Air conditioning system management device and air conditioning system management method

Abstract

To provide an air conditioning system management device and an air conditioning system management method that can securely and efficiently execute update processing on software loaded in a plurality of indoor units of an air conditioning system.SOLUTION: An air conditioning system management device (centralized management device 50) to which an indoor unit which operates by executing previously set software is connected through a communication network, comprises an operation schedule information storage part 542 and an update execution necessity determination part 555. An operation schedule information storage part 542 stores operation schedule information of the indoor unit. The update execution necessity determination part 555 acquires update information including update software for the software, and determines that software update processing on the indoor unit can be executed on determining that the indoor unit is not in operation and the time up to next operation start time of the stored operation schedule is longer than an update processing time that the update software requires to update the software.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an air conditioning system management device and an air conditioning system management method.

Background Art

[0002] In large buildings such as commercial facilities and office buildings, a multi-type air conditioning system is installed, which is configured by connecting a plurality of indoor units to one outdoor unit. In such an air conditioning system, the outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units are connected by refrigerant pipes to form a refrigeration cycle, and are also connected by communication lines to construct a communication network. In addition, depending on the building, there may be cases where a large number of so-called single-type air conditioners, in which one indoor unit is connected to one outdoor unit, are installed.

[0003] A plurality of outdoor units and a system controller (also referred to as a centralized management device) are connected to the communication network of such an air conditioning system. Then, information such as control commands is transmitted and received between the centralized management device, the plurality of outdoor units, and the plurality of indoor units via this communication network.

[0004] In such an air conditioning system, each of the plurality of indoor units constituting the air conditioning system is equipped with a control device for performing air conditioning control and software used for the operation of the control device. Each indoor unit performs air conditioning by executing the software of the corresponding control device based on a control command received from a centralized management device (central controller) or the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] As mentioned above, the software installed in each indoor unit within an air conditioning system may require updates. This update process can be performed properly without affecting air conditioning operation by being carried out while the relevant indoor unit is stopped. In light of this, there is a technology that allows a central controller to select an air conditioner that is currently stopped from among the indoor units in the air conditioning system and send an update command. By sending this update command, each indoor unit can properly begin the update process while it is stopped.

[0007] However, in the case of significantly modified software, the update can take a long time. Even if the software update process is started while the unit is shut down, depending on the length of the process, it is possible that the next operation may start while the update is still in progress. In this case, the software update process must be interrupted and restarted at a later time, or the start of operation must be postponed until the software update is complete, which can make the update process cumbersome and cause inconvenience to the air conditioner users.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an air conditioning system management device and an air conditioning system management method that can reliably and efficiently perform software update processing installed in each of the multiple air conditioners in an air conditioning system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above objective, the air conditioning system management device according to the embodiment is connected via a communication network to an indoor unit of an air conditioner that operates by running pre-set software, and includes a clock unit that outputs the current time, an operation schedule information storage unit that stores operation schedule information including the start time and stop time of operation of the indoor unit, and a control unit that acquires update information including update software for the software, and when it is determined that the indoor unit is stopped and the time until the next start time of operation is longer than the update processing time required for the update software to update the software, based on the operation schedule information of the indoor unit stored in the operation schedule information storage unit, it transmits a software update instruction to the indoor unit.

[0010] Furthermore, the air conditioning system management method involves an air conditioning system management device connected via a communication network to an indoor unit that operates by running pre-configured software. The device stores the indoor unit's operating schedule information, acquires update information including update software for the software, and, if it determines that the indoor unit is stopped and, based on the stored operating schedule information, the time until the next start time is longer than the update processing time required for the update software to update the software, it sends a software update instruction to the indoor unit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is an overall diagram showing an air conditioning system using an air conditioning system management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of a centralized control device as an air conditioning system management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of operation group information stored in a centralized control device, which serves as an air conditioning system management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of operation schedule information stored in a centralized control device, which serves as an air conditioning system management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is an example of management information output by a centralized control device, which serves as an air conditioning system management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows the flow of software update processing performed by a centralized control device, which serves as an air conditioning system management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is an example of the execution status information of the software update process output by a centralized control device, which serves as an air conditioning system management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] <Configuration of an air conditioning system using an air conditioning system management device according to one embodiment> The configuration of an air conditioning system using an air conditioning system management device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. The air conditioning system 1 according to this embodiment is installed in a building where tenants A, B, and C are located, and is equipped with air conditioners for the first system equipment 10-1, the second system equipment 10-2, and the third system equipment 10-3. Here, system equipment refers to equipment consisting of a group of devices connected by the same refrigeration cycle piping, and each group of devices in each range is referred to as one system.

[0013] The first system equipment 10-1 comprises an outdoor unit 20-1 and indoor units 30-1 and 30-2. The outdoor unit 20-1 and indoor units 30-1 and 30-2 are connected by refrigerant piping to form a refrigeration cycle, and are also connected by communication lines to establish a communication network. Indoor units 30-1 and 30-2 are installed in the room of tenant A within the building.

[0014] The second system equipment 10-2 comprises an outdoor unit 20-2 and indoor units 30-3 and 30-4. The outdoor unit 20-2 and the indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 are connected by refrigerant piping to form a refrigeration cycle, and are also connected by communication lines to establish a communication network. The indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 are installed in the room of tenant B within the building.

[0015] The third system device 10-3 includes an outdoor unit 20-3, and indoor units 30-5 and 30-6. The outdoor unit 20-3 and the indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 are connected by refrigerant pipes to form a refrigeration cycle, and are also connected by communication lines to construct a communication network. The indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 are installed in the rooms of Tenant C in the building.

[0016] Each of the indoor units 30-1 to 30-6 is equipped with a remote control device 33-1 to 33-6, so-called remote controllers, which enable a user to give instructions for starting and stopping the operation of the indoor units 30-1 to 30-6 and to set the operation mode, set temperature, air volume, etc. The remote control devices 33-1 to 33-6 are connected to the MCUs 32-1 to 32-6 of the respective indoor units 30-1 to 30-6, and send the operation contents in the remote control devices 33-1 to 33-6 to the MCUs 32-1 to 32-6. The MCUs 32-1 to 32-6 operate the indoor units 30-1 to 30-6, and thus the corresponding outdoor units 20-1 to 20-3, according to this operation content.

[0017] Hereinafter, all the outdoor units of the air conditioners in the air conditioning system 1 will be described comprehensively or illustratively as the outdoor unit 20, and similarly, all the indoor units of the air conditioners will be described as the indoor unit 30, and all the remote control devices 33-1 to 33-6 of each indoor unit will be described as the remote control device 33.

[0018] The outdoor unit 20 is communicatively connected to a centralized management device 50 as an air conditioning system management device. The number of outdoor units connected to the centralized management device 50 is not limited to three, and may be one, two, or four or more. Also, the number of indoor units connected to each outdoor unit is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more. Here, although the centralized management device 50 is connected to each outdoor unit 20, ultimately, since each outdoor unit 20 and each indoor unit 30 are connected by communication lines, it may be configured to connect the centralized management device 50 to each outdoor unit 20.

[0019] The indoor unit 30-1 has a software storage unit 31-1 and an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 32-1. The software storage unit 31-1 stores software such as a control program for operating the indoor unit 30-1. The MCU 32-1 executes the software stored in the software storage unit 31-1 according to an instruction transmitted from the centralized management device 50 to perform air conditioning control. Also, the MCU 32-1 updates the software stored in the software storage unit 31-1 according to an instruction transmitted from the centralized management device 50. Note that the software storage unit 31-1 uses a flash memory or the like that can be written and erased and maintains the storage even when the power is turned off.

[0020] Since the configuration of each indoor unit 30 is the same as that of the indoor unit 30-1, detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0021] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the centralized management device 50. The centralized management device 50 has an input unit 51, an output unit 52, a communication unit 53, a storage unit 54, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 55 as a control unit, and a clock unit 56. The CPU 55 is provided with peripheral circuits such as a memory (not shown) and operates based on an operation control program in the memory. The input unit 51 inputs operation information by an administrator or the like of the air conditioning system 1. The output unit 52 is configured by, for example, a display device and outputs output information generated by the CPU 55 as will be described later. The communication unit 53 communicates with each outdoor unit 20. The clock unit 56 measures and outputs the current time and may be incorporated into the CPU 55 as one of the functions of the CPU 55.

[0022] The storage unit 54 has an operation group information storage unit 541, an operation schedule information storage unit 542, and an update information storage unit 543. The operation group information storage unit 541 stores information on operation groups obtained by grouping each indoor unit 30 in the air conditioning system 1 into groups of a plurality of indoor units that operate simultaneously by one control instruction.

[0023] The operation schedule information storage unit 542 stores operation schedule information, including the start time and stop time of operation, for each operation group stored in the operation group information storage unit 541.

[0024] Multiple indoor units 30 belonging to the same operating group are all controlled using the same operating schedule information, except when an operating operation different from that set in the operating schedule information is performed using the remote control device 33 attached to each individual indoor unit 30. The division of each indoor unit 30 into an operating group and the operating schedule information for each operating group are input via the input unit 51 by the administrator of the air conditioning system 1 or the like.

[0025] To ensure that operation is carried out according to the stored operation schedule information, the centralized control unit 50 is equipped with a clock unit 56 that outputs the current time. Based on the current time information output by this clock unit 56, when the start time of operation in the operation schedule information arrives, the CPU 55 instructs the indoor units 30 in that group to start operation, and when the stop time of operation arrives, it instructs the indoor units 30 in that group to stop operation. If an individual indoor unit 30 is already operating before the start instruction, operation continues as is. Similarly, if operation has already stopped before the stop instruction, the stop is maintained. The relationship between operation / stop based on the operation schedule information in the centralized control unit 50 and operation by the remote control device 33 is set to a so-called "reverse push priority" system, meaning that information (instructions) that are input later take precedence.

[0026] The update information storage unit 543 stores the software update information for each indoor unit 30 acquired by the CPU 55, as will be described later.

[0027] The CPU 55 functionally includes an operating status information acquisition unit 551, an update information acquisition unit 552, an update information transmission unit 553, an update processing time calculation unit 554, an update execution necessity determination unit 555, an update execution instruction transmission unit 556, an update status information acquisition unit 557, and an output information generation unit 558.

[0028] The operating status information acquisition unit 551 acquires operating status information for each indoor unit 30-1 to 30-6 via the communication unit 53 and outdoor units 20-1 to 20-3. The operating status information acquired by the operating status information acquisition unit 551 includes, for example, information such as the ON / OFF status, operating mode, set temperature, airflow, airflow direction, and room temperature of each indoor unit 30.

[0029] The update information acquisition unit 552 acquires update information, including update software which is a program for updating the software in each indoor unit 30, which is input from the input unit 51 by an operator or the like, and stores it in the update information storage unit 543. Note that the update information may also be downloaded via the internet and input to the input unit 51. The update information transmission unit 553 transmits the update information acquired by the update information acquisition unit 552 to each indoor unit 30 via the communication unit 53 and each outdoor unit 20. The update processing time calculation unit 554 calculates the update processing time required to update the software in each indoor unit 30 using the update software included in the update information storage unit 543, based on the update information stored in the update information storage unit 543. Specifically, the update processing time calculation unit 554 calculates the update processing time based on conditions such as the size of the data capacity of the received update software, the scope of the update indicated by whether the update is a full update or a partial update, and the processing speed of the CPU used in the indoor unit 30 to be updated.

[0030] The update execution necessity determination unit 555 obtains current time information from the clock unit 56 and operating status information for each indoor unit 30 from the operating status information acquisition unit 551. When a predetermined timing arrives, the unit determines, for each operating group stored in the operating schedule information storage unit 542, whether all indoor units in that group are stopped and whether the time until the next start of operation is longer than the calculated update processing time, based on the operating schedule information stored in the operating schedule information storage unit 542. If the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that all indoor units in the relevant group are stopped and the time until the next start of operation is longer than the calculated update processing time, it determines that the software update process for the indoor units in that operating group can be executed.

[0031] The update execution instruction transmission unit 556 transmits a software update instruction to indoor units included in the operation group that the update execution necessity determination unit 555 has determined to be able to perform the update process. The update status information acquisition unit 557 acquires information indicating success or failure as the software update result from the indoor unit that transmitted the software update instruction.

[0032] <Operation of an air conditioning system using an air conditioning system management device according to one embodiment> Next, the operation of the air conditioning system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 3 shows an example of operation group information stored in the operation group information storage unit 541 in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the operation group information storage unit 541 stores information for three operation groups: the first operation group 40-1, the second operation group 40-2, and the third operation group 40-3. The first operation group 40-1 includes indoor units 30-1 and 30-2 of tenant A in the first system equipment 10-1, the second operation group 40-2 includes indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 of tenant B in the second system equipment 10-2, and the third operation group 40-3 includes indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 of tenant C in the third system equipment 10-3.

[0033] Figure 4 shows an example of the operation schedule information stored in the operation schedule information storage unit 542 in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the operation schedule information storage unit 542 stores the daily start time and stop time of operation as the operation schedule information for the corresponding indoor unit for each of the first operation group 40-1, second operation group 40-2, and third operation group 40-3 described above. For the sake of simplicity, Figure 4 shows an example in which one operation and stop is set per day for each group, but it is also possible to set the start and stop times of operation in detail many times throughout the day. Furthermore, the operation schedule for each operation group may be set to be different for Saturdays, Sundays, and weekdays, or it may even be possible to set an individual operation schedule for each day.

[0034] Here, the operation schedule information storage unit 542 stores the start time "10:00" and stop time "18:00" for indoor units 30-1 and 30-2 of the first operation group 40-1, the start time "9:00" and stop time "17:00" for indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 of the second operation group 40-2, and the start time "9:30" and stop time "18:00" for indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 of the third operation group 40-3.

[0035] Furthermore, while the air conditioning system 1 is in operation, the outdoor unit 20-1 acquires operating status information of indoor units 30-1 and 30-2 at predetermined time intervals and transmits it to the central control device 50. Similarly, the outdoor unit 20-2 acquires operating status information of indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 and transmits it to the central control device 50, and the outdoor unit 20-3 acquires operating status information of indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 and transmits it to the central control device 50.

[0036] In the centralized management device 50, the output information generation unit 558 generates output information indicating management information for the air conditioning system 1 based on the operating status information of each indoor unit 30 acquired from each outdoor unit 20 and the operating group information stored in the operating group information storage unit 541, and outputs it from the output unit 52.

[0037] Figure 5 shows an example of the management information 61 output to the output unit 52. This management information 61 includes operating status information for each of the indoor units 30-1 to 30-6, such as ON / OFF status, operating mode, set temperature, airflow, airflow direction, and room temperature, as well as identification information for the corresponding operating group.

[0038] Next, the software update process performed by the centralized control device 50 for the indoor units 30-1 to 30-6 in the air conditioning system 1 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6. First, when an administrator or the like inputs update information, including the software to be updated for each indoor unit 30-1 to 30-6 (hereinafter referred to as "update software"), to the centralized control device 50 via the input unit 51, the update information acquisition unit 552 of the centralized control device 50 acquires the update information (YES in S1). Input of update information to the centralized control device 50 can be done by the administrator using some kind of storage medium, by connecting the centralized control device 50 to the internet and inputting via the internet by the administrator, or even by automatic download from a specific distribution site without going through the administrator. Note that the update information may also include a program for executing the update process itself.

[0039] When the update information acquisition unit 552 acquires software update information, it stores the information in the update information storage unit 543. The update information transmission unit 553 then transmits at least the update software from the update information acquired by the update information acquisition unit 552 to the indoor units 30-1 to 30-6 via the communication unit 53 and outdoor units 20-1 to 20-3 (S2). The indoor units 30-1 to 30-6 each acquire the update software transmitted from the centralized management device 50 and temporarily store it in their respective MCUs 32-1 to 32-6.

[0040] Subsequently, when a predetermined timing arrives, the central control device 50 starts processing for updating the software of each indoor unit 30-1 to 30-6. The timing at which the central control device 50 starts this update processing is, for example, when the shutdown time for any of the operating groups in the air conditioning system 1 arrives, when a preset time arrives, or when the central control device 50 acquires the update information. Here, we will describe the case where the software update processing starts at the preset time "9:00".

[0041] When the time "9:00" arrives, which is the start time for the software update process (YES in S3), the central control unit 50 starts the process for updating the software of each indoor unit 30-1 to 30-6. During this process, the outdoor unit 20-1 acquires information on the execution status of the update process for indoor units 30-1 and 30-2 at predetermined time intervals and transmits it to the central control unit 50. In addition, the outdoor unit 20-2 acquires information on the execution status of the update process for indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 at predetermined time intervals and transmits it to the central control unit 50. In addition, the outdoor unit 20-3 acquires information on the execution status of the update process for indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 at predetermined time intervals and transmits it to the central control unit 50.

[0042] The centralized control device 50 generates output information indicating the execution status of the update process for each indoor unit 30-1 to 30-6 based on information acquired from the outdoor units 20-1 to 20-3, and outputs this information from the output unit 52.

[0043] When the software update process begins, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 first identifies the first operating group 40-1 as the target of the software update process (S4). The update execution necessity determination unit 555 then determines whether all indoor units (indoor units 30-1 and 30-2) within the first operating group 40-1 are actually stopped (S5). Here, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines whether indoor units 30-1 and 30-2 within the first operating group 40-1 are stopped based on the information obtained from the operating status information acquisition unit 551.

[0044] Actual operation of each indoor unit 30 involves both operation based on an operating schedule and operation via the remote control device 33 for each indoor unit 30. Operation and stopping via the remote control device 33 takes precedence over operation and stopping control based on the operating schedule because it reflects the requests of the user actually using that indoor unit 30. For this reason, even during times when "stop" is set in the operating schedule, the indoor unit 30 may be operated via the remote control device 33. On the other hand, in order to update the software, the indoor unit 30 to be updated must be stopped. For this reason, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 checks the actual operating status of the indoor unit 30 to be updated, and if there is an indoor unit 30 that is running, it does not execute the update process. In this way, the problem of forcibly stopping an indoor unit 30 that is running at the request of a user for the purpose of updating, thereby stopping necessary air conditioning, is prevented.

[0045] If there are no operating instructions from the remote control device 33 and it is determined that all indoor units 30-1 and 30-2 in the first operating group 40-1 are stopped (YES in S5), the update processing time calculation unit 554 calculates the update processing time required to update the software in the indoor unit 30 using the update software included in the update information stored in the update information storage unit 543, based on the update information stored in the update information storage unit 543 (S6). In this case, the update processing time calculation unit 554 calculates an update processing time of "20 minutes".

[0046] Next, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines whether the time from the current time output from the clock unit 56 to the next start time of operation for the first operation group 40-1 is longer than the calculated update processing time (S7). Here, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that the time from the current time "9:00" to the next start time of operation for the first operation group 40-1 "10:00" is "1 hour", and that this time "1 hour" is longer than the calculated update processing time "20 minutes" (YES in S7).

[0047] Based on this determination, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that it is possible to perform a software update process for the first operation group 40-1 and notifies the update execution instruction transmission unit 556 to start the update. In response, the update execution instruction transmission unit 556 transmits a software update instruction to the indoor units 30-1 and 30-2 of the first operation group 40-1 (S8).

[0048] When indoor units 30-1 and 30-2 receive a software update instruction, the MCUs 32-1 and 32-2 replace the software in software storage units 31-1 and 31-2 with the temporarily stored update software received from the update information transmission unit 553, thereby updating the software. In this embodiment, the update information transmission unit 553 of the centralized management device 50 transmits the update software to each indoor unit 30 in advance (S2). However, the update information transmission unit 553 may also transmit the update software only to indoor units 30-1 and 30-2 that will perform the software update in response to the software update instruction in step S8. However, in this case, the time required for the update will increase by the time it takes to transmit the update software, so it is desirable to transmit it in advance during a time when communication in each part is not congested.

[0049] Then, once the time required for the software update has elapsed, each indoor unit 30-1, 30-2 transmits information indicating the processing result (success / failure information) of the software update process (success / failure information) to the central management device 50 via the outdoor unit 20-1, based on whether the software update has been completed or failed in its own unit.

[0050] Although omitted in the flowchart of Figure 6, in the centralized control device 50, the update status information acquisition unit 557 acquires the processing results of the software update process obtained from the indoor units 30-1 and 30-2, and based on the acquired information, the output information generation unit 558 generates output information indicating the update status of the air conditioning system 1, which is output from the output unit 52.

[0051] Following step S8, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines whether there are any operating groups in the air conditioning system 1 for which the necessity of update processing has not been determined in steps S5 to S7 (S9). Here, the necessity of update processing has not been determined for the second operating group 40-2 and the third operating group 40-3 (YES in S9), so the process moves to step S10 to determine whether there are any indoor units for which an update instruction has been sent. Here, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that there are indoor units for which an update instruction has been sent (YES in S10), and based on the information acquired by the update status information acquisition unit 557, it determines whether the update processing for indoor units 30-1 and 30-2 of the first operating group 40-1 that sent the update instruction has been completed (S11). Here, the update status information acquisition unit 557 acquires information on the software update result from indoor units 30-1 and 30-2, determines that the update processing for all indoor units for which an update instruction has been sent has been completed (YES in S11), and returns to step S4.

[0052] In step S4, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 identifies the second operating group 40-2 as the target for software update processing (S4). The update execution necessity determination unit 555 then determines whether the indoor units included in the second operating group 40-2, namely indoor units 30-3 and 30-4, are currently stopped (S5).

[0053] If the current time output from the clock unit 56 is "9:20", and assuming that the second operation group 40-2 has started operation as scheduled based on the operation schedule shown in Figure 4, with an operation start time of "9:00" and an operation stop time of "17:00", then the operation status information acquisition unit 551 has obtained information that indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 are in operation. Based on this information, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 in the second operation group 40-2 are in operation ("NO" in S5). In this case, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 proceeds to step S9 without sending a software update instruction to the corresponding indoor units 30-3 and 30-4.

[0054] Again, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines whether or not there are any operating groups in the air conditioning system 1 for which the necessity of update processing has not been determined in steps S5 to S7 (S9). Here, the necessity of update processing has not been determined for the third operating group 40-3 (YES in S9), so the system proceeds to step S10 to determine whether or not there are any indoor units for which an update instruction has been sent. Here, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that there are no indoor units for which an update instruction has been sent (NO in S10), and returns to step S4.

[0055] Next, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 identifies the third operation group 40-3 as the target for software update processing (S4). The update execution necessity determination unit 555 then determines whether the indoor units included in the third operation group 40-3, namely indoor units 30-5 and 30-6, are currently stopped (S5).

[0056] Here, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 in the third operation group 40-3 are stopped (YES in S5), and the update processing time calculation unit 554 calculates an update processing time of "20 minutes" required to update the software in the indoor unit 30 using the update software included in the update information stored in the update information storage unit 543 (S6). This update processing time may also be calculated using the information calculated during the determination of whether or not to perform the update process for the first operation group 40-1.

[0057] Next, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines whether the time from the current time output from the clock unit 56 to the next start time of operation for the third operation group 40-3 is longer than the calculated update processing time (S7). Here, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that the current time is "9:20" and the time from the operation schedule of the third operation group shown in Figure 4 to the next start time of operation for the third operation group 40-3, "9:30", is "10 minutes", and that this time "10 minutes" is shorter than the calculated update processing time "20 minutes" ("NO" in S7).

[0058] If the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that the time until the next start time of operation for the third operation group 40-3 is shorter than the update processing time, it does not perform the software update processing for the third operation group 40-3 and proceeds to step S9.

[0059] The update execution necessity determination unit 555 then determines that it has made a determination on whether or not to perform the update process for all operating groups 40-1 to 40-3 within the air conditioning system 1 ("NO" in S9). Next, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines whether or not there are any indoor units for which the update process has not been completed in the series of update processes performed on operating groups 40-1 to 40-3 (S12). Indoor units for which the update process has not been completed include indoor units of operating groups for which it was determined that the update process should not be performed in the determination on whether or not to perform the update process in this series of update processes, and indoor units for which it was determined that the update process should be performed and an update instruction was sent, but the update process failed.

[0060] Here, in the determination of whether or not to perform the update process, it was determined in step S5 or S7 that the update process should not be performed for the second operating group 40-2 and the third operating group 40-3. Therefore, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that there are indoor units for which the update process has not been completed (YES in S12) and returns to step S3.

[0061] Next, when the update execution necessity determination unit 555 reaches the shutdown time of the second operation group 40-2, "17:00" (YES in S3), it restarts the update process and identifies the second operation group 40-2 as the target for software update processing among the operation groups that have not yet undergone update processing (S4). Then, when the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 within the second operation group 40-2 are shut down (YES in S5), the update processing time calculation unit 554 calculates the update processing time of "20 minutes" required to update the software in the indoor unit 30 using the update software included in the update information stored in the update information storage unit 543 (S6). This update processing time may use the information calculated when the necessity of the previous update processing was determined.

[0062] Next, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines whether the time from the current time output from the clock unit 56 to the next start time of operation for the second operation group 40-2 is longer than the calculated update processing time (S7). Here, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that the time from the current time "17:00" to the next start time of operation for the second operation group 40-2 "9:00" is "16 hours", and that this time "16 hours" is longer than the calculated update processing time "20 minutes" (YES in S7). In this case, the update execution instruction transmission unit 556 transmits a software update instruction to the indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 of the second operation group 40-2 (S8).

[0063] When indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 receive a software update instruction, they update the software in software storage units 31-3 and 31-4 with the update software temporarily stored by MCUs 32-3 and 32-4.

[0064] Figure 7 shows an example of software update status information 62 displayed on the display, which is the output unit 52 of the central control device 50, when indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 are performing a software update process. The software update status information 62 shown in Figure 7 includes the text information "Updating" indicating that indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 are currently performing a software update process, and information on interrupt buttons 621 and 622 for interrupting the update process for indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 that are performing the update process.

[0065] If the administrator wishes to interrupt an ongoing update process for any reason, they can operate the appropriate interrupt button, for example, the interrupt button 621. The corresponding operation information is then input from the input unit 51, and an update execution instruction transmission unit 556 sends an instruction to interrupt the update process to the corresponding indoor unit 30-3. The MCU 32-3 of the indoor unit 30-3, upon receiving the interruption instruction, interrupts the ongoing update process in accordance with the instruction.

[0066] Once the update process for indoor units 30-3 and 30-4 is complete, information indicating success or failure as the software update result for each unit is transmitted to the central control unit 50 via the outdoor unit 20-2. In the central control unit 50, the update status information acquisition unit 557 acquires the processing results of the software update process obtained from indoor units 30-3 and 30-4, and based on the acquired information, the output information generation unit 558 generates output information indicating the update status of the air conditioning system 1, which is then output from the output unit 52.

[0067] Returning to step S9 of the flowchart in Figure 6, we continue the explanation. The update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines whether or not there is an operating group in the air conditioning system 1 for which the necessity of update processing has not been determined in steps S5 to S7 (S9). In this case, the necessity of update processing has not been determined for the third operating group 40-3 (YES in S9), so we return to step S4.

[0068] Next, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 identifies the third operating group 40-3 as the target for software update processing (S4). The update execution necessity determination unit 555 then determines whether all indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 within the third operating group 40-3 are currently stopped (S5).

[0069] If the current time is "17:20", and the operation schedule of the third operation group 40-3 shown in Figure 4, with an operation start time of "9:30" and an operation stop time of "18:00", is being executed as planned, the operation status information of indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 within the third operation group 40-3 acquired by the operation status information acquisition unit 551 will be "operating". Therefore, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that all indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 within the third operation group 40-3 are operating ("NO" in S5), and the update execution necessity determination unit 555 proceeds to step S9 without sending a software update instruction to the corresponding indoor units 30-5 and 30-6.

[0070] The update execution necessity determination unit 555 then determines that it has made a determination as to whether the update process is necessary for operation groups 40-2 and 40-3, which are the targets of the current process (the update process that started at 17:00) (NO in S9). Next, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines whether or not there are any indoor units for which the update process has not been completed in the process executed this time for the second operation group 40-2 and the third operation group 40-3 (S12).

[0071] Here, in determining whether or not to perform the update process, it was decided not to perform the update process on the third operating group 40-3. Therefore, it was determined that there are indoor units for which the update process has not been completed ("YES" in S10), and the process returns to step S3.

[0072] Next, when the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that the operation stop time for the third operation group 40-3, "18:00" has arrived ("YES" in S3), it restarts the update process and identifies the third operation group 40-3 as the target for the software update process (S4). Then, when the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that the indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 in the third operation group 40-3 are stopped ("YES" in S5), the update processing time calculation unit 554 calculates the update processing time of "20 minutes" required to update the software in the indoor unit 30 with the update software included in the update information stored in the update information storage unit 543 (S6).

[0073] Next, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines whether the time from the current time to the next start time of operation for the third operation group 40-3 is longer than the calculated update processing time (S7). Here, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that the time from the current time "18:00" to the next start time of operation "9:30" on the operation schedule of the third operation group 40-3 is "15 hours and 30 minutes", and that this time "15 hours and 30 minutes" is longer than the calculated update processing time "20 minutes" (YES in S7). Based on this result, the update execution instruction transmission unit 556 transmits a software update instruction to the indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 of the third operation group 40-3 (S8).

[0074] When indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 receive a software update instruction, they respectively update the software in the software storage units 31-5 and 31-6 with the update software temporarily stored by the MCUs 32-5 and 32-6.

[0075] Once the update process for indoor units 30-5 and 30-6 is complete, information indicating the success or failure of the software update process for each unit is transmitted to the central control unit 50 via the outdoor unit 20-3. Based on the information indicating the processing status of the software update process obtained from indoor units 30-5 and 30-6, the central control unit 50 generates output information indicating the update status of the air conditioning system 1 using the output information generation unit 558 and outputs it from the output unit 52.

[0076] Following step S8, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines whether or not there are any operating groups in the air conditioning system 1 for which the necessity of the update process has not been determined in steps S5 to S7 (S9). Here, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that the necessity of the update process has been determined for operating group 40-3, which is the target of this process (NO in S9). Furthermore, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines that the software update for all indoor units 30 managed by the centralized control device 50 has been completed, that is, there are no indoor units for which the update process has not been completed (NO in S12), and terminates the process.

[0077] According to the above embodiment, the software update process installed in each of the multiple indoor units within the air conditioning system can be reliably and efficiently performed using the operating schedule information of each indoor unit when the operation of that indoor unit is stopped. By performing the software update process when the operation of the indoor unit is stopped, the impact on the operation of the indoor unit can be minimized even if a restart or recovery process in the event of an update failure occurs.

[0078] In the embodiment described above, when the centralized management device 50 performs a software update process, the update processing time calculation unit 554 calculates the update processing time for the relevant update software, and the update execution necessity determination unit 555 uses the calculated update processing time information to determine whether or not the update process needs to be executed. However, the invention is not limited to this, and if the update information input to the centralized management device 50 includes information on the update processing time for the relevant update software, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 may use this update processing time information to determine whether or not the update process needs to be executed.

[0079] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the update execution necessity determination unit 555 determines whether to execute the software update process by executing the update process for indoor units of other operating groups only after the software update process for one of the operating groups in the air conditioning system 1 is completed (YES in step S11), thereby preventing simultaneous execution of update processes for different operating groups. By determining whether to execute the update process in this way, it is possible to avoid a situation where all indoor units in the building, or a large number of indoor units belonging to multiple operating groups, become inoperable simultaneously if a problem occurs due to the update process.

[0080] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the case in which the operation group information storage unit 541 stores information of operation groups divided by tenants occupying the building and by systems constituting the air conditioning equipment within the building was described, but the invention is not limited to this, and information may be stored in advance in which multiple indoor units for air conditioning control are divided by floor of the building and by groups of indoor units operating on the same operation schedule.

[0081] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1…Air conditioning system, 20-1~20-3…Outdoor unit, 30-1~30-6…Indoor unit, 31-1~31-6…Software storage unit, 40-1…First operating group, 40-2…Second operating group, 40-3…Third operating group, 50…Centralized management device, 51…Input unit, 52…Output unit, 53…Communication unit, 54…Storage unit, 55…CPU (control unit), 61…Management information, 62…Software update processing Execution status information, 541...Operation group information storage unit, 542...Operation schedule information storage unit, 543...Update information storage unit, 551...Operation status information acquisition unit, 552...Update information acquisition unit, 553...Update information transmission unit, 554...Update processing time calculation unit, 555...Update execution necessity determination unit, 556...Update execution instruction transmission unit, 557...Update status information acquisition unit, 558...Output information generation unit, 621, 622...Interrupt button

Claims

1. Multiple indoor units of air conditioners, each running pre-configured software, are connected via a communication network. A clock unit that outputs the current time, The operation group information storage unit stores information on operation groups, which are groups of the aforementioned multiple indoor units that operate simultaneously with a single control instruction. An operation schedule information storage unit stores operation schedule information including the start time and stop time of operation of the indoor unit for each operation group, An update processing time calculation unit acquires update information including update software for the aforementioned software, and calculates the update processing time required for updating the update software based on at least one of the following: the size of the data capacity of the update software, the update scope indicated by whether the update is a full update or a partial update, or the CPU performance used by the indoor unit. For each of the aforementioned operating groups, it is confirmed whether all the corresponding indoor units are currently stopped, and based on the operating schedule information for that operating group stored in the operating schedule information storage unit and the update processing time information, it is determined whether the time until the next start time is longer than the update processing time. For operating groups where all applicable indoor units are stopped and the time until the next start time is determined to be longer than the update processing time, it is determined to perform the software update process for the applicable indoor units, and a software update instruction is sent to the applicable indoor units for the operating groups where it has been determined that the software update process should be performed. An air conditioning system management device comprising: a control unit that, with respect to an operation group in which it has been determined that the software update process will not be performed because at least one of the indoor units in question is in operation or the time until the next start time of operation is shorter than the update processing time, determines again whether or not to perform the software update process when the next stop time of operation arrives, and if it is determined that the software update process will be performed, transmits a software update instruction to the indoor unit in question.

2. Furthermore, it is equipped with an operating status information acquisition unit that acquires the operating or stopped status of the indoor unit. The air conditioning system management device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether or not the indoor unit is stopped from the information acquired by the operating status information acquisition unit.

3. The air conditioning system management device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the indoor unit is equipped with a remote control device, and the operation and stopping of the indoor unit are controlled by the operation of the remote control device.

4. The air conditioning system management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit determines whether or not to perform the software update process for the indoor unit so as not to perform the update process for different operating groups simultaneously.

5. Multiple indoor units, each running pre-configured software, are connected via a communication network. The operation group information storage unit stores information on operation groups, which are groups of the aforementioned multiple indoor units that operate simultaneously with a single control instruction. An air conditioning system management device comprising: an operation schedule information storage unit that stores operation schedule information including the start time and stop time of operation of the corresponding indoor unit for each operation group, Update information including update software for the aforementioned software is obtained, and the update processing time required for updating the update software is calculated based on at least one of the following: the size of the data capacity of the update software, the scope of the update indicated by whether the update is a full update or a partial update, or the CPU performance used by the indoor unit. For each of the aforementioned operating groups, it is confirmed whether all the corresponding indoor units are currently stopped, and based on the operating schedule information for that operating group stored in the operating schedule information storage unit and the update processing time information, it is determined whether the time until the next start time is longer than the update processing time. For operating groups where all applicable indoor units are stopped and the time until the next start time is determined to be longer than the update processing time, it is determined to perform the software update process for the applicable indoor units, and a software update instruction is sent to the applicable indoor units for the operating groups where it has been determined that the software update process should be performed. With respect to an operating group in which it has been determined that the software update process will not be performed because at least one of the indoor units in question is in operation or the time until the next start of operation is shorter than the update processing time, when the next stop of operation time arrives, it is determined again whether or not to perform the software update process, and if it is determined that the software update process will be performed, a software update instruction is sent to the indoor unit in question.

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