JP2022002122A - Server, household electric appliance or terminal, and household electric appliance system - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress an event such that a user falsely requests the dispatch of a service person for an appliance that is not actually defective.SOLUTION: A server 3 obtains an inquiry from a user regarding a household electric appliance via a wide-area network 2, and creates or outputs a cause and/or a solution of a pseudo defect corresponding to inquiry items contained in the inquiry. This server includes a storage unit that obtains, from the household electric appliance, an operation record based on sensor data provided for an autonomous control on the household electric appliance via the wide-area network 2, and creates or outputs the cause and/or the solution of a pseudo defect using the past operation records stored in the storage unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a server, a home appliance or a terminal, and a home appliance system.

In Patent Document 1, the communication terminal 1 reads the operation information 13a stored in the home electric appliance 10, and the communication terminal 1 uses the operation information 3a and the defect status 3c and 23a to estimate the defect content and perform a failure diagnosis. The methods that enable it are disclosed (0012, 0015, 0020, 0025, FIG. 1, etc.).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-95601

Since Patent Document 1 has the purpose of failure diagnosis, it is configured to perform this diagnosis when a failure actually occurs in the home electric appliance 10.
By the way, when a user suspects that a device, for example, a home appliance such as a refrigerator, is out of order, if the device is actually out of order, a service person is called to perform a failure diagnosis as described in Patent Document 1. Is effective. However, before that, it is not always easy for the user to distinguish whether it is a failure or a normal one, and Patent Document 1 does not describe or suggest a configuration capable of making such a determination.

A normal state (hereinafter referred to as "pseudo-failure") that is confused with a failure for the user is a temporary state that occurs during maintenance performed during autonomous control of the device, or an external signal or load input or the user. There is a state that occurs even if it is normal due to the act on the device.

In the case of a pseudo-failure, for example, if the device continues to be autonomously controlled for a certain period of time, it will be stable, or if the autonomous maintenance of the device is insufficient, the user's maintenance actions and the user's past operations By correcting the mistake (for example, the refrigerator door is half-door), it is possible to return to the state without giving the suspicion of a pseudo-fault. In this way, when a pseudo-failure that can be easily mistaken for a failure can occur, if the user can be informed whether the device is normal or a pseudo-failure, the user mistakenly dispatches a service person to the pseudo-failure device. It is possible to suppress the situation of requesting.

The present invention made in view of the above circumstances has the following features.
The present invention is a server that acquires an inquiry from a user regarding a home electric appliance via a network and generates or outputs a cause and / or a solution of a pseudo-failure corresponding to the inquiry item included in the inquiry.
It has a storage unit that acquires an operation history based on sensor data used for autonomous control of the home electric appliance from the home electric appliance via a network.
It is characterized in that the cause and / or the solution of the pseudo-failure is generated or output by using the past operation history stored in the storage unit.
Other means will be described later.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a situation in which a user mistakenly requests the dispatch of a service person to a device with a pseudo-failure.

The figure which shows the structure of the refrigerator system which is an example of the home electric appliance system of Example 1. Side sectional view of the refrigerator of Example 1 A flowchart showing the flow of information transmission to the server and storage device of the refrigerator of the first embodiment. A flowchart showing the processing of the server and the storage device that received the inquiry from the user of the first embodiment. It belongs to a cause group and a cause group that collects possible causes corresponding to the inquiry items, such as a query item that can be selected by the user of the first embodiment and a sensor that outputs a log or the like used for evaluation corresponding to the inquiry item. A diagram showing a table showing solutions corresponding to each cause. The figure which shows the list of the inquiry items which a user can specify when making an inquiry of Example 1. The figure which shows the terminal or the input part which displays the list of inquiry items of Example 1 in a selectable manner. The beginning of the detailed flowchart of the process of step S500 in which the possibility of corresponding to each of the causes belonging to the "cause group" of the first embodiment is evaluated by using the "log used for evaluation". Flow chart for evaluating the cause "hot food has entered" when the inquiry item "refrigerator room does not cool" in Example 1 is received. Flow chart for evaluating the cause "the opening time of the refrigerating room door was long / the opening frequency was high" when the inquiry item "the refrigerating room did not cool down" of the first embodiment was received. A flowchart for evaluating the cause "the outside air temperature was high" when the inquiry item "the refrigerating room does not cool" in the first embodiment is received. Flow chart for evaluating the cause "high refrigerating room temperature target value or power saving mode" when the inquiry item "refrigerating room does not cool" in Example 1 is received. Flow chart for evaluating the cause "half door (dirt or gap in packing)" when the inquiry item "refrigerator room does not cool" in Example 1 is received. Flow chart for evaluating the cause "evaporator defrosted" when the inquiry item "refrigerator room does not cool" in Example 1 is received. Flow chart for evaluating the cause "just water supply (insufficient ice making time)" when the inquiry item "ice cannot be made" in Example 1 is received. Flow chart for evaluating the cause "insufficient water in the water supply device" when the inquiry item "ice cannot be made" in Example 1 is received. Flow chart for evaluating the cause "quenched cooling mode" when the inquiry item "refrigerating room is too cold" of the first embodiment is received. Flow chart for evaluating the cause "food was placed near the cold air outlet" when the inquiry item "cooling room is too cold" in Example 1 is received. Sequence diagram of refrigerator system 1 of Example 1 The figure which shows an example of the output screen of the terminal or the refrigerator which received the pseudo-fault determination result of Example 1.

Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The distinction between failure and normal (or pseudo-failure) can be estimated, for example, by analyzing the operation history (log) of the device. The user inquiring about these distinctions is called "inquiry" or the like. In this embodiment, home appliances, particularly refrigerators, will be illustrated as devices, but the same technical idea can be applied to other home appliances. The server of this embodiment determines the failure, pseudo-failure and normality of these devices in response to a user inquiry, outputs or generates the cause of the pseudo-failure or failure by using the operation history, etc., or pseudo-failure. Output or generate a failure or a solution to the failure. The user's inquiry can preferably include an inquiry item indicating which part (which phenomenon) the user suspects that the device is out of order.

The various components of the present invention do not necessarily have to be individually independent, for example, one component may be composed of a plurality of members, a plurality of components may be composed of a single member, or a certain configuration. Allows duplication of part of an element with part of another component. For example, the server 3 may have a built-in storage unit 31 or may be externally provided as a separate device.

[Refrigerator system]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a refrigerator system which is an example of a home electric appliance system in this embodiment. The refrigerator system includes a refrigerator 1 as a home electric appliance, 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 home electric appliance that can store and cool food and drink 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 the detected values and the amount of energization of various sensors provided in the refrigerator 1 and the server 3. You can receive information from. In addition to the refrigerating or freezing function of food and drink, the refrigerator 1 may have various known functions such as a warming function. Further, the wide area network 2 may be connected to the wide area network 2 via communication using a wireless communication protocol such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark) without directly connecting to the wide area network 2 using the Internet protocol.

The server 3 performs arithmetic processing using the information of the storage unit 31 that stores the operation history of the refrigerator 1 and the like based on the inquiry from the user input through the refrigerator 1 and the terminal 5, and the arithmetic result. Is a device capable of transmitting to the refrigerator 1 and the terminal 5.

The terminal 5 is a device capable of communicating through the wide area network 2 and accepting input from a user. For example, it can be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a personal computer, or a stationary terminal such as a digital television, and for example, an application program or the like can be installed and used for operating the refrigerator 1.

[Refrigerator 1]
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment. The refrigerator 1 receives the sensor detection values described later, outputs control signals to the refrigeration cycle and electrical products, detects the user's input signal through the input unit 101, and communicates via the wide area network 2. It has a control board 10 for performing the above, and autonomous control is performed by this. The place where the input unit 101 is arranged is not particularly limited, but may be provided in the refrigerating room door 111 as in the present embodiment, or may be arranged in any storage room.

(Storage room)
As a storage chamber, the refrigerator 1 includes a refrigerating chamber 11 controlled to maintain the temperature in the refrigerating temperature zone, a freezing chamber 12 and an ice making chamber 13 controlled to maintain the temperature in the refrigerating temperature zone, and a refrigerating temperature zone. Among them, it has a vegetable chamber 14 controlled to maintain a relatively high temperature, and a decompression chamber 15 capable of maintaining a temperature in a chilled temperature zone and reducing the pressure to a pressure below atmospheric pressure. The decompression chamber 15 is installed in the refrigerating chamber 11.

(Storage room door)
The refrigerating room 11, the freezing room 12, the ice making room 13, the vegetable room 14, and the decompression room 15 have doors that can open and close the openings of the respective storage rooms, such as the refrigerating room door 111, the freezing room door 121, and the ice making room door 131. A vegetable room door 141 and a decompression room door 151 are provided.

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

(Supply of cold air)
The refrigerator 1 constitutes a refrigerating cycle that generates cold air, and includes a compressor 161 that compresses the refrigerant, a radiator that dissipates the compressed refrigerant toward the outside air (not shown), and a decompressor that depressurizes the refrigerant (not shown). (Illustrated), a first evaporator 162 and a second evaporator 163 as an evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant are connected in a ring shape by a pipe.

The cold air generated by the evaporators 162 and 163 is boosted by the first fan 164 and the second fan 165, respectively, and blown to either storage chamber. In this embodiment, the cold air boosted by the first fan 164 is sent to the refrigerating room 11 and also sent to the vegetable room 14 through an air passage (not shown) communicating 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 boosted by the second fan 165 is sent to the freezing chamber 12 and the ice making chamber 13 and circulates through the second return air passage (not shown) communicating with the second evaporator 163.

The air passage to each storage chamber and / or the air passage from each storage chamber has a damper (not shown) as an example of an electric product that can adjust the opening of the air passage or switch the opening and closing of the air passage. Each is provided. The damper can be driven by using a damper motor (not shown). In the vicinity of the damper, a mechanical switch as a damper switch is arranged at a position where the damper is turned on on one side and turned off on the other side when the damper is open or closed. This makes it possible to detect the opening and closing of the damper.

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

(Heat supply)
For example, storage chambers and evaporators 162 and 163 may be physically too cold or frosted for some reason or physically. In such a case, it is desirable to heat the overcooled region or the frosted region to eliminate the overcooled or frosted region. In this embodiment, a decompression chamber heater 153, a first evaporator heater 166, and a second evaporator heater 167 as examples of electrical products are arranged below the decompression chamber 15 and in the vicinity of the evaporators 162 and 163 in the storage chamber, respectively. is doing. These heaters may be an energized type that energizes and generates heat, or may be a type in which a refrigerant flows by switching the flow path of the refrigeration cycle and the refrigerant dissipates heat. The energized type is preferable. Further, a heater may be arranged in another storage room. Overcooling and frost formation can be distinguished or estimated using sensors and reference to storage room target temperature settings described below.

In the vicinity of the evaporators 162 and 163, an evaporator temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature of each of the evaporators 162 and 163 is arranged.

(Structure peculiar to each storage room)
The refrigerating room 11 is provided with a refrigerating room lighting 119 capable of illuminating the inside of the refrigerator as an example of an electric product. The refrigerating room lighting 119 can be turned on, for example, when the refrigerating room door sensor described later detects opening. Lighting may be provided in other storage rooms.

The ice making chamber 13 includes an ice making container partitioned in the shape of ice to be manufactured, a water supply channel 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 in, for example, the refrigerating chamber 11, and water can be pumped up by a pumping motor and supplied to an ice making container through a water supply channel. The pumping motor and the ice making container motor include a pumping motor current sensor and an ice making container motor current sensor that detect the amount of current 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 device is insufficient. If it is determined that there is no or little water in the water dispenser, that fact can be transmitted to the control board 10. Further, when the current amount of the pumping motor current sensor or the ice making 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. When it is estimated that water freezes and ice is 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. The ice-making container is arranged so as to be pressed against, for example, some member and twisted and deformed when it is rotated, and the ice can be separated from the ice-making container and dropped into the ice-making chamber 13 by the twisting deformation.

The decompression chamber door 151 is provided with a lock mechanism 152. The lock mechanism 152 has, for example, a spring that can be urged toward the closed side of the decompression chamber door 151, and a lever that can apply or release the urging force to the spring. By operating this lever, the user can switch the opening and closing of the decompression chamber door 151. Further, a pressure sensor 155 for detecting the pressure in the decompression chamber 15 is provided.

(Sensor)
The refrigerator 1 can detect information outside and inside the refrigerator, as well as the refrigerating cycle and the driving state of electric products by 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. It has 144. In addition to these temperature sensors, a humidity sensor that detects humidity may be arranged.

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

Each door is provided with a refrigerating room door sensor, a freezing room door sensor, an ice making room door sensor, and a vegetable room door sensor as door sensors (not shown) capable of detecting the opening and closing of the door. A decompression chamber door sensor that detects the opening and closing of the decompression chamber door 151 may be provided. Various known ones can be adopted as each door sensor.

The refrigerator 1 includes a compressor sensor (not shown) that detects the motor rotation speed of the compressor 161, a first evaporator temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of each of the evaporators 162 and 163, and a second evaporator temperature sensor. It has a first fan sensor (not shown) that detects the rotation speed of the first fan, and a second fan sensor (not shown) that detects the rotation speed of the second fan.

(Target temperature setting)
The target temperature of each storage chamber can be changed by a predetermined value or the input unit 101 or the terminal 5. When it is made changeable, for example, a specific temperature value may be finely specified by the user, or may be roughly specified such as "weak", "medium", and "strong". In this embodiment, designations such as "weak", "medium", and "strong" can be accepted.

The input unit 101 and the terminal 5 are in such a manner that the user can recognize the current target temperature setting, the shortage of water in the water supply device, various sensor values listed in the present specification, the state of the electric product, and its history with five senses. Can be output. These pieces of information may be obtained from the storage unit 31 or from the refrigerator 1.

Further, the input unit 101 and the terminal 5 can receive inquiries as described later.

[Send information]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of information transmission to the server 3 of the refrigerator 1, and FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram of the refrigerator system 1. 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, opening / closing or pressure of the door, the amount of electricity supplied to the electrical components and components during the refrigeration cycle, and the lighting of the lighting are detected by the various sensor values described in the present specification. Various states such as turning off, turning off the motor, running out of water, and the like are stored in a memory (not shown) (step S101). The refrigerator 1 can count the elapsed time, and for example, when a predetermined time (not necessarily constant) has elapsed (step S110, Yes), the stored information is transmitted to the server 3 (step S120). Further, the refrigerator 1 can also transmit the model number of the refrigerator 1 and the unique identification number assigned to each individual.

[inquiry]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the server 3 that has received the inquiry from the user. The inquiry can be received by the server 3 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 this embodiment, a failure diagnosis is performed for each of the compressor 161, the evaporator 162, 163, the ice making chamber (pumping motor and ice making container motor), the damper motor, and the first fan and the second fan.

In the failure diagnosis of the compressor 161 (step S301), for example, the operation history (log) of the compressor 161 is read, and the shunt resistance of the compressor 161 voltage (for example, the current flowing through the compressor 161) even though the compressor 161 is energized. It can be obtained by converting with.) Check if there was a situation where it did not rise. Since the existence of such a situation suggests a failure of starting the compressor 161 and the like, it can be presumed that a failure of the compressor 161 and a failure of the refrigerator 1 have 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 kept for a certain period of time. It is confirmed whether or not there has been a situation where the temperature was high (for example, −10 ° C. or higher) over the above (for example, 3 hours or more). Since the existence of such a situation suggests that the refrigeration cycle is clogged or the refrigerant has escaped, it can be estimated that a failure of the evaporator 162, 163 and a failure of the refrigerator 1 have occurred. (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 amount of current is abnormally high when the ice making container motor or the pumping motor is energized in the past. Since the existence of such a history suggests a failure of the ice making container motor or the pumping motor, processing is performed so that the fact can be transmitted (step S306). This diagnosis may be executed only when the inquiry item "Ice cannot be made", which will be described later, is selected as an inquiry.

In the damper motor failure diagnosis (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 changed even though the current for operating the damper motor has been passed in the past. Since the existence 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 amount of current is abnormally high when the first fan or the second fan is energized in the past. Since the existence of such a history suggests a fan failure, processing is performed so that the fact can be transmitted (step S3010).

When it is determined that the refrigerator 1 is out of order in this way, the server 3 transmits that it is out of order (steps S302, S304, S306). The user who receives this information can determine that a "failure" has occurred and can call a service person or consult with a service center.

(Detailed determination of pseudo-failure S400 to S700)
FIG. 5 shows a user-selectable inquiry item, a cause group that collects possible causes corresponding to the inquiry item, such as a sensor that outputs a log or the like used for evaluation corresponding to the inquiry item, and each belonging to the cause group. It is a table showing the solution corresponding to the cause.
The items in each row listed in the columns "Causes", "Impact", and "Solutions" correspond. For example, the degree of influence of the cause "hot food entered" belonging to the cause group in the inquiry item "the refrigerating room does not get cold" is "large", and the solution is "wait for a while without opening the door".

Refrigerator 1 is expected to be normal if it is determined through failure diagnosis (steps S300, S303, S305) that the compressor 161, evaporator 162, 163, ice making chamber, or damper motor has not "failed". To. However, since this normal state is a "pseudo-failure" that makes the user wonder "isn't it a failure?", The cause that made the user suspicious and the solution are presented. It is desirable to do. The method will be described below.

First, the server 3 reads the history of the sensors and the like listed in the "log used for evaluation" according to the "inquiry item" among the information of the refrigerator 1 stored in the storage unit 31 as shown in FIG. (Step S400).

Next, the possibility of corresponding to each of the causes belonging to the "cause group" is evaluated using the "log used for evaluation" (step S500). After evaluating each cause, a "solution" corresponding to the cause evaluated as having a high possibility of being applicable is called (step S600). These "logs used for evaluation", "cause group", and "solution plan" can be stored in advance in the server 3 (storage unit 31). The flow of evaluation when each "inquiry item" is received will be described later. In addition, step S500 and step S600 may be processed in parallel or the order may be changed as much as possible. Other steps can also be processed in parallel or swapped, unless the result of the previous process is required.

Then, the cause determined to be highly applicable and the solution thereof are transmitted to the refrigerator 1 and / or the terminal 5 (step S700). These causes and solutions are output from the refrigerator 1 and the terminal 5 in a manner perceptible to the user.

[Flow of detailed judgment of pseudo-failure]
(Inquiry item)
FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a list of inquiry items that can be specified by the user when making an inquiry, and FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a terminal 5 or an input unit 101 that can selectably display this list.
Through the input unit 101 or the terminal 5, the user can "refrigerate room 11 does not cool", "freeze room 12 does not cool", "ice making room 13 does not have ice", "vegetable room 14 does not cool", and "refrigerates". One or two or more of "the room 11 is too cold" and "the vegetable room 14 is too cold" can be selected, and the cause can be inquired to the server 3.
7 to 10 (b) are detailed flowcharts of the process of step S500 in which the possibility of corresponding to each of the causes belonging to the "cause group" is evaluated by using the "log used for evaluation".
In order to evaluate the possibility of being applicable to each cause (step S500), first, the inquiry item from the user is determined (step S501). In this embodiment, six types of inquiry items are prepared, so it is determined which of these items is applicable and the process is continued. If a plurality of inquiry items are selected, processing may be performed sequentially for each of them.

((1) When the inquiry item "The refrigerator room does not get cold" is received)
As shown in FIG. 5, the causes of "the refrigerating room does not get cold" are "hot food entered", "the refrigerating room door opened for a long time", "the outside air temperature was high", and "refrigerating". "It was a high room temperature target value or a power saving mode" and "It was a half-door (the packing is dirty or has a gap)" is prepared. A flow of determination processing corresponding to each of these is prepared in advance, and determination is performed according to this. It is not particularly limited which of the causes belonging to the cause group is evaluated in order, but in this embodiment, the evaluation is performed in order from the top of the table shown in FIG.

<Evaluation and solution of the cause "hot food entered">
FIG. 8A is a flowchart for evaluating the cause “hot food has entered” when the inquiry item “refrigerator room does not cool” is received.
The refrigerating room 11 will be described as a flow of processing related to this cause, but the same processing can be applied to the freezing room 12 and the vegetable room 14.

When hot food or the like is stored in the refrigerating chamber 11, the refrigerating chamber door sensor detects opening, for example, within a few minutes, and then the detection value of the refrigerating chamber temperature sensor 114 increases. become. This increase is expected to last for, for example, about 1 to 3 hours, although it depends on the temperature and heat capacity of the food.

Therefore, this evaluation can be performed using the history of the refrigerating room temperature sensor 114 and the refrigerating room door sensor from the past, for example, to the present, for example, from the timing of receiving the inquiry (step S510). Evaluation of this cause when, for example, the cold chamber door sensor detects opening within several tens of seconds and then the detection value of the refrigerating chamber temperature sensor 114 increases (steps S511, Yes). Will be higher (step S512). If this is not the case (steps S511, No), the evaluation of this cause is low (step S513). The determination in step S511 can preferably be determined as Yes when the detection value of the refrigerating room temperature sensor 114 exceeds the detection value of the outside temperature sensor 171.
In addition, the content to be output to the user as a solution to this cause can be "normal. Please wait without opening the door for a while".

<Evaluation and solution of the cause "The opening time of the refrigerator door was long / the opening frequency was high">
FIG. 8B is a flowchart for evaluating the cause “the opening time of the refrigerating room door is long / the opening frequency is high” when the inquiry item “the refrigerating room does not cool down” is received.
The refrigerating room 11 will be described as a flow of processing related to this cause, but the same processing can be applied to the freezing room 12 and the vegetable room 14.

If the time from the detection of opening of the refrigerator compartment door 111 to the detection of closing is long (for example, 1 minute or more) or frequently (for example, 5 times or more within 10 minutes), it is caused by the inflow of outside air or the like. The temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 rises. This temperature rise depends on the outside temperature and the time when the refrigerator door 111 is open, but it is expected to last for a shorter time, for example, about 10 to 30 minutes than when hot food is put in. ..

Therefore, the evaluation related to the opening time can be performed using the history of the refrigerating room door sensor from the past, for example, 10 minutes or more from the timing of receiving the inquiry to, for example, the present (step S520). When, for example, one minute or more after the refrigerating room door sensor detects the opening, the closing is detected (steps S521, Yes), the evaluation of this cause is high (step S522). If this is not the case (step S522, No), the evaluation of this cause is low (step S523).

Further, the evaluation related to the opening frequency can be performed using the history of the refrigerating room door sensor from the past, for example, to the present, for example, for 10 minutes or more from the timing of receiving the inquiry (step S520). When the number of times the refrigerating room door sensor is opened and closed is large (steps S524, Yes), the evaluation of this cause is high (step S525). If this is not the case (steps S525, No), the evaluation of this cause is low (step S526).
In addition, the content to be output to the user as a solution to this cause can be "normal. Please wait without opening the door for a while".

<Evaluation of the cause "the outside air temperature was high" and the corresponding solution>
FIG. 8C is a flowchart for evaluating the cause “the outside air temperature was high” when the inquiry item “the refrigerating room does not cool down” is received.
The refrigerating room 11 will be described as a flow of processing related to this cause, but the same processing can be applied to the vegetable room 14.

When the outside air temperature is high, the amount of heat infiltrated into the refrigerating chamber 11 is large, so that the temperature inside the refrigerator tends to rise.

Therefore, this evaluation can be performed using the history of the outside temperature sensor 171 from the past, for example, about 3 hours from the timing of receiving the inquiry to, for example, the present (step S530). When the outside temperature sensor 171 detects a predetermined value, for example, 30 ° C. or higher on average (steps S531, Yes), the evaluation of this cause is high (step S522). If this is not the case (steps S532, No), the evaluation of this cause is low (step S533).
In addition, the content to be output to the user as a solution to this cause can be "normal. Please lower the target temperature as you like".

<Evaluation and solution of the cause "high refrigerating room temperature target value or power saving mode">
FIG. 8D is a flowchart for evaluating the cause “high refrigerating room temperature target value or power saving mode” when the inquiry item “refrigerating room does not cool” is received.
The refrigerating room 11 will be described as a flow of processing related to this cause, but the same processing can be applied to the freezing room 12 and the vegetable room 14.

The refrigerator 1 configured to be able to change the target temperature of the refrigerating chamber 11 through the input unit 101 and the terminal 5, and the refrigerator 1 configured to be able to set the power saving mode have a high target temperature or are set to the power saving mode ON. If so, it is expected that some users will feel that the cooling is weak in order to keep the cooling modest. It is predicted that it will take, for example, 3 hours or more from the setting, although it depends on the specification mode of the refrigerator 1, to reach the temperature set in this way as a steady state.

Therefore, in this evaluation, the target temperature is raised as a common sense of those skilled in the art (for example, 5 ° C or higher for the refrigerating room 11 and -12 ° C or higher for the freezing room 12), or the power saving mode is turned on, for example, from the past to the present for 3 hours or more. It can be performed by using the history of whether or not it has been set (step S540). When the target temperature setting is high (steps S541, Yes), the evaluation of this cause is high (step S542). If this is not the case (steps S542, No), the evaluation of this cause is low (step S543).
In addition, the content to be output to the user as a solution to this cause can be "normal. Please lower the target temperature as you like".

<Evaluation and solution of the cause "half door (dirt or gap in packing)">
FIG. 8E is a flowchart for evaluating the cause “half door (dirt or gap in packing)” when the inquiry item “refrigerator room does not cool” is received.
The refrigerating room 11 will be described as a flow of processing related to this cause, but the same processing can be applied to the freezing room 12, the ice making room 13, and the vegetable room 14.

The packing of the refrigerating chamber door 111 is made of, for example, an elastic resin, and is sandwiched between the opening edge of the refrigerating chamber 11 and the main body portion of the refrigerating chamber door 111 and deformed to improve the adhesion between the two. The generation of gaps can be suppressed. However, if food debris or liquid adheres to the packing, this adhesion is reduced and heat is exchanged with the outside air through the gap, so the refrigerating room temperature sensor 114 detects a temperature higher than the target temperature, or the compressor. The sensor detects higher rotation than usual. In this case, the refrigerating room door sensor often detects the closing without detecting the opening, and it is assumed that the determination using the refrigerating room door sensor cannot be performed. Since the half-door is relatively hard to notice, it is likely that it will remain awake for a long time, so that it can be performed using, for example, a past operation history of 12 hours or more.

Therefore, this evaluation can be performed using, for example, the history of the compressor sensor, the evaporator temperature sensor, and the refrigerator compartment door sensor (step S550). When the average value of the compressor sensor is relatively high over the past, for example, 12 hours or more, the past opening time and opening / closing frequency of the refrigerator compartment door sensor are not long and not many, and the detection value of the evaporator temperature sensor is not high. (Steps S551 and Yes), the evaluation of this cause becomes high (step S552). If this is not the case (step S552, No), the evaluation of this cause is low (step S553). If the defrosting is not in progress, the evaluation will be even higher. Further, since the evaluation of this cause is estimated from a plurality of viewpoints, weighting may be appropriately set.
In addition, the content output to the user as a solution to this cause can be "normal. Clean or replace the packing" or the like.

<Evaluation and solution of the cause "the evaporator was defrosted">
FIG. 8 (f) is a flowchart for evaluating the cause “the evaporator was defrosted” when the inquiry item “the refrigerating room does not cool down” is received.
The refrigerating chamber 11 and the first evaporator 162 will be described as a flow of processing relating to this cause, but the same processing is performed in the freezing chamber 12 or the ice making chamber 13 and the second evaporator 163, and the vegetable chamber 14 and the first evaporator 162. Can also be applied to.

Since the evaporators 162 and 163 exchange heat with the atmosphere containing water, it is necessary to periodically dissolve (defrost) the frost that adheres to and accumulates on the evaporators 162 and 163. As a method for defrosting, for example, various known methods such as energizing the evaporator heaters 166 and 167 to generate heat can be adopted, but during that time, the supply of low-temperature cold air becomes impossible or difficult, so that the refrigerating chamber 11 The temperature tends to rise.

Therefore, this evaluation can be performed by using the sensor driven during the defrosting operation and the history of whether the control board 10 has output the defrosting operation command, for example, within the past 30 minutes (for example). Step S560). If it has been done (steps S561, Yes), this evaluation will be high (step S562). If this is not the case (step S562, No), the evaluation of this cause is low (step S563).
In addition, the content to be output to the user as a solution to this cause can be "normal. Please wait without opening the door for a while".

((2) When the inquiry item "The freezing room does not get cold" or (4) The inquiry item "The vegetable room does not get cold" is received)
The method of evaluating each of the causes belonging to the cause group related to this inquiry item can be the same as the above-mentioned "(1) When the inquiry item" The refrigerating room does not get cold "is received".

((3) When the inquiry item "I can't make ice" is received)
As shown in FIG. 5, the causes of "Ice cannot be formed" are "the opening time of the ice making room door was long / opening frequency was high", "water was just supplied (insufficient ice making time)", and "water was in the water dispenser". "Not enough" and "Half-door (the packing is dirty or has a gap)" are available. Of these, "the opening time of the ice making chamber door was long / the opening frequency was high" and "the half-door (the packing was dirty or had a gap)" can be evaluated by the same treatment as described above.

<Evaluation of the cause "just supplied water (insufficient ice making time)" and countermeasures>
FIG. 9A is a flowchart for evaluating the cause “freshly supplied water (insufficient ice making time)” when the inquiry item “ice cannot be made” is received.

It takes several hours for the water supplied from the water dispenser to freeze through the drive of the pumping motor to the ice making container. Therefore, this evaluation can be performed by confirming whether the pumping motor current sensor at the time of energization of the pumping motor immediately before has a history of detecting a normal amount of current (actually pumping water). (Step S570). If there is a history (steps S571, Yes), this evaluation will be high (step S572). If this is not the case (step S572, No), the evaluation of this cause is low (step S573).
In addition, the content to be output to the user as a solution to this cause can be "normal. Please wait for a while" or the like. At the same time, it is preferable to determine whether the detected value of the ice making chamber temperature sensor 134 is normal, and if it is normal, determine Yes.

<Evaluation of the cause "insufficient water in the water supply device" and countermeasures>
FIG. 9B is a flowchart for evaluating the cause "insufficient water in the water supply device" when the inquiry item "cannot ice" is received.

If there is not enough water in the water dispenser, there is not enough water to supply to the ice maker, so naturally ice cannot be made. Therefore, this evaluation can be performed by confirming whether or not there is a history suggesting that the ice maker was short of water at the time of driving the pumping motor immediately before (step S580). For example, the current amount of the pumping motor current sensor is small even though the pumping motor is energized. If there is a history (steps S581, Yes), this evaluation will be high (step S582). If this is not the case (step S582, No), the evaluation of this cause is low (step S583).
In addition, the content to be output to the user as a solution to this cause can be "normal. Please check the amount of water in the water supply device."

((5) When the inquiry item "The refrigerator room is too cold" is received)
As shown in FIG. 5, as the cause of "the refrigerating room is too cold", "the refrigerating room was set to the quenching mode" and "the food was placed near the cold air outlet" are prepared.

<Evaluation of the cause "was in quenching mode" and countermeasures>
FIG. 10A is a flowchart for evaluating the cause “the quenching mode was set” when the inquiry item “the refrigerating room is too cold” is received.
The refrigerating room 11 will be described as a flow of processing related to this cause, but the same processing can be applied to the vegetable room 14.

When the operation of turning on the quenching mode for quenching the refrigerating chamber 11 is performed from the input unit 101 or the terminal 5, the temperature of the refrigerating chamber 11 is temporarily lower than the normal or target temperature. Therefore, this evaluation can be performed by confirming whether or not there is a history that the quenching mode is turned on in the past and the quenching mode is turned on or within one hour from the end of the quenching mode at the time of the inquiry. (Step S590). If there is a history (steps S591, Yes), this evaluation will be high (step S592). If this is not the case (step S592, No), the evaluation of this cause is low (step S593).
In addition, the content to be output to the user as a solution to this cause can be "normal. Please wait for a while" or the like.

<Evaluation of the cause "food was placed near the cold air outlet" and countermeasures>
FIG. 10B is a flowchart for evaluating the cause “food was placed near the cold air outlet” when the inquiry item “the refrigerating room is too cold” is received.
The refrigerating room 11 will be described as a flow of processing related to this cause, but the same processing can be applied to the vegetable room 14.

Food placed near the cold air outlet may freeze because it is exposed to cold air having a temperature lower than the temperature set value of the refrigerating chamber 11. Therefore, this evaluation can be performed by estimating whether or not the food that caused the user to feel that it is too cold was not placed near the cold air outlet in the past. Since it is difficult to assume a sensor value or the like indicating such a history, if the evaluation of other prepared causes is low (step S5101, Yes), this evaluation is high (step S5102). If this is not the case (step S5102, No), the evaluation of this cause is low (step S5103).
In addition, the content to be output to the user as a solution to this cause can be "normal. Please keep the food away from the outlet".
However, the accuracy of this estimation seems to be lower than other estimates, so a failure such as "If you are far from the outlet, the cause is unknown, so please call a service person or consult the service center." It is preferable to notify when or when the cause is unknown.

[Result output]
The refrigerator 1 and the terminal 5 that received the failure determination result from the server 3 are requested to check whether there is a failure, and if there is a failure, call the name of the failed member (equipment) and the service person, or consult with the service center. Is output.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an output screen of the terminal 5 or the refrigerator 1 (for example, the input unit 101) that has received the pseudo-failure determination result. The refrigerator 1 and the terminal 5 that have received the pseudo-failure determination result from the server 3 output the cause of the pseudo-failure that was highly evaluated and the corresponding solution. As for the cause, it is preferable to output the time zone in which the cause occurred.

In FIG. 12, when the inquiry item "the refrigerating room does not get cold", the causes "hot food entered", "the outside air temperature was high", and "the evaporator was defrosted" were highly evaluated. Shows the case. Further, it is assumed that the reason why the evaluation of the cause "hot food entered" was high was that the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 11 had risen after the opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment door 111 within one hour from the inquiry. In addition, it is assumed that the reason why the evaluation of the cause "the outside air temperature was high" was high was that the average temperature for the past 8 hours was 31 ° C. In addition, it is assumed that the reason why the evaluation of the cause "the evaporator was defrosted" was high was that the defrosting operation was performed 30 minutes before the inquiry.

More specifically, the terminal 5 or the refrigerator 1 displays the inquiry item and the cause investigation content display area 91 indicating that the cause of the inquiry item has been investigated, and whether it is a failure or normal (pseudo-failure) in the output screen. It is located in the vicinity of the result display area 92, the cause display area 93 for displaying a message corresponding to the highly evaluated cause, and the cause display area 93, and has a solution display area 94 for displaying a solution corresponding to the cause.

<Priority of causes with high evaluation>
When the evaluation of a plurality of causes belonging to the same cause group is high, if the user is notified equally, the user may not be able to determine at a glance which cause is plausible. However, since the magnitude of the influence that each cause causes the inquiry item is not always the same, a plurality of stages of influence may be defined and assigned to each cause.

For example, in the case of the cause corresponding to the inquiry item "the refrigerating room does not get cold", the event that makes the storage room hotter and makes the user feel suspicion of failure is the cause "hot food has entered". Since it can be estimated to be weak, it is possible to set the degree of influence to be large. In this embodiment, the degree of influence of "large", "medium", and "small" is assigned, and if a plurality of causes with high evaluation remain, the user is notified in descending order of the degree of influence. Has been done. In this embodiment, the degree of influence is assigned as shown in FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 12, since the influence degree of the cause having the highest evaluation is "large", "small", and "medium" in order, the terminal 5 or the refrigerator 1 is rearranged in the order of the high influence degree, and each cause and the solution plan are arranged. The display areas 93 and 94 of are laid out and output.

In addition, among the causes with high evaluations, those corresponding to the solution requesting the user for some action may be displayed with priority. For example, in the case of the cause "the outside air temperature was high", the solution requires the user to "lower the target temperature as desired", so that this can be displayed with priority. On the other hand, for example, in the case of the cause "the evaporator was defrosted", the solution requires the omission of "waiting without opening the door for a while", so this can be displayed with a lower priority.

<When the cause is unknown>
When the evaluation of all the causes belonging to the cause group corresponding to each inquiry item is low, it indicates that the cause cannot be estimated by the currently prepared evaluation items. At this time, it is possible to output that "it is unknown whether or not it is a failure" and / or that it is requested to call a service person or consult with a service center.

[Contrast with related technologies]
According to JP-A-2015-288760, when the keys 28 to 30 displayed by the personal computer 1 are operated, the personal computer 1 responds to the control communication circuit 23 of the refrigerator 7 according to the current state of the refrigerator 7. The "first operation information" corresponding to the above-mentioned information is determined, and the personal computer 1 is requested to be transmitted via the server 5 (0025). For example, when the key 28 "not cold / not cold" is operated, the communication control circuit 23 determines the current "power information (indicating whether or not power is supplied)" of the refrigerator 7, and as a result. The "first operation information" is transmitted to the personal computer 1 (0024,0025).
Other first operation information includes "time information" indicating whether or not the time has elapsed since the start of power supply, "weak operation information", "power saving information", "strong operation information", and the like, and the current state of the refrigerator 7. Information according to the state is given (0021). If the above "power supply information" is not used as the first operation information, these are determined in order (0026-0028).
Further, it is disclosed that the "unique advice" determined according to the selected keys 28-30 and the first operation information is displayed on the personal computer 1 (0031,0033, FIG. 6).

As described above, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-288760 uses the setting of the refrigerator 7 (currently) when the user selects the key 28-30 to create advice, and even now, "it does not get cold" and the like. Advice cannot be created unless the cause can be confirmed. For this reason, although the refrigerator 7 is normal, if the state is temporarily disturbed due to past operations and the like and is currently recovering, the user who senses the disturbed state "isn't it a malfunction? However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-288760 cannot give any advice. Further, for an event in which the cause cannot be estimated only from the current state of the refrigerator 7 at that moment, the cause cannot be estimated substantially in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-288760.

1 Refrigerator 10 Control board 101 Input unit 11 Refrigerator room 111 Refrigerator room door 114 Refrigerator room temperature sensor 119 Refrigerator room lighting 12 Freezer room 121 Freezer room door 124 Freezer room temperature sensor 13 Ice room 131 Ice room door 134 Ice room temperature sensor 14 Vegetables Room 141 Vegetable room door 144 Vegetable room temperature sensor 15 Decompression chamber 151 Decompression chamber door 152 Lock mechanism 153 Decompression chamber heater 154 Decompression chamber temperature sensor 155 Pressure sensor 161 Compressor 162 First evaporator 162
163 Second evaporator 163
164 1st fan 164
165 2nd fan 165
166 1st evaporator heater 166
167 Second evaporator heater 167
171 Outside temperature sensor 172 Outside humidity sensor 2 Wide area public network 3 Server 31 Storage unit 5 Terminal 91 Cause investigation content display area 92 Result display area 93 Cause display area 94 Solution display area

Claims (5)

A server that acquires inquiries from users regarding home appliances via a network and generates or outputs the causes and / or solutions of pseudo-failures corresponding to the inquiry items included in the inquiries.
It has a storage unit that acquires an operation history based on sensor data used for autonomous control of the home electric appliance from the home electric appliance via a network.
A server characterized in that the cause and / or the solution of the pseudo-failure is generated or output by using the past operation history stored in the storage unit. A server that acquires inquiries from users regarding home appliances via a network and generates or outputs judgment results that determine whether the home appliances are faulty, pseudo-faulty, or normal in response to the inquiries.
It has a storage unit that acquires an operation history based on sensor data used for autonomous control of the home electric appliance from the home electric appliance via a network.
The determination is made using the past operation history stored in the storage unit.
A server characterized by outputting the cause and / or solution of a pseudo-failure corresponding to the inquiry item included in the inquiry when it is determined that the failure does not apply. The server according to claim 1, wherein among the causes and / or the solutions, those requesting the user to act are preferentially displayed. Send inquiries about home appliances and
A home appliance or terminal that receives a part or all of the cause, solution, and judgment result of a pseudo-fault output in response to the inquiry.
The cause of the pseudo-failure, the solution, and the determination result are
It is an operation history based on sensor data used for autonomous control of the home electric appliance output from the home electric appliance, and is output by using the past operation history of the home electric appliance stored in the storage unit.
A home electric appliance or terminal characterized by corresponding to an inquiry item included in the inquiry. A home appliance system that has a server, home appliances, and terminals.
The server
It has a storage unit that acquires the past operation history of the home electric appliance via a network, or communicates with the storage unit.
Obtain inquiries from users regarding the home appliances via the network,
Generate or output a part or all of the cause, solution, and judgment result of the pseudo-failure corresponding to the inquiry item included in the inquiry.
Using the past operation history stored in the storage unit, a part or all of the cause, the solution, and the determination result of the pseudo-failure is generated or output.
The home electric appliance or the terminal
Send inquiries about the home appliances
It receives a part or all of the cause, the solution, and the determination result of the pseudo-failure output in response to the inquiry.
The cause of the pseudo-failure, the solution, and the determination result are
It is an operation history based on sensor data used for autonomous control of the home electric appliance output from the home electric appliance, and is output by using the past operation history of the home electric appliance stored in the storage unit.
A home electric appliance system characterized in that it corresponds to the above inquiry item.

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