JP5487628B2 - Electric device and method for managing the start date of use of electric device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical device, and more particularly to an electrical device having different compensation contents depending on a period after power is turned on at a customer site.

  When an electrical device such as an inverter device that drives the load of various facilities breaks down in the facility being used, the distributor or manufacturer of the electrical device repairs or replaces it with a substitute. Do. At that time, during the normal warranty period, the user starts using the electrical device. However, since the use period of the electric device itself is not managed, it is based on the use start period according to the user's declaration, and the seller or the manufacturer cannot accurately grasp whether the electric device was operating.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an inverter device that stores information such as a manufacturing date and a lot number in a nonvolatile memory using an external device connected as a trigger.

JP-A-8-251934

  The electrical equipment such as the inverter device described above converts the warranty period from the time of power-on, but the seller or manufacturer cannot clearly grasp the user's start date of use of the inverter, and the definition of the warranty period is ambiguous. It has become.

The problem of costs related to the warranty period is a serious problem for users, distributors and manufacturers, and a clearly defined standard should be established.
Then, this invention makes it a subject to provide the management method of the electric equipment which can grasp | ascertain the use start date by a user clearly, and the use start date of an electric equipment.

Electrical equipment according to the present invention, a calendar unit for outputting data identifying the date, the non-volatile memory unit having a judgment data area and calendar Deta area as an area which the user can not be rewritten, particular the user to the electrical equipment upon the operation by referring to the user can not be rewritten area, if the information indicating that no stores the information specifying the date in the calendar data area is set to the determined data area, wherein And a control unit for storing information specifying the date output by the calendar unit in the calendar data area.

The management method for use start date of the electric device according to the present invention is a method of managing use start date of the electrical device comprising a nonvolatile memory having a judgment data area and calendar Deta area as an area which the user can not be rewritten, When the user performs a specific operation on the electrical device, the user refers to an area that cannot be rewritten, and information indicating that the date is not stored in the calendar data area as a result of the reference. If it is set in the determination data area, information specifying the date is stored in the calendar data area.

According to the present invention, it is possible to specify the date when the user first started the operation of the electric device. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the electric device is in the warranty period, and as maintenance information. Can be used.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the electric equipment of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process performed using an external setting part, when the electric equipment of this embodiment is shipped. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the control part when power is turned on by the user.

  The electrical device of the present embodiment includes a calendar unit and a nonvolatile memory that are operated by a battery that can supply power even when there is no current. The nonvolatile memory is provided with an area where user rewriting cannot be performed.

  When shipping an electrical device with such a configuration from the manufacturer, set the correct current time in the calendar section, and make sure that the nonvolatile memory user cannot rewrite when the final power is shut off. Turn off the power after setting the information shown. And it ships to a user in this state.

  When the user turns on the electric device, the control unit of the electric device refers to an area in the nonvolatile memory that cannot be rewritten by the user. If information indicating that the user is not in operation is set in an area where the user cannot rewrite, information indicating the current date indicated by the calendar portion in the area where the user of the nonvolatile memory cannot perform rewriting. Write. At the same time, the control unit resets information indicating that it is before the operation of the area where the user of the nonvolatile memory cannot rewrite.

  After that, when the power is turned on again, the control unit refers to the non-rewritable area of the non-volatile memory and recognizes that the information indicating that it is not operating is reset. Do not perform the process of writing calendar data.

  Thereby, the calendar data indicating the date when the user first turned on the power is stored in the nonvolatile memory of the electric device. And when this electrical equipment breaks down, the corresponding distributor or manufacturer confirms that the electrical equipment is within the warranty period from the date when the user set in the nonvolatile memory is first turned on. I can know clearly.

The electrical apparatus in the present embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electrical apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the electric apparatus 10 such as an inverter shown in FIG. 1, only components necessary for solving the problems of the present invention are described.

In FIG. 1, the electrical apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes a control power supply 11, a control unit 12, a nonvolatile memory 13, an external setting unit 14, a calendar unit 15, and a built-in power supply 16.
The control power supply 11 is a power supply for supplying electric power for the entire electric device 10 and converts electric power supplied from the outside into a voltage value used inside the electric device 10 after rectification. The electric power from the control power supply 11 is turned on / off inside the electric device 10 by an operator turning on / off a power switch (not shown). The control unit 12 performs a process for managing the date when the electric device 10 is first turned on by the user. The control unit 12 executes a process described later by executing a control program in the nonvolatile memory included in the control unit 12. Is realized. The non-volatile memory 13 is a memory that can be read and written by the control unit 12, and the stored contents are not erased even when the control power supply 11 is turned off. The external setting unit 14 is an input device that is externally attached to the electric device 10 and is detachable from the electric device 10. The user operates the external setting unit 14 to input instructions to the electric device 10. is there. Based on the instruction input input from the external setting unit 14, the control unit 10 performs a process of rewriting a user writable area of the nonvolatile memory 13. The calendar unit 15 measures the date and time and outputs the result as calendar data. The calendar data output by the calendar unit 15 may be data indicating only date data or data indicating both date and time. The built-in power supply 16 is a small power supply unit independent of the control power supply 11 for operating the calendar unit 15. Since the calendar unit 15 is operated by the internal power supply 16, the calendar unit 15 measures time regardless of whether the control power supply 11 is turned on or off.

The control unit 12 includes an edge detection unit 21, an AND circuit 22, a calendar data register 23, a determination data register 24, and a switch 25.
The edge detection unit 21 detects a rising edge when the power switch (not shown) is turned on and the control power supply 11 is started up. When the control power supply 11 is not detected to rise, the edge detection unit 21 detects the rising edge. On the other hand, “0” is output, and when it is detected that the control power supply 11 has started up, “1” is output for a specific period. The AND circuit 22 ANDs the output of the edge detection unit 21 and a value in a later-described determination data area of the nonvolatile memory 13 and outputs the result to the determination data register 24 and the switch 25. The calendar data register 23 is a register that temporarily stores the output value of the calendar unit 15. The determination data register 24 is a register that temporarily stores the output of the AND circuit 22. The switch 25 is a switch for switching ON / OFF the output of the value in the calendar data register 23 to the calendar data area (to be described later) of the nonvolatile memory 13 based on the output value of the AND circuit 22. The switch 25 outputs the value of the calendar data register 23 to the calendar data area of the nonvolatile memory 13 when “1” is input from the AND circuit 22, and the calendar data when “0” is input from the AND circuit 22. Stop output to the region.

In the control unit 12, only the edge detection unit 21 is operated by the internal power supply 16 when the electric device 10 is powered off.
The nonvolatile memory 13 includes an area that cannot be rewritten by the user, and further includes a determination data area and a calendar data area. The determination data area is an area in which the value of the determination data register 24 is stored. From the value in this area, the control unit 12 stores the calendar data when the electric device 10 is first turned on by the user. It is determined whether or not it has been done. The calendar data area is an area for storing calendar data when the user first turns on the electric device 10. In this calendar data area, the value of the calendar data register 23 when the switch 25 is ON is stored.

  In such a configuration, the electrical device 10 according to the present embodiment first connects and operates an external setting device before shipment, and sets “1” in the determination data register 24. As a result, the control unit 12 stores “1” in the determination data area of the nonvolatile memory 13 indicating that the electric device 10 is not yet used by the user. In this state, the electric device 10 is turned off and the external setting unit 14 is removed from the electric device 10, and then the electric device 10 is shipped.

When the electric device 10 shipped to the user is turned on for use, the control power supply 11 is activated. As a result, the control unit 12 operates and stores calendar data in the calendar data register 23 . The edge detection circuit 21 detects the edge of the output of the control power supply 11 and outputs “1” to the AND circuit 22.

At this time, since “1” is set in the determination data area of the nonvolatile memory 13, the AND circuit 22 outputs “1”. As a result, the switch 25 is turned on, and the calendar data set in the calendar data register 23 is stored in the calendar data area of the nonvolatile memory 13.

  When the output of the edge detection unit 21 changes from “1” to “0”, the output of the AND circuit 22 also changes the output of the AND circuit 22 from “1” to “0”, and the value of the determination data register 24 also changes to “ As a result, the value in the determination data area is also set to “0”.

  Thereafter, even when the electric device 10 is turned on again by the user, the value set in the determination data area is “0”, so the switch 25 is not turned on, and the calendar data is rewritten in the calendar data area. It will never be.

  Therefore, calendar data when the power is first turned on after the electrical device 10 is shipped is set in the calendar data area. Therefore, when a failure occurs in the electrical device 10, the vendor or manufacturer reads the calendar data in the calendar data area using the external setting unit 14, and the electrical device is first turned on and started to use. It is possible to specify the date and how long it has occurred since that day, and use it for judgment of the contents of after-sales services such as repairs and replacement with alternatives and paid / free I can do it.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating processing performed using the external setting unit 14 when the electrical apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is shipped.
In the process shown in FIG. 6, first, as step S1, the operator displays the calendar data output from the calendar unit 15 on the display unit of the external setting unit 14, and the calendar unit 15 is set to output accurate calendar data. Determine if you are. As a result, if the calendar unit 15 is not set correctly (step S1, NO), in step S2, the operator sets the calendar unit 15 so that the calendar unit 15 outputs accurate calendar data. In step S1, if the correct setting is made in the calendar unit 15 (step S1, YES), the process in step S2 is skipped.

  Next, in step S3, the operator determines whether the value is “1” by referring to the determination data in the determination data area. If it is “1” (YES in step S3), the operator continues. When this process is finished and if it is “0” (step S, NO), the operator operates the external setting unit 14 as step S4 to set “1” in the determination data area and finish the post-process. .

  2 shows that the setting of the calendar unit 15 is adjusted when the electrical device 10 of the present embodiment is shipped from the production source, and the determination data area indicates that the user has not yet used it. “1” is set.

Next, the operation of the electric device 10 according to the present embodiment when the user first turns on the power source will be described.
Although the control unit 12 is configured with circuit logic in FIG. 2, the control unit 12 is configured by a microcontroller, and the microcontroller executes a control program stored by itself to realize processing. You may do it.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control unit 12 when the power is turned on by the user. When the control unit 12 is configured by a microcontroller, the process of FIG. 5 is realized by the microcontroller executing a control program.

  When the power is turned on by the user, the control unit 12 of the electrical device 10 first refers to the determination data area of the nonvolatile memory 13 as step S11 and determines whether or not the value is “1”.

As a result of the determination in step S11, if the value of the determination data area is “0” (step S11, NO), the calendar data in the calendar data register 23 is not set in the calendar data area as step S14. The process ends.

As a result of the determination in step S21, if the value of the determination data area is “1” (step S11, YES), from the calendar unit 15 held in the calendar data register 23 in the calendar data area as step S11. Set the calendar data. Then, the control unit 12 sets “0” in the determination data area in step S13, and then ends this process.

  Thus, when the user first turns on the electric device 10, calendar data indicating the date or date is stored in the calendar data area, and the data in the calendar data area is not rewritten when the power is turned on thereafter. . Therefore, since the data indicating the date or date and time when the user first turned on the power is stored in the calendar data area, the period of use of the electric device 10 can be specified by referring to this data.

  Since the electric device 10 such as an inverter generally includes the control unit 12 and the nonvolatile memory 13, it is necessary to add a special configuration in order to realize the present embodiment as long as the timekeeping function is provided. Absent.

  In the above example, the external setting unit 14 is connected to the electric device 10 before shipment and “1” is set in the determination data area of the nonvolatile memory 13. However, the electric device 10 according to the present embodiment is like this. It is not limited to a simple configuration, and the user can set the value of the data area for determination by performing an operation that the user does not perform with a normal operation such as a switch used to set the operation of the electrical device 10, A configuration may be employed in which values in the calendar data area are read out.

  Furthermore, in the above example, the calendar data is stored in the calendar data area triggered by the user turning on the power of the electrical device 10, but the electrical device of the present embodiment is not limited to such a configuration. The calendar data in the calendar data area when another specific operation is performed, such as when the user first operates the operation panel, for example, when the output current of the inverter device is first detected. It is good also as a structure to memorize | store.

  In the above example, the determination data area and the calendar data area are provided in the nonvolatile memory 13, but only the calendar data area may be provided. In this case, the control unit determines whether the electrical device 10 has already been operated by the user by determining whether calendar data is already set in the calendar data area or whether meaningless data (for example, NULL) is set. To do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Electric equipment 11 Control power supply 12 Control part 13 Non-volatile memory 14 External setting part 15 Calendar part 16 Built-in power supply 21 Edge detection part 22 AND circuit 23 Calendar data register 24 Judgment data register 25 Switch

Claims (7)

Electrical equipment,
A calendar section that outputs data specifying the date;
A nonvolatile memory unit having a judgment data area and calendar Deta area as an area which the user can not be rewritten,
When the user performs a specific operation on the electric device, information indicating that the user cannot rewrite the information and specifying the date in the calendar data area is stored in the determination data area. If set, a control unit for storing information specifying the date output by the calendar unit in the calendar data area;
An electrical apparatus comprising:   The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the specific operation is an initial power-on of the electric device. The non-volatile memory unit has a calendar data area and a determination data area for storing information for specifying a date in an area that the user cannot rewrite.
When the user performs a specific operation on the electric device, the control unit is set with information indicating that the date is not stored in the calendar data area with reference to the data area for determination . Once, the information indicating that the calender unit has been stored the information specifying the date in the calendar data area on the determination data area with stores information for specifying the date to be output to the calendar data area The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the electric device is set. When the control unit refers to the determination data area and information indicating that the date specifying information is stored in the calendar data area is set, the date output by the calendar section is set. The electrical apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the process of storing the information to be specified in the calendar data area is skipped.   The electrical device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit includes a memory that stores a program executed by the control unit.   6. The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the electric device is an inverter device. When the user has a specific operation to the electric appliance A management method for use start date of the electrical device comprising a nonvolatile memory having a judgment data area and calendar Deta area as an area which the user can not be rewritten, the user Refers to the area that cannot be rewritten,
As a result of the reference, if information indicating that the date specifying information is not stored in the calendar data area is set in the data area for determination , information specifying the date is stored in the calendar data area. A method for managing the start date of use of electrical equipment.

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