JP2001208422A - Remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To monitor the situation of bathing favorably while suppressing howling. SOLUTION: First, when a bath furnace 60 fitted with a hot water supplier is supplied with power, an interphone call control routine starts, and it judges whether the interphone switch S9 of a bath remote controller 1a or a hot water supply remote controller 1b is ON or not (S1). if it judges the switch to be ON, it operates an interphone (S2), and judges whether the talk SW 16 of the hot water supply remote controller 1b is ON or not (S3). In case it judges the switch to be ON, it puts the direction of transmission in kitchen → bathroom, and enables the transmission from the kitchen (S4), and in case it judges the switch to be OFF, it puts the direction of transmission in bathroom → kitchen thereby enabling the user to monitor the bathroom condition in the kitchen and setting the direction of transmission. Then, it judges whether the interphone SW 9 of each remote controller is OFF or not, and in case it judges the SW 9 to be OFF, it stops the interphone action (S7), and returns to the step 1, and in case it judges the SW 9 to be ON, it judges whether to change the setting of the direction of transmission again, and thereafter it repeats the steps likewise.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote control device having a remote control in a bathtub with a water heater, and more particularly, to a remote control device having an intercom function capable of communicating between the remote controls.

[Prior art]

Conventionally, a bath kettle with a water heater is provided with a hot water supply circuit for supplying hot water to a kitchen or a shower and for filling a bathtub with hot water.
A bath kettle for forcibly circulating and heating the bath water for reheating is provided, and a hot water supply circuit and a main controller for controlling the bath kettle are provided. A plurality of remote controllers for remotely instructing the user are provided in a bathroom or a kitchen. The hot water supply remote control installed in the kitchen includes a bath automatic switch for filling the bath tub, keeping the temperature warm, a hot water supply switch for enabling the faucet and shower, etc., and a hot water temperature setting switch for setting the hot water temperature. An operation switch is provided. On the other hand, in addition to these switches, the bath remote controller installed in the bathroom is also provided with an "atsume" switch and a "slimy" switch for adjusting the temperature of hot water in the bathtub. Each remote control
By pressing such a switch, the main controller is remotely controlled from a bathroom or a kitchen.

[0003] Also, there are known remote controllers having an interphone function capable of talking inside and outside the bathroom. Each remote controller has a built-in microphone and speaker, and is provided with an interphone switch for activating the interphone function. . For example, when the intercom switch of the bath remote control or hot water supply remote control is pressed, the intercom operation lamps of both remote controls are turned on, respectively, and both the bath remote control and the hot water supply remote control can talk at the same time via the main controller of the bath water heater. become able to. That is, when speaking into the microphone of the hot water supply remote control, not only can the voice be heard from the speaker of the bath remote control, but also the bath remote control can simultaneously speak to the hot water supply remote control.

[0004]

Recently, there has been an increasing number of accidents in which a bather loses consciousness in a bathroom and falls or drowns in a bathtub. Therefore, in order to prevent such accidents beforehand, the intercom is activated during bathing so that the sound of the bathroom can always be heard from the hot water supply remote control in the kitchen, and it is determined whether the bather is taking a bath without any problem. If you want to monitor the bathroom so you can see it, you need to turn up the speaker volume.

However, during operation of the intercom,
Since the mobile phone is on standby in a state where two-way simultaneous communication is possible, if the volume of the speaker is high, noise near the hot water supply remote control (for example, kitchen) is transmitted to the bathroom, which is uncomfortable for a bather. In addition, since such a remote control is small, a microphone and a speaker are provided close to each other in the remote control case, and during operation of the intercom,
Since the sound output from the speaker is directly transmitted to the microphone of the same remote controller, howling is likely to occur. this is,
The higher the volume of the speaker, the more noticeable. Then, the remote control apparatus of this invention solves the said subject, and aims at enabling it to monitor a bathing condition well, suppressing howling.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a remote controller for remotely controlling a water heater is provided inside and outside a bathroom, and a bath remote controller provided in the bathroom is provided. And a remote control device having an intercom function capable of communicating with a hot water supply remote controller provided outside the bathroom, comprising: an operation switch for instructing start / end of the operation of the intercom function. At the time of the start, a state is set in which sound is transmitted from the bath remote control to the hot water supply remote control, and by pressing a hot water supply transmission switch provided on the hot water supply remote control, transmission is performed so that sound is transmitted from the hot water supply remote control to the bath remote control. The point is to switch the talking direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the remote control device according to the first aspect, wherein the hot water supply remote control is switched to the bath remote control only while the hot water supply transmission switch is kept pressed. The point is to make a state of transmitting voice. The remote control device according to claim 1.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote control device according to the second aspect, wherein the hot water supply / sending switch is also used as the activation switch, and the interphone function is activated. The gist is to end the intercom function when the hot water supply switch is pressed and released for less than a first predetermined time.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the remote control device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the state in which the hot water supply transmission switch is not operated is the second predetermined time. In this case, the gist is that the intercom function is automatically terminated.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a remote controller for remotely controlling a water heater is provided inside and outside a bathroom, and a bath remote controller provided in the bathroom and a water heater provided outside the bathroom are provided. In a remote control device having an interphone function capable of communicating with a remote controller, a transmission switch for switching a transmission direction to at least one of the bath remote controller and the hot water supply remote controller, and a transmission direction for displaying the transmission direction. The gist is that a display means is provided.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the remote control device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the transmitting direction display means includes a lighting display and a blinking display corresponding to the transmitting direction. Or switching the blinking pattern of the blinking display or switching the display color.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the remote control apparatus according to the fifth or sixth aspect, the transmission direction display means indicates that the intercom function is in operation. The gist is that it also serves as an intercom display means.

According to a eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the remote control device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the remote control is provided with an operation switch for the intercom function. A remote control device in which a mark indicating the intercom function is drawn on a switch, wherein a part of the mark is lit or blinked to indicate that the intercom function is operating.

According to the remote control device of the present invention having the above structure, when the intercom function is started by the operation switch, the remote control device is provided outside the bathroom, such as a kitchen, from the bath remote control provided in the bathroom. It is in a state of transmitting sound (transmitting) to the hot water supply remote control, and a person outside the bathroom (near the hot water supply remote control) can always hear the sound in the bathroom, and can grasp the condition of the bathroom. Also, when the bather wants to talk to a person outside the bathroom, the user can send the call hands-free without operating the bath remote control, which is easy to use. On the other hand, when a person outside the bathroom wants to talk to the bather, he / she can speak by pressing the hot water supply transmission switch provided on the hot water remote control to switch the direction of transmission from the hot water remote control to the direction of transmitting sound to the bath remote control. In addition, since the transmission direction is one-way rather than two-way, the sound emitted from the speaker is not picked up by the microphone and sent back to the other side with the remote controller on the receiving side, which prevents howling and allows the speaker to be placed in the bathroom. The volume can be increased to the level that can be monitored.

According to the remote control device of the second aspect of the present invention, while the hot water supply transmission switch is kept depressed, the transmission direction is switched from outside the bathroom to the bathroom, and a person outside the bathroom can be used. Can talk to bathers. When the hand is released from the hot water supply transmission switch, the transmission direction is automatically switched from the original bathroom to the outside of the bathroom, and a bathroom monitor state is set. Therefore, the state of the bathroom can be grasped at all times except when a person outside the bathroom has a willingness to transmit.

According to the remote control device of the third aspect of the present invention, the hot water supply / speaking switch is also used as an operation switch of the intercom function, and when the hot water supply / speaking switch is pressed, the intercom function is operated. During the operation of the intercom function, if the time until the hot water supply transmission switch is pressed and released is shorter than the first predetermined time, the intercom function is terminated, and the bathroom monitor is also terminated. on the other hand,
In the case of "long press", in which the hot water supply transmission switch is kept pressed for more than the first predetermined time, the state in which transmission is possible from the hot water supply remote control side is maintained.

Further, according to the remote control device of the present invention, when the hot water supply switch is not operated for the second predetermined time or more, the intercom function is automatically terminated. Therefore, even if the operation of terminating the intercom function is forgotten, the operation is automatically terminated, so that the operation power of the intercom function is not wasted and energy is saved.

According to the remote control device of the fifth aspect of the present invention, howling can be prevented since the transmission direction is one-sided, not bidirectional, and transmission is switched to at least one of the bath remote controller and the hot water supply remote controller. Since the switch and the transmission direction display means are provided, the transmission direction can be switched by operating the transmission switching switch, and the transmission direction display means makes it possible to grasp which remote control can transmit. . Therefore, there is no problem of speaking when transmission is not possible, and the usability is improved.

According to the remote control device of the sixth aspect of the present invention, the transmission direction display means switches between the lighting display and the blinking display in accordance with the transmission direction, or changes the blinking pattern of the blinking display. Since the switching is performed or the display color is switched, the transmission direction is clear and easy to understand.

According to the remote control device of the present invention, since the intercom display means for indicating that the intercom function is in operation and the transmission direction display means are combined, a display means such as a lamp is provided. There is no need to provide multiple
Further, no space is required for the transmission direction display means, and the size of the remote controller does not increase.

According to the remote control device of the present invention, a mark indicating the function is drawn on the operation switch of the intercom, and a part of the mark is turned on or blinked to activate the intercom function. Is displayed. As a result, there is no need to newly provide an operation display means for the intercom, and space is saved. Further, since only a part of the mark is turned on or blinked, energy is saved more than turning on or blinking the entire mark.

[0022]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above, a preferred embodiment of a remote control device of the present invention will be described below.

<< First Embodiment >> A remote control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows a system of a bath kettle 60 with a water heater including a remote control device. The bath kettle 60 with a water heater is provided with a hot water supply circuit 62 for supplying hot water to a hot water tap or a shower and for filling a bathtub 64, and a reheating circuit 63 for forcibly circulating and heating the water in the bathtub 64 for reheating. And a main controller 61 for controlling the hot water supply circuit 62 and the additional heating circuit 63 by a microcomputer (not shown).

In order to remotely control the bath kettle 60 with a water heater, a bathroom remote controller 1a is provided in the bathroom, and a water heater remote controller 1b is provided in the kitchen. Each remote control 1 has a two-wire cable 2
Is connected to the main controller 61 and is supplied with power from the main controller 61, and performs data communication related to hot water supply control and voice communication related to the interphone between the remote controllers 1.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the hot water supply remote controller 1b. The hot water heater remote control 1b includes a microcomputer 3, a communication circuit 4 for transmitting and receiving control data between the main controller 61, and an interphone transmitting circuit 5 for transmitting an audio signal.
And an intercom receiving circuit 6 for receiving an audio signal, an operation switch 8 for setting a set temperature, an intercom switch (hereinafter referred to as an intercom SW9) for starting operation of the intercom, and a display circuit 10 for temperature display and the like.
A power supply circuit 11 for supplying a constant voltage power supply for remote control operation from a power supply supplied from the main controller 61;
A voltage monitoring circuit 12 for monitoring the voltage and a talk switch (hereinafter referred to as a talk switch) for starting transmission from the hot water supply remote controller 1b.
A talk SW 16) is provided. In addition, bath remote control 1a
Differs from the hot water supply remote control 1b only in that the talk SW 16 is not provided. The interphone transmission circuit 5 amplifies an audio signal obtained from the microphone 7, modulates a carrier having a predetermined frequency (here, a frequency modulation (FM) system is adopted), and transmits the modulated carrier. On the other hand, the intercom receiving circuit 6 demodulates an audio carrier transmitted from another remote controller 1 into an audio signal.

On the output side of the intercom receiving circuit 6, a speaker amplifier 13 and a speaker 14 are provided as speaker units. Speaker amplifier 13
Is connected to the interphone receiving circuit 6 via the capacitor 15 so that the audio signal output from the interphone receiving circuit 6 can be amplified and output from the speaker 14 as audio.

Next, the functional units of each remote controller 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the drawing, the same remote controller 1a, 1b having the same function is denoted by the same reference numeral, the bathroom side is denoted by reference numeral a, and the kitchen side is denoted by reference numeral b. Above, when referring to these, the symbols a and b are abbreviated and only numbers are used.

As shown in FIG. 4, the bath remote controller 1a installed in the bathroom is capable of supplying a bath automatic switch 41a, a faucet, a shower, and the like for filling a bathtub and keeping heat on the upper surface of a case 21a. Hot water supply switch 42
a, "Atsume" switch 4 to increase the bath temperature
3. A display unit 44a for displaying a bathtub hot water temperature, a hot water supply temperature, etc., a microphone 7a, a speaker 14a, and an intercom SW9a.
Are provided, and the hot water supply temperature up / down switches 46a, 46b are provided in the depressions 32a of the case 21a.
45a, up / down switches 48 and 47 for increasing / decreasing the bath temperature and the amount of hot water, a hot water switch 49 for setting the hot water, a hot water switch 50 for adding a predetermined amount of hot water to the bath, and a "slimy" for adding a predetermined amount of water to the bath. Switch 51 is provided.

The case cover 33a of the bath remote controller 1a usually covers the depression 32a and hides switches that are infrequently operated, thereby improving usability. Each of the switches 9a, 41a, 42a, 43, 50,
A lamp is provided at 51, which indicates that it is operating by lighting. When setting the hot water volume, the hot water volume switch 49 can be pressed and the up / down switches 48 and 47 can be pressed to increase or decrease the set hot water volume.・ Press down switches 48 and 47.

On the other hand, a hot water supply remote control 1b installed in the kitchen
As shown in FIG. 5, a bath automatic switch 41b, a hot water supply switch 42b, and a display unit 4 are provided on the upper surface of the case 21b.
4b, a speaker 14b, an interphone SW 9b, a talk SW 16 enabling transmission from the hot water supply remote controller 1b,
Hot water supply temperature up / down switches 46b and 45b are provided, and a microphone 7b, an hour switch 52 and a minute switch 53 for setting the time, and a time setting switch for setting the clock of the remote controller are provided in the recessed portion 32b of the case 21b. A reservation time switch 55 for setting a reservation time for filling the bathtub with hot water, a reservation switch 56 for reservation, and a reservation lamp 57 for indicating that the reservation has been made are provided.
Note that a microphone hole 34 is opened in the case lid 33b so that the microphone 7b is not covered even when the case lid 33b is closed so that sound can be sensed well.

According to the remote controller 1 having the above-described configuration, when the intercom is used and the intercom SW 9 is turned on and the user speaks into the microphone 7, the audio signal from the microphone 7 is transmitted to the audio carrier by the interphone transmission circuit 5. The modulated signal is transmitted to another remote controller 1. In the case of listening,
The transmitted voice carrier is demodulated into a voice signal by the interphone receiving circuit 6, amplified by the speaker amplifier 13, and output as voice from the speaker 14.

Next, the interphone call control process performed by the main controller 61 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, when power is supplied to the bath 60 with a water heater, an intercom communication control routine is started, and the bath remote controller 1a is started.
Alternatively, it is determined whether or not intercom SW9 of hot water supply remote controller 1b is on (S1). If it is determined to be on, the intercom is operated (S2), and the talk SW of the hot water supply remote controller 1b is activated.
It is determined whether 16 is ON (S3). If it is determined to be on, that is, if the talk SW 16 is pressed,
The transmission direction is changed from the kitchen to the bathroom, and transmission from the kitchen is enabled (S4).
If the button is not pressed, the direction of speech is changed from the bathroom to the kitchen so that the bathroom can be monitored in the kitchen (S5).
Set the transmission direction. Then, it is determined whether or not the intercom SW9 of each remote controller 1 is off (S6). When it is determined that the intercom SW9 is off, that is, when the intercom SW9 is pressed again and turned off, the intercom operation is stopped ( S7) Returning to step 1, if it is determined to be on,
Returning to step 3, it is determined again whether or not the transmission direction is to be changed, and the same is repeated thereafter.

An example of the interphone call control operation will be described with reference to FIG. However, in the drawing, the time such as the pressing time of the intercom SW is deformed for easy viewing and is not proportional to the actual time. Figure 1 used later
The same applies to FIGS. When the intercom SW9 of the bath remote control 1a or the hot water supply remote control 1b is pressed (time t1), the intercom is activated, and the transmission direction changes from bathroom to kitchen (bath remote control 1a → hot water supply remote control 1b), and the bather is in the kitchen. In addition to being able to speak at any time without any operation, the bathroom can be monitored so that the person in the kitchen can always hear the sound of the bathroom. Hereinafter, this state is called a bathroom monitor. During the operation of the intercom, while the talk SW 16 of the hot water supply remote controller 1b is being pressed (time t2 to t3), the direction of transmission is changed from kitchen to bathroom, and a person in the kitchen can talk to a bather.
Hereinafter, this state is called kitchen transmission. When the talk SW 16 is no longer pressed (time t3), the direction of speech returns from the bathroom in the original normal state to the kitchen, and the bathroom can be monitored again. When the intercom SW9 is pressed again (time t
4) End the operation of the intercom.

According to the bath kettle 60 with hot water described above,
The transmission direction of the intercom is fixed in one direction, and the transmission becomes one-sided, so that the sound emitted from the speaker 14 of the remote controller 1 on the listener side is not amplified through the microphone 7,
Howling can be prevented, and the volume of the speaker 14 can be increased. Therefore, not only elderly people with deaf ears can use the intercom, but also, while the intercom is operating, they can hear the sound of the bathroom even in the kitchen, making it easier to grasp the state of taking a bath, and accidents in the bathroom Can respond quickly. Furthermore, during intercom operation, the bathroom monitor sets the direction of transmission in preference to kitchen transmission, so that kitchen transmission is enabled only when necessary, and the bathroom monitor is always set to monitor the bathroom status at other times. Yes, it can respond quickly to bathroom accidents.

Also, while talking from the kitchen to the bather, the kitchen can be transmitted by a simple operation of keeping the talk SW 16 pressed, so that it is easy to use. In addition, when the bather wants to talk to a person outside the bathroom, he / she can transmit hands-free without operating the bath remote controller 1a, which is very easy to use. Furthermore, since it is a one-sided transmission system, normally (when the talk SW 16 is turned off), it is possible to comfortably take a bath without transmitting the noise of the kitchen to the bathroom.
In addition, since howling does not occur in the one-side transmission method, there is no problem even if the microphone 7 and the speaker 14 are provided close to each other in the remote controller 1, and the layout is not easily limited.

In the bath kettle 60 with a water heater having such an intercom function, a call mark indicating the intercom function is drawn on the intercom SW9 as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 7, the call mark of the intercom SW9a is composed of a vertically elongated elliptical portion 94a at the right end, and three arc portions 93a, 92a, and 91a that gradually increase from the elliptical portion 94a to the left. The sound source 94a is shown as a sound source so that the sound spreads to the left. A lamp (not shown) is provided below the call mark. Call mark arcs 91a, 92a, 93a and ellipse 94a
Is translucent, and only that portion is illuminated by the lamp. The same applies to the call mark drawn on intercom SW9b of hot water supply remote controller 1b.

During the operation of the intercom, the intercom SW 9a of the bath remote controller 1a is turned on when the bathroom monitor (the direction of transmission is from the bathroom to the kitchen), and the kitchen transmission (kitchen →
It flashes at the time of (bathroom), on the other hand, hot water supply remote control 1b
Intercom SW9b blinks when monitoring the bathroom,
Lights up when the kitchen talks. That is, as shown in Table 1, the remote controller 1 capable of transmitting light is turned on, and the remote controller 1 is turned on and off.

[0038]

[Table 1]

By displaying in this manner, the following effects can be obtained. 1. Since the call mark indicating the intercom function is drawn on the intercom SW for operating the intercom, the operation is easy to understand and the operation is not easily mistaken. 2. Since the lamp for displaying the presence or absence of the intercom is provided on the operation surface of the switch for activating the intercom, the remote controller is space-saving and does not become large. 3. Intercom SW to determine which remote control can talk
It can be grasped by lighting / flashing of. Therefore, there is no problem of speaking when transmission is not possible, and the usability is improved. 4. Since the lamp that indicates the presence or absence of the intercom and the lamp that indicates the remote controller that can talk are also used, the space is saved, the remote controller is not increased in size, and the number of parts is reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.

<< Second Embodiment >> Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that parts different from the first embodiment will be described, and duplicate parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. The remote control device according to the second embodiment includes an intercom SW of the hot water supply remote control 1b.
9b is basically different in that the talk SW 16 of the first embodiment is also used.

As shown in FIG. 9, the hot water supply remote control 1b of the present embodiment removes the talk SW 16 from the configuration of the hot water supply remote control 1b of the first embodiment, and
The function of the talk SW 16 is added to b. More specifically, the intercom SWs 9a and 9b of the bath remote controller 1a and the hot water supply remote controller 1b instruct the start of the operation of the interphone by a push operation, and stop the operation by the push operation again, and also display the transmission direction. In addition, hot water supply remote control 1
The b intercom SW 9b further instructs the main controller 61 to distinguish between the start / end of the intercom operation and the switching of the transmission direction by the way of pushing (whether the pushing time in one pushing operation is short or long). Things.

The intercom communication control process performed by the main controller 61 will be described below with reference to FIG.
First, when power is supplied to the bath 60 with a water heater, an intercom communication control routine is started, and the bath remote controller 1a is started.
Alternatively, it is determined whether or not intercom SW9 of hot water supply remote controller 1b is on (S11). If it is determined to be on, the intercom is operated (S12), the direction of speech is set from the bathroom to the kitchen, the bathroom can be monitored in the kitchen (S14), and the timer Ta is started (S13).

Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the intercom SW 9b of the hot water supply remote controller 1b is on (S15). If it is determined that the intercom SW 9b is ON, that is, if the intercom SW 9b is being pressed, the timer Ta is reset and the timer T is reset.
b is started (S16), and the transmission direction is changed from kitchen to bathroom so that transmission can be performed from the kitchen (S17). This state is continued until the intercom SW 9b is turned off, that is, until the hand is released from the intercom SW 9b (S18).
(For example, 0.5 seconds) is determined (S19).
If it is determined that the time Tb is less than the predetermined time T1 (hereinafter referred to as short press), the operation of the intercom is stopped (S22), assuming that the operation is the intercom end operation (S22).
Return to 1. On the other hand, the time Tb is equal to or longer than the predetermined time T1 (hereinafter, referred to as T1).
If it is determined that the intercom switch 9b is pressed, it is determined that the intercom switch 9b is not the intercom end operation but the kitchen transmission operation, and the process returns to step 13 to count the time Ta.
At the same time, the transmitting direction is changed from the original bathroom to the kitchen, and the bathroom monitor state is set (S14). The intercom operation is continued, and thereafter, the same operation is repeated. Note that the time Tb is the same as the continuous pressing time of the intercom SW9b.

If it is determined in step 15 that the intercom switch 9b of the hot water supply remote controller 1b is off, that is, if it is not pressed, it is determined whether or not the time Ta is longer than a predetermined time T2 (for example, one hour). Judge (S
20). That is, it is determined whether or not the period during which the intercom SW9b is not pressed is equal to or longer than the predetermined time T2.
If no push operation has been performed for two or more times, the process proceeds to step 22 to stop the intercom operation. Even if the predetermined time T2 has not elapsed, the bath remote controller 1
If the off operation (push operation) of the intercom SW 9a is detected, the intercom operation is stopped.

An example of the interphone call control operation will be described with reference to FIG. When the intercom SW9a of the bath remote control 1a or the intercom SW9b of the hot water supply remote control 1b is pressed, the intercom operates, the elliptical portion 94a of the intercom SW9a of the bath remote control 1a is turned on, and the elliptical portion 94b of the intercom SW9b of the hot water remote control 1b blinks. At the same time, the timer Ta is started, and the bathroom monitor state is set. While the intercom is active,
If the period Ta during which both of the intercoms SW9a and 9b are not pressed exceeds the predetermined time T2, the operation of the intercom is automatically terminated. As a result, the operation of the intercom is automatically terminated even if the termination operation is forgotten, so that power consumption can be suppressed.

Next, a case where the intercom SW 9b of the hot water supply remote controller 1b is pressed before the predetermined time T2 has elapsed since the start of the operation of the intercom will be described with reference to FIGS. A predetermined time T from the start of the operation of the intercom
Before elapse of 2, intercom S of hot water supply remote control 1 b
When W9b is pressed, while it is being pressed, the elliptical portion 94a of the intercom SW9a of the bath remote control 1a blinks, the elliptical portion 94b of the intercom SW9b of the hot water remote control 1b is turned on, and the clocking Tb is started. Becomes the kitchen talk state.

At this time, if the intercom SW 9b is "short-pressed", as shown in FIG. 11, the operation is terminated as an intercom end operation. On the other hand, if the intercom SW 9b is "pressed and held", as shown in FIG. 12, it is assumed that the intercom is not the end operation of the intercom but the speech direction switching operation, and the kitchen speech state is changed during the "long press". Maintain and release the hand from the bathroom to the kitchen, and continue intercom operation. Thereafter, when the off period Ta of the intercom SW9a exceeds the predetermined time T2, the intercom operation is automatically terminated.

Next, an example of the operation when the intercom SW 9b is "pressed and held" at the start of the intercom operation will be described with reference to FIG. While the intercom SW 9b is "pressed and held", the operation of the intercom is started and is temporarily set on the bathroom monitor, and is immediately switched to kitchen transmission to maintain the state. When the hand is released from the intercom SW9b, the display returns to the bathroom monitor. And intercom SW
When the button 9b is "short-pressed", the mode temporarily switches to kitchen transmission, but is immediately regarded as a termination operation and the operation of the intercom is terminated.

According to the bath kettle with hot water described above, the first
The following effects are obtained in addition to the effects obtained by the bath kettle with a water heater of the embodiment. 1. The transmission direction can be switched using the intercom SW for operating the intercom. As a result, the first
Since the talk SW of the embodiment does not need to be provided in the hot water supply remote control, the hot water supply remote control is space-saving and does not increase in size. Further, since the number of parts is reduced, the manufacturing cost is suppressed. Further, the operation of the intercom and the switching of the transmission direction can be performed by operating only one switch, so that the operation is simple, and since there are no more switches, there is no mistake in pushing. 2. The operation is easy because whether to continue or terminate the intercom function is determined by the continuous pressing time Tb of the intercom SW 9b of the hot water supply remote controller 1b.

3. Since the operation of the intercom is automatically terminated based on the comparison between the time Ta and the predetermined time T2, the operation power of the intercom function is not wasted even if the termination operation is forgotten, thereby saving energy.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments at all, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention. is there.

<< Modification 1 >> For example, the intercom call control processing of the first embodiment may have an intercom automatic termination function. In other words, the time T is calculated based on the timing of the pushing operation of the intercom SW9 or the talk SW16.
a, and the talk SW 16
May be a control process for terminating the operation of the intercom when the is not operated.

<< Modification 2 >> The intercom call control processing of the second embodiment may not have the intercom automatic end function. That is, a control process may be performed in which the operation is terminated when the intercom SW9 is pressed when the operation of the intercom is terminated.

<Modification 3> In the intercom communication control processing of the first embodiment, the talk switch 16 of the hot water supply remote control 1b is kept on only while the switch is being pressed, and is not switched off when it is released. Alternatively, the on / off state may not be switched and the on state may be maintained even after the switch is made. That is, as shown in FIG. 14, when the talk SW 16 is pressed, the kitchen transmission starts,
Pressing again may end the kitchen transmission and switch to the bathroom monitor. Further, this example may be provided with an intercom automatic end function.

<< Other Modifications >> The bath remote control 1a may be provided with a talk SW 16 to add a function of enabling kitchen transmission. Further, a plurality of hot water supply remote controls 1b may be provided in places other than the kitchen, and the display pattern of the transmission direction may be changed for each hot water supply remote control 1b or may be the same. Further, the transmission direction need not be displayed on the intercom SW9.

Also, instead of switching the display of the interphone transmission direction between lighting and blinking, switching between blinking periods and blinking patterns (for example, first blinking / flashing / flashing / flashing / flashing). The second blinking may be switched), or a light emitting diode that emits two colors (for example, green and red) with one lamp may be provided to display the transmission direction by switching the lighting color. Also, instead of associating the remote controller 1 with which the transmission can be made with the display pattern, the direction of the transmission and the display of each remote controller 1 are made to correspond to each other. The remote controller 1 may be turned on, and both remote controllers 1 may be turned on and off during kitchen transmission. Further, instead of the lighting / flashing switching, the transmission direction may be displayed by switching the blinking cycle, the blinking pattern, or the lighting color.

The transmitting direction may be displayed by using a part of the call mark of the intercom SW9. As shown in FIG. 7, the elliptical portion 9 drawn on the intercom SW9a
4a appears to represent a sound source. When a light source (lamp) that illuminates only the elliptical portion 94a is provided, the circular arc portions 91a, 9
2a and 93a are not lit, only the elliptical portion 94a is lit, and when it blinks, it seems that sound is generated from the elliptical portion 94a, and the intercom function of the call mark is emphasized, so that the presence or absence of the operation of the interphone can be easily recognized. And intercom S
Instead of lighting or blinking the entire area of the call mark W9, only a part (elliptical portion 94a) of the mark is turned on or blinked, so that power for display is not wasted and energy is saved. In addition, since the display portion is elliptical, the area is not so small as a circle, and it is easy to see.

[0058]

As described in detail above, claim 1 of the present invention
According to the remote control device described above, the speaker can be turned up to the volume that can be monitored in the bathroom in order to prevent howling by setting the transmission direction to one side to prevent the howling, and the person on the hot water supply remote control side speaks during the operation of the intercom function. At other times, you can hear the sound of the bathroom from the hot water supply remote control and monitor the bathroom well. As a result, it is possible to quickly respond to a bathroom accident. Also, when a bather wants to talk to a person near the hot water supply remote controller, the user can transmit the telephone hands-free without operating the bath remote controller, which is easy to use. Further, only while the transmission switch is pressed, the remote controller can transmit a message to the bather, so that the operation is very simple and easy to use. Moreover,
Because it is a one-sided transmission system, the noise near the hot water supply remote control will not be transmitted to the bathroom during normal bathroom monitoring, so you can comfortably take a bath. In addition, since howling does not occur in the one-side transmission system, there is no problem even if a microphone and a speaker are provided close to each other in the remote controller, and the layout is not easily limited.

Further, according to the remote control device of the second aspect of the present invention, when the hand is released from the hot water supply / sending switch, the display automatically returns to the bathroom monitor state, so that there is no need to perform the operation for returning to the bathroom monitor state. . Therefore, it is possible to transmit from the hot water supply remote controller only when necessary, and to always know the state of the bathroom except at that time, and to quickly respond to a bathroom accident.

Further, according to the remote control device of the third aspect of the present invention, since the hot water supply transmission switch and the interphone function operation switch are also used, there is no need to add a hot water supply transmission switch to the hot water supply remote control. The cost can be reduced, and since the number of switches does not increase, there is no mistake in pushing, and further, the hot water remote control does not increase in size. In addition, since the intercom function is determined to be continued or terminated based on the continuous pressing time of the hot water supply transmission switch, the operation is simple.

Further, according to the remote control device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, if the state in which the hot water supply / sending switch is not operated continues for a long time, the intercom function is automatically terminated. Automatically terminates, so that the operation power of the intercom function is not wasted and energy is saved.

Further, according to the remote control device of the fifth aspect of the present invention, howling can be prevented since the transmitting direction is one-sided, and even if the transmitting direction is switched, either direction is displayed by the transmitting direction display means. It is possible to know whether the remote control can transmit. As a result, there is no inconvenience of speaking when transmission is not possible, and the usability is improved.

Further, according to the remote control device of the sixth aspect of the present invention, the transmitting direction display means switches between the lighting display and the blinking display in accordance with the transmitting direction, or changes the blinking pattern of the blinking display. Since the switching is performed or the display color is switched, the transmission direction is clear and easy to understand.

Further, according to the remote control device of the present invention, since the intercom display means and the transmission direction display means are used at the same time, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of display means such as lamps, and the manufacturing cost is reduced. Can be suppressed. Further, no space is required for the transmission direction display means, and the size of the remote control does not increase.

Further, according to the remote control device of the present invention, a part of the mark of the operation switch is turned on or blinked to indicate that the intercom function is being operated. There is no need to provide any additional means, which saves space. Further, since only a part of the mark is turned on or blinked, energy is saved compared to turning on or blinking the entire mark.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an intercom call control process according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of a bath kettle with a water heater of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the remote control device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an external view of the bath remote controller of the first embodiment as viewed from above.

FIG. 5 is an external view of the hot water supply remote controller of the first embodiment as viewed from above.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart illustrating an operation of the intercom call according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an external view of the intercom SW as viewed from above.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an intercom call control process according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an external view of the hot water supply remote controller according to the second embodiment as viewed from above.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart illustrating an operation of an intercom call according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a timing chart illustrating an operation of an intercom call according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a timing chart illustrating an operation of an intercom call according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a timing chart illustrating an operation of an intercom call according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a timing chart illustrating an operation of an intercom call according to a third modification.

[Explanation of symbols]

1a: bath remote control, 1b: bath remote control, 9: interphone SW, 94a, 94b: elliptical part, 16: talk S
W, 60: bath kettle with water heater, 61: main controller.

Claims (8)

[Claims] A remote control for remotely controlling a water heater is provided inside and outside a bathroom, and a remote control having an interphone function that allows a bath remote control provided in the bathroom and a hot water supply remote control provided outside the bathroom to communicate with each other. In the apparatus, an operation switch for instructing start and end of the operation of the intercom function is provided, and when the operation of the intercom function is started by the operation switch, a sound is transmitted from the bath remote controller to the hot water remote controller. A remote control device characterized in that the direction of transmission is switched by pressing a hot water supply transmission switch provided in the remote controller so that a sound is transmitted from the remote controller to the bath remote controller. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein a voice is transmitted from said hot water supply remote control to said bath remote control only while said hot water supply transmission switch is kept pressed. 3. The hot water supply / send switch is also used as the operation switch, and during the operation of the intercom function,
3. The remote control device according to claim 2, wherein the intercom function is terminated when the hot water supply switch is pressed and released for less than a first predetermined time. 4. The remote control according to claim 1, wherein the intercom function is automatically terminated when a state in which the hot water supply transmission switch is not operated has passed for a second predetermined time. Control device. 5. A remote control having an interphone function, in which a remote controller for remotely controlling a water heater is provided inside and outside a bathroom, and a bath remote controller provided inside the bathroom and a hot water remote controller provided outside the bathroom can communicate with each other. In the apparatus, at least one of the bath remote control and the hot water supply remote control is provided with a transmission switch for switching a transmission direction and a transmission direction display unit for displaying the transmission direction. apparatus. 6. The transmitting direction display means switches between a lighting display and a blinking display, a blinking pattern of the blinking display, or a display color in accordance with the transmitting direction. The remote control device according to claim 5. 7. The remote control device according to claim 5, wherein said transmission direction display means is also used as an intercom display means for indicating that said intercom function is in operation. 8. A remote control device, wherein the remote control is provided with an operation switch for the intercom function, and a mark representing the intercom function is drawn on the operation switch, wherein a part of the mark is turned on or off. 8. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein an indication that the intercom function is operating is displayed.