Home appliance management system and program

Abstract

To properly grasp an operation status of home appliances.SOLUTION: A home appliance management system is configured to include a user terminal 10 and a diagnosis support apparatus 20 which are connected to a home appliance group 30 including a plurality of home appliances. The home appliance management system includes: a log data collection unit 22 which collects log data on operation of each of the home appliances in the home appliance group 30; a diagnosis unit 23 which specifies log data for each predetermined period, in the collected log data, and executes diagnosis on the operation of the home appliances using the specified log data; and an output unit 15 which outputs a regular report indicating a result of the diagnosis.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for managing various home appliances, and more particularly to a technique for performing diagnostics on home appliances. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, various home appliances are used in homes and other places. These appliances can deteriorate, break down, and experience other problems over time and use. In order to prevent and address these problems, it is effective to manage the appliances by diagnosing and inspecting them.

[0003] Diagnosis of such home appliances has been proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Patent Document 1 discloses a home appliance management system that calculates the period until new maintenance or the end of the life of a home appliance from operation data. Patent Document 2 discloses a remote inspection system for refrigerators that enables quick and appropriate response to the occurrence of an abnormality. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-157018 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-162149 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Patent Documents 1 and 2 provide notification of the occurrence of an abnormality or its signs. However, if there is no abnormality or sign, no notification is given, and the user cannot check the status of the home appliance. As a result, even if the user wishes to extend the life of the home appliance, it may be too late. Furthermore, even if an event does not constitute an abnormality, such as an increase in electricity bills due to unnecessary operation, the situation cannot be grasped. Furthermore, various (multiple) home appliances such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and microwave ovens are used in homes.

[0006] Furthermore, when electronic charges are taken into consideration, it is necessary to perform integrated management of these multiple home appliances. However, Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not take such integrated management into consideration.

[0007] As described above, it is not possible to adequately grasp the operating status of a home appliance in each of Patent Documents 1. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to more appropriately grasp the operating status of a home appliance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention outputs a regular report based on log data on the operation of each of a plurality of home appliances for each predetermined period. Note that the log data for each predetermined period includes, for example, data collected periodically or at regular intervals.

[0009] More specifically, in a home appliance management system having a user terminal and a diagnostic support device connected to a plurality of home appliances, a log data collection unit that collects log data about the operation of each of the plurality of home appliances, a log data collection unit that identifies log data for a predetermined period from the collected log data, and uses the identified log data to perform a diagnostic support operation on the home appliances. of diagnosis The diagnosis for a plurality of diagnosis items each associated with a level of importance a diagnostic unit that executes the a report creation unit that creates a regular report in an output format that indicates the results of the diagnosis according to the importance level; Output section for outputting regular reports and a storage unit that stores diagnostic information in which report elements that constitute the regular report are associated with each diagnostic item of the log data, and the report creation unit creates the regular report by combining the report elements identified by the diagnosis unit. It is a home appliance management system.

[0010] The present invention also includes a user terminal and a diagnostic support device that constitute a home appliance management system. Furthermore, the present invention also includes a program for causing the user terminal or the diagnostic support device to function as a computer, and a storage medium for storing the program. Furthermore, a diagnostic support method using these is also an aspect of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to more appropriately grasp the operating status of a plurality of home electric appliances. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a system configuration diagram of a home appliance management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a diagnosis support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing user management information used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing condition information used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating diagnostic information for a washing machine used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing diagnostic information about a refrigerator used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing diagnostic history information used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart showing the contents of a process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing details of an example of a periodic diagnosis (step S24) according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an output of a regular report (without log data) for a refrigerator in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12A] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an output of a regular report (no signs of failure or errors) for a refrigerator in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12B] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an output of a regular report (no signs of failure or errors) for a refrigerator in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an output of a regular report (without log data) for a washing machine in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an output of a regular report (no signs of failure or errors) for a washing machine in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an output of a regular report (with an error) for a washing machine in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, an integrated diagnosis is performed on a plurality of home electric appliances in a home. The diagnosis in this embodiment includes inspection. In addition to the diagnosis, measures such as maintenance, cleaning, repair, and replacement associated with the diagnosis and inspection may also be performed.

[0014] <Configuration> First, the configuration of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a home appliance management system in this embodiment. In Fig. 1, the home appliance management system has a user terminal 10 and a diagnostic support device 20, which are connected to a group of home appliances 30 to be diagnosed via a router 40 and a network 50. The user terminal 10 and the group of home appliances 30 may also be directly connected using short-range wireless communication or the like. Furthermore, the user terminal 10, the group of home appliances 30, the router 40, and the network 50 may be connected via wire or wireless. Each of these devices will be described below.

[0015] First, a description will be given of a group of home appliances 30 that are the subject of management in this embodiment. It is assumed that the group of home appliances 30 is used in one area (for example, within a home). The group of home appliances 30 in this embodiment includes a microwave oven 31, a refrigerator 32, a vacuum cleaner 33, an induction cooking appliance 34, an air purifier 35, and a washing machine 36. However, these are merely examples, and some of these may be omitted, or other home appliances may be added. Each of these home appliances has various functions such as a cooking function, a freezing function, and a cleaning function, as well as communication functions such as short-range wireless communication.

[0016] Here, the configuration of the home appliances will be described. Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram of the home appliances in this embodiment. This block diagram is representative of each home appliance. As shown in Fig. 2, the home appliance has a control unit 301, a communication unit 304, a display / operation panel 305, an operating unit 306, and a sensor 307. These are connected to each other via a communication path. Each component will be described below.

[0017] First, control unit 301 has control signal generation unit 302 and log data acquisition unit 303. That is, control unit 301 generates and outputs control signals for realizing the functions of the home appliance, such as laundry, controls the operation of the home appliance, and acquires log data related to the operation of the home appliance. Here, log data acquisition unit 303 acquires log data from operation unit 306, sensor 307, or control signal generation unit 302. Note that sensor 307 is not essential and can be omitted. Note that control unit 301 can be realized by an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), and each of control signal generation unit 302 and log data acquisition unit 303 can be realized by dedicated hardware or software such as a program. Note that log data is information including any of the operation data of the home appliance (operating time, operation content), environment (temperature, etc.), start time of use, events such as errors, etc.

[0018] Furthermore, the communication unit 304 has a function of communicating via the router 40 and the network 50 and a function of short-range wireless communication. The communication unit 304 outputs acquired log data and receives control instructions and instructions to collect log data from the user terminal 10. The display operation panel 305 receives operations on the home appliances from the user and outputs the operating status of the home appliances.

[0019] Furthermore, operating unit 306 executes various functions under the control of control unit 301. For this purpose, for example, control signals created by control signal creating unit 302 are used. The functions to be executed include cooking, freezing, cleaning, etc., and can be realized by a heater, compressor, electric fan, motor, actuator, etc. Furthermore, sensor 307 is realized by a thermometer, illuminance meter, camera, etc., and acquires usage or operating conditions such as the temperature inside refrigerator 32 and the number of times the door has been opened and closed.

[0020] In this embodiment, the diagnosis and the creation and output of the regular report are performed by the home appliance management system, but at least some of these may be performed by the home appliance. In this case, control unit 301 performs the diagnosis and / or creates the regular report. Furthermore, the regular report created by the home appliance management system may be output by display operation panel 305.

[0021] This concludes the explanation of Figure 2, and we will return to the explanation of Figure 1. User terminal 10 is used to manage multiple home appliances, i.e., home appliance group 30, and can be realized by a computer such as a smartphone, mobile phone, tablet, or PC. To this end, user terminal 10 has a communication unit 11, a log data collection unit 12, a diagnosis unit 13, a report creation unit 14, an output unit 15, an input unit 16, and a storage unit 17.

[0022] The communication unit 11 has a function of communicating via the router 40 and the network 50 and a function of short-range wireless communication. The log data collection unit 12 collects log data notified from the group of home appliances 30. It is desirable that the log data collection unit 12 collects log data periodically, particularly at regular intervals (for example, periodically). Note that the log data collection unit 12 may be omitted, and the group of home appliances 30 may actively notify the log data.

[0023] Furthermore, the diagnosis unit 13 diagnoses the operation of the group of home appliances 30 based on the collected log data. Furthermore, the report creation unit 14 creates regular reports for the user using the diagnosis results of the diagnosis unit 13. Note that at least one of the functions of the diagnosis unit 13 and the report creation unit 14 may be provided in the diagnostic support device 20, and at least one of the functions may be omitted.

[0024] The output unit 15 outputs various types of information such as regular reports. The input unit 16 accepts various operations from the user. The output unit 15 and the input unit 16 can be integrated. The memory unit 17 stores various types of information used in the processing of the diagnosis unit 13 and the report creation unit 14.

[0025] Here, we will explain one implementation example of the user terminal 10. Fig. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the user terminal 10 in this embodiment. In Fig. 3, the user terminal 10 has a touch panel 101, a processing device 102, a communication device 103, and a storage device 104, which are connected to each other via a communication path.

[0026] First, touch panel 101 is configured to serve both as output unit 15 and input unit 16 in FIG. 1, and receives user operations and displays various information. Note that touch panel 101 may be configured as an input device and an output device. Furthermore, processing device 102 can be realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and performs calculations in accordance with home appliance management program 105 (integrated application) stored in storage device 104, which will be described later.

[0027] The home appliance management program 105 is configured, for each function, with a log data collection module 106, a diagnosis module 107, and a report creation module 108. Note that each of these modules may be realized as an individual program or a partial combination thereof.

[0028] Here, the configuration shown in FIG. 1, which performs the same functions as each module, is as follows. Log data collection module 106: Log data collection unit 12 Diagnostic module 107: diagnostic unit 13 Report Creation Module 108: Report Creation Unit 14 Therefore, the processing device 102 executes the processes of the log data collection unit 12, the diagnosis unit 13, and the report creation unit 14 in accordance with the home appliance management program 105.

[0029] Storage device 104 also stores home appliance management program 105, condition information 109, diagnosis information 110, diagnosis history information 111, and owned device information 112. Here, home appliance management program 105 may be a program for managing home appliance group 30, or may be configured with multiple programs for each home appliance. In the latter case, a management program is used for each of microwave oven 31, refrigerator 32, vacuum cleaner 33, IH cooking appliance 34, air purifier 35, and washing machine 36.

[0030] The condition information 109, the diagnostic information 110, and the diagnostic history information 111 will be described later in the section <Information>. The storage device 104 may be realized by a main storage device such as a memory and a secondary storage device (storage medium) which is a so-called storage. The secondary storage device may be realized by an external HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), memory card, or the like. Furthermore, at least some of the home appliance management program 105, the condition information 109, the diagnostic information 110, and the diagnostic history information 111 may be omitted as long as they are held in the diagnostic support device 20 described later. Furthermore, at least some of the modules (functions) of the home appliance management program 105 may be provided in the diagnostic support device 20.

[0031] This concludes the explanation of Fig. 3, and we will return to the explanation of Fig. 1. The diagnostic support device 20 is designed to diagnose the group of home appliances 30, and can be realized by a computer such as a server or a cloud. To this end, the diagnostic support device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a log data collection unit 22, a diagnosis unit 23, a report creation unit 24, and a storage unit 25.

[0032] First, the communication unit 21 has a function of communicating via the router 40 and the network 50 and a function of short-range wireless communication. Furthermore, the log data collection unit 22 realizes the same function as the log data collection unit 12, and it is sufficient that at least one of the log data collection unit 22 and the log data collection unit 12 exists. Similarly, the diagnosis unit 23 realizes the same function as the diagnosis unit 13, and it is sufficient that at least one of them exists. Furthermore, the report creation unit 24 realizes the same function as the report creation unit 14, and it is sufficient that at least one of them exists.

[0033] Furthermore, the storage unit 25 stores user management information 251, condition information 252, diagnostic information 253, and diagnostic history information 254. Note that the condition information 252, diagnostic information 253, and diagnostic history information 254 are the same in content as the condition information 109, diagnostic information 110, and diagnostic history information 111 stored in the user terminal 10, and one of them may be omitted. Also, taking into consideration the resources of the user terminal 10, the information may be compressed or simplified. Note that each of these pieces of information will be described later in <Information>.

[0034] Here, an example of realizing the diagnostic support device 20 will be described. Fig. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the diagnostic support device 20 in this embodiment. In Fig. 4, the diagnostic support device 20 has a processing device 201, a communication device 202, a memory 203, and a secondary storage device 204, which are connected to each other via a communication path.

[0035] First, the processing device 201 can be realized by a processor such as a CPU, and executes calculations in accordance with a home appliance management program 205 stored in a sub-storage device 204, which will be described later. The home appliance management program 205 will be described later.

[0036] 1, is connected to the network 50, and communicates with other devices.

[0037] 1. The memory 203 and the secondary storage device 204 expand information used for processing by the home appliance management program 205 and the processing device 201, which are stored in the secondary storage device 204. The secondary storage device 204 can be realized as a so-called storage, and stores the home appliance management program 205, user management information 251, condition information 252, diagnostic information 253, and diagnostic history information 254. The secondary storage device 204 may be realized as various storage media such as an external hard disk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), or memory card, or may be realized as a device separate from the diagnostic support device 20, such as a file server.

[0038] Here, the home appliance management program 205 is made up of a log data collection module 206, a diagnosis module 207, and a report creation module 208. Note that each of these modules may be realized as an individual program or a partial combination thereof.

[0039] Here, the configuration shown in FIG. 1, which performs the same functions as each module, is as follows. Log data collection module 206: Log data collection unit 22 Diagnostic module 207: diagnostic unit 23 Report Creation Module 208: Report Creation Unit 24 Therefore, the processing device 201 executes the processes of the log data collection unit 22, the diagnosis unit 23, and the report creation unit 24 in accordance with the program.

[0040] At least one of the home appliance management program 205 and the home appliance management program 105 executes the same calculations as the home appliance management program 205 and the home appliance management program 105, and in this case, the modules that make up these programs may also be present in at least one of them.

[0041] This concludes the explanation of Fig. 4, and we return to the explanation of Fig. 1. The router 40 has the function of connecting each device, and is preferably installed on the same premises as the group of home appliances 30. Note that the router 40 can be omitted or replaced with another communication device. The network 50 is a communication network such as the Internet or a public line network. This concludes the explanation of the configuration of this embodiment.

[0042] <Information> Next, various types of information used in this embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing user management information 251 used in this embodiment. This is information related to users of the home appliance group 30. As shown in Fig. 5, user management information 251 has the following fields: user name, address, contact information, and owned devices. Here, the user name may be information that identifies the user. The address and contact information may be omitted. Furthermore, the owned devices are information that identifies the home appliances owned or used by the user, i.e., the home appliance group 30, but this information may be omitted.

[0043] The user terminal 10 has owned device information 112 for managing the home electric appliances (home electric appliance group 30) owned by the user, which has the same configuration as the user management information 251.

[0044] Next, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing condition information 252 used in this embodiment. Condition information 252 is information indicating conditions related to diagnosis. As shown in FIG. 6, condition information 252 has items of home appliance, timing, and diagnostic item. Home appliance is information that identifies the home appliance to be diagnosed. Timing indicates the timing or conditions for performing a diagnosis for the corresponding diagnostic item. Diagnostic item indicates the content to be diagnosed. Note that condition information 109 stored in user terminal 10 has a similar configuration.

[0045] Next, FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating diagnostic information 253 used in this embodiment. Diagnostic information 253 is provided for each home appliance and is template information indicating the correspondence between diagnostic results and output content. In this embodiment, diagnostic information 253 for a washing machine 36 and a refrigerator 32 is illustrated. First, FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating diagnostic information 253-1 for the washing machine 36 used in this embodiment. In FIG. 7A, diagnostic information 253-1 includes the following fields: diagnostic items and events / characteristics indicating the results, element #, importance, and report elements representing the output content. Events / characteristics indicate the diagnostic results for the collected log data. Element # is information for identifying the corresponding event / characteristic. Importance is information indicating the importance of the corresponding event / characteristic or report element and affects the output format of the report element. Report elements are elements to be included in a regular report when the corresponding event / characteristic is diagnosed. For example, if failure symptom 1 occurs, a regular report including the message "The motor has detected a failure symptom. Please check here (URL provided)" will be created.

[0046] 7B is a diagram showing diagnostic information 253-2 for refrigerator 32 used in this embodiment. Diagnostic information 253-2 has the same items as diagnostic information 253-2. However, this information is specific to refrigerator 32. Therefore, for example, the temperature control level is diagnosed as an event / characteristic.

[0047] The diagnostic information 253-2 can be used not only when some kind of problem or malfunction has occurred, but also when it is diagnosed that such a problem or malfunction has not occurred. In other words, as described in the final records of the diagnostic information 253-1 and the diagnostic information 253-2, items indicating that there is no problem can be set. In addition, the element # and importance level can be omitted. Furthermore, the diagnostic information 110 stored in the user terminal 10 has the same configuration as these.

[0048] Next, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing diagnostic history information 254 used in this embodiment. Diagnostic history information 254 indicates a history of diagnostic results. As shown in FIG. 8, diagnostic history information 254 has the following items: implementation date and time, user name, home appliance, log data, diagnostic item / result / measure implementation, and report content. First, implementation date and time indicates the date and time when the diagnosis was performed. Furthermore, user name indicates the user of the diagnosed home appliance. Home appliance indicates the diagnosed home appliance.

[0049] The log data indicates the log data collected and used for the corresponding diagnosis. Note that the log data may be treated as information separate from the diagnosis history information 254. The diagnosis item / result / measure implementation indicates the diagnosis item / result / presence or absence of a measure for the diagnosis result in the corresponding diagnosis. Note that the measure implementation may be omitted, or these may be treated as independent items. The report content is information indicating the regular report created by the corresponding diagnosis. In the illustrated example, it indicates that a regular report in the form of a weekly report including elements #3 and #13 is to be created or has been created. Note that the diagnosis history information 111 stored in the user terminal 10 has a similar configuration. This concludes the explanation of the various information used in this embodiment.

[0050] <Processing flow> Next, the processing flow of this embodiment will be described. In the following description, the processing of the user terminal 10 and the diagnostic support device 20 uses the configuration shown in Fig. 1. In the following, the home appliance to be diagnosed will be referred to as home appliance 3n included in home appliance group 30. In other words, home appliance 3n is a notation that represents microwave oven 31, refrigerator 32, vacuum cleaner 33, IH cooking appliance 34, air purifier 35, and washing machine 36.

[0051] 9 is a flowchart showing the processing contents in this embodiment. First, in step S31, the home appliance 3n operates under the control of the control unit 301. Then, in step S32, the log data acquisition unit 303 of the home appliance 3n acquires log data in response to the operation of the home appliance 3n. Then, in step S33, the communication unit 304 transmits the acquired log data under the control of the control unit 301 to the user terminal 10. This transmission may be performed periodically or in real time. Furthermore, step S33 may be actively performed by the control unit 301 or may be performed in response to an instruction from the log data collection unit 12 of the user terminal 10. In other words, the process may be performed by either so-called push transmission or pull transmission.

[0052] In step S11, the communication unit 11 of the user terminal 10 transfers the log data transmitted in step S33 to the diagnostic support device 20. Note that, in this transfer, information identifying the user terminal 10 or the user, or information identifying the home appliance 3n, may be added. Note that, this transfer may be performed periodically or in real time. It may also be performed in synchronization with step S33. Furthermore, step S11 may be actively performed by the log data collection unit 12, or may be performed in response to an instruction from the log data collection unit 22 of the diagnostic support device 20. In other words, it may be performed by either so-called push transmission or pull transmission.

[0053] In step S21, the communication unit 21 of the diagnosis support device 20 receives the transferred log data. Then, in step S22, the log data collection unit 12 stores the received log data in the storage unit 25. At this time, the log data collection unit 22 may store the received log data in the diagnosis history information 254 or may store it as separate information.

[0054] Furthermore, in step S23, the diagnosis unit 23 determines whether it is time for a predetermined diagnosis. This timing may be synchronized with the timing for creating a regular report. As a result, if it is time for diagnosis (Y), the process proceeds to step S24. If it is not time for diagnosis (N), the process waits until it is time for diagnosis. Note that in this embodiment, the diagnosis is performed at a predetermined period (periodically) such as weekly or monthly, but this period does not need to be constant and can be changed.

[0055] Then, in step S24, the diagnosis unit 23 executes periodic diagnosis using the log data. An example of this step will be described below. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the details of an example of periodic diagnosis (step S24) in this embodiment. In this flowchart, diagnosis is performed in descending order of importance of diagnostic information (steps S242, S244, S246, and S248), but an order other than this order or parallel processing may also be performed.

[0056] In step S241, the diagnosis unit 23 extracts target log data to be diagnosed this time from the log data accumulated in step S22. In this step, log data accumulated since the previous diagnosis, that is, undiagnosed log data, is extracted.

[0057] Next, in step S242, the diagnosis unit 23 determines whether the target log data has been extracted. As a result, if the target log data has not been extracted (NO), the process proceeds to step S243. On the other hand, if the target log data has been extracted (YES), the process proceeds to step S244.

[0058] Then, in step S243, the diagnosis unit 23 identifies a report element in which the "event / characteristic" of the diagnosis information 253 is "log data (none)".

[0059] Furthermore, in step S244, the diagnosis unit 23 determines whether the extracted log data contains data indicating a failure sign. If it is determined that there is data (yes), the process proceeds to step S245. If it is determined that there is no data (no), the process proceeds to step S246. Furthermore, in step S245, the diagnosis unit 23 identifies a report element whose "event / characteristic" in the diagnosis information 253 indicates a failure sign. Then, the process proceeds to step S246.

[0060] Furthermore, in step S246, the diagnostic unit 23 determines whether the extracted log data contains data including an error code. If it is determined that there is data (YES), the process proceeds to step S247. If it is determined that there is no data (NO), the process proceeds to step S248. Furthermore, in step S247, the diagnostic unit 23 identifies a report element whose "event / characteristic" in the diagnostic information 253 indicates an error. Then, the process proceeds to step S248.

[0061] Furthermore, in step S248, the diagnosis unit 23 identifies report elements of the log data that satisfy the events and characteristics (elements #12 and onward in the diagnosis information 253-1) that indicate the operation results. Then, the process proceeds to step S25 in FIG. 9. In this manner, each report element that constitutes the regular report can be identified. Note that in steps S242, S244, S246, and S248, the diagnosis unit 23 may use "importance" instead of the events and characteristics. That is, the diagnosis unit 23 may process each of the corresponding importance levels, such as importance 1 in step S242, importance 2 in S244, and importance 7 in step S248.

[0062] Next, returning to FIG. 9, the processing of this embodiment will be described further. In step S25, the report creation unit 24 creates a regular report by merging the report elements identified in step S24. At this time, the regular report is laid out according to the importance of each report element. For example, a report element with higher importance may be shown in a larger area, placed at the top of the maintenance report, given a more conspicuous shape (color, size, etc.), or a combination of these. Note that importance is an example of an index, and other indexes may also be used.

[0063] In step S26, the report creation unit 24 uses the communication unit 21 to present the created regular report to the user terminal 10. For this purpose, the regular report may be transmitted to the user terminal 10 in a file format, or the regular report may be output on the browser of the user terminal 10. This presentation may also be performed on the home appliance 3n.

[0064] Then, in step S12, the regular report presented in step S26 is output on output unit 15 of user terminal 10. An example of the output of a regular report will now be described. First, FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an output regular report (without log data) for refrigerator 32 in this embodiment. In FIG. 11, a regular report without log data (S243) is output on touch panel 101 of user terminal 10. In this regular report, the appearance of refrigerator 32 and "My refrigerator" are displayed in upper part 1011 of the screen, making it easy to understand the diagnosis target. Then, below that 1012, a report element, that is, a message that is a "daily operating status," and a "reconfirm (reconnect)" request to collect log data is output.

[0065] 12A and 12B are diagrams showing an example of a regular report output (no signs of failure or errors) for refrigerator 32 in one embodiment of the present invention. That is, this is a regular report when it is determined "none" in step S244 or step S246 of FIG. 10. FIG. 12A shows the regular report that is initially output. In FIG. 12A, information about the target refrigerator 32 is displayed in upper part 1011 of the screen, and a message is displayed in lower part 1012, just like in FIG. 11. Further below that, information about maintenance and operating status is displayed in lower part 1013. Specifically, "regarding maintenance" and "average time the door was opened last month" are displayed.

[0066] Furthermore, in Fig. 12A, selection buttons 1014 indicated by "!" are shown. When these are selected by the user, the screen transitions to Fig. 12B, where related information is displayed. This related information may be output in a pop-up screen 1015 as shown in Fig. 12B, or may transition to a separate screen and be output.

[0067] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a regular report output (without log data) for washing machine 36 in this embodiment. The only difference in FIG. 13 is the diagnostic target, and its content is the same as FIG. 11. That is, the appearance of washing machine 36 and "bathroom washing machine" are displayed in upper part 1011 of the screen, making the diagnostic target easy to understand. Then, below that 1012, a report element, that is, a message that is "daily operating status," and a "reconfirm (reconnect)" request that urges the collection of log data is output.

[0068] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a regular report output (no signs of failure or errors) for washing machine 36 in one embodiment of the present invention. That is, this shows a regular report in the case where the target home appliance is different from that in FIG. 12A but the diagnosis result is similar. Therefore, as in FIG. 12A, information indicating the target refrigerator 32 is displayed in upper part 1011 of the screen, a message is displayed in lower part 1012, and information indicating maintenance and operating status is displayed in lower part 1013. Furthermore, selection button 1014 for outputting related information is also displayed in 1013.

[0069] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of output of a regular report for a washing machine in this embodiment (with an error). That is, it shows a regular report when it is determined that an error has occurred in step S246. Here, in FIG. 15, an error code identifying the error is displayed at the bottom 1012 of the screen. Furthermore, as in FIG. 13B, selection button 1014 is selected, and a pop-up screen 1015 is also displayed.

[0070] This processing flow may be terminated after executing step S12 above, or the following steps may be selectively executed. In step S13, the diagnostic unit 13 of the user terminal 10 determines whether or not countermeasures are necessary for the errors or failure symptoms indicated in the output regular report. If the result shows that countermeasures are necessary (YES), the process proceeds to step S14. If the result shows that countermeasures are not necessary (NO), the process proceeds to step S15.

[0071] Next, in step S14, the input unit 16 or the communication unit 11 receives information about whether or not a countermeasure has been implemented and the details of the countermeasure. This may be manual input by the user, or log data from the target home appliance 3n may be used. Note that the countermeasure may include maintenance by the user, countermeasures by a maintenance technician, or remote countermeasures.

[0072] In step S15, the communicator 11 notifies the diagnostic support device 20 whether or not a countermeasure was taken, or whether it was unnecessary. Then, the log data collector 22 of the diagnostic support device 20 updates the diagnostic history information 254 using the notified content.

[0073] This concludes the description of this embodiment, but the processing of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In particular, the entity responsible for each processing step is not limited to the above example. For example, the home appliance 3n, the user terminal 10, or the diagnostic support device 20 may perform the processing independently, or the home appliance 3n and the user terminal 10, or the home appliance 3n and the diagnostic support device 20 may perform the processing together. Furthermore, even when the home appliance 3n, the user terminal 10, or the diagnostic support device 20 performs the processing together, the entity responsible for some steps may be changed. For example, at least some of steps S21 to S26 may be performed by the user terminal 10, or the log data may be transmitted directly to the diagnostic support device 20 (step S33). Furthermore, the regular report of step S26 may be presented to a device other than the user terminal 10. In this case, the regular report may be presented to both the user terminal 10 and the other device. Furthermore, the failure symptom may include the failure itself. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10...user terminal, 11...communication unit, 12...log data collection unit, 13...diagnosis unit, 14...report creation unit, 15...output unit, 16...input unit, 17...memory unit, 105...home appliance management program, 106...log data collection module, 107...diagnosis module, 108...report creation module, 109...condition information, 110...diagnosis information, 111...diagnosis history information, 112...owned appliance information, 20...diagnosis support device, 21...communication unit, 22...log data collection unit, 23...diagnosis unit, 24...report creation unit, 25...memory unit, 251...user management information, 252...condition information, 253...diagnosis information, 254...diagnosis history information, 30...group of home appliances, 31...microwave oven, 32...refrigerator, 33...vacuum cleaner, 34...induction cooking appliance, 35...air purifier, 36...washing machine, 40...router, 50...network

Claims

1. A home appliance management system having a user terminal and a diagnostic support device connected to a plurality of home appliances, a log data collection unit that collects log data about the operation of each of the plurality of home appliances; a diagnostic unit that identifies log data for a predetermined period from the collected log data, and diagnoses the operation of the home appliance using the identified log data, the diagnostic unit performing the diagnosis on a plurality of diagnostic items each associated with a level of importance; a report creation unit that creates a regular report in an output format that indicates the results of the diagnosis according to the importance level; an output unit that outputs the regular report; a storage unit that stores diagnostic information in which report elements constituting the regular report are associated with each diagnostic item of the log data; The report creation unit creates the regular report by combining report elements identified by the diagnosis unit.

2. The home appliance management system according to claim 1, The home appliance management system, wherein the diagnostic unit, when there is no log data for the predetermined period, identifies, as the report element, information that prompts collection of the log data.

3. 3. The home appliance management system according to claim 1, The log data includes at least some of the following: signs of failure, errors, elapsed time, operation details, and operating frequency occurring in the home appliances.

4. A user terminal is a computer connected to multiple home appliances and maintenance support devices. a log data collection unit that collects log data about the operation of each of the plurality of home appliances; a communication unit that receives results of the diagnosis of the operation of the home appliance, which is executed by a diagnosis unit of the maintenance support device, using log data for a predetermined period out of collected log data, for a plurality of diagnosis items each associated with a level of importance, and a regular report in an output format according to the level of importance, which is created by a report creation unit of the maintenance support device; a program that functions as an output unit that outputs the regular report indicating the result of the diagnosis, the maintenance support device has a storage unit that stores diagnostic information in which report elements constituting the regular report are associated with each diagnostic item of the log data, The report creation unit is a program that creates the regular report by combining the report elements identified by the diagnosis unit.

5. 5. The program according to claim 4, The program in which, in the diagnosis unit, when there is no log data for each predetermined period, information that prompts collection of the log data is identified as the report element.

6. The program according to claim 4 or 5, The log data is a program that includes at least some of the following that occur in the home appliance: signs of failure, errors, elapsed time, operation details, and operating frequency.

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