridge control unit 204 determines whether or not the individual address of the communication packet is to be rewritten (S23).

[0083] If the individual address of the communication packet is to be rewritten (S23: YES), the bridge control unit 204 instructs the individual address input unit 206 to rewrite the individual address, and the individual address input unit 206 rewrites the individual address of the communication packet based on the individual address table (S24).Then, the bridge control unit 204 transfers the communication packet in which the extension address area and the individual address have been rewritten (S7).On the other hand, if the individual address of the communication packet is not to be rewritten (S23: NO), the bridge control unit 204 transfers the communication packet in which the extension address area has been rewritten without rewriting the individual address (S7).

[0084] Fig. 21 is a diagram illustrating communication in the air conditioning system 100 according to embodiment 3. As shown in Fig. 21, when a first communication packet P11 is transmitted from the management device 10 to the indoor unit 30E, the management device 10 sets the extension address of group G2=[1:0] and the individual address of the indoor unit 30E=3 as destinations in the communication packet.

[0085] Each of the outdoor units 20A to 20D subordinate to the management device 10 judges whether or not the extension address of the first communication packet P11 matches the extension address assigned to the own device. Since the extension address of the first communication packet P11 is [1:0], the outdoor units 20A and 20B belonging to the group G1 discard the first communication packet P11. On the other hand, the outdoor units 20C and 20D belonging to the group G2, which are assigned the extension address [1:0], check the individual address of the destination of the first communication packet P11, and judge whether or not there is an indoor unit in the system of the own device that matches the individual address of the first communication packet P11.

[0086] Since there is no indoor unit with individual address = 3 in the system of outdoor unit 20C and outdoor unit 20D, outdoor unit 20C and outdoor unit 20D refer to the individual address table. As a result of the reference, outdoor unit 20C's individual address table does not include individual address = 3, so outdoor unit 20C discards the first communication packet. On the other hand, outdoor unit 20D's individual address table includes individual address = 3, so outdoor unit 20D rewrites the individual address of the first communication packet P11 from "3" to "1". The first communication packet P11, now with extended address = [1:0] and individual address = 1, is transferred to indoor unit 30E.

[0087] Furthermore, when the indoor unit 30E transmits the second communication packet P21 to the management device 10, the extension address field is set to the initial value [1:1] and the individual address is set to 1 as the source of the second communication packet P22 generated by the indoor unit 30E and transmitted to the outdoor unit 20D. When the outdoor unit 20D receives the second communication packet P21 from the indoor unit 30E, it rewrites the extension address field of the second communication packet P21 from [1:1] to [1:0]. Furthermore, the outdoor unit 20D refers to the individual address table and determines whether or not to rewrite the individual address. Since the individual address=1 is included in the individual address table, the outdoor unit 20D rewrites the individual address of the second communication packet P21 from "1" to "3". The second communication packet P21 with the extension address=[1:0] and the individual address=3 of the source is transferred to the management device 10.

[0088] As described above, in this embodiment, when there are insufficient extension addresses, the outdoor units 20A-20D located between the upper system 1 and the lower systems 2A-2D rewrite the individual addresses of the communication packets to eliminate duplication of the individual addresses. This makes it possible to expand the system without requiring specification changes to the indoor units and remote controllers included in the lower systems, even when the types of extension addresses are limited.

[0089] The above is a description of the embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications or combinations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. For example, in the above embodiment, the lower system includes an outdoor unit and at least one indoor unit, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the air conditioning system 100 may include a lower system including equipment other than air conditioning, such as a lighting device.

[0090] In the above embodiment, the outdoor units 20A to 20D and the indoor units 30A to 30F are each configured to include a control device, but any of the outdoor units 20A to 20D and the indoor units 30A to 30F may not be equipped with a control device. For example, a control device may be provided only in either the outdoor units or the indoor units, or one control device may be shared by multiple indoor units belonging to the same lower system.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the extended address field of the communication packet to be transferred to the lower system is not rewritten, but the extended address field of the communication packet to be transferred to the lower system may be rewritten to the initial value originally written in the undefined field 81B. This allows the communication packet communicated by the lower system to be restored to the format of the communication packet generated by the lower system, and can be applied to a system in which the indoor unit performs routing.

[0092] In the above embodiment, the control device of the outdoor unit of the air conditioning system 100 is configured to include the bridge control unit 204, the extended address input unit 205, and the individual address input unit 206, but a bridge adapter having the functions of the bridge control unit 204, the extended address input unit 205, and the individual address input unit 206 may be provided as a separate device. The bridge adapter is configured by a computer having a memory for storing data and programs required for control and a CPU for executing programs, dedicated hardware such as an ASIC or FPGA, or both.

[0093] The bridge adapter is used as a relay device between the upper system and the lower system. As a result, even when equipment other than air conditioning equipment, such as lighting equipment, is added to the air conditioning system 100, the added equipment can communicate with the upper system 1 via the bridge adapter without changing the specifications.

[0094] In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the extension address input unit 205 rewrites the extension address field of the second communication packet P2 received from the indoor unit 30A to the extension address assigned to the own device, but this is not limited to this. For example, if the destination address of the second communication packet P2 is, for example, the outdoor unit 20C, the extension address input unit 205 may rewrite the extension address field of the second communication packet P2 received from the indoor unit 30A to the extension address assigned to the outdoor unit 20C. As a result, the second communication packet P2 from the indoor unit 30A is transferred to the outdoor unit 20C.

[0095] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned third embodiment, when the extension addresses are insufficient, the bridge control unit 204 and the individual address input unit 206 of the control unit of the outdoor unit rewrite the individual addresses, but this is not limited to the above. For example, when the extension addresses are insufficient, the control unit 15 of the management device 10 may reset a new individual address for the target device. For example, in the example of FIG. 17, the management device 10 may reset the individual address of the indoor unit with individual address=1 included in the temporary group g5 to "6". This makes it possible to suppress consumption of extension addresses.

[0096] In the above third embodiment, when the management device 10 automatically assigns an extension address and the extension addresses are insufficient, the individual address input unit 206 rewrites the individual address, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the extension address is set by a user and the extension addresses are insufficient, the individual address may be rewritten by the individual address input unit 206. In this case, the individual address table may be created by the user or by the management device 10. Even if the extension addresses are not insufficient, the management device 10 may reset the individual address or the individual address input unit 206 may rewrite the individual address in order to suppress consumption of the extension addresses. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1 Upper system, 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 2H, 2J, 2K, 2L Lower system, 10 Management device, 15 Control device, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D Outdoor unit, 25 Control device, 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D, 30E, 30F Indoor unit, 35 Control device, 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D, 40E, 40F Remote controller, 80 Communication packet, 81 Header, 81A Defined area, 81B Undefined area, 82 Address, 83 Payload, 84 Checksum, 100 Air conditioning system, 101 Control unit, 102 Communication unit, 201 Operation control unit, 202 Upper communication unit, 203 Lower communication unit, 204 Bridge control unit, 205 Extended address input unit, 206 Individual address input unit, 301 operation control unit, 302 communication unit.

Claims

1. An air conditioning system comprising a lower system including an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, and a higher-level system including a management device that controls the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, a bridge control unit that receives a first communication packet from the management device and transfers it to the indoor unit, and receives a second communication packet from the indoor unit and transfers it to the management device; an extension address input unit that rewrites the extension address field of the second communication packet to an extension address assigned to the lower system including the indoor unit.

2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 , wherein the bridge control unit and the extended address input unit are provided in the outdoor unit.

3. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the extended address area is an undefined area of ​​the second communication packet.

4. A plurality of the subsystems are provided, The plurality of subsystems are divided into a plurality of groups according to their types, 4. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the extended addresses are assigned to the plurality of groups, respectively.

5. 5. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the management device includes a control device that automatically assigns the extension address to the subordinate system.

6. The control device includes: Classifying the plurality of subsystems according to type; Divide the classified plurality of lower systems into a plurality of groups so that the individual addresses of the indoor units included in the plurality of lower systems do not overlap; The air conditioning system according to claim 5 , wherein the extended addresses are assigned to the plurality of groups, respectively.

7. The control device includes: The air conditioning system according to claim 6 , wherein the extended addresses are assigned according to the priority order of the types of the plurality of lower systems or the number of the indoor units included in the plurality of groups.

8. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the control device resets individual addresses of the outdoor units or the indoor units included in the lower system when the extended addresses are insufficient.

9. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising an individual address input unit that rewrites the individual address of the first communication packet or the second communication packet based on an individual address table.

10. 10. The air conditioning system according to claim 9, wherein the individual address table associates the individual addresses of the outdoor units or the indoor units with vacant addresses in the lower system that correspond to the extended addresses.

11. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the extension address input unit rewrites an extension address field of the first communication packet to an initial value.

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