JP4163528B2 - Remote control device for water heater - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a remote control device for a water heater in which a plurality of remote controllers are provided, for example, with respect to a water heater body.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in this type of device, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-249433, after the data from the water heater main body is collectively transmitted to a plurality of remote controllers, a response request is sequentially sent to each remote controller. There is a communication system using a polling method in which data is sequentially received from each remote controller.
[0003]
In addition, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-328466, there is one that divides data to be transmitted from the water heater body to the remote controller into a plurality of data groups and sequentially transmits to each remote controller. It was.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-6-249433 [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-328466
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in this conventional patent document 1, when the amount of data transmitted from the water heater main body increases, the interval until the response request is transmitted to each remote controller becomes longer, and the data is transmitted from the remote controller to the water heater main body. There is a problem that the waiting time until transmission becomes long, resulting in poor responsiveness, for example, delay in changing the remote control display according to the operation.
[0006]
In addition, in Patent Document 2, since a plurality of data groups are sequentially transmitted in a predetermined order, even if one of the data groups is changed according to the operation of the remote controller, the predetermined order is obtained. Until then, the changed data is not transmitted from the water heater main body, and as a result, the responsiveness is poor, for example, there is a problem that the change of the remote control display according to the operation is delayed.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Accordingly, in order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a water heater main body and a plurality of remote controllers that are communicably connected to the main body and remotely operate the main body, and data from the main body is stored in each remote controller. A communication frame in which data from each remote controller is transmitted to the main body by the polling method after being transmitted to the remote controller is divided, and a series of data transmitted from the main body to the remote controller is divided into a plurality of data groups and divided into a plurality of communication frames. Communication control means for sequentially transmitting to each remote controller in a predetermined transmission order and data transmitted from the main body to each remote controller in accordance with the operation of the remote controller include the changed data data groups in preference to free data group of other changes by interrupting a predetermined transmission sequence and data transmission sequence changing means adapted to send from the body to the remote controller It was that there was example.
[0008]
As a result, the data length of data transmitted from the water heater body to each remote controller is shortened, the waiting time until data is transmitted from each remote controller to the water heater body is shortened, and from the water heater body according to the operation of the remote controller. Since the data group including the changed data to be transmitted is transmitted with priority over the other data groups that are not changed, the responsiveness between the water heater main body and the remote control can be improved.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a water heater main body, and 2 and 3 are remote controllers which are connected to the main body 1 in a communicable manner and remotely operate the main body 1.
[0012]
In order to communicate with the main body 1, the remote control 2, 3 communicates with the main body 1, an operation section 4 comprising a switch for instructing operation of the water heater main body 1, a display section 5 indicating the state of the main body 1 based on communication with the main body 1. And a remote controller control unit 7 that controls the operation unit 4 and the display unit 5 and is connected to the communication circuit 6 to communicate data with the main body 1. The data transmitted from the remote controllers 2 and 3 to the water heater main body 1 is switch information of the operated operation unit 4.
[0013]
The water heater main body 1 has a main body control unit 8 for controlling the operation of the main body 1 and communication for transmitting data from the main body control unit 8 to the remote controllers 2 and 3 and receiving data from the remote controllers 2 and 3. A circuit 9 is provided.
[0014]
In addition, although the functional component for performing hot water supply is provided in the water heater main body 1, since it is a conventionally well-known content, the description is abbreviate | omitted. These functional parts for performing hot water supply may be arranged by appropriately combining functional parts according to the types of known hot water heaters such as an oil water heater, a gas water heater, an electric water heater, and a heat pump type water heater.
[0015]
The main body control unit 8 forms a communication frame in which data from the remote controllers 2 and 3 is transmitted to the main body 1 by a polling method after data from the main body 1 is transmitted to the remote controllers 2 and 3. A series of data to be transmitted from the main body 1 to the remote controllers 2 and 3 is divided into a plurality of data groups (for example, data groups α, β, γ), and a data code determined for each data group and data corresponding to the data codes are divided into a plurality of data groups. If there is a change in the data transmitted from the main body 1 in response to the operation of the communication control means 10 and the remote controls 2 and 3 which are periodically transmitted in divided communication frames, a data group including the changed data is selected. There is provided data transmission order changing means 11 for sending data in preference to other data groups without change. The data transmitted from the water heater main body 1 to the remote controllers 2 and 3 mainly relates to the contents displayed on the display unit 5 of the remote controllers 2 and 3.
[0016]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2. First, the communication control means 10 is a signal CSIα in which a response request to the remote controller 2 is combined with a data code with a smaller number and corresponding data (data group α). Is sent to all connected remote controls. Here, a signal for transmitting the data group α is referred to as CSIα, and the data groups β and γ are also referred to as CSIβ and CSIγ.
[0017]
Next, when a response RP2 indicating that data has been received from the remote controller 2 is received, a response request signal CQI is transmitted to the remote controller 3. Then, by receiving a response signal RP1 indicating that data has been received from the remote controller 3, one communication frame is formed. In the next communication frame, the communication control means 10 transmits the next data code and corresponding data (data group β). The signal CSIβ combined with the response request to the remote controller 2 is transmitted to repeat the cycle of the communication frame unit, and the data groups α to γ are sequentially and periodically transmitted from the main unit 1 to the remote controllers 2 and 3 for each communication frame. To do.
[0018]
Here, when the operation unit 4 of the remote controller 2 is operated, the remote controller control unit 7 stores the operated switch information, and stores the switch information signal RSI1 stored when the response request from the water heater main body 1 is received. The data is transmitted to the machine body 1.
[0019]
The main body control unit 8 controls the operation of the water heater main body 1 based on the switch information received from the remote controller 2, and thereby data relating to the display to be transmitted to the remote controllers 2 and 3 (herein included in the data group γ). Will change. For example, when the switch operated by the remote controller 2 or 3 is a hot water supply set temperature change switch, when this switch information is received by the water heater main body 1, the hot water supply set temperature changes, and accordingly, each remote controller 2, 3 Data relating to the hot water set temperature to be transmitted changes.
[0020]
Then, the data transmission order changing means 11 is arranged in the data code order (α → β → γ → α →...) So as to transmit the data group (in this case, the data group γ) including the changed data to the remote controllers 2 and 3. The transmission order of the data group that has been transmitted is changed so that the data group (data group γ) that has changed is immediately interrupted in the transmission order for transmission, and the display unit 5 of each remote controller 2, 3 is changed. Will immediately update the display for changed data.
[0021]
As described above, since the data to be transmitted from the water heater main body 1 to the remote controllers 2 and 3 is divided and transmitted in the communication frame to be communicated by the polling method with the remote controller, A waiting time until data is transmitted to the machine main body 1 can be shortened, and a data group including changed data transmitted from the water heater main body 1 in accordance with the operation of each remote controller 2 or 3 is another type. Since it is transmitted with priority over the data group without change, the responsiveness of the water heater body 1 and each of the remote controllers 2 and 3 can be improved, and the change of the remote control display according to the remote control operation is immediately Done.
[0022]
The data transmission order changing unit 11 interrupts the changed data group into the normal transmission order. However, the data transmission order changing means 11 is not limited to this, and the changed data group is transmitted with priority. In the order in which the changed data group is transmitted, the transmission order may be changed so that the changed data group is skipped and transmitted. In short, the changed data group is changed to other changes. The transmission order of the data groups may be changed so that the data groups can be transmitted immediately in preference to the non-data groups.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to claim 1 of the present invention, the data length of data transmitted from the water heater body to each remote controller is shortened, and the waiting time until data is transmitted from each remote controller to the water heater body is shortened. In addition, since the data group including the changed data transmitted from the water heater main body according to the operation of the remote controller is transmitted in preference to the other data groups without change, the responsiveness between the water heater main body and the remote controller than can be made good, the remote control display changes in response to the remote control operation is performed in real Rutoitta and has a very good effect.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the same embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water heater body 2 Remote control 3 Remote control 10 Communication control means 11 Data transmission order change means

Claims (1)

It consists of a water heater main body and a plurality of remote controllers that are communicably connected to the main body and remotely control the main body. After the data from the main body is transmitted to each remote control, the data from each remote control is transmitted to the main body by the polling method. A communication frame is configured to divide a series of data to be transmitted from the main body to the remote controller into a plurality of data groups, and are divided into a plurality of communication frames and periodically transmitted to each remote controller in a predetermined transmission order. If there is a change in the data sent from the main unit to each remote controller in accordance with the operation of the control means and the remote controller, the data group including the changed data is given a priority transmission over the other unmodified data groups. A remote control device for a water heater, comprising: a data transmission order changing means for interrupting the order and transmitting the data from the main body to each remote controller .

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