JP2016105530A - Information notification method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information notification method capable of notifying a user display terminal of a determination result of the ON/OFF state of a predetermined home electric appliance, at proper timing while a user of the display terminal is out and not remote from a user house.SOLUTION: A server 200 manages information designating the predetermined home electric appliance among one or more home electric appliances, receives from the display terminal the position information of the display terminal of a home electric appliance user, to compare with the position information of the display terminal using a memory for managing the position information of the house. On determining that the display terminal position is within the range of a predetermined distance from the house, the server receives log information, including the ON/OFF state of the predetermined home electric appliance, from the predetermined home electric appliance through a first network, and provides the information indicative of the ON/OFF state of the predetermined home electric appliance, to the display terminal through a second network.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a status notification such as forgetting to turn off household electrical appliances when going out.

  In recent years, household appliances or AV devices that can be connected to a network have increased. In connection with this, it is considered that a cloud business operator collects various log information including operation history of home appliances or AV devices via a network. A system for controlling home appliances or AV devices using the collected log information is expected.

Japanese Patent No. 4703784

  However, the above system is in the investigation stage, and further improvement is necessary for practical use.

An information notification method in an information management system for managing information indicating a state of one or more home appliances in a house,
Managing information for designating a predetermined home appliance among the one or more home appliances;
Receiving the position information of the display terminal of the user of the home appliance from the display terminal;
When it is determined that the position of the display terminal is within a predetermined distance from the house as compared with the position information of the display terminal using a memory that manages the position information of the house.
Receiving log information including the ON / OFF state of the predetermined household electrical appliance from the predetermined household electrical appliance via the first network;
While the position of the display terminal is included within the range of the predetermined distance from the house, information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is provided to the display terminal via the second network. is there.

  According to the above aspect, further improvement can be realized.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information notification system 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the household appliances 101 of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the server 200 of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the portable apparatus 300 of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the range in the 1st Example of the predetermined range judgment part 206 of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in the 1st Example of the predetermined range judgment part 206 of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the range in the 2nd Example of the predetermined range judgment part 206 of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in the 2nd Example of the predetermined range judgment part 206 of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram in the 3rd Example of the predetermined range judgment part 206 of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the range in the 3rd Example of the predetermined range judgment part 206 of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in the 3rd Example of the predetermined range judgment part 206 of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. (A), (b), (c) is a figure which shows the example of a data format of the household appliance log information of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention, respectively. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the portable apparatus of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows another example of the display of the portable apparatus of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows another example of the display of the portable apparatus of the information notification system 10 in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the server 200 of the information notification system in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in the 1st implementation example of the required time acquisition part 211 of the information notification system in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in the 2nd implementation example of the required time acquisition part 211 of the information notification system in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the portable apparatus of the information notification system in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows another example of the display of the portable apparatus of the information notification system in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a whole block diagram of the information notification system 11 in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the monitoring apparatus 103 of the information notification system 11 in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the server 200 of the information notification system 11 in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display at the time of the monitoring apparatus registration by the portable apparatus of the information notification system 11 in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the information notification system 11 in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the implementation example of the data structure in the corresponding | compatible monitoring apparatus recording part 216 of the information notification system 11 in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement in the 1st implementation example of the monitoring log judgment part 213 of the information notification system 11 in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display by the portable apparatus of the information notification system 11 in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows another example of the display by the portable apparatus of the information notification system 11 in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the server 200 of the information notification system in Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the information notification system in Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display by the portable apparatus of the information notification system in Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows another example of the display by the portable apparatus of the information notification system in Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a setting screen which sets the household appliances which notify an ON / OFF state with the information notification system in Embodiment 1-4 of this invention. (A) is a figure which shows the whole image of the service which the information management system in this Embodiment provides, (B) is a figure which shows the example in which an apparatus maker corresponds to a data center operating company, (C ) Is a diagram showing an example in which both or one of the device manufacturer and the management company corresponds to the data center operating company. It is a figure which shows the whole image of the service which the information management system in the service type 1 (in-house data center type | mold cloud service) provides. It is a figure which shows the whole image of the service which the information management system in the service type 2 (IaaS use type cloud service) provides. It is a figure which shows the whole image of the service which the information management system in the service type 3 (PaaS use type cloud service) provides. It is a figure which shows the whole image of the service which the information management system in the service type 4 (SaaS use type | mold cloud service) provides.

(Knowledge that became the basis of the present invention)
As a system for notifying the operating status of devices, a slave device that operates in conjunction with the master device and does not operate alone among multiple electrical devices is operated when the slave device is not operating. If there is a notification, there is a notification (Prior Document 1 <Patent No. 4703784>).

  However, the technique disclosed in Prior Literature 1 determines that each electrical appliance 1005 is operating when the power consumption by the power consumption measuring device 1001 attached to each electrical appliance 1005 exceeds a threshold. . Therefore, it is not considered to determine the operating state of an electrical appliance that does not have a dedicated measurement device that measures power consumption for each device, such as a home appliance or an AV device.

  Further, the technology disclosed in the prior art document 1 is that the power control support apparatus 101 uses the power consumption of the main device for a slave device that operates in conjunction with the main device without operating alone among the plurality of electric appliances 1005. When the measurement device 1001 and the power consumption measurement device 1001 of the slave device are confirmed and it is determined that the power consumption measurement device 1001 of the master device is not operating, the power consumption measurement device 1001 of the slave device is the slave device. If it is determined that the device is operating, it is determined that the slave device has forgotten to turn off the power. After that, energy saving support such as notifying the user that the slave device has been forgotten to be turned off is performed. The timing for notifying forgetting is the timing when the power control support apparatus 101 determines that the forgetting to turn off or the timing when the forgetting to turn off state is abnormally measured for a certain period of time, so the notification timing is determined based on the user's behavior. That is not taken into account.

  Therefore, for example, the operating state of the electrical appliance cannot be notified when the user goes out while the user is in the house or when the user goes out and is within a predetermined range from the house. Requests for notification of household appliances that remain ON while the device is in the house, or notification of forgetting to turn off electrical appliances only when the appliance is out of the office It cannot respond to the user's request.

  Furthermore, the technique disclosed in the prior art document 1 is a case where the power consumption measuring device 1001 of the main device determines that the main device is not operating, and the power consumption measuring device of the sub device operates the sub device. If it is determined that the main device has been forgotten to turn off the power, it is considered that the main device has been forgotten to be turned off and that notification is made accordingly. Absent. Further, for example, it is impossible to respond to a user's request such as requesting notification of an operation status including operation / non-operation of an electrical appliance.

  Therefore, the following improvement measures were examined in order to improve the function of the information notification system.

One aspect of the information notification method of the information management system is:
An information notification method in an information management system for managing information indicating a state of one or more home appliances in a house,
Managing information for designating a predetermined home appliance among the one or more home appliances;
Receiving the position information of the display terminal of the user of the home appliance from the display terminal;
When it is determined that the position of the display terminal is within a predetermined distance from the house as compared with the position information of the display terminal using a memory that manages the position information of the house.
Receiving log information including the ON / OFF state of the predetermined household electrical appliance from the predetermined household electrical appliance via the first network;
While the position of the display terminal is within the predetermined distance from the house, information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is provided to the display terminal via the second network.

  According to the above aspect, when it is determined that the position of the display terminal is within the predetermined distance from the house based on the position information of the display terminal of the user of the household appliance, the ON / OFF of the predetermined household appliance is Based on the log information including the state, information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is provided to the display terminal.

  Accordingly, it is determined that the display terminal is within a predetermined distance from the house using the position information of the display terminal of the user of the home appliance, and log information including the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is obtained. Since the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is used to determine the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance accurately even if the predetermined home appliance does not include a dedicated measuring device. The judgment result can be transmitted to the user's display terminal at an appropriate time when the user of the display terminal is out and is not away from the user's house.

  Further, for example, when the user wants to confirm whether the predetermined home appliance is in the ON / OFF state, the current state can be confirmed for the predetermined home appliance. At this time, since the ON / OFF state is notified for a specific home appliance, it is possible to prevent the notification of the ON / OFF state for all home appliances managed by the information notification system. As a result, it is possible to prevent an unreasonable increase in the amount of communication, and to prevent an increase in network traffic due to an increase in the amount of communication. Further, by preventing unnecessary communication, it is possible to suppress an increase in communication cost without bothering the user.

In the above embodiment, for example,
Information specifying the predetermined home appliance may be received and managed from the display terminal via the second network.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The first network and the second network may be the same network.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The first network and the second network may be different networks.

In the above embodiment, for example,
Using a database that manages map information, obtain area map information of the area including the position indicated by the position information of the display terminal,
Managing the location information of the display terminal that is periodically received together with the reception time;
Calculate the moving speed of the display terminal based on the time change of the position information of the display terminal,
It may be determined whether the position of the display terminal is within a predetermined distance from the house using the calculated moving speed of the display terminal and the area map information.

In the above embodiment, for example,
While the position of the display terminal does not coincide with the position of the house and is included within the range of the predetermined distance, information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is transmitted via the second network. It may be provided to the display terminal.

  Thereby, when the position information of the display terminal of the user of the home appliance is away from the house and is within a predetermined distance from the house, the information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is Since the notification is made to the display terminal, the determination result can be transmitted to the display terminal of the user at an appropriate time when the user of the display terminal goes out and is not away from the user's house.

  For example, while the user leaves the house and is relatively easy to return to the house, for example, within several tens of meters from the house, for example, before using public transportation, the ON / OFF state of the home appliance is changed. Can notify the user. By notifying the user of the ON / OFF state of the home appliance at this timing, the user can easily select an action to be returned to the house in order to change the ON / OFF state of the home appliance. Therefore, for example, it is possible to prevent waste of power due to the user going out while the home appliance such as an air conditioner or a television is in an ON state, and for example, when the user goes out while the device that controls the home security system is in an OFF state. The service by the home security system can be prevented from being appropriately provided to the user.

In the above embodiment, for example,
While the position of the display terminal coincides with the position of the house and is included in the range of the predetermined distance, information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is transmitted through the second network. It may be provided to the display terminal.

  As a result, while the position information of the display terminal of the user of the home appliance matches the house and is within a predetermined distance from the house, the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is displayed. Since the terminal is notified, information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance can be transmitted to the user's display terminal while the user of the display terminal is in the user's house.

  By notifying the user of the ON / OFF state of home appliances while the user is in the house, for example, even when the user is in the house, for example, the use installed on the second floor of the house When the user on the first floor of the house does not recognize that the home appliance such as an air conditioner or a television that is not turned on remains in the ON state, the user can be notified that the home appliance remains in the ON state. . As a result, the user can be prompted to perform an operation for turning off the home appliance, and thus it is possible to prevent waste of electric power due to a home appliance that is not being used being kept on. Further, for example, it is possible to prevent the service provided by the home security system from being appropriately provided to the user when the user goes out while the device that controls the home security system is in the OFF state.

In the above embodiment, for example,
Using a database that manages map information, obtain area map information of the area including the position indicated by the position information of the display terminal,
Tracking changes in the location information of the display terminal received from the display terminal on the regional map information,
Determining a route to the house and a moving speed of the display terminal on the area map information based on a change in the position information of the display terminal that has been tracked;
When the one home appliance provides information indicating the ON / OFF state to the display terminal, the time until the user of the display terminal returns to the house is calculated using the determined route and moving speed. ,
The information indicating the time until the user of the display terminal returns to the house may be provided based on the calculated time together with the information indicating the ON / OFF state of the one home appliance.

In the above embodiment, for example,
Count the elapsed time from when the display terminal leaves the area corresponding to the house,
Obtaining the counted time when providing the display terminal with information indicating that the one household electrical appliance is in an ON state;
Information indicating that the user of the display terminal returns to the house based on the acquired time may be provided together with information indicating that the one household electrical appliance is in an ON state.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The position information of the display terminal may be periodically received from the display terminal.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The one or more home appliances include another home appliance connected to the information management system through the first network and capable of monitoring an operation state of the one home appliance,
Receiving information indicating the operating state of the one household electrical appliance from the other household electrical appliance via the first network;
The ON / OFF state of the one home appliance may be determined based on the information indicating the operation state.

In the above embodiment, for example,
Managing correspondence information indicating the other home appliance corresponding to the one home appliance;
You may select the said other household appliances matched with the said one household appliance based on the said correspondence information.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The other home appliance is a wattmeter that is connected to the information management system through the first network and detects the amount of power used in the house,
The ON / OFF state of the one home appliance may be determined based on information indicating the amount of power used received from the power meter via the first network.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The other home appliance is a wattmeter that is connected to the information management system through the first network and detects the amount of power used in the house,
Based on the information indicating the used electric energy received from the power meter via the first network, when the used electric energy does not change more than a predetermined value within a predetermined time, the one home appliance is in an ON state. It may be judged.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The other home appliance is connected to the information management system through the first network, and includes a sound collecting device that collects operation sounds of the one home appliance,
The ON / OFF state of the one home appliance may be determined based on information indicating the operation sound of the one home appliance received from the other home appliance via the first network.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The other home appliance is connected to the information management system through the first network, and includes a sound collecting device that collects operation sounds of the one home appliance,
Based on the information indicating the operation sound of the one home appliance received from the other home appliance via the first network, when detecting the operation sound for switching the ON / OFF state of the one home appliance, The one home appliance may be determined to be in an ON state.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The other home appliance is connected to the information management system through the first network, and includes an electronic thermometer for measuring the temperature in the house,
The ON / OFF state of the one household electrical appliance may be determined based on information indicating the temperature in the house received from the other household electrical appliance via the network.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The other home appliance is connected to the information management system through the first network, and includes an electronic thermometer for measuring the temperature in the house,
Based on the information indicating the temperature inside the house received from the other household appliances via the first network, if the temperature inside the house does not change more than a predetermined amount within a predetermined time, the one household appliance It may be determined that the device is in the ON state.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The log information including the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance includes setting information indicating the setting of the predetermined home appliance,
The setting information may be provided to the display terminal as additional information of information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance.

In the above embodiment, for example,
The log information including the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance includes measurement information indicating a measurement result of a sensor provided in the predetermined home appliance,
The measurement information may be provided to the display terminal as additional information of information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance.

In another aspect,
An information notification method in an information management system for managing information indicating a state of one or more home appliances in a house,
Managing information for designating a predetermined home appliance among the one or more home appliances;
Receiving log information including the ON / OFF state of the predetermined household electrical appliance from the predetermined household electrical appliance via the first network;
Receiving the position information of the display terminal of the user of the home appliance from the display terminal;
Using a database that manages map information, obtain area map information of the area including the position indicated by the position information of the display terminal,
Tracking changes in the location information of the display terminal received from the display terminal on the regional map information,
Based on the change in the location information of the tracked display terminal, the travel distance that the display terminal has moved from the house on the regional map information is calculated,
Information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is provided to the display terminal via the second network until the moving distance of the display terminal from the house exceeds a predetermined distance.

  According to the said aspect, based on the change of the positional information on the display terminal of the user of the said household appliance, the movement distance moved from the said house of the said display terminal is calculated, and the said predetermined household appliance before the said movement distance exceeds a predetermined distance Based on the log information including the ON / OFF state of the device, information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is provided to the display terminal.

  Thereby, the movement distance that the display terminal has moved from the house is calculated using the change in the position information of the display terminal of the user of the home appliance, and the log information including the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is used. Since it is determined that the predetermined home appliance is in an ON / OFF state, the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is accurately determined even if the predetermined home appliance does not include a dedicated measuring device. And when the user of the display terminal is out and at an appropriate time when the user is not away from the house in consideration of the distance the user has actually moved, Can be communicated to the display terminal.

  For example, when a user leaves a house and moves to a point where the straight distance from the house is 1 kilometer, for example, when the road is under construction and the road is complicated, or the road is complicated. In some cases, the distance traveled by the user may be longer than the linear distance from the house, for example 1.5 km. In the above aspect, since the notification deadline to the user is determined based on the distance actually moved from the house, the home appliance is in the ON state while the distance that the user has to move to return to the house is relatively short. Can be notified to the user. By notifying the user that the home appliance is in the ON state at this timing, the user can easily select an action to return to the house to turn the home appliance off.

  Therefore, for example, it is possible to prevent waste of power due to the user going out while the home appliance such as an air conditioner or a television is in an ON state, and for example, when the user goes out while the device that controls the home security system is in an OFF state. The service by the home security system can be prevented from being appropriately provided to the user.

  Further, for example, when the user wants to confirm whether the predetermined home appliance is in the ON / OFF state, the current state can be confirmed for the predetermined home appliance. At this time, since the ON / OFF state is notified for a specific home appliance, it is possible to prevent the notification of the ON / OFF state for all home appliances managed by the information notification system. As a result, it is possible to prevent an unreasonable increase in the amount of communication, and to prevent an increase in network traffic due to an increase in the amount of communication. Further, by preventing unnecessary communication, it is possible to suppress an increase in communication cost without bothering the user.

  Each of the embodiments described below shows a specific example of the present invention. Numerical values, shapes, components, steps, order of steps and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims indicating the highest concept are described as optional constituent elements. In all the embodiments, the contents can be combined.

(Overview of services provided)
First, an overview of services provided by the information management system in the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 36A is a diagram showing an overall image of services provided by the information management system in the present embodiment. The information management system includes a group 700, a data center operating company 710, and a service provider 720.

  The group 700 is, for example, a company, an organization, a household, etc., and its size is not limited. The group 700 includes a plurality of devices 701 including a first device and a second device, and a home gateway 702. The plurality of devices 701 include devices that can be connected to the Internet (for example, smartphones, personal computers (PCs) or televisions), and devices that cannot be connected to the Internet by themselves (for example, lighting, washing machines, refrigerators, and the like). Including. The plurality of devices 701 may include devices that can be connected to the Internet via the home gateway 702 even if they cannot be connected to the Internet by themselves. The user 1 uses a plurality of devices 701 in the group 700.

  The data center operating company 710 includes a cloud server 711. The cloud server 711 is a virtualization server that cooperates with various devices via the Internet. The cloud server 711 mainly manages huge data (big data) that is difficult to handle with a normal database management tool or the like. The data center operating company 710 performs management of data, management of the cloud server 711, operation of the data center that performs them, and the like. Details of services performed by the data center operating company 710 will be described later.

  Here, the data center operating company 710 is not limited to a company that only manages data or the cloud server 711. For example, as shown in FIG. 36B, when a device manufacturer that develops or manufactures one of a plurality of devices 701 performs data management or cloud server 711 management, The device manufacturer corresponds to the data center operating company 710. The data center operating company 710 is not limited to one company. For example, as shown in FIG. 36C, when the device manufacturer and the management company jointly or share the data management or the management of the cloud server 711, both or one of them is the data center operating company 710. It corresponds to.

  The service provider 720 includes a server 721. The server 721 referred to here includes, for example, a memory in a personal PC regardless of the scale. In addition, the service provider 720 may not include the server 721.

  In the above information management system, the home gateway 702 is not essential. For example, when the cloud server 711 performs all data management, the home gateway 702 is unnecessary. In addition, there may be no device that cannot be connected to the Internet by itself, as in the case where all devices in the home are connected to the Internet.

  Next, the flow of information in the information management system will be described.

  First, the first device or the second device of the group 700 transmits each log information to the cloud server 711 of the data center operating company 710. The cloud server 711 accumulates log information of the first device or the second device (arrow 731 in FIG. 36A). Here, the log information is information indicating, for example, driving conditions or operation dates / times of the plurality of devices 701. For example, the log information includes TV viewing history, recording reservation information of the recorder, operation date / time of the washing machine, amount of laundry, opening / closing date / time of the refrigerator, or opening / closing frequency of the refrigerator, but is not limited thereto. Various information that can be acquired from various devices may be included. Note that the log information may be directly provided to the cloud server 711 from the plurality of devices 701 via the Internet. The log information may be temporarily accumulated in the home gateway 702 from a plurality of devices 701 and provided to the cloud server 711 from the home gateway 702.

  Next, the cloud server 711 of the data center operating company 710 provides the accumulated log information to the service provider 720 in a certain unit. Here, the fixed unit may be a unit that can organize and provide the information collected by the data center operating company 710 to the service provider 720, or may be a unit that the service provider 720 requests. In addition, although the information is provided in a fixed unit, it may not be a fixed unit, and the amount of information to be provided may change depending on the situation. The log information is stored in the server 721 owned by the service provider 720 as necessary (arrow 732 in FIG. 36A).

  The service provider 720 organizes the log information into information suitable for the service provided to the user, and provides the information to the user. The user to whom the information is provided may be the user 1 who uses the plurality of devices 701 or the external user 2. As a method for providing information to the users 1 and 2, for example, information may be provided directly to the users 1 and 2 from the service provider 720 (arrows 733 and 734 in FIG. 36A). As a method of providing information to the user 1, for example, information may be provided to the user 1 via the cloud server 711 of the data center operating company 710 again (arrows 735 and 736 in FIG. 36A). ). Further, the cloud server 711 of the data center operating company 710 may organize the log information into information suitable for the service provided to the user and provide the information to the service provider 720.

  Note that the user 1 may be the same as or different from the user 2.

1. Embodiment 1
Here, as an embodiment of the present invention, an information notification system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1.1 Overall Configuration of Information Notification System FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an information notification system 10 according to Embodiment 1 relating to the present invention. The information notification system 10 includes a house 100, a home appliance 101 in the house, a home appliance 102, a server 200, a portable device 300, a network 400 that connects the house 100 and the server 200, a network 500 that connects the server 200 and the portable device 300, A GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite 600 for measuring the position of the house and the position of the mobile device 300 is provided. In FIG. 1, only the home appliances 101, 102, and 106 are illustrated in the house 100, but the present invention is not particularly limited thereto, and may include any number of home appliances. Further, in the assumed connection mode, the home appliances 101 and 102 are connected to each other in the house via a router (not shown) installed in the house, and further, the network 400 outside the house is connected via the router. Connect to. The networks 400 and 500 are, for example, a wired Internet line and a wireless 4G communication path, respectively. Both may be wireless communication channels as well.

  Note that the mobile device 300 may be a display terminal such as a mobile phone including a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a laptop personal computer.

  In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, for example, the following story is assumed.

  The user goes out while holding the mobile device 300 and is away from the house 100. Here, for example, it is assumed that the home appliance 101 is an air conditioner, and the air conditioner should be turned off when going out. At that time, while the user is within a predetermined range from the house 100, the portable device 300 held by the user is notified that the air conditioner is in the ON state. The predetermined range is assumed to be a range in which the user can easily return to the house 100, for example, before getting on a bus or train, until a point where the time required for returning to the house 100 is within 5 minutes, for example. . The user who has received the notification returns to the house and turns off the air conditioner to go out again with peace of mind.

  The following story is also assumed. The user is holding the mobile device 300, going out, and away from the house 100. Assume that the home appliance 106 is set as a rice cooker and should be set up so that rice is cooked when going home, and the user forgets to set the inner lid and goes out. Without the inner lid, pressure is not applied properly and delicious rice cannot be cooked. In such a case, while the user is within the predetermined range, the status of the set of rice cookers is notified to the portable device 300 held by the user. The predetermined range is, for example, a range that can be returned before or after getting on a bus or train. The user who received the notification returns to the house, sets the inner lid, and goes out again with peace of mind.

1.2 Household appliances 101
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the home appliance 101 in the house 100. Since the home appliances 102 and 106 have the same configuration, description thereof is omitted here. The home appliance 101 includes an inquiry receiving unit 110, a home appliance log collecting unit 111, a home appliance log reporting unit 112, and a communication unit 113.

1.2.1 Inquiry Receiving Unit 110
The inquiry receiving unit 110 receives an inquiry from the server 200. The inquiry is to report to the server the status of the home appliance including the server ID of the inquiry source, the ID of the home appliance 101 of the inquiry destination, and the operation status of the home appliance (whether it is ON or OFF). Contains commands.

1.2.2 Home Appliance Log Collection Unit 111
The home appliance log collection unit 111 receives an inquiry from the server 200 at the inquiry reception unit 110, and includes whether the home appliance is currently operating from the inside of the home appliance (whether it is in an ON state or an OFF state). Collect the status of home appliances and format them appropriately. The status of home appliances may include the time of collection and the status of other home appliances. For example, when the home appliance 101 is an air conditioner, information such as whether the setting is cooling or heating, a set temperature, an air volume, a current room temperature or an outside temperature may be included.

  FIG. 13A shows an example of a home appliance log of an air conditioner. In this example, the operation state of the air conditioner 1 at the time of April, 2013, 7:00 is shown. The air conditioner 1 is in an ON state, and the set value is 22 degrees Celsius and the humidity is 40%. This setting indicates that the temperature in the room is 21 degrees and the humidity is 33%. Moreover, FIG.13 (b) shows the example of the household appliance log of the video 2. FIG. In this example, the operation status of video 2 at 7:00 on April 10, 2013 is shown. Video 2 is stopped (OFF state), and 4 channels are set for recording at 19:00 on the same day. Is set. Moreover, FIG.13 (c) shows the example of the household appliance log of a wattmeter. In this example, the operation status of the power meter at 7:00 on April 10, 2013 is shown, and it is detected that the power consumption is currently 1 kW.

1.2.3 Home Appliance Log Reporting Unit 112
The home appliance log reporting unit 112 converts the home appliance log, which has been formatted in a predetermined format by the home appliance log collection unit 111, into an appropriate format for reporting to the server 200. The report includes the ID of the home appliance 101 that is the report source, the server ID that is the report destination, and the status of the home appliance 101 (for example, the content represented by the data shown in FIG. 13).

1.2.4 Communication unit 113
Communication unit 113 is connected to home appliance 101 and a router (not shown) via a wired or wireless LAN (local area network) in the house.

1.3 Server 200
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the server 200 in the information notification system 10. The server 200 includes a communication unit 201, a home appliance log reception unit 202, a notification determination unit 204, a position reception unit 205 of a mobile device, a predetermined range determination unit 206, a home appliance log notification unit 207, an inquiry processing unit 208, a communication unit 209, and a house position. A recording unit 210 is provided.

1.3.1 Communication unit 201
The communication unit 201 is connected to the house 100 via the network 400. Here, the network 400 is a wired communication internet network.

1.3.2 Home appliance log receiving unit 202
The home appliance log receiving unit 202 receives a home appliance log from the home appliance in response to an inquiry from the server.

1.3.3 Notification Determination Unit 204
The notification determination unit 204 determines in the predetermined range determination unit 206 that the mobile device 300 is within the predetermined range, and determines to notify the mobile device 300 of the status of the home appliance.

1.3.4 Position receiving unit 205 of portable device
The position receiving unit 205 of the mobile device receives position information (latitude and longitude) of the mobile device 300 from the mobile device via the communication unit 209.

1.3.5 Predetermined range determination unit 206
The predetermined range determination unit 206 determines whether the portable device 300 is within a predetermined range. Examples of the predetermined range are described in detail in 1.5.2 to 1.5.4.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a predetermined range determination unit using map information described in 1.5.4. An area map information acquisition unit 305, a mobile device movement speed calculation unit 306, a mobile device position prediction unit 307, and a distance L range determination unit 308 are provided.

  The area map information acquisition unit 305 acquires area map information of an area including the position of the mobile device 300 using a database that manages map information.

  The mobile device moving speed calculation unit 306 calculates the moving speed of the mobile device 300 using the position information of the mobile device 300 that is periodically reported.

  The mobile device position prediction unit 307 predicts the position of the mobile device 300 when notifying the home appliance log from the area map information and the moving speed of the mobile device 300.

  The range determination unit 308 for the distance L determines whether the predicted position of the mobile device 300 is within the range of the distance L around the house.

1.3.6 Home appliance log notification unit 207
In order to notify the mobile device 300, the home appliance log notification unit 207 formats the device log of the home appliance into a predetermined format. The format for the home appliance log notification includes the server ID of the notification source, the ID of the portable device 300 that is the notification destination, and the ID of the home appliance that is in the ON state in the house (if there are a plurality, the number and ID are listed in sequence) including. Notification time information may also be included.

1.3.7 Inquiry processing unit 208
The inquiry processing unit 208 selects a predetermined home appliance in the house, and gives an inquiry instruction to report information on the home appliance log.

1.3.8 Communication unit 209
The communication unit 209 connects to the mobile device 300 via the network 500. Here, the network 500 is a wireless 4G communication network.

1.3.9 House Location Recording Unit 210
The home appliance location recording unit 210 records location information (latitude and longitude) of the house in advance.

1.4 Mobile device 300
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the mobile device 300 in the information notification system 10. The portable device 300 includes a communication unit 301, a portable device position collection unit 302, a position notification unit 303, and a display unit 304.

1.4.1 Communication unit 301
The communication unit 301 is connected to the server 200 via the network 500.

1.4.2 Location collection unit 302 of portable device
The position collection unit 302 of the portable device receives radio waves from the GPS satellite 600 (originally using radio reports from three or more satellites) and calculates current position information (latitude and longitude).

1.4.3 Location notification unit 303
The position notification unit 303 periodically notifies the server 200 of the position information of the mobile device 300 in a predetermined format. The notification format includes information indicating the mobile device 300 that is the notification source, information indicating the server that is the notification destination, and information indicating the location information of the mobile device 300. Moreover, time information may be included.

1.4.4 Display unit 304
The display unit 304 displays a notification from the server. FIGS. 14 and 15 show examples of displays when the air conditioner is operating and stopped, respectively. FIG. 16 shows a display example of the state of the rice cooker. These displays may be displayed as pop-ups from the application of the mobile device 300. Further, it may be notified by mail and displayed.

1.5 Operation of Information Notification System 10 The operation of the information notification system 10 will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in FIG.

1.5.1 Operation Overview (S101) The mobile device 300 periodically notifies the server 200 of its own location information.

  (S107) The server 200 selects the home appliance 101. Here, it is assumed that this selection is registered in advance on the server side. However, as will be described later, information related to this selection may be changed using the mobile device 300, and a new registration may be performed. Also good.

  (S102) The server 200 inquires of the home appliance 101 in the house 100 selected in S107 about the situation. The selection of home appliances is assumed to be registered in advance as a device that makes an inquiry to the server side. Moreover, even if the timing of an inquiry is regular, it is good also considering the mobile device 300 leaving a house to some extent, ie, going out.

  (S103) The home appliance 101 receives an inquiry from the server, collects and reports a home appliance log.

  (S104) Using the position of the house 100 and the position of the mobile device 300 received in S101, it is determined whether or not the mobile device 300 exists within a predetermined range from the house. Within the predetermined range is a range in which a user who is away from the house on the go can easily return to the house knowing that the air conditioner in the house is not turned off. An example of this determination will be described in detail in 1.5.2 to 1.5.5.

  (S106) The status of the home appliance 101 is notified to the mobile device 300 existing within a predetermined range. For example, the display unit 304 of the portable device 300 displays as shown in FIGS. 14, 15, and 16. In this example, when the app of the mobile device 300 is operating, it is notified as a pop-up. Further, not only an application of the mobile device 300 but also a Web application may be used. Further, the implementation may be such that the notification from the server is notified and the display of FIG. 14 is performed by the user process. In FIG. 14, it is notified that the air conditioner is in an operating state, the setting is automatic operation setting of heating at a temperature of 22 degrees and humidity of 40%, and the current room temperature is 21 degrees and humidity is 33%. Yes. In this figure, it is described that the house information is confirmed and notified to the portable device 300 before getting on the bus, but this display may not be provided. Further, the display of FIG. 15 indicates that the air conditioner is stopped, the current room temperature is 21 degrees, and the humidity is 33%. Moreover, the display of FIG. 16 shows that the rice cooker is in a reservation setting state where the rice cooker cooks at 19:00, but the inner lid is not set. The user who has received this indication before boarding the bus should return home after 18:00, reset the inner lid, and return home will be late and have cooked rice by that time. If you want to stay, you can go home and set the inner lid again.

1.5.2 Implementation example 1 of a predetermined range
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a first implementation example relating to determination of a predetermined range. Here, it is determined whether or not portable device 300 exists inside a circle having a radius of a predetermined distance centered on the house. In FIG. 6, it is assumed that the position of the house is (x0, y0). x0 and y0 indicate the latitude and longitude, respectively. Further, assuming that the position of the portable device 300 is (x, y), a distance range indicated as the inside of a circle having a radius L with the house as the center is within a predetermined distance.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart in the position determination process S104 of the portable device shown in the sequence diagram of FIG. Here, it is determined whether or not the mobile device 300 exists inside a circle having a radius of a predetermined distance centered on the house.

(S1041) Using the position (x0, y0) of the house and the position (x, y) of the mobile device 300,
LL ^ 2 = (x−x0) ^ 2 + (y−y0) ^ 2
Ask for. Here, “^ 2” indicates square.

(S1042)
L ^ 2 ≥ LL ^ 2
If the condition is satisfied, it is determined that the portable device 300 exists within a predetermined range (a distance range indicated as the inside of a circle having a radius L with the house as the center). If the above condition is not satisfied, it is determined that the portable device 300 exists outside the predetermined range.

1.5.3 Implementation Example 2 of Predetermined Range
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a second implementation example relating to determination of a predetermined range. Here, when the position of the mobile device 300 is within the range indicated by the inside of the circle described in 1.5.2 and is further away from the house by a distance of M (M <L), the predetermined range It is determined that the mobile device 300 is present. That is, when the mobile device 300 is away from the house by a distance of M, it is determined that the mobile device 300 has gone out, and the home appliance that is not in the OFF state is notified.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart in the position determination process S104 of the portable device shown in the sequence diagram of FIG. Here, it is determined whether or not the portable device 300 exists between two concentric circles having radii of different predetermined distances around the house.

  (S1043) Same as S1041 in FIG.

(S1044)
L ^ 2 ≥ LL ^ 2 ≥ M ^ 2
When satisfying, it is assumed that the portable device 300 exists within a predetermined range (a range indicated by a concentric circle having a radius M and a radius L with the house as the center).

  Here, the range indicated by the inner side of the circle having the smaller radius of the two concentric circles is preferably as large as the size of the user's house, but the site area owned by the user including the house The width may be approximate to that of, and is not limited thereto.

1.5.4 Realization example 3 of predetermined range (using map)
A case where map information is used will be described as a third example of implementation relating to determination of a predetermined range. In the first and second implementation examples, the position of the mobile device 300 at the time when the status of the home appliance is reported is acquired as (x, y). On the other hand, in the third implementation example, the position of the mobile device 300 when the mobile device 300 is moving and the server reports the status of the home appliance using the position information periodically notified from the mobile device 300. A case will be described in which it is predicted whether or not it is within a predetermined range (within a range of a distance L from the house).

  FIG. 11 schematically describes a road situation from the house 100. The position of the mobile device 300 at a certain time t1 is (x1, y1), and the position of the mobile device 300 at another time t2 is (x2, y2). The distance m that the portable device 300 has moved in the meantime calculated from the map information is calculated using the map information.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart in the position determination process S104 of the portable device shown in the sequence diagram of FIG. Here, the position (x, y) of the mobile device 300 at the timing of notifying the status of the home appliance is predicted, and whether or not the mobile device 300 exists within a predetermined range (range L from the house). to decide.

(S1045)
v = m / (t2-t1)
Ask for. This is the moving speed of the mobile device 300. For example, it is faster if you are traveling on a bicycle, and slower than a bicycle if you are walking.

(S1046)
The current time (time when the server notifies the mobile device 300) is t3, and the moving distance mm from time t2 to t3 is obtained.

mm = (t3−t2) × v
(S1047)
Using the map information, the position (x3, y3) moved mm distance from (x2, y2) is predicted as the position (x, y) of the portable device 300 when reporting the status of the home appliance.

  (S1048) (S1049) If this position is within the range of the radius L from the house, it is reported that it is within the predetermined range.

1.6 Effects of First Embodiment In the first embodiment, the mobile device is notified of the status of a predetermined device before moving out of the predetermined range when going out. Here, the predetermined range indicates a range from a house to a bus stop, for example. If it is before getting on the bus, if the predetermined device is not in the OFF state, it is possible to return to the house and put it in the OFF state to go out safely. There are cases where it is not in the OFF state, for example it may be forgotten to turn it off, or even if it can be turned off remotely if it is normal, it will be in the OFF state unless it returns to the house because the remote control part has failed There are cases where it is impossible. Conversely, it is also possible to confirm whether a predetermined device that must be turned on when going out is in an operating state as set. For example, a case where an air conditioner is operated with a predetermined setting for a pet when going out can be considered. If the operation is not performed according to the setting, a notification is received within a predetermined range, and the setting can be made again. Moreover, if the rice cooker is registered as a predetermined | prescribed apparatus, you may receive notification that the inner cover of a rice cooker is not set. If notification is received within a predetermined range, it is possible to go home to reset the inner lid.

  Or a predetermined range shows the range to a train station. If it is during the time of moving to the train station on the bus, it is possible to change to the return bus again, return to the house, and turn off. However, if you are on the train, for example, if you are on an express train, it will take a long time to redeem it.

  In such a case, the home appliance is prevented from being made useless by receiving a notification within a predetermined range and returning to the home to be surely turned off.

2. Embodiment 2 (displays time to return)
Here, as Embodiment 2 of the present invention, an information notification system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The difference from Embodiment 1 is that when notifying the portable device 300 of the home appliance in the ON state, the time taken to return to the home is also notified. 20 and 21 show examples of notification display in the second embodiment. In this display example, information that it takes 5 minutes to return to the house is displayed together with information that the home appliance is in the ON state. This display may be displayed as a pop-up from the application of the mobile device. Further, it may be notified by mail and displayed.

  Below, it demonstrates centering on this difference, and abbreviate | omits description about the same part as Embodiment 1. FIG.

2.1 Configuration of Information Notification System The overall configuration of the information notification system 10 and the configurations of the home electric appliance 101 and the mobile device 300 are the same as those in the first embodiment (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 4), and thus will be omitted.

  FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration of server 200 in the second embodiment. In addition to the server configuration of the first embodiment, a required time acquisition unit 211 is provided.

2.2 Time required acquisition unit 211
The required time acquisition unit 211 predicts the time required for the user holding the mobile device 300 to return to the house by the required time acquisition process. Then, in addition to notifying the portable device 300 of the information on the home appliance in the ON state, the time estimated to be required to return from the current location to the home is notified. The required time acquisition process will be specifically described in 2.3 and 2.4.

2.3 Operation Implementation Example 1 for the required time acquisition process
The first implementation example related to the required time acquisition process is the time required for the user holding the mobile device 300 to leave the house and receive the notification, and to be estimated to be required to return from the current location to the house. And For this reason, time measurement is started from the time when it is determined that the user has left the house, and the time until notification of information about the home appliance in the ON state is continued. Together with the information on the home appliances in the ON state, the measured time is notified as the time required to return from the current location to the house.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a first example of processing performed by the required time acquisition unit 211.

  (S2111) It is confirmed whether the portable device 300 has left the house.

  (S2112) Time measurement is started when the portable device 300 leaves the house.

  (S2113) It is determined that there is a household electrical appliance that is not in the OFF state in the house, and it is confirmed whether the portable device 300 is within a predetermined range. This can be said to be the same as confirming the determinations of S104 and S105 in FIG.

  (S2114) When notifying the household electrical appliance information in the ON state as a result of S2113, the time when the measurement is started in S2112 is confirmed, and the result is simultaneously notified.

2.4 Operation implementation example 2 for required time acquisition processing
In the first embodiment relating to the required time acquisition process, when leaving the house and reaching the current location, if you depart on the way or talking with someone on the way, you will leave the house and reach the current location. It is considered that there is a difference between the time required until the actual time and the time required to return to the house from the current location. The 2nd implementation example which concerns on required time acquisition processing calculates the time after returning from the distance and speed after leaving a house. This provides a more accurate time estimate for returning home.

  The server periodically receives the position information of the mobile device from the mobile device 300 and obtains the moving speed of the mobile device 300. Accordingly, the server can determine whether the mobile device 300 is moving on a bicycle or on foot. On the other hand, the distance traveled by the mobile device 300 is acquired from the map information.

  FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a second example of processing performed by the required time acquisition unit 211.

  (S2115) The moving distance m is obtained from the difference between the position information of the portable devices at time t1 and time t2 and the map information. Then, the moving speed of the mobile device 300 is calculated from v = m / (t2−t1).

  (S2116) The route distance R between the house and the current portable device is obtained from the map information.

  (S2117) When T = R / v is predicted as the time required to return from the current location to the house, the home appliance information in the ON state is notified at the same time.

2.5 Effects of Second Embodiment In the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the time required to return from the current location to the house in order to turn off the home appliance in the ON state 300 is displayed. Accordingly, when returning to the house from the current location, turning off the home appliance in the ON state and going out again, the user can be informed of how much time is lost. Thereby, the user can select an action in consideration of his / her schedule and the risk or demerit of going out with the home appliance set in the ON state. That is, it is possible to select whether the home appliance in the ON state is to be turned back to the house in order to be turned off, or to go directly to the destination without being returned to the house. In addition, when the selection is made to return to the house, it is possible to predict how much delay will occur in the own schedule, which is useful.

3. Embodiment 3 (monitored by other devices)
Here, an information notification system according to the present invention will be described as a third embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In the first embodiment, the server collects the home appliance log directly from the home appliance. However, in the third embodiment, the server collects the home appliance log by inquiring another preset home appliance. For example, instead of obtaining information from the air conditioner itself whether the air conditioner is in the ON state or the OFF state, information regarding the operation status of the air conditioner is obtained from the power meter. As a result, even if the air conditioner is out of order and is actually in the ON state, the home appliance log information notified to the server always notifies that it is in the OFF state. The correct operating condition of the air conditioner can be obtained according to the operating condition. In addition, when the home appliance does not include a communication unit that notifies the server of the home appliance log, the home appliance is obtained by obtaining information on the operation status of the home appliance from another home appliance provided with the communication unit. It is possible to grasp the operation status of.

3.1 Overall Configuration of Information Notification System FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of the information notification system 11 in Embodiment 3 according to the present invention. The information notification system 11 includes monitoring devices 103, 104, and 105 in the house 100 in addition to the configuration in the first embodiment shown in FIG. The description of the same parts as those of the first embodiment is omitted.

3.2 Monitoring device 103
FIG. 23 shows the configuration of the monitoring device 103. The monitoring device 103 includes an inquiry receiving unit 114, a monitoring log collecting unit 115, a monitoring log reporting unit 116, and a communication unit 117. The inquiry receiving unit 114 and the communication unit 117 are the same as the inquiry 110 and the communication unit 113 in the home appliance 101, respectively, and thus description thereof is omitted here.

  Since the monitoring devices 104 and 105 have basically the same structure, description thereof is omitted.

3.2.1 Monitoring log collection unit 115
The monitoring log collection unit 115 collects a predetermined log related to home appliances that are predetermined for monitoring. For example, when the monitoring device 103 (power meter) is set to monitor the home appliance 101 (air conditioner), the monitoring log collection unit 115 of the power meter collects power information on the power source of the air conditioner. For example, when the monitoring device 104 (thermometer) is set to monitor the home appliance 101 (air conditioner), the monitoring log collection unit 115 of the thermometer is provided with temperature information near the air conditioner or a room equipped with an air conditioner. Collect temperature information. For example, when the monitoring device 104 (microphone) is set to monitor the home appliance 102 (automatic vacuum cleaner), the monitoring log collection unit of the microphone collects information on the operation sound of the automatic vacuum cleaner 102.

3.2.2 Monitoring log reporting unit 116
The monitoring log reporting unit 116 converts the monitoring log that has been formatted by the monitoring log collection unit 115 into a more appropriate format for reporting to the server 200. The report includes the monitoring device 103 that is the report source, the server name that is the report destination, and predetermined information related to the home appliance collected by the monitoring device.

3.3 Server 200
FIG. 24 shows the configuration of the server 200. The server 200 includes a corresponding monitoring device recording unit 216, a monitoring log reception unit 212, a monitoring log determination unit 213, and a monitoring log notification unit 214 in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. Others are the same as those described with reference to FIG.

3.3.1 Corresponding monitoring device recording unit 216
The correspondence monitoring device recording unit 216 records a correspondence table of monitoring devices corresponding to predetermined home appliances. An example of the correspondence table is shown in FIG. In this example, the monitoring device of the air conditioner 101 is the wattmeter 103 and the thermometer 104, and the monitoring device of the automatic cleaner 102 is the microphone 105. Note that a plurality of monitoring devices may be registered for one home appliance, and conversely, the situation of the plurality of home appliances may be monitored by one monitoring device.

3.3.2 Monitoring log receiving unit 212
The monitoring log receiving unit 212 makes an inquiry to the monitoring device from the server, and receives the monitoring log sent from the monitoring device correspondingly.

3.3.4 Monitoring log notification unit 214
The monitoring log notification unit 214 notifies the mobile device 300 of the information on the home appliance received from the monitoring log. The notification format to the mobile device 300 includes information indicating the server name of the notification source, information indicating the notification-destination mobile device 300, and information indicating the status of the predetermined home appliance determined from the monitoring log received from the monitoring device. Including. Notification time information may also be included. In addition, the monitoring device name may be included.

3.4 Operation of the information notification system 11 The operation of the information notification system 11 is as follows: 1) registration phase of the corresponding monitoring device; and 2) use of the corresponding monitoring device to check whether there is a power-on home appliance and notify the mobile device 300 Divided into phases. Hereinafter, the operation of each phase will be described.

3.4.1 Registration Phase of Corresponding Monitoring Device FIG. 25 is a registration screen of a device (corresponding monitoring device) for confirming the operation status of an air conditioner, for example. First, on the registration screen, a list of candidates for monitoring devices that can confirm the operation status of the air conditioner among the devices in the house is listed. In this figure, power meters, thermometers, and sound sensors are candidates. In addition, the example of these monitoring apparatuses may not be a single wattmeter, a thermometer, and a sound sensor. For example, when there is a home appliance having functions such as a wattmeter, a thermometer, and a sound sensor, the operation status of the device to be monitored may be confirmed using the home appliance as a monitoring device. In such a case, for example, a washing machine including a sound sensor can be a candidate for a monitoring device.

  In the example of the registration screen of FIG. 25, even when a washing machine equipped with a sound sensor exists in the house as a monitoring device, this washing machine is far from the installation location of the air conditioner to be monitored and detects the operation sound of the air conditioner. If this is not possible, it may not be listed on the registration screen as a candidate for a monitoring device.

  In the list of candidates, characteristics when the operation status of the air conditioner is monitored by each monitoring device will be described. For example, in a power meter, there are a case where it is determined whether the air conditioner is in an ON state or an OFF state based on the power value itself (absolute value), and an operation is determined based on a power change. When only the air conditioner is connected to the system to which the power meter is connected, a highly accurate determination can be made. On the other hand, if a large object other than an air conditioner is connected to the system to which the power meter is connected, it may not be possible to make a highly accurate judgment. For example, when the air conditioner ON / OFF state is determined with a thermometer, the temperature is measured several times to determine the tendency. When judging with a sound sensor, it judges with the ventilation sound of an air-conditioner. The user selects a monitoring device from the candidates. There may be a plurality of selections. In the example of FIG. 25, a wattmeter and a thermometer are selected as the air conditioner monitoring device.

  When the monitoring device is registered, the corresponding monitoring device recording unit records the home appliance ID and the registered monitoring device ID as a set. In FIG. 27, for example, a power meter and a thermometer are registered as monitoring devices for determining the ON / OFF state of the air conditioner.

  At the same time, a determination condition for determining that the home appliance is in the ON state is registered. For example, in the example of FIG. 27, when the wattmeter detects power consumption and the detected power consumption indicates a value of 1 kW or more, it is determined that the air conditioner is in the ON state. The thermometer obtains the temperature of the room near the air conditioner or the room where the air conditioner is installed. When the temperature near the air conditioner or the room where the air conditioner is installed is less than 25 degrees in summer (June to August), the air conditioner Indicates that the air conditioner is in the ON state when the temperature in the vicinity of the air conditioner or in the room where the air conditioner is installed is 15 degrees or higher in winter (December to February). Yes. This assumes that cooling operation is performed in summer and heating operation is performed in winter. In addition, a sound sensor is registered as a monitoring device of the automatic cleaner. When the sound sensor collects the operation sound of the automatic cleaner and detects an operation sound of 60 dB or more, it is determined that the automatic cleaner is in the ON state.

  It has been described that the criterion for determining the ON state of the air conditioner according to the temperature acquired by the thermometer changes depending on the season, but the same criterion may be used throughout the year. This is because, with regard to the air conditioner, it is considered that heating operation is rare in an area with low latitude, and conversely, cooling operation is rare in an area with high latitude.

  In addition, the determination criterion is not limited to the setting of the determination criterion, and the determination criterion may be flexibly set based on the feature of the weather for each region.

3.4.2 Information Notification Phase The operation sequence of the information notification phase of the information notification system will be described with reference to FIG.

  (S101) The mobile device 300 periodically notifies the server 200 of its own location information.

  (S110) The server 200 selects a predetermined home appliance, refers to the corresponding monitoring device recording unit, and obtains the ID of the corresponding monitoring device (there can be one or more corresponding monitoring devices).

  (S111) The server 200 makes an inquiry to the corresponding monitoring device to periodically notify the information related to the corresponding home appliance. In the example of this figure, an inquiry is made to the monitoring device 103 (power meter) and the monitoring device 104 (thermometer) as the monitoring device of the home appliance 101 (air conditioner). The inquiry includes a monitoring device ID, a server ID, a home appliance ID to be monitored, and an inquiry command.

  (S112) (S113) (S115) Each monitoring device receives an inquiry from the server, collects a monitoring log related to the target home appliance, and reports it to the server. For example, the monitoring device 103 (power meter) collects power information of the power supply system of the target home appliance 101 (air conditioner), and the monitoring device 104 (thermometer) is the room where the target home appliance 101 (air conditioner) is located. Collect temperature information.

  (S104) Using the position of the house 100 and the position of the mobile device received in S101, it is determined whether the mobile device 300 is within a predetermined range from the house. Within the predetermined range is a range in which a user who is leaving the house on the go can easily return to the house 100 as in the first or second embodiment.

  (S106) Using the collected monitoring log information, the status of the electric home appliance is determined and notified to the mobile device 300 existing within a predetermined range. At the same time, information about the monitoring device is also notified. For example, the display unit 304 of the mobile device 300 displays as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30. FIG. 29 shows that the air conditioner is in the ON state and that it has been confirmed from the power meter and the thermometer. In FIG. 30, the air conditioner is in an OFF state, and it can be confirmed from the wattmeter and the thermometer. Note that these displays may be displayed as pop-ups from the application of the mobile device. Further, it may be notified by mail and displayed.

3.4.3 Implementation Example for Confirming Status of the Home Appliance from Monitoring Log Information In FIG. 28, it is determined from the monitoring log whether the target home appliance is in an ON state or an OFF state. FIG. 28 shows a case where the ON / OFF state of the air conditioner is determined from the measurement absolute value of the monitoring log of the monitoring device 103 (wattmeter) as the first implementation example. Specifically, it is assumed that when the air conditioner is in the ON state, it is known that the power consumption is 1 kW or more (see the corresponding monitoring device recording unit in FIG. 27). At this time, it is confirmed whether or not the monitoring log (power) of the wattmeter is 1 kW or less. If the result is 1 kW or less, it is determined that there is a high possibility that the air conditioner is in the OFF state. On the other hand, when it is 1 kW or more, it is determined that the air conditioner is ON.

  Similarly, when the table in FIG. 27 is used, the temperature in the vicinity of the air conditioner or the room where the air conditioner is installed is below 25 degrees in summer (June to August) using the monitoring log of the thermometer. Alternatively, if the temperature in the vicinity of the air conditioner or in the room where the air conditioner is installed exceeds 15 degrees in winter (December to February), it is determined that the air conditioner is in the ON state.

  At the same time, using the table shown in FIG. 27, using the monitoring log of the sound sensor, if it is 60 dB or less, the automatic cleaner is determined to be in the OFF state, and if it is 60 dB or more, it is determined to be in the ON state.

3.5 Effects of Embodiment 3 In Embodiment 3, a log of the home appliance is collected by inquiring another home appliance set in advance. For example, instead of obtaining information from the air conditioner itself whether the air conditioner is in the ON state or the OFF state, information regarding the condition of the air conditioner is obtained from the power meter. Thus, for example, even if the air conditioner is out of order and actually in the ON state, the home appliance log information notified to the server always notifies that it is in the OFF state. Based on the monitoring log, the correct operating condition of the air conditioner can be obtained. Further, even when the home appliance has no communication means for notifying the server of the home appliance log, the home appliance is obtained by obtaining information on the operation status of the home appliance from another home appliance having the communication means. The operation status of the device can be grasped.

4). Embodiment 4 (notification based on distance actually moved)
In Embodiment 1, when the user goes out, the state of the home electrical appliance is notified to the mobile device 300 owned by the user while the user is inside a circle having a radius of a predetermined distance from the house. By being inside a circle having a radius of a predetermined distance, it is approximated that the user who has received the notification is in a range where it is easy to return to the house in order to perform an operation of changing the state of the home appliance. On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, the predetermined range is determined not by a circle having a radius of a predetermined distance but by a distance actually moved when the user leaves the house. For example, if you move east from a house, the road is very complicated and the distance is long even though you are not far from the house, but if you move west, you move away from the house in a straight line In some cases, it is not appropriate to judge whether or not the object is inside a circle having a radius of a predetermined distance. In such a case, it is more appropriate to determine the predetermined range based on the actual moving distance. 33 and 34 show examples of notification to the mobile device 300. FIG. In this case, the mobile device 300 is notified that the air conditioner is in the ON state or the OFF state for the air conditioner that is in the ON state by the range of the moving distance of the user from home by 500 m. Note that these displays may be displayed as pop-ups from the application of the mobile device. Further, it may be notified by mail and displayed.

4.1 Configuration of Information Notification System The overall configuration of the information notification system 10 and the configurations of the home appliance 101 and the portable device 300 are the same as those in the first embodiment (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 4), and thus are omitted.

  FIG. 31 is a block diagram showing a configuration of server 200 in the fourth embodiment. In addition to the server configuration of the first embodiment, a movement distance calculation unit 215 is provided.

4.1.1 Movement distance calculation unit 215
The movement distance calculation unit 215 tracks the change in the position information of the mobile device 300 on the map information from the time when the user goes out of the house, and calculates the movement distance.

4.2 Operation of Information Notification System The operation of the information notification system is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. However, the operation of S104 for determining whether the mobile device 300 is within a predetermined range is different. Here, determination of a predetermined range of the difference will be described.

  FIG. 32 illustrates the operation in S104.

  (S10410) It is determined from the position information of portable device 300 whether the user has left the house.

  (S10411) After leaving the house, measurement of the moving distance of the portable device 300 is started.

  (S10412) The movement of the portable device 300 is tracked from the position and the map information of the portable device 300 that are regularly notified, and the movement distance is measured.

  (S10413) When the measured moving distance is equal to or less than a predetermined distance (here, d), it is within a predetermined range. If the distance is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance, it is determined that the distance is out of the predetermined range.

4.3 Effects of Embodiment 4 In Embodiment 1, depending on how far the position of the mobile device 300 is linearly away from the house, a predetermined range (range for notifying the state of home appliances) ). In contrast, in the fourth embodiment, a predetermined range is determined based on the distance actually moved using the map information. Thus, for example, when moving east from a house, the road is very complicated, and the distance traveled is long even though it is not far from the house, but when moving west, it is linear from the house. Even in the case of leaving, for example, it is possible to determine the range that can be returned.

5. Other Modifications Although the present invention has been described based on the above-described embodiments, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The following cases are also included in the present invention.

  (1) In the first embodiment, notification is received while the mobile device 300 is in a predetermined range. In the first embodiment, the case where the mobile device 300 is within the distance L from the house or the distance M from the distance L has been described as the predetermined range, but this is not particular. For example, the notification may be received only while in the house. That is, the user can know the state of the home appliances in the house while in the house. By leaving the house and not receiving the notification, even if the portable device 300 can be seen by another person, the state in the house is not known.

  (2) In the first to fourth embodiments, the indoor network, the network between the house and the server, and the network between the server and the portable device are described as LAN, Internet, 4G network, etc., respectively, but this is not particular. . These networks may be different or the same. For example, the home appliance may be directly connected to the server via a 4G network without going through a router. Either a wired communication network or a wireless communication network may be used.

  (3) In the first to fourth embodiments, the location information is periodically notified from the mobile device 300 to the server, but this is not particular. Notification may be made in response to an inquiry from the server, or location information may be notified to the server triggered by a certain event such as the mobile device 300 passing through a certain place.

  (4) In the first to fourth embodiments, the server makes an inquiry to the home appliance or the monitoring device once and determines the result, but this may be confirmed a plurality of times. It should be noted that it is necessary to determine a rule in advance as to how to determine when the state is different when confirmed multiple times. For example, the judgment may be made in the latest state or a majority vote may be taken.

  (5) In the third embodiment, the monitoring device is described as a single device such as a wattmeter, a thermometer, and a microphone, but this is not particular. A module having a predetermined function incorporated in the home appliance may be used. For example, you may check the driving | running state of an air-conditioner using the camera function of the automatic cleaner with a camera function.

  (6) In Embodiment 3, the measurement value when the home appliance is in the OFF state is recorded and determined. However, the measurement value when the home appliance is in the ON state may be recorded and determined using this. Alternatively, the determination may be made based on the difference between the measured value at the ON time and the measured value at the OFF state.

  (7) In the first to fourth embodiments, the home appliances in the ON state are notified. However, the home appliances in the OFF state may be notified, or the states of all home appliances (ON, OFF) May be notified.

  (8) In the first embodiment, the selection of home appliances (S107 in FIG. 5) is registered in advance on the server side, but this is not particular. For example, as shown in FIG. 35, in the portable device 300, a device to be inquired may be registered. In FIG. 35, an air conditioner and a recorder are displayed as candidate devices to make an inquiry to the server side, and the user selects the air conditioner. Here, only the air conditioner is selected as the device for inquiring, but a plurality of devices may be selected here. For example, when there are two air conditioners in a house, each may be displayed, for example, like a living room air conditioner or a study air conditioner, and may be registered by selection. Also, in FIG. 35, as a display at the time of selection, what information (for example, in the case of an air conditioner, information on the set temperature and humidity, operation mode and the current room temperature is notified) is notified. However, it is also possible to select these items. That is, for example, the operation mode is notified, but the current room temperature information is unnecessary.

  (9) In the first to fourth embodiments, the GPS is used to acquire the position information of the mobile device 300. However, a satellite positioning system other than the GPS may be used, or other positioning systems may be used. Good.

  In addition, the technique demonstrated in the said aspect can be implement | achieved in the following types of cloud services, for example. However, the types of cloud services in which the technology described in the above aspect is realized are not limited to these.

(Service type 1: In-house data center type cloud service)
FIG. 37 is a diagram showing an overview of services provided by the information management system in service type 1 (in-house data center type cloud service). In this type, the service provider 720 acquires information from the group 700 and provides a service to the user. In this type, the service provider 720 has a function of a data center operating company. That is, the service provider 720 has a cloud server 711 that manages big data. Therefore, there is no data center operating company.

  In this type, the service provider 720 operates and manages a data center (cloud server) 803. The service provider 720 manages an operating system (OS) 802 and an application 801. The service provider 720 provides a service using the OS 802 and the application 801 managed by the service provider 720 (arrow 804).

(Service type 2: Cloud service using IaaS)
FIG. 38 is a diagram illustrating an overview of services provided by the information management system in service type 2 (IaaS-based cloud service). Here, IaaS is an abbreviation for infrastructure as a service, and is a cloud service provision model that provides a base for constructing and operating a computer system as a service via the Internet.

  In this type, the data center operating company 710 operates and manages the data center (cloud server) 803. The service provider 720 manages the OS 802 and the application 801. The service provider 720 provides a service using the OS 802 and the application 801 managed by the service provider 720 (arrow 804).

(Service type 3: Cloud service using PaaS)
FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating an overall image of services provided by the information management system in service type 3 (PaaS use type cloud service). Here, PaaS is an abbreviation for Platform as a Service, and is a cloud service provision model that provides a platform serving as a foundation for constructing and operating software as a service via the Internet.

  In this type, the data center operating company 710 manages the OS 802 and operates and manages the data center (cloud server) 803. Further, the service provider 720 manages the application 801. The service provider 720 provides a service using the OS 802 managed by the data center operating company 710 and the application 801 managed by the service provider 720 (arrow 804).

(Service type 4: Cloud service using SaaS)
FIG. 40 is a diagram illustrating an overview of services provided by the information management system in service type 4 (SaaS-based cloud service). Here, SaaS is an abbreviation for software as a service. The SaaS-based cloud service is, for example, an application provided by a platform provider who owns a data center (cloud server), or a user such as a company or individual who does not have a data center (cloud server) on the Internet. This is a cloud service provision model that has functions that can be used via other networks.

  In this type, the data center operating company 710 manages the application 801, manages the OS 802, and operates and manages the data center (cloud server) 803. Further, the service provider 720 provides a service using the OS 802 and the application 801 managed by the data center operating company 710 (arrow 804).

  As described above, in any cloud service type, the service provider 720 provides a service. In addition, for example, the service provider or the data center operating company may develop an OS, an application, a big data database, or the like, or may be outsourced to a third party.

  The information notification method according to the present invention is useful for an information notification method in an information management system that manages information indicating the state of one or more household electrical appliances in a house.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10,11 Information notification system 100 House 101,102,106 Home appliance 103,104,105 Monitoring apparatus 110 Inquiry receiving part 111 Home appliance log collection part 112 Home appliance log report part 113 Communication part 114 Inquiry reception part 115 Monitoring log collection part 116 Monitoring Log Report Unit 117 Communication Unit 200 Server 201 Communication Unit 202 Home Appliance Log Receiving Unit 204 Notification Judgment Unit 205 Portable Device Location Receiving Unit 206 Predetermined Range Judgment Unit 207 Home Appliance Log Notification Unit 208 Inquiry Processing Unit 209 Communication Unit 210 House Location Recording Unit 211 required time acquisition unit 212 monitoring log reception unit 213 monitoring log determination unit 214 monitoring log notification unit 215 movement distance calculation unit 216 compatible monitoring device recording unit 300 portable device 301 communication unit 302 portable device position collection unit 303 position notification unit 304 Display Unit 305 Area Map Information Acquisition Unit 306 Mobile Device Movement Speed Calculation Unit 307 Mobile Device Position Prediction Unit 308 Distance L Range Judgment Unit 400,500 Network 600 GPS Satellite

Claims (21)

An information notification method in an information management system for managing information indicating a state of one or more home appliances in a house,
Managing information for designating a predetermined home appliance among the one or more home appliances;
Receiving the position information of the display terminal of the user of the home appliance from the display terminal;
When it is determined that the position of the display terminal is within a predetermined distance from the house as compared with the position information of the display terminal using a memory that manages the position information of the house.
Receiving log information including the ON / OFF state of the predetermined household electrical appliance from the predetermined household electrical appliance via the first network;
Providing information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance to the display terminal via the second network while the position of the display terminal is included within the range of the predetermined distance from the house;
Information notification method. Receiving and managing information designating the predetermined home appliance from the display terminal via the second network;
The information notification method according to claim 1. The first network and the second network are the same network.
The information notification method according to claim 1 or 2. The first network and the second network are different networks.
The information notification method according to claim 1 or 2. Using a database that manages map information, obtain area map information of the area including the position indicated by the position information of the display terminal,
Managing the location information of the display terminal that is periodically received together with the reception time;
Calculate the moving speed of the display terminal based on the time change of the position information of the display terminal,
Using the calculated moving speed of the display terminal and the area map information to determine whether the position of the display terminal is within a predetermined distance from the house;
The information notification method according to claim 1. While the position of the display terminal does not coincide with the position of the house and is included within the range of the predetermined distance, information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is transmitted via the second network. Providing to the display terminal;
The information notification method according to claim 1. While the position of the display terminal coincides with the position of the house and is included in the range of the predetermined distance, information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance is transmitted through the second network. Provide to the display terminal,
The information notification method according to claim 1. Using a database that manages map information, obtain area map information of the area including the position indicated by the position information of the display terminal,
Tracking changes in the location information of the display terminal received from the display terminal on the regional map information,
Determining a route to the house and a moving speed of the display terminal on the area map information based on a change in the position information of the display terminal that has been tracked;
When the predetermined home appliance provides information indicating the ON / OFF state to the display terminal, the time until the user of the display terminal returns to the house is calculated using the determined route and moving speed. ,
Provide information indicating the time until the user of the display terminal returns to the house based on the calculated time, together with information indicating the ON / OFF state of the one home appliance.
The information notification method according to claim 1. Count the elapsed time from when the display terminal leaves the area corresponding to the house,
Obtaining the counted time when providing the display terminal with information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance;
Provide information indicating the time until the user of the display terminal returns to the house based on the acquired time together with information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance.
The information notification method according to claim 1. The position information of the display terminal is periodically received from the display terminal.
The information notification method according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The one or more home appliances include another home appliance connected to the information management system through the first network and capable of monitoring an operation state of the one home appliance,
Receiving information indicating the operating state of the one household electrical appliance from the other household electrical appliance via the first network;
Determining the ON / OFF state of the one home appliance based on the information indicating the operation state;
The information notification method according to claim 1. Managing correspondence information indicating the other home appliance corresponding to the one home appliance;
Selecting the other home appliance associated with the one home appliance based on the correspondence information;
The information notification method according to claim 11. The other home appliance is a wattmeter that is connected to the information management system through the first network and detects the amount of power used in the house,
Determining an ON / OFF state of the one household electrical appliance based on information indicating the used electric energy received from the power meter via the first network;
The information notification method according to claim 11. The other home appliance is a wattmeter that is connected to the information management system through the first network and detects the amount of power used in the house,
Based on the information indicating the used electric energy received from the power meter via the first network, when the used electric energy does not change more than a predetermined value within a predetermined time, the one home appliance is in an ON state. to decide,
The information notification method according to claim 11. The other home appliance is connected to the information management system through the first network, and includes a sound collecting device that collects operation sounds of the one home appliance,
Determining an ON / OFF state of the one home appliance based on information indicating an operation sound of the one home appliance received from the other home appliance via the first network;
The information notification method according to claim 11. The other home appliance is connected to the information management system through the first network, and includes a sound collecting device that collects operation sounds of the one home appliance,
Based on the information indicating the operation sound of the one home appliance received from the other home appliance via the first network, when detecting the operation sound for switching the ON / OFF state of the one home appliance, Determining that the one household electrical appliance is in an ON state;
The information notification method according to claim 11. The other home appliance is connected to the information management system through the first network, and includes an electronic thermometer for measuring the temperature in the house,
Determining the ON / OFF state of the one home appliance based on information indicating the temperature in the house received from the other home appliance via the network;
The information notification method according to claim 11. The other home appliance is connected to the information management system through the first network, and includes an electronic thermometer for measuring the temperature in the house,
Based on the information indicating the temperature inside the house received from the other household appliances via the first network, if the temperature inside the house does not change more than a predetermined amount within a predetermined time, the one household appliance Determine that the device is in an ON state;
The information notification method according to claim 11. The log information including the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance includes setting information indicating the setting of the predetermined home appliance,
Providing the setting information to the display terminal as additional information indicating information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance;
The information notification method according to claim 1. The log information including the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance includes measurement information indicating a measurement result of a sensor provided in the predetermined home appliance,
Providing the measurement information to the display terminal as additional information indicating information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance;
The information notification method according to claim 1. An information notification method in an information management system for managing information indicating a state of one or more home appliances in a house,
Managing information for designating a predetermined home appliance among the one or more home appliances;
Receiving log information including the ON / OFF state of the predetermined household electrical appliance from the predetermined household electrical appliance via the first network;
Receiving the position information of the display terminal of the user of the home appliance from the display terminal;
Using a database that manages map information, obtain area map information of the area including the position indicated by the position information of the display terminal,
Tracking changes in the location information of the display terminal received from the display terminal on the regional map information,
Based on the change in the location information of the tracked display terminal, the travel distance that the display terminal has moved from the house on the regional map information is calculated,
Providing the information indicating the ON / OFF state of the predetermined home appliance to the display terminal via the second network until the moving distance of the display terminal from the house exceeds a predetermined distance;
Information notification method.