Assistance system, assistance device, assistance method, and assistance program

Abstract

The assist system (1) is provided with: a mineral substance addition unit for adding mineral substances to the water; a drainage device for discharging the water to which the mineral substance has been added by the mineral substance adding unit; and a mineral substance discharge amount acquisition unit that acquires, as a mineral substance discharge amount, the amount of mineral substances contained in the water discharged from the water discharge device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an auxiliary system, a control device, and a control program for assisting in the utilization of water. Background Art

[0002] Drinking water is essential for human survival. The drinking water we consume every day not only requires cleanliness but also various functions to support a healthy and rich life. For example, there are various types of drinking water on the market, such as natural water collected from groundwater, mineral water containing a large amount of mineral components, and flavored water with taste or fragrance.

[0003] There is also a water supply system that can purify and supply raw water such as tap water. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a water supply system that includes a water supply flow path that generates purified water by passing raw water supplied from the upstream side through a purification filter element and supplies the purified water to a water supply destination located on the downstream side.

[0004] Prior Art Documents

[0005] Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006 - 239688 Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] In order to improve the convenience of users of such a water supply system, the inventor of the present invention recognized the technical problem of the need for a technique to assist in the utilization of water supplied by the water supply system and conceived the technique of the present disclosure.

[0009] The present disclosure is made in view of such a technical problem, and its object is to provide a technique for assisting in the utilization of water.

[0010] Technical Solution for Solving the Technical Problem

[0011] To solve the above technical problem, an auxiliary system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a mineral addition unit that adds minerals to raw water; a drainage device that discharges the raw water to which minerals have been added by the mineral addition unit; and a mineral discharge amount acquisition unit that acquires the amount of minerals contained in the raw water discharged from the drainage device as the mineral discharge amount.

[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an auxiliary device. The device includes a mineral discharge amount acquisition unit that acquires the amount of minerals contained in the mineral water discharged from the drainage device, which has been added with minerals by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the raw water, as the mineral discharge amount.

[0013] Another solution of the present disclosure is an auxiliary method. The method causes a computer to perform the following steps: obtaining the amount of minerals contained in the mineral water discharged from the drainage device and added with minerals by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water as the mineral discharge amount.

[0014] Another solution of the present disclosure is an auxiliary system. The system includes: a mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water; a drainage device that discharges the mineral water added with minerals by the mineral addition unit; a usage amount detection unit that detects the amount of the mineral water discharged from the drainage device as the mineral water usage amount; and a notification unit that notifies the mineral water usage amount detected by the usage amount detection unit.

[0015] Another solution of the present disclosure is an auxiliary device. The device includes: a usage amount detection unit that detects the amount of the mineral water discharged from the drainage device and added with minerals by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water as the mineral water usage amount; and a notification unit that notifies the mineral water usage amount detected by the usage amount detection unit.

[0016] Another solution of the present disclosure is an auxiliary method. The method causes a computer to perform the following steps: detecting the amount of the mineral water discharged from the drainage device and added with minerals by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water as the mineral water usage amount; and notifying the detected mineral water usage amount.

[0017] Another solution of the present disclosure is an auxiliary system. The system includes: a mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water; a drainage device that discharges the mineral water added with minerals by the mineral addition unit; a maintenance period calculation unit that calculates the maintenance period of the mineral addition unit based on the elapsed time since the reference time or the usage amount of the mineral water; a reset unit that resets the reference time when the mineral addition unit is maintained; and a notification unit that notifies the situation when it is detected that the reference time has not been reset despite the mineral addition unit being maintained.

[0018] Another solution of the present disclosure is an auxiliary device. The device includes: a maintenance period calculation unit that calculates the maintenance period of the mineral addition unit based on the elapsed time since the reference time or the usage amount of the mineral water added with minerals by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water since the reference time; a reset unit that resets the reference time when the mineral addition unit is maintained; and a notification unit that notifies the situation when it is detected that the reference time has not been reset despite the mineral addition unit being maintained.

[0019] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an auxiliary method. The method causes a computer to perform the following steps: calculating a maintenance period of a mineral addition unit based on the elapsed time since a reference time or the usage amount of mineral water with minerals added by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to make-up water since the reference time; resetting the reference time when the mineral addition unit is maintained; and notifying the situation when it is detected that the reference time has not been reset despite the mineral addition unit being maintained.

[0020] It should be noted that any combination of the above components, and a solution obtained by transforming the expression of the present invention among methods, devices, systems, storage media, computer programs, etc. can also be used as an embodiment of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing the configuration of the auxiliary system according to the embodiment.

[0022] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing the configuration of the water supply system.

[0023] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing the configuration of the auxiliary device according to the embodiment.

[0024] Figure 4 It is a flowchart showing the steps of the auxiliary method according to the embodiment.

[0025] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example of a screen presented by the auxiliary device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Figure 1 It shows the configuration of the auxiliary system 1 according to the embodiment. The auxiliary system 1 assists in the use of water supplied by the water supply system 10. The auxiliary system 1 includes a water supply system 10, an auxiliary device 200, a user terminal 300, and a communication network 2 that connects these devices in a communicable manner.

[0027] The water supply system 10 supplies various types of water such as raw water or modified water. Modified water is, for example, purified water from which the chlorine component contained in tap water has been removed, mineral water in which a mineral component has been added to raw water or purified water, and the like.

[0028] The auxiliary device 200 uses information obtained from the water supply system 10, the user terminal 300, etc. to assist in the use of water supplied by the water supply system 10.

[0029] The user terminal 300 is a terminal used by the user of the water supply system 10. The user terminal 300 sends a control instruction received from the user to the water supply system 10. The user terminal 300 sends information received from the user to the auxiliary device 200. The user terminal 300 presents the information received from the auxiliary device 200 to the user.

[0030] Figure 2 Shows the configuration of the water supply system 10. The water supply system 10 includes a mineral water purification unit 60 for generating mineral water. The water supply system 10 is used to supply various types of water to the water supply part 12. In this embodiment, the water supply part 12 is the drainage part of the drainage device 14 that discharges water. Here, as an example of the drainage device 14, a drain pipe is shown. In addition, the drainage device 14 can also be a sprinkler head or the like, for example.

[0031] The water supply system 10 includes: a first water supply pipeline 16 for supplying modified water to the water supply part 12; a second water supply pipeline 18 for supplying water of a type different from the modified water, that is, hot and cold mixed water, to the water supply part 12. Both the first water supply pipeline 16 and the second water supply pipeline 18 supply drinking water (modified water, hot and cold mixed water).

[0032] The second water supply pipeline 18 includes: a water flow path 22 for supplying tap water, that is, normal temperature water, from a water supply source 20 such as a waterworks; a hot water flow path 26 for supplying hot water from a hot water source 24 such as a water heater; a mixing valve 28 for mixing the normal temperature water and the hot water supplied from the water flow path 22 and the hot water flow path 26; a mixed water flow path 30 for supplying the hot and cold mixed water mixed by the mixing valve 28 to the water supply part 12. The mixing ratio of the normal temperature water and the hot water in the mixing valve 28 and the flow rate of the hot and cold mixed water supplied from the mixing valve 28 can be operated by a single handle 32 provided on the drainage device 14. A first water stop valve 34 that can be opened and closed manually is provided in the water flow path 22, and a second water stop valve 36 that can be opened and closed manually is provided in the hot water flow path 26. A first check valve 38 and a second check valve 40 that prevent backflow to the upstream side at intervals in the flow direction are provided in the water flow path 22. A third check valve 42 that prevents backflow to the upstream side is provided in the hot water flow path 26.

[0033] The first water supply pipeline 16 includes: a water supply flow path 50 branched from the water flow path 22 and connected to the water supply part 12; a modified filter element 52 provided in the water supply flow path 50; a bypass flow path 54 branched from the water supply flow path 50 in a manner bypassing the modified filter element 52 and merging with the water supply flow path 50; a switching valve 68 such as a three-way valve provided at the branch part of the water supply flow path 50 and the bypass flow path 54. The branch part 46 where the water supply flow path 50 branches from the water flow path 22 is provided between the first check valve 38 and the second check valve 40 in the water flow path 22. Specific examples of the raw water are not particularly limited. For example, in addition to tap water, it can also be natural water or the like.

[0034] The switching valve 68 can switch the raw water flow path to the filter element passing portion of the modified filter element 52 via the water supply flow path 50 and the bypass flow path 54 respectively. When supplying mineral water to the water supply portion 12, the raw water flow path is switched by the switching valve 68 so that the raw water passes through the modified filter element 52. When cleaning the flow path portion on the downstream side of the confluence portion of the water supply flow path 50 and the bypass flow path 54 with chlorinated tap water as the raw water, the raw water flow path is switched by the switching valve 68 so that the raw water passes through the bypass flow path 54.

[0035] In addition, the first water supply pipeline 16 includes: a liquid source 61 that stores the stock solution of the mineral source; a stock solution flow path 62 that is connected to the water supply flow path 50; and a liquid delivery portion 64 that is provided in the stock solution flow path 62.

[0036] Raw water with a water supply pressure is supplied from the upstream water supply source 20 to the water supply flow path 50. Raw water is supplied from the water supply source 20 to the water supply flow path 50 of the present embodiment via the water flow path 22. Mineral water is generated by adding the stock solution to the raw water at the confluence portion 84 of the water supply flow path 50 and the stock solution flow path 62. The mineral water flows to the downstream side of the confluence portion 84 of the water supply flow path 50 and the stock solution flow path 62 and is supplied to the water supply portion 12. The raw water can be modified by passing through the modified filter element 52 or can remain unmodified.

[0037] In the water supply flow path 50, a fourth check valve 72 that prevents backflow to the upstream side is provided on the upstream side of the confluence portion 84 of the water supply flow path 50 and the stock solution flow path 62 in the water supply flow path 50.

[0038] The modified filter element 52 has a part of the water supply flow path 50 inside itself and can modify the raw water flowing through its inside. The "modification" here means removing specific components from the raw water or adding components to the raw water through physical or chemical changes. The modified filter element 52 of the present embodiment is a water purification filter element that removes the chlorine component contained in the tap water flowing in as the raw water and generates purified water by purifying the raw water. In addition, as a modification method of the raw water, beauty components, odor components, carbonic acid components, hydrogen components, etc. can also be added to the raw water. The modified filter element 52 is detachably held by a filter element holder (not shown). In addition, the water supply system 10 may not include the modified filter element 52.

[0039] The liquid source 61 is detachably held by a stock solution holder (not shown). Specific examples of the liquid source 61 are not particularly limited, and various containers, tanks, etc. can be used. The stock solution may also contain potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, etc. as mineral components.

[0040] The stock liquid supplied from the liquid source 61 flows through the stock liquid flow path 62, and the stock liquid is added to the raw water flowing through the water supply flow path 50. A fifth check valve 76 is provided on the upstream side of the liquid supply section 64 in the stock liquid flow path 62. The fifth check valve 76 prevents external air from flowing to the downstream side in the stock liquid flow path 62. A sensor 78 for detecting whether the stock liquid is present in the stock liquid flow path 62 is provided in the stock liquid flow path 62. A residual amount sensor such as a liquid level sensor for detecting the residual amount of the stock liquid may be provided in the liquid source 61.

[0041] A sixth check valve 80 is provided at a position downstream of the liquid supply section 64 in the raw liquid flow path 62. The sixth check valve 80 blocks the backflow to the upstream side in the raw liquid flow path 62. Thus, it is possible to suppress the flow of microorganisms and the like mixed in the raw water of the water supply flow path 50 to the upstream side of the raw liquid flow path 62 from the sixth check valve 80, and the sanitation of the raw liquid in the raw liquid flow path 62 can be well maintained. The sixth check valve 80 is configured to open and close without power supply in conjunction with the presence or absence of liquid supply by the liquid supply section 64. On the basis of achieving this, the sixth check valve 80 is configured to open by the internal pressure of the raw liquid acting from the upstream side when the liquid is supplied by the liquid supply section 64, and to close by the internal pressure of the liquid (raw water, etc.) acting from the downstream side when the liquid is not supplied by the liquid supply section 64. The sixth check valve 80 can also be a duckbill valve or other various check valves.

[0042] The stock solution flow path 62 is provided with a sterilizing section 82 for sterilizing the stock solution flowing in the stock solution flow path 62. The sterilizing section 82 has a part of the stock solution flow path 62 provided inside itself, and sterilizes the stock solution flowing through the stock solution flow path 62. The sterilizing section 82 is configured to sterilize the stock solution using, for example, a hollow fiber membrane filter, a photocatalyst, ultraviolet rays, or the like.

[0043] The liquid delivery section 64 delivers the stock liquid by discharging the stock liquid sucked out from the liquid source 61 side toward the water supply flow path 50 side. The liquid delivery section 64 of this embodiment is driven by a driving voltage or a driving current supplied from the control section 98 described later, and continuously delivers the stock liquid in a manner that becomes the instantaneous flow rate of the stock liquid corresponding to the driving voltage or the driving current. The liquid delivery section 64 here can also be driven by a driving voltage. The liquid delivery section 64 of this embodiment that realizes this function is provided with a motor for driving the pump in addition to a pump, and the greater the voltage value of the driving voltage of the driving motor, the greater the flow rate of the stock liquid delivered from the pump. In addition, the liquid delivery section 64, for example, in addition to a pump, can also be provided with a solenoid for driving the pump, and the flow rate of the stock liquid can be changed according to the driving current of the driving solenoid. The pump of the liquid delivery section 64 of this embodiment is a tube pump, but in addition to this, various pumps such as a gear pump and an impeller pump can also be used. The liquid delivery section 64 of this embodiment is constituted by a pump, but its specific example is not particularly limited, for example, it can also be a compressor.

[0044] The water supply system 10 includes: a switching valve 68 provided in the first water supply pipeline 16; at least one on-off valve 70A, 70B provided in the water supply flow path 50; a control unit 98 that controls the switching valve 68 and the on-off valves 70A, 70B; and a flow sensor 74 that detects the flow rate of water flowing through the water supply flow path 50.

[0045] The switching valve 68 can operate according to the control of the control unit 98. When the switching valve 68 is in the off state without being energized by the control unit 98, it switches to a state where the filter element passage part becomes the raw water flow path. When the switching valve 68 is in the on state energized by the control unit 98, it switches to a state where the bypass flow path 54 becomes the raw water flow path.

[0046] The on-off valves 70A, 70B are provided in the water supply flow path 50. The on-off valves 70A, 70B are automatic on-off valves such as solenoid valves and electric valves. The on-off valves 70A, 70B can operate according to the control of the control unit 98. The on-off valves 70A, 70B are in the closed state when in the off state without being energized by the control unit 98. The on-off valves 70A, 70B are in the open state when in the on state energized by the control unit 98.

[0047] The on-off valves 70A, 70B include an upstream on-off valve 70A and at least one downstream on-off valve 70B provided at a position downstream of the upstream on-off valve 70A.

[0048] The control unit 98 is, for example, a microcomputer or the like, and is composed of a combination of a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. The control unit 98 can control the switching valve 68 and the on-off valves 70A, 70B. The control unit 98 can execute a normal mode that operates according to the user's operation of the water supply operation unit 44 and a cleaning mode that cleans the downstream flow path part of the water supply flow path 50 with raw water. When in the cleaning mode, the control unit 98 invalidates the instruction output from the water supply operation unit 44.

[0049] The water supply operation unit 44 is operated by the user to switch the presence or absence of water supply to the water supply destination 12. The water supply operation unit 44 of the present embodiment is a rotary handle that can be switched to multiple rotational positions and is assembled to the drainage device 14. The water supply operation unit 44 switches to multiple rotational positions according to the user's operation, and can output an instruction corresponding to the rotational position to the control unit 98. There is no particular limitation on a specific example of the water supply operation unit 44. In addition, the water supply operation unit 44 may be composed of an information processing terminal (such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc.). In this case, the information processing terminal serving as the water supply operation unit 44 executes an application program for operating the water supply system 10, and outputs an instruction selected according to the operation of the application program to the control unit 98.

[0050] The water supply operation unit 44 can select any one of a plurality of instructions according to the operation of the user, and output the selected instruction to the control unit 98. The instructions that can be selected by the water supply operation unit 44 include a water supply instruction for supplying water to the water supply target unit 12 and a water stop instruction for stopping the water supply to the water supply target unit 12.

[0051] The control unit 98 sets parameters related to the drive voltage or drive current (here, the drive voltage) for driving the liquid delivery unit 64, and supplies the drive voltage or drive current of the set parameters to the liquid delivery unit 64, thereby enabling control of the flow rate of the stock solution delivered from the liquid delivery unit 64. To achieve this, the control unit 98 of the present embodiment sets the duty ratio of the drive voltage generated by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control as the parameter related to the drive voltage. In addition to this, the parameter related to the drive voltage may also be the voltage value of the drive voltage, etc. In the case where the liquid delivery unit 64 is driven by the drive current, the parameter related to the drive current may also be the current value of the drive current, etc.

[0052] Figure 3 Shows the configuration of the auxiliary device 200 of the embodiment. The auxiliary device 200 includes a communication device 201, a display device 202, an input device 203, a storage device 270, and a processing device 260. The auxiliary device 200 may be a server device, a personal computer, or the like, or may also be a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone terminal, a smart phone, or a tablet terminal.

[0053] The communication device 201 controls communication with other devices via the communication network 2. The communication device 201 can also communicate by any communication method, wired or wireless. The display device 202 displays the screen generated by the processing device 260. The display device 202 may be a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, or the like. The input device 203 accepts instruction input and transmits it to the processing device 260. The input device 203 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touchpad, or the like. The display device 202 and the input device 203 may also be installed as a touch panel.

[0054] The storage device 270 stores programs, data, etc. used by the processing device 260. The storage device 270 may also be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, or the like. In the storage device 270, a mineral discharge amount holding unit 271 and a mineral intake amount holding unit 272 are stored.

[0055] The mineral discharge amount holding unit 271 holds the amount of minerals discharged from the drainage device 14 in the water supply system 10. The mineral discharge amount holding unit 271 may hold the mineral discharge amount per hour, per day, per week, per month, per season, per quarter, per half year, per year, or may also hold the total amount of minerals discharged previously.

[0056] The mineral intake maintaining unit 272 maintains the amount of minerals ingested by the user from the mineral water discharged from the drainage device 14. The mineral intake maintaining unit 272 may maintain the mineral intake per hour, per day, per week, per month, per season, per quarter, per half-year, or per year, or may maintain the total amount of minerals ingested previously. In the case of multiple users, the mineral intake maintaining unit 272 may also maintain the mineral intake for each user.

[0057] The processing device 260 includes a detection information acquisition unit 261, a mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262, a mineral intake amount acquisition unit 263, a notification unit 264, and a calibration unit 265. These components are implemented in hardware by any circuit, the CPU of a computer, a memory, other LSIs, etc., and in software by a program loaded into the memory, etc. However, the functional modules realized by their cooperation are described here. Therefore, those skilled in the art should understand that these functional modules can be implemented in various forms such as only by hardware, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0058] The detection information acquisition unit 261 acquires detection information from various sensors provided in the water supply system 10. The detection information acquisition unit 261 acquires detection information from the flow sensor 74, the sensor 78, etc.

[0059] The mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262 acquires the amount of minerals discharged from the drainage device 14 in the water supply system 10 as the mineral discharge amount based on the detection information acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 261, and stores the acquired mineral discharge amount in the mineral discharge amount holding unit 271. The mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262 may also detect the amount of minerals detected by a sensor capable of detecting the amount of minerals as the mineral discharge amount. The mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262 may also estimate the mineral discharge amount based on the sensor values detected by various sensors. The mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262 may also acquire the amount of minerals discharged from the drainage device 14 based on the flow rate of the mineral water detected by the flow rate sensor 74 when the discharge of the mineral water is indicated. The mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262 may also acquire the amount of minerals discharged from the drainage device 14 based on the remaining amount of the stock solution detected by the remaining amount sensor that detects the remaining amount of the stock solution in the liquid source 61. The mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262 may also acquire the amount of minerals discharged from the drainage device 14 based on the liquid feed amount from the liquid feed unit 64. The mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262 may also detect the liquid feed amount of the pump based on the drive voltage, drive current, operation time, number of operations, etc. of the pump. The mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262 may also previously hold the relationship between the drive voltage, drive current, operation time, number of operations of the pump and the mineral discharge amount, and acquire the amount of minerals discharged from the drainage device 14 based on their relationship. The mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262 may also acquire the amount of minerals discharged from the drainage device 14 based on the number of operations or operation time of the switching valve 68 provided in the flow path of the mineral water. The mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262 may also previously hold the amount of minerals flowing when the switching valve 68 is opened once, the amount of minerals flowing per unit time when the switching valve 68 is opened, and acquire the amount of minerals discharged from the drainage device 14 based on them.

[0060] Based on the mineral discharge amount obtained by the mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262, the mineral intake acquisition unit 263 obtains the amount of minerals ingested by the user of the mineral water discharged from the water discharge device 14 as the mineral intake amount, and stores the obtained mineral intake amount in the mineral intake retention unit 272. The mineral intake acquisition unit 263 may also presume that the user has ingested the entire amount of the mineral discharge amount obtained by the mineral discharge amount acquisition unit 262. In the case of multiple users, when the mineral water is discharged from the water discharge device 14, the mineral intake acquisition unit 263 may also obtain information indicating which user uses the mineral water from the operation of the water supply operation unit 44, the information received from the user terminal 300, the image of the user captured by the imaging device provided around the water supply system 10, the identification information of the user obtained by the biometric authentication device provided on the water supply system 10, etc., and store the mineral discharge amount at this time in the mineral intake retention unit 272 as the mineral intake amount of the user. The mineral intake retention unit 272 may also obtain the ratio of the mineral water usage amounts of each user from the user terminal 300 or the like, and allocate the mineral discharge amount proportionally according to the obtained ratio to obtain the mineral intake amount of each user.

[0061] The notification unit 264 notifies the mineral intake amount obtained by the mineral intake acquisition unit 263 to the user terminal 300 or the like. The notification unit 264 may also notify the mineral intake amount per hour, per day, per week, per month, per season, per quarter, per half-year, or per year. Thus, the user can grasp the mineral intake amount for a healthy life. The notification unit 264 may also notify the user terminal 300 or the like of the comparison result between the mineral intake amount and the target intake amount, which is the amount of minerals that the user should ingest. The notification unit 264 may also give points, discounts, etc. to the user when the user's mineral intake amount reaches the target intake amount. Thus, the user can control the usage amount of the mineral water in a way that can ingest an appropriate amount of minerals.

[0062] The notification unit 264 notifies at least any one of the remaining amount of the stock solution of the mineral source added to the make-up water in the mineral addition unit, the replacement time of the liquid source 61 or the sterilization unit 82, and the maintenance time of the liquid source 61 or the sterilization unit 82. The notification unit 264 notifies the comparison result between the replacement time of the liquid source 61 estimated based on the remaining amount of the stock solution of the mineral source and the scheduled purchase time of the liquid source 61. The replacement time of the liquid source 61 can also be estimated based on the discharge history of the mineral source and the current remaining liquid volume. Since the liquid source 61 is a consumable, it can also be regularly distributed by the sales entity. When the deviation between the replacement time of the liquid source 61 estimated based on the remaining liquid volume of the mineral source and the next distribution time exceeds a specified value, the notification unit 264 can also prompt a change in the distribution time of the liquid source 61. When the estimated replacement time of the liquid source 61 is earlier than the next distribution time of the liquid source 61 by more than a specified number of days, the notification unit 264 can also notify the user terminal 300 etc. that it is necessary to advance the distribution time of the liquid source 61. When the estimated replacement time of the liquid source 61 is later than the next distribution time of the liquid source 61 by more than a specified number of days, the notification unit 264 can also notify the user terminal 300 etc. that the distribution time of the liquid source 61 can be delayed. The user terminal 300 can also display a screen for changing the distribution time when receiving a notification from the notification unit 264, receive an instruction to change the distribution time from the user, and request a change in the distribution time from the sales server etc. Thereby, it is possible to maintain the mineral addition unit or replace the liquid source 61 or the sterilization unit 82 at an appropriate time, and thus it is possible to prevent the failure to supply mineral water due to malfunctions of the mineral addition unit, exhaustion of the stock solution, etc. The notification unit 264 can also notify the comparison result between the estimated replacement time of the liquid source 61 and the consumption deadline of the stock solution. When the estimated replacement time of the liquid source 61 exceeds the consumption deadline of the stock solution, the notification unit 264 can also notify that the liquid source 61 should be replaced before the consumption deadline of the stock solution.

[0063] The calibration unit 265 calibrates parameters and the like for estimating the mineral excretion amount in the mineral excretion amount acquisition unit 262. When the liquid source 61 is replaced, the calibration unit 265 obtains the total usage amount of the mineral water during the period of using the liquid source 61, calculates the actual mineral excretion amount using the obtained total usage amount of the mineral water, and compares it with the mineral excretion amount estimated by the mineral excretion amount acquisition unit 262. The calibration unit 265 may also, when the deviation between the actual mineral excretion amount and the estimated mineral excretion amount exceeds a specified value, calculate the parameters for estimating the mineral excretion amount in the mineral excretion amount acquisition unit 262 based on the actual mineral excretion amount, such as the amount of minerals flowing when the switching valve 68 is opened once, the amount of minerals flowing per unit time when the switching valve 68 is opened, etc. Thus, the deviation of the product can be calibrated, and therefore the mineral excretion amount can be obtained more accurately. Therefore, the stock solution remaining in the liquid source 61 can be used up without residue. The calibration unit 265 may also, when the liquid source 61 is replaced, obtain from the user the amount of the stock solution remaining in the liquid source 61, and calculate the actual mineral excretion amount using the obtained remaining amount of the stock solution. The amount of the stock solution remaining in the liquid source 61 may also be obtained, for example, by measuring the weight of the liquid source 61.

[0064] Figure 4 It is a flowchart showing the steps of an auxiliary method of the embodiment. The detection information acquisition unit 261 acquires detection information from various sensors provided in the water supply system 10 (S10). The mineral excretion amount acquisition unit 262 acquires the amount of minerals discharged from the drainage device 14 in the water supply system 10 as the mineral excretion amount based on the detection information acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 261 (S12). The mineral intake acquisition unit 263 acquires the amount of minerals ingested by the user as the mineral intake amount based on the mineral excretion amount acquired by the mineral excretion amount acquisition unit 262 (S14).

[0065] The notification unit 264 notifies the user terminal 300 etc. of the mineral intake amount acquired by the mineral intake acquisition unit 263 (S16). The notification unit 264 notifies the user terminal 300 etc. of the remaining amount of the mineral stock solution in the liquid source 61 (S18). The notification unit 264 notifies the user terminal 300 etc. of the replacement time of the liquid source 61 (S20).

[0066] In the case where the liquid source 61 is not replaced (No in S22), it returns to S10 and repeats the above steps. When the liquid source 61 is replaced (Yes in S22), the calibration unit 265 obtains the actual mineral excretion amount during the period of using the liquid source 61, and calibrates parameters and the like for obtaining the mineral excretion amount through the mineral excretion amount acquisition unit 262 based on the obtained actual mineral excretion amount (S24). It returns to S10 and repeats the above steps.

[0067] Figure 5 An example of a screen presented by the auxiliary device 200 of the embodiment is shown. The auxiliary device 200 displays the mineral intake amount obtained by the mineral intake acquisition unit 263 on the user terminal 300. The auxiliary device 200 displays the remaining amount of the mineral stock solution in the liquid source 61 on the user terminal 300. The auxiliary device 200 indicates the replacement period of the liquid source 61 on the user terminal 300.

[0068] Next, modification methods of the respective components described so far will be described.

[0069] Information such as the mineral excretion amount or the mineral intake amount may also be notified to a server device that stores and provides information. The server device may also store the information notified from the auxiliary device 200 and provide the requested information. Information such as the mineral excretion amount or the mineral intake amount may also be provided to medical institutions, sports facilities, restaurants, housing builders, renovation practitioners, etc.

[0070] The water supply system 10 may not include the second water supply pipeline 18. In this case, it is sufficient to supply raw water such as tap water to the water supply flow path 50 of the first water supply pipeline 16 from the water supply source 20.

[0071] The on-off valve 70A may also be provided in the downstream flow path portion of the water supply flow path 50.

[0072] When starting to supply water from the water supply flow path 50 to the water supply destination 12, the control unit 98 may also open the upstream on-off valve 70A first and then open the downstream on-off valve 70B. When stopping the supply of water from the water supply flow path 50 to the water supply destination 12, the control unit 98 may also close the downstream on-off valve 70B first and then close the upstream on-off valve 70A.

[0073] The above embodiments and modification methods are examples. The technical ideas abstracted from these should not be construed restrictively as the content of the embodiments and modification methods. The content of the embodiments and modification methods can be subjected to various design changes such as component changes, additions, deletions, etc. In the above embodiments, for the content that allows such design changes, a mark such as "embodiment" is marked to emphasize. However, even for the content without such a mark, design changes are of course allowed.

[0074] Industrial Applicability

[0075] The present invention can be used for an auxiliary system that assists in the utilization of water.

[0076] Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0077] 1... Auxiliary system, 2... Communication network, 10... Water supply system, 12... Water supply target, 14... Drainage device, 16... First water supply pipeline, 18... Second water supply pipeline, 20... Water supply source, 22... Water flow path, 24... Hot water source, 26... Hot water flow path, 28... Mixing valve, 30... Mixed water flow path, 32... Single handle, 34... First stop valve, 36... Second stop valve, 38... First check valve, 40... Second check valve, 42... Third check valve, 44... Water supply operation unit, 46... Branch, 50... Water supply flow path, 52... Modified filter element, 54... Bypass flow path, 56... Confluence part, 60... Mineral water purification unit, 61... Liquid source, 62... Stock solution flow path, 64... Liquid delivery unit, 68... Changeover valve, 70A... On-off valve, 70B... On-off valve, 72... Fourth check valve, 74... Flow sensor, 76... Fifth check valve, 78... Sensor, 80... Sixth check valve, 82... Sterilization unit, 84... Confluence part, 98... Control unit, 200... Auxiliary device, 201... Communication device, 202... Display device, 203... Input device, 260... Processing device, 261... Detection information acquisition unit, 262... Mineral discharge amount acquisition unit, 263... Mineral intake amount acquisition unit, 264... Notification unit, 265... Calibration unit, 270... Storage device, 271... Mineral discharge amount holding unit, 272... Mineral intake amount holding unit, 300... User terminal.

Claims

1. An auxiliary system, characterized in that, Comprising: A mineral addition section that adds minerals to the raw water; A drainage device that discharges the raw water to which minerals have been added by the mineral addition section; A mineral discharge amount acquisition section that acquires the amount of minerals contained in the raw water discharged from the drainage device as the mineral discharge amount.

2. An auxiliary device, characterized in that it comprises a mineral discharge amount acquisition section that acquires the amount of minerals contained in the mineral water discharged from a drainage device, which has had minerals added thereto by a mineral addition section that adds minerals to raw water, as the mineral discharge amount.

3. The auxiliary device according to claim 2, characterized in that the mineral discharge amount acquisition section acquires the mineral discharge amount based on the flow rate of the mineral water detected by a flow rate sensor provided in the flow path of the mineral water.

4. The auxiliary device according to claim 2, characterized in that the mineral discharge amount acquisition section acquires the mineral discharge amount based on the number of operations or the operation time of a valve provided in the flow path of the mineral water.

5. The auxiliary device according to claim 2, characterized in that the mineral discharge amount acquisition section acquires the mineral discharge amount based on the remaining amount of the mineral source detected by a remaining amount sensor that detects the remaining amount of the mineral source added to the raw water in the mineral addition section.

6. The auxiliary device according to claim 2, characterized in that the mineral discharge amount acquisition section acquires the mineral discharge amount based on the liquid feed amount of the mineral source added to the raw water in the mineral addition section.

7. The auxiliary device according to claim 6, characterized in that the mineral discharge amount acquisition section acquires the mineral discharge amount based on the operation time or the number of operations of a liquid feed pump that feeds the mineral source.

8. The auxiliary device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that it further comprises a mineral intake amount acquisition section that acquires, as the mineral intake amount, the amount of minerals ingested by the user of the mineral water discharged from the drainage device based on the mineral discharge amount acquired by the mineral discharge amount acquisition section.

9. The auxiliary device according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises a notification section that notifies the mineral intake amount acquired by the mineral intake amount acquisition section.

10. The auxiliary device according to claim 9, characterized in that the notification section notifies the comparison result between the mineral intake amount acquired by the mineral intake amount acquisition section and the target intake amount representing the amount of minerals that the user should ingest.

11. The auxiliary device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that it comprises a notification section that notifies at least any one of the remaining amount of the mineral source added to the raw water in the mineral addition section, the replacement period, and the maintenance period.

12. The auxiliary device according to claim 11, characterized in that the notification section notifies the comparison result between the replacement period of the mineral source estimated based on the remaining amount of the mineral source and the predetermined purchase period of the mineral source.

13. The auxiliary device according to claim 12, characterized in that When the deviation between the estimated replacement period of the mineral source and the predetermined purchase period of the mineral source is equal to or greater than a specified value, the notification unit prompts a change in the purchase period of the mineral source.

14. The auxiliary device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that it includes a correction unit that obtains the total usage amount of the mineral water during the usage period of the mineral source added to the make-up water in the mineral addition unit, or the remaining liquid amount of the used mineral source, and corrects the parameter used to obtain the mineral discharge amount in the mineral discharge amount acquisition unit based on the obtained information.

15. An auxiliary method, characterized in that, The computer is caused to execute the following steps: obtaining, as the mineral discharge amount, the amount of minerals contained in the mineral water discharged from the drainage device and added with minerals by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water.

16. A storage medium, characterized in that, It can be read by a computer and stores an auxiliary program for causing the computer to function as a mineral discharge amount acquisition unit that obtains, as the mineral discharge amount, the amount of minerals contained in the mineral water discharged from the drainage device and added with minerals by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water.

17. An auxiliary system, characterized in that, It includes: a mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water; a drainage device for discharging the mineral water added with minerals by the mineral addition unit; a usage amount detection unit that detects the amount of mineral water discharged from the drainage device as the mineral water usage amount; a notification unit that notifies the mineral water usage amount detected by the usage amount detection unit.

18. The auxiliary system according to claim 17, characterized in that the drainage device discharges non-mineral water without added minerals, the usage amount detection unit detects the amount of non-mineral water discharged from the drainage device as the non-mineral water usage amount, the notification unit notifies the mineral water usage amount or the non-mineral water usage amount detected by the usage amount detection unit.

19. An auxiliary device, characterized in that, It includes: a usage amount detection unit that detects the amount of mineral water discharged from the drainage device and added with minerals by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water as the mineral water usage amount; a notification unit that notifies the mineral water usage amount detected by the usage amount detection unit.

20. The auxiliary device according to claim 19, characterized in that the usage amount detection unit detects the amount of non-mineral water discharged from the drainage device without added minerals as the non-mineral water usage amount, the notification unit notifies the mineral water usage amount or the non-mineral water usage amount detected by the usage amount detection unit.

21. The auxiliary device according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that the usage amount detection unit detects the mineral water usage amount based on the flow rate of the mineral water detected by a flow sensor provided in the flow path of the mineral water.

22. The auxiliary device according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that the usage amount detection unit detects the mineral water usage amount based on the remaining amount of the mineral source detected by a remaining amount sensor that detects the remaining amount of the mineral source added to the make-up water in the mineral addition unit.

23. The auxiliary device according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that the usage detection unit detects the usage amount of mineral water based on the liquid feeding amount of the mineral source added to the make-up water in the mineral addition unit.

24. The auxiliary device according to claim 23, characterized in that the usage detection unit detects the usage amount of mineral water based on the operation time of the liquid feeding pump for feeding the mineral source.

25. The auxiliary device according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that the usage detection unit detects the usage amount of mineral water or non-mineral water based on the number of operations or the operation time of a valve provided in the flow path of mineral water or non-mineral water.

26. The auxiliary device according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that the notification unit converts the usage amount of mineral water into the amount of purchasable mineral water and notifies it.

27. The auxiliary device according to claim 20, characterized in that it includes a proposal unit that, based on the usage amount of mineral water and non-mineral water detected by the usage detection unit, presents proposals related to the use of mineral water to the user.

28. The auxiliary device according to claim 27, characterized in that when the usage amount of non-mineral water is more than the usage amount of mineral water, the proposal unit proposes to the user to use mineral water.

29. The auxiliary device according to claim 20, characterized in that it includes a questionnaire implementation unit that, based on the usage amount of mineral water and non-mineral water detected by the usage detection unit, conducts a questionnaire survey related to the use of mineral water on the user.

30. The auxiliary device according to claim 29, characterized in that when the usage amount of non-mineral water is more than the usage amount of mineral water, the questionnaire implementation unit conducts a questionnaire survey for asking the user about the reason for the small usage amount of mineral water.

31. An auxiliary method, characterized in that, Cause a computer to execute the following steps: Detect the amount of mineral water discharged from the drainage device and added with minerals by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water as the usage amount of mineral water; Notify the detected usage amount of mineral water.

32. A storage medium, characterized in that, Capable of being read by a computer, storing an auxiliary program for causing the computer to function as a usage detection unit and a notification unit, the usage detection unit detects the amount of mineral water discharged from the drainage device and added with minerals by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water as the usage amount of mineral water, the notification unit notifies the usage amount of mineral water detected by the usage detection unit.

33. An auxiliary system, characterized in that, Comprising: a mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water; a drainage device for discharging the mineral water added with minerals by the mineral addition unit; a maintenance period calculation unit that calculates the maintenance period of the mineral addition unit based on the elapsed time since the reference time or the usage amount of the mineral water; a reset unit that resets the reference time when the mineral addition unit is maintained; a notification unit that, when it is detected that the reference time has not been reset despite the mineral addition unit being maintained, notifies this situation.

34. An auxiliary device, characterized in that, Comprising: A maintenance period calculation unit that calculates a maintenance period of the mineral addition unit based on the elapsed time since a reference time or the usage amount of the mineral water to which minerals have been added by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water since the reference time; A reset unit that resets the reference time when the mineral addition unit is maintained; A notification unit that notifies of this situation when it is detected that the reference time has not been reset despite the mineral addition unit being maintained.

35. The auxiliary device according to claim 34, wherein: The notification unit notifies again of the situation where the reference time has not been reset when a predetermined time has elapsed since notifying of the situation where the reference time has not been reset and the reference time has not been reset yet.

36. The auxiliary device according to claim 34 or 35, wherein: The notification unit notifies of a method for resetting the reference time.

37. The auxiliary device according to claim 34 or 35, wherein: The notification unit notifies of the maintenance period calculated by the maintenance period calculation unit.

38. An auxiliary method, characterized in that, Causing a computer to execute the following steps: Calculating a maintenance period of the mineral addition unit based on the elapsed time since a reference time or the usage amount of the mineral water to which minerals have been added by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water since the reference time; Resetting the reference time when the mineral addition unit is maintained; Notifying of this situation when it is detected that the reference time has not been reset despite the mineral addition unit being maintained.

39. A storage medium, characterized in that, An auxiliary program that can be read by a computer and stores instructions for causing the computer to function as a maintenance period calculation unit, a reset unit, and a notification unit, The maintenance period calculation unit calculates a maintenance period of the mineral addition unit based on the elapsed time since a reference time or the usage amount of the mineral water to which minerals have been added by the mineral addition unit that adds minerals to the make-up water since the reference time, The reset unit resets the reference time when the mineral addition unit is maintained, The notification unit notifies of this situation when it is detected that the reference time has not been reset despite the mineral addition unit being maintained.

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