WO2022083361A1

WO2022083361A1 - Receiving device, information processing device and information processing system

Info

Publication number: WO2022083361A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/118246
Authority: WO
Inventors: 诸星利弘; 西村勇人
Original assignee: 海信视像科技股份有限公司; 东芝视频解决方案株式会社
Priority date: 2020-10-19
Filing date: 2021-09-14
Publication date: 2022-04-28
Also published as: CN114766088A

Abstract

Provided are a receiving device, an information processing device and an information processing system. By introducing user's intentions into automatic control of a smart home appliance, automatic control can be performed in settings and conditions reflecting the user's intentions. The receiving device comprises a user interface provision unit, an operation receiving unit, and an instruction transmitting unit. The user interface provision unit provides a user interface, the user interface being configured to check, upon determination that operation control for the home appliance is needed on the basis of a specified rule and information of the environment issued by the home appliance, user's intentions before the operation control. The operation receiving unit is configured to receive, by means of the user interface provided by the user interface provision unit, an operation indicating the user's intentions. When there is an instruction, corresponding to the operation received by the operation receiving unit, of the operation control for the home appliance, the instruction transmitting unit transmits the instruction by means of a specified path through which transmission to the home appliance can be performed.

Description

Receiving device, information processing device, and information processing system

This application is required to be filed with the Japan Patent Office on October 28, 2020, the application number is 2020-180747, the invention title is "receiving device, information processing device, and information processing system" and filed with the Japan Patent Office on October 19, 2020, Priority is accorded to Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-175288 and entitled "Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing System, and Receiving Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

technical field

Embodiments of the present application relate to a reception apparatus, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing system.

Background technique

In recent years, household electrical appliances (home appliances) and so-called smart home appliances having a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) function have been widely spread (for example, Patent Document 1). By cooperating with an external device via a network, a smart home appliance can receive an instruction for controlling an operating state or the like via another device.

For example, in the case of an air conditioner (air conditioner), for example, the following operations are already performed: a warning is issued when the temperature is 28°C, and the operation is automatically started at 30°C. However, in some cases, the comfortable environment may vary from user to user. In this case, if it is a unified automatic control, the user's satisfaction may not be obtained. Therefore, there is room for improvement at this point.

In addition, for example, among washing machines that are smart home appliances, there are washing machines that have a function of determining that the remaining amount of detergent is small based on the output of a sensor provided in a tank that holds the detergent for automatic injection. Then, the purchase of the detergent is prompted via the user interface.

However, even if the amount of detergent remaining in the tank is small, for example, in the case of having a stockpile, it is not necessary to purchase, and it is not appropriate as a timing for prompting purchase. If the purchase is prompted at an inappropriate time, it will not bring satisfaction to the user, and in addition, unnecessary shopping may be caused, which is not advisable.

prior art literature

Patent Literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-44929

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-149795

Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-315079

Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-228652

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problem to be solved by the present application is to introduce the user's intention into the automatic control of the smart home appliance, so that the automatic control can be performed with the settings and conditions reflecting the user's intention. In addition, another problem to be solved by the present application is to optimize the timing for prompting the purchase of consumables for smart home appliances.

The receiving apparatus according to the embodiment of the present application includes a user interface providing unit, an operation receiving unit, and an instruction transmitting unit. The user interface providing unit provides a user interface for confirming a user prior to the operation control when it is determined that the operation control of the household appliance is required based on the information about the environment and the predetermined rule issued by the household appliance intention. The operation receiving unit receives an operation indicating the user's intention via the user interface provided by the user interface providing unit. When there is an instruction regarding the operation control of the household electrical appliance in accordance with the operation received by the operation receiving unit, the instruction transmitting unit transmits the instruction through a predetermined route that can be transmitted to the household electrical appliance.

An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application includes: an external information acquisition unit that acquires information about the environment from the household electrical appliance; and a judgment unit that determines based on the information about the environment acquired by the external information acquisition unit and a predetermined rule whether it is necessary to perform operation control of the household electrical appliance; and a confirmation unit that confirms the user's intention regarding the operation control when the determination unit determines that the operation control of the household electrical appliance is necessary.

In the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present application, the external information acquisition unit acquires information about at least one of temperature and humidity as the information about the environment emitted by the household electrical appliance.

The information processing system according to the embodiment of the present application manages the household electrical appliance by transmitting and receiving information with the household electrical appliance, wherein the information processing system includes: an external information acquisition unit that acquires information about the environment emitted by the household electrical appliance; a unit that determines whether or not operation control of the household electrical appliance is necessary based on the information on the environment acquired by the external information acquisition unit and a predetermined rule; and a confirmation unit that determines that the determination unit requires the In the case of the operation control of the household electrical appliance, the user's intention regarding the operation control is confirmed.

In addition, the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present application includes: a shortage information acquisition unit that acquires information about the shortage of consumables from the household electrical appliance; and a history acquisition unit that acquires purchase history information of consumables from an external server, the consumables The purchase history information obtained by the insufficiency information acquisition unit matches the information about the shortage of consumables acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit; and an information providing unit that determines, based on the purchase history information acquired by the history acquisition unit, that the consumable is not When the purchase stock does not exist, information to promote the purchase of the consumables is notified via the external display unit.

In the above-mentioned information processing apparatus, when periodic purchase of consumables that matches the information on the shortage of consumables acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit is set in the external server, the history acquisition unit acquires On the next scheduled delivery date, when the number of days until the scheduled delivery date is less than a predetermined number of days, the information providing unit stops the notification of information presenting the purchase of the consumables.

In the above information processing device, the history acquisition unit inquires of the external server whether a special sale of consumables that matches the information on the shortage of consumables acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit is set, and the history acquisition When the unit receives from the external server a subject of a special sale of consumables that matches the information on the shortage of consumables acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit, the information providing unit and the purchase and storage Regardless of presence or absence, notification of information prompting the purchase of the consumables is performed.

In the above-mentioned information processing device, the history acquisition unit acquires external information that affects the consumption rate of the consumables, and the information providing unit estimates that the consumption rate of the consumables has increased based on the external information, and The notification of information prompting the purchase of the consumables is performed irrespective of the presence or absence of the purchase and storage.

In the above-mentioned information processing device, the history acquisition unit further acquires information on store inventory of consumables that matches the information on shortage of consumables acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit, and the information providing unit is configured to When it is determined that the store inventory has fallen below the threshold based on the information related to the store inventory, the notification of information prompting the purchase of the consumables is performed regardless of the presence or absence of the purchase and storage.

The information processing system of the embodiment of the present application manages the household electrical appliance by transmitting and receiving information with the household electrical appliance, wherein the information processing system includes: a shortage information acquisition unit that acquires information about the shortage of consumables sent by the household appliance; a history an acquisition unit that acquires purchase history information of consumables from an external server, the purchase history information of the consumables matching the information about the shortage of consumables acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit; and an information providing unit that is based on If the purchase history information acquired by the history acquisition unit determines that the purchase of the consumables does not exist, the information prompting the purchase of the consumables is notified via the external display unit.

The reception apparatus according to the embodiment of the present application includes a management mechanism that determines whether or not the consumables need to be replenished based on the equipment information generated by the detection of the shortage of the consumables and the history information generated by the purchase of the consumables, and the management determines that Notification information generated when supplementation is required; a display information generation mechanism that generates display information based on the notification information; and a processing signal generation mechanism that generates a processing signal based on an input received by a control that displays according to the display information.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system according to the first embodiment;

2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the television apparatus according to the first embodiment;

3 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration and an example of a function of the recommendation server according to the first embodiment;

4 is a diagram showing the connection relationship of each part included in the information processing system according to the first embodiment and the functional configuration of the television apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a television apparatus displaying notification information according to the first embodiment;

6 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the first embodiment;

7 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the second embodiment;

8 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the third embodiment;

9 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the fourth embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the fifth embodiment;

11 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the sixth embodiment;

12 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the seventh embodiment;

13 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration and an example of a function of a recommendation server according to the seventh embodiment;

14 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the seventh embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a television apparatus displaying a recommendation notification according to the seventh embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the eighth embodiment;

17 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the ninth embodiment;

18 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the tenth embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the eleventh embodiment.

Description of reference numerals

10...television device (receiving device), 110...display panel (external display section), 113...wireless communication device, 114...CPU, 115...memory, 116...memory, 117...BTIF, 118...MIC, 119...remote control, 120...Smart home application, 121...VUI, 122...Notification display function, 123...IoT collaboration setting function, 124...IoT device BT connection function, 20...Home appliances, 20a...Washing machine, 20c...Air conditioner, 20d...IoT sensor, 20e...IoT remote controller, 30...Wireless LAN router, 200...Home appliance management server, 300...Recommendation server, 301, 1301...Communication I/F, 310, 1310...Control unit, 311...External information acquisition unit, 1311...Insufficient information Acquisition unit, 312...Index calculation unit, 1312...History acquisition unit, 313...Judgment unit, 1313...Information providing unit, 314...Confirmation unit, 1314...Purchase processing unit, 315...Instruction unit, 316...Trend prediction unit, 317 ...Rule Update, 320, 1320...Storage, 321...Threshold Information, 1321...Account Information, 322, 1322...Recommendation Rules, 323...API Program, 400...External Cloud, 1101...Icon, 1102...Popup Box, 1103... button.

Detailed ways

(first embodiment)

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system according to the first embodiment. The information processing system includes the home appliance management server 200 , the recommendation server 300 , and each device in the house H (the below-described television device 10 , home appliance 20 , and wireless LAN router 30 ), and is configured by communicatively connecting them. In addition, the information processing system is connected to the external cloud 400 in a communicable manner when necessary according to the operation mode. Such an information processing system manages the household electrical appliance 20 by transmitting and receiving information with the household electrical appliance 20 .

The recommendation server 300 is an example of the information processing apparatus in this embodiment. In addition, although the home appliance management server 200 , the recommendation server 300 , and the external cloud 400 are shown as single devices for convenience in FIG. 1 , the implementation is not limited to the configuration shown in the figure, and the respective functions may be composed of Multiple devices are implemented. In addition, the home appliance management server 200 and the recommendation server 300 may be realized by the same device.

Further, the devices constituting the home appliance management server 200, the recommendation server 300, and the external cloud 400 include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory) An information processing device constituted by a normal computer, such as a storage device), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or an SSD (Solid State Drive: solid state drive).

In the present embodiment, the case where the television device (receiving device) 10 is used in the house H of an ordinary family will be described as an example. In addition, the house H is not limited to a single-family building, and may be one house among the complex houses.

In the house H, for example, a television device 10, a washing machine 20a, a refrigerator 20b, an air conditioner (air conditioner) 20c, and a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router 30 are installed.

The television device 10, the washing machine 20a, the refrigerator 20b, and the air conditioner 20c are smart home appliances (also referred to as IoT (Internet of Things) home appliances) having a wireless communication function. Hereinafter, when the washing machine 20a, the refrigerator 20b, and the air conditioner 20c are collectively referred to, they are simply referred to as the household electrical appliance 20. FIG.

The wireless LAN router 30 can wirelessly connect with the television apparatus 10 and the household electrical appliance 20 , and relay the communication connection between the television apparatus 10 and the household electrical appliance 20 and the network N. The wireless LAN router 30 is an example of a communication relay device in the present embodiment. In addition, the standard of the wireless LAN is not particularly limited, but, for example, a standard conforming to Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is adopted.

In addition, the wireless LAN router 30 may also function as a wired LAN router. In addition, the wireless LAN router 30 may also serve as a modem or an optical line termination device, and a modem or an optical line termination device may be provided separately from the wireless LAN router 30 .

The network N is, for example, the Internet. The home appliance 20 is connected to the network N via the wireless LAN router 30 by being connected to the wireless LAN router 30 using the wireless LAN. The home appliance 20 is managed/monitored by the home appliance management server 200 via the network N.

In addition, the household electrical appliance 20 functions as a wireless LAN access point in a state where it is not wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN router 30 . More specifically, the home appliance 20 transmits a signal including an SSID (Service Set Identifier: service device identifier) of the home appliance 20 through wireless communication in a state where the home appliance 20 is not wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN router 30 . For example, the washing machine 20a transmits the SSID "yyyzzz_bb_xxxx" of the washing machine 20a. The SSID is an example of identification information of the household electrical appliance 20 in the present embodiment.

In addition, since the household electrical appliance 20 operates as a client of the wireless LAN in a state of being wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN router 30, it does not transmit the SSID to the surrounding area.

In addition, the number of the wireless LAN routers 30 and the household appliances 20 installed in the house H, and the types of the household appliances 20 are not limited to the example shown in Fig. 1 .

The television device 10 displays various image contents distributed via broadcast waves or the Internet, for example.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the television apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2 , the television device 10 includes, for example, an antenna 101 , an input terminal 102 a , a tuner 103 , a demodulator 104 , a demultiplexer 105 ,

input terminals

102 b and 102 c , and an A/D (analog/digital) converter 106 , selector 107 , signal processing unit 108 , speaker 109 , display panel (external display unit) 110 , operation unit 111 , light receiving unit 112 , wireless communication device 113 , CPU 114 , memory 115 , and memory 116 .

The antenna 101 receives broadcast signals of digital broadcasting, and supplies the received broadcast signals to the tuner 103 via the input terminal 102a. The tuner 103 selects a broadcast signal of a desired channel based on the broadcast signal supplied from the antenna 101 , and supplies the selected broadcast signal to the demodulator 104 . Broadcast signals are also called broadcast waves.

The demodulator 104 demodulates the broadcast signal supplied from the tuner 103 and supplies the demodulated broadcast signal to the demultiplexer 105 . The demultiplexer 105 separates the broadcast signal supplied from the demodulator 104 to generate an image signal and an audio signal, and supplies the generated image signal and audio signal to the selector 107 .

The selector 107 is configured to select one signal from a plurality of signals supplied from the demultiplexer 105 , the A/D converter 106 and the input terminal 102 c , and to supply the selected one signal to the signal processing unit 108 .

The signal processing unit 108 is configured to perform predetermined signal processing on the image signal supplied from the selector 107 and supply the processed image signal to the display panel 110 . In addition, the signal processing unit 108 is configured to perform predetermined signal processing on the audio signal supplied from the selector 107 and supply the processed audio signal to the speaker 109 .

The speaker 109 is configured to output speech or various sounds based on the audio signal supplied from the signal processing unit 108 . In addition, the speaker 109 changes the volume of the voice or various sounds to be output based on the control performed by the CPU 114 .

The display panel 110 is configured to display images such as still images and moving images based on an image signal supplied from the signal processing unit 108 or control by the CPU 114 . The display panel 110 is an example of a display unit.

The input terminal 102b receives analog signals (image signals and audio signals) input from the outside. In addition, the input terminal 102c receives digital signals (image signals and audio signals) input from the outside. The A/D converter 106 supplies a digital signal to the selector 107, wherein the digital signal is generated by performing A/D conversion on the analog signal supplied from the input terminal 102b.

The operation unit 111 receives an operation input from a user (operator). In addition, the light receiving unit 112 receives infrared rays from the remote controller 119 .

The wireless communication device 113 performs wireless communication with the wireless LAN router 30 . The wireless communication device 113 is, for example, a wireless LAN module.

In addition, the wireless communication device 113 detects a signal including an SSID transmitted from an access point of a surrounding wireless LAN. For example, the wireless communication device 113 detects signals transmitted from the household electrical appliances 20 around the television device 10 . The wireless communication device 113 transmits the SSID of the household electrical appliance 20 included in the detected signal to the CPU 114 . The wireless communication device 113 is an example of the detection unit in this embodiment.

In addition, the television apparatus 10 may have a network interface for wired connection. In addition, when the wireless LAN router 30 also has a function as a wired LAN router, the television device 10 may be wiredly connected to the wireless LAN router 30 . In addition, in the present embodiment, the television device 10 may be connected to a router other than the wireless LAN router 30, a modem, or an optical line terminal device.

The memory 115 is a ROM that accommodates various computer programs executed by the CPU 114, a RAM that provides a job partition to the CPU 114, or the like.

In addition, the memory 116 is an HDD, an SSD, or the like. The memory 116 records, for example, the signal selected by the selector 107 as recording data. In addition, the memory 115 and the memory 116 store various kinds of information used by the CPU 114 to execute processing.

The CPU 114 functions as a control unit that controls the entire television apparatus 10 by executing a program stored in the memory 115 .

The control unit of the television apparatus 10 functions as a display control unit. The display control unit superimposes the information received from the recommendation server 300 on the displayed image content (content distributed via broadcast waves or the Internet), and causes the display unit (display panel 110 ) to display it.

Here, in the present embodiment, the television device 10 is used as a display device that displays information about other smart home appliances. However, in practice, a home appliance including a display among other smart home appliances may be used instead of the television device 10 . applied for this purpose. Alternatively, a terminal device equipped with a display unit such as a smartphone owned by the user may be used for this purpose instead of the television device 10 .

In addition, although the hardware structure of the television apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 2 is an example, it is not limited to this.

Returning to FIG. 1 , the air conditioner 20c includes a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. The air conditioner 20c periodically outputs the measured values (environmental values, information about the environment) of the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor. The information output from the air conditioner 20c is transmitted to the home appliance management server 200 via the wireless LAN router 30 and the network N.

The home appliance management server 200 is communicably connected to each of the home appliances 20 via the network N and the wireless LAN router 30 , and manages and monitors each of the home appliances 20 . In addition, when the home appliance management server 200 receives the information about the environment from the home appliance 20 , it forwards the information to the recommendation server 300 .

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration and an example of a function of the recommendation server 300 according to the first embodiment. The recommendation server 300 acquires information about the environment (eg, temperature and humidity) from the home appliance 20 via the home appliance management server 200 , and uses the television device 10 to perform a recommendation based on a predetermined rule (recommendation rule 322 described below) about the operation of the air conditioner 20c. Referral notice. More specifically, the recommendation server 300 performs a notification (recommendation notification) for confirming the user's intention before the operation control of the air conditioner 20c which was performed automatically in the past.

The recommendation server 300 includes a control unit 310 , a storage unit 320 , and a communication I/F (Interface) 301 . The communication I/F 301 is communicably connected to other devices included in the information processing system via the network N.

The CPU of the recommendation server 300 implements various functional units 311 to 315 included in the control unit 310 by executing programs stored in the ROM and HDD. The storage unit 320 is an HDD (or SSD) or the like.

The storage unit 320 stores threshold information 321 , recommendation rules 322 , and IoT Web API programs (hereinafter, abbreviated as API programs) 323 . The threshold value information 321 stores various threshold values used for determining whether or not to perform recommendation notification. The recommendation rules 322 are various conditions used for determining whether or not to perform recommendation notification. The API program 323 is executed by the control unit 310 to provide an API (Application Programming Interface) function for performing communication and operation control with the IoT-compatible device (that is, the home appliance 20) via the Web.

The recommendation rule 322 determines the subject of the execution recommendation notification in the case of the following (1), for example.

(1) The index based on the inputted information about the environment (environmental value) exceeds a prescribed upper limit threshold value (or falls below a lower limit threshold value).

Here, the environmental value is, for example, a measurement value of a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. In addition, the index is, for example, a heat index (wet bulb black bulb temperature, WBGT: Wet Bulb Globe Temperature) or an unhappiness index.

Here, an example of performing with reference to both the temperature and the humidity will be described. However, in implementation, the recommendation notification may be performed with reference to only one of the temperature and the humidity.

Before describing the respective functional units 311 to 315 included in the control unit 310 , the connection relationship between the respective units included in the information processing system will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the connection relationship of each part included in the information processing system and the functional configuration of the television device 10 . Here, the television device 10 further includes a BT (Bluetooth: Bluetooth (registered trademark)) IF (Interface: interface) 117 and a MIC (microphone, microphone) 118 . The BTIF 117 enables wireless connection between the home appliance 20 and the television device 10 compliant with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. The MIC 118 converts the input sound into an electrical signal and outputs it to the control unit (CPU 114).

In addition, in this embodiment, as the household electrical appliance 20, the IoT sensor 20d and the IoT remote controller 20e are also used. The IoT sensor 20d outputs outputs corresponding to temperature and humidity. This output is transmitted to the recommendation server 300 via the wireless LAN router 30 (or the BTIF 117 ), the network N, and the home appliance management server 200 . In addition, the IoT remote controller 20e receives an instruction from the recommendation server 300 via the network N and the wireless LAN router 30 (or the BTIF 117 ), and outputs a signal for controlling the household electrical appliance 20 .

The control unit of the television device 10 implements a smart home application 120 by executing a program. The smart home application 120 is application software for controlling or monitoring the home appliance 20, and includes, for example, a VUI (Voice User Interface) 121, a notification display function 122, an IoT collaboration setting function 123, and an IoT device BT connection function 124.

The notification display function 122 is an example of a UI providing unit that provides a user interface for judging that a home appliance is required based on information (environmental value) and a predetermined rule (recommendation rule 322 ) about the environment issued by the home appliance 20 In the case of the operation control of the equipment 20, the user's intention is confirmed before the operation control. In addition, the VUI 121 is an example of an operation receiving unit that receives an operation indicating the user's intention via a user interface (recommendation notification) provided by the UI providing unit (notification display function 122 ).

Specifically, the notification display function 122 displays a recommendation notification to the user by displaying an image and text on the display panel 110 . The VUI 121 is a user interface for the user to make judgments/operations based on voices. The VUI121 imports the user's voice via the MIC118.

In addition, the IoT cooperation setting function 123 and the IoT device BT connection function 124 are examples of an instruction transmission unit that is related to the operation control of the household electrical appliance 20 according to the operation received by the operation reception unit (VUI 121 ). In the case of an instruction, the instruction is transmitted to the household electrical appliance 20 through a predetermined route that can be transmitted. Specifically, the IoT cooperation setting function 123 performs settings used for cooperation with each IoT device (home appliance 20 ). The IoT device BT connection function 124 performs Bluetooth connection with each IoT device (home appliance 20 ) based on the BTIF 117 .

Returning to FIG. 3 , the control unit 310 includes an external information acquisition unit 311 , an index calculation unit 312 , a determination unit 313 , a confirmation unit 314 , an instruction unit 315 , and the like.

The external information acquisition unit 311 acquires information about the environment that the household electrical appliance 20 sends out. Specifically, the external information acquisition unit 311 acquires, from the home appliance management server 200 via the network N, measured values (environmental values) output from the temperature sensor/humidity sensor included in the air conditioner 20c, other sensors (IoT sensor 20d serving as a temperature/humidity sensor), and the like. . In addition, the acquisition may be performed by a response obtained by requesting the external information acquisition unit 311 to the home appliance management server 200 at a predetermined timing, or may be transmitted by the home appliance management server 200 at an arbitrary or predetermined timing. acquired.

The index calculation unit 312 calculates the index based on the environmental value acquired by the external information acquisition unit 311 . The index is, for example, the heat index (WBGT) and the unhappiness index.

The determination unit 313 determines whether or not operation control of the household electrical appliance 20 is necessary based on the index calculated from the environmental value and a predetermined rule (recommended rule 322). Specifically, the determination unit 313 determines whether or not the operation control of the air conditioner 20c is necessary by comparing the index calculated from the measured values of temperature and humidity with the threshold value.

When the determination unit 313 determines that the operation control of the household electrical appliance 20 is necessary, the confirmation unit 314 confirms the user's intention regarding the operation control. Specifically, when it is determined by the determination unit 313 that the operation control is necessary, the confirmation unit 314 generates notification information suitable for the situation, and notifies the television device 10 thereof. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the television apparatus 10 in which notification information is being displayed.

When the television apparatus 10 receives the notification information, it displays the content of the notification information on the display panel 110 superimposed on the image being displayed. The notification information includes, for example, an icon 1101 , a popup box 1102 , and a button 1103 as a control for receiving user's operations. Icon 1101 shows the source of the notification. A popup 1102 displays the notification content. The content of the notification is, for example, "It is a state that requires heat stroke measures. Do you want to turn on the air conditioner for temperature adjustment? Please call "Turn on the air conditioner".". The button 1103 receives an operation to close the notification without performing operation control.

When the television device 10 receives the user's response (ie, voice, operation of the button 1103 ), the control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 acquires the response, and acts as the instruction unit 315 to perform processing according to the content of the user's response. When the user's response is a voice that informs the purpose of operating the air conditioner 20c, the instruction unit 315 outputs a signal for instructing to start the operation of the air conditioner 20c.

The information processing system having such a configuration operates as follows. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system.

First, the control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 serves as the external information acquisition unit 311 to acquire the temperature and humidity output from the air conditioner 20c and the IoT sensor 20d (steps S1-1 and S1-2). In addition, in step S1-1, the current operating state of the air conditioner 20c is also provided together. Thereby, the recommendation server 300 can recognize the current operating state of the air conditioner 20c.

Next, the control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 functions as the index calculation unit 312 to calculate the heat index and the unhappiness index based on the acquired temperature and humidity (step S2 ).

When the heat index and the unpleasantness index do not exceed the upper limit threshold (or do not fall below the lower threshold) of the index, the control unit 310 as the judgment unit 313 judges that the operation control of the air conditioner 20c is not necessary, and ends the present application without giving the recommendation notification. deal with.

When the index of at least one of the heat index and the unpleasantness index exceeds the upper limit threshold (or lower than the lower threshold) of the index, the control unit 310 as the judgment unit 313 judges that the operation control of the air conditioner 20c is necessary, and generates a notification information, and output to the television device 10 (step S3). When the television device 10 receives the notification information, the notification display function 122 displays the recommended notification content (notification information) on the display panel 110 by superimposing the displayed image (step S4 ).

Next, when the user who has seen the recommendation notification gives an instruction such as "turn on the air conditioner" by voice, the VUI 121 receives the instruction and outputs the instruction to the recommendation server 300 (step S5 ).

The recommendation server 300 that has input the content instructed by the user's voice serves as the instructing unit 315, and performs processing according to the content of the user's response (step S6). At this time, the instruction unit 315 outputs, for example, a signal for instructing the air conditioner 20c to start the operation via the wireless LAN router 30 .

Further, in step S6, when the air conditioner 20c is not an IoT home appliance, the instruction unit 315 of the recommendation server 300 outputs a signal for controlling the infrared controller of the IoT remote controller 20e via the wireless LAN router 30 (step S7). The IoT remote controller 20e that has received this signal outputs the Ir command from the infrared controller (step S8). In addition, a signal from the recommendation server 300 to the IoT remote controller 20e may be output via the television device 10 (steps S9, S10).

According to such an information processing system, the user's intention regarding the control can be introduced before the automatic operation control. This makes it possible to reflect the user's intention, which has not been reflected in the conventional operation control in a unified and automatic manner, in the operation control. Thereby, since the operation control according to the user's preference can be performed, the user's satisfaction can be easily obtained.

In addition, in this embodiment, the display panel 110 of the television device 10 has been described as an example of the display unit that performs recommendation notification. However, in implementation, the display unit may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, or the like capable of processing information with information. A display panel provided to a device that communicates with the system.

(Second Embodiment)

Next, the second embodiment will be described. This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, and therefore, detailed descriptions of the same parts as those of the first embodiment are omitted, and the same reference numerals are used.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the second embodiment. The present embodiment relates to the case where the user who has seen the recommendation notification shown in FIG. 5 directly operates the air conditioner 20c by operating the remote control or the like of the air conditioner 20c by himself instead of returning his intention to the television device 10 by voice or the like (step S81 ). In this case, the air conditioner 20c returns feedback information to the recommendation server 300 (step S82). The feedback information is the content of the operation performed by the user with the remote control or the like. When feedback information is input from the air conditioner 20c, the control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 recognizes it as feedback information corresponding to the recommendation notification performed before that.

(third embodiment)

Next, the third embodiment will be described. This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, and therefore, detailed descriptions of the same parts as those of the first embodiment are omitted, and the same reference numerals are used.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the third embodiment. In the present embodiment, when there is no response from the user after the recommendation notification (step S4 ), a new notification is made to the user or a person concerned (step S51 ).

Here, the case where there is no response from the user is an answer by voice or the like as in step S5, or feedback from the air conditioner 20c (step S82) due to user operation (step S81) as in the second embodiment. If there is no such reaction from the user, it is considered that the user may not notice the recommendation. Therefore, after a certain period of time, for example, a notification is made to a terminal device such as a smartphone associated with the user, Associated email address, contact by phone number, or notification of attention to family members, etc. The so-called attention notification is performed by contacting the email addresses and phone numbers of family members registered in association with the user.

Thereby, since the recommendation notification can be reliably delivered to the user, the convenience is improved. In addition, in the event that the user cannot respond to the recommendation notification or the like, the attention notification can be sent to the family members associated with the user.

(fourth embodiment)

Next, the fourth embodiment will be described. This embodiment is a modification of the second embodiment, and therefore, detailed descriptions of the same parts as those of the second embodiment are omitted, and the same reference numerals are used.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the fourth embodiment. First, with respect to the second embodiment, the present embodiment adds the washing machine 20a as the object of the user's intention confirmation (recommendation notification) before the automatic control and the automatic control.

Moreover, the external information acquisition part 311 of the recommendation server 300 of this embodiment acquires weather information from the external cloud 400 (step S1-3). In addition, the external cloud 400 in this case is, for example, a Web site or the like on the Internet that provides information on weather forecasts.

Furthermore, the control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 according to the present embodiment further includes a trend prediction unit 316 (see FIG. 3 ). The trend prediction unit 316 predicts the change trend of the environment within a certain period based on information acquired from the outside. The tendency prediction unit 316 of the present embodiment predicts the tendency of the subsequent temperature/humidity based on the weather information acquired in step S1-3 (step S21).

In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the user who has seen the recommendation notification (step S4 ) operates the washing machine 20a (step S83 ), and the washing machine 20a returns feedback information to the recommendation server 300 (step S84 ).

According to this configuration, for example, if it is predicted that the temperature, humidity, etc. will suddenly become unsuitable for washing, as a recommendation notification to the user (step S41 ), information or the like can be presented for the purpose of advising to change the washing reservation time. Thereby, the operation reservation of the household electrical appliance 20 can be changed in consideration of information such as weather information that can be acquired from the external cloud 400 .

(Fifth Embodiment)

Next, the fifth embodiment will be described. The present embodiment is a modification of the fourth embodiment, and therefore, detailed descriptions of the same parts as those of the fourth embodiment are omitted, and the same reference numerals are used.

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the fifth embodiment. First, with respect to the fourth embodiment, the present embodiment adds a response from the VUI 121 (step S52). In the present embodiment, when the user who has seen the recommendation notification (step S41 ) gives an instruction such as "start washing" by voice, the VUI 121 receives the instruction and outputs the instruction to the recommendation server 300 (step S51 ).

The recommendation server 300 that has input the content instructed by the user's voice serves as the instructing unit 315, and performs processing according to the content of the user's response (step S61). At this time, the instruction unit 315 outputs, for example, a signal for instructing the washing machine 20a to start the operation via the wireless LAN router 30 .

Also according to this configuration, the same effects as those of the previous embodiment can be obtained.

(Sixth Embodiment)

Next, the sixth embodiment will be described. The present embodiment is a modification of the other embodiments described above, and therefore, detailed descriptions of the same parts as those of the other embodiments described above are omitted, and the same reference numerals are used.

FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the sixth embodiment. The control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 of the present embodiment further includes a rule update unit 317 (see FIG. 3 ). The rule update unit 317 creates a user's profile (step S25 ) by detecting the correction of the automatic operation (step S23 ) and comfort level learning (step S24 ), and updates the recommendation rule 322 .

Specifically, it is assumed that the result of the automatic control is, for example, that the set temperature of the air conditioner 20c is lowered by 0.5° C. at a predetermined frequency (a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period), and the user sets the set temperature within a predetermined time thereafter. Cases such as an increase of 0.5°C. In this case, in step S23, the occurrence of an event is detected, and the occurrence frequency of the event is calculated. In addition, in this case, in step S24, for example, the set temperature suitable for the user is learned to be 0.5°C higher than the standard. Then, in step S25, the user's comfort index with respect to the environmental value is calculated and recorded in the storage unit 320 as the user's profile. Recommendation rules 322 are then updated with the recorded profile for the next action.

According to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects exhibited by the other embodiments, it is possible to perform recommendation notification according to the user's preference.

(Seventh Embodiment)

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system according to the seventh embodiment. The information processing system includes the home appliance management server 200 , the recommendation server 300 , and each device in the house H (the below-described television device 10 , home appliance 20 , and wireless LAN router 30 ), and is configured by communicatively connecting them. In addition, the information processing system is connected so as to be able to communicate with the cashless payment server 400 and the EC server 500 as external servers. Such an information processing system manages the household electrical appliance 20 by transmitting and receiving information with the household electrical appliance 20.

The recommendation server 300 is an example of the information processing apparatus in this embodiment. Note that the home appliance management server 200 , the recommendation server 300 , the cashless payment server 400 , and the EC server 500 are shown as a single device for convenience in FIG. 12 , but the implementation is not limited to such a configuration, and the respective functions may be It can be implemented by multiple devices.

The television apparatus 10, the washing machine 20a, the refrigerator 20b, and the air conditioner 20c are smart home appliances having a wireless communication function. Hereinafter, when the washing machine 20a, the refrigerator 20b, and the air conditioner 20c are collectively referred to, they are simply referred to as the household electrical appliance 20. FIG.

Here, in the present embodiment, the television device 10 is used as a display device that displays information from other smart home appliances. However, in implementation, a home appliance including a display among other smart home appliances may be used instead of the television device 10 . applied for this purpose.

Returning to FIG. 12 , the home appliance management server 200 , the recommendation server 300 , the cashless payment server 400 , and the EC server 500 are information processing apparatuses constituted by a normal computer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, HDD (or SSD), and the like.

Here, the washing machine 20a is provided with a tank for holding the detergent and softener for automatic charging, and a sensor for detecting the remaining amount in the tank. When it is determined based on the sensor output that the remaining amount of detergent (or softener) is small, the washing machine 20a generates and outputs information (information about the shortage of consumables (apparatus information)) indicating that. The information output by the washing machine 20a is transmitted to the home appliance management server 200 via the wireless LAN router 30 and the network N.

The home appliance management server 200 is communicably connected to each of the home appliances 20 via the network N and the wireless LAN router 30 , and manages and monitors each of the home appliances 20 . In addition, when the home appliance management server 200 receives the information about the shortage of consumables from the home appliance 20 , the information is forwarded to the recommendation server 300 .

The cashless payment server 400 manages transaction information (purchase history) after electronic payment. The transaction information is information related to the commodity purchased by the user who is the subject of the transaction, and is stored in the cashless payment server 400 in association with the identification information of the user. When the cashless payment server 400 receives the request from the recommendation server 300, it transmits the transaction information corresponding to the request as a response.

The EC server 500 provides an EC (Electric Commerce: Electronic Commerce) website and manages transaction information (purchase history). The transaction information is information related to the commodity purchased by the user who is the subject of the transaction, and is stored in the EC server 500 in association with the identification information of the user. When the EC server 500 receives the request from the recommendation server 300, it transmits the transaction information corresponding to the request as a response.

The recommendation server 300 acquires information about the shortage of consumables from the household appliance 20 via the household appliance management server 200 , and acquires the purchase history from the EC server 500 and the cashless checkout server 400 , and uses the television device 10 to perform predetermined rules (recommendation rules). ) recommendation notice.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration and an example of a function of the recommendation server 300 according to the seventh embodiment. The recommendation server 300 includes a control unit 1310 , a storage unit 1320 , and a communication I/F (Interface) 1301 .

The CPU of the recommendation server 300 implements various functional units 1311 to 1314 included in the control unit 1310 by executing programs stored in the ROM and HDD. The storage unit 1320 is an HDD (or SSD) or the like.

The communication I/F 1301 is communicably connected to other devices included in the information processing system via the network N.

The storage unit 1320 stores account information 1321 and recommendation rules 1322 . The account information 1321 is information about a customer account, for example, a customer ID and a password, and is managed in association with identification information of the customer (user). The customer ID and password are information used to log in to the EC site as a customer. If you log in to the EC site as a customer, you can make purchases, refer to purchase history, and the like.

The recommendation rule 1322 specifies the purpose of the recommendation notification to be executed when, for example, the following (1) to (3) are satisfied.

(1) Information about the shortage of consumables is output from the household electrical appliance 20 .

As a specific example, in the case of the washing machine 20a, when it is determined that there is little detergent remaining based on the output of a sensor provided in the tank of the detergent for automatic injection, information indicating the fact (about shortage of consumables) is output. Information).

(2) It is judged that the purchase and storage of the detergent does not exist based on the purchase history or the like.

For example, it is possible to estimate the period in which the detergent needs to be replenished using the rate of decrease of the detergent estimated from the transition of the sensor output of the washing machine 20a, and to compare the period with the purchase history to estimate the presence or absence of stocking.

(3) Further, if the consumables indicated by the information about the shortage of consumables are regularly purchased, the number of days until the next scheduled delivery date is not less than a predetermined number of days (N days).

The control unit 1310 includes a shortage information acquisition unit 1311, a history acquisition unit 1312, an information providing unit 1313, a purchase processing unit 1314, and the like.

The shortage information acquisition unit 1311 acquires, via the household appliance management server 200 , information on shortage of consumables from the household electrical appliance 20 . In addition, this acquisition may be performed by the shortage information acquisition unit 1311 requesting and receiving a response from the household appliance management server 200 at a predetermined timing, or may be performed by sending it from the household appliance management server 200 at an arbitrary or predetermined timing.

The history acquisition unit 1312 requests the external servers (the cashless checkout server 400, the EC server 500) for the purchase history information of consumables that matches the information on the shortage of the consumables acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit 1311, and acquires the purchase history information as a response to the request. In addition, when the regular purchase of consumables matching the information on the shortage of consumables is set, the history acquisition unit 1312 acquires the next scheduled delivery date. In addition, the history acquisition unit 1312 uses the account information 1321 when making the above-mentioned request.

The information providing unit 1313 performs recommendation notification based on the recommendation rule 1322 . The recommendation notification is a notification of information (notification information) indicating the purchase (replenishment) of the consumables (or similar products, etc.) that are insufficient. The information providing unit 1313 judges whether or not the replenishment of consumables is necessary based on the equipment information (information about the shortage of consumables) generated from the detection of the shortage of consumables and the purchase history information generated from the purchase of consumables If it needs to be supplemented, a notification message will be generated.

When the GUI (Graphic User Interface) displayed on the predetermined display unit (display panel 110 ) based on the recommendation notification receives an operation indicating purchase intention, the purchase processing unit 1314 orders the product from the EC site .

Here, the control unit of the television apparatus 10 functions as a management unit, a display information generating unit, and a processing signal generating unit. The management agency manages the information (notification information) notified by the recommendation notification. The display information generating means generates display information based on the notification information. The processing signal generating means generates a processing signal according to the input received by the control displayed based on the display information.

The information processing system having such a configuration operates as follows. Fig. 14 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system.

First, the control unit 1310 of the recommendation server 300, as the shortage information acquisition unit 1311, acquires the information about the shortage of consumables (for example, the remaining amount) from the washing machine 20a based on the output of the remaining amount detection sensor via the home appliance management server 200 (step S1). . Here, the recommendation server 300 is provided with information about the shortage of consumables from the home appliance management server 200, and also provided with information (brand, trade name, size, etc.) identifying the consumables.

The control unit 1310 of the recommendation server 300 that has acquired the information in step S1, as the history acquisition unit 1312, requests the cashless checkout server 400 and the EC server 500 for the purchase history of the consumables (step S2), and acquires the purchase history as a request response (step S3). In step S3, if there is a regular purchase plan for the consumables indicated by the information about the shortage of consumables, the history acquisition unit 1312 acquires the next delivery date.

The control unit 1310 of the recommendation server 300 that has acquired the information in step S3, as the information providing unit 1313, first determines whether or not it is necessary to perform recommendation notification based on the recommendation rule 1322 (step S4).

In step S4, when it is determined that the recommendation notification is unnecessary (that is, the purchase of the detergent is in storage or is less than N days until the next scheduled delivery date based on the purchase history), the control unit 1310 does not carry out The notification is recommended, and this process ends.

In addition, in step S4, when it is determined that the recommendation notification is necessary (that is, there is no purchase and storage of the detergent based on the purchase history or N days or more until the next scheduled delivery date), the control unit 1310, as the information providing unit 1313, notifies the television device 10 of recommendation (step S5).

When the television device 10 receives the recommendation notification, the content of the recommendation notification is displayed on the display panel 110 superimposed on the displayed image. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the television device 10 displaying a recommendation notification. The recommendation notification includes, for example, an icon 1101 , a popup 1102 , and

buttons

1103 and 1104 as controls for receiving user operations. Icon 1101 shows the source of the notification. A popup 1102 displays the notification content. The content of the notification is, for example, "The detergent seems to be out. Do you want to buy it?". A button 1103 receives an operation indicating purchase intention. Button 1104 receives an operation to close the notification without purchasing.

Returning to Fig. 14, for example, the remote controller 119 receives the user's operation (step S6). In addition, in the present embodiment, the operation reception is set to be received by the remote controller 119. However, in implementation, a microphone or the like may be used to implement operation reception by voice dialogue.

When the user selects the button 1103 and expresses the purchase intention, the operation is transmitted from the television device 10 to the recommendation server 300 . The control unit 1310 of the recommendation server 300, which has received the transmission of the operation indicating the purchase intention, as the purchase processing unit 1314, places an order for the product on the EC server 500 (step S7).

As described above, when it is detected that the remaining amount of detergent in the washing machine 20a is small, the recommendation notification is conventionally made at that time, but according to the present embodiment, it can be determined that there is no possibility of purchase and storage based on the purchase history. In the case of high sex, a recommendation notification will be made. Thereby, the timing for prompting the purchase of consumables of the smart home appliance can be optimized. Conventionally, the recommendation notification is given regardless of whether there is a purchase or deposit, so there is a possibility that the user may feel dissatisfied by making a purchase at an unnecessary time. However, by setting it as in the present embodiment, unnecessary unnecessary items are eliminated. Time-of-day recommendation notification improves convenience.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, since the recommendation notification is made in consideration of the period until the next scheduled delivery date for the consumables that are regularly purchased, it is possible to exclude the purchase that overlaps with the regular flight, and it is possible to further optimize the time. and improved convenience.

In addition, in the present embodiment, an operation for purchasing consumables is received in the recommendation notification, and if an intention to purchase is displayed, a purchase procedure is performed, but in the implementation, it is possible to stop at the notification of the remaining consumables Insufficient quantity and the arrival of the time of purchase, the purchase operation is not received, etc.

In addition, in the present embodiment, a recommendation notification of consumables having a purchase history is performed, and a purchase operation is received using a control included in the display of the recommendation notification. However, in implementation, recommendation and purchase may be made The historical consumables are, for example, functionally similar products (similars, improved products). Such a process is suitable for the case where the consumables with the purchase history are sold out or the manufacture is finished.

In addition, in this embodiment, the display panel 110 of the television device 10 is described as an example of the display unit that performs recommendation notification, however, in implementation, the display unit may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, or the like capable of processing information with information. A display panel included in a device that communicates with the system.

(Variation)

In the above-described embodiment, the consumables (detergent and softener) of the washing machine 20a have been described as an example, however, it is possible to optimize the timing of purchasing recommendation when there is a shortage in the same manner as the consumables of other household electrical appliances 20 . Examples of consumables for other home appliances 20 include toner and ink for printers, filters for air purifiers, paper packs for vacuum cleaners, and kerosene for heaters.

Regarding the toner and ink of the printer, the recommendation server 300, for example, receives a notification that the remaining amount of toner and ink output by the printer is small, and recommends it when it is presumed that there is no purchase stock based on the purchase history. Notice.

Also, in the case of a printer that does not output a notification that the remaining amount is small, the recommendation server 300 estimates the remaining amount of toner and ink by comparing the number of printable sheets predicted from the capacity with the actual number of printable sheets. Then, the recommendation server 300 performs a recommendation notification when it is estimated that the remaining amount of toner and ink has fallen below a predetermined threshold value and that there is no purchase stock based on the purchase history.

In addition, regarding the filter of the air purifier, for example, the recommendation server 300 prompts the purchase of the filter when it receives a notification outputted by the air purifier that the replacement time has come, and there is no purchase history after the previous replacement. Incoming recommendation notice.

In addition, in the case of an air purifier that does not output a notification of replacement time, the recommendation server 300 is less than N days until the next replacement time predicted from the operation period after replacement, and there is no purchase history after the previous replacement. In the case of , a recommendation notification to suggest the purchase of the filter is performed.

(8th embodiment)

Next, the eighth embodiment will be described. This embodiment is a modification of the seventh embodiment, and therefore, detailed descriptions of the same parts as those of the seventh embodiment are omitted, and the same reference numerals are used.

FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the eighth embodiment.

The history acquisition unit 1312 of the present embodiment inquires of an external server (cashless payment server 400 , EC server 500 ) whether or not consumables matching the information (insufficiency information) about the shortage of consumables acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit 1311 have been set special sale (step S2a).

When the history acquisition unit 1312 receives from the external server that the purpose of the special sale of consumables matching the shortage information is set (step S3a), the information providing unit 1313 of the present embodiment does not care whether the consumables are purchased or stored. , and a notification (recommendation notification) of information prompting the purchase of consumables is performed. When the recommendation notification of the present embodiment is performed, the notification content displayed on the pop-up box 1102 is, for example, "Detergents used in daily life are on sale. Although there may be a purchase and storage, do you want to purchase it?".

According to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects exhibited by the seventh embodiment, it is possible to facilitate the purchase of consumables for matching sales.

(Ninth Embodiment)

Next, the ninth embodiment will be described. This embodiment is a modification of the seventh embodiment, and therefore, detailed descriptions of the same parts as those of the seventh embodiment are omitted, and the same reference numerals are used.

FIG. 17 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the ninth embodiment.

The history acquisition unit 1312 of the present embodiment acquires external information that affects the consumption rate of consumables (step S3b). The external information is, for example, weather information. The history acquisition unit 1312 of the present embodiment acquires weather information from, for example, a website that displays weather forecasts.

When it is estimated from external information (weather information) that the consumption rate of consumables is increasing, the information providing unit 1313 of the present embodiment provides information for presenting the purchase of consumables regardless of whether the consumables are purchased or stored. Notification (recommended notification). When the recommendation notification of the present embodiment is performed, the notification content displayed on the pop-up box 1102 is, for example, "It seems that sunny weather will continue in the future. The use of detergent/softener seems to increase, so do you want to purchase it?". In addition, another example of the notification content displayed on the pop-up box 1102 is "It seems that the rain will continue for a long time. Do you want to purchase detergent for room drying?".

According to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects exhibited by the seventh embodiment, it is possible to easily purchase consumables that match external information such as weather.

(Variation)

As another example of external information, there is information related to store inventory of consumables. The history acquisition unit 1312 further acquires information on store inventory of consumables that match the information on the shortage of consumables acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit 1311 . The information providing unit 1313 provides notification (recommendation notification) of information prompting the purchase of consumables regardless of the presence or absence of stocking when it is determined that the stock of the shop has fallen below the threshold based on the information on stock in the shop. When the recommendation notification of the present embodiment is performed, the notification content displayed in the pop-up box 1102 is, for example, "There is only a small amount of stock in the store. Although there may be purchase stock, do you want to purchase it now?".

According to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects exhibited by the seventh embodiment, it is possible to easily avoid the inconvenience that a store's stock is out of stock when replenishment of consumables is required.

(Tenth Embodiment)

Next, a tenth embodiment will be described. This embodiment is a modification of the seventh embodiment, and therefore, detailed descriptions of the same parts as those of the seventh embodiment are omitted, and the same reference numerals are used.

FIG. 18 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the tenth embodiment. The information processing system of the present embodiment further includes a pressure sensor for detecting the presence or absence or remaining amount of the purchased and stored detergent. The pressure sensor may be installed at the bottom of the storage place for purchasing and storing the detergent, or may also be installed at the bottom of the bottle for purchasing and storing the detergent.

The output of the pressure sensor is transmitted to the recommendation server 300 via the home appliance management server 200 (step S1a). When there is an input in step S1a, the information providing unit 1313 of the present embodiment notifies (recommendation notification) of information prompting the purchase of consumables. When the recommendation notification of the present embodiment is performed, the notification content displayed in the pop-up box 1102 is, for example, "The purchase and storage of detergent seems to be running out. Do you want to purchase it?".

(11th embodiment)

Next, the eleventh embodiment will be described. This embodiment is a modification of the seventh embodiment, and therefore, detailed descriptions of the same parts as those of the seventh embodiment are omitted, and the same reference numerals are used.

FIG. 19 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to the eleventh embodiment. Information processing systems learn to improve purchase management. The improvement of purchase management is realized by, for example, updating the recommendation rule 1322 . The control unit 1310 of the recommendation server 300 of the present embodiment includes a rule adjustment unit that adjusts the recommendation rule 1322 .

The rule adjustment unit first analyzes the relationship between the parameters of the consumables (for example, brand, price) and the purchase based on the purchase history, and quantifies it (step S11 ). Specifically, the parameter from the recommendation notification until the purchase is completed (or the purchase is not completed) is represented by a numerical value.

Next, the rule adjustment unit creates a profile using the numerical values representing the relationship between the parameters obtained in step S11 and purchases (step S12 ). That is, the rule adjustment unit quantifies and aggregates information on preference for products such as brands and prices of consumables.

Then, the rule adjustment unit adds, for example, the following recommendation rules to the above-mentioned recommendation rules (1) to (3).

(4) The recommendation is suppressed for consumables of brands/prices, stores, etc. that have a high tendency to be purchased from the recommendation notification.

(5) Consumables such as brands/prices, stores, etc., which have a high tendency to be purchased from the recommendation notification, are recommended.

(6) If there is a high tendency to purchase from the recommendation notification of the new product, the recommendation notification is performed regardless of the presence or absence of purchase and storage.

(7) If there is a high tendency to purchase from the recommendation notification of the special sale, the recommendation notification is performed regardless of the presence or absence of purchase and storage.

According to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects exhibited by the seventh embodiment, it is possible to perform recommendation notification according to the user's preference.

In addition, the programs executed in the information processing systems of the above-described first to eleventh embodiments and modifications are provided in a ROM or the like in advance.

The programs executed by the information processing systems according to the first to eleventh embodiments and modifications described above may be configured to be recorded on a CD-ROM, a floppy disk (FD), a CD-ROM, or a file in an installable or executable format. R, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk: Digital Versatile Disk: Digital Versatile Disk) and other computer-readable storage media are provided.

Furthermore, the above-described programs executed by the information processing systems of the first to eleventh embodiments and modifications may be stored in a computer connected to a network such as the Internet, and provided by downloading via the network. In addition, it is also possible to provide or distribute the programs executed in the information processing systems of the first to eleventh embodiments and modifications described above via a network such as the Internet.

The programs executed in the information processing systems of the above-described first to eleventh embodiments and modifications include the above-described respective units (external information acquisition unit 311 , index calculation unit 312 , determination unit 313 , confirmation unit 314 , instruction unit 315 , trend The module configuration of the prediction unit 316, the rule update unit 317, the shortage information acquisition unit 1311, the history acquisition unit 1312, the information providing unit 1313, the purchase processing unit 1314), as the actual hardware, the CPU (processor) reads from the above-mentioned ROM The program is executed, so that the above-mentioned parts are loaded into the main storage device, and the external information acquisition part 311, the index calculation part 312, the judgment part 313, the confirmation part 314, the instruction part 315, the trend prediction part 316, the rule are generated on the main storage device. An update unit 317 , a shortage information acquisition unit 1311 , a history acquisition unit 1312 , an information providing unit 1313 , and a purchase processing unit 1314 .

Several embodiments of the present application have been described, however, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the application. These new embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the application. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the application, and are included in the technical solutions described in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

A receiving device, comprising:

A user interface providing unit that provides a user interface that, when it is determined that the operation control of the household appliance is required based on the information about the environment and the predetermined rule issued by the household appliance, confirms the operation control before performing the operation control the user's intent;

an operation receiving section that receives, via the user interface provided by the user interface providing section, an operation indicating the user's intention; and

An instruction transmission unit that transmits the instruction through a predetermined route that can be transmitted to the household electrical appliance when there is an instruction related to the operation control of the household electrical appliance according to the operation received by the operation reception unit.
An information processing device, comprising:

An external information acquisition unit, which acquires information about the environment emitted by home appliances;

a determination unit that determines whether or not operation control of the household electrical appliance is necessary based on the information about the environment acquired by the external information acquisition unit and a prescribed rule; and

A confirmation unit that, when the determination unit determines that the operation control of the household electrical appliance is necessary, confirms the user's intention regarding the operation control.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

The external information acquisition unit acquires information on at least one of temperature and humidity as the information on the environment emitted by the household electrical appliance.
An information processing system manages the household appliance by sending and receiving information with the household appliance, wherein the information processing system comprises:

an external information acquisition unit, which acquires information about the environment emitted by the household electrical appliance;

a determination unit that determines whether or not operation control of the household electrical appliance is necessary based on the information about the environment acquired by the external information acquisition unit and a prescribed rule; and

A confirmation unit that, when the determination unit determines that the operation control of the household electrical appliance is necessary, confirms the user's intention regarding the operation control.