Patent Description:
In an air conditioning apparatus disclosed in, for example, Patent Literature <NUM>, if a control board becomes defective in a remote controller for operating an air conditioning unit, this defective control board is replaced with a new control board. At this replacement work, information stored in a memory of the defective control board is backed up to a memory of the air conditioning unit. The information backed up to the memory of the air conditioning unit is transferred to a memory of the new control board. <CIT> discloses an information takeover system comprising a first hoard that includes a first control unit, and a first storage unit storing first information about an air conditioning apparatus, a second hoard that includes a second control unit and is connectable to the first board in an information exchangeable manner, wherein the first control unit is configured to perform first control to transmit the first information to the second board with the first board and the second board connected to each other in the information exchangeable manner.

According to the air conditioning apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature <NUM>, it is necessary to back up the information stored in the memory of the defective control board and to transfer the backed up information to the memory of the new control board, with a personal computer or the like connected to the air conditioning apparatus. This results in a problem that the backup and transfer of the information stored in the memory take time and effort.

An object of the present disclosure is to take over information about an air conditioning apparatus with ease.

According to the information takeover system having this configuration, the first control unit of the first board performs the first control with the first board and the second board connected to each other in the information exchangeable manner, thereby transmitting, to the second board, the first information stored in the first storage unit of the first board. This configuration facilitates takeover of the first information about the air conditioning apparatus from the first board to the second board.

This configuration enables automatic performance of the first control in such a manner that the first control unit or the second control unit receives the first signal.

This configuration facilitates transmission of the first information from the first board to the second board in such a manner that the first control unit performs the first control in response to the request from the second control unit.

This configuration allows the second control unit to automatically receive the first signal in such a manner that the first board and the second board are connected to each other with the cable.

(<NUM>) Preferably, the second board further includes a second storage unit in which the first information is storable, and
the second control unit determines whether to store, in the second storage unit, the first information received by the first control from the first board, based on a version of the first information.

This configuration suppresses the occurrence of malfunction owing to a difference in version, in such a manner that the second control unit does not store the first information in the second storage unit when the version of the first information is old, for example.

(<NUM>) Preferably, the second board further includes a second storage unit in which the first information is storable, and
the second control unit does not store, in the second storage unit, the first information received by the first control from the first board on condition that the first information is empty.

This configuration suppresses a situation in which the empty first information received from the first board is stored in the second storage unit of the second board.

(<NUM>) Preferably, one of the first board and the second board is electrically connected to a power supply of the air conditioning apparatus, and
a remaining one of the first board and the second board receives electric power from the one of the first board and the second board.

According to this configuration, there is no necessity to prepare a dedicated power supply for supplying electric power to the remaining one of the first board and the second board. This configuration therefore further facilitates takeover of the first information from the first board to the second board.

(<NUM>) The cable may be equipped with a battery.

This configuration enables supply of electric power from the battery on the cable to each of the first board and the second board in such a manner that the first board and the second board are connected to each other with the cable. This configuration enables takeover of the first information from the first board to the second board even at a place distant from the air conditioning apparatus.

(<NUM>) Furthermore, the present invention provides an information takeover method according to claim <NUM>.

According to the information takeover method having this configuration, the first control unit of the first board performs the first control in such a manner that the second control unit requests the first control unit to transmit the first information with the first board and the second board connected to each other in the information exchangeable manner. This configuration allows the second board to receive the first information stored in the first storage unit of the first board. This configuration therefore facilitates takeover of the first information about the air conditioning apparatus from the first board to the second board.

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

<FIG> is a schematic configuration diagram of an information takeover system according to a first embodiment. An information takeover system <NUM> includes an air conditioning apparatus <NUM>. The air conditioning apparatus <NUM> adjusts a temperature, a humidity, and the like in a room through a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. The air conditioning apparatus <NUM> mainly includes an indoor unit <NUM> and an outdoor unit <NUM>.

The indoor unit <NUM> is installed in the room and is connected to the outdoor unit <NUM> with a refrigerant pipe and an electric wire. The indoor unit <NUM> includes, for example, a heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange between indoor air and a refrigerant, a valve configured to control a flow of the refrigerant, a fan configured to take in the indoor air, and a control board configured to control operations of the valve, the fan, and the like.

The outdoor unit <NUM> is installed outside the room, and includes, for example, a compressor configured to compress the refrigerant, a heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange between outside air and the refrigerant, a valve configured to control a flow of the refrigerant, a fan configured to take in the outside air, a control board <NUM> configured to control operations of the compressor, the valve, the fan, and the like, and a power supply <NUM>. The power supply <NUM> is connected to an external power supply system (not illustrated). The power supply <NUM> is electrically connected to the components (e.g., the control board <NUM>, the compressor, the valve, the fan) of the outdoor unit <NUM>. The components of the outdoor unit <NUM> each receive electric power from the power supply <NUM>.

The control board <NUM> includes a control unit <NUM>, a storage unit <NUM>, and a connection unit <NUM>.

The storage unit <NUM> is, for example, a nonvolatile memory element such as an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM). The storage unit <NUM> stores first information about the air conditioning apparatus <NUM>. The first information according to this embodiment is information about the outdoor unit <NUM> of the air conditioning apparatus <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of the first information. The first information includes a header region and a data region. The header region stores data indicating a version of the first information. The version of the first information is determined in accordance with a model and the like of the control board <NUM>. The data region stores data indicating a serial number, a model name, a model setting, and the like of the outdoor unit <NUM>.

Referring back to <FIG>, the connection unit <NUM> is a connector to which a cable <NUM> (to be described later) is connected. The connection unit <NUM> includes a plurality of terminals (five terminals <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in this embodiment). The terminal <NUM> is a power supply terminal configured to receive electric power. The terminal <NUM> is a transmission terminal capable of transmitting the first information and the like. The terminal <NUM> is a reception terminal capable of receiving the first information and the like. The terminal <NUM> is an input terminal to which a first signal (to be described later) is input. The terminal <NUM> is a ground terminal that is grounded.

The control unit <NUM> is a microcomputer constituted of a central processing unit (CPU) and the like. In a case where the control board <NUM>, on which the control unit <NUM> is mounted, becomes defective, and the defective control board <NUM> is replaced with a new control board <NUM>, the control unit <NUM> is capable of performing first control to transmit the first information to the new control board <NUM>. Details of the first control will be described later.

In a case where the control board <NUM>, on which the control unit <NUM> is mounted, is the new control board <NUM>, and the defective control board <NUM> is replaced with the new control board <NUM>, the control unit <NUM> is capable of performing second control to receive the first information from the defective control board <NUM>. Details of the second control will be described later.

In the following, the defective control board <NUM> is referred to as a first board 5A, and the new control board <NUM> is referred to as a second board 5B (also see <FIG>). With regard to the first board 5A, the control unit <NUM>, the storage unit <NUM>, and the connection unit <NUM> are respectively referred to as a first control unit 11A, a first storage unit 12A, and a first connection unit 13A. With regard to the second board 5B, the control unit <NUM>, the storage unit <NUM>, and the connection unit <NUM> are respectively referred to as a second control unit 11B, a second storage unit 12B, and a second connection unit 13B.

In a state before the second board 5B is connected to the first board 5A (i.e., an initial state before shipment of the second board 5B), the second storage unit 12B stores empty first information. The term "empty" means that no data is stored in the data region of the first information, and involves a case where a version is stored in the header region of the first information. In this embodiment, the version is stored in the header region of the empty first information.

The second storage unit 12B is capable of storing the first information transmitted by the first control from the first board 5A to the second board 5B. Specifically, the second storage unit 12B is capable of copying the data in the data region of the first information transmitted by the first control from the first board 5A to the second board 5B, to the empty data region of the first information stored in the second storage unit 12B.

The information takeover system <NUM> further includes the cable <NUM> configured to connect the first board 5A and the second board 5B to each other in an information exchangeable manner. The cable <NUM> includes a first connector <NUM> connectable to the first connection unit 13A of the first board 5A, and a second connector <NUM> connectable to the second connection unit 13B of the second board 5B. The first connector <NUM> includes a plurality of terminals (five terminals <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in this embodiment). When the first connector <NUM> is connected to the first connection unit 13A, the terminals <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are respectively connected to the power supply terminal <NUM>, transmission terminal <NUM>, reception terminal <NUM>, input terminal <NUM>, and ground terminal <NUM> of the first connection unit 13A.

The second connector <NUM> includes a plurality of terminals (five terminals <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in this embodiment). When the second connector <NUM> is connected to the second connection unit 13B, the terminals <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are respectively connected to the power supply terminal <NUM>, transmission terminal <NUM>, reception terminal <NUM>, input terminal <NUM>, and ground terminal <NUM> of the second connection unit 13B.

<FIG> is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the first board 5A and the second board 5B are connected to each other with the cable <NUM>. In this embodiment, the second board 5B is connected with the cable <NUM> to the first board 5A that remains mounted to the outdoor unit <NUM>. In this connection state, the power supply terminal <NUM> of the first connection unit 13A is electrically connected to the power supply <NUM>, so that the first board 5Areceives electric power from the power supply <NUM>.

The first connector <NUM> and the second connector <NUM> of the cable <NUM> are respectively connected to the first connection unit 13A of the first board 5A and the second connection unit 13B of the second board 5B. The terminal <NUM> of the first connector <NUM> and the terminal <NUM> of the second connector <NUM> are electrically connected to each other. The power supply terminal <NUM> of the second connection unit 13B is electrically connected to the power supply terminal <NUM> of the first connection unit 13A via the terminals <NUM> and <NUM> of the cable <NUM>. With this connection, the second board 5B receives electric power from the first board 5A through the cable <NUM>.

In the second connector <NUM> of the cable <NUM>, the terminal <NUM> and the terminal <NUM> are electrically connected to each other. When the second connector <NUM> is connected to the second connection unit 13B, the input terminal <NUM> of the second connection unit 13B is electrically connected to the ground terminal <NUM> of the second connection unit 13B via the terminals <NUM> and <NUM> of the second connector <NUM>. Accordingly, when the second connector <NUM> is connected to the second connection unit 13B, a low-voltage LOW signal (a voltage signal) is automatically output from the terminal <NUM> of the second connector <NUM> to the input terminal <NUM> of the second connection unit 13B.

In the first connector <NUM> of the cable <NUM>, the terminal <NUM> and the terminal <NUM> are not electrically connected to each other. Therefore, even when the first connector <NUM> is connected to the first connection unit 13A, the input terminal <NUM> of the first connection unit 13A is not electrically connected to the ground terminal <NUM> of the first connection unit 13A. Accordingly, when the first connector <NUM> is connected to the first connection unit 13A, a high-voltage HIGH signal (a voltage signal) is automatically output from the terminal <NUM> of the first connector <NUM> to the input terminal <NUM> of the first connection unit 13A.

As described above, the first connector <NUM> and the second connector <NUM> respectively include the terminal <NUM> and the terminal <NUM> from which different signals (e.g., the HIGH signal, the LOW signal) are output. The LOW signal output from the terminal <NUM> of the second connector <NUM> is used as a first signal serving as a trigger when the first control unit 11A performs the first control.

In the cable <NUM>, the terminal <NUM> of the first connector <NUM> is electrically connected to the terminal <NUM> of the second connector <NUM>. When the first connector <NUM> and the second connector <NUM> are respectively connected to the first connection unit 13A and the second connection unit 13B, the transmission terminal <NUM> of the first connection unit 13Ais electrically connected to the reception terminal <NUM> of the second connection unit 13B via the terminals <NUM> and <NUM> of the cable <NUM>. Information can thus be transmitted from the first board 5A to the second board 5B through the cable <NUM>.

In the cable <NUM>, the terminal <NUM> of the second connector <NUM> is electrically connected to the terminal <NUM> of the first connector <NUM>. When the first connector <NUM> and the second connector <NUM> are respectively connected to the first connection unit 13A and the second connection unit 13B, the transmission terminal <NUM> of the second connection unit 13B is electrically connected to the reception terminal <NUM> of the first connection unit 13A via the terminals <NUM> and <NUM> of the cable <NUM>. Information can thus be transmitted from the second board 5B to the first board 5A through the cable <NUM>.

<FIG> is a sequence diagram illustrating exemplary control performed by the first control unit 11A of the first board 5A and exemplary control performed by the second control unit 11B of the second board 5B. When the first board 5A and the second board 5B are connected to each other in the information exchangeable manner with the cable <NUM> (see <FIG>), the first signal (the LOW signal) is input to the second connection unit 13B of the second board 5B as described above.

The second control unit 11B determines whether the first signal has been received through the second connection unit 13B (step ST1). The second control unit 11B, when not receiving the first signal ("No" in step ST1), makes a determination in step ST1 again after a lapse of a predetermined time.

The second control unit 11B, when receiving the first signal ("Yes" in step ST1), performs the second control to receive the first information from the first board 5A. Specifically, the second control unit 11B performs the second control to transmit, to the first control unit 11A, a second signal for requesting the first control unit 11A to transmit the first information (step ST2). The second signal is transmitted from the transmission terminal <NUM> of the second connection unit 13B, and then is received at the reception terminal <NUM> of the first connection unit 13A through the terminals <NUM> and <NUM> of the cable <NUM>.

The first control unit 11A determines whether the second signal has been received through the first connection unit 13A (step ST3). The first control unit 11A, when not receiving the second signal ("No" in step ST3), makes a determination in step ST3 again after a lapse of a predetermined time.

The first control unit 11A, when receiving the second signal ("Yes" in step ST3), performs the first control to transmit the first information to the second board 5B. Specifically, the first control unit 11A transmits the first information stored in the first storage unit 12A, to the second control unit 11B (step ST4). The first information is transmitted from the transmission terminal <NUM> of the first connection unit 13A, and then is received at the reception terminal <NUM> of the second connection unit 13B via the terminals <NUM> and <NUM> of the cable <NUM>.

The second control unit 11B determines whether the first information has been received through the second connection unit 13B (step ST5). The second control unit 11B, when not receiving the first information ("No" in step ST5), terminates the processing.

The second control unit 11B, when receiving the first information ("Yes" in step ST5), determines whether the received first information is empty (step ST6). Specifically, the second control unit 11B determines whether the data capacity in the data region of the received first information is zero. The second control unit 11B, when determining that the received first information is empty ("Yes" in step ST6), terminates the processing without storing the first information in the second storage unit 12B.

The second control unit 11B, when determining that the received first information is not empty ("No" in step ST6), determines whether to store the received first information in the second storage unit 12B, based on the version of the first information. Specifically, the second control unit 11B determines whether the version of the received first information is older than a predetermined version (step ST7). It should be noted that the determination in step ST7 is not limited to that described in this embodiment. For example, the second control unit 11B may determine whether the version of the received first information is older than the version of the first information in the second board 5B.

The second control unit 11B, when determining that the version of the received first information is older than the predetermined version ("Yes" in step ST7), terminates the processing without storing the first information in the second storage unit 12B.

The second control unit 11B, when determining that the version of the received first information is not older than the predetermined version ("No" in step ST7), stores the first information in the second storage unit 12B (step ST8). Specifically, the second control unit 11B copies the data in the data region of the received first information to the empty data region of the first information stored in the second storage unit 12B.

Takeover of the first information can thus be performed from the first board 5A to the second board 5B. After completion of the takeover of the first information to the second board 5B, the first connector <NUM> and the second connector <NUM> of the cable <NUM> in the state illustrated in <FIG> are respectively disconnected from the first connection unit 13A and the second connection unit 13B. Thereafter, the first board 5A is removed from the outdoor unit <NUM>, and then the second board 5B is mounted to the outdoor unit <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>. Replacement of the first board 5A with the second board 5B is thus completed.

In replacing the first board 5A with the second board 5B, the first board 5A may be removed from the outdoor unit <NUM> and the second board 5B may be mounted to the outdoor unit <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>, prior to the takeover of the first information from the first board 5A to the second board 5B. The second board 5B mounted to the outdoor unit <NUM> receives electric power from the power supply <NUM>.

Thereafter, as illustrated in <FIG>, the first connector <NUM> of the cable <NUM> is connected to the first connection unit 13A of the removed first board 5A. The second connector <NUM> of the cable <NUM> is connected to the second connection unit 13B of the second board 5B mounted to the outdoor unit <NUM>. In this connection state, the first board 5Ais capable of receiving electric power from the second board 5B through the cable <NUM>. In addition, since the first signal is input to the second connection unit 13B through the cable <NUM>, the first control unit 11A and the second control unit 11B execute processing (step ST1 to step ST8) similar to that described in the foregoing embodiment.

Takeover of the first information can thus be performed from the first board 5A to the second board 5B. After completion of the takeover of the first information to the second board 5B, the first connector <NUM> and the second connector <NUM> of the cable <NUM> are respectively disconnected from the first connection unit 13A and the second connection unit 13B. Replacement of the first board 5A with the second board 5B is thus completed.

In the information takeover system <NUM> according to this embodiment, the first control unit 11A performs the first control with the first board 5A and the second board 5B connected to each other with the cable <NUM>, thereby transmitting the first information stored in the first storage unit 12A, to the second board 5B. This configuration facilitates takeover of the first information about the outdoor unit <NUM> from the first board 5A to the second board 5B.

The second control unit 11B of the second board 5B requests the first control unit 11A to transmit the first information when receiving the first signal serving as a trigger for performing the first control with the first board 5A and the second board 5B connected to each other in the information exchangeable manner. The first control unit 11A is capable of automatically performing the first control, based on this request. In addition, the first control unit 11A performs the first control as described above to facilitate transmission of the first information from the first board 5A to the second board 5B.

The first connector <NUM> and the second connector <NUM> of the cable <NUM> respectively include the terminal <NUM> and the terminal <NUM> from which different signals (e.g., the HIGH signal, the LOW signal) are output. This configuration allows the second control unit 11B to automatically receive the first signal (the LOW signal) in such a manner that the first board 5A and the second board 5B are connected to each other with the cable <NUM>.

The second control unit 11B does not store the first information received from the first board 5Ain the second storage unit 12B when the version of the received first information is older than the predetermined version. This configuration suppresses the occurrence of malfunction owing to a difference in version.

The second control unit 11B does not store the first information received from the first board 5A in the second storage unit 12B when the received first information is empty. This configuration suppresses a possibility that the empty first information is stored in the second storage unit 12B of the second board 5B.

The second board 5B (or the first board 5A) receives electric power from the first board 5A (or the second board 5B) through the cable <NUM> with the first board 5A (or the second board 5B) electrically connected to the power supply <NUM> of the outdoor unit <NUM>. According to this configuration, there is no necessity to prepare a dedicated power supply for supplying electric power to the second board 5B (or the first board 5A). This configuration therefore further facilitates takeover of the first information from the first board 5A to the second board 5B.

<FIG> is a schematic configuration diagram of an information takeover system <NUM> according to a second embodiment. In this embodiment, a cable <NUM> is equipped with a battery <NUM>. The battery <NUM> is configured to supply electric power to a first board 5A and a second board 5B with the first board 5A and the second board 5B connected to each other with the cable <NUM>. The battery <NUM> is connected to a terminal <NUM> of a first connector <NUM> of the cable <NUM> and a terminal <NUM> of a second connector <NUM> of the cable <NUM>.

<FIG> is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the first board 5A and the second board 5B are connected to each other with the cable <NUM>. As illustrated in <FIG>, in this embodiment, the first board 5A and the second board 5B are connected to each other with the cable <NUM> in a state in which neither the first board 5A nor the second board 5B is mounted to an outdoor unit <NUM>. In this connection state, the terminal <NUM> of the first connector <NUM>, which is connected to the battery <NUM>, is connected to a power supply terminal <NUM> of a first connection unit 13A. The terminal <NUM> of the second connector <NUM>, which is connected to the battery <NUM>, is connected to a power supply terminal <NUM> of a second connection unit 13B.

Each of the first board 5A and the second board 5B is thus capable of receiving electric power from the battery <NUM> through the cable <NUM>. In addition, since a first signal is input to the second connection unit 13B through the cable <NUM>, the first control unit 11A and the second control unit 11B execute processing (step ST1 to step ST8) similar to that described in the foregoing embodiment. Other configurations of this embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment. Therefore, these configurations are denoted with reference signs identical with those of the similar configurations, and the detailed description thereof will not be given here.

Also in the information takeover system <NUM> according to the second embodiment, the first control unit 11A performs first control with the first board 5A and the second board 5B connected to each other with the cable <NUM>, thereby transmitting first information stored in a first storage unit 12A, to the second board 5B. This configuration facilitates takeover of the first information about the outdoor unit <NUM> from the first board 5A to the second board 5B.

This configuration also enables supply of electric power from the battery <NUM> on the cable <NUM> to each of the first board 5A and the second board 5B in such a manner that the first board 5A and the second board 5B are connected to each other with the cable <NUM>. This configuration enables takeover of the first information from the first board 5A to the second board 5B even at a place distant from the outdoor unit <NUM>.

The information takeover system according to each of the foregoing embodiments is designed to take over the first information about the outdoor unit <NUM>, but may be applied to a case of taking over first information about another component (e.g., the indoor unit <NUM>) of the air conditioning apparatus <NUM>.

In each of the foregoing embodiments, the second control unit 11B receives the first signal serving as a trigger for performing the first control. The first control unit 11A may alternatively receive the first signal. In this case, the first control unit 11A is preferably configured to perform, when receiving the first signal, first control to transmit the first information to the second board 5B.

The first control is performed based on reception of the first signal through the cable <NUM>; however, the first control is not necessarily performed based on the reception of the first signal. For example, the second control unit 11B may determine whether the first information stored in the second storage unit 12B is empty, and may request the first control unit 11A to perform the first control when the first information is empty.

Claim 1:
An information takeover system comprising:
a first board (5A) that includes a first control unit (11A), and a first storage unit (12A) storing first information about an air conditioning apparatus (<NUM>);
a second board (5B) that includes a second control unit (11B) and is connectable to the first board (5A) in an information exchangeable manner; and
a cable (<NUM>) configured to connect the first board (5A) and the second board (5B) to each other in an information exchangeable manner,
wherein
the first control unit (11A) is configured to perform first control to transmit the first information to the second board (5B) with the first board (5A) and the second board (5B) connected to each other in the information exchangeable manner,
the second control unit (11B) is configured to request the first control unit (11A) to transmit the first information when receiving a first signal serving as a trigger for performing the first control with the first board (5A) and the second board (5B) connected to each other in the information exchangeable manner,
the cable (<NUM>) includes a first connector (<NUM>) to be connected to the first board (5A), and a second connector (<NUM>) to be connected to the second board (5B),
characterised in that, the first connector (<NUM>) and the second connector (<NUM>) respectively include terminals (<NUM>, <NUM>) from which different voltage signals are output, and
the first signal corresponds to the voltage signal output from the terminal (<NUM>) of the second connector (<NUM>).