Information Processing System

Abstract

To provide an information processing system capable of improving convenience.SOLUTION: An information processing system includes an identification unit and a proposal unit. The identification unit identifies a period to propose a replacement purchase for a proposal target hereafter referred to as a target household electrical appliance on the basis of a replacement purchase history of one or more other household electrical appliances used by a user of the target household electrical appliance, performance deterioration of the target household electrical appliance, change of the user's family, classification of an area in which the target household electrical appliance is installed, and a replacement purchase history of household electrical appliances of other users having the same use environment as that of the user. The proposal unit proposes the replacement purchase for the target household electrical appliance in the period identified by the identification unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD An embodiment of the present invention relates to an information processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] An information processing system has been proposed that suggests to a user when to replace a refrigerator based on the useful life of the refrigerator. However, in this case, the user's intention is not reflected in the suggested timing for replacement, so there is room for improvement in terms of convenience. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-28760 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system that can improve convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The information processing system according to the embodiment includes a specification unit and a proposal unit. The specification unit is configured to specify a replacement history of one or more other home appliances used by a user of a target home appliance that is a target of a replacement proposal. History The suggestion unit identifies a time for making a proposal to replace the target home appliance based on the time. The suggestion unit suggests replacing the target home appliance at the time identified by the identification unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a home appliance management system according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of registration history information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the content of replacement timing conversion information according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of home appliance information according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a replacement suggestion process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of threshold information according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of family structure information according to the third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram conceptually showing an example of the contents of area division information according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of adjustment value information according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a home appliance management system according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of registration history information according to the fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, an information processing system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for configurations having the same or similar functions. Then, duplicated descriptions of those configurations may be omitted. "Based on XX" means "based on at least XX" and may include cases based on other elements in addition to XX. "Based on XX" is not limited to cases where XX is directly used, but may also include cases where XX is based on an element that has been subjected to calculation or processing. "XX or YY" is not limited to either one of XX and YY, but may include both XX and YY. This also applies to cases where there are three or more selective elements. "XX" and "YY" are any elements (for example, any information).

[0008] (First embodiment) The first embodiment is an example in which the timing of making a replacement proposal for a target home appliance is specified based on the replacement history of one or more other home appliances used by a user of the target home appliance that is the subject of the replacement proposal. The first embodiment is also an example in which a model of a home appliance to be recommended in the replacement proposal is specified based on the usage history of one or more other home appliances.

[0009] <1. Overall composition> 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a home appliance management system 1 according to a first embodiment. The home appliance management system 1 includes, for example, a plurality of home appliances 100, a server 200, and a terminal device 300 of a user U. The network NW described below may be, for example, the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) network, a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), or other public lines or dedicated lines, depending on the situation. The home appliance management system 1 is an example of an "information processing system."

[0010] The multiple home appliances 100 include a home appliance 100A that is the subject of a replacement suggestion (hereinafter referred to as a "target home appliance 100A") and one or more (for example, two or more) other home appliances 100B. The other home appliances 100B are home appliances used by a user U of the target home appliance 100A, and are, for example, home appliances that are located in the same residence as the target home appliance 100A.

[0011] The target home appliance 100A and the other home appliance 100B are different types of home appliances. "Different types" means that the purpose of use is different. For example, the target home appliance 100A is one of a refrigerator, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, a cooking appliance, or a television receiver. The other home appliance 100B is another one or more (for example, two or more) of a refrigerator, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, a cooking appliance, or a television receiver. In the following, an example will be described in which the target home appliance 100A is a refrigerator and the other home appliance 100B is a washing machine and an air conditioner.

[0012] The plurality of home appliances 100 can be connected to a network NW via a wireless router R arranged in, for example, the residence of a user U, and can communicate with a server 200 via the network NW. In this embodiment, the home appliance 100 (for example, a target home appliance 100A) includes a display device 101 including a display screen capable of displaying various information, and an operation unit 102 capable of receiving an operation from the user U. The display device 101 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The operation unit 102 is, for example, a touch sensor provided over the display screen of the display device 101. However, the home appliance 100 does not necessarily have to include the display device 101 and the operation unit 102.

[0013] The server 200 is a server that manages a plurality of home appliances 100. The server 200 is composed of one or more server devices (e.g., a cloud server) connected to the network NW. The server 200 may include an information processing unit that performs edge computing or fog computing, such as an information processing unit included in a router in the network NW. The server 200 is capable of communicating with the terminal device 300 via the network NW. Note that the server 200 is not limited to a cloud server, and may be a computer in the residence of the user U, a home router (e.g., a wireless router R), or the terminal device 300.

[0014] The terminal device 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal device. The terminal device 300 includes a display device 301 including a display screen capable of displaying various information, and an operation unit 302 capable of receiving an operation from a user U. The display device 301 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The operation unit 302 is, for example, a touch sensor provided over the display screen of the display device 301. For example, an application program for using the home appliance 100 is installed in the terminal device 300, and the functions described below are supported. Note that the terminal device 300 is not limited to a mobile terminal device, and may be a personal computer.

[0015] <2. Server> 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the server 200. The server 200 includes, for example, a registration acceptance unit 210, a registration information management unit 220, a home appliance control unit 230, a replacement suggestion unit 240, and a storage unit 260. All or a part of the registration acceptance unit 210, the registration information management unit 220, the home appliance control unit 230, and the replacement suggestion unit 240 are realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) mounted on the server 200 executing a program. However, all or a part of these functional units may be realized by hardware (including a circuit unit; circuitry) such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware.

[0016] The storage unit 260 is realized by a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, or a combination of a plurality of these. The storage unit 260 stores registration information 261, registration history information 262, usage history information 263, replacement time conversion information 264, and home appliance information 265.

[0017] The registration acceptance unit 210 accepts various registrations based on, for example, an operation of the user U on the operation unit 302 of the terminal device 300. For example, the registration acceptance unit 210 accepts user registration. By performing the user registration, a user account and a password are associated with each other. Furthermore, the registration acceptance unit 210 accepts the registration of the home appliance 100 to be associated with the user account. By associating the user account with the home appliance 100, the terminal device 300 can remotely control the home appliance 100 and obtain information about the home appliance 100 (for example, obtain a setting state or an operating state). The registration accepted by the registration acceptance unit 210 is stored in the storage unit 260 as registration information 261. Note that the acceptance of the registration is not limited to the operation of the user U on the operation unit 302 of the terminal device 300, and may be performed based on the operation of the user U on the operation unit 102 of the home appliance 100.

[0018] The registration information management unit 220 manages the history of information registered in the registration information 261. The registration information management unit 220 stores the history of the information registered in the registration information 261 in the storage unit 260 as registration history information 262.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the registration history information 262. The registration history information 262 stores a registration history of a plurality of home appliances 100 (including the target home appliance 100A and one or more other home appliances 100B) registered in association with the user account of the user U. The "registration history" corresponds to a history of replacement purchases. In the registration history information 262, for example, each home appliance 100, the registration date of the home appliance 100 (corresponding to the start of use), the deletion date of the registration of the home appliance 100 (the end date of use, corresponding to the date of replacement of the home appliance 100), the useful life of the home appliance 100, and the final presence or absence of a malfunction of the home appliance 100 are registered. The final presence or absence of a malfunction is information indicating the presence or absence of a malfunction on the deletion date of the registration of the home appliance 100, and is registered based on error information received by the server 200 from the home appliance 100. By referring to the registration history information 262, for example, it can be seen that washing machine A has a useful life of seven years, was purchased in June 2017, and was replaced with washing machine B in August 2020 after three years of use without any malfunction.

[0020] The home appliance control unit 230 transmits a control command to the home appliance 100 for remotely controlling the home appliance 100 based on an operation of the user U on the terminal device 300. For example, the home appliance control unit 230 transmits to the home appliance 100 a control command for starting or stopping the operation of the home appliance 100 or changing the setting state, or a control command for transmitting information indicating the setting state or the operating state to the server 200. The information indicating the setting state or the operating state of the home appliance 100 collected by the home appliance control unit 230 (including information periodically received from the home appliance 100) is stored in the storage unit 260 as the usage history information 263.

[0021] The replacement suggestion unit 240 includes, for example, a specification unit 241 and a suggestion unit 242 . The specifying unit 241 specifies the timing for proposing to the user U a replacement of the home appliance 100. In this embodiment, the specifying unit 241 specifies the timing for proposing to replace the target home appliance 100A based on the replacement history of one or more other home appliances 100B used by the user U.

[0022] For example, the specifying unit 241 specifies the time to make a replacement proposal for the target home appliance 100A based on the time when the user U replaced the other home appliance 100B with respect to the useful life of the other home appliance 100B as the replacement history of the other home appliance 100B. The time when the user U replaced the other home appliance 100B with respect to the useful life of the other home appliance 100B means, for example, whether the user U replaced the other home appliance 100B in a period shorter than the useful life, whether the user U replaced the other home appliance 100B near the useful life (around one year after the useful life), whether the user U used the other home appliance 100B until it broke down far beyond the useful life, and the like. In this embodiment, when there is a replacement history of two or more other home appliances 100B used by the user U, the specifying unit 241 specifies the time to make a replacement proposal for the target home appliance 100A based on the replacement history of two or more other home appliances 100B used by the user U.

[0023] Specifically, the identification unit 241 uses the registration history information 262 stored in the storage unit 260 to identify the timing of the replacement proposal for the target home appliance 100A based on the timing when the user U replaced the other home appliance 100B with respect to the useful life of the other home appliance 100B. Here, the user A shown in FIG. 3 is taken as an example. In the example of the user A, the washing machine, when not broken, is replaced after three years with a useful life of seven years. Similarly, the air conditioner, when not broken, is replaced after three years with a useful life of seven years.

[0024] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the replacement timing conversion information 264. In the replacement timing conversion information 264, a correspondence relationship between the average years of use of the other home appliances 100B with respect to their useful life (normalized years of use, i.e., years of use divided by useful life) and the time (normalized time) for making a replacement proposal for the target home appliance 100A with respect to its useful life is registered. The "years of use" is the number of years of use until it is actually replaced. For example, if the replacement history of the other home appliance 100B shows that the useful life is 7 years and the appliance was replaced in 3 years (3 years / 7 years=0.428...), the time for making a replacement proposal for the target home appliance 100A with respect to its useful life is 0.5. Therefore, when the useful life of the target home appliance 100A (for example, a refrigerator) is 10 years, the specification unit 241 specifies the time when the years of use reach 5 years as the time for making a replacement proposal to the user U (user A). Here, when calculating the average years of use of the other home appliances 100B, information on home appliances 100 that have become broken down and need to be replaced does not need to be included.

[0025] Next, an example of another user U (user B) will be described. In the registration history information 262 regarding user B, it is assumed that a washing machine, when not broken, has a service life of 7 years and was replaced every 7 years, and an air conditioner, when not broken, has a service life of 7 years and was replaced every 7 years. In this case, if the service life of the target home electric appliance 100A (e.g., a refrigerator) is 10 years, the specifying unit 241 specifies the time when the years of use reach 10 years as the time to make a replacement proposal to user U (user B).

[0026] Next, an example of yet another user U (user C) will be described. In the registration history information 262 regarding user C, it is assumed that a washing machine was used until it broke down and was replaced after the breakdown, and an air conditioner was used until it broke down and was replaced after the breakdown. In this case, if the useful life of the target home electric appliance 100A (e.g., a refrigerator) is 10 years, the identifying unit 241 identifies the time when the years of use reach 10 years as the time to make a replacement proposal to user U (user C).

[0027] The suggestion unit 242 suggests replacing the target home appliance 100A at the time specified by the specification unit 241. For example, the suggestion unit 242 transmits predetermined information to the terminal device 300 or the target home appliance 100A, and causes the display device 301 of the terminal device 300 or the display device 101 of the target home appliance 100A to display a display suggesting replacing the target home appliance 100A.

[0028] In this embodiment, the suggestion unit 242 specifies a recommended home appliance 100 (a post-purchase home appliance, which is the same type of home appliance as the target home appliance 100A) to be included in the replacement proposal based on the user's usage history (usage history information 263 stored in the storage unit 260) of one or more other home appliances 100B. The recommended home appliance 100 is specified based on the home appliance information 265 stored in the storage unit 260, for example.

[0029] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the home appliance information 265. In the home appliance information 265, features of a plurality of home appliances 100 that are candidates to be proposed as replacement candidates are registered. For example, in the home appliance information 265, information indicating the degree of a special control mode (e.g., an energy saving mode) of each home appliance 100, the size of the housing of each home appliance 100, etc. is registered.

[0030] For example, when a specific control mode (e.g., energy saving mode) is used with a predetermined frequency or more in the usage history of another home appliance 100B, the suggestion unit 242 suggests a home appliance 100 that has more functions in the specific control mode (e.g., energy saving mode) than the average of products of the same type as a recommended home appliance 100 to replace.

[0031] For example, when a specific other home appliance 100B is used at a predetermined frequency or more as the usage history of the other home appliance 100B, the suggestion unit 242 suggests a home appliance 100 having specifications related to the specific other home appliance 100B as a recommended replacement appliance compared to the average of products of the same type. For example, when a cooking appliance such as a microwave oven is used at a predetermined frequency or more as the other home appliance 100B, the suggestion unit 242 considers the user U to be a frequent user of frozen foods, and suggests a refrigerator with a larger freezer compartment compared to the average of products of the same type as a recommended replacement refrigerator. In another example, when a rice cooker is used at a predetermined frequency or more as the other home appliance 100B, the suggestion unit 242 considers the user U to be a user who likes to cook at home, and suggests a refrigerator with a large internal volume or a refrigerator with an excellent quick freezing function as a recommended replacement refrigerator.

[0032] From another perspective, when the other home appliance 100B is replaced with a new one after a shorter period of use than the useful life, the suggestion unit 242 suggests a high-end model (e.g., a high-end model) with more features than the average of products of the same type as the recommended home appliance 100 for replacement. On the other hand, when the other home appliance 100B is still being used beyond the useful life, the suggestion unit 242 suggests a model with a simpler structure or function than the average of products of the same type (i.e., a model that is less likely to break, for example, a model with fewer parts) as the recommended home appliance 100 for replacement. In the case of a refrigerator, a model with fewer parts is, for example, a refrigerator with only one cooler.

[0033] <3. Processing flow> 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of a replacement suggestion process by the server 200. In this embodiment, it is assumed that an initial setting value (for example, the same value as the useful life) for the replacement timing of the target home appliance 100A is set in advance.

[0034] First, the identifying unit 241 determines whether or not there is a replacement of the other home appliance 100B (deletion of an old home appliance 100 and registration of a new home appliance 100 in the registration information 261) at a predetermined cycle (S101). If there is no replacement of the other home appliance 100B (S101: NO), the identifying unit 241 proceeds to S105.

[0035] On the other hand, when the other home appliance 100B is replaced (S101: YES), the identifying unit 241 determines whether the replacement is due to a malfunction of the other home appliance 100B, for example, based on the registration history information 262 (S102). When the replacement is due to a malfunction of the other home appliance 100B (S102: YES), the identifying unit 241 proceeds to S105.

[0036] On the other hand, if the replacement is not due to a breakdown of the other home appliance 100B (S102: NO), the specifying unit 241 recalculates the average years of use of the other home appliances 100B (home appliances 100B replaced in the past) relative to the useful life based on the registration history information 262 (S103). Then, the specifying unit 241 newly specifies the time to propose replacement of the target home appliance 100A based on the recalculated average years of use and the replacement time conversion information 264 (S104). Then, the specifying unit 241 replaces the previously stored time for the replacement proposal (for example, the time initially set) with the newly specified time.

[0037] Next, the proposal unit 242 judges whether or not it is time to make the replacement proposal identified by the identification unit 241 (S105). If it is not time to make the replacement proposal identified by the identification unit 241 (S105: NO), the proposal unit 242 returns to S101 and repeats the processes of S101 to S105. On the other hand, if it is time to make the replacement proposal identified by the identification unit 241 (S105: YES), the proposal unit 242 causes the display device 301 of the terminal device 300 or the display device 101 of the target home appliance 100A to display a proposal to replace the target home appliance 100A (S106). This completes a series of flows.

[0038] <4. Advantages> As a comparative example, consider a system that makes replacement suggestions to user U based only on the useful life. In such a system, the intentions of user U may not be easily reflected. For example, some users may want to use the product until it breaks, while others may want to replace it after a certain period of time. If these intentions are not taken into consideration, the suggestion may not be beneficial to user U.

[0039] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the specifying unit 241 specifies the timing for making a replacement proposal for the target home appliance 100A based on the replacement history of one or more other home appliances 100B used by the user U. With this configuration, it is possible to make a replacement proposal for the target home appliance 100A at an appropriate time based on the replacement tendency (user intention) of the user U that reflects the replacement history of one or more other home appliances 100B used by the user U. This can improve the convenience of the user U.

[0040] In this embodiment, the timing of making a proposal to replace the target home appliance 100A is specified based on the timing when the user U replaced the other home appliance 100B relative to the useful life of the other home appliance 100B as the replacement history of the other home appliance 100B. With this configuration, it is possible to make a proposal to replace the target home appliance 100A at an appropriate time based on the user U's tendency to replace the other home appliance 100B relative to the useful life. This can improve the convenience of the user U.

[0041] Here, since the target home appliance 100A is replaced once every few years, it is not easy to collect information indicating the user's tendency to replace the target home appliance 100A. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the target home appliance 100A and the other home appliance 100B are different types of home appliances. With this configuration, the user U's tendency to replace the target home appliance 100A can be obtained using the replacement history of the different types of home appliances. This makes it possible to make a replacement suggestion for the target home appliance 100A at an appropriate time.

[0042] In this embodiment, when there is a replacement history of two or more other home appliances 100B used by the user U, the specifying unit 241 specifies the time to make a replacement proposal for the target home appliance 100A based on the replacement history of the two or more other home appliances 100B used by the user U. With this configuration, it is possible to make a replacement proposal for the target home appliance 100A at an appropriate time with higher accuracy based on the replacement tendency of the user U reflected in the replacement history of the two or more other home appliances 100B. This can improve the convenience of the user U.

[0043] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment is an example in which the timing for proposing replacement of the target home appliance 100A is specified based on the performance degradation of the target home appliance 100A. Note that the configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0044] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the threshold information 266 in the second embodiment. The threshold information 266 is stored in, for example, the storage unit 260 of the server 200. In the threshold information 266, each operating state as an evaluation item of the target home electric appliance 100A (for example, a refrigerator) is associated with a threshold value for each operating state. The threshold value for each operating state is, for example, a temperature drop per unit time relative to the operation rate of the compressor, a time required for a defrosting operation of a cooler, or a frequency of defrosting operation required for a cooler.

[0045] Here, as the refrigerator ages, the insulation material of the housing or the door deteriorates, and the temperature drop per unit time decreases even with the same compressor operation. Therefore, when the temperature drop per unit time becomes smaller than the threshold included in the threshold information 266 even with the same compressor operation, it can be considered that the performance of the refrigerator has deteriorated to a certain level or more.

[0046] Similarly, as a refrigerator deteriorates over time, the coating of the cooler peels off, frost easily forms on the cooler, and it becomes difficult to remove the frost from the cooler. As a result, the cooling performance and the operating efficiency decrease. For this reason, when the time required for the defrosting operation of the cooler becomes longer than the threshold included in the threshold information 266, it can be considered that the performance of the refrigerator has decreased to a certain level or more. Also, when the frequency of the defrosting operation required for the cooler becomes higher than the threshold included in the threshold information 266, it can be considered that the performance of the refrigerator has decreased to a certain level or more.

[0047] In this embodiment, the identifying unit 241 compares one or more values ​​indicating the performance of the target home appliance 100A acquired from the target home appliance 100A with a threshold included in the threshold information 266 every time the target home appliance 100A is operated. Then, the identifying unit 241 determines whether or not the performance of the target home appliance 100A has deteriorated by a certain amount or more based on one or more values ​​indicating the performance and the threshold included in the threshold information 266 every time the target home appliance 100A is operated. Then, when the identifying unit 241 determines that the performance of the target home appliance 100A has deteriorated by a certain amount or more, it identifies that the current time is the time to propose replacing the target home appliance 100A.

[0048] In this case, the suggestion unit 242 displays a suggestion for replacing the target home appliance 100A on the display device 301 of the terminal device 300 or the display device 101 of the target home appliance 100A. Note that, when the number of years of use is short (for example, less than half) compared to the useful life of the target home appliance 100A, the suggestion unit 242 may suggest repair instead of replacement.

[0049] According to such a configuration, it is possible to suggest to the user U that the target home appliance 100A be replaced when a certain level of performance degradation appears in the target home appliance 100A. This makes it possible to improve the convenience for the user U.

[0050] Third embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment is an example in which the timing for making a replacement suggestion for the target home appliance 100A is specified based on a change in the family of the user U. Note that the configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0051] 8 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the family structure information 267 of the third embodiment. The family structure information 267 is stored, for example, in the storage unit 260 of the server 200. The family structure information 267 is information in which, for example, the structure of the user U's family is associated with the age of each member. The family structure information 267 is generated, for example, based on an input by the user U to the terminal device 300 at the time of user registration, and the ages of the members are automatically updated over time.

[0052] However, the family composition information 267 is not limited to the above example. For example, the members of the family may be associated with age categories such as "infant," "elementary school student," "junior high school student," "adult," and "elderly" instead of specific ages. In addition, the family composition information 267 is not limited to being based on an input by the user U, but may be generated by the server 200 based on the use history (time of use, frequency of use, method of use, etc.) of the target home appliance 100A or information obtained by a sensor (e.g., a camera) provided in the target home appliance 100A, and may be automatically updated at a predetermined cycle.

[0053] Here, the functions of the target home electric appliance 100A required change as the family changes. For example, as children grow up, a large-capacity refrigerator or washing machine for a family may be required. Also, as the user U ages, a low-profile, small-capacity, easy-to-use refrigerator or washing machine may be required.

[0054] In this embodiment, the identifying unit 241 compares the contents included in the family structure information 267 with a predetermined condition at a predetermined cycle (for example, once a month). Then, when the contents included in the family structure information 267 satisfy the predetermined condition (when the child has grown up to be an elementary school student, or when the user U has reached a predetermined age, etc.), the identifying unit 241 identifies that the current time is the time to propose replacing the target home appliance 100A.

[0055] In this case, the suggestion unit 242 displays a suggestion for replacing the target home appliance 100A on the display device 301 of the terminal device 300 or the display device 101 of the target home appliance 100A. Note that the suggestion unit 242 may delay the suggestion for replacement when the number of years of use is short (for example, less than half) compared to the useful life of the target home appliance 100A.

[0056] According to such a configuration, it is possible to suggest to the user U to replace the target home electric appliance 100A in accordance with changes in the family. This makes it possible to improve convenience for the user U.

[0057] (Fourth embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. The fourth embodiment is an example in which the timing for making a replacement proposal for the target home appliance 100A is specified based on the area division in which the target home appliance 100A is installed. Note that the configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0058] 9 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of the contents of the area classification information 268. The area classification information 268 is stored, for example, in the storage unit 260 of the server 200. In the area classification information 268, a plurality of area ARs classified based on temperature environments are registered. In this embodiment, a plurality of area ARs classified into "Hokkaido", "Tohoku", "Kanto", "Koshinetsu", etc. are registered.

[0059] In a warm region, deterioration of each component due to an increased operation rate of the refrigerator and deterioration of the insulation material due to high temperatures are considered. For this reason, in a warm region, it may be preferable to suggest replacing the refrigerator at an earlier stage. On the other hand, in a cold region, deterioration of each component due to a low operation rate of the refrigerator and deterioration of the insulation material due to low temperatures are considered to be suppressed. For this reason, in a cold region, it may be preferable to suggest replacing the refrigerator at a later stage.

[0060] 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the adjustment value information 269. The adjustment value information 269 is stored, for example, in the storage unit 260 of the server 200. The adjustment value information 269 stores an adjustment value used to adjust the timing for proposing replacement of a target home electric appliance 100A (for example, a refrigerator) for each of a plurality of area ARs.

[0061] In this embodiment, the specification unit 241 acquires the classification of the area AR where the user U resides based on an input by the user U to the terminal device 300. Then, the specification unit 241 acquires an adjustment value related to the timing of proposing replacement based on the classification of the area AR where the user U resides and the adjustment value information 269. The specification unit 241 specifies the timing of proposing replacement of the target home appliance 100A by multiplying the above adjustment value by the timing of making the replacement proposal set by default (for example, useful life). In this case, the proposal unit 242 causes the display device 301 of the terminal device 300 or the display device 101 of the target home appliance 100A to display the proposal for replacement of the target home appliance 100A.

[0062] According to such a configuration, it is possible to propose to the user U to replace the target home appliance 100A at a more appropriate time according to the classification of the area in which the target home appliance 100A is installed. This makes it possible to improve convenience for the user U.

[0063] Fifth embodiment Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. The fifth embodiment is an example in which the timing of making a proposal to replace the target home appliance 100A is specified based on the replacement history of home appliances of another user U who is in the same usage environment as the user U of the target home appliance 100A. Note that the configuration other than that described below is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0064] 11 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a home appliance management system 1 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the home appliance management system 1 includes a plurality of home appliances 100 arranged in a plurality of homes. A registration information management unit 220 of the server 200 collects registration histories (replacement histories) related to the plurality of home appliances 100 arranged in the plurality of homes, and accumulates them as registration history information 262X. The registration history information 262X is stored in, for example, the storage unit 260 of the server 200.

[0065] 12 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the registration history information 262X of this embodiment. The registration history information 262 of this embodiment includes a plurality of registration history information 262 (e.g., registration history information 262a, 262b, 262c, 262i, 262j, 262k, ...) respectively associated with the user accounts of a plurality of users U (e.g., users A, B, C, I, J, K, ...). Each of the registration history information 262a, 262b, 262c, 262i, 262j, 262k has the same contents as the registration history information 262 described in the first embodiment, for example.

[0066] In this embodiment, in the registration history information 262X, the registration history information 262 of multiple users U is managed so as to be classified according to the usage environment of the users U (for example, a first group G1, a second group G2, ...) or to be searchable based on the usage environment. The "usage environment" may be read as "attribute".

[0067] An example of the "usage environment" is a region AR divided into multiple regions (see FIG. 9). In this case, "the same usage environment" means that the user U lives in the same region AR among the multiple regions. Another example of the "usage environment" is the family structure of the user U. In this case, "the same usage environment" means that the user U has the same family structure (such as "single-person household", "couple household", "one-child household", etc.). In yet another example, the "usage environment" is the use frequency (utilization frequency) of the target home appliance 100A divided into multiple regions. In this case, "the same usage environment" means that the use frequency is the same among the multiple regions. The information indicating the user U's usage environment is generated, for example, based on the user U's input to the terminal device 300, based on information obtained by a sensor (e.g., a camera) provided in the home appliance 100 of the user U, or based on the usage history information 263 of the home appliance 100 of the user U.

[0068] In this embodiment, the identification unit 241 identifies the timing of making a proposal to replace the target home appliance 100A based on the replacement history of the home appliances 100 of other users U who have the same usage environment as the user U (for example, the replacement history of the same type of product as the target home appliance 100A). The "same type of product" is not limited to the same model, and may also include models from previous years (for example, models from previous years with similar configurations).

[0069] In addition, if there is another home appliance 100B (for example, a home appliance having a relationship similar to that between a refrigerator and an air conditioner located in a high temperature area AR) that has the same tendency of deterioration progression (fast or slow deterioration) as the target home appliance 100A depending on the usage environment, the "replacement history of the home appliance 100 of the other user U" is not limited to the replacement history of the same type of product as the target home appliance 100A, but may be the replacement history of the other home appliance 100B.

[0070] The specifying unit 241 of the present embodiment can have, for example, the following three aspects. In the first mode, the specification unit 241 specifies the time to propose a replacement of the target home appliance 100A based on the replacement history of the home appliance 100 of other users U who live in the same area AR as the user U in a plurality of divided areas AR (for example, based on the registration history information 262X) as the replacement history of the home appliance 100 of other users U who have the same usage environment as the user U. For example, if the average number of years of use of the same type of product (useful life of 10 years) as the target home appliance 100A of multiple users B and C who live in the same area AR as the user A is 7 years, the time when the number of years of use of the target home appliance 100A (useful life of 10 years) reaches 7 years is specified as the time to propose a replacement of the target home appliance 100A to the user A.

[0071] In the second mode, the specification unit 241 specifies the time to make a proposal to replace the target home appliance 100A based on the home appliance 100 replacement history of other users U who have the same family structure as the user U (for example, based on the registration history information 262X) as the home appliance 100 replacement history of other users U who have the same usage environment as the user U. For example, if the user A is a married couple (two-person household) and the average number of years of use of the same type of product (useful life of 10 years) as the target home appliance 100A of users B and C who are also married couple households is eight years, the time when the use period of the target home appliance 100A (useful life of 10 years) reaches eight years is specified as the time to make a proposal to user A to replace the target home appliance 100A.

[0072] In the third mode, the specification unit 241 specifies the time to make a proposal to replace the target home appliance 100A based on the replacement history of the same type of product as the target home appliance 100A of other users U who belong to the same use frequency category as the user U among the multiple categories of use frequency of the target home appliance 100A (for example, based on the registration history information 262X) as the replacement history of the home appliance 100 of other users U who have the same usage environment as the user U. For example, if the user A is a type who frequently uses the target home appliance 100A, and the average number of years of use of the same type of product (useful life 10 years) of users B and C who also frequently use the same type of product as the target home appliance 100A is 5 years, the time when the number of years of use of the target home appliance 100A (useful life 10 years) reaches 5 years is specified as the time to make a proposal to the user A to replace the target home appliance 100A.

[0073] According to such a configuration, it is possible to suggest to the user U to replace the target home appliance 100A at a more appropriate time based on the replacement history of the home appliance 100 of other users U who are in the same usage environment as the user U. This can improve the convenience of the user U.

[0074] (Modification) Next, modified examples of the first to fifth embodiments will be described. When the timings for making replacement proposals for multiple target home appliances 100A derived in advance by calculation are close to each other within a predetermined period (for example, when the timings for making the proposal for replacement of a refrigerator and the proposal for replacement of a washing machine are within three months), the specifying unit 241 may set the timing for making the proposal for replacement of the target home appliance 100A with a high priority for replacement first, and set the timing for making the proposal for replacement of the target home appliance 100A with a low priority for replacement at a later time (for example, one year later). In one example of the priority for replacement, the priority of the target home appliance 100A with a high frequency of use is high. In another example of the priority for replacement, the priority of items (refrigerators and air conditioners) that will cause loss or poor health if their functions stop is high.

[0075] Some embodiments and modifications have been described above. However, the embodiments and modifications are not limited to the above examples. The above-described embodiments and modifications may be realized in combination with each other.

[0076] According to at least one embodiment described above, the information processing system has a specification unit and a proposal unit. The specification unit specifies the time to propose the replacement of the target home appliance based on the replacement history of one or more other home appliances used by the user of the target home appliance that is the target of the replacement proposal, the performance deterioration of the target home appliance, the change in the user's family, the classification of the area in which the target home appliance is installed, or the replacement history of home appliances of users in the same usage environment as the user. The proposal unit proposes the replacement of the target home appliance at the time specified by the specification unit. According to such a configuration, convenience can be improved. The "information processing system" may be realized only by home appliances, only by a server, or only by a terminal device.

[0077] 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]

[0078] 1...home appliance management system (information processing system), 100...home appliance, 100A...target home appliance, 100B...other home appliances, 200...server, 210...registration reception unit, 220...registration information management unit, 230...home appliance control unit, 240...replacement suggestion unit, 241...identification unit, 242...suggestion unit, 300...terminal device.

Claims

1. A specifying unit that specifies a timing for making a replacement proposal for the target household electrical appliance based on a replacement history of one or more other household electrical appliances used by a user of the target household electrical appliance that is a target for the replacement proposal; An information processing system comprising: a proposal unit that proposes replacement of the target household electrical appliance at the timing specified by the specifying unit.

2. The specifying unit specifies a timing for making a replacement proposal for the target household electrical appliance based on a time when the user replaced the other household electrical appliances with respect to the service life of the other household electrical appliances as the replacement history of the other household electrical appliances. The information processing system according to claim 1.

3. The target household electrical appliance and the other household electrical appliances are different types of household electrical appliances. The information processing system according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The target household electrical appliance is one of a refrigerator, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, a cooking appliance, or a television receiver. The one or more other household electrical appliances are one or more other ones of a refrigerator, a washing machine, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, a cooking appliance, or a television receiver. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. When there is a replacement history of two or more other household electrical appliances used by the user, the specifying unit specifies a timing for making a replacement proposal for the target household electrical appliance based on the replacement history of the two or more other household electrical appliances used by the user. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A specifying unit that specifies a timing for making a replacement proposal for the target household electrical appliance based on a classification of an area where the target household electrical appliance that is a target for the replacement proposal is installed; An information processing system comprising: a proposal unit that proposes replacement of the target household electrical appliance at the timing specified by the specifying unit.

7. A specifying unit that specifies a timing for making a replacement proposal for the target household electrical appliance based on a replacement history of household electrical appliances of other users living in the same area as the user of the target household electrical appliance that is a target for the replacement proposal among a plurality of classified areas; A proposal unit that proposes replacement of the target household electrical appliance at the timing specified by the specifying unit; An information processing system comprising the same.

8. Among the usage frequencies divided into a plurality of target household electrical appliances that are the targets of replacement proposal, based on the replacement history of the same type of products as the target household electrical appliances of other users belonging to the same usage frequency category as the user of the target household electrical appliances, a specifying unit that specifies the timing for making a replacement proposal for the target household electrical appliances, A proposal unit that proposes replacement of the target household electrical appliances at the timing specified by the specifying unit, An information processing system comprising the above.

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