Air conditioning system and gateway apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioning systems fail to efficiently use the communication band due to the inability to segment the collision domain in outdoor units without multiple communication ports and segmentation functions.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a gateway apparatus that relays communication between indoor and outdoor units within management target networks, segmenting the collision domain and enabling efficient communication band usage by employing a bridge function and address table for data transmission control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the outdoor unit segments the collision domain using multiple communication ports, then the communication band is used efficiently, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway apparatus as an intermediary device that performs collision domain segmentation. The gateway apparatus includes a bridge function that relays communication between indoor units and the outdoor unit, effectively segmenting the collision domain without requiring the outdoor unit itself to have segmentation capabilities. This resolves the contradiction by transferring the segmentation function from the outdoor unit to a dedicated gateway device.
2Device complexity
If the collision domain is not segmented in existing outdoor units, then the device complexity remains low, but the communication band cannot be used efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the communication network into multiple collision domains using gateway apparatuses. Each gateway apparatus manages a specific collision domain and relays communications selectively based on destination addresses. This segmentation prevents unnecessary data transmissions across the entire network, improving communication band efficiency while keeping the outdoor unit simple.
3Productivity
If a gateway apparatus relays communication between partial networks, then the collision domain is segmented and communication efficiency improves, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway apparatus serves as a mediator between different partial networks, performing intelligent relay of communications based on address table lookups. This centralized mediation approach achieves collision domain segmentation and improved communication efficiency while isolating the complexity within the gateway devices rather than distributing it throughout the entire system.
Data Source
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AI summary
An air conditioning system includes a plurality of partial networks 103, to each of which an indoor unit 102 of an air conditioner and an outdoor unit 101 of an air conditioner are connected. The plurality of partial networks 103 are connected to each other via a connecting network 104. Each gateway apparatus 150 is connected to an indoor unit 102 and an outdoor unit 101 within a management target partial network that is a partial network which is to be managed, and the connecting network 104. Each gateway apparatus 150 relays communication, via the connecting network 104 and another gateway apparatus 150, between at least either one of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit within the management target partial network, and at least either one of an indoor unit 102 and an outdoor unit 101 within another partial network.