Device management device and device management screen generation method

Abstract

A controller (20) for displaying an air conditioner management screen with an air conditioner icon (101) of a first display size representing the air conditioner superimposed at a position corresponding to each installation location of a plurality of air conditioners (10) within a floor structure diagram of a building is provided with a display information generating unit (23). When an operation is performed to specify a display related to a group described with a specified air conditioner, all air conditioners belonging to the corresponding group are determined, the air conditioner icons corresponding to the determined air conditioners are changed to a second display size larger than the first display size, and the set operation buttons (102) for operating each of these air conditioners are displayed superimposed at a specified position on the air conditioner management screen, and the air conditioner icons (101) corresponding to the air conditioners not belonging to the group are changed to a third display size smaller than the first display size.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a device management apparatus and a method for generating a device management screen. Background Art

[0002] Typically, a large building such as a commercial facility or office building is equipped with a plurality of equipment and devices, which are centrally managed by a central management device serving as an equipment management device. The central management device sequentially obtains and stores operating status information from each equipment and device.

[0003] Furthermore, administrators can use the central management device to monitor the operating status of equipment or change settings. To perform these operations, the administrator causes the central management device's liquid crystal display to display an equipment management screen that uses a floor plan diagram of the building. On this equipment management screen, icons representing the corresponding equipment are superimposed at locations within the floor plan diagram corresponding to the locations where the equipment is installed. By specifying the icon of the desired equipment on the equipment management screen, operating status information related to that equipment is displayed. Administrators can perform equipment management tasks by confirming the operating status of the displayed equipment or changing settings. Furthermore, the central management device is configured to communicate with an operation terminal used by the administrator of the equipment to manage the equipment. The operation terminal can also be used on the screen of the operation terminal as an equipment management device, enabling the same displays and operations as the central management device.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-134469 Summary of the Invention

[0007] In equipment management systems such as those described above, multiple devices are sometimes managed as groups for each store or office within a building. This presents a problem: The device management screen, which uses a floor plan, cannot clearly identify how the devices are grouped, making it difficult for administrators to operate on a group-by-group basis.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a facility management apparatus and a facility management screen generation method that improve the operability when performing management operations for a plurality of facilities in a large building on a touch panel.

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the equipment management device of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises: a display unit for displaying an equipment management screen, in which icons representing a first display size of a plurality of equipment machines are superimposed at positions corresponding to the respective installation locations of the plurality of equipment machines in the floor composition diagram of the building; an operation detection unit for detecting an operation on the equipment management screen displayed on the above-mentioned display unit; a machine classification information storage unit for storing machine classification information for classifying the plurality of equipment machines into a plurality of groups; and a display information generation unit, which, when the above-mentioned operation detection unit detects that an icon representing a certain equipment machine is operated on the equipment management screen displayed on the above-mentioned display unit, changes the icon to a size larger than the above-mentioned first display size. The second display size is used, and the operation button for operating the settings of the device machine is overlapped and displayed at the specified position of the above-mentioned device management screen. When the above-mentioned operation detection unit detects that an operation related to the display of the group to which the device machine corresponding to the icon of the above-mentioned operation belongs is specified, the display information generation unit determines all the devices and machines belonging to the corresponding group based on the machine classification information stored in the above-mentioned machine classification information storage unit, changes the icons corresponding to the determined devices and machines to the above-mentioned second display size, and causes the operation button for operating the settings of each of these devices and machines to be overlapped and displayed at the specified position of the above-mentioned device management screen, and changes the icons corresponding to the devices and machines that do not belong to the group to a third display size smaller than the above-mentioned first display size.

[0010] Furthermore, the device management screen generation method of the present invention is characterized in that the device management apparatus comprises: a display unit for displaying a device management screen, wherein icons representing a first display size of a plurality of devices are superimposed on the device management screen at positions corresponding to respective installation locations of the plurality of devices within a floor plan of a building; an operation detection unit for detecting an operation on the device management screen displayed on the display unit; and a device classification information storage unit for storing device classification information for classifying the plurality of devices into a plurality of groups, wherein the device management apparatus, when the operation detection unit detects that an icon representing a certain device is operated on the device management screen displayed on the display unit, changes the icon to a size larger than the first display size. The second display size is larger than the first display size, and the operation buttons for operating the settings of the device machine are overlapped and displayed at the specified position of the above-mentioned device management screen. When the above-mentioned operation detection unit detects that an operation related to the display of the group to which the device machine corresponding to the icon of the above-mentioned operation belongs is specified, all the devices and machines belonging to the corresponding group are determined based on the machine classification information stored in the above-mentioned machine classification information storage unit, and the icons corresponding to the determined devices and machines are changed to the above-mentioned second display size, and the operation buttons for operating the settings of each of these devices and machines are overlapped and displayed at the specified position of the above-mentioned device management screen, and the icons corresponding to the devices and machines that do not belong to the group are changed to a third display size that is smaller than the above-mentioned first display size. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 This is an overall diagram showing the configuration of an air-conditioning system using the equipment management device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a controller of a facility management apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 3 This figure shows an example of device classification information stored in a controller of a device management apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 4A This is a flowchart showing processing executed by a controller of the equipment management apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 4B This is a flowchart showing processing executed by a controller of the equipment management apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a screen configuration diagram showing a standard air conditioner management screen displayed on the touch panel of the controller of the equipment management apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a screen configuration diagram showing a state when an air conditioner icon of a first display size is operated on the air conditioner management screen displayed on the touch panel of the controller of the equipment management apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a screen configuration diagram showing a state when a desired air conditioner group display button is operated on the air conditioner management screen displayed on the touch panel of the controller of the equipment management apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 8 This is a screen configuration diagram showing a state in which a predetermined group of operation buttons are displayed on an air conditioner management screen displayed on a touch panel of a controller of a facility management apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 9 This is a screen configuration diagram showing a state when an air conditioner icon of a second display size is operated on the air conditioner management screen displayed on the touch panel of the controller of the equipment management apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 10 This is a screen configuration diagram showing a state when an air conditioner icon displayed at the lower portion of the air conditioner management screen displayed on the touch panel of the controller of the equipment management apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention is operated.

[0022] Figure 11 This is a screen configuration diagram showing a state in which an operation button is displayed when an air conditioner icon displayed at the lower portion of the air conditioner management screen displayed on the touch panel of the controller of the equipment management apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention is operated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Hereinafter, an air conditioning system configured as one embodiment of the communication system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] <Configuration of an Air Conditioning System Using a Facility Management Device According to One Embodiment>

[0025] As an equipment management device according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1The configuration of an air conditioning system using a controller and a tablet terminal serving as a central management device will be described. The air conditioning system 1 of this embodiment includes multiple air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n installed in a building, a controller 20 serving as a central management device connected to these air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n, wireless communication access points 40-1 to 40-4 connected to the controller 20 via a hub 30, a tablet terminal 50-1 wirelessly connected to the access point 40-1, a tablet terminal 50-2 wirelessly connected to the access point 40-2, a tablet terminal 50-3 wirelessly connected to the access point 40-3, and a personal computer 50-4 wirelessly connected to the access point 40-4. The controller 20, tablet terminals 50-1 to 50-3, and personal computer 50-4 are operated by the administrator of the air conditioning system 1. In this air conditioning system, the multiple air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n installed in the building correspond to equipment devices.

[0026] like Figure 2 As shown, the controller 20 includes a touch panel 21 formed of a liquid crystal screen, a device classification information storage unit 22 , a display information generation unit 23 , a communication unit 24 , and a control information generation unit 25 .

[0027] The touch panel 21 includes an operation detection unit 211 and a display unit 212. The operation detection unit 211 detects a touch operation performed by an administrator. The display unit 212 displays information provided to the administrator.

[0028] The device classification information storage unit 22 stores device classification information that classifies the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n into multiple groups. The display information generation unit 23 generates management screens for the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n and operating status information for the designated air conditioners as display information based on the operation information detected by the operation detection unit 211. The communication unit 24 communicates with the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n, tablet terminals 50-1 to 50-3, and personal computer 50-4. The control information generation unit 25 generates operational control information for the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n based on the operation information detected by the operation detection unit 211.

[0029] The tablet terminals 50-1 to 50-3 and the personal computer 50-4 communicate with the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n via the controller 20, transmit operation control information for controlling the operation to the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n as needed, and obtain and display operation status information of the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n.

[0030] <Operation of the Air Conditioning System According to One Embodiment>

[0031] Next, the operation of the air conditioning system 1 of this embodiment will be described. The air conditioning system 1 is installed in a large commercial facility. Within the air conditioning system 1, the controller 20 transmits operation control information for controlling the operation of the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n as needed, and acquires and stores operating status information of the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n at predetermined time intervals.

[0032] In addition, in the machine classification information storage unit 22 of the controller 20, as machine classification information, information is stored that classifies the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n into groups according to their installation locations for each store within a commercial facility equipped with the air conditioning system 1 or each pre-set area (store A, store B, store C, the central aisle area on the first floor, the west aisle area on the first floor, etc.).

[0033] exist Figure 3 An example of equipment classification information is shown in Figure 3 In the machine classification information, it is shown that air conditioners 10-1 to 10-5 correspond to the group representing air conditioners installed in store A (store A group), air conditioners 10-6 to 10-10 correspond to the group representing air conditioners installed in store B (store B group), air conditioners 10-11 to 10-15 correspond to the group representing air conditioners installed in store C (store C group), air conditioners 10-16 to 10-18 correspond to the group representing air conditioners installed in the central aisle area on the first floor (central aisle area group on the first floor), and air conditioners 10-19 to 10-21 correspond to the group representing air conditioners installed in the west aisle area on the first floor (west aisle area group on the first floor).

[0034] Reference Figure 4A 、 Figure 4B The flowchart of FIG. 1 will describe a process executed by the controller 20 when a manager of the air conditioners 10 - 1 to 10 - n uses the controller 20 to perform an operation for managing the air conditioners 10 - 1 to 10 - n.

[0035] First, when the administrator performs an operation for displaying the management screen of the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n on the touch panel 21 of the controller 20 ("Yes" in S1), the operation information is detected by the operation detection unit 211 and obtained by the display information generation unit 23. In the display information generation unit 23, a reference air conditioner management screen is generated as the corresponding device management screen. The air conditioner icons 101-1 to 101-n of each air conditioner are overlapped and displayed in the first display size "medium" at positions corresponding to the respective installation locations of the air conditioners 10-1 to 10-n on the floor composition diagram (floor layout diagram) of the building, forming the reference air conditioner management screen. For example, Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the generated air conditioner management screen is displayed on the touch panel 21 via the display unit 212 ( S2 ). Figure 5In the air conditioner management screen, a black circle air conditioner icon indicates that the corresponding air conditioner 10 is in the power-on state, and a white circle air conditioner icon indicates that the corresponding air conditioner 10 is in the power-off state.

[0036] When the administrator touches and operates an air conditioner icon, for example, the air conditioner icon 101-1 corresponding to the air conditioner 10-1, on the base air conditioner management screen displayed on the touch panel 21 ("Yes" in S3), the operation information is detected by the operation detection unit 211 and obtained by the display information generation unit 23.

[0037] When the display information generating unit 23 obtains information indicating that a touch operation of the air conditioner icon 101-1 is detected on the touch panel 21, it updates the display information so as to change the air conditioner icon 101-1 in the displayed air conditioner management screen to a second display size "large" that is larger than the first display size, and to highlight it by brightly lighting its surroundings. In addition, in the lower part of the screen, an operation button 102-1 for operating the action and setting of the corresponding air conditioner 10-1 and a group display button 103-1 for indicating the display related to the group to which the air conditioner 10-1 belongs are displayed in an overlapping manner. The current operating status (power on / off status) and setting information (set temperature, etc.) of the corresponding air conditioner 10-1 are displayed on the operation button 102-1. For example, Figure 6 As shown, the generated display information of the air conditioner management screen is displayed on the touch panel 21 via the display unit 212 ( S4 ).

[0038] When the administrator uses the operation button 102-1 on the air conditioner management screen displayed on the touch panel 21 to perform an operation related to the operation or settings of the air conditioner 10-1, such as turning off the power ("Yes" in S5), the operation is detected by the operation detection unit 211, and the control information generation unit 25 generates a power-off instruction for the air conditioner 10-1 as corresponding control information. The generated control information is transmitted from the communication unit 24 to the air conditioner 10-1, and the power of the air conditioner 10-1 is turned off (S6).

[0039] Furthermore, when the administrator operates an operation-invalid position on the air conditioner management screen displayed on the touch panel 21 ("Yes" in S7), the display information generator 23 returns the display size of the air conditioner icon 101-1 to the first display size of "medium," turns off the surrounding lighting, deletes the display of the operation button 102-1, and returns the display of the touch panel 21 to the base air conditioner management screen (S2). Here, the operation-invalid position on the air conditioner management screen is the position other than the air conditioner icon 101-1 displayed in the second display size of "large," the air conditioner icons 101-2 to 101-n other than the air conditioner icon 101-1 displayed in the first display size of "medium," the operation button 102-1, and the group display button 103-1.

[0040] In addition, in step S7, the position where the operation is invalid is not operated ("No" in S7), when Figure 7 When the group display button 103-1 is operated on the air conditioner management screen as shown ("Yes" in S8), all air conditioners 10-1 to 10-5 in the store A group to which the air conditioner 10-1 belongs are determined through the display information generation unit 23 based on the information stored in the machine classification information storage unit 22.

[0041] Then, the display information is updated so that the air conditioner icons 101-1 to 101-5 corresponding to the identified air conditioners 10-1 to 10-5 are changed to a second display size "large" that is larger than the first display size, the lighting around the air conditioner icon 101-1 is turned off, and the set operation buttons 102-1 to 102-5 for operating the corresponding air conditioners 10-1 to 10-5 are displayed at the bottom of the screen, and the air conditioner icons 101-6 to 101-n of the air conditioners 10-6 to 10-n other than the store A group are changed to a third display size "small" that is smaller than the first display size. For example, Figure 8 As shown, the updated air conditioner management screen is displayed on the touch panel 21 via the display unit 212 ( S9 ).

[0042] When the administrator uses any of the operation buttons, such as operation button 102-2, on the displayed air conditioner management screen to perform an operation related to the operation or setting of the air conditioner 10-2 ("Yes" in S10), the operation is detected by the operation detection unit 211, and the control information generation unit 25 generates corresponding control information. The generated control information is transmitted from the communication unit 24 to the air conditioner 10-2, and the corresponding control is executed (S11).

[0043] Furthermore, when the administrator touches one of the air conditioner icons displayed in the second display size "large" on the displayed air conditioner management screen, for example, Figure 9When the air conditioner icon 101-1 is shown, the area around the corresponding operation button 102-1 is brightly lit and emphasized (S13). Thus, the manager can understand the position of the operation button for performing operations related to operation and setting for the air conditioner at the desired position in the floor structure diagram.

[0044] Furthermore, if the administrator operates a position on the displayed air conditioner management screen where an operation is disabled ("YES" in S14), the display information generation unit 23 updates the display information so that only the previous screen, i.e., the air conditioner icon 101-1, is displayed in the second display size "Large" with its surrounding area highlighted. The lower portion of the screen returns to a screen displaying only the operation button 102-1 of the air conditioner 10-1. The generated display information for the air conditioner management screen is then displayed on the touch panel 21 (S15), and the process returns to step S5.

[0045] Here, the display information generating unit 23 determines that operations on the air conditioner icons 101-1 to 101-5 displayed in the second display size "large" and operations on all displayed operation buttons 102-1 to 102-5 are valid in the air conditioner management screen displayed in step S9, and operations on positions other than these, such as the air conditioner icons 101-6 to 101-n displayed in the third display size "small", are invalid.

[0046] According to the above embodiment, the air conditioner management screen displayed on the touch panel allows the administrator to understand the classified status of multiple air conditioners within the building and perform operations. Thus, if all air conditioners in a specific store within the building are to be turned off at a specified closing time each day, the administrator can easily identify any air conditioners that have not yet been turned off and perform the desired operation by displaying the operation buttons for the air conditioners in that store after the closing time.

[0047] In the above embodiment, in step S3, if the air conditioner icon displayed at the bottom of the air conditioner management screen is operated, for example, Figure 10 If the air conditioner icon 101-10 is shown, when the operation button 102-10 and the group display button 103-10 are displayed in an overlapping manner at the bottom of the screen, the air conditioner icon 101-10 may be hidden and not be seen due to the overlapping button display. Figure 11As shown, the floor configuration diagram portion can be offset upward on the screen, so that the operated air conditioner icon 101-10 can be reliably displayed on the screen even when the operation button 102-10 and the group display button 103-10 are displayed. Furthermore, when the group display button 103 is operated in step S8 to display the operation buttons of the corresponding group, even if one of the air conditioner icons with the second display size "large" may be hidden due to overlapping button displays, the floor configuration diagram portion can be similarly offset upward on the screen.

[0048] In this embodiment, air conditioners are used as the equipment devices, and the equipment management device is applied to the controllers that manage these air conditioners. The air conditioner management screen is used as an example to illustrate the equipment management screen. However, the equipment devices are not limited to air conditioners and may also include elevators, lighting, machine tools, and combinations thereof. The equipment management screen can be any screen that displays equipment icons representing each equipment device on the floor structure diagram (floor layout diagram) of the building and its respective installation locations on the floor structure diagram. Furthermore, the equipment management device is not limited to a controller and may also be a communication device with a touch screen, such as a tablet terminal 50-3 or a personal computer 50-4.

[0049] While embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are provided as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are intended to be included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also intended to be included in the invention described in the technical claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A device management device, characterized in that: have: a display unit for displaying a device management screen having icons representing a first display size of a plurality of devices superimposed on the screen at positions corresponding to respective installation locations of the plurality of devices within a floor configuration diagram representing a floor layout of the building; an operation detection unit for detecting an operation on the device management screen displayed on the display unit; a device classification information storage unit for storing device classification information for classifying the plurality of equipment devices into a plurality of groups; as well as A display information generating unit, when the operation detection unit detects that an icon representing a certain device machine is operated on the device management screen displayed on the above-mentioned display unit, the display information generating unit changes the icon to a second display size larger than the above-mentioned first display size, and causes an operation button for operating the settings of the device machine and a group display button for indicating a display related to the group to which the device machine belongs to be displayed in an overlapping manner at a specified position on the above-mentioned device management screen. When the operation detection unit detects that an operation is performed to specify and display related to the group to which the device machine corresponding to the operated icon belongs, the display information generating unit determines all devices and machines belonging to the corresponding group based on the device classification information stored in the above-mentioned device classification information storage unit, changes the icons corresponding to the determined devices and machines to the above-mentioned second display size, causes an operation button for operating the settings of each of these devices and machines to be displayed in an overlapping manner at a specified position on the above-mentioned device management screen, and changes the icons corresponding to devices and machines that do not belong to the group to a third display size smaller than the above-mentioned first display size.

2. The equipment management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the display information generating unit displays the icons of the device machines belonging to the specified group in the second display size on the device management screen displayed on the display unit, if the operation detecting unit detects that one of the icons is operated, the corresponding operation button is highlighted.

3. The equipment management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The display information generating unit determines that operations on icons displayed in the first display size or the second display size among the icons displayed on the device management screen and operations on all displayed operation buttons are valid, and determines that operations on locations other than these are invalid. When the display information generating unit displays icons corresponding to equipment belonging to the designated group on the equipment management screen, if an operation determined to be invalid is performed, the display information generating unit returns to the screen before the display related to the group was designated.

4. The equipment management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: When the operation button is superimposed on the device management screen, the display information generating unit displays the device management screen in an offset manner so that the icon displayed in the second display size is not hidden.

5. A method for generating a device management screen, characterized in that: The equipment management device has: a display unit for displaying a device management screen having icons representing a first display size of a plurality of devices superimposed on the screen at positions corresponding to respective installation locations of the plurality of devices within a floor configuration diagram representing a floor layout of the building; an operation detection unit that detects an operation on the device management screen displayed on the display unit; and The device classification information storage unit stores device classification information for classifying the plurality of equipment devices into a plurality of groups. The above-mentioned equipment management device is, When the operation detection unit detects that an icon representing a certain device is operated on the device management screen displayed on the display unit, the icon is changed to a second display size that is larger than the first display size, and an operation button for operating the settings of the device and a group display button for indicating a display related to the group to which the device belongs are displayed superimposed on a predetermined position of the device management screen. When the operation detection unit detects that an operation has been performed to designate and display a device related to a group to which the device corresponding to the icon of the operation belongs, all the devices belonging to the corresponding group are determined based on the device classification information stored in the device classification information storage unit, and the icons corresponding to the determined devices are changed to the second display size, and the set operation buttons for operating each of these devices are displayed overlappingly at the specified position of the device management screen, and the icons corresponding to the devices that do not belong to the group are changed to a third display size that is smaller than the first display size.

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