Program, household electrical system and control method

Abstract

To enable an operational procedure related to control of a household electrical appliance to be appropriate for a request of a user.SOLUTION: A program is the program for causing a computer to execute to set control content of a household electrical appliance using a partial procedure associated with time from an operation start to an end at appliance operation time, of a plurality of procedures related to an appliance operation. The program causes the computer to execute: removing a first procedure which is a portion of the plurality of procedures; and detecting a request of a user of the household electrical appliance following a second procedure that is the other portion of the plurality of procedures from which the first procedure is removed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, a home appliance system, and a control method. [Background technology]

[0002] There are home appliance systems that have a computer execute a program and use it to operate home appliances to control them. The operating procedures (operation procedures) provided by the programs are standardized. In many cases, only one type of operating procedure is provided, regardless of the user's level of proficiency in the operation. When a user repeats the same operation several times and becomes accustomed to the operation, guidance provided to carefully guide the user through the operating procedures can feel redundant. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-161181 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a program, a home appliance system, and a control method that can adapt an operation procedure relating to the control of a home appliance to a user's requirements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A program according to an embodiment is a program for causing a computer to execute a process for setting control content of a home appliance using a part of a plurality of procedures related to appliance operation, the part being associated with a period from the start to the end of the appliance operation. The program causes the computer to exclude a first procedure that is a part of the plurality of procedures, and to detect a request from a user of the home appliance according to a second procedure that is another part of the plurality of procedures excluding the first procedure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a home appliance system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a home electric appliance according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a server according to the embodiment. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a device registration DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of an operation history information DB according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of an operation procedure information DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 3 is a state transition diagram for explaining an example of home appliance control in response to an operation of the home appliance 100 according to the embodiment. [Figure 8A] 11 is a flowchart of a process relating to an omission operation of an operation screen display according to the embodiment. [Figure 8B] 11 is a flowchart of a sharing process according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation procedure of the air conditioner according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation procedure of the refrigerator according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] 5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining an operation procedure of the washing machine according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation procedure of the microwave oven according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] 11 is a flowchart of a process for determining an "operational procedure to be omitted" according to an embodiment. [Figure 14] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining a process for restricting display of an operation screen in a setting mode using the setting screen of the embodiment. [Figure 15] 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining a process for restricting the repetitive display of a pop-up from the next time onward according to an embodiment. [Figure 16] 11 is a diagram for explaining a method of transitioning from a state in which the operation screen of the embodiment is displayed to a process of restricting the display of the operation confirmation screen. [Figure 17] 11 is a diagram for explaining a setting method for sharing setting information with a user who is permitted to share a home appliance, from a state in which an operation screen according to the embodiment is displayed. FIG. [Figure 18] 13 is a flowchart of a process for suggesting use of a confirmation screen to a user U who performs a relatively large number of operations in the first modified example. [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart of a process for changing the specifications of a home electric appliance 100 according to a second modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, the program, home appliance system, and control method of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to configurations having the same or similar functions. Then, duplicated descriptions of those configurations may be omitted. In this application, "based on XX" means "based on at least XX" and may include cases based on other elements in addition to XX. Also, "based on XX" is not limited to cases based directly on XX, but may also include cases based on XX that has been calculated or processed. In this application, "XX or YY" is not limited to either XX or YY, but may include both XX and YY. This also applies to cases where there are three or more selective elements. XX and YY are any elements (for example, any information).

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

[0009] In this application, "remote control" is not limited to controlling a home appliance from outside the residence where the home appliance is located, but may also include controlling the home appliance using a terminal device inside the residence where the home appliance is located. In this application, "operation" broadly means changing the state of a home appliance. In addition, "database" will be abbreviated as "DB" below.

[0010] (Embodiment) <1. Overall configuration of home appliance system> 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a home appliance system 1 according to an embodiment. The home appliance system 1 includes, for example, one or more home appliances 100, a server 200, and a terminal device 300. Note that one or more of the home appliances 100, the server 200, and the terminal device 300 may be provided as external components of the home appliance system 1. The network NW described below may be, for example, the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), or other public lines or dedicated lines, depending on the situation.

[0011] The home appliance 100 is an electric appliance mainly used at home. The home appliance 100 is placed in the residence of a user U. The home appliance 100 is an air conditioner 100A (air conditioning device), a refrigerator 100B, a cooking device 100C, a clothing processing device 100D, a vacuum cleaner, a rice cooker, an iron, etc., but is not limited to these. The home appliance 100 is connected to a network NW via a wireless router WR and a modem M installed in the residence of the user U. The home appliance 100 can communicate with a server 200 or a terminal device 300 via the network NW. In the following, for convenience of explanation, the air conditioner 100A may be referred to as an "air conditioner 100A", the cooking device 100C may be referred to as an "oven range 100C", and the clothing processing device 100D may be referred to as a "washing machine 100D".

[0012] The server 200 is a management server that manages the home appliance 100. The server 200 is composed of one or more server devices (e.g., cloud servers). The server 200 may be referred to as a "server system." The server 200 is capable of communicating with the home appliance 100 or the terminal device 300 via the network NW. The server 200 may include an information processing unit that performs edge computing or fog computing, such as an information processing unit included in a router in the network NW. The server 200 is not limited to a cloud server, and may be a computer in the residence of the user U, or a home router (e.g., a wireless router WR). Software (referred to as a server program SP) is installed in the server 200, and the following functions are supported. The server program SP is an example of an application program (program) for managing the home appliance 100. The server program SP is used, for example, to remotely control the home appliance 100, check its status, or use services related to the home appliance 100.

[0013] The terminal device 300 is a terminal device used by a user U of the home appliance 100. The terminal device 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal device. However, the terminal device 300 is not limited to a mobile terminal device and may be a personal computer or the like. The terminal device 300 has a display device 301 including a display screen 301a capable of displaying various information, and an input device 302 capable of receiving input from the user U. The input device 302 is, for example, a touch panel provided on the display screen 301a of the display device 301. The input device 302 may include a camera, a microphone, and the like provided in the terminal device 300.

[0014] An application program P is installed in the terminal device 300, and the functions described below are supported. The application program P is an application program for managing the home appliance 100. The application program P is used, for example, to remotely control or check the status of the home appliance 100, or to use services related to the home appliance 100. Hereinafter, application software that is started by executing the application program P is referred to as a "home appliance management application APP."

[0015] <2. Home appliances> First, the home appliance 100 will be described in detail. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the home appliance 100. The home appliance 100 includes an actuator 110, an operation unit 120, a control unit 130, and a storage unit 180, for example.

[0016] Actuator 110 is a drive unit that operates the main functions of home appliance 100. For example, if home appliance 100 is a refrigerator, actuator 110 is a compressor that compresses a refrigerant, a blower that circulates cool air inside the refrigerator, etc. If home appliance 100 is a washing machine, actuator 110 is a motor that rotates a washing tub, etc. If home appliance 100 is an oven range, actuator 110 is a motor that rotates a turntable on which food is placed, a fan, an element that generates electromagnetic waves, etc.

[0017] The operation unit 120 is an operation button or a touch panel provided on the home appliance 100. The operation unit 120 accepts an operation by the user U regarding the home appliance 100. For example, the operation unit 120 accepts an operation by the user U to specify or change the setting contents of the home appliance 100. The setting contents of the home appliance 100 include one or more of control amounts related to various controls, target values, threshold values, timer settings, operation modes, and the like. Information indicating the setting contents of the home appliance 100 is stored in the storage unit 180 as setting information 181.

[0018] The control unit 130 is realized by one or more hardware processors, such as a central processing unit (CPU) mounted on the home appliance 100, executing a program. However, a part or all of the control unit 130 may be realized by hardware, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

[0019] The control unit 130 performs overall control of the home appliance 100. For example, the control unit 130 operates the home appliance 100 by controlling the actuator 110 based on the detection results of sensors provided in the home appliance 100 and the setting information 181. The control unit 130 also executes various controls in response to requests from the server 200, responses to the server 200, and the like.

[0020] The storage unit 180 is a functional unit that stores various information. The storage unit 180 is realized by a combination of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. The storage unit 180 stores setting information 181.

[0021] <3. Server> Next, the server 200 will be described in detail. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 200. The server 200 includes, for example, a device registration unit 210, a home appliance management unit 220, a service providing unit 230, and a storage unit 280.

[0022] The device registration unit 210, the home appliance management unit 220, and the service providing unit 230 are realized by one or more hardware processors such as a CPU mounted on the server 200 executing a program. However, some or all of these functional units may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC, a PLD, or an FPGA, or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. These functional units may be provided separately in multiple server devices. Furthermore, one or more of these functional units may be provided in the terminal device 300 or the home appliance 100 instead of the server 200. For example, the service providing unit 230 may be provided as a part of a home appliance management application APP of the terminal device 300.

[0023] <3.1 Device Registration Section> The device registration unit 210 performs device registration of the home appliance 100 in response to a request from the terminal device 300 (i.e., an application from the user U). Device registration means associating a specific user U with the home appliance 100 used by the user U (i.e., the home appliance 100 to be remotely controlled). Device registration is performed, for example, by registering a correspondence between user information (e.g., a user ID) capable of identifying the user U and device information (e.g., a device ID) capable of identifying an individual home appliance 100. In this embodiment, the correspondence is registered in a device registration DB 281 stored in the storage unit 280. The device ID is, for example, a serial number of the home appliance 100. Note that device registration may be performed by associating a specific terminal device 300 used by the user U with the specific home appliance 100 instead of associating a specific user U with the specific home appliance 100.

[0024] 4A is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the device registration DB 281. In the device registration DB 281, for example, a user ID, a device ID, a type of the home appliance 100 (home appliance type), a model of the home appliance 100, a display name on the home appliance management application APP, and information for sharing and using the home appliance 100 ("shared") are associated and registered. 4B is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the operation history information DB 284 according to the embodiment. In the operation history information DB 284, for example, a user ID, a device ID, a type (home appliance type) of the home appliance 100, a model of the home appliance 100, a display name on the home appliance management application APP, and information on the status of the home appliance 100 ("status") are registered in association with each other.

[0025] When the device registration unit 210 has performed device registration of the home appliance 100 in response to a request from the terminal device 300, the device registration unit 210 transmits information indicating the home appliance 100 that has performed device registration to the terminal device 300. The information indicating the home appliance 100 that has performed device registration is stored in the storage unit 380 of the terminal device 300 as device registration information 381, which will be described later.

[0026] <3.2 Home appliance management department> The home appliance management unit 220 manages the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed. For example, when the home appliance management unit 220 receives a remote control request from the terminal device 300 to remotely control the home appliance 100, the home appliance management unit 220 remotely controls the home appliance 100 by notifying the home appliance 100 of a control command corresponding to the received remote control request. Furthermore, when the home appliance management unit 220 receives a confirmation request from the terminal device 300 to confirm the state of the home appliance 100, the home appliance management unit 220 notifies the home appliance 100 of a request to transmit state information indicating the state of the home appliance 100. The home appliance management unit 220 transmits information indicating the state of the home appliance 100 to the terminal device 300 based on the state information received from the home appliance 100.

[0027] In this embodiment, the home appliance management unit 220 has an operation management unit 221. Based on a predetermined signal received from the terminal device 300, the operation management unit 221 controls a specific home appliance 100 corresponding to the signal. In this embodiment, the operation management unit 221 can control an air conditioner 100A and the like installed in the residence of a user U. For example, the operation management unit 221 can turn the power of multiple air conditioners 100A to an OFF state or an ON state. For example, the above control by the operation management unit 221 is performed based on the relationship between a "user ID" (first user ID) registered in the above-mentioned device registration DB 281 and a corresponding "device ID." Furthermore, the above control by the operation management unit 221 may be performed based on the relationship between another user's ID (second user ID) registered in "shared" in the above-mentioned device registration DB 281 and a corresponding "device ID." The operation management unit 221 receives a request from a user indicating the first user ID or the second user ID, and controls the corresponding home appliance 100. The operation management unit 221 associates the above-mentioned user request with the result of the control of the home electric appliance 100, and adds the associated information to the operation history information DB 284 of the storage unit 280 as history information.

[0028] <3.3 Service Provision Department> The service providing unit 230 provides a service related to the home appliance 100 for which device registration has been performed. The service provided by the service providing unit 230 is, for example, a service related to the control of the home appliance 100. This control includes both remote control of the home appliance 100 by a user and automatic driving control by the home appliance 100.

[0029] In this embodiment, the service providing unit 230 includes an operation procedure management unit 231, a recipe providing unit 232, an operation history information providing unit 233, and the like.

[0030] The operation procedure management unit 231 provides a remote control service for operating each home appliance 100 from the terminal device 300. The remote control service enables a user U to operate the home appliance 100 using the terminal device 300 or the like, without directly operating the home appliance 100. For example, the operation procedure management unit 231 registers operation procedure information for providing operations for each home appliance 100 to be managed in an operation procedure information DB 282 stored in the storage unit 280, and manages the information.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the operation procedure information DB282. In the operation procedure information DB282, a management ID, a home appliance type, a format, a category, an image ID, an image type (type), a display setting, a content, and the like are associated and registered as operation procedure information. For example, each home appliance 100 is broadly classified by its type ("home appliance type"). In the operation procedure information DB282, operation procedure information of each home appliance 100 is registered for each "type". The "category" in the operation procedure information DB282 includes information for identifying a spatial classification and a functional classification in the home appliance 100. For example, for the air conditioner 100A, examples of the classification are "automatic operation", "cooling", "heating", and "dehumidification". For the refrigerator 100B, examples of the classification are "chilled room", "refrigerated room", and "freezer". In addition, things common to the above classifications are collectively classified as "common". For the washing machine 100D, examples of the classification are "washing operation" and "drying operation". In addition to this, things that are common to the above classifications are categorized as "common."

[0032] (Recipe provided by) The recipe providing unit 232 provides a recipe service. The recipe service is a service related to proposing or searching for recipes. In this embodiment, the recipe service is a service related to the refrigerator 100B or the oven range 100C, and becomes available to the user U (for example, available without specific functional restrictions) by registering either the refrigerator 100B or the oven range 100C. The recipe providing unit 232 proposes or searches for recipes based on a recipe DB 283 stored in the storage unit 280.

[0033] (Operation History Information Department) The operation history information providing unit 233 provides history information related to operations of the home appliance 100. The history information providing service is a service that provides history information of the home appliance 100. In this embodiment, the operation history information providing unit 233 extracts operations on the target home appliance 100 from history information within a predetermined period in the operation history information DB 284 stored in the storage unit 280, and provides the results. For example, the result of this extraction can be used for analyzing the tendency of erroneous operations by the user U. The operation history information providing unit 233 analyzes the tendency of erroneous operations by the user U based on the result of the extraction, and outputs the result. In this embodiment, if the user U commands the home appliance 100 to be in the first state and then registers another command to cancel the first control within a predetermined time, the command to "set the home appliance 100 to the first state" is treated as an erroneous operation. Such a case includes, for example, a case where the home appliance 100 is changed from the off state to the on state, and then the off state is commanded immediately thereafter. In addition, when a specific control state can be selected from a plurality of control states, a case where the user selects the first state and then immediately thereafter reselects the second state. For example, in the case of the air conditioner 100A, a case where the user selects "cooling" and then reselects "heating" corresponds to this. This will be described in detail later.

[0034] <4. Terminal device> Next, the terminal device 300 will be described in detail. 6 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the terminal device 300. The terminal device 300 includes a registration receiving unit 310, a display control unit 320, an operation receiving unit 330, a notification unit 340, and a storage unit 380, for example.

[0035] The registration reception unit 310, the display control unit 320, the operation reception unit 330, and the notification unit 340 are realized by one or more hardware processors, such as a CPU, mounted on the terminal device 300 executing the application program P. In other words, the registration reception unit 310, the display control unit 320, the operation reception unit 330, and the notification unit 340 are software function units included in the home appliance management application APP.

[0036] <4.1 Registration Reception> The registration acceptance unit 310 accepts an application for device registration of the home appliance 100, based on an operation of the user U on the operation acceptance unit 330. In this application, "accepting an application for registration" or "accepting registration" is not limited to a case where the registration process is completed by the terminal device 300, but may also include a case where an operation of the user U instructing device registration (i.e., an application for registration) is accepted by the terminal device 300 and the actual registration process is performed by the server 200.

[0037] In this embodiment, the registration acceptance unit 310 accepts an application for registration of a home appliance 100 (hereinafter referred to as a "target home appliance 100") associated with a user ID used for login, when the user ID is used to log in to the home appliance management application APP. For example, a user U reads a QR code (registered trademark) attached to the target home appliance 100 using a camera of the terminal device 300. The registration acceptance unit 310 transmits QR code information indicating the QR code read using the camera of the terminal device 300 to the server 200. As a result, the device registration unit 210 of the server 200 performs device registration by associating the device ID indicated by the QR code information received from the terminal device 300 with the user ID used for login. The QR code is an example of a "two-dimensional barcode."

[0038] <4.2 Display control section> The display control unit 320 controls the display device 301 of the terminal device 300 to control the contents to be displayed on the display screen 301 a of the display device 301 . For example, the display control unit 320 causes the display screen 301a to display one or more "operation units B" for operating the home appliance 100 and a display of the state of the home appliance 100 in a predetermined format (see FIG. 9, etc.). The display control unit 320 will be described in detail later.

[0039] <4.3 Operation reception section> The operation reception unit 330 receives an operation of the user U performed on the input device 302 in relation to the home appliance management application APP. For example, the operation reception unit 330 receives an operation of the user U on the operation unit B displayed on the display screen 301a. The operation reception unit 330 transmits a signal corresponding to the operation unit B operated by the user U to the server 200. As a result, the process corresponding to the operation unit B operated by the user U is performed by the server 200.

[0040] <4.4 Notification Department> The notification unit 340 notifies the user U of predetermined content through the display device 301. For example, the notification unit 340 notifies the user U of how to use the home appliance management application APP.

[0041] <4.5 Storage section> The storage unit 380 is realized by a combination of a RAM, a ROM, an EEPROM, an SSD, etc. The storage unit 380 stores an application program P and device registration information 381. In the device registration information 381, a list of home electric appliances 100 that have been registered in association with a user ID of a user U who uses the terminal device 300 is registered.

[0042] <5. An example of home appliance control> FIG. 7 is a state transition diagram for explaining an example of home appliance control in response to an operation of the home appliance 100 according to the embodiment.

[0043] The states of home appliance control are broadly classified as follows: ST1: First state in home appliance control (e.g., OFF mode) ST2: Second state in home appliance control (e.g., ON mode) ST3: State for confirming requests (operations) related to home appliance control

[0044] For example, the above state ST1 is a stopped state (OFF mode) of the home appliance 100. State ST2 is an operating state (ON mode) of the home appliance 100. The request confirmation step ST3 is a state in which a request (operation) related to home appliance control is confirmed.

[0045] For example, the state of the home appliance 100 may be directly transitioned between the above-mentioned states ST1 and ST2. In addition, when transitioning from state ST1 to state ST2, or when transitioning from state ST2 to state ST1, a step of confirming a request (operation) related to home appliance control may be interposed. According to this embodiment, it is possible to set which of the above-mentioned paths to transition is to be taken for each procedure.

[0046] (Regarding operations to confirm requests (operations) related to home appliance control) The transition when using a step of confirming a request (operation) related to home appliance control will be described.

[0047] For example, the information "enabled", "omitted", and "-" (not configurable) is registered in the "display setting" item of the operation procedure information DB 282. This information indicates whether or not the above-mentioned "step of confirming a request (operation) related to home appliance control" is available, and if available, is used as information for specifying whether to use this step ("enabled") or to omit the display without using this step ("omitted").

[0048] When the information in this item is set to "enabled", an operation screen for a step for confirming a request (operation) related to home appliance control is displayed on the terminal device 300. When the information in this item is set to "omitted", the "operation screen for a step for confirming a request (operation) related to home appliance control" is not displayed on the terminal device 300, and when each operation is detected, the state is directly transitioned. For example, the server 200 may perform control related to the above state transitions.

[0049] For example, if the information in this item is set to "valid" and a request (Rto2ID) to transition to state ST2 is detected in state ST1, the server 200 moves the process to a request confirmation step ST3 and notifies the terminal device 300 of this. In this request confirmation step ST3, a display (e.g., a pop-up) for confirming the request appears on the operation screen of the terminal device 300. Here, when the server 200 confirms that the request to transition to state ST2 is applied (Rto2), it transitions to state ST2. On the other hand, if the information in this item is set to "omitted" and a request to transition to state ST2 (Rto2D) is detected in state ST1, the state transitions to state ST2.

[0050] Furthermore, when the server 200 detects a request (Rto1ID) to transition to state ST1 in state ST2, the server 200 shifts the process to a request confirmation step ST3 and notifies the terminal device 300 of this. In this request confirmation step ST3, a display (e.g., a pop-up) for request confirmation appears on the operation screen of the terminal device 300. Here, when the server 200 confirms that the request to transition to state ST1 is applied (Rto1), it transitions to state ST1. On the other hand, if the information in this item is set to "omitted" and a request to transition to state ST1 (Rto1D) is detected in state ST2, the state transitions to state ST1. A more specific example of the above will now be described.

[0051] <5. Examples of home appliance control operations> An example of an omission operation of the operation screen display according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B. 8A and 8B are flowcharts of a process related to an operation screen display omission operation according to the embodiment, and a sharing process according to the embodiment.

[0052] The terminal device 300 (home appliance management application APP) starts an operation to skip the operation screen display. For example, the home appliance management application APP determines whether or not the operation screen can be selected (S11), and if the operation screen cannot be selected, ends the series of processes. When the operation screen can be selected, the home appliance management application APP waits for a predetermined operation to be detected, and after the detection, changes the state to one in which the operation screen can be selected (S12). For example, the above-mentioned "predetermined operation" may be an operation of continuously touching a predetermined area on the display surface for more than a predetermined time (referred to as a "long press operation"). The home appliance management application APP determines whether or not an operation screen the display of which is to be omitted has been selected (S13), and if an operation screen the display of which is to be omitted has not been selected, the series of processes ends. When an operation screen to be omitted is selected, the home appliance management application APP additionally stores information of the selection result in the storage unit 280 (S14). The home appliance management application APP executes a process for sharing the information about the device for which the display of the operation screen is to be omitted after adding and storing the information in the storage unit 280 (S16). Note that this process for sharing may be omitted. Details of this process for sharing will be described later. The home appliance management application APP omits displaying the selected operation screen, and displays an operation screen different from the selected operation screen (S17). By the above procedure, the operation procedure of the home electric appliance 100 can be changed according to the user's preference. Therefore, even when sharing the operation procedure, the same operation procedure can be shared without setting it individually.

[0053] 8A (S14), information on the item for which display of the operation screen is to be omitted is notified to server 200. After terminal device 300 adds and stores the above information in storage unit 280, server 200 determines whether or not to deploy the information of the selection result to a sharing destination (S16A). If the information is to be deployed to a sharing destination, server 200 selects a sharer who is the deployment destination (S16B), and deploys the information to the sharing destination (S16C). With this procedure, even when home electric appliance 100 is shared by a plurality of users, similar operation procedures can be shared without the need for individual settings.

[0054] <6. Display screen contents> Next, the display contents of the terminal device 300 of the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9 to Fig. 17. The display contents described below are realized by the processing of the display control unit 320 unless otherwise specified. In the following description, "operation unit B" refers to an operation unit displayed on the display screen 301a, and is a function key to which a specific function is assigned in order to call that function. Operation unit B is, for example, an icon displayed on the display screen 301a. The home electric appliances to be operated as described below are exemplified as an air conditioner 100A, a refrigerator 100B, a washing machine 100D, and an oven range 100C.

[0055] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation procedure of the air conditioner 100A of the embodiment. FIG. 9 shows an example of the transition of operation screens in accordance with the operating procedure of the air conditioner 100A. 9 corresponds to the operation procedure for transitioning between the operation screens as follows: These operation screens are shown arranged in order from left to right.

[0056] (a) "Stopped (OFF)" (IA001001) → (b) "Check on request" (IA001002) → (c) "Running (ON)" (IA001003) → (d) "Check off request" (IA001004) → (e) "Stopped (OFF)"

[0057] The state of the air conditioner 100A that is changed by this operation is one of two states: "stopped (OFF)" and "operating (ON)."

[0058] If the goal is simply to transition between these two states, "Stopped (OFF)" and "Running (ON)," then it would be possible to create an operational procedure for switching from one state to the other if there were an operational screen corresponding to each of (a) "Stopped (OFF)" and (c) "Running (ON)."

[0059] Therefore, when simplifying the display of the operating procedure in this way, the two states "Confirm on request" and "Confirm off request" and the operating screen prompting the transition from those states can be omitted. Therefore, the lower part of FIG. 9 shows an operation procedure in the case where the display of the operation screens corresponding to the two states of "ON request confirmation" and "OFF request confirmation" is omitted.

[0060] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation procedure of the refrigerator 100B of the embodiment. FIG. 10 shows an example of transition of operation screens in accordance with the operation procedure of the refrigerator 100B. 10 corresponds to the operation procedure for transitioning between the operation screens as follows: These operation screens are shown arranged in order from left to right.

[0061] (a) "Normal mode" (IB004001) → (b) "Mode selection" (IB004011) → (c) "Confirm transition request" (IB004012) → (d) "Display mode explanation (pop-up display)" (IB004013) → (e) "Decompression mode"

[0062] The state of refrigerator 100B to which this operation transitions is one of two states: "normal mode" and "defrost mode," which is the mode selected by "mode selection." This "defrost mode" is one example of the result of "mode selection."

[0063] If the system is to simply transition between these two states, "normal mode" and "defrost mode," then it would be possible to have an operational procedure for switching from each state to the other state if there were an operational screen corresponding to each of (a) "normal mode," (b) "mode selection," and (e) "defrost mode."

[0064] Of these, if three states, "normal mode", "mode selection", and "freezing mode", are to be transitioned, two states, "transition request confirmation" and "mode explanation display (pop-up display)", can be omitted. Therefore, the operation procedure when omitting the display of the operation screens corresponding to the two states, "transition request confirmation" and "mode explanation display (pop-up display)", is shown in the lower part of Fig. 10.

[0065] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the operation procedure of the washing machine 100D of the embodiment. FIG. 11 shows an example of transition of operation screens in accordance with the operation procedure of the washing machine 100D. 11 corresponds to the operation procedure for transitioning between the operation screens as follows: These operation screens are shown arranged in order from left to right.

[0066] (a) "Select mode during stop (OFF)" → (b) "Confirm start request" → (c) "During operation"

[0067] When the "Select Start Now" button (operation unit B) is selected on the "Select Mode When Stopped (OFF)" screen (ID007001), the screen transitions to the "Confirm Start Request" screen (ID007011). Note that the states of washing machine 100D that are transitioned by this operation are "Stopped (OFF)" and "In Operation." Depending on whether "Start" or "Cancel" is selected at the "Confirm Start Request" stage, the state transition is made to one of the above two states.

[0068] If the goal is simply to transition between these two states, “Stopped (OFF)” and “Driving”, then it would be possible to have an operational procedure for switching from one state to the other, provided that there are operational screens corresponding to (a) “Stopped (OFF)” and (c) “Driving”, respectively.

[0069] Therefore, when simplifying the display of the operation procedure in this way, the "start request confirmation" state and the operation screen prompting the transition from that state can be omitted. Therefore, the operation procedure in the case where the display of the operation screen corresponding to the "start request confirmation" state is omitted is shown in the lower part of FIG.

[0070] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the operating procedure of the microwave oven 100C of the embodiment. FIG. 12 shows an example of the transition of the operation screen in accordance with the operating procedure of the microwave oven 100C. 12 corresponds to the operation procedure for transitioning between the operation screens as follows: These operation screens are shown arranged in order from left to right.

[0071] (a) "Send history" → (b) "Select recipe" → (c) "Select send button" → (d) "Confirm send request" → (e) "Sent confirmation display (pop-up display)" → (f) "Recipe details"

[0072] The state of the microwave oven 100C that is changed by this operation is one of two states: "Recipe details" that shows the recipe selected by "Recipe selection" from the "Transmission history." This "Recipe details" is an example of the result of "Recipe selection."

[0073] Of these, if you transition between the four states "Send history" (IC003001), "Recipe selection", "Send button selection", and "Recipe details", you can omit the two states "Confirm send request" and "Sent confirmation display (pop-up display)". In line with this, it is a good idea to omit the display of the operation screens corresponding to the two states "Confirm send request" and "Sent confirmation display (pop-up display)".

[0074] (How to decide which steps to skip) A method for determining "an operating procedure to be omitted" according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. To set an operation procedure that you want to omit, you can use, for example, the following method. Set the operation steps you want to omit from the setting modes that use the setting screen. Set the operation steps you want to skip when performing operations using the operation screen.

[0075] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a process for determining an "operational procedure to be omitted" according to the embodiment.

[0076] The home appliance management application APP transitions to a screen omission setting (S21). The home appliance management application APP selects the device to be targeted for screen omission based on the operation (S22). The home appliance management application APP selects an operation screen related to the target device based on the operation (S23). The home appliance management application APP displays a list of screens to be displayed in the selected scene (S24). The home appliance management application APP displays an operation screen for allowing the user to select a screen that the user wishes to skip (S25), and acquires the selection result. The home appliance management application APP shares the information of the selection result (S26). The process of S26 may be the same as the process of S16 described above, for example. The home appliance management application APP omits the operation screen selected on the system side (S27) and displays the next operation screen to be displayed. The series of processes according to the above steps is completed.

[0077] (Example of setting mode using the setting screen) FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a process for restricting the display of the operation screen in the setting mode using the setting screen of the embodiment.

[0078] 14A shows a selection screen for selecting a home appliance to be remotely controlled. For example, the washing machine 100D is selected here. 14B shows a selection screen for selecting the range to be edited in the operation procedure for the selected washing machine (home appliance). For example, "Reserve from outside" for the washing machine is selected here. FIG. 14C shows three successive selection screens (ID007001, ID007011, ID007001) in accordance with the same procedure in "reserving from outside" the washing machine.

[0079] Here, the operation screen for "confirming a start request" of the washing machine is preset as a screen whose display can be omitted. During the setting operation, the display of the screen for "confirming a start request" operation is switched.

[0080] For a screen that can be omitted, a dotted line surrounds the screen and a check box CB is displayed within the screen. Checking this check box CB sets the screen to be omitted, and unchecking it sets the screen to be displayed. For example, the setting status of whether or not to omit the screen may be confirmed by the state of the check box CB, and by superimposing a shading on the screen when it is set to be omitted.

[0081] (Example of a process to restrict pop-ups that appear on the operation screen) FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the process of restricting the repetitive display of a pop-up from the next time onward according to the embodiment.

[0082] FIG. 15(a) is an example of a screen (ID007012) displayed at the "start request confirmation" stage in the above-mentioned washing machine 100D. In the center of this screen, a pop-up message is displayed to confirm the request to "Start driving now" and buttons to respond ("Start" and "Cancel"). This pop-up disappears when the button to respond is pressed. Below the above display, a confirmation message asking "Do you want to skip this from next time?" to limit the repetitive display of the pop-up is displayed, along with a check box CB for the answer. If the repetitive display of the pop-up is not limited, it will be displayed repeatedly when a "start request" is entered. It will be cleared at the same time as the above pop-up is cleared.

[0083] (b) and (c) in Fig. 15 are examples of registering a restriction on the repeated display of pop-ups on the "Start Request Confirmation" screen. To enable the restriction on the repeated display of pop-ups, (b) in Fig. 15 shows an example in which the answer checkbox CB is blacked out, and (c) in Fig. 15 shows an example in which the answer checkbox CB is checked.

[0084] (Example of a process to restrict the display of the operation confirmation screen) FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a method of transitioning from a state in which the operation screen of the embodiment is displayed to a process of restricting the display of the operation confirmation screen.

[0085] An example of the display of the operation screen is shown in (a) of FIG. 16. When this operation is performed, the confirmation screen is displayed. For example, in this state, if an operation is performed for a long time within the range of a pop-up display (ID007011) displayed in the operation screen, the screen transitions to (b) of FIG. 16. A pop-up (ID007012) for changing the settings to restrict the display of the operation confirmation screen is displayed on the screen in (b) of FIG. 16. By answering ("Yes" or "No") in accordance with the confirmation message for restricting the display of this operation screen ("Do you want to skip this from next time?"), the settings are configured according to the answer.

[0086] (Example of a process for sharing settings information with users who are allowed to share home appliances) FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a setting method for sharing setting information with a user who is permitted to share the home electric appliance 100, from a state in which the operation screen according to the embodiment is displayed.

[0087] An example of the display of the operation screen is shown in (a) of Fig. 17. When this operation is performed, a confirmation screen is displayed. For example, this pop-up display (ID007011) displays a message of the process corresponding to this operation screen ("Start operation now") and a button for answering ("Yes" or "No"), as well as a confirmation message for restricting the display of this operation screen ("Skip next time?") and a corresponding check box CB. Furthermore, a confirmation message for limiting the display of this operation screen ("Omit from next time?") and a check box CB corresponding thereto are displayed. Furthermore, a confirmation message for expanding sharing to users who are permitted to share the home appliance 100 ("Expand to shared users") and a check box CB corresponding thereto are displayed.

[0088] When the check box CB related to sharing is checked and a message for processing corresponding to the operation screen is answered, a pop-up (ID007002) is displayed as shown in FIG. 17(b), which displays a confirmation message ("Dispatch to Shared Users") for expanding sharing to users who are permitted to share the home appliance 100, and buttons for answering ("Yes" or "No"). When "Yes" is selected, the screen transitions to a selection screen (ID007003) for sharing contents as shown in FIG. 17(c). This screen displays a message for selecting the sharing contents, and radio buttons for selecting "Device" and "Operation Procedure". By selecting a radio and operating "Next", the contents to be shared are confirmed. This transitions to a screen for selecting a sharing destination.

[0089] As described above, the setting status can be shared by notifying other users who share home appliance 100 that some steps have been set to be omitted. More specifically, when a user selects to omit a first step, which is one of the steps, and the user who selected to omit the first step has changed the setting to omit the first step, the information can be shared by transmitting the information to other users. From another perspective, by operating the sharing means, the omission settings made by a certain user U are shared with other users, so that the other users can operate the home appliance 100 according to an operation procedure similar to that of the user U, even if they do not make the omission settings themselves. As for the sharing method, it is preferable that the contents to be shared can be selected or automatically reflected.

[0090] According to the embodiment, the program is a program for causing a computer to execute the program for setting the control content of a home appliance using a part of a plurality of procedures related to appliance operation, the part being associated with the start to end of the appliance operation. The program causes a computer to execute the following: excluding a first procedure, which is a part of the plurality of procedures, and detecting a user request according to a second procedure, which is another part of the plurality of procedures excluding the first procedure. This allows the operation procedure related to the control of the home appliance to be adapted to the user request. For example, a plurality of transition screens may be associated with the plurality of procedures, respectively. In this case, when the computer is caused to control a home appliance using a portion of the plurality of transition screens, output of a first transition screen that is a portion of the plurality of transition screens and is related to a first procedure may be omitted. The computer may be caused to output a second transition screen that is another portion of the plurality of transition screens excluding the first transition screen, according to a second procedure. The program is a program executed by a computer for setting the control content of a home appliance based on a request to switch the control mode of the home appliance. The program causes the computer to output information for selecting whether or not to omit some steps from a predetermined procedure prompting a user to confirm in response to the request to switch the control mode, and to acquire the request according to a procedure in which some steps are omitted from the predetermined procedure based on the result of the selection. This makes it possible to make the operation procedure related to the control of the home appliance suitable for the user's request.

[0091] For example, the above-described home appliance system 1 includes a computer that controls home appliance 100 using some procedures associated with a period from the start to the end of a device operation among a plurality of procedures related to device operation. The control unit of home appliance system 1 may detect a user request according to a second procedure that is another part of the plurality of procedures excluding a first procedure that is a part of the plurality of procedures excluding the first procedure. The home appliance system 1 includes a computer that controls the home appliance 100 based on a request to switch the control mode of the home appliance 100. The home appliance system 1 includes a service providing unit 230 (control unit). The service providing unit 230 may output information (image, sound, etc.) for prompting the user to select whether or not to omit some steps from a predetermined procedure prompting a user to confirm in response to the request to switch the control mode, and may acquire the request according to a procedure in which some steps are omitted from the predetermined procedure based on the result of the selection.

[0092] The "information for selecting whether or not to omit some steps from among the predetermined steps" may include either image information displayed on the display unit 301 of the terminal device 300 (computer) or information (sound, voice message, acoustic information, etc.) output by vibrating a movable part (speaker, vibrator, motor, etc.) by the terminal device 300 (computer). Information (sound, voice message, acoustic information, etc.) output by vibrating a movable part (speaker, vibrator, motor, etc.) is an example of a plurality of sounds. For example, there may be a case where a plurality of identifiable sounds are associated with the plurality of procedures, respectively. In this case, when a computer is caused to control a home appliance using a portion of the plurality of sounds, output of a first sound that is a portion of the plurality of sounds and that is related to a first procedure may be omitted. It is preferable to cause the computer to output a second sound that is a portion of the plurality of sounds excluding the first sound, according to a second procedure.

[0093] In addition, the "information for selecting whether or not to omit some steps from the specified steps" may be obtained either at the time of operation in which each of the some steps is accepted individually, or at the time of setting in which the settings for the some of the steps are accepted collectively, or both.

[0094] The choice of whether or not to omit some steps from the above-mentioned specified steps may be obtained in at least one of a first state (during operation) in which operations of the home appliance can be accepted individually, a second state (during setting) in which a group of steps from the specified steps can be accepted collectively, and a third state (notification setting) in which a notification from outside is responded to.

[0095] In a situation where omission of some steps from the above-mentioned predetermined steps is selected, and when not omitting the part of the steps is selected, the server 200 substitutes for not omitting the part of the steps. Furthermore, in a situation where not omitting some steps from the above-mentioned predetermined steps is selected, and when omission of the part of the steps is selected, the server 200 substitutes for omission of the part of the steps.

[0096] The server 200 may select a range of procedures to be omitted from the predetermined procedures by collectively selecting procedures included in a predetermined category for the predetermined procedures.

[0097] (Variation 1) The first modification will be described with reference to FIG. The example shown in this modified example is one in which the use of a confirmation screen is suggested to a user U who makes relatively many operational errors. FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a process for suggesting the use of a confirmation screen to a user U who performs a relatively large number of operations in the first modification.

[0098] The server 200 determines whether or not the omission setting has been selected for each user U (S31), and ends the series of processes if the omission setting has not been selected. If the omission setting is selected, the server 200 extracts an operational error based on the operation history of this user U (S32). The server 200 identifies the frequency of operational errors made by this user U (S33). The server 200 notifies the user U of the proposal for reducing the frequency of the user U's erroneous operations (S34), and checks whether the omitted steps should be restored (S35). For example, the server 200 sends the above notification to the terminal device 300 of the user U, and waits for a response from the user U. If it is confirmed based on a response from the user U that the user wishes to maintain the omitted state, the current settings are maintained and this series of processes is terminated.

[0099] On the other hand, if it is confirmed based on a response from the user U that the user wishes to cancel the omission and return to a display state (S36), the settings are changed to cancel the omission, and this series of processes is terminated.

[0100] In this way, an operation that satisfies a predetermined condition is identified as an erroneous operation. When an operation identified as an erroneous operation is detected from the operation history of a user who has selected to omit some steps from the above-mentioned predetermined steps, the server 200 may notify the user of the tendency of the user's operations.

[0101] This makes it possible to suggest to a user U who makes relatively many operational errors that he or she use the confirmation screen.

[0102] (Variation 2) The second modification will be described with reference to FIG. In this modification, an example of how to deal with a change in the specifications of home appliance 100 by the manufacturer will be described. FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a process for changing the specifications of home electric appliance 100 according to the second modification.

[0103] For example, it may be unclear whether the setting specified to omit display at the request of the user U is related to this specification change, the user U may overlook the notification of the specification change itself, or the user U may forget that he or she made the setting. Therefore, in this modified example, an example is proposed for increasing the awareness of the above-mentioned notification to the user U.

[0104] The server 200 determines, for each user U, whether or not there is a step for which omission setting has been selected (S41), and if there is no step for which omission setting has been selected, ends the series of processes. If there is a step for which the omission setting has been selected, the server 200 notifies the user U that a change in the specifications of the home appliance 100 is related to the step for which the omission setting has been selected (S42), and ends the series of processes. In this way, when there is a change in the operation procedure related to the first procedure, which is a part of the procedures, and which relates to a change in the specifications of the home appliance 100, the server 200 may notify the user of the change. By carrying out such processing, it is possible to increase awareness of the above-mentioned notification to the user U.

[0105] This allows information about changes to the specifications of home appliance 100 by the manufacturer to be shared.

[0106] According to at least one embodiment described above, the program is a program for causing a computer to execute the program to set the control content of a home appliance using a part of a plurality of procedures related to appliance operation, the part being associated with the start to end of the appliance operation. The program causes the computer to execute the following steps: excluding a first procedure that is a part of the plurality of procedures; and detecting a request of a user of the home appliance according to a second procedure that is another part of the plurality of procedures excluding the first procedure. This allows the operation procedure related to the control of the home appliance to be adapted to the request of the user.

[0107] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 100...home appliance, 200...server, 300...terminal device.

Claims

1. A computer for setting control contents of a home appliance using a part of procedures associated with a process from start to end of the appliance operation among a plurality of procedures related to the appliance operation, removing a first step that is a part of the plurality of steps; Detecting a request from a user of the home appliance according to a second procedure which is another part of the plurality of procedures excluding the first procedure; A program for executing the above.

2. A plurality of transition screens are associated with the plurality of procedures, respectively; When causing the computer to control the home appliance using a part of the plurality of transition screens, output of a first transition screen that is a part of the plurality of transition screens and that is related to the first procedure can be omitted, and a second transition screen that is another part of the plurality of transition screens excluding the first transition screen is output according to the second procedure. The program according to claim 1.

3. the information for selecting whether or not to omit some steps from among the plurality of steps includes either image information of a transition screen to be displayed on a display unit of the computer or information to be output by vibrating a movable unit by the computer; The program according to claim 2.

4. Information for selecting whether or not to omit some of the procedures from among the plurality of procedures is acquired at either or both of an operation for individually accepting each of the some of the procedures and a setting for accepting all of the settings for the some of the procedures. The program according to claim 1 for executing the above-mentioned.

5. A selection of whether or not to omit some steps from among the plurality of steps is acquired in at least one of a first state in which the operation of the home appliance can be accepted individually and a second state in which a group of steps from the plurality of steps can be accepted collectively. The program according to claim 1 for executing the above-mentioned.

6. A range of steps to be omitted from the plurality of steps is selected by collectively selecting steps included in a predetermined category for the plurality of steps. The program according to claim 1 for executing the above-mentioned.

7. When an operation identified as an erroneous operation is detected in excess of a specified value from an operation history of a user who has selected to omit a part of the steps from among the plurality of steps, the user is notified of a tendency of the operation of the user. The program according to claim 1 for executing the above-mentioned.

8. When a change occurs in an operation procedure related to the first procedure and the operation procedure is related to a specification change of the home appliance, notifying a user of the change. The program according to claim 1 for executing the above-mentioned.

9. When a user selects to omit the first step, the information that the user who selected the omission has changed the first step to the omission is transmitted to other users for sharing. The program according to claim 1, for causing a computer to execute the steps.

10. The home appliance includes any one of an air conditioner, a refrigerator, a clothing treatment device, and a cooking appliance. The program according to claim 1.

11. a plurality of identifiable sounds are associated with the plurality of procedures, When causing the computer to control the home appliance using a part of the plurality of sounds, output of a first sound that is a part of the plurality of sounds, the first sound being omissible in the first procedure, and output of a second sound that is another part of the plurality of sounds excluding the first sound, in accordance with the second procedure. The program according to claim 1.

12. A home appliance system including a computer for setting control contents of a home appliance using a part of procedures associated with a period from a start to an end of an appliance operation among a plurality of procedures related to the appliance operation, Except for a first step which is a part of the plurality of steps, a control unit for detecting a request from a user of the home appliance according to a second procedure which is another part of the plurality of procedures excluding the first procedure; A home appliance system comprising:

13. A control method for setting control contents of a home appliance using a part of procedures associated with a period from a start to an end of an appliance operation among a plurality of procedures related to the appliance operation, comprising: Except for a first step which is a part of the plurality of steps, Detecting a request from a user of the home appliance according to a second procedure that is another part of the plurality of procedures excluding the first procedure. A control method comprising:

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