JP6079358B2 - Air conditioner remote control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a screen display of a display screen such as a liquid crystal in an air conditioner remote control device for controlling at least one indoor unit.

  For the air conditioner, a remote control device that controls the operation and settings of the indoor unit is used. For example, in the case of a medium-scale air conditioning system having about 2 to 10 indoor units, the wireless unit of each indoor unit In addition to the remote controller, a wall-mounted remote controller (centralized controller) that can control the state of a plurality of indoor units is often used.

  An example of such a remote control device is a combination of a liquid crystal panel and an operation panel in which buttons for operation are arranged by a micro switch or a sheet switch. The remote control device performs on / off of the indoor unit, switching of operation (mode) such as cooling / heating, setting of temperature, and other operations using the operation panel while displaying the state of the indoor unit on the liquid crystal panel.

  In addition, a single display for performing an operation while displaying the state of one indoor unit and a multi-display for displaying the states of a plurality of indoor units can be switched. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, there is a multi-display that can be turned on / off only by arranging LEDs 55 indicating on / off corresponding to a plurality of indoor units and on / off buttons 56 in a matrix.

For example, there is a device described in Patent Document 1 that can switch between multi-display and single-display. In order to solve the problem that the number of indoor units that can be managed by one centralized controller is limited in the case of the segment display liquid crystal, the centralized controller described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a full-dot liquid crystal panel and an operation button. A centralized controller is configured with the arranged operation panel, and has a monitor mode for displaying the operation status of each indoor unit and an operation mode for changing the setting of the indoor unit with a single display for a specific indoor unit, In the operation mode, there is disclosed a centralized controller for an air conditioner that displays only operable items on a full-dot liquid crystal panel and changes settings on the operation panel.
JP 2011-214775 A

  By the way, a wall-mounted remote control device may be installed in an environment where an unspecified number of people such as commercial facilities can operate. In such an environment, there is a possibility that a function whose setting is not desired to be changed may be operated. In the centralized controller described in Patent Document 1, it is described that items that can be operated in the general operation mode are limited. However, in this Patent Document 1, since multi-display is a standard screen, it relates to a specific indoor unit. There is a problem that it takes time until the user notices what items can be changed at the time of shifting to the general operation mode. In addition, there is a problem that it is difficult for the user to recognize that the setting can be changed because no change occurs even if the user performs an operation on an item that cannot be changed.

  In addition, the wall-mounted remote control device normally has a plurality of display modes such as a multi-display mode and a single display mode as described in Patent Document 1. Making various settings in the presence of multiple display modes is a complicated task for the administrator, and complicated steps must be taken when setting items that allow the user to change settings. In addition, there is a problem that the work is complicated for the administrator.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is easy to set an item that can be changed by the administrator, and a dedicated mode in which the user immediately notices that there are items that cannot be changed. An object of the present invention is to provide a remote control device.

  Claim 1 of the present invention has a liquid crystal panel and an operation panel on which operation buttons are arranged, and in an air conditioner remote control device for controlling at least one indoor unit, only air conditioning setting items are displayed. The display mode that consists of a display selection screen for selecting items that can be set and changed and a simple display screen that displays only the items selected on the display selection screen is designated as a general simple mode. Provided separately from the display mode, while the dedicated simple mode is set, the display screen displayed on the liquid crystal panel when the operation panel is not operated is a simple display screen, and the simple display screen is displayed. During the operation of the air conditioner, only the operation of the operation buttons related to the items whose settings can be changed is enabled, and the operation of the other operation buttons is disabled. A remote control device.

  According to claim 2 of the present invention, in addition to claim 1, when an invalid operation button is operated while the simplified display screen is displayed, the user is notified that the operation on the operation button is invalid. A remote control device for an air conditioner, characterized in that a warning screen is displayed.

  According to claim 3 of the present invention, in addition to claim 1 or 2, an item whose setting can be changed only when a predetermined special operation input is made while the simplified display screen is displayed is an air conditioning setting item. A remote control device for an air conditioner, characterized in that a display selection screen selectable from the inside is displayed.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a display selection screen for displaying only the air-conditioning setting items and selecting an item whose setting can be changed, and a simple display for displaying only the items selected on the display selection screen. A display mode configured with a screen is provided as a dedicated simple mode, which is provided separately from the normal general display mode, and the liquid crystal panel is not operated with respect to the operation panel during the setting of the dedicated simple mode. The display screen to be displayed on the screen is a simple display screen. While the simple display screen is being displayed, only the operation button operation related to the item whose setting can be changed is enabled, and the operation of other operation buttons is disabled. By making it possible to change the settings for the items to be displayed, the display is easy to understand, and the operation is disabled for items that you do not want to change the settings. Since it is, so that even allows management without complex management settings. In addition, by providing the dedicated simple mode, the administrator can easily select items whose settings can be changed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when an invalid operation button is operated while the simplified display screen is displayed, a warning screen for notifying the user that the operation for the operation button is invalid is displayed. As a result, only items that can be changed by the user are displayed and other items cannot be changed immediately, and the user repeats the operation for items that cannot be changed. This is no longer the case.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the display selection that allows the setting changeable item to be selected from the air conditioning setting items only when a predetermined special operation input is made while the simple display screen is displayed. Since the screen is displayed, there is no chance of accidental shift to the display selection screen due to an erroneous operation by the user, and management becomes easy.

It is a front view of the remote control device 10 of the air conditioner according to the present invention. It is a flowchart showing the flow of a process when some key input is performed in the state where the simple display screen is displayed. 3A and 3B show various screens displayed on the liquid crystal panel, where FIG. 3A shows a display selection screen, FIG. 3B shows a simple display screen, FIG. 3C shows a warning screen, and FIG. 3D shows a display mode selection screen. It is an image figure showing an example of the conventional multi display screen.

  An air conditioner remote control device according to the present invention includes a liquid crystal panel and an operation panel on which operation buttons are arranged. In the air conditioner remote control device for controlling at least one indoor unit, only air conditioning setting items are provided. A display mode composed of a display selection screen for selecting an item whose setting can be changed and a simple display screen for displaying only the item selected on the display selection screen as a dedicated simple mode. Provided separately from the normal general display mode, while the dedicated simple mode is set, the display screen displayed on the liquid crystal panel when the operation panel is not operated is a simple display screen, and the simple display While the screen is displayed, only the operation button operations related to the items whose settings can be changed are enabled, and the other operation button operations are disabled. To. Details will be described below.

  A remote controller for an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of an air conditioner remote control device 10 according to the present invention. In this remote control device 10, a liquid crystal panel 12 with a full dot display is arranged on the upper side of the housing 11, and an operation panel 13 in which operation buttons are arranged on the lower side. The operation panel 13 includes, for example, a central SELECT button 14, upper and lower buttons 15 and 16 disposed above and below the SELECT button 14, left and right buttons 17 and 18 disposed on the left and right, and an operation mode selection button 19 on the upper left. The wind direction adjustment button 20 at the middle left, the air volume adjustment button 21 at the lower left, the timer setting button 22 at the upper right, the power button 23 at the lower right, and the like.

  The remote control device 10 is connected to the outdoor unit and the indoor unit by wire or wirelessly, and stores a microcomputer that controls signals to the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, timer setting information, setting temperature information, and the like. And a memory. The remote control device 10 is also used as a remote control device for controlling the operation of a plurality of indoor units. The multi-display for simultaneously displaying the states of the plurality of indoor units and the state of one indoor unit In addition to the general display mode for switching between the single display and the multi display, the present invention further simplifies the setting by the administrator and the display to the user. It is characterized by a special special simple mode.

  The dedicated simple mode is a special mode that is out of the general display mode, and a simple display screen that displays only items whose settings can be changed among the conditions of a specific indoor unit is a default screen display, and The operation screen displayed to the administrator who selects the items to be displayed on the simple display screen is also simplified for easy understanding. The transition from the general display mode to the dedicated simple mode is based on, for example, a special input operation. In the following description, the operation after the transition to the special dedicated simple mode will be described.

  In the normal general display mode, the remote control device 10 is operated by switching various display screens. In the dedicated simple mode of the present invention, the remote control device 10 is included in the situation of a specific indoor unit. The simple display screen that displays only the items that can be changed is set as the default screen display. When a special input operation is performed on this simple display screen, the administrator can easily select the items to be displayed on the simple display screen. It is possible to shift to the display selection screen in the simple mode, and when an operation other than that is performed, an alert screen is displayed without accepting an operation input.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the simple display screen displays, for example, only an operation mode and a set temperature at which settings can be changed. The flow of processing when any key input is made while the simplified display screen is displayed will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 2, when a key input (S202) is performed in a state where the simple display screen is displayed (S201), it is determined whether or not the key input is “special key input” (S203). Here, the special key input is a special input operation different from normal key input. For example, a case where the operation mode selection button 19 and the wind direction adjustment button 20 are simultaneously pressed for a long time is recognized as a special key input. Only when a special key is input, the display selection screen is displayed (S204).

  The display selection screen is, for example, a screen as shown in FIG. 3A, and is a screen for selecting items to be displayed on the simplified display screen and items whose settings can be changed from the air conditioning setting items. This display selection screen is a screen unique to the dedicated simple mode in which only the air conditioning setting items are extracted so that the administrator can easily set them. Examples of selection items on the display selection screen include air conditioning setting items such as an operation mode setting 24, a temperature setting 25, an air volume setting 26, and an air direction setting 27. In the front view shown in FIG. 1, an operation mode setting 24 and a temperature setting 25 are displayed. Here, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the operation mode setting 24 is unchecked and the item selection is changed so that only the temperature setting 25 is checked (S205), FIG. As shown, the screen changes to a simple display screen on which only the temperature setting 25 is displayed.

  If a key input other than the special key input is made while the simple display screen is displayed, it is determined whether or not the key input is a key input related to a display item (S206). As shown in FIG. 3B, when the display item is only the temperature setting 25, only the up and down buttons 15 and 16, which are key inputs relating to the temperature setting, are recognized as valid key inputs (S207). The set temperature is changed according to (S208). However, if the key input is a key input other than the up and down buttons 15 and 16 relating to the temperature setting, the key input becomes invalid (S209). Then, in order to notify the user who is performing the operation that the key input is invalid, as shown in FIG. 3C, the screen is switched to a warning screen displaying a warning 28 (S210). Then, after displaying the alert 28 for a certain time, the screen returns to the simple display screen (S201).

  As described above, according to the remote control device of the present embodiment, the dedicated selection mode is newly provided and the display selection screen in which only the air conditioning setting items are extracted is adopted. The administrator can easily set items that can be changed. In addition, the display screen in the dedicated simple mode is a simple display screen consisting of only items whose settings can be changed among the air conditioning setting items, and only key inputs related to the items whose settings can be changed are valid, and other key inputs are invalid. By doing this, it is possible to immediately notify the user that only items whose settings can be changed are displayed and other items cannot be changed. As a result, the user does not repeat operations for items that cannot be changed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the condition for shifting from the state in which the simple display screen is displayed to the display selection screen in the dedicated simple mode has been described as special key input (long press), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the display selection screen may be entered by inputting a correct password. That is, any special input operation that does not accidentally shift to the display selection screen due to an erroneous operation by the user may be performed.

In the above embodiment, the description has been made assuming that the dedicated simple mode is set from the beginning, but it is naturally possible to shift to the general display mode. For example, when the simple display screen is displayed, a special input operation (an operation different from the transition to the display selection screen) is performed to shift to the display mode selection screen as shown in FIG. To. In this display mode selection screen, a check box that can select only one of the general display mode 29 and the dedicated simple mode 30 is configured, and the display mode is changed by selecting one of the display modes. Can do. With such a configuration, the administrator switches to the general display mode 29 to perform various settings in order to perform more detailed settings, and enters the dedicated simple mode 30 so that the settings are not easily changed after the settings are made. Switching operation becomes possible.
In addition, the “general display mode” in the present invention represents all display modes other than the dedicated simple mode, and various display modes are assumed as well as those capable of single display and multiple display. Needless to say.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Remote control device, 11 ... Housing | casing, 12 ... Liquid crystal panel, 13 ... Operation button, 14 ... SELECT button, 15 ... Up button, 16 ... Down button, 17 ... Left button, 18 ... Right button, 19 ... Operation mode selection Button 20 ... Air volume adjustment button 21 ... Air direction adjustment button 22 ... Timer setting button 23 ... Power button 24 ... Operation mode setting 25 ... Temperature setting 26 ... Air volume setting 27 ... Air direction setting 28 ... Awareness 29 ... General display mode, 30 ... Dedicated simple mode.

Claims (3)

In an air conditioner remote control device for controlling at least one indoor unit having a liquid crystal panel and an operation panel having operation buttons arranged therein,
Dedicated display mode consisting of a display selection screen for displaying only air-conditioning setting items and selecting items that can be changed from among them, and a simple display screen for displaying only the items selected on the display selection screen As a simple mode, it is provided separately from the normal general display mode,
During the dedicated simple mode setting, the display screen displayed on the liquid crystal panel in a state where the operation panel is not operated is a simple display screen,
A remote control device for an air conditioner, wherein only the operation of the operation button relating to the item whose setting can be changed is enabled and the operation of the other operation buttons is disabled while the simple display screen is displayed.   When an invalid operation button is operated while the simplified display screen is displayed, a warning screen for notifying the user that the operation on the operation button is invalid is displayed. Item 2. A remote control device for an air conditioner according to Item 1.   Only when a predetermined special operation input is made while displaying the simplified display screen, a display selection screen that allows selection of an item whose setting can be changed from the air conditioning setting items is displayed. The remote control device for an air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2.

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