Indoor Unit Address Setting via Serial Number Retry Logic

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional air conditioners face prolonged address setting times and failure due to signal disturbances like noise or ringing during the address setting process, leading to repeated retries and potential inability to complete address setting when disturbances are continuous.

Innovation Solution

The air conditioner employs an identification number detection portion that simultaneously transmits detection commands to indoor units in a predetermined order, with the ability to repeat commands and change detection command recognition methods to improve signal resilience, allowing for secure and efficient address setting by starting over from the immediately preceding digit in case of failures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the address setting starts over by returning to the initial digit when reception failure occurs, then the address setting can be retried, but the time required for address setting increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaddress setting completionVSAvoidaddress setting time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system records the digit position where reception failure occurs and uses this information to resume address setting from that specific position in retry operations, rather than starting from the initial digit. This preliminary recording of failure position enables targeted retries that skip already-successful digits, significantly reducing the time required for address setting while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the address setting starts over from the initial digit when signal disturbance occurs, then the address setting can be retried, but the address setting cannot be completed when signal disturbance is continuous

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaddress setting completionVSAvoidaddress setting efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system records the digit position where reception failure occurs and uses this information to resume address setting from that specific position in retry operations, rather than starting from the initial digit. This preliminary recording of failure position enables targeted retries that skip already-successful digits, significantly reducing the time required for address setting while maintaining reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If detection commands are transmitted sequentially to indoor units, then the system can maintain simple control logic, but the address setting process becomes time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol logic complexityVSAvoidaddress setting time
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system transmits multiple detection commands simultaneously to different indoor units rather than sequentially. By changing the parameter from sequential transmission to parallel transmission and using the recorded failure digit position to determine which commands to send, the system reduces address setting time while keeping control logic manageable through the use of pre-recorded failure position data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP1992884B1Air conditioner and address setting method in air conditioner
Publication Date: 2015.10.28 DAIKIN INDUSTRIES LTD
  • EP1992884B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP1992884B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP1992884B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention provides an air conditioner which shortens a time necessary for address setting and more securely performs the address setting. A serial number detection portion (11a) simultaneously transmits a detection command for requesting a first digit of a serial number to plurality of indoor units (21 to 24), and the serial number detection portion (11a) simultaneously transmits a detection command for requesting a second digit immediately preceding the first digit to the indoor units (21 to 24) when a response to the detection command is absent. That is, the address setting is performed again from the immediately preceding digit without returning to an initial digit of the serial number, so that the time necessary for the address setting can be shortened. When the address setting is performed again from the immediately preceding digit, the address setting can be performed more securely by changing a method of recognizing the detection command in the indoor units (21 to 24).