CN112506144A

CN112506144A - Electrical device and device control system

Info

Publication number: CN112506144A
Application number: CN202010902171.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 田头修平
Original assignee: Sharp Corp
Current assignee: Sharp Corp
Priority date: 2019-09-13
Filing date: 2020-09-01
Publication date: 2021-03-16
Also published as: JP7457475B2; JP2021042930A

Abstract

The electrical device is provided with: an operation unit that can execute a plurality of operation modes; a control unit that causes the operating unit to execute one of the plurality of operating modes, wherein the operating mode is determined based on first information acquired from the electrical device and second information acquired from another electrical device different from the electrical device.

Description

Electrical device and device control system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electrical device and a device control system.

Background

An electric device that can perform an action according to a situation is known. As an example, an electric device that can perform speech according to a situation is known.

For example, japanese patent application laid-open No. 2018-133045 discloses that when any one of a plurality of doors provided in a refrigerator is opened, an advertisement corresponding to the opened door and date and time is retrieved in a server, and the retrieved advertisement is output from the refrigerator.

Disclosure of Invention

In the technique disclosed in japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2018-133045, information corresponding to an opened door among a plurality of doors provided in a refrigerator and time is output from the refrigerator. However, the information corresponding to the kind of the opened door and the time may be information that is not suitable for the actual user situation (e.g., the user's action pattern, the rhythm of life, etc.).

An embodiment of the present invention provides an electrical device that can execute an operation suitable for an actual user situation, and a device control system.

An electrical device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an operation unit that can execute a plurality of operation modes; a control unit that causes the operating unit to execute one of the plurality of operating modes, wherein the one operating mode is determined based on first information acquired from the electrical device and second information acquired from another electrical device different from the electrical device.

An equipment control system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes at least a first electrical equipment and a second electrical equipment different from the first electrical equipment, and includes: an operation determination unit that determines an arbitrary one of a plurality of operation modes executable by the first electrical device, based on first information acquired from the first electrical device and second information acquired from the second electrical device; and an execution control unit that causes the first electrical device to execute the one determined operation mode.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an appliance control system of the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an electrical configuration of various devices included in the device control system.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the device information database.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration of the speech pattern table.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of processing executed by the refrigerator in the first embodiment.

Fig. 6A is a diagram showing an example of a talk mode of the refrigerator.

Fig. 6B is a diagram showing an example of the talk mode of the refrigerator.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control unit of a server according to a second embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of processing executed by the server according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the control mode determination table.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the control pattern table.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of processing executed by the server according to the third embodiment.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

(first embodiment)

A first embodiment of the present invention will be explained. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an appliance control system 100 according to a first embodiment. As shown in fig. 1, the device control system 100 includes, for example, a refrigerator 101, a server 102, a plurality of electric devices 103, and a portable terminal 104. The refrigerator 101 has a plurality of doors 110, for example, and stores food and the like in a storage room inside. The server 102 is a computer that is primarily used to collect and manage data from various devices. Each of the plurality of electric devices 103 has at least a prescribed main function and a communication function. The portable terminal 104 is a wireless communication device that can be carried and operated by a user, for example, a portable phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer may be exemplified.

In the appliance control system 100 of the present embodiment, a refrigerator 101 and a plurality of electric appliances 103 are installed in a home 10 of a user. The refrigerator 101 and the plurality of electric devices 103 are connected to the access point 108 by wired communication or wireless communication. These devices are connectable to a network 109, such as the internet, via an access point 108. The plurality of electric devices 103 are home electric devices such as air conditioners, lighting devices, televisions, door lock devices, air purifiers, and electric cookers, by way of example. Server 102 is also connected to network 109. The portable terminal 104 is connectable to the network 109 via the access point 108 or the base station.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an electrical configuration of various devices included in the device control system 100. The refrigerator 101 includes, for example, a control unit 211, a storage unit 212, a communication unit 213, a notification unit 214, and a detection unit 215. The control unit 211 is constituted by, for example, a CPU, and controls the refrigerator by executing various information processes in accordance with a program stored in the storage unit 212. The control unit may be an MCU, an MPU, or the like. The storage unit 212 is a non-transitory storage medium capable of storing programs and data, and is, for example, a flash memory or a RAM. The communication section 213 is an interface for communicating with the server 102 by wireless or wire via the network 109.

The operation unit 214 is a plurality of operation modes that can perform various functions (e.g., a cooling function, a speech function, a display function, etc.) related to the refrigerator 101, and includes, for example, a compressor, a fan, a speaker, a display, etc. The detecting unit 215 can detect the use state and the control state of the refrigerator 101, and includes, for example: a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature in the storage room (so-called refrigerator), a switch sensor for detecting opening and closing of the door 110, an air temperature sensor for detecting the ambient air temperature of the refrigerator 101, an article sensor for detecting articles in the storage room, a human body sensor for detecting people around the refrigerator 101, a timer for measuring time, and the like.

In the present embodiment, the control unit executes a program to realize the following functional blocks: the operation unit 214 is caused to execute one operation mode determined from a plurality of operation modes, the one operation mode being determined based on the first information acquired from the refrigerator 101 and the second information acquired from the other electric devices 103 (the plurality of electric devices 103 and the portable terminal 104) different from the refrigerator 101. The operation unit 214 can output a plurality of speech patterns set in advance. The control unit 211 causes the action unit 214 to output one speech pattern determined based on the first information and the second information.

For example, the first information contains information indicating the use state of the refrigerator 101. The second information includes information indicating the use state of other electronic devices (the plurality of electric devices 103 and the mobile terminal 104). One motion pattern is a motion pattern corresponding to a rhythm of life of a user using the refrigerator 101 decided based on the first information and the second information.

The server 102 includes, for example, a control unit 221, a storage unit 222, and a communication unit 223. The control unit 221 includes, for example, a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, and controls the server 102. The storage unit 222 is a non-transitory storage medium that can store programs and data, and is, for example, a large-capacity nonvolatile memory including an HDD. The control unit 221 executes various processes based on the programs and data stored in the storage unit 222. The communication section 223 is an interface for communicating with various devices (e.g., the refrigerator 101, the electric device 103, and the portable terminal 104) via the network 109.

Each of the plurality of electric devices 103 includes, for example: a control unit 231, a main function unit 232, and a communication unit 233. The control unit 231 is a microcomputer including, for example, a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls the electric device 103. In the control unit 231, the C PU310 executes various information processes based on programs and data stored in the memory. The control unit 231 may be constituted by, for example, a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, or the like.

The main function section 232 performs various functions of the electric device 103. For example, when the electrical equipment 103 is an air conditioner, the main function unit 232 controls a known indoor unit and an outdoor unit to perform an air conditioning function. In the case where the electrical device 103 is an illumination device, the main function portion 232 controls, for example, a light source such as an LED to perform an illumination function. When the electric device 103 is a door lock device, the main function unit 232 controls a lock mechanism to lock and unlock a door. The communication section 233 is the same as the communication section 213.

The mobile terminal 104 includes, for example, a control unit 241, a storage unit 242, a communication unit 243, an input unit 244, and an output unit 245. The control unit 241 controls the mobile terminal 104. The control unit 241, the storage unit 242, and the communication unit 243 are the same as the control unit 211, the storage unit 212, and the communication unit 213 described above, and therefore, description thereof is omitted. The input unit 244 includes, for example, a physical key, a microphone, a touch panel, and the like. The output unit 245 includes, for example, a display, a lamp, a speaker, and the like.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the device information database 300. In the present embodiment, the user registers each of the refrigerator 101, the server 102, the plurality of electric devices 103, and the mobile terminal 104 in the server 102 as a monitoring target device. Each monitoring target device automatically transmits device information indicating the operation content or the control content to the server 102 under the trigger of a predetermined device operation or device control. The device information received from each monitoring target device in the server 102 is stored in the device information database 300 (see fig. 3) provided in the storage unit 222, for example, in chronological order.

As shown in the example of fig. 3, each piece of device information registered in the device information database 300 includes a device ID, a device type, an operation date and time, status data. The device ID is unique identification information of the monitoring target device. The device type is a device type of the monitoring target device. The action date and time indicates the acquisition date and time of the status data of the monitoring target apparatus. The status data represents the operation content or the control content of the monitoring object device.

In this embodiment, a case where the user registers that the device ID is "S241" and the device type is "smartphone", the device ID is "C011" and the device type is "air conditioner", the device ID is "L022" and the device type is "living room lighting", the device ID is "R821" and the device type is "refrigerator", and the device ID is "D009" and the device type is "entrance lock" is taken as an example. In fig. 1, the above-described "refrigerator" corresponds to the refrigerator 101. The above-described "air conditioner", "living room lighting", and "hallway lock" correspond to the plurality of electrical devices 103. The above-described "smartphone" corresponds to the portable terminal 104.

For example, the device information 301 to 303 is a history of device operations performed when the user gets up. The application program corresponding to the mobile terminal 104 executes an alarm operation at a set time, and the device information 301 indicates the device type "smartphone" and the status data "alarm operation on". The device information 302 indicates the device type "air conditioner" and the status data "power on (cooling mode, 26 ℃)" in response to the cooling mode in which the user starts the air conditioner as the electrical device 103 at the set temperature of 26 ℃. The device information 303 indicates the device type "living room lighting" and the status data "power on" in response to the user turning on the power supply as the living room lighting of the electrical device 103.

The

device information

304, 305 is a history of device operations performed after a predetermined time or more (for example, 1 hour or more) has elapsed since the user got up. The

device information

304, 305 indicates the device type "refrigerator" and the status data "refrigerator compartment door open" and "refrigerator compartment door closed", corresponding to the user opening and closing the door 110 of the refrigerator compartment in the refrigerator 101. The opening and closing of the door 110 of the refrigerating compartment may be detected by an opening and closing sensor of the detecting portion 215.

The device information 306 to 309 is a history of device operations performed before the user goes out. The device information 306 indicates that the user turns off the air conditioner power. Device information 307 indicates that the user turns off the living room lighting power supply. The device information 308 indicates a device type "entrance lock" and status data "unlocked" in response to the user unlocking the entrance lock, which is the electrical device 103, in order to open the entrance door. The device information 309 indicates the device type "entrance lock" and the status data "locked" in response to the user closing the entrance door to lock the entrance lock.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the speech pattern table 400. The refrigerator 101 of the present embodiment has a speech function in which the operation unit 214 outputs a plurality of speech patterns by voice. A plurality of speech patterns are defined in the speech pattern table 400 provided in the storage unit 212.

As shown in the speech pattern table 400 shown in fig. 4, a speech ID, a speech condition, and a speech possible state are defined for each of a plurality of speech patterns. The speech ID is unique identification information of the speech pattern. The speech condition indicates a condition of a speech output speech mode. The state of talkability indicates a state of a user who can output a talk mode by voice. For example, when the speech condition that the door 110 is opened during the period of "5: 00 to 10: 00" is satisfied and the user state is the "state of being able to speak at the time of getting up", the speech pattern of "good morning" of the speech ID "01" is output. In this example, each talk pattern may be output once per day as an upper limit.

An example of the processing flow executed in the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of processing executed by the refrigerator 101 in the first embodiment. For example, when the power of the refrigerator 101 is turned on, the control section 211 starts the processing flow shown in fig. 5.

As shown in fig. 5, the control unit 211 determines whether or not the speech condition is satisfied (S101). For example, the control unit 211 determines whether any one of a plurality of speech conditions defined in the speech pattern table 400 is satisfied based on the detection result of the detection unit 215. When any of the speech conditions is satisfied (yes in S101), the control unit 211 refers to the speech pattern table 400 to specify the speech pattern satisfying the speech condition (S102).

Next, the control unit 211 transmits a status request to the server 102 (S103). The status request is a command to query the user for the predicted status. In the present embodiment, when the server 102 receives the status request, the action pattern of the user is determined based on the pieces of equipment information registered in the equipment information database 300. The server 102 predicts the current user state based on the determined action pattern. Server 102 returns the predicted user status and the predicted status to refrigerator 101, which is the transmission source of the status request. The control unit 211 acquires the predicted state returned from the server 102 (S104).

After execution of S104, or when the speech condition is not satisfied (S101: no), the control unit 211 refers to the speech pattern table 400 to determine whether or not the acquired prediction state is the speech possible state of the speech pattern specified in S102 (S105). When the predicted state is the speech possible state (yes in S105), the control unit 211 causes the operation unit 214 to execute speech control in the specified speech mode (S106). Thereby, the speech mode determined in S102 is voice-output from the refrigerator 101. After execution of S106, or in the case where the predicted state is not a callable state (S105: no), the process returns to S101.

The operation mode of the refrigerator 101 executed based on the above-described process flow in the appliance control system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described in detail. Fig. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing an example of the talk mode of the refrigerator 101.

As a first example, it is assumed that the user gets up at 6 am, performs the device operations corresponding to the device information 301 to 303 of the device database 300 (refer to fig. 3) in a short period, and also opens and closes the door 110 of the refrigerator 101. In this case, the speech condition that the speech ID is "H01" in the speech pattern table 400 (see fig. 4) is satisfied (yes in S101), the speech pattern "good morning" is specified (S102), and the status request is transmitted to the server 102 (S103).

The server 102 analyzes the action pattern of the user with reference to the device information database 300, and predicts the current user state based on the action pattern. In the above example, the device information 301 to 303 is the standard action pattern performed at the time of getting up, and therefore the user state is determined as "at the time of getting up", and the predicted state is returned to the refrigerator 101 (S104). Since the predicted state "when getting up" is the utterable condition of the utterance ID "H01" (S105: yes), the speech output utterance mode "good morning" (S106).

As a second example, it is assumed that after the user performs the device operations corresponding to the device information 301 to 303, the door 110 of the refrigerator 101 is opened for the first time at 23 am, and the switch operations correspond to the device information 304, 305 (refer to fig. 3). In this case, the speech pattern "good morning" is determined (S101: YES, S102, S103). In the server 102, since the door switches of the

device information

304, 305 are device operations after a lapse of several hours or more from the user' S waking up, "awake time" is determined as the user state (S104). Since the predicted state "awake" is not the utterable condition of the utterance ID "H01" (S105: no), the speech output utterance mode "good morning" is not performed.

As a third example, it is assumed that the user has performed device operations corresponding to the device information 310 to 314 (refer to fig. 3). The device information 310 to 312 is a history of device operations performed when the user goes home. Specifically, the

device information

310 and 311 indicates that the user unlocks and locks the entrance lock in order to open and close the entrance door. The device information 312 indicates that the user has turned on the living room lighting power. The

device information

313, 314 indicates the opening and closing of the door of the refrigerator 101 shown in fig. 6A performed at 22 pm 38 immediately after the above-described device operation.

In this case, the speech conditions that the speech IDs are "H04" and "H05" in the speech pattern 400 are satisfied (yes in S101), the speech pattern "welcome home" and "late" are determined (S102), and a status request is transmitted to the server 102 (S103). In the server 102, the device information 310 to 312 are standard action patterns performed when going home, and therefore the user state is determined as "when going home", and the predicted state is returned to the refrigerator 101 (S104). Since the predicted state "when going home" is the utterable condition of the utterance ID "H04" (S105: yes), the speech output utterance mode "welcome home" (S106) is shown in fig. 6A.

As a fourth example, it is assumed that after the user performs the device operation corresponding to the device information 315, 316 (refer to fig. 3), the door 110 of the refrigerator 101 is opened and closed as shown in fig. 6B. The

device information

315, 316 is a history of device operations performed by the user before going to sleep. Specifically, the device information 315 indicates that the user changes the operation mode of the air conditioner to the sleep mode. Device information 316 indicates that the user has powered off the living room lighting. In this case, the speech pattern "welcome home" and "late" is specified (S101: YES, S102, S103).

In the server 102, the

device information

315, 316 is a standard action pattern performed before sleep, so the user status is determined to be "before sleep", and the predicted status is returned to the refrigerator 101 (S104). Since the predicted state "before sleep" is the utterable condition of the utterance ID "H05" (S105: yes), the speech output utterance mode "good night" (S106) is shown in fig. 6B.

(second embodiment)

A second embodiment of the present invention will be explained. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted, and differences from the first embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the server 102 determines the speech mode, and the refrigerator 101 determines the speech mode.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control unit 221 of the server 102 in the second embodiment. In the present embodiment, each functional block shown in fig. 7 is realized by executing a program in the control unit 221. The control unit 221 of the present embodiment includes, for example, an operation determination unit 701 and an execution control unit 702. The speech pattern table 400 (see fig. 4) is not stored in the refrigerator 101, but is stored in the storage unit 222 of the server 102.

The operation determination unit 701 determines any one of a plurality of operation modes (for example, a plurality of speech modes) that can be executed by the first electrical device (for example, the refrigerator 101) based on the first information acquired from the first electrical device and the second information acquired from the second electrical device (for example, the plurality of electrical devices 103 and the portable terminal 104). The execution control unit 702 causes the first electrical device to execute the determined one operation mode.

An example of the processing flow executed in the second embodiment will be described. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the server 102 in the second embodiment. For example, when the power of the server 102 is turned on, the control unit 221 starts the processing flow shown in fig. 8.

As shown in fig. 8, the control unit 221 acquires device information from each monitoring target device (e.g., the refrigerator 101, the plurality of electric devices 103, and the mobile terminal 104) (S201). The acquired device information is registered in the device information database 300 (refer to fig. 3). Similarly to S101, the operation determination unit 701 determines whether or not the speech condition is satisfied (S202). For example, the operation determination unit 701 determines whether any one of a plurality of speech conditions defined in the speech pattern table 400 is satisfied, based on the device information of the refrigerator 101. When any one of the speech conditions is satisfied (yes in S202), the operation determination unit 701 refers to the speech pattern table 400 to determine the speech pattern (S203), in the same manner as in S102.

Next, the operation determination unit 701 determines the predicted state of the user (S204). For example, the operation determination unit 701 analyzes the action pattern of the user with reference to the device information database 300, and predicts the current user state based on the action pattern. Similarly to S105, the operation determination unit 701 determines whether the determined prediction state is a state in which a call can be made (S205). If the determined prediction state is the state in which a call can be made (yes in S205), the execution control unit 702 transmits an instruction to execute the call mode determined in S203 to the refrigerator 101 (S206). In the refrigerator 101, the control unit 211 causes the operation unit 214 to execute speech control in the speech mode in response to an instruction to execute the speech mode. After execution of S206, or in the case where the determined prediction state is not a callable state (S205: no), the process returns to S201.

(third embodiment)

A third embodiment of the present invention will be explained. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions as those of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted, and differences from the second embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that the cooling control and the speech control are determined as the operation mode of the refrigerator 101.

As in the second embodiment, the control unit 221 of the present embodiment includes an operation determination unit 701 and an execution control unit 702 (see fig. 7). In the refrigerator 101 for cooling the inside of the refrigerator, the operation unit 214 can execute a plurality of cooling controls set in advance. The execution control unit 702 causes the operation unit 214 to execute a cooling control determined based on the first information and the second information.

The storage unit 222 of the server 102 stores an equipment information database 300 (see fig. 3), a control pattern determination table 500 (see fig. 9), and a control pattern table 510 (see fig. 10). Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the control mode determination table 500. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the control pattern table 510.

As shown in fig. 9, in the control mode decision table 500, each of a plurality of control modes 504 is associated with a plurality of state evaluation information. The plurality of state evaluation information are information in which various states of the corresponding devices are evaluated, respectively, and include, for example, refrigerator information 501, other device information 502, and other information 503.

The refrigerator information 501 includes user operation, action state, and external environment. The user operation is information on the operation of the refrigerator 101 by the user (for example, the opening and closing operation of the door 110, the set temperature control of the refrigerator 101, and the like). The operation state is information on the operation state of the refrigerator 101 (e.g., refrigerator interior temperature, damper switch, ice making/water storing function, operation period, etc.). The external environment is information on the external environment (e.g., ambient temperature) of the refrigerator 101.

The other device information 502 also includes user operation, action state, and external environment with respect to the corresponding electric device 103 or refrigerator terminal 104. The other information other than the refrigerator information 501 and the other device information 502 is information related to determination of the control mode 504, and is, for example, a GPS position, a season, an event, and the like of the mobile terminal 104. The control pattern 504 indicates an execution pattern of motion control of the refrigerator 101, and corresponds to at least one combination of the refrigerator information 501, the other device information 502, and the other information 503.

As shown in fig. 10, in the control pattern table 510, an operation pattern 505 corresponding to the control content is defined for each of the plurality of control patterns 504 defined in the control pattern determination table 500. The correspondence relationship between the control mode determination table 500 and the control mode table 510 will be described below.

(1) In the control pattern determination table 500, when the user operation of the refrigerator information 501 is "door open/close times is large", the operation state of the refrigerator information 501 is "refrigerator inside temperature is high", and the user operation of the other equipment information 502 is "operation before cooking is present", the control pattern 504 of "P01" is determined. The pre-cooking operation is an operation of a device that can predict cooking by a user, and for example, unlocking a hallway lock when the user goes home, searching a menu of an electric cooker, turning on a power supply of a gas water heater, and the like.

In the control pattern table 510, as the operation pattern 505 of the control pattern 504 corresponding to "P01", the "pre-cooling operation" is decided so as to suppress the increase in the refrigerator internal temperature. Generally, the number of times the door of the refrigerator 101 is opened and closed increases during the cooking work, and the refrigerator interior temperature is easily increased. Therefore, when it is predicted that the user performs cooking, by performing the pre-cooling operation in the refrigerator 101, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise inside the refrigerator during the cooking operation.

(2) In the control mode determination table 500, when the user of the refrigerator information 501 operates "no door switch", the operation state of the refrigerator information 501 is "the refrigerator internal temperature is stable", the user of the different device information 502 operates "before sleep", and the external environment of the different device information 502 is "late night time", the control mode 504 of "P02" is determined. The pre-sleep operation is an operation of a device that predicts that the user is going to sleep, for example, turning off the power of a television or a lighting device, setting an alarm clock of the portable terminal 104, setting a timer setting for the automatic turning off of the power of an air conditioner (so-called sleep timer), or the like.

In the control pattern table 510, "silent operation" is determined as the operation pattern 505 of the control pattern 504 corresponding to "P02" so as to suppress the driving sound at the time of operation. Thus, in the case where it is predicted that the user will go to sleep, by performing the silent operation in the refrigerator 101, it is possible to suppress the user from being hindered from sleeping.

(3) In the control mode determination table 500, when the user operation of the refrigerator information 501 is "door open/close times is small", the user operation of the other device information 502 is "operation before going out", the operation state of the other device information 502 is "no response from the motion sensor provided in the electric device 103", and the other information 503 is "GPS position is far", the control mode 504 of "P03" is determined. The operation before going out is an operation of the device that can predict the user going out, such as locking the entrance door, turning off the power supply of the air conditioner, and the like. The "GPS position is distant" means that the GPS position of the mobile terminal 104 is distant from the home 10 by a predetermined distance or more.

In control pattern table 510, "defrosting operation" is determined as operation pattern 505 of control pattern 504 corresponding to "P03" to defrost the cooler of refrigerator 101. Thus, when it is predicted that the user is out, the refrigerator 101 is highly likely to be temporarily not used, and therefore, the defrosting operation of the refrigerator 101 can be performed by effectively utilizing the period. In addition, when a predetermined time has not elapsed since the last defrosting operation, the defrosting operation of the refrigerator 101 may not be performed.

(4) In the control mode determination table 500, when the user operation of the refrigerator information 501 is "the set temperature of the refrigerator is weak", the operation state of the refrigerator information 501 is "the damper switch is low", the external environment of the refrigerator information 501 is "the ambient temperature is low", the user operation of the other device information 502 is "the no commodity search operation", and the other information 503 is "the GPS position is far", the control mode 504 of "P04" is determined. The "product search operation" is an operation of a device for searching for a product (for example, food, drink, or the like) or a menu that is highly likely to be used by the user in the refrigerator 101, and is, for example, a menu for searching an electric cooking device or a product search using a shopping application of the portable terminal 104.

In the control pattern table 510, "defrosting operation" is determined as the operation pattern 505 of the control pattern 504 corresponding to "P04". In general, when the opening and closing of the damper in the refrigerator 101 is small, cold air stays in the refrigerating chamber (particularly, a low temperature portion). In this case, the cold air duct may freeze inside the fresh food (child) compartment and in the vegetable compartment. As a countermeasure against this, when it is predicted that the user will go out with the damper switch of the refrigerator 101 in a small number, the defrosting operation of the refrigerator 101 is executed by effectively utilizing the period, so that the occurrence of the freezing of the cold air duct can be suppressed.

(5) In control mode determination table 500, when the user of refrigerator information 501 operates "switch with almost no door", the operation state of refrigerator information 501 is "switch with little or no damper", the external environment of refrigerator information 501 is "ambient temperature is considerably low", and the user of other device information 502 operates "no product search operation", control mode 504 of "P05" is determined.

In control pattern table 510, "speech control for presenting a door switch" is determined as operation pattern 505 of control pattern 504 corresponding to "P05". In the case where the refrigerator information 501 and the other device information 502 represent the above information, it is predicted that the possibility that the user opens and closes the door of the refrigerator 101 at the present time and in the future is low. In this case, a speech mode for prompting the opening and closing of the door is voice-outputted from the refrigerator 101, so that when the user performs an operation of opening and closing the door 110, it is possible to suppress, for example, the energization of the temperature compensation heater in the vegetable room.

(6) In the control pattern determination table 500, when the operation state of the refrigerator information 501 is "no ice storage and ice making", the user operation of the other device information 502 is "there is a purchase history of an ice product (for example, dried noodles, whiskey, etc.), and the other information 503 is" summer ", the control pattern 504 of" P06 "is determined. In the control pattern table 510, "speech control for prompting water supply from the water storage tank and ice making" is determined as the operation pattern 505 of the control pattern 504 corresponding to "P06". Thus, when the user has a high possibility of using ice in the refrigerator 101, the user can ensure that ice exists in the refrigerator 101 by outputting a speech mode for prompting water supply from the water storage tank and ice making from the refrigerator 101 by voice.

(7) In the control mode determination table 500, when the operation state of the refrigerator information 501 is "long time has elapsed during operation", the user operation of the other device information 502 is "increase in the use frequency of the air cleaner", and the other information 503 is "large cleaning time", the control mode 504 of "P07" is determined. In the control pattern table 510, "speech control for prompting cleaning around the refrigerator" is determined as the operation pattern 505 of the control pattern 504 corresponding to "P07". In the case where the refrigerator 101 is used for a long time, ventilation of the rear and side surfaces thereof may be blocked by dust and the like. Therefore, a speech mode for prompting cleaning of the periphery of the refrigerator at a specific time is voice-outputted from the refrigerator 101, so that proper ventilation of the periphery of the refrigerator 101 can be ensured.

An example of the flow of processing performed in the third embodiment will be described. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of processing executed by the server 102 in the third embodiment. For example, when the power of the server 102 is turned on, the control unit 221 starts the processing flow shown in fig. 11.

As shown in fig. 11, the control unit 221 acquires device information from each monitoring target device (e.g., the refrigerator 101, the plurality of electric devices 103, and the mobile terminal 104) similarly to S201 (S301). The operation determination unit 701 acquires the state estimation information based on the pieces of device information registered in the device information database 300 (see fig. 3) (S302). In the present embodiment, the operation determination unit 701 statistically analyzes the device information of the refrigerator 101 to acquire the refrigerator information 501. The operation determination unit 701 statistically analyzes the device information of the electric device 103 and the mobile terminal 104, and acquires the other device information 502. The operation determination unit 701 acquires the other information 503 as the state evaluation information other than the deicing tank information 501 and the other equipment information 502.

The action determining unit 701 determines whether or not the control mode to be executed exists based on the acquired state estimation information (S303). Specifically, the operation determination unit 701 refers to the control pattern determination table 500, and if there is a control pattern 504 corresponding to the combination of the acquired portable information 501, other device information 502, and other information 503, determines the control pattern 504 as the control pattern to be executed (yes in S303).

In this case, execution control unit 702 transmits an instruction to execute the control mode determined in S303 to refrigerator 101 (S304). The instruction to execute the control pattern is a command for causing refrigerator 101 to execute operation pattern 505 corresponding to the control pattern to be executed, among the plurality of operation patterns 505 defined in control pattern table 510. In refrigerator 101, control unit 211 causes operation unit 214 to execute operation pattern 505 in response to an instruction to execute the control pattern. After execution of S304, or in the case where the control mode of the object is not executed (S303: no), the process returns to S301.

(remarks)

According to the above-described embodiment, the operation unit 214 can execute a plurality of operation modes (voice output in a plurality of speech modes and/or a plurality of cooling controls) set in advance. The control unit 211 or the execution control unit 702 causes the operation unit 214 to execute one operation mode (speech mode or control mode) determined based on the first information acquired from the refrigerator 101 and the second information acquired from the other electric devices 103 (the plurality of electric devices 103 and the portable terminal 104) different from the refrigerator 101. Thereby, the refrigerator 101 can perform an action suitable for an actual user situation.

Specifically, as shown in the example of the speech pattern table 400, one operation pattern (speech pattern) is an operation pattern that is determined based on the first information and the second information and corresponds to the rhythm of life of the user using the refrigerator 101 (for example, when getting up, when waking up, when returning home, before sleeping, and the like). As shown in the example of the control mode decision table 500, one operation mode (control mode) is an operation mode corresponding to whether or not the user is located at a predetermined installation location of the refrigerator (for example, home 10) determined based on the first information and the second information. As shown in the example of the speech mode table 400 and the control mode determination table 500, one operation mode (speech mode and control mode) is an operation mode corresponding to an action mode of the user (for example, device operation corresponding to device information) determined based on the first information and the second information. Accordingly, the refrigerator 101 can execute an action pattern suitable for at least one of a life rhythm, a positional relationship, and an action pattern of the user.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be replaced with a configuration having substantially the same configuration, a configuration achieving the same operational effects, or a configuration achieving the same object as those described in the above-described embodiments. For example, in the first and second embodiments, a part of the processing performed by the refrigerator 101 may be performed by an apparatus other than the refrigerator 101. In the third embodiment, a part of the processing performed by the server 102 may be performed by a device other than the server 102. The refrigerator 101 may also function as the server 102. For example, when the condition is a preset time or the like, the server 102 transmits an instruction relating to a message corresponding to the condition of a time zone or the like to the refrigerator 101 in advance. The refrigerator 101 temporarily stores the instruction on the message received from the server 102. The refrigerator 101 outputs a message based on the first information and the second information.

In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of speech modes and a plurality of control modes are exemplified as a plurality of operation modes executable by the refrigerator 101, but for example, a plurality of image modes displayed on the refrigerator 101 may be included. In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the refrigerator 101 is exemplified, but the present invention may be applied to an electronic apparatus different from the refrigerator 101. For example, the present invention can be applied to electric appliances such as an electric cooker, a television, a personal computer, a vacuum cleaner, and a washing machine.

Claims

1. An electrical device, comprising:

an operation unit that can execute a plurality of operation modes;

a control unit that causes the operating unit to execute one of the plurality of operating modes, wherein the one operating mode is determined based on first information acquired from the electrical device and second information acquired from another electrical device different from the electrical device.

2. The electrical apparatus of claim 1,

the action part can output a plurality of preset speaking modes by voice,

the control unit causes the operation unit to output one speech pattern determined based on the first information and the second information in the speech.

3. Electrical device according to claim 1 or 2,

the electric appliance is a refrigerator that cools the inside of the refrigerator,

the operation unit is capable of executing a plurality of preset cooling controls,

the control unit causes the operating unit to execute one cooling control determined based on the first information and the second information.

4. Electrical device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the first information includes information indicating a use state of the electric device,

the second information contains information indicating a use state of the other electrical device,

the one motion pattern is a motion pattern corresponding to a rhythm of life of the user decided based on the first information and the second information.

5. The electrical device of any one of claims 1 to 4,

the one operation mode is an operation mode determined based on the first information and the second information and corresponding to whether or not the user is located at a preset installation location of the electrical device.

6. The electrical device of any one of claims 1 to 5,

the one motion pattern is a motion pattern corresponding to an action pattern of the user decided based on the first information and the second information.

7. An equipment control system including at least a first electrical equipment and a second electrical equipment different from the first electrical equipment, the equipment control system comprising:

an operation determination unit that determines an arbitrary one of a plurality of operation modes executable by the first electrical device, based on first information acquired from the first electrical device and second information acquired from the second electrical device;

and an execution control unit that causes the first electrical device to execute the one determined operation mode.