JP7584227B2 - Heating system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heating system that includes a heating device and a start control unit that starts the operation of the heating device.

For example, the system described in Patent Document 1 is already known as an example of the above heating system. In this heating system, when the distance between the heater body and the remote control is within a predetermined distance and the user operates the remote control to start operation, the start control unit (referred to as the "control device" in Patent Document 1) starts operation of the heating device (referred to as the "heater device" in Patent Document 1).

In addition, in this heating system, when the distance between the heater body and the remote control is longer than a specified distance, even if the user operates the remote control to start operation, the operation signal of the remote control is not accepted by the heater body. Therefore, at this time, operation of the heating device is not started.

In other words, in this heating system, the user approaches the heating device and then operates the remote control to start operation. This ensures that when the user starts operation of the heating device using the remote control, the user can reliably check whether there are any items or other items near the heating device that should not be heated excessively. As a result, unforeseen circumstances caused by starting operation of the heating device can be avoided.

JP 2018-35986 A

In the above-mentioned heating system, when starting the operation of the heating device using the remote control, the user must approach the heating device to a position where the distance between the heater body and the remote control is within a predetermined distance, and then manually operate the remote control.

The object of the present invention is to provide a heating system that can avoid unforeseen circumstances caused by starting the heating device, while allowing the operation to start the device to be performed regardless of the distance between the heating device and the user.

The present invention is characterized in that it comprises a heating device, a portable communication terminal communicatively connected to the heating device via an information and communication network and executing a reservation to start operation of the heating device, a memory unit storing device location information indicating the position of the heating device, a location acquisition unit acquiring terminal location information indicating the position of the portable communication terminal, a distance determination unit determining whether the distance between the portable communication terminal and the heating device is equal to or less than a predetermined distance based on the terminal location information and the device location information, a start control unit starting operation of the heating device if the distance determination unit determines that the distance between the portable communication terminal and the heating device is equal to or less than the predetermined distance after the operation start reservation is executed, and a reservation cancellation unit, wherein if the state in which the distance determination unit determines that the distance between the portable communication terminal and the heating device is longer than the predetermined distance continues for a predetermined determination time or more after the operation start reservation is executed , the reservation cancellation unit cancels the operation start reservation.

With this invention, a user can schedule the start of operation of a heating device by operating a mobile communication terminal, regardless of the distance between the heating device and the user.

Moreover, with this invention, the timing at which the heating device actually starts operating is when a user approaching the heating device while carrying a mobile communication terminal enters within a specified distance from the heating device. Therefore, if this specified distance is set appropriately, even if there are items or the like near the heating device that should not be heated excessively, the user will reach the vicinity of the heating device before the items or the like become excessively heated. This allows the user to notice that the items or the like are near the heating device and to stop the operation of the heating device.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a heating system in which the operation to start the heating device can be performed regardless of the distance between the heating device and the user, while avoiding unforeseen circumstances caused by starting the heating device.
Furthermore, according to this configuration, if a user carrying the mobile communication terminal does not come within a predetermined distance from the heating device within a judgment time after an operation start reservation is made, the operation start reservation is cancelled.
Therefore, for example, if the user's plans change after making a reservation to start operation, making it unnecessary to start the heating device, the reservation to start operation will be automatically canceled unless the user carrying the mobile communication terminal comes within a specified distance from the heating device within the judgment time.
Therefore, according to the above configuration, the convenience of the heating system can be improved.

In this specification, items that should not be heated excessively are, for example, items whose quality will deteriorate if heated excessively.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to provide a stop control unit that stops the operation of the heating device when the distance determination unit determines that the distance between the mobile communication terminal and the heating device is longer than the predetermined distance after the start control unit starts operation of the heating device.

According to this configuration, after an operation start reservation is made, a user carrying a mobile communication terminal approaches the heating device, and after the operation of the heating device starts, if the user turns back without reaching the vicinity of the heating device and goes outside a range within a predetermined distance from the heating device, the operation of the heating device is stopped. As a result, even if there are items, etc. near the heating device that should not be heated excessively, the operation of the heating device is likely to be stopped before the items, etc. become excessively heated.

This configuration therefore makes it easier to avoid unforeseen circumstances caused by operating the heating device.

Another feature of the present invention is a heating device, a portable communication terminal communicatively connected to the heating device via an information and communication network and executing a reservation for starting operation of the heating device, a memory unit storing device location information indicating a position of the heating device, a location acquisition unit acquiring terminal location information indicating the position of the portable communication terminal, a time determination unit determining whether a required arrival time, which is a time required for the portable communication terminal to reach the position of the heating device, is equal to or less than a predetermined time based on the terminal location information and the device location information, a start control unit starting operation of the heating device if the time determination unit determines that the required arrival time is equal to or less than the predetermined time after the operation start reservation is executed, and a reservation cancellation unit, wherein if a state in which the time determination unit determines that the required arrival time is longer than the predetermined time continues for a predetermined determination time or more after the operation start reservation is executed, the reservation cancellation unit cancels the operation start reservation.

With this invention, a user can schedule the start of operation of a heating device by operating a mobile communication terminal, regardless of the distance between the heating device and the user.

Moreover, with this invention, the timing at which the heating device actually starts operating is when a user approaching the heating device while holding a mobile communication terminal enters a range where the time required to reach the heating device is less than a predetermined time. Therefore, if this predetermined time is set appropriately, even if there is an item or the like near the heating device that should not be heated excessively, the user will reach the vicinity of the heating device before the item or the like becomes excessively heated. This allows the user to notice that the item or the like is near the heating device and to stop the operation of the heating device.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a heating system in which the operation to start the heating device can be performed regardless of the distance between the heating device and the user, while avoiding unforeseen circumstances caused by starting the heating device.
Furthermore, according to this configuration, after a driving start reservation is executed, if a user carrying the mobile communication terminal does not enter a range in which the arrival time is equal to or less than a predetermined time within a judgment time, the driving start reservation is canceled.
Therefore, for example, if the user's plans change after the operation start reservation is made and it becomes unnecessary to start the heating device, the operation start reservation will be automatically canceled unless the user carrying the mobile communication terminal enters a range where the arrival time is less than or equal to a predetermined time within the judgment time.
Therefore, according to the above configuration, the convenience of the heating system can be improved.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to provide a stop control unit that stops the operation of the heating device when the time determination unit determines that the required time to reach the target temperature is longer than the predetermined time after the start control unit starts operation of the heating device.

According to this configuration, after an operation start reservation is made, a user carrying a mobile communication terminal approaches the heating device, and after the operation of the heating device has started, if the user turns back without reaching the vicinity of the heating device and goes outside the range where the time required to reach the location is less than a predetermined time, the operation of the heating device is stopped. As a result, even if there are items, etc. near the heating device that should not be heated excessively, the operation of the heating device is likely to be stopped before the items, etc., become excessively heated.

This configuration therefore makes it easier to avoid unforeseen circumstances caused by operating the heating device.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a heating system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the heating system. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic internal configuration of the gas fan heater. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional right side view showing a schematic internal configuration of the gas fan heater. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an operation section of the gas fan heater. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main control configuration for remotely controlling the heating device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a user's movement. 13 is a flowchart of a remote control routine. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a main control configuration related to remote control of a heating device in a first alternative embodiment. 13 is a flowchart of a remote control routine in the first alternative embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the heating system illustrated in this embodiment includes a gas fan heater 1, a smartphone 2 (corresponding to the "mobile communication terminal" according to the present invention) capable of remotely controlling the gas fan heater 1, and an external server 27.

[Regarding gas fan heaters]
As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the gas fan heater 1 is configured to include an operation unit 11 that enables direct operation by the user, a gas burner 12 that burns fuel (natural gas) to heat the flowing air to be heated, a blower fan 13 that blows air toward the gas burner 12, an apparatus-side communication means 14 that is connected via wireless communication (Wi-Fi, etc.) to a router RU that is connected to an Internet line I as an information communication network, an operation control means 15 that controls the operation of the gas burner 12, the blower fan 13, etc., and a housing 17 that covers the outer periphery.

The gas burner 12 and the blower fan 13 constitute a heating device D. In other words, the heating system in this embodiment is equipped with a heating device D.

As shown in FIG. 3, the operation unit 11 is disposed on the top surface of the housing 17. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the operation unit 11 includes switches operated by the user, such as an operation switch 11A that enables the gas fan heater 1 to be started and stopped, a good morning timer switch 11B that enables the selection of a good morning timer function, a good night timer switch 11C that enables the selection of a good night timer function, an eco operation switch 11D that enables the user to select an eco operation function, and a setting switch 11E that enables the set room temperature and the set time to be changed. In addition, the operation unit 11a is also provided with an operation lamp 11a that is turned on when the operation starts, a good morning timer lamp 11b that is turned on when the good morning timer function is selected, a good night timer lamp 11c that is turned on when the good night timer function is selected, an eco operation lamp 11d that is turned on when the eco operation function is selected, a communication lamp 11e that is turned on when communication is established with the smartphone 2, and a temperature display unit 11f.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the gas burner 12 is equipped with a combustor 12A that burns a mixture of fuel gas and combustion air, an injection nozzle 12B that mixes the fuel gas and the combustion air by injecting fuel gas toward the combustor 12A, a gas pipe 12C that guides the fuel gas to the injection nozzle 12B, a first solenoid valve 12D and a second solenoid valve 12E that open and close the gas pipe 12C, and a proportional valve 12F that allows the flow rate of the fuel gas to be adjusted. The combustor 12A is equipped with an igniter 12b that ignites the fuel guided to its combustion chamber 12a, and a flame sensor 12c that detects a flame caused by ignition and allows the flame to be detected as it goes out.

As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 17 has an intake port 17A formed on its rear surface and a warm air outlet port 17B formed on its front surface. On the rear surface of the housing 17, there is provided an air filter 18 for capturing dust that removes dust from the air drawn in through the intake port 17A, and a temperature sensor 19. The temperature sensor 19 obtains the current room temperature by detecting the temperature of the air drawn in through the intake port 17A.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the blower fan 13 draws in outside air from the intake port 17A of the housing 17 by rotating the crossflow fan 13A through the operation of the fan motor 13B. Part of the drawn-in air is mixed with fuel gas as combustion air and supplied to the combustion chamber 12a. The remaining air bypasses the combustor 12A, is mixed with the combustion exhaust gas from the combustion chamber 12a, is heated, and is then blown out from the hot air outlet 17B. The heated flowing air is blown out from the hot air outlet 17B to heat the room to be heated.

The operation control means 15 shown in FIG. 2 is composed of a microcomputer having a calculation function and an information storage function. The operation control means 15 is configured to control the operation of the gas burner 12, the blower fan 13, and the device side communication means 14 based on the operation of the operation unit 11.

When the operation switch 11A is operated to start the operation while the gas fan heater 1 is not operating, the operation control means 15 executes an operation start process to start the operation of the gas fan heater 1. In this operation start process, the operation control means 15 starts the gas burner 12 and the blower fan 13 to start heating the flowing air by the gas burner 12, and turns on the operation lamp 11a. When the operation start process is executed, the gas burner 12 starts combustion operation by opening the first solenoid valve 12D and the second solenoid valve 12E and igniting the igniter 12b.

After the operation start process is executed, the operation control means 15 sets the room temperature set by the user as the control target temperature, and executes combustion control to operate the gas burner 12 so as to maintain the current room temperature detected by the temperature sensor 19 at the control target temperature.

When the operation switch 11A is operated to stop the operation of the gas fan heater 1 while the gas fan heater 1 is in operation, the operation control means 15 executes a stop process to stop the operation of the gas fan heater 1. In this stop process, the operation control means 15 closes the first solenoid valve 12D and the second solenoid valve 12E to stop the combustion operation of the gas burner 12 and turns off the operation lamp 11a, and then operates the blower fan 13 for a set time to cool the gas burner 12.

When the good morning timer switch 11B is operated, the operation control means 15 executes operation start processing by the good morning timer function when the preset operation start time is reached. Also, when the good night timer switch 11C is operated, the operation control means 15 executes stop processing by the good night timer function after the set time has elapsed. In the eco operation function, the gas burner 12 is operated in the eco operation mode with a control target temperature that is 1°C lower than the set room temperature in the normal operation mode.

[About smartphones]
1 and 2, the smartphone 2 is configured to include a touch panel type image display 21 as a display means that allows various input information to be input by manual operation by the user and that displays various images and information, a voice output unit 22 that outputs voice, a call function unit 23 that enables calls to other telephones, a terminal side communication means 24 that is wirelessly connected to the Internet line I, a terminal side control means 25 that controls the operation of the smartphone 2, and a housing 26 that surrounds the periphery, etc. The terminal side control means 25 is configured from a microprocessor having a calculation function, an information storage function, etc.

The smartphone 2 is configured to be able to download an application program (hereinafter referred to as a remote control app) for wirelessly remotely controlling the gas fan heater 1 from an external server 27 via the Internet line I. The smartphone 2 is then able to install this remote control app. Incidentally, this remote control app enables wireless remote control of the gas fan heater 1 via the Internet line I using the smartphone 2, and is provided by the manufacturer of the gas fan heater 1 or the like. The external server 27 is managed by the manufacturer of the gas fan heater 1 or the like.

The smartphone 2 on which this remote control app is installed is connected to the heating device D so as to be able to communicate with it via the Internet line I, the device-side communication means 14, and the operation control means 15, as shown in FIG. 2.

[Regarding remote control of heating equipment]
In the following, remote control of the heating device D in this embodiment will be described, assuming that the above-mentioned remote control application is installed on the smartphone 2.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 6, the smartphone 2 has a location acquisition unit 30. Also, as shown in Fig. 6, the terminal control means 25 has a distance determination unit 31, a reservation management unit 33, a memory unit 34, and a driving control unit 35.

The reservation management unit 33 is configured to store the state of the reservation for starting operation of the heating device D. Hereinafter, the state of the reservation for starting operation of the heating device D is referred to as the "reservation state." The reservation state switches between on and off. In the initial state, the reservation state is off.

When the remote control app is launched, the terminal control means 25 of the smartphone 2 displays a home screen (not shown) on the image display 21. A reservation execution button (not shown) is displayed on this home screen.

When the user manually operates this reservation execution button, a specified signal is sent to the reservation management unit 33, as shown in FIG. 6. When the reservation status stored in the reservation management unit 33 is OFF, when the reservation management unit 33 receives this signal, the reservation management unit 33 switches the reservation status from OFF to ON. This means that a reservation to start operation of the heating device D has been executed.

That is, the heating system in this embodiment is equipped with a smartphone 2 that is communicatively connected to a heating device D via an Internet line I and that executes a timer for starting operation of the heating device D.

The reservation status stored in the reservation management unit 33 is sent from the reservation management unit 33 to the operation control unit 35 over time.

The position acquisition unit 30 receives GPS signals from artificial satellites used in the Global Positioning System (GPS). The position acquisition unit 30 then generates terminal position information indicating the position of the smartphone 2 based on the received GPS signals. In this way, the position acquisition unit 30 acquires the terminal position information.

That is, the heating system in this embodiment is equipped with a position acquisition unit 30 that acquires terminal position information indicating the position of the smartphone 2.

The terminal position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 30 is sent from the position acquisition unit 30 to the distance determination unit 31.

The memory unit 34 stores device location information indicating the location of the heating device D. That is, the heating system in this embodiment includes a memory unit 34 that stores device location information indicating the location of the heating device D.

In this embodiment, the user is configured to be able to input the installation location of the gas fan heater 1 by operating the smartphone 2. The input installation location is then stored in the memory unit 34 as device location information.

The device position information stored in the memory unit 34 is sent from the memory unit 34 to the distance determination unit 31.

The distance determination unit 31 determines over time whether the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is equal to or less than a predetermined distance R (see FIG. 7) based on the terminal location information received from the location acquisition unit 30 and the device location information received from the memory unit 34.

That is, the heating system in this embodiment includes a distance determination unit 31 that determines whether the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is equal to or less than a predetermined distance R based on the terminal location information and the device location information.

The predetermined distance R may be, for example, 100 meters. The distance determination unit 31 may make a determination by comparing the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D with the predetermined distance R, or may set a circular area with the heating device D at its center and a radius of the predetermined distance R, and determine whether the smartphone 2 is within this area.

The results of the determination by the distance determination unit 31 are sent from the distance determination unit 31 to the driving control unit 35 over time.

As shown in FIG. 6, the operation control unit 35 has a start control unit 36. The start control unit 36 starts the operation of the heating device D when the distance determination unit 31 determines that the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is equal to or less than a predetermined distance R after an operation start reservation is executed.

More specifically, when the reservation status received from the reservation management unit 33 is on, and the determination result received from the distance determination unit 31 indicates that the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is less than or equal to a predetermined distance R, the start control unit 36 sends an operation start command for the heating device D to the terminal side communication means 24.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the terminal-side communication means 24 transmits this operation start command to the device-side communication means 14 of the gas fan heater 1 via the Internet line I and the external server 27. The operation start command received by the device-side communication means 14 is then transmitted to the operation control means 15. The operation control means 15 starts the operation of the heating device D in accordance with this operation start command.

That is, the heating system in this embodiment includes a start control unit 36 that starts the operation of the heating device D when the distance determination unit 31 determines that the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is equal to or less than a predetermined distance R after an operation start reservation is executed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the operation control unit 35 also has a stop control unit 37. The stop control unit 37 stops the operation of the heating device D when the distance determination unit 31 determines that the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is longer than a predetermined distance R after the operation of the heating device D is started by the start control unit 36.

More specifically, after the start control unit 36 starts operation of the heating device D, if the determination result received from the distance determination unit 31 indicates that the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is longer than the predetermined distance R, the stop control unit 37 sends a command to stop operation of the heating device D to the terminal side communication means 24.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the terminal-side communication means 24 transmits this operation stop command to the device-side communication means 14 of the gas fan heater 1 via the Internet line I and the external server 27. The operation stop command received by the device-side communication means 14 is then transmitted to the operation control means 15. The operation control means 15 stops the operation of the heating device D in accordance with this operation stop command.

That is, the heating system in this embodiment includes a stop control unit 37 that stops the operation of the heating device D when the distance determination unit 31 determines that the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is longer than a predetermined distance R after the operation of the heating device D is started by the start control unit 36.

As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal control means 25 also has a reservation cancellation unit 32. The reservation cancellation unit 32 cancels the operation start reservation when, after the operation start reservation is executed, the distance determination unit 31 determines that the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is longer than the predetermined distance R for a predetermined determination time or longer.

The predetermined determination time may be, for example, one hour.

In more detail, as shown in FIG. 6, the results of the determination by the distance determination unit 31 are sent from the distance determination unit 31 to the reservation cancellation unit 32 over time. In addition, the reservation cancellation unit 32 acquires the reservation status stored in the reservation management unit 33 from the reservation management unit 33 over time.

After the reservation state is switched from OFF to ON, if the determination result sent over time from the distance determination unit 31 indicates that the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is longer than the predetermined distance R continuously for a predetermined determination time or more, the reservation cancellation unit 32 sends a predetermined signal to the reservation management unit 33. When the reservation management unit 33 receives this signal, the reservation management unit 33 switches the reservation state from ON to OFF. This cancels the reservation to start operation of the heating device D.

That is, the heating system in this embodiment includes a reservation cancellation unit 32 that cancels the operation start reservation if the distance determination unit 31 determines that the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is longer than the predetermined distance R for a predetermined determination time or longer after the operation start reservation is executed.

[Regarding remote control routines]
When the heating device D is in an operation-stopped state, a remote control routine shown in Fig. 8 is executed. This remote control routine is stored in the terminal control means 25. The remote control routine shown in Fig. 8 will be described below.

When the remote operation routine is executed, step S01 is executed first. In step S01, it is determined whether or not a driving start reservation has been executed. That is, in step S01, the start control unit 36 determines whether or not the reservation state stored in the reservation management unit 33 is ON.

For example, in FIG. 7, a case in which a user carrying smartphone 2 passes through positions P1 and P2 and approaches heating device D is shown by a solid arrow. Note that in FIG. 7, a circle indicating a range within a predetermined distance R from heating device D is shown by a virtual line. In this case, when the user is located at position P1, the user manually operates the reservation execution button described above. In this case, the determination in step S01 is No until the user reaches position P1.

If step S01 returns No, the remote control routine ends.

After the user reaches position P1 and manually operates the reservation execution button described above, step S01 is determined as Yes, and the process proceeds to step S02. In step S02, the distance determination unit 31 determines whether the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is equal to or less than the predetermined distance R.

For example, in the case shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 7, the distance between position P2 and heating device D is a predetermined distance R. Then, while the user carrying smartphone 2 is located between positions P1 and P2, step S02 is determined as No.

If the result of step S02 is No, the process proceeds to step S03. In step S03, it is determined whether the state in which the distance determination unit 31 determines that the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is longer than the predetermined distance R has continued for a predetermined determination time or longer.

If the state in which the distance determination unit 31 determines that the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is longer than the predetermined distance R does not continue for a predetermined determination time or longer, step S03 is determined as No, and the process returns to step S02.

In other words, in the case shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 7, when the user carrying smartphone 2 is located between positions P1 and P2, the process alternates between step S02 and step S03 until the period during which the user carrying smartphone 2 is located between positions P1 and P2 reaches a predetermined determination time.

Then, when the period during which the user carrying smartphone 2 is located between positions P1 and P2 reaches a predetermined determination time, step S03 is determined as Yes, and the process proceeds to step S04.

In step S04, the reservation cancellation unit 32 switches the reservation state from ON to OFF. This cancels the reservation to start operation of the heating device D. Then, this remote operation routine ends for the time being.

In addition, if the user carrying the smartphone 2 reaches position P2 without the period during which the user is located between positions P1 and P2 reaching a predetermined judgment time, the result of step S02 is determined as Yes. In other words, if the user reaches position P1, manually operates the above-mentioned reservation execution button, and then reaches position P2 within a predetermined judgment time, the result of step S02 is determined as Yes.

If the answer in step S02 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S05. In step S05, the start control unit 36 sends an operation start command for the heating device D to the terminal side communication means 24. This starts the operation of the heating device D. Then, the process proceeds to step S06.

In step S06, the distance determination unit 31 determines whether the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is longer than a predetermined distance R.

If the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is less than or equal to the predetermined distance R, step S06 is determined as No, and the process proceeds to step S07.

In step S07, it is determined whether the position of the smartphone 2 has reached the vicinity of the heating device D. More specifically, the distance determination unit 31 determines whether the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. Note that this predetermined threshold is a value smaller than the predetermined distance R, and can be set arbitrarily. For example, this predetermined threshold may be 2 meters.

If the position of the smartphone 2 has not yet reached the vicinity of the heating device D, step S07 is determined as No, and the process returns to step S06. That is, in the case shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 7, when the user carrying the smartphone 2 is located between position P2 and the heating device D, the process alternates between step S06 and step S07 until the user carrying the smartphone 2 reaches the vicinity of the heating device D.

When the user carrying the smartphone 2 approaches the heating device D, the answer in step S07 is Yes, and the remote control routine ends. After that, the remote control routine shown in FIG. 8 is not executed as long as the heating device D is in operation.

Here, in the example described above, we will consider a case in which the user carrying smartphone 2 moves away from heating device D from position P2 without reaching the vicinity of heating device D, as shown by the dashed arrow in Figure 7.

In this case, the user passes through position P3 shown in FIG. 7. The distance between position P3 and the heating device D is a predetermined distance R.

In this case, after the user reaches position P2, the process proceeds to step S06, as in the above example. Then, the process alternates between steps S06 and S07 until the user reaches position P3.

When the user passes through position P3, step S06 is determined to be Yes, and the process proceeds to step S08. In step S08, the stop control unit 37 sends an instruction to stop operation of the heating device D to the terminal side communication means 24. This stops the operation of the heating device D. Then, this remote operation routine is temporarily terminated.

With the configuration described above, a user can schedule the start of operation of heating device D by operating smartphone 2, regardless of the distance between the user and heating device D.

Moreover, with the configuration described above, the timing at which the operation of the heating device D actually starts is when the user, who is approaching the heating device D while holding the smartphone 2, enters within a range of a predetermined distance R from the heating device D. Therefore, if this predetermined distance R is set appropriately, even if there is an item or the like near the heating device D that should not be heated excessively, the user will reach the vicinity of the heating device D before the item or the like becomes excessively heated. This allows the user to notice that the item or the like is near the heating device D and to stop the operation of the heating device D.

Therefore, with the configuration described above, it is possible to realize a heating system that can avoid unforeseen circumstances caused by starting the operation of the heating device D, while allowing the operation to start the operation to be performed regardless of the distance between the heating device D and the user.

[First Alternative Embodiment]
In the above embodiment, the terminal control unit 25 includes a distance determination unit 31. The distance determination unit 31 determines whether or not the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D is equal to or less than a predetermined distance R over time, based on the terminal location information received from the location acquisition unit 30 and the device location information received from the storage unit 34.

However, the present invention is not limited to this. Below, a first alternative embodiment of the present invention will be described, focusing on the differences from the above embodiment. The configuration other than the parts described below is the same as the above embodiment. Also, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same configuration as the above embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the first alternative embodiment of the present invention, the terminal side control means 25 has a time determination unit 131. The terminal position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 30 is sent from the position acquisition unit 30 to the time determination unit 131. In addition, the device position information stored in the memory unit 34 is sent from the memory unit 34 to the time determination unit 131.

The time determination unit 131 determines whether the required arrival time, which is the time it takes for the smartphone 2 to reach the position of the heating device D, is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time based on the terminal location information received from the location acquisition unit 30 and the device location information received from the memory unit 34. The predetermined time may be, for example, 10 minutes.

That is, the heating system in the first alternative embodiment includes a time determination unit 131 that determines whether the required arrival time, which is the time required for the smartphone 2 to reach the position of the heating device D, is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time based on the terminal location information and the device location information.

More specifically, the time determination unit 131 calculates the distance between the smartphone 2 and the heating device D based on the terminal location information and the device location information. Furthermore, the time determination unit 131 calculates the required arrival time by dividing the calculated distance by a predetermined moving speed. Then, the time determination unit 131 compares the calculated required arrival time with the predetermined time to determine whether the required arrival time is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the time determination unit 131 may determine whether the required arrival time is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time by any method other than the above-mentioned method.

The result of the determination by the time determination unit 131 is sent from the time determination unit 131 to the operation control unit 35 over time.

As shown in FIG. 9, the operation control unit 35 has a start control unit 136. The start control unit 136 starts the operation of the heating device D when the time determination unit 131 determines that the required time to reach the target is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time after the operation start reservation is executed.

More specifically, when the reservation status received from the reservation management unit 33 is ON, and the judgment result received from the time judgment unit 131 indicates that the required arrival time is equal to or less than a predetermined time, the start control unit 136 sends an operation start command for the heating device D to the terminal side communication means 24.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the terminal-side communication means 24 transmits this operation start command to the device-side communication means 14 of the gas fan heater 1 via the Internet line I and the external server 27. The operation start command received by the device-side communication means 14 is then transmitted to the operation control means 15. The operation control means 15 starts the operation of the heating device D in accordance with this operation start command.

That is, the heating system in the first alternative embodiment includes a start control unit 136 that starts the operation of the heating device D when the time determination unit 131 determines that the required time to reach the target temperature is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time after the operation start reservation is executed.

As shown in FIG. 9, the operation control unit 35 also has a stop control unit 137. The stop control unit 137 stops the operation of the heating device D when the time determination unit 131 determines that the required time to reach the target is longer than a predetermined time after the start control unit 136 starts the operation of the heating device D.

More specifically, after the start control unit 136 starts operation of the heating device D, if the determination result received from the time determination unit 131 indicates that the required time to reach the target is longer than the predetermined time, the stop control unit 137 sends a command to stop operation of the heating device D to the terminal side communication means 24.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the terminal-side communication means 24 transmits this operation stop command to the device-side communication means 14 of the gas fan heater 1 via the Internet line I and the external server 27. The operation stop command received by the device-side communication means 14 is then transmitted to the operation control means 15. The operation control means 15 stops the operation of the heating device D in accordance with this operation stop command.

That is, the heating system in the first alternative embodiment includes a stop control unit 137 that stops the operation of the heating device D when the start control unit 136 starts the operation of the heating device D and the time determination unit 131 determines that the required time to reach the target temperature is longer than a predetermined time.

As shown in FIG. 9, the terminal control means 25 also has a reservation cancellation unit 132. The reservation cancellation unit 132 cancels the operation start reservation when, after the operation start reservation is executed, the state in which the time determination unit 131 determines that the required arrival time is longer than the predetermined time continues for a predetermined determination time or more.

In more detail, as shown in FIG. 9, the result of the determination by the time determination unit 131 is sent from the time determination unit 131 to the reservation cancellation unit 132 over time. In addition, the reservation cancellation unit 132 acquires the reservation status stored in the reservation management unit 33 from the reservation management unit 33 over time.

After the reservation state switches from OFF to ON, if the judgment results sent over time from the time judgment unit 131 indicate that the arrival time is longer than the predetermined time continuously for a predetermined judgment time or more, the reservation cancellation unit 132 sends a predetermined signal to the reservation management unit 33. When the reservation management unit 33 receives this signal, the reservation management unit 33 switches the reservation state from ON to OFF. This cancels the reservation to start operation of the heating device D.

That is, the heating system in the first alternative embodiment includes a reservation cancellation unit 132 that cancels the operation start reservation when, after the operation start reservation is executed, the state in which the time determination unit 131 determines that the required arrival time is longer than the predetermined time continues for a predetermined determination time or more.

In addition, in the heating system of the first alternative embodiment, when the heating device D is in a stopped state, the remote operation routine shown in FIG. 10 is executed. This remote operation routine is stored in the terminal side control means 25. The remote operation routine shown in FIG. 10 will be described below.

When the remote operation routine is executed, the process of step S11 is executed first. In step S11, it is determined whether or not a driving start reservation has been executed. That is, in step S11, the start control unit 136 determines whether or not the reservation status stored in the reservation management unit 33 is ON.

If the reservation status stored in the reservation management unit 33 is OFF, step S11 is judged as No, and this remote control routine is temporarily terminated.

If the reservation status stored in the reservation management unit 33 is ON, step S11 is determined as Yes, and the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, the time determination unit 131 determines whether the arrival time is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time.

If the required arrival time is longer than the predetermined time, step S12 is judged as No, and the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, it is judged whether the state in which the time judgment unit 131 judges that the required arrival time is longer than the predetermined time has continued for a predetermined judgment time or more.

If the state in which the time determination unit 131 determines that the required arrival time is longer than the predetermined time does not continue for a period of time equal to or longer than the predetermined determination time, step S13 returns to No, and processing returns to step S12.

In other words, after step S11 is judged as Yes, when the user carrying the smartphone 2 is in a position where the arrival time is judged to be longer than the predetermined time, the process alternates between step S12 and step S13 until the duration of the state where the arrival time is judged to be longer than the predetermined time reaches the predetermined judgment time.

When the duration of the state in which the required arrival time is determined to be longer than the predetermined time reaches the predetermined determination time, step S13 is determined as Yes, and the process proceeds to step S14.

In step S14, the reservation cancellation unit 32 switches the reservation state from ON to OFF. This cancels the reservation to start operation of the heating device D. Then, this remote operation routine is temporarily terminated.

In addition, if the duration of the state in which the required time to reach is determined to be longer than the predetermined time does not reach the predetermined determination time and the required time to reach falls to or below the predetermined time, step S12 is determined as Yes and the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, the start control unit 136 sends a command to start operation of the heating device D to the terminal side communication means 24. This starts operation of the heating device D. Then, the process proceeds to step S16.

In step S16, the time determination unit 131 determines whether the required arrival time is longer than a predetermined time.

If the required arrival time is less than or equal to the predetermined time, step S16 returns No and processing proceeds to step S17.

In step S17, it is determined whether the position of the smartphone 2 has reached the vicinity of the heating device D. More specifically, the time determination unit 131 determines whether the time required for arrival is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. Note that this predetermined threshold is a value smaller than the predetermined time and can be set arbitrarily. For example, this predetermined threshold may be 10 seconds.

If the position of the smartphone 2 has not yet reached the vicinity of the heating device D, step S17 is determined as No, and the process returns to step S16. That is, when the user carrying the smartphone 2 is located in a position where it is determined that the required time to reach the location is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time, the process alternates between step S16 and step S17 until the user carrying the smartphone 2 reaches the vicinity of the heating device D.

When the user carrying the smartphone 2 approaches the heating device D, the result of step S17 is determined to be Yes, and the remote operation routine ends. After that, the remote operation routine shown in FIG. 10 is not executed as long as the heating device D is in operation.

Now, in the case where the user carrying the smartphone 2 moves away from the heating device D without reaching the vicinity of the heating device D after the process has shifted to step S16 for the first time, the following occurs.

That is, in this case, the required time to reach increases as the user carrying the smartphone 2 moves away from the heating device D. Then, when the required time to reach becomes longer than the predetermined time, step S16 returns Yes, and the process proceeds to step S18. In step S18, the stop control unit 137 sends a command to stop operation of the heating device D to the terminal-side communication means 24. This stops operation of the heating device D. Then, this remote operation routine ends for the time being.

Other embodiments
(1) In the above embodiment, the device-side communication means 14 of the gas fan heater 1 is configured to be connected to the Internet line I via the router RU, but instead of this, it may be configured to be connected to the Internet line I via short-range wireless communication with a gateway that relays networks of different standards, or it may be configured to be directly connected to a base station of a mobile phone network via a communication line. In addition, in the above embodiment, the smartphone 2 and the gas fan heater 1 communicate information via the Internet line I and the external server 27, but the smartphone 2 and the gas fan heater 1 may be directly connected to be able to communicate with each other via the Internet line I or short-range wireless communication (corresponding to the "information communication network" according to the present invention) without going through the external server 27.

(2) Instead of the gas fan heater 1, a kerosene fan heater, an electric stove, etc. may be provided.

(3) Instead of the smartphone 2, a conventional mobile phone, tablet terminal, etc. may be provided.

(4) In the above embodiment, the heating device D is used as an example of an element that corresponds to the "heating device" of the present invention, but the gas fan heater 1 also corresponds to the "heating device" of the present invention.

(5) In step S05 of the remote operation routine shown in FIG. 8, in addition to the start control unit 36 starting the operation of the heating device D, the reservation state may also be switched from on to off.

(6) In the remote control routine shown in FIG. 8, the process may be configured to proceed to step S02 after step S08.

(7) In step S15 of the remote operation routine shown in FIG. 10, in addition to the start control unit 136 starting the operation of the heating device D, the reservation state may also be switched from on to off.

(8) In the remote control routine shown in FIG. 10, the process may be configured to proceed to step S12 after step S18.

(9) The stop control unit 37 does not have to be provided.

(10) The reservation cancellation unit 32 does not need to be provided.

(11) In the above embodiment, some or all of the distance determination unit 31, reservation cancellation unit 32, reservation management unit 33, memory unit 34, start control unit 36, and stop control unit 37 may be provided in the gas fan heater 1 or in the external server 27.

(12) In the first alternative embodiment, some or all of the time determination unit 131, reservation cancellation unit 132, reservation management unit 33, memory unit 34, start control unit 136, and stop control unit 137 may be provided in the gas fan heater 1 or in the external server 27.

The configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, provided no contradictions arise. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be applied to a heating system that includes a heating device and a start control unit that starts the operation of the heating device.

2. Smartphones (mobile communication devices)
30 Position acquisition unit 31 Distance determination unit 32, 132 Reservation cancellation unit 34 Memory unit 36, 136 Start control unit 37, 137 Stop control unit 131 Time determination unit D Heating device I Internet line (information communication network)
R Predetermined distance

Claims (4)

A heating device,
a mobile communication terminal that is communicatively connected to the heating device via an information and communication network and that executes a reservation for starting operation of the heating device;
A storage unit that stores device location information indicating a location of the heating device;
a location acquisition unit that acquires terminal location information indicating a location of the mobile communication terminal;
a distance determination unit that determines whether or not a distance between the mobile communication terminal and the heating device is equal to or shorter than a predetermined distance based on the terminal location information and the device location information;
a start control unit that starts operation of the heating device when the distance determination unit determines that the distance between the mobile communication terminal and the heating device is equal to or shorter than the predetermined distance after the operation start reservation is executed;
A reservation cancellation unit ,
In the heating system, after the operation start reservation is executed, if the distance determination unit determines that the distance between the mobile communication terminal and the heating device is longer than the specified distance for a specified determination time or longer , the reservation cancellation unit cancels the operation start reservation. The heating system according to claim 1, further comprising a stop control unit that stops the operation of the heating device when the distance determination unit determines that the distance between the mobile communication terminal and the heating device is longer than the predetermined distance after the start control unit starts the operation of the heating device. A heating device,
a mobile communication terminal that is communicatively connected to the heating device via an information and communication network and that executes a reservation for starting operation of the heating device;
A storage unit that stores device location information indicating a location of the heating device;
a location acquisition unit that acquires terminal location information indicating a location of the mobile communication terminal;
a time determination unit that determines whether a required arrival time, which is a time required for the mobile communication terminal to reach the location of the heating device, is equal to or shorter than a predetermined time, based on the terminal location information and the device location information;
a start control unit that starts operation of the heating device when the time determination unit determines that the required arrival time is equal to or shorter than the predetermined time after the operation start reservation is executed;
A reservation cancellation unit ,
In the heating system, when the state in which the time determination unit determines that the required arrival time is longer than the predetermined time continues for a predetermined determination time or more after the operation start reservation is executed , the reservation cancellation unit cancels the operation start reservation. The heating system according to claim 3, further comprising a stop control unit that stops the operation of the heating device when the time determination unit determines that the required time to reach the target temperature is longer than the predetermined time after the start control unit starts the operation of the heating device.

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