KR101638357B1 - Boiler and control methood thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a boiler and a control method thereof, which includes a main body for supplying hot water and heating water by burning gaseous fuel, and a remote controller for receiving an operation command to control operation of the main body, A display unit for displaying an operation state and an operation menu of the boiler, a communication module for communicating with the wireless connection device, a camera module for photographing the indoor foreground, And a controller for controlling the driving of each device provided on the remote controller. The remote controller is provided with a camera module for photographing the indoor panoramic image, and the image information photographed through the communication module is transmitted to the user's smart phone, The effect can be obtained that the room state can be confirmed in real time by transmitting to the server.

Description

[0001] BOILER AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a boiler and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a boiler for providing an additional function using a camera and a communication module provided in a remote controller, and a control method thereof.

Generally, a boiler is a heater in which a main control unit for controlling an operation unit for generating hot water and heating water according to information set by a remote control installed in a room is provided in a main body and a heating water sensing unit for sensing the temperature of heating water .

The remote control is installed in a room such as a living room and through the LCD window provided on the front of the case under the control of a control unit provided inside the remote control, the operation state information such as heating, hot water, Selectively display.

The set temperature is set by operation of a temperature setting button and a temperature change button provided on the front face of the remote controller, and the current temperature is set by the heating water of the boiler and the current heating water sensed by the hot water sensing unit, , The room temperature is inputted to the control unit through the main control unit and displayed on the LCD window.

However, since the set temperature and the current temperature are not displayed simultaneously, there arises a problem that inconvenience occurs in use.

In addition, when the user sets the heating temperature, the user can not recognize the current temperature of the heating water and can not recognize the current temperature of the room when setting the room temperature, so that the temperature is unreasonably set.

In order to solve such a problem, the present applicant has disclosed a technology relating to a remote controller for a boiler in many patent documents 1 and 2 and filed a patent application.

Patent Document 1 discloses a current temperature sensing step of sensing a current temperature of heating water when a heating temperature setting button provided on a remote controller of a boiler is operated and detecting a current temperature of a room when a room temperature setting button is operated, A current temperature display step for displaying the current temperature sensed in the LCD window of the remote controller by replacing the existing current temperature, a temperature change button for displaying the current temperature in the LCD screen when the temperature change button of the remote controller is operated, And a set temperature display step of displaying the set temperature changed in accordance with the operation of the LCD panel in the LCD window, so that the temperature setting of the heating temperature and the room temperature can be performed more conveniently and simply, And a configuration of the apparatus are described.

Patent Document 2 discloses a room temperature sensor that measures a room temperature and generates room temperature measurement values, a hot water temperature sensor that is installed in a kitchen and a bathroom pipe and generates hot water temperature measurement by measuring hot water temperature, A text color and a complementary color relation according to a preset temperature range based on an output part, an indoor temperature measurement value and a hot water temperature measurement value realized by a dual LED display of a first LED module for realizing a hot water temperature measurement And outputs the generated first output data and second output data to the first and second LED modules. The control unit 20 measures the amount of light in the room and outputs the measured amount of light to the control unit 20, And an external light amount sensor for transmitting an external light quantity to the boiler regulator.

As described above, the boiler remote controller according to the prior art including the patent documents 1 and 2 provides a function that allows the user to more intuitively confirm the operating state information and temperature information of the boiler.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2006-0000630 (published on January 6, 2006) Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0466995 (issued on May 20, 2013)

Recently, home automation technology has been developed to improve the convenience of home life and secure safety by organically combining various devices in the home.

Accordingly, it is necessary to develop a technology that realizes the status of the handicapped person or elderly person living alone by applying the communication function and the image shooting function to the remote controller of the boiler, performs security function, and provides additional functions through self diagnosis of the boiler to be.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a remote control device having a camera module and a communication module for photographing an indoor image and transmitting the captured image in real- And to provide a control method.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a boiler for automatically performing firmware self-diagnosis of a boiler and transmitting error occurrence information to a service center when an error occurs, and a control method thereof.

In order to achieve the above object, a boiler according to the present invention includes a main body for supplying hot water and heating water by burning gaseous fuel, and a remote controller for receiving an operation command to control the operation of the main body, An input unit for inputting an operation command for operating each device provided in the main body, a sensing unit for sensing a room temperature, a display unit for displaying an operation state and an operation menu of the boiler, a communication module for communicating with the wireless connection device, A camera module for photographing a foreground, and a controller for controlling driving of each device provided in the remote controller,

The control unit is connected to an electronic device, a management terminal or an external server installed in the room through the wireless connection device and the communication module, and transmits the image information photographed to the camera module.

The remote control further includes a storage unit for storing driving programs and firmware for driving the apparatuses of the main body and the remote controller, a voice recognition unit for recognizing the user's voice, and a voice output unit for outputting the operating state of the boiler by voice, And the control unit controls the operation of the sound output unit to output the change information of the operation state of the boiler according to the operation command in a predetermined cycle.

Wherein the control unit performs a self-diagnosis using the operation state information of each device transmitted from the main control unit provided in the main body, and transmits error information to the service center server through the communication module when an error occurs, An update unit connected to the service center server to receive and update a new version of the drive program or firmware, and an analysis unit for analyzing the user's boiler drive pattern and storing the analyzed pattern information in the storage unit, And a pattern analyzing unit for controlling the pattern analyzing unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a boiler, the method comprising: (a) driving a boiler based on an operation command input through an input unit or a voice recognition unit based on whether or not a voice control mode is set; (b) photographing the indoor panoramic image by using the camera module, and (c) connecting the management terminal or the external server through the communication module and transmitting the image information photographed in the step (b). .

(D) performing a self-diagnosis by analyzing operation state information of each device provided in the main body in a boiler driving process using a self-diagnosis unit, and when an error occurs as a result of self-diagnosis, And (e) receiving and updating a new version of the drive program or firmware from the service center server using the update unit.

(F) analyzing a driving pattern of the boiler using the pattern analyzer, storing the analyzed pattern information in a storage unit, and driving the boiler by reflecting the pattern information, and (g) And transmitting the operation command to the electronic device via the communication module and the wireless connection device, when the operation command to the electronic device is input.

As described above, according to the boiler according to the present invention and the control method thereof, the indoor panoramic image is photographed using the camera module, and the image information photographed through the communication module is transmitted to the user's smart phone, Can be obtained.

Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to check the status of the disabled person or the elderly person living alone in real time at the medical institution or the security institution, to quickly cope with a problem, and to enhance the security function.

According to the present invention, it is possible to smoothly control the operation of the boiler at a long distance by controlling the operation of the boiler by recognizing a voice uttered at a long distance without operating the remote controller directly by the user.

Further, according to the present invention, the self-diagnosis function for each device provided in the boiler, the learning function for analyzing and reflecting the boiler drive pattern, and the update function for the new version of the drive program or firmware are provided, Can be obtained.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively implement home automation by transmitting an operation command to the electronic equipment provided in the room through the communication module and controlling the driving of the electronic equipment.

1 is a block diagram of a boiler according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the remote controller shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating steps of controlling a boiler according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a boiler according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and a control method thereof will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In this embodiment, a description will be given using a gas boiler that burns gaseous fuel to heat water to supply heated water and hot water.

Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it should be noted that the present invention can be applied to boilers using various kinds of fuels such as petroleum or coal.

1 is a block diagram of a boiler according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1, a boiler according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 10 for supplying hot water and heating water by burning gaseous fuel and an operation command for controlling operations of the main body 10 And a remote controller 20.

The main body 10 includes a combustion section 11 for burning gas combustion so as to heat water, a supply section 12 for supplying water and air to the combustion section 11, a heating section 12 for heating the heated water, A sensing unit 14 for sensing the temperature of the heated water, the heating water pipe and the hot water pipe, and a control unit 20 for controlling the combustion unit, And a main control unit 15 for controlling the operation of the control unit.

The combustion unit 11 may include a burner (not shown) for burning gaseous fuel to generate high-temperature heat and a primary heat exchanger (not shown) for heating water using heat generated from the burner.

The supply unit 12 is connected to a pump (not shown) and a supply mechanism that pumps the water to be returned through the water return pipe to the combustion unit 11 and sucks the outside air and supplies it to the combustion unit 11 And may include a fan (not shown).

The main control unit 15 is a central control unit for controlling the driving of each device provided in the boiler and can be communicably connected to the remote control 20. [

The remote controller 20 is installed in an indoor wall of a house or a building and receives an operation command for operating the operation of the main body 10 and transmits the operation command to the main body 10 and displays the operation state transmitted from the main body 10 .

In particular, the remote controller 20 can be connected to an external server such as a server of a service center server or a medical institution of a boiler manufacturer, a management terminal of a personal portable terminal or a computer terminal of a user, Communication can be performed.

Therefore, the remote controller can transmit images photographed by using the camera module to the electronic device, the management terminal, and the external server, and control the operation of the camera module or the main body of the boiler according to the control signals transmitted from the respective devices.

For example, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the remote controller shown in FIG.

1 and 2, the remote controller 20 includes an input unit 21 for receiving an operation command for operating each device provided in the main body 10, a sensing unit 22 for sensing a room temperature, A display unit 23 for displaying an operation state of the boiler and various menus, a communication module 24 for communicating with the wireless connection device 30 in a wireless communication manner, a camera module 25 for capturing the interior of the room, And a control unit 26 for controlling the driving of each of the apparatuses.

In addition, the remote controller 20 includes a storage unit 27 for storing driving programs and firmware for driving each device, a voice recognition unit 28 for recognizing the voice of the user, and a voice And an output unit 29.

The input unit 21 receives various operation commands such as a temperature setting command and a driving mode setting command for controlling the operation of the gas boiler, that is, the heating water temperature and the hot water temperature when the heating or hot water is supplied .

To this end, the input unit 21 is provided with a setting button, a selection button, a temperature control button, and the like for setting or canceling a power control button, an operation mode such as heating or hot water or reservation or outgoing operation, .

The sensing unit 22 includes a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the room in which the remote controller 20 is installed and the display unit 23 displays a display panel for displaying the operation state of the boiler, .

The communication module 24 can perform communication with the wireless access device 30 in a Wi-Fi system.

The camera module 25 is installed in the remote controller 20 and is communicably connected to the controller 26 or separated from the remote controller 20 to be able to photograph the entire space of the room, And may be communicatively coupled to the controller 26 via the module 24.

The camera module 25 may be a PTZ camera having a pan function in the left and right direction, a tilt adjustment in the vertical direction, and a zoom function in accordance with the control signal of the controller 26.

The control unit 26 transmits an operation command inputted through the input unit 21 or the voice recognition unit 28 to the main control unit 15 and controls the operation state of the gas boiler according to the control signal transmitted from the main control unit 15, And can control the display unit 23 to display the temperature sensed by the operation menu and the sensing unit 22 on the screen.

The control unit 26 compares the present temperature sensed by the main control unit 15 or sensed by the sensing unit 22 with the preset temperature received through the input unit 21 and displays the current temperature and the temperature according to the comparison result The background of the screen or the numerical value can be controlled to be displayed in different colors.

For example, if the current temperature is lower than the set temperature, the control unit 26 may output a control signal to control the operation of the display unit 23 so as to display the background or numerical value of the screen in blue.

On the other hand, if the current temperature is higher than the set temperature, the control unit 26 can output a control signal to control the operation of the display unit 23 so as to display the background or numerical value of the screen in red.

As described above, according to the present invention, the background and numerical values of the screen are displayed in different colors according to the comparison result between the current temperature and the set temperature, so that the user can intuitively check the room temperature state even at a long distance.

According to the present invention, a user can recognize a voice uttered at a long distance without operating the remote controller directly, and control the operation of the boiler according to the recognized operation command.

Accordingly, the present invention enables the user to smoothly control the operation of the boiler even at a long distance, thereby eliminating the inconvenience that the user must move to the remote control position and operate the remote control directly.

Here, the voice control mode using the voice recognition unit 28 can be set or canceled using the mode setting button.

To this end, the voice recognition unit 28 analyzes a voice signal inputted through a microphone (not shown) and a microphone receiving voice of a user, and transmits an operation command corresponding to the analyzed voice signal to the control unit 26 (Not shown) that performs speech recognition.

The sound output unit 29 is provided with a sound conversion unit (not shown) for converting the current operation state information of the boiler displayed on the display module 23 into a sound signal corresponding to information such as a change in the current temperature in accordance with the set temperature change And a speaker (not shown) for outputting the voice signal converted by the voice conversion unit.

Here, when a voice is inputted through the voice recognition unit 28, the control unit 26 outputs a guidance voice guiding the setting change in accordance with the voice, and thereafter, It is possible to control the operation of the audio output unit 29 to output the current temperature which is changed every about 1 minute by voice.

The control unit 26 receives not only the boiler drive through the voice recognition unit 28 but also a command for controlling the driving of the electronic equipment 40 provided in the room and receives the command to control the communication module 24 and the wireless connection device 30 The control unit 40 may control the electronic device 40 to transmit the control command.

The storage unit 27 may store a drive program and firmware for driving each device provided in the remote controller 10 and a lookup table that matches the voice inputted from the user and the operation command.

The control unit 26 performs self-diagnosis using the operation state information of each device provided in the main body 10, which is transmitted from the main control unit 15, and transmits error information to the service center server 24 via the communication module 24, And an update unit 262 connected to the service center server through the self-diagnosis unit 261 and the communication module 24 for transferring the new version of the drive program or firmware to the update unit 262.

In addition, the control unit 26 analyzes the user's boiler drive pattern, stores the analyzed pattern information in the storage unit 27, and controls the pattern analyzer 263 to drive the boiler to reflect the analyzed pattern information .

Next, a method of controlling a boiler according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a boiler according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3, when the power button of the remote controller 20 is turned on, the main controller 15 and the controller 26 supply power to each device provided in the main body 10 and the remote controller 20, And controls to drive according to the setting state.

The control unit 26 checks whether or not the voice control mode is set, and receives a user's operation command through the input unit 21 or the voice recognition unit 28 according to whether the voice control mode is set or not (S12).

The control unit 26 transmits the input operation command to the main control unit 15 and controls the operation of the display unit 23 to display the operation state of the boiler according to the operation instruction on the screen.

At the same time, the control unit 26 can control the driving of the sound output unit 29 to output a guidance sound guiding the operation state of the boiler according to the operation command in the voice control mode setting state.

The control unit 26 receives an operation command for the electronic device 40 provided in the room through the voice recognition unit 28 and transmits the operation command to the electronic device 40 through the communication module 24 and the wireless connection device 30. [ (Step S14).

For example, when an operation command of the dehumidifier such as 'Raise the humidity' or 'Lower the humidity' is input in the state where the humidity is communicable through the wireless connection device, Commands can be sent to the dehumidifier to control the humidity of the room.

On the other hand, the control unit 26 controls the driving of the camera module 25 so as to photograph the foreground of the room along with the boiler drive (S16).

If the management terminal 40 such as a smart phone or a computer terminal of the user is connected, the control unit 26 controls the operation of the camera module 25 in accordance with the drive signal transmitted from the management terminal 40, And transmits the image information to the corresponding management terminal 40 (S18).

In the course of driving the boiler, the pattern analyzing unit 263 of the control unit 26 analyzes the user's boiler driving pattern, stores the analyzed pattern information in the storage unit 27, By reflecting the information, optimized heating performance can be provided (S20).

Then, the self-diagnosis unit 261 of the control unit 26 analyzes the operation state of each device transmitted from the main control unit 15, performs self-diagnosis (S22), and checks whether an error has occurred (S24).

If it is determined in step S24 that an error has occurred, the control unit 26 controls the operation of the display unit 23 to display the error information on the screen, transmits the error information to the service center server, And controls the communication module 24 to request it (S26).

Then, in step S28, the control unit 26 checks whether or not the power-off button is turned off so as to stop the driving of the boiler body 10 and the remote controller 20 to input a drive-stop command. It is possible to control to repeat steps S12 to S28.

If it is determined in operation S28 that the operation stop command is input, the controller 26 transmits a drive stop command to the main controller 15 of the main body 10, stops the operation of the remote controller 20, and then terminates the operation.

Through the above-described process, the present invention can photograph an indoor panoramic view using a camera module, and transmit image information photographed through a communication module to a user's smart phone, a management terminal, or an external server.

Accordingly, the present invention can confirm the state of the disabled person or elderly person living alone in real time at the medical institution or the security institution, and can cope promptly at the time of the establishment and strengthen the security function.

Although the invention made by the present inventors has been described concretely with reference to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

That is, although the gas boiler has been described in the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention can be applied to a boiler using various kinds of fuels such as petroleum or coal.

The present invention is applied to a boiler technology capable of photographing an indoor panoramic view using a camera module and transmitting image information photographed through a communication module to a user's smart phone, a management terminal or an external server.

10: main body 11:
12: supply part 13: supply path control part
14: Detection unit 15:
20: Remote control unit 21: Input unit
22: detection unit 23: display unit
24: communication module 25: camera module
26: control unit 261:
262: Updating unit 263: Pattern analysis unit
27: storage unit 28: voice recognition unit
29: lunar output unit 30: router
40: electronic device 50: management terminal
60: External server

Claims (6)

A main body for supplying hot water and heating water by burning the gaseous fuel, and a remote controller for receiving an operation command to control the operation of the main body,
Wherein the remote control comprises an input unit for receiving an operation command for operating each device provided in the main body,
A sensing unit for sensing room temperature,
A display unit for displaying an operation state and an operation menu of the boiler,
A communication module for performing communication with the wireless access device,
A camera module for photographing an indoor panoramic view,
A controller for controlling driving of each device provided in the remote controller,
A storage unit for storing a drive program and firmware for driving each of the devices provided in the main body and the remote controller,
A voice recognition unit for recognizing the voice of the user;
And an audio output unit for outputting the operating state of the boiler by voice,
The control unit may include a self-diagnosis unit that performs self-diagnosis using operation state information of each device transmitted from the main control unit provided in the main body, and transmits error information to the service center server through the communication module when an error occurs,
An updating unit for accessing the service center server through the communication module and receiving and updating a new version of the drive program or firmware;
And a pattern analyzing unit for analyzing the user's boiler drive pattern, storing the analyzed pattern information in the storage unit, and controlling the analyzed pattern information to be reflected when the boiler is driven,
A control terminal connected to the electronic device, the management terminal or the external server through the wireless connection device and the communication module so as to be able to communicate image information photographed by the camera module,
And controls the driving of the sound output unit so that the operation state change information of the boiler according to the operation command is outputted as a voice in accordance with a preset cycle. delete delete (a) driving a boiler on the basis of an operation command inputted through an input unit or a voice recognition unit based on whether or not a voice control mode is set;
(b) photographing the indoor panoramic image using the camera module,
(c) transmitting image information photographed in the step (b) by connecting to an electronic device, a management terminal or an external server through a communication module,
(d) self-diagnosis is performed by analyzing the operation state information of each device provided in the main body in the boiler driving process by using the self diagnosis part, and if an error occurs in self diagnosis, error information is transmitted to the service center server through the communication module And requesting a service,
(e) receiving and updating a new version of a drive program or firmware from the service center server using an update unit,
(f) analyzing the driving pattern of the boiler using the pattern analyzer, storing the analyzed pattern information in a storage unit, driving the boiler by reflecting the pattern information, and
(g) transmitting the operation command to the electronic device through the communication module and the wireless connection device and controlling the drive by inputting an operation command to the electronic device provided in the room through the voice recognition unit The control method of the boiler.
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