CN113631869B - Remote controller and air conditioning system - Google Patents

Abstract

An operation signal for controlling all or a part of 1 or more air conditioners is transmitted and received between a remote controller and 1 or more other remote controllers in an air conditioning system including a plurality of remote controllers, or the operation signal is divided into a plurality of divided signals. The remote controller samples the intensity of the radio wave emitted by 1 or more other remote controllers when at least one of the operation signal and the division signal is not transmitted or received, and calculates the communication frequency and the index value indicating the soundness of the radio wave of each of the 1 or more other remote controllers based on the sampling result. The remote controller determines whether or not to divide the operation signal transmitted to another remote controller based on at least one of the communication frequency and the index value. The remote controller transmits an operation signal or a division signal obtained by dividing the operation signal to another remote controller based on the determination result of the presence or absence of the division.

Description

Remote control and air conditioning system

technical field

The invention relates to a remote controller and an air conditioning system.

Background technique

As a remote controller for controlling an air conditioner, a remote controller equipped with a wireless communication function and capable of wireless communication with external wireless communication devices such as smartphones, tablet PCs, and portable terminals is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). The remote controller receives an operation signal for operating the air conditioner from the wireless communication device, and controls the air conditioner based on the operation signal. Accordingly, the air conditioner can be operated from an external wireless communication device.

However, when it is desired to control a plurality of air conditioners at the same time, when the above-mentioned remote controller is used, the wireless communication device needs to transmit operation signals to the plurality of remote controllers of the plurality of air conditioners, respectively. In order to save such troubles, there is a demand for a remote controller that can communicate with other remote controllers and that can transmit operation signals from one wireless communication device to other remote controllers and receive operation signals from other remote controllers.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-224858

However, when the remote controller communicates with a wireless communication device or another remote controller, there is a possibility that the communication of the operation signal may not be properly performed depending on the communication status of the remote controller to which the operation signal is transmitted. Also, in a communication situation where the radio wave strength of the remote controller is unstable, the remote controller may fail to communicate an operation signal with a large amount of data.

In addition, in many cases, the remote controller processes operation signals in the order they are received. Therefore, during the period until the processing of the operation signal is completed, the remote controller cannot perform the reception processing of the next operation signal, and when the priority of the processing of the next operation signal is high, there may be a delay in required processing. worry.

Contents of the invention

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a remote controller and an air-conditioning system that can realize communication that can flexibly respond to communication situations.

The remote controller according to the present invention is one of the one or more remote controllers for controlling one or more air-conditioning devices, and is equipped with a communication mechanism for sending and receiving between one or more other remote controllers for controlling the above-mentioned one. All or part of the operation signal of the above-mentioned air conditioner, or a plurality of divided signals of the operation signal, during periods other than the period during which at least one of the operation signal and the above-mentioned divided signal is transmitted and received to the one or more other remote controllers The radio waves sent out are detected; the wireless path management mechanism stores the intensity of the above-mentioned radio waves emitted by the above-mentioned one or more other remote controllers detected by the above-mentioned communication mechanism; and the main control mechanism, based on the intensity stored in the above-mentioned wireless path management mechanism The intensity of the above-mentioned electric waves emitted by each of the above-mentioned one or more other remote controllers is calculated to indicate the soundness of the above-mentioned electric waves emitted by each of the above-mentioned one or more other remote controllers, and each of the above-mentioned one or more other remote controllers performs the above-mentioned At least one of the communication frequencies of transmission and reception of at least one of the operation signal and the divisional signal, when transmitting the operation signal to the other remote controller, the main control means Based on at least one of the index value of soundness and the communication frequency of the other remote controller, whether to divide the operation signal, the communication unit divides the operation signal or divides the operation signal into The plurality of divided signals are sent to the other remote controllers.

The air-conditioning system according to the present invention is an air-conditioning system having one or more remote controllers for controlling one or more air-conditioning devices, and the one or more remote controllers communicate with one or more other remote controllers for controlling the above-mentioned one or more remote controllers. All or a part of the operation signal of the above-mentioned air conditioner, or the divided signal of the operation signal divided into a plurality of divided signals, except during the period when at least one of the above-mentioned operation signal and the above-mentioned divided signal is transmitted and received to the one or more other remote controllers The electric wave sent out during this period is detected, the intensity of the above-mentioned electric wave sent by each of the above-mentioned one or more other remote controllers is stored, and the above-mentioned one is calculated based on the stored strength of the above-mentioned electric wave sent by each of the above-mentioned one or more other remote controllers. At least one of the index value of the soundness of the radio waves emitted by each of the one or more other remote controllers and the communication frequency of at least one of the operation signal and the divisional signal transmitted and received by each of the one or more other remote controllers is sent to When the other remote controller transmits the operation signal, whether to divide the operation signal is determined based on at least one of the index value representing the soundness of the radio wave emitted by the other remote controller and the communication frequency of the other remote controller. based on the determination, and transmit the operation signal or the divided signal obtained by dividing the operation signal to the other remote controller based on the determination.

According to the air conditioning system and the remote controller according to the present invention, the communication means detects the intensity of radio waves emitted by other remote controllers during periods other than the period when at least one of the operation signal and the divided signal is transmitted and received, and the wireless path management means stores the intensity of the radio wave. The strength of the radio wave, the main control unit uses the radio wave strength stored in the wireless route management unit and based on the index value of the soundness of the radio wave of other remote controllers and the communication frequency at which other remote controllers send and receive at least one of the operation signal and the divided signal At least one of them determines whether to divide the operation signal sent to the other remote controllers. The communication unit transmits the operation signal or the divided signal obtained by dividing the operation signal to other remote controllers based on the decision of the main control unit. Accordingly, it is possible to realize communication between the remote controllers that flexibly responds to the communication situation.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an air conditioning system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks included in the remote controller according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the format of divided data in the embodiment.

4 is a diagram showing an example of a data format of a response signal from a remote controller to another remote controller in the embodiment.

5 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of sampling radio wave strengths of other remote controllers by the remote controller according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of determining the presence or absence of division of an operation signal and the number of divisions performed by the main control unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of transmission processing of divided data by the remote controller according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of data reception processing by the remote controller according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of operation of the air conditioning system according to the embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of operation of the air conditioning system according to the embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of operation of the air conditioning system according to the embodiment.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, embodiment will be described based on drawings. However, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments described below. In addition, in the following drawings, the relationship of the size of each component may differ from the actual structure.

Implementation method.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an air conditioning system according to the embodiment. The air conditioning system 100 is installed in a building, and has a plurality of air conditioners 30 , a plurality of remote controllers 10 for individually controlling the plurality of air conditioners 30 , and the like. FIG. 1 shows a case where the air conditioning system 100 has three air conditioners 30 and three remote controllers 10 , but the numbers of the air conditioners 30 and the remote controllers 10 included in the air conditioning system 100 are not limited to these.

The air conditioner 30 executes an air conditioning operation of the air conditioning target space. One air conditioner 30 is controlled by one remote controller 10 . The remote controller 10 is wirelessly connected to the wireless communication device 20 and other remote controllers 10 according to communication standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or ZigBee (registered trademark), for example. The range that can be connected wirelessly varies depending on the above-mentioned standards and communication conditions. ID (Identification), which is an example of unique identification information, is assigned to each remote controller 10 for self-identification with respect to other remote controllers 10 .

The wireless communication device 20 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a portable terminal. The wireless communication device 20 receives input of information for operating the air conditioner 30 from a user or manager of the air conditioner 30 , and transmits a signal corresponding to the information to the remote controller 10 . Even when transmitting a signal to one or more remote controllers 10 specified by the ID, the wireless communication device 20 can transmit a signal to any remote controller 10 within a communicable range.

The wireless communication device 20 includes a wireless communication device 20 operated by a user and a wireless communication device 20 operated by an administrator. Therefore, among the signals transmitted from the wireless communication device 20 to the remote controller 10, there are an operation signal A indicating the content of the instruction from the user and an operation signal B indicating the content of the instruction from the administrator. The operation signal A and the operation signal B are examples of operation signals for controlling the air conditioner 30 . The information corresponding to the operation signal A (instruction information A) is information including the value of a user-controllable parameter such as a set temperature, an operation mode, or a wind speed. Here, the operation mode refers to any one of cooling, heating, or dehumidification, for example. The information corresponding to the operation signal B (instruction information B) is, for example, information on the operation schedule of the air conditioner 30 .

The remote controller 10 according to the embodiment has a "normal mode" function, and when an operation signal for changing the setting of the air conditioner 30 is received from the wireless communication device 20, only the air conditioner 30 to be controlled is set. Change; and the function of "unified setting mode", while changing the setting of the air conditioner 30 of the control object, while sending an operation signal to other remote controllers 10, the air conditioner 30 of the control object of the remote controller 10 of the transmission target is also performed. setting changes. In order to realize these functions, each remote controller 10 has the following functions.

Each of the plurality of remote controllers 10 transmits and receives an operation signal C to and from another remote controller 10 within a communicable range. The operation signal C is an example of an operation signal. The information corresponding to the operation signal C is information including the value of a parameter controllable by the user like the instruction information A, or information indicating an instruction from a manager like the instruction information B. The remote controller 10 may transmit the operation signal C by specifying the remote controller 10 of the transmission destination based on the ID, or may transmit the operation signal C to any remote controller 10 within a communicable range.

The remote controller 10 includes, for example, an input unit (not shown) such as buttons, and accepts input of instructions from the user. The contents of the instruction are instructions for the set temperature, the operation mode, the wind speed, and the like. When the operation signal A or the operation signal B is received from the wireless communication device 20, when the operation signal C is received from another remote controller 10, or when the input of instruction content is accepted via the input unit, etc., The remote controller 10 transmits the operation signal D to the air conditioner 30 to be controlled. The information corresponding to the operation signal D is the same as that of the instruction information A or the instruction information B.

The remote controller 10 that has received the operation signal A or B from the wireless communication device 20, or the operation signal C from another remote controller 10 transmits the operation signal D to the air conditioner 30 to be controlled in the collective setting mode, and for Other remote controllers 10 transmit operation signals C corresponding to the received operation signals. The remote controller 10 that has received the operation signal C transmits the operation signal D to the air conditioner 30 to be controlled, and if there are other communicable remote controllers 10 , transmits the operation signal C to the remote controller 10 .

The remote controller 10 transmits a response signal E when receiving an operation signal C or a division signal described later from another remote controller 10 . The remote controller 10 can receive a signal (not shown) indicating the operating state from the air conditioner 30 to be controlled. In addition, the remote controller 10 that has received the operation signal A or the operation signal B from the wireless communication device 20 can transmit a response signal F indicating the operating state or the like to the wireless communication device 20 as the sender. In addition, the response signal E may include information indicating the operating state of the air conditioner 30 controlled by the other remote controller 10, and the response signal F may include information indicating the operating state of the air conditioner 30 controlled by the other remote controller 10. . The response signal E is an example of a response signal.

In the air conditioning system 100 , each of the plurality of remote controllers 10 exchanges signals not only with the air conditioner 30 to be controlled but also with other remote controllers 10 and wireless communication devices 20 within a communicable range. When the remote controller 10 serving as the transmission destination of the operation signal C is in a communication state with other remote controllers 10, the wireless communication device 20, or the air conditioner 30, or when the intensity of the emitted radio waves is low, etc., there is a remote controller of the transmission destination. The controller 10 cannot receive the operation signal C, and there is a possibility that processing that should be executed quickly is delayed. The remote controller 10 according to the embodiment has the following functions in order to more reliably transmit the operation signal C to the remote controller 10 of the destination without interfering with the processing of the remote controller 10 of the destination.

The remote controller 10 always monitors the presence or absence of radio waves emitted from other remote controllers 10 . When it is not transmitting and receiving various signals such as an operation signal or a division signal described later, the remote controller 10 emits radio waves including its own ID. On the other hand, when the various signals are being transmitted and received, the remote controller 10 does not emit the radio waves. Hereinafter, unless otherwise stated, "radio wave" means a radio wave including its own ID emitted from the remote controller 10 other than when the various signals are being transmitted and received. The remote controller 10 detects the intensity of radio waves (radio wave strength) from other remote controllers 10 within the communicable range, and calculates a value (index value) which becomes an index of the soundness of the radio waves based on fluctuations in the radio wave strength within the first time period. . The first time is an example of a predetermined time. Among them, the soundness of the radio wave is determined by the number of times the radio wave intensity lower than the reference intensity is detected within the first time, or the ratio of the time when the radio wave intensity lower than the reference intensity is detected within the first time relative to the first time, etc. Decide. Here, the reference strength is a predetermined strength, for example, the minimum radio wave strength required to ensure the communication speed required by the user or manager of the air conditioner 30 . When the frequency of detection of radio wave intensity lower than the reference intensity is large or the ratio of detection of radio wave intensity lower than the reference intensity is large within the first time period, the soundness index value is small.

In addition, the remote controller 10 calculates the frequency (communication frequency) at which the other remote controllers 10 perform transmission and reception processing of the above-mentioned various signals. The frequency of communication is determined by the number of times radio waves cannot be detected within the first time, or the ratio of the time during which radio waves cannot be detected within the first time to the first time, or the like. The greater the number of radio waves that cannot be detected within the first time period or the greater the ratio of radio waves that cannot be detected, the higher the communication frequency is. The index value and communication frequency indicate the communication status of other remote controllers 10 . Therefore, the index value and communication frequency of the remote controller 10 are included in the information indicating the communication status of the remote controller 10 . When transmitting the operation signal C to another remote controller 10 , the remote controller 10 determines whether to divide the operation signal C based on the communication status of the other remote controller 10 , and determines the number of divisions when dividing the operation signal C.

When the index value of the other remote controller 10 is smaller than the predetermined reference value, the remote controller 10 increases the number of divisions of the operation signal C transmitted to the other remote controller 10 from the original number of divisions. Also, when the communication frequency of another remote controller 10 is higher than the predetermined reference frequency, the remote controller 10 increases the number of divisions of the operation signal C transmitted to the other remote controller 10 from the original number of divisions. Hereinafter, the number of divisions of undivided data and signals is set to 1.

The index value in the embodiment takes one of three values of 0, 1, and 2, for example. "0" indicates that the soundness of radio waves is low and the communication state is poor. "2" indicates that the soundness of radio waves is high and the communication state is good. "1" can be used as the above-mentioned reference value, and indicates that the degree of soundness of radio waves is higher than "0" or lower than "2". These index values are determined by the number or ratio of the radio wave intensity being lower than the reference intensity in the first time period. For example, the index value is determined to be "2" when the ratio of time during which the radio wave intensity is lower than the reference intensity in the first time is 10% or less, and is determined to be "1" when it is 10% to 50%. When it is 50% or more, it is determined as "0" or the like. In addition, the correspondence of this index value and the value of a ratio is an illustration, and it is not limited to this.

In the remote controller 10 according to the embodiment, for example, the number of divisions of the data of the operation signal C in each case where the index value is 0, 1, or 2 as described above is set in advance. For example, 10 is set as the number of divisions when the index value is 0, 3 is set as the number of divisions when the index value is 1, and 1 is set as the number of divisions when the index value is 2. In this case, when the index value is 0, the original 1 data is divided into 10 times the number of data, and when the index value is 1, the original 1 data is divided into 3 times the number of data For division, when the index value is 2, the original 1 piece of data is not divided. In addition, the above-mentioned three index values and the number of divisions corresponding to each index value are examples, and are not limited to the above-mentioned cases.

As the communication frequency in the embodiment, for example, three levels of "low", "medium", and "high" are set. These communication frequencies are determined by the number or ratio of radio waves not detected in the first time period. "Low" indicates that the ratio of the time when radio waves are not detected in the first time is, for example, 10% or less when the communication frequency is low, and "high" indicates that the ratio of time in which radio waves are not detected in the first time is, for example, When the communication frequency is high such as 30% or more. "Medium" can be used as a reference frequency, and represents the difference between each communication frequency of "low" and "high", such as when the ratio of the time when radio waves are not detected in the first time period is, for example, greater than 10% and less than or equal to 30%. between operating frequencies.

In the remote controller 10 according to the embodiment, for example, the number of divisions of the data of the operation signal C is set in advance when the communication frequency is "low", "medium", and "high" as described above. For example, set 1 as the number of divisions when the communication frequency is "low", set 5 as the number of divisions when the communication frequency is "medium", and set 15 as the number of divisions when the communication frequency is "high". Number of splits. In such a case, the original data is not divided when the communication frequency is "low", and the original data is divided into five times the number of data when the communication frequency is "medium". When the communication frequency is "high", the original 1 piece of data is divided into 15 times as many pieces of data. In addition, the communication frequencies of the above-mentioned three levels and the number of divisions corresponding to each level are examples, and are not limited to the above-mentioned cases.

The number of divisions can be set according to the specifications of the remote controller 10 or assumed specification conditions. In addition, the number of divisions can be set based on the size of the transmission data, and the transmission data can be divided into a plurality of data each having a certain size. For example, when radio waves are detected at regular intervals during the first time period and the communication frequency is determined by the number of times radio waves are detected during the first time period, when the remote controller 10 of the data transmission destination performs two communications at a time, When receiving data of more than one byte, the data receiving process cannot be completed during the above-mentioned constant interval, and thus the communication frequency of the other remote controller 10 becomes more than the reference frequency, the data may be divided into two Data in units of bytes or less.

The data obtained by dividing the data of the operation signal C in the embodiment includes information indicating the priority of instruction contents indicated by the data of the operation signal C before division. Hereinafter, data obtained by dividing the data of the operation signal C may be described as divided data, and a signal corresponding to the divided data may be described as divided signals. High priority data is data that needs to be processed more quickly. By setting priority for each divided signal, when one remote controller 10 continuously receives divided signals from a plurality of remote controllers 10, the one remote controller 10 can select the divided signal that should be processed more quickly. . Thereby, when receiving divided signals from a plurality of remote controllers 10 consecutively, each remote controller 10 can process data in descending order of priority. Therefore, it is possible to improve the processing speed of the air conditioning system 100 as a whole. The priority may be determined based on the content of the instruction, or may be determined by analyzing the data of the operation signal or the like.

The remote controller 10 that has continuously received divided signals from a plurality of other remote controllers 10 waits for the transmission process of the other remote controllers 10 that transmit divided signals including data with low priority. As a result, the remote controller 10 processes data with a higher priority first, and suppresses collisions of data to be received, thereby suppressing loss of data to be received. Hereinafter, the configuration of the remote controller 10 for realizing the above-mentioned functions will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks included in the remote controller according to the embodiment. The remote controller 10 includes a first communication unit 11 , a second communication unit 12 , a wireless path management unit 13 , a main control unit 14 , a display control unit 15 , and a display unit 16 .

The first communication unit 11 performs wireless communication using infrared rays or the like with the air conditioner 30 to be controlled, transmits an operation signal D to the air conditioner 30 , and receives a signal indicating an operating state from the air conditioner 30 . The first communication unit 11 has a first communication control unit 11A and a first communication interface unit 11B. The first communication control unit 11A transmits the operation signal D to the air conditioner 30 to be controlled via the first communication interface unit 11B, and receives a signal indicating the operating state from the air conditioner 30 through the first communication interface unit 11B.

In addition, instead of wireless communication, the first communication unit 11 may perform wired communication with the air conditioner 30 to be controlled. In addition, 11 A of 1st communication control parts may not receive the signal which shows an operation state from the air-conditioning apparatus 30 of a control object.

The second communication unit 12 is an example of a communication unit. The second communication unit 12 performs wireless communication with the wireless communication device 20 or other remote controllers 10 within the communicable range, receives the operation signal A or the operation signal B from the wireless communication device 20, and performs the operation signal C or the operation signal with the other remote controllers 10. Split signal transmission and reception. In addition, the second communication unit 12 transmits the response signal E to the remote controller 10 that is the sender of the operation signal C or the divided signal. The second communication unit 12 may transmit the response signal F to the wireless communication device 20 that is the sender of the operation signal A or the operation signal B. The second communication unit 12 has a second communication control unit 12A, a wireless device detection unit 12B, and a second communication interface unit 12C. The second communication control unit 12A transmits the operation signal C, division signal, or response signal E to the other remote controller 10 via the second communication interface unit 12C. In addition, the second communication control unit 12A receives an operation signal, a division signal, a response signal, or the like from the wireless communication device 20 or another remote controller 10 via the second communication interface unit 12C.

The wireless device detection unit 12B detects another remote controller 10 via the second communication interface unit 12C. The wireless device detection unit 12B detects the ID, radio wave strength, and the like of other remote controllers 10 by detecting radio waves through the second communication interface unit 12C. The wireless route management unit 13 stores the IDs of other remote controllers 10 detected by the wireless device detection unit 12B, values of radio wave strength, and the like.

The display control unit 15 controls the display unit 16 , and the display unit 16 displays various information in accordance with instructions from the display control unit 15 . The main control unit 14 controls the first communication unit 11 , the second communication unit 12 , and the display control unit 15 .

The main control unit 14 stores the ID included in the radio wave detected by the wireless device detection unit 12B at the first time and the intensity of the radio wave in the wireless path management unit 13 . The main control unit 14 compares the index value of the soundness of radio waves from the remote controller 10 having the ID stored together with the radio wave strength and the radio wave strength of the remote controller 10 based on the radio wave strength stored in the wireless path management unit 13 at the first time. Communication frequency etc. are calculated. The main control unit 14 sets the number of data divisions of the operation signal C to be transmitted to the remote controller 10 based on the calculated index value and communication frequency. In addition, the main control unit 14 appropriately sets the transmission intervals between the divided signals.

The main control unit 14 controls the second communication unit 12 to transmit the divided signal to the remote controller 10C of the transmission destination. Here, the operation of dividing the data of the operation signal C may be performed by the main control unit 14 , or may be performed by the second communication control unit 12A under the control of the main control unit 14 .

When continuously receiving divided signals from a plurality of other remote controllers 10, the main control unit 14 refers to the priorities of the divided signals from the plurality of other remote controllers 10 to divide the data in an order corresponding to the priorities. deal with. The main control unit 14 generates data to instruct the sender of the divided signal with a low priority to wait for transmission processing, and controls the second communication unit 12 to transmit a response signal E including the data indicating to wait to the divided signal with a low priority. The sender's remote control 10.

When a response signal E instructing to wait for the transmission process is received from the destination of the divided signal via the second communication unit 12, the main control unit 14 controls the second communication unit 12 to make the transmission process of the divided signal wait for a predetermined constant. period of time, and transmit a division signal after the elapse of the certain time. Wherein, the length of the certain period of time may be determined according to the priority of the divided signal.

The remote controller 10 according to the embodiment can be composed of processors such as CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit), memories such as ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access memory), communication interface circuits, HDD (Hard Disk Disk Drive) and other storage devices, and liquid crystal display or CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and other display devices. The function of the first communication interface unit 11B can be realized by a communication interface circuit for communication using infrared rays or the like. The second communication interface unit 12C is realized by a communication interface circuit for communication based on Bluetooth (registered trademark) or ZigBee (registered trademark). The function of the display unit 16 can be realized by a display device. The function of the wireless path management unit 13 can be realized by a memory or a storage device. Each function of the main control unit 14, the first communication control unit 11A, the second communication control unit 12A, the wireless device detection unit 12B, and the display control unit 15 can read various programs or data stored in the memory or storage device through the processor. Wait and execute to achieve. The remote controller 10 may use all or part of it as dedicated hardware. For example, the main control unit 14 can be configured using a circuit device that realizes its function.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the format of divided data in the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3 , the split data includes data number, total number, priority, and payload (Payload) and so on. The total number is the total number of divided data generated by dividing the data of one operation signal C. The data number indicates which number of the data of the operation signal C the divided data is. For example, when the data of the operation signal C is divided into 10 pieces, the data number and the total number included in the fifth piece of divided data are 5 and 10, respectively.

The divided data are sequentially transmitted to the remote controller 10 of the transmission destination from the first data having a data number such as 1, for example. The remote controller 10 of the transmission destination receives all the divided data from the first divided data in the data of the operation signal C to the last divided data whose data number is equal to the total number. The remote controller 10 restores the data of the operation signal C by combining the divided data after receiving all the divided data of the operation signal C.

As described above, the priority indicates the priority of the divided data, and the data that should be processed more quickly is set with a higher priority. The payload is the main body of data.

4 is a diagram showing an example of a data format of a response signal from a remote controller to another remote controller in the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4 , the data of the response signal E includes a wait (Wait) flag, a split communication flag, and a payload. However, in the following, the data of the response signal E may also be described as response data. The standby flag is an example of information indicating a standby instruction for the divisional signal transmission process to another remote controller 10 . The waiting flag is a flag for causing the remote controller 10 that transmits a divided signal with a lower priority to wait for a certain period of time for transmission of the next divided signal while the remote controller 10 is receiving divided signals from a plurality of other remote controllers 10 .

The split communication flag is information for indicating to all the remote controllers 10 that are the sender of the split signal that the remote controller 10 is continuing to receive the split signal while the remote controller 10 continues to receive the split signal.

Hereinafter, the operation of the remote controller 10 according to the embodiment will be described in detail. The operations of the remote controller 10 described below are the following four. The first operation is the sampling operation of the radio wave intensity. The second operation is an operation of determining whether or not to divide the operation signal C. The third operation is the transmission operation of the divided signal. The fourth operation is the reception operation of the division signal and the operation signal. Among them, the sampling of the radio wave intensity in the embodiment refers to the acquisition process and the storage process of the radio wave intensity.

Hereinafter, the sampling operation of the radio wave intensity will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5 . 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of sampling radio wave strengths of other remote controllers by the remote controller according to the embodiment. The radio wave intensity sampling operation is started by the remote controller 10 that is not transmitting and receiving an operation signal or a divided signal. In step S101 , the remote controller 10 waits until the second communication unit 12 of the remote controller 10 detects a radio wave with an intensity equal to or greater than the reference intensity from another remote controller 10 (step S101 : No). In step S101, when the second communication unit 12 detects radio waves with an intensity equal to or higher than the reference intensity from other remote controllers 10 (step S101: Yes), the second communication control unit 12A of the second communication unit 12 sends The ID of the radio controller 10 is notified to the main control unit 14, and the processing of the remote controller 10 proceeds to step S102.

In step S102 , the main control unit 14 stores the ID of the remote controller 10 and the radio wave intensity of the radio wave source with an intensity equal to or greater than the reference intensity detected in step S101 in the wireless path management unit 13 . In the next step S103 , the main control unit 14 samples the radio wave intensities of all the remote controllers 10 whose IDs are stored in the wireless path management unit 13 . The remote controller 10 is on standby until the predetermined second time elapses in step S104 (step S104: No). However, the second time is shorter than the first time.

When the second time has elapsed in step S104 (step S104: Yes), in step S105, the main control unit 14 re-samples the radio wave intensities of all remote controllers 10 whose IDs are stored in the wireless path management unit 13. .

In step S106, the main control unit 14 judges whether or not a predetermined predetermined number of times of sampling has been performed. The main control unit 14 performs this determination by checking, for example, the number of samples of the radio wave strength value of each ID stored in the wireless path management unit 13 . Here, the time when the number of times of completed sampling reaches the predetermined number corresponds to the time when the first time elapses from the start of sampling in step S103.

In step S106, when the main control unit 14 determines that the number of times of sampling performed has not reached the predetermined number of times (step S106: NO), the processing of the remote controller 10 returns to step S104. In step S106, when the main control unit 14 determines that the number of times of sampling performed has reached the predetermined number of times (step S106: Yes), in step S107, the main control unit 14 The index value of the soundness of radio waves and the communication frequency of the remote controller 10 of each ID are calculated based on the values of all the radio wave strengths of each ID, and stored in the wireless path management unit 13 .

In one example of this processing, the index value of the soundness of the radio wave is calculated using the number of times that the radio wave intensity lower than the reference intensity is detected out of the total number of samples at the first time. That is, the greater the number of times that radio wave intensity lower than the reference intensity is detected in the first time period, the smaller the index value in this example.

In one example of this processing, the communication frequency of the remote controller 10 is calculated from the number of times radio waves are not detected in a predetermined number of samples. That is, the higher the number of times radio waves cannot be detected in the predetermined number of samples, the higher the communication frequency in this example.

After the process of step S107, while the ID of the new remote controller 10 is not detected (step S108: No), the main control part 14 repeats the process of step S103 and subsequent steps. When the ID of the new remote controller 10 is detected (step S108: YES), the main control unit 14 repeats the processing after step S102. However, these processes may be interrupted during transmission and reception of operation signals. In addition, in step S107, the main control unit 14 updates the index value and communication frequency associated with each ID stored in the wireless path management unit 13 in the immediately preceding step S107 to the newly calculated An index value and communication frequency of the soundness of the radio wave strength of the remote controller 10 of the ID. Alternatively, the main control unit 14 may store the new index value and communication frequency together with the previously stored index value and communication frequency without performing this update.

Hereinafter, the remote controller 10 according to the embodiment will describe the determination process of dividing the operation signal C of the other remote controller 10 based on the soundness of the radio wave strength and the communication frequency of the other remote controller 10 and the number of divisions. . FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of determination processing of whether or not to divide an operation signal and the number of divisions by the main control unit in the embodiment. When an event triggering the transmission process of the operation signal C to another remote controller 10 occurs in step S201, in step S202, the main control unit 14 refers to the wireless path management unit 13 to read the remote control signal C of the transmission destination. The index value and the communication frequency of the soundness of the radio wave intensity of the device 10. Among them, as an event that triggers the transmission process of the operation signal C to another remote controller 10 , for example, a case where an operation signal is received from the wireless communication device 20 or another remote controller 10 is mentioned.

In step S203 , the main control unit 14 judges whether or not the index value of the soundness of the radio wave of the transmission destination remote controller 10 is equal to or less than a reference value. When the index value is equal to or less than the reference value (step S203: Yes), in step S204, the main control unit 14 sets the number of divisions of the data of the operation signal C based on the index value.

Following step S204, the main control unit 14 determines in step S205 whether or not the communication frequency of the remote controller 10 of the transmission destination is equal to or higher than the reference frequency. When the communication frequency of the remote controller 10 of the transmission destination is equal to or higher than the reference frequency (step S205: Yes), in step S206, the main control unit 14 further sets the number of divisions based on the communication frequency. This setting may change the number of divisions stepwise from the number of divisions set in step S204 based on the level of communication frequency, or set the number of divisions that is several times the number of divisions set in step S204 as the new number of divisions. . In addition, the number of divisions corresponding to the combination of the index value and the communication frequency may be determined in advance and stored in the wireless path management unit 13, and the main control unit 14 may refer to the wireless path management unit 13 and based on the index value of the remote controller 10 of the transmission destination and Communication frequency to set the number of divisions.

After the processing in step S206, in step S207, the second communication unit 12 divides the data of the operation signal C into the number of divisions set in step S206 according to the instruction from the main control unit 14, and sends the data to the remote control of the transmission destination. device 10 sends.

When it is determined in step S205 that the communication frequency is lower than the reference frequency (step S205: No), in step S207, the second communication unit 12 transmits the data of the operation signal C according to the instruction from the main control unit 14. It is divided into the number of divisions set in step S204, and transmitted to the remote controller 10 of the transmission destination.

When it is determined in step S203 that the index value is greater than the reference value (step S203: No), in step S208, the main control unit 14 determines whether the communication frequency of the remote controller 10 of the transmission destination is greater than or equal to the reference frequency. . When the communication frequency of the remote controller 10 of the transmission destination is equal to or higher than the reference frequency (step S208: Yes), in step S209, the main control unit 14 sets the number of divisions based on the communication frequency.

After the processing in step S209, in step S207, the second communication unit 12 divides the data of the operation signal C into the number of divisions set in step S209 according to the instruction from the main control unit 14, and sends the data to the remote control of the transmission destination. device 10 sends.

When it is determined in step S208 that the communication frequency is lower than the reference frequency (step S208: No), in step S210, the second communication unit 12 does not divide the operation signal C according to the instruction from the main control unit 14. The transmission is made to the remote controller 10 of the transmission destination.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of transmission processing of divided data by the remote controller according to the embodiment. In step S301, the main control unit 14 stores 1 in i indicating the data number. In step S302, the main control unit 14 controls the second communication unit 12 to transmit the i-th divided data to the remote controller 10 of the transmission destination. In step S303, the main control unit 14 determines whether or not all the divided data have been transmitted. This determination is made, for example, based on whether or not i is equal to the total number of divided data. When the transmission of all the divided data has not been completed (step S303: No), the main control unit 14 that has received the response data for the transmission of the i-th divided data via the second communication unit 12 responds to the response data in step S304. It is judged whether or not the wait flag is set in the data.

When the waiting flag is not set (step S304: NO), the processing of the main control unit 14 proceeds to step S306. When the waiting flag is set (step S304: Yes), in step S305, the main control unit 14 waits for a certain time and then advances the processing to step S306. In step S306, the main control unit 14 stores a value obtained by adding 1 to the value of i in i.

When the main control unit 14 determines in step S303 that the transmission of all the divided data has been completed (step S303: YES), the transmission process of the divided data ends.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of data reception processing by the remote controller according to the embodiment. In step S401 , the main control unit 14 receives an operation signal, a division signal, or the like via the second communication unit 12 . The main control unit 14 analyzes the received data such as the operation signal or the divided signal, and determines whether the total number is 1 or not. However, in this example, the data of the undivided operation signal has an area for storing the total number of data similarly to the divided data, and 1 is stored in this area. When the total number of data received in step S402 is 1 (step S402: YES), in step S403, the remote controller 10 completes the data receiving process after processing the received data. When the total number of data received in step S402 is not 1 (step S402: No), in step S404, the main control part 14 performs the reception process of divided data.

In step S405 , the main control unit 14 refers to the wireless path management unit 13 to determine whether the ID of the remote controller 10 of the sender of the divided data is stored as the ID of the remote controller 10 of the communication destination of the divided data. When the ID of the remote controller 10 of the sender of the divided data is not stored in the wireless path management unit 13 as the ID of the remote controller 10 of the communication target of the divided data (step S405: No), in step S406, the host The control unit 14 stores the ID of the sender's remote controller 10 and the priority of the divided data in the wireless path management unit 13 . The wireless path management unit 13 stores the ID of the sender's remote controller 10 of the divided data and the priority of the divided data during the continuation of the receiving process of the divided data by the processing of the main control unit 14 in step S406.

When the ID of the remote controller 10 of the sender of the divided data is stored in the wireless path management unit 13 as the ID of the remote controller 10 of the communication object of the divided data in step S405 (step S405: Yes), or in step S406 After the processing of , the processing of the main control unit 14 proceeds to step S407. In step S407 , the main control unit 14 determines whether or not it is in the process of continuing to receive divided data from a plurality of remote controllers 10 . Here, the main control unit 14 performs this determination by referring to the number of IDs of remote controllers 10 of the communication destinations in the divided data stored in the wireless path management unit 13 . When not continuing to receive divided data from a plurality of remote controllers 10 (step S407: NO), the processing of the main control unit 14 proceeds to step S409.

When in the process of continuing to receive divided data from a plurality of remote controllers 10 (step S407: Yes), in step S408, the main control unit 14 prioritizes the divided data received in step S404. It is determined whether or not the priority is higher than the divided data from other remote controllers 10 . When the priority of the divided data received in step S404 is the highest among the divided data from a plurality of remote controllers 10 (step S408: YES), in step S409, the main control unit 14 sets The response data in which the waiting flag is not set is transmitted to the remote controller 10 of the sender of the divided data subjected to the receiving process in step S404. When the priority of the divided data received in step S404 is not the highest among the divided data from a plurality of remote controllers 10 (step S408: No), in step S410, the main control unit 14 will The response data with the waiting flag set is sent to the remote controller 10 of the sender of the divided data subjected to the reception process in step S404. After the processing of step S409 or the processing of step S410 is executed, the processing of the main control unit 14 proceeds to step S411.

In addition, in step S408, the main control unit 14 may determine whether or not the priority of the divided data subjected to the reception process in step S404 is equal to or higher than the reference priority. In such a case, the process of step S409 may be performed when the priority of the divided data is higher than the reference priority, and the process of step S410 may be performed when the priority of the divided data is lower than the reference priority.

In step S411, the main control unit 14 refers to the total number and data numbers of the divided data received in step S404. Then, the main control unit 14 judges whether or not the data number is equal to the total number, that is, whether or not the divided data subjected to the receiving process in step S404 is the last divided data. When the data number is not equal to the total number (step S411: No), the data reception process by the remote controller 10 returns to step S401.

In the case where the data number is equal to the total number (step S411: Yes), in step S412, the main control unit 14 deletes the ID of the remote controller 10 stored in the wireless path management unit 13 as a communication target of the divided data in step S412. The ID of the remote controller 10 of the sender of the divided data subjected to the receiving process in S404. After the processing of step S412, the data reception processing ends.

Hereinafter, a specific operation example of the air conditioning system 100 according to the above-mentioned embodiment will be described. Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of operation of the air conditioning system according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram assuming that when the user sets the temperature or operation mode on the remote controller 10A via the wireless communication device 20A, the manager updates the data of the operation schedule on the remote controller 10B through the wireless communication device 20B. While the remote controller 10A is not transmitting and receiving operation signals or divided signals, radio waves are emitted from the remote controller 10A, and the remote controller 10B samples the radio wave intensity of the remote controller 10A.

Next, an operation signal A is transmitted from the wireless communication device 20A to the remote controller 10A by the user's operation. The remote controller 10B detects that the remote controller 10A is transmitting and receiving the operation signal based on the fact that the radio wave from the remote controller 10A is interrupted when the remote controller 10A receives the operation signal A. The remote controller 10B stores information indicating that the radio wave of the remote controller 10A is not detected (for example, radio wave strength=0) in the radio path management unit 13 in the sampling of the radio wave strength. The remote controller 10B calculates the index value and communication frequency of the soundness of the radio wave of the remote controller 10A within the first time period.

The manager starts the process of updating the data of the operation schedule using the wireless communication device 20B. The manager first transmits an operation signal B including schedule data to the remote controller 10B through the wireless communication device 20B. Upon receiving the operation signal B, the remote controller 10B sets the number of data divisions of the operation signal C to be sent to the remote controller 10A based on the index value of the soundness of radio waves of the remote controller 10A and the communication frequency. Here, the number of divisions is assumed to be two or more. The remote control 10B transmits the divided data obtained by dividing the data of the operation signal C into the set number of divisions to the remote control 10A.

When the calculated communication frequency of the remote controller 10A is high, for example, the reference frequency or higher, the remote controller 10B may transmit the next communication data after a certain time is set after transmission of one piece of divided data. However, the remote controller 10B does not need to set the above-mentioned fixed time period while the response signal E in which the waiting flag is set is not received. When the remote controller 10A starts the process of receiving the divided data, the display control unit 15 may control the display unit 16 to display content indicating that the divided data is being received. This is for notifying the user that there is a possibility that the processing speed of the remote controller 10A may decrease. In addition, the remote controller 10A may transmit, to the wireless communication device 20A, a response signal F including data indicating that divided data is being received in response to the operation signal A received from the wireless communication device 20A. The wireless communication device 20A that has received the response signal F can display on a screen not shown that the communication congestion of the remote controller 10A is congested, indicating that the remote controller 10A is delayed in reflecting the setting of the air conditioner 30 to be controlled. possibility.

Next, in the air conditioning system 100 shown in FIG. 9 , at least one of the case where the index value of the soundness of the radio wave intensity of the remote controller 10A is less than the reference value and the case where the communication frequency is higher than the reference frequency is satisfied. Next, the operations of the remote controller 10A, the remote controller 10B, and the like will be described. The remote controller 10B grasps the communication status (index value and communication frequency) of the remote controller 10A by sampling the radio waves from the remote controller 10A. Next, the manager starts the process of updating the data of the operation schedule via the wireless communication device 20B. The manager first transmits an operation signal B including schedule data to the remote controller 10B through the wireless communication device 20B. Upon receiving the operation signal B, the remote controller 10B sets the number of data divisions of the operation signal C to be sent to the remote controller 10A based on the index value of the soundness of radio waves of the remote controller 10A and the communication frequency. Here, the number of divisions is assumed to be two or more. The remote control 10B transmits the divided data obtained by dividing the data of the operation signal C into the set number of divisions to the remote control 10A. In the case where the priority of the split data is high, the remote controller 10B may transmit the split data to the remote controller 10A at no time interval in order not to interfere with communications from other remote controllers 10, or may transmit the split data in a short time. Send the next split data at intervals.

In addition to the specific operation example of the above-mentioned remote controller 10, the remote controller 10 can exclude the remote controller 10 whose communication frequency is higher than the reference frequency, for example, from the transmission destination of the operation signal C or the divided signal in the unified setting mode. . Furthermore, the remote controller 10 may transmit the operation signal C or the split signal only to the remote controller 10 whose communication frequency is, for example, lower than a reference frequency or the like. Hereinafter, the operation of the remote controller 10 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 10 .

Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of operation of the air conditioning system according to the embodiment. The air conditioning system 100 includes a remote controller 10A, a remote controller 10B, and a remote controller 10C. The remote controller 10B samples the respective radio wave intensities of the remote controller 10A and the remote controller 10C, and calculates a soundness index value and communication frequency of the respective radio wave strengths of the remote controller 10A and the remote controller 10C.

Next, an operation signal A is transmitted from the wireless communication device 20A to the remote controller 10A by the user's operation on the wireless communication device 20A. Accordingly, the remote controller 10B detects that the communication frequency of the remote controller 10A has become higher than the reference frequency, for example. In addition, it is assumed that the communication frequency of the remote controller 10C is lower than the reference frequency, for example. Next, an operation signal B is transmitted from the wireless communication device 20B to the remote controller 10B by the administrator's operation of the wireless communication device 20B. The remote controller 10B can exclude the remote controller 10A from the transmission target of the operation signal C or the divided signal based on the respective communication conditions of the remote controller 10A and the remote controller 10C, and transmit the operation signal C or the divided signal to the remote controller 10C.

Next, a specific example of transmission and reception operations of split signals between remote controllers 10 based on priorities in air conditioning system 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 11 . Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of operation of the air conditioning system according to the embodiment. The air conditioning system 100 includes a remote controller 10A, a remote controller 10B, and a remote controller 10C. While the remote controller 10B is transmitting the split signal to the remote controller 10A, the remote controller 10C starts sending a split signal with higher priority than the split signal sent from the remote controller 10B to the remote controller 10A to the remote controller 10A. At this time, the remote controller 10A transmits a response signal E in which a waiting flag is set to the remote controller 10B. The remote controller 10B waits for a certain period of time until transmission of the next divided data. On the other hand, since the split signal sent from the remote controller 10C to the remote controller 10A has a higher priority, the remote controller 10A sends a response signal E without setting the waiting flag to the remote controller 10C. Thus, the remote controller 10C can continuously transmit the divided signals without providing a waiting time. Therefore, the remote controller 10A and the remote controller 10C can transmit and receive data with a higher priority.

The remote controller 10 according to the embodiment includes a second communication unit 12 , a wireless path management unit 13 , a main control unit 14 , and the like. The second communication unit 12 transmits and receives from one or more other remote controllers 10 an operation signal C for controlling all or a part of one or more air conditioners 30 or a divided signal obtained by dividing the operation signal C into a plurality. In addition, the second communication unit 12 detects radio waves emitted during a period other than a period when one or more other remote controllers 10 transmit and receive at least one of an operation signal and a divided signal. The wireless path management unit 13 stores the intensity of radio waves emitted by one or more other remote controllers 10 detected by the second communication unit 12 . The main control unit 14 calculates the index value and the communication frequency indicating the soundness of the radio waves of the one or more other remote controllers 10 based on the radio wave strengths of the one or more other remote controllers 10 stored in the wireless path management unit 13 . . When transmitting the operation signal C to another remote controller 10, the main control unit 14 determines whether to divide the operation signal C based on at least one of an index value indicating the soundness of radio waves and a communication frequency of the other remote controller 10. Decide. The second communication unit 12 transmits the operation signal C or the divided signal to the other remote controllers 10 based on the determination of the main control unit 14 . Thereby, communication that flexibly responds to the communication status of the remote controllers 10 can be realized between the remote controllers 10 .

When the index value indicating the soundness of radio waves emitted by another remote controller 10 to which the operation signal C is transmitted is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value, and the communication frequency of the other remote controller 10 is the predetermined reference frequency In the case of at least one of the above cases, the main control unit 14 of the remote controller 10 according to the embodiment determines to divide the operation signal C into a plurality of divided signals. Thereby, the division process of the operation signal C transmitted to the other remote controller 10 can be performed as needed according to the communication status of the other remote controller 10 .

When dividing the operation signal C into divided signals, the main control unit 14 of the remote controller 10 according to the embodiment determines the number of divisions of the operation signal C based on at least one of an index value and a communication frequency. Thereby, unnecessary division processing can be suppressed according to the communication state of another remote controller 10, and the loss of the data transmitted to this other remote controller 10 can be suppressed.

The main control unit 14 of the remote controller 10 according to the embodiment refers to the wireless path management unit 13, based on the number of times the intensity of radio waves emitted by one or more other remote controllers 10 is lower than a predetermined reference intensity within a predetermined time, Alternatively, an index value indicating soundness of radio waves emitted by one or more other remote controllers 10 is calculated as a ratio of time when the intensity of radio waves emitted by each of one or more other remote controllers 10 is lower than the reference intensity relative to a predetermined time. In addition, the main control unit 14 is based on the number of times that the second communication unit 12 cannot detect the radio waves emitted by each of one or more other remote controllers 10 within a predetermined time, or the second communication unit 12 cannot detect one or more other remote controllers. The communication frequency of one or more other remote controllers 10 is calculated based on the time of radio waves emitted by each of the remote controllers 10 . Thereby, the index value and communication frequency which show the communication status of another remote controller 10 can be calculated more accurately using a sampling result.

When a split signal is received from one or more other remote controllers 10 , the wireless path management unit 13 of the remote controller 10 according to the embodiment stores the priority included in the split signal. When the second communication unit 12 is in the process of continuing to receive divided signals from a plurality of other remote controllers 10, the main control unit 14 determines the priority of each divided signal from the plurality of other remote controllers 10 to be processed. The order of the split signals. In addition, the main control unit 14 causes the second communication unit 12 to transmit an instruction to some of the plurality of other remote controllers 10 based on the priority of the divided signals from each of the plurality of other remote controllers 10 to wait for the transmission of the divided signals in advance. The response signal E for a determined period of time. Thus, among the plurality of remote controllers 10 , the remote controller 10 that is continuing to receive the split signal can execute the split signal processing with a higher priority, and can suppress loss of data transmitted from other remote controllers 10 .

When the second communication unit 12 detects radio waves from a plurality of other remote controllers 10 , the main control unit 14 of the remote controller 10 according to the embodiment responds to the radio wave of the plurality of other remote controllers 10 with high communication frequency. The other remote controllers 10 control the second communication unit 12 so as not to transmit the operation signal C or the divided signal, and control the second communication unit 12 so as to transmit the operation signal C or the divided signal to the other remote controllers 10 with low communication frequency. Thereby, for the remote controller 10 where the transmitted divided signal may be discarded or the processing may be delayed, it is possible to save futile transmission of the divided signal. In addition, by transmitting the divided signal only to the remote controller 10 with a low communication frequency, the transmission process can be accelerated, and the operation in the remote controller 10 of the transmission destination can be quickly reflected.

When transmitting a divided signal, the main control unit 14 of the remote controller 10 according to the embodiment bases on the priority of the divided signal, the communication frequency of other remote controllers 10 to which the divided signal is transmitted, and the frequency of transmission from the divided signal. The transmission interval of the split signal is determined by at least one of the index values of the soundness of radio waves of other remote controllers 10 . After transmission of one divided signal, the second communication unit 12 transmits the next divided signal at the determined transmission interval. As a result, the remote controller 10 on the sender side of the split signal can perform transmission processing in accordance with the communication status of the destination remote controller 10 and the priority of the split signal, and the air conditioning system 100 as a whole can respond to the communication status of each remote controller 10. flexible processing.

The remote controller 10 according to the embodiment further includes a display unit 16 for displaying that the remote controller 10 is receiving a divided signal while the remote controller 10 is receiving a divided signal from another remote controller 10 . Thereby, the user of the remote controller 10 can know in advance the delay in the reflection of the operation.

The air conditioning system 100 according to the embodiment includes one or more remote controllers 10 for controlling one or more air conditioners 30 . The remote controller 10 transmits and receives an operation signal C for controlling all or part of one or more air conditioners 30 or a divided signal obtained by dividing the operation signal C from one or more other remote controllers 10 . In addition, the remote controller 10 detects radio waves emitted by one or more other remote controllers 10 other than the period when at least one of the operation signal and the divided signal is transmitted and received. In addition, the remote controller 10 stores the detected intensity of radio waves. The remote controller 10 calculates an index value indicating the soundness of the radio waves of the one or more other remote controllers 10 and a communication frequency based on the stored radio wave intensities of the other remote controllers 10 . When transmitting the operation signal C to another remote controller 10, the remote controller 10 determines whether to divide the operation signal C based on at least one of the index value indicating the soundness of radio waves and the communication frequency of the other remote controller 10. , transmits the operation signal C or the divided signal to the other remote controller 10 based on the determination. Accordingly, communication flexibly responding to the communication status of the remote controllers 10 can be realized between the remote controllers 10 of the air conditioning system 100 .

Explanation of reference signs:

10, 10A, 10B, 10C…remote controller; 11…first communication unit; 11A…first communication control unit; 11B…first communication interface unit; 12…second communication unit; 12A…second communication control unit; 12B …Wireless device detection unit; 12C…Second communication interface unit; 13…Wireless path management unit; 14…Main control unit; 15…Display control unit; 16…Display unit; 20, 20A, 20B…Wireless communication device; 30… Air-conditioning device; 100...air-conditioning system; A, B, C, D...operation signals; E, F...response signals.

Claims (8)

1. A remote controller 1 remote controller among 1 or more remote controllers for controlling 1 or more air conditioners, respectively, comprising:

a communication means for transmitting and receiving an operation signal for controlling all or a part of the 1 or more air conditioners to and from 1 or more other remote controllers or for dividing the operation signal into a plurality of divided signals, and for detecting radio waves emitted from the 1 or more other remote controllers during a period other than a period during which at least one of the operation signal and the divided signals is transmitted and received;

a wireless path management unit that stores the intensities of the radio waves transmitted from the 1 or more other remote controllers detected by the communication unit; and

a main control means for calculating at least 1 of an index value indicating soundness of the radio wave transmitted from each of the 1 or more other remote controllers and a communication frequency at which each of the 1 or more other remote controllers transmits and receives the operation signal and at least one of the division signals, based on the intensity of the radio wave transmitted from each of the 1 or more other remote controllers stored in the radio path management means,

when the operation signal is transmitted to the other remote controller, the main control means determines whether or not to divide the operation signal based on at least one of the index value indicating the soundness of the radio wave transmitted from the other remote controller and the communication frequency of the other remote controller, and the communication means transmits the operation signal or the divided signal obtained by dividing the operation signal into a plurality of parts to the other remote controller based on the determination,

the main control means may be configured to divide the operation signal into a plurality of divided signals when the index value indicating the soundness of the radio wave transmitted by the other remote controller to which the operation signal is transmitted is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference value, or when the communication frequency of the other remote controller to which the operation signal is transmitted is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference frequency.

2. The remote control of claim 1,

when the operation signal is divided into a plurality of the divided signals, the main control means determines the number of divisions of the operation signal based on at least one of the index value and the communication frequency.

3. The remote controller according to claim 1 or 2,

the main control means calculates the index value indicating the soundness of the radio wave emitted from each of the 1 or more other remote controllers based on the number of times the intensity of the radio wave emitted from each of the 1 or more other remote controllers is less than a predetermined reference intensity in a predetermined time period or a ratio of the time during which the intensity of the radio wave emitted from each of the 1 or more other remote controllers is less than the reference intensity to the predetermined time period with reference to the wireless path management means,

the main control means calculates the communication frequency of each of the 1 or more other remote controllers based on the number of times the communication means cannot detect the radio waves emitted from each of the 1 or more other remote controllers in the predetermined time period or the time period in which the communication means cannot detect the radio waves emitted from each of the 1 or more other remote controllers.

4. The remote controller according to claim 1 or 2,

the wireless path managing means stores the priority of the divided signal included in the received divided signal when the divided signal is received from the 1 or more other remote controllers,

when the communication means continues to receive the divided signals from the plurality of other remote controllers, the main control means determines the processing order of the divided signals from the plurality of other remote controllers based on the priority included in the divided signal from each of the plurality of other remote controllers, and causes the communication means to transmit a response signal to a part of the plurality of other remote controllers for a predetermined period of time to wait for transmission of the divided signal.

5. The remote controller according to claim 1 or 2,

when the communication means detects the radio waves from the plurality of other remote controllers, the main control means controls the communication means so as not to transmit the operation signal or a divided signal obtained by dividing the operation signal to the other remote controller having a high communication frequency among the plurality of other remote controllers, and controls the communication means so as to transmit the operation signal or a divided signal obtained by dividing the operation signal to the other remote controller having a low communication frequency.

6. The remote controller according to claim 1 or 2,

when the divided signals are transmitted, the main control means determines the transmission interval of the divided signals based on at least 1 of the priority of the divided signal, the communication frequency of the other remote controller to which the divided signal is transmitted, and the index value indicating the soundness of the radio wave from the other remote controller to which the divided signal is transmitted, and the communication means transmits the next divided signal with the transmission interval left after transmission of 1 divided signal.

7. The remote controller according to claim 1 or 2,

the remote controller further includes a display unit that displays that the remote controller is receiving the divided signal while the remote controller is receiving the divided signal from the other remote controller.

8. An air conditioning system having 1 or more remote controllers for controlling 1 or more air conditioning devices, respectively,

the 1 or more remote controllers respectively transmit and receive an operation signal for controlling all or a part of the 1 or more air-conditioning apparatuses to and from 1 or more other remote controllers or divide the operation signal into a plurality of divided signals,

detecting radio waves emitted from the 1 or more other remote controllers during a period other than a period during which at least one of the operation signal and the division signal is transmitted and received,

storing the intensity of the electric wave emitted by each of the 1 or more other remote controllers,

calculating at least 1 of an index value indicating soundness of the radio wave transmitted from each of the 1 or more other remote controllers and a communication frequency of each of the 1 or more other remote controllers for transmitting and receiving at least one of the operation signal and the division signal based on the stored intensity of the radio wave transmitted from each of the 1 or more other remote controllers,

when the operation signal is transmitted to the other remote controller, whether or not to divide the operation signal is determined based on at least one of the index value indicating the soundness of the radio wave transmitted by the other remote controller and the communication frequency of the other remote controller,

transmitting the operation signal or the division signal dividing the operation signal into a plurality of parts to the other remote controller based on the determination,

the operation signal is divided into a plurality of divided signals when the index value indicating the soundness of the radio wave transmitted by the other remote controller to which the operation signal is transmitted is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference value, or when the communication frequency of the other remote controller to which the operation signal is transmitted is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference frequency.

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