Home Appliance Systems

Abstract

To provide a home electric appliance system that notifies information for determining necessity of maintenance in advance.SOLUTION: A home electric appliance system according to an embodiment includes an electric household appliance, an index information calculation unit, and a notification unit. The index information calculation unit calculates index information that indicates the degree of necessity of maintenance for the electric household appliance on the basis of operation history information of the electric household appliance, history information of a sensor value obtained from the electric household appliance, or history information of the set value for operating operation of the electric household appliance. The notification unit notifies the index information calculated by the index information calculation unit before the maintenance is actually required.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present embodiment relates to a home appliance system. [Background technology]

[0002] There are home appliances that notify users of recommended maintenance such as cleaning filters and replacing consumables at a predetermined time or at a predetermined interval. There are also home appliances that notify users of the occurrence of clogged filters and the like after the occurrence of such problems. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-109995 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a home appliance system that notifies a user of information that enables the user to determine the need for maintenance in advance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The home appliance system of the embodiment includes a home appliance, an index information calculation unit, and a notification unit. The index information calculation unit calculates index information indicating the degree of necessity for maintenance of the home appliance based on operation history information of the home appliance, history information of sensor values ​​obtained from the home appliance, or history information of setting values ​​of the operation operation of the home appliance. The notification unit Based on setting information that defines a relationship between a cycle in which the user uses the home appliance and the number of times to notify the user before the time when the maintenance is required, the notification is started at a time before the time when the maintenance is required by a period during which the cycle is repeated the number of times, and the notification is sent the number of times for each cycle. The index information calculated by the index information calculation unit Through Know. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a home appliance system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a home appliance system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3A to 3C are diagrams showing examples of estimation models and prediction models according to the first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a process for creating an estimation model or a prediction model according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a maintenance support information notification process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a first diagram showing an example of maintenance support information according to the first embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing an example of the maintenance support information according to the first embodiment; [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating examples of an estimation model and a prediction model according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a maintenance support information notification process according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, a home appliance system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions are given the same reference numerals. Then, duplicated descriptions of those components may be omitted. "XX or YY" is not limited to either XX or YY, but may include both XX and YY. This also applies to the case where there are three or more selective elements. "XX" and "YY" are any elements (e.g., any information).

[0008] <First embodiment> (System Configuration) With reference to FIG. 1, the overall configuration of the home appliance system 1 of the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the home appliance system 1 of the embodiment. The home appliance system 1 includes a server device 10, and home appliances and communication devices provided at bases h1, h2, h3, etc., such as homes and facilities. At the base h1, a modem 2 such as an ONU (Optical Network Unit), a router 3, a washing machine 4 used by a user u1, an air conditioner 5, home appliances 7 such as a vacuum cleaner 6, and an information processing device 30 such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a smart speaker, and a smart display are provided. The washing machine 4 includes a control device 20a. The air conditioner 5 includes a control device 20b. The vacuum cleaner 6 includes a control device 20c. The control devices 20a to 20c are composed of a computer such as a microcomputer, and control the home appliances 7. When no particular distinction is required, the control devices 20a to 20c are collectively referred to as the control device 20. The server device 10 exists on a network NW such as the Internet, for example, and the router 3 is connected to the network NW via the modem 2. The control device 20 and the information processing device 30 can communicate with the server device 10 via the router 3. For example, the control device 20a transmits information such as a measurement value (referred to as sensor information) measured by a sensor provided in the washing machine 4, a setting value (referred to as setting information) of an operation state set in the washing machine 4, and an operation history of the washing machine 4 to the server device 10 at a predetermined period. The server device 10 collects the sensor information and the like from the home appliances 7 included in the bases h1 to h3, determines whether there are any parts or the like that require maintenance, and, if there are any parts or the like that require maintenance, transmits maintenance support information that is information that allows the necessity of maintenance to be determined to the control device 20 of the home appliance 7 that requires maintenance.

[0009] The number of information processing devices 30 shown in Fig. 1 is one, but is not limited to this and may be more than one. The information processing device 30 may be provided as a part of a home appliance 7. In addition, the home appliance 7 is not limited to a washing machine 4, an air conditioner 5, and a vacuum cleaner 6, and may include other home appliances such as a clothes dryer, a refrigerator, and an air purifier. The above also applies to bases h2 and h3.

[0010] (Server device configuration) 2 is a functional block diagram of the home appliance system 1 according to the embodiment. The server device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 13, and a communication unit .

[0011] The control unit 11 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Each process of the control unit 11 is realized by the processor executing a program. Note that a part or all of each process of the control unit 11 may be executed by hardware such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 11 collects sensor information and the like from the control device 20 of the home appliance 7, estimates the current state of parts that require maintenance, and determines whether the time for maintenance is approaching, and transmits maintenance support information including the estimation result and the judgment result to the control device 20 or the information processing device 30. The control unit 11 also controls a process of estimating the performance of the home appliance 7 based on the current state of parts that require maintenance, and transmitting the estimation result to the control device 20 or the information processing device 30. The control unit 11 includes a learning unit 12.

[0012] The learning unit 12 uses at least one of the operation history information, sensor information, and setting information of the home appliance 7 stored in the storage unit 13, and information on the state of the parts requiring maintenance, to learn the relationship between at least one of the operation history information, sensor information, and setting information and the state of the parts requiring maintenance, and creates an estimation model 121 that outputs information indicating the state of the parts requiring maintenance when the operation history information, sensor information, or setting information is input. The estimation model 121 may be configured, for example, as a neural network. FIG. 3(a) shows an overview of the estimation model 121. For example, in the case of the washing machine 4, the operation history information is, for example, an operation mode such as a washing operation, a washing and drying operation, a drying operation, a start time and an end time of the operation, or an operation frequency during a predetermined period. The sensor information is, for example, the water level in the washing tub per unit time measured by a pressure-type water level sensor. The pressure-type water level sensor measures the water level based on the water pressure that depends on the depth of the water, so that the water level in the washing tub can be measured regardless of the amount of laundry. The setting information is, for example, a set value of the operation time and the number of rotations (rotation speed) of the motor set for each phase such as washing, rinsing, and drying. The information on the state of the parts requiring maintenance is, for example, the degree of clogging of the drain filter of the washing machine 4. For example, washing becomes impossible when the degree of clogging of the drain filter approaches 100%. Similarly, the information on the state of the parts requiring maintenance is, for example, the degree of clogging of the suction filter of the air conditioner 5 or the vacuum cleaner 6. The learning unit 12 calculates the flow rate flowing out from the drain filter based on, for example, a change in the water level per unit time measured by the water level sensor during rinsing. The learning unit 12 trains the estimation model 121 to output the degree of clogging of the drain filter when it receives operation history information for a predetermined period, sensor information (flow rate of the drain filter), and setting information. The correct answer data of the degree of clogging of the drain filter is, for example, given from the outside as teacher data during learning. Similarly, for the air conditioner 5 and the vacuum cleaner 6, the learning unit 12 learns the relationship between at least one of the operating history information, sensor information, and setting information over a specified period of time and the degree of clogging of the filters of the air conditioner 5 and the vacuum cleaner 6, and creates an estimation model 121.In addition to / instead of the degree of clogging of the filter, the estimation model 121 may output a predicted value of how many more operations will cause clogging if maintenance is not performed, assuming that the same operation as in the past is performed at the same frequency based on the past operation history. For example, the degree of clogging of the filter of the air conditioner 5 may be estimated from the pressure difference measured by a pressure sensor provided before and after the filter, but may also be estimated simply from the number of operations or the operation time. Therefore, the estimation model 121 created for the air conditioner 5 may be created by omitting sensor information as input parameters (explanatory variables) and using operation history information (operation mode such as cooling / heating, operation time, etc.) for a predetermined period and setting information (set temperature, etc.), and using the degree of clogging of the filter as the output parameter (objective variable).

[0013] The learning unit 12 may also create a prediction model 122 that adds information on the maintenance cycle and the previous maintenance date to the input parameters, and outputs the recommended maintenance time when an operation history, sensor information, setting information, maintenance cycle, etc. for a predetermined period are input. For example, the current degree of clogging of the filter is estimated from the operation history and sensor information, etc., and it is further assumed that the same operation as in the past is performed at the same frequency based on the past operation history, so that it is possible to predict how many more operations will cause clogging. Furthermore, it is possible to predict the time when the filter will become clogged when it is assumed that the operation according to the past operation history and the maintenance are repeated according to the past maintenance cycle, assuming that the degree of clogging will be restored to a predetermined level if the maintenance is performed according to the maintenance cycle and the maintenance is performed according to the past maintenance cycle. An overview of the prediction model 122 is shown in FIG. 3(b). The learning unit 12 creates a prediction model that, when an operation history, a maintenance cycle, the previous maintenance date, sensor information, etc. are input, outputs the time when maintenance is required (for example, the day when the drain filter of the washing machine 4 becomes clogged, or how many days after which the drain filter becomes clogged, etc.) when the same operation is performed at the same frequency as in the past and maintenance is performed at the same cycle. This prediction model 122 may not only output the time when maintenance will be required taking into account the maintenance cycle, but may also output the time when maintenance will be required in the future if maintenance is not performed according to the maintenance cycle.

[0014] The storage unit 13 has semiconductor memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), and EEPROM (Electrical Erasable ROM). EEPROM is an example of an electrically erasable non-volatile semiconductor memory, and is used as a non-volatile storage area. For example, the storage unit 13 stores operation history information, sensor information, setting information, an estimation model 121 and a prediction model 122 created by the learning unit 12, a function F that defines the relationship between the state of a maintenance part and the performance of the home appliance, and the like, which are acquired from the control device 20 of the home appliance 7 via the communication unit 14. The storage unit 13 stores the home appliance 7 and the information processing device 30 included in the base h1 in a group. Similarly, the storage unit 13 stores the home appliance 7 and the information processing device 30 included in the bases h2 and h3 in a group by base.

[0015] The communication unit 14 is configured to be connectable to a network, for example, via the router 3. The communication unit 14 is connected to the control device 20 and the information processing device 30 of the home appliance 7 via the network. The communication unit 14 receives sensor information and the like from the control device 20. The communication unit 14 transmits maintenance support information to the control device 20 and the information processing device 30. The control unit 11, the estimation model 121, and the prediction model 122 are an example of an index information calculation unit. The control unit 11 and the communication unit 14 are an example of a notification unit. The control unit 11 and the function F are an example of a performance information calculation unit.

[0016] (Control device configuration) The control device 20 includes a sensor 21 , an input unit 22 , a control unit 23 , a display unit 24 , an audio output unit 25 , a storage unit 26 , and a communication unit 27 . The sensor 21 is one of various sensors such as a water level sensor and a pressure sensor provided in the home appliance 7. The sensor 21 measures, for example, the differential pressure before and after a filter, or the water level in a washing tub. The input unit 22 includes a touch panel, hardware buttons, and the like, and receives user operations to instruct the start and end of operation of the home appliance 7, setting of an operation mode, and the like. The input unit 22 outputs the contents of the received input to the control unit 23.

[0017] The control unit 23 includes a processor such as a CPU. Each process of the control unit 23 is realized by the processor executing a program. Note that a part or all of each process of the control unit 23 may be executed by hardware such as an LSI, an ASIC, or an FPGA. The control unit 23 controls a process of transmitting sensor information measured by the sensor 21 and operation history information and setting information recorded in the storage unit 26 to the server device 10, and a process of receiving maintenance support information from the server device 10 and displaying it on the display unit 24 or outputting it from the audio output unit 25.

[0018] The display unit 24 is configured using a display device such as a liquid crystal display, etc. The display unit 24 displays the operating state of the home appliance 7 and maintenance support information. The audio output unit 25 is configured using a speaker and a piezoelectric buzzer. The audio output unit 25 outputs the maintenance support information by voice. The storage unit 26 includes semiconductor memories such as RAM, ROM, and EEPROM. The communication unit 27 communicates with the server device 10 via the router 3 . The control unit 23, the display unit 24, and the audio output unit 25 are an example of a notification unit.

[0019] (Configuration of information processing device) The information processing device 30 includes a control unit 31, a display unit 32, an audio output unit 33, a storage unit 34, and a communication unit 35. The control unit 31 includes a processor such as a CPU. Each process of the control unit 31 is realized by the processor executing a program. Note that a part or all of each process of the control unit 31 may be executed by hardware such as an LSI, an ASIC, or an FPGA. The control unit 31 controls the process of receiving maintenance support information from the server device 10 and displaying it on the display unit 32 or outputting it from the audio output unit 33.

[0020] The display unit 32 is configured using a display device such as a liquid crystal display, etc. The display unit 32 displays the maintenance support information using graphs, etc. The audio output unit 33 is configured using a speaker. The audio output unit 33 outputs the maintenance support information by voice. The storage unit 34 includes semiconductor memories such as RAM, ROM, and EEPROM. The communication unit 35 communicates with the server device 10 via the router 3 . The control unit 31, the display unit 32, and the audio output unit 33 are an example of a notification unit.

[0021] (operation) (Creating a learning model) Next, the operation of the home appliance system 1 will be described. In the following description, as an example, the operation history information, the sensor information, and the setting information are used as input parameters of the estimation model 121 and the prediction model 122, but the present invention is not limited to this, and at least one of the operation history information, the sensor information, and the setting information may be used as an input parameter. In addition, the sensor information history information may be used as an input parameter for the sensor information. The setting information history information may be used as an input parameter for the setting information.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the creation process of the learning model of the first embodiment. FIG. 4(a) shows an example of the creation process of the estimation model 121. First, the control unit 11 acquires learning data (step S1). The learning data is a set of data including sensor information, operation history information for a predetermined period, setting information, and information indicating the state of parts requiring maintenance (hereinafter, referred to as maintenance part state information). For example, when one operation is completed, the control device 20 of the home appliance 7 transmits to the server device 10 each piece of information including sensor information measured by the sensor for each predetermined measurement period during the operation, operation history information such as the start time and end time, and operation mode (washing and drying for the washing machine 4, cooling and heating for the air conditioner 5, standard and strong for the vacuum cleaner 6), and setting information (washing and drying time for the washing machine 4, set temperature for the air conditioner 5, etc.). In the server device 10, the communication unit 14 receives these pieces of information and outputs them to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 records the sensor information, operation history information, and setting information in the storage unit 13. Further, the control unit 11 acquires, for example, maintenance part state information (such as the degree of clogging of a filter) after the current operation. The control unit 11 records the maintenance part state information in the storage unit 13 in association with sensor information and the like. The control unit 11 acquires a large number of learning data and records them in the storage unit 13. Next, the learning unit 12 reads out the learning data from the storage unit 13 and learns the relationship between the sensor information, the predetermined operation history information, the setting information, and the maintenance part state information. The predetermined operation history information is, for example, the operation history information from the previous maintenance to the present. By using the operation history information for a predetermined period as an input parameter, it becomes possible to learn and estimate the degree of clogging according to the user's usage situation. When the learning unit 12 inputs the sensor information at a certain time point, the operation history information for a predetermined period (for example, from the previous maintenance to a certain time point), and the setting information, it creates an estimation model 121 that outputs the maintenance part state information at that time point. The learning unit 12 records the estimation model 121 in the storage unit 13.

[0023] FIG. 4(b) shows an example of the process of creating the prediction model 122. The control unit 11 acquires learning data (step S11). The learning data is a set of data including sensor information, operation history information for a predetermined period, setting information, a maintenance cycle and the date of the previous maintenance, and maintenance part status information. The control unit 11 acquires information on the maintenance cycle and the date of the previous maintenance in addition to the data described in step S1 of FIG. 4(a), and records these in the storage unit 13. The control unit 11 acquires a large number of learning data and records them in the storage unit 13. Next, the learning unit 12 reads out the learning data from the storage unit 13 and learns the relationship between the sensor information, operation history information for a predetermined period, setting information, the maintenance cycle and the date of the previous maintenance, and the maintenance part status information. When the learning unit 12 receives sensor information at a certain time, etc., the learning unit 12 creates a prediction model 122 that outputs information indicating how long after that time the maintenance will be required. The learning unit 12 records the prediction model 122 in the storage unit 13.

[0024] The learning unit 12 may create the estimation model 121 and the prediction model 122 for each home appliance 7, or when there are a plurality of home appliances 7 of the same type (for example, washing machines 4 of the same model or specifications) across the bases h1 to h3, the learning unit 12 may create one estimation model 121 and one prediction model 122 for these home appliances 7. Furthermore, the learning unit 12 may create only one of the estimation model 121 and the prediction model 122.

[0025] [Maintenance support information notification] Next, a process of notifying the home appliances 7 and the like of maintenance support information using the estimation model 121 and the prediction model 122 created by the learning unit 12 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the maintenance support information notification process according to the first embodiment. When the operation of the home appliance 7 is started, the control unit 23 of the control device 20 records the current operation history information, setting information, and sensor information measured by the sensor 21 in the storage unit 26. The storage unit 26 also records maintenance history information in which the user performed maintenance such as cleaning the filter. When the operation of the home appliance 7 is finished, the control unit 23 reads out the sensor information, operation history information, setting information, and maintenance history information recorded in the storage unit 26, and instructs the communication unit 27 to transmit. The communication unit 27 transmits the sensor information, etc. to the server device 10 (step S21). In the server device 10, the communication unit 14 receives the sensor information, etc., and outputs it to the control unit 11.

[0026] The control unit 11 creates maintenance support information (step S22). The maintenance support information is information that can be used to determine the necessity of maintenance, such as the current degree of clogging of the filter, how long it will take for the filter to become clogged and require maintenance if operation is continued as is, etc. The control unit 11 inputs the sensor information, operation history information for a predetermined period, and setting information acquired from the control device 20 to an estimation model 121 stored in the memory unit 13. The estimation model 121 outputs maintenance part status information (such as the current degree of clogging of the filter). The maintenance part status information is an example of index information.

[0027] The control unit 11 calculates the maintenance cycle from the maintenance history information stored in the memory unit 13, and also reads and acquires the date of the previous maintenance. The control unit 11 inputs the sensor information acquired from the control device 20, the operation history information for a predetermined period, the setting information, the maintenance cycle, and the date of the previous maintenance to the prediction model 122 stored in the memory unit 13. The prediction model 122 outputs the time when maintenance will be required (the predicted date when the filter will become clogged). The information on the time when maintenance will be required is an example of index information.

[0028] The control unit 11 may change the timing for starting the notification of the time when maintenance is required based on the operation history information. For example, the number of times of notification before the time when maintenance is required may be set according to the frequency with which the user uses the washing machine 4. Specifically, if a user who uses the washing machine 4 every day is notified three days (three times) before the day when the filter is expected to become clogged, and a user who uses the washing machine 4 only once a week is notified three weeks (three times) before, if the start of the notification is considered to be too early, the notification is set to be made one week (one time) before. In this example, for example, the relationship between the washing frequency and the number of notifications is set in the storage unit 13 so that the number of notifications is three times when the washing frequency is every day and the number of notifications is once when the washing frequency is once a week, and the control unit 11 determines the start time of the notification of the time when maintenance is required according to this setting information. This setting may be set by a manufacturer or the like in the server device 10, or the user of the home appliance 7 may input setting information that defines the relationship between the washing frequency and the number of notifications to the control device 20, and the server device 10 may receive the setting information from the control device 20 and record it in the storage unit 13. In the above example, the relationship between the frequency with which the user uses the home appliance 7 and the number of notifications to be made before the time when maintenance is required is set. As another example, the time when the notification of the time when maintenance is required starts may be set. For example, the setting of the notification start time is set to one week before in the storage unit 13. In this case, for a user who uses the washing machine 4 every day, the control unit 11 notifies one week before the day when the filter is expected to become clogged. Also, for a user who uses the washing machine 4 only once a week, the control unit 11 notifies one week before the day when the filter is expected to become clogged.

[0029] Furthermore, the control unit 11 calculates the current performance of the home appliance 7 based on the maintenance part state information output by the estimation model 121 and the function F that defines the relationship between the state of the maintenance part stored in the storage unit 13 and the performance of the home appliance 7. For example, in the case of an air conditioner 5 or a vacuum cleaner 6, the air conditioning capacity and the suction power of dirt decrease depending on the degree of clogging of the filter. In the case of a washing machine 4, when the drain filter becomes clogged, problems occur such as draining taking a long time or being unable to wash. When the degree of clogging of the filter estimated by the estimation model 121 is input, the function F outputs the performance of the home appliance 7 in that state (for example, performance when the performance of the home appliance 7 in a state where the filter is not clogged is set to 100 (for example, comparison of available operation time, comparison of output, etc.)). The control unit 11 inputs the maintenance part state information to the function F to obtain the current performance information of the home appliance 7.

[0030] The control unit 11 instructs the communication unit 14 to transmit the maintenance part status information, information on the time when maintenance is required (and setting information on the start time if set), and current performance information of the home appliance 7 (the above, maintenance support information) to the control device 20 and the information processing device 30. The communication unit 14 transmits the maintenance support information to the control device 20 (step S23). The communication unit 14 transmits the maintenance support information to the information processing device 30 that belongs to the same group as the control device 20, such as the base h1 (step S24). Note that the maintenance support information may include only either the maintenance part status information or the information on the time when maintenance is required, or may include either the maintenance part status information or the time when maintenance is required, and the performance information of the home appliance 7.

[0031] In the control device 20, the communication unit 27 receives the maintenance support information and outputs it to the control unit 23. The control unit 23 notifies the maintenance support information by display or sound (utterance) (step S25). For example, the control unit 23 displays a guide such as "The clogging degree of the drain filter is 80%. The drain filter is expected to become clogged in X days" on the display unit 24. The display unit 24 may display the current performance information of the home appliance 7. If the drain filter is expected to become clogged later than a predetermined time, the control unit 23 may display only the clogging degree. In addition, when the control unit 23 receives the setting information of the start time from the server device 10, the control unit 23 compares the date obtained by going back from the time when the drain filter will become clogged to the period set in the setting information of the start time with the current date, and if the current date is later than the going back date, the control unit 23 displays the date when the drain filter is expected to become clogged on the display unit 24. Also, for example, if the degree of clogging of the drainage filter is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the control unit 23 may sound a buzzer (audio output unit 25) or output a voice message from the speaker (audio output unit 25) such as "The degree of clogging of the drainage filter has exceeded X%."

[0032] In the information processing device 30, the communication unit 35 receives the maintenance support information and outputs it to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 notifies the maintenance support information by graphs or voice (step S26). For example, the control unit 31 displays on the display unit 32 guidance such as "The degree of clogging of the filter is 80%. It is expected that the drain filter will become clogged in X days," or "The current capacity of the air conditioner is 80%. Performance can be restored by cleaning the filter." The control unit 31 may also output voice information of the contents to be displayed on the display unit 32 from the speaker (voice output unit 33). As described in step S25, the control unit 31 may output only the current degree of clogging of the filter when the time when maintenance is required is ahead of a predetermined time based on the setting information of the start time, etc.

[0033] In addition, the control unit 31 may generate various graphs showing the degree of clogging of the filter and the number of days remaining until maintenance is required, and may visualize the degree of clogging by displaying them on the display unit 32. An example of the display on the display unit 32 is shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6(a) is an example of a display showing the degree of clogging of the filter in a pie chart. By referring to the display shown in FIG. 6(a), the user can easily understand that, for example, the degree of clogging of the filter is 62% and that if the usage situation is the same as up to now, the filter will become clogged in 5 days. FIG. 6(b) is an example of a display showing the degree of clogging of the filter in a line graph. A line graph can show not only the current situation but also the history up to now. In the example of the display shown in FIG. 6(b), for example, by displaying a trend that the degree of clogging yesterday was 47% and today is 53%, the user can intuitively understand how many more days it will take for the filter to become clogged at this rate.

[0034] Furthermore, the control unit 31 may visualize the performance of the home appliance 7 in various graphs. Display examples of the display unit 32 are shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7(a) is a display example showing the performance of the home appliance 7 in a pie chart. By using a pie chart, the current performance of the home appliance 7 can be easily understood. Furthermore, displaying the performance can motivate the user to perform maintenance. FIG. 7(b) is a display example showing the change in performance of the home appliance 7 in a line graph. The display example shown in FIG. 7(b) can intuitively convey at what pace the performance of the home appliance 7 is deteriorating, making it easier for the user to plan maintenance.

[0035] As described above, according to this embodiment, the current state of parts requiring maintenance of the home appliance 7 can be notified. The user can judge whether maintenance is necessary by referring to this notification. According to this embodiment, the time when maintenance is required for the home appliance 7 can be notified in advance. This allows the user to understand the current necessity and urgency of the maintenance and perform the maintenance before an abnormality occurs, thereby improving the user's convenience. The user can plan the performance of the maintenance by referring to the notification of the time when the maintenance is required. According to this embodiment, the degree to which the performance of the home appliance 7 has deteriorated in relation to the current state of the maintenance parts can be notified for the home appliance 7. This notification can improve the understanding and motivation of the necessity of the maintenance.

[0036] Some home appliances 7 are equipped with parts that require maintenance, such as a lint filter or a drying filter in the case of a washer / dryer, or cleaning of the washing tub to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria. In general home appliances 7, when maintenance is required, such as when the filter is clogged, an error is displayed or a buzzer sounds, and when it comes to recommending maintenance, many of them perform an operation of notifying a guide after a certain number of times or a certain time of operation. In this way, it is difficult to convey the necessity and urgency of maintenance, and the user tends to neglect maintenance, and an error actually occurs, for example, and the user has to do laundry again. In contrast, in this embodiment, the necessity and urgency of maintenance can be conveyed by notifying the degree of clogging of the filter and the degree of deterioration of the performance of the home appliance 7. In addition, by notifying the user that "the filter may become clogged in three days" before the filter becomes clogged, the user can find time to clean the filter, thereby improving user convenience.

[0037] (Modification 1 of the first embodiment) In the flowchart of FIG. 5, when sensor information or the like is acquired from the home appliance 7 at the site h1, the control unit 11 may create maintenance support information by using an appropriate one of the estimation models 121 and the prediction models 122 created by the learning unit 12 for other sites h2 and the like. For example, when the home appliance 7 at the site h1 has just been purchased and learning data cannot be collected to create the estimation model 121 or the like, it is possible to use the estimation model 121 or the like created for a similar home appliance 7, preferably having a similar operation history such as an operation frequency or an operation mode. In this way, the estimation model 121 and the prediction model 122 created for a home appliance 7 of a certain user can be applied to other home appliances 7 and effectively utilized.

[0038] (Modification 2 of the first embodiment) In the flowchart of FIG. 5, the sensor information of the home appliance 7 is used. However, if the relationship between the degree of clogging of the filter and the number of times of operation or the operation time is learned and an estimation model 121 or a prediction model 122 is created, the sensor information is not acquired from the control device 20, but the operation history information and the setting information are acquired to create the maintenance support information.

[0039] (Modification 3 of the first embodiment) In steps S25 and S26 of the flowchart in FIG. 5, the maintenance time is notified shortly before the time when the maintenance is required. However, for the home appliance 7 whose use is seasonal, such as the air conditioner 5, the maintenance support information or the information on the time when the maintenance is required may be notified at the start or end of use. For example, the control unit 23 may output the maintenance support information to the display unit 24 at the first operation at the beginning of summer. Also, the information processing device 30 may output the degree of clogging of the filter and the time when the maintenance is required, which are estimated based on the operation history information acquired at the previous operation (the last operation of the cooling operation of last season or the last heating operation of last winter) and the estimation model 121 and the prediction model 122, before the first operation at the beginning of summer is started. For example, the display unit 32 may display a message such as "It is about time to use the cooling function. The current degree of clogging of the filter is X%. If you use the cooling function every day, the filter may become clogged after X days. We recommend that you clean the filter before the summer arrives." Or, the information processing device 30 may display a similar message at the end of the season when the cooling function is used. The user may be able to arbitrarily set whether the notification is to be given at the beginning or end of the season.

[0040] <Second embodiment> In the first embodiment, information is provided to guide the maintenance of parts such as filters that are maintained by the user. In the second embodiment, a deterioration estimation model 123 is created to estimate the degree of wear and the probability of failure for the wear and deterioration of devices and parts such as motors and compressors that are not subject to maintenance by the user, and a failure prediction model 124 is created to predict when a failure is likely to occur. This makes it possible to notify the user that, for example, the deterioration of a washing machine motor will gradually deteriorate from the time it is new and that the motor is likely to break down in X years. In the case of a home appliance 7 such as a refrigerator that will waste food if it breaks down, a suggestion to replace it is made in advance.

[0041] (composition) The configuration of the home appliance system 1 is the same as that illustrated in FIG. 1. In the second embodiment, the learning unit 12 creates a deterioration degree estimation model 123 for estimating the deterioration degree of the appliance and a failure prediction model 124 for predicting the time of failure for each appliance. FIG. 8 shows an example of the deterioration degree estimation model and the failure prediction model. FIG. 8(a) shows an example of the deterioration degree estimation model. When operation history information, sensor information, and setting information for a predetermined period are input, the deterioration degree estimation model 123 outputs, for example, the deterioration degree of the motor at that time. For example, the learning unit 12 acquires daily operation history information until the motor breaks down, which is obtained when a motor breaks down in a washing machine 4 of a certain user, sensor information, and daily deterioration degree of the motor separately analyzed based on the information, and creates the deterioration degree estimation model 123. Alternatively, the deterioration degree estimation model 123 may be created by operating the washing machine 4 in a test environment in advance until the motor breaks down, and using the sensor value at that time as learning data. Similarly, when the learning unit 12 receives operation history information, sensor information, and setting information for a predetermined period of time, it creates a failure prediction model 124 that outputs the time when a motor or the like will fail. The control unit 11 and the deterioration level estimation model 123 are an example of a deterioration level calculation unit. The control unit 11 and the failure prediction model 124 are an example of a failure prediction unit. Here, the operation history information, the sensor information, and the setting information are used as input parameters for the deterioration degree estimation model 123 and the failure prediction model 124, but these models may be created using at least one of the operation history information, the sensor information, and the setting information as an input parameter. Furthermore, the deterioration degree estimation model 123 may be created so as to output the current equipment failure rate and / or the future failure rate on the assumption that the equipment will continue to be used in the same manner as the current equipment failure rate when at least one of the operation history information, the sensor information, and the setting information is input.

[0042] (operation) 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a maintenance support information notification process according to the second embodiment. The same parts as those in the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. First, the communication unit 27 of the control device 20 transmits the sensor information and the like to the server device 10 (step S21). In the server device 10, the communication unit 14 receives the sensor information and the like and outputs it to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 creates maintenance support information (step S22). Next, the control unit 11 creates failure prediction information (step S221). The failure prediction information is information such as the deterioration degree of the devices constituting the home appliance 7 and the time when the devices are expected to fail. The control unit 11 inputs the sensor information, operation history information for a predetermined period, and setting information acquired from the control device 20 to the deterioration degree estimation model 123 stored in the storage unit 13. The deterioration degree estimation model 123 outputs the current deterioration degree of the devices such as the motor. The control unit 11 inputs the sensor information, operation history information for a predetermined period, and setting information acquired from the control device 20 to the failure prediction model 124 stored in the storage unit 13. The failure prediction model 124 outputs the time when the devices will fail.

[0043] The control unit 11 instructs the communication unit 14 to transmit the maintenance support information and the failure prediction information to the control device 20 and the information processing device 30. The communication unit 14 transmits the maintenance support information and the failure prediction information to the control device 20 (step S231). The communication unit 14 transmits the maintenance support information and the failure prediction information to the information processing device 30 that belongs to the base h1, etc., of the same group as the control device 20 (step S241).

[0044] In the control device 20, the communication unit 27 receives the maintenance support information and the failure prediction information, and outputs them to the control unit 23. The control unit 23 notifies the maintenance support information and the failure prediction information by display or sound (step S251). For example, the control unit 23 displays information such as "The deterioration degree of the motor is X%. If it continues to be used as it is, it may break down in X years" or "The motor failure rate is X1%. If it continues to be used as it is, the failure rate in one year will be X2%, and the failure rate may reach 100% in X3 years" on the display unit 24. Also, for example, the control unit 23 may output similar content from a speaker (audio output unit 25).

[0045] In the information processing device 30, the communication unit 35 receives the maintenance support information and the failure prediction information, and outputs them to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 notifies the maintenance support information and the failure prediction information by graphs or voice (step S261). For example, the control unit 31 displays the deterioration degree of the motor in a pie chart, the progress of the deterioration degree of the motor in a line graph, or the like, and displays a prediction of when the motor will fail, similar to the examples shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

[0046] As described above, according to this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, it is possible to output the deterioration level of the devices included in the home appliance 7 and a predicted value of when the devices will break down. The home appliance 7 has a useful life because the devices deteriorate and wear out. However, the useful life varies depending on the usage conditions of the user. According to this embodiment, by presenting the user with the deterioration level of the device and the time until failure according to the usage conditions of the user, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the home appliance 7 suddenly breaks down and becomes unusable.

[0047] (Modification 1 of the first and second embodiments) In the above embodiment, the server device 10 creates the estimation model 121 and the like and creates the maintenance support information, but the functions of the server device 10 may be provided in the control device 20 of each home appliance 7, and the processing described in each embodiment may be executed for each home appliance 7. Also, the functions of the server device 10 may be provided in the information processing device 30 at each base, and the processing described in each embodiment may be executed for each base.

[0048] (Modification 2 of the first and second embodiments) In the above embodiment, the control unit 31 displays the maintenance support information on the display unit 32. However, for example, an application program for home appliance maintenance support (hereinafter, referred to as an app) may be stored in the storage unit 34 of the information processing device 30, and the app unit, which is realized by the CPU of the information processing device 30 reading and executing this app from the storage unit 34, may display guidance such as "The degree of clogging of the filter is 80%. The drain filter is expected to become clogged in X days" and performance information of the home appliance 7 on the display unit 32 based on the maintenance support information transmitted from the server device 10, or generate graphs of the degree of clogging of the filter and the performance of the home appliance 7 and display them on the display unit 32. In the process of the second embodiment, the app unit may also display guidance and graphs of the deterioration degree of the motor, etc. on the display unit 32. That is, in the above embodiment and the modified example, the content displayed on the display unit 24 of the home appliance 7 may be displayed on the display unit 32 of the information processing device 30 (for example, a mobile terminal device) instead of / in addition to the display unit 24. Similarly, in the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the content displayed on the display unit 32 of the information processing device 30 may be displayed on the display unit 24 of the home appliance 7 instead of / in addition to the display unit 32.

[0049] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide information that allows the user to determine in advance whether or not maintenance is necessary for the home electric appliance 7, thereby improving user convenience.

[0050] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] Reference Signs List 1: home appliance system, 2: modem, 3: router, 4: washing machine, 5: air conditioner, 6: vacuum cleaner, 7: home appliance, 10: server device, 20: control device, 30: information processing device.

Claims

1. Home appliances and an index information calculation unit that calculates index information indicating a degree of necessity for maintenance of the home appliance based on operation history information of the home appliance, information about a sensor value obtained from the home appliance, or information about a setting value of an operation operation of the home appliance; a notification unit that notifies the index information calculated by the index information calculation unit before the maintenance is actually required; Equipped with the notification unit starts the notification a period during which the user repeats a cycle of using the home appliance indicated by the frequency of use of the home appliance the number of times before the time when the maintenance is required based on setting information that defines a relationship between a frequency of use of the home appliance by a user and a number of times to notify the user until the time when the maintenance is required, and notifies the user the number of times for each cycle. Home appliances system.

2. The index information is and information indicating the degree of necessity of the maintenance with respect to the state of the part to be maintained, or information regarding the period until the maintenance must be performed on the part. The home appliance system according to claim 1 .

3. A performance information calculation unit that calculates the performance of the home appliance in a state of the part to be maintained based on operation history information of the home appliance, information about the sensor value, or information about the setting value, The notification unit notifies the performance information of the home appliance calculated by the performance information calculation unit before the maintenance is actually required. The home appliance system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A deterioration degree calculation unit that calculates a deterioration degree of a device included in the home appliance based on operation history information of the home appliance, information about the sensor value, or information about the setting value, The notification unit notifies the deterioration degree of the device calculated by the deterioration degree calculation unit. The home appliance system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A failure prediction unit that predicts when a failure will occur in a device included in the home appliance based on operation history information of the home appliance, history information of the sensor value, or information related to the setting value, The notification unit notifies the failure time of the device calculated by the failure prediction unit. The home appliance system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The notification unit displays the index information on a display unit provided in the home appliance. The home appliance system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The home appliance system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification unit causes an audio output device provided in the home appliance to output the index information as audio.

8. Further comprising an information processing device, The home appliance system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification unit displays the index information or a graph showing a transition of the index information on a display unit provided in the information processing device.

9. The notification unit displays a deterioration level of the appliance on a display unit provided in the appliance. The home appliance system according to claim 4.

10. The notification unit displays a time when the appliance will fail on a display unit provided in the appliance. The home appliance system according to claim 5 .

11. 9. The home appliance system according to claim 1, wherein the home appliance is a washing machine, an air conditioner, a clothes dryer, a washer / dryer, or a vacuum cleaner, the part to be maintained is a filtering part, and the index information includes a degree of clogging of the filtering part.

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