JP2008194153A - Clothes drying state prediction program and washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique which enables a user to easily obtain the time at which laundry is to be dried. <P>SOLUTION: In the clothes drying state prediction program, information is taken out from an RFID tag 30 attached to clothes and is stored in a laundry database 3. A weather forecast for each time zone is acquired through a network 10. On the basis of the attributes of the clothes stored in the laundry database 3 and the acquired weather forecast for each time zone, the drying state of the washed clothes is predicted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a program used in a washing machine, and more particularly to a program for providing information necessary for washing using an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) system.

As a conventional technique, even if the user does not perform the work manually, various information stored in the ID tag attached to the clothing is read out using a reader provided in the washing machine, so that the optimum washing machine There has been provided a technique capable of determining an operation method on the washing machine side and determining operation contents (for example, Patent Document 1). The operation content here refers to washing conditions such as a recommended washing temperature and a recommended washing rotation speed.
JP 2004-174043 A

  In the conventional washing machine, as described above, it is possible to control the optimum washing for the clothes with the ID tag based on the information of the ID tag, but the management of the clothes put into the washing machine after the washing is performed. For example, the time required for drying clothes could not be grasped. The time required for the clothes to dry varies depending on weather conditions and the material of the clothes. For this reason, the user determines the timing for washing and the place to dry the laundry in consideration of the properties such as the material of the clothes to be washed and the time for drying the clothes with reference to weather information and the like.

  As described above, in the related art, there is a problem that although the washing operation of the washing machine can be controlled, the necessary information cannot be provided for the user regarding the clothesline after washing.

  An object of this invention is to provide the technique which can obtain easily information required for clothes drying, such as the time of drying of laundry, without a user performing separate operation etc.

  In order to solve the above problems, a dry condition prediction program for clothes according to the present invention extracts attribute information from an RFID tag attached to clothes, stores it in a laundry database, and provides a weather forecast for each time zone via a network. And the dry state of the washed clothes is predicted based on the attribute of the clothes stored in the laundry database and the acquired weather forecast.

  The RFID tag attached to clothing stores information indicating the relationship with clothing attributes and weather conditions. Using the weather forecast for each time zone obtained via the network and the attribute of the clothing stored in the RFID tag that matches this, it will predict how long the clothing will dry when the clothing is washed .

Before executing the process of predicting the dry state, obtaining the washing end time when the washing of the clothes is completed, the process of predicting the dry state, from the weather condition database storing weather condition information, Searching for first and second weather conditions that consist of weather conditions for different weather conditions and that are consistent with the weather conditions included in the weather forecast, and drying the clothing under the first and second weather conditions The first and second drying times indicating the time required for each of the items are taken out from the laundry database, and the forecasted weather for the time zone after the washing end time in the weather forecast is time-sequentially. Referring sequentially, the first time under the first weather condition is weighted by the ratio of the first drying time to the second drying time, and the second time The second time under the weather condition is added to the accumulated time without weighting, and when the accumulated time becomes equal to the second required drying time, the accumulated time is calculated. It is good also as a structure including the process which sets the said 1st and 2nd time for every used time slot | zone as time required until the said clothing dries.

  Further, for all the garments put into the washing machine, the time required for the drying is obtained and stored in a database, and the garments set for each garment are dried by referring to the database. It is good also as a structure which searches the longest time from the required time, and calculates | requires the time when all the said clothes dry based on the said washing | cleaning completion time and the said longest time.

  According to the present invention, without requiring the user to perform another input operation or the like, based on the weather information of the area where the washing machine is located and the clothes put into the washing machine, the clothes such as the time when the laundry dries are dried. You can ask for the information you need.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a system diagram including a washing machine according to the present embodiment. A washing machine 1 in FIG. 1 is connected to a weather information provider 8 such as the Japan Meteorological Agency via a network 10 such as the Internet, an RFID reader 2, a laundry database (indicated as a laundry DB in the figure) 3, weather conditions A database (weather condition DB) 4, an operation condition database (operation condition DB) 5, a laundry temporary database (laundry temporary DB) 6, and a display 20 are provided.

  The RFID reader 2 detects the RFID tag 30 from the clothes put in the washing machine 1, reads information stored in the RFID tag 30, and stores the read information in the laundry database. The laundry database 3 stores information read for each piece of clothing, that is, information read for each detected RFID tag 30. The weather condition database 4 stores information on standard weather conditions such as daily temperature and humidity in the area where the washing machine 1 is located, and sunshine hours under each weather condition. The operation condition database 5 stores information related to operation conditions of the washing machine designated by the user or the like. The temporary laundry database 6 stores information such as the time required for the clothes put in the washing machine 1 to dry.

  According to the weather information actually acquired from the weather information provider 8, the washing machine 1 determines how long the clothes with the RFID tag 30 that can be recognized by the RFID reader 2 are actually dried. Calculation and prediction based on information stored in the object database 3, the weather condition database 4 and the operation condition database 5). The obtained result is stored in the laundry temporary database 6. Based on the information stored in the temporary laundry database 6, information such as the scheduled drying time is output to the display 20.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the washing machine 1 according to the present embodiment. The washing machine 1 includes a weather information acquisition unit 12, a weather information storage unit 13, and a search unit 14 in addition to the RFID reader 2, the laundry database 3, the weather condition database 4, the operation condition database 5, and the temporary laundry database 6. The calculation unit 15 and the output unit 16 are included. In FIG. 2, only the configuration related to the process of calculating the time for the clothes to dry is shown, and the other configurations are omitted.

The weather information acquisition unit 12 includes a device for acquiring weather information from the weather information providing organization 8 of FIG. The weather information storage unit 13
It consists of an area for temporarily storing acquired weather information.

  The search unit 14 searches the weather condition database 4 for weather conditions that match the acquired weather information. The calculation unit 15 is a weather condition obtained as a result of the matching process in the search unit 14, information about clothes (laundry) stored in the washing machine database 3, and an operation condition that specifies an operation method of the washing machine 1. The necessary information is read from the database 5 and the time required for each garment to dry is calculated. The calculation result is stored in the temporary laundry database 6.

  Based on the information stored in the temporary laundry database 16, the output unit 16 is expected to dry these clothes when the clothes in the washing machine 1 are washed on the display 20 and dried outdoors. Output time. The time that the garment is expected to dry is defined below as the “drying time” of the garment.

Next, a specific method for calculating the drying time of clothes will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the entire process for calculating the drying time of clothes. First, in step S1, information such as clothing and weather conditions is stored in the RFID tag 30 to be attached to the clothing and sewn. In FIG. 3, the process of step S1 is also included in the calculation process of the drying time, but the process of step S1 is not a process in the washing machine 1 but a process as a previous stage. That is, the process of attaching the RFID tag 30 to the clothes in step S1 is performed by a clothing manufacturer or the like, and the process of calculating the drying time of the clothes can be executed by recognizing the clothes with the RFID tag 30 in the washing machine 1 It becomes.

  The processes after step S2 are processes executed in the washing machine 1. First, in step S2, when clothing is put into the washing machine 1, the RFID tag 30 attached to the clothing is detected, and information stored in the tag is read. Since the RFID reader 2 is generally operating at all times, in the embodiment, information is read from the RFID tag 30 at the timing when the clothes are put into the washing machine 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. In order to read information from the RFID tag 30 attached to clothing using the RFID reader 2, for example, when the RFID reader 2 is configured to be turned on / off together with the power of the washing machine 1, Information may be read from the RFID tag 30 at the timing when the power is turned on. In step S3, the information read from the RFID tag 30 is stored in the laundry database 3.

  In step S4, a washing operation of the washing machine 1 is started by a user input or the like. In step S5, the laundry end time of the clothes put in the washing machine 1 is calculated and acquired. The process of calculating the washing end time in step S5 is a technique for calculating based on information such as the number of clothes and the amount of clothes put into the washing machine 1, and this is a known technique. In step S6, weather information after the start of the washing operation is acquired from the weather information providing organization 8.

  In step S7, the drying time of each garment is calculated based on various databases provided in the washing machine 1 and weather information stored in the temporary area. A specific method for calculating the drying time will be described later. In step S8, information such as the obtained drying time is displayed on the display 20 of the washing machine 1, and the process ends.

First, information registration processing to the RFID tag 30 as preprocessing will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing information registration processing for clothing. The process shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to the process of step S1 in FIG.

  First, in step S11, the drying time for clothes is calculated by experiments, predictions, etc., and the obtained data is taken into a computer. In step S12, the obtained data including the drying time is written in the RFID tag 30. When the RFID tag 30 storing the RFID information is sewn on the clothing, the process is terminated.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of RFID information written in the RFID tag 30. The RFID information held in the RFID tag 30 includes a basic information part about clothes and a drying information part.

  The basic information section is made up of information about clothing to which the RFID tag 30 is attached. For example, clothing identification information (clothing ID in FIG. 5), clothing classification information, manufacturer information, color information, size information, and other clothing information. It includes information such as material and fabric thickness. Information included in the basic information section is referred to when a warning is given to a user about a specific garment, when a washing end time is calculated, or when a washing operation is controlled.

  The drying information section includes weather condition identification information (denoted as weather condition ID in FIG. 5) for identifying the weather conditions for drying the clothes, and drying time information associated with the weather condition identification information. In the present embodiment, the weather condition refers to a combination of predetermined temperature, humidity, and weather.

  Here, even if the daily minimum temperature, the maximum temperature minimum humidity, and the maximum humidity are the same, the time required for a certain garment to dry differs depending on whether the weather is clear or cloudy. Similarly, the time required for a certain garment to dry varies depending on changes in daily temperature and humidity even in the same “sunny” weather.

  Based on this fact, in this embodiment, the relationship between the weather conditions and the drying time of the clothes under the weather conditions is previously determined for each clothes. Identification information (weather condition identification information) is assigned for each weather condition, and the RFID tag 30 stores the weather condition identification information and the drying time in association with each other. A plurality of combinations of temperature, humidity, and the like that are prepared are distinguished from each other by the weather condition identification information.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process of reading information stored in the RFID tag 30 using the RFID reader 2 of the washing machine 1. Next, the information reading process in the washing machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step S21, information is read from the detected RFID tag 30. As shown in FIG. 5 described above, the information to be read includes a basic information part related to clothing and a drying information part related to drying time. In step S22, the information read from the RFID tag 30 is stored in the laundry database 3, and the process ends.

  The information reading process shown in FIG. 6 is executed each time the RFID tag 2 attached to the clothes is detected by the RFID reader 2 of the washing machine 1 when the clothes are put into the washing machine 1, and the washing operation is started. It is repeatedly executed until

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure held in the laundry database 3. The laundry identification information (the laundry ID in FIG. 7) is assigned to each laundry put into the washing machine 1, that is, for each detected RFID tag 30. In the laundry database 3, the contents of the basic information portion and the drying information portion read from the RFID tag 30 are stored in association with the assigned laundry identification information.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process for acquiring information from the outside in the washing machine 1. The external information acquisition process will be described with reference to FIG.
First, in step S31, an instruction to start the washing operation is input to the control unit (not shown in the configuration diagram of FIG. 2) of the washing machine, for example, when the user presses the washing start button on the operation panel. The In step S32, taking into account the amount of laundry put into the washing machine 1, the material of the laundry, etc., the time required for washing is obtained to obtain the washing end time. The obtained washing end time is stored in the temporary area. As described above, the calculation of the washing end time in step S32 uses a known technique.

  In step S33, the weather information of the area where the washing machine 1 is placed is acquired from the weather information providing organization 8. In step S34, the acquired weather information is stored in a temporary area (corresponding to the weather information storage unit 13 in FIG. 2).

  In the process of acquiring weather information in step S33, for example, an address of a predetermined site on the web indicating the weather forecast of the area to which the washing machine 1 belongs is registered in advance, and necessary information is extracted by accessing the address. It may be. Alternatively, a general weather information providing service or the like may be used.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of weather information held in the temporary area. The weather information is divided into a plurality of time zones in the same way as generally provided, and weather conditions such as weather, temperature and humidity expected for each time zone, precipitation probability and sunshine It includes information such as time, and includes forecasts for each time zone as well as sunrise and sunset times.

  In the following description, the “time zone” is defined as a time division of weather information provided by the weather information providing organization 8. According to this definition, when the weather information provided by the weather information provider 8 is divided every 6 hours, the time zone is “from 6 am to noon”, “from noon to 6 pm”, etc. When the weather information provided by the weather information provider 8 is divided every 3 hours, it is “from 6 am to 9 am”, “from 9 am to noon”, “from noon to 3 pm "" And so on.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process for performing information analysis in the washing machine 1.
In step S41, operation condition information is extracted from the operation condition database 5. As described above, the operation condition database 5 stores information related to various operation methods when controlling the washing machine 1. In step S42, the time indicated by the “drying time” extracted from the operation condition database 5 is added to the time indicated by the “washing end time” extracted from the temporary area, and the obtained time is set as the clothes drying completion time. To do. The time when the clothesline is completed can also be said as the time when the laundry starts to dry. Therefore, in the following description, the time indicated by the “drying completion time” and the “drying start time” is a time obtained by adding the clothes drying time to the washing end time, and indicates the same time.

  In step S43, the time zone in which the precipitation probability exceeds a predetermined threshold is searched from the weather information stored in the weather information storage unit 13. As the predetermined threshold, a value specified in advance by a user or the like is stored in the operation condition database 5. For example, when the user thinks that the laundry is to be dried indoors when the probability of precipitation exceeds 30%, the user sets “30” as the predetermined threshold value.

In step S44, it is determined whether or not there is a time zone in which the precipitation probability exceeds the predetermined threshold in the searched weather information. Since the predetermined threshold value is a boundary value for determining whether the user dries the laundry outdoors or indoors, when there is a time zone in which the probability of precipitation exceeds the predetermined threshold value, the process proceeds to step S45 to satisfy the condition. Among the time zones, the start time of the time zone that appears first after the clothesline completion time is set as the time limit time. For example, when the threshold value is set to “30”, according to the weather information in FIG. 9, the precipitation probability exceeds 30 percent for the first time from noon to 3:00 pm (12: 00-15: 00) It is a time zone. In this case, the start time “12:00” is set as the time limit time. When there is no time zone in which the precipitation probability exceeds the predetermined threshold in the weather information, the process proceeds to step S46 without performing any particular processing.

  “Time limit time” refers to a time that is the limit at which clothes of laundry can be dried outdoors in the calculation process of the drying time of clothes, and the initial value is, for example, the end of the day of washing Predetermined values such as “24:00” and a time after 24 hours from the laundry end time or the laundry completion time are set.

  In step S46, it is determined whether or not the user is allowed to dry at night. Information indicating whether or not to dry at night is stored in the operation condition database 5. When night drying is permitted, the process proceeds to step S48 without performing any particular process, but when night drying is prohibited, the process proceeds to step S47.

  In step S47, the time limit time is compared with the sunset time, and the time that comes first is reset to the time limit time, and the process proceeds to step S48. After that time, the sunset time, which indicates that it will be dry at night, is compared with the start time of the time zone with a high probability of precipitation according to the weather information, and the earlier time is set as the time limit time.

  By executing the processing from step S43 to step S47 and setting the time limit time, it is necessary to take in the laundry indoors by raining while the laundry is being dried outdoors. An appropriate time is set based on actual weather information and the operation of the washing machine 1 when it is desired to avoid or when it is desired to finish the clothesline and take in the laundry before sunset time.

  In step S48, a process for calculating the drying time for each piece of clothing is executed. The process of step S48 will be described later. In step S49, it is determined whether information is displayed on the display 20 of the washing machine 1. Here, the message displayed on the display 20 is an error message or the like for warning the user that it is not appropriate to hang the laundry outdoors based on the time limit time obtained previously. If it is determined in step S49 that an error message or the like has been displayed on the display 20, the process for determining the time when all the clothes are finally dried is not performed, and the process ends. If it is determined that the message is not displayed, the process proceeds to step S50.

  In step S50, the temporary laundry database 6 is searched to search for a value with the longest drying time from the drying times determined for each piece of clothing. Then, from the time obtained by the search, the time when all the laundry finally dries out, that is, the expected drying time of the clothes is calculated. Specifically, a time obtained as a result of adding the clothes drying time and the longest drying time to the washing end time obtained in step S3 in FIG. 3 is set as the expected drying time of the clothes.

  Furthermore, in step S51, the laundry stored in the temporary laundry database 6 is searched for a laundry for which the drying time is not set (a NULL value is set). Finally, in step S52, information on the expected clothing impression obtained by the above analysis process and the laundry that does not dry out are output to the display 20, and the process ends.

In addition, in the information analysis process of FIG. 10, although the drying start time is set based on the clothes drying time of operation conditions, it is not restricted to this. For example, several stages of clothes drying time may be prepared in advance according to the amount of clothes to be washed, and the clothes drying time may be automatically set. Alternatively, when the washing end time, which is a publicly known technique, is obtained, the clothes drying completion time (drying start time) including the clothes drying time may be calculated. Depending on the amount of laundry and the user's preference, the drying start time may be set without considering the clothes drying time.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the operation condition database 5. The values shown in FIG. 11 can be set by the user via a user interface such as the display 20. As shown in FIG. 11, the operation condition includes clothes drying time information, rain determination precipitation probability information, night drying availability information, and indoor allowable number information.

The clothes-drying time information is information used when calculating the clothes-drying completion time in step S42 of FIG. 10, and indicates the time required for the user to dry the laundry.
The rain determination precipitation probability information is a value for determining the predetermined threshold value used in the determination of step S43. If the precipitation probability exceeds the value of the rain determination precipitation probability information, it is likely to be rainy, so it is outdoors. A value that the user determines to stop drying is set.

  The information on whether or not to dry at night is used in the determination in step S46, and information indicating whether or not to allow drying at night is stored. For example, whether to dry at night is represented by Y / N, where “Y” indicates that nighttime drying is permitted and “N” indicates that nighttime drying is prohibited. The indoor allowance number information indicates the maximum number of clothes that the user determines to be allowed to dry indoors.

  FIG. 12, FIG. 14 and FIG. 16 are flowcharts showing dry time calculation processing for each piece of clothing. With reference to FIG. 12, FIG. 14 and FIG. 16, the processing in step S48 will be described in detail.

  First, in step S61, the weather information stored in the temporary area is searched to search for a time zone including the drying start time. As described above, the drying start time coincides with the clothes drying completion time, and the clothes drying completion time indicates a time obtained by adding the clothes drying time to the washing end time.

  In step S62, the drying start time is compared with the time limit time set in step S45 or step S47, and the time before and after the drying start time and the time limit time is determined. If the drying start time is later in time than the time limit time, the process proceeds to step S63. Note that, for example, 24:00 is set as the initial value of the time limit time, and if the time limit time is not set in the information analysis processing shown in FIG. 10, it is determined whether or not the clothes are dried on that day. The determination is made in step S62.

  In step S63, a message is displayed on the display 20 indicating that it is already raining or after sunset when drying is completed, that is, after the drying is completed, and it is not appropriate to dry outdoors, and the process is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S62 that the time limit time is later than the drying start time, the process proceeds to step S64, and meteorological condition identification information that matches the meteorological information from among the meteorological conditions stored in the meteorological condition database 4. Search for. Specifically, the temperature and humidity are read from the weather information in the time zone including the drying start time, and the weather condition consisting of the temperature and humidity matching the temperature and humidity in the forecast is searched from the weather condition database 4, The weather condition identification information indicating the weather condition obtained as a result of the search is obtained. In the present embodiment, when a weather condition that matches the predicted temperature and humidity is searched from the weather condition database 4, weather conditions corresponding to “sunny” and “cloudy” weather are obtained as search results.

Here, the weather condition database 4 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the weather condition database 4. The weather conditions include weather (weather), minimum temperature, maximum temperature, minimum humidity, and maximum humidity, and further include sunshine hours under each weather condition. Weather condition identification information (indicated as weather condition ID in FIG. 13) is assigned to the combination of these information.

  As the weather conditions registered in the weather condition database 4, typical weather data patterns of one day for each season are registered. For each meteorological data pattern, the same value is set for temperature (minimum temperature and maximum temperature) and humidity (minimum humidity and maximum humidity), for example, as shown in the set with (**) in the figure, As for the weather, two patterns of weather conditions are registered in which “sunny” and “cloudy” are set, respectively.

  In the matching process in step S64, the weather condition identification information having the closest temperature (minimum temperature and maximum temperature) and humidity (minimum humidity and maximum humidity) is obtained, and a set of weather conditions having different weather conditions are extracted as search results. .

  When two weather condition identification information corresponding to the weather of “sunny” and “cloudy” is obtained from the weather condition database 4, the process proceeds to step S65. After step S65, processing is executed for each laundry, that is, laundry identification information.

  In step S65, the weather condition identification information that matches the two patterns of weather condition identification information extracted from the weather condition database 4 in the matching process is searched from the laundry database 3. Then, drying time information associated with the two weather condition identification information obtained by the search is extracted from the drying information in the laundry database 3. Drying time information corresponding to sunny and cloudy weather is retrieved.

  In step S66, the value of the laundry identification information is inserted into the laundry temporary database 6, and the NULL value is inserted into the drying time corresponding to the inserted laundry identification information. When the laundry identification information is stored in the temporary laundry database 6, the process proceeds to step S 67 in FIG. 14, and the clothes information is obtained using the two types of drying time information extracted in step S 65 and the weather information acquired from the weather information providing organization 8. The calculation process of the drying time required until (laundry) dries is started.

  In step S67, the start time of the target time zone is compared with the time limit time. When the start time of the target time zone is later than the time limit time, it is determined that it cannot be dried outdoors due to rain or sunset after that time zone, and the target clothing is further dried. The predicted time calculation process is not performed, and the process proceeds to step S85 in FIG.

  In step S67 of FIG. 14, when the time limit time is later than the start time of the time zone, the process proceeds to step S68, the weather in the weather information of the time zone is referred, and the allocation order is determined. judge.

  Here, “appropriate order” indicates the order of weather that is preferentially applied to the dry time calculation process among the two weather conditions “sunny” and “cloudy”. Determined according to the content. That is, whether the forecast for the target time zone is sunny or cloudy, or whether the weather that is sunny or cloudy is ahead and whether the weather that is sunny or cloudy has a larger proportion Determine the allocation order according to the contents.

  For example, if the forecasted weather is sunny, use the drying time information in “sunny” weather to obtain the expected drying time first. If further calculation is required, further calculate the drying time information in “cloudy” weather. Use to calculate. If the forecasted weather is cloudy, use the drying time information corresponding to “cloudy” to obtain the expected drying time. If further calculation is required, use the drying time information corresponding to “clear” to calculate. Do.

  If the weather forecast is “cloudy after sunny” or “cloudy when sunny” (or sometimes cloudy), it is assumed that the percentage of time occupied by “sunny” weather is large in that time period. Then, when further calculation is necessary, calculation is made for “cloudiness”. When the weather forecast is “cloudy and sunny” or “cloudy temporarily (or sometimes sunny)”, “cloudy” is calculated first, and then “sunny” is calculated.

First, the case where “fine” is calculated first in accordance with the order of allocation will be described. In this case, the process proceeds to step S69.
In step S69, the sunshine hours are read from the weather information, and the read sunshine hours are set as “sunny time”. Then, the time weighted by the sunny drying coefficient obtained from the two types of drying time information during the sunny time is added to the accumulated drying time. In the following description, the drying time in the case of clear and cloudy obtained in step S65 is expressed as “clear dry time” and “cloudy dry time”, respectively. The sunny drying coefficient is defined as the ratio of sunny drying time to cloudy drying time. The time added to the cumulative drying time is hereinafter expressed as “appropriated time”.

  For example, when a sunny drying time is 400 and a cloudy drying time is 200 for a certain garment, the sunny drying coefficient is 400/200 = 2.0. In this case, since the clothes dries in 200 minutes if the weather is fine, it can be said that the clothes dries 2.0 times faster than the cloudy case requiring 400 minutes.

  Therefore, according to the method for calculating the drying time of clothes according to the present embodiment, the time occupied by each weather in each time zone is obtained from the sunshine time with reference to cloudy weather, and the sunny time is weighted using the sunny drying coefficient. Then, in the cloudy time (cloudy time), the cumulative drying time is sequentially added without weighting. The accumulated drying time is determined by comparison with the drying time in the case of cloudiness, which is a weighting standard. That is, the sum of the unweighted times when the cumulative drying time is equal to the cloudy drying time, i.e., the sum of the sunny and cloudy times, is the time it takes for the clothes to dry under the expected weather. Ask for it.

  In step S70, the accumulated drying time is compared with the drying time under cloudy weather (hereinafter referred to as cloudy drying time) to determine whether or not the accumulated drying time exceeds the cloudy drying time. If the accumulated drying time exceeds the cloudy drying time, the process proceeds to step S71. If the accumulated drying time is less than the cloudy drying time, the process proceeds to step S73.

  If the accumulated drying time exceeds the cloudy drying time in the determination in step S70, the time allocated from the accumulated drying time in step S69 is subtracted until the accumulated drying time becomes equal to the cloudy drying time in step S71. Specifically, the difference between the accumulated drying time and the cloudy drying time up to the time zone before the processing target time zone is obtained, and the sunny time necessary to apply the difference time is obtained to obtain the cumulative drying time. Add to time.

  Furthermore, it demonstrates using a concrete numerical value. For example, when the sunny drying time is 200 minutes and the cloudy drying time is 400 minutes, the result of applying the time of 90 minutes from the sunny time 45 minutes x sunny drying coefficient 2.0 (= 400/200) in step S69. Consider the case where the cumulative drying time is 460 minutes. At this time, the cumulative drying time exceeds the cloudy drying time by 60 minutes. In order for the cloudy drying time and the cumulative drying time to be equal, 400- (460-90) = 30 minutes is sufficient. Here, since the sunny time is weighted with a sunny drying coefficient of 2.0, the accumulated drying time is actually 370 + 15 × 2... By adding the sunny time of 30/2 = 15 minutes to the accumulated drying time. 0 = 400 minutes, equal to the cloudy drying time.

In step S72, the total time of sunny time and cloudy time including the sunny time to be applied obtained in step S71 is obtained, stored in the temporary laundry database 6 as clothing drying time, and the process proceeds to step S85 in FIG.

  If the accumulated drying time is equal to or less than the cloudy drying time in the determination in step S70, the cloudy time is added to the accumulated drying time in step S73. The cloudy time is defined as the difference between the time belonging to one time zone and the sunshine time. This is defined as a sunshine duration of “direct solar radiation of 0.12 kilowatts per square meter or more”, and the threshold of 0.12 kilowatts per square meter is a short time after sunrise in the absence of clouds. It is based on the equivalent of solar radiation for a while. That is, in this embodiment, the sunshine time is equal to the period when the weather is “sunny”, and for the period when the weather is “cloudy”, the sunshine time, that is, the sunny time is subtracted from the time belonging to one time zone. Defines a clear time and a cloudy time.

  Return to the description of the flowchart. Since the processing from step S74 to step S76 is the same as the processing from step S70 to step S72, respectively, description thereof is omitted here.

  In the processing of step S75 and step S76, an appropriate amount of cloudy time satisfying the relational expression (cumulative drying time) = (cloudy drying time) is obtained. Since the cloudy time is not weighted, (cloudy time) = (appropriate time).

  As in the previous case, let us consider a case where the sunny drying time is 200 minutes, the cloudy drying time is 400 minutes, and the cumulative drying time is 460 minutes as a result of applying the time in step S73 for 90 minutes. In this case, 400− (460−90) = 30 minutes is sufficient to make the cloudy drying time equal to the cumulative drying time. Since the cloudy time is added to the accumulated drying time without weighting, by adding the cloudy time of 30 minutes to the accumulated addition time, 370 + 30 = 400 minutes, which is equal to the cloudy drying time.

If the accumulated drying time is less than or equal to the cloudy drying time in the determination in step S74, the process returns to step S67 in order to execute a process for allocating time for the next time zone.
The above processing is processing when it is determined in step S68 that the application order is “clear”. Next, a process when it is determined that the application order is “cloudy” in step S68 will be described.

  When calculating “cloudiness” first in accordance with the order of appropriation, the process proceeds from step S68 to step S77. In step S77, the cloudy time is added to the accumulated drying time, and the process proceeds to step S78. Here, as described above, the cloudy time is obtained by the difference between the time included in one time zone and the sunshine time. Then, no weighting is performed on the time to be allocated. This is because the cloudy drying time is used as a reference for determining whether the time has been allocated until the accumulated drying time is reached.

  In step S78, the cumulative drying time is compared with the cloudy drying time. If the accumulated drying time exceeds the cloudy drying time, the process proceeds to step S79. If the accumulated drying time does not exceed the cloudy drying time, the process proceeds to step S81. The processes in steps S79 and S80 are the same as the processes in steps S71 and S72 and the processes in steps S75 and S76.

In step S81, the time weighted by the sunny drying coefficient is added to the accumulated drying time. The reason for weighting is as described above. For the processing after step S82, an appropriate time is calculated so that the cloudy dry time is equal to the accumulated dry time, and the sunny time obtained by dividing the obtained appropriate time by the fine dry coefficient is added in step S81. Is added to the accumulated drying time, which is the same as the processing in step S71 and step S72.

  By executing the processing shown in the flowcharts of FIG. 12 and FIG. 14, the expected drying time is obtained from the weather information for the targeted clothing, and is stored in the temporary laundry database 6 in association with the laundry identification information. Is done. When the setting of the drying time information is completed, the process proceeds to step S85 in FIG. In addition, when the accumulated drying time does not reach the cloudy drying time even though the sunny time and the cloudy time are sequentially applied for all the time zones to be calculated, as the expected drying time information of the temporary laundry database 6, While the NULL value is set, the process proceeds to step S85 in FIG.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the temporary laundry database 6. In the temporary laundry database 6, laundry identification information (indicated as laundry ID in FIG. 15) and expected drying time information are stored in association with each other. In the example shown in FIG. 15, assuming that the above-described drying time calculation processing has been executed for all clothing, the estimated drying time information for the clothing indicated by the laundry identification information “006”, “007”, and “008”. A NULL value is set, indicating that it will not dry in time.

FIG. 16 shows the process after the dry time calculation for a piece of clothing is complete.
In step S85 of FIG. 16, the laundry identification information indicating the target clothing is searched from the temporary laundry database 6, and whether or not a value is stored in the drying time information in association with the laundry identification information. judge. If a value is set in the drying time information, no particular process is performed, and the process returns to step S65 to execute a drying time calculation process for the next clothing.

  If it is determined in step S85 that a NULL value has been set for the drying time, the process proceeds to step S86. When a NULL value is set as the drying time information, it means that the laundry is not completely dried by the time limit time. In step S86, 1 is added to the counter value for counting the number of clothes that do not dry. In step S87, the indoor allowable number, which is one of the operating conditions, is compared with the counter value for the number of clothes that do not dry, and it is determined whether the number of clothes that do not dry exceeds the indoor allowable number. To do. It is assumed that the initial value of the counter for the number of clothes that do not dry is 1. If the number of clothes that do not dry has not yet reached the allowable indoor number, the process returns to step S65 without performing any particular process, and the drying time calculation process for the next clothes is executed.

  If it is determined in step S87 that the number of clothes that do not dry exceeds the indoor allowable number, the process proceeds to step S88, where the corresponding laundry identification information is extracted from the temporary laundry database 6, and the extracted laundry identification information is used as a key. The laundry database 3 is searched to retrieve necessary information about the laundry. In step S89, a message indicating that the number of clothes that do not dry exceeds the allowable indoor number is output to the display 20, and the process returns to step S65.

  As described above, according to the processing for calculating the drying time of clothes shown in FIGS. 12, 14, and 16, the weather information after the time zone including the drying start time is referred to in time series according to the time zone classification of the weather information. I will do it. In each time zone, the time occupied by sunny weather (sunny time) and the time occupied by cloudy weather (cloudy time) are obtained from the sunshine hours of the weather information. Then, in accordance with the allocation order determined by the contents of the forecast, the sunny time and the cloudy time are sequentially added to the accumulated drying time for each time zone. The sunny time is weighted by the ratio of sunny drying time to cloudy drying time (sunny drying coefficient) and then added to the cumulative drying time.

The time is applied sequentially in the appropriate order for each time zone, and the total time of the sunny time and the cloudy time when the cumulative drying time and the cloudy drying time are equal to each other is obtained. The obtained total time is set as the drying time corresponding to the weather information of the clothes.

  In the above embodiment, the sunny drying coefficient is used to weight the sunny time to obtain the accumulated drying time, and the accumulated drying time and the cloudy drying time are compared. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The weighting uses the cloudy drying coefficient, that is, the ratio of the cloudy drying time to the sunny drying time. Good. In this case, the drying time of the clothes is similarly obtained by comparing the accumulated drying time and the sunny drying time and obtaining the total time of the sunny time and the cloudy time when they become equal to each other.

The output process to the display 20 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 17 is an example of displaying on the display 20 the time when all clothing is expected to dry. Among the time information displayed on the display 20, the “estimated end time for washing” is the above-described washing end time obtained in the washing machine 1 based on the amount of laundry, the material of clothes, and the like and the washing start time. .

  “Planned laundry completion time” is a time that is stored in the operation condition database 5 and that is obtained from the time required for the user to dry the laundry after the laundry operation is completed and the “expected laundry completion time”. .

“Time limit time” is the time obtained in step S45 and step S47 of FIG.
The “desired completion time of drying” is a time obtained by adding the longest value of the estimated drying time of clothes to the expected drying time of clothes.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the information displayed on the display 20 is acquired from the weather information provider 8 and information on clothes to be noted when washing laundry, in addition to the expected time information on washing and clothes drying. The weather forecast may be output.

FIG. 18A and FIG. 18B are examples of displaying an error message.
FIG. 18A shows an example of displaying an error message indicating that the laundry cannot be dried outdoors due to rain or sunset. According to the weather forecast, since the probability of precipitation from 9:00 am to noon is high and rain is expected, the time when drying starts after the clothes have been dried (drying start time), that is, the planned drying completion time is 9:00 Displays a message that the time limit has already passed and it is not appropriate to hang it outdoors.

  FIG. 18B shows an example of displaying an error message indicating that the number of clothes set in advance by the user as being able to be dried indoors is exceeded. Clothes that do not dry out by the time limit time, depending on the size and material of the clothes against the value “2” that the user has set in the operating conditions that up to two of the washed clothes can be dried indoors An error message indicating that the number of images has exceeded the limit is displayed. In addition, in the example of FIG. 18B, information about clothes to be dried indoors is also displayed.

  As described above, according to the above-described method for calculating the drying time of clothes, since the weather information of the area where the washing machine 1 is located and the information stored in the RFID tag attached to the clothes are used, The drying time can be determined in accordance with actual weather conditions and clothing characteristics. Furthermore, since weather information is used, information necessary for clothes drying can be determined and provided to the user when it is not suitable for outdoor drying such as rainy weather or sunset.

(Appendix 1)
Attribute information is extracted from the RFID tag attached to the clothing and stored in the laundry database.
Get a weather forecast for each time zone via the network,
Drying clothes characterized by causing a computer to execute a process for predicting the drying state of the washed clothes based on the attribute of the clothes stored in the laundry database and the weather forecast for each acquired time zone Condition prediction program.
(Appendix 2)
Before executing the process of predicting the dry state, obtain a washing end time when washing of the clothing is completed,
The process of predicting the dry state is
Searching the first and second weather conditions that consist of weather conditions for different weather from the weather condition database that stores the weather condition information and that are consistent with the weather conditions included in the weather forecast,
Retrieving first and second drying times from the laundry database, each indicating a time required for the clothes to dry under the first and second weather conditions, respectively;
Of the weather forecasts, the expected weather for the time zone after the washing end time is sequentially referred to in time series, and the first drying under the first weather condition is performed by the first drying. The weighting is performed by the ratio of the time required to the second time required for drying, and the second time under the second weather condition is not weighted and is added to the accumulated time,
When the accumulated time becomes equal to the second required drying time, it is necessary to add the first and second times for each time zone used for calculating the accumulated time to dry the clothing. The dry state prediction program according to supplementary note 1, including a process of setting as time.
(Appendix 3)
For all the garments put into the washing machine, the time required to dry each is obtained and stored in the database,
Refer to the database, and search for the longest time from the time required for the clothing set for each clothing to dry,
The dry state prediction program according to claim 2, further comprising: a process for obtaining a time when all the clothes are dried based on the washing end time and the longest time.
(Appendix 4)
In the process of sequentially adding the first time and the second time to the accumulated time, the weather that occupies each time zone out of the clear and cloudy time, and the weather that appears earlier in the forecast for each time zone The dry state prediction program according to supplementary note 3, including a process for determining whether to add priority to whether it is sunny or cloudy and adding to the accumulated time.
(Appendix 5)
For the time zone including rainy weather or sunset time in the weather forecast, set the start time of the time zone to the time limit time,
In the process of sequentially adding the first time and the second time to the cumulative time, when the time limit time is included in the time zone to be calculated, the calculation of the cumulative time is terminated. The dry state prediction program according to supplementary note 3, further comprising:
(Appendix 6)
Search the database for clothing for which the time required to dry is not set, and when the search results in the corresponding clothing, a message stating that the clothing will not dry by the time limit time is displayed. The dry state prediction program according to appendix 5, further comprising an output process.
(Appendix 7)
First, information is extracted from an RFID tag attached to clothing and stored in a laundry database.
Storage means,
An acquisition means for acquiring a weather forecast for each time zone via a network;
A laundry state prediction means for predicting a dry state of the washed clothing based on the attribute of the clothing stored in the laundry database and a weather forecast for each acquired time zone Machine.
(Appendix 8)
Information is taken out from the RFID tag attached to the clothing and stored in the laundry database.
Get a weather forecast for each time zone via the network,
A method for predicting a dry state of clothes, comprising: a process for predicting a dry state of the washed clothes based on the attribute of the clothes stored in the laundry database and a weather forecast for each acquired time zone .

It is a system diagram concerning this embodiment. It is a block diagram of the washing machine which concerns on this embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed the whole process which calculates the drying time of clothing. It is the flowchart which showed the information registration process to clothing. It is an example of the RFID information hold | maintained at a RFID tag. It is the flowchart which showed the process which reads RFID information using an RFID reader. It is an example of the data structure hold | maintained in a laundry database. It is the flowchart which showed the process which acquires weather information from the outside. It is an example of the structure of the weather information hold | maintained at a temporary area | region. It is the flowchart which showed the information analysis process. It is an example of the structure of an operation condition database. It is the flowchart (the 1) which showed the dry time calculation process for every clothing. It is an example of the structure of a weather condition database. It is the flowchart (the 2) which showed the drying time calculation process for every clothing. It is an example of the structure of a laundry temporary database. It is the flowchart (the 3) which showed the dry time calculation process for every clothing. It is the example of the output to a display (the 1). It is an example (the 2) of the output to a display.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Washing machine 2 RFID reader 3 Laundry database 4 Weather condition database 5 Operation condition database 6 Laundry temporary database 10 Network 12 Weather information acquisition part 13 Weather information storage part 14 Search part 15 Calculation part 16 Output part 20 Display 30 RFID tag

Claims (4)

Attribute information is extracted from the RFID tag attached to the clothing and stored in the laundry database.
Get a weather forecast for each time zone via the network,
Drying clothes characterized by causing a computer to execute a process for predicting the drying state of the washed clothes based on the attribute of the clothes stored in the laundry database and the weather forecast for each acquired time zone Condition prediction program. Before executing the process of predicting the dry state, obtain a washing end time when washing of the clothing is completed,
The process of predicting the dry state is
Searching the first and second weather conditions that consist of weather conditions for different weather from the weather condition database that stores the weather condition information and that are consistent with the weather conditions included in the weather forecast,
Retrieving first and second drying times from the laundry database, each indicating a time required for the clothes to dry under the first and second weather conditions, respectively;
Of the weather forecasts, the expected weather for the time zone after the washing end time is sequentially referred to in time series, and the first drying under the first weather condition is performed by the first drying. The weighting is performed by the ratio of the time required to the second time required for drying, and the second time under the second weather condition is not weighted and is added to the accumulated time,
When the accumulated time becomes equal to the second required drying time, it is necessary to add the first and second times for each time zone used for calculating the accumulated time to dry the clothing. The dry state prediction program according to claim 1, further comprising a process for setting the time. For all the garments put into the washing machine, the time required to dry each is obtained and stored in the database,
Refer to the database, and search for the longest time from the time required for the clothing set for each clothing to dry,
The dry state prediction program according to claim 2, further comprising: a process for obtaining a time when all the clothes are dried based on the washing end time and the longest time. First storage means for extracting information from the RFID tag attached to the clothing and storing it in the laundry database;
An acquisition means for acquiring a weather forecast for each time zone via a network;
A laundry state prediction means for predicting a dry state of the washed clothing based on the attribute of the clothing stored in the laundry database and a weather forecast for each acquired time zone Machine.