Device operation restriction system and device operation restriction method

Abstract

To limit the operation of equipment so as not to impair comfort while securing the safety of a watching object person who is an aged person.SOLUTION: The state information collecting section 200 collects device logs from the devices 4 installed in each home. Upon receiving a request for a statistics report from the communication terminal 3 of the watcher, the statistics report provider 202 generates a statistics report that visually shows the collected device logs and provides the generated statistics report to the communication terminal 3. In a case where the operation restriction setting section 203 receives, from a communication terminal 3 of a watching target person, a request for operation restriction with respect to a device 4 in a home of the watching target person, the operation restriction setting section 101 sets operation restriction with respect to the device 4. The operation restriction section 204 restricts operation of the device 4 in the home of each watching target person in accordance with an operation restriction on the device 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a device operation restriction system and a device operation restriction method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, home appliances such as air conditioners have become increasingly multifunctional, and as a result, the operation of remote controls has become more complicated. This presents a problem for elderly people, who find it difficult to operate these appliances appropriately according to their own circumstances. In addition, for those living alone, there is a risk of dangerous situations, such as when they operate the appliance at an abnormally high temperature setting even in the summer due to a decline in skin sensation, or when they accidentally operate the appliance in heating mode in the middle of summer, resulting in heatstroke.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which, regarding the remote control of home appliances via a server, a communication terminal is set as either a parent device or a child device, and upon receiving a command from the parent device, the server can set prohibited operations on the child devices so that the home appliances cannot be remotely controlled for each device or for each function of the device.With this configuration, for example, by setting an elderly person's communication terminal as a child device, it is possible to prohibit the elderly person from turning the air conditioner on and off, switching the operating mode, or changing the set temperature, thereby preventing heatstroke and the like (see paragraph

[0059] ). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-170471 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, prohibited operations are set for each home appliance or each function of the appliance. For example, if prohibited operations are set for the temperature setting function of an air conditioner, an elderly person cannot change the temperature setting even if it is within an appropriate temperature range. This poses a problem of reducing comfort for elderly people living alone, although it may be possible for them to live with others. Furthermore, even if a configuration were possible in which the master unit could set the operable range for each function of a home appliance, if the relative who owns the master unit lives far away from the elderly person's home, it would be difficult for them to determine the appropriate operable range for the elderly person living in that area.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an appliance operation restriction system and an appliance operation restriction method that can restrict the operation of appliances in a way that ensures the safety of elderly people being monitored while not compromising their comfort. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the device operation restriction system according to the present disclosure includes: a device log collection means for collecting device logs from devices installed in each residence; a statistical report providing means for generating a statistical report visually showing the collected device logs when a request for a statistical report is received from the communication terminal of the watcher, and providing the generated statistical report to the communication terminal; an operation restriction setting means for setting operation restrictions on a restriction target device, which is a device in the home of a person being watched over, when a request for operation restrictions on the restriction target device is received from the communication terminal of the watcher; The device further includes an operation restriction means for restricting the operation of each of the restriction target devices based on the operation restriction of the restriction target device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to restrict the operation of a device so as not to impair the comfort of an elderly person being watched over while ensuring the safety of the person being watched over. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a device operation restriction system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a server according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a communication terminal according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server and a communication terminal according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a device log table (in the case of an air conditioner) according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an equipment log table (in the case of a water heater) according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an equipment log table (in the case of a floor heating system) according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a statistical report request screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 shows an example of an attribute information table according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a statistical report screen (set temperature) according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a statistical report screen (operation mode) in the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 shows an example of a statistical report screen (wind direction and wind speed) according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 shows an example of a restriction setting top screen in the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a cooling restriction setting screen (set temperature) in the first embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a cooling restriction setting screen (air direction) according to the first embodiment. [Figure 17]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a cooling-time restriction setting screen (air speed) according to the first embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a cooling restriction setting screen (restriction period) according to the first embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operation restriction table according to the first embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 shows an example of a screen displayed on the remote control when a prohibited operation is performed in the first embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a screen displayed on the remote control when a prohibited operation is performed in the first embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 23] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a statistical report display process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 24] 1 is a flowchart showing the procedure of an operation restriction setting process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 25] 1 is a flowchart showing the procedure of device operation restriction processing according to the first embodiment. [Figure 26] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations when displaying a statistical report and when setting operation restrictions in the first embodiment. [Figure 27] A sequence diagram showing the flow of operations when operating a device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a device operation restriction system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 29] A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server and devices according to a second embodiment. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operation restriction table according to the second embodiment. [Figure 31] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of an operation restriction setting process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 32] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of device operation restriction processing according to the second embodiment. [Figure 33] A sequence diagram showing the flow of operations when setting operation restrictions in the second embodiment. [Figure 34]A sequence diagram showing the flow of operations when operating a device in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a device operation restriction system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The device operation restriction system 1 is an example of a device operation restriction system according to the present disclosure. The device operation restriction system 1 is a system for restricting operation of devices 4 in the home of a person being watched over so as to ensure the safety of the person being watched over without impairing their comfort. As shown in FIG. 1, the device operation restriction system 1 includes a server 2, a communication terminal 3 of each person being watched over, and devices 4, a remote control 5, and a router 6 installed in each residence H. The residence H includes at least the residence in which the person being watched over resides. In this embodiment, the person being watched over is, for example, an elderly person living alone, and the person watching over is, for example, a relative of the person being watched over.

[0012] <Server 2> The server 2 is an example of a server according to the present disclosure. The server 2 is a so-called cloud server, and provides a service that supports monitoring of a person being monitored. As shown in FIG. 2 , the server 2 includes, as its hardware configuration, a communication unit 20, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random-Access Memory) 23, and an auxiliary storage device 24. These components are connected to each other via a bus 25.

[0013] The communication unit 20 is hardware for communicating with other devices via a wide area network N1 such as the Internet, and is, for example, a communication interface based on Ethernet (registered trademark). The CPU 21 controls the server 2 in an overall manner. The functions of the server 2 realized by the CPU 21 will be described in detail later. The ROM 22 stores multiple pieces of firmware and data used when these pieces of firmware are executed. The RAM 23 is used as a working area for the CPU 21.

[0014] The auxiliary storage device 24 is configured with a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), etc. Examples of the readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory include an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, etc. The auxiliary storage device 24 stores a program (hereinafter referred to as a "server program") for realizing the above-mentioned services as a cloud server, and data used when the server program is executed.

[0015] The server 2 can acquire the server program or an update program for updating the server program from another device via communication. These programs can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a magneto-optical disk, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a HDD, an SSD (Solid-State Drive), or a memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the server 2, the server 2 can read the server program or update program from the recording medium and install it on itself.

[0016] <Communication Terminal 3> The communication terminal 3 is an example of a communication terminal according to the present disclosure. The communication terminal 3 is a smart device such as a smartphone or tablet used by a watcher. As shown in FIG. 3 , the communication terminal 3 includes a display 30, an operation reception unit 31, a communication unit 32, a CPU 33, a ROM 34, a RAM 35, and an auxiliary storage device 36. These components are connected to each other via a bus 37.

[0017] The display 30 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display, etc. The display 30 displays various screens etc. in response to operations by the watcher under the control of the CPU 33. The operation reception unit 31 includes one or more input devices such as a push button, a touch panel, a touch pad, etc., and receives operation input from the watcher and outputs a signal related to the received operation to the CPU 33.

[0018] The communication unit 32 is hardware for communicating with other devices via the wide area network N1, and is, for example, a communication interface for a wireless local area network (LAN) and / or a communication interface for mobile data communication. The CPU 33 comprehensively controls the communication terminal 3. The functions of the communication terminal 3 realized by the CPU 33 will be described in detail later. The ROM 34 stores multiple pieces of firmware and data used when these pieces of firmware are executed. The RAM 35 is used as a working area for the CPU 33.

[0019] The auxiliary storage device 36 is configured to include readable and writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc. The auxiliary storage device 36 stores various programs including dedicated application programs (hereinafter referred to as "dedicated apps") for using the above services, and data used when these programs are executed.

[0020] The communications terminal 3 can acquire the dedicated app or an update program for updating the dedicated app from the server 2 or other devices via communications. These programs can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, optical magnetic disk, USB memory, HDD, SSD, or memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the communications terminal 3, the communications terminal 3 can read the dedicated app or update program from the recording medium and install it on itself.

[0021] <Device 4> Device 4 is an example of a device according to the present disclosure and also an example of a restricted device. Device 4 is, for example, a home appliance known as an IoT (Internet of Things) device, an information appliance, a network appliance, or a smart appliance, such as an air conditioner, a water heater, or a floor heating system. As shown in FIG. 4 , device 4 includes a first communication unit 40, a second communication unit 41, a main unit 42, a control circuit 43, and an auxiliary storage device 44.

[0022] The first communication unit 40 is hardware for performing wired or wireless communication with a remote control 5, which is a dedicated remote controller for the device 4. The second communication unit 41 is hardware for connecting to a router 6 via a home network N2 established in the house H and communicating with the server 2 via the router 6. The device 4 may be configured to connect to the router 6 via an external communication adapter (not shown), or may be configured to communicate directly with the server 2 using an external communication adapter (not shown) without going through the router 6.

[0023] The main unit 42 is a component for realizing the original functions of the device 4. For example, if the device 4 is an indoor unit of an air conditioner, the main unit 42 includes actuators such as a fan and a solenoid valve, a heat exchanger, and sensors such as a temperature sensor, a thermal image sensor, and a refrigerant temperature sensor.

[0024] The control circuit 43 includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and performs overall control of the device 4. The auxiliary storage device 44 includes a readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, a HDD, etc. Examples of the readable / writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory include an EPROM, an EEPROM, and a flash memory. The auxiliary storage device 44 stores a program for operating the device 4 (hereinafter referred to as the "device operation program") and data used when the device operation program is executed.

[0025] The device 4 can acquire the device operation program or an update program for updating the device operation program from the server 2 or other devices via communications. These programs can also be stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, optical magnetic disk, USB memory, HDD, SSD, or memory card. When such a recording medium is directly or indirectly attached to the device 4, the device 4 can read the device operation program or update program from the recording medium and install it on the device 4.

[0026] The device 4 configured as described above periodically (for example, every five minutes) uploads regularly collected information to the server 2. For example, if the device 4 is an air conditioner, the regularly collected information includes the operating state, operating mode, set temperature, wind direction and speed, operating state, intake temperature, and outdoor air temperature. For example, if the device 4 is a water heater, the regularly collected information includes the hot water supply state, hot water supply temperature set value, bath operating state, bath temperature set value, and bath water volume set value. For example, if the device 4 is a floor heating system, the regularly collected information includes the operating state, operating mode, set temperature, and so on.

[0027] Furthermore, when the person being watched over operates the corresponding remote control 5 or the operation panel provided on the device 4 itself (i.e., the device 4) and specific information in the regularly collected information changes, the device 4 immediately transmits a status change notification to the server 2. Details of the regularly collected information and the status change notification will be described later. Furthermore, when the device 4 receives a control instruction from the server 2, it operates in accordance with the control instruction.

[0028] <Remote Control 5> The remote control 5 is a remote controller dedicated to the device 4, and is used to receive operations related to the operation of the device 4 from the person being watched who lives in the house H. The remote control 5 is connected to the device 4 via wired or wireless communication. For example, if the device 4 is an air conditioner, the person being watched can operate the remote control 5 to instruct the device 4 to start / stop, switch the operation mode (automatic, cooling, dehumidification, heating, etc.), or change the set temperature, wind direction, wind speed, etc. Furthermore, if the device 4 is a water heater, the person being watched can operate the remote control 5 to instruct the device 4 to change the bath temperature setting, hot water supply temperature setting, bath water volume setting, etc. Furthermore, if the device 4 is a floor heating system, the person being watched can operate the remote control 5 to instruct the device 4 to switch the operation mode or change the set temperature.

[0029] <Functional configuration of the server 2 and the communication terminal 3> Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server 2 and the communication terminal 3. As shown in Fig. 5, the server 2 includes a state information collection unit 200, a terminal I / F unit 201, a statistical report providing unit 202, an operation restriction setting unit 203, an operation restriction unit 204, and a user notification unit 205. These functional units are realized by the CPU 21 of the server 2 executing the above-mentioned server program stored in the auxiliary storage device 24.

[0030] The communication terminal 3 includes a user I / F unit 300, an information transmitting unit 301, and an information receiving unit 302. These functional units are realized by the CPU 33 of the communication terminal 3 executing the dedicated application stored in the auxiliary storage device 36.

[0031] In the server 2, the status information collection unit 200 is an example of a device log collection means according to the present disclosure. The status information collection unit 200 collects status information from the devices 4 in each house H. The status information collection unit 200 stores the collected status information as a device log in a device log table for each device ID stored in the information storage unit 240. The information storage unit 240 is a memory area provided by the auxiliary storage device 24. The device ID is an ID (identifier) ​​for uniquely identifying each device 4. The status information collected by the status information collection unit 200 includes periodically collected information, which is status information that the device 4 responds to in response to a periodic status notification instruction to the device 4, and a status change notification that is notified from the device 4 when specific information in the regularly collected information changes due to an operation performed via the remote control 5 or the operation panel of the device 4. If device 4 is an air conditioner, the regularly collected information may be, for example, the operating state, operating mode, set temperature, wind direction / speed, operating state, intake temperature, outside air temperature, etc., and the status change notification is the changed status information notified from device 4 when any of the regularly collected information, such as the operating state, operating mode, set temperature, or wind direction / speed, changes.

[0032] Fig. 6 shows an example of the device log table when device 4 is an air conditioner. Fig. 6 shows an example in which the status information collection unit 200 acquires periodically collected information from the air conditioner, which is device 4, every five minutes, and receives a status change notification at 11:27 indicating that the operation state has changed from OFF to ON due to an operation via the remote control 5 or the operation panel of device 4, and a status change notification at 12:51 indicating that the set temperature has changed from 26°C to 25°C. Fig. 7 shows an example of the device log table when device 4 is a water heater, and the status information collection unit 200 acquires periodically collected information from the water heater every 30 minutes and receives status change notifications at 17:50, 18:03, 18:21, and 18:26. Fig. 8 shows an example of the device log table when device 4 is a floor heating system, and the status information collection unit 200 acquires periodically collected information from the floor heating system every 30 minutes and receives status change notifications at 17:33 and 18:08.

[0033] The terminal I / F unit 201 performs processing related to the interface with the communication terminal 3. For example, the terminal I / F unit 201 receives a notification requesting a statistical report from the communication terminal 3 (hereinafter referred to as a "statistical report request notification"), and also receives a notification requesting the setting of operation restrictions on the device 4 (hereinafter referred to as a "restriction setting request notification"), etc. The terminal I / F unit 201 also transmits a statistical report generated by a statistical report providing unit 202 (described later) to the requesting communication terminal 3, and also transmits a notification (hereinafter referred to as a "prohibited operation detection notification") generated by a user notifying unit 205 (described later) to the corresponding communication terminal 3, indicating that a prohibited operation of the person being watched over has been detected.

[0034] In the communication terminal 3, the user I / F unit 300 performs processing related to the interface with the user (i.e., the watcher). For example, the user I / F unit 300 displays on the display 30 a screen for requesting a statistical report from the server 2 (hereinafter referred to as a "statistical report request screen"), as shown in FIG. 9. The statistical report request screen has a plurality of GUI (Graphical User Interface) button-like items for specifying narrowing conditions when generating a statistical report. For example, when the "Region" item is pressed, prefecture names (e.g., "Aomori," "Iwate," etc.) are displayed in a pull-down menu, and the watcher can select the desired prefecture name (e.g., the prefecture name where the person being watched resides). Note that the "Region" item may also display region names (e.g., "Hokkaido," "Tohoku," "Hokuriku," "Kanto," "Tokai," "Kinki," "Chugoku," "Shikoku," "Kyushu," etc.) in a pull-down menu.

[0035] Furthermore, when the "Period" item is pressed, each period (for example, "July to September") is displayed in a pull-down menu, and the watcher can select the desired period (for example, the period to which the current month belongs). Note that each period displayed in the pull-down menu under the "Period" item does not have to be an equal division of the year, and each period can be of any length. For example, the month may be divided into six periods, such as "December to March," "April," "May," "June," "July to September," and "October to November," and displayed in a pull-down menu.

[0036] Furthermore, when the "Operation Mode" item is pressed, various operation modes (e.g., "Cooling", "Heating", etc.) are displayed in a pull-down menu, and the watcher can select the desired operation mode (e.g., the operation mode corresponding to the current season). Furthermore, when the "Outdoor Temperature" item is pressed, a pull-down menu of heat or cold indicators (e.g., "Summer Day", "Midsummer Day", "Extremely Hot Day", "Winter Day", "Extremely Hot Day", etc.) is displayed, and the watcher can select the desired indicator (e.g., if the current month is August, "Midsummer Day", "Extremely Hot Day", etc.). In addition, the "Outdoor Temperature" item may be configured to display the range of outdoor temperatures (e.g., "30-34°C", etc.) in a pull-down menu.

[0037] Furthermore, when the "Age" item is pressed, a pull-down menu of age categories (e.g., "65-70 years old," "71-74 years old," "75-80 years old," "81-84 years old," etc.) is displayed, and the watcher can select the desired age category (e.g., the age category to which the person being watched belongs). Furthermore, when the "Gender" item is pressed, a pull-down menu of genders (e.g., "Male," "Female," etc.) is displayed, and the watcher can select the desired gender (e.g., the same gender as the person being watched).

[0038] When the filtering conditions are specified as described above and the "Send" button is pressed, the user I / F unit 300 instructs the information transmission unit 301 to request a statistical report and notifies the information transmission unit 301 of the filtered conditions. The watcher can also press the "Send" button without specifying any filtering conditions. In this case, the user I / F unit 300 instructs the information transmission unit 301 to request a statistical report and notifies the information transmission unit 301 that no filtering conditions have been specified. In addition, the user I / F unit 300 displays a statistical report sent from the server 2, a screen for requesting the server 2 to set restrictions on operations on the device 4 (hereinafter referred to as the "restriction setting request screen"), and a prohibited operation detection notification received from the server 2; these will be described in detail later.

[0039] The information transmitting unit 301 transmits information based on the operation of the watcher (statistical report request notification, restriction setting request notification, etc.) to the server 2. The information receiving unit 302 receives information sent from the server 2 (statistical report, prohibited operation detection notification, etc.).

[0040] In the server 2, the statistical report providing unit 202 is an example of a statistical report providing means according to the present disclosure. When the statistical report providing unit 202 receives a statistical report request notification from any of the communication terminals 3, it generates a statistical report such as a graph screen that visually shows the contents of the device logs, based on the model of the device 4 of the person being watched over that corresponds to that communication terminal 3, the device logs corresponding to that model collected from each residence H, and the filtering conditions (there may be no conditions) included in the statistical report request notification.

[0041] Here, the device 4 and its model corresponding to the communication terminal 3 that sent the statistical report request notification can be acquired by referring to the attribute information table shown in FIG. 10. The attribute information table is a data table that associates information about the person being watched with information about the watcher, and is stored in the information storage unit 240. As shown in FIG. 10, the information about the person being watched includes a device ID, model, region, name, age, gender, etc., and the information about the watcher includes terminal identification information, etc. The device ID is the device ID of the device 4 installed in the watcher's residence H, the model is the model of the device 4, the region is the prefecture in which the watcher lives, and the name, age, and gender are the name, age, and gender of the person being watched. The terminal identification information is information that uniquely identifies the communication terminal 3 of the watcher, and is, for example, an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identifier).

[0042] When the statistical report providing unit 202 acquires the target model by referencing the attribute information table, it reads out the device logs for the past year from the device log table corresponding to that model. At that time, the statistical report providing unit 202 selects the device logs to read based on the specified filtering conditions. If no filtering conditions are specified, it reads out all the device logs for the past year from the device log table corresponding to that model.

[0043] The statistical report providing unit 202 generates a statistical report that statistically and visually shows predetermined items (e.g., set temperature, operation mode, wind direction / wind speed, etc.) in the read device log. The statistical report providing unit 202 sequentially transmits the generated statistical report for each item to the communication terminal 3 in response to a request from the communication terminal 3. For example, if the model is an air conditioner, the statistical report providing unit 202 first transmits the statistical report generated for the set temperature to the communication terminal 3 that made the request (i.e., the communication terminal 3 that sent the statistical report request notification) via the terminal I / F unit 201.

[0044] Upon receiving the statistical report, the user I / F unit 300 of the communication terminal 3 displays a statistical report screen as shown in FIG. 11 on the display 30. In FIG. 11, a histogram of the set temperatures under the selected filtering conditions is displayed as the statistical report. On the statistical report screen of FIG. 11, the watcher can change the filtering conditions and update the statistical report. When the filtering conditions are changed and the "Send" button is pressed, the statistical report providing unit 202 of the server 2 generates a statistical report for each item using the new filtering conditions and provides it to the communication terminal 3.

[0045] When the "Next" button is pressed on the statistical report screen of Fig. 11, the user I / F unit 300 requests the server 2 to transmit a statistical report for the next item. Upon receiving the request, the statistical report providing unit 202 of the server 2 transmits a statistical report for the next item (e.g., driving mode) to the communication terminal 3 via the terminal I / F unit 201. The user I / F unit 300 of the communication terminal 3 that receives the statistical report displays a statistical report screen such as that shown in Fig. 12 on the display 30. In Fig. 12, the setting ratio of the driving mode for the filtering conditions is displayed as a pie chart as the statistical report. As with the above, the watcher can also change the filtering conditions and update the statistical report on the statistical report screen of Fig. 12.

[0046] 12, when the "Next" button is pressed, the user I / F unit 300 requests the server 2 to transmit a statistical report for the next item. Upon receiving the request, the statistical report providing unit 202 of the server 2 transmits a statistical report for the next item (for example, wind direction and wind speed) to the communication terminal 3 via the terminal I / F unit 201. If there is no next item, the statistical report providing unit 202 transmits a statistical report for the first item (for example, set temperature) to the communication terminal 3.

[0047] When the watcher presses the "Next" button on the statistical report screen of Fig. 12 and receives the statistical report from the server 2, the user I / F unit 300 of the communication terminal 3 displays a statistical report screen as shown in Fig. 13 on the display 30. In Fig. 13, the set ratios of wind direction and wind speed under the filtering conditions are displayed as a ratio bar graph as the statistical report. As with the above, the watcher can also change the filtering conditions and update the statistical report on the statistical report screen of Fig. 13.

[0048] The operation restriction setting unit 203 is an example of an operation restriction setting means according to the present disclosure. When the operation restriction setting unit 203 receives a request for operation restriction on a corresponding device 4 from any of the communication terminals 3, it registers the setting of the operation restriction on that device 4. The communication terminal 3 can accept the setting of the operation restriction on the corresponding device 4 from the watcher. Hereinafter, the acceptance of the setting of the operation restriction from the watcher on the communication terminal 3 will be described in detail.

[0049] FIG. 14 is an example of a top screen (hereinafter referred to as the "limit setting top screen") for accepting settings for operation limits, which is displayed on the display 30 of the communication terminal 3. The limit setting top screen of FIG. 14 has a "cooling limit setting" button and a "heating limit setting" button, and the allowable range for the current set temperature is displayed next to each button. Note that the allowable contents of limit items other than the set temperature (for example, wind direction, wind speed, etc.) may also be displayed, and the current limit period may also be displayed. When the "cooling limit setting" button or the "heating limit setting" button is pressed on the limit setting top screen of FIG. 14, the screen displayed on the display 30 switches to a screen for setting operation limits for cooling (hereinafter referred to as the "cooling limit setting screen") or a screen for setting operation limits for heating (hereinafter referred to as the "heating limit setting screen").

[0050] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a cooling-mode limit setting screen. The cooling-mode limit setting screen in FIG. 15 has an automatic setting ON / OFF button (toggle button). Although the automatic setting is OFF on the cooling-mode limit setting screen in FIG. 15, when the watcher turns the automatic setting ON, the manual setting buttons and the like are hidden. In this case, the operation limit for cooling mode is automatically set and registered by the server 2 (more specifically, the operation limit setting unit 203). More specifically, the operation limit setting unit 203 calculates statistical values ​​such as the average value, the average value ±1σ (2σ, 3σ), the median, the maximum value, and the minimum value based on the collected device logs and predetermined conditions (such as the area, season, age, gender, operation mode, and outdoor temperature), and sets operation limits for the device 4 based on the calculated statistical values. For example, the operation limit setting unit 203 sets and registers optimal operation limits for the device 4 (for example, the average value ±1σ (σ: standard deviation) as the upper and lower limits) based on the area where the person being watched over lives, the current season, and the like.

[0051] On the cooling limit setting screen in FIG. 15, the watcher can set a lower limit and an upper limit for the set temperature. In other words, changing the set temperature to a value lower than the lower limit or higher than the upper limit is restricted (i.e., prohibited). When the cooling limit setting screen in FIG. 15 is scrolled down, a cooling limit setting screen for restricting the airflow direction is displayed, as shown in FIG. 16. The watcher turns on the ON / OFF button corresponding to the airflow direction they wish to restrict. On the cooling limit setting screen in FIG. 16, airflow directions other than "vertical" are restricted.

[0052] When the cooling limit setting screen of FIG. 16 is scrolled downward, a cooling limit setting screen for limiting the airflow speed is displayed, as shown in FIG. 17. The watcher turns on the ON / OFF button corresponding to the airflow speed they want to limit. In the cooling limit setting screen of FIG. 17, airflow speeds other than "minimum" and "maximum" are limited. When the cooling limit setting screen of FIG. 17 is scrolled downward, a cooling limit setting screen for setting the limit period is displayed, as shown in FIG. 18. The watcher can specify the period for which they want to limit airflow by entering the start date (month and day) and end date (month and day) in the cooling limit setting screen of FIG. 18. Note that the limit period may be specified by including the year and time, or may be specified by month, or multiple periods (i.e., discontinuous periods) may be specified.

[0053] When the user I / F unit 300 of the communications terminal 3 receives the setting of operation restrictions on the device 4 from the watcher as described above, it generates a restriction setting request notice including the details of the operation restrictions set by the watcher and transmits it to the server 2 via the information transmitting unit 301. When the operation restriction setting unit 203 of the server 2 receives the restriction setting request notice from the communications terminal 3, it generates operation restriction information for restricting operations on the device 4 based on the details included in the restriction setting request notice and registers the generated operation restriction information in an operation restriction table (see FIG. 19 ). The operation restriction table is a data table in which operation restriction information (including automatically generated information) generated based on the settings of the watcher is registered, and is stored in the information storage unit 240.

[0054] The operation restriction table in Figure 19 shows that for device 4 with device ID "ID-1000", the operation of changing the set temperature to 30°C or higher during cooling is restricted (i.e., prohibited) between June 28, 2023 and September 1, 2023, and the operation of changing the fan speed during cooling to "automatic" or "high" is restricted.

[0055] As described above, the state information collecting unit 200 of the server 2 receives the device 4's response to a periodic state notification instruction as periodically collected information, and receives state information from the device 4 that is not a response to a state notification instruction as a state change notification, and stores the received periodically collected information and state change notification in the device log table. When the state information collecting unit 200 receives a state change notification from the device 4, it identifies an operation on the device 4 from the change in the immediately preceding device log and provides operation information indicating the identified operation to the operation limiting unit 204. The operation limiting unit 204 is an example of an operation limiting means according to the present disclosure. Based on the operation information provided by the state information collecting unit 200 and the operation limiting table, the operation limiting unit 204 determines whether to permit or prohibit the operation indicated by the operation information. In particular, if the operation limiting information indicating the operation on the device 4 is not registered in the operation limiting table, the operation limiting unit 204 determines to permit the operation. If the corresponding operation limiting information is registered in the operation limiting table, the operation limiting unit 204 determines to prohibit the operation.

[0056] If it is determined that the operation is to be prohibited, the operation restriction unit 204 refers to the device log table and transmits a control instruction (hereinafter, this control instruction will be referred to as a first control instruction) to the device 4 so that the state of the device 4 returns to the state before the operation was performed. The operation restriction unit 204 also transmits a control instruction (hereinafter, this control instruction will be referred to as a second control instruction) to the device 4 so that a warning display or a dummy display is displayed on the remote control 5. Furthermore, the operation restriction unit 204 notifies the user notification unit 205 that the prohibited operation has been performed.

[0057] Upon receiving the first control instruction from the server 2, the device 4 performs an operation in accordance with the first control instruction. Specifically, the device 4 performs an operation to return its own state to the state it was in immediately before the operation performed by the person being watched over. Furthermore, when the device 4 receives a second control instruction from the server 2 indicating an instruction to display a warning, the device 4 displays on the remote control 5 a screen (see FIG. 20) to warn the person being watched over that the operation is prohibited. In the example of FIG. 20, a pre-registered image (e.g., a photo image of a grandchild or a pet) is displayed together with a message indicating that the operation is prohibited. Displaying such an image can ease the dissatisfaction and irritation of the person being watched over that their operation has been prohibited. Furthermore, the device 4 may display a similar message and image on its display panel.

[0058] When the device 4 receives a second control instruction indicating an instruction to display a dummy display from the server 2, the device 4 causes the remote control 5 to execute a display that makes it appear as if the operation performed by the person being watched over has been accepted. For example, when the set temperature is prohibited from being changed to 29°C or higher during cooling, if the person being watched over changes the temperature to 30°C, the device 4 invalidates the operation (i.e., returns the set temperature that was once changed to its original state) based on the first control instruction from the server 2, but displays dummy information on the remote control 5 to make it appear as if the operation has been accepted normally, without displaying a screen such as that shown in FIG. 20. For example, the device 4 causes the remote control 5 to display the set temperature changed by the person being watched over as is (i.e., a dummy display) as shown in FIG. 21. This prevents the person being watched over from being aware that their operations are restricted (in other words, that they are being watched over), and prevents them from feeling annoyed about being watched over.

[0059] When the device 4 causes the remote controller 5 to display the dummy display, the device 4 may cause the remote controller 5 to display the correct display (for example, the current correct set temperature) after a certain period of time has elapsed.

[0060] When the user notification unit 205 receives a notification from the operation restriction unit 204 that a prohibited operation has been performed by the person being watched over, the user notification unit 205 generates a prohibited operation detection notification to notify the corresponding watcher of this fact, and transmits the generated prohibited operation detection notification to the communication terminal 3 of the watcher via the terminal I / F unit 201. Upon receiving the prohibited operation detection notification, the communication terminal 3 displays a notification screen such as that shown in Fig. 22 on the display 30 by, for example, push notification.

[0061] <Statistical report display process> FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the statistical report display process executed by the server 2 and the communication terminal 3.

[0062] (Step S100) The communication terminal 3 displays a statistical report request screen (see FIG. 9) and receives and acquires a statistical report request from the watcher. After that, the statistical report display process proceeds to step S101.

[0063] (Step S101) The communications terminal 3 generates a statistical report request notice based on the statistical report request operation acquired from the watcher, and transmits the generated statistical report request notice to the server 2. Thereafter, the statistical report display process proceeds to step S102.

[0064] (Step S102) When the server 2 receives the statistical report request notification, it reads and acquires the device log corresponding to the received statistical report request notification from the device log table. After that, the statistical report display process proceeds to step S103.

[0065] (Step S103) The server 2 generates a statistical report based on the acquired device log and the narrowing conditions (if specified by the watcher). After that, the statistical report display process proceeds to step S104.

[0066] (Step S104) The server 2 transmits the generated statistical report to the requesting communication terminal 3. After that, the statistical report display process proceeds to step S105.

[0067] (Step S105) When the communication terminal 3 receives the statistical report, it displays the received statistical report on the display 30. Thereafter, the statistical report display process ends.

[0068] <Operation restriction setting process> FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the operation restriction setting process executed by the server 2 and the communication terminal 3.

[0069] (Step S200) The communications terminal 3 displays the restriction setting top screen (see FIG. 14), the cooling restriction setting screen (see FIGS. 15 to 18), etc., and receives and acquires from the watcher the operation to set the operation restrictions on the device 4. Thereafter, the operation restriction setting process proceeds to step S201.

[0070] (Step S201) The communications terminal 3 generates a restriction setting request notice based on the setting operation of the operation restriction acquired from the watcher, and transmits the generated restriction setting request notice to the server 2. After that, the operation restriction setting process proceeds to step S202.

[0071] (Step S202) When the server 2 receives the restriction setting request notification, the server 2 generates operation restriction information based on the settings of the watcher included in the restriction setting request notification and registers the generated operation restriction information in the operation restriction table. After that, the operation restriction setting process proceeds to step S203.

[0072] (Step S203) The server 2 notifies the requesting communication terminal 3 that the setting of the operation restriction has been completed, and then the operation restriction setting process ends.

[0073] <Device operation restriction processing> FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the device operation restriction process executed by the server 2, the communication terminal 3, and the device 4.

[0074] (Step S300) The device 4 determines whether the person being watched over has operated the device 4, i.e., whether an operation has been performed via the remote control 5 or the operation panel. If an operation has been performed on the device 4 (step S300; YES), the device operation restriction process proceeds to step S301. If an operation has not been performed on the device 4 (step S300; NO), the device 4 continues to make the determination in step S300.

[0075] (Step S301) The device 4 operates in accordance with the operation, and when its own state changes, it transmits a state change notification to the server 2. Thereafter, the device operation restriction process proceeds to step S302.

[0076] (Step S302) The server 2 identifies the operation on the device 4 from the difference between the received status change notification and the immediately preceding device log, and determines whether the operation is prohibited by referring to the operation restriction table. If the operation is prohibited (step S302; YES), the device operation restriction process proceeds to step S303. If the operation is not prohibited (step S302; NO), the device operation restriction process ends. In this case, the device 4 continues to operate in accordance with the operation performed in step S300.

[0077] (Step S303) The server 2 refers to the device log table and transmits a control instruction to the device 4 so that the state of the device 4 returns to the state before the operation was performed. After that, the device operation restriction process proceeds to step S304.

[0078] (Step S304) The server 2 generates a prohibited operation detection notification indicating that a prohibited operation has been performed by the watching target, and transmits the generated prohibited operation detection notification to the corresponding communication terminal 3. Thereafter, the device operation restriction process proceeds to step S305.

[0079] (Step S305) The server 2 transmits a control instruction to the device 4 to cause the remote controller 5 to display a warning (see FIG. 20) or a dummy (see FIG. 21) After that, the device operation restriction process proceeds to step S306.

[0080] (Step S306) When the communication terminal 3 receives the prohibited operation detection notification from the server 2, it displays a notification screen (see FIG. 22) on the display 30 by, for example, a push notification. Thereafter, the device operation restriction process ends.

[0081] FIG. 26 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations when displaying a statistical report and when setting operation restrictions, and FIG. 27 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations when operating the device 4.

[0082] As described above, in the device operation restriction system 1 of this embodiment, the server 2 generates a statistical report such as a graph screen based on device logs collected from the devices 4 in each residence H, including each home of the person being watched over, and transmits the report to the communication terminal 3 of the watcher. This makes it possible to provide the watcher with meaningful information regarding operation restrictions on the devices 4. This allows the watcher to set appropriate operation restrictions on the devices 4, and as a result, it becomes possible to restrict the operation of the devices 4 in a way that ensures the safety of the person being watched over without impairing their comfort.

[0083] In addition, the watcher can specify conditions such as region, period (in other words, season), operating mode, outside temperature, age, gender, etc., and can narrow down the contents of the statistical report based on the specified conditions, making it possible to provide the watcher with a more meaningful statistical report.

[0084] (Variation 1) There is no limit to the number of devices 4 installed in the house H, and the configuration may be such that restrictions can be placed on the operation of each of multiple devices 4 by a single person being watched over.

[0085] (Variation 2) A configuration may be adopted in which each of a plurality of watchers can restrict the operation of one of the watchees on the device 4 via his / her own communication terminal 3, and can receive a prohibited operation detection notification.

[0086] (Variation 3) When the person being watched over performs a prohibited operation on device 4, server 2 may derive a recommended appropriate operation (hereinafter referred to as the "recommended operation") and notify device 4 of the derived recommended operation, which may then display the recommended operation via remote control 5 or its own display panel. For example, server 2 reads device logs sorted by the current season, the residential area, age, and gender of the person being watched over from the device logs for the past year stored in a device log table corresponding to the model of device 4, extracts from all the read device logs changes to be made to the prohibited operation (e.g., set temperature, etc.), and derives a recommended operation by performing statistical processing on the extracted changes (e.g., calculating the average, the average ±1σ (2σ, 3σ), median, maximum, minimum, etc.).

[0087] (Variation 4) If the person being watched over performs an operation to change the temperature setting on device 4 that exceeds the allowable range, server 2 may permit device 4 to change the temperature setting to the lower limit or upper limit within the allowable range. For example, if the lower limit of the set temperature is set to 24°C and the upper limit of the set temperature is set to 28°C, and the person being watched over performs an operation to change the set temperature from 26°C to 30°C, server 2 may permit device 4 to change the set temperature from 26°C to 28°C.

[0088] (Variation 5) Some of the data stored in the information storage unit 240 of the server 2 (for example, the device log table, the attribute information table, the operation restriction table, etc.) may be stored and managed by a file server separate from the server 2.

[0089] (Variation 6) The server 2 may be configured to include a plurality of separate devices.

[0090] (Variation 7) All or part of the functions of the server 2 (see FIG. 5) may be realized by dedicated hardware. Also, all or part of the functions of the communication terminal 3 (see FIG. 5) may be realized by dedicated hardware. The dedicated hardware may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof.

[0091] The technical ideas according to the above-described modifications may be realized independently or in appropriate combination.

[0092] (Embodiment 2) Next, a description will be given of embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. In the following description, components and the like common to embodiment 1 will be given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0093] FIG. 28 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a device operation restriction system 1A according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. The device operation restriction system 1A is an example of a device operation restriction system according to the present disclosure. The device operation restriction system 1A is a system for restricting operation of a device 4A in the home of a person being watched over so as to ensure the safety of the person being watched over without impairing their comfort. As shown in FIG. 28, the device operation restriction system 1A includes a server 2A, a communication terminal 3 of each watcher, and devices 4A, a remote control 5, and a router 6 installed in each residence H. The residence H includes at least the residence in which the person being watched over resides. In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the person being watched over may be, for example, an elderly person living alone, and the watcher may be, for example, a relative of the person being watched over.

[0094] <Server 2A> The server 2A is an example of a server according to the present disclosure. The server 2A is a so-called cloud server, and provides a service to support watching over the person being watched over. The hardware configuration of the server 2A is the same as the hardware configuration of the server 2 in the first embodiment (see FIG. 2).

[0095] <Device 4A> Device 4A is an example of a restricted device according to the present disclosure. Device 4A is, for example, a home appliance known as an IoT device, an information appliance, an Internet appliance, or a smart appliance, such as an air conditioner, a water heater, or a floor heating system. The hardware configuration of device 4A is similar to the hardware configuration of device 4 in embodiment 1 (see FIG. 4).

[0096] <Functional configuration of server 2A and device 4A> Fig. 29 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of server 2A and device 4A. As shown in Fig. 29, server 2A includes a state information collection unit 200, a terminal I / F unit 201, a statistical report providing unit 202, a transfer unit 206, a prohibited operation information receiving unit 207, and a user notifying unit 208. These functional units are realized by CPU 21 of server 2A executing a server program stored in auxiliary storage device 24 for realizing the above services as a cloud server.

[0097] The device 4A includes a restriction setting request notification receiving unit 400, an operation restriction setting unit 401, and an operation restriction unit 402. These functional units are realized by the control circuit 43 of the device 4A executing a device operation program, which is a program for operating the device 4A and is stored in the auxiliary storage device 44. In addition to this, the device 4A periodically (for example, every five minutes) uploads status information (more specifically, periodically collected information) to the server 2A, similar to the device 4 in the first embodiment.

[0098] In the server 2A, the forwarding unit 206 forwards the restriction setting request notification, which is a notification requesting the setting of operation restrictions on the device 4A of the person being watched over, sent from the communications terminal 3 to the corresponding device 4A. The restriction setting request notification receiving unit 400 of the device 4A receives the restriction setting request notification forwarded from the server 2A. The restriction setting request notification receiving unit 400 supplies the received restriction setting request notification to the operation restriction setting unit 401.

[0099] The operation restriction setting unit 401 is an example of an operation restriction setting means according to the present disclosure. When the operation restriction setting unit 401 receives a restriction setting request notification from the restriction setting request notification receiving unit 400, the operation restriction setting unit 401 generates operation restriction information for restricting operations on itself (i.e., the device 4A) based on the content included in the restriction setting request notification, and registers the generated operation restriction information in an operation restriction table 440 (see FIG. 30 ). The operation restriction table 440 is a data table stored in the auxiliary storage device 44.

[0100] The operation limiting unit 402 is an example of an operation limiting means according to the present disclosure. When the person being watched over operates the corresponding remote control 5 or operates the operation panel provided on the operation limiting unit 402 itself (i.e., the device 4A), the operation limiting unit 402 refers to the operation limiting table 440 and determines whether the operation is a prohibited operation. If the operation is not a prohibited operation, the operation limiting unit 402 controls the device 4A so that it performs an operation in accordance with the operation. On the other hand, if the operation is a prohibited operation, the operation limiting unit 402 invalidates the operation and does not perform operation control in accordance with the operation. In this case, the operation limiting unit 402 instructs the remote control 5 to display a warning (see FIG. 20) or a dummy display (see FIG. 21). Furthermore, the operation limiting unit 402 generates prohibited operation information indicating that a prohibited operation has been performed, and transmits the information to the server 2A.

[0101] The prohibited operation information receiving unit 207 of the server 2A receives the prohibited operation information sent from the device 4A and supplies the received prohibited operation information to the user notifying unit 208. The user notifying unit 208 generates a prohibited operation detection notification based on the prohibited operation information supplied from the prohibited operation information receiving unit 207 and transmits the generated prohibited operation detection notification to the communication terminal 3 of the corresponding watcher via the terminal I / F unit 201. The communication terminal 3 that has received the prohibited operation detection notification displays a notification screen such as that shown in Fig. 22 on the display 30 by, for example, push notification.

[0102] <Operation restriction setting process> FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the operation restriction setting process executed by the server 2A, the communication terminal 3, and the device 4A.

[0103] (Step S400) The communications terminal 3 displays the restriction setting top screen (see FIG. 14), the cooling restriction setting screen (see FIGS. 15 to 18), etc., and acquires the operation for setting the operation restriction on the device 4A from the watcher. After that, the operation restriction setting process proceeds to step S401.

[0104] (Step S401) The communications terminal 3 generates a restriction setting request notice based on the setting operation of the operation restriction acquired from the watcher, and transmits the generated restriction setting request notice to the server 2 A. After that, the operation restriction setting process proceeds to step S402.

[0105] (Step S402) When the server 2A receives the restriction setting request notification, it transfers the received restriction setting request notification to the corresponding device 4A. After that, the operation restriction setting process proceeds to step S403.

[0106] (Step S403) Upon receiving the restriction setting request notification, device 4A generates operation restriction information based on the settings of the watcher included in the restriction setting request notification, and registers the generated operation restriction information in operation restriction table 440. Thereafter, the operation restriction setting process proceeds to step S404.

[0107] (Step S404) The device 4A notifies the server 2A that the setting of the operation restriction has been completed. After that, the operation restriction setting process proceeds to step S405.

[0108] (Step S405) The server 2A notifies the requesting communication terminal 3 that the setting of the operation restriction has been completed, and then the operation restriction setting process ends.

[0109] <Device operation restriction processing> FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the device operation restriction process executed by the server 2A, the communication terminal 3, and the device 4A.

[0110] (Step S500) The device 4A determines whether the person being watched over has operated the device 4A, i.e., whether an operation has been performed via the remote control 5 or the operation panel. If an operation has been performed on the device 4A (step S500; YES), the device operation restriction process proceeds to step S501. If an operation has not been performed on the device 4A (step S500; NO), the device 4A continues to make the determination in step S500.

[0111] (Step S501) The device 4A refers to the operation restriction table to determine whether the operation is prohibited. If the operation is prohibited (step S501; YES), the device operation restriction process proceeds to step S502. If the operation is not prohibited (step S501; NO), the device operation restriction process proceeds to step S503.

[0112] (Step S502) The device 4A invalidates the operation performed by the person being watched over, and instructs the remote controller 5 to display a warning (see FIG. 20) or a dummy (see FIG. 21) After that, the device operation restriction process proceeds to step S504.

[0113] (Step S503) Device 4A operates in accordance with the operation performed by the person being watched over, and then the device operation restriction process ends.

[0114] (Step S504) The device 4A generates prohibited operation information and transmits the generated prohibited operation information to the server 2A. After that, the device operation restriction process proceeds to step S505.

[0115] (Step S505) When the server 2A receives the prohibited operation information from the device 4A, the server 2A generates a prohibited operation detection notification indicating that a prohibited operation has been performed by the watching target, and transmits the generated prohibited operation detection notification to the corresponding communications terminal 3. Thereafter, the device operation restriction process proceeds to step S506.

[0116] (Step S506) When the communications terminal 3 receives the prohibited operation detection notification from the server 2A, it displays a notification screen (see FIG. 22) on the display 30 by, for example, a push notification. Thereafter, the device operation restriction process ends.

[0117] FIG. 33 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations when setting operation restrictions, and FIG. 34 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of operations when operating the device 4A.

[0118] As described above, the appliance operation restriction system 1A of this embodiment provides the same effects as the appliance operation restriction system 1 of the first embodiment.

[0119] Furthermore, in the device operation restriction system 1A of the present embodiment, the device 4A sets operation restrictions and restricts the operations of the person being watched over on the device 4A based on the set operation restrictions. Therefore, even if communication with the server 2A is interrupted, for example, the operation of the person being watched over can continue to be restricted after the operation restrictions have been set, thereby ensuring the safety of the person being watched over.

[0120] (Variation 1) There is no limit to the number of devices 4A installed in house H, and the configuration may be such that restrictions can be placed on the operation of each of multiple devices 4A by a single person being watched over.

[0121] (Variation 2) A configuration may be adopted in which each of a plurality of watchers can restrict the operation of one of the watchees on device 4A via his / her own communication terminal 3, and can receive a prohibited operation detection notification.

[0122] (Variation 3) When the person being watched over performs a prohibited operation on device 4A, server 2A may derive a recommended operation, which is a recommended appropriate operation, and notify device 4A of the derived recommended operation, which device 4A may display via remote control 5 or its own display panel. For example, server 2A reads device logs sorted by the current season, the residential area, age, and gender of the person being watched over from the device logs for the past year stored in a device log table corresponding to the model of device 4A, extracts changes to the prohibited operation (e.g., set temperature, etc.) from all the read device logs, and derives a recommended operation by performing statistical processing on the extracted changes (e.g., calculating the average, the average ±1σ (2σ, 3σ), median, maximum, minimum, etc.).

[0123] (Variation 4) If the person being watched over performs a change operation on device 4A that exceeds the allowable range, device 4A may allow a change to the lower limit or upper limit of the allowable range. For example, if the lower limit value of the set temperature is set to 24°C and the upper limit value of the set temperature is set to 28°C, and the person being watched over performs an operation to change the set temperature from 26°C to 30°C, device 4A may change the set temperature from 26°C to 28°C.

[0124] (Variation 5) Some of the data (for example, the device log table, the attribute information table, etc.) stored in the information storage unit 240 of the server 2A may be stored and managed by a file server separate from the server 2A.

[0125] (Variation 6) The server 2A may be configured to be composed of a plurality of separate devices.

[0126] (Variation 7) All or part of the functions of server 2A (see FIG. 29) may be implemented by dedicated hardware. Also, all or part of the functions of device 4A (see FIG. 29) may be implemented by dedicated hardware. Dedicated hardware may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0127] The technical ideas according to the above-described modifications may be realized independently or in appropriate combination.

[0128] The present disclosure allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of equivalent disclosures are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0129] Aspects of the present disclosure are noted below. (Appendix 1) a device log collection means for collecting device logs from devices installed in each residence; a statistical report providing means for generating a statistical report visually showing the collected device logs when a request for a statistical report is received from the communication terminal of the watcher, and providing the generated statistical report to the communication terminal; an operation restriction setting means for setting operation restrictions on a restriction target device, which is a device in the home of a person being watched over, when a request for operation restrictions on the restriction target device is received from the communication terminal of the watcher; an operation restriction means for restricting the operation of each restriction target device based on the operation restriction of the restriction target device; Equipment operation restriction system. (Appendix 2) When a narrowing-down condition for the statistical report is specified by the watcher, the statistical report providing means generates the statistical report taking the narrowing-down condition into consideration. 1. An equipment operation restriction system as described in Appendix 1. (Appendix 3) The narrowing conditions include at least one of region, season, age, sex, driving mode, and outside temperature. 1. An equipment operation restriction system as described in Appendix 2. (Appendix 4) a server including the device log collection means, the operation restriction setting means, and the operation restriction means; 10. An equipment operation restriction system according to any one of appendices 1 to 3. (Appendix 5) Each of the restriction target devices includes the operation restriction setting means and the operation restriction means. 10. An equipment operation restriction system according to any one of appendices 1 to 3. (Appendix 6) When automatic setting is specified by the watcher, the operation restriction setting means calculates a statistical value based on the collected device log and predetermined conditions, and sets an operation restriction on the restriction target device based on the calculated statistical value. 10. An equipment operation restriction system according to any one of appendices 1 to 4. (Appendix 7) When the operation of the restricted device is prohibited by the operation restriction means, a preset image is displayed on the remote control or the display panel of the restricted device. 10. An equipment operation restriction system according to any one of appendices 1 to 6. (Appendix 8) When the operation restriction means prohibits an operation on the restricted device, information indicating a recommended appropriate operation is displayed on a remote control or a display panel of the restricted device. 8. An equipment operation restriction system according to any one of appendices 1 to 7. (Appendix 9) When the operation restriction means prohibits an operation on the restricted device, dummy information is displayed on the remote control or the display panel of the restricted device to make it appear as if the operation has been normally accepted. 10. An equipment operation restriction system according to any one of appendices 1 to 6. (Appendix 10) The device log collection means collects device logs from devices installed in each home, a statistical report providing means, upon receiving a request for a statistical report from the communication terminal of the watcher, generates a statistical report that visually shows the collected device logs and provides the generated statistical report to the communication terminal; When the operation restriction setting means receives a request for operation restriction on a restriction target device that is a corresponding device in the home of the person being watched over from the communication terminal of the watcher, the operation restriction setting means sets operation restriction on the restriction target device; the operation restriction means restricts the operation of each restriction target device based on the operation restriction of the restriction target device; Device operation restriction methods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0130] 1,1A Device operation system, 2,2A Server, 3 Communication terminal, 4,4A Device, 5 Remote control, 6 Router, 20,32 Communication unit, 21,33 CPU, 22,34 ROM, 23,35 RAM, 24,36,44 Auxiliary storage device, 25,37 Bus, 30 Display, 31 Operation reception unit, 40 First communication unit, 41 Second communication unit, 42 Main unit, 43 Control circuit, 200 Status information collection unit, 201 Terminal I / F unit, 202 Statistical report provision unit, 203,401 Operation restriction setting unit, 204,402 Operation restriction unit, 205,208 User notification unit, 206 Transfer unit, 207 Prohibited operation information reception unit, 240 Information storage unit, 300 User I / F unit, 301 Information transmission unit, 302 Information reception unit, 400 Restriction setting request notification receiving unit, 440 Restriction setting table

Claims

1. a device log collection means for collecting device logs from devices installed in each residence; a statistical report providing means for generating a statistical report visually showing the collected device logs when a request for a statistical report is received from the communication terminal of the watcher, and providing the generated statistical report to the communication terminal; an operation restriction setting means for setting operation restrictions on a restriction target device in a home of a person being watched over when a request for operation restrictions on the restriction target device is received from a communication terminal of the watcher; an operation restriction means for restricting the operation of each restriction target device based on the operation restriction of the restriction target device; Equipment operation restriction system.

2. When a narrowing-down condition for the statistical report is specified by the watcher, the statistical report providing means generates the statistical report taking the narrowing-down condition into consideration. The device operation restriction system according to claim 1 .

3. The narrowing conditions include at least one of region, season, age, sex, driving mode, and outside temperature. The device operation restriction system according to claim 2 .

4. a server including the device log collection means, the operation restriction setting means, and the operation restriction means; The device operation restriction system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. Each of the restriction target devices includes the operation restriction setting means and the operation restriction means. The device operation restriction system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. When automatic setting is specified by the watcher, the operation restriction setting means calculates a statistical value based on the collected device log and predetermined conditions, and sets an operation restriction on the restriction target device based on the calculated statistical value. The device operation restriction system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. When the operation of the restricted device is prohibited by the operation restriction means, a preset image is displayed on the remote control or the display panel of the restricted device. The device operation restriction system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

8. When the operation restriction means prohibits an operation on the restricted device, information indicating a recommended appropriate operation is displayed on a remote control or a display panel of the restricted device. The device operation restriction system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

9. When the operation restriction means prohibits an operation on the restricted device, dummy information is displayed on the remote control or the display panel of the restricted device to make it appear as if the operation has been normally accepted. The device operation restriction system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

10. The device log collection means collects device logs from devices installed in each home, a statistical report providing means, upon receiving a request for a statistical report from the communication terminal of the watcher, generates a statistical report that visually shows the collected device logs and provides the generated statistical report to the communication terminal; When the operation restriction setting means receives a request for operation restriction on a restriction target device that is a corresponding device in the home of the person being watched over from the communication terminal of the watcher, the operation restriction setting means sets operation restriction on the restriction target device; the operation restriction means restricts the operation of each restriction target device based on the operation restriction of the restriction target device; Methods for restricting device operation.

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