air conditioning system

Abstract

To prioritize in-hole operation over out-of-home operation, concerning operation of an air-conditioner using a portable terminal.SOLUTION: An air-conditioning system 1 has an air-conditioner 11, a communication adaptor 12 capable of connecting the air-conditioner 11 to a public line 21, and a portable terminal 30 capable of operating the air-conditioner 11 through the communication adaptor 12. The communication adaptor 12 can communicate with the portable terminal 30 without passing through the public line 21, in addition to the communication with the portable terminal 30 through the public line 21. A signal that the communication adaptor 12 receives from the portable terminal 30 has identification information enabling identification whether the signal is a signal communicated through the public line 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to air conditioning systems. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART There is a technology that allows an air conditioner to be operated from outside the home via a public line using a mobile terminal such as a smart device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-082336 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When an air conditioner is operated from outside the home using a mobile terminal that can connect to a public line, the public line and the air conditioner are connected via a communications adapter. However, it is also possible to operate the air conditioner using a mobile terminal from within the home rather than from outside. Hereinafter, operating the air conditioner from outside the home may be referred to as "outside home operation," and operating the air conditioner from within the home may be referred to as "inside home operation."

[0005] When an in-home operation is performed using a mobile terminal, if the operation instruction is sent from the mobile terminal to the air conditioner via a public line, even though the operation is performed within the home, communication charges may be incurred, and the air conditioner's response to the operation may be delayed, similar to when the air conditioner is operated from an outside home using a mobile terminal. Hereinafter, air conditioner operation performed via communication between the mobile terminal and the communication adapter via a public line may be referred to as "line-based operation," and air conditioner operation performed via direct communication between the mobile terminal and the communication adapter without using a public line may be referred to as "direct communication operation." One example of communication via a public line between the mobile terminal and the communication adapter is Internet communication. Another example of direct communication between the mobile terminal and the communication adapter is wireless communication using the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standard.

[0006] Some air conditioners come with a dedicated remote control for operating the air conditioner. In this case, in order to prevent operations against the intention of a user in the home from being performed from outside the home via line, a technique is known for giving priority to the dedicated remote control, so that in-home operations using the dedicated remote control attached to the air conditioner take priority over out-of-home operations via line.

[0007] On the other hand, when a user operates an air conditioner using a mobile terminal, a signal related to the operation is sent to the air conditioner via a communications adapter. As a result, the air conditioner cannot determine whether the operation is a line-based operation (operation outside the home) or a direct communication operation (operation within the home). In this case, it is not possible to appropriately assign priority to line-based operations and direct communication operations, so, for example, a direct communication operation by a user cannot be given priority over a line-based operation by another mobile terminal.

[0008] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a technique that, when an air conditioner is operated using a mobile terminal, can determine whether the operation is an operation via a line or a direct communication operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The air conditioning system of the present disclosure includes an air conditioner, a communication adapter capable of connecting the air conditioner to a public line, and a mobile terminal capable of operating the air conditioner via the communication adapter. The communication adapter is capable of communicating with the mobile terminal not via the public line, but also with the mobile terminal without using the public line. A signal received by the communication adapter from the mobile terminal has first identification information that can identify whether the signal is a signal communicated via the public line. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the disclosed technology, when an air conditioner is operated using a mobile terminal, it is possible to determine whether the operation is an operation via a line or a direct communication operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an air conditioning system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication adapter signal according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0013] [Example 1] <Air conditioning system configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an air conditioning system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 1, the air conditioning system 1 includes an air conditioner 11, a communication adapter 12, a dedicated remote controller 13, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router 14, a mobile terminal 30, and a public line 21. The air conditioner 11, the communication adapter 12, and the wireless LAN router 14 are installed in a home, and as described below, the communication adapter 12 is connectable to the public line 21 via the wireless LAN router 14. Furthermore, a wireless communication base station 22 is installed outside the home and connected to the public line 21. The wireless communication base station 22 is wirelessly connected to the mobile terminal 30. In the following description, the wireless communication base station 22 may be assumed to be included in the public line 21. The dedicated remote controller 13 and the mobile terminal 30 are operated by a user of the air conditioner 11, and the user can operate the air conditioner 11 using the dedicated remote controller 13 or the mobile terminal 30.

[0014] The air conditioner 11 adjusts the temperature and humidity inside the house by, for example, performing heating operation, cooling operation, or dehumidifying operation.

[0015] The communication adapter 12 is connected to the air conditioner 11 by wire or wirelessly. The communication adapter 12 is also connected wirelessly to a wireless LAN router 14 that is connected to a public line 21. Because the communication adapter 12 can be connected to the public line 21 via the wireless LAN router 14, using the communication adapter 12 connects the air conditioner 11 to the public line 21 via the communication adapter 12. Therefore, when operating outside the home using a mobile terminal 30, a user carrying the mobile terminal 30 operates the air conditioner 11 by line-mediated operation via the public line 12. Furthermore, when operating inside the home using the mobile terminal 30, the communication adapter 12 communicates directly with the mobile terminal 30 by short-range wireless communication (for example, communication according to the WiFi (registered trademark) standard), and therefore the user carrying the mobile terminal 30 operates the air conditioner 11 by communication that does not go through the public line 12.

[0016] The dedicated remote controller 13 is a remote controller dedicated to the air conditioner 11, and communicates directly with the air conditioner 11 via radio waves or infrared rays.

[0017] On the other hand, the wireless communication base station 22 is connected to the public line 21 and communicates wirelessly with the mobile terminal 30 in accordance with a communication standard such as 4G or 5G. When the user is outside the home, the user can use the mobile terminal 30 to operate the air conditioner 11 via the line via the wireless communication base station 22, the wireless LAN router 14, and the communication adapter 12.

[0018] That is, the communication adapter 12 is capable of communicating with the mobile terminal 30 directly without going through the public line 21, in addition to communicating with the mobile terminal 30 via the public line 21.

[0019] <Air conditioning system operation> An application for operating the air conditioner 11 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "operation app") is installed on the mobile terminal 30. The operation app includes a program used when performing line-based operation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "line-based operation program") and a program used when performing direct communication operation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "direct communication operation program"). When the operation app is launched, the operation app displays on the touch panel of the mobile terminal 30 a screen (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "operation program selection screen") that allows the user to select whether to operate the air conditioner 11 using the line-based operation program or the direct communication operation program. For example, the operation app displays on the touch panel an operation program selection screen that includes an outside home operation button and an inside home operation button, and executes the line-based operation program when the outside home operation button is touched, and executes the direct communication operation program when the inside home operation button is touched.

[0020] When the outside operation button is touched and away operation is selected, a communication method (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "line-based communication method") is used in which the mobile terminal 30 communicates with the air conditioner 11 via the public line 21, and a signal (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an "operation signal") for operating the air conditioner 11 is transmitted from the mobile terminal 30. The operation signal (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "mobile terminal signal") transmitted from the mobile terminal 30 is received by the communication adapter 12 via the wireless communication base station 22, the public line 21, and the wireless LAN router 14. In addition, the line-based operation program executed when away operation is selected by touching the away operation button generates a mobile terminal signal including information indicating that the sender of the operation signal (i.e., the operator of the air conditioner 11) is the mobile terminal 30 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "operator identification information") and information indicating the operation content of the air conditioner 11 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "operation information"), in accordance with a signal format (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "line communication format") that enables communication between the mobile terminal 30 and the air conditioner 11 via the public line 21. An example of the operation source identification information is an IP address assigned to the mobile terminal 30. The operation information is a code generated according to the operation content, and examples thereof may include a code "0130" indicating start of operation, a code "0131" indicating stop of operation, a code "0141" indicating automatic operation, a code "0142" indicating cooling operation, a code "0143" indicating heating operation, and a code "0144" indicating dehumidification operation.

[0021] On the other hand, when the in-home operation button is touched and in-home operation is selected, a communication method (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "direct communication method") is used in which the mobile terminal 30 communicates with the air conditioner 11 without going through the public line 21, and an operation signal is sent from the mobile terminal 30. The mobile terminal signal during in-home operation is received directly by the communication adapter 12, without going through the public line 21. The direct communication operation program generates a mobile terminal signal including the same operator identification information and operation information as during the aforementioned out-of-home operation, in accordance with a signal format (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "direct communication format") that allows communication between the mobile terminal 30 and the air conditioner 11 without going through the public line 21.

[0022] In this way, the mobile terminal signal is generated according to the line communication format when operated away from home, and according to the direct communication format when operated within home. Furthermore, since the line communication format and the direct communication format are different from each other, the line communication format and the direct communication format are distinguishable from each other. In other words, the mobile terminal signal received by communication adapter 12 has information (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "signal identification information") that enables communication adapter 12 to identify whether the mobile terminal signal is a signal communicated via public line 21.

[0023] The communication adapter 12 performs signal determination based on the signal format (i.e., signal identification information) of the received mobile terminal signal to determine whether the received mobile terminal signal is a signal communicated via the public line 21 or a signal communicated directly without going through the public line 21. Then, based on the result of the signal determination based on the signal format of the mobile terminal signal, the communication adapter 12 generates a signal (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "communication adapter signal") to be transmitted from the communication adapter 12 to the air conditioner 11.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication adapter signal according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the communication adapter signal includes operator identification information, operation information, and information capable of identifying the communication method of the mobile terminal signal (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "communication method identification information"). The communication adapter 12 extracts the operator identification information and the operation information from the mobile terminal signal received via the public line 21 or directly from the mobile terminal 30, and sets the extracted operator identification information and operation information as the operator identification information and operation information of the communication adapter signal. Furthermore, the communication adapter 12 adds communication method identification information to the operator identification information and the operation information based on the result of the signal determination.

[0025] For example, in example 1, when the communication adapter 12 determines that the mobile terminal signal is a signal communicated via the public line 21 (i.e., when it determines that a line-based communication method is used for communication of the mobile terminal signal), it assigns communication method identification information with the code "01" to the communication adapter signal, and when it determines that the mobile terminal signal is a signal communicated without going through the public line 21 (i.e., when it determines that a direct communication method is used for communication of the mobile terminal signal), it assigns communication method identification information with the code "02" to the communication adapter signal.

[0026] As another example, in example 2, when the communication adapter 12 determines that the mobile terminal signal is a signal communicated via the public line 21, it assigns communication method identification information with the code “01” to the communication adapter signal, and when it determines that the mobile terminal signal is a signal communicated without going through the public line 21, it does not assign communication method identification information to the communication adapter signal.

[0027] For example, in example 3, when the communication adapter 12 determines that the mobile terminal signal is a signal communicated via the public line 21, it does not assign communication method identification information to the communication adapter signal, and when it determines that the mobile terminal signal is a signal communicated without going through the public line 21, it assigns communication method identification information with the code “01” to the communication adapter signal.

[0028] That is, the operation source identification information is included in both the communication adapter signal received by the air conditioner 11 when the line communication method is used for communicating the mobile terminal signals, and the communication adapter signal received by the air conditioner 11 when the direct communication method is used for communicating the mobile terminal signals. Also, communication method identification information is included in at least one of the communication adapter signal received by the air conditioner 11 when the line communication method is used for communicating the mobile terminal signals, and the communication adapter signal received by the air conditioner 11 when the direct communication method is used for communicating the mobile terminal signals.

[0029] The communication adapter signal generated by the communication adapter 12 in the manner described above is received by the air conditioner 11 as an operation signal from the communication adapter 12, and the air conditioner 11 is operated in accordance with the received communication adapter signal.

[0030] The air conditioner 11 that has received the communication adapter signal determines the communication method of the operation signal by referring to the communication method identification information in the communication adapter signal.

[0031] For example, when the above-mentioned example 1 is adopted, when the communication method identification information is set to "01", the air conditioner 11 determines that the communication method of the operation signal is a line-based communication method (i.e., the operation on the air conditioner 11 is an operation outside the home), and when the communication method identification information is set to "02", it determines that the communication method of the operation signal is a direct communication method (i.e., the operation on the air conditioner 11 is an operation inside the home).

[0032] For example, when the above-mentioned example 2 is adopted, the air conditioner 11 determines that the communication method of the operation signal is a line-based communication method when the communication method identification information is assigned, and determines that the communication method of the operation signal is a direct communication method when the communication method identification information is not assigned.

[0033] Furthermore, for example, when the above-mentioned example 3 is adopted, the air conditioner 11 determines that the communication method of the operation signal is a line-based communication method when the communication method identification information is not assigned, and determines that the communication method of the operation signal is a direct communication method when the communication method identification information is assigned.

[0034] In this way, the air conditioner 11 can determine whether the operation performed on the air conditioner 11 using the mobile terminal 30 is an operation performed outside the home or an operation performed inside the home. Therefore, if the operation of the air conditioner 11 using the mobile terminal 30 is an operation performed inside the home, the operation instructions performed inside the home can be given priority over operation instructions performed outside the home using another mobile terminal.

[0035] When operation instructions performed within the home are given priority over operation instructions performed outside the home, the air conditioner 11 does not accept an operation signal using the line communication method, even if the operation signal using the line communication method is received, until a predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds) has elapsed since the air conditioner 11 received an operation signal using the direct communication method.

[0036] This ensures that in-home operations take priority over out-of-home operations.

[0037] The first embodiment has been described above.

[0038] [Example 2] <Air conditioning system operation> In the first embodiment, it is described that a determination is made as to whether an operation from the mobile terminal 30 on the air conditioner 11 is an outside-home operation or an inside-home operation, and that an operation instruction from an inside-home operation is given priority over an operation instruction from an outside-home operation based on the determination result. In contrast, in the second embodiment, it is described that a specific operation on the air conditioner 11 is not accepted based on the determination result as to whether an operation from the mobile terminal 30 is an outside-home operation or an inside-home operation.

[0039] As an example, we will explain whether or not to accept cancellation of power-saving operation when air conditioner 11 is performing power-saving operation, based on the determination result of whether the operation from mobile terminal 30 is an operation outside the home or an operation inside the home. Here, power-saving operation is an operation that is automatically performed when, for example, a human detection sensor detects that no one is present in the room in which air conditioner 11 is installed (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "installation room"), and is an operation that reduces power consumption in air conditioner 11 by stopping operation of air conditioner 11 when the absence of a person is detected, or by increasing or decreasing the set temperature in the operation that was being performed before the absence of a person was detected, thereby reducing the air conditioning capacity.

[0040] The above-mentioned power-saving operation is cancelled when the user issues an instruction to operate the air conditioner 11. In this case, if the operation to cancel the power-saving operation is performed by an in-home operation, it is considered highly likely that someone will return to the room where the air conditioner 11 is installed, even if there is no one in the room where the air conditioner 11 is in power-saving operation, so the air conditioner 11 that is in power-saving operation will accept the in-home operation, cancel the power-saving operation, and resume normal operation.

[0041] On the other hand, when an operation to cancel power-saving operation is performed from outside the home, it is considered unlikely that anyone will return to the room where the air conditioner 11 is installed, so the air conditioner 11 in power-saving operation will not accept the operation from outside the home and will continue power-saving operation. This makes it possible to prevent power-saving operation from being canceled by an operation from outside the home, and to appropriately cancel or continue power-saving operation depending on the presence or absence of people in the room where the air conditioner is installed.

[0042] The operation to cancel power-saving operation is an example of a specific operation for the air conditioner 11, and the air conditioner 11 may determine whether to accept a specific operation based on the determination result of whether the specific operation other than the operation to cancel power-saving operation is an operation outside the home or an operation inside the home.

[0043] The second embodiment has been described above.

[0044] In the above description, an example of an in-home operation is given as an in-home operation performed by direct communication between the mobile terminal 30 and the communication adapter 12. However, the disclosed technology is also applicable to a case where an in-home operation is performed by communication between the mobile terminal 30 and the communication adapter 12 via the wireless LAN router 14.

[0045] As described above, the air conditioning system (air conditioning system 1 in the embodiment) of the disclosed technology includes an air conditioner (air conditioner 11 in the embodiment), a communication adapter (communication adapter 12 in the embodiment) that can connect the air conditioner to a public line (public line 21 in the embodiment), and a mobile terminal (mobile terminal 30 in the embodiment) that can operate the air conditioner via the communication adapter. The communication adapter is capable of communicating with the mobile terminal via the public line as well as with mobile terminals that do not use the public line. A signal received by the communication adapter from the mobile terminal has first identification information (signal identification information in the embodiment) that can identify whether the signal is a signal communicated via the public line.

[0046] Furthermore, the communication adapter determines, based on the first identification information, whether the received signal is a signal communicated via a public line or a signal communicated without passing through a public line.

[0047] Furthermore, both the signal received by the air conditioner when a first communication method (line-based communication method in the examples) in which the mobile terminal communicates with the air conditioner via a public line is used, and the signal received by the air conditioner when a second communication method (direct communication method in the examples) in which the mobile terminal communicates with the air conditioner without using a public line is used, contain second identification information (operator identification information in the examples) that indicates that the operator of the air conditioner is the mobile terminal. Furthermore, at least one of the signal received by the air conditioner when the first communication method is used and the signal received by the air conditioner when the second communication method is used contains third identification information (communication method identification information in the examples) that can identify the communication method of the signal.

[0048] The third identification information is provided by the communication adapter when the second communication method is used.

[0049] Furthermore, the air conditioner does not accept a signal using the first communication method until a predetermined time has elapsed since receiving a signal using the second communication method.

[0050] Furthermore, when the air conditioner receives a signal using the first communication method, it will not accept certain operations, such as an operation to cancel the power-saving operation that the air conditioner performs when no one is present. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Air conditioning system 11 Air conditioner 12 Communication adapter 13 Dedicated remote control 14 Wireless LAN router 21 Public lines 22 Wireless communication base stations 30 Mobile Devices

Claims

1. An air conditioning system comprising an air conditioner, a communication adapter capable of connecting the air conditioner to a public line, and a mobile terminal capable of operating the air conditioner via the communication adapter, the communication adapter is capable of communicating with the mobile terminal not via the public line, in addition to communicating with the mobile terminal via the public line; a signal received by the communication adapter from the mobile terminal has first identification information that can identify whether the signal is a signal communicated via the public line; Both the signal received by the air conditioner when a first communication method is used in which the mobile terminal communicates with the air conditioner via the public line, and the signal received by the air conditioner when a second communication method is used in which the mobile terminal communicates with the air conditioner without using the public line, include second identification information indicating that the operator of the air conditioner is the mobile terminal. Air conditioning system.

2. the communication adapter determines whether the signal is a signal communicated via the public line or a signal communicated without using the public line based on the first identification information; The air conditioning system of claim 1 .

3. At least one of the signals received by the air conditioner when the first communication method is used and the signals received by the air conditioner when the second communication method is used includes third identification information that can identify the communication method of the signal.

3. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the third identification information is assigned by the communication adapter when the second communication method is used; The air conditioning system according to claim 3 .

5. the air conditioner does not accept a signal using the first communication method until a predetermined time has elapsed since receiving a signal using the second communication method; 5. The air conditioning system according to claim 3 or 4.

6. When the air conditioner receives a signal using the first communication method, the air conditioner does not accept a specific operation.

5. The air conditioning system according to claim 3 or 4.

7. The specific operation is an operation to cancel the power saving operation performed by the air conditioner when no one is present. The air conditioning system according to claim 6.

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