JP2023120719A - Management system and management method for hot water supply device for bath - Google Patents

Abstract

To appropriately propose, to a user, piping cleaning service of a hot water supply device for bath.SOLUTION: A hot water supply device 100 for bath includes a water heater 10 including a bathtub 40 at a hot water supply destination, and bath piping connecting between the water heater 10 and the bathtub 40. A management server 150 is connected by communication, to the hot water supply device 100 for bath, a portable information terminal 130, and an external server 160. On the basis of contract information related to cleaning of the bath piping acquired from the external server 160, and information showing a dirt degree of the bath piping requested to the bathtub 40 from a user bathing condition, the management server 150 uses the portable information terminal 130 or remote controllers 20, 30 to notify a registered user of hot water supply device 100 for bath about guide information related to cleaning service of the bath piping acquired from the external server 160, and information showing a dirt degree of the bath piping requested to the bathtub 40 from a user bathing condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a management system and management method for a bath water heater.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-267414 (Patent Document 1) describes that in a bathtub water purifying device provided with a filter cylinder for filtering impurities from bathtub water, a bathtub water circulation pipe is washed with a cleaning agent. It is In the bathtub water purifier of Patent Document 1, backwashing is performed in which the flow direction of the bathtub water in the filter cylinder is reversed from that during the operation for purifying the bathtub water, so that the pipes can be washed while the filter media are arranged. It is stated that it is possible.

JP-A-11-267414

Normally, the frequency of pipe cleaning using a cleaning agent (hereinafter also referred to as "pipe cleaning") in a bath water heater in a general household is not so high. Therefore, pipe cleaning services are generally provided starting from a user's consultation or request to a service shop.

On the other hand, since it is difficult to directly recognize the contamination of the pipes, it is difficult for the user to determine the necessity of the pipe cleaning service. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to receive the pipe cleaning service at an appropriate time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to appropriately propose a plumbing cleaning service for bath water heaters to users.

An aspect of the present invention provides a management system for a bath water heater. The management system includes a first server communicable with the bath water heater, and a user terminal communicable with the first server. A bath water heater includes a water heater including a bathtub as a hot water outlet, and a bath pipe connecting between the water heater and the bathtub. The first server includes a contract information manager. The contract information management unit manages contract information on the cleaning service of the registered user of the bath water heater by communicating with the second server that manages the contract on the cleaning service of the bath piping. Based on the contract information in the contract information management unit and the information indicating the degree of contamination of the bath piping obtained from the user's bathing conditions, the first server uses the user terminal to provide guidance information related to the cleaning service. to notify registered users.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for managing a bath water heater. A bath water heater includes a water heater including a bathtub as a hot water outlet, and a bath pipe connecting between the water heater and the bathtub. The management method includes the step of generating a trigger for the cleaning service of the bath pipe based on the information indicating the degree of contamination of the bath pipe obtained from the user bathing conditions in the bathtub; and a step of notifying the registered user of the bath water heater of guide information relating to the cleaning service based on the contract information.

According to the present invention, guidance information related to the cleaning service of the bath pipes is provided to the bath water heater using the contract information of the bath pipe cleaning service and the information indicating the degree of contamination of the bath pipes obtained from the bathing conditions of the user. Since the registered user can be notified, the pipe cleaning service can be appropriately proposed to the user.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a management system for a bath water heater according to the present embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a management server shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining control processing for automatic cleaning operation of bath pipes and contamination parameter value calculation according to the present embodiment. 4 is a flowchart for explaining control processing for setting the supply amount and temperature of cleaning water in the automatic cleaning operation shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of setting cleaning conditions for automatic cleaning operation; 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of management of a parameter value of contamination of bath pipes; FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing related to placing an order for a pipe cleaning service; FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a membership guide screen; It is a conceptual diagram which shows an example of order input screen data.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts in the drawings, and the description thereof will not be repeated in principle.

<System configuration example>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a management system for a bath water heater according to the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, bath water heater management system 5 according to the present embodiment includes bath water heater 100, interface device 120, portable terminal device 130, external communication network 140, and management server 150. Prepare.

Bath water heater 100 includes water heater 10 and remote controllers (hereinafter also simply referred to as “remote controllers”) 20 and 30 . A circuit board 15 is mounted inside the water heater 10 . A controller 17 of the bath water heater 100 is mounted on the circuit board 15 . The controller 17 controls operations of various components of the water heater 10 .

Hot water supply destination of water heater 10 includes bathtub 40 in addition to a hot water tap (not shown). Specifically, a bathtub adapter 42 in the bathtub 40 and the water heater 10 are connected by pipes 21 and 22 .

A circulation pump (not shown) incorporated in water heater 10 operates to form a reheating circulation path including pipes 21 and 22 for heating bathtub water by water heater 10 . Furthermore, one of the pipes 21 and 22 is connected to a hot water pouring pipe (not shown) branched from a hot water outlet pipe (not shown) of the water heater 10, and a hot water pouring opening and closing valve inserted and connected to the hot water pouring pipe Hot water from the water heater 10 is introduced into the pipes 21 and 22 by opening the opening (not shown), so that hot water can be poured into the bathtub 40 (floor filling operation). In the bath hot water supply apparatus 100, the "bath piping" constituting the reheating circulation path is subject to the piping cleaning service in the present embodiment. Although the entire bath pipe is not shown, the pipes 21 and 22 correspond to a part of "bath pipe". The pipe cleaning service is assumed to be carried out by a business trip person (serviceman) using a cleaning agent.

The bathtub 40 is provided with the above-described bathtub adapter 42 near the bottom end of the side wall thereof, and a drain plug 44 is provided on the bottom wall. An open/close driving mechanism 46 is installed on the flange wall on the upper surface side of the bathtub 40 . The drain plug 44 receives an opening/closing driving force from the opening/closing drive mechanism 46 and performs an opening/closing operation. The opening/closing drive mechanism 46 is provided with a sensor for detecting whether the drain plug 44 is open or closed, and the opening/closing drive mechanism 46 controls the opening/closing operation of the drain plug 44 based on the output signal of the sensor. can do. When the drain plug 44 is opened by the opening/closing drive mechanism 46, the hot water in the bathtub 40 is discharged to the bottom of the bathroom, and then drained from the drain port (not shown) of the bathroom.

The remote controllers 20 and 30 are connected to the controller 17 of the water heater 10 by, for example, two-core communication lines. Each of remote controllers 20 and 30 has a display section and an input section. The user can set the hot water filling, hot water supply set temperature, etc. by operating the input unit according to the display screen on the display unit. For example, the remote control 20 is arranged in the kitchen, and the remote control 30 is arranged in the bathroom where the bathtub 40 is arranged.

Remote controller 20 incorporates a communication adapter (not shown) for communicating with interface device 120 . On the other hand, the remote controller 30 may incorporate a human sensor 35 for sensing the presence of people in the bathroom. For example, the human sensor 35 can be configured by an infrared sensor (pyroelectric sensor).

The interface device 120 is a communication repeater that connects devices within a certain range, including the remote controller 20 , to the management server 150 via the external communication network 140 . For example, the interface device 120 can be configured by a so-called wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router. Since the external communication network 140 is typically the Internet, the external communication network 140 is hereinafter simply referred to as the Internet 140 as well.

Management server 150 is connected to Internet 140 and has a remote management function for bath water heater 100 . The remote controller 20 can communicate with the management server 150 via the Internet 140 by being wirelessly connected to the interface device 120 . Thereby, bath water heater 100 is connected for communication with management server 150 .

It is also possible to communicate with the management server 150 from a mobile terminal device 130 such as a smart phone or a tablet terminal. When mobile terminal device 130 is within a connectable range of interface device 120 , mobile terminal device 130 can communicate with management server 150 by connecting to interface device 120 by wireless communication. Moreover, even when the mobile terminal device 130 is outside the home, the mobile terminal device 130 can communicate with the management server 150 by connecting to the Internet 140 via the base station 170 . Mobile terminal device 130 corresponds to an example of a "user terminal."

In addition to operating the remote controller 20, the user uses the portable terminal device 130 to remotely control the bath water heater 100 by accessing the management server 150 both inside and outside the range connectable to the interface device 120. (remote operation and remote monitoring) are also possible.

An application program for bath water heater 100 can be installed in remote controller 20 and portable terminal device 130 . For example, the application program is installed after being downloaded from the management server 150 . In the following description, an application program related to remote management of bath water heater 100 is already installed in the user terminal of bath water heater 100 (typically, a smart phone of the user of bath water heater 100), and It is assumed that a user (registered user) of hot water supply apparatus 100 is registered in management server 150 together with the user's ID (e-mail address, etc.).

The management server 150 can also be connected via the Internet 140 to an external server 160 that manages contract details for pipe cleaning services operated by service shops or the like. The external server 160 is operated by an entity (for example, a service shop) that implements the pipe cleaning service, and has a function of executing contract management and schedule management for the service. Management server 150 corresponds to an example of "first server", and external server 160 corresponds to an example of "second server".

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the management server 150 shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, management server 150 includes a data storage unit 152, a communication unit 153, a contract information management unit 155, and an order processing unit 156. The data storage unit 152 has a memory and stores various programs and data. The functions of the contract information management unit 155 and the order processing unit 156 can be realized by software processing in which the CPU (Central Processing Unit) 151 executes a program stored in the data storage unit 152 .

A communication unit 153 has a communication function via the Internet 140 . In the management server 150, the communication unit 153, the CPU 151, and the data storage unit 152 are connected to the internal bus 154 and can exchange data with each other.

In this manner, the management server 150 can bidirectionally transmit and receive data to and from the bath water heater 100 , the mobile terminal device 130 (user terminal), and the external server 160 via the Internet 140 .

The contract information management unit 155 communicates with the external server 160 to update the contract information (for example, information on whether or not the user is a contractor) regarding the pipe cleaning service for each registered user of the bath water heater 100 . Value is stored. Communication with the external server 160 is performed periodically to confirm the latest contract information. Contract information may be notified each time.

<Calculation processing of index of degree of contamination of pipes>
In this embodiment, parameter values are introduced for quantitatively evaluating the degree of contamination of the bath pipes including the pipes 21 and 22 . In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the bath water heater 100 performs an automatic cleaning operation of the bath piping with hot water supplied from the water heater 10 after the bathtub is drained. In this case, the parameter value is used to quantitatively evaluate the amount of dirt such as sebum that adheres to the inside of the bath pipes during bathing and that cannot be removed by the automatic cleaning operation. It is understood that the accumulated amount of such parameter values influences when the pipe cleaning service using the cleaning agent should be performed. In the following, the above parameter values are also referred to as contamination parameter values.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining control processing for the automatic cleaning operation of the bath pipes and the dirt parameter value calculation according to the present embodiment. For example, the control process shown in FIG. 3 is repeatedly executed by the controller 17. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the controller 17 detects the start of the bath filling operation in step (hereinafter simply referred to as "S") 110, the controller 17 proceeds to S120 until the bath water filling operation ends. waits for the start of the processing of As a result, a series of processes after S130 relating to the automatic cleaning operation are started upon completion of the bath filling operation. At the end of the bath filling operation, a water level sensor (not shown) detects that the bathtub water level has reached the set water level.

In S130, the controller 17 initializes the count value Cnt=0 of the number of people taking a bath. Furthermore, the controller 17 repeats the processes of S150 to S170 until the bathtub drain is detected in S180 (NO determination in S180).

For example, in the determination of S180, after the hot water filling operation ends, the water level sensor (not shown) detects that the water level in the bathtub has fallen to a level where the bathtub adapter 42 is exposed. be able to. Alternatively, when the drain plug 44 is configured as an automatic drain plug, it is possible to detect drainage when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after a command to open the drain plug 44 has passed. As described above, any method can be used to detect drainage of the bathtub 40 without any particular limitation.

In S150, the controller 17 determines whether or not bathing in the bathtub 40 has been detected. For example, the determination in S150 can be performed by detecting a person entering or leaving the bathtub 40 based on the bathtub water level detected by a water level sensor (not shown). Alternatively, if the remote controller 30 is provided with a human sensor 35 , bathing can be detected based on the output of the human sensor 35 . Also, bathing may be detected using outputs from both the human sensor 35 and the water level sensor (not shown). In this way, the determination in S150 can also be made by any method. For example, the number of people taking a bath may be simply the total number of people entering and leaving the bath, or may be devised so that consecutive bathing and leaving of the same person is recognized as one time and counted.

When the controller 17 detects bathing in the bathtub 40 (when YES is determined in S150), the controller 17 increments the count value Cnt of the number of people in the bath by 1 through S160. Furthermore, in S170, the bathtub water temperature Tnt at the time of detection of bathing is stored. As for the temperature of the bathtub water, in addition to the actual value measured by the bathtub water temperature sensor (not shown), when the automatic mode in which heat retention control is performed by the reheating operation is applied, the bathtub water set temperature (bath set temperature) is used as it is. may be stored as In this way, it is possible to appropriately determine what value is actually used as the bathtub water temperature Tnt in S170. By executing S160 and S170 each time bathing is detected, it is possible to measure the number of people taking a bath and obtain the bathtub water temperature Tnt at each bathing detection.

When drainage of the bathtub 40 is detected (YES determination in S180), the controller 17 waits for a certain period of time to proceed to S200. As a result, the automatic washing operation of the bath piping is executed. Furthermore, after the automatic cleaning operation ends, a process of calculating a residual pipe dirt index is executed in S300.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining control processing for setting the supply amount and temperature of cleaning water in the automatic cleaning operation shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, controller 17 determines the number of people taking bath Nbt from count value Cnt in S210, and determines hot water temperature Tbt during bathing, which indicates the bath water temperature during bathing, in S220. For example, the bathing hot water temperature Tbt can be obtained by weighted average of the bathtub water temperature Tnt stored in S170 each time the bathing is detected.

Furthermore, the controller 17 calculates the seasonal parameter value Fse in S225. The seasonal parameter value Fse is, for example, set to Fse=1.0 in spring and autumn, and an adjustment factor set to Fse>1.0 corresponding to summer and Fse<1.0 corresponding to winter. can be If the controller 17 has a so-called calendar function that can recognize the month and date in addition to the current time, the seasonal parameter value Fse can be calculated based on the date. The seasonal parameter value Fse corresponds to an example of "seasonal information".

Alternatively, the controller 17 can also calculate the seasonal parameter value Fse using an actually measured temperature detection value. For example, it is possible to use at least one of the outside air temperature and the incoming water temperature detected by an ambient temperature sensor (not shown) as the measured temperature value that reflects the season. As an example, it is possible to calculate the seasonal parameter value Fse using a moving average value of detected values for 24 hours or a detected value at a predetermined fixed time for the outside air temperature and/or incoming water temperature. is. This makes it possible to set the seasonal parameter value Fse to reflect actual temperature fluctuations or even if the controller 17 does not have a calendar function.

In S230, the controller 17 calculates the dirt parameter value Psb for estimating the amount of sebum from the bathing number Nbt (S210), the hot water temperature Tbt (S220), and the seasonal parameter value Fse (S225).

For example, a function formula for calculating the dirt parameter value Psb using Nbt and Tbt as variables, or a table for obtaining the dirt parameter value Psb from a combination of Nbt and Tbt can be created in advance based on experimental results.

Furthermore, the dirt parameter value Psb calculated using the above-described function formula, table, or the like can be multiplied by the seasonal parameter value Fse as a correction coefficient (Fse) to calculate the dirt parameter value Psb.

Alternatively, it is also possible to treat the seasonal parameter value Fse as a significant quantitative value, such as using the temperature value such as the average air temperature as it is. In this case, a function formula for calculating the contamination parameter value Psb using Nbt, Tbt, and Fse as variables, or a table for obtaining the contamination parameter value Psb from a combination of Nbt, Tbt, and Fse is used as the experimental results. It is also possible to create in advance based on

In this manner, in S230, the dirt parameter value Psb can be calculated based on the number of people taking bath Nbt, bathing water temperature Tbt, and seasonal parameter value Fse. The contamination parameter value Psb is an index for quantitatively evaluating the degree of contamination inside the bath pipe based on the amount of sebum eluted into the bathtub water. It should be noted that S230 can be changed as appropriate by using at least one of the number of people taking bath Nbt, hot water temperature Tbt during bathing, and seasonal parameter value Fse.

In S240, the controller 17 determines the supply amount Qcl and the temperature Tcl of the cleaning water in the automatic cleaning operation based on the dirt parameter value Psb calculated in S230. For example, the cleaning water supply amount Qcl and temperature Tcl can be determined by selecting a plurality of predetermined patterns (levels) based on the contamination parameter value Psb. It should be noted that the supply amount Qcl can also be indicated by the supply time (cleaning time) of cleaning water at a predetermined flow rate.

FIG. 5 shows a conceptual diagram for explaining an example of setting of the cleaning water supply amount Qcl and temperature Tcl in S240 of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 5, operating points P1 to P3 of a plurality of levels (here, three levels) of different cleaning capabilities are set in advance according to the contamination parameter value Psb. It is understood that the larger the supply amount Qcl and the higher the temperature Tcl, the higher the cleaning performance.

For example, when the dirt parameter value Psb is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold value Pt1, the operating point P1 with high cleaning performance is selected. On the other hand, when the contamination parameter value Psb is equal to or less than the second threshold value Pt2 (Pt2<Pt1), the operating point P3 with low cleaning performance is selected. Further, when the dirt parameter value Psb is between the first threshold value Pt1 and the second threshold value (Pt2<Psb<Pt1), the operating point P2 having an intermediate cleaning ability is selected.

In this manner, the operating points P1 to P3 are determined so that the product (Qcl×Tcl) of the cleaning water supply amount Qcl and the temperature Tcl increases in the order of the operating points P3, P2, and P1.

In particular, at the operating point P1, it is preferable to set the temperature T1 to a higher temperature (for example, about 45 to 48 degrees) than the hot water temperature during normal bathing in order to dissolve the sebum adhering to the inside of the pipe. At the operating point P1, the cleaning water temperature Tcl=T1 and the supply amount Qcl=Q1.

Further, the operating point P2 related to the next level is set such that the temperature Tcl is the same as the operating point P1 (Tcl=T1) and the supply amount is smaller than that of the operating point P1 (Qcl=Q2, Q2< Q1).

The operating point P3 is set so that the cleaning water is at a lower temperature and in a smaller amount than at the operating point P1. For example, at operating point P3, the amount of cleaning water supplied is the same as at operating point P2 (Qcl=Q2), and the temperature is set to be lower than at operating point P2 (Tcl=T2, T2<T1). For example, the temperature T2 is preferably about the same as the bathtub water temperature during bathing (for example, 40 degrees). In this way, in order to dissolve the sebum, it is preferable to supply hot water having a temperature higher than the incoming water temperature Tw as washing water at any of the operating points P1 to P3.

The operating point P2 can also be set midway between the operating points P1 and P3 along the dotted line in FIG. However, by arranging the operating point P2 as illustrated in FIG. 5, it is possible to efficiently secure the cleaning ability.

At S200 in FIG. 3, the hot water heater 10 is controlled to output hot water at the temperature Tcl set according to FIGS. By forming a route leading to 42, an automatic cleaning operation of the bath piping is executed. Furthermore, when the pouring amount (volume) indicated by the time integral value of the flow rate detected by a flow sensor (not shown) reaches the supply amount Qcl set according to FIGS. Stopping terminates the automatic cleaning operation.

Referring to FIG. 3 again, after completing the automatic cleaning operation in S200, the controller 17 calculates the soil parameter value Psb after the automatic cleaning operation in S300. During execution of the automatic cleaning operation, subtraction processing of the contamination parameter value Psb is performed in order to reflect the cleaning effect of the automatic cleaning operation (S200).

For example, the dirt removal rate by the automatic cleaning operation (S200), that is, the cleaning rate α (0<α<1) is defined, and the dirt parameter value is the value before the automatic cleaning operation (S230) (1- α) The subtraction process can be performed so as to multiply.

Alternatively, the amount of dirt removed by the automatic cleaning operation (S200), that is, the cleaning amount ΔPsb (ΔPsb≧0) is defined, and the cleaning amount ΔPsb is subtracted from the value (S230) before execution of the automatic cleaning operation. Also, it is possible to execute the subtraction process.

At this time, the cleaning rate α or the cleaning amount ΔPsb can be obtained from the cleaning water supply amount Qcl and the temperature Tcl in the automatic cleaning operation by a predetermined calculation formula or by referring to a table. Alternatively, it is also possible to preset the cleaning rate α or the cleaning amount ΔPsb for each predetermined operating point in the automatic cleaning operation shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart for explaining an example of management of the contamination parameter value of the bath piping.

Referring to FIG. 6, in bath water heater 100, when controller 17 calculates in S300 the final value of bath pipe contamination parameter value Psb for one filling of hot water from the completion of bath filling to the detection of bathtub drainage, Through S<b>310 , the dirt parameter value Psb calculated in S<b>300 is transmitted to management server 150 in association with the registered user information of bath water heater 100 .

When management server 150 receives contamination parameter value Psb from bath water heater 100 (controller 17) in S320, management server 150 adds the newly received contamination parameter value Psb in S320 to the accumulated value so far in S330. . Furthermore, in S340, the management server 150 compares the accumulated value obtained in S330 with a predetermined judgment value. Then, when the accumulated value exceeds the determination value (YES in S340), a trigger for the pipe cleaning service (pipe CLS) is generated through S350.

On the other hand, when the accumulated value is equal to or less than the judgment value (NO judgment in S340), the process of S350 is skipped, so the pipe cleaning service (pipe CLS) trigger is not generated, and the accumulated value after the update in S330 is not generated. is retained.

In this way, by managing the cumulative value of the contamination parameter value Psb of the bath pipe, which is quantified based on the user input conditions measured by the bath water heater 100, the pipe cleaning service trigger is automatically generated. can do.

It should be noted that the division of responsibility between the bath water heater 100 and the management server 150 in FIG. 6 is merely an example. For example, by changing the allocation in FIG. 6, the bath water heater 100 side also executes the management of the cumulative value of the dirt parameter value Psb in S330 to S350, and the bath water heater 100 generates the trigger for the pipe cleaning service. is also possible. In this case, a trigger for the pipe cleaning service is transmitted from bath water heater 100 to management server 150 .

Alternatively, the bath water heater 100 may be provided with a function of calculating the cumulative value of the dirt parameter value Psb of the bath pipe (S330), and the bath water heater 100 may periodically transmit the cumulative value to the management server 150. can be In this case, the management server 150 executes the processes after S340.

It is also possible to have the management server 150 have the function of calculating the parameter value Psb of dirt on the bath piping in S300. In this case, bath water heater 100 transmits to management server 150 the data necessary for the process of calculating dirt parameter value Psb after the automatic cleaning operation in S200 (FIG. 3) ends. Then, the management server 150 executes all the processes of S300 to S350. In this way, the allocation between the bath water heater 100 and the management server 150 for automatically generating the trigger for the pipe cleaning service based on the cumulative value of the contamination parameter value Psb of the bath pipe can be arbitrarily changed. be able to. At this time, the information and data transmitted from bath water heater 100 to management server 150 are added with information indicating the registered user of bath water heater 100 .

<Order processing for pipe cleaning service>
Next, an example of processing related to ordering of a pipe cleaning service in response to generation of a trigger for the pipe cleaning service will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. 7 .

Referring to FIG. 7, when management server 150 recognizes the trigger of the pipe cleaning service (pipe CLS) generated in S350, management server 150 executes the processes from S420 onward. In S420, the management server 150 determines whether or not the registered user of the bath water heater 100 for which the pipe CLS trigger has been generated is a contracted user of the pipe cleaning service. The determination of S420 can be executed based on the contract information managed by the contract information management unit 155. FIG. Note that the processing of the management server 150 shown in FIG. 7 implements the function of the order processing unit 156 (FIG. 2).

If the registered user of bath water heater 100 is not a contracted user, management server 150 executes S425 to S445 for guiding a new contract for the pipe cleaning service. In S425, the management server 150 uses the above-described application program (already installed) to transmit joining guide screen data for the pipe cleaning service to the user terminal associated with the registered user. As a result, the membership guide screen for the pipe cleaning service is displayed on the user terminal through S510. The admission guidance screen corresponds to an example of "guidance information", particularly "information for making a new contract", related to the cleaning service for bath pipes.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a membership guidance screen.

FIG. 8A shows an example of an initial screen 210 of the membership guidance screen. The initial screen 210 includes a display 211 of the outline of the pipe cleaning service, a display 212 of the service agreement information, and touch switches 213 and 214 . The touch switch 213 is provided for operation by a person who wishes to join the service, and an input guide screen 220 exemplified in FIG. 8(b) is displayed when the touch switch 213 is operated.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the input guide screen 220 includes a user data input field 221 and touch switches 222 and 223 . By operating touch switch 222, the information of the registered user of bath water heater 100 who wishes to join the pipe cleaning service, which is input in input field 221, is accepted. On the other hand, when the touch switch 223 is operated, the display screen of the user terminal is returned from the input guidance screen 220 to the initial screen 210 .

On the other hand, the touch switch 214 in FIG. 8A is provided for operation by a user who does not wish to join the service. When the touch switch 214 is operated, the display of the initial screen 210 ends without switching to the input guide screen 220 .

Referring to FIG. 7 again, in S520, the user terminal accepts user input on the admission guide screen (FIGS. 8(a) and (b)). Specifically, information indicating that the user who has operated the touch switch 214 in FIG. 8A does not wish to become a member is accepted in S520. On the other hand, for the user who operates the touch switch 222 in FIG. 8B after inputting the touch switch 213 in FIG. is accepted at S520.

In S530, the user terminal transmits the user input content accepted in S520 to the management server 150. FIG. In S430, the management server 150 receives the user input contents for the initial screen 210 and the input guidance screen 220, which were transmitted in S530 from the user terminal.

In S435, management server 150 determines whether or not the registered user of bath water heater 100 (the destination entered in the input guidance screen) wishes to join the pipe cleaning service, based on the user input content received in S430. judge. When the user does not wish to become a member (NO determination in S435), the processing by the management server 150 is terminated without placing an order for the pipe cleaning service.

On the other hand, when the user wishes to become a member (when the determination is YES in S435), the management server 150 notifies the external server 160 in S440 that the user who wishes to become a member is shown in FIG. ) is sent as new user information.

Upon receiving the new user information transmitted from the management server 150 in S610, the external server 160 executes a new membership contract process for the user in S620. Then, in S<b>630 , registration information for new membership is transmitted from the external server 160 to the management server 150 . Upon receiving the registration information from the external server 160 in S445, the management server 150 updates the information related to the user stored in the contract information management unit 155 (FIG. 2). Accordingly, when the process returns to S420, a YES determination is made in S420 for the newly enrolled user.

The management server 150 makes a YES determination in S420 for each of the user who has already made a contract when the trigger for the pipe cleaning service is generated and the user who has made a new contract when the trigger for the pipe cleaning service is generated, and proceeds to the process from S450. proceed.

In S450, the management server 150 inquires of the external server 160 about dates when the pipe cleaning service can be performed, and obtains a list of available dates (vacant schedules) from the external server 160. FIG. At this time, in S640, the external server 160 responds to the inquiry (S450) from the management server 150, takes into account the address of the registered user of the bath water heater 100, etc., and formulates the vacant schedule. and reply to the management server 150.

In S452, the management server 150 creates order entry screen data using the free schedule acquired in S450, and transmits it to the user terminal. As a result, the order input screen data for the pipe cleaning service is displayed on the user terminal in step S550 using the application program described above. The order input screen corresponds to an example of "guidance information" relating to the cleaning service for bath pipes, particularly "information for ordering the cleaning service".

FIG. 9 shows an example of order input screen data.

Referring to FIG. 9, order input screen 230 has a date and time input section 231 for inputting the implementation request date of the pipe cleaning service. The date and time input unit 231 can display the free schedule acquired from the external server 160 in a manner including a touch switch for the user to input the implementation date and time. For example, calendar information that can be touch-operated is displayed for dates on which a pipe cleaning service can be requested, and when one of the operable dates is touch-operated, a request-available time period for that date is displayed. The date and time input section 231 can be configured with hierarchical display contents such that touch switches are displayed.

Order entry screen 230 further includes touch switches 232 and 233 . The touch switch 232 corresponds to a button for confirming user input to the date and time input unit 231. When the touch switch 232 is operated with the user's desired date and time designated by the date and time input unit 231, the desired date and time is displayed. plumbing cleaning service is ordered.

On the other hand, the touch switch 233 is currently provided as a selection switch for canceling the contract for the user contracting the pipe cleaning service. When the operation of the touch switch 232 or 233 is accepted, the display of the order entry screen 230 on the user terminal ends.

Referring to FIG. 7 again, at S560, the user terminal accepts user input on the order entry screen (FIG. 9). Specifically, for the user who has operated the touch switch 232 in FIG. 9, the user-desired date and time input to the date and time input unit 231 is specified, and information for ordering the pipe cleaning service is received in S560. On the other hand, for the user who has operated the touch switch 233 in FIG. 9, information requesting cancellation of the pipe cleaning service contract without placing an order for the pipe cleaning service is accepted in S560.

In S570, the user terminal transmits the user input content received in S560 to the management server 150. FIG. In S455, the management server 150 receives the user input content for the order entry screen 230 transmitted from the user terminal in S570.

In S460, the management server 150 transmits the user input received in S455 to the external server 160 as order information. As described above, the order information is information for placing an order for the pipe cleaning service at the user's desired date and time (user operating the touch switch 232) or application information for canceling the contract for the pipe cleaning service (user operating the touch switch 233).

Upon receiving the order information from the management server 150 in S650, the external server 160 executes contract processing in accordance with the order information in S660. As a result, for the user who desires the pipe cleaning service, an order for the pipe cleaning service at the desired date and time specified on the order input screen 230 is confirmed. On the other hand, the user who wishes to cancel the contract is deleted from the registered users of the pipe cleaning service.

The external server 160 transmits the contract data after contract processing in S660 to the management server 150 in S670. Upon receiving the contract data from the external server 160 in S465, the management server 150 notifies the received contract data to the user terminal in S470. At this time, the contents of the contract information management unit 155 are changed with respect to the user whose contract has been canceled.

At S580, the user terminal displays contract information based on the contract data notified from the management server 150 (S470) using the above application program. As a result, the user is notified of the information that the order for the pipe cleaning service has been confirmed or the information that the contract for the pipe cleaning service has been cancelled. It should be noted that the processing of the user terminal shown in FIG. 7 is basically assumed to use the mobile terminal device 130 (typically, a smartphone), but some processing, for example, from S510 to The processing of S530 can also be executed with the remote controllers 20 and 30 as the "user terminal."

In this manner, according to the bath water heater management system according to the present embodiment, by generating a trigger for the pipe cleaning service based on the quantitative evaluation value for estimating the contamination status of the bath pipe, the user can can provide guidance information to This makes it possible to propose a pipe cleaning service to the user at an appropriate timing. Also, based on the contract information managed by the contract information management unit 155, appropriate guide information can be notified to both contracted and uncontracted pipe cleaning service users.

In particular, the guidance information for non-contract users of the pipe cleaning service includes guidance on subscribing to a contract, so user convenience can be improved and it can be expected to discover more users of the pipe cleaning service.

In addition, by using the number of people taking a bath and the bath water temperature at the time of bathing, it is possible to make a quantitative evaluation of the contamination of pipes that occur during bathing more accurate, and further accuracy can be achieved by adding a seasonal coefficient. Furthermore, when an automatic cleaning operation function is provided when the bathtub is drained, it is possible to reflect the cleaning rate according to the conditions of the cleaning operation, thereby improving the accuracy of estimating the remaining amount of dirt in the pipe. The contamination parameter value Psb described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 is merely an example of information indicating the degree of contamination of the bath pipes, particularly an index for quantitatively evaluating the degree of contamination, and is different from this. It is also possible to show information indicating the degree of contamination of the bath pipes.

In the present embodiment, the bath water heater 100 equipped with the automatic cleaning operation function when the bathtub is drained has been described as an example. In calculating the parameter value Psb, by not executing the subtraction process by the automatic cleaning operation (for example, the cleaning rate α=0), it is possible to commonly apply the trigger generation of the pipe cleaning service according to the present embodiment. be.

Further, in the present embodiment, a sequence example (FIG. 7) in which the management server 150 improves user convenience by mediating user access to the external server 160 has been described. 150 uses the user terminal to notify the registered user of the bath water heater 100 that the application timing of the pipe cleaning service has arrived as "guidance information" in response to the generation of a trigger for the pipe cleaning service. is also possible. Also in this case, as the user terminal, it is possible to use a device other than the mobile terminal device 130 (typically, a smart phone), such as the remote controllers 20 and 30 .

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning of equivalents of the scope of the claims.

5 Management system 10 Water heater 15 Circuit board 17 Controller 20, 30 Remote controller 21, 22 Piping 35 Human sensor 40 Bathtub 42 Bathtub adapter 44 Drain valve 46 Opening and closing drive mechanism 100 Bath hot water supply Device 120 Interface device 130 Portable terminal device 140 External communication network (Internet) 150 Management server 152 Data storage unit 153 Communication unit 154 Internal bus 155 Contract information management unit 156 Order processing unit 160 External server , 170 base station, 210 initial screen, 211, 212 display, 213, 214, 222, 223, 232, 233 touch switch, 220 input guidance screen, 221 input field, 230 order input screen, 231 date and time input section, Cnt count value (Number of people bathing), Fse Seasonal parameter value, Nbt Number of people bathing, P1 to P3 Operating points (automatic cleaning operation), Psb Dirt parameter value (bath piping), Qcl Supply amount (automatic cleaning operation), Tbt Hot water temperature during bathing.

Claims (8)

A management system for a bath water heater,
a first server communicable with the bath water heater;
A user terminal capable of communicating with the first server,
The bath water heater is
a water heater including a bathtub as a hot water outlet;
A bath pipe connecting between the water heater and the bathtub,
The first server is
a contract information management unit that manages contract information about the cleaning service of a registered user of the bath water heater, with communication with a second server that manages the contract of the bath pipe cleaning service;
The first server provides guidance information related to the cleaning service based on the contract information in the contract information management unit and information indicating the degree of contamination of the bath pipe obtained from the user's bathing conditions in the bathtub. to the registered user using the user terminal. The contract information includes information as to whether or not the registered user of the bath water heater has a contract for the cleaning service,
2. The management of the bath water heater according to claim 1, wherein said first server notifies said registered user who has completed a contract for said cleaning service with information for ordering said cleaning service as said guidance information. system. 3. The bath water heater management system according to claim 2, wherein said information for placing an order includes information indicating an available date of said cleaning service acquired through communication with said second server. The contract information includes information as to whether or not the registered user of the bath water heater has a contract for the cleaning service,
2. The management of the bath water heater according to claim 1, wherein said first server notifies said registered user who has not made a contract for said cleaning service with information for making a new contract for said cleaning service as said guidance information. system. the information indicating the degree of contamination is an index value for quantitatively evaluating the degree of contamination of the bath pipe, which is calculated based on the bathing conditions for the user;
The guidance information is notified to the registered user when the cumulative value of the index value exceeds a predetermined judgment value,
The index value is calculated for each drainage of the bathtub based on the user's bathing conditions in the bathing from the completion of filling the bathtub before the drainage to the drainage,
The bath water heater management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said user bathing conditions include at least one of the number of bathers, bath temperature at the time of bathing, and seasonal information at the time of bathing. The bath water heater is configured to be capable of executing an automatic cleaning operation in which hot water from the water heater passes through the bath pipe when the bathtub is drained,
6. The bath water heater management system according to claim 5, wherein the index value is subjected to subtraction processing so as to decrease in accordance with execution of the automatic cleaning operation. The automatic washing operation is performed under operating conditions that change at least one of the temperature and the amount of hot water supplied from the water heater according to the user's bathing conditions,
7. The bath water heater management system according to claim 6, wherein said subtraction processing is executed in such a manner that the amount or rate of decrease of said index value is changed according to said operating conditions. A management method for a bath water heater comprising a water heater including a bathtub as a hot water outlet, and a bath pipe connecting between the water heater and the bathtub,
generating a trigger for a cleaning service for the bath pipe based on information indicating the degree of contamination of the bath pipe obtained from the user's bathing conditions in the bathtub;
and a step of notifying a registered user of the bath water heater of guide information relating to the cleaning service based on contract information of the cleaning service when the trigger is generated.

Images