JP2004138379A - Display method for inspection picture for remote control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display an inspection pattern or the like different from a general display in inspection in a remote control device having a dot matrix display part. <P>SOLUTION: In the remote control device having the dot matrix display part, which displays a prescribed picture on the display part, in a screen inspection, based on image processing data stored in an image processing data storage part 51, the data in the storage part 51 are opened to stop the display of the prescribed picture on the display part, the dot matrix is divided to display blocks of a prescribed unit in this state, a part of character codes stored in a character code storage part 52 is assigned to each of the divided display blocks, and a prescribed character different from the prescribed picture is displayed on each of the display block. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

<< The present invention relates to a method of displaying an inspection screen in a remote control device having a dot matrix display section.

時 Recently, in the field of hot water supply devices, many devices provided with a remote control device for remotely controlling the hot water supply device have been provided.

By the way, remote control devices of this type have recently become multifunctional, and remote control functions (for example, setting change of hot water supply temperature, change of hot water amount and hot water temperature of bath tub, bath setting, etc.) In addition to various remote control functions such as reheating operation of the hot water), a function to reserve hot water in the bath tub, a function to keep hot water in the bath tub, a function to output voice messages, and a function to connect to the hot water supply device Remote control devices that realize various functions such as a communication / communication function with other remote control devices have been provided.

In other words, in this type of remote control device, items to be set and operated (for example, volume setting of a voice message and the like, setting of a bath heat-up time, etc.) increase as the device becomes multifunctional, As the number of items increases, information to be displayed on the display unit also tends to increase.

For this reason, recent remote control devices have a unique operation for performing these setting operations, apart from the normal operation mode, so that various setting operations can be performed using a limited number of operation switches. A mode (setting mode), which has a plurality of operation modes such as a maintenance mode in addition to the setting mode depending on the model, has been proposed. The operation mode is switched.

FIG. 14 shows an example of such a remote controller. Remote control device a shown in FIG. 14 is a remote control device for remote control of a hot water supply device (specifically, a remote control device for a bath installed in a bathroom), and has a plurality of operation switches b, b,. A display unit c for displaying various information such as hot water supply temperature is provided as a main part. In particular, in the remote control device shown in the figure, a seven-segment fluorescent display tubes d and d and display lamps e and e are used as the display unit c. And

In such a remote control device, items that can be displayed by the indicator lamps e and e are normally fixed (in the illustrated example, fixed to “priority” and “combustion”), and the display mode there is a lamp. Since the information is limited to “lighting”, “blinking”, and “extinguished”, the various information described above is mainly displayed by the fluorescent display tubes d and d.

That is, in the remote control device shown in the figure, since numbers and symbols that can be expressed in seven segments can be displayed on the fluorescent display tubes d and d, the hot water supply temperature is normally displayed using a two-digit number (under a normal operation mode). On the other hand, when it is necessary to display items other than the hot water supply temperature such as in other operation modes or when a failure occurs, the items that can be operated in the other operation modes and error displays are displayed in two digits or symbols. Is displayed.

In other words, in the conventional remote control device, when the information to be displayed on the display unit c increases, a separate display unit is provided for the increased information, or all of the added information is replaced with numerals or symbols. Was displayed.

However, such a conventional remote control device has the following problems, and improvement thereof has been desired.

That is, in the above-mentioned conventional remote control device, when a large amount of information is to be displayed on the display unit, most of the display is replaced with numerals or symbols, so that it is difficult for the user to intuitively recognize the displayed content. Therefore, there is a problem that usability deteriorates with an increase in display items.

  For this reason, the display replaced with such numbers and symbols cannot sufficiently cope with the multifunctionality of the remote control device, and further, such a display restriction hinders the multifunctionality of the remote control device. was there.

  In this regard, it is conceivable to solve the above problem by adopting a liquid crystal panel for the display unit.However, in the case of a liquid crystal display, there is a disadvantage that the display is difficult to see unless a backlight is used in a dimly lit environment. Yes, and even if a backlight is used, for example, in a room such as a bathroom, which is used in an environment with steam, such as a remote controller for a water heater, the display of the backlight is sufficient. There was also a problem that it could not be confirmed.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and has as its object the operability of mainly using the display unit of a remote control device effectively so that more information can be easily recognized and displayed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote control device with high reliability and to provide a method of displaying an inspection screen for displaying a display (for example, an inspection pattern or the like) different from a normal display during an inspection or the like.

In order to achieve the above object, a method for displaying an inspection screen in a remote controller according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a dot matrix composed of self-luminous elements as a display unit, and a character displayed on the display unit. A character code storage unit that stores character data of the character code, a font data storage unit that stores font data corresponding to the character code, and an image that stores image processing data for displaying a predetermined screen on the display unit Inspection of the display unit in a remote control device comprising a processing data storage unit, and having a configuration for executing display control for displaying the predetermined screen on the dot matrix based on data stored in each of these storage units. A method for displaying a screen for use in image processing, the method comprising: A first step of releasing the image processing data from the display control and stopping the display of the predetermined screen, and dividing the dot matrix into display blocks of a predetermined unit; On the other hand, a second step of allocating a part of the character code stored in the character code storage unit and displaying a predetermined character on each of the display blocks is executed.

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a predetermined screen (specifically, a display screen specific to a remote control device) is displayed on a dot matrix based on the image processing data stored in the image processing data storage unit. In the display control of the remote controller, the display of the predetermined screen is stopped by temporarily releasing the image processing data for displaying the predetermined screen. Then, in the image processing data storage unit, the dot matrix is newly divided into display blocks of a predetermined unit (predetermined number of dots), and a predetermined character is displayed on each display block. The data is stored (first step).

As a second step, a part of the character code stored in the character code storage unit is assigned to each display block based on the newly stored image processing data, (In the example shown in FIG. 13 (a), character codes corresponding to "0" to "39" are assigned to each display block). Therefore, according to the first aspect of the invention, when the screen is inspected, a display different from the normal display can be displayed on the screen, and the inspection of the display unit can be performed easily and in detail. In this case, the characters assigned to each display block are the existing characters used in the predetermined display screen, that is, the characters already stored in the character code storage unit are used. The display mode is determined based on the font data stored in the font data storage unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the character code storage section is configured by a character RAM configured to be capable of writing a character code, and in the second step, A new character code is written in the character RAM, and a display on each of the display blocks is performed using the newly written character code.

That is, the character code stored in advance in the character code storage unit (character RAM) is usually a standardized character code such as an ASCII code, and the standardized character code is usually a specific character code. There is an empty code for which no character has been set. The invention of claim 2 focuses on the existence of such a free code, and writes a new character code in this free code to set a new character, and displays the character code based on the character code written in the free code. This is to display on the block. Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, a character that is not used on the predetermined screen can be displayed on the display block.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the font data storage section is configured to be capable of writing font data and a font ROM storing predetermined font data. A font RAM for writing arbitrary font data in the font RAM, and a character code stored in the character code storage unit for the newly written font data. Is assigned, and the assigned character code is displayed on each of the display blocks.

That is, the invention of claim 3 includes a font ROM and a font RAM as a font data storage unit for storing font data, and the font ROM stores predetermined font data necessary for displaying the predetermined screen. When a character is displayed on the display block, new font data is written into the font RAM, and the character is displayed on each display block using the written font data. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to display a character on each display block using a font that is not used in normal display (predetermined screen display). In addition, by assigning the newly written font data to the empty code of the character code and displaying the empty code, an arbitrary font (graphic) can be displayed on the display block.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a character code storage unit that includes a dot matrix formed of self-luminous elements as a display unit, and stores a character code of a character to be displayed on the display unit. A font data storage unit for storing font data to be processed, and an image processing data storage unit for storing image processing data for displaying a predetermined screen on the display unit. A method for displaying an inspection screen of the display unit in a remote control device having a configuration for executing display control for displaying the predetermined screen on the dot matrix based on data, wherein the image processing data storage unit is , A video RAM configured to be able to write image processing data from an external device, Then, the image processing data stored in the image processing data storage unit is released from the display control to stop the display of the predetermined screen, and the external device newly stores the image processing data in the image processing data storage unit. And writing a dot matrix based on the newly written image processing data.

In other words, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, image processing data is directly written into the video RAM from an external device. Therefore, an image can be freely drawn on the dot matrix of the display unit.

According to the method of displaying the inspection screen in the remote control device of the present invention, a large number of characters and symbols can be simultaneously displayed over the entire surface of the dot matrix display, so that the inspection of the dot matrix display can be performed easily and in detail. In addition to this, it is possible to increase the use of the remote control device, such as use for teletext.

Hereinafter, a case where the remote control device according to the present invention is used as a remote control device for a water heater will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a remote control device 1 according to the present invention. This remote control device 1 is a remote control device for remotely controlling a water heater (not shown). The remote control device 1 includes a plurality of operation switches 2 (21 to 28) and various kinds of operation states of the water heater and the operation status of the operation switch 2. A display unit 3 for displaying information is provided as a main part. The display unit 3 includes a dot matrix display unit 31 that expresses display contents by a dot matrix, and a lighting display unit 32 that expresses information by blinking a display lamp.

The remote control device shown in FIG. 1A shows a remote control device 1a installed in a place other than a bathroom such as a kitchen (hereinafter, referred to as a kitchen remote control) 1a, and the remote control device shown in FIG. 1 shows a remote control device (hereinafter, referred to as a bath remote control) 1b installed in a bathroom. These remote control devices 1a and 1b differ in the type of operation switch 2 and the display form on the display unit 3 as shown in the figure depending on the installation location, but the basic configuration of the remote control device is almost the same. Therefore, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, the kitchen remote control 1a and the bath remote control 1b will be described on matters common to both.

In addition, since these remote control devices 1a and 1b have a communication function (not shown), it is possible to mutually transmit and receive the operation status of the water heater and data such as setting information in each of the remote control devices 1a and 1b. The remote controller of the illustrated example has a call function that allows the bathroom remote controller 1b to call the kitchen remote controller 1a and make a call. Since the communication / communication function between the remote controllers 1a and 1b has already been realized in the conventional remote controller, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Although not shown, these remote control devices 1 include at least a microcomputer (hereinafter, referred to as a microcomputer), which processes various remote operation commands input by the operation switches 2 and the hot water supply. Processing of data sent from a remote controller or other remote control device, various settings of the remote control device 1 itself (for example, time setting and selection setting of a sound source (electronic sound, melody, voice, etc.) of a notification function), and further, The processing of the display setting of the display unit 3 is performed. Therefore, the remote control device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of operation modes (specifically, at least a normal operation mode and a setting mode) in order to perform these processes with the limited operation switches 2. Each of these operation modes is configured to be switched by a switch operation described later.

Therefore, a device for realizing at least the above functions is provided inside the remote control device 1 in addition to the microcomputer. Specifically, for example, a communication interface (not shown) connected to the microcomputer, a clock unit for displaying time, and a notifying unit such as a voice synthesizing device serving as a sound source of a notifying function are provided. A display setting unit (not shown) for setting specific display contents on the display unit 3 based on a signal output from the microcomputer.

These remote control devices 1a and 1b specifically include the following switches as the operation switches 2. That is, each of the remote control devices 1a and 1b has an operation on / off switch 21 for switching operation on / off, a hot water supply set temperature (a desired temperature at the time of hot water supply set by the remote control device), and the like as common switches. Up switch 22 and down switch 23 for raising and lowering, automatic bath switch 24 for setting automatic bath operation (automatically filling the bathtub), and changing the operation mode of the remote controller 1 from the normal mode to another operation mode (A user setting mode, etc.).

Further, in addition to these operation switches, the bath remote controller 1b includes a purging switch 26 for reheating the hot water in the bathtub, a call switch 27 for calling the kitchen remote controller 1a using the above-mentioned calling function, and a bath switch 27. And a priority switch 28 for giving priority to the remote controller 1b. In addition, what is indicated by reference numeral 4 in the drawing is a speaker that is also used as a microphone for realizing the above-described call function.

The display section 3 includes, as main parts, a dot matrix display section 31 composed of self-luminous elements and a lighting display section 32 having fixed display contents, and these displays can be controlled by the microcomputer. It is configured.

More specifically, as the dot matrix display section 31, a fluorescent tube dot matrix of 32 dots vertically and 78 dots horizontally (32 × 78 dots) is suitably adopted. In the dot matrix display section 31, each dot portion is composed of a self-luminous element, and the self-luminous element constituting each dot is turned on without using a backlight or the like as in the conventional liquid crystal display, and thus the character is displayed. (See reference numeral a in FIG. 1A, reference numeral a indicates "hot water supply"), and the specific display contents are image processing for storing image processing data. Data storage unit 51, a character code storage unit 52 for storing a character code of a character to be displayed on the dot matrix display unit 31, and a font data storage unit 53 for storing font data corresponding to the character code. It is set based on various data (see FIG. 11).

In the present embodiment, a video RAM capable of reading and writing image data is used as the image processing data storage unit 51, and a character RAM capable of reading and writing character codes is used as the character code storage unit 52. As the font data storage unit 53, a read-only font ROM 52a storing predetermined font data necessary for display on the display unit 3 of the remote control device, and a font RAM 52b capable of writing new font data are used. Can be

When the dot matrix display section 31 functions as the display section 3 of the remote control device, it is based on image data (data for displaying a display screen as a display section of the remote control device) stored in the video RAM 51 in advance. Then, a predetermined screen (display screen of the remote control device) is displayed on the dot matrix display section 31. At this time, various characters displayed on the predetermined screen are displayed on the screen as predetermined fonts by font data stored in the font ROM 53a based on predetermined character codes stored in the character RAM 52 in advance. Is done.

In this embodiment, the font data storage unit 53 has a configuration in which the font ROM 53a and the font RAM 53b are provided. However, as described above, as long as the remote control device performs normal display, the font data is stored in the font ROM 53a. Only the used font data is used (the font RAM 53b will be described later).

On the other hand, the lighting display section 32 is composed of a plurality of indicator lights 33 and 34 whose lighting / extinguishing is controlled by the microcomputer. Specifically, a fluorescent display tube or a light-emitting diode is suitably used as the display lamps 33 and 34, and a specific item is displayed by turning on / off the display lamps 33 and 34. That is, for example, taking the kitchen remote controller 1a shown in FIG. 1 (a) as an example, among the display lamps 33 of the lighting display unit 32, the respective display lamps 33a to 33c representing "hot water supply", "reservation", and "clock". Is turned on, a list of items that can be operated in the normal operation mode is displayed in a list, and the indicator lamp 34 provided next to each of these displays is turned on, among the above-mentioned operable items, The selected item (that is, the item that can be currently set) is displayed (in the example of FIG. 1A, "hot water supply" is selected, indicating that the setting of the hot water temperature can be changed. There).

A specific display mode on the display unit 3 of the remote control device 1 configured as described above will be described.

First, in the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, since the display unit 3 can perform display in two modes, that is, a matrix display and a blinking display, the display units 31 and 32 that perform these displays are provided. The display contents are set as follows.

That is, first, the items displayed on the display unit 3 include those that are desired to be constantly displayed when the remote control device 1 is in the normal operation mode, such as the hot water supply temperature and the current time. There are some which are sufficient to be displayed only at the time of the setting operation, such as the guidance screen for the setting operation of No. 1. On the other hand, items that require a setting operation with the remote control device tend to increase recently as described above, but even in such a case, there may be differences in operation frequency depending on the type of setting content. It is empirically recognized.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in consideration of the above circumstances, first, when the remote control device 1 is in the normal operation mode, the dot matrix display unit 31 requires the above-described constant display (for example, The kitchen remote controller 1a shown in FIG. 1 (a) displays the hot water supply temperature and the current time, and the bath remote controller 1b shown in FIG. 1 (b) displays the current time and the bath temperature, the amount of hot water and the hot water temperature. Various setting items are classified into two ranks, an upper rank and a lower rank, according to the operation frequency, and the operation items of the higher rank among these are assigned to each of the display lamps 33 of the lighting display unit 32 and can be listed. At the same time, the operation items are displayed in a state (see FIG. 3), and the operation items of the lower ranks with low operation frequency are displayed on the dot matrix display section 31 as a list (see FIG. 2). It is set.

In this case, if the operable items of the upper rank and the operable items of the lower rank are simultaneously displayed in a list on the display unit 3, the operation of selecting the item whose setting is desired to be changed from each list may be complicated. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the operable items of the upper rank are set to be operable under the normal operation mode and are displayed in the normal mode, and the operable items of the lower rank are compared with the normal operation mode. Adopts a configuration in which a setting operation is performed by shifting to a different setting mode, that is, a lower rank operable item is displayed only in the setting mode.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, when performing a setting operation from among the operable items of the higher rank, the operation ON / OFF switch 21 of the remote control device 1 is in an ON state (that is, a normal operation). Operation mode), and when the setting is to be changed from among the lower rank operable items, the setting switch 25 of the remote control device 1 when the operation on / off switch 21 is in the off state. An operation (operation for shifting the operation mode to the setting mode) is set to be requested.

Therefore, a specific embodiment of such an operation will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 specifically shows a procedure for selecting the operable items classified into the lower rank and the display contents of the dot matrix display unit 31 at that time. First, the user confirms that the operation ON / OFF switch 21 is in the OFF state (see FIG. 2A) (if the ON state is ON, the switch 21 is pressed again to turn it OFF). Then, the setting switch 25 is depressed once.

Thereby, the operation mode of the remote control device 1 is shifted from the normal operation mode to the setting mode, and accordingly, the operable items in the current operation mode are displayed in a list on the dot matrix display section 31 (FIG. 2). (See (2)). At this time, among the operable items displayed in the list, the currently selected operable item is displayed in a state that can be distinguished from other unselected operable items. Specifically, a portion displaying the currently selected operable item is highlighted (see “Heat retention time” in FIG. 2 (2)), or the currently selected operable item is currently selected. For example, a method of adding another display indicating the effect is adopted.

Therefore, the user operates the up switch 22 and the down switch 23 to select a desired item according to the list displayed on the dot matrix display section 31 (see FIGS. 2 (2) to (6)). When the selection operation is completed, the setting switch 25 is depressed once in this state to shift to a specific setting screen for the selected item (see FIG. 2 (7)). In this case, although not shown, the selection operation based on the list display can be performed by, for example, separately providing an eight-way switch, a pointing device, and the like in the remote control device 1.

(4) When the screen shifts to a specific setting screen, a predetermined operation of the operation switch 2 is performed in accordance with an instruction on the setting screen, and the setting operation ends. In this case, when the volume setting of the audio output function of the remote control device 1 (displayed as “volume” on the illustrated screen) is selected in the above list display, the screen of FIG. The user operates the up switch 22 and the down switch 23 in accordance with the instruction of (3) to appropriately set the volume.

FIG. 3 shows the procedure for selecting the operable items classified into the above-mentioned higher ranks and the display state of the lighting display unit 32 at that time. The lighting display unit 32 shown in FIG. 3 illustrates the display unit 3 of the bath remote controller 1b.

In this case, first, the user confirms that the operation ON / OFF switch 21 is in the ON state (that is, in the normal operation mode). In this state, a list of currently operable items is displayed on the lighting display section 32, as shown in FIG. Specifically, all the indicator lamps 33, 33,... Assigned to the respective operable items are turned on. In the illustrated example, another indicator light 34 provided on the left side of the indicator light 33 is turned on so that the currently selected item can be distinguished from other items (FIG. 3 (1) shows a state in which "hot water supply temperature" is selected).

Therefore, in the case of selecting the operable items of the higher rank, the user refers to the display of the indicator lamps 33 and 34 and selects the items to be set by the user. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the selection operation of the operable items is set so as to be performed by the setting switch 25. When the setting switch 25 is continuously pressed, the lighting display unit is turned on. 32 is configured to be sequentially switched from FIG. 3 (1) to FIG. 3 (4). In this case, for example, when the setting of the hot water supply temperature is changed, the setting change of the hot water supply temperature is performed by operating the up switch 22 and the down switch 23 while the screen of FIG. 3A is displayed. (The same applies to other screens shown in FIGS. 3 (2) to 3 (4)).

As described above, in the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, items that can be set and operated are classified into upper rank items and lower rank items in advance based on empirically obtained operation frequencies and the like. A dedicated display unit (lighting display unit 32) is provided only for the ranked operation items, and the lower rank operation items are displayed on the dot matrix display unit 31. Even when an operation item is added along with the functionalization, the added item can be displayed on the dot matrix display unit 31 as an operation item of a lower rank. Therefore, it is possible to easily cope with additional items only by changing the setting of the dot matrix display unit 31 without newly providing a dedicated display unit.

In addition, when the operation mode is shifted from the normal operation mode to the setting mode by a predetermined operation of the setting switch 25 and the operation on / off switch 21, the lower rank operation can be performed on the dot matrix display unit 31 accordingly. Since the items are displayed in a list that can be selected in a state that can be read by characters, the user can intuitively recognize items that can be operated in the setting mode, and an advantage that a remote control device with excellent operability can be provided. is there.

In the present embodiment, in each of the list displays displayed on the dot matrix display unit 31 and the lighting display unit 32, there are a plurality of items selected at the beginning of the display in both of FIGS. Among the operable items, the operation item displayed at the top (in the example of FIG. 2, the “heat retention time” shown at the upper left of the list display, and in the example of FIG. 3, the “hot water temperature” shown at the top of the list display) ), And in the subsequent selection operation, the selection is sequentially performed in accordance with the order of the list display. However, as described later, the operation state of the selection operation is learned, and It is preferable that the items selected at the beginning of the list display and the subsequent selection order be changed.

In other words, the list display shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is preset in such a way that the items with the highest operation frequency are displayed empirically in any case, and the operation frequency is determined by the user using the remote control device. Due to subtle differences, such a list display may be difficult to use for some users. For this reason, an area for storing the operation status of the past selection operation is provided in the storage area of the microcomputer in the remote control device 1, and the selection order of the list is prioritized based on the operation status stored in this storage area. At the time of selection and selection operation, the selection is made to be selected based on this priority.

Here, the details of the learning function will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 in the case of a setting change operation in a normal operation mode.

First, at the beginning of the installation of the remote control device 1, the selection is made by continuous operation of the setting switch 25 as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 3, "hot water temperature", "plenty / warm", "bath temperature", "bath volume". "(The initial setting of the bath remote controller).

Therefore, in this state, for example, in order for the user to change the setting of the “sink temperature”, the setting switch 25 must be pressed twice consecutively. However, in the present embodiment, for example, the setting switch 25 is stored in the storage area of the microcomputer. The operation statuses of the past N times (N is set appropriately, but in the example of FIG. 4, the past six times) of the selection operation are stored, and the selection order of the selections is rearranged according to the operation status. Let

That is, in the case where the past selection operation is as shown in FIG. 4, the previous operation is “the bath temperature”, the last operation is “the bath temperature”, and the previous operation is “plenty / slimy”, “the bath temperature”, Since "plenty / warm" and "bath temperature" are used, the operation frequency in this case is "fat temperature" four times, "plenty / warm" twice, and "bath hot water amount" zero times. Therefore, in the microcomputer, based on the result, the selection order of the selections associated with the continuous pressing of the setting switch 25 is arranged in the order of (1) 'to (4)' in FIG. Make a change.

Therefore, when the user continuously presses the setting switch 25, the items to be selected are changed in the order of “hot water supply temperature”, “bath temperature”, “plenty / wet”, and “bath temperature”. By depressing the setting switch 25 once at the time of selecting "temperature", the setting of "sink temperature" can be changed.

As described above, by adding the learning function to the selection operation, the user can quickly select frequently used operation items with a small number of switch operations, thereby providing a user-friendly remote control device that suits the user's preference. Can be.

In this case, as the algorithm of the learning function, another algorithm such as giving the highest priority to the previous operation item or raising the priority when the operation is performed twice consecutively is used. It is also possible. Further, in the above-described example, the operable items are configured to be sequentially selected in accordance with the priority order. However, in this case, each time the setting switch 25 is pressed, the selected items may fly up and down and become difficult to see. Therefore, for example, a method of changing the selection order performed in the left diagram of FIG. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the learning function is used for display on the lighting display unit 32 has been described. However, it is needless to say that the learning function can be applied to list display on the dot matrix display unit 31. .

Next, an example of items that can be set and operated in the above-described setting mode in the remote control device 1 according to the present invention will be described.

(1) Message display function:
The remote control device 1 of the present embodiment has a function of displaying a predetermined message using the dot matrix because a part of the display unit 3 is configured by a dot matrix capable of freely displaying characters, symbols, and the like. Has been added.

This message display function is roughly divided into a destination display function, a failure recovery procedure display function, and a contact display function, which will be described below, according to the content of the displayed message. Each of these functions is an individual function. It is displayed as a selection of operable items during the list display of the dot matrix display section 31.

More specifically, the destination display function is a function of displaying a predetermined message set in advance (specifically, the messages shown in FIGS. 5 (2) to 5 (3)) on the dot matrix display unit 31. In order to realize this function, the remote control device 1 is provided with storage means (not shown) for storing the predetermined message.

Then, the user who uses the destination display function first confirms that the operation on / off switch 21 is in the off state, and operates the setting switch 25 in this state to set the operation mode of the remote control device 1. To the setting mode.

In this state, by selecting a selection indicating the destination display function from the list displayed on the dot matrix display section 31 (determined by the setting switch 25), the destination is displayed on the dot matrix display section 31. An initial screen showing the display function (see FIG. 5A) is displayed. Thereafter, the user operates the up switch 22 or the down switch 23 to select a message that the user wants to keep from pre-stored messages, so that the selected message is continuously displayed on the dot matrix display unit 31. Will be displayed.

The displayed message is released by requesting operation of a specific switch such as the operation on / off switch 21 or by operation of any switch other than the up switch 22 and the down switch 23. It can be set arbitrarily as appropriate. The message displayed by the selection operation is preferably stored in a ROM built in the remote control device 1. For example, the content of the message can be appropriately rewritten (that is, the message display function is used to display a message board or a memo). For example, the remote control device 1 may be provided with a simple word processor function, and the message created by the simple word processor may be stored in the RAM.

Next, the failure recovery procedure display function is a function of displaying a failure recovery procedure stored in the ROM of the remote control device 1 as a message in the same procedure as the above-described destination display function. When the switch is in the OFF state, the setting switch 25 is operated to shift to the setting mode. In this state, the option indicating the fault recovery procedure display is selected from the above list display, and is displayed on the dot matrix display section 31 as shown in FIG. The initial screen of the failure recovery procedure display function shown is displayed.

Thereafter, by operating the up switch 22 or the down switch 23, a failure recovery procedure (in the illustrated example, an error code and a message indicating the recovery procedure) is sequentially displayed (see FIGS. 6 (2) to (4)). . Thus, the user can easily refer to the failure recovery procedure regardless of whether or not a failure has occurred. In this case, instead of the failure recovery procedure, for example, a simple instruction for use can be displayed by a message.

It is preferable that the message indicating the failure recovery procedure is further associated with a failure display function of the remote control device 1. That is, the remote control device 1 is conventionally provided with a structure in which an error code indicating a failure state is displayed when a failure occurs. In the present embodiment, the remote controller device 1 is provided on condition that such an error code is displayed (FIG. 6). In this state, by operating the predetermined operation switch 2 (for example, the up switch 22) in this state, a failure recovery procedure corresponding to the displayed error code is displayed as a message or a voice guide notification is added (FIG. 6). (See (3)).

Thus, when the remote controller 1 or the like breaks down and an error code is displayed on the display unit 3, the user can immediately refer to the fault recovery procedure corresponding to the error code from this state, and Operations can be performed.

Next, the contact display function will be described with reference to FIG. In the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment, for example, when the water heater or the remote control device 1 fails, the user can perform a simple failure recovery operation using the failure recovery procedure display function. If not possible, a display as shown in FIG. 6 (4) is performed. In such a case, it is necessary for the user to contact a supplier that performs the repair, such as a water heater installer or a water heater manufacturer, but the contact information of such a supplier may not be easily known. is there.

Therefore, the remote controller 1 of the present embodiment is configured to display the contact information of the repair agent on the dot matrix display section 31 using the message display function (contact information display function).

More specifically, the user using this function operates the setting switch 25 to shift to the setting mode when the operation on / off switch 21 is in the off state, similarly to the destination display function described above. Then, an option indicating the contact display function is selected from the list display, and the initial screen of the contact display function shown in FIG.

On this initial screen, the registration of the contact information of the repair shop and the display of the contact information can be selected. By operating the up switch 22 or the down switch 23 according to this selection, the registration and display of the contact information are performed. Can be performed.

More specifically, when registering a contact, the up switch 22 is operated to select "contact registration", and the screen shown in FIG. 7 (2) is called. On this screen, each time the setting switch 25 is pressed, the form of the character to be input can be sequentially selected in the order of “English (word)”, “Kana”, “number (character)”. By operating the up switch 22 in the selected state, for example, if English is selected, “A” to “Z” are sequentially displayed each time the up switch 22 is pressed. When the character to be input is determined, the down switch 23 is operated at the selected character, and thereafter, these operations are repeated to input the name of the contact, the telephone number, and the like.

On the other hand, when the display of the contact information is selected, by operating the down switch 23 while the screen of FIG. 7A is being displayed, the screen of FIG. A screen for displaying the contact information input in the above-described procedure is called.

Therefore, when the water heater installer or the like performs the operation of registering the above-mentioned contact when installing the remote controller 1, the user can easily display and confirm the contact when the remote controller 1 or the like breaks down, and promptly repair the failure. To be able to ask.

(2) Time signal function:
Further, the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment includes a clock means (not shown) therein so that time display and hot water supply reservation can be performed similarly to the conventional remote control device. In this embodiment, a time signal function using these clock means and a notification means such as a voice message is added, and the setting of the time signal function is performed in the setting mode. Is displayed as an option in the list display.

That is, in the conventional remote control device, the clock means and the notification means such as a voice message are set as mutually independent functions (a clock display function, a notification function of operation contents, and the like). The reality was that they were not used in association. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the clock means and the notifying means are operated in association with each other as a time signal function, thereby effectively utilizing these functions.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, a specific setting method of the time signal function is to first operate the setting switch 25 on condition that the operation ON / OFF switch 21 is in the OFF state, similarly to the message display function. The remote controller 1 is shifted to the setting mode (step S1 in FIG. 8).

When the remote control device 1 shifts to the setting mode, a selection list of items that can be selected in the setting mode is displayed in a list on the dot matrix display section 31. At this time, a time signal function is selected (by the up switch 22 or the like). Select and operate the setting switch 25 to confirm). As a result, an initial screen for setting the time signal function is displayed on the dot matrix display section 31 (not shown). On this screen, a selection is made as to whether or not to enable the setting of the time signal function (step in FIG. 8). S2).

(4) When the setting of the time signal function is selected on the initial screen, a screen for selecting a time to perform a time signal, a notification sound, and the like is called (step S3 in FIG. 8). Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), several types of notification sounds are prepared in advance, and a desired notification sound is selected from among them (in the illustrated example, the sound mode “1” is selected). Then, an alarm sound of 2 KHz sounds for the number of times of the current time), and the time at which the time signal is sounded is set. In this embodiment, since the display section 3 is configured by a dot matrix in the present embodiment, the time can be easily set by using a graphic as shown in FIG. 9B, for example. (In the illustrated example, a case where a time signal is set at 12:00 am is shown). At that time, it is also possible to set the volume of the notification sound at the same time.

When the time signal function is set in this manner, as shown in FIG. 10, inside the remote control device 1, it is determined whether or not the time set by the microcomputer has arrived (step S1 in FIG. 10). ), When the set time comes, a notification sound selected in advance is output from the notification means (step S2 in FIG. 10).

On the other hand, if the user does not select to enable the setting of the time signal function in step S2 in FIG. 8, the setting of the time signal function is canceled in the subsequent step S4 in FIG. 8, and the subsequent time signal is stopped.

(4) By giving the time signal function to the remote control device 1 as described above, it is possible to effectively use the audio output function of the clock function which has not been effectively used as a separate function until now. Note that the time signal function can be configured so that the error correction of the internal clock means is automatically performed by connecting the remote control device 1 to a telephone line, for example.

(3) Information management function:
In addition, since the display unit 3 of the remote control device 1 of the present embodiment includes the dot matrix display unit 31 that can freely display characters, figures, and the like, the display function here and the data processing by the microcomputer inside the remote control device 1 are performed. An information management function using the function is added, and the setting of the information management function is displayed as a selection in the list display in the setting mode.

Specifically, this information management function is such that database construction software for managing predetermined information is stored in a storage area of the microcomputer, and the microcomputer and the dot matrix display unit are used as hardware for starting the software. 31 is used. It should be noted that at least the simple word processing software is attached to the database construction software so that information can be managed in Japanese.

Then, as in the message display function and the time signal function, the information management function is to select an option indicating the setting of the information management function from the list displayed on the dot matrix display section 31 in the setting mode. After that, the input / output of information is performed by operating the operation switch 2 in accordance with the procedure shown in the database construction software (the dot matrix display section 31 is mainly used as an information output destination).

Thereby, various information such as a menu table and a schedule table can be managed using the remote control device 1, and the user can easily obtain these various information without leaving the installation location of the remote control device 1. . Incidentally, this function can be an extremely convenient function today, in which the remote controller 1 is often installed outside the bathroom like the kitchen remote controller 1a, depending on the content of the information to be managed.

Embodiment 2
The second embodiment of the present invention relates to a display control method of the dot matrix display unit 31 in the remote control device shown in the first embodiment, and mainly a display used when the display unit 31 of the remote control device 1 is inspected. It relates to a control method. Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

That is, in the normal state (at the time of various operations of the remote controller 1, etc.), the display contents of the dot matrix display section 31 in the remote controller 1 of the present invention are stored in the data stored in the video RAM 51, the character RAM 52, and the font ROM 53a in advance. It is controlled based on. Therefore, the screen display at that time is limited to those that can be expressed within the range of the data stored in the video RAM 51, the character RAM 52, and the font ROM 53a.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, a display different from a normal display (for example, an inspection pattern) cannot be displayed when the remote controller 1 (specifically, the dot matrix display unit 31) is inspected. In the second embodiment, a display control method capable of performing a display different from the normal display is provided.

  That is, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, an external device (for example, a personal computer) 6 is connected to the remote control device 1, and the remote control device 1 is connected to the external device 6 by the external device 6. The video RAM 51 is opened to the outside, and a signal for dividing the dot matrix display section 31 into display blocks of a predetermined unit is transmitted.

Thereby, in the remote control device 1, the image processing data stored in the video RAM 51 is released from the display control of the dot matrix display unit 31, and the screen of the dot matrix display unit 31 is displayed on the display block of the predetermined unit. (Block B shown by a dashed line in FIG. 13A). In the example shown in FIG. 13, since the dot matrix display section 31 is composed of 32 vertical dots and 78 horizontal dots, a block of 8 vertical dots and 8 horizontal dots is preferably used as one unit of the display block. (In this case, the blocks at the left and right ends are 8 dots vertically and 7 dots horizontally, respectively).

Next, a part of the character code stored in the character RAM 52 is assigned to each of the divided display blocks, and a predetermined character is displayed in each of the display blocks. Specifically, in the case of FIG. 13A, codes corresponding to “0” to “39” of the ASCII codes stored in the character RAM 52 are assigned to the respective display blocks, In the dot matrix display section 31, forty characters corresponding to "0" to "39" are displayed.

Accordingly, in this case, by setting the unit of the display block small and arbitrarily setting the characters to be displayed in the display block (see, for example, FIG. 13B), the screen of the dot matrix display section 31 is divided into small parts. Since a predetermined character display can be performed in each block, it is possible to easily and easily inspect the display state over the entire screen.

As another modification in this case, for example, it is conceivable to write a new character code from the external device 6 to the character RAM 52. That is, in this case, the newly written character code can be displayed on each display block of the dot matrix display unit 31.

Further, in this state, arbitrary font data is written into the font RAM 53b, and a part of the character code stored in the character RAM 52 is allocated to the newly written font data. The displayed character code is displayed in each of the display blocks, so that the display can be performed in an arbitrary font.

Further, for example, the new character code is written in an empty code portion of the ASCII code stored in the character RAM 52, and a new font (for example, 8 dots × 8 dots) is written in the font RAM 53b as a font corresponding to the character code. (Arbitrary pattern) can be displayed on the dot matrix display section 31.

Further, in this case, if the video RAM 51 is configured to be capable of directly writing image processing data from the external device 6, the external device 6 can be used to directly write data to the video RAM 51. In that case, an arbitrary graphic pattern can be displayed based on the newly written image processing data.

As described above, according to the display control method of the dot matrix display unit 31 shown in the second embodiment of the present invention, not only can the inspection of the dot matrix display unit 31 be performed easily and finely, but also, for example, If a device capable of receiving teletext is used as the external device 6, such teletext can also be displayed on the dot matrix display unit 31.

  The above-described embodiment shows a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this, and various design changes can be made within the scope.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the remote controller according to the present invention is used as a remote controller for a water heater is shown, but the present invention is also applicable to a remote controller for a device other than the water heater.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where a dot matrix display unit 31 of 32 dots × 78 dots is used is shown, but the number of dot matrices forming the display unit 31 is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. It is. In the above embodiment, the case where the dot matrix display unit 31 is divided into display blocks of a predetermined unit has been described, but the unit setting of the display block to be divided at that time can be changed as appropriate.

The selection of the list displayed on the dot matrix display unit 31 and the lighting display unit 32 can be changed as appropriate according to the function of the remote control device 1 or the like.

FIG. 1A is an external view showing an example in which a remote control device according to the present invention is applied to a remote control device of a water heater, in which FIG. 1A shows a remote control device installed in a kitchen, and FIG. 1 shows a remote controller to be used. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a list display of operable items in the remote control device, and is a diagram illustrating a display mode on a dot matrix display unit. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a learning function of the remote control device, and is a diagram illustrating a display mode of a display lighting unit. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a storage unit for implementing a learning function in the remote control device. FIG. 7 is a screen configuration diagram for explaining an operation procedure of a message display function (destination display function) of the remote control device. FIG. 7 is a screen configuration diagram illustrating an operation procedure of a message display function (failure recovery procedure display function) of the remote control device. FIG. 7 is a screen configuration diagram illustrating an operation procedure of a message display function (contact display function) of the remote control device. It is a flowchart explaining the setting procedure of the time signal function of the remote control device. FIG. 9 (a) shows an example of a settable notification sound, and FIG. 9 (b) shows a screen configuration for setting a time. An example is shown. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the time signal function of the remote control device. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a display control method of the dot matrix display unit according to the present invention, and is a diagram for explaining a storage area of various data for activating dot matrix display. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a connection state of an external device in the display control method of the dot matrix display unit. FIG. 13A is a screen configuration diagram for explaining a display mode of the dot matrix display unit by the display control method of the same dot matrix display unit. FIG. 13A shows a case where a predetermined character code is shown, and FIG. This shows the case where the code is displayed. It is a front view which shows the external appearance structure of the remote control of the conventional water heater.

Explanation of reference numerals

1 Remote control device 1a Kitchen remote control (remote control device)
1b Bathroom remote control (remote control device)
2, 21 to 28 Operation switch 3 Display section 31 Dot matrix display section 32 Lighting display section 51 Video RAM (image processing data storage section)
52 Character RAM (character code storage unit)
53a font ROM (font data storage unit)
53b Font RAM (font data storage unit)

Claims (4)

A character code storage unit that includes a dot matrix composed of self-light emitting elements as a display unit and stores a character code of a character to be displayed on the display unit, and a font data storage unit that stores font data corresponding to the character code. An image processing data storage unit for storing image processing data for displaying a predetermined screen on the display unit, and based on the data stored in each of these storage units, A method of displaying an inspection screen of the display unit in a remote control device having a configuration for performing display control for displaying a predetermined screen,
In the inspection of the screen, the image processing data stored in the image processing data storage unit is released from the display control to stop the display of the predetermined screen, and the dot matrix is displayed in a display block for each predetermined unit. A first step of splitting;
Allocating a part of the character code stored in the character code storage unit to each of the divided display blocks, and displaying a predetermined character on each of the display blocks. A method for displaying a screen for inspection in a remote control device. The character code storage unit includes a character RAM configured to be capable of writing a character code,
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the second step, a new character code is written in the character RAM, and a display on each of the display blocks is performed using the newly written character code. Of displaying a screen for inspection in a remote control device of the present invention The font data storage unit includes a font ROM storing predetermined font data, and a font RAM configured to be capable of writing font data,
As the second step, while writing arbitrary font data in the font RAM, allocating a part of the character code stored in the character code storage unit to the newly written font data, 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the assigned character code is displayed on each of the display blocks. A character code storage unit that includes a dot matrix composed of self-light emitting elements as a display unit and stores a character code of a character to be displayed on the display unit, and a font data storage unit that stores font data corresponding to the character code. An image processing data storage unit for storing image processing data for displaying a predetermined screen on the display unit, and based on the data stored in each of these storage units, A method of displaying an inspection screen of the display unit in a remote control device having a configuration for performing display control for displaying a predetermined screen,
The image processing data storage unit includes a video RAM configured to be able to write image processing data from an external device,
Upon inspection of the screen, the image processing data stored in the image processing data storage unit is released from the display control to stop the display of the predetermined screen, and the image processing data storage unit is transmitted from the external device. A new image processing data is written to the remote controller, and a dot matrix is displayed based on the newly written image processing data.

Images