Operating data recording device and operating data recording method

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an operating data recording device and an operating data recording method with which it is possible to prevent the same abnormality from being recorded multiple times while minimizing the required storage capacity. An operating data recording device (1A) comprises: an operating data storage area (151) for storing operating data (Do) including an error code indicating an abnormality that has occurred in an air conditioner (2) and an abnormality data storage area (152); an abnormality detection section (132) for detecting the error code included in the operating data (Do) stored in the operating data storage area (151); and a transfer section (133) for transferring, as abnormality data (Da), the operating data (Do) including the error code from the operating data storage area (151) to the abnormality data storage area (152) when the abnormality detection section (132) detects the error code. When transferring the abnormality data (Da) to the abnormality data storage area (152), the transfer section (133) increments the abnormality count stored in a count storage area (NR) by one.

Description

Operation Data Recording Device and Operation Data Recording Method

[0001] The present invention relates to an operation data recording device and an operation data recording method for recording operation data of electrical equipment.

[0002] It is generally practiced to record the operation data of an air conditioner and use it for maintenance services and the like. For example, a data acquisition device, a personal computer, etc. are connected to the air conditioner by a maintenance worker, the operation data of the air conditioner is transferred to those devices, and the log data of the transferred operation data is used for checking the presence or absence of abnormalities in the air conditioner and for anomaly analysis investigations.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an operation data recording device that can record abnormal data while suppressing the memory capacity of a non-volatile memory by securing data in which an abnormal code is detected among the operation data stored in the non-volatile memory in a secured area for abnormal data.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-123977

[0005] In an operation data recording device as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, when the same abnormality occurs continuously, there is a problem that a plurality of the same abnormalities are secured in the secured area for abnormal data, which compresses the storage capacity of the non-volatile memory.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an operation data recording device and an operation data recording method that can prevent the same abnormality from being recorded multiple times while suppressing the memory capacity.

[0007] To achieve the above objective, an operating data recording device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a non-volatile first storage area and a second storage area for storing operating data including an error code indicating an abnormality that has occurred in an electrical device; a detection unit for detecting the error code included in the operating data stored in the first storage area; and a transfer unit for transferring the operating data including the error code from the first storage area to the second storage area as abnormal data when the detection unit detects the error code, wherein the second storage area has a count storage area for storing the number of times the abnormality corresponding to the error code has occurred, and the transfer unit adds 1 to the count stored in the count storage area when transferring the abnormal data to the second storage area.

[0008] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above objective, a method for recording operating data according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising the steps of: storing operating data acquired by the operation of an electrical device in a non-volatile first storage area; a detection unit detecting an error code that is included in the operating data stored in the first storage area and indicates an abnormality occurring in the electrical device; a transfer unit transferring the operating data including the error code as abnormal data from the first storage area to a non-volatile second storage area when the detection unit has detected the error code; and when the abnormal data is transferred to the second storage area, the transfer unit adding 1 to the number of occurrences stored in a count storage area that stores the number of times the abnormality corresponding to the error code has occurred.

[0009] According to each aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the same anomaly from being recorded multiple times while keeping the storage capacity down.

[0010] This is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of an operation data recording device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a non-volatile memory provided in the operation data recording device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a flowchart showing an example of an operation data recording method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of an operation data recording device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This is a flowchart showing an example of an operation data recording method according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Each embodiment of the present invention illustrates an apparatus or method for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention does not limit the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, etc. of the components to those described below. The technical concept of the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope defined by the claims described in the patent claims.

[0012] [First Embodiment] An operating data recording device and an operating data recording method according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3.

[0013] 1-1. Configuration of the Operating Data Recording Device: The configuration of the operating data recording device according to this embodiment will be explained using Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the operating data recording device 1A according to this embodiment. In Figure 1, for ease of understanding, the air conditioner 2 and smartphone 3 connected to the operating data recording device 1A are also shown together. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the non-volatile memory 15 provided in the operating data recording device 1A according to this embodiment.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the operation data recording device 1A comprises an input / output unit 11, an input / output unit 12, a controller 13A, a volatile memory 14, and a non-volatile memory 15. The input / output unit 11 has a configuration that allows for wired connection, for example. The operation data recording device 1A is connected to electrical equipment via the input / output unit 11. In this embodiment, the electrical equipment connected to the operation data recording device 1A is an air conditioner 2. The air conditioner 2 comprises an outdoor unit 21 and an indoor unit 22. The operation data recording device 1A is connected to the outdoor unit 21 by wire via the input / output unit 11. The input / output unit 11 outputs the operation data Do of the air conditioner 2, which is input from the air conditioner 2, to the volatile memory 14 (details will be described later).

[0015] The input / output unit 12 has a configuration that allows for wireless connection, for example. The operation data recording device 1A is connected to the smartphone 3 via the input / output unit 12. The smartphone 3 is a device used by maintenance workers who perform maintenance services on the air conditioner 2. The device used by the maintenance workers is not limited to a smartphone; it may also be a terminal device such as a personal computer or tablet. The input / output unit 12 outputs the operation data Do and abnormal data Da (details described later) of the air conditioner 2, which are read from the non-volatile memory 15 (details described later) and input from the volatile memory, to the smartphone 3. The maintenance workers display the log data of the operation data Do and abnormal data Da input via the input / output unit 12 on the display screen of the smartphone 3, for example, to check for abnormalities in the air conditioner and to perform abnormality analysis.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the controller 13A includes an operation data acquisition start request unit 131, an abnormality detection unit 132, a transfer unit 133, a code determination unit 134, an overwrite request unit 135, and an output determination unit 136. The controller 13A is, for example, a computer and is composed of, for example, one or more central processing units (CPUs) or microprocessing units (MPUs). The controller 13A executes a program for acquiring operation data stored in the non-volatile memory 15 as one of the computer programs. As a result, the controller 13A has, as a functional element or functional unit, an operation data acquisition start request unit 131, an abnormality detection unit 132, a transfer unit 133, a code determination unit 134, an overwrite request unit 135, and an output determination unit 136, and functions as a control unit that controls the recording of operation data Do of the air conditioner 2.

[0017] The operation data acquisition start request unit 131 sends a signal to the outdoor unit 21 installed in the air conditioner 2 to start acquiring operation data Do. The operation data acquisition start request unit 131 outputs a signal to the outdoor unit 21 via the input / output unit 11 that includes information requesting the start of acquiring operation data Do and information on the time interval at which operation data Do will be repeatedly acquired. As a result, the outdoor unit 21 repeatedly outputs operation data Do, which includes, for example, a total of 70 types of parameters and data such as the rotation speed of the compressor installed in the outdoor unit 21, the temperature detected by the thermistor, and error codes, to the operation data recording device 1A at predetermined time intervals (for example, any time interval from 1 second to 60 seconds).

[0018] The abnormality detection unit (an example of a detection unit) 132 detects error codes contained in the operation data Do stored in the operation data storage area (an example of a non-volatile first storage area) 151 (details will be described later). When the operation data Do input from the air conditioner 2 is stored in the operation data storage area 151, the abnormality detection unit 132 detects whether or not the newly stored operation data Do contains an error code.

[0019] When the abnormality detection unit 132 detects an error code, the transfer unit 133 transfers the operation data Do containing the error code as abnormal data Da from the operation data storage area 151 to the abnormal data storage area (an example of a non-volatile second storage area) 152 (details will be described later). The transfer unit 133 transfers all the operation data Do stored in the operation data storage area 151 as abnormal data Da to the abnormal data storage area 152.

[0020] When the transfer unit 133 transfers the abnormal data Da to the abnormal data storage area 152, it adds 1 to the number of occurrences stored in the count storage area NR (not shown in Figure 1, see Figure 2; details will be described later) provided in the abnormal data storage area 152. Here, the "number of occurrences" is the number of times an abnormality corresponding to the error code contained in the operation data Do transferred to the abnormal data storage area 152 has occurred. In this way, the operation data recording device 1A records the number of times an abnormality (e.g., a malfunction) occurs in the air conditioner 2. As a result, the operation data recording device 1A can detect and store when the same abnormality repeatedly occurs in the air conditioner 2, or abnormalities that are likely to occur in the air conditioner 2.

[0021] If operating data Do containing the same error code as the error code detected by the abnormality detection unit 132 is already stored in the abnormality data storage area 152 as abnormality data Da, the transfer unit 133 may overwrite the abnormality data Da containing the same error code with the operating data Do containing the error code detected by the abnormality detection unit 132 as abnormality data Da. Details of the overwriting of abnormality data Da by the transfer unit 133 will be described later.

[0022] The code determination unit (an example of a determination unit) 134 determines whether or not abnormal data Da containing the same error code is stored in the abnormal data storage area 152 when the transfer unit 133 transfers abnormal data Da to the abnormal data storage area 152. Here, "same error code" means that it is the same as the error code contained in the abnormal data Da to be transferred (i.e., the operation data Do).

[0023] The code determination unit 134 receives information about the error code detected by the anomaly detection unit 132. When an error code is input to the code determination unit 134, it reads the error code from the anomaly data storage area 152 and stores it in the volatile memory. If the code determination unit 134 finds that the same error code as the one input from the anomaly detection unit 132 is stored in the volatile memory, it determines that anomaly data Da containing the same error code is stored in the anomaly data storage area 152. On the other hand, if the code determination unit 134 finds that the same error code as the one input from the anomaly detection unit 132 is not stored in the volatile memory, it determines that anomaly data Da containing the same error code is not stored in the anomaly data storage area 152.

[0024] The overwrite request unit 135 takes the operating data Do containing the error code detected by the abnormality detection unit 132 as abnormal data Da and requests the user to set whether or not to overwrite the detected abnormal data Da containing the same error code. Here, "user" is, for example, a maintenance worker who provides maintenance services for the air conditioner 2. When the overwrite request unit 135 outputs a signal to the smartphone 3 via the input / output unit 12 requesting whether or not to overwrite the abnormal data Da, a screen related to the overwrite setting is displayed on the display screen of the smartphone 3. This allows the user to select whether or not to overwrite the abnormal data Da.

[0025] In the operation data recording device 1A, in the case of a failure that is likely to occur repeatedly in succession, such as an error in the fan motor of the outdoor unit 21 or a compressor startup failure, the abnormal data Da may be overwritten. Also, in the operation data recording device 1A, in the case of a failure that is not likely to occur repeatedly in succession but is likely to occur only once, the abnormal data Da may not be overwritten and the old abnormal data Da may continue to be stored in the abnormal data storage area 152. The abnormal data storage area 152 has a count storage area NR. Therefore, for abnormalities that occur repeatedly, the operation data recording device 1A can record the number of occurrences of the abnormality in the count storage area NR as long as the abnormality that occurred at any given time is stored in the abnormal data storage area 152 at least once. For the analysis of a one-time abnormality, the operation data Do at the normal time before the abnormality occurred is useful. If the operation data Do at the normal time before the abnormality occurred is stored, it is possible to understand the process of transitioning from that normal state to an abnormal state, which is useful for analyzing the abnormality. Therefore, in order for the operation data recording device 1A to store as much normal operation data Do as possible in the operation data storage area 151, it is preferable to store the abnormal data Da at the time of its first occurrence in the abnormal data storage area 152 without overwriting the abnormal data Da.

[0026] The output determination unit 136 determines whether or not to output at least one of the operation data Do stored in the operation data storage area 151 and the abnormal data Da stored in the abnormal data storage area 152 to the smartphone 3. When a signal including information requesting the output of at least one of the operation data Do and abnormal data Da is input from the smartphone 3 via the input / output unit 12, the output determination unit 136 reads the requested data from the non-volatile memory 15 and writes it to the volatile memory 14. The output determination unit 136 reads the data written to the volatile memory 14 and outputs it to the smartphone 3 via the input / output unit 12.

[0027] The volatile memory 14 is the main memory, and is, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory). The controller 13A controls the air conditioner 2 by writing various data to or reading from the volatile memory 14. The operation data Do acquired by the air conditioner 2 is input to and written to the volatile memory 14 via the input / output unit 11. The operation data Do written to the volatile memory 14 is read and written to the operation data storage area 151 provided in the non-volatile memory 15. The data recorded in the volatile memory 14 is not retained when the power to the operation data recording device 1A is turned off.

[0028] 1-2. Configuration of the non-volatile storage area provided in the operation data recording device: The configuration of the non-volatile storage area provided in the operation data recording device according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 1 and using Figure 2. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the operation data storage area (an example of a non-volatile first storage area) 151 and the abnormal data storage area (an example of a non-volatile second storage area) 152 provided in the operation data recording device 1A according to this embodiment.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the operation data storage area 151 and the abnormal data storage area 152 are provided in the non-volatile memory 15 of the operation data recording device 1A. The non-volatile memory 15 is an auxiliary storage device, for example, flash memory. The non-volatile memory 15 may also be EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), FeRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory), etc. The data recorded in the non-volatile memory 15 is retained and not erased even if the power to the operation data recording device 1A is turned off. The operation data storage area 151 and the abnormal data storage area 152 store operation data Do, which includes an error code indicating an abnormality that occurred in the air conditioner 2. As described above, the abnormal data storage area 152 stores the operation data Do as abnormal data Da.

[0030] The operation data storage area 151 has i (where i is a natural number) operation data unit areas OR1, OR2, OR3, OR4, OR5, ..., ORi-1, ORi. Hereinafter, "operation data unit areas OR1, OR2, OR3, OR4, OR5, ..., ORi-1, ORi" may be abbreviated as "operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi". In this embodiment, the operation data storage area 151 is provided with, for example, 110 operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi (i = 110).

[0031] The controller 13A reads the operation data Do acquired by the outdoor unit 21 at predetermined time intervals and written to the volatile memory 14 via the input / output unit 11, and records it in one of the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi provided in the operation data storage area 151. As described above, the operation data Do includes, for example, a total of 70 types of parameters such as the compressor rotation speed and error codes. With each acquisition of operation data Do by the outdoor unit 21, all types of parameters included in the operation data Do are input into the volatile memory 14. For this reason, each of the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi has enough storage capacity to store all types of parameters included in the operation data Do.

[0032] For example, the controller 13A records the operation data Do in the unit area OR1 to ORi that has not yet recorded the operation data Do and is assigned the smallest identification number. For example, if the operation data Do is stored in the operation data unit areas OR1, OR2, OR3, and not stored in the operation data unit areas OR4, OR5, ..., ORi-1, ORi, the controller 13A records the operation data Do in the operation data unit area OR4 that has not yet recorded the operation data Do and is assigned the smallest identification number.

[0033] Furthermore, the controller 13A sequentially stores the operation data Do from the operation data unit area OR1 to the operation data unit area ORi, and once it has finished storing the operation data Do up to the operation data unit area ORi, it starts storing the operation data Do again sequentially from the operation data unit area OR1 to the operation data unit area ORi. In other words, if operation data Do is stored in any of the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi, the controller 13A records the operation data Do from the oldest time among the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi in the operation data unit area where it is stored.

[0034] For example, the controller 13A first records the operation data Do from the start of acquiring the operation data Do until a predetermined time has elapsed in the operation data unit area OR1, then records the operation data Do until the next predetermined time has elapsed in the operation data unit area OR2, and repeats this process. When the operation data Do is recorded up to the operation data unit area ORi, the controller 13A overwrites and updates the operation data unit area OR1 again with the operation data Do for the next predetermined time. The total capacity of the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi (the total capacity of the operation data storage area 151) may be large enough to store, for example, at least one day's worth of operation data Do for several days.

[0035] As shown in Figure 2, the abnormal data storage area 152 has m (where m is a natural number) abnormal data unit groups 152-1, 152-2, ..., 152-m. In this embodiment, the abnormal data storage area 152 has, for example, five abnormal data unit groups 152-1, 152-2, ..., 152-m (m = 5). Hereinafter, "abnormal data unit groups 152-1, 152-2, ..., 152-m" may be abbreviated as "abnormal data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m".

[0036] The abnormal data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m have the same structure as each other and each has j (where j is a natural number) abnormal data unit areas AR1, AR2, AR3, AR4, AR5, ..., ARj-1, ARj and a count storage area NR. Hereinafter, "abnormal data unit areas AR1, AR2, AR3, AR4, AR5, ..., ARj-1, ARj" may be abbreviated as "abnormal data unit areas AR1 to ARj". The number of abnormal data unit areas AR1 to ARj can be any number greater than or equal to the number of operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi. In this embodiment, each of the abnormal data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m has, for example, the same number of abnormal data unit areas AR1 to ARj (i=j) as the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi.

[0037] When operation data Do is stored in the operation data storage area 151, if the abnormality detection unit 132 (see Figure 1) detects an error code in the operation data Do, the transfer unit 133 transfers all the operation data Do stored in the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi to the abnormality data storage area 152 after the operation data Do has been stored in a predetermined area among the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi.

[0038] When the transfer unit 133 transfers operation data Do from operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi to abnormal data unit areas AR1 to ARj, it transfers the operation data Do between unit areas with the same identification number. For example, the transfer unit 133 transfers the operation data Do from operation data unit area OR1 to abnormal data unit area AR1, from operation data unit area OR2 to abnormal data unit area AR2, and so on.

[0039] Before the transfer unit 133 transfers the operation data Do from the operation data storage area 151 to the abnormal data storage area 152, the code determination unit 134 (see Figure 1) determines whether or not abnormal data Da containing the same error code as the operation data Do to be transferred is stored in any of the abnormal data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m. If the code determination unit 134 determines that abnormal data Da containing the same error code is not stored in any of the abnormal data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m, the transfer unit 133 transfers the operation data Do as abnormal data Da to, for example, the abnormal data unit group that has the smallest identification number and is an area where abnormal data Da is not recorded.

[0040] If the code determination unit 134 determines that abnormal data Da containing the same error code is stored in any of the abnormal data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m, the transfer unit 133 transfers the operation data Do as abnormal data Da to the abnormal data unit group in which it was determined that the abnormal data Da is stored. Furthermore, when the transfer unit 133 transfers the operation data Do to any of the abnormal data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m, it overwrites the operation data Do as necessary. If the overwrite setting is set by the overwrite request unit 135, the transfer unit 133 transfers the operation data Do as abnormal data Da to the abnormal data unit group in which it was determined that the abnormal data Da is stored and overwrites it. On the other hand, if the overwrite non-setting indicating that it will not overwrite is not set, the transfer unit 133 does not overwrite the operation data Do to the abnormal data unit group in which it was determined that the abnormal data Da is stored.

[0041] The count storage area NR provided in each of the abnormal data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m is a region that stores the number of times an abnormality corresponding to an error code has occurred. When the transfer unit 133 transfers the operation data Do as abnormal data Da to the abnormal data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m, it adds 1 to the number of occurrences stored in the count storage area NR provided in the abnormal data unit group to be transferred, regardless of whether or not the operation data Do is overwritten with the abnormal data Da.

[0042] For example, assume that the code determination unit 134 determines that abnormal data Da including the same error code as the error code included in the operation data Do to be transferred is stored in the abnormal data unit group 152-1. Here, assume that an overwrite setting is stored in the transfer unit 133. In this case, the transfer unit 133 stores the operation data Do stored in the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi provided in the operation data storage area 151 in the abnormal data unit areas AR1 to ARj provided in the abnormal data unit group 152-1. Further, the transfer unit 133 adds 1 to the occurrence count stored in the count storage area NR provided in the abnormal data unit group 152-1. On the other hand, assume that an overwrite non-setting is stored in the transfer unit 133. In this case, the transfer unit 133 does not store the operation data Do stored in the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi provided in the operation data storage area 151 in the abnormal data unit areas AR1 to ARj provided in the abnormal data unit group 152-1, and adds 1 to the occurrence count stored in the count storage area NR provided in the abnormal data unit group 152-1.

[0043] Since the operation data recording device 1A has the count storage area NR in the abnormal data storage area 152, it can record the occurrence frequency for each type of abnormality in the air conditioner 2. In addition, the operation data recording device 1A can store abnormal data including the same error code in the same abnormal data unit group. Therefore, the operation data recording device 1A can reduce the storage capacity of the abnormal data storage area 152.

[0044] 1-3. Operation data recording method (operation of the operation data recording device): The operation data recording method according to this embodiment (that is, the operation of the operation data recording device) will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and using FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation data recording method according to this embodiment.

[0045] When operating the operation data recording device 1A, a maintenance worker who performs maintenance services or the like on the air conditioner 2 connects the operation data recording device 1A to the outdoor unit 21 (see FIG. 1) of the air conditioner 2 and operates the air conditioner 2. Then, the operation data recording device 1A is started up.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 3, in the driving data recording method according to the present embodiment, when the operation of the driving data recording device 1A starts, first, in step S1, the driving data Do including the error code detected by the abnormality detection unit (an example of a detection unit) 132 (see FIG. 1) is set as the abnormal data Da, and the overwrite request unit 135 (see FIG. 1) requests the user (for example, a maintenance worker of the air conditioner 2) whether to overwrite the abnormal data Da including the same error code. When a signal including overwrite setting or non-overwrite setting information is input from the smartphone 3 (see FIG. 1) in response to the overwrite request, the process proceeds to step S3. The overwrite setting or non-overwrite setting information input from the smartphone 3 is stored, for example, in the transcription unit 133 (see FIG. 1).

[0047] In step S3, the driving data acquisition start request unit 131 (see FIG. 1) outputs a signal requesting the start of acquisition of the driving data Do to the air conditioner 2, and the process proceeds to step S5.

[0048] In step S5, the controller 13A (see FIG. 1) determines whether the driving data Do input from the air conditioner 2 has been received. When the controller 13A determines that the driving data Do has been received (step S5: YES), the process proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, when the controller 13A determines that the driving data Do has not been received (step S5: NO), the process of step S5 is repeated. For example, the controller 13A determines that the driving data Do has been received when the driving data Do is stored in the volatile memory 14 (see FIG. 1) via the input / output unit 11 (see FIG. 1).

[0049] In step S7, the controller 13A stores the operation data Do obtained by the operation of the air conditioner (an example of an electrical device) 2 in the operation data storage area (an example of a non-volatile first storage area) 151 (see Figure 1), and proceeds to the process in step S9. The controller 13A stores the operation data Do in the volatile memory 14, which was used to determine the reception of the operation data Do in step S5, in one of the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi (see Figure 2) provided in the operation data storage area 151, based on the process described above using Figure 2.

[0050] In step S9, the abnormality detection unit 132 detects an error code indicating an abnormality occurring in the air conditioner 2, which is included in the operation data Do stored in the operation data storage area 151 in step S7. If the abnormality detection unit 132 determines that there is an error code in the operation data Do (step S9: YES), it proceeds to the process in step S11. On the other hand, if the abnormality detection unit 132 determines that there is no error code in the operation data Do (step S9: NO), it proceeds to the process in step S19.

[0051] In step S11, when the transfer unit 133 transfers the abnormal data Da to the abnormal data storage area (an example of a non-volatile second storage area) 152, the code determination unit (an example of a determination unit) 134 (see Figure 1) determines whether or not abnormal data Da containing the same error code as the error code in the operation data Do received in step S5 is stored in the abnormal data storage area 152. If the code determination unit 134 determines that abnormal data Da containing the same error code is stored in the abnormal data storage area 152 (YES in step S11), it proceeds to the process in step S13. On the other hand, if the code determination unit 134 determines that abnormal data Da containing the same error code is not stored in the abnormal data storage area 152 (NO in step S11), it proceeds to the process in step S23.

[0052] In step S13, the transfer unit 133 determines whether or not to overwrite the operation data Do received in step S5 with abnormal data Da in the abnormal data storage area 152. If the transfer unit 133 stored an overwrite setting in the processing of step S1, it determines to overwrite the abnormal data Da in the abnormal data storage area 152 (step S13: YES) and proceeds to the processing of step S15. On the other hand, if the transfer unit 133 stored a non-overwrite setting in the processing of step S1, it determines not to overwrite the operation data Do with abnormal data Da in the abnormal data storage area 152 (step S13: NO) and proceeds to the processing of step S17.

[0053] In step S15, when the abnormality detection unit 132 detects an error code, the transfer unit 133 transfers the operation data Do containing the error code as abnormal data Da from the operation data storage area 151 to the abnormal data storage area 152. In step S15, the transfer unit 133 overwrites the operation data Do as abnormal data Da in the abnormal data unit group 152-1 to 152-m that stores abnormal data containing the same error code as the detected error code. Thus, in the operation data recording method according to this embodiment, if operation data Do containing the same error code as the error code detected by the abnormality detection unit 132 is already stored as abnormal data Da in the abnormal data storage area 152, the transfer unit 133 includes step S15 in which it overwrites the operation data Do containing the same error code as the detected error code as abnormal data Da.

[0054] In step S17, when the abnormal data Da is transferred to the abnormal data storage area 152, the transfer unit 133 adds 1 to the number of occurrences stored in the count storage area NR (see Figure 2), which stores the number of times the abnormality corresponding to the error code has occurred, and then proceeds to the process in step S19. Specifically, the transfer unit 133 adds 1 to the number of occurrences stored in the count storage area NR provided in the abnormal data unit group 152-1 to 152-m in which the abnormal data Da was stored in step S15 or step S23 (details will be described later).

[0055] In step S19, the output determination unit 136 (see Figure 1) determines whether or not to output at least one of the operation data Do stored in the operation data storage area 151 and the abnormal data Da stored in the abnormal data storage area 152 to the smartphone 3. If the output determination unit 136 determines that a signal instructing the output of at least one of the operation data Do and the abnormal data has been input from the smartphone 3 (step S19: YES), it proceeds to the process in step S21. On the other hand, if the output determination unit 136 determines that no such signal has been input from the smartphone 3 (step S19: NO), it returns to the process in step S5.

[0056] In step S21, the output determination unit 136 outputs one or both of the operation data Do and abnormal data Da, which were determined to be output in step S19, to the smartphone 3 via the volatile memory 14 and the input / output unit 12 (see Figure 1). This completes the operation data recording method (i.e., the operation of the operation data recording device 1A ends), and the data required by the maintenance worker from among the operation data Do and abnormal data Da is displayed on the display screen provided on the smartphone 3.

[0057] In step S23, if the abnormality detection unit 132 detects an error code (step S5: YES), the transfer unit 133 transfers the operation data Do containing the error code as abnormal data Da from the operation data storage area 151 to the abnormal data storage area 152, and proceeds to the process in step S17. In step S23, the transfer unit 133 stores any abnormal data that has not been previously stored in the abnormal data storage area 152. Based on the process described above using Figure 2, the transfer unit 133 stores the operation data Do as abnormal data Da in one of the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi provided in the operation data storage area 151.

[0058] 1-4. Effects of the Operating Data Recording Device and Operating Data Recording Method: In conventional technology, necessary operating data is stored in non-volatile memory at intervals of a predetermined time length. Therefore, it is possible to record operating data of the air conditioner before and after an abnormality occurs. In addition, when an abnormality occurs, operating data related to that abnormality can be acquired. Furthermore, not only the operating data related to the most recent abnormality, but also operating data related to multiple abnormalities that have occurred in the past can be stored. As a result, conventional technology can improve the maintainability of the air conditioner.

[0059] However, with conventional technology, when the non-volatile memory storage area runs out of space, it becomes necessary to write error data, including error codes related to new anomalies, to the non-volatile memory. In this case, one method is to update the oldest stored error data in the non-volatile memory storage area with the new error data. With this method, if the same anomaly occurs repeatedly, all previously recorded error data may be overwritten with error data related to the same anomaly, resulting in multiple error data related to the same anomaly being stored in the non-volatile memory. For example, if an air conditioner fails to start up, it will be restarted repeatedly, and multiple error data related to the startup failure will be stored in the non-volatile memory. Also, for example, if a thermistor malfunction in an air conditioner and a startup failure of the air conditioner occur simultaneously, even if error data related to the thermistor malfunction is recorded, it will be overwritten with error data related to the startup failure, resulting in only multiple error data related to the startup failure being stored. As a result, conventional technology has the problem of not being able to store error data related to one-off anomalies such as thermistor malfunctions.

[0060] To solve these problems, the operation data recording device 1A and the operation data recording method according to this embodiment are equipped with an abnormal data storage area 152 having a count storage area NR. Therefore, in the operation data recording device 1A and the operation data recording method according to this embodiment, if abnormal data Da containing the same error code as the error code included in the operation data Do acquired by the air conditioner 2 is already stored in the abnormal data storage area 152, the following processing becomes possible. That is, the operation data recording device 1A and the operation data recording method according to this embodiment overwrite the abnormal data Da with the operation data Do as necessary, and increase the number of occurrences of the abnormality corresponding to the error code stored in the count storage area NR. As a result, the operation data recording device 1A and the operation data recording method according to this embodiment can determine whether an abnormality is occurring continuously or is a one-time occurrence in the air conditioner 2 while keeping the storage capacity of the non-volatile memory 15, where the abnormal data storage area 152 is provided, to the minimum necessary.

[0061] Furthermore, the operation data recording device 1A and the operation data recording method according to this embodiment can present the types of abnormal data Da stored in the abnormal data storage area 152, and the number of occurrences for each type of abnormal data Da, to the maintenance worker of the air conditioner 2. As a result, the maintenance worker can grasp the frequency of occurrence for each type of abnormal data Da, determine which abnormalities should be prioritized in fault analysis, and reduce the time spent checking the abnormal data Da. Thus, the operation data recording device 1A and the operation data recording method according to this embodiment can improve the efficiency of the maintenance worker's repair work on the air conditioner 2.

[0062] As described above, the operation data recording device 1A according to this embodiment includes an operation data storage area 151 and an abnormality data storage area 152 that store operation data Do including an error code indicating an abnormality that has occurred in the air conditioner 2, an abnormality detection unit 132 that detects the error code contained in the operation data Do stored in the operation data storage area 151, and a transfer unit 133 that, when the abnormality detection unit 132 detects an error code, transfers the operation data Do containing the error code as abnormality data Da from the operation data storage area 151 to the abnormality data storage area 152. The abnormality data storage area 152 has a count storage area NR that stores the number of times the abnormality corresponding to the error code has occurred, and when the transfer unit 133 transfers the abnormality data Da to the abnormality data storage area 152, it adds 1 to the count stored in the count storage area NR.

[0063] Furthermore, the operation data recording method according to this embodiment includes the steps of: S7, storing operation data Do obtained by the operation of the air conditioner 2 in the operation data storage area 151; S9, in which the abnormality detection unit 132 detects an error code that is included in the operation data Do stored in the operation data storage area 151 and indicates an abnormality occurring in the air conditioner 2; S15, S23, in which the transfer unit 133 transfers the operation data Do containing the error code as abnormality data Da from the operation data storage area 151 to the abnormality data storage area 152 when the abnormality detection unit 132 detects the error code; and S17, in which the transfer unit 133 adds 1 to the number of occurrences stored in the number of occurrences storage area NR, which stores the number of times the abnormality corresponding to the error code has occurred, when the abnormality data Da is transferred to the abnormality data storage area 152.

[0064] Each of the operating data recording device 1A and operating data recording method having such a configuration can prevent the same abnormality from being recorded multiple times while keeping the storage capacity to a minimum.

[0065] [Second Embodiment] An operating data recording device and an operating data recording method according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. The operating data recording device and operating data recording method according to this embodiment are characterized in that the user can set the error code to be detected by the abnormality detection unit. With respect to the components of the operating data recording device and operating data recording method according to this embodiment, components that perform the same actions and functions as the components of the operating data recording device 1A and operating data recording method according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted. The electrical equipment from which operating data is acquired in the operating data recording device and operating data recording method according to this embodiment is the air conditioner 2, as in the first embodiment.

[0066] 2-1. Configuration of the Operating Data Recording Device: The configuration of the operating data recording device according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 2 and using Figure 4. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the operating data recording device 1B according to this embodiment. In Figure 4, for ease of understanding, the air conditioner 2 and smartphone 3 connected to the operating data recording device 1B are also shown together.

[0067] The operation data recording device 1B according to this embodiment has the same configuration as the operation data recording device 1A according to the first embodiment, except that the configuration of the controller 13B is different from that of the operation data recording device 1A according to the first embodiment.

[0068] As shown in Figure 4, the controller 13B provided in the operating data recording device 1B has a target code request unit 137 in addition to the configuration of the controller 13A in the first embodiment. The target code request unit 137 requests the user to set the error codes to be detected by the abnormality detection unit (an example of a detection unit) 132. Here, the "user" is, as in the first embodiment, for example, a maintenance worker who provides maintenance services for the air conditioner 2. When the target code request unit 137 outputs a signal to the smartphone 3 via the input / output unit 12 requesting the setting of the error codes to be detected, a screen related to the setting of the error codes to be detected is displayed on the display screen of the smartphone 3. For example, the display screen shows a list of error codes, and the user selects one or more error codes that they want to record. This allows the user to select and set the error codes necessary for the maintenance management of the air conditioner 2. The error codes set by the user based on the request from the target code request unit 137 are stored in, for example, the abnormality detection unit 132.

[0069] In the operation data recording device 1B, operation data Do containing an error code set by the user is stored in the abnormal data storage area 152 as abnormal data Da only when such operation data Do is acquired. In other words, the abnormal detection unit 132 does not detect error codes that have not been set by the user. If the user sets the number of error codes to be m or less, the necessary abnormal data can be reliably recorded even if the number of types of abnormal data that actually occurred exceeds m.

[0070] 2-2. Driving Data Recording Method (Operation of Driving Data Recording Device): The driving data recording method according to this embodiment (i.e., the operation of the driving data recording device) will be explained with reference to Figures 2 and 3 and with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the driving data recording method according to this embodiment. Note that the same processes as those in the driving data recording method according to the first embodiment described above will not be explained in relation to driving data recording according to this embodiment.

[0071] As shown in Figure 5, in the operation data recording method according to this embodiment, in step S2 following the processing of step S1, the target code request unit 137 (see Figure 4) requests the user (for example, a maintenance worker of the air conditioner 2) to set an error code to be detected by the abnormality detection unit 132. When the target code request unit 137 receives a signal from the smartphone 3 (see Figure 4) containing information on the error code that the user needs to set in response to the request to set an error code to be detected, it proceeds to the processing of step S3. The information on the error code that needs to be set as a target for detection, which is input from the smartphone 3, is stored in the abnormality detection unit 132 as a target error code.

[0072] In step S10, following the processing in step S7, the abnormality detection unit 132 detects a target error code that indicates an abnormality occurring in the air conditioner 2 and is included in the operation data Do stored in the operation data storage area 151. If the abnormality detection unit 132 determines that the same error code as the target error code set in step S2 exists in the operation data Do (step S10: YES), it proceeds to the processing in step S11. On the other hand, if the abnormality detection unit 132 determines that the same error code as the target error code does not exist in the operation data Do (step S10: NO), it proceeds to the processing in step S19.

[0073] In step S24, following step S11, the transfer unit 133 transfers the operation data Do containing the error code from the operation data storage area 151 to the abnormal data storage area 152 as abnormal data Da when the abnormality detection unit 132 detects an error code, and then proceeds to the processing in step S17. The operation data Do transferred in step S24 is the same as the target error code and is data that has not been transferred in the past (following the flow from YES in step S10 to NO in step S11). For this reason, the transfer unit 133 stores all of the operation data Do stored in the operation data storage area 151 as abnormal data Da in the abnormal data unit group 152-1 to 152-m (see Figure 2) provided in the abnormal data storage area 152, in the group of abnormal data units for which abnormal data Da has not yet been recorded.

[0074] In the driving data recording method according to this embodiment, if driving data Do containing an error code is stored in the driving data storage area 151, the driving data Do containing the target error code is transferred to the abnormal data storage area 152 (flow from YES in step S10 to step S11). On the other hand, in the driving data recording method according to this embodiment, if driving data Do containing an error code is stored in the driving data storage area 151, the driving data Do containing the target error code is not transferred to the abnormal data storage area 152 (flow from NO in step S10 to step S19). Thus, since the driving data recording method according to this embodiment allows selection of the driving data to be transferred, the processing load of transferring driving data Do from the driving data storage area 151 to the abnormal data storage area 152 can be reduced compared to the driving data recording method according to the first embodiment.

[0075] As described above, the driving data recording device 1B according to this embodiment includes, in addition to the configuration of the driving data recording device 1A according to the first embodiment, a target code request unit 137 that requests the user to set an error code to be detected by the abnormality detection unit 132.

[0076] In addition to the effects obtained with the operation data recording device 1A according to the first embodiment, the operation data recording device 1B having this configuration can reduce the storage capacity of the abnormal data storage area 152, thus providing the effect of reducing manufacturing costs.

[0077] Furthermore, the driving data recording method according to this embodiment includes, in addition to the configuration of the driving data recording method according to the first embodiment, a step S2 in which the target code request unit 137 requests the user to set an error code to be detected by the abnormality detection unit 132.

[0078] In addition to the effects obtained by the operation data recording method according to the first embodiment described above, the operation data recording method having this configuration also has the effect of reducing the processing load of the transfer of operation data Do from the operation data storage area 151 to the abnormal data storage area 152.

[0079] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible. In the first and second embodiments described above, if abnormal data is stored in all of the abnormal data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m provided in the abnormal data storage area 152, the abnormal data is overwritten in the abnormal data unit group in which the first stored abnormal data is stored. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, since abnormalities that occur frequently are considered easy to reproduce, the abnormal data may be overwritten in the abnormal data unit group with the highest number of occurrences stored in the count storage area NR among the abnormal data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m.

[0080] Furthermore, since anomalies that occur frequently may be of high importance, the anomaly data may be overwritten with the anomaly data unit group with the fewest occurrences stored in the count memory area NR from among the anomaly data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m.

[0081] In the first and second embodiments described above, the operation data storage area 151 and the error data storage area 152 are provided in the same non-volatile memory 15, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the operation data storage area 151 and the error data storage area 152 may be provided in different non-volatile memories.

[0082] In the second embodiment described above, steps S1 and S2 may be requested simultaneously. The override setting in step S1 may be set for each target error code set in step S2. By setting the override setting for each error code, appropriate recording can be performed for each error code.

[0083] In the first and second embodiments described above, in order to determine the integrity of the operation data, the operation data storage area 151 and the abnormal data storage area 152 may be provided with addresses for determining the completion of writing. When writing operation data to the operation data storage area 151 and the abnormal data storage area 152, the address for determining the completion of writing is set to, for example, 0, and after the writing of the operation data is complete, the address for determining the completion of writing is set to, for example, 1. When reading operation data from the operation data storage area 151 and the abnormal data storage area 152, the address for determining the completion of writing is checked, and if the address is set to 1, it is determined that the operation data is valid data. For example, if a power outage or the like occurs while writing operation data to the operation data storage area 151 and the abnormal data storage area 152, and the writing of the operation data is not completed, resulting in invalid operation data, the address for determining the completion of writing is set to 0. Therefore, when reading operation data from the operation data storage area 151 and the abnormal data storage area 152, the address for determining write completion is checked, and if 0 is set at that address, it can be determined that the operation data to be read is invalid data. This address may be provided in each of the operation data unit areas OR1 to ORi and the abnormal data unit groups 152-1 to 152-m.

[0084] 1A, 1B Operating data recording device 2 Air conditioner 3 Smartphone 11 Input / output unit 12 Input / output unit 13A, 13B Controller 14 Volatile memory 15 Non-volatile memory 21 Outdoor unit 22 Indoor unit 131 Operation data acquisition start request unit 132 Anomaly detection unit 133 Transfer unit 134 Code determination unit 135 Overwrite request unit 136 Output determination unit 137 Target code request unit 151 Operation data storage area 152 Anomaly data storage area 152-1 to 152-m Anomaly data unit group AR1 to ARj Anomaly data unit area Da Anomaly data Do Operation data NR Count storage area OR1 to ORi Operation data unit area

Claims

1. An operating data recording device comprising: a non-volatile first storage area and a second storage area for storing operating data including error codes indicating abnormalities that have occurred in electrical equipment; a detection unit for detecting the error codes included in the operating data stored in the first storage area; and a transfer unit for transferring the operating data including the error codes from the first storage area to the second storage area as abnormal data when the detection unit detects the error codes, wherein the second storage area has a count storage area for storing the number of times the abnormality corresponding to the error code has occurred, and the transfer unit adds 1 to the count stored in the count storage area when transferring the abnormal data to the second storage area.

2. If the operating data containing the same error code as the error code detected by the detection unit is already stored in the second storage area as abnormal data, the transfer unit overwrites the operating data containing the same error code detected by the detection unit with the abnormal data, characterized in that the transfer unit overwrites the abnormal data containing the same error code.

3. The operating data recording device according to claim 2, further comprising an overwrite request unit that requests the user to set whether or not to overwrite the operating data including the error code detected by the detection unit with the abnormal data including the same error code.

4. The operating data recording device according to claim 2, further comprising a determination unit that determines whether or not the abnormal data containing the same error code is stored in the second storage area when the transfer unit transfers the abnormal data to the second storage area.

5. The operating data recording device according to claim 1, further comprising a target code request unit that requests the user to set the error code to be detected by the detection unit.

6. The operating data recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the electrical equipment is an air conditioner.

7. A method for recording operating data, comprising: storing operating data acquired by the operation of an electrical device in a non-volatile first storage area; a detection unit detecting an error code that is included in the operating data stored in the first storage area and indicates an abnormality occurring in the electrical device; a transfer unit transferring the operating data including the error code from the first storage area to a non-volatile second storage area as abnormal data when the detection unit detects the error code; and a transfer unit adding 1 to the number of occurrences stored in a count storage area that stores the number of times the abnormality corresponding to the error code has occurred when the abnormal data is transferred to the second storage area.

8. The method for recording operating data according to claim 7, characterized in that, if the operating data containing the same error code as the error code detected by the detection unit is already stored in the second storage area as abnormal data, the transfer unit overwrites the operating data containing the same error code detected by the detection unit with the abnormal data.

9. The operating data recording method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of the overwrite request unit requesting the user to set whether or not to overwrite the operating data including the error code detected by the detection unit with the abnormal data including the same error code.

10. The operating data recording method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of a determination unit determining whether or not the abnormal data containing the same error code is stored in the second storage area when the transfer unit transfers the abnormal data to the second storage area.

11. The operating data recording method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that the target code request unit requests the user to set the error code to be detected by the detection unit.

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