Maintenance support method and maintenance support program

Abstract

To provide a maintenance support method and a maintenance support program capable of facilitating recognition of an abnormality in an electronic appliance and identification of a method for coping with the abnormality.SOLUTION: The maintenance support method executed by a communication terminal 400 includes: a model information acquisition step of acquiring model information of an electronic appliance; a maintenance coping step of displaying, on an operation monitor screen, a maintenance coping receiving unit for receiving a link to a maintenance support screen corresponding to a model of the electronic appliance recognized from the model information; and a maintenance support screen display step of displaying, on a display unit, the maintenance support screen in response to a reception requesting operation to the maintenance coping receiving unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a maintenance support method and a maintenance support program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a method has been proposed for monitoring the operating status of an electrical appliance by a communication terminal that communicates with the electrical appliance (for example, see Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which the communication terminal receives temperature detection information about the storage compartments inside the refrigerator transmitted from the refrigerator and displays a monitor screen showing the temperature of each storage compartment on a display unit, and a configuration in which an error code showing the type of abnormality that has occurred in the refrigerator is displayed on the monitor screen. Furthermore, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, an "Error Code Quick Reference" button is displayed on the monitor screen, and when the "Error Code Quick Reference" button is selected, an error code and its explanation are displayed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-36740 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the invention described in the above Patent Document 1, a maintenance worker who performs maintenance on a refrigerator can visually check the general operating status of the refrigerator from the detected temperatures of each compartment of the refrigerator displayed on a communication terminal. When an error code is displayed, the maintenance worker can select and operate the "Error Code Quick Reference" button to check the error code and its explanation displayed on the monitor screen. However, since the types of abnormalities covered by the error codes are limited, there are cases where the error code is not displayed when the maintenance worker recognizes an abnormality in the refrigerator from the temperature status shown on the monitor screen. Also, even if the error code is displayed, the information obtained from the explanation in the "Error Code Quick Reference Chart" may not be enough to understand the maintenance method for the abnormality. In such cases, the maintenance worker has to refer to documents such as the refrigerator maintenance manual to find out how to deal with the abnormality, which is inconvenient. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above background, and aims to provide a maintenance support method and a maintenance support program that can easily recognize abnormalities in electrical appliances and identify how to deal with the abnormalities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the maintenance support method of the present invention is a maintenance support method that supports the maintenance of an electrical appliance that has a movable part including a drive part and a detection part that detects a first physical quantity that changes depending on the status of the movable part, by using a communication terminal equipped with a display part, and includes an operation status information acquisition step in which the communication terminal acquires operation status information that indicates the status of the movable part and the first physical quantity detected by the detection part, an operation monitor screen display step in which the communication terminal displays on the display part a first operation monitor screen that displays the operation status of the electrical appliance as a graph of the state of the drive part and the transition of the first physical quantity based on the operation status information, and a layout image indicative of the configuration of the electrical appliance and displays the status of the movable part at the arrangement position of the movable part in the layout image. and a step of displaying, on the first operation monitor screen, a switch button for accepting switching to a second operation monitor screen, which displays the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit at a position in the layout image where the first physical quantity is detected by the detection unit; a step of the communications terminal displaying, on the first operation monitor screen, a real-time data acquisition button for instructing the display of an operating status from the present time; and a step of the communications terminal displaying, on the first operation monitor screen, a first physical quantity transition graph showing the transition of the first physical quantity from the time when the selection operation is performed to the end of a measurement period, and an operating status graph showing the operating status of the drive unit from the time when the selection operation is performed to the end of the measurement period, on the same time axis, in response to a selection operation of the real-time data acquisition button.

[0006] Further, a maintenance support program of the present invention is a program executed by a communication terminal having a display unit to support the maintenance of an electrical appliance having a movable part including a drive unit and a detection unit that detects a first physical quantity that changes depending on a status of the movable part, the program including the communication terminal having an operation status information acquisition unit that acquires operation status information indicating the status of the movable part and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit, an operation monitor screen display unit that causes the display unit to display a first operation monitor screen that displays the operation status of the electrical appliance as a graph showing the state of the drive unit and a transition of the first physical quantity based on the operation status information, and a layout image showing the configuration of the electrical appliance, and displays the status of the movable part at a position where the movable part is arranged in the layout image, and displays the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit in the layout image. and an operation monitor control unit that displays a switch button on the first operation monitor screen that accepts switching to a second operation monitor screen, the switch button being displayed at a detection position of the first physical quantity by the detection unit, and switches the display of the display unit from the first operation monitor screen to the second operation monitor screen in response to an operation of the switch button, and the operation monitor control unit displays a real-time data acquisition button on the first operation monitor screen for instructing a display of an operating status from the present time, and in response to a selection operation of the real-time data acquisition button, displays on the first operation monitor screen a first physical quantity transition graph that indicates the transition of the first physical quantity from the time the selection operation is performed to the end of a measurement period, and an operating status graph that indicates the operating status of the drive unit from the time the selection operation is performed to the end of the measurement period, on the same time axis.

[0007] This allows a user of the communication terminal who visits the location of the electrical appliance (such as a maintenance worker for the electrical appliance) to easily check for an abnormality in the electrical appliance by visually checking the operation monitor screen displayed on the display unit of the communication terminal. When the user recognizes an abnormality in the electrical appliance, the user can quickly display a maintenance support screen and obtain information on how to deal with the abnormality by selecting a maintenance support reception section shown on the operation monitor screen. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the maintenance support method and maintenance support program of the present invention, a maintenance worker of an electrical appliance can recognize the operating status of the electrical appliance from an operation monitor screen displayed on a display unit of a communication terminal. Then, when the maintenance worker recognizes an abnormality in the electrical appliance, the maintenance worker can display the maintenance support screen by selecting a maintenance response reception section shown on the operation monitor screen. By checking maintenance information according to the model of the electrical appliance on the maintenance support screen, the maintenance worker can quickly recognize measures to deal with the abnormality without referring to documents such as a maintenance manual. This makes it easier for the maintenance worker to recognize an abnormality in the electrical appliance and identify how to deal with the abnormality. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] Illustration of a situation where maintenance is being carried out on electrical appliances installed in a house [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator as an electrical appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] Cross-sectional side view of a refrigerator [Figure 4] Diagram of airflow inside a refrigerator caused by a fan [Diagram 5] Refrigerator control block diagram [Figure 6] Control block diagram of communication terminal [Figure 7] Flowchart of the main routine of the operation monitor program [Figure 8] Flowchart of real-time display process [Figure 9] Operation monitor screen illustration [Figure 10] Layout display screen diagram [Figure 11] Flowchart of remote setting change process [Figure 12] Remote setting change screen illustration [Figure 13] Maintenance support process flowchart [Figure 14] Maintenance support screen illustration [Figure 15] Explanation of the screen corresponding to the disassembly procedure [Figure 16] Diagram of the screen showing how to disassemble the refrigerator compartment [Figure 17] Illustration of the execution procedure screen for sub-process 1 [Figure 18] Illustration of the execution procedure screen for sub-process 2 [Figure 19] Illustration of the procedure screen corresponding to the error code [Figure 20] An explanatory diagram of the execution procedure screen for sub-step 1 of the processing procedure corresponding to the error code DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A first invention is a maintenance support method for supporting maintenance of an electrical appliance having a drive unit and a detection unit that detects a first physical quantity that changes in response to operation of the drive unit, by using a communication terminal having a display unit, and includes an operation status information acquisition step in which the communication terminal acquires operation status information indicating the operating status of the drive unit and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit, an operation monitor screen display step in which the communication terminal displays an operation monitor screen indicating the operation status of the electrical appliance based on the operation status information, a model information acquisition step in which the communication terminal acquires model information of the electrical appliance, a maintenance response step in which the communication terminal displays on the operation monitor screen a maintenance response reception section that accepts a link to a maintenance support screen corresponding to the model of the electrical appliance recognized from the model information, and a maintenance support screen display step in which the communication terminal displays the maintenance support screen on the display unit in response to a reception request operation to the maintenance response reception section. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the communication terminal acquires operation status information indicating the operating status of the drive unit of the electrical appliance and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit in the operation status information acquisition step. Then, the communication terminal displays an operation monitor screen indicating the operation status of the electrical appliance on the display unit based on the operation status information in the operation monitor screen display step. The communication terminal also acquires model information of the electrical appliance in the model information acquisition step, and displays a maintenance response reception unit on the operation monitor screen in the maintenance response step. Then, when a reception request operation to the maintenance response reception unit is performed on the operation monitor screen in the maintenance support screen display step, the communication terminal displays the maintenance support screen on the display unit. This allows a maintenance worker of the electrical appliance to check the operation status of the electrical appliance on the operation monitor screen and recognize an abnormality in the electrical appliance. Then, when an abnormality in the electrical appliance is recognized, the maintenance worker can display the maintenance support screen and easily check how to deal with the abnormality.

[0011] In a second invention, in the first invention, in the maintenance support screen display step, the communication terminal displays the maintenance support screen on the display unit, which displays fault information related to the model of the electrical appliance recognized from the model information. According to the second invention, by displaying fault information related to the model of the electrical appliance on the maintenance support screen, it is possible to allow the maintenance worker to recognize fault information specific to the model, making it easier to identify measures to take regarding an abnormality in the electrical appliance.

[0012] A third invention is the first or second invention, and in the maintenance support screen display step, the communications terminal displays the maintenance support screen on the display unit, which accepts a command to start or stop operation of the drive unit, and when the communications terminal accepts a command to start or stop operation of the drive unit in accordance with the display of the maintenance support screen, it includes a drive unit operation response step of instructing the electrical appliance to start operation if a command to start operation has been accepted, or instructing the electrical appliance to stop operation if a command to stop operation has been accepted. According to the third aspect of the present invention, a maintenance worker of an electrical appliance can operate and stop the drive unit using a communication terminal to check whether the drive unit is working properly. In addition, the maintenance worker can switch between operating and stopping the drive unit depending on the content of the maintenance work.

[0013] A fourth invention is any of the first to third inventions, wherein the model information includes fault handling data in which a plurality of faults that may occur in the electrical appliance are associated with response actions for resolving each of the faults, and work procedure data in which a plurality of response processes included in the fault handling data are associated with work procedures for carrying out each of the response processes, and in the maintenance support screen display step, the communications terminal displays the maintenance support screen on the display unit, displaying a fault information receiving section that receives input of fault information for the electrical appliance, and when the fault information is input by a reception request operation to the fault information receiving section, refers to the fault handling data to extract response actions corresponding to the input fault information, and extracts work procedures for the extracted response actions by referring to the work procedure data, and displays them on the maintenance support screen. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a maintenance worker for an electrical appliance can check the procedure for dealing with the defect by inputting defect information into the defect information receiving section of the maintenance support screen.

[0014] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, the work procedure data includes video data showing the work procedure, and in the maintenance support screen display step, the communication terminal displays the work procedure on the maintenance support screen by playing back the video data. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a maintenance worker can easily confirm the work procedure for dealing with a malfunction by visually checking the video showing the work procedure.

[0015] A sixth invention is any of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the model information includes disassembly procedure data indicating a procedure for disassembling the electrical appliance, and in the maintenance support screen display step, the communications terminal displays a product structure diagram showing a plurality of components that make up the electrical appliance, and displays on the maintenance support screen an exploded structure diagram in which a selected component part is disassembled in stages in response to a first selection operation on the product structure diagram, and for a part selected by a second selection operation on the exploded structure diagram, extracts a corresponding disassembly procedure by referring to the disassembly procedure data, and displays the extracted disassembly procedure on the maintenance support screen. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a maintenance worker of an electrical appliance can check the disassembly procedure by selecting a part for which maintenance by disassembly is desired from the product configuration diagram.

[0016] A seventh invention is related to the sixth invention, wherein the disassembly procedure data includes video data showing the disassembly procedure, and in the maintenance support screen display step, the communication terminal displays the disassembly procedure on the maintenance support screen by playing back the video data. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a maintenance worker can easily confirm the disassembly procedure for a selected part by visually checking the video showing the disassembly procedure.

[0017] An eighth invention includes a second physical quantity information acquisition step in which the communication terminal acquires second physical quantity information indicating the second physical quantity detected by a wireless detector, the second physical quantity information indicating the second physical quantity detected by the wireless detector, the second physical quantity information indicating the second physical quantity detected by the wireless detector being transmitted wirelessly, and in the operation monitor screen display step, the communication terminal displays on the display unit the operation monitor screen indicating the second physical quantity recognized from the second physical quantity information, together with the operating status of the drive unit and the first physical quantity recognized from the operation status information. According to the eighth invention, a maintenance worker places a wireless detector at a location where he or she wants to check the second physical quantity, and can display the detection value of the second physical quantity at the location on an operation monitor screen, thereby determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the electrical appliance.

[0018] In a ninth invention, the electrical appliance is a refrigerator having a plurality of storage compartments, the drive unit is a compressor and a fan that sends cool air to the storage compartments from a duct connected to the storage compartments, the detection unit is a temperature sensor provided individually in the plurality of storage compartments and detects temperature as the first physical quantity, and the wireless detector detects temperature as the second physical quantity. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, a refrigerator maintenance worker can determine whether there is an abnormality in the refrigerator by checking the operation statuses of the compressor and the fan, the detected temperatures of each storage compartment, and the detected temperature of the wireless detector, which are displayed on an operation monitor screen.

[0019] A tenth invention includes a normal operation determination step in which the communications terminal repeatedly receives the detection information transmitted from the wireless detector placed near an outlet through which cool air is blown out from the duct to the storage room by the fan, when a predetermined normal operation determination start condition is satisfied, and determines whether the refrigerator is operating normally based on a change in detected temperature recognized from the detection information. According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to recognize that the compressor is operating and cold air is being sent out to the storage chamber based on a change in the detected temperature of a wireless detector placed near the cold air outlet, so that it is possible to quickly determine whether the refrigerator is operating normally.

[0020] An eleventh invention is a program executed by a communications terminal equipped with a display unit to support maintenance of an electrical appliance having a drive unit and a detection unit that detects a first physical quantity that changes in response to the operation of the drive unit, causing the communications terminal to function as an operation status information acquisition unit that acquires operation status information including the operating status of the drive unit and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit, an operation monitor screen display unit that displays an operation monitor screen showing the operation status of the electrical appliance based on the operation status information, a model information acquisition unit that acquires model information of the electrical appliance, a maintenance response unit that displays on the operation monitor screen a maintenance response reception unit that accepts a link to a maintenance support screen corresponding to the model of the electrical appliance recognized from the model information, and a maintenance support screen display unit that displays the maintenance support screen on the display unit in response to a reception request operation to the maintenance response reception unit. According to the eleventh invention, by executing the program of the tenth invention on a communications terminal and causing the communications terminal to function as an operation status information acquisition unit, an operation monitor screen display unit, a maintenance response reception unit, and a maintenance support screen display unit, it is possible to obtain the same effects as the first invention.

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

[0022] [1. Usage of communication devices] 1 shows a usage state of a communication terminal on which the operation monitoring method and operation monitoring program of the present invention and the maintenance support method and maintenance support program of the present invention are executed. The communication terminal 400 of this embodiment is a tablet-type communication terminal equipped with a touch panel 460. A maintenance worker PS who is a user of the communication terminal 400 uses the communication terminal 400 when visiting a house H and performing maintenance (inspection, adjustment, repair, etc.) of a refrigerator 1 (corresponding to an electrical appliance of the present invention).

[0023] The refrigerator 1 is equipped with a controller 100 that controls the operation of the refrigerator 1, and an operation panel 15 that sets the operating conditions (operating parameters) of the refrigerator 1 and displays error codes. The controller 100 periodically (for example, every few minutes to every tens of minutes) monitors the operating conditions of the drive units (compressor, fan, damper, etc.) equipped in the refrigerator 1 and the detection signals of the sensors (temperature sensor, door open / close sensor, etc.).

[0024] Then, the controller 100 transmits current first information indicating the operating status of the drive unit and the temperature detected by the sensor at the current time (corresponding to a predetermined time in the present invention) recognized by the monitoring, and the time when the monitoring was performed, to the management server 520 via a gateway 500 (wireless LAN router, etc.) installed in the house H and the communication network 510. The management server 520 receives the current first information and records it in addition to the operation history data 521. The management server 520 also stores model-specific data 522 in which information on various electric appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, and air conditioners is recorded by model. The model-specific data 522 includes malfunction countermeasure data, work procedure data, disassembly procedure data, and video data of the present invention.

[0025] The communications terminal 400 also communicates with the management server 520 via the gateway 500 and the communications network 510, and acquires operation history information of the refrigerator 1 recorded in the operation history data 521. The communications terminal 400 also acquires model-specific data for the model of the refrigerator 1 from the management server 520. The communications terminal 400 also wirelessly communicates with the wireless temperature sensor 300, which transmits detection data wirelessly, and acquires information on the temperature detected by the wireless temperature sensor 300.

[0026] [2. Refrigerator configuration] The configuration of the refrigerator 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 4. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the front appearance of the refrigerator 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the refrigerator 1 has a main box body 2 that is open at the front, and inside the main box body 2, a refrigerator compartment 10, an ice-making compartment 30, a fresh freezing compartment 40, a freezer compartment 50, and a vegetable compartment 60 are formed. Furthermore, a partial / chilled switchable compartment 20 is arranged in the refrigerator compartment 10. The refrigerator compartment 10, the partial / chilled switchable compartment 20, the ice-making compartment 30, the fresh freezing compartment 40, the freezer compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60 correspond to the storage compartments of the present invention.

[0027] A rotating left door 11a and a right door 11b are provided at the opening on the front of the refrigerator compartment 10. An operation panel 15 for changing the operating conditions of the refrigerator 1, displaying errors, etc. is provided on the inner wall on the left side of the refrigerator compartment 10. The ice-making compartment 30, the fresh freezing compartment 40, the freezer compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60 are provided with drawers 31, 41, 51, and 61, respectively, for storing food.

[0028] Next, Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the interior of the refrigerator 1 in cross section as seen from the right side. The refrigerator compartment 10 is provided with a left door opening / closing sensor 12a for detecting the open / closed state of the left door 11a, and a right door opening / closing sensor 12b for detecting the open / closed state of the right door 11b. The left door opening / closing sensor 12a outputs a closed detection signal when the left door 11a is closed, and outputs an open detection signal when the left door 11a is open. Similarly, the right door opening / closing sensor 12b outputs a closed detection signal when the right door 11b is closed, and outputs an open detection signal when the right door 11b is open.

[0029] The ice making chamber 30 is provided with an ice making chamber opening / closing sensor 32 that detects whether the opening of the ice making chamber 30 is open or closed. The ice making chamber opening / closing sensor 32 outputs a closed detection signal when the drawer 31 is housed in the ice making chamber 30, and outputs an open detection signal when the drawer 31 is pulled out from the ice making chamber 30. Similarly, the fresh freezing chamber 40 is provided with a fresh freezing chamber opening / closing sensor 42 that detects whether the opening of the fresh freezing chamber 40 is open or closed. The freezer chamber 50 is provided with a freezer chamber opening / closing sensor 52 that detects whether the opening of the freezer chamber 50 is open or closed, and the vegetable chamber 60 is provided with a vegetable chamber opening / closing sensor 62 that detects whether the opening of the vegetable chamber 60 is open or closed. The fresh freezing chamber opening / closing sensor 42, the freezer chamber opening / closing sensor 52, and the vegetable chamber opening / closing sensor 62 output a closed detection signal and an open detection signal, similar to the ice making chamber opening / closing sensor 32.

[0030] The refrigerator compartment 10 is provided with a refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 13 that detects the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment 10, and the partial / chilled switchable compartment 20 is provided with a switchable compartment temperature sensor 23 that detects the temperature inside the partial / chilled switchable compartment 20. The ice-making compartment 30 is provided with an ice-making compartment temperature sensor 33 that detects the temperature inside the ice-making compartment 30, and the fresh freezing compartment 40 is provided with a fresh freezing compartment temperature sensor 43 that detects the temperature inside the fresh freezing compartment 40. The freezer compartment 50 is provided with a freezer compartment temperature sensor 53 that detects the temperature inside the freezer compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60 is provided with a vegetable compartment temperature sensor 63 that detects the temperature inside the vegetable compartment 60.

[0031] A compressor 71, a condenser 72, and a machine room fan 73 are arranged in the upper machine room 70. An evaporator 74 arranged in a duct 75 is connected to the compressor 71 and the condenser 72 by a refrigerant path (not shown) to form a refrigeration cycle. A cooling fan 76 is provided in the duct 75, which sends out air cooled by the evaporator 74 (cold air) from a plurality of cold air outlets 79 provided in the duct 75 to the refrigerator compartment 10, the partial / chilled switching compartment 20, the ice making compartment 30, the fresh freezing compartment 40, the freezer compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60.

[0032] Furthermore, duct 75 is provided with a fresh freezing compartment fan 77 that sends cold air to fresh freezing compartment 40, and a defrost temperature sensor 78 that detects the temperature of evaporator 74. An evaporation tray 81 and an evaporation tray fan 82 are provided in lower machine compartment 80. Fig. 3 shows an example in which wireless temperature sensor 300 is placed near cold air outlet 79 of refrigerator compartment 10. In this way, by placing wireless temperature sensor 300 at any location where it is desired to check the temperature, the temperature at any location can be checked with communication terminal 400, as described below.

[0033] 4 is an explanatory diagram of the air flow in the refrigerator 1 caused by the fan. The air cooled by the evaporator 74 in the cooling compartment 95 is sent by the cooling fan 76 from the duct 75 to the refrigerator compartment 10, the partial / chilled switchable compartment 20, the ice making compartment 30, the fresh freezing compartment 40, the freezer compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60. In addition, for the fresh freezing compartment 40, cold air is also sent from the duct 75 by the fresh freezing compartment fan 77.

[0034] Duct 75 is provided with dampers for adjusting the amount of cold air supplied by opening and closing, including a refrigerator compartment damper 90 which adjusts the amount of cold air supplied to refrigerator compartment 10, a partial / chilled switchable compartment damper 91 which adjusts the amount of cold air supplied to partial / chilled switchable compartment 20, a vegetable compartment damper 92 which adjusts the amount of cold air supplied to vegetable compartment 60, and a freezer compartment damper 93 which adjusts the amount of cold air supplied to freezer compartment 50.

[0035] The cold air supplied from the cooling compartment 95 via duct 75 to the refrigerator compartment 10, partial / chilled switching compartment 20, ice making compartment 30, fresh freezing compartment 40, freezer compartment 50, and vegetable compartment 60 returns to the cooling compartment through a return duct not shown.

[0036] In the upper machine room 70, the machine room fan 73 draws in outside air from the left vent to cool the condenser 72 and compressor 71, and discharges the exhaust heat from the right vent. In the lower machine room 80, the evaporator tray fan 82 draws in outside air from the left vent to promote evaporation of the defrost water and cool the evaporator tray pipe (not shown), and discharges the exhaust heat from the right vent.

[0037] [3. Refrigerator control block] 5 is a control block diagram of the refrigerator 1. The controller 100 is an electronic circuit unit configured with a CPU 110, a memory 130, a communication unit 140, a date and time recognition unit 141, etc. The controller 100 is connected to an operation panel 15, and an operation signal from the operation panel 15 is input to the controller 100, and a display on the operation panel is controlled by a control signal output from the controller 100.

[0038] The controller 100 receives temperature detection signals from the temperature sensors 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, and 17 and open / close detection signals from the open / close sensors 12a, 12b, 32, 42, 52, and 62. In addition, the controller 100 outputs control signals to control the operations of the compressor 71, fans 73, 76, 77, and 82, and dampers 90, 91, 92, and 93.

[0039] The communication unit 140 wirelessly communicates with the management server 520 via the communication network 510. The communication unit 140 also wirelessly communicates with the communication terminal 400 via the communication network 510 or directly. Wireless communication via the communication network 510 is performed by Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or the like. Direct wireless communication with the communication terminal 400 is performed by Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like. The date and time recognition unit 141 counts the current date and time and outputs date and time information indicating the current date and time to the CPU 110.

[0040] CPU 110 executes refrigerator control program 131 stored in memory 130, thereby functioning as main control unit 111, maintenance response unit 112, and operation history storage unit 113. Main control unit 111 recognizes the temperatures of refrigerator compartment 10, partial / chilled switchable compartment 20, ice making compartment 30, fresh freezing compartment 40, freezer compartment 50, and vegetable compartment 60 from temperature detection signals output from temperature sensors 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63 of refrigerator 1.

[0041] Then, the main control unit 111 controls the operation of the compressor 71, fans 73, 76, 77, 82, and dampers 90, 91, 92, 93 based on the recognized temperatures, thereby controlling the temperatures of the refrigerator compartment 10, the partial / chilled switchable compartment 20, the ice making compartment 30, the fresh freezing compartment 40, the freezer compartment 50, and the vegetable compartment 60.

[0042] Maintenance response unit 112 performs processing in a test mode and a service mode in response to the operation of operation panel 15. In the test mode, maintenance response unit 112 executes confirmation tests of ice making, the rotation speed of compressor 71, and other controls. In the service mode, maintenance response unit 112 displays the temperatures detected by temperature sensors 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, and 63, the operating frequency of compressor 71, the accumulated operation time of compressor 71, and the like on the display unit of operation panel 15.

[0043] Furthermore, when maintenance handling unit 112 receives real-time monitor start information transmitted from communication terminal 400, it transmits current first information indicating the operation status of refrigerator 1 at the current time to communication terminal 400. The current first information includes information such as the current date and time (measurement time), the temperature detected by the temperature sensor at the current time, the open / close status of each compartment detected by open / close sensors 12a, 12b, 32, 42, 52, 62, the operation status of compressor 71, the operation status of fans 73, 76, 77, 82, the open / close status of dampers 90, 91, 92, 93, etc. The current first information corresponds to operation status information of the present invention.

[0044] The operation history storage unit 113 recognizes, at a predetermined monitoring period (for example, every few minutes to every tens of minutes), the temperatures detected by the temperature sensors 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, and 63, the open / closed states of the rooms detected by the open / close sensors 12a, 12b, 32, 42, 52, and 62, the operation state of the compressor 71, and the operation states of the fans 73, 76, 77, and 82 at the current time. Then, the operation history storage unit 113 transmits the recognized information and operation monitor information indicating the time of measurement to the management server 520 via the communication unit 140. Note that the operation history for the most recent past few days may also be stored in the memory 130.

[0045] [4. Configuration of communication terminal] The configuration of the communication terminal 400 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The communication terminal 400 includes a control unit 410, a communication section 450, a speaker 451, a touch panel 460, and a storage section 470.

[0046] The control unit 410 is an electronic circuit unit configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 420, a memory 430, and an interface circuit (not shown), etc. The CPU 420 functions as an operation monitor control unit 421 by executing an operation monitor program 431 stored in the memory 430. The CPU 420 also functions as a maintenance support control unit 422 by executing a maintenance support program 432 stored in the memory 430. The maintenance support program 432 may be integrated into the operation monitor program 431, or conversely, the maintenance support program 432 may be integrated into the operation monitor program 431.

[0047] The control unit 410 is connected to the communication unit 450, the speaker 451, the touch panel 460, and the storage unit 470. The communication unit 450 wirelessly communicates with the management server 520 via the communication network 510, and directly communicates with the refrigerator 1 and the wireless temperature sensor 300. The touch panel 460 includes a flat panel display 461 configured with a liquid crystal panel or the like, and a touch switch 462 arranged to cover the surface of the display 461. The display 461 displays various screens in response to an image control signal output from the control unit 410. The touch switch 462 inputs an operation signal to the control unit 410 in response to a touch operation by a maintenance worker PS or the like.

[0048] In response to the operation of touch switch 462 by maintenance worker PS, maintenance support control unit 422 communicates with management server 520 to acquire model-specific data 480a for the model of refrigerator 1 and stores the model in storage unit 470. Similarly, maintenance handling unit 112 acquires model-specific data 480b, 480c, ... for other electric appliances from management server 520 in response to the operation of maintenance worker PS. The process by which maintenance handling unit 112 acquires model-specific data 480a, 480b, 480c, ... corresponds to a model-specific information acquisition step in the maintenance support method of the present invention, and the configuration for acquiring model-specific information corresponds to a model-specific information acquisition unit of the present invention.

[0049] The model-specific data 480a includes malfunction countermeasure data 481a indicating countermeasures to resolve malfunctions that may occur in the model of refrigerator 1, work procedure data 482a indicating the procedure of the malfunction, and work video data 483a explaining the steps of the malfunction with a video. The same is true for the model-specific data 480b, 480c, ....

[0050] [5. Processing by communication terminal] When the maintenance worker PS starts the operation monitor app, the control unit 410 of the communication terminal 400 causes the CPU 420 to execute the operation monitor program 431 and the maintenance support program 432. Then, when the model of the refrigerator 1 is selected, the operation monitor control unit 421 and the maintenance support control unit 422 execute the process according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0051] In step S1 of Fig. 7, the operation monitor control unit 421 establishes wireless communication with the refrigerator 1. Then, the operation monitor control unit 421 repeatedly executes a loop of the following steps S2 to S5. In step S2, the operation monitor control unit 421 displays the operation monitor screen WM0 shown in Fig. 9 on the display 461 of the touch panel 460. The process in which the operation monitor control unit 421 displays the operation monitor screen WM0 and operation monitor screens WM1 and WM2, which will be described later, on the display 461 corresponds to an operation monitor screen display step of the present invention.

[0052] 9, the operation monitor screen WM0 displays a model display section 700 indicating the model and serial number of the refrigerator 1, a maintenance button 701 (corresponding to a maintenance response receiving section of the present invention) for instructing switching to a maintenance support screen described later, a graph / illustration switch button 702 for instructing switching to an illustration monitor screen described later, a real-time data acquisition button 703 for instructing display of an operating status from the present time, a remote setting change button 704 for instructing switching to a remote setting change screen described later, and a display target selection button 705 for selecting a display target. The process of displaying the maintenance button 701 corresponds to a maintenance response step in the maintenance support method of the present invention, and the configuration for displaying the maintenance button 701 corresponds to a maintenance response section of the present invention.

[0053] In the next step S3, when the maintenance worker PS touches the real-time data acquisition button 703 to select "real-time data acquisition", the operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S100 and executes "real-time display processing". Also, in step S4, when the maintenance worker PS touches the remote setting change button 704 to select "remote setting change", the operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S200 and executes "remote setting change processing". Also, in step S5, when the maintenance worker PS touches the maintenance button 701 to select "maintenance support", the operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S300 and executes "maintenance support processing".

[0054] [6. Real-time display processing] The execution procedure of the "real-time display process" will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 8. In step S101 of Fig. 8, the operation monitor control unit 421 acquires, from the refrigerator 1, current first information indicating the operation status and detection status of the drive units at the current time. The drive units include the compressor 71, the machine compartment fan 73, the cooling fan 76, the fresh freezing compartment fan 77, the evaporation tray fan 82, the refrigerator compartment damper 90, the partial / chilled switching compartment damper 91, the vegetable compartment damper 92, and the freezer compartment damper 93. The process of step S101 corresponds to an operation status information acquisition step in the maintenance support method of the present invention, and the configuration for performing the process of step S101 corresponds to an operation status information acquisition unit.

[0055] The detection status includes temperatures detected by refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 13, switch compartment temperature sensor 23, ice compartment temperature sensor 33, fresh freezing compartment temperature sensor 43, freezer compartment temperature sensor 53, and vegetable compartment temperature sensor 63. In addition, the detection status includes open / closed states detected by left door opening / closing sensor 12a, right door opening / closing sensor 12b, ice compartment opening / closing sensor 32, fresh freezing compartment opening / closing sensor 42, freezer compartment opening / closing sensor 52, and vegetable compartment opening / closing sensor 62.

[0056] In the next step S102, the operation monitor control unit 421 determines whether or not wireless communication has been established with the wireless temperature sensor 300. Note that the establishment of communication between the communication terminal 400 and the wireless temperature sensor 300 may be performed automatically when the wireless temperature sensor 300 is powered on, or may be performed by a connection operation performed by the maintenance worker PS.

[0057] Then, when communication between the communication terminal 400 and the wireless temperature sensor 300 is established, the operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S110. On the other hand, when communication between the communication terminal 400 and the wireless temperature sensor 300 is not established, the operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S103. In step S110, the operation monitor control unit 421 receives current second information indicating the temperature detected by the wireless temperature sensor 300 at the current time from the wireless temperature sensor 300, and advances the process to step S103. The current second information corresponds to the second physical quantity information of the present invention.

[0058] In step S103, the operation monitor control unit 421 displays real-time data acquisition information 710 as shown in Fig. 9. The real-time data acquisition information 710 displays a temperature transition graph 711 showing the transition of the temperature detected by the temperature sensor from the time when the "real-time display process" was started, and an operation status graph 712 showing the operation status of the drive unit.

[0059] 9 shows an example in which the temperature transition graph 711 displays the outdoor air temperature (temperature detected by the outdoor air temperature sensor 17), the defrost sensor temperature, the freezer temperature (temperature detected by the freezer temperature sensor 53, shown as FC temperature in FIG. 9), the vegetable compartment temperature (temperature detected by the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 63, shown as VC temperature in FIG. 9), and the refrigerator compartment temperature (temperature detected by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 13, shown as PC temperature in FIG. 9). The temperatures shown in the temperature transition graph 711 are the display objects (any of all room information, refrigerator compartment, ice making compartment, freezer compartment, and vegetable compartment) selected by the display object selection button 705. In addition, when the operation monitor control unit 421 acquires the current second information in step S110, it also displays the temperature detected by the wireless temperature sensor 300 together with the temperature transition graph 711.

[0060] The operation status graph 712 shows an example in which the operation status of the compressor 71, the cooling fan 76 (shown as FC fan in FIG. 9), and the freezer compartment damper 93 (shown as FC damper in FIG. 9) is displayed. Note that the operation monitor control unit 421 similarly displays the operation status of the machine compartment fan 73, the fresh freezing compartment fan 77, the evaporation tray fan 82, the refrigerator compartment damper 90, the partial / chilled switching compartment damper 91, and the vegetable compartment damper 92 in response to a scroll operation of the operation status graph 712.

[0061] When the maintenance worker PS performs an operation to end the measurement in step S104, or when the measurement period ends in step S105, the operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S106 and ends the "real-time display process".

[0062] When the maintenance worker PS operates the graph / illustration switching button 702, the operation monitor control unit 421 switches the operation monitor screen WM0 to the operation monitor screen WM1 shown in Fig. 10. The operation monitor screen WM1 displays a front layout 720a of the refrigerator 1 and a right side layout 720b of the refrigerator 1.

[0063] The front layout 720a shows an operation panel status display section 721 indicating the setting status of the operating conditions by the operation panel 15 and a display status 726 of the display section. In addition, the open / closed status 730 of the left door 11a and the right door 11b is shown at the location of the refrigerator compartment 10 in the front layout 720a, the open / closed status 731 of the ice-making compartment 30 is shown at the location of the ice-making compartment 30, and the open / closed status 732 of the fresh freezing compartment 40 is shown at the location of the fresh freezing compartment 40. In addition, the open / closed status 733 of the freezer compartment 50 is shown at the location of the freezer compartment 50 in the front layout 720a, and the open / closed status 734 of the vegetable compartment 60 is shown at the location of the vegetable compartment 60.

[0064] Furthermore, the operation monitor control unit 421 obtains operation history data of the refrigerator 1 from operation history data 521 of the management server 520, and displays in the front layout 720a the number of times 740 the refrigerator compartment 10 has been opened and closed, the number of times 740 the ice-making compartment 30 has been opened and closed, and the number of times 741 the ice-making compartment has been opened and closed, the number of times 742 the fresh freezing compartment 40 has been opened and closed, the number of times 743 the freezer compartment 50 has been opened and closed, and the current outside air temperature 744.

[0065] In the right side layout 720b, the operating status 760 of the machine room fan 73 is displayed at the position of the machine room fan 73, the operating status 761 of the compressor 71 is displayed at the position of the compressor 71, the operating status 762 of the fresh freezing chamber fan 77 is displayed at the position of the fresh freezing chamber fan 77, the operating status 763 of the cooling fan 76 is displayed at the position of the cooling fan 76, and the operating status of the evaporating tray fan 82 is displayed at the position of the evaporating tray fan 82.

[0066] Furthermore, in the right side layout 720b, a detected temperature 750 of the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 13 is shown at the position of the refrigerator compartment 10, a detected temperature 751 of the switchable compartment temperature sensor 23 is shown at the position of the partial / chilled switchable compartment 20, and a detected temperature 752 of the fresh freezing compartment temperature sensor 43 is shown at the position of the fresh freezing compartment 40. In addition, in the right side layout 720b, a detected temperature 753 of the freezer compartment temperature sensor 53 is shown at the position of the freezer compartment 50, a detected temperature 754 of the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 63 is shown at the position of the vegetable compartment 60, and a detected temperature 755 of the defrost temperature sensor 78 is shown at the position of the defrost temperature sensor 78.

[0067] Furthermore, in the right side layout 720b, a detected temperature 756 of the outside air temperature sensor 17 is shown at the arrangement position of the outside air temperature sensor 17, and a detected temperature 757 of the wireless temperature sensor 300 is shown between the front layout 720a and the right side layout 720b.

[0068] In this way, on the operation monitor screen WM1, in the front layout 720a, the current opening and closing states 730, 731, 732, 733, 734 detected by the left door opening and closing sensor 12a, the right door opening and closing sensor 12b, the ice making compartment opening and closing sensor 32, the fresh freezing compartment opening and closing sensor 42, the freezer compartment opening and closing sensor 52, and the vegetable compartment opening and closing sensor 62 are displayed at the detection target positions of each opening and closing sensor.

[0069] The right side layout 720b also shows the current temperatures 750, 751, 752, 753, 754, 755, and 756 detected by the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 13, the switching compartment temperature sensor 23, the fresh freezing compartment temperature sensor 43, the freezer compartment temperature sensor 53, the vegetable compartment temperature sensor 63, the outside air temperature sensor 17, and the defrosting temperature sensor 78 at the detection target positions of the respective temperature sensors. Furthermore, the right side layout 720b also shows the current operating states (operating / stopped) 760, 761, 762, 763, and 764 of the machine compartment fan 73, the compressor 71, the cooling fan 76, the fresh freezing compartment fan 77, and the evaporator tray fan 82 at the arrangement positions of the respective driving parts. The operation monitor screen WM1 also shows the current detected temperature 757 by the wireless temperature sensor 300.

[0070] Therefore, the maintenance worker PS can easily visually check the current temperature of each part of the refrigerator 1, the open / closed state of each compartment, the operating state of the drive unit, and the temperature at the location where the wireless temperature sensor 300 is placed, on the operation monitor screen WM1, and can check the overall operating state of the refrigerator 1. This can assist the maintenance worker PS in determining whether there is an abnormality in the refrigerator 1. Furthermore, for example, if the user PU feels that the refrigerator 1 is not cooling well, the maintenance worker PS can show the operation monitor screen WM1 to the user PU of the refrigerator 1 and explain the actual operating state of the refrigerator 1. This can explain to the user PU that the cause of the weak cooling is not an abnormality in the refrigerator 1, but the arrangement of the products inside the refrigerator, or the frequent opening and closing of the door, etc.

[0071] Furthermore, when communication with the wireless temperature sensor 300 is established, the operation monitor control unit 421 may determine whether the refrigerator 1 is operating normally based on the degree of decrease in the temperature detected by the wireless temperature sensor 300 from the time the refrigerator 1 starts operating, and display the determination result on the display 461. With this configuration, the maintenance worker PS can quickly check whether the refrigerator 1 is operating normally by placing the wireless temperature sensor 300 near the cool air outlet 79 of the duct 75. This process of determining whether the refrigerator 1 is operating normally corresponds to the normal operation determination step of the present invention.

[0072] [7. Remote setting change processing] The procedure for executing the "remote setting change process" will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 11. In step S201 in Fig. 11, the operation monitor control unit 421 displays, on the display 461, an operation monitor screen WM2 showing an operator setting menu 770 for changing the operating conditions of the refrigerator 1 and a test mode menu 771 for changing the conditions in the test mode of the refrigerator 1, as shown in Fig. 12.

[0073] The operator setting menu 770 shows buttons for changing each parameter (operating condition) of maximum rotation speed switching (low noise) mode, minimum rotation speed switching (low vibration) mode, refrigerator room temperature adjustment correction, pipe heater power supply rate change, partial chilled room temperature adjustment correction, refrigerator blue LED off, electronic sound volume change setting, ECONAVI stop, humidity sensor power supply rate correction disable, evaporator tray fan voltage fix, partial LED white lighting, and vegetable compartment humidity sensor correction disable. The test mode menu 771 shows buttons for setting each parameter in test mode of refrigerator compartment temperature, partial / chilled compartment temperature, freezer compartment / fresh freezing compartment / ice compartment temperature, and ice making stop setting.

[0074] In the next step S202, when the operation monitor control unit 421 recognizes that either a button on the operator setting menu 770 or the test mode menu 771 has been touched, the operation monitor control unit 421 advances the process to step S210. In step S210, the operation monitor control unit 421 displays a pop-up screen for changing the parameter selected by the touch operation. FIG. 12 shows an example of the pop-up screen 772 when "maximum rotation speed switching (low noise) mode" is selected. The maintenance worker PS can touch the pop-up screen 772 to switch the maximum rotation speed switching (low noise) mode between ON (enabled) and OFF (disabled).

[0075] In the next step S211, the operation monitor control unit 421 sends parameter change information instructing a change to the parameter setting to the refrigerator 1 in response to a transfer operation by the maintenance worker PS on the pop-up screen 772, and the process proceeds to step S203. In the refrigerator 1, the maintenance support unit 112 of the controller 100 that received the parameter change information changes the parameter setting in accordance with the parameter change information.

[0076] In step S203, the operation monitor control unit 421 determines whether an end instruction has been given by touching the back switch 722. If an end instruction has been given, the process proceeds to step S204 to end the "remote setting change process" and return to the main routine process of Fig. 7. The process of setting each parameter in the test mode by the "remote setting change process" corresponds to the test mode corresponding step of the present invention. Also, the process of changing the operating parameters of the refrigerator 1 by the "remote setting change process" corresponds to the operating parameter changing step of the present invention.

[0077] [8. Maintenance support processing] The execution procedure of the "maintenance support process" will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 13. In step S301 of Fig. 13, the maintenance support control unit 422 displays the maintenance support screen MS0 shown in Fig. 14 on the display 461. The process by which the maintenance support control unit 422 displays the maintenance support screen MS0 and maintenance support screens MS1 to MSMS6, which will be described later, on the display 461 corresponds to a maintenance support screen display step of the present invention. Also, the configuration for executing the process of step S301 corresponds to a maintenance support screen display unit of the present invention.

[0078] 14, the maintenance support screen MS0 displays a maintenance menu 800. The maintenance menu 800 includes buttons for each of the following items: repair work precautions 801, error code list 802, disassembly and assembly instructions 803, service mode 804, overview 805, installation method 806, circuit diagram 807, related news by model 808, symptom-specific fault diagnosis 809, parts exploded view and price list 810, test mode 811, technical explanation 812, handling and operation instructions 813, external dimension drawing 814, and QS practice text 815.

[0079] In the following step S302, the maintenance support control unit 422 determines whether or not any of the item buttons 801 to 815 of the maintenance menu 800 has been selected by a touch operation. If any of the item buttons has been selected, the maintenance support control unit 422 proceeds to step S310, and if no item button has been operated, the maintenance support control unit 422 proceeds to step S303.

[0080] In step S310, the maintenance support control unit 422 displays a maintenance support screen corresponding to the selected item button on the display 461. For example, when the item button for disassembly / assembly instructions 803 is selected, the maintenance support control unit 422 displays the maintenance support screen MS1 ​​shown in FIG.

[0081] The maintenance support screen MS1 ​​corresponding to the disassembly / assembly instructions 803 displays product configuration diagrams including a door layout diagram 820 showing the layout of the doors of the refrigerator 1, an interior layout diagram 821 showing the layout of the interior of the refrigerator 1, a top view diagram 822 showing the top surface of the refrigerator 1, and a machine room layout diagram 823 showing the layout of the machine room of the refrigerator 1.

[0082] With respect to the door layout diagram 820, the maintenance worker PS can select, by touch operation, any one of the refrigerator left door PCL, the refrigerator right door PCR, the ice-making compartment door IC, the fresh-freezing compartment door SC, the freezer door FC, and the vegetable compartment door VC. Also, with respect to the interior layout diagram 821, the maintenance worker PS can select, by touch operation, any one of the locations inside the refrigerator, the ice-making / fresh-freezing / freezer, and the vegetable compartment.

[0083] Furthermore, the maintenance worker PS can select the top surface by touching the top view 822. Also, the maintenance worker PS can select either the upper machine room or the lower machine room by touching the machine room layout view 823.

[0084] When the maintenance worker PS operates any of the door layout diagram 820, the interior layout diagram 821, the top view diagram 822, and the machine room layout diagram 823 to select any location, the maintenance support control unit 422 displays on the display 461 a maintenance support screen MS2 showing a parts tree 830 (corresponding to the disassembled configuration diagram of the present invention) in which the parts arranged at the selected location are displayed in a tree format according to the disassembly process, as shown in FIG. 16.

[0085] FIG. 16 shows an example in which the maintenance worker PS has selected the interior of the refrigerator compartment from the interior layout diagram 821. Starting with "1. Partial chilled door," each component part is displayed in a tree format according to the stage of the disassembly process, such as "2. Partial plate top," "3. Plate duct AS," ...

[0086] The maintenance worker PS can use a touch operation to select the part to be maintained from among the parts displayed in the part tree 830. Fig. 16 shows a state in which "6. Inject tube AS" has been selected, and in response to this selection, the maintenance support control unit 422 extracts "1. Partial chilled door," "2. Partial plate top," "3. Plate tank side AS," "4. Plate duct AS," "5. Cover plate tank," and "6. Inject tube AS" as sub-processes included in the replacement work of the inject tube AS, based on the configuration state of the parts shown in the part tree 830 shown in Fig. 16.

[0087] 17, the maintenance support control unit 422 displays a maintenance support screen MS3 showing a sub-process list 840 that displays a list of the extracted sub-processes on the display 461. Display areas 841-846 for sub-processes 1-6 are displayed in the sub-process list 840. The maintenance worker PS can select a sub-process for which work procedures are to be displayed by touching any of the display areas 841-846 for sub-processes 1-6.

[0088] 17 illustrates a state in which sub-process 1 is selected, and the maintenance support control unit 422 refers to model-specific data 480a for the model of refrigerator 1 stored in the storage unit 470 to acquire data on the disassembly procedures associated with sub-process 1 (an explanation of the disassembly procedures and video data of the disassembly procedures). Then, the maintenance support control unit 422 enlarges the display area 831 for sub-process 1 to display an explanation 841a of the work procedures for sub-process 1 (partially chilled door) and a video area 841b. The maintenance support control unit 422 plays the work video of sub-process 1 in response to a touch operation on the video area 841b by the maintenance worker PS.

[0089] 18 also illustrates an example of the maintenance support screen MS4 in a state in which sub-process 6 (inject tube AS) is selected. In Fig. 18, the maintenance support control unit 422 enlarges the display area 846 for sub-process 6 to display an explanation 846a of the disassembly procedure for sub-process 6 and a video area 846b. The maintenance support control unit 422 plays the video of the disassembly procedure for sub-process 6 in response to a touch operation on the video area 846b by the maintenance worker PS.

[0090] In this way, when a response procedure is divided into several sub-steps, the maintenance worker PS can select the sub-step for which he / she wants to know the work procedures and view the explanatory portion and explanatory video. Therefore, compared to when all the work procedures for the response procedure are output together as explanatory text and explanatory video, the maintenance worker PS can efficiently view only the work procedures for the sub-step for which he / she wants to know, and can perform the maintenance work quickly.

[0091] Next, when the maintenance worker PS selects the error code list 802 in the maintenance menu 800 of the maintenance support screen MS0 shown in FIG. 14 and selects the error code "H21", the maintenance support control unit 422 displays the maintenance support screen MS5 shown in FIG. 19 on the display 461. The error code corresponds to the defect information of the present invention.

[0092] The maintenance support screen MS5 displays a symptom 850 (here, "Ice-making mechanism abnormality") corresponding to the error code "H21," a detection condition 851 for the error (here, "Ice-making motor rotation abnormality"), three corrective actions 852 to 854, and a selection button 860 for selecting the corrective action. When the maintenance worker PS selects any of the selection buttons 860, details of the selected corrective action are displayed.

[0093] FIG. 20 shows the maintenance support screen MS6 when “Action (2) Replace ice mechanism AS” is selected from the three corresponding actions, and the maintenance support control unit 422 enlarges the display area 852 of the selected action (2) from display areas 852-854 for actions (1)-(3) to display the work procedure for action (2).

[0094] The "Action (2) Ice Mechanism AS Replacement" includes three sub-processes: "Sub-Process 1 Ice Room / Fresh Freezing Room Door", "Sub-Process 2 Ice Maker (Ice Plate Top)", and "Sub-Process 3 Ice Mechanism AS". Therefore, the maintenance support control unit 422 displays the display areas 861 to 863 for the three sub-processes.

[0095] The maintenance worker PS can select one of the three sub-process display areas 861-863, and the maintenance support control unit 422 enlarges the selected display area to display work procedure information in accordance with this selection. Fig. 20 shows a case where "Sub-process 1 Ice-making room door / fresh freezing room door" has been selected, and the maintenance support control unit 422 enlarges the display area 861 of sub-process 1 to display an explanation 861a of the work procedure for sub-process 1 and a work video 861b.

[0096] When the maintenance worker PS gives an instruction to play the work video (by touching video area 861b), the maintenance support control unit 422 refers to the work video data 483a for the model of refrigerator 1 stored in the storage unit 470, acquires the work video data for sub-process 1, and plays the work video. By visually checking the explanation 861a and the work video 861b, the maintenance worker PS can easily understand the work procedure and quickly proceed with the maintenance work.

[0097] Furthermore, the maintenance worker PS can select and view the explanatory text and work video for each sub-step of the work procedure for the response action, which allows the maintenance worker PS to obtain the information on the work procedure more efficiently and perform the maintenance work promptly, compared to the case where the explanatory text and work video for all the work procedures for the response action are viewed all at once.

[0098] When the maintenance worker PS selects the model-specific related news item button 808 on the maintenance support screen MS0 shown in Fig. 14, the maintenance support control unit 422 obtains information about the model of refrigerator 1 stored in model information DB 131 from the management server 520 and displays it on the display 641. This allows the maintenance worker PS to easily obtain information about abnormalities specific to the model of refrigerator 1.

[0099] When the maintenance worker PS selects the service mode item button 804 on the maintenance support screen MS0 shown in FIG. 14, the maintenance support control unit 422 displays a menu screen for individually instructing the start or stop of operation of each drive unit of the refrigerator 1. Then, in response to an operation by the maintenance worker PS, the maintenance support control unit 422 transmits information to the refrigerator 1 instructing the start or stop of operation of the drive units, and in response to receiving this information, the maintenance response unit 112 of the refrigerator 1 starts or stops the operation of the drive units. This allows the maintenance worker PS to give instructions such as opening a specific damper to make maintenance work easier. The process of instructing the start or stop of operation of the drive units thus corresponds to the drive unit operation response step of the present invention.

[0100] [9. Other embodiments] In the above embodiment, the refrigerator 1 has been described as an example of the product of the present invention, but the present invention can also be applied to electrical appliances other than refrigerators, such as air conditioners, washing machines, and televisions. In addition, although compressor 71, cooling fan 76, and the like have been shown as the driving unit, other types of driving units may be used. In addition, although temperatures have been shown as the first physical quantity and the second physical quantity, humidity, heat quantity, air volume, illuminance, and the like may also be used.

[0101] In the above embodiment, the tablet-type communication terminal 400 is shown as the terminal device of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a notebook computer, a smartphone, etc. can also be used as the terminal device of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0102] As described above, the maintenance support method and maintenance support program of the present invention can assist a maintenance worker who visits the installation location of an electrical appliance in determining the operating status of the electrical appliance by using the operation monitor screen displayed on the communication terminal, and when an abnormality is determined in the electrical appliance, can assist in identifying the measures to be taken to deal with the abnormality by switching from the operation monitor screen to a maintenance support screen. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1. Refrigerator 13 Refrigerator temperature sensor 23 Switchable compartment temperature sensor 33 Ice chamber temperature sensor 43 Fresh freezing room temperature sensor 53 Refrigeration temperature sensor 63 Vegetable compartment temperature sensor 71 Compressor 73 Machine room fan 76 Cooling Fan 77 Fresh Freezing Room Fan 78 Defrost temperature sensor 100 Controller 300 Wireless Temperature Sensor 400 Communication terminal 410 Control Unit 420 CPU 421 Operation monitor control unit 422 Maintenance Support Control Unit 430 Memory 431 Operation monitor program 432 Maintenance Support Program 450 Communications Department 460 Touch Panel 461 Display 462 Touch Switch 470 Storage section 480a Model-specific data PS Maintenance Worker PU user WM0~WM2 operation monitor screen MS0~MS6 Maintenance Support Screen

Claims

1. A maintenance support method for supporting maintenance of an electrical appliance including a movable part including a drive part and a detection part that detects a first physical quantity that changes depending on a state of the movable part, by a communication terminal including a display part, an operation status information acquisition step in which the communication terminal acquires operation status information indicating a status of the movable part and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit; an operation monitor screen display step of causing the communication terminal to display, on the display unit, a first operation monitor screen that displays the operation status of the electrical appliance, the state of the drive unit, and a transition of the first physical quantity in the form of a graph based on the operation status information; a step of displaying, on the first operation monitor screen, a switching button for accepting switching to a second operation monitor screen in which the communication terminal displays a layout image showing a configuration of the electrical appliance, displays a status of the movable part at a position where the movable part is arranged in the layout image, and displays the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit at a position where the first physical quantity is detected by the detection unit in the layout image; a step of the communication terminal displaying, on the first operation monitor screen, a real-time data acquisition button for instructing display of an operation status from the present time; a step of the communication terminal displaying, in response to a selection operation of the real-time data acquisition button, a first physical quantity transition graph showing a transition of the first physical quantity from the time when the selection operation is performed to the end of a measurement period, and an operation status graph showing an operation status of the drive unit from the time when the selection operation is performed to the end of the measurement period, on the first operation monitor screen on the same time axis; A maintenance support method comprising:

2. The electrical appliance is a refrigerator; The layout image is an image of a front layout or a side layout of the refrigerator. The maintenance support method according to claim 1 .

3. The movable part includes an opening / closing part that opens and closes an opening of an accommodation chamber of the refrigerator, a compressor, and a fan, On the second operation monitor screen, an open / close status of the opening / closing part is displayed at a position where the opening / closing part is arranged in the layout image, an operating status of the compressor is displayed at a position where the compressor is arranged in the layout image, and an operating status of the fan is displayed at a position where the fan is arranged in the layout image. The maintenance support method according to claim 2 .

4. the detection unit is a temperature sensor that detects a temperature inside the storage compartment of the refrigerator, and the first physical quantity is a temperature, On the second operation monitor screen, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is displayed at a position on the layout image where the temperature is detected by the temperature sensor. The maintenance support method according to claim 2 .

5. A program executed by a communication terminal having a display unit to support maintenance of an electrical appliance having a movable unit including a drive unit and a detection unit that detects a first physical quantity that changes depending on a state of the movable unit, the program comprising: an operation status information acquisition unit that acquires operation status information indicating a status of the movable part and the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit; an operation monitor screen display unit that displays, on the display unit, a first operation monitor screen that displays, based on the operation status information, the operation status of the electrical appliance, a state of the drive unit, and a transition of the first physical quantity using graphs; an operation monitor control unit that displays a switch button on the first operation monitor screen to accept switching to a second operation monitor screen that displays a layout image showing a configuration of the electrical appliance, displays a status of the movable part at a position where the movable part is arranged in the layout image, and displays the first physical quantity detected by the detection unit at a position where the first physical quantity is detected by the detection unit in the layout image, and switches the display of the display unit from the first operation monitor screen to the second operation monitor screen in response to an operation of the switch button; and make it work. The operation monitor control unit is displaying a real-time data acquisition button on the first operation monitor screen for instructing display of an operation status from the present time; In response to a selection operation of the real-time data acquisition button, a first physical quantity transition graph showing a transition of the first physical quantity from the time when the selection operation is performed until the end of a measurement period and an operation status graph showing an operation status of the drive unit from the time when the selection operation is performed until the end of the measurement period are displayed on the first operation monitor screen on the same time axis. Maintenance support program.

Images