JP3518498B2 - Control device for electrical equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for electric equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Navigation devices are often mounted on vehicles, so that the current position of the vehicle can be confirmed and the route can be guided to a destination on a road map displayed on a display screen. (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-3
8872). In recent navigation devices, a communication device has been added to obtain road map information or road congestion information from the outside.

[0003]

By the way, a house is equipped with various electric devices, and when a resident of the house goes out by a vehicle, the electric device of the house is desired from a remote place such as inside the vehicle. It would be extremely convenient if the control state can be controlled. For example, it would be convenient if an electric device in a house, for example, an illuminating lamp at the entrance, could be turned on in advance from the inside of a vehicle on the way home, or an indoor air conditioner could be operated to bring the indoor temperature to a desired temperature in advance.

In order to operate the electric equipment of the house from the inside of the vehicle, for example, a computer for controlling the electric equipment provided in the house can be connected to the computer inside the vehicle via wireless communication means. Become.

However, merely controlling the operation of the electric equipment of the house from the inside of the vehicle does not necessarily make the operation contents such as the operation timing of the electric equipment suitable.
For example, if the air conditioner of a house is operated much before the house, the time from the start of operation of the air conditioner to the time of actually returning home becomes long, and the time to wastefully operate the air conditioner becomes long. I will end up.

In order to avoid such wasteful operation of the electric equipment, it is sufficient to generate an operation start signal for the electric equipment from the vehicle side at an appropriate time when the vehicle approaches the house.
It is very troublesome to be careful about such an appropriate timing, but it also delays the operation timing of the electric equipment or forgets to operate the electric equipment itself. It can also end up.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is that a vehicle arrives at a house when an electric device of the house is instructed to be in a desired control state from a remote place. It is an object of the present invention to provide a control device for an electric device in which the electric device is brought into a desired control state at an appropriate timing according to the time of returning home.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following means for solving the problem. That is, as described in claim 1 in the claims, a control device for an electric device for bringing an electric device installed in a house to a desired control state from a remote place, the device being installed in the house, Control means for outputting a control signal to electric equipment, input means provided in the vehicle for inputting a desired control state of the electric equipment, and distance for detecting a distance between the current position of the vehicle and the house Based on the desired control state input to the input means and the distance detected by the distance detection means, which is connected to the detection means and at least one of the control means or the input means via a wireless communication means. A control content determining means for determining the content of the control signal, and the distance detecting means,
The present position of the vehicle detected by the present position detection means is provided with the present position detection means for detecting the present position of the vehicle, and the storage means for storing the road map information and the position of the house on the road map information. The distance between the current position of the vehicle and the house is detected based on the position and the stored contents stored in the storage means, and the storage means stores the road periphery in the road map information. And stores detour information based on the information about the building around the current position of the vehicle detected by the current position detection means, further comprising detour detection means. When the detour is detected by the detour detection unit, the control content determination unit changes the content of the control signal based on the information about the building at the detour destination. It is to.

A preferred mode on the premise of the above-mentioned solution method is as described in claim 2 in the scope of claims. That is, the control content determining means may be installed in the vehicle.

[0010]

According to the invention described in claim 1, in addition to the desired control state input in the vehicle, the control output to the electric device in consideration of the distance between the vehicle and the house. Since the content of the signal is set, the electric device can be brought to the desired control state at an appropriate time when the vehicle arrives at the house regardless of the time when the desired control state is input. In addition, the above-mentioned effect can be further enhanced by adding a detour which greatly affects the return time when the vehicle arrives at the house.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is preferable for batch processing on the vehicle side including the determination of the content of the control signal.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1, V indicates a vehicle, and the vehicle V is equipped with a navigation device NB. The navigation device NB detects the current position of the vehicle V by receiving the navigation body (controller) 1 including a storage unit such as a CD or a DVD that stores road map information and the position information transmitted from the GPS satellite ST. It has a GPS antenna 2 and a monitor (display or display means) 3 for displaying the current position of the vehicle V on the road map. Of course, the current vehicle position on the road map displayed on the monitor 3 is obtained by the navigation main body 1 by comparing the current position detected by the GPS antenna 2 with the road map information stored in the navigation main body 1. Is.

The road map information is obtained by receiving the road map information from the road map distribution station TH outside the vehicle by a wireless communication device 4 such as a mobile phone or a car phone as a wireless communication means equipped in the vehicle, or It can also be obtained from a general-purpose personal computer PC installed at home or the like (for example, obtained via the Internet). The road map information obtained by the wireless communication device 4 can be used instead of the road map information stored in the storage means in the navigation body 1, but in addition to the road map information stored in the storage means. Can be used. Further, traffic information such as traffic jam information from an external information transmission station JH can be obtained in the navigation body 1 via the VICS receiver 5, and the obtained traffic information is input to the navigation body 1. .

The vehicle V further has an input means 6 for setting various electric devices installed in a house, which will be described later, in desired control states. The input means 6 may use a dedicated keyboard or the like for inputting letters and numbers,
It is also possible to use the input keys for letters and numbers provided in the navigation device NB. Further, in order to confirm the characters and numbers input by the input means 6, a screen for displaying the input characters and numbers may be provided exclusively, but the monitor 3 for navigation can also be used.

In FIG. 1, a house in which an occupant of the vehicle V resides is indicated by a symbol K, and various electric devices 11 are provided in the house K.
~ 20 equipped with the server S as a control means
B and a personal computer PC as a control content determining means for controlling the server SB. The server SB outputs a control signal to bring the electric devices 11 to 20 into a desired control state, and the personal computer PC controls to change the content of the control signal output from the server SB. Has become. To change the content of the control signal by the control content determination means, for example,
In order to change the output timing of the control signal to the electric device to bring it to the desired control state, and to maintain the current control state in the process of reaching the desired control state, which is the final target value, as an intermediate target value The content of the control signal is changed so that the control state becomes an intermediate control state. Therefore, various electric devices 1
1 to 20, a server SB, and a personal computer PC are connected via a first communication means T1 such as a LAN attached inside the house.

The electric devices 11 to 20 will be described below.
Reference numeral 11 is an electric window, and 12 is a key to the electric entrance. 1
3 is an electric water heater (for bath, for example), and 14 is an air conditioner (room temperature adjusting device). Reference numeral 15 is electricity for indoor illumination, and 16 is electricity for outdoor illumination such as a garage. Reference numeral 17 is an electric curtain or blind, and 18 is an electric water heater. Reference numeral 19 is an electric rice cooker, and 20 is an electric washing machine. Each of these electric devices 11 to 20 is equipped with a switch that is manually operated by a person in the house K, and this switch is "a" with respect to the identification codes 11 to 20 of the electric devices.
It is shown with the reference numeral. In addition, the above various electric devices 1
1 to 20 are merely examples, and in addition to these, it is possible to include appropriate electric devices, for example, various electric devices attached to a house, such as shutters and crime prevention devices for electrically operated garages. .

In order to perform communication, that is, information exchange between the vehicle V and the personal computer PC equipped in the house K, the house K is equipped with a telephone 21 capable of communicating with the wireless communication device 4 equipped in the vehicle V. The telephone K is also connected to the first communication means T1. Note that the wireless communication device 4 and a wireless base station (not shown) to which the telephone 21 is connected constitute second wireless communication means. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 22 is a mouse for operating the personal computer PC.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram collectively showing the control system in the vehicle V and the control system in the house K in FIG. This FIG. 2 will be described below, including a supplementary explanation of the portions not explained in FIG. First, of the navigation body 1 equipped on the vehicle V,
A controller configured by using a microcomputer is indicated by a symbol U. To the controller U, the GPS sensor 2, the monitor 3, the wireless communication device 4, and the receiver 5 described above are connected, and the following various devices S1 to S8 are connected. S1 is a main switch, and the controller U
The control is switched between ON and OFF. S2 is a function selection key for selecting an arbitrary function from a plurality of functions preset in the controller U. S3 is an execution instruction key for executing the function selected by the function selection key.
A cancel instruction switch S4 is for canceling the control currently being executed. S5 is a map scroll switch for scrolling the road map vertically and horizontally on the monitor 3.

S6 is a remote controller equipped with the above-described various switches from S1 to S5, and also has a character input key and a 10 key. S7 is a storage means for storing road map information and the like (comprising a storage medium such as a CD and a DVD and its drive). The stored road map information includes, for example, all roads having a size equal to or larger than a predetermined width, types of roads (highway, general road, number of lanes, lane width, face-to-face traffic, tunnel, speed limit, etc.). ), The state of a curve (turning radius), there are types and names of buildings near the road, and this information may be received from the outside. In addition, the specific destination for each individual is also stored in the storage unit S7. S8 is a personal recognition means for recognizing who the driver is, for example, a fingerprint authentication device or various storage media (for example, use of a smart card as a storage medium in which personal information is stored). In addition to using
Appropriate methods can be adopted, such as personal recognition by entering a password.

The personal computer PC has a sensor 23 for detecting the water temperature (temperature of water used in the electric equipment) and a house for controlling the change of the control contents for a predetermined electric equipment among the electric equipments 11 to 20. An outside air temperature sensor 24 that detects the outside air temperature of K and an indoor temperature line S25 that detects the indoor temperature are connected. In addition, various parameters of a specific electric device, for example, the temperature of bath water (water heater 1
3), the hot water temperature of the water heater 18, the amount of rice set in the rice cooker 19, the amount (weight) of the washings set in the washing machine 20, the time required to achieve a desired control state, etc. Parameters (signals) that have an important effect on
Is input to the personal computer PC from each electric device via the server SB.

The server SB outputs a control signal to the various electric devices 11 to 20, and the current control state and switch operation state are input from the various electric devices 10 to 20. The current control status and switch operation status are input to the personal computer PC via the server SB. When the switches 11a to 20a of the various electric devices 10 to 20 are manually operated by a house person, that is, a person in the house K, the control signal for changing the control contents is not output from the server SB. In addition, in order to prohibit the control signal output from the server SB, a separate manual switch for prohibition is provided for each of the electric devices 11 to 20, and only when the manual switch for prohibition is turned on, the server SB does not operate. The control signal output can be set to be prohibited.

3 to 10 show an example of various display contents related to destination setting and electric device control, of the display control on the monitor 3 by the controller U. When setting a destination, identify whether it is a specific destination that is a frequently used destination or a general destination that is rarely used, and register the individual who set the destination and the date when the destination was set. Will also be registered.

FIG. 3 shows "destination setting" displayed immediately after the navigation system is started (immediately after the main switch is turned on), when the destination setting switch provided near the monitor 3 or on the remote controller is operated, or displayed on the monitor. This is the content displayed on the monitor 3 when the item (see FIG. 9) is selected and the execute key is operated, and includes “destination setting”, “electrical device control mode”, “return”, “current position display / route”. There are items of "guidance" and "specific destination registration" (however, the latter two items are displayed only immediately after startup).

When the contents of FIG. 3 are displayed on the monitor 3, selecting "specific destination registration" with a remote controller or the like and pressing the execution instruction key displays the "specific destination registration" screen shown in FIG. To be done. The occupant scrolls through the map displayed with the triangle-shaped scroll buttons, remote control buttons, and joystick displayed on the same screen, and the destination is aligned with the target mark that is fixed at the center of the screen. When the "register switch" is operated, the display content of the monitor 3 is switched to the "destination registration list display" screen shown in FIG. If the "return" display is selected and executed while FIG. 4 is displayed, the display returns to the display in FIG. If the "return" display is selected and the execution instruction key is operated while the content of FIG. 3 is displayed on the monitor, the displayed content returns to the content of FIG. 9 described later.

A specific destination registration list (list 1) as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed at the center of the "destination registration list display" screen shown in FIG. The name of the destination and the registrant when “” is operated can be written using the character input keys.
The "destination setting" column in the right column of the list 1 is configured to be switchable between ON and OFF by moving the cursor to the column and operating the execution instruction key. When the occupant selects the destination name, registrant, or destination setting ON / OFF registered in the above list, and selects the "Registration completed" display in Fig. 5 and operates the execution instruction key, the screen will be displayed. Return to display of 3. In addition, "Return" in FIG.
When the display is selected, the screen returns to FIG. 3 and the destination setting work can be performed again (or another destination).

When the contents of FIG. 3 are displayed on the monitor 3, if "destination setting" is selected by the remote controller and the execution instruction key is pressed, the "destination setting switch is operated" screen shown in FIG. Is displayed.

When the "return" display is selected and the execution instruction key is pressed while the contents of FIG. 6 are displayed on the monitor 3,
Although the screen returns to the contents of FIG. 3, when the “specific destination” is selected and the execution instruction key is pressed, the screen is switched to the screen shown in FIG. 7.

The above list 1 is displayed in the center of the display screen of FIG. 7, and the occupant moves the cursor to each "destination setting" column and operates the execution instruction key to display the list. Switching each destination ON and OFF,
After selecting the desired destination (the item that has been turned ON is set as the destination), selecting "execute" and pressing the execution instruction key switches to the display screen shown in FIG. 9 and sets the set destination. Route guidance to. It should be noted that when "Return" is selected and the execution instruction key is pressed in FIG. 7, the display contents are switched to the contents shown in FIG.

When "general destination setting" is selected and the execution instruction key is pressed while the contents of FIG. 6 are displayed on the monitor 3, the display is switched to that shown in FIG. 8 and the occupants are displayed on the same screen. Scroll the map displayed with a triangle-shaped scroll button, remote control button, joystick, etc.,
When you select the "Set" display with the target mark fixed at the center of the screen and press the execution instruction key, the location specified in the target mark (at the center of the screen) is set as the destination Then, the display screen is switched to the contents shown in FIG. 9, and the route guidance according to the set destination is performed. It should be noted that in FIG. 8, when "RETURN" is selected and the execution instruction key is operated, the display screen returns to the content shown in FIG.

When "Destination set for XX month x day" is selected in FIG. 6, the destination set outside the vehicle is transferred via a storage medium such as a magnetic disk or a magnetic card, or via network communication. The destination setting data can be selected and the display of FIG. 9 can be performed. In addition,
For the destination setting work when "Destination set for XX month x day" is selected, the above-mentioned various work is performed outside the vehicle, and the date of creation of each data is stored in a storage medium for wireless communication. It is also possible to transfer and store data in the navigation device NB of the vehicle V via.

When the "electrical device control mode" of FIG. 3 is selected and the execution instruction key is operated, the current control status of the electrical devices 11 to 20 as shown in FIG. 10 is displayed in a list format on the monitor 3. An example of this list display is shown as list 2 in FIG. In FIG. 12, items to be displayed in a list are the display of various electric devices 11 to 20, the current control state of each of the electric devices 10 to 20 (in the embodiment, distinction between ON and OFF), and each electric device. Equipment 1
An identification state of whether 0 to 20 are operated by a resident, that is, a person who is in the house (when the resident operates O,
N, the display is OFF when not operated by a family member). It should be noted that an example in which it is determined that the operation is performed by the housekeeper may be when the manually operated prohibition switch is operated as described above, but in the embodiment, after the vehicle V departs from the house K, electricity is generated. When the device is operated, it is determined that the operation is performed by the family member.

In the list 2 shown in FIG. 12, by moving the cursor to the column corresponding to the electric device whose control state is desired to be changed among the columns showing the control state and operating the execution instruction key. The desired control state is input. For example, the current control state of the water heater 13 is OF
Although it is F, by moving the cursor to the OFF column and operating the execution instruction key, switching from OFF to ON and operating the water heater 13 is selected as a desired control state. Then, "execution" in FIG.
By selecting and operating the execution instruction key, the desired control state selected as described above is input to the personal computer PC of the house K via the wireless device 4. By selecting “Return” in FIG. 10 and operating the execution instruction key, the screen returns to the screen in FIG. It should be noted that, for an electric device in which the column of control by family member is turned on, the change of the control state is not selectable.

Next, regarding the control example of the controller U,
This will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In the following description, Q or R indicates a step. First, in Q1 of FIG. 13, the current position of the vehicle V is detected (use of the GPS sensor 2), and in Q2, the current position and road map information in the vicinity thereof are obtained. In Q3, the contents of FIG. 3 described above are displayed on the monitor 3.
In Q4, it is determined whether or not the driver has performed an operation. When the determination in Q4 is YES, in Q5,
The display control according to the driver's operation as described above is performed. Further, when the determination in Q4 is NO, in Q6,
The current display contents are retained. After Q5 and Q6, the process proceeds to Q7, and it is determined whether or not the main switch S1 is turned off. If NO in this Q7 determination, Q
Returning to 1, and if the determination in Q7 is YES, the control ends.

Next, when the "electrical equipment control mode" is selected, the controller U and the personal computer P are selected.
An example of control integrated with C will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. 14 shows the case where the personal computer PC determines the control content, and FIG. 15 shows the case where the controller U determines the control content. First,
In Q11 of FIG. 15, a list of control states of various electric devices 10 to 20 is transmitted to the controller U and displayed on the monitor 3. Next, in Q12, it is confirmed that the occupant has selected a desired control state from the displayed list to give an execution instruction, and in Q13, the selected desired control state is transmitted to the personal computer PC. Then, in Q14, the current position of the vehicle V, information on the road condition to the house K (congestion information), the calendar using the GPS sensor 2, time information, and destination setting information are transferred from the controller U to the personal computer PC. Sent.

At Q15, parameters (for example, water temperature and amount of laundry in the case of a washing machine) related to control of an electric device whose desired control state should be changed are detected. After this Q16
At, the control content of the electric device is determined based on various information such as a desired control state input to the personal computer PC, and a control signal based on the determined control content is generated and transmitted to the server SB. . The control content includes the control start timing of the electric device and the content of turning on or off the electric device. Then, the control start timing is set to a distance threshold value between the vehicle V and the house K when the control is started. In addition, Q1
The determination of the control content in 6 will be described in detail later.

The control example of FIG. 15 shows a case where the controller U determines the control content. In this example, the personal computer PC plays a role of controlling transmission of information necessary for determining the control content to the controller U and generating a control signal for the server SB according to the control content received from the controller U. First, Q21 and Q2 in FIG.
2 is the same as Q11 and Q12 in FIG. In Q23, the parameter relating to the control of the electric device is transmitted to the controller U (corresponding to Q15 in FIG. 14).

In Q24, the control content is determined and the control signal for the server SB is generated according to the determined control content (corresponding to Q16 in FIG. 14). However, this Q24
In this case, unlike the case of FIG. 14, the control content is determined by the controller U. Therefore, the determined control content and the control signal for the server SB corresponding thereto are transmitted from the controller U to the personal computer PC. It Then, in Q25, the control signal for the server SB is transmitted from the personal computer PC to the server SB.

Next, a control example for determining the control contents in Q16 of FIG. 14 or Q24 of FIG. 15 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, FIG. 16 shows a control example of a first electric device to which a desired control state is immediately reflected (turned on or off immediately). , 16, curtains or blinds 17, windows 1 and keys 2 are set. As for the first electric device, as shown in Q31 of FIG. 16, the desired control state is input by the input means 6 and the server SB immediately changes the first electric device to the first electric device when the execution instruction is given. A control signal is output in response to this, and the control state of the first electric device is immediately set to the desired control state.

FIG. 17 shows a control example for deciding the control content of the second electric equipment in which the control for shifting to the desired control state is not always started immediately. As the second electric equipment, FIG. , And other electric devices except the first electric device. In the control example of FIG. 17, a control example of the second electric device that adjusts the temperature related to the room temperature such as an air conditioner is shown, and the control content is also changed by the traffic congestion information. That is, as the desired control state,
An example of control when the desired room temperature is set is shown.

On the premise of the above, first, in Q41 of FIG. 17, from the specific destination setting information (the position of the house K on the road map) and the current position of the vehicle V by the GPS sensor 2, the road map information is displayed. The distance between the vehicle V and the house K is detected. In Q42, the room temperature is detected. In Q43, the distance threshold L for starting the control for achieving the desired control state (desired indoor temperature) is determined based on the current indoor temperature. That is, the larger the difference between the desired temperature and the room temperature, the larger the distance threshold L is set. In the case of an air conditioner, the outdoor temperature also affects the time required to bring the indoor temperature to the desired temperature, so the distance threshold L can also be determined using the outdoor temperature as a parameter.

In Q44, it is determined whether or not there is congestion information indicating that the road between the vehicle V and the house K is congested. If YES in the determination in Q44, in Q45, the distance threshold L is determined according to the length (degree) of the traffic jam.
Is reduced and corrected. That is, the more the traffic congestion is, the more the vehicle V
Since the time when the vehicle arrives at the house K is delayed, the distance threshold L serving as the control start timing of the electric device is corrected to a small value. If NO in Q44, Q48
In the above, the distance threshold L is increased / decreased based on the calendar and time information. That is, the traffic volume changes according to the day of the week and the time, and the time when the vehicle V arrives at the house K also changes. The distance threshold L is corrected by predicting the change in the traffic volume.

After Q45 or Q48, Q respectively
At 46, it is determined whether the actual distance between the vehicle V and the house K exceeds the distance threshold L for the first time. If NO in this Q46 determination, the routine returns as it is, and Q
If the determination in 46 is YES, the control is started in Q47. The control of Q47 is started at the timing of outputting the control start signal from the server SB to the electric device. As a result, when the vehicle V almost arrives at the house K, the indoor temperature is made to reach the desired temperature as the desired control state. That is, the room temperature reaches the desired temperature well before the vehicle V arrives at the house K, or when the vehicle V reaches the house K, the room temperature does not reach the desired temperature sufficiently. ,
The occurrence of such a situation is prevented.

FIGS. 18 and 19 show an example of control in the case of correcting the distance threshold value L in consideration of the detour in the electric device for temperature adjustment described in FIG. First, Q in Figure 18
51 to Q53 are the same as Q41 to Q43 in FIG. In Q54, it is determined whether or not there is a destination setting between the current position of the vehicle V and the house K. If the determination in 51 is YES, in Q55, the vehicle V
It is determined whether the actual distance between the house and the house K exceeds the distance threshold L for the first time. YE by this Q55 discrimination
When S, in Q56, control of the electric device is started (output of a control start signal from the server SB to the electric device).

After Q56 or in the determination of Q55, NO
In each case, in Q57, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is stopped at the set destination. If YES in the determination in Q57, it is determined that the vehicle is detouring to the destination. At this time, in Q58, the flag is set to 1 in order to keep the temperature at that time. That is, since the return time is delayed depending on the detour, if the control for achieving the desired temperature is continued as it is, power is wasted, so in this case, the room temperature is kept at the current temperature even when the detour is detected. Change to control. In other words, the process of Q58 corresponds to the control of setting the current room temperature as the intermediate target value in the process of setting the desired temperature that is in the desired control state as the final target value.

If NO in the above Q57, Q59
At, it is determined whether or not the flag is 1. If the result of the determination in Q59 is YES, in Q60, the control for raising the temperature to the desired temperature is restarted, and the flag is set to 0.
Is reset to. If NO in this Q59 determination,
It returns without passing through Q60.

If the determination in Q54 is NO, then FIG.
Is moved to Q71. In this Q71, the distance threshold L is corrected in consideration of the traffic volume based on the calendar and time information (corresponding to Q48 in FIG. 17). Next, at Q72, it is judged if the actual distance between the vehicle V and the house K exceeds the distance threshold L for the first time. This Q72
When the determination is YES, the control is started in Q73 and then the process proceeds to Q74. When the determination in Q72 is NO, in Q78, it is determined whether or not the control is currently being performed. If YES in the determination in Q78, the process proceeds to Q74, and if NO in the determination in Q78, the process directly returns.

At Q74, it is judged if the stopping time of the vehicle V is a predetermined time or longer. This Q74 determination is
It is possible to judge that there is a detour by any time other than the signal waiting time. YE in this Q74 judgment
In the case of S, in Q75, the control is changed to hold the temperature at that time, and the flag is set to 1 (corresponding to Q58 in FIG. 18). If NO in Q74, it is determined in Q76 whether the flag is 1 or not. If the determination in Q76 is YES, the control toward the desired temperature is restarted in Q77 and the flag is reset to 0. If NO in Q76,
It returns without passing through Q77.

20 and 21 show an example of control in the case of the washing machine 20 as an electric device, and show a case of detour correction. First, R1 in FIG. 20 is the same as Q41 in FIG. In R2, the amount of laundry is detected as a parameter for determining the control content. In R3, the distance threshold L is determined according to the amount of laundry, but the greater the amount of laundry, the longer the time required for washing, and thus the greater the distance threshold L is determined. To be done. At R4, it is determined whether or not the destination is set between the vehicle V and the house K. If the determination in R4 is YES, it is determined in R5 whether or not the vehicle has returned to the destination after stopping. When the determination in R5 is NO, the process directly returns. When the determination in R5 is YES, the control is started.

If NO in R4, R1 in FIG.
Shifting to 1, the distance threshold L is corrected according to the traffic volume based on the calendar and time information (corresponding to Q48 in FIG. 17). After R11, at R12, vehicle V and house K
It is determined whether the actual distance between and exceeds the distance threshold L for the first time. When the determination in R12 is YES, the control is started in R13, and then the process proceeds to R14. When the determination in R12 is NO, it is determined in R19 whether the control is currently being performed. This R19
When the determination is YES, the process proceeds to R14, and when the determination is R19, the process directly returns.

At R14, it is judged if the stopping time of the vehicle V is longer than a predetermined time (corresponding to Q74 of FIG. 19). If YES in the determination of R14, it is determined in R15 whether or not the detour is assumed to be a short time in consideration of the types of surrounding buildings and the like (short in consideration of past history). You can also determine if it is time). If the determination in R15 is YES, the washing machine 20 is temporarily stopped and the flag (F
2) is set to 1. When the determination in R15 is NO, the process directly returns without passing through R16.

If the determination in R14 is NO, then R17
At, it is determined whether or not the flag is 1. When the determination in R17 is YES, the control is restarted in R18. When the determination in R17 is NO, the process directly returns.

FIG. 22 is a control example for determining the control content of an electric device for temperature adjustment, which is a modification of FIG. That is, when the determination in Q54 of FIG. 18 is NO, the process proceeds to R41 of FIG. In FIG. 22, R41 to R
Reference numeral 44 corresponds to Q71 to Q74 in FIG. 19, and R47 to R49 in FIG. 22 correspond to Q76 to Q78 in FIG. 19 differs from the case of FIG. 19 in the judgment of R44.
It is the time of S. At this time, in R45, it is determined whether or not the detour is sufficient for a short time. For example, in the case of a convenience store, a laundry store, or the like, it is determined that the stop time is short in consideration of the type of buildings around the stopped vehicle V and the like. When the determination in R45 is NO, the control content is changed so as to maintain the indoor temperature at the current temperature, and
The flag is set to 1. In addition, YE is determined by R45.
If S, the process is returned as it is.

Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and includes the following cases, for example. The input means 6 may be, for example, a portable information processing device such as a notebook personal computer or PDA. Further, when the control content is determined on the vehicle V side, the control content can be determined by this information processing device. One of the servers SB and the personal computer PC may be used as the other without separately providing them (the interface with the electric devices 10 to 20 is provided to correspond to the electric devices 10 to 20). Anything that can output a control signal is sufficient, and it is sufficient to install software or a program for that in order to determine the control content).

In order to simplify the control of electric equipment related to temperature, such as the air conditioner 14, the desired temperature that can be set as a kind of desired control state should be set to a constant value in advance according to the season. it can. For example, the indoor temperature can be set to a constant value of 25 ° C in summer, 20 ° C in winter, and 22 ° C in other seasons.
In addition, the hot water temperature of the bath is always 42, regardless of the season.
The degree C can be set to a constant value. Of course, this temperature can be set so that it can be arbitrarily input depending on the intention of the occupant.

The parameter for setting the distance threshold L is
It can be appropriately set according to the type of electric device, for example, the water heater 1
3 is the current water temperature, rice cooker 19 is the amount of rice, and washing machine 20 is the amount of laundry (weight). In the case of the rice cooker 19, once the distance threshold L is exceeded and control is started for the first time, it is preferable to set the control so that the control is continued and cooked at once regardless of the detour (control is interrupted midway. Then the taste is spoiled).

The control content determining means (corresponding to the personal computer PC) may be installed at a position apart from the vehicle V and the house K, for example, when receiving the service of the provider. In any case, the personal computer PC as the control content determination means,
At least one of the input unit 6 and the server SB as a control unit is connected via a wireless communication unit for remote operation. Each step shown in the flowchart or various members such as a sensor and a switch can be expressed by adding a name of means to a higher-level expression of its function. Further, the object of the present invention is not limited to those specified,
It is also implicitly included to provide what is expressed as a substantially preferred or advantageous. Furthermore, the present invention can be expressed as a control method.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall system diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a control system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display example on a navigation monitor.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example on a navigation monitor.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example on a navigation monitor.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example on a navigation monitor.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of display on a navigation monitor.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example on a navigation monitor.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example on a navigation monitor.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example on a navigation monitor.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a list of set destinations.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a list showing a current control state of an electric device and a desired control state to be selected.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a control example of the navigation device.

FIG. 14 is an overall flowchart showing a case where the house side determines control contents.

FIG. 15 is an overall flowchart showing a case where a vehicle determines a control content.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an electric device that immediately shifts to a desired control state and a control example thereof.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of control for correcting the control start timing according to traffic congestion.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of control for correcting a detour in the control of electric devices related to temperature control.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of control for correcting a detour in the control of electric equipment related to temperature control.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of control of the washing machine, showing a case where the detour correction is performed.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart showing an example of control of the washing machine, showing a case of performing detour correction.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing another control example of correcting a detour in the control of electric equipment related to temperature control.

[Explanation of symbols]

V: Vehicle K: House ST: Satellite (positional information) TH: Source station (map information) JH: Source station (road information) NB: Navigation device U: Navigation controller T1: Communication means (LAN) SB: Server (control) Means) PC: Personal computer (control content determining means) 1: Navigation body 2: GPS sensor (current position detection) 3: Monitor 4: Wireless communication device (wireless communication means) 6: Input means 10-20: Electric equipment 21: Telephone (for communication with wireless communication means via base station)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP 2000-227336 (JP, A) JP 10-239082 (JP, A) JP 2000-55693 (JP, A) JP 9-294169 ( JP, A) Actual Kaihei 4-20200 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04Q 9/00-9/16 H03J 9/00-9/06 G01C 21 / 00-21/24 G01C 23/00 G01C 25/00 G09B 23/00-23/40 G09B 25/00-25/08 G09B 27/00-27/08 G09B 29/00-29/14

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A control device for an electric device for bringing an electric device installed in a house into a desired control state from a remote place, the control being installed in the house and outputting a control signal to the electric device. Means, an input means provided on the vehicle for inputting a desired control state of the electric device, a distance detecting means for detecting a distance between the current position of the vehicle and the house, and the control means or the input means. Control for determining the content of the control signal based on the desired control state input to the input means and the distance detected by the distance detection means, which is connected to at least one side via wireless communication means. Content determining means, wherein the distance detecting means stores the current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, the road map information and the position of the house on the road map information. A step, and detects the distance between the current position of the vehicle and the house based on the current position of the vehicle detected by the current position detection means and the stored contents stored in the storage means. The storage means stores information about the type of buildings around the road in the road map information, and information about the buildings around the current position of the vehicle detected by the current position detection means. Based on the above, further comprising a detour detection means for detecting that the detour, when the detour is detected by the detour detection means, the control content determination means based on the information about the building of the detour, the control signal The control device for electric equipment is characterized by changing the contents of. Wherein Oite to claim 1, wherein said control content deciding means is installed in a vehicle, that the control device of the electric device according to claim.