JP7365993B2 - Information processing equipment and information processing system - Google Patents

Description

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

In recent years, household electric appliances (home appliances), so-called smart home appliances, equipped with a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) function have become popular (for example, Patent Document 1). By linking with external devices via a network, smart home appliances can receive instructions for controlling operating conditions, etc., via other devices.

For example, air conditioners have already been used to issue a warning when the temperature is 28°C and automatically start operating when the temperature is 30°C. However, the environment in which the user feels comfortable may vary depending on the user. In this case, uniform automatic control does not necessarily satisfy the user. Therefore, there is room for improvement in this respect.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-44929 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-149795

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to incorporate the user's intention into the automatic control of smart home appliances, and to make it possible to perform automatic control with settings and conditions that reflect the user's intention.

The information processing device of the embodiment includes an external information acquisition unit that acquires environment-related information emitted by home appliances and environment-related information provided by a cloud-connected external device, and a predetermined set of environment-related information acquired by the external information acquisition unit. a determination unit that determines whether or not it is necessary to control the operation of the home appliance based on the rules; and a trend prediction unit that predicts a change trend of the environment within a certain period of time based on the information acquired by the external information acquisition unit, and the determination unit includes a If it is predicted that the temperature or humidity will change based on the prediction result, it is determined that the operation control of the home appliance is necessary .

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the television device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration and functions of the recommendation server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the connection relationship of each part included in the information processing system and the functional configuration of the television device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a television device displaying notification information according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically explaining information transmission in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically explaining information transmission in the information processing system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically explaining information transmission in the information processing system according to the third embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically explaining information transmission in the information processing system according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically explaining information transmission in the information processing system 1 according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically explaining information transmission in the information processing system 1 according to the sixth embodiment.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system 1 according to the first embodiment. The information processing system 1 includes a home appliance management server 200, a recommendation server 300, and each device in the house H (a television device 10, a home appliance 20, and a wireless LAN router 30, which will be described later), and these are connected to each other so that they can communicate. It is constituted by Further, the information processing system 1 is communicably connected to the external cloud 400 when necessary depending on the driving mode. Such an information processing system 1 manages the home appliance 20 by transmitting and receiving information to and from the home appliance 20 .

The recommendation server 300 is an example of an information processing device in this embodiment. Note that although the home appliance management server 200, recommendation server 300, and external cloud 400 are shown as a single device in FIG. 1 for convenience, implementation is not limited to such a configuration; It does not matter if it is realized by a device. Further, the home appliance management server 200 and the recommendation server 300 may be realized by the same device.

Note that the devices configuring the home appliance management server 200, the recommendation server 300, and the external cloud 400 include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or an SSD. This is an information processing device with a general computer configuration, including a solid state drive (Solid State Drive), etc.

In this embodiment, a case where the television device (receiving device) 10 is used in a general household H will be described as an example. Note that the house H is not limited to a single-family house, but may be one residence in an apartment complex.

House H is equipped with, for example, a television device 10, a washing machine 20a, a refrigerator 20b, an air conditioner (air conditioner) 20c, and a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router 30.

The television device 10, the washing machine 20a, the refrigerator 20b, and the air conditioner 20c are smart home appliances (also referred to as IoT (Internet of Things) home appliances) equipped with a wireless communication function. Hereinafter, when the washing machine 20a, the refrigerator 20b, and the air conditioner 20c are collectively referred to, they will simply be referred to as the home appliances 20.

The wireless LAN router 30 can be wirelessly connected to the television device 10 and the home appliances 20, and relays communication connections between the television device 10 and the home appliances 20 and the network N. The wireless LAN router 30 is an example of a communication relay device in this embodiment. Note that the wireless LAN standard is not particularly limited, but is based on, for example, the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standard.

Note that the wireless LAN router 30 may also have a function as a wired LAN router. Further, the wireless LAN router 30 may also serve as a modem or an optical line termination device, or a modem or an optical line termination device may be installed separately from the wireless LAN router 30.

Network N is, for example, the Internet. The home appliance 20 connects to the network N via the wireless LAN router 30 by connecting to the wireless LAN router 30 via wireless LAN. The home appliances 20 are managed and monitored by the home appliance management server 200 via the network N.

Moreover, the home appliance 20 functions as a wireless LAN access point when it is not wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN router 30. More specifically, when the home appliance 20 is not wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN router 30, the home appliance 20 transmits a signal including the SSID (Service Set Identifier) of the home appliance 20 by wireless communication. For example, the washing machine 20a transmits the SSID "yyyzzz_bb_xxxx" of the washing machine 20a. The SSID is an example of identification information of the home appliance 20 in this embodiment.

Furthermore, when the home appliance 20 is wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN router 30, it operates as a wireless LAN client, and therefore does not transmit the SSID to the surrounding area.

Note that the number of wireless LAN routers 30 and home appliances 20 installed in house H, and the types of home appliances 20 are not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1.

The television device 10 displays various video contents distributed via broadcast waves or the Internet, for example.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the television device 10 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the television device 10 includes, for example, an antenna 101, an input terminal 102a, a tuner 103, a demodulator 104, a demultiplexer 105, input terminals 102b and 102c, and an A/D (analog /digital) converter 106, selector 107, signal processing section 108, speaker 109, display panel (external display section) 110, operation section 111, light receiving section 112, wireless communication device 113, CPU 114, , memory 115, and storage 116.

Antenna 101 receives a digital broadcast signal, and supplies the received broadcast signal to tuner 103 via input terminal 102a. The tuner 103 selects a desired channel of the broadcast signal from the broadcast signals supplied from the antenna 101 and supplies the selected broadcast signal to the demodulator 104 . Broadcast signals are also called broadcast waves.

Demodulator 104 demodulates the broadcast signal supplied from tuner 103 and supplies the demodulated broadcast signal to demultiplexer 105 . Demultiplexer 105 separates the broadcast signal supplied from demodulator 104 to generate a video signal and an audio signal, and supplies the generated video signal and audio signal to selector 107 .

The selector 107 is configured to select one signal from a plurality of signals supplied from the demultiplexer 105, the A/D converter 106, and the input terminal 102c, and supply the selected signal to the signal processing section 108. ing.

The signal processing unit 108 is configured to perform predetermined signal processing on the video signal supplied from the selector 107 and supply the processed video signal to the display panel 110. Further, the signal processing unit 108 is configured to perform predetermined signal processing on the audio signal supplied from the selector 107 and supply the processed audio signal to the speaker 109.

The speaker 109 is configured to output audio or various sounds based on the audio signal supplied from the signal processing unit 108. Further, the speaker 109 changes the volume of the audio or various sounds to be output based on control by the CPU 114.

The display panel 110 is configured to display images such as still images and moving images based on a video signal supplied from the signal processing unit 108 or under control by the CPU 114. Display panel 110 is an example of a display section.

The input terminal 102b receives analog signals (video signals and audio signals) input from the outside. Furthermore, the input terminal 102c receives digital signals (video signals and audio signals) input from the outside. The A/D converter 106 supplies the selector 107 with a digital signal generated by performing A/D conversion on the analog signal supplied from the input terminal 102b.

The operation unit 111 receives operation input from a user (operator). Further, the light receiving unit 112 receives infrared rays from the remote controller 119.

The wireless communication device 113 wirelessly communicates with the wireless LAN router 30. The wireless communication device 113 is, for example, a wireless LAN module.

Furthermore, the wireless communication device 113 detects a signal including the SSID emitted from a surrounding wireless LAN access point. For example, the wireless communication device 113 detects signals emitted from home appliances 20 around the television device 10. The wireless communication device 113 sends the SSID of the home appliance 20 included in the detected signal to the CPU 114. The wireless communication device 113 is an example of a detection unit in this embodiment.

Note that the television device 10 may include a network interface for wired connection. Further, if the wireless LAN router 30 also has a function as a wired LAN router, the television device 10 may be connected to the wireless LAN router 30 by wire. Further, in this embodiment, the television device 10 may be connected to a router other than the wireless LAN router 30, a modem, or an optical line terminal device.

The memory 115 is a ROM that stores various computer programs executed by the CPU 114, a RAM that provides a work area for the CPU 114, or the like.

Further, the storage 116 is an HDD, an SSD, or the like. For example, the storage 116 records the signal selected by the selector 107 as recorded data. Furthermore, the memory 115 and the storage 116 store various types of information used by the CPU 114 to execute processing.

The CPU 114 functions as a control unit that controls the entire television device 10 by executing a program stored in the memory 115.

The control section of the television device 10 functions as a display control section. The display control unit causes the display unit (display panel 110) to display the information received from the recommendation server 300, superimposed on the video content being displayed (distributed via broadcast waves or the Internet).

Here, in this embodiment, the television device 10 is used as a display device that displays information regarding other smart home appliances, but in implementation, the television device 10 is used to display information about other smart home appliances. 10 may be applied to the relevant application. Alternatively, a terminal device equipped with a display unit, such as a smartphone owned by the user, may be used for the purpose instead of the television device 10.

Note that the hardware configuration of the television device 10 shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and is not limited to this.

Returning to FIG. 1, the air conditioner 20c includes a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. The air conditioner 20c periodically outputs measured values (environmental values, information regarding the environment) from a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. Information output by the air conditioner 20c is transmitted to the home appliance management server 200 via the wireless LAN router 30 and network N.

The home appliance management server 200 is communicably connected to each home appliance 20 via the network N and the wireless LAN router 30, and manages and monitors each home appliance 20. Further, upon receiving information regarding the environment emitted by the home appliances 20, the home appliance management server 200 transfers the information to the recommendation server 300.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration and functions of the recommendation server 300 according to the first embodiment. The recommendation server 300 acquires environmental information (for example, temperature and humidity) emitted by the home appliances 20 via the home appliance management server 200, and sends recommendation notifications based on predetermined rules (recommendation rules 322 described below) regarding the operation of the air conditioner 20c. is performed by the television device 10. More specifically, the recommendation server 300 issues a notification (recommendation notification) to confirm the user's intention prior to controlling the operation of the air conditioner 20c, which has conventionally been done automatically.

The recommendation server 300 includes a control section 310, a storage section 320, and a communication I/F (Interface) 301. The communication I/F 301 is communicably connected to other devices included in the information processing system 1 via the network N.

The CPU of the recommendation server 300 implements various functional units 311 to 315 included in the control unit 310 by executing programs stored in the ROM or HDD. The storage unit 320 is an HDD (or SSD) or the like.

The storage unit 320 stores threshold information 321, recommendation rules 322, and an IoT Web API program (hereinafter simply referred to as an API program) 323. The threshold information 321 stores various threshold values used for determining whether to send a recommendation notification. The recommendation rules 322 are various conditions used to determine whether to send a recommendation notification. The API program 323 is a program that is executed by the control unit 310 to provide an API (Application Programming Interface) function for performing communication and operation control with IoT compatible devices (that is, home appliances 20) via the Web.

The recommendation rule 322 specifies that, for example, a recommendation notification will be executed in the case of (1) below.
(1) An index based on input environment-related information (environmental value) exceeds a predetermined upper threshold (or falls below a lower threshold).
Here, the environmental values are, for example, measured values of a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. Further, the index is, for example, a heat index (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, WBGT) or a discomfort index.

Here, an example will be described in which both temperature and humidity are referred to, but in practice, recommendation notifications may be made with reference to only either temperature or humidity.

Prior to explaining each of the functional units 311 to 315 included in the control unit 310, the connection relationship between each unit included in the information processing system 1 will be explained. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the connection relationship of each part included in the information processing system 1 and the functional configuration of the television device 10. Here, the television device 10 further includes a BT (Bluetooth (registered trademark)) IF (Interface) 117 and a MIC (microphone) 118. The BTIF 117 enables wireless connection between the television device 10 and the home appliance 20 that complies with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. The MIC 118 converts the input audio into an electrical signal and outputs it to the control unit (CPU 114).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the home appliance 20 further includes an IoT sensor 20d and an IoT remote controller 20e. The IoT sensor 20d performs output according to temperature and humidity. The output is transmitted to the recommendation server 300 via the wireless LAN router 30 (or BTIF 117), the network N, and the home appliance management server 200. Furthermore, the IoT remote controller 20e receives an instruction from the recommendation server 300 via the network N and the wireless LAN router 30 (or BTIF 117), and outputs a signal for controlling the home appliance 20.

The control unit of the television device 10 realizes a smart home application (application) 120 by executing a program. The smart home application 120 is application software for controlling or monitoring the home appliances 20, and includes, for example, a VUI (Voice User Interface) 121, a notification display function 122, an IoT cooperation setting function 123, and an IoT device BT connection function 124. We are prepared.

The notification display function 122 controls the operation of the home appliance 20 when it is determined that the operation control of the home appliance 20 is necessary based on the information regarding the environment (environmental value) emitted by the home appliance 20 and a predetermined rule (recommendation rule 322). This is an example of a UI providing unit that provides a user interface for confirming the user's intention in advance. Further, the VUI 121 is an example of an operation reception unit that receives an operation indicating the user's intention via the user interface (recommendation notification) provided by the UI providing unit (notification display function 122).

Specifically, the notification display function 122 displays a recommendation notification to the user by displaying an image or text on the display panel 110. The VUI 121 is a user interface for the user to make decisions, operations, etc. by voice. The VUI 121 takes in the user's voice via the MIC 118.

Furthermore, when there is an instruction regarding the operation control of the home appliance 20 according to the operation received by the operation reception unit (VUI 121), the IoT cooperation setting function 123 and the IoT device BT connection function 124 transmit the instruction to the home appliance 20. This is an example of an instruction transfer unit that transfers instructions via a predetermined route that can be transferred. Specifically, the IoT cooperation setting function 123 performs settings used for cooperation with each IoT device (home appliance 20). The IoT device BT connection function 124 performs Bluetooth connection with each IoT device (home appliance 20) using the BTIF 117.

Returning to FIG. 3, the control unit 310 includes an external information acquisition unit 311, an index calculation unit 312, a determination unit 313, a confirmation unit 314, an instruction unit 315, and the like.

The external information acquisition unit 311 acquires information regarding the environment emitted by the home appliance 20. Specifically, the external information acquisition unit 311 transmits measured values (environmental values) output by the temperature sensor/humidity sensor included in the air conditioner 20c, other sensors (the IoT sensor 20d which is a temperature/humidity sensor), etc. to the network. It is acquired from the home appliance management server 200 via N. Note that this acquisition may be based on a response obtained by the external information acquisition unit 311 requesting the home appliance management server 200 at a predetermined timing, or a response obtained by the home appliance management server 200 at an arbitrary or predetermined timing. It may also be due to the fact that

The index calculation unit 312 calculates an index based on the environmental value acquired by the external information acquisition unit 311. The index is, for example, a heat index (WBGT) or a discomfort index.

The determining unit 313 determines whether or not it is necessary to control the operation of the home appliance 20 based on the index calculated from the environmental value and a predetermined rule (recommend rule 322). Specifically, the determining unit 313 determines whether or not the operation control of the air conditioner 20c is necessary by comparing an index calculated from the measured values of temperature and humidity with a threshold value.

When the determining unit 313 determines that operational control of the home appliance 20 is necessary, the confirming unit 314 confirms the user's intention regarding the operational control. Specifically, when the determining unit 313 determines that driving control is necessary, the confirming unit 314 generates notification information suitable for the situation, and notifies this via the television device 10. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the television device 10 currently displaying notification information.

Upon receiving the received notification information, the television device 10 displays the content of the notification information over the image currently being displayed on the display panel 110. The notification information includes, for example, an icon 1101, a speech bubble 1102, and a button 1103 as an operator for accepting operations by the user. Icon 1101 indicates the source of the notification. A balloon 1102 displays the notification content. The content of the notification is, for example, "Heatstroke prevention measures are required. Would you like to turn on the air conditioner and adjust the temperature? Please say 'Turn on the air conditioner.'" Button 1103 accepts an operation to close the notification without performing driving control.

When the television device 10 receives a user's response (i.e., voice or operation on the button 1103), the control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 acquires the response and, as the instruction unit 315, performs processing according to the content of the user's response. I do. When the user's response is a voice instructing to start operating the air conditioner 20c, the instruction unit 315 outputs a signal instructing to start operating the air conditioner 20c.

The information processing system 1 having such a configuration operates as follows. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically explaining information transmission of the information processing system 1.

First, the control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300, as the external information acquisition unit 311, acquires the temperature and humidity output by the air conditioner 20c and the IoT sensor 20d (steps S1-1 and S1-2). Note that in step S1-1, the current operating status of the air conditioner 20c is also provided. Thereby, the recommendation server 300 can recognize the current operating status of the air conditioner 20c.

Next, the control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300, as the index calculation unit 312, calculates a heat index and a discomfort index based on the acquired temperature and humidity (step S2).

If at least one of the heat index and the discomfort index does not exceed the upper threshold of the index (or does not fall below the lower threshold), the control unit 310, as the determination unit 313, controls the operation of the air conditioner 20c. It is determined that it is unnecessary and this process ends without sending a recommendation notification.

When at least one of the heat index and the discomfort index exceeds the upper threshold of the index (or falls below the lower threshold), the control unit 310, as the determination unit 313, controls the operation of the air conditioner 20c. It is determined that it is necessary, generates notification information, and outputs it to the television device 10 (step S3). When the television device 10 receives the notification information, the notification display function 122 displays the content of the recommendation notification (notification information) superimposed on the image currently being displayed on the display panel 110 (step S4).

Next, when the user who has seen the recommendation notification gives a voice instruction such as "turn on the air conditioner," the VUI 121 accepts this and outputs it to the recommendation server 300 (step S5).

The recommendation server 300, into which the content of the user's voice instruction has been input, performs processing in accordance with the content of the user's response as the instruction unit 315 (step S6). At this time, the instruction unit 315 outputs, for example, a signal to the air conditioner 20c via the wireless LAN router 30 instructing it to start operating.

Note that in step S6, if the air conditioner 20c is not an IoT home appliance, the instruction unit 315 of the recommendation server 300 outputs a signal to control the infrared controller of the IoT remote controller 20e via the wireless LAN router 30 (step S7). . The IoT remote control 20e that has received the signal outputs an Ir command from the infrared controller (step S8). Furthermore, the television device 10 may mediate the signal output from the recommendation server 300 to the IoT remote control 20e (steps S9 and S10).

According to such an information processing system 1, the user's intention regarding the automatic driving control can be taken into consideration prior to automatic driving control. As a result, the user's intention, which was not reflected in the conventional uniformly automatic driving control, can be reflected in the driving control. This makes it possible to control the operation according to the user's preferences, making it easier to satisfy the user.

In addition, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which the display panel 110 of the television device 10 is used as a display unit that performs recommendation notification, but in implementation, the display unit may be connected to the information processing system 1 such as a smartphone or a tablet. It may be a display panel included in a communicable device.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. Since this embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, detailed explanations of the same parts as in the first embodiment will be omitted and the same reference numerals will be used.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically explaining information transmission in the information processing system 1 according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the user who sees the recommendation notification as shown in FIG. 5 does not return his/her intention to the television device 10 by voice or the like, but directly operates the air conditioner 20c by operating the remote control etc. of the air conditioner 20c. This is about the case (step S81). In this case, the air conditioner 20c returns feedback information to the recommendation server 300 (step S82). The feedback information is the content of the operation performed by the user using a remote control or the like. When feedback information is input from the air conditioner 20c, the control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 recognizes that it corresponds to the recommendation notification sent immediately before.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. Since this embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, detailed explanations of the same parts as in the first embodiment will be omitted and the same reference numerals will be used.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically explaining information transmission in the information processing system 1 according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, if there is no response from the user after the recommendation notification (step S4), a new notification is sent to the user or his/her related person (step S51).

Here, the case where there is no response from the user means a voice response as in step S5, or feedback from the air conditioner 20c caused by a user operation (step S81) as in the second embodiment. Step S82). If there is no response from the user, it is possible that the user did not notice the recommendation, so after a certain period of time, for example, a notification is sent to the terminal device associated with the user, such as a smartphone, or the user Contact the email address or phone number associated with the person, or notify the family to watch over them. The monitoring notification is performed by contacting the email address or phone number of the family member registered in association with the user.

This makes it possible to reliably deliver recommendation notifications to users, improving convenience. Additionally, in the unlikely event that the user is unable to respond to recommendation notifications, a monitoring notification can be delivered to the family associated with the user.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Since this embodiment is a modification of the second embodiment, detailed descriptions of the same parts as in the second embodiment will be omitted and the same reference numerals will be used.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically explaining information transmission in the information processing system 1 according to the fourth embodiment. First, the present embodiment adds the washing machine 20a to the second embodiment as an object of automatic control and user intention confirmation (recommendation notification) prior to the automatic control.

Furthermore, the external information acquisition unit 311 of the recommendation server 300 of this embodiment acquires weather information from the external cloud 400 (step S1-3). Note that the external cloud 400 in this case is, for example, a website on the Internet that provides weather forecast information.

Furthermore, the control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 of this embodiment further includes a trend prediction unit 316 (see FIG. 3). The trend prediction unit 316 predicts the change trend of the environment within a certain period of time based on information acquired from the outside. The trend prediction unit 316 of this embodiment predicts future trends in temperature and humidity based on the weather information acquired in step S1-3 (step S21).

Further, in this embodiment, the user who saw the recommendation notification (step S4) operates the washing machine 20a (step S83), and the washing machine 20a returns feedback information to the recommendation server 300 (step S84). is assumed.

According to this configuration, for example, if it is predicted that the temperature and humidity will suddenly change to levels unsuitable for washing, a recommendation notification to the user (step S41) will be sent to recommend that the user change the reserved time for washing. It becomes possible to present information such as Thereby, it is possible to change the driving reservation of the home appliance 20 by taking into account information that can be obtained from the external cloud 400, such as weather information.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. Since this embodiment is a modification of the fourth embodiment, detailed descriptions of the same parts as in the fourth embodiment will be omitted and the same reference numerals will be used.

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically explaining information transmission in the information processing system 1 according to the fifth embodiment. First, in this embodiment, a response by the VUI 121 (step S52) is added to the fourth embodiment. In this embodiment, when the user who has viewed the recommendation notification (step S41) gives a voice instruction such as "start washing", the VUI 121 accepts this and outputs it to the recommendation server 300 (step S51).

The recommendation server 300, into which the content of the user's voice instruction has been input, performs processing in accordance with the content of the user's response as the instruction unit 315 (step S61). At this time, the instruction unit 315 outputs, for example, a signal to the washing machine 20a, via the wireless LAN router 30, instructing the washing machine 20a to start operation.

With this configuration as well, the same effects as in the previous embodiment can be obtained.

(Sixth embodiment)
Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. Since this embodiment is a modification of the other embodiments described above, detailed descriptions of the same parts as those of the other embodiments will be omitted and the same reference numerals will be used.

FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically explaining information transmission in the information processing system 1 according to the sixth embodiment. The control unit 310 of the recommendation server 300 of this embodiment further includes a rule update unit 317 (see FIG. 3). The rule update unit 317 creates a user's personal profile (step S25) by detecting modifications to the automatic operation (step S23) and learning the comfort level (step S24), and updates the recommendation rule 322.

Specifically, as a result of automatic control, for example, there is a case where the set temperature of the air conditioner 20c is lowered by 0.5°C, and then the user raises the set temperature by 0.5°C within a predetermined time. Suppose that it occurs with a frequency (a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period). In this case, in step S23, the occurrence of the case is detected, and the frequency of occurrence of the case is calculated. In this case, in step S24, for example, it is learned that the temperature setting suitable for the user is 0.5° C. higher than the standard temperature. Then, in step S25, the user's comfort index with respect to the environmental values is calculated and recorded in the storage unit 320 as the user's personal profile. Then, the recommendation rule 322 is updated based on the recorded personal profile and used for the next operation.

According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the other embodiments, it is possible to provide recommendation notifications according to the user's preferences.

Note that the programs executed by the information processing system 1 of the above-described first to sixth embodiments and modifications are provided by being incorporated in a ROM or the like in advance.

The programs executed in the information processing system 1 of the first to sixth embodiments and modifications described above are files in an installable format or an executable format and can be stored on a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), or a CD-R. The information may be provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

Furthermore, the programs to be executed by the information processing system 1 of the first to sixth embodiments and modifications described above are stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet, and provided by being downloaded via the network. It may be configured as follows. Further, the programs executed by the information processing system 1 of the first to sixth embodiments and modifications described above may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

The program executed by the information processing system 1 of the first to sixth embodiments and modified examples described above includes the above-mentioned units (external information acquisition unit 311, index calculation unit 312, determination unit 313, confirmation unit 314, instruction unit 315, a trend prediction unit 316, and a rule update unit 317), and in actual hardware, the CPU (processor) reads the program from the ROM and executes it, so that each of the above units is stored in the main memory. The external information acquisition unit 311, index calculation unit 312, judgment unit 313, confirmation unit 314, instruction unit 315, trend prediction unit 316, and rule update unit 317 are generated on the main storage. .

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

1... Information processing system 10... Television device (receiving device)
110...Display panel (external display section)
113...Wireless communication device 114...CPU, 115...Memory, 116...Storage,
117...BTIF, 118...MIC, 119...Remote controller 120...Smart home application 121...VUI, 122...Notification display function,
123... IoT cooperation setting function, 124... IoT device BT connection function 20... Home appliance, 20a... Washing machine, 20c... Air conditioner,
20d... IoT sensor, 20e... IoT remote control 30... Wireless LAN router 200... Home appliance management server 300... Recommendation server 310... Control unit 311... External information acquisition unit, 312... Index calculation unit,
313... Judgment unit, 314... Confirmation unit, 315... Instruction unit,
316... Trend prediction unit, 317... Rule update unit 320... Storage unit 321... Threshold information, 322... Recommendation rule, 323... API program 400... External cloud 1101... Icon, 1102... Speech bubble, 1103... Button

Claims (2)

an external information acquisition unit that acquires environment-related information emitted by home appliances and environment-related information provided by cloud-connected external devices;
a determination unit that determines whether or not it is necessary to control the operation of the home appliance based on the information regarding the environment acquired by the external information acquisition unit and a predetermined rule;
a confirmation unit that confirms the user's intention regarding the operation control when the judgment unit determines that operation control of the home appliance is necessary;
a trend prediction unit that predicts a change trend in the environment within a certain period of time based on the information acquired by the external information acquisition unit;
Equipped with
The determination unit determines that operation control of the home appliance is necessary when a change in temperature or humidity is predicted from the prediction result of the trend prediction unit. An information processing system that manages home appliances by transmitting and receiving information to and from the home appliances,
an external information acquisition unit that acquires environment-related information emitted by the home appliance and environment-related information provided by a cloud-connected external device ;
a determination unit that determines whether or not it is necessary to control the operation of the home appliance based on the information regarding the environment acquired by the external information acquisition unit and a predetermined rule;
a confirmation unit that confirms the user's intention regarding the operation control when the judgment unit determines that operation control of the home appliance is necessary;
a trend prediction unit that predicts a change trend in the environment within a certain period of time based on the information acquired by the external information acquisition unit;
including;
The determination unit determines that operation control of the home appliance is necessary when a change in temperature or humidity is predicted from the prediction result of the trend prediction unit.
Information processing system.

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