JP2000240951A - Floor heating controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a floor heating controller not clearly visible in a room. SOLUTION: Hot water generated by a heat source device 2 installed outdoors is passed through a floor heating panel 3 installed on a floor to heat the inside a room. A remote control device 5 transmits a wireless signal with infrared rays as transmission medium to apply an indication to the outdoor heat source device 2 through a wireless relay 6. The wireless relay device 6 is arranged on a plate 8 of a wire device together with a switch 9a and a plug socket 9b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a floor heating control device for instructing the operation of a floor heating panel installed on a floor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a floor heating apparatus for heating a room by installing a floor heating panel through which warm water flows or a floor heating panel heated by a heater on the floor has become widespread. In this type of floor heating device, an instruction for operation / stop and an instruction for heating capacity are given by a controller 1 having a shape as shown in FIG.
It is the current situation. The illustrated controller 1 includes a body 10 that is mounted in a form exposed on a wall surface in a room, and an operation unit and a display unit 15 are provided on a front surface of the body 2. The operation unit includes an on / off operation unit 11 for instructing operation / stop, an output setting operation unit 12 for setting a heating capacity (at least one element of the amount of heat per unit time, room temperature, and floor temperature), and starting operation. A timer setting operation unit 13 and the like for designating a time until the operation is stopped or a time until the operation is stopped are provided.

[0003]

As described above, the conventional controller 1 is mounted so as to be exposed on the wall surface of the room and has a relatively large installation area, so that the appearance of the room is impaired. there were. In addition, since this type of controller 1 is of a wired type and cannot be removed from a wall surface, even in summer when a floor heating device is not required, the controller 1 is exposed and the indoor atmosphere may be impaired. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to obscure members that are fixedly installed and to close relatively large members that require operation when unnecessary. It is to provide a floor heating control device that can be used.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control means for controlling the operation of a floor heating panel installed on a floor, and a wireless signal provided with an on / off operation unit for instructing operation / stop of the floor heating panel. A remote control device that sends out a signal in accordance with the operation of the on / off operation unit, and a wireless repeater that receives a wireless signal from the remote control device and provides an instruction from the remote control device to the control unit, and connects the wireless repeater to a wiring device or The wireless repeater is placed on the plate of the plumbing fixture, and the wireless repeater is placed on the plate of the wiring fixture. It is barely visible when installed together with wiring equipment or plumbing equipment, and does not impair the appearance of the room In particular, if the wireless repeater is arranged on the plate in such a manner as to be juxtaposed with the wiring device or the plumbing device, the sense of exposure to the room is reduced and the wireless repeater is less noticeable. On the other hand, the operation for instructing the operation of the floor heating panel is performed by a remote control device. Since the remote control device is separated from the wireless repeater, it is stored in a drawer or the like when heating is not required as in summer. can do. That is, when the heating operation is not required, a feeling of incongruity due to the exposure of the heating operation unit does not occur, and the indoor atmosphere is not spoiled.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the wireless signal uses light as a transmission medium, and a remote control device used for home electric appliances or the like that uses an infrared transmission medium has become widespread. Therefore, there is a possibility that component cost can be reduced as compared with the case where radio waves are used by diverting components.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the remote control device includes an output setting operation section for setting a heating capacity of the floor heating panel, and the control means includes an output setting operation section. When the heating capacity is instructed via the wireless signal by being operated, thereafter, the heating capacity of the floor heating panel is controlled with the instructed heating capacity, and when the heating capacity is instructed from the remote control device. The heating capacity is instructed to the control means using the wireless signal, and thereafter, the heating capacity is maintained at the set heating capacity without using the remote control device. That is,
The number of transmissions of wireless signals can be relatively reduced, and an increase in power consumption in a remote control device generally using a battery as a power supply can be suppressed.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In this embodiment, a floor heating panel which passes hot water will be exemplified. As shown in FIG. 1, the hot water is generated by a heat source device 2 installed outdoors and burning a fuel gas such as city gas, and circulates between the floor heating panel 3 and the surface temperature of the floor heating panel 3. Is heated by the warm water to heat the room. The heat source unit 2 has a built-in control unit 36 using a microcomputer.
The internal operation of the heat source device 2 is controlled by the control unit 36.

According to the present invention, a wireless signal using infrared rays as a transmission medium is transmitted between a remote controller 5 used indoors and a wireless relay 6 installed on a wall or the like in a room, and a signal line is transmitted to the wireless relay 6. An instruction from the remote control device 5 is provided to the control unit 36 connected via the control unit 7.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless repeater 6 is arranged side by side on a wiring device such as a switch 9a or an outlet 9b which is constructed using a plate 8. On the front surface of the plate 8, a light receiving window 6a for transmitting infrared rays is exposed. Further, a temperature sensor 6b is arranged adjacent to the light receiving window 6a. Here, in general houses, wiring equipment standardized by the JIS standard is often used,
This type of wiring equipment has a standard size in which up to three outlets can be attached. In addition, one outlet and one switch are formed in substantially the same size. Therefore, by using a single outlet and a case having substantially the same size as one switch as the case of the wireless repeater 6, the switch 9a or the outlet 9b is juxtaposed on one plate 8. The wireless repeater 6 is attached to the plate 8 at a height away from the floor like the plate 8 on which the switch 9a is arranged.
Is used as the room temperature sensor, and when the wireless repeater 6 is arranged on the plate 8 at a height close to the floor like the plate 8 on which the outlet 9b is arranged, the temperature sensor 6b is used as the floor temperature sensor. be able to.

As shown in FIG. 3, the remote control device 5 includes a plurality of operation units to be pressed and a display unit 25 formed of a liquid crystal display on a front surface of the body 20. In addition, a light projecting window 31 a made of a synthetic resin capable of transmitting infrared rays is provided at a distal end portion of the body 20 of the remote control device 5 so as to cover the wireless transmission unit 31. A door 28 that covers the operation unit is provided on the front surface of the body 20 of the remote control device 5. When the door 28 is closed, only the on / off operation unit 21 that instructs operation / stop of the floor heating panel 3 is provided. It is exposed through the window 28a of the door 28. In the operation unit covered when the door 28 is closed, an output setting operation unit 22 for setting a heating capacity (at least one of heat quantity per unit time, room temperature, and floor temperature), and a program time are set. A program setting operation unit 23, a program on / off operation unit 24 for instructing whether or not to perform an operation at the program time, and a time adjustment operation unit 26 for instructing whether or not to adjust the time of a clock built in the remote control device 5 are provided. Provided. In the present embodiment, two sets of program times can be set, and a program selection operation unit 27 for selecting each set is also provided. The program selection operation unit 27 is provided so that a program time in the morning such as 6:00 to 9:00 am and a program time in the evening such as 5:00 to 10:00 can be set separately. Here, the program time means the time at which the operation starts and the time at which the operation ends, and is operated by operating the program setting operation section 23 and displaying the program 25.
The both times are set by displaying the time on the display.

As shown in FIG. 4, the remote control device 5 includes a remote control control unit 30 composed of a microcomputer. The remote control control unit 30 includes a display unit 25 and the various operation units described above (the on / off operation unit 21, the output setting A switch group 32 serving as the operation unit 22, the program setting operation unit 23, the program on / off operation unit 24, the time setting operation unit 26, and the program selection operation unit 27) is connected. Further, a wireless transmitter 31 capable of transmitting a wireless signal using infrared rays as a transmission medium is also connected to the remote controller controller 30. A battery 33 is used as a power source of the remote control device 5.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a wireless repeater 6 for receiving a wireless signal from the remote control device 5 includes a wireless receiving section 34 and a wireless receiving section 3.
In 4, a reception signal that discriminates a component transmitted from the remote control device 5 in the incident infrared light is output, and the reception signal is delivered to a signal processing unit 35 including a microcomputer. Signal processing unit 3
In 5, by extracting data from the remote control device 5, an instruction corresponding to the content of the data is transmitted to the control unit 36 via the signal line 7. Here, a shield line is used for the signal line 7 in order to suppress the influence of noise. The power of the wireless repeater 6 is supplied from the heat source device 2. This eliminates the need to incorporate a power supply circuit in the case of the wireless repeater 6 and simplifies the configuration and reduces the amount of heat generation, so that a small case can be used for the wireless repeater 6.

In this embodiment, the operation of the floor heating panel 3
The control unit controls the stop (actually, the operation / stop of the heat source unit 2), the control of the heating capacity of the floor heating panel 3, and the control of the start and end of the flow of water to the floor heating panel 3 at a preset program time. Signal processing unit 35
Gives an instruction to the control unit 36. That is, the signal processing unit 35 and the control unit 36 constitute a control unit.

The on / off operation unit 2 of the remote controller 5
By operating 1, the control unit 36 is instructed to operate or stop the heat source device 2 through the signal processing unit 35. Also,
When the output setting operation unit 22 is operated in the remote control device 5, the heating capacity is displayed as a bar graph on the display unit 25, and the set value of the heating capacity is instructed to the signal processing unit 35. The signal processing unit 35 instructed for the heating capacity compares the output of the temperature sensor 6b with the set value, and gives an instruction to the control unit 36 so that the output value of the temperature sensor 6b approaches the target value. That is,
The amount of heat of the heat source device 2 is adjusted according to the target value given to the signal processing unit 35. Here, when the heating capacity is instructed, the same heating capacity is maintained until the next instruction to change the heating capacity is issued. That is, the signal processing unit 35 has a function of storing the designated heating capacity.

On the other hand, when the program setting operation section 23 is operated, the program time is displayed on the display section 25, and the program time is stored in the remote control section 30 of the remote control device 5. In the state where the program time is stored in the remote control device 5, the program on / off operation unit 2
When you operate 4 to instruct driving at the program time,
The current time and the program time are transferred to the signal processing unit 35 via the wireless signal, and when the time to start the operation is reached, the operation of the heat source unit 2 is started to start the flow of water to the floor heating panel 1 and the operation is started. When it is time to stop, the operation of the heat source device 2 is terminated. Here, the signal processing unit 35 also has a built-in clock, and when the current time is transmitted from the remote control device 5, the time of the built-in clock is adjusted.

As described above, the light receiving window 6a of the wireless repeater 6 is only exposed inside the room, and the exposed portion is very small as compared with the conventional controller, and hardly protrudes from the wall surface. The wireless repeater 6 is hardly noticeable because it is juxtaposed with the wiring device. In the above-described example, the wireless relay 6 is arranged on the wall plate 8 of the wiring device, but may be arranged on the ceiling plate. The remote control device 5 can act as a drawer when it is not needed, as in summer, and does not cause a sense of incongruity due to the fact that a device related to floor heating is exposed even though floor heating is not used. In this case, erroneous operation of the floor heating device can be prevented.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the program time is set has been described. However, as shown in the conventional configuration, a timer for instructing the time from the time of operation to the start of operation or the time to end is set. A configuration for setting may be adopted. In the above-described embodiment, the wireless relay device 6 is provided on the plate 8 of the wiring device, but may be provided on the plate of the gas outlet which is a plumbing device. The temperature sensor 6b may be used for both room temperature and floor temperature, or the heating capacity may be open-controlled without the temperature sensor 6b. Although the present invention is used for controlling a floor heating device, a device for performing radiant cooling or radiant heating on a wall or ceiling is often integrated with indoor decoration. It is possible to apply the technical idea of the invention.

[0019]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control means for controlling the operation of a floor heating panel installed on a floor, and an on / off operation unit for turning on / off a wireless signal for instructing operation / stop of the floor heating panel. A remote controller that sends out the signal with the operation of the unit, and a wireless relay that receives a wireless signal from the remote controller and gives an instruction from the remote controller to the control unit. Because the wireless repeater is placed on the plate of the wiring device, the wireless repeater is only exposed to the same degree as wiring devices such as outlets and switches or plumbing devices such as gas outlets. There is an advantage that if it is installed together with wiring equipment or plumbing equipment, it is hardly noticeable and does not impair the appearance of the room. In particular, if the wireless repeater is arranged on the plate in such a manner as to be juxtaposed with the wiring device or the plumbing device, there is an advantage that the sense of exposure to the room is reduced and the wireless repeater is less noticeable. On the other hand, the operation for instructing the operation of the floor heating panel is performed by a remote control device. Since the remote control device is separated from the wireless repeater, it is stored in a drawer or the like when heating is not required as in summer. As a result, there is an advantage that when the heating is not required, a feeling of incongruity due to the exposure of the heating operation unit does not occur and the indoor atmosphere is not spoiled.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the wireless signal uses light as a transmission medium.
Since remote control devices used for home electric appliances and the like that use infrared as a transmission medium have become widespread, there is a possibility that component cost can be reduced by using a component instead of using radio waves.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the remote control device has an output setting operation section for setting the heating capacity of the floor heating panel, and the control means operates the output setting operation section. When the heating capacity is instructed via the wireless signal, the heating capacity of the floor heating panel is controlled with the indicated heating capacity, and the wireless signal is issued when the heating capacity is instructed from the remote control device. The heating capacity is instructed to the control means using, and thereafter, the heating capacity is maintained at the set heating capacity without using the remote control device, and as a result, the number of transmissions of the wireless signal can be relatively reduced. In general, there is an advantage that an increase in power consumption in a remote controller using a battery as a power source can be suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are front views of a working example of a wireless repeater used in the above.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the remote control device used in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the above.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a conventional controller.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Heat source unit 3 Floor heating panel 5 Remote control device 6 Wireless repeater 7 Signal line 8 Plate 9a Switch 9b Outlet 21 On / off operation unit 22 Output setting operation unit 23 Program setting operation unit 24 Program on / off operation unit 35 Signal processing unit 36 Control Department

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A control means for controlling the operation of a floor heating panel installed on a floor, and an on / off operation unit, and a wireless signal for instructing operation / stop of the floor heating panel is transmitted in accordance with the operation of the on / off operation unit. Remote control device, and a wireless repeater that receives a wireless signal from the remote control device and provides an instruction from the remote control device to the control unit, and the wireless repeater is arranged on a plate of a wiring device or a plumbing device. Floor heating control device. 2. The floor heating control device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless signal uses light as a transmission medium. 3. The remote control device includes an output setting operation unit for setting a heating capacity of a floor heating panel, and the control unit instructs the heating capacity via a wireless signal by operating the output setting operation unit. The floor heating control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating capacity of the floor heating panel is controlled with the designated heating capacity thereafter.