CN112013512B

CN112013512B - Information processing method, air conditioner, recording medium, and information processing system

Info

Publication number: CN112013512B
Application number: CN202010384095.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 神山辉壮; 和田明彦; 川口慎介; 坂田祐
Original assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corp of America
Current assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corp of America
Priority date: 2019-05-30
Filing date: 2020-05-08
Publication date: 2023-06-02
Anticipated expiration: 2040-05-08
Also published as: CN112013512A; JP2024023708A

Abstract

An information processing method of the present invention acquires time information indicating a time when an operation timer of an air conditioner is released or an elapsed time from the time when the operation timer is released; when an operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed, determining whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was released, using the time information; when it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was released, notification information relating to the operation timer is notified to a user of the air conditioner. According to this configuration, even if a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was set, the possibility that the air conditioner operates with a setting different from the user's intention at the time point after the predetermined time has elapsed can be suppressed.

Description

Information processing method, air conditioner, recording medium, and information processing system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a technology related to controlling information processing of an air conditioner.

Background

In the air conditioning system disclosed in japanese patent application laid-open publication No. 2017-75729, the operation conditions such as the outdoor air temperature and the room temperature are compared, and when an instruction from the operation mode of the remote controller is not appropriate, a warning message prompting the appropriate operation is transmitted. In this configuration, if a setting instruction of the heating mode is issued from the remote controller in an environment where the outdoor air temperature and the room temperature are high, the remote controller displays "is the heating mode true? "such warning information informs the user.

There is also an air conditioner provided with an operation timer, which operates in a user-specified operation mode and at a set temperature at a user-specified time.

However, if a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was set, the air conditioner may be operated with a setting content different from the user's intention at a time after the predetermined time has elapsed, and thus further improvement is required.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention aims to provide an information processing method and the like, which can restrain the possibility that an air conditioner operates with different setting content from the intention of a user at the moment after a certain time passes even if the certain time passes after an action timer is set.

An information processing method according to an aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute: acquiring time information indicating a time when an operation timer of an air conditioner is released or an elapsed time from the time when the operation timer is released; when an operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed, determining whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was released, using the time information; when it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was released, notification information relating to the operation timer is notified to a user of the air conditioner.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a season information table.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a correction table used for the correction notification judgment period.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the information processing system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

(basic knowledge of the invention)

The present inventors have developed an air conditioner having an operation timer, which can set the setting content of the air conditioner in detail for every day of the week, for example, for monday, the setting is such that the air conditioner starts cooling operation at the set temperature of 28 ℃ at 10 a.m., stops cooling operation at 14 a.m., and starts cooling operation at 25 ℃ at 18 a.m. An air conditioner may not be used for a long period of time from the end of summer or winter to the start of the next winter or summer, for example. As an example of the long term, for example, a length of a seasonal change is a fixed period of three months.

Therefore, in the air conditioner having the operation timer, if the operation timer is set on again after the period of non-use has elapsed, the air conditioner may be operated with the set content of the operation timer set last time, and the set content may not be suitable. This phenomenon occurs, for example, when a long period of time has elapsed after the operation timer is set from on to off, or when the air conditioner is not energized for a long period of time regardless of whether the operation timer is set to on or off.

As an example of unsuitable setting contents of the operation timer, for example, when the operation timer is used in winter, the setting of the operation timer is restarted with the setting contents of the operation timer set in summer, and when the operation timer is used in summer, the setting of the operation timer is restarted with the setting contents of the operation timer set in winter, and the like. If the setting content of the operation timer is not suitable, the user may feel unpleasant, and the life of the user may be compromised, and it is desirable not to operate the air conditioner with the unsuitable setting content of the operation timer.

The technique of japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2017-75729 described above notifies "is the heating mode true" only when the user still gives a setting instruction of the heating mode in the case where the outdoor air temperature, the room temperature, and the like are high? "such warning information is not disclosed about the operation timer accompanying the setting content. Therefore, the technique disclosed in japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2017-75729 cannot suppress the occurrence of an operation of the air conditioner with unsuitable setting contents of the operation timer when the air conditioner is not used for a long period of time.

Here, the inventors of the present invention found that, when the setting of the operation timer is started, for example, if a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the time at which the setting of the operation timer was turned off last time, the occurrence of the operation of the air conditioner with unsuitable setting contents can be suppressed by notifying the user of the setting contents of the operation timer that is currently being set as notification information, and thus, various embodiments shown below have been conceived.

According to this configuration, when an operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed after the operation timer is released, using time information indicating the time at which the operation timer of the air conditioner is released or the elapsed time from the time at which the operation timer is released, and when the predetermined time has elapsed, notification information related to the operation timer is notified.

Thus, when a predetermined time has elapsed after the setting of the operation timer is released, the user can check the rationality of the setting of the operation timer, and the air conditioner can be suppressed from operating with unsuitable setting contents. Thus, the situation that the situation around the air conditioner is uncomfortable for the user or even the situation related to the life of the user can be prevented from being caused by the fact that the setting content of the action timer is not suitable for the situation around the air conditioner, and the safety of the air conditioner can be ensured. Further, since the air conditioner is suppressed from operating with the setting content of the unsuitable operation timer, the waste of consumed energy can be suppressed.

In the information processing method, season information indicating a period corresponding to a season may be acquired, and the predetermined time may be determined using the season information and the time information.

According to this configuration, the predetermined time is determined using the season information and the time information. Thus, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the action timer was released, taking into consideration the season.

In the information processing method, the predetermined time may be determined based on the season information and the region information by acquiring region information indicating a region in which the air conditioner is installed.

According to this configuration, since the predetermined time is determined based on the season information and the region information, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was released, taking into consideration the region in which the air conditioner is installed.

In the information processing method, the predetermined time may be determined using sensor data including a change in air temperature and reference data.

According to this configuration, since the predetermined time is determined using the sensor data including the change in the air temperature and the reference data, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was released in consideration of the real-time change in the air temperature around the air conditioner.

In the information processing method, weather information may be acquired, and the predetermined time may be determined using the weather information and the reference data.

According to this configuration, since the predetermined time is determined using the weather information and the reference data, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was released, taking into consideration the weather.

In the information processing method, the state information of the air conditioner may be further acquired; further, judging whether an event occurs based on the state information, wherein the event is that the state of the air conditioner is changed to an energized state after the predetermined time has elapsed from the state of the air conditioner being changed to a non-energized state; and outputting the notification information when the event is judged to occur.

Thus, when the air conditioner is restarted to be energized without being energized for a predetermined time or longer, the user can check the rationality of the setting of the operation timer, and the air conditioner can be suppressed from operating with unsuitable setting contents.

In the information processing method, the notification information may be information for notifying that the setting of the operation timer is not appropriate.

According to this configuration, since the notification information indicates that the setting of the operation timer is not appropriate, the user can more reliably confirm the rationality of the setting of the operation timer.

In the information processing method, weather information is further acquired, and the notification information is determined based on the weather information.

Thus, weather-based content can be notified.

In the information processing method, the past operation information of the air conditioner is further acquired, and the notification information is determined based on the past operation information.

Thereby, the content based on the past operation information can be notified.

In the information processing method, the area information indicating the area where the air conditioner is installed is further acquired, and the notification information is determined based on the area information.

Thereby, the content based on the region where the air conditioner is set can be notified.

In the information processing method, the content of the notification information may be controlled in accordance with information that can be presumed to be the same as the climate when the operation timer is released and the climate when the operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed.

In this way, in addition to the case where the elapsed time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time, the notification content can be controlled to the same extent as the climate, and the notification for prompting the resetting can be made only when the user wishes to reset the operation timer. That is, the notification information can be rationalized.

In the information processing method, the predictable information may further include a specific time period; in the control of the content of the notification information, the content of the notification information is controlled according to whether or not the elapsed time coincides with the specific time period.

The climate is more often changed periodically. For this reason, the content of the notification information can be more rationalized by controlling the content of the notification information with a specific time period as described above.

In the information processing method, the predictable information may include an attribute of a first period when the operation timer is released and an attribute of a second period when an operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed; in the control of the content of the notification information, the content of the notification information is controlled according to whether or not the attribute of the first period is the same as the attribute of the second period.

The climate is often changed according to a specific period. For this reason, by controlling the content of the notification information by using the attribute of the period as described above, the content of the notification information can be more rationalized.

In the information processing method, the presumable information may include setting information of the operation timer and operation information of the air conditioner; in the control of the content of the notification information, the content of the notification information is controlled according to whether or not a difference between an operation instruction indicated by the setting information of the operation timer and an operation instruction indicated by the operation information is within a predetermined range.

There are many cases in which the user operates the controller to change the setting of the air conditioner when the climate is changed. For this reason, by controlling the content of the notification information using the setting information and the operation information of the operation timer as described above, the content of the notification information can be more reliably rationalized.

In the information processing method, the predictable information may include setting information of an action timer and weather information; in the control of the content of the notification information, the content of the notification information is controlled according to whether the setting information of the action timer corresponds to the weather information.

Thus, the content of the notification information can be more reliably rationalized according to whether or not the weather information corresponds to the setting information of the operation timer.

In the information processing method, when the notification information is notified, if it is possible to infer that the climate when the operation timer is released is the same as the climate when an operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed, information for notifying that the setting of the operation timer is changed to the setting when the operation timer is released may be notified as the notification information; when it is estimated that the climate when the operation timer is released is different from the climate when the operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed, information for notifying that the setting of the operation timer is not appropriate is notified as the notification information.

The climate is often changed according to a specific period. For this reason, the content of the notification information can be more rationalized by controlling the content of the notification information with the climate as an attribute of the period as described above.

The integrated or specific embodiments may be implemented in a non-transitory recording medium such as an air conditioner, an information processing system, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable CD-ROM, or may be implemented in any combination of an air conditioner, an information processing system, an integrated circuit, and a recording medium.

In the following embodiments, a specific example of the present invention is shown. The numerical values, shapes, constituent elements, steps, orders of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements not described in the independent claims showing the uppermost concept are described as arbitrary constituent elements. Moreover, in all embodiments, the respective contents may be combined.

(first embodiment)

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The air conditioner 100 includes a control unit 101, a storage unit 103, a power unit 104, a power unit 105, a display unit 106, an operation unit 107, a time management unit 108, a sensor 109, and a communication unit 110.

The control unit 101 reads and executes various information stored in the storage unit 103 and a control program for performing various controls, thereby comprehensively controlling the operations of the respective modules included in the air conditioner 100. The control unit 101 is a computer device including an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU or a dedicated processor, for example. The control unit 101 includes an operation setting unit 102 for setting various modes executed by the air conditioner 100.

The memory unit 103 is, for example, a semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory). The storage unit 103 stores various information and various control programs used by the air conditioner 100.

The power unit 104 executes various operation modes of the air conditioner 100 under the control of the control unit 101. The operation modes include, for example, an air conditioning mode such as a cooling operation, a heating operation, a dehumidifying operation, and a blowing operation. In addition, the operation mode includes, for example, an air cleaning mode in a model having an air cleaning function. The power unit 104 is, for example, various devices for performing air conditioning operations such as a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, a pump for circulating the refrigerant, a motor for driving the compressor, and a fan for blowing air.

The power supply unit 105 turns on (closes) or turns off (opens) the power supply of the power unit 104 based on an instruction from the control unit 101. The power supply unit 105 includes a power supply circuit for converting commercial power into power suitable for driving the air conditioner 100, a detection circuit for detecting whether or not power is supplied from a power plug of the air conditioner 100, and the like.

The display unit 106 displays the operation state of the air conditioner 100. The display unit 106 is, for example, a light emitting diode (Light Emitting Diode: LED) or the like. The light emitting diode constituting the display unit 106 is turned on under the control of the control unit 101 when the power unit 104 is in operation, and is turned off under the control of the control unit 101 when the power unit 104 is not in operation. The display unit 106 may include a plurality of light emitting diodes corresponding to the operation mode, and the light emitting diodes corresponding to the operation mode being executed by the power unit 104 may be turned on under the control of the control unit 101.

The operation unit 107 receives an operation of the air conditioner 100 from a user. The operation unit 107 includes a button for turning on or off the power supply unit 105, a button for setting an operation timer, and the like. The operation unit 107 may include a button for setting operation modes (cooling operation, heating operation, dehumidifying operation, air-blowing operation, and air-cleaning operation) and a button for setting operation parameters (setting temperature, setting wind direction, setting air volume, and the like).

Although the operation unit 107 has been described as including a button, this is only an example, and may be configured by a member different from the button as long as the operation from the user can be received. The buttons constituting the operation unit 107 may be actual buttons or GUI components displayed on a touch panel. In this case, the operation unit 107 receives an operation from the user when the area in the touch panel corresponding to the GUI component is touched. The operation unit 107 may include a microphone and a voice recognition circuit, and may receive an operation from the user when a specific voice is recognized from a voice signal of the user collected by the voice recognition microphone.

The operation unit 107 may be integrally formed with the air conditioner 100 or may be formed by a remote controller. The remote controller is, for example, an infrared remote controller that can operate the air conditioner 100 in a short distance of several meters or less from the air conditioner 100. The remote controller is useful in the case where the air conditioner 100 is disposed at a high place where hands cannot reach. The remote controller may communicate with the air conditioner 100 by short-range communication such as bluetooth (registered trademark).

The time management unit 108 includes a clock and manages the current time. The time management unit 108 stores the operation timer setting information in the storage unit 103 when the operation timer setting information is received by the operation unit 107 or when the operation timer setting information transmitted from the communication terminal 400 described later is received by the communication unit 110. The operation timer setting information includes the operation start time, the operation end time, and the like of the air conditioner 100. When the setting information of the operation timer is stored in the storage unit 103, the time management unit 108 monitors whether or not the current time has reached the operation start time included in the setting information of the operation timer. When detecting that the current time has reached the operation start time, the time management unit 108 notifies the control unit 101 of the fact. The control unit 101 that received the notification instructs the power unit 104 to start operation. Thereby, the operation of the air conditioner 100 based on the operation timer is started. The setting information of the operation timer may include an operation mode (cooling operation, heating operation, dehumidifying operation, air-blowing operation, air-cleaning operation, etc.) other than the operation start time, and an operation parameter (set temperature, set wind direction, set air volume, etc.) corresponding to the operation mode. The operation timer setting information may include operation schedule information indicating the operation mode and the operation parameters to be set according to what time schedule.

In this case, the time management unit 108 may store the setting information of the operation timer including the operation schedule information in the storage unit 103. The operation schedule information is information set for the day of the week of the air conditioner 100, such as, for example, the start of the cooling operation at the set temperature of 28 ℃ at 10 monday, the stop of the cooling operation at 14 pm, and the start of the cooling operation at the set temperature of 25 ℃ at 18 pm, and is information set by the user. The setting information of the operation timer including such operation plan information may be set by the communication terminal 400 described later. The operation timer setting information may include an operation end time of the air conditioner.

The sensor 109 includes, for example, a temperature sensor that detects the current indoor and outdoor temperatures and a humidity sensor that detects the current indoor and outdoor humidity. The sensing information detected by the sensor 109 is used when the control unit 101 of the air conditioner 100 adjusts the indoor temperature.

The communication unit 110 receives a control instruction transmitted from the server 300 based on a control instruction for the air conditioner 100 transmitted from the communication terminal 400. The control instruction includes, for example, an instruction to turn on or off the air conditioner 100, an instruction to set an operation mode of the air conditioner 100, an instruction to set an operation parameter, setting information of an operation timer, and the like. The control instruction also includes an instruction to turn on the operation timer and an instruction to turn off the operation timer. The instruction to start the action timer is an instruction to activate the action timer. If the operation timer is started, the air conditioner 100 operates according to the setting information of the operation timer. The instruction to turn off the action timer is an instruction to deactivate the action timer. If the operation timer is turned off, the air conditioner 100 does not operate according to the setting information of the operation timer.

The communication unit 110 transmits the operation state (an example of state information) of the air conditioner 100 to the server 300. The operation state includes, for example, setting information of an operation timer stored in the storage unit 103 by the operation setting unit 102, sensing information detected by the sensor 109, and an energization state detected by the power supply unit 105. The energization state includes, for example, an energization on state and an energization off state of the air conditioner 100. The energization on and energization off will be described in the second embodiment.

The communication unit 110 is a communication interface that performs wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and wired communication such as Ethernet (registered trademark). In this case, the air conditioner 100 is connected to the internet 203 via a modem (modem) 204 shown in fig. 2.

When the air conditioner 100 is remotely operated from outside or inside through the communication terminal 400, the communication unit 110 receives a control instruction for the air conditioner 100 via the server 300 shown in fig. 2. In addition, when the air conditioner 100 is remotely operated from the room through the communication terminal 400, the communication unit 110 may receive a control instruction for the air conditioner 100 via the indoor network 205. In this case, the communication unit 110 may be provided with a communication interface for realizing bluetooth (registered trademark), specific low-power wireless, and visible light communication.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system 200 includes the air conditioner 100 shown in fig. 1, a communication terminal 400 held by a user of the air conditioner 100, and a server 300 providing various services related to the air conditioner 100 to the user.

The air conditioner 100 is connected to the communication terminal 400 via the indoor network 205, the modem 204, the internet 203, the gateway system 202, and the public telephone network 201.

The air conditioner 100 is connected to the server 300 via the indoor network 205, the modem 204, and the internet 203. The communication terminal 400 is connected to the server 300 via the public telephone network 201, the gateway system 202, and the internet 203.

The server 300 can transfer information between various information terminal apparatuses connected to the internet 203. In addition, the information processing system 200 may be configured across a plurality of networks.

The internet 203 and public telephone network 201 are connected to each other through a gateway system 202. Public telephone network 201 is a communication network built by telephone companies, including wireless telephone networks and wireless telephone communication networks.

Further, the internet 203 and the indoor network 205 are connected to each other through a modem 204. The indoor network 205 includes a wireless LAN such as a wired LAN and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The indoor network 205 may include bluetooth (registered trademark), specific low-power wireless, and visible light communication.

The communication terminal 400 may remotely operate the air conditioner 100 via the public telephone network 201, the gateway system 202, the internet 203, the modem 204, and the indoor network 205. A notification server that urges the communication terminal 400 to notify may be connected to the internet 203. In this case, the server 300 requests the notification server to prompt notification, thereby prompting notification to the communication terminal 400.

In the example of fig. 2, the information processing system 200 includes one communication terminal 400 and one air conditioner 100, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the information processing system 200 may include a plurality of communication terminals 400 and a plurality of air conditioners 100. In this case, the server 300 may manage the plurality of communication terminals 400 and the plurality of air conditioners 100 using identifiers that can certainly identify the plurality of communication terminals 400 and the plurality of air conditioners 100.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The server 300 includes a memory 310, a processor 320, and a communication unit 330. The memory 310 is a nonvolatile storage device such as a hard disk or EEPROM, and stores the device log database 303 and the user database 308. The processor 320 is, for example, CPU, FPGA, ASIC, and includes a device log acquisition unit 301, a device state management unit 302, a device control unit 304, an action timer management unit 305, a notification output unit 306, and a user management unit 307. In the case where the processor 320 is a CPU, each module included in the processor 320 can be realized by, for example, letting the CPU execute a program that causes a computer to function as the server 300, the program being a non-transitory computer-readable program.

The communication unit 330 is a communication interface such as a modem. The communication unit 330 receives the operation state from the air conditioner 100 and inputs the operation state to the equipment log acquisition unit 301. The communication section 330 receives a control instruction from the communication terminal 400 and inputs it to the device control section 304. The communication unit 330 transmits the control command input from the device control unit 304 to the air conditioner 100. The communication unit 330 transmits the notification information input from the notification output unit 306 to the communication terminal 400.

The device log obtaining unit 301 generates a device log including the operation states input from the communication unit 330. The operation state includes, for example, no operation stop, presence or absence of power, operation mode, operation parameters, and the like. The operation state may include setting information of an operation timer and sensing information detected by the sensor 109. The operation state may be periodically transmitted from the air conditioner 100 to the server 300, or may be transmitted from the air conditioner 100 to the server 300 when the operation state of the air conditioner 100 is changed, or may be combined with the former.

When generating the device log, the device log acquisition unit 301 adds a time stamp to the device log and inputs the time stamp to the device state management unit 302. When the transmission date and time is included in the operation state, the device log acquisition unit 301 may assign the transmission date and time to the device log as a time stamp. When the transmission date and time is not included in the operation state, the device log obtaining unit 301 may assign the reception time of the device log to the device log as a time stamp. The operating state includes a device ID (device identifier) of the air conditioner 100 as a transmission source. Therefore, the device log is data in which the time stamp, the device ID, and the operation state are associated with each other.

The device state management unit 302 manages the device log database 303 by storing the device log input from the device log acquisition unit 301 in the device log database 303. The device state management unit 302 reads out a required device log from the device log database 303 in response to a request for acquiring a device log from the operation timer management unit 305, and inputs the read device log to the operation timer management unit 305.

The device log database 303 is a database storing one device log in one record, and stores a device ID, a time stamp, an operation state, and the like in correspondence with each other.

The device control unit 304 analyzes the control instruction received by the communication unit 330, generates a control instruction to operate the air conditioner 100 in accordance with the control instruction, and inputs the control instruction to the communication unit 330. The communication unit 330 transmits the input control command to the air conditioner 100 to be controlled. The device control unit 304, when detecting the start of the operation timer based on the control instruction received from the communication unit 330 from the communication terminal 400, invokes the operation timer management unit 305.

The operation timer management unit 305 is invoked when the device control unit 304 detects the start of the operation timer. When called by the device control unit 304, the operation timer management unit 305 inputs a request for acquiring a device log at the time of the last time of canceling the operation timer to the device state management unit 302, and acquires a corresponding device log from the device log database 303. The action timer management unit 305 acquires the time when the action timer was released last time from the timestamp of the device log acquired from the device log database 303. The operation timer management unit 305 calculates an elapsed time from the time when the last operation timer was released to the time when the current operation timer was valid, and determines whether or not the elapsed time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time.

That is, when an operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed, the operation timer management unit 305 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed after the operation timer was released, using time information indicating the elapsed time from the time when the operation timer was released last time.

When it is determined that the elapsed time is equal to or longer than the predetermined time, the operation timer management unit 305 generates notification information for notifying the user of the corresponding air conditioner 100 of information related to the operation timer, and inputs the notification information to the notification output unit 306 together with the device ID of the corresponding air conditioner 100.

The notification information is, for example, information indicating that the setting content of the operation timer is not appropriate.

The notification output unit 306 acquires terminal information by inputting an acquisition request to the user management unit 307, wherein the acquisition request is a request for acquiring terminal information of the communication terminal 400 corresponding to the device ID input from the action timer management unit 305 from the user database 308. The notification output unit 306 acquires the communication ID of the communication terminal 400 of the transmission destination according to the acquired terminal information, and transmits the notification information to the corresponding communication terminal 400 by the communication unit 330 according to the acquired communication ID.

Here, the notification output unit 306 may transmit the notification information to the communication terminal 400 by transmitting a notification request for prompting the notification of the notification information to the notification server via the internet 203. The notification server is a server that manages notifications such as urging notifications.

The user management unit 307 manages the user database 308. The user database 308 is a database storing air-conditioning information and user information and terminal information in association with each other. The air-conditioning information includes, for example, a device ID, model number, and capability of the air conditioner 100. The user information includes, for example, a user ID, a living area, a name, and the like of the user who owns the air conditioner 100. The terminal information includes, for example, a communication ID, a terminal ID, and the like of the communication terminal 400 held by the user.

The air-conditioning information, the user information, and the terminal information are input by the user, for example, when the website or the application 407 installed in the communication terminal 400 registers the device. The inputted air-conditioning information, user information, and terminal information are received by the communication unit 330 via the internet 203. The communication unit 330 inputs the received air-conditioning information, user information, and terminal information to the user management unit 307. The user management unit 307 registers the input air-conditioning information, user information, and terminal information in the user database 308.

In fig. 3, the operation timer management unit 305 is an example of an acquisition unit that acquires the time when the operation timer of the air conditioner 100 is released or time information indicating the elapsed time from the time when the operation timer is released. The operation timer management unit 305 is an example of a determination unit that determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed after the operation timer is released, using time information, when there is an operation related to the setting of the operation timer. The notification output unit 306 is an example of a notification unit that notifies the user of the air conditioner of notification information about the operation timer when it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed after the operation timer has been released.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The communication terminal 400 includes, for example, a control unit 401, a storage unit 402, a display unit 403, a communication unit 404, an operation unit 405, and a sensor 406, wherein the control unit 401 is configured by a CPU, a processor for special purpose, and the like, and the storage unit 402 includes a semiconductor memory typified by RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and the like.

The control unit 401 reads and executes various information stored in the storage unit 402, and an application 407 and an operating system 408 for performing various controls, thereby controlling the operations of the respective units of the communication terminal 400 as a whole.

The display unit 403 is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, for example, and displays various information for presentation to the user in response to an instruction from the control unit 401.

The communication unit 404 is, for example, a communication interface for connecting the communication terminal 400 to the public telephone network 201, and transmits information processed by the control unit 401 to the server 300 via the public telephone network 201 and the internet 203.

The operation unit 405 is an input device such as a touch panel, for example, and receives an input from a user and inputs the input to the control unit 401.

The sensor 406 is a sensor built in the communication terminal 400. The sensor 406 is, for example, a temperature sensor, an air pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, a Motion sensor (acceleration sensor, gyroscope sensor, pressure sensor), or the like. The sensor 406 may include a voice input device such as a microphone, an image sensor for acquiring optical image information, and an image pickup device such as a photodiode.

The user inputs an instruction to the air conditioner 100 by the operation unit 405 according to the information displayed on the display unit 403. The application 407 analyzes the instruction input to the operation unit 405, generates a control instruction, and transmits the generated control instruction by the communication unit 404. The server 300 parses the control instructions and generates control instructions. The control instruction is transmitted to the corresponding air conditioner 100.

The application 407 is software for implementing the service provided from the server 300, and includes an instruction generation unit 409, a screen display unit 410, and a data transmission/reception unit 411.

The instruction generation unit 409 analyzes the instruction received by the operation unit 405 from the user and generates a control instruction for the air conditioner 100.

The screen display unit 410 generates and displays the control result of the air conditioner 100 and the image data for notifying the sensing information of the air conditioner 100 received by the data transmitting/receiving unit 411 on the display unit 403. The screen display unit 410 generates image data of the notification information received by the data transmitting/receiving unit 411, and displays the image data on the display unit 403.

The data transmitting/receiving unit 411 transmits the control instruction generated by the instruction generating unit 409 to the server 300 by using the communication unit 404. The data transceiver 411 receives the control result of the air conditioner 100 transmitted via the server 300 by the communication unit 404.

The data transceiver 411 may receive the control result and the notification information by using a notification function provided in the operating system 408. In this case, the control result and the notification information are transmitted via a notification server connected to the internet 203.

Next, an example of a method in which the operation timer management unit 305 of the present embodiment determines whether or not notification information needs to be transmitted will be described.

The operation timer management unit 305 calculates an elapsed time from when the last operation timer was turned off to when the current operation timer was turned on, and determines that notification information is required when the elapsed time has elapsed for a predetermined time. Here, the action timer being closed, i.e., the action timer being released, is referred to as a timer deactivation trigger. Conversely, an action timer being started even if the action timer is started is referred to as a timer valid trigger. The timer valid trigger may be when the process of predicting that the operation timer is started is executed. When the process of predicting that the operation timer is started is performed, for example, when an application program for operating the operation timer is started or when a timer setting screen of the application program is started (displayed). The operation timer management unit 305 uses a threshold value of the elapsed time in order to determine whether or not the elapsed time from the occurrence time of the timer deactivation trigger to the occurrence time of the timer activation trigger has elapsed by a predetermined time or more. The operation timer management unit 305 determines that notification information is required to be notified when the elapsed time is equal to or greater than the threshold value. The threshold value will be referred to as a notification judgment period hereinafter.

The notification determination period may be fixed. For example, the notification determination period is set to one month. In this case, the action timer management section 305, when the elapsed time from the time point of occurrence of the timer invalid trigger to the time point of occurrence of the timer valid trigger is one month or more, notification information is determined. The notification determination period may be a period corresponding to a period of seasonal variation.

The notification determination period may vary according to the relationship between the time when the timer invalidation trigger occurs and the season period. In this case, the action timer management unit 305 may change the notification determination period by using the season information table 500 indicating the period of the season shown in fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the season information table 500. The season information table 500 includes a season field and a start date field. The season fence registers summer and winter. The start date is the start date of the season. In this example, the summer start date is, for example, 6 months and 20 days. The start date of winter is, for example, 11 months and 1 day.

Therefore, in this example, the period from 6 months to 20 days to 10 months to 31 days is a summer hypothesis period, and the period from 11 months to 1 day to 6 months to 19 days is a winter hypothesis period. The summer hypothesis period and the winter hypothesis period are examples of periods corresponding to seasons.

In the example of fig. 5, the start dates of summer and winter are registered in the season information table 500, but this is only an example, and the start dates of spring and autumn may be registered in the season information table 500. In the season information table 500, the 6-month 20-day and the 11-month 1-day are only examples, and other dates may be used in consideration of the season region and the like.

The operation timer management unit 305 acquires the latest start date from the season information table 500 after the occurrence time of the timer invalidation trigger, and sets the difference between the occurrence time of the timer invalidation trigger and the start date as the notification judgment period. For example, when the time of occurrence of the timer invalidation trigger is 9 months and 1 days, the operation timer management unit 305 sets 60 days, which is the difference from 9 months and 1 day to 11 months and 1 day, as the notification judgment period. In this case, if the timer valid trigger occurs at 11 months and 4 days, the elapsed time from the time of occurrence of the timer invalid trigger to the time of occurrence of the timer valid trigger is 63 days. As a result, the operation timer management unit 305 determines that notification information is required to be notified because the elapsed time "63 days" is equal to or longer than "60 days" in the notification determination period. On the other hand, if the occurrence time of the timer valid trigger is 10 months and 29 days, the elapsed time is smaller than the notification judgment period. In this case, the action timer management unit 305 determines that notification of notification information is not necessary.

The operation timer management unit 305 may correct the notification judgment period determined from the season information table 500 by using the actual outdoor air temperature and the reference data indicated by the sensor data detected by the sensor 109 of the air conditioner 100 after the occurrence time of the timer invalidation trigger. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a correction table 600 used for the correction notification judgment period. The correction table 600 includes a gas temperature difference column, a summer correction value column, and a winter correction value column. The air temperature difference is a value obtained by subtracting the average outdoor air temperature from the actual outdoor air temperature detected by the sensor 109 of the air conditioner 100. The temperature difference column stores a divided temperature difference range in which the temperature difference is deviated from the positive side and the negative side by a predetermined temperature with reference to 0 ℃.

The operation timer management unit 305 calculates, for example, an average value of the actual outdoor air temperatures from the time point of occurrence of the timer valid trigger to a certain period as the actual outdoor air temperature. The certain period is, for example, one week, two weeks, or one month. The fixed period may be, for example, a period from the time when the timer deactivation trigger occurs to the time when the timer activation trigger occurs. The operation timer management unit 305 may acquire the actual outdoor air temperature from the device log database 303 until a certain period from the time when the timer effective trigger occurs.

The average outdoor air temperature is, for example, an average value of outdoor air temperatures in the past year from the time when the timer is effectively triggered to a certain period. The average outdoor air temperature will be described later in detail. The certain period is the same as the certain period of the actual outdoor air temperature. The average outdoor air temperature is an example of the reference data.

The operation timer management unit 305 calculates an air temperature difference obtained by subtracting the average outdoor air temperature from the actual outdoor air temperature, compares the air temperature difference with the correction table 600, and determines a correction value for notifying the determination period.

The summer correction value is a correction value of a notification judgment period used when the timer invalidation trigger occurs in a winter hypothesis period, which is the summer next season from the occurrence time of the timer invalidation trigger. The winter correction value is a correction value of a notification judgment period used when the next season is winter from the occurrence time of the timer deactivation trigger, that is, when the timer deactivation trigger occurs during the summer hypothesis.

For example, assume that the timer deactivation trigger occurs at 9 months and 1 day, and that the timer deactivation trigger occurs at 10 months and 25 days. In this case, since the 1 st month belongs to the summer hypothesis period according to the season information table 500,9, the winter correction value is referred to. Here, it is assumed that the average outdoor air temperature is 20 ℃ and the actual outdoor air temperature is 16 ℃. In this case, the operation timer management section 305 acquires the winter correction value "-10 days" stored in the record at this stage from the correction table 600 since the air temperature difference is-4 ℃ and falls within the air temperature difference range of-5.0 to-3.0.

On the other hand, since the notification judgment period before correction determined from the season information table 500 is "60 days", the action timer management section 305 calculates 60 days to 10 days=50 days as the notification judgment period after correction.

The elapsed time from the time "9 months 1 day" of timer invalid triggering to the time "10 months 25 days" of timer valid triggering is "53 days". Since the elapsed time "53 days" is equal to or longer than the notification determination period "50 days", the action timer management unit 305 determines that notification information is required to be notified. This is because, when the air conditioner 100 is operated in the setting of the operation timer in summer, the actual outdoor air temperature is lower than the average outdoor air temperature of the past year on the occurrence day when the timer is effectively triggered, and the room temperature may excessively drop. In this case, the present embodiment notifies the notification information to allow the user to confirm the setting content of the operation timer.

For example, assume that the timer deactivation trigger occurs at 9 months and 1 day, and the timer deactivation trigger occurs at 11 months and 5 days. Further, it is assumed that the average outdoor air temperature is 15 ℃ and the actual outdoor air temperature is 19 ℃ before a certain period from the time when the timer is effectively triggered. In this case, since the occurrence time of the timer deactivation trigger is 9 months and 1 day, which belongs to the summer hypothesis period, the winter correction value is referred to. In this case, since the air temperature difference is +4 ℃, and belongs to the air temperature difference range of 3.0 to 5.0, the action timer management section 305 acquires the winter correction value "+10 days" stored in the record at this stage from the correction table 600.

On the other hand, since the notification determination period before correction determined from the season information table 500 is "60 days", the action timer management section 305 calculates 60 days+10 days=70 days as the notification determination period after correction.

The elapsed time from the occurrence date of the timer deactivation "9 months 1 day" to the occurrence date of the timer deactivation "11 months 5 days" is "64 days". The elapsed time "64 days" is smaller than the notification determination period "70 days", and the action timer management unit 305 determines that notification information is not required to be notified. This is because the actual outdoor air temperature is higher than the average outdoor air temperature of the past year on the day when the timer is effectively triggered, and even if the air conditioner 100 is operated with the setting content of the operation timer in summer, the room temperature does not drop excessively. Therefore, in this case, the present embodiment does not notify notification information. Thereby, unnecessary notification of notification information to the user is prevented. The numerical values in fig. 6 are examples, and may be changed as appropriate.

For example, when the outdoor air temperature in early summer is higher than the past year, it is not desirable to operate the air conditioner 100 with the setting content of the operation timer in winter. In addition, even if the air conditioner 100 is operated with the setting of the operation timer in winter, there is no problem in the case where the outdoor air temperature in early summer is lower than the past. Here, the correction table 600 is set such that the notification information is easily notified as the start date of summer increases toward the positive side, and the notification information is not easily notified as the start date of summer increases toward the negative side.

When the outdoor air temperature in the first winter is lower than the past year, it is not desirable to operate the air conditioner 100 with the setting content of the operation timer in summer. In addition, even if the air conditioner 100 is operated with the setting of the operation timer in summer, there is no problem in the case where the outdoor air temperature in the winter is higher than that in the past. Therefore, the correction table 600 is set with the winter correction value in such a manner that notification information is not easily notified as the start date of winter increases toward the plus side, and notification information is easily notified as the start date of winter increases toward the minus side.

The average outdoor air temperature shown in fig. 6 can be calculated using the past annual air temperature transition data stored in the memory 310 in advance. Alternatively, the average outdoor air temperature may be calculated using the annual migration data of the last year from the weather information. The average outdoor air temperature may be calculated using the sensor data of the actual outdoor air temperature of the past year detected by the sensor 109 of the air conditioner 100.

Also, the actual outdoor air temperature is calculated based on the sensed data detected by the sensor 109 stored in the equipment log database 303, as just one example. For example, the actual outdoor air temperature may be calculated from weather information for a certain period from the time point when the timer is effectively triggered. In this case, the server 300 may acquire weather information from, for example, a weather information server connected to the internet 203.

The season information table 500 and the correction table 600 may use different charts according to regions. For example, the seasonal variation is different for the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. Therefore, the action timer management unit 305 may determine the notification determination period by using the season information table 500 in which the relation between the season and the start date is different and is combined according to the region. The operation timer management unit 305 may correct the notification determination period by using a correction table 600 in which the relationship among the air temperature difference, the summer correction value, and the winter correction value is different depending on the region. For example, if the region information indicating the region in which the air conditioner 100 is installed is stored in the user database 308, the operation timer management unit 305 may determine the region in which the air conditioner 100 is installed based on the region information, and may determine the season information table 500 and the correction table 600 corresponding to the determined region.

In this embodiment, the action timer management section 305 judges whether or not to notify notification information by comparing the elapsed time from the occurrence time of the timer deactivation trigger to the occurrence time of the timer activation trigger with the notification judgment period, however, this is only an example. For example, the operation timer management unit 305 may determine whether or not to notify the notification information by comparing the operation mode set for the air conditioner 100 that is closest to the time when the timer is effectively triggered with the operation mode indicated by the operation timer setting information. For example, the operation timer management unit 305 may determine the notification information when the operation mode closest to the time point of occurrence of the timer effective trigger is the cooling mode and the operation mode indicated by the setting information of the operation timer is the heating mode. That is, the operation timer management unit 305 may determine the notification information when the operation mode closest to the time point of occurrence of the timer valid trigger and the operation mode indicated by the setting information of the operation timer are different from each other.

By executing the above information processing method, it is possible to update the notification judgment period more accurately and prevent useless notification to the user.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the information processing system of the first embodiment. First, the communication unit 330 of the server 300 receives a control instruction to set the operation timer to on, which is transmitted from the communication terminal 400, and thereby the device control unit 304 of the server 300 acquires the control instruction (step S101). Here, the communication terminal 400 causes the application 407 to receive an instruction to start the operation timer from the user, and transmits a control instruction to the server 300.

Next, the device control unit 304 transmits a control command for starting the operation timer to the corresponding air conditioner 100 by using the communication unit 330 (step S102).

In addition, although an example in which an instruction to start the operation timer is input from the communication terminal 400 is illustrated in the flowchart, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an instruction to start the operation timer may be input through the operation unit 107 of the air conditioner 100. In this case, the control instruction to start the operation timer is directly transmitted to the air conditioner 100 not via the server 300.

When the air conditioner 100 receives the control command via the communication unit 110, the control unit 101 sets the operation timer to be on, and then the communication unit 110 transmits the setting result to the server 300. The transmitted setting result is received by the communication unit 330 of the server 300.

The device control unit 304 determines whether or not the operation timer of the air conditioner 100 has been set to on normally based on the setting result received through the communication unit 330 (step S103). Here, the device control unit 304 determines that the setting of the operation timer to be started is normally completed when the control command to start the operation timer is transmitted to the corresponding air conditioner 100 and the control result (for example, 200 OK) is received from the air conditioner 100 within a predetermined timeout period, and determines that the operation timer is not normally started (failed) when the control result is not received from the air conditioner 100 within the predetermined timeout period.

When the setting is normally completed (yes in step S103), the device control unit 304 calls the operation timer management unit 305, and the operation timer management unit 305 acquires the occurrence time of the last timer deactivation trigger (step S104). In this case, the operation timer management unit 305 inputs a request to acquire a device log indicating that the operation timer was last closed, to the device state management unit 302 using the device ID of the air conditioner 100 that transmitted the setting information as a key. The device status management unit 302 acquires, from the device log database 303, a device log indicating that the operation timer of the corresponding air conditioner 100 was last turned off, using the device ID as a key, and inputs the acquired device log to the operation timer management unit 305 together with the device ID. The action timer management unit 305 acquires the occurrence time of the timer invalidation trigger from the input device log time stamp.

On the other hand, in step S103, when the operation timer of the air conditioner 100 fails to be started (no in step S103), the device controller 304 transmits a failure notification indicating that the operation timer fails to be started to the communication terminal 400 by the communication unit 330 (step S105). In this case, the device control section 304 may prompt the notification of the failure notification to the corresponding communication terminal 400 by requesting the notification server for the failure notification.

In step S106, the operation timer management unit 305 calculates an elapsed time from the previous timer deactivation trigger occurrence time to the current timer activation trigger occurrence time, and determines whether or not the elapsed time is equal to or longer than the notification determination period.

When the elapsed time is equal to or longer than the notification determination period (yes in step S106), the operation timer management unit 305 generates notification information, and inputs the notification information to the notification output unit 306 together with the device ID of the corresponding air conditioner 100 (step S107). The notification information includes, for example, setting information of a current operation timer.

On the other hand, when the elapsed time is smaller than the notification determination period (no in step S106), the process ends.

Next, the notification output section 306 acquires the communication ID of the communication terminal 400 of the user who owns the corresponding air conditioner 100 from the user database 308 (step S108). Here, the notification output unit 306 inputs a request to acquire the communication ID of the corresponding communication terminal 400 to the user management unit 307 using the device ID input from the action timer management unit 305 as a key. The user management unit 307 acquires the communication ID of the corresponding communication terminal 400 from the user database 308 using the device ID as a key, and inputs the communication ID to the notification output unit 306. Thereby, the notification output section 306 acquires the communication ID of the corresponding communication terminal 400.

Next, the notification output unit 306 transmits notification information to the corresponding communication terminal 400 using the acquired communication ID (step S109).

As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the operation timer is started, if the elapsed time from the timer-invalid trigger to the timer-valid trigger is equal to or longer than the notification judgment period, notification information is transmitted to the communication terminal 400. Thus, when the elapsed time after the operation timer is turned off is equal to or longer than the predetermined time, the user can check the correctness of the operation timer setting, and the air conditioner 100 can be suppressed from operating with unsuitable setting contents.

(second embodiment)

The second embodiment is an embodiment for determining whether or not notification information needs to be transmitted when it is determined that an event has occurred that the air conditioner has changed from the power-on state to the power-off state (the state in which power is supplied) after a predetermined time has elapsed after the air conditioner has changed from the power-on state (the state in which power is supplied) to the power-off state (the state in which power is not supplied). In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the air conditioner 100, the server 300, and the communication terminal 400 is the same as that of fig. 1, 3, and 4, respectively, and the description will be made with reference to these drawings.

Refer to fig. 3. The device log obtaining unit 301 determines whether or not an event has occurred in which the air conditioner 100 has changed from the power-on off state to the power-on state, based on the operation state transmitted from the air conditioner 100. When determining that the event has occurred, the device log acquisition unit 301 calls the action timer management unit 305.

The action timer management unit 305 is invoked when the device log acquisition unit 301 determines that an event has occurred to change from the power-on off state to the power-on state. The operation timer management unit 305 calculates an elapsed time from the turning-on state of the air conditioner 100 to the turning-off state of the air conditioner, and determines that notification information is required when a predetermined time has elapsed. That is, in the present embodiment, the timer-disabled trigger corresponds to the time when the change from the energization-on state to the energization-off state is detected, and the timer-enabled trigger corresponds to the time when the change from the energization-off state to the energization-on state is detected.

The power-on state refers to a state in which the power plug of the air conditioner 100 is plugged into the outlet. The power-on off state refers to a state in which the power plug of the air conditioner 100 is pulled out from the outlet. For example, if the season in summer ends, the outlet of the air conditioner 100 is sometimes pulled out until winter. Further, if the season in winter is over, the outlet of the air conditioner 100 may be pulled out until summer. In this case, if the air conditioner 100 is operated with the setting content of the operation timer, the indoor space may be excessively cooled or excessively heated when the elapsed time from the time when the timer-invalid trigger occurs to the time when the timer-valid trigger occurs is relatively long. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the elapsed time from the time point of occurrence of the timer deactivation trigger to the time point of occurrence of the timer activation trigger is equal to or longer than the notification judgment period, notification information is transmitted to the communication terminal 400, and the user is allowed to confirm the correctness of the setting content of the current operation timer.

In this embodiment, since the setting of the notification determination period is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the information processing system of the second embodiment.

First, the air conditioner 100 is energized by inserting a power plug into a socket (step S201). Next, the air conditioner 100 transmits an operation state indicating that the power is turned on to the server 300. The operation state indicating the energization on may be transmitted from the air conditioner 100 when the air conditioner 100 is changed from the energization off state to the energization on state, or may be periodically transmitted from the air conditioner 100.

The device log obtaining unit 301 obtains the operation state transmitted from the air conditioner 100 as a device log (step S202), and determines whether an event has occurred in which the air conditioner 100 is changed from the power-on off state to the power-on state based on the obtained device log (step S203). When determining that an event has occurred to change from the power-on state to the power-off state (yes in step S203), the device log acquisition unit 301 calls the action timer management unit 305, and the action timer management unit 305 acquires the occurrence time of the last timer invalidation trigger (step S204). In this case, the operation timer management unit 305 inputs a request to acquire a device log indicating the last power-on shutdown to the device state management unit 302, with the device ID of the corresponding air conditioner 100 as a key. The device status management unit 302 acquires a device log indicating the last power on/off of the corresponding air conditioner 100 from the device log database 303 using the device ID as a key, and inputs the acquired device log to the action timer management unit 305 together with the device ID. The action timer management unit 305 acquires the occurrence time of the timer invalidation trigger from the input device log time stamp.

In step S203, the operation timer management unit 305 calculates an elapsed time from the occurrence time of the timer invalid trigger to the occurrence time of the timer valid trigger, and determines whether or not the elapsed time is equal to or longer than the notification determination period.

If the elapsed time is equal to or longer than the notification determination period (yes in step S205), the process proceeds to step S206, and if the elapsed time is shorter than the notification determination period (no in step S205), the process ends.

Since the contents of step S206 to step S208 are the same as those of step S107 to step S109, respectively, the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the air conditioner 100 that is not energized for a long period of time is restarted, the user can check the correctness of the setting of the operation timer, and the air conditioner can be suppressed from operating with unsuitable setting contents.

Among the air conditioners 100, there is an air conditioner 100 in which the setting content of the operation timer and the on/off information of the operation timer are stored in a volatile memory. In this case, if the outlet plug air conditioner 100 is pulled out from the outlet and becomes the power-on off state, the setting content of the operation timer and the on-off information of the operation timer are erased from the volatile memory. Therefore, with the air conditioner 100 that stores the setting information of the operation timer in the volatile memory, even if the elapsed time after the last operation timer was set to be off is smaller than the notification judgment period, the server 300 can transmit the notification information indicating that the setting information of the operation timer was eliminated when the power-on off state was changed to the communication terminal 400. When it is determined that the elapsed time since the last time the operation timer was set to be off is equal to or longer than the notification determination period when the air conditioner 100 is in the energized state, the server 300 may transmit to the communication terminal 400 notification information including information indicating that the setting information of the operation timer has been eliminated and information asking the user whether or not the setting information of the operation timer has to be restored.

The basic configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention and representative modifications and the like will be described below. These may be combined with each other or with a part of the above embodiments or the like. For example, the second embodiment may also be incorporated into the first embodiment.

(1) The notification information may be information determined based on past operation information.

The past operation information may be operation contents of the air conditioner 100 in a certain period of time from the time when the timer is effectively triggered. In this case, the notification information includes an operation mode, an operation parameter, and the like, which are input to the air conditioner 100 by the user during the certain period.

Alternatively, the past operation information may be, for example, the content of the operation performed on the air conditioner 100 at the same time in the past with respect to the occurrence time of the timer effective trigger. The same period in the past is, for example, the same period before the last year. In this case, the notification information includes an operation mode, an operation parameter, and the like, which are input to the air conditioner 100 by the user at the same time in the past.

The action timer management unit 305 can acquire the device log of the corresponding period from the device log database 303 by inputting the request to acquire the past operation information to the device state management unit 302, and can determine the notification information based on the acquired device log.

In addition, the set operation timer setting information may be notified as notification information at the time of occurrence of the timer invalidation trigger. For example, the notification information includes an operation mode, an operation parameter, an operation schedule, and the like, which are set at the time of occurrence of the timer invalidation trigger.

(2) The notification information may also be determined based on weather information.

Specifically, the notification information may be determined based on weather information during a certain period of time immediately after the occurrence of the timer invalidation trigger. In this case, the operation timer management unit 305 acquires, from the external server, past weather information for a certain period of time immediately after the occurrence of the timer invalidation trigger, acquires the past outdoor air temperature from the acquired past weather information, and includes the outdoor air temperature in the notification information. The operation timer management unit 305 also acquires current weather information, acquires current outdoor air temperature from the acquired current weather information, and calculates a difference between the past outdoor air temperature and the current outdoor air temperature. The operation timer management unit 305 may include the difference between the calculated outdoor temperatures and a message for confirming the setting content of the operation timer in the notification information.

(3) The notification information may be determined based on region information indicating the region in which the air conditioner 100 is installed.

In this case, the operation timer management unit 305 refers to the user database 308 to acquire region information indicating the region in which the corresponding air conditioner 100 is installed. The operation timer management unit 305 may acquire a current device log of the other air conditioner 100 installed in the area indicated by the region information acquired from the device log database 303, determine a current representative setting content in the corresponding region based on the acquired current device log, and include the setting content in the notification information. The operation timer management unit 305 may acquire the outdoor air temperature of the region indicated by the region information, and may include the acquired outdoor air temperature in the notification information.

The notification information shown in (1) to (3) above corresponds to an example in which the setting content of the notification operation timer is not appropriate. (1) The notification information shown in (3) may include a message indicating that the setting content of the operation timer is not appropriate. Thus, the user can notice that the setting content of the action timer is incorrect, and give the user a sense of identity to the notification.

(4) The server 300 transmits notification information that the setting content of the operation timer is not suitable to the communication terminal 400, but the server 300 may transmit the following notification to the communication terminal 400. That is, the server 300 may transmit an unsuitable notification indicating that the setting content of the operation timer is unsuitable, a change completion notification indicating that the setting content of the operation timer is changed to the suitable setting content, a reject notification indicating that the setting content of the operation timer to be set is not executed, and a correction reason notification indicating that the notification determination period is corrected.

(5) When the notification determination period is corrected, the server 300 may include, in addition to information for which the setting content of the operation timer is not appropriate, information indicating the reason for correcting the notification determination period, for example, information indicating that the notification determination period is "cold in summer". This can bring a sense of identity to the user.

(6) The operation timer management unit 305 may count the elapsed time from the time when the timer-invalid trigger occurs, calculate the counted elapsed time as time information when the timer-valid trigger occurs, and compare the time information with the notification judgment period.

(7) The components of the server 300 shown in fig. 3 may be mounted on the air conditioner 100. In this case, the air conditioner 100 assumes the function of the server 300.

(8) The content of the notification information may be controlled based on information that can be presumed to be the same as the climate when the operation timer is released and the climate when the operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed. For example, when the climate when the operation timer is estimated to be released and the climate when the operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed are the same, information for notifying that the setting of the operation timer is changed to the setting when the operation timer is released is notified as notification information. When the climate when the operation timer is released and the climate when the operation related to the setting of the operation timer are estimated to be different, information for notifying that the setting of the operation timer is not appropriate is notified as notification information.

Specifically, the predictable information includes a specific time period, and the content of the notification information is controlled in accordance with whether or not the elapsed time coincides with the specific time period. The coincidence includes deviations from perfect coincidence within a prescribed range in addition to perfect coincidence. For example, the specific time period is a 12-month period, and the operation timer management unit 305 determines whether or not the elapsed time is equal to the specific time period by determining whether or not the elapsed time is between (12 n-1) months and (12n+1) months. If it is determined that the elapsed time matches the specific time period, the operation timer management unit 305 generates, for example, "is the operation timer set with the content of the last setting? "such message. If it is determined that the elapsed time does not match the specific time period, the operation timer management unit 305 generates, as information notifying that the setting of the operation timer is not appropriate, a message such as "change is recommended because the content of the previous setting is not appropriate for the current situation".

As described above, by controlling the notification content in accordance with the degree of climate consistency, it is possible to prompt the notification of the resetting only when the user wishes to reset the operation timer, in addition to the elapsed time being equal to or longer than the predetermined time. That is, the notification information can be rationalized.

In this case, the climate changes periodically in a comparatively large number of cases. For this reason, the content of the notification information can be more rationalized by controlling the content of the notification information with a specific time period as described above.

The presumable information may include an attribute of the first period when the operation timer is released and an attribute of the second period when an operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed, and the content of the notification information may be controlled according to whether or not the attribute of the first period is identical to the attribute of the second period. For example, the attribute of the period is a season, and the action timer management unit 305 determines whether or not the attribute of the first period is the same as the attribute of the second period by determining whether or not the season of the first period and the season of the second period are the same. The operation timer management unit 305 refers to the seasonal table shown in fig. 5, acquires the device log at the time of the last operation timer release from the device status management unit 302, and determines the season of the current date and the season of the date at the time of the last operation timer release. When the season in the first period is summer and the season in the second period is summer, the operation timer management unit 305 determines that the attribute in the first period matches the attribute in the second period, and generates, for example, "what is the operation timer set for the last summer? "such message. When the season in the first period is summer and the season in the second period is winter, the operation timer management unit 305 determines that the attribute in the first period does not match the attribute in the second period, and generates, as information for notifying that the operation timer is not suitable for setting, a message "change is recommended because the content of the previous summer setting is not suitable for the current winter", for example.

Here, the climate varies in a specific period. For this reason, by controlling the content of the notification information by using the attribute of the period as described above, the content of the notification information can be more rationalized.

The presumable information includes setting information of the operation timer and operation information of the air conditioner, and the content of the notification information may be controlled in accordance with whether or not a difference between an operation instruction indicated by the setting information of the operation timer and an operation instruction indicated by the operation information is within a predetermined range. For example, the operation instruction is an operation mode, and the operation timer management unit 305 determines whether or not the difference between the operation instructions is within a predetermined range by determining whether or not the operation mode indicated by the setting information of the operation timer is the same as the operation mode indicated by the past operation information. For example, when the operation mode indicated by the setting information is cooling and the operation mode indicated by the past operation information is heating, the operation timer management unit 305 determines that the operation modes are different, and generates a message "because the content of the operation timer set last is cooling and the operation of the operation timer last time is heating" as information for notifying the setting of the operation timer to the setting when the operation timer is released. The operation timer management unit 305 acquires the setting information of the operation timer and the past operation information from the device state management unit 302. The past operation information is the operation of the air conditioner 100 for a certain period of time from the time when the timer is effectively triggered.

Here, there are many cases where the user operates the controller to change the setting of the air conditioner when the climate is changed. For this reason, by controlling the content of the notification information using the setting information and the operation information of the operation timer as described above, the content of the notification information can be more reliably rationalized.

The past operation information may be operation of the air conditioner 100 at the same time as the past time at the time of occurrence of the timer valid trigger. The same period in the past is, for example, the same period before the last year.

Moreover, the operation instruction may be an operation parameter. In this case, the operation timer management unit 305 determines whether or not the difference between the operation instructions is within a predetermined range by determining whether or not the difference between the operation parameters indicated by the setting information of the operation timer and the operation parameters indicated by the past operation information is within the predetermined range. For example, it is determined whether or not the difference between the set temperature shown by the set information and the set temperature shown by the past operation information is in a range between-3 degrees and +3 degrees.

The presumable information includes setting information of the operation timer and weather information, and the content of the notification information may be controlled according to whether the setting information of the operation timer corresponds to the weather information. For example, it is determined whether or not the operation mode (for example, cooling) indicated by the setting information is different from the recommended operation mode (for example, heating) based on the outdoor air temperature (for example, 10 ℃) indicated by the current weather information. For this reason, the content of the notification information can be more reliably rationalized according to the difference between the actual climate and the setting of the action timer.

Industrial applicability

The present invention is useful in home and business air conditioners because it is possible to realize safe use of the air conditioner by outputting notification information concerning the setting of an action timer when it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed since the action timer has been released.

Claims

1. An information processing method, characterized by causing a computer to execute the steps of:

acquiring time information indicating a time when an operation timer of an air conditioner is released or an elapsed time from the time when the operation timer is released;

when an operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed, determining whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was released, using the time information;

when it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was released, notifying the user of the air conditioner of notification information relating to the operation timer to allow the user to confirm the rationality of the setting of the operation timer,

and controls the content of the notification information based on information that can be presumed whether or not a specific time period when the operation timer is released and a specific time period when an operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed are completely coincident or deviate from being completely coincident within a predetermined range,

The predictable information includes an attribute of a first period when the action timer is released and an attribute of a second period when an operation related to the setting of the action timer is performed;

in the control of the content of the notification information, the content of the notification information is controlled according to whether or not the attribute of the first period is the same as the attribute of the second period.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein,

season information indicating a period corresponding to a season is acquired, and the predetermined time is determined using the season information and the time information.

3. The information processing method according to claim 2, wherein,

and acquiring region information indicating a region in which the air conditioner is installed, and determining the predetermined time based on the season information and the region information.

4. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein,

the predetermined time is determined using the reference data and the sensor data including the change in the air temperature.

5. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein,

and acquiring weather information, and determining the specified time by using the weather information and the reference data.

6. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein,

acquiring state information of the air conditioner;

judging whether an event occurs based on the state information, wherein the event is that the state of the air conditioner is changed to an energized state after the predetermined time has elapsed from the state of the air conditioner being changed to a non-energized state;

and outputting the notification information when the event is judged to occur.

7. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein,

the notification information is information for notifying that the setting of the action timer is not appropriate.

8. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein,

weather information is also acquired;

and deciding the notification information based on the weather information.

9. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein,

acquiring past operation information of the air conditioner;

the notification information is decided based on the past operation information.

10. The information processing method according to claim 7, wherein,

region information indicating the region in which the air conditioner is set is also acquired;

and deciding the notification information based on the region information.

11. An information processing method, characterized by causing a computer to execute the steps of:

the suppositable information comprises setting information of the action timer and operation information of the air conditioner;

in the control of the content of the notification information, the content of the notification information is controlled according to whether or not a difference between an operation instruction indicated by the setting information of the operation timer and an operation instruction indicated by the operation information is within a predetermined range.

12. An information processing method, characterized by causing a computer to execute the steps of:

the supposedly information comprises setting information and weather information of the action timer;

in the control of the content of the notification information, the content of the notification information is controlled according to whether the setting information of the action timer corresponds to the weather information.

13. An information processing method, characterized by causing a computer to execute the steps of:

upon notification of the notification information,

when it is estimated that a specific time period when the operation timer is released and a specific time period when an operation related to the operation timer setting is performed are completely coincident or a deviation is completely coincident within a predetermined range, notifying information for notifying that the operation timer setting is changed to the operation timer setting when the operation timer is released as the notification information;

When it is estimated that the specific time period when the operation timer is released does not coincide with the specific time period when the operation related to the setting of the operation timer is performed, and the deviation does not coincide with the specific time period within a predetermined range, information notifying that the setting of the operation timer is not appropriate is notified as the notification information.

14. An air conditioner, characterized by comprising:

an acquisition unit that acquires time information indicating a time when an operation timer of an air conditioner is released or an elapsed time from the time when the operation timer is released;

a determination unit that determines, when an operation related to setting of the operation timer is performed, whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was released, using the time information; the method comprises the steps of,

a notification unit configured to notify notification information about the operation timer to a user of the air conditioner to confirm the rationality of setting of the operation timer when it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed since the operation timer was released,

the presumable information includes an attribute of a first period when the action timer is released and an attribute of a second period when an operation related to the setting of the action timer is performed;

The judgment unit controls the content of the notification information based on information that can be presumed whether or not a specific time period when the operation timer is released and a specific time period when an operation related to the setting of the operation timer are completely coincident or deviate from being completely coincident within a predetermined range,

15. A recording medium readable by a computer, the recording medium storing a program, the program causing the computer to function as:

16. An information processing system, characterized by comprising: