JP2018136111A - Display of water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display of a water heater that when an information code separate from normal display control is displayed, can make the information code into a surely readable display state, to improve user-friendliness.SOLUTION: A display of a water heater is configured to, when display operation for displaying an information code display screen is performed, and then display operation other than the above display operation is not performed (NO in S21), display the information code display screen on a display part, and keep a backlight into a lighting state (S22). The display can reduce (YES in S23, S24) or increase (NO in S23, S25) luminance of the backlight, according to detected luminous intensity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device used in a water heater.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, a portable information code display device capable of displaying an information code, although not related to a water heater, reads an information code displayed on the information code display device (for example, a smartphone) by a reading device ( For example, when a code reader) reads the information code on the display unit and turns on the backlight if the display unit of the smartphone is oriented vertically downward or obliquely downward with respect to the reading surface of the code reader. It is disclosed to do so. And in order to implement | achieve this, providing the direction detection part which can detect the direction which the display part faces is disclosed with respect to the smart phone (refer the claim and summary of the literature).

JP 2016-110634 A

  Normally, a hot water heater is connected to a remote control for operating the operation and displaying the operation status, and such a remote control is installed with the display unit facing the wall of the kitchen or bathroom. ing. On the other hand, in recent years, with the increase or evolution of the function of such a water heater, the contents of its instruction manuals are also increasing. Therefore, it is possible to download the electronic data related to the instruction manual via the network by displaying a specific information code using the display unit of such remote control and reading the displayed information code with the user's mobile terminal etc. It is considered to be.

  However, even if the user displays the information code on the remote controller, power saving control is usually performed as display control of the remote controller, which may cause inconvenience in reading the information code. That is, in the power-saving control of the remote controller, normally, after a certain time has elapsed without displaying any operation, the brightness of the backlight in the lit state is switched from strong to weak, for example, and when a certain time elapses. The backlight is turned off together with the display itself. For this reason, if the backlight brightness is changed or the display itself is turned off (turned off) while the user is reading the displayed information code with an external reading device such as a portable terminal, the reading will fail. Or, there is a risk of inconvenience that it becomes impossible.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a display device for a water heater that can improve the user-friendliness by providing a display state in which the information code can be reliably read when the information code is displayed, in addition to the normal display control. The purpose is to do.

    To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a display unit for displaying predetermined display contents, a storage unit storing the display contents, a backlight for illuminating the display unit, and the display unit. A display control unit for controlling the display and the operation of the backlight, and the display control unit is configured to display the backlight when the state in which the backlight is turned on with respect to the display on the display unit has elapsed for a predetermined time. The following technical measures were taken for a water heater display device equipped with a power saving control mode for changing the brightness of the light weakly. That is, according to the present invention, the display control unit is configured to stop execution of the power saving control mode when an information code that can be read by an external reading device is displayed on the display unit. (Claim 1).

  In the case of such a water heater display device of the present invention, when the information code is displayed, the execution of the power saving mode is stopped, so that it is avoided that the display is changed to dark even after a predetermined time has elapsed, and the backlight is always turned on. It is possible to maintain the lighting state, and when the displayed information code is read by an external reading device, the information code can be reliably read.

  An illuminance sensor for detecting the illuminance in the vicinity of the installation location of the display device can be further provided. In this case, as a display control unit, the luminance of the backlight that is lit is determined according to the detected illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor. It can be set as the structure changed. The brightness of the backlight can be finely adjusted according to the illuminance, thereby saving power consumption as much as possible and providing an information code display screen with brightness suitable for reading the information code. .

  Further, as the power saving control mode, when the power supply of the water heater is on and the operation state of the water heater is in a predetermined first set time, the display on the display unit is continued and the lighting state is maintained. While the brightness of the backlight is changed to be weak, when the power supply of the water heater is in an on state and the non-operating state of the water heater is in a predetermined second set time, while continuing the display on the display unit, It is possible to adopt a control configuration in which the luminance of the backlight in the lighting state is changed to be weak, and further, the display on the display unit is turned off and the backlight is turned off when the third set time has passed with the luminance changed. Thereby, in cases other than the case where the information code is displayed on the display unit, it is possible to save power while ensuring the necessary backlight irradiation for display.

  As described above, according to the display device for a water heater of the present invention, when the information code is displayed, the execution of the power saving mode is stopped, so that it is prevented from being changed darkly even after a predetermined time has elapsed. Thus, the backlight can be kept in a constantly lit state, and when the displayed information code is read by an external reading device, the information code can be surely read. Thereby, the display apparatus of the water heater which can aim at the improvement of a user's usability can be provided.

It is a schematic diagram of the water heater which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and the remote control as its display apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the basic content of the display control of the remote control of FIG. FIG. 3A is a front explanatory view showing an example of a display screen other than the information code, and FIG. 3B is a front explanatory view showing an example of the information code display screen. . It is a flowchart which shows the example of the control content of the display control 1 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the control content of the display control 2 of FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a water heater and its display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The water heater 1 is provided with at least a hot water supply function, and as is well known, the water heater 1 can also be provided with a bath hot water filling function, a bath bathing function, and the like. Such a water heater 1 includes one or a plurality of remote controllers 3 and 4 as a controller for operating each function, and in the present embodiment, the remote controller 3 and 4 constitute a display device. The remote controllers 3 and 4 are communicably connected to the control unit 2 of the water heater 1, and send operation signals from the remote controls 3 and 4 and conversely display signals or operation signals from the control unit 2. It is possible. As a result, information related to the operation status such as a hot water supply function can be displayed on a display unit described later of the remote controllers 3 and 4. The remote controller 3 is installed in a kitchen, for example, and the remote controller 4 is installed in a bathroom, for example.

  The control unit 2 of the water heater 1 is mainly configured by a microcomputer, and the above-described hot water supply function and the like are realized based on a control program stored in advance. Further, the control unit 2 is connected to each of the remote controllers 3 and 4 through, for example, a two-core communication line, so that each remote controller 3 and 4 can transmit while receiving power supply from the hot water heater 1 side. Hereinafter, although the remote controller 3 will be mainly described, the remote controller 4 can have the same configuration as the remote controller 3.

  The remote control 3 includes a control unit 31, a communication unit 32, a storage unit 33, a display unit 34, a backlight 35, and an illuminance sensor 36. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the remote control 3 is provided with the power supply circuit etc. besides these, and can be provided with a speaker and an audio | voice circuit.

  The control unit 31 is mainly configured by a microcomputer, and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a signal input / output circuit, and the like. The control unit 31 can communicate with the control unit 2 of the water heater 1 through the communication unit 32. Then, the control program for the remote controller held in the ROM is executed by the CPU so as to function as a display control unit in addition to the operation reception process.

  The storage unit 33 can be configured by, for example, an EEPROM, and the storage unit 33 displays display contents to be displayed on the display unit 35, such as a menu screen, a display screen for performing various setting operations, and a driving operation status. Display data such as a display screen and a display screen for displaying a predetermined information code are stored in advance. As the information code, for example, a bar code, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark), or the like can be used. In this embodiment, a web that provides downloadable electronic data related to the instruction manual of the water heater 1 is provided. An information code is generated and stored in advance as representing the URL (address information) of the site.

  The display unit 34 is mainly composed of a dot matrix LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a touch panel, and a backlight 35 is combined. The touch panel can be configured by, for example, a capacitance type, and detects the presence / absence of touch input and the coordinate information of the touch position by determining the change in the capacitance of the electrode and the electric field, and sends it to the control unit 31. Can be output. Based on this coordinate information and the displayed display screen, the control unit 31 detects a switch operation such as a driving operation, a display switching operation, or a setting operation by the user. Thereby, a touch panel functions as a switch part. As for the switches related to the driving operation or the like, a physical switch can be mounted in addition to the touch panel switch unit or in place of the touch panel.

  The backlight 35 includes an LED light source, for example, and is configured to be able to change the luminance by display control by the control unit 31. That is, as will be described later, the luminance can be switched between two standard luminance levels of predetermined strong and weak levels, and the standard luminance can be changed steplessly or at a predetermined ratio by controlling the duty ratio of the applied voltage. Thereby, as will be described later, the brightness can be adjusted according to the illuminance in the installation space of the remote controller 3 or in the vicinity of the installation location.

  The illuminance sensor 36 is installed at an appropriate location of the remote controller 3, detects the illuminance at the location where the remote controller 3 is installed (for example, a region near the installed wall surface), and outputs it to the control unit 31. As will be described later, the controller 31 changes and adjusts the luminance of the backlight 35 based on the detected illuminance of the illuminance sensor 36.

  Hereinafter, the basic display control of the control unit 31 will be described based on FIG. 2. First, the control is started on the condition that the water heater 1 is in the power-on state, and the information code is displayed on the display unit 34. It is determined whether a display operation has been performed (step S1). Such a display operation can be determined by performing a selection operation for displaying an information code by a user from a predetermined menu screen and receiving an output of the operation signal. Alternatively, for example, when an operation signal related to such a selection operation is output, a dedicated flag may be set and the determination may be made based on the flag content (whether the flag content is “0” or “1”).

  If the display operation for displaying the information code is not performed (NO in step S1), the display control 1 is executed (step S2), and the display operation for displaying the information code is performed. (YES in step S1), dedicated display control 2 for displaying the information code is executed (step S3).

  Operations other than display operations for displaying information codes, that is, display operations for displaying operation screens, display screens for setting operations, etc., and operations using those display screens When an operation or setting operation is performed, the display control 1 is executed as a power saving control mode intended to save power. As an example of such a display screen, a display screen for setting operation (volume setting operation) as shown in FIG.

  An example of a display screen for displaying an information code is an information code display screen as shown in FIG. The example of FIG. 3B is a download display screen of an instruction manual. A QR code (registered trademark) representing a URL of a web page for download is displayed on the right side, and the description is displayed on the left side by character information. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the display control 1 first determines whether or not the hot water supply operation is being performed (step S11). If the hot water supply operation is being performed (YES in step S11), the display control 1 starts from the start of the hot water supply operation. It is determined whether the set time has elapsed (step S12). If it has not elapsed (NO in step S12), a predetermined display screen (an initial setting screen such as a menu screen or a switched display screen) is displayed on the display unit 34 (display ON), and the backlight 35 is also displayed. The brightness is set to a strong state and the lighting state is set (step S13).

  If the first set time has elapsed (YES in step S12), the luminance of the backlight 35 is switched to a weak state while maintaining the display state (display ON) (step S14). As a result, the display screen displayed on the display unit 34 is switched from the bright state to the predetermined dark state although it is not turned off. This state continues as long as the hot water supply operation continues (YES in step S11) (steps S12 and S14).

  On the other hand, if the water heater 1 is not in the hot water supply operation (NO in step S11), it is determined whether or not the second set time has elapsed since the end of the hot water supply operation (step S15). If it has not elapsed (NO in step S15), a display screen similar to the above is displayed on the display unit 34 (display ON), and the backlight 35 is kept in a lighting state (for example, a lighting state in which the luminance is high). (Step S16). If the second set time has elapsed (YES in step S15), the luminance of the backlight 35 is switched to a weak state while maintaining the display state (display ON) (step S17). It is determined whether or not the third set time has passed (step S18), and the lighting state in which the luminance is weak is maintained until the third set time has passed (NO in step S18, step S17), and the third If the set time has elapsed (YES in step S18), the display is turned off and the backlight 35 is turned off (step S19). Thereafter, the light-off state is continued until the hot water supply operation is resumed.

  In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, if some operation (for example, driving | operation operation, display switching operation, etc.) with respect to the remote control 3 is performed in the meantime, even if a hot water supply driving | operation is a stop state, it will be with respect to the display part 34 and the backlight 35. Control is resumed. For example, after the process of step S16, step S17 can be executed by the elapse of the second set time from when the operation was performed, and step S18 and step S19 can be executed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the display control 2 performs a display operation other than the display operation for displaying the information code after the display operation for displaying the information code (YES in step S1 in FIG. 2) ( For example, if there is no switching operation to another display screen (NO in step S21), an information code display screen (see FIG. 3B) is displayed on the display unit 34, and the backlight 35 is maintained in a lit state (step S21). S22). In this case, the brightness of the backlight 35 may be set to the above-described strong state, or may be set to a brightness having a standard intensity set separately as being suitable for reading the information code. If there is a display operation other than the display operation for displaying the information code (YES in step S21), the process returns to step S1 in FIG. 2 and is not a display operation for displaying the information code (step S21). The display control 1 in step S2 is executed (NO in S1) (step S2).

  If the detected illuminance from the illuminance sensor 36 is lower than the reference illuminance (below the reference illuminance), that is, if the amount of light in the vicinity of the installation location of the remote control 3 is small and dim (YES in step S23), the backlight 35 The brightness is reduced (dimmed) (step S24). On the other hand, if the detected illuminance is higher than the reference illuminance, that is, if the amount of light in the vicinity of the installation location of the remote controller 3 is large and bright (NO in step S23), the luminance of the backlight 35 is increased (step S25). As described above, the brightness of the backlight 35 can be adjusted according to the illuminance, the power consumption can be saved as much as possible, and an information code display screen having a brightness suitable for reading the information code can be obtained. . The brightness adjustment control according to the illuminance in steps S23 to S25 can be omitted in the display control 2.

  In the display control 2 described above, when the information code display screen is displayed, the backlight 35 is always kept in a lit state, and thereafter, unless other display operations are performed by the user (step S1 in FIG. 2). YES, NO in step S21), the constantly lit state is continued. As a result, when the information code displayed on the information code display screen is read by the external reading device, the information code can be reliably read.

  Here, as the external reading device, a communication terminal having a camera function and capable of communication via a network can be used, and for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer can be used. For example, in the case of a smartphone, a QR code (registered trademark) display image is captured by the camera as an information code, and when the captured image is determined to be a QR code (registered trademark), the QR code is inversely converted to address information. It is converted into (URL information), and the corresponding web page can be displayed via the network based on the URL information.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the design can be changed as appropriate. For example, although the remote controller 3 is shown as the display device of the water heater in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to any display device that can display the information code related to the water heater 1. For example, it may be a display device provided in the casing of the water heater 1, or may be a display device configured only with a display function instead of a remote controller as a controller capable of driving operation, etc. In contrast, the present invention can be applied.

31 Control unit (display control unit)
33 Storage Unit 34 Display Unit 35 Backlight 36 Illuminance Sensor

Claims (3)

A display unit for displaying predetermined display content, a storage unit storing the display content, a backlight for illuminating the display unit, and a display for controlling the display and the operation of the backlight A display control unit, and the display control unit has a power saving control mode in which the brightness of the backlight is changed weakly when a predetermined time elapses after the backlight is turned on for display on the display unit. A water heater display device comprising:
The display control unit is configured to stop execution of the power saving control mode when an information code readable by an external reading device is displayed on the display unit.
A display device for a water heater. A display device for a water heater according to claim 1,
An illuminance sensor for detecting the illuminance in the vicinity of the installation location of the display device;
The display controller is a display device for a water heater, configured to change the luminance of the lighting backlight according to the detected illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor. A display device for a water heater according to claim 1 or 2,
In the power saving control mode, when the power source of the water heater is on and when the state in which the water heater is in operation has passed a predetermined first set time, the display unit continues to display and the lighting state While changing the brightness of the backlight of
When the power source of the water heater is on and the state in which the water heater is not in operation has passed a predetermined second set time, the display of the backlight in the lit state is continued while continuing the display on the display unit. A display device for a water heater, which is configured to change the luminance to be weak and to turn off the display on the display unit and turn off the backlight when a third set time has elapsed with the luminance changed.

Images