Remote controller and water heater

Abstract

To reduce the number of types of remote controllers to be stocked, compared with a case where various types of remote controllers are stocked for different bathtub installation environments including the specifications of a water heater.SOLUTION: A remote controller 20 comprises: a first communication unit 21 that communicates with a water heater 10; a second communication unit 22 that communicates with a remote controller 30 other than the water heater 10; a reception unit 23 that receives hot water supply settings regarding hot water filling into the bathtub and reheating via the first communication unit 21 or the second communication unit 22; and an invalidation setting unit 26 that makes settings to invalidate the hot water supply settings received by the reception unit 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote control device that communicates with a water heater and to the water heater. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a bath remote control that is installed in a bathroom and comprises a remote control unit that controls the operation of a water heating device, a television unit that displays television images, and a monitor that alternatively displays an image from the remote control unit or an image from the television unit, and also has a power switch for the remote control unit and a power switch for the television unit, so that when the power switch on the remote control unit is pressed while an image from the television unit is being displayed on the monitor, the display on the monitor switches to the image from the remote control unit.The bath remote control is connected to a water heating device together with another remote control installed outside the bathroom, such as in the kitchen, and is characterized in that when an image from the television unit is displayed on the monitor and the power switch of the other remote control is pressed to start operation of the remote control unit, the monitor screen does not switch to the image from the television unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4014527 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, water heaters are used to make and supply hot water so that it can be used from faucets and showers in kitchens, washrooms, baths, and the like. There are various types of water heaters, such as gas water heaters, oil water heaters, and electric water heaters. In these water heaters, a remote control device is generally used as a dedicated device for remotely operating the water heater and informing the user of the water heater's status. This remote control device is installed, for example, in the kitchen or bathroom in the house, and can turn the water heater on / off and set the temperature. In the bathroom, in addition to turning the water heater on / off and setting the temperature, it is also possible to select, for example, automatic bath, reheating, and adding hot water from the remote control device.

[0005] Incidentally, there is a configuration (first configuration) in which a kitchen remote control installed in the kitchen and a bath remote control installed in the bathroom are provided as remote controls for controlling the water heater, and the bath remote control is used to issue commands to automatically fill and reheat the water in the bathroom and to change the hot water temperature for the shower, etc. Depending on the installation environment of the bathtub, including the specifications of the water heater, a configuration (second configuration) may be adopted in which the kitchen remote control and bath remote control are provided, but the bath remote control is used to change the hot water temperature, rather than to issue commands to automatically fill and reheat the water. Furthermore, there may also be a configuration (third configuration) in which the kitchen remote control is provided but the bath remote control is not required.

[0006] In order to accommodate each of the above-mentioned first to third configurations, which are adopted depending on the bathtub installation environment, including the specifications of the water heater, manufacturers would need to stock three types of kitchen remote controls and two types of bath remote controls, making it difficult to reduce costs. An object of the present invention is to reduce the number of types of remote control devices to be stocked, compared to the case where different types of remote control devices are required for each different bathtub installation environment, including the specifications of the water heater. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention described in claim 1 is a remote control device characterized by comprising a first communication means for communicating with a water heater, a second communication means for communicating with a device other than a water heater, a reception means for receiving hot water settings regarding filling the bathtub with water and reheating the water via the first communication means or the second communication means, and an invalidation setting means for making a setting to invalidate the hot water setting received by the reception means. The invention described in claim 2 is a remote control device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the devices communicating via the second communication means are multiple, and when the disabling setting is made, any one of the multiple devices notifies the other devices via the second communication means. The invention described in claim 3 is a water heater characterized by comprising a first communication means for communicating with a first device, a second communication means for communicating with a second device, a reception means for receiving hot water settings regarding filling the bathtub with water and reheating the water via the first communication means and the second communication means, and an invalidation setting means for making a setting to invalidate the hot water settings received by the reception means. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, the number of types of remote control devices to be stocked can be reduced, compared to when a different type of remote control device is required for each different bathtub installation environment, including the specifications of the water heater. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a water heater and a remote control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of hot water supply piping installed in a residence. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram illustrating the functions of the water heater and the remote control device. FIG. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining examples of the configuration of communication settings of a water heater, where (a) shows one example and (b) shows another example. [Diagram 5]11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating examples of setting screens for performing communication settings of a remote control device, where (a) shows the operation display unit on the kitchen side, and (b) shows the operation display unit on the bathroom side. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of hot water supply piping installed in a residence. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a case where an abnormal state caused by the absence of a bathroom remote control device is detected by a kitchen remote control device in another example. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing the processing steps in a case where an abnormal state caused by no bath remote control device being installed is detected in the water heater in another example. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when a water heater is set to be disabled. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when a setting for disabling is performed on the remote control device in the kitchen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a diagram illustrating a water heater 10 and remote control devices 20 and 30 in the present embodiment. The remote control device may be abbreviated to "remote control." The water heater 10 shown in the figure is installed outdoors and supplies hot water to, for example, a kitchen, a washroom, a bathroom, etc. through piping inside the house. In the bathroom, the water heater 10 may also supply hot water to a bathtub 44 (see FIG. 2) in addition to a faucet 43, and may have a reheating kettle in addition to a hot water heater, giving it the function of automatically filling and reheating the bathtub 44. In some cases, hot water is supplied to a floor heating system (not shown) in the living room.

[0011] It should be noted that the water heater 10 is not limited to a gas water heater having a heat exchanger that utilizes gas, and may be an oil water heater or an electric water heater. A residence is a building where people can live and where the water heater 10 is installed. For example, it is a detached house, a condominium, an apartment, or other collective housing. In this case, it does not matter whether the water heater is permanent or temporary.

[0012] The remote controls 20 and 30 shown in the figure are each connected to the water heater 10 by a communication line, and are capable of communicating with each other. The remote controls 20 and 30 are also capable of communicating with each other. The communication between the remote controls 20 and 30 may be performed via the water heater 10 as shown in the figure, or may be realized by connecting the remote controls 20 and 30 to each other by a communication line. Note that although the connection is made by wire in this embodiment, the connection may also be made wirelessly.

[0013] The remote controls 20 and 30 are installed indoors. That is, the remote control 20 is a kitchen remote control installed in the kitchen, and the remote control 30 is a bath remote control installed in the bathroom. The remote controls 20 and 30 have switches for issuing instructions for filling and reheating the water and for changing the hot water temperature. Although the configuration including two remote controls 20 and 30 is illustrated, the present invention is not limited to this, and three or more remote controls including an additional remote control, that is, multiple kitchen remote controls and multiple bath remote controls may be provided.

[0014] The water heater 10 and remote controls 20, 30 communicate a hot water temperature setting, which is a setting for the temperature of hot water used in a kitchen or the like, and may also communicate a bathtub hot water setting, which is a hot water setting related to the supply of hot water to a bathtub. Such communication of settings is performed between water heater 10, remote control 20, and remote control 30. For example, when a hot water supply temperature setting or a bathtub hot water supply setting is performed on remote control 30, information on the setting is transmitted to water heater 10 and also to remote control 20. In such a case, when remote control 20 receives a bathtub hot water supply setting through communication, it displays the setting or notifies the user by voice.

[0015] The bathtub hot water supply setting here refers to the setting of the hot water temperature and / or amount of hot water supplied when the water heater 10 has a water filling function and a reheating function, specifically, the setting information for the temperature and amount of hot water to fill the bathtub, and the temperature of the hot water to be reheated.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of hot water supply piping installed in a house. The example shown in Fig. 2 is a residence that has installed a hot water supply system that uses a water heater 10 as a heat source, and hot water supply piping is provided so that hot water can be used in the kitchen, washroom, and bathroom. That is, hot water is supplied from the water heater 10 to a kitchen faucet 41, a washroom faucet 42, a bathroom faucet 43, and a bathtub 44. In the bathtub 44, the hot water supply control for filling the bathtub with water and reheating the water is performed by the function of the water heater 10. As shown in the figure, remote control 20 is installed in the kitchen, and remote control 30 is installed in the bathroom.

[0017] <Example of functional configuration of water heater 10 and remote controls 20 and 30> FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the functions of the water heater 10 and the remote control devices 20, 30. As shown in the figure, the water heater 10 includes a first transceiver unit 11, a second transceiver unit 12, a reception unit 13, an abnormal state notification unit 14, a notification suppression setting unit 15, a disablement setting unit 16, a hot water supply control unit 17, and a memory unit 18. The first transceiver 11 of the water heater 10 has a function of communicating with a remote control 20, and the second transceiver 12 has a function of communicating with a remote control 30. The first transceiver 11 is an example of a first communication means of the water heater, and the second transceiver 12 is an example of a second communication means of the water heater.

[0018] The reception unit 13 has a function of receiving the hot water supply temperature setting and the bathtub hot water supply setting received by either the first transmission / reception unit 11 or the second transmission / reception unit 12, and notifying the other of the received settings. For example, when a bathtub hot water supply setting is accepted from the remote control 20 by the second transmission / reception unit 12, the reception unit 13 transmits the accepted bathtub hot water supply setting to the remote control 30 by the first transmission / reception unit 11. In addition, when a bathtub hot water supply setting is accepted from the remote control 30 by the first transmission / reception unit 11, the reception unit 13 transmits the accepted bathtub hot water supply setting to the remote control 20 by the second transmission / reception unit 12. The reception unit 13 is an example of a reception means of a water heater.

[0019] The abnormal condition notification unit 14 monitors communication with the remote control 20 by the first transceiver unit 11 and also monitors communication with the remote control 30 by the second transceiver unit 12, and has the function of notifying the other of an abnormal condition if communication with either one is not possible. For example, when abnormal state notification unit 14 detects that second transmission / reception unit 12 cannot communicate with remote control 30, it transmits to remote control 20 via first transmission / reception unit 11 a message indicating that communication with remote control 30 is in an abnormal state. In addition, when abnormal state notification unit 14 detects that first transmission / reception unit 11 cannot communicate with remote control 20, it transmits to remote control 30 via second transmission / reception unit 12 a message indicating that communication with remote control 20 is in an abnormal state. In addition, abnormal state notification unit 14 stores in memory unit 18 that there is an abnormal state. The abnormal state notification unit 14 is an example of a notification means of a water heater.

[0020] The notification suppression setting unit 15 has a function of making a setting to suppress transmission of information about an abnormal state even if the abnormal state notification unit 14 detects an abnormal state. For example, when communication with the remote control 30 is not possible, the notification suppression setting unit 15 suppresses notification of an abnormal state by the abnormal state notification unit 14 to the remote control 20. In addition, when communication with the remote control 20 is not possible, the notification suppression setting unit 15 suppresses notification of an abnormal state by the abnormal state notification unit 14 to the remote control 30. The notification suppression setting unit 15 is set by the user. Notification suppression setting unit 15 is an example of a setting means for the water heater.

[0021] The invalidation setting unit 16 has a function of invalidating the bathtub hot water supply setting received by the reception unit 13. As described above, this bathtub hot water supply setting is a hot water supply setting related to the supply of hot water to the bathtub, and is a setting for filling the bathtub with water and reheating the water. The invalidation setting unit 16 is an example of a water heater invalidation setting means.

[0022] Disabling here refers to processing so that control over filling and reheating is not executed, regardless of whether the water heater 10 has a filling function and a reheating function. For example, this is the case where no LCD display is provided for filling and reheating so that the user cannot operate these functions. Also, for example, this is the case where even if an LCD display is provided for filling and reheating, it does not respond to operations.

[0023] Hot water supply control unit 17 has a function of controlling hot water supply by gas combustion in water heater 10. Specifically, hot water supply control unit 17 controls the temperature of hot water supplied through the hot water supply pipe according to the received hot water supply temperature setting, and also controls the temperature and amount of hot water when filling bathtub 44 (see FIG. 2) or reheating the water according to the received bathtub hot water supply setting.

[0024] The storage unit 18 stores various settings and information received by the reception unit 13. The storage unit 18 also outputs the settings and information when necessary. The storage unit 18 is, for example, a memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or the like.

[0025] The remote control 20 shown in FIG. 3 includes a first communication unit 21, a second communication unit 22, a reception unit 23, an abnormal state notification unit 24, a notification suppression setting unit 25, a disable setting unit 26, an operation display unit 27, and a voice output unit . The functions of the first communication unit 21, the second communication unit 22, the reception unit 23, the abnormal state notification unit 24, the notification suppression setting unit 25 and the disable setting unit 26 of the remote control 20 correspond to the first transmission / reception unit 11, the second transmission / reception unit 12, the reception unit 13, the abnormal state notification unit 14, the notification suppression setting unit 15 and the disable setting unit 16 of the water heater 10 described above. They will be explained below.

[0026] First communication unit 21 of remote control 20 has a function of communicating with water heater 10, and second communication unit 22 has a function of communicating with remote control 30. First communication unit 21 is an example of a first communication means of a remote control device, and second communication unit 22 is an example of a second communication means of a remote control device.

[0027] The reception unit 23 of the remote control 20 has a function of receiving a hot water supply temperature setting and a bathtub hot water supply setting received by either the first communication unit 21 or the second communication unit 22, and notifying the other of the received settings. For example, when a bathtub hot water supply setting is received from the water heater 10 by the first communication unit 21, the reception unit 23 transmits the received bathtub hot water supply setting to the remote control 30 by the second communication unit 22. In addition, when a bathtub hot water supply setting is received from the remote control 30 by the second communication unit 22, the reception unit 13 transmits the received bathtub hot water supply setting to the water heater 10 by the first communication unit 21. Furthermore, the reception unit 23 of the remote control 20 receives the contents of an input operation performed via the operation display unit 27 . The reception unit 23 is an example of a reception means of a remote control device.

[0028] Abnormality notification unit 24 of remote control 20 has a function of monitoring communication with water heater 10 by first communication unit 21 and communication with remote control 30 by second communication unit 22, and if communication with either one is impossible, notifies the other that a communication abnormality exists. Abnormality notification unit 24 also has a function of notifying itself that a communication abnormality has occurred. For example, when abnormality notification unit 24 detects that first communication unit 21 is unable to communicate with water heater 10, it transmits a signal to remote control 30 via second communication unit 22 that communication with water heater 10 is in an abnormal state, and notifies remote control 20 of the abnormal state. In addition, when abnormality notification unit 24 detects that second communication unit 22 is unable to communicate with remote control 30, it transmits a signal to water heater 10 via first communication unit 21 that communication with remote control 30 is in an abnormal state, and notifies remote control 20 of the abnormal state. The abnormal state notification unit 24 is an example of a notification means of a remote control device.

[0029] The notification suppression setting unit 25 of the remote control 20 has a function of setting to suppress transmission of information about an abnormal state to the water heater 10 even if the abnormal state notification unit 24 detects an abnormal state of communication with the remote control 30 by the second communication unit 22. Also, the unit 25 has a function of setting to suppress notification of an abnormal state in the remote control 20 even if an abnormal state of communication with the remote control 30 is detected. That is, notification suppression setting unit 25 suppresses notification of an abnormal condition to water heater 10 by abnormal condition notification unit 24 when communication with remote control 30 is not possible. Note that when abnormal condition notification unit 24 detects an abnormal state in communication with water heater 10 by first communication unit 21, notification suppression setting unit 25 causes remote control 20 to notify of the abnormal condition regardless of the setting, even if a setting to suppress notification of the abnormal condition has been set. The notification suppression setting unit 25 is set by the user. The notification suppression setting unit 25 is an example of a setting means of a remote control device.

[0030] The invalidation setting unit 26 of the remote control 20 has a function for making a setting to invalidate the bathtub hot water supply setting accepted by the acceptance unit 23. The invalidation setting unit 26 is an example of an invalidation setting means of a remote control device.

[0031] The operation display unit 27 includes an input operation unit for inputting hot water temperature settings and bathtub hot water settings, and a display unit for displaying the settings inputted by the input operation unit and the settings accepted by the acceptance unit 23 . Such operation display unit 27 can be configured with a touch panel equipped with an input operation unit and a display unit. In this case, operation display unit 27 is equipped with a display on which various information is displayed, and a position detection sheet that detects a position touched by a finger, a stylus pen, etc. Any method may be used to detect the touched position, such as a resistive film method that detects based on the pressure of contact, or a capacitive method that detects based on the static electricity of a contacted object. Furthermore, the input operation section of the operation display section 27 may be configured with, for example, operation buttons, and the display section may be configured with a liquid crystal display.

[0032] The audio output unit 28 outputs, by voice, the settings inputted by the input operation unit and the settings accepted by the acceptance unit 23. The audio output unit 28 can be configured by, for example, a speaker.

[0033] The remote control 30 shown in FIG. 3 includes a first communication unit 31, a second communication unit 32, a reception unit 33, an abnormal state notification unit , an invalidation setting unit , an operation display unit 37, and an audio output unit . The first communication unit 31, the second communication unit 32, the reception unit 33, the abnormal state notification unit 34, the disable setting unit 36, the operation display unit 37, and the audio output unit 38 of the remote control 30 are common to the first communication unit 21, the second communication unit 22, the reception unit 23, the abnormal state notification unit 24, the disable setting unit 26, the operation display unit 27, and the audio output unit 28 of the remote control 20 described above. The explanation of the remote control 30 will be omitted because the "remote control 30" in the explanation of the remote control 20 is replaced with the "remote control 20" and the configuration of the remote control 30 is replaced with the configuration of the remote control 20.

[0034] The first communication unit 31 is an example of a first communication means of a remote control device, the second communication unit 32 is an example of a second communication means of a remote control device, the receiving unit 33 is an example of a receiving means of a remote control device, and the disable setting unit 36 ​​is an example of a disable setting means of a remote control device. Additionally, the remote control 30 shown in FIG. 3 does not have a function corresponding to the notification suppression setting unit 25 included in the remote control 20, but may have a configuration having a similar function.

[0035] <Example of communication settings for water heater 10> FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of communication settings of the water heater 10, where (a) shows one example and (b) shows another example. The water heater 10 has a built-in control board 10a configured with a notification suppression setting unit 15 and a disabling setting unit 16 as communication settings. In the configuration example shown in Fig. 4(a), a dip switch 10b for setting communication is mounted on a control board 10a. The dip switch 10b is an electronic component in which four small slide switches are arranged side by side. Notification suppression setting and disablement setting are performed by turning a predetermined slide switch ON / OFF. The notification suppression setting and the disablement setting are read by the firmware when the water heater 10 is turned on, thereby switching the communication settings.

[0036] In the configuration example shown in FIG. 4(b), four tactile switches 10c for setting up communication and four 7-segment displays 10d for displaying the communication settings set by the tactile switches 10c are mounted on a control board 10a. The tactile switch 10c is a push button, and by pressing it, the display information of the 7-segment display 10d can be changed. By pressing a predetermined tactile switch 10c among the four tactile switches 10c, notification suppression setting and invalidation setting are performed.

[0037] <Example of communication settings for remote controls 20 and 30> 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of a setting screen for performing communication settings of the remote control devices 20, 30, where (a) shows the operation display unit 27 on the kitchen side, and (b) shows the operation display unit 37 on the bathroom side. As described above, the operation display units 27, 37 are configured to include a touch panel or a liquid crystal display and operation buttons, and in the case of a touch panel, the communication settings are changed by touch operation, and in the case of a liquid crystal display and operation buttons, the communication settings are changed by button operation.

[0038] The operation display unit 27 of the remote control 20 shown in (a) of Figure 5 has a top menu screen 27a with four items: hot water temperature setting, hot water filling setting, reheating setting, and various settings. For example, when the various settings item is selected, it transitions to various settings screen 27b. The various settings screen 27b has three items: time setting, volume setting, and communication setting. For example, when communication setting is selected, the screen transitions to a communication setting screen 27c.

[0039] The communication setting screen 27c has three options: normal setting, no bath remote control setting, and hot water filling / reheating disabled setting. For example, when the no bath remote control setting is selected, the screen moves to a password entry screen 27d. In other words, the no bath remote control setting is a setting in the notification suppression setting section 25 (see FIG. 3), and cannot be performed without password verification. When the password is verified, the screen transitions to a no bath remote control setting screen 27e. The no bath remote control setting screen 27e has an ON button and an OFF button, which can be set to either. When the ON button is selected, the notification suppression setting unit 25 (see FIG. 3) suppresses the notification of an abnormal state.

[0040] In this way, the bath remote control-free setting is usually configured to be performed using the bath remote control-free setting screen 27e, which can be accessed by the contractor who installs the water heater 10 and the remote controls 20 and 30 entering a password. In other words, it is configured to make it difficult for a user who does not know the password to set the notification suppression setting unit 25 (see FIG. 3). The bath remote control-free setting screen 27e is an example of a setting screen. In this embodiment, the bath remote control-free setting screen 27e can be accessed by inputting a password as predetermined information, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the bath remote control-free setting screen 27e can be accessed by simultaneously pressing and holding multiple buttons (which may be either a touch panel or an operation button) as a predetermined operation for several seconds. Also, for example, an authentication code as predetermined information is displayed on the operation display unit 27, and the contractor is authenticated by reading the authentication code with a preregistered mobile phone (entering the authentication code), allowing the bath remote control-free setting screen 27e to be accessed.

[0041] An operation display section 37 of the remote controller 30 shown in FIG. 5(b) displays a top menu screen 37a and a various setting screen 37b, similar to the operation display section 27 in FIG. 5(a). The communication setting screen 37c has two items, normal setting and hot water filling / reheating disabled setting, but does not have an item for setting without a bath remote control (a function provided by the notification suppression setting unit 25 in Figure 3) that is included in the communication setting screen 27c of the operation display unit 27.

[0042] When the hot water filling / reheating disable setting is selected on the communication setting screen 37c, the screen moves to a password entry screen 37d, and after password verification, the screen moves to a hot water filling / reheating disable setting screen 37e. The hot water filling / reheating disable setting screen 37e has an ON button and an OFF button, and can be set to either. The hot water filling / reheating disable setting is a setting in the disable setting section 36, and cannot be performed without password verification. When the operation and display unit 37 is configured to allow the bath remote control-free setting, password verification is required, as with the operation and display unit 27. In the communication setting screen 37c, as in the case of the communication setting screen 27c, mobile phone authentication may be adopted instead of password verification.

[0043] <Explanation of the technical significance of having a notification suppression setting unit, etc.> Next, the technical significance of providing the notification suppression setting unit 15 and the alert suppression setting unit 25 will be explained. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining another example of hot water supply piping provided in a house, and corresponds to FIG. The other example shown in Fig. 6 differs from the case of Fig. 2 in that, although remote control 20 is installed in the kitchen, remote control 30 (see Fig. 2) is not installed in the bathroom. The other example shown in Fig. 6 also differs from Fig. 2 in that faucet 45 for filling bathtub 44 with hot water is provided in the bathtub. This difference is due to the fact that water heater 10 shown in Fig. 6 does not have a hot water filling function or a reheating function, unlike the case of Fig. 2. The temperature of the hot water from the bathroom faucet 43 or tap 45 can be set using the remote control 20 in the kitchen.

[0044] 6, since the remote control 30 is not installed, the water heater 10 and the remote control 20 cannot establish communication with the remote control 30, and a notification of a communication abnormality is issued. To prevent such a notification from being issued, a special specification water heater 10 and remote control 20 are used, or in the case of a standard specification, it is necessary to install the bath remote control connected to the water heater, for example, outdoors under protective covering. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to prevent such a notification, a configuration is adopted that includes a notification suppression setting unit 25 (see FIG. 3), and it is possible to set the bath remote control to be absent as described in FIG. 5(a). As a result, even if a general model is used, a notification of a communication abnormality caused by not installing the remote control 30 will not be made. In other words, the manufacturer of the water heater 10 will no longer need to stock different types of remote controls 20, 30 according to the installation environment of the bathtub 44, including the specifications of the water heater 10.

[0045] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a case where an abnormal state caused by the bathroom remote control device 30 not being installed is detected by the kitchen remote control device 20 in another example. In the processing procedure example shown in Fig. 7, when an abnormality informing unit 24 (see Fig. 3) of remote control 20 detects a communication abnormality (step 101), it determines whether or not notification suppression has been set by notification suppression setting unit 25 (step 102), and if it has been set (Yes in step 102), no notification is made by abnormality informing unit 24. On the other hand, if it has not been set (No in step 102), abnormality informing unit 24 reports an abnormality (step 103).

[0046] The notification of an abnormal state here means to notify that the communication state with the remote control 30 is abnormal. For example, this can be done by notifying the user of the abnormal state via the operation display unit 27 and the audio output unit 28 of the remote control 20 (error notification), or by notifying the water heater 10 of the abnormal state, or only one of them may be used.

[0047] In the example processing procedure shown in FIG. 7, it is determined whether or not notification suppression has been set by the notification suppression setting unit 25. However, this is not limited to this, and when notification suppression has been set by the notification suppression setting unit 25, the abnormal state notification unit 24 may detect a communication abnormality with the remote control 20 while not detecting a communication abnormality with the remote control 30.

[0048] FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the processing steps when the water heater 10 detects an abnormal state caused by the absence of the bath remote control device 30 in another example. In the example of the processing procedure shown in FIG. 8, when abnormal state notification unit 14 (see FIG. 3) of water heater 10 detects an abnormal state of remote control 30 (step 201), a notification of the abnormal state is sent to remote control 20 (step 202).

[0049] When remote control 20 receives a notification of an abnormal condition from water heater 10 (step 203), it checks whether notification suppression setting unit 25 has set notification suppression (step 204). If it has been set (Yes in step 204), notification is not made, and if it has not been set (No in step 204), abnormal condition notification unit 24 notifies the user of the abnormal condition (step 205).

[0050] In the example of the processing procedure in Fig. 8, it is determined whether or not notification suppression is set in the remote control 20, but this is not limiting, and it may be determined whether or not notification suppression is set in the water heater 10. If it is determined that notification suppression is set, notification of an abnormal state (see step 202) is not performed to the remote control 20.

[0051] 8, when water heater 10 detects an abnormal state of remote control 30, remote control 20 is notified of the abnormal state (see steps 201 and 202), but this is not limited to this. For example, it may be determined whether or not notification suppression has been set by notification suppression setting unit 15, and if it has been set, notification of the abnormal state may not be sent to remote control 20. Also, when notification suppression has been set by notification suppression setting unit 15, abnormal state notification unit 14 may detect a communication abnormality in remote control 20 but not detect a communication abnormality with remote control 30.

[0052] <Explanation of the technical significance of having a disabling setting unit> 2, if water heater 10 does not have a hot water filling function or a reheating function, or if hot water piping to bathtub 44 is not installed, water filling and reheating cannot be performed, but the hot water temperature for bathroom faucet 43 needs to be adjusted, and for this reason remote control 30 is installed in the bathroom. In such cases, if a general remote control 20, 30 that allows settings for water filling and reheating is used, it becomes difficult to properly control water heater 10 and remote control 20, 30.

[0053] Therefore, in this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which disablement setting units 16, 26, 36 (see FIG. 3) are provided for disabling the hot water filling and reheating settings, making it possible to carry out the hot water filling and reheating disable setting explained in FIG. 5(b). This makes it unnecessary to keep a variety of remote controls 20, 30 in stock according to the installation environment of the bathtub 44, including the specifications of the water heater 10.

[0054] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing steps when the water heater 10 is set to be disabled. 9, when the invalidation setting is performed by invalidation setting unit 16 of water heater 10 (step 301), first transmitting / receiving unit 11 notifies remote control 20 of the invalidation setting (step 302). In addition, storage unit 18 of water heater 10 stores the fact that the invalidation setting has been performed.

[0055] In remote control 20, when first communication unit 21 receives the invalidation setting (step 303), after transmitting a reply to water heater 10 notifying that the setting has been received, invalidation setting unit 26 determines whether or not the invalidation setting has been performed (step 304). If the invalidation setting has not been performed (No in step 304), invalidation setting unit 26 performs the invalidation setting (step 305). If the invalidation setting has already been made (Yes in step 304) or after the invalidation setting has been made (step 305), the second communication unit 22 transmits the invalidation setting to the remote control 30 (step 306).

[0056] When second communication unit 32 in remote control 30 receives the disable setting (step 307), it replies to remote control 20 that it has received the setting. When there is a reply from remote control 30 to remote control 20, first communication unit 21 of remote control 20 may notify water heater 10 that the communication of remote control 30 is normal. In this case, memory unit 18 of water heater 10 may store that the communication status of remote controls 20, 30 is normal. If the invalidation setting unit 36 ​​has not been set to invalid (No in step 308), it sets the invalidation (step 309) and ends the process. If the invalidation setting unit 36 ​​has already been set to invalid (Yes in step 308), it ends the process.

[0057] In addition, in Figure 9, the disable setting in the water heater 10 is transmitted to the remote control 30 via the remote control 20, but this is not limited to this and may be transmitted from the water heater 10 via the remote control 30 to the remote control 20, or the water heater 10 may transmit to the remote controls 20 and 30.

[0058] FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the processing steps when the invalidation setting is made on the remote control device 20 in the kitchen. In the processing procedure example shown in Fig. 10, when the invalidation setting is performed by invalidation setting unit 26 of remote control 20 (step 401), invalidation setting unit 26 judges whether or not the invalidation setting is performed (step 402). If the invalidation setting is not performed (No in step 402), invalidation setting unit 26 performs the invalidation setting (step 403) and proceeds to step 404. Also, if the invalidation setting is already performed (Yes in step 402), proceeds to step 404. That is, first communication unit 21 and second communication unit 22 transmit the invalidation setting to water heater 10 and remote control 30 (step 404).

[0059] In water heater 10, when first transceiver 11 receives the disable setting (step 405), memory unit 18 stores the disable setting (step 406). In addition, in the case where water heater 10 includes control board 10a on which tactile switch 10c is mounted (see FIG. 4(b)), the disable setting may be reflected in the display information of 7-segment display 10d.

[0060] In the remote control 30, when the second communication unit 32 receives the invalidation setting (step 407), the invalidation setting unit 36 ​​judges whether or not the invalidation setting has been made (step 408). If the invalidation setting has not been made (No in step 408), the invalidation setting unit 36 ​​sets the invalidation setting (step 409) and ends the process. Also, if the invalidation setting has already been made (Yes in step 408), the process ends.

[0061] In FIG. 10, the disable setting in the remote control 20 is transmitted to the water heater 10 and the remote control 30, but this is not limited to this and may be transmitted from the remote control 20 via the water heater 10 to the remote control 30, or from the remote control 20 via the remote control 30 to the water heater 10. Also, FIG. 10 shows a case where the disable setting is made by the disable setting unit 26 of the remote control 20, but the processing when the disable setting is made by the disable setting unit 36 ​​of the remote control 30 can be performed in the same manner as in FIG. 10. In this way, when an invalid setting is made on either remote control 20, 30, the other is automatically invalidated, and the remote controls are linked so that the invalid setting is reflected in the water heater 10 regardless of which remote control is used.

[0062] In addition, Fig. 9 shows a case where the disable setting is made by the disable setting unit 16 of the water heater 10, and Fig. 10 shows a case where the disable setting is made by the disable setting unit 26 of the remote control 20, but the same processing procedure can also be used when the disable setting is cancelled by the disable setting units 16, 26. Note that the disable setting may also be cancelled by the disable setting unit 36, and in that case the same processing procedure can also be used.

[0063] As described above, in this embodiment, the water heater 10 and remote controls 20, 30 shown in Figure 2 are configured to have a notification suppression setting unit 15 in the water heater 10 and an alarm suppression setting unit 25 in the remote control 20, so that the remote control 30 shown in Figure 6 can be used without being notified of a communication abnormality even when it is not connected to the water heater 10. Furthermore, by adopting a configuration including an invalidation setting unit 16 of the water heater 10, an invalidation setting unit 26 of the remote control 20, and an invalidation setting unit 36 ​​of the remote control 30, the water heater 10 and the remote controls 20 and 30 shown in Figure 2 can be used even if the water heater 10 does not have a water filling function or a reheating function. In this way, by using the water heater 10 and remote controls 20, 30 of this embodiment, the versatility of the remote controls 20, 30 can be increased, even if the bathtub installation environment, including the specifications of the water heater, is different, so that the number of types of remote control devices to be stocked can be reduced. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10... water heater, 11... first transmitting / receiving unit, 12... second transmitting / receiving unit, 13, 23, 33... reception unit, 14, 24... abnormal state notification unit, 15, 25... notification suppression setting unit, 16, 26, 36... disable setting unit, 20, 30... remote control, 21, 31... first communication unit, 22, 32... second communication unit

Claims

1. A first communication means for communicating with the water heater; A second communication means for communicating with a device other than the water heater; A reception means for receiving hot water supply settings regarding filling a bathtub with hot water and reheating the bathtub via the first communication means or the second communication means; a nullifying setting means for nullifying the hot water supply setting received by the receiving means; A remote control device comprising:

2. the devices communicating through the second communication means are multiple, Any one of the plurality of devices, 2. The remote control device according to claim 1, wherein when the invalidation setting is performed, the invalidation setting is notified to other devices by the second communication means.

3. A first communication means for communicating with a first device; second communication means for communicating with a second device; A reception means for receiving hot water supply settings regarding filling a bathtub with hot water and reheating the bathtub via the first communication means and the second communication means; a nullifying setting means for nullifying the hot water supply setting received by the receiving means; A water heater comprising:

Images