JP2003114049A - Hot-water feeder remote controller with intercommunication system function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem of a conventionally proposed remote controller with the intercommunication system function in a hot-water feeder system for the voice communication between remote controllers that the wiring work is complicated because the wiring work is performed by separate communication lines exclusive for sound signals and for operation signals. SOLUTION: The hot-water feeder body has a detection circuit for detecting communication information signals, and the remote controller has a detection circuit for detecting communication information signals, a voice modulation circuit for modulating voice signals amplified through a microphone, a carrier frequency changing circuit for superposing a carrier wave on the oscillating frequency of the voice modulation circuit by a divided signal from a microcomputer, a voice demodulating circuit or demodulating the modulation from the other remote controller as a voice, and a communication SW for transmitting the divided signal of the divided changing circuit from the microcomputer.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote controller used in, for example, a gas or oil type water heater, and more particularly to a water heater remote controller with an intercom function, which enables information transmission by voice to the remote controller.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a water heater system,
Multiple remote controls that remotely control the main unit are connected to the bathroom, kitchen, etc. from a distance from the main body of the water heater, and operation of the remote controller allows you to operate or stop the water heater, adjust the hot water temperature, and output the operation signal for the amount of hot water. Some devices are provided with a display section for controlling, setting the time of the timer, and displaying the driving status. Furthermore, in recent years, a remote controller with an intercom function, which has a built-in microphone and a speaker in the remote controller, has been proposed so that a voice call can be made between the remote controllers. As the remote controller with the intercom function, one that controls the voice signal and the driving signal using separate dedicated communication lines is adopted.

[0003]

However, controlling the voice signal and the driving signal through separate dedicated communication lines is more effective than controlling the voice signal in the conventional case. It was necessary to carry out wiring for the work, and it was complicated in carrying out the wiring work. Further, since the dedicated communication line for controlling the voice signal is required, there has been a problem that the cost is high. Further, there is a system in which a voice signal and a driving signal are superposed on the same communication line for use, but there is a problem that satisfactory performance cannot be obtained due to waveform distortion, noise, and the like.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and does not use the conventional dedicated communication line for the voice signal, but uses only the communication line for the drive signal to perform the drive signal control and the voice signal. An object is to provide a remote controller of a water heater with an intercom function that enables transmission.

[0005]

To achieve the above object, in the present invention, in claim 1, the water heater main body 2
And a plurality of remote controllers connected to the main body 2 via a communication line, the operation signal communication and the call information signal communication are performed between the water heater main body 2 and the remote controller, and the voice signals are transmitted between the plurality of remote controllers. In a water heater capable of transmitting and receiving signal communication, the water heater main body 2 includes a detection circuit 14 that detects a call information signal, and a microcomputer 10 that controls an operation signal and a call information signal. With a microcomputer 31 for controlling the call information signal, a detection circuit 32 for detecting the call information signal, a voice modulation circuit 25 for modulating the voice signal amplified from the microphone 21, and a fundamental oscillation frequency of the voice modulation circuit 25. A carrier frequency switching circuit 27 that performs switching by a frequency-divided signal from a microcomputer, and a voice demodulation circuit 24 that demodulates the modulation from another remote controller as voice.
And a call S for switching the start and end of the call
A water heater remote controller with an intercom function, which is provided with W28, and in which the operation signal, the call information signal, and the voice signal can be communication-controlled by the same communication line.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, by turning on the call SW 28 of one remote controller, a call information signal is sent to the operation signal transmission circuit 12 of the water heater main body 2, and the water heater main body 2 receives the signal and the one remote controller. One remote controller starts transmission by transmitting a control signal for transmission to the other remote control and a control signal for reception to the other remote control, and the other remote control starts a conversation by being in the reception state A hot water supply remote controller with an intercom function according to claim 1.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the carrier frequency switching circuit 27 is transmitting and receiving a voice between the remote controllers, the carrier frequency of the carrier frequency switching circuit 27 is switched by the ON operation of the call switch 28, whereby the transmitting and receiving between the remote controllers is performed. The hot water supply remote controller with an intercom function according to claim 1, wherein the remote control is used for switching or for being an end signal of transmission / reception.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the water heater remote controller with an intercom function according to the first, second or third aspect, wherein the water heater main body 2 and the remote controller are connected by two communication lines. .

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a water heater remote controller with an intercom function showing an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, the water heater system is composed of a water heater main body 2 and a remote controller, and the remote controller includes a first remote controller 4 installed in a bathroom or a washroom and a second remote controller installed in a kitchen or the like.
It consists of 6 remote controls. The connection between the water heater body 2, the first remote controller 4, and the second remote controller 6 is as follows.
Each is connected in parallel by a two-wire type communication line.

The water heater main body 2 is provided with a microcomputer 10 for performing arithmetic processing, and the microcomputer 10 has an operation signal transmission circuit for performing operation signal communication such as hot water temperature, hot water amount, and timer operation from a remote controller. It is connected to one end of 12 and the other end of the operation signal transmission circuit 12 is connected to the input / output terminal 18-18 of the water heater main body 2. Further, the microcomputer 10 has a carrier wave f
The output part of the detection circuit 14 for detecting 2 is connected, the input part of the detection circuit 14 is the output part of the filter 16 for selecting the carrier wave f2, and the input part of the filter 16 is the input / output terminal of the water heater main body 2. Connected to 18-18.

The first remote controller 4 is provided with a microcomputer 31 for performing arithmetic processing, like the main body 2 of the water heater, and the microcomputer 31 has an operating section 29 for controlling the hot water temperature and the hot water amount. Further, a display unit 30 for displaying the state of the driving signal communication from the operation unit 29 and a call SW 28 for switching between transmission and reception of the intercom are connected. further,
The microcomputer 31 includes an operation signal transmission circuit 34 for exchanging operation signal communication from the operation unit 29, a detection circuit 32 for detecting the carrier wave f2, and a carrier frequency switching circuit 27 for receiving a frequency division signal from the microcomputer 31. Each is connected.
An output part of the filter 33 for selecting the carrier wave f2 is connected to an input part of the detection circuit 32.

Microphone 21 which is a voice input of the intercom
Is connected to the amplification unit 23 that amplifies sound, and the amplification unit 23
A voice modulation circuit 25 for modulating voice is connected to the output part of the carrier frequency switching circuit 27 for generating a carrier by dividing the oscillation frequency from the voice modulator circuit 25 into f1 or f2. It is connected to the. The output part of the carrier frequency switching circuit 27 is the input / output terminal 3 of the first remote controller 4.
It is connected to the + terminal of the diode bridge 36 connected between 5-35. The diode bridge 36 is provided to make the connection of the communication line between the water heater main body 2 and the remote controller non-polarized.

Next, the audio signal input to the first remote controller 4 passes from the input / output terminals 35-35 through the diode bridge 36 and is connected to the input part of the filter 26 for selecting the audio signal from the + terminal. To be done. The output portion of the filter 26 is connected to a voice demodulation circuit 24 that demodulates the modulated voice, and the output portion thereof is connected to the amplifier 22 and the speaker 20.
I hear more voice. Also, the diode bridge 36
The positive terminal of the diode bridge 36 is connected to the input portion of the filter 33 and the operation signal transmission circuit 34, and the negative terminal of the diode bridge 36 is connected to the ground.

Since the circuit configuration of the second remote controller 6 is the same as that of the first remote controller 4 described above, the description of the circuit configuration will be omitted. The input / output terminals 35-35 of the first remote controller 4 and the second remote controller 6 can be connected in a non-polarized manner in connection with the communication line. Therefore, when connecting to the water heater main body 2 in parallel, the communication line There is no need to consider the polarity of.

Next, the operation of the operation signal control of the water heater will be described. From the operation unit 29 of the first remote controller 4, operation signals such as power supply stop, operation, hot water temperature setting, hot water amount setting, and timer time setting are performed by button operation or the like. The operation signal passes through the microcomputer 31 that performs arithmetic processing, the display unit 30 displays the content operated by the operation unit 29, and the operation signal is the operation signal transmitted by the operation signal transmission circuit 34. After passing through the diode bridge 36, the water heater main body 2
Is input to the input terminal 18-18. The water heater body 2
The operation signal input to the operation signal transmission circuit 12 sends a signal read by the operation signal transmission circuit 12 to the microcomputer 10. Although not shown, the operation signal instructed by the operation unit 29 is given by an instruction from the microcomputer 10. Control is performed by the control circuit. Although the second remote controller 6 is not shown at the same time when the operation signal is input to the water heater main body 2, the content displayed on the display unit 30 of the first remote controller 4 is also displayed on the display unit. Is displayed.

Next, the waveform of the operation signal will be described. FIG. 3 shows a waveform diagram showing the communication state by the operation signal. The above-described operation signal is a digital signal that is turned on and off by a combination of two-stage voltage and an arbitrary period. The voltage has two levels, M and L, and the period is T1,
By setting T2 and making a combination corresponding to each command such as power supply stop, operation, hot water temperature setting, hot water amount setting, timer time setting, etc. according to the voltage and cycle, between the water heater main unit 2 and the remote controller The operation signal is controlled by. As the operation signal, a digital signal having a cycle of T1 and T2 is sent from the water heater main body 2 to the remote controller, and the operation signal is transmitted from the remote controller to the main body by using two kinds of voltages of M and L. And the water heater main body 2 communicates with each other.

Next, a call of an audio signal by an intercom between the remote controllers will be described. Audio signal is microphone 21
The signal inputted to the amplifier 23 and amplified by the amplifier 23 is FM-modulated by the voice modulating circuit 25, converted into the carrier f1 by the carrier frequency switching circuit 27, superposed on the communication line, and transmitted as a voice signal to the remote controller on the other side. . On the other hand, in the remote controller of the other party to which the audio signal is sent, the carrier wave f1 is extracted by the filter 26, the audio signal demodulated by the audio demodulation circuit 24 is demodulated, and the audio signal is transmitted from the speaker 20 by passing through the amplifier 22. Can be heard.

On the other hand, switching between transmission and reception of the intercom is performed by the call SW 28. FIG. 4 is a carrier waveform diagram showing switching of transmission / reception by switching carrier frequency. In the normal operation signal communication, the operation is performed by the two kinds of voltages of M and L in FIG. 3 and the digital signals of T1 and T2. However, when the call SW 28 is turned on, the operation signal transmission circuit 34 The driving signal from is forcibly fixed to the H level, and the call by the voice signal is in a standby state. And
When the voltage of the operation signal is at the H level, the FM-modulated voice signal is superimposed on the carrier wave of f1 and a voice call is exchanged.

Next, when the call SW 28 is turned on again, a frequency division signal for dividing the frequency into f2 is transmitted from the microcomputer 31 to the carrier frequency switching circuit 27, and the carrier is switched from f1 to f2. When the carrier wave of f2 continues for the period T, transmission / reception between the remote controllers is reversed. It should be noted that the cycle T and the carrier wave f2 are set to arbitrary operations to switch the transmission / reception of the intercom or to end the call of the voice signal.

Regarding the exchange of call information signals of the first remote controller 4, the second remote controller 6, and the water heater main body 2, the procedure for starting a call from the first remote controller to the second remote controller will be described. It will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the call SW 28 of the first remote controller 4 is turned on in S1, a call information signal from S1 is transmitted from the operation signal transmission circuit 12 of the water heater main body 2 from the microcomputer 31 via the operation signal transmission circuit 34. Input to microcomputer 10 S
It becomes the state of 2.

Upon receiving the call information signal from S1, the microcomputer 10 of the water heater main body 2 forcibly switches the operation signal to a signal fixed to the H level as described above. At the time of the switching, the first remote controller is transmitted from the microcomputer 10 via the operation signal transmission circuit 12.
The signal 4 is sent to S4 as the transmitting side, and the second remote controller 6 is sent to the receiving side as S3. That is, the first
The remote controller 4 receives the voice signal, amplifies the voice signal from the microphone 21 with the amplifier 23, modulates it into the FM with the voice modulation circuit 25, and superimposes the voice signal of the f1 carrier wave with the carrier frequency switching circuit 27. , To the second remote controller 6.

In the second remote controller 6, since the reception signal is sent from the microcomputer 10 of the water heater main body 2 in S3, the FM-modulated carrier wave of f1 from the first remote controller 4 is received. , Filter 26 to voice demodulator 24
Then, the voice signal can be demodulated in S5, and the voice can be heard from the speaker 20 via the amplifier 22. That is, it is possible to transmit a call from the first remote controller 4 to the second remote controller 6 in response to an instruction from the water heater main body 2 upon receiving an ON signal of the call SW 28 from the first remote controller 4. Become.

Further, the call SW 2 of the first remote controller 4
When 8 is turned on in S6, a signal for reversing the transmission from the first remote controller 4 to the second remote controller 6 is transmitted. According to the instruction of S6, f of the carrier frequency switching circuit 27
By changing the carrier wave of No. 1 into the carrier wave of f2 and the carrier wave of period T = 50 ms, the detection circuit 3 of the second remote controller 6
At 2, the reception and transmission are reversed at S7 of the second remote controller 6, and at S8 the water heater main body 2 is in a standby state. That is, in S7, the second remote controller 6
Switches from reception to transmission, and in S9, when the first remote controller 4 switches from transmission to reception and a voice signal from the microphone 21 of the second remote controller 6 is input, the first Sound can be heard from the speaker 20 of the remote control 4.

Further, when the call SW 28 of the first remote controller 4 is turned on, the carrier wave of f1 from S10,
The carrier wave f2 and the carrier wave having a period T = 25 ms are changed, and the detection circuit 32 of the second remote controller 6 causes the second remote controller 6 to operate.
The communication is ended in S11, and the detection circuit 14 of the water heater main body 2 receives the communication end signal in S12 of the water heater main body 2, and the communication by the voice signal is ended.
Upon receiving an instruction to end the communication signal in S12, S13
In (2), the H level fixing of the operation signal is released from the water heater main body 2 to return to the normal communication, and the state is returned to the normal operation signal.

As to the control of the call information signal between the remote controllers, in the above embodiment, the first remote controller 4 is used.
The call flow is described by showing the one in which only the call SW 28 from ON to make a call is used, but the call SW 28, the carrier of f2 from the carrier frequency switching circuit 27 and the period T are also used. Then, by using the call SW 28 of the first remote controller 4 and the call SW 28 of the second remote controller 6, the remote controller of the person who wants to talk can also make a call and use it as an intercom. There are various variations of the call function of. Needless to say, it is also possible to exchange a call by replacing the first remote controller and the second remote controller in FIG. 2 because the circuits have the same specifications.

Next, concrete examples of the actual driving signal, the call information signal and the voice signal will be described. First,
It is the waveform of FIG. 3 in the operation signal communication,
In response to an instruction from 29, a 30-bit digital signal voltage of H = 15V, M = 7V, L = 0V is transmitted from the operation signal transmission circuit 34 of the remote controller and transmitted to the microcomputer 10 of the water heater main body 2. To be As the operation signal from the water heater main body 2, signals of T1 = 3 ms and T2 = 6 ms in FIG. 3 are transmitted to the remote controller. T1 is turned off and T2 is turned on, and the same 30-bit digital signal is transmitted to the remote controller.

Next, a concrete example of the voice signal will be described. In the voice modulation circuit 25 of the remote controller,
The audio signal is FM-modulated at 1 MHz, and the carrier frequency switching circuit 27 switches the 1 MHz from the microcomputer 31 to the carrier frequency switching circuit 27 by turning on the call SW 28.
A signal divided by 8 is sent, and f1 = 125KHz ± Δf
1'is used as a carrier. At the time of transmission / reception switching or call termination, the microcomputer 31 switches the divided signal,
The frequency is divided into 1/4 and f2 = 250 KHz ± Δf2 ′ is used as a carrier. Further, when the period T = 50 ms, the transmission / reception is switched, and when the period T = 25 ms, the call is ended. In the above equation, “Δ” represents the displacement of frequency, and F
It means a frequency that fluctuates in M modulation.

Although the carrier wave f1 of the sound signals of the first remote controller 4 and the second remote controller 6 is the same carrier wave, the sound signals of the first remote controller 4 and the second remote controller 6 are described. The carriers need not be the same carrier, but can be realized with different carriers.

The modulation method of the intercom call this time has been explained by FM modulation, but AM, SSB, PC
The same operation can be performed by other modulation means such as M, PSK, and FSK. Further, the frequency division of the f2 carrier wave has been described in the embodiment of FIG. 1 using the frequency divider, but the method of generating the frequency division is not particularly limited. For example, an audio signal is modulated by f1. The f2 oscillation circuit may be provided as a separate circuit. Furthermore, the modulation frequencies, carrier waves of f1 and f2,
The function of the period T and the frequency division at the time of f2 is an example, and the above operation is performed within a range in which the quality of voice communication is maintained even if a frequency and a period other than those described above are used, and to the outside. It can be carried out if there is little radio wave interference.

[0030]

As described above, in the remote controller of the water heater with the intercom function of the present invention, since the operation signal control and the communication information control can be performed by the two-wire type communication line, the communication line is not added. The wiring can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. In addition, since the product itself controls the operation signal communication and the communication information signal separately, there is no fear of causing a communication problem, and stable performance is achieved.

Further, the frequency of the carrier wave during voice communication is
By making it possible to use one type of frequency, two remote controllers having the same specifications can be connected in parallel, so that the manufacturing and management costs of the remote controller itself can be kept low.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a water heater remote controller with an intercom function showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure for starting a call from the first remote controller to the second remote controller.

FIG. 3 is a waveform diagram showing a communication state by a driving signal.

FIG. 4 is a carrier wave waveform diagram showing transmission / reception switching by carrier frequency switching.

[Explanation of symbols]

In the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same or corresponding parts. 2 water heater body 4 First remote control 6 Second remote control 10, 31 Microcomputer 12, 34 Operation signal transmission circuit 14, 32 Detection circuit 16, 26, 33 filters 18, 35 I / O terminals 20 speakers 21 microphone 22, 23 amplifier 24 Voice demodulation circuit 25 Voice modulation circuit 27 Carrier frequency switching circuit 28 Call SW 29 Operation part 30 Display 36 diode bridge

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A water heater main body and a plurality of remote controllers connected to the main body via communication lines, wherein operation signal communication and call information signal communication are performed between the water heater main body and the remote controller, and a plurality of remote controllers are provided. In a water heater capable of transmitting and receiving voice signal communication between remote controllers, the water heater body includes a detection circuit for detecting a call information signal and a microcomputer for controlling an operation signal and a call information signal. In addition to having a microcomputer that controls the driving signal and the call information signal, a detection circuit that detects the call information signal, a voice modulation circuit that modulates the voice signal amplified from the microphone, and the basic oscillation frequency of the voice modulation circuit from the microcomputer Carrier frequency switching circuit for switching by a frequency-divided signal, a voice demodulation circuit for demodulating the modulation from another remote controller as voice, and a call start and Call S for switching of Ryo
A water heater remote controller with an intercom function, comprising: W, and the operation signal, the call information signal, and the voice signal can be communication-controlled by the same communication line. 2. A call information signal is sent to the operation signal transmission circuit of the water heater main body by turning on the call SW of the one remote controller, and the water heater main body receives the signal and sends a control signal for transmission to the one remote controller. 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein one remote control device starts transmission by transmitting a reception control signal to the other remote control device and the other remote control device enters a reception state to start a communication. Remote control for water heater with intercom function. 3. The carrier frequency switching circuit switches the carrier frequency of the carrier frequency switching circuit by the ON operation of the communication SW during voice transmission / reception between the remote controllers, thereby switching the transmitter / receiver between the remote controllers or ending the transmission / reception. The water heater remote controller with an intercom function according to claim 1, which is a signal. 4. A water heater remote controller with an intercom function according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the water heater main body and the remote controller are connected by two communication lines.