JP2016116159A - Communication adaptor and electric equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication adaptor that can be suitably used for both an external type and an embedded type.SOLUTION: A communication adaptor (1) enables communications between an electrical household appliance (10) and a communication network (62) by being connected to the electrical household appliance (10), and includes an adaptor side lamp part (5) displaying a communication state between the communication adaptor (1), the electrical household appliance (10), and a server (20) via the communication network (62). The communication adaptor includes a control part (21) setting ON/OFF of the adaptor side lamp part (5) and transmitting state information indicating the communication state to a connected electrical household appliance (10).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication adapter that enables communication between an electric device and a communication network by being connected to the electric device, and an electric device in which a combination of the communication adapter is suitable.

  A household electrical device (hereinafter referred to as a home appliance) is connected to a communication terminal device via a narrow-area communication network such as a wireless LAN and a wide-area communication network such as the Internet. There is a technique for remotely controlling or monitoring a device (for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, there is also a technology for connecting home appliances to a home controller via the above-mentioned narrow communication network and controlling the power supply to the home appliances with the home controller to reduce carbon dioxide emissions (for example, Patent Document 2).

  By the way, in order to connect the home appliance to the communication network, the home appliance needs to be provided with a communication program corresponding to a communication medium on the communication network and a communication control program for connecting to the communication network. However, if the home appliance is provided with a communication program and a communication control program, the control processing content of the home appliance increases, leading to an increase in the cost of the device. In addition, there is an inconvenience that it is not possible to flexibly cope with a change in the communication method of the communication network to be connected.

  Therefore, there is a technology in which a communication control unit used for communication with a communication network and a storage unit for a communication program are separated from household electrical appliances to be a detachable communication adapter (for example, Patent Document 3). In addition, such a communication adapter is provided with a display unit that displays a communication state between the communication adapter and the home appliance, a communication state between the communication adapter and the network, a communication state between the home appliance and the server device, and the like. Some are.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-140691 (released on June 1, 2006) JP 2013-62672 A (published April 4, 2013) JP 2005-184487 A (published July 7, 2005)

  However, the communication adapter provided with the display unit indicating the communication state as described above has the following problems.

  The installation place of the communication adapter in the home appliance needs to be a place where the display unit of the communication adapter can be seen by the user. For this reason, depending on the home appliance, securing the installation location becomes a restriction on the external appearance design. An example of such home appliances is a microwave oven. Moreover, in home appliances installed around the water, such as a washing machine and a dishwasher, there is a possibility that the communication adapter may be splashed with water, and a waterproof measure is required.

  In view of this, it is considered that a communication adapter is built into a home appliance for home appliances in which securing of the installation location is an external design constraint or where there is a risk of water splashing. However, if the communication adapter used in the external type is used as it is in the built-in type, the display unit of the communication adapter continues to display inside the home appliance, and wasteful power consumption occurs. Since the communication adapter receives power supply from the installed home appliance, the standby power of the home appliance increases. Further, when the communication adapter is built in, there is a problem that the home appliance side cannot check the communication state.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and a first object is to provide a communication adapter that can be suitably used for both an external type and a built-in type. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric device suitable for combination with such a communication adapter.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a communication adapter according to an aspect of the present invention enables communication between the electric device and a communication network by being connected to the electric device, and the communication adapter, the electric device, and the A communication adapter including a communication state display unit for displaying a communication state with a server device via a communication network, the setting unit for setting ON / OFF of the communication state display unit, and the communication state And a state information transmitting unit that transmits the state information to be shown to the connected electrical device.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an electrical device according to an aspect of the present invention is an electrical device that is connected to the communication adapter according to an aspect of the present invention and enables communication with a communication network. Based on the command unit for instructing the setting of ON / OFF of the communication status display unit to the setting unit of the communication adapter connected to the electrical equipment, and the status information received from the communication adapter And a simple communication state display unit that displays the above in a simplified manner.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication adapter that can be suitably used for both an external type and a built-in type, and an electrical apparatus that is suitable for combination with such a communication adapter. Can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the image of the remote control system containing the communication adapter and household appliances which concern on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the external view seen from the front of the said communication adapter. It is the external view seen from the front side of the household appliances with a built-in adapter in which the said communication adapter is incorporated. Communication example of the remote control system, display example of the adapter side lamp unit of the communication adapter indicating the communication state of the system, and display example of the device side lamp unit of the adapter built-in home appliance indicating the communication state of the system It is explanatory drawing shown. Communication state with a system corresponding to the ECHONET Lite standard, a display example of the adapter side lamp portion of the communication adapter indicating the communication state of the system, and a device side lamp portion of an adapter built-in household appliance indicating the communication state of the system It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display of the detailed information of the communication state of a system displayed on the display screen of the said household appliance with a built-in adapter. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the said communication adapter and the said household appliances with a built-in adapter. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the communication adapter which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention, and an adapter built-in household appliance.

Embodiment 1
(System including home appliance 10 in which communication adapter 1 is installed)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an image of a remote control system including a communication adapter 1 according to the present embodiment and a home electric appliance (electric device) 10 (10A, 10B). As shown in FIG. 1, in the remote control system, the communication adapter 1 is installed in a home electric appliance (electric device) 10 provided in a user home 50. The home appliances 10 are connected to the communication network 62 via the communication adapters 1 installed therein. A server (server device) 20 and a communication terminal device 30 are connected to the communication network 62.

  The home appliance 10 does not include a communication control unit for connecting to the communication network 62, a communication program storage unit, and the like. The home appliance 10 can communicate with the communication network 62 by connecting (installing) the communication adapter 1 equipped with the communication control unit and the storage unit of the communication program.

  Among these, the home appliance 10A is a home appliance in which the communication adapter 1 is installed outside the home appliance, and here corresponds to an air conditioner, a refrigerator, and an air purifier. The home appliance 10B is a home appliance with a built-in adapter in which the communication adapter 1 is installed inside the home appliance, which is preferably combined with the communication adapter 1. Here, the home appliance 10B corresponds to a microwave oven or a washing machine. Except for the case where the installation position of the communication adapter 1 is particularly problematic, the home appliance 10A and the home appliance 10B are both referred to as the home appliance 10 and will be described without distinction.

  The communication terminal device 30 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like in which a dedicated application is downloaded.

  The server 20 registers and manages a combination of the communication terminal device 30 and the home appliance 10 registered by the user. By registering the combination in the server 20, the user remotely controls the associated home appliance 10 using the communication terminal device 30, or remotely confirms the operating state of the associated home appliance 10 ( Monitoring). In FIG. 1, only one server 20 is illustrated, but a configuration in which a plurality of servers share functions may be used. In this embodiment, the case where the server 20 is a cloud server that provides a cloud service is illustrated.

  The user's home 50 is provided with a wireless local area network (LAN) that forms part of the communication network 62. The communication adapter 1 installed in the home appliance 10 is connected to the Internet that forms part of the communication network 62 via a wireless LAN relay station 40. The relay station 40 is a communication device such as a WiFi (registered trademark) router or a WiFi access point. In this embodiment, the configuration including the Internet is exemplified as the communication network 62, but a telephone line network, a mobile communication network, a CATV (CAble TeleVision) communication network, a satellite communication network, or the like can also be used. .

  The server 20 and the home appliance 10 on which the communication adapter 1 is installed can communicate with each other via the communication network 62, and the server 20 and the communication terminal device 30 can communicate with each other via the communication network 62. The communication terminal device 30 and the Internet in the communication network 62 are connected using 3G (3rd Generation), LTE (Long Term Evolution), a home or public WiFi access point, or the like. Further, the home appliance 10 and the communication terminal device 30 are both wireless communication devices, and can communicate with each other via the relay station 40 without using the Internet in the communication network 62.

  In addition to the remote control mode in which the home appliance 10 is connected to the server 20 to form a remote control system, the home appliance 10 is connected to a home controller (not shown) installed in the user's home 50 via a wireless LAN and connected to the ECHONET Lite. It can also be used in the ECHONET Lite mode that constitutes a system that complies with the standard. The home controller is a control device disposed in the house, and controls the power supply to the home appliances 10 connected to the house to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emission.

(Configuration of communication adapter 1 and adapter-equipped home appliance 10B)
Next, the communication adapter 1 and the adapter built-in home appliance 10B will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is an external view of the communication adapter 1 as seen from the front side. On the front face of the communication adapter 1, a power switch 2, a wireless LAN button 3, a link button 4, an adapter side lamp unit (communication state display unit) 5 and the like are provided.

  The power switch 2 turns on / off the power of the communication adapter 1, and power is supplied from the home appliance 10 to the communication adapter 1 by turning it on. The wireless LAN button 3 is used for an operation for connecting the communication adapter 1 to the wireless LAN. The link button 4 is used for an operation for registering the home appliance 10 in which the communication adapter 1 is installed in the server 20.

  The adapter side lamp unit 5 includes, for example, three LED lamps including a power lamp 6, a wireless LAN lamp 7, and a link lamp 8. The power lamp 6 indicates whether or not the communication adapter 1 is turned on, and lights up when the communication adapter 1 is turned on. The wireless LAN lamp 7 indicates whether or not the communication adapter 1 is connected to the wireless LAN, and lights up when the communication adapter 1 is connected to the wireless LAN. The link lamp 8 indicates whether or not the home appliance 10 and the server 20 are connected, and lights up when the home appliance 10 is registered in the server 20 and the home appliance 10 is communicating with the server 20.

  The adapter side lamp unit 5 is in the lighting state of these three lamps 6 to 8, the communication state between the communication adapter 1 and the home appliance 10, the communication state between the communication adapter 1 and the wireless LAN, the home appliance 10 and the server 20 It also displays the communication status of the system, such as the communication status.

  Although the relationship between the display of the adapter side lamp unit 5 and the communication state of the system will be described later, it should be noted that in the communication adapter 1 of the present embodiment, the adapter side lamp unit 5 is provided so that ON / OFF setting is possible. This is the point. By providing the adapter side lamp unit 5 so as to be able to be turned ON / OFF, when the communication adapter 1 is used in a built-in manner, the adapter side lamp unit 5 can be set not to display. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the power consumption by the useless display of the adapter side lamp part 5 can be blocked | prevented, and the standby power increase of the household appliances 10B can be avoided. Such display (lighting) of the adapter-side lamp unit 5 and ON / OFF setting of the display are performed by a control unit (state information transmission unit) 21 described later provided in the communication adapter 1.

  FIG. 3 is an external view seen from the front side of the home appliance 10B. In the example of FIG. 3, a microwave oven is illustrated as the home appliance 10B with a built-in adapter. On the front surface of the home appliance 10B, there is provided a device side lamp unit (simple communication status display unit) 16 together with an operation key unit 32 and a dial 36 for instructing the home appliance 10B to operate, and a display screen 33 for displaying various information. ing.

  The device side lamp unit 16 includes, for example, one LED lamp 18. As described above, in the adapter built-in home appliance 10B, the user cannot visually recognize the adapter-side lamp unit 5 of the communication adapter 1. The device side lamp unit 16 indicates the communication state of the system instead of the adapter side lamp unit 5 of the communication adapter 1. By providing the device-side lamp unit 16, even if the user cannot visually recognize the adapter-side lamp unit 5 of the communication adapter 1, the user can grasp the communication state of the system.

  Here, the device-side lamp unit 16 does not display using three lamps like the communication adapter 1 but uses a single LED lamp 18 to display a simplified communication state of the system. Thereby, by providing the apparatus side lamp part 16, the external appearance design of the household electrical appliance 10B is not greatly hindered, and the cost can be reduced. Such display of the device-side lamp unit 16 is performed by the control unit 11 (described later) provided in the home appliance 10B.

  Further, it should be noted that in the home appliance 10B according to the present embodiment, when there is an abnormality (error) in the communication state of the system in combination with the device-side lamp unit 16, details of notifying the user of the details of the abnormality An information notification unit is provided. Here, when there is an abnormality in the communication state of the system, detailed information on the abnormality is displayed on the display screen 33. The display of detailed information using such a display screen 33 is also performed by the control unit 11 (described later) provided in the home appliance 10B.

(System communication status, display example of adapter side lamp unit 5 and device side lamp unit 16)
FIG. 4 shows a communication state of the remote control system, a display example of the adapter-side lamp unit 5 of the communication adapter 1 indicating the communication state of the system (lighting state of the three lamps 6 to 8), and a communication state of the system. The example of a display of the appliance side lamp part 16 of the household appliances 10B (The lighting state of one lamp 18) is shown. In FIG. 4, “○” is lit (always lit), “●” is unlit, “△” is blinking, “☆” is either “◯, ●, △” depending on the connection or registration status. It is shown that. 1) to 8) in FIG. 4 are as follows.

  1) When at least one of the power source of the home appliance 10 or the power switch 2 of the communication adapter 1 is OFF, all the three lamps 6 to 8 of the communication adapter 1 are turned off (“● ● ●”). In this case, the lamp 18 of the home appliance 10B is also turned off (“●”).

  2) From the state of 1) above, when both the power source of the household electrical appliance 10 and the power switch 2 of the communication adapter 1 are turned on, the communication adapter 1 is being activated. If the connection between the communication adapter 1 and the home electric appliance 10 is normal during the activation of the communication adapter 1, the power lamp 6 is turned on and the remaining two lamps remain off. If an abnormality is detected in the connection (communication or the like) between the communication adapter 1 and the home appliance 10 during the activation of the communication adapter 1, the power lamp 6 in the communication adapter 1 is not turned on, and the three lamps 6 to 8 are all turned off. ("☆ ● ●"). While the communication adapter 1 is activated, the lamp 18 of the home appliance 10B remains off (“●”).

  3) When an abnormality is detected in the connection (communication, etc.) between the communication adapter 1 and the home appliance 10, the power lamp 6 in the communication adapter 1 blinks and the remaining two lamps remain off (“△ ● ●”). ). Since some abnormality is detected on the communication adapter 1 side, the lamp 18 of the home appliance 10B blinks (“Δ”).

  4) When the connection (communication etc.) between the communication adapter 1 and the home appliance 10 is normal, but the connection between the communication adapter 1 and the wireless LAN is not set, only the power lamp 6 is lit and the remaining two The lamp remains off (“○ ● ●”). Since no abnormality is detected on the communication adapter 1 side, the lamp 18 of the home appliance 10B remains off (“●”).

  5) Although the connection (communication etc.) between the communication adapter 1 and the home appliance 10 is normal and the connection between the communication adapter 1 and the wireless LAN has been set, the registration between the server 20 and the home appliance 10 has not been set. In this case, the power lamp 6 and the wireless LAN lamp 7 are turned on, and only the link lamp 8 is turned off (“○ ○ ●”). Also in this case, since no abnormality is detected on the communication adapter 1 side, the lamp 18 of the home appliance 10B remains off (“●”).

  6) When the connection (communication etc.) between the communication adapter 1 and the home appliance 10 is normal, the connection between the communication adapter 1 and the wireless LAN is already set, and the registration between the server 20 and the home appliance 10 is already set, All the three lamps 6 to 8 are lit (“◯◯◯”). In this case, the lamp 18 of the home appliance 10B is also turned on (“◯”). In the remote control mode, during normal operation, the three lamps 6 to 8 of the communication adapter 1 are lit, and the lamp 18 of the home appliance 10B is also lit.

  7) Although the connection (communication etc.) between the communication adapter 1 and the home appliance 10 is normal, if there is an abnormality in communication between the communication adapter 1 and the wireless LAN, the power lamp 6 is lit, but the wireless LAN lamp 7 is Flashes. At this time, the link lamp 8 blinks when the registration between the server 20 and the home electric appliance 10 has been set, and goes off when the registration has not been set (“◯ Δ ☆)”). In this case, since some abnormality is detected on the communication adapter 1 side, the lamp 18 of the home appliance 10B also blinks (“Δ”).

  8) The connection (communication etc.) between the communication adapter 1 and the home appliance 10 is normal, and both the communication adapter 1 and the wireless LAN have been set, but there is an abnormality in the communication between the registered server 20 and the home appliance 10 In this case, the power lamp 6 and the wireless LAN lamp 7 are turned on, and only the link lamp 8 is blinked (“○ ○ Δ”). Also in this case, since some abnormality is detected on the communication adapter 1 side, the lamp 18 of the home appliance 10B blinks (“Δ”).

  FIG. 5 shows a communication state with a system corresponding to the ECHONET Lite standard, a display example of the adapter side lamp unit 5 of the communication adapter 1 indicating the communication state of the system (lighting state of the three lamps 6 to 8), a system The display content of the device-side lamp unit 16 of the home appliance 10B indicating the communication state (the lighting state of one lamp 18) is shown. Also in FIG. 5, “○” is lit (always lit), “●” is unlit, “△” is blinking, “☆” is either “○, ●, △” depending on the connection or registration status. It shows that it becomes.

  In the ECHONET Lite mode, since the home appliance 10 is not connected to the server 20, the link lamp 8 is always turned off. The communication status of the system shown in i) to iv) and each display of the adapter side lamp unit 5 and the device side lamp unit 16 are the same as in 1) to 4) of the remote control mode. The communication status of the system shown in v) and the indications on the adapter side lamp unit 5 and device side lamp unit 16 are the same as in 6) in the remote control mode. In the ECHONET Lite mode, the two lamps 6 and 7 are lit during normal operation. The communication status of the system shown in vi) and the indications on the adapter side lamp unit 5 and the device side lamp unit 16 are the same as in 7) of the remote control mode.

(Display example of detailed information displayed on display screen 33 of home appliance 10B with a built-in adapter)
FIG. 6 shows a display example of detailed information displayed on the display screen 33 of the home appliance 10B. When the communication adapter 1 detects any abnormality (device connection error, wireless LAN error, cloud error), the display screen 33 displays the content of the detected error and the countermeasure method. At this time, the device-side lamp unit 16 provided in the home appliance 10B is blinking.

  For example, in the case of a device connection error, error contents include “initialization failure” and “communication error with home appliance”. The countermeasures corresponding to the error contents are also displayed. Here, the countermeasure contents such as “state diagnosis relating to wireless LAN connection” of the countermeasure method for the wireless LAN error are also displayed on the display screen 33, but the amount of information to be displayed is large, and the display screen 33 On the other hand, if it is difficult to visually recognize such a small display area, a URL, a barcode, a QR code (registered trademark), or the like that can access an information site with details may be displayed.

(Main components of communication adapter 1 and adapter built-in home appliance 10B)
FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of main parts of the communication adapter 1 and the home appliance 10B. As shown in FIG. 7, the communication adapter 1 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, and a connection unit 24 in addition to the adapter side lamp unit 5.

  For example, the control unit 21 includes a computer device including an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a dedicated processor, and controls the operation of each unit of the communication adapter 1.

  When the data received from the server 20 (in the remote control mode) or the home controller (in the ECHONET Lite mode) is a control command that controls the home appliance 10, for example, the control unit 21 instructs the home appliance 10 to operate. This is transmitted to the home appliance 10.

  The storage unit 22 stores various information used in the communication adapter 1. The communication unit 23 performs mutual communication with the server 20 and the home controller via the communication network 62. The connection unit 24 communicates with the connection unit 14 of the home appliance 10. The connection between the connection unit 24 and the connection unit 14 of the home appliance 10 may be, for example, a connection using a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector.

  And in this embodiment, the control part 21 makes lighting of the three lamps 6-8 in the adapter side lamp part 5 based on the communication state of the communication part 23 and the connection part 24, and the various information which they acquire. Control and display the communication status of the system in the lighting state.

  The control unit 21 also has a function as a setting unit that sets ON / OFF of the adapter-side lamp unit 5. Here, the control unit 21 sets ON / OFF of the adapter side lamp unit 5 based on the type signal indicating the type of the home appliance 10 input from the home appliance 10.

  The type signal is a signal indicating whether the home appliance 10 is a refrigerator, an air conditioner, an air purifier, a microwave oven, a washing machine, or the like. As described above, depending on the type of home appliance 10, there are an external type in which the communication adapter 1 is installed outside the home appliance 10 and a built-in type in which the communication adapter 1 is installed inside the home appliance 10. . For example, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, and an air cleaner are externally attached, and a microwave oven and a washing machine are built-in.

  When the control unit 21 receives the type signal from the home appliance 10, the control unit 21 refers to the storage unit 22 and determines whether the home appliance 10 is an external type or a built-in type. If the controller 21 determines that it is an external type, it sets the adapter side lamp unit 5 to ON, and if it determines that it is a built-in type, it sets the adapter side lamp unit 5 to OFF.

  Further, the control unit 21 also has a function as a state information communication unit, and is connected with state information indicating a communication state between the communication adapter 1, the home appliance 10, and the server 20 via the communication adapter 1. Transmit to home appliance 10.

  Specifically, the status information includes a communication status between the communication adapter 1 and the home appliance 10, a communication status between the communication adapter 1 and the communication network 62, and the server 20 via the home appliance 10 and the communication network 62. It is information indicating a communication state.

  Here, the control unit 21 transmits the state information only when the adapter-side lamp unit 5 is set to OFF, in other words, only when the connected home appliance 10 is the built-in home appliance 10B. As a result, useless transmission is eliminated even in transmission of status information, and generation of further useless power consumption can be prevented.

  On the other hand, the home appliance 10B includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a driving operation unit 13, a connection unit 14, a communication unit 15, and a device-side lamp unit 16.

  The control part 11 consists of computer apparatuses comprised by arithmetic processing parts, such as CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a dedicated processor, for example, and controls operation | movement of each part of the household appliances 10. FIG. A control command is input to the control unit 11 from the server 20 or the home controller via the communication adapter 1. In addition, a control command from the remote controller 19 is input to the control unit 11 via the communication unit 15. The control unit 11 operates the driving operation unit 13 according to the received control command.

  The storage unit 12 stores various information used in the home appliance 10. The connection unit 14 performs mutual communication with the connection unit 24 of the communication adapter 1. The driving operation unit 13 performs various driving operations of the home appliance 10 under the control of the control unit 11. The communication unit 15 receives an operation instruction by short-range communication using infrared rays using the remote controller 19. The operation instruction received by the communication unit 15 is sent to the control unit 11, and various driving operations are executed under the control of the control unit 11. In this embodiment, the communication is performed using infrared rays. However, the communication may be performed using wireless or wired communication that can perform other short-range communication.

  And in this embodiment, the control part 11 drives the lamp | ramp 18 in the apparatus side lamp part 16 based on the status information input from the communication adapter 1, and simplifies the communication state of a system in the lighting state. Display.

  In addition, the control unit 11 has a function as a command unit that instructs the control unit 21 of the communication adapter 1 to set ON / OFF of the adapter-side lamp unit 5. Here, by transmitting the type information to the communication adapter 1, the communication adapter 1 side determines whether the home appliance 10 is a built-in type and performs the ON / OFF setting. It is good also as a structure which directs ON / OFF setting of the adapter side lamp part 5 with respect to the control part 21 directly.

  Furthermore, the control unit 11 also has a function as a detailed information display control unit 11 a that displays detailed information on abnormality of the communication state of the system on the display screen 33. Based on the status information input from the communication adapter 1, the detailed information display control unit 11 a displays detailed information on the abnormal communication state of the system on the display screen 33 when there is an abnormality in the communication state of the system.

  As the detailed information display data, data stored in the storage unit 12 in advance can be used. Further, in use in the remote control mode connected to the server 20, the display data of the detailed information stored in the storage unit 12 can be updated as appropriate and used.

  In the present embodiment, such detailed information is displayed when the dial 36 of the home appliance 10B is turned, when the door is opened, when the operation key unit 32 is operated, or when the operation is performed from the remote controller 19. Displayed when some operation is performed on the home electric appliance 10B, such as when received. Thus, by displaying in association with the use of the home appliance 10B, even if the user does not notice the blinking display of the device-side lamp unit 16, the occurrence of a communication abnormality (communication error) can be communicated.

  Or it is good also as a structure displayed when the display of detailed information is requested | required from the user. The detailed information display is requested by providing a button for accepting the request on the operation key unit 32, or by displaying the detailed information by pressing the blinking LED button by configuring the device side lamp unit 16 from the LED button. Or a specification that accepts the request.

  Moreover, you may combine both the structure displayed when operation which uses the household appliances 10B is made, and the structure displayed when the button etc. which receive the request | requirement of the display of detailed information are operated.

[Embodiment 2]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the home electric appliance 10B ′ of the present embodiment includes an audio output unit (audio output device) 35 such as a speaker, and the door can be opened or the operation key unit 32 can be opened with respect to the electric home appliance 10B ′. When the occurrence of a predetermined event is detected, such as when the user is operated or when an operation is received from the remote controller 19, a function to speak (voice output function) is provided.

  In the home appliance 10B ′ having such a function to speak, the communication state of the system is set based on the state information indicating the communication state of the system input from the communication adapter 1 by using the speech function instead of the display function. When there is an abnormality, the detailed information (error contents and countermeasures) of the abnormality in the communication state of the system is uttered.

  Specifically, a detailed information audio output control unit 11b that controls the audio output unit 35 instead of the detailed information display control unit 11a is constructed in the control unit 11 ′, and the detailed information audio output control unit 11b is configured as the audio output unit 35. Talk detailed information using.

  As the audio data of the detailed information, data stored in the storage unit 12 in advance can be used. Further, in use in the remote control mode connected to the server 20, the audio data of the detailed information stored in the storage unit 12 can be updated as appropriate and used.

  The detailed information utterance timing is the same as the detailed information display timing of the first embodiment. By the way, the configuration for displaying the detailed information is not limited to the case where the communication state of the system is abnormal, and may be configured to display that the system is normal even when it is normal. However, when uttering detailed information, the user may feel annoyed if the utterance is performed even when the communication state of the system is normal. Therefore, when the speech function is used, it is preferable that the detailed information on the communication state of the system is uttered only when the communication state of the system is abnormal.

  Moreover, it is good also as a structure which utters, when the utterance of detailed information is requested | required from the user. The request for the detailed information utterance is made by providing a button for accepting the request in the operation key unit 32, or by constituting the device side lamp unit 16 from the LED button and pressing the blinking LED button. Or a specification that accepts the request.

  Moreover, you may combine both the structure which speaks when operation which uses the household appliances 10B is made, and the structure which speaks, when the button etc. which receive the request | requirement of the detailed information speech are operated.

  According to the above configuration, since the detailed information can be confirmed by voice, it is easier to recognize the occurrence of an abnormality in the communication state than the detailed information is displayed on the display screen 33 of the home appliance 10B, and the detailed information is followed. There is an advantage that measures are easy to implement.

[Other Embodiments]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, in the communication adapter 1 and the home electric appliance 10B according to the above-described embodiment, a part that can change a part of the specification / configuration, a function that can be added, and the like will be described. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  (1) In the home appliance 10B, when operated from the remote controller 19, instead of the display screen 33, the display screen 34 (see FIG. 7) of the remote controller 19 displays detailed information on the abnormality in the communication state of the system. Also good. Alternatively, the detailed information may be displayed on the display screen 34 of the remote controller 19 together with the display screen 33 regardless of the operation from the remote controller 19.

  Specifically, the detailed information display control unit 11 a instructs the remote controller 19 via the communication unit 15 to display the detailed information on the display screen 34. Since the remote controller 19 can be carried, there is an advantage that it is easy to execute a countermeasure according to the detailed information while checking the display screen 34 of the remote controller 19 [Embodiment 3].

  (2) In the home appliance 10B, when the home appliance 10B has neither the display screen 33 nor the display screen 34 of the remote controller 19, as a detailed information notification unit for notifying detailed information of an abnormality in the communication state of the system, 7 The Seg LED may be mounted on the home appliance 10B, and the error code corresponding to the generated abnormality may be displayed as it is in hexadecimal (0 to F) using the 7-segment LED.

  In this case, the user accesses the service server managed by the manufacturer of the home appliance 10B using an information terminal including the personal computer and the communication terminal device 30, inputs the error code, and indicates the error code. The content of the abnormalities (errors) and countermeasures are acquired and dealt with [Embodiment 4].

  (3) In the home appliance 10B, when the home appliance 10B has neither the display screen 33 nor the display screen 34 of the remote controller 19 and cannot be provided with a 7-segment LED, the detailed information notification unit is simplified. You may share the apparatus side lamp | ramp part 16 which comprises a communication status display part. In this case, an error code corresponding to the abnormality that has occurred is displayed in the blinking pattern of one lamp 18 provided in the device-side lamp unit 16.

  Also in this case, the user accesses the service server managed by the manufacturer of the home appliance 10B using an information terminal including the personal computer and the communication terminal device 30, and selects the blinking pattern displayed. The content of the abnormality (error) indicated by the blinking pattern and the countermeasure method are acquired and dealt with [Embodiment 5].

  (4) The communication adapter 1 may be provided with a switch for setting ON / OFF of the adapter side lamp unit 5. When attached to the built-in home appliance 10B, the adapter side lamp unit 5 is set to OFF using this switch, and then mounted on the home appliance 10B [Embodiment 6].

  (5) A pin or the like that functions as an OFF setting switch is provided at an installation location of the communication adapter 1 in the home appliance 10B with a built-in adapter, and a hole that engages with the pin is provided in the communication adapter 1 The communication adapter 1 may be configured to set the adapter-side lamp unit 5 to OFF when a pin on the home appliance 10B side is engaged with the one hole.

  The control unit 21 in the communication adapter 1 sets the adapter-side lamp unit 5 to OFF by engaging an OFF setting pin provided in the home appliance 10B with a predetermined hole of the communication adapter 1 [Embodiment 7]. ].

  (6) In the first embodiment, the display examples of the adapter side lamp unit 5 are shown using FIGS. 4 and 5, but these do not represent all the communication states of the system. There is also a display (lighted state) not shown in FIG. For example, during WPS (while searching for a wireless LAN base unit), the power lamp 6 is turned on, the wireless LAN lamp 7 is blinking, and the link lamp 8 is turned off (“◯ Δ ●”). Further, when an operation for registering the home appliance 10 (selecting a home appliance to be registered) is performed in the registration setting operation between the home appliance 10 and the server 20, the power lamp 6 is turned on, the wireless LAN lamp 7 is blinked, and the link The lamp 8 blinks (for 2 seconds) (“○ △ △ (2 seconds)”). Such a lighting state is a display indicating that registration work is in progress. Further, when an operation (link) for permitting registration of the home appliance 10 is performed on the communication adapter 1 side, the power lamp 6 is turned on, the wireless LAN lamp 7 is turned on, and the link lamp 8 is blinked (for 2 seconds) (“○ ○ Δ (2 seconds) ”). Such a dot state is a display indicating an adapter registration permission (linkable) state.

  In such a case, the home appliance 10B is not abnormal in the communication state of the system, but displays an utterance or display such as “Registration setting operation between the home appliance 10 and the server 20” indicating the detailed information of the content. It is good also as a structure to perform [Embodiment 8].

(7) In the home appliance 10B, when a plurality of abnormalities occur in the communication state of the system, once the detailed information of one occurring abnormality is notified by display or utterance, then again When it is time to notify the detailed information on the abnormality, such as when the home appliance 10B is used, the detailed information on the unreported abnormality is notified by display or speech. At this time, when there is detailed information of an abnormality that has not been notified to the user, a configuration may be adopted in which the user is informed that there is unreported detailed information by, for example, blinking a button for accepting a display or utterance request [Embodiment 9]. .
[Example of software implementation]
The control blocks (particularly the detailed information display control unit 11a and the detailed information audio output control unit 11b) of the communication adapter 1 and the home appliance 10B are realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like. Alternatively, it may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

  In the latter case, the communication adapter 1 and the home appliance 10B include a CPU that executes instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function, and a ROM (Read that records the above-described program and various data so that the computer (or CPU) can read them. Only Memory) or a storage device (these are referred to as “recording media”), a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program, and the like. And the objective of this invention is achieved when a computer (or CPU) reads the said program from the said recording medium and runs it. As the recording medium, a “non-temporary tangible medium” such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. The program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) that can transmit the program. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Summary]
The communication adapter 1 which concerns on aspect 1 of this invention enables communication with this electric equipment (home appliance 10) and the communication network 62 by being connected to an electric equipment (home appliance 10), and the said communication adapter 1 and the said A communication adapter 1 including a communication state display unit (adapter-side lamp unit 5) that displays a communication state between an electric device (home appliance 10) and a server device (server 20) via the communication network 62. The setting unit (control unit 21) for setting ON / OFF of the communication state display unit (adapter-side lamp unit 5) and the state information indicating the communication state are transmitted to the connected electrical device (home appliance 10A). And a state information transmission unit (control unit 21).

  Some electrical devices to which the communication adapter is attached are installed so that they can be seen outside the electrical device, while others are installed so as not to be seen inside the electrical device. If the communication adapter is shared between such various electric devices, there is an advantage that the cost can be reduced. However, if an electric device that can be attached to an external type is incorporated in the electric device as it is, the communication state display unit performs useless display.

  According to the above configuration, the communication state display unit can be turned ON / OFF by the setting unit. Therefore, when the built-in type is used, the communication state display unit is set to OFF so that the no communication state display unit is wasted. It is possible to avoid an increase in standby power of the electric equipment by eliminating the display.

  Then, since the status information transmission unit transmits the status information indicating the communication status to the connected electrical device, the communication status is connected even if the communication status display unit is not visible because it is used in a built-in type. Can be communicated to the electrical equipment.

  Thereby, the communication adapter which can be used suitably for both an external type and a built-in type can be provided.

  The communication adapter 1 according to the second aspect of the present invention further includes a communication status display unit (adapter side) based on the type information indicating the type of the electric device received by the setting unit from the electric device (home appliance 10). It is determined whether or not the lamp unit 5) is an electric device to be set to OFF, and if it is determined to be an electric device to be set to OFF, the setting unit (control unit 21) displays a communication state display unit (adapter side lamp). The unit 5) can be configured to be set to OFF.

  In the above configuration, the setting unit determines, based on the type information received from the electric device, whether the electric device to which the communication adapter is connected is an electric device whose communication state display unit should be set to OFF. If it is determined that it should be set to OFF, the communication status display unit is set to OFF.

  When the built-in type with a built-in communication adapter or the external type with a built-in communication adapter is set according to the type of electrical equipment, this configuration enables communication only by connecting the communications adapter to the electrical equipment. ON / OFF of the status display section can be set.

  In the communication adapter according to the third aspect of the present invention, the status information transmission unit (control unit 21) further displays the status information only when the communication status display unit (adapter side lamp unit 5) is set to OFF. It can also be set as the structure which transmits.

  According to the above configuration, the state information is transmitted to the electric device only when the communication state is required on the electric device side in which the electric device is installed. Power can be saved by eliminating transmission.

  The electrical device (home appliance 10B) according to aspect 4 of the present invention is an electrical device (home electrical appliance 10B) that is connected to the communication adapter 1 according to aspect 1 of the present invention and can communicate with the communication network 62. And ON / OFF setting of the communication status display unit (adapter-side lamp unit 5) for the setting unit (control unit 21) of the communication adapter 1 connected to the electric device (home appliance 10B). And a simple communication state display unit (apparatus side lamp unit 16) that simplifies and displays the communication state based on the state information received from the communication adapter 1. It is characterized by that.

  According to the said structure, ON / OFF setting of the communication status display part of a communication adapter can be performed from an electric equipment using an instruction | command part.

  Furthermore, according to the above configuration, since the simple communication state display unit displays the communication state in a simplified manner based on the state information received from the communication adapter, even if the communication adapter is built in the electric device, The communication state can be confirmed. In addition, since it is shown in a simplified manner, the appearance design of the electric device is not greatly hindered, and the cost can be kept low.

  The electrical apparatus (home appliance 10B) according to aspect 5 of the present invention is further an electrical apparatus 10B that is connected to the communication adapter 1 according to aspect 4 of the present invention and can communicate with the communication network 62. A configuration including a detailed information notification unit (detailed information display control unit 11a, detailed information audio output control unit 11b) that notifies the user of detailed information including the content of the abnormality and a countermeasure method when there is an abnormality in the communication state; You can also

  According to the above configuration, when the detailed information notification unit has an abnormality in the communication state, the user is notified of the detailed information including the content of the abnormality and the countermeasure method. The contents can be grasped and a countermeasure for eliminating the abnormality can be executed according to the notified countermeasure method.

  The electrical device (home appliance 10B) according to the aspect 6 of the present invention further includes a display device (display screens 33 and 34) for displaying various information, and the detailed information notification unit (detailed information display control unit 11a) includes: The detailed information may be displayed on the display device (display screens 33 and 34).

  According to the above configuration, since detailed information is displayed on the display device, it is possible to execute a countermeasure for eliminating the abnormality according to the display.

  The electrical device (home appliance 10B) according to the seventh aspect of the present invention further includes a sound output device (sound output unit 35), and the detailed information notification unit (detailed information sound output control unit 11b) includes the sound output device. The detailed information may be output as audio by the audio output unit 35.

  According to the above configuration, since the detailed information is output by voice from the voice output unit, it is easier to confirm than the configuration displayed on the display unit, and measures for eliminating the abnormality are easier to execute.

  The control unit 21 of the communication adapter 1 and the control unit 11 of the electric device (home appliance 10B) according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the computer is used as the control units 21 and 11. A control program that causes the control units 21 and 11 to be realized by a computer by operating them and a computer-readable recording medium that records the control program also fall within the scope of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a new technical feature can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a communication adapter that connects a home appliance to a communication network by connecting the home appliance, and a home appliance that includes a communication adapter.

1 Communication adapter 2 Power switch 3 Wireless LAN button 4 Link button 5 Adapter side lamp section (communication status display section)
6 Power lamp 7 Wireless LAN lamp 8 Link lamp 10 Home appliances (electrical equipment)
10A Household appliances (external electric devices)
10B Household appliances (built-in electrical equipment)
11 Control unit (command unit)
11a Detailed information display control unit (detailed information notification unit)
11b Detailed information audio output control unit (detailed information notification unit)
12 storage unit 16 device side lamp unit (simple communication status display unit)
19 remote control 20 server 21 control unit (setting unit, status information transmission unit)
22 Storage Unit 30 Communication Terminal Device 33, 34 Display Screen 35 Audio Output Unit 36 Dial 40 Relay Station 50 User Home 62 Communication Network

Claims (5)

Communication state display unit that enables communication between the electric device and the communication network by being connected to the electric device, and displays a communication state between the communication adapter, the electric device, and the server device via the communication network A communication adapter comprising:
A setting unit for setting ON / OFF of the communication state display unit;
A communication adapter, comprising: a status information transmission unit configured to transmit status information indicating the communication status to a connected electrical device.   Based on the type information indicating the type of the electrical device received from the electrical device, the setting unit determines whether the communication state display unit is an electrical device that should be set to OFF, and The communication adapter according to claim 1, wherein when the device is determined to be a device, the communication state display unit is set to OFF.   The communication adapter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the status information transmission unit transmits the status information only when the communication status display unit is set to OFF. An electrical device connected to the communication adapter according to claim 1 and capable of communicating with a communication network,
A command unit for instructing setting of ON / OFF of the communication state display unit to the setting unit of the communication adapter connected to the electrical device,
An electric device comprising: a simple communication state display unit that simplifies and displays a communication state based on the state information received from the communication adapter.   The electrical apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a detailed information notification unit that notifies the user of detailed information including an abnormality content and a countermeasure method when the communication state is abnormal.

Images