JP2019175025A - Server and device system including server, device, and display unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To use an evaluation or accumulation of evaluations of proposed solutions that have been useful to a device user, and thereby to generate the number and/or type of solutions to a new inquiry and/or their display manner.SOLUTION: A server acquires an inquiry about a device from a user via a network and transmits, to the user, information including a solution corresponding to an inquiry item included in the inquiry. An acquisition unit acquires user evaluation for the transmitted solution to the user, and generates the number and/or type of solutions to be displayed on a display unit of the user and/or their display mode based on the evaluation or the accumulation of evaluations.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

    The present invention relates to a server and a device system including a server, a device, and a display unit.

  In recent years, home appliances have become IoT (Internet of Things), and home appliances linked to networks such as communication terminals and servers have appeared.

  As an example of the home appliance, there is a technology related to a refrigerator (for example, Patent Document 1) that provides advice to a user's inquiry by providing a communication control device that can be connected to the Internet (FIG. 6).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-28760

    Patent Literature 1 receives an evaluation (feedback) of a user to this advice, such as whether the inquiry has been solved by advice, and when a new inquiry is received, the display mode of advice for the inquiry using the evaluation received in the past We are not paying attention to generating.

The server as the first present invention made in view of the above circumstances,
Get user inquiries about devices over the network,
A server for transmitting information including a solution corresponding to a query item included in the query to a user;
The acquisition unit acquires the user's evaluation on the solution transmitted to the user,
Based on the evaluation or the accumulation of the evaluation, the number and / or type of solutions to be displayed on the display unit of the user and / or the display mode thereof are generated.

In addition, the device system as the second present invention made in view of the above circumstances,
A device system including a server, a device, and a display unit,
The server
Get user inquiries about devices over the network,
Sending information including a solution corresponding to the inquiry item included in the inquiry to the user;
Obtaining a user rating for the solution sent to the user;
The display unit displays the number and / or type of solutions proposed based on the evaluation or the accumulation of the evaluations and / or the display mode thereof.

The figure which shows the refrigerator system of Example 1. Side surface sectional drawing of the refrigerator of Example 1. The flowchart which shows the flow of transmission of the operation history to the server of the refrigerator of Example 1. The figure which shows the display part (terminal or input part) which displays the inquiry item which can be selected by the user of Example 1 so that selection is possible. The flowchart which shows the process of the server which received the inquiry from the user of Example 1. The figure which shows the inquiry item which the user of Example 1 can select, and the solution corresponding to an inquiry item Schematic diagram showing the flow of proposal and ranking update of the pseudo-fault solution of the first embodiment Sequence diagram of the refrigerator system of Example 1 The figure which shows the solution displayed on the display part of Example 1 Sequence diagram of embodiment 2 The figure which shows the solution displayed on the display part of Example 2 The figure which shows the inquiry item which the user of Example 3 can select, the cause group which collected the cause assumed corresponding to an inquiry item, and the solution corresponding to each cause which belongs to a cause group The figure which shows the solution and cause displayed on the display part of Example 3 Schematic diagram showing the flow of proposal and ranking update of a pseudo-fault solution of the third embodiment

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each embodiment, a refrigerator will be described as an apparatus or home appliance included in the equipment system or home appliance system.

  The various components of the present invention do not necessarily have to be independent of each other. For example, one component is composed of a plurality of members, a plurality of components are composed of one member, a certain configuration Allow that part of an element overlaps part of another component. For example, the server 3 may include the storage unit 31 or may be provided externally as a separate device.

[Refrigerator system]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a refrigerator system that is an example of a device system and a home appliance system according to the present embodiment. The refrigerator system includes a refrigerator 1 as a device and home appliances, a wide area network 2 such as the Internet, a server 3, a storage unit 31, and a terminal 5.

  As will be described later, the refrigerator 1 is a household electrical appliance that can store and cool foods and the like owned by a user, for example. The refrigerator 1 can exchange information with the server 3, the storage unit 31, and the terminal 5 through the wide area network 2, and transmits detection values and energization amounts of various sensors provided in the refrigerator 1. Or receive information from. The refrigerator 1 may have various known functions such as a warming function for warming in addition to a refrigeration or freezing function for food and drink.

  The refrigerator 1 may be directly connected to the wide area network 2 using, for example, the Internet protocol, or connected to the wide area network 2 via communication using a wireless communication protocol such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark). May be. The protocol used in the wide area network 2 is not particularly limited as long as information can be exchanged between the refrigerator 1, the server 3, and the terminal 5.

  The refrigerator system includes one or a plurality of refrigerators 1, and in this embodiment includes n refrigerators 1 (refrigerators 1 a, 1 b,..., 1 n) as an arbitrary integer n of 2 or more.

  Based on the inquiry from the user input through the refrigerator 1 or the terminal 5, the server 3 performs arithmetic processing using information in the storage unit 31 storing the operation history of the refrigerator 1, and the calculation result Can be transmitted to the refrigerator 1 or the terminal 5 (hereinafter, transmitting information to the refrigerator 1 or the terminal 5 may be described as “transmitting to the user”). The server 3 of the present embodiment stores the operation history and the like of each refrigerator 1 separately, but these can be collected together as necessary, for example, statistically processed.

  As a function of the server 3, a calculation unit that performs calculation processing using a CPU or a processor, for example, the refrigerator 1 via the network 2, an acquisition unit that acquires information from the terminal 5, the storage unit 31, for example, the refrigerator 1 via the network 2. The terminal 5 has a transmission unit that transmits information to the storage unit 31. When referring to the operation of the “server 3” in this specification, any of these calculation units, acquisition units, and transmission units, or the storage unit 31 that communicates with the server 3 inside or outside the server 3 operates. Can mean information processing. The storage unit 31 can store or read out information obtained by the operation of the acquisition unit or the calculation unit, for example.

  The terminal 5 is a device that can communicate through the wide area network 2 and can accept input from each user of the refrigerator 1. The terminal 5 can be, for example, a portable terminal such as a smart phone or a personal computer, or a digital television or the like, and has a display unit that allows the user to perceive information. Moreover, the terminal 5 can install an application program etc. and can use it for the operation of the refrigerator 1, for example, and can use it for the information communication regarding the refrigerator 1. FIG.

  The terminal 5 is owned by the user of the refrigerator 1 and can be paired (authenticated) with the refrigerator 1 in advance. Although it is not always necessary to have the same number as the number of refrigerators 1, for convenience of explanation, the present embodiment includes n terminals 5 (terminals 5 a, 5 b,..., 5 n). In the present embodiment, the terminal 5m (m = 1,..., N) is used by a user of the refrigerator 1m.

[Refrigerator 1]
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment. The refrigerator 1 receives each sensor detection value, which will be described later, outputs a control signal to the refrigeration cycle and electrical products, detects a user input signal through the input unit 101, and communicates via the wide area network 2. And a control board 10 for performing the autonomous control. The place where the input unit 101 is arranged is not particularly limited. For example, the input unit 101 may be provided in the refrigerator compartment door 111 as in the present embodiment, or may be arranged in any storage room. The refrigerator 1 further includes a display unit that can output information in a manner that can be perceived by the user as an integral part of or separate from the input unit 101.

(Storage room)
The refrigerator 1 serves as a storage room, a refrigeration room 11 controlled to maintain a temperature in a refrigeration temperature zone, a freezing room 12 and an ice making room 13 controlled to maintain a temperature in a refrigeration temperature zone, and a refrigeration temperature zone. Of these, the vegetable room 14 is controlled to be maintained at a relatively high temperature, and the decompression room 15 is capable of maintaining the temperature in the chilled temperature zone and reducing the pressure to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. The decompression chamber 15 is installed in the refrigerator compartment 11.

(Storage room door)
The refrigerator compartment 11, the freezer compartment 12, the ice making compartment 13, the vegetable compartment 14, and the decompression compartment 15 have doors capable of opening and closing the respective storage compartments, and the refrigerator compartment door 111, the freezer compartment door 121, the ice making compartment door 131, A vegetable room door 141 and a decompression room door 151 are provided.

  A packing is attached to an edge of each door that is in contact with the opening of each storage chamber in order to improve adhesion to the opening when the door is closed.

(Cold air supply)
The refrigerator 1 constitutes a refrigeration cycle that generates cold air, a compressor 161 that compresses the refrigerant, a radiator (not shown) that radiates the compressed refrigerant toward the outside air, and a decompressor (non-pressure) that depressurizes the refrigerant. And a first evaporator 162 and a second evaporator 163 as evaporators for evaporating the refrigerant, which are annularly connected by piping.

The cold air generated by the evaporators 162 and 163 is pressurized by the first fan 164 and the second fan 165 and blown into one of the storage chambers. In the present embodiment, the cold air boosted by the first fan 164 is sent to the refrigerating room 11 and is sent to the vegetable room 14 through an air passage (not shown) that connects the refrigerating room 11 and the vegetable room 14. The cold air in the vegetable compartment 14 circulates through a first return air passage (not shown) communicating with the first evaporator 162.
Further, the cold air whose pressure is increased by the second fan 165 is sent to the freezer compartment 12 and the ice making chamber 13 and circulates through a second return air passage (not shown) communicating with the second evaporator 163.

  A damper (not shown) as an example of an electrical product capable of adjusting the opening degree of the air passage or switching the opening and closing of the air passage is provided in the air passage to each storage room and / or the air passage from each storage room. Each is provided. The damper can be driven using a damper motor (not shown). In the vicinity of the damper, a mechanical switch is disposed as a damper switch disposed at a position where one is turned on and the other is turned off when the damper is opened or closed. Thereby, opening / closing of a damper can be detected.

  The decompressor may be an uncontrollable one such as a capillary tube, or may be an adjustable decompression amount such as an expansion valve.

(Heat supply)
For example, the storage room and the evaporators 162 and 163 may be overcooled or frosted for some reason or physically unavoidably. In such a case, it is desired that the excessively cold region or the frosted region is heated to eliminate the excessive cooling or frost formation. In this embodiment, a decompression chamber heater 153, a first evaporator heater 166, and a second evaporator heater 167, which are examples of electrical components, are arranged below the decompression chamber 15 and in the vicinity of the evaporators 162 and 163 in the storage chamber. is doing. These heaters may be energized to generate heat when energized, or the refrigerant may flow by switching the flow path of the refrigeration cycle, and this refrigerant may dissipate heat. The energization type is preferable. Moreover, you may arrange | position a heater in another store room. Overcooling and frost formation can be distinguished or estimated by using a sensor or a reference for setting the target temperature of the storage room, which will be described later.

  In the vicinity of the evaporators 162 and 163, evaporator temperature sensors (not shown) for detecting the temperatures of the evaporators 162 and 163 are arranged.

(Configuration specific to each storage room)
The refrigerating room 11 is provided with a refrigerating room illumination 119 that can illuminate the interior as an example of an electrical product. The refrigerator compartment illumination 119 can be turned on when, for example, a refrigerator compartment door sensor described later detects opening. Other storage rooms may also be illuminated.

The ice making chamber 13 includes an ice making container partitioned into an ice shape to be produced, a water supply path through which water from a water supply capable of storing water passes, an ice making container motor for rotating the ice making container, and an ice making container motor current. Has a sensor.
The water supply device can be provided, for example, in the refrigerating room 11, and can pump water by a pumping motor and supply water to the ice making container through the water supply channel. The pumping motor and the ice making container motor have a pumping motor current sensor and an ice making container motor current sensor for detecting a current amount when energized. When the current amount of the pumping motor current sensor is low, it can be detected that the water stored in the water supply is insufficient. If it is determined that there is no or little water in the water supply device, that fact can be transmitted to the control board 10. Moreover, when the current amount of the pumping motor current sensor or the ice container motor current sensor is high, these failures can be estimated.

  When water is supplied to the ice making container, the control board 10 measures the passage of time from the water supply. If it is presumed that water has been frozen and ice has been generated based on the elapsed time, and the ice making chamber temperature sensor 134 detects a low temperature, the ice making container motor is energized to rotate the ice making container. When the ice making container rotates, the ice making container is arranged to be twisted and deformed by being pressed against some member, for example, and the ice can be detached from the ice making container and dropped into the ice making chamber 13 by the torsional deformation.

  The decompression chamber door 151 is provided with a lock mechanism 152. The lock mechanism 152 includes, for example, a spring that can be biased toward the closing side of the decompression chamber door 151 and a lever that can apply or release a biasing force to the spring. The user can switch the opening / closing of the decompression chamber door 151 by operating this lever. A pressure sensor 155 that detects the pressure in the decompression chamber 15 is provided.

(Sensor)
The refrigerator 1 can detect information on the outside and inside of the refrigerator, and the driving state of the refrigeration cycle and the electrical appliances using various sensors.
The refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerating room temperature sensor 114 provided in the refrigerating room 11, a freezing room temperature sensor 114 provided in the freezing room 12, an ice making room temperature sensor 134 provided in the ice making room 13, and a vegetable room temperature sensor provided in the vegetable room 14. 144. In addition to these temperature sensors, a humidity sensor that detects humidity may be provided.

  The refrigerator 1 includes an outside temperature sensor 171 and an outside humidity sensor 172 that detect the outside temperature and humidity, respectively.

  Each door is provided with a refrigerator compartment door sensor, a freezer compartment door sensor, an ice making compartment door sensor, and a vegetable compartment door sensor as door sensors (not shown) capable of detecting opening and closing thereof. A decompression chamber door sensor that detects opening and closing of the decompression chamber door 151 may be provided. Various known sensors can be used as the door sensors.

  The refrigerator 1 includes a compressor sensor (not shown) that detects the motor speed of the compressor 161, a first evaporator temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperatures of the evaporators 162 and 163, and a second evaporator temperature sensor. (Not shown), a first fan sensor (not shown) for detecting the rotational speed of the first fan, and a second fan sensor (not shown) for detecting the rotational speed of the second fan.

(Target temperature setting)
The target temperature of each storage room can be changed by a predetermined value or by the input unit 101 or the terminal 5. In the case where it can be changed, for example, a specific temperature value may be finely specified by the user, or may be generally specified such as “weak”, “medium”, and “strong”. In this embodiment, it is possible to accept designations such as “weak”, “medium”, and “strong”.

The input unit 101 and the terminal 5 are modes in which the user can recognize, with five senses, various sensor values listed in the present specification, such as the current target temperature setting, water supply shortage, and the state of the electrical product and its operation history. Can be output. Such information may be obtained from the storage unit 31 or from the refrigerator 1. Thus, the input unit 101 and the terminal 5 have a function as a display unit that outputs information perceivable by the user.
Further, the input unit 101 and the terminal 5 can accept an inquiry as described later.

[Send information]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of operation history transmission to the server 3 of the refrigerator 1 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram of the refrigerator system of the present embodiment. The refrigerator 1 transmits various sensor detection values, electrical products, and refrigeration cycle information to the server 3.
When the refrigerator 1 is supplied with power, the temperature, humidity, door opening / closing or pressure detected by the various sensor values listed in this specification, the amount of electricity applied to electrical components and components in the refrigeration cycle, and lighting Various states such as turning off, turning off, motor rotation speed, water supply shortage are stored in a memory (not shown) (step S101). The refrigerator 1 can count elapsed time. For example, when a predetermined time (not necessarily constant) elapses (step S110, Yes), the stored information is transmitted to the server 3 (step S120). Moreover, the refrigerator 1 can transmit together the identification number attached | subjected for the model number of the refrigerator 1, and each individual | organism | solid. Thereby, the server 3 can identify the refrigerator 1 individually.

[inquiry]
(Inquiry item)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display unit (terminal 5 or input unit 101) that displays a list of inquiry items that can be selected by the user of this embodiment.
The user can select an inquiry item prepared in advance through the input unit 101 or the terminal 5 and inquire about the cause and solution of the symptom. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), “the refrigerator compartment does not cool”, “the refrigerator compartment does not cool”, “the ice making chamber cannot make ice”, “the vegetable compartment does not cool”, “the refrigerator compartment” "Very cold" and "Vegetable room is too cold" are prepared as inquiry items. When any one or two or more of these are selected by the user, as shown in FIG. 4B, the screen changes to a screen that can transmit the cause and the solution to the server 3.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing of the server 3 that has received an inquiry from the user of this embodiment. The server 3 can receive the inquiry via the input unit 101 or the terminal 5.

(Failure diagnosis)
When the server 3 receives an inquiry from the input unit 101 or the terminal 5 (step S200), the server 3 first executes a failure diagnosis of the refrigerator 1 (step S300). In the present embodiment, the compressor 161, the evaporators 162 and 163, the ice making chamber (pumping motor and ice making container motor), the damper motor, and the first fan and the second fan are diagnosed, but this process is indispensable. is not.

  In the failure diagnosis of the compressor 161 (step S301), for example, an operation history (log) of the compressor 161 is read, and the voltage of the compressor 161 (for example, the current flowing through the compressor 161 is converted into a shunt resistance despite being energized). It can be obtained by converting in the above). Since the existence of such a situation suggests that the compressor 161 has failed to start up or the like, it can be estimated that a failure of the compressor 161, and thus a failure of the refrigerator 1, has occurred. Step S302).

  In the failure diagnosis of the evaporators 162 and 163 (step S303), for example, the operation history of the compressor 161 and the evaporator sensor is read and the compressor 161 can be estimated to be normal, but the temperature of the evaporator sensor is at a certain time. It is confirmed whether or not there has been a high temperature (for example, −10 ° C. or more) state for the above (for example, 3 hours or more). Since the existence of such a situation suggests that the refrigeration cycle is clogged, the refrigerant has run out, etc., it is possible to estimate that the evaporators 162 and 163 have failed, and thus the refrigerator 1 has failed. (Step S304).

  In the failure diagnosis of the ice making chamber (step S305), for example, it is confirmed whether there is a history that the current amount is abnormally high when the ice making container motor or the pumping motor is energized in the past. The presence of such a history suggests a failure of the ice making container motor or the pumping motor, and processing is performed so that it can be transmitted (step S306). This diagnosis may be executed only when an inquiry item “I can't make ice”, which will be described later, is selected as an inquiry.

  In the failure diagnosis of the damper motor (step S307), for example, it is confirmed whether or not there is a situation in which the detection state of the damper switch has not fluctuated in the past even though the current for operating the damper motor has been passed. Since the presence of such a history suggests a failure of the damper motor, processing is performed so that the fact can be transmitted (step S308).

  In the fan failure diagnosis (step S309), for example, it is confirmed whether there is a history that the current amount is abnormally high when the first fan or the second fan is energized in the past. The presence of such a history suggests a fan failure, and processing is performed so that the fact can be transmitted (step S3010).

  When it is determined that the refrigerator 1 has failed in this way, the server 3 transmits a failure and a request for calling a service person as a solution (steps S302, S304, S306, S308, S3010). ). The user who has received this information can determine that a “failure” has occurred and call a service person or consult a service center.

  As in the present embodiment, it is preferable to make a failure determination in advance without depending on the inquiry item. However, the failure and service person may be added to the cause and the solution that can be presented when transmitting the solution ranking in the pseudo failure determination described later, without performing the failure determination independently.

(Proposal of solution and ranking transmission S400 to S700)
When the failure determinations S300 to S3010 are completed, the server 3 proposes a solution for a pseudo failure.
The user does not always make an inquiry when the refrigerator 1 is truly broken. For example, when the refrigerator 1 is in a state confusing with the failure, is the user misunderstood or broken down? You can make a query if you want to confirm. A state that can be mistaken for a user as a failure is referred to as a “pseudo failure” in this specification. In the case of a pseudo failure, the user does not necessarily need to request the dispatch of a service person, but can solve the inquiry by operating his / her own refrigerator 1 or by waiting for the autonomous control of the refrigerator 1 to proceed. .

As a specific example of the pseudo failure, the temperature inside the refrigerator rises due to the user putting a hot object into the refrigerator compartment 11, and it feels that the refrigerator compartment does not cool, or the refrigerator 1 is in autonomous operation. Since the cooling operation is stopped by the defrosting operation of the accompanying evaporators 162 and 163, various types are considered, such as feeling that the refrigerator compartment is not cooled.
Although the specifications of the user who uses the refrigerator 1 are diverse, a solution that often solves a certain inquiry item depends on various factors such as the model of the refrigerator used and the age of use. Although there is a possibility, it is expected that there is a bias. For this reason, in the present embodiment, when a plurality of solutions for solving the cause of the pseudo failure according to the inquiry item are assumed, an evaluation (feedback) of which one of them is actually useful to the user is acquired, and this The presentation mode (for example, the display mode on the display unit) of the solution to be presented for a new inquiry is adjusted using the evaluation or the accumulation of evaluations.

  Further, although the cause of the pseudo failure can be estimated by performing information processing using the operation history stored in the storage unit 31, an accurate estimation result cannot always be obtained. First, in this embodiment, an example will be described in which an evaluation (feedback) for the presented solution is acquired from the user regardless of whether or not the cause is estimated, and the information presentation mode is changed based on the evaluation.

(Call database of inquiry item and solution (step S400))
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating inquiry items that can be selected by the user according to the present embodiment and solutions corresponding to the inquiry items. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of a proposal of a pseudo-fault solution of this embodiment and a ranking update. First, a person who provides a service using the server 3 prepares in advance a database including inquiry items that can be selected by the user and a solution that is assumed for each inquiry item ((1) in FIG. 7). .

  In this embodiment, for example, “Wait without opening the door for a while”, “Lower the target temperature”, and “Clean or replace the packing” are prepared as solutions corresponding to the inquiry item “The refrigerator compartment does not cool”. Yes.

  In addition, the service provider preferably registers, in the database, the number of cases that are actually evaluated as useful for solving the user's query (resolving the pseudo-fault) as a solution for each query item already obtained in the past ( (1), (2) in FIG. This may be an accumulation of evaluations collected through user service visits of past service persons, etc., or instead of this, it is preferable to add and evaluate the solutions described below in this embodiment. It may be updated by reflecting (the number of evaluations of usefulness).

  Assume that the number of useful evaluations as shown in FIG. 7 is accumulated at the time when a new inquiry is made from Mr. m's house exemplified below. For example, for the inquiry item “The refrigerator compartment does not cool”, the number of cases where the solution “Wait without opening the door for a while” is evaluated to be useful is 574.

  The server 3 calls the database corresponding to the inquiry item from the m's house from the database prepared and updated in this way (step S400). The database can be stored in the storage unit 31, for example.

(Solution proposal ranking transmission (step S500))
As in the present embodiment, when “No refrigeration room is cooled” is received as a new inquiry (step S200, (3) in FIG. 7), a solution ranking is created based on the called database (step S400) or Is read. In the present embodiment, among all the solutions associated with “the refrigerator compartment does not cool”, the rankings in the descending order of the number of useful evaluations are created or read. Specifically, each solution prepared as a solution for the inquiry item “The refrigerator compartment does not cool” “Wait without opening the door for a while”, “Lower the target temperature”, “Clean or replace the packing” ”, 574 cases, 301 cases, and 51 cases that are useful numbers as evaluations for each solution are read out. Rankings are created in order from the solution with the largest number. In other words, for new inquiries at Mr. m's house, the ranking is 1st place "Wait without opening the door for a while", 2nd place "Reducing the target temperature", 3rd place "Clean or replace packing" Is created.

  The server 3 transmits from the first rank of this ranking to an arbitrary rank (step S500, (4) in FIG. 7). The arbitrary order may be the order specified by the user at the time of the inquiry, the order predetermined by the service provider, or the total number of solutions associated with each inquiry item. In addition, only the ranking may be specified in the ranking, or the accumulation (number of cases) of the evaluation of each ranking may be specified in addition to the ranking. In the present embodiment, up to the third place is transmitted for the inquiry item “The refrigerator compartment does not cool”.

(Accepting evaluation from the user (step S600))
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a solution displayed on the display unit of the present embodiment. The refrigerator 1 or the terminal 5 that has received the solution from the server 3 can display the solution ranking 61 and the evaluation receiving unit 71 on the display unit.

  The user perceives the solution ranking 61 from the display unit (terminal 5 or input unit 101). While referring to the solution ranking 61, the user can execute one or more of the presented solutions to effectively solve the query item.

  Further, the user can input an evaluation for the presented solution into the evaluation receiving unit 71 and transmit it to the server 3. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the user's question about the pseudo-fault is solved by executing the solution “wait without opening the door for a while”. In this case, the user can transmit to the server 3 that this solution has been useful by selecting “helped first place” (step S600, (5) in FIG. 7).

(Update number of useful cases (step S700))
The server 3 that has received the useful solution counts up the “number of cases” that are useful for this solution (step S700, (6) in FIG. 7).
In this embodiment, “useful” is adopted as the user's evaluation, and “cumulative number of useful cases” is adopted as the accumulated evaluation, but other evaluations may be received. For example, in addition to “useful” as the user's evaluation, “not useful” may be received, and the “useful” rate in all evaluations may be calculated to accumulate the evaluation.

(Sequence Diagram)
The flow of operation of the refrigerator system of the present embodiment will be reviewed. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the server 3 receives the operation history (operation data) from the refrigerator 1 (step S <b> 111). Separately, when an inquiry input through the terminal 5 or the input unit 101 is received (step S200), the solution ranking is created or read out and returned (step S500). The user inputs an evaluation (for example, a useful solution) for the received one or more solutions and transmits it to the server 3 (step S600). The server 3 that has received the evaluation updates the ranking creation information by reflecting the evaluation (step S700). The server 3 may create a ranking after receiving a new inquiry as in this embodiment, or may create a ranking in advance and read it according to the inquiry item. .

(Display form of solution)
In this embodiment, the terminal 5 or the input unit 101 displays the received solutions in a ranking format including at least the first place (the most highly evaluated solution). At this time, when there are a plurality of solutions to be displayed, a solution with a high evaluation (high ranking) is displayed prominently. For example, when it should be read from top to bottom as in the display mode of FIG. 9, it is displayed so that the first place is displayed on the uppermost side, the character size is larger than other solutions, and different colors Or, it may be displayed so that the first place is the most or substantially the most perceived visual expression, such as displaying as a font.

(Estimation of evaluation)
Whether the solution is useful or not is not necessarily input by the user, but since the ranking is created based on the accumulation of evaluations in this embodiment, it is desirable to obtain as many evaluations as possible.

  As described above, since the server 3 receives the operation history of the refrigerator 1 by repeating every predetermined time, the operation history after the solution is transmitted to the user can be acquired (step S111). For this reason, when it is confirmed that the sensor value or the like corresponding to the presented solution has changed within, for example, a predetermined time, it may be determined that this solution is useful.

  For example, after transmitting a ranking including the solution “decrease target temperature” to the user and then performing an operation to decrease the target temperature within a predetermined time from the transmission, the operation history is transmitted to the server 3 later (step S111). . For this reason, the server 3 transmits the solution to m, who is the user of the refrigerator 1m, and then acquires the operation history indicating that the predetermined operation corresponding to the solution has been performed on the refrigerator 1m. However, it may be considered that the solution has been evaluated as useful, and processing for increasing the number of cases may be executed (step S700).

(Other)
When the refrigerator 1 included in the refrigerator system includes a plurality of models, the solution evaluation may be tabulated in common for the plurality of models, or independently for a plurality of model groups classified by an arbitrary method. May be counted. For example, the large-sized refrigerator group and the small-sized refrigerator group can be made independent, or the household-type refrigerator group and the commercial-use refrigerator group can be made independent. Depending on the model of the refrigerator, a certain degree of tendency is expected in the usage mode of the user. Therefore, it is expected that a more accurate ranking can be created by appropriately separating the groups.

  In addition, the server 3 is preferably a user when the high-order solution does not require physical operation (for example, electronic operation such as lowering the target temperature rather than physical operation such as closing a door). Can be sent to the refrigerator 1 for execution, if it is set to permit in advance.

The configuration of the present embodiment can be the same as that of the first embodiment except for the following points.
(Sequential presentation of solutions)
FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram of the present embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a solution displayed on the display unit of the present embodiment. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that high-order solutions are transmitted to the user one by one based on the created ranking, and evaluation of the solutions is received from the user. Specifically, first, the first solution in the ranking is transmitted to the user (step S511, upper side in FIG. 11). The user inputs and returns whether or not this solution is useful (step S611). If the evaluation is useful, the server 3 reflects the evaluation and completes the process (step S700). If the evaluation is not useful, the server 3 sequentially transmits the nth solution (n = 2, 3,...) (Step S51n, lower side in FIG. 11) and accepts the evaluation from the user (step S51n). S61n). In the lower part of FIG. 11, the case where the second place is displayed is illustrated.

  According to the present embodiment, the evaluation from the user can be received more reliably. In addition, since one solution is presented at a time, an instruction to the user is clarified, and the possibility that the user inputs that another solution has been useful by mistake can be reduced.

  It is not always necessary to present only one solution at the same time. For example, while displaying a plurality of solutions, the evaluation receiving unit 72 is displayed so as to receive an evaluation for only one solution from among them. Also good. Specifically, while displaying the solutions from the first place to the third place, for example, first, the contents for asking whether or not the first place was useful are displayed on the evaluation reception unit 72, and the evaluation that it was not useful , The display content of the evaluation receiving unit 72 can be changed to a question asking whether the second place is useful.

The configuration of this embodiment can be the same as that of Embodiment 1 or 2 except for the following points.
(Cause corresponding to inquiry)
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating inquiry items that can be selected by the user according to the present embodiment, a cause group that collects possible causes corresponding to the inquiry items, and a solution that corresponds to each cause that belongs to the cause group. . FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a solution displayed on the display unit of the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of the proposal of the pseudo-fault solution and the update of the ranking according to the present embodiment.

  In this embodiment, in addition to a solution for a pseudo failure assumed for each inquiry item, a possible cause of the pseudo failure is prepared in advance. Reasons for “The refrigerator compartment does not cool” include “Hot food has entered”, “The refrigerator door has been open for a long time or has been opened frequently”, “The outside air temperature is high”, “The refrigerator compartment temperature” "Target value was high", "Half door (packing had dirt or gaps)", "Evaporator was defrosted" are prepared.

  Each cause is preferably associated with only one corresponding solution. Also, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the same solution may be prepared for different causes. For example, in this embodiment, the same solution “Wait without opening the door for a while” is set for the causes “hot food has entered” and “the evaporator has defrosted”.

  Moreover, the method of estimating whether the inquired refrigerator 1m corresponds to each cause is prepared beforehand. For example, as a method of estimating the cause of the inquiry item “refrigeration room does not get cold” “hot food has entered”, the detection value of the past cold room temperature sensor 114 and the detection value of the door sensor of the cold room door 111 are used. It can be carried out. These sensor values and the like are read from the inquired operation history of the refrigerator 1m, which is already stored in the server 3 (storage unit 31).

(Calculation of likelihood of cause of refrigerator 1m related to inquiry)
The server 3 that has received an inquiry (“(3) in FIG. 14)” from the user m that “the refrigerator compartment is not cooled” first calls the operation history of the refrigerator 1 of the m, and the inquiry item “the refrigerator compartment does not cool”. Likelihood for each of the six causes belonging to the cause group corresponding to "is calculated. In this example, as a result of the estimation using the operation history, there are three causes “the open time length / opening frequency of the refrigerator compartment door was high”, “the evaporator was defrosted”, “the refrigerator compartment temperature target value was high ”Is determined to have a high likelihood as a cause of the pseudo-failure. The server 3 can exclude what is determined to have a low likelihood as a cause of the pseudo failure from the creation of the ranking. Thereby, it is possible to present a detailed solution that reflects the individual circumstances of the inquired refrigerator 1m.

  The “likelihood” in this specification is an evaluation result of the appropriateness to the cause of the pseudo-fault, which is calculated by an algorithm set by the service provider, and refers to the one in the maximum likelihood estimation in the mathematical field. This is not necessarily the purpose.

(Create a ranking that summarizes the same solution)
Next, the ranking of the solutions is created by using the accumulated evaluation of the solutions corresponding to the cause of the high likelihood. At this time, the evaluations related to the same solution can be calculated together. In this example, the solutions and the number of solutions for the causes of high likelihood “the open time length / opening frequency of the refrigerator compartment door was high”, “the evaporator was defrosted”, and “the refrigerator temperature target value was high” Are “waiting without opening the door for a while, 118 cases”, “waiting without opening the door for a while, 102 cases”, and “reducing target temperature, 210 cases”, respectively. The sum is calculated and, as a result, “220 cases waiting without opening the door for a while” and “210 target temperature reduction” are obtained.

  Therefore, the server 3 sends the first ranking “Wait without opening the door for a while” and the second ranking “Reducing target temperature” to Mr. m ((4) in FIG. 14). A display part displays the cause considered in the case of m's refrigerator 1m with the solution proposal ranking 63 (FIG. 13 upper side). In the present embodiment, possible causes are displayed in the solution proposal ranking 63.

  When the user inputs “No. 1 was helpful” to the evaluation reception unit 73, in this embodiment, since there are a plurality of causes as ranking No. 1, the display unit corresponds to the case where any cause is m. The cause reception part 81 which asks whether it did is displayed (FIG. 13, lower side, (6) in FIG. 14). When the user inputs a specific cause, the server 3 reflects the evaluation by counting up the number of cases corresponding to the cause and the solution.

  When the user does not input a specific cause (for example, when “I don't know” is input in the lower part of FIG. 13), the evaluation does not have to be reflected, and the estimation result using the operation history Among them, the number of cases corresponding to the cause of the highest evaluation may be increased.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a ranking in consideration of individual circumstances of the refrigerator 1 of the user who made an inquiry, as well as data on the number of cases that have been useful by past users.

[Included technical ideas]
This application includes the following technical idea.

[Appendix 1]
Get user inquiries about devices over the network,
A server for transmitting information including a solution corresponding to a query item included in the query to a user;
The acquisition unit acquires the user's evaluation on the solution transmitted to the user,
A server that generates the number and / or type of solutions to be displayed on a display unit of a user and / or a display mode thereof based on the evaluation or the accumulation of the evaluation.

[Appendix 2]
The inquiry item is selected by a user from a prepared list,
The solution is prepared for each inquiry item,
The server according to appendix 1, wherein the evaluation result based on the evaluation or the accumulation of the evaluation includes at least a first solution, and is displayed on the display unit.

[Appendix 3]
A plurality of the solutions are simultaneously displayed on the display unit;
The number of solutions that the display unit displays at a time is 2 or more,
The server according to appendix 2, wherein a high-rank solution is displayed prominently.

[Appendix 4]
In the display section,
Displaying only one or more of the solutions simultaneously,
Display the content asking for user ratings for only one of the solutions,
3. The server according to appendix 2, wherein upon receiving an evaluation that it was not useful, a solution with a lower rank than the solution for which the evaluation was asked immediately before is displayed.

[Appendix 5]
It is possible to refer to the cause associated with the inquiry item and the solution,
Using the operation history of the device acquired and stored via the network, the likelihood of each cause associated with the inquiry item is calculated for the device related to the inquiry,
An additional note characterized in that, for the solution corresponding to the cause determined to have a high likelihood, the content or display mode of the solution displayed on the display unit is changed based on the evaluation or the accumulation of the evaluation. The server according to any one of 1 to 4.

[Appendix 6]
Appendix 5 characterized in that if the evaluation from the user who sent the solution cannot be obtained for a predetermined time or longer, the change in the operation history corresponding to the solution is acquired, it is considered that the solution is evaluated as useful. Server described in.

[Appendix 7]
When the solutions corresponding to a plurality of causes calculated as having a high likelihood are common, the contents of the solutions to be displayed on the display unit by executing a process for collecting the accumulation of evaluations corresponding to these solutions Alternatively, the server according to appendix 5 or 6, wherein the display mode is changed.

[Appendix 8]
When a solution common to a plurality of causes is transmitted to the user, when the solution can be evaluated as useful to the user, the content asking which of the causes corresponding to the solution corresponds to the case of the user The server according to any one of appendices 5 to 7, wherein the server is transmitted.

[Appendix 9]
The server according to any one of appendices 1 to 8, wherein among the solutions, those that can be executed by an electronic operation of the device are caused to cause the device to execute the solution.

[Appendix 10]
The server according to any one of appendices 1 to 9, wherein when the inquiry item is acquired for at least two or more of the inquiry items, failure diagnosis of the device is executed.

[Appendix 11]
A device system including a server, a device, and a display unit,
The server
Get user inquiries about devices over the network,
Sending information including a solution corresponding to the inquiry item included in the inquiry to the user;
Obtaining a user rating for the solution sent to the user;
The display unit displays the number and / or type of solutions proposed based on the evaluation or the accumulation of the evaluations and / or the display mode thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Refrigerator 10 ... Control board 101 ... Input part (display part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Refrigeration room 111 ... Refrigeration room door 114 ... Refrigeration room temperature sensor 119 ... Refrigeration room lighting 12 ... Freezing room 121 ... Freezing room door 124 ... Freezing room temperature sensor 13 ... Ice making room 131 ... Ice making room door 134 ... Ice making room temperature sensor 14 ... Vegetable room 141 ... Vegetable room door 144 ... Vegetable room temperature sensor 15 ... Decompression room 151 ... Decompression room door 152 ... Lock mechanism 153 ... Decompression room heater 154 ... Decompression room temperature sensor 155 ... Pressure sensor 161 ... Compressor 162 ... No. 1 evaporator 163 ... 2nd evaporator 164 ... 1st fan 165 ... 2nd fan 166 ... 1st evaporator heater 167 ... 2nd evaporator heater 171 ... outside temperature sensor 172 ... outside humidity sensor 2 ... wide area public network 3 ... Server (acquisition part, transmission part, calculation part)
31 ... Storage unit 5 ... Terminal (display unit)
61, 62, 63 ... Solution ranking 71, 72, 73 ... Evaluation receiving part 81 ... Cause selection part

Claims (11)

Get user inquiries about devices over the network,
A server for transmitting information including a solution corresponding to a query item included in the query to a user;
The acquisition unit acquires the user's evaluation on the solution transmitted to the user,
A server that generates the number and / or type of solutions to be displayed on a display unit of a user and / or a display mode thereof based on the evaluation or the accumulation of the evaluation. The inquiry item is selected by a user from a prepared list,
The solution is prepared for each inquiry item,
2. The server according to claim 1, wherein the server displays the evaluation result based on the evaluation or the accumulation of the evaluations on the display unit including at least a first solution. A plurality of the solutions are simultaneously displayed on the display unit;
The number of solutions that the display unit displays at a time is 2 or more,
The server according to claim 2, wherein a high-order solution is displayed conspicuously. In the display section,
Displaying only one or more of the solutions simultaneously,
Display the content asking for user ratings for only one of the solutions,
3. The server according to claim 2, wherein, when an evaluation indicating that the evaluation was not useful is received, a solution having a lower rank than the solution for which the evaluation was asked immediately before is displayed. It is possible to refer to the cause associated with the inquiry item and the solution,
Using the operation history of the device acquired and stored via the network, the likelihood of each cause associated with the inquiry item is calculated for the device related to the inquiry,
The solution corresponding to the cause determined to have a high likelihood is changed based on the evaluation or the accumulation of the evaluations, and the content or display mode of the solution displayed on the display unit is changed. Item 5. The server according to any one of Items 1 to 4.   The evaluation from the user who transmitted the solution is not obtained for a predetermined time or more, and when the change in the operation history corresponding to the solution is acquired, it is considered that the solution is evaluated as useful. 5. The server according to 5.   When the solutions corresponding to a plurality of causes calculated as having a high likelihood are common, the contents of the solutions to be displayed on the display unit by executing a process for collecting the accumulation of evaluations corresponding to these solutions Alternatively, the display mode is changed, and the server according to claim 5 or 6.   When a solution common to a plurality of causes is transmitted to the user, when the solution can be evaluated as useful to the user, the content asking which of the causes corresponding to the solution corresponds to the case of the user The server according to claim 5, wherein the server is transmitted.   The server according to claim 1, wherein among the solutions, those that can be executed by an electronic operation of the device are caused to cause the device to execute the solution.   10. The server according to claim 1, wherein when the inquiry item is acquired for at least two types of the inquiry items, a failure diagnosis of the device is executed. 11. A device system including a server, a device, and a display unit,
The server
Get user inquiries about devices over the network,
Sending information including a solution corresponding to the inquiry item included in the inquiry to the user;
Obtaining a user rating for the solution sent to the user;
The display unit displays the number and / or type of solutions proposed based on the evaluation or the accumulation of the evaluations and / or the display mode thereof.

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