JP2018091520A - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water heater in which noise is not outputted from a speaker of a remote control during a voice call so that a voice call free from noise is possible between remote controls.SOLUTION: A water heater includes a water heater body 2 and a plurality of remote controls 3, 4. Respective remote controls 3, 4 include microphones 37, 47, speakers 36, 46 and control parts 31, 41. The control parts 31, 41 control in such a manner that a digital data signal between remote controls 3, 4 or between the remote controls 3, 4 and the water heater body 2 is transmitted/received in an amplitude deviation modulation system, and control the transmitted/received voice between the remote controls 3, 4. In the case where one remote control 3 is transmitting voice and the other remote control 4 is receiving voice, when the remote control 4 which is receiving voice has received a data signal, the control parts 31, 41 turn off the speaker 46 of the remote control 4 which is receiving voice for a predetermined period of time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water supply apparatus including a water heater main body and a remote controller.

  There is a hot water supply apparatus that includes a water heater main body and a plurality of remote controllers (hereinafter simply referred to as a remote controller) for remotely operating the water heater main body. The water heater main unit and the plurality of remote controllers are connected by, for example, a wired communication line, and bidirectional data communication is performed between the water heater main unit and the plurality of remote controllers in order to control hot water supply operation, reheating operation, and the like. Has been done.

  And the hot-water supply apparatus comprised so that a voice call can be performed between several remote controllers (it has an intercom function) using the communication line in which data communication is performed is disclosed (for example, refer patent document 1). ).

JP 2001-128259 A

  Patent Document 1 discloses that data communication is stopped during a voice call, and data communication is temporarily performed when the need for data communication occurs during the voice call. However, since the frequency for performing data communication and the frequency for performing voice communication are relatively close, when performing data communication during a voice call, the noise of the data communication is superimposed on the call signal, and the noise is output from the speaker of the remote control, May cause the user to feel uncomfortable.

  Therefore, a technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hot water supply device that enables a voice call without noise between remote controllers without a noise being output from a speaker of the remote controller during a voice call.

  In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides the following hot water supply apparatus.

That is, the hot water supply apparatus according to the present invention is
It has a water heater body and multiple remote controls,
Each of the remote controllers has a microphone, a speaker, and a control unit,
The control unit controls to transmit / receive digital data signals between remote controllers or between the remote controller and the water heater main body by amplitude shift keying, and controls transmission / reception between remote controllers,
The control unit, when one remote control is transmitting and the other remote control is receiving, when the receiving remote control receives the data signal, the control unit of the remote control receiving for a predetermined time The speaker is turned off.

  According to the hot water supply apparatus of the present invention, when the other remote controller that is receiving a data signal receives the data signal, the speaker of the other remote controller that is receiving the voice signal for a predetermined time is turned off by the control unit. No noise is output from the speaker of the remote controller, and a voice call without noise can be performed between the remote controllers.

  In the hot water supply apparatus according to an embodiment, the control unit turns off the speaker of the remote controller during reception when detecting the reception of the start bit of the data signal.

  According to the hot water supply apparatus of the above embodiment, since the speaker of the other remote controller that is receiving the voice signal is turned off immediately after receiving the data signal, it is possible to prevent noise from being output from the speaker from the beginning.

  In one embodiment, the control unit turns off the speaker of the receiving remote control when the receiving remote control transmits the data signal.

  According to the hot water supply apparatus of the above-described embodiment, it is possible to prevent the noise caused by the noise generated when the other remote controller during reception of the data is transmitting the data signal from the speaker of the other remote controller during reception. .

  Further, in the hot water supply apparatus according to an embodiment, the control unit does not turn off the speaker of the receiving remote controller when reproducing the guidance sound stored in the receiving remote controller.

  According to the hot water supply apparatus of the above embodiment, since the guidance sound is stored in the other remote controller that is receiving the call, it is not directly related to the transmission / reception between the remote controllers. Simplified.

  According to the hot water supply apparatus of the present invention, when the other remote controller that is receiving a data signal receives the data signal, the speaker of the other remote controller that is receiving the voice signal for a predetermined time is turned off by the control unit. No noise is output from the speaker of the remote controller, and a voice call without noise can be performed between the remote controllers.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the hot water supply apparatus of this invention. The flowchart explaining control of the transmission / reception between remote control based on one Embodiment. The flowchart explaining control of the transmission / reception between remote control based on other embodiment.

  Below, the hot water supply apparatus 1 of this invention is demonstrated in detail by embodiment of illustration.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the hot water supply device 1 includes a water heater main body 2 and a plurality of remote controllers 3 and 4. The water heater main body 2 is, for example, a hot water storage type, and includes a hot water storage unit (not shown), a heat pump unit as heating means, pumps, valves, and the like.

  The water heater main body 2 can be remotely operated by a plurality of remote controllers 3 and 4. The plurality of remote controllers 3 and 4 are one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4, and correspond to, for example, a bathroom remote controller, a kitchen remote controller, an additional remote controller, or the like. The bathroom remote control is installed on the bathroom wall, the kitchen remote control is installed on the kitchen wall, and the additional remote control is installed in other rooms. FIG. 1 illustrates two remote controllers, one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4, but the number of remote controllers is not limited to this, and may be three or four or more. One remote control 3 and the other remote control 4 differ in the arrangement of the operation unit and the display unit depending on the installation location, but the basic configuration as a remote control is common to both.

  One remote controller 3 includes a control unit 31, a communication unit 32, an operation unit 33, a display unit 34, a storage unit 35, a speaker 36, and a microphone 37.

  The control unit 31 includes a microcomputer (CPU), controls the pumps and valves of the water heater body 2 based on information set through the operation unit 33, and performs a hot water supply operation and a boiling operation. Controls various operations such as chasing. Specifically, the control unit 31 generates a signal (control signal) of control data (that is, data communication) to be given to the water heater main body 2 and the other remote controller 4 according to the operation content of the operation unit 33, Based on a control signal given from the main body 2 or another remote controller 4, the display control of the display unit 34 or the setting of one remote controller 3 (for example, a hot water supply set temperature) is changed. And the control part 31 is comprised so that the process regarding data communication and the process regarding voice transmission / reception may be performed. The control unit 31 has a function for measuring an elapsed time after a certain operation or operation is performed. This function is used, for example, when determining the time for turning off the speaker of the remote controller during reception.

  The communication unit 32 communicates a data communication signal between the water heater body 2 and the other remote controller 4 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 31, and communicates a voice signal for transmission / reception with the other remote controller 4. Is to do.

  The operation unit 33 includes a plurality of operation buttons for receiving input operations by the user. The operation unit 33 includes a call button for operating the intercom. The operation button can be an operation key or an operation switch.

  The display unit 34 is a display device such as a liquid crystal or an organic EL. The display unit 34 displays, for example, information such as the temperature (hot water temperature) of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank, the amount of hot water stored, the hot water supply temperature, the time, and the heating mode.

  The microphone 37 includes a microphone amplifier that receives a voice input from a user, converts the voice signal into a voice signal, amplifies the voice signal, and a frequency modulation circuit that modulates the amplified voice signal with a carrier wave and transmits the amplified voice signal.

  The speaker 36 outputs a sound in response to an instruction from the control unit 31, and can generate a sound during reception by the intercom function, an operation sound of the operation unit 33, and a guidance sound for the user. The speaker 36 includes a demodulation circuit that demodulates the modulated audio signal and a speaker amplifier that amplifies the demodulated audio signal and inputs the amplified audio signal to the speaker 36.

  The storage unit 35 is a memory (for example, ROM, RAM, EEPROM, etc.). The storage unit 35 further stores data of a plurality of guidance sounds in advance, and is used when generating a guidance sound for the user from the speaker 36 based on a predetermined program. Guidance sound is voice guidance for notifying the state, operation, cautions, etc. of the water heater body 2 (for example, a voice such as “The bath has been revoked” when the reheating operation is completed) or a melody And so on.

  The other remote controller 4 also includes a control unit 41, a communication unit 42, an operation unit 43, a display unit 44, a storage unit 45, a speaker 46, and a microphone 47, similarly to the one remote controller 3. . Since these components are substantially the same as those of the one remote controller 3, detailed description thereof is omitted. In the above description regarding the configuration of one remote controller 3, “the other remote controller 4” can be read as “one remote controller 3”.

  In the water heater 1, a digital modulation method is used for data communication such as control data between the water heater body 2 and the one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4, and between the one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4. Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) is used. Since the data transmitted and received by the hot water supply device 1 does not require a very high transmission rate, a frequency of 200 kHz to 300 kHz is used as the frequency of the carrier wave in ASK communication.

  The communication unit 32 of one remote controller 3 performs digital amplitude shift modulation on the carrier wave in ASK communication based on the transmission serial data sent from the control unit 31 and sends it to the water heater body 2 and the other remote controller 4. . The communication unit 42 of the other remote controller 4 performs digital amplitude shift modulation on the carrier wave in ASK communication based on the transmission serial data sent from the control unit 41 and sends it to the water heater main body 2 and one remote control 3. . For example, when the temperature setting of the water heater body 2 is changed by one remote controller 3, the control unit 31 sends temperature setting data to the communication unit 32, and the communication unit 32 sends the data via the communication line 6. . The transmitted data is received by the other remote controller 4 and the water heater body 2.

  The communication unit 32 of one remote controller 3 detects a carrier wave in ASK communication sent from the water heater body 2 and the other remote controller 4, converts this into received serial data, and sends it to the control unit 31. The communication unit 42 of the other remote controller 4 detects a carrier wave in ASK communication sent from the water heater body 2 or one remote controller 3, converts this into received serial data, and sends it to the control unit 41.

  A signal (control signal) of control data (that is, data communication) is in the form of a kind of packet communication. Each packet has a start bit at the beginning, a data bit after the start bit, and an end bit at the end.

  Each of the one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4 has an intercom function that enables voice communication using the speakers 36 and 46 and the microphones 37 and 47 through the communication line 6. The intercom function enables voice transmission / reception between one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4. Transmission / reception between one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4 is performed by a frequency modulation (FM) method using audio signal carriers of two frequency bands different for each call direction in order to prevent interference.

  For example, the control unit 31 of one remote controller 3 transmits an audio signal detected by the microphone 37 of one remote controller 3 to the control unit 41 of another remote controller 4 via the communication line 6 during intercom transmission. . At this time, the control unit 41 of the other remote controller 4 generates sound from the speaker 46 of the other remote controller 4 based on the received audio signal during the interphone reception. Conversely, the control unit 41 of the other remote control 4 transmits the audio signal detected by the microphone 47 of the other remote control 4 to the control unit 31 of one remote control 3 via the communication line 6 during intercom transmission. To do. At this time, the control unit 31 of the one remote controller 3 generates sound from the speaker 36 of the one remote controller 3 based on the received audio signal during the interphone reception. With such an intercom function, it is possible to transmit and receive voice messages between a user on one remote control 3 side and a user on the other remote control 4 side.

  In addition, the intercom function provided in one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4 is a press talk system in which a call is made while pressing the call button, and if the call button is pressed first, the call can be made without pressing the call button. A hands-free system can be adopted.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating transmission / reception control between one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4 according to an embodiment.

  First, when a call button on the operation unit 33 of one remote controller 3 is pressed to start a voice call, the control unit 31 detects that the call button is turned on and notifies the communication unit 32 of call start data. And one of the remote controllers 3 enters the transmission mode. The other remote controller 4 receives the call start data by the communication unit 42, and the other remote controller 4 enters the reception mode.

  In one remote controller 3 during transmission, the microphone 37 receives the voice from the user. The voice received by the microphone 37 is converted into a voice signal on the voice communication circuit, and the voice signal is amplified and then frequency-modulated with a carrier wave and sent from the communication unit 32 to the communication line 6 (step S21).

  In the other remote controller 4 that is receiving the voice, the voice signal sent to the communication line 6 is detected by the communication unit 42 and demodulated, and the demodulated voice signal is amplified. The sound transmitted from one remote controller 3 is output from the speaker 46 (step S22).

  In the other remote controller 4 that is receiving the call, has the control unit 41 received a data communication signal between the one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4 or between the other remote controller 4 and the water heater body 2? It is determined whether or not (step S23).

  If the control unit 41 determines that the data communication signal has been received in step S23, the output from the speaker 46 is turned off (step S24), and the audio output from the speaker 46 is disabled. Become. For example, the output from the speaker 46 is turned off by temporarily turning off the power supply of the speaker 46 or temporarily setting the output volume of the speaker 46 to zero. If the control unit 41 determines in step S23 that a data communication signal has not been received, the output from the speaker 46 is turned on (step S26).

  In the other remote controller 4 that is receiving a call, the control unit 41 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed after receiving the data communication signal (step S25). In step S25, the starting point for determining whether or not the predetermined time has passed may be when the start bit of the data communication signal is received, but is not limited thereto. The predetermined time is based on the time required to finish receiving the data communication signal, and is, for example, 50 milliseconds. Since the predetermined time (that is, the time during which the output from the speaker 46 is off) is very short, it is avoided that the voice reception is hindered.

  If the control unit 41 determines in step S25 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the output from the speaker 46 is turned on (step S26), and the sound output from the speaker 46 is enabled. If the control unit 41 determines in step S25 that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S24, and the output from the speaker 46 is continuously turned off.

  In the other remote controller 4 that is receiving a voice, when the voice button of the operation unit 43 is pressed for a short time or a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the call after the voice output from the speaker 46 is enabled, the control unit 41 makes a call. Perform termination processing.

  According to the hot water supply apparatus 1 configured as described above, when the other remote controller 4 that is receiving a data signal receives the data signal, the speaker 46 of the other remote controller 4 is turned off for a predetermined time. Therefore, no noise is output from the speaker 46 of the other remote controller 4 that is receiving a voice, and a voice call without noise is possible between the one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating transmission / reception control between one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4 according to another embodiment.

  First, when a call button on the operation unit 33 of one remote controller 3 is pressed to start a voice call, the control unit 31 detects that the call button is turned on and notifies the communication unit 32 of call start data. And one of the remote controllers 3 enters the transmission mode. The other remote controller 4 receives the call start data by the communication unit 42, and the other remote controller 4 enters the reception mode.

  In one remote controller 3 during transmission, the microphone 37 receives the voice from the user. The voice received by the microphone 37 is converted into a voice signal on the voice communication circuit, and the voice signal is amplified and then frequency-modulated with a carrier wave and sent from the communication unit 32 to the communication line 6 (step S31).

  In the other remote controller 4 that is receiving the voice, the voice signal sent to the communication line 6 is detected by the communication unit 42 and demodulated, and the demodulated voice signal is amplified. The sound transmitted from one remote controller 3 is output from the speaker 46 (step S32).

  Whether the control unit 41 has received a data communication signal between the one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4 or between the other remote controller 4 and the water heater body 2 in the other remote controller 4 that is receiving a call. It is determined whether or not (step S33).

  In the other remote controller 4 that is receiving the voice, if the control unit 41 determines that the data communication signal has been received, the output from the speaker 46 is turned off (step S34), and the voice output from the speaker 46 is disabled. The output from the speaker 46 is turned off, for example, by temporarily turning off the power of the speaker 46 or temporarily turning the volume of the speaker 46 to zero. If the control unit 41 determines in step S33 that a data communication signal has not been received, the output from the speaker 46 is turned on (step S36).

  In the other remote controller 4 that is receiving the voice, the control unit 41 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the reception of the data communication signal (step S35). In step S35, the starting point for determining whether or not the predetermined time has elapsed may be when the start bit of the data communication signal is received, but is not limited thereto. The predetermined time is based on the time required to finish receiving the data communication signal, and is, for example, 50 milliseconds. Since the predetermined time (that is, the time during which the output from the speaker 46 is off) is very short, it is avoided that the voice reception is hindered.

  If the control unit 41 determines in step S35 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the output from the speaker 46 is turned on (step S36), and the sound output from the speaker 46 becomes possible. If the control unit 41 determines in step S35 that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S34, and the output from the speaker 46 is continuously turned off.

  In the state where the output from the speaker 46 is turned on, the control unit 41 operates the operation unit 43 in the other remote controller 4 that is receiving the voice, and the remote controller 4 or the water heater body from the other remote controller 4 that is receiving the voice. It is determined whether or not a data communication signal has been transmitted to 2 (step S37).

  In the other remote controller 4 that is receiving the voice, if the control unit 41 determines that the data communication signal has been transmitted, the output from the speaker 46 is turned off (step S38), and the voice output from the speaker 46 is disabled. The output from the speaker 46 is turned off, for example, by temporarily turning off the power of the speaker 46 or temporarily turning the volume of the speaker 46 to zero. If the control unit 41 determines that the data communication signal is not transmitted in step S37, the output from the speaker 46 is turned on (step S40).

  In the other remote controller 4 that is receiving a call, the control unit 41 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the transmission of the data communication signal (step S39). In step S39, the starting point for determining whether or not the predetermined time has elapsed may be when the start bit of the data communication signal is transmitted, but is not limited thereto. The predetermined time is based on the time required to finish transmitting the data communication signal and is, for example, 50 milliseconds. Since the predetermined time (that is, the time during which the output from the speaker 46 is off) is very short, it is avoided that the voice reception is hindered.

  If the control unit 41 determines in step S39 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the output from the speaker 46 is turned on (step S40), and the sound output from the speaker 46 is enabled. If the control unit 41 determines in step S39 that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S38 and the output from the speaker 46 is continuously turned off.

  In the other remote controller 4 that is receiving a voice, when the voice button of the operation unit 43 is pressed for a short time or a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the call after the voice output from the speaker 46 is enabled, the control unit 41 makes a call. Perform termination processing.

  According to the hot water supply apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, when the other remote controller 4 receiving the data signal receives the data signal, the control unit 41 also transmits the data signal when the other remote controller 4 receiving the data signal. The speaker 46 of the other remote controller 4 is turned off for a predetermined time. Therefore, no noise is output from the speaker 46 of the other remote controller 4 that is receiving a voice, and a voice call without noise is possible between the one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4.

  Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the control unit 41 of the other remote controller 4 that is receiving a voice turns off the speaker 46 of the other remote controller 4 that is receiving the voice when the guidance sound stored in the storage unit 45 of the other remote controller 4 is reproduced. It can be controlled not to be. Since the guidance sound is stored in the other remote controller 4 that is receiving the call, since it is not directly related to the transmission / reception between the one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4, the control relating to the voice call is simplified. Is done.

  Although the hot water supply device 1 using the heat pump unit as the heat source has been described, the heat source is not limited to this, and the configuration may be such that the hot water in the hot water storage tank of the hot water storage unit is boiled by another heat source such as a heater or a boiler.

  The relationship between the voice transmission mode and the voice reception mode in the one remote controller 3 and the other remote controller 4 can be reversed from the above embodiment.

  In the present invention, the digital modulation method for data communication is not limited to the amplitude shift keying method (ASK), but the frequency shift keying method (FSK), the phase shift keying method (Phase Shift Keying) It can also be applied to modulation schemes such as PSK).

1 Water heater 2 Water heater body 3 One remote control (remote control during transmission)
4 The other remote control (the remote control that is receiving)
6 Communication line 31, 41 Control unit 32, 42 Communication unit 33, 43 Operation unit 34, 44 Display unit 35, 45 Storage unit 36, 46 Speaker 37, 47 Microphone

Claims (4)

A water heater body (2) and a plurality of remote controls (3, 4)
Each of the remote controllers (3, 4) includes a microphone (37, 47), a speaker (36, 46), and a control unit (31, 41).
The control unit (31, 41) transmits and receives digital data signals between the remote controllers (3, 4) or between the remote controller (3, 4) and the water heater body (2) by the amplitude shift keying method. As well as controlling the transmission and reception between remote controllers (3, 4),
The control unit (31, 41) receives the data signal when the remote controller (4) is receiving the voice signal when the remote controller (3) is transmitting and the other remote controller (4) is receiving the voice. When this is done, the speaker (46) of the remote controller (4) during the reception is turned off for a predetermined time. In claim 1,
When the control unit (31, 41) detects reception of a start bit of the data signal, the control unit (31, 41) turns off the speaker (46) of the remote controller (4) during the reception. In claim 1 or claim 2,
The control unit (31, 41) is configured to turn off the speaker (46) of the remote controller (4) during the reception when the remote controller (4) during the transmission transmits the data signal. Hot water supply device. In any one of Claims 1-3,
The control unit (31, 41) does not turn off the speaker (46) of the remote control (4) during the reception when reproducing the guidance sound stored in the remote control (4) during the reception. A hot water supply device.

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