JPWO2020040125A1 - Air conditioner system, control method of air conditioner system, and air conditioner system control program - Google Patents

Abstract

It is possible to realize an air conditioner system or the like that can prompt repair requests at a timing that avoids the concentration of repair requests. Notification means for notifying the information terminal corresponding to the air conditioner to prompt the test operation of the air conditioner on a day set earlier than the day when the air conditioner is expected to be used, and for the notification. It has an instruction means for instructing the air conditioner to perform the test operation based on the instruction to start the test operation.

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioner system, a control method for the air conditioner system, and an air conditioner system control program. The present application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-157142 filed in Japan on August 24, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

In Patent Document 1 below, for an air conditioner, information on the air conditioner is displayed on the display unit of the corresponding mobile terminal, and when a predetermined operation is performed on the operation unit of the mobile terminal, the air conditioner of the air conditioner is displayed. An air conditioner system for commissioning is disclosed.

International Publication No. 2015/11203

Here, in an air conditioner, if it is stopped for a long period of time and then used again, a failure is likely to occur. In such a case, repair requests to the repair company may be concentrated, and the repair may be delayed. Therefore, an object of the present invention is, for example, to realize an air conditioner system or the like capable of prompting repair requests while avoiding the concentration of repair requests as described above.

The air conditioner system of the present invention prompts an information terminal corresponding to the air conditioner to perform a test operation of the air conditioner on a day set earlier than the day when the air conditioner is expected to be used. It is characterized by having a notification means for performing notification and an instruction means for instructing the air conditioner to perform the test operation based on an instruction for starting a test operation for the notification.

In the control method of the air conditioner system of the present invention, air is sent to the information terminal corresponding to the air conditioner on a day set by a notification means for a predetermined period earlier than the day when the air conditioner is predicted to start using. It is characterized in that the notification for prompting the test operation of the air conditioner is urged, and the air conditioner is instructed to perform the test operation based on the instruction to start the test operation for the notification by the instruction means.

The air conditioner system control program of the present invention performs a test operation of the air conditioner on an information terminal corresponding to the air conditioner on a day set earlier than the day when the air conditioner is predicted to be used. It is characterized in that the computer system functions as a notification means for instructing the air conditioner to perform a test operation based on the notification means for instructing the notification to start the test operation for the notification.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline of the system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows the process flow of the system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the test operation information and the notification information. It is a figure which shows an example of the display which urges the user to perform a test run. It is a figure which shows an example of the display which informs a user of a test result. It is a flow chart which shows a part of the processing flow of the system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.
<First Embodiment>

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a control block diagram showing a configuration of the entire system according to the first embodiment and a main part of a control system of each constituent device.

First, the configuration of the entire system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The system 1 includes an information processing device connected via a network 2, a server 3 as an example, an information terminal, a smartphone 4 as an example, an air conditioner, an air conditioner 5 as an example, and a repair reception server 6. The network 2 is, for example, the Internet or WiFi. In the air conditioner 5, for example, an outdoor unit equipped with an outdoor heat exchanger and an indoor unit equipped with an indoor heat exchanger are connected by a refrigerant pipe, and the refrigerant is circulated by a compressor to adjust the indoor temperature and humidity. It is a device for.

The server 3 includes, for example, a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, and a clock unit 34.

The control unit 31 of the server 3 executes various types of information processing according to a program stored in the storage unit 32, for example, which is a CPU. Further, the control unit 31 is connected to the network 2 via the communication unit 33. Here, the control unit 31 functionally includes, for example, a notification unit that performs notification described later, an instruction unit that instructs test operation, and an abnormality information acquisition unit that acquires abnormality information, and also acquires state information. It may include a state information acquisition unit and a notification unit. Here, the notification unit notifies the information terminal corresponding to the air conditioner to test-operate the air conditioner on a day set earlier than the day when the air conditioner is predicted to start using. I do. The instruction unit notifies the information terminal corresponding to the air conditioner to prompt the test operation of the air conditioner on the day set earlier than the day when the air conditioner is predicted to start using. The abnormality information acquisition unit acquires abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the air conditioner, which is acquired based on the test operation of the air conditioner. The state information acquisition unit acquires state information indicating that the air conditioner is in a state different from the preset state, which is acquired based on the test operation of the air conditioner. The notification unit notifies the information terminal of the abnormality information and / and the status information.

The storage unit 32 of the server 3 includes, for example, a memory element such as a RAM or a flash, a hard disk, or the like. The storage unit 32 holds a program executed by the control unit 31 and various types of data. The storage unit 32 also operates as a work memory for the control unit 31.

The communication unit 33 of the server 3 is a network interface such as a LAN card or a WiFi adapter, and transmits / receives information to / from the server 3 via a network such as a LAN or WiFi. The clock unit 34 measures the time.

The smartphone 4 includes, for example, a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, a communication unit 43, a display unit 44, and an operation unit 45. The control unit 41, the storage unit 42, and the communication unit 43 have the same configurations as the control unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the communication unit 33, respectively. The control unit 41 functionally has an instruction means.

The display unit 44 of the smartphone 4 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like, and displays information according to an instruction from the control unit 41. The operation unit 45 is, for example, a touch panel, and receives an instruction operation by the user and outputs the content of the instruction operation to the control unit 41. In the case of a touch panel display, the display unit 44 and the operation unit 45 are integrated.

The air conditioner 5 includes, for example, a control unit 51, a storage unit 52, a communication unit 53, an indoor temperature sensor 54, an outside air temperature sensor 55, an indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 59, an outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 60, a compressor 56, and an indoor fan. 57, including an outdoor fan 58. The control unit 51, the storage unit 52, and the communication unit 53 have the same configuration as the control unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the communication unit 33, respectively. The control unit 51 functionally has an abnormality information acquisition means, a notification means, and a state information acquisition means.

The control unit 51 of the air conditioner 5 receives detection signals from the indoor temperature sensor 54, the outside air temperature sensor 55, the indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 59, the outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 60, and the like, and receives the detection signals from the compressor 56, the indoor fan 57, and the like. The drive signal is output to the outdoor fan 58 or the like. The indoor temperature sensor 54 detects the temperature inside the air-conditioned space, and the outside air temperature sensor 55 detects the temperature of the outside air. The indoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 59 detects the temperature of the indoor heat exchanger (not shown), and the outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 60 detects the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger (not shown).

The compressor 56 of the air conditioner 5 compresses the refrigerant circulating between the indoor heat exchanger (not shown) and the outdoor heat exchanger (not shown) connected by a refrigerant pipe (not shown). The indoor heat exchanger exchanges heat between the indoor air and the refrigerant, and the outdoor heat exchanger exchanges heat between the outdoor air and the refrigerant. The indoor fan 57 circulates the indoor air, which is the air-conditioned space, and promotes the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the indoor air performed via the indoor heat exchanger. The outdoor fan 58 circulates the outside air and promotes heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outdoor air performed via the outdoor heat exchanger.

In the above description, the server, the air conditioner, and the smartphone have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the smartphone may be another information terminal such as a tablet terminal or a mobile terminal.

The repair reception server 6 includes, for example, a control unit 61, a storage unit 62, and a communication unit 63. The control unit 61, the storage unit 62, and the communication unit 63 have the same configurations as the control unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the communication unit 33, respectively.

Next, the flow of processing executed by the system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an example of the processing flow. The system 1 according to this embodiment is realized by the server 3, the repair reception server 6, the smartphone 4, and the air conditioner 5 in cooperation with each other.

In the test operation information acquisition step (S101), the control unit 31 of the server 3 provides the test operation information including the information necessary for notifying the information terminal corresponding to the air conditioner to prompt the test operation of the air conditioner. Obtained from the storage unit 32.

Here, the test operation information includes, for example, air conditioner identification information, notification date information, test mode information, notification content information, and notification destination identification information, which will be described later. The test operation information is set, for example, at the time of factory shipment of the air conditioner 5 or at the time of installation, but the present invention is not limited to this.

The air conditioner identification information is information for identifying which air conditioner is to be tested. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, it is represented by AC1. The notification date information represents a date (hereinafter referred to as a notification date) for notifying the smartphone 4 to prompt the test operation. Here, the notification date is set a predetermined period earlier than the date when the air conditioner is expected to start using. For example, the notification date information is represented by 5/5 as shown in FIG. 3A, and 5/5 represents May 5. Although the notification date information has been described in terms of days, the information is not limited to this, and may include hours and minutes. The test mode information is test mode information indicating whether the mode of the test operation is, for example, a cooling operation mode representing a test operation of the cooling operation or a heating operation mode representing a test operation of the heating operation. For example, it is identified by TM1 or the like. Specifically, for example, TM1 in FIG. 3A indicates that the mode of the test operation is the cooling operation mode. The notification content information is information indicating what kind of content is to be notified to the smartphone 4, and is identified by, for example, MS1. For example, MS1 in FIG. 3A represents a notification prompting a test run for the summer. The notification destination identification information is information for identifying which smartphone 4 to send the notification information to, and is represented by, for example, SP1 or the like, as shown in FIG. 3A.

In the current date acquisition step (S102), the control unit 31 of the server 3 acquires information representing the current date. For example, the information is acquired from the clock unit 34.

In the notification date / current date comparison step (S103), the control unit 31 of the server 3 compares the date indicated by the notification date information included in the test operation information acquired in S101 with the date indicated by the information representing the current date acquired in S102. do.

In the notification information notification step (S104), the control unit 31 of the server 3 performs the test operation acquired in S101 when the date indicated by the notification date information included in the test operation information acquired in S101 matches the current date. The notification information is notified to the smartphone 4 indicated by the notification destination identification information included in the information. The notification information includes, for example, air conditioner identification information, test mode information, and notification content information included in the test operation information acquired in S101. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 3B, the broadcast information includes AC1, TM1, and MS1.

In the test operation notification step (S105), the control unit 41 of the smartphone 4 notifies the user to perform a test operation of the air conditioner 5. Specifically, the user is notified by displaying on the display unit 44 based on the notification information received from the server 3 in S104. More specifically, for example, according to the notification content information MS1 included in the notification information received in S104, the control unit 41 displays the display unit 44, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, "It's about time for cooling. Please perform a trial run and check if there are any problems. ”, And when you touch“ Press and display further ”in FIG. 4 (a), the control unit 41 will display as shown in FIG. 4 (b). Configure to. Here, the display of FIG. 4B displays the content of the notification prompting the test operation of the more detailed air conditioner 5. Further, it may be configured to display which air conditioner 5 is prompting the test operation according to the air conditioner identification information included in the notification information received in S104. In such a case, when a plurality of air conditioners are installed in one house, the user can identify which air conditioner 5 is prompted for the test operation.

In the test operation instruction step (S106), the control unit 41 of the smartphone 4 receives the display of S105, for example, and performs a test operation on the air conditioner 5 according to predetermined operation information based on the operation of the user. (S107). For example, when the user touches “Yes” displayed on the touch panel of the smartphone 4, specifically, “Yes” in FIG. 4B, the air conditioner identification information included in the notification information received in S105 indicates. The air conditioner 5 is configured to notify the test mode information included in the notification information received in S105.

In the test condition acquisition step (S108), the control unit 51 of the air conditioner 5 receives the test mode information notified from the smartphone 4 in S107, and acquires the test condition information from, for example, the storage unit 52 based on the test mode information. Here, the test condition information is information representing the conditions for test operation of the air conditioner 5, and the test condition information is associated with each test mode information.

Specifically, the test mode information represents, for example, setting the mode of the test operation to the cooling operation mode as described above. Then, the test condition information associated with the test mode indicates that, for example, the cooling minimum temperature setting is set to 18 ° C. The test condition information is not limited to this, and may further include other information such as test operation time. Specifically, the test operation time is, for example, 30 minutes. The test condition information is set in the storage unit 52 in advance by, for example, the manufacturer of the air conditioner 5. Further, although the case where the test condition information is acquired from the storage unit 52 of the air conditioner 5 has been described, the test condition information is acquired by the smartphone 4 or the server 3 and added to the test mode information notified in S107 so as to be notified to the air conditioner 5. It may be configured as.

In the test operation execution step (S109), the control unit 51 of the air conditioner 5 controls each unit of the air conditioner 5 under the conditions indicated by the test condition information acquired in S108, and performs a test operation.

In the test result acquisition step (S110), the control unit 51 of the air conditioner 5 acquires abnormality information indicating what kind of abnormality occurs when some abnormality occurs during the test operation. Here, the air conditioner 5 is configured so that the control unit 51 acquires the abnormality information when some abnormality occurs during the test operation. Here, the abnormality information is represented by, for example, ER1, ER2, or ER0, and ER1 indicates, for example, that the compressor 56 does not start. ER2 indicates, for example, that the outdoor fan 58 is not rotating. If no abnormality occurs in any of the units of the air conditioner 5, the control unit 51 acquires, for example, ER0. Note that ER0 indicates that no abnormality has occurred in any of the units.

In the test operation result notification step (S111), the control unit 51 of the air conditioner 5 notifies the smartphone 4 instructing the test operation in S107 of the test result information indicating the result of the test operation. The test result information includes, for example, the abnormality information acquired in S110 and the air conditioner identification information for identifying the air conditioner 5 that has been subjected to the test operation. For example, the air conditioner identification information is stored in the storage unit of the air conditioner 5, and the air conditioner identification information is acquired.

In the test result notification step (S112), the smartphone 4 notifies the user of which air conditioner 5 has caused an abnormality. Specifically, for example, the control unit 41 of the smartphone 4 receives the test result information sent from the air conditioner 5 in S111, and displays the result of the test operation to the user based on the abnormality information included in the test result information. The user is notified by displaying it on the unit 44.

For example, in S112, when, for example, when the abnormality information indicating that no abnormality has occurred in any unit of the air conditioner 5 is received, the control unit 41 of the smartphone 4 displays the display unit 44 in FIG. 5 (a). ) Is displayed as "No error occurred in the air conditioner itself." On the other hand, for example, when abnormal information indicating that the compressor 56 does not start is received, the control unit 41 seems to have an error on the display unit 44 as shown in FIG. 5 (b). Please check the details of the error content from the following URL. "

In the repair instruction step (S113), the control unit 41 of the smartphone 4 notifies the repair instruction information instructing the repair of the air conditioner 5 according to the operation of the user. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 5C, in the case of displaying on the display unit 44, when the user touches "Yes", the repair instructing the air conditioner 5 to be repaired. Notify the instruction information. The repair instruction information includes, for example, air conditioner identification information and abnormality information included in the test result information notified in S111, and repair instruction source identification information. The repair instruction source identification information is information for identifying the smartphone 4 that notifies the repair instruction, and is used for returning information indicating that the repair instruction information has been received in S117. For example, the repair instruction source identification information is stored in the smartphone 4, and in this case, the repair instruction source identification information is acquired. In this case, the repair instructing the repair of the air conditioner 5 is performed only by touching the smartphone. Since the instruction information is notified, it is possible to easily request a test run or repair.

The control unit 41 of the smartphone 4 notifies the server 3 of the repair instruction information acquired in S113 based on the instruction for repairing the air conditioner 5 in S113 (S114).

In the repair instruction receiving step (S115), the control unit 31 of the server 3 receives the repair instruction information notified from the smartphone 4 in S114, and notifies the repair company of the repair (S116). For example, the repair company's server is notified of the repair instruction information. If there are multiple repair companies and each has a server, the repair company information that associates the repair company with each air conditioner identification information can be determined as to which repair company's server the repair instruction information is sent to. The server of the repair company shown may be notified. The repair company information may be set in advance based on the geographical location of the air conditioner and the repair company, or may be dynamically set depending on the waiting time for receiving the repair request of the repair company and repairing. , Not limited to these.

In the repair instruction acquisition step (S117), the repair reception server 6 acquires the repair instruction information notified from the server 3 in S116. The repair reception server 6 transmits the acquired repair instruction information to, for example, a system that manages repairs by a repair company, and arranges repairs. It should be noted that the repair instruction of the repair instruction information received in S116 includes the information indicating that the repair instruction information has been received, the waiting time until the repair is received and repaired, and the information indicating the date and time when the repair can be performed. It may be configured to notify the smartphone 4 indicated by the original identification information.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to realize an air conditioner system or the like that can prompt repair requests at a timing that avoids concentration of repair requests.

The above embodiment is an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above, the case where the notification date is set earlier than the date when the air conditioner is predicted to be used has been described, but the notification date is the area where the air conditioner is installed or the area where the air conditioner is installed. The above-mentioned predetermined period may be set to be different for each place according to the climate of the area or the like. This makes it possible to set a notification date according to the climate of each region. Further, the predetermined period may be configured to be set by a random number. This can further avoid the concentration of repair requests.
<Second embodiment>

In the second embodiment, in the first embodiment, the notification date notified to the smartphone 4 is set to be a predetermined period earlier than the date when the air conditioner is predicted to start using. The main difference is that it determines the date on which the air conditioner is expected to be put into service based on weather information.

As for the configuration of the entire system, for example, a weather information server (not shown) that provides weather information of a weather information providing organization is added to FIG. 2 shown in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of a processing flow showing a portion different from the first embodiment in the processing flow executed by the system 1 according to the second embodiment. Specifically, for example, the processes of S201 to S203 are performed before S101.

In the air conditioner position information acquisition step (S201), the control unit 31 of the server 3 acquires the air conditioner position information which is information indicating the position of the air conditioner 5. The air conditioner position information is associated with, for example, the air conditioner position information for each air conditioner. The position information of the air conditioner is set in advance and is stored in, for example, the storage unit 32 of the server 3. Specifically, for example, when the air conditioner 5 is installed, the application software is installed on the smartphone 4, the application software registers the identification information of the air conditioner 5 on the server 3, and the location information held by the smartphone 4 is registered. This is done by registering with the server 3.

In the weather information acquisition step (S202), the control unit 31 of the server 3 acquires the weather information of the area corresponding to the position information of the air conditioner. For example, the meteorological information is obtained by acquiring the meteorological information of the area corresponding to the position information of the air conditioner from the meteorological server.

In the notification date setting step (S203), the control unit 31 of the server 3 determines the date (predicted date) when the air conditioner 5 is expected to start using, based on the weather information acquired in S202. Specifically, for example, the predicted date is determined to be 40 days after the 3rd consecutive day when the average temperature exceeds 16 ° C. at the position indicated by the air conditioner position information. It is not something that is done. Then, a day earlier than the day determined to start use is determined as the notification date information in the first embodiment.

After setting the notification date in the notification date setting step (S203), the process proceeds to step S101 of the first embodiment. The subsequent processing flow is the same as that of the first embodiment.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to realize an air conditioner system or the like that can prompt repair requests at a timing that avoids concentration of repair requests. Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prompt a repair request based on the weather information corresponding to the position of the air conditioner.

The above embodiment is an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications are possible.
<Third embodiment>

In the first embodiment, the test result information sent from the air conditioner 5 to the smartphone 4 has been described in the case of notifying the abnormality information, but the third embodiment is acquired based on the test operation of the air conditioner. In addition, the state information indicating that the air conditioner is in a state different from the preset state is left unattended. Here, the state information is, for example, information indicating that some trouble may occur in the near future, and consumables such as a filter are time to be replaced, although they are not judged to be abnormal. Corresponds to the information representing.

In the present embodiment, the flow of processing executed by the system 1 is different from, for example, in S110 in FIG. 2 shown in the first embodiment, that the above state information is acquired, but other points. , Therefore, detailed description will be omitted.

According to the present embodiment, for example, it is possible to notify information indicating that there is a high possibility that some kind of trouble will occur in the future, although it is not so much that it is determined to be abnormal, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the trouble.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, it can be replaced with a configuration that is substantially the same as the configuration shown in the above embodiment, a configuration that exhibits the same action and effect, or a configuration that can achieve the same purpose. For example, the first to third embodiments may be used in combination with each other. More specifically, for example, it may be configured to notify the state information in addition to the abnormality information.

Further, in the above description, as an example of the information processing device, a server has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the information processing device may be a smartphone or an air conditioner. .. Further, although the case where the notification to the user is displayed on the display unit of the smartphone has been described, the notification is not limited to these, and may be configured to notify by voice.

Claims (6)

On a day set earlier than the day when the air conditioner is predicted to start using, the information terminal corresponding to the air conditioner is notified to prompt the test operation of the air conditioner, and the notification means.
Based on the instruction to start the test operation in response to the notification, the instruction means for instructing the air conditioner to perform the test operation, and
An air conditioner system characterized by having. The air conditioner system further
An abnormality information acquisition means for acquiring abnormality information indicating an abnormality of the air conditioner acquired based on the test operation of the air conditioner, and
A notification means for notifying the information terminal of the abnormal information, and
The air conditioner system according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner system is provided. The air conditioner system further
A state information acquisition means for acquiring state information indicating that the air conditioner is in a state different from a preset state, which is acquired based on the test operation of the air conditioner, and
A notification means for notifying the information terminal of the state information, and
The air conditioner system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air conditioner system has. The air conditioner system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the date on which the air conditioner is expected to be used is determined based on the weather information. The notification means prompts the information terminal corresponding to the air conditioner to notify the information terminal corresponding to the air conditioner to prompt the test operation of the air conditioner on the day set earlier than the day when the air conditioner is predicted to start using. ,
The instruction means instructs the air conditioner to perform the test operation based on the instruction to start the test operation in response to the notification.
A method of controlling an air conditioner system, which is characterized by the fact that. On a day set earlier than the day when the air conditioner is predicted to start using, the information terminal corresponding to the air conditioner is notified to prompt the test operation of the air conditioner, and the notification means.
Based on the instruction to start the test operation in response to the notification, the instruction means for instructing the air conditioner to perform the test operation, and
An air conditioner system control program characterized by the functioning of a computer system.

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