JP2020190389A - Water heater - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a water heater capable of preventing wasteful reproduction output when reproducing and outputting acoustic data downloaded through an external communication network by a remote controller.SOLUTION: A water heater 10 includes a bathroom remote controller 12, a kitchen remote controller 13, and a radio communication unit 138 for connection to an external communication network 30. The kitchen remote controller 13 is provided with a data acquisition unit 133a for acquiring acoustic data through the radio communication unit 138 and transmits a radio sound signal (acoustic information) based on the acquired acoustic data to the bathroom remote controller 12. The bathroom remote controller 12 includes a circuit unit and a speaker 125 for reproducing and outputting the received radio sound signal. The bathroom remote controller 12 includes a determination unit 123a for determining whether or not a stop condition for stopping the reproduction and outputting of the radio sound signal has been satisfied, and a reproduction stop unit 123b for stopping the reproduction and outputting of the radio sound signal in the bathroom remote controller 12 when the stop condition is satisfied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a hot water supply device, and is particularly suitable for use in a hot water supply device in which operations related to the hot water supply device are performed by a remote controller arranged in a kitchen, a bathroom, or the like.

In the hot water supply device, various inputs are performed via a remote controller installed in the bathroom or living room. In this case, it is convenient to be able to watch radio, television, and the like via these remote controllers.

The following Patent Document 1 describes a hot water supply device capable of outputting sound based on acoustic data in each remote controller by using an intercom function between remote controllers installed in a kitchen and a bathroom. In this water heater, acoustic data is downloaded to a remote controller in the kitchen via an external communication network. The remote controller in the kitchen reproduces the downloaded acoustic data into an analog audio signal, and transmits the reproduced audio signal to the remote controller in the bathroom using the interphone function. As a result, the remote controller in the bathroom outputs the sound based on the acoustic data.

JP-A-2018-19205

In the hot water supply device having the above configuration, it is possible that the user leaves the bathroom as it is after taking a bath without stopping the voice output. In such a case, the audio output is continued in the unmanned bathroom, and wasteful power is consumed.

In view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a hot water supply device capable of preventing unnecessary reproduction output when the acoustic data downloaded via an external communication network is reproduced and output by a remote controller. ..

The hot water supply device according to the main aspect of the present invention includes a first remote controller for operating the water heater, a second remote controller for operating the water heater, the water heater, and the first remote controller. A communication line for connecting the second remote controller so as to be able to communicate with each other, and a communication unit for connecting to an external communication network are provided. Here, the first remote controller includes a data acquisition unit that acquires acoustic data via the communication unit, and transfers acoustic information based on the acoustic data acquired by the data acquisition unit to the second remote controller. Send. Further, the second remote controller includes a circuit unit and a speaker for reproducing and outputting the received acoustic information. The hot water supply device has a determination unit that determines whether or not the stop condition for stopping the reproduction output of the acoustic information is satisfied, and stops the reproduction output of the acoustic information in the second remote controller when the stop condition is satisfied. It is further provided with a playback stop unit for causing the playback.

According to the hot water supply device according to this aspect, when the stop condition is satisfied, the reproduction output of the acoustic information in the second remote controller is stopped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary reproduction and output of acoustic information in the second remote controller.

The "acoustic information" is an analog audio signal obtained by demolating acoustic data received via an external communication network, acoustic data after decompression of the compressed acoustic data, and compressed acoustic data. It includes a wide range of information such as the acoustic data itself that can reproduce and output audio based on the acoustic data.

In the hot water supply device according to the present embodiment, the determination unit further determines whether or not the operating state of the water heater has been stopped, and the stop condition is that the operating state of the water heater has been stopped. May include.

According to this configuration, when the operating state of the water heater is stopped, that is, when it is difficult to assume that the acoustic information is viewed in the bathroom or the like, the reproduction output of the acoustic information in the second remote controller is performed. Is stopped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary reproduction and output of acoustic information in the second remote controller.

In the hot water supply device according to the present embodiment, the determination unit further determines whether or not the water heater has failed, and the stop condition may include that the water heater has failed.

According to this configuration, when the water heater is out of order, that is, when it is difficult to expect the viewing of acoustic information in the bathroom or the like because the water heater cannot be used, the second remote controller is used. The playback output of acoustic information is stopped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary reproduction and output of acoustic information in the second remote controller.

In the hot water supply device according to the present embodiment, the second remote controller is configured to receive other acoustic information different from the acoustic information from the first remote controller so that it can be reproduced and output, and the stop condition is the above. The second remote controller may be configured to include being in a state of reproducing and outputting the other acoustic information.

According to this configuration, when the second remote controller is in a situation where other acoustic information such as guidance voice is reproduced and output, that is, when another voice output is prioritized, the external The audio reproduction output based on the acoustic data acquired from the communication network is stopped, and other acoustic information is reproduced and output. Therefore, in the second remote controller, the reproduction output of the acoustic information can be appropriately stopped, and the audio based on other acoustic information such as the guidance voice can be preferentially reproduced and output.

In the hot water supply device according to the present embodiment, the second remote controller is installed in a bathroom and includes a motion sensor for detecting whether or not there is a person in the bathroom, and the stop condition is the motion sensor. It may be configured to include that the person is no longer detected.

According to this configuration, when no one is present in the bathroom, the reproduction output of the acoustic information in the second remote controller installed in the bathroom is stopped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unnecessary reproduction and output of acoustic information in the second remote controller.

In the hot water supply device according to the present embodiment, the reproduction stop unit is configured to stop the output of sound from the speaker based on the acoustic information based on the determination by the determination unit that the stop condition is satisfied. Can be done.

According to this configuration, wasteful power consumption in the second remote controller can be suppressed.

Alternatively, in the hot water supply device according to the present embodiment, the reproduction stop unit stops the transmission of the acoustic information to the second remote controller based on the determination by the determination unit that the stop condition is satisfied. Can be configured as

According to this configuration, wasteful power consumption in the first remote controller can be suppressed.

Alternatively, in the hot water supply device according to the present embodiment, the reproduction stop unit is configured to stop the acquisition of the acoustic data by the data acquisition unit based on the determination by the determination unit that the stop condition is satisfied. Can be done.

According to this configuration, wasteful power consumption in the first remote controller can be suppressed. In addition, since the acquisition of acoustic data is completed, it is possible to suppress unnecessary communication cost consumption for the external communication network.

In the hot water supply device according to the present embodiment, the stop condition includes a first stop condition for ending the reproduction output of the acoustic information and a second stop condition for temporarily stopping the reproduction output of the acoustic information, and the reproduction stop unit. If the determination unit determines that the first stop condition is satisfied, the reproduction output of the acoustic information is terminated, and if the determination unit determines that the second stop condition is satisfied, The reproduction output of the acoustic information may be paused, and the reproduction output of the acoustic information may be restored based on the determination by the determination unit that the second stop condition is not satisfied.

According to this configuration, when it is assumed that the reproduction output of the acoustic information is unnecessary (when the first stop condition is satisfied) such as the operation stop or failure of the water heater, the process of ending the reproduction output of the acoustic information is performed. When it is necessary to temporarily suspend the playback output of acoustic information (when the second stop condition is satisfied), such as when the guidance voice is output, the playback output of acoustic information is temporarily stopped. Then, when this condition is cleared, the reproduction output of the acoustic information is restarted. As a result, the reproduction output of acoustic information can be appropriately terminated and paused, and the convenience of the hot water supply device can be enhanced.

In the above configuration, the "first stop condition" is, for example, that the operating state of the water heater has been stopped, that the water heater has failed, and that the bathroom is equipped with the second remote controller. It may include the fact that there is no person in the room, or that the acoustic information from the external audio device is being reproduced. Also. The "second stop state" may include, for example, a state in which a guidance voice is output, a state in which a call is made by the intercom function, and the like.

In the hot water supply device according to this aspect, the determination unit may be provided in the second remote controller. Further, the reproduction stop unit may be provided in the second remote controller.

According to this configuration, in the second remote controller that actually reproduces and outputs the acoustic information, the determination processing of whether or not the reproduction output is possible and the processing of stopping the reproduction output are performed. Therefore, these processes can be performed easily and smoothly.

In the hot water supply device according to this aspect, the communication unit may be provided in the first remote controller.

According to this configuration, since the communication unit is arranged in the first remote controller installed in the living space other than the bathroom such as the kitchen or the living room, the connection between the router arranged in the house and the communication unit is stabilized. To do. Therefore, the acoustic data can be stably acquired from the external communication network and transmitted to the second remote controller.

In the hot water supply device according to the present embodiment, the first remote controller may be configured to transmit the acoustic information to the first remote controller via the communication line.

According to this configuration, the first remote controller to the second remote controller via a communication line for exchanging information for hot water supply operation between the water heater, the first remote controller, and the second remote controller. Acoustic information is transmitted to the controller. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a communication system for transmitting and receiving acoustic information between the first remote controller and the second remote controller. Therefore, acoustic information can be transmitted and received with a simple configuration.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hot water supply device capable of preventing unnecessary reproduction output when the acoustic data downloaded via the external communication network is reproduced and output by the remote controller.

The effects or significance of the present invention will be further clarified by the description of the embodiments shown below. However, the embodiments shown below are merely examples when the present invention is put into practice, and the present invention is not limited to those described in the following embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a hot water supply device according to an embodiment. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining operation buttons provided on the operation units of the two remote controllers according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing circuit blocks of a water heater, a bathroom remote controller, and a kitchen remote controller according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of an audio signal when the guidance function is executed according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of an audio signal when the call function is executed according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow of an audio signal when the external audio function is executed according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a flow of an audio signal when the radio function is executed according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a stop process of the radio function according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing circuit blocks of a water heater, a bathroom remote controller, and a kitchen remote controller according to a modified example.

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

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a hot water supply device 10. 2 (a) and 2 (b) are diagrams for explaining the operation buttons provided on the operation units 122 and 132 of the remote controllers 12 and 13.

The hot water supply device 10 includes a water heater 11 and remote controllers 12 and 13. The water heater 11 is a gas water heater that supplies hot water using gas as fuel. The hot water generated by the water heater 11 is supplied to the faucet of the kitchen, the bathtub, the curan, etc. via the 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 by a panel heater, hot water is supplied from the water heater 11 to a device that realizes these functions.

The hot water supply device 10 has a hot water supply function for supplying hot water to a faucet, a hot water filling function for filling a bathtub, a heat retaining function for keeping the hot water after the hot water is filled in the bathtub, and a function for keeping the hot water in the bathtub. It has a reheating function to reheat and an additional hot water function to add hot water to the bathtub. The bath automatic function is configured by the hot water filling function and the subsequent heat retention function. In some cases, the bath automatic function is composed only of the hot water filling function. In the heat retention function and the reheating function, the hot water circulates between the bathtub and the water heater 11 and the circulating hot water is heated, so that the hot water becomes hot.

The remote controllers 12 and 13 are connected to the water heater 11 and are 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 operation units 122 and 132, respectively. By operating the operation units 122 and 132 according to the screens displayed on the display units 121 and 131, the operator can make arbitrary settings for hot water filling, hot water supply temperature adjustment, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the operation units 122a and 132 have operation buttons 122a and 132a, automatic bath buttons 122b and 132b, reheating buttons 122c and 132c, additional hot water buttons 122d and 132d, and a radio. Various operation buttons including buttons 122e and 132e are provided.

When the remote controllers 12 and 13 are in the operation off mode (a state in which the water heater 11 does not perform the hot water supply operation even if the hot water tap such as the curan is opened and water flow exceeds the reference flow rate), the display units 121 and 131 Is in the off state, and operations of operation buttons other than the operation buttons 122a and 132a are not accepted. When the operation buttons 122a and 132a are operated to enter the operation on mode (a state in which the water heater 11 can perform hot water supply operation when a hot water tap such as a curan is opened and water flow exceeds a reference flow rate), the display unit 121, The 131 lights up to display the setting contents, and the operations of the operation buttons other than the operation buttons 122a and 132a can be accepted.

The bath automatic buttons 122b and 132b are operation buttons for starting and stopping the operation of the bath automatic function. The reheating buttons 122c and 132c are operation buttons for starting and stopping the operation of the reheating function. The footbath buttons 122d and 132d are operation buttons for starting and stopping the operation of the footbath function. The radio buttons 122e and 132e are operation buttons operated when listening to the radio. After the radio buttons 122e and 132e are operated to operate the radio function, when the radio buttons 122e and 132e are operated again, the radio function ends.

The remote controllers 12 and 13 are provided with audio input / output ports 12a and 13a for inputting and outputting audio. The voice input / output ports 12a and 13a are used for outputting guidance voice for notifying a predetermined operation related to the hot water supply device 10 such as completion of hot water filling, and for inputting / outputting voice during a call using the intercom function. Be done. At the time of a call, a voice signal based on the voice input from one of the voice input / output ports 12a and 13a is transmitted via the 2-core communication line L10 and output from the other of the voice input / output ports 12a and 13a. As a result, a conversation can be made between the user on the remote controller 12 side and the user on the remote controller 13 side.

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

As shown in FIG. 1, the kitchen remote controller 13 can be connected to the router 20 installed in the home H10 by wireless communication. In the present embodiment, the radio acoustic data of a predetermined broadcasting station is transmitted from the radio server 40 to the kitchen remote controller 13 via the external communication network 30 (for example, a public communication network such as an Internet line) and the router 20. Here, the acoustic data for a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) is compressed by a predetermined compression method (for example, AAC or MP3) and sequentially distributed from the radio server 40 to the kitchen remote controller 13.

When the sound based on the delivered acoustic data is output by the kitchen remote controller 13, the acoustic data is sequentially decoded and reproduced by the kitchen remote controller 13. As a result, the sound of the radio is output from the sound input / output port 13a of the kitchen remote controller 13.

Further, when the audio based on the distributed acoustic data is output by the bathroom remote controller 12, the distributed acoustic data is decoded by the kitchen remote controller 13 to acquire an analog audio signal. The acquired audio signals are sequentially transmitted to the bathroom remote controller 12 via the 2-core communication line L10. The transmitted audio signal is reproduced and output by the bathroom remote controller 12. As a result, the sound of the radio is output from the sound input / output port 12a of the bathroom remote controller 12. In this way, the user can enjoy the radio in the kitchen or bathroom.

Further, the kitchen remote controller 13 is provided with an input terminal 13b for inputting an audio signal output from an external audio device. One connector of the communication cord is connected to the external output terminal of the external audio device, and the other connector of the communication cord is connected to the input terminal 13b. In this state, when a predetermined sound source is reproduced by the external audio device, an analog audio signal based on the sound source is input to the kitchen remote controller 13 via the communication code and the input terminal 13b. The input audio signal is reproduced and output by one or both of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13 according to the setting operation for the kitchen remote controller 13. The audio is output from the audio input / output ports 12a and 13a.

Here, when the audio signal input from the external audio device is output on the bathroom remote controller 12 side, the audio signal is transmitted from the kitchen remote controller 13 to the bathroom remote controller 12 by using the above-mentioned intercom function. As a result, the voice based on the voice signal input from the external audio device is output from the voice input / output port 12a on the bathroom remote controller 12 side.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the voice based on the acoustic data acquired from the radio server 40 and the voice based on the voice signal acquired from the external audio device are converted into the voice of the bathroom remote control 12 by using the intercom function used for the call. It can be output from the input / output port 12a.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing circuit blocks of the water heater 11, the bathroom remote controller 12, and the kitchen remote controller 13.

The water heater 11 includes a control unit 111, a sensor unit 112, and a drive unit 113.

The control unit 111 includes a microcomputer and controls each unit in the water heater 11 according to a control program stored in the built-in memory. Further, the control unit 111 is connected to the control unit 123 of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 by a 2-core communication line L10. The control unit 111 communicates with the control unit 123 of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 via the 2-core communication line L10.

The sensor unit 112 includes various sensors necessary for hot water supply operation. For example, the sensor unit 112 detects the water level of the bathtub to which the temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the hot water flowing through the pipe connected to the hot water supply port 11a, the flow rate sensor for detecting the flow rate of the hot water flowing through the pipe, and the hot water supply device 10 are connected. Equipped with a water level sensor and the like. In addition, the sensor unit 112 includes a sensor that detects the gas pressure of the fuel gas supplied to the combustor, a sensor that detects the CO ₂ concentration, and the like.

The drive unit 113 includes various drive mechanisms necessary for hot water supply operation. For example, the drive unit 113 includes a fan that supplies air to the combustor, a source gas solenoid valve, a flow control valve, and the like. The control unit 111 drives the drive unit 113 based on the detection signal from the sensor unit 112, and controls the supply of hot water, the adjustment of the hot water temperature, and the like. Further, the control unit 111 detects the failure of the water heater 11 based on the detection signal from the sensor unit 112. For example, the control unit 111 detects a failure due to incomplete combustion from the detection result of the CO ₂ concentration, or detects a failure based on the abnormal hot water temperature from the detection result of the hot water temperature.

In addition to the display unit 121 and the operation unit 122 described above, the bathroom remote controller 12 includes a control unit 123, a voice switching unit 124, a speaker 125, an intercom communication unit 126, a microphone 127, and a motion sensor 128. The display unit 121 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel. As described above, the operation unit 122 includes various operation buttons for on / off operation, filling with hot water, reheating, and the like. The display unit 121 may be a touch panel.

The control unit 123 includes a microcomputer and controls each unit according to a control program stored in the built-in memory. As functions by the control program, the determination unit 123a and the reproduction stop unit 123b are set in the control unit 123. Here, the determination unit 123a is a function of determining whether or not the stop condition for stopping the reproduction output of the radio sound is satisfied. The stop condition is defined based on the event that the radio function is not used. Further, the reproduction stop unit 123b is a function of stopping the reproduction output of the radio sound when the stop condition is satisfied.

Further, the sound source information for outputting the guidance voice is stored in the built-in memory of the control unit 123. The guidance voice is a voice for notifying the hot water supply operation. For example, the guidance voice includes a voice notifying that the operation of the water heater 11 is started by operating the bathroom remote controller 12 or the kitchen remote controller 13, a voice notifying that the hot water filling is completed, and the like.

The voice switching unit 124 switches the voice signal supplied to the speaker 125 according to the control from the control unit 123. The speaker 125 outputs a voice signal input from the voice switching unit 124. The speaker 125 outputs audio through the audio input / output port 12a shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A.

The intercom communication unit 126 transmits and receives voice signals to and from the intercom communication unit 136 of the kitchen remote controller 13 according to the control from the control unit 123. The intercom communication units 126 and 136 are connected to the 2-core communication line L10. The intercom communication units 126 and 136 transmit and receive voice signals via the 2-core communication line L10.

The 2-core communication line L10 is also used to supply electric power from the water heater 11 to the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13. A transmission signal is superimposed on this electric power voltage, and communication is performed between the control units 111, 123, and 133 of the water heater 11, the bathroom remote controller 12, and the kitchen remote controller 13. For example, the setting information input via the operation units 122 and 132 and the state information indicating the current setting state are superimposed on the power voltage on the 2-core communication line L10, and the control units 111, 123 and 133 It is sent, received, and shared between. Further, the above-mentioned audio signal is superimposed on the power voltage on the 2-core communication line L10 and transmitted / received between the intercom communication units 126 and 136. The frequency band for transmitting and receiving state information is set higher than the frequency band for transmitting and receiving audio signals.

The microphone 127 collects the voice emitted by the user on the bathroom remote controller 12 side, and outputs a voice signal based on the voice to the intercom communication unit 126. The audio signal is transmitted from the intercom communication unit 126 to the intercom communication unit 136 on the kitchen remote controller 13 side via the 2-core communication line L10, and is reproduced and output from the speaker 135 on the kitchen remote controller 13 side. The microphone 127 collects sound through the sound input / output port 12a shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A.

The motion sensor 128 detects the presence of a person in the bathroom and transmits the detection result to the control unit 123. The motion sensor 128 is, for example, an infrared pyroelectric sensor. The motion sensor 128 may be a motion sensor of a type other than the infrared pyroelectric sensor.

In addition to the display unit 131 and the operation unit 132 described above, the kitchen remote controller 13 includes a control unit 133, a voice switching unit 134, a speaker 135, an intercom communication unit 136, a microphone 137, and a wireless communication unit 138. The display unit 131 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel. As described above, the operation unit 132 includes various operation buttons for on / off operation, filling with hot water, reheating, and the like. The display unit 131 may be a touch panel.

The control unit 133 includes a microcomputer and controls each unit according to a control program stored in the built-in memory. As functions by the control program, the data acquisition unit 133a and the reproduction unit 133b are set in the control unit 123.

The data acquisition unit 133a is a function of connecting to the radio server 40 via the wireless communication unit 138 and acquiring acoustic data from the radio server 40 when the radio function is executed. As described above, the data acquisition unit 133a sequentially acquires the acoustic data for a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) compressed by a predetermined compression method from the radio server 40.

The reproduction unit 133b is a function of decompressing the acquired acoustic data and further reproducing the decompressed acoustic data into an analog audio signal (radio audio signal). The radio audio signal reproduced by the reproduction unit 133b is output to the audio switching unit 134 at any time.

Further, in the built-in memory of the control unit 123, sound source information for outputting the guidance voice is stored as in the control unit 133 of the bathroom remote controller 12.

The voice switching unit 134 switches the voice signal supplied to the speaker 135 according to the control from the control unit 133. Further, the voice switching unit 134 switches the voice signal supplied to the intercom communication unit 136, that is, the voice signal transmitted to the bathroom remote controller 12 via the 2-core communication line L10, according to the control from the control unit 133.

The speaker 135 outputs a voice signal input from the voice switching unit 134. The speaker 135 outputs audio through the audio input / output port 13a shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (b).

The intercom communication unit 136 transmits and receives voice signals to and from the intercom communication unit 136 of the kitchen remote controller 13 according to the control from the control unit 133.

The microphone 137 collects the voice emitted by the user on the kitchen remote controller 13 side, and outputs a voice signal based on the voice to the intercom communication unit 136. The audio signal is transmitted from the intercom communication unit 136 to the intercom communication unit 126 on the bathroom remote controller 12 side via the 2-core communication line L10, and is reproduced and output from the speaker 125 on the bathroom remote controller 12 side. The microphone 137 collects sound through the sound input / output port 13a shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (b).

The wireless communication unit 138 is a wireless communication module capable of wireless communication with the router 20. The wireless communication unit 138 is connected to the external communication network 30 via the router 20. The control unit 133 acquires radio acoustic data from the radio server 40 via the wireless communication unit 138 by the function of the data acquisition unit 133a. This operation is performed by operating the radio buttons 122e and 132e of FIGS. 2A and 2B. The user can select a radio by operating a predetermined button arranged on the operation units 122 and 132. A streaming method is used for reproducing radio sound.

In the present embodiment, the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13 have a function of outputting guidance voice (guidance function), a function of making a call (call function), and a function of reproducing and outputting voice signals from the external audio device 50 (call function), respectively. An external audio function) and a radio sound reproduction function (radio function) are provided. Hereinafter, these functions will be described.

<Guidance function>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of an audio signal when the guidance function is executed. In FIG. 4, the broken line arrow indicates the flow of the audio signal generated on the bathroom remote controller 12 side, and the solid arrow indicates the flow of the audio signal generated on the kitchen remote controller 13 side.

The guidance function is executed when an event (operation start, hot water filling completion, etc.) that outputs a guidance voice occurs in the hot water supply device 10. In the built-in memory of the control units 123 and 133, these events and the sound source information of the guidance voice are stored in association with each other.

When these events occur, the control units 123 and 133 reproduce the sound source information associated with the events, and output the reproduced analog voice signal (guidance voice signal) to the voice switching unit 134. The voice switching unit 134 outputs these guidance voice signals to the speakers 125 and 135, respectively, according to the control from the control units 123 and 133. As a result, guidance voices are output from the speakers 125 and 135.

<Call function>
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flow of voice signals when the call function is executed. In FIG. 5, the broken line arrow indicates the flow of the audio signal generated on the bathroom remote controller 12 side, and the solid arrow indicates the flow of the audio signal generated on the kitchen remote controller 13 side.

The call function is executed when an operation for starting the call function is performed on the operation units 122 and 132 of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

The microphones 127 and 137 collect the voice from the user to generate an analog voice signal (call voice signal), and output the generated call voice signal to the intercom communication units 126 and 136, respectively. The intercom communication unit 126 on the bathroom side transmits the call voice signal input from the microphone 127 to the intercom communication unit 136 on the kitchen side via the 2-core communication line L10 under the control from the control unit 123. Similarly, the intercom communication unit 136 on the kitchen side transmits the call voice signal input from the microphone 137 to the intercom communication unit 126 on the bathroom side via the 2-core communication line L10 according to the control from the control unit 133. ..

The intercom communication units 126 and 136 output the received call voice signals to the voice switching units 124 and 134, respectively. The voice switching units 124 and 134 output the input call voice signals to the speakers 125 and 135, respectively. As a result, the call voice is output from the speakers 125 and 135.

<External audio function>
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flow of an audio signal when the external audio function is executed. In FIG. 6, the broken line arrow indicates the flow of the audio signal when the audio signal from the external audio device 50 is reproduced and output on the bathroom remote control 12 side, and the thin solid line arrow indicates the audio signal from the external audio device 50. The flow of the audio signal at the time of playback output on the kitchen remote control 13 side is shown. The thick solid line arrow is an audio signal output from the external audio device 50.

The external audio function is started in response to the detection that the connector is connected to the input terminal 13b. After that, the user performs an operation of causing the operation unit 132 of FIG. 2B to reproduce and output the audio signal from the external audio device 50 to both or one of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13. Further, the user performs an operation of causing the external audio device 50 to output an audio signal of a desired sound source. As a result, an analog audio signal (external audio audio signal) is input to the audio switching unit 134 from the external audio device 50 via the input terminal 13b.

When the kitchen remote controller 13 is set to reproduce and output the external audio audio signal, the audio switching unit 134 outputs the input external audio audio signal to the speaker 135. As a result, the speaker 135 outputs audio based on the external audio audio signal.

When the bathroom remote controller 12 is set to reproduce and output the external audio audio signal, the audio switching unit 134 outputs the input external audio audio signal to the intercom communication unit 136. The intercom communication unit 136 transmits the input external audio-audio signal to the intercom communication unit 126 on the bathroom remote controller 12 side via the 2-core communication line L10.

The intercom communication unit 126 outputs the received external audio audio signal to the audio switching unit 124. The audio switching unit 124 outputs the input external audio audio signal to the speaker 125. As a result, the sound based on the external audio sound signal is output from the speaker 125.

<Radio function>
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a flow of an audio signal when the radio function is executed. In FIG. 7, the broken line arrow indicates the flow of the audio signal when the radio audio signal is reproduced and output on the bathroom remote controller 12, and the dotted arrow indicates the audio when the radio audio signal is reproduced and output on the kitchen remote controller 13. It shows the signal flow. The thick solid line arrow is the acoustic data of the radio distributed from the radio server 40. The thin solid arrow is an analog radio audio signal obtained by reproducing acoustic data.

The radio function is executed by operating the radio buttons 122e and 132e of FIGS. 2A and 2B. The user operates the operation units 122 and 132 to set the radio function on both or one of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13. As a result, the control unit 133 is connected to the radio server 40 via the wireless communication unit 138 by the function of the data acquisition unit 133a. After that, the radio acoustic data is transmitted from the radio server 40 to the control unit 133.

The control unit 133 reproduces the received acoustic data by the function of the reproduction unit 133b to generate an analog radio audio signal. The control unit 133 continuously outputs the generated radio voice signal to the voice switching unit 134.

When the kitchen remote controller 13 is set to reproduce and output the radio audio signal, the audio switching unit 134 outputs the input radio audio signal to the speaker 135. As a result, the sound based on the radio sound signal is output from the speaker 135.

When the bathroom remote controller 12 is set to reproduce and output the radio audio signal, the audio switching unit 134 outputs the radio audio signal to the intercom communication unit 136 when it is input. The intercom communication unit 136 transmits the input radio audio signal to the intercom communication unit 126 on the bathroom remote controller 12 side via the 2-core communication line L10.

The intercom communication unit 126 outputs the received radio voice signal to the voice switching unit 124. The voice switching unit 124 outputs the input radio voice signal to the speaker 125. As a result, the sound based on the radio sound signal is output from the speaker 125.

<Functional conflict>
In the present embodiment, only one speaker 125 and one speaker 125 are arranged on the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13. Therefore, when the above functions conflict with each other, it is necessary to determine in advance which function is used to reproduce and output the audio signal.

In the present embodiment, the priority of the guidance function is set to the highest from the viewpoint of surely notifying the hot water supply operation. Further, since the call between the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13 is assumed to be urgent, the priority of the call function is set second. Of the remaining external audio function and radio function, it is assumed that the external audio function has a higher intention of use by the user from the viewpoint of complicated installation. Therefore, the priority of the external audio function is set higher than the priority of the radio function. Therefore, when each function is arranged in the order of priority, the guidance function, the call function, the external audio function, and the radio function are arranged in this order.

Based on such a priority, the start operation of the radio function is not accepted in the state where other functions are operating. In addition, if another function conflicts while the radio function is operating, the output of the sound based on the radio function is stopped and the output of the sound based on the other function is switched. Similarly, if the guidance function or the call function conflicts while the external audio function is operating, the voice output based on the external audio function is stopped and switched to the voice output based on the guidance function or the call function. If the guidance function conflicts while the call function is operating, the voice output based on the call function is stopped and switched to the voice output based on the guidance function. The above control is performed by the control units 123 and 133.

<Stop processing of radio function>
By the way, in the above configuration, after taking a bath, the user may leave the bathroom as it is without stopping the radio function. In such a case, the audio output is continued in the unmanned bathroom, and wasteful power is consumed. Further, even when the operation button 122a is operated and the bath is no longer used, or when the water heater 11 breaks down and the bath cannot be used, it is unlikely that the radio will be viewed in the bathroom. Therefore, in such a case, if the radio function is continued, wasteful power will be consumed.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a stop condition for stopping the reproduction output of the radio is set in advance, and when this stop condition is satisfied, a process of stopping the reproduction output of the radio is performed. Here, the control unit 123 of the bathroom remote controller 12 determines whether or not the stop condition is satisfied by the function of the determination unit 123a, and the control unit 123 of the bathroom remote controller 12 stops the reproduction of the process of stopping the radio reproduction output. It is executed by the function of the part 123b.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the stop processing of the radio function. This process is started in response to the start of the radio function.

The control unit 123 determines whether or not the first stop condition or the second stop condition is satisfied by the function of the determination unit 123a (S11, S12). Here, the first stop condition is a condition for terminating the reproduction output of the radio audio signal, that is, a condition for terminating the radio function. The second stop condition is a condition for suspending the reproduction output of the radio audio signal, that is, a condition for stopping the output of the radio audio while continuing the radio function. The first stop condition and the second stop condition are set as follows, for example.

-First stop condition (a) The operation of the water heater 11 has been stopped.
(B) A failure has occurred in the water heater 11 that cannot perform hot water supply operation.
(C) It was detected that there were no people in the bathroom.
(D) The external audio device 50 is connected to the kitchen remote controller 13.

-Second stop condition (e) The guidance function is executed.
(F) The call function is executed.

Of the above, the condition (a) is satisfied when the operation buttons 122a and 132a of FIGS. 2A and 2B are switched to the off state. When the operation button 132a on the kitchen remote controller 13 side is switched to the off state, status information indicating that is transmitted to the bathroom remote controller 12 via the 2-core communication line L10. As a result, the control unit 123 identifies that the condition (a) is satisfied by the function of the determination unit 123a.

The condition (b) is satisfied when the information regarding the failure is transmitted from the control unit 111 of the water heater 11. When a failure occurs in the water heater 11 that cannot perform the hot water supply operation, the error code is transmitted from the control unit 111 of the water heater 11 to the control unit 123 of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13 via the 2-core communication line L10. It is transmitted to the control unit 133. As a result, the control unit 123 identifies that the condition (b) is satisfied by the function of the determination unit 123a.

The condition (c) is satisfied when the motion sensor 128 does not detect a person. The detection result of the motion sensor 128 is input to the control unit 123 at any time. The control unit 123 identifies that the condition (c) is satisfied by the function of the determination unit 123a based on the input detection result.

The condition (d) is satisfied when the external audio device 50 is connected to the kitchen remote controller 13. When the external audio device 50 is connected to the kitchen remote controller 13, status information indicating that is sent from the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 to the control unit 111 of the water heater 11 and the bathroom remote controller 12 via the 2-core communication line L10. Is transmitted to the control unit 123 of. As a result, the control unit 123 identifies that the condition (d) is satisfied by the function of the determination unit 123a.

The condition (e) is satisfied when an event that outputs a guidance voice occurs. The occurrence of this event is determined by the control unit 123 itself by exchanging state information via the 2-core communication line L10. When this event occurs, the control unit 123 identifies that the condition (e) is satisfied by the function of the determination unit 123a.

The condition (f) is satisfied when the call function setting operation is performed on the operation units 122 and 132 of FIGS. 2A and 2B. When a call function setting operation is performed on the operation unit 132 on the kitchen remote controller 13 side, status information indicating that is transmitted to the bathroom remote controller 12 via the 2-core communication line L10. As a result, the control unit 123 identifies that the condition (f) is satisfied by the function of the determination unit 123a.

When at least one of the above conditions (a) to (d) is satisfied, the control unit 123 sets the determination in step S11 to YES. Further, when at least one of the above conditions (e) and (f) is satisfied, the control unit 123 determines YES in step S12.

If the determination in step S11 is YES, the control unit 123 executes the termination process of the radio function by the function of the playback stop unit 123b (S13). In step S13, the control unit 123 first transmits an instruction to end the radio function to the kitchen remote controller 13. As a result, the process of terminating the radio function is performed on the kitchen remote controller 13 side. That is, the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 controls the wireless communication unit 138 to release the connection to the radio server 40, and further stops the functions of the data acquisition unit 133a and the reproduction unit 133b.

Further, the control unit 123 terminates the radio function set in the bathroom remote controller 12 in step S13. That is, the control unit 123 stops the functions of the determination unit 123a and the reproduction stop unit 123b. As a result, the control unit 123 ends the process shown in FIG.

When the satisfied first stop condition is any of the above conditions (a), (b), and (c), the control units 123 and 133 move to the voice switching units 124 and 134 as the radio function ends. , Intercom communication units 126, 136 and speakers 125, 135 are stopped. On the other hand, when the satisfied first stop condition is the above condition (d), the control units 123 and 133 keep the voice switching units 124 and 134, the intercom communication units 126 and 136, and the speaker 125 even after the end of the radio function. , 135 continues to operate. In this case, the control unit 133 controls the voice switching unit 134 so as to output the voice signal input from the external audio device 50 to the intercom communication unit 136 and the speaker 135. As a result, with the termination of the radio function, the sound based on the sound signal from the external audio device 50 is output from the speakers 125 and 135.

If the determination in step S12 is YES, the control unit 123 executes a process of switching the sound to be output by the function of the playback stop unit 123b (S14). In step S14, the control unit 123 first transmits an instruction to switch the voice to be output to the guidance voice or the call voice to the kitchen remote controller 13. As a result, the kitchen remote controller 13 side performs a process of switching the sound to be output.

That is, when the satisfied second stop condition is the above condition (e), the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 outputs a guidance voice signal to the voice switching unit 134 instead of the radio voice signal, and further, the guidance voice. The audio switching unit 134 is controlled so that the signal is output to the speaker 135. As a result, the guidance voice is output from the speaker 135.

Further, when the satisfied second stop condition is the above condition (f), the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 stops the output of the radio voice signal to the voice switching unit 134, and further, the call function is executed. It controls the voice switching unit 134 and the intercom communication unit 136. As a result, the call voice signal output from the microphone 137 is transmitted via the 2-core communication line L10. The transmitted call voice signal is reproduced and output from the speaker 125 of the bathroom remote controller 12.

Further, in step S14, the control unit 123 switches the function executed by the bathroom remote controller 12 from the radio function to the guidance function or the call function.

That is, when the satisfied second stop condition is the above condition (e), the control unit 123 of the bathroom remote controller 12 outputs the guidance voice signal to the voice switching unit 124, and further outputs the guidance voice signal to the speaker 125. The voice switching unit 124 is controlled so as to be performed. As a result, the guidance voice is output from the speaker 125.

Further, when the satisfied second stop condition is the above condition (f), the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 causes the call voice signal output from the microphone 127 to be transmitted via the 2-core communication line L10. , Controls the intercom communication unit 126. As a result, the call voice is output from the speaker 135 of the kitchen remote controller 13.

The control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 continues the function of the data acquisition unit 133a and the function of the reproduction unit 133b even after the switching process of step S14 is performed. Therefore, even after the switching process, the acoustic data is distributed from the radio server 40 to the control unit 133, and the distributed acoustic data is reproduced as a radio audio signal.

After that, the control unit 123 determines whether or not the second stop condition is no longer satisfied by the function of the determination unit 123a (S15). In the case of the above condition (e), the output period of the guidance voice is about several seconds. Further, in the case of the above condition (f), the execution period of one call function is limited to about 30 seconds in advance. Therefore, when these periods elapse, each function is terminated and the second stop condition is released.

When it is determined that the second stop condition is released (S15: YES), the control unit 123 performs a process of restoring the radio function by the function of the playback stop unit 123b (S16).

That is, the control unit 123 transmits an instruction to restore the radio function to the kitchen remote controller 13. As a result, the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 returns the state of the kitchen remote controller 13 to the state before the switching in step S14. The control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13 may determine by itself that the second stop condition has been released and return the state of the kitchen remote controller 13 to the state before the switching in step S14. ..

Further, in step S16, the control unit 123 returns the state of the bathroom remote controller 12 to the state before the switching in step S14. When the function of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the function of the kitchen remote controller 13 are restored to the radio function in this way, the output of the radio sound is restarted in the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13. At this time, as described above, even after the switching in step S14, the functions of the data acquisition unit 133a and the reproduction unit 133b are continued in the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13, so that the functions of the data acquisition unit 133a and the reproduction unit 133b are promptly returned according to the return of the radio function. , Radio audio output is resumed.

After that, the control unit 123 returns the process to step S11, and again monitors whether or not the first stop condition and the second stop condition are satisfied by the function of the determination unit 123a. The control unit 123 executes the same process as described above until the radio function is terminated by operating the radio buttons 122e and 132e or the radio function is terminated by step S13.

In the flowchart of FIG. 8, the process based on the first stop condition and the process based on the second stop condition are integrated into one flow, but the process based on the first stop condition and the process based on the second stop condition are used. The processing may be performed individually. In this case, the process based on the first stop condition includes steps S11 and S13, and if the determination in step S11 is NO, the process returns to step S11. The process based on the second stop condition includes steps S12 and S14 to S16, and if the determination in step S12 is NO, the process returns to step S12. These two processing flows are performed in parallel after the start of the radio function.

<Effect of embodiment>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

When the stop conditions (first stop condition, second stop condition) for stopping the reproduction output of the radio audio signal (acoustic information) are satisfied, the radio audio signal (acoustic information) in the bathroom remote controller 12 (second remote controller) is satisfied. ) Is stopped (steps S13, S14). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the reproduction output of the useless radio audio signal (acoustic information) in the bathroom remote controller 12.

When the operating state of the water heater 11 is stopped, that is, when the above condition (a) is satisfied and step S11 in FIG. 8 is YES, the radio audio signal (acoustic information) in the bathroom remote controller 12 The reproduction output of is stopped (step S13). In this way, when the operation of the water heater 11 is stopped and it becomes difficult to assume that the radio is viewed in the bathroom, the reproduction output of the radio audio signal is stopped, so that the useless radio in the bathroom remote controller 12 is used. It is possible to prevent the reproduction output of the audio signal.

When the water heater 11 fails, that is, when the above condition (b) is satisfied and step S11 in FIG. 8 becomes YES, the reproduction output of the radio audio signal (acoustic information) in the bathroom remote controller 12 Is stopped (step S13). In this way, when the water heater 11 fails and it is difficult to assume that the radio is viewed in the bathroom, the reproduction output of the radio audio signal is stopped, so that the useless radio audio in the bathroom remote controller 12 is used. It is possible to prevent the reproduction output of the signal.

When the bathroom remote controller 12 is in a state where the guidance voice signal, the call voice signal, or the external audio voice signal (other acoustic information) having a high priority is reproduced and output, that is, the above condition (d) is satisfied. , When step S11 of FIG. 8 is YES, or when the above conditions (e) and (f) are satisfied and step S12 of FIG. 8 is YES, the radio audio signal in the bathroom remote controller 12 ( The reproduction output of (acoustic information) is stopped (steps S13 and S14). As a result, in the bathroom remote control 12, the reproduction output of the radio audio signal can be appropriately stopped, and other audio such as the guidance audio can be preferentially reproduced and output.

When there are no more people in the bathroom, that is, when the above condition (c) is satisfied and step S11 in FIG. 8 is YES, the reproduction output of the radio audio signal (acoustic information) in the bathroom remote controller 12 is stopped. (S13). As a result, it is possible to prevent the reproduction output of the unnecessary radio audio signal (acoustic information) in the bathroom remote controller 12.

In the flowchart of FIG. 8, when the second stop condition is satisfied (S12: YES), the reproduction output of the radio audio signal in the bathroom remote controller 12 is temporarily stopped. As a result, wasteful power consumption in the bathroom remote controller 12 can be suppressed.

In the flowchart of FIG. 8, when the first stop condition is satisfied (S11: YES), the acquisition and reproduction of the acoustic data in the kitchen remote controller 13 (first remote controller) are stopped in step S13, and further, the acoustic data is stopped. The transmission of the radio audio signal based on is stopped. As a result, wasteful power consumption in the kitchen remote controller 13 can be suppressed. Further, by completing the acquisition of the acoustic data, it is possible to suppress the consumption of unnecessary communication costs for the external communication network 30.

In the flowchart of FIG. 8, when the first stop condition is satisfied (S11: YES), a process of ending the reproduction output of the radio audio signal (acoustic information) is performed (S13). When the second stop condition is satisfied (S12: YES), the reproduction output of the radio audio signal (acoustic information) is temporarily stopped (S14, S15), and the condition is resolved (S12: S15). S15: YES), the reproduction output of the radio audio signal (acoustic information) is restarted (S16). By the processing of these two systems, the reproduction output of the radio audio signal (acoustic information) can be appropriately terminated and paused, and the convenience of the hot water supply device 10 can be enhanced.

As shown in FIG. 3, the determination unit 123a and the reproduction stop unit 123b are provided on the bathroom remote controller 12. As a result, in the bathroom remote controller 12 that actually outputs the radio audio signal (acoustic information), the determination process of whether or not the reproduction output is possible and the processing of stopping the reproduction output are performed. Therefore, these processes can be performed easily and smoothly. Can be done.

As shown in FIG. 3, a wireless communication unit 138 (communication unit) for connecting to the external communication network 30 is arranged in the kitchen remote controller 13. In this way, by arranging the wireless communication unit 138 (communication unit) on the kitchen remote controller 13 installed in the living space other than the bathroom such as the kitchen or the living room, the router 20 and the wireless communication unit 138 (communication unit) arranged in the house are arranged. The connection with the communication unit) can be stabilized. Therefore, acoustic data can be stably acquired from the external communication network 30 and transmitted to the bathroom remote controller 12. Further, acoustic data is transmitted and received by communication between the control unit 133 and the wireless communication unit 138 controlled by the control unit 133. Therefore, acoustic data can be transmitted and received smoothly and reliably.

The kitchen remote controller 13 transmits a radio audio signal to the bathroom remote controller 12 via the 2-core communication line L10. In this way, acoustic information is transmitted from the second remote controller to the first remote controller via a communication line for exchanging information for hot water supply operation between the water heater 11, the bathroom remote controller 12, and the kitchen remote controller 13. Will be sent. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a communication system for transmitting and receiving radio audio signals (acoustic information) between the kitchen remote control 13 and the bathroom remote control 12. Therefore, radio audio signals (acoustic information) can be transmitted and received with a simple configuration.

<Change example>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made to the application examples of the present invention in addition to the above embodiments. ..

For example, in the above embodiment, the determination unit 123a and the reproduction stop unit 123b are provided on the bathroom remote controller 12 side, but these functions may be provided on the kitchen remote controller 13 side. In this case, for example, the functions of the determination unit 123a and the playback stop unit 123b are given to the control unit 133 on the kitchen remote controller 13 side, and the process of FIG. 8 is performed by the control unit 133 on the kitchen remote controller 13 side.

Specifically, in step S13, the control unit 133 terminates the radio function executed by the kitchen remote controller 13, and sends an instruction to terminate the radio function to the control unit 123 on the bathroom remote controller 12 side to end the bathroom. Terminate the radio function being executed on the remote controller 12 side. Further, in step S14, the control unit 133 switches the radio function executed by the kitchen remote controller 13 to the guidance function or the call function, and sends an instruction to switch the function to the control unit 123 on the bathroom remote controller 12 side to transmit the bathroom remote controller 12. The radio function executed on the remote controller 12 side is switched to the guidance function or the call function. As a result, the same operation as in the first embodiment is realized.

Alternatively, only the determination unit 123a may be provided on the bathroom remote controller 12 side, and the playback stop unit 123b may be provided on the kitchen remote controller 13 side. Further, among the above conditions (a) to (f), the determination of the predetermined condition may be performed on the bathroom remote controller 12 side, and the determination of other conditions may be performed on the kitchen remote controller 13 side. For example, only the condition (c), that is, whether or not the fact that no person is detected in the bathroom is satisfied is determined on the bathroom remote controller 12 side, and the other conditions may be performed on the kitchen remote controller 13 side. In this case, the determination result made on the bathroom remote controller 12 side and the determination result made on the kitchen remote controller 13 side may be transmitted to the playback stop unit 123b at any time.

In addition, all or part of the functions of the determination unit 123a and the reproduction stop unit 123b may be provided in the water heater 11, or may be provided in a control unit other than the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13. In this case as well, each determination result may be transmitted to the reproduction stop unit 123b at any time. Further, both the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13 may be provided with the function of the determination unit 123a and the function of the playback stop unit 123b.

Further, in the above embodiment, the data acquisition unit 133a and the reproduction unit 133b are provided in the kitchen remote controller 13, but these may be provided in the bathroom remote controller 12 or the water heater 11, or may be provided in another control unit. It may be provided.

Further, the function of the reproduction unit 133b may be provided in the wireless communication unit 138, and the function of the data acquisition unit 133a may be provided in the wireless communication unit 138. In this case, the wireless communication unit 138 is configured to output the reproduced radio voice signal to the voice switching unit 134.

Further, in the above embodiment, the radio audio signal obtained by reproducing the acoustic data is transmitted from the kitchen remote controller 13 to the bathroom remote controller 12, but the acoustic data in a state where the compression of the acoustic data is decompressed (hereinafter, "PCM"). "Radio data") may be transmitted from the kitchen remote controller 13 to the bathroom remote controller 12, or the acoustic data before decompression may be transmitted as it is from the kitchen remote controller 13 to the bathroom remote controller 12.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a circuit block of the hot water supply device 10 in this case.

In this modification, the function of the transmission unit 133c for transmitting PCM radio data or acoustic data is added to the control unit 133 on the kitchen remote controller 13 side. The transmission unit 133c buffers a predetermined number of packets of PCM radio data or acoustic data in the built-in memory, and buffers the buffered PCM radio data or acoustic data one packet at a time in a predetermined cycle via the interphone communication unit 136. It is transmitted to the bathroom remote control 12. When the transmission timing of the acoustic data and the transmission timing of the state information conflict with each other, the transmission of either information may be suspended and the information may be transmitted in the next transmission cycle.

Further, the function of the reproduction unit 123c is added to the control unit 123 on the bathroom remote controller 12 side. The reproduction unit 123c reproduces (demodulates and A / D-converts) PCM radio data or acoustic data received from the kitchen remote controller 13 side to generate an analog radio audio signal, and transmits the generated radio audio signal to the audio switching unit 124. Output. The voice switching unit 124 outputs the input radio voice signal to the speaker 125. As a result, radio sound is output from the speaker 125.

In this case, in step S13 of FIG. 8, in addition to the data acquisition unit 133a and the reproduction unit 133b, the functions of the transmission unit 133c are also stopped on the kitchen remote controller 13 side. Further, in step S13, in addition to the determination unit 123a and the reproduction stop unit 123b, the functions of the reproduction unit 123c are also stopped on the bathroom remote controller 12 side.

Further, in step S14 of FIG. 8, on the kitchen remote controller 13 side, the functions of the data acquisition unit 133a and the reproduction unit 133b are continued, but the functions of the transmission unit 133c are stopped. Further, in step S14, the function of the reproduction unit 123c is stopped on the bathroom remote controller 12 side.

If the determination in step S14 is YES because the above condition (e) is satisfied, the function of the transmission unit 133c is continued, and the PCM radio data or the acoustic data is transmitted via the intercom communication unit 136. May be continued. In this case, the function of the reproduction unit 123c is also continued. As a result, when the radio function is restored in step S16 of FIG. 8 with the end of the reproduction of the guidance voice, the radio voice can be quickly output.

Further, in the above embodiment, the stop condition is divided into a first stop condition and a second stop condition, but the conditions (a) to (f) are integrated into the stop condition, and at least one of these conditions is satisfied. If so, the radio function may be terminated. Further, the stop condition is not necessarily limited to the one illustrated above, and any of the above conditions may be excluded or another condition may be added. Further, the above condition (f), that is, the execution of the call function may be moved to the first stop condition.

Further, in the above embodiment, the radio function is terminated when the external audio function is executed, but when the external audio function is executed only by the kitchen remote controller 13, the radio function may be continued by the bathroom remote controller 12. Good. In this case, the audio switching unit 134 of the kitchen remote controller 13 outputs the radio audio signal supplied from the control unit 133 to the intercom communication unit 136 and the external audio audio signal supplied from the input terminal 13b to the speaker 135. Any configuration may be sufficient as long as the route can be activated at the same time.

Further, in the above embodiment, the wireless communication unit 138 is provided in the kitchen remote controller 13, but the wireless communication unit 138 may be provided in another device. For example, the wireless communication unit 138 may be provided in the bathroom remote controller 12 or the water heater 11, or the wireless communication unit 138 may be provided in a control unit other than the water heater 11, the bathroom remote controller 12, and the kitchen remote controller 13.

Further, the hot water supply device 10 does not necessarily have to be connected to the external communication network 30 by wireless communication, and may be connected to the external communication network 30 by wired communication. Further, the transfer of acoustic information based on the acoustic data of the radio does not necessarily have to be performed by the 2-core communication line L10. For example, a communication path other than the 2-core communication line L10 may be provided between the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13, and acoustic information may be transmitted from the kitchen remote controller 13 to the bathroom remote controller 12 by this communication path. This communication path may be wireless or wired. In particular, in the configuration of FIG. 9, in order to transmit data at high speed and smoothly, acoustic data or PCM audio data may be transmitted by another communication path.

Further, in the above embodiment, the radio sound can be reproduced not only by the bathroom remote controller 12 (second remote controller) but also by the kitchen remote controller 13 (first remote controller), but the radio sound is reproduced only by the bathroom remote controller 12. The radio remote controller 13 may be configured to be playable and the radio sound cannot be played back.

Further, in the above embodiment, the content data reproduced by the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13 is the acoustic data of the radio distributed from the radio server 40. However, the content data reproduced by the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13 is not necessarily limited to the acoustic data of the radio, and may be, for example, the acoustic data of the music distributed from the music distribution server. .. Not limited to acoustic data, content data of images and moving images may be playable.

Further, the functions of the determination unit 123a, the reproduction stop unit 123b, and the reproduction unit 123c do not necessarily have to be executed by the same microcomputer, and these functions may be divided into a plurality of microcomputers or arithmetic processing circuits. .. Similarly, the functions of the data acquisition unit 133a, the reproduction unit 133b, and the transmission unit 133c do not necessarily have to be executed by the same microcomputer, and even if these functions are divided into a plurality of microcomputers or arithmetic processing circuits. Good.

Further, the number of remote controllers is not limited to two, and may be three or more. In this case, the configuration of the above embodiment may be applied to at least a combination of a pair of remote controllers. Further, there may be a remote controller to which the configuration of the above embodiment is not applied. For example, the predetermined remote controller may not be applied with the radio function or the external audio function, and may be provided with only the functions related to the on / off of the operation and the setting operation of the hot water supply function.

Further, the operation may be turned on / off by an operation other than the operation for the operation buttons 122a and 132a shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. For example, when a remote controller exists other than the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13, the operation may be turned on / off by operating the remote controller. Further, when the hot water supply device 10 can be remotely operated by a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone, the operation may be turned on / off by the mobile terminal device.

In the above embodiment, the radio function is terminated or suspended by the process shown in FIG. 8, but the external audio function may be terminated or suspended by the same process. In this case, in the processing step corresponding to step S11, the condition (d), that is, the connection of the external audio device 50 is excluded from the first stop condition, and the processing step corresponding to step S13 is the termination processing of the external audio function. Is changed to. Further, in the processing step corresponding to step S16, a process of returning to the external audio function is performed.

In addition, the priority of the guidance function, the call function, the external audio function, and the radio function is not limited to the priority shown in the above embodiment. For example, the radio function may have a higher priority than the external audio function. In this case, the condition (d) is omitted. Further, the hot water supply device 10 may not have an external audio function, or may have another function for audio output.

The embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately modified within the scope of the claims.

10 Hot water supply device 30 External communication network 12 Bathroom remote controller (second remote controller)
13 Kitchen remote controller (first remote controller)
123a Judgment unit 123b Playback stop unit 128 Motion sensor 133a Data acquisition unit 138 Wireless communication unit (communication unit)
L10 2-core communication line (communication line)

Claims (13)

The first remote controller for operating the water heater,
A second remote controller for operating the water heater,
A communication line that connects the water heater, the first remote controller, and the second remote controller so as to be able to communicate with each other.
Equipped with a communication unit for connecting to an external communication network
The first remote controller includes a data acquisition unit that acquires acoustic data via the communication unit, and transmits acoustic information based on the acoustic data acquired by the data acquisition unit to the second remote controller.
The second remote controller includes a circuit unit and a speaker for reproducing and outputting the received acoustic information.
A determination unit that determines whether or not the stop condition for stopping the reproduction output of the acoustic information is satisfied, and
A reproduction stop unit for stopping the reproduction output of the acoustic information in the second remote controller when the stop condition is satisfied is further provided.
A hot water supply device characterized by this. In the hot water supply device according to claim 1,
The determination unit further determines whether or not the operating state of the water heater has been stopped.
The stop condition includes that the operating state of the water heater has been stopped.
A hot water supply device characterized by this. In the hot water supply device according to claim 1 or 2.
The determination unit further determines whether or not the water heater has failed, and further determines.
The stop condition includes that the water heater has failed.
A hot water supply device characterized by this. In the hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The second remote controller is configured to receive other acoustic information different from the acoustic information from the first remote controller so that it can be reproduced and output.
The stop condition includes a state in which the second remote controller is in a state of reproducing and outputting the other acoustic information.
A hot water supply device characterized by this. In the hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The second remote controller is installed in a bathroom and includes a motion sensor for detecting whether or not there is a person in the bathroom.
The stop condition includes that a person is no longer detected by the motion sensor.
A hot water supply device characterized by this. In the hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The playback stop unit stops the output of audio based on the acoustic information from the speaker based on the determination by the determination unit that the stop condition is satisfied.
A hot water supply device characterized by this. In the hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The playback stop unit stops the transmission of the acoustic information to the second remote controller based on the determination by the determination unit that the stop condition is satisfied.
A hot water supply device characterized by this. In the hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The playback stop unit stops the acquisition of the acoustic data by the data acquisition unit based on the determination by the determination unit that the stop condition is satisfied.
A hot water supply device characterized by this. In the hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
The stop condition includes a first stop condition for ending the reproduction output of the acoustic information and a second stop condition for temporarily stopping the reproduction output of the acoustic information.
The playback stop section is
When it is determined by the determination unit that the first stop condition is satisfied, the reproduction output of the acoustic information is terminated.
When the determination unit determines that the second stop condition is satisfied, the reproduction output of the acoustic information is temporarily stopped, and based on the determination by the determination unit that the second stop condition is not satisfied. To restore the playback output of the acoustic information.
A hot water supply device characterized by this. In the hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
The determination unit is provided in the second remote controller.
A hot water supply device characterized by this. In the hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
The playback stop unit is provided on the second remote controller.
A hot water supply device characterized by this. In the hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
The communication unit is provided in the first remote controller.
A hot water supply device characterized by this. In the hot water supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.
The first remote controller transmits the acoustic information to the second remote controller via the communication line.
A hot water supply device characterized by this.

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