JP6994603B1 - Wireless communication system and wireless communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wireless communication system and a wireless communication method which can be easily introduced into an existing large-scale facility, do not cause radio interference, and can suppress power consumption. A wireless communication system 1 includes a plurality of electronic devices 20, a monitoring control device 10 for acquiring device signals transmitted by the plurality of electronic devices, and control signals between the plurality of electronic devices and the monitoring control device. It has a repeater 40 that relays equipment signals. The monitoring control device has a communication unit that transmits a control signal to a repeater and a plurality of electronic devices during the first communication period. The electronic device operates with a power supply unit having a solar cell and a secondary battery capable of storing the output power of the solar cell, a communication unit that transmits a device signal to a repeater, and a third power consumption. It has a state control unit that controls the state between the low power consumption state and the state. The repeater has a communication unit that transmits an equipment signal to the monitoring control device during the third communication period. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to a wireless communication system and a wireless communication method, and more particularly to a wireless communication system and a wireless communication method using a repeater.

In recent years, attention has been paid to demand control that can promote energy saving and reduce electricity charges. Demand control refers to limiting the use of a load device (for example, an air conditioner) at the peak of power consumption in order to suppress the demand power (demand) at the peak of power consumption.
The basic charge for electricity charges is calculated by multiplying the maximum demand power (maximum demand) for one year by the unit price. Therefore, by limiting the power demand at the peak of power consumption, the maximum demand can be suppressed, the basic charge can be reduced, and the annual power charge can be reduced.

Patent Document 1 includes a measurement unit that measures the power consumption, a monitoring unit that monitors the measured power consumption and outputs a demand control signal, and a control unit that controls the operation of the air conditioner based on the demand control signal. The demand control system is disclosed. The measurement unit, the monitoring unit, and the control unit each have a wireless communication unit, and are configured to be able to perform wireless communication with each other.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-247765

According to the demand control system disclosed in Patent Document 1, since it is not necessary to perform wiring work when introducing the demand control system, the demand control system can be introduced inexpensively in an existing facility such as a store. However, when the above-mentioned demand control system is introduced in a large-scale facility where multiple air conditioners are installed in the facility, such as a building or a factory, transmission / reception is performed between the plurality of control units and the monitoring unit. There was a risk that the wireless communication signals would interfere with each other. Further, when it is necessary to install the monitoring unit and the control unit at positions separated from each other, a large transmission power is required, and it may be difficult to improve energy saving.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is a wireless communication system that can be easily introduced into a large-scale facility such as a building or a factory and can suppress the occurrence of radio wave interference. And to provide a wireless communication method.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication system and a wireless communication method capable of suppressing power consumption.

According to the wireless communication system of the present invention, the subject is monitoring control for transmitting control signals to a plurality of electronic devices and the plurality of electronic devices and acquiring device signals transmitted by the plurality of electronic devices. A wireless communication system including a device, a control signal between the electronic device and the monitoring control device, and a repeater that relays the device signal, wherein the monitoring control device is used in a first communication period. It has a communication unit that transmits the control signal to the repeater and the plurality of electronic devices, and the electronic device has a solar cell and a secondary battery capable of storing the output power of the solar cell. The power supply unit, the communication unit that receives the control signal via the repeater in the first communication period, and transmits the device signal to the repeater in the second communication period, and the first. A third communication different from the normal state of operating with the first power consumption and the second power consumption in one communication period and the second communication period, respectively, and the first communication period and the second communication period. The repeater comprises a state control unit that controls a state between the first power consumption and a low power consumption state that operates at a third power consumption lower than the second power consumption during a period. In the first communication period, the control signal is received from the monitoring control device and transmitted to the electronic device, and in the second communication period, the device signal is received from the plurality of electronic devices, and the device signal is received. It is solved by having a communication unit for transmitting the device signal to the monitoring control device in the third communication period.

According to the above configuration, since the monitoring control device and the electronic device perform wireless communication via the repeater, even if the monitoring unit and the control unit are installed at positions separated from each other, they are relatively small. Wireless communication can be performed with transmission power. Then, in the first communication period, the control signal is transmitted from the monitoring control device to the electronic device, in the second communication period, the device signal is transmitted from the electronic device to the repeater, and in the third communication period. The communication timing of wireless communication is controlled so that the device signal is transmitted from the repeater to the monitoring control device. Therefore, it is possible to provide a wireless communication system capable of suppressing the occurrence of radio wave interference.
Further, the electronic device is controlled to operate with low power consumption during the period when transmission / reception is not performed. As a result, it is possible to suppress the power consumption of the wireless communication system and to prolong the driving time of the solar cell.

Further, it is preferable that the electronic device and the repeater have a synchronization control unit that performs synchronization control of communication timing based on the control signal received in the first communication period.
According to the above configuration, since the electronic device and the repeater synchronously control the communication timing by the control signal transmitted by the monitoring control device, it is not necessary to receive the dedicated synchronous signal. Therefore, it is possible to prolong the period during which the electronic device is in the low power consumption state, and it is possible to suppress the power consumption of the wireless communication system.

Further, the synchronous control unit synchronously controls the first communication period so that the timing is common among the monitoring control device, the plurality of electronic devices, and the repeater.
It is preferable to synchronously control the second communication period so that the timings differ from each other among the plurality of electronic devices.
According to the above configuration, the repeater and the electronic device can receive the control signal transmitted by the monitoring control device in the first communication period, and the device signal transmitted by the plurality of electronic devices in the second communication period. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of radio wave interference due to the above.

Further, the repeater is composed of a plurality of repeaters including a first repeater and a second repeater, and the communication unit of the first repeater is controlled by the monitoring control device during the first communication period. The signal is received and transmitted to the repeater other than the first repeater, and the device signal is received from the repeater other than the first repeater during the third communication period to monitor and control the device. The communication unit of the second repeater receives the control signal from the repeater other than the second repeater and transmits the control signal to the electronic device during the first communication period. It is preferable to receive the device signal from the electronic device and transmit it to the repeater other than the second repeater during the third communication period.
According to the above configuration, wireless communication between the monitoring control device and the electronic device can be relayed via a plurality of repeaters, so that the monitoring control device and the electronic device are installed at remote locations in the facility. Even in this case, wireless communication can be realized.

Further, the wireless communication system is used in a demand control system that performs demand control regarding power usage, and the monitoring control device is a demand control device that monitors power usage and outputs a demand control signal as the control signal. Therefore, it is preferable that the electronic device receives the demand control signal via the repeater and drives and controls a load device that consumes power based on the demand control signal.
According to the above configuration, the electronic device that has received the demand control signal transmitted by the monitoring control device can drive and control the load device to promote energy saving and reduce the power charge.

Further, the demand control system has an environment sensor capable of detecting an environment signal, and the environment sensor receives the control signal via the repeater during the first communication period and also receives the control signal via the repeater. It has a communication unit that transmits the environment signal to the repeater during the communication period, and a synchronization control unit that performs synchronization control of communication timing based on the control signal received during the first communication period. It is preferable that the demand control device receives the environmental signal via the repeater and outputs the demand control signal based on the environmental signal.
According to the above configuration, the monitoring control device wirelessly communicates with the environment sensor via the repeater and acquires the environment signal output by the environment sensor. As a result, demand control can be effectively performed according to the environment in the building or factory, so that it is possible to effectively promote energy saving and reduce power charges.

Further, it is preferable that the state control unit limits the power supplied from the power supply unit to the communication unit in the low power consumption state.
According to the above configuration, it is possible to effectively reduce the power consumption of an electronic device by limiting the power supply to the communication unit having the electronic component having a particularly large power consumption among the electronic components constituting the electronic device. can. Therefore, it is possible to prolong the driving time by the secondary battery built in the electronic device without supplying an external power source.

Further, according to the wireless communication method of the present invention, the subject is a plurality of electronic devices having a power supply unit including a solar cell and a secondary battery capable of storing the output power of the solar cell, and the plurality of electronic devices. A monitoring control device that transmits a control signal to the electronic device and acquires device signals transmitted by the plurality of electronic devices, and the control signal and the device signal between the electronic device and the monitoring control device. A wireless communication method using a wireless communication system including a repeater that relays a communication signal including the above, wherein the monitoring control device controls the repeater and the plurality of electronic devices in the first communication period. The signal is transmitted, the electronic device receives the control signal via the repeater in the first communication period, and transmits the device signal to the repeater in the second communication period. The normal state of operating with the first power consumption and the second power consumption in the first communication period and the second communication period, respectively, and the third communication period different from the first communication period and the second communication period. During the communication period, the state is controlled between the first power consumption and the low power consumption state operating at the third power consumption lower than the second power consumption, and the repeater controls the state during the first communication period. The control signal is received from the monitoring control device and transmitted to the electronic device, the device signal is received from the plurality of electronic devices in the second communication period, and the monitoring is performed in the third communication period. This is solved by transmitting the device signal to the control device.

According to the above configuration, since the monitoring control device and the electronic device perform wireless communication via the repeater, even if the monitoring unit and the control unit are installed at positions separated from each other, they are relatively small. Wireless communication can be performed with transmission power. Then, in the first communication period, the control signal is transmitted from the monitoring control device to the electronic device, in the second communication period, the device signal is transmitted from the electronic device to the repeater, and in the third communication period. The communication timing of wireless communication is controlled so that the device signal is transmitted from the repeater to the monitoring control device. Therefore, it is possible to provide a wireless communication system capable of suppressing the occurrence of radio wave interference.
Further, the electronic device is controlled to operate with low power consumption during the period when transmission / reception is not performed. As a result, it is possible to suppress the power consumption of the wireless communication system and to prolong the driving time of the solar cell.

According to the wireless communication system and the wireless communication method according to the present invention, the wireless communication system can be easily introduced into a large-scale facility such as a building or a factory, and the occurrence of radio wave interference of the wireless communication signal can be prevented. Can be planned. In addition, it becomes possible to suppress the power consumption of the wireless communication system.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of a demand control system. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of a demand control device. It is a front view which shows the appearance of a drive device. It is a side view which shows the appearance of a drive device. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of a drive device. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of a repeater. It is a figure which shows the communication timing of a demand control system. It is a figure which shows the state control timing of a drive device. It is a figure which shows the 1st modification of the network configuration of a demand control system. It is a figure which shows the 2nd modification of the network configuration of a demand control system. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of a temperature sensor.

Hereinafter, the demand control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. The demand control system 1 according to the present embodiment is installed in equipment such as a building or a factory to promote energy saving and reduce electricity charges by suppressing the power demand (maximum demand) at the peak of power consumption. Used for

It should be noted that the embodiments described below are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention. That is, the present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes an equivalent thereof.

<< Overall configuration of demand control system 1 >>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of the demand control system 1. The demand control system 1 includes a demand control device 10, a drive device 20, and a repeater 40.
The demand control device 10 monitors the power consumption in the equipment and outputs a demand control signal for suppressing the maximum demand. Power consumption is monitored by monitoring the power consumption of the entire facility measured by the power receiving equipment (not shown). The demand control device 10 corresponds to a monitoring control device, and the demand control system 1 corresponds to a wireless communication system.

The drive device 20 is attached to a load device that consumes electric power, for example, an outdoor unit L of an air conditioner, and drives and controls the operation of the outdoor unit L based on a demand control signal output by the demand control device 10. That is, the drive device 20 can stop the operation of the compressor built in the outdoor unit L or drive and control the operation frequency so as to reduce the operation frequency in order to suppress the maximum demand. This makes it possible to promote energy saving and reduce electricity charges. The load device is not limited to the outdoor unit L. The load device may be any device that consumes electric power in the facility, and may be, for example, a lighting device.
The drive device 20 has a solar cell panel 26, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 4, a secondary battery 28 capable of storing the electric power output by the solar cell panel 26, and a primary battery 29, and is of an external power source. No need to receive supply. As a result, the drive device 20 can be installed in the outdoor units L dispersedly installed in the facility without performing power supply work, so that the drive device 20 can be easily introduced.
The drive device 20 can transmit a device signal (output voltage of the secondary battery 28 and the primary battery 29) to the demand control device 10 by wireless communication.

The drive device 20 shifts to the low power consumption mode when it is not necessary to communicate with the demand control device 10. The low power consumption mode is a state in which the drive device 20 is driven with low power consumption by stopping the supply of power to the wireless communication unit 23 of the drive device 20, which will be described later. When the communication timing with the demand control device 10 arrives, the drive device 20 shifts from the low power consumption mode to the normal mode, receives power from the power supply unit 25 described later, and wirelessly communicates with the demand control device 10. Communicate. By performing the state transition between the normal mode and the low power consumption mode in this way, the power consumption of the drive device 20 can be suppressed at the timing when the wireless communication is not performed while realizing the wireless communication with the demand control device 10. Is possible.

The plurality of drive devices 20 transmit device signals at different communication timings from each other. More specifically, each drive device 20 has a function of synchronously controlling the communication timing with respect to the synchronization signal transmitted from the demand control device 10 to the drive device 20. That is, each drive device 20 is controlled to transmit the device signal at a predetermined timing with respect to the timing at which the synchronization signal is received. Here, the predetermined timing is preset so as to be a different timing for each drive device 20. Therefore, even when a large number of drive devices 20 are installed in the same facility, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of radio wave interference. The communication timing of the demand control system 1 will be described later with reference to FIG. The drive device 20 corresponds to an electronic device.

The repeater 40 relays a wireless communication signal (the above-mentioned demand control signal and device signal) between the demand control device 10 and the drive device 20. This facilitates the introduction of the demand control system 1 because it is not necessary to perform cable wiring work between the drive device 20 and the demand control device 10 installed in the outdoor units L distributed in the large-scale facility. .. Further, by disposing the repeater 40 between the demand control device 10 and the drive device 20, even when the demand control device 10 and the drive device 20 are installed at separate positions, the transmission power can be relatively reduced. It can be suppressed to low power. This makes it possible to promote energy saving.

In FIG. 1, the repeater 40 includes a first repeater 40A that directly communicates with the demand control device 10 and a second repeater 40B that wirelessly communicates with the demand control device 10 via the first repeater 40A. It is shown. In this way, the repeater 40 can relay the wireless communication signal between the demand control device 10 and the drive device 20, and can also relay the wireless communication signal between the demand control device 10 and the repeater 40. As a result, wireless communication between the demand control device 10 and the drive device 20 installed at remote positions in the facility can be reliably relayed.

In the present embodiment, the drive device 20 that performs wireless communication with the first repeater 40A is referred to as a first drive device 20A, and the drive device 20 that performs wireless communication with the second repeater 40B is referred to as a second drive device 20B. In FIG. 1, the first repeater 40A relays the radio communication signals of the three first drive devices 20A, and the second repeater 40B also relays the radio communication signals of the three second drive devices 20B. However, the number of the first drive device 20A and the second drive device 20B is not limited to three. One repeater 40 may relay the communication signal between more drive devices 20 and the demand control device 10.
Here, since the first repeater 40A and the second repeater 40B have the same configuration, it is necessary to particularly distinguish between the first repeater 40A and the second repeater 40B in the present embodiment. If not, it is simply described as "repeater 40". Similarly, since the first drive device 20A and the second drive device 20B have the same configuration, when it is not necessary to particularly distinguish between the first drive device 20A and the second drive device 20B, the first drive device 20A and the second drive device 20B have the same configuration. It will be described simply as "driving device 20".

<< Demand Control Device 10 >>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the demand control device 10.
As shown in FIG. 2, the demand control device 10 is an information processing device including an input unit 11, a display unit 12, a timekeeping unit 13, a control unit 14, a communication unit 15, and a storage unit 16. ..
The input unit 11 is an input device including a keyboard and a mouse, and receives input from an administrator or the like who manages the demand control device 10.
The display unit 12 is a display device made of an LCD (liquid crystal display) and can be used when performing maintenance and management of the demand control device 10.

The timekeeping unit 13 has a clock oscillator and a counter that counts the output of the clock oscillator. As the clock oscillator, for example, a crystal oscillator or a ceramic oscillator can be adopted.
By monitoring the value of the counter, the timekeeping unit 13 outputs a timing signal at a predetermined fixed time interval (for example, 30 seconds). More specifically, the timekeeping unit 13 determines the passage of 30 seconds by monitoring the counter value, and when it is determined that 30 seconds have elapsed, the timing signal is output and the process of resetting the counter is repeated. .. As a result, the demand control device 10 can acquire the transmission timing of the demand control signal to be transmitted periodically (at intervals of 30 seconds).

The communication unit 15 has a wireless communication unit 15a.
The wireless communication unit 15a is a communication device capable of performing wireless communication by a wireless communication device compliant with the LoRa standard. The LoRa standard is LPWA (Low Power, Wide Area) communication capable of medium- and long-distance communication with low power consumption. The wireless communication unit 15a communicates with the power receiving equipment (not shown) and acquires the power consumption of the entire facility measured by the power receiving equipment. Further, as will be described later, the wireless communication unit 15a transmits the demand control signal to the drive device 20 via the repeater 40 at the transmission timing of the demand control signal described above. Then, the wireless communication unit 15a receives the device signal from the drive device 20 via the repeater 40.

The storage unit 16 is a non-volatile auxiliary storage device including an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like. The storage unit 16 stores a program executed by the control unit 14 and a target demand value (target value of maximum demand).

The control unit 14 includes a CPU, a non-volatile memory, and a volatile memory (not shown). By loading the programs stored in the non-volatile memory into the volatile memory and sequentially executing them, the demand control unit 14a and the warning output are output. It functions as part 14b.
The demand control unit 14a acquires the measured value of the power consumption from the power receiving equipment and calculates the average power consumption in units of 30 minutes. Then, the demand control unit 14a compares the average power consumption amount with the target demand value, and generates a demand control signal based on the comparison result. Specifically, when there is a possibility that the average power consumption in 30-minute units exceeds the target demand value, a demand control signal instructing to suppress the power consumption of the air conditioner is generated. The generated demand control signal is transmitted to the drive device 20 via the repeater 40 at the timing when the timing unit 13 outputs the timing signal. As will be described later, the drive device 20 that has received the demand control signal drives and controls the operation of the compressor built in the outdoor unit L so as to stop or suppress the operation frequency.

The warning output unit 14b receives the device signal from the drive device 20 and outputs a warning signal when there is a possibility that the power for driving the drive device 20 is insufficient. As described above, the device signal includes the output voltage of the secondary battery 28 included in the drive device 20 and the output voltage of the primary battery 29. The warning output unit 14b can estimate the power level stored in the secondary battery 28 based on the output voltage of the secondary battery 28, and estimate the life of the primary battery 29 based on the output voltage of the primary battery 29. .. Then, the warning output unit 14b outputs a warning signal based on the estimated power level of the secondary battery 28 and the estimated life of the primary battery 29. The warning signal may be output to the display unit 12 of the demand control device 10 or may be output to an external information communication device via the communication unit 15.

<< Drive device 20 >>
Next, a drive device 20 attached to the outdoor unit L to drive and control the operation of the outdoor unit L will be described.
3A and 3B show the appearance of the drive device 20. FIG. 3A is a front view of the drive device 20 attached to the side surface of the outdoor unit L, and FIG. 3B is a side view seen from the side. The drive device 20 has a housing 20a forming a quadrangular pyramid shape, and a control unit 30 and a power supply unit 25, which will be described later, are housed inside the housing 20a. A cable 32 connecting to the outdoor unit L extends from the lower end of the housing 20a.

In the drive device 20, the solar cell panel 26 is arranged on the front surface 20b of the housing 20a. A plate-shaped magnet 31 is provided on the back surface 20c of the housing 20a, and the driving device 20 can be detachably attached to the housing of the outdoor unit L by using the magnet 31. As the magnet 31, a strong magnet such as a neodymium magnet may be used. By using the magnet 31 for attaching the drive device 20, the drive device 20 can be easily attached to the outdoor unit L as compared with the case of screwing. Further, since the drive device 20 can be easily removed from the housing of the outdoor unit L, it is possible to reduce the burden on the worker involved in the maintenance work of the drive device 20.

FIG. 4 shows the functional configuration of the drive device 20.
As shown in FIG. 4, the drive device 20 is an electronic device including an input unit 21, a timekeeping unit 22, a wireless communication unit 23, a relay unit 24, a power supply unit 25, and a control unit 30.

The input unit 21 is a DIP switch for setting the communication timing of the drive device 20. As will be described later, the drive device 20 transmits the device signal at the communication timing corresponding to the setting of the DIP switch.

The timekeeping unit 22 has a clock oscillator and a counter that counts the output of the clock oscillator. As the clock oscillator, for example, a crystal oscillator or a ceramic oscillator can be adopted.
The timekeeping unit 22 monitors the value of the counter and outputs a timing signal when the communication timing set by the input unit 21 arrives. Specifically, the timekeeping unit 22 outputs a reception timing signal indicating the timing of receiving the demand control signal from the demand control device 10 and a transmission timing signal indicating the timing of transmitting the device signal to the demand control device 10. .. The details of the communication timing will be described later with reference to FIG.

The wireless communication unit 23 is a communication device that performs wireless communication with the repeater 40 by a wireless communication device conforming to the LoRa standard. The wireless communication unit 23 can select one communication frequency from a plurality of communication frequencies and perform wireless communication.
As will be described later, the wireless communication unit 23 transmits radio communication with the demand control device 10 by transmitting a device signal at a predetermined frequency and a predetermined timing set in advance via the input unit 21. It can be realized without causing interference.

The relay unit 24 has four contact circuits. The relay unit 24 relays and controls the contact circuit based on the demand control signal transmitted by the demand control device 10, so as to drive and control the operation of the compressor built in the outdoor unit L. The number of contacts in the contact circuit is not limited to four, and may be increased or decreased as necessary.

The power supply unit 25 supplies electric power to the electric components constituting the drive device 20. As shown in FIG. 4, the power supply unit 25 includes a solar cell panel 26, a charging circuit 27, a secondary battery 28, and a primary battery 29.
The solar cell panel 26 is a panel in which solar cells that generate electricity by sunlight are arranged on a plane and a plurality of solar cells are connected in series.
The charging circuit 27 is a device for charging the secondary battery 28 with a part of the output power of the solar cell panel 26.

The secondary battery 28 is a lithium ion battery that can repeatedly store electric energy by repeating charging and discharging. However, a lithium ion polymer battery or a nickel hydrogen battery may be used as long as it can store the electric energy generated by the solar cell panel 26.
The primary battery 29 is a chemical battery capable of discharging DC power and is a replaceable lithium battery. The primary battery 29 may be a dry battery such as a manganese dry battery or an alkaline manganese dry battery.

Even when the power that can be output by the secondary battery 28 is insufficient, the operating time of the drive device 20 can be lengthened by supplying the power from the primary battery 29. For example, if the illuminance during the day is insufficient, or if cloudy or rainy days continue, the solar cell panel 26 may not be able to generate sufficient power, and the secondary battery 28 may not be able to supply power. There is sex. In preparation for such a case, the power supply unit 25 has a primary battery 29 as a backup power source. That is, when the power stored in the secondary battery 28 is insufficient, the power supply unit 25 supplies power from the primary battery 29.

Since the power supply unit 25 has the solar cell panel 26, the secondary battery 28, and the primary battery 29, it is not necessary to supply an external power source to the drive device 20. Therefore, there is no need for electrical wiring work for power supply, and the drive device 20 can be operated simply by attaching it to the outdoor unit L.

The control unit 30 includes a processor, a non-volatile memory, and a volatile memory (not shown), and loads the programs stored in the non-volatile memory into the volatile memory and sequentially executes them to control the synchronization control unit 30a and the state. It functions as a part 30b.
The synchronization control unit 30a controls the communication timing of the drive device 20. More specifically, the counter of the time measuring unit 22 is reset at the timing when the demand control signal transmitted by the demand control device 10 is received. As described above, the demand control device 10 transmits the demand control signal at regular time intervals (30 second intervals). Therefore, the synchronization control unit 30a resets the counter of the timing unit 22 at intervals of 30 seconds. This makes it possible to synchronize the communication timing between the demand control device 10 and the drive device 20.

The state control unit 30b performs mode control so that the operation mode of the drive device 20 transitions between the normal mode and the low power consumption mode. The normal mode is the first power consumption and the first power consumption at the timing when the drive device 20 receives the demand control signal from the demand control device 10 and the timing when the drive device 20 transmits the device signal to the demand control device 10, respectively. It is an operation mode that operates with the second power consumption. On the other hand, the low power consumption mode is an operation mode in which the drive device 20 operates with a third power consumption lower than the first power consumption and the second power consumption at the timing when the drive device 20 does not perform wireless communication with the demand control device 10. Is. It should be noted that each of the first power consumption, the second power consumption, and the third power consumption does not have to be strictly constant power consumption, and has a predetermined fluctuation range according to the operating condition of the drive device 20. Have.
The state control unit 30b cuts off the power supply from the power supply unit 25 to the wireless communication unit 23, and drives the control unit 30 with low power consumption to shift the drive device 20 to the low power consumption mode. The state control unit 30b does not completely cut off the power supply to the wireless communication unit 23, but partially limits the power supply to the wireless communication unit 23 to shift the drive device 20 to the low power consumption mode. You may. The relationship between the communication timing and the normal mode and the power consumption mode will be described later with reference to FIG. 7.
Here, the normal mode corresponds to the normal state, and the low power consumption mode corresponds to the low power consumption state.

<< Repeater 40 >>
FIG. 5 shows the functional configuration of the repeater 40.
As shown in FIG. 5, the repeater 40 is a communication device having an input unit 41, a timekeeping unit 42, a wireless communication unit 43, and a control unit 44.

The input unit 41 is a serial communication connector for inputting the communication timing setting of the repeater 40. As will be described later, the repeater 40 transmits the device signal transmitted by the drive device 20 at a preset communication timing via the input unit 41.

The timekeeping unit 42 has a clock oscillator and a counter that counts the output of the clock oscillator. As the clock oscillator, for example, a crystal oscillator or a ceramic oscillator can be adopted.
The timekeeping unit 42 monitors the value of the counter and outputs a timing signal when the communication timing set by the input unit 41 arrives. Specifically, the timekeeping unit 42 outputs a transmission timing signal indicating the timing at which the synthesis device signal is transmitted to the demand control device 10. The details of the communication timing will be described later with reference to FIG.

The wireless communication unit 43 is a communication device capable of wirelessly communicating with the demand control device 10 and the drive device 20 by a wireless communication device conforming to the LoRa standard. The wireless communication unit 43 can select one communication frequency from a plurality of communication frequencies and perform wireless communication.
As will be described later, the wireless communication unit 43 relays the communication signal between the demand control device 10 and the drive device 20 at a preset communication timing via the input unit 41. As a result, wireless communication between the demand control device 10 and the drive device 20 can be realized without causing radio wave interference.

The control unit 44 includes a processor, a non-volatile memory, and a volatile memory (not shown). The program stored in the non-volatile memory is loaded into the volatile memory and sequentially executed, whereby the synchronous control unit 44a and the synthesis process are performed. It functions as a part 44b.
The synchronization control unit 44a controls the communication timing of the repeater 40. More specifically, the synchronization control unit 44a resets the counter of the timing unit 42 at the timing when the demand control signal is received, similarly to the synchronization control unit 30a of the drive device 20. This makes it possible to synchronize the communication timing between the demand control device 10, the drive device 20, and the repeater 40.

The synthesis processing unit 44b transmits a synthesis device signal obtained by synthesizing the device signals transmitted by the plurality of drive devices 20 to the demand control device 10. As shown in FIG. 1, when the repeater 40 relays the device signals output by the three drive devices 20, the repeater 40 synthesizes the three device signals received from each drive device 20. One synthesis device signal is generated and transmitted to the demand control device 10.

<< Communication timing >>
FIG. 6 shows the transmission / reception timing of the communication signal transmitted / received in the demand control system 1.
The communication signals transmitted and received in the demand control system 1 are repeatedly transmitted and received in a periodic communication cycle (for example, 30 seconds). As shown in FIG. 6, each communication cycle is composed of a synchronization phase for synchronizing communication timing, a collection phase for collecting device signals, and a relay phase for relaying device signals.

In the synchronization phase, the demand control device 10 transmits a synchronization signal for synchronizing the communication timing to the first repeater 40A, the first drive device 20A, the second repeater 40B, and the second drive device 20B. It is a phase. In FIG. 6, the transmission of the synchronization signal is indicated by Tx1 and the reception timing of the synchronization signal is indicated by Rx1. In the synchronization phase, the demand control device 10 first transmits a synchronization signal (Tx1), and the first repeater 40A receives it (Rx1). Next, the first repeater 40A transmits the received synchronization signal (Tx1), and the first drive device 20A and the second repeater 40B receive this (Rx1). Finally, the second repeater 40B transmits the received synchronization signal (Tx1), and the second drive device 20B receives this (Rx1).

As described above, the first repeater 40A and the second repeater 40B reset the counter of the timing unit 42 at the timing when the synchronization signal is received. Similarly, the first drive device 20A and the second drive device 20B also reset the counter of the timing unit 22 at the timing when the synchronization signal is received. As a result, the communication timing in the collection phase and the relay phase following the synchronization phase is synchronously controlled.

The synchronization signal transmitted and received in the synchronization phase is the above-mentioned demand control signal. Therefore, the first drive device 20A and the second drive device 20B can drive and control the operation of the compressor built in the outdoor unit L based on the demand control signal functioning as the synchronization signal, and synchronize the communication timing. There is no need to send a dedicated wireless communication signal to do so.
By transmitting the demand control signal at intervals of 30 seconds, demand control is performed at an appropriate timing for the power consumption that changes with time, and unnecessary power consumption is performed by transmitting the demand control signal more frequently than necessary. Can be suppressed.

Next, the collection phase is a phase in which equipment signals acquired by each drive device 20 are collected by transmitting device signals from a plurality of drive devices 20 installed in the facility to the repeater 40. .. In FIG. 6, the transmission timing of the device signal is shown by Tx2, and the reception timing of the device signal is shown by Rx2. In the collection phase, the plurality of first drive devices 20A transmit device signals at preset timings different from each other (Tx2), and the first repeater 40A receives them (Rx2). Similarly, the plurality of second drive devices 20B transmit device signals at preset timings different from each other (Tx2), and the second repeater 40B receives them (Rx2).

Each first drive device 20A transmits an equipment signal to the first repeater 40A at different timings, and each second drive device 20B transmits an equipment signal to the second repeater 40B at different timings. By doing so, it is possible to prevent radio wave interference.
Further, the first drive device 20A and the second drive device 20B transmit device signals at different transmission frequencies. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the device signal transmitted by the first drive device 20A and the device signal transmitted by the second drive device 20B from interfering with each other.

Finally, the relay phase is a phase in which the repeater 40 relays the device signal by transmitting the device signal received from the drive device 20 to the demand control device 10. The first repeater 40A generates a synthetic device signal obtained by synthesizing the device signals received from the plurality of first drive devices 20A and transmits the signal to the demand control device 10. The second repeater 40B also generates a synthetic device signal obtained by synthesizing the device signals received from the plurality of second drive devices 20B and transmits the signal to the demand control device 10. In FIG. 6, the transmission timing of the synthesizer signal is shown by Tx3, and the reception timing of the synthesizer signal is shown by Rx3. In the relay phase, the first repeater 40A first transmits a synthesizer signal (Tx3), and the demand control device 10 receives it (Rx3). Next, the second repeater 40B transmits a synthesizer signal (Tx3), and the first repeater 40A receives it (Rx3). Then, the first repeater 40A relays and transmits the received synthesis device signal (Tx3), and the demand control device 10 receives this (Rx3).

The first repeater 40A and the second repeater 40B transmit the synthetic device signal obtained by synthesizing the device signals received in the above-mentioned collection phase to the demand control device 10 at preset timings different from each other. As a result, the amount of communication from the first repeater 40A and the second repeater 40B to the demand control device 10 can be reduced, and it is possible to prevent a plurality of radio waves from interfering with each other.
It suffices if radio wave interference can be prevented by generating synthetic device signals, and an arbitrary number of device signals can be combined to generate a synthetic device signal.
By repeating the synchronization phase, the collection phase, and the relay phase described above at intervals of 30 seconds, the wireless communication of the demand control system 1 is performed.

<< State control of drive device 20 >>
Next, the state control process performed by the state control unit 30b in order to suppress the power consumption of the drive device 20 will be described.
FIG. 7 shows the timing of state control of the drive device 20. As described above, the drive device 20 receives the synchronization signal in the synchronization phase (Rx1) and transmits the equipment signal in the collection phase (Tx2). Then, the state control unit 30b of the drive device 20 shifts and controls the drive device 20 to the normal mode in the synchronization signal reception period P1 for receiving the synchronization signal and the device signal transmission period P2 for transmitting the device signal. On the other hand, the state control unit 30b shifts and controls the drive device 20 to a low power consumption mode that operates with low power consumption in a period different from the synchronization signal reception period P1 and the device signal transmission period P2. As described above, in the low power consumption mode, the power supply from the power supply unit 25 to the wireless communication unit 23 is cut off. On the other hand, the power supply from the power supply unit 25 to the wireless communication unit 23 is not cut off during the synchronization signal reception period P1 and the device signal transmission period P2. As a result, the power consumed by the drive device 20 can be suppressed without affecting the wireless communication between the drive device 20 and the demand control device 10.
The synchronization signal reception period P1 corresponds to the first communication period, and the device signal transmission period P2 corresponds to the second communication period. Further, the period during the relay phase different from the synchronization signal reception period P1 and the device signal transmission period P2 corresponds to the third communication period.

By performing communication at the communication timing as described above and controlling the state of the drive device 20, the demand control system 1 can suppress the occurrence of radio wave interference and reduce power consumption. Become.
Further, since the demand control system 1 wirelessly communicates with each other via the repeater 40, it can be relatively easily introduced into an existing large-scale facility, which improves energy saving and power charges. It is possible to reduce the amount of electricity.

<< First modification example >>
In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the demand control device 10, the first repeater 40A, and the second repeater 40B have a communication network configuration (so-called daisy chain type connection) connected in series with each other. On the other hand, the demand control device 10 and the plurality of repeaters 40 may have a star-type connection, or may have a network configuration in which a daisy-chain type connection and a star-type connection are combined. ..
It is possible to construct a communication network configuration having an arbitrary connection form in which a wireless communication line between the drive device 20 and the demand control device 10 distributed and arranged at various positions in the facility can be established.

In FIG. 8A, the demand control system 1 is composed of a demand control device 10, one first repeater 40A, and two second repeaters 40B, and the first repeater 40A includes the demand control device 10 and It is connected in a star shape to two second repeaters 40B.
In such a case, in the relay phase, the two second repeaters 40B can prevent radio wave interference by transmitting the composite device signal to the first repeater 40A at different timings.

In FIG. 8B, the demand control system 1 is composed of a demand control device 10, two first repeaters 40A, and one second repeater 40B, and the demand control device 10 is composed of two first relays. It is connected to the vessel 40A in a star shape.
In such a case, radio wave interference can be prevented by transmitting the synthesis device signal to the demand control device 10 at different timings from the two first repeaters 40A in the relay phase.

<< Second variant >>
In the above-described embodiment, the demand control system 1 has been described as being composed of the demand control device 10, the drive device 20, and the repeater 40. On the other hand, the demand control system 1 may further have an environment sensor 50, and the demand control device 10 may output a demand control signal based on the environment signal detected by the environment sensor 50. Specifically, for example, when the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) detected by the CO2 sensor 51c described later is low, it is estimated that it is unlikely that a large number of people are present in the vicinity of the CO2 sensor 51c, and the air conditioner (outdoor unit). It can be controlled to stop the operation of L). In this way, it is possible to perform demand control according to the environment in the facility such as a building or a factory, and it is possible to effectively promote energy saving and reduce the electric power charge.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the environment sensor 50.
As shown in FIG. 9, the environment sensor 50 has a detection unit 51, an input unit 52, a timekeeping unit 53, a control unit 54, a wireless communication unit 55, and a storage unit 56, and has environmental information. It is a detector to acquire.

The detection unit 51 has a temperature sensor 51a, a humidity sensor 51b, and a CO2 sensor 51c, and can detect the temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration at the position where the environment sensor 50 is installed. The temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentration detected by the temperature sensor 51a, the humidity sensor 51b, and the CO2 sensor 51c are converted into digital signals by an AD converter (not shown) and stored in the storage unit 56.
The detection unit 51 may further have an illuminance sensor (not shown) to detect and output the illuminance.

The input unit 52 is a serial communication connector for inputting the communication timing setting of the environment sensor 50. The environment sensor 50 wirelessly communicates with the demand control device 10 and the repeater 40 at a preset communication timing via the input unit 52.
Further, the environment sensor 50 can receive the electric power required by the environment sensor 50 via the input unit 52.

The timekeeping unit 53 includes a clock oscillator and a counter that counts the output of the clock oscillator. As the clock oscillator, for example, a crystal oscillator or a ceramic oscillator can be adopted.
The timekeeping unit 53 monitors the value of the counter and outputs a timing signal when the set communication timing arrives via the input unit 52. Specifically, the timekeeping unit 53 outputs a reception timing signal indicating the timing of receiving the demand control signal from the demand control device 10 and a transmission timing signal indicating the timing of transmitting the device signal to the demand control device 10. .. Since the communication timing has been described with reference to FIG. 6, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The wireless communication unit 55 is a communication device that performs wireless communication with the repeater 40 by a wireless communication device conforming to the LoRa standard. The wireless communication unit 55 can select one communication frequency from a plurality of communication frequencies and perform wireless communication.
The wireless communication unit 55 transmits a device signal at a predetermined frequency and a predetermined timing set in advance via the input unit 52, thereby causing radio wave interference in wireless communication with the demand control device 10. It can be realized without any problems. The environment sensor 50 transmits the temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration acquired by the detection unit 51 as device signals.

The storage unit 56 is a non-volatile memory, for example, a flash memory. The storage unit 56 can store the temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration acquired by the detection unit 51.

The control unit 54 includes a CPU, a non-volatile memory, and a volatile memory (not shown), and functions as a synchronous control unit 54a by loading the programs stored in the non-volatile memory into the volatile memory and sequentially executing them. ..
The synchronization control unit 54a controls the communication timing of the environment sensor 50. More specifically, the counter of the time measuring unit 53 is reset at the timing when the demand control signal transmitted by the demand control device 10 is received. Since the communication timing and the synchronization control have been described in the above-described embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

At the communication timing of the demand control system 1 described with reference to FIG. 6, the environment sensor 50 receives a synchronization signal from the demand control device 10 in the synchronization phase and performs synchronization control, similarly to the drive device 20. Then, the environment sensor 50 transmits the device signal to the repeater 40 at the preset communication timing in the collection phase. The repeater 40 relays the device signal transmitted by the environment sensor 50 to the demand control device 10 by transmitting the device signal to the demand control device 10 in the relay phase. As a result, the demand control device 10 can output a demand control signal according to the temperature, humidity or carbon dioxide concentration detected by the environment sensor 50.
In addition to the environment sensor 50, the demand control system 1 further includes, for example, a motion sensor (infrared sensor) for detecting the presence of a human and a current sensor capable of detecting the use of power, and is a motion sensor and a current sensor. The demand control signal may be output according to the detection result of.

1 Demand control system (wireless communication system)
10 Demand control device (monitoring control device)
11 Input unit 12 Display unit 13 Timekeeping unit 14 Control unit 14a Demand control unit 14b Warning output unit 15 Communication unit 15a Wireless communication unit 16 Storage unit 20 Drive device (electronic device)
20a Housing 20b Front 20c Back 21 Input unit 22 Timekeeping unit 23 Wireless communication unit 24 Relay unit 25 Power supply unit 26 Solar battery panel 27 Charging circuit 28 Secondary battery 29 Primary battery 30 Control unit 30a Synchronous control unit 30b Status control unit 31 Magnet 32 Cable 40 Relay 40A First Relay 40B Second Relay 41 Input Unit 42 Timekeeping Unit 43 Wireless Communication Unit 44 Control Unit 44a Synchronous Control Unit 44b Synthesis Processing Unit 50 Environment Sensor 51 Detection Unit 51a Temperature Sensor 51b Humidity Sensor 51c CO2 Sensor 52 Input unit 53 Timekeeping unit 54 Control unit 54a Synchronous control unit 55 Wireless communication unit 56 Storage unit L Outdoor unit (load device)

Claims (8)

A plurality of electronic devices, a monitoring control device that transmits control signals to the plurality of electronic devices and acquires device signals transmitted by the plurality of electronic devices, and the plurality of electronic devices and the monitoring control device. A wireless communication system comprising a repeater that relays the control signal and the device signal between the two.
The monitoring control device is
It has a communication unit that transmits the control signal to the repeater and the plurality of electronic devices in the first communication period.
The electronic device is
A power supply unit having a solar cell and a secondary battery capable of storing the output power of the solar cell.
A communication unit that receives the control signal via the repeater in the first communication period and transmits the device signal to the repeater in the second communication period.
A third, which is different from the normal state of operating at the first power consumption and the second power consumption in the first communication period and the second communication period, respectively, and the first communication period and the second communication period. It has a state control unit that controls a state between the first power consumption and a low power consumption state that operates at a third power consumption lower than the second power consumption during the communication period of the above.
The repeater is
In the first communication period, the control signal is received from the monitoring control device and transmitted to the electronic device, and in the second communication period, the device signal is received from the plurality of electronic devices, and the device signal is received. A wireless communication system characterized by having a communication unit for transmitting the device signal to the monitoring control device during a third communication period. The electronic device and the repeater
The wireless communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a synchronization control unit that performs synchronization control of communication timing based on the control signal received in the first communication period. The synchronization control unit
Synchronous control is performed so that the first communication period becomes a common timing among the plurality of electronic devices and the repeater, and the first communication period is synchronously controlled.
The wireless communication system according to claim 2, wherein the second communication period is synchronously controlled so as to have different timings from each other among the plurality of electronic devices. The repeater comprises a plurality of repeaters including a first repeater and a second repeater.
The communication unit of the first repeater receives the control signal from the monitoring control device during the first communication period and transmits the control signal to the repeater other than the first repeater, and at the same time, the third repeater. In the communication period of, the device signal is received from the repeater other than the first repeater and transmitted to the monitoring control device.
The communication unit of the second repeater receives the control signal from the repeater other than the second repeater during the first communication period and transmits the control signal to the electronic device, and at the same time, the third repeater. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the device signal is received from the electronic device and transmitted to the repeater other than the second repeater during the communication period. Wireless communication system. The wireless communication system is used in a demand control system that controls demand for electric power usage.
The monitoring control device is a demand control device that monitors the amount of power used and outputs a demand control signal as the control signal.
The first to fourth aspects of the electronic device, wherein the electronic device receives the demand control signal via the repeater and drives and controls a load device that consumes electric power based on the demand control signal. The wireless communication system according to any one of the claims. The demand control system has an environment sensor capable of detecting an environment signal.
The environment sensor has a communication unit that receives the control signal via the repeater during the first communication period and transmits the environment signal to the repeater during the second communication period.
It has a synchronization control unit that performs synchronization control of communication timing based on the control signal received in the first communication period.
The wireless communication system according to claim 5, wherein the demand control device receives the environmental signal via the repeater and outputs the demand control signal based on the environmental signal. The claim according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the state control unit limits the power supplied from the power supply unit to the communication unit in the low power consumption state. Wireless communication system. A plurality of electronic devices having a power supply unit including a solar cell and a secondary battery capable of storing the output power of the solar cell, and the plurality of electronic devices while transmitting control signals to the plurality of electronic devices. A wireless communication method using a wireless communication system including a monitoring control device that acquires a device signal transmitted by an electronic device, and a repeater that relays the control signal and the device signal between the electronic device and the monitoring control device. And,
The monitoring control device
In the first communication period, the control signal is transmitted to the repeater and the plurality of electronic devices, and the control signal is transmitted.
The electronic device
In the first communication period, the control signal is received via the repeater, and the control signal is received.
In the second communication period, the device signal is transmitted to the repeater,
A third, which is different from the normal state of operating at the first power consumption and the second power consumption in the first communication period and the second communication period, respectively, and the first communication period and the second communication period. The state is controlled between the first power consumption and the low power consumption state operating at the third power consumption lower than the second power consumption during the communication period of the above.
The repeater
During the first communication period, the control signal is received from the monitoring control device and transmitted to the electronic device.
In the second communication period, the device signal is received from the plurality of electronic devices, and the device signal is received.
A wireless communication method comprising transmitting the device signal to the monitoring control device during the third communication period.

Images