JP2022080015A - Electric apparatus, electric apparatus system and notification method of electric apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electric apparatus, an electric apparatus system and a notification method of the electric apparatus which can facilitate arrangement of information for a user.SOLUTION: An electric apparatus 10 comprises a communication unit 11 and a control unit 19. The communication unit 11 receives other apparatus information relevant to other electric apparatus 10 different from an own apparatus. The control unit 19, when allowing a notification unit 15 to notify of own apparatus information relevant to the own apparatus, allows the notification unit 15 to notify of the other apparatus information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to electrical equipment, electrical equipment systems and notification methods for electrical equipment.

In recent years, electrical equipment has tended to become multifunctional. For example, an electric device for notifying a user of own machine information according to a usage situation of the own machine is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes a voice distribution server that adjusts the utterance timing so that the utterance periods do not overlap between the electronic devices that speak.

Japanese Patent No. 6509701

In the voice distribution server of Patent Document 1, since each of the plurality of electronic devices speaks to the user, it may be difficult for the user to organize the information.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric device, an electric device system, and a method for notifying an electric device, which can facilitate the organization of information for a user.

The electrical device of the first aspect of the present invention includes a receiving unit and a control unit. The receiving unit receives information on other devices related to other electrical devices different from the own device. When the control unit notifies the notification unit of the information related to the own machine, the control unit causes the notification unit to notify the information of the other machine.

The electric device system of the second aspect of the present invention includes a first electric device and a second electric device. The second electrical device communicates directly or indirectly with the first electrical device. The first electric device includes a receiving unit and a control unit. The receiving unit receives information related to the second electric device. When the control unit notifies the notification unit of information related to the first electric device, the control unit causes the notification unit to notify the information related to the second electric device.

The method for notifying an electric device according to a third aspect of the present invention is a step of receiving information on another machine related to another electric device different from the own machine, and the information on the other machine is notified together with the information on the own machine related to the own machine. It includes a step of notifying the unit.

According to the present invention, it may be easy for the user to organize information.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the electric equipment system provided with the electric equipment of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electric device of this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the server of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the device information table of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the notification information table of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the notification type information table of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the additional information table of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the promotion product information table of this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the determination standard table of this embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the outline of the notification method of the electric device system of this embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the outline of the notification method of the electric device system of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow of the notification method of the electric equipment 10A to 10F in the electric equipment system of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow of the notification method of the electric device 10G in the electric device system of this embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the figure, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description is not repeated.

An electric device system 100 including the electric device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In the present embodiment, the electric device 10 will be described by taking a household electric device as an example, but the electric device of the present invention is not limited to the home electric device. Further, in the present specification, the household electric appliance generally means what is called a "home appliance" and does not include a personal computer, a smart speaker, a smartphone and a tablet terminal. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electric device system 100 including the electric device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

(Overall configuration of electrical equipment system 100)
The overall configuration of the electrical equipment system 100 of the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the electric device system 100 includes a plurality of electric devices 10. One electric device 10 is an example of the "first electric device" of the present invention. The other electric device 10 is an example of the "second electric device" of the present invention. Further, the electrical equipment system 100 further includes a server 50.

The plurality of electrical devices 10 are arranged in one building 1. Building 1 includes, for example, a house. The plurality of electric devices 10 include electric devices 10A to 10F. The electric devices 10A to 10F communicate with the server 50 via the communication network 200. Further, in the present embodiment, the electric devices 10A to 10F are connected to the communication network 200 via the router 30. The communication network 200 includes, for example, the Internet and a public telephone network. In the present embodiment, the electric device 10A is, for example, a refrigerator. The electric device 10B is, for example, a washing machine. The electric device 10C is, for example, an air conditioner. The electric device 10D is, for example, an air purifier. The electrical device 10E is, for example, a range. The electric device 10F is, for example, an anhydrous cooking pot. In the drawings, for ease of understanding, the electric devices 10A to 10G are described as "refrigerator", "washing machine", "air conditioner", "air purifier", "range", "anhydrous cooking pot", and "vacuum cleaner", respectively. ing.

Further, the plurality of electric devices 10 include the electric device 10G. The electrical device 10G does not communicate with the server 50. Further, in the present embodiment, the electric device 10G is not connected to the router 30. In this embodiment, the electrical device 10G is, for example, a vacuum cleaner.

In this embodiment, the plurality of electrical devices 10 communicate directly or indirectly with each other. Specifically, the electric devices 10A to 10F communicate with each other via the communication network 200 and the server 50. That is, the electrical devices 10A to 10F communicate indirectly with each other.

On the other hand, the electric device 10G directly communicates with the electric devices 10A to 10F without going through the server 50. In the present embodiment, the electric device 10G directly communicates with the electric devices 10A to 10F without going through the router 30. Even when the electric device 10G communicates with the electric devices 10A to 10F via the router 30, when the electric device 10G communicates with the electric devices 10A to 10F without going through the server 50, the electric device 10G communicates with the electric devices 10A to 10F. Included when communicating directly with. As a specific example, indirect communication between electric devices 10 means uploading information from one electric device 10 to the server 50 and downloading information from the server 50 to the other electric device 10. On the other hand, direct communication between the electric devices 10 means that information is transmitted and received between the electric devices 10 without going through the server 50. Further, the case where the electric devices 10 communicate directly with each other without going through the server 50 may be described as local communication.

(Configuration of electrical equipment 10)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electric devices 10A to 10F of the present embodiment. First, the configurations of the electric devices 10A to 10F will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the electric devices 10A to 10F includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, a drive unit 13, a detection unit 14, a notification unit 15, and a control unit 19. The communication unit 11 is an example of the "reception unit" of the present invention.

The communication unit 11 includes a first communication unit 11a and a second communication unit 11b. The first communication unit 11a is an interface device for direct wireless communication with another electric device 10 in the same building 1. In the present embodiment, the electric devices 10A to 10F directly and wirelessly communicate with the electric device 10G by using the first communication unit 11a. The first communication unit 11a performs short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Zigbee (registered trademark). The first communication unit 11a may perform short-range wireless communication of BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). The second communication unit 11b is an interface device for wireless communication. The second communication unit 11b is, for example, a network interface controller. In the present embodiment, the electric devices 10A to 10F indirectly and wirelessly communicate with other electric devices 10A to 10F by using the second communication unit 11b.

The storage unit 12 includes a storage device and stores data and computer programs. The storage unit 12 is, for example, an example of a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. Specifically, the storage unit 12 includes a main storage device such as a semiconductor memory and an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory, a solid state drive, and / or a hard disk drive. The storage unit 12 may include removable media. Further, the storage unit 12 stores the registration information registered by the user, the detection information detected by the detection unit 14, the information received from the server 50, and the like.

The drive unit 13 includes a drive device in each electric device 10. The drive unit 13 includes, for example, a heating device, a motor, a pump, or the like.

The detection unit 14 includes a detection device in each electric device 10. The detection unit 14 includes, for example, a detection device for detecting the use of the own machine by the user, a detection device for detecting the remaining amount of consumables, and the like.

The detection device for detecting the use of the own machine by the user includes, for example, a sensor for detecting the opening / closing of a door in a refrigerator or the like, an operation button in an air conditioner or the like, and the like. The detection unit 14 can detect the usage by the user, the frequency of use by the user, and the like. Further, the detection device for detecting the remaining amount of consumables includes, for example, a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of detergent in the washing machine.

The control unit 19 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor of the control unit 19 communicates with the server 50 and the electric device 10G by executing the computer program stored in the storage device of the storage unit 12, and transmits the detection information detected by the detection unit 14 to the server 50 and electricity. It is transmitted to the device 10G.

The control unit 19 causes the notification unit 15 to notify the information about the own machine related to the own machine. When the control unit 19 notifies the notification unit 15 of the information of the own machine, the control unit 19 notifies the information of the own machine and the information of the other machine related to the other electric device 10 (hereinafter, may be referred to as “other machine”). Notify the unit 15. Therefore, since it is possible to suppress each of the plurality of electric devices 10 from speaking to the user, it may be easy for the user to organize the information. Further, since it is possible to prevent another machine from suddenly notifying the user, for example, it is possible to prevent the user from being surprised or feeling uncomfortable. When the electric device 10 that has stopped operating suddenly gives a notification, the user may be surprised or feel uncomfortable.

Further, when the control unit 19 notifies the notification unit 15 of the information of the own machine, the control unit 19 causes the notification unit 15 to notify the information of the other machine following the information of the own machine. Therefore, the control unit 19 can notify the user of the information of the electric device 10 used by the user, and then notify the user of the information of the other electric device 10. The control unit 19 may notify the notification unit 15 of the information of the own unit following the information of the other unit.

Further, when the own machine information and the other machine information are related to each other, the control unit 19 may notify the other machine information to the notification unit 15 when the own machine information is notified to the notification unit 15. Therefore, it is useful for the user because the information on the own machine and the information on the other machine related to each other can be notified to the user.

Further, when the user's operation related to the own machine information and the user's action related to the other machine information are related to each other, the control unit 19 notifies the other machine information when the notification unit 15 is notified of the own machine information. The unit 15 may be notified. Therefore, it is more useful for the user because the user's actions can notify the user of own machine information and other machine information related to each other. For example, when the user's action is to purchase an article, the user can once select the food and the detergent by notifying the user of the information prompting the purchase of food and the like and the information prompting the purchase of the detergent. Can be purchased at. Further, for example, when the user's operation is to care for the electric device 10, the user is notified of the information prompting the cleaning of the filter of the air conditioner and the information prompting the cleaning of the filter or the dust cup of the vacuum cleaner. By doing so, the user can clean the air conditioner and the vacuum cleaner together.

In this embodiment, as one of the methods for determining whether or not the own machine information and the other machine information are related to each other, the own machine information and the other machine information are classified into a plurality of types, and the own machine information is used. It is determined whether or not the type and the type of other machine information are the same. However, another method may be used as a method for determining whether or not the own machine information and the other machine information are related to each other.

Subsequently, the control unit 19 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The control unit 19 includes a determination unit 19a and a data generation unit 19b. The processor of the control unit 19 functions as the determination unit 19a and the data generation unit 19b by reading and executing the control program stored in the storage unit 12.

The determination unit 19a makes various determinations. For example, the determination unit 19a determines whether or not the criteria for notifying the user are satisfied. For example, the determination unit 19a determines whether or not the information to be notified to the user has been received from the server 50.

The data generation unit 19b generates broadcast data for notifying the user. For example, the data generation unit 19b generates notification data for notifying the user based on the own machine information.

The notification unit 15 includes a sound generation unit that emits a sound. Therefore, the notification unit 15 can notify the user of the information about the own machine and the information about the other machine related to the other electric device 10 by sound. For example, the sound generating unit includes a notification device such as a speaker. For example, the notification unit 15 outputs "notification content" (see FIG. 5), which will be described later, as voice. Hereinafter, output as voice may be described as utterance. For example, when the "notification content" is uttered from the notification unit of another device such as a smartphone, the electric device 10 does not have to include the notification unit 15.

Next, the configuration of the electric device 10G will be described. Since the configuration of the electrical equipment 10G is similar to the configuration of the electrical equipment 10A to 10F, mainly different points will be described. Further, for the sake of simplification of the drawings, the drawings showing the configuration of the electric device 10G are omitted. The electrical device 10G includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, a drive unit 13, a detection unit 14, a notification unit 15, and a control unit 19.

In the electric device 10G, unlike the electric devices 10A to 10F, the communication unit 11 includes the first communication unit 11a, but does not include the second communication unit 11b. The electric device 10G wirelessly communicates with the electric devices 10A to 10F by using the first communication unit 11a. Since the other configurations of the electric device 10G are the same as those of the electric devices 10A to 10F, the description thereof will be omitted.

(Configuration of server 50)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server 50 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the server 50 includes a communication unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a control unit 55. The communication unit 51 is an interface device for connecting to the communication network 200.

The storage unit 52 includes a storage device and stores data and computer programs. The storage unit 52 is, for example, an example of a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium. Specifically, the storage unit 52 includes a main storage device such as a semiconductor memory and an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory, a solid state drive, and / or a hard disk drive. The storage unit 52 may include removable media. The storage unit 52 stores the registration information registered by the user and the information received from the electric devices 10A to 10F.

The control unit 55 includes a processor such as a CPU. The processor of the control unit 55 communicates with the electric devices 10A to 10F by executing the computer program stored in the storage device of the storage unit 52, and outputs data based on the information received from the electric devices 10A to 10F. It is generated and stored in the storage unit 52.

Subsequently, with reference to FIG. 3, the control unit 55 will be described in detail. The control unit 55 includes a determination unit 55a and a data generation unit 55b. The processor of the control unit 55 functions as the determination unit 55a and the data generation unit 55b by reading and executing the control program stored in the storage unit 52.

The determination unit 55a makes various determinations. For example, the determination unit 55a determines whether or not to transmit the notification information to the electric devices 10A to 10F based on the type of the received notification information.

The data generation unit 55b generates various types of data. For example, the data generation unit 55b generates the device information table T1, the notification information table T2, the notification type information table T3, the additional information table T4, the sales promotion product information table T5, and the determination standard table T6.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the device information table T1 of the present embodiment. The storage unit 52 stores the device information table T1 as shown in FIG. The device information table T1 includes a correspondence relationship between a device ID (Identification), a device type, and a residence ID. The device ID is information for identifying a plurality of electric devices 10. Different device IDs are assigned to the plurality of electric devices 10 in advance. The device type indicates the type of the electric device 10. Examples of the device type include an air conditioner, a range, a washing machine, an air purifier, a vacuum cleaner, a refrigerator, and an anhydrous cooking pot. The residence ID is information for identifying a building 1 in which a plurality of electric devices 10 are installed. The same residential ID is pre-assigned to a plurality of electric devices 10 used in one building 1. The device information table T1 is generated by the data generation unit 55b of the control unit 55, for example, based on the registration information registered by the user for each electric device 10.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the notification information table T2 of the present embodiment. The storage unit 52 stores the notification information table T2 as shown in FIG. The notification information table T2 includes a notification ID, a device ID, a type ID of notification information, a type of notification information, a notification content, and a correspondence relationship with a date and time. The notification ID is information for identifying the device ID, the type ID of the notification information, the type of the notification information, the notification content, and the combination of the date and time. The type ID of the notification information is information for identifying the type of information to be notified to the user (hereinafter, may be referred to as notification information). The type of broadcast information indicates the type of broadcast information.

Examples of the type of notification information include "daily goods", "maintenance", "option", "driving status", "usage guidance", "error", and "others (see FIG. 9)". In this embodiment, "daily goods" refers to things related to daily life, such as foodstuffs or detergents. "Care" refers to cleaning the filter, for example. “Option” indicates, for example, a consumable item such as a filter or an optional component. The "operating status" indicates the operating status of the electric device 10, and indicates, for example, the end of the operation. The "how to use guide" shows how to use the electric device 10, for example, how to consult about the menu method. "Error" indicates the content of the error of the electric device 10. "Other" indicates items other than "daily goods", "maintenance", "option", "driving status", "usage guidance" and "error", and indicates, for example, weather information or trial driving guidance.

The notification content indicates the content of notifying the user of the own device information in a certain electric device 10. In the present embodiment, the notification content is the content that the notification unit 15 speaks to the user. The date and time indicates the date and time when the device ID, the type of notification information, and the notification content are registered in the notification information table T2. The notification information table T2 is generated by the data generation unit 55b of the control unit 55, for example, based on the device ID received from the electric devices 10A to 10F, the type ID of the notification information, the notification content, and the like. Further, the notification content may be generated by the data generation unit 55b based on the device ID received from the electric devices 10A to 10F, the type ID of the notification information, and the like. In this case, the notification content may be generated by the control unit 55 based on the information on the Internet.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the notification type information table T3 of the present embodiment. The storage unit 52 stores the notification type information table T3 as shown in FIG. The notification type information table T3 includes a correspondence relationship between the notification information type ID, the notification information type, the target device, the additional information confirmation flag, and the sales promotion flag. The target device indicates a target device for confirming the presence / absence of information to be notified to the user when notifying the user of the own device information in a certain electric device 10.

The additional information confirmation flag indicates whether or not to confirm whether or not there is information to be notified to the user about the target device when notifying the user of the own device information in a certain electric device 10. For example, in a certain electric device 10, when the type of the notification information of the own device is "daily goods", the additional information confirmation flag is "YES". Therefore, it is necessary to confirm the presence or absence of notification information for microwave ovens, anhydrous cooking pots, refrigerators and washing machines. On the other hand, for example, in a certain electric device 10, when the type of the notification information of the own device is "operating status", the additional information confirmation flag is "NO". Therefore, it is not necessary to confirm the presence / absence of notification information for the other electric device 10.

The sales promotion flag indicates whether or not the notification information includes the content prompting the user to purchase the item. For example, when the type of notification information is "daily goods" in a certain electric device 10, the sales promotion flag is "YES". Therefore, it is shown that the notification information includes the content for prompting the purchase of the product. The notification type information table T3 is stored in advance in, for example, the storage unit 52. Further, information on the notification type related to the own device is stored in advance in the storage unit 12 of the electric device 10.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the additional information table T4 of the present embodiment. The storage unit 52 stores the additional information table T4 as shown in FIG. 7. The additional information table T4 includes an additional information ID, a type ID of the broadcast information, a type of the broadcast information, a device type, and a correspondence relationship with the additional content. The additional information ID is information for identifying the combination of the notification information type ID, the notification information type, the device type, and the additional content.

The additional content is a content for notifying the user of other device information related to the other electric device 10 when the own device information is notified to the user in the certain electric device 10. In other words, the additional content is information on another device added to the information on the own device in a certain electric device 10. Further, in the present embodiment, the additional content is the content that the notification unit 15 speaks to the user. The additional information table T4 is generated by the data generation unit 55b of the control unit 55, for example, based on the type ID, device type, additional content, and the like of the broadcast information received from the electric devices 10A to 10F. Further, the additional information table T4 may be generated by the data generation unit 55b based on, for example, the type ID of the broadcast information received from the electric devices 10A to 10F, the device type, and the like. In this case, the additional content may be generated by the data generation unit 55b, for example, based on the information on the Internet.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the sales promotion product information table T5 of the present embodiment. The storage unit 52 stores the sales promotion product information table T5 as shown in FIG. The sales promotion product information table T5 includes a correspondence relationship between a product ID, a product, a sales destination, a target device, and an additional information ID. The product ID is information for identifying a combination of a product, a sales destination, a target device, and an additional information ID. The product indicates a product that encourages the user to purchase. The sales destination indicates the place where the product is sold. The sales destination includes, for example, a supermarket, a home improvement store, or an EC (Electronic Commerce) site in the neighborhood of Building 1. Information related to the sales destination is collected by the control unit 55 or the control unit 19 based on the residence ID, the product, and the like, for example, the information on the Internet. The sales promotion product information table T5 is generated by the data generation unit 55b of the control unit 55, for example, based on the product ID and the product received from the electric devices 10A to 10F.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the determination standard table T6 of the present embodiment. The storage unit 52 stores the determination reference table T6 as shown in FIG. The determination standard table T6 shows the determination criteria for whether or not to notify the user for each combination of the device type and the type of notification information, and the content to be notified to the user. For example, in the combination of a refrigerator and "daily goods", for example, when the special sale information which is the information for encouraging the purchase of groceries or the like can be received via the Internet, the special sale information is notified to the user. Further, for example, in the combination of the air purifier and "care", when the operation time of the air purifier is 0 hours or more, the user is notified to clean the rear panel. Further, for example, in the combination of the anhydrous cooking pot and the "option", when the number of times the anhydrous cooking pot is used is 0 times or more per week, the user is notified to purchase the inner pot which is an optional part. In addition, "◯" in the judgment standard table T6 indicates a predetermined numerical value. Further, the determination reference table T6 is stored in advance in the storage unit 52. Further, in the storage unit 12 of the electric device 10, information indicating a determination criterion related to the own machine is stored in advance.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, an outline of the notification method of the electric device system 100 of the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a notification method of the electric device system 100 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 10, among a plurality of electric devices 10, the electric devices 10D, 10F, and 10G are drawn as an example for easy understanding. The electric device 10D is an example of the "electric device for notifying the notification unit" of the present invention. The electric device 10F and the electric device 10G are examples of the "other electric device" of the present invention. Further, the electric device 10D is an example of the "first electric device" of the present invention. The electric device 10F and the electric device 10G are examples of the "second electric device" of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 10, when notifying the user of the own device information, the electric device 10D transmits the information related to the electric device 10F to the electric device 10F via the communication network 200 and the server 50. Make a request (S1). After that, the information related to the electric device 10F is transmitted to the electric device 10D via the communication network 200 and the server 50 (S2). For example, when the information is automatically transmitted from the electric device 10F to the server 50 when the information to be notified to the user is generated in the electric device 10F, the information related to the electric device 10F is stored in the server 50. .. Therefore, the electric device 10D makes a transmission request to the server 50 so as to transmit the information of the electric device 10F.

On the other hand, when the electric device 10D notifies the user of its own device information, the electric device 10D makes a transmission request to the electric device 10G so as to transmit the information related to the electric device 10G (S11). After that, the information related to the electric device 10G is transmitted to the electric device 10D (S12).

After that, when the electric device 10D notifies the user of the own device information, the electric device 10D continuously notifies the own device information and the information related to the electric device 10G.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the notification method of the electric device system 100 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 11, in order to facilitate understanding, the electric devices 10G, 10B, and 10C are drawn as an example among the plurality of electric devices 10. The electric device 10G is an example of the "electric device for notifying the notification unit" of the present invention. The electric device 10B and the electric device 10C are examples of the "other electric device" of the present invention. Further, the electric device 10G is an example of the "first electric device" of the present invention. The electric device 10B and the electric device 10C are examples of the "second electric device" of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the electric device 10G notifies the user of its own device information, the electric device 10G makes a transmission request to the electric device 10B so as to transmit the information related to the electric device 10B (S21). After that, the information related to the electric device 10B is transmitted to the electric device 10G (S22).

Further, when the electric device 10G notifies the user of its own device information, the electric device 10G makes a transmission request to the electric device 10C so as to transmit the information related to the electric device 10C (S31). After that, the information related to the electric device 10C is transmitted to the electric device 10G (S32).

After that, when the electric device 10G notifies the user of the own device information, the electric device 10G continuously notifies the own device information and the information related to the electric devices 10B and 10C.

Next, the method of notifying the electric device 10 in the electric device system 100 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a flow of a notification method for electric devices 10A to 10F in the electric device system 100 of the present embodiment. First, a method of notifying the electric devices 10A to 10F will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, in step S101, the determination unit 19a of the control unit 19 determines whether or not the criteria for notifying the user are satisfied. Specifically, when the detection unit 14 detects the use of the own machine by the user or detects the remaining amount of consumables, the detection unit 14 transmits the detection result to the control unit 19. The control unit 19 stores the received detection result in the storage unit 12. Further, the determination unit 19a determines whether or not to notify the user of the information shown in the determination reference table T6 based on the received detection result and the determination reference table T6 (see FIG. 9). When the received detection result satisfies the criteria of the determination criteria table T6, the determination unit 19a determines that the criteria to be notified to the user is satisfied. On the other hand, when the received detection result does not satisfy the criteria of the determination criteria table T6, the determination unit 19a determines that the criteria to be notified to the user is not satisfied.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S101 that the criteria for notifying the user are not satisfied, the determination in step S101 is repeated.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S101 that the criteria for notifying the user are satisfied, the process proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, the control unit 19 transmits the notification information to be notified to the user to the server 50.

In step S103, the determination unit 19a of the control unit 19 determines whether or not the notification information to be notified to the user has been received from the server 50. Specifically, the server 50 stores the broadcast information received from the control unit 19 in the storage unit 52. Further, the server 50 transmits the notification information stored in the storage unit 52 to the electric devices 10A to 10F that have transmitted the notification information to the server 50 in step S102. Further, depending on the type of the received notification information, the server 50 does not have to immediately transmit the notification information to the electric devices 10A to 10F. That is, the determination unit 55a of the server 50 may determine whether or not to transmit the notification information to the electric devices 10A to 10F based on the type of the received notification information and the like.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S103 that the notification information has not been received from the server 50, the process returns to step S101.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S103 that the broadcast information has been received from the server 50, the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S104, the control unit 19 specifies the type of received broadcast information.

In step S105, the determination unit 19a of the control unit 19 determines whether the type of the notification information is "daily goods", "maintenance", "option", "others", "driving status", "usage guidance", or "error". judge. Specifically, depending on the determination result in step S105, when the notification unit 15 is notified of the information of the own machine, the information of another machine may or may not be notified to the notification unit 15. That is, in step S105, the determination unit 19a determines whether or not to notify the other unit information to the notification unit 15 when the notification unit 15 is notified of the own unit information based on the type of the own unit information. Therefore, the control unit 19 can give an appropriate notification to the user according to the situation of the own machine.

When the type of the own machine information is a predetermined type, the control unit 19 causes the notification unit 15 to notify the information of the own machine without notifying the notification unit 15 of the information of the other machine. Therefore, it is possible to notify the user of only necessary information according to the situation of the own machine. In this embodiment, the predetermined types are "error", "operation status", and "usage guide". That is, the predetermined type indicates at least one of "error", "driving situation", and "usage guidance". Therefore, only the "error" which is relatively urgent information, the "driving status" which is the operation information of the electric device 10, and the "usage guide" which is the answer information to the user's question are given to the user. It can be notified.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 5 and the like, the type of the own machine information and the other machine information indicates at least one of "maintenance", "operation status", and "error". Therefore, the own machine information and the other machine information can be appropriately classified according to the situation of the own machine and the other machine.

Then, in step S105, if the determination unit 19a determines that the type of the notification information is "operation status", "usage guidance", or "error", the process proceeds to step S112. In other words, if the type ID of the broadcast information is "4", "5" or "6" (see FIG. 5), the process proceeds to step S112.

In this case, in step S112, the data generation unit 19b of the control unit 19 generates notification data for notifying the user based on the own machine information. That is, the data generation unit 19b generates the broadcast data based on the own machine information, not based on the other machine information.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S105 that the type of the notification information is "daily goods", "maintenance", "option", or "other", the process proceeds to step S106. In other words, if the type ID of the broadcast information is "1", "2", "3", or "7" (see FIG. 5), the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S106, the determination unit 19a of the control unit 19 determines whether or not another device is connected to the communication network 200.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S106 that another device is connected to the communication network 200, the determination unit 19a proceeds to step S107.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S106 that another device is not connected to the communication network 200, the determination unit 19a proceeds to step S108.

In step S107, the control unit 19 receives information from the server 50 of another machine to be notified to the user. Specifically, the detection result is transmitted to the server 50 also in the other machine as described in steps S101 to S103. Then, the information of the other machine to be notified to the user is stored in the server 50. In step S107, the control unit 19 receives the information of another machine stored in the server 50. As described with reference to FIG. 10, the control unit 19 may request another machine via the server 50 to transmit the notification information. In this case, the notification information already stored in the other machine may be transmitted to the server 50. Further, in this case, the detection unit 14 may newly detect and the notification information based on the new detection result may be transmitted to the server 50. Note that step S107 is an example of the "step of receiving information on other machines" of the present invention.

In step S108, the control unit 19 directly receives the broadcast information from the electric device 10G that is not connected to the server 50. That is, the control unit 19 receives the broadcast information from the electric device 10G by short-range wireless communication. Note that step S108 is an example of the "step of receiving information on other machines" of the present invention.

In step S109, the control unit 19 aggregates the received notification information of all the electric devices 10. Specifically, the data showing the broadcast information table T2 of FIG. 5 is received.

In step S110, the determination unit 19a of the control unit 19 determines whether the number of additional information to be notified is zero or one or more. In other words, the determination unit 19a determines whether the number of other machine information added to the own machine information when notifying the user is zero or one or more. At this time, in the present embodiment, when the type of the own machine information and the type of the other machine information are the same, the determination unit 19a notifies the other machine information to the notification unit 15 when the own machine information is notified to the notification unit 15. It is determined to be allowed. Therefore, it is useful for the user because the same type of information can be notified to the user.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S110 that the number of additional information to be notified is zero, the process proceeds to step S112.

In this case, in step S112, the data generation unit 19b of the control unit 19 generates notification data for notifying the user based on the own machine information. That is, the control unit 19 generates the notification data based on the own machine information, not based on the other machine information.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S110 that the number of additional information to be notified is one or more, the process proceeds to step S111.

In step S111, the control unit 19 extracts information to be additionally notified from the aggregated notification information.

In step S112, the data generation unit 19b of the control unit 19 generates notification data for notifying the user. Specifically, the data generation unit 19b adds information related to another machine extracted in step S111 to the own machine information received in step S103 to generate broadcast data. At this time, the data generation unit 19b generates the notification data indicating the own machine information and the notification data indicating the other machine information, and then connects the notification data indicating the own machine information with the notification data indicating the other machine information. Notification data for notifying the user may be generated.

In step S113, the control unit 19 causes the notification unit 15 to notify at least its own machine information based on the notification data generated in step S112. When the control unit 19 notifies the notification unit 15 of the own machine information and the other machine information, the control unit 19 continuously notifies the notification unit 15 of the own machine information and the other machine information. Note that step S113 is an example of the "step of notifying the notification unit of other machine information" of the present invention.

As described above, the processing of the electric devices 10A to 10F is completed.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a flow of a notification method of the electric device 10G in the electric device system 100 of the present embodiment. Next, a method of notifying the electric device 10G will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 13, in step S101, the determination unit 19a of the control unit 19 of the electric device 10G determines whether or not the criteria for notifying the user are satisfied.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S101 that the criteria for notifying the user are not satisfied, the determination in step S101 is repeated.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S101 that the criteria for notifying the user is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S104, the control unit 19 specifies the type of received broadcast information.

In step S105, the determination unit 19a of the control unit 19 determines whether the type of the notification information is "daily goods", "maintenance", "option", "others", "driving status", "usage guidance", or "error". judge.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S105 that the type of notification information is "operation status", "usage guidance", or "error", the process proceeds to step S112.

In this case, in step S112, the determination unit 19a generates the notification data based on the own machine information, not based on the other machine information.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S105 that the type of the notification information is "daily goods", "maintenance", "option", or "other", the process proceeds to step S108.

In step S108, the control unit 19 directly receives the broadcast information from the electric devices 10A to 10F.

In step S109, the control unit 19 aggregates the received notification information of all the electric devices 10.

In step S110, the determination unit 19a of the control unit 19 determines whether the number of additional information to be notified is zero or one or more.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S110 that the number of additional information to be notified is zero, the process proceeds to step S112.

In this case, in step S112, the data generation unit 19b of the control unit 19 generates the broadcast data based on the own machine information, not based on the other machine information.

If the determination unit 19a determines in step S110 that the number of additional information to be notified is one or more, the process proceeds to step S111.

In step S111, the control unit 19 extracts information to be additionally notified from the aggregated notification information.

In step S112, the determination unit 19a of the control unit 19 generates notification data for notifying the user. Specifically, the determination unit 19a adds information related to another machine extracted in step S111 to the own machine information detected in step S101 to generate notification data.

In step S113, the control unit 19 causes the notification unit 15 to notify at least its own machine information based on the notification data generated in step S112.

As described above, the processing of the electric device 10G is completed. The other notification method of the electric device 10G is the same as the notification method of the electric devices 10A to 10F.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented in various embodiments without departing from the gist thereof. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the plurality of components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be removed from all the components shown in the embodiments. In addition, components across different embodiments may be combined as appropriate. The drawings are schematically shown mainly for each component for easy understanding, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each of the illustrated components are actually shown for the convenience of drawing creation. May differ from. Further, the material, shape, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiment are merely examples, and are not particularly limited, and various changes can be made without substantially deviating from the effects of the present invention. be.

For example, in the above embodiment, the notification unit 15 includes an example including a sound generation unit that emits a sound, but the present invention is not limited to this. The notification unit 15 may include a display unit that displays the notification content.

Further, in the present embodiment, in step S103 of FIG. 12, an example of proceeding to step S104 when the control unit 19 receives the broadcast information from the server 50 has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. After the control unit 19 transmits the broadcast information to the server 50 in step S102, the process may proceed to step S104.

The present invention is useful in the field of electrical equipment.

10,10A-10G electrical equipment (first electrical equipment, second electrical equipment)
11 Communication unit (reception unit)
15 Notification unit 19 Control unit 100 Electrical equipment system

Claims (9)

A receiver that receives information on other equipment related to other electrical equipment that is different from your own.
An electric device including a control unit that notifies the notification unit of information on other aircraft when the notification unit is notified of information related to the own equipment. The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the notification unit to notify the information of the other machine following the information of the own machine. When the own machine information and the other machine information are related to each other, the control unit causes the other machine information to be notified to the notification unit when the own machine information is notified to the notification unit, according to claim 1 or The electrical device according to claim 2. When the user's operation related to the own machine information and the user's action related to the other machine information are related to each other, the control unit causes the other machine to notify the notification unit of the own machine information. The electric device according to claim 3, wherein the information is notified to the notification unit. When the type of the own machine information is a predetermined type, the control unit causes the notification unit to notify the information of the own machine without notifying the notification unit of the other machine information, according to claim 1. Item 2. The electric device according to any one of item 4. The electrical device according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined type indicates at least one of an error, an operating situation, and a usage guide. Further equipped with the notification unit
The electrical device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the notification unit includes a sound generation unit that emits a sound. With the first electrical equipment
A second electric device that directly or indirectly communicates with the first electric device is provided.
The first electric device is
A receiving unit that receives information related to the second electrical device,
An electric device system including a control unit that notifies the notification unit of information related to the second electric device when the notification unit is notified of information related to the first electric device. The process of receiving information on other equipment related to other electrical equipment that is different from your own equipment,
A method for notifying an electric device, which comprises a step of notifying a notification unit of information on another machine together with information on the own machine related to the own machine.

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