JP2017062054A - Monitoring system for multi-hot water supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a monitoring device for multi-hot water supply system, capable of automatically detecting misconnection between components constituting a multi-hot water supply system.SOLUTION: A multi-hot water supply system is provided with a communication adapter 4 configured to transmit various information acquired from the multi-hot water supply system to a remote management server 1, and executes processing of: acquiring, through communication between the communication adapter 4 and a plurality of system controllers P, SC constituting the multi-hot water supply system, system constitution information indicating respective connection relationships between a plurality of water heaters WH and the system controllers P, SC; transmitting the acquired system constitution information to a management server 1; and determining whether the connection relationships are normal or not based on the acquired system constitution information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a monitoring system for a multi-type hot water supply system that enables hot water supply with a large capacity by connecting a plurality of water heaters.

  In recent years, as a commercial hot water supply system, a multi-hot water supply system using a plurality of gas instantaneous water heaters is being adopted instead of a hot water supply system combining a boiler and a hot water storage tank. The multi-hot water supply system can continue hot water supply by backup operation of other water heaters even if one of the water heaters breaks down, eliminating the need for a dedicated machine room, and relatively easy to carry in / out / replace components There are various advantages such that it can be easily performed and a special engineer such as a boiler engineer is unnecessary and can be operated only by a simple remote control operation.

  The applicant of the present application has conventionally developed the above-described multi-hot-water supply system, which is disclosed, for example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below.

  Also, in Patent Document 3 below, a relay adapter (communication adapter) is provided that relays between the devices constituting the multi-hot water supply system and the management center, and various information in the multi-hot-water supply system is transmitted to the management center for remote control. A remote management system managed by the system is disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 3606032 Japanese Patent No. 3608492 JP 2007-274710 A

  In the multi-water heater system, for example, a maximum of 24 water heaters are connected by a plurality of system controllers having a hierarchical structure, and the connection between each device (water heater and system controller) becomes complicated and is constructed. Since the number of water heaters and system controllers in each facility is different and the connection relationship is also different, erroneous connection between devices is likely to occur during construction.

  However, the conventional multi-hot-water supply system and the remote management system thereof have not been provided with a function for determining whether or not the connection relationship between the devices is normal.

  Therefore, the present invention automatically detects an abnormality in the connection relationship between the devices constituting the multi-hot water supply system that performs hot water supply according to the required hot water supply capacity by controlling the number of operating water heaters. It aims at providing the monitoring system for the multi-hot-water supply system which can alert | report to an installer.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following technical means.

  That is, the present invention is a monitoring system for a multi-water heater system in which the operation number of a plurality of water heaters is controlled by at least one system controller, and the connection relationship between each of the plurality of water heaters and the system controller An erroneous connection determination processing unit is provided for determining whether or not is normal based on system configuration information acquired by communication with the system controller (claim 1).

  According to the monitoring system for a multi-hot water system of the present invention, based on the system configuration information acquired by communication with the system controller, it is determined whether or not the connection relationship between each of the plurality of hot water heaters and the system controller is normal. Therefore, it is possible to detect an erroneous connection based on the actual system configuration information automatically collected. For example, it is possible to automatically detect whether there is an erroneous connection during a test operation of the monitoring system immediately after construction.

  Each system controller preferably monitors whether or not other system components (other system controllers or water heaters) are connected to the lower side, and stores and holds the connection information. In this case, the erroneous connection determination processing unit can acquire connection information with a device connected directly under each system controller by communication with each system controller. When multiple system controllers are connected in a hierarchy, the erroneous connection determination processing unit is first directly connected to the lower connection port of the highest (first hierarchy) system controller by communication with the highest system controller. Information of the lower-level second-level system controller is acquired, the second-level system controller to be communicated next is specified based on the connection information, and the specified second-level system controller is identified Connection information with a lower-level third-level device (water heater or lower-level system controller) that is directly connected to the lower-level connection port of the second-level system controller through communication with By repeating, even if the multi-hot water supply system is configured in multiple layers, it shows the actual connection relationship Collect connection information between devices, you can obtain system configuration information comprising connection information between all the equipment. When the highest-level system controller is configured to collect and manage system configuration information for the entire multi-hot water supply system, the erroneous connection determination processing unit communicates with only the highest-level system controller so that the highest-level system controller It is also possible to acquire system configuration information to be managed, and perform misconnection determination based on the system configuration information. Also, each system controller can be configured so that the erroneous connection determination processing unit can access the lower side connection port of each system controller (each system controller functions as a communication repeater). In this case, each system controller It is not always required that the controller stores and holds the above connection information, and the system connection information is obtained by the erroneous connection determination processing unit accessing the lower connection ports of all the system controllers in order from the upper system controller. It can also be configured to collect.

  The monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system according to the present invention may further include a notifying unit for notifying that the connection relationship is abnormal when the erroneous connection determination processing unit determines that the connection relationship is not normal ( Claim 2). According to this, it is possible to notify the installer that there is an erroneous connection (the connection relationship is abnormal), and a quick response can be performed.

  The system may further include a remote management server that manages system configuration information indicating connection relationships between the plurality of water heaters and the system controller, and the erroneous connection determination processing unit is attached to the multi-water heater system. The communication adapter can have a function of transmitting the system configuration information to the remote management server (claim 3). According to this, by providing a system adapter information acquisition function to a communication adapter installed to connect the multi-hot water supply system so as to communicate with the remote management server, the system controller constituting the multi-hot water supply system can Even if a function for collecting and managing the connection relationship is not provided, the system configuration information indicating the connection relationship of the entire system is collected, and the system configuration information is managed by the remote management server. System configuration information can be viewed from any terminal, and a more complete maintenance service can be provided.

  Further, the communication adapter can be configured to transmit the determination result of the erroneous connection determination processing unit together with the system configuration information to the remote management server. According to this, the communication adapter can perform correct / incorrect connection relation using the system configuration information acquired for transmission to the remote management server, and the system configuration for collecting management information in the remote management server It is not necessary to acquire system configuration information only to determine whether the connection relationship is correct or not separately from information acquisition. For example, monitoring for confirming whether the remote management server and the communication adapter are normally connected Whether or not the connection relationship is normal while shortening the time required for the test run by performing a correct / incorrect determination of the connection relationship based on the system configuration information acquired for transmission to the remote management server during the test run of the system Can be determined and transmitted to the remote management server.

  The erroneous connection determination processing unit can also be realized as a function incorporated in the remote management server. In this case, if the communication adapter functions as a relay device for communication between the remote management server and the multiple hot water supply system. good. Moreover, although it is preferable to provide a communication adapter separately from the remote control for operating the multi-hot-water supply system, the remote control can function as the erroneous connection determination processing unit. Moreover, a communication adapter can be functioned as the said alerting | reporting part, for example, when some abnormality is detected in connection relation, abnormality notification can be carried out by the LED indicator provided in the communication adapter. In addition, the terminal device brought into the site by the installer can also function as a notification unit. Further, the present invention does not have to be able to detect all connection abnormalities, and may be able to detect only a clear erroneous connection or a presumed erroneous connection pattern.

  As described above, according to the monitoring system for a multi-hot-water supply system according to claim 1 of the present invention, based on the system configuration information acquired by communication with the system controller, each of the plurality of hot water heaters and the system controller is connected. Since it is determined whether or not the relationship is normal, it is possible to detect an erroneous connection based on automatically collected actual system configuration information, for example, whether or not there is an erroneous connection during a test run of the monitoring system immediately after construction. Can be detected.

  Furthermore, according to the monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system according to claim 2 of the present invention, it is possible to notify the installer on the spot that there is an erroneous connection (the connection relationship is abnormal), and a quick response is possible. It can be carried out.

  According to the monitoring system for a multi-hot-water supply system according to claim 3 of the present invention, a communication adapter installed to connect the multi-hot-water supply system to be able to communicate with the remote management server is provided with a system configuration information acquisition function. Therefore, even if the system controller that constitutes the multi-hot water supply system is not provided with a function for collecting and managing the connection relation of the entire system, the system configuration information indicating the connection relation of the entire system is collected and the system configuration information is By managing with the management server, the system configuration information can be viewed from an appropriate terminal accessible to the server, and a more complete maintenance service can be provided.

  Moreover, according to the monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system according to claim 4 of the present invention, the communication adapter can make a correct / incorrect determination of the connection relationship using the system configuration information acquired for transmission to the remote management server. In addition to the acquisition of system configuration information for collecting management information in the remote management server, there is no need to acquire system configuration information only for correct / incorrect connection relations. For example, the remote management server and the communication adapter The time required for trial operation by performing a correct / incorrect connection relationship based on the system configuration information acquired for transmission to the remote management server during the test operation of the monitoring system to confirm whether it is normally connected. It is possible to determine whether or not the connection relationship is normal and transmit it to the remote management server while shortening the time.

1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a multi-hot water supply system and a remote monitoring system thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic system block diagram in case there exists a misconnection in the multi hot-water supply system. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen which displays that it is an incorrect connection.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a multi-hot-water supply system and a remote monitoring system thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multi-hot-water supply system of the present embodiment includes one system controller P (hereinafter, “ A parent system controller SC), a maximum of four lowest system controllers SC (hereinafter referred to as “child system computers”) connected in parallel to the lower level of the parent system controller P, and the hierarchy of each child system computer SC. A total of 24 (maximum) water heaters WH connected to a maximum of 6 units on the lower side are provided, and these components are connected hierarchically with the parent syscon P as the apex, and hot water is supplied by the parent syscon P and the child syscon SC. The number of operating units of the unit WH is controlled. The content of the operation number control by the parent syscon P and the child syscon SC may be any, and in the present invention, the content of the operation number control is not limited to a specific one. It may be disclosed.

  Note that FIG. 1 is shown as an example, and for each multi-hot-water system installed in each facility, the number of connected child syscons SC and the connection of the hot-water heater WH according to the required maximum hot-water supply capacity, etc. The number is arbitrary. Further, if the number of water heaters WH is 6 or less, the parent syscon P is not installed, and only one child syscon SC (in this case, simply referred to as the syscon SC) is used. A system configuration for controlling the number of operating units can also be allowed. In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the child syscon SC is provided in one layer under the parent syscon P. However, a multi-layer hot water supply system in which the child syscons are hierarchically connected under each child syscon SC. Can also be constructed. In addition, the numerical strings shown in the parent syscon P and each child syscon SC in FIG. 1 schematically show the collection management state of connection information in each syscon, and have a structure as physically illustrated. It does not exist.

  In the present embodiment, the parent syscon P includes four lower connection ports for connecting up to four child syscons SC on the lower layer side, and the child syscon SC is connected to each connection port with a two-core communication line or the like. Are connected to each other via the communication line L1, and the parent syscon P and each child syscon SC can transmit and receive various information (including various command signals) to each other via the communication line L1. Further, the parent syscon P performs a connection confirmation process for determining whether or not the child syscon SC is connected to each lower-side connection port as a lower-side device at a predetermined time or at a predetermined timing (for example, at the start or end of a hot water supply operation). ), And stores and holds connection information with lower-order devices whose connection has been confirmed. The connection information with the lower-level device stored and held by the parent syscon P includes, for example, 4-bit digital data indicating whether or not the lower-level device is connected to each of the four lower-level connection ports. Specifically, “1111” if the lower device SC is connected to all four ports, “0000” if not connected to any of the four ports, the first, second and fourth as shown in the example. If connected to a port, digital data set as “1101” can be included. In the present embodiment, even when the water heater WH is directly connected to the lower connection port of the parent syscon P as a lower device, “1” is set as the connection information of the port. ing.

  The parent syscon P also stores and holds predetermined device information (for example, a model number, a software version number, etc.) for specifying its own model. Furthermore, “1” is set and stored as an identification code indicating that it is a parent syscon, and this identification code is added to the connection information, and “1 1101” is stored and held as connection information in the illustrated example. ing. The parent syscon P is configured to constantly monitor all ports during startup and update the connection information at predetermined time intervals, for example. Further, the parent syscon P can also acquire and store the device information of each child syscon SC from each child syscon SC through communication with the connected child syscon SC.

  Each child syscon SC has an upper connection port for connecting to the parent syscon P, and the communication line L1 is connected to the port. In addition, the child syscon SC has six lower side connection ports for connecting up to six hot water heaters WH on the lower layer side, and the hot water heater WH is connected to each lower side connection port such as a two-core communication line. Each is connected via a communication line L2, and the child syscon SC and the water heater WH are configured to be able to transmit and receive various information (including various command signals) to each other via the communication line L2. Similarly to the parent syscon P, the child syscon SC also performs connection confirmation processing for determining whether or not the hot water heater WH is connected to each lower layer connection port at predetermined time intervals or at predetermined timing, and the connection is confirmed. Connection information with the water heater WH is stored and held. The connection information with the water heater WH stored and held by the child syscon SC includes, for example, 6-bit digital data indicating whether or not the water heater WH is connected to each of the six lower side connection ports. Specifically, “111111” if the water heater WH is connected to all six ports, “000000” if not connected to any of the two ports, 2 as in the second child syscon SC from the top in FIG. If connected to the 3rd, 3rd, 5th and 6th ports, digital data set as “011011” can be included. Each child syscon SC also stores and holds predetermined device information for specifying its own model, and “0” is set and stored as an identification code indicating that it is a child syscon. Such an identification code is added to the connection information, and for example, the child syscon SC shown second from the top in FIG. 1 stores and holds “0 0110111” as connection information. The child syscon SC is configured to constantly monitor all ports during startup and update the connection information at predetermined time intervals, for example. The child syscon SC can also acquire and store the device information of each water heater WH from each water heater WH through communication with the connected water heater WH.

  The water heater WH includes a connection port for connecting to the child syscon SC, and the communication line L2 is connected to the connection port. Each water heater WH also stores and holds predetermined device information for specifying its own model. The water heater WH also stores and holds hot water heater state information including past total supply heat amount information supplied from the own device, error information of the own device, and failure information of the own device. The water heater status information may include other appropriate information, for example, information on the type of fuel gas (type of city gas, propane gas, etc.) and the total operation time. Further, although no lower system is connected to the water heater WH, in this embodiment, connection information of the same format as that of the child syscon WC is stored and held in each water heater WH. Specifically, “0 000000” is stored. That is, the same data as the connection information stored and held in the child syscon SC to which no hot water heater WH is connected is set as the connection information stored and held in each water heater WH.

  Moreover, the multi-hot-water supply system of this embodiment is equipped with the remote control RC for performing the operation | movement operation of the whole system, and this remote control RC is connected to the hierarchy upper side connection port of the parent syscon P via the 2 core communication line L3. It is connected. A plurality of upper layer connection ports of the parent syscon P are provided in parallel, and a communication adapter 4 described later is also connected to the upper layer connection port of the parent syscon P via the two-core communication line L3. The parent syscon P, the remote controller RC, and the communication adapter 4 can communicate with each other via the communication line L3.

  The remote monitoring system of the present embodiment is carried by a remote management server 1 connected to the Internet, a monitoring terminal 2 (display device) provided in a call center that performs error confirmation and service arrangement of the multi-hot water supply system, and a maintenance company. Communication terminal 3 (terminal equipment) and a communication adapter 4 installed for each multi-hot-water supply system. Each terminal 2 and 3 is communicably connected to the remote management server 1 via the Internet. . The communication adapter 4 includes a control unit mainly composed of a microprocessor, and is connected to the management server 1 via a mobile phone communication network and the Internet so as to be able to communicate with each other, and a communication line such as a two-core communication line. It is connected to the parent syscon P via L3 so that they can communicate with each other. The communication adapter 4 is connected to a mobile phone network via a router 5 connected via a LAN cable. Power can be supplied to the router 5 from a power supply board (not shown), and power can be supplied to the communication adapter 4 via the two-core communication line L3.

  The remote management server 1 acquires system configuration information indicating the connection relationships of the plurality of hot water heaters WH, the parent syscon P, and the child syscon SC constituting each multi hot water supply system from the communication adapter 4 of each multi hot water system. Thus, each multi-hot-water supply system is managed, and may be configured in the form of a file server, may be configured in the form of a relational database server, or any other appropriate form. In the present embodiment, the remote management server 1 manages system configuration information in a database format in a mode that can identify a connection relationship in which the highest-level component devices are hierarchically connected to each other for each multi-hot-water supply system. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, for each component device, a device ID (ID01 ~), connection information between the device and its lower-level devices (for example, “1 1101” in the device of ID01 in FIG. 1), The device information (xxxx) of the device and other information can be managed in association with each other.

  The monitoring terminal 2 and the communication terminal 3 refer to the system configuration information managed by the remote management server 1, and a plurality of water heaters WH, a parent system controller P, and Each connection relation of the child syscons SC is configured to be displayed on the display screen using a hierarchical structure diagram as shown in FIG. 3, for example. In addition, the program for displaying the connection relationship of the component apparatus in a desired multi-hot-water supply system with reference to the system configuration information which the remote management server 1 manages can also be installed in each terminal 2 and 3, It is also possible to use the terminals 2 and 3 as simple display terminals or Web terminals and transfer the system configuration diagram generated on the management server 1 side to the terminals 2 and 3 for display.

  In addition, the monitoring terminal 2 and the communication terminal 3 can directly configure the configuration information directly via the Internet or indirectly via the remote management server 1 with respect to the communication adapter 4 of the multi-hot water supply system specified by performing a predetermined operation. It is configured to issue an acquisition request.

  The communication adapter 4 is configured to be able to communicate with the parent syscon P, the remote controller RC, and the child syscon SC. When the communication adapter 4 communicates with the child syscon SC, the parent syscon P functions as a communication relay device. . The communication adapter 4 assigns a unique device ID to each system controller P, SC and hot water heater WH for each connection location. Specifically, for example, the connection port of the communication adapter 4 has ID01, ID02 to ID05 are assigned to the first to fourth lower connection ports of the syscon P, ID06 to ID11 are assigned to the lower connection ports of the child syscon SC of ID02, and ID12 to ID17 and ID04 are assigned to the lower connection ports of the child syscon SC of ID03. ID18 to ID23 are assigned to the lower side connection ports of the child syscon SC, and ID24 to ID29 are given to the lower side connection ports of the child syscon SC of ID05, and the devices connected to each port are managed using these device IDs.

  Further, the communication adapter 4 determines whether or not the connection relationship between the parent syscon P and the plurality of child syscon SCs and the connection relationship between each child syscon SC and the plurality of water heaters WH are normal. And an erroneous connection determination processing unit that is determined based on system configuration information acquired by communication with each of the child syscon SCs. The erroneous connection determination processing unit is controlled by the control unit of the communication adapter 4 that executes the corresponding program. Control can be configured.

  In one embodiment, the erroneous connection determination processing unit determines the connection relationship during a test run of the communication adapter 4 that is executed by performing a predetermined test run start operation of an operation unit (not shown) provided in the communication adapter 4. Can be configured to perform processing. When the trial operation is started, the erroneous connection determination processing unit is connected to the system controller P.10 constituting the multi-hot water supply system. A connection information acquisition request is issued to the SC, and the system configuration information of the multi-hot water supply system is acquired by collecting the communication results with the system controllers P and SC and the information returned from the system controllers P and SC.

  An example of such system configuration information acquisition processing will be specifically described based on the system configuration shown in FIG. 1. First, the erroneous connection determination processing unit of the communication adapter 4 is directly connected to the ID01 device, that is, the communication adapter 4. A connection information acquisition request is issued to the parent syscon P.

  When receiving the connection information acquisition request from the communication adapter 4, the parent syscon P returns the connection information “1 1101” managed by itself to the request source, that is, the communication adapter 4. When returning connection information, the model information of the own device stored in the own device can also be added.

  If there is a reply from the parent syscon P, the communication adapter 4 analyzes the connection information “1 1101” sent back from the parent syscon P, so that the device of ID01 is the parent syscon P and 1 of the parent syscon P. It is determined that the lower device is connected to the second, second, and fourth lower connection ports, and the lower device is not connected to the third lower connection port.

  On the other hand, if there is no reply from the parent syscon P even after a predetermined time has elapsed after issuing the connection information acquisition request, and if the returned connection information is “1 0000”, that is, one child syscon SC Is not connected, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the connection relationship. When it is determined that there is an abnormality in the connection relationship, the communication adapter 4 interrupts the trial operation, and notifies the installer that there is an abnormality in the connection relationship using an LED display or a buzzer provided in the communication adapter 4. . Thus, the communication adapter 4 constitutes a notification unit that notifies that the connection relationship is abnormal when the erroneous connection determination processing unit determines that the connection relationship is not normal. It is also possible to determine what kind of abnormality is caused by changing the notification mode, for example, the number of blinks of the LED indicator, the blinking speed, and the number to be displayed, depending on the type of abnormality. In the example, it is possible to change the notification mode between the case where there is no reply from the parent syscon P and the case where no child syscon SC is connected.

  In addition, when the returned connection information is not that of the parent syscon P, that is, when the identification code included in the connection information is not “1”, it can be determined that there is an abnormality in the connection relationship. It is also possible to allow only one child syscon SC to be directly connected to the communication adapter 4. In this case, by analyzing the returned connection information, the device of ID01 is the child syscon SC, and the child syscon SC It is possible to determine to which port of the hot water heater WH is connected.

  When there is a reply from the parent syscon P, the communication adapter 4 next makes all the lower level devices connected to the parent syscon P based on the connection information sent back from the parent syscon P, that is, the child A connection information acquisition request is sequentially issued to the syscon SC using the device ID. In the example shown in the figure, it is known that the lower side devices are connected to the lower side connection ports of ID02, ID03, and ID05, so that each lower side device is connected to the lower side connection port of the parent system controller P. Issue a connection information acquisition request.

  When the child syscon SC receives the connection information acquisition request from the communication adapter 4, it returns the connection information managed by itself to the communication adapter 4. In this case as well, the model information of the own device stored in the own device can be added when the connection information is returned.

  If there is a reply from each lower side device, the communication adapter 4 analyzes the returned connection information. If the connection information is “0 000000”, is the lower side device a water heater WH? Alternatively, since it is possible to determine that the hot water heater WH is a child syscon SC to which no unit is connected, it is determined that the connection relationship is abnormal in this case as well, and similar notification is performed. Furthermore, when the identification code included in the connection information returned from the lower-level device is “1”, that is, when the parent syscon P is connected as the lower-level device, it is determined that the connection relationship is abnormal. Can be notified.

  Further, even when a system controller is further connected to the lower level of each child syscon SC, it is possible to determine that the connection relationship is abnormal and cause notification to be performed. The determination as to whether or not the current device is a system controller may be performed using device information acquired from the device, or based on the connection information acquired from the child syscon SC. The connection information acquisition request is issued to the second device, and the existence of the fourth layer device is confirmed based on the connection information returned from the third layer device. It can also be determined that the device is a system controller.

  Note that the erroneous connection determination processing unit of the communication adapter 4 specifies the model of each water heater WH by communicating with all the connected water heaters WH after the connection information acquisition request processing for the child syscon SC. It is also possible to collect the device information and the above-described operation state information and add them to the system configuration information.

  If no abnormality is detected in the connection information returned from the parent syscon P and all connected child syscons SC, the connection relation is normal and all acquired connection information is aggregated. It transmits to the remote management server 1 as system configuration information of the entire multi-hot-water supply system, and the trial run is terminated.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of erroneous connection. Specifically, the hot water heater WH is directly connected to the third lower side connection port (ID04) of the parent syscon P, and There is an abnormality in that no hot water heater is connected to the child syscon SC connected to the fourth lower connection port (ID05). In this case, when the communication adapter 4 issues a connection information acquisition request to a lower-order device connected to the third lower-order connection port of the parent syscon P, the water heater WH connected to the port is used as connection information. Since “0 000000” is returned, it is determined here that the connection relationship is abnormal. At this time, the system is configured to notify the abnormality once and terminate the test operation without issuing a connection information acquisition request to the lower-level device (the child sys- tem SC in the illustrated example) connected to the fourth lower-level connection port of the parent sys- tem P. Even if an abnormality is detected, issue a connection information acquisition request to all connected lower-level devices, collect connection information from all lower-level devices, and determine whether all connection information is abnormal It is also possible to end the test run after performing the operation. When abnormality determination is performed for all connection information, all detected abnormality information is also added to the system configuration information and transmitted to the remote management server to be managed, so that the terminals 2 and 3 as shown in FIG. In addition, it is possible to display all abnormal locations, and it is possible to more easily and quickly identify erroneous connection locations.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the communication adapter 4 sequentially communicates with the system controller on the higher hierarchy side to identify the lower system controller to be communicated next, and communicates with all system controllers to each system controller. However, if the parent syscon P has a function of collecting connection information from the lower-level child syscon SC, the communication adapter 4 has a system configuration only for the parent syscon P. It is also possible to control and configure to issue an information acquisition request and acquire the system configuration information collected by the parent syscon P from the parent syscon P.

  Each terminal 2 and 3 can also function as an erroneous connection determination processing unit. In this case, based on the system configuration information collected by the communication adapter 4 and transmitted to the remote management server 1, each terminal 2 and 3 It can be configured to detect and notify a connection-related abnormality.

  Moreover, the abnormality determination (correctness determination) of the connection relationship by the erroneous connection determination processing unit of the communication adapter 4 may be various, and may be different for each multi-hot water supply system, and what is determined as abnormal. It can be stored in the storage means (memory) in the communication adapter 4 as abnormality determination data, or can be incorporated as a logical determination in the program constituting the correctness determination processing unit.

  The communication protocol between the communication adapter 4 and the parent syscon P and the remote controller RC, the communication protocol between the parent syscon P and the child syscon SC, and the communication protocol between the child syscon SC and the water heater WH are appropriately selected. However, the communication protocols of these layers may be common.

  Further, the communication adapter may autonomously acquire system configuration information at a predetermined timing and transmit it to the remote management server, or may respond to information acquisition requests from the remote management server or other terminals. Accordingly, the system configuration information may be acquired and transmitted to the remote management server.

WH Water heater P, SC System controller 1 Remote management server 4 Communication adapter (misconnection determination processing part)

Claims (4)

  A monitoring system for a multi-water heater system that controls the number of operating units of a plurality of water heaters by at least one system controller, and whether or not the connection relation between the plurality of water heaters and the system controller is normal A monitoring system for a multi-hot water supply system, comprising: an erroneous connection determination processing unit that determines whether or not based on system configuration information acquired by communication with the system controller.   The monitoring system for a multi-hot-water supply system according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying unit for notifying that the connection relationship is abnormal when the erroneous connection determination processing unit determines that the connection relationship is not normal. A monitoring system for a multi hot water supply system.   The monitoring system for a multi-hot-water supply system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a remote management server that manages system configuration information indicating a connection relationship between the plurality of water heaters and the system controller, and the erroneous connection determination The processing unit is configured by a communication adapter attached to the multi-hot water supply system, and the communication adapter has a function of transmitting the system configuration information to the remote management server.   The multi-hot-water supply system according to claim 3, wherein the communication adapter transmits the determination result of the erroneous connection determination processing unit together with the system configuration information to the remote management server. Monitoring system.

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