JP2018181201A - Information provision system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information provision system which achieves improvement in convenience of a user and which suppresses deterioration of comfort in life, in supporting a life of a user.SOLUTION: In a kitchen 11, a dishwasher 41 is installed for washing dishes by using a detergent for dish and water. A flow rate sensor 31 disposed in a drain pipe 25 of the kitchen 11 and a power supply part for dishwasher 41 in a distribution panel 44 are connected to a home controller 45, and based on information from the flow rate sensor 31 and the power supply part, power consumption of the dishwasher 41 and water consumption in the kitchen 11 are monitored. The home controller 45 can communicate with a cloud server 50, and the power consumption and the water consumption are transmitted to the cloud server 50. In the cloud server 50, a specification of the dishwasher 41, more specifically, a relationship between the water consumption and consumption of a detergent for dishwasher, is stored, and the consumption of the detergent for dishwasher is estimated based on the relationship and water consumption and power consumption which are received.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an information providing system.

  In buildings such as houses, technology that supports the life of users (residents) by defining the storage locations of daily goods consumed in daily life and monitoring the remaining amount using weight sensors etc. Has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to this technology, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of inconveniences such as not having handy items at the time of need, and to improve the convenience of the user (resident).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-296904

  Here, in the above-mentioned system, although the monitoring system is established on the premise that the daily necessities are stored in a predetermined storage location, when the daily necessities purchased in the first place are stored in a specified predetermined storage unit The possibility of being accommodated in another place can not be denied depending on various circumstances such as user's convenience. In addition, limiting the storage location of daily necessities in order to make the system function properly can give the user an impression of being bothersome and may be a factor that impairs the comfort of life.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is a main object of the present invention to improve the convenience of the user and to suppress the decrease in the comfort of the life in supporting the life of the user. is there.

  Hereinafter, means etc. effective for solving the above-mentioned subject are explained, showing an effect etc. if needed. In the following, for ease of understanding, the corresponding configuration in the embodiment of the invention is appropriately shown in parentheses or the like, but it is not limited to the specific configuration shown in the parentheses or the like.

Means 1. An information providing system for providing information on consumption of daily goods used in a house (house 10), comprising:
Acquisition means (home controller 45 or cloud server 50) for acquiring usage of at least one of energy and water in the house as a usage monitoring parameter;
Control means for controlling provision of information on consumption of daily goods based on the use monitoring parameters acquired by the acquisition means using the relationship between the use monitoring parameters and the consumption of the daily goods associated with the use monitoring parameters And a cloud server 50).

  According to the configuration shown in this means, when consumption of daily necessities involves the use of energy or water, the relationship between the amount of use such as energy (use monitoring parameter) and the amount of consumption associated with the use monitoring parameter thereof There is no daily necessities on hand by monitoring consumption and alerting the user (resident) to that effect, for example, when daily necessities are running low, etc., or prompting the purchase (refilling) of daily necessities Can be suppressed. Moreover, since the consumption amount of daily necessities can be monitored from the usage amount of energy etc., there is no restriction in the place where the daily necessities are placed. Therefore, it is possible to preferably improve convenience by avoiding the occurrence of adverse effects such as loss of the comfort of life when systematization of monitoring of the remaining amount and the like is made.

  Means 2. And means for setting and changing the relationship between the usage monitoring parameter and the consumption amount of the daily product associated with the usage monitoring parameter based on the user's operation. .

  With regard to daily necessities shown in means 1, the amount of use, which serves as a guide, is often determined by the specifications and the like of the daily necessities. However, in fact, it can not be denied that the usage amount may deviate from the standard depending on the user's lifestyle and preferences. Such a deviation is a factor that reduces the certainty of usage monitoring. In this respect, if the user can set / change the relationship between the usage monitoring parameter and the consumption as shown in this means, the occurrence of such inconvenience can be suppressed.

Means 3. The acquisition means acquires the use monitoring parameter for a facility (for example, the dishwasher 41 or the washing machine 42) in a house that uses energy and / or water and is associated with consumption of the daily goods;
The information providing system according to the means 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means estimates the consumption amount of the daily necessities based on the use monitoring parameter acquired for the facility, and performs the control from the estimation result. .

  In a configuration in which energy and water are used and household products are consumed in facilities in a house, the relationship between the amount of energy and water used and the consumption of daily products is often determined depending on the facilities and products. Then, if it is set as the structure which acquires the use monitoring parameter about such an installation and estimates the consumption of a daily-use goods from the use monitoring parameter, the certainty of an estimation result can be improved suitably.

Means 4. A standard operating condition is defined when operation involving consumption of the daily necessities is performed for the equipment,
The information providing system according to the means 3, wherein the acquisition means acquires the usage monitoring parameter based on the facility being in the reference operation state.

  As shown in this means, use monitoring parameters are obtained based on the standard operating condition accompanied by the use of daily necessities if there are cases where daily necessities are used or not depending on the operating conditions of the facility. With this configuration, the certainty can be suitably improved in monitoring consumption of daily necessities.

Means 5. The equipment consumes the daily necessities when the equipment is in operation.
The information providing system according to the means 3 or 4, wherein the acquisition means acquires the usage monitoring parameter based on the operation of the facility.

  In the configuration where daily necessities are consumed along with the operation of the facility, acquiring the usage monitoring parameter based on the operation of the facility (do not acquire the usage monitoring parameter when the facility is not operated) Thus, the certainty can be suitably improved in monitoring the consumption of daily necessities.

Means 6. The equipment is configured to use both energy and water during operation,
A means for setting a baseline usage of energy based on the amount of energy used when operation involving consumption of the commodity is performed in the facility;
Means for setting a standard usage of water based on the amount of water used when the operation involving consumption of the daily goods is performed in the facility;
The acquisition means is characterized in that whether or not the facility is being operated is determined based on the amount of energy used in the facility, the amount of water used, the standard usage of the energy and the standard usage of the water. The information provision system according to the means 5.

  If it is configured to determine the presence or absence of the operation of the facility from each usage amount of energy and water and each reference usage amount, the acquired usage monitoring parameters include disturbance in performing consumption estimation of daily necessities. Also, the decrease in the estimation accuracy of the consumption can be suppressed. For example, if the usage of water reaches the standard usage while the usage of energy does not reach the standard usage, the facility is assumed to be in a non-operating state, and acquisition of usage monitoring parameters is avoided. . Thereby, it can suppress that the structure of a house etc. become too complicated, and can contribute to the spread of an information provision system.

Means 7. A plurality of operation modes are set to the equipment,
As the relationship, a plurality of relationships are set according to the plurality of operation modes,
The information providing system according to any one of the means 3 to 6, wherein the control means performs the estimation based on the relationship according to the operation mode.

  When the facility has a plurality of operation modes, the relationship between the amount of energy or water used and the consumption of daily necessities may differ depending on the operation modes. Therefore, if the driving mode is specified and the consumption is estimated based on the result, the certainty of the estimation result can be suitably improved. If the use monitoring parameter is used to specify the operation mode, the system can be simplified.

Means 8. The time zone in which the daily necessities are used is defined for the equipment,
The information providing system according to any one of the means 3 to 7, wherein the control means acquires the usage monitoring parameter based on the fact that the current time is the time zone.

  For daily necessities, the time of day to be consumed may be determined to some extent. Then, when estimating consumption, if it is set as the structure which considered the time slot | zone, it can contribute to the improvement of the estimation precision of the consumption of daily necessities.

  Means 9. The acquisition means is a measurement value of a water quantity measurement means (for example, a water quantity meter) for measuring the quantity of water supplied from outside the house, and a power meter for measuring the quantity of electricity supplied from outside the house in the house In any one of the means 1 to 6, characterized in that at least one of a measured value and a measured value of a gas meter for measuring the amount of gas supplied from outside the house is obtained as the use monitoring parameter. Information provision system.

  According to the means 9, it is possible to realize the estimation of the consumption of the desired daily necessities while using the existing meter equipment in the house.

Means 10. And a user position determination unit that determines that the user is in a store where the daily necessities are handled or in the vicinity of the store based on position information of a mobile terminal (mobile terminal P) moving with the user,
The control means described in any one of the means 1 to 9 is characterized in that information on consumption of the daily necessities is provided based on the determination result that the user is near the shop or the shop. Information provision system.

  According to the means 10, it is possible to urge the user to purchase the necessities, for example, when the mobile terminal approaches the store where the necessities are handled under the situation where the necessities are to be supplied.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The schematic which shows the commodity information provision system in 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the relationship between the daily necessities used as the estimation object of consumption, and the information used as an estimation base. Schematic which shows the input-output information which concerns on a cloud server. The flowchart which shows the consumption amount estimation process performed by a cloud server. Schematic which shows the relationship between electric power consumption and water consumption. Schematic which shows the relationship between the cumulative usage of water, and the cumulative consumption of detergent. 6 is a flowchart showing a notification process performed by the cloud server. Schematic which shows a part of daily necessities information provision system in 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the consumption amount estimation process performed by a cloud server. Schematic which shows the relationship between electricity consumption and water consumption.

First Embodiment
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the present embodiment, a home controller that monitors the use of energy (electricity and gas) and water in a house, a cloud server that estimates the consumption of daily goods based on information from the home controller, and a cloud server A necessities information provision system, which is embodied by mobile terminals capable of displaying information and provides information on consumption status of necessities and replenishment of necessities to the user by the home controller, cloud server, and mobile terminals Is one of the features. Hereinafter, the house 10 to which the commodity information providing system is applied will be described with reference to the schematic view of FIG. 1.

  The house 10 is provided with a kitchen 11, a bathroom 12, a washroom 13, a toilet 14 and the like, and supply paths (not shown) for supplying energy and water to the respective areas. Each area is under the supervision of a home controller 45 disposed in the house 10, and the home controller 45 is used to understand the amount of water used in each area and the amount of power and gas used in various facilities corresponding to each area. It has become.

  For example, a sink and a dishwasher 41 are attached to the kitchen 11, and water (drainage) used in the sink and the dishwasher 41 is drained to the outside through the drainage pipe 25. The drainage pipe 25 is provided with a flow rate sensor 31 for detecting the amount of water passing through the drainage pipe 25. The flow sensor 31 is connected to the home controller 45, and the home controller 45 grasps the amount of water used (drainage) in the kitchen 11 based on the information from the flow sensor 31.

  Electric power is supplied to the dishwasher 41 through the distribution board 44. The current supply unit to the dishwasher 41 in the distribution board 44 is provided with a current sensor that detects the current supplied to the dishwasher 41. The current sensor is connected to the home controller 45, and the home controller 45 grasps the usage amount of power in the dishwasher 41 based on the information from the current sensor.

  A bath and a shower are attached to the bathroom 12, and hot water is supplied to the bath and the shower from a gas-type water heater 43. Hot water (drainage) used in a bath or a shower is drained to the outside through a drain pipe 26. The drainage pipe 26 is provided with a flow rate sensor 32 for detecting the amount of water passing through the drainage pipe 26. The flow sensor 32 is connected to the home controller 45, and the home controller 45 grasps the amount of water used (drainage) in the bathroom 12 based on the information from the flow sensor 32.

  Electric power is supplied to the water heater 43 via the distribution board 44. The power supply unit to water heater 43 in distribution board 44 is provided with a current sensor for detecting the current supplied to water heater 43. The current sensor is connected to the home controller 45, and the home controller 45 grasps the usage amount of power in the water heater 43 based on the information from the current sensor.

  A wash basin and a washing machine 42 are juxtaposed to the washroom 13, and water (drainage) used in the wash basin and washing machine 42 is drained to the outside through a drainage pipe 27. The drainage pipe 27 is provided with a flow rate sensor 33 for detecting the amount of water passing through the drainage pipe 27. The flow sensor 33 is connected to the home controller 45, and the home controller 45 grasps the usage amount (drainage) of water in the washroom 13 based on the information from the flow sensor 33.

  Electric power is supplied to the washing machine 42 through the distribution board 44. The current supply unit to the washing machine 42 in the distribution board 44 is provided with a current sensor for detecting the current supplied to the washing machine 42. The current sensor is connected to the home controller 45, and the home controller 45 grasps the usage amount of power in the washing machine 42 based on the information from the current sensor.

  The toilet 14 is provided with a toilet bowl and a water tank in which flush water for cleaning the toilet bowl is stored. Water (drainage) used in the toilet 14 is drained to the outside through the drain pipe 28. The drainage pipe 27 is provided with a flow rate sensor 34 for detecting the amount of water passing through the drainage pipe 27. The flow sensor 34 is connected to the home controller 45, and the home controller 45 grasps the amount of water used (the amount of drainage) in the toilet 14 based on the information from the flow sensor 34.

  The home controller 45 can mutually communicate with the cloud server 50 via a network environment such as the Internet, and transmits various information collected to the cloud server 50 as needed according to an instruction from the cloud server 50, etc. Is configured to Although details will be described later, the home controller 45 receives information on the consumption status of daily necessities from the cloud server 50 according to the situation, and provides the resident (user) with the information.

  The cloud server 50 uses the storage unit 51 storing information on the usage amount of energy and water acquired from the home controller 45, and the consumption amount of daily goods used in the house 10 based on the information stored in the storage unit 51. And a control unit 52 for estimating the The cloud server 50 is connected to various stores (stores) that handle daily goods via an information communication network such as the Internet, and acquires information on handling of daily goods from the stores. In addition, the cloud server 50 can communicate with a mobile terminal P such as a mobile phone or a car navigation owned by a resident of the house 10. For example, when the daily necessities used in the house 10 run short, the mobile terminal P and the home controller 45 will be notified that they will purchase (supplement) daily necessities.

  Here, with reference to the schematic view of FIG. 2, the relationship between the daily necessities and the information (parameters) used to estimate the amount of consumption thereof will be described for each area.

  As described above, the dishwasher 41 is installed in the kitchen 11 to improve the convenience of the resident. As an operation mode of the dishwasher 41, a standard mode and an eco mode in which washing and drying are performed, and a drying mode in which only drying is performed are provided. In standard mode and eco mode, both power and water are used, and in dry mode only power is used. In the standard mode and the eco mode, the amount of the dish washer detergent (equivalent to “daily necessities”) to be used is determined by the specifications of the dish washer 41 and the dish washer detergent, and by keeping this dose, washing is performed. The function will be suitably exhibited. The eco mode is a mode that assumes the case where the amount of dishes is small, and the amounts of water, electric power and detergent for used in dishwashers are smaller than those in the standard mode.

  The consumption of the detergent for the dishwasher has a correlation with the amount of water used in the dishwasher 41. Therefore, the consumption of the detergent for the dishwasher is estimated from the amount of water used in the kitchen 11. However, the amount of water used in the kitchen 11 includes the amount of water used in the sink. Here, electric power is used in the dishwasher 41 when operating in the standard mode and the eco mode. Although the details will be described later, the amount of water used other than the dishwasher 41 (for example, the sink) is excluded from the relationship between the amount of power used and the amount of water used in the dishwasher 41. As described above, in the kitchen 11, the estimation accuracy is improved by estimating the consumption of the dishwasher detergent in consideration of the power consumption in the dishwasher 41.

  In the bathroom 12, shampoos and body soaps are set as daily items for which consumption is estimated. The consumption of these shampoos and body soaps is correlated with the amount of water used in the bathroom 12. Here, when using shampoo and body soap, it is assumed that a shower will be used when washing them away, and the relationship between the amount of water used and the consumption of shampoo and body soap is mainly due to the amount of water used in the shower. It is considered to be a thing. In consideration of such circumstances, in the present embodiment, when estimating the consumption of shampoo and body soap from the amount of water used in bathroom 12, the relationship between the amount of power used in water heater 43 and the amount of water used Excludes the use of water other than showers (eg hot water in the bath). Specifically, even when the hot water is supplied by the water heater 43 (when the power is used), if the amount of water discharged from the bathroom 12 is less than the supplied amount, the hot water is flowing It is considered that the water consumption is limited, and it is restricted not to add to the above water consumption. As described above, in the bathroom 12, the estimation accuracy is improved by estimating the consumption of the shampoo and the body soap based on the power consumption in the water heater 43 and the water usage in the bathroom 12.

  In the washroom 13, toothpaste and detergent for washing machine are set as daily items for which consumption is estimated. The consumption of these tooth powders and washing detergents has a correlation with the amount of water used in the washroom 13. Here, the consumption of toothpaste is strongly related to the amount of water used in the wash basin, and the detergent for the washing machine is strongly related to the amount of water used in the washing machine 42. For this reason, it is estimated that water consumption in the washing machine 42 is included to estimate the consumption of toothpaste, and water consumption in the wash basin is included to estimate the consumption of detergent for the washing machine. It hinders the improvement of accuracy. In this embodiment, in order to estimate the consumption of toothpaste and detergent for a washing machine from the amount of water used in the washroom 13 in consideration of such circumstances, the amount of water used from the power consumption in the washing machine 42 The quantities are divided into those pertaining to the wash basin and those pertaining to the washing machine 42. Specifically, since the power consumption and the water consumption have a certain relationship between each other according to the specifications of the washing machine 42, the water usage is estimated from the power consumption based on the relationship. Thus, in the washroom 13, the estimation accuracy is improved by estimating the consumption of toothpaste and detergent for the washing machine based on the power consumption in the washing machine 42 and the water use in the washroom 13. It is done.

  In the toilet 14, toilet paper is set as a daily commodity to be estimated for consumption. The consumption of toilet paper is correlated with the amount of water used in the toilet 14. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the consumption of toilet paper is estimated from the amount of water used in the toilet 14.

  As shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 3, in the daily goods information provision system shown in the present embodiment, the control unit 52 of the cloud server 50 acquires product information (information on the specification of the product) of the housing equipment and the daily goods; Such information is stored in the storage unit 51. In addition, about these information, at the time of the use start of a system (For example, when use of daily necessities which are object of estimation is started, and use of housing equipment is started), it is acquired → stored in a predetermined procedure Ru.

  It is sufficient if the cloud server 50 can acquire the product information (information on the specification of the product), and the method of inputting the product information is arbitrary. For example, when the resident manually inputs the product information using the mobile terminal P or the home controller 45, the product information may be transmitted to the cloud server 50. When the product information is coded, the product information may be transmitted to the cloud server 50 when the resident reads the code using the mobile terminal P or the like.

  The information on the specification of the product includes information such as the amount of energy and water used, the amount of consumption of daily necessities associated with the use of equipment, and the amount included in a predetermined unit of daily necessities. Specifically, (1) when the estimation target is a detergent for a dishwasher, the amount of power used, the amount of water used, and the amount used for the dishwasher when the dishwasher 41 is operated in each mode If the relationship with the consumption of detergent, the capacity of the detergent (container) for the dishwasher corresponds to the above information, and (2) the estimation target is shampoo and body soap, the power consumption of the water heater 43, water If the amount used, the relationship between the amount used and the amount consumed of shampoo / body soap, and the capacity of the shampoo / body soap (container) correspond to the above information, and (3) the estimation target is a laundry detergent, a washing machine If the amount of power used, the amount of water used, the relation between the amount used and the amount consumed of laundry detergent, and the capacity of the laundry detergent (container) correspond to the above information, and the estimation target is tooth powder, water use Amount, consumption of toothpaste, and tooth brushing capacity correspond to the above information, and (4) estimation Elephant in the case of toilet paper, the consumption of the amount of water and toilet paper to be used in the use of one-time toilet 14, the amount of toilet paper (length and number of roles) is equivalent to the information.

  The control unit 52 of the cloud server 50 estimates the consumption of daily necessities based on the amount of energy used, the amount of water used, and the product information. Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4, the consumption estimation process executed as part of the periodic process by the control unit 52 of the cloud server 50 will be described.

  In the consumption estimation process, first, at step S101, it is determined whether or not a predetermined change has occurred in an item set as a monitoring target among various parameters of energy (power and gas) and water usage. . For example, in the case of estimating the consumption of the detergent for the dishwasher, it is determined whether the amount of power consumption in the dishwasher 41 has reached a predetermined amount, specifically, the power used exceeds the predetermined value. It is determined whether a predetermined period has elapsed.

  When a negative determination is made in step S101, the main estimation process is ended as it is. When an affirmative determination is made in step S101, the process proceeds to step S102. In step S102, the presence or absence of consumption of daily necessities is determined based on the amounts of energy (electricity and gas) and water used.

  For example, when determining the presence or absence of the consumption of the detergent for the dishwasher used by the dishwasher 41, the power (the amount of power consumption) used by the dishwasher 41 and the water discharged from the kitchen 11 The determination is made based on the amount of water (the amount of water used). As described above, the operation mode of the dishwasher 41 is set to the standard mode, the eco mode, and the drying mode. In either mode, there is a certain relationship between power consumption and water usage. Therefore, the control unit 52 defines the relationship between the amount of power used and the amount of water used based on the specifications of the dishwasher 41 (the above information input by the user), and the actual amount of power used and the amount of water used If the relationship of (1) deviates from the relationship defined above, it is presumed that there is no consumption of the detergent for the dishwasher.

  Specifically, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 5, even if the power consumption exceeds the predetermined value, when the amount of water used is extremely small, it is considered that the operation mode is the drying mode, It is presumed that there is no use of the detergent for the dishwasher. Similarly, if the amount of water used is extremely high, it is assumed that the sink is being used during the dry mode, and it is assumed that no dishwashing detergent is used.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 4, after performing the estimation in step S102, the process proceeds to step S103. When it is estimated that daily necessities are not consumed, a negative determination is made in step S103, and the processing for estimating the consumption amount is ended as it is. If it is estimated that the daily necessities are consumed in step S102, an affirmative determination is made in step S103, and the process proceeds to step S104.

  The storage unit 51 of the cloud server 50 stores the past usage amount of energy and water (more specifically, the usage amount after reset described later). In step S104, the cumulative usage amount is updated by adding the usage amount of energy and water used this time to the stored cumulative usage amount. In the present embodiment, the amount of energy and water used stored in the storage unit 51 corresponds to the “use monitoring parameter”.

  For example, the amount of water used in the dishwasher 41 is determined according to the specification of the dishwasher 41. If the current water consumption in the kitchen 11 largely deviates from the expected water consumption, there is a high possibility that the water consumption in the sink is included. Therefore, in such a case, when updating the accumulated usage amount of water, the water usage amount corresponding to the above specification is substituted instead of the specified water usage amount.

  After updating the cumulative use amount of energy and water in step S104, the cumulative use amount of daily necessities is calculated from the cumulative use amount in subsequent step S105. In other words, the cumulative consumption of daily necessities is estimated based on the amount of energy and water used so far.

  For example, when estimating the cumulative consumption of the detergent for the dishwasher used by the dishwasher 41, the cumulative usage of water is referred to. The storage unit 51 of the cloud server 50 stores the relationship between the accumulated usage of water specified based on the input various information and the accumulated consumption of the dishwasher detergent (see the schematic diagram of FIG. 6). Estimate the cumulative consumption of the dishwasher detergent based on the updated cumulative usage of water and the relationship.

  In the present embodiment, a reference amount (for example, 80% of the capacity) for an alert indicating that the remaining amount of daily necessities is small is set from the information related to the capacity of the daily necessities input. If the accumulated consumption amount estimated in step S105 does not exceed this reference amount, a negative determination is made in step S106, and the process for this estimation ends. On the other hand, if the accumulated consumption amount estimated in step S105 exceeds the reference amount, an affirmative determination is made in step S106, and the process proceeds to step S107. After that, the alert setting process is executed in step S107, and the present estimation process ends.

  By executing the alert setting process, the user is notified that the daily necessities are scarce and the user is notified that the daily necessities need to be replenished. Specifically, the home controller 45 immediately outputs a command for performing the notification, and the mobile terminal P outputs a command for performing the notification when a predetermined notification condition is satisfied. Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7, a process (reporting process) for outputting the latter command in the control unit 52 of the cloud server 50 will be described. The notification process constitutes a part of a periodic process that is periodically executed by the control unit 52 of the cloud server 50.

  In the process for notification, first, in step S201, it is determined whether or not an alert is being set. That is, it is determined in step S106 whether or not the alert setting has been made. If a negative determination is made in step S201, the process for the present notification ends. When an affirmative determination is made in step S201, the process proceeds to step S202. In step S202, position information of the mobile terminal P is acquired from the mobile terminal P, and the position of the mobile terminal P is specified.

  In the following step S203, store information is acquired from various stores. Specifically, store location information and information on the presence or absence of handling of the corresponding product (daily necessities) are acquired. In the subsequent step S204, it is determined whether or not the mobile terminal P is located in the vicinity (more specifically, within a predetermined distance) of the store where the product is handled. If a negative determination is made in step S204, the process for the present notification is ended. When an affirmative determination is made in step S204, the process proceeds to step S205, an alert notification process to the mobile terminal P is performed, and the notification process is ended. In the alert notification process, a command is sent to cause the mobile terminal P to display the location information of the nearest store and the information of the daily necessities (the daily necessities to be replenished) that are handled there. This makes it possible to prompt the user to replace the remaining daily items.

  When the alert setting is performed, the mobile terminal P and the home controller 45 are notified of the alert release operation accordingly. When the daily necessities are supplied by purchasing the daily necessities, an alert release operation is performed. When the release operation is performed, information indicating that effect is transmitted to the cloud server 50, and the accumulated usage amount and the accumulated consumption amount that are information for estimation stored in the storage unit 51 in the cloud server 50 are Reset.

  According to the first embodiment described above, the following excellent effects can be obtained.

  If consumption of daily necessities involves the use of energy and water, the amount of consumption of daily necessities can be estimated from the amount of consumption of energy and the like, so that it is possible to grasp how much daily articles are consumed. Then, when there is a shortage of daily necessities, etc., the user (resident) is informed of that and urges the purchase (refilling) of daily necessities, and the inconvenience occurs that the daily necessities are not at hand when necessary. Can be suppressed. In particular, in the case of estimating the consumption of daily necessities from the amount of use of energy etc., there is no limitation on the place where the daily necessities are placed. Therefore, it is possible to preferably improve convenience by avoiding the occurrence of adverse effects such as loss of the comfort of life when systematization of monitoring of the remaining amount and the like is made.

  In a configuration in which energy and water are used and household goods are consumed in housing equipment, the relationship between the amount of energy and water used and the consumption of household goods is determined according to the specifications of the housing equipment and household goods. There are many. Then, if it is set as the structure which estimates the consumption of a daily-care item with reference to such a relationship, the certainty of an estimation result can be improved suitably.

  In buildings such as houses, drainage pipes and power supply paths are often set separately for each area such as a kitchen or a bathroom. In view of such a situation, when applying the above-mentioned information provision system to a house, the arrangement of the house etc. becomes complicated by trying to arrange a sensor etc. for surveillance for every house installation. This is assumed to be an obstacle to the spread of the information providing system. Here, in housing equipment, it is general that the usage mode of energy and water is determined to a certain extent from the specifications. Therefore, if the usage of energy and water is specified, and consumption of daily necessities is estimated based on the specified result, the estimation accuracy of consumption due to the disturbance when the disturbance is included in the monitoring result You can reduce the Thereby, it can suppress that the structure of a house etc. become too complicated, and can contribute to the spread of an information provision system.

  In the present embodiment, the cumulative consumption of daily necessities etc. is estimated from the cumulative usage of energy and water. For this reason, for example, compared with the structure which estimates consumption of daily necessities from consumption of water every time, and accumulates consumption, the fall of estimation accuracy by accumulation of errors etc. can be controlled suitably.

  If the amount of use of energy or water in the home installation is confused due to the influence of disturbance or the like, the estimation accuracy in the case of estimating the amount of consumption from the accumulated amount of use may decrease. Therefore, by specifying the relationship between the amount of energy used and the amount of water used from the specifications of the housing equipment and correcting the addition value to the accumulated amount of use based on the relationship, for example, the amount of use includes disturbance etc. Even if it is in excess, the impact can be mitigated. This can contribute to the improvement of the estimation accuracy.

  In addition, for example, when the mobile terminal P approaches a store where the daily goods are handled under the situation where the daily goods should be supplied, the user is prompted to purchase the daily goods. This contributes to the improvement of the convenience of the system.

Second Embodiment
In the first embodiment, the power supply path for supplying power to a specific electric device such as the dishwasher 41 is individually provided, and the power consumption amount in the specific electric device is made independent of other electric devices etc. It was possible to monitor. Such a configuration is advantageous in suppressing disturbance when specifying the amount of used power and improving the likelihood. However, providing such a dedicated power supply path leads to the complexity of the daily necessities information provision system, and can be a hindrance to promoting the system. In the present embodiment, one of the features is that the device is made in consideration of such circumstances. Hereinafter, the daily product information providing system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to a schematic view of FIG.

  In the house 10 in the present embodiment, the power supply path to the kitchen 11 is unified, and a current sensor is disposed in the power supply path. Various kitchen appliances such as a microwave 47 and a pot 48 are installed in the kitchen 11 in consideration of convenience, and electric power used in the dishwasher 41, the microwave 47 and the pot 48 is collectively monitored. The structure is For this reason, when specifying the electric energy consumption amount in the kitchen 11 based on the information from the current sensor, the electric power consumption amount of each home appliance will be included. That is, when specifying the power consumption in the dishwasher 41, the power consumption in other home appliances becomes a disturbance.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, such disturbance is eliminated by using electric power consumption and water consumption in combination in consideration of the operation characteristics of the dishwasher 41, and the consumption of the detergent for the dishwasher can be reduced. It is suppressing the fall of the certainty in the estimation. Here, the consumption estimation process performed by the control unit 52 of the cloud server 50 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9 and the schematic view of FIG. 10. The consumption estimation process is a process periodically executed by the control unit 52 of the cloud server 50.

  In the consumption estimation process, first, in step S301, it is determined whether the water usage amount in a predetermined period exceeds the reference water usage amount. When the operation mode of the dishwasher 41 is the standard mode or the eco mode, both water and power will be used. On the other hand, when the operation mode is the drying mode, only the power is used to avoid the use of water (see FIG. 10). Therefore, in step S301, it is determined whether the amount of water used in the predetermined period exceeds the reference amount of water used determined based on the specifications of the dishwasher 41.

  If the actual amount of water used does not exceed the reference amount of water used, a negative determination is made in step S301, and the process for estimating the amount of consumption ends. If the actual water usage amount exceeds the reference water usage amount, an affirmative determination is made in step S301, and the process proceeds to step S302. In step S302, it is determined whether the amount of power used in the predetermined period exceeds the reference amount of power used determined based on the specifications of the dishwasher 41.

  If the actual power consumption does not exceed the reference power consumption, a negative determination is made in step S302, and the consumption estimation processing is terminated. If the actual power usage amount exceeds the reference power usage amount, an affirmative determination is made in step S302, and the process proceeds to step S303. In step S303, the water usage amount in the main predetermined period is added to the cumulative water usage amount stored in the storage unit 51 (the cumulative water usage amount is updated). In addition, when the water usage in a predetermined period largely deviates from the water usage assumed from the specification of the dishwasher 41, the above assumed water usage is substituted instead of the specified water usage. Ru.

  After updating the accumulated water consumption, the process proceeds to step S304, and the accumulated consumption of the dishwasher detergent is calculated from the accumulated water consumption. If the calculated accumulated usage amount does not exceed the alert setting reference amount, a negative determination is made in step S305, and the process for this estimation ends. On the other hand, if the calculated accumulated usage amount exceeds the alert setting reference amount, an affirmative determination is made in step S305, and the process proceeds to step S306. After the alert setting process is performed in step S306, the present estimation process ends. The processes in steps S304 to S306 are the same as the processes in steps S105 to S107.

  If the movement of the dishwasher 41 is specified using a plurality of parameters as described in the second embodiment described above, the consumption of the detergent for the dishwasher can be estimated from the information as the disturbance. It is possible to extract information on which to Thereby, when constructing a system, it can control that composition concerning the house 10 becomes excessive too much, and can promote the spread of the system concerned suitably.

  Incidentally, in the present embodiment, the estimation of the consumption of the detergent for the dishwasher in the kitchen 11 is exemplified, but the technical idea shown in the present feature may be applied to other areas such as the washroom 13 and the like. When the power supply path to the washroom 13 is unified, when the power is consumed in the washroom 13, it is necessary to determine whether or not it is due to the washing machine 42. For example, when the washroom 13 is provided with a light and a dryer, the use of electricity in these various electric devices can be a disturbance. In consideration of the fact that both the electric power and the water are used during operation of the washing machine 42, the amount of electric power used at the same time exceeds the reference electric energy determined based on the washing machine 42 specifications and the use of water If the amount exceeds the standard water consumption determined based on the specifications of the washing machine 42, the washing machine 42 is considered to be operated, and it is also configured to identify that the washing machine detergent has been consumed. It is possible.

  In addition, it is not limited to the description content of embodiment mentioned above, For example, you may implement as follows. Incidentally, the following alternative configurations may be applied individually to the configurations in the above-described embodiment, or may be applied in combination with each other.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the consumption amount of the detergent for the dishwasher is estimated from the amount of water used in the kitchen 11 (the dishwasher 41), but the electricity consumption in the kitchen 11 (the dishwasher 41) It is also possible to estimate the consumption of the dishwasher detergent from the amount used. In addition, the consumption of the dishwasher detergent may be estimated based on both the amount of water used and the amount of electricity used.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, the power consumption is determined. However, the water consumption of the water heater 43 may be determined. In this case, the consumption of body soap and shampoo is estimated from the amount of water used in bathroom 12 (water heater 43), but the amount of gas used in bathroom 12 (water heater 43) is estimated for body soap and shampoo It is also possible to estimate consumption. In addition, the consumption of the dishwasher detergent may be estimated based on both the amount of water used and the amount of gas used.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the consumption of the toilet paper is estimated from the amount of water used in the toilet 14. For example, if the toilet seat is of the hot water washing type, monitor the power consumption of the toilet 14 (more specifically, the hot water washing toilet seat) and estimate the consumption of toilet paper based on both the power consumption and the water usage. Thus, the estimation accuracy can be expected to improve. In addition, the consumption of the toilet paper may be estimated from the amount of power used for lighting the toilet 14 or the like and the time of use of electricity.

  (4) In the above embodiment, the drainage amount is monitored for each area. However, when there are a plurality of water using facilities in the area, the drainage amount may be monitored for each facility. is there. For example, in the above embodiment, the flow rate sensor 31 is disposed on the downstream side of the junction of the piping from the sink and the piping from the dishwasher 41 in the kitchen 11. However, the dishwasher 41 and the junction And a flow sensor for the dishwasher 41 may be disposed therebetween. For example, in the case of estimating the consumption amount of the dish detergent used in the sink, a flow sensor for the sink may be disposed between the sink and the junction.

  (5) When acquiring the use monitoring parameter of energy or water, it is also possible to define the time zone acquired. For example, when the water faucet is used at 6 to 8 o'clock morning time zone or 22 to 24 o'clock night time zone in the wash basin, cumulative water usage amount (use monitoring parameter) associated with daily necessities such as tooth powder and toothbrush measure. As a result, even if the wash basin is used other than brushing teeth, it is possible to suppress a decrease in estimation accuracy of the daily product consumption (difference in notification timing) resulting therefrom.

  (6) In the above embodiment, the relationship between the amount of water used and the amount of consumption of daily necessities (dishwasher detergent) is specified based on the information on the specifications of the product input by the user. There may be a gap between the information provided and the actual use situation. In view of such circumstances, the relationship may be updated based on (feedback to) the past performance. In addition, the relationship between the amount of water used and the amount of consumption of daily necessities (dishwasher detergent) may be specified based on past results.

  (7) It is also possible to estimate the consumption of tissue paper (corresponding to "daily necessities") disposed in the living room. For example, the consumption of tissue paper may be estimated based on the amount of power (time of use) used for lighting in the living room. In this case, it may be difficult to identify in advance the relationship between the amount of electricity used and the amount of tissue paper used. In consideration of such circumstances, for example, as shown in the above-mentioned modification (5), the relationship between the amount of electricity used and the amount of consumption of tissue paper is updated based on the past results, so that the certainty It is preferable to increase the

  (8) In the above embodiment, when the daily necessities are replenished, the accumulated usage amount is cleared based on the fact that the information is input by the user, but the present invention is limited thereto is not. For example, when the upper limit is reached, it is possible to clear to zero and stop the monitoring, and to restart the monitoring after the completion of the replenishment.

  (9) The cloud server 50 may be configured to have a monitoring function by the home controller 45, or the home controller 45 may be configured to have an estimation function by the cloud server 50.

  (10) In the above embodiment, the cloud server 50 acquires information from each store to specify the presence or absence of the handling of daily necessities used in the house 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to set the handling shop as one of the input items by the resident (user).

  (11) If multiple operation modes are set in the facility and the usage of water, the usage of power, and the consumption of daily necessities differ depending on the operation mode, that is, the consumption differs when comparing the same usage. In the case where there is a problem, the relationship between the usage amount and the consumption amount may be set for each operation mode. Although the specific configuration for specifying the operation mode is arbitrary, the configuration in which the specification is performed from the usage amount of water and power can contribute to simplification of the system structure.

  (12) In the above embodiment, the home controller 45 and the mobile terminal P are configured to perform the notification for promoting the purchase of daily necessities, but it is sufficient if the user can perform such notification, and means for notification It is not necessary to use more than one.

  (13) As a monitoring parameter, the measurement value of a flowmeter that measures the usage of water supplied from outside the house, the measurement of a power meter that measures the usage of power supplied from outside the house, supply from outside the residence It is also possible to obtain at least one of the measurement values of the gas meter that measures the amount of gas used and estimate the amount of daily goods used from those measurement values. As described above, by using the existing meter equipment and the like in a house, a practically preferable configuration can be realized.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Building 11 ... Kitchen 12 ... Bathroom 13 ... Washroom, 14 ... Toilet, 31-34 ... Flow sensor, 41 ... Dishwasher, 42 ... Washing machine, 43 ... Water heater, 44 ... Distribution board, 45: Home controller, 50: Cloud server, 51: Storage unit, 52: Control unit, P: Mobile terminal.

Claims (10)

An information providing system for providing information on consumption of daily goods used in a house, comprising:
Acquisition means for acquiring the amount of use of energy and / or water in the house as a use monitoring parameter;
Control means for controlling provision of information on consumption of daily necessities based on the use monitoring parameters acquired by the acquisition means using the relationship between the usage monitoring parameter and the consumption of the daily necessities associated with the usage monitoring parameter An information providing system comprising:   2. The information providing system according to claim 1, further comprising means for setting and changing the relationship between the usage monitoring parameter and the consumption amount of the daily product associated with the usage monitoring parameter based on the user's operation. system. The acquisition means acquires the use monitoring parameter for equipment in a house that uses energy and / or water and is associated with consumption of the daily goods;
The information according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means estimates consumption of the daily goods based on the usage monitoring parameter acquired for the facility, and performs the control from the estimation result. Provision system. A standard operating condition is defined when operation involving consumption of the daily necessities is performed for the equipment,
The information providing system according to claim 3, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the usage monitoring parameter based on the facility being in the reference operation state. The equipment consumes the daily necessities when the equipment is in operation.
The information providing system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the usage monitoring parameter based on the fact that the facility is in operation. The equipment is configured to use both energy and water during operation,
A means for setting a baseline usage of energy based on the amount of energy used when operation involving consumption of the commodity is performed in the facility;
Means for setting a standard usage of water based on the amount of water used when the operation involving consumption of the daily goods is performed in the facility;
The acquisition means is characterized in that whether or not the facility is being operated is determined based on the amount of energy used in the facility, the amount of water used, the standard usage of the energy and the standard usage of the water. The information provision system according to claim 5. A plurality of operation modes are set to the equipment,
As the relationship, a plurality of relationships are set according to the plurality of operation modes,
The information providing system according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the control means performs the estimation based on the relationship according to the operation mode. The time zone in which the daily necessities are used is defined for the equipment,
The information providing system according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the control means acquires the usage monitoring parameter based on the current time being the time zone.   The acquisition means includes, in the house, a measured value of a water amount measuring means for measuring the used amount of water supplied from outside the house, a measured value of a power meter for measuring the used amount of power supplied from outside the house, and the outside of the house The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein at least one of measurement values of a gas meter that measures the usage amount of gas supplied from the unit is acquired as the usage monitoring parameter. . And a user position determination unit that determines that the user is in a store where the daily necessities are handled or in the vicinity of the store based on position information of a mobile terminal moving with the user,
10. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control means provides information on consumption of the daily necessities based on a determination result that the user is near the store or the store. Information provision system described in.

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