Noritz Corporation

Daisuke Hirota

Masayuki Sugioka

Naoki Tawada

Yoshihiko Maekawa

Takahito Hashimoto

Yasunori Imi

Each hot water supply apparatus of a hot water supply system exchanges information with a management center via a communication adapter, thereby being remotely monitored. In a connection test run for the communication adapter in a remote monitoring system, when a part of transmission information about the hot water supply apparatus is transmitted to the communication adapter via a communication line, establishment of a communication connection to the hot water supply system is indicated, and a heartbeat notification is transmitted from the communication adapter to the management center. When the communication adapter receives a response to the heartbeat notification from the management center, establishment of a communication connection to the management center is indicated.

Communication adapter and connection test run method therefor

To curb deterioration of user convenience due to software update of a water warmer in a communication system between a management server and the water warmer through a relay device. A communication adaptor executes first communication for inquiring of the water warmer whether or not software update accompanying writing of an update program is capable of being started. The water warmer gives a notification for obtaining a user's consent to occurrence of an unavailable period of the water warmer due to the software update in response to the first communication, and executes second communication on the communication adaptor in a case in which the user's consent is obtained with respect to the notification. The communication adaptor transmits the update program received from a server to the water warmer in response to the second communication, and the water warmer executes the software update using the received update program.

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Akashi, Japan

Daisuke Hirota