JP2023015931A - Hot water supply system and hot water supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a hot water supply system and a hot water supply device capable of inhibiting a leased hot water supply device from being continuously used in a state that it cannot communicate with a server.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 sever 50 capable of communicating with the hot water supply device 10 through an external communication network 40. The hot water supply device 10 includes an operation limitation processing part 111a for executing operation limitation processing for limiting an operation of the hot water supply device 10 in a communication-impossible state in which the communication between the hot water supply device 10 and the server 50 is brought into an impossible state. The operation limitation processing part 111a executes operation limitation processing when the communication-impossible state continues longer than a predetermined time. The hot water supply device 10 further includes a notification part (a display part 121 and a display input part 131) and a notification processing part 111b for executing notification processing for causing the notification part to execute notification to the effect that a communication-impossible state has occurred.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

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

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 assumed that communication between the leased water heater and the server will be disabled. For example, if a communication device such as a router that connects the water heater to the network is powered off, communication between the water heater and the server is cut off.

When communication becomes impossible in this way, necessary information cannot be exchanged between the server and the water heater, so the leased water heater continues to be used in a state where it cannot be properly managed by the server. can occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a water heating system and a water heating device that can prevent a leased water heating device from being continuously used in a state in which it cannot communicate with a server.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to a hot water supply system including a hot water supply apparatus that can be used by paying a usage fee, and a server that can communicate with the water supply apparatus via an external communication network. In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, the hot water supply apparatus performs operation restriction processing for limiting the operation of the water supply apparatus when a communication failure state occurs in which communication between the water supply apparatus and the server is impossible. and an operation restriction processing unit that executes

According to the hot water supply system according to this aspect, when a communication failure occurs between the water heater and the server, the operation of the water heater is restricted. It becomes easier to strive for recovery. Therefore, it is possible to prevent continued use of the hot water supply apparatus in a state in which proper management by the server cannot be performed due to the occurrence of the communication disabled state.

In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, the operation restriction processing section may be configured to execute the operation restriction processing when the communication disabled state exceeds a predetermined time.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the operation of the hot water supply apparatus from being restricted due to a short-time communication disconnection, thereby suppressing a decrease in convenience.

In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, the hot water supply device further includes: a notification unit; can be

According to the above configuration, it becomes easier for the user to grasp that the communication disabled state has occurred.

With the above configuration, the hot water supply apparatus may be configured to further include an input unit that receives an operation input related to the hot water supply operation. In this case, the notification processing section may be configured to cause the notification section to perform the notification based on the reception of the operation input by the input section.

With such a configuration, every time an operation input is made to the input unit, the fact that a communication disabled state has occurred is notified, so that the user can better understand that a communication disabled state has occurred. easier.

With the above configuration, the notification processing unit may be configured to cause the notification unit to perform the notification based on the start of the hot water supply operation of the hot water supply device.

With such a configuration, every time the hot water supply operation is started, the fact that the communication disabled state has occurred is notified, so that it is easier for the user to grasp that the communication disabled state has occurred.

In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, when the communication disabled state occurs, the server notifies the terminal device registered in the server in association with the water heating apparatus that the communication disabled state has occurred. may be configured to include a notification information transmitting unit that transmits notification information for performing

According to the above configuration, when a state of communication failure occurs between the hot water heater and the server, the terminal device associated with the hot water heater notifies that the state of communication failure has occurred. It becomes easier for the user to grasp that the communication disabled state has occurred.

In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, the water heater transmits usage status information regarding the usage status of the water heater to the server, and the server determines the usage fee based on the usage status information. can be taken.

According to the above configuration, the server can determine the charge for using the water heater according to the usage status of the water heater. In addition, it is possible to prevent the server from being unable to transmit the usage information from the hot water supply apparatus to the server.

In the hot water supply system according to this aspect, on the basis of the fact that the server transmits a restriction request to the water heater for which the usage fee is in arrears, and the operation restriction processing unit receives the restriction request, A configuration may be adopted in which the operation restriction process is executed.

According to the above configuration, when the server transmits the restriction request to the water heating apparatus whose usage fee is in arrears, the operation of the water heating apparatus is restricted. For this reason, the user is likely to pay the delinquent usage fee due to the user's feeling of inconvenience. Moreover, even if communication between the water heater and the server is cut off and the water heater cannot receive a request for restriction from the server, the water heater is placed in the operation-restricted state based on the occurrence of the communication disabled state. Become. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a user who has not paid the usage fee from continuing to use the hot water supply apparatus as usual.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to a water heater that is communicably connected to a server via an external communication network and that can be used by paying a usage fee. The hot water supply apparatus according to this aspect performs an operation restriction process for limiting the operation of the water supply apparatus when a communication failure state occurs in which communication between the water supply apparatus and the server is impossible. A processing unit is provided.

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 water heating system and a water heating device that can prevent a leased water heating device from being continuously used in a state in which it cannot communicate with the server.

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 an embodiment. FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are diagrams showing configurations of a bathroom remote controller and a kitchen remote controller, respectively, according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing circuit blocks of each device constituting the hot water supply system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the combustion system and piping of the water heater according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the control unit of the water heater of the water heater in order to execute the function of coping with the occurrence of the communication failure state according to the embodiment. FIG. 6(a) is a flow chart showing a process performed by the controller of the water heater of the water heater in order to execute the function for coping with the occurrence of the communication failure state according to the embodiment. FIG.6(b) is a figure which shows an example of the alerting|reporting screen which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating processing performed in the control unit of the server in order to execute a function for coping with the occurrence of a communication failure state, according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 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. 9(a) is a flowchart showing a process performed in the water heater control unit of the water heater in order to execute the function of coping with non-payment of the usage fee according to Modification 1. FIG. FIG. 9B is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart 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 the usage fee according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG.

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

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a hot water supply system 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.

Furthermore, in hot water supply system 1, when water heater 10 and server 50 cannot communicate (communication disabled state), operation of water heater 10 is restricted. For example, hot water supply device 10 enters a state in which hot water supply operation is not performed. Alternatively, hot water supply operation is performed with hot water supply device 10 having its functions restricted. As a result, the user who feels inconvenient tries to recover the communication, so the leased water heater is in a state in which the server 50 cannot perform proper management such as calculation of the above-mentioned usage fee due to the occurrence of the communication failure state. 10 can be suppressed from being used continuously.

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. 2A, the input unit 122 of the bathroom remote controller 12 has an operation button 122a, an automatic bath button 122b, a reheating button 122c, a hot water supply temperature setting button 122d, a bath temperature setting button 122e, and a call button 122f. included.

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 automatic bath function is a combination of a hot water supply function for supplying hot water into the bathtub and a reheating function for reheating the hot water in the bathtub to maintain the hot water temperature.

The hot water supply temperature setting button 122d is a button for setting the hot water supply temperature, which is the temperature of the hot water supplied to the caller or the like by the hot water supply operation of the hot water supply function. The bath temperature setting button 122e is a button for setting the bath temperature, which is the temperature of hot water stored in the bathtub. In the hot water supply operation of the automatic function, the bath temperature can also be said to be the hot water supply temperature when hot water is supplied to the bathtub by the hot water supply function.

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. 2B, the display input unit 131 of the kitchen remote controller 13 has soft buttons displayed on the screen, such as a bath auto button 131a, a reheating button 131b, a hot water supply temperature setting button 131c, and a bath temperature setting button. Button 131d, call button 131e, floor heating button 131f, room heating button 131g and bathroom heating button 131h are included. The operation button 132, the automatic bath button 131a, the reheating button 131b, the hot water temperature setting button 131c, the bath temperature setting button 131d, and the call button 131e are the operation button 122a, the automatic bath button 122b, the reheating button 122c, and the hot water temperature setting, respectively. This button has the same function as the button 122d, the bath temperature setting 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.

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 operation restriction processing unit 111a and the function of the notification processing unit 111b. As will be described later, operation restriction processing unit 111a performs operation restriction processing for restricting the operation of hot water supply apparatus 10 when a communication disabled state in which communication between water heating apparatus 10 and server 50 is impossible occurs. Execute. As will be described later, the notification processing unit 111b executes notification processing for causing the display unit 121 and the display input unit 131, which are notification units, to notify that the communication is disabled.

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 S1 detects the temperature of hot water just before it is discharged from hot water outlet pipe 215, and thermistor S2 detects the temperature of hot water flowing through hot water outlet pipe 215 near the outlet of boiler body 250 as the hot water supply temperature. 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).

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 provides the control unit 501 with the function of the notification information transmission unit 501a.

As will be described later, notification information transmitting unit 501a sends a mobile phone registered in server 50 in association with hot water heater 10 when a communication failure state occurs between hot water heater 10 and server 50. Notification information is transmitted to the terminal device 30 for notifying that the communication is disabled.

Hot water supply system 1 has a function of coping with the occurrence of a communication failure state in order to prevent continued use of hot water supply apparatus 10 in a state in which communication between hot water supply apparatus 10 and server 50 is disabled.

FIGS. 5 and 6(a) are flow charts showing processing performed in control unit 111 of water heater 11 of water heater 10 in order to execute a function for coping with the occurrence of a communication failure state. The processing in FIG. 5 is executed by the function of the operation restriction processing unit 111a in FIG. The processing of FIG. 6A is notification processing executed by the function of the notification processing unit 111b of FIG. 3, and is executed in parallel with the processing of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 5, control unit 111 determines whether hot water supply apparatus 10 is in a communication disabled state with server 50 (S101). For example, the wireless communication unit 138 of the kitchen remote controller 13 periodically transmits a confirmation signal to the communication unit 503 of the server 50 , and the communication unit 503 that has received the confirmation signal transmits a response signal to the wireless communication unit 138 . If wireless communication unit 138 does not receive a response signal even after a predetermined time limit has elapsed since the transmission of the confirmation signal, it can be assumed that communication between hot water supply apparatus 10 and server 50 has been disconnected. . For example, communication is cut off when the router 20 is powered off or when the communication cable connecting the router 20 to the external communication network 40 is disconnected.

When the controller 111 determines that a communication failure state has occurred (S101; YES), it monitors whether the communication failure state has exceeded a predetermined time (S102) and monitors whether communication has been restored. (S103). The predetermined time can be set, for example, from several minutes to several tens of minutes.

If the communication is recovered before the communication disabled state exceeds the predetermined time (S102; NO→S103: YES), the control unit 111 returns to the process of step S101 and determines the communication disabled state.

On the other hand, when the communication disabled state exceeds the predetermined time (S102: YES), control unit 111 executes operation restriction processing for restricting the operation of hot water supply apparatus 10 (S104).

The operation restriction of hot water supply device 10 can be such that hot water supply device 10 does not perform the hot water supply operation related to all functions such as the hot water supply function. In this case, as the operation restriction process, for example, when water heater 10 (water heater 11) is in the operation-on state, control unit 111 switches the operation to the operation-off 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 the control unit 111 invalidates this instruction. As a result, the hot water supply operation cannot be performed by operating the remote control of the heating terminal.

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.

It should be noted that the hot water supply operation of some functions may continue to be performed instead of being in a state in which the hot water supply operation of all functions cannot be performed. For example, the hot water supply operation of the floor heating function and the room heating function may continue to be executed.

The operation restriction of hot water supply device 10 can be such that hot water supply operation is performed with water heating device 10 having its functions restricted. In this case, as the operation limiting process, for example, the control unit 111 changes the hot water supply temperature set by operating the hot water supply temperature setting buttons 122d and 131c to a predetermined temperature and fixes it at the predetermined temperature. 131c is prohibited from being changed. The predetermined temperature can be, for example, a temperature higher or lower than the set hot water supply temperature by a predetermined value. Also, the predetermined temperature can be a random temperature. Further, control unit 111 reduces the amount of opening of flow control valve 218 of first supply unit 210 of water heater 11 compared to the normal time, thereby reducing the flow rate of hot water discharged from hot water discharge pipe 215 of water heater 10. Let

Alternatively, the control unit 111 may change the bath temperature set by operating the bath temperature setting buttons 122e and 131d (which is also the hot water supply temperature when hot water is filled) and fix it at the changed temperature. Further, the control unit 111 may change the bath water level set by the bath water level setting button (not shown) of the input unit 122 and the display input unit 131 and fix the changed water level. Furthermore, the control unit 111 fixes the temperature of the hot water supplied to the heating terminal so that the output of the heating terminal is fixed, and changes the temperature by operating the input unit 122, the display input unit 131, and the like. You can make it impossible.

Next, the control unit 111 monitors whether communication has been restored (S105). Then, when communication is restored (S105: YES), control unit 111 executes operation restriction release processing for releasing the operation restriction of hot water supply apparatus 10 (S106). The operation restriction that has been executed by the operation restriction process is canceled, and the water heater 10 can perform the hot water supply operation as usual (the same as before the restriction).

Next, referring to FIG. 6(a), control unit 111 determines whether hot water supply apparatus 10 is in a state of being unable to communicate with server 50 (S201). Then, when the communication is disabled (S201: YES), the control unit 111 monitors whether or not a predetermined notification condition is satisfied (S202). For example, the notification condition can be that the input unit 122 and the display input unit 131 have received operation inputs of the operation buttons 122a and 132 and the operation buttons 122b to 122f and 131a to 131h. When input unit 122 and display input unit 131 receive an operation input, control units 123 and 133 of remote controllers 12 and 13 notify control unit 111 of the operation input. Also, the notification condition can be that the hot water supply operation of each function such as the hot water supply function is started. Either one of the above two conditions may be used as the notification condition, or both of them may be used as the notification condition.

When the notification condition is satisfied (S202: YES), the control unit 111 issues a notification instruction to the control unit 123 of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13, thereby notifying that the communication disabled state has occurred. The notification screen 610 is displayed on the display unit 121 and the display input unit 131, which are notification units (S203). A user viewing notification screen 610 can recognize that communication between hot water supply apparatus 10 and server 50 has been disconnected.

FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an example of the notification screen 610. As shown in FIG. The notification screen 610 includes a message 611 to the effect that communication with the server cannot be performed.

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.

Note that instead of or in addition to the notification by the notification screen 610, the control unit 111 may output the fact that the communication disabled state has occurred from the speakers 127 and 137, which are the notification units, by voice. Further, the notification (notification screen 610, etc.) may include a notification that the operation of water heater 10 will be restricted if the communication failure state continues.

While the controller 111 is monitoring whether the notification condition is met, the communication disabled state exceeds a predetermined time (same as the predetermined time in step S102) (S204: YES), or if the communication recovers (S205: YES). , the process returns to step S201 to determine whether the communication is disabled.

It should be noted that control unit 111 controls appropriate timing, for example, input unit 122 or display input unit, while water heating apparatus 10 is in a state where the operation is restricted by executing the operation restriction process in S104 of FIG. At the timing when the operation input to 131 is performed, the display unit 121, the display input unit 131, and the speakers 127 and 137, which are the notification units, may notify that the operation of the water heater 10 is restricted. good.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the processing performed in the control unit 501 of the server 50 in order to execute the function for coping with the occurrence of the communication disabled state. The processing in FIG. 7 is executed by the function of the notification information transmitting section 501a in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 7, control unit 501 determines whether or not server 50 is in a non-communicable state with any water heater 10 connected to server 50 (S301). For example, a confirmation signal is periodically transmitted from communication unit 503 of server 50 to wireless communication unit 138 of kitchen remote control 13 of each water heater 10, and a response signal is transmitted to communication unit 503 from wireless communication unit 138 that has received the confirmation signal. be done. If communication unit 503 does not receive a response signal even after a predetermined time limit has elapsed since the transmission of the confirmation signal, it can be assumed that communication between hot water supply apparatus 10 and server 50 is disconnected.

When control unit 111 determines that an uncommunicable state has occurred with any water heating apparatus 10 (S301; YES), control unit 111 determines whether the mobile phone registered in the server in association with hot water heating apparatus 10 with which the uncommunicable state has occurred has occurred. Notification information is transmitted to the terminal device 30 to notify that the communication disabled state has occurred (S302).

Specifically, the notification information is notification data such as image data, text data, and voice data indicating that a communication disabled state has occurred. 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 portable terminal device 30 notifies that the communication disabled state has occurred by means of an image or sound. Note that the notification information can also be a notification request for requesting notification. In this case, notification data is stored in the mobile terminal device 30 in advance, and a dedicated application or the like uses the notification data to notify that a communication disabled state has occurred.

Note that the notification information may be transmitted from the server 50 to the mobile terminal device 30 periodically. In this case, when the communication between hot water supply device 10 and server 50 is restored, the periodic transmission of the notification information ends.

Also, the destination of the notification information is not limited to the mobile terminal device 30 . 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.

Furthermore, the notification of the occurrence of the communication failure state by the transmission of the notification information does not necessarily have to be made by e-mail, and may be made by other methods. For example, a push notification to the mobile terminal device 30 may be used to notify that a communication disabled state has occurred. 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 .

<Effects of Embodiment>
When a communication disabled state occurs between the water heater 10 and the server 50, the operation of the water heater 10 is restricted, so that the user who feels inconvenient can easily try to recover the communication. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the continued use of the leased water heater 10 in a state in which proper management by the server 50 cannot be performed due to the occurrence of the communication disabled state.

In particular, it is possible to prevent the server 50 from being unable to transmit the usage information from the hot water supply apparatus 10 to the server 50, thereby preventing the server 50 from being unable to calculate the usage fee based on the usage information.

Furthermore, when communication is restored before the communication failure state exceeds the predetermined time, that is, when communication is temporarily disconnected, water heater 10 does not enter a state in which its operation is restricted. It is possible to prevent a decrease in convenience due to an operation restriction of hot water supply apparatus 10 .

Furthermore, since the notification unit (display unit 121, display input unit 131) notifies that the communication disabled state has occurred, the user can easily recognize that the communication disabled state has occurred.

Furthermore, every time an operation input is made to the input unit (input unit 122, display input unit 131) and/or every time the hot water supply operation is started, the occurrence of the communication disabled state is notified. This makes it easier for the user to grasp that the communication disabled state has occurred.

When a communication disabled state occurs between water heater 10 and server 50, a communication disabled state has occurred in a terminal device (portable terminal device 30) registered in server 50 in association with water heater 10. is notified, it becomes easier for the user to grasp that the communication disabled state has occurred.

<Modification 1>
It is conceivable that the user fails to pay the usage fee for the leased water heater 10 . Therefore, in this modified example, the hot water supply system 1 is provided with a function of coping with non-payment of usage charges. For this function, operation restriction processing unit 111a executes operation restriction processing for restricting the operation of hot water supply apparatus 10 based on reception of a restriction request from server 50, as will be described later. Also, the notification processing unit 111b executes the notification processing of FIG. 9A as described later.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the control unit 501 of the server 50 in order to execute the function of dealing with non-payment of the usage fee according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG.

The control unit 501 monitors whether delinquency information indicating that the usage fee has been delinquent has been acquired (S401). In addition, the control unit 501 monitors whether or not payment information indicating that the delinquent usage fee has been paid has been acquired (S402). In addition, control unit 501 monitors whether or not there is a hot water heater 10 whose payment due date for the delinquent usage fee has passed (S403).

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 (S401: 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. A notification request for notification prompting payment is transmitted (S404).

As will be described later, hot water supply apparatus 10 issues a notification prompting payment of the usage fee based on the reception of the notification request.

When control unit 501 acquires the payment information (S402: 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 (S405). If the payment is within the payment deadline (S405: YES), control unit 501 transmits a notification cancellation request to water heater 10 for which payment has been completed (S406).

As will be described later, hot water supply apparatus 10 no longer issues the notification prompting payment of the usage fee based on the reception of the notification cancellation request.

As will be described later, when the due date for payment has passed, water heater 10 executes an operation restriction process for restricting the operation of water heater 10 based on a restriction request from server 50 . Therefore, if control unit 501 determines that the payment is not within the payment deadline (the payment deadline has passed) (S405: NO), control unit 501 causes hot water heater 10 for which payment has been made to cancel the operation restriction of water heating device 10. is transmitted (S407).

As will be described later, in hot water supply apparatus 10, operation restriction release processing is executed based on reception of the restriction release request, and hot water supply operation can be performed as usual.

When there is a water heater 10 whose payment due date for the delinquent usage fee has passed (S403: YES), control unit 501 transmits a restriction request to water heater 10 whose payment due date has passed (S408).

As will be described later, in water heating apparatus 10, operation restriction processing is executed based on the reception of the restriction request, and water heating apparatus 10 enters a state in which its operation is restricted.

Further, control unit 501 transmits a notification cancellation request to hot water supply apparatus 10 whose due date has passed (S409).

FIG. 9(a) is a flowchart showing a process performed by control unit 111 of hot water heater 11 of hot water heater 10 in order to execute the function of coping with non-payment of usage charges according to Modification 1. FIG. This process is a notification process for performing notification prompting payment of the usage fee, and is executed by the function of the notification processing unit 111b in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 9A, control unit 111 monitors whether or not a notification request has been received from server 50 (S501). When water heater 10 is in arrears of usage charges, a notification request is transmitted to water heater 10 by the process of step S404 in FIG. When receiving the notification request (S501: YES), the control unit 111 monitors whether or not a predetermined notification condition is satisfied (S502). For example, the notification condition can be that the input unit 122 and the display input unit 131 have received operation inputs of the operation buttons 122a and 132 and the operation buttons 122b to 122f and 131a to 131h. Also, the notification condition can 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 (S502: YES), the control unit 111 issues a notification instruction to the control unit 123 of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the control unit 133 of the kitchen remote controller 13, thereby issuing a notification prompting payment of the usage fee. The notification screen 620 is displayed on the display unit 121 or the display input unit 131 (S503). A user who sees the notification screen 610 can recognize that payment is required because the usage fee is in arrears.

FIG. 9B is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen 620 according to Modification 1. As shown in FIG. The notification screen 620 includes a message 621 prompting payment of the usage fee and a payment due date 622 .

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.

Instead of or in addition to the notification by the notification screen 620, the control unit 111 may output a message prompting payment of the usage fee and the due date by voice from the speakers 127 and 137, which are the notification units. Further, the notification (notification screen 620, etc.) may include a notification that the operation of water heater 10 will be restricted if the usage fee is not paid by the due date.

If the control unit 111 receives a notification cancellation request from the server 50 while monitoring the establishment of the notification condition (S504: YES), the control unit 111 returns to the process of step S501 and monitors the notification request.

In this way, in water heater 10, kitchen remote controller 13 and bathroom remote controller 12 issue notification prompting payment of the usage fee every time the notification condition is satisfied until the notification cancellation request is received.

FIG. 10 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 operation restriction processing unit 111a in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 10, control unit 111 monitors whether or not a restriction request has been received from server 50 (S601). When the due date for payment has passed without payment of the delinquent usage fee, a restriction request is transmitted to water heater 10 by the process of step S408 in FIG. When receiving the restriction request (S601: YES), the control unit 111 executes operation restriction processing (S602). As a result, the operation of hot water supply apparatus 10 is restricted, and the hot water supply operation as before cannot be performed.

As with the operation restriction processing in step S104 of FIG. 5, the operation restriction of hot water supply apparatus 10 is such that hot water supply apparatus 10 does not perform the hot water supply operation related to all or part of the functions such as the hot water supply function. be able to. Alternatively, the operation restriction of hot water supply device 10 may be such that hot water supply operation is performed with water heating device 10 having its functions restricted. Note that the operation restriction by the process of step S602 may be the same as or different from the operation restriction by the process of step S104 in FIG.

Next, the control unit 111 monitors whether or not a restriction release request has been received from the server 50 (S603). When the delinquent usage fee is paid, a restriction release request is transmitted to hot water supply device 10 through the process of step S407 in FIG. When the control unit 111 receives the restriction release request (S603: YES), the control unit 111 executes operation restriction release processing (S604). The operation restriction that has been executed by the operation restriction process is canceled, and the water heater 10 can perform the hot water supply operation as usual (the same as before the restriction).

Control unit 111 controls control unit 122 and display input unit at an appropriate timing while hot water supply apparatus 10 is in a state where its operation is restricted by executing the operation restriction process in S602 of FIG. At the timing when the operation input to 131 is performed, the display unit 121, the display input unit 131, and the speakers 127 and 137, which are the notification units, may notify that the operation of the water heater 10 is restricted. good.

According to this modified example, server 50 transmits a restriction request to water heating apparatus 10 whose usage fee is in arrears, and water heating apparatus 10 is placed in a state of operation restriction based on the restriction request. . For this reason, the user is likely to pay the delinquent usage fee due to the user's feeling of inconvenience.

Furthermore, the user who has not paid the usage fee intentionally turns off the power of router 20 or disconnects the communication cable, thereby disconnecting communication between water heater 10 and server 50 . Even if it becomes impossible to receive the restriction request from the hot water supply apparatus 10, the operation of the hot water supply apparatus 10 is restricted based on the occurrence of the communication disabled state. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a user who has not paid the usage fee from continuing to use hot water supply apparatus 10 as usual.

<Other modification examples>
In the embodiment described above, in the process of FIG. 5, the processes of steps S102 and S103 are executed, and the operation restriction process is executed when the communication disabled state exceeds the predetermined time. However, if the processing of steps S102 and S103 is not executed and a communication disabled state occurs, the operation restriction processing may be executed immediately.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the occurrence of the communication disabled state is notified by executing the process of FIG. However, the processing of FIG. 6 may not be executed and the notification of the occurrence of the communication disabled state may not be performed.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, by executing the process of FIG. The terminal device (portable terminal device 30) is notified that a communication disabled state has occurred. However, the processing of FIG. 7 may not be executed, and the terminal device may not notify that the communication disabled state has occurred.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, when the communication disabled state occurs, the occurrence of the communication disabled state is notified each time the predetermined notification condition is satisfied. However, based on the occurrence of the disabled communication state, the notification that the disabled communication state has occurred may be provided once or a predetermined number of times.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the operation restriction processing unit 111a and the notification processing unit 111b are provided in the water heater 11, but the arrangement of these units in the water heater 10 is not limited to this. For example, operation restriction processor 111 a may be provided in bathroom remote controller 12 or kitchen remote controller 13 . Moreover, the notification processing unit 111b may be provided in each of the bathroom remote controller 12 and the kitchen remote controller 13 .

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the wireless communication unit 138 is provided in the kitchen remote controller 13 constituting 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 12 can be connected. It may be connected to a 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 hot water supply apparatus 10 is not limited to the configuration shown in the above embodiment, and may be another configuration. 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 above embodiments, the operation restriction processing unit, the notification processing unit, and the notification information transmission unit are realized by software functions based on the control program, but they may be realized by hardware using logic circuits. .

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, water heater 10 is a combustion-type water heater that heats water with combustion gas generated by burning fuel, but the configuration of 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.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, in the hot water supply system 1, the water heater 10 transmits usage status information regarding the usage status of the water heater 10 to the server 50 via the external communication network 40, and based on the usage status information , the charge for use of the water heater 10 is calculated, that is, the charge for use is changed according to the state of use of the water heater 10 . However, hot water supply system 1 may be configured such that hot water supply apparatus 10 does not transmit usage information to server 50 . In this case, the usage fee may be a fixed fee. Also, in this case, when the configuration of Modification 1 is applied, water heater 10 starts the process of FIG. may be

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 operation restriction processing unit 111b notification processing unit 121 display unit (notification unit)
122 input unit 131 display input unit (notification unit, input unit)
501a notification information transmission unit

Claims (9)

A hot water supply system comprising a hot water supply apparatus that can be used by paying a usage fee, and a server that can communicate with the water supply apparatus via an external communication network,
The water heater includes an operation restriction processing unit that executes an operation restriction process for restricting the operation of the water heater when a communication disabled state in which communication between the water heater and the server is impossible occurs. prepare
A hot water supply system characterized by: In the hot water supply system according to claim 1,
The operation restriction processing unit executes the operation restriction process when the communication disabled state exceeds a predetermined time.
A hot water supply system characterized by: The hot water supply system according to claim 1 or 2,
The water heater is
a reporting unit;
a notification processing unit that executes notification processing for causing the notification unit to notify that the communication disabled state has occurred;
A hot water supply system characterized by: In the hot water supply system according to claim 3,
The hot water supply device further includes an input unit that receives an operation input related to hot water supply operation,
The notification processing unit causes the notification unit to perform the notification based on the input unit accepting the operation input,
A hot water supply system characterized by: In the hot water supply system according to claim 3 or 4,
The notification processing unit causes the notification unit to perform the notification based on the hot water supply operation being started by the hot water supply device.
A hot water supply system characterized by: In the hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The server provides notification information for causing a terminal device registered in the server in association with the hot water supply apparatus to notify that the communication-disabled state has occurred, when the communication-disabled state occurs. Provided with a notification information transmission unit for transmitting,
A hot water supply system characterized by: The hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The water heater transmits usage status information regarding the usage status of the water heater to the server,
wherein the server determines the usage fee based on the usage information;
A hot water supply system characterized by: In the hot water supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The server transmits a restriction request to the water heater for which the usage fee is in arrears,
The operation restriction processing unit executes the operation restriction process based on receiving the restriction request.
A hot water supply system characterized by: In a water heater that is communicably connected to a server via an external communication network and that can be used by paying a usage fee,
an operation restriction processing unit that executes an operation restriction process for restricting the operation of the water heater when a communication disabled state in which communication between the water heater and the server is impossible occurs;
A water heater characterized by:

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