JP7398333B2 - Pump device management device, pump device, display method, and management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pump device management device, a pump device, a display method, and a management method.

A water supply device, which is an example of a pump device, is generally installed in a machine room of a building or the like outdoors or in the immediate vicinity of the building, and is widely used to supply tap water to a water supply target such as a building. In recent years, water supply devices that can be operated by an external terminal (an example of a management device) such as a mobile device have been proposed. For example, in the device described in Patent Document 1, a pump device is provided with a communication means using infrared rays, and a command can be transmitted to the pump device from an external management device using an infrared remote control. Thereby, in the pump device of Patent Document 1, the operation settings of the pump device and information about the pump device can be confirmed without opening the cover of the pump. Further, Patent Document 2 describes a water supply device including a communication device. It is described that in this water supply device, the pump section and the communication device each include a communication section, so that communication can be performed even from a place where the state of the water supply device cannot be visually observed. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a water supply device in which a wireless communication board capable of wireless communication with an external device is housed in a cabinet.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-201051 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-52532 JP 2017-150403 Publication

The above-mentioned pump equipment may be moved through multiple parties before being installed at the installation location, and the manufacturer, manager, or maintenance person of the pump equipment may be in charge of managing the installation locations of multiple pump equipment. There was a request to understand the situation. In response to such demands, it is conceivable to provide the pump device with a position information acquisition means such as GPS (Global Positioning System) and transmit the position information from the pump device to an external management device. However, a machine room or a pump room where a pump device is installed may be an environment where there is a lot of electrical noise and communication is difficult. In such a case, the installation location may not be properly transmitted from the pump device installed at the installation location, and the installation location information of the pump device may not be appropriately stored in a remote server or cloud.

Furthermore, pump devices are often placed in a narrow space, such as a machine room where a plurality of devices are installed. In such a case, a worker who maintains the pump device has to open a huge amount of paper materials in a small space and refer to the maintenance information, making the maintenance work complicated. Additionally, if the pump equipment has been previously maintained, there is a risk that the condition of the pump equipment may not be known or the maintenance information provided on paper materials may not be useful, especially if the operator is different from the previous worker. . In particular, the number of skilled maintenance personnel is decreasing these days, and efficient maintenance work is desired.

In addition, conventionally, workers who maintain pump equipment have to organize and analyze the collected information, summarize the details of the maintenance performed, etc. in order to create a post-maintenance report, and then send the created report to the customer. I was sending it to However, creating such reports requires a great deal of technical experience and knowledge, and increases the workload of workers.

Further, when the water supply target is a large building, a plurality of water supply devices may be installed in one machine room, and the plurality of water supply devices may cooperate to supply water. Further, depending on the layout of the buildings, such as in a housing complex where multiple buildings are crowded together, multiple water supply devices may be placed very close to each other. In such a case, when attempting to wirelessly communicate with one of the multiple water supply devices using the management device, the management device will identify the desired water supply device because multiple water supply devices are located within the range of wireless communication. It may become difficult to do so.

Further, since water supply devices are related to lifelines and are sometimes installed outdoors facing a road, it is desirable to prevent unauthorized access from unintended external devices. Furthermore, as in Patent Document 2, a management device that can communicate even from a location where the status of a water supply device cannot be visually observed is likely to have problems due to erroneous operation or erroneous communication. For example, an incorrect operation command may be issued during maintenance, leading to an accident such as water leakage, or an incorrect operation or communication may cause the pump of a water supply device to stop unintentionally, resulting in a water outage.

The present invention has been made in order to improve at least one of the above-mentioned circumstances, and in a pump system equipped with a management device that can wirelessly communicate with a plurality of pump devices, it is possible to properly manage the pump devices. One of the objects is to provide a management device, display method, or management method that can be easily performed.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a pump device management device for managing a plurality of pump devices is proposed, and the management device includes a communication unit that receives position information of the pump device from the pump device, and a communication unit that receives position information of the pump device from the pump device; and a storage unit that stores the previously received position information of the pump device as installation position information of the pump device when the position information is not received from the device for a predetermined period of time.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a pump device is proposed for supplying water to a building using a pump, and the pump device includes a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information, and a position information acquisition unit capable of transmitting the position information to the outside. and a battery capable of supplying power to the location information acquisition section and the communication section, and the communication section is configured to transmit the location information when power is supplied from the battery. The position information acquired by the acquisition unit is transmitted to the outside at predetermined timings.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a display method is proposed, and the display method includes an input receiving step of receiving an input of maintenance details of a pump device by a worker, and storing the input maintenance details in a storage unit. and a display step of displaying a device maintenance method based on device identification information of the pump device on a display section, the display step including displaying information based on the maintenance content stored in the storage section. include.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for managing a pump device is proposed, and the method includes the steps of acquiring operational information of the pump device and storing the acquired operational information in a storage unit; receiving the input of maintenance details of the pump device by a person and storing the inputted maintenance details in the storage unit; and controlling the pump device based on the operation information and the maintenance details stored in the storage unit. and determining the state.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a management device capable of wirelessly communicating with a plurality of pump devices is proposed, and the management device stores operation information of the pump devices and maintenance details of the pump devices by a worker. an acquisition unit that acquires information, a determination unit that determines the state of the pump device based on the operation information and the maintenance content, and a transmission that transmits information based on the state of the pump device determined by the determination unit to the outside. It is equipped with a section and a section.

1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a water supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a water supply device according to an embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of operation when a water supply device and a management device establish wireless communication. It is a figure which shows another example of operation|movement when a water supply apparatus and a management apparatus establish wireless communication. It is a figure which shows yet another example of operation|movement when a water supply apparatus and a management apparatus establish wireless communication. It is a figure showing an example of composition of a water supply system of modification 1. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation when a water supply device and a management device establish wireless communication according to Modification 1; It is a figure showing an example of composition of a water supply system of modification 2. It is a figure showing an example of the composition of the water supply system of modification 3. It is a figure showing an example of composition of a water supply system concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a flow chart for explaining an example of transmission of position information by a water supply device of a 2nd embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process for managing the positional information of a water supply apparatus by a management apparatus etc. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of maintenance information related to device identification information. It is a figure showing an example of composition of a water supply system concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of maintenance information display on a display part by a display method of a 3rd embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the state determination method of the water supply apparatus performed in a water supply system.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding components are given the same reference numerals and redundant explanations will be omitted. Further, although a water supply device and a water supply system will be described below as an example of a pump device and a pump system, the present invention is not limited to such an example.

<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a water supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the water supply system 100 includes a plurality of water supply devices 10A to 10C (hereinafter also referred to as water supply devices 10) for supplying water to a building with a pump, and a plurality of water supply devices 10A to 10C (hereinafter also referred to as water supply devices 10), and a water supply system 100 for managing various information in the water supply device 10. A management device 90 is provided.

In this embodiment, the water supply devices 10A to 10C have similar configurations, and redundant explanation will be omitted below. Note that the water supply devices 10A to 10C may have mutually different configurations. Further, although three water supply devices 10A to 10C are shown in FIG. 1, the water supply devices 10 in the water supply system 100 only need to be capable of wireless communication 98a with the management device 90, and the water supply system 100 can have two or four water supply devices 10A to 10C. It is also possible to have more than one water supply device. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the plurality of water supply devices 10 will be described as being provided in close locations where they can simultaneously receive the wireless communication 98a signals emitted by the management device 90, such as in the same pump room. , but not limited to these examples. For example, the management device 90 may be owned by an administrator who manages buildings such as multiple buildings and condominiums. The water supply device 10 of this embodiment includes an external communication unit 73 that performs wireless communication 98a with the management device 90, and pairing switches 11a and 11b for establishing communication with the management device 90. Details of the pairing switches 11a and 11b will be described later.

The management device 90 of this embodiment is a device different from the water supply device 10, and is owned and used by, for example, an administrator who manages a plurality of water supply devices 10, a maintenance worker who performs maintenance, or the like. That is, the management device 90 is configured to be able to perform N-to-1 wireless communication 98a (N is the number of water supply devices 10) with each of the plurality of water supply devices 10A, 10B, and 10C. Further, as the management device 90, a terminal that can be carried by the user may be adopted, and for example, a general-purpose device represented by a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a personal computer, a tablet, or a remote monitoring device. A dedicated terminal may also be employed. As shown in FIG. 1, the management device 90 of the embodiment includes a calculation section 92, an operation display section 93 as an example of a display section, a communication section 94, and a storage section 95. The management device 90 may be configured with a microcomputer that is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, etc. and implements predetermined functions using software, or may be configured with a hardware circuit that performs dedicated arithmetic processing. It may be configured as follows. Further, the management device 90 is not limited to being configured by a single device, but may be configured by a plurality of devices provided apart from each other, as an example.

The calculation unit 92 sets various data (for example, specific information) for managing the water supply device 10, performs calculations, etc., based on programs and various data stored in the storage unit 95. The operation display section 93 functions as a user interface and can display various data stored in the storage section 95.

The communication unit 94 is configured to be able to communicate with the water supply device 10 via wireless communication 98a. As an example, the communication unit 94 communicates with the water supply device 10 using any type of wireless communication 98a such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Further, the wireless communication 98a may use radio waves of any frequency, such as radio waves in the short wave (HF) band of 3 MHz to 30 MHz, or radio waves in the very high frequency (VHF) band of 30 MHz to 300 MHz, as an example.

A control program for controlling the management device 90 is stored in the storage unit 95 . The storage unit 95 also stores device information acquired from a plurality of water supply devices through wireless communication 98a, maintenance information for each model of water supply device, operation-related information for each managed water supply device, failure history, and Management data including maintenance history and the like is stored. As the storage unit 95, ROM, HDD, EEPROM, FeRAM, nonvolatile memory such as flash memory, and volatile memory such as RAM are used. The storage unit 95 stores various data, such as data on calculation results in the calculation unit 92 (abnormality information, maintenance information), data input through the communication unit 94 or output through the communication unit 94, and the like.

It is preferable that the management device 90 can output various types of information about the water supply device 10 acquired via the wireless communication 98a to the outside. For example, it is preferable that the management device 90 be able to transmit the information acquired by the wireless communication 98a to the administrator's server or the like via a public line or any network. Furthermore, it is preferable that the management device 90 be able to output the information to a USB or memory.

Next, a specific configuration of the water supply device 10 will be explained. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the water supply device according to the embodiment. A water supply device is used as a device for supplying water to a building such as a detached house, an apartment building, an office building, a commercial facility, a factory, or a school. In FIG. 2, the water supply device 10 is used in a direct water supply system, and the suction port 102 of the water supply device 10 is connected to a water pipe (water main) 104 via an introduction pipe 105. However, the water supply device 10 may be used in a water tank system in which water from the water pipe 104 is supplied via a water tank (not shown) on the upstream side of the water supply device 10. A water supply pipe 107 is connected to the outlet 103 of the water supply device 10, and the water supply pipe 107 communicates with a water tap (for example, a faucet 110) in each building. The water supply device 10 increases or pressurizes water from the water pipe 104 (or water tank) and supplies water to each water tap in the building.

As shown in FIG. 2, the water supply device 10 of this embodiment includes two motor pumps 40 that increase or pressurize water from a water pipe 104 (or a water tank), and a variable speed controller for the motor pumps 40. It includes an inverter device 50, which is an example, and a control unit 60 that controls the motor pump 40. The motor pump 40 includes a pump 44 having an impeller (not shown), and a motor 42 that is an example of an electric motor that supplies power to the pump 44. Note that in this embodiment, two motor pumps 40 are provided, but one or three or more motor pumps may be provided.

A backflow prevention device 25 is provided on the upstream side (suction side) of the pump 44. In this embodiment, the backflow prevention device 25 is provided in the suction pipe 101 that defines the suction port of the water supply device 10, and prevents water from flowing back from the water supply device 10 to the water pipe 104. A pressure sensor 21 is provided upstream of the backflow prevention device 25 . The pressure sensor 21 is a pressure measuring device for measuring the suction pressure of the pump 44.

On the downstream side (discharge side) of the pump 44, a check valve 23, a flow switch 24, a pressure sensor 26, and a pressure tank 28 are provided. In the example shown in FIG. 1, two sets of pump 44, check valve 23, and flow switch 24 are provided, and these are provided in parallel. By providing a plurality of pumps 44, if some of the pumps 44 become inoperable, other operable pumps 44 continue to supply water to avoid water outages as much as possible.

The check valve 23 is provided in the discharge pipe 32 connected to the discharge port of the pump 44, and prevents water from flowing back when the pump 44 is stopped. A flow switch 24 is provided downstream (secondary side) of the check valve 23 . The flow switch 24 is a flow rate detector that detects that the flow rate of water flowing through the discharge pipe 32 has decreased to a predetermined value, that is, an insufficient amount of water (small amount of water). However, only one flow switch 24 may be provided in the suction pipe 101 or the confluence pipe 33 of the discharge pipe 32, or may not be provided. Further, a pressure sensor 26 and a pressure tank 28 are provided in the confluence pipe 33 whose one end defines the discharge port 103. The pressure sensor 26 is a pressure measuring device for measuring the discharge pressure of the pump 44. The pressure tank 28 is a pressure holder for holding the discharge pressure while the pump 44 is stopped.

The inverter device 50 performs variable speed control of the motor 42 based on control commands from the control unit 60. As an example, the inverter device 50 calculates a command frequency based on the target rotational speed of the pump 44 (for example, PID control, etc.), and sends a PWM signal to minimize the difference between the command frequency and the actual frequency of the motor 42. generate.

The control unit 60 of the water supply device 10 is provided to control the water supply device 10. The control section 60 of this embodiment includes a storage section (control memory) 66, a calculation section 67, an I/O section 68, and an external communication section 73. Further, an operation panel 70 may be provided.

As the storage unit 66 of the control unit 60, nonvolatile memories such as ROM, HDD, EEPROM, FeRAM, and flash memory, and volatile memories such as RAM are used. The storage unit 66 stores various information regarding the water supply device 10, such as a control program for controlling the water supply device 10, device information, setting value information, history information, operation information, and abnormality information.

The device information includes the number of pumps 44, the diameter of the pumps 44, the amount of water supplied, the total head, the cut-off head, the motor output capacity of the motor 42, the water supply method (for example, direct water supply method, water tank method, etc.), the number of inverter devices 50, It also includes pump device model identification information (eg, machine name, model number, unique serial number given at the time of manufacture, etc.) indicating the model of the water supply device 10, which is an example of a pump device.

The setting value information is information whose value is changed mainly depending on the usage environment of the water supply device 10, the device configuration, the water supply method, etc., and is information that can be changed by an operator by external input. In this embodiment, the setting value information can be set by inputting through the setting section 71, external communication section 73, or I/O section 68 (external input terminal, not shown). In this embodiment, the input through the setting section 71, the input through the external communication section 73, and the signal input to the external input terminal of the I/O section 68 are referred to as "external input." Note that the device information may also be changeable by external input.

The abnormality information is information regarding an abnormality in the water supply device 10. The abnormality information includes information regarding various alarms including currently detected abnormalities (inverter trip, abnormal discharge pressure drop, various sensor abnormalities, etc.) and abnormalities (low inflow pressure, full water shortage of water receiving tank, etc.). Further, the abnormality information may include information for prompting replacement or maintenance of the inverter device 50.

The history information is information regarding various histories of the water supply device. The history information may include the cumulative operating time and cumulative number of driving times of the motor pump 40, the alarm history of the water supply device 10, the history of various communications, the history of various operations, and the like.

The operation information is information indicating the current state of the water supply device 10, and is updated at regular intervals (from several tens of milliseconds to several seconds). The operation information includes the current operating or stopped state of each motor pump 40, the rotational speed of the motor pump 40, the current value flowing through the motor that drives the motor pump 40, the input voltage of the water supply device 10, the suction pressure of the motor pump 40, This includes the discharge pressure of the motor pump 40, the target pressure SV, etc. It may also include values and output signals of various sensors input to the I/O section 68.

As the calculation unit 67 of the control unit 60, for example, a CPU is used. The calculation unit 67 performs calculations and the like for controlling each device constituting the water supply device 10 based on the control program and various data stored in the storage unit 66 and signals input from the I/O unit 68. conduct. Further, the calculation unit 67 controls communication in the external communication unit 73, I/O unit 68, etc., and controls display and operation on the operation panel 70. The calculation results in the calculation section 67 are stored in the storage section 66 and output to the I/O section 68 and the external communication section 73.

As the I/O unit 68, a port or the like is used. The I/O unit 68 receives detection signals from various sensors (not shown) and sends them to the calculation unit 67. Further, the I/O unit 68 is connected to each inverter device 50 through wired or wireless communications such as serial communications such as RS422, RS232C, and RS485, and packet communications such as Ethernet. The inverter device 50 is configured to be able to communicate with the control unit 60 using a communication protocol common to each manufacturer, such as Modbus, TCP/IP, or a manufacturer-specific communication protocol.

The operation panel 70 is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that can display and change various data stored in the storage section 66 via the calculation section 67. Specifically, the operation panel 70 displays device information and set value information, changes settings, displays and resets abnormality information, displays operation information, and the like. The operation panel 70 of this embodiment includes a setting section 71 and a display section 72. Note that the control unit 60 and the operation panel 70 may be provided on separate boards. In this case, the control unit 60 and the operation panel 70 may be connected by serial communication, a wire such as a signal line, or wirelessly. Further, the operation panel 70 may include a CPU, and the CPU may control display operations and control communication with the control unit 60 and external devices. Further, the operation panel 70 may include a buzzer (not shown) for emitting a warning sound or an operation sound.

The setting unit 71 of the operation panel 70 is an information input unit of the control unit 60, and performs various inputs such as starting/stopping automatic water supply in the water supply device 10, resetting an alarm, and changing settings of various data through external operations by the user. used to perform operations. The setting section 71 may include an operation button or a touch panel (not shown). Information input by external operation through the setting section 71 is stored in the storage section 66.

The water supply device 10 also includes a pairing switch 11a (second communication establishment mechanism) and a pairing switch 11b (first communication establishment mechanism) as a communication establishment mechanism for establishing wireless communication 98a with the management device 90. ) is provided. In one embodiment, the pairing switches 11a and 11b are provided in the setting unit 71. In this embodiment, the pairing switch 11a is used by a user (hereinafter also referred to as a "general user") who is restricted from using some functions of the management device 90, such as a building resident or a building manager. The pairing switch 11b is provided for users who are authorized to use all functions of the management device 90, such as engineers or maintenance personnel (hereinafter also referred to as "special users"). .

The special user pairing switch 11b may be configured to be operable when a predetermined protection mode is released by performing a predetermined operation or predetermined authentication on the water supply device 10. Note that the pairing switches 11a and 11b may be virtual switches that appear on the touch panel screen of the display unit 72, or may be mechanical switches such as buttons. Note that the pairing switches 11a and 11b are not limited to those that are physically distinct; for example, a single pairing switch is provided, and when a predetermined protection mode is functioning, it functions as the pairing switch 11a. , it may be configured to function as the pairing switch 11b when a predetermined protection mode is released. When the pairing switches 11a, 11b are operated by the user, this is used as a trigger to transmit a communication request signal from the water supply device 10, and pairing between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 is started. Details of pairing will be described later. Furthermore, the pairing switch 11b may be provided in a location that cannot be seen from the front of the water supply device 10 in order to prevent erroneous operation by general users. For example, the pairing switch 11b may be provided in a different location from the pairing switch 11a, that is, on the board of the control unit 60 or in the control panel, avoiding the operation panel 70.

The display section 72 of the operation panel 70 functions as a user interface and is configured to display various data stored in the storage section 66. In case the water supply device 10 is installed in an environment with a lot of electrical noise such as a machine room or a pump room, the display unit 72 may include a 7-segment LED or indicator light that is more resistant to electrical noise than a liquid crystal display and a touch panel. Additionally, an indicator configured with a mechanical push button or the like may be used. Thereby, the water supply device 10 can be installed even in an environment with a lot of electrical noise. However, the display section 72 is not limited to a display that is resistant to electrical noise, and a dot matrix liquid crystal display or the like may be used.

The external communication unit 73 is configured to be able to communicate with the external terminal 80 through communication 99, which is wired or wireless communication. As the wireless communication of the communication 99 in the external communication unit 73, for example, near field communication (NFC) technology can be used. Further, any type of wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi can be used. Here, NFC is advantageous in that the communication 99 can be completed simply by bringing the control unit 60 and the external terminal 80 close together. Further, as the wired communication of the communication 99, for example, the control unit 60 may be provided with an external connection terminal such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus), and the external terminal 80 may be connected thereto to perform communication. Serial communication such as RS422, RS232C, RS485, etc. may also be used. Note that the external terminal 80 may be a general-purpose device typified by a PDA such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a personal computer, or a tablet, or a dedicated terminal such as a remote monitoring device.

The external communication unit 73 is further configured to be able to communicate with the communication unit 94 of the management device 90 via wireless communication 98a. As an example, any type of wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi may be used as the wireless communication 98a. Further, the wireless communication 98a may use radio waves of any frequency, such as radio waves in the short wave (HF) band of 3 MHz to 30 MHz, or radio waves in the very high frequency (VHF) band of 30 MHz to 300 MHz, as an example.

Note that the control unit 60 may not be provided with the operation panel 70 or the display unit 72, and the functions of the operation panel 70 or the display unit 72 may be implemented on the external display 80 or the management device 90 through the external communication unit 73. . Since there is no need to provide the water supply device 10 with the display itself, it is possible to reduce the overall cost of the water supply device 10. Even in this case, the pairing switches 11a and 11b are provided in the water supply device 10. Moreover, it is preferable that the pairing switches 11a and 11b are arranged in the control section.

At least a portion of each component constituting the water supply device 10 described above is housed in a case 30 such as a cabinet or an outdoor cover. It is preferable that the box 30 is provided with a window 30a, and that the operator can access the pairing switches 11a and 11b through the window 30a. Note that there is also a type of water supply device that does not include the box 30.

In such a water supply device 10, the control unit 60 performs the following automatic water supply (automatic operation control of the pump 44). When the discharge pressure reaches a predetermined starting pressure or less while the pump 44 in the control unit 60 is stopped, the control unit 60 determines that the starting conditions for the pump 44 are satisfied, and at least one of the pumps 44 is activated. Start one unit at a predetermined starting rotation speed. Note that, as the starting condition for the pump 44, various predetermined conditions may be used instead of or in addition to the discharge pressure reaching the starting pressure Pstart or lower. While the pump 44 is in operation, the control unit 60 performs rotational speed control of the pump 44, such as known estimated terminal pressure constant control or target pressure constant control, based on the set pressure (set pressure). Specifically, the control unit 60 sets the target pressure (SV) using the rotational speed of the pump 44 and the target pressure control curve in the case of constant estimated terminal pressure control, and sets the set pressure as the target in the case of constant target pressure control. pressure (SV). Further, the discharge pressure is defined as the current pressure (PV). Then, the control unit 60 performs a PI calculation using the proportional gain Gp and the integral gain Gi, or a PID calculation using the proportional gain Gp, the integral gain Gi, and the differential gain Gd, based on the difference between SV and PV. The calculation is performed to calculate the rotational speed of the pump 44. In addition, when there are a plurality of pumps 44 as in this embodiment, the control unit 60 also controls the number of pumps according to the water amount by determining the number of pumps that can be activated simultaneously (the number of pumps operating in parallel).

When water usage in the building decreases while the pump 44 is supplying water, the flow switch 24 detects an insufficient amount of water and sends a detection signal to the control unit 60 (low water amount state). In response to this detection signal, the control unit 60 increases the rotational speed of the pump 44 until the discharge pressure reaches a predetermined stop pressure, accumulates pressure in the pressure tank 28, and then stops the pump 44 (stops the small amount of water). After the pump 44 stops producing a small amount of water, when water is used again in the building, the discharge pressure decreases to below the starting pressure and the pump 44 starts (small stop restart). In addition, when there are multiple pumps 44 as in this embodiment, it is preferable to rotate the pumps 44 to be started to prevent water from accumulating in the pumps 44. Further, as a method for detecting the small amount of water, other means such as a low load based on the current value of the motor 42 or a cut-off pressure may be used instead of using the flow switch 24.

Next, the wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 in the water supply system 100 will be explained. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the management device 90 is configured to be capable of one-to-three wireless communication 98a with three water supply devices 10A, 10B, and 10C. Therefore, in the conventional water supply device 10 in which the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 communicate on a one-to-one basis, if a plurality of water supply devices 10A, 10B, and 10C are located within the distance range of the wireless communication 98a by the management device 90, the management device 10 manages the water supply device 10 and the management device 90. The water supply devices 10A, 10B, and 10C are able to receive the signal transmitted by the device 90, and it is not possible to identify which one of the water supply devices 10A, 10B, and 10C the management device 90 is trying to communicate with. Here, the water supply device 10 is related to a lifeline, and for example, in order to avoid a water outage, maintenance may be performed with the pump 44 of the water supply device 10C stopped while water supply devices 10A and 10B continue to supply water. There is. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent unintended access such as when the management device 90 mistakenly issues a command to stop the pump 44 to the water supply devices 10A and 10B that are currently being supplied with water, or sends an operation command to the water supply device 10C that is undergoing maintenance. . Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to ensure that the plurality of water supply devices 10A, 10B, 10C and the management device 90 establish their respective wireless communications 98a, mutual authentication (hereinafter also referred to as "pairing") is performed. conduct.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an operation when the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 establish wireless communication 98a. Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation, the water supply device 10A and the management device 90 establish the wireless communication 98a, but the same applies when the water supply device 10B or 10C and the management device 90 establish the wireless communication 98a. When establishing wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10A and the management device 90, the user first operates the pairing switches 11a and 11b provided in the water supply device 10A (SU01). Specifically, as an example, if the pairing switches 11a and 11b are buttons, they are pressed. Here, unspecified general users such as building residents or building managers can operate the pairing switch 11a, and special users such as engineers or maintenance personnel can perform special operations such as entering a password or pressing and holding the switch for a long time. The pairing switch 11b can be operated by operation or the like. Triggered by the operation of the pairing switch 11a or the pairing switch 11b, the water supply device 10A starts pairing by transmitting a communication request signal to the management device 90 (SW02). At this time, the water supply device 10A preferably transmits information indicating which of the pairing switches 11a and 11b has been operated to the management device 90 together with the communication request signal. As an example, the communication request signal transmitted in SW02 is information common to all the water supply devices 10A, 10B, and 10C of the water supply system 100. It is preferable that the management device 90 constantly transmits a communication request signal, triggers the operation of the pairing switches 11a and 11b, and starts pairing when the water supply device 10A receives the communication request signal from the management device 90. . However, if the water supply devices 10 whose pairing switches 11a and 11b have been operated send a communication request signal to the management device 90 (SW02) and pairing is started, for example, multiple water supply devices 10 may be connected due to an operation error. Even if the pairing switches 11a and 11b are pressed at the same time, the management device 90 can create correct authentication information and send it to the target water supply device 10.

The management device 90 has a standby state in which it receives a communication request signal from the water supply device 10 with which wireless communication 98a has not been established. The management device 90 may be configured to always be in a standby state when the management device 90 is started, or even if the management device 90 is placed in a standby state by operating a switch provided on the management device 90, for example. good. Note that when the management device 90 is put into a standby state by operating a switch or the like, it is preferable to put the management device 90 into a standby state before operating the pairing switches 11a, 11b of the water supply device 10. In this way, the time for transmitting the communication request signal from the water supply device 10 can be shortened. In addition, if there is no water supply device 10 with which communication has been established, the management device 90 is always in a standby state, and if there is a water supply device 10 with which wireless communication 98a has already been established, the management device 90 performs wireless communication 98a and optionally It is preferable to enter the standby state at the timing of . Thereby, the management device 90 can perform wireless communication 98a with multiple water supply devices 10 simultaneously. However, the management device 90 is not limited to such an example, and the management device 90 may be placed in a standby state after the pairing switches 11a, 11b are operated.

Upon receiving the communication request signal, the management device 90 creates authentication information for pairing, stores the authentication information in its own storage unit 95 (SA03), and transmits the authentication information to the water supply device 10A (SA04). . This authentication information is information used to identify the water supply device 10A that has transmitted the communication request signal as a unique communication destination different from the water supply devices 10B and 10C, and to authenticate each other in the subsequent wireless communication 98a. be. The authentication information may be any information suitable for such use, and may be determined by the management device 90 using various methods. Furthermore, when creating authentication information and communicating with the water supply device 10, the management device 90 may display the authentication information on the operation display section 93.

Upon receiving the authentication information from the management device 90, the water supply device 10A stores the received authentication information in the storage unit 66 (SW05). Here, in this embodiment, the management device 90 is configured to be able to communicate with a plurality of water supply devices 10A, 10B, and 10C, and receives authentication information for identifying the water supply device 10A transmitted from the management device 90. A plurality of water supply devices 10B and 10C can receive the signal. Therefore, if the water supply device 10A in which the pairing switches 11a and 11b have been operated receives authentication information from the management device 90 within a predetermined period (for example, several seconds) after the operation, the water supply device 10A stores the authentication information in the storage unit 66. The water supply devices 10B and 10C whose pairing switches 11a and 11b are not operated may discard the received authentication information.

Further, the water supply device 10A may display an error on the display unit 72 or the like if the authentication information is not transmitted from the management device 90 for a predetermined period or more after the pairing switches 11a, 11b are operated. Note that the water supply device 10A may display the received authentication information on the display unit 72. In this way, by displaying the authentication information on each of the display section 72 of the water supply device 10 and the operation display section 93 of the management device 90, it is possible to know with which water supply device 10 the management device 90 is communicating wirelessly 98a. User can confirm.

After storing the received authentication information, the water supply device 10A transmits a reception notification signal (acknowledge signal) and the received authentication information to the management device 90 (SW06). Note that the water supply devices 10B and 10C whose pairing switches 11a and 11b are not operated ignore the transmission of SA04 from the management device 90.

When the management device 90 receives the reception notification signal and authentication information from the water supply device 10A, it transmits an authentication notification signal to the water supply device 10 (SA07), thereby completing pairing with the water supply device 10A and the management device 90. It is determined that the wireless communication 98a is established. Note that the management device 90 determines that the wireless communication 98a cannot be established if incorrect authentication information is received from the water supply device 10A or if a reception notification signal is not received from the water supply device 10A for a predetermined period of time or more. However, the authentication error may be displayed on the operation display section 93 or the like. Further, the subsequent wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10A and the management device 90 may be performed using authentication information.

Here, when the pairing switch 11a for general users is used in SU01 and the wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 is established, the communication from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10 via the wireless communication 98a. It is preferable that the command (second command) is enabled. In addition, when the special user pairing switch 11b is used in SU01 and the wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 is established, the wireless communication 98a is used to send a special message from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10. It is preferable that a user command (first command) is enabled. That is, when the pairing switch 11a is operated, the content that can be commanded from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10 is limited. This is a design that prevents the water supply device 10 from malfunctioning due to, for example, operation of the water supply device 10 by a general user who is not an expert. Thereby, the special user can issue various commands from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10, and it is possible to suppress unintended commands from being given to the water supply device 10 by the general user. However, the communication establishment mechanism is not limited to one in which two pairing switches 11a and 11b are provided in this way, but one or three or more communication establishment mechanisms may be provided. Moreover, the water supply device 10 may distinguish between the first communication establishment mechanism and the second communication establishment mechanism by different operations on one pairing switch. Specifically, when the wireless communication 98a is established by a special operation such as long pressing the pairing switch or inputting a password, the first operation command can be issued in the same way as a predetermined operation to the pairing switch 11b. When the wireless communication 98a is established by pressing the pairing switch, it is preferable that the second command becomes possible in the same way as a predetermined operation to the pairing switch 11a.

Here, the special user commands include displaying various information (operating status, history information, setting information, etc.) stored in the storage unit 66 of the water supply device 10, commanding the pump 44 to stop operating, resetting the alarm, and clearing the history. , and all functions of the management device 90, including all settings changes, etc., and commands for general users include commands to stop operation of the pump 44, alarm reset, history clearing, and settings changes are restricted. Driving information and history information can be displayed. This prevents a general user from erroneously issuing an operation command during maintenance, or from unintentionally stopping the pump of the water supply device and causing a water outage. Note that in the command for general users, some setting changes including the set pressure may be permitted. The operation information in the command for general users includes the current operating or stopped state of each motor pump 40, the rotational speed of the motor pump 40, the current value flowing through the motor that drives the motor pump 40, the input voltage of the water supply device 10, the motor Only the suction pressure of the pump 40, the discharge pressure of the motor pump 40, and items such as alarms and abnormalities that are always displayed on the operation panel may be used.

As described above, in the water supply system 100 of the present embodiment, when the user operates the pairing switches 11a and 11b of the water supply apparatus 10, a communication request signal is transmitted from the water supply apparatus 10 to the management apparatus 90, and the water supply apparatus 10 Wireless communication 98a between the management device 90 and the management device 90 is established. Thereby, wireless communication 98a between a desired water supply device 10 among the plurality of water supply devices 10 and the management device 90 can be appropriately established. Furthermore, since the wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 is established using the user's operation on the water supply device 10 as a trigger, the wireless communication 98a can be started while the state of the water supply device 10 can be visually confirmed. This can prevent unintended wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90. Further, if at least a part of each device constituting the water supply device 10 is a water supply device housed in a box 30 such as a cabinet or an outdoor cover, pairing switches 11a and 11b can be provided inside the box 30. It is possible to protect from the external environment and prevent pairing from being performed by unauthorized access from the outside.

Note that the wireless communication 98a after the pairing between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 is completed is performed in a master-slave manner, for example, with the management device 90 as the master side and the water supply device 10 as the slave side. Good too. As an example, the master side sends an inquiry communication command to the slave side, and the slave side sends a normal response or an abnormal response as a response based on the content of the communication command. The master side determines that a communication error has occurred when it receives an abnormal response or when a predetermined period of time or more has elapsed since the communication command was sent. Furthermore, the slave side may determine that there is a communication error if communication is interrupted for a predetermined period or longer; in this case, the master side may send a communication command to maintain the wireless communication 98a every predetermined period. good.

In addition, when a predetermined period (for example, several seconds, minutes, hours, days, etc.) or more has passed since the wireless communication 98a was established by pairing between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90, the water supply system 100 , the commands that can be issued from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10 may be limited. In other words, until a predetermined period has elapsed after the wireless communication 98a is established by pairing, a predetermined command (third command) can be sent from the management device 90 to the water supply device through the wireless communication 98a, and the wireless communication 98a After a predetermined period of time has passed since the establishment, a command (fourth command) more limited than the third command can be issued from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10 via the wireless communication 98a. Specifically, as an example, within a predetermined period after wireless communication 98a is established between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 through pairing, the water supply device 10 responds to all inquiries from the management device 90. and send a normal response. Then, after a predetermined period of time or more has passed after the wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 is established by pairing, the water supply device 10 becomes unresponsive to inquiries from the management device 90, or Send an abnormal response. Further, as an example, within a predetermined period after the wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 is established through pairing, the water supply device 10 will respond to all normal inquiries from the management device 90. , send a successful response. Then, after a predetermined period of time or more has passed after the wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 is established, the water supply device 10 may not respond to some inquiries from the management device 90, or Send an abnormal response.

In the water supply system 100 of this embodiment, pairing is started and wireless communication 98a is established by operating the pairing switches 11a and 11b of the water supply device 10, so when the wireless communication 98a is established, the user It is assumed that the user is near the device 10. On the other hand, if the wireless communication 98a can be maintained over a relatively long distance, it is also assumed that the user carries the management device 90 and leaves the water supply device 10 after the wireless communication 98a is established. In such a case, since commands are issued from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10 without actually being able to see the water supply device 10, the user may not be able to respond immediately if, for example, a malfunction occurs in the water supply device 10. . Therefore, in this embodiment, commands from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10 are restricted after a predetermined period of time has passed after the wireless communication 98a is established. With such a configuration, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the wireless communication 98a was established, it is possible to issue a limited command, such as checking the operation information of the water supply device 10, and also to issue a command from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10. It is possible to prevent unintended commands from being issued.

Further, in the water supply system 100, the command may be limited based on the distance between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 instead of or in addition to the predetermined period. That is, when the distance between the management device 90 and the water supply device 10 is less than a predetermined distance (for example, several meters), a predetermined command (third command) can be sent from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10 through the wireless communication 98a, When the distance between the device 90 and the water supply device 10 is a predetermined distance or more, the management device 90 may be able to issue a limited command (fourth command) to the water supply device via the wireless communication 98a. Specifically, if the management device 90 receives a normal response to the inquiry within a predetermined time interval, it may be determined that the distance between the management device 90 and the water supply device 10 is less than a predetermined distance (for example, several meters). Further, the management device 90 may determine that the distance between the management device 90 and the water supply device 10 is a predetermined distance or more when a normal response to the inquiry cannot be received within a predetermined time interval.

In addition, the water supply system 100 is operated for a predetermined period (for example, several seconds, several minutes, several hours, several days, etc.) or more after the wireless communication 98a is interrupted after the wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 is established. The commands that can be issued from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10 may be limited after the period has elapsed. In other words, if the water supply device 10 receives the third command inquiry from the management device 90 within a predetermined period after pairing is completed and the wireless communication 98a is established,
It is possible to issue commands from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10. Then, if a predetermined period of time has elapsed without receiving a third command inquiry from the management device 90, the water supply device 10 enables only the fourth command.

Here, when it is possible to issue a limited command (fourth command) from the management device 90 to the water supply device through the wireless communication 98a, the operation for issuing the command in the management device 90 may be restricted, The water supply device 10 may not accept some commands. In the latter case, the water supply device 10 may send an abnormal response to the management device 90, or may send information indicating that commands are restricted to the management device 90.

Here, the third command may be a command for special users and/or a command for general users. Specifically, with the third command when the pairing switch 11b is used, the user can display various information, command the operation of the pump 44 to stop, reset the alarm, clear the history, change all settings, etc. All functions of device 90 are available. With the fourth command when the pairing switch 11a is used, the user is restricted from instructing the pump 44 to stop, resetting the alarm, and changing settings. Only settings can be changed. Further, the fourth command can display the same items as the display items in the command for general users. Specifically, with the fourth command, the user can check the history information, operation information, abnormality information, etc. stored in the storage unit 66 of the water supply device 10.

Further, the water supply system 100 may reset the establishment of the wireless communication 98a when a predetermined period (for example, several minutes) has passed since the wireless communication 98a was established by pairing. Specifically, to reset the establishment of the wireless communication 98a, the management device 90 deletes the authentication information stored in SA03 from the storage unit 95, and the water supply device 10 deletes the authentication information stored in SW05 from the storage unit 66. do. Here, it is preferable that the predetermined communication period is longer than the predetermined period for changing the command restriction described above. In this way, by resetting the establishment of the wireless communication 98a when the communication period has elapsed, there is a possibility that an unintended command is issued from the management device 90 to the water supply device 10, or that the water supply device It is possible to prevent unauthorized access to 10.

In addition, it is preferable that the water supply device 10 can change the setting of whether or not to reset the establishment of the wireless communication 98a when a predetermined period (for example, several minutes) has elapsed after the wireless communication 98a was established by pairing. . Specifically, the water supply device 10 stores information on whether to perform the reset as setting value information (first setting value information) in the storage unit 66, and allows the setting to be changed by external input. For example, if the water supply device 10 is installed in a locked pump room or the like and is periodically inspected by an administrator outside the pump room using the fourth command, the pairing switches 11a and 11b may be turned on again. It is desired to maintain the establishment of wireless communication 98a until pairing is performed. On the other hand, when the water supply device 10 is installed in a location facing a road, it is desirable to reset the establishment of the wireless communication 98a after a predetermined period of time to prevent unauthorized access. Therefore, it is preferable that the user can change whether or not the water supply device 10 resets the establishment of the wireless communication 98a, depending on the installation location, management method, and the like.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the operation when the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 establish wireless communication 98a. In the example of FIG. 3 described above, the management device 90 creates the authentication information for pairing, but the example of FIG. 4 differs from the example of FIG. 3 in that the water supply device 10 creates the authentication information. Hereinafter, description of contents that overlap with those in FIG. 3 will be omitted.

When establishing wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90, the user first operates the pairing switches 11a and 11b provided in the water supply device 10, as in the example of FIG. 3 (SU11). . When the pairing switches 11a, 11b are operated, the water supply device 10 creates authentication information for pairing, stores it in its own storage unit 66 (SW12), and sends a communication request signal and authentication information to the management device 90. (SW13).

Here, the authentication information may be determined by the water supply device 10 by various methods so as to be suitable for use as the above-mentioned authentication information, for example, the time information when the pairing switch 11a is operated and/or the water supply device 10 may be determined based on a unique serial number given at the time of manufacture. It is difficult to imagine that the pairing switches 11a and 11b are operated at the same time in multiple water supply devices 10. Therefore, by including the time information when the pairing switches 11a and 11b were operated, the management device 90 can identify the plurality of water supply devices 10.

When the management device 90 receives the communication request signal and authentication information from the water supply device 10, it stores the authentication information in the storage unit 95 (SA14) and transmits the reception notification signal and the authentication information to the water supply device 10 (SA15). ). When the water supply device 10 receives the reception notification signal and authentication information from the management device 90, it transmits the reception notification signal to the management device 90 (SW16), and thereby the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 are paired with each other. It is determined that the process has been completed, and wireless communication 98a is established. Note that if incorrect authentication information is received from the management device 90 or if a reception notification signal is not received from the management device 90 for a predetermined period of time after transmitting the communication request signal, the water supply device 10 performs wireless communication 98a. It is also possible to determine that it cannot be established and display an error on the display unit 72 or the like.

According to the example of FIG. 4, the water supply device 10 creates authentication information and transmits it to the management device 90 when the pairing switches 11a, 11b are operated. Even in such an example, it is possible to establish wireless communication 98a between the management device 90 and the desired water supply device 10, as in the example of FIG. 3 described above. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 4, when the pairing switches 11a, 11b are operated, the communication request signal and authentication information are sent together from the water supply device 10 to the management device 90, so compared to the example of FIG. The number of interactions between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 for pairing can be reduced.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing yet another example of the operation when the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 establish wireless communication 98a. The example of FIG. 5 differs from the example of FIG. 4 in that information stored in advance in the water supply device 10 is used as authentication information, and the other points are the same as the example of FIG. 4.

When establishing wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90, the user first operates the pairing switches 11a and 11b provided in the water supply device 10 (SU11). When the pairing switches 11a, 11b are operated, the water supply device 10 transmits authentication information determined in advance and stored in the storage unit 95 to the management device 90 together with a communication request signal (SW13A). Here, the authentication information may be set in advance by external input, for example. Further, the authentication information may be serial information or the like that is set when the water supply device 10 is started for the first time or shipped from the factory and is stored in the storage unit 95 as device information.

4, when the management device 90 in FIG. 5 receives the communication request signal and authentication information from the water supply device 10, it stores the authentication information in the storage unit 95 (SA14), and A reception notification signal and authentication information are transmitted to (SA15). When the water supply device 10 receives the reception notification signal and authentication information from the management device 90, it transmits the reception notification signal to the management device 90 (SW16), and thereby the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 complete pairing with each other. It is determined that the wireless communication 98a is established.

In the example of FIG. 5 as well, it is possible to establish wireless communication 98a between the management device 90 and the desired water supply device 10, similarly to the examples of FIGS. 3 and 4 described above. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 5, when the pairing switches 11a, 11b are operated, the communication request signal and authentication information are sent together from the water supply device 10 to the management device 90, so compared to the example of FIG. The number of interactions between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 for pairing can be reduced. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 5, since information stored in advance in the water supply device 10 is used as authentication information, the processing of the SW 12 in FIG. 4 can be omitted, and the wireless communication 98a can be quickly established.

Note that, similarly to the example of FIG. 3, the water supply system 100 resets the establishment of the wireless communication 98a when a predetermined period (for example, several minutes) has elapsed since the wireless communication 98a was established by pairing. good. Specifically, to reset the establishment of the wireless communication 98a, the management device 90 deletes the authentication information stored in SA14 from the storage unit 95.

In this way, the water supply device 10, which is an example of a pump device, includes a communication unit that communicates with the management device 90 configured to be able to wirelessly communicate 98a with each of the plurality of pump devices A, B, and C; A pairing switch 11a and/or 11b which is a communication establishment mechanism for establishing wireless communication 98a, and a pairing switch 11a and/or 11b for establishing wireless communication 98a by triggering a predetermined operation on the communication establishment mechanism. is started. Thereby, the pump device 10 can properly perform wireless communication 98a with the management device 90. That is, it is possible to prevent the management device 90 from performing unintended wireless communication 98a with the water supply device 10.

(Modification 1)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a modified water supply system 200. Similar to the water supply system 100 of the embodiment, the water supply system 200 of the modified example has a plurality of water supply devices 10 and an N-to-one wireless communication 98a (N is a connection between the plurality of water supply devices 10 and each of the plurality of water supply devices 10). (number of devices)). In the water supply system 200 of the modified example, the plurality of water supply devices 10 are equipped with a short-range wireless communication unit 11c that targets a shorter distance than the wireless communication 98a as a communication establishment mechanism, and the management device 90 is configured to communicate via the short-range wireless communication 98c. This differs from the water supply system 100 of the embodiment in that pairing is started by a predetermined operation on the short-range wireless communication unit 11c. Specifically, the external communication unit 73 of the water supply device 10 includes a short-range wireless communication unit 11c (first short-range wireless communication unit) that targets a shorter distance than the wireless communication 98a as a communication establishment mechanism. The short-range wireless communication unit 1 can communicate with the management device 90 by short-range wireless communication 98b. In the water supply system 200 of the modified example, the management device 90 is capable of wireless communication 98a with each of the plurality of water supply devices 10A, B, and C (see reference numeral 98a in FIG. 6). (98b in FIG. 6). The water supply system 200 of the modification is the same as the water supply system 100 of the above-described embodiment in other respects, and redundant explanation will be omitted. Note that the short-range wireless communication 98b may be any wireless communication that targets a shorter distance than the wireless communication 98a and can communicate only on the side where the water supply device 10 can be seen, such as NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. can be used. NFC is advantageous in that it is possible to communicate by simply bringing the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 close to each other within a few centimeters to several millimeters.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation when the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 establish wireless communication 98a according to modification 1. Note that in FIG. 7, the same processes as in FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 4, and processes corresponding to those in FIG. 3 are designated with an "A" at the end.

In the first modification, when establishing wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90, the user first inputs a command to start pairing to the management device 90, and the short-range wireless communication unit 11c of the water supply device 10 The management device 90 to which the command to start pairing has been input is brought close to the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 performs short-range wireless communication 98b (SU01A). Here, as described above, when the short-range wireless communication unit 11c is used for NFC, it is advantageous in that the short-range wireless communication 98b can be established simply by bringing the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 close together. Further, when the short-range wireless communication unit 11c is used for another short-range wireless communication method, various appropriate operations may be performed to establish the short-range wireless communication 98b. Pairing for establishing wireless communication 98a is started using short-range wireless communication 98b as a trigger. Specifically, the water supply device 10 transmits a communication request signal to the management device 90 via the short-range wireless communication 98b (SW02A). As a result, even if the pump device 10 is installed in a place where the short-range wireless communication unit 11c, which is the communication establishment mechanism, is difficult to see, such as between buildings, the user can input the command to start pairing at hand. , you can easily start pairing.

Upon receiving the communication request signal, the management device 90 creates authentication information for pairing, stores the authentication information in its own storage unit 95 (SA03), and transfers the authentication information to the water supply device 10 through the short-range wireless communication 98b. (SA04A). In addition, in the example of FIG. 7, the management device 90 creates the authentication information, but the water supply device 10 may create the authentication information as in the example of FIG. 4, or the authentication information as in the example of FIG. Authentication information stored in advance in the water supply device 10 may be used.

Upon receiving the authentication information from the management device 90, the water supply device 10 stores the received authentication information in the storage unit 66 (SW05). After storing the received authentication information, the water supply device 10 transmits a reception notification signal (acknowledge signal) and the authentication information to the management device 90 via the short-range wireless communication 98b (SW06A).

When the management device 90 receives the reception notification signal and the authentication information from the water supply device 10, it transmits the authentication notification signal to the water supply device 10 through the short-range wireless communication 98b (SA07), and thereby the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 are connected. determine that pairing has been completed and wireless communication is established. Then, the subsequent wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 may be performed based on the authentication information exchanged through the short-range wireless communication 98b.

In the example of FIG. 7, it is assumed that information for establishing the wireless communication 98a is exchanged through the short-range wireless communication 98b. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and at least some of the communications in the example of FIG. 7 may be performed through the wireless communication 98a. Further, the communication establishment mechanism included in the water supply device 10 may be wired communication (for example, RS485, RS232C, etc.) with the management device 90. In this case as well, a command to start pairing is issued from the management device 90 through wired communication, which is the communication establishment mechanism of the water supply device 10 . At least part of the pairing communication in the example of FIG. 7 may be performed through the wireless communication 98a.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a modified water supply system 300. The water supply system 300 of the modified example includes a plurality of water supply devices 10 , a management device 90 configured to be capable of wireless communication 98a with each of the plurality of water supply devices 10 , and a communication system capable of communicating with a communication establishment mechanism of the water supply device 10 . It includes an external terminal 80 with functions. In the water supply system 300 of the modified example, a plurality of water supply devices 10 are equipped with a short-range wireless communication unit 11c that targets a shorter distance than the wireless communication 98a as a communication establishment mechanism, and a communication from an external terminal 80 to the short-range wireless communication unit 11c is provided. This embodiment differs from the above-described embodiment and modification in that pairing is started by a predetermined operation via the communication 98c. Specifically, the external communication unit 73 of the water supply device 10 includes a short-range wireless communication unit 11c (second short-range wireless communication unit) that targets a shorter distance than the wireless communication 98a as a communication establishment mechanism. The short-range wireless communication unit 2 starts pairing by communicating with the external terminal 80.

Note that in FIG. 7, the water supply system 200 exchanges information for establishing the wireless communication 98a through the short-range wireless communication 98b, but in the modified example of FIG. It is assumed that pairing initiated by a predetermined operation is performed through wireless communication 98a. Further, the communication establishment mechanism included in the water supply device 10 may be wired communication (for example, RS485, RS232C, etc.) with the external terminal 80. In this case as well, a command to start pairing is issued from the external terminal 80 through wired communication, which is the communication establishment mechanism of the water supply device 10 . Pairing communication is performed through wireless communication 98a.

In addition, in FIG. 6 or FIG. 8, when starting pairing by short-range wireless communication 98b, 98c, the user performs a predetermined operation on the communication establishment mechanism on the machine side of the water supply device 10. In addition, when starting pairing via wired communication, the user needs to take steps such as attaching the communication line to the connector on the water supply device 10, and also perform predetermined operations on the communication establishment mechanism on the device within the reach of the communication line. I do. By starting the pairing on the machine side of the water supply device 10, it is possible to prevent a command from the management device 90 from erroneously giving an operation command during maintenance, or from unintentionally stopping the pump of the water supply device resulting in a water outage. can.

According to the water supply system 300 of the second modification described above, the wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 is triggered by the short-range wireless communication 98b that brings the management device 90 closer to the short-range wireless communication unit 11c of the water supply device 10. is established. According to the water supply system 300 of the second modification, the wireless communication 98a between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 is triggered by the short-range wireless communication 98c that brings the external terminal 80 close to the short-range wireless communication unit 11c of the water supply device 10. Established. Note that the first short-range wireless communication unit of Modification 1 and the second short-range wireless communication unit of Modification 2 may be configured with the same hardware, communication protocol, etc., or may be configured with separate hardware, It may also be configured by a communication protocol. Also in the water supply system 100 of such a modified example, wireless communication 98a between a desired water supply device 10 among the plurality of water supply devices 10 and the management device 90 can be appropriately established.

(Modification 3)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a modified water supply system 400. The water supply device 10 of the water supply system 400 of Modification 3 has a barcode 11d (for example, a two-dimensional barcode such as a QR code (registered trademark)). Specifically, a sticker or the like on which the barcode 11d is printed may be attached to the parts of the water supply device 10, or the barcode 11d may be printed directly on the parts of the water supply device 10. Furthermore, the management device 90 has a barcode 11d reading means (for example, a camera, a barcode reader, etc.).

In addition, in the water supply device 10, by pasting the barcode 11d on the components housed in the box 30, the components can be protected from the external environment. In that case, the box 30 is preferably provided with a transparent window 30a that allows the barcode 11d to be read from the outside.

In this modification, the barcode 11d of the water supply device 10 is a communication establishment mechanism, and the operator triggers the reading operation 98d of the barcode 11d by the management device 90 to establish wireless communication between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90. Start pairing the 98a. The barcode 11d stores authentication information that can uniquely identify the water supply device 10. For example, if the wireless communication 98a is Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi (registered trademark), the SSID, password, etc. It is recommended that authentication information for the following be stored.

In the operation when establishing wireless communication 98a in this modification, SW02A shown in FIG. 7 is omitted, and in addition, in SA03, instead of creating authentication information for pairing, authentication Pairing is started based on the information, and then the pairing is completed by executing the processing from SA04A onward. In this case as well, by operating the barcode 11d (communication establishment mechanism) affixed to the pump device 10, the management device 90 configured to be able to perform wireless communication 98a with each of the plurality of pump devices 10A, 10B, and 10C. In contrast, wireless communication 98a can be performed properly.

Note that the barcode 11d may correspond to a first communication establishment mechanism and a second communication establishment mechanism. Specifically, it may have a plurality of barcodes 11d, including a barcode 11d corresponding to a first communication establishment mechanism and a barcode 11d corresponding to a second communication establishment mechanism. Furthermore, one barcode 11d may store information corresponding to the first communication establishment mechanism and information corresponding to the second communication establishment mechanism.

The water supply device 10 includes a communication establishment mechanism (pairing switches 11a, 11b, wired communication, a first short-range wireless communication unit, a second short-range wireless communication unit, etc.) according to the above-described embodiments and modified examples, and/or Pairing between the water supply device 10 and the management device 90 is started when a predetermined operation to one of the plurality of communication establishment mechanisms is triggered. Good too.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments and modifications, the window 30a provided in the box 30 may have a structure that allows access to the communication establishment mechanism without removing the box 30. Specifically, when the communication establishment mechanism is the pairing switches 11a and 11b, it is preferable that the pairing switches 11a and 11b can be operated by opening and closing the window 30a. When the communication establishment mechanism is short-range wireless communication, the window portion 30a may be made of resin or the like through which communication signals can pass. Furthermore, when the communication establishment mechanism is the barcode 11d, the box 30 may be provided with a transparent window 30a that allows the barcode 11d to be read from the outside. In this way, the communication establishment mechanism is protected from the external environment by the case 30, and at the same time, pairing can be started by the window 30a without removing the case 30. In addition, by making the first communication establishment mechanism inaccessible through the window 30a and only the second communication establishment mechanism whose function is limited being accessible through the window 30a, water supply due to unauthorized access from the outside can be prevented. Malfunctions of the device 10 can be prevented.

<Second embodiment>
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a water supply system according to the second embodiment. The water supply system 500 of the second embodiment is the example shown in FIG. is the same as In the second embodiment, components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The position information acquisition unit 74 uses, for example, GPS (Global Positioning).
The system is configured to obtain position information of the water supply device 10 using the Global Positioning System (Global Positioning System). The battery 75 is connected to the position information acquisition unit 74 and the external communication unit (communication unit) 73 so as to be able to supply power, and various known batteries can be used. The water supply device 10 is configured so that it can be connected to an external power source such as a commercial power source after being installed at the installation location and can supply water using the power from the external power source. The position information acquisition section 74 and the external communication section 73 can be operated even when not connected to an external power source. Here, in order to reduce consumption of the amount of electricity stored in the battery 75, the position information acquisition unit 74 is configured to operate at predetermined intervals (for example, every few minutes, every few minutes, etc.) when operating on the power from the battery 75. The location information of the water supply device 10 may be acquired every few hours).

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an example of transmission of position information by the water supply device 10 of the second embodiment. As an example, the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 is started at the time of manufacturing the water supply device 10 or by a predetermined external input to the control unit 60.

The water supply device 10 operates the position information acquisition unit 74 and the external communication unit 73 using power from the battery 75 to acquire the current position information of the water supply device 10 and transmit the acquired position information from the external communication unit 73. The information is transmitted to the outside via wireless communication (step S112). As an example, position information transmitted from the water supply device 10 is received by the management device 90 and stored in the storage unit 95. Here, the management device 90 converts the received position information into device identification information for identifying the water supply device 10 (e.g., machine name, model number, unique serial number given at the time of manufacture, etc.), and information on the time at which it was received. It is preferable to store it in the storage unit 95 in association with.

In this embodiment, when the water supply device 10 is not connected to an external power source (step S114: No), the process of step S112 is executed again. That is, the transmission of position information using the power from the battery 75 is repeatedly executed until the water supply device 10 is connected to the external power source. Here, the process of step S112, that is, the transmission of the position information from the water supply device 10, may be performed at every predetermined timing. The predetermined timing may be every predetermined time (for example, every few hours or every few days). In addition, when it is determined that the water supply device 10 is stopped based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 74, the water supply device 10 is configured to locate the position at a first frequency (for example, every few hours or every few days). When the information is transmitted to the outside and it is determined that the water supply device 10 is moving based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 74, a second frequency that is more frequent than the first frequency (for example, every few minutes) is transmitted. , every few minutes). In other words, when the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 74 is less than a predetermined distance (for example, several meters, tens of meters) from the previously acquired location information, the water supply device 10 When the location information is transmitted to the outside at a frequency, and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 74 is a predetermined distance or more from the previously acquired location information, the location information is transmitted at a second frequency that is more frequent than the first frequency. The location information may also be transmitted to the outside. In this way, when the water supply device 10 is stopped, the frequency of transmitting signals to the outside from the external communication unit 73 can be reduced, and the consumption of the amount of electricity stored in the battery 75 can be reduced. Further, when the water supply device 10 is moving, the frequency of transmission of signals from the external communication unit 73 to the outside can be increased to increase the accuracy of the position information of the water supply device 10 stored in the management device 90 or the like. can.

Then, when the water supply device 10 is connected to the external power source (step S114: Yes), the water supply device 10 transmits an installation confirmation signal to the outside from the external communication unit 73 (step S116), and ends this process. Here, the installation confirmation signal is a signal indicating that the water supply device 10 has been installed at an installation position for supplying water to a building. The management device 90 or the like that has received the installation confirmation signal may store the position information of the water supply device 10 stored in the storage unit 95 as the installation position information. The process in step S116 is based on the fact that when the water supply device 10 is connected to the external power source, the water supply device 10 is considered to be installed at the installation location. According to the process shown in FIG. 11, the position information of the water supply apparatus 10 can be transmitted to the outside using the power of the battery 75 even when the water supply apparatus 10 is not connected to an external power source. Furthermore, when the water supply device 10 is installed at the installation location and connected to an external power source, an installation confirmation signal is transmitted from the water supply device 10, so that the installation position information of the water supply device 10 can be properly displayed in the management device 90, etc. can be managed. Note that in the process shown in FIG. 11, the process is terminated by transmitting the management confirmation signal, but the water supply device 10 may transmit the position information to the outside even after being connected to the external power source. In this case, the external communication unit 73 and the position information acquisition unit 74 may operate using power from an external power source.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for managing position information of the water supply device 10 by the management device 90 or the like. The process shown in FIG. 12 is started in the management device 90 based on, for example, external input to the management device 90 such as an input from an administrator, or the first signal transmission from the water supply device 10 to the management device 90.

When the management device 90 receives the position information from the water supply device 10 (step S120: Yes), it stores the received position information in the storage unit 95 and starts timing (step S122). As described above, the management device 90 may store the received position information in the storage unit 95 in association with device identification information for identifying the water supply device 10 and information on the time of reception. Note that the start of time measurement in step S122 corresponds to measurement of the elapsed time since the position information was received from the water supply device 10 last time. Subsequently, if the installation confirmation signal has not been received from the water supply device 10 (step S126: No), it is determined whether a predetermined period of time has passed since the last time position information was received from the water supply device 10 (step S126). ). Here, the predetermined period is a period longer than the frequency at which position information is transmitted from the water supply device 10, such as several days, for example. When the predetermined period of time has not passed since the last time the management device 90 received the position information from the water supply device 10 (step S126: No), the management device 90 returns to the process of step S120. When the management device 90 receives the location information from the water supply device 10 (step S120: Yes), the management device 90 stores the received location information in the storage unit 95, updates it, resets the timekeeping, and starts again (step S122). ). Further, when position information is not received from the water supply device 10 (step S120: No), the process proceeds without executing step S122. Through such processing, the management device 90 can update the information in the storage unit 95 when the location information is transmitted from the water supply device 10, and manage the location information of the water supply device 90 more appropriately. When the management device 90 receives the installation confirmation signal (step S124: Yes), the management device 90 stores the location information stored in the storage unit 95 as the installation location information of the water supply device 10 (step S128), and performs the main processing. end. Thereby, in the management device 90, the installation position information of the water supply device 10 can be stored and managed. Note that the installation confirmation signal is not limited to being sent from the water supply device 10 to the management device 90, and may be received by the management device 90 from another device such as the external display 80, or may be received by the management device 90 from an external device such as an administrator. It may also be received by the management device 90 as an input.

On the other hand, when the elapsed time since the previous reception of the location information from the water supply device 10 has reached the predetermined period or more (step S126: Yes), the management device 90 updates the location information stored in the storage unit 95 to the water supply device 10. The information is stored as the installation position information of the device 10 (step S128), and the process ends. That is, when the management device 90 does not receive position information from the water supply device 10 for a predetermined period of time, the management device 90 stores the previously received position information in the storage unit 95 as the installation position information of the water supply device 10. This is because the machine room or pump room where the pump device is installed may be in an environment where there is a lot of electrical noise and communication is difficult, and it is thought that the water supply device 10 was installed in such an installation location where communication is difficult. Based on that. The previously received location information is based on what is believed to be the vicinity of the actual installation location. According to such processing, even when the water supply device 10 is installed in a place where communication is difficult, the installation position information of the water supply device 10 can be stored and managed in the management device 90 or the like.

Note that the management device 90 may be able to update the installation position information of the water supply device 10 stored in the storage unit 95 after this process is completed. For example, when the management device 90 receives new position information or an installation confirmation signal from the water supply device 10, it may update the installation position information of the water supply device 10. Furthermore, the management device 90 may correct the installation position information of the water supply device 10 using the correction unit 96. As an example, the correction unit 96 corrects the installation position information of the water supply apparatus 10 based on an external input by an administrator or the like to correct the position information of the water supply apparatus 10 or an external input from another device such as the external display 80. It may be corrected.

<Third embodiment>
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a display method for displaying maintenance information performed in the water supply system. This display method can be executed, for example, in the water supply system of the first or second embodiment described above. The display method shown in FIG. 13 includes a step (S132) of accepting input of maintenance details by a worker such as a maintenance worker and storing the input maintenance details in a storage unit, and a step (S132) of device identification information of the water supply device 10 (for example, the machine name). , a model number, a unique serial number given at the time of manufacture, etc.) and information based on the maintenance details on the display (S134). Here, the process of step S132 may be executed in any one or more of the water supply device 10, the external display 80, and the management device 90. Further, the storage unit that stores maintenance details may be one or more of the storage unit 66 of the water supply device 10, the storage unit of the external display 80, and the storage unit 95 of the management device 90, and the following In the explanation, it is sometimes simply referred to as the "storage section." The display section in step S134 may be one or more of the display section 72 of the water supply device 10, the external display 80, and the operation display section 93 of the management device 90. It is sometimes called "department".

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of maintenance information related to device identification information M1. The storage unit stores maintenance information related to each device identification information. Note that the maintenance information related to each device identification information may be acquired from outside through communication. As shown in FIG. 13, device configuration information of the water supply device and a maintenance method are stored in association with the device identification information M1 of the water supply device 10. In the example shown in FIG. 14, device configuration information and maintenance method are shown as maintenance information related to the device identification information M1. (including FAQs regarding operations, errors, etc.) may be stored in association with the above information. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the device configuration information includes component parts A1, A2, ... indicating identification information (machine name, model number) of a pump or motor, etc., and identification information (machine name, model number) of an electronic circuit board, etc. Electronic components B1, B2, . . . are shown. Furthermore, various maintenance methods C1, C2, . . . are shown as maintenance methods. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 14, device configuration information related to each maintenance method C1, C2, . . . is associated with the maintenance method C1, C2, . For example, when the maintenance method C1 is related to starting and stopping a motor, device configuration information (A1, B1) corresponding to the motor and the inverter is associated with the maintenance method C1. The storage unit stores data as shown in FIG. 14 for each device identification information, and in the water supply system, corresponding maintenance information is referred to based on the device identification information of the water supply device 10.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of maintenance information displayed on the display unit according to the display method of the third embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the display section displays a maintenance method display section 1502 indicating the device maintenance method (C1) selected by the user. The display section also includes a test button 1510 for performing a test, a switching button 1512 for switching the display of maintenance methods, an operation information display button 1514 for displaying operation information of the water supply device 10, and setting information of the water supply device. A setting information display button 1516 for displaying the maintenance history, a maintenance history display button 1518 for displaying the maintenance history, and a maintenance content input button 1520 for inputting the maintenance content are provided. Note that each of these multiple buttons may be a virtual operation button displayed on the screen of the display section, or may be a mechanical button (not shown) provided on the display section.

In this embodiment, the display in the maintenance method display section 1502 is created based on the device maintenance method in the maintenance information shown in FIG. As an example, the maintenance method display section 1502 may display a device graphic that imitates each component or each electronic component including the operation panel 70 of the water supply device 10 together with text information indicating the maintenance method. good. Additionally, device graphics may be created using images of each component or each electronic component. Furthermore, the display on the maintenance method display section 1502 may be in a moving image format. Further, the display unit may utilize augmented reality (AR), in other words, display the device maintenance method for the water supply device 10 on the display unit by combining it with an image captured by an image capturing unit (not shown). Good too. In this way, the maintenance information can be referenced together with the actually captured image of the water supply device 10, and maintenance work on the water supply device 10 by a maintenance person can be made easier. Note that the display on the maintenance method display section 1502 can be switched by operating a switching button 1512 by the user.

In this embodiment, the display unit is configured to be able to display information based on the maintenance content stored in the storage unit, that is, information based on past maintenance content. For example, the display unit displays maintenance history information when the maintenance history display button 1518 is operated by the user. Further, the display unit may display past maintenance details that are highly relevant to the device maintenance method displayed on the maintenance method display portion 1502 together with the device maintenance method. As an example, in FIG. 15, a device maintenance method C1 is displayed in the maintenance method display section 1502, and it is also displayed that the device configuration A1, which is highly related to this device maintenance method C1, has been replaced with Aa. (Maintenance content display section 1504). In this embodiment, the water supply system selects a device configuration highly related to the device maintenance method by referring to the related device configurations shown in FIG. 14, and when the device configuration is being maintained, the maintenance details are together with equipment maintenance methods. In this way, by displaying the equipment maintenance method and past maintenance details on the display, maintenance personnel can check the past maintenance details of equipment configurations that are highly relevant to the maintenance work they are currently trying to perform. This can be recognized and maintenance work can be made more efficient.

Further, in this embodiment, the user (worker) can input the maintenance details of the water supply device 10 by operating the maintenance details input button 1520 provided on the display section. The entered maintenance details are stored in the storage section, and the next time maintenance work is performed on the water supply device 10, the maintenance details are referred to. Furthermore, when the worker inputs maintenance details, the water supply system may create standard report information based on the input contents. In this way, it is possible to improve the efficiency of report creation by workers. Further, the water supply system may transmit the created fixed report information to the customer terminal.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the user can put the water supply device 10 into a predetermined test mode by operating a test button 1510 provided on the display section. That is, in the water supply system, when the test button 1510 on the display section is operated, a command is issued so that the control section 60 of the water supply device 10 enters the test mode. Further, the user can refer to the operation information of the water supply device 10 by operating the operation information display button 1514 provided on the display section. This allows the user to check the maintenance work to be performed and whether the maintenance work has been performed properly.

<Fourth embodiment>
FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for determining the state of a water supply device that is executed in a water supply system. This state determination method can be executed, for example, in the water supply system of the first or second embodiment described above. The state determination method shown in FIG. 16 includes a step of acquiring operating information of the water supply device 10 (S162), and a step of receiving input of maintenance details of the water supply device 10 and storing the input maintenance details in the storage unit (S164). and a step (S166) of determining the state of the water supply device 10 based on the acquired operating information of the water supply device 10 and the stored maintenance details. Moreover, the state determination method may further include the step of creating standard report information based on the determined state of the water supply device 10, and transmitting the created standard report information to the outside (S168). Here, the processes of steps S162 to S166 may be executed in any one or more of the water supply device 10, the external display 80, and the management device 90. Further, the storage unit that stores maintenance details may be one or more of the storage unit 66 of the water supply device 10, the storage unit of the external display 80, and the storage unit 95 of the management device 90, and the following In the explanation, it is sometimes simply referred to as the "storage section."

As an example, the state of the water supply device 10 is determined to be either a “normal state” or an “abnormal state” based on the operation information of the water supply device 10 and the maintenance content. The normal state is, for example, a state in which each component of the water supply device 10 is normal and there is no need to immediately perform maintenance work. Further, the abnormal state is, for example, a state where an abnormality has occurred in any component of the water supply device 10 and maintenance work is desired immediately. The state of the water supply device 10 may be determined by a program stored in advance in the storage unit of the water supply system, and as an example, the obtained operation information of the water supply device 10 and the operation information in a desired state of the water supply device 10 are used. It is preferable that the determination is made based on comparison with a model. Furthermore, based on the maintenance details, if the period of use of the components of the water supply device 10 exceeds their service life, it may be determined that the water supply device 10 is in an abnormal state.

Further, it is preferable that the determination of the state of the water supply device 10 includes prediction of occurrence of abnormality. The abnormality occurrence prediction preferably includes identification of a component or electronic component in which an abnormality may occur, and an expected date when the abnormality will occur in the identified component. The prediction of the occurrence of an abnormality may be performed by a program stored in advance in the storage unit of the water supply system, and as an example, the acquired operation information of the water supply apparatus 10 is compared with an operation information model in a desired state of the water supply apparatus 10. The determination may be made based on the usage period and service life of the parts.

The water supply system may determine the state of the water supply device 10 based on the operation information and maintenance details of the water supply device 10 using a machine learning learning model stored in the storage unit. The learning model may be learned in the water supply system, or a learning model that has been subjected to machine learning in advance may be stored in the storage unit and used. As an example, the management device 90 in the water supply system repeatedly executes learning of a learning model according to an arbitrary learning algorithm collectively referred to as machine learning. The management device 90 acquires the device identification information, operation information, abnormality information, and maintenance details of the plurality of water supply devices 10, and interprets the correlation. For example, the management device 90 interprets the correlation between the occurrence of an abnormality and the operation information of the water supply apparatus 10 based on the operation information immediately before the water supply apparatus 10 in which the abnormality has occurred. Further, based on the operating information up to the immediately preceding operating information of the water supply device 10 in which the abnormality occurred, the correlation between the specific operating information and the period up to the occurrence of the abnormality is interpreted. The management device 90 then optimizes the determination of the state of the water supply device 10 by repeating learning. The learned and generated learning model is stored in the storage unit 95 of the management device 90. For example, the management device 90 learns and generates a learning model so that the number of maintenance operations will be reduced in the future. Further, as an example, the management device 90 learns and generates a learning model so that the service life of the water supply device 10 becomes longer.

According to the state determination method of the fourth embodiment, the state of the water supply device 10 is determined based on the operation information and maintenance details of the water supply device 10. Thereby, the state of the water supply device 10 can be determined by reflecting past maintenance details. Moreover, according to the above-mentioned state determination method, standard report information is created based on the determined state of the water supply device 10 and transmitted to an external device such as a customer terminal, reducing the burden on workers to create standard reports. In addition, even a customer in a remote location or a person unfamiliar with the water supply device 10 can grasp the status of the water supply device 10. Furthermore, according to the above-described state determination method, the state of the water supply device 10 includes prediction of occurrence of abnormality in the water supply device 10. This allows the customer or the worker to order parts that are expected to cause an abnormality in advance, or to decide on the next maintenance schedule, thereby increasing the efficiency of maintenance work.

The invention can also be described in the following form.
[Form 1] According to Form 1, a pump device management device for managing a plurality of pump devices is proposed, and the management device includes a communication unit that receives position information of the pump device from the pump device, and a communication unit that receives position information of the pump device from the pump device; and a storage unit that stores the previously received position information of the pump device as installation position information of the pump device when the position information is not received from the pump device for a predetermined period of time. According to the first embodiment, even when the pump device is installed in a place where communication is difficult, the installation position information of the pump device can be stored and managed.

[Form 2] According to Form 2, in Form 1, when the communication unit receives a predetermined installation confirmation signal, the storage unit stores the position information received from the pump device in the installation state of the pump device. Store as location information. According to the second embodiment, the installation position information of the pump device can be stored based on the installation confirmation signal.

[Form 3] According to Form 3, in Form 1 or 2, the communication unit is configured to be able to communicate with an external device, and the management device controls the pump device based on a signal from the external device. The apparatus further includes a correction section that corrects the installation position information. According to the third embodiment, the installation position information of the pump device can be corrected based on the signal from the external device.

[Form 4] According to Form 4, a pump device for supplying water to a building with a pump is proposed, and the pump device includes a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information, and a position information that can transmit the position information to the outside. and a battery capable of supplying power to the location information acquisition unit and the communication unit, and the communication unit is configured to acquire the location information when power is supplied from the battery. The location information acquired by the unit is transmitted to the outside at predetermined timings. According to the fourth embodiment, the position information of the pump device can be managed externally even when the pump device is not connected to external power.

[Embodiment 5] According to Embodiment 5, a display method is proposed, and the display method includes an input receiving step of receiving an input of maintenance details of a pump device by an operator and storing the inputted maintenance details in a storage unit. , a display step of displaying a device maintenance method based on device identification information of the pump device on a display section, the display step including displaying information based on the maintenance content stored in the storage section; . According to the fifth embodiment, it is possible to refer to the details of the maintenance of the pump device by the worker.

[Embodiment 6] According to Embodiment 6, in Embodiment 5, the displaying step includes displaying a maintenance history as information based on the maintenance content.

[Embodiment 7] According to Embodiment 7, in Embodiment 5 or 6, the maintenance content includes content regarding replacement of parts, and the displaying step displays information regarding the replaced parts as information based on the maintenance content. including doing. According to the seventh embodiment, information regarding replaced parts can be referred to.

[Embodiment 8] According to Embodiment 8, in Embodiments 5 to 7, the displaying step includes displaying at least one of setting information and operation information of the pump device. According to the eighth embodiment, setting information or operation information of the pump device can be referred to during maintenance work.

[Embodiment 9] According to embodiment 9, a management method for a pump device is proposed, and the management method includes the steps of acquiring operation information of the pump device and storing the acquired operation information in a storage unit, and a step of receiving input of maintenance details of the pump device and storing the inputted maintenance details in the storage unit; and a step of receiving an input of the maintenance details of the pump device based on the operation information and the maintenance details stored in the storage unit. and determining. According to the ninth embodiment, the state of the pump device can be determined based on the operation information and maintenance details of the pump device.

[Embodiment 10] According to embodiment 10, in embodiment 9, the state of the pump device includes an abnormality prediction. According to the tenth embodiment, it is possible to determine the predicted occurrence of abnormality in the pump device.

[Embodiment 11] According to Embodiment 11, in Embodiment 9 or 10, the method further includes the step of creating standard report information based on the determined state of the pump device. According to Form 11, it is possible to create standard report information for the user to refer to.

[Embodiment 12] According to embodiment 12, a management device is proposed that can wirelessly communicate with a plurality of pump devices, and the management device acquires operation information of the pump devices and maintenance details of the pump devices by a worker. a determination unit that determines the state of the pump device based on the operation information and the maintenance content; and a transmission unit that transmits information based on the state of the pump device determined by the determination unit to the outside. and. According to the twelfth embodiment, the state of the pump device can be determined based on the operation information and maintenance details of the pump device, and the state of the pump device can be referenced externally.

[Form 1A] According to Form 1A, a pump device for supplying water to a building with a pump is proposed, and the pump device communicates with a management device configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with each of the plurality of pump devices. a communication unit; and a communication establishment mechanism for establishing the wireless communication with the management device, and a predetermined operation on the communication establishment mechanism is triggered to start pairing for establishing the wireless communication. be done. According to Form 1A, the pump device can properly perform wireless communication with the management device configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with each of the plurality of pump devices by operating the communication establishment mechanism.

[Form 2A] According to Form 2A, in the pump device of Form 1A, the communication establishment mechanism is disposed within a box in which at least some of the components constituting the pump device are housed. According to form 2A, it is possible to prevent wireless communication from being accessed from outside without authorization.

[Form 3A] According to Form 3A, in the pump device of Form 1A or 2A, the communication establishment mechanism is a switch, and the predetermined operation is an operation of the switch by the user. According to form 3A, the pump device and the management device can be correctly paired by a user on the machine side operating a switch on the pump device.

[Form 4A] According to Form 4A, in the pump devices of Forms 1A to 3A, the pump device performs short-range wireless communication with the management device for communication at a shorter distance than the wireless communication. a short-range wireless communication unit, the communication establishment mechanism is the first short-range wireless communication unit, and the predetermined operation is such that the user brings the management device close to the communication establishment mechanism to This is an operation to establish distance wireless communication. According to form 4A, wireless communication between the pump device and the management device can be established by the user bringing the management device close to the communication establishment mechanism and establishing short-range wireless communication. Thereby, even if the pump device is installed in a place where the communication establishment mechanism is difficult to see, such as between buildings, pairing can be easily started.

[Form 5A] According to Form 5A, in the pump device of Form 4A, the signal for pairing is communicated with the management device through the first short-range wireless communication unit. According to form 5A, signals can be exchanged for establishing wireless communication between the pump device and the management device through short-range wireless communication.

[Form 6A] According to Form 6A, in the pump devices of Forms 1A to 5A, the pump device performs second short-range wireless communication with an external terminal for communication at a shorter distance than the wireless communication. a distance wireless communication unit, the communication establishment mechanism is the second short-range wireless communication unit, and the predetermined operation is such that the user brings the external terminal close to the communication establishment mechanism to communicate with the second short-range wireless communication unit. This is an operation to establish wireless communication. According to form 6A, wireless communication between the pump device and the management device can be established by the user bringing the external terminal close to the communication establishment mechanism to establish short-range wireless communication.

[Form 7A] According to Form 7A, in the pump devices of Forms 1A to 6A, the communication establishment mechanism includes a first communication establishment mechanism and a second communication establishment mechanism, and the communication establishment mechanism includes a first communication establishment mechanism and a second communication establishment mechanism. When the wireless communication is established using the mechanism, a first command can be issued from the management device to the pump device through the wireless communication, and the wireless communication is established using the second communication establishment mechanism. In this case, a second command that is more limited than the first command can be issued from the management device to the pump device through the wireless communication. According to Form 7A, an authorized user, such as a maintenance worker, operates the first communication establishment mechanism to establish wireless communication between the pump device and the management device, and issues a first command from the management device to the pump device. be able to. In addition, a user with limited authority, such as a resident of a building in which the pump device is installed, can operate the second communication establishment mechanism to establish wireless communication between the pump device and the management device, and communicate with the pump device from the management device. It is possible to issue a second command that is more limited than the first command. This allows an authorized user to issue various commands to the pump device, and also prevents a user with limited authority from issuing unintended commands to the pump device.

[Form 8A] According to Form 8A, in the pump device of Form 7A, the first command is a command including a setting change of setting value information of the pump, a command to stop operation of the pump, and an alarm reset; The second command is a command in which at least one of a setting change of setting value information of the pump, a command to stop operation of the pump, and an alarm reset is restricted. According to form 8A, it is possible to prevent a user with limited authority from erroneously issuing an operation command during maintenance, for example, or from unintentionally stopping the pump of a pump device and causing a water outage.

[Form 9A] According to Form 9A, in the pump devices of Forms 1A to 8A, a third command is not sent from the management device to the pump device through the wireless communication until a predetermined period has elapsed after the wireless communication was established. After a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the wireless communication was established, it is possible to issue a fourth command, which is more limited than the third command, from the management device to the pump device via the wireless communication. According to form 9A, a limited command can be issued from the management device to the pump device after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since wireless communication was established. This can prevent unintended commands from being issued from the management device to the pump device.

[Form 10A] According to Form 10A, in the pump devices of Forms 1A to 9A, when the distance between the management device and the pump device is less than a predetermined distance, the management device transmits information to the pump device through the wireless communication. 3 commands are possible, and when the distance between the management device and the pump device is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, a fourth command, which is more limited than the third command, is sent from the management device to the pump device through the wireless communication. is possible. According to form 10A, when the distance between the management device and the pump device is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance, the management device can issue a limited command to the pump device. This can prevent the management device from issuing an unintended command to the pump device while the user is away from the pump device.

[Form 11A] According to Form 11A, in the pump device of Form 10A, the third command is a command including a setting change of setting value information of the pump, a command to stop operation of the pump, and an alarm reset; Alternatively, at least one of a setting change of setting value information of the pump, a command to stop operation of the pump, and an alarm reset is a restricted command, and the fourth command is a setting change of setting value information of the pump, a command to stop operation of the pump, and an alarm reset. At least one of the operation stop command and the alarm reset is a restricted command. According to the embodiment 11A, it is possible to prevent the user from changing the settings of the pump setting value information, issuing a pump operation stop command, or resetting the alarm while the user is away from the pump device.

[Form 12A] According to Form 12A, in the pump devices of Forms 1A to 11A, when a predetermined communication period has elapsed after the wireless communication was established, the establishment of the wireless communication is reset. According to the configuration 12A, it is possible to prevent the user from issuing an unintended command from the management device to the pump device.

[Form 13A] According to Form 13A, in the pump devices of Forms 1A to 11A, the pump device has first set value information whose settings can be changed by external input, and the pump device has first setting value information whose settings can be changed by external input, and the pump device has first set value information that can be changed by external input, and the pump device has first setting value information that can be changed by external input, and the pump device has first setting value information that can be changed by external input, It is determined based on the first set value information whether or not to reset the establishment of the wireless communication when the time period has elapsed. According to form 13A, the user can set whether or not to reset the establishment of wireless communication when a predetermined period has elapsed since wireless communication was established.

[Form 14A] According to Form 14A, in the pump devices of Forms 1A to 13A, when the user performs the predetermined operation on the communication establishment mechanism, the pump device sends a message to the management device for the pairing. It is characterized by transmitting a communication request signal. If the water supply device that has undergone the predetermined operation sends a communication request signal to the management device and starts pairing, for example, if pairings overlap, the management device creates correct authentication information and connects the target water supply. can be sent to the device.

[Embodiment 15A] According to embodiment 15A, in the pump device of embodiment 14A, upon receiving authentication information transmitted from the management device that has received the communication request signal, the authentication information is stored and the authentication information is transferred to the management device. to the device and establish wireless communication. According to form 15A, the pump device receives authentication information from the management device and transmits the authentication information from the pump device to the management device, thereby storing mutually common authentication information and establishing wireless communication. can.

[Embodiment 16A] According to embodiment 16A, in the pump device of embodiment 14A, the communication request signal includes authentication information stored in the pump device, and the pump device is configured to communicate with the management device that has received the communication request signal. A signal indicating that the authentication information transmitted from the authentication information has been received is transmitted to the management device. According to form 16A, authentication information stored in the pump device is transmitted from the pump device to the management device, and a signal indicating that the authentication information has been received from the management device is received, thereby authenticating each other and performing wireless communication. Communication can be established.

[Form 17A] According to Form 17A, in the pump device of Form 16A, the authentication information is information that is created when the pump device transmits the communication request signal and is stored in the pump device. According to form 17A, since the pump device creates the authentication information, it is possible to suppress duplication of authentication information in a plurality of pump devices.

[Embodiment 18A] According to embodiment 18A, in the pump device of embodiment 17A, the authentication information is created based on time information when the predetermined operation on the communication establishment mechanism is performed. According to form 18A, it is possible to suppress duplication of authentication information in a plurality of pump devices.

[Embodiment 19A] According to embodiment 19A, in the pump device of embodiment 17A, the authentication information is information that is determined in advance and stored in the pump device.

[Embodiment 20A] According to embodiment 20A, in the pump device of embodiment 19A, the authentication information is information determined based on a unique serial number given at the time of manufacturing the pump device. According to form 20A, it is possible to suppress duplication of authentication information in a plurality of pump devices.

[Embodiment 21A] According to embodiment 21A, in the pump devices of embodiments 15A to 20A, the pump device includes a display section that displays the authentication information. According to form 21, the user can confirm the authentication information.

[Embodiment 22A] According to embodiment 22A, in the pump devices of embodiments 1A to 21A, the communication establishment mechanism is a barcode, and the predetermined operation is an operation of reading the barcode with the management device.

[Embodiment 23A] According to embodiment 23, in the pump device of embodiment 22A, the communication establishment mechanism is disposed inside a box in which at least a part of the components constituting the pump device is housed, and the box includes: A transparent window is provided that allows the barcode to be read from the outside. According to form 23A, the communication establishment mechanism is protected from the external environment by the case, and at the same time, pairing can be started through the window without removing the case.

[Form 24A] According to Form 24A, in the pump device of Form 7A, the communication establishment mechanism is disposed within a box in which at least a part of the components constituting the pump device is housed, and the case is A window is provided, the first communication establishment mechanism is not accessible through the window, and only the second communication establishment mechanism is accessible through the window. According to form 24A, the communication establishment mechanism can be protected from the external environment by the case, and pairing can be started via the window without removing the case by the second communication establishment mechanism. Further, since the first communication establishment mechanism is configured to be inaccessible through the window, it is possible to prevent malfunction of the pump device due to unauthorized access from the outside.

[Embodiment 25A] According to embodiment 25A, a pump system is proposed that includes the pump devices of embodiments 1A to 24A and a management device configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with each of the plurality of pump devices. According to form 25A, the same effects as the above-described pump device can be achieved.

[Form 26A] According to Form 26A, there is provided a wireless communication method in a pump device for supplying water to a building with a pump, wherein the pump device has a management system configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with each of a plurality of pump devices. The wireless communication method includes a communication unit that communicates with a device, and a communication establishment mechanism for establishing the wireless communication with the management device, and the wireless communication method triggers a predetermined operation on the communication establishment mechanism to establish the wireless communication with the management device. The feature is that pairing for establishing communication is started. According to form 26A, the same effects as the above-described pump device or pump system can be achieved.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments of the invention described above are for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In addition, any combination or omission of each component described in the claims and specification is possible within the scope of solving at least part of the above-mentioned problems or achieving at least part of the effect. It is.

10...Pump device 11a, 11b...Pairing switch 11c...Near field communication section 40...Motor pump 42...Motor (electric motor)
44...Pump 50...Inverter device 60...Control unit 66...Storage unit 67...Calculation unit 68...I/O unit 70...Operation panel 71...Setting unit 72...Display unit 73...External communication unit (communication unit)
74...Position information acquisition section 75...Battery 90...Management device 92...Calculation section 93...Operation display section (display section)
94... Communication unit 95... Storage unit 96... Correction unit 98a... First communication (wireless communication)
98b...Second communication (near field wireless communication)
1502...Maintenance method display section 1504...Maintenance content display section 1510...Test button 1512...Switch button 1514...Operation information display button 1516...Setting information display button 1520...Maintenance content input button

Claims (5)

A pump system comprising a pump device and a management device for managing a plurality of pump devices including the pump device ,
The pump device includes:
a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information;
a communication unit configured to be able to transmit the location information to the outside;
a battery capable of supplying power to the position information acquisition unit and the communication unit when not connected to an external power source,
The communication unit transmits the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit to the outside at predetermined timing when the communication unit is not connected to the external power source and is supplied with power from the battery,
The management device includes:
a management device communication unit that receives position information of the pump device from the pump device;
a storage unit that stores the previously received position information of the pump device as installation position information of the pump device when the position information is not received from the pump device for a predetermined period;
pump system . The storage unit stores the position information received from the pump device as installation position information of the pump device when a predetermined installation confirmation signal is received by the management device communication unit.
A pump system according to claim 1. The management device communication unit is configured to be able to communicate with an external device,
The management device further includes a correction unit that corrects the installation position information of the pump device based on a signal from the external device.
A pump system according to claim 1 or 2. The pump system according to claim 2, wherein the pump device transmits the installation confirmation signal to the management device communication section when connected to an external power source. The pump device transmits the position information to the outside at a first frequency when it is determined that the pump device is stopped based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit, and The pump system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the position information is transmitted to the outside at a second frequency that is more frequent than the first frequency when it is determined that the device is moving.

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