JP7411535B2 - Drain control device and hot water system - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a drain valve control device and a hot water supply system.

BACKGROUND Hot water supply systems that fill hot water into bathtubs by controlling the water heater with a remote controller have become commonplace. Hot water supply systems that control a water heater that fills a bathtub with hot water and automatically start supplying hot water to the bathtub at a preset time are also becoming popular. However, if the drain valve of the bathtub is open when hot water starts being supplied to the bathtub, the hot water heated by the water heater and poured into the bathtub will flow out of the drain. Therefore, a technology has been proposed that automatically closes the drain valve when hot water starts being supplied to the bathtub. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a drain valve control device that controls the closing of a drain valve in response to an instruction to fill hot water to a hot water supply device, with a simple configuration using a HA (Home Automation) terminal, and a device that handles instructions to fill hot water. A system invention is disclosed.

JP 2017-141995 Publication

However, in the invention of Patent Document 1, the HA terminal is used to construct a complete system with a heat source and a drain plug control device, so when controlling other devices related to the bathroom in conjunction, the device An embedded HA terminal is required for each. As a result, when adding bathroom-related equipment, such as a device that detects bathing abnormalities such as drowning in the bathtub, it is necessary to install HA terminals for coordinated control of the equipment, making it difficult to provide versatility. There is. On the other hand, if a networked system is constructed to increase versatility, detection may not be received because signals from devices that detect bathing abnormalities such as drowning may not be received. There is a risk that the response to such abnormalities may be insufficient. Therefore, there is room for improvement in dealing with abnormal bathing conditions while increasing versatility.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points, and provides greater versatility than when connecting directly to all other devices using HA terminals or connecting all devices to a networked system. It is an object of the present invention to provide a drain valve control device and a hot water supply system that can reliably deal with abnormalities such as drowning in a bathtub while increasing the safety.

A drain plug control device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is a drain plug control device that controls the operation of a drain plug provided in a bathtub, and which communicates with an indoor network and uses a dedicated line independent of the indoor network. A communication unit that communicates with the connected abnormality detection unit of the bathtub, which detects a bathing state in the bathtub and outputs a binary signal indicating whether or not the bathing state in the bathtub is abnormal. an acquisition unit that periodically inquires and acquires the state of hot water supply to the bathtub from a heat source connected to the indoor network, and acquires the binary signal from the abnormality detection unit; The bathtub includes a control unit that controls to close the drain plug when hot water is being supplied to the bathtub, and controls to open the drain plug when the bathing condition in the bathtub shows an abnormality.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the drain valve is opened when the bathing condition indicates an abnormality by a simple binary signal indicating whether or not the bathing condition is abnormal while communicating with the indoor network. This makes it possible to easily and reliably deal with abnormalities such as drowning in bathtubs while increasing versatility.

A drain plug control device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is the drain plug control device according to the first aspect, in which the control unit controls the hot water supply state to the bathtub when the bathing state in the bathtub shows an abnormality. Discontinue regular inquiries.

According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, communication traffic in the system increases by having a configuration in which the heat source is regularly inquired about the status of hot water supply to the bathtub during normal times, and the regular inquiries are canceled in the event of an abnormality. It becomes possible to suppress the

A drain plug control device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the drain plug control device according to the first aspect or the second aspect, and is connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) as the indoor network.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the versatility of the bathroom-related system can be improved by periodically inquiring the heat source about the state of hot water supply to the bathtub via the LAN. For example, circuits and wiring other than devices related to dealing with abnormalities such as drowning in bathtubs can be simplified.

A drain plug control device according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the drain plug control device according to the third aspect, and uses the ECHONET Lite (registered trademark) standard for inquiries to the heat source.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the versatility of the heat source used can be improved by using the ECHONET Lite standard to regularly inquire of the heat source about the state of hot water supply to the bathtub. For example, by using the ECHONET Lite standard, multiple devices can be managed at once.

A hot water supply system according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure includes a heat source that is communicatively connected to an indoor network, a drain plug control device that controls the operation of a drain plug provided in a bathtub, and a water supply system that controls the bathing state of the bathtub. an abnormality detection unit that detects and outputs a binary signal indicating whether or not the bathing state in the bathtub is abnormal; the drain plug control device communicates with the indoor network and is independent of the indoor network; The abnormality detection unit is connected to the abnormality detection unit by a dedicated line, the communication unit configured to communicate with the abnormality detection unit that outputs the binary signal, and the communication unit that communicates with the abnormality detection unit that outputs the binary signal. an acquisition unit that periodically inquires and acquires the hot water supply status and acquires the binary signal from the abnormality detection unit; and a control unit that closes the drain valve when the hot water supply status is a state in which hot water is being supplied to the bathtub. and a control unit that controls the drain plug to be opened when the bathing state in the bathtub shows an abnormality.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the drain valve is opened when the bathing condition indicates abnormality using a simple binary signal indicating whether or not the bathing condition is abnormal while communicating with the indoor network. This makes it possible to easily and reliably deal with abnormalities such as drowning in bathtubs while increasing versatility.

According to the present disclosure, compared to connecting directly to other devices or connecting to a networked system using an HA terminal, it is possible to improve versatility and reliably deal with abnormalities such as drowning in the bathtub. A possible drain control device and hot water supply system can be provided.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a hot water supply system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a drain plug control device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a drain plug control device. It is a flow chart which shows the flow of drain plug control processing by a drain plug control device. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a hot water supply system according to another example of the present embodiment. It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a hot water supply system according to a comparative example.

An example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the same or equivalent components and parts in each drawing. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

First, before describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, a comparative example will be described.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a hot water supply system 900 according to a comparative example. In the hot water supply system 900 shown in FIG. 6, when the heat source 920 starts supplying hot water to the bathtub 930, the drain valve control device 910 acquires the state of the drain valve 931 from the sensor 932, and if the drain valve 931 is in the open state, In other words, the drain plug 931 is closed. The drain plug control device 910 receives power by being connected to a power source 980 that supplies alternating current power from a commercial power source 990 .

For example, when filling the bathtub 930 with hot water is instructed by the heat source dedicated remote controller 921 that operates the heat source 920, the drain plug control device 910 detects a hot water filling signal sent from the heat source dedicated remote controller 921. Then, the drain valve control device 910 closes the drain valve 931 by driving the motor based on the detection of the hot water filling signal.

The drain plug control device 910 and the heat source dedicated remote control 921 are connected to an HA terminal interface unit (IFU) 940 by HA wiring. Therefore, the drain plug control device 910 and the heat source dedicated remote control 921 are each provided with an HA terminal (not shown).

Furthermore, by connecting an expansion ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 941 to the IFU 940, it is possible to add bathroom-related devices and to control the heat source 920 from outside the bathroom.

For example, when connecting to an external network 945 such as the Internet, a router 942 is connected to the extended ECU 941, and the router 942 is connected to the external network 945. By connecting router 942 to external network 945, operation of heat source 920 can be controlled from server 950. Cooperative software 951 for controlling the operation of heat source 920 is installed in server 950 . A user who wants to operate the heat source 920 can operate the heat source 920 by connecting to the server 950 from inside or outside the home using an external terminal 960 such as a smartphone, and running the cooperation software 951. At the specified time, hot water supply to the bathtub 930 can be started.

For example, in order to connect an HA device 971 such as a bathroom heater/dryer to the expansion ECU 941, install an embedded HA terminal 970 separately, connect the embedded HA terminal 970 to the expansion ECU 941 with HA wiring, and connect the HA device 971 to the expansion ECU 941. is connected to the embedded HA terminal 970 with HA wiring.

However, as shown in FIG. 6, an embedded HA terminal 970 (for example, an IFU with a JEM-A terminal) is required for each circuit of the HA device 971, making installation and connection complicated when expanding the device. become.

By the way, as an example of the HA device 971, a monitoring device is known that detects the bathing state of a bather in the bathroom and notifies the user that the bathing state is abnormal if the bathing state is abnormal. An abnormal bathing condition in a bathtub is a bathing condition that differs from the normal bathing condition in which the bather exposes his or her head, such as a condition in which the bather's head is submerged in water and is drowning. means. When such a bathing condition is abnormal, it is required to promptly and reliably notify that the bathing condition is abnormal. In addition, if the bathing condition is abnormal, such as drowning, for example, it is desirable to open the drain valve 931 to deal with the abnormality. However, in the comparative example, as described above, an embedded HA terminal 970 is required for each circuit of the HA device 971 for the monitoring device, making installation and connection complicated when adding devices.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a drain plug control device that controls the operation of a drain plug provided in a bathtub is provided. To provide a drain valve control device and a hot water supply system that can reliably deal with the situation.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a hot water supply system according to this embodiment.

In the hot water supply system 1 shown in FIG. 1, when the heat source 20 starts supplying hot water to the bathtub 30, the drain valve control device 10 acquires the state of the drain valve 31 from the sensor 32, and if the drain valve 31 is in an open state, In other words, the drain plug 31 is closed. The drain plug control device 10 receives power by being connected to a power source 80 that supplies alternating current power from a commercial power source 90 .

The heat source 20 heats the water supply and supplies hot water to the hot water pipe. The heat source 20 is connected to a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) adapter 41 via a dedicated line or the like in order to connect to an indoor network 45. The HEMS adapter 41 complies with a predetermined standard, for example, the ECHONET Lite standard.

The heat source dedicated remote controller 21 is a remote controller for remotely controlling the heat source 20, and is installed, for example, in the kitchen or bathroom. The heat source 20 heats water to a temperature specified by the heat source dedicated remote controller 21, and supplies hot water to the bathtub 30 based on instructions from the heat source dedicated remote controller 21. Furthermore, the heat source 20 has a function of starting hot water supply to the bathtub 30 at a specified time. In this embodiment, the heat source 20 has an automatic bath mode setting, which is a setting for determining whether to automatically supply hot water to the bathtub 30. When the specified time comes and the bath automatic mode setting changes from "off" to "on", the heat source 20 automatically supplies hot water to the bathtub 30, and stops supplying hot water when the predetermined amount of hot water is reached. The hot water in the bathtub 30 is kept at a specified temperature. The bath automatic mode setting may be set by the heat source dedicated remote controller 21 or the HEMS controller 43, or may be set by the external terminal 60 described below.

The drain plug control device 10 according to the present embodiment periodically inquires and obtains the state of hot water supply to the bathtub 30 from a heat source 20 connected to an indoor network 45 such as a LAN. The drain valve control device 10 uses a predetermined standard, for example, the ECHONET Lite standard, to inquire about the hot water supply state. The hot water supply state refers to the state related to hot water supply from the heat source 20 to the bathtub, including a state in which hot water supply is on standby, a state in which hot water supply has started, a state in which hot water is being supplied, a state in which hot water supply is stopped, and a state in which hot water supply has been completed. etc. Then, when the bath automatic mode setting changes from "off" to "on" and the hot water supply state is in a state where hot water is being supplied to the bathtub 30, the drain plug control device 10 controls the drain plug 31 by driving the motor. control to close.

The drain plug control device 10 is connected to the router 40 and thereby connected to an indoor network 45 such as a LAN. HEMS adapter 41 is connected to router 40 . By connecting the drain plug control device 10 and the heat source 20 through communication in this manner, it is possible to periodically inquire of the heat source 20 about the state of hot water supply to the bathtub 30 and obtain the information.

Further, the drain plug control device 10 is connected to the abnormality detection device 47 via a dedicated line independent of the indoor network 45. This independent dedicated line is exclusively connected to the drain valve control device 10 and the abnormality detection device 47 through a wired connection or a wireless connection. The abnormality detection device 47 is an abnormality detection device in a bathtub, and performs communication to detect the bathing state of a bather in the bathtub and output a binary signal such as an on/off signal indicating whether or not the bathing state in the bathtub is abnormal. . The example shown in FIG. 1 is a device that monitors the bathing state of a bather, and is equipped with a drowning sensor that detects drowning of the bather. In this way, by connecting the abnormality detection device 47 such as a monitoring device to the drain valve control device 10 through communication using binary signals on a dedicated line, it is possible to eliminate the need for complicated configurations such as connections, Information indicating the bathing state can be obtained with a simple configuration.

An example of a drowning sensor is a detector installed on the ceiling of a bathroom that emits sound waves toward the bathtub and detects the height based on the reflected waves. In this case, the height of the water surface in the bathtub and the height of the bather's head are detected using sound waves caused by radiation and reflection, and the detection results are compared and drowning is detected when both heights are within a predetermined range. It is possible to do so. Another example of a drowning sensor is a detector that detects the position using an infrared sensor provided in a bathroom remote control. In this case, the bathroom remote control for operating the heat source 20 installed in the bathroom is equipped with an infrared sensor, and the position of the bather's head during bathing is detected, and the position of the head is set at a predetermined water surface position or hot water supply. It is possible to detect drowning when the position is below the water surface determined by Other examples of drowning sensors include a detector that detects the water level in a bathtub. In this case, it is possible to detect the water level during bathing, and to detect drowning when the water level exceeds a predetermined threshold value with respect to the water level at which the bather's head is submerged and drowning.

In addition, since the drain valve control device 10 can acquire a signal indicating an abnormality in the bathing state through a dedicated line, it is possible to receive a signal indicating an abnormality in the bathing state through a dedicated line. ) is unlikely to occur. Therefore, compared to the case where a signal indicating that the bathing condition is abnormal is received via a network, a signal indicating that the bathing condition is abnormal can be obtained more reliably.

Further, the drain plug control device 10 is connected to a notification device 48 such as an alarm device through a dedicated line independent of the indoor network 45. The notification device 48 is a device for notifying an abnormality in the bathtub, and uses a binary signal from the drain plug control device 10 to notify at least when the bathing state in the bathtub is abnormal. The example shown in FIG. 1 shows an alarm device that issues an alarm when the bathing condition of a bather is abnormal. By connecting the notification device 48 to the drain valve control device 10 through communication using binary signals, it is possible to notify the bathing status (for example, abnormality) of the bather in the bathtub without requiring a complicated connection or other configuration. Information for notification can be output. Further, since a signal indicating that the bathing condition is abnormal can be outputted using a dedicated line, there is no possibility of a transmission failure occurring when transmitting a signal via a network, for example. Therefore, compared to the case where a signal indicating that the bathing condition is abnormal is transmitted via a network, a signal indicating that the bathing condition is abnormal can be outputted to the notification device 48 more reliably.

Furthermore, although details will be described later, the drain valve control device 10 has a function of notifying the indoor device 42 of an abnormality in the bathtub via the indoor network 45. In the example shown in Fig. 1, when the bathing condition of the bather is abnormal, information indicating that the bathing condition of the bather is abnormal is output to the lighting, intercom, and AV (Audio Visual) equipment. , it is possible to notify indoor users of abnormalities in bathing conditions.

Furthermore, since each device in the hot water supply system 1 is connected through the indoor network 45, the devices connected to the hot water supply system 1 have versatility, and it is easier to add more devices than in the comparative example. In the example shown in FIG. 1, indoor devices 42 such as lighting, an intercom, and AV equipment are connected to the router 40. Further, FIG. 1 shows an example in which a HEMS controller 43 is connected to the router 40, and a power generation device 44 such as a solar panel is connected to the HEMS controller 43. The HEMS controller 43 may be compatible with a predetermined standard, for example, the ECHONET Lite standard. If the heat source 20 complies with the ECHONET Lite standard, the HEMS controller 43 can instruct the heat source 20 to supply hot water.

Further, FIG. 1 shows an example in which the router 40 is connected to a server 50 via an external network 46 such as the Internet. By connecting the router 40 to the outside network 46, the operation of the heat source 20 can be controlled from the server 50. Cooperative software 51 for controlling the operation of the heat source 20 is installed in the server 50 . A user who wants to operate the heat source 20 can operate the heat source 20 by connecting to the server 50 from inside or outside the home using an external terminal 60 such as a smartphone, and running the cooperation software 51. For example, a user who wants to operate the heat source 20 can start supplying hot water to the bathtub 30 at a specified time by connecting to the server 50 from inside or outside the home using the external terminal 60.

Furthermore, by connecting the devices as shown in FIG. 1, the external terminal 60 can control devices other than the heat source 20 connected to the router 40 from outside the home or the like. For example, the external terminal 60 can acquire and present the power generation status of the power generation device 44 from outside the home. Further, for example, the external terminal 60 can control the bathroom device or the indoor device 42 from outside the home.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the drain valve control device 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drain valve control device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage 14, a communication interface (I/F) 15, and an input/output interface (I/F) 17. Each configuration is communicably connected to each other via a bus 16.

The CPU 11 is a central processing unit that executes various programs and controls various parts. That is, the CPU 11 reads a program from the ROM 12 or the storage 14 and executes the program using the RAM 13 as a work area. The CPU 11 controls each of the above components and performs various arithmetic operations according to programs recorded in the ROM 12 or the storage 14. In this embodiment, the ROM 12 or the storage 14 stores a drain plug control program that controls the operation of the drain plug 31 provided in the bathtub 30.

The ROM 12 stores various programs and data. The RAM 13 temporarily stores programs or data as a work area. The storage 14 is constituted by a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory, and stores various programs including an operating system and various data.

The communication interface 15 is an interface for communicating with other devices such as the heat source 20, and can use, for example, a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark). Note that standards such as FDDI and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) may be used as other communication standards. Further, the drain plug control device 10 is connected to the drain plug 31 and the sensor 32 through a dedicated communication line, and the communication line for sending signals to the drain plug 31 and receiving signals from the sensor 32 is a bus. 16.

The input/output interface 17 is an interface for communicating with the abnormality detection device 47 and the notification device 48, and is configured to enable communication using binary signals.

When executing the above drain plug control program, the drain plug control device 10 uses the above hardware resources to realize various functions. The functional configuration realized by the drain plug control device 10 will be explained.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the drain plug control device 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drain valve control device 10 includes a communication section 100, an acquisition section 101, and a control section 102 as functional components. Each functional configuration is realized by the CPU 11 reading out and executing a drain plug control program stored in the ROM 12 or the storage 14.

The communication unit 100 communicates with the heat source 20 , which is communicatively connected to the indoor network 45 , to inquire about the state of hot water supply to the bathtub 30 . Further, the communication unit 100 performs communication using binary signals with the abnormality detection device 47 and the notification device 48 that are connected via a dedicated line.

The acquisition unit 101 uses the communication unit 100 to periodically inquire of the heat source 20 about the state of hot water supply to the bathtub 30 and acquires the status. The acquisition unit 101 continues to acquire the state of hot water supply to the bathtub 30 through periodic inquiries when the drain plug control device 10 is operating. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 101 uses the communication unit 100 to acquire the binary signal output from the abnormality detection device 47 .

The control unit 102 controls the operation of a drain plug 31 provided in the bathtub 30. Specifically, the control unit 102 controls the motor to close the drain plug 31 when the hot water supply state acquired by the acquisition unit 101 is a state in which hot water is being supplied to the bathtub 30. Further, the control unit 102 controls the drain valve 31 to be opened when the binary signal acquired by the acquisition unit 101 indicates an abnormality in the bathing state in the bathtub, such as drowning. In addition, when the hot water supply state is a state in which hot water is being supplied to the bathtub 30 and an abnormality in the bathing state is indicated, the control unit 102 gives priority to the abnormality in the bathing state and controls the drain valve 31 to be opened.

Note that the control unit 102 controls the communication unit 100 to output a binary signal to the notification device 48 when the binary signal acquired by the acquisition unit 101 indicates an abnormality in the bathing state in the bathtub. Is possible. Further, when the bathing state in the bathtub indicates an abnormality, the control unit 102 causes the lighting, intercom, and AV equipment to communicate with each other via the indoor network 45 in order to output information indicating that the bathing state is abnormal. It is also possible to control the communication unit 100 accordingly.

Next, the operation of the drain plug control device 10 will be explained.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of drain plug control processing by the drain plug control device 10. The drain plug control process is performed by the CPU 11 reading out the drain plug control program from the ROM 12 or the storage 14, loading it into the RAM 13, and executing it. Note that at the time when the drain valve control device 10 starts the drain valve control process, the bath automatic mode setting of the heat source 20 is "off".

When the drain plug control device 10 is started, the CPU 11 first executes drain plug initial processing (step S100). As the drain plug initial processing, the CPU 11 executes, for example, an operation check of a motor (not shown) that operates the drain plug 31, an operation check of the drain plug 31 due to the operation of the motor, and the like. Note that if the drain plug initial processing fails, the CPU 11 may output a signal to the indoor network 45 to the effect that the processing has failed. Information indicating that the drain plug initial processing has failed may be output to the heat source dedicated remote controller 21 or the HEMS controller 43, for example.

Next, in step S102, the CPU 11 acquires the bath automatic mode setting of the heat source 20 through the indoor network 45, and sets the acquired setting as the previous value.

Next, the CPU 11 acquires the binary signal output from the abnormality detection device 47 in step S104.

Next, in step S106, the CPU 11 determines whether the binary signal from the abnormality detection device 47 is an ON signal indicating an abnormality in the bathing state in the bathtub, such as drowning.

Next, if the result of the determination in step S106 is that the off signal does not indicate an abnormality in the bathing state (negative determination in step S106), the CPU 11 executes a timer process to time a predetermined polling interval in step S108. The predetermined polling interval is, for example, about several seconds to several tens of seconds. Here, the processes from step S104 to step S106 may be repeated so that abnormalities in the bathing state can be detected during the polling interval.

When the predetermined polling interval has elapsed, the CPU 11 acquires the bath automatic mode setting of the heat source 20 again through the indoor network 45 in step S110, and sets the acquired setting as the current value.

Next, in step S112, the CPU 11 compares the previous value and the current value of the acquired settings, and determines whether the previous value and the current value are equal.

As a result of the determination in step S112, if the previous value and current value are equal (affirmative determination in step S112), the CPU 11 substitutes the current value for the previous value in step S118, and returns the process to step S104.

On the other hand, if the previous value and current value are not equal as a result of the determination in step S112 (negative determination in step S112), the CPU 11 determines whether the current value of the automatic bath mode setting is "ON" in step S114. judge.

As a result of the determination in step S114, if the current value of the bath automatic mode setting is "on" (affirmative determination in step S114), the CPU 11 acquires the state of the drain plug 31 from the sensor 32 in step S116, If the drain plug 31 is in an open state, a plugging process is executed to close the drain plug 31 . In addition, when the process of closing the drain valve 31 is completed, the CPU 11 may output a notification to the indoor network 45 that the process has been completed. The heat source 20 may then start supplying hot water to the bathtub 30 upon receiving the notification of completion of the plugging process. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S114, if the current value of the automatic bath mode setting is not "on" (negative determination in step S114), it is determined that the automatic bath mode setting has been switched from "on" to "off". , the CPU 11 skips the process of step S116. Subsequently, the CPU 11 substitutes the current value for the previous value in step S118, and returns the process to step S104.

In the process of closing the drain valve 31 in step S116, if the drain valve 31 cannot be closed for some reason such as a malfunction of the motor, the CPU 11 outputs a signal to the indoor network 45 indicating that the process of closing the drain valve has failed. Good too. Information indicating that the plugging process has failed may be output to the heat source dedicated remote controller 21 or the HEMS controller 43, for example. Furthermore, if the capping process fails, the CPU 11 may output a notification to the effect of failure to the heat source 20 and stop supplying hot water from the heat source 20 to the bathtub 30.

By executing the series of operations described above, the drain valve control device 10 can monitor the state of hot water supply to the bathtub from the heat source connected to the indoor network 45 via communication, and can appropriately close the drain valve 31. can. Furthermore, by monitoring the hot water supply status from the heat source to the bathtub through the indoor network 45, the drain valve control device 10 can improve the versatility of bathroom-related systems compared to the case where HA terminals are used. .

On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S106 is an ON signal indicating an abnormality in the bathing state such as drowning (affirmative determination in step S106), the CPU 11 moves the process to step S120, and the drain valve 31 is closed. If it is in the state, the drain valve 31 is opened.

Next, the CPU 11 executes polling stop processing in step S122. The polling stop process is a communication failure response that avoids or at least suppresses communication failure (increase in communication traffic) in the system that may occur when communication to obtain the bath automatic mode setting of the heat source 20 is executed at a predetermined polling interval. It is processing.

Note that the drain plug control device 10 of this embodiment can cooperate with other devices when the bathing state in the bathtub shows an abnormality. Specifically, the CPU 11 can execute any or all of the processes from step S124 to step S128.

In step S124, the CPU 11 executes hot water supply stop processing to request the heat source 20 to stop hot water supply. This stops the continuous supply of hot water to the bathtub 30 while the drain plug 31 is open, making it possible to avoid unnecessary continuation of hot water supply. In addition, if the bather is drowning, it is possible to prevent the bather from continuing to drown by continuously supplying hot water.

In step S126, the CPU 11 executes an emergency warning process to output an emergency signal in the form of a binary signal to the notification device 48 connected to the dedicated line. The emergency warning process is an emergency signal output process that causes the notification device 48 to issue an emergency warning by outputting an emergency signal, which is a binary signal (for example, an ON signal) indicating an abnormality, to the notification device 48 when the bathing state is abnormal. It is. This makes it possible to notify people outside the bathroom that the bathing condition in the bathtub is abnormal and to have them confirm this.

In step S128, the CPU 11 executes an abnormality notification process to notify the indoor device 42 of an abnormality in the bathing state via the indoor network 45. Examples of abnormality notification processing include outputting information to cause lights to flash, intercoms to ring, and AV equipment to ring to notify abnormalities in the bathing state, or controlling lights, intercoms, and AV equipment by communication. can be mentioned. Further, another example of the abnormality notification process includes outputting message information to notify the external terminal 60 of an abnormality in the bathing state. The message information may be output to the heat source dedicated remote controller 21 or the HEMS controller 43, for example. This makes it possible to confirm outside the bathroom that the bathing condition in the bathtub is abnormal.

Next, in step S130, the CPU 11 determines whether the abnormality in the bathing state in the bathtub has been resolved. The determination in step S130 may be made by determining whether the binary signal that is the output signal of the abnormality detection device 47 has been switched to an off signal that does not indicate an abnormality in the bathing state.

As a result of the determination in step S130, if the abnormality in the bathing state has not been canceled (negative determination in step S130), the CPU 11 returns the process to step S120 and repeats the above-described process.

On the other hand, if the abnormality in the bathing state has been canceled as a result of the determination in step S130 (affirmative determination in step S130), the CPU 11 executes a recovery process in step S132, and then returns the process to step S104. Examples of the recovery process include a process in which the CPU 11 checks the operation of the drain plug 31, sets the bath automatic mode of the heat source 20 ("off"), and cancels the polling stop that was performed at the time of an abnormality.

As described above, the drain valve control device 10 according to the present embodiment provides the convenience of the bath automatic mode in which hot water is automatically supplied to the bathtub 30, and also provides the drain plug control device 10 when the bathing condition is abnormal such as drowning. It becomes possible to perform emergency response by opening 31 and draining water in an emergency. Therefore, compared to connecting directly to other devices or connecting to a networked system using an HA terminal, it is possible to reliably deal with abnormalities such as drowning in the bathtub while increasing versatility. become. In addition, since abnormalities in the bathing state are detected by acquiring binary signals using a dedicated line, there is no need for complicated configurations such as connections, and abnormalities in the bathing state in the bathtub can be detected easily and reliably. can be obtained.

Although the drain valve control device 10 described above has been described in the case where the drain valve control device 10, the abnormality detection device 47, and the notification device 48 are connected by a dedicated line (FIG. 1), the present disclosure is not limited to this. isn't it. As another example of the dedicated line, as shown in FIG. 5, the abnormality detection device 47 and the notification device 48 may be connected by HA wiring.

Specifically, HA can be used for communication between the drowning sensor in the monitoring device, which is the abnormality detection device 47, and the drain valve control device 10. In the drain valve control device 10, a communication unit 100 communicates a drowning signal from a drowning sensor using a binary signal using HA, and an acquisition unit 101 acquires a binary signal indicating that the bathing state is abnormal. do. The drain valve control device 10 has a control unit 102 that opens the drain valve 31 when the bathing condition is abnormal, and receives a monitor signal indicating that the drain valve 31 has been opened, a drowning signal from the drowning sensor, The communication unit 100 is controlled to transmit other information indicating that the bathing state in the bathtub is abnormal to the notification device 48 via the abnormality detection device 47. As a result, an external administrator who has confirmed the notification device 48 or a device administrator such as a rush service linked to the notification device 48 can grasp the details of the bathing condition, and can take appropriate measures such as arranging life-saving measures. becomes.

In addition, various processors other than the CPU may execute the drain plug control process that the CPU reads and executes the software (program) in each of the above embodiments. In this case, the processor includes a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacturing, such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). In order to execute specific processing such as An example is a dedicated electric circuit that is a processor having a specially designed circuit configuration. In addition, the drain valve control process may be executed by one of these various processors, or by a combination of two or more processors of the same type or different types (for example, multiple FPGAs, and a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). combinations etc.). Further, the hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electric circuit that is a combination of circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, a mode has been described in which the program for drain valve control processing is stored (installed) in the ROM or storage in advance, but the present invention is not limited to this. The program can be stored in non-temporary (n recorded on a recording medium (on-transitory) It may be provided in the form of Further, the program may be downloaded from an external device via a network.

1 Hot water supply system 10 Drain valve control device 20 Heat source 30 Bathtub 45 Indoor network 46 Outside network 47 Abnormality detection device

Claims (5)

In a drain plug control device that controls the operation of a drain plug installed in a bathtub,
An abnormality detection unit of the bathtub, which communicates with an indoor network and is connected to the indoor network by a dedicated line independent of the indoor network, detects a bathing condition in the bathtub and determines whether the bathing condition in the bathtub is abnormal. a communication unit that communicates with the abnormality detection unit that outputs a binary signal indicating
an acquisition unit that periodically inquires and acquires the state of hot water supply to the bathtub from a heat source connected to the indoor network, and acquires the binary signal from the abnormality detection unit;
a control unit that controls to close a drain plug when the hot water supply state is a state in which hot water is being supplied to the bathtub, and controls to open the drain plug when the bathing state in the bathtub indicates an abnormality;
A drain valve control device equipped with: 2. The drain plug control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit suspends periodic inquiries regarding the state of hot water supply to the bathtub when the bathing state in the bathtub shows an abnormality. The drain plug control device according to claim 1 or 2, which is connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) as the indoor network. The drain valve control device according to claim 3, wherein the ECHONET Lite standard is used to query the heat source. a heat source that is communicatively connected to the indoor network;
a drain plug control device that controls the operation of a drain plug provided in the bathtub;
an abnormality detection unit that detects a bathing state in the bathtub and outputs a binary signal indicating whether the bathing state in the bathtub is abnormal;
The drain valve control device includes:
the abnormality detection unit that communicates with the indoor network and is connected to the indoor network by a dedicated line independent of the indoor network, and a communication unit that communicates with the abnormality detection unit that outputs the binary signal;
an acquisition unit that periodically inquires and acquires the state of hot water supply to the bathtub from a heat source connected to the indoor network, and acquires the binary signal from the abnormality detection unit;
a control unit that controls to close a drain plug when the hot water supply state is a state in which hot water is being supplied to the bathtub, and controls to open the drain plug when the bathing state in the bathtub indicates an abnormality;
A hot water system equipped with