Airconditioning system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an air conditioning system that can improve convenience.SOLUTION: An air conditioning system according to an embodiment comprises a setting reception unit, a condition evaluation unit, and a response processing unit. The setting reception unit can accept user's setting operation to register setting contents that makes correspondence between the conditions related to a temperature, humidity, time, or people as conditions for starting or stopping the operation of an air conditioner and the control contents of the air conditioner that are executed when the conditions are met. The condition evaluation unit determines whether the correspondence between the condition included in the setting content and the control content satisfies a predetermined evaluation condition. When the condition evaluation unit determines that the correspondence between the condition included in the setting content and the control content does not satisfy the predetermined evaluation condition, the response processing unit issues a predetermined notification or suppresses the setting reception unit from accepting the setting operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an air conditioning system, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] An air conditioner has been proposed that stores an operation mode in which each data of an operation mode zone is manually changed in accordance with a user's request during operation. Meanwhile, there are expectations for further improvements in the convenience of systems relating to air conditioners. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-08837 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioning system that can improve convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The air conditioning system of the embodiment includes a setting reception unit, a condition evaluation unit, and a response processing unit. The setting reception unit can individually set an operation start condition and an operation stop condition for each operation mode for an air conditioner capable of executing a plurality of operation modes, and can accept a setting operation by a user to register a setting content that corresponds to a condition related to temperature, humidity, time, or people as the operation start condition or the operation stop condition and a control content of the air conditioner that is executed when the condition is satisfied. The condition evaluation unit determines whether or not the correspondence relationship between the condition included in the setting content and the control content satisfies a predetermined evaluation condition. When the condition evaluation unit determines that the correspondence relationship between the condition included in the setting content and the control content does not satisfy the predetermined evaluation condition, the response processing unit performs a predetermined notification or suppresses the setting reception unit from accepting the setting operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a home appliance management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the air conditioner of the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a terminal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a start condition and a stop condition of a cooling operation in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a start condition and a stop condition of a heating operation in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a first example of a user interface according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is another diagram for explaining the first example of the user interface according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a second example of a user interface according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example in which the setting contents according to the first embodiment do not satisfy the evaluation conditions. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an output screen for a predetermined notification according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an output screen for requesting a change of setting contents according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server according to a second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an input screen for acquiring user information according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server according to a third embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an output screen for a predetermined notification according to the third embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an output screen for a predetermined notification according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the output screen of the predetermined notification according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, an air conditioning system, an information processing method, and a program according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for configurations having the same or similar functions. Then, duplicated descriptions of those configurations may be omitted. In this application, "based on XX" means "based on at least XX" and may include cases where the configuration is based on another element in addition to XX. Also, "based on XX" is not limited to cases where the configuration is based directly on XX, but may also include cases where the configuration is based on XX that has been subjected to calculation or processing. In this application, "XX or YY" is not limited to either one of XX and YY, but may include both XX and YY. This also applies when there are three or more selective elements. XX and YY are any element (for example, any information).

[0008] In this application, "obtain" is not limited to actively obtaining information by sending a transmission request, but may also include passively receiving information transmitted from another device. Also, "obtain" is not limited to directly obtaining target information (information to be obtained) from outside, but may also include generating and obtaining target information by performing calculations or processing on information obtained from outside.

[0009] (First embodiment) <1. Overall composition> 1 is a diagram showing a home appliance management system 1 according to a first embodiment. The home appliance management system 1 includes, for example, an air conditioner 100, a server 200, and a terminal device 300. The network NW described below may be, for example, the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), or other public lines or dedicated lines, depending on the situation.

[0010] (Air conditioner) The air conditioner 100 is a home appliance used by a user U and is installed in the residence of the user U. The air conditioner 100 is, for example, a home room air conditioner. However, the air conditioner 100 is not limited to a home air conditioner, and may be an air purifier or the like. The air conditioner 100 is connected to a network NW via, for example, a wireless router WR and a modem M installed in the residence of the user U. The air conditioner 100 is capable of communicating with a server 200 or a terminal device 300 via the network NW. The air conditioner 100 may be capable of directly communicating with the terminal device 300 using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0011] (server) The server 200 is a management server that manages the air conditioner 100. The server 200 is composed of one or more server devices (e.g., cloud servers). The server 200 is capable of communicating with the air conditioner 100 or the terminal device 300 via the network NW. The server 200 may include an information processing unit that performs edge computing or fog computing, such as an information processing unit included in a router in the network NW. The server 200 is not limited to a cloud server, and may be a computer in the residence of the user U, a home router, or the like.

[0012] (Terminal Device) The terminal device 300 is an electronic device used by a user U. The terminal device 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal device. However, the terminal device 300 is not limited to a mobile terminal device and may be a personal computer or the like. The terminal device 300 has, for example, a display device 301, an input device 302, and a communication unit 303.

[0013] The display device 301 is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and has a display screen 301a capable of displaying various information. The input device 302 is capable of receiving input from a user U. The input device 302 is, for example, a touch panel provided on top of the display screen 301a. The input device 302 may include a camera, a microphone, and the like 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 directly or via a wireless router WR and a modem M. The communication unit 303 is capable of communicating with the air conditioner 100 or the server 200 via the network NW. The terminal device 300 may be capable of directly communicating with the air conditioner 100 using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth.

[0014] An application program P is installed in the terminal device 300, and the functions described below are supported. The application program P is, for example, an application program for managing the air conditioner 100. Hereinafter, application software that is started by executing the application program P is referred to as a "home appliance management application AP."

[0015] In this embodiment, an example of an "air conditioning system" is realized by the air conditioner 100, the server 200, and the home appliance management app AP of the terminal device 300. However, the "air conditioning system" may be realized only by the server 200, only by the home appliance management app AP, only by the air conditioner 100, or by any two or more of the server 200, the home appliance management app AP, and the air conditioner 100. In this embodiment, each of the air conditioner 100, the server 200, and the terminal device 300 is an example of a "computer."

[0016] <2. Air conditioner> Next, the air conditioner 100 will be described. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the air conditioner 100. The air conditioner 100 has, for example, a heat exchanger 110, a sensor unit 120, a control unit 130, a communication unit 140, and a storage unit 190.

[0017] <2.1 Heat exchange device> The heat exchanger 110 is a device that performs heat exchange to adjust the temperature or humidity of indoor air. The heat exchanger 110 is, for example, a heat pump type heat exchanger, and includes a compressor 111, an outdoor heat exchanger 112, an expansion valve 113, an indoor heat exchanger 114, and a blower 115. The compressor 111 and the outdoor heat exchanger 112 are included in, for example, an outdoor unit. The expansion valve 113, the indoor heat exchanger 114, and the blower 115 are included in, for example, an indoor unit. The heat exchanger 110 further includes a switching valve (not shown) that switches the flow direction of the refrigerant.

[0018] In the cooling cycle, the compressor 111 compresses a refrigerant and supplies the compressed refrigerant to the outdoor heat exchanger 112. The outdoor heat exchanger 112 functions as a condenser in the cooling cycle. The refrigerant that has dissipated heat by passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 112 is supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 114 via an expansion valve 113. The indoor heat exchanger 114 functions as an evaporator in the cooling cycle, and lowers the temperature of the indoor air by removing heat from the indoor air.

[0019] In the heating cycle, the compressor 111 compresses the refrigerant and supplies the compressed refrigerant to the indoor heat exchanger 114. The indoor heat exchanger 114 functions as a condenser in the heating cycle, and heats the indoor air to increase the temperature of the indoor air. The refrigerant that has dissipated heat by passing through the indoor heat exchanger 114 is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 112 via the expansion valve 113. The outdoor heat exchanger 112 functions as an evaporator in the heating cycle, and increases the temperature of the refrigerant. The blower 115 sends out the air cooled or heated by the heat exchanger 110 to the room in which the air conditioner 100 is installed.

[0020] <2.2 Sensor section> The sensor unit 120 is a detection unit capable of detecting the state of the air conditioner 100 or the state of the environment in which the air conditioner 100 is installed. The sensor unit 120 has, for example, a temperature sensor 121, a humidity sensor 122, a current sensor 123, a voltage sensor 124, and a human presence sensor 125. Each of the temperature sensor 121, the humidity sensor 122, the current sensor 123, the voltage sensor 124, and the human presence sensor 125 is an example of a "detector."

[0021] The temperature sensor 121 detects the temperature of the room in which the air conditioner 100 is installed. The humidity sensor 122 detects the humidity of the room in which the air conditioner 100 is installed. The current sensor 123 detects the current value used to operate the air conditioner 100. The voltage sensor 124 detects the voltage value used to operate the air conditioner 100. The human presence sensor 125 detects the presence or absence of a person in the room in which the air conditioner 100 is installed. The human presence sensor 125 is, for example, an infrared human presence sensor. However, instead of the above example, the human presence sensor 125 may be a sensor of a different type. The detection results detected by the sensor unit 120 are accumulated as operation performance information 192 by the control unit 130 described later.

[0022] <2.3 Control section> The control unit 130 is realized by one or more hardware processors, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) mounted in the air conditioner 100, executing a program. However, part or all of the air conditioner 100 may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

[0023] The control unit 130 performs overall control of the air conditioner 100 as a whole. For example, the control unit 130 operates the air conditioner 100 by controlling the heat exchanger 110 based on the detection results detected by the sensor unit 120 and control information 191 stored in the storage unit 190. The control unit 130 can execute a plurality of operation modes as the operation modes of the air conditioner 100 by controlling the heat exchanger 110. The plurality of operation modes include, for example, a cooling operation, a heating operation, and a dehumidification operation.

[0024] In this embodiment, the multiple operation modes may include multiple operation modes of the same type of operation but with different air conditioning capacities (strength of operation). For example, the multiple operation modes may include strong cooling operation (rapid cooling), medium cooling operation (normal cooling), and weak cooling operation (energy-saving cooling) as cooling operations. Similarly, the multiple operation modes may include strong heating operation (rapid heating), medium heating operation (normal heating), and weak heating operation (energy-saving heating) as heating operations.

[0025] <2.4 Communications Department> The communication unit 140 is, for example, a wireless communication module that can be connected to a wireless router WR. The communication unit 140 can communicate with the server 200 or the terminal device 300 via the network NW. The communication unit 140 transmits, for example, the driving performance information 192 stored in the storage unit 190 to the server 200 or the terminal device 300 at a predetermined period.

[0026] The storage unit 190 is realized by, for example, a combination of a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. The storage unit 190 stores various information. For example, the storage unit 190 stores control information 191 and operating performance information 192.

[0027] <3. Terminal device> For convenience of explanation, the terminal device 300 will be explained first. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal device 300. The terminal device 300 includes, for example, an information acquisition unit 310, a display control unit 320, an operation acceptance unit 330, an information transmission unit 340, and a storage unit 390.

[0028] The information acquiring unit 310, the display control unit 320, the operation accepting unit 330, and the information transmitting unit 340 are realized by one or more hardware processors, such as a CPU, mounted on the terminal device 300 executing the application program P. In other words, the information acquiring unit 310, the display control unit 320, the operation accepting unit 330, and the information transmitting unit 340 are software function units included in the home appliance management application AP.

[0029] The information acquisition unit 310 communicates with the server 200 or the air conditioner 100 to acquire various types of information from the server 200 or the air conditioner 100.

[0030] The display control unit 320 controls the display device 301 of the terminal device 300, thereby controlling the contents displayed on the display screen 301a of the display device 301. Screens and operation units displayed on the display screen 301a described below are displayed under the control of the display control unit 320. The display control unit 320 causes, for example, various notifications received from the server 200 or the air conditioner 100 to be displayed on the display screen 301a.

[0031] The operation reception unit 330 receives operations performed by the user U on the input device 302 regarding the operation or management of the air conditioner 100. The information transmission unit 340 transmits information or signals corresponding to the various operations received by the operation reception unit 330 to the server 200 or the air conditioner 100.

[0032] The storage unit 390 is realized by, for example, a combination of a RAM, a ROM, an EEPROM, an SSD, etc. The storage unit 390 stores various information. For example, the storage unit 390 stores an application program P.

[0033] <4. Server> Next, the server 200 will be described. 4 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200. The server 200 includes, for example, a setting receiving unit 210, a condition evaluating unit 220, a handling processing unit 230, an information transmitting unit 240, and a storage unit 290.

[0034] The setting reception unit 210, the condition evaluation unit 220, the response processing unit 230, and the information transmission unit 240 are realized by one or more hardware processors such as a CPU mounted on the server 200 executing a program. However, some or all of these functional units may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC, a PLD, or an FPGA, or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. These functional units may be provided separately in multiple server devices. Furthermore, one or more of these functional units may be provided in the air conditioner 100 or the home appliance management application AP of the terminal device 300 instead of the server 200. For example, the condition evaluation unit 220 and the response processing unit 230 may be provided in the home appliance management application AP of the terminal device 300, and the setting reception unit 210 may be provided in the server 200.

[0035] <4.1 Setting reception section> The setting reception unit 210 can receive a setting operation by the user U to individually set the operation start conditions and operation stop conditions for each of the multiple operation modes of the air conditioner 100. In this application, "stopping operation" is not limited to stopping the operation of the air conditioner 100, but can also refer to terminating the operation mode in operation and transitioning to another operation mode (transition from cooling operation to dehumidification operation, or transition from normal heating to energy-saving heating). In this application, "operation start conditions and operation stop conditions can be individually set" means, for example, that different conditions (different temperatures, different humidity, or the presence or absence of people) can be set for the operation start conditions and operation stop conditions.

[0036] For example, the setting reception unit 210 can set different temperatures as the condition for starting the cooling operation and the condition for stopping the cooling operation. Alternatively, the setting reception unit 210 may set a condition for starting the cooling operation that is determined by a combination of temperature and humidity, and set a condition for stopping the cooling operation that is determined only by temperature. This also applies to operation modes other than the cooling operation.

[0037] In this embodiment, the setting receiving unit 210 can accept setting operations by user U to register setting contents that correspond to conditions related to temperature, humidity, time, or people as conditions for starting operation or stopping operation of each operating mode, and the control contents of the air conditioner 100 that are executed when the conditions are satisfied.

[0038] A "condition related to temperature" is, for example, a threshold temperature that is a starting point for starting or stopping operation. A "condition related to humidity" is, for example, a threshold humidity that is a starting point for starting or stopping operation. A "condition related to time" is, for example, the season when operation starts or stops. A "condition related to people" is, for example, the presence or absence of people in the room in which the air conditioner 100 is installed. For ease of explanation, below, "conditions related to temperature, humidity, time, or people" may be referred to as "state conditions."

[0039] In this embodiment, when a user U performs a setting operation to register setting contents that associate status conditions with control contents of the air conditioner 100, a condition evaluation unit 220 described below judges whether the above setting contents are appropriate (whether predetermined evaluation conditions are satisfied). Then, when it is judged that the above setting contents are appropriate (whether predetermined evaluation conditions are satisfied), the setting reception unit 210 registers the above setting contents by adding the above setting contents to the setting content information 291.

[0040] In this embodiment, the setting reception unit 210 can accept, as the setting operation, a setting operation for registering a setting content that associates a state condition defined by a combination of two or more elements of temperature, humidity, time, or person with the control content of the air conditioner 100 that is executed when the state condition is satisfied. In this case, the "condition related to time" may be a season or the like used to correct the threshold temperature or threshold humidity. For example, heat stroke is more likely to occur from May to June than from July to August. For this reason, it may be preferable to lower the threshold temperature for starting cooling operation from May to June than from July to August. For this reason, the setting reception unit 210 may accept, as the "condition related to time", a setting operation for registering a specific season (for example, from May to June) as a period in which the threshold temperature for starting cooling operation is lowered by a predetermined temperature (for example, 2°C) compared to a reference value.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the start conditions and stop conditions of the cooling operation. In the example shown in FIG. 5, three state conditions are set as the start conditions of the cooling operation: (a1) "Room temperature is 35°C or higher", (a2) "Room temperature is 30°C or higher and there is a person", and (a3) ​​"Room temperature is 26°C or higher and the heat index (WGBT: Wet Bulb Globe Temperature) is in the danger zone and there is a person". These start conditions (a1) to (a3) ​​can be set in parallel, for example, and when any one of the start conditions (a1) to (a3) ​​is satisfied, the cooling operation is started. The setting reception unit 210 receives a setting operation of the user U to register the setting contents that correspond to the multiple start conditions set in parallel and the control contents of the air conditioner 100 (for example, the start of the cooling operation).

[0042] Similarly, in the example shown in Fig. 5, two conditions are set as the cooling operation stop conditions: (b1) "room temperature is 30°C or less and no one is present" or (b2) "WGBT is in the safety zone and room temperature is 25°C or less." These stop conditions (b1) and (b2) can be set in parallel, for example, and when either one of the stop conditions (b1) or (b2) is satisfied, the cooling operation is stopped. The setting reception unit 210 receives a setting operation by the user U to register setting contents that associate these multiple stop conditions set in parallel with the control contents of the air conditioner 100 (for example, stopping the cooling operation).

[0043] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the start conditions and stop conditions of the heating operation. In the example shown in FIG. 6, (c1) "room temperature is -10°C or lower" or (c2) "room temperature is -5°C or lower and there is a person" is set as the start condition of the heating operation. These start conditions (c1) and (c2) can be set in parallel, for example, and when either one of the start conditions (c1) and (c2) is satisfied, the heating operation is started. The setting reception unit 210 receives a setting operation of the user U to register the setting contents that correspond to the multiple start conditions set in parallel and the control contents of the air conditioner 100 (for example, the start of the heating operation).

[0044] Similarly, in the example shown in Fig. 6, two conditions are set as stop conditions for the heating operation: (d1) "Room temperature is 1°C or less and no one is present" and (d2) "Room temperature is 10°C or more". These stop conditions (d1) and (d2) can be set in parallel, for example, and when either one of the stop conditions (d1) or (d2) is satisfied, the heating operation is stopped. The setting reception unit 210 receives a setting operation by the user U to register setting contents that associate these multiple stop conditions set in parallel with the control contents of the air conditioner 100 (for example, stopping the heating operation).

[0045] (First example of user interface) Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining a first example of a user interface for accepting the above-mentioned setting operation. Fig. 7 shows a plurality of blocks BLK that are displayed on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300 by the display control unit 320 and that can be combined by the user U. The dashed line portion in each block indicates content that can be arbitrarily changed by the user U.

[0046] For example, (a) in Fig. 7 shows a block BLK1 for setting a judgment process based on a state condition. (b) in Fig. 7 shows a block BLK2 for setting an operation mode to be started or stopped. (c) in Fig. 7 shows a block BLK3 for setting a change in air conditioning capacity. (d) in Fig. 7 shows a block BLK4 for setting a change in operation mode. (b) in Fig. 7 shows a block BLK5 for notifying one or more users U of the changed content.

[0047] FIG. 8 is another diagram for explaining a first example of the user interface. FIG. 9 shows a setting registration screen D1A that is displayed on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300 by the display control unit 320 and can be operated by the user U. By arbitrarily combining a plurality of blocks BLK, the user U can use the terminal device 300 to perform a setting operation of the user U, which associates and registers state conditions related to temperature, humidity, time, or people as conditions for starting or stopping operation of each operation mode (including changing the operation mode) with the control content of the air conditioner 100 that is executed when the state condition is satisfied. The setting operation of the user U is accepted by the operation acceptance unit 330 of the terminal device 300. The operation acceptance unit 330 transmits information indicating the accepted setting operation of the user U to the server 200.

[0048] (Second example of user interface) FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a second example of a user interface for accepting the above-mentioned setting operation. FIG. 9 shows a setting registration screen D1B that is displayed on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300 by the display control unit 320 and that can be input by the user U. The user U can perform a setting operation of the user U, which registers the state conditions related to temperature, humidity, time, or people as the conditions for starting or stopping operation of each operation mode (including changing the operation mode) in association with the control content of the air conditioner 100 that is executed when the state conditions are satisfied, by inputting the conditions for starting or stopping operation of each operation mode (including changing the operation mode) in the setting registration screen D1B. The setting operation of the user U is accepted by the operation acceptance unit 330 of the terminal device 300. The operation acceptance unit 330 transmits information indicating the accepted setting operation of the user U to the server 200.

[0049] The setting registration screen D1B may be provided for each more detailed condition (for example, for when there is a person in the room and when there is no person in the room, or for each season). That is, a setting registration screen D1B on which the conditions for starting or stopping operation of each operation mode when there is a person in the room can be set, and a setting registration screen D1B on which the conditions for starting or stopping operation of each operation mode when there is no person in the room can be set separately. Furthermore, the setting registration screen D1B is not limited to the conditions for starting or stopping operation of each operation mode, and may be capable of accepting a setting operation by a user U to register the air conditioning capacity of the heat exchanger 110 of the air conditioner 100 (for example, the operating frequency of the compressor 111) or the volume of air discharged from the air conditioner 100 (for example, the rotation speed of the blower 115).

[0050] (Third example of user interface) Instead of / in addition to the first and second examples above, the setting reception unit 210 may be capable of receiving a setting operation by the user U based on an input in natural language. That is, the setting reception unit 210 may be capable of receiving an input in natural language as an input of a state condition related to temperature, humidity, season, or person, and an input of the control content of the air conditioner 100 associated with the state condition.

[0051] In this case, the setting reception unit 210 receives from the terminal device 300 the voice of the user U input to the microphone of the terminal device 300. The setting reception unit 210 performs natural language analysis on the received voice of the user U to acquire a text sentence corresponding to the voice of the user U. Then, the setting reception unit 210 inputs the acquired text sentence into a trained model obtained by performing deep learning, for example, to acquire the content of the setting operation of the user U corresponding to the acquired text sentence. Note that the input in natural language may be a sentence instead of a voice.

[0052] For example, the setting reception unit 210 may acquire the contents of the setting operation of the user U based on the following voice or text input of the user U: "For the period from June to September, when there is a person and the WBGT is 28°C or higher, operate in cooling mode until the WBGT is 26°C, and when it falls below 26°C, operate in dehumidification mode until the WBGT is 25°C, and stop operation when it falls below 25°C. When there is no person, start cooling operation when the room temperature exceeds 35°C, and stop it when it falls below 30°C and the humidity is less than 55%." Note that the setting reception unit 210 may generate the above-mentioned state conditions from the input of utterances or text, even if there is no utterance or text input of the user U that directly sets the above-mentioned state conditions. Note that all or part of the processing by the setting reception unit 210 described above may be performed by the operation reception unit 330 instead of the setting reception unit 210.

[0053] <4.2 Condition Evaluation Section> (Basic processing of the condition evaluation part) The condition evaluation unit 220 evaluates the validity of the setting contents input by the user U. Specifically, the condition evaluation unit 220 judges whether or not the correspondence between the state conditions included in the setting contents and the control contents of the air conditioner 100 satisfies a predetermined evaluation condition. In this embodiment, when a correspondence between a state condition defined by a combination of two or more elements of temperature, humidity, season, or person and the control contents of the air conditioner 100 is included, the condition evaluation unit 220 judges whether or not the correspondence between the state condition defined by the combination of the two or more elements and the control contents of the air conditioner 100 satisfies the predetermined evaluation condition.

[0054] The "predetermined evaluation conditions" are conditions that are checked to evaluate the validity of the correspondence between the state conditions and the control contents of the air conditioner 100. The "predetermined evaluation conditions" include, for example, a plurality of evaluation items. In this case, if the correspondence between the state conditions and the control contents included in the setting contents of the user U satisfies all of the plurality of evaluation items, it is determined that the correspondence between the state conditions and the control contents satisfies the predetermined evaluation conditions.

[0055] The multiple evaluation items include, for example, a first evaluation item related to the compatibility between the temperature at the start or end of operation and the control content of the air conditioner 100, and a second evaluation item related to the compatibility between the temperature change in the room while the air conditioner 100 is operating and a change in the control content of the air conditioner 100 in response to the temperature change (for example, the power of the heat exchanger 110). The power of the heat exchanger 110 refers to the air conditioning capacity of the air conditioner 100, and is determined by at least one of the operating frequency of the compressor 111 and the rotation speed of the blower 115, for example.

[0056] An example of a set of multiple evaluation items is as follows: -The heating function will not operate when the temperature exceeds 25°C (even though it is hot, the heating function will not operate). During cooling operation, the power of the heat exchanger 110 increases monotonically with respect to the room temperature. · The unit will not operate in cooling mode below 15°C (even though it is cold, the unit will not operate in cooling mode). During heating operation, the power of the heat exchanger 110 decreases monotonically with respect to the room temperature. - Operation that starts automatically must be stopped (automatically stopped) when certain conditions are met. - Operation details are uniquely determined.

[0057] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example in which the settings of user U do not satisfy the above-mentioned predetermined evaluation conditions. Among the settings shown in Fig. 10, the correspondence between the state condition "room temperature is -10°C or lower" and the state condition "room temperature is -5°C or lower and there is a person" and the control content of starting heating operation does not contradict any of the multiple evaluation items, so these settings are determined to satisfy the above-mentioned predetermined evaluation conditions.

[0058] On the other hand, in the setting contents shown in Fig. 10, the correspondence between the state condition of "room temperature is 25°C or higher and lower than 26°C" and the control content of starting heating operation contradicts one of the multiple evaluation items above, "heating operation should not be started when the temperature exceeds 25°C," so this setting content is determined to not satisfy the above-mentioned specific evaluation condition. In other words, since heating operation is started when the room temperature is high, it is determined to be an inappropriate setting.

[0059] (Other examples of evaluation items) For example, the above-mentioned predetermined evaluation conditions may include the following evaluation items: -Do not switch between heating operation (heating operation) and cooling operation (cooling operation or dehumidification operation). For example, if the setting is "cooling operation when the temperature is below 24°C and heating operation when it is above," the cooling operation and heating operation will alternate when the temperature is around 24°C, resulting in unnecessary operation. When setting both heating system operation (heating operation) and cooling system operation (cooling operation or dehumidification operation), the evaluation item is whether or not operation is performed at the boundary between them, or whether a temperature range for air purification operation or fan operation is provided between the heating system operation and the cooling system operation.

[0060] - Operation should not start and stop at the same temperature. For example, if the setting is "cooling starts when the temperature is above 30°C, and stops when the temperature is below 30°C," then the temperature will alternate between starting and stopping when the temperature is around 30°C. Therefore, an evaluation item is that the start and stop conditions for operation are not the same. For example, if the setting is "cooling starts when the temperature is above 30°C, and stops when the temperature is below 28°C," the above evaluation item will be met.

[0061] (Evaluation based on multiple evaluation criteria) In this embodiment, the predetermined evaluation condition includes a first evaluation condition and a second evaluation condition in which the importance of avoidance is higher than that of the first evaluation condition. The first evaluation condition is an evaluation condition in which, when it is determined that the correspondence between the state condition and the control content does not satisfy the first evaluation condition, a first notification is issued to alert the user U, but the setting reception unit 210 is allowed to accept the setting content without changing the setting content. The second evaluation condition is an evaluation condition in which, when it is determined that the correspondence between the state condition and the control content does not satisfy the second evaluation condition, the setting reception unit 210 is prevented from accepting the setting content, and a second notification is issued to request the user U to change the setting content.

[0062] (First example of multiple-stage evaluation conditions) An example of a set of multiple evaluation items in the first evaluation condition is as follows. -The cooling function will not operate at temperatures below 15℃. During cooling operation, the power of the heat exchanger 110 increases monotonically with respect to the room temperature. During heating operation, the power of the heat exchanger 110 decreases monotonically with respect to the room temperature. These settings are not typical settings, but are not immediately dangerous, so a predetermined notification is output to the user U, but the user U is allowed to accept the settings.

[0063] For example, cooling operation is not generally performed below 15°C, but since it may be for the purpose of humidity control (dehumidification), a change in the setting is not requested and the setting is accepted. Also, a setting that weakens cooling operation even though the room temperature is rising (it is weaker at 35°C than at 30°C) is not appropriate because it is thought that the room temperature will only rise, but since cooling operation is occurring, a change in the setting is not requested and the setting is accepted. Similarly, a setting that weakens heating operation even though the room temperature is falling is not appropriate because it is thought that the room temperature will only fall, but since heating operation is occurring, a change in the setting is not requested and the setting is accepted.

[0064] On the other hand, an example of a set of multiple evaluation items in the second evaluation condition is as follows. -The heating function will not operate when the temperature exceeds 25°C. - Operation that starts automatically will stop (automatically stop) when the conditions are met. - Operation details are uniquely determined. For these evaluation items, the acceptance of the setting contents is suppressed (for example, not accepted), and a notification is issued to the user U requesting that the setting contents be changed.

[0065] For example, running the heater in high temperatures increases the risk of heatstroke. For example, if the setting is "run the heater when humidity is 40% or less, and run the dehumidifier when humidity is 60% or more," there is a possibility that the heater will run in heating mode even when the room temperature is high if the humidity is 40% or less. On the other hand, if the setting is "run the heater when humidity is 40% or less and room temperature is 10°C or less, and run the dehumidifier when humidity is 60% or more," the above evaluation item is met.

[0066] Furthermore, if no stop conditions are set for an automatically started operation, the automatically started operation may continue against the intention of the user U. For example, if the setting is simply "start cooling operation when the temperature exceeds 25°C," the operation will continue once 25°C is exceeded. Therefore, the above evaluation items are satisfied by specifying stop conditions, such as the setting "start cooling operation when the temperature exceeds 25°C, and stop cooling operation when the temperature falls below 23°C."

[0067] As an example of a setting content that does not uniquely determine the operation content, there is a setting content that simultaneously satisfies state conditions for multiple operation modes. For example, in the setting content of "cooling operation when room temperature is 30°C or higher, dehumidification operation when humidity is 60% or higher", when the room temperature is 32°C and the humidity is 65%, the state conditions for performing the cooling operation and the state conditions for performing the dehumidification operation are simultaneously satisfied. Therefore, if the setting content is "cooling operation if room temperature is 30°C or higher, and dehumidification operation if room temperature is less than 30°C and humidity is 60% or higher", the above evaluation item is satisfied.

[0068] (Second example of multiple-stage evaluation conditions) Next, another example of the evaluation conditions will be described. In this example, the first evaluation condition is when the value of a predetermined element, such as temperature or humidity, is within a predetermined range from a reference value. The second evaluation condition is when the value of the predetermined element is outside a predetermined range from a reference value.

[0069] An example of the first evaluation condition is "heating operation is not performed at temperatures above 15°C." An example of the second evaluation condition is "heating operation is not performed at temperatures above 24°C." In this case, if the setting is for heating operation at temperatures above 15°C, for example, the risk of heat stroke is low, so a predetermined notification is output to the user U to warn him / her, but the setting of the user U is accepted. On the other hand, if the setting is for heating operation at temperatures above 24°C, for example, the risk of heat stroke is high, so acceptance of the setting is suppressed (for example, not accepted), and a notification is issued to the user U requesting a change of the setting.

[0070] (Evaluation method by the condition evaluation unit) In order to make a judgment using the above-mentioned evaluation conditions, the condition evaluation unit 220 performs the following process. For example, the condition evaluation unit 220 verifies all possible patterns and evaluates whether the setting contents are likely to be in line with the intention of the user U. For example, as an evaluation method, the condition evaluation unit 220 verifies how the control contents of the air conditioner 100 change when the value of each state condition increases and decreases.

[0071] For example, as one verification, the condition evaluation unit 220 verifies how the control content of the air conditioner 100 changes depending on whether the operating temperature of the air conditioner 100 starts at room temperature T° C. and the room temperature rises in increments of 0.1° C., or the room temperature drops in increments of 0.1° C. As a result, it is possible to detect any possible mysterious behavior, such as a sudden transition to heating operation or stopping during cooling operation.

[0072] For example, instead of / in addition to the above verification, the condition evaluation unit 220 performs verification of the temperature (initial room temperature T) at the start of operation of the air conditioner 100 in all initial room temperature patterns. For example, the condition evaluation unit 220 verifies how the control contents (operation contents at the start of operation) of the air conditioner 100 will be in a pattern in which the temperature (initial room temperature T) at the start of operation of the air conditioner 100 is increased in increments of 0.1°C, and in a pattern in which the initial room temperature T is decreased in increments of 0.1°C. As a result, it is possible to detect possible inexplicable behavior, such as heating operation being started even though it is warm, or cooling operation being started even though it is cold. The intention of changing the initial room temperature T is that the room temperature and the operating state do not necessarily correspond one-to-one, and it should be assumed that the behavior may differ when the temperature rises and falls, or that the behavior may be changed depending on the temperature at the start of operation. These verifications are also performed for other state conditions (humidity, time of year, or the presence or absence of people) that are used other than temperature. For example, the control content of the air conditioner 100 is verified by varying each of the four elements of temperature, humidity, season, and the presence or absence of people in a mutually combined state.

[0073] <4.3 Response Processing Unit> When the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that the correspondence between the state condition and the control content included in the setting content does not satisfy the predetermined evaluation condition, the response processing unit 230 issues a predetermined notification or suppresses the setting reception unit 210 from receiving the setting content. In this application, "suppressing reception of the setting content" means, for example, not receiving the setting content, but is not limited to this, and may also include a case where the setting content is accepted only when a confirmation screen is displayed and the consent of the user U is obtained (for example, only when strict management is performed, such as when the user U's identity is authenticated and the confirmation screen is displayed two or more times and the consent of the user U is obtained).

[0074] <4.3.1 When evaluation is performed using one-level evaluation criteria> (When a warning is issued to the user) When the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that the correspondence between the state condition and the control content included in the setting content of the user U does not satisfy the above-mentioned predetermined evaluation condition, the response processing unit 230 issues a predetermined notification. The predetermined notification is a notification for notifying the user U that the setting content includes a content with low validity.

[0075] The predetermined notification is, for example, a notification for calling the attention of the user U in a state in which the setting reception unit 210 is allowed to accept the setting contents without changing the setting contents. Note that, instead of the above example, the predetermined notification may be a notification for requesting the user U to change the setting contents in a state in which the setting reception unit 210 is restrained from accepting the setting contents (for example, a state in which the setting contents are not accepted).

[0076] 11 is a diagram showing an example of an output screen D2 of a predetermined notification. In this embodiment, the response processing unit 230 transmits a notification N1 for displaying the predetermined notification to the terminal device 300, thereby displaying the notification N1 on the output screen D2, thereby outputting the predetermined notification to the user U. The content of the notification N1 is, for example, "With the current settings, heating operation may be performed even if the room temperature exceeds 24°C. Do you want to set this?"

[0077] In this embodiment, when the handling processor 230 transmits the notification N1 to the terminal device 300, the handling processor 230 transmits a predetermined control signal to the terminal device 300 to display a plurality of operation units B1 on the output screen D2. The plurality of operation units B1 include an operation unit B1a for registering the setting contents as they are, and an operation unit B1b for canceling the registration of the setting contents as they are, and changing the setting contents. The operation of the user U on the operation unit B1 is received by the operation receiving unit 330. Then, information indicating the operation contents of the user U is transmitted to the server 200 by the information transmitting unit 340.

[0078] (When requesting the user to change the settings) Note that instead of the above process, when the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that a predetermined evaluation condition is not satisfied, the response processing unit 230 may suppress the setting reception unit 210 from accepting the above setting contents and may issue a notification requesting a change in the setting contents of the user U. For example, when the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that a predetermined evaluation condition is not satisfied, the response processing unit 230 may suppress the setting reception unit 210 from accepting the above setting contents by outputting a predetermined signal for suppressing the acceptance of the above setting contents to the setting reception unit 210.

[0079] 12 is a diagram showing an example of an output screen D3 for requesting a change in the settings. In this embodiment, the handling processor 230 transmits a notification N2 to the terminal device 300, which requests the user U to change the settings, thereby displaying the notification N2 on the output screen D2, thereby requesting the user U to change the settings. The content of the notification N2 is, for example, "With the current settings, heating operation may occur even when the room temperature exceeds 24° C. Heating operation can be set when the room temperature is 24° C. or less. Please change the settings."

[0080] In this embodiment, when transmitting the notification N2 to the terminal device 300, the handling processor 230 transmits a predetermined control signal to the terminal device 300, thereby displaying a plurality of operation units B2 on the output screen D3. The plurality of operation units B2 include an operation unit B2a for transitioning to a screen (screen D1 or screen D2) for changing the setting contents, and an operation unit B2b for canceling the setting. An operation by the user U on the operation unit B2 is received by the operation receiving unit 330. Then, information indicating the operation contents of the user U is transmitted to the server 200 by the information transmitting unit 340.

[0081] <4.3.2 When evaluation is performed based on two-stage evaluation criteria> Next, a case where evaluation is performed using the above-mentioned two-stage evaluation conditions (first evaluation condition and second evaluation condition) will be described.

[0082] When the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that the correspondence between the state condition and the control content included in the setting content of the user U does not satisfy the first evaluation condition, the response processing unit 230 performs a first notification to call attention and allows the setting receiving unit 210 to receive the setting content without changing the setting content. For example, when the first evaluation condition is not satisfied, the response processing unit 230 causes the notification N1 and a plurality of operation units B1 to be displayed on the output screen D2 by transmitting a notification N1 and a predetermined control signal to the terminal device 300, as in the example shown in FIG.

[0083] On the other hand, when the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that the correspondence between the state condition and the control content included in the setting content of the user U does not satisfy the second evaluation condition, the response processing unit 230 suppresses the setting reception unit 210 from receiving the setting content and performs a second notification requesting a change in the setting content. For example, when the second evaluation condition is not satisfied, the response processing unit 230 causes the notification N2 and a plurality of operation units B2 to be displayed on the output screen D3 by transmitting a notification N2 and a predetermined control signal to the terminal device 300, as in the example shown in FIG.

[0084] <4.3.3 Proposal of changes to meet evaluation criteria> In this embodiment, when the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that the predetermined evaluation condition is not satisfied, the response processing unit 230 outputs, as a part of a predetermined notification, a proposal for changing the setting contents to satisfy the predetermined evaluation condition. This content is applicable to both the case where the evaluation is performed based on the above-mentioned one-stage evaluation condition and the case where the evaluation is performed based on the above-mentioned two-stage evaluation condition.

[0085] For example, the response processing unit 230 proposes how to change which element related to temperature, humidity, time, or the presence or absence of people, as an example of the output of a proposed change of the setting contents to satisfy a predetermined evaluation condition. For example, in the example shown in Fig. 12, the notification "Heating operation can be set when the room temperature is 24°C or lower" is an example of the proposed change.

[0086] The response processing unit 230 proposes, as the above-mentioned change proposal, a change proposal that minimizes the changes required to satisfy the evaluation conditions, for example. For example, if heating operation is possible at 24°C or lower, the response processing unit 230 proposes a change proposal that sets the temperature associated with the start of heating operation to 24°C.

[0087] Alternatively, the response processing unit 230 may propose, as the above-mentioned change proposal, adding an additional condition without changing the condition set by the user U. For example, if the evaluation condition is not satisfied by the temperature condition alone but the evaluation condition is satisfied by adding another state condition such as humidity, time of year, or the presence or absence of people, the change proposal for adding the other state condition is proposed.

[0088] <4.4 Information transmission section> When new setting contents (i.e. the correspondence between status conditions and control contents of the air conditioner 100) are accepted by the setting acceptance unit 210 and registered as setting content information 291, the information transmission unit 240 transmits the newly registered setting contents to the air conditioner 100. In this case, the control unit 130 of the air conditioner 100 stores the received setting contents as part of the control information 191. Then, when the status conditions detected by the sensor unit 120 match the status conditions included in the setting content information 291, the control unit 130 of the air conditioner 100 controls the air conditioner 100 based on the control contents associated with the status conditions.

[0089] The storage unit 290 is realized by, for example, a combination of a RAM, a ROM, an EEPROM, an SSD, etc. The storage unit 290 stores various information. For example, the storage unit 290 stores setting content information 291 and evaluation condition information 292.

[0090] <5. Processing flow> Next, the process flow will be described. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the process flow. Fig. 13 is an example of a case where an evaluation is performed using the above-mentioned two-stage evaluation condition. The user U uses the home appliance management application AP of the terminal device 300 to display the screen D1 or the screen D2, and performs a setting operation to register the setting contents that correspond to the state conditions related to temperature, humidity, season, or people and the control contents of the air conditioner 100 that are executed when the state conditions are satisfied. Information indicating the setting contents of the user U is accepted by the operation acceptance unit 330 of the terminal device 300 (S101) and transmitted to the server 200.

[0091] Next, the condition evaluation unit 220 judges whether or not the correspondence between the state conditions included in the settings of the user U and the control contents of the air conditioner 100 satisfies a first evaluation criterion (S102). Then, if it is judged that the correspondence between the state conditions and the control contents satisfies the first evaluation criterion (S102: YES), the setting reception unit 210 registers the settings of the user U as part of the setting content information 291 (S103). The settings of the user U registered in the setting content information 291 are transmitted to the air conditioner 100 by the information transmission unit 240, and are used for automatic control in the air conditioner 100.

[0092] On the other hand, if it is determined that the correspondence between the state condition and the control content does not satisfy the first evaluation criterion (S102: NO), the condition evaluation unit 220 determines whether or not the correspondence between the state condition and the control content satisfies a second evaluation criterion (S104).If it is determined that the correspondence between the state condition and the control content satisfies the second evaluation criterion (S104: YES), the response processing unit 230 issues a first notification to call attention (S105).

[0093] In this embodiment, when the process of S105 is performed, the response processing unit 230 displays, as a part of a notification for calling attention, on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300, a display inquiring whether or not the user U intends to change the correspondence relationship for which the first evaluation condition is not satisfied (S106). Then, the response processing unit 230 acquires the user U's response to the above-mentioned inquiry based on the user U's operation on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300 (the user U's operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit 330). The response of the user U acquired by the operation acceptance unit 330 is transmitted to the server 200. The response processing unit 230 acquires the user U's response indicating whether or not the user U intends to change based on the user U's response received from the terminal device 300.

[0094] If the response processing unit 230 determines that the user U has no intention of making changes in response to the above inquiry (S106: NO), the setting reception unit 210 registers the user U's setting contents as part of the setting content information 291 (S103). The user U's setting contents registered in the setting content information 291 are transmitted to the air conditioner 100 by the information transmission unit 240, and are used for automatic control in the air conditioner 100. On the other hand, if the response processing unit 230 determines that the user U has an intention of making changes in response to the above inquiry (S106: YES), the process returns to S101.

[0095] Moreover, when it is determined that the correspondence between the state condition and the control content does not satisfy the second evaluation condition (S104: NO), the handling processing unit 230 prevents the setting receiving unit 210 from receiving the setting content, and notifies the user U to request a change of the setting content (S107). In this case, the process flow returns to the process of S101.

[0096] <6. Advantages> As a comparative example, consider a system in which the start and stop temperatures of a specific operation of an air conditioner can be registered based on the user's setting operation. In such a system, there is a possibility that the system may operate inappropriately if the control set by the user U is not appropriate.

[0097] Therefore, in this embodiment, the air conditioning system has a setting reception unit 210, a condition evaluation unit 220, and a response processing unit 230. The setting reception unit 210 can individually set the conditions for starting operation and the conditions for stopping operation in each operation mode for the air conditioner 100 capable of executing a plurality of operation modes, and can accept a setting operation by a user U to register setting contents that correspond to state conditions related to temperature, humidity, time, or people as the conditions for starting operation or the conditions for stopping operation, and the control contents of the air conditioner 100 that are executed when the state conditions are satisfied. The condition evaluation unit 220 judges whether the correspondence between the state conditions and the control contents included in the above setting contents satisfies a predetermined evaluation condition. When the condition evaluation unit 220 judges that the correspondence between the state conditions and the control contents included in the above setting contents does not satisfy the predetermined evaluation condition, the response processing unit 230 performs a predetermined notification or suppresses the setting reception unit 210 from accepting the setting contents.

[0098] According to such a configuration, when an inappropriate setting operation is performed by the user U, registration according to the setting operation is performed as is, and it is possible to prevent the air conditioner 100 from performing an inappropriate operation. This makes it possible to improve the convenience for the user U.

[0099] In this embodiment, the setting reception unit 210 can receive, as the setting operation, a setting operation for registering a setting content that corresponds a state condition defined by a combination of two or more elements of temperature, humidity, time, or person to a control content to be executed when the state condition is satisfied. The condition evaluation unit 220 judges whether or not the correspondence relationship between the condition defined by the combination of two or more elements and the control content satisfies a predetermined evaluation condition. According to this configuration, the condition evaluation unit 220 evaluates even a complicated state condition that is a combination of two or more elements of temperature, humidity, time, or person, so that it is possible to prevent the air conditioner 100 from performing an inappropriate operation due to an inappropriate setting content being registered as it is. This can further improve the convenience of the user U.

[0100] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned predetermined evaluation conditions include a first evaluation item related to the consistency between the temperature at the start or end of operation and the control content of the air conditioner 100, and a second evaluation item related to the consistency between the temperature change in the room while the air conditioner 100 is operating and the change in the control content of the air conditioner 100 in response to the temperature change. With this configuration, the setting content of the user U can be evaluated from multiple perspectives, and inappropriate setting operations can be more reliably detected. This can further improve the convenience for the user U.

[0101] In this embodiment, when the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that a predetermined evaluation condition is not satisfied, the response processing unit 230 issues a notification requesting a change in the setting contents. With this configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the air conditioner 100 from performing an inappropriate operation when the setting contents are inappropriate. This may result in further improvement of convenience for the user U.

[0102] In this embodiment, the predetermined evaluation conditions include a first evaluation condition and a second evaluation condition in which the importance of avoidance is higher than that of the first evaluation condition. When the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that the correspondence between the state condition and the control content does not satisfy the first evaluation condition but satisfies the second evaluation condition, the response processing unit 230 performs a first notification to call attention and allows the setting reception unit 210 to accept the setting content. On the other hand, when the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that the correspondence between the state condition and the control content does not satisfy the second evaluation condition, the response processing unit 230 suppresses the setting reception unit 210 from accepting the setting content and performs a second notification to request a change in the setting content. With this configuration, it is possible to reliably suppress driving that is disadvantageous to the user U, and it is possible to flexibly perform driving that is less disadvantageous to the user U in accordance with the user U's intention. This may further improve the convenience of the user U.

[0103] In this embodiment, the first evaluation condition is when the value of a predetermined element, which is temperature or humidity, is within a predetermined range from a reference value. The second evaluation condition is when the value of the predetermined element is outside the predetermined range from the reference value. With this configuration, even with respect to the same index, driving in a state where the disadvantage to the user U is large can be reliably suppressed, and driving in a state where the disadvantage to the user U is small can be flexibly performed according to the user U's will. This may further improve the convenience of the user U.

[0104] In this embodiment, when the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that the predetermined evaluation condition is not satisfied, the response processing unit 230 outputs a proposed change to the setting contents to satisfy the predetermined evaluation condition as part of the predetermined notification. With this configuration, the user U can easily know how to change the setting contents to satisfy the evaluation condition when the evaluation condition is not satisfied. This may further improve the convenience for the user U.

[0105] In this embodiment, the setting reception unit 210 receives input of conditions related to temperature, humidity, time, or people, and input of voice or text in natural language as input of control contents associated with the conditions. With this configuration, it is easy to register setting contents that associate conditions related to temperature, humidity, time, or people with control contents of the air conditioner 100 that are executed when the conditions are satisfied. This may further improve the convenience of the user U.

[0106] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the evaluation conditions used are changed based on information about a user U. Note that the configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0107] 14 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200 according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the server 200 includes an information acquisition unit 250.

[0108] (Information acquisition department) The information acquisition unit 250 acquires information about the user U (hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, referred to as "user information"). The "user information" includes, for example, the user U's residential area (whether the user U lives in a hot and humid area or a cold area), whether the user has a pet, whether the user owns a musical instrument, a camera, or any other device that requires humidity control, and the like. In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 250 causes a question for acquiring the user information to be output through the terminal device 300, and acquires the user information based on the user U's answer.

[0109] 15 is a diagram showing an input screen D4 for acquiring user U information. The information acquiring unit 250 transmits a predetermined control signal to the terminal device 300, thereby displaying the input screen D4 on the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300. The input screen D4 includes a question for acquiring user information and an input section C1 for the question. The answer of the user U inputted into the input section C1 is acquired by the operation accepting unit 330 and transmitted to the server 200 by the information transmitting unit 340. In this way, the information acquiring unit 250 acquires the user information.

[0110] Furthermore, instead of / in addition to the above example, the information acquisition unit 250 may display a question asking about the purpose for which the user U is using the air conditioner 100 as the question to be displayed on the input screen D4, and acquire information indicating the purpose for which the user U is using the air conditioner 100 based on the answer from the user U. The "purpose for which the air conditioner 100 is used" may be, for example, for a comfortable life, or for humidity control for equipment such as musical instruments and cameras.

[0111] Furthermore, instead of / in addition to the above examples, the information acquisition unit 250 may acquire information indicating the area in which the user U resides based on the detection results of a position sensor (e.g., a sensor using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)) mounted on the air conditioner 100, or may acquire information indicating the presence of a pet or the presence of equipment that requires humidity control, such as a musical instrument or a camera, based on the imaging results of a camera or the like mounted on the air conditioner 100.

[0112] (Condition evaluation section) In this embodiment, the condition evaluation unit 220 changes the above-mentioned predetermined evaluation condition to be used based on the user information acquired by the information acquisition unit 250 .

[0113] For example, the condition evaluation unit 220 selects evaluation conditions suitable for the residential area of ​​the user U based on information indicating the residential area of ​​the user U. For example, if the residential area of ​​the user U is a hot and humid area (such as Kyoto), the condition evaluation unit 220 uses evaluation conditions to which lowering humidity has been added as an evaluation item. For example, if the residential area of ​​the user U is a cold area, the condition evaluation unit 220 uses evaluation conditions to which an evaluation item that takes into account the cold climate during heating operation (such as an item such as defrosting operation) has been added.

[0114] For example, the condition evaluation unit 220 selects evaluation conditions suitable for the case where a pet is present, based on information indicating that a pet is present in the room of the user U. For example, when a pet is present in the room of the user U, the condition evaluation unit 220 uses evaluation conditions to which an evaluation item related to air cleanliness is added.

[0115] For example, the condition evaluation unit 220 selects evaluation conditions appropriate for the case where an instrument is present, based on information indicating that an instrument is present in the room of the user U. For example, when an instrument is present in the room of the user U, the condition evaluation unit 220 uses evaluation conditions that include additional evaluation items, that is, that the humidity does not rise above a threshold value, and that there is no sudden temperature change above a predetermined standard.

[0116] For example, the condition evaluation unit 220 selects evaluation conditions suitable for the case where there is a camera, lens, or the like (hereinafter referred to as a "moisture-proof part") in the room of the user U, based on information indicating that the user U has a moisture-proof part. For example, when the user U has a moisture-proof part in his / her room, the condition evaluation unit 220 uses evaluation conditions that include an additional evaluation item that humidity does not rise above a threshold.

[0117] For example, when the purpose of use of the air conditioner 100 by the user U is "comfortable living," the condition evaluation unit 220 uses standard evaluation conditions (e.g., evaluation conditions including the evaluation items of temperature and humidity). On the other hand, when the purpose of use of the air conditioner 100 by the user U is humidity management of a musical instrument or a component to be moisture-proofed, the condition evaluation unit 220 uses evaluation conditions that do not include the evaluation item of temperature but include the evaluation item of humidity, for example.

[0118] According to such a configuration, it is possible to apply appropriate evaluation conditions according to the attributes of the user U, and to perform an evaluation that is more suited to the actual situation. As a result, it is possible to perform an operation efficiently and in line with the intentions of the user U. For example, if the user simply wants to control humidity but does not set it to a comfortable level, an inappropriate judgment is made, and it is possible to avoid an unnecessarily high electricity bill.

[0119] Third embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that, after the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that a predetermined evaluation condition is satisfied during the setting operation of the user U and the air conditioner 100 is operated, the condition evaluation unit 220 performs a re-evaluation. Note that the configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the second embodiment.

[0120] 16 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200 according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, the server 200 includes an information collecting unit 260.

[0121] (Information Gathering Department) When the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that the correspondence between the state conditions and control contents included in the settings of the user U satisfies a predetermined evaluation condition and the air conditioner 100 is operated, the information collection unit 260 collects predetermined information during a period including one or more (e.g., multiple or more) operations of the air conditioner 100. The "predetermined information" includes, for example, at least one of information indicating the operating history of the air conditioner 100, the latest user information when user information is entered or changed, or information indicating a change in the environment.

[0122] "Information indicating the operating history of the air conditioner 100" is information that is accumulated as operating history information 192 in the memory unit 190 of the air conditioner 100. The information collection unit 260 acquires the operating history information 192 from the air conditioner 100 by notifying the air conditioner 100 of a transmission request to transmit the operating history information 192.

[0123] The “latest user information” is the latest user information when the family structure, residential area, etc., have been input or changed, or when the purpose of using the air conditioner 100 has been input or changed. The information collection unit 260 acquires the user information that the user U has input or changed by operating the terminal device 300, by receiving it from the terminal device 300.

[0124] "Information indicating changes in the environment" refers to information indicating changes in average temperature and average humidity, changes in electricity bills, etc. The information collecting unit 260 acquires information indicating changes in average temperature and humidity, electricity bills, etc. from, for example, a weather-related web server or a power company web server. Alternatively, the information collecting unit 260 may acquire information indicating the average temperature or humidity based on the operation record information 192 received from the air conditioner 100.

[0125] (Condition evaluation section) When the information collecting unit 260 collects the above-mentioned predetermined information, the condition evaluating unit 220 judges, based on the above-mentioned predetermined information, whether or not the correspondence between the state condition and the control content included in the setting contents of the user U satisfies a predetermined evaluation condition for re-determination. Alternatively / in addition, when the information collecting unit 260 collects the above-mentioned predetermined information, the condition evaluating unit 220 may re-determine, based on the above-mentioned predetermined information, whether or not the correspondence between the state condition and the control content included in the setting contents of the user U satisfies a predetermined evaluation condition (for example, the same evaluation condition as when the user U performed the setting operation).

[0126] For example, the condition evaluation unit 220 judges whether the room temperature or humidity changes sufficiently (whether it changes beyond a threshold) when the air conditioner 100 is operated according to the correspondence between the state conditions and control contents included in the settings of user U (hereinafter simply referred to as "when operated according to the settings of user U"). For example, when operating the air conditioner 100 based on the setting content "starts operation in low cooling mode when the temperature exceeds 32°C", if the room temperature does not fall below 30°C even after operating for a certain period of time (e.g., 2 hours) or more, the condition evaluation unit 220 judges that the correspondence between the state conditions and control contents included in the settings does not satisfy the evaluation condition for re-evaluation.

[0127] For example, the condition evaluation unit 220 judges whether or not an improvement in electricity charges is expected when operating with the settings of the user U. For example, when operating based on the settings of "starts operation in strong cooling mode when the temperature is 32°C or higher, and stops when the temperature is 25°C or lower," if it is estimated that electricity charges will be lower if operating based on the settings of "starts operation in weak cooling mode when the temperature is 30°C or higher, and stops when the temperature is 25°C or lower" in that environment, the condition evaluation unit 220 judges that the correspondence between the state conditions included in the settings and the control contents does not satisfy the evaluation conditions for re-evaluation.

[0128] In addition, when based on the latest user information or the latest average temperature or average humidity, the condition evaluation unit 220 re-determines whether the correspondence between the state conditions included in the setting contents of user U and the control contents satisfies a predetermined evaluation condition (e.g., the same evaluation condition as when user U performed the setting operation).

[0129] (Response Processing Unit) The response processing unit 230 performs a predetermined notification when the condition evaluation unit 220 performs a re-determination based on the above-mentioned predetermined information collected by the information collection unit 260 and it is determined that the correspondence between the state condition and the control content included in the setting content of the user U does not satisfy a predetermined evaluation condition (the evaluation condition for re-determination or the same evaluation condition as that at the time of the setting operation of the user U). The predetermined notification may include a proposal to the user U to temporarily change the setting content as a trial.

[0130] 17 is a diagram showing an example of a predetermined notification output screen D5. In this embodiment, the handling processor 230 transmits a notification for displaying the predetermined notification to the terminal device 300, thereby displaying the display A1, the display A2, and a plurality of operation units B3 on the display screen 301a. The display A1 is a display showing the current setting contents of the user U who has been determined not to satisfy the predetermined evaluation condition by re-determination. The display A2 is a display showing a proposed change plan for satisfying the predetermined evaluation condition. The display A1 and the display A2 are displayed side by side on, for example, one screen D5 so that they can be easily compared.

[0131] 17(a) shows an example of a case where, when the air conditioner 100 is operated based on the setting of "When the temperature exceeds 32°C, operation starts at low cooling mode", the room temperature does not fall below 30°C even after operating for a certain period of time (e.g., 2 hours) based on the setting for the number of times equal to or more than a predetermined threshold. In this case, the display A2 shows a suggestion to increase the strength of the cooling operation.

[0132] (b) in Fig. 17 shows an example of operation based on the setting "When the temperature is 32°C or higher, operation starts at strong cooling, and when it is below 25°C, operation stops." In this case, the display A2 shows a setting suggestion "When the temperature is 30°C or higher, operation starts at weak cooling, and when it is below 25°C, operation stops" as a proposed change plan to reduce electricity charges.

[0133] The multiple operation units B3 include an operation unit B3a for trying out the proposed changes in the display A2 as temporary settings, and an operation unit B3b for not changing the settings. An operation by the user U on the operation unit B3 is accepted by the operation acceptance unit 330. Then, information indicating the operation content of the user U is sent to the server 200 by the information sending unit 340.

[0134] With this configuration, although no problems were detected in the evaluation at the time of the initial setup, by re-evaluating using evaluation conditions that could not be evaluated at the time of setup, such as using sensor values ​​during actual operation, it is possible to perform an evaluation that is more in line with reality.

[0135] (Fourth embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. The fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that, when the settings of the user U do not satisfy a predetermined evaluation criterion, a diagram showing the operation of the air conditioner 100 according to the settings is displayed. Note that the configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0136] In this embodiment, when the condition evaluation unit 220 determines that the predetermined evaluation condition is not satisfied, the response processing unit 230 causes the display screen 301a of the terminal device 300 to display, as part of the predetermined notification, a diagram showing time-series changes in the control content of the air conditioner 100 or time-series changes in temperature estimated according to the settings of the user U. This makes it easier for the user U to understand when the evaluation condition is not satisfied and a notification or change request is made that is difficult to understand in text, by showing it as a graph or the like.

[0137] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a predetermined notification output screen D6. The output screen D6 includes, for example, a display A3a and a display A3b. The display A3a shows the estimated change in the control content of the air conditioner 100 over time when the horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is temperature, and the temperature change over time. The display A3b shows a specific problem. Here, FIG. 16 shows an example of a case where the evaluation item "heating system operation (heating operation) and cooling system operation (cooling operation or dehumidification operation) do not switch" is not satisfied. As shown in FIG. 16, it can be seen that, with the current settings of the user U, dehumidification operation and heating operation are alternately repeated during the period T. The evaluation condition "heating system operation and cooling system operation do not switch" is difficult for an inexperienced user U to imagine, but if it is illustrated in this way, it is easy to imagine, and the user U can easily respond.

[0138] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing another example of the output screen D6 of a predetermined notification. The display A3a in FIG. 19 shows the change in the control content of the air conditioner 100 according to the temperature when the horizontal axis is the temperature and the vertical axis is the power of the heat exchanger 110 (for example, the change in the operation mode and the change in the power of the heat exchanger 110). FIG. 19 shows an example in which the evaluation item "during cooling operation, the power of the heat exchanger 110 increases monotonically with respect to the room temperature" is not satisfied. As shown in FIG. 19, the current setting content of the user U is set to "cooling is weaker when the room temperature is 40°C than when the room temperature is 35°C", and it can be seen that during cooling operation in the period T, the power of the heat exchanger 110 does not increase monotonically with respect to the room temperature. The evaluation condition "during cooling operation, the power of the heat exchanger 110 increases monotonically with respect to the room temperature" is difficult for an inexperienced user U to imagine, but if it is illustrated in this way, it is easy to imagine and the user U can easily respond.

[0139] A number of embodiments have been described above. However, the embodiments are not limited to the above examples. Furthermore, the above-described several embodiments can be realized in combination with each other. For example, in the above-described embodiment, if the setting contents of the user U do not satisfy a predetermined evaluation condition, a predetermined notification is given to the user U. However, the embodiments are not limited to this example. For example, the air conditioning system may take measures such as suppressing the acceptance of the setting contents of the user U without giving a predetermined notification to the user U (for example, the setting operation of the user U that does not satisfy the predetermined evaluation condition is not accepted and the setting screen does not respond).

[0140] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, the air conditioning system includes a setting reception unit, a condition evaluation unit, and a response processing unit. The setting reception unit can receive a user's setting operation to register setting contents that correspond to conditions related to temperature, humidity, time, or people as conditions for starting operation of the air conditioner or conditions for stopping operation, and control contents to be executed when the conditions are satisfied. The condition evaluation unit determines whether the setting contents satisfy a predetermined evaluation condition. When it is determined that the predetermined evaluation condition is not satisfied, the response processing unit issues a predetermined notification or suppresses acceptance by the setting reception unit. With such a configuration, convenience can be improved.

[0141] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 100: air conditioner, 200: server, 210: setting reception unit, 220: condition evaluation unit, 230: response processing unit, 240: information transmission unit, 250: information acquisition unit, 260: information collection unit, 300: terminal device.

Claims

1. a setting reception unit capable of receiving a user's setting operation to register setting contents that correspond to the conditions for starting operation or the conditions for stopping operation, such as temperature, humidity, time, or people, as the conditions for starting operation or the conditions for stopping operation, and the control contents of the air conditioner that are executed when the conditions are satisfied; and a condition evaluation unit that judges whether or not a correspondence relationship between the condition included in the setting content and the control content satisfies a predetermined evaluation condition; a response processing unit that, when the condition evaluation unit determines that the correspondence relationship between the condition included in the setting content and the control content does not satisfy the predetermined evaluation condition, issues a predetermined notification or suppresses the setting reception unit from receiving the setting operation; and An air conditioning system equipped with

2. the setting reception unit is capable of receiving, as the setting operation, a setting operation for registering setting contents in which the condition defined by a combination of two or more elements of temperature, humidity, time, or person is associated with the control content to be executed when the condition is satisfied; the condition evaluation unit determines whether or not a correspondence relationship between the condition defined by a combination of the two or more elements and the control content satisfies the predetermined evaluation condition. The air conditioning system of claim 1 .

3. The predetermined evaluation conditions include a first evaluation item regarding the consistency between the temperature at the start or end of operation and the control content, and a second evaluation item regarding the consistency between a change in room temperature during operation of the air conditioner and a change in the control content in response to the temperature change. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the response processing unit issues a notification requesting a change of the setting content when the condition evaluation unit determines that the predetermined evaluation condition is not satisfied. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. the predetermined evaluation condition includes a first evaluation condition and a second evaluation condition that is more important to avoid than the first evaluation condition, The corresponding processing unit is when the condition evaluation unit determines that the correspondence relationship between the condition and the control content does not satisfy the first evaluation condition but satisfies the second evaluation condition, a first notification is performed to call attention, and the setting reception unit is allowed to receive the setting content; When the condition evaluation unit determines that the correspondence relationship between the condition and the control content does not satisfy the second evaluation condition, the setting reception unit is prevented from receiving the setting content, and a second notification is issued to request a change of the setting content. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The first evaluation condition is that a value of a predetermined element, such as temperature or humidity, is within a predetermined range from a reference value, the second evaluation condition being that the numerical value of the predetermined element is outside the predetermined range from the reference value; 6. The air conditioning system according to claim 5.

7. An information acquisition unit that acquires information about the user, the condition evaluation unit changes the predetermined evaluation condition used for judgment based on the information about the user acquired by the information acquisition unit. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2.

8. the information acquisition unit causes a question for acquiring information about the user to be output through a terminal device, and acquires information about the user based on a response from the user; 8. The air conditioning system according to claim 7.

9. and an information collection unit that collects predetermined information during a period including one or more operations of the air conditioner when the condition evaluation unit determines that the correspondence relationship between the condition and the control content satisfies the predetermined evaluation condition and the air conditioner is operated, When the predetermined information is collected by the information collecting unit, the condition evaluation unit re-determines whether or not a correspondence relationship between the condition included in the setting content and the control content satisfies the predetermined evaluation condition, or determines whether or not an evaluation condition for re-determination is satisfied, based on the predetermined information. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2.

10. When the condition evaluation unit determines that the predetermined evaluation condition is not satisfied, the response processing unit outputs, as a part of the predetermined notification, a proposal to change the setting content for satisfying the predetermined evaluation condition. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2.

11. When the condition evaluation unit determines that the predetermined evaluation condition is not satisfied, the response processing unit causes the terminal device to display, as part of the predetermined notification, a diagram showing a change in control content of the air conditioner over time or a change in temperature over time estimated according to the setting content. The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2.

12. the setting reception unit receives an input of a condition related to temperature, humidity, time, or person, and an input of a voice or a sentence in a natural language as an input of the control content associated with the condition; The air conditioning system according to claim 1 or 2.

13. A system in which an air conditioner capable of executing a plurality of operation modes can set an operation start condition and an operation stop condition for each operation mode individually, One or more computers When a user performs a setting operation to register settings that associate conditions related to temperature, humidity, time, or people with control contents of the air conditioner that are to be executed when the conditions are satisfied as the conditions for starting the operation or the conditions for stopping the operation, the device determines whether or not the correspondence relationship between the conditions included in the setting contents and the control contents satisfies a predetermined evaluation condition; when it is determined that the correspondence between the condition included in the setting content and the control content does not satisfy the predetermined evaluation condition, a predetermined notification is given or acceptance of the setting operation is suppressed. An information processing method comprising the steps of:

14. On one or more computers, a setting reception unit capable of receiving a user's setting operation to register setting contents that correspond to conditions related to temperature, humidity, time, or people as the conditions for starting operation or the conditions for stopping operation, and the control contents of the air conditioner that are executed when the conditions are satisfied, and capable of setting an operation start condition and an operation stop condition for each operation mode individually for the air conditioner capable of executing a plurality of operation modes; a condition evaluation unit that judges whether or not a correspondence relationship between the condition included in the setting content and the control content satisfies a predetermined evaluation condition; a response processing unit that, when the condition evaluation unit determines that the correspondence relationship between the condition included in the setting content and the control content does not satisfy the predetermined evaluation condition, issues a predetermined notification or suppresses the setting reception unit from receiving the setting operation; and A program to achieve this.

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