JP7093806B2 - Ordering system for ordering consumables for home appliances - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ordering system for ordering consumables for home electric appliances, which additionally orders shortages such as consumables after purchase.

In recent years, the IoT (Internet of Things), which is a mechanism in which various "things" are connected to the Internet and controlled by each other, has been attracting attention. This is also being applied to home appliances.

As a background technique related to this technical field, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-176197 (Patent Document 1) is available. It is an object of Patent Document 1 to provide a consumable information notification system for notifying a user of information on sales of consumables related to home appliances and the like and information on purchase of consumables in relation to the usage status of consumables. It is supposed to be. Further, Patent Document 1 describes a beacon device provided in a product using consumables and transmitting identification information and state information related to the product as a beacon signal, and identification information included in the beacon signal by receiving the beacon signal. And the communication terminal that sends the status information to the server, and the identification information and the information related to the sale and / or purchase of consumables used in the product related to the status information are stored and stored in correspondence with each other, and the consumption corresponding to the received identification information. A server that sends information about the sale and / or purchase of goods to a communication terminal is disclosed.

JP-A-2015-176197A

In Patent Document 1, the beacon device constantly monitors the state of the product and periodically transmits the monitor information of the product together with the identification information to the communication terminal. However, the details of the transmission timing are not disclosed. Generally, home appliances are usually in a power-off state, and are operated by turning on the power each time they are used. Therefore, there is a problem that the monitor information of the product cannot be transmitted while the power is off. In other words, in order to transmit the monitor information of the product, it is necessary to keep the power on at all times, which causes a problem that the power consumption increases. That is, in home appliances whose power is normally turned off, the timing of transmitting information is important.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is an ordering system and a home electric appliance for using home electric appliances for additionally ordering shortages such as consumables after purchase, and an ordering system for power saving. The purpose is to provide home appliances.

In order to achieve the above object, the ordering system for ordering consumables for home appliances of the present invention is, for example, a sensor for detecting the usage state of the home appliances and the consumables of the home appliances and the sensor thereof. Home appliances equipped with a control unit that calculates the status information of consumables from the information detected in the The home appliance is provided with a receiving server and a communication terminal provided with a communication processing unit of the home appliance or a communication processing unit that receives the state information transmitted from the server and transmits the information to the outside, and the home appliance uses the amount of consumables. The configuration is such that the transmission destination of the status information is changed depending on whether or not the communication terminal is in a receivable state when the determination is made.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ordering system for power saving in home electric appliances.

It is a figure which shows the configuration example of the ordering system in Example 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the home electric appliance in Example 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the configuration example of the communication terminal in Example 1. FIG. It is a processing sequence of the ordering system in Example 1. It is a figure which shows the configuration example of another ordering system in Example 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the configuration example of the AP server in Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the display example of the display screen in Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the configuration example of the ordering system in Example 2. FIG. It is a processing sequence of the ordering system in Example 2. It is a processing sequence of another ordering system in Example 2. It is a figure which shows the configuration example of the ordering system in Example 3. FIG.

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

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an ordering system including a home electric appliance 1 in this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the ordering system provides a so-called online mail order in which a home appliance 1, a communication terminal 2, a wide area public network 3 such as the Internet, and a Web (World Wide Web) site can be purchased and ordered. It is composed of an EC site server 4 that provides services of an EC (Electronic Commerce) site such as an online shop. This ordering system is an ordering system for additionally ordering shortages such as consumables after purchasing home appliances.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the home electric appliance 1 in this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the home electric appliance 1 includes a home electric appliance main body 101, a control unit 102, a memory 104, a sensor 105, and a communication processing unit 106, each of which is connected to each other by a bus 103. If the home appliance is a washing machine, the home appliance main body 101 is, for example, a washing machine main body including a washing tub, a motor, a control circuit, a display unit, an operation unit, and the like. The control unit 102 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, and controls each component unit by executing a program stored in the memory 104 to perform various processes. The sensor 105 is a sensor for detecting the usage state of consumables and the like of the home appliance 1. For example, if the home appliance is a washing machine, the amount of input detergent can be measured, or a preset detergent and washing can be performed. Since the amount of detergent used can be known from the amount of water, the amount of washing water is measured, or the amount of clothes to be washed is measured. If the home appliance is a vacuum cleaner or an air purifier, the operating time is measured to detect when to replace the filter. The communication unit processing unit 106 is an interface for connecting to the communication terminal 2, and wireless communication is performed by Bluetooth (registered trademark), an infrared communication unit, WiFi (registered trademark), or the like. The control unit 102 and the memory 104 may be integrated with the control circuit and the memory in the home electric appliance main body 101. Further, the sensor 105 and the communication unit processing unit 106 may be separate from the home electric appliance 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the communication terminal 2 in this embodiment. In FIG. 3, the control unit 201 is a microprocessor unit that controls the entire communication terminal 2 according to a predetermined program. The system bus 202 is a data communication path for transmitting / receiving data between the control unit 201 and each unit in the communication terminal 2. The memory 203 stores basic operation programs such as an operating system, other application programs, and various information of the communication terminal 2. The video processing unit 204 has a display unit, a video signal processing unit, and a video input unit (not shown). The display unit is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, and displays video data processed by the video signal processing unit. The video signal processing unit generates a video signal for display on the display unit and drives the display unit. Further, the video input unit is a camera unit that inputs video data of surroundings and objects by converting an optical image input from a lens into an electric signal. The voice processing unit 205 includes a voice output unit, a voice signal processing unit, and a voice input unit (not shown). The voice output unit is a speaker, and provides the user of the communication terminal 2 with the voice signal processed by the voice signal processing unit. The voice input unit is a microphone, which converts the voice of the user into voice data and inputs it. The operation unit 206 is an instruction input unit for inputting an operation instruction to the communication terminal 2, and is composed of, for example, a touch panel arranged so as to be superimposed on the display unit.

The communication processing unit 210 is composed of a WAN (Wide Area Network) communication unit 211, a telephone network communication unit 212, and a Bluetooth communication unit 213. The WAN communication unit 211 connects to the wireless communication access point of the wide area public network 3 by wireless communication to transmit and receive data. The telephone network communication unit 212 performs telephone communication (call) and data transmission / reception by wireless communication with a base station of a mobile telephone communication network. The Bluetooth communication unit 213 wirelessly communicates with the corresponding device. Further, an infrared communication unit or the like may be provided.

The communication terminal 2 may be further added with configurations (not shown) such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface, a digital television broadcast reception function, and an electronic money payment function. , A configuration that is not directly related to this embodiment may be deleted.

FIG. 4 is a processing sequence of the ordering system in this embodiment. In FIG. 4, first, the home electric appliance 1 acquires sensor information by the sensor 105 that detects the usage state of the consumables in the home electric appliance 1 (step S401). Here, for example, if the household appliance is a washing machine, in order to detect the amount of detergent used, the amount of detergent added is measured after charging, and the amount of washing water is measured after washing is completed. By doing so, the latest sensor information can be obtained. In step S402, the control unit 102 calculates the remaining amount information, which is an example of the state information of the consumables, based on the acquired sensor information. For example, the remaining amount for one detergent is calculated from the integrated amount of sensor information. Then, in step S403, when the remaining amount becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the remaining amount information is transmitted to the communication terminal 2 (step S404). Here, as described above, the home electric appliance is normally in the power-off state, and the remaining amount information cannot be transmitted while the power is off. Therefore, the remaining amount information is transmitted at the timing immediately before the power is turned off. In other words, the remaining amount information is transmitted at the timing when the operation of the home electric appliance ends. The reason for transmitting at the timing immediately before the power is turned off is that the remaining amount information based on the latest sensor information is transmitted in the state where the power is turned on. Therefore, the timing immediately before the power is turned off may be within a predetermined time at the end of the operation of the home electric appliance, or may be the time when the amount of consumables used is measured and determined. In the case of a washing machine, it may be transmitted before a predetermined time when washing is completed, or may be transmitted when the amount of detergent added is measured.

Next, in step S405, the communication terminal 2 displays the remaining amount information. Here, in the case of a washing machine, the state information may be a message such as "Is the detergent running out soon?", A specific remaining amount, or the number of remaining usable times. In the case of a vacuum cleaner or an air purifier, it is the remaining period from the predetermined filter replacement period.

Then, in step S406, the user receives the remaining amount information and places an order for the consumables with the EC site server 4 (step S407) (route shown in (1) of FIG. 1). Then, in step S408, the EC site server 4 performs a purchase process. If the remaining amount is less than the predetermined amount, the user may automatically place an order and send the notification even if the user does not place an order.

Further, in step S405, when displaying the remaining amount information, a plurality of EC sites to be purchased can be displayed in a list so that the EC site can be selected, or when ordering the same consumables, the cheapest EC site is automatically selected. You may place an order. Further, it may be possible to select consumables from another manufacturer. FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the ordering system in this case. In FIG. 5, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The difference from FIG. 1 is that it has an AP server (application server) 5 and transmits / receives information between the communication terminal 2 and the AP server 5 via the wide area public network 3 ((2) of FIG. 5). Route indicated by).

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the AP server 5 in this embodiment. In FIG. 6, the AP server 5 includes a control unit 501, a memory 503, a communication unit 504, and a storage 505, each of which is connected to each other by a bus 502. The control unit 501 is composed of a CPU or the like, and controls each component unit by executing a program stored in the memory 503 to perform various processes. The storage 505 stores product information of the home electric appliance 1 and information related to consumables. For example, EC site information where consumables can be purchased, EC site information which is the cheapest when ordering the same consumables, and the like. The communication unit 504 is an interface for connecting to the communication terminal 2 via the wide area public network 3.

With the configuration shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, as shown in step S409 of FIG. 4, product information is transmitted / received between the communication terminal 2 and the AP server 5, and the product information stored in the storage 505 of the AP server 5 is performed. Is captured and displayed by the communication terminal 2, so that the user can select an EC site or the like. FIG. 7 shows an example of an EC site selection display screen. FIG. 7 shows a case where the communication terminal 2 is a smartphone, and as a selection screen for an EC site to be purchased, a list of a plurality of vendors is displayed, and the price and delivery date are displayed so that the EC site can be selected. There is.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the remaining amount information is transmitted to the communication terminal when the used amount of the home appliance is determined. Therefore, in order to transmit the remaining amount information, the home appliance always turns on the power. It is not necessary to keep it, and it is possible to provide an ordering system that can save power.

In this embodiment, there is a case where the communication terminal to which the remaining amount information of the home electric appliance 1 is transmitted is turned off, or the user of the communication terminal is absent and the communication terminal is not nearby and transmission is not possible. Assuming, an example of transmitting the remaining amount information to the communication terminal via the server will be described.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the ordering system in this embodiment. In FIG. 8, the same components as those in FIG. 5 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The difference from FIG. 5 is that it has a router 6 and a carrier server 7, and the home electric appliance 1 is connected to the wide area public network 3 via the router 6.

Further, FIG. 9 shows a processing sequence of the ordering system in this embodiment. In FIG. 9, the same steps as in FIG. 4 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 9, the home electric appliance 1 transmits the remaining amount information to the AP server 5 via the router 6 when the remaining amount becomes a predetermined amount or less in step S501 (step S502), ((Step S502) of FIG. The route shown in 1). Here, as described above, the transmission timing is such that the remaining amount information is transmitted at the timing immediately before the power is turned off.

Then, in step S503, the AP server 5 transmits the remaining amount information to the communication terminal when the communication terminal starts the application (route shown in (2) of FIG. 8). Alternatively, in step S504, the AP server 5 transmits the remaining amount information as PUSH information to the communication terminal via the carrier server 7 (route shown in (3) of FIG. 8).

Then, as in FIG. 4, the communication terminal 2 displays the remaining amount information (step S405), and the user receives the remaining amount information and orders the consumables from the EC site server 4 (step S406). (Route shown in (4) of FIG. 8).

In the above, the remaining amount information of the consumables is calculated based on the sensor information acquired by the home electric appliance 1 in step S402, but the remaining amount information may be calculated on the AP server 5 side. FIG. 10 shows a processing sequence of the ordering system when the remaining amount information is calculated on the AP server 5 side. In FIG. 10, the same steps as in FIG. 9 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 10, the home appliance 1 acquires sensor information by the sensor 105 that detects the usage state of the consumables in the home appliance 1 in step S601, and the consumption amount, which is the sensor information to the AP server 5 via the router 6. And operation information such as operation time and operation information are transmitted (step S602). Then, in step S603, the AP server 5 calculates the remaining amount information of the consumables based on the acquired operation information and operation information. For example, the remaining amount for one detergent is calculated from the integrated amount of consumption. Further, even if the remaining amount information is not calculated every time, the remaining amount information may be statistically acquired in advance, and the remaining amount may be estimated based on the operation information from the statistics and used as the remaining amount information.

After that, the AP server 5 transmits the remaining amount information to the communication terminal 2 (steps S503 and S504), the communication terminal 2 displays the remaining amount information (step S405), and the user uses the remaining amount information. In response to this, an order for consumables is placed with the EC site server 4 (step S406).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the communication terminal cannot receive the power, the remaining amount information at the time when the usage amount is determined by the home electric appliance can be transmitted to the communication terminal, so that the remaining amount information is transmitted. In addition, it is not necessary for home appliances to be constantly turned on, and it is possible to provide an ordering system that can save power.

In this embodiment, an example of switching the transmission route depending on whether the remaining amount information of the home electric appliance 1 can be transmitted to the communication terminal 2 or not can be described.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the ordering system in this embodiment. In FIG. 11, the same components as those in FIG. 8 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. The difference from FIG. 8 is that the home electric appliance 1 and the communication terminal 2 have a direct communication route (route shown by (5) in FIG. 11).

In FIG. 11, when the remaining amount information can be transmitted to the communication terminal 2, the home electric appliance 1 transmits the remaining amount information to the communication terminal 2 by the route shown in (5), and the user follows the same procedure as in FIG. Orders consumables. On the other hand, if the communication terminal to which the remaining amount information of the home electric appliance 1 is transmitted is turned off, or the user of the communication terminal is absent and the communication terminal is not nearby and transmission is not possible, (6). ), The home electric appliance 1 transmits the remaining amount information to the communication terminal via the router 6 and the AP server 5. As in the second embodiment, the home appliance 1 side may calculate the remaining amount information of the consumables based on the sensor information, or the AP server 5 side may calculate the remaining amount information.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the remaining amount information at the time when the used amount of the home electric appliance is determined can be transmitted to the communication terminal by the shortest route, the home electric appliance always sends the remaining amount information. It is not necessary to keep the power on, and it is possible to provide an ordering system that can save power.

Although the examples have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned examples, and includes various modifications. For example, the communication terminal in the above embodiment may be an information terminal such as a PC or a portable terminal such as a smartphone. Further, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to the one including all the described configurations. Further, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

1: Home appliances, 2: Communication terminals, 3: Wide area public networks, 4: EC site servers, 5: AP servers, 6: Routers, 7: Carrier servers, 102, 201, 501: Control units, 104, 203, 503 : Memory, 105: Sensor, 106, 210: Communication processing unit, 504: Communication unit, 505: Storage

Claims (3)

An ordering system for ordering consumables for home appliances.
It is equipped with a sensor that detects the usage status of the home appliance and the consumables of the home appliance, a control unit that calculates the status information of the consumable from the information detected by the sensor, and a communication processing unit that transmits the status information to the outside. Home appliances and
A server that is connected to the network and receives the status information transmitted from the communication processing unit of the home electric appliance.
A communication terminal including a communication processing unit of the home electric appliance or a communication processing unit that receives state information transmitted from the server and transmits information to the outside.
When the amount of consumables used is determined, the home electric appliance transmits the state information to the communication terminal when the communication terminal is in a receivable state, and when the communication terminal is in a non-receivable state, the state information is transmitted. Send the status information to the server and
The server is an ordering system characterized in that the state information transmitted from the home electric appliance is transmitted to the communication terminal when the communication terminal starts an application or as PUSH information . An ordering system for ordering consumables for home appliances.
It is equipped with a sensor that detects the usage status of the home appliance and the consumables of the home appliance, a control unit that calculates the status information of the consumable from the information detected by the sensor, and a communication processing unit that transmits the status information to the outside. Home appliances and
A server that is connected to the network and receives the status information transmitted from the communication processing unit of the home electric appliance.
A communication terminal including a communication processing unit of the home electric appliance or a communication processing unit that receives state information transmitted from the server and transmits information to the outside.
The home appliance transmits the state information to the communication terminal when the communication terminal is in a receivable state within a predetermined time at the end of operation, and sends the state information to the communication terminal when the communication terminal is in a non-receivable state. Send to the server
The server is an ordering system characterized in that the state information transmitted from the home electric appliance is transmitted to the communication terminal when the communication terminal starts an application or as PUSH information . An ordering system for ordering consumables for home appliances.
It is equipped with a sensor that detects the usage status of the home appliance and the consumables of the home appliance, a control unit that calculates the status information of the consumable from the information detected by the sensor, and a communication processing unit that transmits the status information to the outside. Home appliances and
A server that is connected to the network and receives the status information transmitted from the communication processing unit of the home electric appliance.
A communication terminal including a communication processing unit of the home electric appliance or a communication processing unit that receives state information transmitted from the server and transmits information to the outside.
When the operation of the home electric appliance ends, the state information is transmitted to the communication terminal when the communication terminal is in a receivable state, and the state information is transmitted to the server when the communication terminal is in a non-receivable state. Send to
The server is an ordering system characterized in that the state information transmitted from the home electric appliance is transmitted to the communication terminal when the communication terminal starts an application or as PUSH information .

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