JP2012085067A - Remote control device for air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To obtain information from a main body even when information on the operation on / off button operation cannot be received and display the acquired information on a remote control device, and to prompt the user to operate again when information cannot be received. A remote control device for an air conditioner capable of increasing the amount of information is provided.
An air conditioner remote control device according to the present invention includes an operation on / off button for turning on and off the operation of an air conditioner body, a retransmission button or a button not used when the operation of the air conditioner body is stopped, and an air Information sent from the air conditioner body when the operation of the air conditioner body is turned off by the operation on / off button for turning on / off the operation of the air conditioner body. When the remote control device fails to receive the information, a retransmission request signal for the information is transmitted from the transmission / reception module to the air conditioner body by pressing a retransmission button or a button not used when the operation of the air conditioner body is stopped. .
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote control device for an air conditioner.

  Conventionally, in order to provide an air conditioner that can appropriately display various types of information processed by the air conditioner on a remote control (remote control device), information on the air conditioner is provided by bidirectional communication between the remote control and the indoor unit body. In the air conditioner capable of transmitting and receiving, the remote control has a request button for requesting information on the air conditioner by operation and a stop button for stopping the operation of the air conditioner, and responds to the operation of the request button and the stop button. Then, the indoor unit main body transmits information on the air conditioner, and the remote control receives the information on the air conditioner sent from the indoor unit main body, and provides a display unit that displays the received information on the screen, If the remote control cannot receive the air conditioner information for the operation of the request button, the remote control displays a message prompting the operation again on the display unit and If the information of the conditioner is not received, the air conditioner has been proposed configured as not displayed prompting the operation again on the display unit (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-303819 A

  However, when the air conditioner described in Patent Document 1 fails to receive information about the stop button operation, the air conditioner does not prompt the retransmission operation and has no means for retransmitting. There is a problem that the user cannot obtain the information used, the user cannot acquire the information to be obtained, and dissatisfaction occurs.

  In addition, when the information from the main body for the request button operation cannot be received, the operation is prompted again, but if the same operation is performed in the same state, the remote control is not suitable for the air conditioner main body. When there is an obstacle between the air conditioner body and the like, there is a high possibility that it will not be received again, and it will prompt the user to re-operate many times, resulting in a problem that the operability is lowered and the user is dissatisfied. there were.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. Even when the information on the operation on / off button operation cannot be received, the information is obtained from the main body and the acquired information is displayed on the remote control device. Provided is a remote control device for an air conditioner capable of correctly instructing a retransmission method when information cannot be received or increasing the amount of information prompting another operation.

An air conditioner remote control device according to the present invention is an air conditioner remote control device that performs bidirectional communication with an air conditioner body,
An on / off button for turning on / off the operation of the air conditioner body,
A resend button or a button not used when the air conditioner is shut down,
A transmission / reception module that performs transmission and reception with the air conditioner body,
When the remote control device fails to receive the information sent from the air conditioner body when the operation of the air conditioner body is turned off by operating the on / off button for turning on / off the operation of the air conditioner body, A retransmission request signal of the information is transmitted from the transmission / reception module to the air conditioner body by pressing a button that is not used when the operation of the air conditioner body is stopped.

  The remote control device for an air conditioner according to the present invention provides information sent from the air conditioner body when the operation of the air conditioner body is turned off by operating an operation on / off button for turning on / off the operation of the air conditioner body. If the remote control device fails to receive the information, a retransmission request signal for the information is transmitted from the transmission / reception module to the air conditioner body by pressing a retransmission button or a button not used when the air conditioner body is stopped. Even if information cannot be received in response to the / Off button operation, information can be obtained from the main unit and the acquired information can be displayed on the remote control

FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is an external front view of the remote controller 100. The figure which shows Embodiment 1 and is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement which presses the resending button 5 and transmits a resending request | requirement, when reception of the information from an air conditioner main body fails at the time of a driving | operation stop. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is an external front view of the remote controller 100 showing an example of displaying information from the main body on the display unit 1. The figure which shows Embodiment 1, The external appearance front view of the remote control 100 by which the resending request was displayed on the display part 1 when reception of the information from an air conditioner main body failed at the time of operation stop. The figure which shows Embodiment 1 and is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement in the case of using the transmission / reception module 6 provided with the mechanism which increases transmission power for retransmission request transmission. Fig. 5 shows the first embodiment, and is an external front view of a remote control 200 according to a modification. In the figure showing the first embodiment, when reception of information from the air conditioner body fails when operation is stopped using the remote controller 200 of the modified example, an operation of pressing a retransmission button 5 and transmitting a retransmission request is performed. FIG. FIG. 5 shows the second embodiment and is an external front view of a remote controller 300. The figure which shows Embodiment 2 and is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement which presses the resend button 5 and transmits a resending request, when reception of the information from an air conditioner main body fails at the time of a driving | operation stop. The figure which shows Embodiment 2, and is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement in the case of using the transmission / reception module 6 provided with the mechanism which increases transmission power for retransmission request transmission. FIG. 10 shows the second embodiment, and is an external front view of a remote control 400 of a modified example. In the figure showing the second embodiment, when the remote control 400 of the modified example is used and the reception of information from the air conditioner body fails when the operation is stopped, the operation of pressing the retransmission button 5 and transmitting a retransmission request is performed. FIG. FIG. 5 shows the third embodiment and is an external front view of a remote controller 500. The figure which shows Embodiment 3 and is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement which transmits the resending request | requirement by long-pressing the operation on / off button 2 for 1 second or more when reception of the information from an air conditioner main body fails at the time of an operation stop. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the third embodiment, and is a flowchart showing an operation in the case of using a transmission / reception module 6 having a mechanism for increasing transmission power for retransmission request transmission. Fig. 10 shows the third embodiment, and is an external front view of a remote control 600 of a modified example. FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment, and when the reception of information from the air conditioner main body fails when the operation is stopped using the modified remote controller 600, a request for retransmission is made by pressing the operation on / off button 2 for 1 second or longer. The flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement which transmits a signal.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is an external front view of a remote controller 100. FIG. The remote control 100 (remote control device) includes the following elements.
(1) A display unit 1 for displaying the operating state of the air conditioner body, the setting state of the remote controller 100, and information acquired by transmission / reception with the air conditioner body or information obtained by processing the information. The display unit 1 is composed of silk screen liquid crystal (liquid crystal whose display items are determined in advance).
(2) An operation on / off button 2 for turning on / off the operation of the air conditioner body.
(3) Button group 3 for changing the setting of the air conditioner body and the setting of the remote controller 100.
The button group 3 includes an operation switching button (button for switching between cooling, dehumidification, and heating), a scene selection button, a menu button, an up / down button, a return button, and the like.
(4) An information navigation button 4 for transmitting a signal for requesting information from the air conditioner body.
(5) When the air conditioner main body is turned off, when the remote controller 100 fails to receive information sent from the air conditioner main body, a retransmission button 5 that transmits a retransmission signal when pressed.
(6) A transmission / reception module 6 that is provided above the remote controller 100 and performs transmission / reception.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is a flowchart showing an operation of transmitting a retransmission request by pressing the retransmission button 5 when reception of information from the air conditioner body fails when the operation is stopped. The function of the retransmission button 5 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The “main body” in FIG. 2 is an “air conditioner main body”.

  When the operation of the air conditioner main body (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the main body) is stopped using the operation on / off button 2 of the remote control 100, information is acquired simultaneously with the main body stop signal from the remote control 100 to the air conditioner main body. A request signal is transmitted (step S201).

  However, it is also possible to transmit only the main body stop signal from the remote control 100 to the air conditioner main body, and return the information by determining that the remote control 100 also requests the information acquisition request signal in the air conditioner main body.

  When the air conditioner main body receives a main body stop signal or an information acquisition request signal, the air conditioner main body transmits information to the remote controller 100. The remote control 100 side waits for information from the air conditioner body (step S202). When the information is received (YES in step S202), the information is displayed on the display unit 1 (step S204), and the information is displayed after being displayed for a certain time. Is terminated (step S205).

  Information from the air conditioner body includes room temperature, humidity, fuel consumption information (such as amount and CO2 emissions), navigation information, energy saving information (such as amount and CO2 emissions), failure information, current operation mode and setting information, Wind information (wind speed, wind direction, etc.).

  Since the display unit 1 is composed of a silk screen liquid crystal (a liquid crystal whose display items are determined in advance), the information from the air conditioner main body is, for example, silk such as “main body information” or “information from the main body”. At the top, information is displayed using the temperature and humidity display numbers.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is an external front view of the remote controller 100 showing an example of displaying information from the main body on the display unit 1. FIG. 3 is an example showing a state in which information from the main body is displayed on the display unit 1, and “main body information”, “temperature (28.5 ° C.) not normally displayed on the display unit 1. ”And“ Shitsudo (65%) ”are displayed for a certain period of time.

  If no information has been received (NO in step S202), the time elapsed since the information acquisition request signal was issued is confirmed (step S203). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO in step S203), The process returns to the reception system in step S202. If the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S203), a retransmission request is displayed on the display unit 1 (step S206), and the user is prompted to retransmit.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is an external front view of the remote controller 100 in which a retransmission request is displayed on the display unit 1 when reception of information from the air conditioner main body fails when operation is stopped. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, “retransmission” which is not normally displayed is displayed on the display unit 1 in step S206 to prompt the user to retransmit.

  When the user is prompted to resend, the user presses the resend button 5 and transmits a request for resending information to the main body (step S207). Thereafter, similarly to the first transmission, the process waits for reception (step S202).

  By doing so, even when the remote controller 100 fails to receive information from the air conditioner body when the operation of the air conditioner body is stopped, it is possible to request retransmission to the air conditioner body. It is possible to reliably present information to the user who wants to obtain the information.

  The retransmission button 5 is not limited to use only when information reception from the air conditioner main body at the time of stop is failed, and may be used when reception via the news navigation button 4 fails, for example.

  Further, the retransmission button 5 does not need to be provided as a dedicated button, and may be substituted with a button that is not used when the operation of the air conditioner main unit is stopped or reception of the guidance navigation fails.

  In order to display information that is not normally displayed, such as “main body display” in FIG. 3, “retransmission” in FIG. 4, information display of received data from the main body, etc., a small full-dot liquid crystal may be used.

  Here, a case is considered where the retransmission button 5 is pressed to transmit an information retransmission request. The transmission / reception module 6 that performs transmission / reception has a mechanism (not shown) that increases transmission power for retransmission credit.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is a flowchart showing an operation when the transmission / reception module 6 having a mechanism for increasing the transmission power for retransmission request transmission is used. The operation when the transmission / reception module 6 having a mechanism for increasing transmission power for retransmission request transmission is used will be described using the flowchart of FIG. When the operation of the air conditioner main body is stopped using the operation on / off button 2 of the remote controller 100, the information acquisition request signal is transmitted from the remote controller 100 to the air conditioner main body simultaneously with the stop signal from the transmission / reception module 6 with the normal transmission power. (Step S301).

  However, it is also possible to transmit only the main body stop signal from the remote control 100 to the air conditioner main body, and return the information by determining that the remote control 100 also requests the information acquisition request signal in the air conditioner main body.

  When receiving the information acquisition request signal, the air conditioner body transmits information to the remote controller 100. The remote control 100 side waits for information from the air conditioner main body (step S302). When the information is received (YES in step S302), the information is displayed on the display unit 1 (step S304), and the information is displayed for a certain period of time. The display is terminated (step S305).

  If the information has not been received (NO in step S302), the time elapsed since the information acquisition request signal was issued (step S303). If the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO in step S303), The process returns to the reception system in step S302. If the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S303), a retransmission request is displayed on the display unit 1 (step S306), and the user is prompted to retransmit. When the user is prompted to retransmit, the user presses the retransmit button 5 (step S307). When the retransmission button 5 is pressed, a mechanism for increasing transmission power in the transmission / reception module 6 is used to transmit a retransmission request signal with increased transmission power to the main body (step S308). Thereafter, similarly to the first transmission, the process waits for reception (step S302).

  By doing in this way, when the remote control 100 fails to receive information from the air conditioner main body when the operation is stopped, it is possible to increase the transmission power of the retransmission request signal toward the air conditioner main body. . This increases the possibility of successful communication that has failed in transmission and reception due to the distance from the air conditioner body, and increases the possibility of presenting information to a user who wants to obtain information.

  Since the battery life of the remote controller 100 decreases when the transmission power is increased, the transmission power is increased only when a retransmission request signal is transmitted to the air conditioner body.

  Further, the increase in transmission power by the retransmission button 5 is not limited to use only when information reception from the air conditioner body fails when the operation of the air conditioner body is stopped. May be used in case of failure.

  Furthermore, the retransmission button 5 does not need to be provided as a dedicated button, and may be substituted with a button that is not used when stopping or when the notification navigation reception fails.

  In the flow of FIG. 5, the transmission / reception module 6 that performs transmission / reception has a mechanism for increasing the transmission power for retransmission request signal transmission, but there is also a method using a wireless module instead of the mechanism for increasing the transmission power.

  By using the wireless module, when the remote control 100 fails to receive information from the air conditioner body when the operation of the air conditioner body is stopped, the retransmission request signal is transmitted wirelessly to the air conditioner body. It is possible to perform communication, and there is an obstacle between the remote controller 100 and the air conditioner main body, so there is an increased possibility of successful communication, and information is presented to the user who wants to obtain information. The possibility of being able to go up.

  Note that, when wireless communication is used, the battery life of the remote controller 100 is reduced. Therefore, wireless is used only when a retransmission request signal is transmitted.

  In addition, the use of the wireless module with the retransmission button 5 is not limited to use only when information reception from the air conditioner body fails when the operation of the air conditioner body is stopped. It may be used when reception fails.

  Furthermore, the retransmission button 5 does not need to be provided as a dedicated button, and may be substituted with a button that is not used when stopping or when the notification navigation reception fails.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and is an external front view of a remote control 200 according to a modification. In the remote controller 200 of the modified example, additional transmission / reception modules 7 are added to the remote controller 100 shown in FIG. Other configurations of the remote controller 200 of the modification are the same as those of the remote controller 100. However, one or more additional transmission / reception modules 7 may be provided.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the first embodiment, and when the reception of information from the air conditioner main body fails when the operation is stopped using the modified remote controller 200, the retransmission request is transmitted by pressing the retransmission button 5. It is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement to perform.

  The operation of transmitting a retransmission request by pressing the retransmission button 5 when reception of information from the air conditioner main body fails when the operation is stopped using the remote controller 200 of the modification increases the transmission power in FIG. The operation is the same as in the case of using the transmission / reception module 6 having a mechanism except for step S408.

  When the retransmission button 5 is pressed in step S407, a retransmission request signal is transmitted from the additional transmission / reception module 7 in multiple directions (here, three directions).

  By doing in this way, when the remote control 200 fails to receive information from the air conditioner main body when the operation is stopped, it becomes possible to transmit a retransmission request signal toward the air conditioner main body in multiple directions. . As a result, the possibility that the communication that has failed in transmission / reception will be successful because the air conditioner main body is not in the linear direction of the transmission / reception module 6 will increase, and information will be sent to the user who wants to obtain information from the air conditioner main body. Increases the possibility of presentation.

  Note that increasing the number of transmission / reception modules decreases the battery life, so the number of transmission / reception modules is increased only during retransmission.

  Although three additional transmission / reception modules 7 are provided in FIG. 6, the number may not be three, and the position may not be as illustrated in FIG. 6, but one or more additional transmission / reception modules 7 may be included in the remote controller 200. If added, the same effect can be obtained. Further, the transmission / reception module 6 may be used simultaneously with the additional transmission / reception module 7.

  Further, the use of multi-directional transmission by the additional transmission / reception module 7 is not limited only when reception fails at the time of stoppage. For example, it may be used when reception failure at the news navigation button 4 fails.

  Furthermore, the retransmission button 5 does not need to be provided as a dedicated button, and may be replaced with a button that is not used when the navigation button 4 is not received or when the news navigation button 4 fails to be received.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the second embodiment, and is an external front view of the remote controller 300. The remote controller 300 (remote control device) includes the following elements.
(1) Full-dot liquid crystal capable of displaying a character string of 20 characters or more at a time, information acquired by transmission / reception to / from the air conditioner body operating state, remote controller 300 setting state, and air conditioner body The display part 1a for displaying the information which processed.
(2) An operation on / off button 2 for turning on / off the operation of the air conditioner body.
(3) Button group 3 for changing the setting of the air conditioner body and the setting of the remote controller 300.
The button group 3 includes an operation switching button (button for switching between cooling, dehumidification, and heating), a scene selection button, a menu button, an up / down button, a return button, and the like.
(4) An information navigation button 4 for transmitting a signal for requesting information from the air conditioner body.
(5) When the air conditioner main body is turned off, when the remote controller 300 fails to receive information sent from the air conditioner main body, a retransmission button 5 that transmits a retransmission signal when pressed.
(6) The transmission / reception module 6 that is provided above the remote controller 300 and performs transmission / reception.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the second embodiment, and is a flowchart showing an operation of transmitting a retransmission request by pressing the retransmission button 5 when reception of information from the air conditioner body fails when operation is stopped. The operation shown in FIG. 9 is the same as the operation of FIG. 2 of Embodiment 1 except for step S506.

  In step S506, as the contents to be displayed on the display unit 1a, at least that the remote controller 300 has failed in reception and a countermeasure for the failure are displayed. For example, “Reception failed. Please point the remote control at the main unit and press the resend button” is displayed (see FIG. 8).

  The fact that the reception has failed may be notified directly as described above, or may be described indirectly such as “for information reception”.

  Also, the countermeasures are “If the distance between the remote control and the main unit is long, please approach the main unit and press the resend button” or “If there is an obstacle between the remote control and the main unit, It is possible to write advice such as “Please avoid and press the resend button” or “Please press the resend button as soon as the sound received from the main unit is confirmed”.

  Since the display unit 1a uses a full-dot liquid crystal, it is possible to change the wording. Therefore, it is possible to change the wording according to the situation. Therefore, it is possible to display advice suitable for the situation.

  In addition, as the number of characters that can be displayed at a time increases, it becomes possible to display detailed advice to the user. However, it is possible to display the failure of reception and the countermeasures for it at the same time, and the language that the user can understand. To achieve this, a full-dot liquid crystal capable of displaying at least 20 characters at a time is required.

  The display unit 1a using a full-dot liquid crystal can display a double-byte character having a dot number of 14 dots or more in the vertical and horizontal directions and 20 or more double-byte characters.

  By doing in this way, when the remote control 300 fails to receive when the operation is stopped, it is possible to present information to the user such as failure of reception and how it can be handled. The user who wants to obtain information can grasp the current situation and implement countermeasures, so that the operability is improved and the possibility of acquiring information is increased.

  The display of information on the display unit 1a is not limited to use only when reception fails when stopped, and may be used when reception via the news navigation button 4 fails, for example. In that case, since the full-dot liquid crystal is used, the content of the advice can be different from the reception failure at the time of stoppage and the reception failure at the news navigation button.

  Furthermore, the retransmission button 5 does not need to be provided as a dedicated button, and may be substituted with a button that is not used when stopping or when the notification navigation reception fails.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the second embodiment, and is a flowchart showing an operation when the transmission / reception module 6 having a mechanism for increasing transmission power for retransmission request transmission is used. A difference from the flow of FIG. 9 is Steps S607 and S608. When the retransmission button 5 is pressed in step S607, a mechanism (not shown) for increasing the transmission power in the transmission / reception module 6 is used to transmit a retransmission request signal with increased transmission power to the main body ( Step S608). Thereafter, similarly to the first transmission, the process waits for reception (step S602).

  In this way, when the remote controller 300 fails to receive information from the air conditioner body when the operation is stopped, it is possible to increase the transmission power of the retransmission request signal toward the air conditioner body. . This increases the possibility of successful communication that has failed in transmission and reception due to the distance from the air conditioner body, and increases the possibility of presenting information to a user who wants to obtain information.

  Since the battery life of the remote controller 300 decreases when the transmission power is increased, the transmission power is increased only when a retransmission request signal is transmitted to the air conditioner body.

  In the flow of FIG. 10, the transmission / reception module 6 that performs transmission / reception has a mechanism for increasing the transmission power for retransmission request signal transmission, but there is also a method using a wireless module instead of the mechanism for increasing the transmission power.

  By using the wireless module, when the remote controller 300 fails to receive information from the air conditioner body when the operation of the air conditioner body is stopped, the retransmission request signal is transmitted wirelessly to the air conditioner body. It is possible to perform communication, and there is an obstacle between the remote control 300 and the air conditioner main body, so there is an increased possibility of successful communication, and information is presented to the user who wants to obtain information. The possibility of being able to go up.

  Note that, when wireless communication is used, the battery life of the remote controller 300 is reduced. Therefore, wireless is used only when a retransmission request signal is transmitted.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the second embodiment, and is a front view of an appearance of a remote control 400 according to a modification. In the remote controller 400 of the modified example, additional transmission / reception modules 7 are added to the remote controller 300 shown in FIG. Other configurations of the remote controller 400 of the modification are the same as those of the remote controller 300. There may be one or more additional transmission / reception modules 7.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the second embodiment, and when the reception of information from the air conditioner main body fails when the operation is stopped using the modified remote control 400, the retransmission request is transmitted by pressing the retransmission button 5. It is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement to perform.

  The operation of pressing the retransmission button 5 and transmitting a retransmission request when the reception of information from the air conditioner body fails when the operation is stopped using the remote control 400 of the modification increases the transmission power in FIG. The operation in the case of using the transmission / reception module 6 having the mechanism is the same except for step S708.

  When the retransmission button 5 is pressed in step S707, a retransmission request signal is transmitted from the additional transmission / reception module 7 in multiple directions (here, three directions).

  By doing in this way, when the remote controller 400 fails to receive information from the air conditioner body at the time of operation stop, it becomes possible to transmit a retransmission request signal to the air conditioner body in multiple directions. . As a result, the possibility that the communication that has failed in transmission / reception will be successful because the air conditioner main body is not in the linear direction of the transmission / reception module 6 will increase, and information will be sent to the user who wants to obtain information from the air conditioner main body. Increases the possibility of presentation.

  Note that increasing the number of transmission / reception modules decreases the battery life, so the number of transmission / reception modules is increased only during retransmission.

  Although three additional transmission / reception modules 7 are provided in FIG. 11, the number may not be three, and the position may not be as illustrated in FIG. 11. One or more additional transmission / reception modules 7 may be included in the remote controller 200. If added, the same effect can be obtained. Further, the transmission / reception module 6 may be used simultaneously with the additional transmission / reception module 7.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the third embodiment, and is an external front view of the remote controller 500. The remote controller 500 (remote control device) includes the following elements.
(1) Full-dot liquid crystal capable of displaying a character string of 20 characters or more at a time, information acquired by transmission / reception with the air conditioner main body operating state, remote controller 500 setting state, and air conditioner main body The display part 1a for displaying the information which processed. However, as in the first embodiment, the display unit 1 may be configured by silk screen liquid crystal (liquid crystal whose display items are determined in advance).
(2) On / off button 2 for turning on / off the operation of the air conditioner body and transmitting a retransmission request signal when pressed for 1 second or longer.
(3) Button group 3 for changing the setting of the air conditioner body and the setting of the remote controller 500.
The button group 3 includes an operation switching button (button for switching between cooling, dehumidification, and heating), a scene selection button, a menu button, an up / down button, a return button, a determination button, and the like.
(4) An information navigation button 4 for transmitting a signal for requesting information from the air conditioner body.
(5) The transmission / reception module 6 that is provided above the remote controller 500 and performs transmission / reception.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the third embodiment, and shows an operation of transmitting a retransmission request by pressing and holding the operation on / off button 2 for 1 second or longer when reception of information from the air conditioner body fails when the operation is stopped. It is a flowchart figure. The operation shown in FIG. 14 is the same as the operation of FIG. 9 except for step S807.

  In the case of FIG. 9, in step S507, the retransmission button 5 is pressed and a retransmission request signal is transmitted to the air conditioner body. In this embodiment, however, in step S807, the user turns on / off the remote controller 500. Press and hold the OFF button 2 for 1 second or longer to send a retransmission request signal to the air conditioner body.

  As contents to be displayed on the display unit 1a, at least that the remote control 40 has failed to receive and a countermeasure against it is displayed. For example, “Reception failed. Please point the remote control at the main unit and press and hold the on / off button for 1 second or longer.” Is displayed.

  The fact that the reception has failed may be notified directly as described above, or may be described indirectly such as “for information reception”.

  Also, the countermeasures are “If the distance between the remote control and the main unit is long, press and hold the operation on / off button for at least one second after approaching the main unit” or “There is a problem between the remote control and the main unit. If there is an object, you can write an advice such as “Please press and hold the On / Off button for more than 1 second while avoiding obstacles”.

  Since the display unit 1a uses a full-dot liquid crystal, it is possible to change the wording. Therefore, it is possible to change the wording according to the situation. Therefore, it is possible to display advice suitable for the situation. In addition, as the number of characters that can be displayed at a time increases, it becomes possible to display detailed advice to the user. However, it is possible to display the failure of reception and the countermeasures for it at the same time, and the language that the user can understand. To achieve this, a full-dot liquid crystal capable of displaying at least 20 characters at a time is required. The display unit 1a using a full-dot liquid crystal can display a double-byte character having a dot number of 14 dots or more in the vertical and horizontal directions and 20 or more double-byte characters.

  In this way, when the remote controller 400 fails to receive when the operation is stopped, it is possible to present information to the user such as failure of reception and how to deal with it. The user who wants to obtain information can grasp the current situation and implement countermeasures, so that the operability is improved and the possibility of acquiring information is increased.

  The display of information on the display unit 1a is not limited to use only when reception fails when stopped, and may be used when reception via the news navigation button 4 fails, for example. In that case, since the full dot liquid crystal is used, the content of the advice may be different from the reception failure at the time of stoppage and the reception failure at the news navigation button 4.

  In addition, as a countermeasure, a long press of 1 second or more of the on / off button 2 was presented as an example, but as another method, a long press of another button, a simultaneous press of two or more buttons, “display” A countermeasure based on time, such as “press the operation on / off button until the number of“ 0 ”reaches 0, is also conceivable, and the same effect can be obtained by any of these methods.

  Note that when it is sufficient to display fixed characters, a silk screen liquid crystal may be used, and even in that case, the same effect can be obtained.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the third embodiment, and is a flowchart showing an operation when the transmission / reception module 6 having a mechanism for increasing transmission power for retransmission request transmission is used. A difference from the flow of FIG. 14 is Steps S807 and S808. In step S807, when the operation on / off button 2 is pressed for 1 second or longer, a mechanism (not shown) for increasing the transmission power in the transmission / reception module 6 is used to increase the transmission power. A request signal is transmitted to the main body (step S808). Thereafter, similarly to the first transmission, the process waits for reception (step S802).

  In this way, when the remote controller 500 fails to receive information from the air conditioner body at the time of operation stop, it is possible to increase the transmission power of the retransmission request signal toward the air conditioner body. . This increases the possibility of successful communication that has failed in transmission and reception due to the distance from the air conditioner body, and increases the possibility of presenting information to a user who wants to obtain information.

  Since the battery life of the remote controller 500 decreases when the transmission power is increased, the transmission power is increased only when a retransmission request signal is transmitted to the air conditioner body.

  Further, the increase in transmission power by the retransmission button 5 is not limited to use only when information reception from the air conditioner body fails when the operation of the air conditioner body is stopped. May be used in case of failure.

  In the flow of FIG. 15, the transmission / reception module 6 that performs transmission / reception has a mechanism for increasing transmission power for retransmission request signal transmission, but there is also a method of using a wireless module instead of a mechanism for increasing transmission power.

  By using the wireless module, when the remote controller 500 fails to receive information from the air conditioner body when the operation of the air conditioner body is stopped, the retransmission request signal is transmitted wirelessly to the air conditioner body. It becomes possible to perform communication, and there is an obstacle between the remote controller 500 and the air conditioner main body, so there is an increased possibility of successful communication, and information is presented to the user who wants to obtain information. The possibility of being able to go up.

  Note that, when wireless communication is used, the battery life of the remote controller 500 decreases, so wireless communication is used only when a retransmission request signal is transmitted.

  In addition, the use of the wireless module with the retransmission button 5 is not limited to use only when information reception from the air conditioner body fails when the operation of the air conditioner body is stopped. It may be used when reception fails.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the third embodiment, and is an external front view of a remote controller 600 of a modification. In the remote controller 600 of the modified example, additional transmission / reception modules 7 are added to the remote controller 500 shown in FIG. Other configurations of the remote controller 600 of the modification are the same as those of the remote controller 400. There may be one or more additional transmission / reception modules 7.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the third embodiment, and when the remote control 600 of the modification is used and the reception of information from the air conditioner body fails when the operation is stopped, the operation on / off button 2 is held for 1 second or longer. It is a flowchart figure which shows the operation | movement which pushes and transmits a resending request signal.

  FIG. 15 shows an operation of transmitting a retransmission request signal by pressing the operation on / off button 2 for 1 second or longer when reception of information from the air conditioner main body fails when the operation is stopped using the remote controller 600 of the modified example. Operation other than step S908 is the same as the operation when the transmission / reception module 6 having a mechanism for increasing the transmission power of the transmission is used.

  In step S907, when the operation on / off button 2 is pressed and held for 1 second or longer, a retransmission request signal is transmitted from the additional transmission / reception module 7 in multiple directions (here, three directions).

  By doing in this way, when the remote controller 600 fails to receive information from the air conditioner body at the time of operation stop, it becomes possible to transmit a retransmission request signal to the air conditioner body in multiple directions. . As a result, the possibility that the communication that has failed in transmission / reception will be successful because the air conditioner main body is not in the linear direction of the transmission / reception module 6 will increase, and information will be sent to the user who wants to obtain information from the air conditioner main body. Increases the possibility of presentation.

  Note that increasing the number of transmission / reception modules decreases the battery life, so the number of transmission / reception modules is increased only during retransmission.

  Although three additional transmission / reception modules 7 are provided in FIG. 16, the number may not be three, and the position may not be as illustrated in FIG. 16, and one or more additional transmission / reception modules 7 may be included in the remote controller 200. If added, the same effect can be obtained. Further, the transmission / reception module 6 may be used simultaneously with the additional transmission / reception module 7.

  Further, the use of multi-directional transmission by the additional transmission / reception module 7 is not limited only when reception fails at the time of stoppage. For example, it may be used when reception failure at the news navigation button 4 fails.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display part, 1a Display part, 2 Operation ON / OFF button, 3 button group, 4 News navigation button, 5 Retransmission button, 6 Transmission / reception module, 7 Additional transmission / reception module, 100 Remote control, 200 Remote control, 300 Remote control, 400 Remote control, 500 remote control, 600 remote control.

Claims (7)

A remote control device for an air conditioner that performs bidirectional communication with the air conditioner body,
An on / off button for turning on / off the operation of the air conditioner body;
A resend button or a button that is not used when the air conditioner main unit is shut down;
A transmission / reception module that performs transmission and reception with the air conditioner body,
When the remote control device fails to receive information sent from the air conditioner body when the operation of the air conditioner body is turned off by operating the on / off button for turning on / off the operation of the air conditioner body An air conditioner that transmits a retransmission request signal of the information from the transmission / reception module toward the air conditioner body by pressing the retransmission button or a button that is not used when the air conditioner body is stopped. Remote control device. A remote control device for an air conditioner that performs bidirectional communication with the air conditioner body,
An on / off button for turning on / off the operation of the air conditioner body;
A transmission / reception module that performs transmission and reception with the air conditioner body,
When the remote control device fails to receive information sent from the air conditioner body when the operation of the air conditioner body is turned off by operating the on / off button for turning on / off the operation of the air conditioner body The remote control device for an air conditioner characterized in that the operation on / off button is pressed for a predetermined time or longer to transmit a retransmission request signal for the information from the transmission / reception module toward the air conditioner body.   The remote control device for an air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein transmission power is increased when a retransmission request signal for the information is transmitted from the transmission / reception module toward the air conditioner body. .   3. The transmission / reception module including one or more additional transmission / reception modules different from the transmission / reception module, and transmitting the retransmission request signal of the information in multiple directions from the additional transmission / reception module. Air conditioner remote control device.   The remote control device for an air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a retransmission request signal for the information is transmitted wirelessly. It has a display unit with a full-dot liquid crystal,
6. The display unit according to claim 1 or 5, wherein when the remote control device fails to receive information sent from the air conditioner main body, the display unit displays a countermeasure against the reception failure and the reception failure. The remote control apparatus of the air conditioner in any one of.   The remote control device for an air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein the full dot liquid crystal is a full dot liquid crystal capable of displaying a character string of 20 characters or more at a time.

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