Device identification system for HVAC communication network

A process for conveying the identity of a master controller for a heating or cooling system to a series of zone controllers that are to be associated with the master controller wherein the zone controllers control the amount of conditioned air to be provided by the heating or cooling system to particular zones to be heated or cooled and wherein the master controller and its respective zone controllers share a communication system with a plurality of other devices including additional master controllers and zone controllers wherein each device has a communication system address that may be used to address the particular device over the communication system, said process executable by the particular master controller comprising the steps of:

• addressing devices sharing the communication system which have communication system addresses within a predefined range of communication system addresses;
• reading a device code from each device responding to said step of addressing devices sharing the communication system;
• inquiring as to whether the device code from the responding device indicates a particular code set aside for identifying any zone controller;
• and
• writing an identification of the particular master controller to the addressed device when the device code indicates the addressed device is a zone controller whereby the zone controller will thereafter look for the written identification in further communications from the particular master controller that are not directly addressed to the zone controller.

A system for facilitating communications between a plurality of HVAC controller devices, each of which has a unique system address that may be used to address a communication to that particular HVAC controller device wherein at least one of the HVAC controller devices is a first particular type of controller device and is to convey an identification of itself to one or more of the other HVAC controller devices that are of a second particular type of controller device, said HVAC controller device of a first particular type conveying an identification of itself comprising:

• means for successively incrementing communication system addresses beginning with the next incremental system address occurring in a given direction from the system address of the HVAC controller device conveying an identification of itself;
• means for addressing any HVAC controller device at each of the successively incremented system addresses;
• means for reading a device code from any HVAC controller device responding at each successively incremented address;
• means for inquiring as to whether the device code indicates a second particular type of controller device;
• and
• writing an identification of the HVAC controller device having said reading means and said inquiring means to the addressed HVAC controller device when the device code indicates that the addressed device is the particular type of HVAC controller device.

A system for facilitating communications between a plurality of HVAC controller devices, each of which has a unique system address that may be used to address a communication to that HVAC controller device wherein at least one of the HVAC controller devices is a first particular type of controller device and is to convey an identification of itself to one or more of the other HVAC controller devices that are of a second particular type of controller device, said HVAC controller device conveying an identification of itself comprising:

• means for addressing HVAC controller devices having system addresses within a predefined range of system addresses;
• means for reading a device code from any responding HVAC controller device;
• means for inquiring as to whether the device code indicates a second particular type of HVAC controller device;
• and
• means for writing an identification of the HVAC controller device having said reading means and said inquiring means to the addressed HVAC controller device when the device code indicates that the addressed device is the second particular type of controller device whereby the addressed device may use the written identification to identify future communications from the HVAC controller device conveying its identification.