Air-conditioner control interface device, air conditioner, and air-conditioner control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9435560-B2
Application number	US-201213416248-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2012
Priority date	Mar 16, 2011
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

An air-conditioner control interface device that connects an air conditioner to an external device, including: an air-conditioner-information input/output unit that transmits or receives information to or from the air conditioner; an external-device-information input/output unit that transmits or receives information to or from the external device; an interface-control-information input/output unit that acquires interface control information, in which definitions of the information transmitted or received between the external device and the air conditioner and methods of transmitting or receiving the information, are described; and an interface controller that controls the external-device-information input/output unit and the air-conditioner-information input/output unit to transmit or receive information based on the interface control information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air-conditioner control interface device that communicates information between an air conditioner and an external device, comprising:
an air-conditioner-information input/output unit that transmits or receives information to or from the air conditioner;
an external-device-information input/output unit that transmits or receives information to or from the external device;
an interface-control-information input/output unit that retrieves stored predetermined interface control information, the interface control information including (1) definitions of air-conditioner manipulating information to be transmitted to the air conditioner from the external device and operating information on the air conditioner to be transmitted to the external device from the air conditioner and (2) methods by which respective information is received from the air conditioner and is to be transmitted to the external device and respective information is received from the external device and is to be transmitted to the air conditioner; and
an interface controller that receives the interface control information from the interface-control-information input/output unit, interprets the interface control information and controls both the external-device-information input/output unit and the air-conditioner-information input/output unit to transmit the operating information on the air conditioner from the air conditioner to the external device and to transmit the air-conditioner manipulating information from the external device to the air conditioner based on (1) the definitions of the air-conditioner manipulating information and the operating information and (2) the methods by which respective information is received from the air conditioner and is to be transmitted to the external device and respective information is received from the external device and is to be transmitted to the air conditioner, included in the interpreted interface control information.

2. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 1 , wherein the interface control information is configured to be arbitrarily created by a user based on released variables information and a released control logical description form, the released variables information indicating information transmittable to or receivable from the air conditioner and the external device.

3. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 1 , further comprising an auxiliary storage unit that stores therein the interface control information, wherein the interface controller stores the interface control information received by the interface-control-information input/output unit into the auxiliary storage unit.

4. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 3 , further comprising an input unit that receives an input to duplicate interface control information, wherein the interface controller reads the interface control information stored in the auxiliary storage unit and outputs the interface control information to a source of the interface-control-information via the interface-control-information input/output unit when the input unit receives the input to duplicate the interface control information.

5. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 1 , wherein the interface control information is created using software included, as a standard feature, in an information processor.

6. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 1 , wherein the interface control information is created using dedicated software included in an information processor for creating the interface control information.

7. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 1 , wherein the interface control information is created using dedicated software for creating the interface control information, the dedicated software being included in a server connected to an information processor serving as an operation terminal.

8. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 6 , wherein
the dedicated software compiles the interface control information and converts the information into a control command, and
the interface-control-information input/output unit acquires the control command as the interface control information.

9. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 7 , wherein
the dedicated software compiles the interface control information and converts the information into a control command, and
the interface-control-information input/output unit acquires the control command as the interface control information.

10. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 3 , wherein the interface control information is created using dedicated software for creating the interface control information, the dedicated software being included in an information processor.

11. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 4 , wherein the interface control information is created using dedicated software for creating the interface control information, the dedicated software being included in an information processor.

12. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 3 , wherein the interface control information is created using dedicated software for creating the interface control information, the dedicated software being included in a server connected to an information processor serving as an operation terminal.

13. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 4 , wherein the interface control information is created using dedicated software for creating the interface control information, the dedicated software being included in a server connected to an information processor serving as an operation terminal.

14. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 10 , wherein
the dedicated software compiles the interface control information and converts the information into a control command, and
the interface-control-information input/output unit acquires the control command as the interface control information.

15. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 11 , wherein
the dedicated software compiles the interface control information and converts the information into a control command, and
the interface-control-information input/output unit acquires the control command as the interface control information.

16. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 12 , wherein
the dedicated software compiles the interface control information and converts the information into a control command, and
the interface-control-information input/output unit acquires the control command as the interface control information.

17. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 13 , wherein
the dedicated software compiles the interface control information and converts the information into a control command, and
the interface-control-information input/output unit acquires the control command as the interface control information.

18. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 14 , wherein the dedicated software recompiles the control command.

19. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 15 , wherein the dedicated software recompiles the control command.

20. The air-conditioner control interface device according to claim 16 , wherein the dedicated software recompiles the control command.

21. The air-conditioner co

Assignees

• Kobayashi Yuki
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kobayashi Yuki

Classifications

• F24F11/64

  using pre-stored data · CPC title

• F24F11/58

  using Internet communication · CPC title

• F24F11/52 Primary

  Indication arrangements, e.g. displays · CPC title

• F24F11/62 Primary

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

• F24F11/0086

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic