JP2023015928A - Hot water supply system, server, and hot water supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a hot water supply system, a server, and a hot water supply device that cause an overdue use charge to be paid by a user easily.SOLUTION: A hot water supply system 1 includes a hot water supply device 10 that can be used when a use charge is paid and a server 50 that can communicate with the hot water supply device 10 through an external communication network 40. The hot water supply device 10 transmits use state information on a use state of the hot water supply device 10 to the server 50, and a use charge is determined on the basis of the use state information. The server 50 includes a notification information transmission part 501a for transmitting notification information for causing a notification part of the hot water supply device 10 (a display part 121 and a display input part 131) to execute notification for urging payment of the use charge to the hot water supply device 10 in which the use charge is overdue.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a hot water supply system including a hot water supply apparatus and a server, a server capable of communicating with the water supply apparatus via an external communication network, and a hot water supply apparatus.

In recent years, a subscription business (leasing business) for water heaters has been developed. In this subscription business, the water heater can be used by paying a monthly usage fee to the business owner.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 describes a facility management system in which a server that can communicate with a rented (leased) hot water supply apparatus or the like via a network is used to manage the equipment.

Japanese Patent No. 4141769

It is conceivable that the user will be in arrears with the usage fee for the leased water heater. In this way, if the usage fee is not properly paid by the user, the business owner cannot obtain a proper profit, which may make it difficult to proceed smoothly with the subscription business.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hot water supply system, a server, and a hot water supply apparatus that make it easier for a user to pay a delinquent usage fee.

A first aspect of the present invention includes a water heater that can be used by paying a usage fee, and a server that can communicate with the water heater via an external communication network, wherein the water heater indicates the usage status of the water heater. to the server, and the usage fee is determined based on the usage information. In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, the server sends notification information to the hot water supply device whose usage fee is in arrears for causing the notification unit of the hot water supply device to perform notification urging payment of the usage fee. A notification information transmission unit for transmission is provided.

According to the hot water supply system according to this aspect, it is possible to issue a notification prompting the payment of the usage fee to the water heater for which the usage fee is in arrears. This makes it easier for the user to pay the delinquent usage fee by noticing that the usage fee is in arrears. Moreover, since the notification information is transmitted from the server to which the usage information is transmitted from the water heater to calculate the usage fee, there is no need to prepare an external device for transmitting the notification information, and the system configuration becomes complicated. Hard to become.

In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, the hot water supply apparatus includes: a notification mode setting unit that sets a notification mode based on the reception of the notification information; and a notification processing unit that causes the notification unit to perform the notification based on establishment. In this case, the server may further include a notification cancellation information transmitting unit that transmits cancellation information for canceling the notification mode to the hot water supply apparatus for which the delinquent usage fee has been paid. can be configured.

According to the above configuration, while the notification mode is set, every time a predetermined notification condition is met, a notification prompting the user to pay the usage fee is made, so that the notification easily catches the user's attention. This makes it easier for the user to pay the delinquent usage fee. Moreover, since the notification mode is canceled when the delinquent usage fee is paid, the notification can be prevented from continuing after the usage fee is paid.

A second aspect of the present invention includes a water heater that can be used by paying a usage fee, and a server that can communicate with the water heater via an external communication network, and the water heater uses the water heater. The present invention relates to a hot water supply system that transmits usage status information about a situation to the server, and determines the usage fee based on the usage status information. In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, the server notifies the terminal device registered in association with the hot water supply device for which the usage fee is in arrears to prompt the terminal device to pay the usage fee. and a notification information transmitting unit that transmits notification information for

According to the hot water supply system according to this aspect, the terminal device associated with the water heating apparatus whose usage fee is in arrears can issue a notification prompting payment of the usage fee. This makes it easier for the user to pay the delinquent usage fee. Moreover, since the notification information is transmitted from the server to which the usage information is transmitted from the water heater to calculate the usage fee, there is no need to prepare an external device for transmitting the notification information, and the system configuration becomes complicated. Hard to become.

In the hot water supply system according to the first aspect or the second aspect, the content of the notification may include the due date for payment of the usage fee. In this case, the server provides operation prohibition information to the water heater for which the delinquent usage fee has not been paid by the payment date so that the water heater enters an operation prohibited state in which the hot water supply operation is not performed. It may be configured to further include a prohibition information transmission unit for transmission.

Here, the "operation prohibited state in which the hot water supply operation is not performed" includes a state in which the hot water supply operation is substantially not performed by immediately stopping the hot water supply operation that has been started. Further, "becomes in an operation prohibited state in which hot water supply operation is not performed" means that when the hot water supply device performs hot water supply operation only for the hot water supply function of supplying hot water to the faucet or bathtub, the hot water supply operation is not performed. In addition to the hot water supply operation of the hot water supply function, the water heater operates in multiple ways, including the hot water supply operation of the reheating function that supplies hot water to the bathtub for reheating, and the hot water supply operation of the heating function that supplies hot water to the heating terminal. When the hot water supply operation of the function is performed, it means that the hot water supply operation related to at least one function is not performed.

According to the above configuration, if the usage fee is not paid by the due date, the user cannot continue to use the water heater, so the user is more likely to pay the delinquent usage fee. .

With the above configuration, the driving prohibition information may further include a driving prohibition request requesting the driving prohibition state. In this case, the water heater may include a prohibition mode setting unit that sets an operation prohibition mode in which the water heater is in the operation prohibition state based on the reception of the operation prohibition request.

With such a configuration, since the operation prohibition mode is set based on the reception of the operation prohibition request from the server, the water heater enters the operation prohibition state. It is difficult to increase the frequency of communication with the customer, and an increase in communication load can be suppressed.

In the above configuration, the server further transmits prohibition release information for releasing the operation prohibition mode to the hot water supply apparatus to which the delinquent usage fee has been paid. It may be configured to further include a transmitter.

With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent a state in which the water heater does not perform the hot water supply operation even after the usage fee is paid.

When the server is configured to include the prohibition information transmitting unit, the operation prohibition information further includes a forced stop command for forcibly stopping the hot water supply operation, and when the hot water supply operation is started, the hot water supply apparatus The forced stop command may be transmitted from the prohibition information transmission unit. In this case, the hot water supply apparatus may be configured to include an operation stop processing unit that stops the started hot water supply operation based on the reception of the forced stop command.

With such a configuration, when the hot water supply operation is started, a forced stop command is transmitted from the server to the water heater whose usage fee is not paid by the payment date, thereby prohibiting the operation of the water heater. Therefore, on the water heater side, there is no need to change the processing for the hot water supply operation depending on whether or not the payment due date has passed, and the processing is less complicated.

In the above configuration, the operation stop processing unit may be configured to transmit an operation start notification to the server when the hot water supply operation is started. In this case, the prohibition information transmission unit may be configured to transmit the forced stop command to the hot water supply apparatus based on the reception of the operation start notification.

With such a configuration, the forced stop command can be efficiently transmitted from the server to the water heater, and an increase in the frequency of communication between the server and the water heater can be suppressed.

A third aspect of the present invention is a water heater that can be used by paying a usage fee, and a server that can communicate via an external communication network, wherein usage status information about the usage status of the water heater is The present invention relates to a server that receives information from the water heater to determine the usage fee based on the information. The server according to this aspect transmits notification information for causing the notification unit of the hot water supply device for which the usage fee is in arrears to perform notification to prompt payment of the usage fee. have a department.

According to the server according to this aspect, the same effects as in the first aspect can be obtained.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is a water heater that can be used by paying a usage fee, and a server that can communicate via an external communication network, wherein usage status information about the usage status of the water heater is The present invention relates to a server that receives information from the water heater to determine the usage fee based on the information. The server according to this aspect provides notification information for causing the terminal device registered in association with the hot water supply device for which the usage fee is in arrears to perform notification prompting the terminal device to pay the usage fee. and a notification information transmission unit that transmits the

According to the server according to this aspect, the same effects as those of the second aspect can be obtained.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is a water heater that can be used by paying a usage fee, wherein usage status information regarding the usage status of the water heater is used to determine the usage fee based on the usage status information. , to a hot water supply apparatus that transmits data to the server via an external communication network. The server transmits notification information to the water heater for which the usage fee is in arrears. The hot water supply apparatus includes a notification unit, and a notification processing unit that causes the notification unit to perform notification prompting payment of the usage fee based on the reception of the notification information.

According to the hot water supply apparatus according to this aspect, the same effects as those of the first aspect can be obtained.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hot water supply system, a server, and a hot water supply apparatus that make it easier for a user to pay a delinquent usage fee.

The effects and significance of the present invention will become clearer from the description of the embodiments shown below. However, the embodiment shown below is merely one example of the implementation of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a hot water supply system according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing configurations of a bathroom remote controller and a kitchen remote controller, respectively, according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing circuit blocks of each device constituting the hot water supply system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the combustion system and piping of the water heater according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the control unit of the server in order to execute the function of coping with non-payment of usage fees according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing processing performed in the control unit of the kitchen remote control of the hot water supply apparatus in order to execute the function of coping with non-payment of usage charges according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7(a) is a flow chart showing processing performed in the control unit of the kitchen remote control and the control unit of the bathroom remote control of the hot water supply apparatus in order to execute the function of coping with the delinquency of usage charges according to the first embodiment. . FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing processing performed in the control unit of the water heater of the water heater in order to execute the function of coping with non-payment of usage charges according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9(a) is a flowchart showing processing performed by the control unit of the kitchen remote controller and the control unit of the bathroom remote controller of the hot water supply apparatus in order to execute the function of coping with non-payment of the usage fee according to the first embodiment. . FIG. 9B is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing circuit blocks of devices constituting a hot water supply system according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the control unit of the server in order to execute the function of coping with non-payment of the usage fee according to Modification 1. FIG. FIG. 12(a) is a flowchart showing the forced operation stop process according to Modification 1. FIG. FIG. 12(b) is a flow chart showing the process performed by the controller of the water heater of the water heater in order to execute the function of coping with non-payment of usage charges according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing circuit blocks of each device constituting the hot water supply system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating processing performed in the control unit of the server in order to execute the function of coping with non-payment of usage fees according to the second embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a hot water supply system 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment, a business model for leasing the hot water supply apparatus 10 to the user is constructed in the hot water supply system 1 . The leased water heating apparatus 10 is managed by the server 50 .

Water heater 10 transmits usage status information regarding the usage status of water heater 10 to server 50 via external communication network 40 . Server 50 calculates the charge for using water heater 10 based on the received usage information. The usage information is, for example, the usage time (operating time) and the number of times of usage (number of times of operation) of hot water supply apparatus 10, and the usage fee increases as the usage time and the number of times of use increase. The usage fee is calculated, for example, at the end of each month. Billing information including the calculated usage fee can be transmitted to mobile terminal device 30 associated with water heater 10 . The user can confirm billing information of hot water supply device 10 via portable terminal device 30 . Billing information may be sent to a fixed terminal such as a stationary personal computer.

Further, hot water supply system 1 has a function of coping with delinquency in payment of the usage fee in order to prevent continued use of hot water supply device 10 in a state in which payment of the usage fee is in arrears.

When the leased hot water supply device 10 is in arrears in payment of usage charges, server 50 transmits notification information to the delinquent water heating device 10 . When the notification information is received, hot water supply apparatus 10 performs notification prompting the user to pay the usage fee in arrears. The content of the notification includes the due date for payment. If the usage fee is not paid by the payment date, server 50 transmits operation prohibition information (operation prohibition request) to target water heater 10 . When the operation prohibition information is received, the water heater 10 is brought into an operation prohibition state in which the water heater 10 does not perform the hot water supply operation. As a result, the user cannot continue to use hot water supply apparatus 10 until he/she pays the delinquent usage fee.

As shown in FIG. 1 , hot water supply system 1 includes hot water supply apparatus 10 and server 50 . When mobile terminal device 30 is in house H10 , server 50 can communicate with mobile terminal device 30 via router 20 and external communication network 40 . Further, even when the mobile terminal device 30 is outside the home, the server 50 can communicate with the mobile terminal device 30 via the external communication network 40 and a communication system (base station or private router) located outside the home. is.

The water heater 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 a fuel. That is, the water heater 10 is a combustion-type water heater that heats water with combustion gas generated by burning gas fuel. Water heater 10 may be a combustion-type water heater that heats water with combustion gas generated by burning oil fuel.

The hot water generated by the water heater 11 is supplied to a kitchen faucet, a bathtub, a faucet, and the like. Hot water is supplied from the water heater 11 to each device (heating terminal) that realizes the floor heating function, the room heating function, and the bathroom heating function.

Remote controllers 12 and 13 are connected to water heater 11 and used to perform various settings and execution instructions for each function of water heater 10 . The remote controller 12 has a display unit 121 made up of a liquid crystal panel and an input unit 122 , and the remote controller 13 has a display input unit 131 made up of a touch panel and an operation button 132 . By operating the input unit 122 according to the screen displayed on the display unit 121, the operator can arbitrarily set hot water filling, hot water supply temperature adjustment, and the like. In addition, the operator can also set hot water filling and the like by operating the display input unit 131 .

The remote controller 12 is installed in a bathroom, and the remote controller 13 is installed in a kitchen or the like. The remote controllers 12 and 13 are provided with audio windows 12a and 13a for inputting and outputting audio.

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

2(a) and 2(b) are diagrams showing the configurations of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 2(a), the input unit 122 of the bathroom remote controller 12 includes an operation button 122a, an automatic bath button 122b, a reheating button 122c, an additional hot water button 122d, an additional water button 122e, and a call button 122f. .

The operation button 122a is a button for switching the water heater 11 between an operation-on state and an operation-off state. In the operation ON state, when a hot water supply valve such as a tap is opened to generate water flow of a reference flow rate or more, the hot water supply operation of the hot water supply function is started, the water heater 11 performs a combustion operation, and the generated hot water is discharged to a tap. supplied to Therefore, it can be said that the operation button 122a is a button for executing the hot water supply operation of the hot water supply function. The automatic bath button 122b is a button for executing the hot water supply operation of the automatic bath function that maintains the temperature of the hot water after filling the bathtub with hot water. The reheating button 122c is a button for executing the hot water supply operation of the reheating function of reheating hot water in the bathtub. The hot water adding button 122d is a button for executing the hot water supply operation of the hot water adding function of adding hot water to the bathtub. The add water button 122e is a button for executing the hot water supply operation of the add water function for adding water to the bathtub. The call button 122f is a button for executing a call function of making a call between the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2(b), the display input unit 131 of the kitchen remote controller 13 has soft buttons displayed on the screen, such as an automatic bath button 131a, a reheating button 131b, an additional hot water button 131c, and an additional water button 131d. , call button 131e, floor heating button 131f, room heating button 131g and bathroom heating button 131h. The operation button 132, the automatic bath button 131a, the reheating button 131b, the reheating button 131c, the reheating water button 131d, and the call button 131e are the operation button 122a, the automatic bath button 122b, the reheating button 122c, the reheating button 122d, and the reheating button 122d. This button has the same function as the add water button 122e and the call button 122f. The floor heating button 131f is a button for executing the hot water supply operation of the floor heating function of supplying hot water to the floor heater to heat the floor. The indoor heating button 131g is a button for executing the hot water supply operation of the indoor heating function of supplying hot water to an indoor heater such as a panel heater to heat the room. The bathroom heating button 131h is a button for executing the hot water supply operation of the bathroom heating function of supplying hot water to the bathroom ventilation/drying/heating machine to heat the bathroom. The bathroom heating function includes heating for drying laundry, that is, bathroom drying.

The operation button 132 is a button for switching the water heater 11 between an operation-on state and an operation-off state.

When bathroom remote controller 12 and kitchen remote controller 13 are in the operation OFF state, display unit 121 and display input unit 131 are in the off state, and operations of operation buttons 122b to 122f and 131a to 131h other than operation buttons 122a and 132 are not accepted. do not have. When the operation buttons 122a and 132 are operated to turn on the operation, the display unit 121 and the display input unit 131 are lit to display the setting contents, and the operation of each operation button can be accepted.

Further, input unit 122 and display input unit 131 include a button (not shown) for changing the hot water supply temperature. The operator can change the set temperature of the hot water supply by operating this button.

Returning to FIG. 1, the router 20 is a communication repeater for connecting each device existing inside the building (here, the home H10) to the external communication network 40. FIG. When the mobile terminal device 30 exists in the home H10, the mobile terminal device 30 is connected to the router 20 by wireless communication and can communicate with the server 50. FIG. The mobile terminal device 30 is, for example, a mobile phone. In addition, the portable terminal device 30 may be another portable terminal device such as a portable tablet terminal. External communication network 40 is, for example, the Internet.

A server 50 for managing water heater 10 is connected to external communication network 40 . Kitchen remote controller 13 communicates with server 50 via router 20 and external communication network 40 .

An application program for hot water supply system 1 is downloaded from server 50 and installed in kitchen remote controller 13 . This application program contains address information (for example, IP address) for accessing the server 50 . The kitchen remote control 13 accesses the server 50 based on this address information and performs communication.

The address information of the kitchen remote controller 13 is transmitted to the server 50 and registered in the server 50 at the time of initial setting. Furthermore, the ID information (identification information) of the kitchen remote controller 13 is transmitted from the kitchen remote controller 13 to the server 50 and registered in the server 50 .

Also, the address information of the mobile terminal device 30 is registered in the server 50 in association with the ID information of the kitchen remote controller 13 . For example, address information (email address) of e-mails that can be received by the mobile terminal device 30 is registered as the address information of the mobile terminal device 30 . Server 50 uses this address information as a destination address to transmit billing information for water heater 10 (kitchen remote control 13 ) associated with mobile terminal device 30 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a circuit block of each device that constitutes the hot water supply system 1. As shown in FIG.

Water heater 11 includes control unit 111 , storage unit 112 , communication unit 113 , and detection unit 114 . The control unit 111 has a microcomputer and controls each unit in the water heater 11 according to a program stored in the storage unit 112 . The storage unit 112 has a memory and stores a predetermined control program.

In this embodiment, the control program stored in the storage unit 112 provides the control unit 111 with the function of the prohibition mode setting unit 111a. Prohibition mode setting unit 111a sets an operation prohibition mode in which hot water supply apparatus 10 is in an operation prohibition state in which hot water supply operation is not performed, based on reception of an operation prohibition request (operation prohibition information) from server 50, as will be described later. I do.

The communication unit 113 communicates with the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13 under the control of the control unit 111 . The communication unit 113 is connected to the communication unit 125 of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the communication unit 135 of the kitchen remote controller 13 via two-core communication lines L1 and L2. Also, the two-core communication lines L1 and L2 are connected to each other inside the communication unit 113 . Therefore, the communication section 125 of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the communication section 135 of the kitchen remote controller 13 are connected to each other by the two-core communication lines L1 and L2. Therefore, a signal transmitted from any one of the communication units 113, 125, and 135 is simultaneously transmitted to the other communication units.

The detection unit 114 includes various sensors arranged on the water heater 11 . For example, the detection unit 114 includes a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of hot water, a flow rate sensor for detecting the supply of hot water, and the like.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the combustion system and piping of water heater 11. As shown in FIG.

The water heater 11 includes a first supply section 210 and a second supply section 220 inside a housing 200 forming its outer shell. For the hot water supply function, the first supply unit 210 generates hot water for hot water supply and supplies it to a hot water supply terminal such as a faucet or a bathtub. The second supply unit 220 generates hot water for heating and supplies it to a heating terminal such as a floor heater for heating functions including floor heating, room heating, and bathroom heating. Furthermore, the second supply unit 220 generates hot water for reheating and supplies it to the bathtub for the reheating function.

Further, the housing 200 accommodates a can body 250 forming a combustion chamber and a fan 260 for supplying combustion air to the inside of the can body 250 . An exhaust port 251 of the can body 250 is led to the outside from the upper surface of the housing 200 .

The first supply section 210 includes a primary heat exchanger 211 , a secondary heat exchanger 212 and a combustor 213 . The combustor 213 is a gas burner that burns fuel gas. The primary heat exchanger 211 and the secondary heat exchanger 212 recover heat from the combustion gas generated in the combustor 213 to heat water flowing through the water inlet pipe 214 . The water inlet pipe 214 is supplied with water from a water source. Hot water generated by heat exchange in primary heat exchanger 211 and secondary heat exchanger 212 is discharged from hot water discharge pipe 215 . The discharged hot water is supplied to the kitchen and bathroom drains and the bathtub.

A bypass pipe 216 is provided between the water inlet pipe 214 and the hot water outlet pipe 215 . A flow control valve 217 controlled by the controller 111 is installed in the bypass pipe 216 . When the flow control valve 217 is opened, water flows from the water inlet pipe 214 to the hot water outlet pipe 215 via the bypass pipe 216 . In this way, the hot water flowing through the hot water discharge pipe 215 is mixed with water to adjust the temperature of the hot water. The temperature of the hot water can also be adjusted by adjusting the flow rate of hot water flowing through the water inlet pipe 214 and the hot water outlet pipe 215 by means of a flow control valve 218 provided in the hot water outlet pipe 215 . A flow control valve 218 may be provided in the water inlet pipe 214 .

Fuel gas is supplied to the combustor 213 through a gas pipe 271 . The gas pipe 271 is provided with a source gas electromagnetic valve 272 for switching between supply and cutoff of the fuel gas. The source gas solenoid valve 272 is controlled by the controller 111 . The gas pipe 271 branches into two flow paths 271 a and 271 b on the downstream side of the source gas electromagnetic valve 272 . Proportional valves 273 and 274 for controlling the flow rate of the fuel gas are installed in the flow paths 271a and 271b, respectively. The proportional valves 273 and 274 are controlled by the controller 111 .

Flow paths 271a and 271b are connected to combustors 213 and 223, respectively. When the source gas solenoid valve 272 is opened, fuel gas is supplied to the combustors 213 and 223 at a flow rate defined by the proportional valves 273 and 274 . Thereby, the combustors 213 and 223 perform combustion with a predetermined combustion amount.

The second supply section 220 includes a primary heat exchanger 221 , a secondary heat exchanger 222 and a combustor 223 . The combustor 223 is a gas burner that burns fuel gas. The primary heat exchanger 221 and the secondary heat exchanger 222 respectively recover heat from the combustion gas generated in the combustor 223 and heat the water flowing through the circulation pipes 234 and 233 .

As for the heating function, the hot water discharged from the circulation pipe 231 is supplied to the heating terminals that require hot water of relatively high temperature (for example, about 80° C.), ie, the indoor heater and the bathroom ventilating/drying/heating device. The hot water discharged from the circulation pipe 232 is supplied to a heating terminal, ie, a floor heater, which requires hot water at a relatively low temperature (for example, about 60°C). Hot water circulating through these heating terminals is returned to the circulation pipe 233 . That is, the flow pipes 231, 232, 233, the pipes connecting these flow pipes and the heating terminals, and the flow pipes 234, 235 constitute the circulation path between the heating terminals.

An expansion tank 236 and a pump 237 are installed to circulate hot water between the heating channel and the heating terminal. When the pump 237 is driven by the controller 111 , the hot water in the expansion tank 236 is introduced into each heating terminal through the circulation pipes 231 and 232 , and the hot water that has passed through each heating terminal is introduced into the circulation pipe 233 . returned. The hot water returned to the flow pipe 233 is heated by the secondary heat exchanger 222 and stored in the expansion tank 236 .

The low-temperature hot water stored in the expansion tank 236 is supplied to the low-temperature heating terminal through the circulation pipe 232 . Also, the low-temperature hot water stored in the expansion tank 236 is circulated through the circulation pipe 234 to the primary heat exchanger 221 and heated to high-temperature hot water. After that, the hot water is supplied to the high temperature heating terminal through the circulation pipe 231 . At this time, the flow control valve 238 installed in the flow pipe 235 is appropriately opened by the controller 111 . Thereby, the low-temperature hot water in the expansion tank 236 is mixed with the high-temperature hot water flowing through the circulation pipe 231, and the temperature of the hot water discharged from the circulation pipe 231 is adjusted. In this way, low-temperature or high-temperature hot water is circulated between each heating terminal and the primary heat exchanger 221 and the secondary heat exchanger 222 . The circulation pipes 231 and 232 are provided with on-off valves (not shown). When hot water is supplied only to the high-temperature heating terminals, the on-off valve of the low-temperature circulation pipe 232 is closed to supply hot water only to the low-temperature heating terminals. is supplied, the on-off valve of the high-temperature circulation pipe 231 is closed.

As for the reheating function, the hot water discharged from the circulation pipe 241 is supplied to the bathtub and then returned from the bathtub to the circulation pipe 243 . In other words, the flow pipes 241 and 242 and the pipes connecting these flow pipes and the bathtub constitute a circulation path to the bathtub. A pump 244 for circulating hot water between the circulation pipe 242 and the bathtub is installed. Furthermore, a liquid-liquid heat exchanger 245 for exchanging heat with hot water flowing through the circulation pipe 243 is installed in the circulation pipe 242 .

During reheating, the control unit 111 opens the on-off valve 246 while the pump 237 is driven by the control unit 111 . As a result, the hot water heated by the primary heat exchanger 221 flows through the circulation pipe 243 , and the liquid-liquid heat exchanger 245 heats and raises the temperature of the hot water flowing through the circulation pipe 242 . The heated hot water is supplied to the bathtub by driving the pump 244 . In this way, the hot water circulating between the bathtub and the circulation pipes 241 and 242 is heated by the liquid-liquid heat exchanger 245, so that the hot water in the bathtub is reheated.

In addition, various sensors are installed in the housing 200 for executing the operation of supplying hot water. That is, seven thermistors S 1 to S 7 (temperature sensors) are installed inside the housing 200 .

Thermistor S 1 detects the temperature of hot water just before it is discharged from hot water outlet pipe 215 , and thermistor S 2 detects the temperature of hot water flowing through hot water outlet pipe 215 near the outlet of boiler 250 . Thermistors S3 and S4 detect the temperature of hot water just before it is discharged from the distribution pipes 231 and 232 to each heating terminal, and thermistor S5 detects the temperature of the hot water returned from each heating terminal to the distribution pipe 233. do. Thermistor S6 detects the temperature of hot water just before it is discharged from circulation pipe 241 to the bathtub, and thermistor S7 detects the temperature of hot water returned to circulation pipe 242 from the bathtub.

In addition, a flow rate sensor S8 for detecting the flow rate of hot water flowing through hot water outlet pipe 215 is installed in housing 200 . In the operation ON state, the control unit 111 operates the first supply unit 210 when the flow rate sensor S8 detects a flow rate equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. As a result, the hot water supply operation of the hot water supply function is started.

Thermistors S1 to S7 and flow sensor S8 are included in detection unit 114 in FIG.

Returning to FIG. 3 , the bathroom remote control 12 includes a control section 123 , a storage section 124 , a communication section 125 , a microphone 126 and a speaker 127 in addition to the display section 121 and the input section 122 described above.

The control unit 123 has a microcomputer and performs predetermined control according to a program stored in the storage unit 124 . The storage unit 124 has a memory and stores a predetermined control program.

Communication unit 125 communicates with water heater 11 and kitchen remote control 13 under the control of control unit 123 .

A microphone 126 collects sound through the sound window 12a and outputs an audio signal. The speaker 127 outputs audio based on the audio signal through the audio window 12a. In the call function, voice input to the microphone 126 is transmitted to the kitchen remote controller 13 and voice received from the kitchen remote controller 13 is output from the speaker 127 .

Kitchen remote controller 13 includes display input unit 131 and operation button 132 described above, as well as control unit 133 , storage unit 134 , communication unit 135 , microphone 136 , speaker 137 , and wireless communication unit 138 .

The control unit 133 has a microcomputer and performs predetermined control according to a program stored in the storage unit 134 . The storage unit 134 has a memory and stores a predetermined control program. Communication unit 135 communicates with water heater 11 and bathroom remote control 12 under the control of control unit 133 .

A microphone 136 collects sound through the sound window 13a and outputs a sound signal. The speaker 137 outputs audio based on the audio signal through the audio window 13a. In the call function, voice input to microphone 136 is transmitted to bathroom remote controller 12 , and voice received from bathroom remote controller 12 is output from speaker 137 .

The wireless communication unit 138 is a wireless communication module capable of wireless communication with the router 20 . Address information and ID information of wireless communication unit 138 are registered in server 50 as address information and ID information of kitchen remote controller 13 (water heater 10).

In this embodiment, in the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13, the control programs stored in the storage units 124 and 134 give the control units 123 and 133 the functions of the notification processing units 123a and 133a. In the kitchen remote controller 13, the control program stored in the storage unit 134 gives the control unit 133 the function of the notification mode setting unit 133b. The notification mode setting unit 133b sets the notification mode based on the reception of notification information from the server 50, as will be described later. As will be described later, the notification processing units 123a and 133a instruct the display unit 121 and the display input unit 131, which are notification units, to pay the usage fee based on the establishment of a predetermined notification condition while the notification mode is set. Make a prompt notification.

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

In this embodiment, the control program stored in the storage unit 502 controls the functions of the notification information transmission unit 501a, the functions of the notification cancellation information transmission unit 501b, the functions of the prohibition information transmission unit 501c, and the prohibition cancellation information transmission unit 501d. are given to the control unit 501 .

As will be described later, the notification information transmitting unit 501a provides notification information for causing the display unit 121 or the like of the water heating device 10 to notify the water heating device 10 whose usage fee is in arrears to prompt payment of the usage fee. to send.

Notification cancellation information transmitting unit 501b transmits cancellation information for canceling the notification mode to water heating apparatus 10 for which payment of the delinquent usage fee has been made, as will be described later.

As will be described later, the prohibition information transmission unit 501c enters an operation prohibited state in which the water heater 10 does not perform the hot water supply operation for the water heater 10 for which the delinquent usage fee has not been paid by the payment date. As the operation prohibition information, a request for prohibition of operation is transmitted.

As will be described later, the prohibition release information transmitting unit 501d sends release information for releasing the operation prohibition mode to the hot water supply device 10 to which the payment of the overdue usage fee has been made after the operation prohibition mode was set. to send.

Hot water supply system 1 has a function of coping with non-payment of usage charges in order to prevent continued use of hot water supply apparatus 10 in a state where usage charges are delinquent.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the processing performed in the control unit 501 of the server 50 in order to execute the function of dealing with non-payment of usage fees. This processing is executed by the function of the notification information transmitting section 501a, the function of the notification cancellation information transmission section 501b, the function of the prohibition information transmission section 501c, and the function of the prohibition cancellation information transmission section 501d of FIG.

The control unit 501 monitors whether delinquency information indicating that the usage fee has been delinquent has been acquired (S101). In addition, the control unit 501 monitors whether or not payment information indicating that the delinquent usage fee has been paid has been acquired (S102). In addition, control unit 501 monitors whether or not water heater 10 has exceeded the due date for payment of the delinquent usage fee (S103).

When the usage fee is in arrears, a server (not shown) that manages the collection of the usage fee transmits delinquency information to the server 50 via the external communication network 40 . Further, when the payment of the delinquent usage fee is completed, the payment information is transmitted from the server to the server 50 . The non-payment information and the payment information include ID information of the water heater 10 (kitchen remote control 13) so that the target water heater 10 can be specified. In addition, the delinquency information includes the payment due date. The delinquency information and payment information may be transmitted from a terminal device such as a personal computer connected to the server 50 via a LAN or the like, or may be directly input to the server 50 from an input unit such as a keyboard.

The storage unit 502 of the server 50 stores the payment date extracted from the delinquency information in association with the ID information. The control unit 501 can determine whether or not the payment due date has passed by referring to the payment due date stored in the storage unit 502 . Overdue information may be received from a server that manages usage fee collection to determine if the payment due date has passed. In this case, the excess information includes the ID information of the water heater 10 whose due date has passed.

When the delinquency information is acquired (S101: YES), control unit 501 identifies the water heater 10 whose usage fee is in arrears from the ID information included in the delinquency information, and notifies the water heater 10 of the usage fee. Notification information is transmitted for notification to prompt payment (S104). For example, the notification information can be a notification request requesting notification. In this case, the payment due date is added to the notification request. Alternatively, the notification information may be notification data such as image data, text data, or voice data that prompts the user to pay the usage fee (including the due date for payment).

As will be described later, hot water supply apparatus 10 sets a notification mode based on reception of notification information, and appropriately issues a notification prompting payment of a usage fee during the notification mode.

When control unit 501 acquires the payment information (S102: YES), control unit 501 identifies water heating apparatus 10 for which the usage fee has been paid from the ID information included in the payment information, and confirms the payment due date in storage unit 502 for water heating apparatus 10. is referred to, it is determined whether or not it is within the payment deadline (S105).

If the payment is within the payment deadline (S105: YES), control unit 501 transmits cancellation information for canceling the notification mode to water heater 10 that has already paid (S106). For example, the release information can be a release request requesting release. Alternatively, the cancellation information can be a payment completion notification that notifies that payment of the usage fee has been completed.

As will be described later, in hot water supply apparatus 10, the notification mode is canceled based on the reception of the cancellation information, and the notification prompting payment of the usage fee is no longer performed.

As will be described later, when the due date for payment has passed, hot water supply apparatus 10 is set to an operation prohibition mode in which hot water supply operation is prohibited based on an operation prohibition request from server 50 . Therefore, if control unit 501 determines that the payment is not within the payment deadline (the payment deadline has passed) (S105: NO), control unit 501 supplies cancellation information for canceling the operation prohibition mode to hot water heater 10 for which payment has been made. is transmitted (S107). For example, the release information can be a release request or payment completion notice.

As will be described later, in the hot water supply apparatus 10, the operation prohibition mode is canceled based on the reception of the cancellation information, and the hot water supply operation can be performed as usual.

When there is a hot water heater 10 whose payment due date for the delinquent usage fee has passed (S103: YES), control unit 501 requests setting of the operation prohibition mode to the water heater 10 whose payment due date has passed (S103: YES). A request is sent (S108).

As will be described later, water heater 10 is set to the operation prohibition mode based on the reception of the operation prohibition request, and enters an operation prohibition state in which water heater 10 does not perform the hot water supply operation.

Further, control unit 501 transmits cancellation information for canceling the notification mode to water heater 10 whose payment date has passed (S109). As a result, the notification mode is canceled in hot water supply apparatus 10 .

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing processing performed in control unit 133 of kitchen remote control 13 of hot water supply apparatus 10 in order to execute the function of coping with delinquency of usage charges. This processing is processing for setting and canceling the notification mode, and is executed by the function of the notification mode setting unit 133b in FIG.

The control unit 133 monitors whether or not notification information has been received from the server 50 (S201). When water heater 10 is in arrears of usage charges, notification information is transmitted to water heater 10 by the process of step S104 in FIG. When receiving the notification information (S201: YES), the control unit 133 sets a notification mode in which a notification prompting payment of the usage fee is performed (S202).

Next, the control unit 133 monitors whether or not information for canceling the notification mode has been received from the server 50 (S203). When the delinquent usage fee is paid, cancellation information is transmitted to water heater 10 by the process of step S106 in FIG. Further, when the due date for payment of the delinquent usage fee has passed, cancellation information is transmitted to water heater 10 by the process of step S109 in FIG. When receiving the cancellation information (S203: YES), the control unit 133 cancels the notification mode (S204).

FIG. 7(a) is a flow chart showing processing performed in control unit 133 of kitchen remote controller 13 and control unit 123 of bathroom remote controller 12 of water heater 10 in order to execute the function of dealing with delinquency of usage charges. This process is a notification process for performing a notification prompting payment of the usage fee. The notification process by the kitchen remote controller 13 is executed by the function of the notification processing unit 133a in FIG. , is executed by the function of the notification processing unit 123a in FIG.

The notification processing executed by the kitchen remote controller 13 will be described below, but the notification processing executed by the bathroom remote controller 12 is the same.

When the notification mode is set by the process of FIG. 6, the notification process of FIG. 7(a) is started.

The control unit 133 monitors whether or not a predetermined notification condition is satisfied (S301). For example, the notification condition can be that the operation button 132 and the operation buttons 131a to 131h displayed on the display input unit 131 have been pressed. In addition, the notification condition may be that the hot water supply operation of each function such as the hot water supply function is started. If the notification is made at regular time intervals, the notification condition may be that a certain period of time has elapsed. The number of notification conditions may be one or plural.

When a notification condition is established, for example, when a button operation of the kitchen remote control 13 is performed (S301: YES), the control unit 133 displays a notification screen 610 on the display input unit 131 as a notification unit as a notification prompting payment of the usage fee. is displayed (S302). A user who sees the notification screen 610 can recognize that payment is required because the usage fee is in arrears.

FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of the notification screen 610. As shown in FIG. The notification screen 610 includes a message 611 prompting payment of the usage fee and a payment due date 612 . When the notification information transmitted from the server 50 is a notification request, image data (notification data) of the notification screen 610 including the payment date added to the notification request is generated and stored in the storage unit 134 . When the notification information is image data (notification data) itself, the image data is stored in the storage unit 134 . These image data (notification data) are output to the display input unit 131, and the notification screen 610 is displayed.

After the predetermined time has passed, the notification screen 610 is closed. Alternatively, if notification screen 610 includes a confirmation button, notification screen 610 is closed when the confirmation button is pressed.

Instead of or in addition to the notification by the notification screen 610, the control unit 133 may output a message prompting payment of the usage fee and the due date by voice from the speaker 137, which is the notification unit. Further, the notification (notification screen 610, etc.) includes a notification to the effect that if the usage fee is not paid by the payment date, the water heater 10 will not perform the hot water supply operation, that is, the water heater 10 will become unusable. good too.

If the notification mode is canceled by the process of FIG. 6 (S303: YES) while the satisfaction of the notification condition is being monitored, the control unit 133 terminates the notification process.

Thus, in hot water supply apparatus 10, while the notification mode is set in kitchen remote controller 13 and bathroom remote controller 12, every time the notification condition is satisfied, notification prompting payment of the usage fee is performed.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a process performed in control unit 111 of water heater 11 of water heater 10 in order to execute the function of coping with delinquency of usage charges. This process is a process for setting and canceling the operation prohibition mode, and is executed by the function of the prohibition mode setting unit 111a shown in FIG.

The control unit 111 monitors whether or not a driving prohibition request has been received from the server 50 (S401). When the delinquent usage fee is not paid and the due date for payment has passed, an operation prohibition request is transmitted to water heater 10 by the process of step S108 in FIG. When the operation prohibition request is received (S401: YES), control unit 111 sets an operation prohibition mode in which water heater 10 is in an operation prohibition state (S402).

When the operation prohibition mode is set, control unit 111 switches to the operation OFF state when hot water supply device 10 (water heater 11) is in the operation ON state. Then, control unit 111 instructs control unit 123 of bathroom remote controller 12 and control unit 133 of kitchen remote controller 13 to turn off display unit 121 and display input unit 131, and thereafter not to accept operation of operation buttons 122a and 132. give instructions to As a result, the hot water supply device 10 cannot be switched to the operation ON state, and the hot water supply operation of all functions such as the hot water supply function cannot be performed. An instruction to start operation is directly transmitted from the remote controller of the heating terminal to the control unit 111, but by invalidating this instruction, the hot water supply operation cannot be performed by operating the remote controller of the heating terminal. In this way, the water heater 10 enters an operation prohibited state in which the hot water supply operation of all functions is not performed.

When the operation buttons 122a and 132 are operated, the display unit 121 and the display input unit 131 are lit, and the operation buttons 131a to 131h are displayed on the display input unit 131. However, the operation buttons 122b to 122f and 131a to 131h By invalidating the operation of , the hot water supply operation of all functions except for the hot water supply function may be disabled. At this time, since the input of the flow rate sensor S8 is invalidated, the hot water supply operation of the hot water supply function cannot be performed.

Furthermore, in order to prevent the hot water supply operation of all functions from being performed, the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13 accept button operations. The control unit 111 may disable the first supply unit 210, the second supply unit 220 and the third supply unit 230 of the water heater 11, that is, disable the combustors 213 and 223 and the pumps 237 and 244.

Furthermore, the controller 111 may turn off the water heater 11 . In this case, power supply to the loads such as the combustors 213 and 223 and sensors is stopped, but power supply to the control unit 111 is continued.

Next, the control unit 111 monitors whether or not information for canceling the operation prohibition mode has been received from the server 50 (S403). When the delinquent usage fee is paid, cancellation information is transmitted to water heater 10 by the process of step S107 in FIG. When receiving the release information (S403: YES), the control unit 111 releases the operation prohibition mode (S404). As a result, the operation prohibited state is cancelled, and the hot water supply apparatus 10 returns to a state in which all functions of the hot water supply operation are performed.

FIG. 9(a) is a flow chart showing processing performed in control unit 133 of kitchen remote controller 13 and control unit 123 of bathroom remote controller 12 of water heater 10 in order to execute the function of dealing with delinquency of usage charges. This process is a notification process for notifying that the use of hot water supply apparatus 10 has been stopped due to non-payment of usage fees, and is executed by the functions of notification processing units 123a and 133a.

The notification processing executed by the kitchen remote controller 13 will be described below, but the notification processing executed by the bathroom remote controller 12 is the same.

When the operation prohibition mode is set by the process of FIG. 8, the notification process of FIG. 9(a) is started.

The control unit 133 monitors whether or not a predetermined notification condition is satisfied (S501). For example, the notification condition can be that the operation button 132 and the operation buttons 131a to 131h displayed on the display input unit 131 have been pressed. In addition, the notification condition may be that the hot water supply operation of each function such as the hot water supply function is started. If the notification is made at regular time intervals, the notification condition may be that a certain period of time has elapsed. The number of notification conditions may be one or plural.

When the notification condition is established, for example, when a button operation of kitchen remote control 13 is performed (S501: YES), control unit 133 stops the use of hot water supply device 10 due to non-payment of the usage fee. (S502). A user who sees notification screen 620 can recognize that hot water supply apparatus 10 cannot be used as before due to non-payment of usage fees.

FIG. 9B is a diagram showing an example of the notification screen 620. As shown in FIG. Notification screen 620 includes message 621 indicating that use of hot water supply apparatus 10 has been suspended due to non-payment of usage fees.

After the predetermined time has elapsed, the notification screen 620 is closed. Alternatively, if notification screen 620 includes a confirmation button, notification screen 620 is closed when the confirmation button is pressed.

In place of or in addition to the notification on notification screen 620, control unit 133 outputs a voice from speaker 137, which is the notification unit, to the effect that the use of hot water supply apparatus 10 has been stopped due to non-payment of the usage fee. good too.

If the operation prohibition mode is canceled by the process of FIG. 8 (S503: YES) while the satisfaction of the notification condition is being monitored, the control unit 133 terminates the notification process.

In this manner, in water heater 10, use of water heater 10 is stopped due to delinquency in payment of usage charges each time the notification condition is satisfied while kitchen remote controller 13 and bathroom remote controller 12 are set to the operation prohibition mode. A notification to that effect will be made.

<Effect of Embodiment 1>
According to Embodiment 1, the following effects can be achieved.

(1) Notification information is transmitted from server 50 to water heating apparatus 10 for which the usage fee is in arrears, and based on the reception of the notification information, a notification unit (display unit 121, display input unit 131) of water heating apparatus 10 is displayed. , a notification prompting payment of the usage fee is made. This makes it easier for the user to pay the delinquent usage fee by noticing that the usage fee is in arrears. Moreover, since the notification information is transmitted from the server 50 to which the usage information is transmitted from the hot water supply apparatus 10 to calculate the usage fee, there is no need to prepare an external device for transmitting the notification information, and the system configuration can be simplified. Not easy to complicate.

(2) Further, in water heater 10, the notification mode is set based on the reception of the notification information, and while the notification mode is set, every time a predetermined notification condition is satisfied, the user is prompted to pay the usage fee. Since the notification is performed, the notification is easily noticed by the user. This makes it easier for the user to pay the delinquent usage fee. Moreover, since the notification mode is canceled when the delinquent usage fee is paid, the notification can be prevented from continuing after the usage fee is paid.

(3) Furthermore, operation prohibition information (operation prohibition request) is transmitted from server 50 to hot water heater 10 for which the delinquent usage fee has not been paid by the payment date, whereby operation without hot water supply operation is performed. Prohibited. As a result, the user cannot continue to use hot water supply apparatus 10 as before, and the user is more likely to pay the delinquent usage fee.

(4) Furthermore, since the operation prohibition mode is set based on the reception of the operation prohibition request from server 50, water heater 10 enters the operation prohibition state. It is difficult to increase the frequency of communication with the customer, and an increase in communication load can be suppressed.

(5) Furthermore, when the delinquent usage fee is paid, the operation prohibition mode is canceled and the operation prohibition state is cancelled, so that the hot water supply operation of water heater 10 continues even after the usage fee is paid. you can avoid it.

<Modification 1>
In the first embodiment, the operation prohibition request is transmitted from the server 50 to the water heater 10 for which the delinquent usage fee has not been paid by the payment date, and the operation prohibition mode is set based on the operation prohibition request. As a result, hot water supply device 10 enters an operation prohibited state in which hot water supply operation is not performed.

In contrast, in Modification 1, a forced stop command is transmitted from server 50 to water heater 10 for which the delinquent usage fee has not been paid by the due date, when the hot water supply operation is started. By stopping the hot water supply operation started based on the stop command, hot water supply device 10 enters an operation prohibited state in which the hot water supply operation is not performed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing circuit blocks of devices constituting hot water supply system 1 according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 10, in Modified Example 1, in the water heater 11 of the water heater 10, the control program stored in the storage unit 112 replaces the function of the prohibition mode setting unit 111a of the first embodiment with the operation mode. The control unit 111 is provided with the function of the stop processing unit 111b. As will be described later, the operation stop processing unit 111b transmits an operation start notification to the server 50 when the hot water supply operation is started, and is started when a forced stop command is received from the server 50. stop the hot water supply operation.

Furthermore, in Modification 1, prohibition information transmitting unit 501c in server 50 transmits a forced stop command as operation prohibition information to water heater 10 based on reception of the operation start notification from water heater 10 . Further, the control unit 501 is not provided with the function of the prohibition cancellation information transmission unit 501d of the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the control unit 501 of the server 50 in order to execute the function of coping with non-payment of the usage fee according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG. This processing is executed by the functions of the notification information transmission section 501a, the notification cancellation information transmission section 501b, and the prohibition information transmission section 501c in FIG.

In Modified Example 1, the process of FIG. 11 is executed instead of the process of FIG. 5 of the first embodiment. In the process of FIG. 11, the process of step S107 of FIG. 5 is replaced with the process of step S111, and the process of step S108 of FIG. 5 is replaced with the process of step S112.

Referring to FIG. 11, when control unit 501 determines in step S103 that water heating apparatus 10 for which the due date for payment of the delinquent usage fee has passed has occurred (S103: YES), control unit 501 , the forced operation stop process is started (S112).

FIG. 12(a) is a flowchart showing the forced operation stop process according to Modification 1. FIG.

Control unit 501 monitors whether or not an operation start notification has been received from hot water heater 10 whose due date has passed (S601). As will be described later, hot water supply apparatus 10 transmits an operation start notification to server 50 when hot water supply operation of any function is started.

When control unit 501 receives an operation start notice from water heater 10 whose payment date has passed (S601: YES), control unit 501 transmits a forced stop command to water heater 10 (S602). Thus, every time hot water supply operation is started in water heater 10 whose payment due date has passed, server 50 sends a forced stop command to water heater 10 .

Returning to FIG. 11, in step S102, the control unit 501 determines that the deposit information has been acquired (S102: YES). The forced operation stop process that is being executed on the hot water supply device 10 is stopped (S111).

FIG. 12(b) is a flowchart showing a process performed by control unit 111 of water heater 11 of water heater 10 in order to execute the function of coping with non-payment of usage charges according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG. This processing is executed by the function of the shutdown processing unit 111b in FIG.

In Modified Example 1, the process of FIG. 12B is executed instead of the process of FIG. 8 of the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 12(b), control unit 111 monitors whether hot water supply operation of any function has been started (S701). When the hot water supply operation is started (S701: YES), control unit 111 transmits an operation start notification to server 50 (S702).

Next, control unit 111 monitors whether or not a forced stop command has been received from server 50 (S703), and monitors whether or not the started hot water supply operation has ended (S704).

When the due date for payment of the charge for use of hot water supply apparatus 10 has not been exceeded, server 50 does not transmit a forced stop command even if a notice of operation start is transmitted. When the hot water supply operation ends (S704: YES), the controller 111 returns to step S701 to continue monitoring the hot water supply operation.

On the other hand, when the due date for payment of the charge for use of hot water supply apparatus 10 has passed, server 50 promptly transmits a forced stop command when the operation start notification is transmitted. Upon receiving the forced stop command (S703: YES), control unit 111 forcibly stops the hot water supply operation (S705).

In this way, in Modification 1, the started hot water supply operation is quickly and forcibly stopped by the forced stop command from the server 50, so that the hot water supply operation of all the functions of the water heater 10 is not performed. Prohibited.

Note that in Modification 1, the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13 do not perform the notification process shown in FIG. 9(a). Instead, when the hot water supply operation is forcibly stopped in step S705 of FIG. The controller 123 of the bathroom remote controller 12 displays a notification screen similar to the notification screen 620 of 9(b) on the display unit 121 and the display input unit 131, or performs the notification by voice from the speakers 127 and 137. and the controller 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13.

In addition, the operation start notification transmitted to server 50 from hot water supply apparatus 10 for which the due date for payment of the usage fee has not passed is used by the monitoring function to inform server 50 that portable terminal device 30 requested hot water supply operation. Available.

As described above, in Modified Example 1, when hot water supply operation is started, server 50 transmits a forced stop command to water heater 10 whose payment due date has passed, whereby water heater 10 enters the operation prohibited state. Therefore, on the hot water supply apparatus 10 side, there is no need to change the processing for the hot water supply operation depending on whether or not the payment due date has been exceeded, and the processing does not become complicated.

Further, in Modification 1, water heater 10 transmits an operation start notification to server 50 when hot water supply operation is started, and server 50 receives an operation start notification from water heater 10 whose payment due date has passed. Since the forced stop command is transmitted to the water heater 10, the forced stop command can be transmitted without waste, and an increase in communication frequency between the server 50 and the water heater 10 can be suppressed.

Although the frequency of communication tends to increase, water heating apparatus 10 does not send the operation start notification to server 50, and server 50 notifies water heating apparatus 10 whose payment due date has passed. The operation forced stop process may be performed such that the forced stop command is transmitted at intervals).

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, when the notification information is transmitted from the server 50 to the water heating apparatus 10 for which the usage fee is in arrears, the notification unit (display unit 121, display input unit 131) of the water heating apparatus 10 A notification prompting payment of the usage fee was issued.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the notification information is transmitted from the server 50 to the mobile terminal device 30 associated with the hot water supply device 10 for which the usage fee is in arrears, so that the mobile terminal device 30 , a notification prompting payment of the usage fee is made.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing circuit blocks of each device constituting the hot water supply system 1 according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 13, in the second embodiment, in the kitchen remote controller 13 of the water heater 10, the functions of the notification processing unit 133a and the notification mode setting unit 133b are not provided to the control unit 133. FIG. Further, in bathroom remote controller 12 of water heater 10, control unit 123 is not provided with the function of notification processing unit 123a.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, in the server 50, the notification information transmitting unit 501a sends a message to the portable terminal device 30 associated with the hot water supply device 10 for which payment of the delinquent usage fee has been made, as described later. to transmit the notification information.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing the processing performed by the control unit 501 of the server 50 in order to execute the function of dealing with non-payment of usage fees. This processing is executed by the function of the notification information transmitting section 501a, the function of the notification cancellation information transmission section 501b, the function of the prohibition information transmission section 501c, and the function of the prohibition cancellation information transmission section 501d of FIG.

Control unit 501 monitors whether delinquency information has been acquired, whether payment information has been acquired, and whether water heater 10 has exceeded the due date for payment of the delinquent usage fee (S801). , S802, S803).

When the delinquency information is acquired (S801: YES), control unit 501 identifies water heater 10 in which delinquency has occurred from the ID information included in the delinquency information, and informs mobile terminal device 30 associated with water heater 10 of interest. In response, notification information for notifying the user to pay the usage fee is transmitted (S804). Transmission of notification information is performed periodically.

Specifically, the notification information is notification data such as image data, text data, and voice data that prompt payment of the usage fee (including the due date for payment). The control unit 501 sends the notification data to the destination address (email address here) associated with the ID information of the kitchen remote control 13 stored in the storage unit 502 by an application ( Here, it is sent in a format that can be displayed by an email application). As a result, the mobile terminal device 30 issues an image or voice notification prompting the user to pay the usage fee. Note that the notification information can also be a notification request for requesting notification. In this case, notification data is stored in advance in the mobile terminal device 30, and a dedicated application or the like uses the notification data to issue a notification prompting payment of the usage fee.

Upon acquiring the payment information (S802: YES), control unit 501 determines whether or not water heater 10 specified from the ID information included in the payment information is within the payment deadline. (S805: YES), the periodical transmission of the notification information to the mobile terminal device 30 ends (S806).

As in the first embodiment, when there is a hot water heater 10 whose payment due date for a delinquent usage fee has passed (S803: YES), the control unit 501 puts the hot water heater 10 whose payment due date has passed into the operation prohibition mode. An operation prohibition request requesting setting is transmitted (S808).

Further, as in the first embodiment, the control unit 501 determines that the deposit information has been acquired in step S802 (S802: YES), and further determines in step S805 that it is not within the payment deadline (S805: NO). , release information for releasing the operation prohibition mode is transmitted to the hot water supply apparatus 10 for which payment has been made (S807).

In hot water supply apparatus 10, the notification mode setting and cancellation processes of FIG. 6 are not executed, and the notification process of FIG. 7A is not executed.

On the other hand, in the hot water supply apparatus 10, similarly to the first embodiment, the operation prohibition mode setting and cancellation processing in FIG. 8 and the notification processing in FIG. 9A are executed. As a result, the user cannot continue to use the water heater 10 for which the delinquent usage fee has not been paid by the due date, and the user cannot continue to use the water heater 10 due to the non-payment of the usage fee. You will be notified that it is no longer possible.

<Effect of Embodiment 2>
According to the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

By transmitting the notification information to the mobile terminal device 30 associated with the hot water supply device 10 for which the usage fee is in arrears, the mobile terminal device 30 is notified to prompt payment of the usage fee. This makes it easier for the user to pay the delinquent usage fee by noticing that the usage fee is in arrears. Moreover, since the notification information is transmitted from the server 50 to which the usage information is transmitted from the hot water supply apparatus 10 to calculate the usage fee, there is no need to prepare an external device for transmitting the notification information, and the system configuration can be simplified. Not easy to complicate.

Furthermore, the effects (3) to (5) obtained in the first embodiment can be obtained.

In the above example, the destination of the notification information is the portable terminal device 30, but the destination of the notification information is not limited to this. For example, a fixed terminal device such as a stationary personal computer placed in the home H10 may be the transmission destination of the notification information.

Also, the notification information may be transmitted only once instead of periodically. In this case, the process of step S806 is not performed in the process of FIG.

Further, a modification similar to that of modification 1 may be applied to the second embodiment. In this case, the processing of steps S807 and S808 in FIG. 14 is replaced with the processing of steps S111 and S112 in FIG. 12(a) is executed in the server 50, and in the water heater 10, instead of the operation prohibition mode setting and cancellation processing of FIG. 8 and the notification processing of FIG. 12(b) is executed.

<Other modification examples>
In Embodiment 1 described above, notification information may be transmitted from server 50 not only to hot water supply apparatus 10 but also to portable terminal device 30 . With such a configuration, in the process of FIG. 5, the process of step S803 of FIG. 14 is executed together with the process of step S104, and the process of step S806 of FIG. 14 is executed together with the process of step S106.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the notification mode is set based on the reception of the notification information from the server 50 in the hot water supply apparatus 10, and every time the predetermined notification condition is satisfied while the notification mode is set, A notification prompting payment of the usage fee was issued. However, based on the reception of the notification information, notification may be made to prompt payment of the usage fee once or a predetermined number of times. In this case, the notification mode setting unit 133b becomes unnecessary, and the notification processing units 123a and 133a perform notification based on the reception of the notification information.

Further, in Embodiments 1 and 2, the hot water supply apparatus 10 enters the operation prohibited state in which the hot water supply operation of all functions cannot be performed based on the reception of the operation prohibited information. However, the hot water supply operation of some functions may not be prohibited. For example, the hot water supply operation of the floor heating function and the room heating function may continue to be executed.

Furthermore, in Embodiments 1 and 2, server 50 transmits an operation prohibition request to water heater 10 whose payment due date has passed, whereby water heater 10 enters an operation prohibited state in which hot water supply operation is not performed. However, server 50 transmits firmware to hot water heater 10 whose payment due date has passed so that operation of hot water heater 10 is prohibited, and the firmware of control unit 111 of hot water heater 11, etc. may be rewritten as In this case, when payment of the usage fee is completed, server 50 transmits to water heater 10 firmware for returning water heater 10 to a state in which it can be operated normally.

Furthermore, in the above-described Embodiment 2, the notification to prompt the payment of the usage fee by transmitting the notification information does not necessarily have to be performed by e-mail, and may be performed by other methods. For example, a push notification to the mobile terminal device 30 may be sent to prompt payment of the usage fee. In this case, the destination address registered in the storage unit 502 of the server 50 is changed to address information for performing push notification to the mobile terminal device 30 .

Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the prohibition mode setting unit 111a is provided in the water heater 11, the notification processing units 123a and 133a are provided in the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13, and the notification mode setting unit 133b is provided in the kitchen remote controller 13. However, the arrangement of these parts in water heater 10 is not limited to this. For example, the notification processing unit and the notification mode setting unit may be provided in water heater 11 . In this case, when water heater 11 issues a notification instruction to bathroom remote controller 12 and kitchen remote controller 13, these remote controllers 12 and 13 issue a notification prompting payment of the usage fee. Also, the notification mode setting unit may be provided in the bathroom remote controller 12 , and the prohibition mode setting unit may be provided in the bathroom remote controller 12 or the kitchen remote controller 13 . Similarly, the arrangement positions of the shutdown processing unit 111b of the first modification and the prohibition mode setting unit 111a of the second embodiment in the water heater 10 are not limited to the positions of the first modification and the second embodiment.

Furthermore, in Embodiments 1 and 2, the wireless communication unit 138 is provided in the kitchen remote controller 13 that constitutes the water heater 10, but the wireless communication unit is provided in the water heater 11 or the bathroom remote controller 12 so that the water heater 11 or the bathroom remote controller 138 is provided. A remote control 12 may be connected to the router 20 . Alternatively, in addition to water heater 11 , bathroom remote controller 12 and kitchen remote controller 13 , a control unit having a wireless communication section may be arranged in water heater 10 and connected to router 20 .

Furthermore, the configuration of the hot water supply apparatus 10 is not limited to the configurations shown in the first and second embodiments, and may be other configurations. For example, water heater 10 may be configured without the heating function or may be configured without the reheating function. Water heater 10 may be configured without one or two of the floor heating function, room heating function, and bathroom heating function included in the heating function. Furthermore, hot water supply apparatus 10 may be configured to have only the hot water supply function. Furthermore, the water heater 10 is not limited to one that uses gas fuel, and may be a water heater that uses oil as fuel.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the prohibition mode setting unit, the notification processing unit, the notification mode setting unit, the notification information transmission unit, the notification cancellation information transmission unit, the prohibition information transmission unit, and the prohibition cancellation information transmission unit are implemented by software based on the control program. However, they may be realized by hardware using logic circuits. The same applies to the prohibition mode setting unit, the notification information transmission unit, the notification cancellation information transmission unit, the prohibition information transmission unit, and the prohibition cancellation information transmission unit of the second embodiment, and the operation stop processing unit of the first modification.

Furthermore, in Embodiments 1 and 2, the water heater 10 is a combustion type water heater that heats water with combustion gas generated by burning fuel, but the configuration of the water heater 10 is not limited to this. For example, hot water supply apparatus 10 may be a cogeneration type hot water supply apparatus that generates electric power with a generator and uses exhaust heat from the generator to generate hot water.

In addition, the embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately modified in various ways within the scope of the claims.

1 hot water supply system 10 hot water supply device 30 portable terminal device (terminal device)
40 external communication network 50 server 111a prohibition mode setting unit 111b operation stop processing unit 121 display unit (notification unit)
123a notification processing unit 127 speaker (notification unit)
131 display input unit (notification unit)
133a Notification processing unit 133b Notification mode setting unit 137 Speaker (notification unit)
501a notification information transmission unit 501b notification cancellation information transmission unit 501c prohibition information transmission unit 501d prohibition cancellation information transmission unit

Claims (11)

a water heater that can be used by paying a usage fee;
a server capable of communicating with the water heater via an external communication network;
In a hot water supply system, wherein the water heater transmits usage status information regarding the usage status of the water heater to the server, and the usage fee is determined based on the usage status information,
The server includes a notification information transmission unit configured to transmit notification information for causing a notification unit of the water heater to perform notification prompting payment of the usage fee to the water heater for which the usage fee is in arrears. ,
A hot water supply system characterized by: In the hot water supply system according to claim 1,
The water heater is
a notification mode setting unit that sets the notification mode based on the reception of the notification information;
A notification processing unit that causes the notification unit to perform the notification based on the establishment of a predetermined notification condition while the notification mode is set,
The server further includes a notification cancellation information transmission unit that transmits cancellation information for canceling the notification mode to the hot water supply apparatus for which the delinquent usage fee has been paid,
A hot water supply system characterized by: a water heater that can be used by paying a usage fee;
a server capable of communicating with the water heater via an external communication network;
In a hot water supply system, wherein the hot water supply apparatus transmits usage status information regarding the usage status of the hot water supply apparatus to the server, and the usage fee is determined based on the usage status information,
The server transmits, to a terminal device registered in association with the hot water supply apparatus for which the usage fee is in arrears, notification information for causing the terminal device to make a notification prompting payment of the usage fee. comprising a notification information transmission unit;
A hot water supply system characterized by: The hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The content of the notification includes the due date for payment of the usage fee,
Prohibition of the server from transmitting operation prohibition information to the water heater for which the delinquent usage fee has not been paid by the payment date so that the water heater enters an operation prohibited state in which the water heater does not perform the hot water supply operation. further comprising an information transmission unit;
A hot water supply system characterized by: In the hot water supply system according to claim 4,
The driving prohibition information includes a driving prohibition request requesting the driving prohibition state,
The water heater includes a prohibition mode setting unit that sets an operation prohibition mode in which the water heater is in the operation prohibition state based on the reception of the operation prohibition request.
A hot water supply system characterized by: In the hot water supply system according to claim 5,
The server further includes a prohibition release information transmitting unit that transmits release information for releasing the operation prohibition mode to the hot water supply apparatus for which the delinquent usage fee has been paid,
A hot water supply system characterized by: In the hot water supply system according to claim 4,
The operation prohibition information includes a forced stop command for forcibly stopping the hot water supply operation,
the forced stop command is transmitted from the prohibition information transmission unit to the hot water supply device whose hot water supply operation has started;
The hot water supply device includes an operation stop processing unit that stops the started hot water supply operation based on the reception of the forced stop command,
A hot water supply system characterized by: In the hot water supply system according to claim 7,
The operation stop processing unit transmits an operation start notification to the server based on the hot water supply operation being started,
The prohibition information transmission unit transmits the forced stop command to the water heater based on the reception of the operation start notification.
A hot water supply system characterized by: A water heater that can be used by paying a usage fee, and a server that can communicate with the server via an external communication network, wherein usage status information regarding the usage status of the water heater is used, and the usage fee is determined based on the usage status information. In order to do so, in the server that receives from the water heater,
a notification information transmission unit configured to transmit notification information for causing the notification unit of the hot water supply device to perform notification prompting payment of the usage fee to the water heater for which the usage fee is in arrears;
A server characterized by: A water heater that can be used by paying a usage fee, and a server that can communicate with the server via an external communication network, wherein usage status information regarding the usage status of the water heater is used, and the usage fee is determined based on the usage status information. In order to do so, in the server that receives from the water heater,
A notification information transmitting unit for transmitting, to a terminal device registered in association with the hot water supply device for which the usage fee is in arrears, notification information for causing the terminal device to perform notification prompting payment of the usage fee. comprising
A server characterized by: A water heater that can be used by paying a usage fee, wherein usage status information regarding the usage status of the water heater is sent to the server via an external communication network in order to determine the usage fee based on the usage status information. In the hot water supply device that transmits by
The server transmits notification information to the water heater for which the usage fee is in arrears,
The water heater is
a reporting unit;
a notification processing unit that causes the notification unit to perform notification prompting payment of the usage fee based on the reception of the notification information;
A water heater characterized by:

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