Air-conditioning apparatus control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10001290-B2
Application number	US-201214395531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2012
Priority date	Jun 26, 2012
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

An air-conditioning apparatus control system includes connected devices each including a memory to sequentially store control data which is acquired during operation and is associated with control of the connected device. To back up the control data in the memory of the connected device, a backup destination is selected from the other connected devices included in a plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses constituting the air-conditioning apparatus control system on the basis of an available memory space in each of the other connected devices. The control data is backed up to the selected backup destination at time when it is determined that backup has no interference with communication for a normal operation in the air-conditioning apparatus control system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning apparatus control system comprising:
a plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses each including an outdoor unit, an indoor unit, and a controller managing and controlling the outdoor unit and the indoor unit in a centralized manner, the outdoor unit, the indoor unit, and the controller being connected so as to be able to communicate with each other, the air-conditioning apparatuses being connected so as to be able to communicate with each other, the outdoor unit, the indoor unit, and the controller each serving as an air-conditioning connected device included in the air-conditioning apparatus control system, wherein
each air-conditioning connected device includes
a memory configured to sequentially store air-conditioning control data which is acquired during operation of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses and is associated with control of the air-conditioning connected device, and
an arithmetic unit configured to start an air-conditioning data backup process at a backup start timing,

wherein the air-conditioning backup process executed by the arithmetic unit includes
an air-conditioning data backup destination selection subprocess of selecting a backup destination from the other air-conditioning connected devices included in the air-conditioning apparatuses based on an available memory space of the memory of each of the other air-conditioning connected devices,
an air-conditioning data execution timing determination subprocess of determining backup execution timing so that backup has no interference with communication for a normal operation in the air-conditioning apparatus control system, and
an air-conditioning data backup execution subprocess of transmitting the air-conditioning control data stored in the memory of one of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses to the air-conditioning data backup destination selected in the air-conditioning data backup destination selection subprocess at the air-conditioning data execution timing determined in the air-conditioning data execution timing determination subprocess to back up the air-conditioning control data to the backup destination, wherein

the arithmetic unit determines whether the air-conditioning control data is important air-conditioning data or unimportant air-conditioning data designated previously when the control data is stored into the memory of one of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses,
the arithmetic unit both determines, as the air-conditioning data backup start time, time when an amount of data stored in the memory of one of the air-conditioning apparatuses exceeds a threshold value previously set, and starts the air-conditioning data backup process at the determined time in response to determining that the air-conditioning control data is unimportant air-conditioning data, and
the arithmetic unit both executes the air-conditioning data backup destination selection subprocess to select an air-conditioning data backup destination and immediately backs up the air-conditioning control data to the selected backup destination in response to determining that the air-conditioning control data is important air-conditioning data.

2. The air-conditioning apparatus control system of claim 1 , wherein when current communication traffic in the air-conditioning apparatus control system is less than a predetermined amount, the arithmetic unit determines the air-conditioning data execution timing so that backup is immediately executed, and when the current communication traffic is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount, the arithmetic unit determines the air-conditioning data execution timing so that backup is executed in a time period during which communication traffic is less than the predetermined amount.

3. The air-conditioning apparatus control system of claim 1 , wherein if communication traffic of the air-conditioning apparatus control system is greater than or equal to a specific amount throughout one day at first backup time following exceeding of the threshold value by the amount of data stored in the memory, the arithmetic unit divides the air-conditioning control data in the memory into a plurality of data blocks and backs up the data blocks at different times in a stepwise manner.

4. The air-conditioning apparatus control system of claim 1 , wherein the arithmetic unit backs up air-conditioning control data newly stored in the memory at subsequent backup time after the amount of data stored in the memory exceeds the threshold value.

5. The air-conditioning apparatus control system of claim 1 ,
wherein the air-conditioning control data sequentially stored into the memory is raw data acquired during operation or calculated data obtained based on the raw data, and
wherein when the raw data is acquired, the arithmetic unit stores the raw data into the memory and also stores the calculated data, obtained based on the raw data stored in the memory, into the memory, and after that, backs up the calculated data while removing the raw data used to obtain the calculated data from the memory.

6. The air-conditioning apparatus control system of claim 1 , wherein when the air-conditioning data backup destination connected device has a high control load state at the air-conditioning data backup execution subprocess, the arithmetic unit thins out or compresses the air-conditioning control data in the memory and transmits the thinned or compressed data to the air-conditioning data backup destination.

7. The air-conditioning apparatus control system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of a general purpose device including a programmable logic controller (PLC) and a remote control to control the indoor unit remotely is further connected as the connected device included in each air-conditioning apparatus.

8. The air-conditioning apparatus control system of claim 1 , wherein the air-conditioning connected devices are the outdoor unit, the indoor unit, and the controller.

9. The air-conditioning apparatus control system of claim 1 , wherein the air-conditioning control data is air-conditioning system control data corresponding to each of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses.

10. The air-conditioning apparatus control system of claim 9 , wherein the air-conditioning control data includes billing data, operating time data, electricity rate data, refrigerant efficiency data, operating frequency data, suction temperature data, suction humidity data, device trend data, and operation description data corresponding to each of the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses.

11. The air-conditioning control system of claim 1 , wherein
the important air-conditioning data includes billing data, operating time data, and electricity rate data corresponding to the air conditioning apparatus, and
the unimportant air-conditioning data includes refrigerant efficiency, operating frequency, suction temperature, suction humidity, device trend data, and operation descriptions corresponding to the air conditioning apparatus.

12. The air-conditioning apparatus control system of claim 5 , wherein the raw data is air-conditioning control raw data.

13. The air-conditioning apparatus control system of claim 1 , wherein a determination of whether the air-conditioning control data is important data or unimportant data for each of the connected devices corresponding to the plurality of air-conditioning apparatuses is set by a user.

Assignees

• Toriyama Kuniaki
• Kitazaki Mitsuru
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Toriyama Kuniaki
• Kitazaki Mitsuru

Classifications

• F24F11/62

  characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values · CPC title

• G06F11/1448

  Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore · CPC title

• G06F11/1461

  Backup scheduling policy · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• F24F11/0009 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic