Home system

Abstract

To provide a home system capable of flexibly changing ordering modes of consumables for housing facilities according to various situations.SOLUTION: The home system includes housing facilities having consumables, a first server that records user-related information of a user using the housing facilities, and a control device that controls the housing facilities and is communicable with the first server. The control device acquires status information for grasping the usage state of the consumables of the housing facilities, and the first server acquires the status information from the control device and records the status information as the user-related information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a home system, a faucet device, a control device, a faucet system, a first server, a second server, a consumables ordering method, and a consumables ordering program. [Background technology]

[0002] The number of home appliances that can be connected to the Internet is increasing. Smart home systems that utilize home appliances connected to the Internet to provide users with comfortable and convenient functions have been proposed.

[0003] A home system has been proposed that determines when to replace consumables in household equipment connected to the Internet and places an order for the consumables (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-030831 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in a home system for ordering consumables for home appliances, the home appliances and the EC (Electronic Commerce) server that accepts orders are only connected via a network, making it difficult to flexibly change the ordering method for consumables, for example, when the EC server is not functioning or when a user requests a change of EC site.

[0006] In light of the above circumstances, the present disclosure aims to provide a home system, a faucet device, a control device, a faucet system, a first server, a second server, a consumables ordering method, and a consumables ordering program that can flexibly change the ordering method for consumables for home appliances to suit various situations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A home system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure comprises a home appliance having consumables, a first server that records user-related information of users who use the home appliance, and a control device that controls the home appliance and is capable of communicating with the first server, wherein the control device acquires status information that enables understanding of the usage status of the consumables in the home appliance, and the first server acquires the status information from the control device and records it as the user-related information.

[0008] A faucet device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is a faucet device having consumables, and is controlled by a control device capable of communicating with a first server that records user-related information of users using the faucet device, and status information that enables understanding the usage status of the consumables is recorded as the user-related information in the first server through communication between the control device and the first server.

[0009] A control device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is a control device that controls a home appliance having consumables, acquires status information that enables understanding of the usage status of the consumables in the home appliance, and has the status information acquired by a first server that records the status information as user-related information.

[0010] A first server according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a first server capable of communicating with a control device that controls a home appliance having consumables, and obtains status information from the control device that enables understanding of the usage status of the consumables, and orders the consumables from a second server based on the obtained status information.

[0011] A second server according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure receives an order for the consumable from a first server that has acquired status information that enables understanding of the usage status of the consumable used in a home appliance having the consumable.

[0012] A consumables ordering method according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is a method in which a first server orders consumables for home appliances from a second server, in which status information that enables understanding of the usage status of the consumables for the home appliances is obtained, and the consumables are ordered from the second server based on the obtained status information.

[0013] A consumables ordering program according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is a program in which a first server orders consumables for home appliances from a second server, acquires status information that enables understanding of the usage status of the consumables for the home appliances, and causes the second server to order the consumables based on the acquired status information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a home system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a control device of the home system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a smartphone in the home system. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the home system. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing another operation of the home system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] A home system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0016] [Home System 100] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a home system 100. As shown in FIG. The home system 100 includes a household appliance 1, a control device 2, an access point 3, a smartphone 4, a device management server 5, a user management server 6, an EC server 7, and a call center server 8. The access point 3, the smartphone 4, the device management server 5, the user management server 6, the EC server 7, and the call center server 8 are connected via a network NW.

[0017] The network NW may be a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, a private network (LAN) within the building where the home system 100 is installed, or a combination thereof. The network NW may be either a wired or wireless network. Communication between devices may involve other devices such as an access point.

[0018] [Housing equipment 1] The housing equipment 1 is a device installed in a home HO as equipment, such as a faucet device 1A or a toilet device 1B. The housing equipment 1 includes building materials such as shutters, doors, windows, and locks; cameras such as outdoor and indoor cameras; energy management devices such as distribution boards and solar power generation systems; and sensors such as temperature and humidity sensors and motion sensors. The housing HO to which the housing equipment 1 is installed includes not only residential buildings but also non-residential buildings such as offices, schools, and hospitals. The housing equipment 1 has a manual control input mechanism that accepts manual control instructions from a user and a remote control input mechanism that accepts remote control instructions from a control device 2 or the like. For example, the control instructions accepted by the faucet device 1A include instructions for discharging water, stopping water, adjusting temperature, adjusting flow rate, and a series of combinations of these instructions. A home system 100 including the faucet device 1A as the housing equipment 1 is also referred to as a "faucet system."

[0019] The household equipment 1 may have consumables. For example, the faucet device 1A has a cartridge, which is a consumable. The faucet device 1A to which the cartridge for reformed water is attached can discharge reformed water.

[0020] [Control device 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the control device 2. The control device 2 controls the operation of the household equipment 1. A control device 2 is provided for each household equipment 1. The control device 2 may be provided inside the household equipment 1 and integrated with the household equipment 1. The control device 2 has a control unit 21, a wireless communication unit 22, and a recording unit 23.

[0021] The control unit 21 is a computer capable of executing programs, including a processor such as a CPU, a memory into which programs can be read, a storage unit into which programs and data can be stored, and an input / output control unit. The functions of the control unit 21 are realized by the processor executing a program provided to the control unit 21.

[0022] The control unit 21 controls the household equipment 1 based on control instructions acquired via the wireless communication unit 22. The control unit 21 also acquires a usage history (log) of the household equipment 1 and stores the usage history in the recording unit 23 as part of the user-related information. The control unit 21 also acquires status information that enables the usage status of consumables in the household equipment 1 to be understood and stores the status information in the recording unit 23 as part of the user-related information. The control unit 21 also controls the wireless communication unit 22 to communicate wirelessly with the access point 3 and the smartphone 4.

[0023] The wireless communication unit 22 has an antenna and the like, and has a function of communicating via wireless LAN communication WC1 such as WiFi, and a function of communicating via short-range wireless communication WC2 such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or ZigBee (registered trademark). The wireless communication unit 22 can communicate with the access point 3 via wireless LAN communication WC1 based on an instruction from the control unit 21. The wireless communication unit 22 can communicate with the wireless communication unit 42 of the smartphone 4 via short-range wireless communication WC2 based on an instruction from the control unit 21.

[0024] The recording unit 23 includes a recording medium such as a hard disk, a flash memory, etc. The recording unit 23 records a user authentication code 24, user-related information 25, and wireless connection information 26.

[0025] The user authentication code 24 is a unique code assigned to a user in the home system 100, and is a code for authenticating the user in the home system 100. The user authentication code 24 is, for example, a combination of a user ID and a password corresponding to the user ID, or a token generated based on the user ID.

[0026] User-related information 25 is information related to the user who uses household equipment 1. User-related information 25 includes the usage history (log) of household equipment 1 and status information that enables understanding of the usage status of consumables in household equipment 1. For example, the status information for faucet device 1A includes the amount of water used and the duration of use of faucet device 1A.

[0027] The wireless connection information 26 includes wireless connection information required for communicating with the access point 3 via the wireless LAN communication WC1, and is, for example, a combination of a WiFi SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​and a password corresponding to the SSID.

[0028] The wireless connection information 26 includes wireless connection information necessary for communicating with the smartphone 4 via short-range wireless communication WC2, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) pairing information.

[0029] [Access Point 3] The access point 3 is installed in the home HO and has a function of communicating via a wireless LAN communication WC1 such as WiFi. The access point 3 communicates with the control device 2 via the wireless LAN communication WC1. The access point 3 also relays communication with the control device 2 via the wireless LAN communication WC1 to the network NW via a gateway GW.

[0030] A plurality of access points 3 may be installed in the home HO. The access point 3 may have a repeater 31 for the wireless LAN communication WC1. The communication between the access point 3 and the control device 2 via the wireless LAN communication WC1 may go through the repeater 31.

[0031] [Smartphone 4] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the smartphone 4. The smartphone 4 is an example of a mobile terminal or a terminal device. The mobile terminal or the terminal device is not limited to the smartphone 4, and may be, for example, a mobile phone, a smart watch, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, etc. The smartphone 4 has a control unit 41, a wireless communication unit 42, a touch panel 43, a camera 44, and a microphone 45.

[0032] The control unit 41 is a computer capable of executing programs, including a processor such as a CPU, a memory into which programs can be read, a storage unit into which programs and data can be stored, and an input / output control unit. The functions of the control unit 41 are realized by the processor executing a program provided to the control unit 41. The program provided to the control unit 41 is also referred to as an application. The control unit 41 controls the wireless communication unit 42, the touch panel 43, the camera 44, and the microphone 45.

[0033] The wireless communication unit 42 has an antenna and the like, and has a function of communicating via short-range wireless communication WC2 such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or ZigBee (registered trademark), and a function of communicating via high-speed wireless communication WC3 that can connect to a network NW according to a fourth-generation communication standard, a fifth-generation communication standard, or the like. The wireless communication unit 42 can communicate with the wireless communication unit 22 of the control device 2 via the short-range wireless communication WC2 based on instructions from the control unit 41. The wireless communication unit 42 can communicate with the device management server 5, the user management server 6, the EC server 7, and the call center server 8 via the high-speed wireless communication WC3 that is connected to a base station and the network NW based on instructions from the control unit 41.

[0034] The touch panel 43 is, for example, a capacitance type touch panel. An input operation input by a user to the touch panel is acquired by the control unit 41. The touch panel 43 displays a display screen based on an instruction from the control unit 41.

[0035] The smartphone 4 has installed thereon a smart home application AP, which is an application that provides comfortable and convenient functions to the user by utilizing the home equipment 1 connected to the network NW.

[0036] The smart home application AP can generate remote control instructions for the household equipment 1. The remote control instructions for the household equipment 1 are acquired by the device management server 5 via the network NW. The wireless communication unit 22 of the control device 2 acquires the remote control instructions for the household equipment 1 via the access point 3. The control unit 21 of the control device 2 controls the household equipment 1 based on the acquired control instructions. The user can remotely control the household equipment 1 using the smart home application AP whether they are at home or away from home.

[0037] The smart home application AP has a mechanism for managing consumables for the household equipment 1. The smart home application AP can order consumables for the household equipment 1 from the EC server 7 after obtaining the user's approval. The smart home application AP can also obtain information about consumables for the household equipment 1 from the device management server 5 and notify the user. The smart home application AP can also notify the user of the order status and order history of consumables for the household equipment 1.

[0038] [Device management server 5] The device management server (first server) 5 is configured, for example, by one or more servers and can be connected to a network NW. The server includes hardware such as a processor such as a CPU, memory, a recording medium such as a hard disk or flash memory, and a communication device. The functions of the device management server 5 are realized by a program executed on the server's processor. The server may be an on-site server, or a cloud server that provides IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), SaaS (Software as a Service), or the like, or a server that combines these. In the following description, "server" includes any of the above servers.

[0039] The device management server 5 is a server that manages the household equipment 1. The device management server 5 acquires control instructions for the household equipment 1 generated in the smart home application AP. The control instructions for the household equipment 1 are acquired by the control device 2. The device management server 5 records the control instructions for the household equipment 1 generated by the user as a control instruction history. The device management server 5 also acquires status information from the control device 2 that enables the usage status of consumables in the household equipment 1 to be understood. The device management server 5 records the control instruction history for the household equipment 1 and the status information of the household equipment 1 as user-related information.

[0040] [User management server 6] The user management server 6 is configured by, for example, one or more servers, and can be connected to a network NW. The functions of the user management server 6 are realized by a program executed in a processor of the server.

[0041] The user management server 6 is a server that manages the user authentication code 24. A user of the home system 100 can obtain the user authentication code 24 from the user management server 6. The user authentication code 24 obtained by the user is also recorded in the control device 2 and the device management server 5. The user authentication code 24 obtained by the user is also registered in the smart home application AP of the smartphone 4. A control instruction for the household equipment 1 generated by the user in the smart home application AP is obtained by the device management server 5 and the control device 2 that are associated based on the user authentication code 24.

[0042] [EC Server 7] The EC (Electronic Commerce) server 7 is configured by, for example, one or more servers and can be connected to a network NW. The functions of the EC server 7 are realized by a program executed in a processor of the server.

[0043] The EC server 7 is a server that can order consumables for the household equipment 1. A user can order consumables for the household equipment 1 using the website of the EC server 7. A user can also order consumables for the household equipment 1 using a smart home application AP on a smartphone 4. The device management server 5 may also order consumables based on the acquired status information of the household equipment 1.

[0044] The EC server 7 includes an EC ordering server (second server) 7A and an EC web server (third server) 7B. The EC ordering server 7A is a server that accepts orders for consumables for the household equipment 1. The EC ordering server 7A is connected to devices inside the home system 100, such as the device management server 5 and the EC web server 7B, and is not connected to devices outside the home system 100. The EC web server 7B is a web server that accepts orders for consumables for the household equipment 1, is connected to devices outside the home system 100, and is open to the public. An order instruction for consumables for the household equipment 1 made by the EC web server 7B is sent to the EC ordering server 7A.

[0045] The EC web server 7B can accept advance user registration using a smart home application AP or the like. The EC web server 7B may use a user authentication code 24 to authenticate the user in advance user registration. By advance user registration on the EC web server 7B, the user can omit inputting user information when ordering consumables for the household equipment 1 on the EC web server 7B. Furthermore, by advance user registration on the EC web server 7B, the user can use known security measures and order consumables for the household equipment 1 with high security.

[0046] The user can use the smart home application AP to order consumables for the household equipment 1 from the EC web server 7B. The user can also order consumables for the household equipment 1 on the website of the EC web server 7B.

[0047] [Call Center Server 8] The call center server 8 is configured, for example, by one or more servers and can be connected to the network NW. The call center is an equipment supplier that receives inquiries from users via telephone or the like regarding the housing equipment 1. The functions of the call center server 8 are realized by a program executed in the processor of the server.

[0048] The call center server 8 is a server installed in the call center of the home appliance 1. The call center server 8 acquires the usage history (log) of the home appliance 1 via the network NW. When responding to inquiries from users by telephone or the like, the call center operator uses the usage history (log) acquired by the call center server 8.

[0049] Two or more of the device management server 5, user management server 6, EC server 7, and call center server 8 may be the same server.

[0050] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the home system 100. Hereinafter, the operation of the home system 100 will be described with reference to a sequence diagram of the home system 100 shown in FIG.

[0051] The control device 2 acquires status information that allows for understanding the usage status of consumables in the household equipment 1. For example, the status information for the faucet device 1A includes the amount of water used and the usage time of the faucet device 1A.

[0052] In step S100, the device management server 5 acquires status information from the control device 2. The device management server 5 acquires status information from the control device 2, for example, periodically or as needed.

[0053] In step S110, the device management server 5 records the status information of the household equipment 1 as user-related information. Even if the status information of the household equipment 1 is accidentally erased, the status information of the household equipment 1 is still recorded in the device management server 5.

[0054] In step S120, the device management server 5 determines whether or not it is necessary to order consumables for the household equipment 1 based on the status information for the household equipment 1. For example, if the status information for the faucet device 1A indicates that the amount of water usage exceeds a predetermined amount or that the usage time of the faucet device 1A exceeds a predetermined time, the device management server 5 determines that it is necessary to order a cartridge, which is a consumable for the faucet device 1A. If it is necessary to order consumables for the household equipment 1, the device management server 5 then performs step S130.

[0055] In step S130, the equipment management server 5 issues an order to the EC ordering server 7A for the consumables for the household equipment 1. The ordered consumables for the household equipment 1 are delivered to the user's home HO.

[0056] User status information is recorded in the equipment management server 5, and only the minimum information necessary for ordering consumables is transmitted to the EC ordering server 7A. Therefore, private user-related information such as user status information is not leaked to the EC server 7.

[0057] The device management server 5, which performs the recording process of status information, and the EC ordering server 7A, which performs the ordering process of consumables, are separate. Therefore, the recording process of status information and the ordering process of consumables are carried out separately, preventing these processes from being concentrated on a single server.

[0058] The equipment management server 5 that executes the recording process of status information and the EC ordering server 7A that executes the ordering process of consumables are separate. Therefore, when there are multiple EC ordering servers 7A, the equipment management server 5 can easily change the supplier of consumables to another EC ordering server 7A (second server).

[0059] Next, another operation of the home system 100 will be described using a sequence diagram of the home system 100 shown in Fig. 5. Steps S100 to S130 are the same as the operation of the home system 100 shown in Fig. 4.

[0060] In step S130, the device management server 5 places an order with the EC ordering server 7A for consumables for the household equipment 1. However, it is assumed that the order for the consumables cannot be placed with the EC ordering server 7A due to a malfunction of the EC ordering server 7A or a communication error.

[0061] In step S140, the user management server 6 reports the consumables ordering error to the EC ordering server 7A to the smart home application AP of the smartphone 4 associated with the user based on the user authentication code 24. The consumables ordering error is an example of information that prompts the user to order the consumables.

[0062] In step S150, the smart home application AP, after obtaining the user's approval, places an order for consumables for the household equipment 1 with the EC web server 7B. Even if it is not possible to order consumables from the EC ordering server 7A due to a malfunction of the EC ordering server 7A, the user can understand the situation using the smart home application AP and order the consumables themselves as necessary.

[0063] By registering in advance with the EC web server 7B, the user can omit inputting user information when ordering consumables for the household equipment 1 on the EC web server 7B. Furthermore, by registering in advance with the EC web server 7B, the user can use known security measures and order consumables for the household equipment 1 while ensuring high security.

[0064] According to the home system 100 of this embodiment, the ordering method for consumables for the household equipment 1 can be flexibly changed to suit various situations. Even if the device management server 5 cannot order consumables from the EC ordering server 7A, the user can understand the situation using the smart home application AP and order the consumables themselves as needed. The device management server 5, which performs the recording process for status information, and the EC ordering server 7A, which performs the ordering process for consumables, are separated. This makes it possible to protect private user-related information such as the user's status information. Furthermore, when there are multiple EC ordering servers 7A, the device management server 5 can easily change the supplier of consumables.

[0065] While one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment and includes design modifications within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components shown in the above-described embodiment and modifications can be configured in any suitable combination.

[0066] The programs for the control device 2 and other devices are recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The programs recorded on the recording medium are loaded into a computer system and executed. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an operating system (OS) and peripheral devices. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" may also include devices that dynamically store programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs over a network such as the Internet or a telephone line, or devices that store programs for a fixed period of time, such as volatile memory within a computer system that serves as a server or client. The programs may be designed to implement some of the functions described above, or may be capable of implementing the functions in combination with programs already stored in the computer system, or may be implemented using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 100...home system, AP...smart home application, 1...home appliance, 2...control device, 21...control unit, 22...wireless communication unit, 23...recording unit, 24...user authentication code, 25...user-related information, 26...wireless connection information, 28...information protection unit, 29...communication initialization unit, 3...access point, 4...smartphone, 5...device management server, 6...user management server, 7...EC server, 8...call center server

Claims

1. a housing facility having consumables; a first server that records user-related information of users who use the home equipment; a second server capable of communicating with the first server; a control device that controls the household equipment and is capable of communicating with the first server; Equipped with The control device acquires status information that allows the control device to grasp the usage status of the consumables of the household equipment, The first server acquires the status information from the control device and records it as the user-related information; the first server places an order for the consumables with the second server based on the acquired status information; Home system.

2. Further provided is a terminal device used by the user, The first server acquires a control instruction for the household equipment from the terminal device, the control device acquires the control instruction from the first server; The control device controls the household equipment based on the control instruction. The home system of claim 1 .

3. Further provided is a terminal device used by the user, the terminal device is capable of communicating with the second server; When the first server is unable to place an order for the consumables with the second server, the first server transmits information to the terminal device prompting the terminal device to place an order for the consumables. The home system of claim 1 .

4. further comprising a third server capable of communicating with the first server; the third server is capable of receiving an order for the consumables; the first server can select an ordering destination of the consumables from the second server or the third server; The home system of claim 2 .

5. The housing equipment is a water faucet device. A home system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The status information is the amount of water used by the faucet device. The home system according to claim 5 .

7. The status information is the usage time of the faucet device. The home system according to claim 5 .

8. A first server capable of communicating with a control device that controls a household appliance having a consumable item, acquiring status information from the control device that allows the usage status of the consumables to be ascertained; ordering the consumables from a second server based on the acquired status information; First server.

9. receiving an order for the consumables from a first server that has acquired status information that allows the user to understand a usage status of the consumables used in a household equipment having the consumables; Second server.

10. A method for ordering consumables for home appliances from a first server to a second server, comprising: acquiring status information that allows understanding of the usage status of the consumables of the household equipment; ordering the consumables from the second server based on the acquired status information; How to order supplies.

11. A program in which a first server orders consumables for home appliances from a second server, acquiring status information that allows the usage status of the consumables of the household equipment to be understood; ordering the consumables from the second server based on the acquired status information; Consumables ordering program.

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