JP2019062383A - Relay device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a configuration having a guidance function for installing a relay device used in a remote monitoring system of a hot water utilization facility at a location excellent in a radio wave environment.SOLUTION: A communication adaptor 40 used as a relay device in a remote monitoring system of a hot water utilization facility includes communication units 42 and 43. The communication unit 42 is configured to exchange information with the hot water utilization facility by communication via a communication line 51. The communication unit 43 is configured to exchange information with a management device of the remote monitoring system by communication via a wireless LAN apparatus and a communication network. The communication unit 43 has an access point function to regularly output a radio signal. The access point function is enabled until establishment of communication connection with a wireless LAN communication apparatus and disabled after establishment of the communication connection.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a relay device and a program, and more particularly, to a relay device having a wireless communication function, which is used in a remote monitoring system of a hot water utilization facility, and a program executed in the remote monitoring system.

  Systems have been used to remotely monitor the hot water system via a communication connection. For example, in JP-A-2017-58026 (Patent Document 1), remote monitoring is realized by relaying the exchange of information between the hot water supply system and the management center by the communication adapter attached to the hot water supply system. The configuration is described.

  In the configuration of Patent Document 1, a communication adapter communicably connected to the hot water supply system via a two-core communication wire acquires various types of information from the hot water supply system. Furthermore, the communication adapter is connected to a router connected to a communication network such as the Internet, and is communicably connected to the management center via the router and the communication network. Thus, the communication adapter can be used as a relay device to transmit various information acquired from the hot water supply system to the management center.

JP, 2017-58026, A

  A relay device such as a communication adapter applied to a hot water supply system is usually fixedly installed on a wall surface or the like of a building. In a configuration in which a relay device connects to a management center via a communication network with connection to a wireless local area network (LAN) router, the installation location of the relay device is in communication with a wireless LAN communication device (router). It is required to select a place where radio wave conditions are good.

  However, there is a possibility that the worker installs the relay device in a state where the wireless LAN communication device is not installed, such as installation work in a new house or the like. At this time, there is a concern that the place where the relay apparatus is installed becomes a place where the radio wave environment is bad after the installation of the wireless LAN communication device.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to install a relay device used in a remote monitoring system for a hot water utilization facility in a good place in a radio wave environment. Providing a configuration having the guidance function of

  According to an aspect of the present invention, the relay device used in the remote monitoring system of the hot water utilization facility includes the first and second communication units and a control unit that controls the first and second communication units. The first communication unit is configured to exchange information with the controller of the hot water utilization facility by communication via the communication line. The second communication unit is configured to exchange information with the management device of the remote monitoring system by communication via the wireless LAN communication device and the communication network. The second communication unit is configured to have a first function of operating as an access point. The control unit enables the first function until the communication connection is established with the wireless LAN communication device, while the second control unit deactivates the first function after the communication connection is established. Control the communication unit.

  The relay apparatus has a first function (access point function) for operating as an access point by periodically outputting a wireless signal, and an access point function before and after establishment of connection with a wireless LAN communication device. Can be automatically controlled. Thereby, at the time of installation work of the relay device in the state where the wireless LAN communication device is not installed, it is possible to realize the guidance function for installing in the place where the radio wave environment is good without requiring the operation by the operator. .

  Preferably, the second communication unit further has a second function for connecting to an access point outside the relay apparatus. The control unit enables the second function both before and after establishment of the communication connection with the wireless LAN communication device.

  Thus, the relay device enables the management device and the hot water utilization facility through the establishment of the connection with the wireless LAN communication device by activating the station function for transmitting and receiving the information of the hot water utilization facility via the access point. The relay function of data transmission and reception can be exhibited.

  More preferably, the control unit determines whether communication connection with the wireless LAN communication device has been established based on whether predetermined information on the wireless LAN communication device has been acquired.

  In this way, it is possible to appropriately execute the decision to invalidate the access point function.

  In another aspect of the present invention, in the remote monitoring system in which the above relay device is used, a program for executing installation work guidance of the relay device includes a processor mounted on the mobile terminal and a notification unit of the mobile terminal. The notification unit outputs a first message prompting confirmation that the relay device is temporarily placed at the planned installation location, and a second message prompting movement of the wireless LAN communication device to the planned installation location. Based on the step, the step of measuring the radio wave intensity output by the second communication unit by the first function, and the radio wave intensity measured, the notification unit outputs a third message regarding the radio wave environment at the planned installation location And execute the following steps.

  By executing such a program, it is possible to provide a user who installs the relay apparatus with effective guidance for determining the installation location in consideration of the radio wave environment using the portable terminal.

  According to the present invention, the relay device used in the remote monitoring system of the hot water utilization facility can be provided with a guidance function for installing in a place where the radio wave environment is good.

It is a block diagram which shows the example of a structure of the remote monitoring system of the warm water utilization installation to which the communication adapter which is an example of the relay apparatus according to this Embodiment is applied. It is a block diagram explaining the structural example of the remote control shown by FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the server apparatus which comprises the cloud server shown by FIG. 1, and an application server. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the communication adapter which is an example of a relay apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows control of AP function in the communication adapter which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the operation | movement at the time of installation work of the communication adapter which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a notional operation | movement wave form diagram of the communication adapter which concerns on this Embodiment. A functional block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a smartphone as an example of a mobile terminal on which an application program is executed is shown. It is a flowchart explaining the processing procedure of the application program at the time of installation work of a communication adapter.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, the same or corresponding portions in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated in principle.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a remote monitoring system 5 of a hot water utilization facility to which a communication adapter which is an example of a relay device according to the present embodiment is applied.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the hot water supply system 10 includes a hot water supply apparatus 100 which is an example of a “hot water utilization facility”, and a remote controller (hereinafter also simply referred to as “remote control”) 105 for inputting a driving operation command. including. The hot water supply apparatus 100 is, for example, a water heater.

  In the hot water supply system 10, the hot water supply apparatus 100 and the remote controller 105 are communicably connected to each other via the communication line 50. Furthermore, the hot water supply apparatus 100 is connected to the communication adapter 40 via the communication line 51. For example, a two-core communication line is applied to each of the communication lines 50 and 51. A control unit (not shown) including a microcomputer and the like is built in each of the hot water supply apparatus 100 and the remote control 105, and these control units perform serial communication via the communication line 50 according to a predetermined communication protocol. It is configured to be possible. Further, the hot water supply apparatus 100 can be configured to output the power supply voltage for the external device to each of the communication lines 50 and 51 configured by the two-core communication line. In this case, the communication data can be superimposed on the power supply voltage.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram for explaining a configuration example of the remote control 105 shown in FIG.
Referring to FIG. 2, remote control 105 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 115 for controlling the entire apparatus. Furthermore, the remote control 105 is connected to the CPU 115, the memory 120, the operation unit 130 configured by switches, a display unit 140 such as a liquid crystal display or a light emitting diode (LED), and a control unit of the hot water supply apparatus 100 A communication unit 150 (not shown) for communicating with the communication adapter 40 and a speaker 160 for audio output are included.

  The memory 120 is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 122 which is a memory for storing a program to be executed by the CPU 115 and a working area for storing various data and executing the program by the CPU 115. RAM (Random Access Memory) 124, which is a memory for performing processing.

  Referring again to FIG. 1, remote control 105 is connected to communication adapter 40 via communication lines 50 and 51. The communication adapter 40 has a wireless communication function for communicating with a wireless local area network (LAN) router 60 installed indoors according to a predetermined communication protocol (for example, IEEE 802.11n or the like). The details of the communication adapter 40 will be described later.

  The wireless LAN router 60 is connected to a communication network (typically, the Internet). The wireless LAN router 60 can also wirelessly connect a plurality of wireless LAN slaves by functioning as a master of the wireless LAN. The communication adapter 40 can operate as a wireless LAN slave device, and can establish connection to the Internet through the wireless LAN router 60 when communication connection (wireless link) with the wireless LAN router 60 is established. The wireless LAN router 60 corresponds to an example of “wireless LAN communication device”.

  Furthermore, in the remote monitoring system of a hot water utilization facility according to the present embodiment, management center 20 and support center 70 are connected to a communication network (Internet). The management center 20 includes a cloud server 21a and an application server 21b. The cloud server 21a and the application server 21b are communicably connected to each other via the Internet or a dedicated line, and can cooperate with each other to provide various services. The management center 20 corresponds to an example of the “management apparatus”.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the server device 21 configuring the cloud server 21a and the application server 21b.

  Referring to FIG. 3, server device 21 includes a CPU 25 for controlling the entire device, and a communication unit 26, a memory 27 and a display unit 28 connected to CPU 25. The communication unit 26 has a function of communicating with another device or another server by communication connected to a communication network (Internet). The display unit 28 is configured by a display screen.

  The memory 27 includes, for example, a ROM 27a, a RAM 27b, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 27c as an example of a large storage device. The server device 21 can be configured to have a function corresponding to a general computer. The server device 21 may further include an operation unit for receiving an operation input.

  Referring back to FIG. 1, the cloud server 21 a is mainly connected to the home by connecting with a large number of communication adapters 40 installed in homes, accommodation facilities, etc. at all times. And various information of warm water supply system 10 of each customer of each accommodation facility etc. is collected and managed. For example, the information to be collected may include the amount of hot water and the amount of consumed fuel per unit time, the temperature of hot water, error information generated in each hot water supply system 10, and the like.

  The application server 21b manages a large number of user accounts for a large number of users such as each home and each accommodation facility, and accepts login from an operation terminal such as a smartphone 30 owned by the user, and the operation owned by the user Provides various services to the terminal.

  Preferably, dedicated application software for using a service provided by the application server 21b can be installed on a smartphone so that login operations and various operations after login can be performed from the application software. Alternatively, by providing a web-based service, login and other operations can be performed using an appropriate web browser.

  The application server 21b may provide only the application service for the user terminal such as the smartphone 30, and the customer information including the user account may be further managed by another customer information management center. Alternatively, the cloud server 21a and the application server 21b may be configured by an integrated server device.

  The services provided by the cloud server 21a and the application server 21b can be designed as needed. For example, a connected device confirmation service, an operation information collection management service, an error monitoring service, a maintenance monitoring service, a remote control service, and the like can be provided.

  According to the connection device confirmation service, it is possible to confirm the model and system configuration of the hot water supply apparatus 100 of the hot water supply system 10 connected to the communication adapter 40 described later. Further, based on the information collected by the communication adapter 40 from the hot water supply system 10, the model and system configuration can be determined on the server side.

  According to the operation information collection and management service, operation information of the hot water supply system 10 can be periodically collected and managed from the communication adapter 40 every unit time (for example, every hour). Although the operation information to collect is arbitrary, for example, the accumulated hot-water supply amount or the accumulated fuel consumption amount per unit time can be collected. The collected driving information can also be used to create development data by big data analysis.

  According to the error monitoring service, when an error occurs in the hot water supply system 10, information on the error is acquired from the communication adapter 40, and the error is sent to the terminal 71 of the support center 70 or to the user's mail address. Notifications can be made.

  According to the maintenance monitor service, it is possible to monitor the operation status of the hot water supply system 10 in real time, for example, when repairing the hot water supply system 10. Specifically, it is possible to monitor in real time the operation status of the hot water supply system 10 connected to the specified communication adapter 40 by the tablet 80 or the like for the site worker communicatively connected to the cloud server 21a.

  Alternatively, in the remote monitoring system of a hot water utilization facility according to the present embodiment, it is possible to further provide a remote control service of the hot water supply system 10. For example, from the terminal 71 of the support center 70, the tablet 80 for site workers, and the smartphone 30 owned by the user, predetermined operation of the hot water supply system 10, for example, switching operation of hot water operation / hot water setting It is possible to remotely perform a temperature change operation or the like. At this time, the remote control by the user can be performed by logging in to the application server 21b from a smartphone (not shown) or the like. Further, as part of the service of the remote monitoring system, it is also possible to display the operation information collected from the communication adapter 40 in the logged-in state so as to be viewable by a smartphone (not shown) or the like.

  The remote monitoring service described above is enabled by data communication between the management center 20 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as the server 20) and the hot water supply system 10 via the communication adapter 40 functioning as a relay device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the communication adapter 40 which is an example of the relay device.
Referring to FIG. 4, communication adapter 40 includes control unit 41, communication units 42 and 43, power supply circuit 44, memory 45, antenna 47, connector 48 and manual switch 49. The communication wire 51 (two-core communication wire) shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the connector 48.

  The control unit 41 can be configured by a microcomputer including a CPU 41a and an interface (I / F) 41b. The communication unit 42 is configured to be able to exchange information by transmitting and receiving data bidirectionally between the hot water supply apparatus 100 and the remote control 105 via the communication line 51 connected to the connector 48. The communication unit 43 is configured to transmit and receive data by transmitting and receiving data bidirectionally to and from the wireless LAN router 60 and the smartphone 30 by wireless communication via the antenna 47. The power supply circuit 44 receives power supply from the communication line (two-core communication line) 51 connected to the connector 48, and generates an operating power supply voltage of each element in the communication adapter 40.

  The memory 45 has a ROM 45a and a RAM 45b. For example, a program for controlling the operation of the communication adapter 40 is stored in the ROM 45a, and the control unit 41 reads the program stored in the ROM 45a and develops it in the RAM 45b at the time of activation processing. Thereafter, the control unit 41 executes the program developed in the RAM 45 b to control the operation of the communication adapter 40. Although the memory 45 and the control unit 41 are shown as separate elements in FIG. 4, part or all of the memory 45 can be incorporated in the control unit 41.

  The manual switch 49 is operated by a user or a worker. In response to the operation of the manual switch 49, a predetermined electrical signal is input from the manual switch 49 to the control unit 41. Thereby, the control unit 41 can detect the operation of the manual switch 49.

  The communication adapter 40 can use the communication unit 43 to communicate with the management center 20 via the wireless LAN router 60 and the communication network (Internet). In the remote monitoring system for hot water utilization equipment according to the present embodiment, remote monitoring is realized by data communication between hot water supply apparatus 100 and server 20 using communication adapter 40 provided as a relay apparatus.

  In the configuration example of FIG. 4, the communication unit 42 corresponds to the “first communication unit”, and the communication unit 43 corresponds to the “second communication unit”. The communication units 42 and 43 can be separately configured or integrally configured.

  Again referring to FIG. 1, while the hot water supply apparatus 100 is usually installed outdoors, the remote control 105 and the communication adapter 40 are fixedly installed on a wall or the like by screwing or the like inside or outside the building 110. Is common. Since the communication adapter 40 is connected to the server 20 via the wireless LAN router 60, the communication adapter 40 needs to be installed at a position where communication with the wireless LAN router 60 can be performed, that is, a position where sufficient radio wave intensity can be secured. .

  However, in a new home or the like, the installation work of the communication adapter 40 and the remote control 105 is often performed by the worker in a state in which the wireless LAN router 60 is not installed before entering the user. Therefore, there is a concern that the communication between the communication adapter 40 and the wireless LAN router 60 may be defective because the communication adapter 40 is installed at a position where the radio wave environment is bad after the installation of the wireless LAN router 60. In this case, since it is necessary to change the installation location of the communication adapter 40 and / or the wireless LAN router 60, user convenience is reduced.

  In communication adapter 40 according to the present embodiment, communication unit 43 is an access point for operating as an access point in addition to a station function (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “STA function”) for communicating with the access point. It is configured to further include a function (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "AP function"). The AP function corresponds to an example of the “first function”, and the STA function corresponds to an example of the “second function”.

  In light of the function of the communication adapter 40 described above, the communication unit 43 basically needs to have only the STA function for communicating with the wireless LAN router 60 which is an access point. By further providing the AP function, a guidance function for installing in a place where the radio wave environment of the wireless communication with the wireless LAN router 60 is good is realized.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining control of an AP function in the communication adapter according to the present embodiment. The control process shown in FIG. 5 is executed by the control unit 41 during the power on period of the communication adapter 40.

  Referring to FIG. 5, at step S100, control unit 41 validates the STA function, and at step S110 confirms the value of flag FLG for controlling the on / off of the AP function.

  The flag FLG is rewritten to “1” when the factory default value is “0” and connection establishment with the wireless LAN router 60 is completed. For connection with the wireless LAN router 60, for example, an SSID (Service Set Identifier) of the wireless LAN router 60 or an encryption key is stored in the memory 45 by an operation of a push button in accordance with the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) function. Established by When the communication adapter 40 acquires predetermined information for communication connection of the wireless LAN router 60 as described above, the flag FLG changes from “0” of the default value to “1”. That is, whether or not the communication connection with the wireless LAN router 60 is established is determined based on whether or not the communication adapter 40 has acquired the predetermined information for the communication connection.

  When FLG = 0, that is, when the connection establishment with the wireless LAN router 60 is not completed (when YES is determined in S110), the control unit 41 proceeds to step S120 to validate the AP function. Do.

  On the other hand, in the case of FLG = 1, that is, when the connection establishment with the wireless LAN router 60 is completed (at the time of NO determination at S110), the control unit 41 advances the process to step S130 to perform AP Disable the function.

  Therefore, while FLG = 0, the AP function of the communication unit 43 is enabled, and a wireless signal such as a beacon signal is periodically output from the communication adapter 40.

  FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation at the time of installation work of the communication adapter according to the present embodiment. A plan view of the building 110 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 6, communication adapter 40 is temporarily placed at a planned installation location before being screwed on. On the other hand, the worker moves to the planned installation area 61 of the wireless LAN router 60. At this time, the communication adapter 40 periodically outputs a wireless signal because the AP function is activated.

  Therefore, the worker measures the radio wave intensity of the radio signal output from the communication adapter 40 in the planned installation area 61 so that the current temporary placement position of the communication adapter 40 is in the radio wave condition with the wireless LAN router 60. It is easy to know if it is a good place for The planned installation area 61 can be specified, for example, as a vicinity of a pull-in outlet of the optical fiber line or a place confirmed in advance by the user.

  In FIG. 6, although the temporary storage place of the communication adapter 40 and the planned installation area 61 of the wireless LAN router 60 are two-dimensionally described, actually, the height difference (for example, each of the first floor and the second floor) The radio wave intensity at the time of installation work is measured taking into consideration the distance when installed in The planned installation area 61 corresponds to an example of “planned installation area of wireless LAN communication device”.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual waveform diagram for explaining the operation of the communication adapter according to the present embodiment.
Referring to FIG. 7, at the time of factory shipment (time t0), flag FLG is set to 0. At time t1, when the communication adapter 40 is powered on for installation work, the flag FLG = 0 and thus the AP function is turned on. Under this state, the communication adapter 40 is installed on a wall surface or the like after the measurement of the radio wave intensity from the temporary storage location by the installation operation described in FIG.

  After completion of the installation work, at time t2, the power of the communication adapter 40 is turned off by the operator. For example, in response to the breaker (not shown) of the building 110 being shut off at the end of the installation operation, the power of the communication adapter 40 is also turned off. In response to this, the AP function of the communication adapter 40 is also turned off.

  Thereafter, at time t3, when the user moves into the building 110 and turns on the breaker, the communication adapter 40 is powered on. Since FLG = 0 also at this time, the AP function is turned on.

  Thereafter, at time t4, when the user installs the wireless LAN router 60 and executes the connection work with various devices, the communication connection between the communication adapter 40 and the wireless LAN router 60 is established. As a result, the flag FLG changes from the default value "0" to "1". As a result, in the control process of FIG. 5, the AP function is turned off by changing the determination in step S110 to YES. On the other hand, the STA function is validated through the power on period of the communication adapter 40 in step S100 (FIG. 5).

  After time t4, the communication adapter 40 performs wireless communication with the wireless LAN router 60, which is an access point, with only the STA function enabled without periodically outputting a wireless signal. Thereby, it is possible to execute transmission and reception of information by data communication between the hot water supply apparatus 100 and the server 20, which is necessary for remote monitoring of the hot water utilization facility.

  The communication adapter 40 can be provided with a reset function of the flag FLG in order to cope with the relocation of the communication adapter 40 by moving or the like. For example, when the reset function is activated at time t5 by a predetermined operation (combination of long press of a button, etc.) on the manual switch 49 shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 41 sets the flag FLG to "0". Initialize to Thus, the communication adapter 40 periodically outputs a wireless signal by the AP function during the power on period until the flag FLG is set to “1” again.

  As described above, according to the communication adapter 40 which is the relay apparatus according to the present embodiment, in addition to the STA function for communicating with the wireless LAN router 60, the access point is output by periodically outputting a wireless signal. It has an AP function to operate as In addition, enabling and disabling of the AP mechanism can be automatically controlled before and after establishing a connection with the wireless LAN router 60. As a result, at the time of installation work of the relay device (communication adapter) in the state where the wireless LAN communication device is not installed, a guidance function for installing in a place with a good radio wave environment is realized without requiring an operation by the operator. can do.

  Next, an application program for guidance to the worker at the time of the installation operation described above will be described. The application program can be installed (downloaded) from, for example, the application server 21b illustrated in FIG. 1 in a mobile terminal such as the smartphone 30 or the tablet 80, and can be executed by the CPU of the mobile terminal.

  The functional block diagram explaining the structural example of the smart phone 30 which is an example of a portable terminal by FIG. 8 is shown.

  Referring to FIG. 8, the smartphone 30 includes a CPU 31, a touch screen 32, a memory 34 a, a button (operation unit) 35 such as power on / off, a communication interface 36, a speaker 37 for audio output, a memory I / F (Interface ) And a sensor section 39. The communication interface 36 has at least a communication connection function with the communication adapter 40, a communication connection function with the wireless LAN router 60, and a communication connection function with the mobile communication network as a communication function with the external device of the smartphone 30. . The CPU 31 corresponds to an example of “processor installed in mobile terminal”.

  The memory I / F 38 corresponds to a memory driver for reading and writing data of the memory card 34 b detachably mounted from the outside. Here, although the type of storage medium to be mounted is a memory card, the present invention is not limited to this. The touch screen 32 can constitute a display integrated type input device constituted by a display 33a and a touch panel (tablet) 33b. Alternatively, the display and the operation unit (buttons, keys, etc.) can be provided separately.

  The memory 34a can be realized by various types of RAM, ROM, flash memory, hard disk or the like. The memory 34 a stores various programs executed by the CPU 31. The CPU 31 can execute various control processes and the like by executing various programs stored in the memory 34 a. The sensor unit 39 includes at least an antenna 39x for measuring the radio wave intensity and a radio wave intensity sensor 39y. The radio wave intensity sensor 39y measures the intensity of a radio signal (radio wave) received by the antenna 39x. The CPU 31 can acquire the detection value of the radio wave intensity sensor 39y via the internal bus.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the processing procedure of the application program at the time of installation work of the communication adapter. For example, when the application program is downloaded from the application server 21 b to the smartphone 30, the application program is stored in the memory 34 a and executed by the CPU 31.

  Referring to FIG. 9, when the application program is activated, CPU 31 prompts in step S200 to confirm whether temporary placement of communication adapter 40 at the planned installation location has been completed (first message). Direct the output of Furthermore, in step S210, the CPU 31 instructs the output of a message (second message) prompting movement of the wireless LAN communication device such as the wireless LAN router 60 to the planned installation area 61. The message according to steps S200 and S210 can be output using, for example, the touch screen 32 and / or the speaker 37.

  Furthermore, in step S220, the CPU 31 determines whether an instruction to start measurement of radio wave intensity has been input. When an instruction to start measurement is input (YES in S220), the CPU 31 measures radio wave intensity in step S230, and instructs output of the measured radio wave intensity information in step S240. On the other hand, the process of steps S230 and S240 can be on standby until the instruction to start measurement is input (at the time of NO determination at S220).

  The radio wave intensity information output in step S240 may be numerical information of the radio wave intensity level, or the height of the measured radio wave intensity with respect to a predetermined threshold may be notified by OK / NG.

  In step S250, the CPU 31 determines whether a measurement end instruction has been input. When the measurement termination instruction is input (YES in S250), the CPU 31 terminates the application program. On the other hand, the measurement of the radio wave intensity and the output of the radio wave intensity information at steps S230 and S240 are continued until the measurement end instruction is input (at the time of NO determination at S250).

  The presence or absence of the input of the measurement start instruction and the measurement end instruction in steps S220 and S250 can be determined by the presence or absence of a touch on the display area of a predetermined message on the touch screen 32. Also, the output of the radio wave intensity information in step S240 can be performed by the touch screen 32 and / or the speaker 37. Thus, the touch screen 32 and the speaker 37 correspond to an example of the “notification unit”.

  The application program described above can also be executed by a portable terminal other than the smartphone 30, for example, the tablet 80 as a "mobile terminal". In this case, the CPU (not shown) of the tablet 80 can be used as a processor to execute control processing of the above-described application program downloaded to the tablet 80 from the application server 21b.

  According to such an application program, it is possible to provide guidance effective for determining the location for the installation operator of the communication adapter 40 using a portable terminal such as the smartphone 30 or the tablet 80.

  In the present embodiment, the communication adapter 40 has been described as an example of the relay device, but it is also possible to configure the remote monitoring system of the hot water utilization facility using the remote controller 105 as the relay device. In this case, while the communication unit 43 shown in FIG. 4 is mounted on the communication unit 150 of the remote control 105, the validity / invalidity of the AP function and the STA function of the communication unit 43 mounted on the remote control 105 is shown in FIG. It is controlled in the same manner as 5 and FIG. Thus, the guidance function described in the present embodiment can be realized at the time of installation work of the remote control 105 functioning as a relay device in a state where the wireless LAN device is not installed.

  It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of the present invention is indicated not by the above description but by claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to claims.

  5 remote monitoring system, 10 hot water supply system, 20 management center (server), 21 server device, 21a cloud server, 21b application server, 26 communication unit, 27, 34a, 45, 120 memory, 28, 140 display unit, 30 smartphone , 32 touch screen, 34b memory card, 36 communication interface, 37, 160 speaker, 39 sensor unit, 39 sensor, 39x antenna, 39y radio wave intensity sensor, 40 communication adapter, 41 control unit, 42, 43 communication unit (communication adapter), 44 power supply Circuit, 47 antennas, 48 connectors, 49 manual switches, 50, 51 communication lines, 60 wireless LAN routers, 61 planned areas (wireless LAN routers), 70 support centers, 71 terminals, 80 tablets , 100 hot water supply apparatus, 105 remote controller, 110 buildings, 130 operation unit, 150 communication unit.

Claims (4)

A relay device used in a remote monitoring system of a hot water utilization facility,
A first communication unit configured to exchange information with the controller of the hot water utilization facility by communication via a communication line;
A second communication unit configured to exchange information with the management device of the remote monitoring system by communication via a wireless LAN communication device and a communication network;
A control unit that controls the first and second communication units;
The second communication unit is configured to have a first function of operating as an access point.
The control unit enables the first function until the communication connection is established with the wireless LAN communication device, while disabling the first function after the communication connection is established. Relay device for controlling the second communication unit. The second communication unit further includes a second function for connecting to an access point outside the relay apparatus,
The relay device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit enables the second function both before and after establishment of the communication connection with the wireless LAN communication device.   The control unit determines whether or not the communication connection with the wireless LAN communication device has been established, based on whether or not predetermined information on the wireless LAN communication device is acquired. The relay device described in. A program for executing installation work guidance of a relay device in a remote monitoring system in which the relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is used,
The program includes a processor mounted on a portable terminal.
Outputting a first message prompting confirmation that the relay device is temporarily placed at the planned installation location by the notification unit of the mobile terminal;
Outputting a second message for prompting movement of the wireless LAN communication device to the planned installation area by the notification unit;
Measuring the intensity of the radio wave output by the second communication unit according to the first function;
Outputting the third message regarding the radio wave environment in the planned installation area by the notification unit based on the measured radio wave intensity.

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