Home appliance system

Abstract

The present invention provides a home appliance system that can confirm home appliance information sent from a home appliance device without compromising the comfort of the user. The home appliance system includes a home appliance device and an imaging device capable of communicating with the home appliance device. The home appliance device includes a transmitting unit that transmits home appliance information indicating the state of the home appliance device when a specified condition is satisfied. The imaging device includes a display screen that includes a first display area for displaying a first image and a second display area for displaying a second image different from the first image; a receiving unit that receives the home appliance information transmitted by the transmitting unit; and a display control unit that generates a notification screen based on the home appliance information received by the receiving unit and displays the generated notification screen on the display screen. The display control unit is configured to simultaneously display the first image and the second image on the display screen, and display the notification screen when the first image and the second image are simultaneously displayed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification is a home appliance system. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, home appliance devices equipped with wireless functions and capable of connecting to networks such as the Internet or LAN (abbreviation for Local Area Network) have become popular. Even when the user is not near the home appliance device, the user can use other devices belonging to the same network as the home appliance device to confirm the status of the home appliance device. For example, a technology is well known in which a home appliance device and an imaging device can communicate, and a screen showing home appliance information representing the home appliance device can be displayed on the imaging device.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-306796 Summary of the Invention

[0006] In an imaging device, generally, an image is displayed on the entire surface of a display screen. When a user views and listens to the image, once a screen showing home appliance information is displayed on the display screen, the screen will be displayed overlapping the image being viewed and listened to, which is annoying. In this specification, a technology is provided that can confirm home appliance information sent from a home appliance device without impairing the comfort of the user.

[0007] The present invention discloses a home appliance system including a home appliance device and an imaging device capable of communicating with the home appliance device. The home appliance device includes a transmitting unit that can transmit home appliance information indicating the status of the home appliance device when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The imaging device includes a display screen including a first display area for displaying a first image and a second display area for displaying a second image different from the first image; a receiving unit that receives the home appliance information transmitted by the transmitting unit; and a display control unit that generates a notification screen based on the home appliance information received by the receiving unit and displays the generated notification screen on the display screen. The display control unit is configured to be able to simultaneously display the first image and the second image on the display screen, and display the notification screen when the first image and the second image are simultaneously displayed.

[0008] According to the above configuration, it is possible to confirm home appliance information sent from a home appliance device without impairing the comfort of the user.

[0009] The details of the technology disclosed in the present invention and further improvements will be described in the following "Detailed Description". Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] Figure 1 It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a home appliance system according to an embodiment.

[0011] Figure 2A It is a diagram showing a plurality of parameters associated with home appliance information.

[0012] Figure 2B It is a diagram showing a plurality of parameters associated with home appliance information.

[0013] Figure 3 It is a timing diagram showing the communication between a home appliance device and an imaging device.

[0014] Figure 4 It is a flowchart of a notification screen display process executed by an imaging device.

[0015] Figure 5 It is an example of a notification screen displayed on the display screen of an imaging device.

[0016] Figure 6 It is a flowchart showing a setting change process executed by an imaging device.

[0017] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing an example of a change item selection screen displayed on the display screen of an imaging device.

[0018] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing an example of a form for setting a change notification screen.

[0019] Description of Reference Numerals

[0020] 2: Home appliance system 10: Washing machine

[0021] 18: Sending unit 20: Television

[0022] 22: Display screen 24: Receiving unit

[0023] 28: Display control unit 30: Air conditioner

[0024] 40: Refrigerator 50: Microwave oven

[0025] 60: Self-propelled vacuum cleaner 100: Cloud server

[0026] 100a: Washing machine server 100b: Television server

[0027] 200: Internet Detailed Embodiment

[0028] Next, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the home appliance system 2 according to the embodiment will be described. As Figure 1As shown, the home appliance system 2 includes: a washing machine 10, a television 20, an air conditioner 30, a refrigerator 40, a microwave oven 50, a self-propelled vacuum cleaner 60, and a cloud server 100. Hereinafter, they may sometimes be referred to as home appliances 10 to 60. In addition, the home appliances included in the home appliance system 2 are not limited to the above-mentioned home appliances.

[0029] The cloud server 100 is a server set up on a communication network. For details, refer to Figure 3 As will be described later, the cloud server 100 includes a washing machine server 100a and a television server 100b. The washing machine server 100a is a server provided by the seller of the washing machine 10, and the television server 100b is a server provided by the seller of the television 20. In addition, the cloud server 100 may also include servers for other home appliances 30, 40, 50, 60.

[0030] The home appliances 10 to 60 and the cloud server 100 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via the Internet 200. In addition, the home appliances 10 to 60 and the cloud server 100 are not limited to a public communication line such as the Internet that can be used by an unspecified number of users, and may also be configured to communicate through a specific communication line that can only be used by specific users; part or all of the communication path may also be through wires or other wired means rather than wireless. In addition, as in the modification example described later, the home appliance system 2 may not have the cloud server 100. In this case, communication can be directly performed between the home appliances 10 to 60.

[0031] First, the configuration of the washing machine 10 will be described. The washing machine 10 is a so-called drum-type washing and drying machine. The washing machine 10 includes: an operation unit 12, a display unit 14, a control unit 16, a transmission unit 18, and a washing tub 19.

[0032] The operation unit 12 includes a plurality of buttons such as a power button. When the user operates the button, the operation unit 12 sends a signal generated according to the operated button to the control unit 16. The display unit 14 has a liquid crystal panel and displays an image provided to the user. In addition, the display unit 14 may also be composed of a touch panel. In this case, the display unit 14 functions as the operation unit 12.

[0033] The control unit 16 includes: a CPU, and memories such as a RAM and a ROM (not shown). The control unit 16 is controllably connected to each of the units 12, 14, 18, 19 through wiring (not shown). The control unit 16 stores computer programs for controlling each of the units 12, 14, 18, 19 of the washing machine 10.

[0034] When the washing machine 10 meets the specified conditions, the sending unit 18 sends home appliance information indicating the state of the washing machine 10 to the cloud server 100 (the washing machine server 100a in this embodiment). The home appliance information sent by the washing machine 10 includes: information indicating that the sender of the home appliance information is the washing machine 10 (corresponding to the item "home appliance device" in the parameter table 116 described later), and information indicating the content of the specified conditions (corresponding to the item "notification content" in the parameter table 116). For example, when the washing executed by the washing machine 10 is completed, the sending unit 18 sends the home appliance information indicating that the washing is completed to the cloud server 100. In addition, as described in the modification example later, the sending unit 18 may also directly send the home appliance information to the television 20 instead of the cloud server 100. Here, although the information indicating the specified state such as the operating condition of the washing machine 10 is described as "home appliance information", all information generated by the home appliance device, such as the state or change of the state of the home appliance device, can also be treated as "home appliance information" even for home appliance devices other than the washing machine 10.

[0035] The washing tub 19 has a bottomed cylindrical shape with an opening at the front. The washing tub 19 is supported so as to be rotatable inside the housing of the washing machine 10 via an outer tub (not shown). The washing tub 19 is rotated by a motor (not shown) that obtains a signal from the control unit 16.

[0036] The washing machine 10 is configured to be able to accommodate the laundry placed in the washing tub 19 and perform operating actions including a washing operation and a drying operation. In the washing operation, cleaning strokes, rinsing strokes, dehydration strokes, etc. are performed, and in the drying operation, a drying stroke for drying the laundry is performed. The washing machine 10 can perform operating actions in accordance with an operating stroke obtained by combining the above-mentioned strokes.

[0037] Next, the configuration of the television 20 will be described. The television 20 includes: a display screen 22, a receiving unit 24, a control unit 26, and a display control unit 28. The display screen 22 is constituted by an organic EL display screen, a liquid crystal display screen, etc. The display control unit 28 displays an image on the display screen 22 based on the radio wave received by the receiving unit 24. In addition, the display control unit 28 is configured to be able to simultaneously display a first image and a second image in different areas of the display screen 22 in response to an input operation from the outside (user). That is, the television 20 is a television with a so-called dual-screen function. In addition, the display control unit 28 can retrieve an image from a storage device such as a so-called Blu-ray burner and display the image on the display screen 22. In addition, the television 22 is not limited to having a two-screen function, and three or more screens (i.e., a multi-screen function) can also be simultaneously displayed on the display screen 22. Hereinafter, displaying a plurality of images on the display screen 22 is referred to as "split display".

[0038] The receiving unit 24 can not only receive radio waves for displaying images on the display screen 22, but also receive home appliance information from the cloud server 100 (the TV server 100b in this embodiment). Additionally, in a modified example, the TV 20 may directly receive home appliance information from a home appliance device (such as the washing machine 10) without going through the cloud server 100. The display control unit 28 generates a notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information in response to the reception of the home appliance information, and causes the notification screen to be displayed on the display screen 22. The notification screen is, for example, a screen for notifying the user that the washing performed by the washing machine 10 has ended when receiving home appliance information indicating such a situation. Refer to Figure 5 , and the notification screen will be described in detail later.

[0039] The control unit 26 includes a CPU (not shown) and a memory 26a such as a RAM and a ROM. The control unit 26 is controllably connected to each of the units 22, 24, and 28 through wiring (not shown). The control unit 26 stores computer programs for controlling each of the units 22, 24, and 28 of the TV 20. A display flag 115 is stored in the memory 26a. The display flag 115 is a flag for determining whether to display a notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information on the display screen 22 when the TV 20 receives home appliance information from the cloud server 100. The display flag 115 represents either "on", which causes the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information to be displayed, or "off", which does not cause the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information to be displayed. The display flag 115 represents "on" when the image is divided and displayed on the display screen 22, and represents "off" in other cases (for example, when only a single image is displayed on the display screen 22, or when the main power of the TV 20 is turned on but no image is displayed on the display screen 22, etc.). Additionally, in a modified example, the display flag 115 may also be set according to an external input operation (such as an input operation from the user). Accordingly, the notification screen can be displayed on the TV 20 at a timing corresponding to the user's desire, thereby improving the convenience for the user.

[0040] The air conditioner 30, the refrigerator 40, the microwave oven 50, and the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 60 each have an operation unit, a display unit, and a transmission unit similar to those of the washing machine 10. Additionally, the refrigerator 40, the microwave oven 50, and the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 60 each have a function execution device (the washing tub 19 in the washing machine 10) for performing the functions of each home appliance device. Furthermore, the refrigerator 40, the microwave oven 50, and the self-propelled vacuum cleaner 60 each have a control unit similar to the control unit 16, which is communicably connected to the operation unit, the display unit, the transmission unit, and the function execution device to control each unit.

[0041] Next, the configuration of the cloud server 100 will be described. The cloud server 100 includes a control unit 110 and a communication unit 120.

[0042] The control unit 110 includes a CPU 112 and a memory 114. The memory 114 has a parameter table 116. The parameter table 116 is a table in which home appliance information sent from a home appliance device (e.g., the washing machine 10) and information associated with the home appliance information are associated. The parameter table 116 will be described later with reference to FIG. 2. In addition, in the present embodiment, although the cloud server 100 has the parameter table 116, in a modified example, each home appliance device that sends home appliance information may have the parameter table 116, or the television 20 that receives home appliance information may have the parameter table 116.

[0043] The communication unit 120 performs communication with each of the home appliance devices 10 to 60 via the Internet 200. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 120 receives home appliance information sent from a home appliance device (e.g., the washing machine 10), determines information associated with the home appliance information with reference to the parameter table 116, and sends the home appliance information and the associated information to the television 20. In addition, in a modified example, the cloud server 100 may not have the parameter table 116, and the communication unit 120 may directly send the home appliance information to the television 20 when receiving the home appliance information sent from the home appliance device.

[0044] Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the parameter table 116 will be described. As Figure 2A and Figure 2B shown, the parameter table 116 is a table in which a plurality of items, namely "home appliance device", "notification content", "notification display time", "notification standby time", and "notification details", are associated.

[0045] The item "home appliance device" in the parameter table 116 is an item indicating the home appliance device that sends home appliance information. The item "notification content" is an item indicating the content of the home appliance information sent from the home appliance device. For example, as Figure 2A shown, for the home appliance device "washing machine", three notification contents, "washing completed", "filter clogged", and "error occurred", are associated. Two of these items, "home appliance device" and "notification content", are items included in the home appliance information sent from the home appliance device. The cloud server 100 determines information associated with the home appliance information (i.e., other items in the parameter table 116) with reference to the parameter table 116 based on these two items included in the home appliance information sent from the home appliance device. For example, when receiving home appliance information indicating that the washing is completed from the washing machine 10, the cloud server 100 refers to Figure 2A the second row to determine the associated information, and when receiving home appliance information indicating that the filter is clogged from the washing machine 10, refers to Figure 2Ato determine the associated information from the 3rd line.

[0046] The item "notification display time" indicates the time for continuously displaying the notification screen, that is, the time from the start of the display of the notification screen to the end of the display of the notification screen. For example, the home appliance information indicating that the washing of the washing machine 10 has ended is associated with the notification display time of "10 minutes". Therefore, when the TV 20 receives the home appliance information indicating that the washing has ended from the washing machine 10, after 10 minutes when the notification screen indicating that the washing has ended is displayed on the display screen 22, the TV 20 stops the display of the notification screen.

[0047] The item "notification standby time": indicates the time for the TV 20 to save the home appliance information when the display flag 115 indicates "closed" when the TV 20 receives the home appliance information from the cloud server 100. That is, after receiving the home appliance information in the state where the display flag 115 is "closed", until the notification standby time has elapsed, if the display flag 115 has not changed to "open", the TV 20 does not display the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information. For example, the home appliance information indicating that the washing of the washing machine 10 has ended is associated with the notification standby time of "30 minutes". Therefore, in the situation where the display flag 115 is "closed", when receiving the home appliance information indicating that the washing has ended from the washing machine 10, when the display flag 115 changes to "open" within 30 minutes after receiving the home appliance information, the notification screen indicating that the washing has ended is displayed on the display screen 22. On the other hand, after 30 minutes have elapsed after receiving the home appliance information, even if the display flag 115 changes to "open", the notification screen indicating that the washing has ended is not displayed on the display screen 22.

[0048] In addition, in a modified example, for the home appliance information for which the notification standby time has elapsed after the TV 20 receives the home appliance information, the home appliance information can also be continuously saved. In this case, although the TV 20 saves the home appliance information, it does not display the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information on the display screen 22. According to this configuration, by saving the home appliance information, the user can confirm the history information of the home appliance information received by the TV 20.

[0049] The item "notification details" indicates the detailed information of the notification content included in the home appliance information. For example, the home appliance information indicating that the filter of the washing machine 10 is clogged is associated with the information indicating the maintenance content of the filter that the user should perform. In addition, the home appliance information indicating that an error has occurred in the washing machine 10 is associated with the information indicating the need for repair and the repair steps. The detailed situation will be described later, but in response to the acceptance of a specified input operation by the user on the notification screen, the TV 20 displays a detailed screen (refer to Figure 4In S20 and S28), the detailed screen shows detailed information associated with the home appliance information corresponding to the notification screen. In other words, the notification screen is a screen that shows a part of the home appliance information sent from the home appliance device. Additionally, for example, the home appliance information indicating that the washing of the washing machine 10 has ended is associated with "-" indicating that no detailed information is set. In this way, it can also be home appliance information with no detailed information set.

[0050] Furthermore, the items associated in the parameter table 116 are not limited to the above items. For example, the parameter table 116 may also include items such as the "installation location", "type", and "manufacturing number" of the home appliance device. By including such items, it is possible to easily identify the home appliance device that is the sender of the home appliance information. For example, when air conditioners are respectively installed in different spaces (such as the living room and the bedroom) in a house, each air conditioner can be associated with the installation location. Accordingly, the user can easily identify the air conditioner that is the sender of the home appliance information.

[0051] Moreover, as another example, the parameter table 116 may also include the "priority" regarding the display of the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information. Accordingly, for a situation where multiple home appliance information is received during the period when the display flag 115 is "off", when the display flag 115 is changed to "on", the notification screens corresponding to the home appliance information can be displayed in descending order of the priority associated with the home appliance information.

[0052] Next, with reference to Figure 3 , the communication between the home appliance devices 10, 30, 40, 50, 60 and the television 20 will be described. Although the communication between the washing machine 10 and the television 20 was described in Figure 3 , the communication between the other home appliance devices 30 to 60 and the television 20 is the same.

[0053] First, the washing machine 10 is respectively connected to the washing machine server 100a, and the television 20 is connected to the television server 100b. Specifically, in T5, the washing machine 10 is connected to the washing machine server 100a, and in T10, the television 20 is connected to the television server 100b.

[0054] Next, through OAuth, the cooperation procedure between the washing machine server 100a and the television server 100b is implemented. Specifically, in T20, in response to receiving an acceptance of a specified operation for starting OAuth authentication from the user, the television 20 sends an indication signal indicating the start of OAuth authentication to the television server 100b. In response to receiving the indication signal for the start of OAuth authentication from the television 20 in T20, the television server 100b sends an authentication request to the washing machine server 100a in T22.

[0055] In T22, the washing machine server 100a responds to the reception of the authentication request from the TV server 100b. In T24, it sends the authentication screen data to the TV 20 via the TV server 100b. The authentication screen data is data for displaying an authentication screen on the TV 20, and the authentication screen is a screen for the user to input login information for the washing machine server 100a to authenticate the TV server 100b.

[0056] In T24, the TV 20 responds to the reception of the authentication screen data from the washing machine server 100a. In T30, it displays the authentication screen on the display screen 22. The authentication screen includes an input area for inputting login information such as a password. In T32, the user performs a login operation including inputting login information according to the authentication screen, and in T34, the input login information is sent to the washing machine server 100a via the TV server 100b.

[0057] In T40, the washing machine server 100a receives the login information input in T32. In this example, since the user inputs the correct login information, the washing machine server 100a issues an authentication code indicating the permission of the TV server 100b in T40 and sends it to the TV server 100b. The TV server 100b receives this authentication code from the washing machine server 100a in T40.

[0058] After that, in T50, the TV server 100b requests an access token from the washing machine server 100a using the authentication code issued in T40. In T50, the washing machine server 100a responds to the reception of the request for the access token using the authentication code and verifies the authentication code. In this example, since the verification of the authentication code is successful, the washing machine server 100a issues an access token in T52 and sends it to the TV server 100b. The TV server 100b receives the issued access token from the washing machine server 100a in T52. Thus, the cooperation between the washing machine server 100a and the TV server 100b ends.

[0059] In T60, the TV server 100b uses the access token received in T52 to send a home appliance information acquisition request to the washing machine server 100a. This home appliance information acquisition request is a signal requesting that, when the washing machine 10 meets a specified condition (for example, when a status change occurs), the home appliance information indicating the status of the washing machine 10 be sent to the TV server 100b. In T60, in response to the receipt of the home appliance information acquisition request that uses the access token, the washing machine server 100a verifies the access token. In this example, since the verification of the access token is successful, the washing machine server 100a sends a home appliance information acquisition response to the TV server 100b in T62. This home appliance information acquisition response is a signal indicating that, when the washing machine 10 meets the specified condition hereafter, the washing machine server 100a will send the home appliance information indicating the status of the washing machine 10 to the TV server 100b. In other words, the processes in T60 and T62 are processes for performing initial settings for the TV server 100b to receive home appliance information from the washing machine server 100a. Therefore, when the washing machine 10 meets the specified condition after T62, the washing machine server 100a can send home appliance information to the TV server 100b.

[0060] In T70, a status change occurs in the washing machine 10. The status change is, for example, the end of washing, a clogged filter, an error occurrence, etc. (refer to Figure 2A ). In response to the occurrence of the status change in T70, the washing machine 10 sends the home appliance information indicating the content of the status change to the washing machine server 100a.

[0061] In T72, in response to the receipt of the home appliance information from the washing machine 10, the washing machine server 100a refers to the parameter table 116 (refer to Figure 2A ) to determine the parameter associated with the home appliance information. In this example, since the washing machine server 100a has the part corresponding to the home appliance device "washing machine" in the parameter table 116, the washing machine server 100a can determine the parameter associated with the home appliance information. Additionally, in a modified example, it can also be that the TV server 100b has the parameter table 116. In this case, the washing machine server 100a can also directly send the home appliance information received from the washing machine 10 to the TV server 100b, and the TV server 100b refers to the parameter table 116 to determine the parameter associated with the home appliance information.

[0062] In T76, the washing machine server 100a sends home appliance information including the parameters determined in T74 to the TV server 100b. Then, in T78, the TV server 100b sends the home appliance information including the determined parameters received from the washing machine server 100a to the TV 20. Thereafter, based on this home appliance information, the TV 20 executes the notification screen display process S10.

[0063] Next, referring to Figure 4 , the notification screen display process S10 will be described. In response to the reception of the home appliance information by the receiving unit 24 of the TV 20, the process of Figure 4 starts.

[0064] In S12, the CPU of the TV 20 determines whether the display flag 115 is "on". When the CPU determines that the display flag 115 indicates "on" (i.e., the image is split and displayed on the display screen 22) (YES in S12), it proceeds to S18. On the other hand, when the CPU determines that the display flag 115 indicates "off" (NO in S12), it proceeds to S14.

[0065] In S14, the CPU of the TV 20 determines whether the receiving unit 24 has received the specified information. The specified information is predetermined for the notification content of the home appliance information. When the CPU determines that the specified information has been received (YES in S14), the process of Figure 4 ends. On the other hand, when the CPU determines that the specified information has not been received (NO in S14), it proceeds to S16. Additionally, when the specified information is received (YES in S14) and the process of Figure 4 ends, the reception of the specified information received in S14 is used as a trigger for the process of Figure 4 to start the process of Figure 4 again.

[0066] For example, when the reception of the home appliance information indicating the start of the operation of the air conditioner is used as a trigger for the process of Figure 4 , when the CPU determines that the home appliance information indicating the stop of the operation of the air conditioner has been received, it determines that the specified information has been received. Accordingly, when the display flag 115 changes to "on", instead of starting to display the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information indicating the start of the operation of the air conditioner, the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information indicating the stop of the operation of the air conditioner is started. In this way, when it is grasped that the content of the home appliance information sent from the home appliance device is a situation different from the current situation, the usefulness of the previous home appliance information for the user will decrease. Therefore, by not displaying the notification screen corresponding to the previous home appliance information on the display screen 22, it is possible to suppress the situation of causing discomfort to the user.

[0067] In another example, when the reception of home appliance information indicating that an error has occurred in the washing machine triggers the following processing, if the CPU determines that it has received change information sent because the error in the washing machine has been resolved for some reason, it determines that it has received the specified information. Accordingly, when the display flag 115 changes to "ON", the display of the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information indicating that an error has occurred in the washing machine is not started. In this situation, since the error in the washing machine has been resolved, when the notification screen indicating that the error has occurred in the washing machine is displayed, the error information is notified to the user. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the situation where the user is displeased because the notification screen for notifying the error information is displayed on the display screen 22. Figure 4 In S16, the CPU of the television 20 determines whether the notification standby time included in the received home appliance information has elapsed after the home appliance device has sent the home appliance information. The home appliance information includes information related to the time when the home appliance device sent the home appliance information. When the CPU determines that the notification standby time has elapsed after the home appliance information has been sent (YES in S16), it ends

[0068] the following processing. On the other hand, when the CPU determines that the notification standby time has not elapsed after the home appliance information has been sent (NO in S16), it returns to S12. Figure 4 In this way, after the home appliance device has sent the home appliance information, if the notification standby time has elapsed, the CPU of the television 20 does not execute the display of the notification screen and ends

[0069] the following processing (YES in S16). That is, regarding the home appliance information for which the specified time has elapsed after the home appliance device has sent it, even if the display flag 115 changes to "ON", the display of the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information is not started. As shown in FIG. 2, the notification standby time is set according to the content of the home appliance information. Therefore, for example, the standby time until the notification screen for notifying the end of washing is displayed can be set to be relatively short, and the standby time until the notification screen for notifying the occurrence of an error is displayed can be set to be relatively long, so as to save an appropriate time and home appliance information corresponding to the notification content. Figure 4

[0070] When it is determined to be YES in S12 (that is, the display flag 115 is "ON"), in S18, the CPU of the television 20 causes the notification screen corresponding to the received home appliance information to be displayed on the display screen 22. Specifically, the CPU provides the home appliance information received by the receiving unit 24 to the display control unit 28, and the display control unit 28 generates a notification screen based on the provided home appliance information and causes the notification screen to be displayed on the display screen 22.

[0071] ​For example, when home appliance information is received and the user divides and displays the TV 20 for audio-visual purposes, the display of the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information starts immediately. Therefore, the user can know in real time the home appliance information sent from the home appliance device.

[0072] In addition, when home appliance information is received and the user does not divide and display the TV 20 for audio-visual purposes, the display of the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information starts in response to the start of the divided display thereafter. Therefore, the user can know the home appliance information sent from the home appliance device in response to the start of the divided display of the TV 20.

[0073] Here, referring to Figure 5 , the notification screen displayed on the display screen 22 of the TV 20 will be described. Figure 5 This is an example of a notification screen corresponding to two different home appliance information. Figure 5 (A) shows the display screen 22, and this display screen 22 displays: a notification screen NSC1 corresponding to the home appliance information indicating that the washing of the washing machine 10 has ended. The notification screen NSC1 contains: a message indicating that the washing has ended, and an OK button. Figure 5 The left figure of (B) shows the display screen 22, and this display screen 22 displays: a notification screen NSC2 corresponding to the home appliance information indicating that the filter of the washing machine 10 is clogged. The notification screen NSC2 contains: a message indicating the situation where the filter is clogged, and a details button. Figure 5 The right figure of (B) shows the display screen 22, and this display screen 22 also displays: a details screen DSC2 corresponding to the home appliance information indicating that the filter of the washing machine 10 is clogged. The details screen DSC2 contains: a message indicating the repair content of the filter, and an OK button.

[0074] As described above, in a state where multiple images are divided and displayed on the TV 20, the notification screen is displayed on the display screen 22. Here, in this embodiment, when the two images M1 and M2 are simultaneously displayed on the display screen 22, the aspect ratio when only the image M1 or the image M2 is displayed in the entire area within the display screen 22 is maintained unchanged, and the images M1 and M2 are respectively displayed in different display areas A1 and A2 of the display screen 22. Therefore, as Figure 5 shown, when performing divided display, image non-display areas A3 where no image is displayed will be generated above and below the display areas A1 and A2 within the display screen 22. In this embodiment, the notification screen and the details screen are displayed in the image non-display area A3. Figure 5 (A) shows a form in which the notification screen NSC1 is displayed in the image non-display area A3 above the display screen 22. Figure 5(B) shows a state where a notification screen NSC2 is displayed in the upper non - image - display area A3 of the display screen 22, and a detailed screen DSC2 is displayed in the lower non - image - display area A3. Accordingly, it does not affect the viewing of images M1 and M2, and can notify the user of home appliance information, thus ensuring user comfort.

[0075] Return again to Figure 4 the description. In S20, the CPU of the TV 20 determines whether a display operation for the detailed screen of the notification screen displayed in S18 has been accepted. The CPU determines that the display operation for the detailed screen has been accepted (YES in S20) in response to accepting a specified input operation by the user for the notification screen, and proceeds to S28. On the other hand, when the CPU determines that no specified input operation by the user for the notification screen has been accepted even after a certain period of time, it determines that the display operation for the detailed screen has not been accepted (NO in S20) and proceeds to S22.

[0076] For example, as Figure 5 shown in the left figure of (B), the notification screen NSC2 contains a detailed button. The CPU determines YES in S26 based on accepting the selection operation of the detailed button contained in NSC2 by the user, and as Figure 5 shown in the right figure of (B), displays the detailed screen DSC2 (S28). In addition, the CPU determines NO in S20 based on not accepting the selection operation of the detailed button from the user even after a certain period of time and proceeds to S22. In addition, as Figure 5 shown in (A), the notification screen NSC1 does not contain a detailed button. This is because as Figure 2A shown, there is no set notification detail in the home appliance information indicating that the washing has ended. In this case, the CPU determines NO in S20 based on the passage of a certain period of time and proceeds to S22.

[0077] In S22, the CPU of the TV 20 determines whether a display stop operation for the notification screen displayed in S18 has been accepted. The CPU determines that the display stop operation has been accepted (YES in S22) based on accepting a specified input operation by the user for the notification screen, skips the process of S24 and proceeds to S26. On the other hand, when the CPU determines that no specified input operation by the user for the notification screen has been accepted even after a certain period of time, it determines that the display stop operation has not been accepted (NO in S22) and proceeds to S24.

[0078] For example, as Figure 5As shown in (A), the notification screen NSC1 includes an OK button. When the CPU receives the selection operation of the OK button included in NSC1 from the user, it determines YES in S22 and proceeds to S26. In addition, when the CPU does not receive the selection operation of the OK button from the user even after a certain period of time, it determines NO in S22 and proceeds to S24. Also, as Figure 5 As shown in the left figure of (B), the notification screen NSC2 does not include an OK button. In this case, when the CPU determines NO in S22 after a certain period of time, it proceeds to S24. In addition, in a modified example, the notification screen NSC2 may also include both an OK button and a detail button.

[0079] After the display control unit 28 starts displaying the notification screen in S18, in S24, the CPU of the television 20 determines whether the notification display time included in the received home appliance information has elapsed. When the CPU determines that the notification display time has elapsed after starting to display the notification screen (YES in S24), it proceeds to S26. On the other hand, when the CPU determines that the notification display time has not elapsed after starting to display the notification screen (NO in S24), it returns to S20. That is, the CPU monitors the reception of the detailed screen display operation and the display stop operation until the notification display time elapses after starting to display the notification screen.

[0080] In S26, the CPU of the television 20 stops displaying the notification screen that started to be displayed in S18. When the process of S26 ends, Figure 4 the process ends immediately.

[0081] In this way, when the CPU of the television 20 determines that the notification display time has elapsed after starting to display the notification screen in S18 (YES in S24), it stops displaying the notification screen (S26). In other words, the CPU continuously displays the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information until the time (notification display time) determined according to the content of the home appliance information elapses. As shown in Figure 2, the notification display time is set according to the content of the home appliance information. Therefore, for example, the notification of the end of washing can be made shorter and the error notification can be made longer, and the appropriate time and the display of the notification screen can be executed corresponding to the notification content.

[0082] In addition, when the CPU of the television 20 receives a display stop operation for the notification screen (YES in S22), it stops displaying the notification screen (S26). Therefore, even if the notification display time has not elapsed, the user can stop displaying the notification screen if the user confirms the notification screen. That is, the convenience of the user is improved.

[0083] In addition, when the CPU of the television 20 receives a display operation of a detailed screen for the notification screen (YES in S20), in S28, the display of the detailed screen is started. Specifically, the CPU provides the notification details included in the home appliance information corresponding to the notification screen displayed in S18 to the display control unit 28, and the display control unit 28 generates a detailed screen based on the provided notification details and displays the detailed screen on the display screen 22. For example, as shown in Figure 5 (B), when the CPU receives a selection operation of the detailed button included in the notification screen NSC2 from the user (YES in S20), the display of the detailed screen DSC2 is started.

[0084] In this way, in the present embodiment, the detailed screen is displayed in response to the user's selection of the detailed button included in the notification screen. Therefore, the user can know the state of the home appliance device, or the response or operation that should be performed by the home appliance device, etc. by confirming the detailed screen. Therefore, the user does not have to confirm the instruction manual of the home appliance device, etc., and thus the convenience of the user is improved.

[0085] In S30, the CPU of the television 20 monitors the reception of the display stop operation of the detailed screen. When the CPU determines that the display stop operation of the detailed screen has been received, in S32, the display of the detailed screen is stopped, and in S26, the display of the notification screen is stopped, thereby ending Figure 4 the process. In addition, in a modified example, even if the CPU does not receive the display stop operation of the detailed screen, the display of the detailed screen and the notification screen can be stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the display of the detailed screen.

[0086] According to the above processing, each home appliance device 10, 30 to 60 of the home appliance system 2 transmits home appliance information indicating the state of the home appliance device when a predetermined condition such as a change in the state of the home appliance device is satisfied. On the other hand, based on the received home appliance information, the television 20 generates a notification screen, and when a plurality of images are dividedly displayed on the display screen 22, the generated notification screen is displayed on the image non-display area A3 of the display screen 22. Therefore, there will be no situation where the notification screen displayed on the display screen 22 overlaps with the images M1, M2 being viewed and listened to by the user. Therefore, the user can confirm the home appliance information sent from the home appliance device without impairing comfort.

[0087] In addition, as described above Figure 4The processing is executed based on the fact that the television 20 has received home appliance information. However, when the main power supply of the television 20 is turned off, the television 20 does not receive home appliance information. In this case, when the home appliance information is stored in the television server 100b, once the main power supply of the television 20 is switched on, the television server 100b will send the already stored home appliance information to the television 20. Based on the television 20 receiving this home appliance information, the Figure 4 processing starts.

[0088] Next, with reference to Figure 6 , the setting change processing executed by the CPU of the television 20 will be described. In this embodiment, the user can change settings such as the position or size of the notification screen displayed on the display screen 22. Taking an input operation performed by the user on the television 20 from the outside (for example, an input operation on the remote control of the television 20) as a trigger, the Figure 6 processing shown starts.

[0089] When the CPU receives a specified input operation from the user, in S50, the change item selection screen S1 is displayed on the display screen 22. As Figure 7 shown, the change item selection screen S1 includes: a display position setting change screen C1 (hereinafter referred to as screen C1), a string size setting change screen C2 (hereinafter referred to as screen C2), and a screen size setting change screen C3 (hereinafter referred to as screen C3). Screen C1 is a screen for accepting the execution of an operation to change the display position of the notification screen. Screen C2 is a screen for accepting the execution of the following operation, which is an operation to change the size of the string representing the content of the home appliance information displayed in the notification screen. Screen C3 is a screen for accepting the execution of an operation to change the size of the notification screen.

[0090] In Figure 6 S52, the CPU determines whether an input operation on screen C1 has been accepted. When the CPU determines that an input operation on screen C1 from the user has been accepted (YES in S52), it proceeds to S54. On the other hand, when the CPU determines that an input operation on screen C1 has not been accepted (NO in S52), it proceeds to S60.

[0091] In S54, the CPU causes the display position change acceptance screen C4 (hereinafter referred to as screen C4) to be displayed on the display screen 22 (refer to Figure 8 (A)). Screen C4 is a screen showing a sample of the display position of the notification screen within the display screen 22, and the actual notification screen is displayed at the position where screen C4 is configured. Moreover, in S56, the CPU determines whether an operation to change the display position of the notification screen has been accepted. For example, as Figure 8As shown in (A), after the CPU receives an operation from the user to move from the position of the screen C4 indicated by a dotted line to the position indicated by a solid line, and based on receiving a selection operation of the OK button, it determines YES in S56 and proceeds to S58.

[0092] In Figure 6 S58, the CPU changes the setting of the display position of the notification screen and stores it in the memory 26a, ending a series of processes. In Figure 8 the example shown in (A), the display position of the notification screen is changed from the position set in the lower area of the display screen 22 (the position indicated by the dotted line) to the position in the upper area of the display screen 22 (the position indicated by the solid line) and stored in the memory 26a.

[0093] In addition, in S60, the CPU determines whether it has received an input operation for the screen C2. When the CPU determines that it has received an input operation from the user for the screen C2 (YES in S60), it proceeds to S62. On the other hand, when the CPU determines that it has not received an input operation for the screen C2 (NO in S62), it proceeds to S68.

[0094] In S62, the CPU causes the string size change acceptance screen C5 (hereinafter referred to as screen C5) to be displayed on the display screen 22 (refer to Figure 8 (B)). Screen C5 is a screen showing a sample of the size of the string displayed in the notification screen, and the string contained in the actual notification screen is displayed in the size of the string ("displayed in this size") displayed in screen C5. Moreover, in S64, the CPU determines whether it has received an operation to change the size of the string. For example, in Figure 8 (B), after the CPU receives an operation from the user to move the slider in screen C5, and based on receiving a selection operation of the OK button, it determines YES in S64 and proceeds to S66.

[0095] In Figure 6 S66, the CPU changes the setting of the size of the string displayed in the notification screen and stores it in the memory 26a, ending a series of processes.

[0096] In addition, in S68, the CPU determines whether it has received an input operation for the screen C3. When the CPU determines that it has received an input operation from the user for the screen C3 (YES in S68), it proceeds to S70. On the other hand, when the CPU determines that it has not received an input operation for the screen C3 (NO in S68), it ends Figure 6Processing. For example, after the CPU executes the processing of S50 (the screen S1 is displayed on the display screen 22), if a specified time has elapsed without receiving an input operation on any of the screens C1 to C3, it is determined as NO in S68. Additionally, even if the screen S1 contains an end button for ending the setting change, the processing can be ended when an input operation on this end button from the user is received. Figure 6 Processing.

[0097] In S70, the CPU causes the screen size change acceptance screen C6 (hereinafter referred to as screen C6) to be displayed on the display screen 22 (refer to Figure 8 (C)). Screen C6 is a screen showing a sample of the size of the notification screen displayed within the display screen 22, and the actual notification screen is displayed in the size of screen C6. Moreover, the CPU determines in S72 whether an operation to change the size of the screen has been received. For example, as Figure 8 (C) shows, after the CPU receives an operation from the user to change the size of screen C6 represented by a dotted line to the size represented by a solid line, and based on the selection operation of the OK button being received, it is determined as YES in S72 and proceeds to S74.

[0098] In Figure 6 S74, the CPU changes the setting of the size of the notification screen and stores it in the memory 26a, ending the series of processes.

[0099] According to the above processing, the user can change the setting of the display position and size of the notification screen, as well as the size of the string displayed within the notification screen. Therefore, the user can display the notification screen in a form corresponding to their own preferences, improving the convenience for the user.

[0100] (Corresponding relationship) The television 20 is an example of an "imaging device". The images M1 and M2 are examples of the "first image" and the "second image". The display areas A1 and A2 are examples of the "first display area" and the "second display area". The operation to move the display position change acceptance screen C4 and the display position change acceptance screen C4 are examples of the "first operation" and the "first acceptance screen", respectively. The operation to move the slider within the string size change acceptance screen C5 and the string size change acceptance screen C5 are examples of the "second operation" and the "second acceptance screen", respectively. The operation to change the size of the screen size change acceptance screen C6 and the screen size change acceptance screen C6 are examples of the "third operation" and the "third acceptance screen", respectively.

[0101] As described above, although specific examples of the technology disclosed in this specification have been described in detail, these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the scope of the claims includes: solutions obtained by making various modifications and changes to the specific examples illustrated above. Some modification examples are listed below.

[0102] (Modification Example 1) In the above-described embodiment, it was illustrated that the display regions A1 and A2 are arranged side by side on the left and right of the display screen 22, and the non-display region A3 for images is arranged above and below the display regions A1 and A2. However, the arrangement of the display region or the non-display region for images is not particularly limited. It may be a form in which the non-display region for images is located on the left and right positions of the display screen, or may be a form in which it is only located in the upper position or only located in the left position. In addition, the notification screen and the detailed screen may be displayed so as to overlap with the display regions A1 and A2, or the notification screen and the detailed screen may be displayed in an overlapping manner. In particular, in a television capable of simultaneously displaying four images, when four images are simultaneously displayed, there may sometimes be no non-display region for images. In such a case, for example, the notification screen may be displayed so as to overlap with any one of the images. According to such a configuration, since the other three images can be viewed and listened to without being affected by the notification screen, it is possible to suppress a situation that impairs the comfort of the user.

[0103] (Modification Example 2) The home appliance information transmitted by the home appliance device may not be information indicating the state of the home appliance device.

[0104] (Modification Example 3) When receiving home appliance information in a situation where multiple images are divided and displayed on the display screen 22, the display of the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information may not be started in response to the reception of the home appliance information. For example, even in a situation where images are divided and displayed by a user's input operation, when the display flag 115 indicates "closed", the display of the notification screen may be started according to an input operation received from the user to change the display flag 115 to "open". In such a case, the television 20 may also have a configuration (such as the blinking or lighting of a lamp) that allows the user to recognize that the television 20 has received the home appliance information.

[0105] (Modification Example 4) When the television 20 receives two pieces of home appliance information that are related to each other, only the notification screen corresponding to any one of the home appliance information may be displayed, or the two notification screens corresponding to the home appliance information may be displayed sequentially.

[0106] (Modification Example 5) The television 20 may also continue to display the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information until an operation to stop the display of the notification screen is received from the user, even after the notification display time associated with the home appliance information has elapsed. Alternatively, the notification screen may not have an interface for receiving an operation to stop the display of the notification screen. In this case, the display of the notification screen may also be stopped in response to the elapse of the notification display time.

[0107] (Modification Example 6) Regarding the home appliance information for which detailed information is set, it is also possible to display together: the notification screen corresponding to the home appliance information and the detailed screen corresponding to the detailed information set in the home appliance information. That is, when the display flag 115 is "ON", instead of displaying Figure 5 the screen shown in the left figure of (B), it is possible to display Figure 5 the screen shown in the right figure of (B).

[0108] (Modification Example 7) In the setting change process, the display position of the notification screen may also be set at an arbitrary position by the user. Additionally, the display position may also be set at a position selected by the user from among a plurality of preset default positions. The same applies to the setting change of the size of the string or the size of the notification screen. Additionally, even for the detailed screen, it may be configured in the same way as the notification screen so that the display position, the size of the string, and the size of the screen can be changed.

[0109] The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings can exhibit technical utility individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of application. Additionally, the technologies exemplified in this specification or the drawings can achieve multiple purposes simultaneously, and the technical solution for achieving one of the purposes itself has technical utility.

Claims

1. A household appliance system, comprising a household appliance device and an imaging device capable of communicating with the household appliance device, characterized in that: The household appliance device is provided with a transmitting unit that transmits household appliance information indicating the state of the household appliance device when a specified condition is satisfied. The imaging device includes: A display screen including a first display area for displaying a first image and a second display area for displaying a second image different from the first image; A receiving unit that receives the household appliance information transmitted by the transmitting unit; And A display control unit that generates a notification screen based on the household appliance information received by the receiving unit and displays the generated notification screen on the display screen. The display control unit is configured to: be able to simultaneously display the first image and the second image on the display screen; display the notification screen when the first image and the second image are simultaneously displayed; and not display the notification screen when the first image and the second image are not simultaneously displayed. When the first image and the second image are simultaneously displayed on the display screen, the display control unit maintains the aspect ratio unchanged when only the first image or the second image is displayed in the entire area of the display screen, and displays the first image and the second image in the first display area and the second display area of the display screen. At this time, there is an image non-display area on the display screen that is different from the first display area and the second display area and does not display an image, and the display control unit displays the notification screen in the image non-display area.

2. The household appliance system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The notification screen is a screen representing a part of the information among the household appliance information transmitted from the transmitting unit of the household appliance device. The display control unit also causes the display screen to display a detailed screen representing more detailed information than the notification screen.

3. The household appliance system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The display control unit causes the display screen to display a first acceptance screen according to an external input operation, and the first acceptance screen can accept a first operation for changing the position where the notification screen is displayed. When the first operation is accepted, the notification screen is displayed on the display screen according to the changed position.

4. The household appliance system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The notification screen contains a string representing the content of the household appliance information. The display control unit causes the display screen to display a second acceptance screen according to an external input operation, and the second acceptance screen can accept a second operation for changing the size of the string. When the second operation is accepted, the notification screen including the string is displayed on the display screen according to the changed size.

5. The household appliance system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The display control unit causes the display screen to display a third reception screen according to an input operation from the outside, and the third reception screen can receive a third operation for changing the size of the notification screen. When the third operation is received, the notification screen is displayed on the display screen according to the changed size.

Images