Hot water supply device data transmission system and hot water supply device

Abstract

To provide a hot water supply device data transmission system capable of suppressing the transmission of useless logging data from a hot water supply device to a terminal device.SOLUTION: A control unit 111 of a hot water supply device 10 reads a readout flag from an LD storage unit 113b and transmits it to a terminal device 20 before transmitting logging data to the terminal device 20. A control unit 201 of the terminal device 20 causes a display unit 203 to display a screen for performing notification of information as to whether the logging data based on a state of the received readout flag is not transmitted or transmitted and reception of selection of the logging data to be transmitted, and requests the hot water supply device 10 to transmit the selected logging data when an operation unit 204 selects the logging data. The control unit 111 reads the requested logging data from the LD storage unit 113b to transmit it to the terminal device 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a water heating apparatus data transmission system including a water heating apparatus and a terminal device capable of receiving data from the water heating apparatus.The present invention further relates to a water heating apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a hot water supply system that includes a hot water supply apparatus and a server capable of communicating with the hot water supply apparatus, periodically collects data from various sensors provided in the hot water supply apparatus, and transmits the collected data to the server when an error such as a failure occurs in the hot water supply apparatus. The data stored in the server is used for the maintenance of the hot water supply apparatus, such as analyzing the cause of the failure. For example, a hot water supply system, which is an example of the above-mentioned hot water supply system, is described in Patent Document 1.

[0003] Unlike the above-mentioned hot water supply system, in a hot water supply apparatus that is not communicatively connected to a server, data collected from various sensors cannot be directly transmitted to the server. Therefore, in such a hot water supply apparatus, the following configuration can be adopted.

[0004] That is, each time an error occurs in the water heating apparatus, collected data is stored as logging data in a non-volatile memory element. When the logging data stored in the water heating apparatus is needed, a terminal device such as a personal computer is connected to the water heating apparatus. When a specified read operation is performed in the terminal device, the logging data associated with each error is read from the non-volatile memory element and transmitted to the terminal device. The logging data stored in the terminal device is then transferred from the terminal device to a server and stored in the server.

[0005] The water heating apparatus and a terminal device capable of receiving data from the water heating apparatus constitute a water heating apparatus data transmission system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6718827 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In a configuration such as the above-mentioned water heating apparatus data transmission system, in which logging data stored in the water heating apparatus for each error is transmitted to a terminal device, if already transmitted logging data is transmitted to the terminal device, the same logging data will be stored in duplicate in the terminal device or server, which may put a strain on the memory capacity of the terminal device or server, or may unnecessarily lengthen the data transmission time between the water heating apparatus and the terminal device or between the terminal device and the server.

[0008] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a water heating apparatus data transmission system and a water heating apparatus that are capable of suppressing the transmission of unnecessary logging data from the water heating apparatus to a terminal device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a water heating apparatus data transmission system including a water heating apparatus and a terminal device capable of receiving data from the water heating apparatus. In the water heating apparatus data transmission system according to this aspect, the water heating apparatus includes a first storage unit in which detection data periodically collected from various sensors included in the water heating apparatus is stored as monitoring data, a second storage unit in which the monitoring data read from the first storage unit is stored as logging data when an error detected in the water heating apparatus is detected, a third storage unit in which a read flag indicating whether the logging data has been transmitted to the terminal device is stored in a state linked to each of the logging data, and an apparatus-side controller. The terminal device includes a display unit, an operation unit, and a terminal-side controller. Here, the apparatus-side controller reads the read flag from the third storage unit and transmits it to the terminal device before transmitting the logging data to the terminal device. The terminal control unit causes the display unit to display a screen for notifying the user of whether the logging data has been transmitted or not based on the state of the received read flag and for accepting a selection of the logging data to be transmitted, and when the user selects the logging data using the operation unit, requests the hot water heating device to transmit the selected logging data. Furthermore, the device control unit reads out the requested logging data from the second storage unit and transmits it to the terminal device.

[0010] According to the water heating apparatus data transmission system of this aspect, before the logging data is transmitted, a read flag associated with the logging data is transmitted to the terminal device from the water heating apparatus, and the terminal device notifies the terminal device of whether the logging data has not been transmitted or has already been transmitted and accepts the selection of the logging data to be transmitted, and only the selected logging data is transmitted from the water heating apparatus to the terminal device. This prevents the transmission of transmitted logging data to the terminal device. This prevents the memory capacity of the terminal device from being overwhelmed and prevents the data transmission time between the water heating apparatus and the terminal device from becoming unnecessarily long.

[0011] In the water heating apparatus data transmission system according to this aspect, the terminal device may be configured to be communicably connected to a server, and the terminal side control unit may be configured to transmit the logging data transmitted from the water heating apparatus to the server.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the transfer of already-transmitted logging data from the terminal device to the server is suppressed, which makes it possible to prevent the memory capacity of the server from being overwhelmed and to prevent the data transmission time between the terminal device and the server from becoming unnecessarily long.

[0013] A second aspect of the present invention relates to a water heating apparatus that is communicatively connected to a terminal device and capable of transmitting data to the terminal device. The water heating apparatus according to this aspect includes a first storage unit in which detection data periodically collected from various sensors provided in the water heating apparatus is stored as monitoring data, a second storage unit in which the monitoring data read from the first storage unit is stored as logging data when an error detected in the water heating apparatus is triggered, a third storage unit in which a read flag indicating whether the logging data has been transmitted to the terminal device is stored in a state linked to each of the logging data, and a control unit. Here, the control unit transmits the read flag to the terminal device before transmitting the logging data to the terminal device in order for the terminal device to notify the terminal device of information on whether the logging data has not been transmitted or has been transmitted based on the state of the read flag and to accept selection of the logging data to be transmitted, and when a request for transmission of the logging data selected by the terminal device is received from the terminal device, the control unit reads the requested logging data from the second storage unit and transmits it to the terminal device.

[0014] The hot water supply device according to this aspect can achieve the same effects as the first aspect. Effect of the Invention

[0015] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a water heating apparatus data transmission system and a water heating apparatus that are capable of suppressing the transmission of unnecessary logging data from the water heating apparatus to a terminal device.

[0016] The effects and significance of the present invention will become clearer from the following description of the embodiment. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example of how the present invention can be put into practice, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a water heating apparatus data transmission system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing circuit blocks of a water heater, a bathroom remote control, a kitchen remote control, and a terminal device that constitute a water heater according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a combustion system and piping of a water heater according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] Fig. 4(a) is a flowchart showing a control process executed by a control unit of a water heater to store monitoring data in a monitoring data storage unit of a non-volatile memory element according to an embodiment. Fig. 4(b) is a diagram showing a monitoring data storage unit in which monitoring data is stored according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] Fig. 5(a) is a flowchart showing a control process executed by a control unit of a water heater to store logging data in a logging data storage unit of a non-volatile memory element according to an embodiment. Fig. 5(b) is a diagram showing a logging data storage unit in which monitoring data is stored together with error data and a read flag according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control process executed by a controller of a terminal device for causing the terminal device to transmit logging data to the water heating apparatus and transfer the data to a server according to an embodiment. [Figure 7]7(a) to (d) are diagrams showing an example of a data transmission operation screen displayed on the display unit of a terminal device according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control process executed by a controller of a water heater in order for the water heater to transmit logging data to a terminal device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a water heating apparatus data transmission system 1. As shown in FIG.

[0020] 1, water heating apparatus data transmission system 1 includes water heating apparatus 10 and terminal device 20. Water heating apparatus 10 is communicatively connected to terminal device 20 without going through an external communication network, and can transmit data from water heating apparatus 10 to terminal device 20. In water heating apparatus 10, water heater 11 has a function of communicating with terminal device 20.

[0021] Water heating device 10 includes water heater 11 and remote controllers 12 and 13. Water heater 11 is a gas water heater that uses gas as fuel to supply hot water. Hot water generated by water heater 11 is supplied to a kitchen faucet, a bathtub, a faucet, etc. through pipes connected to hot water outlet 11a. When water heater 11 has a floor heating function, a bathroom heating function, and a heating function using a panel heater, hot water is supplied from water heater 11 to devices that realize these functions.

[0022] Remote controllers 12 and 13 are connected to water heater 11 and are used to make various settings for each function of water heating apparatus 10. Remote controller 12 has a display unit 121 and an input unit 122, and remote controller 13 has a display input unit 131 consisting of a touch panel and an operation button 132. The operator can make any settings for filling the water tank, adjusting the hot water temperature, etc. by operating input unit 122 according to the screen displayed on display unit 121. The operator can also make settings for filling the water tank, etc. by operating display input unit 131.

[0023] The remote controller 12 is installed in the bathroom, and the remote controller 13 is installed outside the bathroom, for example, in a kitchen. The remote controllers 12 and 13 are provided with audio windows 12a and 13a for inputting and outputting audio.

[0024] Hereinafter, the remote controller 12 installed in the bathroom will be referred to as the "bathroom remote control 12," and the remote controller 13 installed in the kitchen or the like will be referred to as the "kitchen remote control 13."

[0025] An operation button 122a is included in the input section 122 of the bathroom remote control 12. The operation buttons 122a and 132 are buttons for switching the water heater 11 between an operation on state and an operation off state.

[0026] When bathroom remote control 12 and kitchen remote control 13 are in the operation off state, display unit 121 and display input unit 131 are in the off state, and no operation of operation buttons other than operation buttons 122a, 132 is accepted. When operation buttons 122a, 132 are operated to switch to the operation on state, display unit 121 and display input unit 131 light up, the setting contents are displayed, and operation of each operation button can be accepted.

[0027] Furthermore, input unit 122 and display input unit 131 include a button for changing the hot water supply temperature. The operator can change the set hot water supply temperature by operating this button. In addition, input unit 122 and display input unit 131 include buttons for controlling the operation of water heater 11, such as buttons for executing a reheating function, adding hot water, adding cold water, an automatic bath function, etc. The automatic bath function includes a function for filling bathtub 2 with hot water, and a reheating function for keeping the hot water in bathtub 2 warm.

[0028] Terminal device 20 is, for example, a personal computer or a tablet terminal. When it becomes necessary to transmit data from water heating apparatus 10, terminal device 20 is brought to the installation site of water heating apparatus 10 by a serviceman or the like and connected to water heating apparatus 10. For example, terminal device 20 is connected to water heating apparatus 10 using connection cable C1 so as to be able to communicate by wire. Data such as logging data is transmitted (downloaded) from water heating apparatus 10, i.e., water heater 11, to terminal device 20 via connection cable C1.

[0029] The terminal device 20 can be communicatively connected to the server 30 via a router 40 and an external communication network 50. The router 40 is a wireless router, and the external communication network 50 is, for example, the Internet.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing circuit blocks of water heater 11, bathroom remote control 12, kitchen remote control 13, and terminal device 20, which constitute water heating apparatus 10.

[0031] Water heater 11 includes control unit 111, memory unit 112, non-volatile memory element 113, load group 114, sensor group 115, internal communication unit 116, and external communication unit 117.

[0032] Control unit 111 is an apparatus-side control unit, includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and controls each unit in water heater 11 according to a program stored in storage unit 112. Storage unit 112 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores a predetermined control program.

[0033] The non-volatile memory element 113 is, for example, a serial flash memory. The non-volatile memory element 113 includes, in its storage area, a monitoring data storage unit 113a (hereinafter referred to as "MD storage unit 113a") and a logging data storage unit 113b (hereinafter referred to as "LD storage unit 113b").

[0034] MD storage unit 113a is a first storage unit in which detection data periodically collected from various sensors is stored as monitoring data. LD storage unit 113b is a second storage unit in which monitoring data read from the first storage unit is stored as logging data when an error detected in water heating apparatus 10 is used as a trigger, and is a third storage unit in which a read flag indicating whether the logging data has been transmitted to terminal device 20 is stored in a state linked to each logging data.

[0035] Load group 114 includes loads such as a burner, an air supply fan, a gas solenoid valve, a proportional valve, etc. that are driven for hot water supply operation. Sensor group 115 includes various sensors arranged in water heater 10, such as a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of hot water flowing through piping inside water heater 11, a flow rate sensor that detects the flow rate of hot water flowing through the piping, and a water level sensor that detects the water level in a bathtub to which water heater 10 is connected.

[0036] The internal communication unit 116 communicates with the bathroom remote control 12 and the kitchen remote control 13 in accordance with control from the control unit 111. The internal communication unit 116 is connected to the communication unit 125 of the bathroom remote control 12 and the communication unit 135 of the kitchen remote control 13 via two-core communication lines L1 and L2. The two-core communication lines L1 and L2 are also connected to each other inside the internal communication unit 116. Therefore, the communication unit 125 of the bathroom remote control 12 and the communication unit 135 of the kitchen remote control 13 are connected to each other by the two-core communication lines L1 and L2. Therefore, a signal transmitted from either the internal communication unit 116 or the communication units 125, 135 is simultaneously transmitted to the other communication unit.

[0037] The external communication unit 117 can be connected to the terminal device 20 via a connection cable C1. The external communication unit 117 communicates with the communication unit 205 of the terminal device 20 under the control of the control unit 111.

[0038] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the combustion system and piping of water heater 11. As shown in FIG.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 3, water heater 11 includes a hot water supply section 210, a re-heating section 220, and a bypass section 230 in addition to the components shown in FIG.

[0040] The hot water supply section 210 includes a water supply pipe 211, a hot water supply heat exchanger 212, a hot water supply pipe 213, a hot water supply combustor 214, and an air supply fan 215. The water supply pipe 211 is connected to a water pipe and the hot water supply heat exchanger 212, and the hot water supply pipe 213 is connected to the hot water supply heat exchanger 212, the bathroom faucet 3, and the external faucet 4. The hot water supply combustor 214 is supplied with gas (fuel gas) in an amount corresponding to the opening degree of a proportional valve 216 through a hot water supply gas pipe 217. When a gas solenoid valve (not shown) is opened, gas is supplied to the hot water supply gas pipe 217. The hot water supply combustor 214 uses gas as fuel and combusts with an intensity corresponding to the amount of gas supplied.

[0041] The air supply fan 215 supplies air for combustion to the hot water combustor 214. The air supply fan 215 includes a fan, a motor for driving the fan, and a rotation sensor for detecting the number of rotations of the fan.

[0042] The reheating section 220 includes a return pipe 221, a bath heat exchanger 222, an outgoing pipe 223, a bath combustor 224, and a circulation pump 225. The return pipe 221 is connected to the circulation adapter 2a of the bathtub 2 and the bath heat exchanger 222, and the outgoing pipe 223 is connected to the bath heat exchanger 222 and the circulation adapter 2a.

[0043] The bath combustor 224 is supplied with an amount of gas (fuel gas) according to the opening of the proportional valve 226 through the bath gas pipe 227. When a gas solenoid valve (not shown) is opened, gas is supplied to the bath gas pipe 227. The bath combustor 224 burns gas as fuel with an intensity according to the amount of gas supplied. The air supply fan 215 is shared between the hot water supply section 210 and the reheating section 220, and air for combustion is supplied from the air supply fan 215 to the bath combustor 224. A circulation pump 225 and a water level sensor S1 are arranged in the return pipe 221. The water level sensor S1 detects the water level in the bathtub 2 based on the water pressure in the return pipe 221.

[0044] The bypass unit 230 includes a bypass pipe 231 and a hot water supply solenoid valve 232. The bypass pipe 231 is connected to the hot water supply pipe 213 and the return pipe 221. The hot water supply solenoid valve 232 opens and closes the bypass pipe 231.

[0045] The control unit 111 controls the hot water combustor 214, the air supply fan 215 and the proportional valve 216 of the hot water supply unit 210, the bath combustor 224, the circulation pump 225 and the proportional valve 226 of the re-heating unit 220, the hot water solenoid valve 232 of the bypass unit 230, and the like.

[0046] When bathroom faucet 3 or external faucet 4 is opened, the hot water supply function is executed. Water from the water pipe is introduced into hot water heat exchanger 212 through water supply pipe 211, and hot water combustor 214 combusts, heating hot water heat exchanger 212. The water introduced into hot water heat exchanger 212 is heated to become hot water, and the hot water is supplied to bathroom faucet 3 or external faucet 4 through hot water pipe 213. When bathroom faucet 3 or external faucet 4 is closed, water supply from the water pipe to water supply pipe 211 stops, and combustion in hot water combustor 214 stops.

[0047] Furthermore, control unit 111 controls hot water supply unit 210 to execute a hot water filling function (automatic bath function). In this case, hot water solenoid valve 232 is opened, and water from a water pipe is introduced into hot water heat exchanger 212 through water supply pipe 211, and is heated by hot water heat exchanger 212. Then, hot water from hot water heat exchanger 212 is introduced into return pipe 221 through hot water supply pipe 213 and bypass pipe 231.

[0048] A portion of the hot water introduced into the return pipe 221 flows through the return pipe 221 toward the circulation adapter 2a and is poured from the circulation adapter 2a into the bathtub 2. The rest of the hot water introduced into the return pipe 221 flows through the return pipe 221 toward the bath heat exchanger 222, and further flows through the bath heat exchanger 222 and the outgoing pipe 223 before being poured into the bathtub 2 from the circulation adapter 2a.

[0049] When hot water is supplied and filled in the bathtub 2, the return pipe 221, the bath heat exchanger 222, and the supply pipe 223 are filled with water. This allows the water level sensor S1 to detect the water level in the bathtub 2. When the water level sensor S1 detects that the water level in the bathtub 2 has reached a preset water level, the hot water supply solenoid valve 232 is closed, the water supply from the water pipe to the water supply pipe 211 is stopped, and the combustion in the hot water supply combustor 214 is stopped.

[0050] In addition, the control unit 111 controls the reheating unit 220 to execute the reheating function. In this case, the circulation pump 225 operates and the bath combustor 224 starts combustion. The hot water in the bathtub 2 circulates between the bathtub 2 and a circulation path consisting of the return pipe 221, the bath heat exchanger 222, and the forward pipe 223, and is heated by the bath heat exchanger 222 during the circulation.

[0051] The hot water combustor 214, the air supply fan 215, the proportional valve 216, the bath combustor 224, the circulation pump 225, the proportional valve 226, and the hot water solenoid valve 232 are included in the load group 114 in FIG.

[0052] In addition to the water level sensor S1, the water heater 11 is equipped with a flow rate sensor S2 for detecting the flow rate in the water supply pipe 211, a temperature sensor S3 for detecting the temperature of the water introduced into the water supply pipe 211, a temperature sensor S4 for detecting the temperature of the hot water after it has been heated in the hot water heat exchanger 212, and a temperature sensor S5 for detecting the ambient temperature (outside air temperature).

[0053] The water level sensor S1 outputs a water level signal according to the detected water level as detection data. The flow rate sensor S2 outputs a flow rate signal according to the detected flow rate as detection data. The temperature sensors S3 to S5 output temperature signals according to the detected temperatures as detection data. These sensors S1 to S5 are included in the sensor group 115 of FIG. 2.

[0054] Returning to Fig. 2, bathroom remote control 12 includes, in addition to display unit 121 and input unit 122 described above, control unit 123, memory unit 124, communication unit 125, and speaker 126. Display unit 121 is formed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel. Input unit 122 includes various operation buttons such as a temperature setting button. Display unit 121 may be a touch panel.

[0055] The control unit 123 includes a CPU, and performs predetermined control in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 124. The storage unit 124 includes a ROM and a RAM, and stores the predetermined control program.

[0056] Communication unit 125 communicates with water heater 11 and kitchen remote control 13 under the control of control unit 123. Speaker 126 outputs sound based on the audio signal generated by control unit 123. The sound output from speaker 126 is output from audio window 12a in FIG.

[0057] In addition to the above-mentioned display input unit 131 and operation button 132, kitchen remote control 13 includes a control unit 133, a memory unit 134, a communication unit 135, and a speaker 126.

[0058] The control unit 133 includes a CPU, and performs predetermined control in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 134. The storage unit 134 includes a ROM and a RAM, and stores the predetermined control program.

[0059] Communication unit 135 communicates with water heater 11 and bathroom remote control 12 under the control of control unit 133. Speaker 136 outputs audio based on an audio signal generated by control unit 133. The audio output from speaker 136 is output from audio window 13a in FIG.

[0060] The terminal device 20 includes a control unit 201 , a storage unit 202 , a display unit 203 , an operation unit 204 , a communication unit 205 , a speaker 206 , and a wireless communication unit 207 .

[0061] The control unit 201 includes a CPU, and performs predetermined control in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 202. The storage unit 202 includes a ROM and a RAM, and stores a predetermined control program.

[0062] The display unit 203 is, for example, a liquid crystal panel. The operation unit 204 is, for example, a keyboard and a mouse. The display unit 203 may be a touch panel.

[0063] The communication unit 205 communicates with the external communication unit 117 of the water heater 11 under the control of the control unit 201. The speaker 206 outputs sound based on the sound signal generated by the control unit 201.

[0064] The wireless communication unit 207 is a wireless communication module, and performs wireless communication with the router 40. As a result, the wireless communication unit 207 can communicate with the server 30 via the external communication network 50.

[0065] In water heating apparatus data transmission system 1 of the present embodiment, detection data from various sensors S1-S5 is periodically collected in water heater 11 of water heating apparatus 10, and stored as monitoring data in MD storage unit 113a of nonvolatile storage element 113. Every time an error occurs, the monitoring data stored in MD storage unit 113a is transferred to and stored in LD storage unit 113b of nonvolatile storage element 113 as logging data.

[0066] When the logging data stored in water heating apparatus 10 is needed, terminal device 20 is connected to water heating apparatus 10, i.e., water heater 11. When a specified read operation is performed in terminal device 20, the logging data linked to each error is read from non-volatile memory element 113 and transmitted to terminal device 20. The logging data saved in terminal device 20 is transferred from terminal device 20 to server 30 and stored in server 30. The data accumulated in server 30 is used for maintaining water heating apparatus 10, such as analyzing the cause of a failure.

[0067] When such a logging data storage function is provided, if logging data that has already been sent from the water heating apparatus 10 is sent to the terminal device 20, the same logging data will be stored in the terminal device 20 and the server 30 in duplicate, which may put a strain on the memory capacity of the terminal device 20 and the server 30, or may unnecessarily lengthen the data transmission time between the water heating apparatus 10 and the terminal device 20 or between the terminal device 20 and the server 30.

[0068] Therefore, in this embodiment, the transmission of unnecessary logging data from water heating apparatus 10 to terminal device 20 can be suppressed.

[0069] Fig. 4(a) is a flowchart showing a control process executed by the control unit 111 of the water heater 11 to store the monitoring data in the MD storage unit 113a of the non-volatile storage element 113. Fig. 4(b) is a diagram showing the MD storage unit 113a in which the monitoring data is stored.

[0070] A period for collecting detection data from the various sensors S1 to S5 is set in advance. The period can be, for example, 24 hours (one day).

[0071] 4(a), control unit 111 of water heater 11 collects detection data from various sensors S1-S5 provided in water heater 11, i.e., water heating apparatus 10 (S101). Detection data is collected for a fixed period of time each time. Control unit 111 then stores the collected detection data in MD storage unit 113a as monitoring data (S102). Thereafter, control unit 111 collects detection data, i.e., monitoring data, every time a set period has elapsed (S103: YES), and stores the data in MD storage unit 113a (S101, S102).

[0072] 4(b), the MD storage unit 113a stores a number of monitoring data items according to the memory capacity of the MD storage unit 113a. If there is no free space in the MD storage unit 113a when new monitoring data is collected, the new monitoring data is overwritten in the space in which the oldest monitoring data is stored.

[0073] Fig. 5(a) is a flowchart showing a control process executed by the control unit 111 of the water heater 11 to store logging data in the LD storage unit 113b of the non-volatile storage element 113. Fig. 5(b) is a diagram showing the LD storage unit 113b in which the monitoring data is stored together with the error data and the read flag.

[0074] The control process of FIG. 5(a) is executed in parallel with the control process of FIG. 4(b).

[0075] 5(a), control unit 111 monitors whether or not an error has occurred in water heating apparatus 10 (S201). Examples of errors include an abnormality or failure of load group 114, such as hot water combustion unit 214, air supply fan 215, proportional valve 216, bath combustion unit 224, circulation pump 225, proportional valve 226, hot water solenoid valve 232, and the like, and an abnormality or failure of various sensors S1 to S5.

[0076] When an error occurs (S201: YES), the control unit 111 reads out the monitoring data for a predetermined period before the error occurs from the MD storage unit 113a as logging data (S202). At this time, as the monitoring data for the predetermined period, all the monitoring data in the MD storage unit 113a may be read out, or only a part of the monitoring data may be read out.

[0077] The control unit 111 adds error data and a read flag in the OFF state to the read logging data (S203), and stores the logging data, error data, and read flag in the LD storage unit 113b (S204).

[0078] The error data includes information for identifying the error, such as an error code and an error name, and information regarding the timing of the error occurrence, such as the date the error occurred and the period from installation of water heating apparatus 10 to the occurrence of the error.

[0079] The read flag is a flag that indicates whether or not logging data has been transmitted from water heating apparatus 10 to terminal device 20. The read flag is in an off (reset) state if the logging data has not been transmitted, and is in an on (set) state if the logging data has been transmitted.

[0080] Each time an error occurs, the control unit 111 sequentially stores the logging data, to which an error code and a read flag have been added, in the LD storage unit 113b.

[0081] As shown in Fig. 5(b), in the LD storage unit 113b, the logging data is connected to the end of the error data, and the read flag is connected to the end of the logging data. In this way, the logging data, the error data, and the read flag are stored as a set and are linked to each other. Each data group consisting of the error data, the logging data, and the read flag is stored in the LD storage unit 113b in the order in which the data was generated, for example.

[0082] Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing a control process executed by control unit 201 of terminal device 20 for terminal device 20 to cause water heating apparatus 10 to transmit logging data and transfer it to server 30. Figs. 7(a) to (d) are diagrams showing an example of data transmission operation screen 300 displayed on display unit 203 of terminal device 20.

[0083] When terminal device 20 is connected to water heater 11 of water heating apparatus 10 via connection cable C1, and a predetermined operation for reading logging data is performed by operation unit 204, the control process of FIG. 6 is started.

[0084] 6, control unit 201 of terminal device 20 transmits a command requesting transmission of error data and a read flag linked to each logging data to water heating apparatus 11, i.e., water heating apparatus 10, via communication unit 205 (S301). Then, when control unit 201 receives the error data and read flag of each logging data from water heating apparatus 10 via communication unit 205 (S302: YES), it causes display unit 203 to display data transmission operation screen 300 (S303). Data transmission operation screen 300 is a screen for notifying information on whether logging data has not been transmitted or has been transmitted, and for accepting selection of logging data to be transmitted.

[0085] As shown in Fig. 7(a), data transmission operation screen 300 includes list 310 of logging data stored by water heating apparatus 10, read button 320 for reading the logging data, and transfer button 330 for transferring the logging data. List 310 has display field 311 for displaying an error code that identifies an error associated with each logging data, display field 312 for displaying the date of error occurrence, display field 313 for displaying information on whether each logging data is untransmitted or transmitted, selection field 314 for selecting logging data to be transmitted, and display field 315 for displaying the status of reading and transferring the selected logging data. Selection field 314 is provided with icon 314a for accepting selection of each logging data. Also, below selection field 314, icon 314b for accepting all logging data is provided.

[0086] The control unit 201 checks the state of the read flag associated with each logging data. Then, the control unit 201 displays information that the logging data has not yet been transmitted in the display field 313 for the logging data whose read flag is in the OFF state, and displays information that the logging data has been transmitted in the display field 313 for the logging data whose read flag is in the ON state.

[0087] An operator who reads logging data can know whether each logging data has not been transmitted or has been transmitted by checking the display field 313 of the list 310. The operator performs an operation to select the logging data that needs to be read, i.e., mainly the logging data that has not been transmitted, using the operation unit 204. That is, the operator presses the icon 314a in the selection field 314 for the corresponding logging data, or presses the icon 314b to select all logging data.

[0088] When the operation of pressing the icon 314a in the selection field 314 is performed by the operation unit 204, the control unit 201 determines that the logging data corresponding to the operated icon 314a has been selected (S304: YES), and determines the selected logging data as the data to be read (S305). When the operation of pressing the icon 314b is performed by the operation unit 204, the control unit 201 determines that all logging data has been selected, and determines all logging data as the data to be read (S304: YES → S305). As shown in Fig. 7(b), the display mode of the operated icon 314a is changed.

[0089] If the worker wishes to reload logging data that has already been transmitted, he or she can select the icon 314a in the selection column 314 for that logging data.

[0090] When the operator has completed the selection of the logging data, he or she presses the read button 320 using the operation unit 204 .

[0091] When a read operation is performed using read button 320 after the logging data is selected (S306: YES), control unit 201 transmits a command to water heating apparatus 10 requesting transmission of the logging data to be read (S307). Error data linked to the logging data to be read is added to the request command so that water heating apparatus 10 can identify the logging data to be read.

[0092] Thereafter, when control unit 201 receives the logging data to be read from water heating apparatus 10 (S308: YES), it stores the received logging data in storage unit 202 (S309). As shown in Fig. 7(c), for the logging data to be read, information that the logging data has been transmitted is displayed in display field 313, and information that the reading (downloading) of the logging data has been completed is displayed in display field 315. Furthermore, icon 314a is returned to the original display mode.

[0093] When the loading of the logging data into the terminal device 20 is completed, the worker performs an operation of pressing the transfer button 330 on the data transmission operation screen 300 using the operation unit 204 .

[0094] When a transfer operation is performed using the transfer button 330 (S310: YES), the control unit 201 reads out the logging data from the storage unit 202, and transmits it to the server 30 via the wireless communication unit 207, the router 40, and the external communication network 50 (S311). When the transfer of the logging data to the server 30 is complete, information indicating that the transfer of the logging data has been completed is displayed in the display field 315 for the transferred logging data, as shown in Fig. 7(d).

[0095] If the terminal device 20 cannot communicate with the server 30 via the external communication network 50, the data transmission operation screen 300 is closed and the reading operation is terminated without transferring the logging data to the server 30. In this case, information indicating that the logging data has not been transferred is added to the logging data stored in the storage unit 202. Then, when the terminal device 20 is subsequently connected to the server 30 so as to be able to communicate with the server 30, a transfer operation screen having a list of the logging data that has not been transferred and a transfer button is displayed on the display unit 203, and when the transfer button is operated, the logging data is transmitted to the server 30.

[0096] Furthermore, the transfer destination to which the logging data is transferred may be changed from the server 30 to an external memory by a transfer button 330 on the data transmission operation screen 300. In this case, after the transfer destination is changed, when the transfer button 330 is operated with the external memory connected to the terminal device 20, the logging data is transferred to the external memory. The logging data stored in the external memory can be transferred to the server 30 at an appropriate timing using the terminal device 20 or another terminal device capable of communicating with the server 30.

[0097] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control process executed by control unit 111 of water heating apparatus 11 in order for water heating apparatus 10 to transmit logging data to terminal device 20.

[0098] When terminal device 20 is connected to water heater 11 of water heating apparatus 10 via connection cable C1, the control process of FIG. 8 is started.

[0099] 8, control unit 111 of water heater 11 monitors reception of a command requesting transmission of error data and a read flag from terminal device 20 (S501).

[0100] When the control unit 111 receives a request command from the terminal device 20 via the external communication unit 117 (S501: YES), it reads out error data and a read flag associated with each logging data from the LD storage unit 113b of the nonvolatile storage element 113, and transmits them to the terminal device 20 via the external communication unit 117 (S502). In this way, the read flag is transmitted to the terminal device 20 before the logging data is transmitted to the terminal device 20.

[0101] Thereafter, the control unit 111 monitors reception of a command requesting transmission of the logging data to be read from the terminal device 20 (S503). Then, when the control unit 111 receives the request command from the terminal device 20 (S503: YES), it reads out the logging data to be read from the LD storage unit 113b and transmits it to the terminal device 20 (S504). At this time, the control unit 111 identifies the logging data to be read from the error data added to the received request command.

[0102] When the control unit 111 completes the transmission of the logging data to be read, it sets the read flag associated with the transmitted logging data to the ON state in the LD storage unit 113b (S505).

[0103] <Effects of the embodiment> According to this embodiment, before the logging data is transmitted, water heating apparatus 10 transmits a read flag linked to the logging data to terminal device 20, and terminal device 20 notifies information on whether the logging data has been transmitted or not based on the state of the read flag and accepts a selection of the logging data to be transmitted, and only the selected logging data is transmitted from water heating apparatus 10 to terminal device 20. This prevents logging data that has already been transmitted from being transmitted to terminal device 20. This prevents the memory capacity of terminal device 20 from being overwhelmed and prevents the data transmission time between water heating apparatus 10 and terminal device 20 from becoming unnecessarily long.

[0104] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the logging data that has already been transmitted is prevented from being transferred from the terminal device 20 to the server 30. This prevents the memory capacity of the server 30 from being overwhelmed and prevents the data transmission time between the terminal device 20 and the server 30 from becoming unnecessarily long.

[0105] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

[0106] For example, in the above embodiment, the MD storage unit 113a in which the monitoring data is stored is included in the non-volatile storage element 113. However, the MD storage unit 113a may be included in a non-volatile storage unit such as the RAM of the storage unit 112.

[0107] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the read flag is stored in LD storage unit 113b of nonvolatile memory element 113. However, as long as the read flag is linked to the logging data, it may be stored in a storage area (serving as a third storage unit) other than LD storage unit 113b in nonvolatile memory element 113, and when water heating apparatus 10 is provided with another nonvolatile memory element, it may be stored in that nonvolatile memory element (serving as a third storage unit).

[0108] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, terminal device 20 is wired to water heater 11 of water heating apparatus 10 by connection cable C1. However, terminal device 20 may be connected to water heater 11 so as to be capable of short-range wireless communication. In this case, external communication unit 117 of water heater 11 and communication unit 205 of terminal device 20 have a function of performing short-range wireless communication.

[0109] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, error data is transmitted from water heating apparatus 10 to terminal device 20 together with a read flag before the logging data is transmitted. However, it is sufficient that at least a read flag is transmitted before the logging data is transmitted, and no error data may be transmitted. In this case, information that can identify each logging data may be added to the read flag.

[0110] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an external communication unit 117 for communicating with terminal device 20 is provided in water heater 11. However, the external communication unit 117 may be provided in bathroom remote control 12 or kitchen remote control 13. In this case, logging data read from non-volatile memory element 113 of water heater 11 will be transmitted to terminal device 20 via bathroom remote control 12 or kitchen remote control 13. Also, non-volatile memory element 113 may be provided in bathroom remote control 12 or kitchen remote control 13 having external communication unit 117. In this case, detection data from various sensors will be transmitted from water heater 11 to bathroom remote control 12 or kitchen remote control 13.

[0111] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, detection data from various sensors such as sensors S1-S5 is collected as data used in relation to the maintenance of water heating apparatus 10. However, in addition to the detection data from the sensors, other data that can be used for maintenance, such as the number of times a function such as a hot water supply function or a reheating function is executed, may also be collected.

[0112] Furthermore, the configuration of water heater 11 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 3, and may be other configurations. For example, in the configuration of Fig. 3, the hot water in bathtub 2 is reheated by circulating the hot water in bathtub 2 through bath heat exchanger 222, but the reheating function may be performed by water heater 11 adding high-temperature hot water to bathtub 2. Also, water heater 11 may be configured to perform only the hot water supply function without having reheating section 220 and bypass section 230. Furthermore, water heater 11 may be configured to include a heating section that performs hot water supply operation for heating functions such as floor heating and bathroom heating, in addition to the configuration of Fig. 3.

[0113] Furthermore, water heating apparatus 10 is not limited to one that uses gas fuel, and may be a water heating apparatus that uses oil as fuel. Water heating apparatus 10 may be of a storage type that uses a storage tank, and may further include a power generation unit such as a fuel cell.

[0114] In addition, the embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various ways as appropriate within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 1. Water heater data transmission system 10. Hot water supply equipment 20 Terminal Equipment 30 Servers 113 Non-volatile memory element 113a monitoring data storage unit (first storage unit) 113b Logging data storage unit (second storage unit, third storage unit) 111 Control section (device side control section) 201 Control unit (terminal side control unit) 203 Display section 204 Operation section 300 Data transmission operation screen (screen)

Claims

1. A water heating apparatus data transmission system including a water heating apparatus and a terminal device capable of receiving data from the water heating apparatus, The hot water supply device includes: a first storage unit in which detection data periodically collected from various sensors provided in the hot water supply apparatus is stored as monitoring data; a second storage unit in which the monitoring data read from the first storage unit is stored as logging data when an error is detected in the water heating apparatus; a third storage unit in which a read flag indicating whether the logging data has been transmitted to the terminal device is stored in a state associated with each of the logging data; An apparatus side control unit, The terminal device includes a display unit, an operation unit, and a terminal control unit. the device-side control unit reads the read flag from the third storage unit and transmits the read flag to the terminal device before transmitting the logging data to the terminal device; The terminal side control unit displaying on the display unit a screen for notifying information on whether the logging data has not been transmitted or has already been transmitted based on the state of the received read flag and for accepting selection of the logging data to be transmitted; When the logging data is selected by the operation unit, a request is made to the water heating apparatus to transmit the selected logging data; the device-side control unit reads the requested logging data from the second storage unit and transmits the data to the terminal device; A water heating apparatus data transmission system comprising:

2. 2. The water heating apparatus data transmission system according to claim 1, The terminal device is communicably connected to a server, the terminal-side control unit transmits the logging data transmitted from the water heating apparatus to the server; A water heating apparatus data transmission system comprising:

3. A water heating apparatus that is communicatively connected to a terminal device and capable of transmitting data to the terminal device, a first storage unit in which detection data periodically collected from various sensors provided in the hot water supply apparatus is stored as monitoring data; a second storage unit in which the monitoring data read from the first storage unit is stored as logging data when an error is detected in the water heating apparatus; a third storage unit in which a read flag indicating whether the logging data has been transmitted to the terminal device is stored in a state associated with each of the logging data; A control unit, The control unit is before transmitting the logging data to the terminal device, the read flag is transmitted to the terminal device so that the terminal device can notify information on whether the logging data has not been transmitted or has already been transmitted based on a state of the read flag and accept selection of the logging data to be transmitted; when a request for transmission of the logging data selected by the terminal device is received from the terminal device, the requested logging data is read from the second storage unit and transmitted to the terminal device. A water heating apparatus comprising:

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