JP2001022438A - Monitor system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a remote monitor device to perform fault diagnosis and operation control with simple facilities even when abnormality concentrates on one place and to cope with abnormality immediately at respective business spots in such a case by transmitting abnormality occurrence information and information showing an operation state to terminal devices when a facility device becomes abnormal. SOLUTION: If the operation state of an air-conditioner 1 becomes abnormal, abnormality contents including operation state information close to abnormality occurrence information are transmitted from a monitor device 2 to a remote monitor device 5 and stored in an operation information database 6a of the remote monitor device 5. As the abnormality occurrence information, the place where the abnormality occurred, the machine, the installation place, the reason of the abnormality, etc., are connected in a pop-up picture of a WWW page on a monitor base terminal device 8 by retrieving the ID on the Internet. Relative departments are registered in a monitor base information file 6b and then the information can be coupled with all the registered departments at the same time through the Internet.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a monitoring device for monitoring the operating condition of an air conditioner and a remote control for remotely controlling the operation of the air conditioner, and is suitable for failure diagnosis and service of facilities such as buildings.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a means for grasping the operating state of an air conditioner, it has been known to record the temperature, pressure, etc. of a main part in a refrigeration cycle as the operating state and diagnose the failure. -238934.

[0003] It has been known that data on the control status of an air conditioner is directly captured by a terminal controller and the data is transmitted to a main controller, as described in, for example, JP-A-58-106348. I have. Further, transmitting monitoring information by using a modem or a public line is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-178557.
No., published in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.

[0004]

The prior art described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-238934 is more accurate and speedier than the recorded operating state information at the site where the air conditioner is installed. Failure diagnosis, but not real-time diagnosis.

Further, in the devices described in JP-A-58-106348 and JP-A-2-178557, remote monitoring can be performed only by a monitoring department such as a remote monitoring center having a remote monitoring device.

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to share operating information of an air conditioner not only at a place where a remote monitoring device is installed, but also at each business base near a place where an air conditioner is installed, thereby enabling remote monitoring. It is an object of the present invention to provide a monitoring system that can perform failure diagnosis or operation control with simple equipment even if concentrated in one place, and can immediately respond at each business base when an abnormality occurs.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a system for monitoring equipment using a refrigeration cycle, which collects information indicating the operation state of the equipment and causes an abnormality in the equipment. Then, the abnormality occurrence information and the information indicating the operation state are transmitted to a plurality of registered terminal devices, and the transmitted information can be used to confirm and respond to the details of the abnormality.

Further, the present invention relates to a monitoring system for equipment which uses a refrigeration cycle, which collects information indicating an operation state, and transmits an abnormality occurrence information and an information indicating the operation state when an abnormality occurs in the equipment. And a remote monitoring device that receives the abnormality occurrence information and the information indicating the operation state and transmits the abnormality occurrence information to a plurality of terminal devices registered in advance, and receives the abnormality occurrence information and determines the operation state in the remote monitoring device. And a terminal device capable of searching for the indicated information.

Further, in the above, it is desirable that the plurality of terminal devices include a portable terminal of a local service person.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a monitoring system according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a signal flow when confirming operation information or abnormality information of the monitoring system according to an embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a signal flow when transmitting the scheduled information or communicating the abnormality occurrence information. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a signal flow when the operation control information is transmitted. FIG. 5 is an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a front view showing a menu screen of a remote monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a front view showing a screen for displaying the operation status of the air conditioner in a graph by the remote monitoring device according to an embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a user terminal device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view similarly illustrating a user terminal device.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an air conditioner having an indoor unit, an outdoor unit and the like.
It is connected to the monitoring device 2 installed on itself. The monitoring device 2 collects and monitors information indicating the operation state (for example, the temperature and pressure of the main part in the refrigeration cycle) from the air conditioner 1 constantly or periodically. That is, the monitoring device 2 periodically transmits the operation information of the air conditioner (may include abnormality information and the like) or the abnormality occurrence information (including the abnormality content and the like) via the communication line 3 at irregular intervals. Send to 5. The transmitted information is formed into a database by the remote monitoring device 5, and is stored and accumulated as an operation information database 6a.

The remote monitoring device 5 is connected to the Internet 4 and has a communication protocol of Internet standard TCP / IP. For file transfer, an HTTP (Hyper) that handles multimedia information in which text data and graphic data are mixed. Text Transfer Protco
l) or FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used, and information can be provided by creating a screen described in hypertext as a WWW server. Therefore, it is desirable to store the driving information database 6a in the HTML file format.

HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language)
To store in a file format means to use the Internet WWW
(World Wide Web) means that information is stored in a language (HTML) that handles multimedia information provided.

The user terminal device 7 and the monitoring base terminal device 8 are connected to the Internet 4 and the WWW of the remote monitoring device 5
The page can be viewed with viewing software. Therefore, the user terminal device 7 and the monitoring base terminal device 8 are connected to the Internet 4
Connected to the remote monitoring device 5 to monitor the operating state of the air conditioner 1.

The flow of signals when confirming driving information or abnormal information will be described with reference to FIGS. The user accesses the WWW page (homepage) of the remote monitoring device 5 using browsing software (software having a WWW browser function) from the monitoring base terminal device 8 and is authenticated. Specify and specify the operation information to be monitored. Upon receiving the instruction, the remote monitoring device 5 searches the air conditioner operation information database 6a and stores the target data in WWW.
It is directly converted to HTML format data that can be viewed on a browser and displayed on a homepage. Therefore, the monitoring base terminal device 8 can determine the driving situation based on the displayed data.

If this data is in CVS format, it can be freely processed by using another spreadsheet software or database software by downloading it to the monitoring base terminal device 8 or the user terminal device 7. .

Furthermore, if commands for controlling the operation of the air conditioner are embedded in the screen of the WWW page described in the hypertext of the remote monitoring device 5, the air conditioner 1
When the operation mode is changed, when the user terminal device 7 designates the air conditioner 1 and instructs the screen to change to the WWW page, the change information is transmitted to the monitoring device 2,
The operation state of the air conditioner 1 can be changed.

As shown in FIG. 3, when an abnormality occurs in the operation state of the air conditioner 1, the abnormality contents including the abnormality occurrence information and the latest operation state information are transmitted from the monitoring device 2 to the remote monitoring device 5. The abnormality occurrence information and the contents of the abnormality are stored in the remote monitoring device 5
Is stored in the driving information database 6. The abnormality occurrence information is obtained by searching an ID on the Internet from the monitoring base information set file 6b in the remote monitoring device 5, and sending the monitoring information to the monitoring base terminal device 8 via the Internet. Is notified on a popup screen of the WWW page.

By registering related departments in the monitoring base information set file 6b, information can be simultaneously communicated to all registered departments via the Internet. Therefore, by confirming the air conditioner operation information database 6 in the remote monitoring device 5 by the above method from the user terminal device 7 that has been notified, the details of the abnormality can be confirmed, and the cause can be investigated and the response can be made at an early stage. Can be planned.

The menu screen of the WWW page is as shown in FIG. 5, and displays commands and the like for each function such as air conditioning management, operation control, and data download. The information indicating the driving state is displayed as a moving image as a trend graph of driving data, for example, as shown in FIG. The air-conditioning management menu is further tree-structured, and a WWW page is popped up and updated, and displayed, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, such as operating state setting, connection confirmation / group, and operating state / schedule.

The user terminal device 7 is preferably connected to a notebook personal computer as shown in FIG. 8 via a mobile phone or a PHS telephone for the local service person, and is connected to a special agent, a dealer, a building management company, or the like. 9 is desirable.

As described above, since the operation data, which is information indicating the operation state of the air conditioner, is displayed in a graph, it can be confirmed via the Internet 4 anytime and anywhere. Further, the abnormality information such as the failure data and the abnormality occurrence information are instantaneously obtained from the information indicating the operating state in the database, for example, the data from 30 minutes ago to the current time are collected as a unit. Since the call is transmitted from the mobile terminal, the search can be performed using the Internet 4 from the mobile terminal (user terminal device 7) of the local service person, and the latest driving status can be shared. Therefore, even if an instruction is given to a local service technician, quick and accurate response is possible.

Further, the information indicating the operation state of the air conditioner 1 collected by the remote monitoring device 5 can be shared from each terminal (user terminal device 7, monitoring base terminal device 8) via the Internet 4, and the information can be used effectively. Since the remote monitoring device 5 can be utilized, the remote monitoring device 5 can be centralized in one place as a remote monitoring center, and remote monitoring can be performed with simple equipment in the monitoring terminal base device 8 serving as a monitoring base.

Further, since the abnormality occurrence information and the details of the abnormality are instantaneously notified to the corresponding department via the Internet, the cause of the abnormality can be investigated before going to the site, so that the processing can be performed promptly and a flexible monitoring system can be constructed. .

Further, the present invention can be applied to building monitoring devices and equipment other than air conditioners, such as ON-OFF, temperature setting, and air volume setting for air conditioning specified by each terminal device. The operation can be controlled from a remote place.

As described above, the operation information of the air conditioner is described using not only characters but also still images, moving images, and voices, and can be provided as a WWW page using the Internet. By connecting a user terminal device near the Internet via the Internet, failure diagnosis is facilitated, and a response when an abnormality occurs can be promptly performed.

[0027] Further, since information indicating the operation state of the air conditioner is stored in a database, and this information is stored in an HTML file, the user terminal device near the place where the air conditioner is installed is connected via the Internet. By connecting, data can be easily downloaded, processed freely using another spreadsheet software or database software, and data analysis and analysis can be performed. It also facilitates data collection for trial operation and maintenance contract work.

Further, even if the remote monitoring device is provided in one place, the operation control is performed while sharing the operation information of the air conditioner at each sales office near the place where the air conditioner is installed. It can be carried out. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs, prompt response is possible.

[0029]

According to the present invention, the operating information is shared between the sales offices near the place where the air conditioner is installed, so that the failure diagnosis and the response in the event of an abnormality can be performed quickly and accurately. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a monitoring system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a signal flow when confirming operation information or abnormality information of the monitoring system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the flow of signals when transmitting scheduled information or communicating abnormality occurrence information.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a signal flow when transmitting operation control information.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a menu screen of the remote monitoring device.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a screen for displaying the operating status of the air conditioner in a graph by the remote monitoring device.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a screen for managing the air conditioner.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a user terminal device according to one embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary perspective view showing a user terminal device according to an embodiment;

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 air conditioner 2 monitoring device 3 communication line 4 internet 5 remote monitoring device 6a air conditioner operation information database 6b monitoring base information file 7
... user terminal device, 8 ... monitoring base terminal device.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Satoru Yoshida 390 Muramatsu, Shimizu-shi, Shizuoka Pref.Hitachi, Ltd. Air Conditioning Systems Division (72) Inventor Masami Ishida 4-6-1 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Hitachi, Ltd. Inside the Air Conditioning Systems Division of the Works (72) Inventor Masanori Takagi 1-23-2 Kandasuda-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Within Hitachi Refrigerants Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tomotsune Taira 1-23-2, Kandasuda-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Hitachi (72) Inventor Kenji Togusa 390 Muramatsu, Shimizu-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture Air Conditioning Systems Division, Hitachi, Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] In a facility equipment monitoring system using a refrigeration cycle, information indicating the operation state of the equipment is collected, and when an abnormality occurs in the equipment, the abnormality occurrence information and the information indicating the operation state are registered. A monitoring system, characterized in that the information is transmitted to a plurality of terminal devices, and the content of the abnormality can be confirmed and dealt with using the transmitted information. 2. A monitoring system for equipment that uses a refrigeration cycle, wherein the information indicating the operation state is collected, and when an abnormality occurs in the equipment, a monitoring device that transmits abnormality occurrence information and information indicating the operation state. A remote monitoring device that receives the abnormality occurrence information and the information indicating the operating state and transmits the abnormality occurrence information to a plurality of terminal devices registered in advance; and the remote monitoring device that receives the abnormality occurrence information and A terminal device capable of searching for information indicating the operating state in the terminal. 3. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of terminal devices include a portable terminal of a local service technician.