Air-conditioning system and program update method of air-conditioning system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air-conditioning system maintenance methods require substantial time and effort for updating control programs across numerous units, especially challenging due to high communication data amounts and difficulty in identifying update targets.
Innovation Solution
An air-conditioning system with a controller that receives an update program, compares it with the existing control program, generates differential data, sets the update target device, and transmits only the differential data for updating, reducing communication data and simplifying the update process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If control programs are updated by directly accessing each unit, then update accuracy is ensured, but maintenance time increases substantially and operator burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic program updates by having the controller autonomously compare versions, generate differential data, and transmit updates to target devices without requiring operator intervention to physically access each unit, thus reducing maintenance time while maintaining update accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary that manages the update process centrally, comparing programs, generating differential data, and coordinating transmissions to multiple units, eliminating the need for operators to directly access each unit while ensuring accurate updates
2Productivity
If all control programs are updated automatically, then maintenance efficiency improves, but communication data amount increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the differential data (changes) from the complete control program rather than transmitting entire programs, significantly reducing communication data amount while maintaining automatic update efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The update mechanism changes from transmitting complete programs to transmitting only differential data, optimizing communication efficiency by sending minimal necessary data while maintaining automatic update capabilities
3Device complexity
If program updates are performed without differential data, then system complexity is reduced, but communication data amount increases and update precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary comparison of control programs before updates to identify differences, generating differential data in advance. This preliminary action enables efficient targeted updates without requiring complex real-time analysis during the update process itself
4Adaptability or versatility
If update targets are not clearly determined, then system adaptability improves, but operator difficulty in identifying update targets increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from version comparison to automatically identify which devices require updates. The controller compares program versions, determines update targets based on version differences, and initiates updates only for devices that need them, eliminating operator confusion while maintaining system adaptability
Data Source
AI summary
An air-conditioning system includes one or more pieces of equipment involved in air-conditioning, and a controller connected to the equipment and configured to update a control program of the equipment, the controller including an input unit configured to receive an update program for updating the control program of the equipment from an outside, a storage unit configured to store the control program of the equipment, a comparison unit configured to compare the update program with the control program, a data generation unit configured to generate differential data between the update program and the control program, an update setting unit configured to set an update target device of the control program among the one or more pieces of the equipment based on a comparison result, and a transmission unit configured to transmit the differential data to the update target device.