Home electric appliance management system and home electric appliance management program

Abstract

To suppress an increase in waiting time of a user and to improve convenience of the user even when it takes time to display a diagnosis result of a home electric appliance.SOLUTION: In the case where there is an instruction to diagnose a predetermined symptom among a plurality of anxious symptoms of a home electric appliance using operation data and a predetermined time or more is required until a diagnosis result is displayed, a notification indicating a progress status is displayed. More specifically, a home electrical appliance management system that diagnoses the home electrical appliance using the operation data on the home electrical appliance includes: an input part that selects a predetermined symptom from among the plurality of anxious symptoms the home electrical appliance and receives an instruction to diagnose the symptom; an output part that displays a diagnosis result based on the operation data and the instruction; and a diagnosis progress management part that causes the output part to display a notification notifying of the progress status when the predetermined time or more is required until the diagnosis result is displayed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Currently, various types of home appliances are used in homes and other places. When a user experiences a symptom of concern with such an appliance, it is common for the user to refer to an instruction manual or other documentation to find a solution. Furthermore, some home appliances have a technology that displays advice equivalent to the instruction manual using a diagnostic support device connected via a communication line. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that "a communication terminal displays a select screen having multiple keys, and when a user operates one of the keys, the display unit displays, on the same screen, specific advice for improving the contents of the operated key, which is specific advice corresponding to the data stored in the storage means that corresponds to the result of information transmission from the appliance, and general advice for improving the contents of the keys that is common to all the keys and does not correspond to the result of information transmission from the appliance" (Claim 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6875494 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 does not take into account cases where it takes time for data communication between the communication terminal and the server, or cases where it takes time for processing on the server. As a result, it is possible that advice may not be displayed for a long period of time after a user seeking advice operates the select screen, which increases the user's waiting time and reduces convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the present invention, when an instruction is given to diagnose a specific symptom among multiple symptoms of concern in a home appliance using operational data and it takes more than a certain amount of time to display the diagnosis results, a notification informing the user of the progress is displayed.

[0006] More specifically, the present invention is a home appliance management system that diagnoses a home appliance using its operational data, and includes an input unit that selects a specific symptom from among a plurality of worrisome symptoms of the home appliance and receives instructions to diagnose that symptom, an output unit that displays a diagnosis result based on the operational data and the instructions, and a diagnosis progress management unit that causes the output unit to display a notification informing the user of the progress if it takes more than a certain amount of time to display the diagnosis result.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention also includes a program for causing a user terminal or a diagnostic support device to function as a computer, and a storage medium for storing the program.Furthermore, a home appliance management method using these is also one aspect of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, even if it takes time to display the diagnostic results of a home appliance, it is possible to prevent the user's waiting time from becoming too long and improve user convenience. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a system configuration diagram of a home appliance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a diagnosis support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing user management information used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing candidate response method information (for a drum type washer-dryer with an automatic detergent dispensing function) used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing candidate response method information (for a fully automatic washing machine without an automatic detergent dispensing function) used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] 1 is a diagram showing operational data (for a drum type washer-dryer having an automatic detergent dispensing function) used in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7B] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing operational data (of a fully automatic washing machine without an automatic detergent dispensing function) used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a diagnostic process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a home screen for each home appliance (a drum type washer-dryer of model A) displayed on an output unit of a user terminal in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a confirmation screen for data diagnosis displayed on the output unit of a user terminal in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a selection screen for a symptom of concern (drum type washer-dryer with an automatic detergent dispensing function) displayed on an output unit of a user terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a data diagnosis execution screen displayed on the output section of a user terminal in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on the output section of a user terminal in one embodiment of the present invention, indicating that a diagnosis is in progress. [Figure 14A] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether or not it is necessary to propose "automatic detergent addition" as a possible response method used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14B] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether or not a suggestion of "changing detergent, etc." is needed, which is a possible solution used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14C] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether or not a "tub cleaning course" should be proposed as a possible response method used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14D] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether or not to suggest "increasing the number of rinses," which is a possible response method used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14E] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether or not a "deodorizing course" should be suggested as a possible response method used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing response method narrowing-down information used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the diagnostic results screen displayed on the output unit of a user terminal in one embodiment of the present invention, before scrolling. [Figure 16B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen of diagnostic results displayed on the output unit of a user terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention, after scrolling. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart showing a process flow of progress management by a user terminal after a diagnosis instruction is issued in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a progress notification screen displayed on the output unit of a user terminal in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a history guidance screen displayed on the output unit of a user terminal in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a diagnosis history screen displayed on the output unit of the user terminal in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] 10 is a flowchart showing a process flow of progress management by a user terminal after a diagnosis instruction is issued in a modified example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a progress notification screen displayed on an output unit of a user terminal in a modified example of one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a notification screen displayed on the output unit when the user terminal is in a locked state in a modified example of one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24] A figure showing a notification screen displayed on the output unit when the home screen of a user terminal is displayed in a modified example of one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, when one or more home appliances in a household exhibit some worrisome symptom, a diagnosis is performed based on the operation data of the home appliances in response to an instruction from a user.

[0011] <Configuration> First, the configuration of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a home appliance management system in this embodiment. In Fig. 1, the home appliance management system has a user terminal 10 and a diagnostic support device 20, which are connected to a group of home appliances 30 to be diagnosed via a router 40 and a network 50. The user terminal 10 and the group of home appliances 30 may also be directly connected using short-range wireless communication or the like. Furthermore, the user terminal 10, the group of home appliances 30, the router 40, and the network 50 may be connected via wire or wireless. Each of these devices will be described below.

[0012] First, one or more home appliances 3n to be managed in this embodiment will be described. It is assumed that the home appliances 3n are used in one area (for example, within a home). The home appliances 3n in this embodiment include a microwave oven 31, a refrigerator 32, a vacuum cleaner 33, an induction cooker 34, an air purifier 35, and a washing machine 36. However, these are merely examples, and some of these may be omitted, or additional home appliances may be added. Each of these home appliances has various functions, such as cooking, freezing, and cleaning, as well as communication functions, such as near-field wireless communication. While the home appliances 3n are illustrated as a group 30 in FIG. 1, any one of the home appliances 3n or home appliances 3n other than those illustrated here may be managed.

[0013] Here, the configuration of the home appliance 3n will be described. Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram of the home appliance 3n in this embodiment. This block diagram is representative of each home appliance 3n. As shown in Fig. 2, the home appliance 3n has a control unit 301, a communication unit 304, a display / operation panel 305, an operating unit 306, and a sensor 307. These are connected to each other via a communication path. Each component will be described below.

[0014] First, the control unit 301 has a control signal generation unit 302 and an operation data acquisition unit 303. That is, the control unit 301 generates and outputs control signals for realizing the functions of the home appliance, such as laundry, to control the operation of the home appliance 3n, and also acquires operation data related to the operation of the home appliance. Here, the operation data acquisition unit 303 acquires operation data from the operation unit 306, the sensor 307, or the control signal generation unit 302. The operation data is information related to the home appliance 3n, including the operation date and time, operation (setting) details, operation status (environment), etc.

[0015] Also, as long as the operation data can be acquired, the sensor 307 may be omitted. The control unit 301 can be realized by an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), and each of the control signal generation unit 302 and the operation data acquisition unit 303 can be realized by dedicated hardware or software such as a program.

[0016] Furthermore, the communication unit 304 has a function of communicating via the router 40 and the network 50 and a function of short-range wireless communication. The communication unit 304 outputs acquired operation data and receives control instructions and instructions to collect operation data from the user terminal 10. The display operation panel 305 receives operations on the home appliances from the user and outputs the operation status of the home appliances.

[0017] Furthermore, the operation unit 306 executes various functions under the control of the control unit 301. For this purpose, for example, a control signal generated by the control signal generation unit 302 is used. The functions to be executed include cooking, freezing, cleaning, etc., and can be realized by a heater, a compressor, an electric fan, a motor, an actuator, etc. Furthermore, the sensor 307 acquires the usage status and / or operation status of the home appliance 3n. For example, the sensor 307 can be realized by a thermometer, a light meter, a camera, etc. The usage or operation status, such as the temperature inside the refrigerator 32 and the number of times the door has been opened and closed, is acquired.

[0018] In this embodiment, the diagnosis and the creation and output of information indicating the diagnosis results are performed by the home appliance management system, but at least a part of these may be performed by the home appliance 3n. In this case, the control unit 301 performs the diagnosis and / or creates the diagnostic information. Furthermore, the display / operation panel 305 may output the diagnostic information created by the home appliance management system.

[0019] This concludes the explanation of Figure 2, and we will return to the explanation of Figure 1. The user terminal 10 is used to manage each home appliance 3n, that is, the group of home appliances 30, and can be realized by a computer such as a smartphone, mobile phone, tablet, or PC. To this end, the user terminal 10 has a communication unit 11, an operation data collection unit 12, a response method narrowing down unit 13, a response method arrangement unit 14, a diagnosis progress management unit 18, an output unit 15, an input unit 16, and a memory unit 17.

[0020] The communication unit 11 has a function of communicating via the router 40 and the network 50 and a function of short-range wireless communication. The operation data collection unit 12 collects operation data notified from the group of home electric appliances 30. It is desirable that the operation data collection unit 12 collects operation data periodically, particularly at regular intervals (for example, periodically). Note that the operation data collection unit 12 may be omitted, and the group of home electric appliances 30 may actively notify the operation data.

[0021] Furthermore, the response method narrowing unit 13 narrows down the response methods to be proposed for the worrisome symptoms from the response method candidate information described below based on the collected operational data, and creates response method narrowed down information (diagnosis information) which is the narrowed down result (diagnosis result). Furthermore, the response method placement unit 14 determines the placement of the response methods narrowed down by the response method narrowing unit 13. The diagnosis progress management unit 18 notifies the progress of the diagnosis for the worrisome symptoms, etc. Note that at least one of the functions of the response method narrowing down unit 13 and the response method placement unit 14 can be provided in the diagnosis support device 20, and at least one can be omitted.

[0022] The output unit 15 outputs various information such as diagnostic information. The input unit 16 accepts various operations such as diagnostic instructions from the user to start the diagnosis. The output unit 15 and the input unit 16 can be configured as an integrated unit. The storage unit 17 stores various information used in the processing of the response method narrowing unit 13 and the response method placement unit 14.

[0023] Here, we will explain one implementation example of the user terminal 10. Fig. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the user terminal 10 in this embodiment. In Fig. 3, the user terminal 10 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.

[0024] First, touch panel 101 is configured to serve both as output unit 15 and input unit 16 in Fig. 1, and receives instructions and operations from the user and displays various information. Note that touch panel 101 may be configured as an input device and an output device. Furthermore, processing device 102 can be realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and performs calculations in accordance with home appliance management program 105 (integrated application) stored in storage device 104, which will be described later.

[0025] The home appliance management program 105 is configured, for each function, with an operation data collection module 106, a response method narrowing down module 107, a response method placement module 108, and a diagnosis progress management module 113. Note that each of these modules may be realized as an individual program or a partial combination.

[0026] Here, the configuration shown in FIG. 1, which performs the same functions as each module, is as follows. Operation data collection module 106: Operation data collection unit 12 Response method narrowing module 107: Response method narrowing unit 13 Response method placement module 108: Response method placement unit 14 Diagnosis progress management module 113: Diagnosis progress management unit 18 Therefore, the processing device 102 executes the processes of the operation data collection unit 12 , the response method narrowing unit 13 , the response method placement unit 14 and the diagnosis progress management unit 18 in accordance with the home appliance management program 105 .

[0027] Storage device 104 also stores home appliance management program 105, response method candidate information 109, operation data 110, response method narrowing information 111, and owned appliance information 112. Here, home appliance management program 105 may be a program for managing home appliance group 30, or may be configured with multiple programs for each home appliance. In the latter case, a management program for each of microwave oven 31, refrigerator 32, vacuum cleaner 33, IH cooking appliance 34, air purifier 35, and washing machine 36 will be used.

[0028] The response method candidate information 109, the operational data 110, and the response method narrowing information 111 will be described later in the section <Information>. 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. Furthermore, at least some of the home appliance management program 105, the response method candidate information 109, the operational data 110, and the response method narrowing information 111 may be omitted as long as they are held in the diagnostic support device 20 described later. Furthermore, at least some of the modules (functions) of the home appliance management program 105 may be provided in the diagnostic support device 20.

[0029] This concludes the explanation of Fig. 3, and we will return to the explanation of Fig. 1. The diagnostic support device 20 is designed to diagnose the group of home appliances 30, and can be realized by a computer such as a server or a cloud. To this end, the diagnostic support device 20 has a communication unit 21, an operation data collection unit 22, a response method narrowing unit 23, a response method arrangement unit 24, and a storage unit 25.

[0030] First, the communication unit 21 has a function of communicating via the router 40 and the network 50 and a function of short-range wireless communication. Furthermore, the operation data collection unit 22 realizes the same function as the operation data collection unit 12, and it is sufficient that at least one of the operation data collection unit 22 and the operation data collection unit 12 exists. Furthermore, the response method narrowing unit 23 similarly realizes the same function as the response method narrowing unit 13, and it is sufficient that at least one of them exists. Furthermore, the response method arrangement unit 24 similarly realizes the same function as the response method arrangement unit 14, and it is sufficient that at least one of them exists.

[0031] Furthermore, the storage unit 25 stores user management information 251, response method candidate information 252, operational data 253, and response method narrowing down information 254. Note that the response method candidate information 252, operational data 253, and response method narrowing down information 254 are the same in content as the response method candidate information 252, operational data 110, and response method narrowing down information 111 stored in the user terminal 10, and one of them may be omitted. Also, taking into consideration the resources of the user terminal 10, the information may be compressed or simplified. Note that each of these pieces of information will be described later in <Information>.

[0032] Here, an example of realizing the diagnostic support device 20 will be described. Fig. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the diagnostic support device 20 in this embodiment. In Fig. 4, the diagnostic support device 20 has a processing device 201, a communication device 202, a memory 203, and a secondary storage device 204, which are connected to each other via a communication path.

[0033] First, the processing device 201 can be realized by a processor such as a CPU, and executes calculations in accordance with a home appliance management program 205 stored in a sub-storage device 204, which will be described later. The home appliance management program 205 will be described later.

[0034] 1, is connected to the network 50, and communicates with other devices.

[0035] 1. The memory 203 and the secondary storage device 204 expand information used for processing by the home appliance management program 205 and the processing device 201, which are stored in the secondary storage device 204. The secondary storage device 204 can be realized as a so-called storage, and stores the home appliance management program 205, user management information 251, response method candidate information 252, operational data 253, and response method narrowing information 254. The secondary storage device 204 may be realized as various storage media such as an external hard disk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), or memory card, or may be realized as a device separate from the diagnostic support device 20, such as a file server.

[0036] Here, the home appliance management program 205 is made up of an operation data collection module 206, a response method narrowing module 207, and a response method placement module 208. Note that each of these modules may be realized as an individual program or a partial combination thereof.

[0037] Here, the configuration shown in FIG. 1, which performs the same functions as each module, is as follows. Operation data collection module 206: Operation data collection unit 22 Response method narrowing module 207: Response method narrowing unit 23 Response method placement module 208: Response method placement unit 24 Therefore, the processing device 201 executes the processes of the operation data collection unit 22, the response method narrowing unit 23, and the response method placement unit 24 in accordance with the program.

[0038] The home appliance management program 205 executes the same calculations as the home appliance management program 105, and it is sufficient for at least one of them to exist. In this case, it is sufficient for the modules that make up these programs to exist in at least one of them.

[0039] This concludes the explanation of Fig. 4, and we return to the explanation of Fig. 1. The router 40 has the function of connecting each device, and is preferably installed on the same premises as the group of home appliances 30. Note that the router 40 can be omitted or replaced with another communication device. The network 50 is a communication network such as the Internet or a public line network. This concludes the explanation of the configuration of this embodiment.

[0040] <Information> Next, various types of information used in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing user management information 251 used in this embodiment. This is information related to users of the home appliance group 30. As shown in FIG. 5, user management information 251 has the following fields: user name, address, contact information, and owned devices. Here, the user name may be information that identifies the user. The address and contact information may be omitted. Furthermore, the owned devices are information that identifies the home appliances owned or used by the user, i.e., the home appliance group 30, and are specifically serial numbers and models.

[0041] The user terminal 10 has owned device information 112 for managing the home appliances (home appliance group 30) owned by the user, which has the same configuration as the “owned device” item in the user management information 251.

[0042] The candidate response information defines the main symptoms that users are concerned about and one or more candidate responses to each symptom. This candidate response information differs for each home appliance and even for the same home appliance, for each model. The following describes washing machines, including drum-type washer-dryers and fully automatic washing machines, but it goes without saying that the information can also be applied to other home appliances.

[0043] 6A is a diagram showing the candidate countermeasure information (for a drum type washer-dryer with an automatic detergent dispenser function) used in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6A, the candidate countermeasure information for this drum type washer-dryer (sometimes referred to as Model A) lists "smell of laundry," "smell inside the drum," "vibration during washing and drying," and "dryness of laundry after drying" as troublesome symptoms.

[0044] Here, we will explain this in more detail using the example of "laundry odor." Five options for dealing with "laundry odor" in a model A drum-type washer-dryer are defined: "automatically dispense more detergent," "change detergent, etc.", "tub cleaning course," "increase the number of rinses," and "deodorizing course."

[0045] "More Detergent" is a method to reduce laundry odors by increasing the detergent concentration and eliminating the cause of odors attached to the fabric by setting the amount of detergent automatically dispensed by the automatic detergent dispenser to "more." "Changing Detergents" is a method to reduce laundry odors by using a weak alkaline liquid synthetic detergent or a liquid detergent or fabric softener that claims deodorizing and antibacterial properties. "Drum Cleaning" is a method to reduce laundry odors by cleaning the drum (washing tub) itself and preventing drum odors from transferring to the laundry. "Increasing Rinsing" is a method to reduce laundry odors by rinsing thoroughly. "Deodorizing" is a method to reduce laundry odors by washing with warm water.

[0046] 6B is a diagram showing candidate response method information used in this embodiment (for a fully automatic washing machine without a drying function and without an automatic detergent dispensing function). As shown in FIG. 6B, the candidate response method information for this fully automatic washing machine (sometimes referred to as Model B) lists "smell of laundry," "smell inside the washing tub," and "vibration during washing" as worrisome symptoms. Model B fully automatic washing machine does not have a drying function, so there are no symptoms caused by drying, and since it does not have an automatic detergent dispensing function, there are no candidate response methods related to the amount or type of detergent.

[0047] Furthermore, when there are multiple candidate solutions for a symptom, such as the "laundry odor" symptom in Figures 6A and 6B, the candidate solution information also defines the priority of each candidate. Solutions ranked higher in priority are predicted to be the most effective for the symptom. However, when prioritizing solutions, the disadvantages of adopting a solution are also taken into consideration. For example, setting the automatic detergent dispenser to "extra" has the disadvantage of increased detergent consumption; increasing the number of rinses has the disadvantage of increased water bills and time; and setting the deodorizing course has the disadvantage of increased electricity bills and time due to heater heating. It is desirable to lower the priority of solutions that have significant disadvantages, such as increased costs for water and electricity, time, and user workload. In other words, when displaying multiple effective solutions for a symptom on a screen, solutions with greater disadvantages than those displayed at the top of the screen should be placed at the bottom of the screen.

[0048] The candidate response method information is a collection of response methods that are predicted to be effective based on past experience, such as accumulated inquiries from users about past home appliances similar to the model of the appliance. In other words, the relationship between the symptom of concern and the response method in the candidate response method information can be said to be equivalent to that defined in the instruction manual. However, since the instruction manual also includes response methods that have already been performed, it can be difficult for users to distinguish between them, especially when there are many candidates. Therefore, in this embodiment, we use operational data to identify response methods that have already been performed and exclude them from the candidates, thereby improving usability for users.

[0049] FIG. 7A is a diagram showing operation data (model A: drum-type washer-dryer with an automatic detergent dispensing function) used in this embodiment. The operation data 253 for model A includes items such as the date and time, operation type, automatic detergent dispensing setting, type of detergent, number of rinses, tub cleaning course, and deodorizing course when a washing operation was performed, as details of operations performed within a certain period of time. The operation types include a washing operation, a washing and drying operation, and a drying operation. The automatic dispensing setting indicates whether the automatic detergent dispensing function was set to ON or OFF when the washing operation or the washing and drying operation was performed. The type of detergent, etc. indicates the brand of detergent or fabric softener selected by the user for the automatic detergent dispensing function. Note that the operation data may include information on operation frequency, such as the total or average operation results within a recent certain period (e.g., one month), in addition to individual operation details. In the example of FIG. 7A, a washing operation was performed at 8:00 AM on September 1, 2023, with the automatic detergent dispensing setting set to ON, the type of detergent, etc. set to N1, and the number of rinses set to two. The historical data 110 stored in the user terminal 10 also has a similar configuration.

[0050] 7B is a diagram showing operation data (model B: fully automatic washing machine without automatic detergent dispensing function) used in this embodiment. Unlike model A, model B does not have the automatic detergent dispensing function, and therefore its operation data 253 does not include items such as automatic dispensing setting and type of detergent.

[0051] <Processing flow> Next, a processing flow of this embodiment will be described. In the following description, the processing of the user terminal 10 and the diagnosis support device 20 will be performed using the configuration shown in FIG.

[0052] First, operational data for diagnosis is collected and accumulated. Specifically, the home appliance 3n operates under the control of the control unit 301, and the operational data acquisition unit 303 of the home appliance 3n acquires the operational data of the home appliance 3n. Then, the communication unit 304 transmits the acquired operational data to the user terminal 10 under the control of the control unit 301. This transmission may be performed periodically or in real time. Furthermore, this transmission may be performed actively by the control unit 301 or in response to an instruction from the operational data collection unit 12 of the user terminal 10. In other words, this transmission may be performed by either so-called push transmission or pull transmission. Furthermore, this transmission may be performed from the home appliance 3n to the diagnostic support device 20.

[0053] The communication unit 11 of the user terminal 10 then transfers the transmitted operational data to the diagnostic support device 20. In this transfer, information identifying the user terminal 10 or the user, or information identifying the home appliance 3n, may be added. This transfer may be performed periodically, in real time, or in synchronization with transmission from the home appliance 3n. This transfer may be actively performed by the operational data collection unit 12, or may be performed in response to an instruction from the operational data collection unit 22 of the diagnostic support device 20. In other words, the transfer may be performed by either so-called push transmission or pull transmission.

[0054] Furthermore, the communication unit 21 of the diagnostic support device 20 receives the operational data transferred from the user terminal 10 or transmitted from the home appliance 3n. Then, the operational data collection unit 22 stores the received operational data in the storage unit 25 as operational data 253. This completes the description of the collection and storage of operational data.

[0055] Next, a description will be given of the diagnostic process using the operational data 253. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the diagnostic process in this embodiment.

[0056] First, in step S11, a diagnostic instruction regarding a symptom of concern is received from the user via the input unit 16 of the user terminal 10. The following describes the case of the above-mentioned drum type washer-dryer of model A as an example.

[0057] FIG. 9 shows an example of a home screen for a home appliance (Model A: a drum-type washer / dryer with an automatic detergent dispenser) displayed on the output section of a user terminal. As shown in FIG. 9, the home screen displays information for identifying the appliance, such as the washing machine's appearance, model, and serial number, as well as buttons for links to an instruction manual, how-to videos, frequently asked questions, procedures for purchasing parts and consumables, and repair consultations and applications. The home screen also includes a button 91 for proceeding to a data diagnosis function for symptoms of concern. When the user taps this button 91, a confirmation screen like that shown in FIG. 10 is displayed. When the user taps the "Next" button in FIG. 10, the screen shown in FIG. 11 is displayed.

[0058] FIG. 11 shows a selection screen for a worrisome symptom (model A: drum type washer-dryer with an automatic detergent dispensing function) displayed on the output unit of the user terminal. When, for example, "the smell of laundry is worrisome" is selected as the diagnosis target on the screen shown in FIG. 11, a diagnosis execution screen such as that shown in FIG. 12 is displayed. When the user taps execute button 121 on the screen of FIG. 12, reception of the diagnosis instruction is completed, and in step S12, communication unit 11 transmits the diagnosis instruction to diagnostic support device 20. The diagnosis instruction also includes identification information for identifying the drum type washer-dryer of model A that is the diagnosis target. Note that if diagnostic support device 20 can estimate, from the operation data of the drum type washer-dryer, which symptoms are likely to occur as worrisome symptoms, the symptoms may be displayed in descending order of likelihood at the top of FIG. 11, thereby improving usability for the user.

[0059] After step S12, the process is performed by the diagnostic support device 20, which requires a certain amount of processing time, so the diagnostic progress management unit 18 inserts and displays information that the specified symptom is being diagnosed, as shown in Fig. 13. This prevents the user from misunderstanding that the system has frozen.

[0060] Next, in step S13, the communication unit 21 of the diagnostic assistance device 20 receives the diagnostic instruction. Furthermore, in step S14, the response method narrowing unit 23 reads out the response method candidate information 252 for the model linked to the identification information included in the diagnostic instruction, and identifies one or more candidate response methods for the symptom targeted by the diagnostic instruction.

[0061] Next, in step S15, the response method narrowing unit 23 identifies the operational data 253 required to determine whether each candidate response method needs to be proposed from the secondary storage device 204. For example, to determine whether "automatic detergent dispensing more", which is one of the candidate response methods, needs to be proposed, operational data related to the setting of the amount of automatic detergent dispensing is required.

[0062] Next, in step S16, the response method narrowing unit 23 excludes from the candidates, those of the response methods for the symptom to be diagnosed that can be confirmed to have already been addressed based on the operational data. The processing in the response method narrowing unit 23 in step S16 will be specifically described with reference to Figs. 14A to 14E.

[0063] 14A is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether or not the candidate response method "automatic detergent dispensing, more" needs to be proposed. The response method narrowing unit 23 refers to the operation data 253 related to the setting of the automatic detergent dispensing amount identified in step S15 (step S101), and determines whether the automatic detergent dispensing setting is "more" (step S102). If the automatic detergent dispensing setting is already set to "more," "automatic detergent dispensing, more" is excluded from the candidate response methods (step S103). On the other hand, if the automatic detergent dispensing setting is not set to "more," that is, if "normal" or "less," "automatic detergent dispensing, more" remains as a candidate response method (step S104).

[0064] 14B is a flowchart showing a process for determining whether or not the candidate response method "changing the detergent, etc." needs to be proposed. The response method narrowing unit 23 refers to the operation data 253 related to the type of detergent, etc., identified in step S15 (step S201), and determines whether or not the automatically dispensed detergent, etc., is a weakly alkaline liquid synthetic detergent, etc. (step S202). If it is a weakly alkaline liquid synthetic detergent, etc., "changing the detergent, etc." is excluded from the candidate response methods (step S203). On the other hand, if it is not a weakly alkaline liquid synthetic detergent, etc., "changing the detergent, etc." remains as a candidate response method (step S204).

[0065] 14C is a flowchart showing the process for determining whether or not the candidate response method "tub cleaning course" needs to be proposed. The response method narrowing unit 23 refers to the operation data 253 relating to the usage record of the tub cleaning course identified in step S15 (step S301), and determines whether or not the "tub cleaning course" has been used within a certain period of time (step S302). If the "tub cleaning course" has been used, the "tub cleaning course" is excluded from the candidate response methods (step S303). On the other hand, if the "tub cleaning course" has not been used, the "tub cleaning course" remains as a candidate response method (step S304).

[0066] 14D is a flowchart showing the process for determining whether or not the candidate response method "increase the number of rinses" needs to be suggested. Response method narrowing unit 23 references operation data 253 related to the "number of rinses" within a certain period identified in step S15 (step S401), and determines whether the average of the "number of rinses" within the certain period is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step S402). If the average of the "number of rinses" is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, "increase the number of rinses" is excluded from the candidate response methods (step S403). On the other hand, if the average of the "number of rinses" is less than the predetermined value, "increase the number of rinses" remains as a candidate response method (step S404).

[0067] 14E is a flowchart showing the process for determining whether or not the candidate response method "deodorizing course" needs to be suggested. Response method narrowing unit 23 references operational data 253 relating to the usage history of the deodorizing course identified in step S15 (step S501), and determines whether or not the "deodorizing course" has been used within a certain period of time (step S502). If the "deodorizing course" has been used, it excludes the "deodorizing course" from the candidate response methods (step S503). On the other hand, if the "deodorizing course" has not been used, it leaves the "deodorizing course" as a candidate response method (step S504).

[0068] As a result of the narrowing down using the above-mentioned Figs. 14A to 14E, response method narrowing down information such as that shown in Fig. 15 is obtained. The response method narrowing down information includes information on whether each candidate response method for the symptom to be diagnosed can be suggested. In the example of Fig. 15, the candidates from "automatically dispense more detergent" to "increase number of rinses" are "suggestable", but the candidate "deodorizing course" is "not" to be offered because it has already been used.

[0069] Next, in step S17, the response method narrowing unit 23 transmits the response method narrowing information 254 as a diagnosis result to the user terminal 10 using the communication unit 21. It is preferable that the response method narrowing unit 23 stores the response method narrowing information 254 in the storage unit 17.

[0070] Next, in step S18, the response method arrangement unit 14 executes a display process for the response method narrowing information 254 transmitted in step S17. That is, the response method arrangement unit 14 sequentially displays the transmitted response method narrowing information 254 on the output unit 15. As a result, the touch panel 101, which is an example of the output unit 15 of the user terminal 10, displays as shown in Figs. 16A and 16B.

[0071] Fig. 16A shows the screen displaying an example of a diagnosis result before scrolling, and Fig. 16B shows the screen displaying an example of a diagnosis result after scrolling. The response method placement unit 14 places the response methods with the highest priority at the top based on the response method narrowing information shown in Fig. 15. Note that if there are only a few suggested response methods and they can be displayed on one screen of the touch panel 101, it is possible to display all of the response methods on one screen without scrolling up and down.

[0072] 8 is finished, but at least a part of the response method placement unit 14 may be executed by the response method placement unit 24 of the diagnostic support device 20, and the response method placement unit 14 may execute display on the output unit 15 accordingly. Note that if the user actually executes a response method and inputs the successful response method via the user terminal 10 and transmits the result to the diagnostic support device 20, the priority order of the candidate response methods can be set with high accuracy.

[0073] <Diagnostic progress management> Next, the diagnosis progress management in this embodiment will be described. During periods of high-volume processing in the diagnosis support device 20, the processes in S13 to S17 in FIG. 8 take time. Furthermore, depending on the communication environment of the user terminal 10, data communication between the user terminal 10 and the diagnosis support device 20 may take time. For example, in step S12 in FIG. 8, if the diagnosis results do not arrive at the user terminal 10 even after a certain time has passed since the user issued a diagnosis instruction via the input unit 16 of the user terminal 10, some users may feel that the wait time is long, which may impair user convenience. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the diagnosis requires more than a certain time after the diagnosis instruction, the diagnosis progress management unit 18 of the user terminal 10 outputs a delay notification to the output unit 15, thereby reducing unnecessary wait time and improving user convenience. Furthermore, trial and error revealed that the waiting time acceptable to users is approximately 15 to 30 seconds. Therefore, in this embodiment, 20 seconds is used as the standard for the certain time.

[0074] 17 is a flowchart showing the process flow of progress management after a diagnostic instruction is issued on the user terminal. First, in step S11, the input unit 16 of the user terminal 10 accepts a diagnostic instruction from the user regarding a symptom of concern. In step S12, the communication unit 11 transmits the diagnostic instruction to the diagnosis support device 20.

[0075] Next, the diagnosis progress management unit 18 determines whether the communication unit 11 has received the response method narrowing down information 254 as a diagnosis result from the diagnosis support device 20 within a certain time period after receiving the diagnosis instruction in step S11 (step S171). Note that the starting point of the certain time period used for the determination in step S171 may be the time when the diagnosis instruction is transmitted in step S12.

[0076] If the response method narrowing down information 254 is received within a certain time, the response method placement unit 14 displays the received response method narrowing down information 254 on the output unit 15, for example, as shown in Figures 16A and 16B, similar to step S18 in Figure 8 (step S172).

[0077] On the other hand, if the response method narrowing information 254 is not received within a certain time in step S171, the diagnosis progress management unit 18 displays a progress notification screen on the output unit 15 as shown in FIG. 18, informing the user that the display of the diagnosis results will be delayed as a progress status (step S173). This allows the user to understand that the diagnosis is taking time, thereby reducing unnecessary waiting time. When the back button is tapped on the progress notification screen of FIG. 18, a screen for selecting symptoms of concern, such as that shown in FIG. 11, is displayed again on the output unit 15. In addition, the diagnosis progress management unit 18 preferably also notifies the user on the progress notification screen of FIG. 18 that the user should check the history screen. This allows the user to understand that the diagnosis results can be checked by opening the history screen later, without having to issue a new diagnosis instruction for the same symptom.

[0078] Next, a method for the user to check the diagnostic results when it takes a certain amount of time or more for the diagnostic results to be displayed and a progress notification screen is displayed will be described.

[0079] As a first method, when the user selects the same symptom as the previous time as the diagnosis target using the input unit 16 on the symptom selection screen of FIG. 11 , which is the transition destination from the progress notification screen of FIG. 18 , the diagnosis progress management unit 18 displays a history guidance screen as shown in FIG. 19 on the output unit 15. The history guidance screen of FIG. 19 displays that the diagnosis of the symptom has already been performed and that the screen will transition to the diagnosis history screen. When the user taps the “Open History” button in FIG. 19 , the output unit 15 transitions to a diagnosis history screen as shown in FIG. 20. When the user selects the latest diagnosis result for a specific symptom on FIG. 20 using the input unit 16, the user can check the performed diagnosis results, for example, as shown in FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B .

[0080] As a second method, even if the user taps the "View past history" button on the confirmation screen transitioned from the home screen as shown in Fig. 10, a diagnosis history screen as shown in Fig. 20 is displayed on the output unit 15. On the diagnosis history screen, not only the diagnosis results for the day but also previous diagnosis results can be checked.

[0081] Here, the operational data is transmitted from the home appliance 3n to the diagnostic support device 20 and / or the user terminal 10 at a predetermined time every day, or when a communication connection is established by turning on the power of the home appliance 3n. In other words, the latest operational data is not always reflected in the diagnosis. Therefore, even if the same symptom as the previous one is selected as the diagnosis target on the symptom selection screen of FIG. 11, different processing is actually performed depending on the date.

[0082] First, if the same symptom is selected again by the input unit 16 on the same day as the day when the diagnosis instruction was made, the same symptom will not be diagnosed again, and as described above, the history guidance screen shown in Fig. 19 will be displayed on the output unit 15. This is because even if a diagnosis is performed multiple times on the same day, the operating data used for the diagnosis may be the same, and it is unlikely that a large difference will occur in the diagnosis results.

[0083] On the other hand, if the same symptom is selected again by the input unit 16 on or after the day following the day when the diagnosis instruction was made, the diagnosis execution screen shown in Fig. 12 is displayed on the output unit 15 in order to execute another diagnosis of the same symptom. This is because when the date changes, the operational data used for the diagnosis also changes, and the diagnosis result may differ.

[0084] In addition, the starting point for determining whether the dates are the same or not may be the date and time when the diagnostic instruction was received, the date and time when the user terminal 10 sent the diagnostic instruction, the date and time when the diagnostic instruction was received by the diagnostic support device 20, the date and time when the diagnosis was completed by the diagnostic support device 20, the date and time when the user terminal 10 received the diagnostic results, etc.

[0085] <Modification> Next, a modified example of the management of the progress of the diagnosis will be described. In this modified example, when a diagnosis is requested, the system first notifies the user that the acceptance of the diagnosis has been completed, and then notifies the user when the diagnosis results are ready to be displayed. This eliminates the need for the user to check whether the diagnosis has been completed, improving convenience.

[0086] 21 is a flowchart showing a process flow according to a modified example of progress management after a diagnostic instruction is issued at a user terminal. First, as in the above-described embodiment, the user terminal 10 receives a diagnostic instruction regarding a symptom of concern at step S11, and then transmits the diagnostic instruction to the diagnosis support device 20 at step S12.

[0087] Next, in this modification, the diagnostic progress management unit 18 displays, on the output unit 15, a progress notification screen as shown in FIG. 22 , indicating that the acceptance of the diagnosis has been completed, as a progress status (step S211). This allows the user to understand that the process is normal and that there is no need to issue another diagnostic instruction, providing a sense of security. The diagnostic progress management unit 18 also displays, on the output unit 15, on the progress notification screen of FIG. 22 , a notice that a push notification will be sent when the diagnosis is completed. Furthermore, when the back button is tapped on the progress notification screen of FIG. 22 , a screen for selecting symptoms of concern, such as that shown in FIG. 11 , is again displayed on the output unit 15. The timing for displaying the progress notification screen shown in FIG. 22 may be immediately after the acceptance of the diagnostic instruction, or, as in the above-described embodiment, may be when a certain time has passed since the acceptance of the diagnostic instruction without the user terminal 10 receiving a diagnostic result from the diagnostic support device 20.

[0088] Thereafter, the diagnosis progress management unit 18 determines whether or not the response method narrowing down information 254 has been received as a diagnosis result from the diagnosis support device 20 (step S212). If no response method narrowing down information 254 has been received, the determination in step S212 is made again after a predetermined time, and thereafter, the process is repeated until the response method narrowing down information 254 is received.

[0089] When the user terminal 10 receives the response method narrowing down information 254 as the diagnosis result, the diagnosis progress management unit 18 displays a notification that the diagnosis is complete on the output unit 15 (step S213). For example, when the response method narrowing down information 254 is received while the user terminal 10 is in a locked (standby) state, the diagnosis progress management unit 18 pops up a notification as shown in FIG. 23 on the output unit 15. Also, when the response method narrowing down information 254 is received while the integrated app is running and, for example, the home screen of the washing machine is open, the diagnosis progress management unit 18 displays a notification as shown in FIG. 24 on the home screen. This allows the user to notice that the diagnosis is complete.

[0090] <Additional Notes> This concludes the description of this embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the above-described processing may be performed by the home appliance 3n alone or in cooperation with the user terminal 10 or the diagnostic support device 20, or may be performed by the user terminal 10 or the diagnostic support device 20 alone. In particular, when the processing is performed by the diagnostic support device 20, it is desirable to provide or connect an input device or an output device to the diagnostic support device 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 10...user terminal, 11...communication unit, 12...operation data collection unit, 13...response method narrowing unit, 14...response method arrangement unit, 15...output unit, 16...input unit, 17...storage unit, 18...diagnosis progress management unit, 105...home appliance management program, 106...operation data collection module, 107...response method narrowing module, 108...response method arrangement module, 109...response method candidate information, 110...operation data, 111...response method narrowing information, 112...owned appliance information, 113...diagnosis progress management processing module, 20...diagnosis support device, 21...communication unit, 22...operation data collection unit, 23...response method narrowing unit, 24...response method arrangement unit, 25...storage unit, 251...user management information, 252...response method candidate information, 253...operation data, 254...response method narrowing information, 30...group of home appliances, 31...microwave oven, 32...refrigerator, 33...vacuum cleaner, 34...induction cooking appliance, 35...air purifier, 36...washing machine, 40...router, 50...network, 91...button, 121...execution button

Claims

1. A home appliance management system that diagnoses a home appliance using operation data of the home appliance, an input unit that selects a predetermined symptom from among a plurality of worrisome symptoms of the home appliance and receives an instruction to diagnose the symptom; an output unit that displays the operational data and a diagnosis result based on the instruction; and a diagnostic progress management unit that causes the output unit to display a notification informing the progress of the diagnostic results if it takes more than a certain time to display the diagnostic results.

2. The home appliance management system according to claim 1, The progress status includes completion of receipt of the diagnosis and / or a delay in displaying the diagnosis results.

3. 3. The home appliance management system according to claim 2, When the diagnostic result becomes ready to be displayed, the diagnostic progress management unit causes the output unit to display a notice to that effect.

4. 3. The home appliance management system according to claim 2, The diagnosis progress management unit causes the output unit to display a notification informing the user of the progress as well as a notification urging the user to check a diagnosis history screen.

5. The home appliance management system according to claim 1, If the same symptom is selected again by the input unit on the same day as the instruction date, a re-diagnosis of the same symptom is not performed, and a notification that the diagnosis has already been performed is displayed on the output unit; If the same symptom is selected again by the input unit on or after the day following the day on which the instruction was given, a re-diagnosis of the same symptom is executed.

6. 6. The home appliance management system according to claim 5, In a home appliance management system, if the same symptom is selected again by the input unit on the same day as the instruction was given, the output unit displays a notification that the diagnosis has been performed and then transitions to a diagnosis history screen.

7. The home appliance management system according to claim 1, a response method narrowing unit that narrows down candidates for response methods to the symptom based on the operation data and the instruction; The home appliance management system further includes a solution arrangement unit that determines an arrangement in which the plurality of solution methods narrowed down by the solution method narrowing unit are displayed on a screen.

8. a computer that diagnoses a home appliance using operation data of the home appliance; an input unit that selects a predetermined symptom from among a plurality of worrisome symptoms of the home appliance and receives an instruction to diagnose the symptom; an output unit that displays the operational data and a diagnosis result based on the instruction; a home appliance management program that functions as a diagnostic progress management unit that causes the output unit to display a notification informing the user of the progress of the diagnostic process if it takes a certain amount of time or more to display the diagnostic results;

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