JP7602104B2 - Air conditioning systems, programs and remote controls - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioning system, a program, and a remote controller.

Conventionally, it is known that a smartphone or the like is used to set the remote controller (hereinafter also referred to as a remote control) of an air conditioner. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a mobile terminal transmits first setting information to an operation terminal of an air conditioner, the operation terminal transmits the first setting information to the mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal transmits second setting information, which is the first setting information changed, to an operation terminal other than the operation terminal.

International Publication No. 2018/230008

However, in Patent Document 1, the user had to set all the setting items on the mobile terminal and then send the setting information to the operation terminal. The purpose of this disclosure is to enable the terminal to send some of the air conditioner's setting items to the remote controller.

A system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes:
A system including a remote controller for operating an air conditioner and a terminal,
The terminal includes:
A determination unit that determines some of the setting items of the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner;
a transmission unit that transmits information on the part of the setting items to the remote controller,
The remote controller includes:
The device further includes a receiving unit that receives information on the part of setting items from the terminal.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to set only some of the multiple setting items of an air conditioner on a remote controller using a terminal. By being able to transmit only some of the multiple setting items, when performing setting work on multiple remote controllers, it is possible to first set setting items that are common to multiple remote controllers, and then set only setting items that must be set individually. This simplifies the setting work for multiple remote controllers.

A second aspect of the present disclosure is the system according to the first aspect,
A transmission unit of the terminal transmits a reboot instruction together with information on the part of the setting items to the remote controller.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the remote controller can be rebooted to enable information on some of the setting items received from the terminal.

A third aspect of the present disclosure is the system according to the second aspect,
The remote controller includes:
The device further includes a transmitting unit that transmits a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller after rebooting in response to the reboot instruction received from the terminal.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, the remote controller can resume connection with the terminal after rebooting.

A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the system according to the third aspect,
The transmission unit of the remote controller
when rebooting in response to the reboot instruction received from the terminal, transmitting a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller after the reboot;
If the terminal is restarted without receiving the restart instruction from the terminal, the terminal does not transmit a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller after the restart.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the remote controller can resume connection with the terminal when restarted by an instruction from the terminal, and can not resume connection with the terminal when restarted by an instruction other than from the terminal. When the remote controller is restarted during data communication with the terminal (i.e., in the middle of remote controller setting work), the remote controller starts to establish a connection with the terminal by itself, so that the person performing the setting work does not need to perform the connection work between the remote controller and the terminal again, and can easily perform remote controller setting work.

A fifth aspect of the present disclosure is a system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects,
The terminal further includes a display unit that displays a screen for a user to select some of the setting items of the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner,
On the screen, the display form of the setting items that have already been transmitted to the remote controller is made different from the display form of the setting items that have not yet been transmitted to the remote controller.

According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the user can visually check the setting items that have not yet been sent to the remote controller.

A sixth aspect of the present disclosure is a system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects,
The terminal includes:
The device further includes a display unit that displays a screen for a user to instruct whether or not to send the setting item related to the address of the air conditioner to the remote controller if the part of the setting items determined by the determination unit is not a setting item related to the address of the air conditioner.

According to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the user can remember to set the address of the air conditioner in the remote controller.

A program according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure,
Computer,
a determination unit that determines some of a plurality of setting items of the air conditioner;
The air conditioner is caused to function as a transmission unit that transmits information on the part of the setting items to a remote controller that operates the air conditioner.

A remote controller according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure includes:
A remote controller for operating an air conditioner,
A receiving unit that receives information on some of the setting items of the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner and an instruction to restart the air conditioner from a terminal;
and a transmitting unit that transmits a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller after rebooting in response to the reboot instruction received from the terminal.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a terminal and a remote controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a remote controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram of a process for transmitting information on some setting items according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 13 is an example of a screen displayed on a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 13 is an example of a screen displayed on a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 13 is an example of a screen displayed on a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The following describes an embodiment of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings.

<Terminology>
The "setting items" are setting items related to the air conditioner. For example, the setting items are as follows (note that the setting items are not limited to the following):
[For installers (those with installer privileges)]
・Field settings (indoor/outdoor/RC (remote control))
・Air conditioner address setting ・Thermostat adjustment [Indoor unit settings]
・Switching/Automatic filter cleaning [Remote control settings]
・Customize remote control display ・Date and time ・Celsius ・Fahrenheit ・Prohibited items

The air conditioner address is information that allows the air conditioner monitoring system, etc. to uniquely identify the air conditioner.

<System Configuration>
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. An air conditioning system 10 includes a terminal 100, a remote controller 200, and an air conditioner 300. Each of these will be described below.

<<Terminal 100>>
The terminal 100 is, for example, a device such as a smartphone, a tablet, or a personal computer. The terminal 100 can transmit and receive data to and from a remote controller 200 via communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The terminal 100 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 3.

<<Remote Controller 200>>
The remote controller 200 is a device that operates one or a plurality of air conditioners 300. The remote controller 200 is connected to one or a plurality of air conditioners 300 by wiring. The remote controller 200 can also transmit and receive data to and from the terminal 100 via communication such as Bluetooth. The remote controller 200 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 4.

<<Air Conditioner 300>>
The air conditioner 300 is an air conditioner of any model that is operated by the remote controller 200. The air conditioner 300 is connected to the remote controller 200 by a wire.

<Hardware configuration of the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200>
2 is a diagram showing hardware configurations of the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The terminal 100 and the remote controller 200 have a central processing unit (CPU) 1001, a read only memory (ROM) 1002, and a random access memory (RAM) 1003. The CPU 1001, the ROM 1002, and the RAM 1003 form a so-called computer.

The terminal 100 and the remote controller 200 may also have an auxiliary storage device 1004, a display device 1005, an operation device 1006, an I/F (Interface) device 1007, and a drive device 1008. The hardware components of the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200 are connected to each other via a bus B.

The CPU 1001 is a computing device that executes various programs installed in the auxiliary storage device 1004.

The ROM 1002 is a non-volatile memory. The ROM 1002 functions as a primary storage device that stores various programs, data, etc. required for the CPU 1001 to execute various programs installed in the auxiliary storage device 1004. Specifically, the ROM 1002 functions as a primary storage device that stores boot programs such as the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) and the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI).

RAM 1003 is a volatile memory such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or a static random access memory (SRAM). RAM 1003 functions as a primary storage device that provides a working area in which various programs installed in the auxiliary storage device 1004 are expanded when they are executed by the CPU 1001.

The auxiliary storage device 1004 is an auxiliary storage device that stores various programs and information used when the various programs are executed.

The display device 1005 is a display device that displays the internal state of the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200.

The operation device 1006 is an input device through which the user of the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200 inputs various instructions to the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200.

The I/F device 1007 is a communication device that connects to a network and communicates with the terminal 100, the remote controller 200, etc.

The drive unit 1008 is a device for setting the storage medium 1009. The storage medium 1009 here includes media that record information optically, electrically, or magnetically, such as CD-ROMs, flexible disks, and magneto-optical disks. The storage medium 1009 may also include semiconductor memories that record information electrically, such as ROMs and flash memories.

The various programs to be installed in the auxiliary storage device 1004 are installed, for example, by setting the distributed storage medium 1009 in the drive device 1008 and reading the various programs recorded on the storage medium 1009 by the drive device 1008. Alternatively, the various programs to be installed in the auxiliary storage device 1004 may be installed by downloading them from a network via the I/F device 1007.

<Functional blocks of terminal 100>
3 is a functional block diagram of a terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The terminal 100 can include a determination unit 101, a display unit 102, a transmission unit 103, a reception unit 104, and a control unit 105. In addition, the terminal 100 can function as the determination unit 101, the display unit 102, the transmission unit 103, the reception unit 104, and the control unit 105 by the CPU 1001 executing a program. Each of these will be described below. Note that the program that executes the programs to realize each functional unit is not limited to the CPU 1001, and may be any processor such as an MPU.

The determination unit 101 determines some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner 300. Specifically, the determination unit 101 determines the setting items selected by the user on the screen displayed by the display unit 102 as some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner 300.

The determination unit 101 may also be configured to generate a restart instruction to be sent to the remote controller 200 in accordance with the setting item selected by the user. Specifically, if the setting item selected by the user is a setting item that will become effective after the remote controller 200 is restarted, the determination unit 101 generates a restart instruction. On the other hand, if the setting item selected by the user is not a setting item that will become effective after the remote controller 200 is restarted, the determination unit 101 does not generate a restart instruction.

The transmission unit 103 transmits information on the part of the setting items determined by the determination unit 101 to the remote controller 200. The transmission unit 103 can also be configured to transmit a restart instruction to the remote controller 200 together with the information on the part of the setting items.

The display unit 102 displays a screen for the user to select some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner 300. Note that on this screen, the display form of the setting items that have been transmitted to the remote controller 200 may be different from the display form of the setting items that have not been transmitted to the remote controller 200. Note that making the display form different means changing the color of the text for both, highlighting one, changing the font for both, etc.

In addition, the display unit 102 can be configured to display a screen for the user to instruct whether or not to send the setting item related to the address of the air conditioner 300 to the remote controller 200 if the setting item already selected by the user (i.e., some of the setting items determined by the determination unit 101) is not a setting item related to the address of the air conditioner 300.

The receiving unit 104 receives data from the remote controller 200.

The control unit 105 performs processes related to the control of the terminal 100, such as accepting input to the terminal 100, establishing a connection, and logging in.

In this way, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, by making it possible to transmit only some of the multiple setting items, when performing configuration work for multiple remote controllers, it becomes possible to first set the setting items common to the multiple remote controllers, and then set only the setting items that must be set individually. This simplifies the configuration work for multiple remote controllers. In other words, after inputting information for each setting item, a user (e.g., a person performing configuration work on the remote controller 200 of the air conditioner 300) can transmit information for only some of the setting items (e.g., transmit first only information common to all remote controllers). This reduces the labor required for configuration work and the amount of data transmission, and increases the configuration speed.

<Functional blocks of the remote controller 200>
4 is a functional block diagram of a remote controller 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The remote control 200 can include a control unit 201, a transmission unit 202, a reception unit 203, and a display unit 204. The remote control 200 can function as the control unit 201, the transmission unit 202, the reception unit 203, and the display unit 204 by the CPU 1001 executing a program. Each of these will be described below. Note that the program that executes the programs to realize each functional unit is not limited to the CPU 1001, and may be any processor such as an MPU.

The receiving unit 203 receives information on some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner 300 from the terminal 100. The receiving unit 203 can also be configured to receive a restart instruction from the terminal 100 along with information on some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner 300.

The control unit 201 restarts the remote controller 200 in response to a restart instruction received from the terminal 100. When the remote controller 200 restarts, the information on the setting items received from the terminal 100 becomes valid.

After restarting in response to a restart instruction received from the terminal 100, the transmission unit 202 transmits a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller 200 (for example, by broadcasting an advertising packet such as Bluetooth). Note that if the transmission unit 202 restarts without receiving a restart instruction from the terminal 100, the transmission unit 202 does not transmit a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller 200 after the restart.

The display unit 204 generates and displays screens on the display device 1005 of the remote controller 200. The display screens include a driving information display screen, a driving information setting screen, various function setting screens, a communication screen, etc.

In this way, when the remote controller 200 of the present disclosure is restarted in response to a restart instruction received from the terminal 100, it can transmit a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller 200 after the restart. On the other hand, when the remote controller 200 is restarted without receiving a restart instruction from the terminal 100, the remote controller 200 does not transmit a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller 200 after the restart.

<Processing method>
5 is a sequence diagram of a process for transmitting information on some setting items according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A user 400 (e.g., a person who performs setting work on the remote controller 200 of the air conditioner 300 at a site where the air conditioner 300 and the remote controller 200 are installed) operates the terminal 100.

In step 1 (S1), the user 400 inputs into the terminal 100 a user ID and password for a program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., a smartphone application installed on the terminal 100).

In step 2 (S2), it is assumed that user 400 logs in to a program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., a smartphone application installed on terminal 100).

In step 3 (S3), the user 400 performs an operation to display a communication screen on the remote controller 200.

In step 4 (S4), the remote controller 200 displays the communication screen.

In step 5 (S5), the remote controller 200 transmits a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller 200 (e.g., broadcasting an advertising packet such as Bluetooth).

In step 6 (S6), a connection is established between the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200. Specifically, the terminal 100 scans for a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller 200 in S5, and requests a connection from the remote controller 200. The remote controller 200 ends the transmission of a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller 200 (for example, broadcast transmission of an advertising packet such as Bluetooth) and establishes a connection.

In step 7 (S7), the terminal 100 displays a screen that allows the user 400 to select some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner 300.

Figure 6 is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 is a screen for the user 400 to select some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner 300. For example, in S7 of Figure 5, a screen like that of Figure 6 is displayed on the terminal 100.

In step 8 (S8), the user 400 selects some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner 300 on the screen of S7 (in the example of FIG. 5, the airflow direction setting item). The user 400 also inputs information on the selected setting item on the screen of S7 (in the example of FIG. 5, the airflow direction position, swing, etc.).

In step 9 (S9), if the setting item already selected by the user 400 (i.e., the part of the setting items determined by the determination unit 101) is not a setting item related to the address of the air conditioner 300, the terminal 100 displays a screen for the user to instruct whether or not to send the setting item related to the address of the air conditioner 300 to the remote controller 200.

Figure 7 is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 is a screen for the user to instruct whether or not to transmit setting items related to the address of the air conditioner 300 to the remote controller 200. For example, in S9 of Figure 5, a screen like that of Figure 7 is displayed on the terminal 100.

The terminal 100 may display a screen for the user to instruct whether or not to send the setting items related to the address of the air conditioner 300 to the remote controller 200 after input of S8, or may display the screen after sending the information on the setting items entered in S8 to the remote controller 200.

In step 10 (S10), the user 400 can input the address of the air conditioner 300. If the address is not set, only information on the setting items other than the address setting (in the example of FIG. 5, the air direction setting item) will be transmitted to the remote controller 200 in step 11.

In step 11 (S11), the terminal 100 determines whether at least one of the setting items to be transmitted to the remote controller 200 is a setting item that requires restarting the remote controller 200. If there is at least one setting item that requires restarting the remote controller 200 (for example, in the case of the address setting items in S9 and S10), the terminal 100 generates a restart instruction. Next, the terminal 100 transmits to the remote controller 200 information on the setting items input by the user 400 (in the example of FIG. 5, the wind direction position, swing, etc. input in the wind direction setting item, and the address of the air conditioner 300 input in the address setting item) and a restart instruction.

In step 12 (S12), the remote controller 200 receives information on the setting items of S11 and a restart instruction from the terminal 100.

In step 13 (S13), the remote controller 200 restarts in response to the restart instruction received from the terminal 100 in S12. When the remote controller 200 restarts, the information on the setting items received from the terminal 100 in S12 becomes valid.

In step 14 (S14), the remote controller 200 restarts in response to the restart instruction received from the terminal 100, and then transmits a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller 200 (for example, broadcasting an advertising packet such as Bluetooth).

In step 15 (S15), a connection is established between the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200. Specifically, the terminal 100 scans for a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller 200 in S14, and requests a connection from the remote controller 200. The remote controller 200 ends the transmission of a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller 200 (for example, broadcast transmission of an advertising packet such as Bluetooth) and establishes a connection.

In step 16 (S16), the terminal 100 determines which setting items have already been sent to the remote controller 200.

In step 17 (S17), the terminal 100 displays a screen for the user 400 to select some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner 300. Note that, on this screen, based on the judgment in S16, the display form of the setting items that have been sent to the remote controller 200 (in the example of FIG. 5, the items for air direction setting and address setting) may be displayed differently from the display form of the setting items that have not been sent to the remote controller 200.

Fig. 8 is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 8 is a screen for the user 400 to select some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner 300. As shown in Fig. 8, the display form of the setting items that have been transmitted to the remote controller 200 and the display form of the setting items that have not been transmitted to the remote controller 200 can be displayed differently (in the example of Fig. 8, one of them is highlighted). For example, in S17 of Fig. 5, a screen like that of Fig. 8 is displayed on the terminal 100.

In step 18 (S18), the user 400 selects some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner 300 on the screen of S17 (in the example of FIG. 5, the automatic filter cleaning setting item). The user 400 also inputs information about the selected setting item on the screen of S17 (on/off in the example of FIG. 5).

In step 19 (S19), the terminal 100 determines whether or not at least one of the setting items to be transmitted to the remote controller 200 requires restarting the remote controller 200. If all of the setting items do not require restarting the remote controller 200 (for example, the automatic filter cleaning setting item in S18), the terminal 100 does not generate a restart instruction. Next, the terminal 100 transmits information on the setting item selected in S18 (in the example of FIG. 5, the on/off input in the automatic filter cleaning setting item) to the remote controller 200 (i.e., no restart instruction is transmitted).

In step 20 (S20), the remote controller 200 receives information on the setting item of S19 from the terminal 100.

In step 21 (S21), the remote controller 200 notifies the terminal 100 that reception of the information on the setting items in S20 has been completed.

In this way, if some of the setting items selected by the user 400 are setting items that require restarting the remote controller 200, the terminal 100 transmits a restart instruction to the remote controller 200, and if some of the setting items selected by the user 400 are setting items that do not require restarting the remote controller 200, the terminal 100 does not transmit a restart instruction to the remote controller.

In step 22 (S22), the terminal 100 displays a screen for the user 400 to select some of the multiple setting items of the air conditioner 300. Note that on this screen, the display format of the setting items that have been sent to the remote controller 200 (in the example of FIG. 5, the address setting item, the airflow direction setting item, and the automatic filter cleaning setting item) may be displayed differently from the display format of the setting items that have not been sent to the remote controller 200.

In step 23 (S23), it is assumed that user 400 has completed the settings on the screen of S22.

In step 24 (S24), after a certain period of time has elapsed, the connection between the terminal 100 and the remote controller 200 is disconnected.

Although the embodiments have been described above, it will be understood that various changes in form and details are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims.

10 Air conditioning system 100 Terminal 200 Remote controller 300 Air conditioner 101 Determination unit 102 Display unit 103 Transmission unit 104 Reception unit 105 Control unit 201 Control unit 202 Transmission unit 203 Reception unit 204 Display unit 400 User

Claims (8)

A system including a remote controller for operating an air conditioner and a terminal,
The terminal includes:
A determination unit that determines some of the setting items of the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner;
If the part of the setting items is a setting item that requires restarting the remote controller, transmitting a restart instruction together with information on the part of the setting items to the remote controller ;
a transmission unit that, when the part of the setting items does not require rebooting of the remote controller, transmits information of the part of the setting items to the remote controller and does not transmit an instruction to reboot the remote controller;
The remote controller includes:
A system comprising a receiving unit that receives information on the part of setting items and the reboot instruction from the terminal. The remote controller includes:
The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller after rebooting in response to the reboot instruction received from the terminal. The transmission unit of the remote controller
when rebooting in response to the reboot instruction received from the terminal, transmitting a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller after the reboot;
The system according to claim 2 , wherein if the system is restarted without receiving an instruction to restart from the terminal, the system does not transmit a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller after the restart. The terminal further includes a display unit that displays a screen for a user to select some of the setting items of the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner,
4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the screen displays setting items that have already been transmitted to the remote controller in a different manner from setting items that have not yet been transmitted to the remote controller. The terminal includes:
A system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a display unit that displays a screen for a user to instruct whether or not to send a setting item related to the address of the air conditioner to the remote controller if the some of the setting items determined by the determination unit are not setting items related to the address of the air conditioner. A system including a remote controller for operating an air conditioner and a terminal,
The terminal includes:
A determination unit that determines some of the setting items of the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner;
a transmission unit that transmits information on the part of the setting items to the remote controller;
a display unit that displays a screen for allowing a user to instruct whether or not to transmit a setting item related to the address of the air conditioner to the remote controller when the part of the setting items determined by the determination unit is not a setting item related to the address of the air conditioner,
The remote controller includes:
A system comprising a receiving unit that receives information on the part of setting items from the terminal. Computer,
a determination unit that determines some of a plurality of setting items of the air conditioner;
If the part of the setting items is a setting item that requires restarting the remote controller, transmitting a restart instruction together with information on the part of the setting items to a remote controller that operates the air conditioner ;
A program for functioning as a transmitting unit that, if the certain setting items do not require the restart of the remote controller, transmits information on the certain setting items to the remote controller and does not transmit an instruction to restart the remote controller . A remote controller for operating an air conditioner,
If some of the setting items among the plurality of setting items of the air conditioner are setting items that require restarting the remote controller, a restart instruction is received from a terminal together with information on the some of the setting items ;
a receiving unit that receives information on the part of the setting items from the terminal and does not receive an instruction to restart the remote controller when the part of the setting items does not require a restart of the remote controller;
a transmitter that transmits a signal indicating the presence of the remote controller after rebooting in response to the reboot instruction received from the terminal.

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