JP6651763B2 - Monitoring system for multi hot water supply system - Google Patents

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system that enables a large-capacity hot water supply by connecting a plurality of hot water heaters.

  In recent years, as a commercial hot water supply system, a multi-hot water supply system using a plurality of instantaneous gas water heaters has been adopted instead of a hot water supply system combining a boiler and a hot water storage tank. The multi-hot water supply system can continue hot water supply by back-up operation of another water heater even if one of the water heaters breaks down, does not require a dedicated machine room, and requires relatively little loading, unloading, and replacement of components. There are various advantages, such as easy operation and operation by a simple remote control operation without the need for a specialized engineer such as a boiler engineer.

  The applicant of the present application has conventionally developed a multi-hot water supply system as described above, and is disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below.

  Further, in Patent Document 3 below, a relay adapter (communication adapter) is provided for relaying between a device constituting a multi-hot water supply system and a management center, and various types of information in the multi-hot water supply system are transmitted to the management center for remote control. A remote management system that manages the information is disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 3603762 Japanese Patent No. 3608492 JP 2007-274710 A

  In the multi-hot water supply system, for example, a maximum of 24 water heaters are connected by a plurality of system controllers having a hierarchical structure, and the connection between each device (the water heater and the system controller) becomes complicated, and the system is installed. Since the number of water heaters and the number of system controllers are different for each facility and the connection relations are also individually different, erroneous connection between the devices is likely to occur during construction.

  However, the conventional multi-hot water supply system and its remote management system do not have a function of determining whether or not the connection relation between the devices is normal.

  Therefore, the present invention automatically detects an abnormality in a connection relation between devices constituting a multi-hot water supply system that performs hot water supply in accordance with a required hot water supply capacity by controlling the number of operating hot water heaters. It is an object of the present invention to provide a monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system that can notify an installer.

  The present invention takes the following technical measures to achieve the above object.

That is, the present invention is a monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system in which at least one system controller controls the number of operating water heaters of a plurality of water heaters, and a connection relationship between the plurality of water heaters and the system controller. Is provided based on the system configuration information obtained by communication with the system controller as to whether or not the connection is normal. The erroneous connection determination processing unit includes a communication connection attached to the multi-hot water supply system. The communication adapter is configured to perform the determination process at the time of trial operation of the communication adapter, which is performed by performing a predetermined trial operation start operation of an operation unit provided on the communication adapter. (Claim 1).

According to the monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system of the present invention, it is determined whether or not the connection relation between the plurality of water heaters and the system controller is normal based on the system configuration information obtained by communication with the system controller. since the it can detect whether based on actual system configuration information that is automatically collected is erroneous connection during commissioning of the communication adapters facilities immediately Engineering monitoring system automatically.

  In addition, it is preferable that each system controller monitors whether or not another system component (another system controller or a water heater) is connected to a lower side thereof, and stores and holds the connection information. In this case, the erroneous connection determination processing unit can acquire connection information with a device connected immediately below each system controller by communicating with each system controller. When a plurality of system controllers are hierarchically connected, the erroneous connection determination processing unit is first connected directly to the lower connection port of the uppermost (first hierarchical) system controller by communication with the uppermost system controller. Connection information with the lower-level second-layer system controller, and a second-layer system controller with which to communicate next is specified based on the connection information, and the specified second-layer system controller is specified. Communication with the lower-layer third-level equipment (water heater or lower-level system controller) directly connected to the lower-level connection port of the second-level system controller by communication with By repeating, shows the actual connection relationship even when the multi-hot water supply system is configured in multiple layers Collect connection information between devices, can obtain system configuration information comprising connection information between all the equipment. When the highest-level system controller is configured to collect and manage the system configuration information of the entire multi-hot water supply system, the misconnection determination processing unit determines that the highest-level system controller communicates with only the highest-level system controller. It is also possible to acquire the system configuration information to be managed, and to determine the incorrect connection based on the system configuration information. In addition, each system controller can be configured so that the erroneous connection determination processing unit can access the lower connection port of each system controller (each system controller functions as a communication repeater). It is not always required that the controller memorize and hold the connection information, and the erroneous connection determination processing unit accesses the lower connection ports of all the system controllers in order from the upper system controller, thereby obtaining the system configuration information. Can also be configured to collect

  In the monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system of the present invention, it is possible to further include a notifying unit for notifying that the connection relationship is abnormal when the erroneous connection determination processing unit determines that the connection relationship is not normal ( Claim 2). According to this, it is possible to notify the installer of the erroneous connection (the connection relationship is abnormal) on the spot, and it is possible to take a quick response.

Further, the plurality of water heater, as well as the system controller for each further it can comprise a remote management server that manages the system configuration information indicating the connection relationship, before Symbol communications adapter, the remote management of the system configuration information It can have a function of transmitting to the server (claim 3). According to this, the system controller constituting the multi-hot water supply system is provided with the function of acquiring the system configuration information in the communication adapter installed to communicably connect the multi-hot water supply system to the remote management server, so that the entire system can be provided. Even if a function for collecting and managing the connection relationship is not provided, system configuration information indicating the connection relationship of the entire system is collected, and the system configuration information is managed by the remote management server. Can view the system configuration information from the terminal, and can provide a more complete maintenance service.

  Further, the communication adapter can be configured to transmit the determination result of the erroneous connection determination processing unit to the remote management server together with the system configuration information (claim 4). According to this, the communication adapter can make a right / wrong determination of the connection relationship using the system configuration information acquired for transmission to the remote management server, and the system configuration for collecting the management information in the remote management server can be determined. There is no need to obtain system configuration information only for determining the correctness of the connection relationship separately from the acquisition of information.For example, monitoring to confirm that the remote management server and the communication adapter are connected so that they can communicate normally. During a test run of the system, whether the connection relationship is normal is determined while shortening the time required for the test run by making a true / false determination of the connection relationship based on the system configuration information acquired for transmission to the remote management server. Then, it can be transmitted to the remote management server.

  The erroneous connection determination processing unit can be realized as a function incorporated in the remote management server. In this case, if the communication adapter functions as a relay device for communication between the remote management server and the multi-hot water supply system, good. Further, the communication adapter is preferably provided separately from a remote controller for operating the multi-hot water supply system, but the remote controller can also function as the erroneous connection determination processing unit. In addition, the communication adapter can function as the notification unit. For example, when any abnormality is detected in the connection relationship, the abnormality can be reported by an LED display provided in the communication adapter. Further, the terminal device brought by the builder to the site can also function as the notification unit. Further, the present invention may not be capable of detecting all connection abnormalities, but may be capable of detecting only a clear incorrect connection or a previously assumed wrong connection pattern.

As described above, according to the monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system according to claim 1 of the present invention, based on the system configuration information obtained by communication with the system controller, the connection of each of the plurality of water heaters and the system controller is performed. the relationship it is determined whether a normal can be detected automatically whether or not there is erroneous connection during commissioning of the communication adapters facilities immediately Engineering monitoring system based on real system configuration information that is automatically collected .

  Further, according to the monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system according to claim 2 of the present invention, it is possible to notify the installer on the spot that there is an erroneous connection (the connection relation is abnormal), and to take prompt action. It can be carried out.

  According to the monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system according to claim 3 of the present invention, a communication adapter installed to communicably connect the multi-hot water supply system to a remote management server is provided with a function of acquiring system configuration information. Thereby, even if the system controller constituting the multi-hot water supply system does not have a function of collecting and managing the connection relation of the entire system, the system configuration information indicating the connection relation of the entire system is collected, and the system configuration information is remotely stored. By managing with the management server, it becomes possible to browse the system configuration information from an appropriate terminal accessible to the server, and it is possible to provide a more complete maintenance service.

  Further, according to the monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system according to claim 4 of the present invention, the communication adapter can use the system configuration information acquired for transmission to the remote management server to make a true / false determination of the connection relationship. It is not necessary to obtain the system configuration information only for determining the correctness of the connection relationship separately from the acquisition of the system configuration information for collecting the management information in the remote management server. The time required for test operation by making a correct / false judgment of the connection relationship based on the system configuration information acquired for transmission to the remote management server during test operation of the monitoring system for confirming that the connection is normally communicable. It is possible to determine whether or not the connection relationship is normal and transmit the result to the remote management server while shortening the time.

1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a multi-hot water supply system and a remote monitoring system thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic system configuration | structure figure at the time of the incorrect connection in the same multi-hot-water supply system. It is a figure showing an example of a display screen which displays that it is an erroneous connection.

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

  FIG. 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a multi-hot water supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention and a remote monitoring system thereof. The multi-hot water supply system of the present embodiment includes one top-level system controller P (hereinafter, referred to as “ ), Up to four lowest system controllers SC (hereinafter referred to as “child syscons”) connected in parallel below the hierarchy of the parent syscon P, and the hierarchy of each child syscon SC. A total of 24 (maximum) water heaters WH connected to a maximum of 6 units each on the lower side are provided, and these constituent devices are hierarchically connected with the parent syscon P at the top, and the hot water is supplied by the parent syscon P and the child syscon SC. The number of operating units WH is configured to be controlled. The contents of the number-of-operations control by the parent system controller P and the child system controller SC may be any. In the present invention, the contents of the operation number control are not limited to specific ones. It may be disclosed.

  FIG. 1 is shown as an example, and for each multi-hot water supply system installed in each facility, the number of connected child system SCs and the connection of water heaters WH according to the required maximum hot water supply capacity and the like. The number is arbitrary. If the number of water heaters WH is six or less, the parent system controller P is not installed, and only one child system controller SC (in this case, it can be simply referred to as the system controller SC) is used. A system configuration for controlling the number of operating units may be allowed. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the child system SC is provided in one layer under the parent system P, but a multi-layered multi-hot water supply system in which child systems are further hierarchically connected under each child system SC. It can also be constructed as The numeral strings shown in the parent system controller P and each child system controller SC in FIG. 1 schematically show the collection management state of the connection information in each system controller, and the structure as shown physically is not shown. It does not exist.

  In the present embodiment, the parent system controller P has four lower-level connection ports for connecting up to four child system controllers SC at the lower level of the hierarchy, and the child system controller SC is connected to each connection port by a two-core communication line or the like. Are connected to each other via the communication line L1, so that the parent system controller P and each child system controller SC can mutually transmit and receive various information (including various command signals) via the communication line L1. In addition, the parent system controller P performs connection confirmation processing for determining whether or not the child system controller SC is connected to each lower-side connection port as a lower-side device at predetermined time intervals or at predetermined timing (for example, at the start or end of the hot water supply operation, etc. ), And stores and holds connection information with the lower-level device whose connection has been confirmed. The connection information with the lower device stored in the parent system controller P includes, for example, 4-bit digital data indicating whether or not the lower device is connected to each of the four lower connection ports. Specifically, “1111” if the lower-level device SC is connected to all four ports, “0000” if not connected to any of the four ports, and the first, second, and fourth devices as shown in the illustrated example. If it is connected to the port, it can include digital data set as “1101”. In this embodiment, even when the water heater WH is directly connected to the lower connection port of the parent system controller P as the lower device, "1" is set as the connection information of the port. ing.

  The parent system controller P also stores and holds predetermined device information (for example, a model number and a software version number) for specifying its own model. Further, “1” is set and stored as an identification code indicating that the device is a parent system controller. In the illustrated example, “1 1101” is stored and held as connection information by adding the identification code to the connection information. ing. The parent system controller P is configured to constantly monitor all the ports during startup and update the connection information at predetermined time intervals, for example. The parent system controller P can also acquire device information of each child system controller SC from each child system controller SC through communication with the connected child system controller SC, and store and retain the device information.

  Each child system controller SC has an upper connection port for connecting to the parent system controller P, and the communication line L1 is connected to the port. Further, the child system controller SC has six lower connection ports for connecting up to six water heaters WH at the lower hierarchical level, and each lower connection port is provided with a water heater WH such as a two-core communication line. The child system controller SC and the water heater WH are connected to each other via the communication line L2 so that various information (including various command signals) can be transmitted and received between them. Similarly to the parent syscon P, the child syscon SC also performs a connection confirmation process for checking whether or not the water heater WH is connected to each hierarchical lower connection port at predetermined time intervals or at predetermined timing, and the connection is confirmed. The connection information with the water heater WH is stored and held. The connection information with the water heater WH stored and held by the child system controller SC includes, for example, 6-bit digital data indicating whether or not the water heater WH is connected to each of the six lower connection ports. Specifically, if the water heater WH is connected to all six ports, it is “111111”, if not, “000000” if it is not connected to any of them. If it is connected to the third, third, fifth, and sixth ports, it can include digital data set as “011011”. Also, each child system controller SC also stores and holds predetermined device information for specifying its own model, and “0” is set and stored as an identification code indicating that it is a child system controller, The identification code is added to the connection information, and, for example, “0011011” is stored and held as connection information in the second child system SC shown from the top in FIG. The child system controller SC is configured to constantly monitor all ports during startup and to update the connection information at predetermined time intervals, for example. The child system controller SC can also acquire device information of each water heater WH from each water heater WH through communication with the connected water heater WH, and store and retain the device information.

  The water heater WH has a connection port for connecting to the child system controller SC, and the communication line L2 is connected to the connection port. Each water heater WH also stores and holds predetermined device information for specifying its own model. The water heater WH also stores and retains water heater status information including past total heat supply amount information of hot water supplied from the own device, error information of the own device, and failure information of the own device. The water heater status information may include other appropriate information, for example, information on the type of fuel gas (the type of city gas or propane gas, etc.) and the total operation time. Further, although no lower system is connected to the water heater WH, in the present embodiment, the connection information in the same format as that of the child system controller WC is also stored and held in each water heater WH, and specifically, “000000” , That is, the same data as the connection information stored and held by the child system controller SC to which no water heater WH is connected is set as the connection information stored and held by each water heater WH.

  Further, the multi-hot water supply system of the present embodiment includes a remote controller RC for performing a driving operation of the entire system. The remote controller RC is connected to a hierarchical upper-level connection port of the parent system controller P via a two-core communication line L3. It is connected. A plurality of hierarchically upper connection ports of the parent system controller P are provided in parallel, and a communication adapter 4 to be described later is also connected to the hierarchically upper connection port of the parent system controller P via a two-core communication line L3. The parent system controller P, the remote controller RC, and the communication adapter 4 can communicate with each other via the communication line L3.

  The remote monitoring system according to the present embodiment includes a remote management server 1 connected to the Internet, a monitoring terminal 2 (display device) provided at a call center for performing error confirmation of a multi-hot water supply system, arranging services, and the like. Communication terminal 3 (terminal equipment) and a communication adapter 4 installed for each multi-hot water supply system, and each of the terminals 2 and 3 is communicably connected to the remote management server 1 via the Internet. . The communication adapter 4 includes a control unit mainly constituted by a microprocessor, is connected to the management server 1 via a mobile phone communication network and the Internet so as to be able to communicate with each other, and has a communication line such as a two-core communication line. It is communicably connected to the parent system controller P via L3. The communication adapter 4 is connected to a mobile phone network via a router 5 connected via a LAN cable. Power can be supplied to the router 5 from a power supply board (not shown), and power can be supplied to the communication adapter 4 via the two-core communication line L3.

  The remote management server 1 obtains, from the communication adapter 4 of each multi-hot water supply system, system configuration information indicating the respective connection relations of the plurality of water heaters WH, the parent syscon P, and the child syscon SC that constitute each multi-hot water supply system. It is managed for each multi hot water supply system, and may be configured in the form of a file server, may be configured in the form of a relational database server, or may be in any other appropriate form. In the present embodiment, the remote management server 1 manages the system configuration information in a database format for each multi-hot water supply system in a database format in which the connection relation hierarchically connected to the highest-level component device can be specified. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, for each component device, a device ID (ID01-), connection information between the device and its lower device (for example, “1 1101” for the device with ID01 in FIG. 1), The device information (xxxxxx) of the device and other information can be managed in association with each other.

  The monitoring terminal 2 and the communication terminal 3 refer to the system configuration information managed by the remote management server 1 and refer to the plurality of water heaters WH, the parent system controller P, and the plurality of water heaters in the desired specific multi-hot water supply system whose system configuration is desired to be displayed. The connection relationship between the child system controllers SC is configured to be displayed on a display screen using a diagram having a hierarchical structure as shown in FIG. 3, for example. In addition, a program for displaying the connection relation of the components in the desired multi-hot water supply system can be installed in each of the terminals 2 and 3 with reference to the system configuration information managed by the remote management server 1, Each of the terminals 2 and 3 may be a mere display terminal or a Web terminal, and the system configuration diagram generated by the management server 1 may be transferred to each of the terminals 2 and 3 for display.

  In addition, the monitoring terminal 2 and the communication terminal 3 directly transmit the configuration information to the communication adapter 4 of the multi-hot water supply system designated by performing a predetermined operation via the Internet or indirectly via the remote management server 1. It is configured to be able to issue an acquisition request.

  The communication adapter 4 is configured to be able to communicate with the parent system controller P, the remote controller RC, and the child system controller SC. When the communication adapter 4 communicates with the child system controller SC, the parent system controller P functions as a relay device for communication. . Note that the communication adapter 4 assigns a unique device ID to each system controller P, SC and water heater WH for each connection point. ID02 to ID05 are assigned to the first to fourth lower connection ports of the system controller P, ID06 to ID11 are set to the lower connection ports of the child system SC of ID02, and ID12 to ID17 and ID04 are set to the lower connection ports of the child system SC of ID03. ID18 to ID23 are assigned to the lower connection ports of the child system SC and ID24 to ID29 are assigned to the lower connection ports of the child system SC of ID05, and the devices connected to each port are managed using these device IDs.

  The communication adapter 4 determines whether the connection relationship between the parent system controller P and the plurality of child system controllers SC and the connection relationship between each child system controller SC and the plurality of water heaters WH are normal. And an incorrect connection determination processing unit that determines based on system configuration information obtained by communication with each of the child system controllers SC. The incorrect connection determination processing unit is controlled by a control unit of the communication adapter 4 that executes a corresponding program. Control can be configured.

  In one embodiment, the erroneous connection determination processing unit determines the connection relationship at the time of test operation of the communication adapter 4 which is executed by performing a predetermined test operation start operation of an operation unit (not shown) provided in the communication adapter 4. It can be configured to perform processing. When the test run is started, the erroneous connection determination processing section determines whether the system controller P. which configures the multi-hot water supply system has a fault. A connection information acquisition request is issued to the SC, and the system configuration information of the multi-hot water supply system is acquired by aggregating communication results with the system controllers P and SC and information returned from each system controller P and SC.

  An example of such a system configuration information acquisition process will be specifically described based on the system configuration shown in FIG. 1. First, the erroneous connection determination processing unit of the communication adapter 4 is directly connected to the device of ID01, that is, the communication adapter 4. A connection information acquisition request is issued to the parent system controller P.

  When receiving the connection information acquisition request from the communication adapter 4, the parent system controller P returns the connection information “1 1101” managed by itself to the request source, that is, the communication adapter 4. When returning the connection information, the model information of the own device stored and held by the own device can also be added.

  If there is a reply from the parent syscon P, the communication adapter 4 analyzes the connection information “1 1101” returned from the parent syscon P, and thereby the device of ID01 is the parent syscon P and It is determined that the lower device is connected to the second, fourth, and lower connection ports, and that no lower device is connected to the third lower connection port.

  On the other hand, if there is no reply from the parent system controller P even if a predetermined time has elapsed after the connection information acquisition request is issued, and if the returned connection information is "10000", that is, if there is one child system controller SC Is not connected, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the connection relationship. When it is determined that there is an abnormality in the connection relationship, the communication adapter 4 suspends the trial operation, and notifies the installer that there is an abnormality in the connection relationship by using an LED display, a buzzer, or the like provided in the communication adapter 4. . Thus, the communication adapter 4 constitutes a notification unit that notifies that the connection relation is abnormal when the connection relation is determined to be abnormal by the erroneous connection determination processing unit. It should be noted that it is also possible to determine what kind of abnormality is by changing the notification mode, for example, the number of blinks, the blinking speed of the LED display, and the number to be displayed, depending on the type of abnormality. In the example, the notification mode can be made different between a case where there is no reply from the parent system controller P and a case where no child system controller SC is connected.

  Also, when the returned connection information is not that of the parent system controller P, that is, when the identification code included in the connection information is not “1”, it can be determined that there is an abnormality in the connection relationship. In this case, it is possible to allow only one child system controller SC to be directly connected to the communication adapter 4. In this case, by analyzing the returned connection information, the device of ID01 is the child system controller SC and the child system controller SC It can be determined to which port the water heater WH is connected.

  When there is a reply from the parent syscon P, the communication adapter 4 next determines all lower-layer devices of the second hierarchy connected to the parent syscon P, that is, the child, based on the connection information returned from the parent syscon P. The connection information acquisition requests are sequentially issued to the system controller SC using the device ID. In the illustrated example, it is known that the lower-level devices are connected to the lower-level connection ports of ID02, ID03, and ID05. Issues a connection information acquisition request.

  When receiving the connection information acquisition request from the communication adapter 4, the child system controller SC returns the connection information managed by itself to the communication adapter 4. Also in this case, at the time of returning the connection information, the model information of the own device stored and held by the own device can be added.

  If there is a reply from each lower device, the communication adapter 4 analyzes the returned connection information, and if the connection information is “000000”, is the lower device a water heater WH? Alternatively, since it can be determined that no water heater WH is connected to the child system controller SC, no connection is determined to be abnormal in this case as well, and similar notification is performed. Further, when the identification code included in the connection information returned from the lower device is “1”, that is, when the parent system controller P is connected as the lower device, it is determined that the connection relationship is abnormal. Can be notified.

  Further, even when a system controller is further connected to a lower level of each child system controller SC, it is possible to determine that the connection relationship is abnormal and to make a notification. The determination as to whether or not the connected device is the system controller may be made using device information obtained from the device, or may be performed based on the connection information obtained from the child system controller SC. A connection information acquisition request is issued to the device of the third hierarchy, and the existence of the device of the fourth hierarchy is confirmed based on the connection information returned from the device of the third hierarchy. It can also be determined that the device is a system controller.

  Note that the erroneous connection determination processing unit of the communication adapter 4 specifies the model of each water heater WH by communicating with all the connected water heaters WH after the connection information acquisition request processing for the child system controller SC. It is also possible to collect the device information and the operation state information described above and add the collected information to the system configuration information.

  If no abnormality is detected in the connection information returned from the parent system controller P and all the connected child system controllers SC, it is notified that the connection relationship is normal, and all acquired connection information is aggregated. The system is transmitted to the remote management server 1 as system configuration information of the entire multi-hot water supply system, and the trial operation ends.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of an erroneous connection. Specifically, the water heater WH is directly connected to the third lower connection port (ID04) of the parent system controller P, and There is an abnormality in that no water heater is connected to the child system controller SC connected to the fourth lower connection port (ID05). In this case, when the communication adapter 4 issues a connection information acquisition request to the lower device connected to the third lower connection port of the parent system controller P, the water heater WH connected to the port becomes connection information as connection information. Since “000000” is returned, it is determined here that the connection relationship is abnormal. At this time, the system is configured to notify the abnormality once without issuing a connection information acquisition request to the lower device (child system SC in the illustrated example) connected to the fourth lower connection port of the parent system controller P, and terminate the test run. It can also issue connection information acquisition requests to all connected lower-level devices even if an error is detected, collect connection information from all lower-level devices, and judge anomalies for all connection information It is also possible to terminate the test operation after performing the above. When abnormality determination is performed for all connection information, all the detected abnormality information is also added to the system configuration information and transmitted to the remote management server for management, so that the terminals 2 and 3 are managed as shown in FIG. In addition, it is also possible to display all the abnormal locations, and it is possible to more easily and quickly specify an erroneous connection location.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the above embodiment, the communication adapter 4 sequentially communicates from the system controller in the upper layer of the hierarchy to identify the lower system controller to communicate with, and communicates with all the system controllers to communicate with each system controller. Is configured to acquire the connection information stored and retained, but when the parent system controller P has a function of collecting the connection information from the lower-level child system controller SC, the communication adapter 4 is configured only for the parent system controller P. It is also possible to control and configure so as to issue an information acquisition request and acquire the system configuration information collected by the parent system controller P from the parent system controller P.

  Further, each of the terminals 2 and 3 can also function as an erroneous connection determination processing unit. In this case, each of the terminals 2 and 3 is based on the system configuration information collected by the communication adapter 4 and transmitted to the remote management server 1. It can be configured to detect and report an abnormality in the connection relationship.

  In addition, the abnormality determination (correctness determination) of the connection relationship by the incorrect connection determination processing unit of the communication adapter 4 may be various, and may be different for each multi-hot water supply system. Whether to perform the determination can be stored as abnormality determination data in a storage unit (memory) in the communication adapter 4 or can be incorporated as a logical determination in a program constituting the correctness / error determination processing unit.

  Further, the communication protocol between the communication adapter 4 and the parent system controller P and the remote controller RC, the communication protocol between the parent system controller P and the child system controller SC, and the communication protocol between the child system controller SC and the water heater WH are appropriately set. However, the communication protocol of each layer may be common.

  Further, the communication adapter may autonomously acquire the system configuration information and transmit it to the remote management server at a predetermined timing, or may respond to the information acquisition request from the remote management server or another terminal. According to this, acquisition of system configuration information and transmission to the remote management server may be performed.

WH water heater P, SC System controller 1 Remote management server 4 Communication adapter (wrong connection judgment processing unit)

Claims (4)

A monitoring system for a multi-water heater system in which at least one system controller controls the number of water heaters to be operated, wherein a connection relation between the plurality of water heaters and the system controller is normal. A misconnection determination processing unit that determines whether or not the misconfiguration is based on system configuration information obtained by communication with the system controller, and the misconnection determination processing unit is configured by a communication adapter attached to the multi-hot water supply system. A monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system , wherein the determination process is performed when a test operation of the communication adapter is performed by performing a predetermined test operation start operation of an operation unit provided in the communication adapter .   The monitoring system for a multiple hot water supply system according to claim 1, further comprising: a notifying unit that notifies that the connection relation is abnormal when the erroneous connection determination processing unit determines that the connection relation is not normal. A monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system, characterized in that: In a multi-hot water supply system for a monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a remote management server that manages the system configuration information indicating the respective connections of said plurality of water heater, as well as the system controller, before Symbol communications A monitoring system for a multiple hot water supply system, wherein the adapter has a function of transmitting the system configuration information to the remote management server.   The monitoring system for a multiple hot water supply system according to claim 3, wherein the communication adapter transmits a determination result of the incorrect connection determination processing unit to the remote management server together with the system configuration information. Monitoring system.

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