Setting system for clothing treatment apparatus, setting method for clothing treatment apparatus, and program

Abstract

The present disclosure reduces a burden of a setting operation for a clothing processing operation in accordance with a situation at a time point at which a user starts to use a clothing processing apparatus SOLUTION: A clothing processing setting system of the present disclosure includes a situation information acquisition unit that acquires situation information that affects setting of a clothing processing operation, an operation result information accumulation unit that stores and accumulates operation result information including first setting contents that are setting contents of the clothing processing operation and first situation information that is situation information at a timing at which the clothing processing operation is executed in a storage unit whenever the clothing processing operation is executed by a clothing processing device, a proposal setting content determination unit that determines proposal setting contents of the clothing processing operation corresponding to a case where the clothing processing operation is executed at a processing timing on the basis of situation information at a predetermined processing timing and the operation result information stored in the storage unit, and a proposal setting content output unit that outputs the proposal setting contents from an output device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a setting system for a clothing processing device, a setting method for a clothing processing device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for a washing machine equipped with a touch panel operation display unit, in which function setting icons corresponding to some of the multiple functions possessed by the washing machine, which are included on the home screen displayed on the operation display unit when the power is turned on, are changed according to the frequency of setting changes for the functions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-139388 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a setting system for a clothing processing device that reduces the burden on a user of the clothing processing device in setting up the clothing processing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The setting system for a clothing processing device according to the present disclosure includes a status information acquisition unit that acquires status information that affects clothing processing, an operation performance information accumulation unit that stores in a memory unit operation performance information including a first setting content, which is the setting content of the clothing processing operation when the clothing processing operation is performed by the clothing processing device, and first status information, which is the status information at the timing when the clothing processing operation is performed, a proposed setting content determination unit that determines proposed setting content for the clothing processing operation that corresponds to the case where the clothing processing operation is performed at the processing timing based on the status information at a predetermined processing timing and the operation performance information stored in the memory unit, and a proposed setting content output unit that causes an output device to output the proposed setting content. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The setting system of the clothing processing device of the present disclosure can reduce the burden on the user of setting operations for the clothing processing device depending on the situation at the time the user starts using the clothing processing device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] Configuration diagram of a setting system for a clothing processing device according to an embodiment [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a setting screen for a laundry processing operation in the embodiment; [Figure 3] Sequence diagram of the learning phase in the embodiment [Figure 4] Flowchart of the learning phase process in the embodiment [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of driving performance information according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] An explanatory diagram of the learning and inference phases of a machine learning model according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram of a trained model according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] Sequence diagram of the prediction phase in the embodiment [Figure 9] Flowchart of the process of the prediction phase in the embodiment [Figure 10]FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a setting screen for a laundry processing operation in the embodiment; [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the process of the prediction phase according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] (Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time the inventors arrived at the present disclosure, there was a technology that included function setting icons corresponding to some of the washing machine's multiple functions on the home screen that is first displayed on the washing machine's operation display unit when the user turns on the washing machine, and changed the function setting icons displayed on the home screen depending on how frequently the user changes the settings for each function. This allows the user to immediately turn frequently used functions on / off by operating the function setting icons displayed on the home screen, thereby improving the operability of the operation settings for the user and providing a user-friendly washing machine.

[0009] However, when changing the function setting icon displayed on the home screen depending on the frequency of the user's operation of the function setting icon, the situation when the laundry is being done (time, weather, etc.) is not taken into consideration. The inventors of the present invention discovered that the functions selected by users vary depending on the situation when the washing machine is turned on (for example, drying is more likely to be selected on a rainy day than on a sunny day). Therefore, the inventors of the present invention discovered that a technology that changes the function setting icon depending on the frequency of setting changes has the disadvantage that it is unable to support the user's desired setting operation for the washing operation depending on the situation at the time the user starts using the washing machine. The inventors discovered the problem of avoiding such a problem, and have come to constitute the subject matter of the present disclosure in order to solve this problem. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a setting system for a clothing processing device that can reduce the burden on the user of setting up the clothing processing device depending on the situation at the time the user starts using the clothing processing device.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed description of well-known matters or redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0011] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. [1. Configuration of the clothing processing device setting system] The configuration of a setting system 2 for a clothing processing device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The setting system 2 for a clothing processing device is configured as part of the functions of a washing machine support server 1 that supports the use of a washing machine 100. Here, the washing machine 100 is an example of a clothing processing device according to the present disclosure, and the clothing processing device according to the present disclosure includes, in addition to a washing machine, devices that perform various processes on clothing, such as a clothes dryer, a clothes drying dehumidifier, and a steam device. Furthermore, the clothing processing operations performed by the clothing processing device include various operations performed on clothing, such as a washing operation, a drying operation, a steam operation, and a scenting operation.

[0012] Washing machine support server 1 is a computer system including processor 10, storage device 20 (corresponding to the storage unit of the present disclosure), communication unit 30, etc. Washing machine support server 1 communicates with washing machine 100, communication terminal 200 used by user U of washing machine 100, weather information server 510, etc. via communication network 500 using communication unit 30. Communication terminal 200 is a smartphone, mobile phone, tablet terminal, etc.

[0013] The communication terminal 200 executes an application (application program, hereinafter referred to as a washing machine application) for remotely controlling the washing machine 100, thereby functioning as a remote control terminal for the washing machine 100. The communication between the communication terminal 200 and the washing machine 1 may be performed by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) without going through the communication network 500.

[0014] The washing machine 100 includes a control unit 110 that controls the operation of the washing machine 100, a touch panel operation display unit 120, a power switch 121, and a start / pause switch 122. Depending on the operation of the power switch 121 (corresponding to a predetermined operation in the present disclosure), the washing machine 100 switches between a power-on state in which power is supplied to the control unit 110 and the operation display unit 120, and a power-off state in which power supply to the control unit 110 and the operation display unit 120 is cut off. The power-on state corresponds to a setting operation enabled state in the present disclosure in which setting operation for the clothing processing operation is possible, and the power-off state corresponds to a setting operation disabled state in the present disclosure in which setting operation for the clothing processing operation is impossible.

[0015] When the user U operates the power switch 121 to switch from a power-off state to a power-on state, the control unit 110 displays an initial screen 300 on the operation display unit 120, as shown in Fig. 2. The initial screen 300 includes a selection button 301 for a series of operation sequences for the laundry processing operation (wash only, wash-dry, dry only), and suggested setting content buttons 302a and 302b. The suggested setting content buttons 302a and 302b display suggested setting content output by the trained model 11b, which will be described later.

[0016] Note that the control unit 110 may be configured to maintain a state in which power is constantly supplied to it, and switch between a standby mode in which the operation display unit 120 is in a non-display state and only operations on the power switch 121 are accepted in response to the operation of the power switch 121, and a startup mode in which the operation display unit 120 is in a display state and operations on the operation display unit 120, the power switch 121, and the start / pause switch 122 are accepted. In this case, when the control unit 110 switches from the standby mode to the startup mode in response to the operation of the power switch 121 by the user U, it displays the initial screen 300 on the operation display unit 120 as shown in Fig. 2. The standby mode corresponds to a state in which setting operations are unavailable in the present disclosure, and the startup mode corresponds to a state in which setting operations are available in the present disclosure.

[0017] When the user U operates the selection button 301 on the initial screen 300 to select one of the operation sequences "Wash Only," "Wash and Dry," or "Dry Only," the control unit 110 switches the screen on the operation display section 120 to a setting function screen 310. The setting function screen 310 includes selection buttons 311 for each setting function (Automatic, Approx. 40°C Automatic, My Way Plus, Powerful Waterfall (Wash and Rinse), Night, and Energy Saving). "Automatic" is the standard setting, "Approx. 40°C Automatic" is a setting for washing with warm water at approximately 40°C, "My Way Plus" is a setting registered by the laundry app on the communication terminal 200, "Powerful Waterfall (Wash and Rinse)" is a setting for increasing the capacity and time of washing and rinsing, "Night" is an operation setting that reduces operating noise, and "Energy Saving" is an operation setting that reduces power consumption.

[0018] When the user U operates the selection button 311 on the setting function screen 310 to select one of the setting functions, the control unit 110 switches the screen of the operation display section 120 to a setting content screen 320. The setting content screen 320 includes a processing content button 321 corresponding to the operation sequence ("Wash-Dry" is exemplified in FIG. 2) and setting function ("Automatic" is exemplified in FIG. 2) selected by the user U, and a setting button 322 for options that can be set. The user U can change the settings for each process (wash, rinse, spin, dry) by operating the processing content button 321, and can add optional processes by operating the setting button 322. The control unit 110 executes the laundry processing operation based on the operation sequence, setting function course, and setting content of the optional processes selected by the user U.

[0019] When the washing machine 100 (more specifically, the control unit 110) executes a clothes processing operation in response to the operation of the start / pause switch 122 by the user U, it transmits operation execution information Lad indicating the timing (time, day of the week) at which the clothes processing operation was executed and the settings of the clothes processing operation (operation sequence and setting functions) to the washing machine support server 1. Note that, although the case where the user U operates the operation display unit 120 of the washing machine 100 to select the settings of the clothes processing operation has been described here, the user U can similarly select the settings of the clothes processing operation by using the remote control app for the washing machine 100 on the communication terminal 200.

[0020] The storage device 20 of the washing machine support server 1 stores a program 21 for configuring the setting system 2 of the clothing processing device, a program 22 of the machine learning model, and operation performance information accumulation data 23 in which operation performance information described later is recorded. The processor 10 functions as the machine learning model 11 by reading and executing the program 22 of the machine learning model.

[0021] Furthermore, by reading and executing program 21 of the setting system 2 for the clothing processing device, processor 10 functions as a status information acquisition unit 12, a setting screen display control unit 13, an operation performance information accumulation unit 14, a function approximator generation unit 15, a proposed setting content determination unit 16, and a user identification unit 17. Setting screen display control unit 13 includes the function of the proposed setting content output unit of the present disclosure. The component for setting screen display control unit 13 to generate screen data for operation table unit 120 may be provided in control unit 110 of washing machine 100, as shown in speech bubble B. In this case, control unit 110 receives data of display elements (such as proposed setting content described below) transmitted from washing machine support server 1 to washing machine 100, generates screen data, and controls the screen display of operation display unit 120.

[0022] The processing executed by the status information acquisition unit 12 corresponds to the status information acquisition step in the setting method of the clothing processing device of the present disclosure, and the processing executed by the operation performance information accumulation unit 14 corresponds to the operation performance information accumulation step in the setting method of the clothing processing device of the present disclosure. The processing executed by the proposed setting content determination unit 16 corresponds to the proposed setting content determination step in the setting method of the clothing processing device of the present disclosure, and the processing executed by the setting screen display control unit 13 includes the proposed setting content output step in the setting method of the clothing processing device of the present disclosure.

[0023] The situation information acquisition unit 12 acquires situation information that affects the laundry treatment. The situation information includes, for example, at least one of environmental information, which is information about at least one of weather and temperature, time point information, which is information about a time point, and user information, which is information about the user. In the present embodiment, the situation information acquisition unit 12 acquires situation information including the time, the day of the week, the weather, and identification information of the user U. The situation information acquisition unit 12 accesses the weather information server 510 via the communication network 500 to acquire weather information Wed, which indicates the weather conditions in the target area including the location where the washing machine 100 is being used, and recognizes the weather in the target area from the weather information Wed when the washing machine 100 performs the laundry treatment operation.

[0024] The setting screen display control unit 13 controls the contents of the screen to be displayed on the operation display unit 120. The operation display unit 120 corresponds to the output device of the present disclosure, and the process of the setting screen display control unit 13 displaying the suggested setting content buttons 302a and 302b on the operation display unit 120 corresponds to the process of outputting the suggested setting content of the present disclosure from the output device.

[0025] When the clothing processing device 100 performs a clothing processing operation, the operation history information accumulation unit 14 records and saves the operation history information, including the settings of the clothing processing operation and situation information at the time the clothing processing operation was performed, in the operation history information accumulation data 23 of the storage device 20. The function approximator generation unit 15 performs machine learning on the pre-learning model 11a using the operation history information recorded in the operation history information accumulation data 23 to generate the trained model 11b. The trained model 11b is an example of a function approximator that outputs the settings of the clothing processing operation corresponding to the input of situation information. Details of the trained model 11b will be described later.

[0026] The proposed setting content determination unit 16 determines the setting content of the clothes processing operation output from the trained model 11b in response to the input of situation information to the trained model 11b at a predetermined processing timing as the proposed setting content to be displayed on the proposed setting content buttons 302a, 302b. When multiple users U share the washing machine 100, the user identification unit 17 identifies the user U remotely operating the washing machine 100 by acquiring the identification information of the user U transmitted from the communication terminal 200 when each user U uses the remote operation app via their own communication terminal 200.

[0027] [2. Learning Phase Processing] The procedure of the learning phase processing (processing for accumulating operation performance information and processing for generating a trained model) executed by the washing machine support server 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0028] Fig. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an overview of a series of processes by the washing machine app executed by the washing machine 100, washing machine support server 1, and communication terminal 200 in the learning phase. L1 in Fig. 3 is a process executed by the washing machine 100 and washing machine support server 1 when a clothes processing operation is executed by operating the operation display unit 120 and start / pause switch 122 provided in the washing machine 100. L2 in Fig. 3 is a process executed by the washing machine app and washing machine support server 1 when a clothes processing operation is executed by operating the washing machine app.

[0029] In the process of L1, when the start / pause switch 122 of the washing machine 100 is operated at T1 to start the laundry processing operation, the washing machine 100 transmits operation history information to the washing machine support server 1 at T2. The operation history information includes the settings of the laundry processing operation, the time, day of the week, and weather when the laundry processing operation was performed, and whether or not the suggested setting content buttons 302a and 302b were operated. Regarding the weather, T2 in FIG. 3 shows an example in which the information is transmitted from the washing machine 100 to the washing machine support server 1, but the washing machine support server 1 may also recognize the weather by receiving the weather information Wed transmitted from the weather information server 510.

[0030] At T3, the washing machine support server 1 records and saves the operation performance information received from the washing machine 100 in the operation performance information accumulation data 23 of the storage device 20, and performs machine learning using the operation performance information recorded and accumulated in the operation performance information accumulation data 23 to generate the trained model 11b.

[0031] Furthermore, after the clothes processing operation is started at T4, when the display operation unit 120 is operated to change the settings of the clothes processing operation, at T5, operation history information including the changed settings is transmitted from the washing machine 100 to the washing machine support server 1. At T6, the washing machine support server 1 records and saves the operation history information received from the washing machine 100 in operation history information accumulation data 23 of the storage device 20. In this case, when the clothes processing operation is started, the operation history information recorded in the operation history information accumulation data 23 at T3 is deleted. Then, the washing machine support server 1 performs machine learning using the accumulated operation history information recorded in the operation history information accumulation data 23 to generate a trained model 11b.

[0032] In the processing of L2, when the start operation of the clothes processing operation is performed by the washing machine app at T7 and the clothes processing operation is started, at T8, operation history information is transmitted from communication terminal 200 to washing machine support server 1. At T9, washing machine support server 1 records and saves the operation history information received from communication terminal 200 in operation history information accumulation data 23 of storage device 20, and performs machine learning using the operation history information recorded and accumulated in operation history information accumulation data 23 to generate trained model 11b.

[0033] Furthermore, when the settings of the laundry processing operation are changed by the washing machine app after the laundry processing operation is started at T10, operation history information including the changed settings is transmitted from communication terminal 200 to washing machine support server 1 at T11. Washing machine support server 1 records and saves the operation history information received from communication terminal 200 in operation history information accumulation data 23 of storage device 20 at T12. In this case, when the laundry processing operation is started, the operation history information recorded in operation history information accumulation data 23 at T9 is deleted. Then, washing machine support server 1 performs machine learning using the operation history information recorded and accumulated in operation history information accumulation data 23 to generate trained model 11b.

[0034] Next, details of the process executed by washing machine support server 1 at L1 in Fig. 3 described above will be described according to the flowchart shown in Fig. 4 with reference to Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 to Fig. 7. The flowchart in Fig. 4 shows the procedure for accumulating operation performance information executed by operation performance information accumulation unit 14 and generating a trained model executed by function approximator generation unit 15.

[0035] In step S1 of Fig. 4, when the operation performance information accumulation unit 14 receives operation execution information Lad transmitted from the washing machine 100 in response to a start operation of the start / pause switch 122 of the washing machine 100 by the user U or an operation to change the settings, the operation performance information accumulation unit 14 proceeds to step S2. The operation execution information Lad includes the time and day of the week when the washing machine 100 performed a laundry processing operation, and the settings of the executed laundry processing operation. The timing when the washing machine 100 transmits the operation execution information Lad may be when the washing operation starts (or when the settings are changed, when the settings are changed), or when the washing operation is completed.

[0036] In step S2, the operation performance information accumulation unit 14 accesses the weather information server 510, acquires weather information Wed for the target area (the area including the location where the washing machine 100 is used) at the time when the clothes processing operation recognized from the operation execution information Lad was performed, and recognizes the weather of the target area at the time when the clothes processing operation was performed from the weather information Wed. In the following step S3, the operation performance information accumulation unit 14 generates operation performance information 400 including situation information 410 (corresponding to the first situation information of the present disclosure) and setting contents 420 of the clothes processing operation (corresponding to the first setting contents of the present disclosure), as shown in FIG.

[0037] The status information 410 includes time 411, day of the week 412, weather 413, user identification information 414, and a suggested settings button flag 415 indicating that the settings for the clothes processing operation have been selected by operating the suggested settings button 302a or the suggested settings button 302b. Note that the suggested settings button flag 415 is used to determine whether the settings for the clothes processing operation have been selected by operating the suggested settings button 302a or the suggested settings button 302b. Therefore, a flag indicating that the clothes processing operation has been performed without operating the suggested settings button 302a or the suggested settings button 302b may also be used. The operation history information transmitted from the washing machine 100 includes identification information for the washing machine 100 as user identification information 414. The settings 420 include an operation sequence 421 and setting functions 422.

[0038] In the next step S4, the driving performance information accumulation unit 14 records and accumulates the generated driving performance information 400 in the driving performance information accumulation data 23 of the storage device 20. In the following step S5, the driving performance information accumulation unit 14 determines whether or not a predetermined number of pieces of driving performance information 400 have been accumulated. Then, when the predetermined number of pieces of driving performance information 400 have been accumulated, the driving performance information accumulation unit 14 proceeds to step S6, and when the predetermined number of pieces of driving performance information 400 have not been accumulated, the driving performance information accumulation unit 14 proceeds to step S1 and executes the processes of steps S1 to S5 again.

[0039] In step S6, the function approximator generation unit 15 performs machine learning on the machine learning model 11 to generate a trained model 11b, as shown in the "learning phase" of Fig. 6. The function approximator generation unit 15 performs preprocessing 401 to exclude, from the operation performance information 400 recorded in the operation performance information accumulation data 23 of the storage device 20, the operation performance information 400 when the settings for the clothes processing operation are selected using the suggested settings button 302a or the suggested settings button 302b.

[0040] Then, the function approximator generation unit 15 generates the trained model 11b by performing machine learning on the pre-trained model 11a of the machine learning model 11 using the driving performance information 400 after the preprocessing 401 as training data that takes situation information as input and processing content as output. The trained model 11b corresponds to the function approximator of the present disclosure.

[0041] As shown in the "inference phase" of Figure 6, the trained model 11b outputs a probability distribution of multiple settings (operation sequence, setting functions) for the clothing processing operation in response to input of situation information (time, day of the week, weather, user identification information) at the processing timing when the clothing processing operation is performed by the washing machine 100.

[0042] [3. Prediction Phase Processing] The procedure of the process of the prediction phase (process of determining and outputting suggested setting contents) executed by the washing machine support server 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0043] Fig. 8 is a sequence diagram showing an outline of a series of processes by the washing machine app executed by the washing machine 100, washing machine support server 1, and communication terminal 200 in the prediction phase. L3 in Fig. 8 is a loop process executed while the power of the washing machine 100 is off, and the process of L4 is executed every time a predetermined time elapses.

[0044] At T22, washing machine support server 1 inputs status information (time, day of the week, weather, and user identification information) at the time when a predetermined time has elapsed (corresponding to the processing timing of the present disclosure) into trained model 11b. Then, washing machine support server 1 transmits the proposed settings determined based on the probability distribution of multiple settings (combinations of operation sequences and setting function courses) for the laundry processing operation output from trained model 11b in response to the input of the status information as a prediction result to washing machine 100 at T23 and to communication terminal 200 at T24.

[0045] At T25, washing machine 100 saves the proposed setting contents received from washing machine support server 1 as temporary proposed settings in storage device 20. Similarly, at T26, the washing machine app saves the proposed setting contents received from washing machine support server 1 as temporary proposed settings in the storage unit of communication terminal 200.

[0046] When washing machine 100 is turned on by operating power switch 121 at T27, it confirms the provisional suggested setting contents stored in storage device 20 as the suggested setting contents to be displayed on suggested setting content buttons 302a and 302b (see FIG. 2) at T28, and displays initial screen 300 (see FIG. 2) on operation display unit 120.

[0047] Similarly, when the washing machine app is launched in response to a launch operation by user U at L5, at T29, the provisional proposed setting contents stored in communication terminal 200 are confirmed as the proposed setting contents to be displayed on the initial screen of the washing machine app (similar to initial screen 300 in Figure 2), and are displayed on the display unit of communication terminal 200.

[0048] Next, details of the process executed by washing machine support server 1 at L3 in Fig. 8 described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 9. The flowchart in Fig. 9 shows the procedure for setting the initial screen 300 of operation display unit 120, which is executed by status information acquisition unit 12 and setting screen display control unit 13.

[0049] In step S10 of FIG. 9, the setting screen display control unit 13 starts a pre-processing timer. The set time of the pre-processing timer (corresponding to the predetermined time in the present disclosure) is set to, for example, several tens of minutes to several hours. By the loop processing of the subsequent steps S11 and S20, the setting screen display control unit 13 advances the processing to step S12 when the pre-processing timer times out in step S11, and advances the processing to step S21 when power-on information transmitted from the washing machine 100 is received in step S20. The time when the pre-processing timer times out corresponds to the processing timing in the present disclosure.

[0050] In step S12, the situation information acquisition unit 12 accesses the weather information server 510 to acquire the current weather information (the time when the pre-processing timer expires) and recognizes the current weather. In the following step S13, the setting screen display control unit 13 inputs the current situation information (time, day of the week, weather, user identification information) into the trained model 11b and acquires the probability distribution of multiple setting contents for the clothing processing operation output from the trained model 11b.

[0051] In the next step S14, the setting screen display control unit 13 determines the setting contents for which the top 1st and 2nd place probabilities have been output as provisional proposed setting contents, stores information about the proposed setting contents in the storage device 20, and proceeds to step S10. Every time the setting screen display control unit 13 determines provisional proposed setting contents, it updates the information about the provisional proposed setting contents stored in the storage device 20.

[0052] In step S21, setting screen display control unit 13 confirms the tentative proposed setting contents (the proposed setting contents determined immediately before) stored in storage device 20 as the proposed setting contents to be displayed on initial screen 300 of operation display unit 120, and transmits information on the initial screen including a proposed setting content button that displays the proposed setting contents to washing machine 100. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10 , initial screen 330 including proposed setting content buttons 332a and 332b is displayed on operation display unit 120 of washing machine 100. In this case, when user U performs a power-on operation for washing machine 100, the tentative proposed setting contents determined in advance are confirmed as the proposed setting contents to be displayed on initial screen 330, so that initial screen 330 can be quickly displayed on operation display unit 120.

[0053] 10 shows an example in which, corresponding to the example shown in FIG. 7, suggested setting content button 332a displays suggested setting content for a combination of a "wash-dry" operation sequence and an "automatic" setting function course, and suggested setting content button 332b displays suggested setting content for a combination of a "wash only" operation sequence and an "automatic" setting function course. User U can immediately switch to operation content screen 340 by, for example, selecting suggested setting content button 332a. In this case, user U does not need to switch to setting function screen 310 and select a setting function course, as described above with reference to FIG. 2, thereby reducing the burden on user U of setting washing machine 100.

[0054] [4. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, when the user U turns on the power using the power switch 121 of the washing machine 100, an initial screen 330 including suggested setting content buttons 332a and 332b that display suggested setting content is displayed on the operation display unit 120 of the washing machine 100, as shown in Fig. 10. Then, the user U can select the setting content (combination of operation sequence and setting function) of the laundry processing operation by selecting the suggested setting content button 332a or the suggested setting content button 332b without selecting a setting function. This reduces the burden on the user U of setting the washing machine 100 according to the timing of executing the laundry processing operation.

[0055] 3 and 4, by determining tentative suggested setting contents every time a predetermined time elapses while washing machine 100 is in a power-off state, the suggested setting contents can be quickly displayed on operation display unit 120 of washing machine 100 when washing machine 100 is powered on. Also, when a washing machine app is started in communication terminal 200, the suggested setting contents can be quickly displayed on the display unit of the communication terminal.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 5, by including the suggested setting content button flag 415 in the status information 410, it is possible to recognize that the suggested setting content button was not operated and the clothing processing operation was performed with settings different from the suggested settings, and to use the status information at the time the clothing processing operation was performed (corresponding to the second status information in the present disclosure) and the settings of the executed clothing processing operation (corresponding to the second setting content in the present disclosure) as operation performance information.

[0057] As shown in Figure 6, by using the trained model 11b generated by machine learning using the driving performance information 400 as training data, it is expected that the probability of determining proposed setting contents that meet the desired conditions of the user U will increase.

[0058] (Other embodiments) As described above, the above embodiment has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the setting screen display control unit 13 executes a process of predetermining provisional suggested setting contents for the laundry processing operation when the washing machine 100 is in a power-off state, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, but this process may be omitted as shown in Figure 11.

[0060] In FIG. 11, in step S30, when the setting screen display control unit 13 receives power-on information transmitted from the washing machine 100 in response to the user U's power-on operation of the washing machine 100, the process proceeds to step S31. In step S31, the status information acquisition unit 12 recognizes the timing (time, day of the week) at which the power-on operation was performed from the power-on information. In the following step S32, the status information acquisition unit 12 accesses the weather information server 510 to acquire weather information Wed at the time of the power-on operation, and recognizes the weather at the time of the power-on operation from the weather information Wed. In the next step S33, the setting screen display control unit 13 inputs the status information (time, day of the week, weather, user identification information) at the time of the power-on operation into the trained model 11b, and acquires a probability distribution of multiple settings (operation sequence, course of setting function) for the laundry processing operation output from the trained model 11b.

[0061] In the following step S34, setting screen display control unit 13 determines the setting contents for which the first and second highest probabilities have been output as suggested setting contents. In the next step S35, setting screen display control unit 13 transmits information of initial screen 330 including suggested setting content buttons 332a and 332b indicating the suggested setting contents to washing machine 100, as shown in Fig. 10. As a result, initial screen 330 including suggested setting content buttons 332a and 332b is displayed on operation display unit 120 of washing machine 100.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the operation display unit 120 of the washing machine 100 and the display unit of the communication terminal 200 are used as the output device of the present disclosure to display (output) the suggested settings for the laundry processing operation. In another embodiment, a speaker provided in the washing machine 100 or the communication terminal 200 may be used as the output device of the present disclosure to output the suggested settings by voice from the speaker. Furthermore, as a configuration for accepting the selection of the suggested settings by the user U, instead of the suggested settings buttons (suggested settings buttons 302a and 302b shown in FIG. 2 for the operation display unit 120) displayed on the display unit of the communication terminal 200, or in addition to the suggested settings buttons, a configuration may be provided in which a microphone and a means for recognizing voice input into the microphone are used to enable the user U to select the suggested settings by voice. The microphone may be configured integrally with the speaker or separately from the speaker.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the function approximator generation unit 15 generated the trained model 11b, which is a function approximator that outputs settings for the clothes processing operation (operation sequence and set function course) in response to input of situation information (time, day of the week, weather, user identification information), using the neural network-based machine learning model 11. In another embodiment, a function approximator that outputs settings for the clothes processing operation in response to input of situation information may be generated using a model such as random forest, support vector regression, or Gaussian process regression.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the situation information acquisition unit 12 acquires weather information (included in meteorology) as environmental information of the present disclosure, but may also acquire information on temperature, humidity, etc. The temperature and humidity information may be acquired by accessing the weather information server 510, or may be acquired from detection signals of a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor provided in the washing machine 100.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the setting system of the clothing processing device of the present disclosure is configured as part of the functions of the washing machine support server 1. In another embodiment, the setting system of the clothing processing device of the present disclosure may be configured as part of the functions of the control unit 110 provided in the washing machine 100. In this case, the processor constituting the control unit 110 executes the program of the setting system of the clothing processing device and the program of the machine learning model stored in the memory constituting the control unit 110, thereby functioning in the same manner as the setting system 2 of the clothing processing device shown in FIG. 1 .

[0066] The setting system for the clothing processing device of the present disclosure may also be configured as a function of an app installed in the communication terminal 200. In this case, the processor constituting the communication terminal 200 executes an application program for the setting system for the clothing processing device and a machine learning model program stored in the memory constituting the communication terminal 200, thereby functioning in the same manner as the setting system 2 for the clothing processing device shown in Fig. 1. When the user U starts remotely controlling the washing machine 100 using the communication terminal 200, the communication terminal 200 displays an initial screen similar to the initial screen 330 shown in Fig. 8 on the display unit of the communication terminal 200.

[0067] The control board included in the target devices (washing machine support server 1, washing machine 100, communication terminal 200) of the present disclosure may be any controller capable of controlling the operation of the target devices of the present disclosure. When describing the subject matter of the invention, the term "control board" may be used in place of "control means," "control unit," "controller," or similar terms such as "controller." The control board can be realized in various forms. For example, the control board may use a processor as its controlling entity. Using a processor as its controlling entity enables various processes to be executed by loading a program from a storage medium storing the program into the processor and executing the program. This allows the processing content to be changed by modifying the program stored in the storage medium, thereby increasing the flexibility of changing the control content. Examples of processors include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). Examples of storage media include a hard disk, flash memory, and optical disk. Furthermore, wired logic, which is not programmable, may be used as the controlling entity of the control board. Using wired logic as the controlling entity of the control board is effective in improving processing speed. An example of wired logic is an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). A controller may also be implemented by combining a processor and wired logic. By combining a processor and wired logic to implement the main control of a control board, software design flexibility can be increased while processing speed can be improved. The main control of a control board and a circuit having a different function from the main control may be implemented by a single semiconductor element. An example of a circuit having a different function is an A / D / D / A conversion circuit. The main control may be implemented by a single semiconductor element or multiple semiconductor elements. When multiple semiconductor elements are used, each control described in the claims may be implemented by a different semiconductor element. Furthermore, a control board may be implemented by including a semiconductor element and a passive component such as a resistor or capacitor.

[0068] The communication circuit (communication unit, communication interface) as a communicator provided in the target device of the present disclosure may be any circuit that enables communication between the target devices of the present disclosure. When describing the subject matter of the invention, the term "communicator" may also be used to refer to a communication means, a communication unit, a transmission / reception means, a transmission / reception unit, or similar terms that enable communication between elements constituting the target device of the present disclosure. The communicator can be realized in various ways. Examples of the communicator include a wireless connection with an external device via a base station or a direct wireless connection with an external device. Examples of wireless connection with an external device via a base station include, for example, an IEEE 802.11-compatible wireless LAN that wirelessly communicates with a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) router, a third-generation mobile communication system (commonly known as 3G), a fourth-generation mobile communication system (commonly known as 4G), an IEEE 802.16-compatible WiMax (registered trademark), or a low-power wide area (LPWA) network. The use of a communicator that directly connects the device of the present disclosure to an external device wirelessly is effective in improving the security of communications, and also allows the device of the present disclosure to communicate with external devices even in places where there is no relay device such as a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) router. Examples of communicators that directly connect the device of the present disclosure to an external device wirelessly include communication via Bluetooth (registered trademark), communication via NFC (Near Field Communication) via a loop antenna, and infrared communication.

[0069] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, and various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents.

[0070] (Addendum) The above description of the embodiments discloses the following techniques.

[0071] (Technology 1) A setting system for a clothing processing device comprising: a status information acquisition unit that acquires status information that affects clothing processing; an operation performance information accumulation unit that stores in a memory unit operation performance information including a first setting content, which is the setting content of the clothing processing operation when the clothing processing operation is executed by the clothing processing device, and first status information, which is the status information at the timing when the clothing processing operation is executed; a proposed setting content determination unit that determines proposed setting content for the clothing processing operation corresponding to the case where the clothing processing operation is executed at a predetermined processing timing based on the status information at the predetermined processing timing and the operation performance information stored in the memory unit; and a proposed setting content output unit that outputs the proposed setting content from an output device.

[0072] (Technology 2) The clothing processing device switches between a setting operation enabled state in which the setting operation of the clothing processing operation can be performed and a setting operation disabled state in which the setting operation of the clothing processing operation cannot be performed in accordance with a specified operation by the user, and the proposed setting content determination unit repeatedly executes the process of determining the proposed setting content each time a specified time elapses in the setting operation disabled state, with the time when the specified time has elapsed being the processing timing, and the proposed setting content output unit outputs the proposed setting content most recently determined by the proposed setting content determination unit from the output device when switching from the setting operation disabled state to the setting operation enabled state.

[0073] (Technology 3) A setting system for a clothing processing device according to Technology 1 or Technology 2, wherein when the clothing processing operation is performed using a second setting content different from the proposed setting content output by the proposed setting content output unit, the operation history information accumulation unit stores information including the second setting content and second status information, which is the status information at the time when the clothing processing operation is performed using the second setting content, in the memory unit as the operation history information.

[0074] (Technology 4) A setting system for a clothing processing device described in any one of technologies 1 to 3, which includes a function approximator generation unit that generates a function approximator that outputs setting contents for the clothing processing operation corresponding to the input of the situation information based on the operating performance information stored in the memory unit, and the proposed setting content determination unit determines the setting contents for the clothing processing operation output from the function approximator in response to the input of the situation information to the function approximator at the processing timing as the proposed setting content.

[0075] (Technology 5) The function approximator generation unit generates a trained model as the function approximator, which outputs a probability distribution of multiple setting contents of the clothing processing operation corresponding to the input of the situation information, by machine learning using the operating performance information stored in the memory unit as training data, and the proposed setting content determination unit determines, as the proposed setting content, one of the multiple setting contents of the clothing processing operation for which the probability distribution is output, based on the probability distribution of the multiple setting contents of the clothing processing operation output from the trained model in response to the input of the situation information to the trained model at the processing timing. This is a setting system for a clothing processing device described in Technology 4.

[0076] (Technology 6) A setting system for a clothing processing device described in any one of technologies 1 to 5, wherein the situation information includes at least one of environmental information, which is information about at least one of weather and temperature, time information, which is information about a time point, and user information, which is information about the user.

[0077] (Technology 7) A setting method for a clothing processing device executed by a computer, comprising: a status information acquisition step for acquiring status information that affects clothing processing; an operation performance information accumulation step for storing in a memory unit operation performance information including a first setting content, which is the setting content of the clothing processing operation when the clothing processing operation is executed by the clothing processing device, and first status information, which is the status information at the timing when the clothing processing operation is executed; a proposed setting content determination step for determining proposed setting content for the clothing processing operation corresponding to the case where the clothing processing operation is executed at a predetermined processing timing based on the status information at the predetermined processing timing and the operation performance information stored in the memory unit; and a proposed setting content output step for outputting the proposed setting content from an output device.

[0078] (Technology 8) A program that causes a computer to function as: a situation information acquisition unit that acquires situation information that affects clothing processing; an operation performance information accumulation unit that stores, in a memory unit, operation performance information including a first setting content that is the setting content of the clothing processing operation when the clothing processing operation is executed by the clothing processing device and first situation information that is the situation information at the timing when the clothing processing operation is executed; a proposed setting content determination unit that determines proposed setting content for the clothing processing operation that corresponds to the case where the clothing processing operation is executed at the processing timing based on the situation information at the processing timing and the operation performance information stored in the memory unit; and a proposed setting content output unit that outputs the proposed setting content from an output device. [Industrial Applicability]

[0079] The present disclosure is applicable to applications that reduce the burden on users of setting up a laundry processing operation depending on the situation at the time the user starts using the laundry processing device. Specifically, the present disclosure is applicable to support for setting up a laundry processing operation in a washing machine, a clothes dryer, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1 Washing Machine Support Server 2. Clothing treatment device setting system 10 processors 11 Machine Learning Models 12 Status information acquisition unit 13 Setting screen display control section 14 Operational performance information storage unit 15 Function approximator generator 16 Proposal setting content determination section 20 Storage device 21. Clothes processing device setting system program 22 Programming Machine Learning Models 23 Accumulated data on laundry operation results 30 Communication Unit 100 Washing machine (clothing treatment device) 110 control unit 120 Operation display section 121 Power switch 122 Start / Pause Switch 200 Communication terminal 300 Initial screen 310 Setting function screen 320 Settings screen 330 Initial screen 340 Settings screen 500 Communication Network 510 Weather Information Server U User

Claims

1. a situation information acquisition unit that acquires situation information that affects clothing processing; an operation performance information storage unit that stores operation performance information in a storage unit, the operation performance information including a first setting content, which is a setting content of the clothing processing operation when the clothing processing operation is performed by the clothing processing device, and a first status information, which is the status information at the timing when the clothing processing operation is performed; a proposed setting content determination unit that determines proposed setting content for the clothing processing operation corresponding to the case where the clothing processing operation is performed at the predetermined processing timing based on the status information at the predetermined processing timing and the operation performance information stored in the storage unit; a proposed setting content output unit that outputs the proposed setting content from an output device; A setting system for a clothing processing device.

2. The clothing processing device switches between a setting operation enabled state in which the setting operation of the clothing processing operation can be performed and a setting operation disabled state in which the setting operation of the clothing processing operation cannot be performed in response to a predetermined operation by a user, the proposed setting content determination unit, in the setting operation disabled state, repeatedly executes a process of determining the proposed setting content every time a predetermined time elapses, with the time when the predetermined time elapses being the processing timing; The proposed setting content output unit outputs the proposed setting content determined immediately before by the proposed setting content determination unit from the output device when the setting operation is switched from the setting operation disabled state to the setting operation enabled state. The setting system for a clothing processing device according to claim 1 .

3. When the clothes processing operation is performed using second settings different from the proposed settings output by the proposed settings output unit, the operation performance information accumulation unit stores, in the storage unit, information including the second settings and second situation information, which is the situation information at the time when the clothes processing operation using the second settings is performed, as the operation performance information. The setting system for the clothing processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a function approximator generating unit that generates a function approximator that outputs setting contents of the laundry processing operation corresponding to the input of the situation information based on the operation performance information stored in the storage unit; The proposed setting content determination unit determines, as the proposed setting content, the setting content of the clothes processing operation output from the function approximator in response to the input of the situation information to the function approximator at the processing timing. The setting system for the clothing processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. the function approximator generation unit generates, as the function approximator, a trained model that outputs a probability distribution of the setting contents of the plurality of clothes processing operations corresponding to the input of the situation information by machine learning using the operation performance information stored in the storage unit as training data; The proposed setting content determination unit determines, as the proposed setting content, one of the plurality of setting contents of the clothes processing operation for which a probability distribution is output, based on a probability distribution of the plurality of setting contents of the clothes processing operation output from the trained model in response to the input of the situation information at the processing timing to the trained model. The setting system for a clothing processing device according to claim 4.

6. The situation information includes at least one of environmental information, which is information about at least one of weather and temperature, time information, which is information about a time, and user information, which is information about the user. The setting system for the clothing processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. 1. A computer-implemented method for setting a clothing processing device, comprising: a situation information acquisition step for acquiring situation information that affects clothing processing; an operation performance information accumulation step of storing operation performance information in a storage unit, the operation performance information including first setting contents, which are setting contents of the clothing processing operation when the clothing processing operation is performed by the clothing processing device, and first status information, which is the status information at the timing when the clothing processing operation is performed; a proposed setting content determination step for determining proposed setting content for the clothing processing operation corresponding to the case where the clothing processing operation is performed at the predetermined processing timing based on the status information at the predetermined processing timing and the operation performance information stored in the memory unit; a proposed setting content output step of outputting the proposed setting content from an output device; A method for setting up a clothing processing device comprising:

8. Computer, a situation information acquisition unit that acquires situation information that affects clothing processing; an operation performance information storage unit that stores, in a storage unit, operation performance information including a first setting content that is a setting content of the clothing processing operation and a first status information that is the status information at the timing when the clothing processing operation is executed by the clothing processing device; a proposed setting content determination unit that determines proposed setting content for the clothing processing operation corresponding to the case where the clothing processing operation is performed at the predetermined processing timing based on the status information at the predetermined processing timing and the operation performance information stored in the storage unit; a proposed setting content output unit that outputs the proposed setting content from an output device; A program that makes it work.

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