Air conditioning system and communication method in air conditioning system

Abstract

This air conditioning system comprises a central controller (2), a plurality of outdoor units, and a plurality of indoor units. An equipment data collection unit (202) provided in the central controller (2) periodically generates a first communication frame for acquiring one piece of equipment data from each outdoor unit and each indoor unit, generates a second communication frame containing a plurality of first communication frames on the basis of a predetermined maximum data length and the address of each outdoor unit and each indoor unit, and transmits the generated second communication frame to each outdoor unit and each indoor unit.

Description

Air conditioning system and communication method therefor

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning system and a communication method in an air conditioning system.

[0002] In an air conditioning system, it is common for one device to periodically transmit a communication frame containing a few bytes of data to another device in the system. For example, a centralized controller often periodically transmits communication frames to an outdoor unit or an indoor unit to acquire or control device data, and an outdoor unit often periodically transmits communication frames to an indoor unit to acquire or control device data.

[0003] In recent years, air conditioning systems that employ Ethernet (registered trademark), high-speed PLC (Power Line Communication), etc. to achieve high-speed communication have become known. While these communications have high physical transmission speeds, they have the problem of not being able to sufficiently increase throughput when transmitting communication frames containing only a few bytes of data due to overhead such as transmission prohibition time, transmission standby time, and communication frame headers.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a combined packet is generated by associating and combining operation commands corresponding to multiple indoor unit identifiers with the addresses of each indoor unit based on a combination selected by a service technician, and the combined packet is broadcast to the multiple indoor units.

[0005] JP 2011-242030 A

[0006] Although Patent Document 1 discloses that a combined packet is generated based on a manual operation by a service technician, it does not disclose any technology for automatically generating a combined packet during normal operation.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need to propose new techniques for improving the communication throughput of air conditioning systems.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and aims to provide an air conditioning system and a communication method in an air conditioning system that can improve the throughput in communication in the air conditioning system.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the air conditioning system of the present disclosure includes a plurality of devices, and a first device among the plurality of devices periodically generates a first communication frame for acquiring data from one or more second devices different from the first device among the plurality of devices, generates a second communication frame including multiple copies of the first communication frame based on a predetermined maximum data length and the address of each second device, and transmits the generated second communication frame to each of the second devices.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the throughput in communication in an air conditioning system.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an air conditioning system in embodiment 1. BLOCK DIAGRAM showing the hardware configuration of a centralized controller in embodiment 1. BLOCK DIAGRAM showing the hardware configuration of an outdoor unit in embodiment 1. BLOCK DIAGRAM showing the hardware configuration of an indoor unit in embodiment 1. BLOCK DIAGRAM showing the presence or absence of a human presence sensor for an indoor unit in embodiment 1. BLOCK DIAGRAM showing the hardware configuration of a display in embodiment 1. BLOCK DIAGRAM showing the functional configuration of a centralized controller in embodiment 1. BLOCK DIAGRAM showing the hardware configuration of a display in embodiment 1. BLOCK DIAGRAM showing the functional configuration of a centralized controller in embodiment 1. BLOCK DIAGRAM showing the functional configuration of an outdoor unit in embodiment 1. BLOCK DIAGRAM showing the hardware configuration of an indoor unit in embodiment 1. BLOCK DIAGRAM showing the hardware configuration of a display ...

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an air conditioning system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The air conditioning system 1 is an example of an air conditioning system according to the present disclosure. The air conditioning system 1 is a system that provides air conditioning for a building such as a building or a store, and includes a central controller 2, a plurality of air conditioners (outdoor units 3a to 3c and indoor units 4a to 4i), and displays 5a to 5c.

[0014] <Centralized Controller 2> The centralized controller 2 is an example of the device and the first device according to the present disclosure. The centralized controller 2 is a device for centrally controlling the multiple devices that make up the air conditioning system 1 (i.e., the outdoor units 3a to 3c, the indoor units 4a to 4i, and the displays 5a to 5c), and is installed in a location that is off-limits to unauthorized personnel, such as a control room within the building. As shown in Fig. 2, the centralized controller 2 includes, as its hardware configuration, a communication interface 20, an operation reception unit 21, a display 22, a control circuit 23, and an auxiliary storage device 24.

[0015] The communication interface 20 is an interface for communicating with the outdoor units 3a to 3c via the transmission line 6, which is a centralized transmission line. The transmission line 6 is, for example, a transmission line based on Ethernet (registered trademark). The operation reception unit 21 is configured to include one or more input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, keypad, push button, touch panel, or touchpad, and receives input operations from a user and outputs signals related to the received input operations to the control circuit 23. The display 22 is configured to include a display device, such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (electroluminescence) display. Under the control of the control circuit 23, the display 22 displays a screen for monitoring the operation of each device constituting the air conditioning system 1, a screen for controlling each device, and the like.

[0016] The control circuit 23 is configured to include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read-Only Memory), RAM (Random-Access Memory), etc., and performs overall control of the centralized controller 2. The functions of the centralized controller 2 realized by the control circuit 23 will be described in detail below. The auxiliary storage device 24 is configured by a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. Examples of the readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory include an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), and a flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 24 stores a centralized control program, which is a program for centrally controlling the devices that make up the air conditioning system 1, and data used when the centralized control program is executed.

[0017] The centralized controller 2 can acquire the centralized control program or an update program for updating the centralized control program via communication from a server, terminal device, or the like (not shown) and store the program in the auxiliary storage device 24. These programs can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a magneto-optical disk, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a HDD, an SSD (Solid-State Drive), or a memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the centralized controller 2, the centralized controller 2 can read the centralized control program or the update program from the recording medium and store it in the auxiliary storage device 24.

[0018] <Outdoor units 3a to 3c, indoor units 4a to 4i> The outdoor unit 3a is connected to the transmission line 6 and also to the transmission line 7a, which is an indoor / outdoor transmission line. The outdoor unit 3a and the indoor units 4a to 4c are connected via the transmission line 7a and also via a first refrigerant pipe (not shown) for circulating the refrigerant. In other words, the outdoor unit 3a and the indoor units 4a to 4c constitute a single refrigerant system.

[0019] The outdoor unit 3b is connected to the transmission line 6 and to the transmission line 7b, which is an indoor / outdoor transmission line. The outdoor unit 3b and the indoor units 4d to 4f are connected via the transmission line 7b and also via second refrigerant piping (not shown) that is different from the first refrigerant piping. In other words, the outdoor unit 3b and the indoor units 4d to 4f constitute a single refrigerant system.

[0020] The outdoor unit 3c is connected to the transmission line 6 and to the transmission line 7c, which is an indoor / outdoor transmission line. The outdoor unit 3c and the indoor units 4g to 4i are connected via the transmission line 7c and also via a third refrigerant pipe (not shown) that is different from the first refrigerant pipe and the second refrigerant pipe. In other words, the outdoor unit 3c and the indoor units 4g to 4i constitute a single refrigerant system.

[0021] Hereinafter, in the description common to the outdoor units 3a to 3c, it will be referred to as the outdoor unit 3 without specifying the individual units, in the description common to the indoor units 4a to 4i, it will be referred to as the indoor unit 4 without specifying the individual units, and in the description common to the transmission lines 7a to 7c, it will be referred to as the transmission line 7 without specifying the individual units.

[0022] <<Outdoor Unit 3>> The outdoor unit 3 is an example of the device, first device, and second device according to the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 3 , the outdoor unit 3 includes, as its hardware configuration, a first communication interface 30, a second communication interface 31, a main unit 32, a control circuit 33, and an auxiliary storage device 34. The first communication interface 30 is an interface for communicating with the centralized controller 2 and the other outdoor units 3 via a transmission line 6. The second communication interface 31 is an interface for communicating with the indoor units 4 in the same refrigerant system as the outdoor unit 3 itself (i.e., the outdoor unit 3) via a transmission line 7. In this embodiment, the transmission line 7 is a transmission line based on high-speed PLC (Power Line Communication).

[0023] The main unit 32 is a component for realizing the essential functions of a general outdoor unit, and includes, for example, actuators such as a compressor, a four-way valve, an outdoor fan, an electronic expansion valve, and an outdoor solenoid valve, as well as sensors such as a pipe temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the refrigerant pipes and an outdoor air temperature sensor for measuring the outdoor air temperature. The control circuit 33 is a microcontroller that performs overall control of the outdoor unit 3. The functions of the outdoor unit 3 realized by the control circuit 33 will be described in detail below.

[0024] The auxiliary storage device 34 is configured with, for example, a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as an EPROM, EEPROM, or flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 34 stores an outdoor unit program, which is a program for controlling air conditioning, and data used when executing the outdoor unit program. The outdoor unit 3 can obtain the outdoor unit program or an update program for updating the outdoor unit program from a server, terminal device, or the like (not shown) via the centralized controller 2 and store the program in the auxiliary storage device 34.

[0025] These programs can also be distributed by storing them on computer-readable recording media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, magneto-optical disks, USB memories, HDDs, SSDs, memory cards, etc. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the outdoor unit 3, the outdoor unit 3 can read the outdoor unit program or update program from the recording medium and store it in the auxiliary storage device 34.

[0026] <<Indoor unit 4>> The indoor unit 4 is an example of a device and a second device according to the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 4 , the indoor unit 4 includes, as hardware components, a communication interface 40, a contact input / output interface 41, a main unit 42, a control circuit 43, and an auxiliary storage device 44. The communication interface 40 is an interface for communicating with the outdoor unit 3 and other indoor units 4 in the same refrigerant system as the indoor unit 4 itself (i.e., the indoor unit 4), via a transmission line 7.

[0027] The contact input / output interface 41 is an interface for exchanging signals with contact-connected devices via contacts. As shown in Fig. 1, in this embodiment, the indoor unit 4c and the display unit 5a are contact-connected, the indoor unit 4f and the display unit 5b are contact-connected, and the indoor unit 4i and the display unit 5c are contact-connected.

[0028] The main unit 42 is a component for realizing the original functions of a general indoor unit, and includes, for example, actuators such as an indoor fan and an indoor solenoid valve, and sensors such as a pipe temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the refrigerant pipe, an indoor temperature sensor that measures the indoor temperature, and a human presence sensor (only in some of the indoor units 4). As shown in Fig. 5, in this embodiment, only the indoor units 4a to 4c are equipped with a human presence sensor, and the remaining indoor units 4 are not equipped with a human presence sensor.

[0029] The control circuit 43 is a microcontroller that performs overall control of the indoor unit 4. Details of the functions of the indoor unit 4 realized by the control circuit 43 will be described later. The auxiliary storage device 44 is composed of, for example, a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as an EPROM, EEPROM, or flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 44 stores an indoor unit program, which is a program for controlling air conditioning, and data used when the indoor unit program is executed.

[0030] The indoor unit 4 can acquire the indoor unit program or an update program for updating the indoor unit program from a server, terminal device, or the like (not shown) via the centralized controller 2 and store it in the auxiliary storage device 44. These programs can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, magneto-optical disk, USB memory, HDD, SSD, or memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the indoor unit 4, the indoor unit 4 can read the indoor unit program or update program from the recording medium and store it in the auxiliary storage device 44.

[0031] <Displays 5a to 5c> The displays 5a to 5c are devices that simply display the status of the indoor units 4. As described above, the display 5a is contact-connected to the indoor unit 4c, the display 5b is contact-connected to the indoor unit 4f, and the display 5c is contact-connected to the indoor unit 4i. Hereinafter, descriptions common to the displays 5a to 5c will be referred to as the display 5 without specifying the individual units. As shown in FIG. 6 , the display 5 includes a contact input interface 50, a control circuit 51, and a display unit 52.

[0032] The contact input interface 50 receives input of signals from a contact-connected device (i.e., the indoor unit 4). The control circuit 51 is a microcontroller that performs overall control of the display device 5, and controls the display unit 52 in response to the input signals. The display unit 52 is composed of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) and the like, and displays information in accordance with commands from the control circuit 51.

[0033] 7 , the centralized controller 2 includes, as its functional components, a startup processing unit 200, a group setting processing unit 201, a device data collection unit 202, a device data display unit 203, and a device control unit 204. These functional units are realized by the CPU of the control circuit 23 included in the centralized controller 2 executing the above-mentioned centralized control program stored in the auxiliary storage device 24.

[0034] The startup processing unit 200 executes startup processing, which is processing for grasping the system configuration when the entire air conditioning system 1 is started. During startup processing, the startup processing unit 200 collects information such as the number and addresses of each outdoor unit 3 and indoor unit 4 in the system, model information of the indoor units 4 (e.g., whether or not they are types equipped with human sensors), and information related to contact connections. Note that communication addresses (see FIG. 1 ) are assigned in advance to the centralized controller 2, each outdoor unit 3, and each indoor unit 4 by a user such as a system administrator via an address setting reception unit (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, the centralized controller 2 is assigned "0," the outdoor units 3a to 3c are assigned "51," "54," and "57," respectively, and the indoor units 4a to 4i are assigned "1," "2," "3," "4," "5," "6," "7," "8," and "9," respectively.

[0035] For example, in the centralized controller 2, the operation reception unit 21 serves as the address setting reception unit, and in the outdoor units 3 and indoor units 4, the dip switches, rotary switches, etc. provided therein serve as the address setting reception units. Note that the startup processing unit 200 may be configured to automatically assign addresses to itself (i.e., the centralized controller 2), each outdoor unit 3, and each indoor unit 4 during startup processing.

[0036] The group setting processing unit 201 stores group information based on the group setting received from the user via the operation receiving unit 21 in the auxiliary storage device 24, and transmits the group information to each outdoor unit 3 and each indoor unit 4. The group information is information about the group (group 1, 2, ...) to which each indoor unit 4 belongs. The group information includes the addresses of each indoor unit 4 belonging to that group, an address indicating that group, etc. Setting a group makes it possible to simultaneously execute the same operation (for example, change the set temperature) on multiple indoor units 4 belonging to the same group, regardless of the refrigerant system. When each outdoor unit 3 and indoor unit 4 receives the group information sent from the centralized controller 2, it stores the information in the auxiliary storage device 34 and auxiliary storage device 44, respectively.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, indoor units 4a, 4b, 4d, and 4e are set to the same group (for example, group 1), indoor units 4c and 4f are set to the same group (for example, group 2), and indoor units 4g to 4i are set to the same group (for example, group 3).

[0038] After the startup process and group information transmission are completed, the device data collection unit 202 periodically (for example, every minute) collects data (hereinafter referred to as "device data") from each device (i.e., each outdoor unit 3 and each indoor unit 4). In this embodiment, the device data collection unit 202 acquires the properties shown in Fig. 8 from each device as device data.

[0039] Conventionally, this equipment data has been collected by transmitting a communication frame, as shown in FIG. 9, for each piece of equipment data. Each piece of information in the communication frame is several bytes long, with the entire communication frame being several tens of bytes in size. Each communication frame can only obtain one property from one destination or control one destination. For this reason, in a system configuration like this, a conventional centralized controller would need to transmit, for example, 27 communication frames, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0040] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the device data collection unit 202 collects device data using a communication frame format as shown in Fig. 11. Hereinafter, the conventional communication frame shown in Fig. 9 will be referred to as a single-shot communication frame, and the communication frame shown in Fig. 11 will be referred to as an integrated communication frame. The single-shot communication frame is an example of a first communication frame according to the present disclosure, and the integrated communication frame is an example of a second communication frame according to the present disclosure.

[0041] In the data section of the integrated communication frame, frame 1, frame 2, etc., stores a single communication frame. In the source address 1 of the integrated communication frame, the address of the centralized controller 2 is stored, and in the destination address 1 of the integrated communication frame, a broadcast address, an address indicating all outdoor units 3, or an address indicating a specific outdoor unit 3 is stored. In each single communication frame in the data section of the integrated communication frame, in the source address 2, the address of the centralized controller 2 is stored, and in the destination address 2, an address indicating a specific outdoor unit 3 or an address indicating a specific indoor unit 4 is stored.

[0042] The broadcast address, the address indicating all of the outdoor units 3, the addresses indicating each of the above-mentioned groups, and the address indicating all of the indoor units 4 described below may be predetermined, or may be dynamically generated by the centralized controller 2 according to the system configuration.

[0043] In the case of Ethernet (registered trademark), 1500 bytes of data can be transmitted in one communication frame, so the contents shown in FIG. 10 can be transmitted collectively in one integrated communication frame.

[0044] The device data collection unit 202 generates an integrated communication frame based on the following conditions (1) to (3): (1) The size of the data portion of the integrated communication frame is equal to or less than a predetermined maximum data length. (2) The device data acquisition cycle is the same. (3) Single communication frames with the same final destination are prioritized for integration.

[0045] Regarding (1) above, in the case of Ethernet (registered trademark), 1500 bytes of data can be transmitted in one communication frame, so the maximum data length is 1500 bytes. However, when using UDP / IP, a 20-byte header is added, so the maximum data length is 1480 bytes.

[0046] Regarding (2) above, in this embodiment, the cycle for acquiring device data from each device is the same, so if the content is as shown in FIG. 10, it can be transmitted collectively in one integrated communication frame.

[0047] Regarding (3) above, if it is not possible to store all applicable one-off communication frames in the data section due to the condition of (1), one-off communication frames with the same final destination, i.e., the same device indicated by destination address 2, are preferentially stored together in the data section.

[0048] The device data display unit 203 displays the collected device data in a predetermined format on the display 22. For example, the device data display unit 203 arranges icons representing each device on a floor plan of the building, and displays on the display 22 a monitoring screen in which the contents of the device data corresponding to the device are displayed on each icon.

[0049] The device control unit 204 controls the operation of each outdoor unit 3 and each indoor unit 4 in accordance with operating conditions preset by the building owner, system administrator, etc., and a pre-registered operating schedule, etc. In doing so, the device control unit 204 transmits a command and property indicating control to the target device, and similarly to the device data collection unit 202, it transmits the command and property to the device using an integrated communication frame (see FIG. 11 ).

[0050] The device control unit 204 generates an integrated communication frame based on the following conditions (1) to (3): (1) The size of the data portion of the integrated communication frame is equal to or less than a predetermined maximum data length. (2) Single communication frames corresponding to control operations that occur within a certain period of time are integrated. (3) Single communication frames corresponding to group control are preferentially integrated.

[0051] Regarding (2) above, instead of transmitting an integrated communication frame immediately when control occurs, single communication frames corresponding to control that occurs within a certain time period (for example, 1000 ms) are integrated and transmitted.

[0052] Regarding (3) above, if it is not possible to store all applicable one-off communication frames in the data section due to the condition of (1), one-off communication frames for indoor units 4 in the same group are preferentially stored together in the data section.

[0053] 12 , the outdoor unit 3 has, as its functional configuration, a convergent communication frame transmitting / receiving unit 300, an internal / external communication frame transmitting / receiving unit 301, and a data processing unit 302. These functional units are realized when the control circuit 33 provided in the outdoor unit 3 executes the above-mentioned outdoor unit program stored in the auxiliary storage device 34.

[0054] The convergent communication frame transceiver 300 receives integrated communication frames transmitted from the centralized controller 2 or other outdoor units 3 via the transmission line 6. In particular, the convergent communication frame transceiver 300 receives integrated communication frames whose destination address 1 matches its own address (i.e., the outdoor unit 3) or an address that covers its own address, and supplies the received integrated communication frame to the data processing unit 302. The convergent communication frame transceiver 300 also transmits the integrated communication frame supplied from the data processing unit 302 to the centralized controller 2 or other outdoor units 3 via the transmission line 6.

[0055] The internal / external communication frame transceiver 301 receives an integrated communication frame transmitted from one of the indoor units 4 via the transmission line 7, and supplies the received integrated communication frame to the data processing unit 302. The internal / external communication frame transceiver 301 also transmits the integrated communication frame supplied from the data processing unit 302 to the indoor unit 4 via the transmission line 7.

[0056] The data processing unit 302 executes processing based on the data included in the data portion of the integrated communication frame received by the convergent communication frame transmitting / receiving unit 300. Specifically, when the data portion contains a single communication frame whose destination address 2 matches its own address, the data processing unit 302 executes processing in accordance with the command and properties (property identifier and property data) included in the single communication frame. This processing includes controlling the operation of the outdoor unit 3, obtaining and transmitting device data, etc.

[0057] Furthermore, if the data section contains a single communication frame whose destination address 2 matches the address of an indoor unit 4 in the same refrigerant system as itself, the integrated communication frame is transferred to that indoor unit 4 via the internal / external communication frame transmitting / receiving section 301. At that time, the data processing section 302 rewrites the destination address 1 to the address of that indoor unit 4 or an address that covers all the addresses of that indoor unit 4 (for example, an address that indicates all indoor units 4, an address that indicates a group, etc.).

[0058] The data processing unit 302 also executes processing based on the data included in the data portion of the integrated communication frame received by the internal / external communication frame transmitting / receiving unit 301. Specifically, when the data portion contains a single communication frame whose destination address 2 is the same as its own address, the data processing unit 302 executes processing in accordance with the commands and properties included in the single communication frame. This processing includes controlling the operation of the outdoor unit 3, responding to the device that sent the frame, etc.

[0059] Furthermore, if the data portion contains a single communication frame whose destination address 2 is the address of the centralized controller 2 or another outdoor unit 3, the integrated communication frame is transferred to the centralized controller 2 or the other outdoor unit 3 via the centralized communication frame transmitting / receiving portion 300. At that time, the data processing portion 302 rewrites the destination address 1 to the address of the centralized controller 2 or the other outdoor unit 3.

[0060] Furthermore, the data processing unit 302 generates an integrated communication frame indicating notification to the centralized controller 2 or other outdoor units 3 as necessary, and transmits it to the relevant devices via the centralized communication frame transceiver unit 300. Furthermore, the data processing unit 302 generates an integrated communication frame indicating acquisition, control, or notification of device data for indoor units 4 in the same refrigerant system as itself as necessary, and transmits it to the relevant indoor units 4 via the internal / external communication frame transceiver unit 301.

[0061] When a response is required to an integrated communication frame received from the centralized controller 2 or another outdoor unit 3, the data processing unit 302 determines the response timing and responds to the device at the determined response timing. The data processing unit 302 determines whether a response is required based on a command indicated in a single communication frame addressed to itself and included in the received integrated communication frame. Alternatively, information indicating whether a response is required may be stored in the single communication frame by the sending device.

[0062] The data processing unit 302 determines the response timing using one of the following methods (1) to (4): (1) Respond after a standby time based on its own address. For example, the standby time is determined by multiplying its own address by 10 ms (standby time = address * 10 ms). (2) Check the destination of each single communication frame (frame 1 to frame n) of the received integrated communication frame, determine which frame its own address is in order from the smallest (for example, mth), and multiply the determined order by 10 ms (standby time = m * 10 ms).

[0063] (3) Priority is set for each command (command and property) in advance, and for high-priority commands, the standby time is the time obtained by multiplying the command's own address by 10 ms, as in (1) (standby time = address * 10 ms). On the other hand, for low-priority commands, the standby time is the time obtained by multiplying the command's own address by 10 ms and adding 100 ms (standby time = address * 10 ms + 100 ms). (4) A response is made after the standby time included in the single-shot communication frame corresponding to the command. In this case, the sending device sets the standby time.

[0064] By determining the response timing in the above manner, it is possible to avoid communication collisions that may occur when multiple devices respond simultaneously.

[0065] Furthermore, when the data processing unit 302 receives an integrated communication frame indicating a response to the centralized controller 2 from each indoor unit 4 within a certain time period, it generates an integrated communication frame that collectively stores the single communication frames included in each integrated communication frame, provided that the size of the data portion is equal to or less than the maximum data length, and transmits this to the centralized controller 2. In this case, the data portion of the integrated communication frame received from each indoor unit 4 stores only one single communication frame.

[0066] 13 , the indoor unit 4 has, as its functional configuration, an internal / external communication frame transmitting / receiving unit 400 and a data processing unit 401. These functional units are realized by the control circuit 43 provided in the indoor unit 4 executing the above-mentioned indoor unit program stored in the auxiliary storage device 44.

[0067] The internal / external communication frame transceiver 400 receives the integrated communication frame transmitted from the outdoor unit 3 via the transmission line 7. In particular, the internal / external communication frame transceiver 400 receives the integrated communication frame whose destination address 1 matches its own address (i.e., the indoor unit 4) or an address that covers its own address, and supplies the received integrated communication frame to the data processing unit 401. The internal / external communication frame transceiver 400 also transmits the integrated communication frame supplied from the data processing unit 401 to the outdoor unit 3 via the transmission line 7.

[0068] The data processing unit 401 executes processing based on the data included in the data portion of the integrated communication frame received by the internal / external communication frame transmitting / receiving unit 400. Specifically, when the data portion contains a single communication frame whose destination address 2 matches its own address, the data processing unit 401 executes processing in accordance with the commands and properties included in the single communication frame. This processing includes controlling the operation of the indoor unit 4, acquiring and transmitting device data, etc. Furthermore, the data processing unit 401 generates an integrated communication frame indicating a notification to the centralized controller 2 or the outdoor unit 3 as necessary, and transmits it to the outdoor unit 3 via the internal / external communication frame transmitting / receiving unit 400.

[0069] When a response to the received integrated communication frame is required, the data processing unit 401 determines the response timing and responds to the transmitting device at the determined response timing. In this case, the data processing unit 401 determines whether a response is required and determines the response timing in the same manner as the data processing unit 302 of the outdoor unit 3.

[0070] <Processing of Air Conditioning System 1 When Equipment Data is Collected by Central Controller 2> FIG. 14 is a communication sequence diagram showing the flow of processing of the air conditioning system 1 when equipment data is collected by the central controller 2. As shown in FIG.

[0071] (Step S100) The centralized controller 2 generates an integrated communication frame for collecting device data from each device (i.e., each outdoor unit 3 and each indoor unit 4). The destination address 1 of the generated integrated communication frame (see FIG. 11) stores an address indicating all of the outdoor units 3, and the data portion stores, for example, 27 single communication frames (see FIG. 10) addressed to each device.

[0072] (Step S101 ) The centralized controller 2 transmits the generated integrated communication frame to all outdoor units 3 .

[0073] (Steps S102, S103) When the outdoor unit 3 receives the integrated communication frame from the centralized controller 2, it rewrites destination address 1 of the received integrated communication frame to an address indicating all of the indoor units 4, and transfers the frame to all of the indoor units 4 connected to itself via the transmission line 7, which is an internal / external transmission line. Note that the outdoor unit 3c may rewrite destination address 1 to an address indicating group 3, rather than to an address indicating all of the indoor units 4.

[0074] (Step S104) When the outdoor unit 3 receives the integrated communication frame from the centralized controller 2, it extracts the command and property contained in the single communication frame corresponding to itself from the received integrated communication frame. The outdoor unit 3 acquires its own device data indicated by the extracted command and property, and generates a single communication frame containing the acquired device data. At this time, the address of the outdoor unit 3 is stored in Source Address 2 of the single communication frame, and the address of the centralized controller 2 is stored in Destination Address 2.

[0075] The outdoor unit 3 then generates an integrated communication frame that includes the generated single communication frame. At this time, the address of the outdoor unit 3 is stored in the source address 1 of the integrated communication frame, and the address of the centralized controller 2 is stored in the destination address 1.

[0076] (Step S105) When the indoor unit 4 receives the integrated communication frame from the outdoor unit 3, it extracts the command and property contained in the single communication frame corresponding to itself from the received integrated communication frame. The indoor unit 4 acquires its own device data indicated by the extracted command and property, and generates a single communication frame containing the acquired device data. At this time, the address of the indoor unit 4 is stored in Source Address 2 of the single communication frame, and the address of the centralized controller 2 is stored in Destination Address 2.

[0077] The indoor unit 4 then generates an integrated communication frame that includes the generated single communication frame. At this time, the address of the indoor unit 4 is stored in the source address 1 of the integrated communication frame, and the address of the outdoor unit 3 connected to the indoor unit 4 via the transmission line 7 is stored in the destination address 1.

[0078] (Step S106 ) When the elapsed time since the indoor unit 4 received the integrated communication frame from the outdoor unit 3 reaches its corresponding standby time, the indoor unit 4 transmits the generated integrated communication frame to the outdoor unit 3 .

[0079] (Step S107 ) When the outdoor unit 3 receives the integrated communication frame from the indoor unit 4 , the outdoor unit 3 temporarily stores the received integrated communication frame in the auxiliary storage device 34 .

[0080] (Step S108 ) When the time that has elapsed since the outdoor unit 3 received the integrated communication frame from the centralized controller 2 reaches its corresponding standby time, the outdoor unit 3 transmits the integrated communication frame generated in step S104 to the centralized controller 2 .

[0081] (Step S109) The outdoor unit 3 extracts one-off communication frames from the integrated communication frames received from each indoor unit 4 within a certain time period, and generates an integrated communication frame that stores each of the extracted one-off communication frames. At this time, the address of the outdoor unit 3 is stored in Source Address 1 of the integrated communication frame, and the address of the centralized controller 2 is stored in Destination Address 1.

[0082] (Step S110 ) The outdoor unit 3 transmits the integrated communication frame generated in step S109 to the centralized controller 2 .

[0083] (Step S111) The centralized controller 2 receives from each outdoor unit 3 an integrated communication frame storing the device data of that outdoor unit 3, and receives from each outdoor unit 3 an integrated communication frame storing the device data of each corresponding indoor unit 4. Then, the centralized controller 2 displays the collected device data of each outdoor unit 3 and each indoor unit 4 on the display 22 in a predetermined format.

[0084] As described above, the air conditioning system 1 according to this embodiment is configured to aggregate multiple communication frames to transmit a large-sized communication frame a small number of times, thereby improving the throughput in high-speed communication.

[0085] (Variation 1) In cases where the size of a single-shot communication frame is fixed or a predetermined delimiter is added to the end of the single-shot communication frame, the number of frames, frame 1 size, frame 2 size, etc. are not necessarily required in the integrated communication frame format (see Figure 11).

[0086] (Variation 2) When transferring the integrated communication frame received via the transmission line 6 to each of the indoor units 4 connected to the outdoor unit 3, the data processing unit 302 may transfer only the necessary frames. In particular, the data processing unit 302 may generate an integrated communication frame by removing, from the data portion of the received integrated communication frame, any single communication frames that are not addressed to the indoor units 4 connected to the outdoor unit 3, and transmit the generated integrated communication frame to each of the indoor units 4 via the internal / external communication frame transmitting / receiving unit 301.

[0087] (Variation 3) When only one single communication frame is stored in an integrated communication frame, each device may transmit the single communication frame as is, instead of the integrated communication frame. In this case, the header contains information indicating whether the frame is single or integrated.

[0088] (Variation 4) The data processing unit 302 of the outdoor unit 3 may integrate integrated communication frames addressed to any of the indoor units 4 connected to it that are received within a certain time period via the transmission line 6 (more specifically, integrate one or more single communication frames included in each integrated communication frame) and transfer them to each of the indoor units 4. In this case, the data processing unit 302 may also integrate integrated communication frames addressed to any of the indoor units 4 that need to be transmitted from itself within that time period.

[0089] The data processing unit 302 may also generate an integrated communication frame that combines integrated communication frames indicating responses to the centralized controller 2 received from each indoor unit 4 within a certain time period and integrated communication frames indicating responses other than those addressed to the centralized controller 2 received from any of the indoor units 4 within that time period, and transmit this to the centralized controller 2. The data processing unit 302 may also generate an integrated communication frame that combines integrated communication frames indicating responses to the centralized controller 2 received from each indoor unit 4 within a certain time period and integrated communication frames addressed to the centralized controller 2 that need to be transmitted from the data processing unit 302 within that time period, and transmit this to the centralized controller 2.

[0090] (Variation 5) The data processing unit 401 of the indoor unit 4 may generate an integrated communication frame that integrates multiple single communication frames that respectively indicate multiple responses to the centralized controller 2 or the outdoor unit 3, and transmit the integrated communication frame to the centralized controller 2 or the outdoor unit 3. The data processing unit 401 may also generate an integrated communication frame that integrates multiple single communication frames that respectively indicate responses and notifications to the centralized controller 2, and transmit the integrated communication frame to the centralized controller 2. Similarly, the data processing unit 401 may generate an integrated communication frame that integrates multiple single communication frames that respectively indicate responses and notifications to the outdoor unit 3, and transmit the integrated communication frame to the outdoor unit 3.

[0091] (Variation 6) When the data processing unit 302 of the outdoor unit 3 integrates multiple integrated communication frames (more specifically, one or more single communication frames included in each integrated communication frame) received from the centralized controller 2 within a certain time period and transmits the integrated communication frames to the indoor unit 4, the data processing unit 302 may check, based on the command and property, whether or not there are conflicting single communication frames for the same indoor unit 4, and if conflicting single communication frames exist, may keep one of the single communication frames and not include the other single communication frame in the integration targets.

[0092] For example, if multiple single-shot communication frames indicating a change in the set temperature are received, the data processing unit 302 keeps only the last received single-shot communication frame and excludes previously received single-shot communication frames indicating a change in the set temperature from the integration targets. Also, if the last received single-shot communication frame indicates an operation stop, the data processing unit 302 excludes the previous single-shot communication frames from the integration targets.

[0093] Furthermore, if there is a single communication frame indicating prohibition of operation, the data processing unit 302 excludes subsequently received single communication frames indicating operation from the integration targets.

[0094] In this way, unnecessary transmission of a single communication frame to the indoor unit 4 can be eliminated.

[0095] (Variation 7) When the data processing unit 302 of the outdoor unit 3 and the data processing unit 401 of the indoor unit 4 receive an integrated communication frame containing a contradictory single-shot communication frame addressed to them, they may notify the centralized controller 2 of this, and the centralized controller 2 may issue an abnormality alert to the user.

[0096] (Variation 8) All or part of the functional units of the centralized controller 2 (see FIG. 7) may be implemented by dedicated hardware. Also, all or part of the functional units of the outdoor unit 3 (see FIG. 12) may be implemented by dedicated hardware, and all or part of the functional units of the indoor unit 4 (see FIG. 13) may be implemented by dedicated hardware. Examples of dedicated hardware include a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these.

[0097] The technical ideas according to the above-described modifications may be realized independently or in appropriate combination.

[0098] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In the following description, components and the like common to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0099] When acquiring device data for maintenance, for example, it may be necessary to acquire the same device data from the same device multiple times at intervals. In such cases, the air conditioning system 1 of this embodiment uses an integrated communication frame with the format shown in FIG. 15 . Hereinafter, the integrated communication frame with the format shown in FIG. 11 will be referred to as Type A, and the integrated communication frame with the format shown in FIG. 15 will be referred to as Type B. The Type B integrated communication frame is an example of a third communication frame according to the present disclosure. For example, if the centralized controller 2 wishes to acquire the intake temperature from the indoor unit 4a five times at one-second intervals, it generates a Type B integrated communication frame with the following content and transmits it to the indoor unit 4a. Note that information indicating the type of integrated communication frame is stored in the header.

[0100] ・Source address 1: 0 ・Destination address 1: 51 ・Number of frames: 5 ・Frame 1 response time: 1000 ms ・Frame 2 response time: 2000 ms ・Frame 3 response time: 3000 ms ・Frame 4 response time: 4000 ms ・Frame 5 response time: 5000 ms ・Frames 1 to 5 Source address 2: 0 Destination address 2: 1 Command: Get Property: Intake temperature

[0101] Similarly, when the outdoor unit 3 wants to acquire the same equipment data from the same indoor unit 4 multiple times at intervals, it generates a type B integrated communication frame that includes the multiple single communication frames and the response time of each single communication frame and transmits it to the indoor unit 4.

[0102] As described above, the air conditioning system 1 in this embodiment has the same effect as that in the first embodiment, and furthermore, by transmitting a single integrated communication frame, it becomes possible to obtain the same device data from the same device multiple times at intervals.

[0103] The modifications of the first embodiment can also be applied to this embodiment as appropriate.

[0104] The present disclosure allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the meaning of the disclosure equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0105] The present disclosure can be suitably employed in an air conditioning system equipped with multiple air conditioners.

[0106] 1 Air conditioning system, 2 Centralized controller, 3, 3a to 3c Outdoor unit, 4, 4a to 4i Indoor unit, 5, 5a to 5c Display, 6, 7, 7a to 7c Transmission line, 20, 40 Communication interface, 21 Operation reception unit, 22 Display, 23, 33, 43, 51 Control circuit, 24, 34, 44 Auxiliary storage device, 30 First communication interface, 31 Second communication interface, 32, 42 Main unit, 41 Contact input / output interface, 50 Contact input interface, 52 Display unit, 200 Startup processing unit, 201 Group setting processing unit, 202 Equipment data collection unit, 203 Equipment data display unit, 204 Equipment control unit, 300 Centralized communication frame transmission / reception unit, 301, 400 Internal / external communication frame transmission / reception unit, 302, 401 Data processing unit

Claims

1. Equipped with multiple devices, a first device among the plurality of devices periodically generates a first communication frame for acquiring one piece of data from one or more second devices among the plurality of devices that are different from the first device, generates a second communication frame including a plurality of the first communication frames based on a predetermined maximum data length and an address of each second device, and transmits the generated second communication frame to each of the second devices; Air conditioning system.

2. When the second device receives the second communication frame, the second device determines a response timing for responding to the first device, and when the determined response timing arrives, transmits the communication frame in which the data is stored to the first device. The air conditioning system of claim 1 .

3. the plurality of devices include a centralized controller which is the first device, and an outdoor unit and one or more indoor units which are the second device, the centralized controller and the outdoor unit are connected via a centralized transmission line, and the outdoor unit and the one or more indoor units are connected via an indoor / outdoor transmission line, When the outdoor unit receives the communication frames from each indoor unit, the outdoor unit generates a second communication frame including a plurality of the communication frames, and transfers the generated second communication frame to the centralized controller.

3. The air conditioning system of claim 2.

4. When the first device needs to acquire the same data from the same second device multiple times at intervals, the first device generates a third communication frame including the first communication frames for the multiple times and a response time for each of the first communication frames, and transmits the generated third communication frame to the second device. An air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The second device determines the response timing based on its own address.

4. The air conditioning system according to claim 2 or 3.

6. The second device determines the response timing based on information contained in the first communication frame addressed to the second device and contained in the second communication frame.

4. The air conditioning system according to claim 2 or 3.

7. A first device among a plurality of devices included in the air conditioning system, periodically generating a first communication frame for acquiring one piece of data from one or more second devices different from the first device among the plurality of devices, generating a second communication frame including a plurality of the first communication frames based on a predetermined maximum data length and an address of each second device, and transmitting the generated second communication frame to each of the second devices; A communication method in an air conditioning system.