WO1999052022A1

WO1999052022A1 - Method and apparatus for giving information in a control system

Info

Publication number: WO1999052022A1
Application number: PCT/FI1999/000275
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martti Jokelainen
Original assignee: Ouman Finland Oy
Priority date: 1998-04-03
Filing date: 1999-04-01
Publication date: 1999-10-14
Also published as: FI980769A0; AU3150199A; FI980769A

Abstract

The invention pertains to a method, system and apparatus for controlling and setting a heating and air conditioning control system. In accordance with the method, the instructions for controlling and setting the control system are obtained from a speech message apparatus which stores for various situations complete sentences and/or words to generate speech messages. The selection of a sentence and/or word reproduced in a speech message is made on the basis of a signal coming from the control system. The reproduction is realized by means of a loudspeaker which may be attached to the speech message equipment, for example. The messages in the speech message apparatus may also be re-recorded. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the apparatus may be detached from the control system and it can be connected to the control system through a wire, for example.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GIVING INFORMATION IN A CONTROL

SYSTEM

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus with which instructions in a control system can be given in a more versatile manner than before. The invention is advantageously applied to heating and air conditioning systems.

Most control systems are somewhat difficult to use. The conventional method of providing users with assistance has been to furnish them with a manual of the equipment which they have to read so as to be able to use the equipment. Often, however, the users do not read the manual. Even if they do, they just browse through it quickly and then use it to set up the control system. If the system needs readjusting later on. the user has to find the manual again, if it can be found at all. Furthermore, the operating instructions of technical equipment tend to be relatively difficult to follow, especially for laymen. The complexity of the operating instructions results in inappropriate operation of the apparatus which in turn causes the apparatus to malfunction. Inappropriate operation of the apparatus results in unwanted consequences for the user, such as loss of energy and inconvenience.

One possible way of providing operating instructions has been to utilize the display found on most control systems. Instructions can thus be displayed to the user who can then use the control equipment accordingly. A problem with this solution is that the displays on control equipment are often rather small so that only a very limited amount of information may be displayed at a time. Moreover, the small size of the display means that when instructions are brought on the display, the subject matter is removed from it. Adjustment is thus difficult, as instructions and options must be displayed alternately. To display the instructions and options simultaneously it would be necessary to leave out part of the text of the instructions, which would not make the use of the equipment easier. Naturally it would be possible to make the display bigger so that all necessary information could be displayed simultaneously, but then the problem would be the price. Making the display size bigger results in a considerable increase in the cost of the control equipment, which is not desirable.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel and working solution for issuing operating instructions for the use of control equipment.

The objects of the invention are achieved by connecting to the control equipment a special speech message apparatus which gives instructions to the user of the control equipment in plain speech. The speech message apparatus comprises the necessary interfaces for connecting the apparatus to the control equipment. In addition, the apparatus comprises the electronic components needed for the storing and generation of speech. The speech message apparatus further comprises a sound reproduc- tion element such as a loudspeaker. Main advantages of the invention include the facts that the instructions required can be given to a sufficient extent and that the instructions are always available. A further advantage is that the operating instructions need not be printed on paper at all.

The speech message apparatus need not be installed in the control equipment in a fixed manner, but it may be loaned or leased to the buyer of the control system so that they may use it in order to set up the system. Thus the purchasing price of the system can be brought down as the speech message apparatus is not a fixed component in it. Nor is there need to include expensive manuals in the purchase of the system. The speech message apparatus may also be loaned or leased later, if assistance is needed in the use of the control system.

A special advantage of such a speech message apparatus is that the speech storing circuits are reprogrammable. This means that the speech messages may be modified even for individual users. This way, the instructions are more personal and easier to follow. Furthermore, when the control system is updated the new instructions are easily stored in the speech storing circuits so that the instructions given to the user are always up-to-date. A significant advantage is that the apparatus can easily be made language-specific. The speech messages may be stored in the desired language in the speech message apparatus so that the user may listen to the instructions in the language of his choice.

The speech message apparatus is particularly well suited to giving instructions to ordinary people whose knowledge in technology is not necessarily very deep. An application of the speech message apparatus in an ordinary person's life could be e.g. the room temperature control system of a house, in which the boiler or air conditioner or the like is controlled from a temperature control center. More generally, an advantageous application of the invention is a heating and air conditioning system, which in this context refers to a room temperature control system, boiler water control system or air conditioning control system and all possible combinations thereof. Giving simple instructions in speech messages helps the user significantly in setting the control system into an optimal operating mode and thus to reduce the heating costs of a house, for instance. The method according to the invention is characterized by what is expressed in the independent claim 1. The system according to the invention is characterized by what is expressed in the independent claim 4. Other preferred embodiments of the invention are presented in the dependent claims.

The speech message apparatus according to the invention is an apparatus which is attached e.g. to a heating and air conditioning control system and which gives system operating instructions at least in speech messages. The speech message apparatus is based on speech messages which are stored in a memory and which are used to produce instructions according to which the user is able to set the control system as desired. Instructions corresponding to functional statuses are stored as speech messages in the speech message apparatus. One way of issuing instructions is that as the user presses a button e.g. at the control unit of the control system, a signal is sent to the speech message apparatus which then reproduces the speech message that corresponds to the signal generated by the push of the button. Another way of issuing speech messages may be e.g. such that the speech message apparatus recognizes a particular situation and automatically reproduces a suitable speech message. A third way of issuing a speech message may be e.g. such that the system sends to the speech message apparatus a speech message number that corresponds to the situation, and the speech message apparatus then reproduces the speech message in question. Other ways of issuing speech messages are also possible.

The speech message apparatus may also be detached from the control unit proper, if desired. A detachable speech message apparatus may be used in several control systems of the same type. A technician, for example, could carry only one speech message apparatus whereby he would get instructions for all the control systems he attends to.

The invention is now described in more detail with reference to the drawings at- tached hereto.

Fig. 1 generally illustrates the speech message apparatus in a control system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 2 shows basic blocks of the speech message apparatus according to a pre- ferred embodiment of the invention.

A conventional control system 11 comprises a control unit 13 proper and variable elements 14 as shown in Fig. 1, for example. A speech message apparatus 12 may be attached to the control unit 13 e.g. as in Fig. 1. Then it is possible to get from the speech message apparatus 12 instructions for controlling and setting the whole control system 11. If the speech message apparatus 12 is not connected to the control system 11, instructions may be given e.g. on a small display located on the control unit 13.

The speech message apparatus 12 proper is in this exemplary embodiment housed in a case which also includes the electronic components needed for audio reproduction as well as the loudspeaker. In this embodiment, the speech message apparatus 12 has three external interfaces. Advantageously two of these are meant for supplying power to the sound reproduction unit and one interface is for a data signal by means of which the sound reproduction unit receives information about the speech message to be reproduced. The data signal may be in accordance with the RS-232 standard or it may be realized using some other protocol known to a person skilled in the art. The number of interfaces is not limited in any way but there may be two or more of them depending on how the desired signals are brought to the speech message apparatus 12.

In an embodiment of the invention the basic sound reproduction components are, as shown in Fig. 2, a functional control circuit 21, such as a microcontroller, one or more speech storing circuits 22 for speech messages, and an amplifier circuit 23 for amplifying the audio signal for the sound reproduction element 24. The memory circuits used may be any of several different circuits known to one skilled in the art, such as ROM, EEPROM or FLASH memory circuits. In addition to these, other circuits may be used as well. The sound reproduction element 24 may be an ordinary loudspeaker, for example.

The controller circuit 21 of the sound reproduction unit receives information from the control system 11 concerning the speech message to be reproduced. The signal received by the controller circuit 21, such as a microcontroller, comes at least once from the control system 11. In a preferred embodiment of the invention this data signal is sent twice to the controller circuit 21, whereafter the sound reproduction is started. This is to ensure that the desired speech message is the right one. Particularly such verification can eliminate various errors, such as those caused by bad connections and other disturbances that may occur in electrical equipment. The verification may also be based on more than two data signals. The selection of speech messages may be realized in several ways. One implementation according to this embodiment is such that messages of varying length are stored in memory circuits, in this case speech storing circuits 22, starting at a given address. The messages are separated e.g. by a character which marks the end of a speech message. So, in an embodiment of the invention the control unit 13 sends a signal to the speech message apparatus 12 which reproduces the message indicated by the signal. The message ends with an empty character which terminates the reproduction of the speech message. In such an embodiment, either individual words or whole sentences are stored in the storing circuit 22. Different sentences may be combined e.g. in such a manner that the control unit 13 sends a plurality of signals which indicate e.g. the number of the message to be reproduced, whereby the speech message apparatus consecutively reproduces the messages that correspond to those numbers. The same can be done with words stored in the speech storing circuits 22 so that whole sentences can be formed.

Message no. Phrase

1 Sentence a (Word a)

2 Sentence b (Word b)

3 Sentence c (Word c)

4 Sentence d (Word d)

In another embodiment, the speech to be reproduced may be generated in two phases. In the first phase, a message number, for example, is given to the speech message apparatus 12. The message number indicates the memory location which contains the number(s) of the speech message proper. The desired speech message is generated by reproducing the speech messages, stored in the speech storing circuit 22, that correspond to said numbers. For example, referring to the table below, the speech message apparatus 12 receives a three (3) as a message number, so it must reproduce the speech messages that correspond to phrase numbers 2 and 3. The speech message apparatus 12 then reproduces first the word b and then the word c. This arrangement has the advantage that more than one sentence or word may be reproduced from the speech storing circuit 22 by giving only one message number to the speech message apparatus 12 since the memory location indicated by the original message number contains the numbers of all the speech messages to be generated. Message Phrase no. Phrase Phrase no. no.

1 1 1 Sentence a

2 2 3 1 4 2 Word b

3 2 3 3 Word c

4 4 1

4 Sentence d

While in accordance with the examples given above it is possible to realize different advantageous variations for reproducing individual sentences and words in audible form, the invention does not exclude other possible methods for generating the mes- sages to the reproduced.

A characteristic of an embodiment is that the speech message apparatus 12 can be detached from the control system 11 proper. In the simplest case the speech message apparatus 12 can be removed from the control system 11 by only disconnecting the electrical connections which are advantageously provided through a snap-on or plug-in connector. With these arrangements, the speech message apparatus 12 may be easily and quickly disconnected from the control system 11 proper. Attachment to the control system 11 is as easy. In addition to electrical connections, the speech message apparatus 12 and e.g. the control unit 13 of the control system 11 may in- elude mechanical attachment means to ensure a contact between the speech message apparatus 12 and the control system 11. One exemplary mechanical attachment means is a separate rack for the speech message apparatus 12 e.g. in the control unit 13 of the control system 11. The speech message apparatus can be quite easily removed from such a rack. The additional mechanical attachment method for the speech message apparatus 12 is not limited to said rack but the apparatus may be attached to the control system 11 by means of other mechanical attachment means as well. Moreover, the speech message apparatus 12 may be attached to control system 11 components other than the control unit 13. Although it was above discussed the detachability of the speech message apparatus 12 from the control system 11, it is obvious to one skilled in the art that the speech message apparatus 12 may also be a fixed part of the control system 11, e.g. in connection with the control unit 13 of the control system 11.

In the examples described above the operation of the speech message apparatus 12 is based solely on audible messages. It is, however, possible to connect to the speech message apparatus 12 a display to provide for additional means for control- 7

ling the operation of the control system 11. A touch display, by means of which the operation of the whole speech message apparatus can be controlled, is particularly advantageous for this kind of use. The display may show e.g. various options associated with a speech message, such as repeat, next message and skip. Selecting these, the user can obtain additional information about the adjustments, for example. The quality and quantity of the options displayed are not limited and may differ from the above. Furthermore, the use of a display does not exclude the option of having on the speech message apparatus 12 a keypad for controlling the options mentioned above. The speech message apparatus 12 may e.g. have a help key for issuing specific instructions for each particular situation.

A special characteristic in a preferred embodiment of the speech message apparatus 12 is that the speech messages may be stored in the speech message apparatus in a plurality of languages. Thus, a single apparatus including all possible language options can be offered to the user. The user may choose a language e.g. by selecting on the display the desired language option, whereafter the speech messages are issued in that language. A second alternative is e.g. such that the desired language can be selected using the keypad. In a third alternative, the user himself cannot select the language but the supplier of the apparatus has e.g. a code for selecting the language. The selection of the language is not limited to the alternatives described above but any possible method of selection may be used.

One and the same speech message apparatus 12 can be advantageously used in all control systems 11 of a manufacturer. An identification method may be pro- grammed e.g. in the speech message apparatus 12 so that said apparatus uses said method to identify the control system to which it is attached. The identification method may be e.g. such that the apparatus reads the version number of the control system 11 as soon as it is attached to it and then selects the speech messages specified for that particular control system 11. An advantage of such a method is that one speech message apparatus 12 suffices to control several different systems 11. It is obvious to one skilled in the art that the identification of the control system 11 may be arranged in some other way as well.

Above it was described a speech message apparatus 12 connected to a control sys- tern. The speech message apparatus 12 finds particular utility in heating and air conditioning control systems in which the making of adjustments is often very complicated as there are numerous parameters to set. The speech message apparatus according to the invention is especially suitable for use in connection with heating 8

and air conditioning control systems in residential houses. In the claims attached hereto, a heating and air conditioning control system refers to a temperature control system, boiler water control system or air conditioning control system and all possible combinations thereof. The speech message apparatus 12 may be realized in many other ways and using other components than those mentioned above by way of example.

Claims

1. A method for giving instructions in a heating and air conditioning control system (11), in which method a signal is issued from the heating and air conditioning control system (11) to a special speech message apparatus (12) which gen- erates a speech message corresponding to the signal, characterized in that the heating and air conditioning control system (11) issues said signal on the basis of the current functional status.

2. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the speech message is at least partly formed of whole sentences stored separately.

3. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the speech message is at least partly formed of words stored separately.

4. A heating and air conditioning control system (11), which comprises at least

- a control unit (13) for making settings in the system,

- at least one variable element (14), and - a speech message apparatus (12) for issuing speech messages, characterized in that the control system (11) is adapted so as to issue a speech message on the basis of the current functional status.

5. The heating and air conditioning control system (11) of claim 4, characterized in that the speech message apparatus (12) in the control system (11) comprises - a microcontroller (21) to control the operation of the speech message apparatus (12),

- a speech storing circuit (22) to store speech messages,

- an amplifier circuit (23) to amplify speech message signals to be reproduced, and - a loudspeaker (24) to reproduce speech messages.

6. The heating and air conditioning control system (11) of claim 5, characterized in that the speech messages stored in the speech storing circuit (22) of the speech message apparatus (12) in the control system (11) are at least partly stored as whole sentences.

7. The heating and air conditioning control system (11) of claim 5, characterized in that the speech messages stored in the speech storing circuit (22) of the speech message apparatus (12) in the control system (11) are at least partly stored as individual words. 10

8. The heating and air conditioning control system (11) of claim 5, characterized in that the speech message apparatus (12) is adapted so as to be attached to the heating and air conditioning control system (11) in order to issue instructions for the control system (11).

9. A speech message apparatus (12) in a heating and air conditioning control system (11) according to claim 5, characterized in that it is adapted so as to be attached to a control unit (13) of the heating and air conditioning control system (11).

10. A speech message apparatus (12) in a heating and air conditioning control system (11) according to claim 5, characterized in that it is detachable from the heating and air conditioning control system (11).