Automatic reset system for gas appliances

Abstract

To provide a gas equipment automatic reset system capable of suppressing an occurrence of an unnecessary maintenance work.SOLUTION: A gas equipment automatic reset system includes: at least one gas equipment that utilizes gas or heat generated using the gas; a defect kind determination unit 31 that determines whether or not a defect occurring on the gas equipment is a defect which can be addressed by resetting the gas equipment; and reset processing units 8 and 16 that reset the gas equipment at a predetermined reset timing if the defect kind determination unit 31 determines that the defect occurring on the gas equipment is the defect which can be addressed by resetting the gas equipment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic reset system for a gas appliance. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a series of systems that utilize gas, including a cogeneration system equipped with a combined heat and power supply device that generates electricity and heat, and a heat source unit that is installed in parallel with the cogeneration system and heats hot water and a heat transfer medium, a water heater that uses the hot water heated by the heat source unit, and a heating device that uses the heat released from the medium heated by the heat source unit.

[0003] In this type of system, in the cogeneration system, hot water is heated using heat generated when electricity is generated by the combined heat and power supply device and stored in a storage tank, and the heat transfer medium flowing through a circulation path provided between the cogeneration system, the heat source unit, and the heating device is heated by the heated hot water. Then, in the heat source unit, the hot water supplied from the storage tank is further heated and sent to the hot water tap of the hot water supply device (hot water supply operation), and the heat transfer medium flowing through the circulation path is heated and sent to the heating radiator of the heating device (heating operation).

[0004] In this way, in a series of systems that utilize the above-mentioned gas, hot water supply operation and heating operation can be performed through the cooperation of the cogeneration system, the heat source unit, and the equipment that utilizes the heat generated by these. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-53626 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Conventionally, there have been cases where the cogeneration system, heat source unit, or equipment that uses heat has malfunctioned. In such cases, an error state of the equipment is displayed on a remote control or the like, and when a consumer contacts the customer after confirming this, an operator visits the site, investigates the cause, and takes action such as replacing parts.

[0007] Here, a malfunction that causes a device to go into an error state is, for example, a device failure, which requires a part replacement, etc. On the other hand, in addition to device failure that requires a part replacement, a device can also go into an error state if a malfunction occurs, such as temporary noise caused by a natural disaster, such as a lightning surge caused by a lightning strike, or a communication error caused by a difference in the communication method between devices.

[0008] However, problems such as temporary noise and communication errors as described above can sometimes be resolved by turning off the power to the device and resetting it.

[0009] Conventionally, even if a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting occurs in an appliance, as described above, the appliance goes into an error state, and a message to that effect is displayed on the remote control or the like, and the consumer who sees this contacts the customer service center. Therefore, even though the malfunction can be resolved by simply resetting the appliance, a worker must go to the site to inspect and reset the appliance in order to release the error state, which causes a problem of increased maintenance costs due to unnecessary on-site visits. In addition, there are problems for the consumer side, such as waiting time until the work is completed and unnecessary maintenance costs.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide an automatic reset system for gas appliances that can reduce the occurrence of unnecessary maintenance work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the automatic reset system for gas appliances according to the present invention has the following characteristic configuration: At least one gas appliance that utilizes gas or heat generated by utilizing gas; a malfunction type determination unit that determines whether a malfunction that has occurred in the gas appliance is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance; a reset processing unit that resets the gas equipment at a predetermined reset timing when the malfunction type determination unit determines that the malfunction that has occurred in the gas equipment is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas equipment; and A reset timing setting unit that sets the reset timing, The reset timing setting unit sets a time when the gas appliance is not in use as the reset timing. It is at the point.

[0012] According to the above-described characteristic configuration, when a malfunction that has occurred in a gas appliance can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance, the gas appliance is reset at a predetermined reset timing, and the malfunction of the gas appliance is resolved. In addition, the timing for resetting the gas appliance can be set arbitrarily, and a time when the gas appliance is not in use is set as the reset timing. If the gas appliance is not in use at a time, automatic resetting of the gas appliance is unlikely to cause inconvenience to the consumer, which is preferable. This reduces the occurrence of unnecessary maintenance work such as having workers go to the site to perform reset work. The gas equipment can be reset at a time when inconvenience to consumers is unlikely to occur, thereby eliminating the inconvenience.

[0013] In addition, malfunctions that can be resolved by resetting include, for example, malfunctions caused by temporary noise due to natural disasters such as lightning surges, malfunctions caused by communication errors between gas appliances, malfunctions caused by ground fault detection, and malfunctions such as the inability to turn on the remote control used to operate gas appliances.

[0014] In addition, in this application, "resetting" refers to turning off the power of a device and then turning it back on, or restarting the device.

[0019] Also, In order to achieve the above object, the automatic reset system for gas appliances according to the present invention has the following characteristic configuration: At least one gas appliance that utilizes gas or heat generated by utilizing gas; a malfunction type determination unit that determines whether a malfunction that has occurred in the gas appliance is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance; a reset processing unit that resets the gas equipment at a predetermined reset timing when the malfunction type determination unit determines that the malfunction that has occurred in the gas equipment is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas equipment; and A reset timing setting unit that sets the reset timing; A learning unit that learns the usage pattern of the gas appliance. and, Equipped with The reset timing setting unit sets the time at which the gas appliance can be stopped as the reset timing based on the learning result of the learning unit.

[0020] The usage patterns of gas appliances by consumers vary from consumer to consumer, for example, due to differences in the time consumers are at home and the timing of bathing. Therefore, even if the reset timing is uniformly set to late night hours, some consumers will not be inconvenienced, but other consumers may be inconvenienced. In the case where a malfunction that has occurred in a gas appliance can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance, the gas appliance is reset at a predetermined reset timing, and the malfunction of the gas appliance is resolved. In addition, the timing for resetting the gas appliance can be set arbitrarily, The usage patterns of the gas appliances of each consumer are learned, and a time when the consumer is unlikely to be using the gas appliance and when stopping the gas appliance is unlikely to cause inconvenience can be extracted, and the time can be set as the reset timing. Therefore, This reduces the need for unnecessary maintenance work, such as having workers go to the site to reset the equipment. Gas equipment can be reset and malfunctions resolved at a time that is least likely to cause inconvenience to consumers.

[0021] Also, In order to achieve the above object, the automatic reset system for gas appliances according to the present invention has the following characteristic configuration: At least one gas appliance that utilizes gas or heat generated by utilizing gas; a malfunction type determination unit that determines whether a malfunction that has occurred in the gas appliance is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance; a reset processing unit that resets the gas equipment at a predetermined reset timing when the malfunction type determination unit determines that the malfunction that has occurred in the gas equipment is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas equipment; and A reset timing setting unit that sets the reset timing; A weather information acquisition unit that acquires weather information and, Equipped with The reset timing setting unit sets the time when the gas appliance will need to be reset, which is predicted based on the information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit, as the reset timing.

[0022] For example, it is possible to predict the time when lightning will occur in an area where gas appliances are installed based on weather information. In the case where a malfunction that has occurred in a gas appliance can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance, the gas appliance is reset at a predetermined reset timing, and the malfunction of the gas appliance is resolved. In addition, the timing for resetting the gas appliance can be set arbitrarily, It is possible to predict the time when an event that may cause temporary noise (i.e., a natural disaster related to weather such as lightning) will occur, and to set the predicted time as the reset timing. This reduces the need for unnecessary maintenance work, such as having workers go to the site to reset the equipment. You can reset gas equipment at the appropriate time to resolve any malfunctions.

[0023] Also, In order to achieve the above object, the automatic reset system for gas appliances according to the present invention has the following characteristic configuration: At least one gas appliance that utilizes gas or heat generated by utilizing gas; a malfunction type determination unit that determines whether a malfunction that has occurred in the gas appliance is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance; a reset processing unit that resets the gas equipment at a predetermined reset timing when the malfunction type determination unit determines that the malfunction that has occurred in the gas equipment is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas equipment; and A reset timing setting unit that sets the reset timing, The reset timing setting unit is When the gas appliance is a heat generating device that generates heat by using gas, a time point at which a malfunction that has occurred in the heat generating device is determined to be a malfunction that can be resolved by the reset is set as the reset timing; When the gas equipment is a heat utilization equipment that utilizes heat transferred from the heat generating device via a heat medium, the reset timing is set to a predetermined point in time after it is determined that a malfunction that has occurred in the heat utilization equipment is a malfunction that can be resolved by the reset.

[0024] When a malfunction occurs in a heat generating device and the heat generating device goes into an error state, for example, it may become impossible to use a heat utilization device. Therefore, when a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting occurs in a heat generating device, it is preferable to reset the heat generating device at that time to resolve the malfunction. On the other hand, when a malfunction occurs in a heat utilization device and the heat utilization device goes into an error state, unlike when the heat generating device goes into an error state, there are cases where only a part of the device where the malfunction occurred becomes unusable, and therefore there are many cases where it is not necessary to quickly return from the error state. In addition, when a resolvable malfunction is one that allows the heat utilization device to continue to be used, resetting the heat utilization device at the time when it is determined that the malfunction is resolvable may cause inconvenience to consumers.

[0025] According to the above characteristic configuration, When a malfunction that has occurred in a gas appliance can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance, the gas appliance is reset at a predetermined reset timing, and the malfunction of the gas appliance is resolved. Furthermore, the timing for resetting the gas appliance can be set arbitrarily.If the gas appliance is a heat generating device, when it is determined that the malfunction occurring in the heat generating device is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting, the heat generating device is reset and the malfunction is resolved. Furthermore, if the gas appliance is a heat utilizing device, at a predetermined time after it is determined that the malfunction occurring in the heat utilizing device is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting, the heat utilizing device is reset and the malfunction is resolved. In this way, according to the above characteristic configuration, the occurrence of unnecessary maintenance work is suppressed, and the malfunction of the heat generating device can be resolved early to make the heat utilizing device usable early, and the malfunction occurring in the heat utilizing device can be resolved at an appropriate time (for example, a time that is not inconvenient for the consumer).

[0026] Further, a further characteristic configuration of the automatic reset system for gas appliances according to the present invention is as follows: a server configured to receive a determination result from the malfunction type determination unit and to transmit a signal to the reset processing unit to execute a reset process for the gas appliance; The reset processing unit is configured to execute the reset processing of the gas equipment when a signal for executing the reset processing is received from the server.

[0027] According to the above-mentioned characteristic configuration, when a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting occurs in the gas appliance, the server receives the determination result of the malfunction type determination unit and can transmit a signal for executing a reset process of the gas appliance from the server side. Therefore, the malfunction can be resolved by executing the reset process of the gas appliance.

[0028] Further, a further characteristic configuration of the automatic reset system for gas appliances according to the present invention is as follows: A notification unit capable of notifying that a malfunction has occurred in the gas appliance, The notification unit notifies the user that a malfunction has occurred in the gas equipment when the malfunction type determination unit determines that the malfunction that has occurred in the gas equipment is not a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas equipment.

[0029] According to the above characteristic configuration, when a malfunction has occurred in a gas appliance and the malfunction cannot be resolved by resetting, the consumer can be notified that a malfunction has occurred in the gas appliance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an automatic reset system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a control configuration. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow of the automatic reset system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow of the automatic reset system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram showing a control device of an automatic reset system according to another embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram showing a control device of an automatic reset system according to another embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing a control configuration of an automatic reset system according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an automatic reset system for a gas appliance (hereinafter, simply referred to as an "automatic reset system") according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0032] [Configuration of automatic reset system for gas appliances] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration of an automatic reset system 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic reset system 1 includes a gas appliance G (five in this embodiment) that uses gas or heat generated by using gas, a malfunction type determination unit 31 that determines whether a malfunction that has occurred in the gas appliance G is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance G (hereinafter, also referred to as a "resolvable malfunction"), and a reset processing unit (a cogeneration side reset processing unit 8 and a heat source unit side reset processing unit 16) that resets the gas appliance G at a predetermined reset timing when the malfunction type determination unit 31 determines that the malfunction that has occurred in the gas appliance G is a resolvable malfunction. In this embodiment, the malfunction type determination unit 31 is a functional unit of the control device 30, and the two reset processing units 8 and 16 are functional units of the cogeneration side control unit 6 and the heat source unit side control unit 14, respectively. In addition, the automatic reset system 1 in this embodiment includes a remote control R for operating the gas appliance G.

[0033] In this embodiment, the gas appliances G are a cogeneration system G1, a heat source unit G2, a bathroom dryer G3, a floor heating appliance G4, and a hot water appliance G5, with the cogeneration system G1 and the heat source unit G2 being heat generating devices, and the bathroom dryer G3, the floor heating appliance G4, and the hot water appliance G5 being heat utilizing devices. In this embodiment, electricity sent through a trunk line is branched by a distribution board B to the cogeneration system G1, the heat source unit G2, and the bathroom dryer G3.

[0034] The cogeneration system G1 is configured as a device that generates electric power and heat. Specifically, the cogeneration system G1 includes a cogeneration unit 2 that generates electric power and heat, such as a fuel cell or an engine-driven generator, a hot water storage tank 3 that stores hot water W heated by the heat generated by the cogeneration unit 2, and a cogeneration-side control unit 6 consisting of a computer that controls the start-up, operation, and stop of the cogeneration system G1. The cogeneration-side control unit 6 will be described in detail later.

[0035] In this cogeneration system G1, hot water W flowing through the clean water pipeline L1 is taken in from the outside through the cogeneration-side water inlet 4a, the taken in hot water W is heated using heat generated in the combined heat and power supply section 2, and the heated hot water W is stored in the hot water storage tank 3. The hot water W stored in the hot water storage tank 3 is then sent out to the outside through the cogeneration-side water outlet 4b. In addition, a heat medium circulation path L2 in which a heat medium H circulates is formed between the cogeneration system G1, the heat source unit G2, the bathroom dryer G3, and the floor heating device G4. In the cogeneration system G1, the heat medium H flowing through the heat medium circulation path L2 is taken in through the cogeneration-side heat medium receiving section 5a, the taken in heat medium H is heated by the hot water W, and the heated heat medium H is sent out to the outside through the cogeneration-side heat medium discharge section 5b.

[0036] The heat source machine G2 is installed in parallel with the cogeneration system G1, and is configured as a device that heats hot water W and heat medium H. Specifically, the heat source machine G2 includes a hot water supply heating section 10 that uses a burner to heat the hot water W sent out from the cogeneration system G1 and flowing through the clean water pipeline L1, and a room heating section 11 that uses a burner to heat the heat medium H flowing through the heat medium circulation path L2, as well as a heat source machine side control section 14 consisting of a computer that controls the stopping, operation, and start-up of the heat source machine G2 and the bathroom dryer G3. The heat source machine side control section 14 will be described in detail later.

[0037] This heat source unit G2 is configured to perform hot water supply operation and heating operation. Specifically, in the hot water supply operation, hot water W sent out from the cogeneration system G1 and flowing through the clean water pipe L1 is taken in through the heat source unit side water inlet 12a. Then, this taken in hot water W is heated to a preset hot water supply temperature in the hot water heating unit 10, and the heated hot water W is sent out to the hot water supply unit G5 through the heat source unit side water outlet 12b. On the other hand, in the heating operation, the heat medium H sent out from the cogeneration system G1 and flowing through the heat medium circulation path L2 is taken in through the heat source unit side heat medium receiving unit 13a, the taken in heat medium H is heated in the heating unit 11, and the heated heat medium H is sent out to the radiator 20 of the bathroom dryer G3 and the radiator 22 of the floor heating unit G4, which will be described later, through the heat source unit side heat medium discharge unit 13b.

[0038] Bathroom dryer G3 is configured as a device that supplies hot air into the bathroom using heated heat medium H sent out from heat source unit G2. Specifically, bathroom dryer G3 is equipped with a radiator 20 that is installed in heat medium circulation path L2 and through which heat medium H passes, and an air blowing mechanism 21 whose operation is controlled by heat source unit control unit 14. This bathroom dryer G3 is able to heat air using heat radiated by radiator 20 and supply it to the bathroom as hot air. The heat medium H that has passed through radiator 20 of bathroom dryer G3 flows through heat medium circulation path L2 and is taken in via cogeneration-side heat medium receiving unit 5a.

[0039] The floor heating device G4 is configured as a device that heats the floor of a room using the heated heat medium H sent from the heat source device G2. Specifically, the floor heating device G4 is provided with a radiator 22 that is interposed in the heat medium circulation path L2 and through which the heat medium H passes. This floor heating device G4 can heat the floor material with the heat radiated by the radiator 22. The heat medium H that has passed through the radiator 22 of the floor heating device G4 flows through the heat medium circulation path L2 and is taken in via the cogeneration side heat medium receiving portion 5a.

[0040] The hot water supply device G5 is configured as a device that supplies heated hot water W sent from the heat source device G2 to the bathtub and the washbasin. In this embodiment, the hot water supply device G5 is configured from a hot water tap 23 and the like. With this hot water supply device G5, the hot water W heated by the heat source device G2 can be supplied to the bathtub and the washbasin while adjusting the supply amount by adjusting the opening degree of the hot water tap 23, and it is also possible to supply hot water W from the heat source device G2 to the bathtub to fill it with water or to reheat it.

[0041] The remote control R includes a remote control side control unit 25 having functional units for operating the gas appliances G (cogeneration system G1, heat source unit G2, bathroom dryer G3, floor heating appliance G4, hot water appliance G5), and a display unit 29 (notification unit) for displaying images used for operating the gas appliances G and images showing the states of the gas appliances G. The remote control side control unit 25 will be described in detail later.

[0042] Next, the control configuration of the automatic reset system 1 for gas appliances according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0043] The control device 30 includes a malfunction type determination unit 31, a reset timing setting unit 32, a timing signal output unit 33, a communication unit , and a storage unit .

[0044] As described above, the malfunction type determination unit 31 is a functional unit that determines whether a malfunction that has occurred in the gas appliance G (cogeneration system G1, heat source unit G2, bathroom dryer G3, floor heating appliance G4, hot water appliance G5) is a resolvable malfunction. Specifically, in this embodiment, when a malfunction of at least one of the cogeneration system G1, heat source unit G2, bathroom dryer G3, floor heating appliance G4, and hot water appliance G5 is detected, the malfunction type determination unit 31 determines which gas appliance G the detected malfunction has occurred in and determines whether the malfunction has been registered in advance in the database as a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance G in which the malfunction has occurred. If the detected malfunction is registered in the database, the malfunction type determination unit 31 determines that the malfunction is a resolvable malfunction. On the other hand, if the detected malfunction is not registered, the malfunction type determination unit 31 determines that the malfunction is not a resolvable malfunction. The determination of whether the detected malfunction is registered in advance in the database as a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting can be performed, for example, by determining whether an error code indicating the detected malfunction is registered in the database. The malfunction type determination unit 31 also transmits a signal informing of the determination result to a cogeneration side reset signal output control unit 8c, a heat source unit side reset signal output control unit 16c, and a notification processing unit 27 of the remote control R, which will be described later.

[0045] Malfunctions that can be resolved by resetting include, for example, malfunctions caused by temporary noise due to natural disasters such as lightning surges, malfunctions caused by communication errors between gas appliances G (for example, between cogeneration system G1 and heat source unit G2, or between heat source unit G2 and bathroom dryer G3), malfunctions caused by ground fault detection, and malfunctions such as the remote control R not turning on. Malfunctions that cannot be resolved by resetting include, for example, for cogeneration system G1, malfunctions caused by a clogged radiator, clogged orifice, clogged air filter, or reaching the maintenance elapsed time, for heat source unit G2, malfunctions caused by detection of the bathroom drain plug being removed, detection of a water outage, or the lifespan of the neutralizer, and for bathroom dryer G3, malfunctions caused by an abnormality in the automatic test run.

[0046] The reset timing setting unit 32 is a functional unit that sets the timing (reset timing) to reset the gas appliances G (cogeneration system G1, heat source unit G2, bathroom dryer G3, floor heating appliance G4, and hot water appliance G5). Specifically, when the gas appliances G are heat generating devices (cogeneration system G1 and heat source unit G2), the reset timing is set to the time when the malfunction that occurred is determined to be a fixable malfunction, and when the gas appliances G are heat utilizing devices (bathroom dryer G3, floor heating appliance G4, and hot water appliance G5), the reset timing is set to a predetermined time after the malfunction that occurred is determined to be a fixable malfunction. Incidentally, the reset timing setting unit 32 of this embodiment sets the reset timing for the cogeneration system G1 and the heat source unit G2 to the time when a signal is received notifying that the malfunction that occurred in these appliances is determined to be a fixable malfunction. Also, for the bathroom dryer G3, floor heating appliance G4, and hot water appliance G5, the reset timing is set to a predetermined time (for example, 2:00 a.m.) during the time period when these appliances are not used. In this embodiment, the time periods during which bathroom dryer G3, floor heating appliance G4, and hot water appliance G5 are not used are input in advance by the consumer via remote control R.

[0047] The timing signal output unit 33 is a functional unit that outputs a signal related to the reset timing set by the reset timing setting unit 32 to a cogeneration side reset signal output control unit 8c and a heat source unit side reset signal output control unit 16c, which will be described later. The timing signal may be output after it is detected that a resolvable malfunction has occurred in the gas equipment G, or may be output in advance before the malfunction is detected.

[0048] The communication unit 34 is configured to perform wireless or wired bidirectional communication with the communication units 9, 17, 28 of the cogeneration side control unit 6, the heat source unit side control unit 14, and the remote control side control unit 25, which will be described later.

[0049] The storage unit 35 is configured to store information necessary for various processes, in addition to a database in which malfunctions that can be resolved by resetting are compiled for each type of gas appliance G. For example, the database is a database in which error codes indicating malfunctions that can be resolved by resetting are registered.

[0050] Next, a description will be given of the cogeneration side control unit 6. The cogeneration side control unit 6 includes a cogeneration side operation control unit 7, a cogeneration side reset processing unit 8, a communication unit 9, and the like.

[0051] The cogeneration-side operation control unit 7 is a functional unit that controls the operation of the cogeneration system G1. Specifically, it controls the operation of the combined heat and power supply unit 2 and the operation of various auxiliary devices such as valves (not shown) and pumps (not shown).

[0052] The cogeneration side reset processing unit 8 is a functional unit that performs a reset process of the cogeneration system G1. Specifically, it is configured to reset the cogeneration system G1 when the malfunction type determination unit 31 determines that the malfunction that occurred in the cogeneration system G1 is a resolvable malfunction. The cogeneration side reset processing unit 8 of this embodiment includes a cogeneration side reset execution unit 8a, which is a functional unit that executes the reset process of the cogeneration system G1, a cogeneration side reset signal output unit 8b, which is a functional unit that outputs a reset signal to the cogeneration side reset execution unit 8a, and a cogeneration side reset signal output control unit 8c, which is a functional unit that controls the reset signal output unit 8b so as to output a reset signal at the reset timing set by the reset timing setting unit 32.

[0053] In this embodiment, the cogeneration-side reset signal output control unit 8c is configured to receive a signal notifying the cogeneration system G1 that a malfunction has occurred and that the malfunction is resolvable. The cogeneration-side reset signal output control unit 8c is also configured to receive a signal related to the reset timing output from the timing signal output unit 33.

[0054] Therefore, according to the cogeneration-side reset processing unit 8 in this embodiment, when a signal notifying that the malfunction that occurred in the cogeneration system G1 has been determined to be a fixable malfunction is received and the reset timing set by the reset timing setting unit 32 is reached (in this embodiment, when the signal notifying that the malfunction that occurred has been determined to be a fixable malfunction is received), the cogeneration-side reset signal output control unit 8c controls the cogeneration-side reset signal output unit 8b to output a reset signal. Then, a reset signal is output from the reset signal output unit 8b, and the cogeneration-side reset execution unit 8a receives the reset signal, and the reset execution unit 8a executes the reset process of the cogeneration system G1.

[0055] The communication unit 9 is configured to perform wireless or wired bidirectional communication with the communication unit 34 of the control device 30 and a communication unit 17 of the heat source unit side control unit 14 described below.

[0056] Next, a description will be given of the heat source unit side control unit 14. The heat source unit side control unit 14 includes a heat source unit side operation control unit 15, a heat source unit side reset processing unit 16, a communication unit 17, and the like.

[0057] The heat source unit side operation control unit 15 is a functional unit that controls the operation of the heat source unit G2 and the bathroom dryer G3, and specifically controls the operation of the burners of the hot water heating unit 10 and the room heating unit 11, the blower mechanism 21 of the bathroom dryer G3, and various auxiliary equipment such as the pump.

[0058] Heat source machine side reset processing unit 16 is a functional unit that performs reset processing of heat source machine G2 and bathroom dryer G3. Specifically, when malfunction type determination unit 31 determines that a malfunction that occurred in heat source machine G2, bathroom dryer G3, floor heating device G4, and hot water device G5 is a resolvable malfunction, it is configured to reset the malfunction-occurring device. Heat source machine side reset processing unit 16 of this embodiment includes heat source machine side reset execution unit 16a, which is a functional unit that executes reset processing of heat source machine G2 or bathroom dryer G3, heat source machine side reset signal output unit 16b, which is a functional unit that outputs a reset signal to heat source machine side reset execution unit 16a, and heat source machine side reset signal output control unit 16c, which is a functional unit that controls heat source machine side reset signal output unit 16b so as to output a reset signal at the reset timing set by reset timing setting unit 32.

[0059] In this embodiment, heat source unit reset signal output control unit 16c is configured to receive a signal notifying the user when it is determined that a malfunction that has occurred in heat source unit G2, bathroom dryer G3, floor heating appliance G4, or hot water appliance G5 is a fixable malfunction. Heat source unit reset signal output control unit 16c is also configured to receive in advance a signal related to the reset timing output from timing signal output unit 33.

[0060] Therefore, according to the heat source unit side reset processing unit 16 in this embodiment, when a signal is received notifying that the malfunction occurring in the heat source unit G2, the bathroom dryer G3, the floor heating device G4, and the hot water supply device G5 has been determined to be a fixable malfunction, and when the reset timing set by the reset timing setting unit 32 arrives (for the heat source unit G2, the time when the heat source unit side reset signal output control unit 16c receives a signal notifying that the malfunction occurring in the heat source unit G2 has been determined to be a fixable malfunction, and for the bathroom dryer G3, the floor heating device G4, and the hot water supply device G5, the time when these devices are not used, a predetermined time), the heat source unit side reset signal output control unit 16c controls the heat source unit side reset signal output unit 16b to output a reset signal. Then, a reset signal is output from the reset signal output unit 16b, the heat source unit side reset execution unit 16a receives the reset signal, and the reset process is executed.

[0061] In this embodiment, the set temperature and heating area of ​​floor heating apparatus G4 and the temperature of hot water W discharged from hot water supply apparatus G5 are adjusted by the amount of hot water W supplied from heat source apparatus G2 and the temperature of hot water W, and the operation of floor heating apparatus G4 and hot water supply apparatus G5 is controlled by heat source apparatus side operation control section 15. Therefore, resetting floor heating apparatus G4 and hot water supply apparatus G5 corresponds to resetting heat source apparatus G2. Therefore, in this embodiment, if a resolvable malfunction occurs in any of heat source apparatus G2, floor heating apparatus G4, and hot water supply apparatus G5, a reset process of heat source apparatus G2 is executed, and if a resolvable malfunction occurs in bathroom dryer G3, a reset process of bathroom dryer G3 is executed.

[0062] The communication unit 17 is configured to perform two-way wireless or wired communication with the communication unit 9 of the cogeneration side control unit 6, the communication unit 28 of the remote control R, and the communication unit 34 of the control device 30.

[0063] Next, a description will be given of the remote control unit 25. The remote control unit 25 includes an operation processing unit 26, a notification processing unit 27, a communication unit 28, and the like.

[0064] The operation processing unit 26 is a functional unit that executes processes required for operating the gas appliances G. In this embodiment, the operation processing unit 26 is configured to be capable of transmitting and receiving signals for operating the cogeneration system G1, the heat source unit G2, the bathroom dryer G3, the floor heating appliance G4, and the hot water appliance G5 between the cogeneration side control unit 6 and the heat source unit side control unit 14.

[0065] The notification processing unit 27 is a functional unit that performs a process (a malfunction display process) of displaying a display notifying that a malfunction has occurred on the display unit 29. Specifically, the notification processing unit 27 performs a process of displaying a display notifying that a malfunction has occurred on the display unit 29 when the malfunction type determination unit 31 receives a signal notifying that the malfunction that has occurred in the gas equipment G has been determined to be not a resolvable malfunction, or when the malfunction type determination unit 31 receives a signal notifying that the number of consecutive executions of the reset process is two or more. The number of consecutive executions of the reset process refers to the number of times that the reset process has been performed in such a case that, after the reset process for resolving a resolvable malfunction that has occurred in the gas equipment G has been performed, the reset process for resolving the same resolvable malfunction that has occurred in the same gas equipment G has been performed if the resolvable malfunction has not been resolved. For example, when a resolvable malfunction occurs and the reset process is executed, the number of consecutive executions of the reset process becomes 1, and when the reset process is executed again if the resolvable malfunction is not resolved thereafter, the number of consecutive executions of the reset process becomes 2, and when the reset process is executed again if the resolvable malfunction is still not resolved, the number of consecutive executions of the reset process becomes 3. In other words, in this embodiment, when the resolvable malfunction is not resolved despite the reset process being executed again (i.e. when the number of consecutive executions of the reset process at this point is 2), a message is displayed on the display unit 29 notifying the user that a malfunction has occurred.

[0066] The communication unit 28 is configured to perform wireless or wired bidirectional communication with the communication unit 9 of the cogeneration side control unit 6, the communication unit 17 of the heat source unit side control unit 14, and the communication unit 34 of the control device 30.

[0067] [Processing flow of automatic reset system for gas appliances] Next, an example of a process flow of the automatic reset system 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. In the following, a case where a signal related to the reset timing is transmitted in advance from the timing signal output unit 33 to each reset signal output control unit 8c, 16c will be described as an example.

[0068] First, reset timing setting unit 32 sets the reset timing for cogeneration system G1 and heat source unit G2, and the reset timing for bathroom dryer G3, floor heating unit G4, and hot water unit G5 (step #1).

[0069] Next, a signal related to the reset timing is output from timing signal output unit 33, and the cogeneration-side reset signal output control unit 8c and the heat source unit-side reset signal output control unit 16c receive the signal. Then, in each of the reset signal output control units 8c, 16c, the reset timing related to the gas appliances G (cogeneration system G1, heat source unit G2, bathroom dryer G3, floor heating appliance G4, and hot water appliance G5) is determined (step #2).

[0070] That is, in this embodiment, when the gas appliance G in which a resolvable malfunction has occurred is the cogeneration system G1 or the heat source appliance G2, the cogeneration-side reset signal output control unit 8c and the heat source appliance-side reset signal output control unit 16c perform control so that a reset signal is output from the cogeneration-side reset signal output unit 8b and the heat source appliance-side reset signal output unit 16b at the time when a signal notifying that it has been determined to be a resolvable malfunction is received. On the other hand, when the gas appliance G in which a resolvable malfunction has occurred is the bathroom dryer G3, the floor heating appliance G4, or the hot water appliance G5, the heat source appliance-side reset signal output control unit 16c performs control so that a reset signal is output from the heat source appliance-side reset signal output unit 16b at the time when a predetermined time has come when these appliances are not in use.

[0071] Next, when the cogeneration-side control unit 6 or the heat source unit-side control unit 14 detects a malfunction of the gas appliance G, a signal indicating the nature of the malfunction (e.g., a signal indicating an error code) is sent to the control device 30, and the malfunction type determination unit 31 determines which gas appliance G is the subject of the detected malfunction (step #3). If the gas appliance G is the cogeneration system G1 or the heat source unit G2 (step #3: heat generating device), the process proceeds to step #4. On the other hand, if the gas appliance G is the bathroom dryer G3, floor heating appliance G4, or hot water appliance G5 (step #3: heat utilization appliance), the process proceeds to step #8.

[0072] In step #4, the malfunction type determination unit 31 also determines whether the detected malfunction is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the cogeneration system G1 or the heat source machine G2. If it is determined that the malfunction is a resolvable malfunction (step #4: Yes), a signal notifying that effect is sent to the cogeneration side reset signal output control unit 8c or the heat source machine side reset signal output control unit 16c (step #5). Next, the reset signal output control units 8c and 16c control the cogeneration side reset signal output unit 8b and the heat source machine side reset signal output unit 16b to output a reset signal (step #6). Then, the cogeneration side reset execution unit 8a executes a reset process for the cogeneration system G1, and the heat source machine side reset execution unit 16a executes a reset process for the heat source machine G2 (step #7). This resets the cogeneration system G1 or the heat source machine G2. After the reset process is executed, the process proceeds to step #14. On the other hand, if it is determined that the detected malfunction is not a fixable malfunction (step #4: No), a signal notifying that effect is transmitted to the notification processor 27 (step #13), and the notification processor 27 executes a malfunction display process (step #17). As a result, a display notifying that a malfunction has occurred in the cogeneration system G1 or the heat source unit G2 is displayed on the display unit 29.

[0073] In step #8, the malfunction type determination unit 31 determines whether the detected malfunction is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the bathroom dryer G3, the floor heating device G4, or the hot water supply device G5. If it is determined that the malfunction is a resolvable malfunction (step #8: Yes), a signal notifying that fact is sent to the heat source device side reset signal output control unit 16c (step #9). Next, the heat source device side reset signal output control unit 16c determines whether it is time to reset (i.e., whether a predetermined time has arrived) (step #10). If it is determined that it is time to reset (step #10: Yes), it proceeds to step #11, and if it is determined that it is not time to reset (step #10: No), it repeats step #10. Then, the heat source device side reset signal output unit 16b is controlled to output a reset signal that commands the reset of the malfunctioning device (step #11), and the heat source device side reset execution unit 16a executes the reset process of the device (step #12). As a result, the malfunctioning device is reset. After the reset process is performed, the process proceeds to step #14. On the other hand, if it is determined that the detected malfunction is not a fixable malfunction (step #8: No), a signal to that effect is sent to notification processing unit 27 (step #13), and notification processing unit 27 performs malfunction display processing (step #17). As a result, a display is shown on display unit 29 notifying that a malfunction has occurred in bathroom dryer G3, floor heating appliance G4, or hot water appliance G5.

[0074] In step #14, the cogeneration side control unit 6 and the heat source unit side control unit 14 judge whether or not a malfunction has been detected, and if no malfunction has been detected (step #14: No), the process is terminated. On the other hand, if a malfunction is still detected (step #14: Yes), the malfunction type determination unit 31 judges whether or not the number of consecutive executions of the reset process is less than two (step #15), and if it is less than two (step #15: Yes), the process returns to step #3, and if it is two or more (step #15: No), a signal notifying that effect is sent to the notification processing unit 27 (step #16), and the notification processing unit 27 executes a malfunction display process (step #17).

[0075] As described above, according to the automatic reset system for gas appliances according to this embodiment, when a malfunction that has occurred in the gas appliance G can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance G, the gas appliance G is automatically reset and the malfunction of the gas appliance G is resolved. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary maintenance work, such as having a worker go to the site to perform the reset work.

[0076] [Another embodiment] [1] In the above embodiment, the gas appliances G include a cogeneration system G1, a heat source unit G2, a bathroom dryer G3, a floor heating unit G4, and a hot water supply unit G5, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the gas appliances G may not include any of the above as heat utilization equipment, or may include equipment other than the above.

[0077] [2] In the above embodiment, the bathroom dryer G3, the floor heating appliance G4, and the hot water appliance G5 (i.e., heat utilization appliances) are reset at a predetermined time during the period when they are not in use, but this is not limited to the above. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, the control device 30 may be configured to include a learning unit 36 ​​that learns the usage patterns of gas appliances G of consumers. Then, based on the learning results of the learning unit 36, the time at which the gas appliance G can be stopped may be set as the reset timing. In this way, the usage patterns of gas appliances G for each consumer are learned, and a time at which the consumer is unlikely to be using the gas appliance G and at which stopping the gas appliance G is unlikely to cause inconvenience can be extracted, and this time can be set as the reset timing. Therefore, the gas appliance G can be reset at a time at which inconvenience is unlikely to cause the consumer, thereby eliminating the malfunction. 6, the control device 30 may be configured to include a weather information acquisition unit 37 that acquires information related to the weather, and the time when the gas appliance G needs to be reset, predicted based on the information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 37, may be set as the reset timing. For example, if the time when lightning will occur in the area where the gas appliance G is installed is predicted based on the weather information, and the predicted time is set as the reset timing, even if a resolvable malfunction occurs due to temporary noise caused by a lightning surge, the gas appliance G can be reset at an appropriate time to resolve the malfunction. Note that an example of a mode in which the weather information acquisition unit 37 acquires information related to the weather is to acquire the information via an internet line or the like.

[0078] [3] In the above embodiment, when the gas appliance G is the cogeneration system G1 and the heat source unit G2 (i.e., the heat generating device), the reset timing is set to the time when the signal notifying that the malfunction occurring in the gas appliance G is determined to be a fixable malfunction is received, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the reset timing may be set to any other appropriate time. In this case, the reset timing may be set based on the learning results in the learning unit 36 ​​and the information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit 37, as in the case of the heat utilization appliance.

[0079] [4] In the above embodiment, the cogeneration-side reset signal output control unit 8c and the heat source-side reset signal output control unit 16c control the reset signal output units 8b and 16b so as to output a reset signal at the reset timing set by the reset timing setting unit 32. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the reset timing setting unit 32 may not be provided. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the automatic reset system may be configured to include a server 40 capable of receiving the determination result of the malfunction type determination unit 31 and transmitting a signal to the reset processing unit 8 and 16 to execute the reset process of the gas appliance G. In this way, when a resolvable malfunction occurs in the gas appliance G, the server 40 receives the determination result of the malfunction type determination unit 31. Then, a signal for executing the reset process of the gas appliance G is transmitted from the server 40 to the cogeneration-side reset signal output control unit 8c and the heat source-side reset signal output control unit 16c. As a result, the reset signal output control units 8c and 16c control the reset signal output units 8b and 16b so as to output a reset signal at the time when the signal is received. Therefore, the malfunction can be eliminated by executing a reset process for the gas appliance G through remote control via the server 40.

[0080] [5] In the above embodiment, the reset process of bathroom dryer G3 is performed by heat source unit side reset processing unit 16, but this is not limited to this. If a dryer side control unit that controls the operation of bathroom dryer G3 is provided in addition to heat source unit side control unit 14, this dryer side control unit may have a processing unit that performs the reset process, and this processing unit may perform the reset process of bathroom dryer G3.

[0081] [6] In the above embodiment, the heat source unit G2 is reset when a resolvable malfunction occurs in the floor heating unit G4 or the hot water supply unit G5, but this is not limited to the above. In the case of an embodiment having a floor heating unit side control unit that controls the setting temperature and heating area of ​​the floor heating unit G4 and the operation of the hot water supply unit G5, and a hot water supply unit side control unit that controls the setting and operation of the hot water supply temperature and the amount of hot water to be filled, etc., of the hot water supply unit G5, the heating unit side control unit and the hot water supply unit side control unit may have a processing unit that performs the reset processing, and the processing unit may perform the reset processing of the floor heating unit G4 and the hot water supply unit G5 separately from the heat source unit G2.

[0082] [7] In the above embodiment, when a resolvable malfunction occurs in any of the cogeneration system G1, the heat source unit G2, the bathroom dryer G3, the floor heating unit G4, and the hot water supply unit G5, a reset process is performed on the unit in which the resolvable malfunction occurs, but this is not limited to the above. When a resolvable malfunction occurs in any of the above units, only the unit in which the resolvable malfunction occurs may be reset, or one or more other units may be reset at the same time. For example, when a resolvable malfunction occurs in the bathroom dryer G3, in addition to the bathroom dryer G3, one or more of the cogeneration system G1, the heat source unit G2, the floor heating unit G4, and the hot water supply unit G5 may be reset together with the bathroom dryer G3.

[0083] [8] In the above embodiment, the display unit 29 as a notification unit and the notification processing unit 27 that displays a predetermined display on the display unit 29 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the notification unit may be provided without the display unit 29 or the notification processing unit 27. In addition, the notification unit may be provided to notify the occurrence of a malfunction in the gas appliance by sound.

[0084] [9] In the above embodiment, when the number of consecutive executions of the reset process is two or more, a display notifying the occurrence of a malfunction is displayed on the display unit 29, but the present invention is not limited to this. A configuration may be adopted in which the upper limit of the number of consecutive executions of the reset process before the malfunction display process is executed can be set arbitrarily, and the malfunction display process may be executed when the number of consecutive executions of the reset process is one or more or three or more.

[0085] The configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, provided that no contradiction arises. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are illustrative, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and can be appropriately modified within the scope that does not deviate from the purpose of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0086] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in an automatic reset system for gas appliances, which can prevent unnecessary maintenance work from occurring. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1:Automatic reset system 8: Cogeneration side reset processing unit 16: Heat source side reset processing unit 29: Display unit (notification unit) 31: Defect type determination unit 32: Reset timing setting section 36: Learning Department 37: Weather information acquisition department 40: Server G: Gas appliances G1: Cogeneration system (heat generating device) G2: Heat source machine (heat generating device) G3: Bathroom dryer (heat utilization equipment) G4: Floor heating equipment (heat utilization equipment) G5: Hot water equipment (heat utilization equipment)

Claims

1. At least one gas appliance that utilizes gas or heat generated by utilizing gas; a malfunction type determination unit that determines whether a malfunction that has occurred in the gas appliance is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance; a reset processing unit that resets the gas equipment at a predetermined reset timing when the malfunction type determination unit determines that the malfunction that has occurred in the gas equipment is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas equipment; and A reset timing setting unit that sets the reset timing, The reset timing setting unit sets a time when the gas appliance is not in use as the reset timing.

2. At least one gas appliance that utilizes gas or heat generated by using gas; a malfunction type determination unit that determines whether a malfunction that has occurred in the gas appliance is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance; a reset processing unit that resets the gas equipment at a predetermined reset timing when the malfunction type determination unit determines that the malfunction that has occurred in the gas equipment is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas equipment; and A reset timing setting unit that sets the reset timing; A learning unit that learns a usage pattern of the gas appliance, The automatic reset system for gas appliances, wherein the reset timing setting unit sets the time at which the gas appliance can be shut off as the reset timing based on the learning results of the learning unit.

3. At least one gas appliance that utilizes gas or heat generated by using gas; a malfunction type determination unit that determines whether a malfunction that has occurred in the gas appliance is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance; a reset processing unit that resets the gas equipment at a predetermined reset timing when the malfunction type determination unit determines that the malfunction that has occurred in the gas equipment is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas equipment; and A reset timing setting unit that sets the reset timing; A weather information acquisition unit that acquires information related to weather, The automatic reset system for gas appliances, wherein the reset timing setting unit sets the time when the gas appliance needs to be reset, predicted based on information acquired by the weather information acquisition unit, as the reset timing.

4. At least one gas appliance that utilizes gas or heat generated by using gas; a malfunction type determination unit that determines whether a malfunction that has occurred in the gas appliance is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas appliance; a reset processing unit that resets the gas equipment at a predetermined reset timing when the malfunction type determination unit determines that the malfunction that has occurred in the gas equipment is a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas equipment; and A reset timing setting unit that sets the reset timing, The reset timing setting unit is When the gas appliance is a heat generating device that generates heat by using gas, a time point at which a malfunction that has occurred in the heat generating device is determined to be a malfunction that can be resolved by the reset is set as the reset timing; When the gas equipment is a heat utilization equipment that utilizes heat transferred from the heat generating device via a heat medium, the automatic reset system for gas equipment sets the reset timing to a predetermined point in time after it is determined that a malfunction that has occurred in the heat utilization equipment is a malfunction that can be resolved by the reset.

5. a server configured to receive a determination result from the malfunction type determination unit and to transmit a signal to the reset processing unit to execute a reset process for the gas appliance; The automatic reset system for gas equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the reset processing unit is configured to execute a reset process of the gas equipment when it receives a signal to execute the reset process from the server.

6. A notification unit capable of notifying that a malfunction has occurred in the gas appliance, The automatic reset system for gas equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the notification unit notifies that a malfunction has occurred in the gas equipment when the malfunction type determination unit determines that the malfunction that has occurred in the gas equipment is not a malfunction that can be resolved by resetting the gas equipment.

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