Bath system, bath device and program for terminal device
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023149196
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-09-14
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-27
Smart Images

Figure 2025042282000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a bath system, a bath device, and a program for a terminal device. [Background technology]
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a bath system. This bath system includes a heat source device capable of supplying hot water to the bathtub or heating the hot water in the bathtub, a control device that controls the operation of the heat source device, and a terminal device that can communicate with the control device via wireless communication. The terminal device includes an input unit configured to receive a user's change operation to change the set temperature or set amount of hot water in the bathtub, and a transmission unit configured to transmit a change instruction to the control device to change the set temperature or set amount of hot water when the input unit receives the change operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-23195 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] In the above-mentioned bath system, if there is a bather in the bathtub and a user other than the bather performs an operation from outside to change the set temperature or amount of hot water in the bathtub, there is a risk that an unintended situation will occur in the bathtub, such as the water in the bathtub becoming heated.
[0005] This specification provides a technology in a bath system that can prevent situations from occurring that are contrary to the bather's intention. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] In a first aspect of the technology disclosed in this specification, a bath system may include a heat source device capable of supplying hot water to a bathtub or heating the hot water in the bathtub, a control device that controls the operation of the heat source device, and a terminal device that can communicate with the control device via wireless communication. The terminal device may include an input unit configured to receive a change operation by a user to change the set temperature or set amount of hot water in the bathtub, and a transmission unit configured to transmit a change instruction to the control device to change the set temperature or the set amount of hot water when the input unit receives the change operation. The control device may be capable of performing a heat retention operation that operates the heat source device so that the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub is maintained at the set temperature. When the control device is performing the heat retention operation, changing the set temperature or the set amount of hot water using the terminal device may be prohibited.
[0007] When the control device is performing a heat retention operation, there is a high possibility that someone is bathing in the bathtub. With the above configuration, when the control device is performing a heat retention operation in which there is a high possibility that someone is bathing in the bathtub, changing the set temperature or set amount of hot water using the terminal device is prohibited. This prevents, for example, the hot water in the bathtub from heating up to a high temperature. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an incident that is contrary to the bather's intention.
[0008] In a second aspect of the technology disclosed in this specification, in the first aspect described above, when the control device is performing the heat retention operation, the control device may be configured not to change the set temperature or the set amount of hot water even if it receives the change instruction from the terminal device.
[0009] According to the above configuration, when the control device is performing a warming operation in which there is a high possibility that a bather is in the bathtub, the control device will not change the set temperature or the set amount of hot water even if a change instruction is received from the terminal device. This prevents, for example, the hot water in the bathtub from being heated to a high temperature in response to the change instruction. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of an unintended situation.
[0010] In a third aspect of the technology disclosed in this specification, in the first aspect above, when the control device is performing the heat retention operation, the terminal device may be configured to not transmit the change instruction to the control device from the transmission unit even if the input unit accepts the change operation, or may be configured to disable the acceptance of the change operation by the input unit.
[0011] According to the above configuration, even if the input unit accepts a change operation, the terminal device does not transmit a change instruction from the transmission unit to the control device. Alternatively, the terminal device disables the acceptance of change operations by the input unit. This prevents, for example, the water in the bathtub from being heated to a high temperature in response to a change instruction corresponding to a change operation. This prevents the occurrence of an incident contrary to the bather's intention. Furthermore, in the above configuration, when the terminal device disables the acceptance of change operations by the input unit, the user of the terminal device does not perform unnecessary change operations, thereby reducing the effort required of the user of the terminal device.
[0012] In a fourth aspect of the technology disclosed in this specification, in the first to third aspects, the terminal device may further include a notification unit that notifies the user that changing the set temperature or the set amount of hot water is prohibited when the control device is performing the heat retention operation.
[0013] According to the above configuration, the user of the terminal device can know that changing the set temperature or the set amount of hot water is prohibited.
[0014] In a fifth aspect of the technology disclosed in this specification, a bathtub apparatus includes a heat source device capable of supplying hot water to a bathtub or heating the hot water in the bathtub, and a control device that controls the operation of the heat source device, and the control device may be capable of communicating with a terminal device via wireless communication. The terminal device may include an input unit configured to receive a change operation by a user to change the set temperature or the set amount of hot water in the bathtub, and a transmission unit configured to transmit a change instruction to the control device to change the set temperature or the set amount of hot water when the input unit receives the change operation. The control device may be capable of performing a heat retention operation that operates the heat source device so that the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub is maintained at the set temperature. When the control device is performing the heat retention operation, the control device may be configured not to change the set temperature or the set amount of hot water even if the change instruction is received from the terminal device.
[0015] According to the above configuration, when the control device is performing a warming operation in which there is a high possibility that a bather is in the bathtub, the control device will not change the set temperature or the set amount of hot water even if a change instruction is received from the terminal device. This prevents, for example, the hot water in the bathtub from being heated to a high temperature in response to the change instruction. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of an unintended situation.
[0016] In a sixth aspect of the technology disclosed in this specification, the program may be for a terminal device. The terminal device may be capable of communicating via wireless communication with a control device that controls the operation of a heat source device capable of supplying hot water to a bathtub or heating the hot water in the bathtub. The program may cause a computer of the terminal device to function as an input unit configured to receive a change operation by a user to change the set temperature or the set amount of hot water in the bathtub, and a transmission unit configured to transmit a change instruction to the control device to change the set temperature or the set amount of hot water when the input unit receives the change operation. The control device may be capable of performing a heat retention operation that operates the heat source device so that the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub is maintained at the set temperature. When the control device is performing the heat retention operation, the program may cause the computer to function in such a way that even if the input unit receives the change operation, the transmission unit does not transmit the change instruction to the control device, or the control device functions to disable the reception of the change operation by the input unit.
[0017] According to the sixth aspect, even if the input unit accepts a change operation, the terminal device does not transmit a change instruction from the transmission unit to the control device. Alternatively, the terminal device disables the acceptance of the change operation by the input unit. This prevents, for example, the water in the bathtub from being heated to a high temperature in response to a change instruction corresponding to the change operation. This prevents the occurrence of an incident contrary to the bather's intention. In addition, in the above configuration, when the terminal device disables the acceptance of the change operation by the input unit, the user of the terminal device does not perform unnecessary change operations, thereby reducing the effort required of the user of the terminal device. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0018] [Figure 1] 1 shows an overview of a hot water supply system 2 according to first and second embodiments. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a hot water supply device 5 in the first and second embodiments. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a gateway 60 according to the first and second embodiments. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a server 50 in the first and second embodiments. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a terminal device 70 according to the first and second embodiments. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a voice input device 90 according to the first and second embodiments. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a process in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a process in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] Example 1 (Configuration of hot water supply system 2; Figure 1) 1, the hot water supply system 2 of this embodiment is installed in a building 4, and is a system for supplying hot water to hot water supply locations (for example, a bathtub 8 in a bathroom 6 and other hot water supply locations 9) in the building 4. The hot water supply system 2 includes a hot water supply device 5, a kitchen remote control 150, a server 50, a gateway 60, a terminal device 70, and a voice input device 90.
[0020] (Configuration of hot water supply device 5; Figs. 1 and 2) Water heating device 5 is a device for supplying hot water to various hot water supply points in building 4, including a bathtub 8 and hot water supply points 9 (e.g., a shower and a faucet) in bathroom 6. In this embodiment, water heating device 5 includes an in-bathroom operation input unit 10 provided in bathroom 6, and a heat source device 30 provided outside bathroom 6 (e.g., on the outer wall of building 4). In a modified example, heat source device 30 may be provided in bathroom 6.
[0021] Bathroom operation input unit 10 shown in Fig. 1 is an input unit through which a user in bathroom 6 (e.g., a person taking a bath) inputs various operations related to heat source device 30, such as the set temperature of hot water (so-called bath set temperature) and the amount of hot water to be supplied (so-called bath set amount of hot water) when supplying hot water to bathtub 8 (i.e., filling the bath), an instruction to fill the bath, the set temperature of hot water to be supplied to hot water supply point 9 (so-called hot water supply set temperature), and an instruction to heat (i.e., reheat) the hot water (i.e., bath water) in bathtub 8. As shown in Fig. 2, bathroom operation input unit 10 includes an operation unit 12, a display unit 14, a wired interface 18, a control unit 20, and a memory 22. Hereinafter, interface will be abbreviated as "I / F."
[0022] Operation unit 12 has a number of buttons. A user in bathroom 6 can operate operation unit 12 to input, for example, the bath temperature setting, the bath water volume setting, instructions for filling the bath, the hot water supply temperature setting, instructions for reheating the water, etc. Display unit 14 is a display for showing various information.
[0023] The wired I / F 18 is connected by wire to a wired I / F 32 (described later) of the heat source device 30. That is, the wired I / F 18 is an I / F for performing wired communication between the bathroom operation input unit 10 and the heat source device 30.
[0024] The control unit 20 executes various processes according to the programs stored in the memory 22. The control unit 20 is also electrically connected to the operation unit 12, the display unit 14, the wired I / F 18, and the memory 22, and can control the operation of each of these elements. The memory 22 is composed of a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, etc. The memory 22 stores various programs. The memory 22 also has an area for storing various information acquired in association with the processes executed by the control unit 20.
[0025] 1 is a specific hot water supply means for supplying hot water to various hot water supply points in building 4, such as bathtub 8 and hot water supply point 9 in bathroom 6. As shown in FIG. 2, heat source device 30 includes a wired I / F 32, a hot water supply heat source unit 34, a hot water supply unit 36, a re-heating heat source unit 37, a re-heating unit 38, a control unit 40, and a memory 42.
[0026] The wired I / F 32 is connected by wire to the wired I / F 18 of the bathroom operation input unit 10 and the wired I / F 152 (described later) of the kitchen remote control 150, and is an I / F for performing wired communication between the bathroom operation input unit 10 and the kitchen remote control 150. In a modified example, the heat source device 30 may have a wireless I / F (not shown) instead of the wired I / F 32, and may perform wireless communication between the bathroom operation input unit 10 and the kitchen remote control 150. The hot water supply heat source unit 34 is a part that heats tap water or water in a hot water tank (not shown) to generate hot water for hot water supply. The hot water supply heat source unit 34 includes a known heat source (e.g., a heat pump unit, a burner heating device, etc.) (not shown). The hot water supply unit 36 is a part that supplies the hot water for hot water supply generated by the hot water supply heat source unit 34 to the bathtub 8 and the hot water supply point 9 (a shower, a faucet, etc.) in the bathroom 6. Although not shown, the hot water supply unit 36 may also supply hot water to other hot water supply locations in the building 4, such as a kitchen and a washroom.
[0027] The reheating heat source unit 37 is a unit that heats the bath water sucked out of the bathtub 8. The reheating heat source unit 37 includes a known heat source (e.g., a heat exchanger, etc.) not shown. In the reheating unit 38, for example, the bath water sucked out of the bathtub 8 passes through the reheating heat source unit 37 and is returned to the bathtub 8. Thermistors (not shown) are attached upstream and downstream of the reheating heat source unit 37, and detect the temperature of the bath water before and after it passes through the reheating heat source unit 37.
[0028] The control unit 40 executes various processes according to the programs stored in the memory 42. The control unit 40 is also electrically connected to the wired I / F 32, the hot water supply heat source unit 34, the hot water supply unit 36, the reheating heat source unit 37, the reheating unit 38, and the memory 42, and can control the operation of each of these elements. The memory 42 is composed of a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, etc. The memory 42 stores various programs. The memory 42 also has an area for storing various information acquired in association with the processes executed by the control unit 40.
[0029] In particular, the memory 42 has a setting storage area 43 that stores various settings related to the heat source device 30. The various settings related to the heat source device 30 include, for example, a bath temperature setting, a bath hot water volume setting, and a hot water supply temperature setting.
[0030] The control unit 40 controls the operation of the hot water heat source unit 34, the hot water supply unit 36, the reheating heat source unit 37, and the reheating unit 38 according to various settings stored in the setting storage area 43 of the memory 42. Specifically, the control unit 40 can execute a filling operation, a heat retention operation, a hot water volume adjustment operation, and a reheating operation. In the filling operation, the control unit 40 controls the operation of the hot water heat source unit 34 and the hot water supply unit 36 so that hot water is supplied to the bathtub 8 according to the bath set temperature and the bath set hot water volume stored in the setting storage area 43 of the memory 42. The control unit 40 ends the filling operation when hot water at the bath set temperature has accumulated in the bathtub 8 by the bath set hot water volume. After ending the filling operation, the control unit 40 continues to execute a heat retention operation.
[0031] In the keep warm operation, the control unit 40 controls the operation of the reheating heat source unit 37 and the reheating unit 38 so that the temperature of the bath water in the bathtub 8 is kept at the bath set temperature according to the bath set temperature stored in the setting storage area 43 of the memory 42. Specifically, the control unit 40 monitors the temperature of the bath water in the bathtub 8, and when the temperature of the bath water in the bathtub 8 is lower than the bath set temperature, the control unit 40 heats the bath water by the reheating heat source unit 37 and the reheating unit 38 until the temperature of the bath water reaches the bath set temperature.
[0032] The control unit 40 may execute a hot water volume adjustment operation at the same time as executing the heat retention operation. In the hot water volume adjustment operation, the control unit 40 controls the operation of the hot water supply heat source unit 34 and the hot water supply unit 36 so that the volume of bath water in the bathtub 8 is kept at the bath set volume according to the set bath volume stored in the setting storage area 43 of the memory 42. Specifically, the control unit 40 monitors the volume of bath water in the bathtub 8, and when the volume of bath water in the bathtub 8 is less than the set bath volume, the control unit 40 causes the hot water supply heat source unit 34 and the hot water supply unit 36 to supply hot water to the bathtub 8 until the volume of bath water reaches the set bath volume.
[0033] In the reheating operation, the control unit 40 heats the bath water in the bathtub 8 using the reheating heat source unit 37 and the reheating unit 38, according to the bath setting temperature stored in the setting memory area 43 of the memory 42, until the temperature of the bath water in the bathtub 8 becomes the bath setting temperature.
[0034] In this embodiment, the various settings stored in the setting storage area 43 of the memory 42 are received by the control unit 40 from the bathroom operation input unit 10 or the kitchen remote control 150 via the wired I / F 32. As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, the user can store settings in the setting storage area 43 of the memory 42 by two methods.
[0035] (Configuration of kitchen remote control 150; Figs. 1 and 2) Kitchen remote control 150 is a device provided in the kitchen within building 4. Kitchen remote control 150 is an operating device that can input various instructions to heat source device 30 from the kitchen. Kitchen remote control 150 includes wired I / F 152, wireless I / F 154, control unit 156, and memory 158. Wired I / F 152 is wiredly connected to wired I / F 32 of bathroom operation input unit 10, and can perform wired communication with bathroom operation input unit 10. Wireless I / F 154 is an I / F for performing wireless communication in accordance with the Wi-Fi standard. Specifically, wireless I / F 154 establishes a wireless connection with gateway 60.
[0036] Control unit 156 executes various processes according to programs stored in memory 158. Control unit 156 is also electrically connected to wired I / F 152, wireless I / F 154, and memory 158, and can control the operation of each of these elements. Memory 158 is composed of ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc. Memory 158 stores various programs. Memory 158 also has an area for storing various information acquired in association with the processes executed by control unit 156.
[0037] (Gateway 60 Configuration; Figure 1, Figure 3) The gateway 60 shown in Fig. 1 is connected to the Internet (not shown). The gateway 60 is a device that relays between the Internet (not shown), the kitchen remote control 150, and the voice input device 90. The gateway 60 is a so-called router. As shown in Fig. 3, the gateway 60 includes a communication I / F 62, a wireless I / F 64, a control unit 66, and a memory 68.
[0038] The communication I / F 62 is connected to the Internet. The gateway 60 can communicate with the server 50 via the Internet. The wireless I / F 64 is an I / F for performing wireless communication according to the Wi-Fi standard. Specifically, the wireless I / F 64 establishes a wireless connection with the kitchen remote control 150 and the voice input device 90. The control unit 66 performs various processes according to the programs stored in the memory 68. The control unit 66 is also electrically connected to the communication I / F 62, the wireless I / F 64, and the memory 68, and can control the operation of each of these elements. The memory 68 is composed of a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, etc. The memory 68 stores various programs. The memory 68 also has an area for storing various information acquired in association with the processes executed by the control unit 66.
[0039] (Configuration of server 50; Fig. 1, Fig. 4) The server 50 shown in Fig. 1 is provided outside the building 4. The server 50 is a server for relaying communications for performing various settings related to the heat source device 30 from the terminal device 70. As shown in Fig. 4, the server 50 includes a communication I / F 52, a control unit 54, and a memory 56.
[0040] The communication I / F 52 is connected to the Internet. The server 50 can communicate with the terminal device 70 and the gateway 60 via the Internet. The control unit 54 executes various processes according to the programs stored in the memory 56. The control unit 54 is also electrically connected to the communication I / F 52 and the memory 56, and can control the operation of each of these elements. The memory 56 is composed of a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, etc. The memory 56 stores various programs. The memory 56 also has an area for storing various information acquired in association with the processes executed by the control unit 54.
[0041] (Configuration of terminal device 70; Figs. 1 and 5) The terminal device 70 shown in FIG. 1 is a terminal device that is provided outside the building 4 and can perform wireless communication with a mobile phone base station (not shown) connected to the Internet. The terminal device 70 can communicate with the server 50 via the Internet. In this embodiment, the terminal device 70 is a portable terminal device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a portable PC. The terminal device 70 is carried by a user. In the example of FIG. 1, the terminal device 70 is provided outside the building 4, but the terminal device 70 may be provided inside the building 4. In a modified example, the terminal device 70 may be a stationary terminal device such as a desktop PC provided inside the building 4. When the terminal device 70 is provided inside the building 4, the terminal device 70 may be capable of performing wireless communication with the gateway 60. The terminal device 70 is a terminal device for a user to perform various settings related to the heat source device 30 mainly from outside the bathroom 6. As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal device 70 includes an operation unit 72, a display unit 74, a wireless I / F 76, a speaker 78, a control unit 80, and a memory 82.
[0042] The operation unit 72 includes a plurality of keys. The display unit 74 is a display for displaying various information. In this embodiment, the display unit 74 is configured as a touch input unit, and also functions as an operation unit. The wireless I / F 76 is an I / F for performing wireless communication with a mobile phone base station or the gateway 60. The speaker 78 is an output unit for outputting sound (e.g., synthesized sound generated by the terminal device 70).
[0043] The control unit 80 executes various processes according to programs stored in the memory 82. The control unit 80 is also electrically connected to the operation unit 72, the display unit 74, the wireless I / F 76, the speaker 78, and the memory 82, and can control the operation of each of these elements. The memory 82 is composed of a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, etc. The memory 82 stores an application (hereinafter, "app") 84. The memory 82 also has an area for storing various information acquired in association with the processes executed by the control unit 80.
[0044] App 84 is installed in terminal device 70. App 84 is an application program for transmitting a signal to heat source device 30 for remotely operating heat source device 30. App 84 is provided by the vendor of hot water heating device 5. App 84 is installed in terminal device 70 from server 50, for example.
[0045] (Configuration of voice input device 90; Figs. 1 and 6) The voice input device 90 shown in FIG. 1 is provided in the building 4, and is a terminal device capable of wireless communication with the gateway 60. The voice input device 90 is a so-called smart speaker, and is a terminal device capable of inputting various instructions by voice without inputting operations via an operation unit. In the example of FIG. 1, the voice input device 90 is provided in the building 4, but the voice input device 90 may be provided outside the building 4. Like the terminal device 70, the voice input device 90 is also a terminal device for a user to perform various settings related to the heat source device 30 from outside the bathroom 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the voice input device 90 includes a microphone 92, a speaker 94, a wireless I / F 96, a control unit 100, and a memory 102.
[0046] The microphone 92 is an input unit for inputting voice (e.g., the user's voice, etc.). The user can input various instructions to the voice input device 90 by speaking into the microphone 92. The speaker 94 is an output unit for outputting voice (e.g., synthesized voice generated by the voice input device 90, etc.). The wireless I / F 96 is an I / F for performing wireless communication with the gateway 60.
[0047] The control unit 100 executes various processes according to programs stored in the memory 102. The control unit 100 is also electrically connected to the microphone 92, the speaker 94, the wireless I / F 96, and the memory 102, and can control the operation of each of these elements. The memory 102 is composed of a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, etc. The memory 102 stores an application 104. The memory 102 also has an area for storing various information acquired in association with the processes executed by the control unit 100.
[0048] Application 104 is installed in voice input device 90. Application 104 is an application program for transmitting a signal for remotely controlling heat source device 30 to heat source device 30. Application 104 is provided by the vendor of hot water heating device 5. Application 104 is installed in voice input device 90 from server 50, for example.
[0049] (Method of storing settings in the setting storage area 43 of the heat source device 30) As described above, in the hot water supply system 2 of this embodiment, the user can store desired settings (e.g., bath set temperature, bath set water volume, etc.) in the setting memory area 43 of the memory 42 of the heat source device 30 by either the first method or the second method described below.
[0050] (First method) First, the user can store the desired settings in setting storage area 43 of memory 42 by directly operating bathroom operation input unit 10. In this case, the user first operates bathroom operation input unit 10 directly to input the desired settings. Control unit 20 of bathroom operation input unit 10 transmits setting information indicating the input settings to heat source device 30 via wired I / F 18. When control unit 40 receives the setting information from bathroom operation input unit 10 via wired I / F 32, it stores the various settings included in the received setting information in setting storage area 43 of memory 42. This first technique is the so-called bathroom setting.
[0051] Furthermore, the user can also store desired settings in setting storage area 43 of memory 42 by operating kitchen remote control 150 in the same manner as bathroom operation input unit 10 .
[0052] (Second method) Secondly, the user can operate the terminal device 70 to input the desired settings, thereby storing the desired settings in the setting storage area 43 of the memory 42. In this case, the control unit 80 of the terminal device 70 transmits setting information indicating the input settings to the gateway 60 via the wireless I / F 76 (possibly via a mobile phone base station and the server 50). The setting information is transmitted to the heat source device 30 via the gateway 60 and the kitchen remote control 150. When the control unit 40 of the heat source device 30 receives the setting information from the kitchen remote control 150 via the wired I / F 32, it stores the various settings included in the received setting information in the setting storage area 43. This second method is so-called remote setting.
[0053] In the modified example, in the second method, instead of inputting the desired setting by operating the terminal device 70, the user can input the desired setting by voice into the voice input device 90 to store the desired setting in the setting storage area 43 of the memory 42. In this case, the control unit 100 of the voice input device 90 transmits setting information indicating the input setting to the gateway 60 via the wireless I / F 96. In this case, the setting information is also transmitted to the heat source device 30 via the gateway 60 and the kitchen remote control 150. When the control unit 40 receives the setting information from the kitchen remote control 150 via the wired I / F 32, it stores various settings included in the received setting information in the setting storage area 43 of the memory 42.
[0054] However, if there is a bather in the bathtub 8 and a user other than the bather inputs settings from outside the bathroom 6 using the second method, there is a risk that something unintended by the bather will occur, such as the water in the bathtub 8 being heated in accordance with the settings.
[0055] (Detailed processing: Figure 7) In this regard, in the hot water supply system 2 of this embodiment, the occurrence of the above-mentioned situation contrary to the bather's intention can be suppressed by the control processing executed by the control unit 80 of the terminal device 70, the control unit 20 of the bathroom operation input unit 10, and the control unit 40 of the heat source device 30. A specific control method will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In the example shown in Fig. 7, it is assumed that bath water is stored in the bathtub 8, and the control unit 40 of the heat source device 30 is performing a heat retention operation.
[0056] In FIG. 7 and the following description, in order to facilitate understanding, the processing performed by each control unit 40, 66, 80, 156 (particularly the CPU not shown) of each device 30, 60, 70, 150 will be described as focusing on each device 30, 60, 70, 150 itself, rather than focusing on each control unit.
[0057] When terminal device 70 receives an operation to start app 84 from the user of terminal device 70 at T10, it starts app 84. At T12, terminal device 70 displays change screen D1 on display unit 74. Change screen D1 is a screen for changing the set bath temperature and / or set bath water volume of the target bathtub 8. Note that in this embodiment, the set bath temperature is expressed as a numerical value of the temperature itself, and the set bath water volume is expressed as a level when the amount of hot water is divided into five levels from "1" to "5". A water volume of "1" is the smallest amount of hot water, and a water volume of "5" is the largest amount of hot water.
[0058] The change screen D1 includes the target bath's operating status "Keeping warm", the target bath's set bath temperature "43°C", the set bath water volume "3", and multiple buttons B1, B2, B3. The temperature increase / decrease button B1 is a pair of operation buttons for inputting an increase or decrease in the set bath temperature. The water volume increase / decrease button B2 is a pair of operation buttons for inputting an increase or decrease in the set bath water volume. The change instruction button B3 is a button for instructing a change in the set bath temperature and the set bath water volume.
[0059] When the terminal device 70 receives an operation of the temperature increase / decrease button B1 from a user of the terminal device 70 at T14, at T16, in response to the operation, the terminal device 70 displays on the display unit 74 a change screen D2 in which the bath setting temperature "43°C" has been changed to "46°C."
[0060] At T18, the terminal device 70 accepts a selection operation (i.e., a change operation) of the change instruction button B3 from the user of the terminal device 70. Next, at T20, the terminal device 70 transmits a change instruction to the gateway 60. The change instruction is a signal for instructing to change the bath temperature setting from 43°C to 46°C in response to the change operation.
[0061] When gateway 60 receives a change instruction from terminal device 70 in T20, it transmits the received change instruction to kitchen remote control 150 in T22. When kitchen remote control 150 receives a change instruction from gateway 60 in T22, it transmits the received change instruction to heat source device 30 in T24.
[0062] When the heat source device 30 receives the change instruction from the kitchen remote control 150 in T24, it determines in T26 that it is performing the keep-warm operation. Next, in T28, the heat source device 30 continues to perform the keep-warm operation without reflecting the change instruction, i.e., without changing the bath set temperature. In this embodiment, the heat source device 30 discards the change instruction received while performing the keep-warm operation without reflecting it, but in a modified example, when the heat source device 30 receives the change instruction while performing the keep-warm operation, it may store the received change instruction in the memory 42 without reflecting the change instruction. In this case, the heat source device 30 does not reflect the change instruction until the keep-warm operation ends, and reflects the change instruction after the keep-warm operation ends and changes the bath set temperature.
[0063] According to the above configuration, when heat source device 30 (particularly control unit 40) is performing a heat retention operation when there is a high possibility that a bather is in bathtub 8, it does not change the bath temperature setting (T28) even if a change instruction is received from terminal device 70 (T20-T24). This prevents the water in bathtub 8 from heating up to a high temperature by performing a reheating operation in response to the change instruction. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of an incident contrary to the bather's intention.
[0064] In the above embodiment, it is assumed that the user of the terminal device 70 operates the temperature increase / decrease button B1 at T14 to change the bath temperature setting to a higher temperature, but it is also assumed that the user of the terminal device 70 operates the hot water volume increase / decrease button B2 at T14 to increase the bath water volume setting. In this case, the same process as T18 to T28 is executed, except that the change instruction is a signal to instruct to increase the bath water volume setting. That is, when the heat source device 30 (particularly the control unit 40) is executing a warming operation in which there is a high possibility that a bather is in the bathtub 8, even if the heat source device 30 receives a change instruction from the terminal device 70, it does not reflect the change instruction and does not change the bath water volume setting. As a result, the hot water volume adjustment operation is executed in response to the change instruction, thereby preventing hot water from being supplied to the bathtub 8. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation contrary to the bather's intention.
[0065] In the two cases described above, the user of the terminal device 70 performs a change operation at T14 to change the bath temperature or the bath water volume, but in another case, a change operation to change both the bath temperature and the bath water volume is also assumed. Even in this case, when the heat source device 30 (particularly the control unit 40) is performing a warming operation in which there is a high possibility that a bather is in the bathtub 8, it does not change the bath temperature and the bath water volume without reflecting the change instruction, even if it receives a change instruction from the terminal device 70. This prevents the reheating operation and the water volume adjustment operation from being performed in combination in response to the change instruction. This prevents the occurrence of a situation contrary to the bather's intention.
[0066] (Correspondence) The hot water supply system 2 is an example of a "bath system." The hot water supply device 5 is an example of a "bath device." The control unit 40 is an example of a "control device." The operation unit 72 and the display unit 74 are examples of an "input unit." T14 in FIG. 7 is an example of a process realized by the "input unit." The wireless I / F 76 is an example of a "transmitting unit." T20 in FIG. 7 is an example of a process realized by the "transmitting unit."
[0067] (Example 2: FIG. 8) In this embodiment, the occurrence of a situation contrary to the bather's intention can be suppressed by the control process executed by the control unit 80 of the terminal device 70. A specific control method will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In the example shown in Fig. 8, it is assumed that bath water is stored in the bathtub 8, and the control unit 40 of the heat source device 30 is performing a heat retention operation. Note that in Fig. 8, the same screens as those shown in Fig. 7 are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.
[0068] (Case A) When the terminal device 70 receives an instruction to start the application 84 from the user of the terminal device 70, the terminal device 70 starts the application 84 and displays the change screen D1 on the display unit 74.
[0069] When the terminal device 70 receives an operation of the temperature increase / decrease button B1 and the water volume increase / decrease button B2 from the user of the terminal device 70 at T40, it changes the bath setting temperature from "43°C" to "46°C" in response to the operation, and displays a change screen D3 on the display unit 74 in which the bath setting water volume has been changed from "3" to "5."
[0070] In T42, the terminal device 70 accepts a selection operation of the change instruction button B3 from a user of the terminal device 70. In case A, in T44, the terminal device 70 does not transmit a change instruction corresponding to the change instruction button selection operation (i.e., the change operation) to the gateway 60. That is, when a heat retention operation is being performed when there is a high possibility that a bather is in the bathtub 8, the terminal device 70 does not transmit a change instruction to the heat source device 30.
[0071] With this configuration, the heat source device 30 (particularly the control unit 40) is prevented from simultaneously carrying out reheating operation and hot water volume adjustment operation in response to the transmitted change instruction. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of an incident contrary to the bather's intention. In this case, the terminal device 70 does not transmit a change instruction when the heat retention operation is being performed, but may store the change instruction in the memory 82. In this case, the terminal device 70 does not transmit the change instruction until the heat retention operation ends, and transmits the change instruction after the heat retention operation ends to cause the heat source device 30 to change the set bath temperature and set bath hot water volume.
[0072] In this case A, the user of the terminal device 70 executes a change operation at T40 to change both the bath temperature setting and the bath water volume setting, but in another case, a change operation to change only one of the bath temperature setting and the bath water volume setting is also assumed. In this case, the terminal device 70 does not send a change instruction corresponding to the change operation to the gateway 60. That is, when a warming operation is being performed when there is a high possibility that a bather is in the bathtub 8, the terminal device 70 does not send a change instruction to the kitchen remote control 150. This configuration also prevents the heat source device 30 (particularly the control unit 40) from performing a reheating operation or a water volume adjustment operation in response to the transmitted change instruction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an incident contrary to the bather's intention.
[0073] In this case A, the terminal device 70 does not transmit a change instruction to the gateway 60 when the keep-warm operation is being performed, but in a modified example, the terminal device 70 may transmit a change instruction to the gateway 60 (or the server 50) when the keep-warm operation is being performed. In this case, the gateway 60 (or the server 50) does not transmit the received change instruction to the kitchen remote control 150 when the keep-warm operation is being performed. This prevents the heat source device 30 (particularly the control unit 40) from performing a re-heating operation and a hot water volume adjustment operation in combination in response to the transmitted change instruction.
[0074] (Case B) In case B, when the user of terminal device 70 operates temperature increase / decrease button B1 without operating hot water volume increase / decrease button B2 at T40, the operation is not accepted and is invalidated. In other words, the change screen D3 of case A is not displayed. When the user of terminal device 70 operates temperature increase / decrease button B1 at T40, terminal device 70 displays notification screen D4. Notification screen D4 includes a message to the effect that the bath temperature setting and bath hot water volume setting cannot be changed during keep warm operation. This allows the user to know that the bath temperature setting and bath hot water volume setting cannot be changed on terminal device 70.
[0075] In this configuration, the terminal device 70 disables the acceptance of the change operation. In other words, the user of the terminal device 70 cannot input the change operation of the bath temperature setting. Therefore, compared to the case A, the operation effort of the user of the terminal device 70 can be reduced. In this case, the temperature increase / decrease button B1 is operated by the user of the terminal device 70 at T40, but in another case, it is assumed that the hot water amount increase / decrease button B2 is operated by the user of the terminal device 70 before the temperature increase / decrease button B1 is operated by the user of the terminal device 70 at T40. In this case, the terminal device 70 also displays the notification screen D4 without accepting the operation. As a result, the user of the terminal device 70 cannot input the change operation of the bath temperature setting. Therefore, compared to the case A, the operation effort of the user of the terminal device 70 can be reduced.
[0076] In a modified example, instead of displaying a message on the display unit 74 informing the user that the bath set temperature and / or bath set water volume cannot be changed during heat retention operation, the terminal device 70 may notify the user of this by audio from the speaker 78.
[0077] In another modification, the temperature increase / decrease button B1, the hot water volume increase / decrease button B2, and the change instruction button B3 may be displayed in an unselectable manner on the change screen D1. The unselectable state is what is called a grayed-out state. Even in this configuration, the user of the terminal device 70 cannot input an operation to change the bath temperature setting. Therefore, compared to case A, the operation effort of the user of the terminal device 70 can be reduced. In this case, too, the terminal device 70 may notify the user by a message displayed on the display unit 74 or a voice from the speaker 78 that the bath temperature setting and / or the bath water volume setting cannot be changed during the keep warm operation.
[0078] (Correspondence) Display unit 74 or speaker 78 is an example of a “notification unit.” Displaying notification screen D4 in Fig. 8 is an example of a process realized by the “notification unit.”
[0079] The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exert technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of those objectives is itself technically useful. [Explanation of symbols]
[0080] 2: hot water supply system, 4: building, 5: hot water supply device, 6: bathroom, 8: bathtub, 9: hot water supply location, 10: bathroom operation input section, 12: operation section, 14: display section, 18: wired I / F, 20: control section, 22: memory, 30: heat source device, 32: wired I / F, 34: hot water supply heat source section, 36: hot water supply section, 37: reheating heat source section, 38: reheating section, 40: control section, 42: memory, 43: setting storage area, 50: server, 52: communication I / F, 54: control section, 56: memory, 60: gateway, 62: communication I / F, 64: Wireless I / F, 66: control unit, 68: memory, 70: terminal device, 72: operation unit, 74: display unit, 76: wireless I / F, 78: speaker, 80: control unit, 82: memory, 84: application, 90: voice input device, 92: microphone, 94: speaker, 96: wireless I / F, 100: control unit, 102: memory, 104: application, 150: kitchen remote control, 152: wired I / F, 154: wireless I / F, 156: control unit, 158: memory, B1: temperature increase / decrease button, B2: hot water amount increase / decrease button, B3: change instruction button
Claims
1. A heat source device capable of supplying hot water to a bathtub or heating hot and cold water in the bathtub; A control device for controlling the operation of the heat source device; A bath system including a terminal device capable of communicating with the control device via wireless communication, The terminal device An input unit configured to receive a user's operation to change the set temperature or amount of hot water in the bathtub; A transmission unit configured to transmit a change instruction for changing the set temperature or the set amount of hot water to the control device when the input unit receives the change operation, The control device is capable of performing a heat retention operation to operate the heat source device so that the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub is maintained at the set temperature, A bath system in which, when the control device is performing the heat retention operation, changing the set temperature or the set amount of hot water using the terminal device is prohibited.
2. A bath system as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the control device is performing the heat retention operation, the control device is configured not to change the set temperature or the set amount of hot water even if it receives the change instruction from the terminal device.
3. When the control device is performing the heat retention operation, the terminal device The change instruction is not transmitted from the transmission unit to the control device even if the input unit receives the change operation. or The bath system of claim 1 , configured to disable acceptance of the change operation by the input unit.
4. The bath system of claim 1, wherein the terminal device further includes a notification unit that notifies the user that changing the set temperature or the set water volume is prohibited when the control device is performing the heat retention operation.
5. A bath device comprising: A heat source device capable of supplying hot water to a bathtub or heating hot and cold water in the bathtub; A control device for controlling the operation of the heat source device, The control device is capable of communicating with a terminal device via wireless communication, The terminal device An input unit configured to receive a user's operation to change the set temperature or amount of hot water in the bathtub; A transmission unit configured to transmit a change instruction for changing the set temperature or the set amount of hot water to the control device when the input unit receives the change operation, The control device is capable of performing a heat retention operation to operate the heat source device so that the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub is maintained at the set temperature, A bath device configured such that when the control device is performing the heat retention operation, the control device does not change the set temperature or the set amount of hot water even if it receives the change instruction from the terminal device.
6. A program for a terminal device, The terminal device is capable of communicating via wireless communication with a control device that controls the operation of a heat source device that can supply hot water to a bathtub or heat the hot and cold water in the bathtub, The program causes the computer of the terminal device to An input unit configured to receive a user's operation to change the set temperature or amount of hot water in the bathtub; a transmission unit configured to transmit a change instruction for changing the set temperature or the set amount of hot water to the control device when the input unit receives the change operation; The control device is capable of performing a heat retention operation to operate the heat source device so that the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub is maintained at the set temperature, When the control device is performing the heat retention operation, the program causes the computer to causing the transmission unit not to transmit the change instruction to the control device even if the input unit receives the change operation; or a program causing the input unit to function to invalidate acceptance of the change operation;
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Hot water supply system and water heater
JP2023023195A