Compressor system

Abstract

To promote the use of a compressor in a proper life.SOLUTION: A compressor system includes a compressor and an external terminal. A compressor control device for the compressor determines whether or not an error occurs on the basis of operation information detected by a plurality of sensors, and transmits an error flag showing that the error occurs, to the external terminal. A terminal control device for the external terminal allows the display of a main screen including a display region for displaying pressure information and a control region for controlling the operation of the compressor, on a touch panel. The terminal control device sets a swipe effective state to make swipe operation effective for the display region when receiving the error flag, and allows the display of an error detail screen including operation information used for the contents of the error and the determination of the error, on the touch panel, if the swipe operation is performed for the display region in the swipe effective state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a compressor system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an air compressor having a motor, a compressed air generation unit that generates compressed air by driving the motor, a tank that stores the compressed air generated by the compressed air generation unit, a control board that controls the driving of the motor, and a main body side communication unit that transmits the operation mode, which is main body information, or the air pressure in the tank to an external terminal.

[0003] Further, Patent Document 1 discloses that when an abnormality occurring in the air compressor is detected, the main body side communication unit transmits at least one of warning information for warning that an abnormality has occurred or main body information to an external terminal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the information displayed on the external terminal when an abnormality occurs in the compressor is warning information for warning that an abnormality has occurred, the air pressure in the tank, and the operation mode that are also displayed during normal operation. For this reason, for example, when an error such as a voltage abnormality or a temperature abnormality occurs, it is difficult for an operator to determine what measures should be taken based on the display information on the external terminal. For this reason, it may not be possible to take appropriate measures, and there is a risk of taking measures that shorten the life of the compressor.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a compressor system capable of prompting an operator to take appropriate actions when an error occurs and promoting the use of the compressor within its proper service life.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A compressor system according to an aspect of the present invention is a compressor system including a compressor and an external terminal that communicates with the compressor, wherein the compressor includes a plurality of sensors that detect a plurality of operating information of the compressor, a compressor communication device that transmits the operating information to the external terminal, and a compressor control device that determines whether an error has occurred based on the operating information and, when it is determined that an error has occurred, transmits an error flag indicating that the error has occurred to the external terminal via the compressor communication device. The plurality of operating information includes pressure information of the gas compressed by the compressor and determination operating information used for determination of the error. The external terminal includes a touch panel, a terminal communication device that receives the operating information transmitted from the compressor, and a terminal control device that controls the touch panel. The terminal control device causes the touch panel to display a main screen including a display area for displaying the pressure information and an operation area for operating the compressor. When the error flag is received via the terminal communication device, the terminal control device sets a swipe-enabled state in which a swipe operation on the display area is enabled. When a swipe operation is performed on the display area in the swipe-enabled state, the touch panel is caused to display an error details screen including the details of the error and the determination operating information used for determination of the error.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a compressor system capable of prompting an operator to take appropriate actions when an error occurs and promoting the use of the compressor within its proper service life.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a compressor system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, the case where the compressor is a portable air compressor will be described, but the compressor is not limited to a portable air compressor and may be a stationary (installed type) air compressor. Further, the compressor is not limited to an air compressor that compresses air, and may be a compressor that compresses a gas other than air.

[0011] Referring to FIG. 1, an overview of a compressor system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the compressor system 10 includes a portable compressor 100 and an external terminal 110 that performs wireless communication with the compressor 100. An external terminal 110 is installed with a monitoring application for monitoring the operating state of the compressor 100 and operating the compressor 100 remotely. The compressor 100 and the external terminal 110 exchange mutual information by wireless communication.

[0012] Various methods can be adopted for the communication method between the compressor 100 and the external terminal 110. For example, the compressor 100 and the external terminal 110 can adopt Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), etc. as a short-range wireless communication method capable of directly exchanging information without passing through the communication line 50. Further, the compressor 100 and the external terminal 110 may indirectly exchange information via the communication line 50 which is a wide area network. The communication line 50 is the Internet, a mobile phone communication network (mobile communication network) such as 4G, 5G, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or the like.

[0013] In the present embodiment, the case where the external terminal 110 is a smartphone that can be carried by an operator will be described, but the external terminal 110 is not limited to a smartphone. As the external terminal 110, a tablet PC, a notebook PC, etc. that can be carried by an operator can be adopted. Further, the external terminal 110 does not necessarily need to be portable.

[0014] The configuration of the compressor 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the compressor 100 includes a compressor main body 1 that compresses air, a motor (electric motor) 6 that drives the compressor main body 1, a tank 24 that stores the air compressed by the compressor main body 1, a plurality of pressure reducing valves (not shown) that decompress the air stored in the tank 24, a joint 83 that connects the pressure reducing valve and an air tool (not shown), a cooling fan 9 that generates cooling air, a control board 30 and a switch board 40 that control each part of the compressor 100, and an operation panel 34 that is operated by an operator.

[0015] In FIG. 2, the area surrounded by the large frame drawn with a broken line is the compressor main body 1 that compresses air, and the area surrounded by the small frame drawn with a broken line is the motor 6 that drives the compressor main body 1. The motor 6 has a stator 2, a rotor 8, and a shaft 6A fixed to the rotor 8.

[0016] The compressor main body 1 includes a crankcase 1A and cylinders 18A, 18B attached to the crankcase 1A. The shaft 6A of the motor 6 penetrates through the crankcase 1A. The crankcase 1A covers the compressor main body 1 and the motor 6. The stator 2 is fixed to one end side of the crankcase 1A. A bearing 3 that pivotally supports one end side of the shaft 6A is attached to the crankcase 1A. A bearing box 5 with a bearing 4 that pivotally supports the other end side of the shaft 6A is fitted to the opposite side of the crankcase 1A where the stator 2 is attached.

[0017] A key 12 is embedded in the shaft 6A. At the central part of the shaft 6A in which the key 12 is embedded, a connecting rod set 14A for compressing air is attached via an eccentric 16A and a bearing 15A. Also, at the central part of the shaft 6A, a connecting rod set 14B for compressing air is attached together with a balance 17 via an eccentric 16B and a bearing 15B.

[0018] The connecting rod sets 14A, 14B and the balance 17 are supported from both sides by two bearings 3, 4 mounted on the crankcase 1A and the bearing housing 5. With this structure, the connecting rod sets 14A, 14B are rotatably connected to the eccentrics 16A, 16B via the bearings 15A, 15B.

[0019] The low-pressure cylinder 18A and the high-pressure cylinder 18B are attached so as to face each other with the crankcase 1A interposed therebetween. A compression chamber 23A is formed by the cylinder 18A and the connecting rod set 14A. The connecting rod set 14A is provided with a piston ring 13A for sealing the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 18A and the connecting rod set 14A. A compression chamber 23B is formed by the cylinder 18B and the connecting rod set 14B. The connecting rod set 14B is provided with a piston ring 13B for sealing the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 18B and the connecting rod set 14B.

[0020] The cooling fan 9 is attached to the end of the shaft 6A and rotates by the motor 6 to generate cooling air. Each component of the compressor 100 such as the compressor body 1 and the motor 6 is cooled by the generated cooling air. The tank 24 is disposed below the compressor body 1.

[0021] The operation of the compressor body 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. When the shaft 6A rotates by the motor 6 in the compressor body 1, the connecting rod set 14A reciprocates in the compression chamber 23A by the eccentric 16A, and the connecting rod set 14B reciprocates in the compression chamber 23B by the eccentric 16B. In the suction process in which the connecting rod set 14A moves from the top dead center to the bottom dead center, air (outside air) is sucked into the compression chamber 23A through the cylinder head 21A and the air valve 20A of the low-pressure cylinder 18A. In the discharge process in which the connecting rod set 14A moves from the bottom dead center to the top dead center, the air sucked into the compression chamber 23A is compressed and discharged from the air valve 20A and the cylinder head 21A.

[0022] The air discharged from the cylinder head 21A is sent to the cylinder 18B through a pipe (not shown). In the suction process where the connecting rod assembly 14B moves from the top dead center to the bottom dead center, the air compressed in the low-pressure side cylinder 18A is sucked into the compression chamber 23B through the cylinder head 21B and the air valve 20B of the high-pressure side cylinder 18B. In the discharge process where the connecting rod assembly 14B moves from the bottom dead center to the top dead center, the sucked air is further compressed and discharged through the air valve 20B and the cylinder head 21B. The compressed air discharged from the cylinder head 21B is stored in the tank 24.

[0023] The compressor 100 according to the present embodiment performs two-stage compression in which the air compressed in the cylinder 18A is further compressed in the cylinder 18B. Two-stage compression is more efficient than single-stage compression.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, an operation panel 34 is attached to the front side of the cover 26. The operation panel 34 has a plurality of switches 34a operated by an operator. The plurality of switches 34a include an operation / stop switch 34a1 for instructing operation start and operation stop, a mode changeover switch 34a2 for instructing a change in the operation mode, and a return switch 34a3 for returning to operation after an error occurs. Further, the operation panel 34 has a plurality of display units 34b for notifying the operator of the operation state of the compressor 100. The display unit 34b is composed of an LED or the like. The plurality of display units 34b include a display unit representing the magnitude of the air pressure in the tank 24 and a display unit representing the current operation mode.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the switch board 40 is provided below the operation panel 34, and the control board 30 is provided between the two tanks 24. The control board 30 and the switch board 40 constitute a control unit 60 which is a compressor control device for controlling the operation of the compressor 100. With reference to FIG. 5, the control unit 60 of the compressor 100 will be described.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 60 includes a control board 30 and a switch board 40. The control board 30 has a main controller 30a, and the switch board 40 has a sub-controller 40a. The main controller 30a and the sub-controller 40a are electrically connected and can exchange information (data) with each other.

[0027] The main controller 30a and the sub-controller 40a are each composed of a microcomputer including a processing device 181, 184 such as a CPU or an FPGA, a volatile memory 182, 185 called a so-called RAM as a storage device, a non-volatile memory 183, 186 such as an EEPROM or a flash memory as a storage device, an input / output interface, and other peripheral circuits.

[0028] In the non-volatile memories 183, 186 of the main controller 30a and the sub-controller 40a, programs capable of executing various operations are stored. That is, the non-volatile memories 183, 186 are storage media capable of reading the programs for realizing the functions of the present embodiment. The processing devices 181, 184 are processing devices that expand the programs stored in the non-volatile memories 183, 186 into the volatile memories 182, 185 and execute operations, and perform predetermined arithmetic processing on the signals input from the input / output interface, the non-volatile memories 183, 186, and the volatile memories 182, 185 according to the programs.

[0029] The main controller 30a drives the motor 6 with the power supplied from the power supply unit (AC power supply) 41. The control board 30 has a converter 30b, a capacitor 30c, an inverter circuit 30d, a voltage sensor 30e, and a current sensor 30f.

[0030] The inverter circuit 30d has a plurality of switching elements. The converter 30b converts the AC voltage supplied from the power supply unit 41 into a DC voltage. The inverter circuit 30d converts the DC voltage smoothed by the capacitor 30c into an AC voltage by the switching elements.

[0031] The voltage sensor 30e is connected in parallel to the power supply unit 41, detects an AC voltage, and outputs the detection result to the main controller 30a. The current sensor 30f detects the current supplied to the motor 6 and outputs the detection result to the main controller 30a.

[0032] Connected to the main controller 30a are a pressure sensor 31, a board temperature sensor 32, a rotation speed sensor 33, an ambient temperature sensor 35, and a motor temperature sensor 38.

[0033] The pressure sensor 31 is attached to the tank 24, detects the pressure of the air inside the tank 24 (hereinafter also referred to as the tank internal pressure), and outputs the detection result to the main controller 30a. The board temperature sensor 32 is attached to the control board 30, detects the temperature of the control board 30 (hereinafter also referred to as the board temperature), and outputs the detection result to the main controller 30a. The rotation speed sensor 33 is attached to the motor 6, detects the rotation speed of the motor 6 (hereinafter also referred to as the motor speed), and outputs the detection result to the main controller 30a. The ambient temperature sensor 35 is attached to the operation panel 34, detects the temperature around the compressor 100 (hereinafter also referred to as the ambient temperature), and outputs the detection result to the main controller 30a. The motor temperature sensor 38 is attached to the motor 6, detects the temperature of the motor 6 (hereinafter also referred to as the motor temperature), and outputs the detection result to the main controller 30a.

[0034] The main controller 30a controls the motor 6 based on the operation commands output from the sub - controller 40a by operations on the operation panel 34 or the external terminal 110, and the detection results of various sensors such as the pressure sensor 31. The main controller 30a outputs a drive control signal to the inverter circuit 30d to drive the switching elements of the inverter circuit 30d. Also, the main controller 30a outputs the detection results of various sensors (pressure sensor 31, substrate temperature sensor 32, rotation speed sensor 33, ambient temperature sensor 35, motor temperature sensor 38, voltage sensor 30e, current sensor 30f) and the results of various determinations based on the detection results to the sub - controller 40a. Details of the content of various determinations by the main controller 30a will be described later.

[0035] The switch board 40 is provided with a communication device (compressor communication device) 42 having a communication antenna and capable of wireless communication with the external terminal 110. In this embodiment, the sub - controller 40a performs pairing with the external terminal 110 using Bluetooth. Pairing refers to a process of performing wireless communication between the compressor 100 and the external terminal 110 and performing key exchange etc. for authentication and encrypted communication.

[0036] When an operation is performed on the switch 34a on the operation panel 34, the sub - controller 40a outputs an operation command corresponding to the operated switch 34a to the main controller 30a. The sub - controller 40a performs display control of the display unit 34b based on the information (data) input from the main controller 30a.

[0037] Also, when an operation is performed on the touch panel 171 (see FIG. 7) of the external terminal 110, the sub - controller 40a outputs the operation command transmitted from the external terminal 110 to the main controller 30a.

[0038] In this embodiment, the operation of the compressor 100 is controlled by a pressure control operation method. The pressure control operation method is a method of controlling the rotation of the motor 6 according to the pressure in the tank 24. When the operation / stop switch 34a1 (see FIG. 3) of the operation panel 34 or the operation / stop button 75f (see FIG. 7) of the touch panel 171 of the external terminal 110 is operated, the sub-controller 40a outputs an operation control command, which is an operation command for instructing the start and stop of the pressure control operation, to the main controller 30a.

[0039] When an operation control command is input while the main controller 30a is in the standby state, the main controller 30a starts the pressure control operation. The standby state refers to a state in which the compressor 100 is energized and the pressure control operation is not being performed. When an operation control command is input while the main controller 30a is in the pressure control operation state, the main controller 30a ends the pressure control operation. As a result, the compressor 100 returns to the standby state.

[0040] When the pressure control operation is started, the main controller 30a performs an air compression operation of compressing air and accumulating it in the tank 24 by rotating the motor 6. When the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 31 becomes equal to or higher than the upper limit threshold value, the main controller 30a stops the rotation of the motor 6 and stops the air compression operation. When the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 31 becomes equal to or lower than the lower limit threshold value, the main controller 30a performs the air compression operation again.

[0041] Next, an example of the operation mode of the compressor 100 will be described. In general, a compressor is provided with several operation modes according to the work content, environment, etc., and the control range of the pressure in the tank and the control range of the rotation speed of the motor are determined according to the set operation mode. The compressor 100 according to this embodiment is assumed to be used as an air supply source for pneumatic tools for nail driving work and painting work, and is provided with three operation modes: a normal mode, a powerful mode, and a low speed mode.

[0042] The normal mode is a mode in which the control range of the pressure in the tank 24 is set to 3.2 to 4.2 MPa, and the control range of the rotational speed of the motor 6 is set to 1,800 to 2,850 min-1. When the normal mode is set, the rotational speed of the motor 6 is variably controlled within the range of 1,800 to 2,850 min-1, and when the pressure in the tank 24 reaches 4.2 MPa (upper limit threshold value), the operation of the compressor 100 stops (that is, the rotation of the motor 6 stops). Then, when the pressure in the tank 24 decreases and reaches 3.2 MPa (lower limit threshold value), the compressor 100 restarts, and again, the rotational speed of the motor 6 is variably controlled within the range of 1,800 to 2,850 min-1.

[0043] The powerful mode is an operation mode in which the rotational speed of the motor 6 is variably controlled within the same range as the normal mode, and the pressure control range is set to 3.8 MPa (lower limit threshold value) to 4.2 MPa (upper limit threshold value). The low-speed mode is an operation mode in which the pressure control range is the same as that of the normal mode, but the rotational speed of the motor 6 is maintained at 1,500 min-1.

[0044] When the mode change switch 34a2 (see Fig. 3) or the mode change button 75d (see Fig. 7) of the touch panel 171 of the external terminal 110 is operated, the sub-controller 40a outputs a mode change command, which is an operation command for instructing the change of the operation mode, to the main controller 30a. When a mode change command is input while the normal mode is set, the main controller 30a sets the operation mode to the powerful mode. When a mode change command is input while the powerful mode is set, the main controller 30a sets the operation mode to the low-speed mode. When a mode change command is input while the low-speed mode is set, the main controller 30a sets the operation mode to the normal mode. That is, each time a mode change command is input, the main controller 30a switches the operation mode.

[0045] The main controller 30a monitors the operating state of the compressor 100 and outputs various information to the sub-controller 40a. The sub-controller 40a transmits the information (data) input from the main controller 30a to the external terminal 110 via the communication device 42.

[0046] The information (data) transmitted from the main controller 30a to the external terminal 110 via the sub-controller 40a and the communication device 42 includes a plurality of operating information of the compressor 100, that is, the voltage (power supply voltage) detected by the voltage sensor 30e, the current (motor drive current) detected by the current sensor 30f, the internal pressure of the tank detected by the pressure sensor 31, the substrate temperature detected by the substrate temperature sensor 32, the motor speed detected by the rotation speed sensor 33, the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature sensor 35, and the motor temperature detected by the motor temperature sensor 38.

[0047] In addition, the information (data) transmitted from the main controller 30a to the external terminal 110 via the sub-controller 40a and the communication device 42 includes operating state information indicating the operating state of the compressor 100 (such as pressure control operating state, abnormal stop state, etc.). Note that the operating state information also includes the setting information of the current operating mode of the compressor 100.

[0048] Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the external terminal 110 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the external terminal 110 includes a touch panel 171, a plurality of physical switches (power switch 172a, volume increase switch 172b, and volume decrease switch 172c) that can be pushed in, a communication device (terminal communication device) 173 that has a communication antenna and can perform wireless communication with the compressor 100, a sound output device 175, and a terminal controller 130. The terminal controller 130 functions as a terminal control device that controls each part of the external terminal 110 such as the touch panel 171, the communication device 173, and the sound output device 175. The sound output device 175 has a speaker and outputs a predetermined sound based on a sound control signal from the terminal controller 130.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 7, the touch panel 171 is provided on the front (front face) of the external terminal 110. The touch panel 171 has a display device for displaying various information and a touch sensor. The display device is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like. The touch sensor of the touch panel 171 is a well-known capacitance-type input device that detects the position of a touch operation based on, for example, a change in capacitance (electric charge) generated when a finger or the like touches it.

[0050] On the upper part of the right side surface of the external terminal 110, a power switch 172a for operating the on / off of the power of the external terminal 110 is provided. On the upper part of the left side surface of the external terminal 110, a volume increase switch 172b and a volume decrease switch 172c for operating the increase and decrease of the volume of the sound output from the sound output device 175 are provided.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal controller 130 is composed of a microcomputer including a processing device 131 such as a CPU, a volatile memory 132 called a so-called RAM as a storage device, a non-volatile memory 133 such as an EEPROM and a flash memory as a storage device, an input / output interface, and other peripheral circuits.

[0052] In the non-volatile memory 133 of the terminal controller 130, programs capable of executing various operations are stored. That is, the non-volatile memory 133 is a storage medium capable of reading programs for realizing the functions of the present embodiment. The processing device 131 is a processing device that expands the programs stored in the non-volatile memory 133 into the volatile memory 132 and executes operations, and performs predetermined arithmetic processing on the signals taken in from the input / output interface, the non-volatile memory 133, and the volatile memory 132 according to the programs.

[0053] The program stored in the non-volatile memory 133 includes a plurality of applications including the monitoring application 136 and a support program 134 that supports the operation of the applications. The monitoring application 136 is an application for operating and monitoring the compressor 100. The plurality of applications 136 including the monitoring application 136 operate under the management of the support program (OS) 134.

[0054] When the application icon of the monitoring application 136 displayed on the home screen (not shown) of the touch panel 171 is touched, the terminal controller 130 executes the monitoring application 136. When the monitoring application 136 is executed, the terminal controller 130 displays the main screen 75 on the display screen of the touch panel 171 as shown in FIG. 7.

[0055] The main screen 75 has an upper display area 75a for displaying predetermined information and a lower operation area 75b for operating the operation of the compressor 100. The tank internal pressure of the compressor 100 (pressure information of the compressed gas) is displayed in the display area 75a, and a plurality of operation buttons for operating the operation of the compressor 100 are displayed in the operation area 75b. In the example shown in the figure, in the operation area 75b, as a plurality of operation buttons, a mode change button 75d, a communication connection button 75e, an operation / stop button 75f, and a return button 75g are arranged. Also, a normal operation mode icon 75c1, a powerful operation mode icon 75c2, and a low-speed operation mode icon 75c3 are displayed in the operation area 75b. Note that a menu button 75m is arranged above the display area 75a in the figure. The menu button 75m is an operation button used when displaying various setting screens, inquiry screens, etc.

[0056] In the display area 75a, the tank internal pressure and information representing the operating state are displayed. In the pressure control operating state, "Operating" is displayed, and in the abnormal stop state, "Abnormal Stop" is displayed. A message area 75h is formed at the lower part within the display area 75a. When an error occurs, an outline of the error is displayed in the message area 75h.

[0057] The communication connection button 75e is an operation area for making the external terminal 110 and the compressor 100 mutually communicable or releasing the communication connection state when touched. When this communication connection button 75e is touched, the compressor 100 and the external terminal 110 can communicate with each other via Bluetooth.

[0058] The mode switching button 75d is an operation area that is touched when switching the operation mode. When the mode switching button 75d is touched, a mode switching command is transmitted from the external terminal 110 to the compressor 100. Therefore, by touching the mode switching button 75d, the operation mode of the compressor 100 can be switched from the normal mode to the powerful mode, from the powerful mode to the low-speed mode, and from the low-speed mode to the normal mode.

[0059] The operation / stop button 75f is an operation area that is touched when operating or stopping the compressor 100. When the operation / stop button 75f is touched, an operation control command is transmitted from the external terminal 110 to the compressor 100. Therefore, when the compressor 100 is in the standby state, the operation of the compressor 100 can be started by touching the operation / stop button 75f. Also, when the compressor 100 is in the pressure control operation state, the operation of the compressor 100 can be stopped by touching the operation / stop button 75f.

[0060] The reset button 75g is an operation area that is touched to reset an error after the operation of the compressor 100 is restricted or forcibly stopped due to the occurrence of an error such as a low voltage abnormality or a high temperature abnormality. In other words, the run / stop button 75f, the mode switching button 75d, and the reset button 75g have the same functions as the run / stop switch 34a1, the mode switching switch 34a2, and the reset switch 34a3 of the operation panel 34. When the reset button 75g is operated, the setting of an error flag, which will be described later, is released, and a swipe enabled state, which will be described later, is switched to a swipe disabled state.

[0061] In this way, the display area 75a of the main screen 75 displays the tank pressure and the pressure control operation state, so that the operator can remotely monitor the operation state of the compressor 100 by visually checking the main screen 75. In addition, the operation area 75b of the main screen 75 is provided with touch-operable buttons such as an ON / OFF button 75f, so that the compressor 100 can be operated remotely.

[0062] However, the compressor 100 according to this embodiment is portable, and therefore its use environment is unstable. At a work site, various machines including the compressor 100 are used. For this reason, the voltage supplied to the compressor 100 may become unstable when the power cables of multiple machines are connected to a cord reel that is connected to a temporary outdoor power source. For example, while the normal power supply voltage is 100V, the power supply voltage may be lower than 50V depending on the work environment.

[0063] In this embodiment, as described later, when the compressor 100 stops abnormally due to a shortage of the power supply voltage, the display area 75a displays that the compressor is operating abnormally, and the message area 75h displays a message indicating that the compressor has stopped due to a shortage of the power supply voltage (see FIG. 10(a)). This allows the operator to know the reason why the compressor 100 has stopped abnormally.

[0064] However, based on only the display content shown in Fig. 10(a), an operator cannot quantitatively know how much the voltage is insufficient. Therefore, it is difficult for the operator to determine appropriate subsequent actions, such as whether corresponding measures can be taken at the work site and whether repair is necessary. Also, the operator cannot convey the specific voltage value to the service provider for repair. For this reason, the service provider has to move from the service factory to the work site, check the operation information at the time of abnormal stop (error occurrence) stored in the non-volatile memory 183 of the compressor 100, and identify the cause of the abnormal stop of the compressor 100. As a result of identifying the cause, if component replacement is necessary, the service provider has to return to the service factory to arrange for the components, move back to the work site again, and replace the components. Thus, based on only the display content shown in Fig. 10(a), the operator cannot take appropriate actions and may shorten the lifespan of the compressor 100 by unreasonably continuing the operation. Also, since specific information cannot be presented to the service provider, it is difficult to predict how much time the repair will take, which may affect the subsequent work process. For the service provider, the work efficiency of the repair is poor and the repair cost may increase.

[0065] Therefore, the compressor system 10 according to this embodiment monitors the state of the compressor 100, sets it to a swipe-enabled state where a swipe operation on the display area 75a of the main screen 75 can be received when an error occurs, and when in the swipe-enabled state, if a swipe operation is performed on the display area 75a, displays an error details screen including the content of the error and information on the specific physical quantity corresponding to the error on the touch panel 171.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 8, the content of the display process when an error occurs in the compressor system 10 will be described in detail. The detection device 39 shown in FIG. 8 is composed of various sensors (30e, 30f, 31 to 33, 35, 38). As shown in FIG. 8, the main controller 30a functions as a motor control unit 161, an operation information acquisition unit 162, an error determination unit 163, and an information selection unit 164 by executing a program stored in the non-volatile memory 183.

[0067] The operation information acquisition unit 162 acquires a plurality of pieces of operation information detected by the detection device 39. The operation information acquisition unit 162 outputs the acquired operation information to the sub-controller 40a. As described above, the sub-controller 40a transmits the acquired operation information to the external terminal 110 via the communication device 42.

[0068] The motor control unit 161 sets an operation mode based on a command from the sub-controller 40a. The motor control unit 161 controls the motor 6 by outputting a drive control signal to the inverter circuit 30d based on the operation information (for example, the pressure in the tank, etc.) acquired by the operation information acquisition unit 162 and the set operation mode.

[0069] The error determination unit 163 determines whether an error has occurred based on the operation information and a threshold value stored in the non-volatile memory 183. When the error determination unit 163 determines that an error has occurred, it sets an error flag indicating that an error has occurred (flag on) and outputs the error flag to the sub-controller 40a. When the error determination unit 163 determines that no error has occurred, it does not set the error flag (flag off). Note that there are various errors. When the error determination unit 163 determines that an error has occurred, it stores the information specifying the error flag (the number of the error flag) and the value of the operation information when the error is determined to have occurred in association with the non-volatile memory 183. Hereinafter, specific examples of errors will be described.

[0070] When the voltage detected by the voltage sensor 30e is less than or equal to the first low voltage threshold and higher than the second low voltage threshold, the error determination unit 163 determines that a first low voltage error has occurred and sets the first low voltage error flag. The first low voltage threshold is a value higher than the second low voltage threshold. For example, the first low voltage threshold is set to about 80V, and the second low voltage threshold is set to about 65V. When the voltage detected by the voltage sensor 30e is less than or equal to the second low voltage threshold, the error determination unit 163 determines that a second low voltage error has occurred and sets the second low voltage error flag.

[0071] When the voltage detected by the voltage sensor 30e is greater than or equal to the first high voltage threshold and lower than the second high voltage threshold, the error determination unit 163 determines that a first high voltage error has occurred and sets the first high voltage error flag. The first high voltage threshold is a value lower than the second high voltage threshold. For example, the first high voltage threshold is set to about 120V, and the second high voltage threshold is set to about 135V. When the voltage detected by the voltage sensor 30e is greater than or equal to the second high voltage threshold, the error determination unit 163 determines that a second high voltage error has occurred and sets the second high voltage error flag.

[0072] When the voltage detected by the voltage sensor 30e is higher than the first low voltage threshold and lower than the first high voltage threshold, the error determination unit 163 determines that no error related to the voltage has occurred. In this case, the error flag is not set.

[0073] When the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature sensor 35 is greater than or equal to the first high temperature threshold and less than the second high temperature threshold, the error determination unit 163 determines that a first high temperature error has occurred and sets the first high temperature error flag. The first high temperature threshold is a value lower than the second high temperature threshold. For example, the first high temperature threshold is set to about 45°C, and the second high temperature threshold is set to about 55°C. When the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature sensor 35 is greater than or equal to the second high temperature threshold, the error determination unit 163 determines that a second high temperature error has occurred and sets the second high temperature error flag.

[0074] When the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature sensor 35 is equal to or lower than the first low temperature threshold value and higher than the second low temperature threshold value, the error determination unit 163 determines that a first low temperature error has occurred and sets a first low temperature error flag. The first low temperature threshold value is a value higher than the second low temperature threshold value. For example, the first low temperature threshold value is set to about 0°C, and the second low temperature threshold value is set to about -20°C.

[0075] When the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature sensor 35 is equal to or lower than the second low temperature threshold value, the error determination unit 163 determines that a second low temperature error has occurred and sets a second low temperature error flag.

[0076] When the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature sensor 35 is higher than the first low temperature threshold value and lower than the first high temperature threshold value, the error determination unit 163 determines that no error related to the ambient temperature has occurred. In this case, the error flag is not set.

[0077] When the current detected by the current sensor 30f is equal to or higher than the current threshold value and the motor speed detected by the rotation speed sensor 33 is equal to or lower than the speed threshold value, the error determination unit 163 determines that a motor lock error has occurred and sets a motor lock error flag.

[0078] When the current detected by the current sensor 30f is smaller than the current threshold value, or when the motor speed detected by the rotation speed sensor 33 is higher than the speed threshold value, the error determination unit 163 determines that no motor lock error has occurred. In this case, the motor lock error flag is not set.

[0079] When any one of the first low voltage error flag, the first high voltage error flag, the first high temperature error flag, and the first low temperature error flag is set, the motor control unit 161 protects the product by performing a restricted operation (degraded operation) in which the maximum pressure (pressure upper limit threshold value) of the tank 24 is decreased. When any one of the second low voltage error flag, the second high voltage error flag, the second high temperature error flag, and the second low temperature error flag is set, the motor control unit 161 forcibly stops the pressure control operation regardless of the internal pressure of the tank. When the motor error flag is set, the motor control unit 161 forcibly stops the pressure control operation regardless of the internal pressure of the tank.

[0080] When the error flag is set by the error determination unit 163, the sub-controller 40a lights up the display unit 34b corresponding to the error flag. Further, when the error flag is set by the error determination unit 163, the sub-controller 40a transmits the error flag to the external terminal 110 via the communication device 42. When the terminal controller 130 of the external terminal 110 receives the error flag via the communication device 173, it enters a swipe-enabled state in which a swipe operation on the display area 75a of the main screen 75 is enabled. The swipe operation is an operation of sliding a finger or the like in the left-right direction while touching the touch panel 171.

[0081] When a swipe operation is performed on the display area 75a while the terminal controller 130 is in the swipe-enabled state, it transmits a request command for requesting the operation information of the error to the compressor 100. Further, the terminal controller 130 selects an error detail reference screen corresponding to the number of the received error flag from among a plurality of error detail reference screens stored in the non-volatile memory 133 and displays it on the touch panel 171. The error detail reference screen includes the content of the error corresponding to the number of the error flag.

[0082] When the information selection unit 164 receives a request command for error operation information from the external terminal 110, it selects operation information for identifying the cause of the error, including the operation information for determination used in the determination of the error, from among the operation information at the time of error stored in the non-volatile memory 183. The information selection unit 164 transmits the selected operation information to the external terminal 110 via the sub-controller 40a and the communication device 42. When the terminal controller 130 acquires operation information for identifying the cause of the currently occurring error from the compressor 100, it causes the touch panel 171 to display an error details screen 76 (see FIG. 11) obtained by synthesizing numerical values and graphs representing the acquired operation information on the error details reference screen.

[0083] As described above, when a swipe operation is performed on the display area 75a while the terminal controller 130 is in the swipe enabled state, the terminal controller 130 causes the touch panel 171 to display an error details screen 76 (see FIG. 11) including the error content and the operation information for determination (voltage, ambient temperature, etc.) used in the determination of the error.

[0084] Next, with reference to FIG. 9, an example of the control flow by the compressor 100 and the external terminal 110 according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, in step c1, when an operator connects the power plug of the compressor 100 to the power supply unit 41, the control unit 60 of the compressor 100 performs initial settings. As a result, the compressor 100 enters the standby state. In step s1, when the operator activates the monitoring application 136 of the external terminal 110, the terminal controller 130 activates the monitoring application 136 and causes the touch panel 171 to display the main screen 75. When the communication connection button 75e on the main screen 75 is touched, communication connection between the compressor 100 and the external terminal 110 is established.

[0085] When the compressor 100 and the external terminal 110 are in a state where they can communicate with each other, at step c2, the control unit 60 of the compressor 100 determines whether an operation operation has been performed. At step c2, when the operation / stop switch 34a1 of the operation panel 34 is operated, the control unit 60 determines that an operation operation has been performed and proceeds to step c3. At step c3, the control unit 60 starts the pressure control operation of the compressor 100.

[0086] When the compressor 100 and the external terminal 110 are in a state where they can communicate with each other, at step s2, the terminal controller 130 of the external terminal 110 determines whether an operation operation has been performed. At step s2, when the operation / stop button 75f on the main screen 75 displayed on the touch panel 171 is touched, the terminal controller 130 determines that an operation operation has been performed and proceeds to step s3. At step s3, the terminal controller 130 sends an operation start command to the compressor 100. When the control unit 60 receives the operation start command, it starts the pressure control operation of the compressor 100 (step c3).

[0087] When the pressure control operation is started, the process proceeds to step c4. At step c4, the control unit 60 of the compressor 100 starts transmitting various information of the compressor 100 (operation information such as the pressure inside the tank, operation state information, mode setting information, etc.) and proceeds to step c5. The transmission of various information of the compressor 100 is repeated at a predetermined control cycle until the operation of the compressor 100 stops.

[0088] The terminal controller 130 of the external terminal 110 causes the various information transmitted from the compressor 100 to be displayed on the touch panel 171 (step s4). As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the numerical value of the pressure inside the tank and the operation state information (compressor operation status) are displayed in the display area 75a of the main screen 75. In the example shown in FIG. 7, "3.8 MPa" representing the numerical value of the pressure inside the tank and "operating" representing the operation state information are displayed.

[0089] Although not shown in the drawings, after the pressure control operation is started, when the mode change button 75d on the main screen 75 displayed on the mode change switch 34a2 or the external terminal 110 is operated, the control unit 60 switches the operation mode of the compressor 100.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 9, in step c5, the control unit 60 of the compressor 100 determines whether an error has occurred in the compressor 100 based on the operation information detected by the detection device 39. If it is determined in step c5 that an error has occurred in the compressor 100, the process proceeds to step c6. If it is determined that no error has occurred in the compressor 100, the process proceeds to step c9.

[0091] In step c6, the control unit 60 of the compressor 100 sets an error flag corresponding to the occurred error and transmits the set error flag to the external terminal 110.

[0092] In step s5, when the terminal controller 130 of the external terminal 110 receives the error flag, as shown in FIGS. 10(a) to 10(c), the terminal controller 130 displays an outline of the error corresponding to the number of the error flag in the message area 75h of the main screen 75. In step c6 shown in FIG. 9, when the second low voltage error flag is set, as shown in FIG. 10(a), the terminal controller 130 causes the touch panel 171 to display a second low voltage error (low voltage abnormality) screen. In step c6 shown in FIG. 9, when the second high temperature error flag is set, as shown in FIG. 10(b), the terminal controller 130 causes the touch panel 171 to display a second high temperature error (high temperature abnormality) screen. In step c6 shown in FIG. 9, when an error flag representing an error other than the first and second low voltage error flags, the first and second high temperature error flags, and the first and second low temperature error flags (such as an abnormality in the motor speed) is set, as shown in FIG. 10(c), the terminal controller 130 causes the touch panel 171 to display an other error (other abnormality) screen.

[0093] Also, in step s5, the terminal controller 130 switches from the swipe-disabled state in which the swipe operation on the display area 75a is disabled to the swipe-enabled state in which the swipe operation on the display area 75a is enabled, and proceeds to step s6.

[0094] In step s6, the terminal controller 130 determines whether a swipe operation has been performed. In step s6, if a swipe operation has been performed on the display area 75a, the terminal controller 130 makes an affirmative determination and proceeds to step s7. In step s6, if no swipe operation has been performed on the display area 75a, the terminal controller 130 makes a negative determination and proceeds to step s9.

[0095] In step s7, the terminal controller 130 selects an error detail reference screen corresponding to the error flag from among a plurality of error detail reference screens stored in the non-volatile memory 133 and displays it on the touch panel 171. The error detail reference screen is composed of, among the error detail screens shown in FIG. 11, the error flag number, the error content, a sentence suggesting the cause of the error, a sentence indicating the action to be taken by the operator, and the like. That is, the error detail reference screen is the part other than the specific numerical values of the operation information at the time of error occurrence corresponding to the error flag (in the example shown in FIG. 11, voltage 55V, current 14.9A) and the number of error occurrences (in the example shown in FIG. 11, 6 times).

[0096] Also, in step s7, the terminal controller 130 transmits a request command for the specific numerical values of the operation information (including the operation information for determination used for error determination) and the number of error occurrences when the error corresponding to the error flag occurs to the compressor 100 via the communication device 173.

[0097] In step c7, when the control unit 60 receives a request command via the communication device 42, it selects operation information corresponding to the request command (including the operation information for determination used in error determination) from among a plurality of pieces of operation information when an error occurred, which is stored in the non-volatile memory 183, and proceeds to step c8. In step c8, the control unit 60 transmits the selected operation information to the external terminal 110 via the communication device 173 and proceeds to step c9. Although not shown, if the error that occurred in step c5 is an error that forcibly stops the pressure control operation, the process ends without proceeding to step c9, and the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 ends.

[0098] In step s8, the terminal controller 130 reflects the operation information received via the communication device 173 on the error detail reference screen displayed in step s7, generates an error detail screen 76, displays it on the touch panel 171, and proceeds to step s9. Although not shown, after the error detail screen 76 is displayed and further swiped, the terminal controller 130 switches the error detail screen 76 to the main screen 75. Also, although not shown, if the error that occurred in step c5 is an error that forcibly stops the pressure control operation, the terminal controller 130 determines whether a swipe operation has been performed without proceeding to step s9, and switches between the error detail screen 76 and the main screen 75 according to the swipe operation.

[0099] The error detail screen 76 differs according to the number of the error flag. The error detail screen 76 includes only the operation information (i.e., a part of the plurality of pieces of operation information) used to identify the cause of the occurred error among the plurality of pieces of operation information detected in the compressor 100.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 11, for example, when a second low-voltage error occurs, if a swipe operation is performed on the main screen 75, the terminal controller 130 switches from the main screen 75 to an error details screen (low-voltage abnormality screen) 76 that includes the details of the second low-voltage error (low-voltage abnormality) and the voltage at the time of error occurrence. When a swipe operation is performed on the error details screen 76, the terminal controller 130 switches from the error details screen 76 to the main screen 75. Note that, on the error details screen 76, the display area 76a where a swipe operation is possible is larger than the display area 75a of the main screen 75.

[0101] As shown in the figure, on the error details screen 76, the message "The power supply voltage supplied to the compressor has dropped below a predetermined value." is displayed as a message indicating the content of the error. On the error details screen 76, a graph representing the voltage value detected by the voltage sensor 30e and the numerical value "55V" are displayed as the operation information for determination used in the error determination. On the error details screen 76, not only the voltage value detected by the voltage sensor 30e, but also a graph representing the current value detected by the current sensor 30f and the numerical value "14.9A" are displayed. On the error details screen 76, the message "There is a possibility that the voltage has dropped due to octopus wiring or an extension cord." is displayed as a message suggesting the cause of the error. On the error details screen 76, the message "Please adjust the power supply so that it is at least 90V or higher to use the compressor." is displayed as a message indicating the action that the operator should take to resolve the error. Note that the method of displaying the voltage is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 11, and the voltage may be displayed as a percentage [%] with the standard value (100V) set to 100. Further, the power obtained by multiplying the voltage and the current may be displayed on the error details screen 76.

[0102] Thus, when a second low voltage error (low voltage abnormality) occurs in the compressor 100, the operator can check an error details screen 76 including the error content and the voltage (judgment operation information) used for error judgment by swiping the display area 75a of the main screen 75. Therefore, based on the specific voltage value, the operator can take appropriate measures such as checking the devices connected to the power supply and the wiring.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 12, for example, when a first low temperature error occurs, when a swipe operation is performed on the main screen 75, the terminal controller 130 switches from the main screen 75 to an error details screen (low temperature warning screen) 76 including the content of the first low temperature error (low temperature warning) and the ambient temperature at the time of error occurrence. When a swipe operation is performed on the error details screen 76, the terminal controller 130 switches from the error details screen 76 to the main screen 75.

[0104] As shown in the figure, on the error details screen 76, as a message representing the error content, "The ambient temperature is below the operating temperature range." is displayed. On the error details screen 76, as the judgment operation information used for error judgment, the numerical value "0°C" representing the ambient temperature detected by the ambient temperature sensor 35 is displayed. On the error details screen 76, "Low temperature warning mode" indicating that it is in a restricted operation state due to low temperature is displayed. On the error details screen 76, information indicating the operating pressure range and the magnitude of the motor speed in the restricted operation state is displayed. On the error details screen 76, as a message representing the measures the operator should take to eliminate the error, "To return to normal operation, move to a place where the ambient temperature is 5°C or higher." is displayed. On the error details screen 76, as a message notifying the conditions for forced stop of operation, "If the ambient temperature drops below -20°C, an emergency stop will be performed." is displayed.

[0105] As described above, when a first low-temperature error (low-temperature warning) occurs in the compressor 100, the operator can check an error details screen 76 including the error content and the ambient temperature (operation information for determination) used for error determination by swiping the display area 75a of the main screen 75. Therefore, based on the specific ambient temperature value, the operator can take appropriate actions such as improving the environment around the compressor 100 and reviewing the subsequent work plan.

[0106] As shown in FIG. 9, in step c9, the control unit 60 of the compressor 100 determines whether a stop operation has been performed. In step c9, when the operation / stop switch 34a1 of the operation panel 34 is operated, the control unit 60 determines that a stop operation has been performed and proceeds to step c10. If it is determined in step c9 that the stop operation has not been performed, the process returns to step c5. In step c10, the control unit 60 stops the pressure control operation of the compressor 100 and ends the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9.

[0107] In step s9, the terminal controller 130 determines whether a stop operation has been performed. In step s9, when the operation / stop button 75f of the main screen 75 displayed on the touch panel 171 is touched, the terminal controller 130 determines that a stop operation has been performed and proceeds to step s10. If it is determined in step s10 that the stop operation has not been performed, the process returns to step s6. In step s10, the terminal controller 130 sends a stop operation command to the compressor 100. When the control unit 60 receives the stop operation command, it stops the pressure control operation of the compressor 100 (step c10).

[0108] According to the above-described embodiments, the following operational effects are achieved.

[0109] (1) The control unit (compressor control device) 60 of the compressor 100 determines whether an error has occurred based on the operation information detected by a plurality of sensors (30e, 30f, 31 - 33, 35, 38). When it is determined that an error has occurred, an error flag indicating that an error has occurred is transmitted to the external terminal 110 via the communication device (compressor communication device) 42. When the terminal controller (terminal control device) 130 of the external terminal 110 receives the error flag via the communication device (terminal communication device) 173, it sets the swipe-enabled state in which the swipe operation on the display area 75a is enabled. When the terminal controller 130 is in the swipe-enabled state and a swipe operation is performed on the display area 75a, an error details screen 76 including the details of the error and the operation information used for error determination is displayed on the touch panel 171.

[0110] When an error occurs in the compressor 100, the operator can check the error details screen 76 by swiping the display area 75a of the main screen 75. Therefore, the operator can take appropriate actions when an error occurs. For example, the operator can take actions such as improving the usage environment of the compressor 100. That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a compressor system 10 that prompts the operator to take appropriate actions when an error occurs and promotes the use of the compressor 100 within its proper service life.

[0111] Even when a swipe operation is performed on the operation area 75b of the main screen 75 when the terminal controller 130 is in the swipe-enabled state, the error details screen 76 is not displayed on the touch panel 171. That is, the operation area 75b is a dedicated area for operating the compressor 100. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a swipe operation from being performed on the operation area 75b, thereby preventing misoperations.

[0112] (2) The error details screen 76 includes only a part of the plurality of operation information. Specifically, it includes only the operation information for identifying the cause of the occurred error. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, compared with the case where the error details screen 76 includes all of the plurality of operation information, the cause of the error can be specified promptly.

[0113] (3) When a swipe operation is performed on the display area 75a of the main screen 75 while the terminal controller 130 is in the swipe enabled state, the terminal controller 130 transmits a request command for the operation information at the time of error occurrence to the compressor 100 via the communication device 173. When the control unit 60 receives the request command via the communication device 42, the control unit 60 selects the operation information corresponding to the request command from among the plurality of operation information stored in the non-volatile memory (compressor storage device) 183 at the time of error occurrence, and transmits the selected operation information to the external terminal 110 via the communication device 42. The terminal controller 130 selects the error details reference screen corresponding to the error flag from among the plurality of error details reference screens stored in the non-volatile memory (terminal storage device) 133, generates an error details screen 76 based on the selected error details reference screen and the operation information at the time of error occurrence received via the communication device 173, and displays the error details screen 76 on the touch panel 171.

[0114] In this embodiment, the swipe is enabled only when an error occurs in the compressor 100. As a comparative example of this embodiment, if the swipe is enabled even when no error has occurred, the main screen 75 may unintentionally switch to the error details screen 76. For example, in the comparative example, when an operator puts the external terminal 110 with the main screen 75 displayed into a pocket or the like and performs work, there is a risk of switching from the main screen 75 to the error details screen 76 in response to a weak capacitance change in the pocket. In this case, there is a risk of a lag in error detection due to communication being performed separately from when the main screen 75 is displayed. Also, in the comparative example, when an operator accidentally performs a swipe operation when performing an operation such as switching the operation mode, the same problem may occur. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the swipe is enabled only when an error occurs in the compressor 100, compared to the case where the swipe is enabled regardless of the occurrence of an error, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of misoperations and prevent problems caused by misoperations. When no error has occurred, the operator has little need to check the operation information other than the pressure information, that is, the operation information for determination used in error determination. Therefore, in view of the risk of trouble due to misoperations, it is preferable to be able to check the operation information for determination only when an error occurs (at the time of warning and abnormal stop) as in this embodiment.

[0115] The following modification examples are also within the scope of the present invention, and it is also possible to combine the configurations shown in the modification examples with the configurations described in the above-described embodiment, or to combine the configurations described in the following different modification examples with each other.

[0116] <Modification Example 1> In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which when a swipe operation is performed on the display area 76a of the error details screen 76, the terminal controller 130 switches from the error details screen 76 to the main screen 75. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 13, when a swipe operation is performed on an error details screen (low voltage abnormality screen) 76 representing an error currently occurring, the terminal controller 130 causes an error details screen (high voltage abnormality screen) 76p1 representing the previously occurred error (past error) to be displayed on the touch panel 171. Past error information (error flag, operation information at the time of error occurrence) is stored in the non-volatile memory 183 of the compressor 100.

[0117] As described above, when a swipe operation is performed on the display area 75a while the terminal controller 130 according to the first modification example is in the swipe-enabled state, the current error details screen 76 including the content of the error currently occurring and the operation information for determination used for the determination of the error is displayed on the touch panel 171.

[0118] Furthermore, when a further swipe operation is performed on the current error details screen 76, the terminal controller 130 transmits a request command for requesting information (error flag and operation information at the time of error occurrence) of the error that occurred in the past (previous time) to the compressor 100. When the control unit 60 of the compressor 100 receives a request command for information of the past error from the external terminal 110, it selects operation information for identifying the cause of the error from among the error flag and the operation information at the time of the error occurrence stored in the non-volatile memory 183, and transmits the selected operation information to the external terminal 110. When the terminal controller 130 acquires information of the error that occurred in the past (previous time) from the compressor 100, it displays a past (previous) error details screen 76p1 including the content of the previously occurred error and the operation information for determination used for the determination of the error.

[0119] The terminal controller 130 may be configured to display not only the error detail screen 76p1 for the past one time, but also the error detail screens for a plurality of past times in response to a swipe operation. That is, the terminal controller 130 can be configured to display a past error detail screen including the content of an error that occurred in the past at least once and the operation information for determination used for error determination in response to a swipe operation on the touch panel 171.

[0120] As an example, with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, the external terminal 110 capable of displaying the error detail screens for the past three times will be described. When a swipe operation is performed on the display area 75a of the main screen 75 while the terminal controller 130 of the external terminal 110 is in the swipe enabled state, the current error detail screen 76 is displayed on the touch panel 171 as shown in FIG. 13.

[0121] When a swipe operation is performed on the current error detail screen 76, the terminal controller 130 displays the previous (past) error detail screen 76p1. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, when a swipe operation is performed on the previous (past) error detail screen 76, the terminal controller 130 displays the error detail screen 76p2 for the time before the previous (past) time, including the content of the error that occurred the time before the previous time and the operation information for determination (ambient temperature) used for error determination. When a swipe operation is performed on the error detail screen 76 for the time before the previous (past) time, the terminal controller 130 displays the error detail screen 76p3 for three times before (past), including the content of the error that occurred three times before (past) and the operation information for determination (rotation speed and current) used for error determination.

[0122] As described above, the terminal controller 130 according to the first modification example displays the past error detail screens 76p1, 76p2, 76p3 including the content of at least one past error and the operation information for determination used for the error determination in response to a swipe operation on the touch panel 171. According to this configuration, since the errors that occurred in the past can be confirmed, it is possible to make a work plan that can prevent the occurrence of errors or prepare the working environment, so that the subsequent work efficiency can be improved.

[0123] Note that the number of past error detail screens displayed in response to the swipe operation may be selectable by the operator according to the settings of the monitoring application 136. In FIGS. 13 and 14, an example in which the screen is switched in response to a leftward swipe operation is shown. However, the screen may be switched from the main screen 75 to the current error detail screen 76 and from the current error detail screen 76 to the past error detail screen 76p1 in response to a rightward swipe operation. Also, it may be configured to return from the past error detail screens 76p1, 76p2, 76p3 to the main screen 75 by other operations such as a swipe operation in the vertical direction.

[0124] <Modification Example 2> In the above embodiment, an example in which only a part of the plurality of operation information detected at the time of error occurrence is displayed on the error detail screen 76 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. All of the operation information detected at the time of error occurrence may be included in the error detail screen.

[0125] For example, as shown in FIG. 15, when a second low voltage error occurs, if a swipe operation is performed on the display area 75a of the main screen 75, the terminal controller 130 will display an error details screen 76B that includes not only the error content "Error Code: Low Voltage Abnormality" and the voltage, which is the operation information used for the error determination, "Voltage at Abnormal Shutdown: AC50V", but also other operation information. The other operation information includes the numerical value of the current at the time of error occurrence (Current at Abnormal Shutdown: 14.9A), the numerical value of the power, which is the multiplication result of the current and the voltage (Power at Abnormal Shutdown: 740W), the numerical value of the motor speed at the time of error occurrence (Rotation Speed at Abnormal Shutdown: 1000 rpm), the ambient temperature, the substrate temperature, the numerical values of the motor temperature (Temperature: Outside Air 20°C, Control 90°C, Motor 140°C), etc. By displaying a plurality of operation information detected by various sensors at the time of error occurrence on the error details screen 76B, the cause of the error can be examined in detail.

[0126] <Modification Example 3> When the terminal controller 130 is in a swipe-enabled state, at least one of a swipe operation for displaying the error details screen 76, a return operation for canceling the error, and an operation for starting the pressure control operation of the compressor 100 may be assigned to the physical switches (volume increase switch 172b, volume decrease switch 172c) of the external terminal 110.

[0127] For example, when the terminal controller 130 is in a swipe-enabled state, a short press operation (for example, a press operation of less than 2 seconds) on the volume increase switch 172b shown in FIG. 7 may be assigned a swipe operation for displaying the current error details screen. Also, similar to Modification Example 1, the terminal controller 130 may display at least one past error details screen in response to a short press operation on the volume increase switch 172b. Further, when the terminal controller 130 is in a swipe-enabled state, a long press operation (for example, a press operation of 2 seconds or more) on the volume increase switch 172b may be assigned an operation for returning the display screen of the touch panel 171 from the error details screen to the main screen 75.

[0128] Workers who perform tasks such as nailing and painting often wear gloves while working. In this modified example, since the operation for displaying the error details screen is assigned to the volume increase switch 172b which is a physical switch, the error details screen can be confirmed by operating the physical switch while wearing gloves. That is, the trouble of taking off the gloves and performing a swipe operation can be omitted.

[0129] Also, when the terminal controller 130 is in the swipe-enabled state, it may assign a return operation (corresponding to the operation on the return button 75g) for canceling the error to a short press operation of the volume decrease switch 172c, and assign a start operation of the pressure control operation (corresponding to the operation on the operation / stop button 75f) to a long press operation of the volume decrease switch 172c.

[0130] After the worker checks the error details screen and takes appropriate measures, the worker performs a short press operation on the volume decrease switch 172c. When the volume decrease switch 172c is short-pressed, the terminal controller 130 sends a return command to the compressor 100. When the control unit 60 of the compressor 100 receives the return command, it cancels the error flag and returns the compressor 100 to a state where its operation can be restarted. After the worker short-presses the volume decrease switch 172c, the worker performs a long press operation on the volume decrease switch 172c. When the volume decrease switch 172c is long-pressed, the terminal controller 130 sends an operation start command to the compressor 100. When the control unit 60 of the compressor 100 receives the operation start command, it starts the pressure control operation. Thus, in this modified example, when the compressor 100 stops due to an error, the operation of the compressor 100 can be restarted even while wearing gloves. Also, when the terminal controller 130 is in the swipe-disabled state, it may assign an operation mode switching operation for switching the operation mode of the compressor 100 to a pressing operation on the volume decrease switch 172c. Thereby, the worker can switch the operation mode even while wearing gloves.

[0131] When in the swipe-disabled state, the terminal controller 130 may assign an operation for connecting and disconnecting the communication between the compressor 100 and the external terminal 110 (corresponding to the operation of the communication connection button 75e) to the pressing operation on the volume increase switch 172b. Also, the assignment to the physical switches for various operations may be configurable by the operator using the monitoring application 136. Further, the assignment of various operations is not limited to the operation of one physical switch, and various operations may be assigned to the simultaneous operation of a plurality of physical switches.

[0132] <Modification Example 4> The control unit 60 may measure the operating time of the compressor 100 by means of a timer function, set a life flag when the operating time exceeds a predetermined operating time threshold, and transmit it to the external terminal 110. The operating time threshold is, for example, a value corresponding to about 95% of the product life and is stored in advance in the non-volatile memory 183 of the control unit 60. When the terminal controller 130 of the external terminal 110 receives the life flag, it performs the same processing as when it receives the error flag described in the above embodiment. Thereby, when a swipe operation is performed on the display area 75a of the main screen 75, the terminal controller 130 displays a maintenance screen including information on the remaining operating time until the end of the life. Thereby, the operator can know that the overhaul time is approaching.

[0133] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the above embodiments merely show a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0134] 10…Compressor system, 30e…Voltage sensor, 30f…Current sensor, 31…Pressure sensor, 32…Board temperature sensor, 33…Rotation speed sensor, 35…Ambient temperature sensor, 38…Motor temperature sensor, 42…Communication device (compressor communication device), 60…Control unit (compressor control device), 75…Main screen, 75a…Display area, 75b…Operation area, 76, 76B, 76p1, 76p2, 76p3…Error details screen, 100…Compressor, 110…External terminal, 130…Terminal controller (terminal control device), 133…Non-volatile memory (terminal storage device), 171…Touch panel, 172b…Volume increase switch (physical switch), 172c…Volume decrease switch (physical switch), 173…Communication device (terminal communication device), 183…Non-volatile memory (compressor storage device)

Claims

1. A compressor system comprising a compressor and an external terminal that communicates with the compressor, wherein the compressor has a plurality of sensors that detect a plurality of operating information of the compressor, a compressor communication device that transmits the operating information to the external terminal, and a compressor control device that determines whether an error has occurred based on the operating information, and when it is determined that an error has occurred, transmits an error flag indicating that the error has occurred to the external terminal via the compressor communication device, wherein the plurality of operating information includes pressure information of the gas compressed by the compressor and determination operating information used for the determination of the error, and the external terminal has a touch panel, a terminal communication device that receives the operating information transmitted from the compressor, and a terminal control device that controls the touch panel, wherein the terminal control device displays a main screen including a display area for displaying the pressure information and an operation area for operating the compressor on the touch panel, when receiving the error flag via the terminal communication device, sets a swipe enabled state in which a swipe operation on the display area is enabled, and when a swipe operation is performed on the display area in the swipe enabled state, displays an error details screen including the content of the error and the determination operating information used for the determination of the error on the touch panel Compressor system.

2. In the compressor system according to claim 1, the terminal control device when a swipe operation is performed on the display area in the swipe enabled state, displays on the touch panel a current error details screen including the content of the current error and the determination operating information used for the determination of the error, and displays a past error details screen including the content of the error that occurred in the past for at least one time and the determination operating information used for the determination of the error in response to a swipe operation on the touch panel Compressor system.

3. In the compressor system according to claim 1, the external terminal has a physical switch, and the terminal control device when in the swipe enabled state, assigns at least one of a swipe operation for displaying the error details screen, a return operation for canceling the error, and an operation start operation for starting the operation of the compressor to an operation on the physical switch Compressor system.

4. In the compressor system according to claim 1, only a part of the plurality of operation information is included in the error details screen Compressor system.

5. In the compressor system according to claim 1, the terminal control device, when a swipe operation is performed on the display area while in the swipe enabled state, transmits a request command for the operation information at the time of the error to the compressor via the terminal communication device, the compressor control device, when receiving the request command via the compressor communication device, selects operation information corresponding to the request command from among the plurality of operation information at the time of the error stored in the compressor storage device, and transmits the selected operation information to the external terminal via the compressor communication device, the terminal control device, selects an error details reference screen corresponding to the error flag from among a plurality of error details reference screens stored in the terminal storage device, generates the error details screen based on the selected error details reference screen and the operation information at the time of the error received via the terminal communication device, and displays it on the touch panel Compressor system.

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