IR Control

Application

The IR control is used for complex IR codes that send different codes every time the same key on the remote control is pressed. Hitachi air conditioners are an example.

FUNCTION BLOCK PROPERTIES

Up to 6 analog values (AQ1-AQ6) can be converted into an IR command sequence. This is then output as text at output TQ. TQ must be connected to a programmed key of the remote control, it does not have to be any specific key. The IR command for the desired function is defined in the properties of the IR control. The structure of the IR command sequence is defined by the IR command.

Attention: This only works with simple IR codes which consist of a start bit (S), an end bit (E) and only 0 and 1. The command used must start with a start bit and end with the end bit. In case of an incomplete or incompatible command the IR controller will not send any command.

 

Inputs

Name	Summary	Description	Value Range	Unit
AQ1 – AQ6	analog Input	Analog values to be converted into a command sequence.	∞	–

Outputs

Name	Summary	Description	Value Range	Unit
TQ	Text output	Output that delivers the command sequence defined by IR Command, can be connected to an IR actuator.	–	–

 

STRUCTURE OF AN IR COMMAND

Basically, in an IR command the different command blocks are separated by a space. Therefore, no spaces may be used within a command block. The command sequence may have a maximum length of 256 bits. The start bit and end bit are omitted for the IR command.

Value block

With this block the command sequence can be influenced by the inputs. The keywords ‘V1-V6’ are used to represent the inputs ‘AQ1-AQ6’. Bit sequences for different input values can be defined for an input in a value block. For example, a value block starts with the keyword ‘V1’ and is separated from the value definitions by a colon ‘:’. This is followed by a list of value definitions separated by a semicolon ‘;’. A value definition consists of the input value and the corresponding bit sequence it represents, separated by a colon. Decimal numbers are specified with a separating point (e.g. 16.5).
Example:
Value block: V1:0:0000;1:0001;2:0010;3:0011;4:0100; => If value 3 is present at AQ1, bit sequence 0011 is used for this value block.

Constant block

This block can be used to define a constant bit sequence in the command sequence. The keyword ‘C’ is used for this. A constant block begins with the keyword and is separated from the corresponding bit sequence by a colon ‘:’.
Example:
Constant block: C:0101101000001 => The static bit sequence 0101101000001 is used in the command sequence.

Checksum block

This block can be used to insert an 8-bit checksum in the command sequence. The keyword ‘S’ is used for this. A checksum block starts with the keyword and is separated from the definitions by a colon ‘:’. This is followed by the checksum method to be used, either of two common checksum methods for IR commands (S:1 or S:2) can be selected. The checksum is calculated from the entire command sequence.

Inverter block

This block can be used to copy and invert bit strings in the command sequence. The keyword ‘I’ is used for this. An inverter block starts with the keyword and is separated from the definitions by a colon ‘:’. This is followed by the relative position of the bits to be copied and separated from the number of bits to be inverted by a semicolon ‘;’.
Example:
Inverter block: I:8;4 => The Inverter will count back 8 positions and use 4 bits in inverted form for the command sequence.
IR Command: C:0101101000001 I:8;4 => The part that is copied corresponds to ‘0100’ here, this is inverted (‘1011’) and added to the command sequence. In this example, the command sequence results in ‘01011010000011011’.

CREATING AN IR COMMAND

To create an IR command for a remote control it is necessary to know its command structure. You can obtain the structure either directly from the manufacturer of the device or by analyzing the transmitted commands. In most cases, the IR control itself is required for air conditioners. These remote controls often have a display that shows the current state of the air conditioner. On these devices, with each change, the entire status is sent to the air conditioner via an IR command. In order to be able to understand the structure of this command, it is recommended to record several commands of the remote control and note which status was active for each command. Based on this information, it is possible to determine the meaning of each bit sequence in the IR command sequence. The transmitted command sequence can be seen in Loxone Config. Once the exact structure of the sequence is known, it can be converted into an IR command. It is recommended to determine which functions of the device are actually needed to control it. Any special commands can be ignored in most cases.

Programming example

HITACHI AIR CONDITIONER

The command sequence for the Hitachi air conditioner is entered in the properties of the IR Control under “IR Command”:

C:100000000000100000000000 C:00000010 I:8;8 C:11111111 I:8;8 C:10100111 I:8;8 C:10010001 I:8;8 C:00100000 I:8;8 C:11111100 I:8;8 C:1
V1:17:01010;18:11010;19:00110;20:10110;21:01110;22:11110;23:00001;24:10001;25:01001;26:11001;27:00101;28:10101;29:01101;30:11101 C:00 I:8;8 V2:0:1111;1:0001;2:0010;3:0011;4:0100 V3:0:1000;1:0100;3:0010 I:8;8 V4:0:1000;1:0000;2:0100;3:0010;4:0110;5:0001;6:0110;7:0011 C:0000 I:8;8 S:1

Input (AQ1)	Temperature 18 – 30 °C	Temperature
Input (AQ2)	0 = Auto, 1 = Heat, 2 = Dry, 3 = Cool, 4 = Fan	Mode
Input (AQ3)	0 = Low, 1 = Med, 2 = High	Fan
Input (AQ4)	0 = Auto, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7	Swing blade position

DELONGHI PAC AN97 REAL FEEL

The command sequence for the DeLonghi air conditioner is entered in the properties of the IR Control under “IR Command”:

C:11010010 V3:18:01100;19:11100;20:00010;21:10010;22:01010;23:11010;24:00110;25:10110;26:01110;27:11110;28:00001;29:10001;30:01001;31:11001;32:00101; C:0 V4:0:00;1:10;2:01;3:11; V1:0:0;1:1 V2:0:00;1:10;2:01; C:000000011000000000000

The functions of the inputs can be found in the following table.

Input	Description	Value Range
AQ1	I/O	0/1
AQ2	Mode	0 = Cool 1 = Dry 2 = Fan
AQ3	Temperature	18°C – 32°C
AQ4	Fan speed	0 = Auto 1 – 3 = Fan speed

Here you can find a sample file in which the air conditioner is properly integrated. (Ab Version 10.0.7.23 – Public Beta)