JP4311354B2 - Display device and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device and a program for displaying a state in a system that realizes functions of a hot water supply, a bath, and a water heater that are mainly configured in a home.

  Conventionally, the following is common for this type of system (see Patent Document 1). This is a description of a hot water heater as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this as long as it is a device that uses gas, a device that burns gas, or a device that supplies hot water.

  FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a conventional usage comparison system for gas appliances (hot water heaters). In FIG. 7, there is a water heater 101 in a certain home. The water heater 101 is connected to the center apparatus 103 through the communication line 102, and communication is performed between the water heater 101 and the center apparatus 103 in each home.

  Useful information for investigating how to use water heater usage data, etc., and identifying the water heater such as the model number and manufacturing number of the water heater, for communication from the water heater 101 to the center device 103 as communication content Information.

  In addition, the center device 103 to the water heater 101 includes, as a reply to the above-mentioned notification, an evaluation result of usage, life prediction, a failure content at the time of failure, a repair estimate, etc. obtained by comparing use status data of the water heater. . These are notified to the user by the display means 104 provided in the water heater 101. The display means 104 is, for example, a liquid crystal display of a water heater remote controller, and is connected to the water heater 101 by a signal line 106.

  Next, FIG. 8 shows a configuration block diagram of the water heater 101 and the center device 103 shown in FIG. The water heater 101 includes a gas usage amount measuring means 111 for measuring the gas usage amount of the gas equipment, a hot water supply temperature setting means 112 for setting the hot water supply temperature, a hot water supply amount measuring means 113 for measuring the hot water supply amount, an operating time of the gas equipment or Operation status recording means 114 that measures the combustion time, gas usage amount measurement means 111, hot water supply temperature setting means 112, hot water supply amount measurement means 113, and operation time measurement means 114 collectively record the output as usage status data. Means 115, a transmission means 116 that is connected to a communication line and transmits usage data to the center apparatus 103, and a device control means 117 that controls the operation of the water heater 101.

  By using these, the gas usage amount, the hot water supply temperature, the hot water supply amount and the usage status data of the operation time of the hot water heater 101 are recorded and transmitted to the center device 103.

  The frequency of transmission is periodically transmitted by the clock means 118, such as once a day, and in addition, it is different from the normal use such as when the amount of gas used exceeds a predetermined range or when the daily operation time exceeds 20 hours. Sometimes send. The use status recording unit 115 issues such a transmission request.

  On the other hand, the center apparatus 103 includes a receiving unit 130 connected to a communication line to receive usage status data from a plurality of gas appliances, a statistical processing unit 131 that aggregates usage status data, performs statistical processing, and compares the statistical data. Output means 132 for outputting the processing result. Further, it comprises a database means 133 for storing the model number notified from the water heater 101 and outputting the data of the gas equipment to the statistical processing means 131 if necessary at the time of statistical processing.

  As described above, the usage data of gas usage, hot water supply temperature, hot water supply, and operation time of multiple water heaters are collected by the central unit and statistical processing is performed, so the average, median, and standard values of the usage data of multiple water heaters are used. Statistical values such as deviations are obtained. If you compare it with the usage data of a household water heater based on this, the amount of gas used by the water heater is more or less than the average value, if it is more, the hot water temperature is not too high, It is possible to investigate whether the amount of hot water supply is too much or whether the operation time is too long.

  Further, the database means 133 of the center apparatus 103 has device information of gas appliances at each home and user information at each home. The equipment information includes information indicating the characteristics of the gas equipment such as the manufacturer, model number, and manufacturing number, and the user information includes information indicating the characteristics of the family such as the number of family members, age, etc. included.

  Each household gas appliance is assigned an identification code (ID) for communication. When communicating with the hot water supply apparatus 101 and the center apparatus 103, the communication partner is recognized using this ID. This ID is registered in the database means 133, and the statistical processing means 131 searches the household device information and user information for performing statistical processing using the ID.

  As described above, the statistical processing means 131 can increase the accuracy of the usage comparison by statistically processing and comparing the usage status data for a plurality of water heaters having the same conditions using the device information and the user information.

  The device information such as the serial number is stored in each water heater at the time of shipment, and after installation in each home, it is transmitted to the center apparatus 103 via a communication line and registered in the database means 133. Also, the user information such as the family structure, the usage environment such as the housing style and the residential area is heard from the user by telephone or postcard, and the administrator of the center apparatus 103 registers it in the database means 133.

As described above, the center unit 103 uses the database means 133 to evaluate the usage by comparing multiple households that have the same model number, family structure, usage environment, etc. in the usage data of the hot water heaters of the multiple households. Therefore, the accuracy of the usage comparison can be further increased.
JP 11-337384 A

  However, the configuration of the background art described above cannot easily encourage the user to save energy. Certainly, in the above background art configuration, it is possible to analyze the gas usage situation in detail and give advice to the user to reduce the amount of gas used. It is a premise that various advice is given.

  In order to promote energy conservation, it is necessary to promote cooperation between the public and private sectors, but it is also important to inform the user easily and casually and with a little ingenuity. There is also a surface that will be pressed against, and in some cases it will hinder propulsion. With this little ingenuity and ease of use, there is a need for a degree of freedom, for example, when a user easily sets a threshold by himself and calls attention when the threshold is exceeded, but there is no such viewpoint in the background technology .

  On the other hand, in the background art described above, a gas water heater is taken as an example. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this as long as it is a device that supplies hot water. For example, another element is added to a heat pump water heater. That is, the heat pump water heater has a hot water storage tank, and the water stored in the hot water storage tank is boiled using electricity and used for hot water supply or a bath. For boiling the hot water storage tank, the user can keep the electricity cost to a minimum by using midnight power, which is mainly cheap.

  Here, users usually boil the amount of hot water that will be used in a day in a hot water storage tank. For example, a bathing method that overflows a large amount of hot water in a bathtub, If you take a bath in time or use luxurious water to wash dishes with hot water, you will use more hot water from the hot water tank than necessary, and if you want to bathe urgently, there is enough hot water in the hot water tank It will disappear.

  In such a situation, the user must immediately or manually heat up the hot water tank, but this will use extra electricity, saving energy and saving energy. In this respect, waste occurs. If such a situation occurs, it is possible to improve the user's awareness if simple attention can be given to the user. However, there is a problem that the above background art does not have such a viewpoint. It was.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a hot water supply amount receiving means for receiving information on the amount of hot water supplied from the water heater, a hot water supply amount display means for displaying information on the amount of hot water received by the hot water supply amount receiving means, Memory learning means for memorizing and learning information on the amount of hot water during a predetermined period, and hot water quantity reference value calculation for calculating at least one hot water quantity reference value in the user's home from the result of memory learning by the memory learning means Means for comparing the hot water amount received by the hot water amount receiving means with the hot water amount reference value calculated by the hot water amount reference value calculating means, and the hot water amount comparing means receiving the hot water amount reception result. Display means changing means for changing a hot water supply amount display method displayed by the hot water supply amount display means when the hot water supply amount received by the means is larger than the hot water supply amount reference value calculated by the hot water supply quantity reference value calculating means. The problem was solved by forming, awareness and saving electricity bill, further accelerate with savings and energy saving promotion can facilitate instill awareness of energy conservation due to reduction amount of power to the user can do.

  In the present invention, it is possible to save electricity bills and reduce the amount of electric power by devising the display method, for example, by color coding depending on whether the actual hot water supply amount exceeds the hot water supply reference value set easily by the user. In addition to encouraging the users to conceive the energy conservation awareness that accompanies them, the promotion of savings and energy conservation can be further accelerated.

A first invention is a display device that performs communication with a hot water supply device and performs necessary operations and displays, and includes a hot water supply amount receiving means for receiving information on the hot water supply amount from the hot water supply device, and the hot water supply amount reception. Hot water supply amount display means for displaying information on the amount of hot water received by the means, memory learning means for storing and learning information on the amount of hot water supply during a predetermined period, and the result of the memory learning means storing and learning the user's home A hot water supply amount reference value calculating means for calculating at least one hot water supply amount reference value in the water supply, and a hot water supply amount comparing the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means with the hot water supply amount reference value calculated by the hot water supply amount reference value calculating means When the amount of hot water received by the hot water supply amount receiving means is greater than the reference value calculated by the hot water supply amount reference value calculating means, the hot water supply amount display means Hot water to display How to change the display method in which and a changing unit.

In addition, it is possible to promote instilling in the user an awareness of saving of electricity bills and an awareness of energy saving accompanying the reduction of electric power while omitting the user's labor and unnecessary setting. It is also possible to construct a system that meets the user's preference. Furthermore, it is possible to freely construct the best system according to the user's ease of use, and to accelerate the spread of this system.

According to a second aspect of the invention , the display method changing means changes the display color or / and the background color of the hot water supply amount displayed by the hot water supply amount display means.

  And it becomes possible for a user to be easily aware of overuse of the hot water supply amount, and it is possible to promote instilling in the user an awareness of saving of electricity bills and energy saving accompanying the reduction of electric power.

In a third aspect of the present invention , the display method changing means is configured to change to enlarge or reduce the display of the hot water supply amount displayed by the hot water supply amount display means.

  And it becomes possible for a user to be easily aware of overuse of the hot water supply amount, and it is possible to promote instilling in the user an awareness of saving of electricity bills and energy saving accompanying the reduction of electric power.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention , the display device includes a hot water supply reference value storage means having at least one hot water supply reference value, and the hot water supply reference value input means is stored in the hot water supply reference value storage means. In this configuration, at least one hot water supply amount reference value is selected from the hot water supply amount reference values.

  The user does not have to input the reference hot water supply by himself / herself, and can more easily promote the improvement of energy saving awareness, and can accelerate the spread of the system.

A fifth invention is a program for causing a computer to execute at least a part of the display device. Since it is a program, it is possible to easily realize at least a part of the display device of the present invention by cooperating hardware resources such as an electric / information device, a computer, and a server. In addition, the program can be distributed / updated and installed easily by recording on a recording medium or distributing the program using a communication line.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the entire system according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a display device, 2 is a heat pump water heater, 3 is a server, and 4 is a mobile phone. 5 is a bathroom hot water supply, 6 is a shower, 7 is a hot water supply a, and 8 is a hot water supply n. 9 is a bathtub, 10 is a bathroom remote control, and 11 is an additional remote control. Reference numeral 12 denotes a hot water supply related operation unit, 13 denotes a water heater related operation unit, 14 denotes a bath related operation unit, and 15 denotes a hot water storage tank. 16 is a kitchen and the like, and 17 is a bathroom. 18 is a hot water supply related function, 19 is a bath related function, and 20 is a water heater related function.

  Here, the display device 1, the hot water supply a 7, and the hot water supply n 8 are installed in the kitchen or the like 16. The bathroom hot water supply 5, the shower 6, the bathtub 9, the bathroom remote controller 10, and the additional remote controller 11 are installed in the bathroom 17. The hot water supply related operation unit 12, the water heater related operation unit 13, and the bath related operation unit 14 are inside the heat pump water heater 2.

  On the other hand, the bathroom hot water supply 5, the shower 6, the hot water supply a 7, the hot water supply n 8, and the hot water supply related operation unit 12 are referred to as a hot water supply related function 18. It is called a bathtub 9, a bathroom remote controller 10, an additional remote controller 11, a bath related operation unit 14 and a bath related function 19. The water heater related operation unit 13 and the hot water storage tank 15 are referred to as a water heater related function 20.

  In FIG. 1, a heat pump water heater 2 realizes a domestic hot water supply and bath function. That is, when the hot water-related function 18 or the bath-related function 19 used at home is controlled, for example, hot water is supplied from the hot water supply a7 or hot water supply n8 installed in the kitchen or the other 16, and the user washes dishes and hands. Realize comfort. Moreover, when a user takes a bath, hot water is filled from the bathtub 9 in the bathroom 17 or hot water is taken out from the shower 6 or the bathroom hot water 5 to secure the life of the user.

  Here, the user uses the display device 1 and the bathroom remote controller 10 to control these controls, that is, the temperature of hot water and the amount of hot water. Here, the display device 1 is attached to the kitchen or the like 16 as shown in FIG. 1 and has a function of controlling the heat pump water heater 2 and displaying the current state. The display device 1 is also called “kitchen remote control”. What plays the same role is the bathroom remote controller 10, and the user taking a bath controls the heat pump water heater 2 and displays the status. Further, in some cases, an additional remote controller 11 is attached in the immediate vicinity of the shower 6, and the user can control the heat pump water heater 2 and check the state while taking the shower 6 during bathing. .

  Further, the heat pump water heater 2 has a hot water storage tank 15, and water stored in the hot water storage tank 15 is boiled using electricity and supplied to the hot water supply related function 18 and the bath related function 19. For the boiling in the hot water storage tank 15, the user can keep the electricity bill to a minimum by using midnight power, which is mainly cheap. The user can control or check the amount of hot water in the hot water storage tank 15 by using the display device 1, the bathroom remote controller 10, and the additional remote controller 11.

  On the other hand, the display device 1 is connected to the outside, that is, the server 3. Thereby, the information of the heat pump water heater 2 can be transmitted to the server 3 via the display device 1. For example, by transmitting a failure occurring in the heat pump water heater 2 to the server 3, the service person can quickly It becomes possible to carry out repairs and other necessary measures at the home.

  The server 3 can also be accessed from the mobile phone 4. For example, when the user wants to fill the bathtub 9 from outside, if the user inputs that fact from the mobile phone 4, the server 3 and the display device 1 is transmitted to the heat pump water heater 2 through the heat pump water heater 2, and the heat pump water heater 2 boiles the internal bath related operation unit 14 in the hot water storage tank 15 using the hot water heater related operation unit 13. By supplying hot water to the bathtub 9, remote hot water filling of the bathtub 9 becomes possible.

  Here, when the display device 1 communicates with the server 3, a line is used. Here, the line is an analog telephone line, ISDN line, ADSL line, FTTH line, cable TV line, or the like. This line uses the various line types introduced by the household. Depending on the line, the communication device 2 is connected via a modem such as a modem, T-NCU (Terminal Network Control Unit), TA, dial-up router, ONU (Optical Network Unit) or the like for connection to the line. Built-in.

  On the other hand, the display device 1 and an external server 3, a mobile phone, a personal computer, a medical institution, a service center, and the like may be connected by a direct circuit switching method, ISP (Internet Service Provider) or ASP (Application In some cases, it is connected via the Internet via a Service Provider.

  Further, the communication protocol between the display device 1 and the external server 3, mobile phone, personal computer, medical institution, service center, etc. may be a non-procedure unique protocol determined in advance in this system, or may be TCP / IP, In some cases, an Internet protocol such as HTTP or HTTPS is used.

  Next, communication between the display device 1, the heat pump water heater 2, the bathroom remote controller 10, and the additional remote controller 11 will be described. Here, the display device 1 and the heat pump water heater 2, the bathroom remote controller 10, and the additional remote controller 11 are generally connected by wire, but for example, this is performed using a 400 MHz band specific low power radio. Is also possible. In this case, information from the heat pump water heater 2, the bathroom remote controller 10, and the additional remote controller 11 is transmitted to the display device 1 using a specific low power radio. In addition, the specific low power radio is also used for commands from the display device 1 to the heat pump water heater 2, the bathroom remote controller 10, and the additional remote controller 11.

  The communication between the display device 1 and the heat pump water heater 2, the bathroom remote controller 10, and the additional remote controller 11 is not limited to a wired connection or a specific low-power wireless connection, but a power line, infrared ray, wireless LAN, bluetooth (registered trademark) A communication medium such as that described above may be used.

  In the system configuration as described above, there are various contents displayed on the display device 1. For example, display of “hot water temperature” supplied to the user from the hot water supply related function 18, display of “bath hot water amount” kept in the bathtub 9 by the bath related function 9, and hot water in the water heater related function 20 Is a display of “the amount of remaining hot water in the tank” in the hot water storage tank 15.

  By obtaining this information, the user can lower the "hot water temperature" if the hot water coming out of the faucet is too hot, or increase the "bath hot water amount" if the hot water in the bath is insufficient. When the hot water in the hot water storage tank 15 is insufficient due to the use of a large amount of hot water, an operation such as increasing “the amount of remaining hot water in the tank” is performed using the display device 1, the bathroom remote controller 10, and the additional remote controller 11.

  Here, one of the contents displayed on the display device 1 is “amount of hot water supply”. This is the “hot water supply amount” used by the user using the hot water supply related function 18. This is, for example, the amount of hot water used by a user for hot water a7 or hot water n8 on a certain day and used for dishwashing or the like, or the amount of hot water supplied using the bathroom hot water 5 or shower 6 during bathing. Is the sum of The display device 1 has a function of displaying this hot water supply amount.

  Here, the display method of the hot water supply amount in the display apparatus 1 is demonstrated using the block diagram of the display apparatus of FIG. In FIG. 2, 21 is a hot water supply amount receiving means, 22 is a hot water supply amount display means, 23 is a hot water supply amount reference value input means, 24 is a hot water supply amount comparison means, and 25 is a display method changing means. The hot water supply amount reception means 21, the hot water supply amount display means 22, the hot water supply amount reference value input means 23, the hot water supply amount comparison means 24, and the display method change means 25 are inside the display device 1.

  In FIG. 2, the hot water supply amount is sent from the heat pump water heater 2. Here, the information on the amount of hot water supplied from the heat pump water heater 2 is an integrated value within a predetermined period. For example, when the predetermined period is one day, the heat pump water heater has a calendar function, and transmits information on the accumulated hot water supply amount per day to the display device 1. The transmitted hot water supply amount information is received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 and displayed using the hot water supply amount display means 22.

  For example, when the information on the amount of hot water sent from the heat pump water heater 2 is 50 liters, the hot water amount display means 22 displays 50 liters. Here, the unit of the amount of hot water supplied from the heat pump water heater 2 is not necessarily limited to liters. If this is defined as a value determined in advance between the display device 1 and the heat pump water heater 2, the regulated value is transmitted from the heat pump water heater 2 to the display device 1. The display device 1 converts the regulated value into a value that can be understood by the user, for example, liters, and the hot water supply amount display means 22 displays it.

  On the other hand, the user inputs a reference hot water supply amount into the display device 1 in advance. This reference amount of hot water is intended to increase awareness of energy saving by having the user notify when hot water is supplied more than the reference. For example, when the daily hot water supply amount of a certain household is about 100 liters on average, the user inputs 100 liters as a reference hot water supply amount to the display device. The input is performed from the hot water supply reference value input means 23. In addition, the reference | standard hot water supply amount which can be input does not necessarily need to be one. For example, the user can input two standard hot water supply amounts of 100 liters and 120 liters.

  Next, the display device 1 compares the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 with the reference hot water amount input by the user from the hot water supply amount reference value input means 23 using the hot water supply amount comparison means 24. The hot water supply amount comparing means 24 outputs the result to the display method changing means 25. The display method changing means 25 receives the hot water supply amount as a result of comparing the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 with the reference hot water amount input from the hot water supply reference value input means 23 by the user. When the hot water amount received by the means 21 is larger than the reference hot water amount input from the hot water amount reference value input means 23, the hot water amount received by the hot water amount receiving means 21 displayed by the hot water amount display means 22 is displayed. Change the display method.

  Here, a specific example will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 is 110 liters, and the reference hot water amounts input from the hot water supply amount reference value input means 23 are 100 liters (reference hot water amount 1) and 120 liters (reference hot water amount 2). Consider the case. As a method for displaying the hot water supply amount by the hot water supply amount display means 22, for example, the hot water supply amount can be displayed in three stages of “display in blue”, “display in yellow”, and “display in red”. The display means 22 has a three-stage display method change.

  Here, the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 is 110 liters (STEP 1), which is larger than the reference hot water supply amount 100 liters input from the hot water supply amount reference value input means 23 (STEP 2), but from 120 liters. Therefore, the display method changing unit 25 changes the display of the hot water supply amount display unit 22 to “display in yellow (STEP 5)”.

  If the amount of hot water received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 is 90 liters (STEP 1), the display of the hot water amount display means 22 is displayed as "blue (STEP 4)" and received by the hot water amount reception means 21. When the supplied hot water supply amount is 130 liters (STEP 1), the display of the hot water supply amount display means 22 is changed to “display in red (STEP 6)”.

  If the information on the amount of hot water transmitted from the heat pump water heater 2 to the display device 1 is an integrated value in units of one day, the amount of hot water supplied is actually around mid-morning when the user starts the sunrise hot water. Although it is displayed in "blue", the amount of hot water increases when dinner preparations and families take baths one after another in the evening, at night, etc. In some cases, the amount of hot water is displayed in "yellow" Will come to be. Finally, the hot water supply amount may be displayed in “red”.

  That is, the user can recognize whether or not the day is excessively hot water by looking at the display color of the hot water supply amount displayed on the display device 1. Then, by using the reference hot water amount input from the hot water supply reference value input means 23 as a guideline, it can be recognized that “Today we used too much hot water” or “Today we have saved hot water”. Thus, as described above, the heat pump water heater 2 is a system that uses hot water in the hot water storage tank 15, and the hot water in the hot water storage tank 15 is boiled using electricity. It is possible to promote the planting of energy saving awareness associated with the reduction of power consumption.

  In addition, when a change in the user's lifestyle (eg, increase or decrease in the number of family members) occurs, the hot water display amount displayed by the hot water supply amount display means 22 is different from the actual lifestyle. The user should just change the reference | standard hot water supply amount input from the hot water supply reference | standard value input means 23. FIG. This is possible not only to change the reference value but also to change the number of reference values. Further, a user who is troublesome to change the display color can disable the function by setting the display device 1 to disable the function of the display method changing unit 25.

  By the way, in the above description, the display method changing means 25 changes the display color of the hot water supply amount displayed by the hot water supply amount display means 22, but even if it is not a separate display color, for example, animation is used. Other changes such as notification to the user who has been, pop-up screen notification, sound notification, and the like may be used.

  For example, the display method changing unit 25 compares the amount of hot water received by the hot water supply amount receiving unit 21 with the hot water supply amount receiving unit 21 and the reference hot water amount input by the user from the hot water supply amount reference value input unit 23. When the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 is larger than the reference hot water amount input from the hot water supply amount reference value input means 23, the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 displayed by the hot water supply amount display means 22 receives it. It is also possible to enlarge the display of the amount of hot water supplied to alert the user. In this way, the elderly and blind people can be clearly recognized, and a user-friendly system that conforms to the universal interface can be constructed.

  In the above description, the operation in the display device 1 has been described. However, the same function can be realized in other display devices such as the bathroom remote controller 10 and the additional remote controller 11.

  In the above description, only the hot water supply amount has been mentioned, but the same change may be realized for other display parameters such as “bath hot water amount”, “bath warming time”, “remaining hot water amount in tank”, and the like. Is possible. Moreover, the same thing is possible not only in the system using the heat pump water heater 2 but also in a system using a gas water heater, a floor heating system, and a bathroom drying system. In that case, savings and energy savings are further accelerated by realizing the same functions in terms of gas consumption, gas combustion time, floor heating usage time, bathroom dryer usage time, etc. can do.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the display device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, 26 is a hot water supply reference value storage means.

  A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the description part similar to Embodiment 1 is abbreviate | omitted. In FIG. 4, the user inputs a reference hot water supply amount to the display device 1 in advance, but the display device 1 is provided with a hot water supply reference value storage means 26. The hot water supply amount reference value storage means 26 stores one or more hot water supply reference values in advance. When the user tries to input a reference hot water supply amount from the hot water supply reference value input means 23, one of the input interfaces (for example, “screen”) stored in advance in the hot water supply reference value storage means 26. The above hot water supply amount reference value is displayed, and the user completes the input by selecting the displayed hot water supply amount reference value or the hot water supply amount reference value that the user wants to select.

  For example, when the hot water supply amount reference values stored in the hot water supply amount reference value storage means 26 are 80 liters, 90 liters and 100 liters, the hot water supply amount reference value input means 23 has 80 liters, 90 liters and 100 liters. Three standard hot water supply amounts are displayed. Here, the user selects, for example, one reference hot water supply amount from these three reference hot water supply amounts (for example, 90 liters).

  When the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 is 95 liters, the hot water supply amount comparing means 24 uses the hot water supply amount (95 liters) received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 and the hot water supply reference value input means. The reference hot water supply amount (90 liters) selected in 23 is compared, and the display method changing means 25 displays the hot water supply amount display means 22 because the hot water supply amount (95 liters) received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 is larger. The user is alerted by changing or expanding the display color of the hot water supply amount.

  By adopting the method as described above, the user can set the reference hot water supply amount only by selecting from the reference hot water amount indicated by the hot water supply amount reference value input means 23 without inputting the reference hot water supply amount by himself / herself. It becomes.

  On the other hand, the hot water supply reference value stored in advance in the hot water supply reference value storage means 26 may be stored when the display device 1 is shipped. In this case, as a result of investigating the daily hot water supply amount of a standard general household, a reference hot water supply amount that should be noted if this value is exceeded is stored.

  The display device 1 stores the standard hot water supply amount of the home where the system is used, and calculates the reference hot water supply amount from the result while the system starts operation and a certain time (or a certain number of days) elapses. It is also possible to do this. A block diagram of the display device 1 in this case is shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, 27 is a memory learning means, and 28 is a hot water supply reference value calculating means. The memory learning means 27 and the hot water supply amount reference value calculating means 28 are inside the display device 1.

  In FIG. 5, the information on the amount of hot water sent from the heat pump water heater 2 is received by the hot water amount receiving means 21. The information on the amount of hot water received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 is sent to the hot water supply amount comparing means 24 and also to the memory learning means 27. Here, the memory learning means 27 memorizes and learns the hot water supply amount output from the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 retroactively.

  For example, the memory learning means 27 stores the hot water supply amount for one month of the household and learns the hot water supply pattern of the household from the contents. Suppose that there is a day when the daily hot water supply amount for one month (30 days) of the household is 100 liters or less on most days and greatly exceeds 100 liters for about two days. In that case, the memory learning unit 27 estimates that “the amount of hot water supply has increased for about two days due to visitors and other reasons!”, And outputs that fact to the hot water supply amount reference value calculation unit 28. The hot water supply reference value calculation means 28 receives the output from the memory learning means 27, recognizes that the standard daily hot water supply amount of the household is less than 100 liters, and sets 100 liters as the hot water supply reference value. To do.

  The hot water supply amount comparison means 24 compares the hot water supply amount reference value calculated by the hot water supply amount reference value calculation means 28 with the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21, and outputs the result to the display method changing means 25. The display method changing means 25 compares the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 with the hot water supply amount reference means calculated by the hot water supply amount reference value calculating means 28. When the received hot water supply amount is larger, the method of displaying the hot water amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 displayed by the hot water supply amount display means 22 is changed.

  In the case of the above configuration, the display device 1 does not need to be provided with the hot water supply reference value input means 23. This means that even if the user does not input the hot water supply reference value one by one, the display device 1 issues a warning as to whether or not the hot water supply amount is used excessively. In other words, it is possible to promote instilling in the user an awareness of saving of electricity bills and an awareness of energy saving accompanying the reduction of electric power while omitting the user's effort and unnecessary setting. Thereby, the spread expansion of this system can be accelerated.

  In the above description, the memory learning means 27 and the hot water supply amount reference value calculation means 28 have been described as automatically calculating the hot water supply amount reference value, but as described above, the hot water supply amount reference value calculation means 28. The hot water supply amount reference value input means 23 displays the hot water supply amount reference value calculated by the user by using a screen or the like, and the user selects the displayed hot water supply amount reference value or the hot water supply reference value that the user wants to select. It is good also as a structure which completes the input of hot water supply reference value. In this case, if there are a plurality of hot water supply reference values calculated by the hot water supply reference value calculation means 28, the user can select an optimum hot water supply reference value from a variety of options, and a system suitable for the user's preference can be selected. Can be built.

  In the above description, the display device 1 has been described as being configured to store, learn, and calculate the hot water supply reference value. However, the heat pump water heater 2 has functions of storing, learning, and calculating, and the heat pump water heater 2 has calculated. The hot water supply amount reference value may be transmitted to the display device 1. In this case, the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 of the display device 1 receives the hot water supply amount reference value sent from the heat pump water heater 2, and based on the result, the display method changing means 25 is the hot water supply amount of the hot water supply amount display means 22. Will be changed. Furthermore, each function of storing, learning, and calculating the amount of hot water is shared between the display device 1 and the heat pump water heater 2 (for example, the heat pump water heater 2 has the function of storing and learning, and the function of calculation is the display device 1. Can also be configured.

  By the way, in the above description, the memory learning means 27 has been described so as to perform memory learning for one month, for example. However, it may be configured that the user can freely change during this period, or after the display device 1 starts using It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which memory learning is performed only for a certain period of time and the hot water supply amount reference value is determined. In addition, when memory learning is repeated every day and the hot water supply reference value calculated by the hot water supply reference value calculation means 28 is changed, the user can be notified of this.

  Furthermore, the user can also be configured to be able to invalidate the function (a function in which the display method changing unit 25 changes the hot water supply amount displayed by the hot water supply amount display unit 22 by color coding or the like) for a certain period of time. It is possible to freely build the best system according to the ease of use of the system, and to accelerate the spread of this system.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of the display device 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, 29 is a hot water supply reference value receiving means.

  A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that portions similar to those in the first and second embodiments are omitted.

  In FIG. 6, the server 3 transmits the hot water supply amount reference value to the display device 1. In the display device 1, the internal hot water supply amount reference value receiving means 29 receives this hot water supply amount reference value and outputs the result to the hot water supply amount comparison means 24. The hot water supply amount comparing means 24 compares the hot water supply reference value received by the hot water supply reference value receiving means 29 with the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply receiving means 21 and outputs the result to the display method changing means 25.

  The display method changing means 25 compares the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 with the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 and the hot water supply amount reference value calculated by the hot water supply amount reference value calculating means 28. When the received hot water supply amount is larger, the method of displaying the hot water amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 displayed by the hot water supply amount display means 22 is changed.

  In the case of the configuration as described above, the server 3 is managed by the operation department of this system, but the operation department collectively changes the hot water supply amount reference value of the display device 1 installed in each home. Is possible. This is because, for example, when a situation in which further energy saving activities should be promoted due to national policies, etc., the operation department of this system uses the server 3 to make the hot water supply standard value of each household smaller. Control.

  As a result, in the home using the display device 1, the hot water supply reference value is lowered, so that the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means 21 as a result of the comparison with the hot water supply amount comparison means 24 can exceed the hot water supply amount reference value. As a result, the possibility that the display method changing means 25 changes the hot water supply amount displayed by the hot water supply amount display means 22 (for example, displayed in red) increases. This means that the number of times the user is alerted increases, and as a result, the improvement of the user's awareness of energy saving can be accelerated.

  In addition, for example, in the case of a system in which the electricity bill of each household is calculated based on the amount of hot water used, it can be used by placing the reference hot water amount at a boundary where the electricity bill changes or a little over the reference hot water amount. However, even in such a case, the system 3 can remotely change the reference hot water supply amount from the server 3 to the display devices 1 in each home. It is possible to increase the convenience of operation and to reduce the running cost of the system (when the reference hot water supply amount cannot be changed remotely, for example, a person goes to each home and the reference hot water supply amount of the display device 1). It may be possible to rewrite or change the standard hot water supply amount by asking the user, but the former requires labor costs and the latter is difficult to ensure.)

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that a mobile phone 4 is connected to the end of the server 3, but in this case, the user can remotely install the mobile phone 4 in his home. Thus, the reference hot water supply amount of the display device 1 can be changed, so that the convenience of using the system is improved and the spread of the system can be realized.

  In addition, although it is a period during which the memory learning unit 27 described in the second embodiment performs the memory learning, this period can also be changed from the server 3. In this case, for example, when the memory learning function level of a specific home is inferior, the period during which the memory learning means 27 performs memory learning can be adjusted or changed remotely from the server 3. Improvement can be easily realized at low cost.

  In addition, the server 3 can store not only the storage learning period of the storage learning means 27 but also the maximum number of reference hot water supply amount options indicated to the user by the hot water supply amount reference value input means 23 and the hot water supply amount reference value storage means 26. The number of hot water supply reference values can also be changed remotely from the server 3, and can be easily and individually adapted to the display devices 1 that are diversified for each user. Can be realized.

  Note that the means described in this embodiment causes hardware resources such as a CPU (or microcomputer), a RAM, a ROM, a storage / recording device, an electrical / information device including an I / O, a computer, a server, and the like to cooperate. You may implement with the form of a program. In the form of a program, new functions can be easily distributed / updated and installed by recording them on a recording medium such as magnetic media or optical media or distributing them via a communication line such as the Internet.

  Since the display device and the program according to the present invention can change the hot water supply amount display method by setting or changing the hot water supply reference value, which is a measure of the hot water supply amount used by the user, The present invention can be applied not only to a “heat pump water heater” but also to a device for constructing a hot water supply system such as a “gas water heater”, a “water heater using a fuel cell”, and an “electric water heater”.

Block diagram of the entire system in Embodiments 1, 2, and 3 of the present invention 1 is a block diagram of a display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Operational Flowchart of Display Device in Embodiment 1 of the Present Invention The block diagram of the display apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention The block diagram of the display apparatus in the other example of Embodiment 2 of this invention The block diagram of the communication apparatus in Embodiment 3 of this invention Conceptual diagram of conventional usage comparison system Configuration block diagram of conventional usage comparison system

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display apparatus 2 Heat pump water heater 3 Server 4 Mobile phone 5 Bathroom hot water 6 Shower 7 Hot water a
8 Hot water supply n
9 Bathtub 10 Bathroom remote control 11 Additional remote control 12 Hot water related operation section 13 Water heater related operation section 14 Bath related operation section 15 Hot water storage tank 16 Kitchen and others 17 Bathroom 18 Hot water supply related functions 19 Bath related functions 20 Hot water related functions 21 Receiving hot water amount Means 22 Hot water supply amount display means 23 Hot water supply amount reference value input means 24 Hot water supply amount comparison means 25 Display method change means 26 Hot water supply amount reference value storage means 27 Memory learning means 28 Hot water supply amount reference value calculation means 29 Hot water supply amount reference value reception means

Claims (5)

A display device that communicates with a water heater to perform necessary operations and displays ,
Hot water supply amount receiving means for receiving information on the amount of hot water supply from the water heater;
A hot water supply amount display means for displaying information of the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means;
Memory learning means for memorizing and learning information on the amount of hot water supply during a predetermined period;
A hot water supply amount reference value calculating means for calculating at least one hot water supply amount reference value in the user's home from the result of the memory learning means storing and learning;
A hot water supply amount comparing means for comparing the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means with the hot water supply amount reference value calculated by the hot water supply amount reference value calculating means;
When the hot water supply amount received by the hot water supply amount receiving means is greater than the hot water supply amount reference value calculated by the hot water supply amount reference value calculating means , the hot water supply amount display means displays Display method changing means for changing the display method ;
A display device comprising: The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display method changing unit changes a display color or / and a background color of a hot water supply amount displayed by the hot water supply amount display unit. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display method changing unit performs a change to enlarge or reduce the display of the hot water supply amount displayed by the hot water supply amount display unit. The display device includes hot water supply amount reference value storage means having at least two or more hot water supply reference values, and the hot water supply reference value input means stores the hot water supply reference value stored in the hot water supply reference value storage means. The display device according to claim 1, wherein one hot water supply amount reference value is selected from the list. The program for making a computer perform at least one part of the display apparatus of any one of Claims 1-4 .

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