Home appliance diagnostic system and home appliance diagnostic program

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of easily understanding the status of home appliances in real-life.SOLUTION: A disclosed home appliance diagnostic system with information processors such as user terminals 1 and home appliance diagnostic devices 3. The home appliance diagnostic system includes: a log data collection unit that collects log data 12 that indicates the operation status of a home appliance 2, which includes physical quantity data regarding the operation of the home appliance; a deterioration state estimation unit 14 that estimates the deterioration state of the home appliance using the physical quantity data; a deterioration information creation unit 16 that creates the deterioration information of the deterioration status; and a display unit 18 that displays the created deterioration information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for assisting in the diagnosis of malfunctions, including deterioration, of so-called home appliances. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, home appliances are used by general consumers. When using home appliances, there is a possibility that malfunctions may occur. Patent Document 1 proposes a method for dealing with such malfunctions.

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses a clothing processing device which includes a water tub 3, a rotating tub 5 provided in the water tub 3, a motor 7 for rotating the rotating tub 5, detection units 22-24 which detect physical quantities indicating the operating state of components related to the operation of the appliance, a communication unit 29 which communicates with a server 32, and a control unit 18 which determines whether or not there are signs of an error occurring in the components based on the physical quantities detected by the detection units 22-24, and, if it is determined that there are signs, causes the communication unit 29 to transmit sign information indicating the content of the signs to the server 32. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-141154 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In Patent Document 1, a physical quantity called sound is used to detect malfunctions and their precursors. In this way, the presence or absence of precursors or malfunctions has been determined in the past. However, by determining the presence or absence of malfunctions and their precursors, users of home appliances and the like cannot grasp the extent of the malfunction. This is thought to occur because the conventional technology cannot quantitatively express the malfunction status. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration how to notify the malfunction status. For this reason, it is difficult for users to intuitively understand the malfunction status.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to propose a technique that allows the status of a home appliance to be easily understood in accordance with the actual situation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides deterioration information indicating the deterioration status of a home appliance. More specifically, the home appliance diagnosis system has an information processing device, a log data collection unit that collects log data indicating the operation status of a home appliance and including physical quantity data related to the operation of the home appliance, a deterioration status estimation unit that estimates the deterioration status of the home appliance using the physical quantity data, a deterioration information creation unit that creates deterioration information indicating the deterioration status, and an output unit that outputs the deterioration information.

[0008] The present invention also includes each device constituting the home appliance diagnostic system and a subcombination constituted by a part of the device. The present invention also includes a home appliance diagnostic program for causing each device to function as a computer and a storage medium storing the program. The present invention also includes a home appliance diagnostic method using the program. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, the status of a home appliance can be easily grasped in accordance with the actual situation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]1 is a system configuration diagram of a home appliance diagnosis system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a user terminal 1 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 2 is a functional block diagram of a home appliance 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a home appliance diagnosis device 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing home appliance management information 371 used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing log data 372 used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing degradation information 373 used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing schedule information 374 used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart showing a process flow in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a degradation state estimation process flow (step S4) in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart showing a degradation state estimation process flow (step S4) in the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display screen 180 of degradation information in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, various home appliances such as washing machines are targeted, and the deterioration of the home appliances and signs of the deterioration are estimated and diagnosed using the physical quantity data of the home appliances. Note that, although deterioration is a more suitable example of a malfunction in a home appliance, this embodiment can also be applied to other malfunctions such as breakdowns and abnormalities and their signs.

[0012] First, Fig. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a home appliance diagnostic system in this embodiment. In Fig. 1, a home appliance support system including a user terminal 1 and / or a home appliance diagnostic device 3, which are examples of information processing devices (computers), estimates a deterioration state indicating the state of deterioration or signs of deterioration (hereinafter simply referred to as deterioration) using physical quantity data of a home appliance 2. Also, deterioration information indicating the deterioration state is output. In this way, diagnosis of the home appliance 2 is realized.

[0013] For this purpose, at least the user terminal 1 and the home appliance diagnostic device 3 are connected to each other. It is also desirable to connect these to the home appliance 2. For this purpose, the home appliance 2 can be realized as a so-called IoT home appliance having a communication function. The user terminal 1, the home appliance diagnostic device 3, and the home appliance 2 may be connected via a router 4 or a network 6, or may be directly connected using a short-range communication function or power line communication. The user terminal 1 and / or the home appliance diagnostic device 3 estimates the deterioration state of the home appliance 2. Then, deterioration information indicating this deterioration state can be displayed on the user terminal 1 and / or the home appliance 2.

[0014] Each device will be described below. First, the user terminal 1 is an information processing device used by a user of the home appliance 2. Therefore, the user terminal 1 can be realized by various computers such as a smartphone, a tablet, a mobile phone, or a PC. As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 1 has a communication unit 11, a log data collection unit 12, a schedule information creation unit 13, a deterioration state estimation unit 14, an electricity fee estimation unit 15, a deterioration information creation unit 16, an input unit 17, a display unit 18, and a storage unit 19.

[0015] First, the communication unit 11 has a function of communication via the router 4 and the network 6 and a function of short-range wireless communication. Furthermore, the log data collection unit 12 collects log data indicating the operation status of the home appliance 2. The log data includes physical quantity data related to the operation of the home appliance. Furthermore, the schedule information creation unit 13 creates schedule information indicating a period during which the home appliance 2 is in use or not in use.

[0016] Furthermore, the deterioration status estimation unit 14 estimates the deterioration status of the home appliance 2 using the physical quantity data. For this purpose, for example, the deterioration status estimation unit 14 calculates a deterioration rate indicating the degree of deterioration, and estimates the deterioration status including this. Furthermore, the electricity fee estimation unit 15 estimates the electricity fee of the relevant home appliance 2 according to the deterioration status. At this time, it is desirable to estimate the fee (difference) that increases due to deterioration. Furthermore, the deterioration information creation unit 16 creates deterioration information indicating the estimated deterioration status.

[0017] Furthermore, the input unit 17 accepts various operations from the user. Furthermore, the display unit 18 displays the deterioration information. The user can check the deterioration state of the home appliance 2 and take necessary measures. The input unit 17 and the display unit 18 may be integrated into one unit, such as a touch panel.

[0018] Furthermore, storage unit 19 can store various types of information, and stores home appliance management information 191, log data 192, deterioration information 193, and schedule information 194. These pieces of information will be described later.

[0019] The schedule information creation unit 13 and the schedule information 194 created from it are used in a second embodiment described later, and are optional components and can be omitted.

[0020] Next, an implementation example of the user terminal 1 will be described. As described above, the user terminal 1 can be realized by various computers such as a smartphone, a tablet, a mobile phone, or a PC. Fig. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the user terminal 1 in this embodiment. In Fig. 2, the user terminal 1 has a touch panel 101, a processing device 102, a communication device 103, and a storage device 104, which are connected to each other via a communication path.

[0021] First, touch panel 101 is configured to serve as both input unit 17 and display unit 18 in Fig. 1, and receives operations from a user and displays various information such as deterioration information. Note that touch panel 101 may be configured as an input device and an output device.

[0022] The processing device 102 can be realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and executes calculations according to a home appliance diagnosis program 105 stored in a storage device 104, which will be described later.

[0023] The home appliance diagnosis program 105 is composed of a log data collection module 106, a schedule information creation module 107, a deterioration state estimation module 108, an electricity fee estimation module 109, and a deterioration information creation module 110, for each of its functions. Each of these modules may be realized as an individual program or a partial combination. The home appliance diagnosis program 105 may be realized as one function of an integrated management application that manages multiple home appliances 2 in an integrated manner.

[0024] The configuration of the user terminal 1 shown in FIG. 1, which executes the same functions as each module, is as follows. Log data collection unit 12: Log data collection module 106 Schedule information creation unit 13: Schedule information creation module 107 Deterioration state estimation unit 14: Deterioration state estimation module 108 Electricity charge estimation unit 15: Electricity charge estimation module 109 Degradation information creation unit 16: Degradation information creation module 110 Therefore, the processing device 102 executes the processes of the log data collection unit 12, the schedule information creation unit 13, the deterioration state estimation unit 14, the electricity fee estimation unit 15, and the deterioration information creation unit 16 in accordance with the home appliance diagnosis program 105. The home appliance diagnosis program 105 can be stored in the storage device 104 described later or other storage media.

[0025] 1, and has a function of communication via the router 4 and the network 6 and a function of short-distance wireless communication. The storage device 104 corresponds to the storage device 19 in FIG. 1, and stores the above-mentioned home appliance diagnostic program 105, home appliance management information 191, log data 192, deterioration information 193, and schedule information 194. For this reason, the storage device 104 may be realized by a main storage device such as a memory and a secondary storage device (storage medium) that is a so-called storage. The secondary storage device may be realized by an external HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), memory card, or the like.

[0026] Next, returning to FIG. 1, the home appliances 2 will be described. The home appliances 2 are used by users in houses and the like for housework. In FIG. 1, an IH cooker 21, a washing machine 22, and a refrigerator 23 are shown as the home appliances 2, but the home appliances 2 are not limited to these. These home appliances 2 can be classified into constantly powered home appliances that are continuously powered and emergency powered home appliances. In this embodiment, the refrigerator 23 is a constantly powered home appliance, and the IH cooker 21 and the washing machine 22 are emergency powered home appliances. Here, the information processing configuration of each of these home appliances 2 will be described. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the home appliances 2 in this embodiment. Since each home appliance 2 executes common information processing, their functions will be described collectively.

[0027] The home appliance 2 includes a control unit 201, a communication unit 204, a display operation unit 205, an operation unit 206, and a detection unit 207. These are connected to each other via a communication path. Each component will be described below.

[0028] First, the control unit 201 creates control signals for implementing the functions of each home appliance 2, such as cooking, washing, and refrigeration, to control the operation of the home appliance 2, and executes other information processing. For this purpose, the control unit 201 has a control signal creation unit 202 and a log data collection unit 203.

[0029] The control signal creation unit 202 creates a control signal for executing a function such as cooking in accordance with an operation from a user to the display operation unit 205 or a control command from the user terminal 1. In addition, the log data collection unit 203 collects log data indicating the operation status of the home appliance 2 from the operation unit 206, the detection unit 207, etc. In this embodiment, the log data including physical quantity data of the operation unit 206 of the home appliance 2 is collected.

[0030] The control unit 201 can be realized by an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). Therefore, each of the control unit 201, the control signal generating unit 202, and the log data collecting unit 203 can be realized by dedicated hardware or software such as a program.

[0031] The communication unit 204 has a function of communicating via the router 4 and the network 6, a function of short-range wireless communication, and a function of power line communication. The communication unit 204 notifies the user terminal 1 and the home appliance diagnostic device 3 of log data and receives operation commands from the user terminal 1 and the home appliance diagnostic device 3.

[0032] Moreover, the display operation unit 205 receives operations for the home appliance 2 from the user and outputs degradation information. The operation unit 206 includes a unit that operates according to a control signal generated by the control signal generation unit 202 and a unit that operates according to a user's operation. Examples of the former include a coil (winding) and a compressor. Examples of the latter include a door of the washing machine 22 or the refrigerator 23.

[0033] Furthermore, the detection unit 207 measures the operating status including the physical quantity data of the operating unit 206. For this reason, it is desirable to prepare a plurality of detection units 207 for each measurement target. Examples of the physical quantity data included in the measurement target include opening and closing of the door, temperature such as the temperature inside the cabinet, power consumption, current waveform information or voltage waveform information of the coil, coil temperature, input current to the component and output current thereto. For this reason, examples of the detection unit 207 include an opening and closing sensor, a temperature sensor, and a current sensor. This concludes the description of the home appliance 2, and next, the home appliance diagnosis device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

[0034] In FIG. 1, the home appliance diagnostic device 3 includes a communication unit 31, a log data collection unit 32, a schedule information creation unit 33, a deterioration state estimation unit , an electricity fee estimation unit 35, a deterioration information creation unit , and a storage unit 37.

[0035] First, the communication unit 31 connects to the home appliances 2 and the user terminal 1 via the network 6. The log data collection unit 32, the schedule information creation unit 33, the deterioration state estimation unit 34, the electricity charge estimation unit 35, and the deterioration information creation unit 36 ​​have the same functions as the log data collection unit 12, the schedule information creation unit 13, the deterioration state estimation unit 14, the electricity charge estimation unit 15, and the deterioration information creation unit 16, respectively. Therefore, the description of these functions will also be omitted. Also, at least one of the log data collection unit 32 to the deterioration information creation unit 36 ​​and the log data collection unit 12 to the deterioration information creation unit 16 may be provided, and the others may be omitted.

[0036] Storage unit 37 also stores home appliance management information 371, log data 372, deterioration information 373, and schedule information 374. Each of these pieces of information will be described later together with home appliance management information 191, log data 192, deterioration information 193, and schedule information 194.

[0037] Next, a hardware configuration will be described as an implementation example for executing the functions of the home appliance diagnostic device 3. The home appliance diagnostic device 3 can be realized by a computer such as a server or a cloud system. Fig. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the home appliance diagnostic device 3 in this embodiment. In Fig. 4, the home appliance diagnostic device 3 has a processing device 301, a communication device 302, a memory 303, and a secondary storage device 304, which are connected to each other via a communication path.

[0038] First, the processing device 301 can be realized by a processor such as a CPU, and executes calculations according to a home appliance diagnosis program 305 stored in a secondary storage device 304 described later. Also, the communication device 302 corresponds to the communication unit 31 in FIG. 1, connects to the network 6, and communicates with other devices such as the user terminal 1 and the home appliance 2.

[0039] 1. In the memory 303, information used for processing by the home appliance diagnostic program 305 and the processing device 301 stored in the secondary storage device 304 is expanded. In addition, the secondary storage device 304 can be realized by a so-called storage. The secondary storage device 304 stores the home appliance diagnostic program 305, home appliance management information 371, log data 372, degradation information 373, and schedule information 374. In addition, the secondary storage device 304 may be realized by various storage media such as an external HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or memory card, or may be realized by a device separate from the home appliance diagnostic device 3, such as a file server.

[0040] Here, the home appliance diagnosis program 305 is composed of a log data collection module 306, a schedule information creation module 307, a deterioration state estimation module 308, an electricity fee estimation module 309, and a deterioration information creation module 310, for each function. Each of these modules may be realized as an individual program or a partial combination.

[0041] Here, the configuration of the home appliance diagnosis device 3 shown in FIG. 1, which executes the same functions as each module, is as follows. Log data collection unit 32: Log data collection module 306 Schedule information creation unit 33: Schedule information creation module 307 Deterioration state estimation unit 34: Deterioration state estimation module 308 Electricity charge estimation unit 35: Electricity charge estimation module 309 Degradation information creation unit 36: Degradation information creation module 310 Therefore, the processing device 301 executes the processes of the log data collection unit 32, the schedule information creation unit 33, the deterioration state estimation unit 34, the electricity fee estimation unit 35, and the deterioration information creation unit 36 ​​in accordance with the home appliance diagnosis program 305. Moreover, the home appliance diagnosis program 305 can execute the same processes as the home appliance diagnosis program 105 of the user terminal 1. The home appliance diagnosis program 305 can be stored in the secondary storage device 304 or other storage media.

[0042] The home appliance diagnosis device 3 is used by manufacturers and distributors of the home appliances 2, and these distributors manage users as members and can also be realized as a home appliance management device that manages each home appliance 2. In this case, the home appliance management device stores user management information about the user.

[0043] The home appliance diagnosis device 3 may also be connected to a maintenance worker terminal used by a maintenance worker who maintains the home appliance 2 or the manager of the maintenance worker. In this case, if the deterioration state satisfies a predetermined condition, a maintenance request to a maintenance worker or a request to confirm the necessity of maintenance is sent to the maintenance worker. As a result, a maintenance worker can be dispatched as necessary.

[0044] This concludes the explanation of the home appliance diagnostic device 3, and other devices in FIG. 1 will now be explained. The router 4 is a device that mediates communication between the user terminal 1 and the home appliance 2, but may be omitted. The smart meter 5 is connected to a power transmission network 7 that supplies grid power. The smart meter 5 is a digital power meter that measures grid power and outputs it (including communication). The smart meter 5 can also identify the contents of the contract (fee system) with the power company that supplies the grid power. As a result, the electricity fee for the home appliance 2 can be estimated.

[0045] Furthermore, the network 6 connects the above-mentioned devices and can be realized by a wide area network such as the Internet or a combination of the wide area network and a local network. This concludes the explanation of each device of this embodiment.

[0046] Next, information used in the present embodiment will be described. Here, home appliance management information 371, log data 372, deterioration information 373, and schedule information 374 will be described together with home appliance management information 191, log data 192, deterioration information 193, and schedule information 194.

[0047] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing home appliance management information 371 used in this embodiment. The home appliance management information 371 is information about each home appliance 2, and is used to estimate a deterioration state. For this reason, for example, as shown in Fig. 5, the home appliance management information 371 has items for each home appliance, such as an operation start time, initial physical quantity data, and notification destination. Also, as shown in Fig. 5, it has an item indicating the user of each home appliance.

[0048] The operation start time indicates the time when the corresponding home appliance 2 started operating. For example, it indicates the purchase time of the home appliance 2. The initial physical quantity data indicates the physical quantity data of the corresponding home appliance 2 at the operation start time. This initial physical quantity data may be a result of measurement of the corresponding home appliance 2, or may be data that is determined in advance by specification data or the like.

[0049] The initial physical quantity data includes items of name, operating conditions, and initial physical quantity. Here, the name indicates the name of the initial physical quantity data, and indicates information used as the initial physical quantity data. This name, that is, the name of the initial physical quantity data, is the same as the physical quantity data, and the door opening / closing, temperature such as the inside temperature, power consumption, etc. are used.

[0050] Moreover, the operating conditions indicate the details of the operation of the home appliance 2 when the corresponding initial physical quantity data is detected. In this embodiment, a time element (such as the time from startup) is included. And the initial physical quantity indicates the details of the initial physical quantity data. For example, numerical values ​​such as temperature and power, and waveform information such as current can be used as the initial physical quantity.

[0051] The notification destination indicates the destination to which the created degradation information is to be notified. For this reason, for example, the email address of the user terminal 1 or the identification information of the home appliance diagnosis program 105 can be used as the notification destination.

[0052] Moreover, home appliance management information 191 has the same items as home appliance management information 371, except for the user and notification destination. However, since home appliance management information 191 is used by user terminal 1, it is desirable for the information to be limited to home appliances 2 owned by the user of user terminal 1. In other words, the home appliance items are limited to those indicated by home appliance 2. Therefore, the user and notification destination items can be omitted.

[0053] Next, Fig. 6 is a diagram showing log data 372 used in this embodiment. The log data 372 indicates the operation status of the home appliance 2, and includes physical quantity data when the home appliance 2 is operating. The log data 372 is collected by the log data collection unit 203, the log data collection unit 12, or the log data collection unit 32. For this reason, as shown in Fig. 6, for example, the log data 372 has items such as home appliance, date and time, and operation status.

[0054] First, the home appliance is information for identifying an individual home appliance. Here, the scope of the home appliance is the home appliances managed by the home appliance diagnosis device 3, for example, the home appliances manufactured by the relevant manufacturer. Therefore, the target home appliances are those used by multiple users. The date and time indicates the date and time when the log data was collected or the relevant operating situation occurred. The operating situation indicates the operating situation of the relevant home appliance 2 at the relevant date and time, and includes at least physical quantity data. In particular, the physical quantity data includes the date and time of its detection, collection, or occurrence. This date and time corresponds to the time element of the operating condition of the home appliance management information 371. Therefore, the time from the start of the startup or the start of the relevant menu may also be used as the date and time. In addition to numerical values, waveforms and the like can be used as the physical quantity data of the operating situation.

[0055] Furthermore, the log data 192 has the same items as the log data 372. However, since the log data 192 is used by the user terminal 1, it is preferable that the information is limited to the home appliances 2 owned by the user of the user terminal 1.

[0056] Next, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing deterioration information 373 used in this embodiment. The deterioration information 373 is information indicating the deterioration status of each home appliance 2. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, the deterioration information 373 indicates the deterioration status and each item of the electricity charge for each home appliance. The deterioration status indicates the deterioration status of the relevant home appliance 2. As shown in FIG. 7, the deterioration status includes an overall judgment indicating the deterioration status of the entire home appliance 2 and the deterioration status of each component constituting the home appliance 2. These include at least a deterioration rate indicating the degree of deterioration. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the deterioration status includes a deterioration judgment indicating whether or not there is deterioration, and presentation information that is content to be dealt with in response to the deterioration and is presented to the user.

[0057] The electricity charge indicates the electricity charge of the relevant home appliance 2 estimated from the deterioration state, particularly the deterioration rate. This electricity charge preferably includes an estimated charge (difference) that increases due to deterioration and a charge that is wasted. The deterioration information 193 also has the same items as the deterioration information 373. However, since the deterioration information 193 is used by the user terminal 1, it is preferable that the information is limited to the home appliance 2 owned by the user of the user terminal 1. In FIG. 7, the refrigerator 200 is a home appliance of another user, and information about this is also included.

[0058] Next, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing schedule information 374 used in one embodiment of the present invention. Schedule information 374 is information indicating a use period or a non-use period of home appliance 2. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, schedule information 374 indicates each item of use period and non-use period for each home appliance. The use period is specified based on log data 372 and indicates a period during which the home appliance 2 is used by a user. This use includes not only the function of the home appliance itself (for example, cooking function) but also other operating conditions such as opening and closing of the door. The non-use period is specified based on log data 372 and indicates a period during which the home appliance 2 is not used by a user. Therefore, even if the function of the home appliance 2 is executed, if the appliance is in a steady state, it is determined to be a non-use period. For example, even if the refrigerator 23 is operating (refrigerating), if the refrigerator 23 is in a steady state with the door not being opened or closed, it is determined to be a non-use period. Note that the use period and the non-use period are two sides of the same coin, so only one of them may be used. Furthermore, log data 372 may be used as schedule information 374.

[0059] Moreover, schedule information 194 has the same items as schedule information 374. However, since schedule information 194 is used by user terminal 1, it is desirable that the information is limited to the home appliance 2 owned by the user of user terminal 1. In Fig. 8, refrigerator 200 is a home appliance of another user, and information about this is also included.

[0060] The above is the explanation of the information used in this embodiment, and the processing flow will now be explained. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing flow in this embodiment. The processing flow shown in this flowchart is executed by an information processing device, that is, the user terminal 1 or the home appliance diagnostic device 3. In the following, the processing flow will be explained as being executed by the user terminal 1. However, the processing entity may be the home appliance diagnostic device 3, or the user terminal 1 and the home appliance diagnostic device 3 may cooperate to execute the processing flow. In the following, the configuration of the user terminal 1 will be explained using the configuration shown in FIG. 1. In addition, when the home appliance diagnostic device 3 is used, the configuration of the home appliance diagnostic device 3 having the same name as the configuration shown below is executed, and information with the same name is used.

[0061] In step S1, the log data collection unit 12 of the user terminal 1 collects initial physical quantity data and registers it in the home appliance management information 191. In this case, the log data collection unit 12 may collect log data when the relevant home appliance 2 is started up after purchase and extract the initial physical quantity data from this, or may use initial physical quantity data existing on the Internet, for example, registered in the home appliance diagnostic device 3. Furthermore, the initial physical quantity data may be registered in advance when the home appliance diagnostic program 105 is downloaded. Note that when the home appliance diagnostic device 3 processes the data, the log data collection unit 32 may collect the initial physical quantity data from the home appliance 2 via the user terminal 1.

[0062] Furthermore, in step S2, the log data collection unit 12 appropriately collects log data from the home appliance 2. For this purpose, the communication unit 204 of the home appliance 2 notifies the communication unit 11 of the user terminal 1 of the log data collected by the log data collection unit 203. Then, the log data collection unit 12 acquires the notified log data and registers it as log data 192. This step S2 is executed constantly.

[0063] In step S3, the deterioration state estimation unit 14 determines whether a certain period of time has passed since the home appliance 2 started to operate, such as being purchased. As a result, if the certain period of time has not passed (NO), the processing continues from step S2 onwards. If the certain period of time has passed (YES), the processing transitions to step S4. Note that even if the processing transitions to step S4, step S2 is executed continuously. Also, step S3 may be executed at a predetermined cycle, or this step may be omitted after the certain period of time has passed, and the processing from step S4 onwards may be executed periodically.

[0064] The reason for determining whether a certain period of time has passed in step S3 is that deterioration does not occur until a certain period of time has passed since operation or purchase. In other words, deterioration is unlikely to occur in a new home appliance 2, and there is very little need to estimate the deterioration state in step S4.

[0065] In step S4, the deterioration status estimation unit 14 estimates the deterioration status of the home appliance 2 using the physical quantity data included in the collected log data. This estimation of the deterioration status includes the calculation of a deterioration rate indicating the degree of deterioration of the home appliance 2. In addition, the physical quantity data used to estimate the deterioration status includes physical quantity data of the coil (winding). This physical quantity data includes the current waveform or voltage waveform of the coil, the coil temperature, and the relationship between the input current and the output current to the coil. Furthermore, the deterioration status estimation unit 14 creates a deterioration judgment and presentation information on whether deterioration has occurred as the deterioration status, as shown in FIG. 7. The deterioration judgment can be determined by whether the deterioration rate is equal to or greater than a threshold value. This threshold value can be set to a different value for each overall judgment or each part. In addition, the presentation information can be specified by determining the contents for each deterioration rate and each deterioration judgment. Note that in Examples 1 and 2 described later, a more detailed specific example of step S4 will be described.

[0066] In step S5, the electricity fee estimation unit 15 estimates the electricity fee of the relevant home appliance 2 according to the deterioration state. At this time, the electricity fee estimation unit 15 performs the calculation using the deterioration rate. For example, the rate of the amount of power that increases according to the deterioration rate is determined for each home appliance 2, and this is used for the calculation. The electricity fee estimation unit 15 may estimate the electricity fee using the contract (fee system) of the smart meter 5 and the rate of the amount of power that corresponds to the deterioration rate.

[0067] In step S6, the deterioration information generating unit 16 judges whether or not a notice of deterioration information is required. As a condition for this judgment, an estimated deterioration state or an electricity charge can be used. As the deterioration state, a deterioration rate or a deterioration judgment can be used. Each item will be explained below.

[0068] (1) Deterioration rate: If it is above the threshold, it is judged as needing notification (YES). (It is desirable to judge that notification is necessary if at least one of the component-specific or overall judgments is above the threshold.) (2) Deterioration judgment: In the case of deterioration or partial deterioration, it is judged that notification is necessary (YES). (It is desirable to judge that notification is necessary if at least one of the part-by-part or overall judgment is deterioration or partial deterioration.) (3) Electricity bill: If the increase in the bill (amount or percentage) is equal to or greater than the threshold, it is judged that notification is necessary (YES). (It is desirable to judge that notification is necessary if at least one of the component-specific or overall judgments is equal to or greater than the threshold.) (4) It may be possible to judge whether at least some combinations of (1) to (3) (a predetermined number or more of items satisfy the conditions, or whether (1) to (3) are scored and the scores are equal to or greater than a threshold value. Furthermore, by judging (2) for each part, it is possible to determine which parts are degraded. Here, by expanding the judgment unit to include things other than parts, it is possible to determine where degradation is occurring.

[0069] As a result of the above judgment, if it is judged that notification is necessary (YES), the process proceeds to step S7. If it is judged that notification is not necessary (NO), the process ends. Note that step S6 may be omitted. In this case, step S7 will be executed. Even if notification is not necessary, if it is time for regular reporting such as monthly, the judgment in step S7 may be omitted and step S7 will be executed. In this case, the judgment in step S6 will be executed at a time shorter than the regular reporting time such as weekly, and a notification of degradation information will be issued depending on the judgment result.

[0070] In step S7, the deterioration information creating unit 16 creates deterioration information. To this end, the deterioration information creating unit 16 creates the deterioration information by combining the deterioration state of the deterioration information 373 and the electricity charge. Note that this combination is realized by extracting at least a part of each. Note that the display contents of the created deterioration information will be described in Example 3 below.

[0071] Furthermore, in step S8, the degradation information creating unit 16 causes the display unit 18 to display the created degradation information. Furthermore, the degradation information creating unit 16 may notify the degradation information to the home appliance 2 using the communication unit 11. As a result, the degradation information can be displayed on the display operation unit 205 of the home appliance 2. Note that the display unit 18 and the display operation unit 205 may change the display of the degradation information. For example, the display on the display operation unit 205 may be a part of the degradation information of the display unit 18, or the format may be changed to text or the like.

[0072] Furthermore, when the deterioration information is created by the deterioration information creating unit 36 ​​of the home appliance diagnosis device 3, the deterioration information is notified to the user terminal 1 and / or the home appliance 2 via the communication unit 31. Then, as described above, the deterioration information is displayed on the display unit 18 and the display operation unit 205. At this time, the deterioration information creating unit 36 ​​specifies the notification destination by using the notification destination of the home appliance management information 371.

[0073] The deterioration information may also be notified to the maintenance personnel terminal as described above. This notification is made when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and it is preferable that the condition is stricter than that in step S6 (for example, the deterioration rate is higher). Furthermore, a notification, particularly a maintenance request, may be sent to the maintenance personnel terminal in response to a user's operation on the user terminal 1 on which the deterioration information is displayed. In these cases, if the presented information on the deterioration state includes a suggestion for "maintenance", it may be possible to notify the maintenance personnel terminal. These notifications to the maintenance personnel terminal may be executed via the home appliance diagnosis device 3 or may be executed directly.

[0074] Furthermore, when the presented information on the deterioration state includes a suggestion to "replace the home appliance," the user terminal 1 may be enabled to access an EC site on the network 6. As a result, the home appliance 2 can be replaced. This notification to the EC site may be executed via the home appliance diagnosis device 3, or may be executed directly.

[0075] The display of the deterioration information in this embodiment allows the user to easily grasp the deterioration status of the home appliance 2. In particular, the deterioration rate is displayed, allowing the user to grasp the quantitative deterioration status. This concludes the description of this embodiment, and below, Examples 1 and 2 will be described showing specific examples of estimating the deterioration status (step S4). Note that the configurations and information in Examples 1 and 2 are those described in the embodiment. Also, in Examples 1 and 2, the processing entity is described as the user terminal 1 (deterioration status estimation unit 14), but the home appliance diagnosis device 3 (deterioration status estimation unit 34) may also be the processing entity. EXAMPLES

[0076] The first embodiment is an example in which a deterioration rate is calculated using operating conditions including a time factor when estimating a deterioration state. The first embodiment can be applied to estimation of a deterioration state of a coil. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a deterioration state estimation process flow (step S4) in the first embodiment.

[0077] First, in step S101, the deterioration state estimation unit 14 identifies operating conditions of initial physical quantity data from the home appliance management information 191 of the home appliance 2 to be diagnosed. For example, for the “current waveform” of the IH cooking appliance 21, “power” and “time” are identified as operating conditions.

[0078] Moreover, in step S102, the deterioration state estimation unit 14 identifies an initial physical quantity of the initial physical quantity data from the home appliance management information 191. For example, for the “current waveform” of the IH cooking appliance 21, the current waveform is identified from the home appliance management information 191 as the initial physical quantity.

[0079] Furthermore, in step S103, the deterioration state estimation unit 14 uses the log data 192 to identify the physical quantity of the target home appliance 2. That is, the physical quantity of the physical quantity data according to the actual operation content is identified. For this purpose, the deterioration state estimation unit 14 extracts a physical quantity that matches the operation condition identified in step S101 from the operation status of the log data 192. For example, for the IH cooker 21, a current waveform for a specified "time" driven by a specified "power" is extracted. When a numerical value is used as the physical quantity, an average or total value for the corresponding time period may be used. Furthermore, in step S104, the deterioration status estimation unit 14 compares the initial physical quantity identified in step S102 with the physical quantity identified in step S103 to calculate the deterioration rate of the corresponding home appliance 2. For this purpose, for example, the deterioration status estimation unit 14 calculates the similarity or ratio between the initial physical quantity and the physical quantity. Then, the deterioration status estimation unit 14 calculates the deterioration rate according to these similarities and ratios. For example, if the similarity is 80%, the deterioration rate is set to 20% (summing up to 100%). In other words, a similarity of 100% can be determined based on the standard that new product = deterioration rate of 0%. The similarity can also be determined in a similar manner.

[0080] In step S105, the deterioration status estimation unit 14 judges the deterioration using the calculated deterioration rate. For this purpose, for example, when the deterioration rate is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the deterioration status estimation unit 14 judges that the deterioration has occurred.

[0081] Here, multiple pieces of physical quantity data are prepared, and this flowchart may be performed for each piece of physical quantity data, or for a part of it. For example, it may be performed for each unit configuration (location) such as a part. Then, the deterioration state estimation unit 14 can create an integrated judgment of the home appliance 2 from these results. For example, it may calculate an average value of the deterioration rate.

[0082] 10, the deterioration rate is calculated taking into account the operating conditions including the time element, but the time element may be omitted. That is, step S101 is omitted, and the physical quantity is specified without using the operating conditions in step S103. In the above-described first embodiment, the deterioration rate according to the state of the home appliance 2, taking into account the time element, can be calculated. EXAMPLES

[0083] Next, the second embodiment is an example of calculating a deterioration rate using schedule information when estimating a deterioration state. In the case of a constantly powered home appliance among the home appliances 2, when the user uses the appliance, physical quantity data may vary in places other than those directly operated. For example, when the door of the refrigerator 23 is opened or closed, the power consumption of the entire refrigerator 23 or the compressor may vary in order to maintain the temperature inside the refrigerator. If there is a fluctuation in this manner, there is a risk that the compressor may be mistakenly recognized as having deteriorated. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the deterioration rate is calculated taking into consideration a non-use period in which the door is not opened or closed or the possibility of opening or closing is very low. For this reason, the second embodiment is more suitable for the constantly powered home appliance among the home appliances 2. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the deterioration state of the door and compressor is determined using the refrigerator 23 as an example. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a deterioration state estimation process flow (step S4) in the second embodiment.

[0084] First, in order to execute this processing flow, as a preliminary step, the schedule information creation unit 13 creates schedule information 194 by using log data 192. This schedule information 194 is the same as the schedule information 374 in Fig. 8. Also, instead of the schedule information 194, the log data 192 may be used as described above.

[0085] First, in step S201, the degradation status estimation unit 14 identifies a non-use period of the home appliance 2 to be diagnosed from the schedule information 194. In addition, in step S202, the degradation status estimation unit 14 identifies the power consumption of the home appliance 2 during the non-use period identified in step S201, using the log data 192. For example, the power consumption of a compressor is identified. For this purpose, for example, the degradation status estimation unit 14 extracts an operation menu or code from the log data 192, and calculates the power consumption defined by the specifications. Also, the power consumption may be recorded in the log data 192 and used. Note that the power consumption is an example of a physical quantity that changes with time, and other physical quantities or multiple physical quantities may be used.

[0086] In addition, in step S203, the deterioration state estimation unit 14 acquires the inside temperature of the corresponding home appliance 2 during the non-use period identified in step S201, by using the log data 192. Note that the inside temperature is an example of a physical quantity that changes with time, and other physical quantities may be used.

[0087] In step S204, the degradation status estimation unit 14 calculates the amount of change over time in the amount of power consumption identified in step S202. For example, the amount of decrease or increase or the rate per unit time is calculated. Then, the degradation status estimation unit 14 calculates a deterioration rate according to the amount of change. The amount of change itself may be the deterioration rate, or the deterioration rate may be calculated using the amount of change as a parameter.

[0088] In step S205, the deterioration status estimation unit 14 judges the deterioration using the calculated deterioration rate. For example, similar to step S105, the deterioration status estimation unit 14 judges that the deterioration is present when the deterioration rate is equal to or greater than the threshold value. If the result is NO, the process proceeds to step S206. If the result is YES, the process proceeds to step S207.

[0089] In step S206, the degradation status estimation unit 14 determines that the degradation status is not deteriorated and registers this in the degradation information 373. In step S207, the degradation status estimation unit 14 determines whether the change in the inside temperature in step S203 is within a predetermined certain range. If the result is that it is within the certain range (YES), the process proceeds to step S208. If the result is that it is outside the certain range (NO), the process proceeds to step S209.

[0090] In step S208, the deterioration state estimation unit 14 determines that the compressor has deteriorated. In step S209, the deterioration state estimation unit 14 determines that the door has deteriorated. That is, it is determined that a gap or the like has occurred in the door, causing a fluctuation in the temperature inside the refrigerator.

[0091] As described above, according to the second embodiment, in a constantly powered home appliance, it is possible to calculate a deterioration rate that is in accordance with the actual situation of a non-use period and to estimate a deteriorated part more accurately. EXAMPLES

[0092] A specific example of the display contents of the degradation information will be described as Example 3. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a display screen 180 of the degradation information in Example 3. The display screen 180 is displayed on the display unit 18 of the user terminal 1 in step S8 in Fig. 9.

[0093] 12, a display screen 180 is composed of a title display area 181, individual deterioration information display areas 182 to 184, and tabs 185. The title display area 181 indicates that the display screen 180 is displaying the diagnosis result for the user's home appliance 2, that is, the deterioration information.

[0094] Further, in the individual deterioration information display areas 182 to 184, deterioration information of the refrigerator 23, the IH cooker 21, and the washing machine 22 is displayed, respectively. In the third embodiment, the higher the deterioration rate of each individual deterioration information, that is, the more advanced the deterioration, the higher the position of the display screen 180 it is displayed. Note that the upper position is only an example, and it is sufficient that the higher the deterioration rate, the higher the display priority is. For example, the display area may be made wider or the characters or icons may be displayed larger as the deterioration rate increases. Furthermore, the higher the deterioration rate, the closer to the front it may be displayed.

[0095] Next, each of the individual deterioration information display areas 182 to 184 will be described. In the individual deterioration information display area 182, deterioration information (individual deterioration information) about the most deteriorated refrigerator 23 is displayed. In the individual deterioration information display area 182, an icon 182-1 and individual deterioration information 182-2 are displayed. The icon 182-1 is an icon indicating the target refrigerator 23, and a deterioration mark 182-11 indicating that deterioration is progressing is also displayed. This allows the user to intuitively grasp that deterioration is progressing for refrigerator 23 and the need to check the deterioration state and electricity charges.

[0096] Further, the individual deterioration information 182-2 indicates the deterioration state including the deterioration rate and the electricity rate. Here, the refrigerator 23 is a constantly powered home appliance, and the impact on the electricity rate is an emergency powered home appliance. For this reason, the refrigerator 23, which is a constantly powered home appliance, is displayed to be distinguished from the emergency powered home appliances. This distinction includes displaying the refrigerator 23 with priority over the others. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the refrigerator 23 is displayed at the top of the display screen 180. For this reason, the deterioration information creating unit 16 creates deterioration information that preferentially presents the deterioration state of the constantly powered home appliances among the home appliances 2 as the deterioration information.

[0097] Also, a display may be made that is differentiated according to the deterioration rate. Since the refrigerator 23 has the highest deterioration rate among the home appliances 2, the deterioration state and electricity charge are displayed in a format that distinguishes it from the other home appliances. However, the home appliances 2 that are displayed in this manner may be a plurality of home appliances 2 from the top. Note that the target of such a highlighted display that is differentiated from the others may be the home appliance 2 that has a deterioration rate equal to or higher than a threshold. In this case, the number of home appliances 2 that are highlighted may be multiple or may not be any. For this reason, the deterioration information creation unit 16 creates deterioration information that is presented preferentially according to the deterioration of the home appliance 2 as the deterioration information.

[0098] Furthermore, the individual deterioration information display area 183 displays deterioration information (individual deterioration information) about the IH cooker 21, which is the second most deteriorated after the refrigerator 23. The individual deterioration information display area 183 also displays an icon 183-1 and individual deterioration information 183-2. The icon 183-1 is an icon indicating the target IH cooker 21. However, since the deterioration rate of the IH cooker 21 is 25%, which is not as deteriorated as the refrigerator 23, the deterioration mark 182-11 is not given to the IH cooker 21.

[0099] Also, in individual deterioration information display area 184, deterioration information (individual deterioration information) for washing machine 22, which is the least deteriorated of home appliances 2, is displayed. And, icon 184-1 and individual deterioration information 184-2 are also displayed in individual deterioration information display area 184. Note that icon 184-1 is an icon indicating target washing machine 22, and is given new product mark 184-11. This allows intuitive understanding that deterioration is not progressing for washing machine 22.

[0100] Tab 185 is used to use other functions of home appliance diagnosis program 105. For individual deterioration information display areas 182 to 184, details of the deterioration state may be displayed by specifying the deterioration state. For example, deterioration information of each part constituting the relevant home appliance 2 may be displayed. According to the above-described third embodiment, it is possible to intuitively grasp the deterioration state of the home appliance 2.

[0101] Although the description of each embodiment of the present invention is finished above, the present invention is not limited to these. For example, at least two of the embodiments 1 to 3 may be combined. In addition, the present invention can be applied to various problems other than deterioration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 1...user terminal, 11...communication unit, 12...log data collection unit, 13...schedule information creation unit, 14...deterioration state estimation unit, 15...electricity charge estimation unit, 16...deterioration information creation unit, 17...input unit, 18...display unit, 19...storage unit, 191...home appliance management information, 192...log data, 193...deterioration information, 194...schedule information, 2...home appliance, 21...induction cooker, 22...washing machine, 23...refrigerator, 201...control unit, 202...control signal creation unit, 203...log data data collection unit, 204...communication unit, 205...display operation unit, 206...operation unit, 207...detection unit, 3...home appliance diagnostic device, 31...communication unit, 32...log data collection unit, 33...schedule information creation unit, 34...deterioration state estimation unit, 35...electricity charge estimation unit, 36...deterioration information creation unit, 37...storage unit, 371...home appliance management information, 372...log data, 373...deterioration information, 374...schedule information, 4...router, 5...smart meter, 6...network, 7...power transmission network

Claims

1. In a home appliance diagnosis system having an information processing device, A log data collection unit that collects log data indicating an operation status of the home appliance and including physical quantity data related to the operation of the home appliance; a deterioration state estimation unit that estimates a deterioration state of the home appliance by using the physical quantity data; a deterioration information generating unit for generating deterioration information indicating the deterioration state; A home appliance diagnosis system having an output unit that outputs the deterioration information.

2. The home appliance diagnosis system according to claim 1, The deterioration status estimation unit calculates a deterioration rate indicating a degree of deterioration of the home appliance, and estimates the deterioration status including the deterioration rate.

3. The home appliance diagnosis system according to claim 2, the log data collection unit collects log data including physical quantity data of a winding that configures the home appliance as the physical quantity data; The deterioration state estimation unit is a home appliance diagnosis system that estimates a deterioration state of the winding.

4. The home appliance diagnosis system according to claim 2, The deterioration state estimation unit calculates the deterioration rate by using operating conditions including a time element in the physical quantity data.

5. The home appliance diagnosis system according to claim 2, The deterioration status estimation unit is a home appliance diagnosis system that identifies a period during which a constantly powered home appliance among the home appliances is not in use, and calculates the deterioration rate based on the amount of change in physical quantity data of the constantly powered home appliance during the period of non-use.

6. The home appliance diagnosis system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The deterioration information creation unit creates the deterioration information that preferentially presents the deterioration status of home appliances that are constantly powered among the home appliances.

7. A user terminal, which is a computer, a log data collection unit that collects log data indicating an operation status of the home appliance and including physical quantity data related to the operation of the home appliance; a deterioration state estimation unit that estimates a deterioration state of the home appliance by using the physical quantity data; a deterioration information generating unit for generating deterioration information indicating the deterioration state; A home appliance diagnosis program for causing the home appliance to function as an output unit that outputs the deterioration information.

8. The home appliance diagnosis program according to claim 7, The deterioration status estimation unit calculates a deterioration rate indicating a degree of deterioration of the home appliance, and estimates the deterioration status including the deterioration rate.

9. 9. The home appliance diagnosis program according to claim 8, the log data collection unit collects log data including physical quantity data of a winding that configures the home appliance as the physical quantity data; The deterioration state estimation unit is a home appliance diagnosis program that estimates a deterioration state of the winding.

10. 9. The home appliance diagnosis program according to claim 8, The deterioration status estimation unit calculates the deterioration rate using operating conditions including a time element in the physical quantity data.

11. 9. The home appliance diagnosis program according to claim 8, The deterioration status estimation unit is a home appliance diagnosis program that identifies a period during which a constantly powered home appliance among the home appliances is not in use, and calculates the deterioration rate based on the amount of change in physical quantity data of the constantly powered home appliance during the period of non-use.

12. 12. The home appliance diagnosis program according to claim 7, The deterioration information creation unit is a home appliance diagnosis program that creates the deterioration information that preferentially presents the deterioration status of home appliances that are constantly powered among the home appliances.

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