CN113009836A

CN113009836A - Information processing system, home electric appliance, and program

Info

Publication number: CN113009836A
Application number: CN202011116616.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 中川达也; 丸谷裕树; 泷川正史; 金山将也
Original assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Current assignee: Toshiba Lifestyle Products and Services Corp
Priority date: 2019-12-20
Filing date: 2020-10-19
Publication date: 2021-06-22
Also published as: JP7379139B2; JP2021099577A

Abstract

The invention provides an information processing system, a home appliance, and a program, which can improve convenience. An information processing system according to an embodiment includes a server device, a home appliance, and a terminal device. The terminal device outputs a display or a sound based on 1 st information or 2 nd information, the 1 st information being information held or generated by the home appliance, the terminal device, the server device, or another device, and the 2 nd information being information obtained based on the 1 st information. The home appliance acquires the 3 rd information based on the display or the voice or a registration operation of the user corresponding to the display or the voice. And 1 of the home appliance, the terminal device, and the server device performs processing relating to association of the terminal device or a user of the terminal device with the home appliance based on the 1 st information or the 2 nd information, and the 3 rd information.

Description

Information processing system, home electric appliance, and program

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an information processing system, a home appliance, and a program.

Background

Provided is an information processing system capable of remotely operating a home appliance from a terminal device via a server device. In order to utilize such an information processing system, it is necessary to register a terminal device or a user of the terminal device in association with a home appliance.

As one of the methods of the registration operation, there is a method of: the terminal device and the home appliance are connected to the same wireless router (subnet) to perform a predetermined registration operation. However, in such a registration operation, when the terminal device is connected to another network, it is necessary to temporarily disconnect the network in a connected state so as to connect the terminal device and the home appliance to the same subnet. Further, after the registration operation is completed, the terminal apparatus needs to be reconnected to the network to which it is normally connected. Thus, there is room for improvement in convenience related to registration.

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-015544

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system, a home appliance, and a program that can improve convenience.

An information processing system according to an embodiment includes a server device, a home appliance, and a terminal device. The terminal device outputs a display or a sound based on 1 st information or 2 nd information, the 1 st information being information held or generated by the home appliance, the terminal device, the server device, or another device, and the 2 nd information being information obtained based on the 1 st information. The home appliance acquires the 3 rd information based on the display or the voice or a registration operation of the user corresponding to the display or the voice. And 1 of the home appliance, the terminal device, and the server device performs processing relating to association of the terminal device or a user of the terminal device with the home appliance based on the 1 st information or the 2 nd information, and the 3 rd information.

According to the above configuration, the home appliance can be easily associated with another device, and convenience of communication registration can be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the information processing system according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the home appliance according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configurations of the home appliance, the terminal device, and the server device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the operation pattern information according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the screen of the terminal device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the operation procedure accepted in the registration operation according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow at the time of registration according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a process at the time of registration of the home appliance according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a process at the time of registration of the terminal apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process at the time of registration of the server device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a home appliance, a terminal device, and a server device according to embodiment 2.

Description of the reference numerals

1 … information handling system; 100 … home appliances; 110 … display/operation section; 112 … operating the key section; 120 … a drive section; 130 … storage section; 200 … terminal device; 230 … report part; 300 … server device; 320 … an information acquisition unit; 330 … contrasting part; 340 … registration unit.

Detailed Description

Next, an information processing system, a home appliance, and a program according to embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or similar components having the same or similar functions are denoted by the same reference numerals. Moreover, a repetitive description of these configurations may be omitted. In the present specification, the term "based on XX" means "based on at least XX", and includes cases where the term is based on other elements in addition to "XX". In addition, the "XX-based" is not limited to: the case of using XX directly also includes: based on the results of performing an operation or process on XX. "XX" is an arbitrary element (e.g., arbitrary information). In this specification, "storage" and "holding" are used in the same sense.

(embodiment 1)

Embodiment 1 is an example as follows: information equivalent to the identification information of the home appliance acquired via the server device is displayed (reported) on a display screen of the terminal device, the home appliance acquires comparison information by a user performing a registration operation corresponding to the display on the home appliance, and the comparison information acquired by the home appliance and the identification information of the home appliance (or information equivalent thereto) are compared by the server device, whereby the user of the terminal device and the home appliance are registered in association with each other. The present embodiment can be implemented by various modifications. These modifications will be collectively described at the end of embodiment 1. In addition, an example in which a random number is used instead of identification information will be described in embodiment 2.

< 1. integral constitution of information processing system >

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an information processing system 1 according to embodiment 1. The information processing system 1 includes, for example: home electric appliance 100, terminal device 200, and server device 300. The home appliance 100, the terminal device 200, and the server device 300 can communicate with each other via the network N. The network N is, for example: networks such as the internet, wan (wide Area network), lan (local Area network), and cellular (cellular) networks.

< 1.1 household Electrical appliances >

The home appliance 100 is an electronic device used in a house, for example. The home appliance 100 has a communication function capable of connecting to the network N. The home appliance 100 is connected to the network N via the repeater R. The repeater R is for example: a wireless router installed in the same house as the home appliance 100. The repeater R constructs a subnet. The subnet is: a network having a narrow communication area compared with the network N. For example, the subnet is a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) network. The subnet may be a network of Bluetooth (registered trademark), nfc (near field communication), infrared communication, or the like.

The home appliance 100 is, for example, a refrigerator. However, the home appliance 100 is not limited to a refrigerator, and may be other home appliances such as an air conditioner, a cleaner, a washing machine, an illumination device, a microwave oven, a rice cooker, a dishwasher, a television, and a radio. Next, the home appliance 100 will be described by taking a refrigerator as an example.

The home appliance 100 has a display/operation unit 110 at a visible position (for example, a front surface of a door) on a surface or an inner surface of the home appliance 100. The display/operation unit 110 is an example of an "operation unit" and an "input unit", respectively. The display/operation unit 110 is, for example, a display unit without a number display function. The display/operation unit 110 is not a display unit having a display screen, and more specifically, is a display unit not having a 7-segment display. In the present embodiment, the display/operation section 110 includes a display lamp section 111 and an operation key section 112.

The display lamp unit 111 includes 1 or more display lamps 111 a. The display lamp 111a is: a display that displays information having a meaning to a human being by switching between display (e.g., on)/non-display (e.g., off) (i.e., display switching of 1 dot). For example, display lamp unit 111 displays (reports) the state of home appliance 100 to the outside by turning on or off display lamp 111 a. In the present embodiment, the display lamp unit 111 externally displays information (hereinafter, referred to as "state information") of the home appliance 100 relating to at least one of the driving state and the setting state of the driving unit 120 (see fig. 3). For example, the display lamp section 111 includes: and a plurality of display lamps 111a corresponding to a plurality of items of the driving state and/or the setting state of the driving unit 120. Each display lamp 111a includes: a light source such as an LED, and a blank character having a light-transmitting property corresponding to the reported item. The setting state is a state for the user to set the driving state of the driving part 120.

In the case where the electric home appliance 100 is a refrigerator, the driving part 120 is: a compressor for circulating a refrigerant, a blower for circulating cold air cooled by a cooler in a storage chamber, and the like. In the present embodiment, the display lamp 111a is used to display the driving state of the "one-shot freezing (specific quick freezing mode)" or the "quick freezing fresh food (specific fresh food mode)" as the driving state of the driving unit 120. The display lamp 111a is also used to display, as the setting state of the driving unit 120, a key lock state in which the operation is not accepted, a reserved state in which the driving is started/stopped, or the like. However, the driving unit 120 is not limited to a specific component as long as it can perform a predetermined function necessary for the home appliance 100 among the various home appliances 100. Other examples of the driving part 120 are: a motor for rotating the drum in the washing machine, etc.

In the present embodiment, the display lamp unit 111 includes a mode reporting unit 111b, and the mode reporting unit 111b reports whether the state (mode) of the display/operation unit 110 is the 1 st input mode (normal mode) or the 2 nd input mode (registration mode) described later. The mode reporting unit 111b is implemented by, for example, 1 display lamp 111a, and is in the 1 st state (for example, an off state) during the 1 st input mode and in the 2 nd state (for example, an on or blinking state) during the 2 nd input mode.

The operation key section 112 includes 1 or more operation keys 112 a. The operation keys 112a may be touch panel soft keys or hard keys having physical mechanisms. The user of the home appliance 100 can perform various input operations with respect to the home appliance 100 by operating the operation keys 112, for example. In the present embodiment, the operation key section 112 includes a plurality of operation keys 112 a. The plurality of operation keys 112a exemplify "a plurality of input units".

In the present embodiment, the operation key unit 112 can switch between a 1 st input mode in which the input of the state information (1 st type information) is received by operating the operation key unit 112 and a 2 nd input mode in which the input of the information (2 nd type information) different from the state information is received by operating the operation key unit 112, by the control of the control unit 180 described later. The 2 nd information is, for example, information different from information related to the original function of the home appliance 100. An example of the type 2 information is identification information (or information equivalent thereto) of the home appliance 100. Details of this function will be described later.

< 1.2 terminal device >

The terminal device 200 is a portable information processing device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, and a notebook computer. The terminal device 200 implements various functional units described below by installing predetermined application software (hereinafter, referred to as "application") for remotely operating the home appliance 100.

< 1.3 Server device >

The server device 300 manages the home appliance 100 and the terminal device 200. For example, the server apparatus 300 manages, for each terminal apparatus 200, identification information (terminal ID) of the terminal apparatus 200, identification information (user ID) of a user of the terminal apparatus 200, a password of the user, and the like in association with each other. Hereinafter, the user ID and the password are collectively referred to as "login information". The server device 300 registers the terminal device 200 or the user of the terminal device 200 in association with the home appliance 100. The terminal device 200 is capable of remotely operating the home appliance 100 registered in association with the terminal device 200 or the user of the terminal device 200 via the server device 300.

< 2. composition of household electrical appliance, terminal device, and server device

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the home appliance 100. The terminal device 200 and the server device 300 have the same configuration as the home appliance 100.

The home appliance 100 includes, for example: a cpu (central Processing unit)11, a rom (read Only memory)12, a ram (random Access memory)13, an input device (device)14, an output device 15, and a communication I/f (interface) 16. These components are connected by a bus 17.

The CPU11 realizes each functional section described later by executing programs stored in the ROM12 or the RAM 13. Instead of executing a program by a hardware processing device such as a CPU, each functional unit may be realized by hardware (circuit units including a circuit) such as an asic (application Specific Integrated circuit), a pld (Programmable Logic device), an fpga (field Programmable Gate array), or the like, or may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware.

The input device 14 is, for example, the operation key section 112 described above. The input device 14 of the terminal apparatus 200 or the server apparatus 300 may be implemented by a keyboard, a pointing device (pointing device), a touch panel, or the like. The output device 15 is, for example, the display lamp unit 111 described above. In addition, the output device 15 of the terminal apparatus 200 or the server apparatus 300 may be realized by a display apparatus including a display screen or the like. The communication I/F16 is connected to the network N via wireless or wired connection.

< 2.1 construction of household Electrical appliances

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the home appliance 100, the terminal device 200, and the server device 300. The home appliance 100 includes, for example: a display/operation section 110, a drive section 120, a storage section 130, an information conversion section 140, an information acquisition section 150, an information output section 160, a communication section 170, and a control section 180. The display/operation section 110 and the drive section 120 are as described above.

The storage unit 130 is implemented by, for example, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory or the like. The storage unit 130 stores the state information I1 of the drive unit 120 of the home appliance 100, and stores predetermined information so as not to be rewritable. An example of the predetermined information stored as non-rewritable information is identification information I2 of the home appliance 100. The expression "stored as non-rewritable" means: for example, the address storing the predetermined information is prohibited from being accessed by the erase or write operation. The identification information I2 of the home appliance 100 is, for example: specific identification information (for example, a manufacturing number of the home appliance 100) preset for the home appliance 100. However, the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100 is not limited to specific information as long as it can identify the home appliance 100, and may be information of a certain number of bits with a low probability of matching by chance. In the present embodiment, at the time of shipment of the home appliance 100, the manufacturing number of the home appliance 100 is stored in the storage unit 130 as the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100. The manufacturing number of the home appliance 100 is, for example: a ten-digit or so character string composed of a combination of a number and a letter. In the present embodiment, the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100 is an example of "information 1".

The information conversion unit 140 acquires the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100 from the storage unit 130. The information conversion unit 140 generates, based on the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100: information indicating an operation pattern (hereinafter referred to as "operation pattern information") indicating the content of the registration operation corresponding to the content of the identification information I2. The operation pattern information is information indicating an operation order including, for example: an operation key 112a as an operation target among the plurality of operation keys 112a included in the operation key section 112, and an operation mode for the operation key 112 a. The operation pattern information is information indicating that: for example, when the operation style of the operation key section 112 changes with time series, the operation mode of which operation key 112a is operated is determined by the operation mode of which operation key 112a is operated in the No. 1, and the operation mode of which operation key 112a is operated is determined by the operation mode of which operation key 112a is operated in the No. 2. The operation pattern information may be appended with check data such as a checksum.

The correspondence between each element (for example, each character) included in the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100 and the operation style of the operation key section 112 is predetermined and stored in the storage section 130 as a correspondence table T1. Specifically, in the correspondence table T1, each element included in the identification information I2 is associated with an operation pattern. For example, in the correspondence table T1, "1" as the number of each element included in the identification information I2 corresponds to "cold storage button × 1 time".

The information conversion unit 140 generates operation pattern information based on the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100 by referring to the correspondence table T1. For example, the information conversion unit 140 may extract each operation pattern corresponding to a specific bit (for example, the first 3 bits) from among the elements included in the identification information I2 to generate the operation pattern information. The information conversion section 140 outputs the generated operation pattern information to the display/operation section 110, and also to the information output section 160. The operation pattern information is an example of "2 nd information". The operation pattern information is equivalent to the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100. The replacement correspondence table T1 may be stored in the storage unit 130, or the correspondence table T1 may be referred to by communicating with the server device 300 or another device.

The information acquisition unit 150 acquires comparison information for associating the terminal device 200 (or the user of the terminal device 200) with the home appliance 100 based on a user registration operation (described later) received by the operation key unit 112. In the present embodiment, the information acquisition unit 150 includes: and an information generation unit 151 for generating comparison information based on the registration operation received by the operation key unit 112. The information for comparison is information corresponding to the operation pattern information and indicating an operation order, wherein the operation order includes: the operation object and the operation mode of the plurality of operation keys 112a included in the operation key section 112 are operated. By analyzing the operation result input to the operation key section 112, the comparison information can be obtained. The information acquisition unit 150 outputs the acquired information for comparison to the information output unit 160. The comparison information is an example of "information 3". Instead of the above, the information for comparison may be the operation result itself input to the operation key section 112. In this case, the information generating unit 151 may be provided in the server device 300.

The information output unit 160 communicates with the server device 300 via the communication unit 170. In the present embodiment, the information output unit 160 outputs the identification information I2 stored in the storage unit 130, the operation pattern information generated by the information conversion unit 140, and the comparison information generated by the information generation unit 151 to the server device 300.

The control unit 180 controls the operation of the home appliance 100. The control unit 180 collectively controls the operations of the display and operation unit 110, the drive unit 120, the storage unit 130, the information conversion unit 140, the information acquisition unit 150, the information output unit 160, and the communication unit 170, for example. For example, the control unit 180 controls the information conversion unit 140 to generate the operation pattern information. An example of the operation pattern information will be described later.

< 2.2 construction of terminal device

The terminal device 200 includes, for example, an information output unit 210, an information acquisition unit 220, a notification unit 230, a communication unit 240, and a control unit 240.

When the terminal device 200 is connected to the server device 300 (for example, when an application of the terminal device 200 is activated), the information output unit 210 outputs the registration information input to the terminal device 200 to the server device 300 via the communication unit 240.

The information acquisition unit 220 acquires from the server device 300: the operation pattern information generated by the home appliance 100. The information acquisition unit 220 outputs the acquired operation pattern information to the report unit 230.

The reporting unit 230 reports the operation pattern information acquired by the information acquiring unit 220 to the user. For example, the reporting unit 230 reports the operation pattern information by display or voice. In the present embodiment, the reporting unit 230 is: the display device D such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organic el (electro luminescence) display panel includes a display screen D1 (see fig. 5). The reporting unit 230 can report the operation pattern information by displaying it on the display screen D1. The reporting unit 230 may have a speaker for outputting the operation pattern information by sound (e.g., voice). The reporting unit 230 sequentially reports the plurality of operation patterns included in the operation pattern information in the order corresponding to the operation by the user. The reporting unit 230 may display a list of a plurality of operation patterns included in the operation pattern information on a single screen.

The communication unit 240 can directly communicate with the network N without passing through the relay R, for example. Hereinafter, the terminal apparatus 200 communicates with the server apparatus 300 without passing through the repeater R (i.e., without being connected to the subnet).

The control unit 250 controls the operation of the terminal device 200. The control unit 240 collectively controls the operations of the information output unit 210, the information acquisition unit 220, the notification unit 230, and the communication unit 230, for example.

< 2.3 construction of Server device

The server device 300 includes, for example: a communication unit 310, an information acquisition unit 320, a collating unit 330, a registration unit 340, and a control unit 350.

The information acquisition unit 320 communicates with the home appliance 100 and the terminal device 200 via the communication unit 310. The information acquisition unit 320 acquires the identification information I2, the operation style information, and the comparison information from the home appliance 100. Further, the information acquisition unit 320 acquires the login information from the terminal device 200. The information acquisition unit 320 outputs the identification information I2 acquired from the home appliance 100 and the registration information acquired from the terminal device 200 to the registration unit 340. The information acquiring unit 320 outputs the operation pattern information acquired from the home appliance 100 and transmitted to the terminal device 200 and the matching information acquired from the home appliance 100 to the matching unit 330.

The collating section 330 determines, based on the operation pattern information transmitted to the terminal apparatus 200 and the collation information acquired from the terminal apparatus 200: whether the operation pattern information and the comparison information are in corresponding relation with each other. For example, the matcher 330 determines: whether the degree of coincidence (degree of similarity) between the operation pattern information and the comparison information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value or not. The determination (comparison) is: an example of the "process related to associating the user of the terminal device with the home appliance" is described below.

When the collating unit 330 determines that the operation pattern information and the collation information are in a corresponding relationship with each other (for example, when it is determined that the degree of matching between the operation pattern information and the collation information is equal to or more than a threshold value), the registering unit 340 registers the user of the terminal device 200 and the home appliance 100 in a database (not shown) in association with each other. In the present embodiment, the registration unit 340 registers the user ID of the user of the terminal device 200 (user ID included in the login information) and the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100 in the database in association with each other. By this registration, the user of the terminal device 200 can remotely operate the home appliance 100 using the terminal device 200. The registration is: another example of the "processing related to associating the user of the terminal device with the home appliance" is described below.

The control unit 350 controls the operation of the server device 300. For example, the operations of the communication unit 310, the information acquisition unit 320, the comparison unit 330, and the registration unit 340 are collectively controlled.

< 3. an example of operation style information

Next, an example of the operation pattern information generated by the home appliance 100 will be described.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the operation pattern information generated by the information conversion unit 140 of the home appliance 100. For example, the operation pattern information includes: a plurality of operation patterns L1, L2, and L3 that are sequentially switched based on an operation (or with the passage of time) of the terminal apparatus 200 by the user. For example, the operation pattern L1 is: this shows an operation mode in which the "cold storage button" is operated 1 time in the operation button unit 112. Further, the operation pattern L2 is: this indicates an operation mode in which the "freeze button" is pressed for 5 seconds in the operation key section 112. Further, the operation pattern L3 is: an operation mode in which the "ice making key" is operated 2 times among the operation key sections 112 is shown. For convenience of explanation, 3 operation patterns L1, L2, and L3 are shown in the drawings, but the number of operation patterns is not limited to 3. For example, the number of operation pattern information may be 4 or more, from the viewpoint of further reducing the probability that the operation pattern information is accidentally matched.

After receiving each operation, the home appliance 100 may receive an operation indicating the determination of the operation (for example, pressing the home key 521 (see fig. 6) included in the 1-time operation key section 112). In addition, when each operation pattern is received, the home appliance device 100 may set an effective period for each operation pattern. When there is no operation within the valid period, it may be considered that: the home device 100 is not operated. In addition, the operation pattern may include: the "no operation" operation pattern of the operation key section 112 is not required to be operated.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a change in the screen displayed on the terminal device 200. The operation pattern L1 is displayed on the screen D1 of the display device D of the terminal device under the control of the information acquisition unit 220. Further, on the screen D1, there are displayed: the guideline G11, i.e. the text "STEP 1", is shown as STEP 1. The guidelines G11, G12, G13 are: an example of information of the switching order (appearance order) of the plurality of operation patterns L1, L2, and L3 can be identified. Further, on the screen D1, there are displayed: a manual G12 for urging an operation corresponding to the operation style L1, i.e., a character "please press the 1-time cold storage button". Further, on the screen D1, there are displayed: a guide G13 indicating "next step". On the screen D1, when the user touches the guide G13 indicating "next" the information acquisition section 220 of the terminal apparatus 200 changes the screen of the terminal apparatus 200 to the screen D2.

Under the control of the information acquiring unit 220, on the screen D2, there are displayed: operation pattern L2. On the screen D2, there are displayed: the instruction is the instruction G21 of STEP2, i.e. the character "STEP 2", or the instruction G22 for prompting the operation corresponding to the operation pattern L2, i.e. the character "please press the freeze button for more than 5 seconds". Further, on the screen D2, there are displayed: a guide G23 indicating "next step". In the screen D2, when the user touches the guide G23 indicating "next" the information acquisition section 220 of the terminal apparatus 200 changes the screen of the terminal apparatus 200 to the screen D3.

Under the control of the information acquiring unit 220, on the screen D3, there are displayed: operation pattern L3. On the screen D3, there are displayed: the instruction is the instruction G31 of STEP3, i.e., the character "STEP 3", or the instruction G32, i.e., the character "please press the ice making button 2 times", which urges the operation corresponding to the operation pattern L3. On the screen D3, there are displayed: a guide G33 indicating "next step". On the screen D3, when the user touches the guide G33 indicating "next step" and the operation style information matches the comparison information during the comparison by the server device 300, the terminal device 200 displays a registration completion notification on the screen of the terminal device 200 based on the notification from the server device 300 (see the screen D4). The operation patterns L1, L2, and L3 may be automatically switched with the elapse of time, for example.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation procedure accepted by the operation key section 112 in the registration operation. An example of (a) of fig. 6 is as follows: the home appliance 100 is in the normal mode (1 st input mode), and displays the state information of the driving unit 120 by the display lamp unit 111, and accepts an operation of inputting the state information of the driving unit 120 (for example, an operation of changing at least one of the driving state and the setting state of the driving unit 120) by operating the key unit 112. The normal mode is: a state in which the operation for registration cannot be performed. Examples of (B), (C), and (D) in fig. 6 are as follows: the home appliance 100 is in the registration mode (input mode 2), and the registration operation (for example, the operation patterns L1, L2, and L3) is accepted by operating the key unit 112. The registration mode is a state in which an operation for registration is possible.

In the normal mode, the input of the state information is received in accordance with an operation of a predetermined form. The operation of the predetermined mode is: the operation of the home appliance 100 is an operation of changing the driving state and/or the setting state of the driving unit 120 while performing the original function. The operations in the prescribed form are: different operations are performed according to a driving state desired by a user. For example, when the operation of the predetermined form is in the drive state of "one-shot freezing (specific rapid freezing mode)", a key corresponding to "freezing" among the operation keys 112a is operated a predetermined number of times (for example, 1 time) so that a lamp corresponding to "one-shot freezing" among the display lamps 111a is turned on.

In fig. 6 a, when the user performs a predetermined operation in a mode different from the predetermined mode described above (for example, long-presses the home screen key 521 and the operation mode key 522 at the same time), the home appliance 100 shifts from the 1 st input mode (normal mode) to the 2 nd input mode (registration mode) for registering the user of the terminal device 200 in association with the home appliance 100. In the embodiment, an example of the "unified switching operation unit" can be realized by the home key 521 and the operation mode key 522. That is, by pressing the home screen key 521 and the operation mode key 522 for the same time period, the 1 st input mode and the 2 nd input mode of the plurality of keys 112a can be switched collectively. The switching from the normal mode to the registration mode of the home appliance 100 may be performed by an operation of a dedicated operation unit. The special operation part is as follows: a key provided in addition to the plurality of operation keys 112 a. For example, the normal mode and the registration mode may be switched at once by pressing the dedicated operation unit 1 time.

The registration mode is: the driving state and the setting state of the driving unit 120 are not affected by the operation of the operation key unit 112 by the user. In other words, the registration pattern is: a mode in which input based on the state information of the operation key section 112 is not accepted. Specifically, in the registration mode, for example, even if the user operates the cold storage key 601, the following is performed: the operation of changing the setting is performed for the driving state of the "one-time freezing", and the setting change of the driving state is not accepted.

Fig. 6 (B) shows a state in which the operation of the 1 st step in the registration mode (operation pattern L1) is performed. In the registration mode, the registration lamp 511 indicating that it is the registration mode blinks. Fig. 6 (B) shows that the cold storage button 601 is pressed 1 time. In fig. 6 (B), for example, the lower left lamp 512a indicating the 1 st step in the registration mode is turned on among the display lamps 512 indicating the set temperature zone. In addition, the display lamp 512 is: a lamp indicating a set temperature zone of the refrigerator in a normal mode.

When the user ends the operation in step1, refer to: "please press the freeze button for 5 seconds or more" shown in a guide G22 (see fig. 5) of the terminal device 200. Fig. 6 (C) shows that the freeze button 602 is pressed for 5 seconds or more. In fig. 6 (C), the upper left lamp 512b indicating the 2 nd step of the registration mode among the display lamps 512 is turned on.

When the user ends the operation in step2, refer to: "please press the ice making key 2 times" shown in a guide G32 (refer to fig. 5) of the terminal device 200. In fig. 6 (D), the ice making button 603 is pressed 2 times. In fig. 6 (D), the upper left lamp 512c indicating the 3 rd step of the registration mode among the display lamps 512 is turned on.

Then, based on the operation results of these registration operations, the information acquisition unit 150 of the home appliance 100 generates comparison information, and transmits the generated comparison information from the home appliance 100 to the server device 300.

< 4. control flow >

Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow at the time of registration by the information processing system 1. In addition, it is assumed that initial registration (registration of login information) of the user is already performed in the server apparatus 300.

First, the user operates a WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) key of the relay R, for example, to connect the home appliance 100 to the relay R in the WPS mode (step S701). When the WPS connection is completed, the home appliance 100 transmits identification information I2 (hereinafter referred to as "home ID" for convenience of description) of the home appliance 100 to the server device 300 via the relay R (step S702).

The server apparatus 300 receives the home appliance ID from the home appliance 100 (step S703). The terminal device 200 starts: a predetermined application installed in the terminal device 200 receives login information input by the user (step S704). When receiving the input login information, the terminal apparatus 200 transmits the input login information to the server apparatus 300 (step S705). The server apparatus 300 receives the login information from the terminal apparatus 200 (step S706). Accordingly, the terminal apparatus 200 and the server apparatus 300 are connected.

When the predetermined operation is performed on the operation key section 112 of the home appliance 100 (for example, the long press of the home screen key 521 and the operation mode key 522 is performed at the same time), the home appliance 100 is set to the registration mode (step S707). Further, the home appliance 100 generates operation pattern information based on the home ID (step S708). Then, the home appliance 100 transmits the generated operation pattern information to the server device 300 (step S709).

The server 300 receives the operation pattern information from the home appliance 100 (step S710). In addition, in the processing of the server device 300, the registration information received from the terminal device 200 in step S706 is performed prior to the operation pattern information received from the home appliance 100 in step S710 for convenience of explanation, but the reverse processing may be performed. That is, the process of step S710 may be performed prior to the process of step S706.

Then, the server 300 transmits the received operation pattern information to the terminal device 200 (step S711), and stores the transmitted operation pattern information in association with the user ID of the user of the terminal device 200 on the transmission-reception side (step S712). The terminal apparatus 200 receives the operation pattern information from the server apparatus 300 (step S713). Further, the terminal device 200 displays: each operation pattern included in the received operation pattern information (step S714).

After transmitting the operation pattern information, the home appliance device 100 receives the registration operation from the user as described above with reference to fig. 6 (step S715). Then, the home appliance 100 generates comparison information based on the registration operation received from the user, and transmits the generated comparison information to the server device 300 (step S716). The server 300 receives the comparison information from the home appliance 100 (step S717). The server 300 stores the received comparison information in association with the home appliance ID of the home appliance 100 of the sender (step S718).

The server 300 compares the comparison information received from the home appliance 100 with the operation pattern information transmitted to the terminal 200 (step S719). As a result of the comparison, when the matching degree of the 2 pieces of information is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the home appliance ID of the home appliance 100 and the user ID used for registration of the terminal device 200 that is the transmission recipient of the operation pattern information are registered in association with each other (step S720). The server apparatus 300 transmits a registration completion notification indicating that the registration is completed to the terminal apparatus 200 (step S721), and terminates the series of processing.

Upon receiving the registration completion notification from the server 300, the terminal 200 outputs the registration completion notification (step S722), and terminates the series of processing. When the transmission of the comparison information in step S716 is completed, the home appliance device 100 ends the registration mode (step S723), and ends the series of processing.

Hereinafter, the detailed processing of each device in the timing chart shown in fig. 7 will be described with reference to fig. 8 to 10. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed when the home appliance 100 registers. In fig. 8, control unit 180 of home appliance 100 determines: whether there is an operation of WPS connection (step S801). The information output unit 160 of the home appliance 100 waits until the WPS connection operation is performed, when there is NO WPS connection operation (step S801: NO). When the WPS connection is operated (YES in step S801), the information output unit 160 of the home appliance 100 transmits the home ID to the server device 300 via the relay R (step S802).

Next, the control unit 180 of the home appliance 100 determines: whether or not a predetermined operation (a 1 st predetermined operation, for example, an operation of long-pressing a specific key) has been performed on the home appliance 100 (step S803). When the 1 st predetermined operation is not performed (NO in step S803), the control unit 180 of the home appliance 100 waits until the 1 st predetermined operation is performed. When the predetermined operation 1 is performed (YES in step S803), the control unit 180 of the home appliance 100 shifts the home appliance 100 to the registration mode (step S804).

The information conversion unit 140 of the home appliance 100 generates operation pattern information based on the home appliance ID (step S805). The information output unit 160 of the home appliance 100 transmits the generated operation pattern information to the server device 300 (step S806). Further, the display/operation unit 110 (operation key unit 112) of the home appliance 100 receives a plurality of registration operations from the user (step S807).

Control unit 180 of home appliance 100 determines: whether the operation for registration is completed is accepted from the user (step S808). The completion of the registration operation means: among the plurality of operation patterns, the reception of the operation for registration corresponding to the last operation pattern is completed.

When the reception of the registration operation is not completed (NO in step S808), the information generating unit 151 of the home appliance 100 waits until the reception of the registration operation is completed. When the reception of the registration operation is completed (YES in step S808), the information generating unit 151 of the home appliance 100 generates comparison information based on the operation result of the registration operation. The information output unit 210 of the terminal device 200 transmits the generated information for comparison to the server device 300 (step S809). Then, the control unit 180 of the home appliance 100 ends the registration mode (step S810), and ends the series of processing.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of processing at the time of registration of the terminal apparatus 200. The following flow is premised on the terminal device 200 having started a predetermined application. The control unit 250 of the terminal device 200 determines: whether or not login information is input (step S901). When the login information is not input (step S901: NO), the information output unit 210 of the terminal device 200 waits until the login information is input. When the login information is input (YES in step S901), for example, when a send key displayed on the display device of the terminal device 200 is touched, the information output unit 210 of the terminal device 200 sends the login information to the server device 300 (step S902). In the figure, the successful registration is shown. If the login is unsuccessful, the terminal device 200 displays an error screen and repeats the process of step S901.

Next, the information acquisition unit 220 of the terminal device 200 determines: whether or not the operation pattern information is received from the server apparatus 300 (step S903). When the operation pattern information is not received from the server 300 (step S903: NO), the information acquiring unit 220 of the terminal device 200 waits until the operation pattern information is received. When the information acquiring unit 220 of the terminal device 200 receives the operation pattern information from the server device 300 (YES in step S903), the first operation pattern is displayed on the display screen of the reporting unit 230 (step S904).

Next, the control unit 250 of the terminal device 200 determines: whether or not there is an operation of switching to the next operation pattern (step S905). The operation of switching the operation pattern is, for example: the guide G13 shown in the screen D1 of fig. 5 is touched. When there is NO operation to switch to the next operation pattern (step S905: NO), the control unit 250 of the terminal apparatus 200 waits until there is an operation to switch to the next operation pattern. When an operation to switch to the next operation pattern is performed (YES in step S905), the control unit 250 of the terminal apparatus 200 switches to display of the next operation pattern (step S906).

Then, the control unit 250 of the terminal device 200 determines: whether or not a series of operations has ended (step S907). The completion of a series of operations refers to, for example: the guide G33 is touched on the screen D3 (see fig. 5) showing the last operation pattern. When the series of operations has not been completed (NO in step S907), the terminal apparatus 200 returns to step S905. When the control unit 250 of the terminal device 200 ends a series of operations (YES in step S907), it determines that: whether or not an error notification is received from the server apparatus 300 (step S908). The error notification is: when the comparison information received by the server device 300 from the terminal device 200 does not match the operation pattern information transmitted from the server device 300 to the terminal device 200 (when the matching degree is equal to or less than the threshold), a notification is transmitted from the server device 300 to the terminal device 200.

When the control unit 250 of the terminal device 200 does not receive the error notification from the server device 300 (step S908: NO), it determines that: whether or not the registration completion notification is received from the server apparatus 300 (step S909). When the terminal apparatus 200 does not receive the registration completion notification from the server apparatus 300 (step S909: NO), the process returns to step S908.

When receiving the registration completion notification from the server device 300 (YES in step S909), the information acquisition unit 220 of the terminal device 200 outputs the registration completion notification to the notification unit 230 (step S910), and the series of processing ends. In step S908, when receiving the error notification from the server device 300 (YES in step S908), the information acquisition unit 220 of the terminal device 200 outputs the error notification to the notification unit 230 (step S911), and ends the series of processing.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing at the time of registration of the server device 300. The information acquisition unit 320 of the server device 300 receives the home appliance ID from the home appliance 100 (step S1001). Next, the information acquisition unit 320 of the server device 300 receives the operation pattern information from the home appliance 100 (step S1002).

Next, the information acquisition unit 320 of the server device 300 receives the login information from the terminal device 200 (step S1003). Next, the control unit 350 of the server device 300 controls the communication unit 310 and transmits the operation pattern information to the terminal device 200 (step S1004).

Here, step S1004 will be described in addition. The terminal apparatus 200 starts a predetermined application program, and transmits to the server apparatus 300 at a predetermined timing when entering a screen for starting a registration operation: information indicating that the process related to registration is started (hereinafter referred to as "registration start information"). The server device 300 stores the reception time when the registration start information is received in association with the user ID of the user of the terminal device 200 that transmitted the registration start notification. The server device 300 stores the reception time when the operation pattern information is received from the home appliance 100 in association with the home appliance ID of the home appliance 100 that transmitted the operation pattern information. When the reception time at which the registration start information is received is within a predetermined time range (for example, within 15 minutes) before and after the reception time at which the operation pattern information is received from the home appliance 100, the server device 300 transmits the operation pattern information to the terminal device 200 that has transmitted the registration start information. The reception time at which the registration start information is received and the reception time at which the operation pattern information is received may be either before or after.

Next, the information acquisition unit 320 of the server device 300 stores the operation pattern information transmitted in step S1004, the user ID of the user of the terminal device 200 on the transmission side in step S1004, and the transmission time at which the operation pattern information was transmitted in step S1004 in association with each other (step S1005).

Next, the information acquisition unit 320 of the server device 300 receives comparison information from the home appliance 100 (step S1006). For example, the information acquisition unit 320 of the server device 300 stores the home appliance ID of the home appliance 100 on the transmission side in step S1006, the comparison information received in step S1006, and the reception time at which the comparison information was received in step S1006 in association with each other (step S1007).

Next, the comparison unit 330 of the server device 300 determines, based on the transmission time of the operation pattern information and the reception time of the comparison information: whether or not there is received comparison information within a predetermined time range (for example, 15 minutes) before and after the transmission time of the operation pattern information (from another point of view, whether or not there is transmitted operation pattern information within a predetermined time range before and after the reception time of the comparison information) (step S1008). The process of step 1008 may not be performed. This is because: the home appliance ID is associated with the operation pattern information (for example, included in 1 notification), and then transmitted from the home appliance 100 to the server device 300, and then the home appliance ID is associated with the comparison information (for example, included in 1 notification), and then transmitted from the home appliance 100 to the server device 300, and even if the time is not managed in the server device 300, the comparison between the operation pattern information and the comparison information can be performed based on the home appliance ID (see step S1009).

If the received comparison information is not present within a predetermined time range before and after the transmission time of the operation pattern information (step S1008: NO), the server device 300 proceeds to step S1012. On the other hand, when the received comparison information is present within a predetermined time range before and after the transmission time of the operation pattern information (YES in step S1008), the comparison unit 330 of the server device 300 compares the operation pattern information with the comparison information, and calculates the degree of matching between the operation pattern information and the comparison information. The matcher 330 of the server device 300 then determines: whether or not the matching degree between the operation pattern information and the comparison information is equal to or higher than a threshold value (step S1009).

When the matching degree between the operation pattern information and the comparison information is not equal to or higher than the threshold value (NO in step S1009), the server device 300 proceeds to step S1012. On the other hand, when the matching degree between the operation pattern information and the comparison information is equal to or higher than the threshold value (YES in step S1009), the registration unit 340 of the server device 300 registers the user ID of the user of the terminal device 200, which is the transmission destination of the operation pattern information in step S1004, and the home appliance ID of the home appliance 100, which is the transmission destination of the comparison information received in step S1006, in association with each other (step S1010). Then, the control unit 350 of the server device 300 transmits a registration completion notification to the terminal device 200 (step S1011), and ends the series of processing.

On the other hand, if the received comparison information is not present within the predetermined time range before and after the transmission timing of the operation pattern information in step S1008 (NO in step S1008), the control unit 350 of the server device 300 transmits an error notification to the terminal device 200 (step S1012), and ends the series of processing. When the matching degree between the operation pattern information and the comparison information is not equal to or higher than the threshold value (step S1009: NO), the control unit 350 of the server device 300 proceeds to step S1012 to end the series of processing.

< 5. advantage >

As described above, one of the methods for the registration operation is as follows: a method of connecting a terminal device and a home appliance to the same wireless router (subnet) to perform a predetermined registration operation. However, in such a registration operation, when the terminal device is connected to another network, it is necessary to temporarily disconnect the network in a connected state so as to connect the terminal device and the home appliance to the same subnet. In order to connect the terminal device and the home electric appliance to the same subnet, it is necessary to find out the relay of the subnet identical to the home electric appliance from among the connectable relays displayed on the terminal device. In addition, the password of the repeater also needs to be entered. Further, after the registration operation is completed, the terminal apparatus needs to be reconnected to the network to which it is normally connected. These operations are relatively heavy on the part of general users, and are more heavy on users who are not good at operating the electronic apparatus.

As a method for registering without connecting the terminal device to the same subnet as the home appliance, for example, there can be considered: a method of inputting identification information such as a manufacturing number of a home appliance to a terminal device. Specifically, the following method may be used: a method of attaching a two-dimensional code representing identification information of a home appliance to the home appliance in advance, and inputting unique information using a two-dimensional code reading function of a terminal device; alternatively, a technique is known in which a sticker or a name plate, etc. on which identification information of a home appliance is recorded, is attached to the home appliance and manually input to the terminal device by a user.

However, when attaching a two-dimensional bar code, a sticker, a name plate, and the like to a home appliance, it is necessary to manage the two-dimensional bar code, the sticker, the name plate, and the like for each home appliance at the time of manufacturing, which may increase the number of manufacturing steps or burden the manufacturer, resulting in inefficiency. Further, the visibility of the identification information may be reduced due to deterioration or contamination of the two-dimensional bar code, the sticker, or the name plate, and it may be difficult to input the identification information.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the terminal apparatus 200 outputs: based on the display of the operation style information equivalent to the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100 held by the home appliance 100. The home appliance 100 accepts the registration operation of the user corresponding to the display of the terminal device 200. The server device 300 performs, based on the operation pattern information notified to the terminal device 200 and the comparison information based on the registration operation received by the home appliance 100: the process related to associating the user of the terminal device 200 with the home appliance 100. For example, according to the above configuration, the user of the terminal device 200 is associated with the home appliance, instead of connecting the terminal device 200 and the home appliance 100 to the same wireless router (subnet). Accordingly, user convenience can be improved. In addition, according to the above configuration, it is not necessary to describe the identification information in the two-dimensional bar code, the sticker, or the name plate and present the identification information to the user. This enables efficient manufacturing.

In the present embodiment, the home appliance 100 includes: the operation key section 112 that receives various input operations to the home appliance 100 accepts an operation for registration using the operation key section 112. With this configuration, it is possible to receive information equivalent to the identification information I2 by using the existing operation key section 112 without additionally providing an operation section for receiving an operation for registration by the user. This can suppress an increase in the number of components of the home appliance 100 or an increase in cost.

In the present embodiment, when the operation key section 112 receives a predetermined operation (for example, long-pressing the home screen key 521 and the operation mode key 522 at the same time), the home appliance 100 switches from a state in which the registration operation is disabled (normal mode) to a state in which the registration operation is enabled (registration mode). With this configuration, it is possible to receive information equivalent to the identification information I2 by using the existing operation key unit 112 without additionally providing an operation unit for switching to the registration mode. This can suppress an increase in the number of components of the home appliance 100 or an increase in cost.

In the present embodiment, the terminal apparatus 200 sequentially switches a plurality of operation patterns based on an operation by the user. Further, the user can operate the operation key section 112 in accordance with the operation procedure displayed on the terminal apparatus 200 with a rhythm suitable for the user. Accordingly, even a user who is not good at operating the electronic product can smoothly perform the operation. Further, the terminal device 200 may sequentially switch the plurality of operation patterns with the elapse of time.

In the present embodiment, the home appliance 100 sequentially receives a plurality of operation patterns (for example, a plurality of operation patterns L1, L2, and L3) based on the operation of the user. With this configuration, even if the operation key section 112 is limited to one time of information reception, information equivalent to the identification information I2 can be received from the user. This can suppress an increase in the number of components of the home appliance 100 or an increase in cost.

In the present embodiment, the home appliance 100 includes: the display/operation unit 110 capable of receiving an operation related to the state information of the driving unit 120, and the control unit 180 capable of switching between a 1 st input mode in which the display/operation unit 110 receives the operation related to the state information and a 2 nd input mode in which the display/operation unit 110 receives an operation related to information different from the state information. With this configuration, the home appliance 100 can receive an operation related to other information by using the operation key unit 112 capable of receiving an operation related to the state information of the driving unit 120. That is, it is possible to accept: an operation different from the operation related to the original function of the display/operation section 110. This allows the home appliance 100 to receive information without providing a new device or function. Accordingly, user convenience can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the present invention further includes: the display/operation unit 110 is a mode report unit (for example, the registration lamp 511) that reports which mode of the 1 st input mode or the 2 nd input mode is used for displaying. With this configuration, the user can recognize that the input mode is the 2 nd input mode. That is, when receiving an operation related to information other than the state information of the driving unit 120, it is possible to avoid a situation where the user misunderstands as a failure.

Several modifications are described below. These modifications may be applied to a case where a plurality of modifications are combined with each other, or to a case where embodiments 2 and 3 described later are combined. In each modification, the configuration other than the configuration described below is the same as that of embodiment 1.

(modification 1 of embodiment 1: comparison Using Home appliance ID)

In the above-described embodiment 1, the matching unit 330 of the server device 300 performs matching based on the operation pattern information (2 nd information) transmitted from the server device 300 to the terminal device 200 and the matching information (3 rd information) received by the server device 300 from the home appliance 100. Instead, the information acquisition unit 320 of the server device 300 may receive the identification information I2 (1 st information) of the home appliance 100 from the home appliance 100, transmit the received identification information I2 to the terminal device 200, receive the comparison information corresponding to the operation pattern information received from the home appliance 100, and perform additional analysis processing (inverse analysis) on the received comparison information to acquire the comparison information (for example, comparison information corresponding to the manufacturing number) corresponding to the identification information I2. In this case, the terminal device 200 includes the correspondence table T1 or the information conversion unit 140, and generates the operation pattern information based on the identification information I2 received from the server device 300. The inverse analysis may be performed by storing the correspondence table T1 in the server device 300 and referring to the correspondence table T1. In the present modification, the collating unit 330 of the server apparatus 300 performs collation based on the identification information I2 transmitted to the terminal apparatus 200 and collation information corresponding to the identification information I2. Such processing corresponds to: in the present application, the term "performs processing related to associating the terminal device or the user of the terminal device with the home appliance based on the 1 st information and the 3 rd information" is used as an example.

(variation 2 of embodiment 1: operation pattern information is generated by a server device)

In the above-described embodiment 1, the identification information I2 (1 st information) is stored in the storage unit 130 of the home appliance 100, and the operation pattern information (2 nd information) is generated by the information conversion unit 140 of the home appliance 100. Instead of this, the operation pattern information (2 nd information) may be generated by the server device 300. That is, the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100 may be transmitted from the home appliance 100 to the server device 300, the operation pattern information may be generated by the information conversion unit 140 provided in the server device 300, and the generated operation pattern information may be transmitted to the terminal device 200. In this case, the terminal device 200 displays the operation pattern information generated by the server device 300.

(modification 3 of embodiment 1: identification information of the household appliance is set by the server device.)

In the above-described embodiment 1, the identification information I2 (information 1) is stored in the storage unit 130 of the home appliance 100. Instead of this, when the home appliance 100 is initially connected to the server device 300, arbitrary identification information may be assigned to the home appliance 100 by the server device 300 as the identification information of the home appliance 100. For example, the information acquisition unit 150 of the home appliance 100 may request the server device 300 to assign the identification information. In the present modification, the identification information is assigned without any relation to the unique information (for example, a manufacturing number or the like) of the home appliance 100. In the present modification, the information conversion unit 140 of the home appliance 100 generates the operation pattern information based on the identification information I2 distributed from the server device 300. In this case, it is possible to omit: the operation of storing the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100 in the storage unit 130 of the home appliance 100 can improve the efficiency of manufacturing the home appliance 100. In addition, in this modification as well, the server device 300 can generate: based on the operation pattern information of the arbitrary identification information assigned to the home appliance 100, the generated operation pattern information is transmitted to the terminal device 200.

In the above-described modifications 1 to 3, all or a part of the processing performed by the server device 300 (for example, the generation of the identification information, the generation of the operation pattern, and the analysis processing for acquiring the comparison information corresponding to the identification information I2) may be performed by the home appliance 100, the terminal device 200, or another device connected to the network N.

(variation 4 of embodiment 1: operation pattern information is stored in advance)

In the above-described embodiment 1, the identification information I2 (1 st information) is stored in the storage unit 130 of the home appliance 100, and the operation pattern information (2 nd information) is generated by the information conversion unit 140 of the home appliance 100. Instead of this, the storage unit 130 of the home appliance 100 may store operation pattern information in advance, and replace the manufacturing number or the like. Alternatively, the server device 300 or another device may store the operation pattern information in advance. In this case, the information acquiring unit 220 of the terminal device 200 may acquire the operation pattern information stored in advance in the server device 300 or another device from the server device 300 or another device. In this case, the operation pattern information is an example of "1 st information". In this case, the notification unit 230 of the terminal device 200 displays the 1 st information.

(variation 5 of embodiment 1: obtaining comparison information based on the result of imaging, etc.)

In the above-described embodiment 1, the information acquisition unit 150 of the home appliance 100 acquires the comparison information based on the operation result of the operation pattern received by the operation key unit 112. Instead of this, the information acquisition unit 150 of the home appliance 100 may acquire the comparison information based on the input result (the imaging result, the sound reception result, or the like) other than the operation key unit 112.

For example, when the home appliance 100 includes an imaging unit, the 1 st information or the 2 nd information is displayed on the display screen of the terminal device 200 by using a code (barcode or two-dimensional code) or the like. The imaging unit of the home appliance 100 images: the code displayed by the terminal device 200. The information acquisition unit 150 of the home appliance 100 acquires comparison information based on the above-described imaging result.

When the home appliance 100 includes a sound receiving unit (e.g., a microphone) in addition to the imaging unit, sound is output from the speaker of the terminal device 200 or the user generates sound as the 1 st information or the 2 nd information. Then, the sound pickup unit of the home appliance 100 receives the sound. The information acquisition unit 150 of the home appliance 100 acquires the comparison information based on the input result of the sound.

When the home appliance 100 includes the sound receiving unit, sound may be output from the speaker of the terminal device 200 as the 1 st information or the 2 nd information. The sound output by the terminal apparatus 200 is, for example: the sound pattern resulting from the combination of the audio signals. The audio signal is, for example, dtmf (dual Tone Multi frequency). Specifically, the audio signal is a signal in which 16 kinds of symbols, which are a number from 0 to 9, and a symbol, #, A, B, C, D, are transmitted using the synthesized tones of the 2 audio band domains of the low group/high group. The audio output from the terminal device 200 is input to the sound receiving unit of the home appliance 100. The information acquisition unit 150 of the home appliance 100 acquires the comparison information based on the voice input result.

In addition, when the home appliance 100 includes a touch panel or the like, the home appliance 100 displays an image (a digital image, a character image, or the like) or an illustration corresponding to the operation style on the touch panel. The digital image or text image may be the identification information I2, or may be a random number described later. The terminal device 200 displays, in an image or an illustration displayed on the touch panel of the home appliance 100: a guide to touch. The user touches a position corresponding to the guide in an image or an illustration displayed on the display screen of the home appliance 100, and inputs information indicating an operation style to the home appliance 100. The information acquisition unit 150 of the home appliance 100 acquires the comparison information based on the input operation by the user as described above. The home appliance 100 may include a camera, for example, to capture an image of the identification information I2 or a random number described later displayed on the display screen of the home appliance 100 and acquire comparison information based on the captured image.

(modification 6 of embodiment 1: the received operation result itself is output as the comparison information)

In the above-described embodiment 1, the information acquisition unit 150 of the home appliance 100 acquires the comparison information by analyzing the operation result received by operating the key unit 112. Instead of this, the comparison information may be the operation result received by the operation key section 112. In this case, the information output unit 160 of the home appliance 100 outputs the operation result received by the operation key unit 112 to the server device 300 as comparison information (3 rd information). The information acquisition unit 320 of the server device 300 analyzes the comparison information (operation result) received from the home appliance 100 to acquire an analysis result. Furthermore, collating unit 330 of server device 300 compares operation pattern information (2 nd information) transmitted to terminal device 200 with the analysis result, and performs a process of associating the user of terminal device 200 with home appliance 100 when the degree of coincidence (degree of similarity) between the operation pattern information and the analysis result is equal to or greater than a threshold value. Such processing is also equivalent to: in the present application, the term "performs a process related to the association between the terminal device or the user of the terminal device and the home appliance based on the 2 nd information and the 3 rd information".

(modification 7 of embodiment 1: comparison by a household electrical appliance or a terminal device)

In embodiment 1 described above, the matching unit 330 of the server device 300 compares the operation pattern information transmitted to the terminal device 200 with the matching information received from the home appliance 100. Instead of this, the above comparison may be performed in the home appliance 100 or in the terminal device 200. The alignment is: an example of "performing a process related to associating a terminal device or a user of the terminal device with a home appliance" is described. Further, only the comparison is performed at the home appliance 100 or the terminal device 200, and the registration based on the comparison result may be performed at the server device 300.

(modification 8 of embodiment 1: associating a terminal device with a home appliance)

In the above-described embodiment 1, the registration unit 340 of the server device 300 registers the user of the terminal device 200 in association with the home appliance 100 (for example, in association with the user ID of the user of the terminal device 200 and the home appliance ID). Instead, the server 300 may register the terminal device 200 in association with the home appliance 100 (for example, the identification information (terminal ID) of the terminal device 200 in association with the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100).

(modification 9 of embodiment 1: switching to the registration mode upon receiving a predetermined instruction from the server 300)

In embodiment 1 described above, the switching from the normal mode to the registration mode of the home appliance 100 is performed by receiving a predetermined operation (for example, long-pressing the home screen key 521 and the operation mode key 522 simultaneously) by the operation key section 112. Instead, the switching from the normal mode to the registration mode may be performed by receiving a predetermined instruction from the server 300.

For example, when receiving the home appliance ID from the home appliance 100, the control unit 350 of the server device 300 transmits a predetermined instruction to the home appliance 100 that is the sender of the home appliance ID. The prescribed instructions are: an instruction to switch from the normal mode to the registration mode is given. Upon receiving a predetermined instruction from server device 300, control unit 180 of home appliance 100 switches from the normal mode to the registration mode. Accordingly, the user can switch the home appliance 100 from the normal mode to the registration mode without performing a predetermined operation. Therefore, it is possible to simplify: the user operates the terminal device 200 when registering in association with the home appliance 100.

The switching from the normal mode to the registration mode of the home appliance 100 may be performed when both the reception of a predetermined operation from the user and the reception of a predetermined instruction from the server device 300 are satisfied, or may be performed when either one of the conditions is satisfied.

(modification 10 of embodiment 1: Generation of operation Pattern information based on identification information of terminal device 200)

In the above-described embodiment 1, the operation pattern information (2 nd information) is generated based on the identification information I2 (1 st information) of the home appliance 100. Instead of this, the operation pattern information may be generated based on the identification information of the terminal apparatus 200. In this case, the information output unit 210 of the terminal device 200 transmits the identification information to the server device 300. The server device 300 transmits the identification information received from the terminal device 200 to the home appliance 100. The information conversion unit 140 of the home appliance 100 generates operation pattern information based on the identification information (1 st information) of the terminal device 200 received from the server device 300. The information output unit 160 of the home appliance 100 outputs the operation pattern information generated by the information conversion unit 140 to the server device 300.

The server device 300 receives from the home appliance 100: operation pattern information generated based on the identification information (1 st information) of the terminal device 200. Then, the server device 300 transmits the operation pattern information received from the home appliance 100 to the terminal device 200. The information acquisition unit 320 of the server device 300 stores the operation pattern information transmitted to the terminal device 200, the user ID of the user of the terminal device 200 of the transmission source, and the transmission time at which the server device 300 transmits the operation pattern information to the terminal device 200 in association with each other.

Accordingly, the operation of storing the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100 in the storage unit 130 of the home appliance 100 can be omitted, and the manufacturability of the home appliance 100 can be improved.

(embodiment 2)

Next, embodiment 2 will be explained. Embodiment 2 is different from embodiment 1 in that: the temporarily generated random number is used in place of the preset identification information I2.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing the configurations of the home appliance 100, the terminal device 200, and the server device 300 according to embodiment 2. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 130 of the home appliance 100 does not store the identification information I2. Instead, the home appliance 100 has a random number generation unit 190.

The random number generation unit 190 temporarily generates a random number when the home appliance 100 shifts to the registration mode. The random number is only information of a certain number of bits with a low probability of coincidence by chance. The generated random number is an example of "1 st information". The random number generation unit 190 outputs the generated random number to the information conversion unit 140.

The information conversion unit 140 generates operation pattern information based on the random number generated by the random number generation unit 190. The information output unit 160 outputs the operation pattern information generated by the information conversion unit 140 to the server device 300.

The server 300 receives the random number (1 st information) generated by the home appliance 100 from the home appliance 100, and transmits to the terminal 200: the operation pattern information generated based on the random number and received from the home appliance device 100. The information acquisition unit 320 of the server device 300 stores the operation pattern information transmitted to the terminal device 200, the user ID of the user of the terminal device 200 on the transmission side, and the transmission time at which the server device 300 transmits the operation pattern information to the terminal device 200 in association with each other.

The configuration other than the above description may be configured such that "identification information I2" in the description of embodiment 1 (or each modified example of embodiment 1) is read as a "random number". With such a configuration, user convenience can be improved as in embodiment 1. In the present embodiment, the operation of storing the identification information I2 of the home appliance 100 in the storage unit 130 of the home appliance 100 can be omitted, and the manufacturability of the home appliance 100 can be improved.

(modification 1 of embodiment 2: comparison by random number)

In embodiment 2 described above, the collating part 330 of the server device 300 performs collation based on the operation pattern information (2 nd information) transmitted to the terminal device 200 and the collation information (3 rd information) received from the home appliance 100. Instead, the information acquisition unit 320 of the server device 300 transmits a random number (1 st information) to the terminal device 200, receives the comparison information corresponding to the operation pattern information received from the home appliance 100, and performs additional analysis processing (inverse analysis) on the received comparison information to acquire the comparison information corresponding to the random number. In this case, the terminal device 200 includes a table of correspondence between random numbers and operation pattern information, and the information conversion unit 140, and generates operation pattern information based on the random numbers received from the server device 300. The server device 300 also stores a table of correspondence between random numbers and operation pattern information, and performs inverse analysis by referring to the table of correspondence. In the present modification, the collating unit 330 of the server device 300 collates the random number transmitted to the terminal device 200 with collation information corresponding to the random number obtained by the analysis processing. Such a process corresponds to an example of "performing a process related to associating the terminal device or the user of the terminal device with the home appliance based on the 1 st information and the 3 rd information" in the present application.

(modification 2 of embodiment 2: operation pattern information is generated by a server device)

In the above-described embodiment 2, the home appliance 100 generates a random number (1 st information), and the information conversion unit 140 of the home appliance 100 generates operation pattern information (2 nd information). Instead, the operation pattern information (2 nd information) may be generated by the server device 300. That is, the random number generated by the home appliance 100 may be transmitted from the home appliance 100 to the server device 300, and the operation pattern information may be generated by the information conversion unit 140 provided in the server device 300 and transmitted to the terminal device 200. In this case, the terminal device 200 displays the operation pattern information generated by the server device 300.

(modification 3 of embodiment 2: random numbers are generated by a server device, a terminal device, or another device.)

In embodiment 2 described above, the random number is generated by the home appliance 100. Instead, the random number may be generated by the server device 300, the terminal device 200, or another device. In this case, the generated random number is transmitted from server device 300 (or via server device 300) to home appliance 100. For example, the information acquisition unit 150 of the home appliance 100 may request, from the server device 300: the random number generated by server device 300 is transmitted to home appliance 100. In this case, the information conversion unit 140 of the home appliance 100 generates the operation pattern information based on the random number transmitted from the server device 300 (or via the server device 300). In the present modification, the server device 300 may generate operation pattern information based on a random number generated by the server device 300 or the terminal device 200, and transmit the generated operation pattern information to the terminal device 200.

In the above-described modifications 1 to 3, all or a part of the processing (for example, the generation of the random number, the generation of the operation pattern, and the analysis processing for acquiring the comparison information corresponding to the random number) performed by the server device 300 may be performed by the home appliance 100, the terminal device 200, or another device connected to the network N.

Several embodiments and modifications have been described above. However, the embodiments are not limited to the above examples. For example, the combination of embodiment 1 and embodiment 2 may be applied. The "1 st information" is not limited to the identification information of the home appliance 100, and may be the identification information of the terminal device 200 or the identification information of the user. When the identification information of the terminal device 200 or the identification information of the user is used as the "1 st information", for example, when the terminal device 200 is connected to the server device 300, the identification information of the terminal device 200 or the identification information of the user is transmitted from the terminal device 200 to the server device 300 and is managed by the server device 300. Further, information indicating that a predetermined registration operation (user operation) is performed on the terminal device 200 may be transmitted from the terminal device 200 to the server device 300, and when the home appliance 100 connected to the server device 300 is present within a predetermined time range from the transmission time, the identification information of the terminal device 200 or the identification information of the user may be transmitted from the server device 300 to the home appliance 100 and used as the 1 st information. In this case, the identification information of the terminal device 200 or the identification information of the user may be encrypted in advance.

Next, several home appliances are described incidentally.

[1] The home appliance includes:

a drive unit that performs a predetermined function;

an input unit to which state information on at least one of a driving state and a setting state of the driving unit is input; and

and a control unit capable of switching a mode of the input unit between a 1 st input mode in which the state information can be input and a 2 nd input mode in which the state information cannot be input.

With this configuration, the user can input information different from information related to the functions of the home appliance to the home appliance by using the input unit (for example, operating the key unit 112) provided in the home appliance. Accordingly, user convenience can be improved.

[2] The home appliance according to the above [1], wherein the input unit includes: a plurality of input units to which the different state information can be input, the input units including: a switching operation unit that switches between the 1 st input mode in which the state information can be input to the plurality of input units and the 2 nd input mode in which the state information cannot be input to the plurality of input units.

With this configuration, by providing a plurality of input units (e.g., a plurality of operation keys 112a), the amount of information that can be input in one operation can be increased compared to the case of using only 1 input unit. In addition, by providing a switching operation unit (for example, a dedicated operation unit), the input mode can be switched uniformly for a plurality of input units, and it is possible to improve: operability in the case of batch operation of an input unit provided in a home appliance.

[3] The home appliance according to [1], wherein the input unit receives input of the state information in accordance with an operation in a predetermined form in the 1 st input mode, and the control unit switches the 1 st input mode and the 2 nd input mode based on an operation in a form different from the predetermined form performed on the input unit.

According to such a home appliance, the operation key section of the home appliance can be switched, and the input mode can be switched. Therefore, the input mode can be switched without providing a dedicated operation unit and without increasing the number of components or changing the design of the structure.

[4] The home appliance according to any one of the items [1] to [3], wherein the home appliance includes a communication unit that communicates with an external device, and the communication unit is capable of transmitting information received by the input unit in the 2 nd input mode to the external device.

According to such a home appliance, the information input in the 2 nd input mode can be transmitted to an external device. In this way, the home appliance can be used as a communication terminal capable of performing communication. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be improved.

According to at least 1 embodiment described above, an information processing system includes a server device, a home appliance, and a terminal device. The terminal device outputs a display or a sound based on 1 st information or 2 nd information, the 1 st information being information held or generated by the home appliance, the terminal device, the server device, or another device, and the 2 nd information being information obtained based on the 1 st information. The home appliance acquires the 3 rd information based on the display or the voice or a registration operation of the user corresponding to the display or the voice. And 1 of the home appliance, the terminal device, and the server device performs processing relating to association of the terminal device or a user of the terminal device with the home appliance based on the 1 st information or the 2 nd information, and the 3 rd information. With this configuration, convenience can be improved.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the above embodiments are only presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments may be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and gist of the present invention, and are also included in the invention described in the scope of claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Claims

1. An information processing system characterized in that,

the information processing system has: a home appliance, a terminal device, and a server device,

the terminal device outputs a display or a sound based on 1 st information or 2 nd information, the 1 st information being information held or generated by the home appliance, the terminal device, the server device, or another device, the 2 nd information being information obtained based on the 1 st information,

the home appliance acquires the 3 rd information based on the display or the voice or a registration operation of the user corresponding to the display or the voice,

and 1 of the home appliance, the terminal device, and the server device performs processing relating to association of the terminal device or a user of the terminal device with the home appliance based on the 1 st information or the 2 nd information, and the 3 rd information.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1,

the 1 st information is: identification information preset for the home appliance or the terminal device.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1,

the 1 st information is: a random number generated by the home appliance, the terminal device, the server device, or the other device.

4. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the home appliance device includes:

a drive unit that performs a predetermined function; and

an operation unit that receives an operation related to at least one of a driving state and a setting state of the driving unit,

the operation unit is used to receive the operation for registration.

5. The information processing system according to claim 4,

the home appliance switches from a state in which the registration operation is disabled to a state in which the registration operation is enabled when the operation unit receives a predetermined operation.

6. The information processing system according to claim 4 or 5,

when a predetermined operation for switching to a state in which the registration operation is acceptable is performed, the home appliance switches to: a state in which the driving state and the setting state of the driving unit are not affected by the operation of the operation unit by the user.

7. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the home appliance switches from a state in which the registration operation is disabled to a state in which the registration operation is enabled, when receiving a predetermined instruction from the server device.

8. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the terminal device sequentially switches a plurality of operation patterns related to the display or the sound with the passage of time, and outputs the 1 st information or the 2 nd information.

9. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the terminal device sequentially switches a plurality of operation patterns related to the display or the sound based on an operation by a user, and outputs the 1 st information or the 2 nd information.

10. The information processing system according to claim 8 or 9,

the plurality of operating styles comprise: information of the switching order of each pattern can be recognized.

11. A household electrical appliance, characterized in that,

the home appliance device includes:

an information acquisition unit that, when a display or a voice based on 1 st information or 2 nd information is output from a terminal device, acquires 3 rd information based on the display or the voice or a registration operation of a user corresponding to the display or the voice, the 1 st information being information held or generated by the home appliance, the terminal device, a server device, or another device, the 2 nd information being information obtained based on the 1 st information; and

and a control unit that transmits the 3 rd information acquired by the information acquisition unit to the server device, or performs a process related to associating the terminal device or a user of the terminal device with the home appliance based on the 1 st information, the 2 nd information, and the 3 rd information.

12. A program for causing a computer of a terminal device to execute:

the method includes outputting, by display or voice, 1 st information or 2 nd information, the 1 st information being information held or generated by a home appliance, the terminal device, a server device, or another device, and the 2 nd information being information obtained based on the 1 st information.

13. A household electrical appliance, characterized in that,

the home appliance device includes:

a drive unit that performs a predetermined function;