CENTRALIZED MONITORING APPARATUS

• US 20100206540A1
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Shigeyuki, Tanaka, Masanaga, Nono, Ikue, Sonoda, Yasuaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,768,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/238
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 27/00 Machines, plants or systems, using particular sources of energy F25B30/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/21175 of the refrigerant at the outlet of the evaporator
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2600/02 Timing
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/12 Sensors measuring the inside temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/14 Sensors measuring the temperature outside the refrigerator or freezer
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2207/04 for conservation purposes

Abstract

A centralized-monitoring apparatus, which centralized monitors a device including a storage, a temperature sensor to detect a temperature therein, and a temperature-variable device to cool or heat inside the storage such that the temperature reaches a set object-preservation temperature, comprises: an input device to be input with first information indicative of a time zone in which the temperature-variable device performing power-saving operation and second information indicative of a set temperature of the time zone; a storage device to store the first-and-second information from the input device; a timing device to measure a current time; and a control device to control the temperature-variable device, based on the first-and-second information and current time, so as to start operation of turning the temperature to the set temperature when the current time reaches a starting time of the time zone, and terminate the operation when the current time reaches an ending time thereof.

Claims

1. A centralized monitoring apparatus for performing centralized monitoring through a communication line for a device to be monitored such as preservation equipment, the device including a storage for storing a preservation object, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature within the storage, and a temperature variable device configured to cool or heat an inside of the storage with reference to the detected temperature of the temperature sensor such that the temperature within the storage reaches a set temperature for preserving the preservation object, the centralized monitoring apparatus comprising:

an input device configured to be input with first information indicative of a second time zone and second information indicative of a set temperature of the second time zone, the temperature variable device performing power saving operation in the second time zone as compared to operation in a first time zone;

a storage device configured to store the first information and the second information from the input device;

a timing device configured to measure a current time; and

a control device configured to control the temperature variable device through the communication line, based on the first information and the second information stored in the storage device and on the current time measured by the timing device, such that the temperature variable device starts operation of turning the temperature within the storage to the set temperature of the second time zone when the current time reaches a starting time of the second time zone, and that the temperature variable device terminates the operation of turning the temperature within the storage to the set temperature of the second time zone when the current time reaches an ending time of the second time zone.

2. The centralized monitoring apparatus of claim 1, further comprising

a displaying device configured to display the first information and the second information from the input device.

3. The centralized monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the device to be monitored includes a cooling storage for cooling the preservation object.

4. The centralized monitoring apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the set temperature of the second time zone is higher than the set temperature of the first time zone.

5. A centralized monitoring apparatus for performing centralized monitoring through a communication line for a device to be monitored such as preservation equipment including a storage for storing a preservation object, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature within the storage, and a temperature variable device configured to cool or heat an inside of the storage with reference to the detected temperature of the temperature sensor such that the temperature within the storage reaches a set temperature for preserving the preservation object, the centralized monitoring apparatus comprising:

a storage device configured to store image information representative of a plan view of a facility with the device to be monitored disposed;

a displaying device configured to display the image information read from the storage device; and

a control device configured to overlap and display an icon representative of the device to be monitored on the image information.

6. The centralized monitoring apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the control device receives and further stores information such as a detected temperature from the device to be monitored into the storage device, and wherein

if an indication input exists for the displayed icon, the control device reads the information related to the device to be monitored corresponding to the icon from the storage device in accordance with the indication input to display the information related to the device to be monitored corresponding to the icon in the vicinity of the icon on the displaying device.