JP2024085581A - Information processing system, and information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing system and an information processing method capable of improving convenience.

SOLUTION: According to an embodiment, an information processing system includes a first acquisition part, a second acquisition part, and a determination part. The first acquisition part acquires action schedule information showing an action schedule of a user. The second acquisition part acquires state information different from the action schedule information, which directly or indirectly shows actions of the user. The determination part determines to control a home electric appliance used by the user by a first control style based on the action schedule information in the case that the actions of the user shown by the action schedule information match actions of the user shown by the state information, and determines to control the home electric appliance by a second control style different from the first control style in the case that the actions of the user shown by the action schedule information does not match the actions of the user shown by the state information.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an information processing system and an information processing method.

There is known a refrigerator control system that includes a detection unit that detects whether or not a user has gone out, and an operation control unit that, when the detection unit detects that the user has gone out, queries the user as to whether or not to start the refrigerator in power-saving operation, and, when an instruction to start the refrigerator in power-saving operation is received from the user, starts the refrigerator in power-saving operation. Meanwhile, there are expectations for further improvements in the convenience of information processing systems related to home appliances.

JP 2021-169908 A

The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide an information processing system and an information processing method that can improve convenience.

The information processing system of the embodiment includes a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, and a determination unit. The first acquisition unit acquires action schedule information indicating an action schedule of a user. The second acquisition unit acquires status information that directly or indirectly indicates the action of the user and is different from the action schedule information. When the action of the user indicated by the action schedule information matches the action of the user indicated by the status information, the determination unit determines to control the home appliance used by the user in a first control style based on the action schedule information, and when the action of the user indicated by the action schedule information does not match the action of the user indicated by the status information, the determination unit determines to control the home appliance in a second control style different from the first control style.

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a home appliance management system according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerator according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a terminal device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the content of action schedule information according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a server according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation plan based on a first control mode of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an operation plan based on a second control mode of the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an operation plan based on a second control mode of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a first example of switching of a control mode according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a second example of switching of the control mode according to the embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the embodiment.

The information processing system and information processing method according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for components having the same or similar functions. Duplicate descriptions of those components may be omitted. In this application, "based on XX" means "based on at least XX" and may include the case where it is based on another element in addition to XX. Furthermore, "based on XX" is not limited to the case where XX is directly used, but may also include the case where it is based on XX that has been subjected to calculation or processing. In this application, "XX or YY" is not limited to either XX or YY, but may include both XX and YY. This also applies to the case where there are three or more selective elements. XX and YY are any element (for example, any information).

In this application, "acquire" is not limited to active acquisition by sending a transmission request, but may also include acquisition by passively receiving information transmitted from another device. Furthermore, "acquire" is not limited to direct acquisition of target information (information to be acquired) from outside, but may also include acquisition of target information by generating it through calculation or processing of information acquired from outside.

(Embodiment)
<1. Overall configuration of home appliance management system>
1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a home appliance management system 1 according to an embodiment. The home appliance management system 1 includes, for example, a home appliance 100, a server 200, and a home appliance management application AP2 of a terminal device 300. The network NW described later may be, for example, the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a low power wide area (LPWA), a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), or other public lines or dedicated lines, depending on the situation.

The home appliance 100 is an electrical appliance used mainly at home. The home appliance 100 is used by a user U and is placed in the residence of the user U. The home appliance 100 is connected to a network NW via, for example, a wireless router WR and a modem M installed in the residence of the user U. The home appliance 100 can communicate with the device management server 200 via the network NW. The home appliance 100 may be able to directly communicate with the terminal device 300 using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark). The home appliance 100 is, for example, a refrigerator. For convenience of explanation, the "home appliance 100" may be referred to as the "refrigerator 100" below. However, the "home appliance" in this application is not limited to a refrigerator, and may be, for example, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a cooking appliance, or other home appliances.

The server 200 is a management server that manages the home appliance 100. The server 200 is composed of one or more server devices (e.g., cloud servers). The server 200 is capable of communicating with the home appliance 100 or the terminal device 300 via the network NW. The server 200 may include an information processing unit that performs edge computing or 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 in the residence of the user U, a home router, or the like.

The terminal device 300 is a computer used by the user U. The terminal device 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone 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. The terminal device 300 has, for example, a display device 301, an input device 302, and a communication unit 303. The display device 301 has a display screen 301a that can display various information. The input device 302 can accept input from the user U. The input device 302 is, for example, a touch panel that is overlapped with the display screen 301a. The input device 302 may include a camera, a microphone, etc. provided in the terminal device 300. The communication unit 303 is a communication module capable of wireless communication. The communication unit 303 is connected to the network NW via a wireless router WR and a modem M or directly. The communication unit 303 can communicate with the home appliance 100 and the server 200 via the network NW. As described above, the terminal device 300 may be able to communicate directly with the home appliance 100 using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth.

For example, a schedule management application program P1 and a home appliance management application program P2 are installed on the terminal device 300, and the functions described below are supported. The schedule management application program P1 is an application program for managing the activity schedule of a user U. Hereinafter, the application software that is started by executing the schedule management application program P1 is referred to as the "schedule management app AP1." Meanwhile, the home appliance management application program P2 is an application program for managing the home appliance 100. Hereinafter, the application software that is started by executing the home appliance management application program P2 is referred to as the "home appliance management app AP2."

In this embodiment, the server 200 is an example of an "information processing system." However, the "information processing system" is not limited to the above example, and may be realized by the home appliance 100, may be realized by the home appliance management app AP2 of the terminal device 300, or may be realized by any combination of two or more of the home appliance 100, the server 200, and the home appliance management app AP2 of the terminal device 300. Each of the home appliance 100, the server 200, and the terminal device 300 is an example of a "computer."

2. Refrigerator
Next, the refrigerator 100 will be described.
2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the refrigerator 100. The refrigerator 100 includes, for example, a housing 10 and a plurality of doors 20.

The housing 10 is insulated and formed in a rectangular box shape. A plurality of storage compartments 30 are provided inside the housing 10. The plurality of storage compartments 30 include, for example, a refrigerator compartment 31, a chilled compartment 31A, a vegetable compartment 32, an ice-making compartment 33, a small freezer compartment (upper freezer compartment) 34, and a main freezer compartment 35. The refrigerator compartment 31 is a storage compartment in the chilled temperature range (for example, a temperature range with an average temperature of 2°C to 6°C). The chilled compartment 31A is a storage compartment in the chilled temperature range (for example, a temperature range with an average temperature of -1°C to +1°C). The vegetable compartment 32 is a storage compartment in the vegetable compartment temperature range (for example, a temperature range with an average temperature of approximately 3°C to 7°C). The ice-making compartment 33, the small freezer compartment 34, and the main freezer compartment 35 are storage compartments in the freezer temperature range (for example, a temperature range with an average temperature of -20°C to -18°C).

Each of the above-mentioned refrigerator compartment 31, chilled compartment 31A, vegetable compartment 32, ice-making compartment 33, small freezer compartment 34, and main freezer compartment 35 is an example of a "storage section". The chilled compartment 31A is an example of a "special storage section". The "special storage section" is not limited to the chilled compartment 31A, but may be a partial compartment cooled to a partial temperature zone (for example, a temperature zone with an average temperature of about -4°C to -2°C) or a switchable compartment in which the temperature can be switched between multiple temperature zones (for example, a refrigeration temperature zone and a freezing temperature zone). In the following, when the refrigerator compartment 31, chilled compartment 31A, and vegetable compartment 32 are not distinguished, they may be referred to as "storage compartment 30R". In the following, when the ice-making compartment 33, small freezer compartment 34, and main freezer compartment 35 are not distinguished, they may be referred to as "storage compartment 30F".

The openings of the multiple storage compartments 30 are closed by multiple doors 20 in an openable and closable manner. The multiple doors 20 include left and right refrigerator compartment doors 21A, 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, a small freezer compartment door 24 that closes the opening of the small freezer compartment 34, and a main freezer compartment door 25 that closes the opening of the main freezer compartment 35. Hereinafter, when the left and right refrigerator compartment doors 21A, 21B are not distinguished from each other, they will be referred to as "refrigerator compartment doors 21."

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of refrigerator 100. Refrigerator 100 has, for example, door-opening detection sensor 110, temperature sensor 120, proximity sensor 125, cooling unit 130, operation unit 140, communication unit 150, control device 160, and memory unit 190. Each of door-opening detection sensor 110, temperature sensor 120, and proximity sensor 125 is an example of a "detector."

<2.1 Door open detection sensor>
Door open detection sensor 110 is a sensor that detects the opening and closing of door 20. Door open detection sensor 110 includes, for example, a refrigerator door sensor 111 that detects the opening and closing of refrigerator door 21, a vegetable door sensor 112 that detects the opening and closing of vegetable door 22, an ice making door sensor 113 that detects the opening and closing of ice making door 23, a small freezer door sensor 114 that detects the opening and closing of small freezer door 24, and a main freezer door sensor 115 that detects the opening and closing of main freezer door 25. The detection result of door open detection sensor 110 is output to control device 160.

2.2 Temperature sensor
The temperature sensor 120 is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the storage compartment 30 (e.g., the air temperature in the storage compartment 30). The temperature sensor 120 includes, for example, a refrigerator compartment temperature sensor 121 that detects the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 31 (refrigerator compartment temperature), a chilled compartment temperature sensor 122 that detects the temperature of the chilled compartment 31A (chilled compartment temperature), and a main freezer compartment temperature sensor 123 that detects the temperature of the main freezer compartment 35 (freezer compartment temperature). The detection results of the temperature sensor 120 are output to the control device 160.

2.3 Proximity sensor
The proximity sensor 125 detects the presence of a user U approaching within a predetermined range of the proximity sensor 125 (in other words, a user U approaching within a predetermined range of the refrigerator 100). The proximity sensor 125 is provided, for example, on the housing 10 or the door 20. The proximity sensor 125 is, for example, a capacitance type sensor. However, the proximity sensor 125 is not limited to a capacitance type sensor, and may be a high-frequency oscillation type sensor using electromagnetic induction, a magnetic type sensor using a magnet, or an infrared receiving type sensor using infrared rays. The detection result of the proximity sensor 125 is output to the control device 160.

2.4 Cooling section
The cooling unit 130 is a device that cools the multiple storage chambers 30. The cooling unit 130 includes, for example, a first cooler 131, a second cooler 132, a compressor 133, a three-way valve 134, a first blower 135, and a second blower 136.

The first cooler 131 is arranged to correspond to the storage compartment 30R (refrigerator compartment 31, chilled compartment 31A, and vegetable compartment 32) in the refrigeration temperature range. The second cooler 132 is arranged to correspond to the storage compartment 30F (ice-making compartment 33, small freezer compartment 34, and main freezer compartment 35) in the freezing temperature range. The compressor 133 supplies refrigerant to the first cooler 131 and the second cooler 132.

The three-way valve 134 can be switched between a first state in which the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 133 is supplied to the first cooler 131, and a second state in which the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 133 is supplied to the second cooler 132. The first blower 135 supplies the cold air cooled by the first cooler 131 to the storage compartment 30R (refrigerator compartment 31, chilled compartment 31A, and vegetable compartment 32) in the refrigeration temperature range. The second blower 136 supplies the cold air cooled by the second cooler 132 to the storage compartment 30F (ice-making compartment 33, small freezer compartment 34, and main freezer compartment 35) in the freezing temperature range.

2.5 Operation unit
The operation unit 140 accepts operations of the user U on the refrigerator 100. The operation unit 140 includes, for example, one or more buttons provided on the surface of the door 20 or the inner surface of the housing 10. The user U switches between various control modes or various settings of the refrigerator 100 by operating the operation unit 140. The various control modes accepted by the operation unit 140 include a quick freezing mode, a special chilled operation mode, an automatic optimization mode described later, and the like. The various settings accepted by the operation unit 140 include a set temperature (target temperature) of each storage chamber 30, and the like. The operation unit 140 outputs a signal corresponding to the accepted operation of the user U to the control device 160.

<2.6 Communication section>
The communication unit 150 is, for example, a wireless communication module. The communication unit 150 can communicate with the server 200 via, for example, a wireless router WR and a modem M installed in the residence of the user U. In this embodiment, the communication unit 150 has a short-range wireless communication function such as Bluetooth, and can directly communicate with the terminal device 300. When a terminal device 300 that was previously authenticated (for example, a terminal device 300 with which pairing was performed in the past) is present within a predetermined range from the refrigerator 100 (for example, within the communication range of the short-range wireless communication function of the communication unit 150), the communication unit 150 detects the presence of the terminal device 300. The detection result by the communication unit 150 is output to the control device 160.

2.7 Control Device
The control device 160 comprehensively controls the entire refrigerator 100. The control device 160 has a control command acquisition unit 161, a control unit 162, a state management unit 163, a determination unit 164, and a transmission unit 165. These functional units are realized by one or more hardware processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) mounted on the refrigerator 100 executing a program. However, some or all of these functional units may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware.

(Control command acquisition unit)
The control command acquisition unit 161 acquires a control command related to the cooling operation of the refrigerator 100 from the server 200. In this embodiment, when an automatic optimization mode described later is set, the control command acquisition unit 161 acquires a control command related to the cooling operation of the refrigerator 100 generated by the server 200 from the server 200. The control command is, for example, an operation command for a special operation (power saving operation) that reduces the power consumption of the refrigerator 100. In this embodiment, the control command is a control command that specifies one of a plurality of operation modes (cooling modes). The plurality of operation modes include, for example, normal operation, eco operation, and pre-cooling operation. Details of each of these operation modes will be described in the description of the server 200.

(Control Unit)
The control unit 162 controls the cooling unit 130 to cool each storage chamber 30 using the cooling unit 130. For example, the 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 control unit 162 controls the compressor 133, the first fan 135, and the second fan 136 using feedback control such as 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.

In this embodiment, when the automatic optimization mode described later is set, the control unit 162 controls the cooling unit 130 based on a control command (a control command from the server 200) acquired by the control command acquisition unit 161. That is, the control unit 162 executes normal operation, eco operation, or pre-cooling operation as instructed by the control command.

(Status Management Unit)
The status management unit 163 stores learning status information 191 in the storage unit 190 based on the usage history of the refrigerator 100. The learning status information 191 is, for example, information indicating the status of the refrigerator 100 for each predetermined unit time (for example, one hour) on that day. The learning status information 191 is, for example, information used by the server 200 to generate a control command for the refrigerator 100.

In this embodiment, the learning status information 191 includes door opening/closing information 191a indicating the detection result of the door opening detection sensor 110, and inside temperature information 191b indicating the detection result of the temperature sensor 120. The door opening/closing information 191a includes information regarding the opening and closing of the door 20 for each predetermined unit of time (e.g., 1 hour). For example, the door opening/closing information 191a includes information indicating the number of times the door 20 is opened and closed or the open time for each predetermined unit of time. The "open time" is the total time for which the door 20 is in an open state. The inside temperature information 191b includes information regarding the temperature of the storage chamber 30 for each predetermined unit of time (e.g., 1 hour). For example, the inside temperature information 191b includes information indicating the average value of the deviation of the temperature sensor 120 from the set temperature (target temperature) of the storage chamber 30.

The status management unit 163 also stores execution result information 192 in the storage unit 190 based on the operation history of the refrigerator 100. The execution result information 192 is information indicating the execution result of the operation operation of the refrigerator 100. For example, the execution result information 192 is information indicating the type of operation mode actually executed by the refrigerator 100 for each predetermined unit of time (e.g., one hour). For example, the execution result information 192 includes information indicating the type of operation mode actually executed by the refrigerator 100 (e.g., normal operation, eco operation, or pre-cooling operation) during the time period when the operation mode was instructed by a control command from the server 200.

(Determination unit)
The determination unit 164 determines whether or not a predetermined condition indicating that the user U is at home is satisfied based on, for example, the detection result of the door-opening detection sensor 110, the detection result of the proximity sensor 125, or the detection result of the communication unit 150. The determination unit 164 determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied (i.e., the user U is at home) when, for example, the door-opening detection sensor 110 detects that the door 20 is open, the proximity sensor 125 detects the presence of the user U, or the short-range wireless communication function of the communication unit 150 detects that the terminal device 300 is present within a predetermined range from the refrigerator 100.

On the other hand, the determination unit 164 determines that the above-mentioned predetermined condition is not met (i.e., the user U is out) if the door opening detection sensor 110 does not detect that the door 20 is open for a predetermined time (e.g., two hours), if the proximity sensor 125 does not detect the presence of the user U for a predetermined time (e.g., two hours), or if the short-range wireless communication function of the communication unit 150 does not detect the presence of the terminal device 300 within a predetermined range of the refrigerator 100 for a predetermined time (e.g., two hours).

(Transmitter)
The transmitting unit 165 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 transmitting unit 165 transmits the learning state information 191 and the execution result information 192 to the server 200 at a predetermined period.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the determination unit 164 determines that the above-mentioned predetermined condition indicating that the user U is at home is satisfied, the transmission unit 165 transmits to the server 200 the determination status information 193 indicating that the above-mentioned predetermined condition is satisfied. On the other hand, when the determination unit 164 determines that the above-mentioned predetermined condition is not satisfied, the transmission unit 165 transmits to the server 200 the determination status information 193 indicating that the above-mentioned predetermined condition is not satisfied.

The status information for determination 193 is information that directly or indirectly indicates the behavior of the user U, and is different from the behavior schedule information IN1 described later. In this application, "user behavior" is not limited to the specific behavior of the user U, and may be a content that is indicated by a binary option of whether the user U is out or at home. The status information for determination 193 may be, for example, the judgment result of the judgment unit 164 itself as information that directly indicates the behavior of the user U. However, instead of the above example, the status information for determination 193 may be the detection result of the door opening detection sensor 110 itself, the detection result of the proximity sensor 125 itself, or the detection result of the close-proximity wireless communication function of the communication unit 150 itself as information that indirectly indicates the behavior of the user U. The status information for determination 193 is an example of "status information".

2.8 Storage Unit
The storage unit 190 is a functional unit that stores various information. The storage unit 190 is realized by a combination of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. The storage unit 190 stores learning state information 191, execution result information 192, and judgment state information 193.

3. Terminal Device
Next, for convenience of explanation, the terminal device 300 will be explained before the server 200.
4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the terminal device 300. The terminal device 300 includes, for example, a schedule management application AP1, a home appliance management application AP2, and a storage unit 390. Note that the schedule management application AP1 may be provided as a part of the home appliance management application AP2. Conversely, the home appliance management application AP2 may be provided as a part of the schedule management application AP1.

<3.1 Schedule management app>
The schedule management app AP1 manages the registration of scheduled activities of the user U. The schedule management app AP1 includes, for example, a display control unit 311, an operation reception unit 312, and a schedule management unit 313. The display control unit 311, the operation reception unit 312, and the schedule management unit 313 are realized by one or more hardware processors, such as a CPU, mounted on the terminal device 300 executing a schedule management application program P1.

(Display control unit)
The display control unit 311 controls the display device 301 of the terminal device 300, thereby controlling the contents to be displayed on the display screen 301a of the display device 301. For example, when a predetermined operation is performed on the operation receiving unit 312, the display control unit 311 causes the action schedule of the user U included in the action schedule information IN1 to be displayed on the display screen 301a based on the action schedule information IN1 stored in the storage unit 390.

(Operation reception unit)
The operation accepting unit 312 accepts an operation by the user U performed on the input device 302 in association with the schedule management application AP1. For example, the operation accepting unit 312 accepts an operation by the user U on an operation unit displayed on the display screen 301a in association with the schedule management application AP1. For example, the operation accepting unit 312 accepts an operation to add an action plan of the user U to the action plan information IN1, or an operation to change or delete an action plan of the user U registered in the action plan information IN1.

(Planning Management Department)
The schedule management unit 313 manages the action schedule information IN1 stored in the storage unit 390. For example, when an operation to add an action schedule of the user U to the action schedule information IN1, or an operation to change or delete an action schedule of the user U registered in the action schedule information IN1, is accepted by the operation acceptance unit 312, the schedule management unit 313 generates or updates the action schedule information IN1 based on the content of the accepted operation. In other words, the schedule management unit 313 generates or updates the action schedule information IN1 based on information accepted by the operation acceptance unit 312. In this way, the schedule management unit 313 manages the action schedule of the user U.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the activity schedule information IN1. The activity schedule information IN1 is an example of "information indicating a user's activity schedule." The activity schedule information IN1 includes, for example, a date-specified activity schedule P11 of the user U and a day-specified activity schedule P12 of the user U.

The date-specified action plan P11 is a user U's action plan registered for a specific date. The date-specified action plan P11 includes, for example, at least one of the scheduled start time and scheduled end time of the action plan. The "scheduled start time" may mean the scheduled time of departure from home. The "scheduled end time" may mean the scheduled time of returning home.

In addition, information may be registered for the date-specified activity schedule P11 indicating whether it is an activity schedule that involves going out or an activity schedule that will take place at home. For example, in FIG. 5, the schedule indicated by the diagonal hatching is an activity schedule that is registered as involving going out. In FIG. 5, the schedule indicated by the dotted hatching is an activity schedule that is registered as taking place at home.

The day-specified scheduled action P12 is a scheduled action (e.g., a reminder of a scheduled action) registered for a specific day of the week. The day-specified scheduled action P12 may include, for example, at least one of the scheduled start time and scheduled end time of the scheduled action. The definitions of "scheduled start time" and "scheduled end time" are the same as those described in the explanation of the date-specified scheduled action P11. For example, if "shopping" is registered from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Thursday, the event "shopping" is set in the scheduled action information IN1 for every Thursday from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

The planned activity information IN1 may also register information indicating whether the planned activity P12 for a day of the week is an activity that involves going out or is an activity that is to be performed at home. For example, in FIG. 5, "Shopping" registered every Thursday is an activity that is registered as involving going out. In FIG. 5, "Garbage Day" registered every Monday is an activity that is registered as being performed at home.

3.2 Home appliance management apps
The home appliance management app AP2 is an app for managing the refrigerator 100. The home appliance management app AP2 includes, for example, an information acquisition unit 321, a display control unit 322, an operation acceptance unit 323, and an information transmission unit 324. The information acquisition unit 321, the display control unit 322, the operation acceptance unit 323, and the information transmission unit 324 are realized by one or more hardware processors, such as a CPU mounted on the terminal device 300, executing a home appliance management application program P2.

(Information Acquisition Unit)
The information acquiring unit 321 acquires information related to the home appliance management application AP2 received from the server 200. For example, the information acquiring unit 321 acquires display information generated by the server 200 from the server 200. The display information is, for example, the latest execution result information 192 included in the execution result accumulation information 292 stored in the storage unit 290 of the server 200.

In this embodiment, when the user U has permitted the home appliance management app AP2 to acquire the action schedule information IN1, the information acquisition unit 321 cooperates with the schedule management app AP1 to acquire the action schedule information IN1 managed by the schedule management app AP1 from the schedule management app AP1 or the memory unit 390. For example, the information acquisition unit 321 acquires the action schedule information IN1 at a predetermined period.

(Display control unit)
The display control unit 322 controls the display device 301 of the terminal device 300, thereby controlling the contents to be displayed on the display screen 301a of the display device 301. For example, the display control unit 322 causes the display screen 301a to display the display information acquired by the information acquisition unit 321. That is, the display control unit 322 causes the display screen 301a to display the execution result information 192 acquired by the information acquisition unit 321.

(Operation reception unit)
The operation accepting unit 323 accepts an operation by the user U performed on the input device 302 in association with the home appliance management application AP2. For example, the operation accepting unit 323 accepts an operation by the user U on an operation unit displayed on the display screen 301a in association with the home appliance management application AP2. For example, the operation accepting unit 323 accepts setting of the automatic optimization mode (i.e., turning on the automatic optimization mode) based on the operation by the user U.

(Information transmission unit)
The information transmitting unit 324 transmits various information to the server 200. For example, the information transmitting unit 324 transmits a signal indicating the operation content of the user U received by the operation receiving unit 323 to the server 200. As a result, a process corresponding to the received operation content of the user U is performed on the server 200. In addition, in this embodiment, the information transmitting unit 324 transmits the action schedule information IN1 acquired by the information acquiring unit 321 to the server 200. For example, the information transmitting unit 324 transmits the action schedule information IN1 acquired by the information acquiring unit 321 to the server 200. Each time the action schedule information IN1 is acquired by the information acquiring unit 321 at a predetermined cycle, the information transmitting unit 324 transmits the acquired action schedule information IN1 to the server 200.

3.3 Storage unit
The storage unit 390 is realized by a combination of a RAM, a ROM, an EEPROM, an SSD, etc. The storage unit 390 stores a schedule management application program P1, a home appliance management application program P2, and action schedule information IN1.

<4. Server>
Next, the server 200 will be described.
6 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of server 200. When the control mode of refrigerator 100 is set to the automatic optimization mode, server 200 performs the processes described below to generate a control command for controlling refrigerator 100, and transmits the generated control command to refrigerator 100 to control refrigerator 100. Server 200 has, for example, information acquisition unit 210, control style determination unit 220, operation plan generation unit 230, control command transmission unit 240, display information transmission unit 250, and storage unit 290.

The information acquisition unit 210, the control style determination unit 220, the operation plan generation unit 230, the control command transmission unit 240, and the display information transmission unit 250 are realized by one or more hardware processors, such as a CPU, mounted on the server 200 executing a program. However, some or all of these functional units may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC, PLD, or FPGA, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. These functional units may be provided separately in multiple server devices. Furthermore, one or more of these functional units may be provided in the home appliance management app AP2 of the refrigerator 100 or the terminal device 300 instead of the server 200.

4.1 Information Acquisition Unit
The information acquisition unit 210 acquires various pieces of information transmitted from the refrigerator 100 or the terminal device 300. The information acquisition unit 210 has, for example, a first acquisition unit 211 and a second acquisition unit 212.

The first acquisition unit 211 acquires various information from the terminal device 300. For example, the first acquisition unit 211 acquires the latest action schedule information IN1 from the home appliance management app AP2 of the terminal device 300. For example, the first acquisition unit 211 acquires the latest action schedule information IN1 from the home appliance management app AP2 at a predetermined interval or when the action schedule information IN1 is updated. The first acquisition unit 211 updates the action schedule information IN1 stored in the memory unit 290 using the acquired latest action schedule information IN1.

The second acquisition unit 212 acquires various information from the refrigerator 100. For example, the second acquisition unit 212 acquires learning status information 191, execution result information 192, and judgment status information 193 from the refrigerator 100. When the second acquisition unit 212 acquires learning status information 191, it accumulates the acquired learning status information 191 as part of learning accumulated information 291. When the second acquisition unit 212 acquires execution result information 192, it accumulates the acquired execution result information 192 as part of execution result accumulated information 292. When the second acquisition unit 212 acquires judgment status information 193, it outputs the acquired judgment status information 193 to the control style determination unit 220.

<4.2 Control Format Determination Unit>
The control style determination unit 220 determines the control style of the refrigerator 100 based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 210. The control style determination unit 220 is an example of a "determination unit."

In this embodiment, the control format determination unit 220 determines whether the contents indicated by the action schedule information IN1 acquired by the first acquisition unit 211 (the action of user U indicated by the action schedule information IN1) match the contents indicated by the judgment status information 193 acquired by the second acquisition unit 212 (the action of user U indicated by the judgment status information 193). In the following description, "the contents indicated by the action schedule information IN1" means "the action of user U indicated by the action schedule information IN1", and "the contents indicated by the judgment status information 193" means "the action of user U indicated by the judgment status information 193". For this reason, in the following description, "the contents indicated by the action schedule information IN1" may be read as "the action of user U indicated by the action schedule information IN1", and "the contents indicated by the judgment status information 193" may be read as "the action of user U indicated by the judgment status information 193".

In this application, "match" is not limited to a perfect match, but means consistency to the extent that there is no contradiction. For example, if the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 is "gym" and the content indicated by the determination status information 193 is "user is out", the two are determined to match. On the other hand, if the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 is "gym" and the content indicated by the determination status information 193 is "user is at home", the two are determined to not match.

Then, if the contents indicated by the action schedule information IN1 match the contents indicated by the state information for judgment 193, the control style determination unit 220 determines to control the refrigerator 100 in a first control style based on the action schedule information IN1. On the other hand, if the contents indicated by the action schedule information IN1 do not match the contents indicated by the state information for judgment 193, the control style determination unit 220 determines to control the refrigerator 100 in a second control style different from the first control style.

In this embodiment, the first control style is a control style that controls the refrigerator 100 based on the user U's plans to go out or return home, which are included in the activity schedule information IN1. On the other hand, the second control style is a control style that controls the refrigerator 100 based on a criterion different from the user U's plans to go out or return home. For example, the second control style is a control style that controls the refrigerator 100 based on the past usage history of the refrigerator 100.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the refrigerator 100 is controlled in the second control style, the control style determination unit 220 determines to return from the second control style to the first control style when a return condition is satisfied, including a match between the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 and the content indicated by the determination state information 193. Details of the processing by the control style determination unit 220 will be described later.

<4.3 Operation plan generation unit>
The operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan for the refrigerator 100. In the present embodiment, the operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan based on the first control style and an operation plan based on the second control style. In the following, these will be described separately.

(Operation plan based on first control mode)
When refrigerator 100 is controlled in the first control style, operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan based on the first control style. The operation plan based on the first control style is an operation plan that controls refrigerator 100 based on action schedule information IN1. Details of the operation plan based on the first control style are described below.

In this embodiment, the operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan for the refrigerator 100 based on the user U's planned outing or return home schedule included in the action schedule information IN1. In this embodiment, the operation plan based on the first control mode is a plan that specifies the time period during which the refrigerator 100 performs normal operation and the time period during which the refrigerator 100 performs special operation. The special operation is an operation (power saving operation) that reduces the power consumption of the refrigerator 100. In this embodiment, the special operation includes eco operation (first special operation) and pre-cooling operation (second special operation).

(Normal operation of first control mode)
Normal operation is the basic operation of the refrigerator 100. Normal operation is an operation that is performed during the time when the user U is at home. Normal operation is an operation that is premised on the refrigerator 100 being used by the user U (e.g., the door 20 being opened and closed). In other words, normal operation is an operation in which a relatively low set temperature (target temperature) is set so that the temperature of the storage chamber 30 can be kept below a certain level even when the door 20 is opened and closed.

(Eco-driving in the first control mode)
Eco operation is an operation performed during the time period when the user U is out. Eco operation is an operation that reduces the power consumption of the refrigerator 100 by raising the set temperature (target temperature) of the storage chamber 30 compared to normal operation and suppressing the operation of the cooling unit 130 during the time period when the user U is out. For example, eco operation raises the set temperature (target temperature) of the storage chamber 30 by 1° C. or 2° C. compared to normal operation, thereby lowering the operating frequency of the compressor 133, the rotation speed of the first fan 135, or the rotation speed of the second fan 136.

In this embodiment, when the action schedule information IN1 includes the user U's plans to go out, the operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan to perform special operation (e.g., eco-driving) while the user U is out. For example, the operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan to perform eco-driving from the user U's planned time to go out or from a time delayed by a first predetermined time from the planned time to go out, based on the action schedule information IN1. In addition, the operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan to end eco-driving and perform normal operation by the user U's planned time to return home or by a second predetermined time before the planned time to return home, based on the action schedule information IN1. The first predetermined time and the second predetermined time are, for example, 30 minutes, but are not limited thereto.

(Pre-cooling operation in the first control mode)
The pre-cooling operation is an operation for lowering the temperature of the storage chamber 30 in advance (performing so-called cooling) in accordance with the user U's home time when "shopping" is registered in the action schedule information IN1 as the user U's action schedule (for example, the date-specified action schedule P11 or the day-specified action schedule P12). By performing such control, it is possible to cut the peak of the temperature rise in the storage chamber 30, suppress the decrease in the cooling efficiency (COP: Coefficient Of Performance), and reduce the power consumption of the refrigerator 100. For example, the pre-cooling operation sets the set temperature (target temperature) of the storage chamber 30 lower than that of normal operation for a predetermined unit time including the planned home time of the user U on the day when the action schedule "shopping" is registered and for a predetermined unit time immediately before that, thereby lowering the temperature of the storage chamber 30 in advance. For example, the pre-cooling operation lowers the set temperature (target temperature) of the storage chamber 30 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 fan 135, or the rotation speed of the second fan 136.

That is, in this embodiment, when the action schedule information IN1 includes an action schedule indicating "shopping," the operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan to execute a pre-cooling operation from a third predetermined time before the scheduled return time of the user U on the date on which the action schedule is registered. That is, when the action schedule information IN1 includes an action schedule indicating "shopping," the cooling efficiency is improved by lowering the temperature of the storage room 30 in advance.

In this embodiment, the operation plan based on the first control mode is a plan that specifies whether normal operation, eco operation, or pre-cooling operation will be performed every specified unit of time (e.g., every hour).

Figure 7 is a diagram for explaining an operation plan based on the first control style. For example, Figure 7 shows an example in which a date-specified action plan P11 in which the planned time of leaving the home is 8:00 and the planned time of returning home is 18:00 is registered in the action plan information IN1. Figure 7 also shows an example in which a day-specified action plan P12 in which "shopping" is scheduled from 13:00 to 15:00 is registered in the action plan information IN1.

In this case, (A) the time slots from 0:00 to 8:30 correspond to the time before user U leaves the house, or the time slots before the first predetermined time has elapsed since user U plans to leave the house, and are assigned as the time slots for "normal operation". (B) the time slots from 8:30 to 16:00 correspond to the time slots during which user U is out, and are assigned as the time slots for "special operation (eco operation)". (C) the time slots from 16:00 to 18:00 correspond to the predetermined unit time including user U's planned return home time, or the time slots that are a third predetermined time earlier than user U's planned return home time, and are assigned as the time slots for "special operation (pre-cooling operation)". (D) the time slots from 19:00 to 23:59 correspond to the time slots during which user U is at home, and are assigned as the time slots for "normal operation".

(Operation plan based on second control mode)
When refrigerator 100 is controlled in the second control mode, operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan based on the second control mode. The operation plan based on the second control mode is an operation plan that controls refrigerator 100 based on the past usage history of refrigerator 100. Details of the operation plan based on the second control mode are described below.

In this embodiment, the operation plan generating unit 230 analyzes the lifestyle pattern of the user U (the usage pattern of the refrigerator 100) based on the usage state of the refrigerator 100 for a predetermined period (e.g., the past two weeks or more) obtained based on the learning accumulated information 291, and generates an operation plan for the refrigerator 100 according to the lifestyle pattern of the user U as an operation plan based on the second control mode. In other words, the operation plan generating unit 230 is a learning function unit that learns the lifestyle pattern of the user U. In this application, "learning" is not limited to machine learning using a neural network or the like, but broadly means updating past decisions based on new information.

Figure 8 is a diagram for explaining an operation plan based on the second control mode. In this embodiment, the operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan for the next same day of the week as an operation plan based on the second control mode, based on the learning status information 191 for the same day of the week for the past two weeks (or past three weeks) contained in the learning accumulated information 291. For example, the operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan for the next Monday based on the learning status information 191 for the previous and the Monday before that. The same applies to Tuesday to Sunday.

In this embodiment, when generating an operation plan for a certain day, the operation plan generating unit 230 generates the operation plan based on the operation information (learning state information 191) for the same day of the week in the past two weeks, regardless of whether an operation plan based on the first control style or an operation plan based on the second control style was generated for that day of the week in the past two weeks. Note that another aspect will be described later as a modified example.

In this embodiment, the operation plan based on the second control mode is a plan that specifies the time period during which the refrigerator 100 performs normal operation and the time period during which the refrigerator 100 performs special operation. The special operation is an operation (power saving operation) that reduces the power consumption of the refrigerator 100. In this embodiment, the special operation includes eco operation (first special operation) and pre-cooling operation (second special operation). In the following, an example in which eco operation is performed based on the number of times the door is opened and closed will be described. Alternatively/in addition to this, eco operation may be performed based on the door open time.

(Normal operation in the second control mode)
The normal operation is a basic operation of the refrigerator 100. For example, the normal operation is an operation that is premised on the refrigerator 100 being used by the user U (for example, the door 20 being opened and closed). Other contents of the "normal operation in the second control mode" are similar to the contents of the "normal operation in the first control mode".

(Eco-driving in the second control mode)
Eco operation is an operation for reducing the power consumption of the refrigerator 100 by increasing the set temperature (target temperature) of the storage chamber 30 compared to normal operation during a time period when it is estimated that the number of times the door 20 is opened and closed is small, and suppressing the operation of the cooling unit 130. In this embodiment, the operation plan generating unit 230 executes eco operation during the same time period on the next same day of the week when the number of times the door 20 is opened and closed during a predetermined unit time (e.g., one hour) during the same time period on the same day of the week in the past two weeks is equal to or less than a predetermined number (e.g., five times or less). On the other hand, when there is a day during the same time period on the same day of the week in the past two weeks when the number of times the door 20 is opened and closed during the predetermined unit time exceeds the predetermined number, the operation plan generating unit 230 does not execute eco operation during the same time period on the next same day of the week, and executes normal operation.

The number of times door 20 is opened and closed is, for example, the total number of times all doors 20 (refrigerator door 21, vegetable door 22, ice maker door 23, small freezer door 24, and main freezer door 25) included in refrigerator 100 are opened and closed. Alternatively, the number of times door 20 is opened and closed may be the total number of times a representative specific door (for example, refrigerator door 21, vegetable door 22, and main freezer door 25) is opened and closed. The other contents of "eco operation in second control mode" are the same as those of "eco operation in first control mode".

(Pre-cooling operation in the second control mode)
The pre-cooling operation is an operation in which, when a large temperature rise (temperature rise exceeding a threshold) is expected in the storage compartment 30, the temperature of the storage compartment 30 is lowered in advance (so-called cooling is performed) to cut the peak of the temperature rise in the storage compartment 30, suppress a decrease in the cooling efficiency (COP), and reduce the power consumption of the refrigerator 100. For convenience of explanation, the temperature rise in the storage compartment 30 that is the target of the pre-cooling operation is referred to as a "temperature rise exceeding a threshold" below. For example, the pre-cooling operation sets the set temperature (target temperature) of the specific storage compartment 30 lower than that of normal operation for a predetermined unit time in which it is estimated that a temperature rise exceeding the threshold will occur in the specific storage compartment 30, at the predetermined unit time and the predetermined unit time immediately before that, thereby lowering the temperature of the specific storage compartment 30 in advance. For example, the pre-cooling operation increases the operating frequency of the compressor 133, the rotation speed of the first fan 135, or the rotation speed of the second fan 136 by lowering the set temperature of the storage compartment 30 by 1°C or 2°C compared to normal operation.

In this embodiment, when a temperature rise exceeding the threshold is detected in the storage room 30 during the same time period on the same day of the week in the past two weeks, the operation plan generating unit 230 executes pre-cooling operation during the same time period on the next same day of the week and the time period immediately preceding that. On the other hand, when there is a day during the same time period on the same day of the week in the past two weeks on which a temperature rise exceeding the threshold is not detected in the storage room 30, the operation plan generating unit 230 does not execute pre-cooling operation on the next same day of the week, but executes normal operation or eco operation. The other contents of the "pre-cooling operation in the second control mode" are the same as those of the "pre-cooling operation in the first control mode".

Figure 9 is a diagram for explaining an operation plan based on the second control mode. The example shown in Figure 9 shows a case where an operation plan for the next Monday is generated based on the learning status information 191 for the previous and previous Mondays.

In the example shown in FIG. 9, (A) the time slots from 0:00 to 6:00 are assigned as the time slots for implementing eco operation in the operation plan for the next Monday because the number of door openings on the previous and previous Mondays was less than the specified number, and no temperature rise exceeding the specified threshold was detected. (B) The time slots from 6:00 to 8:00 are assigned as the time slots for implementing pre-cooling operation in the operation plan for the next Monday because a temperature rise exceeding the specified threshold was detected between 7:00 and 8:00 on the previous and previous Mondays. (C) The time slots from 8:00 to 9:00 are assigned as the time slots for implementing normal operation in the operation plan for the next Monday because no temperature rise exceeding the specified threshold was detected on the previous and previous Mondays, but there were days when the number of door openings was greater than the specified number. (D) The number of times the door was opened and closed on the previous and previous two Mondays was less than a predetermined number, and no temperature rise exceeding a predetermined threshold was detected during each time period from 9:00 to 11:00. Therefore, these time periods are assigned as time periods for eco-driving in the operation plan for the next Monday.

<4.4 Control command transmission unit>
The control command transmission unit 240 transmits a control command corresponding to the operation plan (the operation plan based on the first control mode or the operation plan based on the second control mode) generated by the operation plan generation unit 230 to the refrigerator 100. For example, the control command transmission unit 240 transmits a control command for the next predetermined unit time to the refrigerator 100 at predetermined unit times (for example, every hour). In this embodiment, the control command includes any one of an execution command for normal operation, an execution command for eco operation, and an execution command for pre-cooling operation.

<4.5 Display information transmission unit>
The display information transmitting unit 250 generates information to be displayed on the display screen 301a 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 operation of the refrigerator 100, which is generated based on the execution result information 192.

4.6 Storage Unit
The storage unit 290 is realized by a combination of a RAM, a ROM, an EEPROM, an SSD, etc. The storage unit 290 stores action schedule information IN1, learning accumulation information 291, and execution result accumulation information 292.

<5. Processing of the control format determination unit>
Next, the process of the control style determination unit 220 will be described in detail.
In this embodiment, the control style determination unit 220 determines whether to control the refrigerator 100 in the first control style or the second control style, based on whether the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 matches the content indicated by the determination status information 193. Note that in this embodiment, when the action schedule P12 specifying a day of the week and the action schedule P11 specifying a date overlap in the action schedule information IN1, the control style determination unit 220 uses the action schedule P11 specifying a date as a priority for determination.

(Determination of control mode)
For example, when information indicating directly or indirectly that the user U is out is included in the determination status information 193 during the time period in which the action schedule information IN1 indicates that the user U is out (i.e., when the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 matches the content indicated by the determination status information 193), the control style determination unit 220 determines to control the refrigerator 100 in the first control style. "When information indicating directly or indirectly that the user U is out is included in the determination status information 193" refers to, for example, when the determination unit 164 determines that the above-mentioned predetermined condition indicating that the user U is at home is not satisfied, when the door opening detection sensor 110 does not detect that the door 20 is open for a predetermined time (e.g., two hours), when the proximity sensor 125 does not detect the presence of the user U for a predetermined time (e.g., two hours), or when the short-range wireless communication function of the communication unit 150 does not detect that the terminal device 300 is present within a predetermined range from the refrigerator 100 for a predetermined time (e.g., two hours). This definition will remain the same below.

In addition, when the state information for determination 193 contains information that directly or indirectly indicates that the user U is at home during the time period in which the action schedule information IN1 indicates that the user U is at home (i.e., when the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 and the content indicated by the state information for determination 193 match), the control style determination unit 220 determines to control the refrigerator 100 in the first control style. "When the state information for determination 193 contains information that directly or indirectly indicates that the user U is at home" refers to, for example, when the state information for determination 193 contains information that the determination unit 164 has determined that the above-mentioned predetermined condition indicating that the user U is at home is satisfied, that the door opening detection sensor 110 has detected that the door 20 has been opened, that the proximity sensor 125 has detected the presence of the user U, or that the short-range wireless communication function of the communication unit 150 has detected that the terminal device 300 is present within a predetermined range of the refrigerator 100. This definition is the same hereinafter.

On the other hand, when the state information for determination 193 includes information that directly or indirectly indicates that the user U is at home during the time period in which the action schedule information IN1 indicates that the user U is out (i.e., the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 does not match the content indicated by the state information for determination 193), the control style determination unit 220 decides to switch the control style of the refrigerator 100 from the first control style to the second control style and control the refrigerator 100 in the second control style. For example, when the action schedule information IN1 indicates that the user U is out, if the door 20 is detected to be opened by the door opening detection sensor 110, the presence of the user U is detected by the proximity sensor 125, or the presence of the terminal device 300 is detected within a predetermined range of the refrigerator 100 by the short-range wireless communication function of the communication unit 150 even after a predetermined time has passed since the scheduled time of going out, the control style determination unit 220 considers that the user U is acting differently from the action schedule information IN1 and decides to control the refrigerator 100 in the second control style.

In addition, when the status information for determination 193 includes information that directly or indirectly indicates that the user U is out during the time period in which the action schedule information IN1 indicates that the user U is at home (i.e., the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 does not match the content indicated by the status information for determination 193), the control style determination unit 220 switches the control style of the refrigerator 100 from the first control style to the second control style and determines to control the refrigerator 100 in the second control style. For example, when the action schedule information IN1 indicates that the user U is at home, if, even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the scheduled time of returning home, the door opening detection sensor 110 does not detect that the door 20 is open, the proximity sensor 125 does not detect the presence of the user U, or the short-range wireless communication function of the communication unit 150 does not detect that the terminal device 300 is within a predetermined range of the refrigerator 100, the control style determination unit 220 considers that the user U is behaving differently from the action schedule information IN1 and determines to control the refrigerator 100 in the second control style.

(Return from the second control mode to the first control mode)
In this embodiment, when the refrigerator 100 is being controlled in the second control style, if the status information for determination 193 contains information that directly or indirectly indicates that the user U is out during a time period in which the action schedule information IN1 indicates that the user U is out (i.e., if the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 and the content indicated by the status information for determination 193 match), the control style determination unit 220 determines to revert the control style of the refrigerator 100 from the second control style to the first control style and to control the refrigerator 100 in the first control style.

In addition, when the refrigerator 100 is being controlled in the second control style, if the status information for determination 193 contains information that directly or indirectly indicates that the user U is at home during the time period in which the action schedule information IN1 indicates that the user U is at home (i.e., if the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 matches the content indicated by the status information for determination 193), the control style determination unit 220 determines to revert the control style of the refrigerator 100 from the second control style to the first control style and to control the refrigerator 100 in the first control style.

When there is a date-specified action plan P11 on the day for which the operation plan is generated, the control style determination unit 220 may apply the first control style for a specific time period during which it is not possible to detect whether the user U is at home (e.g., a late-night time period, the time period from 0:00 to when the user U is first detected in the morning) without determining whether the content indicated by the action plan information IN1 matches the content indicated by the determination status information 193. In addition, instead of the above example, the second control style may be applied for the above-mentioned specific time period (e.g., a late-night time period, the time period from 0:00 to when the user U is first detected in the morning).

Example 1
Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining a first example of switching between the first control style and the second control style. Fig. 10 shows an example in which a plan to go out from 8:00 to 18:00 is registered in the activity plan information IN1 as a schedule for a certain day, but the plan to go out is suddenly canceled.

(A) The time period from 0:00 to 6:00 is a predetermined time period during which it is not possible to detect whether user U is at home. Therefore, the control style determination unit 220 applies the first control style with priority and generates an operation plan based on the first control style. (B) During the time period from 6:00 to 8:00, the action schedule information IN1 indicates that user U is at home, and information indicating directly or indirectly that user U is at home is included in the determination status information 193. Therefore, the control style determination unit 220 determines to control the refrigerator 100 based on the first control style. This control continues for a predetermined time after the user U is scheduled to leave the home, for example, until 8:30.

(C) From 8:30 to 9:20, the action schedule information IN1 indicates that the user U is out, and information directly or indirectly indicating that the user U is out is included in the status information for determination 193. Therefore, the control style determination unit 220 decides to control the refrigerator 100 based on the first control style. (D) Now, assume that at 9:20, when the user U should be out, it is detected based on the opening and closing of the door of the refrigerator 100 that the user U is at home. In this case, the control style determination unit 220 determines that the contents of the action schedule information IN1 and the contents of the status information for determination 193 do not match, and decides to stop control based on the first control style and to control the refrigerator 100 based on the second control style.

(E) During the time period from 9:20 to 17:00, the fact that the user U is at home is intermittently detected based on the door opening and closing of the refrigerator 100, and the contents of the action schedule information IN1 and the state information for judgment 193 do not match, so the control style determination unit 220 decides to control the refrigerator 100 based on the second control style. (F) Assume that the first detection after the planned time of returning home is that the user U is at home at 17:20 based on the door opening and closing of the refrigerator 100. In this case, the control style determination unit 220 decides that the return condition, including the match between the contents of the action schedule information IN1 and the state information for judgment 193, is satisfied, and ends the control based on the second control style, and decides to control the refrigerator 100 based on the first control style. Note that FIG. 10 is an example in which, for example, when returning to the first control style based on a preset rule, if the return time is in the middle of pre-cooling operation, the pre-cooling operation is omitted and normal operation is performed.

Example 2
Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining a second example of switching between the first and second control modes. Fig. 11 shows an example of a schedule for a certain day in which a plan to go out from 8:00 to 18:00 is registered in the activity schedule information IN1, but the person returns home late until around 21:00.

(A') The time period from 0:00 to 6:00 is a predetermined time period during which it is not possible to detect whether user U is at home. Therefore, the control style determination unit 220 applies the first control style with priority and generates an operation plan based on the first control style. (B') During the time period from 6:00 to 8:00, the action schedule information IN1 indicates that user U is at home, and information indicating directly or indirectly that user U is at home is included in the determination status information 193. Therefore, the control style determination unit 220 determines to control the refrigerator 100 based on the first control style. This control continues for a predetermined time, for example, after the time user U is scheduled to leave the house, for example, until 8:30.

(C') From 8:30 to 17:00, the action schedule information IN1 indicates that the user U is out, and information directly or indirectly indicating that the user U is out is included in the status information for determination 193. Therefore, the control style determination unit 220 decides to control the refrigerator 100 based on the first control style. (D') Here, it is assumed that the fact that the user U is at home is not detected between 18:00 and 19:00, which is past the scheduled time of returning home. In this case, the control style determination unit 220 determines that the contents of the action schedule information IN1 and the contents of the status information for determination 193 do not match, and decides to stop control based on the first control style at 19:00 and to control the refrigerator 100 based on the second control style.

(E') During the time period from 19:00 to 21:00, it is not detected that user U is at home, and the contents of the action schedule information IN1 do not match the contents of the state information for judgment 193, so the control style determination unit 220 decides to control the refrigerator 100 based on the second control style. (F') Now, let us say that at 22:20, it is detected based on the door opening and closing of the refrigerator 100 that user U is at home. In this case, the control style determination unit 220 decides that the return condition is met, including the contents of the action schedule information IN1 matching the contents of the state information for judgment 193, and decides to end the control based on the second control style and to control the refrigerator 100 based on the first control style.

6. Control Flow
Next, the control flow will be described.
12 is a flowchart showing the flow of control. First, the first acquisition unit 211 acquires the activity schedule information IN1 from the terminal device 300 (S101). The second acquisition unit 212 acquires the status information for determination 193 from the refrigerator 100 (S102).

Next, the control style determination unit 220 judges whether the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 matches the content indicated by the judgment status information 193 (S103). If it is judged that the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 matches the content indicated by the judgment status information 193 (S103: YES), the control style determination unit 220 decides to control the refrigerator 100 in the first control style (S104). In this case, the operation plan generation unit 230 generates an operation plan based on the first control style.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 does not match the content indicated by the determination status information 193 (S103: NO), the control style determination unit 220 determines to control the refrigerator 100 in the second control style (S105). In this case, the operation plan generation unit 230 generates an operation plan based on the second control style.

Next, the operation plan generating unit 230 generates a control command for the refrigerator 100 based on the operation plan determined and generated in the process of S104 or S105 (S106). Next, the control command transmitting unit 240 transmits the generated control command to the refrigerator 100 (S107). As a result, the refrigerator 100 is controlled based on the control style determined in the process of S104 or S105. While the automatic optimization mode is set, the processes from S101 to S107 are repeated.

7. Advantages
As a comparative example, consider a case where an operation plan for the refrigerator 100 is generated based only on the action schedule information IN1 of the user U. In this case, there may be a case where an appropriate response cannot be made when the action schedule information IN1 is not input or when a sudden change in the schedule occurs.

In this embodiment, the server 200 has a first acquisition unit 211, a second acquisition unit 212, and a control style determination unit 220. The first acquisition unit 211 acquires action schedule information IN1 indicating the action schedule of the user U. The second acquisition unit 212 acquires state information for determination 193, which is information that directly or indirectly indicates the action of the user U and is different from the action schedule information IN1. If the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 and the content indicated by the state information for determination 193 match, the control style determination unit 220 determines to control the home appliance 100 used by the user U in a first control style based on the action schedule information IN1. On the other hand, if the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 and the content indicated by the state information for determination 193 do not match, the control style determination unit 220 determines to control the home appliance 100 in a second control style different from the first control style.

With this configuration, appropriate control is automatically performed even if schedule information is not input or if there is a sudden change in the schedule. This improves the convenience for the user U. For example, the user U no longer needs to worry about the control of the home appliance 100 and frequently revise the action schedule information IN1, or the need for this is reduced.

In this embodiment, the first control style is a control style that controls the home appliance 100 based on the user U's plans to go out or return home, which are included in the action plan information IN1. The second control style is a control style that controls the home appliance 100 based on criteria different from the user U's plans to go out or return home. With this configuration, when schedule information has not been input or when there is a sudden change in the schedule, appropriate control can be automatically executed based on criteria different from the user U's plans to go out or return home. This can further improve convenience for the user U.

In this embodiment, the second control style is a control style that controls the home appliance 100 based on the past usage history of the home appliance 100. With this configuration, when the user U does not behave in accordance with the action schedule information IN1, appropriate control can be performed based on past operation information. This can further improve the convenience for the user U.

In this embodiment, when the home appliance 100 is controlled in the second control style in response to a mismatch between the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 and the content indicated by the state information for determination 193, the control style determination unit 220 determines to return from the second control style to the first control style when a return condition is satisfied, including a match between the content indicated by the action schedule information IN1 and the content indicated by the state information for determination 193. As a result, when the user U's action returns to the scheduled state, it is possible to return to the first control style and continue controlling the home appliance 100.

In this embodiment, when generating a driving plan for a certain day, the driving plan generating unit 230 generates the driving plan based on driving information (learning state information 191) for the same day of the week in the most recent past two weeks, regardless of whether a driving plan based on the first control style or a driving plan based on the second control style was generated for that day of the week in the most recent past two weeks. According to this aspect, if a user U who has the same action plan every week on a certain day of the week happens to forget to register the action plan for that day in the action plan information IN1, the user U can expect to drive in the same way as if the action plan was registered in the action plan information IN1.

8. Modifications
In the above-described embodiment, when an operation plan for a certain day is generated based on the second control style, regardless of whether an operation plan based on the first control style or an operation plan based on the second control style was generated on the same day of the week as that day in the past two weeks, the operation plan is generated based on the operation information (learning state information 191) for the most recent day in the past two weeks. Another aspect will be described below as a modified example.

8.1 First Modified Example
In the first modified example, when generating an operation plan for a certain day based on the second control style, the operation plan generating unit 230 extracts only days on which the user U's action plan is not registered in the action schedule information IN1 (i.e., days on which control based on the second control style was performed) on the same day of the week as the day in the past predetermined period, and generates an operation plan based on the usage history (learning state information 191) of the extracted multiple days. In other words, the operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan based on the usage history on days on which the user U's action plan is not registered in the action schedule information IN1 on the same day of the week as the target day for which the operation plan is generated in the past usage history of the home appliance 100.

According to this configuration, when the contents of the action schedule information IN1 and the contents of the judgment state information 193 do not match, the influence of past control based on the first control style can be suppressed and an operation plan based on the second control style can be generated. Therefore, for a user U who has only registered infrequent action plans in the action schedule information IN1, the influence of control based on infrequent action plans can be suppressed and an operation plan can be generated.

8.2 Second Modification
In the second modified example, when the operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan for a certain day based on the second control style, the operation plan is generated based on the operation information (learning state information 191) for the same day of the week in the past, regardless of whether an operation plan based on the first control style or an operation plan based on the second control style was generated on the same day of the week as the day in the past three weeks or more. In other words, the operation plan generating unit 230 generates an operation plan based on three weeks or more of usage history on the same day of the week as the day for which the operation plan is to be generated in the past usage history of the home appliance 100, regardless of whether the day is a day on which the user U's action plan is registered in the action schedule information IN1 or not.

With this configuration, an operation plan based on the second control style can be generated by reflecting whether there were more days in the past when control based on the first control style or more days when control based on the second control style was used on the same day of the week as the target day for which the operation plan is to be generated (in other words, whether the planned activity for that day is a plan that occurs frequently for the user U and that the user U forgot to register, or a plan that occurs infrequently for the user U).

8.3 Third Modified Example
In the third modified example, when generating an operation plan for a certain day based on the second control style, the operation plan generating unit 230 may count which of the days is more frequent among the days on which the operation plan based on the first control style was generated and the days on which the operation plan based on the second control style was generated on the same day of the week as the day in the past three weeks or more, and generate the operation plan based on the operation information (learning state information 191) of the days when control was performed in the dominant control style. With such a configuration, for example, the same effect as the second modified example can be obtained.

The above describes the information processing system according to the embodiment and the modified example. However, the embodiment and the modified example are not limited to the above example. For example, the first acquisition unit 211, the second acquisition unit 212, the control style determination unit 220, and the operation plan generation unit 230 may be provided in the home appliance management app AP2 of the terminal device 300 instead of the server 200, or may be provided in the home appliance 100. That is, the above-mentioned control style determination process may be performed in the home appliance 100 instead of the server 200, or may be performed in the terminal device 300. In addition, a reminder of the planned activity may be registered for a specific day of the week using the home appliance management app AP2, and a reminder of the planned activity may be sent to the user U by a voice output device mounted on the home appliance 100. In this case, the planned activity P12 for the day of the week may be acquired from the home appliance management app AP2.

According to at least one of the embodiments described above, when the contents indicated by the action schedule information and the contents indicated by the status information match, a decision unit decides to control the home appliance in a first control style based on the action schedule information, and when the contents indicated by the action schedule information and the contents indicated by the status information do not match, a decision unit decides to control the home appliance in a second control style different from the first control style, thereby improving convenience.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims, as well as the scope and gist of the invention.

100... Home appliance (refrigerator), 200... Server, 210... Information acquisition unit, 211... First acquisition unit, 212... Second acquisition unit, 220... Control style determination unit (determination unit), 230... Operation plan generation unit, 240... Control command transmission unit, 300... Terminal device.

Claims (6)

A first acquisition unit that acquires activity schedule information indicating an activity schedule of a user;
a second acquisition unit that acquires status information that directly or indirectly indicates an action of the user and is different from the action schedule information;
a decision unit that decides to control a home appliance used by the user in a first control style based on the action schedule information when the action of the user indicated by the action schedule information matches the action of the user indicated by the status information, and decides to control the home appliance in a second control style different from the first control style when the action of the user indicated by the action schedule information does not match the action of the user indicated by the status information;
An information processing system comprising: the first control style is a control style for controlling the home electric appliance based on a going out schedule or a coming home schedule of the user included in the action schedule information;
The second control mode is a control mode for controlling the home appliance based on a criterion different from a scheduled outing or a scheduled return home of the user.
The information processing system according to claim 1 . The second control mode is a control mode for controlling the home appliance based on a past usage history of the home appliance.
3. The information processing system according to claim 1. An operation plan generation unit that generates an operation plan for the home appliance,
When it is determined that the home appliance is to be controlled in the second control mode, the operation plan generation unit generates an operation plan for the home appliance based on a usage history of the home appliance for a plurality of past days on the same day of the week as a target day for which the operation plan is to be generated, among past usage histories of the home appliance.
The information processing system according to claim 3 . the determination unit determines to return from the control of the second control style to the control of the first control style when a return condition is satisfied, the return condition including a match between the user's action indicated by the action schedule information and the user's action indicated by the status information, in a state in which the home appliance is controlled in the second control style in response to a mismatch between the user's action indicated by the action schedule information and the user's action indicated by the status information.
3. The information processing system according to claim 1. One or more computers
Acquire action schedule information indicating the user's action schedule;
acquiring status information that directly or indirectly indicates an action of the user and is different from the action schedule information;
when the user's behavior indicated by the action schedule information matches the user's behavior indicated by the status information, it is determined to control the home appliance used by the user in a first control style based on the action schedule information, and when the user's behavior indicated by the action schedule information does not match the user's behavior indicated by the status information, it is determined to control the home appliance in a second control style different from the first control style.
An information processing method comprising the steps of:

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