JP4966150B2 - Information provision system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information providing system that provides information according to user behavior in a dwelling unit.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, it has been proposed that an information notification unit is provided in a home appliance such as a washing machine, and information acquired through a communication network such as the Internet is notified by the information notification unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). . The technology described in Patent Document 1 detects a user's approach or operation to a home appliance, and when a user's approach or operation is detected, a communication network is connected from an external server (information providing site) connected to the home appliance. The information acquired through the notification is notified to the information notification means. A weather forecast is illustrated as the notified information.
JP 2004-78719 A

  By the way, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is intended to improve the convenience by eliminating the operation of starting up the terminal when the user intends to acquire information. The information provided to the user is uniform and information is not given to each user individually. Therefore, there is a problem that information is only given unilaterally by the information provider, and it is impossible for the user to acquire information that is expansive.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above reasons, and its purpose is to exchange information on the use of facilities and equipment between users who are similar to the use status of equipment and equipment installed in the house. Thus, it is to provide an information providing system that creates awareness and improves the life of each user.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a change occurs in the usage state of the equipment / equipment installed in the house, the occurrence time and location of the usage state change and the usage state are monitored for each user as action information. To the user via the communication network, and an external server composed of a computer server that obtains user-specific behavior information obtained by the home monitoring device via the communication network, and information provided by the external server. The external server includes an action storage unit that stores and stores the action information acquired from the home monitoring apparatus for each user, and the action information of each user stored in the action storage unit. A similarity evaluation unit that evaluates similarity, a user extraction unit that extracts and groups users whose similarity evaluated by the similarity evaluation unit is within a prescribed range of high similarity, and a user extraction In the range of users extracted by the unit, the behavior information having the highest number of users is obtained, and the behavior information is sent to the information presentation device managed by the user whose behavior information is not registered in the behavior storage unit. And an information proposing unit that presents the generated presentation information.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the home monitoring device has a function of requesting an external server to present information, and information is sent from any user to the external server via a communication network. When the presentation is requested, the information proposal unit obtains the behavior information having the highest number of users within the range of users grouped by the user extraction unit with respect to the user who requested the information presentation. The information presenting apparatus managed by the user who has requested the information presentation is caused to present the presentation information generated by the behavior information.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the information proposing unit further includes a condition designating unit for a user to specify a condition for presenting the presentation information to the information presenting device. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the behavior storage unit stores the behavior information of each user as a behavior pattern for each unit period, and the similarity evaluation unit The number of matching behavior information for two behavior patterns is used as the similarity.

  In the invention of claim 5, in any one of claims 1 to 3, the action storage unit stores action information of each user as an action pattern for each unit period, and the similarity evaluation unit The ratio of the time in which the action information focused on each action pattern occupies the unit period is used as the similarity.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the behavior storage unit stores the behavior information of each user as a behavior pattern for each unit period, and the similarity evaluation unit The number of matching combinations of a plurality of adjacent behavior information for two behavior patterns is used as the similarity.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the external server includes a behavior classification unit that classifies each behavior information into a predetermined category, and the similarity evaluation unit includes the behavior classification The degree of similarity is obtained within the range of behavior information having the same category classified by the section.

  In the invention of claim 8, in the invention of any one of claims 1 to 7, the in-home monitoring device associates behavior information when requesting information presentation from the external server, and the user extraction unit It is characterized by extracting a user whose similarity evaluated by the similarity evaluation unit is within a specified range among users whose behavior information matching the behavior information obtained together with the request for presentation is stored. .

  According to a ninth aspect of the invention, in the eighth aspect of the invention, the external server includes a behavior classification unit that classifies each behavior information into a prescribed category, and the behavior storage unit associates the category with each behavior information. The information suggesting unit stores the presentation information based on behavior information that is in the same category as the behavior information associated with the request for information presentation.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the external server defines a charge per service period for a service provided to a user via a communication network for each type of service. The rate regulation unit, the period storage unit that registers the service provision period together with the type of service for each user, and the period registered in the period storage unit for users registered in the period storage unit A service providing unit that provides a registered service, and a proposal for providing a service in which presentation information to be presented to a user registered in the period storage unit is not registered in the period storage unit in association with the user. And a service trial section that provides the service proposed by the service proposal section free of charge for a temporary period only. To.

According to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, when a change occurs in the use state of equipment / equipment by a plurality of users, the occurrence time and the occurrence place of the change in use state and the use state are combined as action information. by management, regarded as the user that there is a common point for the user that there is a similarity in the use state of the facilities, equipment in thinking and behavior, another user certain of the user with a common point to experience The information on the fact that the user has never experienced is presented to the unexperienced user as presentation information. This type of information is obtained from the experiences of users who have similarities in thinking and behavior, so for those who have never experienced it, it is more than information provided by commonality such as gender and age. There is a high possibility that the hobbies and preferences are easy to match, and that the information becomes useful information that touches the user's string. In other words, by indicating the use of facilities / devices that the user has not noticed, it is possible to acquire the spread of convenience due to the use of new facilities / devices. For example, it is possible to contribute to maintaining the health of the user by recommending a user who has used only one type of health device to use it in combination with another health device.

  The use of facilities / equipment includes use of only information by communication using information communication equipment. Therefore, you can watch on-demand TV or movies, watch educational information such as foreign language learning information, information to acquire kimono dressing, information to learn cooking techniques, information to acquire Tai Chi type And downloading programs that add functions to equipment / equipment are also included in the use of equipment / equipment.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 2, since the presentation information is presented only to the user who has requested the information presentation, there is no troublesomeness due to the presentation information being presented more than necessary.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 3, since the user can specify conditions for presenting the presentation information to the information presentation device, the presentation information is presented to the information presentation device without limitation, or the presentation information is presented. The user can specify whether to specify the frequency and the way of presentation or whether to present only when the presentation is requested.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 4, the behavior patterns in the unit period (for example, one day, one week, etc.) are stored, and the number of the behavior information included in the two behavior patterns matches the number of both behavior patterns. Because it is used for similarity, users who have a lot in common with the usage status of facilities and equipment will be regarded as users with high similarity in behavior information, and users who use the same kind of equipment and equipment will be grouped. can do. In other words, users who use the same type of equipment / equipment are likely to use the equipment / equipment for the same purpose. There is a high possibility that the user is interested in the facilities and equipment used by the user, and the recommended facilities and equipment are more likely to satisfy the user.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 5, the behavior pattern in the unit period (for example, one day, one week, etc.) is stored, and the ratio of the time that the attention behavior information occupies in the unit period is used as the similarity. It is possible to group users who have the same time to use the same kind of equipment / equipment. In other words, users who have the same time to use the same type of equipment / equipment are expected to have the same effect on the equipment / equipment. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the same effect is expected for facilities and equipment used by other users, and there is a high possibility that the effects of the recommended equipment and devices will satisfy the user.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 6, the number of behavior patterns in a unit period (for example, one day, one week, etc.) stored, and a combination of a plurality of adjacent behavior information for two behavior patterns matches. Is used for similarity, users who have a lot in common in the usage order of facilities and equipment will be regarded as users with high similarity in behavioral information, and users who use multiple equipment and equipment in order Can be grouped. In other words, users who use multiple facilities / equipment in order are considered to be more interested in the introduction of other facilities / equipment, so other users are within the scope of grouped users. There is a high possibility of showing interest in other facilities / equipment being used, and there is a high possibility of introducing recommended facilities / equipment.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 7, it becomes possible to classify even the same kind of behavior as a category according to place, and it becomes possible to distinguish behavior such as whether to watch music in the living room or to watch music in the bath. . That is, it becomes possible to judge the similarity of the user's thoughts and actions with higher accuracy.

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 8, since the user is extracted within the range of the user who matches the specific behavior information, the other equipment / equipment is within the range of the user who is interested in the specific behavior information. It is possible to obtain information relating to the use of, and to prevent presentation of unnecessary presentation information that is not of interest. For example, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a user who is interested in using the beauty device acquires presentation information based on the behavior information of the user who has a high degree of similarity in the use of the air conditioning device.

  According to the configuration of the ninth aspect of the invention, a category is assigned to the behavior information, and the presentation information is generated based on the behavior information within the category range, so unnecessary presentation information that is not of interest can be eliminated. For example, if categories such as environment, cooking, and beauty are set and behavior information with different categories is not used when generating the presentation information, it is possible to eliminate the presentation information that is not of interest to the user. .

  According to the configuration of the invention of claim 10, it is a case of providing video information such as movies, educational information about foreign languages, gymnastics, cooking, etc. as a service, a program for adding functions to equipment / equipment, etc. Even if the service is charged, the user can try the service proposed by the presented information free of charge for a temporary period, so decide whether to enjoy the service after trying the convenience of the service. Can be satisfied, and satisfaction with the service to be enjoyed increases.

(overall structure)
As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention is based on monitoring by a home server 1 of equipment / equipment 3 installed in a home using a communication network (abbreviated as “home network”) NT1 installed in the home of a house M. Each home is controlled by performing communication between the in-house server 1 and the external server 2 through a communication network (abbreviated as “wide area network”) NT2 such as the Internet outside the home, while performing at least one of control. The service provided by the external server 2 can be enjoyed. A router 6 is provided between the home server 1 and the external net NT2. The home server 1 and the external server 2 are computer servers, and the external server 2 does not have to be a single computer, as will be described later.

  Services provided by the external server 2 include services that supervise information on monitoring and control of the facilities / equipment 3 by the in-house server 1 (for example, security and disaster prevention related information), information used by the facilities / equipment 3 (for example, And a service for providing information (for example, a program for learning a foreign language, a program for cooking recipes, etc.) for improving the life of the householder.

  The facility / equipment 3 includes a sensor 3a such as a temperature sensor incorporated in the facility / equipment 3 or a human sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a person, a switch 3b as an operation unit for instructing control of the facility / equipment 3, A function unit 3c that provides a function as the device 3 is provided, and monitoring information detected by each sensor 3a and operation information indicating the operation of the switch 3b are transmitted to the in-home server 1 via the in-home network NT1 as necessary. The control information transmitted and instructing the control contents of the function unit 3c or notifying the operation state of the function unit 3c is transmitted to the home server 1 via the home network NT10 as necessary.

  In addition to the facility / equipment 3, an information presentation device 4 for presenting information is connected to the home network NT1. The information presentation device 4 includes, for example, at least one of a display device including a liquid crystal display capable of displaying an image and a speaker capable of outputting sound. Therefore, information is presented by at least one of vision and hearing. Furthermore, the information presentation apparatus 4 may include an operation unit including a microphone for inputting voice, a touch panel for providing necessary instructions, or a switch.

  By the way, it can be said that the monitoring information of the sensor 3a and the operation information of the switch 3b indicate the behavior of a householder (that is, a user) living in the house M. That is, if a clock unit (not shown) for measuring the current time is provided in the home server 1 and the monitoring information of the sensor 3a and the operation information of the switch 3b are managed, the time of the house M at which time the householder It can be known from the monitoring information of the sensor 3a and the operation information of the switch 3b that the user has been at the place, and as a result, it can be known how the householder has moved in the house. In addition, it is possible to know which equipment / device has been used by the operation information of the switch 3b. Since this type of information represents the behavior of a householder, it can be regarded as behavior information.

  In addition, there are sensors 3a that are not incorporated in equipment such as human sensors, but since this type of sensor 3a indicates the movement of a householder, what kind of equipment in the house (washing surface, bathroom, kitchen, etc.) is used. It can be used for the estimation. That is, even the sensor 3a that is not incorporated in the facility / equipment 3 reflects the usage state of the facility / equipment 3.

  In the illustrated example, a configuration in which the controller 5 is provided between the home server 1 and the equipment / device 3 and the home server 1 communicates with the controller 5 is adopted. The controller 5 functions as an interface between the home network NT1 and the equipment / device 3. Information exchange between the sensor 3a, the switch 3b, the function unit 3c and the home server 1 is performed via the controller 5. The transmission path between the sensor 3a, the switch 3b, the functional unit 3c, and the controller 5 may be wired or wireless, and the transmission path for communication between the home server 1 and the controller 5 may be wired or wireless. Moreover, wired and wireless may be mixed in the transmission path. The controller 5 is provided with functions such as crime prevention and lighting as a unit. Alternatively, the controller 5 is provided in units of rooms (or spaces) in the house M.

  The controller 5 is provided with a function as a computer server. By providing setting contents, it becomes possible to register the equipment / device 3 and determine the operation through the home network NT1. Yes. That is, by connecting a device (computer, net TV, etc.) having a browser function to the home network NT1, or by providing a browser function to the information presentation device 4, the setting content is accessed and the equipment / Registration of device 3 and determination of operation are performed. Of course, the controller 5 may be provided with an operation unit and a display unit for registering the facility / equipment 3 and determining the operation.

  In the present embodiment, since the Internet is assumed as the external network NT2, the devices connected to the home network NT1, that is, the home server 1, the information presentation device 4, and the controller 5 are IP communication devices. When logging in to the home network NT1, an IP address is given by the DHCP server function of the router 6. A unique address system can be constructed in the home network NT1 by assigning an IP address to each device (home server 1, information presentation device 4, controller 5) from the address pool of the router 6.

  The home server 1 uses a TCP / IP middleware protocol to check connection for detecting devices (home server 1, information presentation device 4, controller 5) connected to the home network NT1 by broadcast communication when the power is turned on. The packet is sent to the home network NT1. Upon receiving the connection confirmation packet, the device connected to the home network NT1 sends a response packet including the location information of the file storing the information related to the device (that is, the address of the device itself) to the home network NT1. To do. Each device randomly delays the time from receiving the connection confirmation packet to sending the response packet, and the response packets are sent to the home network NT1 simultaneously for the broadcast connection confirmation packet. To avoid collisions.

  The home server 1 performs individual communication with the device that has received the response packet, and obtains a file that stores information about the device from each device. This file includes information common to a plurality of devices such as device type, product number, friendly name, and version information, and unique information for individually identifying each device. The friendly name is a nickname of a device in the home network NT1, and can be given as appropriate by the user. The version information indicates the version of the program that operates the device.

  The in-home server 1 periodically transmits a survival confirmation packet to the device detected by the connection confirmation packet, and when a response packet (response packet indicating survival) to this survival confirmation packet is not returned, the device is in the home network. Judged to have left NT1. On the other hand, each device is configured to send a connection confirmation packet by broadcast communication when connected to the home network NT1, and when a new device is connected to the home network NT1 during operation of the home server 1, The in-home server 1 receives the connection confirmation packet and determines that a new device has entered the in-home network NT1. That is, the home server 1 can automatically detect not only the device connected to the home network NT1 by the connection confirmation packet but also the entry and departure of the device.

  FIG. 2 shows device detection (connection confirmation / device response) and acquisition of information about each device (device information request / device information response) by the connection confirmation packet, and survival confirmation (survival confirmation request / survival confirmation response) by the home server 1. The operation of is illustrated.

  Each controller 5 provides monitoring information, operation information, and control information of the connected equipment / device 3 to the in-home server 1 as properties, and performs various processes on the properties by methods. The controller 5 notifies the in-home server 1 as an event when the property of the preset equipment / device 3 changes. Property acquisition, method execution, and event notification are realized by a middleware protocol on TCP / IP. By such an operation, the in-home server 1 can monitor and control the managed facilities / devices 3.

  For example, the controller 5 to which the human sensor is connected as the sensor 3a has a property relating to the current state of the sensor 3a, and is not detected when the property value is “0”, and detected when the property value is “1”. It prescribes to mean inside. Moreover, if it is defined so that the home server 1 is notified as an event when the value of this property changes, for example, the property changes from “0” to “1”, that is, detected from the undetected by the human sensor. When it changes to the inside, it is possible to notify the home server 1. Similarly, the home server 1 is also notified when it changes from being detected to not being detected.

  Here, it is assumed that an illumination load is provided as the facility / equipment 3 and a method is set so that the illumination load is turned on during detection of a person by the human sensor. When the home server 1 receives a property indicating that it is being detected by an event indicating a change from undetected to being detected, the home server 1 executes a method for turning on / off the lighting load, and causes the controller 5 to turn on the lighting load. Instruct. Therefore, the controller 5 can light the corresponding illumination load in response to detection of a person by the human sensor.

  FIG. 3 shows an operation example when an event occurs. In the illustrated example, when a security sensor is notified, the information is presented to the information presentation device 4 to call attention to a householder, and the lighting load is turned on to threaten an intruder. That is, when the crime prevention notification is notified to the controller 5 from the security sensor as the facility / device 3, the controller 5 notifies the home server 1 of the occurrence of the event and also notifies the crime prevention notification as a property. The method of the home server 1 is activated in response to the crime prevention notification, information is presented to the information presentation device 4, and a lighting load lighting request is notified to the controller 5. The controller 5 that has received the lighting load lighting request turns on the lighting load. Here, an example is shown in which the controller 5 that manages the security sensor and the controller 5 that manages the lighting load are provided separately.

  As a method of the home server 1, notification to the external server 2 or notification to a householder by e-mail using the e-mail function of the mobile telephone may be added.

In the following embodiment, a function for detecting behavior information of a householder is added in the home server 1, and the information provided by the external server 2 is analyzed by analyzing the behavior information collected by a large number of home servers 1. The system will be described.
(Embodiment 1)
The present embodiment adds a function of monitoring behavior information to the above-described home server 1 and also adds a function of generating presentation information based on the behavior information in the external server 2 and causing the information presentation device 4 to present the presentation information. It is a thing.

  As described above, the in-home server 1 notifies the usage state of the equipment / device 3 (including not only the control information of the function unit 3c but also the monitoring information of the sensor 3a and the operation information of the switch 3b) when an event occurs. Therefore, it is possible to monitor the behavior of the householder by collecting the information of the occurrence time and the occurrence place together. When there are multiple householders, it is necessary to distinguish each person's behavior. In this case, each person is tracked according to the generation order of the monitoring information of the sensor 3a and the operation information of the switch 3b, or the TV camera is set. Use it to recognize the faces of householders.

  Here, the use state of the facilities / devices 3 not only means which facility / device 3 is used, but also means how each facility / device 3 is used. For example, if the air conditioner is taken as an example of the facility / equipment 3, it means not only whether it is operating or stopped, but also how many times the temperature is set and how the air volume is set. Information is also included in the usage status of the facility / equipment 3. For example, if the Internet / TV is used as the facility / equipment 3, information on whether the user is viewing a broadcast program, viewing content provided by the external server 2, or which program is being viewed is also used. Included in the state. Alternatively, downloading a program for controlling the facility / equipment 3 is also included in the concept of the usage state of the facility / equipment 3.

  The in-home server 1 can acquire the usage state of the equipment / equipment 3 in the house M as behavior information of a householder (that is, a user). That is, the home server 1 and the equipment / device 3 constitute a home monitoring device that monitors behavior information for each user. The behavior information for each user acquired by the home server 1 is notified to the external server 2 via the external network NT2.

  The external server 2 includes a behavior storage unit 11 that stores behavior information acquired from the home server 1 for each user. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the behavior storage unit 11 stores behavior information in a unit period. The unit period may be set to a period in which the same life pattern is repeated, and usually one day or one week is the unit period. If the behavior information of the unit period is recorded, the user's preference and behavior tendency can be estimated except for events that occur as exceptions.

  For example, in a simple example, it is possible to know as action information whether the meal or the bath is first. Alternatively, a bubble generation device is installed in the bathtub, and the function of the lymphatic massage by controlling the bubble generation part from the toes toward the waist with the passage of time is used, or the hot water is mist-like A mist shower device for generating mist by spraying is installed, and it is also possible to know as action information whether a steam esthetic function for performing a whole body bath with mist is used. In addition, viewing the video that teaches how to stretch can be used as behavior information, and using exercise equipment for riding exercise can be used as behavior information.

  By acquiring the behavior information as described above, in addition to what kind of facilities / devices 3 the user is using, it is possible to know how these facilities / devices 3 are being used. . And users who have similarities in behavior information are assumed to have similarities in interests and preferences. Therefore, by connecting these users, new users based on the behavior information of other users If a proposal is made, there is a high possibility that it will be a useful proposal, and a suggestion that leads to improvement of life will be shown to the user. Hereinafter, a set of behavior information in a unit period is referred to as a behavior pattern.

  Similarity evaluation of behavior information between different users is performed by the similarity evaluation unit 12 provided in the external server 2. The similarity evaluation unit 12 uses (1) the number of matching behavior information for two behavior patterns of different users as similarity, or (2) the time occupied by the behavior information focused on each behavior pattern in the unit period. The ratio is used for the similarity, or (3) the number of combinations of a plurality of adjacent action information for two action patterns with different users is used for the similarity.

  A threshold for similarity is defined, and users having high similarity to the threshold are grouped and linked. That is, the external server 2 includes a user extraction unit 13 that evaluates the similarity and extracts and groups the users whose similarity is within a specified range (for example, a threshold value or more).

  The number of matching behavior information in (1) means how many pairs of the same behavior information exist when the same behavior information is included in the two behavior patterns to be compared. In this case, the generation order of the behavior information is not a problem, and attention is paid only to the type of behavior information included in the behavior pattern, and the similarity is evaluated according to how many pairs of the same type exist. For example, if there are five types of behavior information A, B, C, D, and E, and one of the two behavior patterns to be compared is ABAEB and the other behavior pattern is ACBDB, the behavior information A and B are common, but other behavior information is inconsistent. In this example, two of the five types of action information match, so the degree of similarity may be set to 2 or 0.4 (= 2/5). Although the similarity of the former is not standardized, it can be evaluated that the larger the numerical value, the more common the behavior information. Moreover, since the similarity of the latter is standardized, it becomes possible to evaluate regardless of the type of behavior information.

  In (2), the similarity is not evaluated using all the behavior information, but the similarity is evaluated by narrowing down the behavior information of interest. For example, behavior information for using a toilet or using a washroom after getting up often has no characteristics for each user, and it may not make sense to include it in the evaluation of similarity. Therefore, by extracting only the behavioral information of interest and using the percentage of the time during which the behavioral information of interest occupies in the unit period as the similarity, the user can know the target of interest and the degree of interest from the specific behavioral information of the user be able to.

  In (3), it is conceivable that some kind of equipment / equipment 3 is used in combination when a plurality of types of action information are subsequently generated. For example, when the above-mentioned lymph massage function and steam esthetic function are used in a bathroom, it is considered that a combination of a plurality of adjacent action information matches. In this case, the order may be related, but only the combination may be meaningful regardless of the order. Therefore, only the combination is focused here, regardless of the order. However, when the order of the behavior information (that is, the order in which the usage state of the facility / device 3 changes) is meaningful, this information may be used for the similarity evaluation. Also, normalization is not performed when the similarity of (3) is used. Usually, it can be said that if there is one combination, it is similar, but if there are two or more combinations, it can be said that the degree of similarity is high.

  By the way, the user can request a service from the external server 2 through the home server 1. Here, when the information presentation to the information presentation device 4 is requested, the information proposal unit 14 provided in the external server 2 requests the information presentation in the user action information grouped by the user extraction unit 13. There is behavior information that is not included in the behavior information of the selected user, and it is evaluated whether the number of users having the behavior information exceeds the prescribed number in the group (or the user having the behavior information) The information proposal unit 14 generates presentation information based on the behavior information, and evaluates whether or not the ratio of the number to the number of users constituting the group is equal to or greater than a specified value).

  The presentation information is information to be presented to a user who is not performing the behavior information, that is, a user who is not using the equipment / device 3 corresponding to the behavior information. Therefore, it is configured to include information that informs the user of the equipment / device 3 corresponding to the action information and content that informs the user of the utility or convenience of the equipment / device 3. This type of presentation information may be stored in advance in a database provided in the external server 2 in association with each action information. That is, in the database, the behavior information and the presentation information are associated with each other, and when the behavior information for which the presentation information is to be generated is extracted, the presentation information associated with the behavior information may be extracted from the database.

  The presentation information generated by the information proposal unit 14 is transmitted to the user's home server 1 through the external network NT2 and presented to the information presentation device 4 through the home server 1. Here, since the provision of information is requested through the home server 1, the presentation information presented from the external server 2 can be presented to the information presentation device 4 through the router 6.

  Now, a case is assumed in which the user extraction unit 13 extracts and groups users who use the function of lymphatic massage by evaluating the similarity degree under the condition (2). Further, it is assumed that the group includes users having behavior information that uses the function of the steam esthetic, adjacent to the behavior information that uses the function of the lymph massage. Here, assuming that the number of users who use the function of the steam esthetic is more than a prescribed number (for example, 10 people), it is convenient or comfortable by combining the function of the lymph massage and the function of the steam esthetic. It can be said that there are relatively many users who enjoy sex. Therefore, for the user who uses only the function of the lymph massage and does not use the function of the steam esthetic, it generates presentation information that proposes to use the function of the steam esthetic, and this presentation information is used as an information presentation device. 4 is presented.

  Users who use the function of lymphatic massage are considered to be highly interested in health and beauty, and such users are also interested in the function of steam esthetics used for similar purposes. Many users are satisfied with the proposal. Moreover, since the proposed information is based on behavioral information of users who are interested in the same kind of purpose, anxiety about introducing new equipment / equipment 3 is reduced and competitiveness is stimulated. Thus, it is possible to have a willingness to actively introduce new facilities / equipment 3. As a result, the presented information becomes more and more useful information for the user.

  In the above-described example, a configuration is adopted in which the presentation information is presented to the information presentation device 4 when the external server 2 is requested to provide information, but the presentation information is generated at an arbitrary timing in the external server 2 to provide the information presentation device. 4 may be transmitted. However, if this configuration is adopted, presentation information may be presented indefinitely and may be troublesome for the user. Therefore, a condition designation unit (not shown) is connected to the home network NT1 to present the information. The condition for presenting the presentation information on the device 4 may be specified to the external server 2 from the condition specifying unit.

  For example, as described above, the presentation information is transmitted only when the user requests the presentation, the presentation information is transmitted at an arbitrary timing regardless of the user's request, and the unit Specify the frequency of sending the presentation information per period (one day or one week), specify the time zone or day of the week for sending the presentation information, or if the information presentation device 4 is a display device In the screen, it is possible to specify whether to display in front or display small in the peripheral area.

  In the evaluation of the similarity, an example has been shown in which only the behavior information of interest is targeted for similarity evaluation, but the user may request the behavior information of interest through the home server 1. That is, when requesting information presentation from the home server 1 to the external server 2, the external server 2 indicates which behavior information is to be requested for information presentation, and the user extraction unit 13 in the external server 2 Among the users whose behavior information matching the behavior information obtained together with the information presentation request is stored in the behavior storage unit 11, the users whose similarity evaluated by the similarity evaluation unit 12 is within the specified range. Extract. In this way, by narrowing down the users extracted by the user extraction unit 13 to users who share specific action information, it becomes easy to group users having common tastes and actions.

  In addition, for the behavior information, for example, categories such as environment, cooking, and beauty are set, and the behavior classification unit 15 that classifies the behavior information acquired from the home server 1 in the external server 2 is provided. The behavior storage unit 11 When the behavior information is stored in the category, the categories may be associated with each other and stored. When there is a request for information presentation from the home server 1, the presentation information is generated from the behavior information in the same category by generating the presentation information from the behavior information in the same category as the behavior information associated with the information presentation request. It is possible to generate unnecessary presentation information that is not of interest to the user.

  Moreover, you may make it include the place of action as a category classified in the action classification | category part 15 besides the objective of action. Further, when the similarity evaluation unit 12 evaluates the similarity, the similarity may be evaluated within the range of the same category. By classifying the categories, even if the behavior information is the same, it is possible to classify the differences depending on the purpose and location, and the similarity can be evaluated with higher accuracy. That is, it is possible to narrow the range of users who have high commonality in thinking and behavior.

  In the above example, the behavior information stored in the behavior storage unit 11 is a behavior pattern that is a set of behavior information in a unit period, but the behavior information of each user is not divided into unit periods. The similarity may be determined using the history of. In the above-described example, the external server 2 is collectively described. However, the function of the external server 2 may be realized by a plurality of computer servers.

  Moreover, although the structure which presents to the information presentation means 4 is employ | adopted as presentation information, control information which controls the installation and apparatus 3 is made into presentation information, and the same action pattern is shown about the user with high similarity of action information. When it appears, the equipment / device 3 used by another user may be operated.

(Embodiment 2)
Although Embodiment 1 does not describe collecting a fee for a service that provides presentation information to be presented from the external server 1 to the information presentation device 4, in this embodiment, a service provided by the external server 2 is not described. The case where the consideration is calculated for will be described. In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which a charge is defined for each type of service in units of a certain period (for example, one month or one year). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the external server 2 is provided with a charge defining unit 21 that stores a service and a charge per fixed period in association with each other.

  The external server 2 is also provided with a period storage unit 22 for registering a period for providing a service for each user together with the type of service. In the period storage unit 22, which user uses which service from what time to what time is registered, and the service from the external server 2 is provided for the registered period for the user registered in the period storage unit 22. Will be.

  As described in the first embodiment, the service provided by the external server 2 is a service that groups users having similarities in taste and behavior and provides information useful to the users in the group. In the embodiment, the charge is defined including other services. However, for the services described in the first embodiment, the charges may be differentiated according to the contents of the presentation information to be provided. For example, when providing a program for improving the function of the facility / equipment 3, a relatively high fee is set. If the information recommends the introduction of a new facility / equipment 3, a relatively low fee is set. It may be.

  The external server 2 provides the service registered in the period storage unit 22 to the user registered in the period storage unit 22 only during the period registered in the period storage unit 22. This determination is made by the service providing unit 23 provided in the external server 2. By the way, if a general user registers in the period storage unit 22, he / she can enjoy the service he / she has selected, but he pays even for the service with a higher charge even if he / she has the impression that it is highly convenient. In many cases, it is not possible to determine whether the service is suitable for the fee, and the decision to enjoy the service cannot be made.

  In the present embodiment, the external server 2 is provided with a service proposal unit 24 that proposes provision of services that are not registered in the period storage unit 22 to the grouped users. The service proposing unit 25 is provided with a service proposing unit 24 that provides the service proposed by the service proposing unit 24 free of charge only for a temporary period. Therefore, the service proposing unit 24 extracts services enjoyed by other users in addition to the services registered in the period storage unit 22 for the grouped users extracted by the user extracting unit 13. Then, the presentation information that proposes the provision of the extracted service is generated and presented to the information presentation device 4.

  Here, the service sampler 25 temporarily stops the period management function in the service provider 23 so that a service that is not registered in the period storage unit 22 can be provided free of charge, for example, for the first three days of the month. Therefore, the user can experience and use paid information content free of charge for a certain period, and can determine whether or not the service is worth the fee. In other words, it will support decision making for service introduction. Moreover, if the service is introduced in this way, the satisfaction level of the user is also increased.

  For example, in the bathroom having the functions of lymphatic massage and steam esthetic described in the first embodiment, a service with a charge of 5000 yen and a service with 8000 yen are set. It is assumed that there is a difference in (presented on the device 4). Here, a user who enjoys a service with a fee of 5000 yen cannot make an evaluation as to whether or not it is effective to meet the additional charge of 3000 yen although he is interested in the service of 8000 yen. There are things that cannot be done. In the present embodiment, for example, a menu of 8000 yen can be used for free for only the first three days of the month.

  During this time, the functions of lymphatic massage and steam esthetics will be advanced, and more effective usage will be presented to the information presentation device 4 with the advancement of functions, and the effect will be experienced through free trial use. It becomes possible. Through such experience use, the user can make a decision and enjoy a service with high satisfaction.

  In addition, while making it possible to enjoy a service that is not registered in the period storage unit 22, a charge is imposed on the charge for each period, and the facility / equipment 3 is controlled so that the service can be enjoyed within the restricted range. You may make it do. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

It is a block diagram which shows embodiment. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing same as the above. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing same as the above. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing same as the above. It is a block diagram which shows the external server used for Embodiment 2.

Explanation of symbols

1 Home server (home monitoring device)
2 External server 3 Equipment / equipment 3a Sensor (in-home monitoring device)
3b switch (home monitoring device)
3c function part 4 information presentation device 5 controller 6 router 11 action storage part 12 similarity evaluation part 13 user extraction part 14 information proposal part 15 action classification part 21 service charge regulation part 22 period storage part 23 service provision part 24 service proposal part 25 Service sampler NT1 Home network NT2 External network (communication network)

Claims (10)

A home monitoring device that monitors the time and place of occurrence of usage changes and usage status as behavior information for each user when there is a change in the usage status of equipment and equipment installed in the home, An external server composed of a computer server that acquires user-specific behavior information obtained by the monitoring device via a communication network, and an information presentation device that presents information provided by the external server to the user via the communication network The external server has a behavior storage unit that stores and stores the behavior information acquired from the home monitoring device for each user, and a similarity that evaluates the similarity between the behavior information of each user stored in the behavior storage unit An evaluation unit, a user extraction unit that extracts and groups users whose similarity evaluated by the similarity evaluation unit is within a prescribed range of high similarity, and a user extraction unit Within the range of users, the behavior information having the highest number of users is obtained, and the presentation information generated by the behavior information is displayed on the information presentation device managed by the user whose behavior information is not registered in the behavior storage unit. An information providing system comprising an information proposing unit to be presented.   The home monitoring device has a function of requesting information presentation to an external server, and when any user requests information presentation to the external server via a communication network, the information proposal unit Information presenting device managed by the user who requested the information presentation by obtaining the behavior information having the highest number of users within the range of the users grouped by the user extracting unit for the user who requested the presentation. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein presentation information generated by the behavior information is presented.   3. The information providing system according to claim 1, further comprising: a condition designating unit that allows a user to designate a condition for the information proposing unit to present presentation information to the information presenting device.   The behavior storage unit stores behavior information of each user as a behavior pattern for each unit period, and the similarity evaluation unit uses the number of pieces of behavior information that match two behavior patterns as the similarity. The information provision system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The behavior storage unit stores the behavior information of each user as a behavior pattern for each unit period, and the similarity evaluation unit determines the percentage of time that the behavior information focused on for each behavior pattern occupies in the unit period as the similarity. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information providing system is used.   The behavior storage unit stores behavior information of each user as a behavior pattern for each unit period, and the similarity evaluation unit is similar to the number of combinations of a plurality of adjacent behavior information for two behavior patterns. The information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information providing system is used every time.   The external server includes a behavior classification unit that classifies each behavior information into a predetermined category, and the similarity evaluation unit obtains a similarity within a range of behavior information in which the categories classified by the behavior classification unit are the same. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein:   The home monitoring device associates behavior information when requesting information presentation to the external server, and the user extraction unit stores the behavior information that matches the behavior information obtained together with the information presentation request. 8. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein a user whose similarity evaluated by the similarity evaluation unit is within a specified range is extracted.   The external server includes a behavior classification unit that classifies each behavior information into a predetermined category, the behavior storage unit stores each behavior information in association with a category, and the information proposal unit responds to a request for information presentation. 9. The information providing system according to claim 8, wherein the presentation information is generated based on behavior information that is in the same category as the associated behavior information.   The external server registers a charge regulation unit that defines a charge per service period for a service provided to a user via a communication network for each service type, and a service provision period for each user together with the service type. Registered in the period storage unit, a service providing unit for providing a service registered in the period registered in the period storage unit to a user registered in the period storage unit, and registered in the period storage unit The service proposal unit that presents the presentation information presented to the user as a service provision proposal that is not registered in association with the user in the period storage unit, and the service proposed by the service proposal unit is free only for a temporary period The information providing system according to claim 1, further comprising a service sample providing unit.

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