JP2019134274A - Program and household appliance system including program, operation terminal including program, and household appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a household appliance that manages an operation right regardless of a server.SOLUTION: A program causes an operation terminal to display an operation screen to be used to transmit a command to a household appliance, the operation screen including an operation button corresponding to the command, and can switch the operation button between a state in which the operation button can be depressed and a state in which the operation button cannot be depressed. In the state in which the operation button can be depressed and the state in which the operation button cannot be depressed, colors of the operation button are different. When the operation button cannot be depressed, the program causes the operation terminal to perform at least two types of factor notification aspects depending on factors why the operation button cannot be depressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3(a)

Description

  The present invention relates to a program, and a home appliance system having a program, an operation terminal having the program, and a home appliance.

  In recent years, home appliances such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines, refrigerators, and air conditioners have become connectable to a wide area network such as the Internet, and it is possible to acquire and operate information on home appliances from outside the house. . When operating a home appliance from an operation terminal such as a smartphone, it may be possible to make certain types of operations unacceptable depending on the state of the home appliance.

  Patent Document 1 reduces the visibility of an invalid GUI with invalid operation instructions.

JP 2016-42654 A

  Patent Document 1 cannot easily notify the user of the reason why the GUI is invalid.

The present invention made in view of the above circumstances,
Display the operation screen used to send instructions to home appliances on the operation terminal,
The operation screen has operation buttons corresponding to commands,
A program that can switch the operation button between a pressable state and a non-pressable state,
The color of the operation button is different between the pressable state and the non-pressable state,
When the operation button is in a state where it cannot be pressed, the operation terminal is caused to execute at least two types of cause notification modes according to the cause of the pressing failure.

Schematic diagram of home appliance system of Example 1 It is the operation screen displayed by the program installed in the operation terminal in the house of Example 1, and the screen when the household appliance is stopped It is the operation screen displayed by the program installed in the operation terminal in the house of Example 1, and the screen in the middle of expressing the function for notifying a user of the position of household appliances with respect to household appliances It is the operation screen displayed by the program installed in the operation terminal in the house of Example 1, and the screen in the middle of expressing the function for intensively cleaning the circumference of household appliances with respect to household appliances It is the operation screen displayed by the program installed in the operation terminal in the house of Example 1, and the screen in the middle of expressing the function for making it drive autonomously aiming at a specific point with respect to a household appliance The block diagram which shows the exchange of the information between the operation terminal of Example 1, and household appliances

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a home appliance system according to the present embodiment. The home appliance system includes a wide area network 2, operation terminals 3 and 5, a wireless LAN router 4, and a home appliance 6.

[Operation terminals 3, 5]
The operation terminals 3 and 5 are preferably portable terminals owned by each user of the home appliance 6, for example. The operation terminals 3 and 5 are devices that can communicate with the home appliance 6 using a wide area network protocol and a wireless communication protocol. In the case of communication using a wireless communication protocol, communication with the home appliance 6 is possible via the wireless LAN router 4.

  In the present embodiment, among the operation terminals 3 and 5, a terminal that is not in a wireless communication area with the wireless LAN router 4 is referred to as a first operation terminal 3, and a terminal that is in a wireless communication area is referred to as a second operation terminal 5. For convenience, the area within the communication area with the wireless LAN router 4 is referred to as “inside the house” and the area outside the communication area is referred to as “outside the house”.

[Wireless LAN router 4]
The wireless LAN router 4 uses the wide area network protocol and the wireless communication protocol to transfer the information transmitted to the wireless LAN router 4 to other devices (operation terminals 3 and 5, home appliances 6) that are transmission destinations. Equipment.

[Household appliances 6]
The home appliance 6 is a device that can communicate with the operation terminals 3 and 5 through communication with the wireless LAN router 4 using a wireless communication protocol. Examples of the home appliance 6 include, but are not limited to, a vacuum cleaner, a washing machine, a refrigerator, and an air conditioner.

  The home appliance 6 is activated, driven, and terminated, as well as reserved and driven through the operation of a switch or button disposed on the home appliance 6 or the operation from the operation terminals 3 and 5 via communication. It is possible to accept requests (commands) for adjusting the operation of the inside.

  The home appliance 6 includes a transmission / reception unit 61, a determination unit 63 that determines whether or not each button on an operation screen described later can be pressed, and a processing unit 62 that interprets and executes the request.

  The transmission / reception unit 61 receives requests (commands) from the operation terminals 3 and 5 and information specific to the operation terminals 3 and 5 (operation terminal information), and responses such as determination results of the determination unit 63 and processing results of the processing unit 62. Is transmitted to the operation terminals 3 and 5.

  The processing unit 62 interprets the request and causes the home appliance 6 to execute processing corresponding to the request. For example, when the request is to drive the home appliance 6, the home appliance 6 is driven accordingly. In addition, it is possible to comply with various requirements such as imaging by an imaging unit attached to the home appliance 6 and a return of imaging data.

  The transmission / reception unit 61 is, for example, a wireless communication board, and the determination unit 63 and the processing unit 62 can be configured by, for example, a processor.

[Instructions from operation terminals 3 and 5]
The operating terminals 3 and 5 are installed with a program (application) that enables the home appliance 6 to be instructed. The application is configured so that a command is sent using a wide area network protocol when the home appliance 6 is instructed from outside the home, and a wireless LAN is transmitted by a wireless communication protocol when the command is to be ordered from within the home. A command is sent via the router 4. However, when the user is in the house, the communication can be switched to communication using the wide area network protocol by the user's selection.

FIG. 2 is an operation screen displayed by a program installed in the home operation terminal 5 of the present embodiment, and is a screen when the home appliance 6 is stopped. On the operation screen, a button capable of transmitting a command in response to pressing is displayed. The determination unit 63 according to the present embodiment determines the state of the home appliance 6 (for example, the execution state of the instruction and the position of the home appliance 6) and the position of the operation terminals 3 and 5 (for example, the home or home using the protocol used). It is possible to determine whether the operation button can be pressed or not, and to change the display of the operation screen.
For example, the activation reservation, activation instruction, termination reservation, termination instruction, driving instruction in auto (autonomous), manual driving instruction, browsing of information such as reservation status, and the like are listed as examples of the instruction. . Of these, for example, manual drive commands (for example, commands to advance or jump from the current position) have a high degree of freedom by the commander, so that they can be used only when commanded from home (home mode) from the viewpoint of security. May be. Further, for example, it is possible to allow only browsing of information from both inside and outside the house, and to accept a request regarding the operation of the home appliance 6 only from inside the house. As described above, depending on the type of command, the command can be executed only in the home mode, thereby reducing the possibility that a person other than the user of the home appliance 6 may execute the command illegally. This setting may be configured to be changeable when the operation terminals 3 and 5 are in the house, or may be configured to be changed by an operation on a switch or the like disposed on the home appliance 6.

[Instruction button]
Various buttons are displayed on an operation screen described later. These buttons will be described in advance.
The start / stop button 81 is displayed so that it can be pressed regardless of whether the operation terminals 3 and 5 are located inside or outside the house. When the start / stop button 81 is pressed, a command to autonomously drive (clean) the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner is transmitted. When this command reaches the transmission / reception unit 61, the processing unit 62 starts cleaning by autonomous driving which is the content of the command. Even when other buttons are pressed, the flow from the command reception of the transmission / reception unit 61 to the execution of the processing unit 62 is the same. The start / stop button 81 is switched to a “stop” display during operation of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner, and the operation of the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is stopped by pressing the start / stop button 81 again. In addition, during the execution of the command by the home button 82 or the spot button 85, the display is switched to “stop”. When the start / stop button 81 is pressed during this time, the command is canceled and the operation stops.

  The home button 82 is displayed so that it can be pressed regardless of whether the operation terminals 3 and 5 are inside or outside the home. When the home button 82 is pressed, the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner starts autonomous traveling to return to a place set in advance as a home, for example, a charging stand. In the present embodiment, the vehicle travels to search for a signal emitted from the charging stand and to connect to the charging stand by following this signal. Note that a plurality of places that can be set as homes may be registered, and a place to be set as a home may be selected when a command by the home button is transmitted. The home button 82 cannot be operated when the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is connected to the charging stand. Whether or not the user is at home can be displayed on a status display unit 121 described later.

  The move button 83 is displayed so as to be pressed on the second operation terminal 5 in the house, and is displayed so as not to be pressed on the first operation terminal 3 outside the house. When the forward button 831 is pressed among the movement buttons 83, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner starts moving forward, when the right rotation button 832 is pressed, the right rotation starts, and when the return button 833 is pressed slightly, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner starts moving backward. When the rotation button 834 is pressed, left rotation is started. The movement button 83 is preferably operated only in the house (second operation terminal 5) since it is desirable that the user can operate the mobile button 83 in a state where the user can confirm the position and state of the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner. The slight return button 833 is a function for returning to the previous position (for example, one main body) with respect to the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner in operation. Even in the home, it can be operated only while the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is in operation.

  The search button 84 is displayed so that it can be pressed on the second operation terminal 5 in the house and is displayed so as not to be pressed on the first operation terminal 3 outside the house. When the search button 84 is pressed, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner emits sound and light.

[Operation screen]
Various buttons displayed on the operation screen can be virtual buttons displayed on, for example, the touch panel of the operation terminals 3 and 5. For convenience, letting the operation terminals 3 and 5 process the functions and commands corresponding to the buttons to be transmitted to the household electrical appliance 6 by touching these virtual buttons is expressed as “pressing” the buttons. In this embodiment, the button that can be pressed is displayed in a relatively dark color as exemplified by the home button 82 in FIG. 2, and the button that cannot be pressed is displayed in a slightly return button 833 in FIG. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the image is displayed in a relatively light color. That is, it is displayed in a visually distinguishable manner as to whether it can be pressed or not. Below, a well-known self-propelled vacuum cleaner is set as an example of the household appliance 6.

  The operation screen includes a start / stop button 81, a home button 82, a forward button 831, a right rotation button 832, a slight return button 833, a move button 83 composed of a left rotation button 834, a search button 84, and a spot button 85, is displayed. The operations and functions that are transmitted by pressing each button and executed by the home appliance 6 will be described later. The operations and functions realized by a part of the buttons are the operations and functions that the user is near the home appliance 6. Is preferably performed in a state where it can be perceived that the operation is being performed (operation or function realized by the first type command).

  As what is preferably performed in a state in which it is possible to perceive that the operation or function is performed, for example, it is preferable to be performed in an environment in which the home appliance 6 can be perceived (for example, manual operation is in an environment in which visual observation is possible). In the case of generating sound, it is preferable to be in the surroundings such as in the same house.), And the home appliance 6 is preferably in a specific position and situation when performing its operation and function. .

  Further, as other operations and functions (that is, operations and functions realized by the second type command), for example, the home appliance 6 moves around around autonomously or a predetermined destination (for example, charging) To move autonomously so as to search for the vehicle), to specify such an autonomous driving mode or course, and to output the state of the home appliance 6 in a mode that the operation terminals 3 and 5 can output. .

Examples of buttons corresponding to the operation and function of the first type command of the present embodiment include a move button 83, a search button 84, and a spot button 85, which cannot be pressed by the first operation terminal 3 outside the house. Is displayed. At this time, there is nothing particularly newly displayed (color or the like) around the buttons displayed incapable of being pressed. That is, in this embodiment, when the cause that a certain button cannot be pressed is in the position (protocol) of the operation terminal, no special display is made (first cause notification mode).
In addition, buttons corresponding to operations and functions that are not perceptible (second type) are displayed so that they can be pressed regardless of whether they are inside or outside the house.

  FIG. 3A is an operation screen displayed by a program installed in the home operation terminal 5 of the present embodiment, and has a function for notifying the user of the position of the home appliance 6 with respect to the home appliance 6. It is a screen in the case of expression. A self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner can be autonomously driven to perform cleaning, but sometimes gets stuck in a gap in furniture during driving and cannot move. In this case, the user may not be able to find where the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is. However, pressing the search button 84 makes it easier for the user in the house to find where the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is.

  When the search button 84 of the present embodiment is pressed, the self-propelled vacuum cleaner continues to emit sound from the mounted speaker. The sound generation time may be a predetermined length or may be settable by the user. While a sound is generated by the search button 84, the search button 84 corresponding to the command being executed is disabled, and for example, the periphery of the search button 84 is lit or blinks in the first color C1 (for example, green). (Second cause notification mode).

  FIG. 3B is an operation screen displayed by a program installed in the home operation terminal 5 of the present embodiment, and has a function for intensively cleaning around the home appliance 6 with respect to the home appliance 6. It is a screen in the case of expression. The spot button 85 is displayed so that it can be pressed on the second operation terminal 5 in the house, and is displayed so as not to be pressed on the first operation terminal 3 outside the house. When the spot button 85 is pressed, the self-propelled electric vacuum cleaner performs a intensive cleaning operation around the current position. Until the execution of this intensive cleaning operation is completed, the spot button 85 corresponding to the command being executed cannot be pressed, and for example, the periphery of the spot button 85 is lit or blinks in the first color C1 (second color). Cause notification mode).

  In the situation of FIG. 3A, the home button 82, the move button 83, and the spot button 85 are not affected by the command being executed (the search button 84). That is, the home button 82, the move button 83, and the spot button 85 perform the same command as when the command by the search button 84 is not executed even when pressed while the command by the search button 84 is executed. . In the present embodiment, such a button is not displayed specially (first influence notification mode).

  In the situation of FIG. 3B, the movement button 83 that should originally be able to be pressed is disabled due to the execution of the command of the spot button 85. In other words, the move button 83 cannot be pressed in a situation where a command by the spot button 85 is executed (command transmission cannot be performed), and can be pressed in a situation where a command by the spot button 85 is not executed. As described above, the movement button is affected by whether or not it can be pressed due to the spot button 85. As described above, in this embodiment, whether or not a certain button is pressed is affected by other buttons, for example, by the second color C2 being indicated by the lighting or blinking of the periphery (second). Effect notification mode). The second color C2 may be the same color as the first color C1 or a different color.

  FIG.3 (c) is the operation screen displayed by the program installed in the operation terminal 5 in the house of a present Example, and expresses the function for making the household appliance 6 drive autonomously aiming at a specific point This is a screen in the middle of running. While the self-propelled vacuum cleaner is autonomously running to return to the charging stand, for example, when the home button 82 is pressed, the home button 82 cannot be pressed and the periphery of the home button 82 is lit or blinks in the first color C1. (First cause notification mode).

  In the situation of FIG. 3 (c), the self-propelled vacuum cleaner of this embodiment accepts a command by the movement button 83, but returns to the command execution by the home button 82 as soon as the command is over (again, a specific point is set again). aim). In other words, the movement button 83 temporarily causes the operation prior to the instruction of the home button 82 in a situation where the instruction of the home button 82 is being executed. As described above, in the present embodiment, a button that transmits a command that can be prioritized over a command by a certain button is indicated by, for example, lighting or blinking the peripheral edge by the third color C3 (third influence notification mode). The third color C3 may be the same as or different from each of the first color C1 and the second color C2. If it is the same color, a simple user interface can be obtained, and a clean impression can be given to the user. Different colors (at least a plurality of colors) can provide abundant information to the user.

[Command processing of operation terminal and home appliance 6]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the exchange of information between the operation terminal and home appliances of the present embodiment. Although the wireless LAN router 4 illustrated in FIG. 1 is originally arranged between the communication unit 105 and the transmission / reception unit 61, it is omitted here.

  The operation terminals 3 and 5 include a touch sensor unit 101 that recognizes a pressed button on the operation screen, an operation determination unit 102 that recognizes a command corresponding to the pressed button, and transmits the recognized command to the home appliance 6 The communication unit 105 that receives the state of the product 6, the display state management unit 103 that manages whether or not to press each button as described above, and whether or not to execute the cause notification and the effect notification based on the received state of the home appliance 6. The display control unit 104 controls the display of the operation screen according to the management of the display state management unit 103. The operation screen is displayed on a screen such as a touch panel of the operation terminals 3 and 5.

  The home appliance 6 determines a state of execution of its own command or the like, a determination unit 63 that determines a command from the operation terminals 3 and 5, a processing unit 62 that causes the home appliance 6 to execute a command acquired through the determination unit 63, It has a transmission / reception unit 61 that transmits the state of the home appliance 6 to the operation terminals 3 and 5 based on an instruction being executed by the product 6. The determination unit 63 can distinguish what type of instruction the home appliance 6 is executing and whether the instruction is being executed. The determination unit 63 can determine the protocol used by the operation terminals 3 and 5. Therefore, as described above, the type of command executed by the home appliance 6, whether the command is being executed, the position of the operation terminals 3, 5 are recognized, and whether or not the operation button can be pressed is set accordingly. And the cause notification mode and the effect notification mode are determined.

2 Wide-area network 3 First operation terminal 4 Wireless LAN router 5 Second operation terminal 6 Home appliances (self-propelled vacuum cleaner)
61 Transmission / Reception Unit 62 Processing Unit 63 Determination Unit

Claims (6)

Display the operation screen used to send instructions to home appliances on the operation terminal,
The operation screen has operation buttons corresponding to commands,
A program that can switch the operation button between a pressable state and a non-pressable state,
The color of the operation button is different between the pressable state and the non-pressable state,
A program that causes the operation terminal to execute at least two types of cause notification modes according to the cause of the impossibility of pressing when the operation button is not pressable. The operation button has an operation button that is affected by an instruction to be executed by the home appliance in response to pressing of an operation button,
The program according to claim 1, wherein the operation terminal is caused to execute at least two kinds of effect notification modes together with the cause notification mode according to the presence or absence of the influence.   As said influence alerting | reporting aspect, the 2nd impact alerting | reporting aspect which alert | reports that the content of the command is changing, and the 3rd which alert | reports that it is performed preferentially over the instruction | command currently performed by the said household appliances The program according to claim 2, wherein an effect notification mode is executed.   The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the notification is performed by displaying substantially the same color for each type of the notification mode.   The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a different color is displayed and notified for each type of the notification mode. A program according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An operation terminal installed with the program;
A home appliance system having a home appliance communicating with the operation terminal.

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