Detection device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11892186-B2
Application number	US-201917269436-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2019
Priority date	Sep 26, 2018
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

A detection device is connected to a plurality of communication devices by a communication line. The detection device has a reception unit, a measurement unit, and a detection unit. The reception unit receives signals with prescribed pulse widths transmitted from the plurality of communication devices, respectively. The measurement unit measures the pulse widths of the signals received by the reception unit. The detection unit is configured to detect the communication device disposed near a terminal end of the communication line as a terminal-end communication device on the basis of the plurality of pulse widths measured by the measurement unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A detection device connected to a plurality of communication devices by a communication line, the detection device comprising:
a reception unit configured to receive overlap signals in which transmitted signals with prescribed pulse widths transmitted from the plurality of communication devices, respectively, and directly reaching the detection device, and the transmitted signals reflected from one of the communication devices disposed near a terminal end of the communication line overlap each other;
a measurement unit configured to measure each of a plurality of pulse widths of the overlap signals received by the reception unit; and
a detection unit configured to detect one of the communication devices disposed near the terminal end of the communication line as a terminal-end communication device on the basis of the plurality of the pulse widths of the overlap signals measured by the measurement unit.

2. The detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the detection unit is configured to detect the terminal-end communication device by identifying the one of the communication devices that has transmitted the overlap signal with the narrowest pulse width of the overlap signals received by the reception unit.

3. The detection device according to claim 1 , further comprising a command unit configured to output a first command indicating a command for setting a terminating resistor to the terminal-end communication device when the terminal-end communication device is detected by the detection unit.

4. The detection device according to claim 3 , further comprising a communication speed switching unit configured to switch communication setting to increase a communication speed in communication with the communication devices to be higher when the first command is output from the command unit.

5. The detection device according to claim 4 , wherein the communication speed switching unit is configured to switch communication setting to decrease the communication speed in communication with the communication devices connected by the communication line to be lower when at least one of the communication devices is added or removed.

6. The detection device according to claim 3 , wherein the command unit is configured to output a second command indicating a command for switching communication setting to increase a communication speed to be higher to at least one of the communication devices when the first command is output.

7. The detection device according to claim 3 , wherein the command unit is configured to output a third command indicating a command for transmitting the transmitted signal of the prescribed pulse width to the plurality of communication devices.

8. The detection device according to claim 3 , wherein the command unit is configured to output a fourth command indicating a command for releasing setting of a terminating resistor to the terminal-end communication device when at least one communication device is added or removed.

9. The detection device according to claim 3 , wherein the command unit is configured to output a fifth command indicating a command for switching communication setting to decrease a communication speed in communication with the communication device connected by the communication line to be lower to the communication devices when at least one communication device is added or removed.

10. The detection device according to claim 1 , further comprising an estimation unit configured to estimate a length of the communication line on the basis of the plurality of pulse widths measured by the measurement unit.

11. The detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the communication device is a communication device provided in an indoor unit of an air-conditioner, and
the detection device is provided in a management device configured to manage an outdoor unit or a plurality of indoor units of the air-conditioner.

Assignees

• Toshiba Carrier Corp

Inventors

• Nakajo Takashi
• Abe Masato
• Komazaki Nariya

Classifications

• F24F11/65 Primary

  for selecting an operating mode · CPC title

• F24F1/0007

  Indoor units, e.g. fan coil units (self-contained units F24F1/02) · CPC title

• F24F1/26

  Refrigerant piping · CPC title

• F24F11/54

  using one central controller connected to several sub-controllers · CPC title

• F24F11/58

  using Internet communication · CPC title