Hot water supply system, server and non-transitory computer readable recording medium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hot water supply systems face challenges in remote control, particularly when users outside the house adjust settings without knowing the current status, leading to unexpected changes and user discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A hot water supply system that uses a server connected to an external communication network to determine the location of a mobile terminal device through unique identification information of a communication repeater, allowing for appropriate remote control from inside or outside the house by limiting remote operation items when outside the house.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If remote control is allowed from outside the house, then user convenience is improved, but unexpected changes in hot water supply temperature may occur causing user discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as an intermediary between the mobile terminal device and the hot water supply device. It receives control requests from the mobile terminal, determines whether the terminal is inside or outside the house based on communication repeater identification, and then appropriately processes the control requests. This intermediary mechanism enables remote control while preventing unauthorized or inappropriate changes that would cause user discomfort.
2Adaptability or versatility
If full remote control functions are provided, then operational flexibility is improved, but risk of inappropriate changes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides different levels of remote control functionality based on location. When the mobile terminal is determined to be inside the house (matching communication repeater ID), full control functions are available. When outside the house (non-matching ID), control functions are restricted to prevent inappropriate changes. This local quality approach tailors the system's responsiveness to the specific operational context.
3Reliability
If location-based control restrictions are implemented, then user comfort is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The server performs preliminary determination of the mobile terminal's location (inside or outside the house) based on communication repeater identification before processing control requests. By pre-establishing the operational context and appropriate control permissions, the system avoids complex real-time decision-making during control operations, thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A hot water supply system includes a hot water supply device which can be connected to an external communication network via a communication repeater, and a server. The server obtains, in pairing processing of associating a mobile terminal device which can remotely control the hot water supply device with the hot water supply device, identification information of a communication repeater to which the mobile terminal device is connected, and stores the identification information along with pairing information. Besides, the server performs control to determine conditions of the remote control based on whether the identification information of the communication repeater stored in association with the hot water supply device being a remote operation destination matches identification information of the communication repeater received from the mobile terminal device in the communication, when the communication of the remote control is received from the mobile terminal device.