JP2018186452A - Pairing system for remote management of hot water use facility and communication adapter used in the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent authentication information for pairing from being transmitted from a communication adapter installed outdoors to a management center even when the communication adapter is illegally operated.SOLUTION: When it is detected that an operation of a water heater 1a conforming to an operation instruction content displayed on a display screen of a user terminal 3 has been performed on the basis of the collation between operation instruction content collation data and operation information collected from the water heater 1a, predetermined pairing authentication information for permitting association of a communication adapter 4 with one user account used for logging in from the user terminal 3 that displays the operation instruction content on the display screen from among a plurality of user accounts managed in a management center 2 so as to accept the login from the user terminal 3 is transmitted to the management center 2 and/or the user terminal 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a pairing system for remote management of hot water utilization equipment (for example, a hot water heater, a multi-hot water supply system, a reheating device or a filtering device for hot water in a bathtub, or a hot water heater), and communication used in this system. Regarding the adapter.

  The applicant of the present application has developed a remote monitoring system for remotely monitoring a hot water supply system, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-58026 (Patent Document 1).

  This remote monitoring system includes a communication adapter (4) attached to the hot water supply system. This communication adapter is communicably connected to a hot water supply system via, for example, a two-core communication line, and acquires various types of information from the hot water supply system. The communication adapter is connected to a router (5) connected to a communication network such as the Internet, and is connected to the management center (1) via the router and the communication network so as to be able to communicate with the various information acquired from the hot water supply system. It is configured to send to the management center.

JP 2017-58026 A

  Although the said patent document 1 is disclosing the remote monitoring system for multi-use hot water supply systems for business use, it applies to remote monitoring of hot water utilization facilities, such as a hot water heater installed in each household, It is expected to be used as research data for collecting utilization status and further improving the thermal efficiency of water heaters by big data analysis.

  In recent years, wireless LAN routers have become widespread in ordinary homes, and it is required to be configured to be connected to the Internet via wireless LAN routers. Therefore, communication adapters for ordinary homes are configured to function as wireless LAN slave units. Then, it is necessary to configure a communication adapter so as to establish a wireless link with the wireless LAN router and to establish communication connection with the management center via the wireless LAN router. A wireless LAN router is usually installed indoors, but a communication adapter that is wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN router may be installed outdoors, for example, in a garage in which a water heater is installed.

  In addition, the applicant of the present application is to enable remote monitoring and / or remote operation of a water heater connected to a communication adapter using a mobile wireless communication terminal such as a smartphone in order to further enhance the convenience for the user. As we are considering, it is necessary to take security measures to prevent unauthorized information acquisition and manipulation by a third party.

  As such a security measure, the account information (for example, account ID and password) assigned to each user is used to log in to the management center from the mobile radio communication terminal, and is associated with the account information of each user (pair We are investigating that it is possible to remotely monitor or remotely operate a water heater connected to a communication adapter that is ringed using a mobile radio communication terminal.

  Here, it is important for security to prevent unauthorized pairing between each user account and each communication adapter.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication adapter in which authentication information for pairing is not transmitted from the communication adapter to the management center even if the communication adapter installed outdoors is illegally operated. And Furthermore, an object of this invention is to provide the pairing system for remote management of the hot water utilization equipment using this communication adapter.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following technical means.

  That is, the present invention is configured to collect predetermined information including operation information from the hot water use facility and transmit it to the management center, and can display predetermined operation instruction contents for the user regarding the hot water use facility. In a communication adapter configured to be communicably connected to a user terminal having a display screen, the user terminal or that the operation of the hot water using facility suitable for the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal has been performed When detected based on the collation between the operation instruction content collation data provided from the management center and the operation information collected from the hot water utilization facility, the management instruction content is displayed on the display screen from the user terminal. Permits the association between one user account used to log in to the center and the communication adapter And is characterized in that it is configured to transmit a predetermined pairing credentials because the management center and / or the user terminal (claim 1).

  According to the communication adapter of the present invention, the user operates the hot water utilization facility (for example, ON / OFF operation of the operation switch or opens the hot water tap for 5 seconds or more in accordance with the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal. Etc.), the operation instruction content verification data provided from the user terminal or the management center and the use of hot water are used to indicate that the operation of the hot water use equipment that matches the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal has been performed. Since the predetermined pairing authentication information is detected and sent to the management center and / or user terminal based on the comparison with the operation information collected from the facility, the system configuration of the management center and the user terminal appropriately Multiple user accounts that are managed by the Administration Center to accept logins from user terminals Of Operation instruction content it is possible to perform the management center an association between one user account and the communication adapter to be used to log in from a user terminal displayed on the display screen. And, as operation instruction contents, operations that can be performed only by the user, for example, a hot water supply operation when a hot water tap is provided only in the home, or a remote controller for hot water using equipment is provided only in the home By instructing a predetermined operation of the remote controller, it is possible to prevent a pairing from being easily performed using a third-party terminal even when user account information is leaked.

  Note that the operation information and other information collected by the communication adapter from the hot water use facility may be appropriate, and is not limited to the embodiments described below. The acquisition timing of the operation information may also be appropriate, and can be collected periodically every few seconds. Also, when the operation state of the hot water use equipment changes, it is collected according to the request from the hot water use equipment It can also be configured. In addition, the acquisition timing of the operation information and the acquisition timing of other information (for example, device configuration information of the hot water use facility) may be the same or different. In addition, the timing at which the communication adapter transmits the operation information to the management center may be transmitted every time the above-described operation information is acquired, or may be transmitted to the management center at an independent timing regardless of the acquisition timing of the operation information. You may go.

  Further, the operation instruction content verification data can be stored in the user terminal and transmitted from the user terminal to the communication adapter when the pairing process (association process) is performed. Instead, when managing the operation instruction content verification data and the operation instruction content display data for displaying the operation instruction content on the display screen of the user terminal at the management center and starting the pairing process In addition, the management center can provide the operation instruction content display data to the user terminal and also provide the operation instruction content verification data to the communication adapter.

  The user terminal is preferably a mobile radio communication terminal such as a smartphone. The communication adapter and the user terminal may be connected to be communicable via another relay device such as another router device, or may be connected to be able to communicate directly without using another relay device. When the user terminal functions as a wireless LAN slave device, the communication adapter can be configured to function as a wireless LAN master device. Furthermore, the communication adapter can be configured to operate as a wireless LAN master for a user terminal while simultaneously operating as a wireless LAN slave for a wireless LAN router as another wireless LAN master.

  Furthermore, the user terminal may be a smartphone in which a dedicated application program for performing the pairing process is installed. Alternatively, the user terminal may be configured by a smartphone provided with an Internet browser, and when the browser is used to log in to the management center, the user terminal can be configured to perform the pairing process by providing a web-based service.

  The communication adapter that operates as a wireless LAN slave device may be one that is communicably connected to the management center via another wireless LAN master device connected to a communication network such as the Internet. When establishing a communication with a communication adapter, the management center acquires unique identification information (such as a serial number) stored and held in the communication adapter from the communication adapter, and acquires from each communication adapter. It may be configured to be able to grasp from which communication adapter the information is transmitted. Alternatively, when the communication adapter transmits information to the management center, it can be configured to add its own identification information to the header of the information each time.

  If pairing may be permitted by detecting that the operation of the hot water use facility that matches the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal is performed, the pairing authentication information is communicated. It is transmitted only to the user terminal together with the adapter identification information, and the user terminal logs in to the management center and transmits the communication adapter identification information, thereby associating the communication adapter identification information with the user account used for such login. can do. Also, user account information (login ID, password, etc.) is provided from the user terminal to the communication adapter, the communication adapter logs in to the management center using the user account information, and sends the pairing authentication information only to the management center. It is also possible to constitute so.

In addition, the pairing system for remote management of the hot water use facility of the present invention,
With hot water equipment;
A communication adapter communicably connected to the hot water utilization facility;
A user terminal having a display screen capable of displaying a predetermined operation instruction content for the user about the hot water use facility and configured to be communicably connected to the communication adapter;
A management center for acquiring predetermined information including operation information from the hot water use facility via the communication adapter and managing a plurality of user accounts for accepting login from the user terminal; and
The communication adapter is provided with data for collating operation instructions provided from the user terminal or the management center that the operation of the hot water utilization facility conforming to the contents of the operation instructions displayed on the display screen of the user terminal is performed. And the communication information collected from the hot water utilization facility, and the communication adapter and one user account used for log-in from the user terminal displaying the operation instruction content on the display screen Predetermined pairing authentication information for permitting association is transmitted to the management center and / or the user terminal (claim 2).

  According to the pairing system for remote management of hot water use equipment of the present invention, the user operates the hot water use equipment (for example, ON / OFF operation of the operation switch or the like) according to the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal. Operation that is provided from the user terminal or the management center that the operation of the hot water use equipment that conforms to the content of the operation instruction displayed on the display screen of the user terminal is performed when the hot water tap is opened for 5 seconds or more) The communication adapter detects based on the verification of the instruction content verification data and the operation information collected from the hot water utilization facility, and the predetermined pairing authentication information is transmitted from the communication adapter to the management center and / or the user terminal. Therefore, the operation instruction contents are displayed on the display screen by appropriately configuring the management center and user terminals. It is possible to perform the association between one user account and the communication adapter to be used to log in from over The terminal in the management center. And, as operation instruction contents, operations that can be performed only by the user, for example, a hot water supply operation when a hot water tap is provided only in the home, or a remote controller for hot water using equipment is provided only in the home By instructing a predetermined operation of the remote controller, it is possible to prevent a pairing from being easily performed using a third-party terminal even when user account information is leaked.

  The management center and the user terminal can be appropriately configured. For example, the user terminal stores and holds operation instruction content display data for displaying the operation instruction content on the display screen, and the operation instruction content verification data, and the operation to the communication adapter is performed. The instruction content verification data is provided from the user terminal, and the communication adapter performs the operation of the hot water utilization facility that matches the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal. The first pairing authentication information including identification information unique to the communication adapter is transmitted to the user terminal, and the second pairing authentication information is transmitted to the management center. When the user terminal receives the first pairing authentication information from the communication adapter, the user terminal assigns one user account to the management center. And logging in and transmitting the identification information to the management center, wherein the management center includes the identification information of the communication adapter that has transmitted the second pairing authentication information and the one user. When it is confirmed that the identification information received from the user terminal logged in using an account matches, the identification information of the communication adapter may be associated with the one user account. ).

  According to such a configuration, the operation instruction content display data and the operation instruction content collation data are stored and held in the user terminal, so that the pairing process is performed by a third party terminal that does not have the data. Can be prevented more reliably. In addition, when the communication adapter detects that the operation of the hot water use facility suitable for the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal has been performed, the first and second pairings are made to the user terminal and the management center, respectively. Since the authentication information is transmitted, and the management center permits the association between the identification information of the communication adapter and the user account based on the first and second pairing authentication information received through different communication paths, it is further enhanced. Security is improved.

  The second pairing authentication information may be the same as or different from the first pairing authentication information. For example, the second pairing authentication information may simply be command information indicating that pairing is permitted. As the first pairing authentication information, a unique serial number assigned to each communication adapter can be used, and the serial number is preferably stored and held in the communication adapter. Moreover, what combined the said serial number and the MAC address provided for every communication adapter can be used as pairing authentication information, and according to this, pairing authentication information will be guessed easily. This can be avoided and further security improvement can be achieved.

In the above-described present invention, the detection that the operation of the hot water use facility that conforms to the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal is performed is performed by the communication adapter, but such detection is performed by the management center. It can also comprise. That is, the pairing system for remote management of the hot water use facility of the present invention,
With hot water equipment;
A communication adapter communicably connected to the hot water utilization facility;
A user terminal having a display screen capable of displaying a predetermined operation instruction content for the user about the hot water use facility and configured to be communicably connected to the communication adapter;
A management center for acquiring predetermined information including operation information from the hot water use facility via the communication adapter and managing a plurality of user accounts for accepting login from the user terminal; and
The management center confirms that the operation of the hot water utilization facility that conforms to the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal has been performed from the operation instruction content verification data and the hot water utilization facility via the communication adapter. Identification information unique to the communication adapter is stored in one user account used for log-in from the user terminal that displays the operation instruction content on the display screen. It is comprised so that it may associate (claim 4).

  Even with such a configuration, when the user operates the hot water use facility according to the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal, the operation of the hot water use facility that matches the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal When the management center detects that the operation has been performed, the communication adapter is associated with one user account used for login from the user terminal that displays the operation instruction content on the display screen. And, by instructing operations that can only be performed by the user as the operation instruction content, even when user account information is leaked, it is possible to prevent easy pairing using a third-party terminal it can.

  In the above-described present invention, the hot water use facility may be various devices and systems using hot water. For example, a hot water heater, a bath system including a hot water heater, a hot water replenishing device in a bathtub, and hot water in a bathtub. It may be a filtration device or a hot water heating device. The “predetermined operation instruction content for the user about the hot water use facility” is an operation instruction content for instructing the user to cause the hot water use facility to perform a predetermined operation. The operation instruction content may be appropriate, such as a hot water supply operation or a heating operation start / stop operation, or a set temperature change operation.

  The management center may be configured by one or a plurality of servers. When the management center is configured by a plurality of servers, each server may be constructed on a machine installed at a remote location, or a plurality of servers may be configured. The server may be built on a single machine. Preferably, an application server that manages a plurality of user accounts and accepts logins from user terminals and provides various services to user terminals owned by the user, and a large number of communication adapters installed in each home are always connected. Then, a cloud server that communicates with these communication adapters can be provided, and various services can be provided by cooperation processing between the application server and the cloud server.

  The management center (preferably the cloud server) obtains unique identification information assigned to each communication adapter from the communication adapter, or assigns unique identification information to each connected communication adapter, Various information for each hot water use facility provided from the communication adapter can be configured to be associated with identification information and managed.

  According to the present invention, the operation instruction content that can be operated only by the user of the communication adapter is displayed on the user terminal, and the communication adapter or the management center detects that the operation of the hot water use equipment conforming to the operation instruction content has been performed. Then, it is possible to configure the system so that the user account and the communication adapter are associated with each other, thereby preventing an unauthorized pairing operation by a third party.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a remote management system that functions as a remote management pairing system for a water heater (an example of hot water utilization facility) according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a sequence diagram of the pairing process in the pairing system. It is a sequence diagram of the pairing process which concerns on another embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of a system configuration of a remote management system including a management center 2 for remotely monitoring and / or remotely operating a hot water supply system 1 (an example of hot water utilization equipment).

  In this embodiment, the management center 2 includes a cloud server 2a and an application server 2b connected to the Internet network (communication network). The cloud server 2a and the application server 2b are connected to the Internet network or a dedicated line. Are connected to each other so as to communicate with each other, and provide various services in cooperation with each other.

  The cloud server 2a mainly collects and manages various types of information of each hot water supply system 1 by always connecting a large number of communication adapters 4 installed in each home and communicating with these communication adapters 4. The information to be collected can be appropriately designed as necessary. For example, the operation information such as the amount of hot water supply per unit time, the amount of fuel consumption and the hot water supply temperature, error information generated in each hot water supply system 1, System configuration information and the like can be included.

  The application server 2b manages a large number of user accounts for a large number of users in each home and accepts logins from mobile radio communication terminals such as smartphones 3 owned by the user, and the mobile radio communication terminals owned by the user Various services are provided to user terminals such as Preferably, a dedicated application for using the service provided by the application server 2b can be installed in the smartphone 3 so that a login operation and various operations after the login can be performed from the dedicated application. By providing the service, it is possible to perform login and other operations using an appropriate Web browser. Each user account can be managed in association with various information related to each user. For example, the login account name and password required for login, the user's name and address, the identification information of the communication adapter 4 held by the user, the system configuration and serial number of the hot water supply system 1 connected to the communication adapter 4 held by the user, etc. Can be managed in association with the user account.

  In addition, the application server 2b shall provide only the application service with respect to user terminals, such as the smart phone 3, and it can also comprise so that the customer information containing a user account may be managed by another customer information management server.

  Services provided by these servers 2a and 2b can be designed as needed, for example, providing connected device confirmation service, connected device operation information collection management service, error monitoring service, maintenance monitor service, remote operation service, etc. it can.

  The connected device confirmation service is a service for confirming the model and system configuration of the hot water supply system 1 connected to the communication adapter 4 to be described later, and the model and system based on the information collected from the hot water supply system 1 by the communication adapter 4. Determine the configuration.

  The connected device operation information collection management service is a service for periodically collecting and managing operation information of the hot water supply system 1 from the communication adapter 4 every unit time (for example, every hour). The operation information to be collected may be appropriate, but may be, for example, an accumulated hot water supply amount or an accumulated fuel consumption amount per unit time. The collected operation information can be suitably used for creating development material by big data analysis, for example.

  When an error occurs in the hot water supply system 1, the error monitoring service acquires such error information from the communication adapter 4 and notifies the terminal 7 of the support center or notifies the user's mail address of the error. It is a service.

  The maintenance monitor service is a service for monitoring the operation status of the hot water supply system 1 in real time, for example, when repairing the hot water supply system 1, and is a tablet terminal 8 for field workers connected to the cloud server 2a. It is possible to monitor the operation state of the hot water supply system 1 connected to the designated communication adapter 4 in real time with any appropriate terminal.

  The remote operation service is a service for remotely operating the hot water supply system 1, and a predetermined operation of the hot water supply system 1, for example, on / off of the hot water supply operation is performed from the terminal 7 of the support center, the smartphone 3 owned by the user, or the like. This makes it possible to remotely perform operations such as switching operations and changing the hot water supply set temperature. Remote operation by the user can be performed by logging in to the application server 2b from the smartphone 3 or the like. That is, when logging into the application server 2b, a predetermined operation can be performed on the communication adapter 4 associated (paired) with the user account. Moreover, it can also comprise so that the operation information collected from the associated communication adapter 4 can be browsed with the smart phone 3 in the login state.

  The hot water supply system 1 that is remotely monitored and / or remotely operated by the management center 2 is connected to the communication adapter 4 via an appropriate communication line 5 such as a two-core communication line. The communication adapter 4 collects various information including operation information from the hot water supply system 1 and provides it to the management center 2, and issues an operation command to the hot water supply system 1 based on commands from the management center 2 or the smartphone 3 owned by the user. Do.

  The hot water supply system 1 includes a hot water heater 1a and a remote controller 1b for operating instructions for the hot water heater 1a. The water heater 1a and the remote controller 1b are connected via a communication line 5 so that they can communicate with each other. More specifically, the water heater 1a and the remote controller 1b each have a built-in control unit (not shown) composed of a control microcomputer or the like, and these control units communicate serially via the communication line 5 with a predetermined communication protocol. Connected as possible. Moreover, the water heater 1a can be configured to output a power supply voltage for an external device to the two-core communication line 5, and in this case, communication data can be superimposed on the power supply voltage. The remote controller 1b and the communication adapter 4 may be operated by a power supply voltage supplied from the water heater 1b via the communication line 5, or may independently have a built-in power supply circuit. In the illustrated example, the hot water supply system 1 and the communication adapter 4 are installed outdoors, for example, around the outer wall of a house or in a garage.

  The remote controller 1b is provided with various operation units including an operation ON / OFF operation button and a hot water supply temperature adjustment button. Moreover, the hot water supply pipe 10 of the water heater 1a is drawn indoors, and a hot water tap 11 is disposed in an appropriate place such as an indoor bathroom or kitchen. Then, when the operation is turned on by the operation of the remote controller 1b and the flow rate in the hot water supply pipe 10 becomes equal to or higher than the minimum operation flow rate by opening the hot water tap 11, the hot water heater 1a burns to supply hot water to the hot water tap 11. It is configured.

  In addition, a wireless LAN router 6 is installed indoors, and the wireless LAN router 6 is connected to the Internet network (communication network). The wireless LAN router 6 functions as a base unit of the wireless LAN and can wirelessly connect a plurality of wireless LAN slave units. In order to establish a wireless link between each wireless LAN slave unit and the wireless LAN router 6, it is necessary to set wireless LAN connection information including the SSID and encryption key of the wireless LAN router 6 in each slave unit. In order to facilitate such setting work, the wireless LAN router 6 has a WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) function, pushes a WPS button provided in each slave unit, and is provided in the wireless LAN router 6. By pushing the WPS button, a wireless link between the slave unit and the wireless LAN router 6 is established. Each slave unit can also be configured so that it can be manually set for wireless LAN connection information, and such manual setting operation can be performed using a smartphone or personal computer connected to the slave unit so as to be communicable. You can also

  The smartphone 3 and the communication adapter 4 can operate as a wireless LAN slave unit, and a wireless link with the wireless LAN router 6 is established by setting wireless LAN connection information including the SSID and encryption key of the wireless LAN router 6. Then, it can be connected to the Internet via the wireless LAN router 6. The smartphone 3 can store and hold wireless LAN connection information of a plurality of wireless LAN master units, establishes a wireless link with the wireless LAN master unit using the wireless LAN connection information specified by the user, When the wireless link with the connected wireless LAN base unit is disconnected, the wireless link base unit is searched based on a plurality of wireless LAN connection information and the wireless link is automatically established. Yes. When connection to any of the stored wireless LAN connection information is impossible, the smartphone 3 is configured to connect to the Internet network via a mobile communication network such as a 4G line or a 3G line.

  The communication adapter 4 incorporates a wireless communication controller (not shown) for performing wireless communication with the wireless LAN router 6 using a predetermined communication protocol (for example, IEEE802.11n / IEEE802.11g / IEEE802.11b). As the wireless communication controller, for example, a commercially available wireless LAN module capable of custom programming can be used, and this wireless communication controller can function as a main control unit of the communication adapter 4. Note that a microprocessor other than the wireless communication controller may be mounted as the main control unit.

  When the wireless link with the wireless LAN router 6 is established, the control unit of the communication adapter 4 automatically connects to the cloud server 2a and transmits various system configuration information at the time of connection. The various system configuration information includes the serial number (S / N) and MAC address of the communication adapter 4, and the serial number and MAC address are used as pairing authentication information as will be described later. The serial number is a unique character string assigned to each communication adapter 4 and is stored and held in a nonvolatile memory in the control unit of the communication adapter 4 at the time of shipment, as identification information unique to each communication adapter 4. Used.

  In addition, the control unit of the communication adapter 4 collects various information related to the hot water system 1 stored in the control unit of the hot water heater 1a and the remote controller 1b through communication with the hot water system 1, and the collected information. An information transmission function to be transmitted to the cloud server 2a, a first communication failure detection function for detecting the occurrence of a communication failure with the hot water supply system 1, and a second for detecting the occurrence of a communication failure with the wireless LAN router 6 A communication failure detection function, a third communication failure detection function for detecting the occurrence of a communication failure between the wireless LAN router 6 and the cloud server 2a, and a radio wave intensity for detecting the reception intensity of the radio wave received from the wireless LAN router 6 And a detection function.

  Each of these functions can be realized by a function implemented in the wireless communication controller in the initial state or by custom programming of the wireless communication controller, and the timing of executing each function can be designed as appropriate. For example, the information collection function and the information transmission function may be executed periodically every predetermined time, or may be executed when an information transmission request is received from the cloud server 2a. Good. The first to third communication failure detection functions may detect the occurrence of each communication failure based on a communication error that occurs during execution of the information collection function and the information transmission function. In addition to the processing of the function and the information transmission function, the occurrence of each communication failure may be detected based on the result of execution of transmission / reception of appropriate dummy data at a predetermined timing, and communication is performed by other appropriate processing. The occurrence of a failure can be detected.

  In addition, the communication adapter 4 of the present embodiment establishes a wireless link with the wireless LAN router 6 and at the same time serves as an access point for direct wireless communication (wireless LAN communication) with the smartphone 3, that is, as a wireless LAN base unit. Configured to work. In order to provide such a function as an access point, the wireless communication controller of the communication adapter 4 stores and holds the SSID and encryption key of the communication adapter 4 as connection information for direct wireless communication. The access point function can be switched between valid / invalid by a button operation provided on the communication adapter 4.

  Furthermore, the communication adapter 4 is configured such that the access point function can be disabled by a command from the smartphone 3 that is directly connected by wireless communication. Collected from the hot water supply system 1, operation instruction content display data for displaying the operation instruction content for the user about the water heater 1 a on the display screen, for use in the confirmation process of being an authorized user. Operation instruction content collation data for collation with operation information to be stored is stored and held. The operation instruction content display data may be text data or graphic data indicating the operation instruction content. Further, the operation instruction content verification data can be composed of a code indicating the data type (for example, operation ON / OFF state, hot water flow rate, hot water temperature, etc.) and the data content, and these data type and data content are the hot water supply system 1. It is preferable that the communication adapter 4 conforms to the data format of information collected.

  Next, a pairing process for associating the user account of each user with the communication adapter 4 held by the user will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the initial state when the communication adapter 4 is installed, the user account and the communication adapter 4 are not associated, and the identification information (for example, serial number) between the user account and the communication adapter 4 is obtained by executing the pairing process shown in FIG. Are associated.

  In order to perform such pairing, first, the access point function (AP function) of the communication adapter 4 is validated. It is assumed that a wireless link between the communication adapter 4 and the wireless LAN router 6 has already been established, and the communication adapter 4 is connected to the cloud server 2a via the Internet.

  On the other hand, when the pairing application is activated on the smartphone 3 owned by the user, first, connection information to the communication adapter 4 for establishing a wireless link for direct wireless communication with the communication adapter 4, that is, the communication adapter 4 Prompt for SSID and encryption key. The SSID and the encryption key of the communication adapter 4 may be configured to be input using an input method such as a virtual keyboard of the smartphone 3, or a QR including connection information in the housing of the communication adapter 4. A two-dimensional code such as a code (registered trademark) or a one-dimensional code such as a bar code is pasted, and the two-dimensional code or one-dimensional code is captured by a camera built in the smartphone 3 to input an SSID and an encryption key. It can also be configured.

  When the connection information to the communication adapter 4 is correctly input, a wireless link for direct wireless communication between the smartphone 3 and the communication adapter 4 is established, and the smartphone 3 and the communication adapter 4 are connected to each other so that direct wireless communication is possible. Is done.

  Next, the pairing application displays on the display screen of the smartphone 3 predetermined operation instruction content for regular user confirmation using the operation instruction content display data described above. The operation instruction content may be appropriate, for example, a hot water supply operation instruction by opening a hot water tap 11 provided indoors, or the like, and can be a content that can only be operated by an authorized user. When the remote controller 1b is installed only indoors, a predetermined operation of the remote controller 1b, for example, a combination of a driving ON operation and a driving OFF operation can be used as the operation instruction content.

  The pairing application notifies the communication adapter 4 of the operation instruction content by transmitting the operation instruction content verification data to the communication adapter 4 by direct wireless communication together with the display of the operation instruction content.

  The communication adapter 4 that has received the notification of the operation instruction content collects operation information of the water heater 1a in real time (for example, every few seconds) from the control unit of the water heater 1a, and compares the operation instruction content and the operation state of the water heater 1a. Perform verification. More specifically, the operation instruction content collation data provided from the smartphone 3 and the operation information collected from the water heater 1a are collated to match the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the smartphone 3. When it is detected that the operation of the device 1a is performed, the verification OK process shown in FIG. 2 is performed. Although not shown, if the verification does not proceed even if a predetermined time (for example, 5 to 10 minutes) elapses, the verification process is configured to end as the verification NG and the smartphone 3 is verified. It is preferable to be configured to notify a message indicating NG.

  In the case of verification OK, the communication adapter 4 transmits the serial number (S / N) of the communication adapter 4 as the first pairing authentication information to the smartphone 3 by direct wireless communication and communicates with the cloud server 2a. The serial number (S / N) of the adapter 4 is transmitted as second pairing authentication information via the wireless LAN router 6 and the Internet. When the cloud server 2a manages the serial number of the communication adapter 4 connected to the cloud server 2a, the second pairing authentication information transmitted from the communication adapter 4 to the cloud server 2a is pairing. It may be pairing permission command information including an information type code indicating authentication information and binary information indicating whether or not pairing is permitted.

  The pairing application of the smartphone 3 that has received the first pairing authentication information sends an access point function invalidation command to the communication adapter 4. As a result, the communication adapter 4 invalidates the access point function. Then, the smartphone 3 re-searches the connection destination, and if the wireless LAN connection information to the wireless LAN router 6 is set, the smartphone 3 automatically connects to the wireless LAN router 6 and enters the Internet network via the router 6. If not set, connect to the Internet via a 3G or 4G line. Then, when the pairing application connects to the Internet network according to the above flow, the serial number (S / N) of the communication adapter 4 acquired from the communication adapter 4 by logging into the application server 2b using one user account. ) As identification information unique to the communication adapter 4 is transmitted to the application server 2b. When logging in to the application server 2b, it is preferable to prompt the user to enter the account ID and password of one user account, but a login authentication cache that has not expired is stored in the smartphone 3. If it is, the application server 2b can be automatically logged in using the login authentication cache.

  The application server 2b that has received the identification information unique to the communication adapter 4 determines whether or not the second pairing authentication information is provided to the cloud server 2a from the communication adapter 4 having the same identification information (serial number S / N). The collation process is performed in cooperation with the cloud server 2a, and when a match is confirmed by the collation, the serial number (identification information) of the communication adapter 4 that transmitted the second pairing authentication information to the cloud server 2a Management is performed in association with the user account that has logged in the server 2b and transmitted the identification information, and the pairing application of the smartphone 3 is notified of pairing OK. In the verification process, the time difference between the date and time when the cloud server 2a receives the second pairing authentication information from the communication adapter 4 and the date and time when the application server 2b receives the serial number of the communication adapter 4 from the smartphone 3 is a predetermined time. It can be configured so that only the inside (for example, within 5 minutes) is performed.

  By performing pairing between the one user account and the communication adapter 4 in this way, the remote monitoring of the hot water supply system 1 from the smartphone 3 and / or by logging into the application server 2b with the one user account thereafter. Or remote control can be performed. Thus, the remote management system according to the present embodiment functions as a remote management pairing system for the hot water supply system 1. Note that only the remote monitoring service can be provided, only the remote operation service can be provided, or both services can be provided according to the user's request.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate. For example, the communication adapter may be built in the housing of the water heater, and in this case, the communication line connecting the communication adapter and the controller of the water heater may be an internal wiring of the housing. In the above-described embodiment, the communication adapter 4 is connected to the wireless LAN router 6. However, instead of this, the communication adapter 4 is also connected to a wired LAN router or a terminal adapter provided by a communication carrier. The invention can be applied.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the communication adapter 4 showed the detection that the operation | movement of the water heater 1a suitable for the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of a user terminal (smartphone 3) was performed, Such detection can be performed on the management center 2 side. That is, the management center 2 confirms that the operation of the water heater 1a that matches the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 3 has been performed via the communication adapter 4 from the operation instruction content verification data and the water heater 1a. And detecting the serial number (identification information) of the communication adapter 4 in one user account used for login from the user terminal 3 displaying the operation instruction content on the display screen. It may be configured to associate. Even in such a configuration, the user terminal 3 obtains a serial number as unique identification information from the communication adapter 4 and provides this serial number to the application server 2b. It can be configured such that the application server 2b can grasp to which user account the communication adapter 4 is to be associated.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of an embodiment in which the management center 2 side detects that the operation of the water heater 1a that matches the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the smartphone 3 has been performed. In the present embodiment, the operation instruction content display data and the operation instruction content verification data are stored and held in the cloud server 2a and are provided to the communication adapter 4 and the smartphone 3 from the cloud server 2a.

In the pairing processing embodiment shown in FIG. 3, when the access point function (AP function) of the communication adapter 4 is activated in advance and the pairing application of the smartphone 3 is activated, the application first starts with the communication adapter 4. Prompts the user to enter the SSID and encryption key. When the user inputs the SSID and encryption key of the communication adapter 4, the user terminal 3 and the communication adapter 4 are directly connected by wireless communication.
Next, the pairing application of the smartphone 3 transmits a pairing start request to the communication adapter 4. When receiving a pairing start request from the smartphone 3, the communication adapter 4 transmits a pairing start request to the cloud server 2a.

  When receiving a pairing start request from one communication adapter 4, the cloud server 2 a returns operation instruction content display data to the communication adapter 4. When the communication adapter 4 receives the operation instruction content display data as a response to the pairing start request to the cloud server 2a, the communication adapter 4 sends the operation instruction content display data to the smartphone 3 as a response to the pairing start request from the smartphone 3. Send back. Then, the pairing application of the smartphone 3 displays the operation instruction content on the display screen using the received operation instruction content display data.

  Moreover, the cloud server 2a is configured to make a request for acquiring water heater operation information to the communication adapter 4 together with the return of the operation instruction content display data. The communication adapter 4 that has received the request is configured to provide the operation information of the water heater 1a collected from the hot water supply system 1 to the cloud server 2a in real time every few seconds or every time a change in the operation state is detected. The cloud server 2a is adapted to the operation instruction content based on the operation instruction content verification data paired with the operation instruction content display data provided to the communication adapter 4 and the water heater operation information provided from the communication adapter 4. It is verified whether or not the operation of the water heater 1a to be performed has been performed.

  If the user performs the opening / closing operation of the hot water tap 11 or the operation of the remote controller 1b according to the operation instruction content displayed on the smartphone 3, the operation of the water heater 1a that matches the operation instruction content is performed in the cloud server 2a. The above verification is OK.

  Although it may be configured that the verification is OK only by a single operation (operation 1), two operations of opening and closing the hot water tap 11 (operation 1) and closing operation (operation 2) are confirmed in succession. In such a case, it can be configured to be verified OK, or can be verified by a combination of three or more operations. In order to verify a plurality of operations, the sequence surrounded by “Loop” in FIG. 3 may be repeatedly processed for each operation.

  Thereafter, the verification OK process similar to that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is performed, whereby the association (pairing) between one user account and one communication adapter 4 is completed.

  The operation instruction content verification data may be provided from the user terminal 3 to the cloud server 2a via the communication adapter 4. In this case, the operation instruction content display data and the verification data are the user terminal. 3 can be stored in memory. Further, the application server 2b can be configured to provide operation instruction content display data to the user terminal 3 and to provide operation instruction content collation data to the cloud server 2a.

1 Hot water use facilities (hot water supply system)
2 Administration center 3 User terminal (smartphone)
4 Communication adapter

Claims (4)

A user terminal configured to collect predetermined information including operation information from the hot water use facility and transmit it to the management center, and having a display screen capable of displaying a predetermined operation instruction content for the user regarding the hot water use facility In a communication adapter configured to be able to communicate with
Operation instruction content verification data provided from the user terminal or the management center and the hot water utilization facility that the operation of the hot water utilization facility conforming to the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal is performed. When detecting based on the collation with the operation information collected from the association between the user adapter and the communication adapter used to log in to the management center from the user terminal displaying the operation instruction content on the display screen A communication adapter configured to transmit predetermined pairing authentication information for authorizing to the management center and / or the user terminal. With hot water equipment;
A communication adapter communicably connected to the hot water utilization facility;
A user terminal having a display screen capable of displaying a predetermined operation instruction content for the user about the hot water use facility and configured to be communicably connected to the communication adapter;
A management center for acquiring predetermined information including operation information from the hot water use facility via the communication adapter and managing a plurality of user accounts for accepting login from the user terminal; and
The communication adapter is provided with data for collating operation instructions provided from the user terminal or the management center that the operation of the hot water utilization facility conforming to the contents of the operation instructions displayed on the display screen of the user terminal is performed. And the communication information collected from the hot water utilization facility, and the communication adapter and one user account used for log-in from the user terminal displaying the operation instruction content on the display screen A pairing system for remote management of hot water use facilities, configured to transmit predetermined pairing authentication information for permitting association to the management center and / or the user terminal. In the pairing system for remote management of the hot water use facility according to claim 2,
The user terminal stores and holds operation instruction content display data for displaying the operation instruction content on the display screen, and the operation instruction content collation data,
Providing the operation instruction content verification data to the communication adapter is configured to be performed from the user terminal,
When the communication adapter detects that the operation of the hot water use facility that conforms to the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal has been performed, a first pair including identification information unique to the communication adapter The ring authentication information is transmitted to the user terminal, and the second pairing authentication information is transmitted to the management center.
When receiving the first pairing authentication information from the communication adapter, the user terminal is configured to log in to the management center using a single user account and transmit the identification information to the management center.
The management center matches the identification information of the communication adapter that has transmitted the second pairing authentication information with the identification information received from the user terminal logged in using the one user account. Is configured to associate the identification information of the communication adapter with the one user account,
A pairing system for remote management of hot water equipment. With hot water equipment;
A communication adapter communicably connected to the hot water utilization facility;
A user terminal having a display screen capable of displaying a predetermined operation instruction content for the user about the hot water use facility and configured to be communicably connected to the communication adapter;
A management center for acquiring predetermined information including operation information from the hot water use facility via the communication adapter and managing a plurality of user accounts for accepting login from the user terminal; and
The management center confirms that the operation of the hot water utilization facility that conforms to the operation instruction content displayed on the display screen of the user terminal has been performed from the operation instruction content verification data and the hot water utilization facility via the communication adapter. Identification information unique to the communication adapter is stored in one user account used for log-in from the user terminal that displays the operation instruction content on the display screen. A pairing system for remote management of hot water use equipment configured to be associated.

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