JP2021042930A - Electric apparatus and apparatus control system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electric apparatus that can execute an operation suitable for actual user's situation, and to provide an apparatus control system.SOLUTION: An electric apparatus includes: an operation part capable of executing multiple operation modes; and a control unit for controlling the operation part to execute one of the operation modes which is determined on the basis of first information acquired by the electric apparatus and second information acquired by another electric apparatus than the electric apparatus.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to electrical equipment and equipment control systems.

There are known electrical devices that can perform operations according to the situation. As an example, an electric device capable of performing utterance according to a situation is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, when any of a plurality of doors provided in the refrigerator is opened, an advertisement corresponding to the opened door and the date and time is searched by the server, and the searched advertisement is output from the refrigerator.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-133045

In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, among a plurality of doors provided in the refrigerator, information (for example, an advertisement) according to the type of the opened door and the date and time is output from the refrigerator. However, the information according to the type of the opened door and the date and time may not be suitable for the actual user situation (for example, the user's behavior pattern, life rhythm, etc.).

One embodiment of the present invention is to provide an electric device and a device control system capable of performing an operation suitable for an actual user situation.

The electric device of one embodiment of the present invention includes an operation unit capable of executing a plurality of operation modes, first information acquired by the electric device among the plurality of operation modes, and other electric devices different from the electric device. The operation unit includes a control unit that causes the operation unit to execute one of the operation modes determined based on the second information acquired by the electric device.

The device control system of one embodiment of the present invention is a device control system including at least a first electric device and a second electric device different from the first electric device, and is acquired by the first electric device. Based on the first information obtained and the second information acquired by the second electric device, any one of the plurality of operation modes that can be executed by the first electric device is performed. It includes an operation determining unit for determining an operation, and an execution control unit for causing the first electric device to execute the determined operation mode.

It is a figure which shows an example of the device control system of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the electric structure of the various devices included in a device control system. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of a device information database. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the utterance pattern table. In the first embodiment, it is an example of a processing flow executed in a refrigerator. It is a figure which shows an example of the utterance mode of a refrigerator. It is a figure which shows an example of the utterance mode of a refrigerator. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional structure of the control part of the server in 2nd Embodiment. This is an example of a processing flow executed by the server of the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the control mode determination table. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the control pattern table. This is an example of a processing flow executed by the server of the third embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

(First Embodiment)
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the device control system 100 of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the device control system 100 includes, for example, a refrigerator 101, a server 102, a plurality of electric devices 103, and a mobile terminal 104. The refrigerator 101 has, for example, a plurality of doors 110, and stores food and the like in an internal storage chamber. The server 102 is a computer mainly for collecting and managing data from various devices. Each of the plurality of electrical devices 103 has at least a predetermined main function and a communication function. The mobile terminal 104 is a wireless communication device that can be carried and operated by a user, and examples thereof include mobile phones, smartphones, and tablets.

In the device control system 100 of the present embodiment, the refrigerator 101 and the plurality of electric devices 103 are provided at the user's home 10. The refrigerator 101 and the plurality of electric devices 103 are connected to the access point 108 by wire communication or wireless communication. These devices can be connected to a network 109 such as the Internet via the access point 108. As an example, the plurality of electric devices 103 are home appliances such as an air conditioner, a lighting device, a television, a door locking device, an air purifier, and an electric cooker. The server 102 is also connected to the network 109. The mobile terminal 104 can be connected to the network 109 via the access point 108 or the base station.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of various devices included in the device control system 100. The refrigerator 101 includes, for example, a control unit 211, a storage unit 212, a communication unit 213, an operation unit 214, a detection unit 215, and the like. The control unit 211 is composed of, for example, a CPU, and controls the refrigerator 101 by executing various types of information processing according to a program stored in the storage unit 212. The control unit 211 may be an MCU, an MPU, or the like. The storage unit 212 is a non-transient storage medium capable of storing programs and data, for example, a flash memory or a RAM. The communication unit 213 is an interface for wirelessly or wiredly communicating with the server 102 via the network 109.

The operation unit 214 can execute a plurality of operation modes related to various functions (for example, cooling function, utterance function, display function, etc.) of the refrigerator 101, and is, for example, a compressor, a fan, a speaker, a display, and the like. The detection unit 215 can detect the usage state and the control state of the refrigerator 101, for example, a temperature sensor that detects the temperature in the storage room (so-called inside the refrigerator), an open / close sensor that detects the opening / closing of the door 110, and the surroundings of the refrigerator 101. It includes an air temperature sensor that detects air temperature, an article sensor that detects articles in a storage room, a motion sensor that detects people around the refrigerator 101, a timer that measures time, and the like.

In the present embodiment, when the control unit 211 executes the program, the first information acquired by the refrigerator 101 and other electric devices different from the refrigerator 101 (a plurality of electric devices 103 and a plurality of electric devices 103 and) among a plurality of operation modes are used. A functional block is realized in which the operation unit 214 executes one operation mode determined based on the second information acquired by the mobile terminal 104). The operation unit 214 can output a plurality of predetermined utterance patterns by voice. The control unit 211 causes the operation unit 214 to output one utterance pattern determined based on the first information and the second information by voice.

For example, the first information includes information indicating the usage state of the refrigerator 101. The second information includes information indicating the usage state of other electronic devices (a plurality of electric devices 103 and a mobile terminal 104). One operation mode is an operation mode according to the life rhythm of the user who uses the refrigerator 101, which is determined based on the first information and the second information.

The server 102 includes, for example, a control unit 221 and a storage unit 222, and a communication unit 223. The control unit 221 includes, for example, a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and controls the server 102. The storage unit 222 is a non-transient storage medium capable of storing programs and data, and is, for example, a large-capacity non-volatile memory composed of an HDD. The control unit 221 executes various processes according to the programs and data stored in the storage unit 222. The communication unit 223 is an interface for communicating with various devices (for example, a refrigerator 101, an electric device 103, a mobile terminal 104) via a network 109.

Each of the plurality of electric devices 103 includes, for example, a control unit 231, a main function unit 232, and a communication unit 233. The control unit 231 is a microcomputer including, for example, a CPU and a memory, and controls the electric device 103. In the control unit 231, the CPU executes various types of information processing according to the programs and data stored in the memory. The control unit 231 may be composed of, for example, a CPU, RAM, ROM, or the like.

The main function unit 232 executes various functions of the electric device 103. For example, when the electric device 103 is an air conditioner, the main function unit 232 controls known indoor units and outdoor units to execute the air conditioner function. When the electric device 103 is a lighting device, the main function unit 232 controls a light source such as an LED to execute the lighting function. When the electric device 103 is a door locking device, the main function unit 232 controls a locking mechanism to lock and unlock the door. The communication unit 233 is the same as the communication unit 213.

The mobile terminal 104 includes, for example, a control unit 241, a storage unit 242, a communication unit 243, an input unit 244, and an output unit 245. The control unit 241 controls the mobile terminal 104. Since the control unit 241 and the storage unit 242 and the communication unit 243 are the same as the control unit 211, the storage unit 212, and the communication unit 213 described above, the description thereof will be omitted. The input unit 244 includes, for example, a physical key, a microphone, a touch panel, and the like. The output unit 245 includes, for example, a display, a lamp, a speaker, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the device information database 300. In the present embodiment, the user registers each of the refrigerator 101, the server 102, the plurality of electric devices 103, and the mobile terminal 104 in the server 102 in advance as the devices to be monitored. Each monitored device automatically transmits device information indicating the operation content or control content to the server 102, triggered by a predetermined device operation or device control. In the server 102, the device information received from each monitored device is stored in the device information database 300 (see FIG. 3) provided in the storage unit 222, for example, in chronological order.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, each device information registered in the device information database 300 includes a device ID, a device type, an operation date and time, and status data. The device ID is identification information unique to the monitored device. The device type is the device type of the monitored device. The operation date and time indicates the acquisition date and time of the status data in the monitored device. The status data indicates the operation content or control content of the monitored device.

In the present embodiment, as the device to be monitored by the user, the device type "smartphone" of the device ID "S241", the device type "air conditioner" of the device ID "C011", the device type "living room lighting" of the device ID "L022", and the device. The case where the device type "refrigerator" of the ID "R821" and the device type "entrance key" of the device ID "D009" are registered will be illustrated. In FIG. 1, the above "refrigerator" corresponds to the refrigerator 101. The above-mentioned "air conditioner", "living room lighting", and "entrance key" correspond to a plurality of electric devices 103. The above "smartphone" corresponds to the mobile terminal 104.

For example, the device information 301 to 303 is a history of device operations performed by the user when the user wakes up. The device information 301 indicates the device type "smartphone" and the status data "alarm operation on" corresponding to the application of the mobile terminal 104 executing the alarm operation at the set time. The device information 302 corresponds to the user starting the cooling mode of the air conditioner, which is the electric device 103, at a set temperature of 26 ° C., and corresponds to the device type "air conditioner" and the status data "power on (cooling mode, 26 ° C.)". Is shown. The device information 303 indicates the device type "living room lighting" and the state data "power on" corresponding to the user turning on the power of the living room lighting which is the electric device 103.

The device information 304 and 305 are histories of device operations performed by the user after a predetermined time or more (for example, one hour or more) has elapsed after waking up. The device information 304 and 305 indicate the device type "refrigerator" and the status data "refrigerator door open" and "refrigerator door closed" corresponding to the user opening and closing the refrigerator door 110 with the refrigerator 101. .. The opening and closing of the door 110 of the refrigerator compartment may be detected by the open / close sensor of the detection unit 215.

The device information 306 to 309 is a history of device operations performed by the user when he / she goes out. The device information 306 indicates that the user has turned off the air conditioner. The device information 307 indicates that the user has turned off the living room lighting. The device information 308 indicates the device type "entrance key" and the state data "key unlock" corresponding to the user unlocking the entrance key which is the electric device 103 in order to open the entrance door. The device information 309 indicates the device type "entrance key" and the state data "key lock" in response to the user closing the entrance door and locking the entrance key.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the utterance pattern table 400. The refrigerator 101 of the present embodiment has an utterance function in which the operating unit 214 outputs a plurality of utterance patterns by voice. The plurality of utterance patterns are defined in the utterance pattern table 400 provided in the storage unit 212.

In the utterance pattern table 400 illustrated in FIG. 4, the utterance ID, the utterance condition, and the utterable state are defined for each of the plurality of utterance patterns. The utterance ID is identification information unique to the utterance pattern. The utterance condition indicates a condition for outputting the utterance pattern by voice. The utterability state indicates the state of the user who can output the utterance pattern by voice. For example, the utterance pattern of "Good morning" with the utterance ID "H01" satisfies the utterance condition that "the door 110 was opened within the period from 5:00 to 10:00" and the user's state is changed. It is output when it is possible to speak "when waking up". In this example, each utterance pattern can be output up to once a day.

An example of the processing flow executed in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is an example of a processing flow executed in the refrigerator 101 in the first embodiment. For example, when the refrigerator 101 is turned on, the control unit 211 starts the processing flow shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 211 determines whether the utterance condition is satisfied (S101). For example, the control unit 211 determines whether any of the plurality of utterance conditions defined in the utterance pattern table 400 is satisfied based on the detection result of the detection unit 215. When any of the utterance conditions is satisfied (S101: YES), the control unit 211 refers to the utterance pattern table 400 and identifies the utterance pattern for which the utterance conditions are satisfied (S102).

Next, the control unit 211 transmits a status request to the server 102 (S103). A state request is a command that inquires about the estimated state of a user. In the present embodiment, when the server 102 receives the status request, the server 102 identifies the user's behavior pattern based on the plurality of device information registered in the device information database 300. The server 102 estimates the current user state based on the identified behavior pattern. The server 102 returns the estimated state, which is the estimated user state, to the refrigerator 101, which is the source of the state request. The control unit 211 acquires the estimated state returned from the server 102 (S104).

After the execution of S104 or when the utterance condition is not satisfied (S101: NO), the control unit 211 refers to the utterance pattern table 400, and the acquired estimated state is the utterability state of the utterance pattern specified in S102. Is determined (S105). When the estimated state is the utterability state (S105: YES), the control unit 211 causes the operation unit 214 to execute the utterance control of the specified utterance pattern (S106). As a result, the utterance pattern specified in S102 is output as voice from the refrigerator 101. After the execution of S106, or when the estimated state is not the utterable state (S105: NO), the process returns to S101.

The operation mode of the refrigerator 101 executed based on the above processing flow in the device control system 100 of the first implementation device will be specifically described. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing an example of the utterance mode of the refrigerator 101.

As a first example, a user wakes up at 6 am and opens and closes the door 110 of the refrigerator 101 in a short period of time in addition to operating the device corresponding to the device information 301 to 303 in the device information database 300 (see FIG. 3). To do. In this case, in the utterance pattern table 400 (see FIG. 4), the utterance condition of the utterance ID “H01” is satisfied (S101: YES), the utterance pattern of “Good morning” is specified (S102), and the server 102. A status request is sent to (S103).

The server 102 refers to the device information database 300, analyzes the user's behavior pattern, and estimates the current user state based on the behavior pattern. In the above example, since the device information 301 to 303 is a standard action pattern performed at the time of waking up, "at the time of waking up" is specified as the user state, and the estimated state is returned to the refrigerator 101 (S104). Since the estimated state of "wake up" is the utterability condition of the utterance ID "H01" (S105: YES), the utterance pattern of "Good morning" is output by voice (S106).

As a second example, after the user operates the device corresponding to the device information 301-303, the door 110 of the refrigerator 101 is opened and closed for the first time at 9:23 am, and the opening / closing operation is performed by the device information 304 and 305 (FIG. 3). Refer to). Also in this case, the utterance pattern of "Good morning" is specified (S101: YES, S102, S103). In the server 102, since the door opening / closing of the device information 304 and 305 is the device operation at the time when several hours or more have passed since the user wakes up, "at the time of awakening" is specified as the user state (S104). Since the estimated state of "when awake" is not the utterability condition of the utterance ID "H01" (S105: NO), the utterance pattern of "Good morning" is not output by voice.

As a third example, it is assumed that the user has operated the device corresponding to the device information 310-314 (see FIG. 3). The device information 310 to 312 is a history of device operations performed by the user when he / she returns home. Specifically, device information 310 and 311 indicate that the user has unlocked and locked the front door key in order to open and close the front door. The device information 312 indicates that the user has turned on the living room lighting. The device information 313, 314 shows the opening and closing of the door of the refrigerator 101 illustrated in FIG. 6A, which was performed at 22:38 pm immediately after the above device operation.

In this case, in the utterance pattern table 400, the utterance conditions of the utterance IDs "H04" and "H05" are satisfied (S101: YES), the utterance patterns of "Welcome back" and "Good night" are specified (S102), and the server A status request is sent to 102 (S103). In the server 102, since the device information 310 to 312 is a standard action pattern performed when returning home, "at home" is specified as the user state, and the estimated state is returned to the refrigerator 101 (S104). Since the estimated state of "when returning home" is the utterability condition of the utterance ID "H04" (S105: YES), the utterance pattern of "Welcome back" is output by voice as illustrated in FIG. 6A (S106).

As a fourth example, it is assumed that the user operates the device corresponding to the device information 315 and 316 (see FIG. 3), and then opens and closes the door 110 of the refrigerator 101 as shown in FIG. 6B. The device information 315 and 316 indicate a history of device operations performed by the user at bedtime. Specifically, the device information 315 indicates that the user has changed the operation mode of the air conditioner to the sleep mode. The device information 316 indicates that the user has turned off the living room lighting. Also in this case, the utterance patterns of "Welcome back" and "Good night" are specified (S101: YES, S102, S103).

In the server 102, since the device information 315 and 316 are standard behavior patterns performed at bedtime, "at bedtime" is specified as the user state, and the estimated state is returned to the refrigerator 101 (S104). Since the estimated state of "at bedtime" is the utterability condition of the utterance ID "H05" (S105: YES), the utterance pattern of "Good night" is output by voice as illustrated in FIG. 6B (S106).

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the configuration having substantially the same function as that of the first embodiment will be referred to by a common reference numeral, and the description thereof will be omitted, and the points different from those of the first embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the utterance pattern is determined by the server 102, and the utterance pattern is determined by the refrigerator 101.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 221 of the server 102 in the second embodiment. In the present embodiment, each functional block illustrated in FIG. 7 is realized by executing the program in the control unit 221. The control unit 221 of the present embodiment includes, for example, an operation determination unit 701 and an execution control unit 702. The utterance pattern table 400 (see FIG. 4) is not stored in the refrigerator 101, but is stored in the storage unit 222 of the server 102.

The operation determination unit 701 includes the first information acquired by the first electric device (for example, the refrigerator 101) and the second information acquired by the second electric device (for example, a plurality of electric devices 103 and the mobile terminal 104). Based on the above, any one of a plurality of operation modes (for example, a plurality of speech patterns) that can be executed by the first electric device is determined. The execution control unit 702 causes the first electric device to execute one determined operation mode.

An example of the processing flow executed in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is an example of a processing flow executed by the server 102 of the second embodiment. For example, when the server 102 is powered on, the control unit 221 starts the processing flow shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 221 acquires device information from each monitored device (for example, a refrigerator 101, a plurality of electric devices 103, and a mobile terminal 104) (S201). The acquired device information is registered in the device information database 300 (see FIG. 3). The operation determination unit 701 determines whether the utterance condition is satisfied as in S101 (S202). For example, the operation determination unit 701 determines whether any of the plurality of utterance conditions defined in the utterance pattern table 400 is satisfied based on the device information of the refrigerator 101. When any of the utterance conditions is satisfied (S202: YES), the operation determination unit 701 specifies the utterance pattern with reference to the utterance pattern table 400 as in S102 (S203).

Next, the operation determination unit 701 specifies the estimated state of the user (S204). For example, the operation determination unit 701 analyzes the user's behavior pattern with reference to the device information database 300, and estimates the current user state based on the behavior pattern. Similar to S105, the operation determination unit 701 determines whether the specified estimated state is an utterable state (S205). When the specified estimated state is the utterable state (S205: YES), the execution control unit 702 transmits the execution instruction of the utterance pattern specified in S203 to the refrigerator 101 (S206). In the refrigerator 101, the control unit 211 causes the operation unit 214 to execute the utterance control of the utterance pattern according to the execution instruction of the utterance pattern. After the execution of S206, or when the specified estimated state is not the utterable state (S205: NO), the process returns to S201.

(Third Embodiment)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the configuration having substantially the same function as that of the second embodiment will be referred to by a common reference numeral, and the description thereof will be omitted, and the points different from those of the second embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that the cooling control and the utterance control are determined as the operation mode of the refrigerator 101, and the utterance pattern is determined as the operation mode of the refrigerator 101.

The control unit 221 of the present embodiment includes the operation determination unit 701 and the execution control unit 702 as in the second embodiment (see FIG. 7). In the refrigerator 101 that cools the inside of the refrigerator, the operating unit 214 can execute a plurality of predetermined cooling controls. The execution control unit 702 causes the operation unit 214 to execute one cooling control determined based on the first information and the second information.

The device information database 300 (see FIG. 3), the control mode determination table 500 (see FIG. 9), and the control pattern table 510 (see FIG. 10) are stored in the storage unit 222 of the server 102. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the control mode determination table 500. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the control pattern table 510.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, in the control mode determination table 500, a plurality of state evaluation information is associated with each of the plurality of control patterns 504. The plurality of state evaluation information is information that evaluates various states related to the corresponding devices, and includes, for example, refrigerator information 501, other device information 502, and other information 503.

Refrigerator information 501 includes user operation, operating state, and external environment. The user operation is information related to operations performed by the user with respect to the refrigerator 101 (for example, opening / closing operation of the door 110, setting temperature control of the refrigerator 101, etc.). The operating state is information on the operating state of the refrigerator 101 (for example, the temperature inside the refrigerator, the opening / closing of the damper, the ice making / ice storage function, the operating period, etc.). The external environment is information about the external environment (for example, ambient temperature) of the refrigerator 101.

The other device information 502 also includes a user operation, an operating state, and an external environment related to the corresponding electric device 103 or the mobile terminal 104. Other information other than the refrigerator information 501 and the other device information 502 is information related to the determination of the control pattern 504, such as the GPS position, season, and event of the mobile terminal 104. The control pattern 504 indicates an execution pattern of the operation control of the refrigerator 101 corresponding to at least one combination of the refrigerator information 501, the other device information 502, and the other information 503.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the control pattern table 510 defines an operation mode 505, which is a corresponding control content, for each of the plurality of control patterns 504 defined in the control mode determination table 500. Hereinafter, the correspondence between the control mode determination table 500 and the control pattern table 510 will be described.

(1) In the control mode determination table 500, the user operation of the refrigerator information 501 is "the number of times the door is opened and closed is large", the operating state of the refrigerator information 501 is "the temperature inside the refrigerator is high", and the other device information 502. When the user operation is "with pre-cooking operation", the control pattern 504 of "P01" is determined. The pre-cooking operation is a device operation that can be estimated to be cooked by the user, for example, unlocking the entrance key when returning home, searching a menu in the electric cooker, turning on the power of the gas water heater, and the like.

In the control pattern table 510, "pre-cool operation" for suppressing an increase in the temperature inside the refrigerator is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P01". Generally, during cooking work, the number of times the door of the refrigerator 101 is opened and closed increases, and the temperature inside the refrigerator tends to rise. Therefore, when it is presumed that the user cooks, by executing the pre-cool operation in the refrigerator 101, it is possible to suppress an increase in the temperature inside the refrigerator during the cooking operation.

(2) In the control mode determination table 500, the user operation of the refrigerator information 501 is "no door opening / closing", the operating state of the refrigerator information 501 is "stable temperature inside the refrigerator", and the user operation of the other device information 502 is When "there is an operation at bedtime" and the external environment of the other device information 502 is the "midnight time zone", the control pattern 504 of "P02" is determined. The bedtime operation is a device operation that allows the user to estimate that the user will go to bed. For example, the power of the TV or lighting device is turned off, the alarm setting of the mobile terminal 104, and the timer setting of the automatic power off of the air conditioner (so-called good night timer). And so on.

In the control pattern table 510, "quiet operation" in which the driving noise during operation is suppressed is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P02". As a result, when it is presumed that the user goes to bed, it is possible to suppress hindering the user from going to bed by executing the silent operation in the refrigerator 101.

(3) In the control mode determination table 500, the user operation of the refrigerator information 501 is "less door opening / closing", the user operation of the other device information 502 is "there is an operation when going out", and the operating state of the other device information 502. Is "no reaction of the motion sensor (provided in the electric device 103)" and the other information 503 is "the GPS position is far away", the control pattern 504 of "P03" is determined. The operation when going out is a device operation that can be estimated that the user goes out, for example, locking the entrance door, turning off the power of the air conditioner, and the like. “GPS position is far away” means that the GPS position of the mobile terminal 104 is separated from the home 10 by a predetermined distance or more.

In the control pattern table 510, the "defrosting operation" for defrosting the cooler of the refrigerator 101 is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P03". As a result, when it is estimated that the user goes out, there is a high possibility that the refrigerator 101 will not be used for the time being, so that the refrigerator 101 can perform the defrosting operation by utilizing this period. If the specified period has not passed since the previous defrosting operation, the defrosting operation of the refrigerator 101 may not be executed.

(4) In the control mode determination table 500, the user operation of the refrigerator information 501 is "weak setting temperature control of the refrigerator", the operating state of the refrigerator information 501 is "less opening and closing of the damper", and the outside of the refrigerator information 501. When the environment is "low ambient temperature", the user operation of the other device information 502 is "no product search operation", and the other information 503 is "GPS position is far away", the control pattern of "P04". 504 is determined. “No product search operation” is a device operation for searching for a product (for example, food or drink) or a menu that the user is likely to use the refrigerator 101, for example, a menu search in an electric cooker or a mobile terminal 104. Product search using a shopping app, etc.

In the control pattern table 510, the "defrosting operation" is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P04". Generally, when the opening and closing of the damper in the refrigerator 101 is reduced, cold air stays in the refrigerating chamber (particularly in the low temperature portion). In this case, freezing of the cold air duct may occur in the inner part of the chilled chamber and the vegetable compartment. As a countermeasure, when it is estimated that the user goes out with the damper opening and closing of the refrigerator 101 being small, the above-mentioned cold air duct freezing occurs by executing the defrosting operation in the refrigerator 101 by utilizing this period. Can be suppressed.

(5) In the control mode determination table 500, the user operation of the refrigerator information 501 is "almost no door opening / closing", the operating state of the refrigerator information 501 is "less or no damper opening / closing", and the refrigerator information 501 When the external environment is "the ambient temperature is considerably low" and the user operation of the other device information 502 is "no product search operation", the control pattern 504 of "P05" is determined.

In the control pattern table 510, "utterance control for prompting door opening / closing" is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P05". When the refrigerator information 501 and the other device information 502 indicate the above information, it is presumed that the user is unlikely to open / close the door in the refrigerator 101 at present and in the future. In this case, since the utterance pattern for prompting the opening and closing of the door is output by voice from the refrigerator 101, if the user performs an operation of opening and closing the door 110, for example, energization of the temperature compensation heater in the vegetable room can be suppressed.

(6) In the control mode determination table 500, the operating state of the refrigerator information 501 is "no ice storage and ice making", and the user operation of the other device information 502 is "there is a purchase history of ice-using products (for example, somen noodles, whiskey, etc.)". , And the other information 503 is "summer", the control pattern 504 of "P06" is determined. In the control pattern table 510, "utterance control for promoting tank water supply and ice making" is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P06". As a result, when the user is likely to use the ice in the refrigerator 101, the utterance pattern prompting the tank water supply and the ice making is output by voice from the refrigerator 101, so that the ice can be secured in the refrigerator 101.

(7) In the control mode determination table 500, the operating state of the refrigerator information 501 is "the operation period has elapsed for a long period of time", the user operation of the other device information 502 is "increased frequency of use of the air purifier", and others. When the information 503 of the above is the "general cleaning time", the control pattern 504 of "P07" is determined. In the control pattern table 510, "utterance control for promoting cleaning around the refrigerator" is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P07". When the refrigerator 101 is used for a long period of time, the ventilation on the back surface and the side surface thereof may be obstructed by dust or the like. Therefore, an appropriate ventilation around the refrigerator 101 can be ensured by voice-outputting an utterance pattern prompting the cleaning of the vicinity of the refrigerator from the refrigerator 101 at a specific time.

An example of the processing flow executed in the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is an example of a processing flow executed by the server 102 of the third embodiment. For example, when the server 102 is powered on, the control unit 221 starts the processing flow shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 221 acquires device information from each monitored device (for example, a refrigerator 101, a plurality of electric devices 103, and a mobile terminal 104) in the same manner as in S201 (S301). The operation determination unit 701 acquires the state evaluation information based on a plurality of device information registered in the device information database 300 (see FIG. 3) (S02). In the present embodiment, the operation determination unit 701 statistically analyzes the device information of the refrigerator 101 and acquires the refrigerator information 501. The operation determination unit 701 statistically analyzes the device information of the electric device 103 and the mobile terminal 104, and acquires the other device information 502. The operation determination unit 701 acquires other information 503 as state evaluation information other than the refrigerator information 501 and the other device information 502.

The operation determination unit 701 determines whether or not there is a control pattern to be executed based on the acquired state evaluation information (S303). Specifically, the operation determination unit 701 refers to the control mode determination table 500, and if there is a control pattern 504 corresponding to the combination of the acquired refrigerator information 501, other device information 502, and other information 503, the control pattern 504. 504 is specified as the control pattern to be executed (S303: YES).

In this case, the execution control unit 702 transmits the execution instruction of the control pattern specified in S303 to the refrigerator 101 (S304). The control pattern execution instruction is a command for causing the refrigerator 101 to execute the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern to be executed among the plurality of operation modes 505 defined in the control pattern table 510. In the refrigerator 101, the control unit 211 causes the operation unit 214 to execute the above operation mode 505 according to the execution instruction of the control pattern. After the execution of S304, or when there is no control pattern to be executed (S303: NO), the process returns to S301.

(Remarks)
According to the embodiment described above, the operation unit 214 can execute a plurality of predetermined operation modes (voice output of a plurality of utterance patterns and / and a plurality of cooling controls). The control unit 211 or the execution control unit 702 uses the first information acquired by the refrigerator 101 and the second information acquired by other electric devices (a plurality of electric devices 103 and the mobile terminal 104) different from the refrigerator 101. The operation unit 214 is made to execute one operation mode (utterance pattern or control pattern) determined based on the above. As a result, the refrigerator 101 can perform an operation suitable for the actual user situation.

Specifically, as illustrated in the utterance pattern table 400, one operation mode (utterance pattern) is a life rhythm (for example, of example) of a user using the refrigerator 101, which is determined based on the first information and the second information. , When waking up, when awakening, when returning home, when going to bed, etc.). As illustrated in the control mode determination table 500, one operation mode (control pattern) is determined based on the first information and the second information, and is determined by the user at a predetermined installation location of the refrigerator 101 (for example, at home). 10) This is an operation mode depending on whether or not the user is in the refrigerator. As illustrated in the utterance pattern table 400 and the control mode determination table 500, one operation mode (utterance pattern and control pattern) is determined based on the first information and the second information, and the user's behavior pattern (for example). , The operation mode according to the device operation corresponding to the device information). Therefore, the refrigerator 101 can execute a suitable operation mode according to at least one of the user's life rhythm, positional relationship, and behavior pattern.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and is replaced with a configuration that is substantially the same as the configuration shown in the above embodiment, a configuration that exhibits the same action and effect, or a configuration that can achieve the same purpose. You may. For example, in the first and second embodiments, a part of the processing executed in the refrigerator 101 may be executed by a device different from the refrigerator 101. In the third embodiment, a part of the processing executed by the server 102 may be executed by a device different from the server 102. The refrigerator 101 may have a function as a server 102. For example, the server 102 transmits in advance an instruction regarding a message according to a condition such as a time zone to the refrigerator 101 under a condition such as a preset time. The refrigerator 101 temporarily stores the instruction regarding the message received from the server 102. The refrigerator 101 outputs a message based on the first information and the second information.

In the above embodiment, a plurality of utterance patterns and a plurality of control patterns are exemplified as a plurality of operation modes that can be executed by the refrigerator 101, but for example, a plurality of image patterns to be displayed on the refrigerator 101 may be included. In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the refrigerator 101 is illustrated, but the present invention can be applied to an electric device different from the refrigerator 101. For example, the present invention may be applied to electric devices such as electric cookers, televisions, personal computers, vacuum cleaners, and washing machines.

100 equipment control system, 101 refrigerator, 102 server, 103 electric equipment, 104 mobile terminal, 211 control unit, 214 operation unit, 300 equipment information database, 400 utterance pattern table, 500 control mode determination table, 510 control pattern table, 701 operation Decision unit, 702 Execution control unit

Claims (7)

It ’s an electrical device,
An operation unit that can execute multiple operation modes,
Among the plurality of operation modes, one said operation mode determined based on the first information acquired by the electric device and the second information acquired by another electric device different from the electric device. , The control unit to be executed by the operation unit,
Electrical equipment equipped with. The operation unit can output a plurality of predetermined utterance patterns by voice.
The control unit causes the operation unit to output a voice of one of the utterance patterns determined based on the first information and the second information.
The electrical device according to claim 1. The electric device is a refrigerator that cools the inside of the refrigerator.
The operating unit can execute a plurality of predetermined cooling controls, and can execute a plurality of predetermined cooling controls.
The control unit causes the operation unit to execute one of the cooling controls determined based on the first information and the second information.
The electrical device according to claim 1 or 2. The first information includes information indicating a usage state of the electric device, and includes information indicating a usage state of the electric device.
The second information includes information indicating a usage state of the other electronic device.
The one operation mode is an operation mode determined based on the first information and the second information according to the life rhythm of the user who uses the electric device.
The electrical device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The one operation mode is an operation mode determined based on the first information and the second information, depending on whether or not the user is in a predetermined installation location of the electric device.
The electrical device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The one operation mode is an operation mode according to the user's behavior pattern, which is determined based on the first information and the second information.
The electrical device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A device control system that includes at least a first electrical device and a second electrical device that is different from the first electrical device.
Of the plurality of operation modes that can be executed by the first electric device, based on the first information acquired by the first electric device and the second information acquired by the second electric device. An operation determination unit that determines any one of the operation modes, and an operation determination unit.
An execution control unit that causes the first electric device to execute the determined operation mode:
Equipment control system equipped with.

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