CN114766088A

CN114766088A - Receiving apparatus, information processing apparatus, and information processing system

Info

Publication number: CN114766088A
Application number: CN202180006028.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 诸星利弘; 西村勇人
Original assignee: Hisense Visual Technology Co Ltd; Toshiba Visual Solutions Corp
Current assignee: Hisense Visual Technology Co Ltd; Toshiba Visual Solutions Corp
Priority date: 2020-10-19
Filing date: 2021-09-14
Publication date: 2022-07-19
Also published as: WO2022083361A1

Abstract

Provided are a receiving device, an information processing device, and an information processing system, which can introduce the intention of a user in automatic control of an intelligent household appliance, and can perform automatic control by setting and conditions reflecting the intention of the user. The receiving device includes a user interface providing unit, an operation receiving unit, and an instruction transmitting unit. The user interface providing unit provides a user interface for confirming the intention of the user prior to the operation control when it is determined that the operation control of the home appliance is required based on the information on the environment and the predetermined rule. The operation receiving unit receives an operation indicating the intention of the user via the user interface provided by the user interface providing unit. When there is an instruction regarding operation control of the home appliance in accordance with the operation received by the operation receiving unit, the instruction transmitting unit transmits the instruction through a predetermined path that can be transmitted to the home appliance.

Description

Receiving apparatus, information processing apparatus, and information processing system

The present application claims priority of japanese patent application having application numbers 2020-.

Technical Field

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

Background

In recent years, household electrical and mechanical appliances (home appliances) having a wireless lan (local Area network) function, so-called smart home appliances, have been spreading (for example, patent document 1). The intelligent home appliance is capable of receiving an instruction for controlling an operation state or the like via another device by cooperating with an external device via a network.

For example, if it is an air conditioner (air conditioner), for example, the following operations have been performed: warning was performed at an air temperature of 28 ℃ and operation was automatically started at 30 ℃. However, in some cases, the environment in which comfort is felt differs depending on the user. In this case, if the automatic control is unified, the user may not be satisfied. Therefore, there is room for improvement in this point.

In addition, for example, among washing machines as intelligent home appliances, there are washing machines having functions of: if it is determined from the output of the sensor provided in the tank (tank) for holding the detergent for automatic supply that the remaining amount of the detergent is small, the purchase of the detergent is prompted via the user interface.

However, even if the amount of the detergent remaining in the tank is small, the detergent needs not to be purchased when, for example, the detergent is purchased and stored, and the time for prompting the purchase is not appropriate. When the purchase is prompted at an inappropriate time, the user may not be satisfied, and unnecessary purchases may be caused, which is not preferable.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-44929

Patent document 2: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2015-149795

Patent document 3: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2002-315079

Patent document 4: japanese patent laid-open No. 2003-228652

Disclosure of Invention

The problem to be solved by the present application is to introduce the user's intention into automatic control of an intelligent home appliance so that the automatic control can be performed with settings and conditions reflecting the user's intention. Another problem to be solved by the present application is to optimize the time at which the purchase of consumables of an intelligent home appliance is presented.

A receiving device according to an embodiment of the present application includes a user interface providing unit, an operation receiving unit, and an instruction transmitting unit. The user interface providing unit provides a user interface for confirming the intention of a user prior to operation control when it is determined that the operation control of the home appliance is necessary based on information on the environment and a predetermined rule issued by the home appliance. The operation receiving section receives an operation representing an intention of a user via the user interface provided by the user interface providing section. When there is an instruction related to the operation control of the home appliance in accordance with the operation received by the operation receiving unit, the instruction transmitting unit transmits the instruction through a predetermined path that can be transmitted to the home appliance.

An information processing device according to an embodiment of the present application includes: an external information acquisition unit that acquires information on an environment transmitted from a home appliance; a determination unit that determines whether or not operation control of the home appliance is necessary based on the information on the environment acquired by the external information acquisition unit and a predetermined rule; and a confirming unit that confirms an intention of a user regarding the operation control when the determining unit determines that the operation control of the home appliance is necessary.

In the information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application, the external information acquisition unit acquires information on at least one of temperature and humidity as information on an environment transmitted from the home appliance.

An information processing system according to an embodiment of the present application manages a home appliance by transmitting and receiving information to and from the home appliance, the information processing system including: an external information acquisition unit that acquires information on an environment transmitted from the home appliance; a determination unit that determines whether or not operation control of the home appliance is necessary based on the information on the environment acquired by the external information acquisition unit and a predetermined rule; and a confirming unit that confirms an intention of a user regarding the operation control when the determining unit determines that the operation control of the home appliance is necessary.

Further, an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present application includes: a shortage information acquisition unit that acquires information on shortage of consumables sent from a home appliance; a history acquisition unit that acquires purchase history information of the consumable part matching the information on the shortage of the consumable part acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit from an external server; and an information providing unit that notifies, when it is determined that the purchase of the consumable part does not exist based on the purchase history information acquired by the history acquisition unit, information for promoting purchase of the consumable part via an external display unit.

In the information processing device, the history acquisition unit may acquire a next scheduled delivery date when a regular purchase of the consumable part matching the information on the shortage of the consumable part acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit is set in the external server, and the information providing unit may stop the notification of the information for prompting the purchase of the consumable part when the number of days until the scheduled delivery date is less than a predetermined number of days.

In the information processing device, the history acquisition unit may inquire of the external server whether or not a special offer of the consumable part matching the information on the shortage of the consumable part acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit is set, and when the history acquisition unit receives a notice from the external server that the special offer of the consumable part matching the information on the shortage of the consumable part acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit is set, the information providing unit may notify the information on the purchase of the consumable part regardless of the presence or absence of the purchase.

In the information processing apparatus, the history acquisition unit may acquire external information that affects a consumption rate of the consumable part, and the information providing unit may notify the information indicating purchase of the consumable part regardless of presence or absence of purchase and storage when it is estimated that the consumption rate of the consumable part is increased based on the external information.

In the information processing apparatus, the history acquisition unit may further acquire information on a store inventory of the consumable part matching the information on the shortage of the consumable part acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit, and the information providing unit may notify the information on the purchase of the consumable part regardless of the presence or absence of the purchase, when it is determined that the store inventory has decreased to be lower than a threshold value based on the information on the store inventory.

An information processing system according to an embodiment of the present application manages a home appliance by transmitting and receiving information to and from the home appliance, the information processing system including: a shortage information acquisition unit that acquires information on shortage of consumables sent from a home appliance; a history acquisition unit that acquires purchase history information of the consumable supplies that matches the information regarding the shortage of the consumable supplies acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit from an external server; and an information providing unit that, when it is determined that the purchase of the consumable part does not exist based on the purchase history information acquired by the history acquisition unit, notifies information indicating purchase of the consumable part via an external display unit.

The receiving device of the embodiment of the application is provided with: a management means for determining whether or not the consumable supply needs to be replenished based on the device information generated by the detection of the shortage of the consumable supply and the history information generated by the purchase of the consumable supply, and managing the notification information generated when the replenishment is determined to be necessary; a display information generating unit that generates display information based on the notification information; and a processing signal generation means for generating a processing signal based on an input received by a control that displays the display information.

Drawings

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

fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the television device according to embodiment 1;

fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration and functions of the recommendation server according to embodiment 1;

fig. 4 is a diagram showing the connection relationship of each unit and the functional configuration of the television device included in the information processing system according to embodiment 1;

fig. 5 is a diagram showing a television apparatus in which notification information is being displayed according to embodiment 1;

fig. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 1;

fig. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 2;

fig. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 3;

fig. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 4;

fig. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 5;

fig. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 6;

fig. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system according to embodiment 7;

fig. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration and functions of the recommendation server according to embodiment 7;

fig. 14 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 7;

fig. 15 is a diagram showing a television apparatus of embodiment 7 in which a recommendation notification is being displayed;

fig. 16 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 8;

fig. 17 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 9;

fig. 18 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 10;

fig. 19 schematically illustrates information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 11.

Description of the reference numerals

… television apparatus (receiving apparatus), 110 … display panel (external display unit), 113 … wireless communication apparatus, 114 … CPU, 115 … memory, 116 … memory, 117 … BTIF, 118 … MIC, 119 … remote controller, 120 … smart home application, 121 … VUI, 122 … notification display function, 123 … IoT cooperation setting function, 124 … IoT device BT connection function, 20 … household electrical appliance, 20a … washing machine, 20c … air conditioner, 20d … IoT sensor, 20e … remote controller, 30 … wireless LAN router, 200 … management server, 300 … recommendation server, 301, 6851301 4 communication I/F, 310, … control unit, 311 … external information acquisition unit, 1311 … deficiency information acquisition unit, 312 … index calculation unit, 1312 4 history acquisition unit, 313 … determination unit, 1313 … information provision unit, 314 home electrical appliance purchase unit 1314, … confirmation unit, … purchase unit, … processing unit 315, … instruction … purchase processing unit, … purchase processing unit … purchase instruction unit, … purchase processing unit, 316 … trend prediction section, 317 … rules update section, 320, 1320 … storage section, 321 … threshold information, 1321 … account information, 322, 1322 … recommendation rules, 323 … API program, 400 … external cloud, 1101 … icon, 1102 … pop-up box, 1103 … button.

Detailed Description

(embodiment 1)

Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system according to embodiment 1. The information processing system includes a home appliance management server 200, a recommendation server 300, and each device (the television apparatus 10, the home appliance 20, and the wireless LAN router 30 described below) in the house H, and is configured by communicably connecting these devices. In addition, the information processing system is communicably connected to the external cloud 400 when necessary according to the operation mode. Such an information processing system manages the home appliance 20 by transmitting and receiving information to and from the home appliance 20.

The recommendation server 300 is an example of the information processing apparatus in the present embodiment. Note that although fig. 1 shows a single device for convenience as to the home appliance management server 200, the recommendation server 300, and the external cloud 400, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated configuration, and the respective functions may be realized by a plurality of devices. The home appliance management server 200 and the recommendation server 300 may be implemented by the same device.

The devices constituting the home appliance management server 200, the recommendation server 300, and the external cloud 400 are information Processing devices constituted by a general computer, and include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like.

In the present embodiment, a case where the television apparatus (receiving apparatus) 10 is used in a house H of a general household will be described as an example. The house H is not limited to a single building, and may be 1 house among collective houses.

The house H is provided with, for example, a television device 10, a washing machine 20a, a refrigerator 20b, an air conditioner 20c, and a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router 30.

The television apparatus 10, the washing machine 20a, the refrigerator 20b, and the air conditioner 20c are intelligent home appliances (also referred to as IoT (Internet of Things) home appliances) having a wireless communication function. Hereinafter, the washing machine 20a, the refrigerator 20b, and the air conditioner 20c will be collectively referred to as the home appliance 20.

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

The wireless LAN router 30 may also have a function as a wired LAN router. The wireless LAN router 30 may also function as a modem or an optical line terminal, or a modem or an optical line terminal may be provided separately from the wireless LAN router 30.

The network N is, for example, the internet. The home appliance 20 is connected to the wireless LAN router 30 by using a wireless LAN, and is thereby connected to the network N via the wireless LAN router 30. The home appliance device 20 is managed and monitored by the home appliance management server 200 via the network N.

The home appliance 20 functions as an access point of the wireless LAN in a state where it is not wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN router 30. More specifically, the home appliance 20 transmits a signal including an SSID (Service Set Identifier) of the home appliance 20 by wireless communication in a state where the home appliance is not wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN router 30. For example, washing machine 20a transmits the SSID "yyyzzz _ bb _ xxxx" of washing machine 20 a. The SSID is an example of identification information of the home appliance 20 in the present embodiment.

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

The number of wireless LAN routers 30 and home electric appliances 20 installed in house H and the type of home electric appliances 20 are not limited to the example shown in fig. 1.

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

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the television apparatus 10 according to embodiment 1. As shown in fig. 2, the television device 10 includes, for example, an antenna 101, an input terminal 102a, a tuner 103, a demodulator 104, a demultiplexer 105,

input terminals

102b and 102c, an a/D (analog/digital) converter 106, a selector 107, a signal processing unit 108, a speaker 109, a display panel (external display unit) 110, an operation unit 111, a light receiving unit 112, a wireless communication device 113, a CPU114, a memory 115, and a memory 116.

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

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

The selector 107 is configured to: 1 signal is selected from the plurality of signals supplied from the demultiplexer 105, the a/D converter 106, and the input terminal 102c, and the selected 1 signal is supplied to the signal processing section 108.

The signal processing unit 108 is configured to: the image signal supplied from the selector 107 is subjected to predetermined signal processing, and the processed image signal is supplied to the display panel 110. Further, the signal processing unit 108 is configured to: the audio signal supplied from the selector 107 is subjected to predetermined signal processing, and the processed audio signal is supplied to the speaker 109.

The speaker 109 is configured to: the voice or various sounds are output based on the sound signal supplied from the signal processing unit 108. The speaker 109 changes the volume of the voice or various sounds to be output based on the control performed by the CPU 114.

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

The input terminal 102b receives analog signals (video signals and audio signals) input from the outside. The input terminal 102c receives digital signals (video signals and audio signals) input from the outside. The a/D converter 106 supplies a digital signal generated by a/D converting an analog signal supplied from the input terminal 102b to the selector 107.

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

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

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

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

The memory 115 is a ROM that accommodates various computer programs executed by the CPU114, a RAM that provides a job partition to the CPU114, or the like.

The memory 116 is an HDD, SSD, or the like. The memory 116 records the signal selected by the selector 107 as video data, for example. In addition, the memory 115 and the storage 116 store various information used by the CPU114 in executing the processing.

The CPU114 functions as a control unit that controls the entire television apparatus 10 by executing the program stored in the memory 115.

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

Although the television device 10 is used as a display device for displaying information on other intelligent home appliances in the present embodiment, the television device 10 may be applied to other intelligent home appliances instead of the television device 10. Alternatively, a terminal device having a display unit, such as a smartphone, which a user has, is applied to this application instead of the television device 10.

The hardware configuration of the television apparatus 10 shown in fig. 2 is an example, but is not limited to this.

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

The home appliance management server 200 is communicably connected to each home appliance 20 via the network N and the wireless LAN router 30, and manages and monitors each home appliance 20. In addition, upon receiving the information on the environment transmitted from the home appliance device 20, the home appliance management server 200 transfers the information to the recommendation server 300.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration and functions of the recommendation server 300 according to embodiment 1. The recommendation server 300 acquires information on the environment (for example, temperature and humidity) transmitted from the home appliance 20 via the home appliance management server 200, and performs a recommendation notification based on a predetermined rule (a recommendation rule 322 described below) with respect to the operation of the air conditioner 20c by using the television device 10. More specifically, the recommendation server 300 performs a notification (recommendation notification) for confirming the intention of the user prior to the operation control of the air conditioner 20c, which has been automatically performed in the related art.

The recommendation server 300 includes a control unit 310, a storage unit 320, and a communication I/F (Interface) 301. The communication I/F301 is communicably connected to other devices included in the information processing system via the network N.

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

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

The recommendation rule 322 specifies the subject matter of executing the recommendation notification, for example, in the case of (1) described below.

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

Here, the environmental value is, for example, a measurement value of a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. The index is, for example, a summer heat index (Wet Bulb black Temperature, WBGT: Wet Bulb Temperature), and an offensive index.

Although the example in which both the temperature and the humidity are referred to is described here, the recommendation notification may be performed with reference to only one of the temperature and the humidity in the implementation.

Before describing the functional units 311 to 315 included in the control unit 310, the connection relationship among the units included in the information processing system will be described. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a connection relationship between each unit included in the information processing system and a functional configuration of the television apparatus 10. Here, the television apparatus 10 further includes BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark)) IF (Interface) 117 and MIC (microphone) 118. BTIF117 makes it possible to wirelessly connect home appliance 20 and television apparatus 10 conforming to the standard of bluetooth (registered trademark). The MIC118 converts an input sound into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal to the control unit (CPU 114).

In the present embodiment, an IoT sensor 20d and an IoT remote controller 20e are also used as the home appliance 20. The IoT sensor 20d outputs a temperature and a humidity. The output is transmitted to the recommendation server 300 via the wireless LAN router 30 (or BTIF117), the network N, and the home appliance management server 200. The IoT remote controller 20e receives an instruction from the recommendation server 300 via the network N and the wireless LAN router 30 (or the BTIF117), and outputs a signal for controlling the home appliance 20.

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

The notification display function 122 is an example of a UI providing unit that provides a user interface for confirming the intention of the user before operation control when it is determined that the operation control of the home appliance 20 is required based on information (environment value) on the environment issued by the home appliance 20 and a predetermined rule (recommendation rule 322). The VUI121 is an example of an operation receiving unit that receives an operation indicating the intention of the user via a user interface (recommendation notification) provided by the UI providing unit (notification display function 122).

Specifically, the notification display function 122 displays an image or characters on the display panel 110, thereby showing a recommendation notification to the user. The VUI121 is a user interface for a user to perform judgment/operation and the like according to sound. The VUI121 introduces the user's voice via the MIC 118.

Further, IoT coordination setting function 123 and IoT device BT connection function 124 are examples of an instruction transmission unit that transmits an instruction to home electric device 20 via a predetermined path that can be transmitted when there is an instruction related to operation control of home electric device 20 in accordance with an operation received by operation reception unit (VUI 121). Specifically, IoT cooperation setting function 123 performs setting for use in cooperation with each IoT device (home appliance 20). The IoT device BT connection function 124 makes a bluetooth connection based on the BTIF117 with each IoT device (home appliance 20).

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

The external information acquisition unit 311 acquires information on the environment transmitted from the home appliance 20. Specifically, external information acquisition unit 311 acquires, from home appliance management server 200 via network N, measurement values (environmental values) output by a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor provided in air conditioner 20c, another sensor (IoT sensor 20d as a temperature/humidity sensor), and the like. The acquisition may be performed by a response obtained by the external information acquisition unit 311 requesting the home appliance management server 200 at a predetermined timing, or may be performed by the home appliance management server 200 transmitting the response at an arbitrary or predetermined timing.

The index calculation section 312 calculates an index based on the environment value acquired by the external information acquisition section 311. The index is, for example, summer heat index (WBGT), offensive index.

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

When the determination unit 313 determines that the operation control of the home appliance 20 is necessary, the confirmation unit 314 confirms the intention of the user regarding the operation control. Specifically, when the determination unit 313 determines that the operation control is necessary, the confirmation unit 314 generates notification information suitable for the situation and notifies the notification information using the television apparatus 10. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the television apparatus 10 in displaying notification information.

Upon receiving the notification information, the television apparatus 10 displays the content of the notification information on the display panel 110 so as to superimpose the image being displayed. The notification information includes, for example, an icon 1101, a pop-up box 1102, and a button 1103 as a control for receiving an operation by the user. Icon 1101 shows the originating source of the notification. A pop-up box 1102 displays the notification content. The notification content is, for example, "a state in which a heatstroke measure is required. Is the air conditioner turned on for temperature adjustment? Please speak "" turn on the air conditioner "". ". Button 1103 receives an operation to turn off the notification without performing operation control.

When the television apparatus 10 receives a response from the user (i.e., a voice or an operation on the button 1103), the control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 acquires the response, and performs a process according to the content of the response from the user as the instructing unit 315. If the response of the user is a sound notifying the operation of the air conditioner 20c, the instruction unit 315 outputs a signal instructing the start of the operation of the air conditioner 20 c.

The information processing system configured as described above operates as follows. Fig. 6 schematically illustrates information transmission in the information processing system.

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

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

When the summer heat index and the dissatisfaction index do not exceed the upper threshold (or are not lower than the lower threshold) of the index, the controller 310 determines that the operation control of the air conditioner 20c is not necessary as the determiner 313, and ends the process without performing the recommendation notification.

When at least one of the summer heat index and the displeasure index exceeds the upper threshold (or is lower than the lower threshold) of the index, the control unit 310 determines that the operation control of the air conditioner 20c is necessary as the determination unit 313, generates notification information, and outputs the notification information to the television apparatus 10 (step S3). When the television apparatus 10 receives the notification information, the notification display function 122 displays the content of the recommendation notification (notification information) on the display panel 110 by an image superimposed on the display (step S4).

Next, when the user who has notified the recommendation makes an instruction such as "turn on the air conditioner" by voice, the VUI121 receives the instruction and outputs the instruction to the recommendation server 300 (step S5).

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

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

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

In the present embodiment, the display panel 110 of the television device 10 is described as an example of the display unit for performing the recommendation notification, but in the implementation, the display unit may be a display panel provided in a device capable of communicating with the information processing system, such as a smartphone or a tablet computer.

(embodiment 2)

Next, embodiment 2 will be explained. Since this embodiment is a modification of embodiment 1, the same portions as those of embodiment 1 will not be described in detail, and the same reference numerals will be used.

Fig. 7 schematically illustrates information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 2. The present embodiment relates to a case where the user who has notified the recommendation shown in fig. 5 does not return his/her intention to the television apparatus 10 by voice or the like, but operates the remote controller or the like of the air conditioner 20c by himself/herself to directly operate the air conditioner 20c (step S81). In this case, the air conditioner 20c returns feedback information to the recommendation server 300 (step S82). The feedback information is the content of an operation performed by the user with a remote controller or the like. When the feedback information is input from the air conditioner 20c, the control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 recognizes the feedback information as feedback information corresponding to the recommendation notification performed before that.

(embodiment 3)

Next, embodiment 3 will be explained. Since this embodiment is a modification of embodiment 1, the same portions as those of embodiment 1 are not described in detail and the same reference numerals are used.

Fig. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 3. In the present embodiment, when there is no reaction from the user after the notification is recommended (step S4), a new notification is given to the user or a person related thereto (step S51).

Here, the case where there is no reaction from the user is: a response by voice or the like as in step S5, or a feedback from the air conditioner 20c by a user operation (step S81) as in embodiment 2 (step S82). In the case where there is no such reaction from the user, it is considered that the user may not notice the recommendation, and therefore, after a certain time, for example, notification to a terminal device such as a smartphone associated with the user, contact to a mail address or a telephone number associated with the user, attention notification to family members, or the like is performed. The attention notification is performed by contacting a mail address or a telephone number of a family registered in association with the user.

This enables the user to be reliably notified of the recommendation, thereby improving convenience. In addition, in a case where the user is in a situation where the user cannot respond to the recommended notification, the user can be given a notice of attention to the family associated with the user.

(embodiment 4)

Next, embodiment 4 will be explained. Since this embodiment is a modification of embodiment 2, the same portions as those of embodiment 2 will not be described in detail, and the same reference numerals will be used.

Fig. 9 schematically illustrates information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 4. First, in contrast to embodiment 2, the present embodiment adds washing machine 20a as a target of automatic control and user intention confirmation (recommendation notification) before the automatic control.

In addition, the external information acquisition unit 311 of the recommendation server 300 according to the present embodiment acquires weather information from the external cloud 400 (step S1-3). The external cloud 400 in this case is, for example, a Web site or the like on the internet that provides information on weather forecast.

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

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

According to this configuration, for example, if it is predicted that the temperature, humidity, or the like is suddenly changed to a temperature, humidity, or the like unsuitable for washing thereafter, information or the like advising the user to change the scheduled washing time can be presented as a recommendation notification (step S41). This allows the operation reservation of the home appliance 20 to be changed by taking into account information such as weather information that can be acquired from the external cloud 400.

(embodiment 5)

Next, embodiment 5 will be explained. Since this embodiment is a modification of embodiment 4, the same portions as those of embodiment 4 will not be described in detail, and the same reference numerals will be used.

Fig. 10 schematically illustrates information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 5. First, in the present embodiment, a response by the VUI121 is added to embodiment 4 (step S52). In the present embodiment, when the user who has seen the recommendation notification (step S41) instructs "start washing" or the like by voice, the VUI121 receives the instruction and outputs the instruction to the recommendation server 300 (step S51).

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

With this configuration, the same effects as those of the previous embodiment can be obtained.

(embodiment 6)

Next, embodiment 6 will be explained. Since this embodiment is a modification of the other embodiments described above, detailed description of the same portions as those of the other embodiments described above will be omitted, and the same reference numerals will be used.

Fig. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 6. The control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 according to the present embodiment further includes a rule update unit 317 (see fig. 3). The rule updating section 317 creates a personal profile (profile) of the user by detecting the correction of the automatic operation (step S23) and by performing comfort learning (step S24) (step S25), and updates the recommendation rule 322.

Specifically, assume that the result of the automatic control is, for example: the case where the set temperature of the air conditioner 20c is lowered by 0.5 ℃ occurs at a predetermined frequency (a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period), and the user raises the set temperature by 0.5 ℃ within a predetermined time thereafter. In this case, in step S23, the occurrence of the case is detected, and the frequency of occurrence of the case is calculated. In this case, in step S24, it is learned that the set temperature suitable for the user is higher than the standard by, for example, 0.5 ℃. Then, in step S25, the comfort index of the user with respect to the environment value is calculated and recorded in the storage unit 320 as the personal profile of the user. The recommendation rules 322 are then updated with the recorded personal profile for the next action.

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

(7 th embodiment)

Fig. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing system according to embodiment 7. The information processing system includes a home appliance management server 200, a recommendation server 300, and each device (the television apparatus 10, the home appliance 20, and the wireless LAN router 30 described below) in the house H, and is configured by communicably connecting these devices. The information processing system is communicably connected to the cashless checkout server 400 and the EC server 500 as external servers. Such an information processing system manages the home appliance 20 by transmitting and receiving information to and from the home appliance 20.

The recommendation server 300 is an example of the information processing apparatus in the present embodiment. Note that, although the home appliance management server 200, the recommendation server 300, the cashless settlement server 400, and the EC server 500 are illustrated as a single device in fig. 12 for convenience, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the respective functions may be realized by a plurality of devices.

The house H is provided with, for example, a television apparatus 10, a washing machine 20a, a refrigerator 20b, an air conditioner (air conditioner) 20c, and a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router 30.

The television device 10, the washing machine 20a, the refrigerator 20b, and the air conditioner 20c are intelligent home appliances having a wireless communication function. Hereinafter, the washing machine 20a, the refrigerator 20b, and the air conditioner 20c will be collectively referred to as the home appliance 20.

Although the television device 10 is used as a display device for displaying information from another intelligent home appliance in the present embodiment, a home appliance having a display among other intelligent home appliances may be used in place of the television device 10 for this purpose.

Returning to fig. 12, the home appliance management server 200, the recommendation server 300, the cashless checkout server 400, and the EC server 500 are information processing apparatuses having a general computer configuration including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an HDD (or SSD), and the like.

Here, the washing machine 20a includes: a tank for holding a detergent or a softener to be automatically supplied; and a sensor for detecting the amount of the remaining liquid in the tank. When it is determined based on the output of the sensor that the remaining amount of the detergent (or softener) is small, washing machine 20a generates and outputs information indicating the fact (information on insufficient consumable supplies (equipment information)). The information output from the washing machine 20a is transmitted to the home appliance management server 200 via the wireless LAN router 30 and the network N.

The home appliance management server 200 is communicably connected to each home appliance 20 via the network N and the wireless LAN router 30, and manages and monitors each home appliance 20. In addition, upon receiving information on the shortage of consumable supplies from the home appliance device 20, the home appliance management server 200 transfers the information to the recommendation server 300.

The cashless checkout server 400 manages transaction information (purchase history) after electronic checkout. The transaction information is information on a product purchased by the user who is the subject of the transaction, and is stored in the cashless checkout server 400 in association with the identification information of the user. Upon receiving the request from the recommendation server 300, the cashless checkout server 400 transmits transaction information corresponding to the request as a response.

The EC server 500 provides an EC (Electric Commerce) website and manages transaction information (purchase history). The transaction information is information on a product purchased by a user who is the subject of the transaction, and is stored in the EC server 500 in association with identification information of the user. Upon receiving the request from the recommendation server 300, the EC server 500 transmits transaction information corresponding to the request as a response.

The recommendation server 300 acquires information on the shortage of consumable supplies from the home appliance device 20 via the home appliance management server 200, acquires purchase history and the like from the EC server 500 and the cashless settlement server 400, and performs a recommendation notification based on a predetermined rule (recommendation rule) by the television apparatus 10.

Fig. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration and an example of the function of the recommendation server 300 according to embodiment 7. The recommendation server 300 includes a control unit 1310, a storage unit 1320, and a communication I/F (Interface) 1301.

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

The communication I/F1301 is communicably connected to other apparatuses included in the information processing system via the network N.

The storage unit 1320 stores account information 1321 and recommendation rules 1322. The account information 1321 is information on the account of the customer, such as a customer ID and a password, and is managed in association with identification information of the customer (user). The customer ID and the password are information for registering as a customer on the EC site. When the customer logs in to the EC site, the purchase can be performed, the purchase history can be referred to, and the like.

The recommendation rule 1322 specifies the subject matter of executing the recommendation notification when, for example, the following (1) to (3) are complete.

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

Specifically, in the case of the washing machine 20a, when it is determined from the output of the sensor provided in the tank for the detergent to be automatically put in, that the detergent remains little, information indicating that fact (information on the shortage of the consumable supplies) is output.

(2) The existence of the detergent is judged based on the purchase history.

For example, the cycle in which the detergent needs to be replenished can be estimated using the speed of decrease of the detergent estimated from the transition of the output of the sensor of the washing machine 20a, and the presence or absence of the purchase can be estimated by comparing the cycle with the purchase history.

(3) Further, if the consumable supply indicated by the information on the shortage of the consumable supply is purchased periodically, the number of days until the next scheduled delivery day is equal to or more than a predetermined number of days (N days).

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

The shortage information acquisition unit 1311 acquires information on shortage of consumable supplies from the home appliance 20 via the home appliance management server 200. The acquisition may be performed by the deficiency information acquisition unit 1311 requesting the home appliance management server 200 at a predetermined timing and receiving a response, or may be performed by the home appliance management server 200 transmitting the request at an arbitrary or predetermined timing.

The history acquisition unit 1312 requests the purchase history information of the consumable part matching the information on the consumable part shortage acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit 1311 from the external server (the cashless settlement server 400, the EC server 500), and acquires the purchase history information as a response to the request. Further, when a regular purchase of the consumable supplies matching the information on the shortage of the consumable supplies is set, the history acquisition unit 1312 acquires the next scheduled delivery date. The history acquisition unit 1312 uses the account information 1321 when making the request.

The information provider 1313 performs a recommendation notification based on the recommendation rule 1322. The recommendation notification is a notification of information (notification information) indicating purchase (replenishment) of a deficient consumable (or similar product or the like). Information provider 1313 determines whether replenishment of the consumable supply is necessary based on equipment information (information on the shortage of the consumable supply) generated by detection of the shortage of the consumable supply and purchase history information generated by purchase of the consumable supply, and if it is determined that replenishment is necessary, generates notification information.

When an operation indicating an intention to purchase is received by a GUI (graphical User interface) displayed on a predetermined display unit (display panel 110) in response to the recommendation notification, the purchase processing unit 1314 orders the product to the EC site.

Here, the control unit of the television apparatus 10 functions as a management unit, a display information generation unit, and a processing signal generation unit. The management means manages information (notification information) notified by the recommendation notification. The display information generation means generates display information based on the notification information. The processing signal generation means generates a processing signal in accordance with an input received by a control displayed based on the display information.

The information processing system configured as described above operates as follows. Fig. 14 schematically illustrates information transfer in the information processing system.

First, control unit 1310 of recommendation server 300 functions as shortage information acquisition unit 1311 to acquire information (for example, the remaining amount) on shortage of the consumable parts, which washing machine 20a has issued based on the output of the remaining amount detection sensor, via home appliance management server 200 (step S1). Here, information on the shortage of consumables is provided from the home appliance management server 200 to the recommendation server 300, and information (brand, trade name, size, etc.) that specifies the consumables is also provided.

The control unit 1310 of the recommendation server 300 that has acquired the information in step S1 serves as the history acquisition unit 1312 and requests the purchase history of the consumable part from the cashless checkout server 400 and the EC server 500 (step S2), and acquires the purchase history as a response to the request (step S3). In step S3, if there is a scheduled purchase schedule of the consumable supplies indicated by the information on the shortage of the consumable supplies, the history acquisition unit 1312 acquires the next delivery date.

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

In step S4, if it is determined that the recommendation notification is not necessary (that is, the purchase of the detergent is stored in accordance with the purchase history or the number of days is less than N until the next scheduled delivery date), the control unit 1310 does not perform the recommendation notification and ends the present process.

In addition, when it is determined in step S4 that the recommendation notification is necessary (that is, the detergent is not purchased or the number of days N or more until the next scheduled delivery date is reached according to the purchase history), the control unit 1310 provides the recommendation notification to the television apparatus 10 as the information providing unit 1313 (step S5).

When receiving the recommendation notification, the television apparatus 10 displays the content of the recommendation notification on the display panel 110 so as to be superimposed on the image being displayed. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the television apparatus 10 in displaying a recommendation notification. The recommendation notification includes, for example, an icon 1101, a pop-up box 1102, and

buttons

1103 and 1104 as controls for receiving an operation by the user. Icon 1101 shows the originating source of the notification. A pop-up box 1102 displays the notification content. The notification content is, for example, "detergent does not appear. Is it about to purchase? ". The button 1103 receives an operation indicating purchase intention. The button 1104 receives an operation of turning off the notification without purchasing.

Returning to fig. 14, the remote controller 119 receives an operation by the user, for example (step S6). Although the operation reception is set to be received by the remote control 119 in the present embodiment, the operation reception may be realized as an operation reception by a voice conversation using a microphone or the like.

When the user selects the button 1103 to indicate the intention of purchase, the operation is transmitted from the television device 10 to the recommendation server 300. The control unit 1310 of the recommendation server 300 that received the transmission of the operation indicating the purchase intention orders the product to the EC server 500 as the purchase processing unit 1314 (step S7).

As described above, although the recommendation notification has been conventionally made at this point in time when it is detected that the remaining amount of detergent in the washing machine 20a is small, according to the present embodiment, the recommendation notification can be made when it is determined that there is a high possibility that the detergent is not purchased and stored from the purchase history. Thus, the time at which the consumable of the smart home appliance is purchased can be optimally presented. Conventionally, recommendation notification is performed regardless of the presence or absence of purchase, and therefore, there is a possibility that a user may feel unsatisfied by purchasing at unnecessary times or the like.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the recommendation notification is given in consideration of the period until the next scheduled delivery date for the consumable part to be purchased regularly, it is possible to eliminate the purchase overlapping with the regular shift, and further optimization of the time and improvement of convenience can be achieved.

In the present embodiment, the operation for purchasing the consumable supplies is received in the recommendation notification, and if the purchase intention is displayed, the purchase procedure is performed, but in the implementation, the notification of the lack of the remaining amount of the consumable supplies and the arrival of the purchase timing may be stopped without receiving the purchase operation or the like.

In the present embodiment, a recommendation notification of a consumable part having a purchase history is made, and a purchase operation is received by using a control included in the display of the recommendation notification. Such a process is suitable for a situation where the consumables are sold out or manufactured out in the presence of a purchase history.

In the present embodiment, the display panel 110 of the television apparatus 10 is described as an example of the display unit for performing the recommendation notification, but in the implementation, the display unit may be a display panel provided in an apparatus capable of communicating with the information processing system, such as a smartphone or a tablet computer.

(modification example)

Although the above embodiment has been described with reference to the consumables (detergent and softener) of the washing machine 20a, the time of purchase recommendation in the event of shortage can be optimized similarly for the consumables of other home appliances 20. Examples of consumables of the other home electric appliances 20 include toner and ink for a printer, a filter for an air cleaner, a paper bag for a vacuum cleaner, and lamp oil for a heating stove.

For example, the recommendation server 300 receives a notification indicating that the remaining amounts of toner and ink output from the printer are small, and performs a recommendation notification when it is estimated from the purchase history that the toner and ink are not purchased.

In the case of a printer that does not output a notification indicating that the remaining amount is small, the recommendation server 300 estimates the remaining amounts of toner and ink by comparing the number of printable sheets predicted from the capacity with the actual number of printed sheets. Then, the recommendation server 300 performs a recommendation notification when it is estimated that the remaining amounts of toner and ink have decreased to below a predetermined threshold value and it is estimated that the purchase history indicates that the purchase has not been made.

In addition, for example, the recommendation server 300 receives a notification indicating that the replacement timing output by the air purifier has come, and when there is no purchase history after the previous replacement, performs a recommendation notification prompting purchase of the filter.

In the case of an air cleaner that does not output a notification of the replacement time, the recommendation server 300 performs a recommendation notification that presents filter purchase when the next replacement time predicted from the operation period after replacement is less than N days and there is no history of purchase after the previous replacement.

(embodiment 8)

Next, embodiment 8 will be explained. Since this embodiment is a modification of embodiment 7, the same portions as those of embodiment 7 will not be described in detail, and the same reference numerals will be used.

Fig. 16 schematically illustrates information transfer in the information processing system according to embodiment 8.

The history acquisition unit 1312 of the present embodiment inquires of the external servers (the cashless settlement server 400 and the EC server 500) whether or not a special sale of the consumable supplies matching the information (shortage information) on the shortage of the consumable supplies acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit 1311 is set (step S2 a).

When the history acquisition unit 1312 receives a message from the external server that the special sale of the consumable supplies matching the shortage information is set (step S3a), the information providing unit 1313 of the present embodiment notifies (notifies of recommendation) information indicating purchase of the consumable supplies regardless of the presence or absence of purchase of the consumable supplies. When the recommendation notification of the present embodiment is performed, the notification content displayed in the pop-up box 1102 is, for example, "detergent used at ordinary times is sold. Is there a possibility of purchasing storage, but do you want to purchase? ".

According to the present embodiment, in addition to the effect exhibited by embodiment 7, it is possible to facilitate purchase of consumables matching special offers.

(embodiment 9)

Next, embodiment 9 will be explained. Since this embodiment is a modification of embodiment 7, the same portions as those in embodiment 7 will not be described in detail, and the same reference numerals will be used.

Fig. 17 schematically illustrates information transfer in the information processing system according to embodiment 9.

The history acquisition unit 1312 according to the present embodiment acquires external information that affects the consumption rate of the consumable supplies (step S3 b). The external information is, for example, weather information. The history acquisition unit 1312 according to the present embodiment acquires weather information from, for example, a website on which weather forecast is displayed.

When it is estimated from the external information (weather information) that the consumption rate of the consumable supplies becomes faster, the information providing unit 1313 of the present embodiment notifies (recommends) information indicating purchase of the consumable supplies regardless of the presence or absence of purchase and storage of the consumable supplies. In the recommendation notification of the present embodiment, the notification content displayed in the pop-up box 1102 is, for example, "weather will continue as if sunny weather will continue in the future. Is the opportunity for detergent/softener use likely to increase, and therefore is it likely to be purchased? ". In addition, another example of the notification content displayed on the pop-up box 1102 is "rain seems to last long. Is a room dryer detergent purchased? ".

According to the present embodiment, in addition to the effect exhibited by embodiment 7, it is possible to facilitate purchase of consumables matching external information such as weather.

(modification example)

Another example of the external information is information related to a store stock of consumable supplies. The history acquisition unit 1312 further acquires information on the store inventory of the consumable supplies matching the information on the consumable supply shortage acquired by the shortage information acquisition unit 1311. The information providing unit 1313, when determining that the store inventory has decreased to below the threshold value based on the information on the store inventory, notifies (recommends) information that prompts purchase of the consumable part regardless of the presence or absence of purchase. In the recommendation notification of the present embodiment, the notification content displayed in the pop-up box 1102 is, for example, "there is only a small amount of store inventory. Is there a possibility of purchase and storage, but will purchase it at present? ".

According to the present embodiment, in addition to the effect exhibited by embodiment 7, it is possible to easily avoid the inconvenience of stock shortage in stores at the time when replenishment of consumables is required.

(embodiment 10)

Next, embodiment 10 will be explained. Since this embodiment is a modification of embodiment 7, the same portions as those in embodiment 7 will not be described in detail, and the same reference numerals will be used.

Fig. 18 is a diagram schematically illustrating information transmission in the information processing system according to embodiment 10. The information processing system of the present embodiment further includes a pressure sensor for detecting the presence or absence or the remaining amount of the purchased detergent. The pressure sensor may be provided at the bottom of a place where the detergent is stored, or may be attached to the bottom of a bottle for storing the detergent.

The output of the pressure sensor is transmitted to the recommendation server 300 via the home appliance management server 200 (step S1 a). When the input of step S1a is made, information providing unit 1313 of the present embodiment notifies (recommends) information that prompts purchase of a consumable part. In the recommendation notification of the present embodiment, the notification displayed in the pop-up box 1102 is, for example, "there is no detergent purchase. Is it purchased? ".

(embodiment 11)

Next, embodiment 11 will be explained. Since this embodiment is a modification of embodiment 7, the same portions as those of embodiment 7 will not be described in detail, and the same reference numerals will be used.

Fig. 19 schematically illustrates information transfer in the information processing system according to embodiment 11. The information processing system improves purchase management by learning. The improvement of the purchase management is achieved, for example, by updating the recommendation rules 1322. The control unit 1310 of the recommendation server 300 according to the present embodiment includes a rule adjustment unit that adjusts the recommendation rule 1322.

The rule adjustment unit first analyzes the relationship between the parameters (for example, brand and price) of the consumable part and the purchase based on the purchase history, and digitizes the relationship (step S11). Specifically, parameters from the recommendation notification to the purchase achievement (or the purchase failure) are represented by numerical values.

Next, the rule adjustment section creates a personal profile (profile) using the numerical value indicating the relationship between the parameter obtained in step S11 and the purchase (step S12). That is, the rule adjusting unit integrates information on the preference of the consumable product, such as the brand and price of the consumable product, into a numerical value.

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

(4) Recommendations are suppressed for consumable items such as brands, prices, and stores that tend to be purchased inefficiently from a recommendation notification.

(5) The consumable supplies of brands, prices, stores, and the like, which tend to be purchased at a high rate, are recommended from the recommendation notification.

(6) If the purchase tendency is high from the recommendation notification of the new product, the recommendation notification is performed regardless of the existence of the purchase and storage.

(7) If the purchase tendency is high from the recommended notification of special sale, the recommended notification is performed regardless of the existence of purchase and storage.

According to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects exhibited by embodiment 7, it is possible to perform recommendation notification according to the preference of the user.

The programs executed in the information processing systems according to the above-described embodiments 1 to 11 and the modifications are provided by being loaded in advance in a ROM or the like.

The programs executed in the information processing systems according to embodiments 1 to 11 and the modifications described above may be provided as files in an installable or executable format recorded on a computer-readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a Flexible Disk (FD), or a CD-R, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

Further, the program executed in the information processing system according to embodiment 1 to embodiment 11 and the modification described above may be stored in a computer connected to a network such as the internet and provided by downloading the program through the network. Further, the programs executed in the information processing systems according to embodiments 1 to 11 and the modifications described above may be provided or distributed via a network such as the internet.

The programs executed in the information processing systems according to the above-described embodiments 1 to 11 and modifications have a module configuration including the above-described respective units (external information acquisition unit 311, index calculation unit 312, determination unit 313, confirmation unit 314, instruction unit 315, tendency prediction unit 316, rule update unit 317, deficiency information acquisition unit 1311, history acquisition unit 1312, information provision unit 1313, and purchase processing unit 1314), and as actual hardware, a CPU (processor) reads and executes the programs from the ROM, and the respective units are loaded on a main storage device, and the external information acquisition unit 311, index calculation unit 312, determination unit 313, confirmation unit 314, instruction unit 315, tendency prediction unit 316, rule update unit, deficiency information acquisition unit 1311, history acquisition unit 1312, information provision unit 1313, and purchase processing unit 1314 are generated on the main storage device.

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

Claims

A reception device is provided with:

a user interface providing unit that provides a user interface for confirming a user's intention prior to performing operation control of a home appliance when it is determined that the operation control of the home appliance is necessary based on environment-related information and a predetermined rule issued by the home appliance;

an operation receiving unit that receives an operation indicating an intention of a user via the user interface provided by the user interface providing unit; and

and an instruction transmitting unit that transmits, when there is an instruction related to operation control of the home appliance in accordance with the operation received by the operation receiving unit, the instruction to the home appliance through a predetermined path that can be transmitted to the home appliance.
An information processing apparatus, comprising:

an external information acquisition unit that acquires information on an environment transmitted from a home appliance;

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

and a confirming unit configured to confirm an intention of a user regarding the operation control when the determining unit determines that the operation control of the home appliance is required.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

the external information acquisition unit acquires information on at least one of temperature and humidity as information on an environment transmitted from the home appliance.
An information processing system that manages a home appliance by transmitting and receiving information to and from the home appliance, the information processing system comprising:

an external information acquisition unit that acquires information on an environment transmitted from the home appliance;

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

and a confirming unit configured to confirm an intention of a user regarding the operation control when the determining unit determines that the operation control of the home appliance is required.