Information processing method, information processing system, and computer program product

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of providing an information processing method, an information processing system, and a program with which it is possible to improve convenience. An information processing method according to an embodiment includes a determination step and a processing step. In the determination step, when a first program installed in the household electrical appliance and a second program installed in the terminal device can be updated, which of the first program and the second program is preferentially updated is determined. In the processing step, on the basis of the determination result of the determination step, an update process is performed on one of the first program and the second program that is determined to be preferentially updated, and then an update process is performed on the other of the first program and the second program.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an information processing method, an information processing system, and a program. Background Art

[0002] An information processing system that can operate home appliances using a terminal device has been proposed. Further improvement in convenience is expected for such an information processing system.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-292421 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an information processing method, an information processing system, and a program that can improve convenience.

[0008] Modes for Solving the Problems

[0009] The information processing method according to the embodiment includes a determination step and a processing step. In the determination step, when it is possible to update the first program installed in the home appliance and the second program installed in the terminal device, it is determined which of the first program and the second program should be updated preferentially. In the processing step, based on the determination result of the determination step, the update process of the program determined to be preferentially updated among the first program and the second program is executed, and then the update process of the other program among the first program and the second program is executed.

[0010] Technical Effects

[0011] By the above information processing method, improvement in convenience can be achieved. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012] Figure 1 A diagram showing the home appliance management system according to the first embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the home appliance according to the first embodiment.

[0014] Figure 3 A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device according to the first embodiment.

[0015] Figure 4 A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 5 A diagram showing an example of the content of the update information DB of the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 6 A diagram showing an example of the process associated with the update of the program of the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 7 A diagram showing an example of a prescribed report (Report A) of the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 8 A diagram showing an example of a prescribed report (Report B) of the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 9 A diagram for explaining the case where the type of the device program is different from the type of the application program in the first embodiment.

[0021] Figure 10 A diagram showing the process associated with the update of the program of a modification example of the first embodiment.

[0022] Figure 11 A diagram showing an example of the process associated with the update of the program of the second embodiment.

[0023] Figure 12 A diagram showing an example of the display screen of the second embodiment.

[0024] Figure 13 A diagram showing the process associated with the update of the program of a modification example of the second embodiment.

[0025] Figure 14 A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device of the third embodiment.

[0026] Figure 15 A diagram showing an example of the basic screen of the home appliance management application program of the third embodiment.

[0027] Figure 16 A diagram showing an example of the display screen of a modification example of the third embodiment.

[0028] Figure 17 A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device of the fourth embodiment.

[0029] Figure 18 A diagram showing an example of the display screen of the fourth embodiment.

[0030] Figure 19 A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server of the fifth embodiment.

[0031] Figure 20A diagram showing an example of a display screen according to the fifth embodiment.

[0032] Figure 21 A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server according to the sixth embodiment.

[0033] Figure 22 A diagram showing an example of a process related to the update of a program according to the sixth embodiment.

[0034] In the figure:

[0035] 100... Home appliance device, 200... Server, 231... Update information management unit, 232... Update determination unit, 233... Update order determination unit, 234... Update processing unit, 235... Update guidance determination unit, 236... Update timing determination unit, 300... Terminal device, 320... Display control unit, 330... Operation reception unit, P1... Device program, P2... Application program. Detailed implementation manners

[0036] Hereinafter, an information processing method, an information processing system, and a program according to the embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions are given the same reference numerals. Also, repeated descriptions of these components may be omitted. In the present application, "based on XX" means "at least based on XX", and in addition to XX, it may also include cases based on other elements. Further, "based on XX" is not limited to directly based on XX, and may also include cases based on the result obtained by performing operations or processing on XX. In the present application, "XX or YY" is not limited to either XX or YY, and may also include both XX and YY. This is the same when the selected elements are three or more. XX and YY are arbitrary elements (for example, arbitrary information).

[0037] In the present application, "acquire" is not limited to the case of actively acquiring by sending a request, and may also include acquiring by passively receiving information sent from other devices. Further, "acquire" is not limited to directly acquiring the target information (information of the acquisition object) from the outside, and may also include acquiring by performing operations or processing on the information obtained from the outside and generating the target information. Further, in the present application, the database is marked as "DB".

[0038] (First Embodiment)

[0039] In the first embodiment, a case where the first program is preferentially updated when the first program mounted on the home appliance device and the second program mounted on the terminal device can be updated will be described.

[0040] <A1. Overall configuration>

[0041] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the home appliance management system 1 of the first embodiment. The home appliance management system 1 includes, for example, one or more home appliances 100, a server 200, and a home appliance management application program AP of the terminal device 300. Regarding the network NW described later, for example, the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, an LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), or other public or private networks can be used.

[0042] (Home Appliance)

[0043] The home appliance 100 is an electrical device mainly used at home. The home appliance 100 is arranged in the residence of the user U. The home appliance 100 is a refrigerator 100A, a clothes processor 100B, an air conditioner 100C, a heating cooker 100D, a rice cooker 100E, a coffee maker 100F, a water treatment device 100G, a garbage disposal machine 100H, a vacuum cleaner, an iron, etc., but is not limited to these. The "clothes processor" is a washing machine (including a laundry dryer) or a closet-type clothes processor, etc. The "air conditioner" is an air conditioner, an air purifier, a humidifying device, etc. The "heating cooker" is an oven, a microwave oven, a toaster, etc. The "water treatment device" is, for example, a water purifier. Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, the "clothes processor 100B" is sometimes referred to as the "washing machine 100B", and the air conditioner 100C is referred to as the "air conditioner 100C".

[0044] The home appliance 100 is connected to the network NW via a wireless router WR and a modem M in the residence of the user U. The home appliance 100 can communicate with the server 200 or the terminal device 300 via the network NW. The home appliance 100 can also directly communicate with the terminal device 300 using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), for example. In addition, one or more home appliances 100 may have a voice reporting device VD. The voice reporting device VD is a device capable of outputting voice guidance. The voice reporting device VD is an example of the "voice reporting function".

[0045] (Server)

[0046] The server 200 is a management server that manages the home appliance device 100. The server 200 is composed of one or more server devices (such as cloud servers). The server 200 can communicate with the home appliance device 100 or the terminal device 300 via the network NW. The server 200 may also include an information processing unit included in a router in the network NW, etc., an information processing unit that performs edge computing and fog computing. The server 200 is not limited to a cloud server, and may also be a computer in the user U's residence, a home router, etc.

[0047] The terminal device 400 used by the operator OP of the program provider PS is connected to the server 200 in a manner that enables communication with the server 200. The server 200 stores various programs (such as the application program P2 described later) and various update programs (such as the update programs UP1 and UP2 described later) from the program provider PS. In addition, in this embodiment, the program provider PS stores update order setting information 293 (refer to Figure 4 ) in the server 200 that represents the update order of the update programs UP1 and UP2. The program provider PS is, for example, a manufacturer that manufactures and sells home appliance devices or a program providing company that provides programs, but is not limited to these.

[0048] (Terminal device)

[0049] The terminal device 300 is an electronic device used by the user U. The terminal device 300 can be used independently of the home appliance device 100, for example. The terminal device 300 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal device. However, the terminal device 300 is not limited to a portable terminal device, and may be a personal computer, etc., or a voice dialogue device (such as a smart speaker), etc.

[0050] The terminal device 300 has, for example, a display device 301, an input device 302, and a communication unit 303. The display device 301 is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, etc., and has a display screen 301a capable of displaying various information. The input device 302 is a device that accepts the operation of the user U. The input device 302 is, for example, a touch panel provided overlapping the display screen 301a. The input device 302 may include a camera or a microphone provided in the terminal device 300. The communication unit 303 is, for example, a communication module capable of wireless communication. The communication unit 303 is connected to the network NW via a wireless router WR and a modem M, or directly connected to the network NW. The communication unit 303 can communicate with the home appliance device 100 or the server 200 via the network NW. The communication unit 303 may be capable of directly communicating with the home appliance device 100 using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth.

[0051] An application P2 is installed in the terminal device 300, which supports the functions described below. The application P2 is, for example, an application for managing the home appliance device 100. Hereinafter, the application software started by executing the application P2 is referred to as the "home appliance management application AP".

[0052] In the present embodiment, an example of an "information processing system" is implemented by the server 200. However, in addition to the above example, the "information processing system" can be implemented only by the home appliance device 100, can be implemented only by the home appliance management application AP, or can be implemented by any two or more of the home appliance device 100, the server 200, or the home appliance management application AP. In the present embodiment, the home appliance device 100, the server 200, and the terminal device 300 are each an example of a "computer".

[0053] <A2. Home Appliance Device>

[0054] Next, the home appliance device 100 will be described.

[0055] Figure 2 FIG. is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the home appliance device 100. The home appliance device 100, for example, has an information acquisition unit 110, an actuator 120, an operation unit 130, a control unit 140, an information transmission unit 150, and a storage unit 190.

[0056] The information acquisition unit 110 acquires various information from the server 200 or the terminal device 300 by communicating with the server 200 or the terminal device 300. In the present embodiment, when the update program UP1 for updating the program P1 described later exists in the server 200, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires the update program UP1 from the server 200.

[0057] In the present application, "update" is not limited to updating an existing program (for example, replacing an existing program with a new version of the program), and can also be applied to retaining the existing program and adding other programs (such as a subprogram like a plug-in) that cooperate with the existing program. This is not limited to the update program UP1, and the same applies to the update program UP2 described later.

[0058] The actuator 120 is a drive unit that makes the main function of the home appliance device 100 operate. For example, when the home appliance device 100 is a refrigerator 100A, the actuator 120 is a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, or a blower that circulates cold air inside the refrigerator 100A. When the home appliance device 100 is a washing machine 100B, the actuator 120 is a motor that rotates the rotating tub.

[0059] The operation unit 130 is a functional unit that accepts the operations of the user U. The operation unit 130 includes one or more of operation buttons, switches, dials, or touch panels, etc. The operation unit 130 accepts, for example, the operations of the user U related to the control of the home appliance device 100.

[0060] The control unit 140 is implemented by executing a program P1 by one or more hardware processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) mounted on the home appliance device 100. The program P1 is, for example, a program that implements the firmware of the home appliance device 100. However, the program P1 is not limited to the above example and may also be a subprogram or the like for enabling the home appliance device 100 to implement a specific function. The program P1 is an example of the "first program". Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, the program P1 is sometimes referred to as the "device program P1". In addition, all or part of the control unit 140 can be implemented by hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or can also be implemented by the cooperation of software and hardware.

[0061] The control unit 140 comprehensively controls the entirety of the home appliance device 100. For example, the control unit 140 controls the actuator 120 based on the detection results of sensors provided in the home appliance device 100 and the control information 191, thereby causing the home appliance device 100 to operate. The control information 191 includes various operation modes, set values, threshold values, etc. In addition, the control unit 140 is capable of executing control corresponding to a request from the server 200. In addition, the control unit 140 causes information indicating the state of the home appliance device 100 (hereinafter referred to as "state information 192") to be stored in the storage unit 190.

[0062] In addition, when an update program UP1 for updating the device program P1 is obtained from the server 200, the control unit 140 uses the obtained update program UP1 to update the device program P1. The update program UP1 is an example of the "first update program".

[0063] The information transmission unit 150 transmits the status information 192 to the server 200 or the terminal device 300 at a prescribed cycle or in response to a request from the outside. Alternatively, when the status of the home appliance device 100 changes, the information transmission unit 150 transmits the status information 192 to the server 200 or the terminal device 300. The status information 192 includes version information VE1 indicating the type (version) of the device program P1. The version information VE1 is an example of "type determination information" capable of determining the type (version) of the device program P1 and is also an example of "associated information" associated with the device program P1.

[0064] The storage unit 190 is a functional unit that stores various types of information. The storage unit 190 is implemented by a combination of, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage unit 190 stores, for example, the device program P1, the control information 191, and the status information 192.

[0065] <A3. Terminal Device>

[0066] Next, for the sake of convenience in explanation, the terminal device 300 will be described first.

[0067] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device 300. The terminal device 300 has, for example, an information acquisition unit 310, a display control unit 320, an operation reception unit 330, an information transmission unit 340, a terminal control unit 350, and a storage unit 390.

[0068] The information acquisition unit 310, the display control unit 320, the operation reception unit 330, and the information transmission unit 340 are implemented by executing an application program P2 by one or more hardware processors such as a CPU mounted on the terminal device 300. In other words, the information acquisition unit 310, the display control unit 320, the operation reception unit 330, and the information transmission unit 340 are software functional units included in the home appliance management application AP. The application program P2 is an example of a "second program". Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience in explanation, the application program P2 may be referred to as the "application program P2".

[0069] <A3.1 Information Acquisition Unit>

[0070] The information acquisition unit 310 obtains various information from the server 200 or the home appliance device 100 by communicating with the server 200 or the home appliance device 100. In the present embodiment, when the update program UP2 for updating the application program P2 exists in the server 200, the information acquisition unit 310 obtains the update program UP2 from the server 200. In addition, when the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 is updated, the information acquisition unit 310 obtains a notification indicating that the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 has been updated (hereinafter referred to as "device update completion notification") from the server 200.

[0071] <A3.2 Display control unit>

[0072] The display control unit 320 controls the content displayed on the display screen 301a of the display device 301 of the terminal device 300 by controlling the display device 301. Various screens and various operation units associated with the home appliance management application AP are displayed under the control of the display control unit 320.

[0073] In the present embodiment, when the update program UP1 for updating the device program P1 installed in the home appliance device 100 exists in the server 200, the display control unit 320 causes the situation where the device program P1 can be updated to be displayed on the display screen 301a based on the association information associated with the application program P2 installed in the terminal device 300 (for example, the version information VE2 of the application program P2).

[0074] <A3.3 Operation reception unit>

[0075] The operation reception unit 330 receives the operation of the user U on the input device 302 associated with the screen displayed by the display control unit 320. For example, the operation reception unit 330 receives the operation of the user U pressing various operation units displayed on the above screen. The operation reception unit 330 can perform setting operations on the home appliance device 100. The operation reception unit 330 is an example of a "setting unit".

[0076] <A3.4 Information transmission unit>

[0077] The information transmission unit 340 communicates with the server 200 or the home appliance device 100, thereby sending various information to the server 200 or the home appliance device 100. For example, when the operation of the user U is received by the operation reception unit 330, the information transmission unit 340 generates information or signals corresponding to the received operation, and sends the generated information or signals to the server 200 or the home appliance device 100.

[0078] In the present embodiment, the information transmission unit 340 transmits information indicating the state of the terminal device 300 (hereinafter referred to as "status information 391") to the server 200 at a predetermined cycle or in response to a request from the outside. The status information 391 includes version information VE2 indicating the type (version) of the application program P2. The version information VE2 is an example of "type determination information" capable of determining the type (version) of the application program P2 and is an example of "associated information" associated with the application program P2.

[0079] <A3.5 Terminal Control Unit>

[0080] The terminal control unit 350 performs control related to the update of the application program P2. The terminal control unit 350 is implemented, for example, by executing the firmware of the terminal device 300 by one or more hardware processors such as a CPU mounted on the terminal device 300. When an update program UP2 for updating the application program P2 is obtained from the server 200, the terminal control unit 350 uses the obtained update program UP2 to update the application program P2. The update program UP2 is an example of a "second update program".

[0081] In addition, the terminal control unit 350 may be provided as a part of the home appliance management application AP instead of being separately provided from the home appliance management application AP. In this case, the terminal control unit 350 can be implemented by executing the application program P2 by one or more hardware processors such as a CPU mounted on the terminal device 300.

[0082] When a specified function of the home appliance device 100 becomes available through the update of the device program P1 mounted on the home appliance device 100, the terminal control unit 350 updates the data stored in the terminal device 300 before communication related to the execution of the above-specified function is performed. The terminal control unit 350 is an example of an "update control unit".

[0083] <A3.6 Storage Unit>

[0084] The storage unit 390 is implemented, for example, by a combination of RAM, ROM, EEPROM, or SSD. The storage unit 390 stores various information. For example, the storage unit 390 stores the application program P2 and the status information 391.

[0085] <A4. Server>

[0086] Next, the server 200 will be described.

[0087] Figure 4A block diagram showing the functional configuration of server 200. Server 200 has, for example, a device registration unit 210, a home appliance device management unit 220, an update management unit 230, a communication processing unit 240, and a storage unit 290.

[0088] <A4.1 Device Registration Unit>

[0089] The device registration unit 210 performs device registration of the home appliance device 100 according to a request from the terminal device 300 (i.e., an application from user U). Device registration means associating a specific user U with the home appliance device 100 used by that user U. Device registration is performed, for example, by registering the correspondence between user information (such as a user ID) that can identify user U and identification information (such as a device ID) that can identify the individual of the home appliance device 100. In the present embodiment, the above correspondence is registered in the device registration DB 291 stored in the storage unit 290. In addition, device registration can be performed by associating a specific terminal device 300 used by user U with a specific home appliance device 100 instead of associating a specific user U with a specific home appliance device 100.

[0090] <A4.2 Home Appliance Device Management Unit>

[0091] The home appliance device management unit 220 manages the control of the home appliance device 100 for which device registration has been performed. For example, when the home appliance device management unit 220 receives an operation request for operating the home appliance device 100 from the terminal device 300, it generates a control instruction corresponding to the received operation request and notifies the generated control instruction to the home appliance device 100. Thereby, the operation of the home appliance device 100 corresponding to the operation request from the terminal device 300 is performed. In the present application, "operation of the home appliance device" refers to start of operation, stop of operation, setting or change of operation content, setting or change of operation reservation, addition or deletion of special functions, confirmation of the state of the home appliance device, etc., but is not limited to these.

[0092] In addition, when the home appliance device management unit 220 obtains status information 192 indicating the status of the home appliance device 100 from the home appliance device 100 according to a request from the terminal device 300, it sends the obtained status information 192 to the terminal device 300. In this case, the status information 192 included in the terminal device 300 includes version information VE1 indicating the type (version) of the device program P1.

[0093] <A4.3 Update Management Unit>

[0094] The Update Management Unit 230 manages the update of the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 and the update of the application program P2 of the terminal device 300. The Update Management Unit 230 includes, for example, an Update Information Management Unit 231, an Update Decision Unit 232, an Update Order Decision Unit 233, and an Update Processing Unit 234.

[0095] <A4.3.1 Update Information Management Unit>

[0096] The Update Information Management Unit 231 manages information related to the update of the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 and the application program P2 of the terminal device 300. For example, the Update Information Management Unit 231 manages the registration content of the Update Information DB292 stored in the Storage Unit 290. For example, when update programs UP1 and UP2 are provided by the program provider PS (when the update programs UP1 and UP2 are uploaded), the Update Information Management Unit 231 stores the provided update programs UP1 and UP2 in the Storage Unit 290.

[0097] Figure 5 A figure showing an example of the content of the Update Information DB292. The Update Information DB292 includes, for example, a Device Update Information DB292A and a Terminal Update Information DB292B.

[0098] (Device Update Information DB)

[0099] Information indicating whether the device program P1 installed on each home appliance device 100 can be updated (for example, whether it is the latest version) is registered in the Device Update Information DB292A. For example, in the Device Update Information DB292A, the device ID of each individual home appliance device 100, the version information VE1 of the device program P1 (the device program P1 in use) installed on the home appliance device 100, the presence or absence of an update program UP1 that can update the device program P1, the version information indicating the type of the update program UP1 when there is an update program UP1, and the user ID of the user U associated with the home appliance device 100 are managed in correspondence.

[0100] (Terminal Update Information DB)

[0101] In the terminal update information DB292B, information indicating whether the application program P2 installed on the terminal device 300 used by each user U can be updated (for example, whether it is the latest version) is registered. For example, in the terminal update information DB292B, the user ID of each user U, the version information VE2 of the application program P2 (the application program P2 in use) installed on the terminal device 300 used by this user U, whether there is an update program UP2 that can update the application program P2, and when there is an update program UP2, the version information indicating the type of the update program UP2 are managed in a corresponding manner.

[0102] <A4.3.2 Update Judgment Unit>

[0103] The update judgment unit 232 judges whether the device program P1 installed on the home appliance device 100 can be updated and whether the application program P2 installed on the terminal device 300 can be updated. For example, the update judgment unit 232 makes the above judgments based on the content registered in the update information DB292. For example, for each home appliance device 100, when there is an update program UP1 that can update the device program P1, the update judgment unit 232 judges that the device program P1 can be updated. For each terminal device 300, when there is an update program UP2 that can update the application program P2, the update judgment unit 232 judges that the application program P2 can be updated. For example, when the device program P1 installed on the home appliance device 100 can be updated, the update judgment unit 232 judges whether the application program P2 installed on the terminal device 300 needs to be updated. The update judgment unit 232 is an example of the "necessity judgment unit".

[0104] <A4.3.3 Update Order Judgment Unit>

[0105] In the combination of the home appliance device 100 to be judged and the terminal device 300 used by the user U associated with the home appliance device 100 through the above device registration, when the device program P1 installed on the home appliance device 100 and the application program P2 installed on the terminal device 300 can be updated (hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, referred to as "the situation where both programs can be updated"), the update order judgment unit 233 judges which of the device program P1 and the application program P2 should be updated preferentially.

[0106] In this embodiment, when both programs can be updated, the update order determination unit 233 determines which of the device program P1 and the application program P2 to update first based on the update order setting information 293 stored in the storage unit 390. The update order setting information 293 is information preset by the program provider PS and is information that specifies which of the device program P1 and the application program P2 to update first. The update order setting information 293 is stored in the storage unit 390, for example, by being sent from the terminal device 400 of the program provider PS to the server 200.

[0107] In this embodiment, for example, an instruction indicating that the update of the device program P1 takes precedence over the update of the application program P2 is registered in the update order setting information 293. In this case, when both programs can be updated, the update order determination unit 233 determines, based on the update order setting information 293, that the device program P1 among the device program P1 and the application program P2 is to be updated first.

[0108] <A4.3.4 Update Processing Unit>

[0109] Based on the determination result of the update order determination unit 233, the update processing unit 234 performs the update processing of the program determined to be updated first among the device program P1 and the application program P2. And then, the update processing unit 234 performs the update processing of the other program among the device program P1 and the application program P2.

[0110] In this application, "update processing" means downloading the update program and / or updating the existing program using the above update program (for example, installing the above update program), etc., but is not limited thereto, and reports before downloading can also be applicable. "Downloading the update program" means that the home appliance device 100 obtains the update program UP1 from the server 200 or the terminal device 300 obtains the update program UP2 from the server 200, etc. "Installing the update program" means deleting the existing device program P1 and replacing it with the update program UP1, leaving the existing device program P1 and adding the update program UP1 (for example, a subprogram like a plug-in), deleting the existing application program P2 and replacing it with the update program UP2, or leaving the existing application program P2 and adding the update program UP2 (for example, a subprogram like a plug-in), etc. "Report before downloading" is, for example, a report for notifying the user U that there is an update program (a report for recommending the update of the program), a report for notifying the user U to automatically start downloading the update program, or a report for obtaining the approval of the user U to start downloading the update program.

[0111] In the present embodiment, the update processing unit 234 downloads and installs an update program as the update processing of the program determined to be preferentially updated among the device program P1 and the application program P2. Further, after the installation of the update program for the above-mentioned one program is completed (i.e., after the update of the above-mentioned one program is completed), the update processing unit 234 starts the update processing of the other program.

[0112] For example, in the case where it is determined that the device program P1 is preferentially updated over the application program P2, after the download and installation of the update program UP1 implemented by the home appliance device 100 are completed (i.e., after the update of the device program P1 is completed), the update processing unit 234 causes the terminal device 300 to download and install the update program UP2.

[0113] In the present embodiment, the update processing unit 234 makes a report related to the application program P2 by sending a prescribed notification to the terminal device 300. For example, what the update processing unit 234 reports to the terminal device 300 by sending a prescribed notification is: a report for notifying the user U that the application program P2 can be updated, automatically starting the download and / or installation of the update program UP2, or a report for obtaining the permission of the user U to start the download and / or installation of the update program UP2. Specific examples of these reports will be described later.

[0114] <A4.4 Communication Processing Unit>

[0115] Next, the communication processing unit 240 will be described. Further, hereinafter, the case where it is determined that the device program P1 among the device program P1 and the application program P2 is preferentially updated will be described as an example.

[0116] In the present embodiment, in the case where it is determined by the update order determination unit 233 that the device program P1 is preferentially updated over the application program P2, the communication processing unit 240 executes the update processing of the application program P2 after the update processing of the device program P1, and then performs communication related to the use of the functions of the home appliance device 100 obtained through the device program P1. In other words, when the device program P1 is updated, during the period until the update of the application program P2 (for example, the update of the application program P2 corresponding to the update of the above-mentioned device program P1) is completed, the communication processing unit 240 suppresses communication related to the use of the functions of the home appliance device 100 obtained through the device program P1.

[0117] In this application, the "functions of the home appliance device obtained through the device program" are, for example, new functions that become available by updating the device program P1. As such new functions, for example, it includes operating modes, reservation functions, or functions that enable multiple home appliance devices 100 to operate jointly, etc. that were not available in the device program P1 before the update, but is not limited thereto. In this application, the meaning of "update of the application program corresponding to the update of the device program" is, for example, the update of the application program P2 corresponding to the change of the functions of the home appliance device 100 (for example, addition, deletion, or change of content) by the update of the device program P1. For example, the meaning of "update of the application program corresponding to the update of the device program" is to update the application program P2 so that the application program P2 becomes a form corresponding to the form of the updated device program P1. In addition, in this application, the meaning of "communication associated with the use of the functions of the home appliance device" is, for example, one or more communications among the communication between the server 200 and the home appliance device 100, the communication between the server 200 and the terminal device 300, and the communication between the home appliance device 100 and the terminal device 300.

[0118] From another perspective, the "functions of the home appliance device obtained through the device program" in this application are not limited to the above new functions. For example, functions that were available before the update of the device program P1 can also be applicable. In other words, when the device program P1 is updated, during the period until the update of the application program P2 is completed, the communication processing unit 240 can restrict the communication associated with the use of functions other than the update of the program (for example, the use of the existing main functions of the home appliance device).

[0119] <A4.5 Storage Unit>

[0120] The storage unit 290 is implemented, for example, by a combination of RAM, ROM, EEPROM, SSD, or HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. The storage unit 290 stores various information. For example, the storage unit 290 stores the device registration DB291, the update information DB292, the update order setting information 293, the application program P2, multiple update programs UP1, and multiple update programs UP2. The application program P2 is downloaded to the terminal device 300 for use. The multiple update programs UP1, for example, include multiple update programs UP1 with different versions. The multiple update programs UP2, for example, include multiple update programs UP2 with different versions.

[0121] <A5. Control Flow Associated with Program Update>

[0122] Next, the control flow associated with the program update will be described.

[0123] Figure 6A diagram showing an example of the control flow associated with the update of a program. First, the update determination unit 232 determines whether it is possible to update both the device program P1 and the application program P2 (S101). If it is determined that both the device program P1 and the application program P2 can be updated, the update order determination unit 233 determines, based on the update order setting information 293, to update the device program P1 prior to the application program P2 (S102).

[0124] Next, if the update order determination unit 233 determines to update the device program P1 prior to the application program P2, the update processing unit 234 downloads the update program UP1 from the server 200 to the home appliance device 100 (S103). If the update program UP1 has been downloaded from the server 200, the control unit 140 of the home appliance device 100 installs the update program UP1, thereby updating the device program P1 with the update program UP1 (S104). When the update of the device program P1 is completed, the control unit 140 of the home appliance device 100 sends a notification indicating the completion of the update (hereinafter referred to as "update completion notification N1") to the server 200 (S105).

[0125] When the update processing unit 234 receives the update completion notification N1 from the home appliance device 100, it sends a notification indicating the completion of the update of the device program P1 in the home appliance device 100 (hereinafter referred to as "update completion notification N2") to the terminal device 300 (S106). When the display control unit 320 of the home appliance management application AP receives the update completion notification N2 from the server 200, it makes a prescribed report (report A) through the terminal device 300 (S107). The prescribed report (report A) is, for example, a report notifying the completion of the update of the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 and / or a report notifying that the application program P2 can be updated. When the user U confirms the above-mentioned prescribed report, the user U performs an operation to start the home appliance management application AP (S108).

[0126] When the operation to start the home appliance management application AP is performed, the display control unit 320 of the home appliance management application AP makes a prescribed report (report B) through the terminal device 300 (S109). The prescribed report (report B) is, for example, a report notifying that the application program P2 can be updated.

[0127] Next, in the case where the operation of user U who has accepted the update of the permission application program P2 is accepted by the operation acceptance unit 330 (S110), the terminal control unit 350 of the terminal device 300 communicates with the server 200 and downloads the update program UP2 from the server 200 (S111). In the case where the update program UP2 is downloaded from the server 200, the terminal control unit 350 of the terminal device 300 installs the update program UP2, thereby updating the application program P2 with the update program UP2 (S112). When the update of the application program P2 is completed, the terminal control unit 350 of the terminal device 300 sends a notice indicating the end of the update (hereinafter referred to as "update end notice N3") to the server 200 (S113).

[0128] After that, in the case where a setting change (for example, a setting change using the operation unit 130) or a state change associated with a new function of the home appliance device 100 that has become available through the updated device program P1 occurs (S121), the control unit 140 of the home appliance device 100 sends a prescribed notice N11 notifying the occurrence of the setting change or state change associated with the above new function to the server 200 (S122).

[0129] When the communication processing unit 240 of the server 200 receives the above prescribed notice N11, it determines whether the update of the application program P2 has ended (for example, whether the update end notice N3 has been received). When the update of the application program P2 has ended, the communication processing unit 240 sends a prescribed notice N12 corresponding to the above prescribed notice N11 to the terminal device 300 (S123). The display control unit 320 of the terminal device 300 causes the content corresponding to the received prescribed notice N12 to be displayed on the display screen 301a (S124).

[0130] On the other hand, in the case where a setting operation associated with a new function of the home appliance device 100 that has become available through the updated device program P1 is performed on the terminal device 300 (S131), the information sending unit 340 of the terminal device 300 sends a prescribed notice N15 notifying the performance of the setting operation associated with the above new function to the server 200 (S132).

[0131] When the communication processing unit 240 of the server 200 receives the above prescribed notice N15, it sends a prescribed notice N16 corresponding to the above prescribed notice N15 to the home appliance device 100 (S133). The control unit 140 of the home appliance device 100 performs a setting change of the home appliance device 100 corresponding to the received prescribed notice N16 (S134).

[0132] <A6. Example of display screen>

[0133] Next, a display screen example displayed on the terminal device 300 will be described.

[0134] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of the above-mentioned specified report (Report A). Figure 7 For example, it shows the main screen DH of the display screen 301a displayed on the terminal device 300. The display control unit 320 of the home appliance management application AP displays a push notification N21, which is an example of the specified report, on the main screen DH. The push notification N21 is, for example, a notification indicating that the update of the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 has ended.

[0135] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of the above-mentioned specified report (Report B). Figure 8 For example, it shows the basic screen DD of the home appliance management application AP of the display screen 301a displayed on the terminal device 300. The display control unit 320 of the home appliance management application AP displays a notification N22, which is an example of the specified report, on the basic screen DD. The notification N22 is, for example, a notification urging the update of the application program P2.

[0136] <A7. Advantages>

[0137] As a comparative example, consider a case where the update of the device program P1 and the update of the application program P2 do not cooperate properly. In this comparative example, when the device program P1 is updated and a new function is added, but the update of the application program P2 is not performed, sometimes the user U cannot properly utilize the functions of the home appliance device 100 or the services associated with the home appliance device 100.

[0138] Figure 9 This is a diagram for explaining a case where the types (versions) of the device program P1 and the application program P2 are different. There are four modes for the combination (device program, application program) of the types of the device program P1 and the application program P2: mode 1 (old, old), mode 2 (old, new), mode 3 (new, old), and mode 4 (new, new).

[0139] Mode 1 and Mode 4 are combinations between the same types, so there will be no mismatch. As in Mode 2, when the device program P1 is old and the application program P2 is new, even though the device program P1 is old, since the communication specification has been determined, it is possible to respond by changing the control (such as the display content on the terminal device 300 side) executed by the application program P2 based on the type-specific information of the device program P1. On the other hand, for Mode 3, if there is a device program P1 that includes a new specification (such as a new function), it may be difficult to handle with the old application program P2. For example, when the terminal device 300 obtains status information (such as setting information indicating the set state of the refrigerator 100A) representing the status of the home appliance device 100 from the home appliance device 100 via the server 200, it is estimated that unknown information will be sent from the home appliance device 100.

[0140] Here, in the present embodiment, the following are performed: a determination step of determining which of the device program P1 and the application program P2 to preferentially update when the device program P1 and the application program P2 can be updated; and a processing step of, based on the determination result of the above determination step, executing the update process of the program of the party determined to be preferentially updated among the device program P1 and the application program P2, and then executing the update process of the other program among the device program P1 and the application program P2. According to such a configuration, it is easy to suppress a state where only one of the update of the device program P1 and the update of the application program P2 is updated while the update of the other is left unperformed. As a result, it is easy for the user U to appropriately utilize the functions of the home appliance device 100 or the services associated with the home appliance device 100. As a result, it is possible to seek an improvement in convenience.

[0141] <A8. Variation>

[0142] <A8.1 First Variation>

[0143] In the above-described embodiment, the update order determination unit 233 determines which of the device program P1 and the application program P2 to preferentially update based on the update order setting information 293 registered by the program provider PS. Instead, it may be that the update order determination unit 233 determines which program to preferentially update based on other information (such as a preset rule). The above other information may be, for example, a rule preset by an operator different from the program provider PS, information indicating the content of the function added or improved by the update, or information indicating the state of the home appliance device 100 (such as whether it is in operation).

[0144] <A8.2 Second Variation>

[0145] In the above-described embodiment, the update order determination unit 233 determines which of the device program P1 and the application program P2 is to be preferentially updated based on the update order setting information 293. Instead, when both the device program P1 and the application program P2 can be updated, the update order determination unit 233 may uniquely (fixedly) determine to update the device program P1 prior to the application program P2 without relying on specific determination information (such as the update order setting information 293).

[0146] <A8.3 Third Variant Example>

[0147] In the above-described embodiment, when the operation of user U that permits the update of the application program P2 is received, the application program P2 is updated. Instead, the update of the application program P2 may be performed without the operation of user U that permits the update of the application program P2.

[0148] Figure 10 FIG. is a diagram showing the process associated with the update of the program for the third variant example. In this variant example, when the terminal control unit 350 of the terminal device 300 receives the update completion notification N2 notifying that the update of the device program P1 has ended, it automatically updates the application program P2 by downloading the update program UP2 from the server 200 without the operation of user U that permits the update of the application program P2. In addition, the process of automatically updating the application program P2 may be performed after the home appliance management application AP is started by user U, or may be performed before the home appliance management application AP is started by user U.

[0149] Further in other words, when the terminal control unit 350 receives the update completion notification N2 notifying that the update of the device program P1 has ended, for example, instead of reporting to user U that the device program P1 has been updated and reporting to user U the automatic update of the application program P2, it downloads the update program UP2 from the server 200 and updates the application program P2.

[0150] (Second Embodiment)

[0151] Next, the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, when the device program P1 and the application program P2 can be updated, the application program P2 is updated prior to the device program P1, which is different from the first embodiment. In addition, the configuration other than the one described below is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0152] <B1. Overall Configuration>

[0153] In the present embodiment, for example, an instruction indicating that the update of the application program P2 has a higher priority than the update of the device program P1 is registered in the update order setting information 293. In this case, when both programs can be updated, the update order determination unit 233 determines, based on the update order setting information 293, that the application program P2 among the device program P1 and the application program P2 is to be updated with priority.

[0154] Alternatively, instead of the above example, when there are change points in the form of the data of the updated device program P1 sent to the home appliance device 100 that are different from those before the update of the device program P1, the update order determination unit 233 determines the priority order such that the process associated with the update of the device program P1 is executed after the process associated with the update of the application program P2. Whether there are change points in the form of the data of the updated device program P1 sent to the home appliance device 100 that are different from those before the update of the device program P1 is registered, for example, in the update information DB292 in association with each update program UP1. The update order determination unit 233 can perform the above determination process based on the registration content of the update information DB292.

[0155] Described from another perspective, when the device program P1 installed in the home appliance device 100 can be updated, the update order determination unit 233 determines whether the application program P2 installed in the terminal device 300 needs to be updated.

[0156] In the present embodiment, when it is determined by the update order determination unit 233 that the application program P2 has a higher priority than the device program P1, after the download and installation of the update program UP2 implemented by the terminal device 300 are completed (i.e., after the update of the application program P2 is completed), the update processing unit 234 causes the home appliance device 100 to download and install the update program UP1.

[0157] In the present embodiment, when the update order determination unit 233 determines that the application program P2 is to be updated prior to the device program P1, the communication processing unit 240 performs the update processing of the device program P1 after the update processing of the application program P2, and then performs communication associated with the use of the functions (such as new functions) of the home appliance device 100 obtained through the application program P2. In other words, when the application program P2 is updated, the communication processing unit 240 suppresses communication associated with the use of the functions (such as new functions) of the home appliance device 100 obtained through the application program P2 during the period until the update of the device program P1 (for example, the update of the device program P1 corresponding to the update of the above application program P2) is completed. In the present application, the "update of the device program corresponding to the update of the application program" means, for example, when the functions of the home appliance management application AP are changed (such as addition, deletion, or change of content) through the update of the application program P2, the update of the device program P1 corresponding to the change of the functions. For example, the "update of the device program corresponding to the update of the application program" means that the device program P1 is updated so as to be in a form corresponding to the form of the updated application program P2.

[0158] <B2. Flow of control associated with program update>

[0159] Figure 11 A diagram showing an example of the flow of control associated with program update. First, the update determination unit 232 determines whether both the device program P1 and the application program P2 can be updated (S201). When it is determined that both the device program P1 and the application program P2 can be updated, the update order determination unit 233 determines, based on the update order setting information 293, that the application program P2 is to be updated prior to the device program P1 (S202).

[0160] Next, when the update order determination unit 233 determines that the application program P2 is to be updated prior to the device program P1, the update processing unit 234 sends a notification indicating that the application program P2 can be updated in the terminal device 300 (hereinafter referred to as "update guidance notification N31") to the terminal device 300 (S203). When the display control unit 320 of the home appliance management application AP receives the update guidance notification N31, corresponding to the operation (S204) of the user U who has started the home appliance management application AP, a prescribed report (report C) is made through the terminal device 300 (S205). The prescribed report (report C) is, for example, a report notifying that the application program P2 can be updated.

[0161] Next, in the case where the operation of user U who has accepted the update of the permission application program P2 is accepted by the operation acceptance unit 330 (S206), the terminal control unit 350 of the terminal device 300 communicates with the server 200 and downloads the update program UP2 from the server 200 (S207). In the case where the update program UP2 is downloaded from the server 200, the terminal control unit 350 of the terminal device 300 installs the update program UP2, and thereby updates the application program P2 with the update program UP2 (S208). In the case where the update of the application program P2 is completed, the terminal control unit 350 of the terminal device 300 sends a notification indicating the end of the update (hereinafter referred to as "update end notification N32") to the server 200 (S209).

[0162] In the case where the update of the application program P2 is completed, the update processing unit 234 sends a notification indicating that the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 can be updated (hereinafter referred to as "update guidance notification N33") to the terminal device 300 (S210). When the display control unit 320 of the terminal device 300 receives the update guidance notification N33, it reports to the terminal device 300 that the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 can be updated (S211). For example, the display control unit 320 causes a guidance display indicating that the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 can be updated to be displayed on the display screen 301a. In addition, in the case where the update of the application program P2 is not completed, even if the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 can be updated, the update processing unit 234 suppresses the transmission (for example, does not send) of the update guidance notification N33. Thereby, in a state where the application program P2 is not updated, the update of the device program P1 is suppressed.

[0163] In the present embodiment, the update processing unit 234 executes the update processing of the device program P1 based on the version information VE2 of the updated application program P2. For example, the update processing unit 234 determines whether the device program P1 can be updated based on the version information VE2 of the updated application program P2 (for example, whether the version of the updated application program P2 and the current version of the device program P1 satisfy a specified correspondence relationship). In the case where the device program P1 can be updated, the update processing unit 234 performs the above-mentioned reporting of notifying that the device program P1 can be updated.

[0164] In the case where the update guidance notification N33 is received from the server 200 and the operation of user U who permits the update of the device program P1 is accepted (S212), the operation acceptance unit 330 of the home appliance management application AP sends a notification indicating that the update of the device program P1 is permitted (hereinafter referred to as "update permission notification N34") to the server 200 (S213).

[0165] When the update processing unit 234 receives the update permission notice N34 from the server 200, it downloads the update program UP1 from the server 200 to the home appliance device 100 (S221). When the update program UP1 has been downloaded from the server 200, the control unit 140 of the home appliance device 100 installs the update program UP1, whereby the device program P1 is updated by the update program UP1 (S222). When the update of the device program P1 is completed, the control unit 140 of the home appliance device 100 sends a notice indicating the end of the update (hereinafter referred to as "update end notice N35") to the server 200 (S223).

[0166] When the update processing unit 234 receives the update end notice N35 from the home appliance device 100, it sends a notice indicating the end of the update of the device program P1 in the home appliance device 100 (hereinafter referred to as "update end notice N35") to the terminal device 300 (S224). When the display control unit 320 of the home appliance management application AP receives the update end notice N35 from the server 200, it makes a prescribed report (report D) through the terminal device 300 (S225). The prescribed report (report D) is a report notifying the end of the update of the device program P1.

[0167] After that, the processing of S121 to S124 or the processing of S131 to S134 is the same as that in the first embodiment. In addition, in the above process, the process of confirming the permission of the user U (S211 to S213) may be omitted. In this case, it may also be that the update processing unit 234 starts the update of the device program P1 according to the completion of the update of the application program P2.

[0168] <B3. Example of display screen>

[0169] In the present embodiment, when the application program P2 is updated, the display control unit 320 makes the display content displayed on the display screen 301a different during the period until the update of the device program P1 is completed and after the update of the device program P1 is completed.

[0170] In the present embodiment, when the application program P2 is updated, the display control unit 320 changes the display content shown on the display screen 301a based on the version information VE1 indicating the model (version) of the device program P1. For example, the display control unit 320 changes the display content shown on the display screen 301a based on the version information VE1 indicating the model (version) of the device program P1 and the version information VE2 indicating the model (version) of the application program P2, when the model of the device program P1 and the model of the application program P2 satisfy a specified correspondence relationship (for example, when they are corresponding models) and when the model of the device program P1 and the model of the application program P2 do not satisfy the above-specified correspondence relationship (for example, when they are not corresponding models).

[0171] For example, when the application program P2 is updated, the display control unit 320 suppresses the display of content related to the use of the new functions of the home appliance 100 obtained through the updated application program P2 on the display screen 301a during the period until the update of the device program P1 is completed, and causes the content related to the use of the functions of the home appliance 100 obtained through the application program P2 before the update to be displayed on the display screen 301a. On the other hand, after the update of the device program P1 is completed, the display control unit 320 displays the content related to the use of the new functions of the home appliance 100 obtained through the updated application program P2 on the display screen 301a.

[0172] Figure 12 A diagram showing an example of the display content of the display screen 301a. Figure 12 In (a) shows the operation screen D1A displayed during the period from after the application program P2 is updated until the update of the device program P1 is completed. On the other hand, Figure 12 In (b) shows the operation screen D1B displayed after the application program P2 is updated and the update of the device program P1 is completed. In addition, hereinafter, without distinguishing between the operation screen D1A and the operation screen D1B, it is simply referred to as the "operation screen D1". In Figure 12 In the example shown, through the update of the device program P1 and the application program P2, a new operation mode called "chilled operation" (hereinafter referred to as "special chilled") including special cooling control is added to the refrigerator 100A, and the use of the monitoring service of the refrigerator 100A becomes possible.

[0173] As Figure 12 shown, the operation screen D1 includes a plurality of operation units B11 for using the functions of the home appliance 100 or services associated with the home appliance 100. The operation unit B11 includes, for example, an operation unit for changing the temperature setting of the refrigerating chamber, an operation unit for switching the ON / OFF of the sterilization mode, and the like.

[0174] In this embodiment, during the period after the application program P2 is updated but before the update of the device program P1 ends, if the operation unit B11A for changing the operation mode of the fresh-keeping chamber is operated, the operation unit B11Aa for switching between "Normal Fresh-keeping" and "Defrosting Mode" is displayed (refer to Figure 12 (a) in). On the other hand, after the application program P2 is updated and the update of the device program P1 ends, if the operation unit B11A for changing the operation mode of the fresh-keeping chamber is operated, the operation unit B11Aa for switching between "Normal Fresh-keeping", "Defrosting Mode" and "Special Fresh-keeping" is displayed (refer to Figure 12 (b) in).

[0175] In this embodiment, during the period after the application program P2 is updated but before the update of the device program P1 ends, the operation unit B11B for using the guardianship service is not displayed (refer to Figure 12 (a) in). On the other hand, after the application program P2 is updated and the update of the device program P1 ends, the operation unit B11B for using the guardianship service is displayed.

[0176] In addition, in this embodiment, during the period before the update of the device program P1 ends (screen D1A) and during the period after the update of the device program P1 ends (screen D1B), the display states (such as display position and size) of the plurality of operation units B11 except the operation unit B11B are the same.

[0177] <B4. Advantages>

[0178] According to the configuration of this embodiment, it is easy to suppress the occurrence of the combination of the new device program P1 and the old application program P2 ( Figure 9 the state 3 shown). In addition, according to this embodiment, it is also easy to deal with the user U who does not want to update the device program P1 and / or the application program P2.

[0179] <B5. Variation>

[0180] <B5.1 First Variation>

[0181] In the second embodiment described above, the update order determination unit 233 determines that the update of the application program P2 takes precedence over the device program P1 based on the update order setting information 293 registered by the program provider PS. Alternatively, the update order determination unit 233 may also determine which program to update preferentially based on other information (such as a preset rule). The above-mentioned other information may be, for example: a rule preset by an operator different from the program provider PS, information indicating the content of the function added or improved by the update, or information indicating the state of the home appliance device 100 (such as whether it is in operation).

[0182] <B5.2 Second Variant Example>

[0183] In the above embodiment, the update order determination unit 233 determines that the update of the application program P2 takes precedence over the device program P1 based on the update order setting information 293. Alternatively, when both the device program P1 and the application program P2 can be updated, the update order determination unit 233 may uniquely (fixedly) determine to update the application program P2 prior to the device program P1 without relying on specific determination information (such as the update order setting information 293).

[0184] <B5.3 Third Variant Example>

[0185] In the above embodiment, when the operation of user U permitting the update of the application program P2 is received, the update of the application program P2 is performed. Alternatively, the update of the application program P2 may be performed without the operation of user U permitting the update of the application program P2.

[0186] Figure 13 FIG. is a diagram showing the process related to the update of the program for the third variant example. In this variant example, when the terminal control unit 350 of the terminal device 300 receives the update guidance notification N31, it downloads the update program UP2 from the server 200 and automatically updates the application program P2 without the operation of user U permitting the update of the application program P2. In addition, the process of automatically updating the application program P2 may be performed after the home appliance management application AP is launched by user U, or may be performed before the home appliance management application AP is launched by user U.

[0187] (Third Embodiment)

[0188] Next, the third embodiment will be described. In the third embodiment, the third embodiment is different from the first embodiment or the second embodiment in that a part of the application program P2 is composed of a plug-in. In addition, the components other than those described below are the same as those in the first embodiment or the second embodiment.

[0189] Figure 14 FIG. is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device 300. In the present embodiment, the application program P2 includes, for example, a main program P2A and one or more plug-ins P2B.

[0190] (Main program)

[0191] The main program P2A is executed by a hardware processor, thereby implementing the main functions of the home appliance management application AP. The main functions include, for example, the display of the basic screen DD of the home appliance management application AP and the function of updating the application program P2 (for example, downloading, installing, and deleting the plug-in P2B).

[0192] (Plug-in)

[0193] The plug-in P2B is executed by a hardware processor, thereby implementing the functions for using the functions of each home appliance device 100 or the services associated with each home appliance device 100. The plug-in P2B is, for example, a plug-in set for each home appliance device 100 (for example, for each type of home appliance device 100 or for each individual home appliance device 100) or for each service associated with the home appliance device 100. One or more plug-ins P2B include, for example, a plug-in P2B-1 for using the refrigerator 100A, a plug-in P2B-2 for using the washing machine 100B, a plug-in P2B-3 for using the food ingredient management service, and a plug-in P2B-4 for using the recipe service. In addition, instead of a plug-in set for each home appliance device 100 or for each service associated with the home appliance device 100, when the home appliance device 100 has multiple functions, the plug-in P2B may also be a plug-in set for each such function.

[0194] Figure 15 FIG. is an example of the basic screen DD of the home appliance management application AP. Figure 15 In (a), it represents the state during the update of the application program P2. Figure 15 In (b), it is a diagram showing the update of the application program P2 (for example, during the update of the plug-in P2B-1 for using the refrigerator 100A).

[0195] The basic screen DD includes one or more operation parts B1 for operating the home appliance device 100 or for using the services associated with the home appliance device 100. One or more operation parts B1 include, for example, an operation part B1A for operating the refrigerator 100A, an operation part B1B for re-registering the home appliance device 100, an operation part B1C for using the food ingredient management service, and an operation part B1D for using the recipe service. For example, if the operation part B1A corresponding to the refrigerator 100A is operated (for example, clicked), the display screen 301a transfers from the basic screen DD to an operation screen D1 for operating each function of the refrigerator 100A (refer toFigure 12 )。

[0196] In this embodiment, when the plug-in P2B related to the specific home appliance device 100 is updated, the main program P2A remains unchanged, and the download, installation, and deletion of the old plug-in of the plug-in P2B related to the home appliance device 100 to be updated are performed.

[0197] When it is not the update of the application program P2, the display control unit 320 displays the plurality of operation units B1 in the first mode (refer to Figure 15 (a) in). On the other hand, the display control unit 320 displays the operation unit B1 corresponding to the plug-in being updated in a second mode different from the first mode (refer to Figure 15 (b) in). The second mode is, for example, a mode in which a display H (for example, a gray semi-transparent circle) indicating that the plug-in is being updated is displayed overlapping the first mode.

[0198] According to such a configuration, by separately managing the main program P2A and the plug-in P2B, it is possible to update each plug-in P2B. As a result, it is possible to reduce the management burden and / or improve the ease of understanding for the user U.

[0199] (Modification of the third embodiment)

[0200] Figure 16 FIG. is an example of a display screen 301a showing a modification of the third embodiment. In this modification, the basic screen DD includes an operation unit B1E for updating the device program P1 and the application program P2 as one of the plurality of operation units B1 (refer to Figure 16 (a) in). When the operation unit B1E is operated (for example, clicked), the display screen 301a transfers from the basic screen DD to the first update screen D2A. The first update screen D2A includes one or more operation units B21 for selecting the home appliance device 100 to be updated for the device program P1.

[0201] In the first update screen D2A, when the operation unit B21 corresponding to the home appliance device 100 to be updated is operated (e.g., clicked), the display screen 301a transfers from the first update screen D2A to the second update screen D2B. The second update screen D2B includes, for example, an operation unit B31 and an operation unit B32. The operation unit B31 is an operation unit for selecting whether to permit automatic update for the update of the device program P1 corresponding to the home appliance device 100 to be updated. The operation unit B32 is an operation unit for manually permitting the update of the device program P1 corresponding to the home appliance device 100 to be updated. Additionally, the operation unit B31 may be set as an operation unit for selecting whether to permit automatic update for the update of both the device program P1 corresponding to the home appliance device 100 to be updated and the plug-in P2B. In this case, the operation unit B32 may be set as an operation unit for manually permitting the update of both the device program P1 corresponding to the home appliance device 100 to be updated and the plug-in P2B.

[0202] According to such a configuration, the operability of the update of the plug-in P2B corresponding to the home appliance device 100 to be updated can be improved. As a result, the convenience of the user U can be enhanced.

[0203] (Fourth Embodiment)

[0204] Next, the fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, it is different from the third embodiment in that an application program P2 corresponding to multiple types (versions) of the device program P1 is provided. Additionally, the configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the third embodiment.

[0205] Figure 17 FIG. is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device 300 according to the fourth embodiment. In the present embodiment, the application program P2 includes, for example, a main program P2A and one or more plug-ins P2C. The multiple plug-ins P2C are, for example, plug-ins associated with the same home appliance device 100. In the present embodiment, the home appliance device 100 has multiple functions. Each plug-in P2C is executed by a hardware processor, thereby implementing one function included in the multiple functions of the same home appliance device 100.

[0206] The plurality of plug-ins P2C include, for example, a plug-in P2C-1 for making settings related to the refrigerating compartment of the refrigerator 100A, a plug-in P2C-2 for making settings related to the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator 100A, a plug-in P2C-3 for making settings related to the freezing compartment of the refrigerator 100A, a plug-in P2C-4 for making settings related to the sterilization mode of the refrigerator 100A, and the like. In the present embodiment, when the plurality of plug-ins P2C include one or more plug-ins P2C related to the operation (including settings) of the home appliance device 100, the display control unit 320 causes one or more operation units B1 corresponding to the one or more plug-ins P2C to be displayed on the display screen 301a.

[0207] Figure 18 FIG. showing an example of the display content of the display screen 301a. Figure 18 (a) in FIG. shows an operation screen D1C displayed on the terminal device 300 when the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 is an old type (version). On the other hand, Figure 18 (b) in FIG. shows an operation screen D1D displayed on the terminal device 300 when the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 is a new type (version). In addition, hereinafter, when the operation screen D1C and the operation screen D1D are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as "operation screen D1". Figure 18 The example shown is as follows: In the old type device program P1, the functions B, F, and K of the home appliance device 100 (such as the refrigerator 100A) do not exist, but the function E exists. In the new type device program P1, the function E of the home appliance device 100 (such as the refrigerator 100A) does not exist, but the functions B, F, and K exist.

[0208] In the present embodiment, the application program P2 includes a plurality of plug-ins P2C (or data for obtaining the lacking plug-ins P2C) corresponding to all functions that can cope with all types of device programs P1 in such a way that it can cope with any type (version) of the device program P1 existing in the home appliance device 100. For example, the application program P2 has plug-ins P2C corresponding to functions A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, and H, respectively.

[0209] In this embodiment, the display control unit 320 changes the display content shown on the display screen 301a according to the version of the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100, based on the version information VE1 included in the status information 192 obtained from the home appliance device 100. For example, the display control unit 320 causes the operation units B1 (e.g., B1-1, B1-3, B1-4, B1-6, B1-7, B1-8, B1-9) corresponding to the functions (same functions) that do not change between the old-type device program P1 and the new-type device program P1 to be displayed in the same state (e.g., the same position, the same size, the same color) in the operation screens D1C and D1D. The display control unit 320 displays these operation units B1 in a first display state.

[0210] On the other hand, the display control unit 320 causes the operation units B1 (e.g., B1-2, B1-6, and B1-10) corresponding to the functions that exist in the new-type device program P1 but do not exist in the old-type device program P1 to be displayed in a second display state different from the above-mentioned first display state in the operation screen D1C. The second display state is, for example, a display state indicating non-availability, and is a display state with higher transparency or lower chroma compared to the first display state. Similarly, the display control unit 320 causes the operation unit B1 (e.g., B1-5) corresponding to the function that exists in the old-type device program P1 but does not exist in the new-type device program P1 to be displayed in the above-mentioned second display state in the operation screen D1D.

[0211] Alternatively, instead of the above example, the display control unit 320 may not display the operation units B1 (e.g., B1-2, B1-6, and B1-10) corresponding to the functions that exist in the new-type device program P1 but do not exist in the old-type device program P1 in the operation screen D1C. In this case, in the operation screen D1C, the area corresponding to the above operation units B1 (e.g., B1-2, B1-6, and B1-10) becomes a preparation area R for displaying the background screen of the operation screen D1, and no other operation units or displays are shown. Similarly, the display control unit 320 may not display the operation unit B1 (e.g., B1-5) corresponding to the function that exists in the old-type device program P1 but does not exist in the new-type device program P1 in the operation screen D1C. In this case, in the operation screen D1D, the area corresponding to the above operation unit B1 (e.g., B1-5) becomes a preparation area R for displaying the background screen of the operation screen D1, and no other operation units or displays are shown.

[0212] According to such a configuration, the plug-in P2C can be executed according to each function of the home appliance device 100 to be updated, so that the operability of updating the application program P2 can be improved. As a result, the convenience of the user U can be enhanced.

[0213] When described from other viewpoints, the display control unit 320 causes information associated with the home appliance device 100 to be displayed on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300 in a first display mode before the update of the device program P1, and causes information associated with the home appliance device 100 to be displayed on the display screen 301a in a second display mode different from the above-described first display mode after the update of the device program P1. Then, the display control unit 320 causes functions common before and after the update of the device program P1 to be displayed at corresponding display positions in the above-described first display mode and the above-described second display mode.

[0214] (Fifth Embodiment)

[0215] Next, the fifth embodiment will be described. In the fifth embodiment, it is different from the third or fourth embodiment in that, based on the update contents of the device program P1 and the application program P2, the case of requesting permission from the user U is distinguished from the case of performing automatic update. In addition, the configurations other than those described below are the same as those in the third or fourth embodiment.

[0216] Here, there are two methods for updating the device program P1 and the application program P2: a method (method A) in which the user U performs an operation of permitting the update each time, and a method (method B) in which the update is automatically performed without an operation of the user U. In addition, there are the following three types of updates: (1) an update for adding a new function, (2) an update for improving the defect of an existing function, and (3) an update for adding a new function and improving the defect of an existing function. In the present embodiment, in the case of the above (2), automatic update based on method B is performed, and in the case of the above (1) and (3), update based on method A (optional update) is performed. In addition, for the above (1) and (3), the user U can select whether to perform an update based on method A (optional update) or an automatic update based on method B. In addition, the types of updates of the respective update programs UP1 and the respective update programs UP2 are registered in the update information DB292 and managed, for example.

[0217] Figure 19 It is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200. In the present embodiment, the update management unit 230 includes an update guidance determination unit 235. The update guidance determination unit 235 determines, for example, based on the update information DB292 whether the update content of the device program P1 and / or the application program P2 is an update for adding a new function or an update for improving the defect of an existing function. In addition, in the case where there are a plurality of plugins P2B separated by the home appliance device 100, the determination performed by the update guidance determination unit 235 can be performed for each plugin P2B. In addition, in the case where there are a plurality of plugins P2C separated by the function of the home appliance device 100, the determination performed by the update guidance determination unit 235 can be performed for each plugin P2C.

[0218] In the present embodiment, the update processing unit 234 performs processing for each request for permission to update from the user U on the device program P1, application program P2, plug-in P2B, or plug-in P2C that is determined to include an update (the above (1) or (3)) for adding a new function (optional update, Figure 6 or Figure 11 the processing described in Figure 10 or Figure 13 ) to promote the update of the program. In addition, the update processing unit 234 may also perform processing without the permission of the user U (automatic update,

[0219] or Figure 10 or Figure 13 the processing described in

[0220] Figure 20 ) to promote the update of the program for the device program P1, application program P2, plug-in P2B, or plug-in P2C that is determined to include an update for adding a new function and improving the defects of the existing function (the above (3)).

[0221] On the other hand, the update processing unit 234 performs processing without the permission of the user U (automatic update,

[0222] (Sixth Embodiment)

[0223] Next, the sixth embodiment will be described. In the sixth embodiment, it is different from the first embodiment or the second embodiment in that the device program P1 including the function of making multiple home appliances 100 cooperate is updated. In addition, the configuration other than the configuration described below is the same as that of the first embodiment or the second embodiment.

[0224] Figure 21 FIG. is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200. In the present embodiment, the update management unit 230 includes an update timing determination unit 236. The update timing determination unit 236 determines the update timing of the device program P1 of the home appliance 100 based on, for example, the state of the home appliance 100 (for example, the ON / OFF state of the power supply after the operation state).

[0225] Figure 22A diagram showing an example of a process associated with the update of a program. Figure 22 An example is shown where there are a refrigerator 100A and a rice cooker 100E as a plurality of cooperating home appliances 100. The refrigerator 100A is an example of a "home appliance with the power normally in the ON state". The rice cooker 100E is an example of a "home appliance whose power is switched between the ON state and the OFF state". The function of the cooperation between the refrigerator 100A and the rice cooker 100E means, for example, controlling the refrigerator 100A and the rice cooker 100E so that the pre-cooling operation of the small freezer of the refrigerator 100A ends in coordination with the completion of cooking of the rice cooker 100E.

[0226] In Figure 22 In the example shown, the update determination unit 232 determines whether it is possible to update both the device program P1 and the application program P2 (S301). When it is determined that it is possible to update both the device program P1 and the application program P2, the update order determination unit 233 determines, based on the update order setting information 293, to update the device program P1 prior to the application program P2 (S302).

[0227] In addition, in the case where it is possible to update the device program P1 installed in two or more home appliances 100 associated with the same user U respectively, the update determination unit 232 determines for each of the two or more home appliances 100 whether it is possible to update the device program P1. The update determination unit 232 determines whether it is possible to update the device program P1 of each home appliance 100, for example, based on the version information VE2 of the updated application program and the version information VE1 of the device program P1 of each of the two or more home appliances 100.

[0228] When it is determined by the update order determination unit 233 to update the device program P1 prior to the application program P2, the update processing unit 234 downloads the update program UP1 from the server 200 to the refrigerator 100A (S303). In addition, the update timing determination unit 236 determines whether it is the update timing of the rice cooker 100E based on the usage state (e.g., power state or operation state) of the rice cooker 100E. When it is determined by the update timing determination unit 236 that it is not the update timing of the rice cooker 100E because the power of the rice cooker 100E is in the OFF state, the update processing unit 234 suppresses the download of the update program UP1 to the rice cooker 100E.

[0229] When the update program UP1 is downloaded from the server 200, the control unit 140 of the refrigerator 100A installs the update program UP1, thereby updating the device program P1 through the update program UP1 (S304). When the update of the device program P1 is completed, the control unit 140 of the refrigerator 100A sends a notification indicating the completion of the update (hereinafter referred to as "update completion notification N1A") to the server 200 (S305).

[0230] When the update processing unit 234 receives the update completion notification N1A from the refrigerator 100A, it sends a notification indicating that the update of the device program P1 in the refrigerator 100A has been completed (hereinafter referred to as "update completion notification N2A") to the terminal device 300 (S306). When the display control unit 320 of the home appliance management application AP receives the update completion notification N2A from the server 200, it reports the completion of the update of the device program P1 in the refrigerator 100A through the terminal device 300 (S307).

[0231] In this case, even when the update of the device program P1 of the refrigerator 100A and the update of the application program P2 of the terminal device 300 are completed, the display control unit 320 suppresses the display of the content related to the cooperative function of the refrigerator 100A and the rice cooker 100E until the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E is completed. In addition, in the present application, "suppressing display" is not limited to not displaying, and can also be applied to displaying in an unusable state (for example, a state with high transparency or low color saturation compared to an available state).

[0232] When the power of the rice cooker 100E is switched from OFF to ON (S311), the update time determination unit 236 determines that the update time of the rice cooker 100E has come (S312). In this case, the update processing unit 234 downloads the update program UP1 from the server 200 to the rice cooker 100E (S313).

[0233] In the present embodiment, the update processing unit 234 suspends (in Japanese: reserves) the updating of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E from the start of cooking (S314) to the completion of cooking (S315) of the rice cooker 100E. After the rice cooker 100E completes cooking, the update processing unit 234 installs the update program UP1, thereby updating the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E through the update program UP1 (S316). When the updating of the device program P1 is completed, the control unit 140 of the rice cooker 100E sends a notification indicating the completion of the update (hereinafter referred to as "update completion notification N1B") to the server 200 (S317).

[0234] When the update processing unit 234 receives the update completion notification N1B from the rice cooker 100E, it sends a notification indicating that the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E has ended (hereinafter referred to as "update completion notification N2B") to the terminal device 300 (S318). When the display control unit 320 of the home appliance management application AP receives the update completion notification N2B from the server 200, it reports through the terminal device 300 that the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E has ended (S319).

[0235] In addition, the process of downloading the update program UP1 from the server 200 to the rice cooker 100E does not need to be performed before the operation of the home appliance device 100 starts (for example, before starting cooking), can be performed during the operation of the home appliance device 100 (for example, during cooking), or can be performed after the operation of the home appliance device 100 is completed (for example, after cooking is completed). In addition, the process of updating the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E by installing the update program UP1 does not need to be performed after the operation of the home appliance device 100 is completed (for example, after cooking is completed), can be performed before the operation of the home appliance device 100 starts (for example, before starting cooking), or can be performed during the temporary suspension of the operation of the home appliance device 100 implemented by the user U.

[0236] In the present embodiment, when the user U performs an operation to start the home appliance management application AP (S321), the terminal control unit 350 performs an automatic update of the application program P2. In addition, the terminal control unit 350 may also request the user U for permission to update the application program P2.

[0237] When the update of the device program P1 of the refrigerator 100A and the update of the application program P2 of the terminal device 300 are completed, and the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E is completed, the display control unit 320 causes the content related to the cooperation function of the refrigerator 100A and the rice cooker 100E to be displayed on the display screen 301a. For example, after the display control unit 320 receives the update completion notification N2A related to the refrigerator 100A and the update completion notification N2B related to the rice cooker 100E, it causes the content related to the cooperation function of the refrigerator 100A and the rice cooker 100E to be displayed on the display screen 301a in an available state.

[0238] According to such a configuration, after the device programs P1 of both the refrigerator 100A and the rice cooker 100E are updated, the functions related to the cooperation of the refrigerator 100A and the rice cooker 100E are displayed on the terminal device 300. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the user U from performing an operation to use the above functions at the stage when only the device program P1 of the refrigerator 100A is updated. Thereby, the convenience of the user U can be improved.

[0239] Alternatively, it may be that when the update of the device program P1 is on hold based on the usage status of the home appliance device 100, the update processing unit 234 reports that the update of the device program P1 is on hold. For example, the update processing unit 234 sends a notice indicating that the update of the device program P1 is on hold (hereinafter referred to as "update hold notice") to the terminal device 300. When the display control unit 320 of the terminal device 300 receives the update hold notice, it causes a guidance indicating that the update of the device program P1 is on hold to be displayed on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300. Instead of or in addition to this, the update processing unit 234 may also send a notice indicating that the update of the device program P1 is on hold to the home appliance device 100. In this case, it may be that the home appliance device 100 causes the light emitting unit provided in the home appliance device 100 to emit light, thereby reporting to the user U that the update of the device program P1 is on hold.

[0240] In addition, instead of or in addition to the above, it may be that when the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E can be performed, the update processing unit 234 sends a notice indicating that the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E can be performed (hereinafter referred to as "rice cooker update possible notice") to the refrigerator 100A. It may be that when the control unit 140 of the refrigerator 100A receives the rice cooker update possible notice, it reports through sound from the sound reporting device VD that the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E can be performed. The rice cooker 100E is an example of a "first home appliance device". The refrigerator 100A is an example of a "second home appliance device".

[0241] For example, it may be that when the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E is on hold based on the usage status of the rice cooker 100E, the update processing unit 234 sends an update hold notice indicating that the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E is on hold to the refrigerator 100A. It may be that when the control unit 140 of the refrigerator 100A receives the above update hold notice, it reports through sound from the sound reporting device VD that the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E is on hold.

[0242] In addition, it may be that the update processing unit 234 changes the update timing of the rice cooker 100E according to the update status of the device program P1 and / or the application program P2 of the refrigerator 100A. For example, when only the rice cooker 100E has not been updated, the update is performed at a timing when the power supply of the rice cooker 100E is set to the ON state. On the other hand, it may be that when none of the devices other than the rice cooker 100E have been updated, the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E is performed after the cooking is completed or after the operation based on the user U stops.

[0243] The same applies to the washing machine 100B or the heating cooker 100D. Since the user U mostly wants to use the home appliance device 100 right after setting it to power ON, the update of the device program P1 is suppressed at this time point, and the update of the device program P1 is carried out after the operation is completed. Alternatively, there may be an operation unit for immediately starting the update in the home appliance device 100 or the home appliance management application AP, and when this operation unit is operated, the update is carried out immediately. In addition, if a light-emitting unit that lights up during the update of the device program P1 is provided in the home appliance device 100, the update by the user U can be promoted.

[0244] (Modifications of the First to Sixth Embodiments)

[0245] <Regarding the case of automatically performing the update on hold>

[0246] The update processing unit 234 does not update the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E during rice cooking, but temporarily stops the heat preservation operation during the heat preservation process where there will be no problem even if the operation is briefly stopped to automatically perform the update. The update processing unit 234 does not update the device program P1 of the washing machine 100B during washing or drying, but performs the update when there is no plan for an untying process after the washing or drying is completed, and automatically performs the update after the cleaning process when there is a cleaning process. The "cleaning process" is, for example, a process of supplying minute ions to the laundry to suppress the attachment of mold, pollen, bacteria, viruses, or odors to the laundry.

[0247] The update processing unit 234 updates the device program P1 of the coffee machine 100F after the extraction process or the cleaning process (for example, a process of discharging only hot water once after use in a capsule coffee machine). When a cleaning process is required after the extraction process, the update processing unit 234 automatically performs the cleaning process after the update of the device program P1, and then automatically sets the power to the OFF state. In addition, when the update processing unit 234 updates the device program P1 after the cleaning process, it automatically sets the power to the OFF state after the update.

[0248] <Regarding the case where permission from the user is required instead of automatically performing the update>

[0249] As a report that the update of the device program P1 of the reporting device is on hold, there can be a first report made during operation and a second report made when the update of the device program P1 is put on hold and the initial power supply is changed from the OFF state to the ON state. For the home appliance device 100 (such as the washing machine 100B, the cooking heater 100D, or the coffee maker 100F, etc.) that automatically turns off the power supply after operation, at least the second report is made. This is because: when the power supply is automatically set to the OFF state, it is difficult to expect the user U to operate the home appliance device 100 for the update of the device program P1 after operation. On the other hand, for the home appliance device 100 (such as the washing machine 100B, the rice cooker 100E, or the coffee maker 100F, etc.) that requires the user U to select an operation for operation and perform other operations after the operation corresponding to the selected operation is completed, at least the first report is made. This is because: there is an opportunity to permit the update of the device program P1 before the user U performs other operations.

[0250] <Priority Order of Updates for Home Appliance Devices That Can Collaborate>

[0251] The update of the device program P1 of the home appliance device 100 that can collaborate is specified based on the following priority order. Additionally, the following processing is controlled by the update processing unit 234, for example.

[0252] (Rule 1)

[0253] In the case where automatic update is possible, the lower the possibility of manual update, the higher the priority of the update. For example, home appliance devices 100 with the power supply in the ON state during normal times (such as the refrigerator 100A, the air conditioner 100C, etc.) > home appliance devices 100 with the power supply automatically turned off after operation (such as the washing machine 100B, the cooking heater 100D, the coffee maker 100F, etc.) > home appliance devices 100 that require the user U to select an operation for operation and perform other operations after the operation corresponding to the selected operation is completed (such as the rice cooker 100E, the washing machine 100B, the coffee maker 100F, etc.).

[0254] (Rule 2)

[0255] Among the home appliance devices 100 in the process of the collaboration function, the later the post-process device 100, the higher the priority of the update. This is because: in the case where the device program P1 of the pre-process home appliance device 100 is the new version and the device program P1 of the post-process home appliance device 100 is the old version, the post-process home appliance device 100 may not be able to correctly understand the data received from the pre-process home appliance device 100.

[0256] (Example 1) The cooperation of the rice cooker 100E, the refrigerator 100A, and the heating and cooking machine 100D with a frozen rice reheating function regarding frozen rice will be described. When rice cooking in the frozen rice mode is selected, the rice cooker 100E performs communication for causing the refrigerator 100A to perform precooling operation. When taking out frozen rice from the refrigerator 100A, information related to the amount and / or temperature of the frozen rice is sent to the heating and cooking machine 100D to assist in reheating the frozen rice.

[0257] In the cooperation as described above, when it is determined that the update of the device program P1 can be performed during the rice cooking of the rice cooker 100E, the update of the device program P1 of the refrigerator 100A and the heating and cooking machine 100D is first performed, and then the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E is performed.

[0258] For example, when it is determined that the device program P1 can be updated before reheating based on the heating and cooking machine 100D after the rice cooking is completed (for example, at a timing when the power supply of the heating and cooking machine 100D will be set to the ON state next), the update of the device program P1 of the heating and cooking machine 100D is first performed, then the update of the device program P1 of the refrigerator 100A is performed, and finally (for example, at a timing when the power supply of the rice cooker 100E will be set to the ON state next), the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E is performed.

[0259] For example, when it is determined that the update of the device program P1 can be performed during the reheating based on the heating and cooking machine 100D, after the update of the device program P1 of the refrigerator 100A is first performed, (for example, at a timing after the completion of the reheating based on the heating and cooking machine 100D), the update of the rice cooker 100E is performed, and finally (for example, at a timing when the power supply of the heating and cooking machine 100D is set to the ON state next), the update of the device program P1 of the heating and cooking machine 100D is performed.

[0260] For example, when it is determined that the update of the device program P1 can be performed after the reheating based on the heating and cooking machine 100D is completed, after the update of the refrigerator 100A is first performed, (for example, at timings when the power supply will be set to the ON state next respectively), the update of the device program P1 of the rice cooker 100E and the heating and cooking machine 100D is performed. It is desirable that the update of the device program P1 of the heating and cooking machine 100D is completed before communication between the heating and cooking machine 100D and the refrigerator 100A.

[0261] (Example 2) The cooperation between the coffee machine 100F with a mode for making coffee for iced coffee and the refrigerator 100A will be described. Based on the information on the time period for extracting iced coffee and the information on the time period specified by the user U, the time for controlling the ice-making operation of the refrigerator 100A and / or the amount of ice made is controlled. In this combination of home appliances 100, the update of the device program P1 of the refrigerator 100A is prioritized over the update of the device program P1 of the coffee machine 100F.

[0262] (Example 3) The cooperation between the coffee machine 100F and the water treatment device 100G (such as a water purifier) will be described. In a combination of a coffee machine 100F that can report the characteristics (such as pH value) of water suitable for the grinding degree (coarse grind, medium grind, fine grind, etc.) of the selected coffee beans to the user U and a water treatment device 100G that can provide water corresponding to the information sent from the coffee machine 100F, the update of the device program P1 of the water treatment device 100G is prioritized over the coffee machine 100F. Additionally, for a coffee machine 100F that uses capsules, it is also desirable to update the device program P1 in the same way if it can report water suitable for the type of capsule used to the user U.

[0263] (Example 4) The cooperation between the coffee machine 100F, the garbage disposal machine 100H, and the air conditioning device 100C (air conditioner or air purifier) will be described. Since coffee grounds have the property of being able to remove odors, the coffee machine 100F receives the time period during which the garbage disposal machine 100H often uses a scheduled operation (it does not operate immediately after the garbage is put in, but operates during a time period with cheap electricity such as late at night), and reports to prompt the maintenance (removing coffee grounds operation) of the coffee machine 100F. In addition, since odors may leak during the operation of the garbage disposal machine 100H, the air conditioning device 100C is operated during the operation. In this combination, the update of the device program P1 of the coffee machine 100F and the air conditioning device 100C is prioritized over the update of the device program P1 of the garbage disposal machine 100H.

[0264] As described above, several embodiments and modification examples have been explained, but the embodiments and modification examples are not limited to the above examples. For example, two or more embodiments or modification examples can also be combined with each other to be implemented.

[0265] Hereinafter, several information processing methods, information processing systems, and programs will be described.

[0266] [1] An information processing method, comprising:

[0267] A determination step, when it is possible to update the first program installed in the home appliance and the second program installed in the terminal device, determining which of the first program and the second program to update with priority; and

[0268] Processing step: Based on the determination result of the above determination step, perform the update process of the program of the party determined to be preferentially updated in the above first program and the above second program, and then perform the update process of the program of the other party in the above first program and the above second program.

[0269] With such a configuration, it is not easy to occur a situation where one of the first program and the second program is updated while the other is not. Therefore, it is possible to improve the convenience for the user.

[0270] [2]: In the information processing method described in [1],

[0271] When the program provider sets the update of the above first program to be preferential, in the above determination step, it is determined that the above first program in the above first program and the above second program is preferentially updated.

[0272] According to such a configuration, it is possible to update the first program and the second program based on the order set by the program provider. Therefore, it is even less likely to occur a situation where one of the first program and the second program is updated while the other is not.

[0273] [3]: The information processing method described in [2] further includes:

[0274] Communication step: After performing the update process of the above second program, perform communication associated with the use of the functions of the above home appliance device obtained through the above first program.

[0275] According to such a configuration, before the timing of updating the first program and performing communication associated with the use of the functions of the home appliance device obtained through the first update program, the terminal device also updates the second program corresponding to the updated first program. Therefore, when a new function is added due to the update of the first program, it is easy to avoid a situation where the user cannot appropriately use the functions of the home appliance device or the services associated with the home appliance device due to the non-update of the second program.

[0276] [4]: In the information processing method described in any one of [1] to [3],

[0277] In the above processing step, based on the associated information associated with the above second program, perform the update process of the above first program.

[0278] According to such a configuration, based on the associated information associated with the second program, appropriately determine and execute the content associated with the update process of the first program. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the convenience for the user.

[0279] [5]: In the information processing method according to any one of [1] to [4],

[0280] The above processing step includes reporting to the user that the update of the above first program can be performed based on the association information associated with the above second program.

[0281] With such a configuration, the user can know whether the update of the first program can be performed based on more appropriate information. Thus, the convenience of the user can be further improved.

[0282] [6]: The information processing method according to any one of [1] to [5] further includes:

[0283] When the update of the above first program is on hold based on the usage status of the above home appliance device, report that the update of the above first program is on hold.

[0284] With such a configuration, the user can easily understand the update status of the first program. Thus, the convenience of the user can be further improved.

[0285] [7]: The information processing method according to any one of [1] to [6] further includes:

[0286] A reporting step, when there is a first home appliance device and a second home appliance device with a voice reporting function, and when the update of the above first program installed on the above first home appliance device can be performed, report through the voice reporting function of the above second home appliance device that the update of the above first program installed on the above first home appliance device can be performed.

[0287] With such a configuration, the user can more easily notice that the update of the first program can be performed. Thus, the convenience of the user can be further improved.

[0288] [8]: In the information processing method according to any one of [1] to [7],

[0289] When the above determination step is referred to as the first determination step, it further includes:

[0290] A second determination step, for two or more home appliance devices associated with the same user, when the programs installed on the above two or more home appliance devices can be updated respectively, determine for each of the above two or more home appliance devices whether the update of the above program can be performed.

[0291] With such a configuration, it is possible to determine for each of two or more home appliance devices whether the update of the program can be performed, and it is also possible to appropriately handle situations where an update is not required in one home appliance device but is required in other home appliance devices, etc.

[0292] [9]: The information processing method according to any one of [1] to [8] further includes:

[0293] A display step of displaying, on a display screen of the terminal device, content related to a cooperation function achieved through cooperation of two or more household electrical appliances.

[0294] In the above display step, after the programs installed in the two or more household electrical appliances are updated so as to correspond to the cooperation function, the content related to the cooperation function is displayed in a state where the cooperation function can be utilized.

[0295] According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the content related to the cooperation function from being displayed in a state where the program installed in one household electrical appliance does not match the program installed in another household electrical appliance.

[0296]

[10] : In the information processing method described in [9],

[0297] In the above display step, when the program installed in at least one of the two or more household electrical appliances is not updated to correspond to the cooperation function, the content related to the cooperation function is displayed in a state different from the state where the cooperation function can be utilized.

[0298] According to such a configuration, it is easy for the user to notice that the program installed in one household electrical appliance does not match the program installed in another household electrical appliance.

[0299]

[11] : The information processing method according to any one of [1] to

[10] further includes:

[0300] A display step of displaying, on the display screen of the terminal device, information associated with the first household electrical appliance in a first display state before the update of the first program, and displaying, on the display screen, information associated with the first household electrical appliance in a second display state different from the first display state after the update of the first program.

[0301] In the above display step, functions common to before and after the update of the first program are displayed at corresponding display positions in the first display state and the second display state.

[0302] According to such a configuration, since the usability of functions common to before and after the update of the first program does not change, the convenience for the user is improved. In addition, it is easy to understand the appearance of functions that are not common to before and after the update of the first program.

[0303]

[12] : An information processing method, including:

[0304] Processing step: When it is possible to update the first program installed in the home appliance device and the second program installed in the terminal device, if there are change points in the form of the data of the updated first program sent to the home appliance device that are different from those before the update of the first program, after performing the processing associated with the update of the second program, perform the processing associated with the update of the first program.

[0305] According to such a configuration, when the form of the data sent from the home appliance device is changed by the update of the first program, it is possible to first perform the processing related to the update of the second program. Thus, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems such as the inability to process the data sent from the home appliance device.

[0306]

[13] : An information processing method, comprising:

[0307] A determination step: When it is possible to update the first program installed in the home appliance device, determine whether it is necessary to update the second program of the terminal device used by the user of the home appliance device; and

[0308] A communication step: When it is determined in the determination step that it is necessary to update the second program, after performing the processing associated with the update of the second program, perform communication associated with the utilization of the functions of the home appliance device obtained through the update of the first program.

[0309] According to such a configuration, when a new function is added due to the update of the first program, it is easy to avoid a situation where the user cannot appropriately utilize the functions of the home appliance device or the services associated with the home appliance device due to the non-update of the second program.

[0310]

[14] : A program that causes a computer, which is a terminal device having a display screen, to function as a setting unit and an update control unit,

[0311] The setting unit can perform setting operations on the home appliance device,

[0312] When it becomes possible to utilize a specified function of the home appliance device through the update of the first program installed in the home appliance device, the update control unit updates the data stored in the terminal device before the communication related to the execution of the specified function is performed.

[0313] According to such a configuration, for example, when giving priority to the update of the first program, it is possible to update the second program to suppress errors before performing communication related to the new functions that can be utilized through the update. Thus, it is easy to suppress the occurrence of errors.

[0314]

[15] : A program that causes a computer, which is a terminal device with a display screen, to function as a display control unit.

[0315] When a first update program for updating a first program installed in a home appliance is present in a server, the display control unit causes the display screen to display that the first program can be updated, based on association information associated with a second program installed in the terminal device.

[0316] With such a configuration, a user can easily know whether the first program can be updated based on the content displayed on the terminal device.

[0317] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, an information processing method includes: a determination step of determining which of a first program installed in a home appliance and a second program installed in a terminal device is to be preferentially updated when both can be updated; and a processing step of, based on the determination result of the determination step, performing an update process of the program determined to be preferentially updated among the first program and the second program, and then performing an update process of the other program among the first program and the second program. With such a configuration, an improvement in convenience can be achieved.

[0318] Several embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these embodiments are disclosed as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are similarly included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

Claims

1. An information processing method, comprising: A determination step of determining which of the first program and the second program to be updated first when the first program installed in the home appliance and the second program installed in the terminal device can be updated; and The processing step is to execute the update processing of the program determined as the one to be updated first between the first program and the second program based on the determination result of the determination step, and then execute the update processing of the other program between the first program and the second program.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein: When the program provider sets the update of the first program to be given priority, in the determination step, it is determined that the first program is to be updated preferentially between the first program and the second program.

3. The information processing method according to claim 2, further comprising: The communication step is to perform communication related to the use of the function of the home appliance obtained by the first program after the update processing of the second program is executed.

4. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein: In the above-mentioned processing step, the update processing of the above-mentioned first program is performed based on the association information associated with the above-mentioned second program.

5. The information processing method according to claim 1 or 4, wherein: The processing step includes reporting to a user that the first program can be updated based on the association information associated with the second program.

6. The information processing method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: A reporting step of reporting that the updating of the first program is on hold when the updating of the first program is on hold based on the usage status of the home appliance.

7. The information processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When the above determination step is used as the first determination step, the method further comprises: In the second determination step, for two or more home appliances associated with the same user, when the programs installed in the two or more home appliances can be updated separately, it is determined whether the program can be updated for each of the two or more home appliances.

8. An information processing method comprising: The processing steps include, when it is possible to update a first program installed in a home appliance and a second program installed in a terminal device, executing the processing associated with the update of the above-mentioned second program after executing the processing associated with the update of the above-mentioned first program based on the priority predetermined by the program provider.

9. An information processing method comprising: A processing step, in which, when a first program installed in a home appliance and a second program installed in a terminal device can be updated, and when the form of data in which the updated first program is sent to the home appliance has a change point different from that before the first program was updated, after executing the processing associated with the update of the second program, executing the processing associated with the update of the first program.

10. An information processing method comprising: a determining step of determining whether it is necessary to update a second program installed in a terminal device when the first program installed in the home appliance can be updated, the terminal device being a terminal device used by a user of the home appliance; and The communication step is to perform communication associated with the use of the function of the home appliance obtained by updating the first program after performing processing associated with updating the second program when it is determined that the second program needs to be updated.

11. An information processing system comprising: an update order determination unit for determining which of the first program and the second program to be updated first and second when both the first program installed in the home appliance and the second program installed in the terminal device can be updated; and The update processing unit executes processing associated with updating the program determined to be updated with priority between the first program and the second program, and then executes processing associated with updating the other program between the first program and the second program.

12. An information processing system comprising: a necessity determination unit that determines whether it is necessary to update a second program installed in a terminal device when the first program installed in the home appliance can be updated, the terminal device being a terminal device used by a user of the home appliance; and When it is determined that the second program needs to be updated, the communication processing unit performs processing related to updating the second program and then performs communication related to utilization of the function of the home appliance obtained by updating the first program.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer program, The computer program causes a computer, which is a terminal device having a display screen, to function as a setting unit and an update control unit. The setting unit can perform setting operations on the home appliance. When a predetermined function of the home appliance becomes available by updating the first program installed in the home appliance, the update control unit updates data stored in the terminal device before communication related to execution of the predetermined function is performed.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer program, The computer program causes a computer, which is a terminal device having a display screen, to function as a display control unit. When a first update program for updating a first program installed in a home appliance exists in a server, the display control unit causes the display screen to display that the first program can be updated based on association information associated with a second program installed in the terminal device.

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