Maintenance reservation system, maintenance reservation server, maintenance reservation procedure and program

Abstract

A maintenance reservation system, according to a first aspect, comprises: a device information acquisition unit trained to obtain device information about a device; a maintenance provider information acquisition unit trained to obtain maintenance provider information about a maintenance service provider based on information transmitted by maintenance provider terminals; a reservation information acquisition unit trained to obtain reservation information about desired conditions for the maintenance services based on information transmitted by a user terminal;a processing unit trained to select maintenance provider candidates based on device information and maintenance provider information, and to narrow down the candidates based on the desired conditions and the maintenance provider information corresponding to the maintenance providers included by the candidates; and a notification unit trained to notify the user terminal about the candidates narrowed down by the processing unit.

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a maintenance reservation system, a maintenance reservation server, a maintenance reservation method, and a program. Technological background

[0002] Traditionally, various types of services are provided for air conditioning maintenance. For example, when an air conditioner used by a user breaks down, the user requests maintenance from a manufacturer, and the manufacturer or a maintenance contractor other than the manufacturer provides maintenance services such as air conditioning repairs. Examples of providers providing maintenance services include authorized stores of the manufacturers and providers other than the manufacturers, and the number of providers is increasing. Therefore, a technology has been proposed to enable a user to submit a maintenance service request to a maintenance provider.

[0003] For example, in a maintenance service system described in Patent Document 1, when a user terminal accesses a maintenance reception center, the maintenance reception center terminal transmits a fault information table and a maintenance worker management table to the user terminal. The user terminal determines the fault information and the name of a maintenance worker and transmits the fault information and the maintenance worker's name to the maintenance reception center terminal. Thus, the maintenance worker can handle a fault.

[0004] For example, in a facility maintenance work support method described in Patent Document 2, a customer transmits the content of a maintenance service requested by the customer for a facility and facility information to a server. The server analyzes the content of the maintenance service and facility information to determine whether a condition for performing maintenance is met, and performs the selection of a maintenance worker, etc. Prior art documentsPatent document Patent Document 1: Unexamined Japanese Patent Application, First Disclosure, Number 2002-149863 Patent Document 2: Unexamined Japanese Patent Application, First Disclosure, Number 2003-150732 Brief description of the inventionProblems to be solved by the invention

[0005] In the technologies described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above, information such as error information, a maintenance worker's name, maintenance service content, and facility information are transmitted from a user terminal. However, a process of determining a user's desired content in detail and selecting a maintenance provider according to a specific need are not performed. Furthermore, it is desirable for the maintenance provider to have a mechanism for acquiring repeat customers by providing a service that is a specialty of the maintenance provider.

[0006] The present disclosure was made to solve the problems described above, and it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a maintenance reservation system, a maintenance reservation server, and a maintenance reservation method for enabling a maintenance provider to be selected according to a user's needs. Furthermore, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a maintenance reservation system, a maintenance reservation server, a maintenance reservation method, and a program for enabling the acquisition of repeat customers by providing a service that is a specialty of a maintenance provider. Means to solve the problem

[0007] A maintenance reservation system according to a first aspect comprises: an equipment information acquisition unit configured to acquire equipment information containing information about a device; a maintenance provider information acquisition unit configured to acquire maintenance provider information containing information about maintenance providers that offer maintenance services based on information transmitted from maintenance provider terminals; a reservation information acquisition unit configured to acquire desired conditions for the reservation information containing maintenance services based on information transmitted from a user terminal;a processing unit configured to select maintenance provider candidates based on the device information and the maintenance provider information, and to narrow the candidate set based on the desired conditions and the maintenance provider information associated with the maintenance providers included in the candidate set; and a notification unit configured to notify the user terminal of the candidates narrowed down by the processing unit.

[0008] A maintenance reservation method according to a second aspect comprises steps of: obtaining information about devices including device information; obtaining information about maintenance providers that offer maintenance services including maintenance provider information based on information transmitted from maintenance provider terminals; obtaining reservation information including desired conditions for the maintenance services based on information transmitted from a user terminal; selecting maintenance provider candidates based on the device information and the maintenance provider information; narrowing down the candidate(s) based on the desired conditions and the maintenance provider information associated with the maintenance providers included in the candidate(s) / candidate(s); and notifying the user terminal of the candidates.

[0009] A maintenance reservation server according to a third aspect comprises: an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about maintenance providers offering maintenance services based on information transmitted from maintenance provider terminals, and to acquire reservation information including desired conditions related to work other than maintenance of the device based on information transmitted from a user terminal;a processing unit configured to narrow down maintenance provider candidates selected based on device information including information about the device and the maintenance provider's first available / offered work related to maintenance work for the device, based on the desired conditions, and the maintenance provider's second available / offered work related to work other than maintenance of the device; and a notification unit configured to notify the user terminal of the candidates narrowed down by the processing unit;

[0010] A maintenance reservation method according to a fourth aspect comprises steps of: acquiring information about maintenance providers that offer maintenance services based on information transmitted from maintenance provider terminals, and acquiring reservation information containing desired conditions related to work other than maintenance of the device based on information transmitted by a user terminal; narrowing down selected maintenance provider candidates based on device information including information about the device and first available work of the maintenance provider related to maintenance work for the device based on the desired conditions and second available work of the maintenance providers related to work other than maintenance of the device; and notifying the user terminal of the candidates.

[0011] A program according to a fifth aspect causes a computer to perform the steps of: acquiring information about maintenance providers that provide maintenance services based on information transmitted from maintenance provider terminals, and acquiring reservation information including desired conditions related to work other than maintenance of the device based on information transmitted from a user terminal; narrowing down selected maintenance provider candidates based on information about the device including device information and first available work of the maintenance providers related to maintenance work for the device based on the desired conditions and second available work of the maintenance providers related to work other than maintenance of the device; and notifying the user terminal of the candidates. Effects of the invention

[0012] According to the present disclosure, a maintenance provider can be selected according to a user's needs. Furthermore, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to acquire repeat customers by providing a service that is a specialty of a maintenance provider. Short description of the characters Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a maintenance reservation system according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the maintenance reservation system in the first embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display in which maintenance provider information is entered by a maintenance provider. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display for entering maintenance worker information. Fig. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of error information. Fig. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of sensor data. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display for entering reservation information. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an operation procedure according to the first embodiment. Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a maintenance reservation system according to a second embodiment. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display for inputting reservation information in a third embodiment. Ways to carry out the invention

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the figures. Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and any modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure. Furthermore, in the following figures, the dimensions, numbers, and the like may differ from the dimensions, numbers, and the like in the actual structure to facilitate understanding of the structure.

[0014] Configuration of the maintenance reservation system Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a maintenance reservation system according to a first embodiment. The maintenance reservation system includes, for example, one or more air conditioners 100, an equipment management server 200, one or more user terminals 300, a plurality of maintenance provider terminals 400, a maintenance provider server 500, and a maintenance reservation server 600. The air conditioner 100 is connected to a network NW such as the Internet via a communication device such as a router. The communication device may, for example, be a communication device retrofitted to the air conditioner 100, such as an access point installed in a home.The device management server 200, the user terminal 300, the maintenance provider terminal 400, the maintenance provider server 500, and the maintenance reservation server 600 have a communication interface (not shown) such as a network interface card (NIC) and a wireless communication module for connecting to the network NW. In addition, in the following description, a user of the air conditioner 100 is referred to as a "user," a company that offers a service such as maintenance of the air conditioner 100 as its business is referred to as a "maintenance provider," and a person who actually performs the maintenance work is referred to as a "maintenance worker."

[0015] Furthermore, although the device management server 200, the maintenance provider server 500, and the maintenance reservation server 600 are provided as servers in the embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited to this. The functions of the device management server 200, the maintenance provider server 500, and the maintenance reservation server 600 may be integrated into a single server. The functions of the device management server 200, the maintenance provider server 500, and the maintenance reservation server 600 may be distributed in a manner different from the embodiment. Some functions of the device management server 200, the maintenance provider server 500, and the maintenance reservation server 600 may be provided in the user terminal 300 or the maintenance provider terminal 400.

[0016] The air conditioner 100 is an example of a device serving as a maintenance target. The air conditioner 100 includes, for example, an outdoor unit and an indoor unit connected to each other via a circulation path through which a refrigerant circulates. The air conditioner 100 adjusts the temperature of indoor air by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing through the circulation path portion and the air in a room in which the indoor unit is installed.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the maintenance reservation system in the first embodiment. The air conditioner 100 includes, for example, a sensor 110, a drive unit 120, and a control unit 130. The sensor 110 includes a sensor for detecting an ambient temperature, a room temperature, a refrigerant temperature, and the like of the air conditioner 100, and a sensor for detecting a driving state and the like of the air conditioner 100. The drive unit 120 includes driving parts such as a blower, a compressor, and a valve in outdoor and indoor units. The control unit 130 controls the drive unit 120 based on a command value received from a remote controller and sensor data detected by the sensor 110.Further, the control unit 130 transmits to the device management server 200 device information indicating a type of the air conditioner 100, sensor data, operating data of the air conditioner 100, error information based on the sensor data, and the like. The operating data of the air conditioner 100 includes information such as an operating mode (e.g., heating, cooling, or dehumidifying), an operating time, and the like.

[0018] The device management server 200 is an information processing device such as a server device that performs a process of managing the air conditioner 100. The device management server 200 includes, for example, a device information storage unit 210 and an operation data storage unit 220. The device information storage unit 210 stores device information of the air conditioner 100, which is a management target in the maintenance reservation system. The operation data storage unit 220 stores operation data, sensor data, and fault information of the air conditioner 100, which is the management target in the maintenance reservation system. The device management server 200 transmits the stored device information, operation data, sensor data, and fault information to the maintenance provider server 500 as required.

[0019] The user terminal 300 is a smartphone, a personal computer, or the like, which is operated by a user using the air conditioner 100. The user terminal 300 includes, for example, a user interface (UI) unit 310 and a processing unit 320. The user interface unit 310 includes, for example, a display unit, an operation unit, and the like. The processing unit 320 is implemented, for example, by a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), which executes a program stored in a program memory. Software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware is described as a program, and the program is stored in the program memory.The processing unit 320 performs various types of processes in accordance with a reservation application to execute a process of reserving a maintenance service. The processing unit 320 generates reservation information including a user request and transmits the generated reservation information to the maintenance reservation server 600.

[0020] The maintenance provider terminal 400 is a smartphone, a personal computer, or the like, which is operated by the maintenance contractor. The maintenance provider terminal 400 includes, for example, a user interface (UI) unit 410 and a processing unit 420. The user interface unit 410 includes, for example, a display unit, an operation unit, and the like. The processing unit 420 is implemented, for example, by a processor such as a CPU, which executes a program stored in a program memory. Software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware are described as a program, and the program is stored in the program memory.In accordance with a provider registration application, the processing unit 420 performs various types of processes to perform a process of registering the maintenance provider in the maintenance provider server 500.

[0021] The maintenance provider server 500 is an information processing device, such as a server device, that performs a process of managing a maintenance provider. The maintenance provider server 500 includes, for example, a maintenance provider information storage unit 510 and a device information storage unit 520. The maintenance provider information storage unit 510 stores maintenance provider information based on information transmitted by the maintenance provider terminal 400. The maintenance provider information includes information about the maintenance provider based on the information transmitted from the maintenance provider terminal 400. The device information storage unit 520 stores device information, operation data, sensor data, error information, and the like of the air conditioner 100 serving as a maintenance service target.The maintenance provider server 500 transmits the stored maintenance provider information, device information, operation data, sensor data, and error information to the maintenance reservation server 600 as required.

[0022] The maintenance reservation server 600 is an information processing device, such as a server device, that performs a maintenance provider management process based on a user request. The maintenance reservation server 600 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 610, a reservation processing unit 620, a reservation information storage unit 630, a notification unit 640, and a reservation information acquisition unit 650. The acquisition unit 610, the reservation processing unit 620, the notification unit 640, and the reservation information acquisition unit 650 are implemented, for example, by a processor, such as a CPU, which executes a program stored in a program memory. The acquisition unit 610 acquires device information, operation data, sensor data, fault data, and maintenance provider information.The reservation processing unit 620 performs a process of selecting candidates for the maintenance provider based on the device information and the maintenance provider information, and narrows down the candidates based on the maintenance provider information associated with the maintenance provider included in the candidates and the reservation information. The notification unit 640 notifies a user terminal 300 of the candidates narrowed down by the reservation processing unit 620. The reservation information acquisition unit 650 acquires reservation information from a user and transmits the acquired reservation information to the reservation information storage unit 630. The reservation information storage unit 630 stores the reservation information transmitted from the reservation information acquisition unit 650.

[0023] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display in which maintenance provider information is entered by the maintenance provider. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for inputting maintenance worker information. The maintenance worker information is non-fixed information such as maintenance availability schedule information of a maintenance worker. On a screen for inputting maintenance provider information, a field for inputting fixed information regarding the maintenance provider is provided. The screen for inputting maintenance provider information includes, for example, a company name input field, a base address input field, a telephone number input field, a maintenance-related available work input field, a non-maintenance available work input field, a priority spare part input field, an object accessibility input field, and an object information input field.The maintenance provider terminal 400 generates first work information about maintenance work for the air conditioner 100 based on an input operation for the maintenance-related available work input field. The maintenance-related available work is, for example, first available work such as installation, inspection, measurement, repair, part replacement, and removal of the air conditioner 100. The maintenance provider terminal 400 generates second work information about work other than maintenance for the air conditioner 100 based on the input operation for the field for inputting available work other than maintenance. The available work other than maintenance is information indicating second available work other than maintenance based on a user request.The work available other than maintenance includes, for example, other optional services such as air conditioning cleaning, housekeeping services, consultation on different types of usage methods, network setting agency, and waste collection. Optional services may include conditions such as the worker's gender, whether the maintenance provider can enter a women's bedroom, whether the experience level is sufficient, whether the maintenance provider can access high places, whether the maintenance provider can access equipment installed on a roof, and whether the maintenance provider has a sufficient track record. The priority spare part is, for example, a name or the like of a part that is a specialty of the maintenance provider.In addition, the maintenance provider terminal 400 is not limited to the priority spare part, and only needs to receive input of priority information indicating the work to be performed by the maintenance provider in priority. Object accessibility, for example, indicates a type of object accessible to the maintenance provider. The object information is, for example, information about objects with which the maintenance provider is experienced. The maintenance provider terminal 400 generates, based on the information stored in the [information in the figure]. Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, and transmits the generated maintenance provider information to the maintenance provider server 500. The maintenance provider server 500 registers the maintenance provider in the maintenance provider information storage unit 510 by storing the received maintenance provider information.

[0024] Fig. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of error information. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of sensor data. The error information is, for example, information in which an error code is associated with event time information indicating a time at which an error occurred. An error code is, for example, information corresponding to a symptom detected in the air conditioner 100. The air conditioner 100 determines whether or not conditions for generating error information have been met. The conditions for generating incorrect information are, for example, a condition that the sensor data detected by the sensor 110 exceeds a threshold value and a condition that the driving state of the driving unit 120 satisfies a setting condition. The error information is transmitted from the air conditioner 100, together with the sensor data corresponding to the error code, to the device management server 200. For example, the air conditioner 100 obtains, as shown in Fig. 6, sensor data sampled every minute for 10 minutes after the occurrence of the error as sensor data corresponding to the error code "15" that occurred on 2022 / 1 / 19 (January 19, 2022) at 1:45 PM as shown in Figure 5, and transmits the acquired sensor data as the sensor data to the device management server 200.

[0025] This allows the air conditioner 100 to transmit device information, error information, sensor data, and the like to the device management server 200. The device management server 200 can select information required for maintenance from the information received from the air conditioner 100. For example, the device management server 200 selects device information such as sensor data, operating data, and model information of the air conditioner 100 associated with an error code and transmits the selected information to the maintenance provider server 500.

[0026] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a reservation information input screen. A reservation information input screen includes, for example, a name input field, an address input field, a phone number input field, an email address input field, a purchased device input field, a purchase date input field, a defect content input field, a field for inputting desired work other than maintenance, an object information input field, and a desired date and time input field. Information such as a model or serial number of the air conditioner 100 is input into the purchased device input field.For example, information corresponding to a first desired condition regarding maintenance work for the air conditioner 100, such as a symptom detected by a user or an error code displayed on the remote control, or the like, is input into the defect content input field. Information corresponding to available work other than maintenance input by the maintenance provider is input into the desired work other than maintenance input field. For example, information corresponding to a second desired condition for the user to restrict the maintenance provider from other optional services, such as cleaning of the air conditioner 100, housekeeping service, consultation on various types of usage methods, network setting agency, and waste collection, is input into the desired work other than maintenance input field.Information other than the available work entered by the maintenance provider can be entered in the field for entering desired work other than maintenance. For example, information indicating a second desired condition for a building, such as a women's bedroom where entry and exit are restricted, a user-desired experience level of the maintenance worker, work content, special environmental objects such as hanging on an exterior wall or high places, or the like, can be entered in the field for entering desired work other than maintenance.For example, information regarding a building type, such as a single-family home or a condominium, the number of floors on which the air conditioner is installed, and the like, is entered into the object information input field. Based on the information entered into the input field, the user terminal 300 generates reservation information including a first request for requesting maintenance of the air conditioner 100 and a second request for requesting work other than maintenance of the air conditioner 100, and transmits the generated reservation information to the maintenance reservation server 600.

[0027] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an operation procedure according to the first embodiment described above. The maintenance provider terminal 400 transmits maintenance provider information to the maintenance provider server 500 based on an input from the maintenance provider (step ST10). The maintenance provider server 500 registers the maintenance provider by receiving the maintenance provider information and stores the received maintenance provider information in the maintenance provider information storage unit 500 (step ST12). The air conditioner 100 transmits device information, operation data, and sensor data to the device management server 200, and the device management server 200 stores the device information, operation data, and sensor data.

[0028] When the air conditioner 100 has detected a failure, the air conditioner 100 transmits the failure information to the device management server 200. In response to receiving the failure information from the air conditioner 100, the device management server 200 extracts the device information and the sensor data associated with the failure information from the device information storage unit 210 and the operation data storage unit 220, and transmits the device information and the sensor data to the maintenance provider server 500 (step ST14).

[0029] The maintenance provider server 500 selects candidates for the maintenance provider by comparing the device information and fault information received from the device management server 200 with the maintenance provider information stored in the maintenance provider information storage unit 510 (step ST18). For example, the maintenance provider server 500 may generate a candidate list of maintenance providers that can serve an installation area of ​​the air conditioner 100 and may narrow down the maintenance providers by excluding a maintenance provider from the candidate list if a model identified with the device information received from the device management server 200 is a model outside the available range of the maintenance provider.The maintenance provider server 500 can exclude a maintenance provider from the candidate list if, for example, the work to resolve the fault identified by the fault code is outside the maintenance provider's available range. The maintenance provider server 500 transmits the maintenance provider information for the maintenance provider selected as a candidate to the maintenance reservation server 600. On the other hand, the user terminal 300 transmits reservation information including a user request to the maintenance reservation server 600 by receiving an input from the user (step ST16). This allows the maintenance reservation system to avoid the trouble of making a reservation again if it is determined that the maintenance provider cannot meet the user's needs after the user reserves the maintenance.

[0030] The maintenance reservation server 600 narrows down the candidate maintenance provider by comparing the maintenance provider information corresponding to the candidate maintenance provider with the reservation information (step ST20). The maintenance reservation server 600 narrows down the maintenance providers capable of providing maintenance at a desired date and time by comparing the desired date and time included in the reservation information with the maintenance availability schedule included in the maintenance provider information.Further, the maintenance reservation server 600 compares desired work other than maintenance included in the reservation information with available work other than maintenance included in the maintenance provider information, and narrows down the maintenance providers that can perform the desired work other than maintenance.

[0031] The maintenance reservation server 600 notifies the user of the candidates by transmitting information to the user terminal 300 for displaying a list of maintenance providers included in the narrowed candidate set. The user terminal 300 can allow the user to select a desired maintenance provider by displaying a list of candidates. When the user terminal 300 receives an operation for selecting a maintenance provider, the user terminal 300 transmits information to the maintenance reservation server 600 based on the selected operation. The maintenance reservation server 600 notifies the maintenance provider terminal 400 corresponding to the maintenance provider selected by the user that the maintenance provider has been selected.

[0032] Additionally, the maintenance reservation server 600 may compare a maintenance request included in the reservation information with priority information indicating priority work to be performed by the maintenance provider, and preferentially select the maintenance provider corresponding to the maintenance provider information containing the priority information if the maintenance request matches the priority information. For example, if a compressor of the air conditioner 100 has failed, the maintenance reservation server 600 may preferentially assign a maintenance provider specializing in compressors for the air conditioner 100.

[0033] For example, the maintenance reservation server 600 can determine that the maintenance provider is close to the user needs as the number of non-maintenance work included in the maintenance provider information that matches the non-maintenance need included in the reservation information increases. The maintenance reservation server 600 sorts the maintenance providers according to the number of matches between the non-maintenance need included in the reservation information and the non-maintenance available work included in the maintenance provider information. The maintenance reservation server 600 transmits information to the user terminal 300 for displaying a list of maintenance providers reflecting the sorting result. This allows the user terminal 300 to preferentially display a maintenance provider that is close to a user need, for example.For example, the user terminal 300 may display the maintenance provider that is close to the user need at the top of the maintenance provider list.

[0034] The user terminal 300 can generate reservation information in which priority is assigned to the work other than maintenance of the air conditioner 100. The maintenance reservation server 600 preferentially selects a maintenance provider corresponding to the maintenance provider information including the high-priority available work other than maintenance, thereby preferentially displaying the selected maintenance provider on the user terminal 300. The maintenance reservation server 600 assigns a higher weight to the high-priority work other than maintenance, and calculates a score based on the weight and the number of matches between the desired work other than maintenance included in the reservation information and the available work other than maintenance included in the maintenance provider information.This allows the maintenance reservation server 600 to sort the maintenance providers according to the score.

[0035] As described above, in the maintenance reservation system of the first embodiment, candidates for the maintenance provider are selected based on the device information and the maintenance provider information, and the candidates can be narrowed down based on the maintenance provider information corresponding to the maintenance provider included in the candidates and the reservation information. Furthermore, with the maintenance reservation system of the first embodiment, it is possible to select candidates based on the device information and the maintenance work for the air conditioner 100 included in the maintenance provider information, and narrow down the candidates based on the non-maintenance work corresponding to a maintenance provider included in the candidates and a non-maintenance work request included in the reservation information.This allows the maintenance reservation system to select a maintenance provider based on user needs, thus increasing user satisfaction with maintenance. Furthermore, the maintenance reservation system can support the acquisition of repeat customers by providing work that is a specialty of the maintenance provider.

[0036] Next, a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a maintenance reservation system of a second embodiment. The maintenance reservation system in the second embodiment differs from the maintenance reservation system in the first embodiment in that a device management server 200 includes an estimation unit 230. The following mainly describes differences.

[0037] The estimation unit 230 estimates a failed part of the air conditioner 100 based on information acquired by the air conditioner 100. The estimation unit 230 may estimate a failed part of the air conditioner 100 based on, for example, a model and an error code of the air conditioner 100. In addition to the model and the error code of the air conditioner 100, the estimation unit 230 may estimate the failed part based on operation data, sensor data, or the like. The estimation unit 230 may estimate the failed part based on a correspondence of the following relationships: a past failure or a maintenance history stored in the device information storage unit 210 and the operation data storage unit 220; device information, an error code, and sensor data in the history; and a replacement part in the failure history or maintenance history.For example, the estimation unit 230 may train a machine learning model using the failed parts as learning data based on matching dependencies among: the past failure or maintenance history; the device information, error code, and sensor data in the history; and the spare part in the failure history or maintenance history. Therefore, when the device information, error code, or the like is acquired from the air conditioner 100, the estimation unit 230 may input the acquired device information, error code, and the like into the machine learning model to estimate a failed part based on an output of the machine learning model. The machine learning model may be, for example, a model that uses a classification method such as a decision tree, a random forest, or LightGBM.The estimation unit 230 transmits a result of estimation of the failed part together with the device information to a maintenance provider server 500.

[0038] The maintenance provider server 500 selects a maintenance provider based on the failed part estimate, the device information, and the maintenance provider information obtained from the device management server 200. For example, the maintenance provider server 500 may select a maintenance provider that has designated the estimated failed part as a priority replacement part or a maintenance provider that has experience in maintaining the estimated failed part. This allows the maintenance provider server 500 to select a maintenance provider that has expertise in repairing or replacing a failed part, thus further increasing user satisfaction with the maintenance.

[0039] Next, a third embodiment will be described. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a reservation information input screen in the third embodiment. In addition to the reservation information input screen described in the first embodiment, the reservation information input screen includes a field for inputting a maintenance provider and a maintenance worker specified by the user. The user terminal 300 receives an operation for inputting a maintenance provider and a maintenance worker, generates reservation information containing the designation information of the maintenance provider and the maintenance worker based on the received operation, and transmits the generated reservation information to the maintenance reservation server 600.

[0040] The maintenance reservation server 600 compares the designation information included in the reservation information with the maintenance provider candidates selected by the maintenance provider server 500. If the specified maintenance provider and maintenance worker are included in the maintenance provider candidates selected by the maintenance provider server 500, the maintenance reservation server 600 transmits information to the user terminal 300 to notify that maintenance by the selected maintenance provider and maintenance worker is available. If the selected maintenance provider and maintenance worker are not included in the maintenance provider candidates selected by the maintenance provider server 500, the maintenance reservation server 600 transmits information to the user terminal 300 to notify that maintenance by the selected maintenance provider and maintenance worker is not available.

[0041] As described above, according to the maintenance reservation system of the third embodiment, it is possible to receive an operation to designate a maintenance provider or a maintenance worker from the user, determine whether the designated maintenance provider and maintenance worker are included, and notify the user of the determination result. Thus, according to the maintenance reservation system, for example, when a maintenance provider that has been used once is desired to be used repeatedly, the maintenance provider can be selected according to the user's needs, and user satisfaction can be further improved. Furthermore, the maintenance reservation system can support the acquisition of repeat customers and increase the satisfaction of maintenance providers.

[0042] While embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, specific configurations are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and other designs or the like may also be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Each configuration described in the above-described embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, the embodiment in which the maintenance service target is the air conditioner 100 was described, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The above-described embodiment can be applied to any other device for which maintenance service is required. [Description of reference symbols] 100 air conditioning 110 Sensor 120 drive unit 130 Control unit 200 device management servers 210 Device information storage unit 220 operating data storage unit 230 estimation unit 300 user terminals 310 User interface unit 320 processing unit 400 Maintenance Provider Terminal 410 User Interface Unit 420 processing unit 500 maintenance provider servers 510 Maintenance provider information storage unit 520 Device information storage unit 600 maintenance reservation servers 610 registration unit 620 Reservation processing unit 630 Reservation information storage unit 640 Notification Unit 650 Reservation information recording unit QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2002-149863

[0004] JP 2003-150732

[0004] Cited non-patent literature

[0000] , which, as shown in Figure 5, on 2022 / 1 / 19 (19 January 2022

[0024]

Claims

[1] Maintenance reservation system, comprising: a device information acquisition unit configured to acquire device information including information about a device; a maintenance provider information acquisition unit configured to acquire maintenance provider information containing maintenance providers offering maintenance services based on information transmitted from maintenance provider terminals; a reservation information acquisition unit configured to acquire reservation information containing desired conditions for the maintenance services based on information transmitted from a user terminal; a processing unit configured to select maintenance provider candidates based on the device information and the maintenance provider information, and to narrow down the candidates based on the desired conditions and the maintenance provider information corresponding to the maintenance providers included in the candidates; and a notification unit configured to notify the user terminal of the candidates narrowed down by the processing unit. [2] Maintenance reservation system according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance provider information includes information indicating a first available work relating to maintenance work for the device and second available work relating to work other than maintenance work for the device, wherein the reservation information includes information indicating a desired condition relating to maintenance work for the device and a second desired condition relating to work other than maintenance work for the device, and wherein the processing unit selects the candidates based on the device information, the first available work, and the first desired condition, and narrows the candidates based on the second desired condition and the second available work associated with the maintenance providers included in the candidates. [3] Maintenance reservation system according to claim 2, wherein the second desired condition includes priority for work other than maintenance work for the device, and wherein the processing unit preferably selects a maintenance provider associated with maintenance provider information including the second available work that matches the work other than the maintenance work whose priority is high. [4] Maintenance reservation system according to claim 2, wherein the first available work comprises priority information indicating a portion of the maintenance or work to be performed by the maintenance provider with priority, and wherein the processing unit preferentially selects the maintenance provider associated with the priority information if the first desired condition matches the part of the maintenance to be performed by the maintenance provider with priority. [5] Maintenance reservation system according to claim 2, comprising: an estimation unit configured to estimate a failed part of the device based on information about the device, wherein the processing unit selects the candidates based on the failed part estimated by the estimation unit and the first available work. [6] Maintenance reservation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reservation information includes designation information for designating a maintenance provider or a maintenance worker, and wherein the processing unit determines whether or not the designated maintenance provider or maintenance worker is included in the candidates when the designation information is included in the reservation information, and informs a user of the determination result. [7] Maintenance reservation procedure, comprising the steps: Obtaining device information, which includes information about the device; Obtaining information about maintenance providers offering maintenance services containing maintenance provider information based on information transmitted from maintenance provider terminals; Obtaining reservation information indicating desired conditions for maintenance services based on information transmitted from a user terminal; Selecting maintenance provider candidates based on the device information and the maintenance provider information; Narrowing down the candidates based on the desired conditions and the maintenance provider information that corresponds to the maintenance providers included in the candidates; and Notification of the user terminal about the candidates. [8] Reservation server, comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about maintenance providers offering maintenance services based on information transmitted from maintenance provider terminals and reservation information indicating desired conditions related to work other than maintenance of the device, transmitted from a user terminal; a processing unit configured to narrow down the maintenance provider candidates selected based on device information containing information about the device and the maintenance provider's first available work related to the maintenance of the device, based on the desired conditions and the maintenance provider's second available work related to work other than maintenance work for the device; and a notification unit configured to notify the user terminal of the candidates narrowed down by the processing unit. [9] Maintenance reservation method comprising the steps: Obtaining information about maintenance providers that offer maintenance services based on information transmitted from maintenance provider terminals and on reservation information containing desired conditions related to work other than maintenance of the device based on information transmitted from a user terminal; Narrowing down the maintenance provider candidates selected based on device information containing information about the device and the maintenance provider's first available work related to the maintenance of the device, based on the desired conditions and the maintenance provider's second available work related to work other than maintenance work for the device; and Notification of the user terminal about the candidates. [10] Program that causes a computer to perform the following steps: Obtaining information about maintenance providers that offer maintenance services based on information transmitted from maintenance provider terminals and on reservation information containing desired conditions related to work other than maintenance of the device based on information transmitted from a user terminal; Narrowing down the maintenance provider candidates selected based on device information containing information about the device and the maintenance provider's first available work related to the maintenance of the device, based on the desired conditions and the maintenance provider's second available work related to work other than maintenance work for the device; and Notify the user terminal about the candidates.

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