Control system for humidifier, humidifier and control method for humidifier

Abstract

To provide a control system for a humidifier that makes a water supply notification for prompting water supply with a water supply section empty or approximately empty.SOLUTION: A control system 100A for a humidifier includes a control section 30 that controls a water supply notification for prompting water supply to a water storage section 36 of the humidifier 3. The control section is configured to make the water supply notification at water shortage timing when a water level becomes zero, on the basis of lowering speed of the water level of the water storage section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control system for a humidifier, a humidifier, and a method for controlling a humidifier.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-053754 (hereinafter, Patent Document 1) discloses a humidifier that detects the water level in a water storage container and notifies that it is in a water supply necessary state where water supply should be performed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0004] It is desirable to perform water supply after the water supply section becomes empty. Therefore, a control system for a humidifier, a humidifier, and a method for controlling a humidifier that perform a water supply notification for promoting water supply when the water supply section is empty or substantially empty are desired.

[0005] According to an embodiment, a control system for a humidifier includes a control unit that controls a water supply notification for promoting water supply to a water storage unit of the humidifier. The control unit is configured to cause the water supply notification to be performed at the water shortage timing when the water level becomes zero, based on the decreasing speed of the water level in the water storage unit.

[0006] Further details will be described as embodiments below.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] <1. Overview of the Control System, Humidifier, and Control Method of the Humidifier> (1) The control system of the humidifier according to the embodiment includes a control unit that controls a water supply notification for prompting water supply to the water storage unit of the humidifier. The control unit is configured to cause the water supply notification to be performed at the water shortage timing when the water level becomes zero, based on the decrease rate of the water level in the water storage unit. Thereby, the control system of the humidifier according to the embodiment can cause the water supply notification to be performed when the water supply unit of the humidifier is in an empty state or a substantially empty state. As a result, in the humidifier, water supply is performed after the water supply unit becomes empty.

[0009] (2) The humidifier control system according to (1), preferably, the control unit is further configured to calculate a decrease rate based on the detection result of a water level sensor provided in the humidifier. Thereby, in the humidifier control system according to the embodiment, the decrease rate calculated from the water level actually measured by the humidifier is used for estimating the water shortage timing. Therefore, in the humidifier control system according to the embodiment, the water shortage timing can be accurately estimated.

[0010] (3) The humidifier control system according to (2), preferably, the control unit is further configured to estimate the water shortage timing based on the decrease rate when the water level in the water storage unit is lower than the detection lower limit water level of the water level sensor. The detection lower limit water level is, for example, a water level close to zero, and is a water level at which an operation for estimating the water shortage timing can be performed before the water level reaches zero. Thereby, the estimation accuracy of the water shortage timing can be improved.

[0011] (4) The humidifier control system according to (3), preferably, estimating the water shortage timing based on the decrease rate includes estimating the water shortage timing based on the decrease rate calculated before the water level in the water storage unit reaches the detection lower limit water level. Thereby, the decrease rate of the water level used for estimating the water shortage timing can be made closer to the decrease rate at the detection lower limit water level. Therefore, the estimation accuracy of the water shortage timing can be improved.

[0012] (5) The humidifier control system according to (2), preferably, the humidifier has a plurality of operation parameters, and estimating the water shortage timing based on the decrease rate includes estimating the water shortage timing based on the decrease rate associated with the operation parameter being set in the humidifier among the plurality of operation parameters. Thereby, the decrease rate of the water level used for estimating the water shortage timing can be made closer to the decrease rate at the detection lower limit water level. Therefore, the estimation accuracy of the water shortage timing can be improved.

[0013] (6)(5) The humidifier control system described above, preferably, when the operating parameters set for the humidifier are switched, the control unit is configured to associate the operating parameters before the switch with the decreasing rate and store them in the memory. As a result, the decreasing rate of the water level used for estimating the water shortage timing can be made closer to the decreasing rate at the detection lower water level. Therefore, the estimation accuracy of the water shortage timing can be improved.

[0014] (7) The humidifier according to the embodiment is equipped with the humidifier control system of (1) to (6). Therefore, the humidifier according to the embodiment can give a water supply notification when the water supply part is empty or substantially empty. As a result, in the humidifier, water supply is performed after the water supply part becomes empty.

[0015] (8) The control method of the humidifier according to the embodiment is a control method of the humidifier installed in a computer, and includes causing a water supply notification that prompts water supply to the water storage part to be given at the water shortage timing when the water level becomes zero, based on the decreasing rate of the water level in the water storage part of the humidifier. Therefore, by controlling the humidifier with the control method according to the embodiment, a water supply notification can be given when the water supply part of the humidifier is empty or substantially empty. As a result, in the humidifier, water supply is performed after the water supply part becomes empty.

[0016] <2. Examples of Humidifier Control System, Humidifier, and Humidifier Control Method> [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system 100A according to the first embodiment. The control system 100A includes a control unit 30. The control unit 30 controls the humidifier 3. In the control system 100A, as an example, the control unit 30 is installed in the humidifier 3. The humidifier 3 may be installed in an air cleaner, an air conditioner, or the like.

[0017] The humidifier 3 has a water storage section 36. The control section 30 controls a water supply notification that prompts water supply to the water storage section 36. The control section 30 is configured to cause the water supply notification to be issued at a water shortage timing based on the rate of decrease in the water level of the water storage section 36. The water shortage timing refers to the timing when the water level is zero or approximately zero such that it can be regarded as zero.

[0018] The water storage section 36 includes a water storage tray 61. The water storage tray 61 is, for example, configured such that its upper surface is open and it can be inserted into and removed from the housing 3A of the humidifier 3. In this case, the water storage tray 61 can be taken out from the housing 3A and water can be supplied to the water storage section 36 by pouring water from the upper surface.

[0019] The water storage section 36 may further have a vaporization filter 62 disposed in the water storage tray 61. The vaporization filter 62 adsorbs the water in the water storage tray 61. The vaporization filter 62 is disposed in the water storage tray 61 such that its upper part is above the highest water level of the water storage tray 61. Thereby, the vaporization filter 62 vaporizes the adsorbed water above the water surface.

[0020] The humidifier 3 has a heating section (heater) not shown in the figure. The humidifier 3 heats the surrounding air by the heating section. Also, the humidifier 3 has a fan not shown in the figure. The humidifier 3 improves the vaporization efficiency of the water in the water storage tray 61 by operating the fan to direct the heated warm air onto the vaporization filter 62.

[0021] The control section 30 controls the rotation speed of a fan not shown in the figure, that is, the intensity of the fan. As an example, the control section 30 controls such that the intensity of the fan has a plurality of levels of "weak", "medium", and "strong". Also, the control section 30 controls the temperature of a heater not shown in the figure. As an example, the control section 30 controls the on / off of the heater.

[0022] The humidifier 3 has a plurality of operating parameters. The fan intensity and the heater on / off are examples of the operating parameters of the humidifier 3. The operating parameters of the humidifier 3 are not limited to the fan intensity and the heater on / off, and may be only one of them, may further include other parameters, or may be added or changed according to user settings. The humidifier 3 has one or more operating modes by combining a plurality of operating parameters. When the operating mode is set according to the operation signal from the operation unit 34, the corresponding operating parameters are automatically set. Or, the operating parameters may be set respectively according to the operation signal from the operation unit 34. Also, for example, when environmental conditions such as ambient humidity and temperature are set, the operating parameters may change dynamically so as to be the set environmental conditions.

[0023] The humidifier 3 has an operation unit 34. The operation unit 34 is a touch panel or the like and receives user operations. The operation unit 34 inputs an operation signal to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 controls each part of the humidifier 3 according to the operation signal. As an example, the control unit 30 controls the temperature of a heating unit (not shown) and the fan intensity so that the ambient air reaches the humidity set by the operation unit 34. Also, the operation unit 34 displays according to the control signal from the control unit 30.

[0024] The humidifier 3 has a sensor 65 for sensing the amount of water in the water storage unit 36. The sensor 65 inputs a sensor signal to the control unit 30. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an example of the sensor 65. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an example of the sensor 65 and the float 64. The sensor 65 and the float 64 are a water level sensor as an example of a sensor for sensing the amount of water in the water storage unit 36.

[0025] The sensor 65 has a plurality of sensor elements 651A, 651B, 651C, …, 651I (also collectively referred to as sensor elements 651 for representing them). In the examples of FIGS. 2 and 3, the sensor 65 has nine sensor elements 651. The number of sensor elements 651 of the sensor 65 may be nine or more, or may be less than nine.

[0026] The plurality of sensor elements 651 are arranged side by side in the first direction D. In the example of FIG. 2, the first direction D is represented by the vertical direction. Preferably, the plurality of sensor elements 651 are arranged side by side at equal intervals or approximately equal intervals in the first direction D.

[0027] The sensor element 651 is an element capable of detecting a material to be detected, which will be described later, and is, for example, a Hall element. In this case, the sensor element 651 outputs a voltage proportional to the magnetic field. The sensor 65 has an integrated circuit 652. The integrated circuit 652 processes the signal (voltage) output from the sensor element 651 and inputs it to the control unit 30.

[0028] A float 64 having buoyancy is installed inside the end of the water storage tray 61 so as to be able to float and sink (FIG. 3). A material to be detected that can be detected by the sensor 65 is attached to the float 64. When the sensor element 651 is a Hall element, the material to be detected is, for example, a magnet 641.

[0029] The sensor 65 is installed inside the housing 3A and near the end on the side where the float 64 of the water storage tray 61 is installed (FIG. 3). Specifically, the sensor 65 is installed so that the first direction D coincides or approximately coincides with the vertical direction. In the example of FIG. 3, the sensor 65 is arranged such that the sensor elements 651A, 651B, 651C,..., 651I are arranged in order from bottom to top.

[0030] As an example, the sensor 65 is arranged such that the sensor element 651I is near the water level where the water volume in the water storage section 36 is 100% of the ideal full water volume, the sensor element 651G is near the water level of 75%, the sensor element 651F is near the water level of 50%, the sensor element 651D is near the water level of 25%, the sensor element 651B is near the water level of 1%, and the sensor element 651A is near the water level of 0%.

[0031] The magnetic field in the sensor element 651 close to the magnet 641 is large, while the magnetic field in the sensor element 651 far from the magnet 641 is small. The voltage from the sensor element 651 becomes larger as the magnetic field is larger and smaller as the magnetic field is smaller. Therefore, the position where the sensor element 651 that outputs the largest voltage is arranged can be generally said to be the water level in the water storage section 36.

[0032] The signal processing of the integrated circuit 652 includes, as an example, comparing the signal (voltage) output from the sensor element 651 with a threshold value. The sensor 65 inputs a signal indicating whether the voltage of each sensor element 651 is equal to or greater than the threshold value to the control unit 30 as a sensor signal.

[0033] The method for detecting the amount of water in the water storage section 36 is not limited to the methods shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Also, the sensor element 651 used is not limited to a Hall element. Any method capable of detecting the amount of water in the water storage section 36 may be used.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the control unit 30. The control unit 30 has a processor 31 and a memory 32. The processor 31 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory 32 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and stores a program 321 executed by the processor 31. Also, the memory 32 has a decrease rate database (DB) 322 for storing the decrease rate of the water level in the water storage section 36, which will be described later.

[0035] The processor 31 executes a notification process 311 according to the program 321. The notification process 311 includes causing a water supply notification to be made at the water shortage timing. As an example, the notification process 311 includes detecting the water level in the water storage section 36.

[0036] In detecting the water level, the processor 31 uses, as an example, the correspondence C between the signal from the sensor 65 and the water level. The processor 31 stores the correspondence C (Fig. 4). Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence C. In the correspondence C, each column represents whether the voltage of each sensor element 651 is equal to or higher than the threshold value (on) or less than the threshold value (off), and each row represents the on / off combination of each sensor element 651 at the sensing time point. The black circles in Fig. 5 represent on, and the white circles represent off. The correspondence C in Fig. 5 defines the relationship between the on / off combination of each sensor element 651 at the sensing time point and the water level.

[0037] When the float 64 moves downward from top to bottom as the water level decreases, the on sensor elements 651 change in order from the sensor elements 651 arranged above the plurality of sensor elements 651. Specifically, in the correspondence C of Fig. 5, the water level at which only the sensor element 651I is on is defined as 100%, the water level at which only the sensor element 651G is on is defined as 75%, the water level at which only the sensor element 651E is on is defined as 50%, the water level at which only the sensor element 651C is on is defined as 25%, the water level at which only the sensor element 651A is on is defined as 1%, and the water level at which all the sensor elements are off is defined as 0%.

[0038] In the notification process 311, the processor 31 determines, as an example, the water level of the water storage unit 36 based on the sensor signal from the sensor 65 and the correspondence C. Note that using the correspondence C is just an example, and the water level may be determined by other methods. That is, as another example, the processor 31 may store in advance an arithmetic expression for calculating the water level from the signal from the sensor 65, and determine the water level by substituting the sensor signal from the sensor 65 into the arithmetic expression.

[0039] Also, the notification process 311 includes, as an example, calculating the rate of decrease of the water level. As an example, in the notification process 311, the processor 31 can calculate the rate of decrease of the water level using the water level determined at a predetermined timing and the water level determined after a predetermined time has elapsed. The processor 31 stores the calculated rate of decrease of the water level in the rate-of-decrease DB322.

[0040] The humidifier 3 has a plurality of operation modes, for example, by a combination of any one of the operation parameters of "weak", "medium", and "strong" of the fan and any one of the operation parameters of on and off of the heater. Therefore, preferably, every time the operation parameter changes, the processor calculates the water level decrease rate and overwrites the water level decrease rate stored in the decrease rate DB322. As a result, the latest water level decrease rate is stored in the decrease rate DB322.

[0041] Further, the notification process 311 includes, for example, estimating the drought timing when the water level becomes zero based on the water level decrease rate. In estimating the drought timing, the processor 31 uses the water level decrease rate calculated before the estimation time of the drought timing. As an example, the processor 31 estimates the drought timing by dividing the water level at the estimation time by the water level decrease rate stored in the decrease rate DB322. Note that the calculation method for estimating the drought timing is not limited to the above method.

[0042] In the notification process 312, the processor 31 causes a water supply notification to be made at the estimated drought timing. The water supply notification may be, for example, causing a display prompting water supply to be made on the operation unit 34. As another example, the water supply notification may be outputting a voice prompting water supply from a speaker (not shown), or may be a combination of voice output and display.

[0043] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a control method of the humidifier 3 according to the first embodiment. When a change in an operation parameter such as a change in the operation mode of the humidifier 3 occurs (YES in step S101), the processor 31 of the control unit 30 calculates the water level decrease rate of the water storage unit 36 (step S103) and stores it in the decrease rate DB322 (step S105).

[0044] The processor 31 receives the input of the sensor signal from the sensor 65 (step S107), and determines the water level of the water storage unit 36 using the correspondence C (step S109). The processor 31 stores the detection lower limit water level T1. The detection lower limit water level T1 refers to the water level at the timing of estimating the drought timing. Preferably, the detection lower limit water level T1 is a water level close to zero, and before the water level reaches zero, it is a water level at which the calculation for estimating the drought timing can be performed. In the example of FIG. 5, the detection lower limit water level T1 is set to the water level of 1%. Thereby, the estimation accuracy of the drought timing can be improved.

[0045] The processor 31 compares the water level determined in step S109 with the detection lower limit water level T1, and determines whether or not the water level of the water storage unit 36 has reached the detection lower limit water level T1. Until the water level of the water storage unit 36 reaches the detection lower limit water level T1 (NO in step S111), the processor 31 does not perform the processing after step S113, and repeats steps S101 to S109. That is, the processor 31 does not estimate the drought timing until the water level of the water storage unit 36 reaches the detection lower limit water level T1.

[0046] When the water level of the water storage unit 36 reaches the detection lower limit water level T1 (YES in step S111), the processor 31 estimates the drought timing using the decrease rate stored in the decrease rate DB322 (step S113).

[0047] Thereafter, the processor 31 measures the passage of time and determines the arrival at the drought timing. When the drought timing is reached (YES in step S115), the processor 31 causes a water supply notification to be issued, for example, by the display of the operation unit 34 (step S117).

[0048] With the above configuration, in the control system according to the first embodiment, a water supply notification for prompting water supply is given to the humidifier 3 at the drought timing based on the decrease rate of the water level of the water storage unit 36. As a result, in the humidifier 3, a water supply notification is issued when the water storage unit 36 is empty. As a result, in the humidifier 3, water supply is performed after the water storage unit 36 becomes empty.

[0049] The water shortage timing is estimated based on the calculated rate of decrease before the water level in the water storage unit 36 reaches the detection lower limit water level T1. Thereby, the rate of decrease of the water level used for estimating the water shortage timing can be made closer to the rate of decrease at the time of the detection lower limit water level T1. Therefore, the estimation accuracy of the water shortage timing can be improved.

[0050] In the control system according to the first embodiment, when the water level in the water storage unit 36 is higher than the detection lower limit water level T1, every time the operation parameter changes, the rate of decrease of the water level is calculated and overwritten in the rate of decrease DB322. The rate of decrease stored in the rate of decrease DB322 is likely to be the rate of decrease of the water level when the same operation parameter as the time when the water level reaches the detection lower limit water level T1 is set. Therefore, by using the rate of decrease stored in the rate of decrease DB322 for calculating the water shortage timing, in the control system according to the first embodiment, the water shortage timing can be accurately estimated.

[0051] [Second Embodiment] In the control system 100A according to the second embodiment, when the operation parameter set in the humidifier 3 is switched, the operation parameter before the switch and the calculated rate of decrease are associated and stored in the rate of decrease DB322. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of the rate of decrease DB322. In the rate of decrease DB322 of FIG. 7, the calculated rate of decrease is stored for each combination of "weak", "medium", "strong" of the fan and on / off of the heater.

[0052] The processor 31, as an example, when calculating the rate of decrease of the water level in the notification process 311, stores it in the rate of decrease DB322 in association with the operation parameter being set at the time of calculation. Thereby, in the rate of decrease DB322, every time the operation parameter changes, the rate of decrease calculated in association with the operation parameter before the switch is stored.

[0053] The control method of the humidifier 3 according to the second embodiment is generally the same as the control method according to the first embodiment (FIG. 6). In the control method of the humidifier 3 according to the second embodiment, in step S113, the processor 31 of the control unit 30 reads out the decrease rate stored in association with the same operation parameter as the currently set operation parameter from the decrease rate DB322 and uses it for estimating the drought timing.

[0054] With the above configuration, in the control system according to the second embodiment, the decrease rate of the water level calculated when the operation parameter is the same as the time when the water level reaches the detection lower limit water level T1 is used for calculating the drought timing. Thereby, even when the operation parameter is switched immediately before the water level reaches the detection lower limit water level T1, the decrease rate calculated before the water level reaches the detection lower limit water level T1 and associated with the currently set operation parameter is obtained from the decrease rate DB322. Therefore, in the control system according to the second embodiment, the drought timing can be accurately estimated.

[0055] [Third Embodiment] The timing for calculating the decrease rate of the water level in the control system is not limited to the timing when the operation parameter changes. As another example, the control system according to the third embodiment stores the decrease rate calculation water level T2 shown in FIG. 5. The decrease rate calculation water level T2 refers to the water level at which the decrease rate of the water level is calculated. The decrease rate calculation water level T2 is close to the detection lower limit water level T1 to such an extent that the operation mode is unlikely to be switched, and is a water level at which the decrease rate can be calculated before reaching the detection lower limit water level T1. In the example of FIG. 5, the decrease rate calculation water level T2 is set to the 25% water level.

[0056] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the control method of the humidifier 3 according to the third embodiment. Instead of detecting the change in the operation parameter in step S101 of the control method of the humidifier 3 according to the first embodiment (FIG. 6), in the control method of the humidifier 3 according to the third embodiment, steps S301 to S305 are executed, which is different.

[0057] That is, in the control method of the humidifier 3 according to the third embodiment, the processor 31 receives the input of the sensor signal from the sensor 65 (step S301), and determines the water level of the water storage unit 36 using the correspondence C (step S303). The processor 31 compares the water level determined in step S303 with the decreasing speed calculation water level T2, and determines whether the water level of the water storage unit 36 has reached the decreasing speed calculation water level T2. Until the water level of the water storage unit 36 reaches the decreasing speed calculation water level T2 (NO in step S305), the processor 31 does not perform the processing after step S103 and waits until the water level of the water storage unit 36 reaches the decreasing speed calculation water level T2. That is, the processor 31 does not calculate the decreasing speed until the water level of the water storage unit 36 reaches the decreasing speed calculation water level T2.

[0058] When the water level of the water storage unit 36 reaches the decreasing speed calculation water level T2 (YES in step S305), the processor 31 calculates the decreasing speed of the water level of the water storage unit 36 (step S103), and stores it in the decreasing speed DB322 in association with the operation parameter (step S105).

[0059] Thereafter, the processor 31 waits until the water level reaches the detection lower limit water level T1. When the water level reaches the detection lower limit water level T1 (YES in step S111), the processor 31 estimates the drought timing using the decreasing speed stored in the decreasing speed DB322 (step S113).

[0060] With the above configuration, in the control system according to the third embodiment, when the water level in the water storage unit 36 reaches the decreasing speed calculation water level T2, the decreasing speed of the water level is calculated. Thereby, the processing amount for calculating the decreasing speed can be suppressed. At this time, by setting the decreasing speed calculation water level T2 to a water level close to the detection lower limit water level T1, the operation parameter being set at the time of calculating the decreasing speed of the water level is likely to be the same as the operation parameter being set at the time when the water level reaches the detection lower limit water level T1. Thereby, in the control system according to the third embodiment, it is possible to accurately estimate the drought timing while suppressing the processing amount.

[0061] [Modification Example] The control method according to the third embodiment (FIG. 8) may be further combined with the control method according to the first embodiment (FIG. 6). That is, as a modification of the control method according to the third embodiment, after calculating the decrease rate in step S103 and storing it in the decrease rate DB322 in step S105, if a change in the operation parameter is detected before the water level reaches the detection lower limit water level T1, the processor 31 may further calculate the decrease rate and store it in the decrease rate DB322. At this time, the calculated decrease rate may overwrite the decrease rate in the decrease rate DB322, or, as in the second embodiment (FIG. 7), each time the operation parameter changes, the decrease rate calculated in association with the operation parameter before switching may be stored.

[0062] [Fourth Embodiment] The water supply notification may be performed on another device different from the humidifier 3, instead of or in addition to the operation unit 34 of the humidifier 3. As an example of the different other device, it is a user terminal. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the humidifier 3 and the user terminal 2 according to the fourth embodiment. The control unit 30 of the humidifier 3 according to the fourth embodiment has a communication unit 37 and can communicate with the user terminal 2.

[0063] The user terminal 2 is a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet. The user terminal 2 may be a dedicated terminal such as a remote controller (remote control). The user terminal 2 has a control unit 20, and the control unit 20 has a processor 21 and a memory 22. The processor 21 is, for example, a CPU. The memory 22 includes, for example, ROM, RAM, etc., and stores a program 221 executed by the processor 21. The program 221 is, for example, a dedicated application for controlling the humidifier 3.

[0064] The control unit 20 further has a communication unit 25 for performing wireless communication with other devices. As an example, the communication unit 25 is a communication module for performing short-range wireless communication with other devices. As an example, the communication unit 25 performs short-range wireless communication with the communication unit 37 of the humidifier 3.

[0065] The user terminal 2 has a touch panel 23 as an example of a display unit and an operation unit. The processor 21 may cause the touch panel 23 to perform water supply notification, such as by displaying on the touch panel 23, and may receive user operations on the humidifier 3 via the touch panel 23 according to the program 221.

[0066] The control method of the humidifier 3 according to the fourth embodiment is generally the same as the control method according to the first embodiment (FIG. 6). In the control method of the humidifier 3 according to the fourth embodiment, when the processor 31 causes the water supply notification to be performed in step S117, the communication unit 37 is caused to output an instruction for the water supply notification to the user terminal 2.

[0067] In the fourth embodiment, when receiving an instruction for water supply notification from the control unit 30 of the humidifier 3, the control unit 20 of the user terminal 2 causes the processor 21 to display the water supply notification in a specified method on the touch panel 23 according to the program 221.

[0068] With the above configuration, in the control system according to the fourth embodiment, a water supply notification for prompting water supply to the humidifier 3 at the water shortage timing based on the decrease rate of the water level in the water storage unit 36 is performed by displaying on the touch panel 23 of the user terminal 2 instead of or in addition to the operation unit 34 of the humidifier 3. When the user terminal 2 is a device that the user keeps close, such as a smartphone, since the water supply notification is received from a device close to the user, it becomes easier to prompt the user to supply water.

[0069] [Fifth Embodiment] In at least a part of the control of the humidifier 3 described in the first to fourth embodiments, it may be performed by other devices. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system 100B according to a fifth embodiment. The control system 100B includes a control unit 30 of the humidifier 3 and a control unit 10 of the server 1. In this case, the control unit 30 of the humidifier 3 and the control unit 10 of the server 1 may function as one control unit. Further, the control system 100B may further include a control unit 20 of the user terminal 2. In this case, the control unit 30 of the humidifier 3, the control unit 10 of the server 1, and the control unit 20 of the user terminal 2 may function as one control unit. The control unit 30 of the humidifier 3 can communicate with the server 1 via a communication network 5 such as the Internet. In the control system 100B according to the fifth embodiment, at least a part of the control of the humidifier 3 described in the first to fourth embodiments is executed by the control unit 10 of the server 1 and / or the control unit 20 of the user terminal 2.

[0070] The control method of the humidifier 3 according to the fifth embodiment is generally the same as the control method (FIG. 6) according to the first embodiment. In the control method according to the fifth embodiment, at least a part of the processes shown in FIG. 6 is executed by the control unit 10 of the server 1 and / or the control unit 20 of the user terminal 2.

[0071] As an example, the control unit 10 of the server 1 may obtain the water level of the water storage unit 36 from the control unit 30 of the humidifier 3 and calculate the rate of decrease in the water level in step S103. Further, when the control unit 10 of the server 1 obtains the water level of the water storage unit 36 from the control unit 30 of the humidifier 3 and detects that the water level has reached the detection lower limit water level T1 in step S111, it may estimate the drought timing in step S113.

[0072] <3. Supplementary Note> The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, two or more of the above first to fifth embodiments may be combined.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0073] 1: Server, 2: User terminal, 3: Humidifier, 10, 20, 30: Control unit, 36: Water storage unit, 100A, 100B: Control system, T1: Detection lower limit water level

Claims

1. A control system for a humidifier, comprising: a control unit that controls a water supply notification for prompting water supply to a water storage unit of the humidifier; the control unit is configured to cause the water supply notification to be issued at a water shortage timing when the water level becomes zero, based on a decrease rate of the water level in the water storage unit. A control system for a humidifier.

2. The control unit is further configured to calculate the decrease rate based on a detection result of a water level sensor provided in the humidifier. The control system for a humidifier according to Claim 1.

3. The control unit is further configured to estimate the water shortage timing based on the decrease rate when the water level in the water storage unit is lower than a detection lower limit water level of the water level sensor. The control system for a humidifier according to Claim 2.

4. Estimating the water shortage timing based on the decrease rate includes estimating the water shortage timing based on the decrease rate calculated before the water level in the water storage unit reaches the detection lower limit water level. The control system for a humidifier according to Claim 3.

5. The humidifier has a plurality of operation parameters. Estimating the water shortage timing based on the decrease rate includes estimating the water shortage timing based on the decrease rate associated with the operation parameter currently set in the humidifier among the plurality of operation parameters. The control system for a humidifier according to Claim 2.

6. The control unit is further configured to, when the operation parameter set in the humidifier is switched, associate the operation parameter before the switch and the decrease rate and store them in a memory. The control system for a humidifier according to Claim 5.

7. A humidifier comprising the control system for a humidifier according to any one of Claims 1 to 6. A humidifier.

8. A control method for a humidifier installed in a computer, comprising: causing a water supply notification for prompting water supply to the water storage unit to be issued at a water shortage timing when the water level becomes zero, based on a decrease rate of the water level in the water storage unit of the humidifier. A control method for a humidifier.

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