Air-conditioning system and relay device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9634856-B2
Application number	US-201214395870-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2012
Priority date	Jun 13, 2012
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

In an air-conditioning system, an outdoor unit and an indoor unit communicate through a relay device, including a plurality of communication ports; a plurality of communication networks having logical connection relationships with the respective communication ports; and a plurality of nodes having logical connection relationships with the respective communication networks. The plurality of nodes are each associated with one of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit. Among the plurality of nodes, a certain node is set as a first node, and another certain node different from the first node is set as a second node. The relay device executes transfer processing of transferring a communication frame from the first node to the second node, and then if the relay device does not receive a reception acknowledgment signal from the second node, limits a number of re-transmission times when the relay device re-transfers the communication frame to the second node.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning system, in which at least one outdoor unit and at least one indoor unit are connected by a refrigerant pipe and operated, and the outdoor unit and the indoor unit make communication through a relay device, the air-conditioning system comprising:
the relay device including a plurality of communication ports;
a plurality of communication networks having logical connection relationships with the respective communication ports; and
a plurality of nodes having logical connection relationships with the respective communication networks,
wherein the plurality of nodes are each associated with one of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit,
wherein among the plurality of nodes,
a certain node is set as a first node, and
another certain node different from the first node is set as a second node,

wherein the relay device
executes transfer processing of transferring a communication frame from the first node to the second node, and then,
if the relay device does not receive a reception acknowledgment signal from the second node, limits a number of re-transmission times for which the relay device re-transfers the communication frame to the second node, and

wherein the relay device
sets the number of re-transmission times at zero if a transfer destination of the communication frame is not registered,
sets the number of re-transmission times at a different value in association with a preset number of normal re-transmission times, depending on a crowded degree of communication traffic, if the transfer destination of the communication frame is registered, and
outputs the communication frame from the communication ports to the plurality of nodes of the communication networks having the logical connection relationships with the communication ports.

2. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 ,
wherein the relay device
sets node information for each of the plurality of nodes having the connection relationships with the communication networks,
sets a communication address for the node in the node information,
sets a data table, in which a plurality of pieces of the node information are formed on a communication port basis, and
transfers the communication frame based on the data table.

3. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 ,
wherein the relay device
sets node information for each of the plurality of nodes having the connection relationships with the communication networks,
sets at least a pair, the pair comprising a communication address for the node and model data of either of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit corresponding to the node in the node information,
sets a data table, in which a plurality of pieces of the node information are formed on a communication port basis, and
transfers the communication frame based on the data table.

4. The air-conditioning system of claim 2 ,
wherein the relay device,
if the communication address of a transfer-destination node of the communication frame is not registered and if the relay device receives a reception acknowledgment signal from the transfer-destination node after the transfer of the communication frame, adds a communication address of the node of a transmission source and model data of the node, both of which are set in the reception acknowledgment signal, as the node information to the data table, and,
if the communication address of the transfer-destination node of the communication frame is registered and if the relay device does not receive the reception acknowledgment signal from the transfer-destination node after the transfer of the communication frame, deletes the node information corresponding to the transfer destination from the data table.

5. The air-conditioning system of claim 4 ,
wherein a remote controller that supplies an operation instruction to either one of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit is further set as one of the plurality of nodes, and
wherein the relay device
sets the remote controller as the model data.

6. The air-conditioning system of claim 4 ,
wherein a centralized management device that manages the plurality of communication networks is further set as one of the plurality of nodes, and
wherein the relay device
sets the centralized management device as the model data.

7. The air-conditioning system of claim 4 ,
wherein the relay device includes a plurality of the relay devices,
wherein the relay devices are connected by cascade connection through the communication networks, and
wherein the relay devices connected by the cascade connection each have
the data table to which the node information relating to a node added by the cascade connection is added.

8. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 ,
wherein an air-conditioning apparatus is formed of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit, the air-conditioning apparatus including
a refrigerant circuit including a compressor, a heat-source-side heat exchanger, an expansion unit, and a use-side heat exchanger, which are connected by the refrigerant pipe, the refrigerant circuit circulating a refrigerant,
an indoor fan that distributes air to the use-side heat exchanger,
an outdoor fan that distributes the air to the heat-source-side heat exchanger, and
an air-conditioning inverter device that controls rotation speeds of the compressor, the indoor fan, and the outdoor fan.

9. A relay device that transfers a communication frame, in which at least one outdoor unit and at least one indoor unit are connected by a refrigerant pipe and the communication frame is transmitted from either of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, the relay device comprising:
a plurality of communication ports; and
a controller that transfers a communication frame, which passes through the plurality of communication ports,
wherein the communication ports have logical connection relationships with a plurality of respective communication networks,
wherein the communication networks have logical connection relationships with a plurality of respective nodes,
wherein the plurality of nodes are each associated with either of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit,
wherein among the plurality of nodes,
a certain node is set as a first node, and
another certain node different from the first node is set as a second node,

wherein the controller
executes transfer processing of transferring a communication frame from the first node to the second node, and then,
if the controller does not receive a reception acknowledgment signal from the second node, limits a number of re-transmission times when the controller re-transfers the communication frame to the second node, and

wherein the controller
sets the number of re-transmission times at zero if a transfer destination of the communication frame is not registered,
sets the number of re-transmission times at a different value in association with a preset number of normal re-transmission times, depending on a crowded degree of communication traffic, if the transfer destination of the communication frame is registered, and
outputs the communication frame from the communication ports to the plurality of nodes of the communication networks having the logical connection relationships with the communication ports.

10. The relay device of claim 9 ,
wherein the controller
sets node information for each of the plurality of nodes having the connection relationships with the communication networks,
sets a communication address for the node in the node information,
sets a data table, in which a plurality of pieces of the node information are formed on a communication port basis, and
transfers the communication frame based on the data table.

Assignees

• Kubo Takayoshi
• Ogawa Akihiro
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kubo Takayoshi
• Ogawa Akihiro

Classifications

• F24F11/84

  using valves · CPC title

• F24F11/74

  for controlling air flow rate or air velocity · CPC title

• F24F2140/00

  Control inputs relating to system states · CPC title

• F24F11/64

  using pre-stored data · CPC title

• F24F11/58

  using Internet communication · CPC title