JP6332992B2 - REMOTE OPERATION SYSTEM, REMOTE OPERATION METHOD, DEVICE CONTROL DEVICE, ELECTRIC DEVICE, COMMUNICATION TERMINAL, MONITORING DEVICE, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention integrates a system capable of remotely confirming the status of a watched person with a system for remotely controlling various electrical devices, so that various electrical devices used by the watched person can be moved out of the watched person. The present invention relates to a remote operation system, a remote operation method, a device control device, an electrical device, a communication terminal, a monitoring device, and a computer program that can be brought into an appropriate state according to the situation.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a monitoring service system in which a person watching a person who is living remotely (a person who can be watched) can check remotely. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a system in which a plurality of monitoring sensors are arranged in the home of a person to be watched, and the situation of the person being monitored remotely via a communication network can be confirmed.

  On the other hand, there is also a conventional system that can remotely operate an electric device installed in a user's residence from outside. For example, the following Patent Document 2 discloses a system in which a robot having a communication function is arranged in a user's residence and an electric device in the residence can be remotely operated by communicating with the robot by a portable terminal from outside. Has been.

JP 2002-324291 A JP 2002-281567 A

  Since the monitoring service system and the remote operation system described above have different purposes, they have conventionally been constructed as separate systems. However, these systems have the common feature that they perform processing remotely, so that both systems basically have characteristics that are easy to fuse.

  In addition, people who are watched over are generally elderly people or people with disabilities, and tend to have difficulty operating various electrical devices. ing. Therefore, if the watcher, etc. can remotely control the various electrical equipment used in the home of the watched person as appropriate, the functions of the various electrical equipment can be appropriately extracted to improve the convenience of the watched person's life. It can be expected to improve sex.

  On the other hand, assuming that the remote control of various electrical devices is performed when the watched person is at home, it is against the intention of the watched person that the watched person feels that the electrical device has been operated without permission. Since it may be taken that an operation has been performed, it is necessary to take measures so that these situations do not occur. In addition, when the watched person goes out, it is also possible to ensure safety and power saving by appropriately turning on / off the various electrical devices used in the watched person's residence. It becomes important. In addition, the situation as described above is not only in the case of watching over the elderly and disabled persons, but also in the business of paying attention (watching) to a person who becomes a customer (corresponding to the person to be watched over). The same can be said when various electric devices provided in a facility (for example, a hotel where a guest stays) are remotely operated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is used in a residence of a person to be watched by integrating a watching service system that has been conventionally constructed as a separate system with a remote control system. A remote control system, remote control method, and equipment that allow people who watch various electrical devices to perform appropriate remote control and that the state of various electrical devices is appropriate when the watched person goes out It is an object to provide a control device, an electric device, a communication terminal, a monitoring device, and a computer program.

  In order to solve the above problems, a remote control system according to the present invention includes a monitoring device that monitors a situation related to a watched person and transmits it to a server, and an electrical device related to the watched person based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. In the remote operation system including the device control device capable of performing control, the watching device is capable of accepting the setting of going out of the person to be watched, and when the setting of going out is accepted, Means for transmitting a notification to the monitoring server, and the monitoring server comprises means for transmitting, to the device control device, the fact that the person being watched is out when receiving a notification of going out from the monitoring device, the device control When the device receives a notification that the person being watched is out of the monitoring server, the device receives the operation instruction even if it receives the operation instruction from the external communication terminal. Characterized in that it does not perform the control of electrical equipment based.

  The remote operation system according to the present invention controls a monitoring device that monitors a situation related to a watched person and transmits it to the server, and an electric device related to the watched person based on operation instructions received from a plurality of external communication terminals, respectively. In the remote control system including the device control device capable of monitoring, the watching device is capable of accepting the setting of going out of the person being watched over, and the watch-out notification is monitored when the setting of going out is accepted. Means for transmitting to the server, and the monitoring server includes means for transmitting to the device control device that the watched person has gone out when receiving a notification of going out from the monitoring device, and the device control device Storing information indicating identification information for identifying an external communication terminal capable of remotely operating an electric device when a person is out of the office. Whether or not the external communication terminal related to the received identification information can be remotely operated when receiving an operation instruction and identification information from an external communication terminal in the case of receiving a notice of the person going out from Provided with means for determining based on the stored information, and when it is determined that the external communication terminal related to the received identification information is not remotely operable, the electric device is not controlled based on the operation instruction received together with the identification information It is characterized by.

  The remote operation system according to the present invention can monitor a situation relating to a watched person and transmit it to a server, and control electrical equipment related to the watched person based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. In the remote operation system including the device control device, the watching device is capable of accepting the setting of going out of the person being watched over, and transmits the outing notice to the watching server when the setting of going out is accepted. And when the watch server receives a notification of going out from the watch device, the watch server comprises means for sending a notice of going out of the person being watched to the device control device. When an instruction to turn off the electrical device is received from an external communication terminal when the watched person is out of the office, the electrical device Means for detecting whether or not the power is on, and means for determining whether or not the time associated with going out of the person being watched has passed the reference time when the electrical device is detected to be in the power on state; Means for not performing control to switch off a power-on electrical device based on the operation instruction to turn off the power when it is determined that the time required for going out of the watched person has not passed the reference time It is characterized by providing.

  In the remote operation system according to the present invention, when the device control device determines that the time required for the watched person to go out has passed a reference time, the power control device is turned on based on an operation instruction to turn off the power. Means is provided for performing control for switching the device to power off.

  The remote operation system according to the present invention can monitor a situation relating to a watched person and transmit it to a server, and control electrical equipment related to the watched person based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. In the remote operation system including the device control device, the watching device is capable of accepting the setting of going out of the person being watched over, and transmits the outing notice to the watching server when the setting of going out is accepted. The monitoring server includes means for transmitting, to the device control device, the fact that the person being watched has gone out when receiving a notification of going out from the monitoring device. The remote operation availability table that defines whether or not remote operation is possible and the fact that the watched server is out of the person being watched by the external communication terminal When the operation instruction is received, a means for determining whether or not the operation content related to the received operation instruction is remotely operable based on the remote operation availability table, and the operation content related to the received operation instruction is not remotely operable And a means for not controlling the electric device based on the received operation instruction.

In the remote operation system according to the present invention, when the device control apparatus does not control the electric device based on the operation instruction received from the external communication terminal, the remote control system is associated with the reception date and time of the operation instruction. Means is provided for performing processing for storing the fact that the control has not been performed.
In the remote operation system according to the present invention, when the device control apparatus does not control the electrical device based on the operation instruction received from the external communication terminal, the remote operation system cannot remotely operate the external communication terminal that has transmitted the operation instruction. It is characterized by having a means to transmit that.

In the remote operation system according to the present invention, when the device control device does not control the electrical device based on the operation instruction received from the external communication terminal, the remote control system does not control the electrical device to a predetermined notification destination. It is characterized by providing a means to transmit.
In the remote operation system according to the present invention, the monitoring device has a display panel, and the device control device does not control the electric device based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. It is characterized by comprising means for outputting the fact that the control is not performed so as to be displayed on the display panel of the watching device.

  The remote operation method according to the present invention is based on a monitoring device capable of watching a situation related to a watched person and transmitting it to the server and accepting the watched person's outing setting, and an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. In a remote operation method for remotely operating an electrical device with a remote control system including a device control device capable of controlling the electrical device related to the person, the monitoring device is configured to accept the setting for going out. Transmitting a notification of going out to the monitoring server, and the monitoring server includes a step of transmitting to the device control device that the person being watched is out when receiving the notification of going out from the monitoring device, When the device control device receives an instruction to go out of the person being watched from the watch server, even if it receives an operation instruction from an external communication terminal, Characterized in that it comprises a step that does not perform control of the electrical device based on the signal to the operation instruction.

  The remote operation method according to the present invention includes a monitoring device capable of watching a situation related to a watched person and transmitting to the server and accepting the watched person's outing setting, and an operation instruction received from each of a plurality of external communication terminals. In a remote operation method for remotely operating an electrical device with a remote control system comprising a device control device capable of controlling an electrical device related to a person to be watched based on the monitoring device, the monitoring device has received an outing setting Along with this, the step of transmitting an outing notice to the watching server includes the step of transmitting, to the device control device, the fact that the person being watched is out when receiving the outing notice from the watching device. The device control device includes identification information for identifying an external communication terminal capable of remotely operating an electrical device when a watched person is out Information is stored, and when receiving an operation instruction and identification information from an external communication terminal in the case of receiving a notice of going out of the person being watched from the monitoring server, an external communication terminal related to the received identification information Determining whether or not the remote communication is possible based on the stored information and the operation instruction received together with the identification information when it is determined that the external communication terminal related to the received identification information is not remotely operable And a step of not controlling the electric device based on the above.

  The remote operation method according to the present invention is based on a monitoring device capable of watching a situation related to a watched person and transmitting it to the server and accepting the watched person's outing setting, and an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. In a remote operation method for remotely operating an electrical device with a remote control system including a device control device capable of controlling the electrical device related to the person, the monitoring device is configured to accept the setting for going out. Transmitting a notification of going out to the monitoring server, and the monitoring server includes a step of transmitting to the device control device that the person being watched is out when receiving the notification of going out from the monitoring device, The device control device turns off the electrical device from an external communication terminal when receiving a notice of going out of the person being watched from the watch server. When the operation instruction is received, the step of detecting whether or not the electrical device is in a power-on state, and the time when the watched person goes out is a reference when it is detected that the electrical device is in a power-on state. A step of determining whether or not the time has passed, and if it is determined that the time required for going out of the watched person has not passed the reference time, the power-on state electric power is turned on based on the operation instruction to turn off the power. And a step of not performing control to switch off the device.

  In the remote operation method according to the present invention, when the device control apparatus determines that the time required for going out of the watched person has passed a reference time, the power supply is turned on based on the operation instruction to turn off the power. It is characterized by comprising a step of performing control to switch off the device.

  The remote operation method according to the present invention is based on a monitoring device capable of watching a situation related to a watched person and transmitting it to the server and accepting the watched person's outing setting, and an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. A remote operation system that can control an electrical device related to a person and includes a device control device having a remote operation availability table that defines whether or not remote operation is possible for each operation content. In the remote operation method, the monitoring device includes a step of transmitting an outing notification to the monitoring server in response to accepting the setting of going out, and the monitoring server receives the outing notification from the monitoring device. A step of transmitting to the device control device that the person being watched is out, and the device control device sees from the monitoring server. When the operation instruction is received from the external communication terminal in the case of receiving the notification that the person is out, whether or not the operation content related to the received operation instruction is remotely operable is determined based on the remote operation availability table. And a step of not controlling the electrical device based on the received operation instruction when it is determined that the operation content related to the received operation instruction is not remotely operable.

  An apparatus control apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus control apparatus capable of controlling an electric device based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. When received, even if an operation instruction is received from an external communication terminal, the electric device is not controlled based on the received operation instruction.

  An apparatus control apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus control apparatus capable of controlling an electric apparatus based on an operation instruction received from each of a plurality of external communication terminals. Stores information that identifies identification information that identifies external communication terminals that can be remotely operated, and operates from an external communication terminal when an external server is informed that a person related to the electrical device has gone out. When receiving the instruction and identification information, the external communication terminal according to the received identification information is provided with means for determining whether or not the external communication terminal related to the received identification information is remotely operable based on the stored information. When it is determined that the terminal cannot be remotely operated, the electric device is not controlled based on the operation instruction received together with the identification information.

  An apparatus control apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus control apparatus capable of controlling an electric device based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. When receiving an operation instruction to turn off the electric device from an external communication terminal, a means for detecting whether the electric device is in a power-on state, and an electric device in the power-on state. When it is detected that there is a means for determining whether or not the reference time has passed the reference time, and an operation to turn off the power when it is determined that the reference time has not passed the reference time And means for not performing control to switch off an electric device in a power-on state based on an instruction.

  The device control device according to the present invention is a device control device capable of controlling an electric device based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. Whether or not an operation instruction related to the received operation instruction is remote-controllable when an operation instruction is received from an external communication terminal when an external server receives a notification that the person related to the electrical device has gone out Means for determining whether or not the operation content related to the received operation instruction is remote operation, and means for not controlling the electric device based on the received operation instruction. It is characterized by providing.

  The electrical device according to the present invention is an electrical device having a remote operation means capable of performing control on its own operation based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. When receiving an out-of-office notification, even if an operation instruction is received from an external communication terminal, control of the own device operation is not performed based on the received operation instruction.

  An electrical device according to the present invention is an electrical device having remote operation means capable of controlling the operation of the device based on operation instructions received from a plurality of external communication terminals. Information indicating identification information for identifying an external communication terminal that can be remotely controlled is stored, and when an external server is informed that a person related to the electrical device has gone out, from an external communication terminal When an operation instruction and identification information are received, the external communication terminal according to the received identification information is provided with means for determining whether or not the external communication terminal is remotely operable based on the stored information. When it is determined that the communication terminal cannot be remotely operated, control of the own device operation is not performed based on the operation instruction received together with the identification information.

  The electrical device according to the present invention is an electrical device having a remote operation means capable of performing control on its own operation based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. Means for detecting whether or not the device is in a power-on state when receiving an operation instruction for powering off the electrical device from an external communication terminal when receiving an out-of-office message, and a power-on state Means to determine whether or not the reference time has passed the reference time, and to turn off the power when it is determined that the reference time has not passed the reference time And a unit that does not perform control to switch the power-on state of the own device to the power-off state based on the operation instruction.

  The electrical device according to the present invention defines whether or not a remote operation is possible for each operation content in an electrical device having a remote operation means capable of controlling the own device operation based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. When the remote operation availability table and an external server indicate that a person related to the electrical device has gone out, when the operation instruction is received from an external communication terminal, the operation content related to the received operation instruction can be remotely operated If it is determined that the content of the operation related to the received operation instruction is not remotely operable, the control of the own device operation is performed based on the received operation instruction. And means for not performing.

  A communication terminal according to the present invention is a communication terminal that transmits an operation instruction to any one of a plurality of external device control devices capable of controlling an electric device based on the operation instruction. A means for displaying a menu screen capable of accepting selection of any one of the corresponding transmission destinations, and an external device control apparatus related to the transmission destination that accepted the selection when the selection of the transmission destination is accepted on the menu screen Means for transmitting an operation instruction to the device.

  A communication terminal according to the present invention is a communication terminal that transmits an operation instruction to an external device control apparatus capable of performing control of any of a plurality of electric devices based on the operation instruction. A means for displaying a menu screen capable of accepting selection of any of a plurality of electrical devices to be performed, and when an electrical device selection is accepted on the menu screen, an operation instruction for the electrical device that has accepted the selection is transmitted. And means for performing.

  The communication terminal according to the present invention includes a means for displaying a menu screen capable of accepting selection of one of operation types of an electric device controlled by an external device control device, and selecting the operation type on the menu screen. And a means for transmitting an operation instruction corresponding to the type of operation for which the selection has been received.

  The communication terminal according to the present invention comprises means for receiving an operation result for the transmitted operation instruction from an external device control device and means for displaying the received operation result, and the operation result is incapable of remote operation. Information including that remote control is not possible is displayed.

  The monitoring device according to the present invention is a monitoring device that monitors a situation related to a person to be watched and transmits to the server, a means for receiving a setting for going out of the person being watched, and a notification of going out in response to receiving the setting for going out. Means for transmitting to the watching server, means for acquiring a remote operation result of the electrical device relating to the person being watched during the setting of going out, means for receiving the setting release of the watched person, and accepting the setting release of the going out And a means for outputting the obtained remote operation result.

  A computer program according to the present invention causes a computer having communication means and capable of performing control processing of electrical equipment to perform control processing of electrical equipment based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal through the communication means. In the computer program for receiving the operation instruction received from the external communication terminal when the computer receives from the external server that the person related to the electrical device is out through the communication means. It is made to function as a means which does not perform the control process of an electric equipment based on the instruction | indication.

  The computer program according to the present invention has communication means and stores information representing identification information for identifying an external communication terminal capable of remotely operating the electric device when the person related to the electric device is out of the office to control the electric device In a computer program for causing a computer capable of performing processing to perform control processing of electrical equipment based on an operation instruction received from a plurality of external communication terminals through the communication means, the computer from an external server, When an operation instruction and identification information are received from an external communication terminal in the case where it is received through the communication means that a person related to the electrical device has gone out, the external communication terminal related to the received identification information can be remotely operated. Means for determining whether or not based on the stored information and an external communication terminal related to the received identification information If it is determined that the disabled, characterized in that to function as a means that does not perform control processing of the electrical device based on the received operation instruction together with the identification information.

  A computer program according to the present invention causes a computer having communication means and capable of performing control processing of electrical equipment to perform control processing of electrical equipment based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal through the communication means. An operation for turning off the electrical device from an external communication terminal when the computer receives from the external server that the person involved in the electrical device has gone out through the communication means. When the instruction is received, a means for detecting whether or not the electric device is in a power-on state, and if it is detected that the electric device is in a power-on state, whether or not the reference time has passed the reference time Means for determining whether or not to turn off the power when it is determined that the time required for going out has not passed the reference time Characterized in that to serve as a means that does not perform control for switching to power-off the electrical device power on state based on the work instruction.

  The computer program according to the present invention includes a communication unit and a remote operation availability table that defines whether or not remote operation is possible for each operation content of the electrical device, and the computer program capable of performing control processing of the electrical device includes: In a computer program for performing control processing of an electrical device based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal through a communication unit, the fact that a person related to the electrical device has gone out is received from the external server through the communication unit. In this case, when receiving an operation instruction from an external communication terminal, means for performing processing for determining whether or not the operation content related to the received operation instruction is remotely operable based on the remote operation availability table; If it is determined that the operation content related to the operated instruction is not remotely operable, the control processing of the electric device is performed based on the received operation instruction. Characterized in that to function as no means.

  A computer program according to the present invention causes a computer having communication means to perform a process of transmitting an operation instruction to any one of a plurality of external device control devices capable of controlling an electric device based on the operation instruction. In the computer program, the computer performs processing for displaying a menu screen capable of accepting selection of any one of the transmission destinations according to a plurality of external device control devices, and the transmission destination on the menu screen. When the selection is received, it is made to function as a means for performing a process of transmitting an operation instruction to the external device control apparatus related to the transmission destination receiving the selection through the communication means.

  A computer program according to the present invention causes a computer having communication means to perform a process of transmitting an operation instruction to an external device control apparatus capable of controlling any one of a plurality of electric devices based on the operation instruction. In the computer program, means for displaying a menu screen capable of accepting selection of any of a plurality of electrical devices controlled by an external device control device; When the selection of the device is received, the device functions as a unit that performs a process of transmitting an operation instruction for the electrical device that has received the selection.

  A computer program according to the present invention is a computer program for causing a computer having communication means to perform a process of transmitting an operation instruction to an external device control apparatus capable of controlling an electric device based on the operation instruction. Means for performing a process of displaying a menu screen capable of accepting a selection of one of operation types of an electric device controlled by an external device control device, and when accepting selection of an operation type on the menu screen, It is characterized by functioning as means for performing a process of transmitting an operation instruction corresponding to the operation type for which selection has been accepted.

  A computer program according to the present invention is a computer program for causing a computer having communication means to perform processing for transmitting a situation relating to a person to be watched to an external watch server through the communication means. Means for receiving a setting for going out, means for transmitting a notification of going out to the watching server through the communication means in response to accepting the setting for going out, and watching during setting of going out of the watched person A means for performing processing to acquire the remote operation result of the electrical device related to the person, a means for performing processing for accepting the release setting of the person to be watched, and outputting the acquired remote operation result when receiving the setting cancellation of the outing It is made to function as a means to perform the process to perform.

  In the present invention, a system is constructed so that control of electrical equipment related to the watched person can be remotely operated using the equipment control device, and further, if the watched person sets out for the watch device, Since the watch device and the watch server that perform processing related to the watch perform processing in cooperation with each other, the device control device is notified of the watched person's going out, so the device control device can grasp that the watched person goes out. It becomes like this. In addition, if the watched person is out, the electrical equipment of the watched person need not basically be operated, so the device control can be performed from an external communication terminal used by the watcher due to an error of the watcher, etc. Even if an operation instruction is transmitted to the device, the device control apparatus does not control the electric device in accordance with the operation instruction, so that it is possible to ensure safety for the electric device and avoid wasteful power consumption. It becomes like this.

  In the present invention, a system is constructed so that control of electrical equipment related to the watched person can be remotely operated using the equipment control device, and remote control is possible if the watched person is out. Since the determination to distinguish the external communication terminal is performed, only the external communication terminal capable of remote operation can perform remote operation while the person being watched is out. For this reason, the communication terminal of the family who knows the situation of the watched person best among the watched persons can perform remote control while the watched person is out, but other watched persons (for example, contracting a watch service) From the communication terminal of the watch operator, etc.), it is possible to realize the operation that remote control is not possible if the watched person is out, and safety is ensured for remote control while the watched person is out. At the same time, it is possible to construct a system according to the actual situation of the person being watched over.

  In the present invention, a system is constructed so that control of electrical equipment related to the watched person can be remotely operated using the equipment control device, and when the watched person goes out, the process from going out If the time does not exceed the reference time, even if an operation instruction to turn off the power is received, the power-off control based on the operation instruction is not performed. When the device is in the power-on state, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the electric device is erroneously switched off from the outside.

  In the present invention, when the person being watched is out, the electrical equipment is in a power-on state, and when the operation instruction to turn off the power is given to the electrical equipment, Since it is assumed that the user has forgotten to turn off the power of the device, in such a case, the power is turned off according to the power-off operation instruction, and the power-on state of the electric device can be monitored. It becomes possible to avoid the situation where the person continues while going out by remote control.

  In the present invention, after constructing a system so that the control of the electrical equipment related to the watched person can be remotely operated using the equipment control device, if the watched person is out, from the external communication terminal If it is determined that the contents of the received operation instruction can be remotely operated, and if it is determined that remote operation is not possible, the electric device is not controlled based on the received operation instruction. If it is in the middle, the operation content that can be remotely operated can be limited to the operation content that is defined as being remotely operable in the remote operation availability table. Therefore, if the remote operation permission / inhibition table is operated in a safe direction (for example, a power-off operation), the remote operation is defined as being remotely operable. It is possible to ensure safety against remote operation by the communication terminal.

  In the present invention, when the control of the electric device is not performed in response to the operation instruction from the external electric device, the fact that the control of the electric device is not performed is stored in association with the date and time. When a person returns from the office, he / she confirms that the operation instruction has been received from an external electrical device while he / she is out and that the electrical device has not been controlled in response to the operation instruction. You will be able to do it, and people who can watch the situation on the go will be able to confirm and get a sense of security.

  In the present invention, even if an external communication terminal transmits an operation instruction, if the device control apparatus does not control the electric device, the device control apparatus indicates that the external communication terminal cannot be remotely operated. Since the data is transmitted, a person who watches the external communication terminal can confirm that the remote operation of the electric device is not possible. For this reason, if it can be confirmed that remote operation is not possible, the watcher will refrain from sending an operation instruction from an external communication terminal to the device control apparatus. It can be prevented from occurring.

  In the present invention, when the device control device does not control the electric device based on the operation instruction from the external communication terminal, it transmits to the predetermined notification destination that the electric device is not controlled. Other than the external communication terminal, the person being watched can check the status of the electrical equipment in the house when it is out, and convenience can be improved. In addition, as a predetermined notification destination, a portable communication terminal possessed by a watched person who is out, a portable communication terminal owned by the watcher, and the like are conceivable.

  In the present invention, since it is displayed on the display panel of the device to watch that the electrical equipment has not been performed based on the operation instruction from the external communication terminal received while the person being watched is out, it is possible to watch the home from home. A person can confirm that there has been an operation instruction from an external electric device while going out on the display panel of the monitoring device, and that the electric device has not been controlled in response to the operation instruction.

  In the present invention, the communication terminal that transmits the operation instruction to the device control apparatus displays a menu screen for designating the operation instruction transmission destination from among the plurality of apparatus control apparatuses, and thus becomes the operation instruction transmission destination. Even when there are a plurality of device control devices, an operation instruction can be easily transmitted to a desired device control device simply by performing a selection operation on the menu screen.

  In the present invention, the communication terminal that transmits the operation instruction to the device control apparatus displays a menu screen for selecting which of the plurality of electric devices to specify the operation instruction. Even if there are multiple devices, it is possible to easily send operation instructions for the desired electrical device to the device control device by simply selecting the desired electrical device on the menu screen. It will be possible to control the device remotely.

  In the present invention, the communication terminal that transmits the operation instruction to the device control apparatus displays a menu screen for selecting which of the plurality of operations for the electric device is to be designated. Even if the electrical device becomes capable of various operations, it is possible to send an operation instruction specifying the desired operation type to the device control device by simply selecting the desired operation type on the menu screen as appropriate. Thus, an operation instruction specifying an operation intended by a person operating the communication terminal (for example, a person watching) can be smoothly transmitted.

  In the present invention, when the communication terminal transmits an operation instruction to the device control device, the operation result for the operation instruction is received from the device control device and displayed, so that a person operating the communication terminal (for example, a person watching) ) Can confirm the operation result for the remote operation instruction at any time, and feedback regarding the operation can be obtained even in the remote operation.

  In the present invention, when the watching device accepts the setting for going out, the watch-out notification is watched and transmitted to the server, so that it is possible to start each processing related to remote operation using it as a trigger. Can be integrated with the system related to remote control. In addition, since the monitoring device outputs the result of the remote operation when accepting the cancellation of the setting for going out, the person being watched over can easily check the status of the remote operation while going out on the display panel of the device. .

  In the present invention, since the monitoring device or the like performs cooperation processing with the system related to the remote operation, the device control device can grasp the outside of the person being watched over, and while the watched person is out, the outside of the watcher or the like Even if the operation instruction is received from the communication terminal, it is possible to prevent the electric device from being operated unnecessarily, and to ensure the safety and power saving of the electric device while the watched person is out.

  In the present invention, since the monitoring device or the like performs cooperation processing with the system related to the remote operation, the device control device can grasp the going out of the person being watched over, and can be remotely operated while the watched person is out. It is possible to perform remote control only from a specific external communication terminal, so that the remote control is limited to only those who can be trusted by the watched person while they are out. Operation is possible, and a user-friendly remote operation system can be provided.

  In the present invention, since the monitoring device or the like performs cooperation processing with the system related to the remote operation, the device control device can grasp the person who is being watched, and the power of the power off state can be obtained while the watched person is out. Even if an operation instruction is given to the device, if the elapsed time since going out does not exceed the reference time, the power-off control based on the operation instruction is not performed. There is no need to turn it off, and when a watched person intentionally turns off the electrical device for a certain period of time after going out, the situation where the electrical device is accidentally switched off from the outside. Can be avoided.

  In the present invention, there is an electrical device that is in a power-on state when the elapsed time from going out of the person being watched exceeds a reference time, and there is an operation instruction to turn off the power to the electrical device. In this way, it is controlled to turn off the electric device, so by waiting until the reference time elapses from going out, it is ensured that the watched person forgot to turn off the electric device and went out. Therefore, the electric device can be turned off, and the power of the electric device can be turned off after sufficiently confirming the intention of the person being watched over.

  In the present invention, since the monitoring device or the like performs cooperation processing with the system related to the remote operation, the device control device can grasp the going out of the person being watched, and while the watched person is going out, from the external communication terminal Based on the remote operation availability table, it is determined whether the content of the operation instruction is remotely operable, and if it is determined that remote operation is not possible, control of the electrical device based on the received operation instruction is not performed. The contents of the remote operation while the person being watched is out can be restricted by the contents of the remote control availability table, and the contents that can be remotely operated according to the actual situation while the person being watched is out can be freely set in the remote control availability table.

  In the present invention, when the control of the electric device is not performed in response to the operation instruction from the external electric device, the fact that the control of the electric device is not performed is stored in association with the date and time. A person can confirm when an operation instruction has been received from an external electrical device while going out, and that the electrical device has not been controlled in response to the operation instruction. It can contribute to gaining a sense of security for those who are sure to watch over.

  In the present invention, even if an external communication terminal transmits an operation instruction, if the device control apparatus does not control the electric device, the device control apparatus indicates that the external communication terminal cannot be remotely operated. Since it is transmitted, the person watching the operation of the external communication terminal can confirm that the remote operation of the electric device is not possible and refrains from sending an operation instruction any more, so the device control device is useless. It is possible to prevent the operation instruction from being received, and to reduce the processing load related to the operation instruction reception of the device control apparatus.

  In the present invention, when the device control device does not control the electric device based on the operation instruction from the external communication terminal, it transmits to the predetermined notification destination that the electric device is not controlled. Aside from an external communication terminal, the person being watched can check the status of the electrical equipment in the residence where he / she is out, and the convenience of the person being watched can be improved.

  In the present invention, since it is displayed on the display panel of the device to watch that the electrical equipment has not been performed based on the operation instruction from the external communication terminal received while the person being watched is out, it is possible to watch the home from home. A person can easily confirm that there is an operation instruction from an external electric device while going out on the display panel of the monitoring device and that the electric device is not controlled in response to the operation instruction. It is communicated to those who can watch the situation reliably.

  In the present invention, the communication terminal that transmits the operation instruction to the device control apparatus displays a menu screen for designating the operation instruction transmission destination from among the plurality of apparatus control apparatuses, and thus becomes the operation instruction transmission destination. Even when there are multiple device control devices, you can easily send an operation instruction to the desired device control device simply by performing a selection operation on the menu screen, reducing the operation burden when sending an operation instruction from an external communication terminal. I can plan.

  In the present invention, the communication terminal that transmits the operation instruction to the device control apparatus displays a menu screen for selecting which of the plurality of electric devices to specify the operation instruction. Even if there are multiple devices, simply select the desired electrical device on the menu screen, and you can easily send operation instructions for the desired electrical device to the device control device. it can.

  In the present invention, the communication terminal that transmits the operation instruction to the device control apparatus displays a menu screen for selecting which of the plurality of operations for the electric device is to be designated. Even if the electrical device becomes capable of various operations, it is possible to send an operation instruction specifying the desired operation type to the device control device by simply selecting the desired operation type on the menu screen, An operation instruction specifying the operation content intended by the person operating the communication terminal can be reliably transmitted.

  In the present invention, if the communication terminal transmits an operation instruction to the device control device, the operation result for the operation instruction is received from the device control device and displayed. The operation result for the instruction can be confirmed at any time, and a constant operation feedback can be obtained even by remote operation.

  In the present invention, when the watching device accepts the setting for going out, the watch-out notification is watched and transmitted to the server, so that it is possible to start each processing related to remote operation using it as a trigger. Can be integrated with the system related to remote operation, and the monitoring device outputs the result of the remote operation when accepting the release of the setting for going out. Can be easily confirmed as the setting for going out is canceled.

It is the schematic which shows the whole structure of the remote control system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the main internal structures of a television apparatus (watching apparatus). (A) is the schematic which shows a question screen, (b) is the schematic which shows an answer screen. (A) is the schematic which shows an information screen, (b) is the schematic which shows an outing setting completion screen. It is a block diagram which shows the main internal structures of an electric equipment (air conditioner). It is a block diagram which shows the main internal structures of a monitoring apparatus. It is a chart which shows an apparatus table. It is a chart which shows a communication terminal table. It is a chart which shows an operation log table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the remote operation content at the time of going home and going out of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the main internal structures of a monitoring server. It is a chart which shows user DB. It is a chart which shows daily answer DB. It is a chart which shows person DB to watch. It is the schematic which shows the outline | summary of a top page screen. (A) is the schematic which shows a watch summary screen, (b) is the schematic which shows a detail screen. It is the schematic which shows the other example of a watching summary screen. It is a block diagram which shows the main internal structures of an operator terminal. It is a chart which shows a remote operation table. (A) is a schematic diagram showing a user selection menu, (b) is a schematic diagram showing an operation selection menu. It is the schematic which shows an apparatus selection menu. It is a block diagram which shows the main internal structures of the portable communication terminal of the person who watches. It is a block diagram which shows the main internal structures of a person's portable terminal watched over. It is a 1st flowchart which shows the process sequence which concerns on going-out setting in a remote operation method. It is a 2nd flowchart which shows the main process procedures of the remote control method. It is a 3rd flowchart which shows the process sequence which concerns on the going-out cancellation | release in a remote operation method. (A) and (b) are the schematic which shows the display screen of the communication terminal according to completion of remote operation, (c) is the schematic which shows the display screen according to remote operation impossible. It is the schematic which shows the notification that the remote operation was completed. (A) is a schematic diagram showing a notification that remote control is impossible, and (b) is a schematic diagram showing an example of a notification information screen indicating that remote control is rejected while going out. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the monitoring apparatus of a modification. (A) is the schematic which shows the external appearance of a communication terminal device, (b) is a block diagram which shows the main internal structures of a communication terminal device. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the air conditioner of a modification. It is a 4th flowchart which shows the process sequence of the remote operation method of a modification. It is a 5th flowchart which shows the process sequence which concerns on the going out setting of the modification in a remote control method. It is a 6th flowchart which shows the process sequence which concerns on going-out cancellation of the modification in a remote control method. It is the schematic which shows the user selection menu of a modification. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the remote operation content at the time of being at home and going out of 2nd Embodiment. It is a chart which shows the communication terminal table of 2nd Embodiment. It is a 7th flowchart which shows the principal part of the process sequence of the remote control method which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the remote operation content at the time of going home and going out of 3rd Embodiment. It is an 8th flowchart which shows the process sequence of the remote control method which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the remote operation content at the time of going home and going out of 4th Embodiment. It is a graph which shows the remote operation availability table which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a 9th flowchart which shows the process sequence of the remote control method which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

  FIG. 1 shows a remote control system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is a combination of a system related to remote operation and a system for remotely monitoring a person (for example, a watching system), and is a device control apparatus 30 that plays a central role in the remote operation system 1. (Installed in the house H1 etc.) is an external server (monitoring server 50 in this embodiment) used in a system for remotely monitoring people, a monitoring device (equivalent to the television device 10 installed in the house H1), etc. The feature is that the remote operation of the electric equipment can be performed properly by performing the processing in cooperation with.

  The remote operation system 1 according to the present embodiment uses a hardware configuration of a monitoring system that provides a monitoring service, and corresponds to a monitoring device installed in the house H1 for the situation of the person M to be monitored who lives in the house H1. When the person M to be watched by the television apparatus 10 makes a setting for going out, the equipment control apparatus installed in the house H1 via the watch server 50. 30, and by the cooperation processing of the television device 10 and the watch server 50, the device control device 30 can grasp whether or not the watched person is out.

  The device control device 30 performs various controls of a plurality of electric devices (the air conditioner 2, the recorder 3, the lighting fixture 4, the washing machine 5, etc.) installed in the house H1, and receives operation instructions from an external communication terminal. When it is received, an operation command based on the operation instruction is generated and sent to the electric device to be remotely operated to control the electric device, thereby enabling remote operation of each electric device from the outside.

  As an external communication terminal in the present embodiment, an operator terminal 70 used by an operator OP related to a watching service contracted by a watched person M, a mobile communication terminal 80 used by a family K living away from the watched person M, and the like. Is applicable. The operator terminal 70 and the mobile communication terminal 80 can appropriately check the situation of the watched person M acquired by the watch server 50 from the watch device (TV device 10), whereby the operator OP and the family K corresponding to the watch person can The situation of the person M who can be monitored remotely can be confirmed. In addition, the operator OP or the family K who lives away can transmit operation instructions for each electrical device related to the person M to be watched to the above-described device control device 30 through the operator terminal 70 or the portable communication terminal 80. It can be operated remotely by a person M who watches over each electric device, and the functions of each electric device are operated appropriately so that the person M who can watch the convenience of each electric device can enjoy it. Yes.

  The monitoring server 50 is managed by a company that provides a monitoring service. In addition to the house H1, the monitoring server 50 also obtains the status of a person to be watched in other houses H2, H3, Hn, etc. Provide a watch service to each watched person. In the present embodiment, the remote operation service is an optional service of the watching service, and a user who wants to use the remote operation service in addition to the watching service (a person to be watched) is indicated by the house H1. Similarly, the device control device 30 and the electric device to be remotely operated are installed in their own houses H2, H3, Hn and the like.

  Also, the person being watched may go out of the houses H1 to Hn. For example, when the person M to be watched by the house H1 goes out, he / she carries the portable terminal 100. FIG. 1 is merely an example of the present invention, and the number of electrical devices controlled by the device control device 30 can be one to a plurality. Of course, it is not limited to two members of the family K, and it is possible to apply one or a plurality of watching people (for example, watching a person watched by two family members or two relatives). Hereinafter, each device, device, and the like related to the remote operation system 1 and their processing contents will be sequentially described.

  FIG. 2 shows an outline of the main internal configuration of the television device 10 corresponding to the watching device installed in the house H1 of the person M to be watched. The television device 10 has a function as a watching device in addition to the original television function, and includes a preprocessing unit 11, a decoding unit 12, an infrared processing unit 13, a control unit 14, a memory 15, The operation unit 16, the communication unit 17, the display output processing unit 18a, the audio output processing unit 18b, and the like are connected by an internal connection line L. Each of these units 11 and the like transmits and receives signals to and from the control unit 14 through the internal connection line L. Each unit 11 and the like transmit a signal indicating the current processing status and the like to the control unit 14, and the control unit 14 transmits each signal to each unit 11. The current processing status is grasped from the processing status and the like transmitted from the etc., and a control signal for controlling the processing to be performed next is sent to each unit 11 according to the grasped status.

  The preprocessing unit 11 relates to a television function, and includes a tuner unit, an A / D conversion unit, a quadrature detection unit, an FFT unit, and a demodulation unit, and receives an RF signal (digital broadcast signal) acquired by an antenna. The input signal is subjected to predetermined processing to demodulate the transport stream (TS) and transmitted to the decoding unit 12 that performs the next processing. The decoding unit 12 also relates to the television function. The decoding unit 12 performs a decoding process on the transport stream demodulated by the preprocessing unit 11 and separates it into video, audio, and other data. A video decoding process is performed and output to the display output processing unit 18a, and an audio decoding process is performed on the separated audio stream and output to the audio output processing unit 18b.

  The display output processing unit 18a performs processing necessary for predetermined video display to generate a video signal, and outputs the generated video signal to the display panel 10a disposed on the front surface of the television device 10, thereby the display panel 10a displays and outputs a broadcast video such as a broadcast program. The audio output processing unit 18b performs predetermined processing necessary for audio output such as amplification to generate an audio signal, and outputs the generated audio signal to the speaker 10b disposed on the front surface of the television device 10. Then, various sounds are output from the speaker 10c.

  Further, there are an infrared processing unit 13 and an operation unit 16 as a part related to the user interface system in the television apparatus 10. The infrared processing unit 13 performs communication processing (signal / data transmission / reception processing) in accordance with a well-known infrared standard (for example, each IrDA-based standard), and basically a remote controller that receives operations from the user. A process of receiving infrared light including an operation signal emitted from the device 19 and transmitting it to the control unit 14 is performed. The remote control device 19 has a power button switch for switching the power on / off of the television device 10, and includes numeric buttons, up / down / left / right keys, a determination button, a volume adjustment key, a channel switching key, In addition to a question request button, a return button, an end button, a menu button, etc., a total of four color buttons (blue button, red button, green button, yellow button) and the like are provided. When an operation from the user is accepted by each of these buttons and switches, an infrared ray indicating the content of the accepted operation is emitted from the remote control device 19.

  The operation unit 16 is a user interface provided on the casing of the television device 10 and includes a volume switch button, a channel switch button, an input switch button, and the like in addition to the power button 16a for switching power on / off. ing.

  Note that the power-off (power-off state) in the present invention does not mean a state where the power supply is completely cut off, but means that the television apparatus 10 enters a standby state. The processing unit 13, the control unit 14, the communication unit 17, etc. are kept activated (power supply to other parts is stopped), and these units 13, 14, 17, etc. are predetermined even when the power is off. Can be processed. In addition, the power-on operation in the present invention means that the “power button” of the remote control device 19 or the television device 10 main body is pushed down in the power-off state (standby state) described above. When the “power button” is operated, power is supplied even to the portion where power supply has been stopped, and this state is the power-on state in the present invention. Further, when the “power button” is operated again in this power-on state, the power-off state (standby state) described above is restored. Such implications regarding power on / off are the same for other electric devices (air conditioner 2, recorder 3, lighting fixture 4, washing machine 5, etc.). In the present invention, a state where the supply of power is completely cut off is defined as a complete power-off (complete power-off state), and is distinguished from the standby-state power off described above.

  Continuing the description, the communication unit 17 corresponds to a communication means, and performs communication processing based on a known communication standard (for example, a LAN standard such as IEEE or a standard such as DLNA) according to the control of the control unit 14. There is a structure in which a communication cable such as a LAN cable can be connected. The communication cable connected to the communication unit 17 is connected to an external wide area network via a hub and a router (not shown) installed in the house H1, and the device control device 30 via the home network in the house H1. In other words, each network can communicate with a required communication destination. The external connection unit 10c corresponds to a connection interface (connection terminal) with an external device or the like, and specifically corresponds to an HDMI (registered trademark) connection terminal, a USB connection terminal, an IEEE1394 connection terminal, or the like.

  The control unit 14 plays a central role in executing various functions of the television device 10, and is variously defined in the basic program P 1 and the watching program P 2 stored in the memory 15. Based on the processing content, it functions as means for performing various processing (communication control processing, OSD display processing, information output processing, etc.).

  In addition, the television device 10 includes a memory 15 as a storage medium. What is stored in the memory 15 includes those related to the television function, those related to the watching service, and those related to remote operation. Specific items stored in the memory 15 include a basic program P1, an OSD display table Tb1, a device ID 10d, a monitor service display table Tb2, user information 10e, a threshold time F, a monitor program P2, and a remote control program P3. Etc.

  The basic program P1 corresponds to the firmware and system program of the television device 10, and the television device 10 has various functions as the television device (various functions for viewing television, communication functions, etc.). Various processes of the control unit 14 necessary for working are defined. The OSD display table Tb1 is a table that stores a plurality of display part data for appropriately OSD-displaying images and text used for various menus or warnings. The device ID 10d is an identification code (identification information) of the television device 10 and is used to identify the other device / device when communicating.

  The watch service display table Tb2 stores various display part data used for displaying an image, text, and the like related to a screen related to the watch service on the display panel 10a of the television device 10, and this embodiment The form includes display part data corresponding to various screens shown in FIGS.

  For example, with respect to the question screen 21 shown in FIG. 3A, the first button 21a corresponding to “good” and “normal” are selected as the text indicating the question and the choices indicating a plurality of answers to the question. The display part data includes a second button 21b and a third button 21c corresponding to “bad”. A user name (or nickname) included in user information 10e, which will be described later, is read from the memory 15 and pasted on the part of “Mr. XXX” included in the text. In addition, the phrase "Good morning" to be included in the text is adapted to greeting of the routine in accordance with the time zone is pasted, "Hello", according to other greetings such as "Good evening" Are included in the watching service display table Tb2.

  In the answer screen 22 shown in FIG. 3B, the answer history information 22a transmitted from the watching server 50 is pasted in the center, and the text “living support” at the top, the answer history information Parts data corresponding to the text arranged at the top of 22a and the bar-shaped text at the bottom (when the enter button is pressed, the screen is switched to the next screen) is included in the watch display table Tb2 (question screen 21 described above) And so on). The part of “Mr. XXX” included in the text at the top of the response history information 22a is the same as in FIG. 3A, and “ΔΔΔ” is selected in FIG. 3A. The contents of the answers are pasted.

  The notification screen 23 shown in FIG. 4A plays the role of a top page in which selection fields 23a to 23e and the like on which links to websites for providing various notifications to users are placed.

  The first selection field 23 a at the left end of the notification screen 23 is associated with the numeric button “1” of the remote control device 19 and has a link to a website providing April news. When the number button “1” is selected, the display is switched to the screen of the linked website. The second second option 23b from the left is associated with the number button “2” of the remote control device 19 and has a link to a page that provides information on a ward in the area where the house H1 is located. When the number button “2” is selected, the display transitions to the linked site screen. The same applies to the remaining third selection field 23c and fourth selection field 23d. The numeric buttons “3” and “4” of the remote control device 19 are associated with each other, and the photo news site and the weather forecast site are displayed. Each link is attached.

  In addition, the notification screen 23 has a fifth selection field 23e associated with the number button “5” of the remote control device 19 below the first to fourth selection fields 23a to 23d described above. The selection field 23e functions as an outing setting button and functions as a means for accepting the setting of going out of the person M to be watched over. The notification screen 23 has a registration confirmation button 23f associated with the number button “7” of the remote control device 19, an installation setting button 23g associated with the number button “8” of the remote control device 19, and the remote control device at the lower end. An end button 23h associated with 19 “end buttons” is arranged.

  Further, the user information 10e stored in the memory 15 shown in FIG. 2 is information of a user registered in the watching service (person M to be watched), and the contents include identifying the user's name and user. Identification information (user ID) and the like. Such user information 10e includes personal information (name, address, age, gender, watcher) submitted by the user to the watch service management company when contracting / registering with the watch service, except for the user ID. Contact information, user passwords, etc.), and other information (conditions for how to divide emergency levels, desired handling methods at each emergency level), etc. Since such information is sent from the monitoring service operating company via the watch server 50, the sent information is stored in the memory 15 as user information 10e.

  Furthermore, the threshold time F stored in the memory 15 is used in one of a plurality of processes defined by the watching program P2 to be described later, and in this embodiment, 3 minutes is set as a default value. Although set, it can be set to a desired value between 10 seconds and 10 minutes by a setting menu (not shown).

  Furthermore, the watching program P2 stored in the memory 15 is an application program (a kind of computer program) that defines each process for the television device 10 to function as a watching device when performing the watching service. It is appropriately installed as an application in the memory 15 of the television apparatus 10 (note that it is of course possible to install in advance in the memory 15 when the television apparatus 10 is manufactured). The watching program P2 defines the processing contents performed by the control unit 14 regarding the watching service, and specifically defines various processing contents as follows.

  As an example of the processing content defined by the watching program P2, there is firstly a power on operation. When the user performs a power-on operation of the television device 10 and makes a transition from the power-off state to the power-on state, if the power-on operation is the first one in a day, the flag ( A process for setting a power-on flag), and the first-time power-on information (corresponding to the situation information indicating the status of the watched person) indicating that the first power-on state is reached in one day, the device ID 10d and the user information The watching program P2 defines that a process of transmitting to the watching server 50 using the communication unit 17 together with the user ID included in 10e is performed. Whether the power-on operation is performed for the second time or later in the day can be determined by the control unit 14 based on whether or not the power-on flag is set in the memory 15, and the power-on operation is performed for the second time or later in the day. In the case where the power is on, the second and subsequent power-on information (corresponding to the situation information) indicating that the power is on for the second and subsequent times in one day is transmitted to the monitoring server 50 using the communication unit 17 together with the device ID 10d and the user ID. The watching program P2 defines that the processing to be performed is performed.

  Note that the control unit 14 of the television apparatus 10 constantly detects the current date and time based on information indicating the date and time included in the received broadcast signal, and when detecting that the date has changed, If the power-on flag is set at 15, the watch program P2 also prescribes that the process for resetting the power-on flag so as not to be set is performed.

  In addition, the watching program P2 transmits power-on information for each power-on operation, and then displays the question screen 21 shown in FIG. 3A on the display panel 10a. A process for reading data from the watch service display table Tb2 stored in the memory 15 is defined. Then, based on the read display part data, the time from the display output of the question screen 21 to the display panel 10a to the reception of an answer by the selection of the first button 21a to the third button 21c included in the question screen 21 is counted. The monitoring program P2 also regulates the (measurement) processing. Furthermore, the watching program P2 also defines a process for comparing whether or not the measured time exceeds a threshold time F stored in the memory 15.

  As a result of the comparison, when the measured time does not exceed the threshold time F and any one of the first button 21a to the third button 21c is selected and an answer to the question is received during that time, the selected button is displayed. The watching program P2 regulates that correspondence information (corresponding to situation information showing the situation of the person being watched) indicating the content is transmitted to the watching server 50 using the communication unit 17. Further, when none of the first button 21a to the third button 21c is selected (without accepting an answer or the like related to the question) and as a result of comparison, the measured time exceeds the threshold time F, the question screen 21 is displayed. The watching program P2 regulates watching over the correspondence information (corresponding to the situation information) indicating that there is no correspondence, and transmitting to the server 50.

  Furthermore, when the user performs a power-off operation, the watching program P2 displays power-off information (corresponding to the situation information) indicating that the power-off state has been entered, as in the case of the power-on operation. It also stipulates that processing to be transmitted to the watching server 30 together with the ID using the communication unit 17 is performed.

  Note that the watching program P2 displays the answer screen 22 in FIG. 3B when it is accepted that the first button 21a to the third button 21c are operated on the question screen 21 in FIG. When the answer screen 22 in FIG. 3B is displayed, the watching program P2 specifies that the determination button of the remote control device 19 or the like has been operated, and the determination is made. When the button is operated, a process for switching the display to the notification screen 23 in FIG.

  When the notification screen 23 of FIG. 4A is displayed, the watching program P2 regulates to detect whether each numeric button or end button of the remote control device 19 is operated as described above. When the number buttons “1” to “4” are operated, the website of the URL linked to the operated number button is accessed, and a request for predetermined information is transmitted and received in response to the request. The program P2 regulates watching over switching to the display of the screen on which the information is arranged.

  When an operation for selecting the number button “7” of the remote control device 19 is received in a state where the notification screen 23 of FIG. 4A is displayed, the information is displayed on a registration confirmation screen for displaying various registered contents. The program P2 regulates the switching of the display, and when the operation of selecting the numeric button “8” of the remote control device 19 is accepted, the display is switched to the installation setting screen for displaying various setting contents regarding the installation. Program P2 defines. In addition, when an operation for selecting the “end button” of the remote control device 19 is received in a state where the notification screen 23 of FIG. 4A is displayed, the display of the notification screen 23 is turned off, and a channel based on the last channel function or The watching program P2 regulates switching the display to the television broadcast screen of the channel designated by default.

  Further, when the number button “5” of the remote control device 19 is selected while the notification screen 23 of FIG. 4A is displayed, the fifth selection field 23e corresponding to the outing setting button is selected, The watching program P2 regulates that a flag (outing setting flag) indicating that the setting of the outing setting of the person M to be watched has been accepted and that the outing setting state has been set (stored) in the memory 15 is established. When the outing setting flag is set in the memory 15, the outing setting is turned on.

  Further, FIG. 4B shows an outing setting completion screen 24 displayed when the fifth selection field 23e is selected. When the number button “5” of the remote control device 19 is selected, FIG. The watching program P2 defines the process of switching the display from the notification screen 23 of 4 (a) to the outing setting completion screen 24 of FIG. 4 (b). The outing setting completion screen 24 is a screen for informing a person who can watch over that the outing setting is completed. The content indicating that the outing setting has been completed and a method for canceling the outing setting (after the power-off operation is performed). In addition, an end button 23h is arranged at the lower right of the screen in the same manner as the notification screen 23 in FIG. 4 (a).

  In connection with the above-described setting for going out, the watching program P2 watches from the communication unit 17 a going-out notification that informs the going-out of the person M to be watched if the power-off operation is performed with the going-out setting flag set in the memory 15. It defines that processing to be transmitted to the server 50 is performed. When the power-on operation is performed after the power-off operation, the watching program P2 cancels the out-going setting and is stored in the memory 15 as shown in the out-setting setting completion screen 24 in FIG. It is defined that the process of deleting the outing setting flag is performed (regarding that the outing setting is turned off) and that the process of transmitting the outing cancellation notification from the communication unit 17 to the server 50 is performed. .

  The remote operation program P3 is an application program that defines the content of the control processing performed by the control unit 14 for enabling remote operation of the television apparatus 10, and is similar to the watching program P2 described above. It is appropriately installed as an application in the memory 15 of the apparatus 10 (note that it is of course possible to install it in the memory 15 in advance when the television apparatus 10 is manufactured).

  As processing contents defined by the remote operation program P3, when an inquiry about the power-on / off state is received through the communication unit 17, the current state (whether the power-on state or the power-off state) is displayed. There is a process of replying together with the ID 10d. In addition, if an operation command is received from the device control device 30 through the communication unit 17, functions (processing functions such as channel switching, volume adjustment, input switching, etc.) that the television device 10 has according to the content of the received operation command. The control unit 14 performs control to operate the control unit 14 and, when the operation is completed, the control unit 14 performs processing of returning the operation result indicating completion of the operation together with the device ID 10d through the communication unit 17 through the communication unit 17. The operation program P3 defines. Even when an operation command is received, when it is impossible to perform control according to the operation command (for example, when an operation instruction for turning on the power is received in the power-on state, the volume is already at the minimum. The remote operation program P3 also stipulates that the operation result indicating that the control could not be performed is sent back together with the device ID 10d when the operation instruction for decreasing the volume is received in the state where Yes.

  Furthermore, if notification information is received by the communication unit 17 from the device control device 30, it is stored in the memory 15 and read out from the memory 15 in conjunction with the reception of the power-on operation described above, and is displayed on the display panel 10a. The remote operation program P2 defines that a process for displaying a notification information screen having contents corresponding to the read notification information is performed (see FIG. 29B for an example of the notification information screen).

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic internal structure of the air conditioner (air conditioner) 2 in each electric device related to the person M to be watched. Each electric device 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. according to the present invention has a communication function in addition to the original function of the device, and is remotely controlled by an operation command received from the device control device 30 through the communication function. Operation is possible. Such an electric device capable of remote operation will be described by taking the air conditioner 2 shown in FIG. 5 as an example.

  The air conditioner 2 generally has a structure including an air conditioner processing unit 2a, a central control unit 2b, a communication unit 2c, and a memory unit 2d. The air conditioner processing unit 2a performs processing specific to the air conditioner, and the central control unit 2b controls the overall processing of the air conditioner 2, and performs various control processes based on the program specifications stored in the memory unit 2d. Do. The communication unit 2c performs communication processing with the outside, and is connected to the device control apparatus 30 via a hub (not shown) installed in the house H1 to construct a home network k. The memory unit 2d stores an air conditioner program 2e, a remote operation program 2f, a device ID 2g, and the like.

  The air conditioner program 2e defines the control processing content for the central processing unit 2b to perform control specific to the air conditioner necessary for the air conditioning processing unit 2a to perform processing. In addition, as the processing content (contents to be operated) performed by the air conditioner processing unit 2a of the present embodiment, operation switching processing (heating, cooling, drying, etc.), wind direction switching processing, wind speed switching processing, ion generation processing, deodorization processing, In addition to the internal automatic cleaning process and the like, there are operations such as power on / off and power reservation on / off related to power supply.

  The remote operation program 2f basically allows remote operation from an external communication terminal in the same manner as the remote operation program P3 of the television device 10 described above. Various functions corresponding to the air conditioner 2 are remotely controlled. The contents of the control process performed by the central control unit 2b in order to enable operation are defined. Specifically, when an inquiry about the power on / off state is received through the communication unit 2c, a process for returning the current state (whether the power is on or the power off) together with the device ID 2g is specified. doing. Further, when an operation command is received from the device control device 30 through the communication unit 2c, the function (function according to the operated content) provided in the air conditioner processing unit 2a is operated according to the content of the received operation command. In addition, when the control is completed, a process of returning an operation result (result information indicating completion) together with the device ID 2g through the communication unit 2c is defined.

  The device ID 2g is identification information for identifying the air conditioner 2. When any information is transmitted via the communication unit 2c, the device ID 2g is transmitted along with the information. The information transmitted from the air conditioner 2 can be determined from the attached device ID 2g that the air conditioner 2g is the transmission source. The memory unit 2d also stores contents of various items other than those described above, information (communication address) necessary for communication, and the like.

  The recorder 3 shown in FIG. 1 has the same general structure as the air conditioner 2 shown in FIG. 5, and includes a recorder processing unit, a central control unit, a communication unit, and a memory unit, and processing performed by the recorder processing unit. The contents include recording processing (including timer recording), playback processing (including fast forward playback, time shift playback, etc.), power on / off, power reservation on / off, etc., central control unit, communication unit, and memory About the content of a part, it is equivalent to the air-conditioner 2 mentioned above. In addition, a remote operation program is installed in the memory unit as in the case of the air conditioner 2, and this remote operation program stores the control content of the central control unit for remotely operating the above-described processing content corresponding to the recorder 3. It is what has been prescribed.

  The lighting fixture 4 shown in FIG. 1 also has the same general structure as that of the air conditioner 2 shown in FIG. 5, and includes a lighting processing unit, a central control unit, a communication unit, and a memory unit. Processing contents include dimming processing (light amount adjustment), toning processing (change of white light, daylight color, cherry color, etc.), ion generation processing, power on / off, power reservation on / off, etc., central control unit The contents of the communication unit and the memory unit are the same as those of the air conditioner 2 described above. Further, a remote operation program is installed in the memory unit as in the case of the air conditioner 2, and this remote operation program is a control content of the central control unit for remotely operating the above-described processing content according to the lighting fixture 4. Is specified.

  The washing machine 5 shown in FIG. 1 has the same general structure as that of the air conditioner 2 shown in FIG. 5, and includes a laundry processing unit, a central control unit, a communication unit, and a memory unit. The processing content includes washing processing, dehydration processing, drying processing, ion generation processing, deodorization processing, power on / off, power reservation on / off, etc. The contents of the central control unit, communication unit, and memory unit are described above. The air conditioner 2 is equivalent. Further, a remote operation program is installed in the memory unit as in the case of the air conditioner 2, and this remote operation program is a control content of the central control unit for remotely operating the above-described processing content corresponding to the washing machine 5. Is specified.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a main internal structure of the device control apparatus 30 that plays a central role in remote operation. The remote control device 30 has a kind of computer configuration, and includes a communication module 30b, a RAM 30c, a ROM 30d, an input interface 30e, and a storage unit via an internal connection line 30h. 30f etc. are connected.

  The communication module 30b corresponds to a communication unit, and, like the communication unit 17 of the television device 10 described above, performs communication processing based on a known communication standard according to the control of the control unit 30a, and is like a LAN cable. An appropriate communication cable is connected. The communication cable connected to the communication module 30b is connected to an external wide area network via a hub and a router (not shown) installed in the house H1, and the television described above via the home network in the house H1. It is connected also with the apparatus 10 (watching apparatus), the air conditioner 2, the recorder 3, the lighting fixture 4, the washing machine 5, etc. FIG. The communication module 30b may have a wireless specification such as a wireless LAN in addition to a wired specification using a communication cable, or may be provided with wireless use. In this case, the router and the television device 10 (watch) The apparatus), the air conditioner 2, the recorder 3, the lighting fixture 4, the washing machine 5, and the like can also use a wireless specification, and a part or all of the home network can be constructed with the wireless communication specification.

  The RAM 30c temporarily stores contents, files, various received information (information indicating an outing notification, information indicating an outing notification, etc.), etc., associated with the processing of the control unit 30a. The ROM 30d includes the control unit 30a. The program etc. which prescribed | regulated the basic processing content of this are memorize | stored. The input interface 30e is provided separately from the device main body of the device control device 30, and is connected to a keyboard or the like, or various switches and buttons provided on the device main body, and operations accepted by the keyboard, switches, buttons, and the like. The contents are transmitted to the control unit 30a.

  The storage unit 30f (corresponding to a storage device) includes a basic program 31, an operation control program 32, a device table 33, a communication terminal table 34, an operation log table 35, an e-mail address of the mobile terminal 100 used by the watched person M, and the like. I remember it. Note that the e-mail address of the portable terminal 100 used by the person M to be watched is input and set at the time of initial setting of the device control device 30.

  The basic program 31 defines various processes according to the operating system, and the control unit 30a performs processes based on the defined contents, so that the device control apparatus 30 is a user interface process and communication as a kind of computer. Perform basic functions such as processing. The operation control program 32 will be described later, and the device table 33 and the like will be described first.

  The device table 33 shown in FIG. 7 is connected to the device control apparatus 30 in a home network and stores information on electrical devices that are targets of remote operation. The stored information items include device IDs. (Device identification information), name of electric device, communication address, power on / off state, and the like. The information such as the device ID, the name of the electric device, and the communication address is acquired from the connected electric device by establishing the communication connection when the electric device is connected to the device control device 30 for the first time. Item information is stored in the device table 33. In addition, for an electrical device that is disconnected from the home network, information about the electrical device is also excluded from the device table 33. The storage of the above-described types of information in the device table 33 may be performed manually at the time of initial setting of the device control device 30, and when the setting or the like is performed using the keyboard or the like in this way, The John device 10 functions as a monitor of the device control device 30.

  In addition, in the column of the power on / off state of the device table 33, information indicating the most recent power on / off state of each electrical device connected to the device control device 30 is stored. Transmits a signal for inquiring about the power on / off state to each electric device at a predetermined time interval, and the power on / off state returned from each electric device in response to the inquiry is a column for power on / off. Stored in Information stored in the power on / off column (information indicating the power on state or information indicating the power off state) changes at any time in conjunction with the power on / off state of each electrical device.

  The communication terminal table 34 shown in FIG. 8 stores information of external communication terminals that can remotely control each electrical device connected to the device control apparatus 30 in the home network. The item includes a communication terminal ID (identification information of the communication terminal), a name of a user who uses the communication terminal, a communication address of the communication terminal, a password, and the like. Each of these pieces of information is input from the keyboard or the like at the initial setting of the device control device 30, and information on a communication terminal for remotely operating each electric device used by the person M to be watched is prepared in advance. This information is input and stored in the communication terminal table 34.

  The operation log table 35 shown in FIG. 9 stores information related to remote operation. The stored information items include the date and time when the operation instruction related to remote operation was received, and the communication terminal that transmitted the operation instruction. ID (identification information of the communication terminal), the electrical device that is the target of the operation instruction, the content of the operation instruction, the operation result, and the like. Each of these pieces of information is stored in the operation log table 35 every time the device control apparatus 30 receives an operation instruction from an external communication terminal, every time an operation result by transmitting an operation command is found, and the like. In the operation result column, a message indicating that the remote operation has been completed (“○” indicating that the electric device has been controlled) or that the remote operation has not been performed (“×” indicating that the electric device has not been controlled) is displayed. Is stored.

  Next, processing contents defined by the operation control program 32 will be described. The operation control program 32 corresponds to a kind of computer program, and defines processing related to a plurality of types of control performed by the control unit 30a. Among them, the main processing related to the present invention is that the electric device to be operated is a power source. Processing for detecting an on / off state, processing for determining whether or not a watched person is out, processing for controlling an electrical device based on an operation instruction (operation command) from an external communication terminal (for remote operation) Related processing).

  As a process of detecting the power on / off state of the electric device, the operation control program 32 is configured to display each electric device (FIG. 1) connected to the device control device 30 at a predetermined time interval (for example, 1 minute or 3 minutes). In this case, it is defined that the control unit 30a performs control to transmit a power ON / OFF inquiry signal from the communication module 30b to the air conditioner 2, the recorder 3, the lighting fixture 4, the washing machine 5, and the television device 10). Further, when an answer signal (a signal including information indicating that the power is on or off) is received together with the device doctor ID in response to the transmission of the inquiry signal, FIG. The state indicated by the answer signal ("ON" indicating power ON or "OFF" indicating power OFF) is stored in the power ON / OFF status column corresponding to the device ID (received device ID) in the device table 33 indicated. The operation control program 32 defines the process. According to the specified contents of the process for detecting the power on / off state of the operation control program 32, the control unit 30a determines whether each electrical device connected to the device control device 30 is in the power on state or the power off state. It functions as a means for detection.

  Further, as a process for determining whether or not the person M to be watched is out, when the communication module 30b receives it together with the user ID of the person M to be watched for the outing notification, it is determined that the person M to be watched has gone out, The operation control program 32 specifies that the flag indicating that the user is going out (outing flag) is set in the RAM 30c (the bit related to the outing flag is set to 1) and stored (the setting of the outing setting ON is specified). ). Further, when the communication module 30b receives this together with the user ID of the person M who is watching over the release cancellation notice, it is determined that the watched person M has returned from the outside, and the outing flag set in the RAM 30c is removed (bits related to the outing flag). The operation control program 32 defines that the process is performed (stores with 0 being stored) (specifies the process of turning out setting off). Finally, the operation control program 32 defines a process for determining whether or not the person M to be watched is in the outing state depending on whether or not the outing flag is set in the RAM 30c.

  FIG. 10 shows an outline of remote operation processing when the watched person is at home and when going out. The processing related to the remote operation of the operation control program 32 is as shown in FIG. The process according to two types of patterns when going out is prescribed. That is, when a watched person is at home, a complicated operation of various high-performance electric devices can be performed from an external communication terminal (for example, the operator terminal 70 of the operator OP) instead of the watched person, and the communication module 30b. When the operation instruction is received, the operation control program 32 first determines whether or not the communication terminal ID attached to the operation instruction is stored in the communication terminal table 34 shown in FIG.

  If the communication terminal ID is not stored in the communication terminal table 34, the external communication terminal that has transmitted the operation instruction does not have the qualification to remotely control each electrical device installed in the house H1. The operation control program 32 defines that the received operation instruction is ignored.

  When the communication terminal ID is stored in the communication terminal table 34, it means that an operation instruction has been received from an external communication terminal that is qualified to perform remote operation. At that time, the outing flag is stored in the RAM 30c. Based on the result of the process of determining whether or not the person M to be watched is out of the office depending on whether he is standing or not The control program 32 defines.

  When it is determined that the processing at home is to be performed, as illustrated in the upper part of FIG. 10, an operation corresponding to the operation instruction is performed on the electric device (for example, the air conditioner 2) that is the operation target included in the received operation instruction. The operation control program 32 specifies that an operation command for instructing is transmitted from the communication module 30b and the electric device is controlled based on the received operation instruction. When the communication module 30b receives an operation result (operation completion result) from the electrical device that has transmitted the operation command in response to the transmission of the operation command, the date and time when the operation instruction is received in the operation log table 35 illustrated in FIG. The operation control program 32 stipulates that the communication terminal ID attached to the received operation instruction, the electric device to be operated, the content of the operation instruction, the operation result, and the like are stored.

  In addition, the operation control program 32 performs processing for transmitting information from the communication module 30b to the external communication terminal (for example, the operator terminal 70) that has transmitted the operation instruction with respect to the information related to the operation result (operation result information). Regulates. According to the operation control program 32 that regulates the transmission of the operation result information, the contents as shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B are displayed on the external communication terminal after the operation instruction is transmitted. Furthermore, information related to such an operation result is transmitted as an e-mail from the communication module 30b to the e-mail address (corresponding to a predetermined notification destination) of the mobile terminal 100 used by the person M to be watched over. The operation control program 32 also defines.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the processing at the time of going out is performed, as illustrated in the lower part of FIG. 10, the operation command corresponding to the received operation instruction is not transmitted to the electric device to be operated, and the received operation instruction is changed. Based on this, the remote operation program P2 specifies that the electric device is not controlled. Further, even when the electric device is not controlled based on the operation instruction as described above, the operation log table 35 shown in FIG. 35 shows the date and time when the operation instruction is received, the communication terminal ID attached to the received operation instruction, and the electric device to be operated. The operation control program 32 stipulates that the contents of the operation instruction, the operation result (notifying that the remote operation has not been performed), and the like are stored.

  Then, the content (operation result information indicating the operation result indicating that the remote operation has not been performed) indicating the information stored in the operation log table 35 is transmitted from the communication module 30b to the external communication terminal that has transmitted the operation instruction. The operation control program 32 defines that the transmission process is performed. With the operation control program 32 that defines the process for transmitting the information related to the operation result, the content shown in FIG. 27C is displayed on the external communication terminal after the operation instruction is transmitted. .

  Further, the contents indicating the information stored in the operation log table 35 (the operation result indicating that the remote operation has not been performed) are sent to the e-mail address of the portable terminal 100 used by the watched person M as an e-mail ( The operation control program 32 stipulates that processing to be transmitted from the communication module 30b is performed (corresponding to a predetermined notification destination). With the operation control program 32 that regulates the transmission of such an e-mail, the contents as shown in FIG. 29A are displayed on the portable terminal 100 of the person M who is going out.

  Further, the operation control program 32 defines that the operation result indicating that the remote operation as described above has not been performed is output as notification information from the communication module 30b to the television apparatus 10. By such notification information output processing, the television apparatus 10 is presented to the person M who is watching the information related to the remote operation while going out as shown in FIG. It will be.

  FIG. 11 shows a main internal configuration of the watching server 50 managed by the watching service provider that provides the watching service. A general server computer device (computer device having a web server function) is applied to the watching server 50 of this embodiment, and various devices and the like are connected to the MPU 50a that performs overall control and various processes with an internal connection line 50h. The various devices include a communication module 50b, a RAM 50c, a ROM 50d, an input interface 50e, an output interface 50f, a mass storage system (HDD system) 50g, and the like.

  The communication module 50b is a communication device corresponding to a connection module with a wide area network, and conforms to a required communication standard (for example, a LAN module). The communication module 50b is connected to a wide area network via a required communication device (not shown, for example, a router or the like), and is a monitoring device (such as a monitoring device (H1, H2, H3, etc.) of each watched person ( For example, communication with the television device 10) of the house H1, the device control device 30 installed in the house H1, the operator terminal 70 of the watching service, the portable communication terminal 80, and the like is enabled.

  The RAM 50c temporarily stores contents, files, and the like associated with the processing of the MPU 50a, and the ROM 50d stores programs and the like that define the basic processing contents of the MPU 50a. The input interface 50e is connected to a keyboard 50i, a mouse, and the like for receiving an operation instruction from a system administrator or the like of the monitoring service, and transmits the operation instruction received from the system administrator or the like to the MPU 50a. The output interface 50f is connected to a display 50j (display output device), and outputs the contents accompanying the processing of the MPU 50a to the display 50j so that the system administrator can check the current processing contents and the like. .

  The large-capacity storage system 50g (corresponding to a storage device) stores a program, a database (DB), and the like. Specifically, a server program 51, a service program 52, a user DB 53, an answer DB 54, a watcher DB 55, The website table 56 and the like are stored.

  The server program 51 defines various processes according to the server operation system. The MPU 50a performs processes based on the defined contents, so that the watching server 50 functions as a server computer. . The service program 52 will be described later, and the user DB 53 and the like will be described first.

  FIG. 12 shows an outline of the contents of the user DB 53. The user DB 53 is a database including information related to a user (a person to be watched) who uses the watch service, and is associated with information (user ID) for identifying the user, the device ID of the watch device used by the user, The name, address, telephone number, age, gender, communication address, password, etc. are stored.

  Each information stored in the user DB 53 uses information provided to the monitoring service provider when each user joins the monitoring service. When a user newly subscribes to the monitoring service, or for the monitoring service The user DB 53 is updated as appropriate when, for example, a subscribed user is unsubscribed. Further, the communication address column of the user DB 53 is a column used for a user who also uses the remote operation service among users registered in the watching service, and this communication address column is necessary for the remote operation service. The communication address of the device control device 30 is stored.

  FIG. 13 shows the daily answer DB 54a for a certain day in the answer DB 54 stored in the mass storage system 50g. The answer DB 54 is a database in which information for each day is sequentially accumulated, and the information for each day is stored in the daily answer DB included in the answer DB 54. Therefore, the answer DB 54 is an aggregate of daily answer DBs for a plurality of days.

  The daily answer DB 54a shown in FIG. 13 shows the daily answer DB included in the answer DB 54 for November 11, 2013. Each user (person to be watched on) on November 11, 2013 is shown in FIG. ) (Situation information indicating a user's situation, etc.) transmitted from each of the plurality of monitoring devices is stored. Specifically, for each user ID, “device ID”, “power on / off” are stored. Information corresponding to each item such as “time”, “transmission contents”, “going out / canceling”, and “going out setting” is stored.

  The item “device ID” of the daily reply DB 54a stores the device ID (device identification information) of the watching device (television device) that has transmitted the information, and this device ID is the monitoring device (television device). Always included in the information sent by the device. In the item of “power on / off time”, when the information transmitted from the watching device (television device) is “power on information”, the time when the “power on information” is received is stored. Similarly, when “power-off information” is received, the time when “power-off information” is received is stored. When “power-on information” and “power-off information” are received a plurality of times a day, the reception times are stored in the “power on / off time” item.

  The item “transmission contents” of the answer DB 54a includes information indicating the answer contents corresponding to the buttons 21a to 21c operated on the question screen 21 shown in FIG. Stored. It should be noted that the item “transmission contents” includes “no response (no operation)” when the buttons 21 a to 21 c operated on the question screen 21 shown in FIG. 3A are not operated beyond the threshold time F. Is stored together with the reception time of the information.

  In addition, in the item “outing / canceling” of the answer DB 54a, when a notification of going out is received from the watching device (television device), the date and time when the “going out notification” is received is stored. When the “outgoing release notification” is received from the device, the date and time when the “outing release notification” is received is stored. Further, the item “outing setting” of the answer DB 54a stores ON / OFF according to the above-mentioned outing notification / outing release notification. Specifically, when an outing notification is received from the watching device (television device), information “on” indicating that the user is out is stored, while when the outing notification is not received or the outing notification is received. Then, when the out-of-office release notification is received, information “off” indicating that the user is at home is stored.

  FIG. 14 shows an outline of the contents of the watcher DB 55. The watcher DB 55 stores the information of the person who watches the user (the person who is watched) whose information is stored in the user DB 53 shown in FIG. 12, and associates each user ID with the person watching the user. As information, information for identifying the person to watch (watch ID), information for identifying the communication terminal used by the person to watch (communication terminal ID), the name of the person to watch, and the password (PW required for the watcher to use the watch service) ), A telephone number which is a contact address of the watcher, a communication address (e-mail address) of a communication terminal used by the watcher, and the like. In addition, when there are a plurality of watchers in one watched person, information of a plurality of watchers is associated with one user ID. In addition, it is assumed that the watcher includes an operator OP of the watch service. Further, when the person to watch over is the operator OP, a plurality of users (persons to be watched over) are watched over, so the watch ID of the operator OP is associated with a plurality of user IDs.

  The website table 56 stored in the large-capacity storage system 50g stores page data (data based on HTML, XML, or the like) constituting the web page screen shown in FIGS. 15 to 17 as an example. . For example, when there is an access from the operator terminal 70 of the operator OP to the URL of a website constructed by the monitoring server 50, the monitoring server 50 increases the page data of the web page screen (top page screen 58) as shown in FIG. The data is read from the capacity storage system 50g and transmitted to the access source operator terminal 70. Thereafter, the watching server 50 generates information for displaying a screen related to watching shown in FIG. 16 and the like according to the operation content transmitted from the operator terminal 70 and transmits the information to the operator terminal 70.

  The top page screen 58 shown in FIG. 15 is a top page screen of a website provided for a watcher, and includes a watch ID input field 58a, a PW (password) input field 58b, and a login button 58c. It has become.

  Also, the watching overview screen 60 shown in FIG. 16A is for the operator who performed the login operation on the top page screen 58, and is an information indicating an overview of the situation of each user in charge of the operator who performed the login operation. The contents of the list table 60a including the information are displayed on the operator terminal 70, and information such as each name included in the list table 60a is based on the information stored in the answer DB 54. Can be selected by appropriately operating.

  FIG. 16B shows a detail screen 61 of a person to be watched according to the name selected in the list 60 a of the watch summary screen 60. The detail screen 61 is a screen that is displayed and output after the watch transitions from the overview screen 60. The power-on time for a plurality of days (for example, for one week) of the watched person selected on the watch overview screen 60 is A horizontal bar graph 61a read from the above-described answer DB 54 and generated by the MPU 50a of the watching server 50 based on the read information is arranged.

  The detail screen 61 includes a detail button 61b, a return button 61c, and an end button 61d below. When the detail button 61b is selected, the on / off times for a plurality of days (for example, for one week) of the person to be watched on the detail screen 61 are switched to a screen that is read from the above-described answer DB 54 and arranged. become. When the return button 61c is selected, the display returns to the watching overview screen 60 shown in FIG. 16A, and when the end button 61d is selected, the display is displayed on the top page screen 58 shown in FIG. Will return. In addition, when the detailed screen 61 is selected, it is possible to display response contents for a plurality of days.

  Also, the watching overview screen 62 shown in FIG. 17 is a screen for a portable terminal, and a watcher who is not the operator OP (“Mr. Takashi” of the watched person M family) has performed a login operation on the top page screen 58. When displayed on the mobile communication terminal 80.

  Next, the service program 53 of the watching server 50 will be described. The service program 52 corresponds to a computer program for a server computer, and defines various processes performed by the MPU 50a in order to provide a watching service. The service program 52 of the present embodiment regulates the processing of a plurality of documents. Specifically, the processing of creating and storing the above-described answer DB 54 as needed, and the processing of providing the stored information to each watcher via a web page Etc.

  First, as processing contents for creating the answer DB 54, the status information (power-on information, power-off information, and buttons 21a to 21c on the question screen 21 transmitted from the watching device (for example, the television device 10) is operated. The service program 52 defines a process for storing (storing) the received information in the above-described answer DB 54 together with the date and time when the status information is received. At this time, with reference to the device ID 10d and the user ID incidental to the situation information, if the situation information is “power-on information” or “power-off information” in association with a predetermined user ID in the answer DB 54, “power supply” If the received information is stored in the “on / off time” field and other information (information indicating that the buttons 21a to 21c on the question screen 21 have been operated) is stored in the “transmission content” field. Will be stored.

  When the outing notification is received, the date and time of receiving the outing notification is stored in the “outing / cancellation” column in the answer DB 54 corresponding to the user ID and device ID incidental to the outing notification, and “outing setting” is set. When “ON” is stored in the column, and when the outing cancellation notification is received, the reception date / time of the outing cancellation notification is set in the “out / canceling” column corresponding to the user ID and device ID attached to the outing cancellation notification. The service program 52 defines a process of storing “OFF” in the “outing setting” column as well as storing. Note that “off” is stored as a default in the “outing setting” column when the outing notification has not been received yet on that day.

  Further, when “ON” is stored in the “outing setting” column in response to the reception of the outing notification, the communication address (address information) corresponding to the user ID attached to the outing notification is stored in the user DB 53 of FIG. The service program 52 performs a process of transmitting a notification of going out (indication of going out of the person being watched) with the user ID to the specified communication address. Regulates.

  In order to provide watching information based on the information stored in the answer DB 54 to each watching person through the web page, when the URL related to the watching web page is accessed, the service program 52 makes the access source FIG. A process for transmitting top page information corresponding to the top page screen 58 shown in FIG.

  When the watch ID and password transmitted from the access source are received in response to the transmission of the page data, the watch ID and password that match the received watch ID and password are stored in the watcher DB 55 in FIG. The service program 52 defines a process for determining whether or not it exists. If the received ID and password do not match those stored in the watcher DB 55, a service program that performs processing to transmit the page data of the web page indicating that the watch ID and password are re-input to the access source 52 defines.

  If the received watch ID and password match those stored in the watcher DB 55, the service program 52 identifies the user ID associated with the watched user ID from the watcher DB 55 in FIG. Based on the information stored in the column of the transmission contents etc. associated with the identified user ID from the most recent daily answer DB included in the monitoring summary screen 60 (or FIG. 16) shown in FIG. The service program 52 defines that screen information corresponding to the watching overview screen 62) shown in FIG. 17 is generated and transmitted to the access source communication terminal. By this process, for example, the operator overview 70 or the mobile communication terminal 80 displays a watch overview screen as shown in FIG. 16A or a watch overview screen 62 shown in FIG.

  In addition, in the state where the watch overview screen 60 (or the watch overview screen 62 shown in FIG. 17) is displayed, the name in the screen is selected, and the user ID of the selected person (the user ID included in the user information 10e) ) Is transmitted from the access source, information on the power-on time for the most recent days (for example, for one week) of the user ID is read from the “power on / off time” column of the daily answer DB. Thus, the service program 52 defines a process of generating screen information that represents it as a horizontal bar graph and transmitting and outputting the generated image information to the access source. By this processing, for example, a detailed screen 61 as shown in FIG. 16B is displayed on the operator terminal 70.

  In the above description, the single watch server 50 performs various processes. However, it is a matter of course that the watch server 50 is constructed by a plurality of server devices and the various processes are performed in a distributed manner. Is possible.

  FIG. 18 shows a main internal configuration of the operator terminal 70 used by the operator OP in FIG. 1. The operator terminal 70 transmits an operation instruction for each electric device from the standpoint of the device control apparatus 30 described above. Corresponds to the incoming external communication terminal. The operator terminal 70 of the present embodiment employs a general personal computer having a communication function, but in addition to that, a portable communication terminal (a notebook computer, a smartphone having a communication function, a communication function) Applicable PDAs, mobile phones, etc.) are also applicable. The operator terminal 70 is connected to a CPU 70a that performs overall control and various processes via a communication / call module 70b, a RAM 70c, a ROM 70d, an input interface 70e, an output interface 70f, and an HDD (hard disk drive) 70g via an internal connection line 70h. The various devices such as are connected.

  The operator terminal 70 is connected to a telephone headset that the operator OP wears on the head. The headset microphone unit 75a is connected to the input interface 70e, and the headset speaker is connected. The unit 75b is connected to the output interface 70f. Further, voice data (such as voice spoken by the operator) acquired by the microphone unit 75a of the headset is input to the input interface 70e, and when voice data is output from the output interface 70f, the data is output from the speaker unit 75b of the headset. Thus, the operator can listen to the voice.

  The communication / call module 70b of the operator terminal 70 has a function of calling a predetermined telephone number (calling function) in accordance with the control of the CPU 70a, in addition to the communication processing via the network. For this reason, the communication / call module 70b enables communication with the device control device 30, the watch server 50, and the like, and allows the operator to make a call with a predetermined contact.

  Since the RAM 70c, the ROM 70d, the input interface 70e, and the output interface 70f are basically the same as the RAM 50c, the ROM 50d, the input interface 50e, and the output interface 50f described in the monitoring server 50 described above, description thereof is omitted. However, it is assumed that the ROM 70d stores a communication terminal ID (identification information of the communication terminal) for identifying the operator terminal 70 from other communication terminals.

  The HDD 70g of the operator terminal 70 stores (installs) programs such as the OS program 71, the watching program 72, and the remote operation control program 73, and also stores a remote operation table 74. The OS program 71 is a basic program corresponding to an operating system, and defines various processes of the CPU 70a for the operator terminal 70 to function as a personal computer. Before describing the watching program 72 and the remote operation control program 73, the remote operation table 74 will be described.

  FIG. 19 shows an outline of the contents of the remote operation table 74. The remote operation table 74 is a user who uses the remote operation service of each electrical device among the users (persons to be watched) registered in the watch service. On the other hand, information on each electric device used by the user is stored. Specifically, in association with the user ID of the user using the remote operation service, the user name, the communication address of the device control device used by the user, the device ID of the electric device used by the user, the device name, the operation content, etc. When one user wishes to remotely operate a plurality of electrical devices, information related to the plurality of electrical devices is stored in association with one user ID. The type of operation content stores information indicating the type (item) of operation that can be remotely operated for each electrical device.

  Next, the watching program 72 will be described. The watching program 72 corresponds to a kind of computer program, which defines various processes performed by the CPU 70a in order to cause the operator terminal 70 to function as a watching terminal for operators, and includes a function for browsing a website or the like. It is a thing.

  When the watching program 72 is activated, the CPU 70a controls that the watching server 50 can be accessed using the communication / call module 70b. Further, when the watching program 72 accesses the watching server 50 and receives the top page information sent from the watching server 50 by the communication / call module 70b in response to establishment of the connection, etc., the watching program 72 is based on the received top page information. 15 defines a control for displaying the top page screen 58 shown in FIG. 15 on the display 70j.

  In addition, when a predetermined input is performed in the watching ID input field 58a and the PW (password) input field 58b on the top page screen 58 of FIG. 15 and a selection operation of the login button 58c is accepted, the input fields 58a and 58b are input. The watching program 72 defines that the CPU 70a performs control to transmit the information input to the watching server 50 using the communication / call module 70b.

  When the overview information sent from the watch server 50 is received by the communication / call module 70b in response to the transmission of the input information, the watch summary screen 60 shown in FIG. 16A is displayed on the display 70j based on the received watch summary information. The watching program 72 defines the control to be displayed on the screen. Further, when an operation for selecting one of the names in the list 60a is performed in the state in which the watching overview screen 60 in FIG. 16A is displayed, the user ID linked to the selected name is changed. The watch program 72 defines that the CPU 70a performs control to transmit to the watch server 50 using the communication / call module 70b.

  In accordance with the transmission of the user ID, the watching program 72 defines a control for displaying the detailed screen 61 shown in FIG. 16B on the display 70j based on the detailed screen information sent from the watching server 50.

  On the other hand, FIG. 20A shows a menu screen of a user selection menu 75 (first menu) displayed on the display 70j when the remote operation control program 73 (corresponding to a kind of computer program) is activated. The remote operation control program 73 includes menu data corresponding to the menu screen in addition to a program defining various processes. When the remote operation control program 73 is activated, the remote operation control program 73 is based on the menu data corresponding to the first menu. , It is defined that the menu screen of the user selection menu 75 as shown in FIG. 20A is generated and controlled to be displayed on the display 70j.

  In the user selection menu 75, user names are extracted and arranged from the remote operation table 74 shown in FIG. 19, and check boxes 75c to 75f are arranged next to the user names in association with the arranged user names. When the cursor is moved to any of the check boxes 75c to 75e and the return button is pressed, a desired check box can be selected. When a check box is selected, the user name associated with the check box is selected. The user selection menu 75 includes an end button 75a and an enter button 75b. When the end button 75a is selected, the activated remote operation control program 73 is ended, while the enter button 75a is selected. When 75b is selected, the user name in the selected state is confirmed.

  When the user name is confirmed, by referring to the remote operation table 74 in FIG. 19, it is found that the user with the confirmed user name targets a plurality of electric devices for remote operation. The user selection menu 75 changes the display to the menu screen of the device selection menu 77 in FIG. 21. If it is found that the user with the confirmed user name is a single electric device for remote operation, The remote operation control program 73 defines that the display transition to the menu screen of the operation selection menu 76 in FIG. 20B is performed without transition to the device selection menu 77 in FIG. Note that the user selection menu 75 in FIG. 20A also displays the user selection menu 75 in FIG. 20A when there is only one user name available in the remote operation table 74 shown in FIG. If the device selection menu 77 of FIG. 21 is displayed first, and if that single user has one electrical device to be remotely controlled, FIG. The user selection menu 75 of FIG. 20 and the device selection menu 77 of FIG. 21 are not displayed, and the operation selection menu 76 of FIG. 20B is displayed first.

  The device selection menu 77 of FIG. 21 is read out from the remote operation table 74 of FIG. 19 and the name (device name) of the electrical device associated with the user ID of the confirmed user is read out and arranged. Next to the user selection menu 75 in FIG. 20A, check boxes 77d to 77h and the like are arranged. The remote operation control program 73 defines such display processing of the device selection menu 77. To do.

  When the device selection menu 77 determines the electric device in the selected state through the same processing as the user selection menu 75 in FIG. 20A, the operation selection menu in FIG. The remote operation control program 73 defines the process of changing the display to 76. The device selection menu 77 has an end button 77a and an enter button 77b as well as a return button 77c, similar to the user selection menu 75 of FIG. 20A, and when the return button 77c is selected. The display returns to the user selection menu 75 in FIG.

  The operation selection menu 76 shown in FIG. 20B is read and arranged with the operation contents associated with the electric device determined by the device selection menu 77 shown in FIG. Like the user selection menu 75 in FIG. 5A, check boxes 76d to 76g are arranged, and the remote operation control program 73 defines such display processing of the operation selection menu 76. This operation selection menu 76 has an end button 76a, a determination button 76b, and a return button 76c, as with the device selection menu 77 of FIG. 21, and the determination button 76b with one of the check boxes selected. When this selection operation is performed, the operation content corresponding to the selected check box is confirmed.

  When the operation content is confirmed, the device ID of the electric device determined by the device selection menu 77 from the information associated with the user ID of the user name determined by the user selection menu 75 from the remote operation table 74 of FIG. , And a communication address, respectively, and a process of transmitting from the communication / call module 70b to the extracted communication address, together with the communication terminal ID 70k read from the ROM 70d and the extracted device ID, an instruction for instructing the determined operation content. The remote operation control program 73 defines. Through the operation on each menu screen described above, an operation instruction is transmitted from the operator terminal 70 shown in FIG. 1 to the device control apparatus 50, so that the operator OP uses each electric device used by the watched person M. Various operation instructions can be issued remotely. In the operation selection menu 76 in FIG. 20B, when the operation content to be selected includes a finer operation content that adjusts the level, the operation content sub-link is linked to the check box selection. Make the window open so that you can select a fine level. Such level adjustment is necessary for adjusting the volume of the television device, setting the temperature in the operation content such as air conditioning cooling, heating, and drying. For example, when dry is selected as the operation content of the air conditioner. Allows a preset temperature such as “18 ° C., 20 ° C., 22 ° C., 24 ° C., 26 ° C., 28 ° C.” to be selected in the sub-window, or “−1 ° C., −2 ° C., −3 ° C., It is preferable that a temperature to be lowered from the current temperature such as “−4 ° C.” can be selected in the sub-window.

  FIG. 22 shows a main internal configuration of the mobile communication terminal 80 used by the family K (watcher) of the watched person M shown in FIG. As the mobile communication terminal 80, a notebook personal computer, a smart phone, a PDA with a communication function, a mobile phone, or the like having a wired or wireless communication function can be applied. In this embodiment, a smart phone is used as the mobile communication terminal 80. The internal configuration of the portable communication terminal 80 is basically the same as that of the operator terminal 70 shown in FIG. That is, various devices such as a communication / call module 80b, a RAM 80c, a ROM 80d, an input interface 80e, an output interface 80f, and a memory 80g are connected to the CPU 80a that performs overall control and various processes via an internal connection line 80h. It has become.

  The ROM 80c stores a communication terminal ID 80k that is information for identifying the mobile communication terminal 80. Since the mobile communication terminal 80 is a smartphone, the display 80i has a touch panel function. Therefore, the display 80i is connected to both the input interface 80e and the output interface 80f, and a touch operation is performed on the display 80i. The input operation content is received by the input interface 80e and transmitted to the CPU 80a, and the content to be displayed is output from the output interface 80f to the display 80i.

  The memory unit 80g corresponds to the HDD 70g of the operator terminal 70 in FIG. 18, and stores the OS program 81, the watching program 82, the remote operation control program 83, and the remote operation table 84, similarly to the HDD 70g. Yes. The OS program 81, the watching program 82, and the remote operation control program 83 are equivalent to the OS program 71, the watching program 72, and the remote operation control program 73 stored in the HDD 70g of the operator terminal 70 in terms of the contents related to the present invention. It has become.

  Further, the remote operation table 84 stored in the memory unit 80g has the same information items as the remote operation table 74 of FIG. 19, but stores information for only the user the family K watches. For example, in the case of performing remote control of two persons, “actual grandpa” and “grandma-in-law”, only information for two persons is stored. Note that the mobile communication terminal 80 also displays a menu screen equivalent to each of the menu screens 75 to 77 shown in FIGS. 20 to 21 (preferably a menu screen arranged for a smartphone) by the process defined by the remote operation control program 83. Accordingly, an operation instruction for remotely operating each electrical device can be transmitted from the mobile communication terminal 80 to the device control device 30 by the operation of a person watching over the family K.

  FIG. 23 shows a main internal configuration of the mobile terminal 100 that the person M to watch carries with when going out. Similarly to the mobile communication terminal 80 shown in FIG. 22 described above, a communication terminal such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, or a PDA can be applied to the mobile terminal 100. In this embodiment, a smartphone is used as the mobile terminal 100. . Therefore, the mobile terminal 100 has basically the same configuration as the mobile communication terminal 80 of FIG.

  The OS program 101 stored in the memory unit 100g stipulates that, in addition to the basic program, mail transmission / reception processing and display of the contents of the received mail on the display 100i, thereby FIG. As shown in a), the received mail content can be displayed on the display 100i.

  FIG. 24 is a first flowchart showing a processing procedure (processing contents of the remote operation method) of the remote operation system 1 by each of the above-described devices. This first flowchart displays the notification screen 23 of FIG. The processing procedure related to the setting of going out (outing setting) of the person M to be watched is shown by operating the numeric button “5” of the remote control device 19 displayed on the John device 10. Hereinafter, according to the first flowchart, a processing procedure in which the watched person M goes out by the cooperation of the television device 10 (the watching device), the watching server 50, and the device control device 30 will be described. Note that the first flowchart shows processing from a state in which the television device 10 in the power-on state displays the notification screen 23 in FIG.

First, the television device 10 determines whether or not the selection operation (outing setting operation) of the numeric button “5” of the remote control device 19 has been received (S1). When the outing setting operation is not accepted (S1: NO), the operation is waited and when the operation is accepted (S1: YES),
The television apparatus 10 sets the outing setting flag in the memory 15 to turn on the outing setting (S2), and then displays the outing setting completion screen 24 (see FIG. 4B) (S3). Then, the television apparatus 10 determines whether or not a power-off operation has been accepted (S4).

  When the power-off operation is not accepted (S4: NO), the power-off operation is waited for. When the power-off operation is accepted (S4: YES), the television device 10 is notified of the person M to be watched over ( The user ID of the person M to be watched over and the notification of going out accompanied by the device ID of the television device 10 are watched and transmitted to the server 50 (S5). Through the processes of S1 to S5 described above, the television apparatus 10 watches the outing notification and transmits it to the server 50 when the outing setting is accepted.

  In addition, the watching server 50 is initially in a stage of determining whether or not to receive an outing notification from the television device 10 (S10), and when not receiving (S10: NO), receiving the outing notification. Waiting. When received (S10: YES), the watching server 50 uses the user ID attached to the received outing notification in the daily answer DB (for example, the daily answer DB 54a) according to the reception date in the answer DB 54, and The date and time of receiving the outing notification is stored in the “outing / canceling” column corresponding to the device ID, and “on” is stored in the “outing setting” column (S11).

  Then, the watching server 50 identifies the communication address (address information) corresponding to the user ID attached to the received outing notification from the “communication address” column of the user DB 53 in FIG. A notification of going out (indication of going out of the watched person) is transmitted to the device control apparatus 30 together with the user ID (S12). Through such processes of S10 to S12, the watching server 50 transmits to the device control apparatus 30 that the person M to be watched is out.

  The device control device 30 is initially in a stage to determine whether or not to receive a go-out notification from the watching server 50 (S20). When not received (S20: NO), the device control device 30 waits to receive a go-out notification. It becomes a state. If received (S20: YES), that is, if the watcher server 50 receives a message indicating that the person M is going out, the device control device 30 sets an outing flag in the RAM 30c and puts the outing setting on. (S21). By the cooperation processing of the television device 10 (monitoring device), the monitoring server 50, and the device control device 30 as described above, the device control device 30 is turned on.

  On the other hand, the second flowchart shown in FIG. 25 is a process related to remote operation when the device control apparatus 30 receives an operation instruction from an external communication terminal (corresponding to the operator terminal 70 or the portable communication terminal 80 in this embodiment). The procedure is shown. In the following description, the external communication terminal is described as the mobile communication terminal 80, but the processing contents are the same for other communication terminals (for example, the operator terminal 70). Note that the second flowchart shows processing from the state in which the mobile communication terminal 80 displays the operation selection menu 76 as shown in FIG. 20B, and the operation selection menu 76 is shown in FIG. A description will be given in the case of a menu for an electric device (for example, the air conditioner 2) connected to the device control device 30 of the person M to be watched over.

  First, the mobile communication terminal 80 issues an operation instruction that the selection button 76b is selected in the state where any one check box is selected in the operation selection menu 76 as shown in FIG. It is determined whether or not it has been accepted from the OP (S40). When there is no operation instruction (S40: NO), the operation instruction wait state is entered, and when the operation instruction is received (S40: YES), the mobile communication terminal 80 uses the communication address of the device control device 30 extracted from the remote operation table 74. An operation instruction for instructing the operation content selected by the operation selection menu 76 is transmitted together with the device ID of the electric device to be operated (for example, the device ID of the air conditioner 2) and the own communication terminal ID ( S41).

  On the other hand, the device control apparatus 30 initially determines whether or not an operation instruction has been received from an external communication terminal (S30). If no operation instruction has been received (S30: NO), the device control apparatus 30 waits for reception. When the operation instruction is received (S30: YES), the device control device 30 next determines whether or not the outing setting is on (S31). That is, in addition to the process shown in the second flowchart of FIG. 25, the device control apparatus 30 also performs the process related to the first flowchart of FIG. 24 described above, and when the process proceeds to the stage of S31 in the second flowchart, Since there are two possible states when the outing setting is turned on and when it is turned off through the processing according to one flowchart, the device control device 30 is in any of these two states. This is determined at the stage of S31.

  When the outing setting is not in the on state (S31: NO), that is, when the person M to be watched is at home, the device control device 30 receives the operation instruction received from the external communication terminal as shown in the upper part of FIG. Based on this, the electric device (for example, air conditioner 2) is controlled (S32). As the contents of the control in the stage of S32, it is confirmed whether or not the communication terminal ID attached to the received operation instruction is stored in the communication terminal table 34 shown in FIG. If it can be confirmed, a communication address corresponding to the device ID attached to the operation instruction is identified from the device table 33 shown in FIG. 7 and the content of the operation instruction is addressed to the identified communication address. A corresponding operation command is transmitted. If the communication terminal ID attached to the received operation instruction is not stored in the communication terminal table 34 of FIG. 8, the device control apparatus 30 ignores the operation instruction on the assumption that it does not correspond to the regular operation instruction. Become.

  When the device control apparatus 30 receives the operation result from the electric device that has transmitted the operation command, the device control apparatus 30 transmits result information including the operation result to the communication terminal (mobile communication terminal 80) that is the transmission source of the current operation instruction. (S33).

  On the other hand, after the step of S41 (operation instruction transmission), the mobile communication terminal 80 is in a step of determining whether or not the result information of the operation result has been received from the device control device 30 (S42). If not (S42: NO), it will be in a reception waiting state. When the result information is received (S42: YES), the mobile communication terminal 80 displays the remote operation result (S43). As a result of the processing in step S43, a result screen showing the result of the remote operation as shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B is displayed on the display 80i of the mobile communication terminal 80, thereby watching over it. A person (a family K who lives apart from the person M to be watched over) can remotely confirm that the remote operation has been performed satisfactorily.

  Returning to the process of the device control device 30, after the step of S33, the device control device 30 creates an e-mail describing the contents of the result information of the operation result described above, and sends it to the portable terminal 100 used by the person M to be watched over. Transmission is also performed (S34). By transmitting the e-mail, the mobile terminal 100 can confirm the person M who can watch the contents as shown in FIG. Then, the device control apparatus 30 stores in the operation log table 35 shown in FIG. 9 the date and time when the operation instruction is received, the communication terminal ID attached to the received operation instruction, the electric device to be operated, the content of the operation instruction, the operation result, and the like. Is stored (stored) (S35).

  Further, in the step of S31, when the outing setting is on (S31: YES), that is, when the person M to be watched is out, the device control device 30 issues an operation command according to the received operation instruction. As shown in the lower part of FIG. 10, the electric device is not controlled based on the operation instruction without being transmitted to the electric device to be operated (S36). Even when the control related to the remote operation of the electric device is not performed, the device control apparatus 30 transmits the result information including the operation result indicating that the remote operation is not possible (that the electric device is not controlled) to the communication terminal (mobile phone). It transmits to the communication terminal 80) (S33). In this case, a result screen as shown in FIG. 27C (a screen indicating that remote operation is impossible because the person being watched is out) is displayed on the display 80 i of the mobile communication terminal 80 in the stage of S43. Is done. Note that the expression on the result screen displayed in the stage of S43 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 27 (c). When security, privacy, and setting contents are taken into consideration, the operation is simply prohibited. The expression “masu” may be displayed on the result screen.

  Even when the outing setting is ON, the device control device 30 creates an e-mail stating that remote operation is not possible (the fact that the electric device has not been controlled) at the stage of S34, and the person M to be watched uses In this case, since the contents as shown in FIG. 29A are displayed on the portable terminal 100 possessed by the person M who is going out, the person M who is being watched While you are out, you can confirm that remote operation has been blocked, and you can feel safe knowing that the electrical equipment is not being operated. Further, the device control apparatus also displays the result of not performing the remote control as described above (the result of not controlling the electric device) in the operation log table 35 shown in FIG. The communication terminal ID attached to the instruction, the electric device to be operated, the contents of the operation instruction, the operation result (notifying that the electric device has not been controlled), etc. are stored (stored) (S35). Note that the operation log storage process in step S35 may be performed in the stage before the result transmission in S33 or the stage before the e-mail transmission in step S34 by changing the processing order. Is possible.

  The third flowchart shown in FIG. 26 shows a processing procedure subsequent to the processing shown in the first flowchart of FIG. 24 described above, and once the outing setting is turned on in the processing of the first flowchart, it can be watched. The processing procedure until the person M returns home and the outing setting is canceled is described (outing setting off processing procedure).

  First, the television apparatus 10 in a power-off state is in a stage for determining whether or not a power-on operation has been performed (S6). When there is no power-on operation (S6: NO), the television apparatus 10 is in an operation waiting state. If there is a power-on operation (S6: YES), the outing setting is canceled, the outing setting flag stored in the memory 15 is restored, and the outing setting is turned off (S7). Then, the television device 10 watches the person M who is watched out and sends a notification to the server 50 (S8). The television device 10 watches the person M who is watched (the user ID of the person M who watches and the device ID of the television device 10).

  The watching server 50 is initially in the stage of determining whether or not to receive a go-out cancellation notification from the television device 10 (S13), and when not received (S13: NO), receives the go-out release notification. Waiting. When received (S13: YES), the watching server 50 uses the user ID attached to the received outing cancellation notification in the daily response DB (for example, the daily response DB 54a) according to the reception date in the response DB 54. In addition, the reception date and time of the outing cancellation notification is stored in the “outing / canceling” column corresponding to the device ID, and “off” is stored in the “outing setting” column to turn off the outing setting (S14).

  Then, the watching server 50 identifies the communication address (address information) corresponding to the user ID attached to the received outing cancellation notification from the “communication address” column of the user DB 53 of FIG. 12, and addresses the identified communication address. A notification of going out cancellation (intention to return home of the person to be watched over) is transmitted to (consent to the device control device 30) together with the user ID (S15). By such processing of the watching server 50, the outing cancellation notification is sent to the device control apparatus 30.

  In addition, the device control device 30 is initially in a stage of determining whether or not to receive a go-out cancellation notification from the watching server 50 (S22), and when not received (S22: NO), the go-out release notification Waiting to receive. If it has been received (S22: YES), the device control apparatus 30 returns the outing flag set in the RAM 30c to the original and the outing setting is turned off (S23). Then, during the outing period (the period from going out setting on to going out setting off), the device control device 30 logs the log information (in the time zone during the outing period in the time period during the outing period) stored in the operation log table 35 of FIG. (Notification information indicating an operation result or the like indicating that the electric device has not been controlled based on an operation instruction from the specific communication terminal) is output to the television apparatus 10 (S24).

  When the television device 10 obtains the log information for going out from the device control device 30, the television device 10 displays and outputs the log information on the display panel 10a (S9). By the display output of the log information, the watched person M performs an operation of turning on the power of the television apparatus 10 for the first time after returning home, so that the content as shown in FIG. Since it is displayed, in conjunction with the power-on operation of the television device 10, it can be confirmed that the electric devices 2, 3, 4, etc. in the house H1 were not remotely operated while out.

  In addition, the invention which concerns on 1st Embodiment is not limited to the content mentioned above, Various modifications can be considered. For example, FIG. 1 shows a case where there are a plurality of remotely operable electric devices 2, 3, etc. installed in the house H 1, but the present invention enables remote operation even when there is only one remotely operable electric device. It is possible to construct such a system.

  FIG. 30 shows a modification of the watching device (television device 10). In the above description, the case where the television device 10 functions as a monitoring device with a built-in monitoring function has been described. It is also possible to connect and connect the television device 110 and the communication terminal device 120 to function as a watching device.

  In this case, the television device 110 having the display panel 110b on the front surface of the housing 110a functions as a monitor display of the communication terminal device 120, and the external connection unit 110c (the television shown in FIG. 2) included in the television device 110. The information acquired by the external connection unit 10c of the John device 10 is displayed and output on the display panel 110b, and FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, and 29 The contents shown in b) etc. will be displayed.

  The communication terminal device 120 connected to the external connection unit 110c of the television device 110 is generally of a type called a smart stick (smart box), a stick computer, a smart computer, or the like, and includes a display unit (display unit). ) And is used by connecting to an external display device (for example, the television device 110).

  As illustrated in FIG. 31A, the communication terminal device 120 includes a stick-shaped housing 128, and the external connection portion 110 c of the television device 110 is connected to one longitudinal end portion 128 a of the housing 128. A connection terminal of an external device connection unit 122 (corresponding to a connection unit) according to a standard (for example, HDMI (registered trademark) standard) protrudes, and a female terminal of an external interface connection unit 124 according to the USB standard is projected to the other end 128b. A type terminal is provided. Furthermore, the communication terminal device 120 has a wireless communication unit 123 (corresponding to a communication unit) and a wireless connection unit 125 corresponding to a wireless LAN disposed in a housing 128.

  FIG. 31B shows a main internal configuration of the communication terminal apparatus 120. The communication terminal device 120 has a kind of computer-like internal structure, and can perform a desired process by installing various application programs. A detection program P12 or the like for detecting the power-on state or the power-off state of the device 110) is installed so that necessary information can be notified to the watching server 50.

  The communication terminal device 120 has a configuration in which a CPU 121, an external device connection unit 122, a wireless communication unit 123, an external interface connection unit 124, a wireless connection unit 125, a memory 126 (storage means), and the like are connected by an internal connection line 20a. . The CPU 121 performs various control processes for the entire apparatus, and executes various processes in accordance with the specifications of various programs installed in the memory 126. The external device connection unit 122 corresponds to connection means, and is a connection terminal unit that can be directly connected to the external connection unit 110c of the television device 110 as described above. A wireless communication unit 123 (corresponding to a communication unit) is an interface that performs wireless communication, and the communication unit 113 of the present embodiment is a wireless LAN communication that conforms to the IEEE802.11 standard (IEEE802.11b / g, a, etc.). I do. Since communication terminal device 120 performs wireless communication in this way, when communication terminal device 120 is used, it is necessary to use a router (not shown) installed in house H1 that supports wireless communication.

  The external connection interface connection unit 124 corresponds to a connection means, and can be connected to a user interface such as a mouse and a keyboard, or an external storage medium. The wireless connection unit 125 also corresponds to a connection unit, and is a connection unit that performs wireless communication. In the present embodiment, the wireless connection unit 125 conforms to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

  The memory 126 stores various programs, information, and the like. The system program P10, the detection program P11, the OSD display table Tb10, the monitoring service display table Tb11, the device ID 120d, the user information 120e, the threshold time F10, the monitoring program P12. And a remote operation program P13 and the like are stored. The system program P11 is a basic program corresponding to an OS (operation system), and the detection program P11 is an application program that defines various processes related to the state detection of the display device to which the external device connection unit 122 is connected, As described above, a process for detecting the power-on state or the power-off state of the television device 110) is defined.

  Further, the OSD display table Tb10, the monitor service display table Tb11, the device ID 120d, the user information 120e, the threshold time F10, the monitor program P12, the remote operation program P13, and the like are stored in the memory 15 of the television apparatus 10 shown in FIG. It is basically equivalent to the stored OSD display table Tb1, device ID 10d, watch service display table Tb2, user information 10e, threshold time F, watch program P2, and remote control program P3, and is partially communication terminal device 120. The contents are adjusted for use. By connecting the communication terminal device 120 having such contents to the television device 110, the two function together as a monitoring device equivalent to the television device 10 having the above-described monitoring function.

  FIG. 32 shows another modification of the first embodiment according to the present invention, and shows an example in which the device control apparatus and the electric device are integrated. That is, as shown in FIG. 6 and the like, the device control device 30 has been described as an independent device. However, the configuration of the device control device 30 is incorporated into the electrical device to be remotely operated, and the device control device 30 It is possible to construct a remote operation system using an electric device having a function.

  FIG. 32 shows an example in which the configuration of the device control device is incorporated in the air conditioner 140. The air conditioner 140 includes the device control module unit 130 having a configuration similar to the device control device 30 shown in FIG. The air conditioner processing unit 140a equivalent to the air conditioner processing unit 2a in the air conditioner 2 is included.

  The device control module unit 130 basically has a communication module 130b, a RAM 130c, a ROM 130d, an input interface 130e, an input interface 130e, a control unit 130a that performs overall control and various processes, similarly to the internal configuration of the device control apparatus 30 in FIG. The storage unit 130f and the like are connected. The control unit 130a performs control processing equivalent to the control unit 30a of the device control device 30, and in addition to the control processing related to the air conditioner of the central control unit 2b of the air conditioner 2 shown in FIG. Processing etc. are also performed.

  Therefore, in the storage unit 130f, the basic program 131, the operation control program 132, the device table 133, the communication terminal table 134, the operation log table 135, and the watch that are the same as those stored in the storage unit 30f of the device control apparatus 30 in FIG. An e-mail address of the portable terminal 100 used by the person M is stored, and an air conditioner program 136 and a remote operation program 137 equivalent to those stored in the memory 2d of the air conditioner 2 in FIG. 5 are also stored. The device ID 140b of the air conditioner 140 is stored in the ROM 130d.

  By the above-described program stored in the storage unit 130f, the device control module unit 130 (control unit 130a) secures the same function as the above-described device control device 30 (control unit 30a), and an external communication terminal (for example, If the operation instruction from the operator terminal 70 or the portable communication terminal 80) controls the air conditioner 140, it functions as a remote control means for controlling the own machine (the air conditioner 140 itself) based on the operation instruction. In addition, if there is an electric device that can be remotely operated in addition to the air conditioner 140 in the house H1, and it is connected to the device control module unit 130 by wire or wirelessly, the device control module unit 130 (control unit 130a) is shown in FIG. Similarly to the device control device 30, control processing for remote operation of other remotely operable electric devices (for example, a television device, a recorder, a lighting device, a washing machine, etc.) is also performed. In addition, if the person M to be watched is out, such a control unit 130a can receive an operation instruction from an external communication terminal, based on the received operation instruction, as in the case of the device control device 30 described above. Control is not performed (even if there is an operation instruction of the air conditioner 140 while going out, control for the operation of the own device is not performed).

  In such a configuration shown in FIG. 32, since it is not necessary to provide a device control device independently, the system configuration can be simplified, and the time and labor involved in system construction can be reduced. This is suitable when there is only one electric device (for example, an air conditioner) or when it is desired to construct a remote operation system centered on one electric device (for example, an air conditioner). The electric device incorporating the device control module 130 is not limited to an air conditioner, and can of course be incorporated in other electric devices (such as a television device, a recorder, a lighting device, and a washing machine).

  The fourth flowchart in FIG. 33 shows a process of a modified example relating to the transmission of the outing notice. In the first flowchart in FIG. 24, the outing notice is accompanied with the power-off operation (S4: YES) of the television device 10. However, as shown in the fourth flowchart, if there is an outing setting operation (S1: YES), an outing notification is transmitted together with the outing setting on (S2) and the setting completion screen display (S3). (S105). In the fourth flowchart, the processes of the watching server 50 and the device control device 30 are the same as those in the first flowchart.

  In such a process of the fourth flowchart, the determination of the power-off operation (S4) shown in the first flowchart is omitted, so that the flow of the process can be made smooth as a whole, and the notification of going out can be quickly monitored to the server 50. There is merit in point such as reaching. Also in the case of the fourth flowchart, the television apparatus 10 functions as a means for watching the outing notification and transmitting it to the server 50 when the outing setting is accepted.

  The fifth flowchart of FIG. 34 shows one of the other variations related to the transmission of the outing notification. The television apparatus 10 does not transmit the outing communication to the device control apparatus 30 through the watching server 50. An example is shown in which the television device 10 directly transmits a notification of going out to the device control device 30. In this case, the television device 10 can store the communication address of the device control device 30 and transmit various notifications to the device control device 30.

  In the fifth flowchart, the television apparatus 10 performs processing equivalent to S1 to S3 and S105 in the fourth flowchart of FIG. 33 described above, watches the outing notification and transmits it to the server 50 (S105). In this modification, the watching server 50 performs the processing of S10 and S11 shown in the first flowchart of FIG. 24, but does not transmit the outing notification of S12 to the device control apparatus 30.

  In addition, the television device 10 watches the outing notification in step S105 and transmits it to the server 50, and then determines whether or not there has been a power-off operation (S4). (S4: NO), when there is a power-off operation (S4: YES), a going-out notification is transmitted to the device control apparatus 30 (S5 '). Note that the device control apparatus 30 performs the same processing as that of the first flowchart of FIG. 24 except that the reception of the outing notification from the television apparatus 10 is determined. In the fifth flowchart as described above, the watch server 50 is released from the process of notifying the device control apparatus 30 of the outing notification, which is preferable in that the watch server 50 can easily concentrate on the watch process. 30 also receives a notification of going out from the television device 10 in the household network that is familiar to the user, so that there is an advantage in that the going-out of the person M to be watched can be easily grasped.

  Note that the pattern in which the television device 10 directly transmits the outing notification to the device control device 30 as described above may be a method other than the example shown in the fifth flowchart of FIG. 34. For example, the pattern shown in FIG. In the first flowchart, the television device 10 may transmit a notification of going out to both the watching server 50 and the device control device 30 in the step S5. In the fourth flowchart in FIG. However, at step S105, it is also possible to send a notification of going out to both the watching server 50 and the device control apparatus 30.

  Furthermore, FIG. 35 shows a sixth flowchart of a modification of the third flowchart relating to the outing cancellation notification shown in FIG. 26, and this sixth flowchart is also the same as in the above-described modification of the outing notification. Shows a processing procedure in the case of transmitting a go-out cancellation notification directly to the device control device 30, and the television device 10 performs the processing of the steps S6 and S7 as in the third flowchart of FIG. 50 and the device control device 30 are both sent out and transmitted to the beginning notification (S8 ').

  The watching server 50 performs the processes of steps S13 and S14 in the third flowchart of FIG. 25 to end the process, and does not perform the process of transmitting the outing release notification of S15 to the device control apparatus 30. Further, the device control apparatus 30 performs the same content as the process shown in the third flowchart of FIG. 25. However, in the stage of S22, it is determined whether or not the outing notification release from the television apparatus 10 has been received. Become. In such a sixth flowchart, the watch server 50 is released from the process of notifying the device control device 30 of the outing release notification, which is preferable in that the watch server 50 can easily concentrate on the watch process, and the device control. Since the device 30 also receives the outing cancellation notification from the television device 10 in the familiar home network, there is also an advantage that it is possible to easily grasp the return of the person M to be watched from home.

  FIG. 36 shows a case where one of the watched persons is out of the office in the user selection menu 75 in FIG. 20A, and the watched person who is out of the office is selected as a target for remote operation. The menu screen that cannot be displayed. In order to display such a menu screen, when the watching server 50 is turned on (for example, in step S11 in the first flowchart of FIG. 24), the watching server 50 is turned on. A user's going-out notification is transmitted to an external communication terminal (for example, the operator terminal 70 or the portable communication terminal 80) together with the user ID of the person to be received.

  When the external communication terminal (operator terminal 70, portable communication terminal 80) receives the outing notification, it stores the received user ID in the RAM 70c, 80c and performs a process of displaying a user selection menu by the operation of the watcher. It is determined whether or not the outing notification is stored in the RAMs 70c and 80c. If the outing notification is stored, the user ID stored together with the outing notification is specified, and the character box 79 indicating that the user is out by overlay is pasted on the user name related to the specified user ID, and the character box 79 is pasted. A menu screen (user selection menu 75) is displayed so that the assigned user name cannot be selected. By displaying such a user selection menu 75 in which some users cannot be selected, a person who watches (operator OP or a family K who lives away) is a remote operation target in the first place for a person who is going out. Therefore, there is a merit in that the device control device 30 does not need to perform a determination process or the like indicating that the remote control is not performed while the user is out.

  When the watched person returns home from the outside, the character selection block 75 is removed from the user selection menu 75 in FIG. 36, and a menu screen as shown in FIG. 20A is displayed. When the processing for removing the character box 79 is performed in this way, when the watching server 50 is turned off (for example, step S14 in the third flowchart of FIG. 26), the watching server 50 is turned off. Together with the user ID of the person being watched over, the user's going-out cancellation notice is transmitted to an external communication terminal (operator terminal 70, portable communication terminal 80). When the external communication terminal (operator terminal 70, portable communication terminal 80) receives the outing cancellation notification, it deletes the outing notification (outing notification corresponding to the user ID attached to the outing cancellation notification) stored in the RAM 70c, 80c. Perform the process. As a result, when the user selection menu is displayed, the RAM 70c, 80c does not have the user's going-out notification related to the received going-out cancellation notification, and therefore there is no character block 79 shown in FIG. The user selection menu 75 is displayed.

  Moreover, when simplification of the process in the invention of the first embodiment, a part of the process can be omitted. For example, the processing related to the transmission of the e-mail at the step S34 in the second flowchart of FIG. 25 can be omitted. It should be noted that the above-described modifications can be used in combination. Furthermore, although the example mentioned above demonstrated the case where the various electric equipment installed in the house H1 etc. in which the person who watches over lives is remotely controlled as shown in FIG. 1, the application object of this invention is shown in FIG. It is not limited to such a case. For example, it is installed in facilities (hotels, schools, play facilities, game centers, etc.) where there are people who can be watched over, such as guests and rest guests. The present invention can also be applied to remote control of various electric devices.

  FIG. 37 shows an overview of remote operation processing when the person being watched at home and when going out in the remote operation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in the processing when the watched person goes out, and allows remote control of the electric device for operation instructions from a specific communication terminal even when going out (FIG. 37). When the user goes out (see Part 2)), the operation instruction from other than the specific communication terminal is not allowed to be remotely operated as in the first embodiment (see the case of going out (Part 1) in FIG. 37). . In the second embodiment, the hardware configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment are used in the following description.

  FIG. 38 shows a communication terminal table 134 that the device control apparatus 30 stores in the storage unit 30f. This communication terminal table 134 stores information representing an external communication terminal that can remotely control an electrical device when the watched person M is out, and the communication terminal table 34 shown in FIG. The column “Availability of operation” is added. In the “operability while going out” column, either “◯” indicating that remote operation is possible or “X” indicating “remote operation is impossible” is stored in association with the communication terminal ID. Such “o” or “x” is stored in the initial setting performed when registering the use of the remote operation service in the watching service.

  Whether remote operation is possible or not is determined by the wishes and ideas of the person being watched.For example, family members can trust the remote operation while they are out of the office because they can be trusted. Since it becomes a relationship, it can be assumed that remote operation is not allowed while out. Based on this concept, the operator terminal 70 used by the operator OP shown in FIG. 1 cannot be remotely operated while the watched person M is out, but can be watched by the portable communication terminal 80 used by the family K who lives away. Remote operation can be performed even when a person is out.

  FIG. 39 is a seventh flowchart showing the processing contents of the device control apparatus 30 in the second embodiment. This seventh flowchart is based on the second flowchart shown in FIG. Is characterized in that a step (S130) for determining whether or not remote operation is possible is added between the case of YES in S31 and the step of S36. Otherwise, the second embodiment also has the feature. A process equivalent to the second flowchart of FIG. 25 is performed.

  That is, when the device control apparatus 30 performs the processes of S30 and S31 in the second flowchart shown in FIG. 25 and receives an operation instruction from an external communication terminal (S30: YES), it determines whether the outing setting is on. (S31) When the outing setting is ON (S31: YES), the communication terminal ID incidental to the operation instruction is “O” or “×” in the column “operability during outing” of the communication terminal table 134 of FIG. ”Is stored to determine whether or not remote operation is possible (whether to control the electrical device) based on the received operation instruction (S130). If the column of “Availability of operation while going out” of the communication terminal ID attached to the operation instruction is “◯”, the device control apparatus 30 determines that remote operation is possible (S130: YES), and based on the received operation instruction. The electric device is controlled (S32). In addition, if the “operability while going out” column of the communication terminal ID attached to the operation instruction is “×”, the device control apparatus 30 determines that remote operation is not possible (S130: NO), and receives the received operation instruction. Control of the electric equipment based on is not performed (S36). The contents of such processing are defined in the remote operation program 32 of the device control apparatus 30 of the second embodiment. The contents of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment except as described above. In addition, in the step S43 of the seventh flowchart of FIG. 39, as a screen content for displaying the result when the electric device is not controlled (S36), for example, the phrase “cannot be remotely operated from an unauthorized terminal” is used. If used, it represents the actual situation of the second embodiment, which is preferable.

  Also, in the second embodiment, the various modifications described in the first embodiment can be applied. Furthermore, for remote operation while out, either the contents of the first embodiment or the contents of the second embodiment can be used. When the contents of the first embodiment are set by allowing the device control device 30 to display and output a setting menu that can be set by a person who can watch whether or not to use the device, via the television device 10. Remote operation is totally rejected while the person is out, while on the other hand, when the contents of the second embodiment are set, only a specific external communication terminal (for example, mobile communication terminal 80) is remote It is also possible to perform this.

  FIG. 40 shows an overview of remote operation processing when a watched person is at home and when going out in the remote operation system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment of the present invention, remote operation is basically disabled regardless of whether the user is at home or going out, and the content of the remote operation causes the electric device to be directed in a safe direction while the watched person is out. Only when it is a thing, it is based on the idea of enabling remote operation exceptionally. The operation content that turns the electrical device in the safe direction corresponds to the operation of switching the electrical device from the power-on state to the power-off state by remote control when the watched person goes out with the power device turned on. To do.

  In addition, even when performing remote operation of turning off the power while going out, it is assumed that the watched person intentionally works the timer function etc. and keeps the electrical equipment on for a certain period of time. Remote operation is performed only when the device control device 30 receives an operation instruction to turn off the power from an external communication terminal, when the electric device is in the power-on state even after the time (reference time) has elapsed. The electric device can be turned off. Also in the third embodiment, the hardware configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment are used in the following description.

  The eighth flowchart of FIG. 41 shows the processing procedure of the third embodiment, and shows the processing procedure in remote operation in response to an operation instruction to turn off the power of an external communication terminal. The flow of the eighth flowchart is basically the same as the second flowchart of FIG. 25. If the external communication terminal is the portable communication terminal 80, the eighth flowchart will be described. First, the portable communication terminal 80 Whether or not the operation selection menu 76 as shown in FIG. 20B has been received from a person watching the power-off operation instruction that the selection button 76b is selected with the check box corresponding to the power-off selected. (S70). When there is no operation instruction (S70: NO), the power-off operation is waited, and when the operation instruction is received (S70: YES), the mobile communication terminal 80 is connected to the device control device 30 extracted from the remote operation table 74. An operation instruction to turn off the power is transmitted to the communication address together with the device ID of the electric device to be operated (for example, the device ID of the air conditioner 2) and the own communication terminal ID (S71).

  On the other hand, the device control apparatus 30 is initially in a stage of determining whether or not a power-off operation instruction has been received from an external communication terminal (mobile communication terminal 80) (S50), and has not received the operation instruction. In the case (S50: NO), it is in a reception waiting state, and when an operation instruction is received (S50: YES), the device control device 30 then determines whether or not the outing setting is on ( S51).

  When the outing setting is on (S51: YES), that is, when the person M to be watched is out, the device control device 30 determines that the electric device to be operated (for example, an air conditioner) related to the received operation instruction is present. 7, the column corresponding to the device ID attached to the received operation instruction in the “power on / off state” column of the device table 33 shown in FIG. 7 is the power on state as the latest detection result. Whether or not (S52). When the electric device to be operated is in the power-on state (S52: YES), the device control device 30 determines whether or not the time associated with going out of the watched person has passed the reference time (S53).

  The time required for going out of the person to be watched corresponds to the elapsed time from when the device control device 30 is turned on in step S21 in the first flowchart of FIG. In the device control device 30, the time from when the outing setting is turned on is measured by the time measuring function provided in the control unit 30a. In the device control device 30 of the third embodiment, 1 hour is stored as a reference time in the storage unit 30f by default, and this reference time is set from 1 minute by a setting menu (not shown). It can be set to a predetermined time in increments of 1 minute for 5 hours.

  When it is determined that the reference time has elapsed after the watched person goes out (S53: YES), the device control device 30 performs an operation command (turns off the power) in response to the received operation instruction to turn off the power. Command) is transmitted to the electric device to be operated, and control is performed to turn off the electric device in the power-on state (S54). Thereafter, the device control apparatus 30 performs the same processing as S33 to S35 in the second flowchart of FIG. 25 as S55 to S57, and the portable communication terminal 80 (external communication terminal) is also connected to the second flowchart of FIG. The processes similar to those in the flowchart and S42 and S43 are performed as S72 and S73.

  In addition, when the outing setting is not in an on state (S51: NO), when the operation target electric device is not in a power on state (S52: NO), or when the watched person's outing time has not passed the reference time Even in any case of determination (S53: NO), the device control device 30 does not transmit an operation command to turn off the power, and does not control the electrical device (S58).

  By performing the processing described above in the third embodiment, even if there is an electrical device that is turned on while the person being watched is out, the power is turned off by remote operation without violating the intention of the person being watched. Therefore, it is possible to secure safety in the house H1 of the person M to be watched over and to contribute to power saving. The contents of the third embodiment are suitable for an electric device having a heating function that may damage a house if the power is on. The contents of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment except as described above. In the eighth flow chart of FIG. 41, when the electric device is not controlled because the reference time has not elapsed (S58), the device control device 30 determines that the elapsed time and the reference time are the same at step S53. The result information including the time until the reference time determined by the comparison judgment is included (for example, the result information indicating “43:23 remaining until operation is possible”) is transmitted to the external communication terminal (S55). ) In step S73, the remaining time up to the reference time may be displayed on an external communication terminal.

  Also, there is a modification in the third embodiment. For example, when it is not particularly necessary to determine the elapse of the reference time, the process related to the determination of the elapse of the reference time in S53 in the eighth flowchart of FIG. 41 is performed. It may be omitted. Furthermore, each modification described in the first embodiment can also be applied in the third embodiment.

  Furthermore, the characteristic processing described in the third embodiment (S51: YES, S52: YES, S53: YES, S54 in the eighth flowchart) is the same as the processing in the first embodiment (FIG. 25). It can also be incorporated in the second flowchart). By incorporating in this way, as an exception process in the invention of the first embodiment that the remote operation is not performed if the person being watched is out, even if the electric device is in a power-on state, When the reference time elapses, a remote operation of turning off the electric device doctor in the power-on state becomes possible, which can contribute to improving safety when the watched person goes out. Even in such a combination of the first embodiment, the determination process related to the passage of the reference time can be omitted, and as described in the modification of the second embodiment, the first embodiment and the second embodiment. It is also possible to incorporate the above-described characteristic processing of the third embodiment (processing at each stage of S51: YES, S52: YES, S53: YES, S54 in the eighth flowchart) of the contents that are combined in form.

  FIG. 42 shows an overview of remote operation processing in the remote operation system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. As in the third embodiment, the fourth embodiment of the present invention basically prohibits remote operation regardless of whether the user is at home or going out. Only in the case that the remote control is allowed, it is based on the idea that remote control is exceptionally possible. This is different from the third embodiment in that no judgment is made (see the case of going out (part 2) in FIG. 42). Also in the fourth embodiment, the hardware configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment are used in the following description.

  43 shows a remote operation availability table 38, which is stored in the storage unit 30f of the device control apparatus 30 of the fourth embodiment. The remote operation availability table 38 shown in FIG. Operation contents are associated with each target electric device, and whether or not remote operation is possible is indicated for each operation content. That is, in the “remote operation” column of the remote operation availability table 38, “O” meaning that remote operation is possible or “X” meaning that remote operation is impossible is stored (“O” or “x”. It is determined from the viewpoint that it can be operated if the state of the electric device is in a safe direction).

  Note that the remote operation availability table 38 in FIG. 43 indicates the operation content and remote operation availability of the air conditioner 2, and the operation content of other electrical devices and the content of remote operation availability are not shown. Similarly to the air conditioner 2, it is assumed that whether or not remote operation is possible for each operation content is indicated. The air conditioner 2 in the fourth embodiment is assumed to have an ion generation function, a deodorizing function, a look-out function, an energy saving mode operation function, an automatic cleaning function, and the like.

  In the remote operation availability table 38 shown in FIG. 43, “○” of ion generation on related to the ion generation function enables remote operation to turn on the ion generation after the power-on state of the air conditioner 2 in the power-off state. Similarly, “O” for deodorization on means that the air conditioner 2 in the power-off state can be remotely operated to turn on the deodorization after the power-on state, Furthermore, “◯” for automatic cleaning means that the air conditioner 2 in the power-off state can be remotely operated to activate the automatic cleaning after the power-on state. The look-out function means the function of watching the temperature, humidity, and dust conditions of the location where the air conditioner 2 is installed, and the air conditioner 2 performs the operation of humidification, dehumidification and dust collection according to the result of the look-out function. It becomes. Further, the energy saving mode operation means a mode in which the operation is automatically performed according to the floor temperature, the sunlight condition, the lighting condition, the humidity condition, and the season.

  The ninth flowchart of FIG. 44 shows the processing procedure of the fourth embodiment, and shows the processing procedure in remote operation in response to an operation instruction from an external communication terminal. The flow of the ninth flowchart is basically the same as the second flowchart of FIG. 25 or the eighth flowchart of FIG. 41, and the ninth flowchart will be described first when the external communication terminal is the mobile communication terminal 80. The mobile communication terminal 80 uses the operation selection menu 76 as shown in FIG. 20B to indicate that the selection button 76b is selected in a state where a check box corresponding to any operation content is selected. It is determined whether or not it has been received from a person watching over (S90). When there is no operation instruction (S90: NO), the operation wait state is entered, and when the operation instruction is received (S90: YES), the mobile communication terminal 80 is addressed to the communication address of the device control device 30 extracted from the remote operation table 74. The received operation instruction is transmitted together with the device ID of the electric device to be operated (for example, the device ID of the air conditioner 2) and the own communication terminal ID (S91).

  On the other hand, the device control apparatus 30 is initially in a stage of determining whether or not an operation instruction has been received from an external communication terminal (mobile communication terminal 80) (S80). If the operation instruction is received (S80: YES), the device control device 30 next determines whether or not the outing setting is on (S81). .

  When the outing setting is on (S81: YES), that is, when the person M to be watched is out, the device control device 30 operates the operation content associated with the device ID attached to the received operation instruction ( It is determined whether or not the received operation content related to the operation instruction) can be remotely operated based on the remote operation availability table 38 of FIG. 43 (S82). When it is determined that the operation content is possible (S82: YES), the device control apparatus 30 transmits an operation command corresponding to the received operation instruction to the electric device to be operated, and the electric device is based on the operation instruction. Is controlled (S83). Thereafter, the device control apparatus 30 performs the same processing as S33 to S35 in the second flowchart of FIG. 25 as S84 to S86, and the portable communication terminal 80 (external communication terminal) is also connected to the second flowchart of FIG. The processes similar to those in the flowchart and S42 and S43 are performed as S92 and S93.

  Further, when the outing setting is not on (S81: NO), or when it is determined that the received operation content is not remotely operable based on the remote operation availability table 38 of FIG. 43 (S82: NO), in these cases In any case, the device control apparatus 30 does not transmit the operation command, and does not control the electric device based on the received operation instruction (S87).

  By performing the processing described above in the fourth embodiment, while the person being watched is out, the remote control is possible as long as the operation content causes each electrical device to be directed in the safe direction. Can contribute to ensuring safety in the house H1. In the fourth embodiment, the modifications described in the first embodiment can be applied. In addition, as a screen content for displaying the result when the electric device is not controlled (S87) in the step S93 of the ninth flowchart in FIG. 44, for example, “This operation content is prohibited. Use of the phrase “only power off” is preferable because it represents the actual situation of the fourth embodiment.

  Furthermore, the characteristic processing described in the fourth embodiment (steps S81: YES, S82: YES, S83 in the ninth flowchart) is the same as the processing in the first embodiment (second flowchart in FIG. 25). It is also possible to incorporate it into By incorporating in this way, as an exception process in the invention of the first embodiment that the remote operation is not performed if the person being watched is out, a specific type of operation (safe direction) even when out Operation), it is possible to remotely control electrical equipment, and contribute to improving the safety of the watched person when they go out. As described in the modification of the second embodiment, the above-described characteristic processing of the fourth embodiment (S81 in the ninth flowchart: YES, S82) is combined with the contents of the first embodiment and the second embodiment. : YES, processing in each step of S83) can be incorporated.

  The present invention enables a person who watches the various electric devices used by the watched person to appropriately perform remote control, and makes the operating status of the various electric devices appropriate even when the watched person goes out. It can use suitably with respect to being able to consider.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Remote control system 2 Air conditioner 3 Recorder 4 Lighting fixture 5 Washing machine 10 Television apparatus (monitoring apparatus)
21 Question screen 22 Answer screen 23 Notification screen 30 Device control device 33 Device table 34 Communication terminal table 35 Operation log table 38 Remote operation availability table 50 Watch server 53 User DB
54 Answer DB
55 Watcher DB
70 Operator terminal (external communication terminal)
80 Mobile communication terminal 100 Mobile terminal M Person watched over OP Operator K Family H1-Hn House

Claims (13)

Remote operation comprising a monitoring device for watching a situation related to a watched person and transmitting it to a server, and a device control device capable of controlling an electrical device related to the watched person based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal In the system,
The monitoring device is:
It is possible to accept the setting of going out of the watched person,
Along with accepting the setting of going out, it comprises means for sending a notice of going out to the watching server,
The watching server is
When receiving a notification of going out from the monitoring device, comprising means for transmitting to the device control device that the person being watched is out,
The device control device
Whether or not the electrical device is in a power-on state when receiving an operation instruction for powering off the electrical device from an external communication terminal when the watched server has received a notification of going out of the person being watched over Means for detecting;
Means for determining whether or not the time associated with going out of the watched person has passed a reference time when it is detected that the electrical device is powered on;
When it is determined that the time required for going out of the watched person has not passed the reference time, a means for not performing control to switch off the power-on electric device based on the operation instruction to turn off the power. A remote control system comprising: The device control device performs control to switch off an electric device in a power-on state based on an operation instruction to turn off the power when it is determined that a reference time has elapsed after the watched person goes out. The remote control system according to claim 1 , further comprising means. When the electrical equipment is not controlled based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal, the equipment control apparatus stores information that the electrical equipment has not been controlled in association with the reception date and time of the operation instruction. The remote control system according to claim 1, further comprising means for performing processing. The device control device includes means for transmitting a message indicating that remote operation is not possible to an external communication terminal that has transmitted the operation instruction when the electric device is not controlled based on the operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The apparatus control device includes means for transmitting, to the predetermined notification destination, that the electrical equipment has not been controlled when the electrical equipment has not been controlled based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal. The remote control system according to claim 1 . The watching device has a display panel,
The device control device
A means for outputting that the control of the electrical device is not performed when the electrical device is not controlled based on the operation instruction received from the external communication terminal is displayed on the display panel of the monitoring device. The remote control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . Monitors the situation related to the watched person and transmits it to the server and controls the electrical equipment related to the watched person based on the operation instruction received from the external communication terminal and accepting the setting of the watched person's outing In a remote operation method for performing remote operation of an electric device in a remote operation system comprising a device control device capable of performing
The monitoring device is:
A step of sending a notification of going out to the watching server in response to accepting the setting of going out,
The watching server is
When receiving a notification of going out from the monitoring device, comprising the step of transmitting to the device control device that the person being watched is out,
The device control device
Whether or not the electrical device is in a power-on state when receiving an operation instruction for powering off the electrical device from an external communication terminal when the watched server has received a notification of going out of the person being watched over Detecting step;
When it is detected that the electrical device is in a power-on state, a step of determining whether or not the time associated with going out of the watched person has passed a reference time;
When it is determined that the time required for going out of the watched person has not passed the reference time, the step of not performing control to switch off the electric device in the power-on state based on the operation instruction to turn off the power. A remote operation method comprising the steps of: The device control device performs control to switch off an electric device in a power-on state based on an operation instruction to turn off the power when it is determined that a reference time has elapsed after the watched person goes out. The remote operation method according to claim 7 , further comprising a step. In a device control apparatus capable of controlling an electric device based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal,
Whether or not the electrical device is in a power-on state when an operation instruction for turning off the electrical device is received from an external communication terminal when an external server has received a notification that the person related to the electrical device has gone out Means for detecting whether or not,
Means for determining whether or not the time associated with going out has passed a reference time when it is detected that the electrical device is in a power-on state;
And a means for not performing control to switch off the electric device in the power-on state based on the operation instruction to turn off the power when it is determined that the reference time has not passed the reference time. A device control device. In an electrical device having a remote operation means capable of performing control on its own operation based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal,
Whether the device is in a power-on state when receiving an operation instruction to turn off the electrical device from an external communication terminal when an external server is informed that the person related to the electrical device has gone out Means for detecting whether or not,
Means for determining whether or not the time associated with going out has passed the reference time when it is detected that the power is on;
And a means for not performing control to switch the power-on state of the own device to power-off based on the operation instruction to turn off the power when it is determined that the reference time has not passed the reference time. And electrical equipment. In the monitoring device that monitors the situation related to the person being watched and sends it to the server,
A means of accepting the setting of the person being watched,
Means for transmitting a notification of going out to the watching server in response to accepting the setting of going out;
Means for obtaining a result of remote operation of an electric device related to a person being watched while setting out;
A means of accepting the release of the watched person's outing,
A monitoring device comprising: means for outputting the acquired remote operation result when the setting for going out is accepted. In a computer program for causing a computer having communication means and capable of performing control processing of an electric device to perform control processing of the electric device based on an operation instruction received from an external communication terminal through the communication means,
The computer,
When an instruction to turn off the electrical device is received from an external communication terminal when an external server receives a notification of the person going out of the electrical device through the communication means, the electrical device is powered Means for detecting whether or not the device is in an on state;
Means for performing a process of determining whether or not a time associated with going out has passed a reference time when it is detected that the electrical device is in a power-on state;
When it is determined that the time required for going out has not passed the reference time, it is made to function as a means that does not perform control to switch off the electric device in the power-on state based on the operation instruction to turn off the power. A computer program. In a computer program for causing a computer having communication means to perform a process of transmitting a situation related to a watched person to an external monitoring server through the communication means,
The computer,
Means for accepting the setting of the watched person's outing;
Means for transmitting an outing notice to the watching server through the communication means in response to accepting the setting of going out;
Means for performing a process of obtaining a result of remote operation of the electrical equipment related to the watched person in the setting of the watched person's outing;
Means for accepting the release of the watched person's outing setting,
A computer program that functions as means for performing processing to output the acquired remote operation result when a setting release for going out is accepted.

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