JPH1013966A - Facility equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To remotely monitor abnormality in the facility equipment with a simple device in a maintenance system of the facility equipment, such as an air conditioner, hot-water supply, heater facility equipment, etc., which are installed in a dwelling house. SOLUTION: A facility equipment main body 9 is provided with a ROM 13 which registers equipment information, such as an item number of the body 9, etc., and customer information as character information, and the character information is sent out to a public communication line 10 through a line interface 15 from a communication control means 14 which adds the character information of the ROM 13 to facility equipment abnormality information (abnormal code), that is sent from a control means 16 of the body 9. Therefore, a general- purpose receiving terminals device (facsimile receiver, etc.,) can receive as character information at a sales point.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a maintenance system for equipment such as air-conditioning equipment and hot water supply / heating equipment installed in a house, and more particularly to equipment for remotely monitoring an abnormality of equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this kind of equipment is generally as shown in FIG. This equipment is an equipment main body 1 such as an air conditioner or a water heater using electricity or gas.
An abnormality detecting means 2 provided in the equipment main body 1, a modem 3 (a modem for transmitting data of abnormality information to a telephone line), and information from the equipment main body through a public communication line 4 for 24 hours. It has a monitoring center 5 for monitoring.
If any abnormality occurs in the equipment main body 1, information is output from the equipment main body 1 to the modem 3 at that time, and the abnormality information is immediately transmitted to the monitoring center 5 through the public communication line 4. In addition, the content of the abnormality is grasped from the abnormality code (a number expressing the content of the abnormality) which is the abnormality information from the equipment main body 1.

[0003]

However, in the conventional configuration, an abnormality of a monitoring target device programmed in advance in the equipment main body 1 itself is transmitted from the equipment main body 1 side. (For example, temperature sensor and fan motor) and certain abnormal phenomena (for example, the room temperature does not rise despite heating operation)
Abnormal code (such as a number) information such as an information exchange code is transmitted together with a command using alphabets or the like as a meaningful unit. Then, data communication was performed with the computer of the monitoring center 5.

Therefore, a dedicated computer is installed in the monitoring center 5 and information on the installation date of the equipment 1 necessary for maintenance, for example, is obtained from the contractor and registered in the computer of the monitoring center 5. In addition, there is a problem that registration and management of an address for customer management, an installation date, and the like are enormous, and that capital investment is required.

[0005] Further, there is a problem that it is impossible to confirm whether or not the maintenance contractor has taken measures against the abnormality while staying there.

Also, management of the failure history, the number of years elapsed since installation, and the like were necessary, but could not be managed sufficiently if the dealer and the construction company were different.

[0007]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a ROM for registering equipment information such as a part number of the equipment and customer information as character information is provided in the equipment, and The character information in the ROM is added to the abnormality information (error code) of the equipment main body sent from the control means. The character information is sent from the communication control means to the public communication line via the line interface. Therefore, a general-purpose receiving terminal (fax receiver) can receive as character information at the sales base of the equipment.

According to the above-mentioned invention, there is no need to construct a dedicated center device such as a center facility or a monitoring staff as in the prior art, so that it is not necessary to outsource to a wide area monitoring center.
A system can be constructed inexpensively for each sales base that manages customers.

Further, by providing a completion switch on the equipment main body side, it is possible to know whether maintenance has been completed or not while staying at the sales base. Furthermore, by providing a prohibition unit that prohibits the operation of the equipment if the information necessary for the maintenance of the equipment itself is not registered in the ROM, the registration management of the installer can be surely managed, which enables prompt maintenance support. Becomes possible.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention relates to a control means for an equipment main body having an abnormality detecting means for detecting a component failure or an abnormal operation of the equipment main body, and a character string for equipment information such as a part number of the equipment or customer information. A ROM in which information is registered, communication control means for transmitting equipment error information (error code) and character information of the ROM sent from the control means of the equipment main body to a public communication line, and a line connected to the public communication line Interface.

When the abnormality detecting means of the control means of the equipment main body detects the abnormality, the abnormality code is sent to the communication control means. The communication control means adds character information, such as the equipment number, installation date, address, name, and contractor, registered in the ROM in advance to the abnormality code of the control means of the equipment main body, and dials the notification destination telephone number. Performs a ring and sends information to the sales base via a public communication line.

The character information can be received by a general-purpose receiving terminal (such as a fax receiver). At the sales base, information such as the installation date, address, name, etc. can be immediately understood, and it becomes possible to respond to customers.

Further, the equipment main body has a maintenance completion switch. Until the completion switch is operated, the control means of the equipment main body sends the abnormal code to the communication control means at predetermined time intervals, and the communication control means sends the information to the sales base at the predetermined time intervals. Since the data is sent out, the sales base can know whether maintenance has been completed or not completed.

Further, the equipment main body has a prohibition means for prohibiting the operation of the control means of the equipment main body when an item to be registered in the ROM is not registered.

And customer information necessary for maintenance,
The product number, installation date, address, name, installation work information, etc. can be reliably managed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the entire equipment and monitoring system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the equipment main body.

In FIG. 1, the equipment main body 9 is a customer house 6.
Is connected to the automatic switch 7 of the public communication line 10.
The automatic switch 7 is a general-purpose switch, and automatically switches between the home telephone 8 and the equipment main body 9. A general-purpose fax receiver is installed as a receiving terminal 12 in the customer home 6 and the sales base 11.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the equipment 9 such as an air conditioner and a water heater. Reference numeral 16 denotes a control unit of the equipment main body 9, which is configured to transmit abnormality detection means for detecting a component failure or an abnormal phenomenon of the equipment and equipment information (error code) corresponding thereto. After the occurrence of the abnormality, the completion switch 1 operated after the completion of the maintenance.
Until the device 7 is operated, the abnormality information is sent to the communication control means 14 at predetermined time intervals. Reference numeral 18 denotes a prohibition means which is input to the control means 16 of the equipment main body 9 and prohibits the operation of the equipment main body 9 by this signal.

Reference numeral 14 denotes communication control means for adding character information in the ROM 13 to abnormal information from the control means 16 of the equipment main body 9 to perform dialing and data communication. When the necessary information is not registered in the ROM 13, a prohibition signal is sent to the prohibition means 18.

A line interface 15 is connected to the public communication line 10. The ROM 13 can register device information such as the product number of the equipment main body 9 and customer information from the data writing terminal 20.

Next, the operation and the operation will be described. When some abnormality information is transmitted from the control means 16 of the equipment 9 used, the communication control means 14
The character information is read out, dialing is started by adding the information, and data is transmitted to the public communication line 10. Until the maintenance completion switch 17 is operated, the abnormality information is transmitted to the sales base 11 every predetermined time.

When the completion switch 17 is operated after the maintenance or at the start of the maintenance, the transmission of the abnormality information from the control means 16 of the equipment 9 stops, and the sales base 11 knows that the completion switch 17 has been operated.

Further, when installing the equipment body 9, RO
If the necessary information is not registered in M13, the communication control means 14 sends a prohibition signal to the prohibition means 18 to prohibit the operation of the equipment 9 and the necessary registration information is managed in the ROM 13. become.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, a ROM for registering equipment information such as a part number of an equipment and customer information as character information is provided in the equipment main body. ROM for transmitted equipment error information
The character information is transmitted from the communication control means for adding the character information to the public communication line via the line interface.

Therefore, the sales base can receive as character information with a general-purpose receiving terminal (such as a fax receiver), and there is no need to construct a dedicated center device such as a center facility or a monitoring staff as in the related art, so that a wide area can be used. A system can be constructed inexpensively at the unit of each sales base that manages customers without entrusting the monitoring center.

Further, by providing a completion switch on the equipment body side, it is possible to confirm the completion and non-completion of the maintenance while staying at the sales base, and to ensure the maintenance.

Furthermore, since the prohibition means for prohibiting the operation of the equipment main body is provided unless the information necessary for the maintenance of the equipment main body is registered in the ROM, the registration management of the installer can be surely performed. This enables prompt maintenance support.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an equipment main body and an entire monitoring system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the equipment main body.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional equipment management apparatus;

[Explanation of symbols]

 9 Facility equipment body 13 ROM 14 Communication control means 15 Line interface 16 Control means 17 Completion switch 18 Prohibition means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Satoshi Morita 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] A control unit for controlling the equipment unit, the control unit including an abnormality detection unit configured to detect a component failure or abnormal operation of the equipment unit;
ROM in which character information such as customer information and equipment information such as the part number of the equipment is registered, and communication control means for transmitting equipment equipment abnormality information and character information of the ROM transmitted from the control means to a public communication line, Equipment having a line interface connected to a public communication line. 2. The equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a completion switch, and a control unit of the equipment main body for transmitting abnormality information at predetermined time intervals until the completion switch is operated. 3. If there is unregistered data required for maintenance in a ROM in which character information such as product number, installation date, address, name, and construction contractor can be registered from a data writing terminal, operation of the equipment is prohibited. Claim 1 which has a prohibition means to perform
Or the equipment described in 2.