KR102479422B1 - Air conditioner and communication method of thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an outdoor unit; and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit, wherein the outdoor unit and each of the plurality of indoor units periodically perform periodic communication notifying their status, and the outdoor unit determines a communication load caused by the periodic communication and responds accordingly. to control the cycle of the periodic communication performed by the plurality of indoor units.

Description

Air conditioner and its communication method {AIR CONDITIONER AND COMMUNICATION METHOD OF THEREOF}

The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a communication method thereof, and more particularly, to an air conditioner capable of controlling a cycle of periodic communication performed by an indoor unit according to a load of a communication line and a communication method thereof.

An air conditioner is a home appliance that maintains indoor air in the most appropriate condition according to its use and purpose. The air conditioner adjusts a certain space to a temperature, humidity, and air flow distribution suitable for a user's activity, or removes foreign substances such as dust floating in the air.

The air conditioner may be classified into a separate type air conditioner in which the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are separated, and an integrated air conditioner in which the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are combined into one unit, depending on whether the indoor unit and the outdoor unit are separated.

In addition, air conditioners can be divided into wall-mounted air conditioners and frame-type air conditioners configured to be mounted on a wall and slim-type air conditioners configured to be installed in a living room according to an installation shape.

Furthermore, depending on the capacity of the indoor unit, a single type air conditioner configured to be used in a narrow place such as a home with a capacity capable of driving one indoor unit, and a medium to large type configured with a large capacity to be used in a business place such as a company or a restaurant It can be divided into air conditioners and the like.

The outdoor unit and the indoor unit must communicate with each other in order to exchange control information related to the operation of the air conditioner. Currently, the outdoor and indoor units transmit data in a periodic and event manner.

Recently, units connected to air conditioners are gradually increasing, and communication between units tends to be converted to a new communication method. In this case, the size of data transmitted by the units increases, thereby increasing the load of the communication line. Therefore, the communication delay and communication failure rate due to the load of the communication line increase.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of controlling a periodic communication period performed by an indoor unit according to a load of a communication line and a communication method thereof.

Specifically, the present invention determines the connection state and the number of connected units of the outdoor unit and controls the periodic communication period of the indoor unit according to the level based on this, thereby performing appropriate periodic communication according to the load of the communication line and increasing the communication success rate. Its object is to provide an air conditioner and its communication method.

An air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an outdoor unit; and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit, wherein the outdoor unit and each of the plurality of indoor units periodically perform periodic communication notifying their status, and the outdoor unit determines a communication load caused by the periodic communication and responds accordingly. to control the cycle of the periodic communication performed by the plurality of indoor units.

A communication method of an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of periodically performing periodic communication between an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit to notify their status; determining a communication load by the periodic communication with the outdoor unit; and controlling a cycle of the periodic communication performed by the plurality of indoor units in response to the communication load by the outdoor units.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, by checking the information of units connected to the outdoor unit through auto addressing and variably setting the communication cycle level, it is unnecessary even in a situation where the number of units connected to the outdoor unit is small. By using a fixed communication cycle calculated based on the maximum number of units, it is possible to prevent the problem of reduced communication efficiency.

Accordingly, it is possible to prevent communication failure due to communication delay and packet collision through securing efficient communication capability of the communication line used by the air conditioner.

In addition, for the control units additionally developed and added to the RS 485 communication line, communication loads can be controlled only by changing the specifications of the periodic transmission level of the outdoor unit, making the maintenance of the air conditioner convenient.

1 is a view showing an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A to 2C are diagrams for explaining communication performed between units constituting an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram for explaining a maximum communication line usage rate of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4A to 4C are diagrams for explaining communication performed between units constituting an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram for explaining a maximum communication line usage rate of an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram illustrating a process of adjusting a transmission period of a periodic packet in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram showing the structure of a packet transmitted to adjust a transmission period of a periodic packet in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram for explaining a maximum communication line usage rate after a periodic packet transmission period is adjusted in an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar elements are given the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used together in consideration of ease of writing the specification, and do not have meanings or roles that are distinct from each other by themselves. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the embodiment disclosed in this specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention , it should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

It is understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but other elements may exist in the middle. It should be. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another element, it should be understood that no other element exists in the middle.

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features It should be understood that the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof is not precluded.

1 is a view showing an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The air conditioner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an outdoor unit 10, a distributor 20, an indoor unit 30, and a controller 40.

Depending on the embodiment, the distributor 20 may or may not be included in the air conditioner 100. Each of the outdoor unit 10 and the distributor 20 may be at least one. Also, the number of indoor units 30 may be plural. In this case, a plurality of indoor units 30 may be connected to the outdoor unit 10 or the distributor 20 .

Hereinafter, in the present invention, components constituting the air conditioner 100, such as the outdoor unit 10, the distributor 20, the indoor unit 30, and the controller 40, are each defined as a unit.

The outdoor unit 10, the distributor 20, and the indoor unit 30 are connected through a refrigerant pipe, and cool/hot air generated by circulation of the refrigerant is discharged into the room through the indoor unit 30.

Specifically, the outdoor unit 10 supplies refrigerant to the indoor unit 30 through a refrigerant pipe. To this end, the outdoor unit 10 may include at least one compressor (not shown), an accumulator (not shown), an outdoor heat exchanger (not shown), and an outdoor unit fan (not shown). A compressor (not shown) compresses the incoming refrigerant and discharges a high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. An accumulator (not shown) separates gaseous refrigerant and liquid refrigerant from refrigerant and prevents non-vaporized liquid refrigerant from flowing into a compressor (not shown). An outdoor heat exchanger (not shown) condenses or evaporates the refrigerant by heat exchange with outside air. The outdoor unit fan (not shown) introduces air into the outdoor heat exchanger (not shown) and discharges the heat-exchanged air to the outside in order to facilitate heat exchange in the outdoor heat exchanger (not shown).

The distributor 20 distributes the refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit 10 to the indoor unit 30 . To this end, the distributor 20 may adjust the flow rate and introduction time of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe.

The indoor unit 30 discharges hot and cold air generated as the refrigerant circulates into the room. To this end, the indoor unit 30 may include an expansion valve (not shown), an indoor heat exchanger (not shown), and an indoor unit fan (not shown). An expansion valve (not shown) expands the refrigerant supplied from the connected outdoor unit 10 . An indoor heat exchanger (not shown) exchanges heat between the refrigerant and indoor air. The indoor unit fan (not shown) allows indoor air to flow into an indoor heat exchanger (not shown) and discharges the heat-exchanged air into the room.

The controller (HR Unit) 40 operates the air conditioner 100 in a cooling mode or a heating mode in response to any one of a request from the outdoor unit 10, a request from the indoor unit 30, or a control command from the outside. can

The controller 40 may control the operation of the outdoor unit 10, the distributor 20, and the indoor unit 30. In this case, the controller 40 may transmit a control command to the outdoor unit 10, the distributor 20, and the indoor unit 30.

Also, the controller 40 may monitor operating states of the outdoor unit 10, the distributor 20, and the indoor unit 30.

To this end, the controller 40 is connected to the outdoor unit 10, the distributor 20, and the indoor unit 30 through a communication line to perform wired communication or wireless communication according to a predetermined communication method. According to an embodiment, the controller 40 may perform RS 485 communication with the outdoor unit 10, the distributor 20, and the indoor unit 30.

The air conditioner 100 configured as described above may be operated in a cooling mode or a heating mode according to the flow of the refrigerant.

When operated in the cooling mode, high-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant is supplied to the indoor unit 30 from a compressor (not shown) of the outdoor unit 10 via an outdoor heat exchanger (not shown) of the outdoor unit 10 . As the liquid refrigerant expands and vaporizes in an indoor heat exchanger (not shown) of the indoor unit 30, the temperature of the surrounding air decreases. As the indoor unit fan (not shown) rotates, cool air is discharged into the room.

When operated in the heating mode, a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant is supplied to the indoor unit 30 from a compressor (not shown) of the outdoor unit 10 . When the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant is liquefied in an indoor heat exchanger (not shown) of the indoor unit 30 and energy is released, the temperature of the surrounding air rises due to this energy. As the indoor unit fan (not shown) of the indoor unit 30 rotates, the warmed air is discharged into the room.

On the other hand, in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 100 is described as an example of a stand type, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, the air conditioner 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in various forms such as a wall-mounted type or a ceiling type.

2A to 2C are diagrams for explaining communication performed between units constituting an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A shows a communication interface between a plurality of units. According to one embodiment, RS 485 communication may be performed between units. RS 485 communication is a serial communication protocol standard that supports home networks. In RS 485 communication, a plurality of transmitting and receiving nodes may be connected to one communication line (bus). In this case, a plurality of transmission/reception nodes may perform multilateral data transmission and reception on the same communication line. A plurality of transmitting and receiving nodes may perform communication in a master-slave mode.

The outdoor unit 10 may serve as a master unit. In this case, the outdoor unit 10 can monitor the number of connected indoor units 30 connected to the corresponding outdoor unit 10 and their operating states. If the air conditioner 100 includes a plurality of outdoor units 10, any one of the plurality of outdoor units 10 may operate as a master unit.

The outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 30 may exchange control information with each other.

The controller 40 may control the outdoor unit 10 and/or the indoor unit 30 to operate the air conditioner 100 .

Referring to FIG. 2A , the air conditioner 100 includes a controller 40, an outdoor unit 10, and an indoor unit 30. In this case, RS 485 communication is performed between the controller 40 and the outdoor unit 10 and between the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 30, respectively.

FIG. 2B illustrates transmission and reception of periodic packets between a plurality of units, and FIG. 2C illustrates transmission and reception of periodic packets and event packets between a plurality of units. A plurality of units may communicate with each other using packets defined in RS 485 communication. In RS 485 communication, periodic packets and event packets are defined.

The periodic packets 210, 220, 230, and 240 are packets in which the nodes 10, 30, and 40 constituting the network periodically notify their status information. Transmission periods of the periodic packets 210, 220, 230, and 240 may be differently allocated to the nodes 10, 30, and 40. Accordingly, each of the nodes 10 , 30 , and 40 may transmit periodic packets 210 , 220 , 230 , and 240 for each assigned predetermined period.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a modem cycle packet 210, an outdoor unit cycle 1 packet 220, an indoor unit cycle packet 230, and an outdoor unit cycle 2 packet 240 are transmitted between the plurality of units 10, 30, and 40 constituting the network. is sent and received Here, the modem periodic packet 210 is a periodic packet periodically transmitted by the controller 40 to the outdoor unit 10 . The outdoor unit period 1 packet 220 is a periodic packet periodically transmitted from the outdoor unit 10 to the indoor unit 30 . The indoor unit periodic packet 230 is a periodic packet periodically transmitted from the indoor unit 30 to the outdoor unit 10 . The outdoor unit period 2 packet 240 is a periodic packet periodically transmitted by the outdoor unit 10 to the controller 40 .

For example, if 30 seconds, 10 seconds, 10 seconds, and 15 seconds are allocated to the modem period packet 210, the outdoor unit period 1 packet 220, the indoor unit period packet 230, and the outdoor unit period 2 packet 240, respectively, The controller 40 transmits the modem period packet 210 every 30 seconds, and the outdoor unit 10 transmits the outdoor unit period 1 packet 220 every 10 seconds and the outdoor unit period 2 packet 240 every 15 seconds, The indoor unit 30 transmits the indoor unit period packet 230 every 10 seconds.

The event packet 250 is a packet in which the nodes 10, 30, and 40 constituting the network notify their changed state information. A fixed periodicity is not assigned to the event packet 250. The nodes 10, 30, and 40 transmit the event packet 250 whenever an event in which the state of the corresponding node 10, 30, or 40 is changed occurs.

Referring to FIG. 2C , the controller 40, the outdoor unit 10, and the indoor unit 30 transmit period packets 210, 220, 230, and 240 and event packets 250, respectively. In this case, the period packets 210, 220, 230, and 240 transmitted by the units 10, 30, and 40 are shown as solid lines, and the event packet 250 transmitted by the units 10, 30, and 40 is shown as a dotted line. Each of the controller 40, the outdoor unit 10, and the indoor unit 30 may transmit an event packet 250 when its state changes. The event packet 250 may occur at different times in at least one of the controller 40, the outdoor unit 10, and the indoor unit 30, or may occur simultaneously in all of them.

3 is a diagram for explaining a maximum communication line usage rate of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When the air conditioner 100 performs RS 485 communication, the plurality of units 10, 30, and 40 constituting the air conditioner 100 transmit periodic packets 210, 220, 230, and 240 through a communication line. and event packet 250 may be transmitted. Periodic packets 210, 220, 230, 240 and event packets 250 transmitted through the communication line occupy the communication line, respectively. Accordingly, the total amount of data occupying the communication line can be obtained by adding the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packets 210, 220, 230, and 240 and the total amount of data occupied by the event packet 250.

The periodic packets 210, 220, 230, and 240 are transmitted at predetermined periodic intervals from each of the plurality of units 10, 30, and 40. In this case, the amount of data occupied by each periodic packet (210, 220, 230, 240) is calculated by multiplying the number of packet transmissions of the corresponding periodic packet (210, 220, 230, 240) by the maximum transmission data length per period. It can be. Here, the number of packet transmissions is the number of transmissions of the corresponding periodic packets 210, 220, 230, and 240 during the reference time, and is a value obtained by dividing the reference time by the packet transmission period of the corresponding periodic packets 210, 220, 230, and 240. If the data amounts occupied by the respective periodic packets 210, 220, 230, and 240 are summed up, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packets 210, 220, 230, and 240 is obtained.

The event packet 250 is not transmitted periodically, but is transmitted whenever an event occurs. Accordingly, assuming that the maximum load is applied to the communication line by the event packet 250, the total amount of data occupied by the event packet 250 is calculated. Meanwhile, in the case of the event packet 250, it may be retried, and accordingly, packets may be continuously generated up to three times. Therefore, for the event packet 250, the communication line must be used up to three times.

Hereinafter, a specific method for obtaining the maximum communication line usage rate of the air conditioner 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

In FIG. 3, the communication line usage rate is calculated based on the case where the communication speed supported by the air conditioner 100 is 9600 bps (bit per second) and communication is performed for up to 30 seconds. In this case, since 1 byte = 8 bits, 1200 bytes of data can be transmitted for 1 second in the air conditioner 100 supporting a communication speed of 9600 bps. Therefore, the total amount of data that can be transmitted for 30 seconds is 1200 bytes per second x 30 seconds = 36000 bytes.

Up to 64 indoor units 30 are connected to the outdoor unit 10, and the packet transmission period of each of the period packets 210, 220, 230, and 240 and the event packet 250 and the maximum transmission data length per period are as follows [ It is assumed that it is allocated as shown in Table 1].

Kinds Maximum transmission data length per cycle Packet transmission cycle Modem Period Packet (210) 11 bytes every 30 seconds Outdoor Unit Cycle 1 Packet (220) 55 bytes every 10 seconds Indoor Unit Cycle Packet (230) 60 bytes every 10 seconds Outdoor Unit Cycle 2 Packets (240) 40 bytes every 15 seconds Event Packets (250) 50 bytes every time an event occurs

In FIG. 3, the communication line usage rate is calculated based on a case in which communication is performed for up to 30 seconds. Since the packet transmission period of the modem periodic packet 210 is 30 seconds, the modem periodic packet 210 is transmitted once for 30 seconds. Therefore, the amount of data (①) occupied by the modem periodic packet 210 is 1 × 11 bytes = 11 bytes.

Since the packet transmission period of the outdoor unit period 1 packet 220 is 10 seconds, the outdoor unit period 1 packet 220 is transmitted three times during 30 seconds. Therefore, the amount of data (②) occupied by the packet 220 of 1 cycle of the outdoor unit is 3 × 55 bytes = 165 bytes.

Since the packet transmission period of the indoor unit period packet 230 is 10 seconds, the indoor unit period packet 230 is transmitted three times during 30 seconds. Also, since there are 64 indoor units, the indoor unit cycle packet 230 is generated 64 times. Therefore, the amount of data (③) occupied by the indoor unit period packet 230 is 3 × 60 bytes × 64 = 11520 bytes.

Since the packet transmission period of the outdoor unit period 2 packet 240 is 15 seconds, the outdoor unit period 2 packet 240 is transmitted twice for 30 seconds. Therefore, the amount of data (④) occupied by the outdoor unit cycle 2 packet 240 is 2 x 40 bytes = 80 bytes.

Total data amount occupied by period packets = Data amount occupied by modem period packets (①) + Data amount occupied by outdoor unit period 1 packets (②) + Data amount occupied by indoor unit period packets (③) + Outdoor unit period 2 packets is the occupied data amount (④). Therefore, the total amount of data occupied by periodic packets = ① + ② + ③ + ④ = 11 bytes + 165 bytes + 11520 bytes + 80 bytes = 11776 bytes.

When event packets 250 are simultaneously generated in up to 64 indoor units 30, the maximum load may be applied to the communication line by the event packets 250. In this case, the amount of data occupied by the event packet 250 is 64 × 50 bytes = 3200 bytes.

When the event packet 250 is transmitted, the units 10, 30, and 40 that receive it transmit an Ack packet confirming reception. Here, the maximum transmission data length of an Ack packet is 11 bytes. Accordingly, when Ack packets are transmitted simultaneously in up to 64 indoor units 30, the total amount of data occupied by the Ack packets is 64 × 11 bytes = 704 bytes.

Assuming that the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 30 simultaneously control the maximum number of connected units in order to calculate the maximum load applied to the communication line, the number of possible cases is 2. Therefore, when the maximum load is applied to the communication line by the event packet 250, the total amount of data ⑤ occupied by the event packet 250 is basically calculated as follows.

The total amount of data occupied by the event packet 250 (⑤) = ((64 x 50 bytes) + (64 x 11 bytes)) x 2 = 7808 bytes.

As described above, event packet 250 may be retried up to three times. Accordingly, when the event packet 250 is generated and attempted a maximum of 1 time, a maximum of 2 times, and a maximum of 3 times, each communication line usage rate is calculated as follows.

Communication line utilization =

이다. 이벤트 패킷 2회 시도 시,

이다. 이벤트 패킷 3회 시도 시,

이 된다. 만일, 이벤트 패킷이 발생하지 않았다면,

이 된다.Therefore, when attempting one event packet,

to be. When the event packet is attempted twice,

to be. When the event packet is attempted 3 times,

becomes If no event packet has occurred,

becomes

4A to 4C are diagrams for explaining communication performed between units constituting an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

An air conditioner 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a controller 40, an outdoor unit 10, a distributor 20, and an indoor unit 30.

4A shows a communication interface between a plurality of units. According to one embodiment, RS 485 communication may be performed between units.

The outdoor unit 10 may serve as a master unit. In this case, the outdoor unit 10 can monitor the number of connected distributors 20 and indoor units 30 connected to the corresponding outdoor unit 10 and their operating states.

The outdoor unit 10 may exchange control information with the distributor 20 and the indoor unit 30 .

The controller 40 may control at least one of the outdoor unit 10, the distributor 20, and the indoor unit 30 to operate the air conditioner 100.

Referring to FIG. 4A , the air conditioner 100 includes a controller 40, an outdoor unit 10, a distributor 20, and an indoor unit 30. In this case, RS 485 communication is performed between the controller 40 and the outdoor unit 10, between the outdoor unit 10 and the distributor 20, and between the distributor 20 and the indoor unit 30, respectively.

FIG. 4B illustrates transmission/reception of periodic packets between a plurality of units, and FIG. 4C illustrates transmission/reception of periodic packets and event packets between a plurality of units. A plurality of units (10, 20, 30, 40) can communicate with each other using period packets (210, 220, 230, 240, 410, 420) and event packets (250) defined in RS 485 communication. there is.

Each of the nodes 10, 20, 30, and 40 may transmit periodic packets 210, 220, 230, 240, 410, and 420 for each assigned predetermined period. Referring to FIG. 4B, among the plurality of units 10, 20, 30, and 40 constituting the network, a modem cycle packet 210, an outdoor unit cycle 1 packet 220, a distributor cycle 1 packet 410, and an indoor unit cycle packet ( 230), the divider cycle 2 packet 420 and the outdoor unit cycle 2 packet 240 are transmitted and received. Here, the modem periodic packet 210 is a periodic packet periodically transmitted by the controller 40 to the outdoor unit 10 . The outdoor unit period 1 packet 220 is a periodic packet periodically transmitted by the outdoor unit 10 to the distributor 20 . The distributor period 1 packet 410 is a period packet that the distributor 20 periodically transmits to the indoor unit 30 . The indoor unit periodic packet 230 is a periodic packet periodically transmitted by the indoor unit 30 to the distributor 20 . The splitter period 2 packet 420 is a periodic packet periodically transmitted by the splitter 20 to the outdoor unit 10 . The outdoor unit period 2 packet 240 is a periodic packet periodically transmitted by the outdoor unit 10 to the controller 40 .

For example, modem period packet 210, outdoor unit period 1 packet 220, splitter period 1 packet 410, indoor unit period packet 230, splitter period 2 packet 420, and outdoor unit period 2 packet 240, respectively. If 30 seconds, 10 seconds, 10 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, and 15 seconds are allocated to , the controller 40 transmits the modem cycle packet 210 every 30 seconds, and the outdoor unit 10 cycles the outdoor unit every 10 seconds. 1 packet 220 is transmitted and the outdoor unit cycle 2 packet 240 is transmitted every 15 seconds, and the splitter 20 transmits the divider cycle 1 packet 410 every 10 seconds and the splitter cycle 2 packet 420 every 15 seconds is transmitted, and the indoor unit 30 transmits the indoor unit period packet 230 every 10 seconds.

A fixed periodicity is not assigned to the event packet 250. The nodes 10, 20, 30, and 40 transmit the event packet 250 whenever an event in which the state of the corresponding node 10, 20, 30, or 40 is changed occurs. Referring to FIG. 4C, the controller 40, the outdoor unit 10, the distributor 20, and the indoor unit 30 transmit period packets 210, 220, 230, 240, 410, 420 and event packets 250, respectively. do. In this case, the periodic packets 210, 220, 230, 240, 410, and 420 transmitted by the units 10, 20, 30, and 40 are shown as solid lines, and the units 10, 20, 30, and 40 The event packet 250 to be transmitted is shown as a dotted line. Each of the controller 40 , the outdoor unit 10 , the distributor 20 , and the indoor unit 30 may transmit an event packet 250 when their state is changed.

5 is a diagram for explaining a maximum communication line usage rate of an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the case where the air conditioner 100 further includes the distributor 20, the maximum communication line usage rate may be obtained in a method similar to that described in FIG. 3. Hereinafter, a specific method for obtaining the maximum communication line usage rate of the air conditioner 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 .

In FIG. 5, as described in FIG. 3, the communication line utilization rate is calculated based on the case where the communication speed supported by the air conditioner 100 is 9600 bps (bit per second) and communication is performed for up to 30 seconds.

In FIG. 3, up to 64 units (ie, indoor units 30) are connected to the outdoor unit 10, but in FIG. 5, up to 80 units are connected to the outdoor unit 10. Specifically, the air conditioner 100 further includes a distributor 20, and the outdoor unit 10 has 64 indoor units 30 and 16 distributors 20 connected thereto. [Table 2] .

Kinds Maximum transmission data length per cycle Packet transmission cycle Modem Period Packet (210) 11 bytes every 30 seconds Outdoor Unit Cycle 1 Packet (220) 55 bytes every 10 seconds Splitter Cycle 1 Packet (410) 55 bytes every 10 seconds Indoor Unit Cycle Packet (230) 60 bytes every 10 seconds Splitter Cycle 2 Packet (420) 40 bytes every 15 seconds Outdoor Unit Cycle 2 Packets (240) 40 bytes every 15 seconds Event Packets (250) 50 bytes every time an event occurs

In FIG. 5 , a communication line usage rate is calculated based on a case in which communication is performed for up to 30 seconds. Since the packet transmission period of the modem periodic packet 210 is 30 seconds, the modem periodic packet 210 is transmitted once for 30 seconds. Therefore, the amount of data (①) occupied by the modem periodic packet 210 is 1 × 11 bytes = 11 bytes.

Since the packet transmission period of the outdoor unit period 1 packet 220 is 10 seconds, the outdoor unit period 1 packet 220 is transmitted three times during 30 seconds. Therefore, the amount of data (②) occupied by the packet 220 of 1 cycle of the outdoor unit is 3 × 55 bytes = 165 bytes.

Since the packet transmission period of the distributor period 1 packet 410 is 10 seconds, the distributor period 1 packet 410 is transmitted three times during 30 seconds. Also, since the distributor 20 has 16 rooms, the distributor period 1 packet 410 occurs 16 times in all. Therefore, the amount of data (③) occupied by the packet 410 of 1 divider period is 3 × 55 bytes × 16 = 2640 bytes.

Since the packet transmission period of the indoor unit period packet 230 is 10 seconds, the indoor unit period packet 230 is transmitted three times during 30 seconds. Also, since there are 64 indoor units, the indoor unit cycle packet 230 is generated 64 times. Therefore, the amount of data (④) occupied by the indoor unit period packet 230 is 3 × 60 bytes × 64 = 11520 bytes.

Since the packet transmission period of the splitter period 2 packet 420 is 15 seconds, the splitter period 2 packet 420 is transmitted twice during 30 seconds. Also, since the distributor 20 has 16 rooms, the distributor period 2 packet 420 occurs a total of 16 times. Therefore, the data amount (⑤) occupied by the divider period 2 packet 420 is 2 × 40 bytes × 16 = 1280 bytes.

Since the packet transmission period of the outdoor unit period 2 packet 240 is 15 seconds, the outdoor unit period 2 packet 240 is transmitted twice for 30 seconds. Therefore, the data amount (⑥) occupied by the outdoor unit period 2 packet 240 is 2 × 40 bytes = 80 bytes.

Total data amount occupied by periodic packets = Data amount occupied by modem periodic packets (①) + Data amount occupied by outdoor unit periodic packets (②) + Data amount occupied by distributor periodic 1 packets (③) + indoor unit periodic packets This is the occupied data amount (④) + the data amount occupied by the divider period 2 packet (⑤) + the data amount occupied by the outdoor unit period 2 packet (⑥). Therefore, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet = ① + ② + ③ + ④ + ⑤ + ⑥= 11byte + 165byte + 2640byte + 11520byte + 1280byte + 80byte = 15696byte.

On the other hand, in FIG. 5, only 16 distributors 20 are added, but the maximum number of indoor units 30 is the same as 64 rooms. Accordingly, as in FIG. 3 , when event packets 250 are simultaneously generated in up to 64 indoor units 30 , the maximum load may be applied to the communication line by the event packets 250 . Accordingly, the total amount of data (⑦) occupied by the event packet 250 is 7808 bytes, the same as in FIG. 3 .

Accordingly, when the event packet 250 is generated and attempted a maximum of 1 time, a maximum of 2 times, and a maximum of 3 times, each communication line usage rate is calculated as follows.

Communication line utilization =

이다. 이벤트 패킷 2회 시도 시,

이다. 이벤트 패킷 3회 시도 시,

이 된다. 만일, 이벤트 패킷이 발생하지 않았다면,

이 된다.In this case, when attempting one event packet,

to be. When the event packet is attempted twice,

to be. When the event packet is attempted 3 times,

becomes If no event packet has occurred,

becomes

In this way, if the event packet is transmitted a maximum of three times, the communication line usage rate exceeds 100% and communication fails. That is, according to RS 485 communication currently performed by the air conditioner 100, when 80 units of units are connected to the outdoor unit 10 and the number of units connected to the outdoor unit 10 exceeds a maximum of 64 rooms, the outdoor unit 10 and Communication between the distributor 20 and the indoor unit 30 may fail.

6 is a diagram illustrating a process of adjusting a transmission period of a periodic packet in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The air conditioner 100 may adjust the transmission period of the periodic packet allocated to each unit based on the status information of the units. Here, the status information may include communication load, the number of connected units, connection status and operation status, and the like.

According to an embodiment, the air conditioner 100 may adjust a transmission period of periodic packets in response to a communication load. Specifically, the controller 40 or the outdoor unit 10 may set a cycle level according to the number of connected units connected to the outdoor unit 10 and adjust a transmission cycle of the periodic packet corresponding to the set cycle level.

Since the outdoor unit 10 corresponds to the communication master, the transmission period of the periodic packet transmitted by the outdoor unit 10 does not change. In this case, a transmission period of a periodic packet transmitted by units connected to the outdoor unit 10, that is, the distributor 20 and/or the indoor unit 30 may be changed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the air conditioner 100 starts operating (S601). Specifically, the controller 40 of the air conditioner 100 operates the air conditioner 100 in a cooling mode in response to any one of a request from the outdoor unit 10, a request from the indoor unit 30, or a control command from the outside. Or start operating in heating mode.

The outdoor unit 10 performs automatic address setting for units connected to the corresponding outdoor unit 10 (S602). Auto addressing may be an operation of allocating addresses for communication to units normally connected to the outdoor unit 10 .

The outdoor unit 10 determines whether units other than the indoor unit 30 are additionally connected to the communication line (S603).

As the number of units connected to the communication line increases, the degree of congestion of the communication line increases. Accordingly, the outdoor unit 10 continues to change the transmission period of the periodic packet when it is confirmed that a unit other than the indoor unit 30 is additionally connected to the communication line (S603-Yes). If no unit other than the indoor unit 30 is additionally connected to the communication line (S603-No), the outdoor unit 10 terminates the procedure shown in FIG. 6 to transmit the set transmission period without changing the periodic packet transmission period. Keep the cycle the same.

The outdoor unit 10 determines the number of connected indoor units 30 connected to the corresponding outdoor unit 10 (S604).

The outdoor unit 10 sets a cycle level according to the number of connected indoor units 30 (S605). According to an embodiment, as the number of connected indoor units 30 increases, the cycle level may increase in proportion thereto. For example, when the number of connected indoor units 30 is in the range of 0 to 29, the default level is set, and when the number of connected indoor units 30 is in the range of 30 to 40, PERIOD_LEVEL is set to 1, and the indoor unit ( 30) may be set to PERIOD_LEVEL 2 when the number of connected units is in the range of 41 to 50 units, and may be set to PERIOD_LEVEL 3 when the number of connected units of the indoor unit 30 is in the range of 51 to 64 units.

In this case, the higher the period level, the longer the transmission period of the periodic packet. For example, in case of PERIOD_LEVEL 1, the transmission period may be set to 11 seconds, in case of PERIOD_LEVEL 2, the transmission period may be set to 13 seconds, and in case of PERIOD_LEVEL 3, the transmission period may be set to 15 seconds. Meanwhile, in the case of the default level, the transmission period may be set to 10 seconds.

The outdoor unit 10 transmits a packet including the set cycle level to the indoor unit 30 (S606).

The outdoor unit 10 may broadcast a packet including the set cycle level to the plurality of indoor units 30 . Here, the packet may be based on the TLV message format defined by the TLV protocol. This will be described later in the description of FIG. 7 .

The indoor unit 30 adjusts the transmission period of the periodic packet based on the periodic level (S607).

Specifically, the indoor unit 30 sets the transmission period to 11 seconds in case of PERIOD_LEVEL 1, sets the transmission period to 13 seconds in case of PERIOD_LEVEL 2, and sets the transmission period to 15 seconds in case of PERIOD_LEVEL 3. In this case, the indoor unit 30 transmits periodic packets according to the adjusted transmission period.

7 is a diagram showing the structure of a packet transmitted to adjust a transmission period of a periodic packet in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to the present invention, the outdoor unit 10 may transmit the packet 700 including the period level to the indoor unit 30 in order to adjust the transmission period of the periodic packet allocated to the indoor unit 30 .

The packet 700 including the cycle level is configured according to the TLV message format defined by the TLV (Type Length Value) protocol, and includes a destination address field 710, a header field 720, a data field 730, and a CRC field ( 740) may be included. The TLV protocol is a communication standard that concisely and efficiently expresses complex data with three structured field elements, that is, type, length, and value. Accordingly, the Data field 730 may include a Type field 731, a Length field 732, and a Value field 733.

The destination address field 710 includes data about the destination address of the message 700.

The header field 720 includes data for transmission and reception of the message 700.

The Data field 730 is composed of a Type field 731, a Length field 732, and a Value field 733. Here, the type field 731 includes data about the type. Type indicates the periodic level of the transmission period. A corresponding value may be assigned to each type. Value is the transmission time assigned to the periodic level. Accordingly, the transmission period of the periodic packet may be changed to a value assigned to the type, that is, a transmission time assigned to the period level. The Length field 732 includes data about the packet size included in the Type field 731. The Value field 733 includes data about a Value value assigned to a Type.

The CRC field 740 includes data about a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) value. The cyclic redundancy check value corresponds to an error detection code for error detection of the message 700 .

Referring to FIG. 7 , the Type may be PERIOD_LEVEL 1, PERIOD_LEVEL 2, and PERIOD_LEVEL 3. In this case, PERIOD_LEVEL 1, PERIOD_LEVEL 2, and PERIOD_LEVEL 3 are assigned values of 11 seconds, 13 seconds, and 15 seconds, respectively. Therefore, if the type of the packet 700 including the period level is set to PERIOD_LEVEL 1, the indoor unit 30 that has received this changes the transmission period of the period packet to 11 seconds.

8 is a diagram for explaining a maximum communication line usage rate after a periodic packet transmission period is adjusted in an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In this figure, when the transmission period of the indoor unit period packet 230 is controlled in FIG. 5, how the maximum communication line usage rate varies according to the period level is examined.

Compared with FIG. 5, in FIG. 8, the transmission period of the indoor unit period packet 230 and the number of connected indoor units 30 may be different. In this case, among the data amounts (①, ②, ③, ④, ⑤, ⑥) described in FIG. 5, the amount of data (④) occupied by the indoor unit periodic packet is different.

If the number of connected indoor units 30 is in the range of 30 to 40, the cycle level is set to PERIOD_LEVEL 1. In this case, the indoor unit 30 changes the transmission period of the indoor unit period packet to 11 seconds. Since the indoor unit 30 before the change transmitted the indoor unit periodic packet every 10 seconds, thereby increasing the transmission period of the indoor unit periodic packet by 1 second.

Since the packet transmission period of the indoor unit period packet 230 is changed to 11 seconds, the indoor unit period packet 230 is transmitted 2.7 times for 30 seconds. In addition, since the maximum number of indoor units is 40, the indoor unit period packet 230 is generated 40 times. Therefore, the amount of data (④') occupied by the indoor unit period packet 230 whose transmission period is changed is 2.7 x 60 bytes x 40 = 6480 bytes.

In this case, the total amount of data occupied by periodic packets = the amount of data occupied by modem periodic packets (①) + the amount of data occupied by periodic packets of the outdoor unit (②) + the amount of data occupied by periodic packets of the distributor (③) + It is the amount of data occupied by the indoor unit period packet with the changed transmission period (④') + the amount of data occupied by the distributor period 2 packet (⑤) + the amount of data occupied by the outdoor unit period 2 packet (⑥). Therefore, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet = ① + ② + ③ + ④'+ ⑤ + ⑥ = 11byte + 165byte + 2640byte + 6480byte + 1280byte + 80byte = 10656byte.

Referring to FIG. 5, before the transmission period of the indoor unit periodic packet is adjusted, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet is 15696 bytes. Accordingly, when the transmission period of the indoor unit periodic packet is adjusted, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet is reduced compared to before the adjustment. (15,696 bytes > 10,656 bytes). Therefore, when the number of indoor units 30 connected to the outdoor unit 10 is 40 and the number of distributors 20 is 16, that is, when units of up to 56 rooms are connected to the outdoor unit 10, the utilization rate of the data communication line satisfies the standard. can

If the number of connected indoor units 30 is in the range of 41 to 50, the period level is set to PERIOD_LEVEL 2. In this case, the indoor unit 30 changes the transmission period of the indoor unit period packet to 13 seconds. Since the indoor unit 30 before the change transmits the indoor unit period packet every 10 seconds, the transmission period of the indoor unit period packet increases by 3 seconds.

Since the packet transmission period of the indoor unit period packet 230 is changed to 13 seconds, the indoor unit period packet 230 is transmitted 2.3 times for 30 seconds. Also, since the number of indoor units is up to 50, the indoor unit period packet 230 is generated 50 times. Accordingly, the amount of data (④') occupied by the indoor unit period packet 230 whose transmission period is changed is 2.3 x 60 bytes x 50 = 6900 bytes.

In this case, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet = ① + ② + ③ + ④'+ ⑤ + ⑥= 11byte + 165byte + 2640byte + 6900byte + 1280byte + 80byte = 11076byte.

Referring to FIG. 5, before the transmission period of the indoor unit periodic packet is adjusted, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet is 15696 bytes. Accordingly, when the transmission period of the indoor unit periodic packet is adjusted, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet is reduced compared to before the adjustment. (15,696 bytes > 11,076 bytes). Therefore, when the number of indoor units 30 connected to the outdoor unit 10 is 50 and the number of distributors 20 is 16, that is, when units of up to 66 rooms are connected to the outdoor unit 10, the utilization rate of the data communication line satisfies the standard. can

When the number of connected indoor units 30 is in the range of 51 to 64, the cycle level is set to PERIOD_LEVEL 3. In this case, the indoor unit 30 changes the transmission period of the indoor unit period packet to 15 seconds. Since the indoor unit 30 before the change transmits the indoor unit period packet every 10 seconds, the transmission period of the indoor unit period packet increases by 5 seconds.

Since the packet transmission period of the indoor unit period packet 230 is changed to 15 seconds, the indoor unit period packet 230 is transmitted twice for 30 seconds. Also, since the maximum number of indoor units is 64, the indoor unit period packet 230 is generated 64 times. Therefore, the amount of data (④') occupied by the indoor unit period packet 230 whose transmission period is changed is 2 x 60 bytes x 64 = 7680 bytes.

In this case, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet = ① + ② + ③ + ④'+ ⑤ + ⑥= 11byte + 165byte + 2640byte + 7680byte + 1280byte + 80byte = 11856byte.

Referring to FIG. 5, before the transmission period of the indoor unit periodic packet is adjusted, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet is 15696 bytes. Accordingly, when the transmission period of the indoor unit periodic packet is adjusted, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet is reduced compared to before the adjustment. (15,696 bytes > 11,856 bytes). Therefore, when the number of indoor units 30 connected to the outdoor unit 10 is 64 and the number of distributors 20 is 16, that is, even when a maximum of 80 units are connected to the outdoor unit 10, the utilization rate of the data communication line meets the standard. can be satisfied

Meanwhile, considering a case in which units connected to the outdoor unit 10 transmit event packets at each cycle level, the communication line usage rate is calculated as follows. In this case, it is assumed that regardless of the number of connected indoor units 30, if an event packet occurs once, the total amount of data (⑦ = 7808 bytes) occupied by the event packet 250 previously calculated in FIG. 5 is transmitted.

When the periodic level is set to PERIOD_LEVEL 1, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet becomes 10656 bytes. Accordingly, when the event packet 250 is generated and attempted a maximum of 1 time, a maximum of 2 times, and a maximum of 3 times, each communication line usage rate is calculated as follows.

Communication line utilization =

이다. 이벤트 패킷 2회 시도 시,

이다. 이벤트 패킷 3회 시도 시,

이 된다. 만일, 이벤트 패킷이 발생하지 않았다면,

이 된다.Therefore, when attempting one event packet,

to be. When the event packet is attempted twice,

to be. When the event packet is attempted 3 times,

becomes If no event packet has occurred,

becomes

When the periodic level is set to PERIOD_LEVEL 2, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet becomes 11076 bytes. Accordingly, when the event packet 250 is generated and attempted a maximum of 1 time, a maximum of 2 times, and a maximum of 3 times, each communication line usage rate is calculated as follows.

이다. 이벤트 패킷 2회 시도 시,

이다. 이벤트 패킷 3회 시도 시,

이 된다. 만일, 이벤트 패킷이 발생하지 않았다면,

이 된다. When an event packet is attempted once,

to be. When the event packet is attempted twice,

to be. When the event packet is attempted 3 times,

becomes If no event packet has occurred,

becomes

When the periodic level is set to PERIOD_LEVEL 3, the total amount of data occupied by the periodic packet becomes 11856 bytes. Accordingly, when the event packet 250 is generated and attempted a maximum of 1 time, a maximum of 2 times, and a maximum of 3 times, each communication line usage rate is calculated as follows.

이다. 이벤트 패킷 2회 시도 시,

이다. 이벤트 패킷 3회 시도 시,

이 된다. 만일, 이벤트 패킷이 발생하지 않았다면,

이 된다. When an event packet is attempted once,

to be. When the event packet is attempted twice,

to be. When the event packet is attempted 3 times,

becomes If no event packet has occurred,

becomes

In this way, even if the event packet is transmitted up to three times, the communication line usage rate becomes less than 100% and does not exceed the acceptable bandwidth. Therefore, even if the number of units connected to the outdoor unit 10 increases to a maximum of 80 rooms in the RS 485 communication currently performed by the air conditioner 100, communication between the outdoor unit 10, the distributor 20, and the indoor unit 30 can be successfully performed. can

Recently, the maximum number of connected units between outdoor units and indoor units that perform RS 485 communication has increased to 80 units. Accordingly, it is absolutely necessary to respond to the communication line load in the new communication method.

According to the present invention, the load of the communication line can be solved by variably controlling the periodic communication period of the connected indoor unit according to the communication load, using the outdoor unit corresponding to the communication master capable of recognizing the number of connected units. Furthermore, communication between units can be efficiently performed according to the usage rate of the communication line by variably controlling the period of the existing fixed period communication according to the communication load.

The above-described present invention can be implemented as computer readable code on a medium on which a program is recorded. The computer-readable medium includes all types of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of computer-readable media include Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Solid State Disk (SSD), Silicon Disk Drive (SDD), ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc. , and also includes those implemented in the form of a carrier wave (eg, transmission over the Internet). Also, the computer may include the control unit 180 of the terminal. Accordingly, the above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in all respects and should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

10: outdoor unit 20: distributor
30: indoor unit 40: controller
100: air conditioner

Claims (10)

In the air conditioner,
outdoor unit; Wow
Including a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit,
The outdoor unit and each of the plurality of indoor units perform periodic communication to periodically notify their status,
the outdoor unit,
Obtaining the number of connected indoor units of the plurality of indoor units, and obtaining a communication load by periodic communication based on the obtained number of connected units;
Controlling the cycle of the periodic communication performed by the plurality of indoor units based on the acquired communication load
air conditioner. delete According to claim 1,
the outdoor unit,
An air conditioner that increases a period of the periodic communication as the communication load increases. According to claim 1,
The outdoor unit and at least one of the plurality of indoor units perform event communication notifying when their state is changed, and
The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the outdoor unit obtains a communication load due to the periodic communication and the event communication, and controls a period of the periodic communication performed by the plurality of indoor units based on the communication load. According to claim 1,
a distributor allocating the refrigerant supplied by the outdoor unit to the plurality of indoor units;
The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the outdoor unit obtains the number of connected units of the distributor and the number of connected indoor units, and controls the cycle of the periodic communication based on the obtained number. According to claim 1,
the outdoor unit,
An air conditioner that controls the cycle of the periodic communication when a new unit is connected to the outdoor unit. According to claim 1,
The outdoor unit and each of the plurality of indoor units perform RS 485 communication. According to claim 1,
the outdoor unit,
An air conditioner configured to set a cycle of the periodic communication in response to the communication load and broadcast a message including data about the period of the periodic communication to the plurality of indoor units. According to claim 8,
The message is an air conditioner configured in the form of a TLV message defined in a TLV (Type Length Value) protocol. In the communication method of the air conditioner,
performing periodic communication between an outdoor unit and each of a plurality of indoor units connected to the outdoor unit to periodically inform of their status;
obtaining a communication load by the periodic communication by the outdoor unit; and
controlling a period of the periodic communication performed by the plurality of indoor units based on the communication load by the outdoor units;
The obtaining of the communication load includes obtaining the number of connected indoor units of the plurality of indoor units.
Air conditioner communication method.

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