Service system for air conditioner and server system for monitoring center

• US 6,643,611 B1
• Filed: 11/20/2000
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Global Life Solutions, Inc. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Air Conditioning Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ito, Makoto, Ito, Yukio, Taira, Tomotsune, Takai, Tadashi, Takagi, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): NGHIEM, MICHAEL P
• Application Number:
  US09/714,938
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 702/184, 702/185, 702/188, 700/276, 700/204, 700/300
• US Class Current: 702/184
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/38 Failure diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/57 using telephone networks
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/58 using Internet communication

Abstract

A service system for air conditioners is provided which offers a total solution to a wide range of fields, from the customer relationship management covering individual users, building owners and administrators and building management companies to the maintenance and management, manufacture, design, and development on the part of the manufacturer. The service system includes the monitoring center 1 which has the customer database 207, the operation information database 206 for storing operation information of the air conditioners 101 for each customer, and the device information database 203 having device information on the air conditioners 101 related with each customer of the customer database 207. When it decides that there is anomaly in the operation information, the monitoring center 1 sends to the cellular phone 406 over the Internet 306 the information representing the content of the anomaly and the customer information and device information associated with the operation information which was judged abnormal.

Claims

1. A service system for air conditioners that monitors the operating condition of the air conditioners and performs their maintenance, the service system comprising:

a monitoring center having a customer database having customer information,

an operation information database for storing operation information of the air conditioners for each customer, and

a device information database having device information on the air conditioners and related with each of the customers stored in the customer database,

wherein the monitoring center checks the operation information for any anomaly of the air conditioners and, when it decides that an abnormal condition has occurred, transmits information representing a content of the anomaly, customer information and device information associated with the operation information that was judged to be abnormal, over the Internet to a cellular phone capable of displaying character information based on ranked contract contents for a customer corresponding to the transmitted customer information.

2. A service system for air conditioners according to claim 1, wherein the information representing the content of the anomaly and displayed on a screen of the cellular phone is a failure code, a failure name, and information on an electric system in a building where a failed air conditioner is installed.

3. A service system for air conditioners according to claim 1, wherein the cellular phone displays information by successively switching the screens.

4. A service system for air conditioners according to claim 1, wherein said contract contents comprise:

at least one of a contract of informing an alarm in an air conditioner,

a contract of monitoring an operation to inform a sign of anomaly to prevent a failure, and

a contract of scheduling control of temperature and air flow.

5. A service system for air conditioners according to claim 1, wherein reply information regarding what was done with respect to the anomaly is sent from said cellular phone.

6. A service system for air conditioners according to claim 1, wherein said information transmitted from said monitoring center includes a link to access with a single action to a response home page provided by said monitoring center.

7. A service system for air conditioners which, when it is decided that there is an anomaly or sign of anomaly with the air conditioners, restores them to normal, the service system comprising:

a monitoring center having a device information database having device information on the air conditioners, a failure code database for storing, for each failure code, information representing a content of anomaly and its possible cause, and a parts information database having maintenance parts information related with the devices in the device information database and with the failure codes, the monitoring center being adapted to check for any anomaly or sign of anomaly of the air conditioners and post the failure code, a failure name, and information on a system of a failed air conditioner on an Internet home page; and

a terminal device capable of accessing the monitoring center over the Internet;

wherein identification of cause of trouble, search of maintenance parts, confirmation of stocks and an order of maintenance parts associated with the failure code can be made from the terminal device.

8. A service system for air conditioners according to claim 7, wherein information representing prices, stocks and delivery times of maintenance parts is provided from the monitoring center to the terminal device when the maintenance parts are ordered.

9. A service system for air conditioners according to claim 7, wherein an invoice can be generated in response to the ordering of maintenance parts and distributed from the monitoring center to the customer.

10. A server system for air conditioners which remotely monitors the operating condition of the air conditioners for maintenance and inspection, the service system comprising:

a customer information database having customer information;

an operation information database having operation information for each customer, and

a device information database having device information on each type of air conditioner of each customer in said customer information database,

wherein when an anomaly of an air conditioner is detected based on the operation information, information representing a content of the anomaly, customer information and device information associated with the operation information that was judged to be abnormal, is transmitted over an Internet to a cellular phone capable of displaying character information based on ranked contract contents for a customer corresponding to the transmitted customer information.

11. A monitoring center server according to claim 10, wherein said contract contents comprise:

at least one of a content of informing an alarm in an air conditioner;

a contract of monitoring an operation to inform a sign of anomaly to prevent a failure; and

a content of scheduling control of temperature and airflow.