JP7457475B2 - Electrical equipment and equipment control systems - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to electrical equipment and equipment control systems.

2. Description of the Related Art Electrical devices that can perform operations depending on the situation are known. As an example, an electrical device that can perform utterances depending on the situation is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, when any one of a plurality of doors provided on a refrigerator is opened, a server searches for an advertisement corresponding to the opened door and the date and time, and the searched advertisement is output from the refrigerator.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-133045

In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, information (for example, advertisement) is output from the refrigerator according to the type and date and time of the door that was opened among a plurality of doors provided in the refrigerator. However, the information according to the type of opened door and date and time may not be information suitable for the actual user situation (for example, the user's behavior pattern, life rhythm, etc.).

One aspect of the present invention is to provide an electrical device and a device control system that can perform operations suitable for actual user situations.

An electrical device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an operating unit capable of executing a plurality of operation modes, and a first information acquired by the electrical device among the plurality of operation modes, and a first information acquired by the electrical device, and another information different from the electrical device. and a control unit that causes the operation unit to execute one of the operation modes determined based on the second information acquired by the electric device.

An equipment control system according to one aspect of the present invention is an equipment control system including at least a first electrical equipment and a second electrical equipment different from the first electrical equipment, the equipment control system being acquired by the first electrical equipment. one of the plurality of operation modes executable by the first electric device based on the first information acquired by the second electric device and the second information acquired by the second electric device; The apparatus includes an operation determining section that determines the operation, and an execution control section that causes the first electric device to execute the determined one operation mode.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a device control system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of various devices included in the device control system. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a device information database. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of a speech pattern table. In the first embodiment, this is an example of a process flow executed in the refrigerator. It is a figure which shows an example of the utterance mode of a refrigerator. It is a figure which shows an example of the utterance mode of a refrigerator. It is a figure showing an example of the functional composition of the control part of the server in a second embodiment. It is an example of the processing flow executed by the server of the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of a control mode determination table. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a data configuration of a control pattern table. It is an example of the processing flow executed by the server of the third embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings, identical or equivalent elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a device control system 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the device control system 100 includes, for example, a refrigerator 101, a server 102, a plurality of electrical devices 103, and a mobile terminal 104. The refrigerator 101 has, for example, a plurality of doors 110, and stores food and the like in an internal storage room. The server 102 is a computer that mainly collects and manages data from various devices. Each of the plurality of electrical devices 103 has at least a predetermined main function and a communication function. The mobile terminal 104 is a wireless communication device that can be carried and operated by a user, and includes, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, and a tablet.

In the device control system 100 of this embodiment, a refrigerator 101 and a plurality of electrical devices 103 are provided in a user's home 10. Refrigerator 101 and multiple electrical devices 103 are connected to access point 108 via wired or wireless communication. These devices can be connected to a network 109 such as the Internet via an access point 108. As an example, the plurality of electrical devices 103 are home appliances such as an air conditioner, a lighting device, a television, a door locking device, an air purifier, and an electric cooker. Server 102 is also connected to network 109. Mobile terminal 104 can be connected to network 109 via access point 108 or base station.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of various devices included in the device control system 100. Refrigerator 101 includes, for example, a control section 211, a storage section 212, a communication section 213, an operation section 214, a detection section 215, and the like. The control unit 211 includes, for example, a CPU, and controls the refrigerator 101 by executing various information processes according to programs stored in the storage unit 212. The control unit 211 may be an MCU, an MPU, or the like. The storage unit 212 is a non-transitory storage medium that can store programs and data, and is, for example, a flash memory or a RAM. The communication unit 213 is an interface for wirelessly or wired communication with the server 102 via the network 109.

The operation unit 214 is capable of executing a plurality of operation modes related to various functions of the refrigerator 101 (for example, a cooling function, a speech function, a display function, etc.), and is, for example, a compressor, a fan, a speaker, a display, and the like. The detection unit 215 is capable of detecting the usage state and control state of the refrigerator 101 , and includes, for example, a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the storage room (so-called inside the refrigerator), an opening/closing sensor that detects the opening and closing of the door 110 , and a sensor that detects the temperature around the refrigerator 101 . It includes a temperature sensor that detects the temperature, an article sensor that detects articles in the storage room, a human sensor that detects people around the refrigerator 101, a timer that measures time, and the like.

In this embodiment, the control unit 211 executes the program, so that the first information acquired by the refrigerator 101 and other electric devices different from the refrigerator 101 (the plurality of electric devices 103 and A functional block is realized that causes the operation unit 214 to execute one operation mode determined based on the second information acquired by the mobile terminal 104). The operating unit 214 is capable of outputting a plurality of predetermined speech patterns. The control unit 211 causes the operating unit 214 to output a voice of one speech pattern determined based on the first information and the second information.

For example, the first information includes information indicating the usage status of refrigerator 101. The second information includes information indicating the usage status of other electronic devices (the plurality of electrical devices 103 and the mobile terminal 104). The first operating mode is an operating mode that is determined based on the first information and the second information and that corresponds to the lifestyle rhythm of the user who uses the refrigerator 101.

The server 102 includes, for example, a control section 221, a storage section 222, and a communication section 223. The control unit 221 includes, for example, a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and controls the server 102. The storage unit 222 is a non-transitory storage medium that can store programs and data, and is a large-capacity nonvolatile memory configured by, for example, an HDD. The control unit 221 executes various processes according to programs and data stored in the storage unit 222. The communication unit 223 is an interface for communicating with various devices (for example, the refrigerator 101, the electric device 103, and the mobile terminal 104) via the network 109.

Each of the plurality of electrical devices 103 includes, for example, a control section 231, a main function section 232, and a communication section 233. The control unit 231 is, for example, a microcomputer including a CPU, a memory, etc., and controls the electrical equipment 103. In the control unit 231, the CPU executes various information processing according to programs and data stored in the memory. The control unit 231 may include, for example, a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc.

The main function unit 232 executes various functions of the electrical device 103. For example, when the electrical device 103 is an air conditioner, the main function unit 232 controls a known indoor unit and an outdoor unit to perform the air conditioning function. When the electrical device 103 is a lighting device, the main function unit 232 controls a light source, such as an LED, to perform a lighting function. When the electrical device 103 is a door locking device, the main function unit 232 controls the locking mechanism to lock and unlock the door. The communication unit 233 is similar to the communication unit 213.

The mobile terminal 104 includes, for example, a control section 241, a storage section 242, a communication section 243, an input section 244, and an output section 245. The control unit 241 controls the mobile terminal 104. Note that the control unit 241, storage unit 242, and communication unit 243 are the same as the control unit 211, storage unit 212, and communication unit 213 described above, so a description thereof will be omitted. The input unit 244 includes, for example, physical keys, a microphone, a touch panel, and the like. The output unit 245 includes, for example, a display, a lamp, a speaker, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the device information database 300. In this embodiment, the user registers each of the refrigerator 101, the server 102, the plurality of electrical devices 103, and the mobile terminal 104 in the server 102 in advance as devices to be monitored. Each monitored device automatically transmits device information indicating the operation or control details to the server 102 in response to a predetermined device operation or device control. In the server 102, the device information received from each device to be monitored is stored in a device information database 300 (see FIG. 3) provided in the storage unit 222, for example, in chronological order.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, each device information registered in the device information database 300 includes a device ID, device type, operation date and time, and status data. The device ID is identification information unique to the monitored device. The device type is the device type of the monitored device. The operation date and time indicates the acquisition date and time of the status data in the monitored device. The status data indicates the operation or control details of the monitored device.

In this embodiment, the user selects the device type "smartphone" with the device ID "S241", the device type "air conditioner" with the device ID "C011", the device type "living lighting" with the device ID "L022", and the device to be monitored. A case is illustrated in which the device type "refrigerator" with the ID "R821" and the device type "entrance key" with the device ID "D009" are registered. In FIG. 1, the above-mentioned "refrigerator" corresponds to the refrigerator 101. The above “air conditioner”, “living room lighting”, and “entrance key” correspond to the plurality of electrical devices 103. The above “smartphone” corresponds to the mobile terminal 104.

For example, the device information 301 to 303 is a history of device operations performed by the user upon waking up. The device information 301 indicates the device type "smartphone" and status data "alarm operation on" in response to the fact that the application of the mobile terminal 104 executed an alarm operation at the set time. The device information 302 includes the device type "air conditioner" and status data "power on (cooling mode, 26 degrees Celsius)" in response to the user starting the cooling mode of the air conditioner, which is the electrical device 103, at a set temperature of 26 degrees Celsius. shows. The device information 303 indicates the device type "living room lighting" and the status data "power on" in response to the user turning on the living room lighting, which is the electric device 103.

The device information 304 and 305 is a history of device operations performed after a predetermined period of time or more (for example, one hour or more) has passed since the user woke up. The device information 304 and 305 indicate the device type "refrigerator" and status data "refrigerator door open" and "refrigerator door closed" in response to the user opening and closing the refrigerator door 110 of the refrigerator 101. . Note that the opening and closing of the door 110 of the refrigerator compartment may be detected by the opening/closing sensor of the detection unit 215.

Device information 306 to 309 is a history of device operations performed by the user when going out. Device information 306 indicates that the user has turned off the air conditioner. Device information 307 indicates that the user has turned off the living room lighting. The device information 308 indicates the device type "entrance key" and the state data "key unlocked" in response to the fact that the user unlocks the entrance key, which is the electric device 103, to open the entrance door. The device information 309 indicates the device type "entrance key" and status data "key locked" in response to the user closing the entrance door and locking the entrance key.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the speech pattern table 400. In the refrigerator 101 of this embodiment, the operation unit 214 has a speech function that outputs a plurality of speech patterns. The plurality of speech patterns are defined in a speech pattern table 400 provided in the storage section 212.

In the speech pattern table 400 illustrated in FIG. 4, a speech ID, speech conditions, and a speech enable state are defined for each of multiple speech patterns. The speech ID is identification information unique to the speech pattern. The speech conditions indicate the conditions for outputting the speech pattern aloud. The speech enable state indicates the state of the user in which the speech pattern can be output aloud. For example, the speech pattern "Good morning" with speech ID "H01" is output when the speech condition "Door 110 was opened within the period from 5:00 to 10:00" is satisfied and the user is in the speech enable state "upon waking up". In this example, each speech pattern can be output up to once a day.

An example of the processing flow executed in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is an example of a process flow executed by the refrigerator 101 in the first embodiment. For example, when the refrigerator 101 is powered on, the control unit 211 starts the processing flow shown in FIG. 5 .

As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 211 determines whether the speech condition is satisfied (S101). For example, the control unit 211 determines, based on the detection result of the detection unit 215, whether any of the plurality of speech conditions defined in the speech pattern table 400 is satisfied. If any utterance condition is satisfied (S101: YES), the control unit 211 refers to the utterance pattern table 400 and specifies the utterance pattern that satisfies the utterance condition (S102).

Next, the control unit 211 transmits a status request to the server 102 (S103). The status request is a command that inquires about the estimated status of the user. In this embodiment, upon receiving the status request, the server 102 identifies the user's behavior pattern based on a plurality of pieces of device information registered in the device information database 300. The server 102 estimates the current user state based on the identified behavior pattern. The server 102 returns the estimated state, which is the estimated user state, to the refrigerator 101, which is the source of the state request. The control unit 211 acquires the estimated state returned from the server 102 (S104).

After S104 is executed, or if the speech condition is not satisfied (S101: NO), the control unit 211 refers to the speech pattern table 400 and determines whether the acquired estimated state is an utterance-enabled state for the speech pattern identified in S102 (S105). If the estimated state is an utterance-enabled state (S105: YES), the control unit 211 causes the operation unit 214 to execute speech control for the identified speech pattern (S106). As a result, the speech pattern identified in S102 is output as voice from the refrigerator 101. After S106 is executed, or if the estimated state is not an utterance-enabled state (S105: NO), the process returns to S101.

In the device control system 100 of the first implementation device, the operation mode of the refrigerator 101 executed based on the above processing flow will be specifically described. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an example of the speech mode of the refrigerator 101.

As a first example, assume that the user wakes up at 6:00 a.m. and, within a short period of time, opens and closes the door 110 of the refrigerator 101 in addition to performing the device operations corresponding to the device information 301-303 in the device information database 300 (see FIG. 3). In this case, the speech condition for the utterance ID "H01" in the utterance pattern table 400 (see FIG. 4) is satisfied (S101: YES), the speech pattern for "Good morning" is identified (S102), and a status request is sent to the server 102 (S103).

The server 102 refers to the device information database 300, analyzes the user's behavior pattern, and estimates the current user state based on the behavior pattern. In the above example, since the device information 301 to 303 are standard behavior patterns performed when waking up, "when waking up" is specified as the user state, and the estimated state is sent back to the refrigerator 101 (S104). Since the estimated state of "when you wake up" is a condition for allowing speech with the speech ID "H01" (S105: YES), the speech pattern of "Good morning" is output as voice (S106).

As a second example, assume that after the user performs device operations corresponding to device information 301-303, the user opens and closes the door 110 of the refrigerator 101 for the first time at 9:23 a.m., and the opening and closing operations correspond to device information 304 and 305 (see FIG. 3). In this case as well, the speech pattern "Good morning" is identified (S101: YES, S102, S103). In the server 102, the door opening and closing of device information 304 and 305 is a device operation that occurred more than several hours after the user woke up, so "awakening" is identified as the user state (S104). Since the estimated state of "awakening" is not an utterance enablement condition for utterance ID "H01" (S105: NO), the speech pattern "Good morning" is not output as voice.

As a third example, assume that the user operates a device corresponding to device information 310 to 314 (see FIG. 3). The device information 310 to 312 is a history of device operations performed by the user when returning home. Specifically, the device information 310, 311 indicates that the user has unlocked and locked the entrance key to open and close the entrance door. Device information 312 indicates that the user has turned on the living room lighting. The device information 313, 314 indicates the opening and closing of the door of the refrigerator 101 illustrated in FIG. 6A, which was performed at 22:38 pm, immediately after the above device operation.

In this case, the utterance conditions for the utterance IDs "H04" and "H05" in the utterance pattern table 400 are satisfied (S101: YES), the utterance patterns for "Welcome home" and "Good night" are specified (S102), and the server A status request is sent to 102 (S103). In the server 102, since the device information 310 to 312 is a standard behavior pattern performed when returning home, "when returning home" is specified as the user state, and the estimated state is returned to the refrigerator 101 (S104). Since the estimated state of "When returning home" is the utterance enable condition of the utterance ID "H04" (S105: YES), the utterance pattern of "Welcome back" is output as a voice (S106), as illustrated in FIG. 6A.

As a fourth example, assume that the user performs device operations corresponding to device information 315 and 316 (see FIG. 3) and then opens and closes the door 110 of the refrigerator 101 as shown in FIG. 6B. Device information 315 and 316 indicate the history of device operations performed by the user while going to bed. Specifically, device information 315 indicates that the user changed the operating mode of the air conditioner to sleep mode. Device information 316 indicates that the user turned off the living room lights. In this case as well, the speech patterns "Welcome home" and "Good night" are identified (S101: YES, S102, S103).

In the server 102, since the device information 315, 316 is a standard behavior pattern performed at bedtime, "sleeping time" is specified as the user state, and the estimated state is sent back to the refrigerator 101 (S104). Since the estimated state of "bedtime" is the utterance enable condition of the utterance ID "H05" (S105: YES), the utterance pattern of "good night" is output as voice, as illustrated in FIG. 6B (S106).

(Second embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions as those in the first embodiment will be referred to by common reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted, and points different from the first embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the speech pattern is determined by the refrigerator 101 in that the speech pattern is determined by the server 102.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 221 of the server 102 in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, each functional block illustrated in FIG. 7 is realized by executing a program in the control unit 221. The control unit 221 of this embodiment includes, for example, an operation determining unit 701 and an execution control unit 702. The utterance pattern table 400 (see FIG. 4) is not stored in the refrigerator 101 but in the storage unit 222 of the server 102.

The operation determining unit 701 selects first information acquired by a first electrical device (eg, refrigerator 101) and second information acquired by a second electrical device (eg, multiple electrical devices 103, mobile terminal 104). Based on this, one of the plurality of operation modes (for example, a plurality of speech patterns) executable by the first electric device is determined. The execution control unit 702 causes the first electric device to execute the determined one operation mode.

An example of the processing flow executed in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is an example of a processing flow executed by the server 102 of the second embodiment. For example, when the server 102 is powered on, the control unit 221 starts the processing flow shown in FIG. 8 .

As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 221 acquires device information from each device to be monitored (for example, the refrigerator 101, a plurality of electrical devices 103, and the mobile terminal 104) (S201). The acquired device information is registered in the device information database 300 (see FIG. 3). The action determining unit 701 determines whether the utterance condition is satisfied as in S101 (S202). For example, the operation determining unit 701 determines whether any of the plurality of speech conditions defined in the speech pattern table 400 is satisfied based on the device information of the refrigerator 101. If any of the utterance conditions is satisfied (S202: YES), the action determining unit 701 refers to the utterance pattern table 400 and specifies the utterance pattern, similarly to S102 (S203).

Next, the motion determining unit 701 identifies the estimated state of the user (S204). For example, the motion determining unit 701 refers to the device information database 300, analyzes the user's behavior pattern, and estimates the current user state based on the behavior pattern. The operation determining unit 701 determines whether the specified estimated state is a state in which speech is possible (S205), similarly to S105. If the identified estimated state is the utterance enabled state (S205: YES), the execution control unit 702 transmits an instruction to execute the utterance pattern identified in S203 to the refrigerator 101 (S206). In the refrigerator 101, the control unit 211 causes the operation unit 214 to execute speech control of the speech pattern according to the instruction to execute the speech pattern. After executing S206, or if the specified estimated state is not a state in which speech is possible (S205: NO), the process returns to S201.

(Third embodiment)
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, components having substantially the same functions as those in the second embodiment will be referred to by common reference numerals, and the description will be omitted, and points different from the second embodiment will be described. The third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that a speech pattern is determined as the operation mode of the refrigerator 101 in that cooling control and speech control are determined as the operation mode of the refrigerator 101.

The control unit 221 of this embodiment includes an operation determining unit 701 and an execution control unit 702, as in the second embodiment (see FIG. 7). In the refrigerator 101 that cools the inside of the refrigerator, the operation unit 214 can execute a plurality of predetermined cooling controls. The execution control unit 702 causes the operation unit 214 to execute one cooling control determined based on the first information and the second information.

The storage unit 222 of the server 102 stores a device information database 300 (see FIG. 3), a control mode determination table 500 (see FIG. 9), and a control pattern table 510 (see FIG. 10). FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the control mode determination table 500. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the control pattern table 510.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, in the control mode determination table 500, each of the plurality of control patterns 504 is associated with a plurality of pieces of state evaluation information. The multiple pieces of condition evaluation information are information that evaluates various conditions regarding the corresponding devices, and include, for example, refrigerator information 501, other device information 502, and other information 503.

Refrigerator information 501 includes user operations, operating conditions, and external environment. The user operation is information regarding the operation performed by the user on the refrigerator 101 (for example, opening/closing the door 110, adjusting the temperature setting of the refrigerator 101, etc.). The operating state is information regarding the operating state of the refrigerator 101 (for example, internal temperature, damper opening/closing, ice making/ice storage function, operating period, etc.). The external environment is information regarding the external environment (for example, ambient temperature) of the refrigerator 101.

Other device information 502 also includes user operations, operating states, and external environment regarding the corresponding electrical device 103 or mobile terminal 104. Other information, other than the refrigerator information 501 and other device information 502, is information related to determining the control pattern 504, such as the GPS position of the mobile terminal 104, the season, and events. Control pattern 504 indicates an execution pattern for controlling the operation of refrigerator 101, which corresponds to at least one combination of refrigerator information 501, other device information 502, and other information 503.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the control pattern table 510 defines an operation mode 505, which is the corresponding control content, for each of the plurality of control patterns 504 defined in the control mode determination table 500. The correspondence between the control mode determination table 500 and the control pattern table 510 will be explained below.

(1) In the control mode determination table 500, when the user operation in the refrigerator information 501 is "Door opened and closed many times", the operating state of the refrigerator information 501 is "Internal temperature is high", and the user operation in the other device information 502 is "Pre-cooking operation performed", the control pattern 504 of "P01" is determined. The pre-cooking operation is a device operation that can be assumed to indicate that the user is cooking, such as unlocking the front door when returning home, searching the menu of an electric cooker, turning on a gas water heater, etc.

In the control pattern table 510, a "pre-cooling operation" for suppressing a rise in the temperature inside the refrigerator is determined as an operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P01". Generally, during cooking operations, the number of times the door of the refrigerator 101 is opened and closed increases, and the temperature inside the refrigerator tends to rise. Therefore, when it is estimated that the user will be cooking, by performing the pre-cooling operation in the refrigerator 101, it is possible to suppress the rise in the internal temperature during the cooking operation.

(2) In the control mode determination table 500, the user operation of the refrigerator information 501 is "do not open/close door", the operating state of the refrigerator information 501 is "internal temperature is stable", and the user operation of the other device information 502 is If "Operated at bedtime" and the external environment of other device information 502 is "Late night", control pattern 504 of "P02" is determined. Bedtime operations are device operations that can predict that the user will go to bed, such as turning off the TV or lighting equipment, setting an alarm on the mobile terminal 104, and setting a timer for automatically turning off the air conditioner (so-called sleep timer). etc.

In the control pattern table 510, "quiet operation" in which drive noise during operation is suppressed is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P02". As a result, when it is estimated that the user will go to bed, the refrigerator 101 can be operated silently, thereby preventing the user from disturbing the user's sleep.

(3) In the control mode determination table 500, if the user operation in the refrigerator information 501 is "few door openings", the user operation in the other device information 502 is "operations while going out", the operating state of the other device information 502 is "no reaction of the human sensor (provided in the electrical device 103)", and the other information 503 is "GPS location is far away", the control pattern 504 "P03" is determined. The operations while going out are device operations that can be used to estimate that the user is going out, such as locking the front door and turning off the air conditioner. "GPS location is far away" means that the GPS location of the mobile terminal 104 is a predetermined distance or more away from the home 10.

In the control pattern table 510, a "defrosting operation" for defrosting the cooler of the refrigerator 101 is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P03". Thereby, when it is estimated that the user will go out, there is a high possibility that the refrigerator 101 will not be used for the time being, so the defrosting operation can be performed on the refrigerator 101 by utilizing this period. Note that if a prescribed period has not elapsed since the previous defrosting operation, the defrosting operation of the refrigerator 101 does not need to be performed.

(4) In the control mode determination table 500, the user operation of the refrigerator information 501 is "refrigerator setting temperature control is weak", the operating state of the refrigerator information 501 is "damper opening/closing is small", and the external When the environment is "low ambient temperature", the user operation of other device information 502 is "no product search operation", and the other information 503 is "GPS position is far", control pattern of "P04" 504 is determined. “No product search operation” is a device operation that searches for a product (e.g., food, etc.) or a menu for which the user is likely to use the refrigerator 101, such as a menu search for an electric cooker or a search for a menu on the mobile terminal 104. This includes product searches using shopping apps.

In the control pattern table 510, "defrosting operation" is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P04". Generally, when the number of times the damper is opened and closed in the refrigerator 101 decreases, cold air accumulates in the refrigerator compartment (particularly in the low-temperature section). In this case, there is a risk that the cold air duct may freeze in the back of the chilled compartment and in the vegetable compartment. As a countermeasure against this, if it is assumed that the user will go out while the damper of the refrigerator 101 is rarely opened or closed, this period can be used to perform a defrosting operation on the refrigerator 101, thereby causing the cold air duct to freeze. can be suppressed.

(5) In the control mode determination table 500, the user operation of the refrigerator information 501 is "almost no door opening/closing", the operating state of the refrigerator information 501 is "little or no damper opening/closing"; When the external environment is "the ambient temperature is quite low" and the user operation in the other device information 502 is "no product search operation", the control pattern 504 of "P05" is determined.

In the control pattern table 510, "utterance control prompting door opening/closing" is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P05". When the refrigerator information 501 and the other device information 502 indicate the above information, it is estimated that the user is unlikely to open or close the door of the refrigerator 101 at present or in the future. In this case, when the user performs an operation to open and close the door 110 by audio outputting a speech pattern urging the refrigerator 101 to open and close the door, it is possible to suppress the energization of the temperature compensation heater in the vegetable compartment, for example.

(6) In the control mode determination table 500, the operating state of the refrigerator information 501 is "no ice storage or ice making", and the user operation of the other device information 502 is "purchase history of ice-using products (for example, somen, whiskey, etc.)" ” and the other information 503 is “summer”, the control pattern 504 of “P06” is determined. In the control pattern table 510, "speech control to prompt tank water supply and ice making" is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P06". As a result, when there is a high possibility that the user will use the ice in the refrigerator 101, ice can be secured in the refrigerator 101 by audio outputting a speech pattern that prompts tank water supply and ice making from the refrigerator 101.

(7) In the control mode determination table 500, the operating state of the refrigerator information 501 is "long operating period has elapsed", the user operation of the other device information 502 is "increased usage frequency of air purifier", and other When the information 503 is "time for general cleaning", the control pattern 504 of "P07" is determined. In the control pattern table 510, "utterance control to prompt cleaning around the refrigerator" is determined as the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern 504 of "P07". When the refrigerator 101 has been used for a long period of time, there is a possibility that the ventilation on the back and sides of the refrigerator 101 is obstructed by dust or the like. Therefore, appropriate ventilation around the refrigerator 101 can be ensured by audio outputting a speech pattern urging cleaning around the refrigerator 101 at a specific time.

An example of a process flow executed in the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is an example of a process flow executed in the server 102 in the third embodiment. For example, when the server 102 is powered on, the control unit 221 starts the process flow shown in FIG. 11.

As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 221 acquires device information from each monitored device (e.g., the refrigerator 101, the multiple electric devices 103, and the mobile terminal 104) in the same manner as in S201 (S301). The operation determination unit 701 acquires state evaluation information based on the multiple pieces of device information registered in the device information database 300 (see FIG. 3) (S02). In this embodiment, the operation determination unit 701 statistically analyzes the device information of the refrigerator 101 to acquire refrigerator information 501. The operation determination unit 701 statistically analyzes the device information of the electric devices 103 and the mobile terminal 104 to acquire other device information 502. The operation determination unit 701 acquires other information 503 as state evaluation information other than the refrigerator information 501 and the other device information 502.

The operation determination unit 701 determines whether there is a control pattern to be executed based on the acquired state evaluation information (S303). Specifically, the operation determination unit 701 refers to the control mode determination table 500, and if there is a control pattern 504 that corresponds to the combination of the acquired refrigerator information 501, other device information 502, and other information 503, it identifies the control pattern 504 as the control pattern to be executed (S303: YES).

In this case, the execution control unit 702 transmits an instruction to execute the control pattern specified in S303 to the refrigerator 101 (S304). The control pattern execution instruction is a command that causes the refrigerator 101 to execute the operation mode 505 corresponding to the control pattern to be executed among the plurality of operation modes 505 defined in the control pattern table 510. In the refrigerator 101, the control unit 211 causes the operation unit 214 to execute the above-mentioned operation mode 505 in accordance with the execution instruction of the control pattern. After executing S304, or if there is no control pattern to be executed (S303: NO), the process returns to S301.

(remarks)
According to the embodiment described above, the operation unit 214 can execute a plurality of predetermined operation modes (sound output of a plurality of speech patterns and/or a plurality of cooling controls). The control unit 211 or the execution control unit 702 uses the first information acquired by the refrigerator 101 and the second information acquired by other electric devices different from the refrigerator 101 (a plurality of electric devices 103 and the mobile terminal 104). The operation unit 214 is caused to execute one operation mode (utterance pattern or control pattern) determined based on the above. Thereby, the refrigerator 101 can perform operations suitable for the actual user situation.

In detail, as illustrated in the utterance pattern table 400, one operation mode (utterance pattern) is determined based on the first information and the second information, and the lifestyle rhythm of the user who uses the refrigerator 101 (e.g. , when waking up, when waking up, when coming home, when going to bed, etc.). As illustrated in the control mode determination table 500, one operation mode (control pattern) is determined based on the first information and the second information, and is determined based on the first information and the second information. 10) The mode of operation depends on whether or not the user is in As illustrated in the utterance pattern table 400 and the control mode determination table 500, one operation mode (utterance pattern and control pattern) is based on the user's behavior pattern (e.g., determined based on the first information and the second information). , device operation corresponding to device information). Therefore, the refrigerator 101 can perform a suitable operation mode according to at least one of the user's daily rhythm, positional relationship, and behavior pattern.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and is replaced with a structure that is substantially the same as the structure shown in the above-described embodiment, a structure that has the same effect, or a structure that can achieve the same purpose. It's okay. For example, in the first and second embodiments, a part of the processing performed by the refrigerator 101 may be performed by a device different from the refrigerator 101. In the third embodiment, a part of the processing executed by the server 102 may be executed by a device different from the server 102. Refrigerator 101 may also have the function of server 102. For example, the server 102 transmits to the refrigerator 101 in advance an instruction regarding a message according to a condition such as a time zone when a preset condition such as a time is met. Refrigerator 101 temporarily stores instructions regarding messages received from server 102 . Refrigerator 101 outputs a message based on the first information and the second information.

In the above embodiment, a plurality of speech patterns and a plurality of control patterns are exemplified as a plurality of operation modes that the refrigerator 101 can execute, but they may also include, for example, a plurality of image patterns to be displayed on the refrigerator 101. In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the refrigerator 101 is illustrated, but the present invention can be applied to electrical equipment different from the refrigerator 101. For example, the present invention may be applied to electrical appliances such as electric cookers, televisions, personal computers, vacuum cleaners, and washing machines.

Reference Signs List 100 equipment control system, 101 refrigerator, 102 server, 103 electrical equipment, 104 mobile terminal, 211 control unit, 214 operation unit, 300 equipment information database, 400 utterance pattern table, 500 control mode determination table, 510 control pattern table, 701 operation Determination unit, 702 Execution control unit

Claims (5)

An electrical device comprising:
an operating unit capable of outputting a plurality of predetermined speech patterns;
a control unit that causes the operation unit to output, by voice, one of the plurality of speech patterns, the speech pattern determined based on first information acquired by the electrical device and second information acquired by another electrical device different from the electrical device;
Equipped with
The electrical appliance is a refrigerator, and the other electrical appliance is a home appliance;
the plurality of speech patterns are associated in advance with a plurality of speech conditions indicating conditions for outputting the speech patterns by voice and a plurality of speech possible states indicating a state of a user capable of outputting the speech patterns by voice;
the first information includes information indicating a usage state of the electrical device,
the second information includes information indicating a usage state of the other electrical device,
The control unit is
When the first information satisfies any one of the plurality of utterance conditions, an estimated state of the user based on the second information is obtained;
when the estimated state matches the speech-enabled state corresponding to the speech condition satisfied by the first information, outputting the speech pattern corresponding to the speech condition as voice to the operation unit;
Electrical equipment. The control unit obtains the estimated state from a server.
The electrical device according to claim 1. The electric device is a refrigerator that cools the inside of the refrigerator,
The operating unit is capable of executing a plurality of predetermined cooling controls,
The control unit causes the operating unit to execute one of the cooling controls determined based on the first information and the second information.
The electrical device according to claim 1 or 2. The electric device is a refrigerator that cools the inside of the refrigerator, which can be opened and closed with a door.
Each of the plurality of speech conditions indicates a time period in which the door is opened;
The electrical device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An equipment control system including at least a first electrical equipment and a second electrical equipment different from the first electrical equipment,
Based on the first information acquired by the first electric device and the second information acquired by the second electric device, among a plurality of speech patterns that can be output as audio by the first electric device. , an action determining unit that determines one of the speech patterns;
an execution control unit that causes the first electrical device to output audio based on the determined first speech pattern;
Equipped with
The first electric device is a refrigerator, and the second electric device is a home appliance,
The plurality of speech patterns are associated in advance with a plurality of speech conditions indicating conditions for outputting the speech pattern as voice and a plurality of speech enabled states indicating a state of the user who can output the speech pattern in voice. ,
The first information includes information indicating the usage status of the first electrical device,
The second information includes information indicating the usage status of the second electrical device,
The operation determining unit obtains an estimated state of the user based on the second information when the first information satisfies any of the plurality of utterance conditions;
When the estimated state and the utterance enabled state corresponding to the utterance condition satisfied by the first information match, the execution control unit transmits the utterance pattern corresponding to the utterance condition to the first electrical device. output audio,
Equipment control system.

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