JP7052522B2 - Communication adapter and management server - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a communication adapter and a management server, and more specifically, remotely manages a hot water device (for example, a water heater, a multi-hot water supply system, a reheating device for hot water in a bathtub, a filtering device, a hot water heating device, etc.). Alternatively, it relates to a communication adapter and a management server used for a communication system for remote operation.

A remote monitoring system for monitoring a multi-hot water supply system, which is an example of a hot water device, is described in International Publication No. 2017/06896 (Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a communication adapter collects information on a monitored system and transmits it to a remote management device.

In Patent Document 1, the communication adapter has an abnormality detection function for communication between the communication adapter and the monitored system, an abnormality detection function for the communication adapter and the communication relay unit (router), and between the communication relay unit and the remote management device. The configuration provided with the abnormality detection function of the above is described.

International Publication No. 2017/068696

According to the configuration of Patent Document 1, it is possible to easily and remotely identify the abnormal location when a communication abnormality occurs, depending on which of the three abnormality detecting functions provided in the communication adapter detects the abnormality. On the other hand, according to the configuration of Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to equip the communication adapter with a plurality of abnormality detection functions, there is a concern that the configuration or processing may be complicated.

Furthermore, normally, when the communication connection with the management server is completely lost, an error message is output as a complete abnormality, but a temporary communication failure occurs intermittently with the server. However, if the user cannot detect the unstable state of the communication connection, there is a concern that the user convenience will be impaired.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to communicate with a management server in a communication system between a management server and a hot water device via a communication network and a communication adapter. It is to easily detect a state where the connection is unstable.

According to a certain aspect of the present invention, the communication adapter for relaying the communication between the management server connected to the communication network and the hot water device includes the first communication unit, the second communication unit, and the second communication unit. It includes a control unit that controls the first and second communication units. The first communication unit transmits / receives information to / from the management server via a router connected to the communication network. The second communication unit transmits / receives information to / from the hot water device via a communication line. The control unit controls the first communication unit so as to reconnect to the management server when the communication connection from the first communication unit to the management server is unestablished. Further, the control unit counts the number of reconnections and transmits information indicating the counted number of reconnections to the management server by the first communication unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the management server that communicates with the hot water device via the communication network and the communication adapter includes an abnormality detection unit. The communication adapter sends and receives information to and from the hot water device via the communication line, and also sends and receives information to and from the management server via the router connected to the communication network. Further, the communication adapter reconnects to the management server when the communication connection to the management server becomes unestablished, counts the number of reconnections, and outputs information indicating the counted number of reconnections to the management server. And send. The abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality in which the communication connection between the communication adapter and the management server is unstable based on the number of times of reconnection transmitted.

According to the above communication adapter and management server, the number of reconnections is transmitted from the communication adapter to the management server in a configuration in which the communication adapter automatically reconnects to the management server when the communication connection to the management server is no longer established. Therefore, it is possible to easily detect a defective communication connection to the management server based on the number of reconnections.

According to the present invention, in a communication system between a management server and a hot water device via a communication network and a communication adapter, it is possible to easily detect a state in which the communication connection to the management server is unstable.

It is a block diagram which shows the configuration example of the remote management system of the hot water equipment to which the communication system according to this embodiment is applied. It is a schematic block diagram of the server apparatus constituting the cloud server and the application server shown in FIG. 1. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the communication adapter shown in FIG. It is a sequence diagram of the communication connection between the management server and the communication adapter in the communication system which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the control process for evaluation of the communication connection stability by the server in the communication system which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a sequence diagram of the communication connection between the management server and the communication adapter in the communication system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the control process for evaluation of the communication connection stability by the server in the communication system which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the control process for evaluation of the communication connection stability by the server in the communication system which concerns on the modification of Embodiment 2. It is a sequence diagram of the communication connection between the management server and the communication adapter in the communication system which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the control process for evaluation of the communication connection stability by the server in the communication system which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, the same or corresponding parts in the figure are designated by the same reference numerals and the explanations will not be repeated in principle.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a remote management system for hot water equipment to which a communication system according to the present embodiment is applied.

Referring to FIG. 1, the communication system 10 according to the first embodiment includes a management center 20 and a support center 70 for remote management of a hot water device 100 via a communication network (typically, the Internet). It includes a communication adapter 40 and a wireless LAN router 60.

The water heater 100 includes a water heater 101 and a remote controller (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “remote controller”) 150 for inputting an operation command of the water heater 101. The hot water device 100 may be configured to include a multi-hot water supply system, a reheating device for hot water in a bathtub, a filtration device, or a hot water heating device instead of the water heater 101. The water heater 101 includes a controller 110. The controller 110 is typically configured by a microcomputer.

The communication adapter 40 can be installed outdoors, for example, around the outer wall of a house, in a garage, or the like, together with the water heater 101. Alternatively, the communication adapter 40 may be arranged indoors. Further, the remote controller 150 can be arranged only outdoors, only indoors, and indoors or outdoors. The communication adapter 40 has a wireless communication function for communicating with a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router 60 arranged indoors or the like by a predetermined communication protocol (for example, IEEE802.11n or the like). The details of the communication adapter 40 will be described later.

The wireless LAN router 60 is connected to the Internet, and by functioning as a master unit of the wireless LAN, it is possible to wirelessly connect a plurality of wireless LAN slave units. The communication adapter 40 can also operate as a wireless LAN slave unit, and once a communication connection (wireless link) with the wireless LAN router 60 is established, it is possible to connect to the Internet via the wireless LAN router 60. ..

Further, the smartphone 30 and the tablet terminal 80 can be connected to the Internet via the wireless LAN router 60 once the wireless link with the wireless LAN router 60 is established. Alternatively, the smartphone 30 and the tablet terminal 80 are configured to connect to the Internet network via a mobile communication network such as a 4G line or a 3G line when the Internet connection via the wireless LAN router 60 is not possible. There is.

The water heater 101 and the remote controller 150 constituting the hot water device 100 are connected to the communication adapter 40 by the communication line 50. As a result, the hot water device 100 (water heater 101 and remote controller 150) can send and receive data in both directions to and from the communication adapter 40. Further, data is transmitted and received bidirectionally between the remote controller 150 and the water heater 101 via the communication line 50.

For the communication line 50, for example, a two-core communication line can be used. Hereinafter, the communication line 50 is also referred to as a two-core communication line 50. The water heater 101 is configured to convert the power supplied from the external power source 15 of a commercial system or the like into a power supply voltage for an external device and output it to the 2-core communication line 50, whereby the operating power supply of the remote controller 150 and the communication adapter 40 is used. Can be supplied from the water heater 101. In this case, the communication data can be superimposed on the power supply voltage on the 2-core communication line 50.

Further, in the remote management system for the hot water device, the management center 20 and the support center 70 are communicated and connected to the hot water device 100 via the Internet and the communication system 10. The management center 20 includes a cloud server 21a and an application server 21b. The cloud server 21a and the application server 21b are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via an Internet network or a dedicated line, and can provide various services in cooperation with each other.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the server device 21 constituting the cloud server 21a and the application server 21b.

With reference to FIG. 2, the server device 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 25 for controlling the entire device, a communication unit 26 and a memory 27 connected to the CPU 25, and a display unit 28. The communication unit 26 has a function of communicating with another device or a server by communication connected to a communication network (Internet). The display unit 28 is composed of a display screen.

The memory 27 is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 27a which is a memory for storing a program executed by the CPU 25, a work area when the program is executed by the CPU 25, or a memory for storing a calculated value. It includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) 27b, which is a memory, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 27c as an example of a large storage device. The server device 21 can be configured to have a function equivalent to that of a general computer. The server device 21 may further include an operation unit for receiving an operation input.

With reference to FIG. 1 again, the cloud server 21a is mainly connected to a large number of communication adapters 40 installed in homes, accommodation facilities, etc. at all times, and communicates with these communication adapters 40 at home. And various information of the hot water equipment 100 of each customer such as each accommodation facility is collected and managed. For example, the information to be collected can include the amount of hot water supplied and the amount of fuel consumed per unit time, the hot water supply temperature, error information generated in each hot water device 100, and the like.

The application server 21b manages a large number of user accounts for a large number of users such as each home and each accommodation facility, and accepts a login from an operation terminal such as a smartphone (not shown) owned by the user to be a user. Provides various services to the operation terminals owned by.

Preferably, the dedicated application software for using the service provided by the application server 21b can be installed on the smartphone so that the application software can perform a login operation and various operations after the login. Alternatively, by providing a Web-based service, it is possible to perform login and other operations using an appropriate Web browser.

The application server 21b is configured to provide only the application service to the user terminal such as a smartphone, and the customer information including the user account can be configured to be managed by another customer information management center. Alternatively, the cloud server 21a and the application server 21b may be configured by an integrated server device.

The services provided by the cloud server 21a and the application server 21b can be appropriately designed as needed. For example, it is possible to provide a connected device confirmation service, an operation information collection management service, an error monitoring service, a maintenance monitoring service, and the like.

According to the connected device confirmation service, it is possible to confirm the model and system configuration of the hot water device 100 connected to the communication adapter 40 described later. Further, the model and the system configuration can be determined on the server side based on the information collected by the communication adapter 40 from the hot water device 100.

According to the operation information collection and management service, the operation information of the hot water device 100 can be periodically collected and managed from the communication adapter 40 every unit time (for example, every hour). The operation information to be collected is arbitrary, but for example, the cumulative hot water supply amount or the cumulative fuel consumption amount for each unit time can be collected. The collected driving information can also be used to create development materials by big data analysis.

According to the error monitoring service, when an error occurs in the hot water device 100, the information about the error is acquired from the communication adapter 40, and the error is sent to the terminal 71 of the support center 70 or to the user's e-mail address. Notifications can be made.

According to the maintenance monitor service, the operating status of the hot water device 100 can be monitored in real time when the hot water device 100 is repaired or the like. Specifically, it is possible to monitor the operating status of the hot water device 100 connected to the designated communication adapter 40 in real time by a tablet terminal 80 or the like for field workers who is communication-connected to the cloud server 21a.

In the remote management system of the hot water device, it is also possible to further provide the remote control service of the hot water device 100. For example, from the terminal 71 of the support center 70, the smartphone 30 and the tablet terminal 80, a predetermined operation of the hot water device 100, for example, an on / off switching operation of the hot water supply operation switch, an operation of changing the hot water supply set temperature, and the like can be performed on the communication network (Internet). ) Can be used. At this time, the remote control by the user can be executed by logging in to the application server 21b from a smartphone (not shown) or the like. Further, as a part of the service of the remote management system, it is also possible to display the driving information collected from the communication adapter 40 while logged in so that it can be viewed on the smartphone 30, the tablet terminal 80, or the like.

The various services described above are enabled by data communication between the management center 20 (hereinafter, also referred to as the management server 20) and the hot water device 100 by the communication system 10.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the communication adapter 40.
With reference to FIG. 3, the communication adapter 40 includes a control unit 41, communication units 42, 43, a power supply circuit 44, a memory 45, an antenna 47, a connector 48, and a radio field intensity measuring unit 49. The communication line 50 (2-core communication line) shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the connector 48.

The control unit 41 can be configured by a microcomputer including a CPU 41a and an interface (I / F) 41b. The communication unit 42 is configured to be able to exchange information by transmitting and receiving data in both directions between the controller 110 and the remote controller 150 via the two-core communication line 50 connected to the connector 48.

The communication unit 43 is configured to be able to exchange information by transmitting and receiving data in both directions to and from the wireless LAN router 60 by wireless communication via the antenna 47. The power supply circuit 44 receives power from the two-core communication line 50 connected to the connector 48 to generate an operating power supply voltage for each element in the communication adapter 40.

The memory 45 has a ROM 45a and a RAM 45b. For example, a program for controlling the operation of the communication adapter 40 is stored in the ROM 45a, and the control unit 41 reads the program stored in the ROM 45a and expands it in the RAM 45b at the time of startup processing. The control unit 41 executes a program expanded in the RAM 45b to control the operation of the communication adapter 40. Further, in FIG. 3, the memory 45 and the control unit 41 are shown as separate elements, but it is also possible to incorporate a part or all of the memory 45 in the control unit 41.

The radio wave strength measuring unit 49 measures the strength of the radio wave received by the antenna 47 (for example, RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator). The RSSI measured by the radio field strength measuring unit 49 is transmitted to the control unit 41.

The communication adapter 40 can communicate with the communication unit 26 of the management server 20 via the communication network (Internet) by using the communication unit 43. As a result, the communication adapter 40 can periodically transmit the operation information of the hot water device 100 for the operation information collection and management service to the management center 20. On the other hand, the management center 20 can also transmit data and information to the communication adapter 40. In this way, the communication adapter 40 provided as the relay device can be used to execute data communication for configuring the remote management system between the hot water device 100 and the management server 20.

In the configurations of FIGS. 1 and 3, the communication unit 43 corresponds to one embodiment of the "first communication unit", and the communication unit 42 corresponds to one embodiment of the "second communication unit", and the radio field intensity is measured. The unit 49 corresponds to an embodiment of the “measurement unit”.

Next, connection management with the management server 20 by the communication adapter 40 in the communication system 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of communication connections between the management server 20 and the communication adapter 40 in the communication system 10 according to the first embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 4, the communication adapter 40 establishes a communication connection with the hot water device 100 when the power supply is started by the connection of the two-core communication line 50 in the initial setting at the time of installation work. , Communication C1a transmits a connection request to the management server 20 for establishing a communication connection with the management server 20. At the time of establishing the communication connection at the time of this initial setting, the user of the hot water device 100 and the communication system 10 can be specified. Even after the installation work is completed, the communication C1a can be automatically started every time the power supply is started from the state where the power supply is stopped.

When the management server 20 receives the connection request (communication C1a) from the communication adapter 40, the management server 20 transmits a response notification to the connection request to the communication adapter 40 by the communication C1b. The response notification includes, for example, identification information for authentication processing in the management server 20. The initial communication C1 including the communication C1a and C1b forms a state in which the communication connection between the management server 20 and the communication adapter 40 is established. Although not shown, as described above, each communication between the management server 20 and the communication adapter 40 is transmitted / received via the wireless LAN router 60.

After establishing the communication connection, the communication adapter 40 collects the state information of the hot water device 100 via the two-core communication line 50. As described above, the state information can include the amount of hot water supplied and the amount of fuel consumed per unit time, the hot water supply temperature, error information, and the like.

The communication adapter 40 executes periodic communication C10 for transmitting the state information of the hot water device 100 with the management server 20 at a fixed cycle (T2). For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the next periodic communication C10B is executed at the time ty when the predetermined time T2 has elapsed from the periodic communication C10A at the time tx. In the periodic communication C10B, information including the status information of the hot water device 100 collected after the previous periodic communication C10A is transmitted from the communication adapter 40 to the management server 20. In each periodic communication C10, the communication adapter 40 transmits a periodic notification request C11 including transmission information to the management server 20. On the other hand, the management server 20 returns a periodic notification response C12 for notifying the normal reception of the above information to the communication adapter 40. That is, the periodic notification request C11 includes C11A in the periodic communication C10A and C11B in the periodic communication C10B, and similarly, the periodic notification response C12 includes C12A in the periodic communication C10A and C12B in the periodic communication C10B. Is. For example, T2 can be set to about 1 hour.

Between the communication adapter 40 and the management server 20, in addition to the above-mentioned periodic communication, communication for confirming that the normal establishment of the communication connection is continued at a shorter cycle than the periodic communication (for example, heartbeat communication). ) Is executed. For example, the heartbeat communication is executed every time T1 shorter than the time T2 corresponding to the cycle of the periodic communication C10. For example, the time T1 can be set to about 1 minute. In this way, T1 corresponds to the "first time" and T2 corresponds to the "second time".

The communication adapter 40 confirms whether the communication connection with the management server 20 is normally established by the process P11 for each heartbeat communication, and if the communication connection is disconnected (when NO determination of P11). The reconnection request is transmitted to the management server 20 by the process P12. When the response to the reconnection request is returned, the communication adapter 40 increments the count value CNT of the number of reconnections by the process P13.

On the other hand, when the communication connection with the management server 20 is not cut off (when the determination of YES in P11), the processes P12 and P13 are skipped, so that the count value CNT is maintained. If the response from the management server 20 is not returned in response to the reconnection request in the process P12, it is impossible to establish a communication connection between the communication adapter 40 and the management server 20, and the management server 20 cannot be established. Since the connection with the server is lost, the user is notified of the error.

The process P10 including the processes P11 to P13 is periodically executed for each heartbeat communication, that is, for each elapse of time T1. As a result, the communication adapter 40 can automatically reconnect to the management server 20 when the communication connection to the management server 20 becomes unestablished. The count value CNT for counting the number of reconnections is transmitted from the communication adapter 40 to the management server 20 together with the status information of the hot water device 100 for each periodic communication C10.

Further, the communication adapter 40 clears the count value CNT to 0 by the process P20 after the count value CNT is transmitted by the periodic communication C10. As a result, the communication adapter 40 can periodically transmit the number of reconnections to the management server 20 within T2 for each periodic communication C10 to the management server 20. For example, in the periodic communication C10B, the number of reconnections within the period until the time T2 elapses from the previous periodic communication C10A is transmitted. The management server 20 can evaluate the connection stability to the management server 20 based on the number of reconnections periodically transmitted from the communication adapter 40. That is, the periodic communication itself is established, and the stability of the server connection can be evaluated even when an error message due to a communication failure is not output.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control process for evaluating the communication connection stability by the management server 20. The control process shown in FIG. 5 can be executed by the CPU 25 for each periodic communication between the management server 20 and the communication adapter 40.

With reference to FIG. 5, when the CPU 25 receives the count value CNT transmitted from the communication adapter 40 by the periodic communication C11 in step S100, the CPU 25 compares the count value CNT with the predetermined determination value Cth in step S110. ..

When the count value CNT is larger than the determination value Cth (YES determination in S110), the CPU 25 detects that the communication connection between the communication adapter 40 and the management server 20 is unstable by S120. Further, the CPU 25 notifies the user that the communication connection with the management server 20 is unstable by step S130. For example, a command for outputting a message for the notification to the display unit of the remote controller 150 is output from the management server 20 to the hot water device 100 (water heater 101 or the remote controller 150) via the communication adapter 40. To. Alternatively, by sending a message to the e-mail address of the user associated with the communication system 10 in advance, the notification message can be output by the smartphone 30 or the tablet terminal 80 connected to the Internet. On the other hand, when the count value CNT is equal to or less than the determination value Cth (NO determination in S110), steps S120 and S130 are skipped, instability of the server connection is not detected, and user notification is not executed. The server. In the first embodiment, the function of the "abnormality detection unit" is realized by the CPU 25 executing the control process shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the communication system according to the first embodiment, the number of reconnections between the communication adapter 40 and the management server 20 within a certain period of time, that is, the communication between the communication adapter 40 and the management server 20 is performed. The number of interruptions can be notified to the management server 20. As a result, it is possible to detect a state in which the communication connection between the communication adapter 40 and the management server 20 is unstable by a simple process.

Further, by including the status information of the hot water device 100 in the periodic communication for transmitting it periodically, the number of reconnections can be transmitted to the management server 20 without increasing the number of accesses to the management server 20. Can be done.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram of communication connections between the management server and the communication adapter in the communication system according to the second embodiment.

In the communication system according to the second embodiment with reference to FIG. 6, in each periodic communication C10, in addition to the count value CNT of the number of reconnections, the RSSI measured by the radio field strength measuring unit 49 is transmitted from the communication adapter 40. It is transmitted to the management server 20. RSSI can transmit at least one of the average value, the minimum value, and the maximum value within the time T2 between the periodic communication C10.

As a result, the management server 20 evaluates the communication connection based on the number of reconnections (count value CNT) and RSSI.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a control process for evaluating the communication connection stability by the server in the communication system according to the second embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 7, when the CPU 25 receives the count values CNT and RSSI transmitted from the communication adapter 40 in the periodic communication C10 in step S200, the count value is counted in step S210 as in step S110 (FIG. 5). The CNT is compared with the predetermined determination value Cth.

When the count value CNT is larger than the determination value Cth (when the determination is YES in S210), the CPU 25 compares RSSI with the predetermined determination value Rth by S220. When the RSSI is lower than the determination value (when the determination is YES in S220), the CPU 25 determines that the cause of the frequent reconnection is the radio field strength between the communication adapter 40 and the wireless LAN router 60, and determines that the radio wave strength is in S230. Detects unstable radio wave strength.

On the other hand, when RSSI is the determination value Rth or more (NO determination of S220), the CPU 25 has no problem with the radio wave received from the wireless LAN router 60, so that the cause of frequent reconnection is wireless. It is determined that it exists between the LAN router 60 and the management server 20, and step S240 detects that the network is unstable.

Further, the CPU 25 notifies the user that the communication connection with the server is unstable by step S250 together with the information of the unstable portion detected in S230 or S240. Also in step S250, the user notification can be performed in the same manner as in step S130 (FIG. 5).

As in FIG. 5, when the count value CNT is equal to or less than the determination value Cth (NO determination in S210), steps S220 to S250 are skipped, the instability of the server connection is not detected, and the user is notified. Is also non-executed. Since the other points in the second embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, the detailed description will not be repeated. In the second embodiment, the function of the "abnormality detection unit" is realized by the CPU 25 executing the control process shown in FIG. 7.

As described above, according to the communication system according to the second embodiment, when it is detected that the communication connection between the communication adapter 40 and the management server 20 is unstable, the defective part that causes the problem is the wireless LAN. It is possible to easily specify whether it is between the router 60 and the management server 20 (network) or between the wireless LAN router 60 and the communication adapter 40 (radio wave condition).

[Modified Example of Embodiment 2]
Alternatively, in the second embodiment, it is possible to detect a state in which the server connection is unstable by using only RSSI.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a control process for evaluating the communication connection stability by the server in the communication system according to the modified example of the second embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 8, the CPU 25 receives the RSSI transmitted from the communication adapter 40 in the periodic communication C10 in step S300. As described with reference to FIG. 6, RSSI can transmit at least one of the average value, the minimum value, and the maximum value within the time T2 between the periodic communication C10.

The CPU 25 compares RSSI with a predetermined determination value Rth in step S310. For example, in step S310, the average value of RRSI in the past fixed period (for example, about several hours) can be compared with the determination value Rth. When the RSSI is smaller than the determination value (YES determination in S310), the CPU 25 detects that the server connection is unstable in step S320, and notifies the user to that effect in step S330.

In this case, it is possible to identify that the cause of the instability of the server connection is the radio wave strength between the communication adapter 40 and the wireless LAN router 60. Therefore, in step S330, the radio wave condition is improved for the user. It is possible to output a message prompting (for example, a proposal to change the arrangement location of the wireless LAN router 60 and / or the communication adapter 40).

According to the modification of the second embodiment, the communication connection between the communication adapter 40 and the management server 20 is unstable by a simple process based on the received radio wave strength (RRSI) of the communication adapter 40. Can be detected.

In the first and second embodiments and the modification of the second embodiment, the control processing according to FIGS. 5, 7, and 8 is executed by the management server 20, but the same processing is executed by the communication adapter 40. It is also possible to do. In this case, it is possible to transmit the number of reconnections (or the number of reconnections and RSSI) and the abnormality detection result together from the communication adapter 40 to the management server 20, for example, during the periodic communication C10. Is.

Further, in the first and second embodiments and the modification of the second embodiment, the number of reconnections and / or the transmission timing of RSSI are periodically transmitted from the communication adapter 40 to the management server 20 by using the periodic communication C10. However, the transmission may be irregular, and the number of transmissions may be arbitrary. For example, the number of reconnections and / or RSSI may be transmitted from the communication adapter 40 to the management server 20 in response to a request from the management server 20. Alternatively, on the communication adapter 40 side, the number of reconnections and / or RSSI may be transmitted from the communication adapter 40 to the management server 20 triggered by the occurrence of a specific situation different from the passage of time.

[Embodiment 3]
In the third embodiment, a method of detecting an unstable state of the server connection based on the number of reconnections and data different from RSSI will be described.

FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram of communication connections between the management server and the communication adapter in the communication system according to the third embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 9, in the periodic communication C10, the periodic notification request C11 transmitted to the management server 20 includes information indicating the transmission time Tst. The management server 20 determines whether or not the periodic notification request C11 has been received by the process P30, and if it is normally received, the process P31 determines the reception time Trc and sends the periodic notification response C12 to the communication adapter 40. Reply.

Until the reception is completed normally (when NO is determined on P30), the reception time Trc is not fixed. Therefore, in a state where the server connection is unstable such that the periodic notification request C11 is normally received with reconnection, the time lag between the transmission time Tst and the reception time Trc of the periodic notification request C11 becomes large.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control process for evaluating the communication connection stability by the server in the communication system according to the third embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 10, when the reception time Trc of the periodic notification request C11 is determined by the process P31 of FIG. 9, the CPU 25 determines that step S410 is YES, and in step S420, the time difference between the transmission time Tst and the reception time Trc ( Time lag) and the predetermined determination value ΔTth are compared.

When the time difference (time lag) is larger than the determination value ΔTth (when YES determination in S420), the CPU 25 detects that the communication connection between the communication adapter 40 and the management server 20 is unstable by step S430. .. Further, the CPU 25 notifies the user that the communication connection with the server is unstable by the same step S440 as in step S130 (FIG. 5). On the other hand, when the time difference (time lag) is equal to or less than the determination value ΔTth (NO determination in S420), steps S430 and S440 are skipped, server connection instability is not detected, and user notification is not executed. Will be done.

According to the communication system according to the third embodiment, the communication connection between the communication adapter 40 and the management server 20 is not possible based on the time lag from transmission to reception in the periodic communication between the communication adapter 40 and the management server 20. It is possible to detect a stable state.

In the present embodiment, the communication adapter 40 has been described as a device separate from the hot water device 100 in FIG. 1, but the communication adapter 40 may be integrally arranged with the components of the hot water device 100. For example, the communication adapter 40 may be built in the remote controller 150. Also in this case, the hot water device 100 (water heater 101 and remote controller 150) and the communication adapter 40 are connected by a communication line, and the communication adapter 40 is a management server via the wireless LAN router 60 and the Internet. Can communicate with 20.

Further, in FIG. 1, a configuration example in which the communication adapter 40 is connected to the Internet via the wireless LAN router 60 has been described. However, in the first and third embodiments, a communication connection via the Internet can be established between the communication adapter 40 and the management server 20 even if a wired LAN router is used instead of the wireless LAN router 60. .. In this case, the communication adapter 40 can be configured to communicate with a wired LAN router (not shown) using a predetermined communication protocol (for example, IEEE802.3 of the Ethernet standard). In this case, the communication unit 43 (FIG. 3) is configured to have a communication function according to the above-mentioned predetermined communication protocol. Then, the wired LAN router (not shown) corresponds to one embodiment of the "router".

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

10 communication system, 15 external power supply, 20 management center (management server), 21 server device, 21a cloud server, 21b application server, 26,42,43 communication unit, 27,45 memory, 28 display unit, 30 smartphone, 40 communication Adapter, 41 control unit, 44 power supply circuit, 45a ROM, 45b RAM, 47 antenna, 48 connector, 49 radio field strength measuring unit, 50 2-core communication line, 60 router, 70 support center, 71 terminal, 80 tablet terminal, 100 hot water Equipment, 101 water supply, 110 controller, 150 remote controller, C1, C1a, C1b initial communication, C10, C10A, C10B periodic communication, C11A, C11B periodic notification request, C12A, C12B periodic notification response, CNT count value (number of reconnections) , Cth, Rth judgment value, Trc reception time, Tst transmission time.

Claims (6)

A communication adapter for relaying communication between the management server connected to the communication network and hot water equipment.
A first communication unit that transmits / receives information to / from the management server via a router connected to the communication network, and a first communication unit.
A second communication unit that sends and receives information to and from the hot water device via a communication line, and
A control unit that controls the first and second communication units is provided.
The control unit controls the first communication unit so as to reconnect to the management server when the communication connection from the first communication unit to the management server becomes unestablished.
The control unit is a communication adapter that counts the number of reconnections and transmits information indicating the counted number of reconnections to the management server by the first communication unit. The communication adapter
An antenna for receiving radio waves and
Further equipped with a measuring unit for measuring the received radio wave intensity at the antenna,
The first communication unit establishes a communication connection with the management server via the communication network by wireless communication with the router via the antenna.
The communication adapter according to claim 1, wherein the control unit transmits information indicating the received radio wave strength together with information indicating the number of reconnections to the management server. The control unit confirms whether or not a communication connection to the management server has been established every time a predetermined first time elapses, and if the communication connection is not established, the management server is contacted. The second from the previous transmission, together with the information about the hot water device collected by using the second communication unit every time the second time elapses, which is longer than the first time and is reconnected. The communication adapter according to claim 2, wherein information indicating the number of reconnections and the received radio wave strength during the period until the time elapses is transmitted to the management server. A management server that communicates with hot water equipment via a communication network and communication adapter.
The communication adapter transmits / receives information to / from the hot water device via a communication line, and also transmits / receives information to / from the management server via a router connected to the communication network.
When the communication connection to the management server becomes unestablished, the communication adapter reconnects to the management server, counts the number of reconnections, and manages information indicating the counted number of reconnections. Send to the server
The management server
A management server including an abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality in which the communication connection between the communication adapter and the management server is unstable based on the number of transmissions of the reconnection. The communication adapter establishes a communication connection with the management server via the communication network by wireless communication with the router, and measures the received radio wave strength in the wireless communication to indicate the number of reconnections. Information indicating the received radio wave strength is transmitted to the management server together with the information.
When the abnormality detection unit detects that the communication connection between the communication adapter and the management server is unstable based on the number of reconnections, the received radio wave strength is lower than a predetermined determination value. Occasionally, while detecting an abnormality in which the radio wave condition between the communication adapter and the router is unstable, when the received radio wave strength is equal to or higher than the determination value, the communication connection between the router and the management server is established. The management server according to claim 4, which detects an abnormality that is unstable. The management server according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the abnormality detection unit generates a command for notifying the user of the detected abnormality to a device connected to the communication network.

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