Relay device, facility equipment and facility equipment system equipped with the same

Abstract

To provide a relay device that can easily check the communication status, facility equipment equipped with the same, and a facility equipment system.SOLUTION: In order to relay communication between facility equipment and a server device, a relay device performs first communication with the facility equipment and performs second communication with the server device via a communication network. The relay device includes: a communication quality measuring unit that measures communication quality in at least one of the first communication and the second communication; and a measurement result transmission unit that performs transmission to the facility equipment by the first communication in order to report the communication quality measurement results in a report unit provided in the facility equipment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a relay device that relays communication between facility equipment such as a water heater and a server device, and to a facility equipment and a facility equipment system including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an equipment system in which a relay device connected to equipment such as a water heater and a server device such as a management server are communicatively connected via a communication network, and the management server manages the operating status of the equipment. In such equipment systems, if the communication status deteriorates due to superimposition of noise during communication between the relay device and the server device or the equipment, the receiving device (such as the management server) cannot receive correct data, and there is a risk that the operating status of the equipment cannot be adequately managed.

[0003] In particular, when the deterioration of communication conditions is temporary, it may be difficult to determine the cause of the deterioration and to determine what measures should be taken. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-27546 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As a method for checking such communication status, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses a system that stores a communication log between a relay device and a management server and can display the communication log on a communication terminal. However, there is room for improvement in the configuration to enable a user or administrator to check the communication status more easily.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a relay device that can easily check the communication status, and an equipment and equipment system equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a relay device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a relay device that performs a first communication with an equipment device and a second communication with the server device via a communication network in order to relay communication between the equipment device and a server device, and is equipped with a communication quality measurement unit that measures communication quality in at least one of the first communication and the second communication, and a measurement result transmission unit that transmits the measurement result of the communication quality to the equipment device via the first communication so that the measurement result is reported by a reporting unit provided in the equipment device.

[0008] According to this configuration, the relay device measures the communication quality between the relay device and the facility device or between the relay device and the server device, and transmits the result to the facility device. This allows the facility device to perform a notification based on the measurement result in the notification unit. Therefore, the facility device can easily check the communication quality.

[0009] The facility device may include a facility device main body and a remote control for remotely operating the facility device main body, and the notification unit may be provided in the remote control, thereby allowing a user of the facility device to check communication quality on the remote control that is normally operated by the user.

[0010] The server device may include a management server, and the measurement result transmission unit may be configured to transmit the measurement result of the communication quality to the management server by the second communication. This allows communication quality information to be accumulated in the management server that remotely manages the facility equipment, making it possible to check the communication quality of the facility equipment and analyze the cause of deterioration of the communication state at a location away from the facility equipment.

[0011] The communication quality measurement unit may measure the communication quality in the first communication and the second communication, and the measurement result transmission unit may transmit the measurement result of the communication quality together with identification information indicating whether the measurement result is the measurement result of the first communication or the measurement result of the second communication. According to the above configuration, the relay device measures the communication quality between the relay device and the facility device and the communication quality between the relay device and the server device, and transmits the results together with identification information that can distinguish the two from each other. Therefore, it is easy to analyze whether the deterioration of communication quality occurred in the first communication (between the facility device and the relay device) or the second communication (between the relay device and the server device).

[0012] A relay device according to another aspect of the present invention is a relay device that performs a first communication with an equipment device and a second communication with the server device via a communication network in order to relay communication between the equipment device and a server device, wherein the server device includes a management server, and the relay device is equipped with a communication quality measurement unit that measures communication quality in at least one of the first communication and the second communication, and a measurement result transmission unit that transmits the measurement results of the communication quality to the management server via the second communication.

[0013] According to this configuration, the relay device measures the communication quality between the relay device and the facility device, and transmits the result to the management server. Therefore, since communication quality information is also accumulated in the management server that remotely manages the facility device, it is easy to check the communication quality of the facility device and analyze the cause of deterioration of the communication state at a location away from the facility device.

[0014] The communication quality measurement unit may start measuring the communication quality based on a request signal from the management server. This allows the management server to send a request signal when it is deemed necessary, such as when communication failures occur frequently. This allows the communication quality of the facility equipment to be checked and the cause of deterioration of the communication quality to be analyzed at a location away from the facility equipment, while keeping the frequency of communication quality measurements and the frequency of transmissions to the management server low.

[0015] An equipment device according to another aspect of the present invention includes the above-mentioned relay device, an equipment device main body, and a remote control for remotely operating the equipment device main body, and the relay device is built into a housing of the remote control.

[0016] An equipment system according to another aspect of the present invention includes the relay device described above, equipment communicatively connected to the relay device, and a management device communicatively connected to the relay device via a communication network. Effect of the Invention

[0017] The present invention has the above-described configuration and provides the effect of making it possible to easily check the communication state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an equipment system in one embodiment according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an image diagram showing a flow of the measurement process of communication quality in the first communication in this embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an image diagram showing a flow of a measurement process of communication quality in the second communication in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, the same or corresponding elements are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and duplicated descriptions thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0020] (One embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an equipment system in one embodiment according to the present invention.

[0021] This facility equipment system 1 includes a water heater 2 (e.g., a combustion heating water heater) which is an example of facility equipment, remote controls 3A, 3B dedicated to the water heater which are communicatively connected to the water heater 2, and a management server 5 which is a server device connected to a communication network 4 such as the Internet. One remote control 3A has a built-in relay device (external communication unit 36 ​​described later) within its housing for relaying communication between the water heater 2 and the management server 5. The management server 5 communicates with the remote control 3A via the communication network 4 and a router (wireless LAN router) 6 connected to this communication network 4. The wireless LAN router 6 is owned by a resident (user) of the house in which the water heater 2 is installed.

[0022] There may be only one home in which a water heater 2 is installed, but there are usually many, and there may be only one water heater 2 constituting the facility equipment system 1, but there are usually many. Here, only one water heater 2 is shown as a representative, and remote controls 3A, 3B and a router 6 corresponding only to that water heater 2 are shown. The illustrated components will be described below.

[0023] The water heater 2 comprises a water heater main body 21 and a controller 22 that is connected to the water heater main body 21 and includes a main control unit 23 that controls the water heater main body 21. The water heater main body 21 is installed in a predetermined location outdoors or indoors of the house, and is provided with a hot water supply function for a predetermined hot water supply location such as a bath or kitchen, a bath reheating function, etc. The controller 22 is usually provided inside the housing of the water heater main body 21.

[0024] The controller 22 includes a main control unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a communication unit 25. The main control unit 23 includes a microcontroller or integrated circuit configured with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. A signal path (not shown) for controlling each electrical component, etc., is provided between the main control unit 23 and each electrical component, etc., constituting the water heater main body 21, including the blower and bath pump. The storage unit 24 is configured, for example, with a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. The main control unit 23 executes various controls of the water heater main body 21 according to a control program stored in the storage unit 24. The control program includes various programs related to the operation of each electrical component, and each electrical component is controlled based on these programs.

[0025] In this embodiment, remote controls 3A and 3B are configured as wall-mounted remote controls (dedicated remote controls) that are installed on a wall or the like in a room to remotely operate water heater main body 21. Controller 22 and remote controls 3A and 3B are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via communication line 7. Main control unit 23 communicates with remote controls 3A and 3B via communication unit 25. Remote controls 3A and 3B are configured to be able to output operation signals to main control unit 23.

[0026] For this purpose, the remote control 3A includes an operation unit 31 for performing input operations by the user, an alarm unit 32 for notifying information from the water heater main body 21, a communication unit 33 for communicating with the water heater 2 (main control unit 23), a memory unit 34, and a remote control control unit 35. Although not shown, the remote control 3B also includes the operation unit 31, the alarm unit 32, the communication unit 33, the memory unit 34, and the remote control control unit 35, similar to the remote control 3A. The operation unit 31, the alarm unit 32, the communication unit 33, the memory unit 34, and the remote control control unit 35 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a communication bus 37. Although not shown, the alarm unit 32 includes, for example, a display (display unit) on which the current set temperature for hot water supply and / or bath water, an operation confirmation display, the current time, etc. are displayed, and a speaker (audio output unit) that outputs a set temperature reaching sound, a warning sound, a predetermined announcement, etc.

[0027] The operation unit 31 includes, for example, a plurality of operation buttons. The remote control unit 35 is configured with a microcontroller or the like, and when any of the plurality of operation buttons is pressed, generates an operation signal corresponding to the pressed operation button. The generated operation signal is sent to the main control unit 23 via the communication units 33 and 25, and the main control unit 23 controls the water heater main body 21 based on the received operation signal.

[0028] In addition, two remote controls 3A, 3B are shown for one water heater 2. For example, remote control 3A is a kitchen remote control installed in the kitchen, and remote control 3B is a bathroom remote control installed in the bathroom. The number of remote controls is not limited to this, and may be one, or three or more. Furthermore, the installation locations of each remote control are not limited to the above.

[0029] For example, a two-core communication line that can superimpose communication information on a power line is used as the communication line 7. The water heater 2 has a power supply unit (not shown) that converts AC voltage supplied from an external AC power source (commercial power source) to generate a predetermined DC voltage, and uses the DC voltage generated by the power supply unit internally and also supplies it to the remote controls 3A and 3B via the communication line (two-core communication line) 7 as a power supply voltage for operating the remote controls 3A and 3B.

[0030] Information communicated between the water heater 2 (main control unit 23) and remote controls 3A, 3B includes command data regarding hot water supply (switching the operation mode of the water heater main body 21 on / off, changing the hot water supply set temperature, etc.), data on the hot water supply status (measurement results of various sensors, notifications when the bath set temperature has been reached, abnormality notifications, etc.), etc.

[0031] As described above, of the two remote controls 3A, 3B, the remote control 3A includes an external communication unit 36 ​​that is communicatively connected to the router 6 as a relay device between the water heater 2 and the management server 5. The external communication unit 36 ​​is directly connected to the communication line 7 and is configured to be able to communicate with the main control unit 23 (communication unit 25) and the remote control control unit 35 (communication unit 33), etc. The external communication unit 36 ​​executes communication processing with the main control unit 23, and also executes communication processing with the management server 5 via the router 6 and the communication network 4. The external communication unit (relay device) 36, for example, converts the communication format of the device information transmitted from the main control unit 23 and transmits it to the management server 5 via the router 6 and the communication network 4.

[0032] The management server 5 includes a storage unit 50 that stores device information. The device information includes device configuration information that is first transmitted from the main control unit 23 to the external communication unit 36 ​​after the power is turned on, operation status information indicating the operation status of the water heater main body 21 that is transmitted from the main control unit 23 to the external communication unit 36 ​​periodically (for example, at one-hour intervals), error information, and the like. The device configuration information is information indicating the type of the water heater main body 21, and the operation status information is information including the hot water supply setting temperature of the water heater main body 21, the number of combustion operations, the combustion operation time, and the like. The error information is information indicating an abnormality when some abnormality occurs in the water heater main body 21, and is also displayed on each remote control 3A, 3B.

[0033] The device information is transmitted from the external communication unit 36 ​​to the management server 5 together with the identification number of the external communication unit 36 ​​as a relay device. Then, the management server 5 stores the received device information in the storage unit 50 in association with the identification number of the relay device.

[0034] Furthermore, the external communication unit 36 ​​acquires information transmitted from the management server 5 via the communication network 4 and the router 6, and, if necessary, converts the communication format and transmits it to the main control unit 23.

[0035] It should be noted that the remote control 3B that does not incorporate a relay device does not include the external communication unit .

[0036] The external communication unit 36 ​​performs a measurement process of communication quality, which will be described later. At this time, the external communication unit 36 ​​exerts functions of a communication quality measurement unit 41 and a measurement result transmission unit 42, etc. Note that, hereinafter, communication between the external communication unit 36 ​​and the water heater 2 (controller 22 and / or remote controls 3A, 3B) is referred to as a first communication, and communication between the external communication unit 36 ​​and the management server 5 is referred to as a second communication.

[0037] Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are conceptual diagrams showing the flow of a measurement process of communication quality in this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram related to measurement of communication quality in a first communication, and Fig. 3 is a diagram related to measurement of communication quality in a second communication. Note that Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show each configuration shown in Fig. 1 in a simplified manner (partially omitted).

[0038] The communication quality measurement unit 41 measures the communication quality in the first communication and the second communication. As described above, the first communication is communication through the communication line (two-core communication line) 7 between the communication unit 25 in the controller 22 of the water heater 2 and the external communication unit (relay device) 36. The communication signal transmitted in the first communication includes a data section and a checksum section. The control unit on the transmitting side (main control unit 23 or external communication unit 36) divides the data to be transmitted into a predetermined number of bits, adds up the divided data, and transmits a number that, when added to the result, results in all bits being 1 as data in the checksum section together with the data (data section).

[0039] The control unit on the receiving side (external communication unit 36 ​​or main control unit 23) performs the same calculation as above on the data in the received data section, and compares the checksum result with the data in the checksum section. If the checksum result matches the data in the checksum section, the control unit on the receiving side acquires the data, assuming that the communication was correct, but if they do not match, it determines that there is an error such as superimposed noise, and does not accept the data.

[0040] The communication quality measurement unit 41 accumulates the number of times such errors occurred in the first communication, and counts the number of times the first communication was performed and the number of errors therein per unit time (e.g., 1 hour). In this way, the communication quality measurement unit 41 measures the ratio of the number of errors to the number of times the first communication was performed as the communication quality of the first communication (step S1A). In addition to this, or instead of this, the communication quality measurement unit 41 may count the time required for the first communication (response time). In this case, the average value and maximum value of the response time, the ratio of the number of communications that took more than a reference time to the number of communications, and the like can be measured as the communication quality.

[0041] Similarly, the communication quality measurement unit 41 accumulates the number of times communication failures (errors) occurred in the second communication, and counts the number of times the second communication was performed per unit time and the number of errors among those. The communication quality measurement unit 41 measures the ratio of the number of errors to the number of times the second communication was performed as the communication quality of the second communication (step S2A). In addition to this, or instead of this, the communication quality measurement unit 41 may count the time required for the second communication (response time). Note that the timing of measuring the communication quality of the first communication and the timing of measuring the communication quality of the second communication may be the same or different.

[0042] The measurement result transmission unit 42 transmits data (communication quality data) of the measurement results (aggregation results) of the communication quality in the first communication and the second communication to the main control unit 23 of the water heater 2 by the first communication (steps S1B, S2B). The main control unit 23 stores the received communication quality data in the memory unit 24. At this time, the measurement result transmission unit 42 transmits identification information indicating the measurement location (whether the measurement location is the first communication or the second communication) together with the communication quality data, and the main control unit 23 stores the identification information in the memory unit 24 in association with the communication quality data. Furthermore, the memory unit 24 may store the time when the error occurred and a communication log at that time (information indicating the time when the event occurred and the content of the event).

[0043] Main control unit 23 issues a notification through a notification unit included in water heater 2. For example, the measurement result of communication quality may be notified through notification unit 32 of remote control 3A. In this case, for example, when an operation to check communication quality is performed through operation unit 31, remote control 3A transmits a communication quality data request signal to main control unit 23. Having received the communication quality data request signal, main control unit 23 reads out corresponding communication quality data from storage unit 24 and transmits it to remote control 3A. Remote control 3A notifies the measurement result of communication quality through notification unit 32 based on the received communication quality data.

[0044] The measurement result of the communication quality can also be notified in the same manner as described above by the notifying unit 32 of the remote control 3B that does not function as a relay device. The measurement result transmitting unit 42 may transmit the communication quality data to at least one of the remote controls 3A and 3B and store it in its memory unit 34. In this case, the remote control control unit 35 may read the communication quality data from the memory unit 34 based on the operation to check the communication quality, and cause the notifying unit 32 to notify the measurement result of the communication quality.

[0045] According to this configuration, the relay device (external communication unit 36) measures the communication quality between the relay device and the water heater 2 and between the relay device and the management server 5, and transmits the results to the water heater 2. This allows the water heater 2 to perform a report based on the measurement results in the reporting unit 32. Therefore, the communication quality can be easily confirmed in the water heater 2. In addition, since the measurement results of the first communication and the measurement results of the second communication are transmitted together with mutually identifiable identification information, it is easy to analyze whether the deterioration of communication quality occurred in the first communication (between the water heater and the relay device) or in the second communication (between the relay device and the management server). In addition, since the reporting unit 32 that reports the measurement results of communication quality is provided in the remote controls 3A and 3B, the communication quality can be confirmed on the remote controls 3A and 3B that the user of the water heater 2 usually operates.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the measurement result transmission unit 42 also transmits the communication quality data in the first communication and the second communication to the management server 5 by the second communication (steps S1C, S2C). At this time, the measurement result transmission unit 42 transmits information on the identification number of the external communication unit 36 ​​as a relay device together with the communication quality data. The management server 5 stores the received communication quality data in the storage unit 50 in association with the identification number as a relay device.

[0047] As a result, communication quality information is also accumulated in the management server 5, which remotely manages the water heater 2, making it possible to check the communication quality between the water heater 2 and the management server 5 at a location away from the water heater 2 and analyze the cause of any deterioration in communication conditions.

[0048] For example, a system administrator or a worker (serviceman) who performs maintenance, inspection, etc. of the water heater 2 can access the management server 5 to check whether the communication quality of the desired water heater 2 is good or bad. In addition, the communication quality data is stored in the storage unit 50 of the management server 5 together with identification information that enables identification of whether the data indicates the measurement result of the first communication or the measurement result of the second communication. Therefore, even if the worker does not have advanced knowledge, the worker can analyze the cause of a deterioration in the communication situation before heading to the installation site of the water heater 2. This allows the worker to prepare appropriate parts in advance when performing maintenance work on site, thereby improving work efficiency and reducing labor costs.

[0049] Management server 5 may notify a predetermined target person of the contents of the communication quality data by e-mail or the like based on the received communication quality data. The target person may be the user (owner) of the water heater 2, or a worker who performs maintenance, inspection, etc. Management server 5 may perform a predetermined judgment on the communication quality data and notify the above content based on the result of the judgment. For example, management server 5 may send an e-mail to a predetermined target person when the rate of the number of errors included in the communication quality data is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value.

[0050] (Other embodiments) From the above description, many improvements and other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the above description should be construed as merely illustrative and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode for carrying out the present invention. Details of the structure and / or function thereof may be substantially changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0051] For example, in the above embodiment, the communication quality measurement unit 41 periodically measures the communication quality, and after the measurement, the measurement result transmission unit 42 transmits the measurement result to the management server 5, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the communication quality measurement unit 41 may start measuring the communication quality based on a request signal from the management server 5. This allows the communication quality to be measured by sending a request signal from the management server 5 when it is deemed necessary, such as when communication failures occur frequently.

[0052] For example, an operator may periodically check the data (operating state information) stored in memory unit 50 of management server 5, and if an abnormality such as garbled characters is found, cause management server 5 to transmit a request signal. Alternatively, management server 5 may measure the period of use of the corresponding water heater 2, and transmit a request signal from management server 5 to the water heater 2 each time a predetermined period of use has elapsed.

[0053] In this way, by measuring communication quality and transmitting it to the management server 5 based on a request signal from the management server 5, it is possible to check the communication quality of the water heater 2 at a location away from the water heater 2 and analyze the cause of any deterioration in communication quality while keeping the frequency of communication quality measurements and transmission to the management server 5 low.

[0054] Furthermore, the communication quality measurement unit 41 may periodically measure either the communication quality in the first communication or the communication quality in the second communication, while measuring the other based on a request signal from the management server 5. For example, the communication quality measurement unit 41 periodically measures the communication quality in the second communication, and the measurement result transmission unit 42 transmits the result to the management server 5. If the operator determines from the measurement result that the communication quality in the second communication is not good, the operator may cause the management server 5 to transmit a request signal for measuring the communication quality in the first communication. Note that the communication quality in the first communication may be periodically measured, and the communication quality in the second communication may be measured based on a request signal from the management server 5.

[0055] This allows the communication quality of one of the first and second communications to be measured, and when the communication condition of that communication deteriorates, the communication quality of the other communication to be also measured, making it easier to determine whether the deterioration in the communication condition is caused by the first or second communication, while reducing the frequency of measuring the communication quality of the other communication.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the communication quality in the second communication is measured by measuring the communication quality between the external communication unit (relay device) 36 and the management server 5, but the communication quality between the external communication unit 36 ​​and another server device communicatively connected to the external communication unit 36 ​​via the communication network 4 may be measured as the communication quality in the second communication. The other server device may include, for example, an NTP server, a DNS server, a DHCP server, etc.

[0057] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the aspect in which the communication quality of both the first communication and the communication quality of the second communication are measured has been exemplified, but it is also possible to measure only one of the communication qualities.

[0058] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the measurement results of communication quality (communication quality data) are transmitted to both water heater 2 and management server 5, but the data may be transmitted to only one of them.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the relay device is built in the remote control 3A, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the relay device may be built in the remote control 3B. Alternatively, the relay device and the remote control may be configured as separate devices. For example, a remote monitoring adapter that functions as a relay device may be provided as a device independent of the remote control.

[0060] Although the water heater 2 is given as an example of the facility equipment, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be any equipment configured to be able to communicate with the management server 5 via a relay device. For example, the present invention may be applied to a hot water heat source machine having a function other than hot water supply. The present invention may be applied not only to a residential facility equipment system having residential facility equipment, but also to a commercial facility equipment system such as a commercial bathhouse system having commercial facility equipment. The router 6 may be configured as a router connected to the relay device via a wired LAN instead of a wireless LAN. [Industrial Applicability]

[0061] The present invention is useful for easily checking the communication status. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1 Facility equipment system 2. Water heater (equipment) 3A, 3B Remote Control 4. Communication Network 5 Management server (server device) 21 Equipment body 32 Notification Department 36 External communication unit (relay device) 41 Communication quality measurement unit 42 Measurement result transmission unit

Claims

1. A relay device that performs a first communication with a facility device and a server device and performs a second communication with the server device via a communication network in order to relay communication between the facility device and a server device, a communication quality measurement unit that measures a communication quality of at least one of the first communication and the second communication; a measurement result transmission unit that transmits the measurement result of the communication quality to the facility device through the first communication so that the measurement result of the communication quality is notified by a notification unit included in the facility device, the communication quality measurement unit measures communication quality in the first communication and the second communication; The measurement result transmission unit transmits the measurement result of the communication quality together with identification information indicating whether the measurement result is the measurement result of the first communication or the measurement result of the second communication.

2. The facility equipment includes: The equipment body, A remote control for remotely operating the facility equipment body, The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein the notification unit is provided in the remote controller.

3. The server device includes a management server, The relay device according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement result transmission unit is configured to transmit the measurement result of the communication quality to the management server by the second communication.

4. A relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The equipment body, A remote control for remotely operating the facility equipment body, The relay device is an equipment device that is built into the housing of the remote control.

5. A relay device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A facility device communicatively connected to the relay device; a management device that is communicatively connected to the relay device via a communication network,

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