JP2023113510A - Information processing system and refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an information processing system and a refrigerator capable of reducing a communication load of a server.SOLUTION: According to an embodiment, an information processing system includes a server and a refrigerator. The refrigerator transmits information on the refrigerator to the server. At least one of the server and the refrigerator has a communication control unit for distributing communication processing between a plurality of refrigerators including the refrigerator and the server or suppressing the number of times of communication processing between the refrigerator and the server.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to information processing systems and refrigerators.

Refrigerators are known that control a compressor and a fan based on instructions from a server. By the way, when the number of refrigerators communicating with the server increases, the communication load on the server may increase.

JP 2019-143953 A

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an information processing system and a refrigerator capable of reducing the communication load of the server.

An information processing system of an embodiment includes a server and a refrigerator. The refrigerator transmits information about the refrigerator to the server. At least one of the server and the refrigerator distributes communication processing between a plurality of refrigerators including the refrigerator and the server, or suppresses the number of times of communication processing between the refrigerator and the server. It has a control unit.

The figure which shows the whole refrigerator system structure of 1st Embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The front view which shows schematic structure of the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the functional structure of the refrigerator of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server of the first embodiment; FIG. The figure which shows an example of the operation plan of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the operation plan of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the operation plan of 1st Embodiment. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of control in the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the timing of control commands according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the timing of control commands according to the third embodiment; FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of control in the fourth embodiment; FIG. The figure which shows the structural example of the communication message of 4th Embodiment. The figure which shows the structural example of the communication message of 4th Embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the timing of control commands according to the fourth embodiment; FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of control in the fifth embodiment; The figure which shows the structural example of the communication message of 5th Embodiment.

Hereinafter, an information processing system and a refrigerator according to embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same or similar functions. Duplicate descriptions of these configurations may be omitted. In this application, "based on XX" means "based on at least XX", and may include cases based on other elements in addition to XX. Also, "based on XX" is not limited to the case of using XX directly, but may also include the case of being based on what has been calculated or processed with respect to XX. In this application, "XX or YY" is not limited to either one of XX and YY, but may include both XX and YY. This is also the case when there are three or more selective elements. XX and YY are arbitrary elements (for example, arbitrary information). In the present application, "acquiring" is not limited to active acquisition by transmitting a transmission request, but may include acquisition by passively receiving information transmitted from another device.

(First embodiment)
<1.1 Overall configuration of refrigerator system>
Drawing 1 is a figure showing the whole refrigerator system 1 composition of a 1st embodiment. Refrigerator system 1 includes, for example, refrigerator 100 and server 200 . The refrigerator system 1 is an example of an "information processing system." Refrigerator system 1 may include terminal device 300 . The network NW described later is, for example, the Internet, cellular network, Wi-Fi network, LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), or other public lines or dedicated lines. You can use it depending on the situation.

Refrigerator 100 is installed in user U's residence. Refrigerator 100 is connected to network NW via wireless router WR and modem M installed in user U's residence, for example. Refrigerator 100 can communicate with server 200 or terminal device 300 via network NW.

Server 200 is a management server that manages refrigerator 100 . The server 200 is composed of one or more server devices (for example, cloud servers). Server 200 may also be referred to as a "server system." Server 200 can communicate with refrigerator 100 or terminal device 300 via network NW. The server 200 may include an information processing unit that performs edge computing and fog computing, such as an information processing unit included in a router in the network NW. The server 200 is not limited to a cloud server, and may be a computer at the user U's residence, a home router, or the like.

Terminal device 300 is a terminal device used by user U of refrigerator 100 . The terminal device 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smart phone or a tablet terminal device. However, the terminal device 300 is not limited to a mobile terminal device, and may be a personal computer or the like, or a voice interaction device such as a smart speaker. The terminal device 300 has a display device 301 including a display screen 301a capable of displaying various kinds of information, and an input device 302 capable of accepting user U's input. The input device 302 is, for example, a touch panel that overlaps the display screen 301a of the display device 301 . The input device 302 may include a camera, microphone, etc. provided in the terminal device 300 .

An application program P is installed in the terminal device 300, and functions described below are supported. Application program P is an application program for managing refrigerator 100 . Below, the application software started by executing the application program P is called "home appliance management application APP."

<1.2 Refrigerator>
First, refrigerator 100 will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of refrigerator 100. As shown in FIG. A refrigerator 100 includes, for example, a housing 10 and a plurality of doors 20 .

The housing 10 has a heat insulating property and is formed in a rectangular box shape. A plurality of storage chambers 30 are provided inside the housing 10 . The plurality of storage compartments 30 includes, for example, a refrigerator compartment 31 , a vegetable compartment 32 , an ice making compartment 33 , a small freezer compartment 34 and a main freezer compartment 35 . The refrigeration compartment 31 and the vegetable compartment 32 are storage compartments in a refrigeration temperature range (for example, a plus temperature range of 1 to 4°C). The ice making compartment 33, the small freezer compartment 34, and the main freezer compartment 35 are storage compartments in a freezing temperature range (for example, a minus temperature range of -10 to -20°C).

Openings of the plurality of storage chambers 30 are closed by a plurality of doors 20 so as to be openable and closable. A plurality of doors 20 include left and right refrigerator compartment doors 21A and 21B that close the opening of the refrigerator compartment 31, a vegetable compartment door 22 that closes the opening of the vegetable compartment 32, an ice making compartment door 23 that closes the opening of the ice making compartment 33, and a small freezer compartment 34. and a main freezer compartment door 25 that closes the opening of the main freezer compartment 35 . Below, when not distinguishing between the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 21A and 21B, they are referred to as "refrigerator compartment doors 21".

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of refrigerator 100. As shown in FIG. Refrigerator 100 has, for example, door open/close detection sensor 110, temperature sensor 120, cooling unit 130, operation unit 140, communication unit 150, control device 160, and storage unit 190.

<1.2.1 Door open/close detection sensor>
The door opening/closing detection sensor 110 is a sensor that detects opening/closing of the door 20 . The door opening/closing detection sensor 110 includes, for example, a refrigerator compartment door sensor 111 that detects opening and closing of the refrigerator compartment door 21, a vegetable compartment door sensor 112 that detects opening and closing of the vegetable compartment door 22, and an ice making compartment that detects opening and closing of the ice compartment door 23. Door sensor 113 , small freezer compartment door sensor 114 for detecting opening/closing of small freezer compartment door 24 , and main freezer compartment door sensor 115 for detecting opening/closing of main freezer compartment door 25 are included. The detection result of door open/close detection sensor 110 is output to control device 160 .

<1.2.2 Temperature sensor>
The temperature sensor 120 is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the storage room 30 (for example, the air temperature inside the storage room 30). Temperature sensor 120 includes, for example, refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 121 that detects the temperature of refrigerator compartment 31 (refrigerator compartment temperature) and main freezer compartment temperature sensor 122 that detects the temperature of main freezer compartment 35 (freezer compartment temperature). The detection result of temperature sensor 120 is output to control device 160 .

<1.2.3 Cooling part>
The cooling unit 130 is a device that cools the storage chamber 30 . The cooling unit 130 includes, for example, a first cooler 131, a second cooler 132, a compressor 133, a first fan 134, and a second fan 135. The first cooler 131 is arranged corresponding to the storage compartment 30 (refrigerator compartment 31 and vegetable compartment 32) in the refrigerating temperature zone. The second coolers 132 are arranged corresponding to the freezing temperature zone storage compartments 30 (the ice making compartment 33, the small freezing compartment 34, and the main freezing compartment 35). Compressor 133 supplies refrigerant to first cooler 131 and second cooler 132 . The first blower 134 supplies cold air cooled by the first cooler 131 to the storage compartment 30 in the refrigerating temperature range. The second blower 135 supplies cold air cooled by the second cooler 132 to the storage compartment 30 in the freezing temperature zone.

<1.2.4 Operation section>
Operation unit 140 is an operation unit that receives user U's operation on refrigerator 100 . Operation unit 140 includes, for example, a plurality of buttons provided on the surface of refrigerator compartment door 21 or the inner surface of housing 10 . Operation unit 140 includes a button for switching ON/OFF of a learning control mode, which will be described later. User U can start (turn ON) the learning control mode as the control mode of refrigerator 100 by operating operation unit 140 .

<1.2.5 Communication unit>
The communication unit 150 is, for example, a wireless communication module. Communication unit 150 can communicate with server 200 via wireless router WR and modem M located at user U's residence.

<1.2.6 Controller>
Control device 160 centrally controls refrigerator 100 as a whole. The control device 160 has a control command acquisition section 161 , an operation control section 162 , a state management section 163 , a transmission section 164 and a communication control section 165 . These functional units are implemented by one or more hardware processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) mounted on refrigerator 100 executing programs. However, some or all of these functional units may be realized by hardware such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or software and hardware. It may be realized by cooperation with wear. Also,
The controller 160 has a timer T inside.

Control command acquisition unit 161 acquires from server 200 a control command related to the operation of refrigerator 100 generated by server 200 when a learning control mode, which will be described later, is set. For example, the control command acquisition unit 161 acquires information transmitted from the server 200 by receiving it via the communication unit 150 . An example of a control instruction for refrigerator 100 is an operation instruction for special operation for reducing power consumption of refrigerator 100 . In this embodiment, the operation of refrigerator 100 includes a plurality of operation modes. The multiple operation modes include, for example, normal operation, eco-operation (first special operation), and pre-cooling operation (second special operation). Details of each of these operation modes will be described in the explanation regarding the server 200 .

The operation control unit 162 controls the cooling unit 130 to cool each storage chamber 30 by the cooling unit 130 . For example, the operation control unit 162 controls the cooling unit 130 based on the set temperature (target temperature) of each storage chamber 30 and the detection result of the temperature sensor 120 . For example, the operation control unit 162 is included in the cooling unit 130 by PID (Proportional-Integral-Differential) control based on the difference between the set temperature (target temperature) of each storage chamber 30 and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 120. Compressor 133, first blower 134, and second blower 135 are controlled.

In this embodiment, the operation control unit 162 controls the cooling unit 130 based on the control command acquired by the control command acquisition unit 161 when the learning control mode is set. That is, the operation control unit 162 executes normal operation, eco-operation, or pre-cooling operation instructed by the control command. However, if a predetermined condition is satisfied during eco-drive or pre-cooling operation, the operation control unit 162 may interrupt the eco-drive or pre-cooling operation and perform normal operation. The predetermined condition is, for example, that conditions used for setting eco-operation or pre-cooling operation described later (the number of times the door is opened and closed and the temperature rise of the storage chamber 30) are not satisfied.

State management unit 163 causes storage unit 190 to store information indicating the state of refrigerator 100 (hereinafter referred to as “state information”). The state information includes, for example, learning state information 191 used by server 200 to generate a control command for refrigerator 100 , and execution result information 192 indicating the execution result of the operation operation of refrigerator 100 .

The learning state information 191 includes door opening/closing information 191 a indicating the detection result of the door opening/closing detection sensor 110 and temperature information 191 b indicating the detection result of the temperature sensor 120 . The door opening/closing information 191a includes information on door opening/closing for each predetermined unit time (for example, one hour). For example, the door opening/closing information 191a includes information indicating the number of times the door is opened/closed for each predetermined unit time or the door open time. "Door open time" is the total amount of time the door is open. The temperature information 191b includes information on the temperature of the storage chamber 30 for each predetermined unit time (for example, one hour). For example, the temperature information 191b includes information indicating the average deviation of the temperature sensor 120 from the set temperature (target temperature) of the storage chamber 30 .

The execution result information 192 is, for example, information indicating the type of operation mode actually executed by the refrigerator 100 at the time when the operation mode was instructed by the control command from the server 200 . Execution result information 192 is information indicating the type of operation mode actually executed by refrigerator 100 for each predetermined unit time.

The transmission unit 164 communicates with the server 200 via the communication unit 150 and transmits the learning state information 191 and the execution result information 192 to the server 200 . For example, the transmission unit 164 transmits the learning state information 191 and the execution result information 192 to the server 200 at predetermined intervals. The transmission timing of the learning state information 191 and the execution result information 192 by the transmission unit 164 is controlled by the communication control unit 165, which will be described later.

Communication control unit 165 controls communication of refrigerator 100 so as to distribute communication processing between a plurality of refrigerators 100 and server 200 . In this embodiment, the communication control unit 165 controls the transmission timing of the learning state information 191 and the execution result information 192 by the transmission unit 164 so as to distribute the communication processing between the plurality of refrigerators 100 and the server 200. . For example, the communication control unit 165 can reduce the number of refrigerators 100 and the server 200 compared to the case where the server 200 and the plurality of refrigerators 100 including the main refrigerator 100 simultaneously perform communication processing every predetermined unit time (for example, one hour). 200 is distributed. Note that the communication control unit 165 will be described later in detail.

<1.2.7 Storage unit>
The storage unit 190 is a functional unit that stores various information. The storage unit 190 is implemented by a combination of RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like. The storage unit 190 stores learning state information 191 and execution result information 192 .

<1.3 Server>
Next, the server 200 will be described in detail.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200. As shown in FIG. The server 200 has an information acquisition unit 210, an operation plan generation unit 220, a control command transmission unit 230, a display information transmission unit 240, a communication control unit 250, and a storage unit 290, for example. Note that in this embodiment, the server 200 may not have the communication control unit 250 . The communication control unit 250 will be described in detail in a modified example and a second embodiment or later, which will be described later.

The information acquisition unit 210, the operation plan generation unit 220, the control command transmission unit 230, the display information transmission unit 240, and the communication control unit 250 are executed by one or more hardware processors such as the CPU installed in the server 200. It is realized by executing However, some or all of these functional units may be implemented by hardware such as ASIC, PLD, or FPGA, or may be implemented by cooperation between software and hardware. Note that these functional units may be separately provided in a plurality of server devices. Also, one or more of these functional units may be provided in refrigerator 100 or terminal device 300 instead of server 200 .

<1.3.1 Information Acquisition Unit>
Information acquisition unit 210 acquires learning state information 191 and execution result information 192 transmitted from refrigerator 100 . The information acquisition unit 210 accumulates the acquired state information for learning 191 as part of the accumulated learning information 291 and accumulates the acquired execution result information 192 as part of the accumulated execution result information 292 .

<1.3.2 Operation plan generation unit>
The operation plan generation unit 220 analyzes the life pattern of the user U (usage pattern of the refrigerator 100) based on the usage state of the refrigerator 100 for a predetermined period (for example, the past two weeks) obtained based on the accumulated learning information 291, An operation plan for the refrigerator 100 according to U's life pattern is generated. In other words, the operation plan generation unit 220 is a learning function unit that learns user U's usage pattern of the refrigerator 100 . In this application, "learning" broadly means updating past decisions based on new information.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation plan generator 220 generates the next operation plan for the same day of the week based on the accumulated learning information 291 for the same day of the week in the past two weeks. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation plan according to this embodiment. For example, the operation plan generation unit 220 generates the operation plan for the next Monday based on the learning state information for the last and two previous Mondays. The same is true for Tuesday through Sunday.

In the present embodiment, the operation plan for refrigerator 100 is a plan that defines a time period during which refrigerator 100 performs normal operation and a time period during which refrigerator 100 performs special operation. The special operation is an operation for reducing power consumption of refrigerator 100 . In this embodiment, special operation includes eco-operation (first special operation) and pre-cooling operation (second special operation). An example in which eco-driving is executed based on the number of door opening/closing times will be described below. Alternatively/additionally, eco-driving may be performed based on the door open time.

(Normal operation)
Normal operation is, for example, operation set in the initial setting of refrigerator 100 . For example, normal operation is operation on the premise that refrigerator 100 is used by user U (for example, door 20 is opened and closed). That is, the normal operation is an operation in which a relatively low set temperature (target temperature) is set so that the temperature rise in the storage chamber 30 can be suppressed to a certain level or less even when the door 20 is opened and closed.

(eco-driving)
In the eco-operation, the set temperature (target temperature) of the storage chamber 30 is set higher than that in the normal operation and the operation of the cooling unit 130 is suppressed during a period when the door 20 is estimated to be opened and closed less frequently, thereby reducing the consumption of the refrigerator 100. It is a power saving operation. For example, in eco-operation, the set temperature of the storage chamber 30 is increased by 1° C. or 2° C. compared to normal operation, thereby increasing the operating frequency of the compressor 133, the rotation speed of the first blower 134, or the rotation speed of the second blower 135. lower the

In the present embodiment, the operation plan generator 220 determines that the number of door openings and closings of the door 20 in a predetermined unit time (for example, 1 hour) is a predetermined number of times or less (for example, 5 times or less) in the same time period on the same day of the week for the past two weeks. If there is, eco-driving will be executed next time on the same day of the week and at the same time. On the other hand, if there is a day in the past two weeks in the same time period on the same day of the week in which the number of door openings and closings of the door 20 in the predetermined unit time exceeds the predetermined number of times, the operation plan generating unit 220 generates the same number of times for the next same day of the week. Eco-driving is not performed during the time zone, and normal driving is performed.

The number of door openings and closings of the door 20 refers to, for example, all the doors 20 included in the refrigerator 100 (refrigerator compartment door 21, vegetable compartment door 22, ice making compartment door 23, small freezer compartment door 24, and main freezer compartment door 25). ) is the total number of door openings and closings. Alternatively, the number of door openings and closings of door 20 may be the sum of the number of door openings and closings of typical specific doors (eg refrigerator compartment door 21, vegetable compartment door 22, and main freezer compartment door 25).

(Pre-cooling operation)
In the pre-cooling operation, when a large temperature rise (temperature rise exceeding a threshold value) is expected in the storage room 30, the temperature of the storage room 30 is lowered in advance (performing so-called cooling), so that the storage room 30 This is an operation that suppresses a decrease in cooling efficiency (COP: Coefficient Of Performance) by cutting the peak of the temperature rise, and reduces the power consumption of the refrigerator 100 . For example, in the pre-cooling operation, with respect to a predetermined unit time in which it is estimated that there is a large temperature rise in the specific storage chamber 30, the set temperature of the specific storage chamber 30 (target temperature) is set lower than that in normal operation, and the temperature of the specific storage chamber 30 is lowered in advance. For example, the second special operation reduces the set temperature of the storage chamber 30 by 1° C. or 2° C. compared to normal operation, so that the operating frequency of the compressor 133, the rotational speed of the first blower 134, or the second blower 135 increase the rotation speed of

In the present embodiment, when a large temperature rise is detected in the storage chamber 30 in the same time period on the same day of the week for the past two weeks, the operation plan generation unit 220 generates Perform pre-cooling operation during the time period. On the other hand, if there is a day on which a large temperature rise is not detected in the storage chamber 30 in the same time period on the same day of the week in the past two weeks, the operation plan generation unit 220 does not perform precooling operation on the next same day of the week, and performs normal operation. Or perform the first special operation.

In this embodiment, the operation plan of the refrigerator 100 is a plan that defines which of the normal operation, the eco-operation, and the pre-cooling operation should be performed every predetermined unit time (for example, every hour). It should be noted that the operation plan generation unit 220 preferentially sets the pre-cooling operation when the execution schedule of the eco-operation and the execution schedule of the pre-cooling operation overlap in the same time zone.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an operation plan created by the operation plan generation unit 220. As shown in FIG. The example shown in FIG. 6 shows a case where the operation plan for the next Monday is generated based on the usage status information for the last and two previous Mondays.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, (A) in each time period from 0:00 to 6:00, the number of times the door was opened and closed on Mondays last time and the day before last was less than the predetermined number of times, and no large temperature rise was detected. , is assigned as the execution time slot of the first special operation as the operation plan for the next Monday. (B) In each time slot from 6:00 to 8:00, since a large temperature rise was detected between 7:00 and 8:00 on the previous Monday and the Monday before last, the second special operation will be implemented as the operation plan for the next Monday. assigned as a time slot. (C) During the time period from 8:00 to 9:00, no significant temperature rise was detected on the previous and two previous Mondays. is assigned as a time slot for normal operation. (D) In each time period from 9:00 to 11:00, the number of times the door was opened and closed on the previous and two previous Mondays was less than the predetermined number of times, and no large temperature rise was detected. It is assigned as the implementation time zone of the first special operation.

Here, with reference to FIG. 7, an example of the precooling operation determination process will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation plan according to the first embodiment. In the operation plan shown in FIG. 7, the unit time is one hour. FIG. 7 shows temporal changes in the temperature of the refrigerator compartment and the temperature of the main freezer compartment for 24 hours from one week ago, information on differences from each set temperature (ΔR_Ave and ΔF_Ave), the number of door openings and closings (Noc), and the operation mode. shows an example of the correspondence with FIG. 7 also shows the transmission timing of the control command transmitted by the server 200 when the operation plan is executed. 7 and FIGS. 9, 10, and 14, which will be described later, correspond to the time from 0 minutes to 0 minutes before the next time shown in the frame. For example, when the "time zone" is "0:00" (or "0"), it corresponds to the time from 0:00 to the time just before 1:00 (for example, 0:59). For example, each control command is issued at 0 minutes of each unit time. The refrigerator compartment temperature is the sensor value of the refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 121 . The main freezer compartment temperature is the sensor value of the main freezer compartment temperature sensor 122 . Difference information ΔR_Ave is a 60-minute average value of the difference between the sensor value of refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 121 and the set temperature of refrigerator compartment 31 . The difference information ΔF_Ave is a 60-minute average value of the difference between the sensor value of the main freezer compartment temperature sensor 122 and the set temperature of the main freezer compartment 35 . In the example shown in FIG. 7, the set temperature of the refrigerator compartment temperature is 4.degree. C., and the set temperature of the main freezer compartment temperature is -17.degree.

With respect to temperature changes as shown in FIG. 7, state management unit 163 in refrigerator 100 adds each difference value between each sensor value and each set temperature every minute, and calculates each average value for 60 minutes as difference information. ΔR_Ave and difference information ΔF_Ave. In this case, the difference information ΔR_Ave and the difference information ΔF_Ave can be obtained as follows. The state management unit 163 can include the difference information ΔR_Ave and the difference information ΔF_Ave in the temperature information 191b. Note that the operation plan generator 220 may calculate the difference information ΔR_Ave and the difference information ΔF_Ave.

ΔR_Ave=Σ(set temperature of refrigerator compartment 31−sensor value of refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 121)/60

ΔF_Ave=Σ (set temperature of main freezer compartment 35−sensor value of main freezer compartment temperature sensor 122)/60

Then, for example, when ΔR_Ave<-2° C. or ΔF_Ave<-2° C., the operation plan generation unit 220 of the server 200 determines that a large temperature rise (a temperature rise exceeding a threshold value) targeted for precooling operation has occurred. .

In the example shown in FIG. 7, since the temperature rise is determined at 22:00 at ΔR_Ave, the pre-cooling operation is planned one hour before. In addition, the eco-operation covers the time period when the door is opened and closed five times or less, and the normal operation covers the other time periods. In addition, in FIG. 7, in order to make the explanation easy to understand, only the data of the past one week ago are shown. When judging data including data from the past two weeks, it is necessary that temperature rises occur during the same time period on both days, and that eco-driving is less than 5 times during the same time period on both days. Become.

<1.3.3 Control command transmitter>
Control command transmission unit 230 transmits a control command according to the operation plan generated by operation plan generation unit 220 to refrigerator 100 . For example, the control command transmission unit 230 transmits a control command for the next predetermined unit time to the refrigerator 100 every predetermined unit time (for example, every hour as shown in FIG. 7). In the present embodiment, the control command is any of a normal operation execution command (also referred to as a normal operation instruction), an eco-drive execution command (also referred to as an eco-drive instruction), or a pre-cooling operation execution command (also referred to as a pre-cooling operation instruction). including

<1.3.4 Display information transmitter>
The display information transmission unit 240 generates information to be displayed on the display screen 301 a of the terminal device 300 (hereinafter referred to as “display information”) and transmits the generated display information to the terminal device 300 . The display information includes information indicating the execution result of the operating action of refrigerator 100 generated based on execution result information 192 .

<1.3.5 Communication control unit>
The communication control unit 250 controls transmission timing and the number of times of transmission of the control command transmitted by the control command transmission unit 230 in the second embodiment and later. Communication control unit 250 also transmits/receives various control signals, such as a control signal for setting a reference time, to/from refrigerator 100 and terminal device 300 , which are different from control commands, such as a control signal for setting a reference time, which will be described later in a modified example. In the first embodiment, the control command transmission unit 230 transmits a control command for the next predetermined unit time to the refrigerator 100 every predetermined unit time (for example, every hour). In this case, the control command transmission unit 230 can control the transmission timing of the control command without depending on the control of the communication control unit 250, for example.

<1.3.6 Storage unit>
Storage unit 290 is implemented by a combination of RAM, ROM, EEPROM, SSD, or the like. The storage unit 290 stores learning accumulated information 291 and execution result accumulated information 292 .

<1.4 Reduction of communication load>
Next, reduction of the communication load in this embodiment will be described in detail.
Communication control unit 165 of refrigerator 100 determines the timing of transmitting state information (for example, learning state information 191 and execution result information 192), which is information about the state of refrigerator 100, to server 200, starting from an operation by user U. . The transmission timing is an example of "transmission timing". The communication control unit 165, for example, based on a reference time set with the operation by the user U as a starting point, transmits the state information at predetermined intervals from the reference time.

For example, if the predetermined cycle is 60 minutes, the communication control unit 165 transmits the status information for the first time when 60 minutes have passed since the reference time, and thereafter transmits the status information every time 60 minutes have passed. . These time managements are performed by the communication control unit 165 using the count of the timer T, for example. In other words, the communication control unit 165 manages time without using time information.

When a plurality of refrigerators 100 transmit state information to server 200 , each refrigerator 100 transmits state information to server 200 at the same predetermined cycle (every 60 minutes, for example). In this case, the reference point of the time when each refrigerator 100 transmits the status information often does not match among the plurality of refrigerators 100 . For example, the transmission time may be 15 minutes past the hour or 21 minutes past the hour. That is, starting from the operation by the user U, the times at which each refrigerator 100 transmits the state information to the server 200 are dispersed.

In addition, as the "operation by the user U" which is the starting point for setting the reference time, for example, the following three are listed. However, the “operation by user U” is not limited to the following examples, and may correspond to various operations performed on operation unit 140 of refrigerator 100 or home appliance management application APP of terminal device 300 .

(1) An operation of inserting the power plug of the refrigerator 100 into an outlet to turn on the power of the refrigerator 100 . In this case, the above-described time management is performed using the time when the refrigerator 100 is powered on as the reference time.

(2) An operation of connecting the refrigerator 100 to the network NW (for example, an operation of connecting to the wireless router WR). For example, by pressing the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) button of the wireless router WR, a predetermined operation is performed on the operation unit 140 of the refrigerator 100 to switch the refrigerator 100 to the access point mode, and the SSID (Service Set Identifier) of the wireless router WR and When the encryption key is transmitted from the terminal device 300 to the refrigerator 100, the refrigerator 100 is connected to the wireless router WR. The operation of connecting refrigerator 100 to network NW is not limited to the above example. In these cases, the above-described time management is performed using the time when refrigerator 100 is connected to network NW as the reference time. From a similar point of view, the time when refrigerator 100 is connected to network NW can be regarded as the time when refrigerator 100 is registered with server 200 (registration in a database managed by server 200). . In other words, the reference time may be the time when refrigerator 100 is registered with server 200 .

(3) Refrigerator 100 is turned on (or turned off) in a predetermined control mode (for example, learning control mode). For example, the predetermined control mode may be turned on by operating the operation unit 140 of the refrigerator 100 , or the predetermined control mode may be turned on based on the operation of the terminal device 300 . . In this case, the above-described time management is performed with the time when a predetermined control mode is turned ON (or turned OFF) as a reference time.

<1.5 Process flow>
FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the control flow of the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 8, for convenience of explanation, learning state information 191 is transmitted as state information from refrigerator 100 to server 200 every 60 minutes. Also, the operation by the user U is the power ON operation.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, after power is turned on in refrigerator 100 (step S1), communication control unit 165 starts counting up timer T inside control device 160 (step S2). The communication control unit 165 waits for 60 minutes to pass (step S3: N), and when 60 minutes have passed (step S3: Y), instructs the transmission unit 164 to transmit the learning state information 191 (step S4). Upon receiving the transmission instruction, the transmission unit 164 executes processing for transmitting the learning state information 191 (step S11). On the other hand, after instructing transmission (step S4), the communication control unit 165 resets the count of the timer T (step S5), and starts counting up the timer T again (step S2). On the other hand, the server 200 that has received the learning state information 191 from the refrigerator 100 stores the received learning state information 191 in the storage unit 290 as part of the learning accumulated information 291 (step S21).

Since power-on by the user U varies from household to household, the above processing enables each refrigerator 100 to transmit the learning state information 191 at random timing.

<1.6 Advantages>
In this embodiment, refrigerator 100 has communication control unit 165 that distributes communication processing between server 200 and a plurality of refrigerators 100 . According to such a configuration, it is possible to suppress concentration of communications from a plurality of refrigerators 100 to server 200 . As a result, the communication load on the server 200 can be reduced.

In this embodiment, the refrigerator 100 determines the transmission timing of the state information based on the operation by the user U as a starting point. According to such a configuration, it is possible to disperse communication timings without having a random number generator or the like. Accordingly, communication processing between server 200 and a plurality of refrigerators 100 can be distributed with a simple configuration.

In this embodiment, the refrigerator 100 determines the reference time point based on the operation by the user U, and transmits the state information based on a predetermined cycle set for the reference time point. According to such a configuration, it is possible to distribute the communication processing between the server 200 and the plurality of refrigerators 100 with a simple configuration even when repeated transmissions are performed at a predetermined cycle.

<1.7 Modifications>
Note that "setting the reference time point" may be performed by the communication control unit 250 of the server 200 instead of the communication control unit 165 of the refrigerator 100, for example. For example, when the refrigerator 100 is registered with the server 200 or the user U performs a predetermined operation on the terminal device 300 (for example, an operation to turn on the learning control mode), the communication control unit 250 sends the refrigerator 100 to the server 200 . device registration or a predetermined operation of the user U on the terminal device 300 as a starting point, the reference time can be determined. Then, communication control unit 250 may notify refrigerator 100 of the determined reference time, and communication control unit 165 of refrigerator 100 may control transmission timing of transmission unit 164 based on the notified reference time. In this case, communication control unit 250 of server 200 has a function of distributing communication processing between multiple refrigerators 100 and server 200 .

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, instead of transmitting a control command from server 200 to refrigerator 100 every unit time, a control command is transmitted from server 200 to refrigerator 100 when the operation mode of refrigerator 100 is switched. Differs from one embodiment. Configurations other than those described below are the same as those of the first embodiment.

<2.1 Server>
In this embodiment, the communication control unit 250 of the server 200 performs control to suppress the number of communication processes between the refrigerator 100 and the server 200 . For example, as in the first embodiment, the operation plan generation unit 220 determines an operation mode to be executed by the refrigerator 100 from among a plurality of operation modes for each unit time. Then, in the present embodiment, the communication control unit 250 transmits a control command when switching the operation mode being executed for the division of the unit time, and continues the operation mode being executed for the division of the unit time. If so, the transmission of the control command is suppressed (for example, it is not transmitted).

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the timing of control commands according to the second embodiment. When executing the driving plan shown in FIG. 9, the communication control unit 250 controls the control command transmitting unit 230 to transmit an eco-driving command at time 0:00. Since the communication control unit 250 continues eco-driving from time 0:00 to time 4:59, there are unit time divisions (time 1:00, time 2:00, time 3:00, and time 3:00). :00, time 4:00), the control command transmitting unit 230 does not transmit the eco-driving command. Next, the communication control unit 250 controls the control command transmitting unit 230 to transmit a normal driving command at 5:00 when the driving mode switches from eco-driving to normal driving.

Similarly, the communication control unit 250 causes the eco-driving instruction to be transmitted at 8:00, the normal driving instruction to be transmitted at 12:00, the eco-driving instruction to be transmitted at 13:00, and the eco-driving instruction to be transmitted at 19:00. The control command transmitting unit 230 is controlled to transmit a normal driving command, a precooling driving command at 20:00, and an eco-driving command at 23:00. The communication control unit 250 does not cause the control command transmission unit 230 to transmit the control command at other unit time divisions.

In the present application, "transmit a control command when switching the operation mode being executed for the division of the unit time" means the timing of the division of the unit time (in the example shown in FIG. 9, every hour 0 minutes) is not limited to transmitting the control command to , but may also include transmitting in advance the control command for the next unit time. For example, with respect to the unit time division timing being 0 minutes every hour, a timing shifted by a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes before the unit time division), or an operation by the user U as in the first embodiment. It also includes transmitting the control command at the timing set as the starting point.

<2.2 Refrigerator>
In the refrigerator 100, the control command acquisition unit 161 acquires a control command regarding the operation of the refrigerator 100 from the server 200, as in the first embodiment. Then, in the present embodiment, if the control command acquisition unit 161 does not acquire a control command instructing switching of the operating mode being executed for the division of the unit time, the operation control unit 162 changes the operating mode being executed to the next unit. Let it continue in time.

<2.3 Advantages>
In this embodiment, the server 200 determines an operation mode to be executed by the refrigerator 100 for each unit time from among a plurality of operation modes. Furthermore, the server 200 transmits a control command when switching the operation mode being executed for the unit time division, and transmits the control command when continuing the operation mode being executed for the unit time division. Suppress sending. According to such a configuration, it is possible to limit the transmission of the control command only when the operating mode is changed. Therefore, the number of times of communication between server 200 and refrigerator 100 can be reduced compared to the case where control commands are transmitted every unit time. As a result, the communication load on the server 200 can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the operation control unit 162 of the refrigerator 100 switches the operation mode being executed to the following if the control command acquisition unit 161 does not acquire a control command instructing switching of the operation mode being executed for the division of the unit time. Continue for unit time. According to such a configuration, it is possible to limit transmission and reception of the control command only when switching the operation mode.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. The present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that control commands for a predetermined period are collectively transmitted from server 200 to refrigerator 100 . Configurations other than those described below are the same as those of the first embodiment.

<3.1 Server>
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the timing of control commands according to the third embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the server 200 transmits a 24-hour driving plan for the current day (October 27) at a random time on the previous day (October 26). That is, in the present embodiment, control instructions from server 200 to refrigerator 100 are collectively transmitted in advance for a certain period of time.

In the third embodiment, the communication control unit 250 of the server 200 performs control to suppress the number of communication processes between the refrigerator 100 and the server 200 . For example, the operation plan generation unit 220 of the server 200 determines an operation mode to be executed by the refrigerator 100 from among a plurality of operation modes for each unit time. Then, the communication control unit 250 of the server 200 controls the control command transmission unit 230 to collectively transmit control commands indicating operation modes for a predetermined period including a plurality of unit times. The timing of batch transmission is not limited, but the timing of transmission may be, for example, a random time as described above (for example, a timing set starting from the operation of the user U as in the first embodiment). By doing so, it is also possible to decentralize communication concentration due to transmission at 00 minutes every hour.

<3.2 Refrigerator>
In refrigerator 100 , control command acquisition unit 161 collectively acquires from server 200 control commands indicating operation modes for a predetermined period including a plurality of unit times. Further, based on the control command acquired by the control command acquisition unit 161, the operation control unit 162 sequentially executes the operation modes indicated by the control command for a predetermined period.

<3.3 Advantages>
In this embodiment, the server 200 determines an operation mode to be executed by the refrigerator 100 for each unit time from among a plurality of operation modes. In addition, the server 200 collectively transmits, as control commands, control commands indicating operation modes for a predetermined period including a plurality of unit times. According to such a configuration, batch transmission can reduce the number of times of communication between server 200 and refrigerator 100 compared to the case where control commands are transmitted every unit time. As a result, the communication load on the server 200 can be reduced.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. The present embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a positive response to the reception of the status information and a control command are transmitted from server 200 to refrigerator 100 as one communication message. Configurations other than those described below are the same as those of the second embodiment.

In the fourth embodiment, when the control command transmission unit 230 receives the state information from the refrigerator 100, the communication control unit 250 of the server 200 sends an acknowledgment (ACK (ACKnowledgement)) to the reception of the state information and the control command. and are included in one communication message and transmitted. It should be noted that "one communication message" as used in the present application means "a collection of signals continuing to one header" or "a collection of signals corresponding to the same message ID (IDentification)". A communication message is, for example, a data unit of an application protocol, and is sometimes simply called a message.

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the control flow of the fourth embodiment. 12 and 13 are diagrams showing configuration examples of communication messages according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the timing of control commands according to the fourth embodiment. The sequence diagram shown in FIG. 11 is obtained by adding the processing of step S12 and the processing of step S21 to the sequence diagram shown in FIG.

In the fourth embodiment, in step S11 shown in FIG. 11, the transmission unit 164 transmits the communication message M1 including the learning state information 191 to the server 200. FIG. Further, the server 200 that has received the communication message M1 accumulates the received state information for learning 191 in the storage unit 290 as part of the accumulated information for learning 291 (step S21).

Upon receiving communication message M1 from refrigerator 100, communication control unit 250 of server 200 controls control command transmission unit 230 to transmit communication message M2 including the control command (step S22). Next, control command acquisition unit 161 of refrigerator 100 receives communication message M2 from server 200 (step S12). In this case, communication message M2 is an example of one communication message including an acknowledgment of receipt of status information and a control command.

FIG. 12 shows a configuration example of the communication message M1. A communication message M1 shown in FIG. 12 includes header information M11, a message ID (M12), a message type M13, and a text M14. The header information M11 includes data representing, for example, a synchronization header, message length, appliance type, checksum, and the like. The message ID (M12) is a code that identifies the communication message M1, and a different code is set for each communication message M1. If the communication message M1 is a reply to another communication message, the same code as the original communication message is set in the message ID (M12). The message type M13 is data representing the type of the communication message M1. In this example, the message type M13 is set with an identification code indicating that the communication message M1 is periodically transmitted from the refrigerator 100 to the server 200 . The text M14 includes an identification code M141 indicating that the message includes the learning state information 191, and information about the temperature of the refrigerator (for example, the history of the temperature of the refrigerator, the average value per unit time, or the difference information). It includes temperature information M142, freezer compartment temperature information M143 indicating information on the freezer compartment temperature (for example, freezer compartment temperature history, average value per unit time, or difference information), and door open/close information M144. Here, refrigerator compartment temperature information M142, freezer compartment temperature information M143, and door opening/closing information M144 correspond to learning state information 191. FIG. Note that the configuration of the communication message M1 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. For example, data such as a checksum may be added after the text M1.

FIG. 13 shows a configuration example of the communication message M2. A communication message M2 shown in FIG. 13 includes header information M21, a message ID (M22), a message type M23, and a text M24. The header information M21 includes data representing, for example, a synchronization header, message length, household appliance type, checksum, and the like. The message ID (M22) is a code that identifies the communication message M2. If the communication message M2 is a reply to the communication message M1, the same message ID as the communication message M1 is set. In this example, the message ID (M12) of the communication message M1 transmitted in step S11 is set to the message ID (M22) of the communication message M2 transmitted in step S21. The message type M23 is data representing the type of the communication message M2. In this example, the message type M23 is set with an identification code indicating a reply to the communication message M1 periodically transmitted from the refrigerator 100 to the server 200. FIG. The text M24 includes an identification code M241 indicating that it is a control command, an operation mode M242, and a state information error presence/absence M243. The identification code M241 indicating that it is a control command indicates that the communication message contains a control command. The operation mode M242 is data indicating the type of operation mode instructed by the control command by the communication message M2. The status information error presence/absence M243 is data indicating whether or not the status information included in the communication message M1 was normally received. When the status information error presence/absence M243 indicates normal, the communication message M2 is a message of acknowledgment. Note that the configuration of the communication message M2 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. For example, data such as a checksum may be added after the text M2.

FIG. 14 shows an example for explaining the timing of control commands in the fourth embodiment. As described with reference to FIG. 11, in the fourth embodiment, server 200 transmits a control command in synchronization with the transmission timing of learning state information 191 from refrigerator 100 . From the server 200 side, it is sufficient to match the information transmission from the refrigerator 100, so there is no need to set the time, and if the transmission is made at the time of response, the processing load (management load) can be reduced. Further, by determining the transmission timing of the learning state information 191 with the operation by the user U as a starting point, communication can be performed at random timing. Therefore, the communication processing on the server 200 side can also be distributed, and the efficiency can be further improved. Regarding the relationship between the instructed operation mode and time, for example, if the reception time on the server 200 side is between 19:00 and 19:59, the operation mode (normal operation) for the time zone of 19:00 will be selected. Send. In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 14, when there is no change in the operation mode, transmission of the control command is suppressed (for example, not transmitted). In this case, in each refrigerator 100, the operation mode for the time zone of 19:00 is started between 19:00 and 19:59.

<Advantages>
In this embodiment, in response to receiving predetermined information (for example, the learning state information 191) from the refrigerator 100, the server 200 sends an acknowledgment to the reception of the predetermined information and a control command in one communication message. send with. According to such a configuration, the number of communications between server 200 and refrigerator 100 can be reduced compared to the case where the predetermined information and the control command are separately transmitted and received. As a result, the communication load on the server 200 can be reduced.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that learning state information 191 and execution result information 192 are transmitted as one communication message from refrigerator 100 to server 200 . Configurations other than those described below are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In the fifth embodiment, the communication control unit 165 of the refrigerator 100 transmits the learning state information 191 used by the server 200 to generate the control command, the execution result information 192 indicating the execution state of the operation operation of the refrigerator 100, The transmission unit 164 is controlled so as to include and transmit one communication message M3. FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram showing the control flow of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the communication message M3 according to the fifth embodiment. The sequence diagram shown in FIG. 15 is obtained by providing the process of step S11a in place of the process of step S11 in the sequence diagram shown in FIG.

In the fifth embodiment, in step S11a shown in FIG. 15, the transmission unit 164 transmits the communication message M3 including the learning state information 191 and the execution result information 192 to the server 200. FIG. Further, the server 200 that has received the communication message M3 stores the received state information for learning 191 in the storage unit 290 as part of the accumulated information for learning 291, and converts the received execution result information 192 into a part of the accumulated execution result information 292. stored in the storage unit 290 as a part (step S21). Note that the timing at which the transmission unit 164 transmits the communication message M3 including the learning state information 191 and the execution result information 192 to the server 200 is set based on the operation by the user U, for example, as in the first embodiment. It may be the timing to

FIG. 16 shows a configuration example of the communication message M3. A communication message M3 shown in FIG. 16 includes header information M31, a message ID (M32), a message type M33, and a text M34. The header information M31 includes data representing, for example, a synchronization header, message length, household appliance type, checksum, and the like. The message ID (M32) is a code that identifies the communication message M3, and a different code is set for each communication message M3. If the communication message M3 is a reply to another communication message, the same code as the original communication message is set in the message ID (M32). The message type M33 is data representing the type of the communication message M3. In this example, the message type M33 is set with an identification code indicating that the communication message M3 is periodically transmitted from the refrigerator 100 to the server 200 . The text M34 includes an identification code M341 indicating that the message M3 includes learning state information 191 and execution result information 192, execution result information M342, refrigerator temperature information M343, freezer temperature information M344, and door open/close information M345. including. In this case, the execution result information M342 corresponds to the execution result information 192. FIG. Refrigerator temperature information M343, freezer temperature information M344, and door opening/closing information M345 correspond to the state information 191 for learning. Note that the configuration of the communication message M3 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. For example, data such as a checksum may be added after the text M3.

<Advantages>
In the present embodiment, the refrigerator 100 transmits, as state information, learning state information 191 used by the server 200 to generate the control command and execution result information 192 indicating the execution result of the operation operation of the refrigerator 100 in one communication. It is included in the message M3 and transmitted. According to such a configuration, the number of times of communication between server 200 and refrigerator 100 can be reduced as compared with the case where learning state information 191 and execution result information 192 are transmitted as separate communication messages. As a result, the communication load on the server 200 can be reduced.

(Action and effect of each embodiment described above)
Refrigerator system 1 in each of the above embodiments includes server 200 and refrigerator 100 . Server 200 transmits to refrigerator 100 a control command relating to the operation of refrigerator 100 . Refrigerator 100 transmits information (state information) about the state of refrigerator 100 to server 200 . At least one of server 200 and refrigerator 100 distributes communication processing between a plurality of refrigerators 100 including refrigerator 100 and server 200, or reduces the number of times of communication processing between refrigerator 100 and server 200. It has a communication control unit (communication control unit 165 or communication control unit 250) that suppresses. With such a configuration, the communication load on the server 200 can be reduced.

Several embodiments have been described above. However, embodiments are not limited to the examples described above. For example, multiple embodiments may be implemented in combination. For example, the operation of refrigerator 100 instructed by a control command from server 200 is not limited to an operation mode such as eco-operation or pre-cooling operation, and may be an operation mode set by home appliance management application APP. Further, the operation of the refrigerator 100 instructed by the control command from the server 200 is not limited to various operation modes, and the operation of the compressor 133, the first blower 134, or the second blower 135 (for example, operation of compressor 133, first blower 134, or second blower 135 based on learning).

Refrigerator 100, server 200, and terminal device 300 are each an example of an "information processing system" from another viewpoint. Therefore, each of refrigerator 100, server 200, and terminal device 300 may be referred to as an "information processing system" from a certain point of view.

According to at least one embodiment described above, at least one of the server and the refrigerator distributes communication processing between a plurality of refrigerators and the server, or divides the number of times of communication processing between the refrigerator and the server. It has a communication control unit to suppress. According to such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the communication load of the server.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 refrigerator system 100 refrigerator 160 control device 161 control command acquisition unit 162 operation control unit 163 state management unit 164 transmission unit 165 communication control unit 191 learning state information , 192... Execution result information, 200... Server, 210... Information acquisition unit, 220... Operation plan generation unit, 230... Control command transmission unit, 240... Display information transmission unit, 250... Communication control unit, 300... Terminal device.

Claims (13)

An information processing system including a server and a refrigerator,
the refrigerator transmits information about the state of the refrigerator to the server;
At least one of the server and the refrigerator distributes communication processing between a plurality of refrigerators including the refrigerator and the server, or suppresses the number of times of communication processing between the refrigerator and the server. having a controller,
Information processing system. The refrigerator determines the transmission timing of the information based on the operation by the user.
The information processing system according to claim 1. The refrigerator transmits the information in a predetermined cycle from the reference time set based on the operation by the user as a starting point.
The information processing system according to claim 2. The operating behavior of the refrigerator includes a plurality of operating modes,
The server determines, for each unit time, an operation mode to be executed by the refrigerator from among the plurality of operation modes;
The server transmits a control command regarding the operation of the refrigerator when switching the operation mode being executed for the unit time division, and continues the operation mode being executed for the unit time division. suppressing the transmission of the control command if
The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The operating behavior of the refrigerator includes a plurality of operating modes,
The server determines, for each unit time, an operation mode to be executed by the refrigerator from among the plurality of operation modes;
The server collectively transmits a control command indicating the operation mode for a predetermined period including a plurality of the unit times as a control command relating to the operation of the refrigerator.
The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. In response to receiving the information from the refrigerator, the server transmits an acknowledgment of receipt of the information and a control command regarding the operation of the refrigerator in one communication message.
The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The refrigerator transmits, as the information, state information for learning used by the server to generate a control command relating to the operation of the refrigerator, and execution result information indicating the execution result of the operation of the refrigerator, in one communication message. send it in the
The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The information transmitted from the refrigerator to the server includes door opening/closing information of the refrigerator or temperature information of the storage compartment of the refrigerator.
The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A refrigerator capable of communicating with a server,
a communication control unit that controls communication of the refrigerator so as to distribute communication processing between a plurality of refrigerators including the refrigerator and the server, or to suppress the number of times of communication processing between the refrigerator and the server;
refrigerator. further comprising a transmission unit that transmits information about the state of the refrigerator to the server;
The communication control unit determines when to transmit the information by the transmission unit, starting from an operation by a user;
The refrigerator according to claim 9. The operating behavior of the refrigerator includes a plurality of operating modes,
The server determines, for each unit time, an operation mode to be executed by the refrigerator from among a plurality of operation modes of the refrigerator,
The refrigerator is
a control command acquisition unit that acquires a control command related to the operation of the refrigerator from the server;
An operation control unit that continues the operation mode being executed for the next unit time when the control command acquisition unit does not acquire the control command instructing switching of the operation mode being executed for the division of the unit time. and,
further comprising
The refrigerator according to claim 9 or 10. The operating behavior of the refrigerator includes a plurality of operating modes,
The server determines, for each unit time, an operation mode to be executed by the refrigerator from among the plurality of operation modes;
The refrigerator is
a control command acquisition unit that collectively acquires from the server control commands indicating the operation mode for a predetermined period including the plurality of unit times;
an operation control unit that sequentially executes the operation mode indicated by the control command in the predetermined period based on the control command acquired by the control command acquisition unit;
further comprising
The refrigerator according to claim 9 or 10. further comprising a transmission unit configured to transmit learning state information used by the server to generate a control command for the refrigerator and execution result information indicating an execution result of the operating operation of the refrigerator to the server;
The communication control unit controls the transmission unit to include the learning state information and the execution result information in one communication message and transmit the information.
A refrigerator according to any one of claims 9 to 12.

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