JP2021129175A - Air conditioning system, program, and remote controller - Google Patents

Abstract

To cause a terminal to send some of the settings of an air conditioner to a remote controller.SOLUTION: The system includes a remote controller for operating an air conditioner and a terminal. The terminal includes a determination unit that determines some setting items among a plurality of setting items of the air conditioner, a transmission unit that transmits information on some of the setting items to the remote controller. The remote controller includes a reception unit that receives the information on some of the setting items from the terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to air conditioning systems, programs, and remote controllers.

Conventionally, it is known that a smartphone or the like is used for setting a remote controller (hereinafter, also referred to as a remote controller) of an air conditioner. For example, in Patent Document 1, the mobile terminal transmits the first setting information to the operation terminal of the air conditioner, the operation terminal transmits the first setting information to the mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal performs the operation. It is disclosed that the second setting information in which the first setting information is changed is transmitted to an operation terminal different from the terminal.

International Publication No. 2018/230008

However, in Patent Document 1, the user has to send the setting information to the operation terminal after setting all the setting items on the mobile terminal. An object of the present disclosure is that the terminal transmits a part of the setting items of the air conditioner to the remote controller.

The system according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is
A system that includes a remote controller that operates an air conditioner and a terminal.
The terminal
A determination unit that determines some of the setting items of the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner, and
A transmission unit that transmits information on some of the setting items to the remote controller is provided.
The remote controller
It includes a receiving unit that receives information on some of the setting items from the terminal.

According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, only a part of the setting items of the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner can be set in the remote controller by using the terminal. Since it is now possible to send only some of the setting items out of multiple setting items, the setting items that are common to multiple remote controllers when performing setting work for multiple remote controllers. Is set first, and only the setting items that must be set individually can be set later. This simplifies the setting work of a plurality of remote controllers.

The second aspect of the present disclosure is the system according to the first aspect.
The transmission unit of the terminal transmits a restart instruction to the remote controller together with information on some of the setting items.

According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, the remote controller can be restarted to enable the information of some setting items received from the terminal.

A third aspect of the present disclosure is the system according to the second aspect.
The remote controller
Further provided is a transmission unit that transmits a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller after restarting in response to the restart instruction received from the terminal.

According to the third aspect of the present disclosure, the remote controller can resume the connection with the terminal after the restart.

A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the system according to the third aspect.
The transmitter of the remote controller
When the system is restarted in response to the restart instruction received from the terminal, a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller is transmitted after the restart.
When the system is restarted without receiving the restart instruction from the terminal, a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller is not transmitted after the restart.

According to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the remote controller resumes the connection with the terminal when it is restarted by an instruction from the terminal, and connects to the terminal when it is restarted by an instruction other than the instruction from the terminal. Can be prevented from restarting. When the remote controller restarts during data communication with the terminal (that is, in the middle of the remote controller setting work), the remote controller starts establishing the connection with the terminal by itself, so the person who performs the setting work again performs the remote controller. There is no need to connect the remote controller to the terminal, and the remote controller can be set easily.

A fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.
The terminal further includes a display unit that displays a screen for the user to select some setting items among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner.
On the screen, the display form of the setting item that has been transmitted to the remote controller and the display form of the setting item that has not been transmitted to the remote controller are displayed differently.

According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the user can visually recognize the setting items that have not yet been transmitted to the remote controller.

A sixth aspect of the present disclosure is the system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects.
The terminal
When some of the setting items determined by the determination unit are not the setting items related to the address of the air conditioner, the user instructs whether to transmit the setting items related to the address of the air conditioner to the remote controller. It is further provided with a display unit for displaying a screen for displaying the screen.

According to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the user can remember to set the address of the air conditioner in the remote controller.

The program according to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure is
Computer,
A decision unit that determines some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner,
The information of some of the setting items is made to function as a transmission unit that transmits the information to the remote controller that operates the air conditioner.

The remote controller according to the eighth aspect of the present disclosure is
A remote controller that operates an air conditioner
A receiving unit that receives information on some of the setting items of the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner and a restart instruction from the terminal.
It includes a transmission unit that transmits a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller after restarting in response to the restart instruction received from the terminal.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure which concerns on one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of the terminal and the remote controller which concerns on one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a functional block diagram of the terminal which concerns on one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a functional block diagram of the remote controller which concerns on one Embodiment of this disclosure. It is a sequence diagram of the process of transmitting the information of some setting items which concerns on one Embodiment of this disclosure. This is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. This is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. This is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

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

<Explanation of terms>
The "setting item" is a setting item related to the air conditioner. For example, the setting items are as follows (note that the setting items are not limited to the following).
[For installers (those with installer privileges)]
・ Field setting (indoor / outdoor / RC (remote control))
・ Address setting of air conditioner ・ Thermostat adjustment [Indoor unit setting]
・ Switching / filter automatic cleaning [remote control setting]
・ Remote control display customization ・ Date and time ・ Celsius ・ Fahrenheit ・ Prohibitions

The address of the air conditioner is information for the monitoring system of the air conditioner or the like to uniquely identify the air conditioner.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The air conditioning system 10 includes a terminal 100, a remote controller 200, and an air conditioner 300. Each will be described below.

<< Terminal 100 >>
The terminal 100 is, for example, a device such as a smartphone, a tablet, or a personal computer. The terminal 100 can send and receive data to and from the remote controller 200 via communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The terminal 100 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

<< Remote controller 200 >>
The remote controller 200 is a device that operates one or more air conditioners 300. The remote controller 200 is wired to one or more air conditioners 300. Further, the remote controller 200 can send and receive data to and from the terminal 100 via communication such as Bluetooth. The remote controller 200 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

<< Air Conditioner 300 >>
The air conditioner 300 is an air conditioner of any model operated by the remote controller 200. The air conditioner 300 is connected to the remote controller 200 by wiring.

<Hardware configuration of terminal 100 and remote controller 200>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. The terminal 100 and the remote controller 200 include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1001, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1002, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 1003. The CPU 1001, ROM 1002, and RAM 1003 form a so-called computer.

Further, the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200 can have an auxiliary storage device 1004, a display device 1005, an operation device 1006, an I / F (Interface) device 1007, and a drive device 1008. The hardware of the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200 are connected to each other via the bus B.

The CPU 1001 is an arithmetic device that executes various programs installed in the auxiliary storage device 1004.

ROM 1002 is a non-volatile memory. The ROM 1002 functions as a main storage device for storing various programs, data, and the like necessary for the CPU 1001 to execute various programs installed in the auxiliary storage device 1004. Specifically, the ROM 1002 functions as a main storage device for storing boot programs such as BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) and EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface).

The RAM 1003 is a volatile memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or a SRAM (Static Random Access Memory). The RAM 1003 functions as a main storage device that provides a work area that is expanded when various programs installed in the auxiliary storage device 1004 are executed by the CPU 1001.

The auxiliary storage device 1004 is an auxiliary storage device that stores various programs and information used when various programs are executed.

The display device 1005 is a display device that displays the internal state of the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200.

The operation device 1006 is an input device in which a user of the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200 inputs various instructions to the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200.

The I / F device 1007 is a communication device for connecting to a network and communicating with the terminal 100, the remote controller 200, and the like.

The drive device 1008 is a device for setting the storage medium 1009. The storage medium 1009 referred to here includes a medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, or the like that optically, electrically, or magnetically records information. Further, the storage medium 1009 may include a semiconductor memory or the like for electrically recording information such as a ROM or a flash memory.

The various programs installed in the auxiliary storage device 1004 are installed, for example, by setting the distributed storage medium 1009 in the drive device 1008 and reading the various programs recorded in the storage medium 1009 by the drive device 1008. Will be done. Alternatively, various programs installed in the auxiliary storage device 1004 may be installed by being downloaded from the network via the I / F device 1007.

<Functional block of terminal 100>
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the terminal 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. The terminal 100 can include a determination unit 101, a display unit 102, a transmission unit 103, a reception unit 104, and a control unit 105. Further, the terminal 100 can function as a determination unit 101, a display unit 102, a transmission unit 103, a reception unit 104, and a control unit 105 by executing a program by the CPU 1001. Each will be described below. It should be noted that the program is executed not only by the CPU 1001 but also by an arbitrary processor such as an MPU in order to realize each functional unit.

The determination unit 101 determines some setting items among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner 300. Specifically, the determination unit 101 determines the setting items selected by the user on the screen displayed by the display unit 102 as some of the setting items among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner 300.

Further, the determination unit 101 may be configured to generate a restart instruction to be transmitted to the remote controller 200 according to the setting item selected by the user. Specifically, when the setting item selected by the user is a setting item that becomes effective after the remote controller 200 is restarted, the determination unit 101 generates a restart instruction. On the other hand, if the setting item selected by the user is not a setting item that becomes effective after the remote controller 200 is restarted, the determination unit 101 does not generate a restart instruction.

The transmission unit 103 transmits the information of some setting items determined by the determination unit 101 to the remote controller 200. Further, the transmission unit 103 may be configured to transmit a restart instruction to the remote controller 200 together with information on some setting items.

The display unit 102 displays a screen for the user to select a part of the setting items among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner 300. In this screen, the display form of the setting item that has been transmitted to the remote controller 200 and the display form of the setting item that has not been transmitted to the remote controller 200 may be displayed differently. Note that different display fonts mean changing the colors of both characters, highlighting one of them, changing both fonts, and the like.

Further, when the setting item already selected by the user (that is, a part of the setting items determined by the determination unit 101) is not the setting item related to the address of the air conditioner 300, the display unit 102 of the air conditioner 300 It is also possible to display a screen for instructing the user whether or not to send the setting items related to the address to the remote controller 200.

The receiving unit 104 receives the data from the remote controller 200.

The control unit 105 performs processing related to control of the terminal 100, such as receiving input to the terminal 100, establishing a connection, and logging in.

As described above, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to transmit only a part of the setting items among the plurality of setting items, so that when the setting work is performed to the plurality of remote controllers. In addition, common setting items among multiple remote controllers are set first, and only setting items that must be set individually can be set later. This simplifies the setting work of a plurality of remote controllers. That is, the user (for example, a person who performs the setting work on the remote controller 200 of the air conditioner 300) inputs the information of each setting item and then transmits only the information of some setting items (for example, to all the remote controllers). Only common information can be sent first). Therefore, the man-hours for the setting work and the amount of data transmission are suppressed, and the setting speed is increased.

<Functional block of remote controller 200>
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the remote controller 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. The remote controller 200 can include a control unit 201, a transmission unit 202, a reception unit 203, and a display unit 204. Further, the remote controller 200 can function as a control unit 201, a transmission unit 202, a reception unit 203, and a display unit 204 by executing a program by the CPU 1001. Each will be described below. It should be noted that the program is executed not only by the CPU 1001 but also by an arbitrary processor such as an MPU in order to realize each functional unit.

The receiving unit 203 receives information on some of the setting items of the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner 300 from the terminal 100. Further, the receiving unit 203 may be configured to receive a restart instruction from the terminal 100 together with information on some of the setting items among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner 300.

The control unit 201 restarts the remote controller 200 in response to a restart instruction received from the terminal 100. When the remote controller 200 is restarted, the information of the setting items received from the terminal 100 becomes valid.

After restarting in response to the restart instruction received from the terminal 100, the transmission unit 202 transmits a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller 200 (for example, broadcast transmission of an advertising packet such as Bluetooth). If the transmission unit 202 restarts without receiving the restart instruction from the terminal 100, the transmission unit 202 does not transmit a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller 200 after the restart.

The display unit 204 generates and displays a screen on the display device 1005 of the remote controller 200. The display screen includes a driving information display screen, a driving information setting screen, various function setting screens, a communication screen, and the like.

As described above, when the remote controller 200 of the present disclosure is restarted in response to the restart instruction received from the terminal 100, the remote controller 200 can transmit a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller 200 after the restart. On the other hand, when the terminal 100 is restarted without receiving the restart instruction, the remote controller 200 does not transmit a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller 200 after the restart.

<Processing method>
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram of processing for transmitting information of some setting items according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. It is assumed that the user 400 (for example, a person who sets the remote controller 200 of the air conditioner 300 at the site where the air conditioner 300 and the remote controller 200 are installed) operates the terminal 100.

In step 1 (S1), the user 400 inputs the user ID and password of the program (for example, the smartphone application installed on the terminal 100) according to the embodiment of the present disclosure to the terminal 100.

In step 2 (S2), it is assumed that the user 400 has logged in to the program (for example, the smartphone application installed on the terminal 100) according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In step 3 (S3), the user 400 performs an operation for displaying the communication screen on the remote controller 200.

In step 4 (S4), the remote controller 200 displays the communication screen.

In step 5 (S5), the remote controller 200 transmits a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller 200 (for example, broadcast transmission of an advertising packet such as Bluetooth).

In step 6 (S6), a connection is established between the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200. Specifically, the terminal 100 scans the signal indicating the existence of the remote controller 200 in S5 and requests the remote controller 200 to connect. The remote controller 200 terminates transmission of a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller 200 (for example, broadcast transmission of an advertising packet such as Bluetooth) to establish a connection.

In step 7 (S7), the terminal 100 displays a screen for the user 400 to select some setting items among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner 300.

FIG. 6 is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a screen for the user 400 to select some setting items among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner 300. For example, in S7 of FIG. 5, a screen as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed on the terminal 100.

In step 8 (S8), the user 400 selects some setting items (in the example of FIG. 5, wind direction setting items) among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner 300 on the screen of S7. Further, the user 400 inputs information on some of the selected setting items (in the example of FIG. 5, the position of the wind direction, the swing, etc.) on the screen of S7.

In step 9 (S9), when the setting item already selected by the user 400 (that is, some setting items determined by the determination unit 101) is not a setting item related to the address of the air conditioner 300, the terminal 100 A screen for instructing the user whether or not to transmit the setting items related to the address of the air conditioner 300 to the remote controller 200 is displayed.

FIG. 7 is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a screen for instructing the user whether or not to transmit the setting items related to the address of the air conditioner 300 to the remote controller 200. For example, in S9 of FIG. 5, a screen as shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the terminal 100.

The terminal 100 may display a screen for instructing the user whether or not to transmit the setting items related to the address of the air conditioner 300 to the remote controller 200 after the input of S8, or may be input in S8. The information of the setting items may be displayed after being transmitted to the remote controller 200.

In step 10 (S10), the user 400 can input the address of the air conditioner 300. If the address is not set, only the information of the setting items other than the address setting (in the example of FIG. 5, the item of the wind direction setting) is transmitted to the remote controller 200 in step 11.

In step 11 (S11), the terminal 100 determines whether or not at least one of the setting items to be transmitted to the remote controller 200 is a setting item that requires restarting the remote controller 200. When there is at least one setting item that requires the remote controller 200 to be restarted (for example, in the case of the address setting items of S9 and S10), the terminal 100 generates a restart instruction. Next, the terminal 100 uses the information of the setting items input by the user 400 (in the example of FIG. 5, the air conditioner 300 input to the address setting items such as the wind direction position and the swing input to the wind direction setting items). Address) and the restart instruction are sent to the remote controller 200.

In step 12 (S12), the remote controller 200 receives information on the setting items of S11 and a restart instruction from the terminal 100.

In step 13 (S13), the remote controller 200 restarts in response to the restart instruction received from the terminal 100 in S12. When the remote controller 200 is restarted, the information of the setting items received from the terminal 100 in S12 becomes valid.

In step 14 (S14), the remote controller 200 transmits a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller 200 (for example, broadcasts an advertising packet such as Bluetooth) after restarting in response to a restart instruction received from the terminal 100. )do.

In step 15 (S15), a connection is established between the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200. Specifically, the terminal 100 scans the signal indicating the existence of the remote controller 200 in S14 and requests the remote controller 200 to connect. The remote controller 200 terminates transmission of a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller 200 (for example, broadcast transmission of an advertising packet such as Bluetooth) to establish a connection.

In step 16 (S16), the terminal 100 determines which setting item has been transmitted to the remote controller 200.

In step 17 (S17), the terminal 100 displays a screen for the user 400 to select some setting items among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner 300. In this screen, based on the judgment of S16, the display form of the setting items that have been transmitted to the remote controller 200 (in the example of FIG. 5, the items of the wind direction setting and the address setting) and the setting items that have not been transmitted to the remote controller 200. It may be displayed differently from the display form of.

FIG. 8 is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a screen for the user 400 to select some setting items among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner 300. As shown in FIG. 8, the display form of the setting items that have been sent to the remote controller 200 and the display form of the setting items that have not been sent to the remote controller 200 are displayed differently (in the example of FIG. 8, one of them is highlighted. Can be). For example, in S17 of FIG. 5, a screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the terminal 100.

In step 18 (S18), the user 400 selects a part of the setting items (in the example of FIG. 5, the filter automatic cleaning setting item) among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner 300 on the screen of S17. do. Further, the user 400 inputs information on some of the selected setting items (on / off in the example of FIG. 5) on the screen of S17.

In step 19 (S19), the terminal 100 determines whether or not at least one of the setting items to be transmitted to the remote controller 200 is a setting item that requires restarting the remote controller 200. When all the setting items are setting items that do not require restarting of the remote controller 200 (for example, in the case of the filter automatic cleaning setting item of S18), the terminal 100 does not generate a restart instruction. Next, the terminal 100 transmits the information of the setting item selected in S18 (in the example of FIG. 5, the on / off input entered in the filter automatic cleaning setting item) to the remote controller 200 (that is, restarts). Instructions will not be sent).

In step 20 (S20), the remote controller 200 receives information on the setting items of S19 from the terminal 100.

In step 21 (S21), the remote controller 200 notifies the terminal 100 that the reception of the information of the setting item of S20 is completed.

In this way, when some of the setting items selected by the user 400 are setting items that require the restart of the remote controller 200, the terminal 100 transmits a restart instruction to the remote controller 200, and the user When some of the setting items selected by the 400 are setting items that do not require the restart of the remote controller 200, the restart instruction is not transmitted to the remote controller.

In step 22 (S22), the terminal 100 displays a screen for the user 400 to select some setting items among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner 300. In this screen, the display form of the setting items that have been sent to the remote controller 200 (in the example of FIG. 5, the address setting item, the wind direction setting item, and the filter automatic cleaning setting item) and the setting items that have not been sent to the remote controller 200 have not been sent. The display form of the setting item may be different from that of the display form.

In step 23 (S23), it is assumed that the user 400 completes the setting on the screen of S22.

In step 24 (S24), when a certain period of time elapses, the connection between the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200 is disconnected.

Although the embodiments have been described above, it will be understood that various modifications of the embodiments and details are possible without departing from the purpose and scope of the claims.

10 Air conditioning system 100 Terminal 200 Remote controller 300 Air conditioner 101 Decision unit 102 Display unit 103 Transmission unit 104 Reception unit 105 Control unit 201 Control unit 202 Transmission unit 203 Reception unit 204 Display unit 400 User

Claims (8)

A system that includes a remote controller that operates an air conditioner and a terminal.
The terminal
A determination unit that determines some of the setting items of the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner, and
A transmission unit that transmits information on some of the setting items to the remote controller is provided.
The remote controller
A system including a receiving unit that receives information on some of the setting items from the terminal. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit of the terminal transmits a restart instruction together with information on some of the setting items to the remote controller. The remote controller
The system according to claim 2, further comprising a transmission unit that transmits a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller after restarting in response to the restart instruction received from the terminal. The transmitter of the remote controller
When the system is restarted in response to the restart instruction received from the terminal, a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller is transmitted after the restart.
The system according to claim 3, wherein when the system is restarted without receiving the restart instruction from the terminal, a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller is not transmitted after the restart. The terminal further includes a display unit that displays a screen for the user to select some setting items among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner.
The screen according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display form of the setting item that has been transmitted to the remote controller and the display form of the setting item that has not been transmitted to the remote controller are displayed differently. system. The terminal
When some of the setting items determined by the determination unit are not the setting items related to the address of the air conditioner, the user instructs whether to transmit the setting items related to the address of the air conditioner to the remote controller. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a display unit for displaying a screen for displaying the screen. Computer,
A decision unit that determines some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner,
A program for functioning as a transmitter that transmits information on some of the setting items to a remote controller that operates the air conditioner. A remote controller that operates an air conditioner
A receiving unit that receives information on some of the setting items of the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner and a restart instruction from the terminal.
A remote controller including a transmission unit that transmits a signal indicating the existence of the remote controller after restarting in response to the restart instruction received from the terminal.

Images