JP2020052711A - Hot water supply system and management apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a hot water supply system allowing for ranking of energy consumption properly, and a management apparatus.SOLUTION: A hot water supply system 1 comprises: hot water supply devices 10; a server 50 that can be communicably connected with the plurality of hot water supply devices 10 through an external communication network 40 and manages the hot water supply devices 10; and a control section 133 of a kitchen remote controller 13 that acquires an energy consumption of a household where the hot water supply device 10 is used and sends it to the server 50. The server 50 includes: a storage section 502 that stores a type of the hot water supply device 10 and an energy consumption for each hot water supply device 10; and a control section 501 that ranks energy consumption according to the type.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water supply system that remotely controls a hot water supply device via an external communication network, and a management device that can configure the hot water supply system.

  Patent Literature 1 describes an energy consumption display system that measures and displays the consumption of energy such as electric power and gas consumed at home. According to this energy consumption display system, the user can know the energy consumption in his or her home. However, the user cannot compare the energy consumption of his / her home with the energy consumption of other homes, and it is difficult to determine whether the consumption is appropriate.

  On the other hand, in recent years, a hot water supply system capable of remotely monitoring a hot water supply device having a bath function, a floor heating function, and the like using a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone has been studied. In this hot water supply system, a server for managing remote control of the hot water supply device is provided so as to be able to communicate with the hot water supply device via an external communication network.

  Therefore, in such a hot water supply system, the energy consumption (energy consumption) measured by the above energy consumption display system or the like is transmitted to the server, and the energy consumption in a plurality of homes where the water heater is used is determined. It is conceivable that the energy consumption may be collectively managed by a server so that the energy usage for each household can be ranked (ranked). In this way, the user can compare the energy consumption of his / her home with the energy consumption of other homes, and can easily determine whether the consumption is appropriate.

  Note that the amount of energy used may be limited to that of the hot water supply device, and the amount of energy used by each hot water supply device may be collectively managed by the server, and the energy usage may be ranked.

  As a technique for ranking the amount of energy consumption, Patent Literature 2 discloses a rank display system that obtains a reduction rate of energy consumption as an energy saving index and specifies the order of the energy saving index in a plurality of households. Are listed. In this rank display system, it is also possible to specify the order of the energy saving index for each household attribute (the number of households, the layout of the house).

Japanese Patent No. 5508141 JP-A-2017-182553

  There are various types of hot water supply devices used at home. For example, in addition to a conventional hot water supply device, a latent heat recovery type hot water supply device, a waste heat utilizing hot water supply device, a heat pump hot water supply device, and the like can be given. The latent heat recovery type hot water supply device is provided with a secondary heat exchanger for exchanging heat with combustion exhaust gas, and recovers latent heat released into the atmosphere as an exhaust loss, thereby improving heating efficiency. The exhaust heat utilizing hot water supply device utilizes the exhaust heat of a fuel cell generator. The heat pump water heater uses a heat pump as a heat source.

  If the type of the hot water supply device is different, the amount of energy used (the amount of power used and the amount of gas used) by the hot water supply device will be different even when the hot water supply device is used at a similar frequency. For example, compared to a conventional hot water supply device, the latent heat recovery type hot water supply device tends to use less gas, and the exhaust heat utilization hot water supply device and the heat pump hot water supply device tend to use less gas. Further, compared to a conventional hot water supply device, the heat pump hot water supply device tends to use a large amount of electric power. In addition, if the type of the hot water supply device is different and the amount of energy used by the hot water supply device is different, the total amount of energy used in the home will also be different.

  Therefore, in the case where the ranking of the energy consumption is made regardless of the type of the hot water supply device, the preconditions are different in the first place, and there is a possibility that the user's willingness to compete for energy saving may not be easily stimulated.

  In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a hot water supply system and a management device that can appropriately rank the amount of energy consumption.

  A first aspect of the present invention relates to a hot water supply system. The hot water supply system according to this aspect is a hot water supply device, a management device that can be communicably connected to a plurality of the hot water supply devices via an external communication network, manages the hot water supply device, and a home in which the hot water supply device is used. A usage transmitting unit that obtains energy usage and transmits the obtained energy usage to the management device. Here, the management device, for each of the hot water supply device, a storage unit that stores the type of the hot water supply device and the energy usage, and a ranking execution unit that ranks the energy usage according to the type ,including.

  According to the above configuration, among the water heaters under the management of the management device, the energy usage is ranked by narrowing down to the water heaters of the same type. Can be performed properly.

  Here, the “energy consumption” is, for example, a gas consumption and a power consumption. In addition, “the amount of energy used in the home” may be the amount of energy used by only the hot water supply device, or the amount of energy used by the entire load (electric equipment, gas equipment) in the home including the hot water supply device. There may be.

  In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, the storage unit may be configured to further store, for each of the hot water supply devices, an area where the hot water supply device is used. In this case, the ranking execution unit ranks the energy usage according to the type and the region.

  According to the above configuration, the ranking of the energy consumption is performed by narrowing down to the hot water supply devices that are used in an area that is closer to the area, so that the influence of the difference in the area is eliminated, and the ranking can be performed more appropriately.

  In the case of the above configuration, the storage unit may be configured to further store, for each of the water heaters, the number of households in the home where the water heater is used. In this case, the ranking execution unit ranks the energy usage according to the type, the area, and the number of households.

  In the case of such a configuration, the ranking of the amount of energy consumption is performed by narrowing down to the hot water supply apparatus having a close number of households, so that the influence of the difference in the number of households is eliminated, and the ranking can be performed more appropriately. .

  In the hot-water supply system according to this aspect, the storage unit may be configured to further store, for each of the hot-water supply devices, the number of households in a home where the hot-water supply device is used. In this case, the ranking execution unit ranks the energy usage according to the type and the number of households.

  According to the above-described configuration, the ranking of the energy consumption is performed by focusing on the hot water supply devices having the same number of households. Therefore, the influence of the difference in the number of households is eliminated, and the ranking can be performed more appropriately.

  In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, the hot water supply device may include a type transmission unit that transmits type information indicating a type of the hot water supply device to the management device.

  According to the above configuration, it is not necessary to manually input the type of the hot water supply device, and the convenience is improved.

  In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, the management device may include a determination unit that determines the area based on communication information used for communication between the hot water supply device and the management device.

  According to the above configuration, it is not necessary to manually input the area where the hot water supply device is used, and the convenience is improved.

  In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, the management device may include a ranking transmission unit that transmits the ranking of the energy usage amount obtained by the ranking to each of the hot water supply devices. In this case, the water heater includes a display unit that displays the ranking.

  According to the above configuration, the proper ranking obtained by the proper ranking can be displayed on the display unit of the water heater.

  A second aspect of the present invention relates to a management device that can be communicably connected to a plurality of water heaters via an external communication network and manages the water heaters. The management device according to this aspect includes, for each of the water heaters, a storage unit that stores a type of the water heater and an amount of energy used at home where the water heater is used, and a storage unit that stores the energy amount according to the type. And a ranking execution unit that performs ranking.

  According to the above configuration, the same effect as in the first aspect can be obtained.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hot water supply system and a management device that can appropriately rank the amounts of energy consumption.

  The effects and significance of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example when embodying the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to what is described in the following embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a hot water supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a circuit block of each device constituting the hot water supply system according to the embodiment. FIGS. 3A and 3B are flowcharts respectively showing processing in the kitchen remote controller and the portable terminal device for pairing the hot water supply device and the portable terminal device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of pairing information between a water heater and a mobile terminal device managed in the mobile terminal device according to the embodiment. FIGS. 4B and 4C are diagrams illustrating screens displayed on the mobile terminal device when performing remote control using the mobile terminal device according to the embodiment. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a remote monitoring screen according to the embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a remote operation screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 6A is a flowchart illustrating a precondition registration process executed by the control unit of the kitchen remote controller according to the embodiment. FIG. 6B is a flowchart illustrating a precondition registration process executed by the control unit of the mobile terminal device according to the embodiment. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating an input screen of the number of households displayed on the display unit of the mobile terminal device according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a precondition registration process executed by the control unit of the server according to the embodiment. FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a registration table according to the embodiment, in which the device type, the use area, and the number of households are registered. FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a database according to the embodiment in which the gas usage and the power usage of the water heater are collectively managed. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a ranking process according to the embodiment. FIG. 11A is a flowchart illustrating a receiving process according to the embodiment. FIG. 11B is a flowchart illustrating a display process according to the embodiment. FIG. 11C is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen on which the order of the energy usage is displayed according to the embodiment.

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

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a hot water supply system 1 according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the hot water supply system 1 includes a hot water supply device 10, a router 20, a portable terminal device 30, an external communication network 40, and a server 50.

  The water heater 10 includes a water heater 11 and remote controllers 12 and 13. The hot water generated by the water heater 11 is supplied to a kitchen faucet, a bathtub, a currant, and the like via pipes connected to the hot water supply port 11a. When the water heater 11 has a floor heating function, a bathroom heating function, and a heating function using a panel heater, hot water is supplied from the water heater 11 to devices that realize these functions.

  Water heater 11 is, for example, a gas water heater that supplies hot water using gas as fuel, and is a non-latent heat recovery type water heater, a latent heat recovery type water heater, or the like. The non-latent heat recovery type water heater is a conventional water heater and includes only a primary heat exchanger heated by heat generated by combustion. The latent heat recovery type water heater is equipped with a secondary heat exchanger that exchanges heat with combustion exhaust in addition to the primary heat exchanger, and recovers latent heat released into the atmosphere as exhaust loss to increase heating efficiency. It is something which raised. The water heater 11 is, for example, an exhaust heat water heater that generates hot water using exhaust heat of a fuel cell generator, or a heat pump water heater that generates hot water using a heat pump as a heat source.

  The hot water supply device 10 has a hot water supply function of supplying hot water to a curan or the like, a hot water filling function of supplying hot water to a bathtub, a heat retaining function of keeping the hot water after the hot water is filled in the bathtub, and a pursuit of hot water in the bathtub. It has a reheating function for heating and a function for adding hot water in the bathtub. The hot water filling function and the subsequent heat retention function are combined to make the bath automatic function. In the warming function and the reheating function, hot water circulates between the bathtub and the water heater 11 and the hot water in circulation is heated, so that the hot water becomes hot. No new hot water is used for the heat retention and reheating functions.

  The remote controllers 12 and 13 are connected to the water heater 11 and used to make various settings for each function of the water heater 10. The remote controllers 12 and 13 include display units 121 and 131 and input units 122 and 132, respectively. By operating the input units 122 and 132 in accordance with the screens displayed on the display units 121 and 131, the operator can perform arbitrary settings for hot water filling, hot water supply temperature adjustment, and the like. The input units 122 and 132 are provided with various operation buttons including operation buttons 122a and 132a. When the remote controllers 12 and 13 are in the standby state, the display units 121 and 131 are in the unlit state, and operation of operation buttons other than the operation buttons 122a and 132a is not accepted. When the operation buttons 122a and 132a are operated, the display units 121 and 131 are turned on to display the setting contents, and the operation of operation buttons other than the operation buttons 122a and 132a can be received.

  The remote controller 12 is installed in a bathroom, and the remote controller 13 is installed in a kitchen or the like. Hereinafter, the remote controller 12 installed in the bathroom is referred to as a “bathroom remote controller 12”, and the remote controller 13 installed in a kitchen or the like is referred to as a “kitchen remote controller 13”.

  The router 20 is a wireless router for connecting each device existing in the building (here, the home H10) to the server 50 via the external communication network 40. A unique BSSID (Basic Service Set Identifier) is assigned to the router 20 as an identifier individually assigned to each router.

  Kitchen remote controller 13 is connected to router 20 by wireless communication. When the mobile terminal device 30 is located in the home H10, the mobile terminal device 30 is connected to the router 20 by wireless communication and can communicate with the server 50. The mobile terminal device 30 is, for example, a mobile phone. In addition, the portable terminal device 30 may be another portable terminal device such as a portable tablet terminal. The external communication network 40 is, for example, the Internet.

  A server 50 for managing remote control (remote operation and remote monitoring) of the water heater 10 is connected to the external communication network 40. The kitchen remote controller 13 communicates with the server 50 via the router 20 and the external communication network 40. When the mobile terminal device 30 exists in the home H10, the mobile terminal device 30 communicates with the server 50 via the router 20 and the external communication network 40. When the mobile terminal device 30 is outside the house, the mobile terminal device 30 is connected to the external communication network 40 via the router 60 or the base station 70 installed outside and communicates with the server 50.

  The application program of the hot water supply system 1 is downloaded from the server 50 and installed in the kitchen remote controller 13 and the portable terminal device 30. This application program includes address information for accessing the server 50. The kitchen remote controller 13 and the mobile terminal device 30 access the server 50 and perform communication based on the address information. The address information of the kitchen remote controller 13 is transmitted to the server 50 and held at the time of initial setting. Further, the address information of the portable terminal device 30 is passed from the portable terminal device 30 to the kitchen remote controller 13 at the time of a pairing process described later, transmitted from the kitchen remote controller 13 to the server 50, and held.

  In the present embodiment, as the address information of the kitchen remote controller 13 and the portable terminal device 30, an IP address stored in a wireless communication unit 136 of the kitchen remote controller 13 and a wireless communication unit 305 of the portable terminal device 30 (see FIG. 2) described later. Used.

  In the configuration of FIG. 1, the operator can perform remote control (remote operation and remote monitoring) on the hot water supply device 10 using the portable terminal device 30 both inside the house H10 and outside the house. As described below, in the present embodiment, the water heater 10 to be remotely controlled is associated in advance with each portable terminal device 30. In addition, the type of remote control, that is, both or one of remote control and remote monitoring is preset for hot water supply device 10 to be remotely controlled. In the present embodiment, these associations and types of remote control are managed by the server 50 for each portable terminal device 30.

  Regardless of whether the mobile terminal device 30 is inside the home H10 or outside the home, the setting request input to the mobile terminal device 30 by the operator is once transmitted to the server 50 via the external communication network 40. In response, server 50 transmits the received setting request to hot water supply device 10 associated in advance with portable terminal device 30 that has received the setting request. Thereby, the setting request is transmitted to kitchen remote controller 13 of corresponding hot water supply device 10 via external communication network 40 and router 20. Thus, the setting of the content requested by the operator is applied to the water heater 10.

  In addition, the state information of the hot water supply device 10 is transmitted from the kitchen remote controller 13 to the server 50 via the router 20 as needed at predetermined intervals. Server 50 manages the received state information for each water heater 10. The browsing request for remote monitoring input from the operator to the mobile terminal device 30 is transmitted to the server 50 via the external communication network 40 once. In response to this, the server 50 transmits the status information of the hot water supply device 10 specified by the browse request to the portable terminal device 30 among the water heaters 10 that are associated in advance with the mobile terminal device 30 that has received the browse request. Send to Thereby, the state of hot water supply device 10 is output in portable terminal device 30. Thus, the operator can check the state of hot water supply device 10 both inside the house and outside the house.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a circuit block of each device constituting the hot water supply system 1.

  Water heater 11 includes a control unit 111, a storage unit 112, a communication unit 113, a water level sensor 114, and a flow rate sensor 115. The control unit 111 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls each unit in the water heater 11 according to a program stored in the storage unit 112. The storage unit 112 includes a memory and stores a predetermined control program. The communication unit 113 communicates with the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13 under the control of the control unit 111.

  Water level sensor 114 detects the water level of the bathtub to which hot water supply device 10 is connected. The water level sensor 114 detects the water level in the bathtub based on, for example, the water pressure in a pipe connected to the bathtub. The control unit 111 detects that a person takes a bath or leaves the bathtub based on a change in the water level detected by the water level sensor 114. The flow rate sensor 115 detects a flow rate of hot water flowing through a pipe connected to the hot water supply port 11a. The control unit 111 can determine the amount of hot water used based on the time during which the hot water is supplied to the bathtub, the curan, and the like, and the flow rate detected by the flow rate sensor 115.

  The bathroom remote controller 12 includes a control unit 123, a storage unit 124, a communication unit 125, and an entry sensor 126 in addition to the display unit 121 and the input unit 122 described above. The display unit 121 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal panel. The input unit 122 includes various operation buttons such as a temperature setting button. The display unit 121 may be a touch panel. The control unit 123 includes a CPU, and performs predetermined control according to a program stored in the storage unit 124. The storage unit 124 includes a memory and stores a predetermined control program. The communication unit 125 communicates with the water heater 11 according to the control from the control unit 123. The entry sensor 126 detects a person entering or exiting the bathroom. The entry sensor 126 is, for example, a human sensor using infrared rays. Control unit 123 detects that a person has entered the bathroom based on the output of entry sensor 126.

  The kitchen remote controller 13 includes a control unit 133, a storage unit 134, and a communication unit 135, in addition to the display unit 131 and the input unit 132 described above. The display unit 131 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel. The input unit 132 includes various operation buttons. The display unit 131 may be a touch panel. The control unit 133 includes a CPU, and performs predetermined control according to a program stored in the storage unit 134. The storage unit 134 includes a memory and stores a predetermined control program. Communication unit 135 communicates with water heater 11 in accordance with the control from control unit 133.

  Further, the kitchen remote controller 13 includes a wireless communication unit 136. Here, the wireless communication unit 136 is a wireless communication module capable of performing wireless communication with the router 20. An IP address for specifying a device on a LAN (Local Area Network) set in the home H10 is allocated to the wireless communication unit 136 (wireless communication module). In addition, the kitchen remote controller 13 includes a speaker for outputting sound.

  The mobile terminal device 30 includes a display unit 301, an input unit 302, a control unit 303, a storage unit 304, and a wireless communication unit 305. The display unit 301 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal panel. The input unit 132 includes various operation buttons and a touch panel stacked on the display unit 301.

  The control unit 303 includes a CPU, and performs a predetermined control according to a program stored in the storage unit 304. The storage unit 304 includes a memory and stores a predetermined control program. The wireless communication unit 305 communicates with the router 20 under the control of the control unit 303. The wireless communication unit 305 is a wireless communication module capable of performing wireless communication with the router 20. The wireless communication unit 305 is also assigned an IP address. In addition, the portable terminal device 30 includes a speaker for outputting sound.

  The server 50 includes a control unit 501, a storage unit 502, and a communication unit 503. The control unit 501 includes a CPU and performs predetermined control according to a program stored in the storage unit 502. The storage unit 502 includes a memory and a hard disk, and stores a predetermined control program and a database. The communication unit 503 performs predetermined control according to the control from the control unit 501.

  An energy consumption measuring device 80 is provided in the house H10. The energy consumption measuring device 80 is connected to a gas meter having a pulse oscillation function, which is installed in each door. A pulse is output from the gas meter to the energy usage measuring device 80 at every constant gas usage. Further, the energy usage measuring device 80 has a current and voltage sensor on the downstream side of the electric meter installed in each door, that is, on the distribution board side of the house H10. The current and voltage detected by the current and voltage sensors are output to the energy usage measuring device 80. As a result, the energy usage measuring device 80 measures the gas usage and the power usage, which are the energy usage. The energy usage measuring device 80 is connected to the kitchen remote controller 13. From the energy usage measuring device 80, the gas usage and the power usage of the day are output to the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 every day. The gas usage and the power usage measured by the energy usage measuring device 80, that is, the energy usage is the energy usage due to the entire load (electric equipment, gas equipment) of the house H10 (at home) including the hot water supply device 10. Becomes

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the portable terminal device 30 that can remotely control and remotely monitor the hot water supply device 10 is registered in the server 50 in advance in association with the hot water supply device 10. That is, hot water supply device 10 and mobile terminal device 30 are paired in advance, and information indicating the pairing is managed in server 50.

  In the present embodiment, this pairing is performed via the router 20 in the building where the water heater 10 is installed. That is, the holder of the mobile terminal device 30 cannot, in principle, pair the own mobile terminal device 30 with the water heater 10 unless the user owns the mobile terminal device 30 and enters the building where the water heater 10 is installed. . Thereby, it is possible to prevent the portable terminal device 30 and the water heater 10 from being unduly paired by a malicious third party. Therefore, the risk of improper remote control and remote monitoring can be eliminated.

  FIGS. 3A and 3B are flowcharts showing processes in the kitchen remote controller 13 and the portable terminal device 30 for pairing the hot water supply device 10 and the portable terminal device 30, respectively.

  The operator starts the application program of the hot water supply system 1 installed in the mobile terminal device 30 in the home H10, and sets the mobile terminal device 30 to the pairing mode. After that, the operator performs an operation for pairing on the input unit 132 of the kitchen remote controller 13.

  When the pairing operation is performed on the kitchen remote controller 13 (S11: YES), the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 broadcasts an announcement for pairing by broadcast (S12). When the mobile terminal device 30 is located in the home H10, the announcement is received by the mobile terminal device 30.

  Upon receiving this announcement (S21: YES), control unit 303 of portable terminal device 30 causes display unit 301 to display a reception screen for receiving an operation requesting pairing (S22). The operator performs a request operation on this reception screen. Thereby, control section 303 transmits a pairing request to kitchen remote controller 13 (S23). This pairing request includes the ID information and the address information (IP address) of the mobile terminal device 30. UUID (Universally Unique Identifier), GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) and the like are used as ID information.

  When receiving a pairing request from portable terminal device 30 within a predetermined time from the transmission of the announcement (S13: YES), control unit 133 of kitchen remote controller 13 transmits a pairing response to portable terminal device 30 (S14). Then, the pairing result is transmitted to the server 50 (S15), and the process ends. The pairing result includes the ID information (UUID, GUID, etc.) of the water heater 10 (here, the kitchen remote controller 13) together with the ID information and address information of the portable terminal device 30 included in the pairing request. On the other hand, when the pairing request is not received within the predetermined time (S13: NO), the control unit 133 ends the process without transmitting the pairing result. The control unit 303 of the portable terminal device 30 receives the pairing response from the kitchen remote controller 13 (S24: YES), and ends the process.

  Next, the flow of remote control performed between hot water supply device 10 and the mobile terminal device 30 that have been paired will be described.

  FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of pairing information between the hot water supply device 10 and the mobile terminal device 30 managed in the mobile terminal device 30.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the portable terminal device 30 manages ID information of the paired hot water supply device 10 (here, ID information of the kitchen remote controller 13). Each hot water supply device 10 is associated with a name set by an operator. The name is set, for example, after a pairing request operation is performed on the reception screen, and then a name setting screen is displayed. The operator can give each hot water supply device 10 a name that is easy for the operator to understand. The registration of the pairing information in the mobile terminal device 30 is performed after receiving the pairing response from the kitchen remote controller 13. The pairing information is stored in the storage unit 304 of the mobile terminal device 30.

  FIGS. 4B and 4C are diagrams showing screens displayed on the mobile terminal device 30 when remote control is performed using the mobile terminal device 30. FIG.

  When the operator performs a predetermined operation after activating the application program for hot water supply system 1 on his or her mobile terminal device 30, selection screen 510 in FIG. 4B is displayed. The selection screen 510 includes a message 511, a selection key group 512, and a confirmation button 513. The message 511 is a sentence that prompts the user to select a target for remote control.

  The selection key group 512 includes selection keys 512a indicating selection candidates arranged vertically. The selection candidate is defined by the name of the pair link information shown in FIG. Each selection key 512a is given the name of the pair link information shown in FIG. The selection key 512a can be scrolled by touching the position of the selection key group 512 with a finger and sliding the finger up and down. The operator touches the selection key 512a of the name given to the hot water supply device 10 to be remotely controlled, and selects the target of the remote control. The selected selection key 512a is highlighted. When the selection target is incorrect, the operator touches the selection key 512a again. This cancels the selection.

  After selecting the target in this way, the operator touches the confirmation button 513. As a result, a selection screen 520 shown in FIG. 4C is displayed. Using this selection screen 520, the operator performs an operation for selecting the type of remote control.

  The selection screen 520 includes a message 521, selection buttons 522 and 523, a confirmation button 524, and a return button 525. The message 521 is a text that prompts the user to select the type of remote control. The selection buttons 522 and 523 are operation units for selecting remote operation and remote monitoring as types of remote control, respectively. The confirm button 524 is an operation unit for confirming the selection process. The confirm button 524 can be operated when one of the selection buttons 522 and 523 is selected. The return button 525 is an operation unit for returning the screen to the selection screen 510.

  The operator touches one of the selection buttons 522 and 523 that corresponds to the type of remote control he or she wants to perform, and selects the type of remote control. The selected selection button is highlighted. If the selection is incorrect, the operator touches the selection button again. This cancels the selection. When returning the screen, the operator touches the return button 525.

  When the operator touches the enter button 524 after selecting one of the selection buttons 522 and 523, a screen for remote control according to the selection of the selection buttons 522 and 523 is displayed on the display unit 301 of the portable terminal device 30. Will be displayed. That is, when the selection button 522 is selected, a remote operation screen 700 for remote operation is displayed, and when the selection button 523 is selected, a remote monitoring screen 600 for remote monitoring is displayed.

  FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a remote monitoring screen 600, and FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a remote operation screen 700.

  The remote monitoring screen 600 is a screen that can monitor various setting states of the hot water supply device 10 and the presence or absence of bathing. Referring to FIG. 5A, remote monitoring screen 600 is divided into three areas 610, 620, and 630. Area 610 includes a name display section 611, a hot water supply temperature display section 612, a bath temperature display section 613, a bath water quantity display section 614, a bathtub image 615, and a bathing time display section 616.

  The name display section 611 displays the name of the water heater 10 to which the remote monitoring is applied. The hot water supply temperature display section 612, the bath temperature display section 613, and the bath hot water amount display section 614 each include a current hot water supply temperature, a bath temperature, and a bath water amount based on state information received from the server 50 by the mobile terminal device 30 as needed. Is set.

  When the confirm button 524 is touched after the selection button 523 for selecting the remote monitoring screen 600 is selected, a remote control request is transmitted from the mobile terminal device 30 to the server 50. This remote control request includes the ID information of the portable terminal device 30 and the ID information of the water heater 10 to be remotely controlled selected by the operator. When the remote control request is sent, server 50 starts transmitting state information such as hot water supply temperature, bath temperature, and amount of bath water to mobile terminal device 30 of the transmission source. As a result, it is possible to display information on the setting status on the remote monitoring screen 600.

  In the bathtub image 615, the current setting state of the amount of bath water is displayed as an image of water stored in the bathtub. When the state information includes that a person is taking a bath in the bathtub, an image M1 indicating that a person is taking a bath in the bathtub is added to the bathtub image 615. The bathing time display section 616 displays the current bathing time of the bathtub based on the state information.

  In the area 620, buttons 621 to 624 for performing predetermined settings and the like when the screen is the remote operation screen 700 are displayed. Buttons 621 to 624 are buttons for setting the reheating function, setting the bath automatic function, setting the bath cleaning function, and setting the bath timer function, respectively. Here, since the screen is the remote monitoring screen 600, these buttons are disabled. In the area 630, four buttons for switching a function to be remotely monitored are displayed.

  By referring to the remote monitoring screen 600, the operator can check the status of the water heater 10 displayed on the name display section 611. In the example of FIG. 5A, the operator can check various states of the bath in hot water supply device 10 displayed on name display portion 611. Thereby, even if the operator is away from the location of hot water supply device 10 displayed on name display portion 611, the operator can accurately grasp the status of hot water supply device 10.

  Remote operation screen 700 is a screen for remotely operating hot water supply device 10 from portable terminal device 30. The remote operation screen 700 will be described with reference to FIG. The layout of the remote operation screen 700 is the same as that of the remote monitoring screen 600 shown in FIG. The remote operation screen 700 is divided into three areas 710, 720, and 730, like the remote monitoring screen 600.

  The area 710 includes a name display section 711, a hot water supply temperature setting section 712, a bath temperature setting section 713, a bath water amount setting section 714, and a bathtub image 715. The name display unit 711 displays the name given to the hot water supply device 10 in the same manner as the name display unit 611.

  Hot water temperature setting section 712, bath temperature setting section 713, and bath water amount setting section 714 indicate current hot water supply temperature, bath temperature, and bath water amount setting state, respectively. Further, the operator can change the hot water supply temperature, the bath temperature, and the amount of hot water by operating the hot water temperature setting unit 712, the bath temperature setting unit 713, and the hot water amount setting unit 714. The bathtub image 715 displays the current setting of the amount of bath water as an image of water stored in the bathtub.

  Each of the buttons 721 to 724 included in the area 720 is operably enabled. The buttons 721 to 724 correspond to the buttons 621 to 624 in FIG. By operating these buttons 721 to 724, the operator can make settings corresponding to the buttons 721 to 724 on the hot water supply device 10 displayed on the name display portion 711. On the remote operation screen 700, information according to the setting operation from the operator is transmitted to the server 50 as needed, and further transmitted from the server 50 to the kitchen remote controller 13. As a result, predetermined settings are made in the water heater 10 to be remotely controlled.

  By the way, in the hot water supply system 1 of the present embodiment, the server 50 collectively manages the energy consumption of the household in which the hot water supply device 10 is used. Then, the server 50 ranks the energy usage, and the ranking of the energy usage obtained by the ranking is sent to each water heater 10 and displayed on the display unit 131 of the kitchen remote controller 13. Hereinafter, this ranking function will be described.

  In the present embodiment, first, the precondition registration processing for registering the precondition when ranking the energy usage in the server 50 is performed between the kitchen remote controller 13, the portable terminal device 30, and the server 50. Done in The precondition is a condition for narrowing down a parameter (total number) at the time of ranking. Here, the preconditions are the type of water heater 10 (hereinafter referred to as “device type”), the area where water heater 10 is used (hereinafter referred to as “use area”), and the number of households in the home where water heater 10 is used. It is said. The number of households is registered by the operator's input on the portable terminal device 30, and the device type and the area of use are automatically registered without the operator's input.

  The precondition registration process is automatically started when the pairing process in FIG. 3B is completed. Further, the configuration may be such that the prerequisite registration processing is included in the pairing processing. Further, the operator can later change the number of households. In this case, the process in the mobile terminal device 30 is started based on a predetermined operation.

  In hot water supply apparatus 10, a process of transmitting the model code to server 50 is performed as a precondition registration process. The model code is stored in the storage unit 134 of the kitchen remote controller 13. The model code includes type information indicating the device type. In addition, the model code includes number information indicating the number of the hot water supply device 10 and the like.

  FIG. 6A is a flowchart showing a precondition registration process executed by the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13.

  Referring to FIG. 6A, control unit 133 of kitchen remote controller 13 reads out the model code from storage unit 134 (S31). And control part 31 transmits the read model code to server 50 with ID information on hot water supply device 10 (S32).

  In the mobile terminal device 30, a process of transmitting the number of households to the server 50 is performed as a precondition registration process.

  FIG. 6B is a flowchart illustrating a precondition registration process performed by the control unit 303 of the mobile terminal device 30. FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating an input screen 800 of the number of households displayed on the display unit 301 of the mobile terminal device 30. FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 6B, control unit 303 displays input screen 800 on display unit 301, and accepts input of the number of households (S41). The operator uses the input screen 800 to enter the number of households.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the input screen 800 includes a message 810, a number-of-households input field 820, and a confirm button 830. The message 810 is a sentence that prompts the input of the number of households. The number-of-households input field 820 is an input field for inputting the number of households. The confirm button 830 is an operation unit for confirming the input of the number of households.

  When the operator touches the number-of-households input field 820, a window 821 in which numbers are arranged adjacent to the number-of-households input field 820 appears on the input screen 800 as shown in FIG. The operator can scroll numbers on the window 821 by tracing the window 821 up and down. The operator touches a desired number that appears on the window 821. As a result, the touched number is displayed in the household number input field 820. When the input of the number of households is completed, the operator touches the enter button 930. Thereby, the input of the number of households is determined.

  Returning to FIG. 6B, when the operator operates the enter button 830 to execute the enter operation (S 42: YES), the control unit 303 determines the input number of households together with the ID information of the water heater 10 by the server. 50 (S43).

  In the server 50, a process of registering the device type, the area of use, and the number of households is performed as a precondition registration process.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the precondition registration processing executed by the control unit 501 of the server 50.

  Referring to FIG. 8, control unit 501 of server 50 monitors whether or not a model code has been received from hot water supply device 10, that is, kitchen remote controller 13 (S51). In addition, the control unit 501 monitors whether the number of households has been received from the mobile terminal device 30 (S52).

  When the model code is received (S51: YS), the control unit 501 extracts the type information included in the model code (S53). Further, control section 501 determines the use area of hot water supply device 10 (S54). The communication between the server 50 and the hot water supply device 10 (the kitchen remote controller 13) uses the IP address of the kitchen remote controller 13, and the IP address is allocated for each area. Based on the IP address of kitchen remote controller 13 to which the model code has been sent, control unit 501 can determine the kitchen remote controller 13, that is, the area where water heater 10 is used. The control unit 501 registers the device type and the use area in the storage unit 502 (S55).

  Further, when the number of households is received (S52: YES), control unit 501 registers the number of households in storage unit 502 (S56). When the device type, the area of use, and the number of households are all registered (S57: YES), the processing in the server 50 is completed.

  FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a configuration of a registration table 502a in which the device type, the use area, and the number of households are registered.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, in the registration table 502a of the storage unit 502, the device type, the area of use, and the number of households are registered in association with the ID information of the water heater 10 that is the target. Here, as the device type, for example, there are four types of latent heat recovery type, non-latent heat recovery type, heat pump type, and waste heat utilization type. The device type may be further divided into what types of hot water supply devices have (hot water supply function only, hot water supply and heating function, hot water supply, reheating and heating function). The use area is, for example, a prefecture. The area of use can be a municipality.

  FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a database 502b in which gas usage and power usage of the hot water supply device 10 are collectively managed.

  In each water heater 10 managed by the server 50, when the gas usage and the power usage of the day are output from the energy usage measuring device 80 to the kitchen remote controller 13, the controller 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 acquires The gas usage and the power usage are transmitted to the server 50. The control unit 501 of the server 50 stores the received gas usage amount and power usage amount in the database 502b of the storage unit 502. As shown in FIG. 9 (b), the dated gas usage and power usage are stored in the database 502b in association with the ID information of the destination water heater 10.

  The server 50 ranks the amount of energy consumption (gas consumption, power consumption) of the household in which each of the hot water supply devices 10 under management is used, and transmits the ranking of each household to each of the water heating devices 10. Is periodically executed by the control unit 501. For example, in order to rank the energy consumption for one month, the ranking process is executed once a month. The period to be ranked is not one month, but may be one week or one year.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the ranking process.

  Referring to FIG. 10, control unit 501 of server 50 monitors whether or not the execution date and time for ranking the energy usage has come (S61). For example, when ranking one month's energy usage, a predetermined time (such as 1:00 am) on a predetermined day (such as one day) of the next month of the ranking month is set as the execution date and time.

  When the date and time of execution is reached (S61: YES), the control unit 501 calculates the energy usage (gas usage, power usage) for each hot water supply device 10 during the period to be ranked, for example, one month ( S62). Then, the control unit 501 ranks the energy consumption according to the device type, the use area, and the number of households (S63). That is, the control unit 501 ranks the amount of energy consumption for each water heater 10 whose device type, area of use, and number of households are close.

  For example, the device types are classified into four types: latent heat recovery type, non-latent heat recovery type, heat pump type, and waste heat utilization type. The areas of use are divided into eight regional groups: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku / Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Furthermore, the number of households is divided into six people groups of one, two, three, four, five, six or more. In this case, the control unit 501 ranks the amount of energy used in each of the water heaters 10 in which the type group, the regional group, and the number of people group are the same. It should be noted that the device types may be further divided into more detailed type groups in consideration of the functions of the hot water supply device 10, and the use areas may be further divided into more detailed regional groups, such as by prefecture.

  Next, control section 501 transmits the ranking corresponding to each of hot water supply apparatuses 10 (S64). At this time, control unit 501 also transmits the energy usage (gas usage, power usage) corresponding to each water heater 10.

  On the hot water supply device 10 side, in the kitchen remote controller 13, the control unit 133 executes a reception process of receiving the order of the energy usage from the server 50 and a display process of displaying the received order.

  FIG. 11A is a flowchart showing the receiving process.

  Referring to FIG. 11A, control unit 133 of kitchen remote controller 13 monitors whether wireless communication unit 136 has received the order of the amount of energy used (S71). When the wireless communication unit 136 receives the order (S71: YES), the control unit 133 stores the received order in the storage unit 134 of the kitchen remote controller 13 (S72). In the kitchen remote controller 13, the energy usage is also received and stored in the storage unit 134.

  FIG. 11B is a flowchart showing the display processing. FIG. 11C is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen on which the order of the energy usage is displayed.

  Referring to FIG. 11B, control unit 133 of kitchen remote controller 13 monitors whether or not an operation for displaying the order of energy consumption has been performed (S81). When the kitchen remote controller 13 is in the standby state, the operator of the kitchen remote controller 13 first operates the drive button 132a. For example, the operation of the operation button 132a can be a trigger operation. The operation of another operation button may be the trigger operation.

  When the trigger operation is performed (S81: YES), the control unit 133 reads the order of the energy usage from the storage unit 134 and displays the order on the display unit 131 of the kitchen remote controller 13 (S82). The display unit 131 also displays the energy usage together with the order of the energy usage. FIG. 11 (c) shows an example in which energy usage (gas usage, power usage) for one month and the order thereof are displayed. In addition, the device type, the use area, and the number of households, which have been prerequisites for ranking, may be displayed together with the rank of energy consumption.

  For example, the order of the energy usage displayed on the display unit 131 is deleted from the display unit 131 after a predetermined time has elapsed or when a predetermined operation is performed. The display unit 131 displays a screen to be displayed next, such as a screen on which setting contents such as hot water supply temperature are displayed.

<Effects of Embodiment>
According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  Among the hot water heaters 10 under the control of the server 50, the ranking of the energy consumption is performed by narrowing down to the hot water heaters 10 of similar device types. Therefore, the influence due to the difference of the device types is eliminated, and the ranking is properly determined. It can be carried out.

  In addition, since the ranking of the energy consumption is performed by narrowing down to the hot water supply apparatuses 10 whose use areas are close to each other, the influence of the difference in the use area is eliminated, and the ranking can be performed more appropriately. In addition, when the use area is different, the temperature of the tap water varies depending on the climate. That is, in cold regions, the temperature of tap water tends to be low, and therefore, the amount of energy used tends to increase.

  Furthermore, since the ranking of the energy consumption is performed by narrowing down to the hot water supply apparatuses 10 having the same number of households, the influence due to the difference in the number of households is eliminated, and the ranking can be performed more appropriately. If the number of households is large, the amount of energy used tends to increase.

  Furthermore, since the type information indicating the type of the hot water supply device 10 is automatically transmitted from the hot water supply device 10 to the server 50, it is not necessary to manually input the device type, and the convenience is improved.

  Further, in the server 50, the use area is determined based on the IP address used for communication between the hot water supply device 10 and the server 50, so that it is not necessary to manually input the use area, and the convenience is improved.

  Further, the proper ranking obtained by the proper ranking can be displayed on the display unit 131 of the water heater 10 (the kitchen remote controller 13).

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications of the application examples of the present invention other than the above embodiments are possible. .

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, in the server 50, the device type, the area of use, and the number of households are stored in the storage unit 502, and the energy usage is ranked according to these three conditions. However, at least the device type may be stored in the storage unit 502, and the energy usage may be ranked according to the condition. That is, the ranking may be performed according to only the device type, the ranking may be performed according to the device type and the use area, or the ranking may be performed according to the device type and the number of households. Is also good.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the rank corresponding to each water heater 10 obtained by ranking the amount of energy consumption is transmitted from server 50 to all water heaters 10. However, when there is a request for transmission of the rank from water heater 10 to server 50, the rank may be transmitted from server 50 to water heater 10. In this case, a request operation is performed on the input unit 132 of the kitchen remote controller 13 of the water heater 10, and based on the request operation, a request for transmission of the order from the water heater 10 to the server 50 is made. Then, the received order is displayed on the display unit 131 of the kitchen remote controller 13. Furthermore, the ranking of the energy consumption may be performed not in a regular manner but in response to a request for transmission of the ranking from the water heater 10 to the server 50. In this case, the kitchen remote controller 13 of the hot-water supply device 10 may allow the operator to select a period to be ranked (one month, one week, one year, etc.).

  Further, in the above embodiment, the number of households is input using the mobile terminal device 30. However, the number of households may be input using the kitchen remote controller 13 in addition to or instead of the input on the mobile terminal device 30. In this case, the process of FIG. 6B is executed by the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13, and the input screen 800 is displayed on the display unit 131 of the kitchen remote controller 13.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the order of the amount of energy used is displayed on the display unit 131 of the kitchen remote controller 13. However, in addition to or instead of the display on the kitchen remote controller 13, the order of the energy usage may be displayed on the display unit 301 of the portable terminal device 30. In this case, the processing of FIGS. 11A and 11B is executed by the control unit 303 of the portable terminal device 30.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the energy usage (gas usage, power usage) is output from the energy usage measuring device 80 to the kitchen remote controller 13 and transmitted to the server 50 every day. However, the output timing of the energy usage from the energy usage measuring device 80 is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, every hour. Further, the transmission timing of the energy usage amount from the kitchen remote controller 13 is not limited to the above, and may be, for example, every hour.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the amount of energy used by the entire load (electric equipment, gas equipment) of the house H10 (at home) including the water heater 10 is transmitted from the kitchen remote controller 13, that is, the water heater 10 to the server 50. . However, the amount of energy used only by water heater 10 may be transmitted from water heater 10 to server 50. In this case, for example, a sensor for detecting the supply amount of gas to hot water supply device 10 and a sensor for detecting the supply amount of electric power to hot water supply device 10 are connected to control unit 133 of kitchen remote controller 13, and control unit 133 Thus, the gas usage and the power usage are calculated.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the hot water supply system 1 can perform both remote control and remote monitoring of the hot water supply device 10. However, hot water supply system 1 may perform at least one of remote operation and remote monitoring.

  In addition, the embodiments of the present invention can be variously modified as appropriate within the scope described in the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hot-water supply system 10 Hot-water supply device 11 Hot-water heater 13 Kitchen remote control (usage transmission part, type transmission part)
131 display unit 40 external communication network 50 server (management device)
501 control unit (ranking execution unit, determination unit, order transmission unit)
502 Storage unit

Claims (8)

Water heater and
A management device that can be communicably connected to the plurality of water heaters via an external communication network and manages the water heater;
Acquiring the amount of energy used in the home where the water heater is used, and an amount transmitting unit that transmits the energy to the management device,
The management device,
For each of the water heaters, a storage unit that stores the type of the water heater and the amount of energy used,
And a ranking execution unit that ranks the energy usage according to the type.
A hot water supply system characterized by the following. The hot water supply system according to claim 1,
The storage unit further stores, for each of the water heaters, an area where the water heater is used,
The ranking execution unit ranks the energy usage according to the type and the region,
A hot water supply system characterized by the following. The hot water supply system according to claim 2,
The storage unit further stores, for each of the water heaters, the number of households in a home where the water heater is used,
The ranking execution unit ranks the energy usage according to the type, the area, and the number of households,
A hot water supply system characterized by the following. The hot water supply system according to claim 1,
The storage unit further stores, for each of the water heaters, the number of households in a home where the water heater is used,
The ranking execution unit ranks the energy usage according to the type and the number of households,
A hot water supply system characterized by the following. In the hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The water heater includes a type transmission unit that transmits type information indicating the type of the water heater to the management device,
A hot water supply system characterized by the following. The hot water supply system according to claim 2 or 3,
The management device includes a determination unit that determines the area based on communication information used for communication between the hot water supply device and the management device,
A hot water supply system characterized by the following. In the hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The management device includes a ranking transmission unit that transmits the ranking of the energy usage amount obtained by the ranking to each of the water heaters,
The water heater includes a display unit that displays the ranking.
A hot water supply system characterized by the following. In a management device that can be communicably connected to a plurality of water heaters via an external communication network and manages the water heater,
For each of the water heaters, a storage unit that stores the type of the water heater and the amount of energy used at home where the water heater is used,
A ranking execution unit that ranks the energy usage according to the type,
A management device comprising:

Images