Electronic equipment and control methods for electronic equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides electronic devices that can control one or more connected devices to perform different actions depending on the type of emergency information. [Solution] The electronic device includes a data acquisition unit that acquires data including emergency information, a control signal generation unit that, upon acquiring the data, generates control signals to one or more first devices that are communicably connected to the electronic device, causing them to perform different actions depending on the type of emergency information contained in the data, and a signal transmission unit that transmits the generated control signals to the one or more first devices.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device and a method for controlling an electronic device.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for transmitting a power-off command for turning off the power of an electrical device to a power management unit when the electrical device that turns off the power during a disaster is set to a digital television receiver.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technique of Patent Document 1 described above, the power management unit only turns off the power of the electrical device and cannot perform control according to the type of emergency information.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an electronic device or the like that can perform control to cause one or more connected devices to perform different operations according to the type of emergency information.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The electronic device of the present disclosure includes a data acquisition unit that acquires data including emergency information, a control signal generation unit that generates a control signal for causing one or more first devices communicably connected to the electronic device to perform different operations according to the type of the emergency information included in the data when the data is acquired, and a signal transmission unit that transmits the generated control signal to the one or more first devices.

[0007] The electronic device control method of this disclosure acquires data including emergency information, and when the data is acquired, generates control signals to one or more first devices that are communicably connected to the electronic device, causing them to perform different actions depending on the type of emergency information contained in the data, and transmits the generated control signals to the one or more first devices. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a functional block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the content playback device and each of the first devices according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example screen containing emergency information. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the first control table. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a second control table. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow of the second embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the third embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the warning control process flow. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow of the fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of the third control table. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, the electronic devices and control methods of the electronic devices according to embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <First Embodiment> The content playback device 10 of the first embodiment will be explained using Figure 1. Figure 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the content playback device 10 and the first devices A, B, and C of the first embodiment.

[0011] The content playback device 10 is, for example, a television receiver that receives broadcast waves from television broadcasts and outputs video. The content playback device 10 includes a content acquisition unit 1, a control unit 2, an output unit 3, a human presence sensor 5, and a storage unit 6.

[0012] In the first embodiment, the first device A is an air conditioner, the first device B is a washing machine, and the first device C is a vacuum cleaner. All of the first devices A to C are connected to the content playback device 10. The first device may be, for example, an air conditioner, air purifier, humidifier or other air conditioning equipment, a water heater, audio equipment, bathroom heater, lighting, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner or speaker or a television receiver.

[0013] The control unit 2 includes a data acquisition unit 2a, a control signal generation unit 2b, a detection information acquisition unit 2c, a warning control unit 2d, and an analysis unit 2e. The output unit 3 includes a display unit 3a and a sound output unit 3b. The content playback device 10 corresponds to an electronic device. This electronic device may be a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone, a personal computer, a tablet terminal, or the like. For example, the content playback device 10 may be a smartphone or the like that plays streaming content.

[0014] The content acquisition unit 1 acquires content from an external source. This content may be, for example, broadcast waves transmitted by a television station. For example, in the event of a disaster such as an earthquake or heavy rain, the content may include emergency information related to the disaster (disaster emergency information).

[0015] The content acquisition unit 1 outputs the content received from the outside of the content playback device 10 to the control unit 2. In the present embodiment, the content acquisition unit 1 is a tuner or an antenna of a television receiver. The content acquisition unit 1 may be able to receive a video distribution service such as VOD (Video on Demand).

[0016] The content acquisition unit 1 may be, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port or the like. Also, the content acquisition unit 1 may be able to read content from a memory built in the content playback device 10 or a recording medium of a device other than the content playback device 10. The content acquisition unit 1 may be any device as long as it can acquire content by either a wireless or wired method.

[0017] The control unit 2 is also called a controller. The control unit 2 executes various processes of the content playback device 10. The control unit 2 has a processor and a memory. By the processor of the control unit 2 executing a plurality of instruction sets (programs) stored in the memory of the control unit 2, various controls of the control unit 2 can be realized. Any processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) can be applied to the processor.

[0018] The data acquisition unit 2a acquires the data of the content acquired by the content acquisition unit 1 from the outside. The data may include the above-mentioned emergency information. The emergency information may be text information emergency information (first emergency information) or emergency information other than text information such as video (second emergency information).

[0019] The content playback device 10 recognizes the content of emergency information if it is included in the data. If the emergency information is first emergency information, the control unit 2 recognizes the text information of the first emergency information. If the emergency information is second emergency information, the analysis unit 2e of the control unit 2 analyzes the video and other elements of the acquired content to recognize the content of the emergency information. Details will be described later. The control signal generation unit 2b generates control signals to control the operation of the first devices A to C according to the type of emergency information recognized, by referring to various control tables described later. The content of the operation of the first devices A to C is set in the various control tables described later, according to the type of emergency information. Details will be described later.

[0020] The detection information acquisition unit 2c acquires detection information from the first devices A to C indicating whether it has detected the presence of a person around the first devices A to C. The first devices A to C are equipped with motion sensors, and based on the detection results of these motion sensors, they transmit detection information to the content playback device 10 indicating whether a person is present around the first devices A to C. Detection of the presence of a person around the first devices A to C may be performed by methods other than motion sensors.

[0021] When the warning control unit 2d receives emergency information, if the detection information acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 2c indicates that a person has been detected in the vicinity, it controls the first device that transmitted the detection information to output a warning. The analysis unit 2e, for example, performs image processing on the video content to analyze whether the video content contains emergency information as an image.

[0022] The control unit 2 controls the display unit 3a and the sound output unit 3b of the output unit 3. The display unit 3a is controlled by the control unit 2 and displays the video of the content. The sound output unit 3b is controlled by the control unit 2 and outputs the playback sound of the content. In other words, the control unit 2 displays the video on the display unit 3a while outputting the playback sound to the sound output unit 3b when the content is played.

[0023] The display unit 3a is a display. The display may be a liquid crystal display, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display, or a QLED (Quantum dot Light Emitting Diode) display, etc. In other words, the display unit 3a may be anything that displays images. The images may include both still images and moving images. The sound output unit 3b is a so-called speaker.

[0024] The communication unit 4 is a signal transmission unit that transmits the control signals generated by the control signal generation unit 2b to the first devices A to C. The communication unit 4 may be, for example, an antenna that emits radio waves or a USB port, but it may be anything that can perform wireless or wired communication.

[0025] The human presence sensor 5 is a sensor (human detection unit) that detects whether a person is present around the content playback device 10. The memory unit 6 stores predetermined information. The memory unit 6 stores, for example, various control tables, which will be described later. The human presence sensor 5 is, for example, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, etc.

[0026] The first device A includes a communication unit A1, a control unit A2, and a motion sensor A3. The first device B includes a communication unit B1, a control unit B2, and a motion sensor B3. The first device C includes a communication unit C1, a control unit C2, and a motion sensor C3.

[0027] Communication units A1, B1, and C1 are, respectively, antennas or USB ports. Communication units A1, B1, and C1 output control signals received from the content playback device 10 to control units A2, B2, and C2, respectively.

[0028] Control units A2, B2, and C2 control the operation of the first devices A, B, and C based on control signals received from the content playback device 10, respectively. Human presence sensors A2, B2, and C2 are human presence detection units that detect whether a person is present around the first devices A, B, and C, respectively.

[0029] Figure 1 shows an example where three first devices are connected to the content playback device 10 (electronic device), but one or any number of first devices may be connected to the content playback device 10 (electronic device).

[0030] Figure 2 shows an example screen containing emergency information. Assume that the content acquired from an external source (for example, a broadcast signal) contains emergency information. The control unit 2 displays the video of the content containing the emergency information on the display unit 3a.

[0031] Screen 10a in Figure 2 includes the first emergency information 11 and the second emergency information 12. The first emergency information 11 is text information separate from the content, which consists of video and audio. On the other hand, the second emergency information 12 is image information included in the video of the content, and is emergency information other than text information. The second emergency information may be information other than image information, as long as it is emergency information other than text information.

[0032] If the content acquired by the content acquisition unit 1 includes the first emergency information 11, the control unit 2 displays the video containing the first emergency information 11 on the display unit 3a. If the content acquired by the content acquisition unit 1 includes the second emergency information 12, the control unit 2 displays the video containing the second emergency information 12 on the display unit 3a.

[0033] Figure 3 shows an example of a first control table. The first control table mainly includes items for emergency information and control signals. The first control table also includes items for notification area and number of notifications. In Figure 3 of this embodiment, the emergency information is disaster emergency information. By limiting the emergency information in the first control table to disaster emergency information, other breaking news, such as information on sports championships or election results, can be excluded.

[0034] The emergency information section includes the items for the first notification content and the second notification content. The first notification content indicates the type of emergency information. The second notification content indicates the degree of the emergency information corresponding to the first notification content. The first and second notification content are items used to determine the control signal.

[0035] The notification area and notification count are items used to determine the control signal. The notification area indicates whether it is the area (residential area) covered by the emergency information. The notification count indicates the number of times the emergency information has been notified.

[0036] The control signal parameters include control intensity, drive time, and control speed. Control intensity indicates the conditions for determining the control content of the first device. In the example in Figure 3, there are three types of control intensity: "strong," "medium," and "release," but there may be any number of two or more types of control intensity as conditions for determining the control content of the first device. Duration indicates the duration for which the control of the first device is maintained. Control speed indicates the speed at which the first device is controlled.

[0037] For example, suppose the area where the content playback device 10 is installed is "Prefecture A". The information about this area may be, for example, information at the administrative division level, and may be manually set by the user in advance when the content playback device 10 is initially configured. Alternatively, if the content playback device 10 has GPS, the information about this area may be identified based on the GPS information and the latitude and longitude information of the administrative division.

[0038] Here, let's assume that the content acquisition unit 1 receives a first emergency information 11 along with the content, which includes the textual information "warning level" and "heavy rain warning." This first emergency information 11 is, for example, information included in a broadcast wave.

[0039] Emergency Information 11 includes information about the target area. Let's assume the target area is "Prefecture A". Also, let's assume that the number of emergency information notifications, specifically "Warning Level" and "Heavy Rain Warning," has been issued for the first time.

[0040] In this case, the control signal generation unit 2b of the control unit 2 refers to the first control table and recognizes a control signal corresponding to the first notification content being "alarm level", the second notification content being "heavy rain warning", the notification area being "residential area", and the number of notifications being "1st time". The control signal has a control intensity of "medium", a duration of "until the alarm is cleared", and a control speed of "none".

[0041] Next, the control signal generation unit 2b refers to the second control table. Figure 4 shows an example of the second control table. The second control table includes items for the first device, the controlled object, and the control intensity.

[0042] The first device is information that identifies the first device connected to the content playback device 10. Information about the first device connected to the content playback device 10 may be acquired by the content playback device 10 when the content playback device 10 and the first device are first connected, for example, via a network, and registered in the content playback device 10. This allows the content playback device 10 to identify the first device.

[0043] The "Control Target" item indicates the control target corresponding to the first device. The "Control Strength" item indicates the control strength when controlling the first device for each control strength in the first control table. Furthermore, "Strong," "Medium," and "Released" in the "Control Strength" item correspond to the control strengths in the first control table. Note that "No Control" in the "Released" column means that the control of the first devices A to C will not be performed by the control signal from the content playback device 10. In this case, the control units A2, B2, and C2 of each of the first devices A to C, rather than the content playback device 10, will control the first devices A to C.

[0044] For example, the control strength of the water heater corresponding to the "strong" control strength in the first control table is "below boiling point". In this case, a control signal is generated that sets the control strength of the water heater to "below boiling point".

[0045] In the case described above, the control intensity corresponding to the type of emergency information ("warning level" and "heavy rain warning") is "medium". Each first device connected to the content playback device 10 generates a control signal corresponding to the "medium" control intensity.

[0046] In the example shown in Figure 1, the content playback device 10 is connected to the first device A (air conditioner), the first device B (washing machine), and the first device C (vacuum cleaner).

[0047] The control signal generation unit 2b refers to the items in the second control table corresponding to the control target and control intensity "medium" as described above. For example, the control signal generation unit 2b determines that the control target corresponding to the air conditioner is "maximum airflow" and the corresponding control intensity is "medium". The control signal generation unit 2b generates a control signal for the first device A (air conditioner) to set the "maximum airflow" to an intensity of "medium".

[0048] Furthermore, the control signal generation unit 2b refers to the second control table and recognizes that the control target of the washing machine corresponding to the control strength "medium" is "spin-drying operation" and that the control strength is "low rotation". The control signal generation unit 2b generates a control signal for the first device B (washing machine) to set the "spin-drying operation" to a "low rotation" strength.

[0049] Furthermore, the control signal generation unit 2b refers to the second control table and recognizes that the control target of the vacuum cleaner corresponding to the control strength "medium" is the "maximum suction force" and that the control strength is "medium". The control signal generation unit 2b generates a control signal for the first device C (vacuum cleaner) that causes the "maximum suction force" to be set to a strength of "medium".

[0050] As described above, the control signal generation unit 2b generates control signals that cause the first device A (air conditioner), the first device B (washing machine), and the first device C (vacuum cleaner) to perform different actions, depending on the type of emergency information acquired by the content acquisition unit 1.

[0051] The communication unit 4 transmits a control signal to the first device A (air conditioner) that sets the "maximum airflow value" generated by the control signal generation unit 2b to a "medium" intensity. Based on this control signal, the control unit A2 of the first device A (air conditioner) sets the maximum airflow value of the first device A (air conditioner) to a medium intensity. This allows the first device A (air conditioner) to be controlled according to the type of emergency information.

[0052] The communication unit 4 transmits a control signal to the first device B (washing machine) that sets the "spin-drying operation" generated by the control signal generation unit 2b to a "low rotation" intensity. Based on this control signal, the control unit B2 of the first device B (washing machine) sets the spin-drying operation of the first device B (washing machine) to a low rotation intensity. This allows the first device B (washing machine) to be controlled according to the type of emergency information.

[0053] The communication unit 4 transmits a control signal to the first device C (vacuum cleaner) that sets the "maximum suction force" generated by the control signal generation unit 2b to a "medium" intensity. Based on this control signal, the control unit C2 of the first device C (vacuum cleaner) sets the maximum suction force of the first device C (vacuum cleaner) to a medium intensity. This allows the first device C (vacuum cleaner) to be controlled according to the type of emergency information.

[0054] The first and second control tables described above are not separate tables, but may be the same control table. In other words, the first and second control tables may constitute a single control table.

[0055] Next, the processing flow of the first embodiment will be described. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the first embodiment. The content acquisition unit 1 receives content from an external source (step S1). The data acquisition unit 2a of the control unit 2 acquires the data received by the content acquisition unit 1.

[0056] The control unit 2 determines whether the acquired data contains the first emergency information (step S2). As described above, the first emergency information is text information separate from the content consisting of video and audio.

[0057] For example, the first emergency information is included in the broadcast content (video and audio content). Alternatively, if the content playback device 10 is an electronic device such as a smartphone, the first emergency information may be a message (text information) notifying of a disaster transmitted separately from the content from a base station or the like.

[0058] If the acquired data contains the first emergency information, the control unit 2 determines Yes in step S2 and proceeds to step S3. The control unit 2 refers to the first control table and the second control table (step S3). Then, based on the first control table and the second control table, the control unit 2 generates a control signal for the first device corresponding to the acquired first emergency information (step S4).

[0059] For example, in the above example, suppose that the first emergency information indicating "warning level" and "heavy rain warning" is obtained, the notification area is "residential area", and the number of notifications is "1st".

[0060] In this case, as described above, the control signal generation unit 2b generates a control signal for the first device A (air conditioner) that sets the maximum airflow to a medium intensity. The control signal generation unit 2b also generates a control signal for the first device B (washing machine) that sets the spin-drying operation to a low rotation intensity. Furthermore, the control signal generation unit 2b generates a control signal for the first device C (vacuum cleaner) that sets the maximum suction force to a medium intensity.

[0061] The communication unit 4 transmits each generated control signal to the corresponding first devices A to C (step S5). First devices A to C each operate based on the received control signal. The control content indicated by the control signals transmitted to first devices A to C is different. Therefore, first devices A to C each receive control signals with different operating content.

[0062] As described above, in step S2, the control unit 2 determines whether the acquired data contains the first emergency information. If the acquired data does not contain the first emergency information, the control unit 2 determines "No" in step S2 and proceeds to step S6. In this case, the analysis unit 2e analyzes the video content (step S6).

[0063] For example, the analysis unit 2e performs character recognition image processing on the received video content to extract characters from the video. For example, in the example screen in Figure 2, suppose the first emergency information 11 is not included, but the second emergency information 12 is included.

[0064] The analysis unit 2e performs character recognition on each character contained in the second emergency information 12, for example, and extracts the recognized characters by part of speech. The analysis unit 2e also extracts nouns from the extracted parts of speech. The second emergency information 12 in Figure 2 contains the characters "Emergency Earthquake Warning".

[0065] The control signal generation unit 2b may, for example, make the determination in step S7 based on whether the first notification content of the first control table contains characters that match "Earthquake Early Warning". In the case of the first control table in Figure 3, the first notification content of the first control table contains the characters "Earthquake Early Warning". In this case, the control unit 2 determines Yes in step S7 and proceeds to step S3.

[0066] The control unit 2 refers to the "Earthquake Early Warning" in the first control table. Since there is only one second notification item, the control signal generation unit 2b checks the notification area and the number of notifications. In the example in Figure 2, the text "A Prefecture" is included.

[0067] As mentioned above, the area where the content playback device 10 is installed is "Prefecture A," so the notification area is set to the residential area. Also, the notification count is set to 1st time.

[0068] The control signal generation unit 2b recognizes a control intensity of "strong" based on the first control table. Then, the control signal generation unit 2b refers to the second control table.

[0069] The control signal generation unit 2b recognizes, based on the second control table, that the control target corresponding to the air conditioner is the "maximum airflow" and that the control intensity corresponding to the "strong" control intensity is "low". The control signal generation unit 2b generates a control signal for the first device A (air conditioner) to set the maximum airflow intensity to low.

[0070] The control signal generation unit 2b recognizes, based on the second control table, that the control target corresponding to the washing machine is "spin-drying operation" and that the control intensity corresponding to the control intensity "strong" is "stop". The control signal generation unit 2b generates a control signal for the first device B (washing machine) to set the spin-drying operation to the stop intensity.

[0071] The control signal generation unit 2b recognizes, based on the second control table, that the control target corresponding to the vacuum cleaner is the "maximum suction force" and that the control intensity corresponding to the control intensity "strong" is "weak". The control signal generation unit 2b generates a control signal for the first device C (vacuum cleaner) that sets the maximum suction force to a weak intensity.

[0072] The communication unit 4 then transmits each generated control signal to the corresponding first devices A to C. This allows each of the first devices A to C to perform different actions when the content playback device 10 receives an earthquake early warning.

[0073] In step S7, for example, suppose the noun extracted by the analysis unit 2e does not match any of the first notification contents in the first control table. The analysis unit 2e may also determine No in step S7 if the extracted noun does not completely match any of the characters in the first notification contents of the first control table, nor does it partially match any of them.

[0074] If the control unit 2 determines that the received content does not contain the second emergency information, it determines No in step S7 and returns to step S2.

[0075] After executing the process in step S5, the control unit 2 determines whether the reception of emergency information (either or both of the first and second emergency information) has finished (step S8). For example, the control unit 2 may make the determination in step S8 based on whether the acquired content no longer contains emergency information.

[0076] If the reception of emergency information has not been completed, the control unit 2 determines No in step S8 and returns to step S2. If the reception of emergency information has been completed, the control unit 2 determines Yes in step S8 and proceeds to step S9. In this case, the control unit 2 releases control of the first devices A to C via the communication unit 4 (step S9).

[0077] The control unit 2 performs control to send a release signal to the first devices A to C that transmitted the control signal via the communication unit 4. Based on this control, the communication unit 4 transmits the release signal to the first devices A to C.

[0078] When the first devices A to C receive a release signal, they release the control based on the control signal. For example, suppose the first device A (air conditioner) sets the "maximum airflow" to a "medium" intensity based on the control signal. Also, suppose the "maximum airflow" setting of the first device A (air conditioner) before receiving the control signal was at a "high" intensity. When the control unit A2 of the first device A (air conditioner) receives a release signal, it returns the "maximum airflow" setting from "medium" to "high" intensity.

[0079] As explained above, when the acquired content contains emergency information, the control unit 2 of the content playback device 10 generates control signals that cause the first devices A to C to perform different actions, depending on the type of emergency information. The generated control signals are then transmitted to the first devices A to C. In this way, the electronic device as the content playback device 10 can cause the first devices A to C to perform different actions depending on the type of emergency information. In this manner, the user can be notified that emergency information has been issued, and the user can recognize that emergency information has been issued.

[0080] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment will be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the second embodiment. Steps S1 to S8 are the same as the processes in the flowchart of Figure 5, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0081] If the result is Yes in step S2, or if the result is Yes in step S7, the control unit 2 determines whether the emergency information contained in the acquired content is emergency information related to an earthquake (step S11).

[0082] Emergency information related to earthquakes includes, for example, emergency earthquake information and earthquake information. If the emergency information is the first emergency information in text form, the control unit 2 makes the determination in step S11 based on whether the text of the first emergency information contains the words "emergency earthquake information" or "earthquake information".

[0083] If the emergency information is a secondary emergency information other than text, the control unit 2 makes the determination in step S11 based on whether the words "Emergency Earthquake Information" or "Earthquake Information" are included in the noun extracted by the analysis unit 2e after analyzing the video content.

[0084] If the acquired emergency information is related to an earthquake, the control unit 2 determines Yes in step S11 and proceeds to step S12. In this case, the control unit 2 sets the control of each first device to be released after a certain period of time has elapsed since the acquisition of the emergency information (step S12). This certain period of time may be set to any desired time.

[0085] If the acquired emergency information is not earthquake-related emergency information, the control unit 2 determines No in step S11 and proceeds to step S13. In this case, the control unit 2 sets the control of each first device to continue from the time the emergency information is acquired until the emergency information is canceled (step S13). Whether the emergency information has been canceled may be determined, for example, based on whether the time since emergency information was received exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0086] The control unit 2 confirms the target area for emergency information, the area (residential area) where the content playback device 10 is installed, and the number of notifications (step S14). Then, in step S3, the control unit 2 refers to the first control table and the second control table, and in step S4, the control signal generation unit 2b generates control signals for each of the first devices A to C. In step S5, the communication unit 4 transmits each of the generated control signals to the corresponding first devices A to C.

[0087] If the result in step S8 is determined to be Yes, the control unit 2 releases control of the first device when the condition set in either step S12 or step S13 is met (step S16).

[0088] Based on the above, the control time of the first device can be changed depending on whether the acquired emergency information is related to an earthquake.

[0089] Here, as shown in the first control table in Figure 3, the control unit 2 controls the first device with different levels of intensity depending on the type of emergency information and the notification area. For example, suppose the acquired emergency information is an "earthquake early warning."

[0090] If the installation area (residential area) of the content playback device 10 is within the area covered by emergency information, the control unit 2 sets the control strength to "strong" based on the first control table. On the other hand, if the installation area of ​​the content playback device 10 is not within the area covered by emergency information, the control unit 2 sets the control strength to "disabled" based on the first control table.

[0091] For example, as shown in the second control table in Figure 4, for the air conditioner, the control intensity corresponding to the control intensity "strong" is "low," and the control intensity corresponding to the control intensity "released" is "no control."

[0092] Therefore, even if the acquired emergency information is the same "Earthquake Early Warning," the control unit 2 can control the control intensity of the first devices A to C with different intensities depending on the installation area of ​​the content playback device 10.

[0093] Furthermore, even if the type of emergency information and the notification area are the same, the control unit 2 controls the first device in different ways depending on the number of notifications. For example, suppose the acquired emergency information is "seismic intensity information" and "seismic intensity of 4 or higher," and the installation area of ​​the content playback device 10 is a residential area. In this case, the control unit 2 sets the control strength of the first device to "medium" or to "disabled" depending on whether it is the first notification or the second or subsequent notification.

[0094] For example, as shown in the second control table in Figure 4, for the air conditioner, the control intensity corresponding to the control intensity "medium" is "medium," and the control intensity corresponding to the control intensity "released" is "no control."

[0095] Therefore, even if the acquired emergency information is the same "seismic intensity information" and "seismic intensity of 4 or higher," and the installation area of ​​the content playback device 10 is a residential area, the control unit 2 can control the control intensity of the first devices A to C with different intensities depending on the number of notifications. In this way, even in the second embodiment, the user can be notified that emergency information has been issued, and the user can recognize that emergency information has been issued.

[0096] <Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment will be described. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the third embodiment. In the flowchart of Figure 7, each process other than step S20 is the same as in the flowchart of Figure 5, so its explanation will be omitted.

[0097] After the control unit 2 performs the process of step S5, which causes the communication unit 4 to send a control signal to the first devices A to C, it performs warning control (step S20). The warning control in step S20 may be performed before step S3.

[0098] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the warning control process flow. The control unit 2 determines whether the motion sensor 5 has detected a person around the content playback device 10 while emergency information is being acquired (step S21).

[0099] For example, if the motion sensor 5 detects that there is a person around the content playback device 10, the control unit 2 determines "Yes" in step S21 and proceeds to step S22. In this case, the warning control unit 2d of the control unit 2 causes the output unit 3 to output a warning (step S22).

[0100] For example, the warning control unit 2d may display a screen on the display unit 3a as shown in Figure 2. This allows the system to notify people in the vicinity of the content playback device 10 that emergency information has been issued and that there is a danger indicated by the emergency information. Alternatively, the warning control unit 2d may output the acquired emergency information as audio from the sound output unit 3b. In this case as well, the system can notify people in the vicinity of the content playback device 10 that emergency information has been issued and that there is a danger indicated by the emergency information.

[0101] If the motion sensor 5 does not detect any people around the content playback device 10 while emergency information is being acquired, the control unit 2 determines "No" in step S21 and proceeds to step S23. In this case, the control unit 2 performs control to send a confirmation instruction from the communication unit 4 to the first devices A to C to confirm whether there are people around (step S23). Based on this control, the communication unit 4 sends the confirmation instruction to the first devices A to C.

[0102] Each of the first devices A to C is equipped with a motion sensor. When the communication unit A1 receives a confirmation instruction, the control unit A2 causes the motion sensor A3 to detect whether a person is present around the first device A (air conditioner).

[0103] Based on the results detected by the motion sensor A3, the control unit A2 transmits detection information indicating whether a person is present around the first device A (air conditioner) to the content playback device 10 via the communication unit A1.

[0104] In response to the communication unit B1 receiving a confirmation instruction, the control unit B2 causes the motion sensor B3 to detect whether a person is present around the first device B (washing machine). Based on the results detected by the motion sensor B3, the control unit B2 transmits detection information indicating whether a person is present around the first device B (washing machine) to the content playback device 10 via the communication unit B1.

[0105] In response to the communication unit C1 receiving a confirmation instruction, the control unit C2 causes the motion sensor C3 to detect whether a person is present around the first device C (vacuum cleaner). Based on the results detected by the motion sensor C3, the control unit C2 transmits detection information indicating whether a person is present around the first device C (vacuum cleaner) to the content playback device 10 via the communication unit C1.

[0106] The detection information acquisition unit 2c of the content playback device 10 acquires detection information received from the first devices A to C. Based on the detection information acquired by the detection information acquisition unit 2c, the control unit 2 determines whether there is a person in the vicinity of each of the first devices A to C (step S24).

[0107] If the detection information obtained from the first devices A to C all indicates that there are no people in the vicinity, the control unit 2 determines "No" in step S24 and returns to step S21.

[0108] If any of the detection information acquired from the first devices A to C indicates the presence of a person in the vicinity, the control unit 2 determines "Yes" in step S24 and proceeds to step S25. In this case, the warning control unit 2d controls the first device that transmitted the detection information indicating the presence of a person in the vicinity to output a warning (step S25).

[0109] For example, suppose that the first device A (air conditioner) and the first device B (washing machine) transmit detection information to the content playback device 10 indicating the presence of a person nearby. In this case, the warning control unit 2d controls the first device A (air conditioner) and the first device B (washing machine) to transmit a warning signal via the communication unit 4. Based on this control, a warning signal is transmitted to the first device A (air conditioner) and the first device B (washing machine).

[0110] If the first device A (air conditioner) has, for example, a speaker, then in response to receiving a warning signal, the control unit A2 controls the speaker to sound. This allows people in the vicinity of the first device A (air conditioner) to be notified by voice or warning sound that emergency information has been issued and that there is a danger based on that emergency information.

[0111] If the first device B (washing machine) has, for example, an indicator lamp, then, upon receiving a warning signal, the control unit B2 controls the indicator lamp to flash in a special way (a flashing pattern not used during normal operation). This allows for the presentation of an emergency-based danger to people in the vicinity of the first device B (washing machine). Furthermore, if the first device B (washing machine) has a speaker, the emergency-based danger can be presented via voice or warning sound.

[0112] As described above, in the third embodiment, a warning is issued to the first device among the first devices A to C that has a person nearby. This allows the system to notify the person (user) nearby of the first devices A to C that an emergency has been issued when emergency information is acquired, thereby making them aware of the danger.

[0113] In this embodiment, a warning was output to the first device when a person was present in the vicinity. However, if the content playback device 10 detects that there is no person present, and all first devices also detect that there is no person present, the content playback device 10 may output a warning to all first devices. In this way, even if a person is inside the house but happens not to be within the range of the motion sensor of the first device installed inside the house, if all first devices output a warning, the person will know that emergency information has been issued when they approach the first device. Furthermore, for example, if all or some of the first devices have speakers, the speakers of all or some of the first devices will sound, so that a person located far from the content playback device 10 and each of the first devices will also know that emergency information has been issued.

[0114] Alternatively, if the first emergency notification is an earthquake early warning, the first device that has not detected a person may also output a warning. This increases the likelihood of informing people inside the house that a high-priority emergency has been issued. If the first notification is something other than an earthquake early warning, only the first device that has detected a person may output a warning. This prevents unnecessary warnings from being issued when the emergency information is less urgent than an earthquake early warning.

[0115] <Fourth Embodiment> Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, first device A is a gas stove, first device B is a door, and first device C is a water heater.

[0116] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow in the fourth embodiment. In the flowchart of Figure 9, each process other than step S31 is the same as in the flowchart of Figure 5, so its explanation is omitted.

[0117] If the control unit 2 determines Yes in step S2 or in step S7, it proceeds to step S31. The control unit 2 refers to the first control table and the third control table (step S31). Figure 10 shows an example of the third control table.

[0118] For example, suppose the acquired emergency information is an "earthquake early warning," the notification area is a residential area, and the notification count is the first time. The control unit 2 refers to the first control table in Figure 3 and recognizes that the control intensity of the first device is "strong."

[0119] The control unit 2 controls the operation of the first equipment A (gas stove), the first equipment B (door), and the first equipment C (water heater) by referring to the third control table in Figure 10.

[0120] As described above, the control strength of the first device is set to "strong". Based on the third control table, the control signal generation unit 2b generates a control signal that extinguishes the fire controlled by the first device A (gas stove). As a result, the first device A (gas stove) automatically extinguishes its fire. This control is performed when an "earthquake early warning" is received, as described above. Because the first device A (gas stove) automatically extinguishes its fire, secondary damage from fires during an earthquake can be prevented. As a method for automatically extinguishing the fire, for example, a configuration can be adopted in the first device A (gas stove) in which an automatically openable and closable gas valve is installed between the gas pipe connection part for introducing gas into the gas stove and the burner where the fire burns. For example, when the first device A (gas stove) receives a control signal that extinguishes its fire, the control unit A2 can close the gas valve and stop the gas supply to the burner.

[0121] Similarly, the control signal generation unit 2b generates a control signal to unlock the lock on the first device B (door) based on the third control table. As a result, the lock on the first device B (door) is automatically unlocked, preventing people inside the building from being trapped during an earthquake. The door lock can be any smart lock that can be unlocked and locked wirelessly, and may be an existing smart lock on the door or a smart lock that is added to the door lock.

[0122] Furthermore, the control signal generation unit 2b generates a control signal based on the third control table to extinguish the fire that is the target of control of the first device C (water heater). As a result, the first device C (water heater) automatically performs the extinguishing of the fire. This prevents secondary damage caused by fire, as the first device C (water heater) automatically extinguishes the fire when an earthquake occurs.

[0123] In the first embodiment described above, the control signal generation unit 2b performs control on the first devices A to C to perform different actions depending on the type of emergency information, based on the first control table and the second control table.

[0124] On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, the control signal generation unit 2b controls the first devices A to C to perform different actions based on the first control table and the third control table, according to the type of emergency information and the type of first device. This makes it possible to prevent secondary damage, for example, when a disaster indicated by the emergency information occurs. It also makes it possible to inform the user that emergency information has been issued, and the user can recognize that emergency information has been issued.

[0125] <Other> This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment. In addition, the processing order of the flowcharts described in the embodiments described above can be changed as much as possible.

[0126] The program that implements the functions of this embodiment is stored in a non-temporary recording medium such as a semiconductor medium, an optical recording medium, or a magneto-optical recording medium. For example, a non-volatile memory card may be used as the semiconductor medium. For example, a CD (Compact Dick) or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) may be used as the optical recording medium or magneto-optical recording medium. Furthermore, the program may be supplied to a computer via any transmission medium capable of transmission. [Explanation of symbols]

[0127] 1. Content Acquisition Unit 2a Data acquisition unit 2b Control signal generation unit 2c Detection Information Acquisition Unit 2d Warning Control Unit 2e Analysis section 3. Output section 4. Communications Department 5-person motion sensor 6 Memory section 10. Content playback device A,B,C 1st device

Claims

1. It is an electronic device, A data acquisition unit that acquires data including emergency information, When the aforementioned data is acquired, a control signal generation unit generates control signals that cause one or more first devices, which are communicably connected to the electronic device, to perform different actions according to the type of emergency information contained in the data, A signal transmission unit that transmits the generated control signal to one or more first devices, Electronic devices equipped with these features.

2. The control signal generation unit generates control signals for each of the multiple first devices by referring to a control table which contains the details of the operation of each of the multiple first devices associated with each of the multiple types of emergency information. The signal transmission unit transmits the generated multiple control signals to the corresponding first device among the multiple first devices. The electronic device according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned emergency information includes either first emergency information in text format, or second emergency information other than text format. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, if the first emergency information has not been obtained and the second emergency information has been obtained, the control signal generation unit generates a control signal to cause one or more first devices to perform different actions according to the type of second emergency information.

4. Display unit and A content acquisition unit that acquires content to be displayed on the aforementioned display unit, The system further comprises an analysis unit that analyzes whether the content includes the second emergency information in the form of video, The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein, if the first emergency information has not been acquired and the content is analyzed to contain the second emergency information, the control signal generation unit generates a control signal to cause one or more first devices to perform different actions according to the type of second emergency information.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, upon acquiring the data, the control signal generation unit generates a control signal to operate one or more first devices with different intensities depending on the type of emergency information contained in the data.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, upon acquiring the data, the control signal generation unit generates a control signal to one or more first devices that causes them to operate with different intensities depending on the type of emergency information included in the data and the region in which the electronic device is installed.

7. A detection information acquisition unit that acquires detection information indicating whether a person detection unit provided in one or more of the first devices has detected a person, A warning control unit that controls the first device among the one or more first devices that has detected the person to output a warning, The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, upon acquiring the data, the control signal generation unit generates a control signal to cause one or more first devices to perform different actions according to the type of emergency information contained in the data and the type of one or more first devices.

9. A method for controlling electronic equipment, We acquire data including emergency information. When the aforementioned data is acquired, control signals are generated to one or more first devices that are communicably connected to the electronic device, causing them to perform different actions depending on the type of emergency information contained in the data. The generated control signal is transmitted to one or more first devices. A method for controlling electronic devices.

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