JP7369956B2 - Maintenance support method and maintenance support program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a maintenance support method and a maintenance support program.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a method has been proposed in which the operating status of an electrical appliance is monitored using a communication terminal that communicates with the electrical appliance (for example, see Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a communication terminal receives temperature detection information of storage chambers in a refrigerator transmitted from a refrigerator, and displays a monitor screen showing the temperature of each storage chamber on a display unit, and A configuration is described that displays an error code indicating the type of abnormality on the monitor screen.
Furthermore, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, an "Error Code Quick Reference" button is displayed on the monitor screen, and when the "Error Code Quick Reference" button is selected, the error code and its explanation are displayed. it's shown.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-36740

In the invention described in Patent Document 1, a maintenance worker who performs maintenance on a refrigerator can visually confirm the general operating status of the refrigerator from the detected temperatures of each compartment of the refrigerator displayed on a communication terminal. When an error code is displayed, the maintenance worker or the like can select and operate the "Error Code Quick Reference" button to check the error code and its explanation displayed on the monitor screen.
However, since the types of abnormalities covered by error codes are limited, an error code may not be displayed when a maintenance worker recognizes an abnormality in the refrigerator from the temperature status shown on the monitor screen. In addition, although error codes are displayed, it may be difficult to understand the maintenance method for abnormalities with only the information obtained from the explanations in the error code quick reference table. There was the inconvenience of having to refer to documents such as manuals to find out how to deal with abnormalities.
The present invention has been made in view of this background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a maintenance support method and a maintenance support program that can easily recognize an abnormality in an electric appliance and identify a method for dealing with the abnormality. do.

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the maintenance support method of the present invention performs maintenance of an electrical appliance that includes a drive unit and a detection unit that detects a first physical quantity that changes according to the operation of the drive unit, by using a display unit. A maintenance support method supported by a communication terminal provided with the apparatus, wherein the communication terminal acquires operation status information indicating the operating status of the drive unit and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit. an operation monitor screen display step in which the communication terminal displays an operation monitor screen indicating the operation status of the electrical appliance on the display unit based on the operation status information; displaying a real-time data acquisition button on the screen for instructing display of the driving status from the current time; and the communication terminal, in response to the selection operation of the real-time data acquisition button, from the time when the selection operation is performed a first physical quantity transition graph showing the transition of the first physical quantity until the end of the measurement period ; and a driving status graph showing the driving status of the drive unit from the time when the selection operation is performed until the end of the measurement period. a step of displaying on the operation monitor screen on the same time axis , a model information acquisition step of the communication terminal acquiring model information of the electric appliance, and a step of displaying the model information on the operation monitor screen of the communication terminal. a maintenance support step of displaying a maintenance support reception unit that accepts a link to a maintenance support screen corresponding to the model of the electrical appliance recognized from the information; and a maintenance support screen in response to an operation requesting reception to the maintenance support reception unit. and a step of displaying a maintenance support screen on the display unit.

Furthermore, the maintenance support program of the present invention supports maintenance of an electrical appliance that includes a drive unit and a detection unit that detects a first physical quantity that changes depending on the operation of the drive unit, using a communication terminal that includes a display unit. an operation status information acquisition unit that is a program executed to perform the operation of the communication terminal and acquires operation status information including the operation status of the drive unit and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit; real-time display for displaying an operation monitor screen showing the operation status of the electrical appliance on the display section of the communication terminal based on the operation status information, and instructing the operation monitor screen to display the operation status from the current time; a first physical quantity transition graph that displays a data acquisition button and shows the transition of the first physical quantity from the time when the selection operation is performed until the end of the measurement period in response to the selection operation of the real-time data acquisition button ; an operation monitor screen display unit that displays an operation status graph showing the operation status of the drive unit from the time when a selection operation is performed until the end of the measurement period on the operation monitor screen on the same time axis; A maintenance support unit that displays on the operation monitor screen a model information acquisition unit that obtains product model information, and a maintenance support reception unit that receives a link to a maintenance support screen that corresponds to the model of the electrical appliance recognized from the model information. and a maintenance support screen display section that displays the maintenance support screen on the display section in response to an operation of requesting reception to the maintenance support reception section.

As a result, users of communication terminals (such as maintenance workers for electrical appliances) who visit the location of electrical appliances can detect abnormalities in electrical appliances by visually checking the operation monitor screen displayed on the display of the communication terminal. It can be easily confirmed. When the user recognizes an abnormality in the appliance, the user can select and operate the maintenance support reception section shown on the operation monitor screen to immediately display the maintenance support screen and obtain information on how to deal with the abnormality. can do.

According to the maintenance support method and maintenance support program of the present invention, a maintenance worker for an electrical appliance can recognize the operating status of the electrical appliance from the operation monitor screen displayed on the display unit of the communication terminal. Then, when the maintenance worker recognizes an abnormality in the electrical appliance, he or she can display the maintenance support screen by performing a selection operation of the maintenance response reception section shown on the operation monitor screen. By checking the maintenance information according to the model of the electrical appliance on the maintenance support screen, the maintenance worker can quickly recognize the measures to be taken to deal with the abnormality without referring to documents such as maintenance manuals. Therefore, it is possible for a maintenance worker to easily recognize an abnormality in the electrical appliance and identify a method for dealing with the abnormality.

An explanatory diagram of the situation in which maintenance is performed on electrical appliances installed in a house Front external view of a refrigerator that is an electrical appliance in an embodiment Explanatory diagram of a cross section from the side of the refrigerator Illustration of air flow inside a refrigerator using a fan Refrigerator control block diagram Control block diagram of communication terminal Flowchart of main routine using operation monitor program Flowchart of real-time display processing Diagram of operation monitor screen Explanatory diagram of layout display screen Flowchart of remote setting change process Diagram of remote setting change screen Flowchart of maintenance support processing Explanatory diagram of maintenance support screen Explanatory diagram of the corresponding screen for disassembly instructions Explanatory diagram of the corresponding screen for disassembly instructions in the refrigerator compartment Explanatory diagram of the execution procedure screen of sub-process 1 Explanatory diagram of the execution procedure screen of sub-process 2 Explanatory diagram of the treatment procedure screen corresponding to the error code Explanatory diagram of the execution procedure screen of sub-process 1 of the processing procedure corresponding to the error code

A first aspect of the present invention is a maintenance support method for supporting maintenance of an electrical appliance that includes a drive unit and a detection unit that detects a first physical quantity that changes according to the operation of the drive unit, using a communication terminal that includes a display unit. the communication terminal includes an operation status information acquisition step in which the communication terminal acquires operation status information indicating the operation status of the drive unit and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit; an operation monitor screen displaying step of displaying an operation monitor screen indicating the operating status of the electric appliance on the display unit based on the information; and a model information acquisition step of causing the communication terminal to acquire model information of the electric appliance. , a maintenance response step in which the communication terminal displays, on the operation monitor screen, a maintenance response reception unit that receives a link to a maintenance support screen corresponding to the model of the electrical appliance recognized from the model information; and the maintenance response reception unit. and a maintenance support screen display step of displaying the maintenance support screen on the display unit in response to an operation of accepting a request to the department.
According to the first invention, in the operation status information acquisition step, the communication terminal acquires operation status information indicating the operation status of the drive unit of the electrical appliance and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit. Then, in the operation monitor screen display step, the communication terminal displays an operation monitor screen showing the operation status of the electrical appliance on the display unit based on the operation status information. Further, the communication terminal acquires model information of the electrical appliance in the model information acquisition step, and displays the maintenance response reception section on the operation monitor screen in the maintenance response step. Then, in the maintenance support screen display step, the communication terminal displays the maintenance support screen on the display unit when an operation to request reception to the maintenance support reception unit is performed on the operation monitor screen. Thereby, a maintenance worker for the electrical appliance can check the operating status of the electrical appliance on the operation monitor screen and recognize an abnormality in the electrical appliance. When a maintenance worker recognizes an abnormality in the electrical appliance, the maintenance worker can display a maintenance support screen and easily check how to deal with the abnormality.

A second aspect of the invention is that in the first aspect, in the maintenance support screen displaying step, the communication terminal displays the maintenance support screen that displays failure information related to the model of the electrical appliance recognized from the model information. Displayed on the display section.
According to the second invention, by displaying failure information related to the model of the electrical appliance on the maintenance support screen, maintenance workers can be made aware of the failure information specific to the model, and can respond to abnormalities in the electrical appliance. Measures can be easily identified.

A third aspect of the invention is that in the first aspect or the second aspect, in the step of displaying the maintenance support screen, the communication terminal displays the maintenance support screen on the display unit for accepting start or stop of operation of the drive unit. and when the communication terminal accepts the start or stop of operation of the drive unit according to the display on the maintenance support screen, when the communication terminal accepts the start or stop of operation of the electric appliance, The step includes a drive unit operation corresponding step that instructs the start of the operation, and instructs the stop of the operation when the stop of the operation is accepted.
According to the third aspect of the invention, a maintenance worker for an electrical appliance can operate the drive unit to start and stop using the communication terminal, and check whether the drive unit is operating normally. Furthermore, the maintenance worker can switch between operating and stopping the drive unit depending on the content of the maintenance work.

A fourth invention is a fourth invention in which, in any one of the first to third inventions, the model information is associated with a plurality of malfunctions that may occur in the electrical appliance with countermeasures for resolving each malfunction. and work procedure data in which a plurality of response processes included in the defect response data are associated with work procedures for implementing each response process, and in the step of displaying the maintenance support screen, the communication The terminal displays on the display section the maintenance support screen that displays a defect information receiving section that accepts input of defect information regarding the electrical appliance, and the defect information is input by an operation requesting reception to the defect information receiving section. when the troubleshooting data is referenced, a countermeasure corresponding to the input defect information is extracted, a work procedure for the extracted countermeasure is extracted with reference to the work procedure data, Displayed on the maintenance support screen.
According to the fourth invention, a maintenance worker for an electrical appliance can check the work procedure for dealing with a malfunction by inputting malfunction information into the malfunction information receiving section of the maintenance support screen.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, the work procedure data includes video data showing the work procedure, and in the maintenance support screen display step, the communication terminal displays the work procedure by a video that reproduces the video data. Display on the support screen.
According to the fifth invention, the maintenance worker can easily confirm the work procedure for troubleshooting by visually checking the video showing the work procedure.

A sixth invention is based on any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the model information includes disassembly procedure data indicating a disassembly procedure of the electrical appliance, and in the maintenance support screen display step. , the communication terminal displays a product configuration diagram showing a plurality of component parts constituting the electrical appliance, and disassembles the selected component parts in stages in response to a first selection operation in the product configuration diagram. An exploded configuration diagram is shown on the maintenance support screen, and for the part selected by the second selection operation in the exploded configuration diagram, a corresponding disassembly procedure is extracted by referring to the disassembly procedure data, and the extracted disassembly procedure is extracted. , is displayed on the maintenance support screen.
According to the sixth invention, a maintenance worker for an electrical appliance can check the disassembly procedure by selecting a part to be disassembled for maintenance from the product configuration diagram.

A seventh invention is based on the sixth invention, wherein the disassembly procedure data includes video data showing the disassembly procedure, and in the maintenance support screen display step, the communication terminal displays the disassembly procedure using the video data. The played video is displayed on the maintenance support screen.
According to the sixth invention, the maintenance worker can easily confirm the disassembly procedure of the selected part by visually checking the video showing the disassembly procedure.

In an eighth aspect of the invention, the communication terminal detects a second physical quantity and uses a wireless detector to wirelessly transmit detection information indicating the detected second physical quantity; In the operation monitor screen display step, the communication terminal includes a second physical quantity information acquisition step of acquiring second physical quantity information indicating two physical quantities, and in the operation monitor screen display step, the communication terminal displays the operating status of the drive unit recognized from the operating status information and the first physical quantity information. The operation monitor screen showing the second physical quantity recognized from the second physical quantity information is displayed on the display unit together with the physical quantity.
According to the eighth invention, by placing a wireless detector at a location where the maintenance worker wants to check the second physical quantity, the maintenance worker can display the detected value of the second physical quantity at the location on the operation monitor screen, and abnormalities can be determined.

In a ninth invention, the electric appliance is a refrigerator having a plurality of storage chambers, the drive unit is a compressor and a fan that sends cold air to the storage chamber from a duct communicating with the storage chamber, and the The unit is a temperature sensor that is individually provided in the plurality of storage chambers and detects temperature as the first physical quantity, and the wireless detector detects temperature as the second physical quantity.
According to the ninth invention, a refrigerator maintenance worker checks the operating status of the compressor and fan displayed on the operation monitor screen, the detected temperature of each storage chamber, and the detected temperature of the wireless detector, and abnormalities can be determined.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is that when a predetermined normal operation determination start condition is established, the communication terminal detects a signal from the wireless detector placed in the vicinity of an outlet for sending cold air from the duct to the accommodation chamber by the fan. The method includes a normal operation determination step of repeatedly receiving the transmitted detection information and determining whether the refrigerator is operating normally based on a change in detected temperature recognized from the detection information.
According to the tenth invention, it is possible to recognize that the compressor is operating and the cold air is being sent to the storage chamber based on a change in the temperature detected by the wireless detector placed near the cold air outlet. Therefore, it can be quickly determined that the refrigerator is operating normally.

The eleventh invention is carried out to support maintenance of an electrical appliance that includes a drive unit and a detection unit that detects a first physical quantity that changes according to the operation of the drive unit, using a communication terminal that includes a display unit. The program includes: an operating status information acquisition unit that acquires operating status information including an operating status of the drive unit and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit; an operation monitor screen display unit that displays an operation monitor screen indicating the operating status of the electrical appliance on a display unit of the communication terminal; a model information acquisition unit that obtains model information of the electrical appliance; a maintenance support unit that displays on a screen a maintenance support reception unit that receives a link to a maintenance support screen corresponding to the model of the electrical appliance recognized from the model information; , the display unit functions as a maintenance support screen display unit that displays the maintenance support screen on the display unit.
According to the eleventh invention, the program of the tenth invention is executed in a communication terminal, and the communication terminal is used as an operation status information acquisition section, an operation monitor screen display section, a maintenance response reception section, and a maintenance support screen display section. By making it function, the same effects as the first invention can be obtained.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[1. How to use communication terminal]
FIG. 1 shows how a communication terminal is used on which the operation monitoring method and operation monitoring program of the present invention and the maintenance support method and maintenance support program of the present invention are executed. The communication terminal 400 of this embodiment is a tablet-type communication terminal equipped with a touch panel 460. A maintenance worker PS who is a user of the communication terminal 400 uses the communication terminal when visiting a house H to perform maintenance (inspection, adjustment, repair, etc.) on the refrigerator 1 (corresponding to the electric appliance of the present invention). Use 400.

The refrigerator 1 includes a controller 100 that controls the operation of the refrigerator 1, and an operation panel 15 that sets operating conditions (operating parameters) of the refrigerator 1, displays error codes, and the like. The controller 100 periodically (for example, from several minutes to several tens of minutes) detects the operating status of drive units (compressor, fan, damper, etc.) provided in the refrigerator 1 and detection signals of sensors (temperature sensor, door opening/closing sensor, etc.). monitoring every minute).

Then, the controller 100 transmits current first information indicating the operating status of the drive unit and the temperature detected by the sensor at the current point in time (corresponding to a predetermined point in the present invention) recognized through monitoring, and the point in time at which the monitoring was performed. The information is transmitted to the management server 520 via the gateway 500 (wireless LAN router, etc.) installed in the server and the communication network 510. The management server 520 receives the current first information and records it in addition to the operation history data 521. Furthermore, the management server 520 stores model-specific data 522 in which information regarding various electrical appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, and air conditioners is recorded for each model. The model-specific data 522 includes troubleshooting data, work procedure data, disassembly procedure data, and video data of the present invention.

Communication terminal 400 also communicates with management server 520 via gateway 500 and communication network 510 and acquires operation history information of refrigerator 1 recorded in operation history data 521. Furthermore, the communication terminal 400 acquires model-specific data for the model of the refrigerator 1 from the management server 520. Furthermore, the communication terminal 400 performs wireless communication with the wireless temperature sensor 300 that wirelessly transmits detection data, and acquires information on the temperature detected by the wireless temperature sensor 300.

[2. Refrigerator configuration]
The configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the front appearance of the refrigerator 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator 1 includes a main box 2 that is open at the front, and inside the main box 2 are a refrigerator compartment 10, an ice-making compartment 30, a fresh-freeze compartment 40, a freezer compartment 50, and a vegetable compartment. A chamber 60 is formed. Furthermore, a partial/chilled switching chamber 20 is arranged in the refrigerator compartment 10. The refrigerator compartment 10, the partial/chilled switching compartment 20, the ice making compartment 30, the fresh freezing compartment 40, the freezing compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60 correspond to storage compartments of the present invention.

A rotary left door 11a and a right door 11b are provided at the front opening of the refrigerator compartment 10. Further, on the left inner wall of the refrigerator compartment 10, an operation panel 15 is provided for changing the operating conditions of the refrigerator 1, displaying errors, etc. The ice making compartment 30, the fresh freezing compartment 40, the freezing compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60 are provided with drawers 31, 41, 51, and 61, respectively, for storing food.

Next, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the interior of the refrigerator 1 in a cross section viewed from the right side. The refrigerator compartment 10 is provided with a left door open/close sensor 12a that detects the open/close state of the left door 11a, and a right door open/close sensor 12b that detects the open/close state of the right door 11b. The left door open/close sensor 12a outputs a close detection signal when the left door 11a is closed, and outputs an open detection signal when the left door 11a is open. Similarly, the right door open/close sensor 12b outputs a close detection signal when the right door 11b is closed, and outputs an open detection signal when the right door 11b is open.

The ice-making compartment 30 is provided with an ice-making compartment opening/closing sensor 32 that detects whether the opening of the ice-making compartment 30 is opened or closed. The ice-making compartment open/close sensor 32 outputs a closed detection signal when the drawer 31 is housed in the ice-making compartment 30, and outputs an open detection signal when the drawer 31 is pulled out from the ice-making compartment 30. Similarly, the fresh-freeze chamber 40 is provided with a fresh-freeze chamber opening/closing sensor 42 that detects opening/closing of the opening of the fresh-freeze chamber 40 . Further, the freezer compartment 50 is provided with a freezer compartment opening/closing sensor 52 that detects opening/closing of the opening of the freezing compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60 is provided with a vegetable compartment opening/closing sensor 62 that detects opening/closing of the opening of the vegetable compartment 60. is provided. The fresh freezing compartment opening/closing sensor 42, the freezing compartment opening/closing sensor 52, and the vegetable compartment opening/closing sensor 62 output a closing detection signal and an opening detection signal, similarly to the ice making compartment opening/closing sensor 32.

The refrigerator compartment 10 is provided with a refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 13 that detects the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 10, and the partial/chilled switching chamber 20 is provided with a switching compartment temperature sensor 23 that detects the temperature inside the partial/chilled switching compartment 20. is provided. The ice making compartment 30 is provided with an ice making compartment temperature sensor 33 that detects the temperature within the ice making compartment 30, and the fresh freezing compartment 40 is provided with a fresh freezing compartment temperature sensor 43 that detects the temperature within the fresh freezing compartment 40. ing. The freezer compartment 50 is provided with a freezer compartment temperature sensor 53 that detects the temperature within the freezer compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60 is provided with a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 63 that detects the temperature within the vegetable compartment 60.

A compressor 71, a condenser 72, and a machine room fan 73 are arranged in the upper machine room 70. An evaporator 74 arranged in a duct 75 is connected to a compressor 71 and a condenser 72 through a refrigerant path (not shown) to form a refrigeration cycle. The air (cold air) cooled by the evaporator 74 is supplied to the duct 75 from a plurality of cold air discharge ports 79 provided in the duct 75 to the refrigerator compartment 10, the partial/chilled switching compartment 20, the ice making compartment 30, and the fresh freezing compartment 40. , the freezer compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60. A cooling fan 76 is provided.

Furthermore, the duct 75 is provided with a fresh-freeze chamber fan 77 that sends cold air to the fresh-freeze chamber 40 and a defrost temperature sensor 78 that detects the temperature of the evaporator 78. The lower machine room 80 is provided with an evaporating dish 81 and an evaporating dish fan 82. FIG. 3 shows an example in which a wireless temperature sensor 300 is placed near the cold air outlet 79 of the refrigerator compartment 10. In this way, by placing the wireless temperature sensor 300 at any location where the temperature is desired to be checked, the temperature at any location can be checked using the communication terminal 400, as will be described later.

Next, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the flow of air inside the refrigerator 1 by the fan. The air cooled by the evaporator 74 in the cooling room 95 is passed through the duct 75 by the cooling fan 76 to the refrigerator compartment 10, the partial/chilled switching compartment 20, the ice making compartment 30, the fresh freezing compartment 40, the freezing compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60. will be sent to. Moreover, regarding the fresh-freeze chamber 40, cold air is also sent out from the duct 75 by the fresh-freeze chamber fan 77.

The duct 75 is equipped with a refrigerator damper 90 that adjusts the amount of cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 10 and a damper that adjusts the amount of cold air supplied to the partial/chilled switching chamber 20 as a damper for adjusting the amount of cold air supplied to the refrigerator compartment 10 by opening and closing. A partial/chilled switching chamber damper 91 that adjusts the amount of cold air supplied to the vegetable compartment 60, a vegetable compartment damper 92 that adjusts the amount of cold air supplied to the freezer compartment 50, and a freezer damper 93 that adjusts the amount of cold air supplied to the freezer compartment 50 are provided.

The cold air supplied from the cooling compartment 95 to the refrigerator compartment 10, partial/chilled switching compartment 20, ice making compartment 30, fresh freezing compartment 40, freezing compartment 50, and vegetable compartment 60 via the duct 75 passes through a return duct (not shown). and return to the cooling room.

In the upper machine room 70, a machine room fan 73 sucks outside air through the left vent hole to cool the condenser 72 and compressor 71, and exhausts waste heat through the right vent hole. In the lower machine room 80, an evaporating dish fan 82 sucks in outside air from the left vent, accelerates the evaporation of defrosting water, cools an evaporating dish pipe (not shown), and discharges waste heat from the right vent.

[3. Refrigerator control block]
FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator 1. The controller 100 is an electronic circuit unit that includes a CPU 110, a memory 130, a communication section 140, a date and time recognition section 141, and the like. The controller 100 is connected to the operation panel 15, and the operation signal from the operation panel 15 is input to the controller 100, and the display on the operation panel is controlled by the control signal output from the controller 100.

Temperature detection signals from the temperature sensors 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, and 17 and open/close detection signals from the open/close sensors 12a, 12b, 32, 42, 52, and 62 are input to the controller 100. Furthermore, the operations of the compressor 71, fans 73, 76, 77, 82, and dampers 90, 91, 92, 93 are controlled by control signals output from the controller 100.

The communication unit 140 communicates wirelessly with the management server 520 via the communication network 510. Furthermore, the communication unit 140 communicates wirelessly with the communication terminal 400 via the communication network 510 or directly. Wireless communication via the communication network 510 is performed using Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or the like. Direct wireless communication with the communication terminal 400 is performed using Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or the like. The date and time recognition unit 141 counts the current date and time and outputs date and time information indicating the current date and time to the CPU 110.

CPU 110 functions as main control section 111, maintenance handling section 112, and operation history storage section 113 by executing refrigerator control program 131 stored in memory 130. The main control unit 111 detects temperature detection signals output from the temperature sensors 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, and 63 of the refrigerator 1 to detect the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 10, partial/chilled switching compartment 20, ice making compartment 30, and fresh freezing compartment 40. , the temperature of the freezer compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60.

Then, the main control unit 111 controls the operation of the compressor 71, fans 73, 76, 77, 82, and dampers 90, 91, 92, 93 based on the recognized temperature. /Controls the temperature of the chilled switching compartment 20, the ice making compartment 30, the fresh freezing compartment 40, the freezing compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60.

The maintenance support unit 112 performs processing in test mode and service mode in response to operations on the operation panel 15. In the test mode, the maintenance handling unit 112 executes a confirmation test for ice making, the rotation speed of the compressor 71, and other controls. In the service mode, the maintenance support unit 112 also monitors the temperature detected by the temperature sensors 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, the operating frequency of the compressor 71, the accumulated operating time of the compressor 71, etc. on the operation panel 15. Display on the display.

Moreover, when the maintenance response unit 112 receives the real-time monitor start information transmitted from the communication terminal 400, the maintenance response unit 112 transmits to the communication terminal 400 current first information indicating the current operating status of the refrigerator 1. The current first information includes the date and time of the current time (measurement point), the current temperature detected by the temperature sensor, the opening/closing status of each room detected by the opening/closing sensors 12a, 12b, 32, 42, 52, and 62, and the compressor 71. The information includes the operating status of the fans 73, 76, 77, 82, the opening/closing status of the dampers 90, 91, 92, 93, etc. The current first information corresponds to the operating status information of the present invention.

The operation history storage unit 113 stores the current temperatures detected by the temperature sensors 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, the open/close sensors 12a, 12b, 32, 42, 52, 62, the operating status of the compressor 71, the operating status of the fans 73, 76, 77, 82, etc. are recognized. Then, the operation history storage unit 113 transmits the recognized information and operation monitor information indicating the measurement time to the management server 520 via the communication unit 140. Note that the operation history for the most recent past few days may also be stored in the memory 130.

[4. Communication terminal configuration]
The configuration of communication terminal 400 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The communication terminal 400 includes a control unit 410, a communication section 450, a speaker 451, a touch panel 460, and a storage section 470.

The control unit 410 is an electronic circuit unit that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 420, a memory 430, an interface circuit (not shown), and the like. The CPU 420 functions as the operation monitor control unit 421 by executing the operation monitor program 431 stored in the memory 430. Further, the CPU 420 functions as a maintenance support control unit 422 by executing a maintenance support program 432 stored in the memory 430. Note that the maintenance support program 432 may be integrated into the operation monitor program 431, or conversely, the maintenance support program 432 may be integrated into the operation monitor program 431.

Control unit 410 is connected to communication section 450, speaker 451, touch panel 460, and storage section 470. Communication unit 450 wirelessly communicates with management server 520 via communication network 510, and directly communicates with refrigerator 1 and wireless temperature sensor 300. The touch panel 460 includes a flat panel display 461 made of a liquid crystal panel or the like, and a touch switch 462 disposed to cover the surface of the display 461. The display 461 displays various screens according to the image control signal output from the control unit 410. The touch switch 462 inputs an operation signal to the control unit 410 in response to a touch operation by a maintenance worker PS or the like.

The maintenance support control unit 422 acquires model-specific information 480a for the model of the refrigerator 1 through communication with the management server 520 in response to the operation of the touch switch 462 by the maintenance worker PS, and stores it in the storage unit 470. . Similarly, the maintenance support unit 112 obtains model-specific data 480b, 480c, . . . about other electrical appliances from the management server 520 in response to operations by the maintenance worker PS. The process by which the maintenance support unit 112 acquires the model-specific information 480a, 480b, 480c, etc. corresponds to the model-specific information acquisition step in the maintenance support method of the present invention, and the configuration for acquiring the model-specific information is the same as that of the present invention. Corresponds to the model-specific information acquisition unit.

The model-specific data 480a includes troubleshooting data 481a indicating countermeasures to resolve a trouble that may occur in the model of the refrigerator 1, work procedure data 482a indicating a procedure for countermeasures, and a video explanation of the countermeasures. Work video data 483a and the like are included. The same applies to the model-specific data 480b, 480c, . . . .

[5. Processing by communication terminal]
The control unit 410 of the communication terminal 400 causes the CPU 420 to execute the operation monitor program 431 and the maintenance support program 432 when the maintenance worker PS starts the operation monitor application. Then, when the model of the refrigerator 1 is selected, the operation monitor control section 421 and the maintenance support control section 422 execute the process according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7.

In step S1 of FIG. 7, the operation monitor control unit 421 establishes wireless communication with the refrigerator 1. The operation monitor control unit 421 then repeatedly executes the loop of steps S2 to S5. In step S2, the operation monitor control unit 421 displays the operation monitor screen WM0 shown in FIG. 9 on the display 461 of the touch panel 460. The process by which the operation monitor control unit 421 displays the operation monitor screen WM0 and the operation monitor screens WM1 and WM2, which will be described later, on the display 461 corresponds to the operation monitor screen display step of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, the operation monitor screen WM0 includes a model display section 700 showing the model and serial number of the refrigerator 1, and a maintenance button 701 (maintenance support of the present invention) for instructing switching to a maintenance support screen to be described later. (corresponding to the reception section), a graph/illustration switch button 702 for instructing switching to an illustration monitor screen to be described later, a real-time data acquisition button 703 for instructing to display the driving status from the current moment, and a remote setting change to be described later. A remote setting change button 704 for instructing switching to a screen and a display target selection button 705 for selecting a display target are displayed. The process of displaying the maintenance button 701 corresponds to a maintenance support step in the maintenance support method of the present invention, and the configuration of displaying the maintenance button 701 corresponds to a maintenance support unit of the present invention.

In the next step S3, when the maintenance worker PS touches the real-time data acquisition button 703 and selects "real-time data acquisition", the operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S100 and selects "real-time data acquisition". Execute "real-time display processing". Further, in step S4, when the maintenance worker PS touches the remote setting change button 704 and selects "remote setting change", the operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S200 and selects "remote setting change". Execute "Remote Settings Change Processing". Further, in step S5, when the maintenance worker PS touches the maintenance button 701 and selects "maintenance support", the operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S300 and selects "maintenance support processing". ”.

[6. Real-time display processing]
The execution procedure of "real-time display processing" will be explained according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8. In step S<b>101 in FIG. 8 , the operation monitor control unit 421 acquires from the refrigerator 1 current first information indicating the current operating status and detection status of the drive unit. The drive unit includes a compressor 71, a machine room fan 73, a cooling fan 76, a fresh-freeze room fan 77, an evaporating tray fan 82, a refrigerator damper 90, a partial/chilled switching room damper 91, a vegetable room damper 92, and a freezer compartment. A damper 93 is included. The process in step S101 corresponds to an operation status information acquisition step in the maintenance support method of the present invention, and the configuration that performs the process in step S101 corresponds to an operation status information acquisition unit.

The detection status includes the temperatures detected by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 13, the switching compartment temperature sensor 23, the ice making compartment temperature sensor 33, the fresh freezing compartment temperature sensor 43, the freezing compartment temperature sensor 53, and the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 63. Furthermore, the detection status includes the opening/closing status detected by the left door opening/closing sensor 12a, the right door opening/closing sensor 12b, the ice making compartment opening/closing sensor 32, the fresh freezing compartment opening/closing sensor 42, the freezer compartment opening/closing sensor 52, and the vegetable compartment opening/closing sensor 62. is included.

In subsequent step S102, the operation monitor control unit 421 determines whether wireless communication has been established with the wireless temperature sensor 300. Note that communication establishment between the communication terminal 400 and the wireless temperature sensor 300 may be performed automatically when the power of the wireless temperature sensor 300 is turned on, or may be performed by a connection operation by the maintenance worker PS. You can do it like this.

Then, when the communication between the communication terminal 400 and the wireless temperature sensor 300 is established, the operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S110. On the other hand, when communication between the communication terminal 400 and the wireless temperature sensor 300 is not established, the operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S103. In step S110, the operation monitor control unit 421 receives, from the wireless temperature sensor 300, current second information indicating the current temperature detected by the wireless temperature sensor 300, and advances the process to step S103. The current second information corresponds to the second physical quantity information of the present invention.

In step S103, the operation monitor control unit 421 displays real-time data acquisition information 710, as shown in FIG. The real-time data acquisition information 710 displays a temperature transition graph 711 that shows the transition of the temperature detected by the temperature sensor from the time when the "real-time display process" is started, and an operating status graph 712 that shows the operating status of the drive unit.

In FIG. 9, a temperature transition graph 711 includes outside air temperature (temperature detected by the outside air temperature sensor 17), defrost sensor temperature, freezer compartment temperature (detected temperature by the freezer compartment temperature sensor 53, indicated as FC temperature in FIG. 9), vegetables. An example is shown in which room temperature (temperature detected by the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 63, displayed as VC temperature in FIG. 9) and refrigerator temperature (temperature detected by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 13, displayed as PC temperature in FIG. 9) is displayed. ing. The temperature shown in the temperature transition graph 711 is the display target selected by the display target selection button 705 (all room information, refrigerator compartment, ice maker compartment, freezer compartment, vegetable compartment). Furthermore, when the current second information is acquired in step S<b>110 , the operation monitor control unit 421 also displays the temperature detected by the wireless temperature sensor 300 in accordance with the temperature transition graph 711 .

The operating status graph 712 shows an example of displaying the operating status of the compressor 71, the cooling fan 76 (indicated as FC fan in FIG. 9), and the freezer compartment damper 93 (indicated as FC damper in FIG. 9). In addition, the operation monitor control unit 421 controls the machine room fan 73, the fresh-freeze room fan 77, the evaporating tray fan 82, the refrigerator room damper 90, the partial/chilled switching room damper 91, and The operating status of the vegetable compartment damper 92 is also displayed in the same manner.

The operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S106 and ends the "real-time display process" when the measurement end operation is performed by the maintenance worker PS in step S104, or when the measurement period ends in step S105. do.

The operation monitor control unit 421 switches the operation monitor screen WM0 to the operation monitor screen WM1 shown in FIG. 10 when the graph/illustration switching button 702 is operated by the maintenance worker PS. The operation monitor screen WM1 shows a front layout 720a of the refrigerator 1 and a right side layout 720b of the refrigerator 1.

The front layout 720a shows an operation panel status display section 721 that shows the setting state of operating conditions by the operation panel 15 and the display state 726 of the display section. In addition, the opening/closing state 730 of the left door 11a and the right door 11b is shown at the location of the refrigerator compartment 10 in the front layout 720a, the opening/closing state 731 of the ice-making compartment 30 is shown at the location of the ice-making compartment 30, and the opening/closing state 731 of the ice-making compartment 30 is shown at the location of the ice-making compartment 30. An open/closed state 732 of the fresh-freeze chamber 40 is shown at the location. Furthermore, an open/closed state 733 of the freezer compartment 50 is shown at the location of the freezer compartment 50 in the front layout 720a, and an open/closed state 734 of the vegetable compartment 60 is shown at the location of the vegetable compartment 60.

Furthermore, the operation monitor control unit 421 acquires operation history data of the refrigerator 1 from the operation history data 521 of the management server 520, and calculates the number of times 740 of opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment 10 and the number of times of opening and closing of the ice making compartment 30 in the last three days. The time and number of ice making operations 741, the number of times the fresh freezing chamber 40 is opened and closed and the time 742, the number of times the freezing chamber 50 is opened and closed and the time 743, and the current outside temperature 744 are displayed on the front layout 720a.

In the right side layout 720b, the operating state 760 of the machine room fan 73 is displayed at the arrangement position of the machine room fan 73, the operating state 761 of the compressor 71 is displayed at the arrangement position of the compressor 71, and the operating state 761 of the compressor 71 is displayed at the arrangement position of the compressor 71. The operating state 762 of the fresh-freezing chamber fan 77 is displayed at the arrangement position, the operating state 763 of the cooling fan 76 is displayed at the arrangement position of the cooling fan 76, and the operating state of the evaporating dish fan 82 is displayed at the arrangement position of the evaporating dish fan 82. is displayed.

Further, in the right side layout 720b, a detected temperature 750 of the refrigerating room temperature sensor 13 is shown at the location of the refrigerating room 10, and a detected temperature 751 of the switching room temperature sensor 23 is shown at the location of the partial/chilled switching room 20. The detected temperature 752 of the fresh-freeze chamber temperature sensor 43 is shown at the location of the fresh-freeze chamber 40. In addition, in the right side layout 720b, the detected temperature 753 of the freezer compartment temperature sensor 53 is shown at the location of the freezer compartment 50, the detected temperature 754 of the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 63 is shown at the location of the vegetable compartment 60, and the frost A detected temperature 755 of the defrost temperature sensor 78 is shown at the position where the defrost temperature sensor 78 is arranged.

Further, in the right side layout 720b, a detected temperature 756 of the outside air temperature sensor 17 is shown at the placement position of the outside air temperature sensor 17, and a detected temperature 757 of the wireless temperature sensor 300 is shown between the front layout 720a and the right side layout 720b. shown.

In this way, the operation monitor screen WM1 includes, in the front layout 720a, the left door opening/closing sensor 12a, the right door opening/closing sensor 12b, the ice making compartment opening/closing sensor 32, the fresh freezing compartment opening/closing sensor 42, the freezer compartment opening/closing sensor 52, and the vegetable compartment. The current open/close states 730, 731, 732, 733, and 734 detected by the open/close sensor 62 are shown at the detection target position of each open/close sensor.

In addition, the right side layout 720b includes a refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 13, a switching compartment temperature sensor 23, a fresh-frozen compartment temperature sensor 43, a freezer compartment temperature sensor 53, a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 63, an outside air temperature sensor 17, and a defrost temperature sensor. 78 are shown at the detection target position of each temperature sensor. Furthermore, the right side layout 720b shows the current operating states (operation/stop) 760, 761, 762 of the machine room fan 73, the compressor 71, the cooling fan 76, the fresh-freeze room fan 77, and the evaporating tray fan 82, 763 and 764 are shown at the arrangement position of each drive unit. Furthermore, the current temperature 757 detected by the wireless temperature sensor 300 is displayed on the operation monitor screen WM1.

Therefore, the maintenance worker PS can easily visually check the current temperature of each part of the refrigerator 1, the opening/closing status of each chamber, the operating status of the drive unit, and the temperature of the location where the wireless temperature sensor 300 is placed on the operation monitor screen WM1. Thus, the overall operating status of the refrigerator 1 can be checked. Thereby, it is possible to assist the maintenance worker PS in determining whether there is an abnormality in the refrigerator 1. Furthermore, if the user PU feels that the refrigerator 1 is not cooling properly, the maintenance worker PS shows the operation monitor screen WM1 to the user PU of the refrigerator 1 so that the user PU can check the actual operating status of the refrigerator 1. can be explained. As a result, the maintenance worker PS can inform the user PU that the cause of the weak cooling is not due to an abnormality in the refrigerator 1, but to the placement of the products inside the refrigerator, or the frequent opening and closing of the door. can be explained.

Further, when communication with the wireless temperature sensor 300 is established, the operation monitor control unit 421 controls the temperature of the refrigerator 1 based on the degree of decrease in the temperature detected by the wireless temperature sensor 300 from the time when the operation of the refrigerator 1 is started. Normal operation may be determined and the determination result may be displayed on the display 461. According to this configuration, the maintenance worker PS can quickly confirm the normal operation of the refrigerator 1 by placing the wireless temperature sensor 300 near the cold air discharge port 79 of the duct 75. This normal operation determination process corresponds to the normal operation determination step of the present invention.

[7. Remote setting change processing]
The execution procedure of the "remote setting change process" will be explained according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 11. In step S201 of FIG. 11, the operation monitor control unit 421, as shown in FIG. An operation monitor screen WM2 showing a test mode menu 771 is displayed on the display 461.

The operator setting menu 770 includes maximum rotation speed switching (low noise) mode, minimum rotation speed switching (low vibration) mode, refrigerator room temperature adjustment, pipe heater energization rate change, partial chilled room temperature adjustment, and refrigerator room blue LED turning off. Buttons for changing the following parameters (operating conditions): electronic sound volume switching setting, ECONAVI stop, humidity sensor energization rate correction invalidation, evaporator pan fan voltage fix, partial LED white lighting, and vegetable compartment humidity sensor correction invalidation. is shown. The test mode menu 771 shows buttons for setting parameters in the test mode, such as refrigerator room temperature, partial/chilled room temperature, freezing room/fresh freeze room/ice making room temperature, and ice making stop setting.

In the next step S202, when the operation monitor control unit 421 recognizes that either button of the operator setting menu 770 or the test mode menu 771 has been touched, the process proceeds to step S210. In step S210, the operation monitor control unit 421 displays a pop-up screen for changing the parameter selected by the touch operation. FIG. 12 illustrates a pop-up screen 772 when the "maximum rotation speed switching (low noise) mode" is selected. The maintenance worker PS can touch the pop-up screen 772 to switch the maximum rotation speed switching (low noise) mode between ON (enabled) and OFF (disabled).

In the subsequent step S211, the operation monitor control unit 421 transmits parameter change information instructing to change the parameter settings to the refrigerator 1 in response to the maintenance worker PS's transfer operation on the pop-up screen 772, and executes the process in step S203. Proceed. In the refrigerator 1, the maintenance handling unit 112 of the controller 100 that receives the parameter change information changes the parameter settings according to the parameter change information.

In step S203, the operation monitor control unit 421 determines whether a termination instruction has been given by touching the return switch 772. Then, when the termination instruction is issued, the process advances to step S204 to terminate the "remote setting change process" and return to the main routine process of FIG. 7. The process of setting each parameter in the test mode by the "remote setting change process" corresponds to a step corresponding to the test mode of the present invention. Further, the process of changing the operating parameters of the refrigerator 1 by the "remote setting changing process" corresponds to the operating parameter changing step of the present invention.

[8. Maintenance support processing]
The execution procedure of the "maintenance support process" will be explained according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 13. The maintenance support control unit 422 displays the maintenance support screen MS0 shown in FIG. 14 on the display 461 in step S301 of FIG. The process in which the maintenance support control unit 422 displays the maintenance support screen MS0 and maintenance support screens MS1 to MSMS6, which will be described later, on the display 461 corresponds to a maintenance support screen display step of the present invention. Further, the configuration that executes the process in step S301 corresponds to a maintenance support screen display unit of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 14, a maintenance menu 800 is displayed on the maintenance support screen MS0. The maintenance menu 800 includes precautions for repair work 801, error code list 802, disassembly/assembly instructions 803, service mode 804, overview 805, installation method 806, circuit diagram 807, related news by model 808, failure diagnosis by symptom 809, It includes buttons for each item: exploded parts diagram/price list 810, test mode 811, technical explanation 812, handling operation method 813, external dimension drawing 814, and QS practice text 815.

In the following step S302, the maintenance support control unit 422 determines whether any of the item buttons 801 to 815 of the maintenance menu 800 has been selected by a touch operation. Then, the maintenance support control unit 422 advances the process to step S310 when any item button is selected, and advances the process to step S303 when no item button is operated.

In step S310, the maintenance support control unit 422 displays a maintenance support screen corresponding to the selected item button on the display 461. For example, when the item button for disassembly/assembly instructions 803 is selected, the maintenance support control unit 422 displays the maintenance support screen MS1 shown in FIG. 15 on the display 461.

The maintenance support screen MS1 corresponding to the disassembly/assembly procedure 803 includes a door layout diagram 820 showing the arrangement of the doors of the refrigerator 1, an interior layout diagram 821 showing the arrangement inside the refrigerator 1, and a top view of the refrigerator 1. A product configuration diagram including a top view 822 and a machine room layout diagram 823 showing the arrangement of the machine room of the refrigerator 1 is shown.

Regarding the door layout diagram 820, the maintenance worker PS uses a touch operation to open the refrigerator compartment left door PCL, the refrigerator compartment right door PCR, the ice making compartment door IC, the fresh freeze compartment door SC, the freezer compartment door FC, and the vegetable compartment door VC. You can choose one. Furthermore, regarding the interior layout diagram 821, the maintenance worker PS can select any location within the refrigerator compartment, the ice making/fresh freezing/freezing compartment, or the vegetable compartment by touch operation. .

Furthermore, regarding the top view 822, the maintenance worker PS can select the top view using a touch operation. Furthermore, regarding the machine room layout diagram 823, the maintenance worker PS can select either the upper machine room or the lower machine room by a touch operation.

The maintenance support control unit 422 allows the maintenance worker PS to operate any one of the door layout diagram 820, the interior layout diagram 821, the top view 822, and the machine room layout diagram 823 to select one of the locations. At times, as shown in FIG. 16, a maintenance support screen MS2 is displayed that shows a parts tree 830 (corresponding to an exploded configuration diagram of the present invention) in which parts arranged at a selected location are displayed in a tree according to the disassembly process. display on the display 461.

FIG. 16 exemplifies a case where the maintenance worker PS selects the inside of the refrigerator compartment in the interior layout diagram 821, starting from "1. Partial chilled door", "2. Partial plate top", " 3. Plate duct AS'', etc., each component is displayed in a tree format according to the stage of the disassembly process.

The maintenance worker PS can select a component to be maintained from among the components displayed in the component tree 830 by touch operation. FIG. 16 shows a state in which “6. Based on this, the sub-processes included in the inject tube AS replacement work are "1. Partial chilled door," "2. Partial plate top," "3. Plate tank side AS," and "4. Plate duct AS." , "5. Cover plate tank", and "6. Inject tube AS".

Then, the maintenance support control unit 422 displays, on the display 461, a maintenance support screen MS3 showing a sub-process list 840 displaying a list of the extracted sub-processes, as shown in FIG. In the sub-process list 840, display areas 841-846 for sub-processes 1-6 are displayed. The maintenance worker PS can select the sub-process whose work procedure is to be displayed by touching any of the display areas 841 to 846 of the sub-processes 1 to 6.

FIG. 17 exemplifies a state in which sub-process 1 is selected, and maintenance support control unit 422 refers to model-specific data 480a for the model of refrigerator 1 stored in storage unit 470 to select sub-process The data of the disassembly procedure (explanatory text of the disassembly procedure and video data of the disassembly procedure) associated with the disassembly procedure is acquired. Then, the maintenance support control unit 422 enlarges the display area 831 for sub-process 1 and displays an explanatory text 841a of the work procedure of sub-process 1 (partially chilled door) and a video area 841b. The maintenance support control unit 422 plays back the work video of sub-process 1 in response to a touch operation on the video area 841b by the maintenance worker PS.

Moreover, FIG. 18 illustrates the maintenance support screen MS4 in a state where sub-process 6 (inject tube AS) is selected. In FIG. 18, the maintenance support control unit 422 enlarges the display area 846 of sub-process 6 to display an explanatory text 846a of the disassembly procedure of sub-process 6 and a video area 846b. The maintenance support control unit 422 plays back a video of the disassembly procedure of sub-process 6 in response to a touch operation in the video area 846b by the maintenance worker PS.

In this way, when the countermeasure is divided into several sub-processes, the maintenance worker PS can select the sub-process for which the work procedure is desired and view the explanation part and the explanation video. Therefore, compared to outputting all the work steps for countermeasures at once in explanatory texts and explanatory videos, the maintenance worker PS can more efficiently visually check only the work steps of the sub-processes that he/she wants to know, and perform maintenance promptly. Able to perform work.

Next, when the maintenance worker PS selects the error code list 802 and selects the error code "H21" in the maintenance menu 800 of the maintenance support screen MS0 shown in FIG. The maintenance support screen MS5 shown in FIG. 19 is displayed on the display 461. The error code corresponds to malfunction information of the present invention.

The maintenance support screen MS5 includes a symptom 850 (here, "ice mechanism abnormality") corresponding to the error code "H21", an error detection condition 851 (here, "ice making motor rotation abnormality"), three countermeasures 852 to 854, and a selection button 860 for selecting a corresponding action. Then, when the maintenance worker PS selects one of the selection buttons 860, details of the selected countermeasure are displayed.

FIG. 20 shows the maintenance support screen MS6 when "Procedure (2) Ice Mecha AS Replacement" is selected from among the three corresponding measures, and the maintenance support control unit 422 performs the procedures (1) to (3). ), the display area 852 for the selected treatment (2) is enlarged to display the work procedure for treatment (2).

"Procedure (2) Ice mechanism AS replacement" includes three sub-processes: "Sub-process 1 Ice maker/fresh freeze room door", "Sub-process 2 Ice maker (ice plate top)", and "Sub-process 3 Ice mechanism AS". process is included. Therefore, the maintenance support control unit 422 displays display areas 861 to 863 for three sub-processes.

The maintenance worker PS can select any of the display areas 861 to 863 for the three sub-processes, and the maintenance support control unit 422 expands the selected display area according to this selection and displays the work procedure. Display information. FIG. 20 shows a case where "Sub-process 1 Ice making room door/Fresh freezing room door" is selected, and the maintenance support control unit 422 enlarges the display area 861 of Sub-process 1 and A work procedure explanatory text 861a and a video area 861b are displayed.

The maintenance support control unit 422 refers to the work video data 483a for the model of the refrigerator 1 stored in the storage unit 470 when the maintenance worker PS instructs to play the work video (touch operation on the video area 861b). Then, the work video data of sub-process 1 is acquired, and the work video is played back. By viewing the explanatory text 861a and the work video 861b, the maintenance worker PS can easily understand the work procedure and promptly proceed with the maintenance work.

Furthermore, the maintenance worker PS can select and visually check the explanatory text and work video for each sub-process regarding the work procedure of the countermeasure. Therefore, compared to the case where the explanatory text and work videos of all the work steps of the countermeasure are viewed at once, information on the work steps can be acquired more efficiently and maintenance work can be performed quickly.

When the maintenance worker PS selects the model-related news item button 808 on the maintenance support screen MS0 shown in FIG. Information regarding one model is acquired and displayed on the display 641. Thereby, the maintenance worker PS can easily acquire information regarding abnormalities specific to the model of the refrigerator 1.

When the maintenance worker PS selects the service mode item button 804 on the maintenance support screen MS0 shown in FIG. Display the menu screen for Then, in response to the operation by the maintenance worker PS, the maintenance support control unit 422 transmits information instructing the operation of the drive unit to start or stop to the refrigerator 1. The corresponding unit 112 starts or stops the operation of the drive unit. Thereby, for example, the maintenance worker PS can issue instructions such as opening a specific damper to facilitate maintenance work. As described above, the process of instructing the start or stop of operation of the drive section corresponds to the step corresponding to the operation of the drive section of the present invention.

[9. Other embodiments]
In the above embodiment, the refrigerator 1 was described as an example of the product of the present invention, but the present invention can also be applied to electrical appliances other than refrigerators, such as air conditioners, washing machines, televisions, and the like. Further, although the compressor 71, the cooling fan 76, etc. are shown as the drive unit, other types of drive units may be used. Further, although temperature is shown as the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity, humidity, heat quantity, air volume, illuminance, etc. may also be used.

In the above embodiment, a tablet-type communication terminal 400 is shown as the terminal device of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a notebook computer, a smartphone, etc. can be used as the terminal device of the present invention.

As described above, the maintenance support method and maintenance support program according to the present invention provide maintenance workers who visit the installation location of electrical appliances with information on the operating status of electrical appliances through the operation monitor screen displayed on a communication terminal. In addition to being able to support determination, when an abnormality in an electrical appliance is determined, by switching from the operation monitor screen to the maintenance support screen, it is possible to support identification of a countermeasure for the abnormality.

1 Refrigerator 13 Refrigerating compartment temperature sensor 23 Switching compartment temperature sensor 33 Ice making compartment temperature sensor 43 Fresh freezing compartment temperature sensor 53 Freezing temperature sensor 63 Vegetable compartment temperature sensor 71 Compressor 73 Machine compartment fan 76 Cooling fan 77 Fresh freezing compartment fan 78 Defrost Temperature sensor 100 Controller 300 Wireless temperature sensor 400 Communication terminal 410 Control unit 420 CPU
421 Operation monitor control section 422 Maintenance support control section 430 Memory 431 Operation monitor program 432 Maintenance support program 450 Communication section 460 Touch panel 461 Display 462 Touch switch 470 Storage section 480a Model specific data PS Maintenance worker PU User WM0 to WM2 Operation monitor screen MS0 to MS6 Maintenance support screen

Claims (11)

A maintenance support method for supporting maintenance of an electrical appliance including a drive unit and a detection unit that detects a first physical quantity that changes according to the operation of the drive unit using a communication terminal including a display unit, the method comprising:
an operation status information acquisition step in which the communication terminal acquires operation status information indicating the operation status of the drive unit and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit;
an operation monitor screen display step in which the communication terminal displays an operation monitor screen indicating the operation status of the electrical appliance on the display unit based on the operation status information;
a step in which the communication terminal displays a real-time data acquisition button on the operation monitor screen for instructing display of the operating status from the current time;
The communication terminal, in response to the selection operation of the real-time data acquisition button, generates a first physical quantity transition graph showing the transition of the first physical quantity from the time when the selection operation is performed until the measurement period ends , and the selection operation. displaying, on the operation monitor screen, an operating status graph showing the operating status of the drive unit from the time when the measurement period is performed to the end of the measurement period on the same time axis ;
a model information acquisition step in which the communication terminal obtains model information of the electrical appliance;
a maintenance support step in which the communication terminal displays, on the operation monitor screen, a maintenance support reception unit that receives a link to a maintenance support screen corresponding to the model of the electrical appliance recognized from the model information;
A maintenance support screen displaying step of displaying the maintenance support screen on the display unit in response to an operation requesting reception to the maintenance support reception unit. In the maintenance support screen display step, the communication terminal displays, on the display unit, the maintenance support screen that displays failure information related to the model of the electrical appliance recognized from the model information. The maintenance support method described in Section 1. In the maintenance support screen display step, the communication terminal displays the maintenance support screen on the display unit for accepting start or stop of operation of the drive unit,
When the communication terminal receives the start or stop of operation of the drive unit in accordance with the display on the maintenance support screen, the communication terminal instructs the electric appliance to start operation when the start of operation is accepted. 3. The maintenance support method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a drive unit operation response step of instructing to stop the operation when the stop of the operation is accepted. The model information includes defect handling data that associates countermeasures to resolve each malfunction with multiple malfunctions that may occur in the electrical appliance, and each response process for the plurality of response processes included in the defect handling data. Contains work procedure data that associates work procedures to be carried out,
In the maintenance support screen display step, the communication terminal displays on the display section the maintenance support screen that displays a defect information reception section that accepts input of defect information regarding the electrical appliance, and displays the maintenance support screen on the display section. When the defect information is input by the reception request operation, a countermeasure corresponding to the input defect information is extracted by referring to the defect handling data, and the work procedure of the extracted countermeasure is applied to the work. The maintenance support method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the procedure data is extracted with reference to and displayed on the maintenance support screen. The work procedure data includes video data showing the work procedure,
5. The maintenance support method according to claim 4, wherein in the maintenance support screen displaying step, the communication terminal displays the work procedure on the maintenance support screen using a video obtained by reproducing the video data. The model information includes disassembly procedure data indicating a disassembly procedure of the electrical appliance,
In the maintenance support screen display step, the communication terminal displays a product configuration diagram showing a plurality of component parts constituting the electrical appliance, and selects a selected configuration according to a first selection operation in the product configuration diagram. An exploded configuration diagram in which parts are disassembled in stages is shown on the maintenance support screen, and for the part selected by the second selection operation in the exploded configuration diagram, a corresponding disassembly procedure is extracted by referring to the disassembly procedure data. The maintenance support method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising displaying the extracted disassembly procedure on the maintenance support screen. The disassembly procedure data includes video data showing the disassembly procedure,
7. The maintenance support method according to claim 6, wherein in the maintenance support screen displaying step, the communication terminal displays the disassembly procedure on the maintenance support screen using a video that is reproduced from the video data. The communication terminal detects a second physical quantity and uses a wireless detector to wirelessly transmit detection information indicating the detected second physical quantity, and a second physical quantity indicating the second physical quantity detected by the wireless detector. including a second physical quantity information acquisition step of acquiring physical quantity information;
In the operation monitor screen displaying step, the communication terminal displays the operation monitor displaying the second physical quantity recognized from the second physical quantity information together with the operating status of the drive unit and the first physical quantity recognized from the operation status information. The maintenance support method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a screen is displayed on the display unit. The electrical appliance is a refrigerator having multiple storage chambers,
The drive unit is a compressor and a fan that sends cold air to the storage chamber from a duct communicating with the storage chamber,
The detection unit is a temperature sensor that is individually provided in the plurality of storage chambers and detects temperature as the first physical quantity,
The maintenance support method according to claim 8, wherein the wireless detector detects temperature as the second physical quantity. When the communication terminal satisfies a predetermined normal operation determination start condition, the detection information is transmitted from the wireless detector placed near the outlet of the cool air from the duct to the accommodation chamber by the fan. 10. The maintenance support method according to claim 9, further comprising a normal operation determination step of repeatedly receiving the information and determining whether the refrigerator is operating normally based on a change in detected temperature recognized from the detected information. A program executed by a communication terminal including a display unit to support maintenance of an electrical appliance including a drive unit and a detection unit that detects a first physical quantity that changes according to the operation of the drive unit, the program comprising: The communication terminal,
an operation status information acquisition unit that acquires operation status information including the operation status of the drive unit and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit;
real-time display for displaying an operation monitor screen showing the operation status of the electrical appliance on the display section of the communication terminal based on the operation status information, and instructing the operation monitor screen to display the operation status from the current time; a first physical quantity transition graph that displays a data acquisition button and shows the transition of the first physical quantity from the time when the selection operation is performed until the end of the measurement period in response to the selection operation of the real-time data acquisition button ; an operation monitor screen display unit that displays an operation status graph showing the operation status of the drive unit from the time when the selection operation is performed until the end of the measurement period on the operation monitor screen on the same time axis ;
a model information acquisition unit that obtains model information of the electrical appliance;
a maintenance support unit that displays on the operation monitor screen a maintenance support reception unit that receives a link to a maintenance support screen corresponding to the model of the electrical appliance recognized from the model information;
A maintenance support program, characterized in that the maintenance support program functions as a maintenance support screen display section that displays the maintenance support screen on the display section in response to a reception request operation to the maintenance support reception section.

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