JP3467761B2 - Control system for multiple devices - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control system for a plurality of devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one of the systems of this type, a control system for bathroom-related equipment, particularly a water heater having a heating / heat-retaining function for bath water, and a full-time bath warmer having a heat-retaining function for bath water (hereinafter The inventors of the present invention have developed a system that integrally controls a "FTB") and a bubble generator that generates bubbles in a bathtub by a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as "system controller") provided in a bathroom or the like. Under development.

In this system under development, the water heater, FT
B and the bubble generator are connected to the system controller by a cable so that the system controller and each device can individually communicate with each other. While the water heater is operating, image information indicating the operating state is displayed. Also, image information indicating the operating state during FTB operation, and image information indicating the operating state during the bubble generator operation are respectively displayed on the display unit of the system controller and displayed on the display unit. The user is informed of the operating state of each device through the image information.

[0004]

By the way, one of the functions desired in the above system is that any abnormality (fault) occurs in any of the devices while displaying the image information indicating the state of each device on the display section. In this case, the function is to detect this and inform the user in real time of the location where the abnormality has occurred and its contents. With this function, when an abnormality occurs, the operation of the equipment can be stopped at an early stage and appropriate treatment can be applied to the location where the abnormality occurs, so it can be processed at the stage of a minor abnormality, and the repair cost is low. The life of can be extended.

Further, in this type of system, since there are a plurality of devices, when an unskilled service person makes an abnormality diagnosis of the equipment, it takes a lot of time and effort to find the location of the abnormality. , The work efficiency is poor, but if there is the above function, there is no such problem.

Further, in this type of system, the following functions are also desired. That is, since there are a plurality of devices, the user may sometimes wonder which device's status should be displayed at that time. However, such a problem does not occur if there is a function of automatically selecting and displaying the most appropriate device status according to the system status.

Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to enable a user to be notified in real time in a control system for a plurality of devices when any one of the devices has an abnormality. is there.

A second object of the present invention is to enable a control system for a plurality of devices to automatically select and display, from among the states of each device, the state most needed to be displayed to the user. Especially.

[0009]

In a control system for a plurality of devices according to the present invention, an abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality of each device and a plurality of first screen information for displaying an operating state of each device respectively. And screen information storage means for respectively storing the second screen information for displaying at which place of which device the above-mentioned abnormality has occurred, and a predetermined one among the plurality of the first screen information usually. The first screen information indicating the operating state of one device selected in accordance with the priority order is displayed, and when the abnormality is detected, the second screen corresponding to the detected abnormality from the first screen information is displayed. Display switching means for forcibly switching the display to the screen information of.

In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, after the display means switches the display to the abnormal screen, the display of the abnormal screen is maintained until a predetermined manual operation is performed, and the predetermined manual operation is performed. If there is, the display is returned to the above operation status screen.

In another embodiment different from the above, an input means for inputting a control command for each of the above-mentioned devices and a device related to the control command input from the above-mentioned input device are identified, and the operating state of the identified device is identified. Display control means for selecting a screen and displaying it on the display means.

The display control means further selects, when the input from the input means has not been performed for a predetermined time or more, by selecting the operating state screen of one device in accordance with the predetermined priority given to the plurality of devices. Display on the means.

[0013]

[0014]

[0015]

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a control system for a plurality of devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The above system includes an FTB 5 having an electric heater as a heat source for heating a bath, a water heater 3 having a gas combustor as a heat source for heating the bath, and a bubble generator for generating bubbles in the bath. In order to integrally control 7 and each of these devices, for example, a system controller 1 installed at an appropriate place in the bathroom is provided.

The water heater 3 includes, in addition to the gas combustor, a heat exchanger for hot water supply, a water supply pipe connecting a water source and a heat exchanger for hot water supply, a heat exchanger for hot water supply and a faucet for a bathroom or a kitchen faucet. Etc., a hot water supply pipe connected to the hot water supply pipe, a hot water supply pump attached to a hot water circulation pipe communicating with the bathtub, a reheating heat exchanger connected to the hot water circulation pipe, a sensor group provided in each part (all shown No) and a water heater abnormality detection unit 9 for detecting an abnormality in each unit of the water heater and notifying the system controller 1 of the abnormality.

Examples of the abnormality detected by the water heater abnormality detecting section 9 include burner non-ignition, extinguishing safety device operation, temperature fuse / high limit switch operation, fan abnormality, heat exchanger abnormality, pseudo flame detection, gas Fuel supply system (including gas solenoid valve / proportional valve) abnormality, various thermistor abnormality, mixing servo abnormality, water level sensor abnormality, bath hot water circulation system abnormality (including hot water solenoid valve / bath water volume proportional valve etc.), water filling system abnormality , The pump (immediate hot water / bath) is abnormal.

The FTB 5 detects, in addition to the electric heater, a hot and cold water circulation pipe communicating with the bathtub, a hot and cold water supply pump attached to the hot and cold water circulation pipe, various sensors (none of which are shown), and an abnormality in each part of these FTBs. An FTB abnormality detection unit 11 for notifying the system controller 1 is provided.

The abnormalities detected by the FTB abnormality detecting unit 11 include, for example, insufficient water level, insufficient circulating flow rate, clogging of inlet, high water temperature, sterilization lamp burnout, communication abnormality, sterilization lamp case breakage, disconnection of various sensors, and the like. There are short circuit, electric heater failure, valve failure, abnormal temperature rise, switch short circuit, etc.

The bubble generator 7 is a jet nozzle provided in the bathtub, a pump for sucking hot water from the suction port in the bathtub and pumping it to the jet nozzle through a pipe, and air for supplying air to the jet nozzle through an air supply pipe. The system controller 1 detects abnormalities in the supply source, various valves (none of which are shown) that control the locations where air bubbles are ejected, and various parts of these air bubble generators.
A bubble generator abnormality detection unit 13 for notifying the user.

As the abnormality detected by the bubble generator abnormality detecting section 13, for example, water level drop, suction port clogging, high water temperature, thermistor disconnection or short circuit, pressure sensor disconnection, operation switch short circuit, communication abnormality, etc. There is.

The system controller 1 includes a display unit 15,
Image information storage units 17 to 23, abnormality content analysis unit 25, display image selection unit 27, communication abnormality detection unit 29, abnormality detection unit 3
1, a switch abnormality detection unit 33 and an image information changeover switch 35.

As shown in FIG. 2, the display unit 15 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel, and is provided at the front portion of the casing 100 of the system controller 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the display unit 15 includes image information storage units 17 to 23.
A plurality of types of images stored in the memory are selectively displayed.

As shown in FIG. 2, around the display unit 15, a power on / off switch 35 for turning on / off the power of the system controller 1, a purification switch 37 for instructing the FTB 5 to perform energy saving operation, A continuous heat retention switch 39 for instructing the FTB 5 to perform a heat retention operation, a hot water heater on / off switch 41 for instructing the hot water heater 3 to start / stop, and a temperature setting by the system controller 1 when setting the hot water temperature in the kitchen. A hot water supply temperature switch 43 for giving priority to temperature setting by another controller such as a controller, a bathing switch 45 for instructing the water heater 5 to perform an automatic operation, and a command for operating / stopping the bubble generator 7 A bubble generator drive switch 47 and a call switch 49 for using the system controller 7 as an intercom are provided. It is.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the plurality of image information storage units 17 to 21 respectively store a plurality of types of image information to be selectively displayed on the display unit 15.

That is, the image information storage section 17 stores various image information to be displayed when an abnormality occurs in the system. FIG. 3 shows an example of an abnormality display screen using the image information, and is composed of a message indicating what kind of abnormality is present in the water heater 3, FTB 5 and bubble generator 7, respectively. There is. In the screen example of FIG. 3, “abnormal” and “fault” are distinguished from each other, but this distinguishes defects by their degree and quality, and in the present specification, all defects are collectively referred to as “abnormal”.

The image information storage section 19 stores various kinds of image information for indicating the operating state of the water heater 3. FIG. 4 shows an example of a display screen using this image information, which is displayed according to a change in the operating state of the water heater 3, and a fixed area 51 that always displays certain items regardless of the operating state of the water heater 3. The variable area 53 in which the items to be changed changes.

The image information storage unit 21 stores various image information for indicating the operating state of the FTB 5. FIG. 5 shows an example of a display screen using the image information.
It is composed of a fixed area 55 that always displays a fixed item regardless of the operating state of B5, and a variable area 57 that changes the displayed item according to the change of the operating state of the FTB5.

The image information storage section 23 also stores various image information for indicating the operating state of the bubble generator 7. FIG. 6 shows an example of a display screen using the image information, and shows a fixed area 59 that always displays a fixed item regardless of the operating state of the bubble generator 7, and a change in the operating state of the bubble generator 7. The variable area 61 in which the items to be displayed changes.

The area ratios of the fixed areas 51, 55, 59 and the variable areas 53, 57, 61 in the screen examples shown in FIGS. The display image selection unit 27, which will be described later, variably controls the number of items to be displayed on 57 and 61 and the amount of information to be increased or decreased. This variable control is
For example, a plurality of screen layouts designed with optimal area ratios and layouts are prepared in advance in the screen information storage unit for each variation in the number of items displayed in the variable regions 53, 57, 61 and the amount of information, and It is sufficient to select an appropriate layout from.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the communication abnormality detecting unit 29
Is for detecting whether or not the water heater 3, the FTB 5, and the bubble generator 7 can normally communicate with the system controller 1. That is, this communication abnormality detection unit 2
9 is based on a signal from each communication interface (not shown) of the water heater 3, FTB 5 and bubble generator 7.
It is determined whether the communication function of each device is normal or abnormal, and if it is abnormal, the abnormality detection unit 31 is notified.

Here, the method for judging the communication abnormality is
The method for the water heater 3 and the method for the FTB 5 and the bubble generator 7 are somewhat different. That is, the water heater 3
In the case of, since it is connected to a plurality of remote controllers such as a remote controller in the kitchen in addition to the system controller 1 in the bathroom, in the communication protocol, the hot water supply device 3 is the master device and mainly makes the call, and the remote controller responds to it. Take the form of doing. On the other hand, in the case of the FTB 5 and the bubble generator 7, on the contrary, the system controller 1 acts as a master unit to proactively transmit, and the FTB 5 and the bubble generator 7 respond to it. Therefore, the communication abnormality determination for the water heater 3 starts a timer (not shown) at the time of power-on / reset and at the time of receiving a signal from the water heater 3, and continues for a predetermined time (for example, 50 seconds). If a normal signal does not come from the above, it is determined that the communication of the water heater 3 is abnormal. On the other hand, the communication abnormality determination for the FTB 5 and the bubble generator 7 sends a signal to the FTB 5 and the bubble generator 7 at a constant time interval (for example, 0.2 second interval), and the signal is continuously transmitted a predetermined number of times (for example, 5 times). If there is a response, it is determined that the communication is normal, whereas if there is no response for a predetermined number of times (for example, 255 times) continuously, it is determined that the communication is abnormal.

The switch abnormality detecting section 33 detects an abnormality of the various switches 35 to 49 shown in FIG.
That is, the switch abnormality detection unit 33 measures the pressing time of each switch by using a timer (not shown) that starts at the rising edge of the signal indicating the pressing of each switch and stops at the falling edge, and this pressing time is set to a predetermined value. When the time (for example, one minute) is exceeded, it is determined that the abnormality has occurred, and the abnormality detection unit 31 is notified.

The abnormality detecting unit 31 includes the communication abnormality detecting unit 29, the switch abnormality detecting unit 33, and the devices 3, 5, 7 described above.
The abnormality detection signals are received from the abnormality detection units 9, 11, and 13, and the abnormality detection signals are identified and notified to the image selection unit 27 and the abnormality content analysis unit 25.

The image selection section 27 selects, via the selection switch section 35, the image information to be sent to the display section 15 from the image information stored in the plurality of image information storage sections 19 to 23. is there. The image information selection unit 27, when the devices 3, 5, and 7 are completely normal, the image information storage units 19, 21, and 23 according to the switch operation of the user.
4 is selected to display the operating state screen of the device as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, but when the abnormality detection unit 31 notifies the abnormality, the image information storage unit 17 is selected. The display is forcibly switched to the abnormal screen display as shown in FIG.

The abnormality content analysis section 25 recognizes the abnormality content (for example, which part of which device has an abnormality) based on the abnormality notification from the abnormality detection section 31, and stores the image information based on the recognition result. The image information stored in the section 17 is selected from the image information suitable for the abnormality content, and the display section 15 is selected.
Send to.

Next, the control operation of the system controller 1 in the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, it is checked whether or not a new abnormality has occurred (step S101). If no abnormality has occurred, it is checked whether or not the switch 35 to 49 is operated by the user, and it is currently displayed. It is determined whether it is necessary to switch the operation status screen of the device to the operation status screen of another device (step S102). As a result, if it is not necessary to switch the screen, then wait for a predetermined time and check whether or not a new switch operation is performed during that time (step S103). If no new switch operation is performed during that time, the process proceeds to step S104. . On the other hand, if there is a new switch operation during this waiting time, step S10
Return to 1.

Now, at step S104, it is checked whether or not the current display mode is the abnormal image display mode. If it is not the abnormal screen display mode, then the FTB is executed.
5, the water heater 3 and the bubble generator 7 are checked in this order to see if those devices are in operation (steps S105 to S105).
S107). As a result, if FTB5 is operating, F
A display mode for displaying the operation status screen of TB5 (FIG. 5) is selected (step S111), and if the water heater 3 is operating, a display mode for displaying the operation status screen of the water heater 3 (FIG. 4). Is selected (step S110), and if the bubble generator 7 is operating, the display mode for displaying the operating state screen (FIG. 6) of the bubble generator 7 is selected.

If any device is stopped, a display mode for displaying a predetermined initial image is selected (step S).
108). The image information of the initial screen is stored in the image information storage unit 17 of FIG. 1, for example.

If it is determined in step S102 that the display screen needs to be switched, the display mode to be switched next is determined (step S113). That is, it is determined which device the operated switch is related to, and it is determined to switch to the operation screen display mode of the identified device. Then, the display mode is selected according to the determination result.

When no abnormality occurs, the above-described processing is repeated, so that when the user operates the switch, the operating state screen of the equipment corresponding to the switch operation is preferentially displayed, and If the user does not operate the switch for a predetermined time or longer, the operating state display screen of the device in operation is displayed according to the priority order of the FTB 5, the water heater 3, and the bubble generator 7. The FTB 5, the water heater 3, and the bubble generator 7 are prioritized in the order of importance of the bath.

On the other hand, if an abnormality occurs in any of the devices, the process proceeds from step S101 to step S112, forcibly switching to the abnormal screen display mode as shown in FIG. As a result, the user can grasp the occurrence of the abnormality and the content of the abnormality in real time. Therefore, it is possible to promptly treat the abnormality.

Once an abnormality occurs and the abnormal screen display mode is entered, the subsequent processing proceeds from step S104 to step S112. Therefore, the abnormal screen is continuously displayed after that. Therefore, it is possible to reliably notify the user of the occurrence of the abnormality. Then, when the user who confirms the abnormality wants to return the display to the operating state screen again, by performing a switch operation for a desired device, the process proceeds from step S102 to step S113, and the operating state screen of the device is displayed again. Is displayed.

According to the embodiment described above, the water heater 3,
When an abnormality occurs in either the FTB 5 or the bubble generator 7, the display screen of the system controller 1 is immediately switched to a screen showing the content of the abnormality to display what abnormality has occurred in which part of which device. Therefore, it is possible to quickly deal with the abnormality, and it is possible to improve the efficiency of the abnormality search work and the repair work.

Further, once an abnormality occurs, the content of the abnormality is continuously displayed and the display of the content of the abnormality is returned to the display of the normal operating state by the user's switch operation. It is possible to reliably notify the occurrence and is very convenient.

Further, when the operation state of the equipment is displayed, if the user operates the switch, the operation state of the equipment related to the operation is automatically displayed, and if the user does not operate the switch for a while, it is determined in advance. Since the operating states of the devices in operation are displayed according to the priority order, the operating states of the devices that are in high need of notification are always displayed preferentially, which is very convenient.

Furthermore, when the operating state of the equipment is displayed, the area ratio between the fixed area and the variable area in the screen is changed according to the amount of information to be displayed in the variable area. An easy-to-read display screen can be provided.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned contents are only related to one embodiment of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above contents.

[0053]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when an abnormality has occurred, the user is notified in real time of the abnormality, which is the information that requires the highest notification, so that the user can It is possible to deal with abnormalities at an early stage and is highly safe, and the work efficiency of abnormality search work and repair work is also improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, among the operating states of the respective devices, the ones that have a high need for notification are automatically selected and displayed preferentially, which is convenient for the user.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a control system for a plurality of devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a layout of a display unit and various switches on the front of the system controller.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an abnormality display screen.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an operating state display screen of the water heater.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an FTB operating state display screen.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an operating state display screen of the bubble generator.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the system controller.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 System controller 3 water heater 5 FTB 7 Bubble generator 9 Hot water heater abnormality detection section 11 FTB abnormality detector 13 Bubble generator 15 Display 17, 19, 21, 23 Image information storage unit 25 Abnormality content analysis section 27 Display image selection section 29 Communication error detector 31 Abnormality detector 33 Switch error detector 35 Image information switch

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Eiji Harada, 2-1-1 Nakajima, Kojimakita-ku, Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka Totoki Kikai Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-5-198978 (JP, A) ) JP-A-5-296889 (JP, A) JP-A-7-325990 (JP, A) JP-A-61-105698 (JP, A) JP-A-4-165259 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G08B 23/00 510 G05B 23/02 301

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. In a system for controlling a plurality of devices, an abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality of each device, and a plurality of first for displaying an operating state of each device respectively.
Screen information, and where on which device the abnormality occurred
The second screen information for displaying the height is stored respectively
Screen information storage means and a predetermined priority order from among the plurality of first screen information.
Wherein indicating the operating state of one device selected in accordance with position No.
Display screen 1 information, when the abnormality is detected, prior to
Before responding to the detected abnormality from the first screen information
Display switching hand that forcibly switches the display to the second screen information
A control system for a plurality of devices , comprising: a stage . 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein after the display unit switches the display to the abnormal screen, the display of the abnormal screen is maintained until a predetermined manual operation is performed, and the predetermined manual operation is performed. If there is, a control system for a plurality of devices, wherein the display is returned to the operation status screen. 3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an input unit for inputting a control command of each device and a device related to the control command input from the input unit are identified and identified. And a display control means for selecting the operation state screen of the equipment and displaying the operation status screen on the display means. 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit is further provided to the plurality of devices when the input from the input unit has not been performed for a predetermined time or more. A control system for a plurality of devices, wherein an operating state screen of one device is selected and displayed on the display means in accordance with the predetermined priority.