Bathroom system, program, and control device

Abstract

To provide a bathroom system, a program and a control device capable of providing bathing corresponding to an effect suitable for a user.SOLUTION: A bathroom system includes an acquisition part 220 for acquiring effect information 212 related to an effect desired to be obtained by bathing in a bathroom, a determination part 230 for determining bathing information related to bathing corresponding to the effect information 212 on the basis of past information 217 in which a past bathing state related to a user is associated with a bathing effect, and an output part 240 for outputting the determined bathing information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a bathroom system, a program, and a control device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Bathroom systems that control the operation of a bathroom are known.

[0003] In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses that hot water is stored in the bathtub body, the body temperature of the bather (user) is detected, and warming and cooling stimuli are given to the bather based on the detected body temperature. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-107101 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in a bathroom like the one described in Patent Document 1, the user must set the amount of hot and cold water, the temperature, the bathing time, etc. Therefore, if the user does not have knowledge about bathing or does not have the time or space to think about bathing, it is difficult to provide the user with a bathing experience that is suitable for them.

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present disclosure aims to provide a bathroom system, program, and control device that can provide a bathing experience that corresponds to the effects appropriate for the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the bathroom system of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires effect information regarding the effects desired to be obtained by bathing in the bathroom, a determination unit that determines bathing information regarding bathing that corresponds to the effect information based on past information that associates the user's past bathing state with the bathing effects, and an output unit that outputs the determined bathing information.

[0008] In addition, in the bathroom system, the bathing information is information regarding control of the operation of the bathroom, and the bathroom system further includes an operation control unit that controls the operation of the bathroom in accordance with the bathing information output by the output unit.

[0009] In addition, in the bathroom system, the acquisition unit acquires the effect information regarding the effect that the user desires to obtain by bathing, as specified by the user.

[0010] In addition, in the bathroom system, the output unit suggests the bathing information to the user.

[0011] In addition, in the bathroom system, the bathing information is information regarding the control of the operation of the bathroom, the acquisition unit acquires a response to the proposal from the user, and the bathroom system further includes an operation control unit that controls the operation of the bathroom in accordance with the accepted bathing information when the response acquired by the acquisition unit indicates acceptance of the proposal.

[0012] In addition, in the bathroom system, the determination unit identifies the bathing state associated with the bathing effect corresponding to the effect information based on the past information, and determines the bathing information based on the identified bathing state.

[0013] In addition, in the bathroom system, the past information corresponds to the bathing state and the bathing effect with environmental information indicating the environment related to bathing, and the determination unit determines the bathing information in accordance with the effect information and the environment related to bathing.

[0014] In addition, in the bathroom system, the environmental information is information about at least one of season, temperature, humidity, and weather.

[0015] In addition, in the bathroom system, the past information corresponds to the bather's identification information for the bathing state and the bathing effect, and the determination unit determines the bathing information by referring to the past information corresponding to the user regarding the effect information.

[0016] In addition, in the bathroom system, the past information corresponds the bathing state and the bathing effect to the physical condition of the user, and the determination unit determines the bathing information based on the effect information and the physical condition.

[0017] In addition, in the bathroom system, the determination unit identifies, based on the past information, multiple bathing conditions associated with the bathing effects corresponding to the effect information, extracts the bathing condition from the multiple bathing conditions based on the physical condition, and determines the bathing information based on the extracted bathing condition.

[0018] In addition, in the bathroom system, the past information corresponds to the bathing state and the bathing effect with comfort information indicating the comfort of bathing, and the determination unit determines the bathing information based on the effect information and the comfort information.

[0019] In addition, in the bathroom system, the determination unit identifies multiple bathing states associated with the bathing effects corresponding to the effect information based on the past information, extracts the bathing state from the multiple bathing states based on the comfort information, and determines the bathing information based on the extracted bathing state.

[0020] In addition, in the bathroom system, the bathing effect in the past information is information indicating the effect that occurred to the user during the bathing state.

[0021] In addition, in the bathroom system, the bathing effect is information set based on information evaluated by the user in response to the bathing state and information about the user detected in response to the bathing state.

[0022] In addition, the program of the present disclosure causes a computer to function as an acquisition unit that acquires effect information regarding the effects desired to be obtained by bathing in the bathroom, a determination unit that determines bathing information regarding bathing that corresponds to the effect information based on past information that associates the user's past bathing state with the bathing effects, and an output unit that outputs the determined bathing information.

[0023] In addition, the control device according to the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires effect information regarding the desired effect obtained by bathing in the bathroom, a determination unit that determines bathing information regarding bathing that corresponds to the effect information based on past information in which the user's past bathing state and bathing effect are associated, and an output unit that outputs the determined bathing information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] The bathroom system, program, and control device disclosed herein can provide a bathing experience that corresponds to the desired effect for the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a bathroom system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the bathroom shown in FIG. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the bathtub shown in FIG. 2A. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control device illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a selection screen for bathing effects in the display content shown in FIG. [Figure 6A] 5 is a diagram showing a first example of a bathing information suggestion screen in the display content shown in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6B] 5 is a diagram showing a second example of a bathing information suggestion screen in the display content shown in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6C] 5 is a diagram showing a third example of a bathing information suggestion screen in the display content shown in FIG. [Figure 7] 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a bathing condition table stored in the control device shown in FIG. [Figure 8] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing carried out by the bathroom system shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the overall configuration of a bathroom system. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram showing an example of past information stored in the control device shown in FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 12] 11 is a diagram showing an example of an effect table stored in the control device shown in FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the bathroom system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] 11 is a diagram showing a first specific example of past information stored by the control device shown in FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 15] 11 is a diagram showing a second specific example of past information stored by the control device shown in FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 16] 11 is a diagram showing a third specific example of past information stored by the control device shown in FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] 18 is a diagram showing an example of past information stored in the control device shown in FIG. 17. FIG. [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the bathroom system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 20]18 is a diagram showing a first specific example of past information stored by the control device shown in FIG. 17. FIG. [Figure 21] 18 is a diagram showing a second specific example of past information stored by the control device shown in FIG. 17. FIG. [Figure 22] 18 is a diagram showing a third specific example of past information stored by the control device shown in FIG. 17. FIG. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 24] 24 is a diagram showing an example of past information stored by the control device shown in FIG. 23. FIG. [Figure 25] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the bathroom system according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 26] 24 is a diagram showing a first specific example of past information stored by the control device shown in FIG. 23. FIG. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of user information associated with the past information of FIG. 26. [Figure 28] FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a bathing schedule created by the control device shown in FIG. 23. [Figure 29] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 30] 30 is a diagram showing an example of past information stored in the control device shown in FIG. 29. FIG. [Figure 31] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the bathroom system according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 32] FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a first specific example of past information stored by the control device shown in FIG. 29. [Figure 33] FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of a bathing schedule created by the control device shown in FIG. 29. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding of the description, the same components and steps in each drawing will be designated by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0027] ---First embodiment--- First, the first embodiment will be described.

[0028] <Overall structure> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a bathroom system 1A according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, bathroom system 1A is configured to include, for example, a bathroom 10, a control device 20, and multiple terminal devices 30. Bathroom 10, control device 20, and terminal devices 30 are communicatively connected via a communications network NT such as an intranet, the Internet, or a telephone line. Note that while FIG. 1 shows multiple terminal devices 30 connected to bathroom system 1A via communications network NT, it may also be connected to a single terminal device 30.

[0029] Bathroom 10 is a unit that includes, for example, bathtub 12, shower, water supply mechanism, drainage mechanism, and control devices for controlling each device. Bathroom 10 receives control commands transmitted from control device 20 via communications network NT and operates each device according to the received control commands. Bathroom 10 also transmits the status of each device in bathroom 10 to control device 20 via communications network NT. The status of each device includes, for example, the temperature and amount of hot water stored in bathtub 12, the temperature of hot water supplied from the shower, and the operating status of the water supply mechanism and drainage mechanism. Note that bathroom 10 may operate each device in response to user input via an input / output device provided separately from terminal devices 30A-30C.

[0030] The control device 20 is, for example, a server device, and provides the results of content execution obtained by executing a program, or the program itself, to users of each terminal device 30A-30C via the communications network NT. The control device 20 also transmits control commands related to operational control of bathroom 10 to bathroom 10 via the communications network NT. The control device 20 also acquires information related to the operational status of bathroom 10 from bathroom 10 via the communications network NT, and acquires information such as the results of program execution and user input operations on terminal devices 30A-30C from terminal devices 30A-30C. The control device 20 is connected to bathroom 10 and terminal devices 30A-30C so that they can communicate with each other.

[0031] Terminal device 30 is an interface device such as a smartphone, a smartwatch, or an input device for controlling the operation of bathroom 10 or setting the control content. Terminal device 30 accepts input from a user and transmits information including the content of the accepted input to control device 20 via communication network NT. Terminal device 30 also communicates the information transmitted from control device 20 via communication network NT to the user by displaying it on a screen, outputting audio, vibrating, or the like.

[0032] <Bathroom configuration> Next, bathroom 10 will be described with reference to Figures 2A and 2B. Figure 2A is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of bathroom 10 shown in Figure 1. Figure 2B is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of bathtub 12 shown in Figure 2A. As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, bathroom 10 is composed of, for example, bathtub 12, sensors 14a to 14c, signal processing device 16, remote control 16a, outlet 17, water discharge device 18, and water intake section 19. Water intake section 19 is composed of bathtub water discharge outlet 19a and water intake 19b.

[0033] Bathtub 12 is shaped like a roughly rectangular box in a plan view and is configured to store hot and cold water inside. The inner wall surface that forms one of the short sides of bathtub 12 is formed as backrest surface 12a, an inner wall surface that is formed so that the user can lean against it while bathing. Note that while bathtub 12 has a roughly rectangular body shape, this is not limited to this and any shape is possible. Bathtub 12 is provided with drain outlet 17 on the bottom that can be opened and closed with a plug, and when drain outlet 17 is open, the hot and cold water stored in bathtub 12 is discharged to the outside of bathtub 12.

[0034] Water discharge device 18 is provided above backrest surface 12a of bathtub 12 and is configured to discharge hot water toward the inside of bathtub 12. Water discharge device 18 has a flat, wide water outlet 18a extending along the upper edge of backrest surface 12a and is configured to discharge hot water toward the shoulders of a user leaning against backrest surface 12a. Water discharge device 18 is also configured to discharge a portion of the hot water drawn in from water intake port 19b through water outlet 18a. As a result, the hot water in bathtub 12 circulates, being sucked in through water intake port 19b and discharged through water outlet 18a to flow into bathtub 12. Furthermore, a portion of the hot water drawn in from water intake port 19b is also discharged from bathtub water outlet 19a provided on backrest surface 12a of bathtub 12.

[0035] Sensors 14a-14c are sensors that detect the physical condition of the user while bathing. Sensors 14a-14c detect the user's electrocardiogram signal, for example, via hot and cold water stored in bathtub 12, based on the potential difference between sensors 14a and 14b. Sensor 14a is, for example, a negative electrode and is located on backrest surface 12a of bathtub 12. Sensor 14b is, for example, a positive electrode and is located on backrest surface 12a of bathtub 12. Sensor 14c is, for example, an electrode that acquires a reference potential for the potentials detected by sensors 14a and 14b and is located on backrest surface 12a.

[0036] In this embodiment, the bathtub 12 is provided with sensors 14a to 14c that detect the user's electrocardiogram signals, but this is not limited to this, and further detection devices for measuring the user's body temperature, pulse, heart rate, blood flow velocity, etc. may be provided.

[0037] Signal processing device 16 controls the operation of each part of bathroom 10 in accordance with control commands transmitted from control device 20 via communications network NT. Signal processing device 16 is also configured to communicate with remote control 16a and controls the operation of each part of bathroom 10 in accordance with control commands transmitted from remote control 16a. Remote control 16a is an input / output device for operating each part of bathroom 10, and is configured to allow the user to operate, for example, the user's electrocardiogram detection function in bathtub 12 and water discharge device 18. Signal processing device 16 fills bathtub 12 with water at a temperature and volume in accordance with the control commands transmitted from control device 20, and plays music or sounds a timer via remote control 16a in response to the control commands. Bathroom 10 also discharges or stops the discharge of water from water outlet 18a and bathtub water outlet 19a at a temperature and flow rate in accordance with the control commands, in accordance with a sequence in accordance with the control commands transmitted from control device 20.

[0038] <Hardware configuration> The configuration of bathroom 10 has been described above. Next, control device 20 will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of control device 20 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 3, control device 20 is configured to include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, memory 22, storage device 23, communication device 24, and input / output device 25.

[0039] The CPU 21 functions as various functional components by executing predetermined programs stored in the memory 22 or the storage device 23. Details of these functional components will be described later.

[0040] The storage device 23 is configured by a hard disk, etc. The storage device 23 stores various programs and information required for the CPU 21 to execute processing, as well as information on the processing results.

[0041] Communication device 24 is configured with a communication interface for communicating with external devices, etc. Communication device 24 transmits and receives various information between bathroom 10 and terminal device 30, for example.

[0042] The input / output device 25 is composed of a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, a display, etc. The input / output device 25 accepts inputs that an operator of the control device 20 uses to operate the control device 20, and displays information provided by the control device 20 to the operator.

[0043] The control device 20 can be realized using an information processing device such as a dedicated or general-purpose server computer. The control device 20 may be configured from a single information processing device or from multiple information processing devices distributed over a communication network NT. Fig. 3 shows only a portion of the main hardware configuration of the control device 20, and the control device 20 may also have other configurations that are generally included in a server.

[0044] <Functional configuration> The hardware configuration of the control device 20 has been described above. Next, the functional configuration of the control device 20 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 20 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 20 is configured to include, as its functional configuration, for example, a storage unit 210, an acquisition unit 220, a determination unit 230, an output unit 240, and an operation control unit 250. Functional means other than the storage unit 210 are realized by the control device 20 executing programs stored in the storage device 23 or the like.

[0045] The storage unit 210 is a functional component that stores display content 211 and various information to be displayed to the user via the terminal device 30. Specifically, the storage unit 210 stores the display content 211, effect information 212, a bathing condition table 213, and user information 214.

[0046] The display content 211 is content that is controlled and displayed on the screen of the terminal device 30 by the output unit 240. Here, the display content 211 will be described with reference to Figs. 5, 6A, and 6B. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a selection screen for bathing effects in the display content 211 shown in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 6, the display content 211 includes a button 2111 for the user to select the bathing effect that the user wants to obtain by bathing on the selection screen, a button 2112 for confirming the selection of button 2111, and various texts. The bathing effects are, for example, "improved sleep," "improved sensitivity to cold," "beautiful skin," "promoted sweating," "relaxation," and "relief from fatigue."

[0047] "Sleep improvement" refers to effects such as being able to sleep better, falling asleep more easily, waking up refreshed, and recovering physical strength through sleep. "Improving sensitivity to cold" refers to effects such as maintaining a warm, cozy state in the body for longer periods and preventing the extremities of the body from getting cold. "Beautiful skin effect" refers to the effect of improving dry skin. "Sweat promotion" refers to the effect of detoxifying through sweating. "Relaxation" refers to the effect of resting the brain and recovering physical strength. "Recovery from fatigue" refers to the effect of increasing the body's ability to recover from fatigue.

[0048] Button 2111 is an object that can be switched by a user operation such as clicking between a selected state in which the bathing effect associated with button 2111 is selected and a non-selected state in which the bathing effect is not selected. Button 2112 is an object that can be pressed by a user operation such as clicking, and when pressed, the bathing effect associated with the selected button 2111 is considered to have been selected, and the selection content is transmitted to control device 20.

[0049] FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a first example of a bathing information proposal screen in the display content 211 shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 6A, the proposal screen in the display content 211 includes, for example, an area 2113 displaying bathing conditions, buttons 2114 and 2115, and various texts. After a bathing effect is selected by the user on the selection screen in FIG. 6A, the proposal screen in the display content 211 controls the display of bathing information corresponding to the selected bathing effect on the terminal device 30. The bathing information indicates the contents of bathing conditions previously determined for bathing, such as the temperature and amount of water stored in the bathtub 12, the recommended bathing time, whether or not to use bath additives, conditions for using a shoulder bath or shower, and whether or not to play music. An area 2113 is an area for controlling the display of bathing information corresponding to the bathing effect selected at the top.

[0050] In FIG. 6A , "beautiful skin" is selected as the bathing effect. Also, in FIG. 6A , area 2113 displays information indicating that the bath temperature is lukewarm at 39°C, the bathing time is short at 10 minutes, bath additives should be used if the user has dry skin, and no bath additives should be used if the user has oily skin, and no other settings are specified. Buttons 2114 and 2115 are objects that can be pressed by a user operation, such as clicking. When button 2114 is pressed, the proposal is considered to be rejected, and a notification of the rejection is transmitted to the control device 20. The selection screen for display content 211 shown in FIG. 5 is again displayed on the terminal device 30. When button 2115 is pressed, the proposal for operation control according to the bathing information is considered to be accepted, and a notification of the acceptance is transmitted to the control device 20. In this example, when button 2115 is pressed in Figure 6A, control device 20 controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the bathing information, but this is not limited to this and it is also possible to simply suggest bathing information to the user.

[0051] Fig. 6B is a diagram showing a second example of a bathing information suggestion screen in the display content 211 shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 6B, "relaxation" has been selected as the bathing effect. Also, in Fig. 6B, area 2113 displays information that indicates the water temperature is lukewarm at 39°C, the bathing time is long at 20 minutes, hot and cold stimuli are alternately discharged from the shoulder bath, and music is played.

[0052] Returning to Figure 4, effect information 212 is information about the effect the user wants to obtain by bathing in bathroom 10. Effect information 212 indicates, for example, the user's selection results for information about the effect the user wants to obtain from bathing. Effect information 212 includes multiple bathing effects, including the above-mentioned "improved sleep," "improved sensitivity to cold," "beautiful skin," "promoted sweating," "relaxation," and "relief from fatigue," as well as information about whether the bathing effect has been selected.

[0053] The bathing condition table 213 shows the correspondence between bathing effects and bathing conditions, which indicate the operational control of the bathroom 10 and the actions the user takes while bathing. The bathing condition table 213 will now be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the bathing condition table 213 stored in the control device 20 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 7, the bathing condition table 213 associates bathing information for each of six bathing effects with each bathing condition. In this example, the bathing information includes "water temperature," "water volume," "bathing time," "bath additives," "shoulder bath / shower," and "other." "Water temperature" indicates the temperature of the water stored in the bathtub 12. "Water volume" indicates the amount of water stored in the bathtub 12 or the height of the water surface. "Bathing time" indicates the recommended time for the user to soak in the water stored in the bathtub 12. "Bath additives" indicates information regarding whether or not to use bath additives. "Shoulder bath / shower" indicates information about the sequence of discharging hot and cold water from the water discharge device 18. "Other" indicates general content other than the above, including, for example, whether or not to provide a foot bath, recommendations for hydration, recommendations for playing music, air flow control from the blower, air conditioning control in the changing room, lighting brightness control, and mist sauna operation control.

[0054] 4, the user information 214 indicates various pieces of information about the user. The user information 214 includes, for example, the user's name, address, telephone number, ID for using the display content 211, password, nickname, etc. The user information 214 also includes physical information such as the user's date of birth, age, sex, height, weight, build, body fat percentage, BMI (Body Mass Index), and the presence or absence of illness. The user information 214 also includes physical information such as body temperature (skin temperature and core body temperature), heart rate, pulse rate, electrocardiogram waveform, blood flow velocity, brain activity level, and respiratory rate.

[0055] The acquisition unit 220 acquires various types of information from the user via the terminal device 30, an input device provided in the bathroom 10, or the like. Specifically, the acquisition unit 220 acquires at least one piece of effect information 212 from the terminal device 30, the storage unit 210, or the like. Furthermore, when the acquisition unit 220 suggests bathing conditions to the user, it acquires the user's response to the suggestions. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 220 acquires user information 214 from the user via the terminal device 30. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 220 may acquire information about the user's physical condition via the sensors 14a to 14c in the bathroom 10 or the terminal device 30C, or the like. Examples of information about the user's physical condition include an electrocardiogram signal, body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. The user's acquisition unit 220 stores the acquired various types of information in the storage unit 210.

[0056] The determination unit 230 determines bathing information related to bathing in accordance with at least one effect information 212 acquired by the acquisition unit 220. Specifically, the determination unit 230 first selects a bathing condition from a plurality of predetermined bathing conditions in accordance with the effect information 212 acquired by the acquisition unit 220. Next, the determination unit 230 refers to the effect information 212 and the bathing condition table 213 to determine bathing information included in the bathing condition associated with the bathing effect indicated by the effect information 212. Note that, when there are multiple bathing effects indicated by the effect information 212, the determination unit 230 selects the bathing condition associated with each bathing effect.

[0057] The output unit 240 outputs the bathing information determined by the determination unit 230. Specifically, the output unit 240 outputs the bathing information included in the bathing conditions selected by the determination unit 230 to the terminal device 30, for example, and conveys the information to the user by displaying the information on the screen as text or outputting audio. The output unit 240 also outputs the display content 211 by controlling its display on the terminal device 30. Note that the output process performed by the output unit 240 is not limited to presenting the information in a form that the user can see, and may also include processing for creating data in a form that the user cannot see. Specifically, the output unit 240 outputs the bathing information determined by the determination unit 230 as data that can be stored in the storage unit 210, and stores the information in the storage unit 210. Furthermore, the output unit 240 suggests the bathing information stored in the storage unit 210 to the user. Furthermore, the output unit 240 outputs, for example, information relating to the control of operation of the bathroom 10, among the bathing information included in the bathing conditions selected by the determination unit 230, to the operation control unit 250. The information relating to the control of operation is, for example, the items of the bathing information that can be controlled in the bathroom 10 (in this example, the water temperature and amount, shoulder bath, bathing time alarm timer, etc.). Note that when outputting the bathing information, the output unit 240 may be configured to be able to execute either output to the operation control unit 250 or output to the terminal device 30, or may be configured to be able to execute both.

[0058] The operation control unit 250 controls the operation of the bathroom 10 according to the bathing information output by the output unit 240. Specifically, the operation control unit 250 controls the operation of the bathroom 10 by generating control commands for controlling the operation of the bathroom 10 from the bathing information or by converting the bathing information into control commands and transmitting the control commands to the signal processing device 16 of the bathroom 10.

[0059] <Process flow> The above describes the functional configuration of control device 20. Next, the flow of a series of processes in bathroom system 1A will be described in detail. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processes carried out by bathroom system 1A shown in Figure 1.

[0060] (Step SP10) The terminal device 30 acquires effect information 212 from the user. Specifically, the terminal device 30 controls the display of the bathing effect selection screen shown in FIG. 6, which is included in the display content 211. The terminal device 30 accepts the user's input of a bathing effect selection and transmits effect information 212 indicating the bathing effect selected by the user to the control device 20. The terminal device 30 accepts the user's selection of a bathing effect, for example, several hours to several tens of minutes before the user enters the bathroom 10, when the user enters the bathroom 10, or when the user enters the changing room in front of the bathroom 10. The terminal device 30 also acquires physical information from the user. When acquiring effect information 212 when the user enters the bathroom 10, the terminal device 30 may acquire the user's physical information using sensors 14a-14c of the bathtub 12 or other detection means (not shown) such as a camera or sensor installed in the bathroom. The process then proceeds to step SP12.

[0061] (Step SP12) The terminal device 30 transmits the acquired effect information 212 to the control device 20 via the communication network NT. Then, the process proceeds to step SP14.

[0062] (Step SP14) The control device 20 acquires the effect information 212 from the terminal device 30 via the communication network NT using the acquisition unit 220. The control device 20 stores the acquired effect information 212 in the storage unit 210 using the acquisition unit 220. Then, the process proceeds to step SP16.

[0063] (Step SP16) The control device 20, through the determination unit 230, refers to the effect information 212 and the bathing condition table 213 stored in the storage unit 210 and selects bathing conditions based on the bathing effect selected by the user as indicated by the effect information 212. Specifically, the control device 20, through the determination unit 230, refers to the bathing condition table 213 in the storage unit 210 and selects, from among the multiple bathing conditions, the bathing condition associated with the bathing effect. For example, referring to FIG. 5, if the bathing effect indicated by the effect information 212 is "promoting sweating," the determination unit 230 selects as the bathing conditions the set of bathing information in the column to the right of "promoting sweating" in the bathing condition table 213 (water temperature: 41°C, bathing time: 20 minutes, hydration recommended). Furthermore, if the effect information 212 indicates multiple bathing effects, the determination unit 230 selects all of the bathing conditions associated with each of the bathing effects. Then, the process proceeds to step SP18.

[0064] (Step SP18) Control device 20 transmits the bathing information included in the bathing conditions selected by determination unit 230 to operation control unit 250 via output unit 240. Control device 20 also determines, via operation control unit 250, the content of the operation control of bathroom 10 from the bathing information transmitted by output unit 240. Specifically, when determination unit 230 selects only one bathing condition, operation control unit 250 determines the content of the operation control of bathroom 10 so that the bathroom operates in accordance with the bathing information associated with that bathing condition.

[0065] In contrast, when multiple bathing conditions are selected by the determination unit 230, the operation control unit 250 determines the operation control content of the bathroom 10 so that, for example, the bathroom 10 operates according to common bathing information among the bathing information associated with the multiple bathing conditions. Also, when multiple bathing conditions are selected by the determination unit 230, the operation control unit 250 determines the operation control content of the bathroom 10 so that, for example, the bathroom 10 operates by excluding operations according to conflicting bathing information among the bathing information associated with the multiple bathing conditions. An example of control by the operation control unit 250 will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6C.

[0066] FIG. 6C shows a third example of a bathing information suggestion screen in display content 211 shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 6C, "improved sleep" and "relaxation" are selected as bathing effects. Also, in FIG. 6C, area 2113 displays information indicating a lukewarm water temperature of 39°C, with no other settings. As shown in bathing condition table 213 in FIG. 5, the only common bathing information between the bathing information associated with the "improved sleep" bathing effect and the bathing information associated with the "relaxation" bathing effect is "water temperature." Therefore, in FIG. 6C, operation control unit 250 selects "water temperature" as the bathing information and determines to control the operation of bathroom 10 so that the water temperature is 39°C. Note that in this example, operation control unit 250 determines the operation control content of bathroom 10 so that only the common bathing information among the bathing information associated with multiple bathing conditions is activated, but this is not limited to this. For example, the operation control unit 250 may exclude operations according to conflicting bathing information from among the bathing information associated with multiple bathing conditions, and then control the operation of bathroom 10 according to the remaining bathing information. For example, if "improved sleep" and "relaxation" are selected as bathing effects, operation control unit 250 may determine control to set the water temperature to 39°C, the bathing time to 20 minutes, use a low-temperature shower after exiting the bath, alternate hot and cold water for shoulder baths, and play music. Furthermore, operation control unit 250 does not control items of bathing information whose operation cannot be controlled by the bathroom 10's mechanisms. Returning to FIG. 8, the process proceeds to step SP20.

[0067] (Step SP20) Control device 20 transmits the operational control details for bathroom 10 determined by operation control unit 250 to terminal device 30 via communications network NT via output unit 240, and proposes bathing information to the user. Then, processing proceeds to step SP22.

[0068] (Step SP22) The terminal device 30 proposes the bathing information transmitted from the control device 20 to the user. Specifically, the terminal device 30 proposes the bathing information to the user by controlling the display of a proposal screen in the display content 211 as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C on the screen. The terminal device 30 accepts an operation input from the user indicating an answer of acceptance or rejection to the proposal of the bathing information. Then, the process proceeds to step SP24.

[0069] (Step SP24) The terminal device 30 transmits the user's response to the bathing information suggestion via the communication network NT to the control device 20. Then, the process proceeds to step SP26.

[0070] (Step SP26) The control device 20 determines whether the content of the user's response to the bathing information proposal transmitted from the terminal device 30 indicates acceptance. If the determination indicates a positive judgment, the process proceeds to step SP28. On the other hand, if the determination indicates a negative judgment, the process returns to step SP10, or the series of processes shown in FIG. 8 ends.

[0071] (Step SP28) Control device 20 causes operation control unit 250 to transmit the operation control content determined by operation control unit 250 in the processing of step SP20 as a control command via communications network NT to bathroom 10. Then, the processing proceeds to processing of step SP30.

[0072] (Step SP30) Bathroom 10 receives the control command sent from control device 20, and uses signal processing device 16 to control the operation of each component of bathroom 10 in accordance with the control command. Then, the series of processing flows shown in Figure 8 ends.

[0073] <Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, bathroom system 1A includes memory unit 210 that stores multiple pieces of effect information 212 related to the effects the user wants to obtain from bathing in bathroom 10, acquisition unit 220, determination unit 230, and output unit 240. Acquisition unit 220 acquires at least one piece of effect information 212 from the multiple pieces of effect information 212. Determination unit 230 determines bathing information related to bathing in accordance with effect information 212 acquired by acquisition unit 220. Output unit 240 outputs the bathing information determined by determination unit 230. Therefore, bathroom system 1A can provide the user with bathing information related to bathing that is suited to the bathing effects that are suitable for the user.

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bathing information is information relating to the control of the operation of bathroom 10. Furthermore, control device 20 further includes an operation control unit 250 that controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the bathing information output by output unit 240. Therefore, bathroom system 1A controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the bathing information, and can therefore provide the user with a bath that is in line with the bathing effects that are appropriate for the user.

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, acquisition unit 220 acquires multiple pieces of effect information 212. Furthermore, determination unit 230 determines multiple bathing conditions, each containing multiple pieces of bathing information, according to the multiple pieces of effect information 212. Furthermore, operation control unit 250 controls the operation of bathroom 10 so as to perform operation control in accordance with at least one piece of bathing information included in the multiple bathing conditions. Therefore, even when bathroom system 1A acquires multiple bathing effects from the user, it can provide the user with a bath that is in line with the bathing effects that are appropriate for the user.

[0076] In this embodiment, the operation control unit 250 controls the operation of the bathroom 10 to perform common operation control among the operation controls indicated by the bathing information included in the multiple bathing conditions. Therefore, when multiple bathing effects are obtained from the user, the bathroom system 1A can provide the user with a bathing experience that achieves multiple effects.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, operation control unit 250 controls the operation of bathroom 10 so as to exclude conflicting operation controls from among the operation controls indicated by the bathing information included in the multiple bathing conditions. Therefore, when multiple bathing effects are acquired from the user, bathroom system 1A can prevent the effects achieved by each operation control from canceling out each other, thereby providing the user with a bathing experience that achieves multiple effects with greater precision.

[0078] In this embodiment, output unit 240 presents bathing information to the user by screen display or audio output. Therefore, bathroom system 1A can present bathing information to the user in accordance with bathing effects suitable for the user.

[0079] In this embodiment, the bathing information is information related to controlling the operation of bathroom 10. Acquisition unit 220 acquires a response to the suggestion from the user. Control device 20 also includes an operation control unit 250 that controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the accepted bathing information when the response acquired by acquisition unit 220 indicates acceptance of the suggestion. Therefore, bathroom system 1A can provide the user with a bathing experience that is suited to the user's bathing effects, taking into account the user's wishes.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the acquisition unit 220 is capable of communicating with the terminal device 30 operated by the user, and acquires effect information 212 from the user via the terminal device 30. The bathing information is information related to controlling the operation of the bathroom 10. The output unit 240 is also capable of communicating with the bathroom 10, and transmits the bathing information, including control commands for the operation of the bathroom 10, to the bathroom 10. Therefore, the bathroom system 1A can provide bathing information related to bathing that is in line with the bathing effects that are appropriate for the user, even if the terminal device 30 and the bathroom 10 are located at separate locations, or even if the bathroom 10 and the terminal device 30 do not have the functional configurations of the control device 20.

[0081] --- Second embodiment --- Next, a second embodiment will be described.

[0082] In the first embodiment, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information by referring to the bathing condition table 213. In the second embodiment, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information by referring to past information 215 related to the user's past bathing. Note that a description of the same points as in the first embodiment will be omitted. The second embodiment can also be combined with the first embodiment.

[0083] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 10, the storage unit 210 further includes past information 215 and an effect table 216. The storage unit 210 may also include a bathing condition table 213.

[0084] The past information 215 is history information about the user's past bathing. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the past information 215. The past information 215 is set corresponding to a user. That is, the past information 215 is associated with identification information of the user (bather). The identification information may be the user's name or an identification number, etc. The example in FIG. 11 shows an example of the past information 215 corresponding to user U1. Note that the past information 215 may be stored in association with each of multiple users.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 11, past information 215 is information that associates user U1's past bathing state with user U1's physical condition related to bathing. The bathing state is information that indicates the state of user U1's past bathing. In other words, the bathing state is information that indicates the situation of user U1's past bathing. The bathing state is, for example, "water temperature" and "bathing time." "Water temperature" is the temperature of the water stored in bathtub 12. "Bathing time" is the time the user immerses in the water stored in bathtub 12. Furthermore, the bathing state may also be "water volume," "bath additives," "shoulder bath / shower," or "other." "Water volume" is the amount of water stored in bathtub 12 or the height of the water surface. "Bath additives" is whether or not bath additives were used. "Shoulder bath / shower" is information related to the sequence of water discharge from water discharge device 18. "Other" is general information other than the above. "Other" includes, for example, whether or not a foot bath was performed, whether or not hydration was performed, music playback, air flow control from a fan, air conditioning control in a changing room, lighting brightness control, mist sauna operation control, and use of hot and cold stimulation (whether or not it was used and for how long). The bathing status may be at least one of "water temperature," "water volume," "bathing time," "bathing additives," "shoulder bath / shower," and "other." Furthermore, the bathing status is not limited to "water temperature," "water volume," "bathing time," "bath additives," "shoulder bath / shower," and "other," and other indicators may be used as long as they can indicate the state of bathing that user U1 has taken in the past.

[0086] The bathing status is accumulated corresponding to when user U1 takes a bath. For example, the "water temperature" and "bathing time" when user U1 takes a bath are accumulated. The bathing status may be input by user U1 or may be automatically acquired by a sensor or the like. Note that other information, such as the time when the bath was taken, may be associated with the bathing status.

[0087] The past information 215 is associated with the bathing state and the user U1's physical condition related to bathing. The physical condition is information indicating the physical condition of the user U1 who took a bath. Specifically, the physical condition indicates the user's physical condition during and after bathing in the past bathing state. While FIG. 11 shows the physical condition both during and after bathing, it may be either during or after bathing. The physical condition during bathing is preferably the physical condition after a predetermined time has elapsed since the user started bathing (after the user's physical condition has stabilized due to bathing). Furthermore, the physical condition after bathing is preferably the physical condition within a predetermined time after the user finished bathing (for example, immediately after bathing). The physical condition is, for example, "body temperature." Body temperature may be skin temperature or deep body temperature. Note that the physical condition is not limited to "body temperature," and may also be "heart rate," "pulse rate," "electrocardiogram waveform," "blood flow velocity," "brain activity level," "respiratory rate," etc. Furthermore, the physical condition preferably indicates changes in the physical condition of the user U1. For example, as shown in Fig. 11, the physical condition may indicate whether the rate of increase in "body temperature" during bathing is high or low. Note that a high rate of increase means that the rate of increase is higher than a predetermined range, and a low rate of increase means that the rate of increase is lower than the predetermined range. If the rate of increase is within the predetermined range, the rate of increase is medium.

[0088] When the user U1 takes a bath, the physical condition is accumulated in correspondence with the bathing state. For example, the "body temperature" during or after bathing is accumulated in correspondence with the bathing state.

[0089] The physical condition in the past information 215 may be input by, for example, the user U1 or may be automatically acquired by a sensor or the like. That is, the physical condition may be set based on a subjective evaluation by the user corresponding to the bathing state. For example, the user inputs his or her own physical condition after bathing. The physical condition may also be set based on the user's physical condition detected by a sensor or a wearable sensor installed in the bathroom 10 or on the vanity corresponding to the bathing state. For example, the "body temperature" or the like may be detected by a detection unit such as a sensor during or after bathing and set. It is more preferable that the physical condition be set using both information evaluated by the user and information about the user detected by a sensor or the like. That is, the physical condition may be set by taking into account both the user's subjective evaluation and the objective evaluation by a sensor or the like. For example, the user may input physical condition items that cannot be acquired by a sensor or the like, or items that cannot be acquired by user input may be acquired by a sensor or the like. Furthermore, one physical condition item may be set based on both the user's input and the sensor's detection results. For example, even if the user inputs that the rate of increase in body temperature is medium, if the detection result from a sensor or the like indicates that the rate of increase in the user's body temperature is high, the physical condition in the past information 215 will be set to a high rate of increase.

[0090] In this way, the bathing condition and the physical condition are associated with each other as past information 215 corresponding to user U1's past bathing. The example in Fig. 11 shows that in user U1's past bathing, when the bathing condition was a "water temperature" of 41 degrees and a "bathing time" of 12 minutes, the physical condition showed a high rate of increase in "body temperature." Also, in user U1's past bathing, when the bathing condition was a "water temperature" of 39 degrees and a "bathing time" of 8 minutes, the physical condition showed a low rate of increase in "body temperature."

[0091] The effect table 216 is information that associates physical conditions with bathing effects. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the effect table 216. The effect table 216 may be set for each user, or may be set as general correspondence information that does not limit users. The effect table 216 associates physical conditions during or after bathing with effects obtained by bathing. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the physical condition is "body temperature." Note that the physical condition may also be "heart rate," "pulse rate," "electrocardiogram waveform," "blood flow velocity," "brain activity level," "respiratory rate," etc. Bathing effects are associated with each of multiple physical condition patterns. For example, if the physical condition is "body temperature," three patterns are set: high increase rate, medium increase rate, and low increase rate. A high rate of increase in body temperature is associated with a "high" sweating effect (promoting sweating), a "low" skin-beautifying effect (beautifying skin), and a "low" effect on improving sensitivity to cold (improving sensitivity to cold). A medium rate of increase in body temperature is associated with a "medium" sweating effect, a "medium" skin-beautifying effect, and a "medium" effect on improving sensitivity to cold. A low rate of increase in body temperature is associated with a "low" sweating effect, a "high" skin-beautifying effect, and a "high" effect on improving sensitivity to cold. A high effect is rated as "high," a low effect is rated as "low," and an effect that is neither high nor low is rated as "medium" (a three-level evaluation). Note that the example in FIG. 12 illustrates three types of bathing effects: sweating effect, skin-beautifying effect, and sensitivity to cold. However, other effects, such as a "sleep-improving effect," a "relaxing effect," and a "fatigue-relieving effect," may also be applied.

[0092] That is, the effect table 216 associates the physical condition with the magnitude of the bathing effect. The effect table 216 is set in advance as information linking the physical condition with the bathing effect. The effect table 216 may be associated with the physical condition in the past information 215 and included in the past information 215. That is, the past information 215 and the effect table 216 may be combined into one piece of data.

[0093] Returning to FIG. 10, the acquisition unit 220 acquires effect information 212 relating to the effect the user desires to obtain by bathing. For example, the bathing effect the user desires to obtain is selected (specified) on a selection screen of the display content 211. Note that the effect information 212 is not limited to being selected by the user, and may be set according to the user's condition by detecting the user's condition using a sensor or the like. For example, if it is detected that the user is sleep deprived, the acquisition unit 220 may acquire a sleep improvement effect as the bathing effect. In other words, the effect information 212 may be automatically set according to the user. In this way, the acquisition unit 220 acquires the bathing effect (effect information 212) relating to the user.

[0094] The determination unit 230 determines bathing information related to bathing that corresponds to the acquired effect information 212. The determination unit 230 refers to past information 215 related to the user related to the effect information 212. For example, when user U1 selects a bathing effect on the selection screen, the determination unit 230 refers to past information 215 related to user U1. Note that the user who will take a bath may be able to specify the user when selecting a bathing effect, or the user may be specified by an identification number preset in the terminal device 30 or the like. In other words, the determination unit 230 refers to past information 215 related to the user who wants to obtain the bathing effect of the effect information 212 (the user who is the target of the bathing effect).

[0095] The determination unit 230 then uses the past information 215 to determine bathing information corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. For example, the determination unit 230 refers to the effect table 216 to identify a physical condition corresponding to the bathing effect (bathing effect selected by the user) in the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the acquired effect information 212 indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 refers to the effect table 216 of FIG. 12 to identify a high rate of increase in body temperature during or after bathing as a physical condition corresponding to the sweating effect. That is, the determination unit 230 identifies a physical condition when the sweating effect is the highest (high sweating effect) as a bathing effect in the effect table 216 of FIG. 12. The determination unit 230 then refers to the past information 215 to identify a past bathing condition that resulted in a physical condition corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. That is, a bathing condition associated with a physical condition corresponding to the effect information 212 is identified. For example, if the physical condition indicates a high rate of increase in body temperature (during or after bathing), the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 215 in FIG. 11 and determines that the bathing condition is a water temperature of 41 degrees and a bathing time of 12 minutes. The determination unit 230 then determines the determined bathing condition as the bathing information (bathing conditions). Note that the determination unit 230 may determine the determined bathing condition as is as the bathing information, or may modify the bathing condition to enhance the bathing effect and use it as the bathing information. In this way, the bathing information is determined using the bathing effect achieved by the user in the past.

[0096] The output unit 240 then outputs the determined bathing information. For example, the output unit 240 suggests the bathing information to the user. Specifically, the output unit 240 presents the user with the bathing information indicating the bathing conditions required to achieve the bathing effect selected by the user. For example, the output unit 240 outputs the bathing information to the terminal device 30 and communicates the information to the user by displaying it on a screen or outputting audio. For example, if the user selects the sweating effect, the output unit 240 suggests that the bathing condition should be a water temperature of 41 degrees and a bathing time of 12 minutes. This allows the user to recognize the bathing method required to achieve the desired bathing effect. The output unit 240 also outputs information related to the control of the operation of the bathroom 10 from the bathing information to the operation control unit 250. For example, bathing information related to the water temperature is output to the operation control unit 250 as information related to the control of the operation. This allows the bathroom 10 to be set in a bathing condition required to achieve the bathing effect desired by the user. The output unit 240 may be configured to output bathing information to either the operation control unit 250 or the terminal device 30, or may be configured to output both. In other words, at least one of suggesting bathing information and controlling in accordance with the bathing information may be performed.

[0097] Operation control unit 250 controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the bathing information output by output unit 240.

[0098] <Process flow> The functional configuration of the control device 20 has been described above. Next, the processing flow of the bathroom system 1A according to this embodiment will be described in detail. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by the bathroom system 1A. Note that explanations of points similar to the processing flow of the bathroom system 1A shown in Figure 8 will be omitted.

[0099] The process is carried out from step SP10 to step SP14.

[0100] (Step SP46) The control device 20, using the determination unit 230, refers to the past information 215 and determines bathing information from the bathing effect selected by the user indicated by the effect information 212. Specifically, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 215 to identify a past bathing condition that resulted in a physical condition corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. The determination unit 230 refers to the past information 215 corresponding to the user who selected the bathing effect in step SP10, for example. Specifically, if a bathing effect is selected by user U1, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 215 corresponding to user U1. Then, the process proceeds to step SP18.

[0101] Then, processing is performed from step SP18 to step SP30. That is, the bathing information includes information related to the control of the operation of bathroom 10, and if a response to the suggestion is received from the user and the response indicates acceptance, the operation of bathroom 10 is controlled according to the accepted bathing information. Note that the same application as in the first embodiment is possible even when multiple bathing effects are selected.

[0102] <Another example of determining bathing information> Next, we will explain other examples of how bathing information is determined by the determination unit 230. Below, we will explain a first specific example, a second specific example, and a third specific example as other examples of how bathing information is determined. Note that the first specific example, the second specific example, and the third specific example can also be combined.

[0103] (First example) FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of past information 215 in the first specific example. As shown in FIG. 14, in the first specific example, the past information 215 associates environmental information indicating the bathing environment with the user U1's past bathing state and physical condition. The environmental information is, for example, the season (spring, summer, autumn, winter). The environmental information may be temperature, humidity, or weather. That is, the environmental information is information regarding at least one of the season, temperature, humidity, and weather. The environmental information may also use location and time (date and time). For example, the example in FIG. 14 indicates that user U1 took a bath in the summer with a water temperature of 40°C and a bathing time of 9 minutes. The environmental information may be set by the user in accordance with past bathing, or may be automatically set using a calendar function or the like.

[0104] The determination unit 230 then determines bathing information in accordance with the effect information 212 and the bathing environment. Specifically, the determination unit 230 identifies the bathing environment. The bathing environment is the environment in which the user takes a bath. For example, the bathing environment is the surrounding environment for bathing to obtain the bathing effect selected by the user. The environment corresponds to environmental information, such as the season, temperature, humidity, and weather. For example, the determination unit 230 identifies the season corresponding to the timing when the user selected the bathing effect. The season is identified, for example, by a calendar function. Alternatively, the season may be selected when the user selects the bathing effect. For example, the determination unit 230 identifies the environment (season) in which the user takes a bath to obtain the bathing effect selected by the user as "summer."

[0105] The determination unit 230 then refers to the effect table 216 to identify a physical condition corresponding to the bathing effect in the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the acquired effect information 212 indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 refers to the effect table 216 in FIG. 12 to identify a high rate of body temperature increase during or after bathing as a physical condition corresponding to the sweating effect. The determination unit 230 then refers to the past information 215 corresponding to the user who wants to achieve the bathing effect in the effect information 212 to identify a past bathing state that resulted in a physical condition corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the physical condition is a high rate of body temperature increase (during or after bathing), the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 215 in FIG. 14 to identify a bathing state with a water temperature of 41°C and a bathing time of 12 minutes, or a bathing state with a water temperature of 40°C and a bathing time of 9 minutes. In this way, when multiple bathing states corresponding to the effect information 212 are identified, the determination unit 230 refers to environmental information to select an appropriate bathing state. The determination unit 230 selects a bathing condition associated with environmental information corresponding to the season identified as the bathing environment. For example, in FIG. 14, the candidate bathing conditions are a bathing condition (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 12 minutes) and a bathing condition (water temperature 40°C and bathing time 9 minutes). If the bathing environment is identified as summer, the determination unit 230 identifies the bathing condition (water temperature 40°C and bathing time 9 minutes) as appropriate for achieving a sweating effect. In this way, past bathing conditions in the same season as the bathing season are identified. The determination unit 230 then determines the identified bathing conditions as bathing information (bathing conditions). In this way, bathing information that is more appropriate for bathing effects is determined, taking into account the bathing environment.

[0106] (Second specific example) FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of past information 215 in the second specific example. As shown in FIG. 15, in the second specific example, the past information 215 associates bathing effects (bathing effects at the time) with the past bathing states and physical conditions of user U1. The associated bathing effects include, for example, sweating effect, skin-beautifying effect, and cold sensitivity improvement effect. The associated bathing effects may also be other effects such as sleep improvement effect (sleep improvement), relaxation effect (relaxation), and fatigue recovery effect (fatigue recovery). The bathing effects in FIG. 15 are effects resulting from bathing set in association with past bathing. For example, the bathing effects may be set by the user after a past bath, or the effects experienced by the user may be estimated using a sensor or the like. For example, the sweating effect or cold sensitivity improvement effect may be estimated based on the results of detecting the user's body temperature after bathing, or the skin-beautifying effect may be estimated based on the results of detecting the user's skin condition after bathing. That is, the bathing effects associated with past bathing states in FIG. 15 are set to the effects resulting from past bathing.

[0107] The determination unit 230 then refers to the effect table 216 to identify a physical condition corresponding to the bathing effect in the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the acquired effect information 212 indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 refers to the effect table 216 in FIG. 12 to identify a high rate of body temperature increase during or after bathing as a physical condition corresponding to the sweating effect. The determination unit 230 then refers to the past information 215 corresponding to the user who wants to achieve the bathing effect in the effect information 212 to identify a past bathing state that resulted in a physical condition corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the physical condition is a high rate of body temperature increase (during or after bathing), the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 215 in FIG. 15 to identify a bathing state where the water temperature is 41°C and the bathing time is 14 minutes, or a bathing state where the water temperature is 41°C and the bathing time is 12 minutes. In this way, the determination unit 230 uses the past information 215 to identify multiple bathing states associated with the physical condition corresponding to the effect information 212. The determination unit 230 extracts a bathing state from multiple bathing states based on the bathing effect at the time, and determines bathing information based on the extracted bathing state. Specifically, the determination unit 230 extracts a bathing state that resulted in a more effective bathing effect from the past information 215. For example, in FIG. 15, a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes) and a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 12 minutes) are candidates. The bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes) has a high sweating effect, while the bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 12 minutes) has a medium sweating effect. Therefore, the determination unit 230 determines that the bathing state with a higher sweating effect (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes) is appropriate. The determination unit 230 then determines the identified bathing state as bathing information (bathing conditions). This allows more appropriate bathing information to be determined taking into account past bathing results.

[0108] (Third specific example) FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the past information 215 in the third specific example. As shown in FIG. 16, in the third specific example, the past information 215 associates comfort information indicating the bathing comfort (comfort at the time) with the past bathing state and physical condition of the user U1. The comfort information is information indicating the bathing comfort of the user who took the bath. For example, the comfort information is indicated by whether the comfort was good or bad. The comfort information may be set by the user after a previous bath, or may be estimated using a sensor or the like. For example, the user's body temperature, pulse, sweating, etc. may be detected, and the level of comfort may be estimated. For example, a case where comfort is bad would be when the user became hot after bathing.

[0109] The determination unit 230 then refers to the effect table 216 to identify a physical condition corresponding to the bathing effect in the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the acquired effect information 212 indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 refers to the effect table 216 in FIG. 12 to identify a high rate of body temperature increase during or after bathing as a physical condition corresponding to the sweating effect. The determination unit 230 then refers to the past information 215 corresponding to the user who wants to achieve the bathing effect in the effect information 212 to identify a past bathing state that resulted in a physical condition corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the physical condition is a high rate of body temperature increase (during or after bathing), the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 215 in FIG. 16 to identify a bathing state where the water temperature is 41°C and the bathing time is 14 minutes, or a bathing state where the water temperature is 41°C and the bathing time is 12 minutes. In this way, the determination unit 230 uses the past information 215 to identify multiple bathing states associated with the physical condition corresponding to the effect information 212. The determination unit 230 extracts a bathing state from multiple bathing states based on comfort information and determines bathing information based on the extracted bathing state. Specifically, the determination unit 230 extracts a bathing state with better comfort from the past information 215. For example, in FIG. 16, the candidate bathing states are a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes) and a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 12 minutes). In this case, the bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes) has poor comfort, while the bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 12 minutes) has good comfort. Therefore, the determination unit 230 determines the more comfortable bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 12 minutes) as appropriate. The determination unit 230 then determines the identified bathing state as bathing information (bathing conditions). This allows more appropriate bathing information to be determined, taking into account past bathing comfort records.

[0110] <Effects> As described above, bathroom system 1A includes acquisition unit 220, which acquires effect information 212 related to the desired effect of bathing in bathroom 10; determination unit 230, which determines bathing information related to bathing corresponding to effect information 212 based on past information 215 in which the user's past bathing state and bathing-related physical condition are associated; and output unit 240, which outputs the determined bathing information. Therefore, bathing information that corresponds to effect information 212 and is suitable for the user can be output based on the user's past bathing experience. In other words, it is possible to provide a bathing experience that corresponds to the desired effect for the user. For example, by outputting bathing information, it is possible to suggest bathing information or perform control in accordance with the bathing information. In either case, a bathing experience that corresponds to the desired effect for the user can be provided to the user.

[0111] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, bathing information is information related to controlling the operation of bathroom 10, and bathroom system 1A further includes operation control unit 250 that controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the bathing information output by output unit 240. Therefore, bathroom 10 can be operated in accordance with effect information 212. In other words, a bathing experience corresponding to effect information 212 can be provided to the user.

[0112] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, acquisition section 220 acquires effect information 212 relating to the effect the user desires to obtain by bathing, as specified by the user. Therefore, bathing information is determined in accordance with the effect specified by the user.

[0113] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, output unit 240 suggests bathing information to the user. Therefore, the user can recognize the bathing content that is suitable for effect information 212. For example, by taking a bath using the suggested method, the user can obtain the desired bathing effect.

[0114] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, bathing information is information relating to the control of the operation of bathroom 10, acquisition unit 220 acquires a response to the suggestion from the user, and bathroom system 1A further includes operation control unit 250 that controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the accepted bathing information if the response acquired by acquisition unit 220 indicates acceptance of the suggestion. Thus, with the user's approval, a bath corresponding to effect information 212 can be provided to the user.

[0115] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, determination unit 230 uses past information 215 to identify a bathing condition associated with a physical condition corresponding to effect information 212, and determines bathing information based on the identified bathing condition. Therefore, effect information 212 and a physical condition can be associated to identify a bathing condition.

[0116] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, past information 215 associates bathing conditions and physical conditions with environmental information indicating the bathing environment, and determination unit 230 determines bathing information in accordance with effect information 212 and the bathing environment. Therefore, it is possible to provide the user with a more appropriate bathing experience by taking environmental information into account. For example, an appropriate bathing experience is provided to the user based on whether the bathing experience was in a hot or cold season.

[0117] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, environmental information is information relating to at least one of the season, temperature, humidity, and weather, so that environmental information can be set appropriately.

[0118] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, past information 215 associates bather identification information with bathing conditions and physical conditions, and determination unit 230 determines bathing information by referring to past information 215 corresponding to the user related to effect information 212. Therefore, by using the user's own past information 215, bathing information suitable for the user can be determined.

[0119] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, past information 215 associates bathing effects with bathing states and physical conditions, and determination unit 230 determines bathing information based on effect information 212 and bathing effects. Therefore, it is possible to provide the user with a more appropriate bathing experience based on past bathing effects.

[0120] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, determination unit 230 identifies multiple bathing conditions associated with the physical condition corresponding to effect information 212 using past information 215, extracts a bathing condition based on bathing effect from the multiple bathing conditions, and determines bathing information based on the extracted bathing condition. Therefore, it is possible to extract bathing conditions that have had good past bathing effects and determine bathing information that is more suitable for the user.

[0121] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, past information 215 associates bathing state and body condition with comfort information indicating bathing comfort, and determination unit 230 determines bathing information based on effect information 212 and the comfort information. Therefore, a more appropriate bathing experience can be provided to the user based on past comfort.

[0122] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, determination unit 230 identifies multiple bathing conditions associated with the physical condition corresponding to effect information 212 using past information 215, extracts a bathing condition from the multiple bathing conditions based on comfort information, and determines bathing information based on the extracted bathing condition. Therefore, by extracting bathing conditions that have been found to be more comfortable in the past, it is possible to determine bathing information that is more suitable for the user.

[0123] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, the physical condition in past information 215 is information that indicates the user's physical condition during or after bathing. Therefore, the physical condition related to bathing can be appropriately set in past information 215.

[0124] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, the physical condition is determined based on the information evaluated by the user in response to the bathing state and the information detected about the user in response to the bathing state. Therefore, the physical condition in past information 215 is determined with greater accuracy.

[0125] ---Third embodiment--- Next, a third embodiment will be described.

[0126] In the second embodiment, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information by referring to past information 215 associated with the user's physical condition. In the third embodiment, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information by referring to past information 217 associated with the bathing effect. Note that a description of the same points as in the first and second embodiments will be omitted. The third embodiment can also be combined with the first and second embodiments.

[0127] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 17, the storage unit 210 further includes past information 217. The storage unit 210 may also include a bathing condition table 213, past information 215, an effect table 216, etc.

[0128] The past information 217 is history information about the user's past bathing. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the past information 217. The past information 217 is set corresponding to a user. That is, the past information 217 is associated with identification information of the user (bather). The identification information may be the user's name or an identification number, etc. The example in FIG. 18 shows an example of the past information 217 corresponding to user U1. Note that the past information 217 may be stored in association with each of multiple users.

[0129] As shown in FIG. 18, the past information 217 is information that associates the past bathing state of user U1 with the bathing effect (bathing effect at that time). The bathing state is information that indicates the state of bathing taken by user U1 in the past, such as "water temperature" and "bathing time." Note that the bathing state may also be represented by "water volume," "bath additives," "shoulder bath / shower," and "other." The bathing state is accumulated corresponding to each time user U1 takes a bath. The bathing state may be input by user U1 or may be automatically acquired by a sensor or the like. Note that other information, such as the time the bath was taken, may also be associated with the bathing state.

[0130] The past information 217 is associated with bathing effects (bathing effects at the time) corresponding to bathing states. Bathing effects are information indicating the effects experienced by the user during the bathing state. Examples of bathing effects include sweating effect, skin beautifying effect, and cold sensitivity improvement effect. For each bathing effect, "high" is set if the obtained effect is high, "low" if the obtained effect is low, and "medium" if the obtained effect is neither high nor low. For example, a bathing state with a water temperature of 41 degrees and a bathing time of 14 minutes is associated with the bathing effects as "high sweating effect," "low skin beautifying effect," and "low cold sensitivity improvement effect." Note that the associated bathing effects may also be other effects such as sleep improvement effect (sleep improvement), relaxation effect (relaxation), and fatigue recovery effect (fatigue recovery).

[0131] The bathing effects associated in the past information 217 are effects resulting from bathing set in accordance with past bathing. The bathing effects may be input by, for example, the user U1, or may be automatically acquired by a sensor or the like. That is, the bathing effects may be set based on a subjective evaluation by the user in accordance with the bathing state. For example, the user inputs the bathing effects after bathing. The bathing effects may also be set (estimated) based on the user's state detected by a sensor or a wearable sensor installed in the bathroom 10 or the vanity in accordance with the bathing state. It is more preferable that the bathing effects be set using both information evaluated by the user and information about the user detected by a sensor or the like. That is, the bathing effects may be set by taking into account both the user's subjective evaluation and the objective evaluation by a sensor or the like. For example, the bathing effects may be set based on items that cannot be acquired by a sensor or the like, or items that cannot be acquired by the user's input may be acquired by a sensor or the like. In addition, one item of bathing effect may be set using both the user's input and the sensor's detection result. For example, even if the user inputs that the rate of increase in body temperature is medium, if the sensor or other detection result indicates that the rate of increase in body temperature is high, the bathing effect may be set to a high sweating effect, etc.

[0132] In this way, the past information 217 indicates the bathing state and bathing effect corresponding to the user's past bathing.

[0133] Returning to FIG. 17 , the acquisition unit 220 acquires effect information 212 relating to the effect the user desires to obtain by bathing. For example, the bathing effect the user desires to obtain is selected (specified) on a selection screen of the display content 211. Note that the effect information 212 is not limited to being selected by the user, and may be set according to the user's condition by detecting the user's condition using a sensor or the like. For example, if the user is detected as being sleep deprived, the acquisition unit 220 may acquire a sleep improvement effect as the bathing effect. In other words, the effect information 212 may be automatically set according to the user. In this way, the acquisition unit 220 acquires the bathing effect (effect information 212) relating to the user.

[0134] The determination unit 230 determines bathing information related to bathing that corresponds to the acquired effect information 212. The determination unit 230 refers to past information 217 related to the user related to the effect information 212. For example, when user U1 selects a bathing effect on the selection screen, the determination unit 230 refers to past information 217 related to user U1. Note that the user who will take a bath may be able to specify the user when selecting a bathing effect, or the user may be specified by an identification number preset in the terminal device 30 or the like. That is, the determination unit 230 refers to past information 217 related to the user who wants to obtain the bathing effect of the effect information 212 (the user who is the target of the bathing effect).

[0135] The determination unit 230 then uses the past information 217 to determine bathing information corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. For example, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 217 to identify the bathing effect at that time that corresponds to the bathing effect of the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the acquired effect information 212 indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 217 in FIG. 18 to identify a past bathing that had the highest sweating effect (high sweating effect) as the bathing effect at that time. The determination unit 230 then refers to the past information 217 to identify a past bathing state that achieved the bathing effect corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. That is, the bathing state associated with the bathing effect at that time that corresponds to the effect information 212 is identified. For example, if the effect information 212 indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 identifies a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes) that achieved a high sweating effect in the past information 217 in FIG. 18. The determining unit 230 then determines the identified bathing state as bathing information (bathing conditions). The determining unit 230 may determine the identified bathing state as the bathing information as is, or may modify the bathing state to enhance the bathing effect and use it as the bathing information. In this way, the bathing information is determined using the bathing effect achieved by the user in the past.

[0136] The output unit 240 then outputs the determined bathing information. For example, the output unit 240 suggests the bathing information to the user. Specifically, the output unit 240 presents the user with the bathing information indicating the bathing conditions required to achieve the bathing effect selected by the user. For example, the output unit 240 outputs the bathing information to the terminal device 30 and communicates the information to the user by displaying it on a screen or outputting audio. For example, if the user selects the sweating effect, the output unit 240 suggests that the bathing condition should be a water temperature of 41 degrees and a bathing time of 14 minutes. This allows the user to recognize the bathing method required to achieve the desired bathing effect. The output unit 240 also outputs information related to the control of the operation of the bathroom 10 from the bathing information to the operation control unit 250. For example, bathing information related to the water temperature is output to the operation control unit 250 as information related to the control of the operation. This allows the bathroom 10 to be set in a bathing condition required to achieve the bathing effect desired by the user. The output unit 240 may be configured to output bathing information to either the operation control unit 250 or the terminal device 30, or may be configured to output both. In other words, at least one of suggesting bathing information and controlling in accordance with the bathing information may be performed.

[0137] Operation control unit 250 controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the bathing information output by output unit 240.

[0138] <Process flow> The functional configuration of the control device 20 has been described above. Next, the processing flow of the bathroom system 1A according to this embodiment will be described in detail. Figure 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by the bathroom system 1A. Note that explanations of points similar to the processing flow of the bathroom system 1A shown in Figures 8 and 13 will be omitted.

[0139] The process is carried out from step SP10 to step SP14.

[0140] (Step SP56) The control device 20, using the determination unit 230, refers to the past information 217 and determines bathing information from the bathing effect selected by the user indicated by the effect information 212. Specifically, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 217 to identify a past bathing state that resulted in the bathing effect corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. Note that the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 217 corresponding to the user who selected the bathing effect in step SP10, for example. Specifically, if a bathing effect is selected by user U1, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 217 corresponding to user U1. Then, the process proceeds to step SP18.

[0141] Then, processing is performed from step SP18 to step SP30. That is, the bathing information includes information related to the control of the operation of bathroom 10, and if a response to the suggestion is received from the user and the response indicates acceptance, the operation of bathroom 10 is controlled according to the accepted bathing information. Note that the same application as in the first embodiment is possible even when multiple bathing effects are selected.

[0142] <Another example of determining bathing information> Next, we will explain other examples of how bathing information is determined by the determination unit 230. Below, we will explain a first specific example, a second specific example, and a third specific example as other examples of how bathing information is determined. Note that the first specific example, the second specific example, and the third specific example can also be combined.

[0143] (First example) FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of past information 217 in the first specific example. As shown in FIG. 20, in the first specific example, the past information 217 associates environmental information indicating the bathing environment with the user U1's past bathing state and bathing effect. The environmental information is, for example, the season (spring, summer, autumn, winter). The environmental information may be temperature, humidity, or weather. That is, the environmental information is information regarding at least one of the season, temperature, humidity, and weather. The environmental information may also use location and time (date and time). For example, the example in FIG. 20 indicates that user U1 took a bath in the summer with a water temperature of 41°C and a bathing time of 12 minutes. The environmental information may be set by the user in accordance with past bathing, or may be automatically set using a calendar function or the like.

[0144] The determination unit 230 then determines bathing information in accordance with the effect information 212 and the bathing environment. Specifically, the determination unit 230 identifies the bathing environment. The bathing environment is the environment in which the user takes a bath. For example, the bathing environment is the surrounding environment for bathing to obtain the bathing effect selected by the user. The environment corresponds to environmental information, such as the season, temperature, humidity, and weather. For example, the determination unit 230 identifies the season corresponding to the timing when the user selected the bathing effect. The season is identified, for example, by a calendar function. Alternatively, the season may be selected when the user selects the bathing effect. For example, the determination unit 230 identifies the environment (season) in which the user takes a bath to obtain the bathing effect selected by the user as "summer."

[0145] The determination unit 230 then uses the past information 217 to determine bathing information corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the acquired effect information 212 indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 217 in FIG. 20 and identifies a past bath that had the highest sweating effect (great sweating effect) as the bathing effect at that time. The determination unit 230 identifies a bathing state where the water temperature is 41°C and the bathing time is 14 minutes, or a bathing state where the water temperature is 41°C and the bathing time is 12 minutes. In this way, when multiple bathing states corresponding to the effect information 212 are identified, the determination unit 230 refers to the environmental information to select an appropriate bathing state. The determination unit 230 selects a bathing state associated with environmental information corresponding to the season identified as the bathing environment. For example, in FIG. 20, a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes) and a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 12 minutes) are candidates. If the bathing environment is determined to be summer, the determination unit 230 determines that the bathing condition (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 12 minutes) is appropriate for achieving a sweating effect. In this way, past bathing conditions in the same season as the bathing season are identified. The determination unit 230 then determines the identified bathing conditions as bathing information (bathing conditions). In this way, bathing information that is more appropriate for bathing effects is determined, taking into account the bathing environment.

[0146] (Second specific example) FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of past information 217 in the second specific example. As shown in FIG. 21, in the second specific example, the past information 217 associates the user U1's past bathing state and bathing effect with the user U1's physical state. The physical state is information indicating the physical state of the user U1 who has taken a bath. Specifically, the physical state indicates the user's physical state during and after bathing in the past bathing state. While FIG. 21 shows the physical state both during and after bathing, it may also be either during or after bathing. The physical state is, for example, "body temperature." Note that the physical state is not limited to "body temperature," and may also include "heart rate," "pulse rate," "electrocardiogram waveform," "blood flow velocity," "brain activity," "respiratory rate," etc. Furthermore, the physical state preferably indicates changes in the user U1's physical state. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the physical state may indicate whether the rate of increase in "body temperature" during bathing is high or low. A high rate of increase means that the rate of increase is higher than a predetermined range, and a low rate of increase means that the rate of increase is lower than the predetermined range. If the rate of increase is within the predetermined range, the rate of increase is medium. When user U1 takes a bath, the physical condition is accumulated in accordance with the bathing state. For example, "body temperature" during or after bathing is accumulated in accordance with the bathing state. The physical condition in the past information 217 may be input by user U1 or the like, or may be automatically acquired by a sensor or the like. The physical condition may also be set by taking into account both a subjective evaluation by the user and an objective evaluation by a sensor or the like.

[0147] The determination unit 230 then uses the past information 217 to determine bathing information corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the acquired effect information 212 indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 217 in FIG. 21 and identifies a past bath that had the highest sweating effect (great sweating effect) as the bathing effect at that time. The determination unit 230 determines that the bathing state is a water temperature of 41°C and a bathing time of 14 minutes, or a water temperature of 41°C and a bathing time of 13 minutes. In this way, the determination unit 230 uses the past information 217 to identify multiple bathing states associated with the bathing effect corresponding to the effect information 212. The determination unit 230 extracts a bathing state based on the body condition from the multiple bathing states and determines bathing information based on the extracted bathing state. Specifically, the determination unit 230 extracts a bathing state that corresponds to a body condition that is more preferable for the bathing effect from the past information 217. For example, in FIG. 21, two candidate bathing states are shown: a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes) and a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 13 minutes). Both of these bathing states have a high sweating effect. In the bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes), the rate of increase in body temperature is high, while in the bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 13 minutes), the rate of increase in body temperature is medium. Therefore, the determination unit 230 determines that a higher rate of increase in body temperature is more favorable (highly effective) for sweating, and identifies the bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes) as appropriate. It is preferable that each bathing effect be associated with a more appropriate physical condition. The determination unit 230 then determines the identified bathing state as bathing information (bathing conditions). This allows more appropriate bathing information to be determined, taking into account the physical condition records from past bathing experiences.

[0148] (Third specific example) FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of past information 217 in the third specific example. As shown in FIG. 22, in the third specific example, the past information 217 is associated with comfort information indicating bathing comfort (comfort at the time) in accordance with the past bathing state and bathing effect of user U1. The comfort information is information indicating the comfort of the bathing experience for the user who took the bath. For example, the comfort information is indicated by whether the comfort level is good or bad. The comfort information may be set by the user after a previous bath, or may be estimated using a sensor or the like. For example, the user's body temperature, pulse rate, sweating, etc. may be detected, and the level of comfort may be estimated. For example, a case where comfort is bad would be when the user becomes overheated after bathing.

[0149] The determination unit 230 then uses the past information 217 to determine bathing information corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the acquired effect information 212 indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 217 in FIG. 22 and identifies a past bath that had the highest sweating effect (great sweating effect) as the bathing effect at that time. The determination unit 230 identifies a bathing state in which the water temperature is 41°C and the bathing time is 16 minutes, or a bathing state in which the water temperature is 41°C and the bathing time is 15 minutes. In this way, the determination unit 230 identifies, from the past information 217, multiple bathing states associated with the bathing effect corresponding to the effect information 212. The determination unit 230 extracts a bathing state based on comfort information from the multiple bathing states and determines bathing information based on the extracted bathing state. Specifically, the determination unit 230 extracts a bathing state with better comfort from the past information 217. For example, in FIG. 22, the candidate bathing states are a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 16 minutes) and a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 15 minutes). In this case, the bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 16 minutes) is considered to be less comfortable, while the bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 15 minutes) is considered to be more comfortable. Therefore, the determination unit 230 determines the more comfortable bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 15 minutes) as being more appropriate. The determination unit 230 then determines the determined bathing state as the bathing information (bathing conditions). This allows more appropriate bathing information to be determined, taking into account past bathing comfort records.

[0150] <Effects> As described above, bathroom system 1A includes acquisition unit 220 that acquires effect information 212 related to the desired effect of bathing in bathroom 10, determination unit 230 that determines bathing information related to bathing that corresponds to effect information 212 based on past information 217 that associates the user's past bathing state with bathing effects, and output unit 240 that outputs the determined bathing information. Therefore, bathing information that corresponds to effect information 212 and is suitable for the user can be output, taking into account the user's past bathing experience. For example, by outputting bathing information, it is possible to suggest bathing information or perform control in accordance with the bathing information. In either case, a bath that corresponds to the desired effect for the user can be provided to the user.

[0151] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, bathing information is information related to controlling the operation of bathroom 10, and bathroom system 1A further includes operation control unit 250 that controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the bathing information output by output unit 240. Therefore, bathroom 10 can be operated in accordance with effect information 212. In other words, a bathing experience corresponding to effect information 212 can be provided to the user.

[0152] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, acquisition section 220 acquires effect information 212 relating to the effect the user desires to obtain by bathing, as specified by the user. Therefore, bathing information is determined in accordance with the effect specified by the user.

[0153] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, output unit 240 suggests bathing information to the user. Therefore, the user can recognize the bathing content that is suitable for effect information 212. For example, by taking a bath using the suggested method, the user can obtain the desired bathing effect.

[0154] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, bathing information is information relating to the control of the operation of bathroom 10, acquisition unit 220 acquires a response to the suggestion from the user, and bathroom system 1A further includes operation control unit 250 that controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the accepted bathing information if the response acquired by acquisition unit 220 indicates acceptance of the suggestion. Thus, with the user's approval, a bath corresponding to effect information 212 can be provided to the user.

[0155] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, determination unit 230 uses past information 217 to identify the bathing condition associated with the bathing effect corresponding to effect information 212, and determines the bathing information based on the identified bathing condition. Therefore, the bathing condition can be appropriately identified in accordance with effect information 212.

[0156] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, past information 217 associates bathing conditions and bathing effects with environmental information indicating the bathing environment, and determination unit 230 determines bathing information in accordance with effect information 212 and the bathing environment. Therefore, it is possible to provide the user with a more appropriate bathing experience by taking environmental information into account. For example, an appropriate bathing experience is provided to the user based on whether the bathing took place in a hot or cold season.

[0157] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, environmental information is information relating to at least one of the season, temperature, humidity, and weather, so that environmental information can be set appropriately.

[0158] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, past information 217 associates bathing conditions and bathing effects with bather identification information, and determination unit 230 determines bathing information by referencing past information 217 corresponding to the user related to effect information 212. Therefore, by using the user's own past information 217, bathing information suitable for the user can be determined.

[0159] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, past information 217 associates the bathing state and bathing effect with the user's physical condition, and determination unit 230 determines bathing information based on effect information 212 and the physical condition. Therefore, it is possible to provide the user with a more appropriate bathing experience based on the user's past physical condition.

[0160] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, determination unit 230 identifies, from past information 217, multiple bathing conditions associated with the bathing effect corresponding to effect information 212, extracts a bathing condition from the multiple bathing conditions based on the physical condition, and determines bathing information based on the extracted bathing condition. Therefore, by extracting a bathing condition that resulted in a good physical condition in the past, it is possible to determine bathing information that is more suitable for the user.

[0161] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, past information 217 associates bathing conditions and bathing effects with comfort information indicating bathing comfort, and determination unit 230 determines bathing information based on effect information 212 and the comfort information. Therefore, a more appropriate bathing experience can be provided to the user based on past comfort.

[0162] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, determination unit 230 identifies, from past information 217, multiple bathing conditions associated with the bathing effects corresponding to effect information 212, extracts a bathing condition from the multiple bathing conditions based on comfort information, and determines bathing information based on the extracted bathing condition. Therefore, by extracting bathing conditions that have been found to be more comfortable in the past, it is possible to determine bathing information that is more suitable for the user.

[0163] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, bathing effects in past information 217 are information that indicate effects that occurred to the user while bathing. Therefore, past bathing effects can be set in past information 217 appropriately.

[0164] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, bathing effects are information set based on information evaluated by the user in response to the bathing state and information about the user detected in response to the bathing state. Therefore, bathing effects in past information 217 can be set with greater accuracy.

[0165] ---Fourth embodiment--- Next, a fourth embodiment will be described.

[0166] In the third embodiment, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information by referring to past information 217 corresponding to a user who desires to obtain a bathing effect. In the fourth embodiment, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information for a user who desires to obtain a bathing effect by referring to past information 218 corresponding to a user other than the user who desires to obtain a bathing effect. Note that a description of the same points as in the first, second, and third embodiments will be omitted. The fourth embodiment can also be combined with the first, second, and third embodiments.

[0167] Fig. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 17, the storage unit 210 further includes past information 218. The storage unit 210 may also include a bathing condition table 213, past information 215, an effect table 216, past information 217, etc.

[0168] In this embodiment, a user who wants to obtain the bathing effect is referred to as a "first user," and a user different from the first user is referred to as a "second user." In other words, the user who is the target of the bathing effect (effect information 212) is the first user. The second user is not limited to a user different from the first user. Also, in this embodiment, a case where multiple second users are set is taken as an example, but the case where multiple second users are set is not limited. Note that the user information 214 indicates, for example, various information corresponding to the first user.

[0169] The past information 218 is history information related to the second user's past bathing. In other words, the past information 218 is history information related to bathing corresponding to a user different from the first user. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of the past information 218. The past information 218 is set corresponding to each of a plurality of second users. In other words, the past information 218 is associated with the identification information of each second user (bather). The identification information may be the user's name, an identification number, or the like.

[0170] As shown in FIG. 24, the past information 218 is information that associates the second user's past bathing state with the bathing effect (bathing effect at that time). The bathing state is information that indicates the state of bathing taken by the second user in the past, such as "water temperature" and "bathing time." The bathing state may also be information such as "water volume," "bath additives," "shoulder bath / shower," and "other." The bathing state is accumulated in response to each time the second user takes a bath. The bathing state may be input by the second user or may be automatically acquired by a sensor or the like. Other information, such as the time the bath was taken, may also be associated with the bathing state.

[0171] The past information 218 is associated with bathing effects (bathing effects at the time) corresponding to bathing states. The bathing effects are information indicating the effects that occurred to the second user during the bathing state. Examples of bathing effects include sweating effect, skin beautifying effect, and cold sensitivity improvement effect. For each bathing effect, "high" is set if the obtained effect is high, "low" if the obtained effect is low, and "medium" if the obtained effect is neither high nor low. For example, a bathing state with a water temperature of 41 degrees and a bathing time of 14 minutes is associated with the bathing effects as "high sweating effect," "low skin beautifying effect," and "low cold sensitivity improvement effect." Note that the associated bathing effects may also be other effects such as sleep improvement effect (sleep improvement), relaxation effect (relaxation), and fatigue recovery effect (fatigue recovery).

[0172] The bathing effects associated in the past information 218 are effects resulting from bathing set in accordance with past bathing. The bathing effects may be input by, for example, the second user or may be automatically acquired by a sensor or the like. That is, the bathing effects may be set based on a subjective evaluation by the second user. The bathing effects may also be set (estimated) based on the state of the second user detected by a sensor or a wearable sensor provided in the bathroom 10 or the vanity in accordance with the bathing state. The bathing effects may also be set using both information evaluated by the user and information about the user detected by a sensor or the like.

[0173] In this way, the past information 218 indicates the bathing state and bathing effect corresponding to the second user's past bathing. The past information 218 also indicates the relationship between the bathing state and bathing effect corresponding to each second user.

[0174] Returning to FIG. 23 , the acquisition unit 220 acquires effect information 212 related to the effect the first user desires to obtain by bathing in the bathroom 10. Specifically, the acquisition unit 220 acquires effect information 212 related to the effect the first user desires to obtain by bathing, as specified by the first user. For example, the bathing effect the first user desires to obtain is selected (specified) on a selection screen of the display content 211. Note that the effect information 212 is not limited to being selected by the first user, and may be set based on the first user's condition by detecting the first user's condition using a sensor or the like. For example, if the first user is detected as being sleep deprived, the acquisition unit 220 may acquire a sleep improvement effect as the bathing effect. That is, the effect information 212 may be automatically set corresponding to the first user. In this way, the acquisition unit 220 acquires the bathing effect (effect information 212) related to the first user.

[0175] The determination unit 230 determines bathing information related to bathing that corresponds to the acquired effect information 212 related to the first user. The determination unit 230 determines bathing information for the first user based on the effect information 212 related to the first user. For this purpose, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 218 corresponding to the second user. For example, when the first user selects a bathing effect on the selection screen, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 218 of the second user corresponding to the first user. Note that the user who will take a bath (first user) may be able to specify the user when selecting a bathing effect, or the first user may be identified by an identification number preset in the terminal device 30 or the like. That is, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 218 of the second user corresponding to the first user (the user who is the target of the bathing effect) who wants to obtain the bathing effect of the effect information 212.

[0176] For example, a second user corresponding to the first user is set in advance. As a result, the determination unit 230 identifies the past information 218 of the second user corresponding to the first user. Furthermore, if only one second user is registered in the past information 218, the second user may be considered to correspond to the first user and the past information 218 of the second user may be referenced. Note that other examples of associating a first user with a second user will be described later.

[0177] Then, the determination unit 230 uses the past information 218 of the second user to determine bathing information corresponding to the acquired effect information 212 of the first user. For example, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 218 to identify the bathing effect of the second user at that time that corresponds to the bathing effect of the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the acquired effect information 212 of the first user indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 218 of FIG. 24 to identify a past bathing that had the highest sweating effect (great sweating effect) as the bathing effect of the second user at that time. Then, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 218 of the second user to identify a past bathing state that resulted in a bathing effect corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. In other words, a bathing state associated with the bathing effect of the second user at that time that corresponds to the effect information 212 of the first user is identified. For example, if the effect information 212 of the first user indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 identifies a bathing condition (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes) that resulted in a high sweating effect in the past information 218 of the second user in FIG. 24. The determination unit 230 then determines the identified bathing condition as the bathing information (bathing conditions). Note that the determination unit 230 may determine the identified bathing condition as the bathing information as is, or may modify the bathing condition to enhance the bathing effect and use it as the bathing information. In this way, the bathing information of the first user is determined using the past bathing effects achieved by the second user.

[0178] The output unit 240 then outputs the determined bathing information. For example, the output unit 240 proposes the bathing information to the first user. Specifically, the output unit 240 presents the first user with the bathing information indicating the bathing conditions for achieving the bathing effect selected by the first user. For example, the output unit 240 outputs the bathing information to the first user's terminal device 30 and communicates the information to the first user by displaying it on a screen or outputting audio. For example, if the first user selects the sweating effect, the output unit 240 suggests that the bathing condition should be a water temperature of 41 degrees and a bathing time of 14 minutes. This allows the first user to recognize the bathing method for achieving the desired bathing effect. Furthermore, the output unit 240 outputs information related to the control of the operation of the bathroom 10 from the bathing information to the operation control unit 250. For example, bathing information related to the water temperature is output to the operation control unit 250 as information related to the control of the operation. This allows the bathroom 10 to be set to a bathing condition for achieving the bathing effect desired by the first user. The output unit 240 may be configured to output bathing information to either the operation control unit 250 or the terminal device 30, or may be configured to output both. In other words, at least one of suggesting bathing information and controlling in accordance with the bathing information may be performed.

[0179] Operation control unit 250 controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the bathing information output by output unit 240.

[0180] <Process flow> The functional configuration of the control device 20 has been described above. Next, the processing flow of the bathroom system 1A according to this embodiment will be described in detail. Figure 25 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by the bathroom system 1A. Note that explanations of points similar to the processing flow of the bathroom system 1A shown in Figures 8, 13, and 19 will be omitted.

[0181] The process is performed from step SP10 to step SP14. That is, the terminal device 30 acquires the effect information 212 from the first user and transmits the effect information 212 to the control device 20. Then, the control device 20 acquires the effect information 212 by the acquisition unit 220.

[0182] (Step SP66) The control device 20, using the determination unit 230, refers to the past information 218 of the second user (other person) and determines bathing information from the bathing effect selected by the first user indicated by the effect information 212. Specifically, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 218 of the second user and identifies the past bathing state of the second user that resulted in the bathing effect corresponding to the effect information 212 related to the first user. That is, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 218 of the second user, who is a user different from the first user who selected the bathing effect in step SP10, for example. Then, the process proceeds to step SP18.

[0183] Then, processing is performed from step SP18 to step SP30. That is, the bathing information includes information related to the control of the operation of bathroom 10, and if a response to the suggestion is received from the first user and the response indicates acceptance, the operation of bathroom 10 is controlled according to the accepted bathing information. Note that the same application as in the first embodiment can be applied even when multiple bathing effects are selected.

[0184] <Another example of determining bathing information> Next, a description will be given of another example of how bathing information is determined by the determination unit 230. A first specific example will be described below as another example of how bathing information is determined.

[0185] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of past information 218 in the first specific example. As shown in FIG. 26, in the first specific example, the past information 218 associates environmental information indicating the bathing environment with the second user's past bathing state and bathing effect. The environmental information is, for example, the season (spring, summer, autumn, winter). The environmental information may be temperature, humidity, or weather. In other words, the environmental information is information regarding at least one of the season, temperature, humidity, and weather. The environmental information may also use location and time (date and hour), etc. The environmental information may be set by the second user in accordance with past bathing, or may be automatically set using a calendar function or the like.

[0186] Then, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information corresponding to the effect information 212 and the bathing environment. Specifically, the determination unit 230 identifies the bathing environment. The bathing environment is the environment in which the first user takes a bath. For example, the bathing environment is the surrounding environment for bathing to obtain the bathing effect selected by the first user. The environment corresponds to environmental information, such as the season, temperature, humidity, and weather. For example, the determination unit 230 identifies the season corresponding to the timing when the first user selected the bathing effect. The season is identified, for example, by a calendar function. Alternatively, the season may be selected when the user selects the bathing effect. For example, the determination unit 230 identifies the environment (season) in which the user takes a bath to obtain the bathing effect selected by the user as "summer."

[0187] Then, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information corresponding to the acquired effect information 212 using the past information 218 of the second user. For example, if the acquired effect information 212 indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 218 in FIG. 26 and identifies a past bath that had the highest sweating effect (great sweating effect) as the bathing effect at that time. The determination unit 230 identifies a bathing state where the water temperature is 41°C and the bathing time is 14 minutes, or a bathing state where the water temperature is 41°C and the bathing time is 12 minutes. In this way, when multiple bathing states corresponding to the effect information 212 are identified, the determination unit 230 selects an appropriate bathing state by referring to environmental information. The determination unit 230 selects a bathing state associated with environmental information corresponding to the season identified as the bathing environment. For example, in FIG. 26, a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes) and a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 12 minutes) are candidates. If the bathing environment is determined to be summer, the determination unit 230 determines that the bathing condition (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 12 minutes) is appropriate for achieving a sweating effect. In this way, past bathing conditions in the same season as the bathing season are identified. The determination unit 230 then determines the identified bathing conditions as bathing information (bathing conditions). In this way, bathing information that is more appropriate for bathing effects is determined, taking into account the bathing environment.

[0188] As in the second and third embodiments, comfort information indicating the second user's physical condition and comfort level may be associated with the past bathing state and bathing effect in the second user's past information 218. The determination unit 230 may then determine more appropriate bathing information by taking into account the second user's past physical condition and comfort level.

[0189] <Another example of identifying past information 218> Next, another example will be described in which the determining unit 230 specifies the past information 218 of the second user corresponding to the first user.

[0190] FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating an example of user information 219 of a second user associated with the past information 218. For example, the user information 219 is included in the past information 218 and stored in the storage unit 210. The user information 219 is associated with characteristic information of each of multiple second users. FIG. 27 illustrates user P1, user P2, and user P3 as examples of second users. In this embodiment, the characteristic information is physical information. The physical information is information about a user's body that is unlikely to change with each bath. The physical information includes, for example, the second user's date of birth, age, gender, height, weight, build, body fat percentage, BMI (Body Mass Index), and the presence or absence of a disease. The characteristic information (physical information) may be set by the second user via the terminal device 30 or the like, or may be automatically acquired by a sensor or a wearable sensor installed in the bathroom 10 or a vanity. The characteristic information (physical information) may also be linked to other data, such as medical data. The characteristic information is not limited to the physical information described above as long as it can indicate the characteristics of the second user. In contrast to the characteristic information (physical information), the physical condition is information about the user's body that may change with each bath.

[0191] In this way, the date of birth and other information indicating the characteristics of each second user are set for each of the multiple second users. That is, the past information 218 (bathing state and bathing effect) and the physical information of the second user in the past information 218 are associated with each other.

[0192] Then, the determination unit 230 identifies a second user corresponding to the first user based on the characteristic information (physical information). Specifically, the determination unit 230 identifies a second user with characteristics equal to or similar to those of the first user. The determination unit 230 refers to the physical information included in the user information 214 of the first user and the physical information included in the user information 219 of the second user. The determination unit 230 compares the respective physical information to identify a second user with characteristics equal to or similar to those of the first user. For example, the determination unit 230 identifies a second user corresponding to the first user when some characteristics of the physical information are equal to or similar to those of the first user, or when the similarity obtained by comparing the physical information is equal to or greater than a threshold. For example, if the first user's age is 50 and the second user's age is 50, the second user is identified as corresponding to the first user. Furthermore, if the first user's age is 50 and the second user's age is 52, the second user is identified as corresponding to the first user. In this case, if the age of the second user is within a range obtained by adding or subtracting a predetermined value from the characteristic (age) of the first user, the two users are determined to be similar. Also, if the similarity between the physical information is 85%, which exceeds the threshold, the two users are determined to be similar.

[0193] In this way, the second user corresponding to the first user is identified using the physical information. Note that the method for identifying the second user corresponding to the first user is not limited to the above. For example, the determination unit 230 may identify the second user who is most similar to the first user from among multiple second users whose past information 218 is registered.

[0194] In this way, the determination unit 230 identifies the second user corresponding to the first user by referring to the characteristic information (physical information) of the second user. Then, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information using the past information 218 of the second user identified as corresponding to the first user. The determination unit 230 determines bathing information corresponding to the effect information 212 of the first user by using the characteristic information of the second user.

[0195] <Example of deciding on a bathing plan> Next, a description will be given of an example of determining a bathing schedule by the determining unit 230. Specifically, the determining unit 230 determines a bathing schedule for the first user based on the determined bathing information.

[0196] The determination unit 230 determines a bathing plan based on the effect information 212 acquired by the acquisition unit 220. The bathing plan is information about the first user's daily bathing (multiple future bathing sessions), and is, for example, information showing bathing information for each day during a predetermined period. Specifically, the determination unit 230 determines the bathing plan so that the bathing information determined using the past information 218 is the bathing information for the last day of the predetermined period and gradually approaches the bathing information for the last day over the predetermined period. Note that the bathing information for the first day of the predetermined period may be based on information preset in the bathroom 10 (e.g., the sound of the bathing water), or may be based on the user's average daily bathing.

[0197] FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of a bathing schedule. The bathing schedule in FIG. 28 is assumed to be a plan in which the bathing effect indicated by the effect information 212 is "promoting sweating." As shown in FIG. 28, the bathing schedule includes a number of days indicating which day in a predetermined period corresponds to the plan, and bathing information associated with the number of days. In FIG. 28, the bathing information includes information on "bath water temperature" and "bathing time." For example, as described above, the determination unit 230 identifies a bathing condition (bath water temperature of 41°C and bathing time of 14 minutes) that resulted in a high sweating effect in the past information 218 of the second user in FIG. 24 and determines this as bathing information. In this case, as shown in FIG. 28, for the "seventh day," which is the final day of the bathing schedule, the determination unit 230 sets the "bath water temperature" to 41°C and the "bathing time" to 14 minutes. The determination unit 230 then determines the bathing information for the first to sixth days in accordance with the final day of the bathing schedule. For example, for "Day 1," the first day of a bathing plan, the "water temperature" is set to 38°C and the "bathing time" is set to 13 minutes. For example, for "Day 4" of a bathing plan, the "water temperature" is set to 40°C and the "bathing time" is set to 13 minutes. In this way, if the bathing effect is "promoting sweating," the bathing plan is determined so that the water temperature gradually increases and the bathing time gradually increases. In other words, the bathing plan is determined so that the desired bathing effect gradually increases.

[0198] The determination unit 230 may add items to the bathing plan that were not included in the second user's past information 218. For example, the presence or absence of a "thermal stimulus" may be added for each day. The thermal stimulus is information indicating whether or not warm water is to be discharged from the water discharger 18, the water intake 19, etc. For example, in the example of FIG. 28, the effect of "promoting sweating" can be enhanced by setting the thermal stimulus to be absent from the first to fourth days and to be present from the fifth to seventh days.

[0199] Furthermore, after each day's bathing, the determination unit 230 may update the bathing plan in accordance with the user's evaluation of the bathing session acquired by the acquisition unit 220. For example, if the evaluation acquired from the user indicates that the bathing was too hot or painful, the determination unit 230 updates the bathing plan so as to lower the water temperature in the bathing information for the following days and thereafter in the bathing plan by a predetermined value or percentage. For example, if the evaluation acquired from the user indicates that the bathing was not satisfying, the determination unit 230 updates the bathing plan so as to raise the water temperature in the bathing information for the following days and thereafter in the bathing plan by a predetermined value or percentage, or to lengthen the bathing time.

[0200] The output unit 240 then proposes to the first user a bathing plan corresponding to the bathing information determined by the determination unit 230 based on the past information 218. The output unit 240 also outputs the bathing plan to the operation control unit 250. As in the above, at least one of proposing a bathing plan and controlling in accordance with the bathing plan may be implemented.

[0201] <Effects> As described above, bathroom system 1A includes acquisition unit 220, which acquires effect information 212 related to the effect a first user desires to achieve by bathing in bathroom 10; determination unit 230, which determines bathing information related to bathing corresponding to effect information 212 related to the first user based on past information 218, which associates past bathing states and bathing effects related to a second user different from the first user; and output unit 240, which outputs the determined bathing information. Therefore, bathing information suitable for the first user can be output based on the second user's past bathing experience. For example, by outputting the bathing information, it is possible to suggest bathing information or control the bathing experience in accordance with the bathing information. In either case, a bathing experience that corresponds to the desired effect for the user can be provided to the user.

[0202] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, bathing information is information related to controlling the operation of bathroom 10, and bathroom system 1A further includes operation control unit 250 that controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the bathing information output by output unit 240. Therefore, bathroom 10 can be operated in accordance with effect information 212. In other words, a bathing experience corresponding to effect information 212 can be provided to the user.

[0203] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, acquisition section 220 acquires effect information 212 relating to the effect the first user desires to obtain by bathing, as specified by the first user. Therefore, bathing information is determined in accordance with the effect specified by the user.

[0204] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, output unit 240 suggests bathing information to the first user. Therefore, the user can recognize the bathing content that is suitable for effect information 212. For example, by taking a bath using the suggested method, the user can obtain the desired bathing effect.

[0205] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, bathing information is information relating to the control of the operation of bathroom 10, acquisition unit 220 acquires a response to the proposal from the first user, and bathroom system 1A further includes operation control unit 250 that controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the accepted bathing information if the response acquired by acquisition unit 220 indicates acceptance of the proposal. Thus, with the user's approval, a bath corresponding to effect information 212 can be provided to the user.

[0206] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, determination unit 230 identifies the bathing state associated with the bathing effect corresponding to effect information 212 related to the first user based on past information 218 of the second user corresponding to the first user, and determines bathing information based on the identified bathing state. Therefore, bathing information can be output based on the past bathing experience of the second user corresponding to the first user.

[0207] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, past information 218 associates bathing states and bathing effects with characteristic information of the second user, and determination unit 230 uses the characteristic information to determine bathing information corresponding to effect information 212. Therefore, bathing information can be determined taking into account the characteristics of the second user.

[0208] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, determination unit 230 identifies a second user corresponding to the first user by referring to the characteristic information, and determines bathing information using past information 218 of the identified second user. Therefore, the characteristic information can appropriately identify the second user corresponding to the first user.

[0209] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, past information 218 associates bathing conditions and bathing effects with environmental information indicating the bathing environment, and determination unit 230 determines bathing information in accordance with effect information 212 and the bathing environment. Therefore, it is possible to provide the user with a more appropriate bathing experience by taking environmental information into account. For example, an appropriate bathing experience is provided to the user based on whether the bathing took place in a hot or cold season.

[0210] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, environmental information is information relating to at least one of the season, temperature, humidity, and weather, so that environmental information can be set appropriately.

[0211] In addition, in bathroom system 1A, output unit 240 proposes a bathing plan corresponding to the bathing information to the first user. Therefore, the first user can recognize a bathing plan corresponding to the bathing effect. For example, by taking a bath in a planned manner, the bathing effect can be obtained efficiently.

[0212] --- Fifth embodiment --- Next, a fifth embodiment will be described.

[0213] In the second embodiment, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information by referring to past information 215 in which the bathing state and physical state of a user who desires to obtain a bathing effect are associated. In the fourth embodiment, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information by referring to past information 218 in which the bathing state and physical state of a user other than the user who desires to obtain a bathing effect are associated. In the fifth embodiment, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information by referring to past information 221 in which the bathing state and physical state of a user other than the user who desires to obtain a bathing effect are associated. Note that a description of the same points as in the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments will be omitted. The fifth embodiment can also be combined with the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments.

[0214] Fig. 29 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 17, the storage unit 210 further includes past information 221. The storage unit 210 may also include a bathing condition table 213, past information 215, past information 217, past information 218, etc.

[0215] In this embodiment, as in the above embodiment, a user who wants to obtain the bathing effect is referred to as a "first user," and a user different from the first user is referred to as a "second user."

[0216] The past information 221 is history information related to the second user's past bathing. In other words, the past information 221 is history information related to bathing corresponding to a user different from the first user. FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of the past information 221. The past information 221 is set corresponding to each of a plurality of second users. In other words, the past information 221 is associated with the identification information of each second user (bather). The identification information may be the user's name, an identification number, or the like.

[0217] As shown in FIG. 30, the past information 221 is information in which the second user's past bathing state is associated with the second user's physical state (physical information) related to bathing. The bathing state is information indicating the state of bathing taken by the second user in the past, such as "water temperature" and "bathing time." The bathing state may also be information such as "water volume," "bath additives," "shoulder bath / shower," and "other." The bathing state is accumulated in response to each time the second user takes a bath. The bathing state may be input by the second user or may be automatically acquired by a sensor or the like. Other information, such as the time the bath was taken, may also be associated with the bathing state.

[0218] The past information 221 associates the second user's physical condition related to bathing with the bathing state. The physical condition is information indicating the physical condition of the second user who took a bath. Specifically, the physical condition indicates the second user's physical condition during and after bathing in the past bathing state. While FIG. 30 illustrates the physical condition both during and after bathing, it may also be either during or after bathing. The physical condition may be, for example, "body temperature," but may also be "heart rate," "pulse rate," "electrocardiogram waveform," "blood flow velocity," "brain activity level," "respiratory rate," etc. Furthermore, the physical condition preferably indicates changes in the second user's physical condition. For example, as shown in FIG. 30, the physical condition may indicate a high or low rate of increase in "body temperature" during bathing. A high rate of increase means that the rate of increase is higher than a predetermined range, and a low rate of increase means that the rate of increase is lower than the predetermined range. If the rate of increase is within the predetermined range, the rate of increase is medium.

[0219] The associated physical conditions in the past information 221 are accumulated in association with past bathing. The bathing effect may be input by the second user, for example, or may be automatically acquired by a sensor or the like. That is, the physical condition may be set based on a subjective evaluation by the second user. The physical condition may also be set (estimated) based on the state of the second user detected by a sensor or a wearable sensor provided in the bathroom 10 or the vanity in association with the bathing state. The physical condition may also be set using both information evaluated by the user and information about the user detected by a sensor or the like.

[0220] In this way, the past information 221 indicates the bathing status and physical condition corresponding to the second user's past bathing. The past information 221 also indicates the relationship between the bathing status and physical condition corresponding to each second user.

[0221] Furthermore, effect table 216 is information that associates physical conditions with bathing effects, and is, for example, the data in Fig. 12. Note that effect table 216 may be associated with physical conditions in past information 221 and included in past information 221. In other words, past information 221 and effect table 216 may be combined into one piece of data.

[0222] Returning to FIG. 29 , the acquisition unit 220 acquires effect information 212 related to the effect the first user desires to obtain by bathing in the bathroom 10. Specifically, the acquisition unit 220 acquires effect information 212 related to the effect the first user desires to obtain by bathing, as specified by the first user. For example, the bathing effect the first user desires to obtain is selected (specified) on a selection screen of the display content 211. Note that the effect information 212 is not limited to being selected by the first user, and may be set based on the first user's condition by detecting the first user's condition using a sensor or the like. For example, if the first user is detected as being sleep deprived, the acquisition unit 220 may acquire a sleep improvement effect as the bathing effect. That is, the effect information 212 may be automatically set corresponding to the first user. In this way, the acquisition unit 220 acquires the bathing effect (effect information 212) related to the first user.

[0223] The determination unit 230 determines bathing information related to bathing that corresponds to the acquired effect information 212 related to the first user. The determination unit 230 determines bathing information for the first user based on the effect information 212 related to the first user. For this purpose, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 221 corresponding to the second user. For example, when the first user selects a bathing effect on the selection screen, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 221 of the second user corresponding to the first user. Note that the user (first user) who will take a bath may be able to be designated when the user selects a bathing effect, or the first user may be identified by an identification number preset in the terminal device 30 or the like. That is, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 221 of the second user corresponding to the first user (the user who is the target of the bathing effect) who wants to obtain the bathing effect of the effect information 212.

[0224] For example, a second user corresponding to the first user is set in advance. As a result, the determination unit 230 identifies the past information 221 of the second user corresponding to the first user. Furthermore, if only one second user is registered in the past information 221, the second user may be considered to correspond to the first user and the past information 221 of the second user may be referenced. Note that other examples of associating a first user with a second user will be described later.

[0225] The determination unit 230 then uses the past information 221 of the second user to determine bathing information corresponding to the acquired effect information 212 of the first user. For example, the determination unit 230 refers to the effect table 216 to identify a physical condition corresponding to the bathing effect in the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the acquired effect information 212 indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 refers to the effect table 216 of FIG. 12 to identify a high rate of increase in body temperature during or after bathing as a physical condition corresponding to the sweating effect. That is, the determination unit 230 identifies a physical condition when the sweating effect is the highest (high sweating effect) as a bathing effect in the effect table 216 of FIG. 12. The determination unit 230 then refers to the past information 221 of the second user to identify a past bathing state that resulted in a physical condition corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. That is, a bathing state associated with the physical state of the second user at that time that corresponds to the effect information 212 of the first user is identified. For example, if the physical condition indicates a high rate of increase in body temperature (during or after bathing), the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 221 in FIG. 30 and determines that the bathing condition is a water temperature of 41 degrees and a bathing time of 12 minutes. The determination unit 230 then determines the determined bathing condition as the bathing information (bathing conditions). Note that the determination unit 230 may determine the determined bathing condition as is as the bathing information, or may modify the bathing condition to enhance the bathing effect and use it as the bathing information. In this way, the bathing information of the first user is determined using the bathing effect achieved by the second user in the past.

[0226] The output unit 240 then outputs the determined bathing information. For example, the output unit 240 proposes the bathing information to the first user. Specifically, the output unit 240 presents the first user with the bathing information indicating the bathing conditions for achieving the bathing effect selected by the first user. For example, the output unit 240 outputs the bathing information to the first user's terminal device 30 and communicates the information to the first user by displaying it on a screen or outputting audio. For example, if the first user selects the sweating effect, the output unit 240 suggests that the bathing condition should be a water temperature of 41 degrees and a bathing time of 12 minutes. This allows the first user to recognize the bathing method for achieving the desired bathing effect. Furthermore, the output unit 240 outputs information related to the control of the operation of the bathroom 10 from the bathing information to the operation control unit 250. For example, bathing information related to the water temperature is output to the operation control unit 250 as information related to the control of the operation. This allows the bathroom 10 to be set to a bathing condition for achieving the bathing effect desired by the first user. The output unit 240 may be configured to output bathing information to either the operation control unit 250 or the terminal device 30, or may be configured to output both. In other words, at least one of suggesting bathing information and controlling in accordance with the bathing information may be performed.

[0227] Operation control unit 250 controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the bathing information output by output unit 240.

[0228] <Process flow> The functional configuration of the control device 20 has been described above. Next, the processing flow of the bathroom system 1A according to this embodiment will be described in detail. Figure 31 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by the bathroom system 1A. Note that explanations of points similar to the processing flow of the bathroom system 1A shown in Figures 8, 13, 19, and 25 will be omitted.

[0229] The process is performed from step SP10 to step SP14. That is, the terminal device 30 acquires the effect information 212 from the first user and transmits the effect information 212 to the control device 20. Then, the control device 20 acquires the effect information 212 by the acquisition unit 220.

[0230] (Step SP76) The control device 20, using the determination unit 230, refers to the past information 221 of the second user (other person) and determines bathing information from the bathing effect selected by the first user indicated by the effect information 212. Specifically, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 221 of the second user and identifies the past bathing condition of the second user that resulted in the physical condition corresponding to the effect information 212 related to the first user. That is, the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 221 of the second user, who is a user different from the first user who selected the bathing effect in step SP10, for example. Then, the process proceeds to step SP18.

[0231] Then, processing is performed from step SP18 to step SP30. That is, the bathing information includes information related to the control of the operation of bathroom 10, and if a response to the suggestion is received from the first user and the response indicates acceptance, the operation of bathroom 10 is controlled according to the accepted bathing information. Note that the same application as in the first embodiment can be applied even when multiple bathing effects are selected.

[0232] <Another example of determining bathing information> Next, a description will be given of another example of how bathing information is determined by the determination unit 230. A first specific example will be described below as another example of how bathing information is determined.

[0233] FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of past information 221 in the first specific example. As shown in FIG. 32, in the first specific example, the past information 221 associates environmental information indicating the bathing environment with the second user's past bathing state and physical condition. The environmental information is, for example, the season (spring, summer, autumn, winter). The environmental information may be temperature, humidity, or weather. In other words, the environmental information is information regarding at least one of the season, temperature, humidity, and weather. The environmental information may also use location and time (date and hour), etc. The environmental information may be set by the second user in accordance with past bathing, or may be automatically set using a calendar function or the like.

[0234] Then, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information corresponding to the effect information 212 and the bathing environment. Specifically, the determination unit 230 identifies the bathing environment. The bathing environment is the environment in which the first user takes a bath. For example, the bathing environment is the surrounding environment for bathing to obtain the bathing effect selected by the first user. The environment corresponds to environmental information, such as the season, temperature, humidity, and weather. For example, the determination unit 230 identifies the season corresponding to the timing when the first user selected the bathing effect. The season is identified, for example, by a calendar function. Alternatively, the season may be selected when the user selects the bathing effect. For example, the determination unit 230 identifies the environment (season) in which the user takes a bath to obtain the bathing effect selected by the user as "summer."

[0235] The determination unit 230 then refers to the effect table 216 to identify a physical condition corresponding to the bathing effect in the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the acquired effect information 212 indicates a sweating effect, the determination unit 230 refers to the effect table 216 in FIG. 12 to identify a high rate of body temperature increase during or after bathing as a physical condition corresponding to the sweating effect. The determination unit 230 then refers to the past information 221 of the second user corresponding to the first user to identify a past bathing state that resulted in a physical condition corresponding to the acquired effect information 212. For example, if the physical condition is a high rate of body temperature increase (during or after bathing), the determination unit 230 refers to the past information 221 in FIG. 32 to identify a bathing state where the water temperature is 41 degrees and the bathing time is 12 minutes, or a bathing state where the water temperature is 40 degrees and the bathing time is 9 minutes. In this way, when multiple bathing states corresponding to the effect information 212 are identified, the determination unit 230 refers to the environmental information to select an appropriate bathing state. The determination unit 230 selects a bathing condition associated with environmental information corresponding to the season identified as the bathing environment. For example, in FIG. 32, the candidate bathing conditions are a bathing condition (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 12 minutes) and a bathing condition (water temperature 40°C and bathing time 9 minutes). If the bathing environment is identified as summer, the determination unit 230 identifies the bathing condition (water temperature 40°C and bathing time 9 minutes) as appropriate for achieving a sweating effect. In this way, past bathing conditions in the same season as the bathing season are identified. The determination unit 230 then determines the identified bathing conditions as bathing information (bathing conditions). In this way, bathing information that is more appropriate for bathing effects is determined, taking into account the bathing environment.

[0236] As in the second and third embodiments, comfort information indicating the bathing effect and comfort of the second user may be associated with the past bathing state and physical condition in the past information 221 of the second user. The determination unit 230 may then determine more appropriate bathing information by taking into account the past bathing effect and comfort of the second user.

[0237] <Another example of identifying past information 221> Next, another example in which the determining unit 230 identifies the past information 221 of the second user corresponding to the first user will be described.

[0238] Specifically, the determination unit 230 identifies a second user corresponding to the first user using user information 219 of the second user as shown in FIG. 27. For example, the user information 219 is included in the past information 221 and stored in the storage unit 210. The determination unit 230 identifies a second user corresponding to the first user based on characteristic information (physical information). The determination unit 230 identifies a second user having characteristics equal to or similar to those of the first user. The determination unit 230 refers to the physical information included in the user information 214 of the first user and the physical information included in the user information 219 of the second user. The determination unit 230 compares the respective pieces of physical information to identify a second user having characteristics equal to or similar to those of the first user. For example, the determination unit 230 identifies a second user corresponding to the first user when some characteristics of the physical information are equal to or similar to those of the first user, or when the similarity obtained by comparing the physical information is equal to or greater than a threshold. For example, when the first user is 50 years old and the second user is 50 years old, the second user is identified as corresponding to the first user. For example, if the first user's age is 50 and the second user's age is 52, the second user is identified as corresponding to the first user. In this case, if the second user's age is within a range obtained by adding or subtracting a predetermined value from the first user's characteristic (age), the two users are determined to be similar. Furthermore, if the degree of similarity obtained by comparing the physical information is 85%, which exceeds a threshold, the two users are determined to be similar.

[0239] In this way, the second user corresponding to the first user is identified using the physical information. Note that the method for identifying the second user corresponding to the first user is not limited to the above. For example, the determination unit 230 may identify the second user who is most similar to the first user from among multiple second users whose past information 221 is registered.

[0240] In this way, the determination unit 230 identifies the second user corresponding to the first user by referring to the characteristic information (physical information) of the second user. Then, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information using the past information 221 of the second user identified as corresponding to the first user. That is, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information corresponding to the effect information 212 of the first user by using the characteristic information of the second user.

[0241] <Example of deciding on a bathing plan> Next, a description will be given of an example of determining a bathing schedule by the determining unit 230. Specifically, the determining unit 230 determines a bathing schedule for the first user based on the determined bathing information.

[0242] The determination unit 230 determines the bathing schedule based on the effect information 212 acquired by the acquisition unit 220. The bathing schedule is information about the first user's daily bathing (multiple future bathing sessions), and is, for example, information showing bathing information for each day during a predetermined period. Specifically, the determination unit 230 determines the bathing schedule so that the bathing information determined using the past information 221 is the bathing information for the last day of the predetermined period and gradually approaches the bathing information for the last day over the predetermined period. Note that the bathing information for the first day of the predetermined period may be based on information preset in the bathroom 10 (such as the sound of the bathing water), or may be based on the user's average daily bathing.

[0243] FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of a bathing schedule. The bathing schedule in FIG. 33 is assumed to be a plan in which the bathing effect indicated by the effect information 212 is "promoting sweating." As shown in FIG. 33, the bathing schedule includes a number of days indicating which day in a predetermined period corresponds to the plan, and bathing information associated with the number of days. In FIG. 33, the bathing information includes information on "bath water temperature" and "bathing time." For example, as described above, the determination unit 230 identifies a bathing state (bathing temperature of 41°C and bathing time of 12 minutes) that resulted in a high sweating effect in the past information 221 of the second user in FIG. 30 and determines this as bathing information. In this case, as shown in FIG. 33, for the "seventh day," which is the final day of the bathing schedule, the determination unit 230 sets the "bath water temperature" to 41°C and the "bathing time" to 12 minutes. The determination unit 230 then determines the bathing information for each of the first to sixth days in accordance with the final day of the bathing schedule. For example, for "Day 1," the first day of a bathing plan, the "water temperature" is set to 38°C and the "bathing time" is set to 13 minutes. For example, for "Day 4" of a bathing plan, the "water temperature" is set to 40°C and the "bathing time" is set to 12 minutes. In this way, if the bathing effect is "promoting sweating," the bathing plan is determined so that the water temperature gradually increases and the bathing time gradually increases. In other words, the bathing plan is determined so that the desired bathing effect gradually increases.

[0244] The determination unit 230 may add items to the bathing plan that were not included in the second user's past information 221. For example, the presence or absence of a "thermal stimulus" may be added for each day. The thermal stimulus is information indicating whether or not warm water is to be discharged from the water discharger 18, the water intake 19, etc. For example, in the example of FIG. 28, the effect of "promoting sweating" can be enhanced by setting the thermal stimulus to be absent from the first to fourth days and to be present from the fifth to seventh days.

[0245] Furthermore, after each day's bathing, the determination unit 230 may update the bathing plan in accordance with the user's evaluation of the bathing session acquired by the acquisition unit 220. For example, if the evaluation acquired from the user indicates that the bathing was too hot or painful, the determination unit 230 updates the bathing plan so as to lower the water temperature in the bathing information for the following days and thereafter in the bathing plan by a predetermined value or percentage. For example, if the evaluation acquired from the user indicates that the bathing was not satisfying, the determination unit 230 updates the bathing plan so as to raise the water temperature in the bathing information for the following days and thereafter in the bathing plan by a predetermined value or percentage, or to lengthen the bathing time.

[0246] The output unit 240 then proposes to the first user a bathing plan corresponding to the bathing information determined by the determination unit 230 based on the past information 221. The output unit 240 also outputs the bathing plan to the operation control unit 250. As in the above, at least one of proposing a bathing plan and controlling in accordance with the bathing plan may be implemented.

[0247] <Effects> As described above, bathroom system 1A includes acquisition unit 220 that acquires effect information 212 related to the effect a first user desires to achieve by bathing in bathroom 10; determination unit 230 that determines bathing information related to bathing corresponding to effect information 212 related to the first user based on past information 221 that associates past bathing states and bathing-related physical conditions related to a second user different from the first user; and output unit 240 that outputs the determined bathing information. Therefore, bathing information suitable for the first user can be output based on the second user's past bathing experience. For example, by outputting the bathing information, it is possible to suggest bathing information or perform control in accordance with the bathing information. In either case, a bathing experience that corresponds to the desired effect for the user can be provided to the user.

[0248] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, bathing information is information related to controlling the operation of bathroom 10, and bathroom system 1A further includes operation control unit 250 that controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the bathing information output by output unit 240. Therefore, bathroom 10 can be operated in accordance with effect information 212. In other words, a bathing experience corresponding to effect information 212 can be provided to the user.

[0249] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, acquisition section 220 acquires effect information 212 relating to the effect the first user desires to obtain by bathing, as specified by the first user. Therefore, bathing information is determined in accordance with the effect specified by the user.

[0250] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, output unit 240 suggests bathing information to the first user. Therefore, the user can recognize the bathing content that is suitable for effect information 212. For example, by taking a bath using the suggested method, the user can obtain the desired bathing effect.

[0251] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, bathing information is information relating to the control of the operation of bathroom 10, acquisition unit 220 acquires a response to the proposal from the first user, and bathroom system 1A further includes operation control unit 250 that controls the operation of bathroom 10 in accordance with the accepted bathing information if the response acquired by acquisition unit 220 indicates acceptance of the proposal. Thus, with the user's approval, a bath corresponding to effect information 212 can be provided to the user.

[0252] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, determination unit 230 identifies a bathing state associated with a physical condition corresponding to effect information 212 related to the first user based on past information 221 of a second user corresponding to the first user, and determines bathing information based on the identified bathing state. Therefore, bathing information can be output based on the past bathing experience of a second user corresponding to the first user.

[0253] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, past information 221 associates the bathing state and physical condition with characteristic information of the second user, and determination unit 230 uses the characteristic information to determine bathing information corresponding to effect information 212. Therefore, bathing information can be determined taking into account the characteristics of the second user.

[0254] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, determination unit 230 identifies a second user corresponding to the first user by referring to the characteristic information, and determines bathing information using past information 221 of the identified second user. Therefore, the characteristic information can appropriately identify the second user corresponding to the first user.

[0255] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, past information 221 associates bathing conditions and physical conditions with environmental information indicating the bathing environment, and determination unit 230 determines bathing information in accordance with effect information 212 and the bathing environment. Therefore, it is possible to provide the user with a more appropriate bathing experience by taking environmental information into account. For example, an appropriate bathing experience is provided to the user based on whether the bathing experience was in a hot or cold season.

[0256] Furthermore, in bathroom system 1A, environmental information is information relating to at least one of the season, temperature, humidity, and weather, so that environmental information can be set appropriately.

[0257] In addition, in bathroom system 1A, output unit 240 proposes a bathing plan corresponding to the bathing information to the first user. Therefore, the first user can recognize a bathing plan corresponding to the bathing effect. For example, by taking a bath in a planned manner, the bathing effect can be obtained efficiently.

[0258] <Modification> The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. In other words, variations of the above-described embodiments, which are appropriately modified by a person skilled in the art, are also included within the scope of the present disclosure as long as they include the features of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the elements of the above-described embodiments and the modifications described below can be combined to the extent technically possible, and such combinations are also included within the scope of the present disclosure as long as they include the features of the present disclosure.

[0259] For example, in the first embodiment, the control device 20 has the determination unit 230 select bathing information according to the effect information 212, but this is not limited to this. The control device 20 may calculate bathing information by substituting information such as the bathing effect indicated by the effect information 212 into, for example, artificial intelligence (AI), a predetermined algorithm, or a predetermined calculation formula. Furthermore, the control device 20 uses the acquisition unit 220 to acquire the effect information 212 indicating the bathing effect selected by the user from the terminal device 30, but this is not limited to this. The effect information 212 indicating the bathing effect may also be acquired from the terminal device 30 by text input or voice input.

[0260] According to this configuration, bathroom system 1A calculates bathing information from bathing effects regardless of predetermined bathing effects or bathing conditions, and can therefore output bathing information related to bathing that makes it easier for the user to achieve the bathing effect desired.

[0261] For example, in the first embodiment, the control device 20 outputs bathing information via the output unit 240 regardless of the state of the bathroom 10, such as the amount and temperature of the hot water stored in the bathtub 12, or the timing at which the user selects a bathing effect, but this is not limited to this. For example, the control device 20 may output different bathing information via the output unit 240 depending on whether the temperature and amount of hot water stored in the bathtub 12 of the bathroom 10 satisfy predetermined conditions.

[0262] The predetermined condition is, for example, whether the temperature of the water stored in the bathtub 12 is higher than the temperature indicated by the predetermined bathing information. If the temperature of the water stored in the bathtub 12 is higher than the temperature indicated by the predetermined bathing information, the control device 20 shortens the bathing time indicated by the bathing information and outputs bathing information indicating the change to the user via the terminal device 30. Another predetermined condition is, for example, whether the amount of water stored in the bathtub 12 is greater than the amount indicated by the predetermined bathing information. If the amount of water stored in the bathtub 12 is greater than the amount indicated by the predetermined bathing information, the control device 20 changes the bathing information to drain the water from the bathtub 12 and transmits the bathing information to the operation control unit 250.

[0263] According to this configuration, the bathroom system 1A outputs different bathing information by the output unit 240 depending on the condition of the bathroom 10, and can therefore provide the user with bathing information that takes into account the condition of the bathroom 10 and is in line with the bathing effects that are suitable for the user.

[0264] For example, in the first embodiment, when there are multiple bathing effects indicated by the effect information 212, the determination unit 230 selects the bathing conditions associated with each bathing effect, but this is not limited to this. The determination unit 230 may select a predetermined number of bathing conditions, for example, according to the priority associated with each bathing effect. The predetermined number is, for example, a number smaller than the number of bathing effects selectable by the user, and in this example, is a number such as 1, 3, or 5. The priority is a value indicating the priority order for the bathing effect, and for example, a smaller value indicates a higher priority.

[0265] The acquisition unit 220 acquires the priority from the storage unit 210 by acquiring a predetermined value from the storage unit 210 or from the terminal device 30 a value entered by the user on the selection screen of the display content 211. When the user enters the priority on the selection screen of the display content 211, for example, the order in which the user selected the bathing effects is stored, and the acquisition unit 220 acquires the order in which the user selected the bathing effects as the priority in addition to the bathing effects selected by the user. The acquisition unit 220 may, for example, determine the priority for each bathing effect in ascending order starting from 1 in the order in which the user selected the bathing effects, or may determine the priority in descending order starting from the number of selected bathing effects in the order in which the user selected the bathing effects. Furthermore, when the user enters the priority, for example, an object such as a text box that simply accepts the input of the priority may be provided in the display content 211, and the acquisition unit 220 may acquire the input for the object as the priority. Note that the priority does not need to be determined for all bathing effects selected by the user; for example, it may be determined only for the bathing effect that the user most prioritizes.

[0266] With this configuration, determination unit 230 determines a priority for each piece of effect information 212 and selects one bathing condition according to the priority. Therefore, even if the user selects multiple bathing effects, bathroom system 1A selects bathing conditions according to the priority associated with the bathing effects, and can therefore provide the user with bathing information related to bathing that is more accurate and in line with the selected bathing effects.

[0267] Acquisition unit 220 also acquires priorities from the user. Furthermore, determination unit 230 selects one bathing condition according to the priorities acquired by acquisition unit 220. Therefore, bathroom system 1A acquires priorities for bathing effects from the user, and can provide the user with bathing information related to bathing that more closely matches the user's wishes.

[0268] Furthermore, in the first embodiment and the like, the control device 20 controls the display of the display content 211 so that the user can freely select multiple bathing effects on the proposal screen for the display content 211, but this is not limited to this. When the user selects multiple bathing effects for the display content 211, the control device 20 may control the display of the display content 211 on the terminal device 30 via the output unit 240 so that other bathing effects cannot be selected, depending on the bathing effects already selected. For example, the control device 20 may shade the button 2111 of an unselectable bathing effect to make it unselectable, change the color, make the button 2111 unresponsive to clicks or other operations, or display text, an image, or the like to indicate that the button 2111 is unselectable. Note that when the user cancels the selection of a bathing effect or selects an additional bathing effect, the control device 20 updates and controls the display of the display content 211 according to the selection status via the output unit 240.

[0269] Furthermore, the control device 20 selects, as an unselectable bathing effect, a bathing effect associated with a bathing condition that includes an operation control that is contradictory to the operation control of the bathroom 10 included in the bathing condition associated with the bathing effect already selected by the user, using the determination unit 230. The control device 20 controls the display of the display content 211 on the terminal device 30, using the output unit 240, so that the bathing effect selected as an unselectable bathing effect by the determination unit 230 cannot be selected.

[0270] According to this configuration, the control device 20 controls the display of the display content 211 so that when the user selects a bathing effect on the terminal device 30, the user cannot select a bathing effect that causes an opposing action to be performed by the operation control of the bathroom 10. Therefore, the bathroom system 1A makes it easier for the user to select bathing effects that have a synergistic or mutually beneficial effect, and can provide the user with more accurate bathing information.

[0271] In the first embodiment and other embodiments, the control device 20 acquires effect information 212 related to bathing effects from the terminal device 30 in response to a user's operation input on the display content 211. However, this is not limiting. The control device 20 may have the acquisition unit 220 acquire the user's physical information acquired by a sensor, a camera, or the like, and determine a bathing effect suitable for the user based on the acquired physical information. The acquisition unit 220 stores the acquired physical information in the user information 214. Examples of sensors include sensors 14a to 14c installed in the bathroom 10, a camera and microphone installed in the terminal device 30B, and a detection device for acquiring physical information installed in the terminal device 30C. The acquisition unit 220 may also determine the bathing effect based on the user's physical information in addition to the acquired physical information. When determining the bathing effect, the acquisition unit 220 references, for example, a table in the storage unit 210 indicating the correspondence between the physical information and each item of the physical information and the bathing effect, and determines the bathing effect based on the referenced table.

[0272] Therefore, the bathroom system 1A determines the bathing effect based on physical or body information obtained from the user, thereby reducing the user's effort in selecting the bathing effect and providing the user with bathing information regarding bathing that matches the user's wishes.

[0273] Furthermore, in the first embodiment and the like, bathroom system 1A has control device 20 and terminal device 30 provided as separate entities, and control device 20 is connected to bathroom 10 and terminal devices 30A-30C via communications network NT, but this is not limited to this. Bathroom system 1A may have control device 20 formed integrally with terminal device 30A, or control device 20 formed integrally with terminal device 30A but configured to be able to communicate with another terminal device 30D. Referring to Figure 9, we will now describe bathroom system 1B in which control device 20 and terminal device 30A are formed integrally.

[0274] Figure 9 is a diagram showing another example of the overall configuration of bathroom system 1B according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 9, bathroom system 1B includes, for example, control device 20 integrally formed with terminal device 30A, bathroom 10, and terminal device 30D provided within bathroom 10.

[0275] The control device 20 is installed on the premises where the bathroom 10 is located or indoors, and is configured to be able to communicate with the bathroom 10 via a wired or wireless connection. The control device 20 also has, for example, a terminal device 30A as a user interface device for the bathroom system 1B. In this example, the control device 20 is configured to be able to communicate with the bathroom 10 and the terminal device 30D, but it may also be installed adjacent to the bathroom 10, so that it is formed integrally with the various devices in the bathroom 10 and the terminal device 30D.

[0276] Terminal device 30A is provided in control device 20 and accepts operational input from the user and outputs various information to the user. Terminal device 30D is provided in bathroom 10 and is configured to be able to communicate with control device 20 via a wired or wireless connection. Terminal device 30D accepts operational input from the user from inside bathroom 10 and outputs various information to the user.

[0277] According to this configuration, even if the control device 20 is not a server device on the communication network NT but is formed integrally with the terminal device 30, the bathroom system 1B can provide bathing information related to bathing that is in line with the bathing effects that are suitable for the user.

[0278] In the second embodiment and other embodiments, the determination unit 230 determines bathing information corresponding to user U1 using the past information 215. However, the method for determining bathing information is not limited to the above. For example, if there is no past information 215 corresponding to user U1 or if the amount of accumulated past information is small, the bathing information may be determined using preset reference data for bathing conditions and physical conditions. The reference data may be, for example, correspondence data between bathing conditions and physical conditions set for a typical user. Similarly, in the third embodiment, the bathing information may be determined using preset reference data for bathing conditions and bathing effects. Furthermore, if there is no past information 215 corresponding to user U1 or if the amount of accumulated past information is small, it is preferable that data on bathing conditions and physical conditions corresponding to user U1 be sequentially accumulated in the past information 215. Even when bathing information is determined using the past information 215 corresponding to user U1, it is preferable that the past information 215 be sequentially accumulated corresponding to the most recent bathing. Furthermore, if there is no past information 215 corresponding to user U1 or if the amount of accumulated information is small, bathing information may be determined using the methods of the first, fourth, or fifth embodiments.

[0279] This configuration allows the user to be provided with a bathing experience that corresponds to the bathing effect even before the past information 215 is accumulated. Furthermore, after the past information 215 is accumulated, it becomes possible to provide the user with a bathing experience that is more suitable for them.

[0280] In the second embodiment and other examples, the past information 215 correlates the body condition with the bathing state. In the first specific example, the past information 215 correlates the environmental information with the bathing state. In the second specific example, the past information 215 correlates the bathing effect (the bathing effect at the time) with the bathing state. In the third specific example, the past information 215 correlates the comfort (the comfort at the time) with the bathing state. That is, bathing information may be determined by combining at least two or more of environmental information, bathing effect (the bathing effect at the time), and comfort (the comfort at the time). For example, when environmental information and comfort are combined, a bathing state with the same environment and better comfort is identified. Note that the same combination process may be performed for the past information 217 of the third embodiment. The same combination process may be performed in the fourth and fifth embodiments as well.

[0281] According to this configuration, it is possible to identify the most suitable bathing condition for the user from the past information 215, and to provide the most suitable bathing condition for the user.

[0282] The second and third embodiments, etc., have described cases in which bathing information is determined using environmental information. For example, the second and third embodiments, etc., have described cases in which a bathing state is selected from multiple bathing states using environmental information, and bathing information is selected. If no bathing state is associated with an appropriate environment among the multiple bathing states, the bathing state of a different environment may be modified to determine bathing information. For example, suppose that a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 14 minutes) and a bathing state (water temperature 41°C and bathing time 12 minutes) are candidates, and both are associated with the summer season. If the user will be bathing in winter, the summer bathing state is modified to determine bathing information. For example, if the bathing effect is a sweating effect, the bathing information may be set by increasing the water temperature for the summer bathing state or lengthening the bathing time to promote the sweating effect even in winter. Furthermore, similar processing may be performed in the fourth and fifth embodiments.

[0283] According to this configuration, even if there is no bathing state for which a corresponding environment (season) is set in the past information 215 or the like, bathing information can be set appropriately.

[0284] In the second and third embodiments, bathing information is determined using comfort. For example, a case has been described in which a bathing state is selected from multiple bathing states using comfort. If there is no bathing state set as having good comfort among the multiple bathing states, the bathing information may be determined by correcting the bathing state set as having poor comfort. The bathing information may be set by correcting the water temperature or bathing time to improve comfort for a bathing state set as having poor comfort. Furthermore, the same processing as described above may be performed in the fourth and fifth embodiments.

[0285] According to this configuration, even if there is no bathing state associated with an appropriate comfort level in the past information 215 or the like, it is possible to set appropriate bathing information.

[0286] In the fourth and fifth embodiments, the determination unit 230 identifies a second user corresponding to a first user using physical information. The determination unit 230 may identify a second user corresponding to a first user based on characteristics (characteristic information) of the first and second users, without being limited to physical information. For example, the characteristic information may include the type of business, working hours, bathing time, bedtime, wake-up time, hobbies, family composition, exercise experience, etc. That is, the determination unit 230 may identify a second user whose type of business or working hours are the same or similar to those of the first user. The determination unit 230 may also identify a second user whose bathing time, bedtime, or wake-up time are the same or similar to those of the first user. The determination unit 230 may also identify a second user whose hobbies, family composition, or exercise experience are the same or similar to those of the first user. The determination unit 230 may also identify a second user whose physical condition, environmental information, etc. are the same or similar to those of the first user. As described above, various methods for identifying a second user corresponding to a first user are applicable.

[0287] Furthermore, the determination unit 230 may select a second user randomly or the like and use the past information 218 of the second user. In other words, the past information 218 of a second user whose characteristics are similar to those of the first user is not limited to being used.

[0288] Furthermore, in the fourth and fifth embodiments, etc., cases have been described in which a bathing plan is determined using bathing information determined using the second user's past information 218, etc., but a bathing plan may be determined in a similar manner in the second and third embodiments. That is, the determination unit 230 may determine a bathing plan using bathing information determined using the user's own past information 215 or past information 217. For example, the determination unit 230 determines a bathing plan such that the bathing information determined using the past information 215, etc., is set as the bathing information for the last day of a predetermined period, and the bathing plan gradually approaches the bathing information for the last day over the predetermined period.

[0289] Furthermore, in the fourth, fifth, and other embodiments, the determination unit 230 may determine a bathing plan based on a bathing plan for a second user who is different from the first user. Specifically, the control device 20 uses the determination unit 230 to extract another second user whose physical information, body information, environmental information, and the like are similar to or the same as the first user's. The determination unit 230 determines the bathing plan for the first user based on the bathing plan for the second user. Therefore, the bathroom system 1A determines a bathing plan based on the bathing plan of another second user whose characteristics are similar to or the same as the first user's, thereby providing a bathing plan that is more suitable for the user.

[0290] Furthermore, in the fourth and fifth embodiments, etc., when initially creating a bathing plan for a user, control device 20 may create the bathing plan based on the bathing plans of other users, and when updating the user's bathing plan, determine the user's bathing plan without using the bathing plans of other users. In other words, when there is little information about the user, bathroom system 1A uses the bathing plans of other users, and when there is more information about the user, it determines the bathing plan without using the bathing plans of other users. Therefore, bathroom system 1A can provide a bathing plan that is more suitable for the user.

[0291] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the past information 215, the past information 217, the past information 218, and the past information 221 are provided as separate data, but they may be combined into one piece of past information.

[0292] In the above embodiment, the acquisition unit 220 acquires effect information 212 related to the effect the user desires to achieve. For example, the acquisition unit 220 may set an appropriate bathing effect based on the estimated future state of the user. For example, the user's future state is estimated from changes in the user's past state using the user's past information 215, past information 217, etc. Then, a bathing effect corresponding to the user's future state is set. Then, the user's current bathing information is set for the bathing effect corresponding to the future state. For example, if it is estimated that the user's past bathing state, physical condition, etc. indicate a high possibility that sensitivity to cold will worsen in the future, the current bathing information is set for the bathing effect that will improve sensitivity to cold. This prevents the user's condition from worsening in the future. Note that the future state of the user may be estimated using the past information 218, past information 221, etc. of another user corresponding to the user. The future state of the user may also be estimated using other information.

[0293] Furthermore, the embodiments may be combined. For example, bathing information determined by the processes of two or more embodiments may be integrated into one. For example, if there is a difference between the bathing information determined by the process of the first embodiment and the bathing information determined by the process of the third embodiment, an intermediate bathing state may be set. Furthermore, if bathing information cannot be determined by the process of one embodiment, the process may proceed to the process of another embodiment. For example, if there is no past information 217 for the first user in the third embodiment, the process may proceed to the process of the first embodiment. Note that the above is not limitative and the processes of the embodiments may be combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0294] 1A: Bathroom system 10:Bathroom 20: Control device (computer) 212:Effect information 217:Past information 220: Acquisition Department 230: Decision section 240: Output section

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires effect information regarding the effect desired to be obtained by bathing in the bathroom; a determination unit that determines bathing information related to bathing corresponding to the effect information based on past information in which the past bathing state and the bathing effect related to the user are associated with each other; an output unit that outputs the determined bathing information; A bathroom system comprising:

2. The bathing information is information for controlling the operation of the bathroom, an operation control unit that controls the operation of the bathroom in accordance with the bathing information output by the output unit; The bathroom system of claim 1 further comprising:

3. The acquisition unit acquires the effect information regarding the effect that the user desires to obtain by bathing, as specified by the user. A bathroom system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The output unit proposes the bathing information to the user. The bathroom system according to claim 1.

5. The bathing information is information for controlling the operation of the bathroom, the acquisition unit acquires a response to the suggestion from the user; an operation control unit that controls an operation of the bathroom in accordance with the accepted bathing information when the response acquired by the acquisition unit indicates acceptance of the proposal; The bathroom system of claim 4 further comprising:

6. The determination unit identifies the bathing state associated with the bathing effect corresponding to the effect information based on the past information, and determines the bathing information based on the identified bathing state. A bathroom system according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The past information includes environmental information indicating an environment related to bathing, which is associated with the bathing state and the bathing effect, and the determining unit determines the bathing information in accordance with the effect information and an environment related to bathing. A bathroom system according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The environmental information is information about at least one of season, temperature, humidity, and weather. A bathroom system according to claim 7.

9. The past information associates the bathing state and the bathing effect with the bather's identification information, the determining unit determines the bathing information by referring to the past information corresponding to the user regarding the effect information. A bathroom system according to claim 1 or 2.

10. the past information associates the bathing state and the bathing effect with a physical condition of the user; the determining unit determines the bathing information based on the effect information and the physical condition. A bathroom system according to claim 1 or 2.

11. The determination unit identifies, based on the past information, a plurality of bathing conditions associated with the bathing effect corresponding to the effect information, extracts the bathing condition from the plurality of bathing conditions based on the physical condition, and determines the bathing information based on the extracted bathing condition. A bathroom system according to claim 10.

12. The past information includes comfort information indicating bathing comfort associated with the bathing state and the bathing effect, and the determining unit determines the bathing information based on the effect information and the comfort information. A bathroom system according to claim 1 or 2.

13. The determination unit identifies, based on the past information, a plurality of bathing conditions associated with the bathing effect corresponding to the effect information, extracts the bathing condition from the plurality of bathing conditions based on the comfort information, and determines the bathing information based on the extracted bathing condition.

13. A bathroom system according to claim 12.

14. In the past information, the bathing effect is information indicating the effect that occurred to the user in the bathing state. A bathroom system according to claim 1 or 2.

15. The bathing effect is information set based on information evaluated by the user in response to the bathing state and information about the user detected in response to the bathing state.

15. A bathroom system according to claim 14.

16. Computer, an acquisition unit that acquires effect information regarding the effect desired to be obtained by bathing in the bathroom; a determination unit that determines bathing information related to bathing corresponding to the effect information based on past information in which past bathing states and bathing effects related to the user are associated with each other; an output unit that outputs the determined bathing information; A program that functions as a

17. an acquisition unit that acquires effect information regarding the effect desired to be obtained by bathing in the bathroom; a determination unit that determines bathing information related to bathing corresponding to the effect information based on past information in which the past bathing state and the bathing effect related to the user are associated with each other; an output unit that outputs the determined bathing information; A control device comprising:

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