KR20040035918A - Air conditioner's control system using public switched telephone network and its operating method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A control system of an air-conditioner using a PSTN(Public Switched Telephone Network) and an operating method thereof are provided to simultaneously control some of or the entire air-conditioners by connecting ID-assigned receiver module units respectively to the air-conditioners to discriminate them. CONSTITUTION: An ID of an air-conditioner, a phone number connected to the air-conditioner and a control command signal related to air-conditioning are inputted through a controller and a transmission module unit receives the control command signal(S1). If the control command signal is not received until a predetermined time elapses, the transmission module unit generates a time-out error(S2). The control command signal is coded to a DTMF(Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency) signal and transmitted to the phone number through a PSTN(S3). A reception module unit operates a timer when it receives the DTMF signal, and if the signal is not received until a predetermined time elapses, the reception module unit generates a time-out error and requests re-transmission from the transmission module unit(S4). The reception module unit checks a check sum for a transmission error(S5). The DTMF signal is converted and decoded into a control command signal and then transmitted to the air-conditioner(S6). The air-conditioner performs a control operation and transmits state and result data of the control operation to the reception module unit(S7). The reception module unit receives the data while checking a transmission error(S8) and transmits the data to the phone or the controller(S9).

Description

Air conditioner control system using public switched telephone network and its operating method for the same}

The present invention relates to a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network and a method of operating the same. In particular, a plurality of air conditioners are connected to the same line by connecting a receiver module unit to which a plurality of air conditioners are individually assigned. The present invention relates to a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network that allows a remote controller to control some or a plurality of air conditioners simultaneously, and a method of operating the same.

In general, an air conditioner is composed of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, and the refrigerant circulating in the outdoor unit and the indoor unit forms a heat cycle of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation, and performs indoor air cooling or cooling.

In particular, a plurality of air conditioners installed in a building is installed with a multi-air conditioner system consisting of a plurality of indoor units and a single outdoor unit for detecting the control state of the plurality of indoor units and exchanging refrigerants for cost reduction and efficiency of installation. Harmonization can be performed. Alternatively, when the multi-air conditioner system is not installed in a building, air conditioning is performed by independently installing an air conditioner composed of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit for each room in the building.

Recently developed home network system can control the home appliance that functions as a server by connecting several home appliances to the network to centrally control the home appliance and other home appliances connected to the network, and the remote controller to the external Internet network. It is also possible to access the home appliance of the server function that can be connected and input a command to identify and control the state of home appliances in the home.

However, such a home network system has a limitation in that it cannot be directly applied to a large building or apartment in a place where the distribution of the Internet network is insignificant because a high-speed Internet network and a prerequisite for forming a home network in a home or building are required.

Therefore, a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network that has been spread and settled for the control of the multi-air conditioner system or an air conditioner independently installed in each room has been developed. As the air conditioner is connected to a telephone terminal, a remote controller makes a call in a building or home where the air conditioner is installed, inputs a control command by operating a numeric button, and the control command signal is transmitted to the air conditioner to perform a control operation. Be sure to

However, in the conventional air conditioning control system using a public switched telephone network, it was possible to control the operation of one air conditioner through one telephone number, and simultaneous control was not possible when multiple air conditioners were installed in a building using one telephone number. In addition, due to the limited number of buttons formed on the phone, only simple control such as on / off was possible, so that the control area was limited, making it difficult to use the remote control.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems of the prior art, an object thereof is to connect the plurality of air conditioners to the telephone number terminal to control or simultaneously control a plurality of air conditioners connected to one phone number In addition, by giving an ID to each air conditioner in hardware, it is possible to simultaneously control a plurality of air conditioners in one operation, thereby reducing the cost and convenience of use, and having a controller that can be connected to a public switched telephone network. The present invention provides a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network and a method of operating the same that enable remote control operation of various functions of the air conditioner using a control program embedded in the controller.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network of the present invention;

2 is a configuration diagram of a first embodiment of a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network of the present invention;

3 is a configuration diagram of a second embodiment of a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network of the present invention;

4 is a configuration diagram of a control command data packet applied to a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network of the present invention;

5 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a method of operating a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols on main parts of the drawings>

100: air conditioner 200: controller

200 ': telephone 300: transmission module unit

400: public switched telephone network 500: receiving module

According to a feature of a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network according to the present invention and an operation method thereof for solving the above problems, a plurality of air conditioners installed indoors for air conditioning, and the state output of the plurality of air conditioners, and A controller for driving a control program to enable input of a control command, a transmission module unit serially connected to the controller and receiving and transmitting the control command signal into a dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal; A public switched telephone network for transmitting dual tone multi-frequency signals transmitted from a module unit, and a dual tone multi-frequency signal embedded in each of the plurality of air conditioners and transmitted through the public switched telephone network and transmitted to a corresponding air conditioner. It is characterized by comprising a receiving module unit to a first feature,

The first step of inputting the ID of the air conditioner to be controlled by the controller, the telephone number connected to the air conditioner and the control command signal for air conditioning, and the control command signal input in the first step are dual tone multi-frequency signals. A second step of transcoding and transmitting to the telephone number through a public switched telephone network; a third step of receiving a dual-tone multi-frequency signal transmitted in the second step in a receiving module unit embedded in an air conditioner to be controlled; The air conditioner performs a control operation according to a fourth step of converting and decoding the dual tone multi-frequency signal received in the third step into a control command signal and transmitting the decoded signal to the air conditioner; A fifth outputting the state and the result data of the control operation to the controller and externally outputting the controller; And that the system comprises a second feature.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a first embodiment of a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network of the present invention.

The plurality of air conditioners 100 installed indoors for air conditioning are interlocked with one telephone number as the telephone line terminals, that is, physically connected to the same telephone line are physically established on the same telephone line, and the telephone line terminals are public telephones. It is connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN, 400).

In addition, a plurality of air conditioners connected to the same telephone line can be distinguished by giving different IDs. For this, a dip inline package switch (DIP switch) is used. The dip switch is an environment setting switch for accurately operating a peripheral device such as a disk or a printing machine. The dip switch is attached to each air conditioner and is assigned a different ID by an administrator, so that the user wants to operate a specific air conditioner at a remote location, or If you want to operate, you can select and operate the air conditioner using the assigned ID.

The public switched telephone network (PSTN, 400) is a telephone network for a general subscriber telephone service that provides voice and data exchange services to a plurality of subscribers through an exchange office, and when a caller enters a dialed telephone number, a local switch (Local Switch) ) Switches several times so that the phone is connected to the other party as the phone number is accessed.

The controller 200 is a device in which a control program is driven to enable output of status and input of control commands of the plurality of air conditioners, and the controller includes a wired or wireless modem to be connected to the public switched telephone network 400. One device includes an input / output unit to externally output a control command through the control program and a result of performing the control command. In the present specification, a personal computer will be described as an embodiment of the controller 200 as shown in FIG. 2, and the remote controller can remotely control the air conditioner by installing a control program of the air conditioner on the personal computer. It is designed as a GUI (Graphic User Interface) to provide the operator's convenience of operation.

Therefore, the remote controller operates the personal computer 200 to input a control command including a phone number connected to the air conditioner to be controlled, an ID given to the air conditioner to be controlled, and control contents to be controlled.

The control command signal input through the controller 200 is transmitted to a transmission module 300 connected in series with the serial port of the controller, and the transmission module converts and codes the dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal. As a kind of modem, the serial communication between the controller 200 and the transmission module 300 follows the RS-232C standard.

The dual tone multi-frequency signal (DTMF) is a signal generated when a button-type telephone is pressed and sent to a telephone station. Each key on the phone that the user presses produces two tones with a specific frequency, one being a sound in the high frequency range and the other being a dual tone formed in the low parking range. It is possible to detect and interpret the frequency of the dual tone to which of a plurality of buttons is input.

The transmission module unit 300 is connected to the controller 200 to enable serial communication, the serial communication connection unit 310 for receiving a control command input from the controller device and the control command received from the serial communication connection unit. A signal coding unit 320 for converting and coding a dual tone multi-frequency signal, a telephone line connection unit 330 connected to the public switched telephone network to externally transmit the dual tone multi-frequency signal coded by the signal coding unit; The microcomputer 340 generates a data packet of a control command received from the serial communication connection unit 310, converts the data packet into a dual tone multi-frequency signal, and transfers the data packet to the telephone line connection unit 330. It is configured by.

The data packet of the control command generated by the microcomputer unit 340 of the transmission module unit 300 is composed of a bit string of 8-bit units, and displays an ID given to the air conditioner to be controlled according to a sequence combination of consecutive bits. And a control contents packet TX1 to TX5 for displaying control contents such as an operation mode, a set temperature, and the like of the air conditioner to be controlled. 4 is a block diagram of a control command data packet applied to a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network according to the present invention.

The control target packet TX0 may select or select a plurality of air conditioners at the same time according to the bit combinations listed, and may initialize a plurality of air conditioners in operation simultaneously. The control target packet TX0 has 8 bits as a basic unit, and the highest 1 bit indicates whether the device for inputting a control command is the controller or the telephone, and the lower 7 bits indicate IDs of the plurality of air conditioners, respectively. The control target is displayed. The consecutive bit strings TX1 to TX5 display control contents such as an operation mode, a set temperature, and the like of the air conditioner, and an intermediate checksum value may be added.

The dual tone multi-frequency signal transmitted externally along the telephone line connection unit 330 of the transmission module 300 is transmitted to the air conditioner 100 connected to the corresponding telephone number through the public switched telephone network 400, and connected to the air conditioner. The receiving module unit 500 receives the dual tone multi-frequency signal transmitted through the public switched telephone network 400 and transmits it to the air conditioner 100.

The receiving module unit 500 is a device connected to each air conditioner 100 to receive and transmit a signal transmitted from the outside, and recognizes an ID given to the dip switch 540 and includes a control command including the corresponding ID. Receive data packets.

The receiving module unit 500 is connected to the public switched telephone network 400 through a telephone line connection unit 510 to receive a dual tone multi-frequency signal transmitted by the transmitting module unit 300, and the signal decoding unit 520 Receives and converts the received dual tone multi-frequency signal into a control command signal that can be recognized by the air conditioner.

IDs embedded in each of the air conditioners, a dip switch 540 for assigning individual IDs to distinguish the plurality of air conditioners, and a control command signal transmitted from the transmission module unit 300 of the controller 200. If the ID given by the dip switch matches, the received dual tone multi-frequency signal is transformed and decoded, and the signal decoding unit 520 transmits the transformed and decoded control command signal to an air conditioner to process according to the control command signal. And a microcomputer unit 550 for outputting the control state and the result through the answering machine 530.

The automatic answering unit 530 converts a processing state and a result of the control command signal into a voice signal, and transmits it to the controller 200 so that the controller for remotely controlling the air conditioner using the controller may control the control state. Make sure to check.

In the first embodiment of the present invention including a controller, a transmission module, a public telephone network, a reception module, and an air conditioner as described above, if a control command is to be remotely input through a telephone instead of a separate controller, Since the button of the telephone transmits a dual tone multi-frequency signal, the transmission module unit is unnecessary. A control system of an air conditioner using such a public switched telephone network is shown in FIG. 3 as a second embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a configuration diagram of a second embodiment of a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network of the present invention.

Therefore, this second embodiment inputs a control command of the plurality of air conditioners by operating a plurality of air conditioners 100 'installed indoors for air conditioning and a plurality of buttons for generating a dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal. Telephone 200 ', a public switched telephone network 400' for transmitting a dual tone multi-frequency signal transmitted from the telephone, and a plurality of air conditioners, each of which is built-in and transmitted through the public switched telephone network. And a receiving module unit 500 'for receiving the dual tone multi-frequency signal and transmitting the same to the plurality of air conditioners. The receiving module unit 500' is applied in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

The operation method of the control system of the air conditioner using the public switched telephone network of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 5 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a method of operating a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network of the present invention.

In the first step, an ID of an air conditioner to be controlled through a controller, a phone number connected to the air conditioner, and a control command signal relating to air conditioning are input, and the transmitting module unit receives the control command signal (S2).

The transmission module unit generates a timeout error (S2) when the unreceived state of the control command signal continues for a predetermined time (S2), and notifies the controller. In addition, if the control command signal is in an error state, it notifies (E1) and requests retransmission, and finally, when the transmitting module unit receives an error-free control command signal, it notifies the controller (E2).

In the second step, the control command signal input in the first step is converted and coded into a dual tone multi-frequency signal and transmitted to the telephone number through a public switched telephone network (S3). This second step is omitted if the remote control via the telephone to which the dual tone multi-frequency signal is directly transmitted as in the case of the second embodiment.

In a third step, the dual tone multi-frequency signal transmitted in the second step is received in a receiving module unit built in an air conditioner to be controlled. The receiving module unit operates a timer from the first reception of the dual tone multi-frequency signal. If the unreceived state of the signal exceeds a predetermined time, a timeout error is generated and a retransmission is requested to the transmitting module unit (S4). In addition, a checksum is checked at an intermediate time point and a completion time point at which the dual tone multi-frequency signal is received (S5).

The checksum is a sum for checking the accuracy of the transmitted data. The checksum is transmitted by adding the sum of all data included in the packet to the end of the control command data packet transmitted by the transmitting module. It is to add up one by one during the reception of the data and check whether it is consistent with the sum received finally.

In the fourth step, the dual tone multi-frequency signal received in the third step is converted to a control command signal and then transmitted to the air conditioner (S6).

To this end, the receiving module unit compares whether the ID of the air conditioner embedded in the dual tone multi-frequency signal matches the ID of the air conditioner provided by the dip switch, and if it matches, converts and decodes the dual tone multi-frequency signal into a control command signal. This is transmitted to the main controller of the air conditioner.

In the fifth step, the air conditioner performs a control operation according to the control command signal transmitted in the fourth step, and transmits the state and the result data of the control operation to the receiving module (S7). The receiving module unit receives the data transmitted by the air conditioner while checking a transmission error (S8) and transmits the data back to the telephone or the controller (S9).

The telephone or the controller receiving the control status and the result data transmitted to the transmitting side along the public switched telephone network while checking the transmission error is outputted in a voice response or a screen so that the remote controller can confirm it.

The control system and the operation method of the air conditioner using the public switched telephone network of the present invention configured as described above is connected to each of a plurality of air conditioners sharing the same telephone network receiving module unit is given a different ID, the receiving module unit is a remote controller Data communication with the air conditioner is performed in accordance with the control command signal inputted by operating the controller or the telephone to perform a control operation, thereby selecting or totally controlling a plurality of air conditioners to improve the economics and convenience of air conditioner control, and Since all functions can be controlled using a public switched telephone network, the control area of the remote control can be extended.

Claims (10)

A plurality of air conditioners installed indoors for air conditioning, a controller for driving a control program to enable output of status and input of control commands of the plurality of air conditioners, and a serial connection with the controller to transmit the control command signals A transmission module unit for receiving and converting the dual tone multi-frequency signal into a DTMF signal, a public telephone switching network for transmitting the dual tone multi-frequency signal transmitted from the transmission module unit, and a plurality of air conditioners, respectively, And a receiving module unit configured to receive a dual tone multi-frequency signal transmitted through the public switched telephone network and transmit the same to a corresponding air conditioner. A plurality of air conditioners installed indoors for air conditioning; A telephone capable of inputting control commands for the plurality of air conditioners by manipulating a plurality of buttons for generating a dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal; A public switched telephone network for allowing a dual tone multi-frequency signal transmitted from the telephone to be transmitted externally; Built in each of the plurality of air conditioners, air conditioners using a public switched telephone network, characterized in that it comprises a receiving module unit for receiving the dual tone multi-frequency signal transmitted through the public switched telephone network and transmits it to the corresponding plurality of air conditioners Control system. The method of claim 1, The transmission module unit may enable serial communication with the controller so as to receive a control command input from the controller; A signal coding unit converting and coding a control command received from the serial communication connection unit into a dual tone multi-frequency signal; A telephone line connection unit connected to the public switched telephone network so as to externally transmit a dual tone multi-frequency signal coded by the signal coding unit; And a microcomputer unit generating a data packet of a control command received from the serial communication connection unit, converting and coding the data packet into a dual tone multi-frequency signal, and transferring the data packet to the telephone line connection unit. Air conditioning control system. The method of claim 3, wherein A data packet of the control command includes a control target packet indicating an ID given to an air conditioner to be controlled according to a bit combination; A control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network, characterized in that it comprises a control content packet for displaying the control content, such as the operation mode, the set temperature, and the like of the air conditioner to be controlled. The method of claim 4, wherein And the control target packet may further include a simultaneous selection or simultaneous initialization command of a plurality of air conditioners according to the bit combination. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The receiving module unit is connected to the public switched telephone network and a telephone line connection unit for receiving a dual tone multi-frequency signal transmitted by the transmitting module unit; A signal decoding unit for converting and decoding the dual tone multi-frequency signal received through the telephone line connection unit into a control command signal that can be recognized by the air conditioner; An automatic response unit for outputting a processing state and a result of the control command signal as a voice signal; A dip switch unit to which individual IDs are assigned to distinguish the plurality of air conditioners; When the ID embedded in the control command signal transmitted from the transmitting module unit and the ID given to the dip switch unit are matched, the received dual tone multi-frequency signal is transformed and decoded, and the control command converted and decoded by the signal decoding unit. And a microcomputer unit for transmitting a signal to an air conditioner and outputting a control state and a result processed according to the control command signal through the automatic answering unit. A first step of inputting an ID of an air conditioner to be controlled through a controller, a telephone number connected to the air conditioner, and a control command signal for air conditioning; A second step of converting and coding the control command signal input in the first step into a dual tone multi-frequency signal and transmitting the code to the telephone number through a public switched telephone network; A third step of receiving the dual tone multi-frequency signal transmitted in the second step in a receiving module unit embedded in an air conditioner to be controlled; A fourth step of converting and decoding the dual tone multi-frequency signal received in the third step into a control command signal and transmitting it to the air conditioner; And a fifth step in which the air conditioner performs a control operation according to the control command signal transmitted in the fourth step, and the state and the result data of the control operation are transmitted to the controller and externally output through the controller. A method of operating a control system of an air conditioner using a public switched telephone network, characterized in that made. The method of claim 7, wherein In the third step, the timer is operated from the first reception of the dual tone multi-frequency signal. When the unreceived state of the dual tone multi-frequency signal measured by the timer exceeds a predetermined time, a timeout error is generated and retransmission is performed. Requesting first process; And a second step of checking a transmission error by checking a checksum at an intermediate time point and a completion time point of receiving the dual tone multi-frequency signal. The method of claim 7, wherein The fourth step includes a first step of comparing whether the ID given to the air conditioner matches the ID of the air conditioner input in the first step; Converting and decoding the dual tone multi-frequency signal into a control command signal if the comparison result is identical; And a third process of transmitting the control command signal to a corresponding air conditioner. The method of claim 7, wherein The fifth step includes a first process of performing a control operation according to a control command signal transmitted by the air conditioner; A second step of the air conditioner transmitting state and result data of the control operation to the receiving module unit; A third step of receiving, by the receiving module unit, a state and result data of an ID and a control operation of the air conditioner while checking a transmission error, and transmitting it to the controller; And a fourth step of receiving, by the controller, the state and the result data of the control operation while checking a transmission error, and outputting the external data to the controller.