Air-conditioning system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9870222-B2
Application number	US-201314776762-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2013
Priority date	May 10, 2013
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

An air-conditioning system is provided with an air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus and an air-conditioning apparatus which transmits and receives various signals to and from the air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus. The air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus manages the air-conditioning apparatus, an operational state of the air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus is linked to an operational state of the air-conditioning apparatus, and software set in the air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus is updated based on the operational state of the air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning system comprising:
a first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus, including a management communication device, a management processor, and a management memory; and
an first air-conditioning apparatus, including an air-conditioning communication device, an air-conditioning processor, and an air-conditioning memory, configured to transmit and receive various signals via the air-conditioning communication device to and from the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus, wherein
the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus manages the first air-conditioning apparatus,
an operational state of the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus is linked to an operational state of the first air-conditioning apparatus,
a first software set stored in the management memory is updated based on the operational state of the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus,
a plurality of air-conditioning apparatus management apparatuses, comparable to the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus, are provided and communicable with each other and with the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus, and
the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus updates a second software set in a second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatuses of the plurality of the air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus, based on an operational state of the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus, while continuing to manage the first air-conditioning apparatus,
when a version of the first software set in the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus is newer than a version of the second software set in the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus and an operational state of the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus meets a transmission start condition, the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus updates the second software set in the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus,
wherein
the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus transmits the first software set in the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus, and restarts the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus, to update the second software set in the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus, and
the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus transmits the first software set in the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus, and restarts the first air-conditioning apparatus to update the first software set in the first air-conditioning apparatus.

2. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein
a plurality of the air-conditioning apparatuses are provided, and
based on an operational state of a management target air-conditioning apparatus of the plurality of the air-conditioning apparatuses, the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus updates the first software set in the first management target air-conditioning apparatus.

3. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein a predetermined transmission start condition is set,
when the operational state of the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus agrees with the transmission start condition, the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus determines that it is time to update the second software set in the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus, and
when the operational state of the first air-conditioning apparatus agrees with the transmission start condition, the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus determines that it is time to update the first software set in the first air-conditioning apparatus, and updates the first software set in the first air-conditioning apparatus.

4. The air-conditioning system of claim 3 , wherein
when the second software set in the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus is being updated and the operational state of the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus being currently updated disagrees with the transmission start condition, the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus pauses the update of the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus being currently updated,
when the update of the second software set in the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus is being paused and the operational state of the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus being currently paused agrees with the transmission start condition, the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus restarts the update of the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus being currently paused,
when the first software set in the first air-conditioning apparatus is being updated and the operational state of the first air-conditioning apparatus being currently updated disagrees with the transmission start condition, the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus pauses the update of the first air-conditioning apparatus being currently updated, and
when the update of the first software set in the first air-conditioning apparatus is being paused and the operational state of the first air-conditioning apparatus being currently paused agrees with the transmission start condition, the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus restarts the update of the first air-conditioning apparatus being currently paused.

5. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 , further comprising
an external device, different from the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus, configured to transmit an operation command to the first air-conditioning apparatus,
when restart of the first air-conditioning apparatus is being executed, the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus causes the external device to display an execution state where the restart of the first air-conditioning apparatus is being executed, and
when the restart of the first air-conditioning apparatus has been completed, the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus causes the external device to stop displaying the execution state.

6. The air-conditioning system of claim 1 , wherein
when a version of the first software set in the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus is newer than a version of the first air-conditioning apparatus and the operational state of the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus agrees with the transmission start condition, the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus updates the first software set in the first air-conditioning apparatus.

7. The air-conditioning system of claim, wherein the second software set in the second air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus is updated with the first software set stored in the management memory of the first air-conditioning apparatus management apparatus.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Sugimura Mitsuhiro

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

• F24F11/59

  for presetting · CPC title

• F24F11/30 Primary

  for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring · CPC title

• F24F11/89

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title

• G06F8/65

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title