Home appliance system, registration method, and home appliance

Abstract

To provide a home appliance system and the like capable of achieving stabilization of processing in a home appliance.SOLUTION: A home appliance system 1 includes: a server 10; and a home appliance 20 capable of communicating with the server 10 via a network. The server 10 transmits control information including a control content of a download course to the home appliance 20. The home appliance 20 includes: an operation part 201 for performing the operation of the home appliance 20; a communication part 206 for receiving the control information from the server 10 via the network; a storage part capable of storing the control information; a control part 202 for executing an operation course including the download course based on the control information; and a reception part for receiving the operation of ON or OFF of a power supply at least to the operation part 201. The control part 202 allows the storage part to store the control information received by the communication part 206 from a time when the power supply is turned on based on the operation until a time when the execution of the operation course is started.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a home appliance system, a registration method, and a home appliance. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a washing machine that downloads application course information using the operation of a smartphone application as a trigger. When downloading, the washing machine turns on and displays a pop-up indicating that the application course has been accepted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-186184 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a home appliance system and the like that can stabilize processing in home appliances. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A home appliance system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a home appliance system comprising a server and a home appliance capable of communicating with the server via a network, wherein the server transmits control information including control content of a downloaded course to the home appliance, and the home appliance comprises an operation unit that performs operation of the home appliance, a communication unit that receives the control information from the server via the network, a memory unit capable of storing the control information, a control unit that executes an operating course including the downloaded course based on the control information, and a reception unit that accepts an operation to turn on or off power supply to at least the operation unit, and the control unit stores in the memory unit the control information received by the communication unit between the time the power supply is turned on based on the operation and the time execution of the operating course is started.

[0006] Furthermore, a registration method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a registration method for registering an operating course of an electrical appliance, including a download course, in the electrical appliance, which accepts an instruction to register the download course between the time when the power supply to the electrical appliance is turned on and the time when execution of the operating course is started, stores control information including control content of the download course corresponding to the accepted registration instruction in a memory unit provided in the electrical appliance, and does not accept the instruction to register the download course in at least one of a state in which the power supply is off and a state in which the operating course is being executed.

[0007] In addition, a home appliance according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a home appliance comprising an operation unit that performs operation of the home appliance, a communication unit that receives control information including control content of a downloaded course from a server via a network, a memory unit capable of storing the control information, a control unit that executes an operating course including the downloaded course based on the control information, and a reception unit that accepts operations to turn on or off power supply to at least the operation unit and the control unit, and the home appliance stores in the memory unit the control information received by the communication unit between the time the power supply is turned on based on the operation and the time execution of the operating course is started.

[0008] In addition, these comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized by a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or may be realized by any combination of a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a non-transitory recording medium. Effect of the Invention

[0009] A home appliance system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can stabilize processing in a home appliance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a home electric appliance system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is a hardware configuration diagram of a server according to an embodiment. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a hardware configuration diagram of a home electric appliance according to an embodiment. [Figure 2C] FIG. 2C is a hardware configuration diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of the home electric appliance system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a first example of a download process in the home electric appliance system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a specific example of a UI displayed on a terminal. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a specific example of a UI displayed on the terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a storage area and a configuration of operating course data stored in the storage area. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the execution table. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an execution table showing the washing process. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an execution table showing the drying process. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of an updated UI displayed on the operation panel. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of a UI displayed on the washing machine during downloading. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the timing at which a home appliance downloads from a server. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the download process of the home appliance system. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a UI displayed on a terminal. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a process for registering user information and device information. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a parameter setting course setting and execution process. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a specific example of a UI related to a parameter setting course. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an execution process of the parameter setting course. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the parameter setting course setting process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] (Embodiment) [1. Configuration] The hardware configuration of a home appliance system 1 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 2C. Fig. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a home appliance system in the first embodiment. Fig. 2A is a hardware configuration diagram of a server in the first embodiment. Fig. 2B is a hardware configuration diagram of a home appliance in the first embodiment. Fig. 2C is a hardware configuration diagram of a terminal in the first embodiment.

[0012] 1, the home appliance system in the present embodiment includes a server 10, a plurality of home appliances 20 used in a plurality of facilities 2, and a plurality of terminals 30. The plurality of facilities 2 are, for example, but are not limited to, homes. The facilities 2 may be, for example, apartments, stores, offices, etc.

[0013] The server 10 is a virtual server (cloud server) provided via a computer network 40 (e.g., the Internet). The server 10 is communicably connected to the home appliances 20 and the terminals 30 via the computer network 40. Note that a physical server may be used instead of the server 10.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2A, the server 10 virtually includes a processor 11 and a memory 12 connected to the processor 11.

[0015] The home appliance 20 is an electric device used in the facility 2 in which the home appliance 20 is installed.

[0016] As the home appliance 20, a household electrical appliance (household appliance) and a home facility can be used. The household electrical appliance (household appliance) and the home facility can be used not only for appliances used in a house but also for appliances used in a business. In the present disclosure, the household electrical appliance and the home facility can be abbreviated to the household electrical appliance. As the home appliance, for example, a microwave oven, a rice cooker, an IH (Induction heating) cooker, a bakery, an electric pressure cooker, an electric waterless cooker, a multi-cooker, a coffee maker, a washing machine, a dishwasher, a robot vacuum cleaner, etc. can be used. As the home facility, for example, an electric water heater for a bathtub can be used. The home appliance 20 can be any appliance capable of executing a specific operation course, and is not limited to the above-mentioned appliances. When the home appliance 20 receives an instruction to start a specific operation course from a user, the home appliance 20 automatically ends the operation after executing the operation course.

[0017] 2B , the home appliance 20 includes an actuator 21, a heater 22, a control board 23, a display board 24, a communication IF (Interface) 25, a display 26, and an input device 27. Note that the home appliance 20 may include at least one of the actuator 21 and the heater 22, and does not necessarily need to include both the actuator 21 and the heater 22.

[0018] The actuator 21 is a mechanical element that converts input energy into physical motion based on an electric signal. For example, an electric motor, a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic actuator, or the like can be used as the actuator 21, but is not limited to these. Note that the home appliance 20 is not limited to having one actuator 21, and may have multiple actuators 21. When the home appliance 20 has multiple actuators 21, the multiple actuators 21 may be of different types or the same type.

[0019] The heater 22 is an electric heater that converts electric energy into thermal energy. The heater 22 heats an object by, for example, Joule heating, induction heating, dielectric heating, or the like. For example, a nichrome wire, a coil, a magnetron, or the like can be used as the heater 22. Note that the home appliance 20 is not limited to having one heater 22, and may have a plurality of heaters 22. When the home appliance 20 has a plurality of heaters 22, the plurality of heaters 22 may be of different types or the same type.

[0020] The control board 23 includes a microcomputer 23a and memories 23b and 23c. The microcomputer 23a controls the operation of the actuator 21 and / or the heater 22.

[0021] The memory 23b stores control information (such as a program) for the microcomputer 23a to control the operation of the actuator 21 and / or the heater 22. The control information includes operation parameters such as the operation speed and operation time of the actuator 21 and / or the heater 22.

[0022] The memory 23c stores parameter information including operation parameters related to operations in which the operation of the actuator 21 and / or the heater 22 is predetermined. The operation parameters are parameters that represent an operation course of a parameter setting course. For example, the operation parameters include operation information indicating a first operation included in the parameter setting course among a plurality of predetermined types of operations, and at least one of the operation time of the first operation and the number of operations of the first operation. The operation parameters may further include operation information indicating a second operation of a type different from the first operation, and at least one of the operation time of the second operation and the number of operations of the second operation. When the operation parameters include the first operation and the second operation, they may include the order of execution thereof. The operation parameters may include parameters related to three or more types of operations, not limited to one or two types of operations as described above.

[0023] For example, if the home appliance 20 is a washing machine, the parameter setting course may include operation parameters for a combination of a washing operation and a rinsing operation. In this case, the operation parameters may include the operation time and the number of operations of the washing operation, and the operation time and the number of operations of the rinsing operation executed after the washing operation.

[0024] The display board 24 has a microcomputer 24a and a memory 24b. The microcomputer 24a controls the display of the display 26. The memory 24b stores information for the microcomputer 24a to control the display of the display 26. The information for controlling the display is, for example, an image.

[0025] The communication IF 25 communicates with the server 10 via the computer network 40. The communication IF 25 may be a communication interface for transmitting data to and from an external device such as the server 10. The communication IF 25 may be an interface for wireless communication such as a wireless LAN interface or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) interface. The communication IF 25 may be an interface for wired communication such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) or a wired LAN interface.

[0026] The display 26 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like.

[0027] The input device 27 receives input from a person. The input device 27 is, for example, a touch panel. The input device 27 is not limited to a touch panel, and may be another input device such as a mechanical button.

[0028] The terminals 30 are used in each of the multiple facilities 2 and function as a user interface.

[0029] The terminal 30 is connected to the server 10 and the home appliances 20 via a computer network 40, and functions as a user interface (UI) described later. A portable information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet computer can be used as the terminal 30. The terminal 30 may be a terminal fixed to a wall, floor, or ceiling of the facility 2. The terminal 30 may also be included in the home appliances 20. For example, the terminal 30 may be realized as a display terminal having a display or the like built into each home appliance 20.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2C, the terminal 30 includes, as its hardware configuration, a processor 31, a main memory 32, a storage 33, a communication IF (Interface) , an input device 35, and a display .

[0031] The processor 31 is a processor that executes a program stored in the storage 33 or the like.

[0032] The main memory 32 is a volatile storage area used for temporarily storing data generated during processing by the processor 31, used as a work area used when the processor 31 executes a program, and used for temporarily storing data received by the communication IF 34.

[0033] The storage 33 is a non-volatile storage area that holds various data such as programs, etc. The storage 33 stores, for example, various data generated as a result of processing by the processor 31 and various data received by the communication IF .

[0034] The communication IF 34 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving information to and from the server 10 or the home appliance 20 via the computer network 40. The communication IF 34 may be an interface for wireless communication, such as a wireless LAN interface or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) interface. The communication IF 34 may be an interface for wired communication, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) or a wired LAN interface.

[0035] The input device 35 is an interface for receiving input from a person. The input device 35 may be a pointing device such as a mouse, a touch pad, a touch panel, or a trackball, or may be a keyboard. The input device 35 may also be a gesture input device. The gesture input device has, for example, a camera and a recognition unit. The camera captures an image including a gesture, and the recognition unit recognizes the gesture using the image.

[0036] The display 36 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like.

[0037] FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of the home electric appliance system according to the embodiment.

[0038] The home appliance system 1 includes a server 10, a home appliance 20, and a terminal 30. The server 10, the home appliance 20, and the terminal 30 are connected to each other via a computer network 40 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0039] The server 10 stores GUI (Graphical user interface) data, driving course data, etc. The server 10 may further store presentation data including advertisements, course information guides, campaign guides, tips for efficiently using home appliances, etc. When the server 10 receives a request for downloading GUI (Graphical user interface) data, driving course data, presentation data, etc. from the home appliance 20 or the terminal 30 via the computer network 40, the server 10 transmits data corresponding to the request via the computer network 40 to the home appliance 20 corresponding to the request.

[0040] Here, the GUI (course GUI) indicated by the GUI data is a GUI for receiving instructions to control the operation of the home appliance 20. The GUI data includes an operation course name, an operation process, an image showing the course content, etc. The GUI data includes a description of the operation course. One course GUI corresponds to one operation course. The course GUI includes the name of the operation course, the effect expected on the processing target of the operation course, etc. The course GUI is represented by an image, text, sound, etc.

[0041] Content data such as advertisements, course information guides, campaign guides, and tips for using home appliances efficiently is image data. The image data may be still image data or video data. Note that the content data is not limited to image data, but may also be video data, audio data, or video data including audio.

[0042] Moreover, the operation course data includes the control contents of the corresponding operation course. The operation course data is an example of control information. The operation course data indicates, for example, one or more controls included in the corresponding operation course and the execution order of the one or more controls. As described above, one course GUI corresponds to one operation course, so that the operation course data including the control contents of one operation course is associated with one course GUI corresponding to the one operation course. In other words, the GUI data indicating one course GUI is associated with the operation course data including the control contents of one operation course corresponding to the one course GUI.

[0043] The server 10 manages a combination of the home appliance 20 and the user that correspond to each other. That is, the server 10 stores information indicating the correspondence between the home appliance 20 and the user. Specifically, the server 10 manages a combination of a device ID for identifying the home appliance 20 and a user ID for identifying the user. The device ID and the user ID are associated with each other by, for example, connecting to the server 10 via an application of the terminal 30 and registering the device ID and the user ID. The server 10 may also store a destination for communicating with the home appliance 20 identified by the device ID together with the device ID. The server 10 may also store a destination for communicating with the terminal 30 owned by the user identified by the user ID together with the user ID. In this way, when the server 10 receives a communication request for communication with a specific home appliance 20 from the terminal 30, the server 10 can identify the destination of the home appliance 20 associated with the identified user ID based on the information from the terminal 30, and can relay communication between the terminal 30 and the home appliance 20. In addition, when the server 10 receives a communication request from the home appliance 20 to a specific terminal 30, the server 10 can identify the destination of the terminal 30 associated with the identified device ID based on the information from the home appliance 20, and can therefore relay communication between the terminal 30 and the home appliance 20.

[0044] Furthermore, the server 10 may store parameter information corresponding to a parameter setting course set for the home appliance 20 linked to the user ID. The server 10 may receive parameter information for the home appliance 20 input by the user using the terminal 30 via the computer network 40, and manage the parameter information by linking it to the home appliance 20. The user can set multiple types of parameter information for one home appliance 20. That is, the server 10 can store multiple types of parameter information.

[0045] Home appliance 20 includes operation unit 201, control unit 202, first storage unit 203, second storage unit 204, third storage unit 205, communication unit 206, main body display unit 207, and main body receiving unit 208. In this embodiment, home appliance 20 is a washing machine.

[0046] The operation unit 201 performs operations of the home appliance 20 to realize functions of the home appliance 20. The operation unit 201 performs washing when the home appliance 20 is a washing machine, performs cooking when the home appliance 20 is an electric oven, and performs cooking when the home appliance 20 is a rice cooker. The operation unit 201 is realized by, for example, the actuator 21 and / or the heater 22.

[0047] The control unit 202 controls the operation by the operation unit 201. Specifically, the control unit 202 causes the operation unit 201 to execute an operation course indicated by the operation course data based on the operation course data downloaded from the server 10. The control unit 202 also controls the operation unit 201 based on parameter information acquired from the server 10, thereby executing the parameter setting course.

[0048] The control unit 202 may control display by the main body display unit 207. The control unit 202 may control downloading of information from the server 10 by the communication unit 206. The control unit 202 may control the operation of at least one of the operation unit 201, the main body display unit 207, and the communication unit 206 in response to an input accepted by the main body acceptance unit 208. In this case, the control unit 202 may control the above-mentioned at least one operation by using information stored in at least one of the first storage unit 203, the second storage unit 204, and the third storage unit 205. The control unit 202 is realized by at least one of the control board 23 and the display board 24, for example.

[0049] The first storage unit 203 can store the presentation data. The first storage unit 203 stores the presentation data among the information downloaded from the server 10 by the communication unit 206. Since the presentation data includes GUI data, the first storage unit 203 can store the GUI data. The first storage unit 203 may store data indicating a GUI in advance, or may store image data to be presented to a user (for example, data such as tips for efficiently using a home appliance) in advance. The first storage unit 203 stores information used for display processing in the main body display unit 207. The first storage unit 203 is realized by, for example, the memory 24b.

[0050] The second storage unit 204 can store driving course data (control information). The second storage unit 204 stores information used for controlling the operation of the operation unit 201 in the control unit 202. The second storage unit 204 may store management information of GUI data. The management information includes information indicating the GUI data stored in the first storage unit 203. The information indicating the GUI data may be information indicating whether the GUI data is stored in a predetermined storage area of ​​the first storage unit 203, may be identification information for identifying the type of data of the GUI data stored in the first storage unit 203, or may be the GUI data itself. The GUI data managed by the management information may be a course GUI or a GUI for content.

[0051] The second storage unit 204 may also store an operation history indicating a history of operation courses executed in the home appliance 20. The operation history may include information indicating the operation course and the date and time when the operation course was executed. The operation history may also be a history of an operation course of a parameter setting course.

[0052] The second storage unit 204 is realized by, for example, the memory 23b. That is, the second storage unit 204 is disposed on a board different from the board on which the first storage unit 203 is disposed.

[0053] The third storage unit 205 is capable of storing parameter information. The third storage unit 205 stores information used for control based on a parameter setting course by a combination of operations determined in advance by the operation unit 201 in the control unit 202.

[0054] The communication unit 206 is connected to the server 10 via the computer network 40 so as to be able to communicate with the server 10. The communication unit 206 is connected to the terminal 30 via the server 10 so as to be able to communicate with the server 10. For example, the communication unit 206 may download (receive) presentation data from the server 10 by communicating with the server 10. The communication unit 206 may also download (receive) driving course data from the server 10 by communicating with the server 10. When downloading (receiving) information from the server 10, the communication unit 206 may transmit a request for downloading the information to the server 10. The communication unit 206 may communicate with the terminal 30 to exchange information with the terminal 30.

[0055] The main body display unit 207 performs display based on the presentation data stored in the first storage unit 203. Specifically, the main body display unit 207 displays a GUI or an image indicated by the presentation data. In addition, when displaying a GUI including a description of an operating course, the main body display unit 207 can display the GUI while the operating course is being executed by the operation unit 201. In addition, the main body display unit 207 may be capable of displaying a GUI including a description of the operating course being executed when displaying a GUI for a user to select an operating course to be executed by the home appliance 20. For example, the GUI for selecting an operating course to be executed by the home appliance 20 may include a GUI including a description of the operating course being executed. In addition, the main body display unit 207 may display each GUI so as to transition from a GUI for selecting an operating course to be executed by the home appliance 20 to a GUI including a description of the operating course being executed.

[0056] Furthermore, the main body display unit 207 may be capable of displaying a main body UI for receiving an instruction to cause the home appliance 20 to execute an operating course indicated in the operating history. The operating history may include one or more executed operating courses when one or more operating courses are executed in the home appliance 20. That is, the operating history includes one operating course when only one operating course is executed by the home appliance 20, and includes multiple operating courses when multiple operating courses are executed by the home appliance 20. The main body display unit 207 is realized by the display 26, for example.

[0057] The main body reception unit 208 receives input from the user. The main body reception unit 208 receives an operation to turn on or off the power supply. When the power supply is turned on, power supply to the operation unit 201 and the control unit 202 is started, and the operation unit 201 and the control unit 202 become operable. When the power supply is turned off, the power supply to the operation unit 201 and the control unit 202 is stopped, and the operation unit 201 and the control unit 202 become inoperable. Note that even when the power supply is turned off, the power supply to a part of the control unit 202 may be maintained.

[0058] Furthermore, when the power supply is turned off, main body display section 207 may go into a non-display state (that is, a state in which no image is displayed), and main body reception section 208 may go into a state in which it does not receive input from the user.

[0059] Furthermore, the main body receiving unit 208 may receive an input to the main body UI displayed on the main body display unit 207. The main body UI is, for example, a UI for receiving an operation on the home appliance 20 by the user. The main body UI may be, for example, a UI for receiving an instruction to make the home appliance 20 execute one of a plurality of types of driving courses determined in advance, or may be a UI for receiving an instruction to make the home appliance 20 execute a driving course indicated in the driving history as described above. That is, the main body UI may be displayed based on information pre-stored in the home appliance 20, or may be generated based on the driving history. When generated based on the driving history, the main body UI is a UI capable of receiving an instruction to make the home appliance 20 execute one of one or more driving courses included in the driving history. The user can make the home appliance 20 re-execute a driving course that the home appliance 20 has executed by performing an input to the main body UI generated based on the driving history. The main body receiving unit 20 is realized by, for example, the input device 27.

[0060] The control unit 202 stores the driving course data received by the communication unit 206 from when the power supply is turned on to when the driving course starts to be executed in the second storage unit 204 based on the operation of turning on the power supply to the main body reception unit 208. That is, the control unit 202 is in a state in which it can receive an instruction to download the driving course data from the user from when the power supply is turned on to when the driving course starts to be executed. When the control unit 202 receives an instruction to download from when the power supply is turned on to when the driving course starts to be executed, the control unit 202 downloads the driving course data from the server 10 and stores it in the second storage unit 204 before the driving course starts to be executed. The instruction to download by the user may be given to the terminal 30. When the terminal 30 receives an instruction to download from the user, it transmits the instruction to download to the server 10. When the server 10 receives the instruction to download from the terminal 30, the download of the driving course data from the server 10 to the home appliance 20 starts.

[0061] The terminal 30 includes a terminal display unit 301 , a terminal reception unit 302 , and a terminal communication unit 303 .

[0062] The terminal display unit 301 can display information. Specifically, the terminal display unit 301 may display a terminal UI. The terminal UI is, for example, a UI for accepting an operation on the home appliance 20 by a user. For example, the terminal UI includes a UI for accepting an instruction to download driving course data.

[0063] The terminal display unit 301 is an example of a presentation unit. That is, the terminal 30 is not limited to presenting information to the user by display, but may present information to the user by voice. The terminal 30 is not limited to a terminal having a display such as a smartphone, but may be a terminal having no display, a speaker, and presenting information to the user by voice (for example, a VPA (Virtual Personal Assistant) device).

[0064] The terminal receiving unit 302 can receive an instruction to the home appliance 20. For example, the terminal receiving unit 302 can receive an instruction from a user to cause the home appliance 20 to execute a first operating program among a plurality of operating programs.

[0065] The terminal reception unit 302 may also receive an instruction to download an operating program. The terminal reception unit 302 may also receive setting of parameter information. The setting of parameter information may be received at least when the power supply to the home appliance 20 is off and when the home appliance is executing an operating program.

[0066] The terminal communication unit 303 is communicably connected to the server 10 via the computer network 40. The terminal communication unit 303 is communicably connected to the home appliance 20 via the server 10.

[0067] For example, the terminal communication unit 303 transmits the download instruction accepted by the terminal acceptance unit 302 to the server 10. In addition, for example, the terminal communication unit 303 transmits the parameter information accepted by the terminal acceptance unit 302 to the server 10.

[0068] Furthermore, for example, when an instruction to a specific home appliance 20 is accepted by the terminal accepting unit 302 via the server 10, the terminal communication unit 303 transmits the instruction to the specific home appliance 20 via the server 10. Furthermore, for example, the terminal communication unit 303 may receive, via the server 10, state information indicating a state of the home appliance 20 associated with a user ID of a user who owns the terminal 30.

[0069] The status information may be, for example, information indicating an operating state of the home appliance 20, or information indicating an operating history of the home appliance 20. The status information received by the terminal communication unit 303 may be displayed on the terminal display unit 301. Note that, without being limited to the above, the terminal communication unit 303 may be communicably connected to the home appliance 20 via the computer network 40, or may be directly connected to the home appliance 20.

[0070] When the terminal reception unit 302 receives an input indicating a download instruction at least when the power supply to the home appliance 20 is off and / or when the operation course is being executed in the home appliance 20, the terminal display unit 301 may notify the user that the download instruction is not accepted. For example, a UI 450 shown in Fig. 14 described later may be presented.

[0071] [2. Operation] Next, the processing of the home appliance system 1 configured as above will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram showing a first example of a download processing of the home appliance system 1 in the first embodiment. Note that in Fig. 4, downloading is also written as DL.

[0072] The terminal 30 owned by the user executes an application to display a UI (e.g., a GUI (Graphical user interface)) and accepts an input from the user via the UI (S101). The terminal 30 accepts an input for selecting a driving course that is not stored in the home appliance 20 and is a driving content to be executed by the home appliance 20. This input is an input for downloading driving course data corresponding to the selected driving course from the server 10 to the home appliance 20.

[0073] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing a specific example of a UI displayed on a terminal.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 5A, the terminal 30 displays a UI 410 that accepts an input for selecting driving course data. The UI 410 includes a plurality of slots 411a to 411c, a plurality of buttons 412a to 412c that respectively correspond to the plurality of slots 411a to 411c, and a parameter setting tab 413. The plurality of slots 411a to 411c correspond to a plurality of storage areas that store driving course data of a driving course to be downloaded (hereinafter, referred to as a downloaded course). The plurality of storage areas are, for example, predetermined storage areas included in the second storage unit 204 of the home appliance 20. Each of the plurality of buttons 412a to 412c is a button for transitioning to a UI for editing the downloaded course stored in the storage area of ​​the corresponding slot 411a to 411c. For example, when the button 412b corresponding to the slot 411b is pressed, the UI displayed on the terminal 30 transitions to a UI 420 shown in FIG. 5B. The parameter setting tab 413 is a tab for transitioning to a UI 460 (FIG. 17) described later. When an input to the parameter setting tab 413 is accepted in the UI 410, transition to the UI 460 occurs.

[0075] The UI420 includes a radio button 421, a cancel button 422, and an OK button 423. The radio button 421 accepts the selection of a download course to be stored in a storage area corresponding to the slot 411b selected in the UI410. The radio button 421 accepts the selection of one of a plurality of download course candidates. The plurality of download course candidates are, for example, a plurality of courses provided by a washing machine manufacturer and available for the user to download to the home appliance 20. The cancel button 422 is a button for returning from the UI420 to the UI410. The OK button 423 is a button for finalizing the download course selected by the radio button 421. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the OK button 423 is pressed after the sheet course is selected in the radio button 421, the terminal 30 accepts an input (predetermined input) from the user for downloading the operation course data of the sheet course from the server 10 to the home appliance 20.

[0076] In response to the input received in step S101, the terminal 30 generates a download execution request for causing the home appliance 20 to download the selected driving course data from the server 10 to the home appliance 20 (S102). The download execution request includes, for example, the terminal ID or user ID of the terminal 30, the course ID of the download course selected on the terminal 30, device information of the home appliance 20 that is to execute the download, and storage area information indicating the storage area corresponding to the slot selected on the terminal 30. The download execution request is an example of a registration instruction (download instruction) for the download course.

[0077] The terminal 30 transmits the generated download execution request to the home appliance 20 via the server 10. Specifically, the terminal 30 transmits the generated download execution request to the server 10 (S103).

[0078] When the server 10 receives the download execution request, it identifies the home appliance 20 indicated by the device information included in the download execution request, and transmits the received download execution request to the identified home appliance 20 (S104).

[0079] When the home appliance 20 receives the download execution request from the server 10, the home appliance 20 compares the device information included in the download execution request with the device information of the home appliance 20 (S105). If the result of the comparison shows that the two pieces of device information match, the home appliance 20 proceeds to step S106, and if they do not match, the home appliance 20 ends the process.

[0080] In step S106, the home appliance 20 erases the sectors in the storage area of ​​the second storage unit 204 that are indicated by the storage area information included in the download execution request (S106).

[0081] Next, the home appliance 20 transmits to the server 10 a download request for a download course based on the course ID included in the download execution request (S107).

[0082] When the server 10 receives the download request, it transmits driving course data indicating the download course specified in the download request to the home appliance 20 (S108). This starts downloading the driving course data to the home appliance 20.

[0083] The home appliance 20 receives the operating course data, and stores the received operating course data in the storage area including the sector erased in step S106 (S109).

[0084] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a storage area and a configuration of operating course data stored in the storage area.

[0085] The data ROM in FIG. 6 shows a configuration of a part of the storage area of ​​the second storage unit that stores the driving course data. The data ROM includes a course DL1, a course DL2, and a course DL3 as a plurality of storage areas. These courses DL1 to DL3 correspond to a plurality of slots 411a to 411c, respectively. In the example of FIG. 5A, the slot 411b is selected, so the downloaded driving course data is stored in the storage area of ​​the course DL2 corresponding to the slot 411b. The course DL table in FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the stored driving course data. This driving course data has the same configuration as the driving course data acquired by downloading from the server 10. The driving course data includes device information indicating the model and version of the device (home appliance 20) to which the driving course is to be downloaded, a course ID of the downloaded course, first identification information indicating the base course of the downloaded course, an execution table indicating the order in which the blocks included in the downloaded course are executed, a parameter table indicating the parameters of each of the blocks included in the downloaded course, and a checksum used for verification. In this way, the driving course data does not include blocks already stored in the second storage unit 204. The base course indicates the course on which the download course is based, and can also be said to be information for classifying a plurality of download courses.

[0086] The parameter table is a table in which block identification information for identifying a block, identification information for identifying a type of parameter, and a parameter value for making the block function with the type of parameter are associated with each other. In other words, the parameter table is a table for assigning a parameter value for executing the sheet processing unit to a parameter type indicated in each of one or more blocks indicated in an execution table included in the operating course data. In other words, one or more parameters included in the parameter table are associated with one or more blocks indicated in an execution table included in the operating course data.

[0087] The operation course data may include a plurality of execution tables each indicating a major process, such as a washing process, a rinsing process, a drying process, etc., and each major process may be composed of a combination of one or more blocks.

[0088] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the execution table.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 7, the execution table relates to a first order for executing at least some of the blocks stored in the second storage unit 204. The execution table includes a number indicating the first order and the blocks to be executed in the first order. Note that the execution table does not need to include a number indicating the first order, and the first order may be indicated by the arrangement order of the blocks in the execution table. One block includes parameters, time, and execution timing conditions for operating the actuator 21 and / or heater 22. The parameters include the operating speed and operating time of the actuator, the temperature and operating time of the heater, etc.

[0090] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an execution table showing the washing process.

[0091] The execution table showing the washing process, as shown in FIG. 8, indicates that the operation unit 201 executes each of the operations of the drain block, laundry load detection block, sterilization / antibacterial block, air blowing block, water supply / agitation block, foam generation block, still water supply block, and washing / agitation block in this order.

[0092] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an execution table showing the drying process.

[0093] The execution table showing the drying process indicates that the operation unit 201 executes each of the operations of the drain block, balance control block, spin block, wash agitation block, laundry amount detection block, drying block, and air blowing block in this order, as shown in FIG.

[0094] Returning to the explanation of Figure 4.

[0095] Following step S109, the home appliance 20 verifies the stored driving course data by using a checksum included in the driving course data (S110).

[0096] Next, when the verification is completed, the home appliance 20 transmits download completion information indicating that the download specified in the download execution request has been completed to the server 10 (S111). The download completion information may include device information of the home appliance 20, a terminal ID or a user ID included in the download execution request, and a course ID indicating the download course for which the download has been completed.

[0097] When the server 10 receives the download completion information, it transmits notification information including the content downloaded to the home appliance 20 to the terminal 30 identified by the terminal ID or user ID included in the download completion information (S112). The content downloaded to the home appliance 20 included in the notification information is, for example, information indicating the driving course downloaded to the home appliance 20. The server 10 may further record that the home appliance 20 indicated by the device information included in the download completion information has completed downloading the course ID included in the download completion information.

[0098] After step S111, the home appliance 20 updates the UI displayed on the operation panel 560 based on the downloaded driving course data (S113).

[0099] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of an updated UI displayed on the operation panel.

[0100] The first storage unit 203 of the home appliance 20 stores notification information corresponding to the operation course data. The notification information is, for example, a plurality of images for configuring the UI 430 shown in FIG. 10. The plurality of images include, for example, an image surrounded by a frame for washing, an image surrounded by a frame for rinsing, an image surrounded by a frame for spinning, an image surrounded by a frame for drying, an image surrounded by a frame for reservation, an image surrounded by a frame for the type of detergent, an image surrounded by frames for the water level, bath water, and second wash, an image of an explanation button, an image of a back button, and the like. Images for configuring such a UI are generated according to the operation course data, and are held by the server 10 together with the operation course data. When new operation course data is uploaded to the server 10, the home appliance 20 downloads in advance from the server 10 a plurality of images for configuring a UI showing the operation course data at the time of uploading, for example, and stores them in the first storage unit 203. The notification information may be a sound showing the operation course data, in addition to the UI. That is, in step S113, home electric appliance 20 may issue a sound based on the driving course data from speaker 590.

[0101] The driving course data includes the second identification information associated with the notification information. Therefore, when the control unit 202 acquires the driving course data in step S113, the control unit 202 reads out one or more images associated with the second identification information included in the driving course data from the first storage unit 203, generates a UI based on the read out one or more images, and displays the generated UI on the operation panel 560. In this way, the control unit 202 causes the notification unit including the operation panel 560 and the speaker 590 to perform a notification operation based on the notification information. Therefore, it is possible to notify the user of notification information corresponding to the new driving content.

[0102] 4, 5A, and 5B show an example in which the terminal 30 receives an input from the user via the UI for downloading the driving course data of the download course from the server 10 to the home appliance 20, but the input is not limited to being received by the terminal 30. For example, the home appliance 20 may receive the above input from the user.

[0103] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of a UI displayed on the washing machine during downloading.

[0104] As shown in Fig. 11, home appliance 20 may display UI 440 that accepts an input for selecting a driving course. UI 440 includes a plurality of slots 441-443. The plurality of slots 441-443 correspond to a plurality of storage areas that store driving course data of a driving course to be downloaded (hereinafter, referred to as a downloaded course), respectively. The plurality of storage areas are, for example, predetermined storage areas included in second storage unit 204 of home appliance 20. For example, when slot 442 is pressed, the UI displayed on home appliance 20 may transition to a UI (not shown) similar to UI 420 shown in Fig. 5B.

[0105] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the timing at which a home appliance downloads from a server.

[0106] 12, when home appliance 20 receives a power-on operation from a user, home appliance 20 enables display and operation and enters a power-on state. The power-on state is a state in which power supply is on, as described above. When display and operation are enabled, home appliance 20 displays a predetermined UI on main body display unit 207, and main body receiving unit 208 enters a state in which it can receive input to the predetermined UI.

[0107] When the home appliance 20 is in the powered state, it is in a state where it can execute an operation using power from a commercial power source. For example, the home appliance 20 is in a state where it can execute an operation in response to an input to a predetermined UI or a control instruction received from the terminal 30, and is also in a state where it can download data from the server 10. When an operation executed in the powered state ends, post-processing of the operation is executed, and when the post-processing ends, the display of the home appliance 20 is turned off. When the display of the home appliance 20 is turned off, it transitions to a state where only the power switch is enabled, and transitions to a state where GUI data can be downloaded.

[0108] In this state, the home appliance 20 transmits a notification including information indicating the GUI data stored in the home appliance 20 to the server 10. When the server 10 receives the notification, the server 10 determines whether or not the server 10 or another device stores GUI data that the home appliance 20 does not store. Specifically, the server 10 compares information indicating the GUI data stored in the home appliance 20 with information indicating the GUI data stored in the server 10 or another device to determine whether or not the server 10 or another device stores GUI data that the home appliance 20 does not store. If there is GUI data that the home appliance 20 does not store, the server 10 transmits an instruction to the home appliance 20 to download the GUI data that the home appliance 20 does not store. When the home appliance 20 acquires an instruction to download the GUI data from the server 10, the home appliance 20 executes download of the GUI data from the server 10. The GUI data downloaded here is GUI data corresponding to the driving course data to be downloaded later. When the download of the GUI data is completed, the home appliance 20 transitions to a power-off state. The downloaded GUI data is stored in the first storage unit 203.

[0109] Since GUI data includes image data, the data size is larger than the corresponding driving course data. In other words, downloading GUI data takes more time than downloading driving course data. Therefore, by downloading GUI data after driving is performed, it is possible to increase the possibility that the download of GUI data will be completed when the home appliance 20 is in a powered state. In addition, the next time the power is turned on, the download of GUI data will be completed, so that the home appliance 20 can be made capable of displaying the GUI data.

[0110] When the home appliance 20 receives a power-on operation from the user, the home appliance 20 enables display and operation, and is in a state in which it can receive an instruction (download instruction) for course download (i.e., downloading of operating course data) from the time when it is energized to the time when operation starts (i.e., from the time when the power supply is turned on to the time when the execution of the operating course starts). The download instruction is an example of a registration instruction for registering a downloaded course in the home appliance 20. At this time, the home appliance 20 is in a state in which it can store operating course data, so when it receives a download instruction, it executes the course download and stores the downloaded operating course data. The home appliance 20 is in a state in which it can execute the downloaded operating course from the time when the power supply is turned on to the time when the execution of the operating course starts.

[0111] Furthermore, the user can set the parameter setting course at any time by operating the terminal 30. This is because the parameter information of the parameter setting course is transmitted from the terminal 30 to the server 10 and stored in the server 10. Furthermore, the home appliance 20 is in a state in which the parameter setting course can be executed from when the power supply is turned on until the execution of the operation course is started.

[0112] The driving course data has a larger data size than the parameter information. Therefore, the home appliance 20 takes more time to acquire the driving course data than to acquire the parameter information. For example, when the home appliance 20 acquires the driving course data before the power supply is turned on, a user who is not in front of the home appliance 20 may inadvertently transmit an instruction to download the driving course data, and an unintended waiting time may occur after the power supply is turned on. Since it is assumed that the user is in front of the home appliance 20 from the time the power supply is turned on until the execution of the driving course is started, it is permitted to make the user wait until the download is completed. Therefore, even if it takes time to acquire the driving course data, the home appliance 20 acquires the driving course data only during the period from the time the power supply is turned on until the execution of the driving course is started, which is a period during which the user in front of the home appliance 20 does not have to wait unnecessarily. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of an unintended waiting time by the user.

[0113] On the other hand, for example, when the home appliance 20 attempts to acquire driving course data after starting operation, the writing process and the reading process cannot be performed simultaneously because the storage area of ​​the second storage unit 204 to which the driving course data is to be written is the same as the storage area of ​​the second storage unit 204 storing the program, and operation must be stopped. Therefore, the home appliance 20 can acquire the driving course data without stopping operation by acquiring the driving course data only until the execution of the driving course is started. Since the home appliance 20 acquires the driving course data only from the time the power supply is turned on until the execution of the driving course is started, the home appliance 20 does not accept an instruction to download the driving course data during any other period than the above.

[0114] In other words, the home appliance 20 does not accept a download instruction (a download course registration instruction) when the power supply is off or when an operating course is being executed.

[0115] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the download process of the home appliance system.

[0116] The home appliance 20 transmits a request for GUI data when the home appliance 20 is not in operation (S201). When the home appliance 20 is not in operation, the home appliance 20 does not operate both the actuator 21 and the heater 22. When the home appliance 20 is not in operation, the home appliance 20 may, for example, be after the home appliance has finished operating.

[0117] The home appliance 20 downloads the GUI data from the server 10 (S202). That is, the server 10 transmits the GUI data to the home appliance 20.

[0118] When the home appliance 20 completes the download of the GUI data, it notifies the server 10 that the download of the GUI data has been completed (S203). When the home appliance 20 completes the download of the GUI data, the GUI data is stored in the first storage unit 203. This allows the home appliance 20 to be in a state where the GUI data can be presented. That is, the home appliance 20 may be in a state where the characters or images indicated by the GUI data can be displayed on the display unit 28a. Alternatively, the home appliance 20 is in a state where the sound indicated by the GUI data can be presented from the presentation unit 28. In this way, when the home appliance 20 completes the download of the GUI data corresponding to the first operating course, the home appliance 20 or the terminal 30 presents the first operating course as a selectable operating course for which the home appliance 20 is to download operating course data.

[0119] When the download of the GUI data in the home appliance 20 is completed, the home appliance 20 may notify the user via the presentation unit 28 that the download of the operating program data corresponding to the first operating program is now possible.

[0120] Furthermore, when the download of GUI data corresponding to the first operating course is not completed in the home appliance 20, the home appliance 20 may control the home appliance 20 or the terminal 30 to present the first operating course as an operating course for which operating course data is to be downloaded to the home appliance 20, so that the home appliance 20 or the terminal 30 presents the first operating course as an operating course that cannot be selected. The presentation of the first operating course as an operating course that cannot be selected may be, for example, the presentation of a GUI that does not include an option for the first operating course, or the presentation of a GUI that displays the option for the first operating course in a display mode (e.g., grayed out) different from the display modes of the other options to indicate that selection of the option is not accepted. In the GUI that indicates that the option for the first operating course is not accepted, even if an input is made to the option for the first operating course, the input is ignored.

[0121] Furthermore, when the download of the GUI data is completed in the home appliance 20 in S203, the home appliance 20 may notify the user that the download of the GUI data is completed. The home appliance 20 may present the fact that the download of the GUI data is completed on the main body display unit 207, or may transmit information for presenting the fact that the download of the GUI data is completed to the terminal 30 via the server 10. The terminal 30 may present the fact that the download of the GUI data is completed by receiving the information.

[0122] The server 10 notifies the terminal 30 that the home appliance 20 is in a state in which the driving course data can be downloaded (S204). Since step S204 is executed after step S203, it can also be said that the terminal 30 acquires a notification indicating that the download of the GUI data has been completed from the server 10. In this way, the terminal 30 may notify the user that the download of the GUI data has been completed in the home appliance 20. The terminal 30 may also notify the user that the home appliance 20 is in a state in which the driving course data can be downloaded.

[0123] When the terminal 30 is notified that the home appliance 20 is in a state in which driving course data can be downloaded, it requests the server 10 to provide a list of driving courses corresponding to the downloadable driving course data (S205). The list of driving courses for which driving course data can be downloaded is generated based on the GUI data for which downloading has been completed. In other words, the list of driving courses includes the driving courses corresponding to the GUI data for which downloading has been completed.

[0124] Based on a request for a list of driving courses corresponding to the downloadable driving course data, the server 10 transmits the list to the terminal 30 (S206).

[0125] When the terminal 30 receives the list, it determines whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied (S207). The predetermined condition includes at least one of the following: the home appliance 20 is not in operation, is not in a reservation, is powered on, is not downloading, is not in a predetermined mode, and is not in an abnormal state. The terminal 30 may obtain the state of the home appliance 20 via the server 10, and determine whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied based on the state. If the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the terminal 30 may display a UI 450 indicating that the driving course data cannot be downloaded, as shown in FIG. 14.

[0126] If a predetermined condition is met, the terminal 30 displays the received list (S208).

[0127] After displaying the received list, the terminal 30 again determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied (S209). The predetermined condition is the same as the condition described in step S207. In step S209, the terminal 30 acquires the state of the home appliance 20 after step S208 via the server 10, and determines whether or not the predetermined condition is satisfied based on the state. Note that step S207 does not necessarily have to be performed. As in the case of step S207, the terminal 30 may display a UI 450 indicating that the driving course data cannot be downloaded if the predetermined condition is not satisfied.

[0128] The terminal 30 receives from the user an instruction to download a first driving course out of one or more driving courses included in the list, that is, a driving course selected by the user as a target for download (S210). Note that the terminal 30 is not limited to receiving an instruction to download only the first driving course, and may also receive an instruction to download two or more driving courses including the first driving course. When the number of driving courses received in the instruction is smaller than the number of driving courses included in the GUI data, the processing load or processing time required for downloading can be reduced.

[0129] The terminal 30 transmits to the server 10 an instruction to download the driving course data for one driving course indicated by the received instruction (S211).

[0130] The home appliance 20 receives an instruction to download the driving course data from the terminal 30 via the server 10, and downloads the driving course data corresponding to one driving course indicated by the instruction from the server 10 (S212). When the home appliance 20 or the terminal 30 receives an instruction to download the first driving course from the user, the home appliance 20 may notify the user that the download of the first driving course has started. Specifically, the home appliance 20 may present on the main body display unit 207 that the download of the first driving course has started. In addition, the home appliance 20 may not accept a power-off operation from the user to the main body reception unit 208 while the home appliance 20 is downloading the driving course data from the server 10. In other words, even if a power-off operation is performed by the user on the main body reception unit 208, the home appliance 20 may ignore the input by the operation.

[0131] In addition, after step S211, if the server 10 receives an instruction to download driving course data from the terminal 30, the server 10 may cause the home appliance 20 to start downloading the driving course data by sending the driving course data based on the instruction to the home appliance 20 via push.

[0132] When the home appliance 20 completes the download of the operating course data, the home appliance 20 notifies the server 10 that the download of the operating course data has been completed (S213). When the home appliance 20 completes the download of the operating course data, the operating course data is stored in the second storage unit 204. This puts the home appliance 20 in a state in which it can be operated using the operating course data. In other words, the home appliance 20 is in a state in which it can operate at least one of the actuator 21 and the heater 22 in accordance with one or more controls included in the operating course data and in the execution order of the one or more controls.

[0133] When the server 10 receives the notification indicating that the download of the driving course data has been completed, it notifies the terminal 30 that the download of the driving course data has been completed (S214). This puts the terminal 30 in a state where it can remotely control the home appliance 20 to start operation based on the driving course data downloaded by the home appliance 20. In addition, the home appliance 20 is in a state where it can receive, via the main body receiving unit 208, an instruction to execute the driving course selected by the user.

[0134] In this way, when the download of GUI data and the download of operating course data are completed, the home appliance 20 becomes capable of accepting an instruction to execute an operating course selected by the user, and when an instruction to execute a first operating course selected by the user is accepted, the home appliance 20 can execute the first operating course.

[0135] In step S214, when the server 10 receives a notification indicating that the download of the driving course data has been completed, the server 10 may notify the home appliance 20 that the download of the driving course data has been completed. Then, the home appliance 20 may display on the main body display unit 207 that the download of the driving course data has been completed based on the notification.

[0136] FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a process for registering user information and device information.

[0137] In the registration process, the user information and the device information are stored in the server 10. This enables the server 10 to manage the device information for each user.

[0138] The terminal 30 accepts a user ID and a device ID (S221). The user ID is identification information for identifying a user. The device ID is identification information for identifying a home appliance 20 owned by the user. Here, the terminal 30 may accept input of a plurality of device IDs.

[0139] The terminal 30 transmits registration information including the accepted user ID and device ID to the server 10 (S222). The registration information includes a request to the server 10 for registration processing.

[0140] When the server 10 receives the registration information from the terminal 30, it registers the user ID and device ID included in the registration information (S223). Specifically, the server 10 refers to the registration database to search for the user ID included in the registration information, and if the user ID is found, it links the device ID included in the registration information to the found user ID. If another device ID is already linked to the user ID in the registration database, the server 10 adds the new device ID included in the registration information as a device ID linked to the user ID. If the user ID is not found, the server 10 adds the user ID and device ID included in the registration information to the registration database.

[0141] FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a parameter setting course setting and execution process.

[0142] The terminal 30 accepts a request for device information on a target for setting a parameter setting course (S231). For example, the terminal 30 accepts an input on an app specifying a device type for identifying a home appliance 20 on which a parameter setting course is to be set. The request for device information includes, for example, a user ID.

[0143] The terminal 30 transmits the request for device information received in step S231 to the server 10 (S232).

[0144] When the server 10 receives the request for device information, the server 10 identifies and acquires device information linked to the user ID included in the request from the registration database (S233).

[0145] The server 10 transmits response information including the device information to the terminal 30 (S234).

[0146] When the terminal 30 receives the response information, it displays a UI 460 for accepting the selection of a parameter setting course based on the device information included in the response information (FIG. 17), and accepts the selection of the parameter setting course that is to be subject to parameter change from the UI 460 (S235).

[0147] The terminal 30 accepts a change to the setting of the parameter setting course whose selection has been accepted (S236).

[0148] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing a specific example of a UI related to a parameter setting course. For example, the UI 460 shown in Fig. 17 is displayed when an input is made to "parameter setting" of the UI 410 in Fig. 5A.

[0149] As shown in FIG. 17, the terminal 30 displays a UI 460 that accepts an input for selecting a parameter setting course. The UI 460 includes a plurality of slots 461a to 461c, a plurality of buttons 462a to 462c that respectively correspond to the plurality of slots 461a to 461c, and a download tab 463. The plurality of slots 461a to 461c correspond to a plurality of storage areas that store parameter information of the parameter setting courses. The plurality of storage areas are, for example, predetermined storage areas included in the third storage unit 205 of the home appliance 20. Each of the plurality of buttons 462a to 462c is a button for transitioning to a UI for editing the parameter information stored in the storage area of ​​the corresponding slot 461a to 461c. For example, when the button 462b corresponding to the slot 461b is pressed, the UI displayed on the terminal 30 transitions to a UI for parameter setting, and accepts a change in the setting of the parameter setting course in the transitioned UI. The download tab 463 is a tab for transitioning to the UI 410. When an input to the download tab 463 is accepted in the UI 460, the UI 460 transitions to the UI 410. The download tab 463 may be in a state in which it does not accept input when the power supply to the home appliance 20 is off and / or when an operating course is being executed in the home appliance 20. This allows the home appliance 20 to not accept a download instruction (an instruction to register a download course) when the power supply is off and / or when an operating course is being executed.

[0150] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 16, when the terminal 30 accepts the change in the settings, it transmits parameter information indicating the changed parameters to the server 10 (S237).

[0151] Upon receiving the parameter information, the server 10 stores the received parameter information in the third storage unit 205 (S238).

[0152] When the server 10 stores the parameter information, it transmits response information indicating that the parameter information has been stored to the terminal 30 (S239).

[0153] When the terminal 30 receives the response information, it becomes ready to accept an instruction to execute the parameter setting course whose settings have been changed. When the terminal 30 accepts an instruction to execute the parameter setting course whose settings have been changed from the user (S240), it transmits the accepted instruction to execute the parameter setting course to the server 10 (S241).

[0154] When the server 10 receives the execution instruction from the terminal 30, the server 10 transmits the execution instruction to the home appliance 20 that is the target of the execution instruction (S242). The home appliance 20 that is the target of the execution instruction is the home appliance that corresponds to the device information identified in step S233.

[0155] When the home appliance 20 receives the execution instruction from the server 10, it executes the parameter setting course indicated by the execution instruction (S243). Note that the execution instruction from the server 10 includes parameter information of the parameter setting course. Therefore, the home appliance 20 can control the operation of the home appliance 20 based on the parameter information.

[0156] When the home electric appliance 20 executes the parameter setting course, the home electric appliance 20 transmits response information including the operating state of the home electric appliance 20 during the execution of the parameter setting course to the server 10 (S244).

[0157] When the server 10 receives the response information, the server 10 transmits the response information to the terminal 30 (S245). This enables the terminal 30 to present, for example, the operating state of the home electric appliance 20 included in the response information to the user.

[0158] Steps S244 and S245 may be performed periodically while the parameter setting course is being executed in the home appliance 20. This enables the terminal 30 to present the operating state of the home appliance 20 in real time to the user.

[0159] FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an execution process of the parameter setting course.

[0160] FIG. 16 has described an example in which the parameters of a parameter setting course are changed and the changed parameter setting course is executed, but FIG. 18 will describe the execution process of a parameter setting course that has already been set.

[0161] The terminal 30 and the server 10 perform the same processes as steps S231 to S234 described with reference to FIG.

[0162] When the terminal 30 receives the response information, it displays the UI 460 for accepting selection of execution of the parameter setting course based on the device information included in the response information, and accepts the selection of the parameter setting course to be executed from the UI 460 (S235a). For example, in the UI 460, an input is made to the slot 461b, whereby an instruction to execute the parameter setting course corresponding to the slot 461b is accepted.

[0163] Then, the same processes as steps S241 to S245 in FIG. 16 are carried out.

[0164] 16, the parameter information is stored in the server 10, but it may also be stored in the home appliance 20. An example of processing in this case will be described with reference to FIG.

[0165] FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the parameter setting course setting process.

[0166] The terminal 30 and the server 10 perform the same processes as steps S231 to S237 described with reference to FIG.

[0167] When the server 10 receives the parameter information from the terminal 30, the server 10 transmits the received parameter information to the home appliance 20 (S251).

[0168] Upon receiving the parameter information from the server 10, the home appliance 20 stores the parameter information (S252).

[0169] When the home appliance 20 stores the parameter information, the home appliance 20 transmits response information including information indicating that the parameter information has been stored to the server 10 (S253).

[0170] When the server 10 receives the response information from the home appliance 20, it can be confirmed that the parameter information has been stored in the home appliance 20, and therefore the parameter information received from the terminal 30 in step S237 is stored in the third storage unit 205 (S254). This allows the parameter information to be stored in both the home appliance 20 and the server 10.

[0171] Note that, if the server 10 is unable to receive the response information from the home appliance 20 after a predetermined period from step S251, or if the response information received from the home appliance 20 indicates that storage of the parameter information has failed, the server 10 may resend the parameter information to the home appliance 20. Also, if the server 10 is unable to receive the response information from the home appliance 20 after a predetermined period from step S251, or if the response information received from the home appliance 20 indicates that storage of the parameter information has failed, the server 10 may discard the parameter information received from the terminal 30. When discarding the parameter information, the server 10 may transmit, to the terminal 30, response information including information indicating that the parameter information has not been set.

[0172] When the server 10 stores the parameter information, it transmits response information indicating that the parameter information has been stored to the terminal 30 (S255).

[0173] [3. Effects, etc.] The home appliance system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a server 10 and a home appliance 20 capable of communicating with the server 10 via a computer network 40. The server 10 transmits control information (operating course data) including the control content of the downloaded course to the home appliance 20. The home appliance 20 includes an operation unit 201, a communication unit 206, a storage unit (a second storage unit 204), a control unit 202, and a reception unit (a main body reception unit 208). The operation unit 201 performs the operation of the home appliance 20. The communication unit 206 receives the control information from the server 10 via the computer network 40. The storage unit is capable of storing the control information. The control unit 202 executes an operating course including the downloaded course based on the control information. The reception unit at least receives an operation of turning on or off the power supply to the operation unit 201. The control unit 202 stores the control information received by the communication unit 206 in the storage unit during the period from when the power supply is turned on based on the operation until the execution of the operating course is started.

[0174] According to this, the control information received during the period from when the power supply is turned on to when the execution of the operating course is started is stored in the storage unit, so that the control information for executing the operating course can be read out after the writing process to the storage unit. In other words, the writing process and the reading process can be prevented from occurring at the same time. In addition, the control information, which is expected to have a large data size, can be received and stored in the storage unit at a time when it is highly likely that the user is in front of the home appliance 20.

[0175] Moreover, the home appliance system 1 according to this embodiment further includes a terminal 30 capable of communicating with the server 10 via the computer network 40. The terminal 30 includes a terminal reception unit 302 and a terminal communication unit 303. The terminal reception unit 302 receives a download instruction for a download course. The terminal communication unit 303 transmits the download instruction received by the terminal reception unit 302 to the server 10. The server 10 transmits control information to the home appliance 20 based on the download instruction.

[0176] Therefore, based on a registration instruction to the terminal 30, downloading of control information from the server 10 to the home appliance 20 can be executed.

[0177] Moreover, in the home appliance system 1 according to the present embodiment, the terminal 30 further includes a presentation unit (main body display unit 207). When the terminal reception unit 302 receives an input indicating a download instruction at least when the power supply is off and when an operation course is being executed, the presentation unit presents that the download instruction is not accepted.

[0178] Therefore, it is possible to notify the user that registration of the download course cannot be instructed due to the state of the home appliance 20. This makes it possible to reduce the number of unnecessary operations performed by the user.

[0179] Furthermore, in the home appliance system 1 according to the present embodiment, the server 10 stores parameter information including operation parameters representing a parameter-setting course. The communication unit 206 receives the parameter information from the server 10. The control unit 202 executes the parameter-setting course by controlling the operation unit 201 based on the received parameter information. Furthermore, the operation parameters include operation information indicating a first operation included in the parameter-setting course among a plurality of predetermined types of operation of the operation unit 201, and at least one of an operation time of the first operation and an operation count of the first operation.

[0180] According to this, since the server 10 stores the parameter information, the home appliance 20 can execute the parameter setting course with settings according to the user without consuming the memory capacity of the home appliance 20.

[0181] In addition, in the home electric appliance system 1 according to the present embodiment, the terminal reception unit 302 receives settings of parameter information. The terminal communication unit 303 transmits the parameter information received by the terminal reception unit 302 to the server 10. The server 10 stores the received parameter information.

[0182] Therefore, the user can set the parameter setting course by operating the terminal. Also, since the server 10 stores the parameter setting course, the user can set the parameter setting course using the terminal 30 even when the power of the home appliance 20 is turned off.

[0183] Furthermore, in the home electric appliance system 1 according to this embodiment, the terminal accepting unit 302 accepts the setting of parameter information at least when the power supply is off and when an operating course is being executed.

[0184] Therefore, the user can set the parameter setting course by operating the terminal. Also, since the server 10 stores the parameter setting course, the user can set the parameter setting course using the terminal 30 even when the power of the home appliance 20 is turned off.

[0185] [4. Modifications] In the above embodiment, the control unit 202 of the home appliance 20 is in a non-energized state when the power is turned off, but the present invention is not limited to this. The home appliance 20 may be in a constantly energized state even when the power is turned off. For example, the home appliance 20 may be switchable between a normal mode and a constantly energized mode. The normal mode is a mode in which the control unit 202 of the home appliance 20 is not supplied with power when the power is turned off, and the constantly energized mode is a mode in which power is supplied to the control unit 202 of the home appliance 20 even when the power is turned off. In the constantly energized mode, power is supplied to the control unit 202, so that a state in which the parameter setting course can be set or stored may be maintained even after the execution of the operating course is completed. In this case, the communication unit 206 is in a state in which the power supply is on even after the execution of the operating course is completed, and the communication unit 206 is in a state in which the communication unit 206 can receive operating course data from the server 10.

[0186] In this way, the home appliance 20 is constantly powered, so that if the power supply is on even after the execution of the operating course is completed, the home appliance 20 can download the control information even after the execution of the operating course is completed.

[0187] [others] In the above-mentioned embodiment, each component may be realized by a dedicated hardware or by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. Here, the software for realizing the home appliances, terminals, servers, etc. of the above-mentioned embodiment is a program that causes a computer to execute each step included in the flowchart shown in the figure.

[0188] The following cases are also included in this disclosure:

[0189] (1) Specifically, each of the above devices is a computer system consisting of a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, hard disk unit, display unit, keyboard, mouse, etc. A computer program is stored in the RAM or hard disk unit. Each device achieves its function by the microprocessor operating in accordance with the computer program. Here, a computer program is composed of a combination of multiple instruction codes that indicate commands for a computer to achieve a specified function.

[0190] (2) Some or all of the components constituting each of the above devices may be composed of one system LSI (Large Scale Integration). The system LSI is an ultra-multifunctional LSI manufactured by integrating multiple components on one chip, and specifically, is a computer system including a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, etc. A computer program is stored in the RAM. The system LSI achieves its functions by the microprocessor operating in accordance with the computer program.

[0191] (3) Some or all of the components constituting each of the above devices may be composed of an IC card or a standalone module that is detachable from each device. The IC card or the module is a computer system composed of a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, etc. The IC card or the module may include the above-mentioned ultra-multifunction LSI. The microprocessor operates according to a computer program, causing the IC card or the module to achieve its functions. The IC card or the module may be tamper-resistant.

[0192] (4) The present disclosure may be embodied as any of the methods described above. It may also be embodied as a computer program for implementing these methods by a computer, or as a digital signal comprising the computer program.

[0193] The present disclosure may also be a computer program or a digital signal recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, such as a flexible disk, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, a DVD, a DVD-ROM, a DVD-RAM, a BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc), a semiconductor memory, etc. Also, the present disclosure may be a digital signal recorded on such a recording medium.

[0194] Furthermore, the present disclosure may involve transmitting the computer program or the digital signal via a telecommunications line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network such as the Internet, data broadcasting, or the like.

[0195] The present disclosure may also provide a computer system having a microprocessor and a memory, the memory storing the above-mentioned computer program, and the microprocessor operating in accordance with the computer program.

[0196] In addition, the program or the digital signal may be implemented by another independent computer system by recording it on the recording medium and transferring it, or by transferring the program or the digital signal via the network, etc.

[0197] (5) The above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined with each other. [Industrial Applicability]

[0198] The present disclosure can be used in household electrical appliances and the like that can stabilize processing in the home appliances. [Explanation of symbols]

[0199] 1 Home appliance systems 2 Facilities 10 Server 11, 31 processors 12, 32 memory 20 Home appliances 21 Actuator 22 Heater 23 Control Board 23a, 24a Microcomputer 23b, 24b, 23c Memory 24 Display board 25, 34 Communication IF 26, 36 Display 27, 35 Input devices 33 Storage 30 Terminals 40 Computer Networks 201 Operating part 202 Control section 203 1st memory section 204 2nd memory section 205 Third memory section 206 Communications Department 207 Main unit display 208 Main unit reception 301 Terminal display unit 302 Terminal Reception 303 Terminal communication unit

Claims

1. A home appliance system including a server and a home appliance capable of communicating with the server via a network, The server transmits control information including control contents of a download course to the home appliance, The home appliance comprises: An operation unit that performs an operation of the home appliance; a communication unit that receives the control information from the server via the network; A storage unit capable of storing the control information; a control unit that executes an operating course including the downloaded course based on the control information; A reception unit that receives an operation to turn on or off the power supply to at least the operation unit, The control unit stores in the storage unit the control information received by the communication unit during the period from when the power supply is turned on based on the operation to when execution of the operating course is started. Home appliances systems.

2. moreover, a terminal capable of communicating with the server via the network, The terminal includes: a terminal reception unit that receives a download instruction for the download course; a terminal communication unit that transmits the download instruction received by the terminal reception unit to the server, The server transmits the control information to the home appliance based on the download instruction. The home appliance system of claim 1 .

3. The terminal further comprises: a presentation unit that presents a message indicating that the download instruction is not accepted when the terminal reception unit receives an input indicating the download instruction at least when the power supply is off or when the operation course is being executed; The home appliance system of claim 2 .

4. The server stores parameter information including an operation parameter representing a parameter setting course; The communication unit receives the parameter information from the server, The control unit executes the parameter setting course by controlling the operation unit based on the received parameter information. The home appliance system of claim 2 .

5. The operation parameters include operation information indicating a first operation included in the parameter setting course among a plurality of predetermined types of operations of the operation unit, and at least one of an operation time of the first operation and an operation count of the first operation. The home appliance system of claim 4 .

6. moreover, a terminal capable of communicating with the server via the network; The terminal includes: a terminal reception unit that receives the setting of the parameter information; a terminal communication unit that transmits the parameter information accepted by the terminal acceptance unit to the server, The server stores the received parameter information. The home appliance system according to claim 4 or 5.

7. The terminal reception unit receives the setting of the parameter information at least when the power supply is off and when the operation course is being executed. The home appliance system according to claim 4 or 5.

8. moreover, a terminal capable of communicating with the server via the network, The server stores parameter information including an operation parameter representing a parameter setting course; The terminal includes: a presentation unit that presents the download course and the parameter setting course in a selectable manner; a terminal reception unit that does not accept the selection of the download course and accepts the selection of the parameter setting course when at least one of the power supply is off and the operation course is being executed. The home appliance system of claim 1 .

9. The communication unit receives the control information from the server when the power supply is on even after the execution of the operating course is completed. The home appliance system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

10. A method for registering an operating course of a home appliance, including a download course, in the home appliance, comprising: During the period from when the power supply to the home appliance is turned on to when the execution of the operation course is started, Accept a registration instruction for the download course, storing control information including a control content of the download course corresponding to the received registration instruction in a storage unit provided in the home appliance; The instruction to register the download course is not accepted at least when the power supply is off and when the operation course is being executed. How to register.

11. A home appliance, An operation unit that performs an operation of the home appliance; a communication unit that receives control information including control contents of the download course from a server via a network; A storage unit capable of storing the control information; a control unit that executes an operating course including the downloaded course based on the control information; A reception unit that receives an operation to turn on or off the power supply to at least the operation unit and the control unit, The home appliance stores, in the storage unit, the control information received by the communication unit during the period from when the power supply is turned on based on the operation to when execution of the operation course is started. Home appliances.

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