JP7316879B2 - Heat source device and cooling device - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a heat source device and a cooling device.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for remotely controlling a water heater using a communication terminal. When receiving an operation from a user, the communication terminal transmits a control signal for remote operation to the controller of the water heater via the Internet. Thereby, the water heater performs the hot water filling operation according to the control signal.

JP 2015-156598 A

For example, a user remotely operates a water heater by operating a communication device outside the home. In this case, the user may return home after a long period of time has elapsed since the hot water filling operation started at the set temperature. After a long period of time, the hot water in the bathtub naturally radiates heat, and the energy for filling the hot water is wasted.

Further, for example, using the technology described in Patent Literature 1, remote control of a heating device and a cooling device by operating a communication device outside the home is also assumed. When the heating device is operated remotely, if the user does not come home for a long time, heating is performed at the set temperature even though the user is not in the house, and energy for heating is wasted. Further, when the cooling device is operated remotely, if the user does not come home for a long time, cooling is performed at the set temperature even though the user is not in the house, and energy for cooling is wasted.

This specification provides techniques for reducing wasted energy in the operation of heat source devices or cooling devices.

The heat source device disclosed in the present specification includes a communication interface for performing communication with a repeater installed in the same home as the heat source device, and a control unit for performing heat supply operation at a set temperature. wherein, when a wireless connection is established between the mobile terminal and the relay according to a short-range communication method, the repeater uses the wireless connection to connect the mobile terminal and the heat source device. and relays communication between the mobile terminal and the heat source device using the Internet when the wireless connection is not established between the mobile terminal and the relay device When the communication interface receives an instruction to start the heat supply operation from the mobile terminal via the repeater, the controller controls the communication between the mobile terminal and the repeater. determining whether or not the wireless connection has been established between the and performing the heat supply operation at a temperature lower than the set temperature by a first temperature according to the start instruction when it is determined that the wireless connection is not established. The "heat supply operation" is, for example, a hot water filling operation, a heating operation, or the like.

Determining that a wireless connection according to the short-range communication method has not been established between the mobile terminal and the repeater in the home means that the user carrying the mobile terminal is not in the home. The heat supplied by the heat supply operation during execution of the heat supply operation is subsequently lost due to natural heat radiation. If the user does not come home for a long time, the supplied heat is wasted without being used by the user. In the above configuration, the heat source device performs the heat supply operation at a temperature lower than the set temperature by the first temperature when wireless connection according to the short-range communication method is not established. As a result, the amount of heat (that is, wasted energy) lost due to natural heat dissipation when the user does not return home for a long period of time can be reduced compared to the case where the heat supply operation is performed at the set temperature.

Further, after determining that the wireless connection is not established, the control unit further determines that the wireless connection is established between the mobile terminal and the repeater from the mobile terminal via the repeater. may be configured to perform the heat supply operation at the set temperature when a connection establishment notification indicating is received. For example, when the "heat supply operation" is the hot water filling operation, executing the above "heat supply operation based on the set temperature" is an operation for bringing the hot water accumulated in the bathtub to the set temperature by filling the hot water (for example, reheating operation). Further, for example, when the "heat supply operation" is the heating operation, executing the above-described "heat supply operation at the set temperature" is performed instead of the heating operation at a temperature lower than the set temperature by the first temperature. It is to perform the heating operation according to the temperature.

Receiving a connection establishment notification after it is determined that the wireless connection has not been established means that the user has returned home. According to the above configuration, the heat source device can automatically perform the heat supply operation at the set temperature when the user returns home. User convenience is improved.

Further, the control unit further determines that the wireless connection is not established between the mobile terminal and the repeater after a predetermined period of time has passed since the reception of the start instruction. In addition, it is configured to perform a heat supply operation at the set temperature.

For example, wireless connection may not be established between the mobile terminal and the repeater for some reason (for example, a change in the mobile terminal's wireless connection settings, or the mobile terminal's battery has run out) even after the user returns home. According to the above configuration, when the predetermined time has passed without establishing a wireless connection, the heat source device can presume that the user has returned home, and perform the heat supply operation at the set temperature. User convenience is improved.

In addition, the control unit further controls, when the wireless connection between the mobile terminal and the repeater is disconnected after it is determined that the wireless connection is established, the heat generated by the temperature lower than the set temperature by the second temperature. A supply operation may be performed.

Determining that a wireless connection has been established between the mobile terminal and the repeater in the home means that the user is in the home. However, the user may go out after receiving the instruction to start the heat supply operation from the portable terminal. If the heat supply operation at the set temperature is continued even though the user is out, energy is wasted in the heat supply operation. According to the above configuration, when the wireless connection is disconnected after it is determined that the wireless connection has been established, the heat source device presumes that the user has gone out and sets the temperature lower than the set temperature by the second temperature. Execute the heat supply operation by This can reduce wasted energy when the user goes out.

Further, the cooling device disclosed in the present specification includes a communication interface for performing communication with a repeater installed in the same home as the cooling device, a control unit for performing a cooling operation at a set temperature, wherein, when a wireless connection is established between the mobile terminal and the relay according to a short-range communication method, the wireless connection is used to perform the cooling with the mobile terminal relaying communication between the mobile terminal and the cooling device, and using the Internet to communicate between the mobile terminal and the cooling device when the wireless connection is not established between the mobile terminal and the repeater and the control unit, when the communication interface receives an instruction to start the cooling operation from the mobile terminal via the repeater, the mobile terminal and the repeater determining whether or not the wireless connection has been established between the When it is determined that the wireless connection is not established, the cooling operation is performed at a temperature higher than the set temperature by a first temperature according to the start instruction , and it is determined that the wireless connection is not established. Later, when the wireless connection is not established between the mobile terminal and the repeater and a predetermined time elapses after receiving the start instruction, the cooling operation is performed at the set temperature. It is

During the cooling operation, heat enters the room from the outside. If the user does not return home for a long time, the energy consumed for cooling is wasted by heat entering from the outside. According to the above configuration, the cooling device performs the cooling operation at a temperature higher than the set temperature by the first temperature when wireless connection according to the short-range communication method is not established. As a result, the amount of heat entering from the outside can be reduced compared to the case where the cooling operation is performed at the set temperature. This can reduce wasted energy in the cooling operation when the user does not return home for a long time.

1 shows a block diagram of a hot water supply system in a first embodiment; FIG. 4 shows a flow chart of processing of the hot water supply remote control in the first embodiment. Specific cases A1 and A2 in the first embodiment are shown. A specific case A3 in the first embodiment is shown. The block diagram of the cooling system in 2nd Example is shown. FIG. 11 shows a flow chart of the cooling process of the air conditioner in the second embodiment. FIG. FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of heating processing of the air conditioner in the second embodiment. FIG.

(First embodiment)
(Configuration of hot water supply system 2A; FIG. 1)
A hot water supply system 2A in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1 , hot water supply system 2A includes hot water supply remote controller 10 , water heater 200 , bathtub 210 , repeater 100 , and portable terminal 300 . Hot water supply remote control 10, water heater 200, bathtub 210, and repeater 100 are installed in the user's home.

(Configuration of repeater 100)
Repeater 100 is a so-called access point. The repeater 100 is connected to the Internet 6 . Also, the repeater 100 can establish a wireless connection with the mobile terminal 300 according to the Wi-Fi standard. When wireless connection is established between mobile terminal 300 and repeater 100 , relay 100 relays communication between mobile terminal 300 and hot water supply remote control 10 using the wireless connection. On the other hand, when wireless connection is not established between mobile terminal 300 and repeater 100, repeater 100 uses Internet 6 to relay communication between mobile terminal 300 and hot water supply remote control 10. .

(Configuration of hot water supply remote control 10)
Hot water supply remote control 10 is a controller for remotely operating water heater 200 . The hot water supply remote control 10 includes a water heater interface 12 , a repeater interface 14 , an operation section 16 and a control section 20 . In addition, below, an interface is described as "I/F." Water heater I/F 12 is an I/F for executing communication with water heater 200 and is connected to water heater 200 . The repeater I/F 14 is an I/F for executing communication with the repeater 100 . A wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard is established between the repeater I/F 14 and the repeater 100 . The operation unit 16 has a plurality of keys. The user can input various instructions to hot water supply remote controller 10 by operating operation unit 16 .

The control unit 20 controls each unit 12, 14, 16 according to a program 32 stored in the storage unit 30 to perform various processes. The storage unit 30 is composed of a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, or the like. For example, when a hot water filling operation is performed on operation unit 16 of hot water supply remote controller 10 , control unit 20 transmits a hot water filling request for starting hot water filling to water heater 200 via water heater I/F 12 . The hot water filling request includes, for example, information indicating the set temperature and water level of the hot water filling. As a result, water heater 200 starts a hot water filling operation for filling bathtub 210 with hot water according to the information in the hot water filling request. Further, when receiving a signal from mobile terminal 300 via repeater 100 and repeater I/F 14 , control unit 20 can transmit a request according to the received signal to water heater 200 .

The storage unit 30 also stores setting information 34 indicating the set temperature of the hot water supply and the water level of the hot water supply. The setting information 34 is input by the user operating the operation unit 16 of the hot water supply remote controller 10 .

(Configuration of mobile terminal 300)
The mobile terminal 300 is a portable terminal device carried by a user, such as a mobile phone (for example, a smart phone), a PDA, or a tablet terminal. The mobile terminal 300 has a repeater I/F 314 and a mobile communication I/F 316 . The repeater I/F 314 can establish wireless connection with the repeater 100 according to the Wi-Fi standard. A mobile communication I/F 316 is an I/F for executing wireless communication with a base station 8 for mobile communication (eg, 3G, 4G, 5G). A base station 8 is connected to the Internet 6 . That is, the mobile communication I/F 316 can execute communication using the Internet 6 via the base station 8 .

The mobile terminal 300 establishes a wireless connection with the repeater 100 when the user inputs connection information for establishing a wireless connection according to the Wi-Fi standard. The connection information is, for example, SSID (abbreviation for Service Set Identifier) and password. For example, after the wireless connection is established, when the user carrying the mobile terminal 300 moves out of the house and the distance between the mobile terminal 300 and the repeater 100 increases, the wireless connection is disconnected. In this case, mobile terminal 300 communicates with repeater 100 and hot water supply remote control 10 using mobile communication. Further, when the user carrying mobile terminal 300 returns home after the wireless connection is disconnected, mobile terminal 300 establishes wireless connection between mobile terminal 300 and repeater 100 using the already input connection information. Establish automatically. This processing is executed by, for example, an OS (Operating System) program (not shown) of the mobile terminal 300 .

The mobile terminal 300 also has an application 332 installed. Application 332 is an application program for transmitting a signal for remote operation of hot water supply remote controller 10 to hot water supply remote controller 10 . Application 332 is provided to the user by the vendor of hot water remote control 10 . The application 332 is installed in the mobile terminal 300 from a server (not shown) on the Internet 6, for example.

(Processing of hot water supply remote controller 10; FIG. 2)
Referring to FIG. 2, processing executed by control unit 20 of hot water supply remote control 10 according to program 32 will be described. The processing in FIG. 2 is triggered by turning on the hot water supply remote controller 10 .

In S10, control unit 20 monitors for reception of a hot water filling start instruction, which is a signal for instructing the start of hot water filling, from mobile terminal 300 via relay 100 and relay I/F 14. FIG. If the control unit 20 receives a hot water filling start instruction from the mobile terminal 300 (YES in S10), the process proceeds to S12.

At S12, the control unit 20 determines whether or not a wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard has been established between the mobile terminal 300 and the repeater 100. FIG. Specifically, the control unit 20 causes the hot water refilling start instruction received from the mobile terminal 300 to comply with the Wi-Fi standard, a first protocol for communication using a wireless connection (for example, TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol))), it is determined that a wireless connection has been established between the mobile terminal 300 and the repeater 100 according to the Wi-Fi standard. On the other hand, in the control unit 20, the hot water filling start instruction is written according to the second protocol (for example, HTTP (abbreviation of HyperText Transfer Protocol)) for communication (that is, mobile communication) using the Internet 6 and the base station 8. In this case, it is determined that a wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard has not been established between the mobile terminal 300 and the repeater 100 . The second protocol is a protocol different from the first protocol. When determining that the wireless connection is established between the mobile terminal 300 and the repeater 100 (YES in S12), the control unit 20 skips the processes of S20 to S24 and proceeds to S26. On the other hand, when the control unit 20 determines that the wireless connection has not been established between the mobile terminal 300 and the repeater 100 (NO in S12), the process proceeds to S20.

At S<b>20 , control unit 20 transmits to water heater 200 a hot water filling request according to the subtracted temperature obtained by subtracting a predetermined temperature (for example, 2° C.) from the set temperature indicated by setting information 34 . As a result, water heater 200 starts filling hot water with the subtracted temperature. The predetermined temperature in S20 may be a value pre-stored in hot water supply remote control 10, or may be a value input to operation unit 16 by the user.

In S<b>22 , the control unit 20 determines whether or not to receive a connection establishment notification from the mobile terminal 300 via the repeater 100 and the repeater I/F 14 . The connection establishment notification is a notification indicating that a wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard has been established between mobile terminal 300 and repeater 100 . If the control unit 20 receives a connection establishment notification from the mobile terminal 300 (YES in S22), the process proceeds to S26. On the other hand, when the control unit 20 does not receive the connection establishment notification from the mobile terminal 300 (NO in S22), the process proceeds to S24.

In S24, the control unit 20 determines whether or not a predetermined period of time (for example, 30 minutes) has passed since the hot water filling start instruction was received in S10. If the control unit 20 determines that the predetermined time has not passed since the hot water filling start instruction was received (NO in S24), the control unit 20 returns to S22 and determines again whether the connection establishment notification has been received. On the other hand, when the control unit 20 determines that the predetermined time has passed since the reception of the hot water filling start instruction (YES in S24), the process proceeds to S26.

In S<b>26 , control unit 20 transmits to water heater 200 a hot water filling request according to the set temperature indicated by setting information 34 . As a result, water heater 200 fills with hot water at the set temperature. For example, if water heater 200 is performing the hot water filling operation using the subtracted temperature in the process of S20, water heater 200 performs an operation (for example, a reheating operation) for bringing the hot water in bathtub 210 to the set temperature. Execute. Further, for example, when water heater 200 is not performing the hot water filling operation, water heater 200 starts the hot water filling operation at the set temperature.

In S<b>30 , the control unit 20 determines whether or not to receive a disconnection notification from the mobile terminal 300 via the repeater 100 and the repeater I/F 14 . The disconnection notification is a notification indicating that the wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard established between mobile terminal 300 and repeater 100 has been disconnected. If the control unit 20 does not receive the disconnection notification from the mobile terminal 300 (NO in S30), the control unit 20 skips the processing of S32 and proceeds to S40. On the other hand, if the control unit 20 receives a disconnection notification from the mobile terminal 300 (YES in S30), the process proceeds to S32.

At S<b>32 , control unit 20 transmits to water heater 200 a hot water filling request according to the subtracted temperature obtained by subtracting a predetermined temperature (for example, 2° C.) from the set temperature indicated by setting information 34 . As a result, water heater 200 performs the hot water filling operation based on the subtracted temperature instead of the hot water filling operation based on the set temperature. The predetermined temperature in S32 may be a value pre-stored in the hot water supply remote controller 10, or may be a value input to the operation unit 16 by the user.

In S40, the control unit 20 determines whether or not hot water filling has been completed. For example, when the control unit 20 determines that the water level of the bathtub 210 is equal to or higher than the water level indicated by the setting information 34 using the detection value of a sensor (not shown) for measuring the water level of the bathtub 210, Determine that the beam is complete. If the controller 20 determines that hot water filling has not been completed (NO in S40), the controller 20 returns to S30. On the other hand, when determining that hot water filling is completed (YES in S40), the control unit 20 ends the processing of FIG.

(Specific case A1)
A specific case realized by the process of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. Case A1 shown in FIG. 3 is a situation in which a wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard is not established between the mobile terminal 300 and the repeater 100, that is, a situation in which the user carrying the mobile terminal 300 is outside the home. is assumed.

The user performs an operation on portable terminal 300 for transmitting a hot water filling start instruction to hot water supply remote controller 10 . As a result, the portable terminal 300 transmits a hot water filling start instruction according to the application 332 to the repeater 100 via the mobile communication I/F 316 and the Internet 6 at T10A. In this case, the hot water filling start instruction is written according to the second protocol for mobile communication.

Upon receiving the hot water filling start instruction from portable terminal 300 at T10A, repeater 100 transmits the hot water filling start instruction to hot water supply remote controller 10 at T10B.

When hot water supply remote controller 10 receives the hot water filling start instruction from repeater 100 at T10B (YES in S10 of FIG. 2), at T12 wireless communication between portable terminal 300 and repeater 100 according to the Wi-Fi standard is established. It is determined that the connection has not been established (NO in S12).

At T14, the hot water supply remote controller 10 transmits to the water heater 200 a hot water filling request according to the subtracted temperature "39°C" obtained by subtracting the predetermined temperature "2°C" from the set temperature "41°C" indicated by the setting information 34 ( S20). As a result, water heater 200 starts filling hot water with the subtracted temperature of "39°C".

Determining that a wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard has not been established between mobile terminal 300 and repeater 100 in the home means that the user carrying mobile terminal 300 is not in the home. . According to this case, the hot water supply remote controller 10 starts the hot water filling operation at the subtracted temperature "39°C" lower than the set temperature "41°C" when the wireless connection is not established (T12). The heat of the hot water in the bathtub 210 is naturally radiated during execution of the hot water filling operation. If the user does not return home for a long time, the hot water in the bathtub 210 cools without being used by the user, and the heat of the hot water is wasted. As in case A1, when the user does not return home for a long time, by executing the hot water filling operation with the subtracted temperature of "39°C", compared with the case of executing the hot water filling operation with the set temperature of "41°C", It is possible to reduce the amount of heat (that is, wasted energy) lost from the hot water in the bathtub 210 due to natural heat radiation.

Here, in case A1, the user returns home before the predetermined time elapses. When the user returns home, mobile terminal 300 establishes a wireless connection with repeater 100 according to the Wi-Fi standard at T20. When wireless connection is established with repeater 100 , mobile terminal 300 executes the following processes of T22 and T24A according to application 332 .

At T22, the portable terminal 300 determines that a wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard has been established with the repeater 100. FIG. At T24A, the mobile terminal 300 transmits a connection establishment notification to the repeater 100 via the repeater I/F 314 using wireless connection.

Upon receiving the connection establishment notification from mobile terminal 300 at T24A, repeater 100 transmits the connection establishment notification to hot water supply remote controller 10 at T24B.

When hot water supply remote controller 10 receives a connection establishment notification from repeater 100 at T24B (YES in S22 of FIG. 2), hot water supply remote controller 10 transmits a hot water filling request according to the set temperature "41° C." to water heater 200 at T26. Accordingly, water heater 200 performs an operation (for example, a reheating operation) for setting the hot water in bathtub 210 to the set temperature of "41°C."

At T28, hot water supply remote controller 10 determines that hot water filling has been completed at the set temperature of "41°C" (YES at S40).

Receiving a connection establishment notification after it is determined that a wireless connection according to the Wi-Fi standard has not been established means that the user has gone home. According to case A1, hot water supply remote controller 10 can automatically perform hot water filling operation at the set temperature of "41° C." when the user returns home. User convenience is improved.

(Specific case A2)
Case A2 shown in FIG. 3 also assumes a situation in which the user carrying portable terminal 300 is out of the house, similar to case A1. In case A2 as well, processing similar to that of T10A to T14 is executed.

Here, also in case A2, the user returns home before the predetermined time elapses. However, in this case, the user changes the connection settings related to the wireless connection of the mobile terminal 300 that conforms to the Wi-Fi standard. The connection setting indicates, for example, whether or not to permit the establishment of wireless connection between the mobile terminal 300 and the repeater 100 . In this case, the connection settings indicate that it does not allow wireless connections to be established. Therefore, in this case, wireless connection is not established between the mobile terminal 300 and the repeater 100 even though the user has returned home.

At T30, hot water supply remote controller 10 determines that a predetermined time has passed since the reception of the hot water filling start instruction without receiving a connection establishment notification from portable terminal 300 (YES in S24). T36 and T38 are the same as T26 and T28.

According to case A2, when a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes) elapses without a wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard being established (T30), hot water supply remote controller 10 presumes that the user has returned home. Then, the hot water filling operation can be executed at the set temperature "41° C." (T36). User convenience is improved.

(Specific case A3)
Case A3 shown in FIG. 4 is a situation in which a wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard is established between the mobile terminal 300 and the repeater 100, that is, a situation in which the user carrying the mobile terminal 300 is at home. I assume.

In this case as well, the user performs an operation on portable terminal 300 for transmitting a hot water filling start instruction to hot water supply remote control 10 . As a result, at T40A, the portable terminal 300 uses the wireless connection according to the Wi-Fi standard via the relay I/F 314 to transmit the hot water filling start instruction according to the application 332 to the relay 100. . T40B is the same as T10B in FIG. 3 except that the hot water filling start instruction is described in the first protocol for communication using wireless connection.

When hot water supply remote control 10 receives the hot water filling start instruction from repeater 100 at T40B (YES in S10 of FIG. 2), at T42 wireless communication between portable terminal 300 and repeater 100 according to the Wi-Fi standard is established. It is determined that the connection has been established (YES at S12).

At T44, hot water supply remote controller 10 transmits to water heater 200 a hot water filling request according to the set temperature "41° C." indicated by setting information 34 (S26). As a result, water heater 200 starts filling hot water at the set temperature of "41°C".

Here, in this case, the user goes out before the hot water filling is completed. As a result, the wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard between the mobile terminal 300 and the repeater 100 is disconnected. When the wireless connection is disconnected, the mobile terminal 300 executes the following processes of T52 and T54A according to the application 332. FIG.

At T52, the mobile terminal 300 determines that the wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard has been disconnected. At T54A, the mobile terminal 300 transmits a disconnection notification to the repeater 100 via the mobile communication I/F 316 and the Internet 6.

Upon receiving the disconnection notification from portable terminal 300 at T54A, repeater 100 transmits the disconnection notification to hot water supply remote controller 10 at T54B.

When hot water supply remote controller 10 receives the disconnection notification from repeater 100 in T54B (YES in S30 of FIG. 2), in T56, the subtracted temperature "39° C." obtained by subtracting the predetermined temperature "2° C." from the set temperature "41° C." ” to the water heater 200 (S32). As a result, water heater 200 performs the hot water filling operation at the subtracted temperature of “39° C.” instead of the hot water filling operation at the set temperature of “41° C.”.

At T58, the hot water supply remote controller 10 determines that hot water filling is completed at the subtracted temperature of "39°C" (YES at S40).

A user carrying portable terminal 300 may go out after receiving a hot water filling start instruction from portable terminal 300 at home. If the hot water filling operation is continued at the set temperature "41° C." even though the user is out, the heat of the hot water is lost due to natural radiation, and the energy for the hot water filling operation is wasted. According to this case, when the wireless connection is disconnected after it is determined that the wireless connection has been established according to the Wi-Fi standard (T54B), hot water supply remote controller 10 presumes that the user has left the house. Then, the hot water filling operation is performed at the subtracted temperature "39°C" lower than the set temperature "41°C". This can reduce wasted energy when the user goes out.

(correspondence relationship)
Hot water supply remote controller 10, repeater 100, and portable terminal 300 are examples of "heat source device,""repeater," and "portable terminal," respectively. The repeater I/F 14 and the control unit 20 are examples of the "communication interface" and the "control unit", respectively. The Wi-Fi standard is an example of a "short-range communication scheme." The hot water filling operation is an example of the “heat supply operation”. The hot water filling start instruction in S10 of FIG. 2 is an example of the "start instruction". The predetermined temperature in S20 and the predetermined temperature in S32 are examples of the "first temperature" and the "second temperature", respectively. The connection establishment notification in S22 and the predetermined time in S24 are examples of the "connection establishment notification" and the "predetermined time", respectively.

(Second embodiment)
An air conditioning system 2B in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the air conditioning system 2B is similar to the hot water supply system 2A (FIG. 1) of the first embodiment, except that an air conditioner 500 is provided in place of the hot water supply remote control 10, water heater 200, and bathtub 210. It is the same.

(Configuration of air conditioner 500)
Air conditioner 500 includes repeater I/F 514 and control unit 520 . A wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard is established between the repeater I/F 514 and the repeater 100 .

The control unit 520 controls the repeater I/F 514 and the like according to the program 532 stored in the storage unit 530, and executes various processes. For example, when a cooling operation (or heating operation) is performed by an infrared remote controller (not shown) of the air conditioner 500, the control unit 520 performs a cooling operation (or heating operation) according to the set temperature set by the infrared remote controller.

(Cooling process of air conditioner 500; FIG. 6)
The cooling process executed by control unit 520 of air conditioner 500 according to program 532 will be described with reference to FIG. The process of FIG. 6 is triggered by turning on the air conditioner 500 .

In S<b>110 , control unit 520 monitors reception of a cooling start instruction, which is a signal for instructing the start of cooling, from portable terminal 300 via relay 100 and relay I/F 514 . The cooling start instruction includes set temperature information indicating the set temperature for cooling input to portable terminal 300 by the user. If control unit 520 receives a cooling start instruction from portable terminal 300 (YES in S110), control unit 520 proceeds to S112. S112 is the same as S12 in FIG.

If control unit 520 determines that a wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard has not been established between portable terminal 300 and repeater 100 (NO in S112), in S120 control unit 520 changes the settings in the cooling start instruction. A cooling operation is started by adding a predetermined temperature (for example, 2° C.) to the set temperature indicated by the temperature information.

S122 and S124 are the same as S22 and S24 in FIG. At S126, control unit 520 performs the cooling operation at the set temperature indicated by the set temperature information in the cooling start instruction.

S130 is the same as S30 in FIG. In S132, control unit 520 performs a cooling operation using a temperature added by adding a predetermined temperature (for example, 2° C.) to the set temperature indicated by the set temperature information in the cooling start instruction.

In S<b>140 , control unit 520 monitors reception of a stop instruction, which is a signal for instructing to stop cooling, from portable terminal 300 via relay 100 and relay I/F 514 . If control unit 520 does not receive a stop instruction from portable terminal 300 (NO in S140), control unit 520 returns to S130. On the other hand, when receiving a stop instruction from mobile terminal 300 (YES in S140), control unit 520 stops the cooling operation in S142. When S142 ends, the process of FIG. 6 ends. Note that the process of FIG. 6 also ends when the user performs a stop operation on the infrared remote controller to stop the cooling operation.

For example, assume a situation in which a wireless connection conforming to the Wi-Fi standard has not been established between the mobile terminal 300 and the indoor repeater 100 (see case A1 in FIG. 3). In this case, the air conditioner 500 determines that the wireless connection has not been established (NO in S112 of FIG. 6), and starts the cooling operation with the additional temperature higher than the set temperature (S120). Heat enters the room from the outside during the execution of the cooling operation. If the user does not return home for a long time, the energy consumed for cooling is wasted by heat entering from the outside. By executing the cooling operation with a high additional temperature, it is possible to reduce the amount of heat entering from the outside as compared with the case of executing the cooling operation with a low set temperature. This can reduce wasted energy in the cooling operation when the user does not return home for a long time.

Further, by executing the determination of S122, air conditioner 500 can automatically perform the cooling operation at the set temperature when the user returns home (see case A1 in FIG. 3). User convenience is improved.

Further, by executing the determination of S124, air conditioner 500 can presume that the user has returned home and execute the cooling operation at the set temperature (see case A2 in FIG. 3). User convenience is improved.

Also, by executing the processes of S130 and S132, it is possible to reduce wasted energy when the user goes out (see case A3 in FIG. 4).

(Heating process of air conditioner 500; FIG. 7)
The heating process executed by control unit 520 of air conditioner 500 according to program 532 will be described with reference to FIG. The processing in FIG. 7 is triggered by turning on the air conditioner 500 .

S210 is the same as S110 in FIG. 6, except that a heating start instruction, which is a signal for instructing the start of heating, is received from mobile terminal 300 . The heating start instruction includes set temperature information indicating the set temperature for heating input to mobile terminal 300 by the user. S212 is the same as S112 in FIG.

S220 is the same as S120 in FIG. 6 except that the heating operation is started by subtracting a predetermined temperature (for example, 2° C.) from the set temperature indicated by the set temperature information in the heating start instruction.

S222 and S224 are the same as S122 and S124 in FIG. At S226, control unit 520 performs a heating operation at the set temperature indicated by the set temperature information in the heating start instruction.

S230 is the same as S130 in FIG. In S232, control unit 520 performs a heating operation using a subtracted temperature obtained by subtracting a predetermined temperature (for example, 2° C.) from the set temperature indicated by the set temperature information in the heating start instruction.

S240 is the same as S140 in FIG. S242 is the same as S142 in FIG. 6 except that the heating operation is stopped.

The processing of S220 in FIG. 7 can reduce wasted energy in the heating operation when the user does not return home for a long time. Furthermore, by executing the determination of S222, it is possible to automatically perform the heating operation at the set temperature when the user returns home, and by executing the determination of S224, it is possible to presume that the user has returned home. A heating operation can be performed by temperature. User convenience is improved. By executing the processes of S230 and S232, it is possible to reduce wasted energy when the user goes out.

(correspondence relationship)
Correspondences when the cooling process of FIG. 6 is executed are as follows. Air conditioner 500 is an example of a “cooling device”. The repeater I/F 514 and the control unit 520 are examples of the "communication interface" and the "control unit", respectively. The cooling start instruction in S110 of FIG. 6 is an example of the "start instruction". The predetermined temperature in S120 is an example of the "first temperature".

Correspondences in the case where the heating process of FIG. 7 is executed are as follows. The air conditioner 500, the heating operation, and the heating start instruction are examples of the "heat source device," the "heat supply operation," and the "start instruction," respectively.

Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above. Modifications of each of the above embodiments are listed below.

(Modification 1) In the process of FIG. 2, the determination of S22 may be omitted. In this case, for example, the hot water supply remote controller 10 may monitor the elapse of a predetermined time after receiving the hot water filling start instruction after the process of S20. Then, the hot water supply remote controller 10 may execute the process of S26 when a predetermined time has passed since the hot water supply start instruction was received. In this modification, the "connection establishment notification" can be omitted.

(Modification 2) In the process of FIG. 2, the determination of S24 may be omitted. In this case, for example, hot water supply remote controller 10 may monitor reception of a connection establishment notification from mobile terminal 300 after the process of S20. Then, hot water supply remote controller 10 may execute the process of S<b>26 when receiving the connection establishment notification from portable terminal 300 . In this modified example, the "predetermined time" can be omitted. Also, in the process of FIG. 2, the determinations of both S22 and S24 may be omitted. In this modification, both the "connection establishment notification" and the "predetermined time" can be omitted.

(Modification 3) In the process of FIG. 2, the processes of S30 and S32 may be omitted. In this modified example, the "second temperature" can be omitted.

(Modification 4) In the first embodiment described above, the predetermined temperature in S20 and the predetermined temperature in S32 of FIG. 2 are the same. On the other hand, the predetermined temperature in S20 of FIG. 2 and the predetermined temperature in S32 may be different. Generally speaking, the "second temperature" may be the same as the "first temperature" or different from the "first temperature".

(Modification 5) The "heat source device" is not limited to the hot water supply remote controller 10, but includes, for example, the water heater 200 itself, a remote controller for remotely operating a heating device (for example, a floor heater, a fan heater), and the heating device itself. may be Moreover, the “heat source device” and the “cooling device” are not limited to the air conditioner 500 and may be a device for remotely controlling the air conditioner 500 (for example, a remote controller, a terminal device).

(Modification 6) The “short-distance communication method” is not limited to the Wi-Fi standard, and may be another communication method (eg, Bluetooth (registered trademark) method, Zigbee (registered trademark) method).

The technical elements described in this specification or in the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims as of the filing. In addition, the techniques exemplified in this specification or drawings can simultaneously achieve a plurality of purposes, and achieving one of them has technical utility in itself.

2A: Hot water supply system, 2B: Cooling system, 6: Internet, 8: Base station, 10: Hot water supply remote controller, 12: Water heater I/F, 14: Repeater I/F, 20: Control unit, 30: Storage unit, 32: program, 34: setting information, 100: repeater, 200: water heater, 210: bathtub, 300: mobile terminal, 314: repeater I/F, 316: mobile communication I/F, 332: application, 500 : Air conditioner 514: Repeater I/F 520: Control unit 530: Storage unit 532: Program

Claims (4)

A heat source device,
a communication interface for communicating with a repeater installed in the same home as the heat source device;
a control unit for performing a heat supply operation at a set temperature;
with
The repeater is
relaying communication between the mobile terminal and the heat source device using the wireless connection when a wireless connection is established between the mobile terminal and the repeater according to a short-range communication method; death,
configured to relay communication between the mobile terminal and the heat source device using the Internet when the wireless connection is not established between the mobile terminal and the relay,
The control unit
whether the wireless connection is established between the mobile terminal and the repeater when the communication interface receives an instruction to start the heat supply operation from the mobile terminal via the repeater; determine whether
executing the heat supply operation at the set temperature in accordance with the start instruction when it is determined that the wireless connection is established;
executing the heat supply operation at a temperature lower than the set temperature by a first temperature in accordance with the start instruction when it is determined that the wireless connection is not established;
If a predetermined time has passed since the reception of the start instruction without the wireless connection being established between the mobile terminal and the repeater after it was determined that the wireless connection was not established, A heat source device configured to perform the heat supply operation at a set temperature . The control unit further
after determining that the wireless connection has not been established, the communication interface receives information from the mobile terminal via the repeater that the wireless connection has been established between the mobile terminal and the repeater; 2. The heat source device according to claim 1, configured to perform said heat supply operation at said set temperature when receiving a connection establishment notification indicating said connection establishment notification. The control unit further
the heat supply operation at a temperature lower than the set temperature by a second temperature when the wireless connection between the mobile terminal and the repeater is disconnected after it is determined that the wireless connection is established; The heat source device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein A cooling device,
a communication interface for communicating with a repeater installed in the same home as the cooling device;
a control unit for performing a cooling operation at a set temperature;
with
The repeater is
relaying communication between the mobile terminal and the cooling device using the wireless connection when a wireless connection is established between the mobile terminal and the repeater according to a short-range communication method; death,
configured to relay communication between the mobile terminal and the cooling device using the Internet when the wireless connection is not established between the mobile terminal and the relay,
The control unit
whether the wireless connection is established between the mobile terminal and the repeater when the communication interface receives an instruction to start the cooling operation from the mobile terminal via the repeater; to judge
when it is determined that the wireless connection has been established, executing the cooling operation at the set temperature in accordance with the start instruction;
executing the cooling operation at a temperature higher than the set temperature by a first temperature in accordance with the start instruction when it is determined that the wireless connection is not established;
If a predetermined time has passed since the reception of the start instruction without the wireless connection being established between the mobile terminal and the repeater after it was determined that the wireless connection was not established, A cooling device configured to perform the cooling operation at a set temperature .

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